Before we begin, I would like to say that I have every intention of finishing this story. As of right now, I am currently putting up 1-2 chapters per week. I may not be able to keep this pace, but I will do my best...I do also have a full time job that needs some attention :). I began this story mainly because so many stories I have read were not finished and it drives me crazy. So I am going to do my best here. As always all rights are JK's.

CHAPTER 1

Harry awoke with a start covered in sweat with tears streaming down his face. His sheets clung to him and were wrapped around him as if he had tossed and turned all night. He had tossed and turned all night. He sat up, eyes closed, rubbing his head. He had a bad dream, really bad, like the kind of dream you want to avoid sleep for the rest of your life over. Trying to remember all of the details, he crossed his arms on his knees and rested his head on them. Harry was running around Hogwarts trying to find Voldemort. That was it. Hogwarts was destroyed with chunks raining down, and Death Eaters were killing everyone in sight. Think! What else? Why are you still shaking? There was something else! Hermione was hurt, but Harry had overlooked her injuries for some reason. Then the memory came back to him: Ron. Ron had died protecting Harry. Harry looked around quickly surveying the room, looking for Ron. He could see Neville, Seamus and Dean, all of whom had come upstairs last night to sleep, but the bed next to his had its curtains drawn. He jumped up and whipped them open. Ron is here, sleeping. It was just a dream. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would do if he had lost his best friend. Harry took a minute to calm down, walked around the boys' dormitory in Gryffindor tower. He must have come up here last night after the battle to get some rest. It seems to have been spared the brunt of damage, he thought thankfully. This gave Harry a great deal of optimism for the rest of the castle; maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he remembered it being. Harry looked again at the beds in front of him and saw Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean all sleeping semi-peacefully. It reminded him of the past few years at Hogwarts and Harry was hit with a rush of nostalgia for those days.

He looked at himself and a sound that could only be described as disgust at his appearance came out of his mouth. He really, really needed a shower; he was covered in sweat, dirt and blood, some of it not even his. When he came back to the dormitory, Ron was awake and heading down towards the great hall, so Harry accompanied him. They walked past the rest of the Weasley family who were still sleeping in the Gryffindor common room. They had refused the boys' beds last night. On the way to the great hall, they surveyed the damage inflicted on this part of the castle. Harry had been wrong. This was just as bad, if not worse than he remembered it being. Paintings were missing from the walls and statues were smashed to pieces. Harry felt a breeze that didn't belong indoors and he looked up. Where there usually was a ceiling, not to mention several floors above, there was nothing but open sky. Neither Harry nor Ron said a word to each other. They didn't have to; they both knew what the other was thinking.

Tables had been brought back into the great hall last night/this morning after the wounded and dead were removed to a different part of the castle. Harry and Ron sat at what was previously the Gryffindor table out of habit, though no one seemed to care about houses at the moment. Neither ate much and neither said a word to each other. Harry couldn't imagine how Ron was coping with the loss of his brother and there was nothing that Harry could say that would rewind time and save Fred, so he didn't say anything. He knew that eventually they would all heal with time, but not soon enough. Slowly the rest of the Weasleys wandered into the hall as if they didn't really know where else to go or what else to do; everyone had a lost look on their faces. Ginny took the empty seat next to Harry and he looked into her sad eyes for the briefest of moments, but turned and focused his attention back to his plate of food.

"Excuse me everyone, can I please have your attention?" Professor McGonagall announced to the great hall at large. Harry looked around to find that it was full of people. He must not have noticed everyone gathering while he was lost in thought. Harry glanced over to where George was sitting. He did not look good, Of course he didn't look good, but like really bad. He was much paler than usual, looked like he hadn't slept and had tears still streaked across his face. Harry felt terrible; this was because of him..."

"I wanted to thank you all for your loyalty and bravery you have all shown over the past 24 hours...years really." She paused. "We lost too much in this fight against evil, but in the end good prevailed, and I want you to remember that as you mourn the loss of your loved ones.

"…We will be planning a memorial service to honor those that have fallen during the battle in a few days' time. We will send owls to everyone with the specifics when they are all sorted. Furthermore, we will need to discuss rebuilding efforts. Alas, it may take quite some time due to the extensive damage Hogwarts has sustained. However, I think if we receive enough volunteers, we may be able to finish for next term to begin on September 1st. I will be taking volunteers' names and throughout the summer I will send out requests for assistance in this matter. Now I think it is time that everyone finishes up their meals, said their goodbyes, and went home. I will see you all during the summer."

Pretty much every person present in the hall went forward at that time and put their name down for the rebuilding efforts, including Harry. When he went back to the table where the Weasleys were gathering, Mrs. Weasley approached him.

"Harry, dear," she spoke with a wavering voice, "we are all headed back to the Burrow and I would like you to come with us. You can stay in Bill's old room or share with Ron, whichever you prefer."

Harry nodded still unable to speak or look her in the eyes. How could he possibly express to her how sorry he was? He knew that all of this was his fault and he wanted to bear the weight of the blame, alone. The Weasley's and Harry were directed to use the floo network from the Head's office. Only after did he realized that it was now Professor McGonagall's office, as she was named the new Headmistress of Hogwarts.

After arriving at the Burrow, Harry settled himself in Bill's old room. After a few minutes of uncertainty, he headed down the stairs looking for Ron and Hermione and found them sitting outside in the garden. They had been crying.

"Hey"

"Harry!" Hermione yelled. "Your startled me! I was getting worried. Are you ok?"

He cut her off, "I'm fine, I promise." He was not ready to talk away his guilt. He wanted to feel every aching stab. "How are you two holding up?"

"Well, I guess I'm doing OK, mate, with everything that's happening. George went home to his flat above the shop. He hasn't spoken since yesterday. When mom asked him to come here, he only shook his head and left. He is having a really hard time with Fred's death. I mean, I am too, but I guess it is different when you are a twin and as close as they are...were. Mum and dad are visibly distraught, but they are keeping it together for us, I suppose," Ron began.

Harry nodded. The next few weeks were going to be tough to make it through.

Harry wanted to talk to Ginny. She deserved an explanation directly from him before word could get out or he told the wizarding community about what all happened. And he had every intention of sharing his story with those who were at the battle. He felt they deserved an explanation. They needed to know that he was to blame for everyone's deaths. If only he had figured everything out sooner. He had noticed Ginny stealing glances at him all day, and after dinner that night, he pulled her aside.

"Do you, uh…would you like to go for a walk, so we can talk?"

She nodded and followed him into the garden. They headed to the property line and walked along the hedges when Harry began to tell her everything that had happened over the past year. He told her where they went, what they were after, and how they almost got caught several times. He was aware that she was in shock, to say the least, about everything he, Ron and Hermione went through over the past year, but he did not look up from the ground during the story. However, when he made it to Ron's abandonment, he paused and finally looked at her.

"Look don't go giving Ron a hard time, please, but he left us about a month before Christmas. The locket I told you about was messing with his head and he had some mad idea that Hermione and I were, well...you know. To be clear, we weren't, she's like my sister. He eventually came back, and we forgave him. So just try to go easy on him. I just wanted to let you know because I told you I would tell you everything."

She was visibly angry. Harry wasn't sure if he had ever seen her that angry before. "He left you? Left? Like he abandoned you and Hermione after he promised to help you destroy Voldemort? And you forgave him after that?! Well you're certainly a better person than me. He is such a prat!"

"Ginny, it's OK. He more than made up for it. The night he came back, he saved my life…" And Harry continued on with his story. He explained what happened to Hermione at Malfoy manor, breaking into Gringotts and then finally the battle. When he arrived at this point in the story he felt the need to explain why he faked his death.

"Ginny, walking into that forest was the hardest thing I have had or will ever have to do. I had my parents with me, and Sirius and Lupin," He had explained about the Resurrection Stone, "but knowing that I was walking towards my death was…." He drifted off. Ginny grasped his hand.

Harry looked down at her, smiled, and continued, "I reached the clearing where Voldemort was and announced myself. I did not defend myself and as he was casting the curse, all I could think of was you." He blushed a little but he hoped that the darkening skies was hiding it from Ginny. He continued with his story and when he had finished he looked at Ginny again and said, "Ginny, I am so, so sorry. I had to pretend that I was dead in order to finish him off. Do you forgive me for that?"

Ginny considered for a moment. "Of course I do, Harry. I understand, I do. You have no idea how much I missed you and I am so glad that you are alright."

Harry managed a small smile. For the first time he had hope that everything would be OK. Maybe not right away, but eventually it would be.

***Please feel free to review. If I made a mistake of some kind, please let me know. I want to stay as true to HP canon as possible! Also, this is my first time doing this so don't be too harsh! :)***