6 months later

The sun shone brightly on the expansive castle grounds. One year on, Hogwarts had come a long way: the walls and towers were standing tall, the grounds were lush with life, and learning was taking place within its halls once again. The teachers and Order of the Phoenix had watched over the rebuilding phase, motivated by the promise of students returning for a new school term in a matter of months after the Battle. It had been slow, heart-breaking work, each piece of rubble they removed a reminder of what their new found peace had cost. But together they had persevered until Hogwarts was returned to her former glory.

The memorial was held down by the lake. A mournful peace was settled over the people gathered as they shared their memories and offered their love to each other. Speeches had been made in memoriam of those who had fallen that night, promising that they did not die in vain, that the rest of them were alive and free because of their sacrifice. Thanks had been given to those fighters still standing, acknowledging their battling for the peace of the future. It had been a beautiful ceremony filled with love and loss.

Harry stood alone in front of the memorial statue that had been erected shortly after the Battle. It depicted a wizard whose face was hidden, kneeling on the rubble and offering a hand to another fallen wizard. Their hands were clasped together in strength. Most people believed the kneeling wizard to be Harry himself, while the fallen wizard represented the wizarding world he saved from falling victim to the Death Eaters. Harry personally felt more in common with the fallen wizard, the hand offered out to him an offering of forgiveness and support from the wizarding world and his loved ones. He didn't like to dwell on the statue's figures.

Instead his eyes read the names of everyone who had died in the name of the Light, each person's name etched into the marble slab the two figures stood upon. His eyes lingered on Ron's name. Remus and Tonks, Fred and Luna. Even Snape's. He gave his apologies and his thanks to each of them in turn, just as he had done every day since returning.

He sensed rather than heard someone come up to stand beside him, Harry knowing who it was even before they spoke.

"I think they'd be proud, you know," Ginny said softly. "Proud of all of us. Of you."

"Proud of me for running away?" He didn't mean to sound bitter, but he couldn't help some of his sorrow leaking out today.

"Proud of you for coming back."

They stood there like that, shoulder to shoulder in front of the statue for a long time. Their fellow mourners wandered around them, talking softly amongst themselves. Finally, when Harry felt he had had enough, he spoke.

"Ready?"

Ginny didn't respond verbally. Instead she slipped her hand into his and gently turned them away from the statue, heading away from the crowd and towards the main gates of the castle.

While they walked, Harry thought back on the last several months. It seemed like so long ago that he and the Cullens had brought Prestwick to justice. McGonagall had arrived in Forks in search of Harry after he had been kidnapped by the Minister but found nowhere nearby in Britain. Harry had returned to the wizarding world with McGonagall that very day, bringing the two Prestwicks with him. Neither would answer questions on the Unseen, the both of them seeming incapable of offering more than that name. Both Suzanne and the former Minister appeared to have blank spots in their memories that no one could breach. If they existed, the Unseen had effectively wiped themselves from the Prestwicks' minds.

Since then Harry had been exonerated by the Ministry, Prestwick having confessed to her crimes including the murder of Kingsley Shacklebolt. The new Minister, a kindly man who Harry so far respected, had ordered his Ministry and the public leave Harry alone. There were of course still people who would cast him wary glances, but Harry had become all too used to ignoring them.

His days following had been filled with visiting the Weasleys, Molly so overcome with joy at having him home that she insisted on him staying for lunch and dinner. Harry had kindly beaten down her invitation to stay with them; he still found in unsettling being at the Burrow without Ron. Instead, he had bought himself a small cottage in the outskirts of London, unable to face Grimmauld Place which he left for the Order of the Phoenix to use as they pleased.

Harry and Ginny had reached the gates now, stepping outside the school's anti-apparition wards. He let Ginny pull him into the darkness, his thoughts still a million miles away. Ginny had been the hardest person to mend his friendship with. After he told the Weasleys some of what had happened to him, Ginny had become angry. She didn't care that he'd left. She'd even forgiven the fact that he hadn't so much as contacted anyone since leaving. Ginny's fury was aimed at Harry's blaming himself for everybody's deaths, particularly her brothers'. Once she had finally calmed down, she and Harry had spoken for several hours about what had happened. They had both ended up reassuring the other that neither of them were to blame for Fred and Ron's deaths, and that Harry had no right to blame himself for anyone else's either. He had told her all about the Cullens, especially Carlisle and how much he had helped him realise his innocence in his last few days in Forks. Ginny promised she could be that source of help among wizards, and together they slowly rebuilt their trust. It was only in the last month that they had decided to give their abandoned relationship another go. So far, they were both happier than ever.

Harry's feet slammed into the solid concrete ground. He and Ginny had landed in a familiar back alley in the middle of London that sat directly opposite the old, run down shop front of Purge & Dowse Ltd. Together they approached the glass front of the shop, and once signalled by the mannequin inside, stepped through into the waiting room of St Mungo's. Inside, a boy was screaming in his mother's arms while she tried to shush him comfortingly. Harry smiled remembering some of his days with Teddy.

Every Saturday morning, Harry would turn up on the doorstep of Andromeda Tonks where he would collect his godson and take him out for the day. Sometimes they would go to a park, and other times they would spend the day at Harry's, more often than not in his backyard zooming around on the toy broomstick Harry had gotten Teddy for his first birthday. Sometimes Ginny would join them, and sometimes even Bella or Edward would come over, each one of them just as enamoured by Teddy as Harry was.

He still visited Forks as often as he could. He had effectively dropped out of Forks High, not having time for his Muggle learning since returning home. But every Sunday he would use the Floo connection between his two houses, the international link installed and sanctioned by the Minister himself, to go to spend the day with Bella and the Cullens. Harry had made sure to check that Floo fire couldn't burn vampires, and once they had been sure, the Cullens began using Harry's fireplace to visit him in England. He had given Bella and Edward both a key to his house in Forks so they could visit anytime. Harry still blushed remembering the first time they had visited his England home, and the bear hug Mrs Weasley had given them all in thanks for taking care of him.

Harry and Ginny made their way up the familiar route to the fourth floor, down to the room they had spent so much time in. Almost one year ago exactly, Harry had learned of his best friend's fate, of all her memories being stolen. That day he had made a promise to her and since returning to England, Harry had not once let down on that promise. Today, Harry stood in Hermione's doorway looking at his friend, just as he had on the worst day of his life. He remembered making the promise as though it had happened yesterday.

Harry had sworn that once he returned from America, he would visit her every day. He knew he could never discover a cure or reverse what had been done to her, but every day he would visit her and tell her stories. He promised to tell her all the stories that no one else would know to tell her, of all the mischief the three of them had caused at Hogwarts, of all the laughter they had shared, of all the heartbreak they had experienced.

"Hey Hermione," he smiled as he came into the room.

"Hello Harry. Hello Ginny." She knew who many people were now, but it was the new memories that she was using not the old ones coming back. "Have you two had your exams yet?"

Part of his discussions with Professor McGonagall when Harry first returned, had been about his immediate future. They had discussed for an entire morning his options and which one would be the most beneficial for him to take. In the end, Harry's decision hadn't been purely based on his own wishes, but rather he'd thought heavily on those of two others.

Harry was only a few weeks away from sitting his NEWTs alongside Ginny. Every day and most evenings since returning to the wizarding world, he had Flooed to Hogwarts for private tuition from each of the professors. Sometimes Ginny would join him, but he would never sit in the seventh year classes. Professor McGonagall had promised him it would not be easy to learn everything for his exams after effectively not schooling for eighteen months, but Harry had insisted he could do it. Ron now never would, and Hermione likely never could; Harry's NEWTs would be for all three of them.

"They're not for a few weeks still," Ginny answered. "Would you like to hear about the service?" At Hermione's nod, Ginny began telling her all about their morning at Hogwarts. She easily flowed on into stories about the castle grounds and various happy afternoons spent down by the lake while at school together. Hermione's face was bright as she listened, the blankness in her eyes less pronounced with each day as new memories cemented into her mind. Harry watched on, unable to stop the peace that had overcome him.

He reflected back on his past year. Twelve months ago, Harry had thought his life was over. His best friends had been taken from him, as had so many others he admired and loved. Alone on the opposite side of the world he had sunk into what had felt like a never ending pit of despair. It had taken a long time and some very special people to pull him out of that hole, and Harry was forever grateful for what Bella and the Cullens, particularly Carlisle and Edward, had done for him. Now he was back surrounded by magic and old friends, helping Hermione and completing his schooling. Bella and the Cullens were still in his life, Harry cherishing every day that he visited them. He and Ginny had managed to wade through their complicated past to form a new, stronger relationship than before, both of them supporting each other with the bouts of grief that would still overcome them on occasion. Harry couldn't help the smile that lit up his face.

"You seem to get happier all the time, Harry," Hermione commented, bringing him from his thoughts. He hadn't realised she'd been watching him.

Holding Ginny's hand, Harry replied contentedly, "I guess I've finally started to accept that having a real future isn't so impossible after all."

A/N: First of all, thank you to everyone who has read this story, a special shout out to those of you who have stuck out from the very beginning last December. As my first story, it's pretty amazing to have as many people following my story as I've had. Thanks to all the anonymous reviews that I couldn't reply to - I read every one of them.

I started writing this about 5 years ago, but had never been motivated to finish it until I decided to publish it online. I'm super pleased that I actually had a chapter for you guys every single week for the past 9 months.

In terms of a sequel, as you can tell there's some unanswered questions. Who are the Unseen? Where are the wolves? Does Harry pass his NEWTs? I would dearly love to write a sequel, and there are some random pieces of plot in my head already. I will say though that there certainly won't be anything anytime soon, in which case if you'd be interested in reading a sequel I'd suggest giving my author page a follow. IF I create a good plot that I feel I can make worthwhile, then there will be a sequel. I really hope that I do.

Thank you again to all of you. Hope to see you in the (potential) sequel!

~Akylascorch~