As Harry finished his sandwich in the Gryffindor common room he slowly got up and headed for the stairs to the boys' dormitory. His body seemed to respond slowly and it felt as if he could feel every bump and bruise. As he reached his old room he collapsed onto the four poster that was once his bed. His last thought before falling into a deep sleep was of how it felt like a lifetime ago that he had called this his bed.

Dusk was upon the grounds of Hogwarts when Harry awoke. His mind was mostly alert, but his body was not. His chest burned where the killing curse had struck him; his back felt like it was on fire. Harry's legs felt as heavy as if he had run for kilometers and kilometers, and his arms felt as though they had been sliced by a hundred razor blades. Such was the effects of the curses he had encountered. With a groan he sat up and reached for his glasses.

"It's about time you woke up," a familiar voice greeted him. With his glasses now in place Harry looked over at Ron who was sitting by the window.

A deep sense of guilt came over Harry as he looked away. "Shouldn't you be with your family? I mean it's not that I'm not grateful or anything but..." As his voice trailed off the tears threatened to start flowing from his eyes. The memories began to flood back like snapshots – Lupin and Tonks laying side by side in death in the Great Hall, the cursed flames in the Room of Requirement, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley weeping together over Fred's body, the flash of green as Tom Riddle's killing curse flashed through the air, the sight of all of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff standing for Harry and against Pansy Parkinson and all those in Slytherin, willing to fight for Harry...

It was too much for him.

"I'm sorry, Ron, it's my fault," Harry began quietly. "If I had figured out where the diadem was sooner, or if I had faced Voldemort a half hour sooner," he continued as his voice grew louder and the words came faster, "or if I had told you what I had to do in the end the maybe you could have been ready. Maybe then so many good, no, great people wouldn't have had to die for me!" His tears were flowing now and though his physical pain from the curses seemed to be ebbing his heart ached more than ever. He suddenly felt so very tired again.

"Harry, you know that's not true," came Hermione's voice from the doorway.

"Yeah, mate, we all knew what we were up against, Lupin and Tonks, Fred and George, Hermione and me, the Order and the DA , we all knew why we were fighting. We were fighting for ourselves and for everyone else as much as we were fighting for you." Ron was sitting on the edge of the bed now, his voice wavering as he continued. "They might not have known about the prophecy like Hermione and me, but deep down everyone who fought on our side knew that it would somehow have to come down to you." Ron paused a moment then a thought struck him. "You're part of the Weasley family now. I think it will help to see you grieving with us, so please come down when you're ready."

As Harry looked up he saw Hermione was not the only one watching him from the doorway. Ginny stood next to her, still silent, with her tear-stained face and nodded in agreement. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll meet you in the common room."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny emerged from the Gryffindor tower into the hallway about ten minutes later. They made their way through the curse-scarred walls to the Great Hall without speaking. Someone, probably Kingsley Shakelbolt, had arranged a wake for all those who had died in the last battle to defeat Voldemort. As they entered Harry saw many of the families of the fallen standing in a vigil over coffins of the dead. He even smiled for a moment at the sight of Neville standing guard over Lupin and Tonk's caskets. Even those whose families were unable to come had someone honoring them. Some of living, such as Neville and Luna, who was standing with a casket of a house-elf, were keeping watch over those with whom they had only been united in the final battle. Others, such as Colin Creevy and Fred Weasley, were being cared for by the families who so dearly loved them. Around the hall there were hushed conversation mixed with a the sound of those grieving over the dead. An occasional laugh could be heard and every few minutes a group would straiten with pride as the conversations brought up memories of bravery or humor.

As Harry hung by the door watching the surreal scene before him Ron and Hermione slowly gravitated towards the Weasley clan. Part of Harry wanted nothing more than to turn and run. As he fought that instinct he could do nothing more than stand watch from the doorway. Everything color seemed dull and everything was numb. How long he stood like that Harry didn't know, but suddenly he was aware of a small delicate hand gently squeezing his own.

"Come on," Ginny said softly as she lead him towards her family. Her touch chased away some of the numbness. As she lead him through the room he noticed the looks he was receiving. He saw hope in their eyes. Those who had been weeping looked up not only with sorrow but with hope mixed in as well. Harry realized that as he passed through people were looking at him as if to say "Because of you these deaths were not in vain." For the first time since the battle he felt as though no one blamed him. The feeling lasted until he looked down to George kneeling beside the casket of his best friend, partner in both crime and business and twin, Fred. At that sight Harry's heart sank to his feet drawing his eyes down with it. It it wasn't for Ginny's hand pulling him along we would have stopped where he was. As they drew closer to the spot where Fred's open casket lay Harry felt someone's arm around his shoulders. "He thought of you like another brother. We all do," Charlie told him. Arthur reached out and squeezed Harry's arm.

"I'm sorry," Harry started, "I should have done something more, I --"

"More that what? More than killing the sorry bastard who kept us in fear? More than making it so when I have kids I won't have to worry about them fighting a war like you, Ron, Ginny, George and Fred have before they graduate? What more could you have done? Get over yourself," Bill interrupted.

Harry stood grieving with his adopted family for what might have been minutes or years to him. He had no clue. Once again he was amazed at how the Weasleys had taken him in and made him part of the family. He realized that this death which ought to have shown him he was still an outside instead proved how close he had become with them. Finally he, Ron, and Ginny drifted away. Harry felt he ought to talk with some of the families, but every ten or fifteen minutes he would always find himself drifting back to the Weasleys.

As evening turned to night food was brought around by the house-elves. More food was set upon tables which had been conjured up in the hallway. More and more friends and families passed through to pay their respects to the fallen. "Word must have traveled fast," Hermione said quietly. Indeed, many Hogwarts students and their families had already returned. Finally those who were not close families of the fallen or had not fought to save the school had left. Many would return tomorrow for the public memorial. After that would be the private funerals.

Early the next morning those who had stayed at the school over night had breakfast in the common room. Around ten thirty people began to arrive for the memorial service. The caskets were taken out to the large lawn near the Black Lake. In front of many rows of seats the caskets were placed in five neat rows of ten each. In the middle of the caskets a simple white dais was set up. In the front right row seats were reserved for Kingsley Shakelbolt, Minerva McGonagal, Arthur Weasley, and Harry. Behind them the Weasleys along with Hermione had seats set aside, including an extra seat for Arthur once he finished his remarks. The families of the fallen had seats reserved near the front. Finally at preciesly noon the memorial started. As acting Minister for Magic Kingsley opened with remarks on the defeat of Voldemort. Professor McGonagal went next and spoke on how everyone from Hogwarts ought to take pride in the the sacrifices made there and highlighted the students who had fought to defend their school, both those who had "made the ultimate sacrifice and those who live to show our rich freedom won at so terrible a price." Mr. Weasley was up next as he had been asked to speak as both one who had fought and who had lost a son.

Finally it was Harry's turn to speak. Although he took a note card with an outline so he wouldn't ramble he spoke of how those who had fought, both living and dead, had fought not for him, as it had seemed, but for the freedom of all witches and wizards of England. He spoke of how their sacrifices had made it possible for "Tom Marvolo Riddle, more commonly feared as Lord Voldemort" to be defeated along with his army. He spoke of how the power of love had won out and urged them to never forget the sacrifices of the dead and the living. "We have fought a long war to defeat those who would have us know nothing but hate. Tomorrow we will begin to rebuild, but let us take today for what it is. Though we have one it has come at such a great cost. Today is a time to mourn," he concluded.

Next the families filed to the caskets of their loved ones. Harry walked with the Weasleys to Fred's casket and remained there a moment before walking over to where Andromeda Tonks stood with his godson Teddy. Each family laid a wreath upon the casket of their departed family member. Even the house-elf who had died had a wreath placed on his casket. As the warm late-spring breeze gently blew across the open field the names of the fallen were read. Finally everyone filed out with many people thinking of Harry's final words. "Tomorrow we begin to rebuild, but let us take today for what it is … a time to mourn.