Destiny and the Headmaster

Author's Note: This is the first complete work of fiction I have ever written. I actually wrote it back and December, and have sat on it for a few months trying to decide whether or not I actually wanted to post it to the public (I also procrastinated with the final editing). I am in no danger of winning a Pulitzer, but I think it's a pretty good story. I hope that you think so too

Special thanks to Heather for her patient reading and grammar lessons. Any mistakes remaining are my fault, not hers

1 Part 1

2 Chapter 1 - The Heir

Harry started to knock cautiously at the door to Professor Dumbledore's office. The door opened before he could actually touch it. Professor Dumbledore motioned for him to sit. Uncomfortably he did so.

"You wanted to see me Professor?"

"You know you don't have to call me professor any more…You've graduated now and I do have a real name…Call me Albus, please." He smiled

"OK… Albus."

"I was like you once, you know." Harry found that difficult to imagine. Professor Dumbledore was ancient. His face was a maze of wrinkles, his beard reached almost to his knees. "I had a discussion similar to this with my Headmaster as well. Those were dark times as well, very dark. We were afraid then too, but it wasn't like this… The enemy then was someone else, and somewhere else. What makes Voldemort's evil so much the worse is that he is one of us; he has turned us against against ourselves."

"He'll be here soon," said Harry, "my scar has been hurting steadily for over two weeks now. He is close, I can feel him."

"It is only a matter of time… I have decided to take the battle to him. Hogwarts has become a refuge. It is our last defense. If we wait for him to attack here, whether we win or lose, too many innocent people will die, children will die. That must be prevented if possible. Tomorrow I will go to face him"

What the Professor, Albus, had said was true. Hogwarts had become the last refuge of England's wizards and witches. There was no summer break this year. Classes had ended, but the students remained. Many parents had come to stay as well. Hogwarts was full. People lived in the hallways, in the dungeons, wherever there was space. In the Great Hall, between meals, classes were taught to train anyone and everyone interested in Defense against the Dark Arts, Counter-Curses, and even for a chosen few the Dark Arts themselves.

"Just say the word and I'll be ready."

"I know you would be Harry, but I have a different job for you."

"But you said that I was the only one who could defeat him.

"No Harry, I said you were the only one capable of killing him. I think it is time to try something different." Albus removed a large crystal and placed it on the desk. "Voldemort has cheated death before, I would like to see that he does not do so again. It is my intention to imprison Voldemort within this crystal. Once inside, he will be unable to escape."

"There has to be a catch though. It's just too simple." Said Harry.

"Yes, there is a catch. Voldemort must be very close to the crystal when the imprisoning spell is cast. He will know what is being done and will do everything in his power to prevent it. The imprisoning spell is an area effect spell though. If one person keeps Voldemort close to the crystal, another person can cast the spell. Unfortunately, both Voldemort and the one restraining him will be captured by the crystal."

"And that person will be you…?"

Albus nodded.

Harry was speechless. Albus would be gone. Forever. "Do you want me to cast the imprisoning spell?"

"No Harry, I want you to remain here at Hogwarts."

"Professor! Albus! You know I can't do that! This is my fight! I should be there."

Albus put his hands on Harry's shoulders and looked him the eyes. "Listen Harry, I am old and I cannot live forever. My time is done. This is your fight, but it isn't only your fight. If you fight Voldemort, maybe you will kill him, maybe you won't. Either way you will most likely not walk away from the fight. Even if you do kill him he may come back as did before. I have more important work for you Harry."

"Staying here at Hogwarts instead of fighting Voldemort? How can that be more important?"

"I have spent most of my life in these walls Harry. This is the most important job there is Harry." Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I am more than a simple headmaster Harry, you must have realized that by now… How is it that I can call the Minister of Magic a fool to his face and HE is the one who cowers? How is it that I placed you in the care of the Dursleys, despite Sirius' legal claim and the wishes of your parents? How is it that Hogwarts remains unscathed after all these centuries?

"You defeated Voldemort's predecessor- Grindlewald, and the Order of the Phoenix."

"I AM the Master of the Order, Harry. The Order of the Phoenix was founded in the mist of the time, no one really knows when – the early history is pretty sketchy. The Order became a bit more organized under the reign of Arthur when Merlin organized the most prominent wizards of the day into a magical counterpart to Arthur's round table. It was not however, until the four founders came together that the Order took it current role. The Order's role is to govern and protect all that is magical in England. The Ministry was intended as nothing but a liaison between the Muggles and us. As chief of the Order, ultimate authority over, and responsibility for England's wizards and witches falls to me.

"Hogwarts has been the center of magical power in England for more than a thousand years. There is no place more protected by the forces of light magic than this castle. That is why it was made a school. One of the gravest responsibilities of the Order is to protect our children. Do not ever take that responsibility lightly Harry. It is a great trust. I have carried that trust for more than fifty years. I am passing it to you now."

"To me? Surely there is someone else, someone better suited? What about Professor McGonagall? Or Mr. Weasley? There must be hundreds of wizards who would rather have the job than me, and who would be better at it."

"You are the one Harry. Others could do it, but they wouldn't be able to do it as well. It wasn't supposed to fall to you, at least not yet and not from me, but now, in this time and place, it is you."

"Who was it supposed to fall to?"

"It was supposed to go to your father. He was my heir. By now he would have been at his prime - he had already agreed to come and teach. By now he would have been ready…"

"Unlike me…."

"That is why it is called fate, Harry - we do not get to chose our destinies. You are ready or I would not leave it to you. I would find another way. You have been through much more than your father ever was. He would be proud of you. I am proud of you."

"So what do I have to do?"

"That's the spirit. I will teach you the warding spells, and show you the other protections." Professor Dumbledore pulled an amulet out of his pocket and held it out to Harry. It was silver with the crests of the four founders engraved around the edge. In the center was engraved a phoenix with wings outspread. Small jewels made up the details of the phoenix and a large sphere cut emerald was set in the center. Except for the emerald, it was identical to the one Albus wore.

"This is for you, it is both a badge of office and a connection to this castle. You may see any part of the castle by simply concentrating on the part you want to see. You can also find the whereabouts of anyone within the castle by concentrating on that person. Finally, if there is anything the castle thinks you need to see, it will show it to you – this includes any intruders or other threats. Now practice a bit, it is a most important tool."

Harry concentrated on his room in Gryffindor tower and immediately he could see the familiar surroundings of his home for the past seven years. The picture had a greenish tint to it, as if he were peering at it through the emerald. Next he concentrated on Hermione and the image of her standing in the potions dungeon overseeing a number of younger students came into view.

"I am leaving this crystal here. If I should fail tomorrow, it will fall again to you to stop Voldemort. You will have to use your own judgment then. You should also designate a successor for yourself. Choose wisely Harry, the future depends on it. Now come, I have much to show you and there is still the matter of announcing your new position. There are sure to be some eyebrows raised when they discover that Hogwarts' new Headmaster only finished school himself two days ago."

3 Chapter 2 – The New Headmaster

"Headmaster? I thought I was taking over your position in the Order?"

"The jobs are one and the same Harry."

"But I can't be Headmaster, I'm only seventeen…no one will listen to me!"

"They will listen Harry, you will see, now pay attention…"

Albus showed him the defenses of Hogwarts. Layer upon layer of magic protected the school; wards and charms were interwoven with such complexity that it boggled the imagination. Then there was the castle itself. It bordered on being alive. The castle spoke to him, told him its secrets as he passed through its corridors. His head seemed as if it would explode from all the new information he was packing into it.

By the time they finished it was late afternoon. Albus sent owls to summon all available members of the Order of the Phoenix. They gradually began to arrive and were sent to an out of the way room in one of the castles highest towers. Harry sat in the room feeling small and insignificant as the wizards and witches began to arrive. He wore his amulet under his shirt feeling it was too gaudy for him to wear visibly, and he didn't want to answer questions.

Finally the designated hour came and Albus Dumbledore stood to speak. "Friends, I don't have to tell you thing are just now. As we speak the forces of darkness are gathering outside these walls preparing for a final assault. It is my intention to preempt that assault." He set another crystal on the table. "This is a Soul Crystal. In this crystal we are going to imprison Thomas Marvolo Riddle and, in all likelihood, myself.

The crowd murmured in disbelief.

"The alternative," Dumbledore continued, "is to rely on the weakness created by the bond between young Harry Potter and Voldemort. That would almost certainly mean Harry sacrificing his life. Harry is prepared to make that sacrifice, but this way is better. I will restrain Voldemort and Minerva McGonagall will cast the binding spell. I will need most of you to accompany me to provide the necessary firepower to actually reach Voldemort. The rest of you will remain here."

"Because it is unlikely that I will return, and it is far the past the time I did so anyway, I am stepping down as Headmaster of Hogwarts and as Head of this Order. I pass this role onto Harry Potter." He motioned for Harry to come beside him. He then tapped the amulet beneath Harry's shirt. Harry pulled it out. "Are there any who would question my choice?"

The room was silent.

"Immediately following this meeting, there will be a feast in the Great Hall and I will make the announcement public. Harry, have you decided on a successor?"

Harry nodded. "Hermione Granger, sir. But I think Ron should be here too."

Professor Dumbledore ordered them to be summoned. While they waited for their arrival strategy was discussed for the next day's battle. The list of those who would go and those who would remain behind was drafted. Remaining behind were Sirius Black, Mad Eye Moody, along with most of the Weasleys. Arthur and Bill would go with Professor Dumbledore while Molly, Percy, and Charlie would remain behind.

Ron and Hermione were ushered in with concerned looks on their faces. The grim look of those already in the room did little to comfort them. Professor Dumbledore administered an oath of secrecy on them, and then informed them they had been chosen to become members of the Order of the Phoenix. Both, as expected, agreed to swear oaths of allegiance.

"Hermione Granger, in my capacity as Head of the Order of the Phoenix, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, I choose you as my successor, will you accept?" Hermione was shocked, but accepted. The meeting was adjourned for the feast in the Great Hall.

The members of the Order had accepted Professor Dumbledore's decision quietly. The greater public did not. If Harry had felt small in the meeting room, he felt microscopic at the head table of the Great Hall. Hermione still seemed dazed, and Ron seemed uncomfortable. When Dumbledore made the announcement, the hall erupted with voices of shock and disbelief. There were some cheers for Harry, but mostly there was disbelief. Professor Dumbledore yielded the podium to Harry. He was going to have to speak.

"I always imagined, that if I were ever to speak from this podium, I would follow in the tradition of Professor Dumbledore with a few brief words." There were a few chuckles. "I even picked a few out: "Floozle", "Agar", and "Treacle"." Now there was almost universal laughter. "Never did I actually expect to use those words."

"Dark Times… We hear that a lot. Darkness has its limits though. Every night meets a dawn. This darkness that surrounds us will meet its end as well. I have faced this darkness before – more than once actually. I have learned something from my encounters with this Dark Lord: Darkness has no power over light. Darkness can only fill the spaces that light has left empty. Where there is light, no darkness may enter. That is why I am the "Boy-who-lived. My job, and your job, is to fill the world with enough light that this evil can find no home or harbor.

Soon we will fight our battle and the matter will be settled. Some will die in that battle, but others will live. Together all of us will create the light needed to drive away the darkness. But tonight, we feast." Harry made his grand gesture and instantly great mountains of food appeared on the table of the Great Hall. Exhausted he sat.

"Not a bad speech" Albus said with a smile. "Maybe a bit longwinded though…"

After they had eaten, Harry, Professor Dumbledore, Hermione and Ron toured the castles defenses. When the tour was completed, they went to the Headmaster's office. The soul crystal was still sitting on the desk, an ominous reminder of what was to come. Hermione and Professor Dumbledore discussed the nature of the binding spell for a while. Albus then excused himself.

"Stay as long as you like Harry, its your office now. The house elves will remove my personal effects tomorrow and you can move to your new quarters. Good night. Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger." And he left.

"La! Harry" said Ron. "Headmaster already, I always figured you would play Quidditch, or maybe become an Auror, but Headmaster? Who'd have thought it?"

"Who'd have thought I would be Assistant Headmistress?" asked Hermione

"Just about everyone" answered Ron.

"It doesn't seem real. I still feel like a student. Poor Professor Dumbledore, Imagine knowing this is going to be your last night. I mean, to KNOW." He sank in to self-reflection. " I really need you two now. I know you had plans for the future, but right now I need you."

"Harry, wild horses couldn't drag me from here now." Said Hermione.

"I don't have to worry about finding a job now, or even about Mum pressuring me to go into the Ministry. My best friend is my boss; my other best friend is my other boss. I'm trying to find a down side here."

"If they fail tomorrow, the down side will be trying to tear down the door."



Chapter 3 -

The next morning, Dumbledore and those chosen to accompany him left before dawn. Harry posted watchers on the castle walls. All they could do was wait. Fortunately there was enough to keep them busy. Harry put Ron and Sirius in charge of organizing all those capable of fighting. He put Molly Weasley to work supervising and training the younger students in first aid and basic healing spells. He sent Fred and George to the potions dungeon to come up with as many nasty surprises as possible for anyone who might attack. He and Hermione looked into strengthening or reinforcing the castles magical defenses.

Evening found them on the ramparts overlooking the Forbidden Forest. In the distance, beyond the horizon were flashes that could only be the signs of a magical battle. They stood watching, transfixed with the knowledge that what happened over there would determine their futures.

"Why me?" Hermione asked, "There must be dozens of wizards and witches better suited for this job."

. " I told Albus pretty much the same thing when he told me I was his successor. I think the first qualification for the job is that you have to not want it. Really, Hermione you should have this job, not me. I should be out there." Harry nodded towards the flashes of light. "That is my destiny. I was never supposed to live a long life. I never thought I would make it this long."

Hermione looked at him standing there. His eyes were fixed in the direction of the distant battle. The wind was brisk and strangely cold for this time of year. There was the faintest hint of smoke in the air. She shivered and gathered her robes around her. Harry though simply stood there, impervious to the cold, jaw set, his hair flapping, eyes fixed.

He was right. She'd always tried not to think about it, but he was right. She couldn't imagine Harry's future – ever. She could never see him old, or married, or even adult. Even now it seemed she was really seeing him as he was two years ago. There was no Harry without this fight. The realization felt like a knife in her heart. She shuddered to think what this meant for those in the distance.

Poor Harry. He knows I think, and Professor Dumbledore, giving him false hope. She hoped she never had to see her old Headmaster again, she didn't think she would be able to contain the anger she felt now towards him. She put her arms around Harry but Harry didn't return the gesture. He probably doesn't even know what to do she thought.

She kissed his neck. There could be no mistaking that gesture. He looked at her; his face had softened into that little boy look of his. Hermione leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. Harry responded clumsily, he even tried to pull away, but she persisted until he relaxed. To think, Harry Potter was almost eighteen and had never kissed a girl before. She released the kiss but kept her arms around him. Finally he did so as well.

"'Mione, we can't"

The old nickname weighed on her like bricks. He hadn't used that since second year. "We can Harry, we can if we want."

Harry stood impassively, but he kept his arms around her. Well, that was something. "So tell me about it Harry"

"Tell you about what?" asked Harry.

Boys could be so bloody dense. "Tell me why Harry Potter is seventeen years old, Harry Potter who could have any girl in the school, and graduated without ever having a date, or a kiss, or a girlfriend."

"How do you know I never had a kiss?"

Hermione simply looked at him.

"That bad, eh?"

"No, Harry, not bad, but it's pretty obvious."

"It wouldn't have been right. I wanted to at first, with Cho you know. But then there was Cedric…and you saw how she took it…and well, I just don't want anyone to go through that because of me."

"Harry, that's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard. What about Ginny? She's lived her whole life waiting for you to notice her. Do you think its going to matter to her when you die, why you never gave her a second glance? What about Cho, herself? Do you think she didn't care about you? What about Parvati, and Lavender, and Alicia? Do you think any of them are going to live happier lives when you're gone, because you were so noble as to spare them your attention? What about me? How much happier do you think I'm going to be?"

Tears fell from Hermione's eyes. "You selfish bastard. All your life you wanted someone to love you. Guess what, we did! You just wouldn't let us in" She broke loose from his arms and left the ramparts running. Harry sat down on the stone platform and cradled his head between his knees. He was hurt and confused. He stayed there for a long time.

Sometime later he made his way back to the Headmaster's office, he still couldn't think of it as his office. He looked over the messages on his desk, but there was nothing new. He decided to try and get some sleep.

The Headmasters quarters were spacious, but strangely vacant. Harry really had no personal effect. Everything he owned fit in his trunk and his trunk to very little room. His sole indulgence was that he had his old bed brought from Gryffindor Tower. It really was the most comfortable bed he'd ever imagined and it seemed pointless to break in a new one A couple of stuffed chairs and a dresser were all that remained to fill his new room which was easily the size of the Gryffindor common room.

Sleep refused to come. Harry knew this drill. He began to count the tassels that lined the edge of his bed curtains. He'd made it twice around when he heard the lock of his door click. He was out of bed in an instant, with his wand at the ready. It was Hermione.

"Harry, I'm sorry" She had her blue fuzzy robe wrapped around her tight.

"It's okay, I wasn't sleeping."

He was so bloody dense. Hermione went to the fireplace and started a fire with a quick Incendio "No, I meant about earlier" She curled herself up in one of the overstuffed chairs.

"That's okay too," he said. "I screwed up. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I thought it was the right thing to do."

"You didn't screw up, Harry." Harry came and sat in the other overstuffed chair. He was wearing those ridiculous Chudley Cannons pajamas Ron had gotten him for Christmas years ago. It was all she could do not to laugh. "I know you thought you were doing the right thing, it was wrong of me to insult you for that."

"I wish I could have done more…I feel like I wasted so much time."

"Harry, what more could you give? When I was a girl and I had to go to church, there was a passage I remember "Greater love hath no man than this: that he is willing to lay down his life for another." That's exactly what you're going to do isn't it Harry?"

Harry nodded. There were tears in his eyes.

"You could have taken, Harry, just a little. You can only give so much. You're allowed to take some too…Especially when it's offered…."

Giant sobs racked his body. He was unable to speak or even to move. She felt so sorry for him. She loved him. Not the way she wanted but she did love him. He was her brother, Her best friend. It wasn't fair for him to feel like this, not now. It was her fault. She shouldn't have pushed the issue… what had she been thinking about?

It didn't matter now. He had a day perhaps, maybe as long as a week. She would have the rest of her life to heal. If Harry could give his life, she could give her love.



4 Chapter 4 – The Plan

She woke in the morning to find Harry already gone. She went back to her room to dress and then set out to find Harry. He was in the entrance hall with Fred and George Weasley, Mr. Filch and Mad Eye Moody. They were having an animated discussion that seemed to be causing Mr. Filch no end of stress.

Harry gave her a tight grin as she approached. He made no overt gestures but she could see the sparkle in his eyes. "Fred and George have cooked up some nasty surprises for any unwanted visitors. You know what they do to their friends so you can imagine what happens to their enemies."

"I think we missed our calling," opined Fred, "We're actually pretty good at this."

"Bloody vandals is what you are," swore Mr. Filch.

"Mr. Filch, I promise you that any masonry damaged will be repaired, but for now you will do whatever Fred and George need. This is a castle, not a work of art. Its purpose is to defend us and if we have to move a few bricks to help it out, the castle will not mind, and neither should you.

Fred, George, do what you need to do."

"Hermione, there will be a strategy meeting and noon. I'll need for you to be there. Meanwhile, some of next year's first-years have gotten together and volunteered to be stretcher-bearers. I would appreciate it if you could meet them in the charms classroom and teach them the necessary spells.

"Mad Eye, lets go to the North Tower and see what you have cooked up there."

Atop the North Tower Harry found a boiling kettle of the vilest smelling, nasty looking goo he could ever have imagined. The fumes were overpowering. Harry and Mad Eye were forced to stand upwind of the concoction just to stay conscious. "Believe it or not," said Mad Eye "It smells even worse when it cools. A little idea I got from the Muggles – something they use to kill insects with, called a Roach Motel"

"I've seen those – good idea. Filch is going to have a fit though."

"Aye, I imagine he will. All the more reason to use it."

Harry laughed and motioned for them to go back in. "Can you make enough of that?"

"I have 24 cauldrons of it bubbling away."

"Have Fred and George use it, they'll love it. You might want to put a patent on it after this is all over. Fred and George are going to be big. You'll be able to retire in style"

"Yes Sir," said Moody.

"You don't have to call me sir," said Harry, "I should be calling you sir if anything."

"I'll call you sir if I chose, and no runt like you is going to stop me. I've got scars older than you, you know."

"Yes, I know."

"You're a good kid Harry, and you're doing a fine job. Don't let any old goats like me or filch give you any grief over it either."

"I'm the Headmaster of this school," said Harry, "I'll decide who I take grief from."

Mad Eye cackled with laughter.

"Mad Eye…." Harry was serious now "I need to ask you to do something for me."

"Anything, Son."

"After this, look after Hermione for me. Keep her safe."

"Shouldn't you be asking a younger man to do that?" Mad Eye snorted.

"She won't need it for very long, once we're gone his followers will lose their will. It'll be over with. Just keep her safe until then."

"Aye Harry, I'll do it." They made their way down from the tower and separated. "Harry, " Mad Eye called after him, "You would've been a fine Auror. James would be proud."

At the strategy meeting were all of the adult wizards in the castle. Harry stood at the front of the room with a large onion in his hand. "Think of the core of this onion as this castle." He started peeling away layers. "No matter how many protections we pile on, sooner or later, Voldemort is going to peel them all away. There is no way to prevent that. Sooner or later he is going to make it to the castle.

"When he gets here, we're going to let him in. The inside of this castle is going to be a whole other onion, except this time the onion is going to do the peeling. Once inside the castle we are going to spread out to occupy as much of the castle as possible. That is when we will strike. We are going to separate them into small, ineffective units. Fred and George are going to torture them, and we are going to crush them. I will take care of Voldemort.

"When I am finished here you are going to be divided into teams. The teams will work in tandem to spread out the forces and lure them into the traps we have set. Remember, we are not going to fight them head on, do not engage them until Fred and George's magic have had a chance to take effect. I have been the victim of Fred and George's magic and believe the last thing the dark army is going to want to do is fight after their tricks.

"Ron Weasley has set up a sanctuary in the heart of the castle for those who are too young, too old, or unable to fight. If things go wrong, do not lead the enemy to the sanctuary. If you approach the sanctuary before the all clear is sounded, the defenses set up there will not be able to distinguish you from the enemy and you WILL die. I am sorry but it is the only way. Now I will turn the meeting over to Fred and George who will divide you into your teams."

Harry pulled Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and Moody to his office. "When the last of the outer defenses are breached, all of us are going to assemble in potions dungeon. Voldemort will know where I am, but it is far enough out of the way to give the others time to thin out his army." Harry pulled out the soul crystal Albus had left behind.

"Voldemort will come for me. I will try to kill him, but there's little chance that will happen. The instant the fight looks anything less guaranteed, I am going to grab the crystal. One of you will have to cast the binding spell. If necessary, all of you will have to cast the binding spell. It is most imperative that someone casts that spell though. You are my most trusted friends. I am relying on you to cast that spell. It is the only way to end this. I want each of you to promise me that when the time comes, you will cast the spell."

One by one he turned to each of them, and one by one they made their promise. After promising, they each left, except Hermione. They talked quietly of the preparations being made, and how various people were holding up. They talked about the weather. They talked about everything except what was foremost on their minds. Neither of them knew the words for that.

Later they ate dinner in the Great Hall. Every meal was a feast now. It would have been fun under other circumstances. Everyone worth knowing was gathered in the castle. Friends who hadn't seen each other for years were finally reunited.

After dinner, Harry made his rounds about the castle. He stopped to talk to everyone who had something to say. He visited Gryffindor Tower and played a round of exploding snap with some children whose names he couldn't remember. Hermione accompanied his and was impressed. Harry had always seemed shy and aloof to her. There was no doubting the sincerity with which he greeted every inhabitant of the castle though. He was much better at his job than he thought he was.

Back in the high, lonely chambers of the Headmaster's quarters, they wasted no time. All the words they had were already said. Hermione felt lost, there was no place she would rather be and at the same time she wanted to be as far from here as possible. She wanted none of this to be necessary. It was easy enough to lose one's self in the moment, but it was just as easy to recoil in horror in anticipation of the pain that was to come.

She was so sorry she had ever cursed Harry. She understood now his motivations; how easy it was to cut one's self off from everyone else; how hard it was to put one's heart and soul in the open where it could be kicked, and trampled and abused. Who was she to cure him, if, in this one single thing, he had taken the easy way out? Harry could sense her distress and redoubled his efforts to make her lose her self again. She let him succeed.

5 Chapter 5 – The Battle

Harry was awakened before dawn. The castle had warned him someone was approaching. They were friends, but evil was behind them. In the darkness, he could not see the features of those returning, but he could tell there were only six of them and two of those were being carried. Fifteen had left.

Quickly throwing on a robe and waking Hermione, he ran down to the Entrance Hall. On the doorsteps he met the ragged figures. Bill Weasley, Arabella Figg, Remus Lupin, and the Auror Colm MacDougal were standing, all though just barely. Arthur Weasley and Albus Dumbledore were not.

Harry started barking orders. Stretcher-bearers came forward to carry all of them to the sick ward. Harry sent messengers out to summon the other Weasleys. Beyond the sphere of the castles shields Harry could see the shadows gathering. He ordered Mad Eye to double the watches in the towers, and then entered the hospital wing to see to the returnees.

Madame Pomfrey was moving around the wing like a tornado. It was an unwritten law that the Headmaster might rule the rest of Hogwarts, but the Hospital was hers. Harry had not the least intention of disputing her claim. On seeing Harry though, the whirlwind stopped. "Harry, the Headmaster…Albus wants to see you. He's in the last bed on the left."

Harry was completely unprepared for the sight he found there. Albus Dumbledore had always been old, even ancient, to Harry. He had been a vibrant, timeless sort of ancient though, like Father Christmas. The man who lay in the bed before Harry was no longer vibrant by the greatest stretch of the word. There was only one way to describe it: Albus Dumbledore was broken.

It took an act of strength to hold back tears. Albus lifted his hand and motioned for Harry to come closer. "I am so sorry, Harry. I tried, but I was too old and too weak. Poor Minerva, I took her to her death. Forgive me Harry."

"Albus, it wasn't your fault. There is nothing to forgive. You tried to hide me from my destiny. We both knew it wouldn't work. Thank you though, for two days I've lived a whole life. I wouldn't have had that otherwise. Thank you. I can do it now, with no regrets. Thank you for that."

The first attacks on the outer shield hit Harry like a physical blow. It was more of a surprise than anything, but it served as a delineator. The time for friends and words was coming to a close. Now was time for action.

Harry ran into the hallway. If Madame Pomfrey had been a tornado, Harry became a hurricane. There were a million details that had to be tended, thousands of orders that needed to be given. Harry was everywhere at once. When stories were told afterwards, everyone claimed Harry had been at their side. Everyone simply knew that part of the story wasn't true because Harry Potter had been beside THEM during the battle. They were right.

From the towers Harry watched as the layers of magic were peeled back, just as he demonstrated with the onion the day before. Voldemort's army was paying a fearsome price, but there were so many of them. The dark army was a menagerie of every dark creature and nightmarish dream imaginable – Giants, Dragons, Huge spiders, ogres, trolls, creatures Harry didn't know the names of. They continuously through themselves at shields of Hogwarts and were worn away by it. The shields were being worn away too and it didn't take arithmancy to see that there would be army left after the shields were gone. There wouldn't be nearly as many though, and that was all they could hope for.

Harry watched until the horde had become a mob. It would be soon now. It was time to go to the potions dungeon. It was time for fate. He was much calmer than he expected. As he made his way to the bowels of the castle he sent messengers out to pass the word for everyone to assume their defensive positions. Along the way he met Ginny marshalling children down to the sanctuary. She called for him, he stopped.

"Harry, Good luck." she said, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. I wish I had known you. I wish…" He didn't know what he wished, but he definitely wished something. He kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug. He'd meant to have no regrets. He continued on to the dungeons. The others were already there. He sat against the far wall and waited – alone.



6 Chapter 6 – The Duel

Through his amulet, he watched the progress of the battle. The plan had worked better than anyone hoped. Fred and George had really outdone themselves. The dark army was slowly stretched, sliced and diced. Harry tried to feel sorry for the humans. He couldn't. They had chosen their fate.

Voldemort and his contingent did not fall for the traps along the way. Slowly they wound their way through the mayhem and the chaos, like moths to a flame. Dodging falling masonry, oil slicked steps, illusions, and flying darts they made their way downward. When they were outside the door Harry stood up and motioned it open with a wave of his wand.

Through the door walked Lord Voldemort himself. Flanking behind him were Severus Snape, Peter Pettigrew, Lucius Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy. "Dear Harry, so nice of you to arrange this little party for my arrival. I trust everyone knows everyone?" Voldemort slithered around the room, appraising its occupants. "Very nice struggle you put up Harry…I won't have to worry about paying my army now… Thank you. Worthy adversaries are so hard to come by. Really, it's a pity I can't keep you around."

Having completed his tour of the room he came to a stop in the center. "I know there are old scores to settle in this room, but they are going to have to wait. Today is not about your petty grievances. Today is about good and evil. It is about me and young Harry here. Harry and I are going to duel. We are going to duel to the finish and NONE of you are going to interfere. When one of us is dead, you may carry on however you like. Ready Harry?"

Harry simply nodded. Voldemort responded with a fireball that Harry easily dodged. Harry moved quickly around the room, stalking Voldemort like a cat. Voldemort tossed a few more spells at Harry. Each of them missed or was dodged. "You know, we are Wizards Harry, you are allowed to use magic." Voldemort goaded him. Harry remained silent and continued his hunt.

Voldemort was growing angry. He tried to force a confrontation. He doubled back on Harry and sent a Confundis at him. Again Harry dodged, but Harry doubled back and cast his first spell "Muro Vepres". The spell did not hit Voldemort but created a high wall of glistening thorns. Voldemort scurried for cover.

"Interesting choice of spells" Voldemort shouted. "This is a duel you know, not Herbology class." Harry had returned to cat mode and didn't respond. A few seconds later, Harry created two more thorny barriers. "What are you playing at Harry? Come out and fight! Die like a man! Die like your father!" Harry responded by creating another barrier.

Everything was in place. Harry maneuvered himself to one side of a hedge with Voldemort on the other. "Gluomano Derecho" he said and began to sprint. He swung around the thorny barrier with his right hand stretched out in front of him. The spell he'd cast made his hand as sticky as Muggle super-glue. He just had to make sure it came in contact with the right target. Voldemort was still unaware of Harry's approach. Harry tackled him from behind, his sticky hand snaked around and clasped around Voldemort's head, sealing his mouth.

Voldemort screamed with rage trying to remove Harry hand from his neck, but it was in vain. Desperate to free himself, Voldemort flung Harry against a thorn wall and shoved him against it with his hull weight. Harry's blood began to drip to the floor as thorns as long as an inch tore through his robe and into his skin. With a grimace Harry muttered the words to his next spell "Gluomano Izquierdo".

Voldemort fearing another death grip began to pull away. "Accio Soul Crystal" screamed Harry; the crystal flew from its resting-place to Harry's open hand. Now Voldemort knew and he was desperate. It wasn't fair; the boy wasn't fighting to win.

Up to this point during the fight, the other wizards in the room had remained still watching the duel with fascination and horror. Now they all sprang into action. Sirius went gunning immediately for Pettigrew. Snape began blasting bolts that appeared to go wild but destroyed the thorny barriers. Mad Eye squared off with Lucius Malfoy. Ron threw a leg locker curse at Draco who countered with a Confundis. Both curses hit their mark and both youths fell to the ground. Hermione remained petrified.

Voldemort tried to pummel Harry but was unable to so with causing pain to himself. Harry simply had to hang on. He could no longer use magic because his hands were both stuck to something. He could only wait for the end. He could see that Peter Pettigrew had changed into his rat form in a vain attempt to escape from Sirius, but Sirius had assumed his canine form and had cornered Pettigrew. Sirius lunged into the corner and Harry heard a sickening snap. When Sirius emerged from the corner, his maw was soaked in blood.

Voldemort began to realize that his henchmen weren't going to provide any immediate solution to his problem. He began to consider the possibility that he was not going to walk away from this fight. The least he could do was make Harry Potter suffer for his victory. His new goal became to cause Harry pain. He slammed him against the wall repeatedly. He broke bones. He splattered blood. Still, Harry hung on. Hermione still had not moved.

Sirius back in human form began the incantation to bind Voldemort to the crystal. Before he could finish, Lucius cast a silencing spell on him and he was unable to complete it. He gestured wildly at Hermione. Mad Eye continued to press at Lucius; Severus was performing counter-curses on Ron and Draco. "Do it Hermione" Shouted Mad Eye. "Cast the bleeding spell, girl!"

Hermione began to stir from her daze. Voldemort was still trying to shake Harry loose as Hermione finally muttered the words. "Captio et Ligio intus Crystal". Harry felt himself stretch and become thin. The world around him began to dissolve into haze. Then it was gone.

On the floor of the potion chamber, off to one side, as if someone had abandoned it, sat the crystal. The dim light showed the once clear crystal was now a swirling mix of black and green. The swirls were ever changing, sometimes the green would almost disappear, but always, after a while, it would come back

Time passed.



Part II

7 Chapter 1 - Return

Rowena was extremely unhappy. A seventh year student should not have detention polishing all the trophies in the Trophy Room by hand. That was just so…so First-Year. And for what? Ok, so she had been out of her dorm past curfew, but she was 17, practically an adult. And Nigel had been such a total prat. And on top of it all she had run directly into Professor Snape. That rickety old monster had actually enjoyed giving her detention. Anyone who wasn't a Slytherin was sure to get the most sever punishment possible from that one. She simply couldn't imagine why the Headmaster kept him around.

She slowly made her way around the room polishing each monument to Hogwarts glorious past. Why do they even give trophies if they are just going to toss them in a room where no one ever sees them? When she was about halfway around the room she encountered something that made her freeze in her tracks. There on the wall in front of her was that symbol. It was THAT symbol!

About a year ago the symbol had first appeared. It was at breakfast in the Great Hall. The Headmaster was going to make some announcement and then turned completely white. Everyone turned to see what could cause such a reaction, and there it was, high on the wall, a lightning bolt scorched onto the ancient stones.

All classes were canceled for the rest of the day.

Ever since then the symbol kept coming - all over the castle, it could appear anywhere. At first everyone thought it was some sort of prank. People were afraid. Was there was a new Dark Lord? No one knew for sure, but nothing evil happened – just the symbol; Over and over, that same lightning bolt symbol. No one knew what it meant, but it had to mean something. If the Headmaster didn't know what the bolt meant, Rowena was quite sure no one would ever know what it meant.

The emblem on the wall in front of her was not scorched there like all the others though. This one was a deep dark fluorescent green. Rowena reached out to touch it. Her outstretched hand broke the continuity of the bolt. It was light! Turning around, the source of the light was obvious. It was coming from the crystal that set on the pedestal in the middle of the room. It was THE crystal. The one that meant they could all happily ever after, in peace and light, and yadda, yadda, yadda – Everyone knew the story. It was the crystal that had been used to capture the last Dark Lord and along with it Harry Potter.

As if it were aware of her attention, the pattern of the single lightening bolt went away. It was quickly replaced by at least a dozen smaller copies of itself, then another dozen, then another until the walls of the Trophy Room were glowing with little lightning bolts. Rowena barely noticed them though. Her eyes were locked on the stone at the center of the room. It was just so green, such a beautiful color of green. It called to her and pulled at her. She was afraid.

Somewhere in the back of her mind told her that this crystal was not supposed to be green. She was quite certain she remembered it being described a swirling mix of black and green. Her mother had been there at the final battle between the Dark Lord and Harry Potter. She had heard the story many times as a child. Harry Potter was trapped in that crystal doing eternal battle with Lord Voldemort. That was what the story said. Rowena could not believe that anything so beautiful as this glowing green crystal could contain evil. It simply wasn't possible.

Slowly, Rowena approached the pedestal in the middle of the room. As she approached, the glowing symbols on the wall began to move. The closer she got, the more animated they became. She simply brushed the velvet ropes surrounding the pedestal out of the way; the poles that held them fell to the floor in a clatter. The dancing symbol were no longer distinguishable, they had become fluorescent stripes racing around the room. Slowly, she reached out her hand. The instant her finger touched the crystal, her world disappeared in a flash of light.

She was dazed and blinded. She couldn't see and she didn't know why. Why had she touched that crystal? She felt like she was walking on glass. The crystal must have shattered. That meant the evil held inside was now free, and it was her fault. Rowena Keneally screamed.

It was only a matter of seconds before her scream was answered by the approach of running footsteps. "What is going on here?" She recognized Professor Longbottom's voice. "Oh my God!" She heard next.

"Miss Keneally, are you alright?" Rowena shook her head. "I'll be right back," he said. She could hear him running down the hall now, yelling for Doctor Patil, and the Headmaster. Rowena collapsed onto the floor. What had she done?

Professor Hermione Granger-Weasley sat at her desk in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. In front of her were several stacks of large musty book on various, obscure magical subject. One of the best parts of her job was that she had complete, unfettered access to the books Hogwarts' library. One of the worst parts of the job was that she rarely had more than 10 consecutive uninterrupted minutes in which to read those books. Now was not to be an exception.

She heard the outer door slide away and the heavy running steps of what was most likely Neville Longbottom. "Hermione, come quickly" He huffed "The trophy room…Miss Keneally… the Crystal…You'd better see for your self." Hermione immediately leapt to her feet and ran to the trophy room.

By the time she got there, most of the other Professors were there, huddled around the doorway. As she approached, they moved aside to give her access. The floor of the Trophy Room was covered with fragments of the broken crystal. Rowena Keneally sat with her back against the wall and was being looked after by Dr. Patil. In the center of the room though was what had her attention. There, lying on the stone floor of the chamber was the gasping figure of Harry Potter.

The emotions she felt were overwhelming. He appeared now, just as he had on that last day. He had not aged a single day. The sight of him brought back so memories, memories that were half forgotten and half suppressed. How could he be back? How could she live through those memories again? She knelt beside him and felt for a pulse. He was definitely alive

"Is that really him?"

Hermione could only nod "What about the other? What about Voldemort?"

Professor Longbottom answered. "There was no sign of him when I arrived. Perhaps Miss Keneally saw something."

Doctor Patil spoke. "Miss Keneally has been blinded, but I believe the effect is temporary. I don't believe any real harm has been done to her. I'll keep her overnight to be sure. I waited until you were here to decide what to do about him."

"Treat him of course. What else would you do? "

"But what if it's not him? What if it's You-Know-Who?"

"Treat him. If you are worried, isolate him and I will treat him. I'll summon the Aurors and Ron and we will establish his identity and find out what happened. Now lift him up and take him to the Hospital Wing NOW!"

There would be no sleep tonight. Doctor Patil and the other Professors carried Rowena and Harry to the Hospital Wing. Hermione went to the Owlery and started sending out owls. Then down to her office in preparation to visit Ron. He deserved to hear this news in person, not by Owl. He had been Harry's best friend, he was her husband, and he was the Minister of Magic.

8 Chapter 2 - Awareness

Harry awoke in the all white surroundings of Hogwarts Isolation Ward. As a student Harry figured he had spent more time in the Hospital than any other student in the history of Hogwarts. He had always hated it but now it was heaven; the feel of starched cotton on his skin, the gentle breeze that blew in from the narrow slit of a window behind him, the smells, the sounds – How had he ever taken these for granted? He was thirsty and hungry. What a wonderful thing it was to feel hunger and thirst.

Harry tried to sit up but found him self unable. He didn't know why, but he didn't care. He simply relaxed and listened to the world around him. Footsteps approached. To Harry, they were a symphony. He heard the door open and then saw a face looming over him. It looked familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He wasn't quite sure he remembered how to keep his eyes focused. He had suffered a great deal inside the crystal because he refused to let go of the idea of having a body. It was difficult to get used to having one again.

"Can you hear me?"

Harry tried to say yes but the sounds didn't quite come out right. The face above him seemed to get the message though. "You are alright, I think. You're mind and your body just have to get used to working together again. I don't know of any case where they have been separated so long, it could take some time."

"'K," he managed to croak out.

"Very good, keep at it. Practice is good." The face softened. "It's good to see you again Harry." The face left. He still couldn't place who it belonged to, but the face seemed to know him.

Harry was pretty sure he could move his fingers and toes by the time he had another visitor. Another face. "Harry?" The face confused him but he knew the voice. It was her voice so it must be her face. He tried to say her name, but couldn't. She seemed to understand. "It's really you isn't it?" He managed to get out something that resembled a yes. "Dr Patil thinks you're going to be OK, she says if you've made this much progress its only a matter of time before you're back to normal."

"Ron will be here later. I'm surprised he's not here already. I think he still doesn't quite believe it. I have to ask you something though Harry, its important: Did Voldemort escape?"

"No" Harry managed to say the whole word. "D.d.d.dead" he added as emphatically as possible.

"I hated to bother you about this, but the others were anxious. They are worried that maybe you aren't really you. Dr. Patil and I will put them off as long as we can, but eventually they are going to want talk to you and verify your identity."

"'S OK"

"I'll be back later. Ron should be here soon. I won't be long. I promise." Hermione left.

Harry practiced moving his fingers, and other limbs. He tried to increase his vocabulary too. Dr. Patil returned and fed him chicken broth. It was wonderful. "Thank. You." he said. Each word was a statement "Doc-tor. Pat- il"

Doctor Patil smiled at him. "You're doing very well Harry, don't rush your self. It'll come"

"Par-vat-i" He said.

"Yes, " she said "Parvati Patil"

"No, " Harry was frustrated. Dr. Patil didn't understand. "Parvati Patil" he said slowly and carefully.

"That's right Harry, I am Parvati Patil – we graduated together. We went to the Yule Ball in fourth year. Remember?"

This woman could not be Parvati Patil. Parvati had gone to that Yule Ball with him. This woman had streaks of gray in her hair. Parvati's mom was Dr. Patil. He became worried. Maybe he wasn't free after all. Maybe this was some lingering trick of Voldemort's. He had made mistakes like this before. "How. Long?"

"Twenty five years ago."

Harry felt the words like hammer blows. Twenty-five years. That would make him forty-three. So much time was gone. He had tried to count days while he was in the crystal, but that was difficult at best. He couldn't count anything at first, it had been just him and Voldemort and it was all he could do to stay alive. Afterwards, he could count a couple hundred days at a time before he would lose count and have to start over. He knew time had passed, but not twenty-five years.

When Ron arrived he knew it was truth. Ron had become a slightly fuller version of the way he remembered Arthur Weasley, but the mannerisms were pure Ron. "Great Merlin's Ghost" Ron choked when he came into the room. "He hasn't changed at all." Ron took Harry's hand. "After all this time Harry, How?" Harry really couldn't answer.

"Minister, we should perform the test."

"I don't need a bloody test." Said Ron quite authoritatively. "He was my best friend, I lived with him for seven years. I bloody well know Harry Potter when I see him."

"Ron, " said a vaguely familiar voice. "We have to be sure, it's the safe thing to do."

"Alright, but it's a damn insult to him after everything he's been through." Ron answered. Then to Harry "The bloody Aurors want to make sure you're you. I'm sorry Harry."

"Harry, this is Bill Weasley." the familiar voice said. "Don't be alarmed, we'll get this done as quickly as possible." The Aurors poked and prodded at him. They cast spells on him. Some he managed to stay wake through, others he didn't. Any sensation was still a good sensation to Harry, so he didn't really mind. It eventually came to an end anyway.

"It's him," said Bill. "Welcome back Harry. When you're on your feet again, we would like to talk to you. Until then just relax and get well as fast as you can."

The days became a comfortable blur for Harry. Everyday he made progress. Within a couple of days he could speak comfortably, by the end of the first week, he could feed himself and sit up on his own. By the end of the second week he was walking slowly around the hospital wing.

Everyday he had visitors. Many old friends came to visit him and say hello. They were on strict orders from Doctor Patil to keep the conversations light though. Harry began to chafe under Parvati's restriction. Hermione came to visit him everyday though and brought him books to read. Ron came most evenings and they played chess just as they had in Gryffindor Tower when they were students.

In the middle of the third week, Doctor Patil cleared him to leave the Hospital Wing. The realization finally came to Harry that he had nowhere to go. Ron and Hermione insisted that he come to their house in London. He needed a great deal of recovery time and there was a great deal they needed to tell him still. Harry agreed Ron and Hermione were his best friends. They were his family.

9 Chapter 3 - Family

Stepping through the flue into Ron and Hermione's house, Harry decided there were some sensations it was just simply not possible to like - Travel by flue powder was at the top of that list in his book. Ron and Hermione welcomed him to their home.

Harry had expected to find something like the Burrow waiting for him. Instead, he found himself in a very upscale, tastefully decorated home. Ron and Hermione had done quite well for themselves. They showed him to his room, which was small and cozy and overlooked the garden. Harry had no belongings with him to unpack.

After seeing his room, Harry went down to the garden with Ron and Hermione. A House Elf named Mitzi served them tea. Harry expressed his surprise that Hermione would have a house elf. Ron explained that the elf was free and well paid. Hermione appeared to be embarrassed about the matter. Harry felt awkward.

"I was hoping, now that I am away from the hospital, we might have a real conversation. Everyone has been so careful with what they said to me, and avoided most of my questions. I need to know what's happened."

"Dr. Patil felt it was best to wait until you were used to being in your body again. Apparently there was a risk of dis-corporation," explained Hermione, "we'll answer your questions now, but understand Harry, it's hard to explain almost 25 years. It's hard to know even where to start."

"How long have you two been married?"

"Twenty four years." Answered Ron matter-of-factly.

"At first I was surprised that you two were married. You used to argue so much. I'm glad you're together though. I think I was jealous, but I think it the best way things could have turned out."

"It was really hard after the battle to carry on with our lives. Every one else was so happy, but I just felt empty," Ron said. "I knew what you were going to do, but I just couldn't accept that you were actually gone. There were celebrations everywhere, I kept wanting to go and grab you and drag you to parties, but then I would remember you weren't there. So many times I would give Pig a message for you and he would just sit there staring at me.

"As hard as it was for me, it was even harder for Hermione. You two were so close in those last few days…I was jealous then. I was jealous for a long time actually. Then there was… well, Hermione ought to tell you that part. It seemed like we were the only two unhappy people on earth. Lots of people lost loved ones, but there was just this general euphoria in the air because Voldemort was gone."

"But you weren't dead." Hermione spoke with tears in her eyes. "Everyone acted like you were dead, nobody wanted to think about what really had happened. You were alive, stuck forever in that crystal with HIM. We could tell that you two were still fighting, because of the colors in the crystal. What you had to face was worse than death, and I was the one who did it to you…" Hermione was no longer able to speak.

Harry wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her. It was Ron that reached over and grabbed her and cradled her. She rested her head on his shoulder for a bit, then straightened her self to continue. "I know it had to be done, everyone said I was such a hero for casting the spell. They gave us the Order of Merlin for our part in the battle. But what difference does a fucking medal make when you just locked your best friend into a rock for eternity?"

"I couldn't face people, only Ron seemed to understand what I was going through. I was really ready to off myself. Then I discovered I was pregnant" The question Harry wanted to ask was visible on his face. Hermione nodded. "Yes, Harry"

The silence was heavy in the air. "I made her marry me." Said Ron. "You and Hermione were the most important people in my life, and I had just lost you. The pain was sucking her in – it was eating her up. She needed me to do for her what she did for you. It was different for us though. I was already in love with her, so I married her. I gave myself to her completely. Anyway, I would have never let your son grow up without a father. I raised him just like my own, Harry, just like my own."

"A son?"

"We named him James. We thought that's what you would have wanted…"

"Is he… I mean where?"

"He'll be here a little later. We asked him to give us time to let you know. He's grown you know. He plays Quidditch. He's a Chaser though, not a Seeker. Bloody brilliant flier – he definitely got that from you. This has been pretty hard for him to take. We've told him all about you, but no one ever thought you would be back. It was hard not to hate you sometimes Harry, you caused us so much pain."

"I never hated you Harry" Hermione spoke again. "No matter how much it hurt, I never hated you."

"I never wanted to hurt you Hermione, or you either Ron. That was the last thing I wanted. I'm sorry I came back now and caused you to hurt again. I was just so desperate in there. I wanted to die but I couldn't. I was starting to lose it, I had to get out. A son? A grown son? Does he hate me?"

"No, Harry he doesn't hate you. He worships you actually, just like you did your father." Said Hermione.

"It took the longest time to convince him that he wasn't a Seeker," said Ron "He wanted to be like you so much. Ginny finally dug out some pictures of your father playing as Chaser and told him how much you wanted to be like your father, but that didn't stop you from being a good Seeker. That's when he decided to be a Chaser. You should see that boy fly. I just wish I could have convinced him to play for the Cannons instead of the Wasps."

"How is Ginny?" asked Harry "She never visited me."

Ron's face fell. "Ginny, … Ginny's dead. Six years ago. It was an accident. She was in Muggle London and a motorist was going too fast…he said he couldn't stop in time. Ginny was at the intersection and must've thought there was some sort of magic that made the intersection safe. She didn't even look, she just walked into the intersection and never knew what hit her. She took your loss really hard, I think the only thing that kept her from going knackers was taking care of baby James. She positively doted on him. When James started Hogwarts, she kind of went into another depression. She started writing then. She was really good at it too She finally seemed to be happy and then the accident happened."

"When I was working on my dissertation," Said Hermione. " Ginny took care of James constantly. There were times I thought he was going to forget I was his mother. Taking care of James helped her to have some closure, she got to for James what she could never do for you. I thought she would resent me at first. She never did though. Besides Ron, she was the closest to understanding what I felt. Maybe in some ways she understood better than Ron."

"Who else?" asked Harry.

"Who else what?"

"Who else is dead?"

"Harry, why focus on the dead? You're alive and you're free. You paid a terrible price to be here. Enjoy it a while before you worry about who didn't make it"

"I need to know." Answered Harry

Ron slowly named those who died during the battle and those who had passed away in the intervening years. Each name hit Harry like a blow to the stomach. So many of the people who had meant so much to him were gone. He would never see them again.

"If only I had been strong enough to go into the crystal sooner, I could have saved some of those people."

"You can't think like that Harry. You did your part. You did more than your part. Stop thinking about how many people might have died because of something you might've done. Think how many people live because of what you did do. A whole generation has grown up without the threat of evil hanging over them and another one is just being born. If you talk to kids today about Dark Lords and Dark Marks and the struggle of good versus evil, they look at you funny. It's only history for them; something their parents tell them stories about; just another boring lecture from Professor Binns. They don't know what it is to fear the future. They don't know because what you did means they don't have to. If you had done nothing else Harry, that would be enough to make you a hero"

"Speaking of being a hero, there are a few things we have to discuss. I have kept the press away so far, but I am not going to be able to do it indefinitely. They are practically rioting to talk to you. Then there's Bill and the Aurors. They are very anxious to hear what happened to Voldemort. I am anxious to hear that as well. Then there's the twenty-fifth anniversary observance of Voldemort's defeat you REALLY have to be there for that. We couldn't very well do it without you now that you're back"

Mitzi arrived and announced that James had arrived. Harry felt as if his heart were about to beat out of his chest. Hermione got up to fetch James. Harry stood up in anticipation, tugging at his robe and trying to straighten his hair. Then he was there.

James and Harry stood looking at each other, trying to take in as much as possible with a single. James was taller than Harry and looked more like his mother Harry thought. He had Harry's lean build though and a certain something in the lines of his face that reminded Harry of looking in the mirror. He had sharp green eyes, those were definitely his too. This man is my son, thought Harry, and he looks older than I do. How do I treat a grown son I never knew I had?

James knew the answer. He went to Harry and put his arms around him. Harry responded in kind. "It's really you! You're really here!" Harry could only nod. James turned to his mother. "I know you would never joke about such a thing, but it just didn't seem possible."

"You look like your mother," Harry finally managed to say something thinking those were probably not the first words you want to hear your father say.

James nodded and grinned. "Your eyes though… I wish I had a Knut for every time some one told me that."

"I heard that a lot too., bit of a curse I guess" There was a bit of silence. They just stood there smiling at each other. It must have seemed awkward to the others, Harry could see Hermione fidgeting nervously, so he sat back down. "So you're a Chaser? Did you play for Gryffindor? I was a Seeker for six seasons, they canceled the season in fourth year." Harry was babbling and Quidditch was the thing he had always babbled most about. James began to describe his own Quidditch career. Ron joined in as well, and soon the three of them were engaged in a lively discussion of brooms and tactics and line-ups and strategies. For the first time in her life, Hermione truly appreciated the game of Quidditch.

Two hours later Hermione came out to remind them they were having guests for dinner. Soon all the Weasleys were there: Fred, George, Percy, Bill and Charlie all accompanied by their wives and a whole host of mostly redheaded youths ranging in age from around ten to early twenties. Harry only recognized two of the wives – Angelina who was married to Fred and Penelope who was married to Percy. Ron and Hermione's sons - Arthur and Harry apparated into the garden. Last to arrive was Molly Weasley.

Molly embraced Harry like a long lost son. For his part, Harry thought, if there were anyone he would have chosen to replace his mother, it would have been this woman.

Dinner was conducted in traditional Weasley fashion. There were jokes and arguments and mountains of food. Even if Harry didn't know half the people they were talking about, or hadn't been around for the most of the events they relived, it didn't matter. He was a part of it all. He was with family.



10 Chapter 4 - Harry's Tale

After dinner Ron deftly maneuvered Harry into the study along with Bill. Hermione soon followed along by James. The talk started small with Ministry politics and the advantages of having a Weasley dynasty running the place. Ron had shot like a meteor through the ranks of the ministry; Bill was Chief of Magical Law Enforcement and Percy was Head of Standards and Measures. Gradually the talk turned more serious and they began to discuss the final battle.

"You were bloody brilliant in that battle Harry. Voldemort was right, you chewed his army to shreds. It took a couple days to get all the stragglers, but there were precious few of them."

"Fred and George's traps and Moody's goo took care of that. All I did was set them loose."

Ron laughed, "I forgot about that goo. I bet there are places in the castle where you can still smell that stuff. It was your strategy though, you were the one who came up with the plan and you made the decisions. A lot of Aurors thought you were crackers letting them in the castle without a fight. And the duel at the end…. Voldemort never stood a chance…"

"Voldemort was fighting to win, I was fighting to lose…Voldemort had a very fixed view of the world, that's how I ultimately defeated him." Harry became very quiet.

"Harry, I don't mean to pressure you," said Bill, " but we need to know what happened to Voldemort. We haven't found any traces of him. We need to know if there is any chance of him coming back. Ron is here, Hermione is here, the three of us can take this as an official statement."

Harry started to speak, but stopped himself. He turned to face James with sadness in his eyes, and Fred and George who had just stumbled into the room wondering what they were missing. Bill seemed to understand and offered to ask everyone else to leave. Harry took a few seconds to come up with an answer. Finally he shook his head "No let them stay. They should know the truth. It was foolish to think I could hide from it."

"When the binding spell was cast, I felt the world dissolve around me. Some time later, I don't know how long, I became aware of myself in the crystal. I was lying on the ground and I was very disoriented. . Voldemort was there too, and once he realized I was there, he started casting curses at me. I had had to control myself during the duel to make sure Voldemort actually got into the crystal, but now there was nothing holding me back. I fought back hard. It was exhausting.

"It seemed like we had been dueling for weeks. Maybe we had. I remember being so tired. I would sleep for an hour here an hour there. The crystal seemed surprisingly large, and surprisingly intricate. I didn't think anything of it at the time; I was too busy trying to stay alive. Voldemort seemed tireless I think he had already started to figure out the nature of the crystal then. It took me a lot longer to figure it out. Voldemort was very good at what he did. Several times he captured me and tortured me, but always I managed to escape before he got around to killing me. At the time I thought he was letting me escape so he could keep torturing me. Then things got worse.

"I had found what I thought to be a pretty good hiding spot. I took a nap when I woke up, it seemed like I was back in Hogwarts. I feel stupid now, but then it was I wanted most. It was like a dream, but it was so real at the same time. I was back in Hogwarts as a first year as a student. I went to classes, I did homework, I got used to it. Then things turned into a nightmare… teachers killed students, students killed teachers, friends killed friends…

"Then, like a nightmare, Hogwarts was gone, but I was back at the Dursleys. Well, you can imagine how bad that got. Voldemort was doing it. He came up with scenario after scenario, sick, twisted scenario after scenario. We took the everything I loved, all the people I loved, and made them into something horrible. I caught on though.

"He made mistakes. I learned to stop believing everything I saw. I learned to pay attention to the minute details, and pick apart his illusions. I stopped playing his games. He was furious. He started making scenarios that required no participation; it was like being in a madman's pensieve. I tried to ignore the images, but some things just can't be ignored. They can't be forgotten either…"

Harry was silent for a minute, as if trying to push the images from his head. "The only thing I could do was fight back. Up to that point, I had refused to use the dark arts. From then on, I used every curse I knew - unforgivable or otherwise. I still thought he was using some kind of magic against me. I had to make those images stop. I did a good enough job of harassing Voldemort that the images stopped. We were back to open warfare.

"If our earlier battles had been fierce, this battle was vicious. We were both out for blood. Voldemort was winning though. I was constantly forced to retreat. Then I figured out Voldemort's secret – how the crystal worked. We had been fighting a long running battle, and I was getting tired, I needed to stop. I came around some crystal outcropping thinking I was bound to find some cover there, and sure enough there was a perfect little hiding spot. I crawled inside and managed to lose Voldemort. I was about to sleep when I realized what a coincidence that there had actually been a place to hide exactly where I thought one would be. Thinking back, there had always been a hiding place exactly where I needed one to be. Everything had been exactly as I expected it to be. The inside of a soul crystal is a prison of one's own designs.

"Voldemort had turned the nature of the soul crystal into a weapon against me. That was how he created the illusions. He didn't figure out everything though. He didn't take things through to their logical conclusion. If the environment in the crystal wasn't real, what were we? Then I remembered the wounds I had gotten in the duel before the binding spell was cast. When I awoke inside the crystal, I had no wounds. Then I realized that our bodies weren't any more real than the illusions that Voldemort had created. The only reason we had bodies inside the crystal was because we thought we were supposed to have bodies.

"It took me a while to learn how to use this new knowledge. I had to keep it a secret too, I didn't want Voldemort to know that I knew. Finally I got good at it. I could change my surroundings as easily as Voldemort could. I could do things that Voldemort couldn't though. I could just be, with no physical shape. I came to understand the actual physical structure of the crystal without any illusions around it. Voldemort was too used to asserting his own power over things to worry about things like inherent nature. My biggest fear was that he would take that extra step and figure things out. I thought someone who had spent as much time in limbo as him would catch on quickly. He never did though.

"Once I was confident. I took the battle to Voldemort. I staged a full battle. At the end I let him think he killed me. I let him gloat. When he was done gloating, the loneliness set in. I was watching the whole time and he never knew it. I watched as his mind became unraveled.

"I wish I had learned from the experience, but I was too wrapped up in my own anger then. When his loneliness turned into desperation, I began to haunt him. I gave him some of his own medicine. I made him relive the lives of every victim of his that I knew about. I made him live the lives of the children he orphaned. I made him relive his own lousy life. I made him relive every torture, every death, every curse. It was more than any one mind could take. When I was done Lord Voldemort was a stark raving lunatic.

"When Voldemort had no mind left to torture I fashioned a cage and kept him in it. Then I started to realize my own dilemma. The same loneliness that made Voldemort desperate was beginning to work on me. I tried distracting myself, I tried using the crystal like a Muggle television, but that got old quickly. I tried to recreate music in my head, books, anything. I did old homework assignments over in my head I was so bored.

"Then I got the idea of trying to escape. Professor Dumbledore had said that escape from a soul crystal was supposed to be impossible. I was determined to find out for myself. I began searching for flaws in the crystalline structure. When I found them I began to exploit them. The actual crystal was like a huge lattice. I started chipping away at the lattice. It was absolutely mind numbing work, but it kept me busy. I did thousands and thousands of lattice joints. It became readily apparent that I was never going to finish, or at least never stay sane long enough to finish. I had to come up with a new plan.

"My new plan was to create a resonance that would shatter the entire lattice at one time. It was like an Arithmancy problem. I just had to figure out the proper frequency and how much power I would need. Arithmancy was never my subject, but I had very few distractions. I finally figured it out but the answer wasn't good. It was going to take more power than any one wizard would be able to put out. The designers of the soul crystal were right: it was inescapable."

"I was depressed for a long time before I remembered I wasn't actually alone in the crystal. Soul Crystals are only made to hold one soul. This one held two, and Voldemort was one of the most powerful wizards ever born. Combined our power would be enough to shatter the lattice. Voldemort didn't have enough presence of mind left to cast a Lumos though. If I was going to use Voldemort's power, I was going to have to take it.

"I wish I could say that I was a good enough person that I rejected the notion out of hand and went back to chipping. I'm not. I didn't even hesitate. I used Voldemort's own curse against him. I sucked every bit of energy out of him. I didn't even stop when I had enough to shatter the lattice. I just kept going until there was nothing left. I hated that bastard. He killed my parents, he killed my friends, and he stole my life. I was taking my revenge.

"Voldemort was dead. I cast the spell and shattered the structure of the crystal. The crystal was still inescapable from the inside. To actually break, I needed a force from the outside – any force would do, even the slightest touch. I figured it was only a matter of time before someone would touch the crystal and all I had to do was wait. I waited and I waited, but nothing happened.

"I was getting desperate again. I had to find a way to communicate with the outside. It was hard to do, it took a lot of energy to do it. I couldn't send proper message, so I settled on the shape of my scar. I figured that sooner or later someone would associate the two. I just kept sending that out over and over. I don't know how long it took, but finally I sensed someone was near. I was ecstatic. I kept sending out more and more messages, and then who ever it was touched the crystal and I was free.

"I was myself again just as I remembered. I had no idea how much time had passed. I thought it had been a couple years, maybe five. I knew before the battle that the trip into the crystal was supposed to be a one-way trip. I am sorry I wasn't strong enough to stay in. I'm sorry for the things I did to get out. I wasn't strong enough to resist using the Dark Arts and I murdered a man who was incapable of defending himself. In the end I wasn't any better than Voldemort himself. I might as well have been a Death Eater. If you want to send me to Azkaban, I won't argue.

Harry visibly collapsed and leaned his head forward into his hands.

"Good Lord Harry, you don't really think we'd send you to Azkaban for killing Voldemort do you? I would get sent there just for the suggestion." Harry remained unmoved. "It was a war Harry. You did what you had to do. How many people did he kill or maim, or have killed, or have maimed? You did the world a favor Harry."

"He was insane, he didn't even know who he was anymore. I sucked the life out of him. I didn't have to kill him to get out and I did it anyway."

"Harry, I can't let you tear yourself up over killing Voldemort." Ron pulled out a desk drawer and pulled out some papers and a quill and began writing hastily. "If you want to act like killing Voldemort was a crime, then we'll treat it like a crime." Ron finished writing and handed the paper to Bill and ordered him to sign as a witness. Bill did so and gave it back to Ron shaking his head.

Ron went around his desk and stood in front of Harry. He held out the paper to Harry. "As Minster of Magic, I officially pardon Harry J Potter for any crimes that may have been committed while held captive in the soul crystal." Ron folded the paper and stuck it between Harry's fingers. "Its signed by myself and Bill Weasley, Chief of Magical Law Enforcement. You can't argue with that Harry. I'm the Minister of Magic and that document has the effect of law."

Harry stood up and looked Ron in the eyes. "Thank you." he said. Harry put his arms around his friend and hugged him.

11 Chapter 5 - The Young and the Restless

After a week at Ron and Hermione's Harry was restless. Ron was always at work, Hermione was back at Hogwarts to finish up the term, and James was on the road playing Quidditch. Harry began to take stock of his situation, not that there was a lot to keep track of.

He had no possessions. Everything he had owned before the battle had fit into his school trunk. He had no idea where that was now. He had one robe, the one he had been wearing when he went into the crystal, and it was rather shabby. He took it off at night and it appeared clean in the morning – cleaned, he assumed by Mitzi. He didn't even have a wand. He had dropped it in the fight with Voldemort again he had no idea if it even still existed.

Then there was the matter of money. He had been fairly frugal during his time at Hogwarts and had barely put a dent into the stacks of Galleons his father had left him. He was never even really sure how much money he'd even had. He was sure that when James was born that the contents of the family vault had been passed on to him. Well, he couldn't very well ask for it back could he? That just wouldn't be right even if he could. He was James' father; even if Ron had raised him, and financial security was the least thing he could give him, not that it began to make up for his being gone for the boy's entire life.

'Boy' thought Harry. He's older than I am, or at least older than I feel or look. How old was he? According to the calendar, his forty-third birthday would be next month. He looked and felt about to turn eighteen. For him life had just stopped when he went into the crystal. He shuddered as unwanted memories of the crystal came back to him. Eighteen or forty-three; neither age seemed to fit him. All he knew was that he wanted to 'live' now.

He could get a job. That's what people were supposed to do when they got out of school or got out of prison. But what could he do? He'd only ever been good at two things: Quidditch and fighting Voldemort. When everyone else had been planning for a future, he had been planning for a fight - a fight everyone knew he wasn't going to walk away from. The future was now though, and here he was. The only money he'd ever actually earned was from the Tri-Wizard competition and he had given that money to Fred and George.

Fred and George. When they had been over for dinner, they had given him their card and asked him to come around the office and see their setup. They had done quite well for themselves. Weasley Wizard Wheezes had become very successful and they had branched into areas other than jokes and novelties. They would help him out.

Traveling by flue network, Harry stepped into the offices of WWW, Ltd. They were much nicer than he expected. They had done well for themselves. It was hard to imagine those two jokers working in offices like these. Behind a large desk sat a rather pretty receptionist who looked at Harry as if he had some sort of disease. Harry gave his name and asked to see Fred or George.

The receptionist laughed. "So you're Harry Potter? Please, I mean really…you might've put a little more effort into it. That scar doesn't even look real. Next time try Father Christmas, he's a bit easier to pull off."

"You don't read the papers by any chance do you?" Harry asked.

"Look, give me your real name and state your business or you're never getting past me." The receptionist said with a smile.

"Fred and George aren't going to be very happy when they find out about this." Said Harry. "How about I sit and wait for them?"

"Suit yourself" she answered and went back to shuffling folders and answering telephones. Harry sat in a cushy chair and waited. She obviously didn't know whom she was dealing with. If there was one thing Harry had experience with, it was waiting.

Maybe an hour later George came into the lobby and saw Harry sitting there. "Harry! How long have you been there? Does Fred know? Why didn't he tell me?" Harry gave the receptionist a smug grin as he was escorted past her.

Fred and George shared adjoining window offices that gave them a wonderful view of Diagon Alley as well as Knockturn Alley. It was a scene made for a post card. Fred made Harry a drink, but it took a good deal of reassuring to get him to drink it. George thought this was hilarious and a sign that they were getting old because it hadn't even occurred to them to even try a prank. When everyone was done laughing, Harry explained his situation.

"That's a tough position Harry. We were so happy to see you we never even thought about practical matters."

"We'll help of course. We wouldn't be where we are today without your help."

"You were our first investor, you should be on the board. You should be a major stockholder."

"It'll take some juggling to pull it off. Give us some time to handle the legal side, but we'll fix this. We owe you a lot Harry, it's the least we can do. Meantime we'll write you a check to tide you over."

Fred wrote out a check and showed it to George. George nodded and they both signed it, then handed it to Harry. Harry's eyes became huge as saucers. "I don't know how long it will take me to pay this back guys…"

"You haven't listened to a word we've said have you?"

"That's not a loan. If you even try to pay it back, we'll use you for research and development."

"Well he did say he wanted a job."

"I don't know if we should hire him though, he does have a shady past…"

Fred and George escorted Harry out of the office and down to the street. Harry was still staring at the check, unable to believe it. Harry wandered down Diagon Alley noting all the changes that had happened in his absence. It was the little things that disturbed him the most: New lampposts, the color of some of the shops had changed, Flourish and Blott's had expanded. For all the little changes though it was more or less the same as it was the first time Harry had been there as a wide-eyed eleven-year old.

Not really looking where he was going, Harry walked directly into someone going the opposite direction and they both fell to the ground. It was a about his age, at least his outward age. The contrast of jet-black hair against pale skin highlighted by deep blue eyes and too red lips gave her an unearthly quality. To Harry it seemed as if she had just stepped out of a painting. Looking at her made his insides do somersaults.

Harry helped her back to her feet and apologized profusely. The girl looked at him oddly. "I know you!"

"I doubt that," said Harry. Everyone he knew was a Weasley or much, much older than this girl.

Realization came to her. "You're HIM. The one in the crystal." The green of his eyes, she thought, is the same green as the crystal was. It was having the same effect on her too.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw you in the hospital. I was the one that broke the crystal. I was blinded when it broke, but they told me the story. You're Harry Potter…"

Harry smiled. "Yes, I'm Harry Potter. I never got to say thank you for breaking the crystal. I never knew who it was actually, and never thought to ask. I'm sorry if you were hurt…you've recovered?" Harry couldn't even imagine how he was managing to speak. The only time he could remember feeling this way about a girl was maybe the first time he had seen Cho or maybe the Veelas at the Quidditch Championships in fourth year.

"Rowena Keneally" the girl answered and held out her hand. Harry shook her hand and felt strangely reluctant to let it go. "No harm done" she continued. "But listen, " she added in a whisper, "Don't tell anyone you saw me here. I'm supposed to be in Hogsmeade. If anyone found out I was actually in London…" Harry nodded and assured her that her secret was safe. Rowena hurried off as Harry watched. It was very good to be alive.

Harry went to Gringott's and opened a new account. With an adequate supply of gold coins in his pocket and a key to a vault of his own, Harry returned to Diagon Alley to purchase a few necessities for himself. It was like reliving the day he first came there with Hagrid.

First he bought a new owl. He scolded himself for not thinking to find out what had happened to Hedwig. His new owl was as similar to Hedwig as he could get, she was already named Gisele so he decided to keep the name. He fed her owl treats and she seemed to accept him right away.

Next he stopped at Olivander's and went through the process of finding just the right wand. Not having any phoenix feather-cored wands in stock, Harry finally settled on one Dragon heartstring, elm, and 10 1/4 inches long. Harry tried a few simple charms. He missed his old wand, but the new one got the job done.

Continuing on his mission, Harry went into Gladrag's and invested in an assortment of robes and other clothing he expected to need. He thought probably he should buy some Muggle clothing as well, but that would have to be another trip. He bought himself a new wizard's trunk to carry all of his purchases in. The new trunk was self-levitating, and automatically followed its owner. It had a seemingly infinite number of drawers, compartments. Harry was quite pleased.

Exiting Gladrag's, he took a short break at Fortescue's for an ice cream before continuing on to quality Quidditch supplies. He stood like a kid drooling over the new brooms. One would think there was only so much one could put into making a broom, but Harry was quite awestruck by the newest models of brooms. The decision on whether or not to buy one was actually kind of difficult though. In the end, he decided that Quidditch was something he was both good at and enjoyed. If he were going to indulge in anything in his life, it was going to be a broom. He bought himself a top- of-the-line 'Hermes 3000-SX'. He couldn't wait to try it out.

Having everything he wanted, Harry decided to go to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner, before returning to Ron and Hermione's. On his way, as an afterthought, he decided to stop into Flourish & Blott's. He seemed to have plenty of free time and reading a book might make the time go quicker. He directly headed for the sports section and picked out a few books on Quidditch. Wandering towards the cashier he stumbled onto the non-fiction section and a book with his own face on the cover. It wasn't the cover that got his attention but the title – actually it wasn't the title, it was the author. In bold letters across the top of the book: "The Boy Who Lived" by Ginny Weasley. The book was part of a display featuring the complete works of Ginny Weasley. He grabbed one of each.

Finally finished with shopping. He went to the Leaky Cauldron, ordered whatever the house special was and ate in the common room. Harry wasn't quite sure what it was he was eating, but he didn't really care either. It was some sort of noodle thing with a French name. He didn't quite like the look of it but it tasted just fine. When dinner was done he had dessert, then lingered over a couple of butter-beers and watched the people come and go. Rather late he returned to Ron and Hermione's feeling he'd had a rather good day.

12 Chapter 6 – Remembrance of Things Past

It was the last week of June and it was not going as well as Harry thought it would. He had read Ginny's biography of him and had been touched by the care with which she handled the details of his life. She hadn't focused so much on the facts of his life – how many facts could there be to the life of someone not even eighteen? Instead she tried to capture his motivations, to show what made the man, if he could be called that, what he was.

It was odd to read about oneself in such a way. The accuracy with which Ginny described him was scary. Sure, she made some mistakes, but in reading her book, Harry found things about himself explained more succinctly than he ever could have done so himself. How had she gotten such insight into his inner workings? How could she have known him so well?

In the chapter dealing with his final days before the battle, he was quite surprised to find how much Hermione had told Ginny. Not illicit details, but the emotions involved, the words said. It was uncomfortable to have one's feelings spread out on the printed page that way. And what had James felt? To know such details of his parents must have been awkward at best.

On completing his biography, he next read The Rebirth and Demise of Thomas Marvolo Riddle. This book covered the entire history of Voldemort's return to power, and the major players involved. It was largely stuff that Harry already knew except for the end. He learned the details surrounding the death of Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore. He missed Sirius a great deal, but he most felt sorry for Albus. Professor Dumbledore never forgave himself for failing in his attack on Voldemort, and saw the fact that he survived for four years after the war over as a monument of shame.

The next book on his stack was a book of poetry. Harry hated to admit it, but poetry had never been his cup of tea. He skimmed through this book mostly, reading only an occasional short poem here and there. Ginny's poetry was beautiful but very sad. He had never thought of Ginny as an especially sad person, but much of what she had written was absolutely heart wrenching. The next book was also poetry, but not Ginny's. It was an anthology she had assembled. He decided to save it until later.

The last book had been published after Ginny's death. It was partly autobiography, partly letters and notes, partly reminiscences of friends. Each page filled Harry with sadness. The book became an obsession. He could not sleep or eat. He would not leave the room or allow anyone to enter. He finished the book in two days and immediately began to re-read it. Each page cut him like a dagger, each page was a monument to his ignorance.

Now he knew how it was that Ginny had been able to describe him with such uncanny accuracy, to know his motivations, to put hit fears, and dreams and desires into such a concise reflection of who he was. She done it through love, out of love, because of love: Love that burned, and love that scarred. Love that he had never returned because he had never returned. He had never even known it existed. He had dismissed every overture she had tried to make as that of a silly schoolgirl crush. He had never even noticed her as a person until the last hours of his last day.

Now he understood why she had taken such an active role in raising James. James was the son she had wanted to have. She had spent her whole life trying to get close to him and he had never let her. Even when he was locked in the crystal she had tried. She had raised his son; she had reconstructed his life and deconstructed his enemy. Why did she have to love him? Why couldn't she have loved someone like Neville, or Seamus, or Dean, or anyone for that matter – anyone but him.

How could the rest of the Weasleys still accept him? Because of him Ginny had wasted her whole life. She had been so beautiful, and intelligent, and gifted. She had spent her youth loving him when he wouldn't return it, and her adulthood loving him when he couldn't return it. How much pain had he caused her?

He remembered Hermione's words to him on the parapets of Hogwarts. What about Ginny? She's lived her whole life waiting for you to notice her. Do you think its going to matter to her when you die, why you never gave her a second glance? What about Cho, herself? Do you think she didn't care about you? What about Parvati, and Lavender, and Alicia? Do you think any of them are going to live happier lives when you're gone, because you were so noble as to spare them your attention? What about me? How much happier do you think I'm going to be?"

What if I had noticed her? What if I had let Ginny in? If I had loved her then, would she be alive now? Would she even have made it to thirty-eight? Look at Hermione, as brave and strong as she is, you can still see the pain on her face. She made me let her in and look at the price she paid for it. She didn't even do it for love, at least not romantic love. Why didn't I push Hermione away? Would I have had the mental strength to survive the battles with Voldemort if I had lost Ginny along with being banished into the crystal? Would I even have been able to do what I did?

No.

That was the answer. If I had been in love with Ginny, or anyone else, I would not have been able to go into the crystal. If I had not had Hermione's strength behind me, I would not have been able to go into the crystal. I had gone into the crystal I would not have had the strength to fight and win, and if I had lost, it would be Voldemort lose in the world now instead of me. No matter how much it hurts, I did the right thing.



13 Part 3

14 Chapter 1 - The Memorial

It was a clear, warm day at the end of the first week in July. The grounds of Hogwarts were particularly crowded considering the spring term had ended the week before. Milling around the ancient castles were hundreds of wizards and witches of all ages, dressed in sharp but subdued robes. This was supposed to a solemn occasion, but no gathering of this many people, especially this lot, could ever be completely serious. Strains of laughter and lively conversation could be heard over the din of summer

This was the day that marked twenty-five years since the fall of Voldemort. There had been some sort of observance every year since that last battle, but this one was special. Twenty-five years was one of those milestones people used to delineate the "not-so-long-ago" from the "long-time-ago". It was a long time ago. At least half those present had not been born the day Voldemort fell. The magical community of England had never been particularly large, but following the war, as with most wars, their numbers had been bolstered by a baby boom.

Few of the previous celebrations had been this well attended or so anticipated though. Few of the previous celebrations had been so carefully planned or lavishly decorated. This one was special. What made this one special was one man. The one man, even if he looked more boy than man, who had done more than any other to make this day possible. The one everyone had thought they'd lost. He was back. He was Harry Potter.

If one assembled all the stories told about Harry Potter, one wouldn't even think he was fully human. He'd have to be something supernatural, an angel, a demi-god. The small figure sitting on the stage along with the Headmaster, The Minister of Magic, and all the other dignitaries was something of a let down. He was just too small and impossibly young.

Harry sat on the stage feeling uncomfortable, his dress robes chafing at his neck and wrists. So many speeches to say so little. Some one had told him once that funerals were for the living, not for the dead. At its core that's what this was – a funeral. It was a way for the living to cope with the deaths of so many in such a short period of time. It was a way for those who lived to get over the guilt of surviving and being glad that they had survived. It was a need he understood even if he no longer actually felt it.

Ginny's books had been a catharsis for him. For the first time, probably ever, he felt at ease with himself. He had faced difficult times and he had acted. Perhaps there were things he could have done better, but when the time had come to act, he had acted. No matter how much of a hero others claimed him to be, he was in the end a man. Fate had taken his life and fate had given it back. The only fitting thing that remained was for him to live that life.

He scanned the assembled audience. He managed to pick out a face here and there that he recognized. When this ceremony was over, he was done with the past. The present was so much better anyway. There on the second row, he saw her. He always thought of her now as HER, and he thought about her a lot. He had hoped she would be here, he didn't know how to get in touch her and that was something he wanted to change.

She noticed that he was looking at her and her face became a tapestry of smiles and blushes until she turned away whispering something to the friend beside her. A smile on her face was like the sun on a summer's day to Harry. Whatever else there was in the world, there was that. He smiled to himself and tried to pay attention to Ron's speech. His part was coming up soon and it wouldn't do to botch up when he was trying to impress a girl.

Ron called Harry to the podium and presented him with the Order of Merlin. The crowd applauded and reporters from the Daily Prophet took photographs. Harry was expected to say a few words and he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Those of you who were around during the battle will remember that I wasn't big on speeches then. I'm still not. I wish that I was worthy of half the kind words that were said about me here today, but really, I'm not. I also wish that I only had half the bravery that is accredited to me, but I don't.

"It is a cliché now, to say that those were dark times. They were indeed dark. Our entire way of life was threatened with extinction. Many very good people gladly sacrificed their lives to preserve the lives of others. I was honored to have known some of them. I was honored to be the son of two of them. If someone like my mother or father could give themselves to that fight, how could I do any less?

"This medal is a great honor. I don't really feel that I deserve it. What I did was important. I won't deny that. But I was not brave, I was not bold, I was not gallant. I was tired, I was afraid, and I felt completely unworthy of the trust placed in me. If I showed any bravery that day, it was a reflection of those around me. If I had any strength it was absorbed from those who did the real work. To those people, and to you, I say Thank you."

Harry went back to his seat exhausted and numb. Glad he was done for the rest of the ceremony, he had new admiration for the ease with which Ron seemed to handle himself. How long had it taken him to get used to the mind numbing sensations of hundreds and hundreds of eyes staring at him?

After the ceremony, there was a formal reception by the lake. A monument had been built there to honor those fallen. Harry looked over the names several times trying to put a face to each one. He had promised himself he was going to leave the past in the past. New habits were as hard to make as old ones were to break. He went to the refreshment table and got himself a cup of some fruity sweet sort of drink he'd never seen before and looked out over the lake wondering if the Giant Squid and the Mer-people still lived there.

His musing came to a screeching halt as he suddenly found himself hurtling to the ground. He was already going for his wand when he found out the cause. Sitting on the ground a foot or two away was Rowena, obviously having suffered a fall, and shooting daggers from her eyes at her laughing friend. Harry stood up, dusted himself off, and offered a hand to Rowena. "We're starting to make a habit of this," he said smiling. "It's getting hard on the wardrobe." Harry marveled that he was able to speak at all, with the giddy feeling that had come over him.

Rowena took his hand blushing and stood glaring at her friend who was starting to fade into the crowd. Harry offered to get her a drink and she accepted. "I was hoping you would be here." He said, trying not to seem anxious. "I didn't know how to get in touch with you…"

"Some people use owls," Rowena said matter-of-factly.

Harry felt stupid. Why had he even bothered to buy an owl if he wasn't going to use her. "I thought I should at least talk to you in person first, to find out if it was ok to owl you" Harry was grabbing at straws. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. Maybe he had mistaken her reactions to mean what he wanted them to mean.

She smiled back at him "I was only joking" She took a sudden interest in her feet. "You're very sweet. You can owl me when ever you like." She looked up grinning. "Maybe I'll even answer you." Inwardly she was screaming at herself to shut up before she scared him away.

This was going better than he had hoped – Now for the hard part. "I was hoping we could go…" Now he was stuck. Where did people go on dates? The only places he knew were the Yule Ball and the Three Broomsticks. There were very few Yule Balls in July and He wanted something better than the Three Broomsticks. Rowena was staring at him, waiting for him to finish "…out for dinner and a show?" That was safe. Show was vague and there had to be some show somewhere – just as long as she didn't ask which one.

Fortune and Rowena smiled on him. "Sure," she answered "When?"

On the inside Harry was doing a happy dance and trying not to let it show too much on the outside. "Next Week? Wednesday?" He was pretty sure there had to be shows on Wednesdays. "I'll owl you with the time…"

Rowena was equally excited and trying just as hard not to let it show. "That'll be great. I'll look forward to it," she said, "I'd better go find Carmen. She has to pay now for making me fall." She then turned and ran off.

Harry laughed and watched as she ran off into the crowd.

15 Chapter 2 – Of Plans, Dates, Ministers and a Place to Call One's Own

Harry had plans to make. Lots of plans. He still didn't know what he wanted to do for a job, or even what he could do for a job, but the money that Fred and George had given him took the urgency off of that decision. He would have to talk to Ron about jobs, if the Minister of Magic couldn't help him then he was hopeless.

He wanted to get a place of his own as well. Living with Ron and Hermione was nice and all, but he needed a place of his own. Ron and Hermione were almost never home and when they were, there was almost always something formal happening. He hoped they wouldn't take his leaving as a sign of ingratitude. He would talk to Ron about that too.

Lastly there was the matter of his date. He had four days to come up with plans for the perfect date and he had no idea where to start. He had made a list though: 1. Where to go for dinner. 2. Where to go for a show. 3. What to wear 4. How to keep from turning into a total prat and ruining the whole the whole thing. He figured Ron would be able to get him started on that track, although he never really remembered him as being especially good at dating either.

The date was soonest so he had to work quickly on that. He would have to let Rowena know as soon as possible. Ron was gone off with Hermione and their three children for the weekend to celebrate their daughter Minnie's having completed Hogwarts. He wasn't going to get any help from Ron until Monday. He left a note on Ron's desk and spent his weekend reading books on Quidditch.

Monday morning he awoke to find a note from Ron asking him to come visit him at his office at the Ministry at 10:30 sharp. Thinking he should look presentable if he was going to visit the Ministry, Harry put wore a better than average robe and even attempted to comb his hair. He stepped through the flue at 10:20 and into the bustle of the Ministry of Magic.

Unlike his experiences at the offices of WWW, Ltd. he had no problem convincing anyone of his identity at the Ministry. He was treated quite well actually – as soon as he stepped out of the flue he was greeted by a smiling lackey in a robe who seemed to know exactly who he was and exactly where he was going, and who insisted on calling him Mr. Potter no matter how times Harry told him his name was Harry. After a short walk they arrived at Ron's office which seemed to be crowded with an entire brood of other lackeys, as well as Ron, Bill, Percy, a few distinguished looking elder gentlemen in Muggle clothing, and a few others in robes who were obviously higher on the evolutionary ladder than mere lackey. Harry felt very out of place.

Harry was quite sure, that he had arrived at the end of one of Ron's earlier meetings, but as soon as he arrived, the room came to attention. Ron came around the desk looking quite official, carrying ornate leather folders and spoke in what Harry had learned to call his Minister voice. "On behalf of His Majesty's Government, I present this token of gratitude for service between July 1999 and June 2024." Ron pinned a medal on his chest and shook his hand, giving him a wink as he did so. "Now start signing on the 'x's…" There were two mountains of papers laid out in front of him

When he had finished signing the first stack, someone in the back made the comment "Welcome to the Army" but no one bothered to explain it to him. Harry just kept signing, and had developed severe writer's cramp by the time he finished the second stack. He asked what he was signing, but Ron just gestured for him to keep at it. When he had finally finished, those in the room applauded, and people started shaking his hand. He had no idea why.

One by one the lackeys left, and the more distinguished visitors started to hem and haw, but gradually they left as well until there was only Harry and the Weasley brothers left in the room. Ron shut the door. Harry hoped that he was finally going to get an explanation.

"Congratulations, Harry. Or maybe I should say Colonel Potter." Harry was even more puzzled. "I talked with Fred and George last week, and they told me you were quite concerned over the state of your finances, and that you were looking for a job." He motioned for Harry to sit and did the same. "I might've been hurt that you didn't come to me first, you know. But I understand, after all, they did get started with the thousand galleons you gave them."

"I had already been thinking along these lines already, so a good deal of the groundwork was already done. Even 'Mione thought it was a good idea."

"What exactly did we just do?"

"I'm getting to that. I tried to put myself in your position and I realized 'oh my gosh!, I'm broke' So I tried to think of away to rectify that situation that you wouldn't have any problems accepting. You are so bloody pig-headed about some things. Settle down, you know it's true. Don't worry, I would be the same way if situations were reversed. The situations were reversed as you recall, and I was exactly the same way."

"So when I wrote that pardon for you, I started thinking that if I had pardoned you after twenty-five years, you would be entitled to compensation for wrongful detention. I rang up my counter-part over at the exchequer and he just happened to be having a chat with the Minister of Defense. I explained the circumstances and MacTavish, he was the Scottish bloke just here was quite moved by the story. He thought the wrongful imprisonment angle would belittle your actions. He suggested we treat you as a MIA or POW. You were defending the flower of England, and all that, after all.

"We weren't quite sure about the legal language for reimbursing a Headmaster, so MacTavish dug around in the regulations and found some long lost provisions for this sort of thing. Solution: We retroactively commissioned you as an officer in the Royal Army, assigned you POW/MIA status, and retired you effective the date you came out of the crystal. That makes you entitled to twenty-five years of back pay at the rank of Colonel, along with a decent pension. I took the liberty of having everything deposited in your Gringott's account, but if you look at the figures on top there, you'll see you're not likely to be standing in a soup line anytime soon.

"Is this legal?"

Ron laughed "If it wasn't Exchequer wouldn't have gone along with it and Defense says he has regulations to support it. I will tell you that it is far, far, far from being the most creative maneuvering I've done in this office. That's a lot of money for you Harry, but in this office it barely qualifies as petty cash. Well Colonel, I got a note saying you needed to talk to me…"

Harry felt foolish for a second. "I, uh, have a date on Wednesday…and the last time I went on a date was with Lavender to the Three Broomsticks, and that didn't go very well as you might recall… I was kind of hoping you could tell me what people do on dates besides drink butter beer and make fools of themselves." Ron erupted into laughter. Even Bill and Percy had grins on their faces. Harry's face turned crimson

"I thought you told me Dad had that little talk with you" said Ron. Bill and Percy were having difficulty standing up straight. Amazingly, Harry turned even redder. "I'm sorry." Ron apologized. "It's easy to forget sometimes….tell me what you had planned." Harry explained his dilemma and Ron promised he would take care of everything. Harry continued to explain his other problems. Ron surprisingly understood and told Harry to give him a few days and he would get him in touch with the right people.

The last two matters Harry had to discuss were an Apparation permit, and the location of his old wand. Again Ron was all answers. He knew precisely where Harry's wand was and would have it for him that evening. The Apparation permit could be taken care of the next day. Harry thanked Ron profusely and left through the flue.

By Wednesday afternoon Harry was wracked with anxiety. He had his wand back, he had his Apparation permit, and Ron had taken care of details Harry would never have imagined. Dating appeared to be so much work, he didn't know how anyone ever made it as far as marriage. Harry dressed in a silky slate gray dress robe that Ron had sent a tailor over to make especially for him. Harry wrestled with his hair for an eternity before finally giving up on it – there were some things she was just going to have to accept about him. He had fresh flowers ready, and Ron had arranged for an apparating limousine complete with driver to take them to the restaurant and afterwards the theatre where reservations were made, and tickets waiting.

The sight of Rowena erased all memory of the stress of preparation from Harry's mind. He's always thought of her as a painting come to life, but now she had transcended anything so concrete as a painting. She was sublime. She had curled her hair and pulled it back in such away that is still fell across her shoulders. She wore a shimmering pastel dress that rippled with colors as the light changed. Harry stuttered out a compliment, but was truly speechless. She seemed quite pleased with his response though and thanked him politely for the flowers.

They ate dinner at a very posh French restaurant. Harry couldn't read the menu, but Rowena could. Harry ordered anything but snails. Rowena teased him that she was going to order snails anyway. Harry wished his brain would fully engage so he could come up with sort of snappy one-liners, but it was hopeless. He just had to grin and bear it. He was pleasantly relieved when the waiter served him a steak.

After dinner, they went to the theatre. The play was a Victorian period piece and Harry hated it. It was all he could do to stay awake. He was going to have word with Ron about this. Rowena seemed to like it though, so he struggled through it. Harry didn't want the date to end, but he was only too happy when the play finally closed.

The ride back to Rowena's house took a surprisingly long time for a vehicle that could apparate. As soon as they were back in the car Rowena told him she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but in the future she was going to pick the plays they went to see. Harry laughed with relief, not only that she had hated the play, but that she wanted to pick plays for them to see together. Harry confessed that he'd had help planning the date.

"Harry, you don't have to try so hard," she said with a smile, "I already like you."

"I just wanted thing to be perfect. I wanted something besides the center district of Hogsmeade. I haven't gotten out much"

Rowena laughed at his joke and took his hand. "You're very old-fashioned you know."

"I am old-fashioned. Last month for me was twenty-five years ago."

"I know. One second you're a wise old man, and the next you're a hopelessly naïve eighteen year old. I like it. I never know which one is going to speak next. It keeps me guessing. I'll make you a deal Harry Potter: You make the dates, and I'll plan them. It'll be very modern."

Harry looked unsure.

"Don't worry, I'll still let you pay for them," she said with a large smile.

"Deal," said Harry and held out his hand.

"You might be old-fashioned, but I'm not" said Rowena as she brushed his hand aside and leaned forward. Harry took the hint and kissed her gently on the lips. They lingered for a long moment. Harry felt as if he were going to melt. The kiss broke leaving them both in awe. Rowena got out of the car and walked up the steps to her house. Harry watched smiling. "You'd better owl me Harry, this is the twenty-first century and I'm entitled to hunt you down if you don't."

Harry owled her as soon as he got home.

16 Chapter 3 - When a Man is a Father and a Father is a Man

For his birthday, Harry moved into a house of his own. Within days of his visit to Ron's office, a real estate man had contacted him with a list of properties. When they got to the second house Harry knew that it was the one. It was a surprisingly large country house surrounded by hedges and tall trees and came with several acres. Harry had no idea what he would do with so much room but he knew this was where he wanted to live. It was also located near Hogsmeade and all of his immediate neighbors were also Wizards.

Ron pulled the necessary strings to expedite the sale and Harry was able to move in by the end of the month. In celebration, Harry decided to host his own birthday party. He had ulterior motive – this would be the perfect opportunity for him to introduce Rowena to his friends. They hadn't gone more than forty-eight hours without seeing each other since that first date. He hadn't intended to keep her a secret, just everyone had been busy. Rowena had teased him about it, but he pointed out to her he hadn't met her friends either. This was the night everyone was going to meet.

Things didn't start out very well. The problem was that Harry's friends were Ministry officials and the faculty of Hogwarts, which Rowena and her friends had just left. The two mixed slightly less well than oil and water. All seemed lost until James arrived with some Quidditch buddies. Hermione was beginning to think that Quidditch was the grease that kept the wizarding world moving.

A quick game of pick-up Quidditch ensued. Harry had been acquainting himself with his new broom but hadn't yet played an actual game. He was anxious to give it a shot. They organized into rough teams of old versus young. For the old team, Ron was keeper, Fred and George were beaters, and James and Percy were Chasers. Harry was Seeker. For the young team James' buddies were chasers; Rowena's friends Neville and Peter were Beaters. Rowena played Keeper and James' date Sandy played seeker.

It was the liveliest game of pick-up Quidditch Harry had ever seen. Ron had been right about one thing; James was an amazing flyer. Harry was sure that the birds got jealous watching him on a broom. Sandy was pretty good herself. Harry prided himself on the fact that only four snitches had ever gotten past him. This was not the day he planned to lose a fifth. The game started close, each team matching goal for goal. Time soon began to take its toll on the "old" team.

With the score at 200 – 70 in favor of the "young" team Harry finally spotted the snitch. He feinted and Sandy fell for it. He made his run for the snitch. Sandy realized what was going on and recovered and soon was barreling down on Harry. Only feet away, the snitch lurched upward and reversed directions. Harry yanked up hard on is broom and rolled. He pulled so many G's the world started to get a little fuzzy, but he stayed on the snitch. Looking behind him, he could see that his maneuver had only bought him the slightest of advantages. This Sandy was good.

The snitch jerked up again. Harry followed. Before he could even get his broom into a full climbed the snitch made a sharp nosedive. Harry rolled again, negative G's partially pulled him off the broom. He took advantage of the extra inches his new position gave him, stretched his arm until the socket strained and snatched the snitch out of the air. Leisurely he pulled out of the dive and held the snitch up triumphantly.

The "old" team whooped triumphantly. The "young" team cheered too, just not as loud. Everyone dismounted for butter beers and steaks just coming off the grill. Harry shook hands with Sandy before sitting down next to Rowena. "You were very good. I was quite worried."

"She'd better be good, she's our reserve seeker" said James.

"A seeker, eh? Good taste. You have my permission to marry her."

James and Sandy smiled at each other. "Actually," James said, "We wanted to talk to about that." Sandy held out her hand, which featured a gold band with a very large diamond. "Mum, Dad, " James said turning to Ron and Hermione. He turned to Harry and paused a second before continuing "Father, I've asked Sandy to marry me and she said yes. We were going to have a big ceremony, but then we kind of eloped"

Harry's heart nearly exploded. James had called him 'father'. Ron and Hermione congratulated him and Sandy. Harry did the same, but felt as if he were a million miles away. 'Father'. Rowena seemed to understand and gave his hand a squeeze. She had learned to handle these episodes – she would tease him about it later of course. Meantime she deflected the conversation away from him while he sorted it out his emotions.

Hermione gave her a knowing smile and made small talk with her while she passed the time. Rowena was still intimidated by Hermione. She was the Headmaster to her. She was an adult authority figure. She was also the mother of Harry's child. That meant at some point in the past that they had to have been close. Rowena might not be as transparent as Harry was with her feelings, but she was just as aware of the chemistry between them as he was. She wouldn't tell him yet, but she knew Harry was 'The One' and she was still not entirely convinced that Headmaster Professor Hermione Granger- Weasley was not a threat to her happiness.

The conversation returned to Quidditch. This brought Harry out of his introversion. Ron started telling stories of their Gryffindor years. Rowena and her friends were all Ravenclaws so they hissed whenever he talked about Gryffindor beating their house. Ron didn't seem to mind, the best stories came from the matches against Slytherin. One of James' buddies asked Harry if he had ever considered going pro. Sandy echoed the sentiment. Harry shrugged off the suggestion. He didn't want to play professional Quidditch. He loved the game, but the life on the road was unappealing to him.

Dinner tapered off and Harry's friends started taking their leave. Rowena's friends on the other hand were just getting started. Someone had brought a Wizarding wireless and was playing some really loud music that Harry couldn't understand. Tables were moved and an impromptu dance floor created. James' buddies mingled with the former Ravenclaws in some dancing that left Harry as puzzled as the music. He sat at the table with James and Sandy and with Rowena draped across his lap. He was very content.

"Father" James said. That word again. It shook Harry's soul. "I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you."

Harry looked puzzled.

"I never thought I would have a chance to tell you. I'm glad you came back and I'm glad I get a chance to know you"

"James, I truly regret that I was not there for you growing up. I'll never be able to make that up to you. I know Ron did a good job as a father, but I also know it wasn't the same as having your own. I grew up chasing the shadow of my father trying to fill the void he left. I know how hard it was."

"Don't regret it. I was proud to be your son. Mum and Dad, Ron, never hid the truth from me – as if Aunt Ginny would have allowed them to. There were times I resented living in your shadow. The Potter name counts for a lot in the wizarding world. I wasn't above throwing it around either. You took all the fun out of school though – you must have broken every rule ever written at least once, and what good is an invisibility cloak when your mum is Headmaster and knows you have it?"

Harry grinned. "She couldn't have been that bad. She broke quite a few rules in her time too."

Rowena chipped in. "It's hard to her imagine her breaking any rules. I always thought she was the perfect student."

"Ron and I were a very bad influence."

James laughed. "So I've heard. I think half the detentions I got from Snape were actually meant for you."

"I can't believe Hermione has kept him around all this time. She hated him as much as we did."

A slow song came on the Wizarding Wireless that Rowena liked and she made Harry get up and dance with her. Harry had the vague feeling that she was upset with him, but she didn't seem to want to talk about it. With her body leaning into his, it was easy to let the rest of the world disappear. He was still amazed that she truly liked him for himself, and not the image. He suddenly realized that it must be strange for her that her boyfriend had a son older than she was. He realized that it must be awkward for her to deal with the image of Hermione as both Headmaster and the mother of his child.

They had never talked about any of this. Harry had only just managed to get the disjointed sections of his life into a détente for himself. He would have to make sure she understood the difference between the past and the present in his life. He pulled her closer still and gave her a long and lingering kiss. "What was that for?" She asked with a smile. "A promise" he answered. They danced another song.

James and Sandy were the last to leave. It was very late. The dancing and conversations had continued well past midnight when Rowena's friends left. James' buddies had left shortly afterwards. James seemed reluctant to leave but Sandy was on the verge of falling asleep. Harry offered to let them stay the night if they didn't mind blankets on the floor. He promised to make a room especially for them so they could visit whenever they liked. Sandy nudged James and told him to get on with it.

"Father, "James started "One last thing before we go. If we have a boy, we want to name him after you, with your permission of course."

"Is this an imminent arrival?" Harry asked

James smiled at his father. "If spring time is imminent, we don't know that it's going to be a boy of course."

Harry was speechless. He shook James' hand and gave Sandy a hug. "I can't believe I'm going to be a grandfather." He laughed. "I bet I'll be the youngest looking grandfather ever."

Rowena hugged Sandy and James, congratulating them. "I will be an absolutely stunning grandmother too."

Sandy and James waved., then disapparated in a puff of air.

Harry was too happy to think of sleep. He put his arm around Rowena and took her on another tour of the house. She had a million suggestions for how things should be decorated. He listened but didn't really care what they were. He promised her that she could decorate everything from top to bottom. She seemed quite pleased with that.

They came to rest on the second floor balcony of the master bedroom. They sat together wrapped in a quilt against the slight chill and watched, as the sky grew pink with arrival of dawn. Harry kissed her luxuriating in the fell of lips, and the softness of skin. "You will be a stunning grandmother" he said. "I'll probably ruin my new broom beating all the other grandfathers away." Rowena smiled at him. "Does it bother you? That James is my son? That I even have a son?"

"James doesn't bother me. He's dreamy…" Harry gave her one of those looks. "It is overwhelming at times: The Minister of Magic drops by for beer and Quidditch; Two of the most successful wizards in the UK dropping firecrackers in the fountains; My old Headmaster is trying to convince me she's my friend and not the wistful ex; My possible step-son is a famous Quidditch player. All that and I have the sweetest, bravest, most handsome wizard since the beginning of time making goo-goo eyes at me. It all seems like a dream and I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and it will all be gone."

"So do you want to ask me about Hermione?"

Rowena nodded.

"It's not like you think. We were never in love. We never had a romance. We were best friends. I can't say I never thought of her that way before we were together. I was a guy and she was a girl, and we spent a lot of time together. They were just idle thoughts though. After Cedric Diggory died in the Tri-Wizard contest and I saw the effect if had on his girl friend, I was pretty determined not to cause anyone that kind of pain. I knew I was going to fight Voldemort, and I knew there was very little chance I could walk away from it.

"Professor Dumbledore came up with his scheme and we both new it could never work. But it was hope, and I wanted to believe it so much. The same night he made me Headmaster, I stopped kidding myself. All Albus could do was buy time, I felt that I should have gone in his place and saved him the trouble. The sad fact of my life was that I was alone. The greatest wizard of his century was buying me time that I didn't know how to use, and no one to share it with. I was terrified. I knew I had only days left on the earth. I was afraid and alone. I was afraid to die and I was afraid I would become a coward at the last moment.

"Hermione gave me strength. She gave me everything she had. I knew that what she doing would scar her forever, but I didn't stop her. I was like a thirsty man in the desert stumbling across a cold, clear stream. I couldn't help myself. It was her strength I used to fight Voldemort. Without her I would not have been able to beat him. My coming back opened a lot of old wounds for her, but she is in good hands. Ron is the love of her life. I am more of a ghost that happens to be flesh and blood. James is a bridge between the past and the present. He is the context that allows the three of us to still be friends without any bitterness."

"I love you, Rowena," Harry paused. He had never actually said those words to her before. " I can't escape my past - I don't even want to. I chose to live in the present though, and I want to live in the present with you."

Rowena gave him a deep kiss. "Just so you know, if she makes a move on you I'm going to scratch her eyes out."



16.1 Chapter 4 - Love and Defense against the Dark Arts

August was bringing itself to a close and summer was clinging on for dear life. Harry's house was no longer a cavernous expanse. Rowena had taken him at his word and attacked the challenge of making his house into a home with great passion. His days were a blur of swatches and comparison shopping and rearranging furniture. He pitied poor Muggles who had to use their backs to accomplish such tasks. Harry was quite pleased with the way his home now seemed to draw one in and wrap itself around one like a warm quilt.

It was still his home although Rowena did spend most of her time there. Technically she still lived with her parents in a middle class suburb of London not so unlike the neighborhood he had grown up in with the Dursleys. Only the week before he had gone there to meet her parents, who were extremely nice Irish wizard and witch who had moved to the area after the war. They seemed to accept him readily, but he didn't think Rowena had given them much choice about the matter. If they had any concerns about his past or his intentions with their daughter, they didn't voice them. He and Rowena spoke openly of their future plans together, even if the only plan they had was simply to be together.

They had been together for seven weeks. Harry knew that wasn't a very long time, but it seemed like most of his life. Harry had already decided that he was going to marry Rowena, and he doubted seriously that Rowena would turn him down. It was just a matter of waiting the proper amount of time. He didn't have a clue what the proper amount of time was. He would have to ask Rowena about that. One of the things he liked best about his relationship with Rowena was that they could tell each other anything. Whatever the problem was they would come up with an answer together. He was going to pick out the rings though – she wasn't going to be allowed to decide on everything.

Harry was directing a delivery of furniture into one of the guestrooms when an owl he did recognize came to perch on his shoulders. Attached to the owls foot was a letter bearing the Hogwarts Seal. Harry slipped the owl a treat and read the letter.

Dear Harry,

Please come see me this week at Hogwarts. Any day or time will be fine.



Hermione



Thinking it must be something important, he gave a yell to Rowena telling her he would be out, hopped on his broom and flew the short distance to the ancient castle. Once inside he made his way through the familiar stone passageways to the Headmasters Office. When he arrived, he barely recognized the place. When the office had belonged to Professor Dumbledore, and for his short tenure, the room had resembled a magical curio shop. Now it was full of books from floor to ceiling. Harry wondered if there were any books left in the library.

Hermione looked up from an open book, with a cheerful greeting and asked him to have a seat. They made small talk for a while, until Harry asked her what she had wanted to see him about.

"Well, you see, it just so happens that the new term starts next week and I don't have a Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It seems to be a perennial curse on the Headmasters of this school. I was hoping I might interest you in the position."

Harry was unsure. "I've really had my fill of the Dark Arts 'Mione."

"There's no one more qualified to teach it than you, you know. Ron was right when he said you were brilliant. A couple of books have actually been written about your duel with Voldemort."

"I've just settled into a new house…"

"You wouldn't have to live in the castle. You could fly in like you did today."

"And then there's…" Harry stooped short.

Hermione smiled. "I do know you have a girlfriend Harry. We met, remember? "Harry blushed. "I will admit I was a little shocked at first to think of you with someone her age. She's only just finished school you know. Technically you're old enough to be her father."

"I am aware of my age, Hermione."

"Of course you are Harry. It's just weird for me. I am happy for you. Truly, I am. Part of me, silly as it seems, is jealous. Jealous of your youth and jealous that she has you and I don't."

"That isn't silly. We did…you know – and we have James."

"Yes, we did but both of us know that the intimacy we shared was between friends, not lovers. I did love you, I do love you, just not the way I love Ron. Ron and I already knew we were meant for each other. The matter between us was hard on him, even though we had been broken up for several months before then. He was always afraid you were going to steal me away from him. I think he hated you for a while, at least until James was born. That was when I think he finally understood.

"Ron is my great love. He knows that now. You have always been my best friend though, so I feel justified in being a little possessive over you. You can warn Miss Keneally that if she ever does anything to hurt you, I will personally hex her into non-existence. That's a promise"

"She said something similar about you actually."

"So is this a serious thing between you two?"

"Yes" answered Harry. "I'm going to marry her. I'm just waiting for the right time to ask her. She's the one – I can't believe how lucky I am to have found her. When she puts her arms around smiles me and tells me that she loves me, it's like the crystal never happened. If I had to do it all over again to be with her, I would. No questions.

Hermione smiled. If anyone had ever needed to feel that way it was Harry. "If I offer her a position too, will you accept?"

"A real position?

"She's a very smart and talented witch. I was actually worried that she was going to finally break my record for OWLS and NEWTS. She could have I think, if she had worked harder. I can offer her an Assistant Professorship in Potions – she'll have to work with Snape, but it's the only other position I have available now. She would be perfect for it."

"I'll talk to her and we'll answer you tomorrow by owl." Said Harry

Rowena had loved the idea. September first found both of them sitting at the head table of the Great Hall. During the sorting ceremony he and Rowena had made small bets on which house each child would be placed in. He wasn't sure that Professors were supposed to have so much fun in front of the students. Hermione's opening speech was rather long and very informative, if one could remember it all. Harry was glad he didn't have to worry about it.

The start of classes was a revelation for Harry. He loved teaching and everything about it. Like Professor Lupin before him, Harry tried to put an emphasis on the practical and would go to great lengths to make his classes interesting. His classes quickly became the most popular in the school. Even the Slytherins liked him.

Rowena found her position satisfying as well. Working with Snape could be a trying experience, but Rowena was very good at charming her way onto people's good side. She found that as long as she didn't mention Harry too often, they got on just fine. As the Assistant Professor she got most of the grunt work and most evenings and on weekends she was deluged with scrolls that needed grading, exams to be corrected or lists of ingredients to be hunted down. Only rarely did Snape let her actually teach. She still liked the job.

Harry found that the mood of Hogwarts had changed. School days were much more organized than they were during his day. There was far less free time, and students were expected to take more classes. Study time was organized and mandatory. He was glad he was no longer a student. He understood that all of the changes were made with good intentions, but they seemed to have defeated the spirit of what school had been for him. There hadn't been a single decent prank played on him in the entire first term.

Determined to liven things up he had bought crates of Fred and George's best stock of jokes, pranks and novelties and given a lesson on defending one's self against such hazards. Quite conveniently, he left the classroom several times while forgetting to keep his teaching aids under lock and key. His students seemed to catch on and before long he was called to the Headmaster's office promising to pass out detentions if he ever caught whomever it was pilfering his supplies. It was generally known that Professor Potter passed out the fewest detentions.

Christmas came sooner than expected. Harry was almost disappointed the first day he had with no classes to teach. During the Christmas break, Harry finally found the rings he wanted. He had been out shopping for presents on Diagon Alley when he found them in the window of a shop. Gold bands with the faintest of inlays in silver, and set with diamonds. He immediately bought them. He considered it an omen. This was the time.

James and Sandy came to visit on Christmas morning. They exchanged gifts, ate a huge breakfast, and had a snowball fight to top things off. Sandy was quite visibly with child now and they talked a great deal about the upcoming birth. James was quite excited at the prospect of fatherhood. They had decided to buy a house only a few miles away. Harry considered that a Christmas present in itself.

That evening, after James and Sandy had left. Harry dismissed the house elf and cooked dinner himself. He told Rowena it was part of her Christmas present and she began to look at him oddly. He merely gave her a look that said 'Trust me'. Seemingly content, she went to the study and curled up with a book. Harry continued on with his preparations. He set the table, lit candles, and prepared a salad, pasta, marinara (with a recipe he'd gotten from Mrs. Weasley.) Once everything was ready to go, he ran for a quick shower and changed into a dressy, but not formal robe. Finally he summoned Rowena to the dining room.

Glad that he was a wizard, Harry served them via magic. They ate and talked about the future, and teaching, and James and Sandy. Rowena made jokes about his making a fine House Elf. Harry prided himself that she was completely unsuspecting of what he had planned. After the pasta was done Harry got up to get desert and came back with a cake, then left again. He came back with a plate that he set in front of Rowena. On the plate sat velvet-lined box holding the engagement ring he had bought. Rowena's eyes grew large as she realized the significance of what she saw.

There was a long pause. Harry was beginning to worry. He lunged onto his knees and took one of her hands. "Rowena, please, will you marry me?" Rowena realized that Harry was starting to take her shock as reluctance to answer, or even worse a refusal. That was not the impression she wanted to give. She tried to pull Harry up to her level so that she could kiss him or put her arms around or something, but he steadfastly refused to move. Left with no choice, she went down to his level, so that they were both on their knees facing each other on the dining room floor. She wrapped her arms around him and began his neck, and face, and smiling in between. "Of course, I'll marry you Harry" Finally she had managed to speak.

The rest of the holidays were spent making plans for a wedding and visiting friends and relatives to announce their engagement. They decided on a date of August 1st, exactly halfway through the summer break which would give them plenty of time to make the necessary arrangements, as well as enough time for a honeymoon. Everyone was extremely happy for them. Even Snape congratulated them.

On March 12th, Sandy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. They named him Harold Arthur Potter after Harry and Ron's father. Harry and Ron passed out cigars and made grandfather jokes with each other.

Classes resumed after the holidays and the days flew by in a blur. OWLS and NEWTS were almost as exhausting for teachers as they were for students. For more reasons than he could count, Harry was looking forward to the summer. That thought struck him as odd, because in the past he had always dreaded summer. It was a New World and Harry liked it.

16.2 Chapter Five - Once and Future Headmaster

The last week of the spring term had always puzzled Harry. Exams were done, OWLS were done, NEWTS were done, classes were not held, but school was still in session. As a student he had always enjoyed the break, mostly because he didn't want to go back to the Dursleys. As a teacher it was the longest week of his life. To pass the time he sponsored a tournament of duels in his classroom, with very strict rules concerning which spells were allowed and which ones weren't. The tournament was very popular.

On Thursday Harry received a summons to the Headmasters office. He called the current round of duels to a close and climbed the steps to the Headmasters tower. Students waved to him as he passed, and he tried to call back to as many as possible by name. This was so much better than pro- Quidditch he thought. He was sorry he had hesitated to accept it. Another thing to thank Rowena for

He was quite surprised to find Rowena waiting in the Headmaster's office when he arrived. He gave her a questioning look, but only got a shrug as an answer. Hermione's face was blank. There was nothing he could do but sit and wait for her to explain. "I asked Rowena here because I thought this was a decision that affects of both of you now."

"Harry, you'll be happy to know that of all the Professors, you had the highest success rate on the standardized test. That's really quite an accomplishment. I didn't necessarily approve of all your teaching methods, but apparently your students did. They will be quite sorry to lose you I'm sure."

Harry suddenly lost the air from his lungs. "You're not firing me are you? They were only pranks Hermione, surely that isn't grounds for dismissal."

"No Harry, I'm not firing you." Hermione said quietly. From the folds of her robe she pulled out a silver object and set in on the desk in front of him. It was an amulet set with a large emerald. "This is yours."

"Hermione, I don't understand."

"I would like to step down as Headmaster. I would like to go and see a bit of the world I think, or be able to study uninterrupted. I was never cut out for this job…"

"But Professor!" said Rowena.

"Please Rowena, call me Hermione. You are about to marry my best friend. That will practically make us sisters.

"I have wanted to step down for some time. I am much happier as a student than as a teacher. I would like to do research, maybe see a bit of the world. I would like to spend time with my husband. The only thing keeping me here is that I have not been able to find the right successor. It finally occurred to me that I couldn't find a successor, because the job was not mine to give away. I have only been filling in for Harry.

Harry picked up the amulet and held it in his hand, staring at the engravings of the amulet. "Take it Harry, " said Hermione. "Albus chose you for a reason. You are a natural at this. The children love you and respect you. The evil in the world fears you. This was your destiny, not the crystal. You understand better than anyone does the importance of this job.

I've worked very hard to make this a better school. In many ways I've succeeded. In one very important way, I've failed. When we were students, we were happy to be here, we looked forward to every year. The halls seem drearier now, almost spiritless. Everyone thought Albus was eccentric, or off his rocker (and maybe he was) for the way he ran this school, but he understood, just as you do, that there are occasionally more important things than books and tests."

Harry looked to Rowena. "Hermione is right Harry," said Rowena "You are a natural. If this is your destiny, then I am with you" Harry nodded and put the silver chain around his neck. Hermione exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Thank You Harry. I will continue to fill the role until after your wedding. If you want, I'll start looking for some one to fill the chair for Defense Against the Dark Arts.."

"I already have someone in mind for that." Said Harry "But I'd rather not say until I've talked to them."

The next day, at the closing feast, Hermione announced that she was stepping down. She was moved to tears by the reaction of the students as they murmured in disbelief. When she announced that Harry Potter was to be her replacement, the Great Hall erupted with cheers. As Harry made one of his notoriously concise speeches, she couldn't help but notice the ashen look on the face of Severus Snape. She hoped Harry would allow the old Professor to keep some dignity.

The end of the spring term brought Harry and Rowena's wedding plans to full speed. They were supposed to having a 'simple' wedding. Reviewing the thousands of details and decisions made Harry wondered how anyone could survive a 'complex' wedding. As much work as there might be, it was happy work. Harry found simple pleasures amidst the chaos like watching the way Rowena pursed her lips when she was concentrating.

In the midst of everything there were a few matters he needed to handle as headmaster. Hermione had removed most of her books and the Headmaster's office now looked sparse. Harry hadn't bothered to move any of his own belongings yet. He was sure Rowena, would decorate eventually; actually he hoped she would. He had one last appointment for the day, and the sound of the outer door opening and closing told him it was going to start right on time

"Headmaster Potter, You wished to see me?" said the oily voice of Severus Snape. Harry motioned for him to sit. The Professor did so, but first set a roll of parchment on the desk. "I presume that is what you called me here for."

Harry knew that the roll of paper held Snape's letter of resignation. He picked it up, said a quick Incendio, and tossed the burning bundle into the hearth. "I didn't bring you here for your resignation Professor"

"Stop toying with me Potter. If you are going to fire me, just get it over with. I am too old and too tired to play games."

Harry stared at the old wizard. The years had not been kind to him. His hair was snow white now instead of raven black, and his once smooth skin had become crinkled with age. Underneath it all was the cold, haughty man that had made Potions his least favorite subject. "I know why you hated my father," said Harry, "but I am not my father. Albus Dumbledore trusted you when the rest of our world thought of you as a Death Eater. He respected your genius. Hermione kept you here because she respected Albus' opinion and because she respected your bravery. I am not Albus Dumbledore, nor am I Hermione Granger. I am Harry J Potter."

"You and I are the last of an old breed. By all the gods, I hope that our breed is obsolete and that it dies with us. We are the ones that have touched evil, and while not unscathed, we kept our souls. You and I, Severus Snape, alone in the world know the true darkness of evil. The two of us, more than any others, know why that kind of evil can never be allowed to triumph. I've heard the rumor that you are interested in the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. If you are interested, the position is yours."

At first Harry thought the shock had killed him. Finally Snape managed to stutter our "But why? This isn't just so you can give Rowena my position is it?"

Harry shook his head. "I could do that anyway, but I won't. Even if you take this position I will not promote her without your recommendation. My first responsibility as Headmaster is to the school. You are the undisputed master of Potions; no one will deny that, you will designate your replacement. I will expect you to be objective though, both in your replacement and in your new position."

"Rowena will do quite adequately" said Snape, "I accept the position, and your terms."

Harry got up and escorted Snape to the door. He was anxious to get home and inform the new Professor of Potions of her promotion. As he made his way down the steps toward the exit, Severus Snape called out to him and Harry turned to face him

"Harry, Thank you"

Harry could have sworn there were tears in the old man's eyes.



17 Chapter 6 – The Sorting Ceremony

Harry stood behind the podium of the Great Hall and tapped and cleared his throat. The roar of the students instantly lowered to mere whispering. Harry scanned the anxious faces staring up at him as he welcomed the returning students to another year at Hogwarts. At the Gryffindor table he picked out the three flame red tops of the Weasleys currently attending - Bill and Percy's grandchildren. Sitting close to them were the smiling faces of Harry and Anna Potter, two of his own grandchildren. His brief comments done, he nodded the signal to Professor Longbottom.

Seconds later Professor Longbottom began leading this year's new students to the front of the hall for the Sorting Ceremony. Harry reached to his right and grasped the hand of the other Professor Potter. She gave him one of those flashing smiles that still made his stomach do somersaults, even after thirteen years of marriage. Behind the smile Harry could see that her anticipation of the ceremony was as great as his. He was going to win their bet - he just knew it.

Professor Longbottom began to call out the names of the new first-years and one by one they were sorted into houses. As each student was assigned, the designated house would cheer. 'Come on and get to the P's' thought Harry.

"Pennyclark, Tabitha" Called Neville. It would be soon now "Hufflepuff" declared the Sorting Hat.

"Potter, Cassandra" This was James and Sandy's youngest daughter. "Gryffindor" the hat decided. Harry smiled. By instinct he wanted to cheer, but as Headmaster he couldn't appear to be too partial.

"Potter, Sirius " This was it. His son, the one he'd actually been able to watch grow up into a young man. Harry held his breath... "Gryffindor" Harry exhaled. Yes! He gave his wife a look that said, "I told you so." Rowena looked away in mock anger, but he could see the pride and happiness on her face. His son - their son was starting the path to becoming a fully qualified wizard, and he was going to do it as a Gryffindor. Perhaps it was a small thing, but Harry felt ready to explode with pride.

When the last of the students had been sorted Harry once again stood at the podium. "First there is the matter of the rules: Students will not wander outside their common rooms after curfew. Students are not allowed outside the castle after dark. Finally, since no one seemed to get the point, The Forbidden Forest has been renamed The Enter on Pain of Death Forest. Perhaps that will clarify the matter. Finally, it is traditional for the Headmaster to say a few words before the feast so without further ado: Osmosis, Quinine, and Salamander." Harry then waved his wand and the mountains of food instantly appeared on the tables. "Now let's eat"