Hi guys. This is a little piece I wrote a couple of years ago and just found. I wrote it because I felt that there should have been another chapter, after the battle, to explain what happened next. I figured I'd give it a go and see what people thought. Please review and say whether I should continue or not!

Harry Potter woke up in his dormitory room at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry alone. He opened his eyes to stare at the roof of his four-poster bed and he knew.

It was over.

He didn't remember how he had got there last night – no, scratch that, that morning – but he knew, in his heart of hearts, that he had done it. He had finally vanquished the Dark Lord and it was over.

So why, he thought to himself, aren't I relieved? He sighed, knowing the answer. It was the deaths. The dead pressed in on him, reminding him that, though they had succeeded, it was a pyrrhic victory. That was why he could not be relieved, or happy; because he had lost too much.

He pushed himself up to a sitting position and clutched his chest as pain lanced through him. Grimacing, he stood up and staggered to the bathroom, gratefully picking up a bundle of clean clothes, toiletries and a towel on the way.

He dropped the pile on the floor when he reached the bathroom, and stared at his reflection in one of the giant mirrors. He looked like he had been to hell and back – which, in a way, was accurate. After all, he had died yesterday…

He looked away, realising that it might be unhealthy to stare at his haggard reflection for so long, and stripped, before climbing into the shower with a sigh of relief.

The hot water stung as it hit his chest, and he glanced down, before looking away, frowning. In the middle of his chest, right over his heart, exactly where the second killing curse had hit him, was a burn mark. It looked nasty and seemed to not be healing properly, but at least it wasn't in the shape of a lightning bolt, he decided ruefully.

At least no one would stare at this one.

After his shower, and after he had brushed his teeth and got himself as clean as he could be, he examined himself slowly. He ached all over from the various cuts and bruises he had, but at least the burn was his only serious wound. He had a cut on his cheek and a split lip, but they were pretty much healed over, and were no longer bleeding. He would get Hermione to heal them, he decided, and quickly put the clean clothes on.

He had to go downstairs, now, he realised. He had to go downstairs and face everyone… And face that some people were never coming back.

Remus. Tonks. Fred. Colin. The fifty other people who had died the night of May 2nd. Then he sighed and thought back, to all of the people who had died for this war. Mad-Eye. Dobby. Hedwig. Those had died in the last year, alone. Before that: Cedric. Sirius. Lily and James Potter. All of the first Order of the Phoenix who had lost their lives.

Dumbledore.

That man, Harry thought as he dried his hair and searched around for his wand, had been full of secrets. But not the secrets Harry had thought he had been full of. No, Albus Dumbledore had been a great man. He had done bad things, in his youth, but he had realised that he had been wrong. He had realised and done something about it…

Harry sighed, and the door to the dormitory opened. His best friend's red head poked inside, and he struggled to smile at the young man, who wasn't smiling either. He had red, swollen eyes from crying, and had various cuts and bruises.

They stared at each other for a moment, before something inside of Harry broke and he reached out, pulling his best friend into a rib-cracking hug.

"Ron," he said, fighting back tears as he gripped the man, "I'm so sorry, mate."

"I know, Harry," Ron Weasley replied, hugging his friend just as tightly. A tear dripped down his nose, but neither pulled apart or got embarrassed. They didn't need to be; they were brothers, both mourning the loss of at least one family member.

When they finally did pull back, it was to stare at each other with sad eyes. "It wasn't your fault, Harry," Ron said, being unusually perceptive for him. "It wasn't your fault."

Harry bowed his head. He disagreed, but he wouldn't argue with the man who had just lost his big brother. That was just disrespectful.

"Come on, mate," Ron said when it became clear Harry wasn't going to say anything. "Hermione's downstairs; she wants to see you."

Harry smiled at the prospect of seeing his other best friend. Ron put an arm around his shoulders and began to guide him downstairs. Harry then said, cheekily, "So, you and Hermione, then?"

Ron went red. "Bloody Hell. I suppose so… I mean, we kissed, but we haven't really thought about it. What with Fred…"

"Oh," Harry said. "Yeah."

Ron sighed. "George isn't doing well. Neither is Mum, to be honest. Dad's doing better than expected. He's just there for her, you know? Bill and Fleur are okay, they have each other. Charlie… well, he's devastated. Keeps saying stuff like he 'should have been there sooner'. I tell him he's an idiot, but he ignores me. Percy… well, I would never have thought it but he's all apologetic, and he's back. Thank Merlin for that, because I don't know what Mum would do if she lost another kid."

Harry nodded his support as the two made their way down, but didn't ask what seemed most pressing for him – how was Ginny?

Ron shot him a look as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and then scratched his ear. "Ginny's okay, too. Upset, but she's stronger than you'd think."

Harry smiled grimly. "Ginny is the strongest person I know."

"That's nice to know," came a voice from the other side of the room. Harry's head shot up, staring at the girl he loved, who stood up from where she had been sitting next to Hermione and stared at him. "Harry."

"Ginny," he breathed. They stared at each other for a long moment, before he said, "Hi."

Then the famous red-headed, Weasley temper showed through. "Hi?" she asked, incredulous. "Hi? Is that all you can say to me after ten months? Hi? You come back here, after ten months of nothing, after me watching you die, and you say 'hi'? Harry James Potter, I can't tell you how mad I am at you! I thought you were dead! I thought you were gone! And you say 'hi'?"

Harry winced, but he let her get it out of her system. He wasn't going to stop her from ranting at him if she wanted. Merlin knew, he deserved it.

She stopped, breathing heavily, then threw herself across the room and into his arms, saying, "Never do that to me again!"

Harry winced as he caught her, pain lancing through him as she hit his chest, and she realised instantly. "What's wrong? Harry? Are you hurt?"

"A little," he admitted, taking a seat slowly. Worried, Ginny pulled his shirt away from his chest to see the burn.

"Harry!" she exclaimed upon seeing it. "Why didn't you tell us?"

He smiled ruefully. "Well, Gin, I would have, but you were yelling at me," he pointed out, and she went red, looking like she was about to cry. "Oh, Ginny, I didn't mean it. I'm okay, you know."

She stifled a sob. "I'm so sorry-"

Harry cut her off by putting a finger to her lips. "Don't apologise. If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I'm so sorry, Ginny, for putting you through that. If there had been any other way, I would have."

"You have nothing to apologise for," she said around his finger. "Maybe we should get you to Madam Pomfrey?"

"I'm sure she has more important cases to be worrying about," Harry said firmly. "I'm fine. It's just a burn, anyway."

Ginny sighed, but gave in (well, there was a first time for everything and he knew not to expect it again). Then she took the seat beside him and Harry returned his shirt to its original place and he smiled at his other best friend. "Hey, Hermione."

"Hey, Harry," she replied, smiling a little. "Did you sleep okay?"

Harry snorted. "If I said like the dead, would it be in bad taste?"

"Yes," all three replied at the same time, so he simply said, "I slept okay, then. And you?"

Hermione looked sad. "I slept okay, too," she said in a quiet voice.

"We have to go downstairs, soon," Ginny told Harry softly. "Kinsgley wants everyone downstairs. All of the- the bodies have been taken away by family members, to where they will be buried. Funerals are being arranged."

"Oh, right," Harry said. He looked down and examined his fingers, shame coursing through him. This was all his fault… "Why are we going downstairs?"

"To talk about the future," Hermione explained.

"To eat dinner," Ron muttered, and Harry shot him an amused look. "What? I'm-"

"Hungry," Harry and Hermione supplied for him.

He smiled, but it was a sad smile. The four of them stood up and made their way to the portrait hole, walking out into the devastation that surrounded them outside. "Where is everyone?" Harry asked, looking around. Gryffindor common room had been empty, too, now that he thought about it…

"Probably already downstairs," Hermione said. "We were waiting for you."

"You should have woken me," Harry said with a frown. "I didn't mean to keep everyone waiting."

"Wake you?" Ron said with a laugh. "And face the wrath of every female in Hogwarts? Not likely, mate. We would have been killed for even thinking it. You 'needed your sleep', apparently."

"Mum said that no one was to bother you after you collapsed outside of Dumbledore's office," Ginny added.

"Wait, what?" Harry asked, confused. "I collapsed? I don't remember…"

Hermione shot him a worried look. "Yeah, you kind of just… fell over. After you fixed your wand and we left, you just sort of…"

"Collapsed," finished Ron. "So we levitated you up to your dorm room, figuring there was nothing wrong internally and you simply needed some sleep. Merlin knows I needed some."

Harry grimaced, embarrassed. "Oh, right. Cheers."

Ginny sighed, next to him, and he automatically took her hand. She smiled up at him, but it was a sad smile. He didn't need to ask her what was wrong; he already knew.

They reached the Great Hall quickly, and everyone turned to look at them as the four entered. Harry grimaced again, and baulked slightly as everyone stood up, but no one started cheering, or clapping, or anything. They stood as a sign of respect for what would forever be known as the golden trio (or so Harry hoped – that it was a sign of respect for all of them, that is, not just him).

Kingsley stood, too, and gestured for the four of them to come forwards and join him. When Harry hesitated, Ginny pulled him through the crowd to join the temporary minister.

"Harry," Kinsgley said in his low voice. "Thank you for coming. Thank you for everything."

Harry shifted, uncomfortable. "It wasn't really me, Minister. It was everyone. I just…"

"Finished the fight that began over twenty years ago?" he suggested. "Saved the rest of us?" When Harry said nothing, Kinsgley gave him a small, sad smile. "If it wasn't for you, Harry, the rest of us would be dead, too. If it wasn't for your sacrifice, we would all have fallen."

Ginny squeezed his hand, gently, and Harry looked down at her. "If I hadn't done it, Minister, I dare say someone else would. One of those two, probably," he suggested, pointing at Ron and Hermione, who looked equally embarrassed. "Or Neville."

The man in question stood over at one side of the hall, with Luna and the Patil twins, alongside several professors. He looked abashed as everyone turned to stare at him at Harry's words, but gave a little wave. Harry would have grinned if he could have found the strength inside him to do so.

"You are too modest, Mr Potter," Kinsgley said quietly. "Well, now that Harry's here, let's eat."

"Here, here," several people said heartily, and everyone turned to the feast that appeared (as if by magic) on the long tables. Ginny led Harry to the Gryffindor table, where the Weasleys were already sitting, and were being joined by Neville, Luna and several other members of the D.A.

"Harry!" Mrs Weasley cried as she stood up. She hurried forwards and hugged him tightly, already sobbing as Mr Weasley stood up to join her. "Oh, Harry, dear, I thought- But, I'm being silly. Oh, it's so good to have you back! Thank you for taking care of my son, Harry."

"Oh," Harry said, shooting Ron and Hermione a look screaming, 'help'. They just left it to him, so said, "Well, to be honest, Mrs Weasley, if it wasn't for Ron, I would be dead. He saved my life. So you should be thanking him, really."

She just sobbed, smiling at him through red eyes as Mr Weasley wrapped his arm around her and pulled her, gently, away. "Now, now, Molly, I'm sure Harry would like to be able to eat something. Why don't we all sit down and do just that?"

"Oh, yes," Mrs Weasley replied, absently. They all sat down, and Mr Weasley leaned over the table to shake Harry's hand. "Welcome back, son."

"Thank you, sir," Harry replied, respectfully. He scanned the table, nodding to Bill and Fleur, who waved at him. He smiled at Charlie and Percy, looked passed Ron, Hermione and Ginny, and greeted Neville, waved to Luna and Cho Chang. He saw Seamus Finnegan, the Patil twins, Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillan, Anthony Goldstein and Michael Corner. Further down the table sat Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Lee Jordan, who had joined the battle at some point in the night.

Harry looked at Hermione, who knew instinctively who he was looked for. She shook her head, sadly. "He… didn't feel up to coming."

Everyone glanced between the two of them as Harry looked down, swallowing back the pain. Poor George… how would he live without his other half? But Harry gritted his teeth and looked back up. "How is Lavender doing?"

Hermione's eyes filled with silent tears and she shook her head wordlessly. Ron swallowed, also looking away, and Ginny tightened her grip on Harry's arm.

"Right," he muttered. "Wow."

"If only we'd gotten there sooner," Hermione whispered, tearfully. "Oh, I can't believe she's gone…"

Ron put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "You did all you could, Hermione."

"We all did," Ginny added suddenly, looking at Harry with all too perceptive eyes. She could see how he blamed himself, and didn't like it one bit. "We all did everything we could," she repeated.

Harry kissed the top of her head and started to eat, at first for something to do but then because he was actually hungry. The others, taking this as their cue, also began to dig in.

The food was its usual excellent quality, but Harry couldn't enjoy it. He felt ripped apart inside, mourning loss after loss. He didn't feel up to losing another person.

Ginny nudged him and he looked down at her beautiful face, fighting back tears. "It's alright to cry, Harry," she told him in a soft voice. "It's alright to mourn them."

But Harry shook his head. "If I cry now, Gin, I don't know how long it will take me to stop."

Sadly, the girl he loved nodded and placed her head on his shoulder. They held each other wordlessly for a long time, before Kinsgley called them to attention.