A/N: Hello everyone! This is just a cute one-shot that I had an idea for. Eventually at some point in the future I have a few good ideas for a story that is set during the Deathly Hallows but follows the things going on at Hogwarts instead of what the Golden Trio were up to. The story will follow mostly Ginny, Neville, and Luna through the year with Snape as Headmaster and then it will continue on into their post-war stories as well. This, however, is just a snip from my ideas that I simply had to type out. It can stand alone (obviously, as I have made this a one-shot) but I am hopeful it will become a part of a story in the future.

Please tell me what you think. This one came from the heart.

Yours,

MofDA

….

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley sat at a table with Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley. They had all been invited as guests at the re-opening of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It had only been just over three months since the Battle of Hogwarts and the castle was already fit to see students again. But of course the rebuilding was helped along by lots of magic and even more eager volunteers. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were to be the guests of honor even though everyone knew the trio were quite humble about it all.

As the evening went on, a Ministry official who looked vaguely familiar to them went up onto a stage that had been temporarily put into the Great Hall and requested that Harry Potter give his speech. But one glance at the Boy Who Lived would tell anyone who knew him well enough that he hadn't prepared a single thing to say. He hadn't expected to have to speak in front of everyone.

Hermione caught this and opened her mouth to tell him that it was okay, he didn't have to say anything if he didn't want to, and that if he preferred she could give a quick thank-you, but Ron beat her to it. "I'll…I'll do it, mate," Ron's voice sounded weak and a bit frightened; he'd never spoke in front of an audience before.

Harry nodded and breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his best friend stand, dust off his brand new dress robes, and stride up confidently onto the stage. Hermione's lips thinned just a bit. She knew that Ron had always wanted some of the acknowledgement that Harry always got from everyone. That Ron had always wanted to stand out from the crowd because growing up in such a large family had so often caused him to be shunted to the side.

As much as she worried that he would let all of this glory and attention go to his head, she couldn't begrudge him this. She felt like he really did deserve this. The opportunity to say something to the wizarding community in acknowledgement of their achievements. To be honest there was a small part of her who was curious as to what he had to say. She was simultaneously proud and nervous for him as she watched him turn toward the audience and mentally prepare himself.

Ron nervously cleared his throat and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. His eyes were averted, staring straight down at the shiny new shoes on his feet. "Erm-" he began. Everyone was silent. You could have heard a wand drop. He took a deep shaky breath and when he let it out he looked up.

There was a collective gasp from his captive audience because of the intensity of his gaze. "First, I should start off by saying that Harry, Hermione, and myself are honored to be here tonight with you all. We've spent the last few months rebuilding our lives after the war, just as you have. We've been helping out with rebuilding Hogwarts and discovering what life will be like now that Vo-Voldemort is gone," he only slightly stuttered over the name.

"You look to us," his voice was stronger now and held a tone of definite authority in a way that Hermione had never heard before. "as heroes. The Golden Trio they're calling us in the papers," he chuckled at this ruefully. "The Chosen One, The Brightest Witch of Her Age,….and The King…" he tacked his dubbed title on last with a red tint on his cheeks. "Harry and Hermione have been my best friends since my first year at Hogwarts. We've not always gotten along, of course. We've let each other down, we've all said hurtful words and done hurtful things. We forgive each other. We're not perfect but there are no two people who mean more to me in the world.

"Hermione and I knew that one day Harry would have to face Voldemort," there was no stuttering over the name this time. "And we knew that we would have to make a choice. But there really wasn't a choice; not for us. Harry had to face Voldemort and Hermione and I had to stay with Harry. That's what friends do. Hermione and I followed Harry into hell but that doesn't make us the heroes. When we look into our mirrors every morning and our reflections look back at us, we don't say to ourselves, 'Good on you mate, you saved the wizarding world!' No…we look at our reflections and we're thankful that they're there at all. That we're here. That we've been blessed with another day to spend with our loved ones."

Hermione was crying silently, tears streaming down her cheeks, and if she would have looked around she would have known that she wasn't the only one weeping but she couldn't take her eyes off of Ron as he spoke. "I don't look into a mirror and see a king. I see a guy who is still battling his own demons from the war. I see a bloke who wants nothing more than to spend every day of the rest of his life making the girl he loves happy," he smiled at Hermione and she beamed back at him.

"And when I see Harry and Hermione I don't see a war hero and heroine. I see my best friends. I see an eleven year old scrawny git with lopsided glasses and a girl with big hair and a bossy attitude. Do you really want to know what the past year was like for us? Sure you've read about it in the papers and you've heard the stories from people on the street. But I'll tell you the story again in my own words."

He closed his eyes as if calling certain memories to mind then his brilliant blue eyes snapped open and he began again. "We were chased from my brother's wedding when Death Eaters began to appear, looking for Harry. We Disapparated, ran into more Death Eaters, fought them off, and went to a safe house. We stayed there for a while and things weren't too bad except that we were cut off entirely from the wizarding world for fear of being found. I didn't even know if my family was safe…

"We spent the next several months on the run, hiding, and at one point it became too much for me and I left them. After all we'd been through, I left them. I can make excuses. I can tell you all about how wearing a bloody Horcrux around my neck always put me in a foul mood. Tiny imprints from Voldemort's soul seeping into your aura isn't exactly a pleasant experience," he ran a hand through his red hair nervously. He didn't mind saying this in front of everyone, after all, they already knew everything as Harry had divulged the whole story a few months previously.

"I could tell you about how we were always just a bit too hungry, just a bit too sleep deprived, and just a bit too on edge," he shook his head at his wording. Saying they were just 'a bit' too on edge was an understatement. "I could tell you how it killed me every day to not know if my brothers and sister were even still alive. Or if they were being tortured for information on me. Yes, there were plenty of excuses. But in the end it was my choice and I left. While I was away from them they almost died. Harry was bit by Voldemort's snake and Hermione was on her own to save him.

"I came back, as you all know, and they forgave me. I killed a Horcrux and the three of us were reunited in our fight against the Dark. We were captured by snatchers not long after that. Hermione was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange into unconsciousness while Harry and I were locked in a cellar, unable to help her as she screamed from the room above us. Those screams…hearing Hermione pleading for her life, knowing what was happening to her…they still haunt me. They will haunt me for the rest of my life." At this point most of the women in the room were completely smitten by him.

"Yes, we escaped. Yes, we broke into Gringotts to steal a Horcrux. Yes, we escaped on the back of a dragon. Yes we found a way into Hogwarts. And yes, when the time came, we were in the thick of the battle at Hogwarts. I struck down Death Eaters that night. Hermione killed a Horcrux. Harry killed Voldemort. But that doesn't make us heroes," his speech was slowly coming full circle.

"What makes someone a hero is doing what is right instead of what's easy. It is putting someone else above yourself. It is giving yourself entirely to something or someone because it's worth it. The real heroes are the ones who stayed at Hogwarts under the regime of Death Eaters and didn't break under the pressure. Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Lavender Brown, and of course, Neville Longbottom, just to name a few," several people cheered softly at the mention of these names.

"The real heroes are the teachers who stayed and did their best to protect their students; Minerva McGonagall, Pomona Sprout, Filius Flitwick, Horace Slughorn, and yes, Severus Snape," more cheers and a blushing McGonagall was dabbing at her eyes at a table to Ron's right. "The real heroes are the people who lived every day in the world Voldemort had created and didn't cave under the burdens of their new lives. The real heroes are the families who stuck together and protected each other. The real heroes are the ones who didn't make it out of the war alive. Remus and Nymphadora Lupin. Ted Tonks. Collin Creevy. Cedric Diggory…Fr-Fred Weasley," his voice cracked on the last name and now his own eyes were turning red and watery.

"Hermione, Harry, and I humbly accept your gratitude for our parts in the war. But don't worship us. We didn't do all of the things that we did for gratitude or praise or money or awards. We did it for our families, for each other, and for all of you. We risked our lives for the same reason that you risked yours with us during the Final Battle; to make a difference so that our world would be a brighter place and our loved ones would be safe."

Harry and Hermione were the first ones on their feet. As the whole audience rose for a standing ovation, Harry and Hermione rushed up on stage and as the three of them, the Golden Trio, embraced with tears and smiles, they knew that everything would be okay as long as they always had each other.