Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Alternate Epilogue ❯ Chapter 1

“I've had enough trouble for a lifetime.”

Hermione and Ron nodded their heads vigorously in agreement with Harry's statement.

“What do you reckon? Shall we go get some sleep?” Ron asked.

“Best idea we've come up with so far,” Harry laughed.

The three set off for the Gryffindor Tower only to realize that they didn't know the password. Much to their surprise (and very out of character), the Fat Lady welcomed them in without need or want for a password. They eagerly climbed through the portrait hole and hungrily took in the familiar sights of the common room.

The three settled into a large sofa and immediately fell asleep. When they awoke they found the remaining Weasley family members gazing down at them. Molly Weasley was the first to break the silence: “We wondered when you'd wake up. It's nearly noon!”

She kissed their foreheads and asked if they were ready to go back to The Burrow, but before she could finish her invitation, Harry interrupted: “Mrs. Weasley, I'm so sorry about Fred, it was all my fau-“

“Harry if it weren't for you, none of us would be here now. Fred went the way he wanted to go, fighting and laughing.”

Harry recognized the finality of her tone. There would be no arguing with her on this matter.

“If that's the end of that, let's get going. I'm sure you'll have to shake a lot of hands before we leave.” And with that, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione walked out of the portrait hole, prepared to meet the well-wishers.

Harry took the opportunity to thank Neville, “Neville, I couldn't have done it without you. You were magnificent!” Neville beamed and congratulated Harry on his success.

As Harry and his small group passed the ruined staircases and destroyed walls, Harry saw the extent of the damage that had taken place during the night's battle. Harry knew that as soon as possible, he would do everything in his power to restore Hogwarts to its former beauty. On their slow walk through the grounds toward Hogsmeade, the group saw Professor Sprout already doing her part and attending to the flora that had been damaged during the battle. She waved at them and wished them all the best.

When they finally reached Hogsmeade, they were greeted with cheers and applause. It seemed that the whole of the Wizarding world had arrived to celebrate. The Three Broomsticks, while normally crowded, now could not contain the amount of people that were laughing and dancing in the pub. Many customers had filtered out of the pub and were celebrating in the streets. Wizards and witches were sending up colored showers of sparks into the air along with all of Zonko's supply of fireworks. After celebrating with everyone for a few minutes, Harry and his family wove their way through the streets, found a deserted corner of town and Disapparated.

Their arrival at The Burrow caused a collective unintentional sigh of relief from the group. They all happily went inside and sat down to lunch.

* * *

After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left the children and headed off to the Ministry to see what had become of everyone they had stopped having contact with in the months since Voldemort's takeover of the government. Percy, however, stayed behind and went upstairs with George to see what had become of his room and whether or not the twins had trashed it in his absence. Their abandonment of the room left Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny left to discuss all that had happened. Harry couldn't help but wish that Ron and Hermione would vacate the room as well. Harry was out of luck because both Ron and Hermione stayed put. The trio filled Ginny in on what had gone on after Fleur and Bill's wedding.

After the retelling of tales, Harry nudged Ron under the table with his foot. After he'd gotten Ron's attention, Harry jerked his head in the direction of the door. Ron got the hint and asked Hermione if she would like to go look for a Crumple-Horned-Snorkack in Luna's garden. Hermione laughed and left with him…

Alone at last, Harry thought. There were so many things left to be said. So many sentiments to be known that Harry didn't know where to start.

Lucky for him, Ginny knew exactly what she wanted to say: “So now that you're done saving the world and all that… Where does that leave us?”

Now Harry was clear on what he was going to say. He looked into her eyes and said, “Right where we left off,” and as he kissed her he could feel every worry of the past drift away.

* * *

“I'd like to thank you all for coming. Today, we mourn the losses of Fred Weasley, Severus Snape, Remus and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, and everyone else who was murdered at the hands of Lord Voldemort. However, today is also the day we celebrate the lives they led. Those who died by Voldemort's hand have not left us in vain, and while we must understand that they are gone in this life, they remain alive in our hearts and minds. They will not have truly died until they are no longer remembered for their brave actions and how they have been role models for us: how we should live: without fear of death, but rather a celebration of everything that life is. Live on, live free, and remember them.” As Arthur Weasley finished his speech, there was not a dry eye in the audience, making it very difficult for the next speaker to go through his eulogy.

“A year ago, we celebrated the union of a couple despite the danger and mistrust the tore so many of us apart. Our actions demonstrated the strength of the human spirit and how it always gets what it desires. We celebrated love, beauty, and perseverance that day and although today is a day of mourning, we should still celebrate. While we may all be sad for the loss of our friends and family, we will, we must persevere. We must seize the day, week, month and year. Seize life, just as those we are mourning today did. Seize life.”

As Harry walked away from the podium applause rang throughout the Great Hall. He calmly walked to his seat in the front row and put his arm around Ginny while she put her head on his shoulder. She cried silently for a minute and then whispered, “Your speech was really beautiful, Harry.” She felt a tear on her forehead. Harry was crying too. He tentatively reached his other arm around her and when she didn't pull away, he pulled her into an embrace.

When Minerva McGonagall stepped up to the podium to announce the end of the ceremony, the crowds began to filter out of their seats and towards the tables of food, Harry and Ginny remained in their seats, wrapped in each other's arms.