Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 120: Celebration
As soon as he opened the door of the ivory tower, he saw a flash of red, then…
"Harry, you are back!" Ginny jumped into his arms.
He held her tightly, the scent of her perfume filling his nostrils. "I'm back," he responded.
"Harry? Is it really Harry?"
"Merlin! It's him!"
Ron and Hermione jumped from the couch they had been sitting on and sprinted toward the door.
"Is everyone okay in here?" asked Harry.
"We?" Ron made an exaggerated gesture with his hands. "You are the one who went to fight that monster."
"Harry, please tell us what happened," Hermione said.
"Did my parents get hurt. Are they...?" Ginny asked.
"Everyone is fine. No one got seriously hurt. Madam Pomfrey is attending to them at Hogwarts." Harry walked in and closed the door.
"And You Know Who?" asked Hermione.
"You still can't say his name?!" Ron huffed. "It's Voldemort."
"The Dark Lord is gone for good this time. He won't be coming back. And most of his followers have also been dealt with," Harry explained. He was sure there were still a few Death Eaters out there who didn't join the attack on Hogwarts or the House of Black, but it would be up to the Ministry to take care of that.
"He is gone? You defeated him?" Hermione stared at him in disbelief.
"I did, ehm… I can tell you the details later, if you want. Dumbledore wanted me to bring everyone to Hogwarts."
Three more boys came down the stairs. They were Charlie and the twins.
"Hey, Harry is back," Charlie exclaimed.
"Do we have good news?" asked Fred.
Harry nodded. "Very good news. The—" He felt Ginny squeezing his hand. He looked at her.
"And V?" she asked just in case, but she already knew the answer to that.
Harry shook his head. There was no way to save his friend. For as long as he existed, they could never eliminate the chance of Voldemort returning. As the last Horcrux, he had to be destroyed.
V had known this from the beginning, but Harry had preferred to think there was hope. In the end, V had been correct in his estimation.
"I'm sorry," Ginny spoke in a soft tone.
"I fulfilled my promise to him. It was the only thing I could do at the end." Harry had a weary smile on his face.
It was a bittersweet conclusion, but nothing in life was perfect.
However, looking at Ginny's face, Harry felt that the future was looking bright. Or at least, that is what he hoped.
After being trapped inside a frozen world for such a long time, what he wanted the most now was to experience as much of the real world as he could.
"Let's go then," said Ginny. "Back to Hogwarts."
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A black portal appeared near the entrance of Hogwarts' main hall, and people began to come out.
"Ron, Charlie, Ginny!" Molly rushed to greet her kids, while her husband tried to keep up.
"Was there really a battle in here?" Ron asked while looking around the hall. "Everything looks spotless."
"Maybe the enemy never made it inside the castle. I read that Hogwarts' defenses are the best ones in the country," Hermione explained.
"Actually… the Dark Lord broke the wards and a large chunk of the castle with a single spell," Tonks joined in their conversation.
"A single spell?" Hermione gasped. "That is not possible. What kind of spell could do such a thing?"
"Well…" Tonks began to describe the magic used by Voldemort.
"Why don't we all take a seat at the table?" Dumbledore had brought the four massive tables that would normally be occupied by each of the houses. He pointed at the one used by Gryffindor. "I have requested the house-elves to prepare a feast for us."
"I think we have much to discuss," said McGonagall.
"We have much to celebrate," added Hagrid.
"We should also decide what we are going to tell the public," Hestia Jones suggested. "I mean… I experienced the battle first-hand, and I barely believe everything I saw."
"I agree with that. We should be careful with what we say." Sirius was glancing at his godson, who was currently busy talking with his girlfriend.
"I don't think we should mention Harry's involvement at all."
"What?! What do you mean?" exclaimed Tonks. "He is the one who did most of the work. He is a hero!"
Sirius shook his head. "And that is exactly why we should keep quiet. Some people would fear that kind of power far more than they would admire it." It wouldn't take long before someone would start claiming that Harry was going to be the next Dark Lord.
Murmurs spread across the hall.
Dumbledore remained silent for a long moment, his piercing blue eyes resting on Harry.
"Fame," the Headmaster finally said, "has never brought Mister Potter anything but trouble. I believe it would be wise to allow him some peace, at least for now. But… this should be up to him. What do you want to do now, Harry?"
Ginny squeezed Harry's hand under the table.
"Peace sounds nice," Harry admitted quietly.
The tension in his shoulders slowly faded as the voices around him turned into background noise. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, there was no battle to prepare for, no enemy waiting in the shadows, no frozen world trapping him in endless time.
He leaned back on the bench, watching his friends argue, laugh, and plan a future that no longer seemed impossible.
After thirty thousand years of war, Harry Potter was finally home.
Molly suddenly clapped her hands loudly. "Enough talking! Everyone looks half-starved."
"You always say that, but…" Arthur rubbed his belly. "I could use some supper."
As if on cue, mountains of food appeared on the tables.
Ron's eyes lit up immediately. "Now this is the kind of celebration I can get behind."
Hagrid raised a massive mug. "To Harry!"
"To Harry!" several voices echoed.
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