Focused

Chapter 12 - Epilogue

Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

Harry Potter: Focused – Chapter 12 – Epilogue

"Yes, you heard me right. I could not have succeeded without the help of my friend, Griphook the goblin." Harry was very unhappy at this moment. He was, much to his displeasure, giving a press conference in the middle of Diagon Alley. Ron and Hermione were standing on one side of him with Griphook on the other. He was doing this for two reasons. One was that he believed that the truth should be known and the other was his deal with Griphook. He'd already cleared Snape's name. The silence that statement about Griphook generated was unbearable. "I know, Professor Binns does his best to make us hate goblins and think they're savage monsters, but the truth is that they are just as intelligent, skilled, and trustworthy as any of us. You already trust them with your money. Goblins have certain skills that no one else has, and they were essential to make sure Voldemort stays dead. He also kept what I was doing a secret."

He took a deep breath before continuing. He knew most people would hate what he had to say. "Goblins deserve equal rights with wizards, including representation on the Wizengamot!" he declared, causing an uproar that annoyed him. "Why don't you think about the Death Eaters that you were happy to have on the Wizengamot? Why don't you consider the fact that you people were happy to have Fudge as Minister while Death Eater Malfoy was filling his pockets with gold?" He looked around him, trying to look each person in the eye with his next statement. "The traditional Wizengamot is what led us to the point of concentration camps. My friend Hermione," he indicated her on his left, "who happens to be muggle-born, is the smartest person I know and looked through all the laws that were originated by Death Eaters that your traditional Wizengamot allowed to go free fifteen years ago – people that immediately joined back up with Voldemort, that became guards at the camps – that my allies and I ended up having to fight again!"

"I believe that having a Wizengamot based on heredity is ridiculous and unfair to everyone. It leads to laws that only benefit the old, rich families. We need a completely new government structure and set of laws that gives freedom and justice for everybody. Hermione Granger has a new system that I wholeheartedly endorse. She will explain it now." He was very happy to be finished with his revolutionary speech as he let his friend begin to explain democracy to the crowd as she produced her own government charter. He had made it a point to give this speech before the government had to chance to get back to business as usual. He didn't know what would happen because of this, but he thought this was the best time – while the public loved him – to try it. Hermione had pointed out that most of the people in the country never had representation on the Wizengamot and would be happy to even have a chance to be elected into it.

Harry was genuinely surprised that Hermione's system of government, put together based off of various muggle democracies (using magical terms like Wizengamot instead of Parliament), was accepted by the public and implemented by what was left of the government. This did, of course, include representation for the goblins, centaurs, house elves and werewolves.

----------HPF----------

Harry stood up with a grin. He was at the Three Broomsticks waiting for his date to arrive. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been elected Minister of Magic, but Harry had a position in the government as well. He had been voted in as a Wizengamot representative. He'd have preferred to endorse Hermione for that position, but she'd insisted on finishing Hogwarts properly, rather than simply taking her NEWTs the way Harry and Ron had. What Hogwarts had done was to have an accelerated program for those who hadn't been able to attend during the first few months of term. By Christmas, they'd been caught up.

"Hello, Ginny! It's been too long," he said before giving his girlfriend a big hug and kiss. It was the Valentine's Day Hogsmeade weekend, so it had been six weeks since he'd seen her. That had given him time to think about things. "Let's take a walk. We'll meet up with the others later."

"All right," she agreed. He took her hand and began walking.

"I've been thinking a lot about us – our relationship – lately," he began while they were looking at the Shrieking Shack.

"Have you?" she asked nervously.

"I've come to a conclusion. I don't like living without you." As she looked in his eyes, a small box floated from his left pocket to his hand. He'd been practicing that bit of wandless magic. Once he caught the box, he dropped to one knee, opening the box and revealing a diamond ring. "Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?"

"YES!" she shouted enthusiastically, before allowing him to put the ring on her finger. Then she grabbed his face and planted a kiss he'd never forget.

----------HPF----------

"Welcome, everyone, to the Lily Potter Orphanage," announced Harry. He had converted the old hospital building he'd purchased during the war for this purpose. "This will be a place of refuge for all who need it, regardless of their parentage. We will make sure that those in our care will go on to lead successful, happy lives. The head of the orphanage, Molly Weasley, will give more details." With her youngest turning seventeen soon, the Weasley matriarch was happy to take on a new challenge when Harry offered it to her. Penelope Clearwater was second-in-charge there.

----------HPF----------

"With this ring, I thee wed," vowed Harry, looking into the eyes of his new bride as he placed a ring from his vault onto her hand. Ginny then repeated the same thing. It had now been a year and a half since they'd defeated Voldemort. Ginny had just graduated Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione were the best man and maid of honor. They had been dating nearly a year now.

Harry had grown to enjoy his position on the Wizengamot, while Hermione, after graduation, had easily joined the Ministry in a department her charter had created – Sentient Relations. It worked with the various magical species that were intelligent like humans – goblins, centaurs, vampires, elves and the like – to help bring understanding between those peoples. She hoped that eventually, the department wouldn't be needed. However, since equal rights between them all was new, misunderstandings were difficult to avoid. Her department made sure those misunderstandings were resolved quickly and satisfactorily to all parties.

The Wizarding world still had a long way to go, but it was progressing, and that was the important thing. Harry had gotten what he'd fought for. All was well.

----------HPF----------

End story