Opened At The Close...

1: The Hours Following

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Harry Potter lay in his four poster bed in Gryffindor tower, Ron Weasley sprawled on his bed directly across from Harry's, with Hermione Granger sitting at Ron's feet. Kreacher, the once-wretched house elf, had, indeed, brought them all sandwitches, which all of them were wolfing down satisfactorilly. No one spoke for a while, savouring the sweet silence, until Hermione broke it.
"It's hard to believe everything's over, isn't it? With everything that we've been through over the past years...." her voice trailed away, and silence fell once more, but only for a moment.
"Yeah, I feel like it was just yesterday that McGonagall was screaming at me and Harry for driving Dad's flying car to school," Ron said with a remeniscent grin.
"Wasn't as bad then as it was when George and I beat up Malfoy after Quidditch in fifth year. I think I might still have a bruise where that ginger cookie hit me," Said Harry, with a grin to match Ron's. He remembered that moment more vividly than he would have liked, for afterward he and the twins had been banned from playing Quidditch that year. Hermione giggled and shook her head, her bushy mane of brown hair swaying to and fro.
"You boys...I love you both to pieces, but... you can get into trouble sometimes," she said wistfully, but her eyes remained bright.
"Sometimes? More like all the time, Hermione," came a voice from the doorway. They all turned to see the silhouette of Ginny Weasley stalking across the room and into the light, her long red tresses fluttering behind her.
She made a feeble attempt at a smile, which was broken almost immediately by the miserable look on her face; her eyes were red, and her cheeks damp. Rounding on Hermione, she kneeled down and hugged her very tightly, and Hermione returned the favor. Ginny then moved to Ron, who sat up, embracing her and whispering a reassuring word or two in her ear, and when she finally let go, she turned to Harry, blocking Ron from his view. Harry wished that they were alone, that he could tell tell Ginny how much he cared about her without Ron and Hermione listening in...but then he realized, with a sudden lightening of heart, that he need not hide himself in front of them, for it was they who had stayed by his side while he was doing all of the dangerous tasks that had been set to him, because they would rather die with him than live without him, knowing that they could have helped. So Harry said what he had longed to say for months; he thought it best to simply come out and say it, because it would lessen the awkwardness that would surely come.
"I don't think I've ever told any of you, and this is gonna sound really cheesey," He took Ginny's hand as she at down at the foot of his bed."but I think it's time I do. I care about all of you...a lot... probably more than you will ever know. I've never really thanked you guys for being my friends, even whenever it was clear I was dangerous to be around..... Everyone who's died in the past few years...I just can't help thinking that it's my fault. That they wouldn't have died if they hadn't known me," Harry's voice wavered, then grew stronger. "But I want you to know, that I would die right now if I could bring all of them back."
They stared at him for a second, Ron looking shocked at his words, Hermione's eyes watery and her lips pressed firmly together, and Ginny's face curiously blank. Suddenly, Hermione flung herself at Harry and wrapped him in a tight embrace, her tears finally spilling on his shoulder.
"Don't be so stupid Harry! They didn't die because of you!" She said tearfully, releasing him and shaking his shoulders as though to bring him to reality.
"Hermione's right Harry. But why would we ever want to stop being friends with you?! That's completely mental! You've only ever made our lives more interesting. I can't imagine what Hogwarts would have been like without you," Ron chimed in, standing to hug Harry briefly as well.
"We care about you, too, Harry..." Ginny said quietly, with a cursory glance at Ron and Hermione, the latter looking shocked that she had forgotten all about this part of Harry's speech.
"Oh yes, Harry, we care about you, too," Hermione said, abashed.
"More than you know, mate," Ron added, his ears a bit redder than was normal. Ginny looked questioningly at Harry. She really was very amazing, and now he had all the time in the world to spend with her...Voldemort was no longer an obstruction in Harry's future, making the road ahead of him as free and clear as Ginny's was.
"Did you ever think of me, Harry? While you were searching for horcuxes," she asked him. Harry felt his face go warm, but he did not care.
"Nightly, almost," he admitted, avoiding everyone's eyes."I used to take out the Marauder's Map and just stare at your dot...sorry," he added hastily, realizing how creepy it sounded when voiced aloud. Ginny shook her head, a smile finally forming on her lips.
"No, no! Don't be sorry! It explains a lot, actually," she said reassuringly, and Harry felt it safe to look into her eyes again."You see, sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night, and be thinking of you for some reason. I wouldn't be having dreams or anything, it was just waking up and thinking of you for about five minutes, then falling back to sleep. It was...strange."
"That really is strange," said Hermione, sounding interested."Do you have any idea what it could have been? I have an idea, but it isn't defini-" Ginny cut her off.
"I think it's love. I know, sounds like something mental that Dumbledore would say, doesn't it?"she added, seeing the looks on Ron's and Hermione's faces."But, I can just...tell." The same silence that rang through the air earlier fell once more like a blanket over them; this time, it was Harry who broke it.
"Sorry I wanted you to stay in the Room of Requirement earlier, Ginny. It's not that I thought you couldn't fight, I just-" but Ginny cut him off, too.
"Wanted to keep me safe?" She said shrewdly, and Harry nodded guiltily. Then she stared at him for a moment and said with a sad grin."You'll never be able to guarantee my safety, Harry. But you can guarantee my happiness." She leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, then stood to leave."Well, I'd best be going. Promised Mum I wouldn't be long," Ginny explained, and with that, she was gone. Harry wanted her to stay, to hold her hand longer, for only then would the feeling that evil was gone from their lives-once and for all-actually feel real.
"I wish that I would have read more of that book you gave me for my birthday, Ron," Harry said, thinking of Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches, then he regretted it as Hermione asked, frowning,
"What book did Ron give you for your birthday? He never gives you books for your birthday."
Ron and Harry exchanged anxious looks, then tried to mask them with looks of surprise.
"Oh, we didn't tell you? For my seventeenth Ron gave me a book on-" he met eyes with Ron again, trying to improvise."Quidditch. It's like Quidditch Through the Ages, just a lot newer." Harry thought it best to make it a subject that Hermione didn't care about, so as to change the subject quickly lest she realize they were lying.
"Like a Quidditch history book?" Hermione asked, and Harry was pleased to see that she looked not remotely interested.
"Yeah," said Ron, backing Harry up. Hermione seemingly suspected nothing, so Ron changed the subject.
"I wonder how long it will take to fix this place up?"
Hermione answered,"Not too long, if we use magic, which we will. I wish we could come back for another year," she added wistfully, siphoning dirt off her clothes absentmindedly.
"We can, more than likely. I'm not sure if I want to, though..." Harry said uncertainly. Hermione flashed a sad smile.
"I had a feeling you would say that," she said as Ron siphoned off his own clothes."Why not, Harry?"
"I don't know, I just have a feeling I won't need to come back," Harry answered. This was perfectly true, as he had not an idea what he was going to do after the repairs were over and he hd nowhere to go except possibly the Burrow. But no, that wasn't true, because he had Grimauld Place, which was a lot more pleasant now that Kreacher had actually cleaned it, and Harry did not dread it quite so much since he had found Sirius's room. In truth, it was a nice house, and Harry decided that it would be the first place that he would call home after the Battle.
"Hermione, what about your parents?" Ron asked her suddenly. Her face fell, and Ron looked regretful for bringing it up.
"Oh..." she said very quietly, her eyes swimming with tears. Ron sat up, wrapping a consoling arm around her shoulders and offering her a handkerchief. "Well..." Hermione dabbed at her eyes. "I should probably wait until Hogwarts is repaired, then I can apparate to Australia and renew their memories...To be honest," she blew her nose noisily."I didn't really plan on surviving this, and I figured that they could be happy in Australia for the rest of their lives...without me.." Hermione's voice trailed off, and Harry stared at her, aghast.
How could she have thought that they would not survive? Hermione Granger was the smartest person he had ever known, and he would never have thought that she, of all people, would think that they would be killed. Granted he had thought many times along the path that they were gonners, but Harry had always assumed that it was just him and Ron. If Hermione had a feeling she would die, if she knew it wouldn't be fun, if she knew that it would be a very hard and dangerous road to travel, then there was only one reason that she came horcrux hunting woth him and Ron.
She was a true Gryffindor. Loyal, brave, independent, and strong, Hermione really and truly felt that it was her duty to help find the horcruxes. Harry felt his respect for her rise,(if that was possible) with a rush of pure love for both of the people that sat on the bed before him; the red-headed boy comforting the crying girl with bushy brown hair. They had been very loyal to Harry, and for that, he would be forever grateful.
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