Chapter 2
Hermione was the first of the three friends to wake up, only to find that they had all slept all the way through dinner, the full night, and breakfast the next morning. No one could really blame them though, and Molly was quick to make sure that no one bothered the trio until they woke up on their own. Hermione looked down at her sleeping friends, taking in the state of them.
Their clothes were all dirty and torn, and would probably have to be thrown away. Harry’s glasses were once again cracked, his hair was in knots, and he was covered in cuts, scratches, and burns, the worst of which were wrapped up in bandages that were stained with blood and dirt. Ron was not in any better shape, and neither was Hermione if she was being honest. Hermione climbed out of the bed and got to work on doing what she did best, taking care of her friends.
She removed both of their shoes, as well as Harry’s glasses, using a spell to fix them before setting them aside. She then cast a spell to clean all the blood and grime off of them and their clothes, then used a transfiguration spell to change their ruined clothes into fresh sets of pajamas. The next task at hand was taking care of their wounds now that she had the proper time to do so. Hermione gently removed her friends' bandages, careful not to wake either of them up, and used several healing spells on them. Too bad there weren’t any spells she could use to heal the mental scars that were surely going to last them all a lifetime.
The next thing Hermione wanted to do was try to brush out Harry’s hair as much as she could. While she was climbing back on the bed, hairbrush in hand, Ron stirred awake, and blinked up at Hermione, confused.
“ ‘Mione?” He asked groggily. “You ok?”
“Yeah Ron.” Hermione assured. “I’m just going to try and get the knots out of Harry’s hair.”
Ron hummed in response and reached out to run a hand through Harry’s hair, knowing that he really did need a brush when his fingers got snagged almost immediately. Hermione moved so that she was sitting at the head of the bed, and gently moved Harry so that his head was in her lap. She began combing through Harry’s hair, making sure to gently work out any knots instead of trying to force them out.
“His scar is gone.” Ron said after a bit, and Hermione moved Harry’s bangs to find that Ron was right. Harry’s trademark lightning bolt scar, the one that identified him as the only person to ever survive the killing curse, was completely gone.
For something as simple as a scar, something to most wizards, or any muggles would hardly think twice of, it really did bring Harry so much grief. It was an ever present reminder of the day he was orphaned, something he was taught to be embarrassed and ashamed of. Then it started to ache, and he was plagued with nightmares and visions of Voldemort, and the scar suddenly became a physical representation of the connection Voldemort and Harry had, and the piece of Voldemort’s soul that had been latched onto Harry for years. And now it further showed that Voldemort was truly gone, and Harry was left all by himself in his own head for the first time since he was a baby.
Hermione got a little teary eyed, and turned her head away, covering her mouth with her hands to make sure that she didn’t make a sound and accidentally wake Harry. Soon, Hermione collected herself, and continued combing out Harry’s hair. After a little while, Harry began to stir. Hermione had finished about half of his hair by then, but quickly stopped combing as Harry moved, not wanting to risk the comb getting caught in his hair and causing him any pain. Harry sat up and yawned, and then his stomach growled loudly.
“We should probably find something to eat.” Ron said, sitting up as well.
“Knowing Molly, I’m sure there’s plenty to eat downstairs.” Hermione agreed, already getting out of bed. Ron got up too, but Harry just stayed in the bed, looking distraught.
“Harry? What’s wrong?” Ron asked. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“I - I don't know if I can face her.” Harry admitted softly.
“What are you talking about, mate?”
“I’ve cost you all so much. I’ve endangered your whole family, your home was attacked, you were all hurt so much, and came so close to dying.” Harry began to cry, truly upset at how difficult the Weasley’s lives had been since knowing him.
“Don’t be daft, Harry. You didn’t ruin anyone’s lives.” Hermione insisted.
“Yeah Harry. We all love you, and I don’t know where I’d be without you, but I know it sure wouldn’t be anywhere good. Mum loves you too, and I’m sure she’s been worried sick about us all up here. Now we’re all hungry, and I want to make sure Fred is ok, so let’s get out of this room.” Ron insisted, practically pulling Harry out of the bed, and out of his room.
Harry followed his dear friends down the stairs and towards the sitting room of the burrow, but when he saw Molly sitting in an armchair, staring off into space with a forgotten knitting project in her lap, he froze. Molly heard a stair creek as Ron stepped on it, and she quickly looked up. When she saw who it was standing on the stairs, Molly immediately put her knitting aside, standing up to rush to the trio. Molly reached Ron and Hermione first, pulling the two of them into a hug, practically crying as she held them close. Then Molly caught sight of Harry behind his friends, and came to him. Harry tensed as Molly reached for him, but all Molly did was hug Harry close, and kiss his cheek.
“I’m glad to see that you kids are awake. You three must be starving, let's get you some food.” Molly pattered off to the kitchen, flicking her wand to get various pots on the stove, and food from the fridge.
“How is Fred?” Ron asked, sitting at the dining table, Harry sitting next to him, and Hermione sitting next to Harry.
“He’ll live, but he’ll be pretty scared. He’s resting right now.” Molly answered.
“Where is everyone else?”
“I’m not too sure I’m afraid. Everyone is just trying to figure out where to go from here. I do believe most of them are outside though.” Molly’s answer only created more questions for Harry, and he froze.
The realization that Harry had no clue what to do now hit him like a truck. He had spent his whole life sharing his head with someone else. He couldn’t remember a time in his life when he wasn't fighting just to stay alive. Even before Voldemort started to try and come back, before Harry had gone to Hogwarts, he was in a constant battle with the Dursleys. Then, since he was eleven, his whole purpose in life was just to defeat Voldemort. That’s what he was born for. Harry was the chosen one, and was destined to kill Voldemort and save the world. He did exactly that, and fulfilled his destiny, so what was he supposed to do now? Harry had known since he was thirteen that there would be no future where he and Voldemort were both living, it was in the prophecy that was told of his existence. Neither could live while the other survived. He was taught how to kill Voldemort, but know one ever prepared him for what to do once he succeeded.
Harry suddenly began to cry, and what started as a few loose tears, soon turned into full blown sobbing. Ron and Hermione were startled at first, but they both still quickly reached out to hug and comfort Harry. Molly turned around from where she was getting some dishes out of a cabinet, and quickly abandoned her task to rush to Harry.
“Harry, dear, what’s wrong?” Molly asked.
“It’s over. It’s finally over.” Harry said in between sobs, and Hermione was the only one who seemed to understand right away.
“Now what do we do?” Hermione asked, both sharing Harry’s sentiment, and confirming that she understood Harry’s concern correctly. Ron seemed to understand too, and thought for a moment.
“Well, we won. He’s gone, and we’re all still here. He’s never coming back again, so now the fight is over. Now we just live our lives. We’ll do whatever we want, and eventually we will die of old age.” Ron said firmly.
“I don’t even know what I want to do now.” Harry said with a sniffle, having managed to gather himself a bit.
“I do.” Hermione said. “Right now, I just want to eat. We can figure out what to do after that when the time comes. For now, let's just take everything as it comes.”
Hermione smiled a comforting smile at her friends, who both returned the gesture. Harry wiped his eyes, and Molly summoned him a tissue to clean himself up a bit, which he gladly accepted. Then Harry pulled Hermione into a hug, Ron joining in as well. Harry realized that Hermione and Ron were right. They had won the war, so they got to live however they wanted, but the rest of their lives was a lot to think about at the time, so it was best to take things as they came. In time, Harry would learn how to stop living for a prophecy, and start living for himself. Until then though, all Harry wanted to do was eat some food, and be with his two best friends, no matter where they were. That much, Harry was certain of.