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Final chapter -
"I am...just bored! How long do I have to stay here?" Harry moaned dramatically, causing his two auror guards to flinch, acting as if he had just unleashed fiendfyre instead of asking a simple question. The end of the battle and the war had not ended exactly how Harry had wanted, he had been hoping for a massive after-party (maybe even an orgy or two, he wasn't fussy) but instead, he had been sent straight to the hospital to get looked over. An hour later he was given a clean bill of health with instructions to rest a couple of weeks and to drink a couple of potions for a few days.
It was at that point that he was told he had to wait for none other than the former Head of the D.M.L.E and current Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, who wanted to question him, which meant that he had to stay still in bed until she arrived. His healers had forbidden him (requested very politely with a very healthy amount of fear and awe in their voices) to not perform any magic for a short while. The worst part was he didn't have Jet or Thor to keep him company and he wasn't allowed any visitors which meant no Tonks family, no girlfriends and no vassal.
"W...well, just another few minutes, I imagine." One of the aurors said in a nervous voice.
"Yeah, well my patience is becoming thinner by the second so if she's not here in the next five minutes then orders be dammed, I'm leaving," Harry said calmly as he leaned back into his bed. The two aurors exchanged looks.
"I think it's best that I go and check to see how long the Minister will be," The other auror gulped. Fortunately, at that moment the doors opened and in walked Madam Bones, accompanied by none other than Dumbledore.
"You haven't been bullying my aurors, I trust?" Madam Bones asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"I will have you know that I am an innocent and harmless child who is incapable of hurting a fly," Harry said matter-of-factly.
"I'll inform our now recently deceased dark lord about that," Amelia said with a small shake of her head. "Honestly, you didn't even leave a body for me,"
"The motherfucker turned to ash, that's hardly my fault. All I did was blast him with an unhealthy amount of lightning, set an acromantula colony on him, hit him with several spells and break him down physically, mentally and emotionally while destroying his very soul," Harry protested innocently, either not caring or ignoring the paling faces of the aurors still in the room. "Completly normal stuff for a duel," Harry continued, rolling his eyes. "He's just a big drama queen,"
"I think you two should leave now, we'll be fine," Madam Bones told the aurors, both of which all but legged it out of the room. "Stop scaring my aurors," She told Harry with a sigh.
"Stop hiring scaredy-cats then," Harry told her before turning serious. "Were there...were there any casualties? On our side?" He asked, dreading the answer.
"I have lost a few people from my order," Dumbledore said heavily before he and Madam Bones sat on opposite sides of Harry's bead. "Professor Snape was one of them,"
"Snape died?" Harry blinked before staring at Dumbledore. "I hope you don't expect me to feel sympathetic for the man," He said neutrally.
"I am aware of the bad blood between the two of you," Dumbledore sighed, looking a year or two older. "Though I had hoped that the two of you would be able to patch things up sooner or later. Alas, it seems to be an impossibility now. I am aware that the vast majority of problems were due to Severus's insistence on maintaining a grudge against you. So, while I will not ask you to mourn the man, I will request that in his death, you at least appreciate his efforts in the war."
"Hmm," Harry hummed, non-commitly. He wasn't sure if he'd ever remotely like Snape, nor was he going to praise the man by telling everyone how useful he was, especially since Harry had his doubts about how just how useful Snape actually was. Still, if there was one thing that Harry truly had learned from Snape then it was to move on and not hold grudges against the dead. "And the Silver Wolves?"
"A couple of injuries but nothing too bad from what I've heard," Dumbledore assured him.
"Anyway, you are sure he will not come back?" Amelia asked.
"Positive," Harry said with a small nod before looking at Dumbledore with a questioning look.
"I concur," Dumbledore told Bones. "It's my firm belief that the anchors keeping Voldemort to this world are no longer in place, he is...well, I don't know where he is." Dumbledore said with a heavy sigh. "When we die, we'll travel to the 'next great adventure' as I like to call it. But Voldemort, I fear there's not enough left in him to reach there."
"So what? Do you believe he'll come back to life?" Minister Bones asked with a questioning look.
"No," Dumbledore shook his head. "He's most definitely dead, but I believe that he will not have any rest in the afterlife as I don't believe he'll be able to reach it. He will be stuck in limbo for the rest of time, never knowing a moment of peace."
"Good," She said bluntly. "After what he did -"
"I know," Dumbledore said softly. "Still, I don't have it in me to wish that fate on anyone, even Voldemort. Though I will admit, I see the necessity behind our actions. The creature that Harry fought was not even human anymore."
"It's a shame," Harry said with a small sigh. "I may not like Voldemort, but I respected him in a way. I saw a lot of myself in him, we were alike in many ways. We both suffered, we both wanted to be stronger."
"But he was not like you, Harry," Dumbledore said, gently stroking his beard. "You both have suffered, you've both seen horrors in your life. You both had the opportunity to help and destroy those around you. Tom, unlike yourself, was not able to overcome his fears or stand up to his demons. There was a German philosopher, a muggle, his name was Friedrich Nietzsche. He once said 'Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you', you see, Harry? You and Tom both stared into the abyss and when it stared back...he blinked. You, Harry, are strong and stubborn, just like the Potters of old. You'd die hundreds of deaths before you'd even consider harming those you care for, the people who will keep you on a path as far away from Tom as possible.
I must apologize for how long it had taken me to see it, I truly am sorry for that. But now, I can rest easy. I don't know when it'll happen, maybe this year, maybe the next or maybe even a decade later, but one day I will leave on my own adventure. And when I leave this world, young Harry, I will leave it comfortably, knowing that no matter what happens, Harry Potter will never be anything more or less than Harry Potter. An excellent wizard, but deep down, a better person." He said, staring at Harry with warm, twinkling eyes.
"Thank you," Harry said slowly, feeling a little stunned by the sincerity in Dumbledore's words. "I'm...I'm not normally at a loss for words,"
"There is no need to say anything, Harry," Dumbledore said, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Seeing you, as you are, I dare say it brings peace to my old heart. One last piece of advice from an old man, if you can bear to hear it. You will change as the years pass by, perhaps you'll be stronger or weaker, maybe happier or sadder, better or worse, time will tell. Slowly, time reveals all. You will change, Harry Potter, but so long as you don't change here," Dumbledore pointed to where Harry's heart would be. "Then you will be fine, no matter what." He said with a watery smile.
"I'm sorry to interrupt what seems to be a rather important moment," Minister Bones spoke up slowly. "But there are things we need to discuss, I am going to need the two of you to tell me everything." She held her hand up to stop the two from protesting. "I am not saying that I want everyone to know what has happened but I am currently in charge of the safety of this country and unlike my predecessor, I take my responsibilities seriously."
"Plus you're far better looking," Harry stated matter-of-factly.
"Thank you," She said without pausing. "And part of my responsibility is to know definitively if threats to my country, my people, myself and my family are removed. I understand that there are things that are better kept secret, but the three of us can create a more...kid-friendly version of events for the public."
"Agreed, but only if we all swear oaths to keep certain topics secret, such as Voldemort's method of immortality," Harry replied.
"Agreed," Dumbledore nodded. "The last thing we need is more wizards and witches trying to replicate such methods,"
"Yes," Amelia said thoughtfully. "I see your point, if such knowledge gets out then Hogwarts students would be trying to replicate it within a week."
"Well, I wouldn't say that," Dumbledore said weakly, shifting in his seat.
"I would," Harry responded bluntly.
"We will all swear oaths, but you two will tell me everything, especially you, Albus," Amelia said, sending a pointed look to the elderly wizard. "If I find out that you are hiding anything then I will rain hellfire down on you and then convince Mr Potter to do the same."
"I'll kick his ass right now if you give my sister a promotion," Harry told her honestly. Albus stared at Harry for a few seconds before replying.
"You can change a little bit, you know,"
"I can hardly believe it," Tonks said in an awed voice.
"You said that already," Harry said with a smirk.
Harry, along with the Tonks family, was sitting in a massive hall with dark red carpets and blue walls and a glass dome ceiling. There seemed to be hundreds of tables scattered around along with even more people, everyone was dressed in their fanciest clothes. At one end of the room was a giant stage with a podium shaped like a massive owl, not dissimilar to the headmaster's podium at Hogwarts.
"Shut it," Tonks told him. "This is something out of a storybook! We all take part in fighting off an evil wizard and now we're at an awards ceremony! Not just any award ceremony! The order of Merlin!"
"Eh, Lockheart had one," Harry shrugged, taking a piece of meat off of one plate and tossing it in the air for Thor to catch. The thunderbird was sitting on a magically created perch that had him sitting at table height, meanwhile Jet was resting comfortably around Harry's shoulders.
"Ignoring the ponce, it's an impressive achievement, Harry," Ted told him, a proud look on his face, one that was mirrored by Andromeda.
"Yes, I dare say James and Lily would be proud of you," Andromeda told him. "Your godfather certainly is," She gestured with her head to Sirius who was sitting a table away and was flirting with a witch while Moony had his face in his hands and seemed to be deciding if he should leg it or not, "And we're proud too, you've far exceeded any expectations we've had for you."
"Thank you," Harry said warmly while smiling at them all. "It means a lot to me, really. You guys...well...if not for you and my friends then I'd say it's a fair chance I could've ended up a lot like Voldemort."
"I doubt it," Tonks snorted. "Face it, little bro, you might be a sarcastic little Slytherin mastermind, but deep down, you're a good person."
"Exactly," Andromeda agreed. "All we did was help guide you,"
"Nah, you did a lot more than that," Harry smiled. "You gave me a family, something worth fighting for."
"Anytime, lad," Ted said, smiling at him. "I assure you, we very much enjoyed having you with us."
"Especially when you get us into parties like this!" Tonks grinned.
"Nymphadora," Andromeda sighed.
"Excuse me," A voice called, everyone looked to the front of the stage where Dumbledore stood in front of the podium, dressed in a crimson robe. "Good evening all, I hope you have all had the chance to enjoy the delicious food that has been offered today. I particularly enjoyed the trifle and the chocolate cake," He added with a chuckle. "I am here, ladies and gentlemen to inform you all that it is now time for the ceremony to commence." He said, earning a round of applause.
The next hour was spent handing out Order of Merlin third-class awards to most of the Silver Wolves, while none of them had been outed as Silver Wolves, they had been credited for fighting in the final battle. Even a few members of the Order had received third-class awards. Then the second-class awards began, the most noticeable of those being Moody, Kingsley, Remus, Sirius and the Tonks family who had been awarded for protecting Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade during the battle. Draco and Theo also received second-class awards, Harry had insisted on that given that the two had helped provide valuable intel for the final battle, had gone against their own fathers and had to deal with Voldemort living in their homes.
Draco and Theo had been a bit stiff while accepting the awards but did smile gratefully at Harry. Their fathers had been sent to Azkaban prison to live out the rest of their years, something that the two reluctantly accepted was the best that they'd get. They would have perhaps been a bit more upset if not for the fact that their relationships with their fathers had been strained at best since Voldemort's return. But they had managed to keep their homes and the rest of their families were safe and they were now getting Orders of Merlin's attached to their names forever so the two found it hard to be upset at Harry, especially when the boy in question could have just killed them ages ago and probably gotten away with it.
"And now, we will move on to Order of Merlin first class," Dumbledore announced. "I would like to award Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis and Angela Zabini with first-class awards for their absolutely vital work in helping stop this war and their unwavering support and dedication to their friends and family."
"That's my pet!" Jet cheered as Daphne, Tracey and Angela walked up to the stadium, each wearing stunning dresses. Tracey was wearing red, while Daphne wore blue and Angela had worn black. Tonks let out a wolf whistle before grinning at Harry.
"So, when's the after-party orgy happening?" She whispered teasingly.
"Midnight if Mrs Zabini arrives on time," He whispered back honestly, causing her to blink.
"Wait what?" She asked, making sure her parents weren't listening in.
"She wanted to thank me and the girls agreed," He shrugged while waving at the three on the stage, and each of them returned his wave with bright smiles.
"You lucky dog," Tonks grinned again, patting him proudly on the shoulder.
"And now," Dumbledore spoke up once the girls had left the stage. "I must apologise for the long wait, but now we have our final award, I would like you all to give a big round of applause as I welcome the wizard who defeated Voldemort! Harry Potter!" The hall burst into deafening cheers as Harry got up and walked to the stage, once he was there he shook hands with Dumbledore before the old man pinned a gold medal to his robes. "I dare say the crowd will want a speech," Dumbledore told him, before gesturing to the still-cheering crowd.
Harry took in a small breath before walking to the podium, Thor flew from his perch and landed on the podium in front of Harry, much to Harry's amusement. Jet seemed content to stay on Harry's shoulders, as always. Harry raised his hand and the crowd slowly stopped cheering, leaving the room in silence.
"Thank you all for your support," Harry said, the enchanted podium amplified his voice so that he was heard by everyone. "I want to thank you all for your praise as well. My time in the wizarding world has...it has been an experience, to say the least. And to think...I still have one more year of Hogwarts left," He said with a small chuckle. "I won't lie to you and say that everything has been perfect. I have experienced many joys, I've learned magic and played quidditch and I feel privileged to have been able to meet so many wonderful people. Though of course, there were also the downsides. I've had to fight dark wizards, I've been tortured, people have tried to kill me and I have had the misfortune of meeting Dolores Jane Umbridge." Harry paused and watched as literally every member of the Silver Wolves spat on the floor at once, training them to do that was what Harry undoubtedly considered to be his best achievement. "I intend to work with Minister Bones and Headmaster Dumbledore to assure that such things, especially Umbridge..." The Silver Wolves spat again, this time joined by others who decided it'd be fun to join in. "...never happen again. We must all work together to rip out the unnecessary hatred we have of people who are different from us, if for no other reason than to prevent the next dark lord from having a possible way to bring in more followers. We are all wizards and witches gifted and blessed with the wonder of magic. Who cares where we came from? What matters is where we're going," He said firmly. "I don't know what will be next in my life, I've already received offers to stay as a teacher in Hogwarts, to become unspeakable. It's also been suggested to me that I could join professional quidditch or head to professional duelling. I've even been offered to stay at the ministry and the idea of changing the thing from the inside does seem quite tempting, though I'm not sure I'd be content to stay behind a desk. Maybe I could join my sister in the auror corps," He gestured to Tonks who clapped her hands and laughed at that. "Well, either way, I have the rest of my school year to decide. For now, I'll take one peaceful school year before deciding. I also need my rest. As do we all, but that doesn't mean our jobs are over. Once we've rested, we need to start working on improving. We all need to do better, be better to make sure nothing like this ever happens again, to make sure people like Voldemort will have no place in our world. It'll be a long and hard road but I believe we can do it, I believe we can all be better than we were tomorrow and if there's one thing you'll remember from me then let it be this, always try to be better than you were yesterday and you'll go exactly where you need to go.
I won't take much more of your time, so I will close off by thanking each and every one of you. Thank you all," He finished, an eruption of applause followed, and it took several minutes before everyone had calmed down enough for Dumbledore to be heard.
"Yes, yes, thank you very much, Mr Potter, but I believe there are two more awards to be handed out," Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes before pulling out two medals. "I award the first ever non-human Order of Merlin first class awards to the thunderbird Thor and the snake known as Jet!" Dumbledore said, pulling out two more awards. Thor chirped happily while Jet raised his head and looked at Dumbledore.
"Well...it's about time," Jet said happily before turning to Harry. "I believe our story has come to an end,"
"Maybe," Harry grinned before looking at the cheering crowd. "Maybe we should write a sequel," He said thoughtfully.
"That's an idea," Jet said approvingly. "We'll call it 'Jet: part two'."
A.N: Hi guys, hope you liked the chapter.
YES, I know it took ages to release and I know it's probably not long enough for the amount of time it took but it's done. Every time I had tried to write this chapter I always felt like a mental block was stopping me for some reason, that's why I had focused on my other stories instead. Either way, it is done now. I don't really plan to make a sequel, I just wanted to leave it as an open-ended story (i think that's the right term).
I will now be resisting the urge to start writing a new story as I've already got a few open and would like to finish one or two of them before starting my next one and believe me I have many ideas I want to try. I've got story ideas involving ben 10, TMNT, the MCU, DC, Percy Jackson and even god of war. I hope to start working on them soon.
Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and if you like then feel free to check out my other works.
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