The infirmary had never seen this many people in a long time...like, never in its history had it housed this many patients. Healers running from one corner to the other. Waving their wands in the hope to break or nullify the curses. Some had failures, but most healers succeeded in what they were trying to achieve.
It is the end of the most bloodiest and most terrible war in the wizarding history....
Really was it?
Most bloodiest…yes in the modern world it was one of the or the only most bloodiest wars that had happened.
Most terrible war….no, it may be terrible for Britain wizarding population, but not to the wizarding world. Voldemort's cause and war didn't even cross Britain. He may have recruited some werewolf packs and giant clans from across the Europe, but that was it.
It was the global wizarding war that was led by Grindelwald, that was the most terrible war in recent history.
Britain came out unscathed in that war due to the presence of Dumbledore. They had enjoyed a long-term peace because of him. Hence the war with Voldemort looked more terrible.
But still, it was the bloodiest, it ended many wizarding families, curtailed the wizarding population in Britain. Almost led the economy to shambles.
But that was all stopped that day. The person who put the to all their misery was present in this infirmary hall.
At one end of the Hogwarts, infirmary hall was a cot, the patient's eyes fluttered and opened slowly.
Harry (POV) - Hogwarts Infirmary May 2nd, 1998.
'I knew something was wrong with me as soon as I woke up from death, being struck with the killing curse for the second time does that to the people it seems' Harry mumbled as he opened his eyes.
But he put that thought in the back of his head at that time, so he could focus on killing Lord Voldemort now and for the last time. The last thing that he saw before fainting was the dumbstruck look of snake face dispersing into the air.
'Hmm, where the heck am I', he noticed he was in the hospital wing in Hogwarts. He slowly got up and dropped his legs down from the cot to sit. Looking around he saw healers running around and shouting from patients to patients.
'Merlin, it's like a marketplace in here'. Harry soon searched for his wand, his trusty friend, and his lifeline. It was placed on the side table with some potion bottles lying around. He placed the wand in my wand holster and turned to the potions.
Harry needed some headache potion right now. He suddenly grimaced at the thought of drinking those disgusting fluids, but he still had to get better and wanted to know of the present situation. He soon downed the headache potion he knew that was sitting on the table, suddenly a memory flowed into his mind as it supplied the name of the potion he just downed.
It all felt like a deja vu for a moment.
'ADNAUSEUM FINITUS - This potion is used to treat severe nausea. People tend to find it unpleasant to brew'. Unpleasant, but not difficult.
Harry wondered, 'where did that come from. Me?'
He scuffed at that. He found all the potions unpleasant to brew, with snape teaching for five years harry had lost all the love for brewing potions and by proxy herbology too.
'Whatever that is Hermione's department - brewing, researching, inventing, reading are all Hermione's work. But this potion I seem to remember too much of information I haven't read. Maybe Hermione had explained to me once and just remembered. This needs some investigation'
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Hermione running towards him along with Ron. He came out of his musing and turned towards her giving her a slight smile.
"Harry, are you alright, what happened after you went into the forest? Did Voldemort really fire a killing curse at you? How did you kill Voldemort? Why did you faint suddenly? Is something bothering you? Madam Pomfrey said you had magical exhaustion, so you fainted. Are you okay now?" Hermione fired her question one after another without letting him any gap to answer.
"Merlin, give the man some rest mione, he just offed Voldemort, the biggest, worst dark wizard of all time. He doesn't need you stepping on his tail now" Ron interjected Hermione. He turned towards Harry and gave a wide smile, "Mate that was awesome, I heard you evaporated that wanker into dust. I would have given anything to see the faces of those death eaters when you did that".
Harry laughed at him 'ron being ron'. Hermione knocked the back of Ron's head.
"Be more tact Ron", then she turned towards Harry.
'It seems she was waiting for my answer'
Harry shook my head and said " I am fine Hermione, I just had some headache, it might be because of the magical exhaustion that you talked about but I am all right now. What's the situation here? How are the losses?"
The question seemed to have saddened both Ron and Hermione. They looked at each other and hesitated to answer Harry's question. He raised his eyebrows at them. Hermione made up her mind and answered the question.
"Remus and Tonks are dead" Hermione spoke.
His breath stopped for a moment. 'Remus is dead, Remus is dead, Remus is dead'. His mind stopped working and started repeating the sentence again and again. It took him a moment to reorganize himself and come to terms with the reality.
'My only link with my parents is gone. I will miss him so much'
'Will he?' Soon his mind started giving him reasons to abandon his current emotions. Like it was justifying him that Remus dying is not as serious as it seems.
'I was not close with Remus like I was with Sirius. I did argue with him and got into a fight about that bastard abandoning Tonks when he found her being pregnant with their child. Plus I never liked that bastard to begin with. He abandoned me, later tonks, and their unborn son too...But still he was what I had that was close to being a family and I am his son's godfather too…..That means shit to me. Maybe I will take care of the kid for the sake of Tonks. Hmm….' the more he thought about it, the more calmness he showed about the revelation of Remus's death.
He turned to see Hermione and Ron. Hermione looked like she expected him to say something.
Ron….Ron looked downcast.
He asked Hermione to continue.
Hermione took a deep breath, "Fred, colin, lavander and at least fifty more students died".
'Fred, one of my close friends. The only Weasleys I liked are the twins maybe Bill and Fleur too, but I never had many interactions with Bill and Fleur is not a weasley to begin with'
Then his mind came up with another word 'Ron'. And even gave answers for the word too.
'Ron….Ron is my friend, that's it. Not my best friend or a trusted friend. No, he lost that right during their fourth year. And again later he lost my trust during the run from the death eaters for the sake of food. Food of all things'
Anger started to surface on his face. He counted one to ten, just to not let his temper out. His emotions were getting out of control and he didn't know why.
From the other's point of view it looked like Harry was grieving about the loss of the lives of students.
"I need some time alone" He mumbled under his breath.
He tried to stand up from the hospital bed. His legs wobbled. Ron and Hermione caught him. There was some disorientation about how he perceived the surrounding.
He composed himself soon and moved away from them. Hermione tried to follow harry, but Ron stopped her.
"Give him some time alone mione" He was grateful to Ron for that. He didn't want Hermione pestering at his situation now. He needs some time alone to think.
To think about the loss. To think about the future. To think about his responsibilities. To think about what the fuck was happening to him. To think about him almost losing control or how he managed to control himself. Because he was not good at controlling his emotions. Ever.
Harry went out of the infirmary and started walking. He came across the students, order members, parents, resistance forces, death eater prisoners, ministry officials….or what's left of them.
Some tried to talk to Harry. Some congratulated him. He smiled towards some, nodded his head to some. He didn't know whether it was the look on his face or the end of the war as everybody was grieving but nobody stopped him.
"We did it! We bashed them, wee Potter's the one! And Voldy's gone moldy, so now let's have fun!" Harry could hear peeves singing victory song behind him as walked in the half-destroyed corridor.
Astronomy tower.
It held one of his worst memories.
Death of Dumbledore.
As useless as Dumbledore was, he was powerful. He was the only reason Voldemort didn't try to attack Hogwarts.
He didn't know where his dislike of Dumbledore started to come from. His dislike of Dumbledore was very recent. Just after listening to his speech in the king cross station, it has been bugging harry all this time.
He sat at the edge of the railing and looked below at Hogwarts. Such devastation.
'Thank Merlin, most death eaters ran away as soon as they saw me waking up from my supposed death. Or else the death toll of students will be higher than fifty. It is not like I care about those sheep. Most of the dead students made my life hell many times during my school year and I don't know the rest'
Harry threw those thoughts behind his head and started thinking about Hogwarts.
To Harry, Hogwarts was his home. He never really considered Dursleys as family or pivet drive as his home. Hogwarts was his only home and Hogwarts was his only family.
There were some additions in between like Sirius. Not some actually, it was only Sirius. But he is dead.
Thinking about Sirius made his heartache. That was all on him. It was his mistake. 'Sirius death is the result of my foolishness and naivety
He once again looked around, but now he saw the wizards and witches walking around and doing some maintenance works.
He has to go around catching those runaway death eaters too. People who were imperiused were back to normal. Still should check for imperiused people and supposedly IMPERIUSED people.
'After the first wizarding war if the people had done their jobs, this whole mess would not have happened in the first place' Harry berated the foolishness of the wizarding community.
'Why the heck am I even fighting the adult's battle. Just because I was Voldemort's Horcrux. Or just because I was the prophesied one or just because Dumbledore told them so'
He still couldn't believe that Dumbledore actually made him believe that the death of him was the only way to kill that snake-faced fucker. And harry even obliged to it. What happened to his ways of "LOVE IS THE STRONGEST MAGIC OUT THERE MY DEAR BOY".
When he thought about the things Dumbledore did to him, he felt really angry, but those are just his feelings. Dumbledore's greater good doesn't involve his feelings.
'Now that I think about it why didn't I or Dumbledore ask any help from curse breakers or goblins on how to safely remove the Horcrux from my head. We even had Bill Weasley, a curse breaker in the order of the phoenix. Since when did Dumbledore even realize that I was a Horcrux. I knew the news just yesterday' His mind was supplying him with new questions and answers and he couldn't follow up with his mind fast enough. He felt if he lost track of his mind now, then he would lose it, whatever it was.
'And there was no chance Dumbledore, hadn't noticed a ball with Voldemort's magic in it inside my scar. Not with how strong the man was supposed to be and how often he had been in close contact with the old wizard. That meant that Dumbledore had left a piece of Voldemort's soul inside my scar for sixteen years and did nothing about it. Well he did something, like how I should be selfless and die when I was told to'
His already poor impression of Dumbledore soured further.
What else Dumbledore have a hand in. His mind raced through the memories and made connections that he had previously ignored or conveniently forgotten.
'It was awfully convenient that the Weasleys had been at the muggle entrance to King cross that day, wasn't it? How come a woman, who herself has gone to Hogwarts for seven years and sent her five children previously suddenly forgot the platform number in a muggle station. Or did they change the platform number every year? Heck no. It has been the same since 1938 as for as I could remember
'Hagrid….. I like him. Or do I?
Anyway how come it was hagrid who delivered the Hogwarts letter for me but it was McGonagall and Flitwick for everyone else. Hagrid was okay, but far from being a proper guide.…he was definitely Dumbledore's man, and he couldn't even perform magic legally.
Shouldn't the safe introduction of the boy-who-lived to the magical world should have been performed by a wizard capable of protecting me and answering my questions
'Did this mean, me meeting Ron on the train on the first day was also planned? I don't really consider him as my best friend, his loyalty had always been on the iffy side when things got rough. He always came back though'
'Or did he?' There it was…my mind arguing with each other.
Harry shook his head and shoved all the thoughts at the back of his head.
'Now that is being too paranoid, being cautious is okay, Merlin's balls but actively looking for conspiracies among my friends is a little too much' Harry consoled himself.
All this time he felt something or someone whispering to him in his mind.
Helping him to think. It was like…..like he never had a mind before but now suddenly his mind coming out to help him.
He didn't know how much time passed before he felt some footsteps approaching.
"You should let go of the past so that you can move on, you have a hard road ahead of you," said a voice disrupting his thoughts.
'Luna'
Harry turned and smiled at her. Luna was there at every critical point in his life suggesting something to him or guiding him straight to the answers.
Not like Dumbledore, suggestions with half-truths and half-assed answers. If that bastard had given him answers in a straightforward manner or if he had put some effort in the post of first Britain wizarding war all these stupid things would have not happened.
He would have had a normal school life. He would have spent his time with Sirius doing who knows what. 'I would have had a home. I would have had someone, who I can go to and complain when something goes wrong in my life. Like how Malfoy always goes on about his father. I would have had someone to pamper me. Someone who would have loved me. Like normal people'
'Normal, hn, normality sure is overrated. I seem to be thinking a lot today. Maybe it's because voldy is dead and I am having a lot of free time' Harry's mind was being overactive like it had become free of its bindings.
Luna came to harry and sat next to him on rubble. She looked into his eyes for a minute while he was waiting for her to talk or begin the conversation.
He was never the best conversationalist. When she didn't talk he opened his mouth to speak. She interrupted him and started speaking on her own.
"Never think hard about the past, it brings tears. Don't think more about the future, it brings fears. Live the moment with a smile, it brings cheers". Luna.
Anger spiked all of a sudden. He didn't know where it had come from, but soon the anger subsided into confusion.
"What" 'How the heck does she do that. Is this some kind of legilimency shit, like snape did to me in the fifth year'
"Never think hard…" He interrupted Luna.
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I am not dwelling in the past luna, I am just reminiscing on my life. Recalling the hurdles I came across to reach this point".
"You should get yourself checked by healers harry, there is a severe lack of heliopaths. And also the presence of wrackspurts infestation, it will cause your brain go faulty. And faulty Harry is a big NO-NO "
She looked into his eyes for another minute, nodded her head, got up and walked away without another word.
'She knows something, something about me like she knows what I need at this particular moment. She knows why my mind is acting this way' He shook his head at that. It is one of her quirks, she comes and does whatever she wanted to do and leaves. And he is left with an answer and a lot of confusion.
He turned and looked below at Hogwarts. A look of determination came to his face.
'I have faced all kinds of trouble and came out alive in the end, every time. Whatever life brings on I can face it. Now let's go help with the aftermath of the battle'
He took a step and remembered what Luna said, 'Well we can meet up with a healer at the end of the day, as it was crowded when he came out of the infirmary'
Hermione (POV) - Hogwarts
I thought we would be fighting a losing war. With Harry gone, there was no one to lead the war.
When Voldemort's army came to the edge of the forest, I was able to see hagrid, carrying what looked like a body. My breath hitched.
The army stopped on the bridge near the entrance in front of the castle. And then I heard the most dreaded voice.
"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as well every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together ".
Voldemort strode in front of the procession, followed by a weeping Hagrid carrying Harry's dead body (Supposed dead body) , and Nagini crawling closely behind, now free of her enchanted cage, around his shoulders.
Now all that is needed is a dead Nagini to make Voldemort mortal.
I could see Professor McGonagall, whose scream of anger, despair, and denial was all the more terrible to my ears because I had never imagined her capable of such a noise. The mocking laughter of another woman nearby was heard, and I knew that voice from anywhere, it was Bellatrix glorying in McGonagall's despair.
My own scream was worse than Professor McGonagall's, but I didn't care at the moment.
That was my friend. My first and best friend. Him being dead didn't really register in my mind. I can hear Ron yelling and cursing at Voldemort. Every people in the castle were cursing and screaming at Voldemort.
Something happened and suddenly Neville broke off from the crowd and charged towards Voldemort. I was really impressed by Neville's bravery. I never really knew what happened after that, until I saw Harry jump down from Hagrid's arms and started firing spells at Voldemort, running towards the castle.
And then there was total uproar. I didn't see harry until after the battle. He was being taken to the hospital wing unconscious for unknown reasons. Later I came to know he fainted due to magical exhaustion. Apparently fighting the dark lord of all time does that to people. Huff.
After that, I helped professor McGonagall with the students and resistance forces that were injured with first aid so that healers can deal with the critically injured first. Fatalities were accounted and nearly fifty students died in the battle.
I still didn't know how to tell Harry that he had lost Remus. It took nearly six hours for the emergency situation to turn around.
I left to the infirmary to look after harry. I saw him sitting on the bed with a potion bottle in hand. After we talked for a little bit, he wanted to be left alone. I didn't want to leave him. I can see the whirlpool of emotions on his face. I can't leave him alone. Not now, not after he just lost the one man that was his close link to his parents. But Ron held me back.
"Ron we need to support him, now more than ever. Harry is without a doubt one of the people most affected by the war, having lost parents, godfather, mentor, and many friends and now Remus and Tonks too".
"Give him some time mione, he always comes back. It has always been like this. Leave him alone and he will be back to normal soon. We can help the others for now. When he comes back, we can talk more. Okay".
I thought for some time and nodded my head.
"I will go ask Professor McGonagall if she needs any help, you also look around for any work and help anyone in need"
(AN : I tried writing the Point of view method. But I am not really satisfied with it. If some readers give your opinion then it will be useful. I will continue or avoid writing it in POV format)