Chapter 1

Notes: Beta thanks and other notes will be added after the reveal. The usual disclaimers apply (not mine, no money).

The war was finally over. The dead were mourned and buried, and the celebrations were finally winding down. It had been two months since the final battle, and the Trio had more than a month until they were to return to Hogwarts for their final year of school. Headmistress McGonagall had decided that school would begin in October that year instead of September to allow the students time to recover from the battle and to spend time with their families.

“Feels weird, doesn't it?” Harry asked, breaking the silence as the three sat outside at the Burrow.

Hermione looked up from her new Defence book and nodded at Harry. “It certainly does. No Horcruxes to find, no Dark Wizards to track down. I think I almost forgot what it was like to be just a normal witch. I think the last time I was a normal witch was back in our first year, for about a month or so.”

“Yeah, before we fought that troll in the girls' bathroom,” Ron piped up, unwrapping a Chocolate Frog.

“I thought you had all of those Chocolate Frog cards, Ron.” Hermione shook her head and smiled.

“Hey, I still like chocolate. 'Sides, they have been coming out with some new ones. Here, Harry, I think you would like to have this one,” Ron said, handing it to him.

Harry looked at the card and placed it in his pocket, then stood up and went over to the pond, gazing down into the water.

Hermione watched him walk away and then turned to Ron. “Who was on that card, Ron?”

“His dad. I thought he'd want to have it.”

“Didn't you think that maybe it would make him feel bad? How would you have felt if someone handed you a card with Fred's picture on it?”

***

Harry stood near the pond, looking out at the water. He knew that Ron had meant well, but he couldn't possibly understand what it was like to lose a parent. It was true that Fred had been killed in the battle, but he still had a family. He still had five brothers, a sister, and two parents. And even though Harry thought of the Weasleys as his family, they could never replace his real parents.

He took the Wizard card out of his pocket and looked at it, smiling as his father waved at him from his picture. His father looked so much like him, especially now that he was older. He saw the writing underneath his father's picture, but he couldn't read it. Not now.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Ron and Hermione standing behind him.

“I'm sorry, mate. I wasn't thinking when I gave you that.”

“It's okay, Ron. I know that you meant well, and I'm glad that you gave it to me. I just didn't expect it, that's all.” Harry looked at the card once more before putting it back in his pocket.

“Think Mum's calling us for lunch. We better head in,” Ron said, making his way toward the house.

“Some things never change,” Hermione said with a laugh.

***

“So, on the 15th of September, there will be a special ceremony to award the Order of Merlin, First Class, to Mr. Harry Potter, the wizard who is responsible for taking down Voldemort, formerly known as He Who Must Not Be Named."

Harry stopped eating and looked at the wireless. They were giving him the Order of Merlin? What about all the people who had died? He had done nothing special.

“Excuse me, please,” he said, standing up from the table and going upstairs. Once he reached the room that the Weasleys had given him, he laid on the bed with his hands behind his head. How was he going to go to that ceremony and accept that award when so many of his friends had died during the battle?

Once he heard Ron and Hermione's footsteps outside the door, he had come up with a plan. He wasn't going to be there for the ceremony, if his plan worked.

There was a knock at the door, and the door cracked open a bit.

“Can we come in, Harry?” Hermione asked, poking her head in.

“Sure, come on in.” Sitting up on the bed, Harry watched his friends enter the room and smiled at them. “You know, I've been thinking about something. I never properly thanked the two of you for all the help that you gave me over the years. How about the three of us take a trip somewhere? We can go have some fun together before we go back to Hogwarts.”

“This doesn't have anything to do with what we heard on the wireless, does it?” Hermione asked, sitting down on the bed beside him.

“I don't want to be here and accept a nice award when so many people have died. I don't deserve it. Besides, don't the two of you want to go and do something normal for once?”

“It sounds good to me,” Ron said, swallowing the bit of food he still had in his mouth.

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking and planning, trying to decide where the three of them were going to go. Little did they know that they were in for another adventure.

And here's the prompt followed:

Coping in the Aftermath

a. Many people were affected by Voldemort — his followers,

his victims, etc. After the war is over, how are they

dealing? After all, for people like Harry, Ginny, the

trio, and especially the Malfoys, he was a huge part of

their lives. How are they dealing with his demise and

are there any repercussions?