#THATS ME SOBBING IN THE BACK OF THE MAP CHAMBER

[girl-named-matty]

THE WAY HE TRIES TO RAISE HIS HEAD AND BE STRONG FOR MIRIAM 😭😭😭

[hphoneysuckle]

Harry Potter and the Honeysuckle Vine. Chapter 1: Reparo

Chapter 1: Reparo

“I think Harry’s right,” said Hermione quietly.

“That wand’s more trouble than it’s worth,” said Harry. “And quite honestly,” he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four poster bed lying waiting for him in gryffindor tower, and wondering whether kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, “ I’ve had enough trouble for a lifetime.”

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May 2, 1998

As those words escaped his lips, it dawned on him through the exhaustion. His role - the boy who lived, the chosen one, the prophecy - it was over. Voldemort was over. He could just be Harry. He could be normal. But first he needed some serious sleep, considering he, ron and hermione had been awake for about 48 hours.

The trio turned towards the stone gargoyle and were met by professor mcgonagall. Her hair unkempt, all over the place, and her robe torn and scattered with blood stains.

“ hello you three.” she said, surprised to find them here.

“Hello, professor, I just wanted to speak to dumbledore”

“Oh, yes of course, I’ll come back”

“no we’re finished, we’re going to head up to the gryffindor tower to sleep, but in the next few days I would like for us to talk, if thats ok”

Harry had said it before he knew what he was thinking. He wasn’t ready in this moment but he would tell them all what happened. All of it, and he knew deep down he couldn't do it more than once and so he would tell them all at once.

“Of course Mr Potter, now I need to contact the school governors and certain folks at the ministry, with so much damage to the castle I’m not sure hogwarts will remain open. But that's for another day. Goodnight you three”

As the three of them reached the gargoyle, Harry heard McGonagall speak,

“he’s come so far since we dropped him at 4 privet drive”

“Yes,” the portrait replied softly but with an overtone of pride, “At extraordinary cost, the three of them have done more than any of us could have hoped for.”

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May 4, 1998

Harry didn’t remember getting into bed, or walking back to gryffindor tower. But by the feel of the sheets and the way the sun felt through the bed hangings he knew that's where he was. He sat up slowly feeling the side table for his glasses. As the room came into focus, so did the weight of the previous days, of Fred, Lupin, tonks, and in some ways himself.

He absentmindedly put his hand to his scar while Ron entered the room.

“Your awake finally” Ron said, half smiling, though it was evident he had been crying.

“Ron, I… I’m so sorry”

Ron stopped and sat on the bed and weakly nodded. “You realize you've been asleep for two days. Everyone’s been getting worried. Ginny is practically besides herself”

“Ginny…” Harry repeated, trailing off, he had no idea what he wanted to say to her, all he knew is he wanted her back and would do just about anything she wanted.

“So its about to be lunch time, and Professor McGonagall was going to give us an update on if the castle can be repaired.”

The two grabbed clean robes from the foot of the bed and headed towards the great hall. Harry stopped about halfway down the stairs when he could hear the murmurs of all the survivors gathering for a meal.

“Ron, I need to do something outside, let them all know that I’ll be there in about 10 minutes, well it might be less if this doesn’t work, but then I need to see everyone together. You, Hermione, all your family, the order, the ministry, the DA, all of them. I’m telling you all what happened.”

Ron looked at him worried, “ you sure your ready mate?”

“Yes, I want it over with as soon as possible.”

“Ok then, I’ll save you a seat”

Harry headed out through what used to be the entrance hall onto the grounds. In turning around, in the full late morning sun, Harry could see just how devastated the castle was.

He pulled the Elder Wand out of his pocket. The idea came to him after repairing his own wand with it. It was a big job, and he doubted it would work. But somehow, Harry knew dumbledore would approve of this last use of the thing. To make it’s last deed one of healing and repair before it was placed back in Dumbledore's tomb.

He held the wand aloft thinking of all the times he had taken this building in, all the memories of being with his friends around the grounds, of going into the forest with Ron and Hermione, of going into the chamber to save Ginny, all the quidditch practices, the DA meetings, kissing Ginny, studying in the library, he even briefly thought of Dobby in the kitchens with Winky.

A lump the size of a football ended up coming up his throat. He thought of how the blood soaked stone and dirt cann’t be the last thing this place sees. He thought of Fred and firecrackers he and George set off  on Umbridge, He thought of Lupin and Tonks, and now Teddy - Harry knew this is where his godson was going to be educated.

With the tears now in full stream, Harry steadied himself looking at the massive wreck in front of him. He looked up at the owlery and astronomy tower thinking of Hedwig and Buckbeak and the night they saved Sirius.

He closed his water filled eyes as he felt his heart fill with memories and he said softly but surely,

“Reparo”

Nothing happened. He sighed, he thought it would work, he needed it to work.

“Potter!” He heard McGonagall call from the doorway, and as he opened his eyes. He heard it. And from the look on McGonagall’s face so did she.

It was like hearing the Hogwarts Express from off in the distance a slow rumble of a sound. The ground began to shake slightly and as Harry looked around he could see things stirring.

Slowly as the rumble grew louder, small stones in the heaps of crumbled walls started to chatter. Some began to rise.

Harry’s heart swelled and more stones rose, now accompanied by bigger stones, roof tiles and statues. McGonagall had walked out the door now and was standing next to Harry staring at the debris rising all around open mouthed. People were coming out of the great hall now surrounded by banisters and tapestries gliding back to their rightful places above them.

Harry saw Mr Weasley put an arm around Mrs Weasley as she cried at the sight. He saw Ron holding Hermione‘s hand and point at books flying towards the library.

And then it happened. The air was filled with color as millions of small stained glass shards rose glittering. It was as if rain of every color was falling in reverse.

“It’s beautiful” McGonagall breathed.

“No, she’s beautiful” Harry replied. Because there among the streams of color and the last remnants of battlements flying into place, was Ginny turning around in wonder. And suddenly her eyes met his, and for the briefest moment he knew, everything would be ok.

But before that feeling could sink in, a booming voice - not unlike a Mrs. Weasley howler broke the moment.

HARRY JAMES POTTER! How DARE you! You leave me, broken hearted, and in the dark for a YEAR! You just leave! You LEFT me for a year with the Carrows and Snape, not knowing a THING about your whereabouts! For all I knew, you could be DEAD! Along with Ron and Hermione, and I wouldn't know a thing!" Ginny was yelling at Harry, oblivious to everyone staring. "And then you come back! You go and YOU disappear on me once AGAIN not knowing where you were! Then we go outside to find you DEAD!" Ginny was nearing hysteria now. "Do you know how it FEELS, Harry, to have the love of your life DEAD AT YOUR FEET? Do you Harry? To have your world crashing down before you? Ginny had tears streaming down her face, and she was shaking from her sobs.

Voldemort had KILLED YOU! But of course you were NOT DEAD! You were faking it! But the scare you gave me was NOT FAKE! I was crushed, NO, I was far beyond crushed! And now you come BACK! And you think that everything's OK? Well it's NOT Mr. Potter! It’s not!

But before he could think to say sorry she was off, running across the lawn towards the trees encircling the lake. He knew where she was going.

“I’ll go get her” Harry heard Hermione say behind him as he watched her run.

“No, I need to be the one.” He told Hermione. Then turning to Professor McGonagall, Harry said “Did Ron mention to you I wanted to talk to everyone?

She nodded, still staring at the repairing castle.

“How about everyone eat, and then we can talk, I’ll get Ginny.”

—————-

He knew where he would find her the moment she started running.

All that time staring at her dot on the marauders map while away, he knew her favorite spot.

“Ginny?” He said softly approaching a cluster of  three trees at the shore of the lake.

“I don’t want to speak to you. I can’t speak to you. God harry I’m so angry”

“I know, Ginny, but I’m just going to say some things and you don’t have to say anything. I just…. could you listen…”

He couldn’t tell if she nodded or if her shoulders moved from crying but she wasn’t yelling so it was a good sign to go on.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving and disappearing, out of all the screaming when Hagrid carried me to the castle it was yours that was the hardest to hear. I love you Ginny“

At this she turned around quickly and faced him. He kept talking to ward off another howler

“I have loved you for a long time but couldn’t allow myself to think about a future. I had one goal one single thing, a prophecy to fulfill, and so I couldn’t, it was… how did you put it some stupid noble reason”

He thought he saw the flash of a smile, or maybe it was the light

“I told you then that our time spent together was like out of someone else’s life, well now it doesn’t have to be. It’s over. Voldemort’s over, and you don’t have to answer me now but I do not want us to be over. I have missed you more than I thought humanly possible and I’m about to go inside and tell everyone how this all happened. And well…. if I’m being honest it’s really you I need to hear it.”

He was out of breath. She stood there arms crossed, hard to read. A good five seconds of silence

He could feel the slump happen, like a withering plant.

“Ginny, I … “ he said softly “I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore but can you at least come up to the castle and listen to what happened.”

She paused and then slowly walked towards him, her eyes were glittering with tears,

“Harry…”

She flung her arms around his neck and said “I love you too” before kissing him like she never had and with all the fury and fire that felt for him.

And she literally knocked him over.