Returning Home

Returning Home

What was Harry thinking of when he decided to return? It had been difficult enough to leave ten years ago, but to return now, and face those he felt he had failed? After his battle with Voldemort, Harry had collapsed and been unconscious for about a month. Many believed that he would not survive. Countless witches and wizards had not survived the battle, and more had died while Harry was unconscious. The one Harry felt he had failed the most was Ginny Weasley.

When he had awoken, Hermione and Ron had been at his side. Their faces flashed with a moment of relief to see Harry awake before falling back into haunted expressions. They refused to tell Harry why for several days, making sure he was stronger and the Healers confirmed it was okay to tell him.

It was then that Harry learned from Ron and Hermione that Ginny had also been injured and still remained unconscious in the next room. He also learned about the many losses from the last battle. Ron's parents had died battling Death Eaters just before Harry had faced Voldemort. Ron's brothers, George and Charlie, had also died. Percy had been bitten by a werewolf and committed suicide a week later because his career at the Ministry of Magic was over, as he was spurned by everyone there. Fleur and Bill had survived and moved to live near her family, as Bill could not bear the memories that flooded his mind when he walked into the Burrow.

Nymphadora Tonks had been injured in the battle, but Remus Lupin had saved her life by getting her away to safety before she was killed. However, she would forever have a limp from her injuries. The two of them, Remus and Tonks, had come to visit Harry every day since he had woken up. Remus told him stories about his days at Hogwarts with Sirius, Lily, and James, Harry's godfather and parents.

A representative from the Ministry of Magic had also come to visit Harry to thank him for defeating Voldemort and ask for his assistance in rounding up the many Death Eaters that had survived. Several had escaped, including Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband Rodolphus, which really bothered Harry. He obligingly offered his help in tracking them down. Because of his history, Harry had decided to become an Auror and was to go to training in the fall.

Before he left for Auror training, Harry was Best Man at Ron and Hermione's wedding, and he visited Ginny several times. The Healers told him that they did not expect her to awaken. It hurt Harry greatly to see her lying there, pale and unresponsive.

Harry left for Auror training and spent the next ten years hunting down Death Eaters, capturing Bellatrix and Rodolphus just this past month. He lost contact with his friends, feeling that it was his fault that Ginny was going to die, and that so many others in the Weasley family had perished.

Harry's birthday was approaching, and he felt that now was the time to return. He was surprised to find out that Hermione and Ron had taken up residence in the Burrow, since Ron's parents would not be returning there.

Harry walked up to the door, wanting to turn around and flee with each step he took. He finally made it to the door, taking a few deep breaths before knocking. As he raised his hand to knock, the door flew open and out ran three children, all with bright red hair that shined in the sunlight. Two boys and a girl, all about the same height came dashing into the yard. The girl had bushy hair, and the boys looked identical. They reminded Harry of George and Fred. They all appeared to be about nine years old.

The girl turned around at the edge of the yard and said, "You must be Harry Potter! I'm Molly. You look a lot like the photo Mom and Dad have on the mantle! Mom always said you'd show back up again, especially now that you captured that evil woman, Bellatrix. Go on inside. I need to go make sure George and Arthur stay out of trouble. We are triplets. Mom is inside changing little Charlie, while Aunt Ginny helps her bathe James." Molly then turned around to run after her brothers.

Harry started to shake with Molly's last comment. Is it true? Did Ginny really survive? Why would no one tell me? Harry thought about the several letters he had received, but been unable to open them. He was always afraid that they would contain news of Ginny's death. He never imagined that they could have contained good news about her awaking!

Harry turned around again and faced the door, taking small steps forward, and gently pushed the door open. Inside, he saw one woman with bushy, brown hair kneeling on the floor changing an infant with auburn hair who was wiggling all around, trying to crawl away from the woman as she tried to put his diaper on. At the sink was a red haired woman who leaned over a lad of about four years of age who was splashing around in the extra large sink.

The woman at the sink turned around when she heard Harry's footsteps entering the kitchen.

"Harry!" gasped Ginny Weasley, as Harry fell to his knees. Hermione's head also turned towards the door as Ginny spoke. Tears were soon streaming down the face of all three of them. The infant succeeded in crawling away from his mother, as the four year old continued to splash around in the sink.

The women quickly turned around to finish tending to the small children and a male voice was heard from the next room. "Hermione, we have to be ready for dinner soon, is everyone almost..." But silence ended Ron's question as he entered the kitchen to see Harry kneeling in the doorway.

Ron rushed over to Harry and helped him to his feet, saying, "Harry, you came home, just like Hermione said you would! You are looking well."

Harry didn't know what to say, seeing his old friends. Seeing Ginny standing there at the sink, he didn't know where to start.

"Harry, we tried to write you about Ginny, but never got a response. We never knew if you received my letter. She remained unconscious for about a year, but then woke up. She asked about you, but you were gone," explained Hermione as she came over to the table to sit next to Harry and grasped his hand. "It is so great to see you Harry! We've really missed you around here! I'd like to introduce you to Charlie, the youngest of our brood of children. I have to assume that you met Molly, George, and Arthur on your way in, well, at least Molly. She never was a shy one! That is James over there with Ginny."

"I don't know what to say. I never expected to see all this when I finally came home! I'm sorry I've been away so long, and that I didn't keep in touch. I just felt so guilty about what happened. I needed to make things right, capture all the Death Eaters and return safety to the world. I've missed so much," explained Harry as his eyes moved towards Ginny who was dressing little James.

"Well, you're home now and we can catch up. We understand, mate. You survived through so much and had a lot to deal with. I'm not sure that many of us would have been able to do what you did and not need to get away for a while. I just didn't think it would take ten years!" Ron remarked.

"I've been waiting for you, Harry, to come home so I could thank you. Thank you for saving this world for my nieces and nephews. You did all you could for the rest of us. Maybe there is hope for us, too," Ginny stated as she placed James on the floor to go play with his older siblings in the yard. She walked over and grasped Harry's free hand. Her eyes glowed with the unspoken feelings that remained in her heart for this man who had been gone for so long.

"Now we can have a new beginning. Welcome home, prodigal son, who had his own battles to face before being able to allow himself to move on with his life," Ginny said as she embraced the man her heart had longed for the past ten years.