My Last Breath

After dusting himself off, he made his way up the hill to Hogwarts. Dumbledore will know what to do with him, he thought with determination. He walked quickly past the Forest, willing himself not to glance into its depths. Finally, panting, he reached the doors. Harry took a deep breath and stepped inside.

It was amazing to see how quickly it had been rebuilt after the war. To Harry, it looked just like it did when he was a student. That seemed ages ago. He stood just inside the doors, smiling as memories of his adventures came flooding back.

"Mr. Potter! How good to see you!" Harry looked up to see Professor Snape rushing towards him.

The older man pulled him into a hug before stepping back. Harry blushed at the attention. It was still very strange to see his former Potions master acting so friendly.

"Hello Professor. I came to speak to Headmaster Dumbledore. Is he available?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure he will be pleased to see you. We all miss your presence in the castle very much, but I think it would be wise to pay a few other people a visit as well," Snape replied with a wink.

"I will. Could you tell me the password and I'll let you return to your students?" Harry said with a smile.

"Of course. It's 'Fudge Flies' and be sure to say farewell before you leave."

With that, Harry left Professor Snape standing at the bottom of the stairs as he made his way to Dumbledore's office.

Harry knew the route all too well and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the Gargoyle that guarded the door. He said the password and stepped onto the moving staircase. He drew in a breath before knocking.

The door swung open and Harry stepped into the brightly lit room. A smile touched Harry's lips as he took in the familiar surroundings before the wise wizard appeared. It took Dumbledore a second to take in the young man in front of him, but he quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around Harry.

"My dear boy, it is wonderful to see you again. How have you been?" he said with a smile that caused his eyes to sparkle.

"I'm fine but I'm not here to talk about me," Harry said.

"Yes, of course. You would like to speak to me about Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said and Harry smiled at his knowledge. "Well, I must say I'm rather proud of how you have offered your home to a former enemy. I think it is important that he stay hidden from the wizarding world because I am sure his father is hunting for him even as we speak."

Hunting? Harry thought. Now I'm really confused!

"So, how long should I keep him there?" Harry asked, running his hand through his hair for the millionth time.

"As long as necessary, but before you return home, I would like to remind you that Draco was never a death eater."

"But he wasn't on our side either. In fact, he didn't fight at all. Do you wish for me to just forget all that he has done?" Harry asked, flushing with anger. How was he supposed to forget years of hate?

"Not forget, Harry. I only wish for you to put it all in the past where it belongs," Dumbledore said wisely, rising to hug Harry again before escorting him back to the stairs. "Please come visit again and I will be sure to keep you informed of anything important."

"You always do Professor. Thank you."

Harry walked back down the corridor but paused as he reached the Grand staircase. He spun on his heel and made his way to the Transfiguration classroom. He knew Hermione would be in class, but he also knew she would hurt him if she ever found out he was in the school and didn't stop to say hello.

As he reached the room, the bell rang signaling the end of the lesson and Harry pressed himself up against the wall. Hordes of students came filing out from every direction and no one noticed the man as he squeezed past them into the room. Hermione was sitting behind her desk and Harry smiled at the sight of his old friend.

"Not working too hard I hope," he said to announce his presence. Brown eyes met his and the woman let out a squeal of delight at the sight of him. She raced from behind her desk and jumped into his arms.

"Harry! It's so good to see you! What are you doing here? What have you been up to? Tell me everything," the bushy haired Gryffindor said, all in one breath.

"I had to speak to Dumbledore about my new house guest. I just thought I'd say hello before returning home," he said with another smile. It occurred to him that he should probably visit his friends more often. They always brightened his day.

"House guest? What are you talking about?"

"Well, why don't you and Seamus come to dinner at my flat tomorrow and I'll fill you in on all the juicy details of my life?" Harry asked.

"I'd be glad to come but Seamus won't be able to make it. We broke up. Again," Hermione replied. "I'll tell you all about it on Sunday, and you should call Ron and invite him too. He'd love to see you and I think him and Haley are in town."

"I'll do that!" Harry said.

He hugged his friend again, said good-bye and went to find one last person.

In an upscale London hotel, Ron Weasley rolled over in bed only to find himself alone. He sighed and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Haley Brown was standing at the window, wrapped in a bed sheet. She had a far-away look in her eyes. Ron had seen that look many times before. He knew it meant that she was thinking about her family.

Haley had grown up in an orphanage in America. She doesn't know her parents and she has spent her life looking for them. Ron has tried to help, but Haley always denies him. She had come to London to help fight the war, but Ron knew she was using war as an excuse to search for her past. They never speak about it because it always ends in a fight.

Ron ran his hand through his untidy red hair before speaking. "Morning, baby."

"Morning Ron," she replied. She stepped over to the bed and planted a kiss on his cheek. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I have to go see Hermione and hopefully get across town to see Harry."

At that very moment, Hermione appeared out of thin air. She squealed and ran to Ron, throwing her arms around him. "Oh, Ron! It is so good to see you!" she then turned to Haley and gave her a polite hug as well.

"Hermione, what are you doing here? I was going to come and see you at Hogwarts. Is something wrong?" Ron asked, concern flashing across his face. Having a best friend like Harry would cause anyone to think the worst first.

"Of course not! I just couldn't wait to see you. Also, I wanted to talk to you about Harry. He came to Hogwarts this morning and he has invited us all to dinner at his flat tomorrow," she said all in one breath.

"Harry went to the school? Did he take it ok?"

"Wait," interrupted Haley. "Harry hasn't been to the school since the war? That was almost three years ago. Why did he choose today?"

The room fell silent for a moment as the three of them considered this. It didn't last long before Hermione had an explanation. "He said he has a new house guest he wants us to meet. He said he had talked to Dumbledoore about it."

They all knew that Harry was gay but they had not seen him with a man since before the war started, when he dated Justin Finch-Fletchley briefly. They knew he had been on a few dates since then but the relationships never lasted more than a few dates. Ron, Hermione, and Haley were all thinking the same thing; was Harry in a serious relationship and did he ask the new guy to move in?