Harry Potter and the Forest of Shadows

Harry Potter and

the Forest of Shadows

Epilogue: Winterlight

A soft blanket of snow covered the peaceful grounds of the Potter Manor. More inches were added as a blizzard raged around the old home. Inside, however, it was warm and cheery. A large group was sitting in one of the living rooms, most of them gathered around the blazing fire.

"What is that?" Harry laughed, as Sirius reentered the room, carrying what looked like a little ball of fuzz.

Everyone else was watching his face, smiling anxiously. Sirius cradled the odd little ball and placed it gently in his godson's lap. Harry laughed even harder when he realized what it was.

"What's its name?" he asked, scratching the little golden puppy behind its ears. It was the cutest thing he had ever seen. Once he had asked for a dog, when he had been younger and was still living full-time with the Dursleys. But now that was a lifetime ago.

"It's practically a newborn. About a month-and-a-half old. You name it."

Harry stared down at the small dog, looking at in deep thought. A wide grin spread over his face. "Hey, what do you all think about the name Snuffles?"

Hermione, Ron, and Sirius cracked up. The rest of the group looked at them like they were mad.

"Something is wrong with you four," Draco said. Melany had insisted that he spend a little bit of the Christmas break with them before so he could finally get a feeling of family.

Harry had to agree with Melany. With her and Draco snuggled up on the couch, Hermione sitting in Ron's lap on the floor, Ginny laying up against him, Sirius and Daisy on the love seat together, Remus and Narcissa relaxing in armchairs, and a house elf bringing endless amounts of hot cocoa and cookies (or biscuits), nothing had ever felt more like a family and a home.

Even with all that though, Harry was sure he was not the only one that was painfully aware of Rosy's absence. He had been back for a week when he gathered enough nerve to ask Remus where she was. Her body had been found along with his, Lucius', and Tom Riddle's bodies. From the best they could guess, after Snape had portkeyed Harry to the field, she had apparated to make sure nothing went wrong. However, for once in his life, Harry did not feel terribly guilty. He knew that she had done it because she loved him.

"I'll have to agree with you on that one, Malfoy," Ginny said, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

Everyone was having a bit of a hard time accepting the fact that Draco really was not on the Dark side- especially Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Harry was more lenient and kind towards Draco. Everyone had pointed it out, laughing at the fact that the two were somewhat getting along.

"You'll have to make sure you're not too wild with him," Narcissa warned. "He's still not very strong."

"Or the other way around," Sirius spoke up.

Everyone gave him a half glare. Though he was looking out for his godson, everyone in the house was getting a little weary with the constant overprotective comments and actions. Harry smiled at his godfather and drew Snuffles to his chest.

As everyone started talking again, he felt himself slide out of the picture. When he first came back, he would not talk. Finally, Sirius and Remus and Ginny got him to but now he preferred to observe the scenes before him. He also was sleeping much more. It did not take much to make him tired. Madam Pomfrey told him when she released him after a long month and a half in the infirmary that as he slowly regained his strength, he would be able to stay awake more.

"I think we should call it a night," Harry heard Sirius say suddenly.

His eyes opened wide and he saw that he had been dozing off again. "Sorry," he muttered, stifling a yawn and pushing the blankets Sirius had stacked on him off. "Where is everyone?" he said, realizing that it was just he and Sirius.

"They went to bed about thirty minutes ago. Come on, you should be in bed too."

"I'm not five, Sir," he muttered, weakly getting to his feet. He gave a whistle to his new pup and it trotted sleepily behind him. "Good night."

"'Night, kid. See ya in the morning."

Harry walked down the long hallway to his bedroom. While in the hospital wing for a month, Remus, Narcissa, Kammy, and Kyle had decorated the room especially for him. He was absolutely in love with it. Sirius had picked the room out from the many rooms in the Manor. It overlooked the ocean- a view that Harry had stared at for many hours since he had been allowed to come home. What he probably liked most though was that it was not ridiculously grand but his room at the Dursleys was dwarfed in comparison.

He entered, allowing Snuffles in first. The puppy bounded across the carpeted floor and onto the bed. Harry smiled and walked over to his dresser to remove his shirt and place it in one of the drawers. He had been keeping the room spotless, much to the displeasure of Sirius.

"You're a teenager!" he would cry, looking at Harry helplessly. "Teenagers were like created to make messes!"

But old habits died slowly. The top of his dresser though, he was proud to say, was littered with random objects. He gently picked up the medal he had been given when he received the Order of Merlin, First Class. By his side that day had been Snape, Draco, Ron, and Rosy all receiving first Classes and everyone else that had fought that night second or third classes. His and Rosy's medal now sat upon the bureau.

Lying close beside the medals was one plain amulet. The power of the Holders had vanished along with the precious jewel Harry had destroyed. Apparently, nobody had ever before dared to break one, so nobody knew the exact repercussions; only that they would kill anyone near.

This had disturbed Harry greatly. Draco seemed a little down when he actually discovered that he was actually a Holder but he would never be able to use the powers. Harry was more worried about what would happen if their powers were ever needed again. Daisy and Melany, both more knowledgeable than anyone on the subject, reassured him that if their gifts were ever needed again, they would return.

"Besides," Melany said quietly once Daisy had left, "we still have some powers." Much to his horror she had taken a small knife and made a small slit in her palm. She gently took Harry's hand and laid it in her own. With a strange shock, he drew his hand back and found the cut gone, no blood or scar.

"I'm a Healer," he had murmured. The power still frightened him quite a bit. "That means that Malfoy's a seer and you're still a telekinetic."

She had laughed. "And Daisy's still an elemental and whoever inherits Rosy's gifts and amulet, will be telepathic."

As she had turned to leave, Harry stopped her. "How will we know who's going to have Rosy's gifts."

"We'll know." And then in his mind he heard her voice. We Holders have that kind of connection. She had winked and left.

Harry placed the amulet back on the bureau and walked over to his bed. To his surprise and delight, the sheets were nice and warm. Ever since he had woken up in the Hospital Wing, he had not been able to stay warm. Of course, he never complained, but Sirius must have caught him shivering once or twice and asked a house elf to heat the sheets.

For the first time since Halloween, he slept the night without seeing the Dark Lord and the field where their bodies had been found.

~~~

"Harry."

"I believe he's asleep."

"I can see that, thank you Ron. I'm not blind."

Harry grinned.

"Oh, look who's awake," he heard Hermione said pointedly to Ron.

"'Morning mate."

Harry rubbed his eyes and slid his glasses onto his nose. He looked to either side of him. Hermione was on his left and Ron on his right. "What are you two doing?" he asked, sitting up, a smile still on his face. He could not remember the last time the three of them had spoken together.

"Well, we figured you've been home for a few days so we would give you an official welcome, from just us."

"Yea, I guess this is one of the last chances we'll have to talk together for a while," Harry agreed. Even though he loved Ginny and she was Ron's sister and friends with Hermione, it was nice for just the three of them to be able to talk together. "Like old time," he reminisced.

"Y'know mate," Ron said, "It's going to be ridiculously hard to get into as much trouble as usual for the next year and a half."

"Oh, don't be sill Ron," Hermione said seriously, "you didn't hear that the third floor corridor was out of bounds again?"

They all laughed and fell into a silence that was anything but awkward. All three knew that their friendship had grown over the past years, and it went beyond words.

"It's odd," Harry said quietly. This would be the first time he was going to talk about Voldemort since Halloween. "Everything feels out of place- as if I'm looking at completely different surroundings even though I know nothing has really changed."

"I know what you mean," said Hermione. "It's like we've forgotten how we're supposed to act without worry."

"We'll learn together. Just like we always do," Ron said solemnly. "At least we have each other."

"I know one thing we can do," Harry said, a plan coming into his mind. "Sir gave me a book that he and my dad wrote on animagi. I just hope we have a stall in Myrtle's bathroom to brew the potion."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you, Harry."

Harry laughed. "I guess Ginny has some competition."

"HARRY! HERMIONE! RON! BREAKFAST!" Sirius' voice echoed up into Harry's room.

"Would you two care to join me on our new adventure?" Hermione asked, hopping up and holding her elbows out.

"Why of course. How dare you try to think that you could handle this one on your own?" Harry asked, mockingly appalled. He linked his arm in her left one. Ron followed in suit, taking her right arm. They all grinned and headed down to the kitchen, each of them knowing that they were being held together by so much more than just their arms.

Everyone in the house was sitting around the kitchen table. The trio joined them. Harry kissed Ginny good morning. Sirius placed a large plate of pancakes on the table and sat down next to Daisy.

"Sir, pass the syrup!"

"Draco, that was mine!"

"Harry, want to play quidditch later?"

"I don't think he should-"

"Sir, give me the syrup!"

"Where's the ketchup?"

"Ew, gross!"

"It's supposed to snow!"

"Ugh, I can't believe you stupid teachers gave us homework on the holidays!"

"What's the name of that cat that you used to have?"

"What's the difference between sky blue and baby blue?"

"I think we should play that muggle game. Clue or something like that."

"I'm Mrs. White."

"No I wanna be Mrs. White!"

"You can be Colonel Mustard."

Harry sat back and watched the scene for a second, before joining in the hubbub of the morning meal, a smile on his face. They were more than a group of teenagers and adults and old friends.

As odd as it was when they got together; they were a family, forever bound together by friendship and love.