The Art of Peace

Epilogue

Ginny awoke with the bright morning sunlight pouring in the window. Squinting in the glare she looked about in confusion. Where was she? The long rows of beds with sleeping patients around her answered that well enough. Now why was she there? Ginny remembered; the last thing she had seen was the Death Eater falling to the ground and then Harry's face. Harry! Where was he? Had he survived? What had he done to her? Despite knowing the pain she had been in, she now felt nothing. In fact, she felt stronger somehow, like there was more magical energy in her system than there usually was. Cautiously she got up from the bed and moved toward the kitchens to get something to eat. Before she had even gotten out of the Great Hall, however, she saw several people approaching. She smiled as she saw her family; it slipped from her face though as she realized Harry was not with them. Their faces were somber as well - something was wrong.

"Thank Heavens you're all right!" her mother cried as she pulled her into an embrace. "We thought we had lost you too!"

Ginny just held her mother in silence. Suddenly she noticed an absence. Pulling back she asked her mother:

"Where is George?"

The sobs that came in response told Ginny all she needed to know. Her own eyes filled with tears as she pulled her mother into a tight embrace once more. The rest of the family gathered around, reassuring each other with their presence while Fred hung back, his eyes a listless reflection of his once joyful self. Ginny pulled back.

"Was it worth it? Did we win?"

The sad smile and nod from her father gave her heart. Harry must be alive then, because he was the key. Without him Voldemort could not die.

The Tibetan camp had a subdued atmosphere. While its occupants had come knowing that they could die, the reality of that death was always harsher than expected. The bodies had been arranged in rows, magic keeping them from decomposing, and soldiers passed alongside saying their goodbyes to friends and comrades. When they left for home the bodies would come as well for the proper burial in the mountains of their homeland. Harry and Claude had had a rough night but with the coming of the dawn they were finally at peace. Sifu had not died, merely passed on, and for those who knew him, they knew he had been looking forward to the next step of the journey. Sifu's final resting place would be alongside the same monastery he had called home for much of his life. Harry and Claude had decided to return with him. Harry's home was no longer England just as Claude's was no longer France. At the monastery they could be real without the expectations or condemnations of anyone else. It was Home.

Severus was irritated. Annoyed. Aggravated. Here he was after the greatest victory in the modern wizarding world and he had to sit in a council to decide what to do next! It did not help that no one else wanted to be there either. In fact it made it worse as everyone wanted to be out with their families and several arguments had risen as a result. The only thing that made it worthwhile was watching Sirius try to explain his various decisions to people who had lost friends and family the day before. The only problem was that his revenge had happened the one time that he agreed with Sirius Black completely. Finally he lost his patience in the midst of a diatribe by the recently arrived head of the Weasley clan.

"Enough!" Heads turned his way n consternation. Since when had Snape of all people had an opinion in Council? "Don't you realize this was his only option? Yes, people died. IT'S WAR!!! Weasley, you lost your son; that must be hard. But you won the battle! Voldemort is dead! Don't any of you understand that? The Dark Lord is dead and his followers are either dead or locked up in the dungeons. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Snorting in disgust at the proceedings in general he rose from his chair. "I'm leaving. Albus, I resign from my position as Potions Master. I'm sick of dealing with those little sycophants and terrors you call children and with Voldemort's death I don't have a reason to stay. Potter's guardian gave me ideas, and I am following them. Good day."

With one last turn of his billowing black robes Severus Snape swept out of Hogwarts for good. Now he had to find Sifu and see if he wanted a companion for the trip back to Tibet.

Not ten minutes later a much subdued Severus Snape stood before the body of the man he had hoped to one day call friend. Nearby he saw Harry and Claude looking at him, distrust in Harry's eyes. Resigning himself to showing emotion to Potter Severus approached them to give his condolences.

"He was a good man," he started. Harry and Claude nodded in agreement. "I would like to have known him better."

Harry looked at him with sad eyes.

"He would have liked that too, Professor."

With nothing else to say Severus turned to leave.

"Wait," Harry said. "Where are you going now?"

"I don't know. I left my position here, so perhaps I will see if the family home still remains."

"You could go to Tibet. Sifu would have liked that and I'm sure there is much there for you to do. They don't care who you used to be. You would be a real person there."

"Perhaps," Severus replied, trying not to let his surprise at the offer show. Of all people he would expect to offer him a place, Harry Potter would be the last. Maybe there was something there for him after all even with Sifu gone.

"We leave in two days at dawn. I hope to see you then."

Severus nodded and turned to leave. He had many things to do before he left and a day and a half was not much time. Of course as a spy he had few friends to say farewell to; hopefully that would change.

After Severus left, Harry went up to the castle as well. He had not seen Ginny since the previous day's events. Walking in the gates he saw an almost forbidding atmosphere. Wands were much in evidence as the residents walked above the dungeons holding their erstwhile opponents. Rather than acting as normal people did the day after a victory, it was as if they were expecting the other shoe to drop at any time. Perhaps living through Voldemort's resurrection had caused them to be suspicious of victory. Whatever the cause, it was not his concern so Harry continued into the castle. The Great Hall was a madhouse. Cots lined the open areas and healers bustled in between caring for their patients. In one corner Harry saw the Weasley clan clustered together in conversation so he moved toward them. Before he had made it halfway Ginny saw him. Running to him she drew him into a hug, whispering in his ear.

"I'm glad you're alive."

Harry said nothing in response, just letting her touch comfort him in ways words could not. He pulled away as the rest of the family approached, greeting them each in turn. They talked quietly for a while, remembering the dead. Soon it was time for lunch and the much reduced population of the castle squeezed into the Great Hall wherever there was room. Claude had joined them as well, the Weasleys welcoming him as one of their own. However, from various corners of the room Harry saw dark looks pass Claude's way. It seemed Harry and Claude had not been the only one's in the conversation with Voldemort before his death. By the end of the meal word seemed to have filtered throughout the room, and it was only Claude's conversation with Mrs. Weasley that saved him from the shame they were trying to induce. Harry quickly moved Claude out of the gates before the younger boy could realize what was up.

The next day Harry spent trying to keep Claude away from the castle without arousing his suspicions. Ginny realized the cause and was more than willing to come and see Harry in the camp, as were the rest of his surviving friends. Neville and Dean had both died in the early years of the conflict and Parvati Patil had fallen the day before as she was tending the wounded, but despite the tragedy of these losses, they were the only ones from the Gryffindor House that Harry had grown up in. That in itself was surprising given the rampant casualties throughout the Wizarding community on both sides of the war. The Slytherin House that Harry remembered was almost entirely wiped out. Contrary to popular opinion before the war, however, its members had not died primarily in Voldemort's service but in equal amounts on both sides as the House provided troops in a multitude of roles for the two armies. The other three houses were slightly better off, but it was the graduates who had suffered most. Almost an entire generation of wizards had fallen in battle, and even though the war was 'over', many still needed an outlet for their rage and grief. It would be many years, perhaps several decades, until the scars from the war were removed. However, there were many good people left behind with the will to continue, and as long as they stood up to the would-be tyrants who were sure to come.

Dawn of the next day came earlier than Harry anticipated. Although he realized that his place was no longer in England, it still hurt to leave once more. The previous evening had been spent in tearful farewells with the Weasleys as well as Sirius and Remus and taking care of last minute business. What few remaining items Harry had from his childhood he got rid of. His memories of his parents were inside of him and what little else he had only brought back bad memories. His broom and books had been left behind four years before and was gone for good now, while his invisibility cloak had been lost with the death of one of the scouts during Rinchen's delaying action. There was only his wand left, and that he gave back to Ollivander - perhaps one day it would introduce yet another child to the Wizarding World. Hopefully his lot in life would be better than Harry's. Gathering his weapons into a bag Harry moved out of the tent and shrunk it before moving off to join Claude and Severus in loading up the wagons to leave. As they were boarding Harry gave one last look back at the castle. To his surprise there was a slight figure running toward them at a breakneck pace. Squinting his eyes against the glare from the rising sun behind him Harry tried to make out who it was. It was Ginny! Gasping for breath she reached them and threw a bag into the back of the wagon before hopping in herself.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"I'm going with you! I want to see what it's like away from here! Everyone has something else now. Ron has Hermione; Bill, Charlie, and Percy are all getting engaged now; and Fred is throwing himself into work like there is no tomorrow. I need something for me, and it isn't here." She looked up at him. "Can I come with you to find it?"

Harry looked down at her and smiled.

"Of course you can."

Satisfied she settled in next to him, Severus' mutterings about the follies of youth serving as a comfortable backdrop. Silently they sat together as the wagons rose as one and wheeled to face the rising sun. Harry felt his spirits lift. He had a brother now, and if his second father had died, he had left a large part of himself behind in the form of hope for the future. There was the sun now coming out from behind the clouds. The future was there, he just had to reach out and take it.