Harry Potter and the Dark Mark

Epilogue

"So, how was your year, Harry?" Ginny asked cheerfully as she dragged her trunk into the luggage compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

Harry thought for a moment as he helped her with her trunk. "It was ok," he said. Ginny threw back her head and laughed in exasperation. "What?" he asked innocently.

"You're ALWAYS ok," she explained. "Everything is ok if anyone bothers to ask you," she said, shaking her head.

Harry laughed too. "But it is!" he protested. "And my year was ok. There were bad bits... and there were good bits. My exams went ok too," he said before Ginny could complain again.

They walked together to the compartment Ron and Neville were saving them. Hermione had gone straight to the Prefect's Compartment, full of the excitement of being in charge. Harry opened the door for Ginny and she stepped through, choosing a seat opposite Harry and next to Ron.

"Sweet?" Ron asked, offering them both some Fizzing Whizzbees. Both accepted with a grin.

Harry settled back in contentment and looked to Neville who was reading a book on Herbology. This one appeared to be on the subject of trees. Harry shook his head. Why read on the way home for the holidays?

"Nev?" he queried. Neville looked up and smiled vaguely. "Want to play Exploding Snap?" Neville nodded yes and set down his book next to Harry.

"Are you dealing?" he asked Ron, who had the cards in his hand.

Soon a raucous game was underway. Harry was losing fast. Determined to be the first to snap he flung his hand forwards and the whole pile exploded, sending him jumping backwards. Through the smoke and sparks and fluttering cards Neville's book got knocked to the floor.

Shrieking with laughter, Ginny swept the pile into her hands and thrust it at Harry. "Here!" she giggled. Harry took the cards and moved to pass Neville his book when a word on the page open leapt out at him.

"What's an Aquifolius?" he asked casually.

"It's the Latin name for a holly tree," Neville said mildly, before moving the book to his bag. Harry hugged the scrap of information to himself. The Prophecy made sense within his mind. He had the strength of his Holly wand with its core of Phoenix Feather, and he was a lion, in Gryffindor.

"Snap!" Ron bawled, and another explosion called Harry back to the game. He joined in with gusto, happy with everything he knew. He hadn't told Ron or Hermione about the Prophecy yet because it still felt to him as if it could be a mistake. After all, Voldemort had said it himself; Harry was just a 'skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent.' Harry didn't really want to feel destined to fight Voldemort, although it was growing on him that he might be.

"DAMN!" Ron swore as a few cards caught fire. Ginny put them out quick enough, but it would be impossible to continue the game.

"Dean said he had a spare pack," Neville said. "We could go see," he suggested. Ron grinned and sprang up.

"What are we waiting for then?" he demanded, and dragged Neville out of the compartment.

In the sudden silence left by their departure, Harry sighed slightly. Ginny cleaned up the remains of the cards and settled back down into her seat.

"I have something of yours," Harry said. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a very worn photograph that had something folded inside it.

Ginny looked up enquiringly and held out her hand. Harry dropped her red ribbon into her palm. "Off your present to me at Christmas," he explained. Ginny smiled and nodded. As she tied the ribbon into her hair, she eyed the batter photo.

"What's that?" she asked, nodding her head towards it.

"Oh, nothing," Harry said quickly, trying to hide the photo.

"Let me see!" Ginny pleaded. Harry couldn't resist. He passed her the photograph, looking away so he didn't have to see her reaction.

"That's the one Lee and Colin took, isn't it? I don't think it's that bad. I like the way your hair looks," Ginny said, as if it were a holiday snapshot or something so innocuous.

She passed it back to him and he took it, slightly stunned at her reaction. Mercifully at that moment Neville stuck his head round the door. "Dean says you have to come to his compartment if you want to play, they're using two packs together so loads of us can play," he panted, before disappearing again.

"Well, you game?" Ginny asked Harry impishly.

"Always!" Harry laughed.

Entering the compartment, Harry was met with lots of familiar faces. Dean, Neville, Seamus, Ron and Hermione (who looked slightly put out to be in such an overcrowded place,) Lavender, Parvati, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbot and Ernie Macmillan. All of them were making as much noise as a full Quidditch Stadium as Dean dealt the cards rapidly.

Soon Harry was submerged in the game. He forgot everything that had happened over the past year and he forgot that he would have to spend most of the summer with the Dursleys. He was simply happy being Harry and having friends. He'd been through bad times and he'd been through good times but the point was he'd got through them, and there were always people there for him at the end. He may be destined to fight Voldemort, but there was one thing he was sure of, and that was that he'd never have to do it alone.

The End