Harry opened his eyes and squinted against the bright sunlight streaming through the windows. He sat up, rubbing his head in confusion. �Hello?� he called as he started to get out of bed. Just then, a medi-witch bustled into the room.
�Mr. Potter, you�re awake!� she smiled, her warm brown eyes full of kindness, and pushed him back down on the bed. �Dumbledore will be very pleased, I�ll have to let him know,� she waved her wand over him, the tip glowing yellow.
�Where am I? How did I get here where�s Volde-� he pushed her hand away from his mouth, �don�t shush me! What is going on?�
�Dear, if you don�t calm down, I�m going to have to give yo a sedative! Dumbledore will be in shortly and you can speak with him, he will give you the answers you need.� She smiled again and fluttered out of the room.
Harry narrowed his eyes as she closed the door. His mind raced with questions but he only had a few moments to himself before Dumbledore knocked on the door and entered. �Ah, Harry, you are awake, good to know,� he smiled in a very grandad-like way.
Harry immediately sat up, questions tumbling from his mouth. �Dumbledore! What�s happened? How did I get here? Where�s Voldemort? What about Ginny? And Neville, is he all right? Where am I? What is going on? How did I get he--�
�Harry, please, try to stay calm. We will get to all of that, one question at a time. Please, sit back and relax, I don�t want Madame Brunelle coming in to sedate you, you�ve just woken up! Now, about how you got here and what is going on with Voldemort, that is a long story in and of itself.� He smiled warmly as Harry visibly relaxed, sure he was finally going to get some answers.
�Two nights ago, you killed Voldemort. Yes, two nights, Harry. The attack plans failed miserably, and your team was marooned in Voldemort�s house with him, do you remember that? Good. Now, from eyewitness accounts, you disarmed him quite effectively with a little bit of help from Peter Pettigrew, a surprising ally. Then, as far as we can tell, after you ordered everyone out, you stopped Voldemort once and for all. You appeared in the ministry of magic only a few moments after your companions did, and promptly passed out.�
Harry gaped at Dumbledore as he told of how there was no obvious reason for the comatoseness and of the political battle that has been ongoing about what to do with Voldemort�s remains. Dumbledore paused, sighing and shook his head.
�Sir, why was I able to kill him? I mean why me? He was pretty much unable to die, but I didn�t seem to have much trouble and...I�m just a youngster, really,� Harry shrugged in confusion, �I don�t have nearly as much power as Snape or Tonks or...what?�
�Harry, you do have power, just a different form. But power had nothing to do with why you could kill Voldemort. It all has to do with the prophecy. We have studied it over and concluded that you were indeed the only one who could vanquish him. The power you have that he doesn�t know, and could never understand, is love. When you get angry, it is never at a personal setback. It is always when someone hurts those you care about. Voldemort had none of that feeling, he had lost everything in him that was human. That is, until he took your blood. He took with it, a part of you, and your mother. This made him just human enough to be able to die, but only by your hand as it was your essence that made it possible. Do you understand?�
Harry nodded but was still confused. �Well if the prophecy is true, how could we could both be alive at the same time, that�s the part I never really understood.�
�Ah, that�s just it, the wording is very precise. It states that �neither can live while the other survives,� correct? Well, Harry, were either of you truly living? You were both half in hiding in fear of the other and that is not living. You were alive and breathing, yes, but experiencing life the way you wanted? No. Neither of you were truly living while the other was still alive.�
Harry sighed and nodded, finally understanding that part of it all and wanting to put it all behind him. �Ginny! Is she alright? Is she safe?�
�Yes, Ginny is fine, sit back down please, she ran�quite literally�into Alastor Moody who instructed her in no uncertain terms she was to go home immediately and wait until this was over. She put up quite a fight at having to be alone though so he told her an incantation that would allow her to bring people into the house as long as they where in contact with her. So she brought half her family with her as well as miss granger,� Dumbledore chuckled softly. �They are all safe, waiting at your house for news of your health. When we�re done here today, I will notify them immediately.�
Harry�s smile broadened at the thought of seeing them all. He suddenly frowned, �what about Neville? He was very upset�I�d even go as far to say he went a little mad, though I think I did too. He ran off after what happened with Bellatrix. Is he alright?�
�Yes, Mr. Longbottom is fine, well physically in any case. He has some very deep emotional scars and has sought counseling. He has still not fully dealt with his parents condition. But I am sure he can work through this.�
Dumbledore�s frown deepened as he continued, �Harry, this brings me to another subject, a very sensitive one, I�m sure. I don�t think you have allowed yourself to grieve. The wounds of losing those you love are as raw as the day the events took place. Not just Remus or Sirius, but your parents as well. When you found out they were murdered instead of killed accidentally, that was overshadowed by the whirlwind of excitement at finding out about the wizarding world. Then year after year, major events happened a whirlwind of activity kept your mind busy.
�Until the day Voldemort returned you seemed to be alright. But he killed without remorse and you suffered for it. I understand why you were so angry when you returned after that summer. You were grieving for your lost childhood because that is what truly happened in that cemetery three years ago.� Dumbledore looked very sad, �I made so many mistakes that year. If I had it to do again, I would lay the information out and let you make your own decisions. But, Harry, you have to understand, I thought I was protecting you!�
Harry, who was fighting the waves of emotional pain that were sweeping over him, placed his hand on Dumbledore�s shoulder and nodded his forgiveness.
�You came back to us that summer, filled with determination. You would not let us allow you to be unprepared or naive to the facts again. I let it go, thinking it was part of your own personal healing process. But you never changed. You never moved on. Not even when Remus was killed so unexpectedly did you even pause.� Dumbledore looked at the floor as Harry was fighting back the tears that were flowing down his cheeks. �Harry, don�t fight it, this is your time. You have no responsibilities, you do not have to save the world. You need to let sorrow flow through you because that is the only way to truly get rid of it.�
Harry began sobbing. Dumbledore promptly pulled him into a very grandfatherly hug. �Harry, I know you feel guilty, but none of this was your fault. The circumstances were beyond any of our control.� Harry slowly calmed down and let go of Dumbledore.
�What should I do now?� He dabbed his eyes with the sleeve of his pajamas and sniffled, �I mean, how do I go about this, I can�t just break down like this all the time.�
�Well, Harry, if you like, we can schedule you with a counselor also. There is no shame in that. You are sick, not traditionally, but sick nonetheless. And you may need help to get better. Bottling u your emotions they way you have been can be dangerous if you try to go about getting out of it alone. You need a bit of guidance to help you find the safest path through them.�
Harry nodded, �make whatever appointments are necessary.� Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder once more and left. Harry felt drained and simply wanted to sleep.
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