I think there were/are many, many people upset at the lack of "aftermath" after DH (though I think no matter what JKR wrote we would have wanted more! And at least the way it was left, left the doors open to loads of fan fiction). I found myself looking up DH after I read your notes but before I started the chapter. I was convinced that after Harry had used the elder wand to fix his own one he had destroyed it...I stand corrected! No idea how I got that in my head (and it def wasn't because of the DH part 2 movie!)

Harry must be exhausted, but even when you finally get on your own after a stressful time your brain does refuse to stop, I totally believe in being "over-tired"...being so tired that you cant actually sleep. I don't sleep well myself and can well relate to the head buzzing! Top that with the constant need of everyone to have a bit of him and its no wonder he wanted to escape.

I did wonder if the portrait was going to be of the people in the room (including fred, bill and charlie)....that reminds me of something I've kept meaning to bring up....Charlie is very missing from your stories....is there a reason for that? It's just something I kept noticing.

Author's Response: One of my pet peeves is that so much movie canon gets mixed up with book canon in stories and the minds of JKR's readers. At the time I wrote this aftermath, I had no idea that David Yates would ultimately have Harry snap the Elder Wand, since the sixth movie had yet to make an appearance! Harry is exhausted, mostly because of the amount of energy it took to go through the battle with Voldemort and come back from the dead as well as be civil to all those wanted his attention and/or interview after the battle. Harry's smiling because he now knows he has a partner in his wrestlesness. As for Charlie, I think I left him out mostly because he's a very sideline character in most of the HP books. Having a job so far from England makes it hard to fully participate in his family's activities. Therefore, to follow canon, I mostly left him out of my stories. I hope this satisfies your curiosity. Thanks for the review. Only one more chapter to go!

Great work! I can't wait for the conclusion of this!

Author's Response: Thanks... it won't be too much longer!

Congratulations on finishing, Arnel! I know how wonderful yet sad that can be at the same time. You had a vision and followed it through, so kudos to you. Thank you so much for the aftermath. You're right - they're my favorite part! It's so nice to see everyone gathering together "after the end," you know? Poor Harry still hasn't had his moment to regroup - and I kind of wish he would've lost it and just hexed Hermione on her house-elf obsession, lol. Alas, a story for another day. All in all - enjoy the feeling of accomplishment before the little worms of a sequel start nesting in your brain! ;) Two thumbs up!

Author's Response: Thank you so much, Melinda! I have enjoyed every review you've written me and value your opinion of my work. You're right about the bitter-sweet feeling of finishing a story and then clicking the "completed" button. You're also welcome... I too felt we needed to know what happened several days after the big battle, so that's why I made sure there was closure to as many threads as I could. As for Hermione and her house-elf obsession, it DID cross my mind to have Harry hex her, but since Ron was right there to defend his girlfriend, I couldn't come up with a satisfactory way to end the conflict without destroying at least the sitting room of Harry's house! In the meantime, I think I've left the story sufficiently closed to another sequel. I've enjoyed writing in this universe, but it's time to explore the one-shots I've abandoned over the years. Those need finishing before I tackle another really long project such as this one. Again, thanks for all the support you've given me.

excellent chapter
I like the way thatyou;ve shown the aftermath and Hermione made me smile ;)

Author's Response: Hermione needed something to smile about. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

Great update

Author's Response: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Well done; interactions are rather believable (given the settings); I particularly liked Hermione's epiphany with respect to House Elves. I suppose Draco's position was pretty odd: accepting condolences for the death of someone who tried pretty hard to kill him & two of his friends.

[Re: last chapter's comments: Aye, to hindsight. Ah, well. And I fancy that had I been asked, I'd have been pleased to be a pre-beta. :-)]

Author's Response: I'm glad you found most of what Harry experienced in the days following the battle to be believable. I was trying for that effect and I'm glad you think I succeeded. What's ironic is that I completely agree with you about Draco's position. However, think about how he was raised: duty, honor and loyalty to family always come before personal feelings. Then, too, there's this thought about parents expressed by Maya Angelou, "'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life." I might be reading things into the situation, but I think Draco's being at the undertaker's to support his mother was part of his need for closure to that chapter of his life. Otherwise, I don't think he would have been able to make the fresh start he professed to desire back in the crypt. As always, I appreciate your making me really think about the reasons I wrote what I did.