We have finally reached the END of This Could Mean Danger. After six and a half years, it's been such a journey and I'm so pleased to have finished this story! I'll admit, as I was writing, there were some parts I knew from Day 1 (back in 2011!) were going to happen, and other parts surprised me as I went along.

I'm looking forward to seeing where my life and my stories take me next. I'm getting married, finishing my degree, and continuing to love where I'm at and where I'm going. Thank you all so much!

Happy Reading

-Gina

Percy watched as Harry brought down Voldemort. It was such poetic justice, he thought, that Voldemort's own killing curse was the spell that ended up killing him. After a beat or two of stunned silence, the room erupted into cheers and crying, and a huge sense of relief washed over him. The few remaining Death Eaters were quickly apprehended, but they didn't seem to be putting up a fight. Everyone knew it was over. At long last, it was finally, finally over.

His eyes scanned the crowd for the 100th time, praying that he'd spot Hermione somewhere. She'd disappeared over two hours ago, and no one had seen her since. Ron appeared at Percy's side, eyes sweeping back and forth over the room as jubilant chaos filled the Great Hall up to the rafters. Swarms of people rushed at Harry, hugging each other and him, shaking his hand, everyone crying and laughing. The Weasleys stood together a short distance away, not concerned about talking to Harry right at this moment. They knew the whole story would come out in due time. Percy felt, and knew his family did also, that Harry was just as much one of their own as any of the biological siblings.

"Percy!" Hermione's voice caught his attention, and suddenly, there she was. She had somehow found him in the crowd and appeared before him in the blink of an eye. Before he could react, she dove into his arms. He picked her up off the ground and hugged her tight, both of their hearts pounding. Her arms squeezed, making it difficult to breathe but he didn't care. She pulled her face back just far enough to look at him, and he leaned in to kiss her without a second thought.

God, it was just as amazing as he had remembered. Her hair tickled his face and they were both covered in dirt and sweat, but he didn't want to let go of her, not even a little bit. He felt tears on his face and realized that she was crying as she kissed him. He found himself breaking the kiss to smile at her. His own eyes burned with tears. Her tears had left clean trails down her dirty face, and she smiled back at him.

"When did that happen?" Ron's voice broke their reverie. He sounded incredulous and amused all in one. Percy set Hermione back down on the floor and knew his face was scarlet red, but he didn't care. Hermione was still grinning, and her shoulder rested against Percy's as they stood together.

"It's sort of a long story," Hermione answered, a sheepish smile creeping across her face.

"I'll say," George grinned, "I think Percy owes us a round of drinks and a full explanation in the very near future,"

"That I do," Percy agreed. They began to hug all over again, folding Hermione into the group now. Mum was already fussing at how thin Hermione had gotten. Fleur's mother found them shortly after, and mother and daughter were consoling each other and celebrating all at once. Percy hadn't known that he could feel so many things all at once. For a moment, he let the noises wash over him, staying grounded by the feeling of Hermione at his side.

"Arthur, Percy, can I borrow you, please?" Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared in the midst of them, Alicia at his side. Alicia had a cut on her forehead and a chunk of her hair had been burned away, but other than that, she looked alright. She smiled at Percy, apparently equally grateful to see that he was alright as well.

"Of course," Kingsley led the small entourage out of the Great Hall to an alcove in the damaged and burned entryway. Ever the leader, Kingsley got right down to business.

"Arthur, I don't know if Percy told you, but he, Alicia, and a group of Wizengamot members managed to completely restructure the government last night. Thanks to one of Alicia's provisions, I've been appointed interim Minister for Magic until elections can be organized. As my first order of business, I appoint you, Arthur, to be interim Lead Department Head, and you, Percy, to be Interim Lead Cabinet Chair. I need a verbal confirmation that you accept these positions. Do you accept?"

"I do," Percy and his father said as one.

"Excellent, thank you. Now, our most urgent matters: getting the children back to their parents, getting the dead taken care of and notifying families, and keeping the remaining Death Eaters in custody. And...reestablishing order in the Wizarding Nation of the United Kingdom…" Kingsley trailed off, and the idea of huge task that lay ahead for them filled the silence, "But for now, the children, the dead, and the Death Eaters,"

"I'll floo call Marius Marklin and get in touch with St. Mungo's. They should be ready to go on that front," Alicia said, "Arthur, you know where all the kids are, why don't you take the lead on that business? Kingsley, you're an auror, you could take charge of organizing law enforcement,"

"Yes," Kingsley nodded. Alicia slipped away, jogging to one of the fireplaces, presumably to begin making floo calls.

"I can start to get an idea of the staff needs we'll have for the immediate future, given the amount of corruption in the ministry and the number of people we've lost. And I'd like to get user-friendly copies of all of the new laws into the hands of the people as soon as possible," Percy chimed in, "There are quite a few new ones, if we count all of the one Alicia and I managed to pass in the last several months, and people should know what they are and how things have changed for the better,"

"Excellent," Dad said, and Percy managed not to blush under the pride in his father's gaze.

"Right, then," Kingsley, even several pounds lighter with a scraggly beard and torn robe, was the picture of poise and confidence. There was a lot of work to be done, but they'd be able to do it.

"Alright. We need to settle the crowd in there and tell them what the plan is, then," Percy led the small group back into the hall, where the jubilant chaos had begun to settle. Percy pointed his wand at his throat. Sonorus.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he said, "If we could have a moment of your time," the hundreds of people began to hush, though an excited buzz of whispers still floated through the room, "My name is Percy Weasley. With me is Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Alicia Spinnet," Alicia, having apparently finished her calls, jogged over to stand by Percy's side, "We are your interim Ministry Executive Office for the time being, and before I begin, I would like to say on behalf of the four of us that it was truly an honor to fight alongside you and serve you, both today, yesterday, and in the last several months and years. Every single one of you helped to earn our freedom today, and for that we are genuinely grateful," the room exploded into applause and shouts and whistling and Percy had to stop talking for a moment.

"We thank you for your willingness to volunteer your time and abilities, particularly when the need arose yesterday afternoon. We understand if you are feeling the need to be finished and go home to your families. However, there is still much work to be done. If you are willing, please stay and listen for a moment. First, Arthur Weasley will be discussing the process for reuniting the underaged students who were removed from Hogwarts for their own safety with their parents and guardians. Arthur?" Percy extended his wand to his father's throat, and this time Dad didn't flinch at all.

"Good morning," he said. As Dad began explaining the procedures, Percy's mind wandered. The Great Hall was in ruin, the rest of the castle likely looked even worse. Many of the students had been receiving absolutely horrendous education all year by unqualified professors. Hundreds of families had been relocated out of the country for their own safety. Not to mention that at least half of the ministry had been corrupted and now there was going to be a massive need to vet and hire new workers, prosecute people for war crimes, and organize a new system for securing prisoners. Likely, many children tonight would not be able to go home to their parents, so caregivers and safe housing would need to be arranged. And then there was the matter of all of the muggleborn and muggle families in Romania and Bulgaria that would need to be informed of tonight's events and returned to the UK.

"We will begin this process as soon as this assembly is dismissed. Now, Alicia Spinnet," Arthur switched places with Alicia, who began to speak.

"Hello everyone, my name is Alicia Spinnet. I am in contact with the healers at St. Mungo's Hospital, who tell me that there are 12 men and 10 women in their care who are injured and unidentified. If you are unsure of the whereabouts of your loved one, St. Mungo's would be a prudent place to look," Alicia paused, then began speaking again, this time with a more authoritative tone, "Together with St. Mungo's Hospital and Marklin Funeral Homes, the Ministry aims to honor every single fallen victim of the battle tonight with a proper burial. We will need a number of volunteers to help with arrangements," Alicia's voice was steady and calm, but Percy saw her hands trembling and her eyes were darting around.

As Alicia finished speaking, Harry appeared at Percy's elbow. The boy cast a meaningful glance at Percy and Percy's wand, and they locked eyes for a moment, and Percy nodded, but quirked an eyebrow as if to say, wait a moment. When Alicia had finished, Percy directed his wand to Kingsley's throat. Kingsley very briefly spoke about securing the Death Eaters in custody and urged anyone present with law enforcement experience to join him when the assembly finished. Then it was Harry's turn.

"Hello everyone," Harry said, and the room went absolutely silent, save for the sound of his voice, "I just wanted to say that it was an honor and a privilege to fight with you tonight. I'm humbled to have served with so many incredible people, and even more humbled that people were willing to give up their safety and security to come here to fight. I'm sorry for everyone who lost their lives tonight, and my sincerest condolences go out to their families. Your bravery over the last couple of years has been inspiring. I sincerely hope that I get the chance to thank all of you individually over the next few weeks and months as we rebuild our homes and school and lives, but I'll say it here and now: thank you so much, everyone," Harry's voice broke on that last word, and everyone burst into applause again.

Percy dismissed the crowd shortly after, and the crowds started to disperse. Marklin had arrived to handle the bodies, and Arthur, Bill, and Molly headed to go sort out the students who were still at Shell Cottage and the ones who'd been kept in the Slytherin Common Room during the battle. Hermione, Ron, and Harry appeared to be having a private powwow, surrounded by a mild notice-me-not charm to repel onlookers. Charlie, George, and Ginny, were making plans to go to the hospital to see about Fred. Percy felt a little lost, until Alicia came back over with Kingsley.

"Official orders for us from Madam Pomfrey," Alicia said, looking equal parts grouchy and relieved, "Go home, shower, eat a good, hot meal, and sleep for at least 12 hours before returning to work. The three of us and Arthur will meet at 8am tomorrow morning, eh?"

"8am tomorrow? Alright," Percy agreed. Alicia and Kingsley left then, likely both headed back to their homes. Hermione came over and took Percy's hand.

"Can we go home?" She asked. He hadn't gotten a good look at her before, but now he could see. Her hair was partially singed, chunks falling out of her braid. She had a black eye, and she was covered in dirt and a bit of blood he was sure was Fred's. She was the most beautiful girl he'd seen in his entire life.

"Yes, let's go home," Hermione took hold of his arm snuggly, her small hands firmly grasping his elbow and bicep. He twisted, and they disappeared together.

The End of This Could Mean Danger