squlbs:

what happened after the war?

“all was well,” says harry potter, seventeen years later. did he not have nightmares about his son at hogwarts, did ginny not wake in tears, worried he’d be forced to live through a journal? did they forget the dangers of their school; did they forgive it?

“all was well,” says the seventh book, the end of a series, promising that everything was forgotten, everything was forgiven.

did luna lovegood ever wake from her dreamy state to realize that there were monsters? in the shadows, in the cold? did she sleep with her wand lit, a lumos still on her lips, fear of a young girl written on her face? did she forget the malfoy manor?

did neville longbottom ever look down at his shaking hands, maybe he’d dropped something, maybe it wasn’t quite right, and cry? did he ever forget the willingness his body had to follow when a teacher had fired that awful curse, did he ever look at his mother and father with newfound understand, did he ever break down and let it all come rushing back, the horror?

did parvati patil ever crack, while reading a book, while shopping? while seeing a flash of hair, the same exact color of lavender brown’s? did lavender ever stir? did her soft breaths end on the cold hogwarts tiles, or did they go on and did she enter again with a self-hatred?

did the children ever wonder, is it my fault? 

small teddy lupin, peering up at his ancient grandmother, at his sad godfather, wondering if he was to be blamed for their tears? was he not similar enough to his mother, to his father? was he too different? 

beautiful victoire, did she not cry when boys and girls were frightened of her father’s scars? named after a victory, but perhaps she’d claim it a pyrrhic one, for none looked upon her namesake as anything other than bittersweet.

the three potters, all named for the deceased, james and lily, who make his father sick with longing, albus, named for those his father had failed to save. did they ever hear him cough on their names, did they ever hear ginny falter when saying them? (did they wonder if they could live up to them, if they were as wise or brave or talented?)

“all was well,” taunted the book, but really, if while looking at the racing train, harry potter remembered, remembered the horrors, remembered his friends’ blank faces, and he thought:

“all was well enough” and that was what mattered.