1. Harry Potter
The quietness astounded him.
Although a battle in the wizarding world did not involve firearms or swords, the battle had been noisy and the agonized screams of the wounded had been ringing in his ears painfully. Now it was quiet and the piece of sky he could see from his vantage point was orange with the rising sun. Harry had slept deeply and had not been plagued by dreams. Neither the dead's unseeing eyes nor the rejoicing survivor's faces had followed him into his oblivion and he was more than grateful for it.
Harry sat up, feeling rested and reached for the plate that had been placed onto the bedside table while he had been asleep. A smile spread across his face as he held the sandwich between his hands, his stomach rumbling appreciatively.
How something as simple and meaningless as a sandwich managed to make him that happy, he did not know. He took the first bite slowly but then continued to chew through it like a starved wolf. When had he last eaten? He could not remember. The previous day had felt like weeks.
When he had finished his meal, he fell back into his pillows, the clean scent of the sheets in his nostrils and listened. The birds were singing again.
Even if the world had stopped while had been fighting Voldemort, everything was now in motion again and in front of him lay a future he could shape. He had been The Chosen One but now he was just Harry Potter, a young wizard who could decide for himself where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do with his life.
Harry smiled again although is joy was overshadowed by the feeling of grief that tugged at his heart. So many lives had been lost. So many good people had given their lives for the good of the wizarding world, to allow the survivors to live to see a beautiful dawn like this one.
He could become an auror and make sure that his remaining friends would always be safe, Harry thought. He had fought a war and defeated Voldemort, which had to count for something career-wise...
But did he want to subject himself to more heartache that would come with a job like that? Did he want to take the risk of having to see someone else die?
Harry was not sure what he wanted for his future. He was not sure what would happen now that the world had started to move on, now that the sun was shining again, the birds were singing and Hogwarts was slowly awakening to a new age.
He pulled his covers up towards his nose. He would not have to run today. There would be no enemies to be fought, no horcruxes to be destroyed, no important decision to be made and no problems to be solved.
He was here and all he wanted was to rest.
And it was a luxury he could afford while his future stretched out before him like a beautiful landscape, waiting to be explored.