Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
His Hero
By: ChoCedric
When Colin is a little boy, he is really into fairy tales. His parents tell him bedtime stories of magic, wizards, and heroes. For the first eleven years of his life, he worships book characters, reveling in all the fabulous things they do. He never thought that on his eleventh birthday, all the stories will come true.
When he receives his Hogwarts letter, it boggles his mind. He finds all the books he can in Diagon Alley, and he reads about all the things he will learn at school. One of the things he learns about is a boy named Harry Potter who, at a very young age, destroyed a Dark Lord. Colin feels an immediate kinship with this boy, and he's someone for him to look up to, to aspire to be.
When he meets Harry, he's all that he's imagined and more: quiet, self-sacrificing, and noble. He's the kind of boy who doesn't like the attention, who doesn't like to be smothered by it. Colin tries to hide his enthusiasm and hero worship, but he doesn't think he succeeds very well.
When he gets petrified by the basilisk, it is a terrifying experience. But guess who saves the day, just like in all the fairy stories? Harry Potter! Colin's face lights up with a smile, and he can't even be upset that his camera's ruined. He knows he'll get a new one, and his hero worship for Harry grows even stronger. He knows it's unhealthy to obsess over a person the way he does, but he just can't help it. Harry is the knight in shining armor.
The years pass, and before he knows it, it is time for the final battle. Apparently, Harry saw the Dark Lord return, but it's now time for his ultimate defeat. Colin is told that he's too young to fight, but for once, he's going to be a brave Gryffindor and do as Harry always has, no matter the consequences. So he sneaks back in to fight.
He ends up duelling a fierce Death Eater, and Colin is panting and exhausted before he knows it. "Had enough, little boy?" the monster taunts, but through his perspiration and fatigue, Colin fights on. For Harry, he thinks to himself as he dodges and counters curses left and right. I'm doing this for you, Harry.
Unfortunately, he is too tired to dodge the jet of green light that comes his way. They say your life flashes before your eyes just before you die, and it's definitely true in Colin's case. Images of all his family, friends, and loved ones flicker behind his eyelids, but as he draws his last breath, the one person that enters his mind is Harry. He hopes the raven-haired boy knows he was Colin's hero, and he knows that he will win the war, get rid of You-Know-Who once and for all.
And Colin smiles as he falls to the ground, the life leaving him. He smiles, because Harry Potter, his hero, will put the world to rights. And he couldn't be more proud.