Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I earn nothing from writing this.
A/N: This is written in relation to the Cinema Competition II; the prompt will be at the end of the chapter. It says way too much about this one-shot, so I've decided to leave it at the end.:D
Warning: This hasn't been beta-read, so I apologise for any grammar or spelling mistakes you may see. Character death.
Enjoy!
Of Glorious Days And Foul Smells
The weather had made a turn for the better that day. They'd been promised rain, low temperature and wind, but the sky that had greeted him that morning had been blue, glorious and welcoming. A lovely change after weeks of rain.
Harry had felt the instant effect the sun had on every living being around him. Suddenly, their grumpy neighbor had enough energy to glance above the hedge and give a dazzling smile. Quite honestly, Harry found it unsettling.
No matter, it did warm the foul mood he'd been harboring the past weeks. It melted the block of ice he had carried into a puddle of contentment and happiness.
Even James, Albus and Lily had been wonderful so far. There hadn't been a shrill cry from Lily yet, no crocodile tears and, most of all, no soul cutting letter from Ginny.
A seagull screamed from above.
Ginny had left on her annual holiday some weeks ago. "I need this," She'd say and now that Harry had some time for himself, he had to agree. They needed the distance to mend wounds and scars, to gather energy to continue on with their common life.
It had been difficult, the last years. What had begun as a resourceful and respectful partnership, had broken down into one of hatred and disrespect. Ginny blamed it on Harry. Who else was the cause of their misfortune? He'd chosen her, not because he really desired her, but because it had been something everyone had expected of him. Or at least, that had been how Ginny often formulated her accusations.
Harry had disagreed at first. After all, he had firmly believed he'd chosen her based on love. However, as time passed, he'd realized that she held few qualities he desired.
The grass rustled around him, cool and comfortable. Their marriage may be complicated, but the few weeks apart had done him good. His mind was clear and calm for once.
Everything was perfect in the way it often was on sunny days.
"Dad!" He heard Lily yell as she came running out of the front door, barefooted and sunburned.
Harry glanced up from the book in his hands, humming in reply.
She came up to him, standing on her hells as she scrunched up her face in childish disgust. "The smell's still here! Do something about it, Dad." Lily whined, jumping from one foot to another.
Harry knew exactly what Lily was talking about.
A foul stench had taken up every space in their house the last few days. A sickly sweet, but at the same time, bitter smell that brought water into their eyes.
Harry had searched every corner of the house when the stench first made an appearance. However, he had yet to find the leak, so there was little he could do about it. Maybe a professional cleaner could solve the mystery, but they were in the middle of the common Muggle holiday. So, much to his children's agony, they'd have to wait.
And even if they did find anyone, they were suppose to move in less than a month, so Harry wasn't too worried about finding the cause just yet.
"I can't find the cause, Lily, so there's nothing I can do about it." He murmured, glancing at her over the frames of his glasses. "If your Mother was here I'm sure we would have solved the mystery by now, don't you think?"
"Yeah…" She looked down at her feet, expression sour. The smell was unlike any of them had ever experienced and, hopefully, never had to experience again. Or at least, Harry hope so.
He knew of the stench all too well.
"When does Mom come home? I miss her..." A soft whisper
Harry sighed in defeat. "I'll be sure to tell her that tonight when I send her an Owl, that alone should force her to come home" He took her small hand in his, smiling gently. "I'm sure." They shared a smile, before Lily nodded, apparently satisfied.
"Don't forget it!" She yelled, running off towards her elder brother, who was busy trying to catch the few frogs still living in their garden.
Staring after them, happiness blossomed in his chest. Few good things had originated from his and Ginny's marriage, but their children were one of the exceptionally wonderful things in it.
The sun heated his skin, while the wind rusteled through his hair.
Yes, Harry was finally walking down the right path.
— ø Ø ø —
It was poaring down the last day Harry spent inside their house. Grey skies had gathered the evening before and then a storm had broken, keeping Harry both sleepless and restless.
Luckily, James, Albus and Lily had traveled to their new house days earlier, leaving Harry to pack the last things. It had been a purifying process for Harry.
Even as he stalked through the stinking house, he felt scars heal as he threw away things and clothes.
Shirts, dresses and high-heeled shoes went down into a big plastic bag. If he left it somewhere in the Muggle part of London it was sure to disappear within an hour.
Harry had worked as an Auror for years and knew how they looked at cases. He knew how incompetent they were compared to Muggle investigators.
Humming softly to himself, he strolled down the hallway, towards the kitchen. Just before the entrance, he halted, nose wrinkling in disgust at the stench.
He was fortunate that none of his friends had visited him the last weeks. Mostly, because they knew he was in a moving progress and needed the break from everyday life. If they had entered their threshold, Harry was certain that both Hermione and Ron would have recognized the smell. Every person that had fought at the Battle of Hogwarts decades earlier knew of it.
It was the smell of rotting flesh.
Harry smiled softly to himself as he sat down on his knees. At the end of the hallway, there were a few wooden boards with a different hue than the rest of the boards. They had always been darker, but lately, unnoticed by the rest of the family, they'd darkened even further. Now attaining black spots.
Flicking his wand, the wooden boards cracked and fell from the wall. A powerful gust of rotten stench filled Harry's nose and he closed his eyes in disgust. When he opened them again he stared down into a a pair of clouded, blue eyes. Unseeing in death.
Yes, Harry was free from Ginny's criticism once and for all.
Till death do us part.
And no further.
The End
A/N: This one-shot was written in relation to The Silence of the Lambs prompt.