Hope.
Harry never thought much about hope. To him, hope was nothing. He had no chance to defeat Voldemort. Who would? No teenager should have to deal with this. Despite him being of Legal Age in the wizarding world, he still though of himself as a teenager.
Harry left the wizarding world and planned for them to figure it out. He wanted no part in the war. He was just Harry, and he always would be.
"Mis'er?" asked a voice. He turned to see a little girl with a dirty bandana around her eyes behind him. Her hand clutched a leash that was around a mangy dogs neck. "Ya dropped this." she handed him his wallet. Harry cast a quick spell, finding no money missing, so he smiled at her.
"What's your name?" he asked. The girl gave him a confused look.
"Lily." she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "This is Sirius." she gestured to her dog. Harry blinked. "Like the dog star?"
"My godfather was named Sirius. And my mother was named Lily" he said. The girl gave a grin. She was missing some teeth.
"My godfath' was named Mac. He' been dead since I was a litt' one." She said.
"My mother and godfather are both dead… I'm Harry by the way." He offered his hand. Then cursed himself, the girl was blind, how… Lily shook his hand.
"Nice t' meet ya." she turned to leave, but Harry asked, totally in compulsion,
"Are you hungry?"
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Lily turned out to be 12, and had been on the streets since she was 5. Mac, an elderly man, died of cancer. She didn't know her parents, she liked music and preferred violin to guitar. Sirius was a gift from Mac when she was 5, already trained and everything. She had been blind from a car accident. She also loved chicken fingers.
They sat at a table outside of McDonalds. Lily admitted she had tried to pickpocket Harry, but didn't have the heart to keep the wallet.
"What you runin' from?" she asked as they ate. Harry had no idea what possessed him, but he told her everything, even showing her magic, turning a rock she held her hand into a spoon. Lily said one thing when he was done. "I get where ya coming from, but, I think you should accept something'. No one's gonna thank ya'll for ditchin' the war, and Vold'mort will come and get ya. No matter where you are, he'll find ya, if he' what ya make him out to be. And everythin' your parents trie' ta do will be ruined. You're a beacon of hope, and people always cling to hope. The'll fight ta see you win, even if its just for that." she wiped her mouth, and added as and after thought, "Oh, and the Ginny person sounds like a gold digger."
Harry couldn't remember laughing so hard.
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Harry sat in a small café, reading the Daily Prophet, which claimed 'Man-Who-Saved-Us-All Lives as Muggle!' a voice said, from behind him.
"Hey Harry." he turned to see Lily with a much healthier Sirius behind him. Lily's black hair was washed and shorter now. She still wore a bandana around her eyes, but she was much different. "How are ya?"
"Good Lily, how's teaching Muggle Studies working for you?" Harry said. Lily had gotten a job as a Muggle Studies teacher after helping Harry in his fight, behind the scene's but still, she helped ('Just ta keep tha' idiot safe' was her protest always pointing at Harry when she said it) in anyway she could.
"Good. One of tha kids asked me the other day, 'Is it true what harry Potter-' he said your name like it was hol' or something'- 'said, about you inspirin' him with a simple statement?' I told him, I didn't no what statement he was talking 'bout and he said,-" Lily said, before Harry interrupted,
"People always cling to hope."
A/N: This is what happens when I listen to Don't Stop Believin' by Journey and Opera at the same time.
He who does not hope to win has already lost. -- Jose Joaquin Olmedo