WE ARE BROKEN
AN: Hello anyone who happens to read this random piece of junk I call writing. I wrote this while sitting at my cousin's graduation, listening to Paramore. This little fic is based off of the Paramore song "We are Broken." Look it up, it's pretty awesome. Thanks to my amazing friend Deci for reading this over for me and fixing all of my stupid mistakes. Please enjoy and R&R!
The vacant eyes of 22 year old Harry James Potter stared off towards the distant horizon, waiting for the dreaded sunrise. He knew that once the sun rose, there would be no denying the extent of the damage, the amount of loss. The Final Battle had taken place the previous night and he didn't know how many lifeless bodies he would see lying on the field. He couldn't remember last night, all he knew was after the defeat of The Dark Lord, Severus had carried him, barely conscious, back into the tent.
Licking his lips, he realized that his mouth was completely dry in the still silence of the predawn hours. The almost foreboding silence gave way to soft footfalls approaching at a slow pace.
"Why do we live like this?" he whispered with a shake of his head. The steps stopped very close behind him.
"It's war. We had to do what was necessary to help ourselves." Came the weary voice of Severus Snape as he draped his arms around the other man's shoulders. "What are you doing out here in the dark?"
"I-I wanted to survey the damage, see it with my own eyes. See what I have caused, but I want the world to show me in its own time. It just seems right, you know?" He answered, leaning against the taller man's chest, Embracing the safety the former professor's arms provided. "Will you stay with me?"
The man nodded. "I will be here as long as you need me. But you realize that none of this was your fault, correct?" When no reply came from the smaller man, Severus gently turned him around, lifting the young man's chin so their eyes met. "You know that none of this was your fault? You did not ask for all of this." He gestured to the dark landscape that showed the signs of near dawn, but was still to dark to make anything out.
Taking a deep breath, Harry questioned "Do you think that…that things will ever go back to normal?"
"Honestly?" Severus replied, eyes shifting to the horizon, looking anywhere but the blank face of his lover. "I don't even know what normal is when it comes to you." He turned back with a small smile of his usually dour face.
Harry chuckled darkly, "You do have a point."
Severus let out a small chortle of amusement and took in a shaky breath. "However, if there is one thing I admire about the human race, it is their ability to recover. Humans are remarkable for their ability to endure, renew and adapt. Eventually, there will be a… semblance of normality; things will fall back into their rhythm."
"I guess. But when I think about all the kids that were forced to grow up too fast, I could just cry. All the innocence lost…" Harry sighed, "I suppose I can sympathize, I guess I never really got to be a kid either. You know, every time I close my eyes I see it again. The lights from all the spells flashing and he was mocking me and then…I did it. I still can't believe it, but I did it."
Even though he had been there and watched the final moment happen, it was very different hearing it from Harry's point of view. "I know it's tough, but we'll be okay. I promise. This will eventually be just a bad dream, a distant memory." He grabbed Harry's hand and they stood together as the sun rose over the battlefield.