Don't Say Goodbye
Harry Potter, the vanquisher of Lord Voldemort, the Chosen One, the Boy-Who-Lived, and Triwizard Champion, along with many other overly grandiose titles, some of which he worked for and others were given to him by the common people, lived a good life. He never went back to Hogwarts to finish his seventh year, instead he joined the Aurors at the Ministry of Magic to join the search for the remnants of the Death Eaters. Kingsley Shacklebolt became temporary Minister of Magic and was eventually made permanent Minister for Magic. He set about ridding the Ministry of corruption and discrimination. He banned the use of Dementors to guard Azkaban, and made sure they would not be used to torment the opponents of the Ministry. Harry became youngest head of the Auror Office at the age of 27. He helped to reform and revolutionize the Ministry along with Ron Weasley, who also became an Auror, and Hermione Granger, who ranked high up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
By the age of 30 Harry had fixed up Godric Hallow and lived there with his wife and two kids, James Sirius, born on March 25th, 2006, and Lily Astoria, born on April 1st, 2010. James looked like a carbon copy of his father, except with his mother's slim nose and cerulean blue eyes. Where James looked like his father, Lily with her high cheekbones, slim nose and golden blond hair, looked like her mother, except with almond-shaped green eyes. James was a prankster and always goofing off, while Lily was quieter and more studious, but still out going. After graduating Hogwarts, James went on to play as a chaser for Puddlemere United. He retired at the age of thirty-eight after being married for five years to Victoire Weasley. Lily was recruited into the Department of Mysteries to work as an Unspeakable until she retired at the age of seventy-five to spend more time with her husband Hugo Weasley and her only child, Daphne.
It isn't uncommon for a witch or wizard to live past 130, but by the age of 128, Harry had a host of health problems. Old injuries that had come back to taunt him. His career as an Auror had gifted him a host of scars, both mental and physical. The once proud warlock had lost most of his physical fitness, but magically he was still strong. Many of his old friends have died long ago, but a few are still around, like Ron, Hermione, Luna, George, and Fleur are all that is left of his original friends. Hagrid had passed away thirty-four years ago, Minerva died around sixty years ago, and most of the rest of his friends having died in the last thirty years. Harry had known for the past couple months that he was getting closer and closer to Death's cold and inevitable embrace. He hadn't told anyone as he didn't want them to worry needlessly.
Just before midnight Harry awoke to a horrible hacking. He had this cough for a while, but it was never this bad. His coughing fit was loud enough that he had woke up his wife.
"Honey, are you alright?" she asked with a slight slur from having just waking up.
" Yeah, I'll... be fine, give... me a minute." he replied between coughs.
"Forgive me if i don't believe you. You've danced around these question for a while, and if you don't tell me the truth you'll be sleeping on the couch for the next year. " her reply was greeted with a few minutes of silence while Harry got his cough somewhat under control for the time being.
"Alright," he sighed, "you caught me. Yes, there is something wrong with me, and I've been wrong to keep this from you... from everyone."
She motioned with her hand for him to continue.
Deciding to be blunt and not prolong it, he said "I'm dieing."
Whatever she had expected for and answer wasn't that, and it showed when all she could stutter out was, "Wh-what? Could you repeat that, I don't think I heard you right."
Harry gave a faint smirk as he replied,"Oh, you heard me right.''
"Don't make a joke out of this Harry Potter, and what could you possibly be dying from?'' This of course was said with a slight hysterical edge to her voice.
Shrugging his shoulders he replied, "A little of this, a little of that. Basically it all boils down to old age."
Her eyes shone with unshed tears, "But you're a very powerful wizard you should live to be at least 160, if not 170, not 128."
"Normally you would be right, but life has been really hard on my body. Magic is what has kept me... alive this long, and it is doing all it can to keep me alive, it is just... prolonging the... inevitable ."
The coughing was back.
"Is there nothing else we can do?''
"No, my... love, there isn't..." Harry was having trouble talking around the increasingly violent coughs.
"Do you want to go floo the kids, and our friends?'' She asked.
"Not enough... time..." He managed to choke out. When he pulled his hand away from his mouth a glint caught their eyes.
Blood. Bright red blood was speckled across his hand. That was the finale straw, Daphne Potter née Greengrass, the Ice Queen of Hogwarts, started crying.
"Don't cry... because it's over. Smile because it... happened, and would... you do me one last thing?" The dying man inquired.
"W-what?'' Daphne asked with a slight hiccup.
"When you... tell everyone that I'm gone I... want you to tell them, he died. No grand... speech, no metaphor, just... a simple and modest, he died. Tell them that I... don't want them... to cry because I died, but because... of the life the saw... prior to those words." Harry's voice was slowly getting softer and weaker.
''Okay, but are you going to say goodbye?" Daphne asked while she started to cry harder.
"No, but Tom Petty once... said 'You... and I will... meet again, when... we're least expecting it, one day... in some far off place, I will recognize... your face, I won't say goodbye my friend, For you... and I will meet again.' That is why... I'm not going... to say goodbye, because... we will one day see each other again." Harry's voice had trailed off into a whisper, and his body starting to go slack.
"I love you." Daphne whispered to he husband.
As the clock struck midnight on December 31st 2108, "I love you to" were the finale words of a legend, who didn't want to be a legend.
The next day the wizarding community paused to mourn.
For Harry Potter had died.
A/N: I'm not going to continue this it is going to stay a one-shot.