Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related.
After the war is over, a lot of pretending goes on.
Harry pretends not to flinch at mentions of his heroics, and he pretends not to take note of every exit or jump at sudden wand movements. And he definitely pretends not to notice what others pretend for themselves.
George pretends not notice that he walks with space for another next to him wherever he goes, and pretends not to pause a moment too long where someone else would have once filled what is now a pause and stutter as George pretends not to hurt that there isn't half of him anymore.
Molly pretends not to have to count carefully in her head how many children she has now, just to remind herself. She pretends to scold her children and sigh at their antics, when all she really wants to do is (pretend not to) cry.
Hermione pretends not to look suspiciously at people who just happen to mention that she is muggle-born. She pretends that it doesn't bother her, that she doesn't grip her wand tightly, that she doesn't tense defensively. This pretending is an old defense mechanism but there are some scars that the war just wore in too deeply to forget. And so she pretends, smiles, and walks away with a shielding spell on her lips.
Ginny pretends not to count the moments until her husband comes home, pretends not to make sure the exits are clear to keep him reassured that he is safe now, pretends not to wonder if this time he'll get caught by (supposedly non-existent now) black robes and white masks that she pretends don't scare her anymore.
Ron pretends not to constantly be trying to redeem himself for his desertion. He pretends he doesn't feel guilty about it, that he doesn't now try to be synonymous with loyalty. He also pretends not to notice that his friends have already granted him redemption.
Arthur pretends not to notice the cracks in his family, Molly's counting, Ginny's fear, George's stutter, Ron's guilt. He pretends that his family is whole, and that a few reassurances will make all well again as it did when the biggest problems were scraped knees, magical accidents, and fears were monsters under the bed that were easily chased away by a light. He pretends that his heart doesn't break every time he sees his children pretending to be 'just fine, dad'.
And they pretend, they and all the others that they weren't so hurt by the war. Smiles and laughter mask tears and fears that leave desolation in their wake, noticed and ignored. They can't afford to acknowledge it, what if the safer lives they have now are stripped away again?
Until one day-
One day it happens, that one smile that wasn't pretend. From a little child who didn't pretend, who wasn't scared, lost, or angry. And the pretenders who aren't anymore, smile back.
Not much of anything, more like restless musings. They are based off of more realistic reactions of Combat Operational Stress (COS) or PTSD, as you like. Each person leaving with their own stigma. It's hard in this case having a 'homefront' since even Molly ended up fighting, but *shrugs*.
This is really just to get back into writing, not anything overly complex or canon vs. AU oriented. I've just been reading up on PTSD recently, being from a family very deeply entrenched in a military tradition and having almost all of my friends growing up be military brats too. I wanted to write something about how each character I mentioned might react after the war, before the Epilogue. Take it as you like, except as a challenge for a political debate.