Harry Potter was old. He knew he was and he knew he didn't have much time left but he didn't make a fuss, he wanted to go quietly, unlike his other brushes with death. Ginny hadn't changed at all, she was still determined, sometimes stubborn, and funny. She acted like she was still thirty, which might have been motivating but Harry wasn't sure if his life was meant to stretch out much further.
That night he did his usual routine, have a simple dinner in his pyjamas before brushing his teeth and calmly climbing into bed with Ginny. Throughout his life, Harry usually had trouble sleeping, images of his past flashed behind his eyes. A blinding green light and the gut wrenching scream of a woman, Cedric Diggory's body falling limp in front of him. Now, in his old age, he easily fell into a blissful pool of nothing when he slept.
As usual, Harry's eyelids fluttered shut almost immediately, but the darkness was heavy, this time, as though he was fighting through thick fog to get to an unknown destination. It wasn't comfortable, or empty, it felt as if he was searching for something he couldn't quite reach, he was so close…
Harry found whatever it was he needed to find, relief flooded him, but he experienced a strange sensation. He was fading. It was like he was being emptied, water pouring out of a glass, except he was the glass and the water was his life.
Then everything changed, everything was white. What was wall and what was floor? He couldn't tell. He blinked. Surround him was everyone he had ever cared for and lost. Just glancing around he could see Sirius, Dumbledore, his father, Mrs. Weasley, Cedric, even Kingsley, stood before him, smiling warmly. He knew exactly what had happened to him. He took everything in silently before becoming aware of his body, he was nineteen again, wearing a Gryffindor jumper. The presence of his old, lifeless body still lingered slightly but he could feel it fading with every second.
Harry had reached the end of his long adventure, and he could only enjoy the nothingness he had here. Thoughts of people finding his body were pushed roughly from his mind and replaced with pure joy at seeing all the people in front of him. More people would join him, he was only glad that he had an exit as easy as sleep.
Harry's goal was a happy ending, and he got it.
