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50 Things That Really Matter
Note: Hey y'all. The Fat Chipmunk and jynkyg have written another story for you! Well, technically speaking, it's not really a story. As the title hopefully indicates, it's just a lovely little collection of 50 things that really matter in life. Er...to the Potterverse characters, anyway. But maybe some of these will manage to do their job and give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside too. Happy reading, and don't forget to review!
(Not DH-canon)
Dreaming – Even heroes have the right to dream.
He dreams every single night.
Sometimes it's the nightmares, and those are the ones he hates. Everyone has nightmares, of course, but not like his – not ones where cold, high-pitched cackles echo endlessly in his ears and sibilant whispers remind him of his weaknesses and his failures. And he hates waking up sweating or screaming or crying; hates when the others open frightened, bleary eyes and demand to know what's wrong; hates feeling so defenseless.
He hates having to relive the past in his dreams – seeing his parents murdered before him as he watches, a bystander capable of everything but changing history; numbly following the almost-graceful arc of his godfather's body as it disappears through the whispering black curtains, knowing that he'll die wondering if the man would still be alive if someone could have been there to catch him; watching an old man plummet out of sight beneath a glowing green skull, thinking that there were so many things he could have done to prevent it.
But of course, he doesn't always have bad dreams. Some nights bring him the tranquility and bliss he could never experience in reality, letting him drift away from the pain and the grief and the worry into a world that is surely as close to heaven as he can get.
This world is filled with redheads and laughter and kissing – it's a world where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the Boy Who Lived have never been and never will be. It's a world where he is just a plain, ordinary boy who is known for nothing but his Quidditch talent and his notoriety for receiving detentions when he can't afford to. He has a father who is still the bane of Filch's existence and a mother who is still talked about by her old teachers (all of whom are repeatedly disappointed to see that her son has failed to inherit her intellect.) Mention of the Dursleys within his family are kept to a bare minimum, and the most he ever hears of them are in the Marauders' Halloween stories. They always end up as the unfortunate characters who are eaten, frightened to death, or sent to Hagrid's.
Hogwarts retains its mystical splendor and offers its usual maze of nonexistent corridors and shifting staircases. He reckons he could do almost as well as Hermione in his studies if he really tried, but daydreaming of Ginny during most of his classes is considerably more appealing than listening to Binns drone on about goblin wars. He spends the rest of his time concocting ways to snog Ginny in private, receiving not-so-helpful romantic advice from his dad and his godfather and asking for tips instead from his amused mum, who tells him that he's at least going about the business better than his father did.
Snape is still known as the Greasy Git, but his spiteful demeanor is maintained mostly to uphold the tradition of having at least one teacher the students resent and curse outside of class. Everybody knows that Filch fancies Madam Pince, which Hermione has officially labeled "disgusting and abhorrent." The fact that Madam Pince has a thing for mean-spirited old Squibs and cats with eyes like lamps isn't exactly a secret, either. The headmaster can be seen traversing the corridors at random times, whistling to himself with his beard tucked into his belt or conversing with a passing ghost about chamberpots.
The bulk of his school life consists of being with Ginny, copying Hermione's homework, and playing Quidditch, which is essentially the only reason he hasn't joined Fred and George in their shop. He flies whenever he finds time, soaring through the air with the wind whistling in his ears and nothing but the sky above him. He makes sure the waves of crimson supporters have something to cheer about during every match, and he can always count on Luna's commentaries to entertain him when things get dull. He wants to be a professional Quidditch player once he's out of school. Ron clings to the hope that maybe one day he'll join the Chudley Cannons, but his real goal is to play for England in the Quidditch World Cup.
Molly and Arthur are still as good as surrogate parents and the Burrow is his second home. Holidays are the best, with him, Hermione, all nine Weasleys, his parents, the Marauders, and Tonks all squeezed into the rickety old house to enjoy the comfort of family and friends. He stuffs himself with food that is beyond divine, joking about inconsequential things and laughing uproariously as the twins scheme to get Hermione and Ron alone in one room. Afternoons consist of five-a-side Quidditch matches in the paddock behind the Burrow, where the Weasleys always insist on pitting him against Charlie and his dad against Ginny. At night, everyone gathers in the living room in front of the fire as the Marauders reminisce on the "old days" and compare pranks with the twins, while his mum and Molly and Hermione roll their eyes.
In this world, there's no prophecy, no scar. N.E.W.T.s. are the worst thing since poltergeists. In this world, there's no Dark Lord, no Chosen. Hagrid keeps a baby dragon in his pumpkin patch.
In the end, it's really nothing more than his imagination. Mornings after these dreams are always bittersweet, with the ghost of a contented smile mingling with the pain of knowing none of it will ever be real. But in the early seconds before reality comes rushing back with all its worries and annoyances, he lets himself enjoy that shadowy smile and lets it linger on his lips, just for a moment.
Because, after all, even heroes have the right to dream.
+ Harry Potter, 1997 +
Next up: Kisses, by Lavender Brown.
Despite our terrible tendency to abandon things halfway through, we're hoping this one won't turn out to be just another unfinished project. That said, we'll gladly accept any topic ideas as we're currently about ten short, and - as always - we'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoy the story. :)
-jynkyg and The Fat Chipmunk