"I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."
- Harry Potter and the deathly Hallows
Later he would realize how naïve he'd been, to presume that peace and quiet and happiness would follow the Dark Lord's death.
Later, he would wonder at his innocence, after having seen nearly everyone he loved, dead – Remus, Merlin,and Tonks! And dobbydobbydobby and colin? Colin? Little Colin and notfredpleasePLEASE - he could still believe the Wizarding World would be… What? Nice enough? To leave him alone.
Later, he would awaken day after day, gasping, the nightmares dripping away from memory, leaving his pillows tearstained, bile burning in his throat, raw, torn from screaming, and a vicious trembling in his limbs that he could not contain.
Later he would learn that a sane Luna was a terrifying mad thing, and he would Stun her and Bind her and cast her in the dungeons and give her up to the Aurors, and scream - sheSCREAMEDsoLOUD - deep inside, and retreat to the forgiving, charred edges of the Forbidden Forest and feed the Thestrals pears and squashy nectarines - somehow, the Kitchens were out of apples - and pretend she stood next to him, barefoot in frost-tinged grass.
Later, he would learn to cast a Silencing charm on his bed so Neville and Dean wouldn't awaken – no one knew where Seamus had gone, no one asked – later he would learn to quash the ugly jealousy when Ron would leave in the evenings to spend nights with Hermione, later he would realize that Ginny had broken in a different sort of way after the war, that the jagged edges of their hearts didn't fit together anymore.
Later he would spend hours with Aberforth, quiescent and solitude-tinged, warrior and victim - though he wasn't sure if he warrior or victim - and find a fleeting measure of peace in the bottom of a tumbler of Firewhiskey, pretending he didn't notice the worried gazes, the pity, intermingled with despair and... resentment?
Later, he would remember learning these new, bitter lessons, but the first night he slept, just slept, because it turned out Kreacher was quite willing to bring him a sandwich, and besides, he'd had enough trouble to last a lifetime.