A/N: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did I would be very rich and unfortunately that just isn't true.
The song is 'Change the World (Lost Ones)' by Anberlin. Not many people have heard of it but it seemed apropos.
If I could write one letter to the world as we know it
I would list these rhymes that mean everything to me
This was it. The Final Battle was being waged. Harry Potter, the 'Chosen One', stood with the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was he who had to fight Voldemort, he the Prophecy named, and he who would either kill or be killed. His entire life had lead to this. The fate of the World rest on the outcome of the Battle between Good and Evil; the battle between Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort. One of them would die this night.
Heartache temporary, bullets only stop your blood
Pain will live on and on
In everyone, in everyone
Curses and hexes flew through the air, some hitting their intended targets, some missing. Bodies lay strewn across the Hogwarts lawn, the survivors still battling heroically. They knew, no matter what happened, who became victorious at the end of the Battle, the whole world had changed. No one would ever be the same, this night would live on in the horrified memories of those who lived to remember. The scars on the flesh would heal, grief would be tempered, but the dead eyes of friends and loved ones would haunt many a night. And for the Boy who stood ready to battle the most feared wizard of all time, he knew that if he survived a part of him would be broken, remembering this night for all of eternity.
And we could change, we could change it down
We could change the world, we could strike the chord
We are the lost ones, we are the lost ones
We could re-write history, if only you and me
We are the lost ones, we are the lost ones
And we could change it down
He had faced down Voldemort and stood triumphant. One could almost hear the pages of history being written as this momentous occasion took place. A cheer broke out as the Dark Lord fell, victim to his own spell, his own confidence. It was pride that finally killed Lord Voldemort. Pride and the courage of a young boy, brave enough to risk himself to save others. Harry Potter had won. But he had also lost. Everyone had lost a little that night. Friends and loved ones that would never return lost to a Battle that had turned the tide of history. As the celebration waged around him, Harry was only aware of the presence of few. Ron, Hermoine and Ginny stood silently beside him, revealing in the victory but damaged by the losses that had occurred. While they did not know the measure of pain inside of Harry, they empathized, and stood with him as they had done from the beginning.
The bottle holds no answers
His lips can only sway
Chemicals imbalance
Who needs them anyway?
It was not only Harry who attempted to wash away the memories in alcohol. The war left a desolation throughout the country, for its effects were far reaching. It was Harry, however, who deserved this indulgence above all others. It was he who swam in memories, never able to hold them at bay. His profound sense of guilt led him to the bottle time and time again. It was only Ginny who could sway his urge. Only Ginny who dared to try. It was only Ginny he would let try and help him. If it wasn't for her, he would be lost forever to the past. Ginny pulled him into the present, made him face the memories, made him live again when all he wanted to do was curl up in the corner and cry. Sometimes she held him as he cry, sometimes she joined him. She understood what he had gone through and what he was still going through. She understood it would take time for him to heal, but she refused to let him drown himself in a bottle in the meantime.
Desire is close at hand
Her lips can only sway
There's more to life than this
Don't give yourself away
Don't give yourself away
It was not only Harry and Ginny who gave in to the temptations of the flesh, especially when the nights were particularly hard. It was not only they who used the passion and desires of sex remind them that they were still alive. No, Hermione and Ron also took part. Along with many others, nameless and faceless, who just needed to feel again for once, to be truly alive. To feel their heart race, the sweat drip down their backs, the passion rage, the fire burn. They were alive, it told them, they were still alive.
And we could change, we could change it down
We could change the world, we could strike the chord
We are the lost ones, we are the lost ones
We could re-write history, if only you and me
We are the lost ones, we are the lost ones
And we could change it down
They had saved the world from an awful fate, but sometimes it seemed like it was killing them. The responsibility, the heartache, the grief, the guilt. Sometimes it was all too much. But the world was a different place, safer and happier. They smiled each time they saw a carefree child, or a family completely unafraid. They smiled when Hogwarts became whole again, and when their lived started piecing back together. They could still smile and that meant there was hope.
Don't give yourself away
Don't give yourself away
Don't give yourself away
All these years and they were still going. That night, that year, was never fully erased from their minds but they could go days, weeks, sometimes months without thinking much about it. All save one. Harry Potter thought of those times every single day. He would think of every person who had died to change the world and to save it from evil. He could never forget them, even for a day, for he still felt a measure of responsibility for their deaths, no matter how illogical. But now he didn't dwell. He would remember, sometimes with sorrow, occasionally with fondness, always with a heavy heart, but he would go on. No longer was he ruled by his memories. Now he simply cherished them as a way to make those who were sacrificed live on.
And we could change it down, we could change it down, we could change it
We could change the world, we could strike the chord
We are the lost ones, we are the lost ones
We could re-write history, if only you and me
We are the lost ones, we are the lost ones
We could change the world, if only you and me
We are the lost ones, we are the lost ones
The world was safe, and so were they. Better, they had finally found themselves amidst turmoil to create tranquility.
A/N: I assure you the fluffy ending was completely unintentional! Let me know what you think!