Chapter 1 – Reflection

With his eyes shut, Harry Potter could see nothing and hear nothing. Now normally in Harry Potter's world, this is bliss considering he spent much of his life outrunning his cousin Dudley and his gang as a child and worse yet a murderous, power hungry lunatic in the form of Voldemort as a teenager and a young adult. Not to mention all of the adventures in between. He's faced off against some of the most deadly creatures like Fluffy the three headed dog, the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, fire breathing dragons and even more recently, a lethal, poisonous snake in Nagini. He's had to fight off numerous Death Eaters, Dementors and all the way down to toe-rags like Malfoy and his crew. Yet despite all is his hardship and struggles, he still came out stronger than ever which he is sure Dumbledore would say was down to the ability to love.

After all, it is "love" that Dumbledore felt to be the most powerful form of magic. It was the "love" of a mother who had sacrificed herself to save her child from certain death. As Harry lay there on his comfortable and cosy four-poster bed in the Gryffindor boys dormitory, he could easily recall those bright green emerald eyes of his mother in the forbidden forest as he was about to sacrifice himself to save people he loves, just how his mother did seventeen years ago for himself.

While many lives were saved in the aftermath of this noble act, a lot of innocent lives were brutally taken prior to it. The cruel ending of a very talented young wizard in Cedric Diggory in Little Hangleton graveyard was the first instance that Harry witnessed. Had Cedric not been killed, he would have been lauded by the community of jointly winning the Triwizard Tournament with such a bright future. Without a doubt he was a good person with a good heart who died far too young. He should be here alive and well with his family and his very own love, Cho Chang.

The loss of a dear friend was followed the death of a guardian who, unlike the Dursleys, actually loved Harry and went by the name of Sirius Black. If there ever was a true Gryffindor, look no further than him. Without question, he was a brave and loyal man who would have died to save his friends and loved ones. And yet that's exactly what happened as he risked his life to save his Godson and friends at the Ministry of Magic in 1996. It was such a bitter pill to swallow, especially as Harry found after his death, the two-way mirror that Sirius had given him if he ever needed to speak to him. If only he found that before falling for Voldemort's trap, perhaps Sirius would still be alive and have been acquitted and made a free man. He could have finally lived with the Godson who was the spitting image of his best friend.

Then there was the man who Harry viewed as his mentor and the person her most certainly felt safe with, Albus Dumbledore. Eccentric he was but as a genius, he was undeniable. To have masterminded his own death in order for Harry to defeat Voldemort was quite the plan. Yet his death sent shockwaves to the wizarding community. A real sense of anxiety was upon them like how it supposedly was in the first war. Perhaps this felt a lot worse without the physical presence of Albus Dumbledore. What made this even more tragic was that the man he trusted the most when no one else did, was the one who committed the deed.

Severus Snape was indeed one of a kind. Harry could remember seeing that face for the very first time as he joined his Gryffindor house after the sorting. He was clearly biased towards his dislike of Harry that resulted in detention after detention, insult after insult of his father, not to mention toying with him in their Occlumency lessons, it seemed impossible for any ounce of respect to come from either man. At some points over the years, Harry couldn't quite believe he almost hated him just as much or even more than Voldemort. While the hatred was real between Harry and Severus Snape, they both shared a special connection, the forever and undying love of Lily Potter.

Harry felt that he should be happy, but in his heart there is still this pain of loss. Only hours have passed and there are still the bodies of good, innocent people in the castle who were tragically killed. How can he look at his favourite family, the Weasley's, when his friend and their son and their brother Fred was killed? How can he look at young baby Teddy and explain to him when he's older what happened to his mum and dad. Why can't they all be here, filled with joy as the world is rid of an evil plague? Why does innocent blood have to be shed? What he would do just to see them, hug them and be in their presence. While life is indeed incredibly cruel, just one line kept cropping into Harry's mind.

"I open at the close"

Dumbledore really was a wise man. He was right. Love really is the most form of powerful magic. Harry knew it was the love of the innocent people which is the pure motivation of why good people will always prevail. Fred, Remus, Tonks, Snape, Lily, James, Sirius, Albus and many others were ready to do anything to protect the people they loved. They might not be here in physical form, but surely are carried in our hearts.

With the inspiration of love, Harry knew what sort of life he wants to live and what he wants to achieve. A life that he should have had as a child but never did… a normal life with a loving family. As Harry slowly opened his eyes, he knew that this normal life starts now.

My first attempt in years at this! Please let me know what you think (good or bad comments are welcomed)!