Alone
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were—I have not seen
As others saw—I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I lov'd, I lov'd alone.
Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
Of a most stormy life—was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold—
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by—
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
"Alone"—Edgar Allan Poe
The wizarding world was finally at peace. Voldemort had been destroyed less than three days ago and parties of varying amounts of volume and enthusiasm were all still up and running in Hogwarts and all across the whole of England and for that matter, all of the wizarding world itself.
However, the one person that caused the celebrations, the one that should have been the loudest and happiest among all the partiers, was not rejoicing. Of course, as was expected by all, the one person that had finally defeated the Dark Lord was—
"Harry!" an exasperated voice called up the stairs from the common room of the head boy and girl. "There's a great party in the Gryffindor common room that you have to come to. There's free Butterbeer and Chocolate Frogs!" The red-head turned towards the brunette girl next to him. "I don't think he's going to come… Harry! Great to see you again! Are you going to be coming then?"
A tall boy with tied back shoulder-length black hair, brilliant green eyes, and an aura of power walked down the steps from his rooms carrying a single scarlet rose in full bloom in one of his hands, twirling it absentmindedly. "I'm not going, Ron, Hermione."
"Harry, please!" Hermione said from her position next to her boyfriend. "You've just been released from the infirmary today. You should join the celebrations."
"And ignore the fact that quite a few of people that I have referred to as friends in the past have died?" Harry interrupted.
"I never said that, Harry. Not once did I ever say that. You don't ignore the ones that have died but you let them live on through you. Be happy because that is what they wanted for you and everyone when they did die; happiness."
Harry snorted as he turned his head and looked at a picture of his parents that had been placed on the mantle above the fireplace with great care next to the one of Sirius and all the other close friends that had died during the first and second wars with Voldemort. He brought the rose to his cheek and set the soft petals onto his skin.
"Do you truly believe that everyone that died fought just for happiness for the world?" he asked. "Many of them didn't. They fought to protect their families and loved ones. How do you think the ones left on this earth feel?"
"Harry," Hermione said quietly. "There's no need to turn philosophical now. You can think about this after you've at least smiled and laughed for a little bit."
"Do you wonder about what the remaining children of the Death Eaters are going through right now? They fought for their families and I bet no one invited them to any celebrations tonight."
"Why on earth should we ask the Death Eater Juniors to join us?" Ron asked, derisively. "I still say that they ought to be tossed into Azkaban, the whole lot of them. Too bad Dumbledore and Snape just had to say that they weren't to be jailed."
"Have you ever thought that they are the ones that are suffering the most in the aftermath of the war?" Harry asked as he walked to the fireplace and gazed at all of the pictures located on it.
"How can you say that, Harry?" Hermione asked. "Think of Parvati! She lost her twin sister and father! Others have suffered just as many losses!"
Harry just simply retorted back. "Think of someone…Let's say Draco Malfoy. He lost his father, his mother, and his dignity. Parvati and people like her have the whole wizarding world sympathizing for them. However, the children of the Death Eaters, who are just as innocent, are tossed to the side."
"Their parents were the enemy for God's sake!" Ron shouted.
"That is my point exactly. Their parents were the enemy, not them. It was their parents that chose to become Death Eaters. The people like Draco Malfoy grew up their entire lives learning to act the way they did. It wasn't their choice that they were taught a different set of values from birth. It's like saying that a toddler is guilty of stealing a candy without them even knowing that it's wrong yet."
"I swear, Harry, that if you keep talking like this—comparing Malfoys to innocent children and saying he's just as much a victim as Parvati—I'd believe that you were in love with Malfoy or something."
*
Ron and Hermione had finally given up on getting Harry to join them in the Gryffindor tower so they left to go to the party themselves.
After wandering around aimlessly throughout the castle for a few minutes and avoiding any celebrations, Harry finally made his way to his destination by the Hogwarts lake.
"So did you tell them?" a voice asked from the shadows of a weeping willow tree at the shore of the lake, stepping forward in the moonlight as Harry held out the crimson rose to the person and placed a gentle yet passion filled kiss on the person's soft rose petal lips.
"No. I wasn't able to." Harry answered back, not appearing shocked at the sudden sound of the voice. "I tried to make them realize how the children of 'the enemy' are just as much victims as the rest of them but they can't seem to let go of the demons residing in their hearts; the prejudice festers in their minds. In their hearts and minds, they believe that anyone in connection to the 'Dark' side during the war ought to be killed or incarcerated."
The person smiled; white teeth glinting and platinum blonde hair gleaming in the moonlight. "That's why I love you, Harry James Potter. You don't draw your opinions and beliefs from the same spring they do."
And for the first time that night, Harry smiled his true smile; the one without inhibitions, guilt, anger, or sorrow. What could seen in the smile could be described in a single word—
"Love," Harry said, still smiling his sweet smile, "you too, Draco. More and more every passing day."
And so, both had found their own peace away from the world and were never to be alone again.
End
Started and Completed: October 14, 2003