A/N: This story popped into my head one day because I think that the Deathly Hallows are epic and the scene in the last book with the Resurrection Stone never fails to bring me to tears. I originally wrote everything as one document, but I really want to post and I'm not quite done with all the people I want to do yet, so I split it up. Each chapter will be short, but most are written already. Let me know if you have any ideas for other chapters!
A wise man once asked Harry if he thought that those loved ones who had died ever truly left him. At that time, Harry had been jubilant and would have replied no without a second thought. Later in life, he would have varying answers to that question, depending on his current circumstances – whether there was some reason to despair, whether someone had just passed on, whether he felt as if he'd had a part in the death.
But Harry's answer was no longer unsure. As the Master of the Deathly Hallows, he was aware of much more than he used to be.
The first thing that Harry became aware of was the fact that even though the Resurrection Stone had been lost inside the Forbidden Forest, its power seemed to remain in him. He found that if he was in a despairing state of mind that no one could bring him out of, a ghost of his past would appear before him to cheer him up. His mother came often, as did his father, but sometimes he'd see Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Fred, Dumbledore, or another loved one. They didn't come too frequently, explaining that they really should remain on the other side, where they belong.
Harry did not question this, knowing that it truly was unnatural to be able to talk to the dead. The specters came less often as the years passed and Harry grew out of his emotional turmoil.
But the specters are not the focus of this story. No, no, no, the focus of this story is their spirits.
Harry learned soon after mastering the Hallows that the world felt different to one who was aware of the other side. At first, he could not pass through areas where many people had been killed because he could feel the close link between the world of death and the world of the living. There was dark energy, especially where people had been killed violently, that made him physically ill. After the last battle at Hogwarts, he'd been struck by the horrors that had occurred there and nearly passed out. He didn't understand at that time, but he gradually became used to the nauseous feelings he'd get as he'd pass through certain areas. It only took him a few more experiences to figure it out.
He also learned the differences between ghosts and the specters who came to visit him. The ghosts had a melancholy, cold feel and he could often feel them coming from another room. He supposed that the feeling came from their reluctance to pass on and their unattainable desire to see their loved ones, who had long since passed. The specters had a happier feel and were neither warm nor cold, just… comfortable. The specters knew that they made the right choice to pass on and they had little of the longing that the ghosts had. Harry could easily tell their auras apart after a couple of weeks.
Finally, Harry learned just how often the dead were in the world of the living. They may not appear as the specters do, but the spirits of the dead often permeated the lives of their loved ones. The spirits did feel warm – warm and soothing. Harry could tell each spirit apart, knowing their feel even if he had not quite met them personally.
The other living beings may not feel the spirits as acutely as Harry does, but he knows they can feel them.