Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the lyrics featured in this fic, they belong respectively to JK Rowling and Wendy Rene. Listen to Rene's song After Laughter (Comes Tears) to set the ~mood~ for reading. And as always, enjoy!
After laughter comes tears
After your laughter there will be tears
In the empty living room of a seemingly abandoned cabin from the outside, a young, willowy redheaded woman swayed to the record her late father had passed down to her. With her eyes closed, she listened intently to the lyrics filling the air.
When you're in love, you're happy
When you're in a arm, you gaze
This doesn't last always
After your laughter there will be tears
She brought up her arms in a position as if she's waiting for a partner to latch onto her. Once she felt satisfied to start, she waltzed down from one corner of the room to the next until every spot of the dust-filled floor was visited at least twice.
My friends all say, don't try to hold it in
But I can't let that guy know how I feel
I'll try to hold back my, my, my tears
A tear fell down on the woman's left cheek, thus pioneering the continual downfall as she remembered him. Feelings of anger, sadness, annoyance, regret, hopelessness, and loss filled her being with his memory. She had too much to say to him, yet it was all too late to do so.
But they keep say
After your laughter oh, oh, oh
He was the boy who helped her from the beginning and was always there for her. Although she knew that he was far from perfect, she always regarded him as a comfortable home to return to. No matter what their current feelings towards each other were, they could always come to each other in times of need. She would do anything in her power for him and he would do the same for her.
I'll try to hide, hide my sorrows
I wonder can I hold them till tomorrow
Maybe I'll hold them for a year
Towards the end, she acknowledged that they weren't the same people they were when they met a decade ago. They still had that sense of belonging with one another, but it didn't hold as much weight anymore due to the constant back-and-forth betrayals: her with her lover, him with his ideals. In the end, there was no way to repair the relationship with all the damage already done.
But they keep say
After your laughter
Now you will see those wet little tears
After your laughter
A little biddy tear will look climb into your eye
The song slowly came to a close, prompting the woman's eyes to open. There, her childhood friend stood in front of her, his ghostly black pupils staring into her own with a peaceful smile on his face. He looked tired, like he'd been mourning for the past two decades. Yet he was there in front of her, holding her in his arms even though there was nothing to hold. The only indication of shock that appeared was the minute bulging of her eyes for a millisecond before her expression went back to normal.
None of those conflicting feelings from before materialized now. All she felt in this moment was pure happiness, as a tear streamed down her face once more.
"Severus," she called out with a grin and his eyes glistened from the sound of her voice, "thank you."
His smile grew fractionally as he gave her a gentle nod.
Author's Note: This fic is inspired by Wendy Rene's After Laughter (Comes Tears) and u/ItsyaboiShezza on Reddit (thanks for letting me use your art!). After having this song constantly on repeat, rereading Deathly Hallows, and being wide awake at two in the morning, this story came to be in 30 minutes! As always, sorry for the mistakes and thank you so much for reading~
Until next time, au revoir!