Word count: 561
Sometimes Dean wonders why he bothers at all. He tries so hard to stay positive because he wants to believe that a good attitude is what's going to keep him alive. Maybe being an optimist makes him a bit of an idiot. God knows it isn't a smiling face and can-do outlook that's gotten him this far. It's strength ,and skill, and, above all, as cliche as it sounds, the power of friendship.
Dean doesn't know what he would have done if he hadn't happened upon Ted Tonks a week after going on the run. Even better, they eventually met Dirk and Griphook, and their little party grew into more of a family. Without them, Dean is certain he would be dead. He can't set up wards the way Dirk does, or fish the way Griphook can, or look after himself the way Ted looks after him (like a father, like someone who sees something great in everyone he meets). Without them, he's sure he wouldn't have survived this long.
"Knut for your thoughts?" Ted calls jovially as he sits across from Dean, the wind whipping his shaggy, greying hair against his laugh-line creased face.
"Do you think this is permanent?" Dean asks, gesturing vaguely at everything around him, unsure how to put it all into words.
Ted seems to understand. Maybe he feels the same sense of hopelessness, that general unease that's always under the skin, like an itch that can never be scratched. If he does, he doesn't show it. There's a smile on his face, as always, as he shakes his head. "I believe in Harry Potter," he says. "More than that, I believe in the power of good."
Dean doesn't know how sold he is on that perspective. Harry is a good bloke and all, but what can he do against an army? As for the power of good? Dean can't remember the last time he's seen anything or anyone good beyond their camps they set up. For all he knows, the world has gone to hell, and there's no hope left.
But the way Ted talks, he wants to believe. The older man says it with absolute certainty, and Dean finds himself smiling too. If Ted can believe, maybe he can too. Maybe there's a chance that things can be okay again, and good will triumph over evil.
It's hard to imagine now. It's been far too long since he's had any reason to be hopeful.
Even so, he realizes he can't give up. Maybe the world is hopeless and there's no chance, but he'll never know if he just stops. He has to keep pushing forward, one step at a time. Things are terrible, but he's still carrying on. This life hasn't broken yet, even in those darkest moments when he was so afraid he would fall. He didn't crumble; he held strong because he had friends to carry him when the weight of the world felt too heavy.
"I saw some wild berries near the stream the other day," Ted tells him. "Might make a good dessert tonight, if you're interested."
Dean nods and climbs to his feet, Ted doing the same. This is their new normal, but he doesn't think it will last. The world seems dark right now, but he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he's found a reason to be hopeful.