A/N-0: This is written for the "TGYH" challenge on DLP. The prompt is "Fuck it, challenge me" for about 1000 words (this is about 1,500).

Bring me that horizon

Open the door. Close the door. The room is shrouded in near-complete darkness. I throw my cloak onto the couch. One step forward. Second step. Fifth. Tenth. I have walked across the room without running into or stepping on anything. I have now reached the icebox. I open it and grab one of the bottles. Judging by the soft hiss it is wizard-made beer, the weak stuff, probably the pack Al left behind last month. Oh well. I down half its content in one gulp. I was right. I grab another bottle, by the feel of it scotch, and slam the icebox shut. Note to self: introduce Al to real beer befitting a real man.

I transverse the room, again without stepping on anything, and settle down in the couch. I let out a held breath instead of sighing. In the years since I bought the place it has never been this quiet. First came Luna Lovegood and her father, who lost their house and—well—everything during the war. Then Ron and Neville, while the three of us attended Auror Academy. Andy Tonks and little Teddy were, of course, frequent visitors. Neville moved back home when his gran's health began failing. Old Xeno moved out when the old Lovegood house was rebuilt. Luna ran off with that fucker after that, but recent Hogwarts-graduate Hermione moved right in. She and Ron got their own place a year later, and in their place came Gin. Two years after that, she touched her belly one night and said I'd have a new tenant soon. Three months later she became the house's mistress. The next few years saw the arrival of first Jimmy, then Al, and finally little Li-Lu. Alongside Teddy, who had become a semi-permanent fixture since Andy's second marriage, the kids had the run of the place.

Then the kids began leaving for Hogwarts, and Gin was depressed as one by one our babies left the nest; Teddy first, then Jimmy, then Al, finally Li-Lu. I encouraged her to go back to her job with the Prophet but it didn't work. Then I decided, what the hell, I've done my share with protecting the world. I resigned at the ripe old age of fifty and we began travelling the world. I wanted to try for another kid but Gin put the foot down on that, though I did try. Hard. Several time a night.

Good times.

I finish the beer and take a swig of the scotch. Oh yes. That's the stuff.

Gin used to say I made a bad example for the kids for drinking so much while I, in turn, laughed it off. Honestly? I never drank more than two bottles a week. And no, those weren't charmed, self-filling bottles. Frankly, my coworkers (and later, subordinates) were amazed. They didn't know how I stayed sane with all the shit we dealt with, day-in and day-out.

A beautiful wife, four great kids, and lots of sex, I said.

No one believed me.

Oh well.

Maybe I should go talk to Hugo. Maybe not a frontline Auror again, but I can work in the office. Or I can be a consultant. Or an instructor at the Academy. Something to help pass the time.

I never realized just how long each day really is. Twenty four hours. Fourteen hundred and forty minutes. Eighty-six thousand, four hundred and forty seconds.

I miss the kids livening up the place. Above all, I miss Gin. Even her incessant nagging.

The doorbell rings. I don't want to answer it. The bell rings again. I keep quiet, hoping that whoever it is will get the clue and go. Rings again. I begin to wonder who would come to a dark and seemingly empty house in the dead of the night.

The bell finally stops ringing. The my ears start ringing as the door gets blown off its hinges.

"What the flying fuck?" In one fluid moment I have climbed to my feet, dropped the bottle and drawn my wand. Old instincts never die. "Who—?"

The dust cleared. Light from a lit wand reveals a tall, nearly bald man at the entrance. "Harry." Neville says, his eyes sharp as ever despite being the same age as I am. "Why didn't you answer the damn door? I thought you had an accident or something!"

I flick my wand to turn on the lighting charms in the room. My eyes sweep the room to assess the damage. "I was hoping you'll just go away, not destroy my front door."

He rolls his eyes. With a flick of his wand the front door begins fixing itself."I was going to, but I did a Human-revealing Charm. I know you're inside but you didn't answer; what conclusion do you think I'd have drawn?" He huffed.

I stifle a sigh. Neville means well. "Alright."

"Alright isn't enough." He retorts. His expression softened. "Gin wouldn't want to see you like this."

I run a hand through my hair.

"You still have Hannah and the girls, you don't understand. And I pray you never have to." I tell him. I don't begrudge them, I really don't; I knew that the kids would one day leave home and crave their own niche in the world. I knew that they have their own lives to live. And I knew that Gin never truly recovered from her stroke in '46, that she would very likely go before I do. I accepted that, and have made peace with it. It's just that…

"I miss them. I miss her, Neville. But more importantly, I'm bored near fuck to tears." I tell him. "Peace and quiet is great only if you have someone to share it with; I don't. Not anymore."

Surprisingly, his face split into a grin. "In that case, I have some good news."

I blink at him, and only then does my second visitor reveal herself.

"Luna!" I cry, genuinely happy to see her. I pull her into an embrace. "My goodness!"

The years have been kind to her. Blond hair has long since been replaced by white, of course, but her face is barely touched by the passage of time; she looks just like the girl I met on the Hogwarts Express nearly seventy years ago.

"It's good to see you too." She smiles, her silvery-grey eyes bright as ever. Her humour diminishes slightly as she says, "I'm sorry about Ginny. I came as soon as I heard."

"Thank you." I say sincerely. I know that even with the use of magic it's a month-long trip from Mars back to Earth. I force myself to smile. "But where are my manners? Come on in, both of you."

Luna kicks shut the newly-repaired door and kicks off her shoes, just as she used to do when she was living here. I can't help but laugh. Neville smirks and takes over my duty by pouring refreshments for the three of us.

"So how are things in the Colonies?" I ask. It was quite the rage two years back; the muggles bit off more than they could chew when they opened those tombs on Mars, and it was only with the aid of the Wizarding World that they defeated the reanimated White Martians. Magical peoples were sought after since then, and many witches and wizards found new opportunities off-planet.

"I just resigned, actually." Luna says. I raise an eyebrow at her. As one of the senior magical naturalist in the world, she was among the first people recruited for the off-planet missions, and as far as I knew she loved the job. She explains before I ask, however. "I've signed on for the new Expedition to Europa. And that's why I'm here."

"Oh?"

She gestures at the room. "I felt the same way after Rolf, you know. I ran off to Mars because I can't stand everything reminding me of who—what—I lost. I need to go away, at least for a bit. And I think you need to do the same now."

My eyes meet hers. "I wasn't a researcher, or a scientist. I was an Auror."

Neville speaks up. "Who knows? There may be alien monsters to kill, or alien criminals to catch." He winks at Luna, who shakes her head in amusement. "I'm going, too, Harry."

"We'll make something for you, Harry, provided you are willing to come." She says. "You don't have to decide now; the Expedition doesn't leave for another month."

I look at Neville, then Luna. I recall myself with two others, my best friends then (and now still), having grand adventures in our youth.

A spark rekindles the fire in my heart. I down the last of my scotch and Vanish the bottle.

"I don't need a month." I say.

Neville grins and holds out his fist, which I bump lightly with my own. Luna gives me a tight hug.

"Fuck it, challenge me."

Fin

A/N-1: Title is stolen from the last line of the first Pirates of Caribbean movie. Alternate title is "Second Spring".