The Beauty Of Now - An Ode To Harry Potter

The Beauty Of Now

Harry and Ginny sat under the stars, they have been living together for a year now, but it feels as though it has been an entire lifetime for Harry, since they had been in their new home, every star felt aligned and every comet flew right over his head, the universe reminding him that she is grateful for all he sacrificed. Maybe you could call it a honeymoon phase but every moment with Ginny reminds him that everything is worth it, that the creation of all the planets, and moons, and suns allowed him to exist and breathe in this moment with her, when everything was against him the moment he was born. It is euphoric. This is his happily ever after.

He looks at her, whisps of her auburn hair strands whooshing gently in the breeze, a subtle smile on her face as she gazed at the skies, gracefully tracing the constellations with her finger, her other hand stroking her growing stomach. They did this often, sitting in sweet silence under the stars to just enjoy each other's company. Sometimes, it's not necessary to speak when you know the other so well, understand exactly what is going on in their head without having to utter a syllable. She had spotted the Hercules constellation, she had gotten swift with catching that one now, but each time her face illuminated with a child-like wonderment.

The Hercules constellation in Greek mythology tells the story of how Hercules defeated the dragon Landon, who guarded the garden of the Hesperides. The constellation that represented Landon is called Draco. When Ginny taught Harry all this, he was always struck by how Draco Malfoy shared the name of a constellation, which represented something so fierce and frightening, yet courageous and mystical. He often wondered if Lucius or Narcissa Malfoy deliberately named their son after it, and the meaning behind it, if there truly was wisdom and significance behind those barren eyes.

But Harry attached his own meaning, the Garden of the Hesperides was a place full of love and beauty, that Draco kept hidden and guarded by his fierce sneer and sharp tongue, by Landon. Maybe Harry could have been Hercules, slaying Landon to enter the gardens within, maybe Draco never would have let him. A feeling of regret lingers in his stomach, Why should I care anyway? Harry thought, Draco has found his own Ginny now, she slayed his Landon.

The image of the very personification of evil seeps and slithers through his thoughts. Voldemort pushes through, Harry unwillingly envisions the last few moments he was in his presence, the way he hissed and boasted as though he had already won, slinking his wand through the air as he paced back and forth, commanding the children and professors of Hogwarts to join his army of death eaters. His smooth and veiny head, toothy smirk and nose-less nostrils sending shivers down the spine of anybody that dared to gaze at him, turning blood to ice and stealing the colour from their faces. Harry tries to be grateful for the fact that he is the boy who lived... but at what cost?

Friends, family, role models, the ability to trust swiftly and his innocence are just a few of the things he won't ever be able to get back, not in this lifetime. But he never lived for himself. When his mother cast herself between him and Voldemort, he lived for her sake, because she adored him so much that she died for him. Then when he came to Hogwarts, he lived for the school, his friends, his teachers and even his rivals, because they famed and adored him. When he discovered the Order Of The Phoenix, he lived for them and his godfather, the last trace of his family. Then, he discovered that he is the only one who can kill Voldemort, so he lived for the sake of the fate of the earth and every soul within it. Finally, he gave all that up, sacrificed the little he had left, to die, so that people like him could sit beside their loved ones under the night sky and trace the stars.

His final thoughts before that moment, were that Harry Potter, the boy who lived and will die for them, mustn't die for nothing. Silently, he begged that the masses would chorus his name, write of his bravery, and paint his beauty. Make me a God, he thought, maybe then I will rise.

Maybe in another life, Voldemort wouldn't have existed. Maybe Lily and James would have raised him, and he would have been the most loved boy in the entirety of Hogwarts. His mother would have taught him to be compassionate and intelligent and his father to be brave and fervent. Maybe he would have a sibling, or two, or three, who he would grow and discover with, adventure and explore with, joust and play with, they would all be loved equally as they deserved to be. Albus, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Severus, Hedwig, Dobby, Sirius, Cedric and all the others would still be here, as they lived and experienced together. His parents would have been there at his wedding and would have got to meet Ginny and the other Weasleys, he pictures warmly how much the two families would adore each other, it was impossible not to love the Weasleys caring, humble and hilariously chaotic nature. Maybe he wouldn't have ever known the Dursleys, or cared enough to realise how terrible they are. His future child or maybe even children would have met their grandparents in his childhood home at Godric's Hollow. Regret begins to rush through his veins as he pictured introducing his new-born child to them both, followed by longing and sorrow.

"Where are you, dear?" Ginny dragged him back to reality with a mischievous grin on her face, a gleam of understanding in her eyes, her auburn hair shining gold under the moonlight. That fantasy was beautiful and wonderous, but it was just that, a fantasy. He doesn't need those things. Now, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, lives for the sake of living, for existing and growing and experiencing and breathing. For the love of his life and his future children, who he will do his best for, to ensure they grow up with the love he once craved and needed. For the dynasty of Potters and Weasleys, that will continue to cause chaos at Hogwarts for many years to come.

"Here, with you" he uttered, as he shadowed her movements and traced the stars. His mind filled with the warm and comforting feeling that comes with living in the moment.