Love Like You

1. Back at Hogwarts

The weather was good for the season—rapidly approaching autumn.

Technically it was still summer, but the duration of daylight was starting to become noticeably shorter and the temperature had cooled considerably, so much that one might say it was autumn, instead. Sooner or later, leaves would begin to shed from deciduous trees and take on various shades of yellow, orange, red and brown. It was truly the most beautiful season of them all.

Warm sunlight illuminated the grass in the courtyard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where I lay in silence, staring up at the endless expanse of sky above me. Clouds slowly floated by. Not carrying rain or ushering storm, but adding colour to my atmosphere.

I was not alone. Lying on the grass with me were my two best friends, my sun and my moon. Ron Weasley, the kindest and funniest young man you will ever meet; and Hermione Granger, the brightest and most hard working witch in the entire Wizarding World. Together we relaxed and enjoyed the nice September weather, listening to the pleasant sounds of our surroundings: wind rustling through the leaves, birds chirping, crickets whistling.

After a length of silence, a thought appeared in my head, and I spoke it aloud in a soft yet audible voice.

"I want things to stay exactly like this and never change."

"Agreed," Ron and Hermione replied in unison, clear notes of optimism in their voices. Life at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry was so pleasant and easy, especially nowadays. I wished it would last forever.

But I knew it couldn't.

Hermione, who sat on her knees, put the book down she had been reading. "It's nice to let your guard down once in a while and appreciate the little things in life," she said with a smile, one Ron would often describe as delightfully angelic.

Ron cast a glance in her direction. "Like what?"

"Well, being here with you right now, for instance."

Ron, whose face had turned a noticeable shade of crimson, let out a nervous chuckle. Ever since he and Hermione started going out, they tended to forget when I was and wasn't around. Now, too, were they talking and chatting like I wasn't even there.

Somehow, the topic of the conversation had changed to homework. I could only assume this was Hermione's doing.

"We haven't gotten that much homework these first two weeks," Ron remarked. I only then just noticed that he and Hermione were holding hands. "If it stays that way, who knows, I might even start enjoying school just a bit. Just a bit," he repeated when he saw the amazed look on his girlfriend's face. They shared a laugh.

"To be honest, I don't really care how much homework we're going to get this semester. I'm just happy to be back at school. I think everyone is."

"Not everyone," I spoke almost automatically. Forced to acknowledge my existence at last, Ron, who seemed to understand what I was implying, sighed, "Mate, forget about him."

"I can't," I responded firmly, rising to a sitting position. "Knowing there's someone out there still hurting because of The War—because of me... I know it's not my fault, but if there's a chance I could make it better, shouldn't I try?"

Around two weeks ago, another school year at Hogwarts had begun. A selected few students of who had missed their seventh year because of The War would be repeating the year. Among these were me and my friends, but unfortunately, it also included some people I'd rather never see again. People who intentionally tried to hurt me and my friends. People who made my life miserable.

A while after The War had ended, I started having these intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings, like I was being haunted by the shadows of my past. Voldemort may have been defeated once and for all, but his shadow was still blocking out the light. The horrible things he did were still hurting me. The thoughts eventually became so overwhelming I cried myself to sleep every night. But the nightmares that awaited me there were even worse. I get them so often I should be used to them by now. But I'm not. No one ever really gets used to nightmares.