After a War

Hope is a Creature of Music

   Voices could be heard but were so faint, it sounded as if a mouse was speaking. I listened only for three seconds before the talking stopped and the door creaked open. I curled into snape and the wall more. He got into a fighting stance, while I tried to merge with the wall. We heard four sets of feet walk our way till Madam Ponfery was infront of us.
   "I have gest for you. They are not going to hurt you."
   Madam Ponfery moved and three bodies came into view. They got on our level and we could see Luna, George, and Fred. They were smiling. It felt odd to see people smile at me again.
   "We are here to help you have a some what normal life again. So you don't have to be scared all the time." George explained.
   "We are going to change into our animagus forms. We want to just be friends again and help you feel safe." Fred said.
   They shifted and became birds. Luna was an owl and the twins were small robin like birds. They flew around awhile but came back. They started to get closer to us but Severus growled. They still pressed onward. They only stopped once Severus batted his paw at them. They sat there as three little birds watching us. After a few hours I got tired and so did Severus so we played down. That's when they started to get closer. Sev tried to swat at them but was too tired. They got so close they could sit on us. In the end I fell asleep with Luna on my back.
   This activity was repeated daily for a few weeks till we stopped batting at them. They then started the same activity as humans. That took two months for us to stop swatting. Sev and I were still on edge but not as much. They hadn't hurt us and seemed to care. I know they are my friends but I just wasnt sure of anyone. George moved the bed one day. He made all the beds disappear which made me and Severus scared. We tried to hide but couldn't. They then repeated the same activity with out the beds till we felt safer. I hated the process but it seemed to work. Then one day I shifted. I was thinking about playing chess when I shifted. Severus looked at me like I was crazy but Luna seemed happy i had shifted.
   "What are you doing Harry? They could hurt you." Sev stressed.
   "I know but I want to do something besides be scared. Will you shift and play chess with me? I have been dieing to play."
   "I guess. But only for a while."
   Severus shifted and demanded a chess board and peices. We played two games before he shifted back. We played daily for about a week. The three birds stayed. I still don't understand why, but they haven't hurt us. Severus and I stayed human longer the further we got into the second week of chess. By the third I wanted clothes and to not hide. I begged Severus to let me go out and have clothes. By the end of the week he said yes. We crawled out and stood in a defensive stance. I called out to the birds and used all my magic to build a barrier. "We would like some clothes." Severus stated.
   Luna shifted and gave us clothes. I was in a green sweater, black pants, brown boots, and a green beanie. Severus was in a black button down shirt, black slacks, shiny black shoes, and black bow tie. It seemed as if they had gotten clothes from our rooms but I still was having a hard time thinking about before the accident. I decided to move us onto the only bed in the room. The twins had shifted now and had transformed pebbles into chairs. "Would you two be willing to play a board game with us?" George asked.
"It wouldn't hurt to try and gain trust." I reasoned with Severus in my head.
"Why? So they can hurt you? I can't loose you Harry." Sev reasoned.
"If they try anything you can hurt them all you want. I just want us to be able to go and live a life of our own again. I want to grow old with you without fear." Sev gave into my reasoning.
   We played five games befor it got dark. I got tired and wanted to sleep but Severus looked like he was going to drop dead. So I told him to sleep while I stay on patrol. George, Fred, and Luna all left but I still stayed up. It wasn't till two did I fall asleep unknowingly. This happened again the next time I patrolled, which was a week after.
   After three more months of "therapy", as I call it, we left the infirmary. Apparently the Room of Requirements was made the intermarry temporarily. We could see people and interact with them but we were always on edge. So Sev and I resigned as teachers. He said he had a country French-style house.

We moved in and stayed there for the rest of our lives. Severus died at age 120 and I died five years after his death. We were happy together. We had long conversation and enjoyed each others company. I loved him dearly I hurt when he died, i truly believe that I died of a broken heart.