Faith .|. H. J. POTTER ✔

Epilogue

(Warning: implied/mentions of sexual activity, trauma and panic attacks. If this is uncomfortable for you, I suggest you skip those parts)

1998 May fifteenth

It was quiet. Almost as if the birds knew what a horrid event had happened just two weeks prior. Not even the wind made the trees rustle or pick up leaves to carry into the air. Everything was silent.

The house looked exactly like she had left it almost a year ago. The curtains were draped, the garden was blooming, though very unkept, and the gravel pathway to the front door still had footprints in it. It was as if she never left.

Faith gripped a little tighter onto Harry's hand as she stared at the front door of the house she left last summer when her parents brought her to Harry and his Muggle family. The door was slightly ajar, it was like Amos and Edith Diggory were somewhere behind it, keeping the door open with a book so the cold wind could cool them from the warm sun. It was like they never left to go into hiding at The Burrow, and then at great uncle Brigham's place. 

As if they were still waiting for her to come back.

Harry looked down at Faith, guilt and despair knawing on his insides. He thought it wasn't a good idea to return here so soon, it had only been two weeks. Two weeks of tears, grief, panic attacks and an odd sense of calmness. After all those months of being on the run, he had felt as if the world had stopped, as if the war was just paused and could continue any moment.

But that was far from the truth. All over the country, Death Eaters had been arrested for them devious crimes, the innocently imprisoned were set free and were finally reunited with their family and friends, and the dead finally got a proper farewell.

The many funerals they went to were all equally as horrible. The loud cry of little Teddy Lupin still rang through their ears even though the little boy didn't even know it was his parents they were burying. The way Colin Creevey's parents looked at Harry and Faith with pure sadness and regret but at the same time admiration and gratitude when the two shook their hands after the burial. The muffled sobs that came from Parvati Patil as the coffin of her best friend was lowered into the grave. 

The hardest was on the sixth of May. Faith had a speech prepared for the funeral, to tell everyone about how lovely her parents had been, how brave and selfless, but once it was her turn, Harry watched her break down in sobs, unable to get any words from her throat. 

Her face of agony and sorrow haunted Harry at night, often disallowing himself to fall asleep, afraid he was going to see it again. Most of the nights, Harry would just take Faith in his arms, softly stroking her until she fell asleep and then keep guard over her for most of the night. It was his duty now to make her feel safe.

"Are you sure you want to go in?" Harry asked carefully, squeezing her hand. "We can still go back to The Burrow if you want. We'll come back another time,"

Faith quickly shook her head. 

"No," Faith said, her voice sounding raspy. "No, we should go now,"

Faith finally took the first step onto the gravel pathway that led to the front door. Harry followed, slightly reluctant, contemplating if he should just Apparate them away from here but he knew Faith wouldn't like that so he went after her without letting go of her hand.

With a slight hesitation, Faith pushed open the door and entered the house. The hallway was already a mess, shoes were scattered everywhere, jackets had fallen off their hooks, and everything was covered with a thin layer of dust.