Chapter Text
The thing nobody tells you about surviving a war is that eventually, people stop asking if you’re alright.
At first, they ask constantly.
They look at you too softly. Speak to you too carefully. Watch you like you might disappear if they blink too quickly.
But the world keeps spinning. And eventually, survival becomes old news.
People just assume that because you lived through something, you must have learned how to live afterward.
Harry never really had.
Years after the war, Harry Potter has everything he was ever supposed to want. A stable career, a cozy home, a 'loving' marriage built on history and habit.
So why does it all feel unbearably hollow?
Harry was peacefully sitting in his home, his phone dimly glowing in his hand while he scrolled mindlessly through article after article without actually reading any of them.
Celebrity scandals. Quidditch scores. Politics. Some actor divorcing another actor.
His thumb kept moving before his brain could process any of the words, trying to keep from dozing off.
Music blared in the background, some Green Day song practically shaking the house. It was supposed to stop him from falling asleep. But unfortunately for him, it wasn't working quite well, as his head kept bobbing downward, and his eyes continued to keep shutting slowly.
He had plans to see Ron and Hermione later that day, something that had become rare nowadays. Everyone was busy. Very busy. So his best friends having this rare sliver of time and spending it with him was exciting.
He was snapped out of his thoughts about how good a nap would be by his wife, Ginny. She strolled through the door, keys landing in the little tray they had placed on the desk near the entrance.
Ginny walked over to her husband, smiling pleasantly at the sight of him nearly dozing off. She walked over to the speaker blasting music, turning it down to a much more relaxed volume.
"Tired?"
She asked, knowing the answer already. When Harry didn't respond with words, only with a slow nod of his head, she laughed while shaking her head.
"No one's stopping you from taking a nap, y’know."
Ginny walked past him toward the kitchen cabinets, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail as she searched for something to snack on. She wore one of his old sweatshirts and mismatched socks, and for a brief moment Harry was struck again by how comfortable they were together.
Comfortable.
That was the word people used when they visited.
‘You two are so comfortable together.’
As if comfort was the same thing as love.
Maybe it was supposed to be. Harry honestly didn’t know anymore.
“You should get some sleep before you go see Ron and Hermione,” Ginny said absentmindedly while digging through the pantry.
Harry hummed in response.
Truthfully, he dreaded sleeping lately.
Sleep meant dreams. Dreams meant memories. And memories meant them. Cedric. Sirius. Fred. Remus. Tonks. The forest. And them meant waking up with that awful hollow ache in his chest that followed him around for the rest of the day.
So instead, he stayed awake until fatigue and exhaustion became too unbearable to ignore.
It wasn’t healthy, him and Ginny both knew that.
But she’d stopped pushing him about it months ago. Maybe years.
“You know,” Ginny started casually, finally settling on and grabbing a bag of chips from the cabinet, “I heard we’re getting a new neighbor.”
Harry looked up slightly. “Yeah?”
“Mhm. Apparently she went to Hogwarts with us.”
Harry leaned his head against his hand. “Do we know her?”
Ginny paused, something flicking briefly across her expression before she answered.
“Y/N Roan.”
The name settled strangely in the room.
Harry’s thumb paused, no longer endlessly scrolling.
Y/N Roan.
For a moment, all he could remember was laughter.
Not even a specific memory, just the sound of it.
Then came flashes: a Gryffindor scarf, ink-stained fingers, your voice somewhere behind him in crowded hallways, you laughing during Charms, you sitting beside Hermione in the library once..
And suddenly Harry realized, with sharp uncomfortable guilt, that he could barely remember your face anymore. After all, you hadn’t been in his mind for.. how long? Eleven years..?
Eleven years..
Merlin. Had it really been that long?
“Harry?”
He blinked.
Ginny was watching him carefully now.
“You alright?”
“Yeah,” he said quickly. “Just surprised.”
Ginny nodded slowly.
“She moved to America after the war, didn’t she?"
“I think so.”
“She’s moving in next door apparently.”
“Next door, you say?” Harry spoke, a bit more softly. It’ll be nice to see you again after all these years.
But yet.. something strange twisted faintly beneath his ribs. Not quite exactly excitement. Something more tender and quieter. Something almost nervous.
“Huh,” was all he said. Ginny studied him for another second before smiling faintly. “She used to fancy you."
Harry helplessly choked on air. “What?”
Ginny laughed loudly, smiling.
“Oh, come off it. Half the school fancied you, Chosen One.”
“That’s not the compliment you think it is.”
“It’s true.”
Harry groaned, rubbing both hands over his face. “Please never repeat that sentence again.”
Ginny snorted and tossed a chip at him.
It bounced off his shoulder pathetically.
The easy silence returned after that.
And Harry thought, not for the first time, that this was what their marriage had become: easy silence. Not bad.
Never bad.
Just..
Still.
“I’m actually quite excited that Y/N is moving back, let alone next door!”
Ginny said, already eager at the thought of spending time with an old friend. Harry was as well. He really was. You moving back would be very nice. You were a kind person and you were always pleasant and sweet towards him. When you moved, he was disappointed that you two didn't keep in touch.
But! On the bright side, you’re moving literally next door. So that'll be nice to catch up.
…Huh. Harry thought. It had been such a long time since the two of them last interacted, let alone spoke. He could barely remember your face. He'll get a reminder once you move back, but still. He never realized he was slowly forgetting your face.
He picked up his phone that he had momentarily forgotten about, turning it on and scrolling through the random news articles about celebrity drama and whatever was going on in their wacky world.
He scrolled for god knows how long, and would've kept scrolling if it wasnt for the ringtone that interrupted his doomscrolling.
Harry answered quickly, only to jerk the phone away from his ear immediately.
"Harry!" Ron yelled through the device, loud enough to make Harry’s ears ring.
"Yes, Ron??"
Harry replied, confused on why his best friend was shouting.
"Where in the bloody hell are you?! Me and Hermione are waiting at the café and you aren't here!"
Well, shit.
"Oh, shit! Sorry Ron!"
Harry started, immediately running over to the shoe rack to put on some nice sneakers.
"I completely missed the time, that's my bad! I'll be there in five!!"
"Yea, you better!!"
Harry rolled his eyes at his best friend, and he heard Hermione laughing in the background, telling her husband to take a breather.
“Ron, come off it! You know how forgetful Harry’s been these days! Cut him some slack, won’t you?”
“Yea, Ron! Listen to your wife!” Harry added for good measure.
Ron had ended the call with an annoyed huff. Harry scoffed and quickly snatched the keys from the tray, yelling a goodbye to Ginny and shutting the door behind him as he scrambled to the car, nearly tripping in the process.
The get-together he had helped scheduled completely slipped his mind while he was busy doomscrolling. Damn, he should start setting alarms to remember when to leave. Maybe then he wouldn't get annoyed calls from his best friend scolding him about his tardiness.
Today was off to a great start.
《○°○》
You were currently getting ready. Ready for what? To Apparate back to your home country. You had packed all of your belongings, holding onto them all. Then, you teleported straight to your new home. Who needs planes?
But you were still excited to be home. Moving back to England after living in the States for so long was sure to be nice. You would be with all your old friends and family that you missed so dearly.
But, when you Apparated to your brand new cozy home, you glanced to your right. And there he was. A familiar face. You paused at the sight of him. He paused at the sight of you.
"Y/N?"
"Harry?"
You both stared at eachother for a long while, drinking in the other.
You looked at him, remembering the familiar face of The Boy Who Lived.
Harry Potter stared right back at you, analyzing the face he hadn't thought about in a long while.
For a long while, the silence stretched between you two, locked in an intense staring contest. Until you finally blinked out of your stupor.
But... you snapping out of your little trance, you accidentally dropped the things you held in your hands. Which includes the ceramic vase you didn't trust to stay intact while Apparting. And now it's shattered on the driveway.
Just great.
The sound of the vase cracking into a million pieces seemed to have awoke Harry from his stupor aswell.
The silence stretched awkwardly, and then you looked down suddenly.
“Oh, brilliant.” You said dryly.
Harry followed your gaze.
A piece of the sharp ceramic had nicked your finger. Blood dripped steadily onto the pavement below.
Double great.
You frowned, pulling out your wand to recover the shattered vase. And healed your finger just for good measure.
You noticed Harry staring at you, then the tiny puddle of blood. He hesitantly stepped forward.
"Soo... Harry. How's life been?"
You asked first, albeit a bit awkwardly. You took a few steps to give him a warm hug.
Harry blinked dumbly a few times before hugging you back.
"I've been good. How about you? Heard you lived in the U.S for a while."
"Ah, yes. I've been doing... splendid. And that is correct, I did live in the States for a while. It's great to be back though." You said, smiling softly.
For a moment, you were suddenly seventeen again: standing in crowded castle corridors,
watching Harry laugh at something Ron said,
hearing his voice somewhere nearby..
Then the memory vanished as quickly as it came.
Harry stared at you, nervously looking around.
“I’d stay and help,” Harry said reluctantly, glancing toward his car, “but Ron’s already threatening murder because I’m late.”
“Some things never change then, so it seems.”
“Nope.”
You smiled pleasantly, nodding thoughtfully.
"Of course, that's fine. I need to get settled in anyway. I'll see you around, yea?"
You said, making your belongings levitate into your new home. You waved a polite goodbye, and walked inside, the door closing behind you.
"..yea. See you around."
Harry stared at your newly lit windows for a long moment before finally forcing himself toward his car.
But the entire drive to meet Ron and Hermione, one horrible thought kept circling endlessly in the back of his mind:
Why did seeing you again feel like remembering something he’d lost?