A Bit of a Fairy Tale

Of course you'll want to hear all about Harry, right? I suppose that makes sense, seeing as how he was the one to initially kill Voldemort. Although, you should know...

Oh, but you don't care about much else, do you?

Alright then. Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. The boy who continues to live, to be more accurate. It's a bit of a fairy tale really... or so I've been told. You've got Harry, who is everything a hero should be. He's smart, he's brave, he's loyal, and he's even been seen helping little old ladies across the street in his spare time. He's got the tragic beginnings that every true hero should have. Harry is born. Harry defeats the Dark Lord, but loses his parents. Harry lives with muggles. Harry comes to Hogwarts. Harry becomes part of the Trio, which consisted of him, Ron, and myself. Ron and I are mentioned in the footnotes- pages 344, 897, and 2,364, if you're interested. Harry defeats the Dark Lord again and lives happily ever after.

Is that what you wanted to hear? Because I'm sure you can read all about it in Hogwarts, A History and...

Oh.

Oh, you wanted to know the rest of the story? Everything that isn't written? Oh... alright...

Well, the first thing you should know is that while Harry is brave, and kind, and loyal, and the best friend I could have ever hoped to have... he never tried to fit the hero mold. He wasn't perfect, you see, far from it. He was just another eleven year old boy when I met him, and he had all the insecurities of one. And it didn't change as we got older. He's only human, you know, although I can't blame people for thinking otherwise. I have to remind myself sometimes. But all that rubbish you heard about special treatment, and girls throwing themselves at his feet... it isn't true. Well... a fair share of girls did set their sights on him every now and then, but it wasn't him that they really wanted... you understand?

You know, of course, of Sirius Black? Yes, I thought so. You know too then, that he's Harry's godfather. People drank it up like the newest soap opera, when it hit the news... Soap opera. It's this show on... never mind. Here it was, another twist in the ever thickening plot of the fairy tale they watched and read about... all from the comfort of their living room chairs. It used to drive me crazy you know, thinking of them in their warm homes, with their cups of magically stirred tea, reading about Harry's latest brush with death...

And there were many, you realize...

But yes, I'm getting sidetracked. Sirius Black. Sirius was... he was Harry's connection to... to the past. To his parents. To everything, I think, that he would have had, if not for... yes, that. It meant the world to Harry, being that much closer to his parents, and he loved Sirius. Not exactly as a father, because nothing could replace that for him, but as someone who was there for him... as a real family. They were quite happy living together as an actual family, Harry, with Sirius and...

Er... yes, that's really none of your business, is it? With Sirius and his partner. Suffice it to say that Harry saw a lot of our former Defense Against The Dark Arts professor.

We- Harry and I- also spent quite a bit of time at the Burrow. Ron's house, I mean. Actually, Harry spent a lot of time there in the summer, which, I think, was very good for him. He and Ron were close. They were friends, and they fought, and they laughed, and they... they were friends. It sounds so effortless when I say it like that, but their friendship wasn't... it wasn't so simple. They became very much like brothers, but even more so than Ron and his actual brothers. It's very hard to explain. They complimented each other. One's strength was the other's weakness, and they sort of... they filled in the gaps for each other.

People still insist on saying that Ron was jealous of Harry's fame and fortune, but it just isn't true. Ron was happy for him. Yes, it was hard sometimes, sharing Harry with the limelight, but I don't think he was ever jealous. I'm almost sure. You see, Ron's always had this... way, of wearing his feelings out for everyone to see. He's very in touch with his emotions actually, which is something he has over both Harry and myself. I don't think he could hide something he was feeling, simply because there's nowhere to hide it. He was always... he still is... very full of life. A 'seize the moment' type of person. He left the planning to me, for the most part, while he and Harry lived... in the moment.

It amazes me that there are rumors of Ron being a seer, considering he's so afraid of the bloody future.

I've started rambling, haven't I? Right, well, let's see... You know how it went, with Harry killing Voldemort. But as I said before... there's more to it than that. Yes, it was Harry's wand that cast Avada Kedavra, but do you honestly think that alone would have worked? Ah, you do think that. Most people do. But Voldemort had spent years of his life trying to become immortal. It was his greatest fear, you see, death, and he did everything in his power to keep it as far away as possible. His spells had unicorn blood in them, if that tells you anything. So as it is, a killing curse wouldn't have been enough.

Harry had been taking potions for almost a month before the final attack happened. It was at Dumbledore's insistence, and both Harry and Snape- he was the one to make the potions, naturally- had to be convinced. What potions? Oh... power enhancing, protection... that sort of thing. Sirius became his Secret Keeper, which was another thing the public went wild over when it became known. More irony for them to thrive on. Ron and Harry became inseparable that year, and spent most of their time training or fighting or... or whatever it was they did. Yes, I should know, shouldn't I? But I spent most of my time in the library. There were... certain spells and charms that weren't widely known that might have been useful, and somehow they'd ended up buried in the older tomes of the history books. It was quite interesting actually, from a scholarly point of view...

But yes, I realize you probably don't want to hear about my thrilling hours among the bookshelves.

Harry wasn't alone when it happened, you know. The Final Battle, I mean. We were there with him, Ron, Sirius, and I. We were right behind him- literally- when he cast the curse, holding his shoulders... and... this isn't really common knowledge, but... Wormtail. Peter Pettigrew, actually, was the one who led us there. Whether it was intentional or not, I don't know, nor do I ever want to. We saw him on... er... on a certain map we had... which he had to have known we would... but yes, anyway, it was because of him that we found Voldemort that night. It cost him his life -Pettigrew, I mean- but I'd be lying if I said I was sorry... Harry might have been, I think, but... I guess his heart is bigger than mine... I was already grieving for all the other people who'd died and... and... It was over... or so they said...

The worst was the funerals. We all wore black for... weeks, and most nights were lit up by crematory fires. There's a list of names somewhere, I'm sure, of everyone who was lost... if you're interested and all, and I... I don't feel... I can't talk...

...No, no, I'm quite alright, really, just a little dust in my eyes.

The history books have got most of the rest of it right, so I'm sure you'll understand if I don't go into detail, and if-

What happened to Harry?

Well that depends who's gossip you listen to. I've heard everything from how he's living in the lap of luxury to how he's wallowing in self pity. It's all a load of rubbish. It was hard for him, yes, but he's... adjusted, you could say. He's rather happy now, living with his wife and children. A boy and a girl, and they're both darlings...

His wife? Well, it's not really public knowledge, and I think it's for the best, so I can't really tell you that. It was a lovely wedding though, and a few of the people cried because they couldn't get over how much Harry and his bride looked like James and Lily Potter. And their daughter has red hair... if that's enough of a hint for you.

Sirius is... as his lover so eloquently puts it... catching up on all the life he missed in Azkaban. They're both catching up on the years they've missed, and they're doing it together, which is fantastic, because they're madly in love. Always have been, really, and seeing them... it makes you glad to be alive. They're happy, and it makes you want to be happy. Rather wonderful, isn't it?

What's that? You want to know about me? What I'm doing now? Well, I teach now... at Hogwarts of course. It's nice, in a way, to be back. It makes sense, really, seeing as how I was so very happy there when we were younger and... er... oh you noticed it I see... yes, that is a ring on my finger... yes, it's an engagement ring. I... well, I... Oh I suppose it doesn't matter... I'm engaged to Ron, if you must know.

Ironic? Do you really think so? I've heard all the rumors about Harry and myself, and I can put your mind at rest. They're not true. Perhaps it is a bit ironic, and maybe it isn't what people want to hear, but... we're happy. Ron and I, and Harry and his family, Sirius... all of us. And I think we deserve it, after all that's happened, and I can't think of a single ending I'd want more than what we've got.

It's a bit of a fairy tale, really.