A Simple Prayer

Harry stared at the glass in his hand. The green liquid bubbled and frothed. He was holding death in his hands. He looked around his small flat. A comfortable old sofa and chairs in a half-circle around the large fireplace. Behind him was the hallway leading to his bedroom and bath. The kitchen doorway was past the fireplace. On the mantle sat photos of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Sirius and his parents. The people he loved most. He lay down on the sofa, still holding the glass of poison.

Now I lay me down to sleep...

But now all the people he loved most were gone and he was alone. Ron and Hermione had fallen in each other's arms, killed by Voldemort himself. Ginny...that death hurt the most. Once again a beautiful redhead with a heart full of love had sacrificed herself for his sorry life. He clenched his jaw and looked away from the photo of Ginny waving and blowing kisses at the camera, her mane of red hair cascading over her shoulders. That cheeky grin she had inherited from Fred and George gracing her full mouth. Loss was killing him slowly. This would kill him quickly.

I give the Lord my soul to keep...

He raised the glass in salute to his loved ones and downed it in a gulp. Snape would have been astonished at the care Harry took in brewing this potion. But Snape was gone too. In hell, where the traitor belonged. He turned over onto his side and pulled the blanket up to his chest. His thoughts drifted like autumn leaves in the wind. He stared at the last photo on the mantle. A snapshot of him with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Photographic Harry waved at the camera from between Ron and Ginny. Ginny draped an arm over his shoulders and kissed his cheek. Ron pretended to gag and Hermione hit him on the arm. He leaned over and kissed her. It is the last thing Harry saw as his vision blurred and he drifted into heavy sleep.

If I should die before I wake...

Strange visions float before his eyes. Fragments of memories and figments of his imagination meld. Sirius and Dumbledore beckon. A dragon -a Hungarian Horntail- swoops overhead. He is playing Quidditch against the Death Eaters. Umbridge laughs manically. Romilda Vane is singing the Hogwarts school song to the tune of God Save the Queen. He is at Fred and Angelina's wedding. Gilderoy Lockhart tells him that fame is a pickled thing. The last thing before life goes black is a vision of Luna's face. She smiles her dreamy smile and tells him that Ginny is coming. Harry relaxes and death takes over.

I pray the Lord my soul to take...

Remus finds him. Harry's slim form lying neatly on the sofa. Pieces of a shattered glass cover the floor by his limp hand. The corners of his mouth are raised in a small smile. The last Marauder left on this earth pulls the blanket over the still form of the Boy Who Lived and kisses the tips of his fingers before pressing them to Harry's forehead. There is no need to weep. Harry is happier, wherever he is.

Amen.