After a loud crack Harry found himself staring at a rather busy street. Diagon Alley. All these years - or lifetimes - later and it still took his breath away. The magic. The fact that he was a part of this beautiful world.
It wasn’t all perfect - there were still reminders of the war in their everyday lives, like the way many still flinched when there was a flash of green or the grief that sometimes clouded peoples’ faces when remembering the times and people that were before.
Harry often wondered if he’d give it all up, the good, if it meant that the bad also hadn’t happened. But the answer was almost always ‘no, he would not’. Almost, because of the worse days: when he couldn’t shake the ghosts and memories from his mind, wondering if he’d done something different, would more people be walking those streets or attending classes at Hogwarts. He knew that it was not his fault and impossible to know what could have been, but that didn’t stop these thoughts from lingering.
More often he was thankful for all that he had. That he was a part of this magical world and had people he was fortunate enough to call home. Two of whom he was on his way to meeting right now.
It was late October and there were more people than usual because of the school holidays. Harry strolled along the main street at a slow pace, taking in the cobblestone streets and intriguing shops and houses; he still wasn’t tired of the sight, of the magic.
He was just turning his eyes away from a display of rather suspicious-looking sweets when he noticed someone looking at him. Over the years he had gotten used to the stares and attention but there was something in the woman’s eyes that made Harry step closer.
“Hi! I’m sorry but do I know you?” he asked, curious because it did seem like she knew him . Of course everyone knew of him but this time it was somehow different.
The woman had an air of confidence but at the same time seemed a little uncertain, like she wasn’t sure she belonged there.
“Oh, sorry, dear! I was staring, wasn’t I,” the woman chuckled and tried to find her composure.
“It’s alright, I’m quite used to it by now,” Harry responded, calmed by the woman’s kind tone.
Dark curls were framing her face. She smiled, but there was a kind of melancholy in her eyes.
Harry didn’t find that very unusual these days, the sadness, but he also couldn’t help but ask.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course, it’s just…” the woman seemed to contemplate something, but after a few moments she spoke again, her voice softening more with each word, “You’re so much like your mum.”
Harry’s breath hitched and for a moment it felt like the ground had disappeared from underneath his feet. It caught him so off guard that he couldn’t find any words for what seemed like eternity. It must have been shorter than that because the woman hadn’t spoken either until Harry said the only thing that came to his mind at that moment.
“No one’s told me I look like her before.. only my eyes,” he managed under his breath, “everyone says I look like my dad.”
“Oh yes, you do look like James, shockingly so. But the way you walk and carry yourself or the way your nose scrunched up for a moment while looking at the windows.. that’s why I couldn’t help but stare. You have Lily’s aura,” the woman added, her voice full of affection.
Harry had composed himself now and there was pride swelling in his chest at the woman’s words. Suddenly he remembered that he hadn’t asked the woman’s name.
“Sorry, I’m Harry, but it seems you know that already,” he smiled, “may I ask who you are?”
“Oh yes, my name is Mary, Mary Mcdonald. I went to school with your parents,” she said, eyes full of love and nostalgia. “Lily was- Lily was my best friend..”
Harry couldn’t believe it. The name was familiar from Remus’ stories, but he never thought about the possibility that there could be more people who knew his parents, who still had little bits of them in the form of memories.
“Do you have time? We could sit down somewhere and talk a bit, if you want. I’m sure you have questions,” she suggested. She seemed genuinely happy to have met Harry there and more so at the thought of being able to share this part of her with somebody, somebody who’d understand.
“I would like that very much. I was actually on my way to meet with someone but.. well, I suppose you must know Remus and Sirius.”
“Oh-,” now it was Mary that was taken by surprise. “They’re alive,” she breathed, eyes filling with tears, “I wasn’t sure.. I-” she wiped her eyes quickly, gathering herself. “That’s why I’m here, if I’m honest. Haven’t been in the magical world for quite some time, but I did hear bits of information from here and there. After I found out that the war was over I- I was hoping that at least someone would still be here.”
“Would you like to come with?” Harry offered. He was certain that the two men would be just as delighted to meet one of their old schoolmates again as she seemed at the idea just now.
“If you don’t mind. I really haven’t met anyone from school for years.. after- after the first war I kind of distanced myself from this world.” Harry had started towards the right direction and Mary was now following alongside. “I’m realizing only now how much I really missed it..”
* * *
Soon enough they stood in front of a stone building, not that different from others on this bystreet. As it had been Harry’s home for five years before he and Ginny had decided to move in together in June, he pushed open the door and called out a greeting.
The hallway was dark, save for the rays of light that broke through the window on top of the door. The other end of the corridor was brighter because of the doorway leading to the kitchen. Harry could hear the sound of a kettle boiling and soft voices talking.
Mary had followed him in and was closing the door when he heard Sirius’ voice coming from the kitchen, louder now. “You took your time. I was starting to think I’d see James long before you decided to grace us with your presence,” Sirius scolded, but Harry could hear the laughter in his voice. He could hear Remus snort at the declaration, the sounds from the room now turning into chuckling. Harry’s smile grew wider as they made their way through the hall toward the light.
The men didn’t notice them in the doorway for a few seconds, long enough for Mary to interrupt the giggles.
“Still act like you’re fifteen I see,” she noted with warmth. Both Sirius and Remus stopped in their tracks, eyes going wide as they recognised the voice before even properly looking their way. There was a moment of silence, three pairs of eyes staring at each other in wonder. Harry thought he could hear a pin drop. But soon enough Mary was almost tackled to the ground by two bodies rushing to hug her.
They stayed like that for a while, dropping to the floor and clinging to each other like their lives depended on it. Seemed like they wanted to make up for the nineteen years worth of hugs they didn’t get to give one another. Harry could make out whispers of “missed you”s and “love you”s through the soft tear-filled incredulous laughter. Soon he found himself too from the ground, watching the scene unfold with overwhelming happiness.
This.
This right here is one of the good ones. The ‘so so thankful that we made it’ moments.
The ‘maybe it was all worth the bad after all’ moments.
* * *
A long while had passed before any of the three dared to let go of each other and when they did, they were cautious of looking away, as if afraid that it could all vanish in the blink of an eye.
“God how I missed you two troublemakers,” Mary was the first to break the silence. “Want to catch me up once you manage to scrape yourselves off the floor?” she laughed.
And so they did. They told her all about the events that had taken place a few years ago, from the absurdities and horrors that Harry had had to deal with at school to the second wizarding war. Mary told them about her new life, mundane but peaceful, and her wonderful partner and how she used to miss this world so, so much. They remembered the good bits - the pranks and laughs and friends and holidays, but they also remembered the ones they had lost - Harry telling stories of his classmates, them telling him stories of his parents and all of their friends. How they used to pass notes in classes, sneak out past their curfew, run around the castle throwing harmless spells around. They remembered the quidditch games and the parties after, where they would drink and dance and sing to whatever was on the record player at the moment until they were too tired to stand any longer. The marauders becoming animagi, James swooning over Lily, the late night games of chess and exploding snap. The times they sneaked Regulus into their common room or stargazed in the astronomy tower. Marlene pining over Dorcas and Sirius over Remus. The map and the pranks it enabled them to pull. Oh, the pranks…
The four of them talked well into the night, the whistle of the kettle a constant in the background, keeping them awake in the form of unending cups of tea. Once the sky began to lighten they decided they actually did need some sleep and Mary had to get back home, but not before repeatedly vowing to keep in touch and meet again very soon.
And so they parted once again, but this time with a goodbye not a farewell because this was something they intended to hold onto with both hands. For Lily and James and Marlene and Dorcas and Regulus and the Peter they used to know. And for themselves. For the memories made and the future that had just become a whole lot brighter.