Harry finished the last swig of his beer, tossed a couple pound notes on the bar and headed for the door. He shielded his eyes as soon as he got outside. The sky was overcast in a misleading way. Although the sun was hidden, there was a harsh glare as if it was trying awfully hard to make itself known. Harry, however, was not thinking about the stubborn glare of the sun as his mind was preoccupied with the meeting he was now walking towards.

In the four months since the battle at Hogwarts, life had of course changed dramatically for Harry. It had been a difficult adjustment to say the least. For years he had felt like a game piece in a game with no rules, but after defeating Voldemort, he came to understand what it felt like to truly be powerless. He could not satisfy Teddy’s cries for “Dada” and “Ma”. He could not erase the furrowed brow on Mrs. Weasley’s face as she stared, sometimes for hours, at the clock on her wall. He could not make George laugh. He could not get rid of Ginny’s fear and anxiety. He could not make his friends, his family, happy and whole again.

But slowly, some things were improving. After all the memorials, Ron and Hermione left for Australia to retrieve Hermione’s parents and hopefully restore their memories. The day after they left, Harry found himself back at Hogwarts. He was going to do some restoration of his own. After two weeks of work, Harry felt more whole than he had in years. The castle and grounds were so filled with magic, both the magic that had sustained it for centuries and the latent magic from the battle, that only manual labor could be used to rebuild it. Each drop of sweat seemed to expel his frustrations and feelings of uselessness. And he wasn’t the only one to develop an affinity for this perspiration therapy.

Everyday more students and graduates arrived with a dazed look like they had just started walking and ended up at the castle’s gates. Many people came up to Harry with words of gratitude or to simply offer a handshake or hug. He soon realized that just by his presence, people were reminded of an important fact: Voldemort was gone; the war was over. Although he’d always lamented the attention he received, Harry saw that maybe he wasn’t as useless as he thought.

His mind was made up when Lavender Brown, somehow still beautiful despite the irreparable damage of Greyback, gave him a warm hug and whispered, “Thank you, Harry. It’s so good to come home.”

They needed to remember this, to remember that although they had sacrificed, they had also survived.

Harry had arrived at his destination and quickly scanned the unit list to find Patil, Parvati (3C) before hitting the call button.

“Hello, Harry! Come on up.” Parvati responded without hesitation. Harry waited for the buzz then opened the front door and quickly walked up the three flights. Parvati was already waiting for him with the door open and a soft smile on her face.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Parvati asked.

“No, but that’s hardly the important bit,” Harry responded with a shrug. “One, it’s time people heard this story; two, I have to do something to help people find happiness again; and three, helping you secure a position at the Prophet isn’t a bad job.”

“Cheers to that Harry” Parvati responded with a laugh. “Well, let’s get to it then. We’ve got months of time to cover and I don’t have the faintest idea what you were doing that whole time. This might take a while”.

Sit down and listen ‘cause I’ve got good news for you
It was in the papers today

And so they began. The story was heavily edited on Harry’s end, but he knew that the finer details weren’t important here. After talking for over thirty minutes he began to lose steam. He had told the bones of his journey, but how could he describe those torturous moments after realizing that his life must be sacrificed.

Parvati was clearly a natural interviewer as she stepped in with a soothing voice to help him continue, “What were you thinking as you walked down to the woods, Harry?”

“At first it was just sadness. I felt so alone” he started, then took a deep breath. “For the first eleven years of my life I was alone, but it was an aching kind of alone. I had gaps in my life and I longed for them to be filled. But walking down to the woods that day I didn’t feel that kind of loneliness. I saw my friends and classmates around me and I was thinking about all the ones that were still fighting and it was like I was a piece that had broken off of something wonderful. It wasn’t that there were holes missing from me but like I was missing from the whole.”

Harry looked up from his lap. He had been staring intently at his hands. The rebuilding work callused his hands in a new way and he was struck with the thought that hands adjust to new situations far better than brains do. Parvati’s eyes were filled with tears when he finally met them.

“Do you remember dying? What was it like?”

“It was easy. After running around on secret missions for years, death was a breeze. I could easily be reunited with my family and I just wouldn’t have to fight anymore. It was so peaceful.”

“Then why did you come back?” Parvati sounded wistful, as though peace was an emotion reserved only for death.

“For years my life had been on countdown. Even without knowing the prophecy, the public thought I was the chosen one and was destined to fight Voldemort. Although death was a promise of rest, coming back was a promise of life, for the first time lived fully.” Harry responded

Parvati pressed for more, “But how did you know that was guaranteed?”

“It didn’t matter. The risk was worth it. I kept thinking about all the people I loved, about Ginny and how we deserved to love each other and have a new life together. I scrutinized that prophecy for years and it said ‘neither can live while the other survives’. For years I was just surviving, but the chance at a life full of love for me and for everyone else, was more important than anything.

“What is the moral of your story, do you think?” She finally asked.

“Lovers live a little longer?” Harry chuckled. “When I was fifteen Dumbledore told me I had a power beyond Voldemort’s understanding. That power was love. For a long time I didn’t understand it, but every step of the way, love won out. My parents, Dumbledore, the Weasleys, Hermione, and even Snape all helped me reach that final confrontation because of love.”

“Alright, last question then, what advice do you want to give the readers?” Parvati had gone back to the questions written on her parchment.

“We’ve got a chance to live a second life. Sure we lost friends and family, but we’ve got to start loving again. Find someone to love and hold them tight. Trust me, life is longer with a little love.” Harry finished with conviction. He felt exhausted but relieved.

So lovers live a little longer, baby
You and me, we got a chance to live twice
Lovers live a little longer, ain't that nice
Lovers live a little longer, baby
What a feeling when I hold you tight
Lovers live a little longer, yeah

Parvati tapped her wand to the audiphones, a magical recording device, to stop the recording. She looked up at Harry, shook her head and laughed, then gave him a hug.

“Are you sure you and Ginny are forever?” She teased.

“Nah, I just have dying thoughts about casual flings.” Harry quipped.

“Ah well, there’s that.” Parvati relented. “Well I can certainly say thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your story with me.”

“I’m just glad to have someone with a brain and a conscience who will be working for the papers now!”

“Oh Harry, yes it will be great to have a real job without having to go back to school, but I meant thank you for sharing. I don’t think I realized until now how much of a zombie I’ve been lately. As soon as you go I think I’m going to call up some friends and go grab a bite with them or something.

“And what was that about holding someone tight again? Now who should I call up for that?” Parvati mused.

“Well I hear Neville and Luna ended their summer romance. He’s quite the catch these days!” said Harry as he gathered his cloak to leave. “Anyway, good luck with all that, but all this talk about love has me missing mine. Don’t be a stranger Miss Patil!”

Harry left the apartment with a lightheartedness he hadn’t felt in years. He began to make plans for the next day. Maybe he could pick up Teddy for a few hours or stop by the twin’s shop to offer his services as a tester or ask Mrs. Weasley to show him how to make something in the kitchen.

He had millions of options these days, but he knew one thing was certain: he was going straight to the Burrow to show Ginny how much he loved her. It was time to live a little longer.

I just don't care if they're watching 'cause listen
We've got a reason for each time we're kissing

Lovers live a little longer, baby
You and me, we got a chance to live twice
Lovers live a little longer, yeah