Perception (H/D, G)
Title: Perception
Author:
sesheta_66
Word Count: 567
Rating: G
Challenge: Colour for hd_angst
Disclaimer: HP world belongs to JK Rowling. No money made by me - I am only playing.
Strange, Harry thought, how events can change one's perception.
Reflecting on his years at Hogwarts, Harry remembered thinking that red and gold were the best colours imaginable. They made him think of Gryffindor, and all it represented. Whenever he thought of either red or gold, he immediately thought of bravery, friendship, integrity and strength.
Conversely, since his Hogwarts' days, he had associated green and silver with Slytherin. Those colours always made him think of the underhanded, hurtful and dishonest ways in which Slytherins operated.
Now that the war was over, those school house lines had blurred. Slytherins had fought alongside Gryffindors, against the evil that was Voldemort. Of course, there were Slytherins that fought on his side too, but there were also Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs among them. In the end, everyone had made their own personal choice, right or wrong.
In reflection, Harry had to admit that his toughest supporters were Slytherins. Even as recently as a year ago, he wouldn't have believed it possible, but it was the truth. Snape had been an important weapon for the Order, much to Voldemort's surprise. Ultimately, Snape was a hero. Unfortunately he didn't live to receive his Order of Merlin, but Harry - to everyone's shock - had insisted that a special memorial be erected in his memory. The colours, of course, were to be green and silver. The colours he now associated with honour.
An even bigger surprise than Snape had been Draco Malfoy. The spoiled brat child that Harry had met first year was no more. Snape had brought him to headquarters, where he had taken refuge. After a few weeks, he and Harry had reached an understanding - a truce of sorts.
A couple of months later, they had become friends. Both reluctant at first, they eventually set aside their preconceived notions of the other, and their past animosity, and had agreed to start fresh.
Not long after that, they had become much more than friends. By the time the last horcurx was destroyed, and Harry was ready to face Voldemort, Draco had become the most important person in Harry's life, and he had wanted to kill Voldemort as much to avenge Draco's mother's death as his own parents'.
As Harry thought back, he knew that, were it not for Snape and Draco, Voldemort may have won the war. More than that, Harry personally drew strength from them. His Gryffindor friends, especially Hermione and Ron, kept looking at him with fear in their eyes. They were afraid for him, afraid of what would happen if he lost. Sure, they fought bravely, but that was outer strength. Snape and Draco possessed inner strength. They pushed him to get on with things, and didn't tolerate anything less than complete focus. That, ultimately, was what Harry had needed.
Months after Voldemort's demise, Harry thought of his school days, and the lines drawn by the houses. No longer did red and gold signify bravery. All he could think of when he saw the colour red was blood. The blood of friend and foe alike. Blood spilled in the name of Voldemort. When he saw green and silver, he couldn't help but think of Slytherins, but he didn't associate them with the old house distinctions. Instead, he thought of them as honourable. More than that, though, green represented rebirth, spring.
Harry realized that, in the end, it's all about perception.