April Fools day, 2038

This was an important day for the Gryffindor house.

April Fools day.

A day for Fred Weasley.

Fred Weasley died in the Battle of Hogwarts almost forty years ago, and every year since that day, the Lions of Hogwarts dyed their hair an outrageous orange color and pulled pranks left and right.

Today was no different. The Lions woke early, spelling their hair orange while setting up the supplies they gathered through the year. Having been the greatest pranksters of their time, the Weasley twins were known throughout the wizarding world for their shops and masterpieces; many of which were used for this day.

Professor Potter was a part of the tradition as well; having been a founder his eighth year. Fred and George had been his brothers, and dotted on Harry from the moment they met the skinny lad. Harry had given up on life by the middle of the war, and losing Fred was the straw that broke the camel's back- he broke off all contact with the Weasley's because they all reminded Harry of Fred; he started drinking to suppress the memories of the redheaded git.

April Fools day of his eighth year, Harry had woken up with an idea crazier than the time he and Ron ran into the Forbidden Forest to help Hagrid after he was sent to Azkaban. He dyed his black hair an outrageous orange, skipping classes and setting up his scheme in the great hall. That day was the first time Harry laughed in a such a long time, no one was mad about the prank; they watched the green eyed wizard laugh hard enough for his magic to light the torches lining the great hall.

From that day on, April Fools in Hogwarts was never the same. Year after year, wizard after witch, Gryffindor celebrated their fellow Lion by pranking as many people as possible. Forty years had passed and yet the tradition remained; Harry Potter celebrated the life of a fellow prankster by pranking in the halls of their home.

Harry was now the Headmaster of Hogwarts,following McGonagall's death from her injuries during the war. She lived twenty years after the battle, using those years to also interact with her Lions on the special day.

Harry smiled at the last conversation with his mother figure.

*March 13th, 2018

"Oh do shush Harry." Minerva laughed. "Your students cannot be worse than you, Weasley and Granger."

"I assure you Professor, these are certainly worse than the infamous Golden Trio." Harry laughed.

Minerva smiled wistfully at the light sound. "When was the last time you truly laughed Harry."

Harry's demeanor changed. "I do laugh Professor, all the time."

"No Harry, truly laughed. "What has it been? Twenty years? Its been a long while since I've heard your laugh. And not the forced you use around the students."

Harry stayed silent. "I will see you at breakfast tomorrow morning. Good night Professor."

But he didn't see her. Minerva McGonagall passed at the age of ninety-eight, March 14th, 2018, due to a cancer caused by a spell during the war.

Harry never smiled again.*

Harry watched as his Lions roared with laughter. They had just pulled a prank on the Slytherins; the house of snakes were now covered in scales of varying degrees of blacks and greens. They each had a striking tongue and slitting eyes.

Maybe I can move on. Harry thought as the Slytherins pranked the Lions, who each had unruly tan hair and large canines. Roars replaced words as the Lions tried to complain.

Only twenty years had passed since the death of Minerva, and forty years since the death of Fred. Although it seemed longer to Harry. Today at Hogwarts, they celebrated the lives of not just the Lions, but also the many other brave students who were lost in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as glitter poured down on him, coating his black robes in an array of color. He wiped his face, listening to the laughs of his students. Harry looked up to see one smiling Professor Draco Malfoy; the blond git doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down his pale face.

Harry stood.

The great hall went silent. Would he find it funny? Or would he curse them all into the next life? No one in Hogwarts, besides Professors Malfoy and Longbottom, had ever seen Harry smile. They just wanted to make him feel good. But had they gone too far with the glitter?

Draco watched as Harry stood. Shit. I'm bloody well fucked.

The great hall was silent for what seemed like eternity; the air felt suffocating as they all held their breath.

What happened next shook them all to the core.

Harry laughed. Truly, truly laughed. The thundering sound filled the great hall, bathing everyone with the warm sound. Harry laughed so hard, tears streamed down his face; the first time in over forty years, Hogwarts heard the laugh of Harry Potter.

Life regained meaning after that day, Harry continued to pull pranks and to laugh till the day he died.

One hundred and twenty years after the battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, the boy-who-lived-twice, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and the last living member of the Order of the Phoenix, had laid his head down in his office and never woke up again.

Harry was remembered for a lot of things he had done, but the most notable was the statue in the middle of the Black Lake; a dedication to those who died in the battle of Hogwarts. A colossal red brick statue with the names of the dead etched into the base. The top part of the statue was a hand holding a wand, the tip forever light up the sky with a permanent lumos.

And the last name to be carved into the brick, right next to a certain redheaded prankster, was

Harry James Potter.