Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

They Forgot

By: ChoCedric

When they first heard about the hero, the wonderous little boy who was said to have brought down the most evil, vile wizard of all time with nothing to tell of the tale but a lightning-bolt scar, hope returned to their hearts. For years they'd lived in fear, not knowing who to trust, watching their loved ones disappear and die. But this little boy brought the light back into their eyes, and a fairytale truly was born.

For the next ten years, his nhame was praised around the clock, and they knew, they just knew that when he grew up, he would make them proud, and show himself the hero he was always meant to be. Their faith in him was unconditional.

When the boy first came to school, with his bright emerald eyes and eager mind, they celebrated. Their fairytale was working out completely – they had known that he would be the smiling, honest hero they had wished for. As the years passed, he surpassed all of everyone's expectations. While others did not come out so lucky, he always triumphed, looking battered but the most heroic they could have ever imagined.

When the villain returned, fear was struck into the hearts of them all, but they still had hope, for they had their hero. They knew that one day, when he was ready, he would rise up and save them all, and he would hold his wand in the air in triumph, maybe looking worse for wear but still smiling at all those he had saved, the selfless, valiant knight in shining armor.

The day the final battle came, the boy looked as ready as he ever could. All those who believed in him gathered around to watch the biggest and noblest fight of them all, all knowing what the result would be. Today the villain would be defeated, the hero would emerge triumphant, and the world would be perfect again. Just like the fairytales said, good would always beat evil. They watched, looking at their hero with hope and faith as he and the villain faced each other, bowing. And then, with a mighty bang, it began.

And so, for the first little while, all wwent to plan. Hero and villain shot spells at one another, their wands blurs as they dueled fiercely. No one had ever seen such a fight in all of their lives; once again, it was surpassing expectation. As the minutes passed, it grew more and more fierce – both were determined to win, but of course, they all knew the hero would cast the last spell, felling the villain once and for all.

But suddenly, there was a misstep in their imaginary fairytale. They saw, with a numb sense of horror, that their hero was becoming tired. But wait! They thought frantically. That's not meant to happen! That's not part of the story! The hero never looks weak! Never!

They never expected the hero to falter in his steps, his exhaustion taking over him. They never expected him to not see the deadly green spell from the villain coming. And they never expected their hero to crumple to the ground, his beautiful, captivating emerald eyes which held the hope of the world now completely blank, his angelic, cherubic face holding a look of fear and shock. They never expected the villain to be the one triumphant, holding the body of their felled hero above their heads, laughing manically. They never expected to be the ones weeping three days later as the boy, their boy, was lowered six feet beneath the ground, never to be seen again while the villain now had no problem showing his face in the open air, terrorizing all who lived.

So yes, they thought the boy would always be their hero. They thought that he would rise up and save them all. But thinking all this, they forgot that their hero was nothing but a mortal, scared seventeen-year-old boy. They forgot that this is real life, and real life is no fairytale. And in real life, good doesn't always triumph over evil.