Get busy living. (Open)

[shawn lesley ashcroft]

Hogwarts was destroyed, at least that was the best word for it. The guilt of not being at the school at the time ate at him. He had been at a Hogsmeade pub drinking his heartache over Callisto away. Friends had told him there wasn’t much he could have done even if he was there but that didn’t do much to soothe the guilt that kept him awake. Life had taken such a turn for Shawn in more than one way. It had already been a few months since the incident with the purifiers and Hogwarts was slowly coming back to its former glory. Shawn had been offered to either join the committee to help reconstruct Hogwarts, join another school in the meantime, or just do his own thing. Shawn decided to join the committee, it was the least he could do to make up for not being around at the time.

The only thing about being part of the committee was that Shawn threw himself a little too much into the work of rebuilding Hogwarts. He gave up drinking for the time being besides the rare ale or two. The rebuilding effort was his new way to keep his mind off of the problems in his personal life and it was working. Each day he slowly felt more and more himself. He thought of Callisto less and less, the heartbreak hurt less the times he did think of her.

Through being part of the reconstruction so much meant he spent just about the same amount of time at Hogsmeade as he had when Shawn was teaching. He had always liked Hogsmeade. It had plenty of memories from when he was in school to when he met Callisto once again as an adult. The last memory was more bittersweet than the former but it also didn’t hurt as bad as it had. He found the same bench where they met and sat down. With only the smallest pings of heartache in his chest. Shawn let out a sigh as if you let the pain out but it didn’t exactly help. It was just nice to feel more himself than he had in a long time.

(Open)