The Art of Living - R. Black

seventeen

July 30th, 1996

They say that there are five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. However, it's quite difficult to work through these stages when people keep dying.

Emmeline Vance, one of my closest friends, was murdered by Death Eaters near the residence of the Muggle Prime Minister on July 10th. Her death hit me extremely hard, especially considering the fact that I've known her since we were eleven years old. She was the first friend I made at Hogwarts.

I didn't even get to say a proper goodbye to her.

The last time I saw Emmeline she was rushing out of Grimmauld Place after an Order meeting because she had to go meet her brother and his wife for lunch.

Her death has been extremely significant to the Order, but it makes me angry. When Dumbledore speaks of her death it's like he's viewing her only as a soldier, a person fighting for his cause. Sometimes it's like he doesn't even view her as a person.

Jack has also been pretty affected by Emmeline's death. He was also one of her closest friends. We all used to be super close back in school. It was always me, Emmeline, Jack, Thomas, Maggie, and Sam. That was until everyone went their separate ways and started new lives, me included.

Maggie went off and married Rory shortly after graduation, they have four kids between the ages of 4 and 14. Thomas left for America, fell in love, and hasn't been back since. And Sam fell off of the face of the earth after we left school. He died of Dragon Pox shortly after the First Wizarding World, but none of us found this out until several months later.

Even though we all went our separate ways I thought that I'd always have Emmeline.

She was with me all throughout school. We tried out for the quidditch team together in second year, we had most of our classes together for seven years, and we spent nearly every Hogsmeade weekend together.

When everything went down during the first war and I had to leave for a few months, Emmeline was the one I wanted to know that I was alive. She was the first person I saw when Regulus and I were cleared to come back in November 1981, and we both just cried while I explained everything.

Emmeline was the only other person in the room, besides Regulus, when both of my sons were born. She was by my side the entire time, and reassured me when I so desperately wanted my mom.

She was always there for me, and the one time that she needed me, I couldn't save her.

- - - - -

August 8th, 1996

Today is my last day as coach for the Holyhead Harpies. After 8 years, I'm saying goodbye.

I love my job, and I love quidditch, but with my role in the war and the fact that I'm 22 weeks pregnant and due in the middle of the quidditch season it's time for me to take a step back.

I picked the next coach, Francesca Passle, and I think she'll do an amazing job. It's still bittersweet leaving though. Especially since some of these women have been a part of the Harpies since I took over as coach in 1988.

Everyone bid me goodbye, and I somehow got wrangled into a group hug with the entire team despite my protests.

I almost cried.

That team has been my life for the past eight years, and now that I won't be coaching anymore I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with my free time. At least the boys are home for another three weeks.

When I got home that night, I could hear laughter coming from the kitchen. I set my bag down in the foyer and followed the voices into the kitchen.

Regulus was standing near the stove, a spatula in his hand. Atlas and Elio were leaning against the kitchen island, both of them had flour on their faces and dusted in their hair. It looked like the three of them were working together to make pancakes, but it didn't explain the flour everywhere.

"Hi, mum," Atlas said when he noticed my presence in the kitchen.

I smiled, "Hi-, what are you boys up to?"

"Making breakfast for dinner," Elio answered. "Hi, mum."

I walked further into the kitchen and Regulus stepped away from the stove to give me a grin and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, angel, how was work?" He asked.

"It was good," I replied. I glanced at Atlas and Elio, both of whom were trying not to laugh. "Can I ask about the flour?"

Elio smirked, "Atlas was just-"

"Shut up," Atlas interrupted, glaring at his younger brother.

"Oh, come on," Regulus said. "Tell her."

Atlas's cheeks flushed and he rolled his eyes. "Fine," He said, "You tell mum then."

"Atlas got a letter today," Elio said proudly.

"Okay," I said, waiting for him to continue.

Regulus smirked and glanced over at me, his eyes softening.

"From a girl at school," Elio added.

"Oh?" I replied. "Is she a friend or do you like this girl? You don't have to tell me, I'm just curious."

Atlas's cheeks go red, giving me the answer to my question.

I glanced over at Regulus, who had turned his attention back to the stove briefly to flip the pancakes. "I'm gone for two hours and this is what I miss," I teased. "Tell me more."

"Her name's Ruby MacDonald," Atlas said. "She's a Gryffindor in my year."

Regulus looked over at me, a questioning look in his eyes. This was news to him.

"MacDonald?" I asked. "Like Mary MacDonald?"

"That's her mum," Atlas answered. "Do you know her?"

Mary MacDonald.

She was the girl who always started what was best for her friends. She was best friends with Marlene, Lily, and Dorcas. She was the life of the party. She was nice to everyone and everyone liked her.

I haven't seen Mary in years.

Following the first war, Mary distanced herself from the wizarding world and dropped contact with everyone. I didn't even know that she had a kid.

"Yeah-, I went to school with her. She was in the same year as my sister," I said. "Mary was actually really good friends with Aunt Marlene."

Atlas shrugged, "Cool."

"She was friends with Uncle Sirius too," Regulus added. "Well, more than friends for a bit-"

I looked over at Regulus, and he shut his mouth, returning his attention to the stove. He took the last of the pancakes out of the pan and set them on a plate.

"More than friends?" Elio asked. "Did they date?"

"Uh, briefly, yes," I said.

Atlas frowned, "I thought Uncle Sirius was dating Uncle Remus when they were at Hogwarts."

"Yeah, me too," Elio agreed.

Regulus stifled a laugh. "This was before they started dating. So a very, very long time ago."

"Weird," Atlas said. "I don't like that you know Ruby's mum."

"Why? It's not like we're going to talk about you two," I replied.

Elio grinned, "You should. Since they're in love-"

Atlas took a handful of leftover flour and threw it at Elio, covering his face and hair. This resulted in Elio throwing flour back at Atlas, and even more flour ending up on the kitchen floor.

"Hey, hey, hey," Regulus raised his voice. "You're going to get flour on me."

I quickly grabbed the plate of food out of the way as both boys took handfuls of flour and threw them at their dad. I covered my mouth with my hand and watched as Regulus wiped the flour off of his face and rolled his eyes at our sons.

"You two are lucky that your mum's here otherwise you would be covered in flour," Regulus joked.

All four of us were laughing, and for a while we forgot all about the war and the deaths. For a while we were just a family joking around and eating dinner together.