The Education of Oliver Wood

Remembering

Emmie walked alongside Kara, the two of them unusually silent as they made their way through Diagon Alley towards their destination. Emmie had had a good day at training, but as soon as she walked into the flat afterwards, her mood dropped as she quickly ate and then changed. She very nearly put on a modest black dress before Kara walked in and stopped her, walking straight to her wardrobe and pulling out a brighter, light green dress, the look on her face clearly saying not to argue with her.

Soon they were walking into the small pub that they had come to frequent with their friends, finding familiar faces filling a small back room that the owner had allowed them to use for the night. They were the last to arrive, both greeting the various Hufflepuffs gathered. Emmie walked over and hugged Melanie then moved to sit next to Fincher, Parks and Whitshire. Even Charles and Nickles were there along with a few others who had been in their year at school. Emmie sipped at the firewhiskey that Fincher had poured her - there were several bottles and pitchers of beer around the table - as she waited.

Kara then stood and walked to the front of the room, standing next to a portrait on an easel as the soft murmurs died out. She looked around the room and then at the portrait a moment before turning back to the others.

"First of all, I wanted to thank you all for coming. I know that Toni would be very happy to see everyone here, though knowing her, she'd throw a fit over all the sad faces," she said. There was a smattering of chuckles as Kara took a deep breath. "A year ago today, we lost one of our best friends and one of the brightest people that I've personally ever known. Yes, she could be rather annoying at times, and such a gossip." She paused as she rolled her eyes slightly. "But she has been sorely missed all the same." She then lifted her glass, the rest of the group following suit. "This is for Toni... and everyone that we've lost because of the war."

"To Toni..."

They then took a drink as Kara moved to her seat, wiping softly at her cheeks in the process. Emmie took the chance to study the photograph, seeing her friend laughing and smiling at them, the wind blowing through her red hair.

She was muggleborn and had gone into hiding with her family at the beginning of the summer, staying with relatives in another part of the country. They had all thought they were safe, but then... she ran into a group of snatchers. Rather than go quietly, she had put up a fight, attempting to protect her family, and had been killed in the process.

It was a similar story that was being told all over the country during the war. They had lost many to the snatchers. Those who weren't killed were often tortured and still bore the scars, both physically and mentally. Michael Kite had taken up residence in St. Mungo's after a group of snatchers used the Cruciatus Curse on him for far too long. Emmie and Kara had been to visit, but it had left the both of them broken. His mother had thanked them, but told them they didn't need to feel any obligation to come back if it was too difficult.

Emmie felt a tear slip down her cheek as she thought about all the late nights at school she had stayed up with her three roommates and talked about the boys they fancied or the professors they loathed. Making plans for the future. How that had continued after they all graduated with Melanie and Toni often staying over at Emmie and Kara's. Toni had finally gotten a writing job at Witch Weekly just before she had to go into hiding. It was yet another unfair casualty in this damn war.

"Oh heavens, I thought I would die that night," Melanie said loudly with a laugh. Emmie looked across the table at her old roommate. "You should have seen the dress she wanted to put Emmie in."

"Oh gods, you're not talking about that Gryffindor Hallowe'en party sixth year, are you?" Kara asked with a laugh. "I thought she was about to force poor Emmie into this tiny little mini dress. The look on your face when she pulled it out..."