After Effects

Colin Creevey

Colin woke up, brushed his teeth and crept downstairs, rubbing his eyes.

There was a note on the table.

"Dad has gone to his office and I have shopping to do. Will be back in an hour. Eat and be careful
                                                -Mom"

Colin are his breakfast quickly and went inside the attic. His parents had never allowed him inside it. He had tried to go inside but was caught. This seemed like the perfect time to find out what was inside the attic. He walked inside. The attic was pretty empty except for an old trunk in the middle of the room. There were some old robes, a wand and some books. He removed all of them slowly and opened an old album.

He drew in a breath. The first photo was of two boys, they were identical. One of them was his dad, Dennis but when he was young. The other one, he didn't know He turned the photo. Colin and Dennis Creevey at age 9 and 7.

"Colin Creevey? I was named after my uncle? ", he thought. He turned the pages of the album. There were photos of them with Colin wearing his Hogwarts robes and Dennis in normal clothing. There were pictures of Hogwarts, Harry Potter, the Black Lake and many others.

Soon, the pictures were joined by another guy, who was also wearing Gryffindor robes, this was his father. There were pictures of them in dress robes in the Great Hall and practising spells in a room.

There was a small letter at the bottom of the trunk-

"Dear Colin,
                     
                     I don't know if you can read this, but I just want you to know my son is starting his first year at Hogwarts this year. I have named him after you. He looks like you and keeps spilling his cereal and doodling on his books just like you. He too has a great interest in photography. He has taken a lot of beautiful pictures. He looks so much like you that it hurts me sometimes and I have to look away. I miss you so much, Colin. Everyone told me that it gets better with time but no, it is as painful as it was and I know it will be as painful as it was the moment I knew you weren't with me.

I wanted you to be the best man at my wedding and my son's godfather. But, every wish doesn't get fulfilled. I am trying to live without you, trying so hard. But then I catch Colin taking a picture of a butterfly or ladybug in our backyard and nostalgia hits me and tears start falling involuntarily.

Mom and Dad are still living in our old house. We visit them every week. I work in the Ministry of Magic, now. Its been so many years, Colin, yet it feels as though it was yesterday you recieved your letter, I received my letter, we joined Dumbledore's Army and you fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and I lost you forever. Take care, Colin. I smile and laugh nowadays because of my son, Colin and I'm happy. I thought I had lost you but then you came to me again as my son.

                                          Yours lovingly,
                                               Dennis.

Colin wiped his tears, his dad had told him about how he lost his brother in a war. But he had never told him that he had loved his brother so much. He looked again at Colin Creevey's photos. He could see that he looked like his uncle. He had the same brown, untidy hair, hazel eyes and small tiny nose. He took a small photo of his uncle and put it inside his trunk. He was going to Hogwarts in a week and it would be nice to have a memory of his uncle, an uncle who was so dear to his father and unknown to him with him. He never told his father that he knew how much his brother meant to him.