Today was Remembrance Day in the wizarding world. 2nd of May, The Battle of Hogwarts, the last stand for freedom against Lord Voldemort. It was the 100-year anniversary and so Hogwarts was holding celebrations, special commemorations. Most of those who had lived through the Battle of Hogwarts were still alive but definitely getting old, you would be pushed to find someone under 116. Vivian respected what they had done for the world greatly but felt bad as she found it hard to evoke any emotions towards the event. It was too much of a distant event for her, happening 84 years before she was born, and coming from a muggle born family she didn't know anyone who had been there to pass on the stories. She stood towards the back of the great hall, watching those around her tell stories and the younger children re-enact key moments; one of the most popular seemed to be Neville Longbottom cutting off Nagini's head closely followed by Harry Potter coming back from the dead.
"No family?" A voice came from beside Vivian making her jump slightly. She shook her head in response to the question and gave a polite smile to the old man now stood next to her, obviously someone from the battle but Vivian didn't know who.
"I see. I don't think I will ever forget that day" The man spoke solemnly, and Vivian sensed even after all this time it was painful for him. He looked out of the great doors that led into the hall where a large wall with a memorial hung, the photos of all the students and teachers who had lost their lives during the battle being there, "My brother's up there". There was something resembling pride in his voice alongside great sorrow. Vivian couldn't even begin to think how traumatic that would have been for him, she had always wanted siblings but she supposed never having them meant they could never be taken away from her either.
"He was amazing, I'm sure" Vivian spoke softly. She wasn't sure if that was quite the right thing to say but it was better than nothing. The old man didn't respond and that's when she noticed, he was missing his ear. Oh. Neither of them spoke again, simply stood silently next to each other. Vivian played with the necklace she was wearing as a distraction to pass the time. It was a replica of an old thing called a time turner. All had been destroyed after the Battle of Hogwarts due to the danger of time travel, but many replicas were now sold for fashion. She flicked the small hourglass around in circles, not expected anything from it, but as the necklace began spinning so did the room. Vivian scrunched her eyebrows, looking up at the room, beginning to feel dizzy from it all. Her stomach twisted in a knot as the room became more and more distorted, everything and everyone around her fading away into a blur and then darkness.
**
When Vivian regained consciousness, she was on the floor somewhere in the castle, a corridor on the 4th floor by the looks of it, and her head was pounding. She sat up, leaning herself against a wall trying to piece together what had happened. She remembered playing with the necklace then collapsing but that was in the Great hall, how did she get here? Vivian pushed up from the wall, taking a deep breath, struggling a little to stay upright. She looked around, trying to piece together exactly where she was in the castle, but it was oddly unfamiliar. It was possible this was a corridor she had never been in before, Hogwarts was massive with a million hidden passage ways, but it was unlikely. She has been here six years now and was pretty confident she had covered every inch of the castle at some point. Vivian began walking herself down the corridor, if she kept walking she would eventually find somewhere familiar. Walking proved hard though, her head hurting beyond compare, and she had to stop once more, leaning against the wall. Closing her eyes whilst she rested couldn't hurt could it?
"Are you okay?". Vivian jumped out of her skin from the voice, banging her head against the wall causing shots of pain. She groaned, opening her eyes to greet the second person to sneak up on her that day, her vision now a little blurry. Vivian nodded, smiling through the pain, but it was hard and small tears were threatening to form in her eyes. "Shit I'm sorry" they said, resting their hand on Vivian's arm to help steady her, scared she would hurt herself again, "I'm Bill."
