She stared at the faded photograph

She stared at the faded photograph.  Everyone looked so happy.  She slightly smiled remembering the bantering that had taken place before the photo.  They were all so young then, so young.  No knew what horrible events lay in the future.

Photographs

never changing

never moving

stuck in a moment of time

remembrances of the past

the joyful, happy past

a trip to younger days

carefree, sunny days

never worrying of what lie ahead

little cares, if none at all

friends surrounding

smiling, pushing, talking, hugging

and the person

that special person

who could light up your face with a smile

make you laugh and forget

the incidents of the world around you

nothing was supposed to end up this way

all alone at a table

five out of six empty seats

two dead

two disappeared

one late

not supposed to be alone

meetings cancelled

people left

scarred inside forever

with no one to care

not supposed to be alone

one person sitting at a table

all alone

no one to talk to

no one to tease

no one to hug

no one to smile at

no one to love

The woman tucked the photograph back in her purse.  She sat in the booth sipping her butterbeer, her glassy eyes staring at the empty seats in front of her.  Slowly she stood up, wrapped her scarf around her neck and walked out into the snow covered Diagon Alley, never once looking back.