I survived. Somehow, after Death Eaters and Dementors and werewolves and giants… I survived. And I mourned for them all…. All my year mates. Eleanor and Jack and Kevin and Laura and Ritchie and Victoria and Andrew and Colin. Colin. I miss you. If you were here, you'd pull out your photos of sunny days and the giant squid and you'd make me smile and laugh. You'd taken pictures of the good around us– see, there's Luna and Dean holding each other, and Neville and Hannah are smiling shyly at each other from over the Sword of Gryffindor, and Ron and Harry and Hermione talking in the corner. I don't think anyone has seen them. And the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady are drifting away, talking! And McGonagall- Minnie, do you remember when you first called her that- is bringing the last body in. It's Professor Snape. I can't help but giggle as I see him. He looks so relaxed, I've never seen him so happy. He's covered in blood. So is Minnie. But I think it's all of it his. Poor man. You know, he was a bastard, but he was a damn good potioneer. That's what I want to become. Remember how mad Snape was when I told him that he would look better in green? That was right after Minnie and I went down to see him about me apprenticing under him. I was supposed to start next year. You were going to become a photographer. I still have your calendar that Umbitch confiscated, then we stole back. The days are all wrong now, but I still love the picture of Bulstrode changing into a pixie.

I lied, you know. I said that I survived. I didn't, not really. I lost my hand, look, it's over there! I think Pompfrey wanted to reattach it, but I don't really want it. What if she put it on wrong? Oh, look at me. Giggling over my hand laying ten feet away. Let's blame it on the blood loss, shall we? Oh, Ginny's coming over. I think she's scared about me. You know, we're the only two that survived? Isn't that funny? She leaving now, talking to Pompfrey. She thinks I'm crazy, I can hear her talking. Colin, I'm not, I swear. You can't let them take me away, Colin. Do you swear? You have to swear that. You've gotta help me, Colin. Just like you always do, in Transfiguration. I helped you out with that Potions essay. Come on, Colin. Don't just lay there! Tell them to let me go! Tell them, Colin! Colin!