Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, this story is based on events in HPDH.

How does one become a ghost?

Life was boring for Colin Creevey. Being a muggle-born wizard he was not allowed to attend Hogwarts for his sixth year*. Professor McGonagall had insisted that he was in grave danger due to his blood status. The only thing that made it even interesting at the safe house where he and his family had been relocated was that his brother Dennis was there too. Well that and the fact that the muggles next door were Harry Potter's Aunt, Uncle and Cousin.

At first Dudley didn't want anything to do with the boys, but as the year wore on and there was little to do except keep watch for "strangers" entering the small enclave. They couldn't actually practice their spells and charms or it would give away their location, but the wizards being muggle-born were aware of shadow boxing and did something similar to keep up their skills. They would sit with their wands and talk their way through the spells then do the motions, but never using those together. That was how Dudley actually met them. They were in the recreation area practicing and talking about the Patronus charm. Dudley asked if that was what Harry had used to run the Dementors off when they were attacked. Colin was interested because he had been told that Dementors couldn't be seen by muggles. Dudley explained that even though he had not seen them he had certainly felt them. Dudley was amazed to find that Harry had been instrumental in teaching the boys Defense Against the Dark Arts and Colin had learned to also cast his Patronus. The boys didn't know a lot more than anyone else about the war. They told Dudley that they still had their Galleons with the Protean Charm and Neville Longbottom would call them to arms when it was time for them to fight. Once he found this out he was always asking the brothers questions about the school, DA and the war.

May second nineteen hundred ninety eight dawned quietly. The sun was shining and everyone was going about their business. Suddenly, the charmed Galleons of all DA members began to glow. Neville had sent the alarm that Harry Potter was in Hogwarts and that they could gain entry through the Hog's Head Inn. They were to pass the word to members of DA that had lost their Galleons. This was the call to arms.

Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall was ushering all the underage students out of the castle. Colin was trying to get in. She shooed him back through the tunnel, but turned her back to see what was happening with the Slytherins that were also sneaking back in, he returned. Stealthily he made his way to the front door of the castle. With his wand at the ready and he watched over his shoulder for someone trying to come up behind him. Exiting the castle he was met by a barrage of spells and jinxes. He cast a protection spell and an expulsion spell to unarm one of the older Slytherin students. Just then he was attacked by Dolohov who used a Sectumsempra which sliced through his lung and heart killing him instantly. There he lay on the lawn until Neville and Oliver Wood carried his body back into the Great Hall.

The next thing Colin knew was that he was sitting on a window sill looking down on the dead from the war. He shook his head as if to awaken himself from the nightmare. There lay Fred Weasley with his family around him crying and hugging one another. Down the way was Professor Lupin and his wife. Somebody had laid them with their hands touching.

A tear would have welled up in his eye when he spied Lavender Brown. The tears in her body showed that she had been attacked by a werewolf. Next to her knelt her best friend Parvati Patil. She was alive, barely, but alive. Somebody should get Madam Pomfrey he thought.

Sitting there on the window sill, he noticed that some of the dead had ghosts leaving their bodies, others did not. Now that he had been here a while, he was definitely beginning to feel his new form. Just as he decided to move, he was joined by a fellow Gryffindor, Fred Weasley. Fred nodded as he wasn't certain he could talk and Colin nodded back. Together they sat in silence watching everyone in the Great Hall each buried deep in their own thoughts. The companionable silence was suddenly interrupted by a cheer. Harry Potter was still alive and now was fighting Voldemort. Trying their new forms they floated together toward the door just as the dueling duo pushed into the Hall. They resumed their positions on the perimeter of the room and watched throughout the match.

When the duel was finally over Colin said, "I'm so glad that we had the time in DA to get to know Harry better. He was a good teacher."

Fred, trying out his voice too, quietly replied, "Yes, and a good friend to all of us."

*J.K.R. Bloomsbury Live Chat 30 July 2007

Hogwarts School, DADA Assignment #2 part 1.