Chapter one (Sadie)

It was the one-year anniversary of the end of the Second Wizarding War. Every wizard and witch was celebrating. Everyone… except me.

I was on my seventh year when the Battle of Hogwarts happened. Since I was overage, I had chosen to stay at Hogwarts to fight the Death Eaters, to protect Harry Potter, with who I had studied with. My twin sister, Tammy, did the same thing. With all my heart, if I knew what was going to happen, I would've told her to go home.

As the battle went on, I was incredibly injured, but at least I was alive. I had managed to defeat many Death Eaters. When Voldemort told his servants to retreat until midnight so Harry could surrender, everyone went back to the Great Hall, where the injured were getting medication, and the dead bodies were placed. I looked everywhere for Tammy, but I couldn't find her.

At last, I decided to take a look at the dead ones. I passed by several bodies, from people I knew and from people I didn't know. I got equally sad when I saw all of them.

Then I reached the last body, and my heart stopped. I couldn't find air.

Tammy was lying there, still, without life on her body. She wasn't breathing. Her face was incredibly peaceful, like she had just gone to sleep after a tiring day.

I burst into silent tears. No one comforted me. I had no one to do so. No relevant friends, and I didn't have a nice relationship with my family… All I had was Tammy. She was my best friend, the reason why I lived. And I had lost her. Forever.

Although I was a Gryffindor, my sister was a Hufflepuff. Tammy took care of everyone. She was always there for everyone who needed her. She did everything she could to make everyone feel better. She didn't deserve to die so young.

"She died like a heroine" I kept saying to myself. Although that didn't help on my sadness, it was something I wanted to remember forever.

I stayed there, my head over my sister's chest, sobbing and crying alone. The only time I left her was when people thought Harry Potter was dead. The battle restarted, and I went to fight. For me, it didn't matter if I would live or die, because my sister was gone. But, if I would die, I would die protecting Harry Potter. I would avenge my sister's death. It was because of Voldemort and their stupid Death Eaters my sister was dead.

We won. Voldemort died. Harry Potter defeated him. It was over. The Wizarding World was at peace, once for all.

But since then, I was never the same. I was never happy again. I was kicked out my house, since my family believed I didn't take enough care of my sister. Tammy had always been their favorite. So I went to live at The Leaky Cauldron. I cried myself to sleep every night since then and kept asking myself why I didn't commit suicide yet.

Somehow I stood strong. Even I can't say how I managed to do so.

I woke up on May 2nd, 1999 and felt extremely empty. I got dressed and went downstairs to the bar to eat something for breakfast.

"Good morning, Ms. Grant" greeted Tom "How are you feeling?"

When you live during months on one establishment, you happen to become friends with the owner. Tom was very kind with me, and he knew about Tammy.

"Incredibly, not as bad as I thought I would be" I said to him, trying to smile "One grapefruit and a glass of Dragon Milk, please."

I ate my breakfast in silence. I didn't talk with Tom like every morning, not only because of my sadness. Mostly because The Leaky Cauldron was particularly full that day. When I finished, I paid Tom. Only a few sicles and nuts were left in my wallet.

I was running out of money. My extended staying at Leaky Cauldron was being very expensive. And I didn't go to look for a job after I finished school, since that phase was the worst of my life. I was too devastated.

I went to Diagon Alley. It was way crowder than usually. May 2nd had become an international holiday in the Wizarding World. That explained the fact many young witches and wizards who still went to Hogwarts weren't at school.

The streets were full of people, all happy, celebrating cheerfully Voldemort's death anniversary. Everyone passed by me, smiling and greeting. I tried really hard to smile back, but it was difficult for me, because I wasn't happy at all.

I walked down the streets, passing by the stores without really paying attention on them. I knew those streets with my eyes closed, because for months Diagon Alley was the only place I went to apart from Leaky Cauldron.

My eyes were led to the only store I hadn't visited ever again since the battle. It was extremely colorful, except a very little black ribbon hanging on the sign. The store was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I had refused to go back inside that store, because it was a joke shop, and I didn't laugh anymore.

But somehow I felt like entering the shop. I didn't know why. Something was telling me to.

The shop was full that morning. It was the favorite shop of young witches and wizards. The products were really interesting indeed. People loved Skiving Snackbox, a way to skip classes; Extendable Ears, to overhear someone else's conversation; U-No-Poo, a parody of You-Know-Who; and many others. Everything was so fun I got mad at myself for not entering there for such a long time.

"May I help you, lady?"

A tall ginger was looking at me. I recognized him as one of the owners, Fred or George Weasley. The mouth of this twin was smiling, but his eyes weren't. That expression reminded me of myself a bit.

"Such a pretty girl, but with a sad expression" Weasley said "What happened, madam?"

I really appreciated that comment.

"I haven't laughed for a really long time" I told him "Do you have something to help me?"

"Absolutely!" he said "Here at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes we have the best products to make you laugh. If you will follow me…"

He led me to one of the shelves, where were loads of wands.

"Weasley's Wonderous Wands!" Weasley said "Try to cast a spell with them!"

He grabbed one wand and gave it to me. I looked at him, insecure, but he encouraged me. I thought it was better to try a simpler spell.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" I said.

But the spell was never casted. Instead, the wand was transformed into a rubber chicken.

And, for the first time since last year, I laughed. I didn't have to force it, and it felt great. I didn't know what laughing was like anymore, and it was nice to remember.

"Our products made you laugh!" Weasley said, pleased "Will I be rewarded for that?"

"I will buy it" I said to him.

I followed him to the register and paid him. My wallet was almost empty now, but it was worth it.

While Weasley was searching for a plastic bag, I noticed a picture in a frame over the table. It was a picture of the two twins in front of the store, which I guessed to be the opening day. The names were under each twin, maybe for the costumers to tell who each one was.

Weasley gave me the bag with my trick wand. I looked closely to his face. Since I used to have a twin, I happened to be really good on telling little differences between other twins. And I was completely sure the one who was standing in front of me was the one named George in the picture.

I associated all that with the black ribbon outside the store. George's twin, Fred, must've died during the Battle of Hogwarts, like Tammy. That explained why he was so sad. Today was not only the Battle's anniversary. It was his twin's death anniversary. It was my twin's death anniversary.

"Thank you for buying our products" said George "Come back often!"

I paid attention on how George kept saying our. His twin was dead, and he still referred to the store as theirs.

I walked towards the exit, but I stopped before getting there. I wanted to say something to him. I wanted to say I knew exactly how he felt. Just to let him know he wasn't alone. But the store was so full of people that, when I looked back, George wasn't there anymore. He was already helping a different costumer.

I promised myself I would come back to tell him. George seemed to need some support in his life as much as I did.