September 1999 -May 2001 (Third Anniversary)
7th year was a lot like her 6th, boring, mundane and a breath of fresh air. With the first anniversary of the war behind the wizarding world, the feeling of hope anchored witches and wizards around the country.
Sophie's 17th year of life flew by. To all that didn't know Sophie, they did not see her inner turmoil. On the outside, she was calm, cool, collected and kind. All attributes of a future successful healer.
She refused to process mentally everything she went through and with her NEWTS approaching, her chronic pain flared to where she dealt with it more than she didn't. Her parents knew little of her suffering, chalking everything up to stress. Her relationships with her parents, siblings and friends became strained. She only had her closest friends to rely on, the "9-ers."
Frequent trips to the hospital wing and frequent pain control potions, all on the ministry dime. And while the silence was starting to get harder for her friends, her pain control was the best part that could have come from the ministry deal. Even if it meant those around her were starting to crack.
OOO
The second anniversary of the war was harder for the "9-ers" than the first. Because at the ceremony, they were treated like children who couldn't possibly understand the sacrifice of those who fought.
Little did the world know, they knew all too well. But they were kept in silence. A secret that only they, the headmistress and (most likely) the minister.
Parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and strangers all were kept in the dark about the 9 teenagers who fought in a war.
Crack.
The second anniversary was Doug's breaking point, where his built up rage came brewing out over a night of pizza and firewhiskey. Raven started cracking too. For them, the second anniversary signified when their forced silence got to be too much.
They were past the age where quidditch, self-care nights and snogging were satisfying coping skills. Pizza, liquor, smoking and other unhealthy habits were added as staples to help the "9-ers" deal with all they went through.
And at the ceremony, Sophie saw Fred from a distance. He was surrounded by family, arms wrapped around a pretty girl she remembered named Katie Bell. This time, she bitterly decided to keep her distance, because heroes don't have time to acknowledge children.
She heard that one too many times from various witches and wizards. The only one who seemed to acknowledge their struggles was McGonagall, who supported the 9 as much as she was legally allowed to. Her strange presence the night the "9-ers" signed their contract ended up being a huge blessing their last year at school.
For Sophie, distance was her saving grace when it came to Fred. She wished him nothing but happiness, joy, and comfort because if she can't have those things someone should be able to.
Though, he didn't have to rub it in her face. Even if he wasn't doing it on purpose. And the second anniversary signified for Sophie that she needed to stay away from Fred. For this reason, she adamantly refused to step foot in a Weasley Joke Shop.
OOO
Sophie passed her NEWTs, getting the 5 needed and armed with ministry recommendations she averagely flourished in her first year of healer education alongside January, who once again was excellent. As her and Derrick fell apart during her first year of healer education, when she was just 18 years old, January and him fell together.
The "9-ers" all thought they were going to stay in Britain, but June and Jeremy decided to ruin it for everyone and move to Australia. Partly for their career, but partly because being in Britain just became too much. Running was easier than suffering. At least they decided to have the decency to have an actual wedding and send-off party, rather than just eloping, before leaving.
With change and growth that each of the "9-ers" experienced, one things remained constant. Pizza happened every Thursday night at Joes.
OOO
"Time for extra pepperoni with cheese, no pineapple tonight ladies because that is a crime!" Doug shouted across the sleazy pizza joint as his voice carried into the back room.
"Oh, gimme! My boss is a jackass and made me work through lunch because I 'showed potential.' He should know after 7 months that I flourish with food in my belly" Matilda whined as she reached for pizza.
In all actuality, Matilda just did not speak to anyone but her close friends. And Sophie knew that Olivander probably thought she quietly snuck off the lunch like a normal employee. Not that she would bring this point up.
Derrick and Cassie were knee deep in their Auror training, two classes below the "great Harry Potter" and missing pizza night for the 3rd week in a row.
Not that Sophie minded, it was still weird to see her ex and January together. And while she would lie down her life for her fellow "9-ers," she secretly would pick January over Derrick any day.
Raven played "Opps I did it again" on the muggle jukebox, as she got settle for the night sneaking a look at Doug. Having a resident "muggle expert" had it's perk, and Britney was one of them.
This is where Sophie felt most alive. Hidden in the back of Joe's pizza with her closest friends, sneaking a sip of beer. As she grew into being more comfortable with herself, with her life plan, she found herself cursing Fred Weasley way less in her 18th year of life than she did when she was 17.
Sophie, at 18 years old, found that she was comfortable with routine. The cycle repeated: healer education Monday-Friday, pizza on Thursday, and part-time work at a muggle bookstore on Saturdays. A boring, mundane and wonderful routine, this was something she was just fine with.
OOO
The third anniversary was Matilda's breaking point, where she became more reclusive. The demand that silence had on her was eating her away.
By this point 3 of the 4 Hufflepuffs had their breaking point but continued to stay quiet for their friends. Loyalty truly was their fatal flaw.
Again, hind-sight is 20-20, they should have negotiated pay and a therapist for keeping their silence.
The third anniversary signified another significant milestone for all the "9-ers." By this time, most of them did not speak to their parents or siblings anymore, opting to only see them on holidays. In fact, June and Jeremey probably talked to their parents the most, and they lived out of the country. The silence they were forced into became too much, it became too awkward to try and explain why they were mad, why they were in pain and why they drank a little too much on Fridays night. The "why" became too overbearing to hide.
At the ceremony, Sophie saw Fred from a distance. This time, while he was surrounded by family, his arms were wrapped around a witch Sophie did not even recognize.
Sophie kept up with Fred from a distance over the years, watching the gossip magazines. It was rumored that Fleur, his sister in law, was carrying his or Charlie's baby rather than her husband's second child and it was the gossip story she was invested in.
Not because she thought it was true, but because she loved a good, trashy theory. She was 18, afterall.
She noticed the ads he published becoming more sparse. The ads that were looking for her. Sophie had the answer to the puzzle that Fred was trying to answer. But it appeared as time moved on, he was becoming less obsessed with finding that answer. With time, she hoped that he would grow to stop looking all together, to be happy with not knowing.
As she gazed at him she found herself wondering, "Perhaps he is truly happy."