Sophie (May 2001-Present)
Looking back, Sophie can barely remember her 19th year on this earth, though it included some of the greatest milestones of her life.
She passed her healer-education and secured her first entry level job at St. Mungos in her dream department, the spell damage ward. And in the crowd of her (and January's) graduation, each member of the "9-ers" were present. Her mother and father, who she hadn't spoken to in the past year sent a congratulations card and some money.
Mr. and Mrs. James unknowingly sponsored the pizza and firewhiskey celebration that night.
Sophie only experienced about one pain "attack" each month that would incompassitate her from anything. Luckily, it had not affected her job by this point. And once a month was far better than the once a week schedule she was used to.
She assumed that less stress helped her attacks become less frequent.
Sophie entered the dating pool, though quickly found herself annoyed with the prospects that her friends set her up on. Bless their hearts, but her friends are idiots. Luckily the tragic secret they all shared helped them all form semi-functioning relationships with each other.
She survived the 4th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts in May 2002, though only 5 of the nine opted to show up. Herself, Cassie, Derrick, January and Matilda all huddled together in a sea of witches and wizards, listening to the same speech given each year. A speech that sang praise and thanks to the sacrifices made.
Well, almost, every sacrifice.
The 4th anniversary of the Battle was when Sophie first noticed that everyone else was moving on. Wizards and witches that fought in the battle were getting married, having children, and living their life in big ways.
Hell, even Harry Bloody Potter had the nerve to propose to Ginny Weasley.
"The same Ginny Weasley who is one of the only recognized underaged witches at the battle." Sophie found herself thinking.
And though she never stopped living life, something held her back. She never actually felt the luxury of moving on from her trauma. She just became better at compartmentalizing it as she grew older.
And, as always, see noticed Fred. May 2nd was the only time of year Sophie would take to really notice him.
His smile seemed to become brighter, his laugh a little louder and his face less solemn.
He never strayed too far from his family, though. This year, his arms were wrapped around his twin. And he continued to seem happy.
Sophie, though in her darkest hours found herself regretting saving his life, held onto the memories of seeing him so happy. Because at least her sacrifice meant something.
OOO
Sophie honestly could not believe she made it to 20 years old. In battle, at the mere age of 15, she faced some of the nastiest magical people she had the misfortune of meeting. She was shocked when she survived. And in her deepest pain that flick across her shoulders, she couldn't imagine getting through it alive.
Sophie was the youngest of the "9-ers," a fact they never let her forget. They teased her mercilessly, because that's what family does, but they were also fiercely protective of her. Due to the physical pain Sophie experienced post-battle, everyone secretly let out a sigh of relief that she made it to age 20.
She was glad they all made it to age 20, finally out of teenagehood and catapulted into adulthood. Though, they all have been adults for much too long.
OOO
One of her favorite residents, Alice Longbottom, lost her mind at the age of 20, shortly before her 21st birthday. Alice was a successful Auror before she was kidnapped and tortured physically and mentally. She was known for her sweet tooth and her gravitation towards anything that was the color of "sky blue."
It doesn't ever slip Sophie's mind that she could be here alongside Alice as a patient. That she, most likely, was one cruciatus curse away from losing her mind completely. And losing her mind at the age of 15 would have meant that she would have had zero accomplishments by the age of 20. Likely no one would know her favorite song, her favorite hobby, her favorite meal.
It is why Sophie is a good healer on this particular ward, because she has these thoughts. And while Alice can not communicate with words, Sophie will sneak her new snacks, introduce new board games and have her listen to new songs. Because Alice deserves to be known as a person rather than a lost cause.
Sophie quickly became a favorite healer among the residents. During her shifts, Alice would grab her hand and pat it, Mr. Lockhart would sign a photograph for her, a witch named Jana would say a prayer for her. Sophie thrived on the ward that she knew could have become permanently her home, that thought pushing her to provide the best care for her residents currently.
And though Sophie still felt trapped by the physical pain she experiences, the loss of her family, witnessing the cracks in her friends each and every day, she never let that affect her work.
Afterall, Sophie was a true Hufflepuff who was loyal to her residents.
OOO
None of the "9-ers" attended the 5th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts in 2003.
Their magical contract was up, yet none of them made any moves to expose the truth.
Over some firewhiskey the "9-ers" including June and Jeremey who made a special trip to town, looked at the official documents provided by the ministry that honored the witches and wizards that fought in the battle. Their names were quietly etched into history.
Though Minister Shacklebolt did not strike the deal with the "9-ers" he kept up the ministry's end of the bargain.
They cried together, knowing that their end of the deal was up but still living in so much fear. They cried over the things they lost: their families, their sense of safety, their sense of sanity, their youth. They cried over the things they gained: their friendships/new family, their careers, their unwavering support of each other. They cried because they never thought that they would really get through the past 5 years alive, the past 5 years of silence was a special kind of torture.
They cried, but they never talked. They never spoke about what they should do with their new freedom, their new normal.
At age 20, they should be enjoying their careers, enjoying their relationships and finding love, making new friends, going out on Saturday nights and dancing on bar tops. At age 20, they should not be war heros, finally (but quietly) recognized after years of silence, they should not have trauma, they should not have experienced as much loss as they have.
"What do we do now?" Doug spoke, but no one responded.
OOO
Age 21 is when everything came crashing down for Sophie. Not right away, but eventually.
She continued to love her job as a healer, her pain continued to be present in her life but less constant, she continued to go on bad dates and continued to see her friends each Thursday for pizza.
She thought about going and talking to Fred Wesley, now that she had the freedom to do so. A quick hello. It would be easy for her to blend in as a customer of the shop. But something always stopped her. That something was guilt.
And maybe he would understand, but what sane person wishes they could take something back which would have resulted in another's death.
Now that they had freedom, an invisible divide was building. She knew her fellow Hufflepuffs wanted to talk more about their role in the battle, where Derrick, Cassie and January were perfectly content with continuing to live life as they have for the past 5 years. Subtle tension was present.
In hind-sight, Sophie should have known the article was not a fluke.
Everything up until April 2004 was a facade of fine. And if Sophie was honest with herself, the totality of the past 6 years have been a facade.
While it broke her heart to see the divide in her chosen family, she truly hoped that she would be able to begin to move forward. Move forward from her trauma, perhaps be able to be in the same room with her mother and father without overwhelming feelings of guilt. With moving forward, she hoped she would begin to feel truly happy.