A single picture was displayed on the front page of the magazine.
A young man with a full beard had a smile stretched on his face. In his arms was a young baby. A father and child.
After three long years, she finally found what she was looking for; a sign that he was still alive and well.
She stared at the front of the magazine for a long time and was only drawn away from it when the storekeeper yelled at her to either buy the magazine or to leave.
She left.
The cold wind bit into her uncovered face as she walked from the corner store to her house a few blocks away. Had she been paying attention, she would have noticed that the weather echoed her gloomy mood.
Congratulations to the family! The little heir has gotten so big so fast!
An heir. He had a little baby boy.
He said he never wanted a family. He said he never wanted kids. LIAR!
A small scowl graced her face and her hands balled into fists. A street light burst as she walked past it. She didn't notice.
Relax, just breathe. It's not like it matters anyway. It's been three years since you've last spoken to each other. This is his life now.
The young woman unclenched her fists, though the scowl remained on her face. She slowed her pace down. She didn't want to arrive home just yet.
From the picture, it was evident that the baby inherited his father's full lips, bright eyes, and ears. He would never be able to deny that child. He never would. Having the picture published just proved he wanted the world to know that he had a child. A son at that. A little him.
His face flashed in her mind, still fresh as ever. She loved him. She had always loved him. He had cared for her at one point. But it wasn't enough.
She had spent the last three years wondering about him constantly. There wasn't a day that she didn't think of him. She remembered every moment they spent together. All the laughs, shared interests, talks, and every shared touch. She searched everywhere for any trace of his existence. But there was none. And now he suddenly appears looking all happy with a son.
Her house was small and plain looking, but it was home. The gray door stood before her as she hesitated for a moment before going inside. It was empty. It always was.
The door closing behind her was the only sound before the silence engulfed her. She looked around her house and saw all the pictures she had displayed on her walls. Pictures of her family, friends, and the places she had visited over the years. None of him lingered on the walls.
With a sudden vigor, she rushed to her room to search for the last thing she had that reminded her of him. All the way in the very back of her closet was a small box with a little bow on top of it. Inside was a single picture, a muggle picture.
A sixteen year old boy had his arms wrapped around a fifteen year old girl. She was tiny compared to the strong boy. Neither one was looking at the camera. They were staring at each other with large smiles on their faces. His robes marked him as a Slytherin, while hers were those of a proud Gryffindor. It was the only picture that they had ever taken together.
She smiled fondly at the picture even as a single tear slipped from her eye.
She stared at the picture in her hand as she walked back to the living room.
"Incendio" she whispered softly at her fireplace. The crackling of wood filled the once silent house. Her gaze shifted from the picture to the fire and back a couple of times. After one final look at the picture, she threw the picture into the fire.
The flames devoured it within seconds. The last to be destroyed were the smiling faces.
"Goodbye Cassius Warrington. You're just a memory now. Aguamenti." Alicia Spinnet turned on her heel and left the house silent and alone once more.