"Hey Cedric!" Lily said, sitting down next to Cedric Chang, who was
experiencing a rare moment of not being surrounded by his friends.
"Hullo Lily."
"You know we were brother and sister for about six months."
"Yup."
"So I was thinking, because we were brother and sister, don't you think that you should get closer to my friend Anna?"
Cedric suddenly looked interested. "What?"
"Well, you see, since we were, uh, brother and sister there for a bit, don't you think that you should hang out with my friends?"
"What? Why?"
"Because Anna has a thing for you." Lily said, sick of sounding like a git.
"Really? Is she the Hufflepuff?"
"No. That's Moira."
"Oh. She's the red-head?"
"Yup. That's her."
"Her and her little friends follow me all over the place."
"Poor baby. You don't have Christopher Creevy hanging around, biting your ankles all the time. At least Anna and her friends are cute."
Cedric sighed. "I'm still dating Myra."
Lily lowered her voice. "Anna is used to getting what she wants, when she wants it. If you tell her that you're dating Myra she'll just view you as a "challenge." I suggest you act like a jerk to her."
"But I'm not a jerk!" Cedric sounded genuinely surprised.
"Yes, Cedric, I know. But here's the thing, unless Anna decides she doesn't like you, you won't get away from her."
"I've never heard of someone asking someone to be a jerk to one of their friends."
"Well you used to be my brother. I have to help you too, you know. Besides, Myra is my friend, and I don't want Anna ruining her life."
Cedric shook his head. "I guess." He smiled. "So why did you suddenly decide to start speaking to me?"
"Oh I don't know. I'm thiking about the future more, and I guess I don't want to save off talking to people until I need to."
Cedric nodded. "Good enough for me."
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"Hey Lily, Will! Welcome to Hogsmeade!" Lily, Anna, Moira, Will, Daniel and Caroline had come to Hogsmeade together. Now Will and Lily stood alone in the Three Broomsticks, the others having deserted them to do "dating stuff."
"Hey Professor Lupin. Fred, George." They sat down at a table with the three teachers.
"Hey. We heard you caused quite a stir in Binn's class the other day. What did you do?" George asked, waving Madame Rosmerta, the pub's aging matron, over.
"I asked a question." Lily said, laughing.
"Hey Rosmerta! You don't look a day older." Fred grinned.
"That's because I did all my aging when I was chasing you two around." Rosmerta said, smiling. They ordered five Butterbeer and George turned back to Lily.
"What did you ask him about?"
"The Great War. Why doesn't anyone seem to want to talk about it? It's more important than goblin rebellions."
George smiled faintly. "I reckon you're right, but can you blame people for not wanting to talk about it?"
"George and I are probably the only people involved in the war who will talk about it."
"People will refer to it from time to time, but they never actually say what it was like. Right Remus?" George said.
Remus nodded. "Well I had better go. If you two want to continue be my guest. Good bye William, Lily."
They said good-bye and turned expectantly back to Fred and George. "C'mon Uncle George, what's the trouble. Why won't anyone talk about it?"
George smiled slightly. "War, no matter what kind of war, Muggle or magical, causes devestation, psychological and physical."
"Your parents, your mother especially, Will, and your father Lily, were especially hit with it." Fred picked up where George left off.
"Your mother got shakes so bad when she picked things up that eventually your dad had to feed her. It was very humiliating for her, but it wasn't her fault. I would be surprised if someone wasn't affected so deeply by this."
"The war was traumatizing. Many people survived it only to kill themselves months later."
"Part of the problem was that you were standing there watching people die." Fred said.
"That's the problem with every war." George added.
"And, of course, you were kiling people you knew well, possibly people who used to be your friends."
"People were fatigued, and a lot of people just walked out there and stood waiting for someone to kill them."
"Some people just snapped. They killed anyone who came near them. More than one person killed their children and then themselves."
Fred shrugged at Lily's horrified look. "You do things in a war that you wouldn't normally do. Some people want to create new life, and some people think that there will never be a better life, so thay take their own, and often their childrens."
"People think they're doing what's best for themselves, for their children, but in reality they're ruining things." George added.
Fred nodded. "People don't see clearly in a war." The shadow of a smile passed over his face. "Your mother and father, William, and your dad, they had it the worst. They had the most terrible time you can imagine. Oh sure, we all killed, but I don't think that we can begin to imagine all that your parents went through."
"They wouldn't talk about it then and they won't now."
"Oh why not?" Lily said impatiently.
Fred chuckled softly. "Imagine you murdered your father. Just imagine it." He paused while Lily shuddered. "That's what Draco feels every day of his life."
"From the time he wakes up, to the time he goes to sleep, he is his father's killer. And think of what would happen if you lost both of your parents, your wife, and esentially your own life by the same family. That's what your father feels from the time he wakes up from the time he goes to bed."
"What if you couldn't save your friends lives, what if you couldn't save their lives, even after the war. What if you couldn't even feed yourself? That's what your mother feels every day Will."
"And imagine, just imagine, if you never lost anyone, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your wife your children. What if you lost nothing? How guilty would you feel? Your dad carries that guilt William. Would you want to talk about that?" George smiled at Lily, who had gone positively white.
"Don't feel bad. Curiousity is natural. But sometimes you won't find the answers, no matter how hard you look."
"Hullo Lily."
"You know we were brother and sister for about six months."
"Yup."
"So I was thinking, because we were brother and sister, don't you think that you should get closer to my friend Anna?"
Cedric suddenly looked interested. "What?"
"Well, you see, since we were, uh, brother and sister there for a bit, don't you think that you should hang out with my friends?"
"What? Why?"
"Because Anna has a thing for you." Lily said, sick of sounding like a git.
"Really? Is she the Hufflepuff?"
"No. That's Moira."
"Oh. She's the red-head?"
"Yup. That's her."
"Her and her little friends follow me all over the place."
"Poor baby. You don't have Christopher Creevy hanging around, biting your ankles all the time. At least Anna and her friends are cute."
Cedric sighed. "I'm still dating Myra."
Lily lowered her voice. "Anna is used to getting what she wants, when she wants it. If you tell her that you're dating Myra she'll just view you as a "challenge." I suggest you act like a jerk to her."
"But I'm not a jerk!" Cedric sounded genuinely surprised.
"Yes, Cedric, I know. But here's the thing, unless Anna decides she doesn't like you, you won't get away from her."
"I've never heard of someone asking someone to be a jerk to one of their friends."
"Well you used to be my brother. I have to help you too, you know. Besides, Myra is my friend, and I don't want Anna ruining her life."
Cedric shook his head. "I guess." He smiled. "So why did you suddenly decide to start speaking to me?"
"Oh I don't know. I'm thiking about the future more, and I guess I don't want to save off talking to people until I need to."
Cedric nodded. "Good enough for me."
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"Hey Lily, Will! Welcome to Hogsmeade!" Lily, Anna, Moira, Will, Daniel and Caroline had come to Hogsmeade together. Now Will and Lily stood alone in the Three Broomsticks, the others having deserted them to do "dating stuff."
"Hey Professor Lupin. Fred, George." They sat down at a table with the three teachers.
"Hey. We heard you caused quite a stir in Binn's class the other day. What did you do?" George asked, waving Madame Rosmerta, the pub's aging matron, over.
"I asked a question." Lily said, laughing.
"Hey Rosmerta! You don't look a day older." Fred grinned.
"That's because I did all my aging when I was chasing you two around." Rosmerta said, smiling. They ordered five Butterbeer and George turned back to Lily.
"What did you ask him about?"
"The Great War. Why doesn't anyone seem to want to talk about it? It's more important than goblin rebellions."
George smiled faintly. "I reckon you're right, but can you blame people for not wanting to talk about it?"
"George and I are probably the only people involved in the war who will talk about it."
"People will refer to it from time to time, but they never actually say what it was like. Right Remus?" George said.
Remus nodded. "Well I had better go. If you two want to continue be my guest. Good bye William, Lily."
They said good-bye and turned expectantly back to Fred and George. "C'mon Uncle George, what's the trouble. Why won't anyone talk about it?"
George smiled slightly. "War, no matter what kind of war, Muggle or magical, causes devestation, psychological and physical."
"Your parents, your mother especially, Will, and your father Lily, were especially hit with it." Fred picked up where George left off.
"Your mother got shakes so bad when she picked things up that eventually your dad had to feed her. It was very humiliating for her, but it wasn't her fault. I would be surprised if someone wasn't affected so deeply by this."
"The war was traumatizing. Many people survived it only to kill themselves months later."
"Part of the problem was that you were standing there watching people die." Fred said.
"That's the problem with every war." George added.
"And, of course, you were kiling people you knew well, possibly people who used to be your friends."
"People were fatigued, and a lot of people just walked out there and stood waiting for someone to kill them."
"Some people just snapped. They killed anyone who came near them. More than one person killed their children and then themselves."
Fred shrugged at Lily's horrified look. "You do things in a war that you wouldn't normally do. Some people want to create new life, and some people think that there will never be a better life, so thay take their own, and often their childrens."
"People think they're doing what's best for themselves, for their children, but in reality they're ruining things." George added.
Fred nodded. "People don't see clearly in a war." The shadow of a smile passed over his face. "Your mother and father, William, and your dad, they had it the worst. They had the most terrible time you can imagine. Oh sure, we all killed, but I don't think that we can begin to imagine all that your parents went through."
"They wouldn't talk about it then and they won't now."
"Oh why not?" Lily said impatiently.
Fred chuckled softly. "Imagine you murdered your father. Just imagine it." He paused while Lily shuddered. "That's what Draco feels every day of his life."
"From the time he wakes up, to the time he goes to sleep, he is his father's killer. And think of what would happen if you lost both of your parents, your wife, and esentially your own life by the same family. That's what your father feels from the time he wakes up from the time he goes to bed."
"What if you couldn't save your friends lives, what if you couldn't save their lives, even after the war. What if you couldn't even feed yourself? That's what your mother feels every day Will."
"And imagine, just imagine, if you never lost anyone, your parents, your brothers and sisters, your wife your children. What if you lost nothing? How guilty would you feel? Your dad carries that guilt William. Would you want to talk about that?" George smiled at Lily, who had gone positively white.
"Don't feel bad. Curiousity is natural. But sometimes you won't find the answers, no matter how hard you look."