This is the next to last chapter, kiddos. I don't know what's coming next, writing wise. Any suggestions, kids?

Four days after the Bells had been contacted, and the funeral was in less than an hour. Alicia was standing in her bathroom, her black dress on, the shoes waiting with her purse by the door. But instead, she was standing over her toilet, holding a little plastic stick in her hand.

"What're you doing?" George asked her from the doorway, leaning on the frame as if exhausted. In a way, he was exhausted, emotionally at least. Losing Katie wasn't expected or wanted.

"Your mum was right." she asnwered, answering questions with something completely off topic had become habit.

"Well, that's unusual. What exactly was she right about?"

"I'm pregnant."

There was a quiet pause, and then George left his quiet stance and came up behind Alicia, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"You know that on any other day I'd be jumping up and down." George whispered into her ear, smelling her hair as he did so.

"I know." Alicia answered, gently swaying back and forth as they talked.

"Thank you, again, for sending out the invitations." Katie's dad, obviously not Kosey, thanked Alicia. He and Mrs. Bell, along with George and Alicia were standing outside the funeral home, about to go in.

"It was no problem." Alicia was surprised with herself, unlike everyone else, she wasn't crying. George was red faced and puffy eyed, standing off by himself. Mrs. Bell was repeatedly dabbing her eyes with a lace handkerchief, staring off into nothing, while her husband openly let the tears fall.

As the funeral began, only a few of Katie's 'wilder' friends came. Without even meaning to, the funeral was divided. Inside the large white room, with Katie in her coffin in the front, with row after row of chairs facing her, the people who knew Hogwarts Katie sat on the right, the Home Katie side on the left, when facing the coffin.

The funeral was requested to have as little magic as possible, for no one knew exactly how many muggles would show up.

Lee Jordan was the first one to come up to Alicia, who was standing up by the casket, not all that close, but closer than others seemed willing to come, and asked her the question:

"What really happened?"

"She overdosed." Alicia answered, her face serious yet calm.

"No, really. This is Katie, Katie! What really happened?"

"I told you, she overdosed."

Seven other people came up and went thorugh the same round of questions with Alicia. One of those people was Professor McGonagall. She was a bit ruder than Lee about the whole thing.

Oliver cut right to the chase when he questioned he, saying, "I don't believe you."

"Fine."

"Cut the crap, 'Lic, what actually happened to Bell?"

"She overdosed."

"You're a liar!" Oliver snapped, but then sat back down and caused no more trouble.

Frail little Fiona, who had come crashing into Alicia's world back at the twin's shop, was the first obviously problemed friend of Home Katie. Her black dress had snaps all down the front and seemed ready to fall off her rail of a body. She had black Converse that stuck out against her pale legs, her dress only reaching her knees.

She marched right up the aisle between the two sts of chairs, drawing the attention of the mourners wearing robes, and went to Alicia.

"Thanks," she started, glancing at Katie, "for the invite. And telling me...and stuff. It does mean a lot to me, and everyone else. They'll come, don't worry about that. We all appreciate you finding her, we really do...but I don't think any of us will know how to show it..." she had on too much eyeliner and it had already smeared with tears.

The girl then retreated to the Home Katie's side, sitting three rows back despite all the empty chairs around her, and slouched. Alicia could faintly hear Mrs. Weasley tuttering about the girl 'being flesh and bones' and 'not eating enough' and then warned Ginny not to let that happen to her grandchild. Ginny couldn't help but give a small smile as she nodded, holding Harry's hand as they sat.

A tall guy, almost as thin as Fiona came in soon after that, also wearing obviously secondhand clothes. He came in with several other people, but was the only one to walk up to the casket, rubbing his throat that whole time

"The first time I met Katie she punched me right there." he told Alicia, his index finger indicating the side of his neck. "Gods, we were so wasted. I'd do anything to have that night again..." he muttered, and then went back to his group.

People just kept coming after that, all late comers, and all sitting on the left side. Some had stories, like the guy who told about he was dating Katie for awhile, and then discovered she had slept with his father a few months prior to their meeting. The break up was mutual.

The only person who came to the side of Hogwarts and was rather late was Filch. He didn't walk up to see the body, but just sat down in the back in his ratty old suit and drank from his flask, ignoring the stares he got for the little tears that swam in his eyes but never fell. The loss of Mrs. Norris made him soft. For Filch, at least.

"Uh, hey," Jordan walked in, awkwardly trying not to look at all the people looking at him, wondering who he was. His clothes were a bit nicer than the others who sat on the left, but not much.

"Hi." Alicia softly greeted back.

"I've never been to such a nice funeral before. With real flowers, and everything." he muttered, trying to look like he hadn't been crying, even though close up, his nose was still pink.

"I never told you why Katie stopped coming to see you, did I?" Alicia asked as a response.

"You know?" Jordan looked up at this, his eyes intense.

"Look." she answered, pointing at the family that was coming in late. Emily and Ricky came in, guiding their small 'daughter.' She was the youngest person there, and her resemblence to her mother caused a rush of whispers on the right side.

Jordan stood up, walked straight to the girl, not blinking or jsut barely blinking, and the four of them spoke. It was an obviously awkward conversation at first, but it slowly relaxed. By the end of it, Kamryn was resting on her new found fathers lap in the front row of the left side, the parents she had always known sitting next to her. He was distracting her from the whispers on the right.

The large woman who was called Mum by countless children came in soon after that, seeming a bit more unnerved away from her rotting pink house. Her dress was plain black now, and most of the children weren't with her. She was just dragging the small rude boy Alicia had faced down the time she had met the woman.

"Got a babysitter fer all the others, but he'snot feelin' dat grate." she explained, standing next to Alicia as if she were her foster mum, too. The womans voice seemed to be suffering due to all the crying she'd obviously been doing.

"Would you like me to hold him?" Alicia asked, surprising herself. She hadn't expected to be so nice, but the little boy, with his clothes worn but too big, standing there, his eyes half closed as he fell asleep standing up, tugged at her maternal side.

"Shoore. Josh, go wit' de nice lady." Josh was evidently the boy, who raised his arms to oblige, but couldn't do much more.

Alicia scooped him up, and he flopped right on her. His face fit in the crook of her neck, and he soon fell asleep. He was heavy, but Alicia didn't want to wake him.

"I ne'er miss one o' me kids funerals. Been to too damn many." the woman muttered. She then excused herself, taking a seat on the left. Alicia remained holding the boy.

More people came up to Katie, saying their last words, but none seemed quite as interesting as those Alicia had already met.

"What'd I miss?" George whispered, walking up to Alicia from behind. He slipped in from a door that was almost unnoticable and didn't come from the lobby.

"Where've you been?" Alicia whispered back, noticing that he had Celia in his arms.

"I apparated in the laveratory...I dunno...I'm not too fond of the cat, but it only seemed right that she'd miss all this."

"Trade me." Alicia commanded, indicating that she wanted the cat, while George took Josh. George was confused, but didn't say anything.

With the cat in her arms, Alicia walked straight back, passing everyone, until she reached the back row of the right side.
"Here," she started, placing Celia in the arms of a slightly startled Filch. "She likes windows, sunlight and being spoiled. She was Katie's. Her name is Celia."

Filch took the cat, looking at a loss for words, but somewhat pleased to have a cat, again. Celia didn't really react to any of what was going on around her. She was a cat, but a cat who was aware of what went on around her, no matter how strange it was. She took notice that Katie was never around.

"I know how to take care of a cat." Filch responded gruffly. Alicia smiled, expecting this type of answer.