"Happy birthday dear Harry, happy birthday to you." The mini firework went off and baby Harry clapped his hands. Josie leant across the table and pulled the chocolate cake towards her.
"I get the first slice," she said, picking up the cake knife and grinning for a moment before Lucie took it from her hands.
"No," she said, knowing her little sister would cut the cake in order to get most herself. Lucie cut the cake into eleven pieces and passed them out, making sure Josie got one slightly larger than the others.
"You get a letter this morning Jo?" James asked. A smile appeared on her now chocolate covered face.
"I'm going to Hogwarts," she said. She never doubted she would, but now she knew she was really going.
"I told you she wasn't a squib Moony," Sirius said, pulling her hair as he walked to the sink. Remus just shook his head.
"Will you come with me to Diagon Alley? She asked her uncle and aunt.
"We'd love to Josie but we can't," Lily said.
"I miss going with you and Harry," Josie said. While her parents were working and Lucie was at school she often spent her time with her aunt and uncle, who spoiled her a little.
"Soon Joey," James promised. She made a face at the name.
"Don't call her that James," Elizabeth said.
"Not my fault Julian wanted a boy," he replied, looking at his brother.
"The healer told us it was a boy," Julian replied.
"So we were calling you Joseph for months before we knew," Louisa added, telling the story they had told so many times.
"And when you were born Grandfather said just call her Josephine. Save us coming up with a new name," Lucie laughed.
"But Josephine was a mouthful for a blob of a baby," James said.
"So you're Josie," Elizabeth said, smiling at her granddaughter. Josie giggled at the story and looked out the window.
"It's stopped raining. Can I take Harry outside?" She asked, jumping up. She lifted her little cousin from his high chair before waiting for a response and ran outside with him to the swing.
"I don't know what I'll do without her this year," Louisa said, she could hardly believe her baby was going to Hogwarts. It seemed only yesterday they were celebrating her first birthday.
"Only till Christmas. And you'll have me Mum," Lucie said.
"Is that a good thing?" James asked. Lucie made a face at her uncle, who was only three years older than her.
"I think we'll miss her more than she misses us," Lily asked.
"Oh for sure. You know six owls arrived at our house this morning? All of her friends saying their letters had came," Julian laughed.
"Miss popular," Remus said.
"Grace, the Evers twins, the oldest Weasley, Sophia, Marie and Cerys," Lucie rhymed them off.
"How are the Weasleys after Gideon and Fabian?" Lily asked.
"Hard enough. I don't think Molly's been well. She's due her baby in a few weeks," Louisa said.
"Another one? How many that? 50?" Sirius said, exaggerating slightly.
"Seven," Elizabeth said.
—
Josie ran through the halls of Hogwarts until she had no energy left to run any more. She then crawled behind a tapestry and cried. The tears just wouldn't stop. It was unusual for her. She hated crying. She was strong. She hated crying. But she couldn't stop. Every time she tried to breathe another wail slipped out.
She cried for her father. Her sister. Her aunt and uncle. Her grandparents.
None of the deserved to die.
She cried for her mother, who she couldn't see. She cried for her baby cousin, in an unfamiliar place. He probably didn't even have Pad. He couldn't sleep without Pad.
"Josie? Josie?" She could hear her name being called so she tried to go quiet, she didn't want to be found. The tapestry was pulled back and her hiding place discovered. Bill crawled in and squeezed himself in beside her so the tapestry could fall and hide them both. Josie slumped against him and her sobs became louder again.
He didn't say anything, he didn't think that he needed to. When his uncles died talking didn't help. People would tell him things get easier but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted Uncle Gideon to piggyback him across the garden and fall in a heap. He want Uncle Fabian to make him laugh with impressions of people in Diagon Alley.
"Do you remember the Christmas party where James enchanted the Christmas tree to sing rude Christmas songs?" Bill said, when he noticed her crying had calmed a little.
"Mum was so angry at him. It wouldn't stop for a week," Josie said with a sniff. Bill shifted slightly and pulled a tissue from his trouser pocket. He passed it over and she blew her nose.
"They wouldn't want you to cry," he said.
"Easier said than done," she replied. "I can't go see Mum. I can't go see Harry. What if something happens to them now?"
"Nothing else bad is going to happen. You Know Who is gone. No more deaths," Bill said. "Maybe we can talk to Professor McGonagall about seeing your Mum and Harry."
Josie nodded. That might work.
She felt empty inside. Like something was ripped out. Aunt Lily told her a story about a Grinch whose heart grew three sizes. She felt like hers had shrunk three sizes. Almost everyone she loved had left her.