Happy 16th Birthday Dennis! :)

February 8 1999

"Are you coming, Dennis?" Jimmy Peakes asked as he slipped his Gryffindor tie over his head and adjusted it so that it was still a little loose underneath the collar of his shirt. His best friend, however, didn't seem to hear him. He was too preoccupied by staring at a black and white, photograph in his hand. Jimmy eyed him with pity as he picked up his satchel off the floor beside his bed.

"Dennis?"

"Huh?" The sandy-haired boy looked up looking quite befuddled and blinked his hazel eyes a few times. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."

Sighing, Jimmy nodded his head and gave his friend an encouraging smile. "Alright, see you down there."

Dennis didn't even notice when he had left the room. His eyes immediately returned to the photograph in his hand. It was a moving photo; Colin had loved them so much. Dennis remembered when Colin had first gone to Hogwarts, and he had been so excited about moving pictures that he had sent one home to his father. Dennis had been there when his father had opened it and the look of joy on his face had been priceless. He remembered how Colin had loved them so much, that he sent home pictures with every letter - of Quidditch matches, of owls flying through the great hall, even simply walking to class. Colin had absolutely loved taking pictures.

The picture that Dennis was currently holding was one of the two of them. Dennis had eleven, and Colin thirteen, and the two of them were standing in their Hogwarts uniforms in front of the bright red Hogwarts express. Colin had his arm around his younger brother and they were both waving happily, identical grins on their faces. It was one of Dennis' favourite photographs. It was hard to believe that was some time ago.

Dennis reached out and touched the photo sadly as tears formed in his eyes. He couldn't help but imagine his brother's smiling face as he captured all these small insignificant moments on his camera. When he had died, their father had thrown out every camera in the house and put away all the photographs that stood proudly on the mantle. He swore he would never take a picture every again, or even look at one. Dennis, on the other hand, wanted to preserve his brother's memory. So, he stole a stash of photographs from their hiding place and hidden them in his Hogwarts trunk. He had set up a heap of them next to his four poster, and he'd look at them before he'd go to sleep. It was comforting, having Colin there, smiling at him, as though he was watching over him.

Today was Dennis's sixteenth birthday. But it was more than that. It was his first birthday with Colin. Colin had always been there for Dennis' birthday. Even when he was at Hogwarts and Dennis was still at home, Colin had always sent him boxes of treacle fudge and pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes and other delightful sweets, along with an attached picture of himself in a funny pose.

Dennis vaguely wondered whether Colin remembered that it was his birthday, wherever he was. He was too brave to come back as a ghost, and Dennis hadn't thought enough about death to contemplate what was 'beyond'. But he hoped, wherever he may be, that Colin was wishing him the best of birthday wishes.

As tears slid silently down his cheeks, Dennis put the photograph down and grabbed his satchel to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. No matter what, he knew today would be the worst birthday of his entire life.

A/N: Poor Dennis *sniff*. I couldn't get over Colin's death when I first read it. It still makes me sad now, just thinking about it. Poor, poor Dennis. Please read and review my lovelies :) xx