The winner of the poll was that Susan grieves for her parents on the anniversary of their deaths. It should also be noted that there was significant support for both Harry and Amy beginning their forgiveness/reconciliation arcs. On the other hand, students attending a class received LITERALLY zero votes. After this chapter there will probably be one more chapter before we get to the forgiveness/reconciliation arch chapters and maybe even two depending but I would like to have those chapters completed and posted before Christmas. In addition to Susan grieving for her parents on the anniversary of the deaths, there is something else that I put in this chapter that I explain at the end. Before I get on with the chapter, I'll just say this regarding Heather banning high heels both as a mom and as a headmistress. Heather is speaking for me there. I've heard lots of things about how terrible high heels are for your feet. In fact, go to Bing and type Are high heels bad for your feet? and at the top of the results you'll see Yes according to 13 sources so... On to the chapter.
On the night of Saturday, November 14th, 1992, at 10 P.M. Skyward School of Practical Sorcery time, Harry, Amy, Susan, and Hannah all met up in Susan's room. Susan had asked Harry, Amy, and Hannah at dinner to meet her in her room at 10 P.M. and they all agreed.
The Yellow Quartet all sat down in a neat row on Susan's bed and Susan looked eye to eye between Harry, Amy, and Hannah.
"Harry, Amy, and Hannah," said Susan seriously, "I have a request for the three of you."
"What do you want us to do?" asked Hannah.
"Tomorrow, November 15th, 1992, is the twelve year anniversary of my parents' deaths," said Susan somberly.
Harry, Amy, and Hannah all looked sadly at Susan.
"So," explained Susan, "Hannah, remember how we all wore those yellow lemon drops H.A. necklaces on the anniversary of your father's passing?"
"Yes," said Hannah gratefully, "Harry, Amy, and Susan, I truly appreciate the three of you joining in that tribute with me."
"Well, " continued Susan, "Harry, Amy, and Hannah, I am now going to ask the three of you to do a similar favor for me. Let me explain. I have made something that I want the four of us to wear tomorrow in tribute to and in the loving memory of Roger and Jennifer Bones. "
"No matter what it is, I'll wear it," promised Hannah fiercely, "You supported me on the anniversary of my father's death and now it's my turn to return the favor. We're in this together."
"I'm definitely wearing whatever it is," agreed Harry passionately, "Friends support friends through tough times. "
"That's what friendship is all about," added Amy decisively, "Besides, it would be disingenuous and terrible friendship to refuse this request after having said yes to Hannah last time."
"I knew you'd all say that, " said Susan sincerely, "But it means a lot to me to actually hear it from you all."
Next nanosecond, Susan dug her left hand pocket into her left hand and retrieved four bracelets.
But these weren't just any bracelets. They were yellow bracelets with bone shapes on both the top and bottom that protruded over the left and right edges.
Susan passed one of the bracelets each to Harry, Amy, and Hannah while keeping the fourth for herself.
"I wanted to create a tribute that we could all wear on the anniversary of my parents' deaths," revealed Susan, "But I didn't want it to be necklaces. I see that tribute as the Abbotts thing, and I wanted a different kind of tribute for the Boneses. I thought bone shaped bracelets would be a nice fitting tribute."
Then, without being asked, Harry, Amy, and Hannah all took off all of their clothes including their socks and shoes and then put on the bone shaped bracelets on their right wrists as Susan did the same.
The same intimacy that the Yellow Quartet had felt with each other when they had first put on the H.A. lemon drop necklaces for the first time returned to them in this moment and as at that time, the four of them engaged in a group hug while all stepping on each other's feet. They were one. They were each other.
When they finally broke apart, Susan said clearly, "Aunt Amelia is taking me to my parents' graves tomorrow. This will be just a moment for the two of us. When I return to Skyward School of Practical Sorcery for breakfast, I want to see the three of you wearing these bracelets."
"We will be," Harry, Amy, and Hannah assured her.
...
The next morning, Susan was awoken at 5 A.M. by Aunt Ameila.
"Susan dear," said Aunt Amelia gently, "You know what day it is and where we are going."
"Yes, Aunt Amelia," said Susan sadly, getting out of bed and dressing herself in a yellow dress, yellow socks, and yellow tennis shoes while putting the yellow bone shaped bracelet on her right wrist.
Amelia took Susan by Side Along Apparition to the graveyard where Roger and Jennifer Bones were buried.
Susan had a very heavy heart as Aunt Ameila guided her towards her parents' graves.
November 15th would always be a sad and heavy day for her.
Amelia had guided Susan to the point where she could now read her parents' names and dates of birth and death. Like Hunter's grave, the Bones' grave was made of white marble and had the text engraved in black ink. There was also a quote below the death dates.
The text read:
Roger Bones.
Born May 13, 1957.
Died November 15th, 1980.
Jennifer Bones.
Born August 14th, 1957.
Died November 15, 1980.
Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to face it.
Susan now dug into her left hand pocket with her left hand and retrieved a mini trinket: a yellow plastic bone.
Ameila, meanwhile, reached into her right hand pocket with her right hand and took out her wand.
Ameila raised her wand and performed some nonverbal spells to make a wreath of twelve yellow lilies appear.
Ameila quietly handed the wreath of twelve yellow lilies to Susan and Susan placed the yellow bone trinket in the center of it.
Amelia felt a few tears coming down her cheeks as she watched Susan approach her parents' graves.
Walking very slowly up to her parents' graves, Susan took a few minutes and a few nanoseconds before she was within a few feet of the graves, and she said quietly:
"Mom and dad, I'm sorry," said Susan somberly as a few tears started to fall down her cheeks, "I'm sorry that I will never speak to you. I'm sorry that I will never hear what your voices sound like. And I'm sorry that you will never see me grow up. At the same time, I'm very proud of you. You put others before yourselves and laid yourselves on the line. You paid the ultimate price for your courage. But you also saved many lives and prevented much destruction through your bravery. I'm very proud to be your daughter and I hope I can live a life worthy of you both."
Susan slowly set the wreath of twelve yellow lilies with the bone trinket in the center down on her parents' graves so that it touched the right hand side of her father's grave and the left hand side of her mother's grave.
Susan's sobbing increased, but she gathered herself and gathered her own wand from her right hand pocket with her right hand.
Susan raised the wand, pointed it directly at her parents' graves, and piped up, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
On this day, Susan's patronus took on a very unusual but fitting form. It took the form of a bone.
This form hovered over the graves of Roger and Jennifer Bones for exactly twelve seconds before disappearing in acknowledgement of the twelve year anniversary of their passing.
Susan now broke down completely and backed away, unable to fully take it anymore. She walked back towards Amelia, who engulfed her in a bone crushing hug.
"Susan, I know it's hard," said Amelia gently, "It's a hard day for me. It's my sister and a brother in law who I was very close to. But it's worse for you. There is no worse tragedy than a child losing a parent. No one should have to grow up without their parents."
"The pain is real," said Susan, still sobbing but at a lower rate, feeling as though something poisonous and painful was being extracted from her as her tears fell, "You have the right to grieve too though. Although, as an only child, I'll never know what it's like to have a sibling, I respect that you were close with your sister. I needed to grieve today, but so do you."
They took a few minutes and a few nanoseconds to compose themselves and Amelia took Susan by Side Along Apparition back to Skyward School of Practical Sorcery.
They went into the Eating and Meeting Hall where Susan took her place at the Yellow Quartet's table to see that Harry, Amy, and Hannah had all kept their promises to wear the yellow bone bracelets.
Amelia, meanwhile, walked up to the staff table.
Heather handed Amelia her megaphone and Ameila announced, "You may have noticed the Yellow Quartet wearing yellow bone shaped bracelets today. These bracelets are a tribute in the loving memory of Roger and Jennifer Bones. Roger and Jennifer are Susan's parents and my sister and brother in law. Twelve years ago, on this day, Roger and Jennifer were murdered by Lord Voldemort. I grieve for the loss of my sister and brother in law, but Susan has it worse. There is no worse tragedy than a child losing a parent. Let's please observe a moment of silence in remembrance of Roger and Jennifer Bones."
Everyone fell silently and many people looked sadly over at Susan, including Luna, who felt a stab to her heart every time she heard the quote about how tragic it was for a child to lose a parent.
After the moment of silence, Amelia spoke up, "So, Roger's favorite breakfast food was blueberry waffles and Jennifer's favorite breakfast food was bacon strips. There, today's breakfast shall consist of waffles, bacon strips, and Budweiser.
Amelia raised her wand and performed some nonverbal spells to make breakfast appear.
Everyone ate slowly and quietly, befitting the mood of the day.
Once breakfast was gone, Amelia spoke up again and said meaningfully, "I have made a request of Heather, and she has agreed to this request. You see, Roger and Jennifer were very generous people and I recently learned that the students and staff of Skyward School of Practical Sorcery are as well. I now turn it over to Heather to make the announcement."
Amelia handed Heather her megaphone back and Heather said clearly, "From breakfast on the first Thursday after the semester started through that Sunday night at 10 P.M., Skyward School of Practical Sorcery held a fundraiser for the children of Nurture's Orphanage, the orphanage where Amy Alworth grew up at Amy's request after a fire destroyed their building and those kids lost everything expect the clothes they had been wearing at the time. The fundraiser was overwhelmingly successful. Amelia has requested that we do more fundraisers more often and that I would make the announcement today. "
Everyone's eyes and ears were now squarely focused on Heather.
"From now on," said Heather sincerely, "Skyward School of Practical Sorcery will hold a fundraiser starting at breakfast on the first Thursday of every semester that shall be open until 10 P.M. that Sunday night. Apart from supporting the idea myself anyway, my confidence in this idea is greatly bolstered by how you all rose to the occasion for Nurture's Orphanage."
"Does that mean?" asked Cedric, "That we will be doing another fundraiser in January?"
"Yes," confirmed Heather.
At this, everyone in the Eating and Meeting Hall stood up and applauded, with Harry, Amy, Susan, and Hannah being amongst the loudest cheerers.
"So," revealed Heather, "Roger and Jennifer often made donations to St Mungo's hospital. On this day, the twelfth anniversary of their passing, I find it only fitting to announce that our next fundraiser shall be for St Mungo's hospital. I will give you further information on that first Thursday in January about exactly what types of things you should donate to that fundraiser."
At this, Susan herself stood up and walked up to the staff table. Heather gave her the megaphone and Susan said in a heartfelt voice, "Aunt Ameila has told me that Roger and Jennifer were people who had great sympathy for the ill and the injured. It warms my heart to know that Skyward School of Practical Sorcery will be doing a fundraiser for St Mungo's knowing that my parents were great supporters of St Mungo's. You all came through for Nurture's Orphanage and I know you'll all come through for St Mungo's as well."
Susan sat back down feeling better than she had all day. The announcement about the upcoming fundraiser for St. Mungo's had uplifted her.
So, a few days ago I received a PM from brigade701 with a suggestion for this story and that suggestion was that each year or each semester Heather sets aside a short time to do a fundraiser. I have decided to use that idea so you will see Skyward School of Practical Sorcery doing more fundraisers going forward. Some of these fundraisers will support muggle causes and others will support magical causes. Credit to Brigade701 for this idea.
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