5 November 2009
9am

The front doors of Hogwarts opened to Knox Greyfriar like they were welcoming him home.  He'd been Headmaster here, Head of Hufflepuff house for a short time, and the History of Magic teacher.  But even though his time here was over, he felt like the magical walls remembered and knew his mind.  The doors opened slowly and the Entrance Hall greeted him with silence.  He stepped inside and stood quietly, his large frame draped in solemn black. 

He was waiting to escort Katy and Nicholas Bevans away from school to attend Katy's mother's funeral.  And while Knox was honored to do it, it was a shame that he had to have been asked.  But there was no one else.  The young witch and wizard were among only a few left of their family.  He ran a hand along his whiskered jawline and smoothed the wrinkles in his warm greatcloak while he waited.  He couldn't help but glance up to see Hufflepuff struggling in House Points, and he smiled.  Hufflepuff was never strong on House Points, showing their mettle in less measurable ways. 

Katy was a Hufflepuff and he shifted his gaze to the doorway that led to the cellars, waiting for her to come through.  Nick was in Gryffindor and he expected him to come down the stairs.  Knox had only met the late Mrs Bevans once.  She was a muggle and not well connected to the younger Bevans's new world, which somehow made her passing feel very quiet despite its tragic circumstances

He removed his hat, feeling a wrench of pain for them.  It was a solemn, heavy day indeed.

The soles of her shoes scraped against the stone steps every time she put them down.  Her movements were slow and measured.  Her mind was neither focused on the action nor wandering off to other topics.  It was a strange, nearly catatonic state where her mind was focused on being completely blank. 

She was wearing a simple black dress with black shoes with modest heels on them.  She wore an old black overcoat rather than a cloak.  Her mother was a muggle and she'd be buried in a muggle cemetery so Katy would need to blend in.  She'd braided a frayed black ribbon into her auburn hair and twisted it up into a bun.  She didn't usually put any effort into her appearance but her mother had always liked to braid her hair.  It felt right to do it, somehow.

The Entrance Hall was empty and cavernous with no one in it but former Headmaster Knox Greyfriar.  She walked up and stopped beside him.  "Good morning Professor," she said flatly.  She didn't mean it.  She just said it on automatic.  She was so out of it that she didn't even realize that she said it.  She just waited for them to be ready to leave.

It was heart-breaking to see Katy.  She looked small and pretty in her black coat and shoes, but her face was a thousand miles away.  Knox had cared for hundreds of students in his time here, and Katy wasn't the first one to lose a parent, but it never got easier for Knox to see.  He felt his jaw set as he worked to keep it calm.  It was going to be a long day for all of them.

As she approached with a greeting he knew was automatic, he met her in a few steps and gave her a short hug.  He let her go and replied, "morning, Katy."

"Have you eaten, dear?"

He guessed that she hadn't, and that she'd probably decline an offer, but he thought it might help to remind her of the rumbling in her stomach and the body she lived in.  Maybe get rid of that thousand-mile stare. 

He was glad that Knox Greyfriar was able to escort Nick and Katy Bevans to their mother's funeral... Yet, Herschel wished the need had not been there. Losing a parent at such a young age was unfair, and he knew that it was going to be difficult for the two students. Especially when they had to return to the castle, and try to refocus on the busy life of a Hogwarts student. He had faith their professors would be understanding, and give them a little leeway as they learned to grieve.

Herschel stepped into the entrance hall, keeping his distance as Katy greeted Knox, watching the old headmaster give her a hug, and then ask whether or not she had eaten. Herschel remembered not eating when his wife passed, and the little things that he had to be reminded to do. He frowned a little, and then walked over- standing next to Katy. He rested a hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze before moving to stand next to Greyfriar.

He knew that words meant little when you were in so much pain. So the headmaster remained silent as he stood next to Knox, waiting on the girl's cousin to make his appearance. Hopefully her elder cousin would help her through this time of pain. Herschel did not know whether or not the two of them were particularly close, but he hoped that they were. Katy would need support, and it was easier to accept that support from family.

Places Nicholas generally tried to avoid usually included anywhere a headmaster was.  Especially when there were two headmasters together, in one place.  It could have been worse, he guessed, there were three other schools' headmasters currently staying at Hogwarts.  But, this wasn't something he could avoid as much as he might want to.  He really had no idea what he was supposed to do, or say.  It wasn't like Katy and him were close.  They'd maybe had a handful of conversations over the last few years.  And now he was coming down the stairs to go to her mother's funeral, escorted by a former headmaster and the current one apparently seeing them off.

It couldn't be avoided, and even if he'd really wanted to his mother would kill him if he somehow managed not to show so he forced himself to keep moving down the stairs to the Entrance Hall where Katy and two too many headmasters waited.  "Katy, I'm sorry about your mum." Nicholas said as he walked from the bottom of the stairs over to the group.  He looked at the two older men, "Um, is my suit okay? I don't have a muggle suit anymore." And there hadn't really been time to have one sent. "I transfigured and charmed my dress robes.  I think it worked alright..." He finished with a shrug.  He really had no idea what to say.  It was probably the first time since he started at Hogwarts that he wished his mum was around, but she would be meeting them at the funeral.  Wasn't exactly possible to have his muggle mother come and escort them, but he was starting to wish it had been her instead of the old headmaster.

Knox nodded to acknowledge the slim figure of Headmaster Reid as he quietly joined them.  While Knox Greyfriar was the sort to fill a silence with words, he could respect that Herschel Reid filled them with a quiet presence.  He respected the silence and let their conversation consist of just their two nods.

Ah, and here was Nick.  He looked adult, but somehow still like a young boy in his father's shoes.  His suit was a bit long for muggle fashion, with some odd details but it would do.  Knox reached forward and clapped a hand on Nick's shoulder.

"You look fine, Nicholas," he said with a nod. 

The former Headmaster turned then to the current.  "Thank you, Professor Reid."

Herschel nodded in agreement when Greyfriar told Nick that he looked fine. They were close enough, and people were not likely to make a fuss over his clothing at a funeral. If they did, then they were the sort of people whose opinions should not matter. "Thank you, Greyfriar," Herschel said in response. He looked to both Katy and Nicholas, with a soft smile.

"Mind Mr. Greyfriar." He wanted to launch into a speech about proper grieving, perhaps give some sort of comfort, but Katy's somber attitude dissuaded him. They were still children, and children would deal with things in their own way and time. Now as not the time or place to lecture about the grieving process or insist they behave. Katy would never make a scene at her own mother's funeral. And if Nicholas did- then he certainly should never have been sorted into Gryffindor.

With a slight inclination of his head, Herschel excused himself from the room, leaving the children in the charge of the former headmaster. Knox was more than qualified and capable to deal with this. He had shown as much in the few short minutes Herschel had watched him with the little girl. Kind words and a comforting presence were more than he could offer at the moment.

Professor... ex-Professor Greyfriar hugged her.  Her mistrust of people and dislike of being touched made her want to shove him off of her but she just felt so empty so she let it happen.  When he let her go and turned to talk to Nick upon his arrival and Professor Reid, Katy zoned out. 

She just stood there staring at the flagstones while they spoke about loss and clothing.  She barely even noticed the hand on her shoulder from Professor Reid but her stolid expression softened into one of barely contained sadness when Nick said so cavalerely, Sorry about your Mum.  He didn't understand.  None of them did.  Her little hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Mind Mr. Greyfriar."

"Of course, Professor," Katy responded flatly.  She walked towards the door to the Entrance Hall and just waited for the others to join her.  She had nothing more to say right now.  She just wanted to get this all over with.

Headmater Reid took his leave.  His appearance had been brief but Knox was very glad he'd made it.  It's just what he would have done as Headmaster, and while the children probably didn't take conscious notice, it was so important they know on some level that Hogwarts was their home if they ever wanted one.

Katy was stiff, flat and dry-eyed.   He could allow her that.  She could feel however she needed to feel, but he wasn't going to wait for her say-so to show her comfort or affection, and certainly he couldn't take it personally if she didn't respond with softness.  She'd lost her mother.  Knox could only imagine.  And in doing so, he had to set his jaw. 

He remembered losing his mother a decade ago.  Even as a grown wizard, it had been arduous and painful and taken years to even begin to get used to it.

The old wizard followed Katy's lead and opened the doors into the blustery, chilly day.  They were three small figures against a giant Scotland sky as they walked with heads bowed on the stone road away from the castle towards Hogwarts's gates. 

The sky was a gloomy light grey color and thin but steady rain descended on the tiny community graveyard outside of Cardiff.  Water-logged earth squelched under their footsteps as the three of them cut through the graves to the plot covered with an old tarp propped up in a small attempt to keep the rain off the funeral's attendants.  It flapped irregularly against it's ties and threatened to pull the thin wooden supports out of the ground with every surge of wind. 

There was already a small congregation of people huddled beneath it, looking wet and miserable.  Their mood, due to either the weather or the occasion was entirely appropriate but lost on Katy, who stared past all of them to the simple wooden box resting on supports, covered with yet another tarp. 

A priest stood awkwardly at the corner of the tarp beside the grave with a Bible clutched in his hands.  A weedy, middle-aged man, the priest eyed the rain with deep misgivings, knowing that his appropriate place was at the head of the grave to give his sermon.  He waited, though, until he absolutely had to.  Funeral home employees waited nearby to remove the tarp for the start of the ceremony.

Someone had arranged these meager funerary proceedings.  Katy had no idea who it was but they'd obviously been aware that Katy was away at boarding school to hold off on burial for a full week like this.  But as a result, the normal reception format had to be abandoned.  There weren't really enough people for all of that anyway.  Just their neighbors and a few ladies from her mother's work.  Sadly, these were the only people to mark her mother's passing, aside from herself, Nick, and Mister Greyfriar but they hadn't really known her mother in the end. 

The gathering for the late mother Bevans was humble.  That was the nice way to put it, but as Knox understood it, the Bevans family had already suffered its share of tragedy and the clan was small and isolated.  Knox and the children joined the small knot of mourners under the meager tenting.  If anyone gave them any looks about their clothing, they were only glances.  Robes were easily mistaken for the long, black trenches appropriate for this occasion and clime. 

Knox wondered to himself who these people were and if the children knew them well.  Who would speak for their mother on her last moments above ground?  Would Katy and Nick remember this moment as important closure or just another open wound?

Nicholas walked with Katy and the former Headmaster through the graves, wishing he had an umbrella, or better yet could use magic to keep the rain off.  The cold water that managed to drip from his hair onto the back of his neck made him flinch every few moments.  Being in a graveyard didn't help either.  As they got closer to the grave site he spotted his mum near the front, looking as sad and miserable as everyone else, despite the fact that she'd never actually met Katy's mother, at least she had never said if she had.

Looking away from his mother, who had given him a sad smile when she saw them approaching, he glanced at Katy, who was staring at the tarp covered wooden box.  He took a step closer to her as they continued making their way to the gathering and put an arm around her shoulders.  Maybe there would be some comfort in the gesture for her, if any could be found when burying your mother.

The weight of their pity was suffocating.  Sorrow tainted with anger and disgust burrowed deep into the very core of her being and threatened to break loose upon all of their sad-looking faces.  She barely even felt the arm on her shoulders.  It offered little comfort.  She stood straight and still with her hand hanging loose and impotent at her sides.  She couldn't do anything but stare at the coffin as the blue tarp slid off the top.  Rainwater landed on it with soft plops before beading up and running over the sides. 

"We are gathered here today to say farewell to Alice Smith and to commit her into the hands of God.  Family and friends join in to pray for her and wish her peace in the realm of the Lord, our God: that she may find peace at his side."

These people. this meager assortment of strangers was all that remained on her mother's life.  She was with God now, according to the priest.  Katy wished that she could find comfort in that like she was meant to but she'd never wholly bought into her mother's religion.  Was her mother in a world of white, looking down on this solemn occasion through a gap in the clouds?  Was she wrapped in darkness and emptiness like that spell she and Sasha had used to contact her?  Of was she just gone?

"God, we thank you for the life that you give us. It is full of work and of responsibility, of sorrow and joy today we thank you for Alice, for what she has given and received. Help us in our mourning and teach us to live for the living in the time that is still left to us."

So little time.  One day you were alive and the next your weren't.  It could happen at any moment.  Any slight change in the world could signal your inevitable demise.  On one hand it was terrifying for a fourteen year old girl to come face to face with how tenuous life really was but Katy found a perverse comfort in it because her life wasn't full.  It was empty now.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me."

Katy knew more of evil than most her age did.  She'd reached out and tried to touch it, willingly, despite the inherent wrongness of it.  She hung her head in shame and pressed her eyes shut firmly.  If her mother were here, she'd be so ashamed of her only daughter for being so weak, so ill-adjusted to the idea of death.  Katy couldn't bear to even gaze upon the lacquered surface of the coffin lest her mother's spirit appear to condemn her.

"Let us pray."

Around her, people bowed their heads in prayer for her dead mother and Katy couldn't bear it any longer.  She turned and pushed her way through the people until she popped out the back of the makeshift awning.  Standing cold and shivering int he Novemember rain, Katy pressed her knuckles into her eyes and put the entire strength of her will into keeping from crying, into just standing there without collapsing into the mud.

The priest began the ritual in a soft, practiced voice that was used to the burden of being both sympathetic and restrained.  He had to be in mourning but full of hope at the same time, acknowledge the loss but stand as the ambassador of the Great Beyond.

When it came time to pray, Knox knew what to do to blend in and bowed his head as well.  He almost didn't see Katie shrug her way out of the huddled mourners.  He heard the priest falter a moment, but press on, a few of the mourners looked up as well.    Knox paused just a moment to see if any of them might be the ones to go after her, but he realized had that been the case his presence would not have been required. 

It was more difficult for Knox to break off from the crowd, and he did, assuming that young Nick would be following as well.  He approached Katie and laid a great arm around her shoulders.

"You know, it's good that you came.  I know you didn't want to."

Nicholas did his best to stifle a yawn as the priest droned on and on.  All the stuff you'd expect at a funeral, except without the touching personal stuff.  He sat there wondering what a wizard's funeral would be like.  How he could make sure his didn't end up like this, cold and dreary.  He should have asked Greyfriar if he could have quietly made it stop raining.  The funeral was bad enough for Katy without being cold and west too.  And while he didn't think magic could make it warmer without being noticed by the muggles, surely the rain could be pushed away without muggles being any the wiser.

Hearing the priest say "Let us pray" brought Nicholas back to the funeral as it was, instead of how he wished it could have been.  He started to bow his head, a bit late, but saw Katy stand and move out the back of the covering.  With a glance at his mother on the other side of him, he stood and followed Katy and the former Headmaster into the rain.  He grabbed an umbrella from behind the chair someone in the back row, who had kept her head down as the three of them passed by.

He opened the umbrella over the three of them, and realizing that Katy was shivering, pulled off the robe he was wearing over his transfigured suit that he had been using as a coat, and put it around Katy's shoulders before Knox put an arm around her.   Suffering in the cold and the rain, though the umbrella was keeping some of it off him too.  That was what men were supposed to do, right.  And Nicholas was technically a man now in the Wizarding world.  Or was he now a Wizard?  Or did that come from graduating Hogwarts?  "Katy," he said after Greyfriar, "are you okay?  I mean, of course you aren't.  but.  Anything I can?  We can make them all leave if you want?"  He looked at the older man with his arm around his cousin.  "Or we could leave, if you want?"