The Wizarding Afterlife

Of Portraits and Something Better

When Hedwig was finally contented with her current position, she made a low hooting sound, which seemed to say, "Ah, this is it.".

"Hello, Hedwig." Colin greeted, stroking the owl's white feathers. "Nice weather, eh?"

The owl stared at him, hooting. It was watching Colin with inquisitive eyes, tilting its head and familiarizing itself with him. He caressed its white feathers while conversing with it, as though addressing a normal person. After a few minutes of staying still, Hedwig straightened and ruffled her feathers, preparing to fly.

"Well, until next time, then." Colin said, withdrawing his hand. "Farewell!"

"Hoot!" the owl seemed to reply.

Hedwig flew, her white and dark-spotted feathers spreading wide as she zoomed through the air. The young wizard noticed that she wasn't aiming for the sky. She was staying near the stores. Curious, he followed it, sprinting to a run. Hedwig sped past numerous stalls and shops until she reached the main square, where Gringotts was located.

Colin stifled a gasp. There, Hedwig—who was usually so wary of other people—perched herself atop the shoulder of a middle-aged wizard.

He had warm hazel eyes and messy black hair, his smile good-natured and contagious. The wizard was surrounded by at least four other people who were all laughing and exchanging jokes, as if not a thing bothered them at all. The man held hands with a beautiful witch who had flowing auburn hair and green eyes. There was something familiar about both of them. Colin was sure he had seen them somewhere.

"Blimey!" a wizard to his left called, nudging his companion. "Aren't those the Potters?"

"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin are with them!" his companion acknowledged, awed. "I reckon those are the heroes of the two Wizarding Wars!"

"Oi, isn't that man a Weasley?" a woman inquired, inching closer to Colin to have a better view. She pointed towards a redhead wizard who had a mischievous gleam in his eye, whispering something to the two men beside him. They all laughed. "His family's one of the good sort!" the witch exclaimed as she watched the group with wonder.

Colin stared, his eyes wide with surprise. He'd never dreamed about crossing paths with the Potters and Marauders in WWA, much less here, where he stayed. More people stopped near him, whispering among themselves. Apparently, he was not the only one mesmerized by the sight of five famous heroes of the Wizarding World.

Upon snapping out of his trance, Colin moved towards them, his legs shaking. The young wizard wished to spark a decent conversation, something the Potters would be interested in, though his nervousness still prevailed. He had no idea how to begin. Should he ask about their day? Inquire about the latest broomstick designs?

Colin was already half a meter ahead when he noticed that, around him, others were moving closer to the said group, albeit faster. A lot of pushing and elbowing took place, shoes madly tap-tapping on the glittering cobblestone. The young wizard noticed 20 or so people rushing toward the Potters head-on.

He sighed. Well, there was that.

The crowd continued to pursue the group. The weird thing was, once they arrived at the exact spot where the Potters had been, they weren't among the group anymore. Of course, Remus and Sirius and Fred were there, but the other two simply...vanished. Just like that. The people seemed confused, shaking their heads, until they decided it was a hopeless case. Colin figured it had happened before.

"...fourth time this month!" a wizard exclaimed, dragging his companion along. "They're mysterious, those Potters."

"We're still here, folks!" Colin heard Sirius wave among the crowd, smiling like a celebrity. "You'll have to form a straight line over here, and we'll sign personalized autographs!"