It Means "Happy"

More thoughts on a sleepless (so far) night…

Watching Fred’s family grieve over his body absolutely wrecked me. I have been haunted by that all-too-familiar image in the hours since, and I just found the scene online. Even as a youtube bootleg, it still sends a shiver down the back of my head. It still makes my eyes weep, makes my mouth tighten into a thin line, makes my throat tense and dry.

Lately I’ve felt some detachment, as if I couldn’t let myself break down. I still think about my old friend Nick every day, but the weight of loss is even greater when you don’t get the chance to collapse now and then.

Here was a character I grew up with, gone too soon. Yes, this was a work of fiction, but it represented real and strong emotions. In the words of Albus Dumbledore…

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?””