They say that you can never truly understand you mother until you have become a mother yourself. I was already the guardian to my sister Delphi and godparent to Teddy and Scorpius. These may not have included any duties as such but I was at least seen as a worthy person. It had been known in the past that as a transfigurist and metamorphmagus I had had difficulty before in maintaining a form when I became overwhelmed with grief. It had always been something I was concerned about and yet something I didn’t want to speak about. I had made promises to my uncle that I wouldn’t hide my form from him and yet now, looking back one thing that I have failed to do was to hide my form from myself.

On the 16th December 2008, George, Angelina, Roxanne and Freddie came over for a special anniversary meal, as we always did to celebrate my mother’s death. Suddenly without any warning both of us collapsed. How and why nobody could be sure, our bodies remained lying in the kitchen. All three children were petrified and Angelina and Charlie managed to move us to a bed where we stayed for the next few hours. I remember waking up but I was not at home. I was in my dorm in the Gryffindor Tower.

I got up carefully out of my bed, and looked in a mirror. What was I thinking it wasn’t like that would help? Had I created an illusion for myself? Was that even possible? I looked in the mirror. I was really young. Perhaps 12, 13? How could I tell someone? Who should I even tell? I needed information.