En Memoriam

[Nicolas King]

The Great Hall was filled with students, a quiet and solemn hum filling the room as they spoke amongst themselves of recent happenings and what they expected to become of the school. Nicolas had been feeling a little bit better as of late, and felt he would be well enough to finish the day without let or hindrance from whatever had been plaguing him over the past week. Cecily had found herself unable to attend the service -- for what reason Nicolas could not recollect but he recalled finding it an acceptable reason when she had told him. He wasn't entirely sure how this service would pan out or what to expect exactly in the way of student reactions. He had managed to avoid most of the student body by staying in bed after his appearance at the play but now he'd have to face them in their entirety.
Standing up from his seat at the staff table on the raised platform of the Great Hall Nicolas approached the podium which had a few odd pieces of parchment sprawled out on it. He placed his hands on the podium and waited a moment while the hall fell into a hush. He glanced down at the piece of parchment, ensuring himself that he knew what he was about to say then spoke at last. "We are here today to remember and celebrate the life of an amazing student of this school, and one that we should have never lost. Njord Aesir, a Hufflepuff Prefect, passed from us in a tragic accident a few days ago. Nobody saw this coming, nor should any of us have seen this coming. He was a student of great life and great character, the type of person that no matter when it is that they're taken it feels as though it was too soon. It is for those reasons that today we gather, as his friends, peers, family, professors, and fellow wizardkind to remember the life of this young man.
"For those of you who knew Njord, I would invite you to come up to the podium now and share your memories of Njord or share a few words about him." Nicolas then rolled up one of the pieces of parchment and returned to his seat behind the podium, allowing others to come up and say their piece.

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

Bruin had arrived early for the Memorial Service and had selected a seat near the front. He had spoken with Professor King and had arranged for he and Estrella to go up and offer a final tribute to Njord at the end of the service on behalf of the Prefects and by extension, the student body itself. His initial impressions of Njord had been largely indifferent, but he had grown to appreciate the boy's sarcastic sense of humour and knew based upon the quality of the friends that he had that Njord must have been a great guy. Bruin never envisioned playing such a prominent role in the young man's death and knew that his life wouldn't be quite the same from this point forward.

Bruin remained quiet, hanging his head and thinking about what he would say later in the service as professors and other members of the school slowly filed in and took their seats. He knew that others in the assembly would be having greater difficulty dealing with the reality of what had occurred than he was however. A mother having lost a child, a girl having lost a boyfried, professors having lost a bright young student, a house having lost one of their own, and one or more of the students likely consumed with guilt for having released the firecrackers that had sealed Njord's fate. This would be a difficult afternoon for everyone.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Kailey hesitantly pushed open the large oor to the great hall, finding almost empty as she had gotten there early. She had promised herself before she came down here that she wouldn't cry and wasn't all too sure she'd be able to fufill it. She picked a seat up near the front of the room and sat down. She had never thought that before she left these castle walls she would be attending a memorial service. Espically not for someone who had been so important to her as Njord had been and still was. Her hair fell in a curtain over both sides of her face as she turned her head downwards, she hadn't been able to do much with it but it still looked decent.

She couldn't help but blame herself for what had happened to him. She had seen the rockets and had instinctually went for her own safety. A decision she now regretted so much, maybe if she hadn't been selfish, if she had ignored that rushing instinct to get out of harms way for enough time to get Njord out of the line of fire he would still be here. Sure the pranks would probably stop for a while now but what had to convince the pranksters was most definitely not worth it. As long as she was here she would try her best to keep the pranking problem from coming to this again, she was sure all of the prefects shared this mentality.

Njords death was hard on everybody on different levels. There was Professor Heimdall, Kailey couldn't possibly imagine how much pain she must feel. As bad as Kailey felt, Professor Heimdall had lost her son, she knew from watching her own mother three years ago after Travis's death that nothing felt worse than a parent losing their child. Everytime a car would pull up in their drive way Kailey would watch as her mother turned to the window, hoping to see his car pulling up only to look away in pain. Little things like this had continued for a long time and she still did it sometimes.

People slowly started coming into the great hall and taking seats but Kailey didn't look up to acknowledge any of them. Her mind had gotten stuck on one memory of her and Njord, from the main beginning, the day they met, "Jeez, what are you doing up there? Ya aren't gonna jump are ya?" he had said to her as she had teetered so precariously on the edge of the north tower. Had it really only been two years since they had met? It seemed like so much longer, yet the time had flown by and his time was over much too soon. She finally looked up and saw the great hall was about half full. She took a deep breath in through her nose and tried to mentally prepare herself for what would be a hard day for everybody.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Today was the day that had been set for Njord's memorial service. It still didn't seem real. It just couldn't be real. He was really gone and he was never coming back. How could something like this have happened? Silly pranksters that's how it happened. They just had to prank the prefects and their stupidity had cost everyone that cared for Njord a great deal. Kat got ready and slowly walked out of her dorm, through the common room, and down to the Great Hall. There was a sadness that hung over the place today and she was sure it would be a sadness that would stay with many of them forever.

Kat walked into the Great Hall and the first person who caught her attention was Kailey. Her heart broke for her best friend. She couldn't imagine losing someone like that and what was worse is that Kailey had watched Njord die. She walked over to her friend and sat down beside of her. Kat grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze to let Kailey know that she was there for her, but said nothing as she really didn't know what to say and she knew that nothing she could say would make any of this any better.

She listened as Professor King gave his speech and of course she cried. Njord was definitely going to be missed. He had been a great friend, prefect, student, and Kat knew that things at Schrivenshafts were going to be quite a bit less interesting with him gone.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda had made sure her uniform was neat and presentable, her hair washed and brushed and herself as clean as possible. The time it took to get from Gryffindor house to the Great Hall seemed endless and on her way down she stopped on the fourth floor where she had met Njord for the very first time. She placed a yellow rose for their friendship on the floor by the bannister railings before proceeding down the stairs.

She had already cried a river for the loss of her friend and had berated herself endlessly for not making more time for him since she had returned from Durmstrang. Andy felt terrible for that and as she entered the Great hall her eyes went directly to the Ravenclaw table to seek out her bestfriends. She couldn't see any sign of them yet but she promised herself that she would never let a day pass again where she didn't say at least 'hi' to them. She took her seat at the Gryffindor table and sat silently as the other students filed in.

Professor King stood up and began to speak. Andy lowered her eyes wishing Njord speed on his new journey. She took a deep breath when the student body was asked to say a few words about him. Taking a deep breath she straightened her uniform and walked up to the platform. Looking out on the house tables from this perspective was daunting and she nearly failed in saying what she wanted to say. Her eyes filled with tears and a lump began to constrict her throat. She fought back the tears as best she could and lowered her head so that she didn't have to look at all the faces peering up at her.


"In my first year at Hogwarts I quite literally bumped into Njord. I was carrying a stack of books and couldn't see where I was going.... He called me an over achiever in a joking kind of way and helped me to carry my books up to the seventh floor corridor. Between three floors you would think not a lot could happen but we became friends. Apparently, I was his first friend here at Hogwarts he had just transferred from Scotland"
a solitary tear trickled down her face and she paused for a moment.

"In those three flights we talked about our love of quidditch but his ineptitude for flying, his transfer here and our fathers."

She lowered her head and took a deep breath.
"We had both lost our Dads and though I could tell him every detail about mine, he couldn't share the same about his. He never really knew him and told me that though he asked many questions over the years, he felt he was only upsetting his family by doing so and eventually he stopped asking.
A person stays alive in our hearts and minds when we talk about them regularly. In the weeks and months from now when his name is mentioned, don't 'NOT' talk about Njord inorder to be respectful. Talk about him, laugh about the memories you all share regarding him. Keep him alive in your hearts by doing this. He was shy and very serious but he had a quirky sense of humour. He had the brightest smile and the kindest eyes. I know I will miss my friend dearly..."

Andy's throat all but closed in on her as the tears now came unbidden down her cheeks, she stepped down from the podium and walked with her head down until she reached the Gryffindor table once more. Sitting down by her friends she listened to what others had to say about him.

 

[Mike Gray]

Mike made his way to the Great Hall, quietly but quickly. Mike looked around to see it was relatively empty at first but soon began to fill up. Mike was stood near Andy and listened as Professor King gave his speech. Mike hung his head, remembering minutes before the play started and how Njord had given him some words of encouragement. Even though Mike had never truly spoken to Njord in a friendly way, Mike came to give his respects. Mike listened as Andy got up and gave a heart warming speech. Mike could see Andy was truly upset, and Mike shifted his attention to Kailey and the others. After Andy had finished her speech, Mike tried to give her an encouraging smile. Mike didn't know if she had seen him, so he hung his head again, trying to think how others would feel about this truly terrible loss.

 

[Steph Shirley]

Steph walked slowly, and alone to the great hall, for Njords memorial service. Steph hadnt actually known Njord, but she knew what a great person he was. His family, friends, and girlfriend didnt deserve this. She of all people knew how hard it was to loose a brother and a best friend.
Steph opened the great hall doors, and walked in, and took a seat at the Gryffindor table, she didnt speak to anyone, only looking at round at Kailey, Njords girlfriend. And around the great hall, at people who she knew were good friends with Njord. All of them looked as though a piece of their lives had been taken from them.
Steph sighed, and looked at Professor King, listening to his speech.
A tear rolled down her cheek, pity for his friends and family, sadness that someone could actually do this to someone. Usually Steph found pranks hilarious, but this was too far. It was so wrong that this should of happened, he didnt deerve to die.

Steph sighed quietly, and looked around the great hall again, wondering which student was responsible for this, 'How could anyone do this?' Steph whispered, chewing on her lip.

 

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie entered the hall quietly. It was beginning to fill up, which was a good sign - many of the students were here early to pay their respects to Njord. Hollie herself hadn't known him, or exchanged a single word with him, but she knew people who had been fairly close to him, and had always said what a fab person he was. She had come to pay her respects to the student the school had lost.
She took a seat at the Gryffindor table, noticing Steph there already. She didn't speak, but moved silently until she was sat next to her fellow second year. She didn't want to disturb any thoughts.

Professor King's speech was choking, but Hollie held back any tears threatening to spill over. She hated crying in public.
When students were asked to go up and read memories, Hollie looked around her to see if anybody was intending on going up. Andromeda, a gryffindor 3rd year, went up and gave a beautiful speech that caused Hollie's eyes to well up. Thankfully, she was able to wipe the moisture away before it could spill, and then she listened to the various other memories and dedicational pieces read out. It was all very humbling and respectful.

 

[Sam Prince]

In the Hufflepuff common room there was notice on the board stating Njords memoriam. Sam was definitely going to attend, not that he knew him well but he had met him once and he was a fellow Huffelpuff, he was going to pay some respect. Waking up quite early Sam made his way down to the great hall were there was many students already there.

Everything was quiet and there was a meloncholy atomosphere filling the giant room. Sam took a seat beside some of the Hufflepuffs not saying a word. He rested his hands on his lap and listened as the ceremony had begun. The speeches were moving and many people cried. Sam bit his bottom lip and looked down at his feet as those around him cried but honoured him as he was. Sam knew he would be dearly missed...

 

[Rhyspa Marinescu]

Rhyspa walked in silence to the Great Hall for Njord's service. She was still in shock over what happened to her friend, housemate, and fellow prefect. The idea of someone actually getting injured or worse, dying at the play was improbable. If any of the prefects thought of the chance that someone would die during the play, no one would have went through with it. As she entered the large double doors, her eyes scanned the room for Kailey, the person she was most worried about. She saw Kat on one side of her and smiled to herself. Leave it to Kat to be the first one there for her best friends.

Rhyspa walked up the aisle and took the seat opposite of Kat and next to Kailey. She offered her two best friends a teary smile and took Kailey's free hand. Rhyspa knew Kailey would need some support for a while and Rhyspa was going to be there for her. Tears streamed down Rhyspa's face as Professor King gave his speech.

 

[Alex Cullen]

Alex made his way down on the day of the memorial service. He personally hadn't spoken to Njord really or knew him that much. Just sightings here and there in the common room. He was one of his fellow housemates though and he was going to go pay respects. He walked into the great hall seeing a lot of people there already. Sitting down near Sam, he nodded and leaned his head against his hand. He sighed, as he listened to Prof.Kings speech, seeing lots of people crying round about him. Alex wasn't crying though. He had gotten into the habit of keeping those 'weak' emotions hidden over the years. Instead, he stayed silent and wished Njord a happy life in wherever he went.

 

[Kailey Harrington]

Kailey looked at Kat as she sat beside her and grabbed her hand. Grateful for her presence, she really needed her friends now. In her eyes was a mixture of pain, saddness, and anger at what had happened with a small bit of gratefullness for Kat being there. A few minutes later she felt someone sit down on her other side and turned her head to see Rhyspa, her other best friend who had taken her other free hand and offered her a weak smile in gratitude, though it didn't reach her eyes. Despite the promise she had made to herself, as the service started and Professor King made his speech, tears silently rolled down Kaileys face.

She gave both of her friends hands a small squeeze and kept her eyes on the stage as Andy talked about Njord. Kailey wanted to go up there and say something, but she wasn't confident in her ability to go up there infront of so many people and talk about him with her mind as fragile as it seemed to be. Memories good and bad stirring up her emotions on a whim. She decided not to be the next person to speak. Maybe if she gathered up enough nerve she could atleast get up there. But she couldn't even think of enough words that would do him justice in her eyes. She felt as though a large piece of herself had been ripped from her with his passing.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Isabella Chaos was sitting silently at the Slytherin table. She had no tears to shed because she didn't know Njord personally, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel all choked up at the sight of everyone and especially the words they were sharing all sharing. The site at the play was definitely an eye-opener for her and it had traumatized her without even realizing it.

She had no idea what had compelled her to do so, but without stopping herself, Isabella stood up and walked over to the front of the podium after the last person had spoken. She looked at Professor King with a look that asked 'May I?' before clearing her throat. "I know that only friends of Njord's should be speaking, but even though I didn't know him personally, that doesn't mean his death didn't affect me deeply. My words may not be as knowledgeable as those before me but I do want to share something that I feel we can all apply to his departure and our lives afterward," Isabella said, starting off weakly but getting stronger.

She looked down at her hands as she recalled a line from one of her favorite plays, The Splendor in the Grass. She had read it only last year and had fallen in love with it immediately. ""Though nothing may bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory of the flower, we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind..." Isabella spoke the words eloquently, as if she had repeated them to herself repeatedly, and within the past few days after the death of Njord she had been repeating them to herself. "Those words from the play 'Splendor in the Grass' written by William Inge, have showed me that we shouldn't dwell on the loss of Njord, but find strength from him and the radiance he had. Because even I didn't know him but I did know that he was a happy person with lots of love to give and received lots of love as well. Njord will surely be missed but most of all, he shall be remembered for the great person he was," Isabella felt herself rambling and she knew that they wouldn't want her to keep talking as if she knew him so she cleared her throat and upruptly stepped down and returned to her seat.

 

[Freya Heimdall]

Freya had to force herself to stand when she left her office. She was not mentally prepared for the memorial service that had been planned. She smoothed out her hair and pinched her cheeks to bring back some color and hoped that the redness in her eyes had faded. She hadn't cried in a while, but she was sure that was because there no tears left.

The Professor straightened herself to her full height and squared her shoulders as she entered the Great Hall. The hall was crowded with young people, some were friends of her sons, some were her students, but all were touched by the tragedy that she and her family were forced to face again.

Freya made her way to the front of the room stopping momentarily beside Kailey to place her hand on the girl's shoulder and kiss the top of her head. She then made her way to a chair next to the Headmaster and lowered herself into it, her eyes focusing on her lap. She dared not make eye contact with anyone, for fear of loosing her composure.

 

[Zazuka Getathorn]

Zazuka was sitting close to Kailey because she knew that her friends would want to get to her. Zazuka was part of the Paramore family or so Kailey and Luna kept saying but she still didn't feel like it was her place. Zazuka had been conferting her in the dorm anyway all the Ravenclaws where. Well all the Ravenclaws that knew her personally. Zazuka sat with her head down and her eyes closed. She was paying rispect for Njord with one of the old prayers that had been drilled into her head since birth. Even though she was thought a demon her family still taught her to with their beliefs.

Zazuka was still praying while Andy was talking though she was also listening. It was a horrible way that Njord died and it could have easily been any one of them on stage. Zazuka remembered pulling Violet out of the way of one of the rockets. If her spell had not been fast enough or had it worn off she or Violet could have been siriosly hurt. Zazuka stopped thinking of that and her mind when back to praying. It was also all she could do to stop all the sorrow from flooding her. She felt like if she let it consume her she would feel like she had just made out with a Dementor. No she had to keep all the sorrow of other people out while still expressing her own. Thinking it was one thing actually doing it was another.

 

[Autumn Gwin]

Autumn had been sitting opposite Kailey throughout the first bit of the memorial service for Njord, listening to the speeches beign made She had never personally met Njord, and knew Kailey only through letters and a few sleepovers. She was actually much closer to Luna, but still very good friends with the older Ravenclaw.

She didn't have a clue what to say, but had been there when the incident of Njord's death happened. A part of her wanted to say something, after all, Isabella had spoken a bit and she didn't know Njord, just as Autumn didn't. But somethign told her it would just look odd if a random first year ran up to offer up words on a boy they all knew so well.

So she stayed within reach of Kailey, though she looked well taken care of by the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor whos he knew to be two of Kailey's best friends. She wanted to grasp Thomas's hand as she watched the life fade away from Kailey, but knew that would be a bit much here in front of everyone at a memorial service of all things.

But Thomas sat at her side and she waited to see if she was needed for anything, wondering if Kailey would say her bit, and then turned her eyes to the podium after Professor Heimdall kissed the girl's head and took a solemn seat. Her heart ached as she saw the mother's reaction.

 

[Patricia Styx]

Patricia made her way down to the Great Hall along with the rest of the Hufflepuff house. The past few days had been so quiet in the Hufflepuff house, everyone was still in shock over the loss of their prefect. Even though Patricia didn't know him well, she knew he was a great person, the older people had said nothing but about him. As Patricia entered the Great Hall, she took a seat at the Hufflepuff table and scanned the hall.

All around her she could see friends comforting friends, people crying, people talking, whatever they were doing they were all very solemn. It was a rough time for everyone. Patricia looked up to the front of the hall where she saw the Professors, one that stood out to her was Professor Heimdall, Hjord's mother. Patricia felt so much compassion for the woman now, not even wanting to imagine what she must be going through.

When Professor King stood up, the short silence was almost deafening. Patricia listened to his words. She felt tears starting to well up in her eyes from person after person, each giving their own words. Patricia stayed where she was, she felt that if she were to say anything it would take up time that someone, who actually knew Njord and whos words would be welcomed, could use. Resting her head in her hands she listened to the rest of the service.

 

[Thomas Smith]

The past few days had been bitter sweet for Thomas Smith. He had finally gotten together with Autumn Gwin, the girl whom he had loved since he first met her and he now knew she felt the same way. He couldn't be more happier, but on that fateful night a great depression had hit the school, which no amount of happiness could help.

The loss of the Hufflepuff Prefect had taken the whole school by shock. It had left a great mark of sadness in the Ravenclaw house, as the girlfriend of the dead Prefect resided in Ravenclaw. His and Autumn's friend, Luna's, sister.

Thomas entered the Great Hall and made his way to the Ravenclaw table. He sat beside Autumn, ready to be a shoulder to cry on if need be. The had promised to not show any signs of affection at the solemn event, it seemed only fair. Thomas listened to Professor King start the ceremony and listened to people, whom he didn't really know, give their own words on Njord. Thomas never knew the boy, but he sounded like a great person.

 

[Hoshi Icchihara]

What am I doing here? Hoshi asked herself for the then millionth time today. She shouldn't be here. Hoshi could feel the dirty looks from the people that think she had something to do with it. Still they couldn't see her whole face. Hoshi had put herself in a back jacket that had a high furred coller. It seemed a bit loud but still it was better then leaving herself fully exposed to the glears she had been getting since the insedent. Hoshi for one felt like she didn't do anything.

Hoshi kept in mind that she had not set off the rockets herself and that if anything Arisa was the guilty one for not checking what kind of rockets they where. Hoshi put her hands together infront of her to listen to the survace. She knew that the Prefect would be really missed. One of the Glam Squad went up and said something. Did they really care? Hoshi had to fight everything inside her to stop herself from shaking her head. Hoshi kept her face solem and sad as she heard everything that was going on around her. She just hoped that no one did anything to her while she was here. She had been getting (And dishing when thing got to much) a lot of abuse lately.

 

[Joceline Richarde]

Joceline made her way down to the Great Hall quietly, hoping that she wouldn't see Thomas and his girlfriend, Autumn. She had recently found out she liked him, a lot, and today wasn't about him or her, it was about a Hufflepuff Prefect that had passed in an untimely fashion. Of course she didn't know him, or of him for that matter, but as she took a seat at the Slytherin table, it was clear that he had friends, and loved ones, all of whom would miss him.

As morbid as this may seem, the brunette couldn't help but wonder: If I died, would anyone miss me? In her mind small, mean, voice said, 'No, the only one that cared was your mother, and she's long gone.' Joceline winced at this thought, and glanced down at the table, before lookig back up, hearing more people share their memories of him.

Joceline caught a glance of a woman, one she could only assume to be a relative of the prefect's, and she frowned deeply. What a shame, she thought vacantly, and continued listening to the service, taking mental notes of all those who had spoken, and looked like they wanted to, but didn't.

 

[Arisa Havishmen]

Arisa stood outside the giant doors to the great hall thinking of what she was doing. She felt she had to pay her last respects to Njord, she heard people making speeches "damn, I'm late" she muttered. She silently opened one of the doors as little as she could and silently went over to the Hufflepuff table. She sat at the first empty spot she could find and put her hands in her lap, she kept her head down and listened to all the wonderful things people said about her lost housemate.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella's expression was solemn as she slipped into the Great Hall. A considerable number of people were here already. Bruin had arranged for both of them to speak at the end of the service, to represent the prefects. It was indeed a tragedy that Njord had died for the sake of a stupid, stupid prank. She wished that it was known who had launched off the rockets, but since it wasn't, she hoped dearly that whoever had done it was feeling the consequences of their actions full force.

The Head Girl took a seat, listening to the speeches of everyone who went up. She waited patiently, knowing that she would have her turn at the end. Out of all of the speeches she thought that Professor Heimdall's was the most heartbreaking to listen to. Would she stay at the school? Estrella wasn't really sure of anything at this point. So far the year had been pretty boring, and now she was wishing that it had stayed boring.

 

[Hilary Grace]

Hilary had been a bit of a silent presence around the school as of late. She had almost missed the whole production having once again fallen asleep over her yearbook desk. Having been able to see the intense struggle and chaos in the great hall only a few nights before, the solemness of the room as she entered almost shocked her. It was at that moment that Hilary knew how she would pay tribute to this great student. He and his memories would receive a few precious pages in the yearbook.

Hilary slid into a chair near a few other Gryffindors at their table, but didn't talk to anyone. She listened to the testimonials and final respects from those in the room and felt that she didn't have much to offer the ceremony. She hadn't known him very well personally so she thought that she would leave the speaking to the others who had known him best and instead took that moment to see if the younger students around her were okay. She saw a young girl crying a few chairs down and so quietly she pulled a box of kleenex out of her bag and passed it to the girl. At least she could be here to comfort others.

 

[Brian Getathorn XIX]

Brian entered the Great Hall slowly and looked over at Kailey, he had felt awefull for her and Professor Heimdall and had seriously considered not attending. It wasn't that he didn't like Njord, He honestly didn't know Njord that well and didn't have anything bad to say about the guy. It was just being in a room with everyone else and having to watch all the sorrow and know there is absolutely nothing that could be done to relieve the pain was in itself worse than dying. Brian had learned long ago when his grandfather died that mourning is important and he would never want to take that away from anyone. Brian just wondered if this was the right way to go, Kailey and Professor Heimdall had it bad enough without having to be around everyone else and bear their grief along with their own.

As for the rest of Njord's family Brian's sympathy went out to them as he took his seat in the back and stared at the floor. It really sucked to have a student die especially over something relatively stupid. People probably thought they were being funny when they set off that incredibly stupid prank and now nobody was laughing. The entirety of the Great Hall was in mourning each in their own way and yet Brian was sure that it would be longer before the deepest scars would heal. Brian had dealt with death in the past and had lost someone close but the feeling was not the same as today. Today his eyes burned not for Njord for his time had been tragically cut short and now he was in a place without pain or sorrow. Brian's heart went out to those who remained left behind. The students who had known him and the people who had loved him.

Brian knew that they were the ones that would have to go on living each day one at a time wishing that things could've been different wondering how things might have been. Things couldn't change however history had taught us that even though we might be able to change time and manipulate the very energy of the cosmos there was one thing that had always been taboo and never truly conquered and that was Death. It left a dark shadow in it's wake that cut even the hardest of souls and it was the one thing that time could never truly heal. As the years past the pain would lessen and the students would enjoy the good times but they would always look back and regret Njord's death. It hadn't been fair that he should die young and it was even more unfair that Professor Heimdall had to loose a son and Kailey Paramore had to loose a love. Brian would find out who killed Njord and bring his murderer to justice, it was the only thing he could do to bring closure.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi walked into the Great Hall, slowly and with her head held down. Even though she was supposed to have been part of the stage crew, she had missed the production which had resulted in Njord's death because she had not been feeling well. She wondered if she would have been able to do anything differently had she been there. She knew deep down that nothing would have been different. Although Cyndi didn't know Njord extremely well, she had grown used to his presence in the Prefects room and around the school.

With a deep sigh, Cyndi took a seat beside Hilary, giving her a small nod. Like most of her classmates, Cyndi did not engage in conversation with them because she didn't really know what to say. She listened as the professors and some of his classmates spoke about Njord, but what really brought Cyndi to tears was Professor Heimdall's speech. Over the past year, she had grown quite fond of Professor Heimdall being one of only two students in her class. It pained Cyndi to see her professor in so much pain. She pulled out a tissue and wiped her tears away.