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I couldn't do this last year...I couldn't find the words, but it's been a year and now I think I can.
I want to say something about my friend Hannah Abbott, something to help people remember.
Han was so much more than a tragedy, so much more than how she died.
But it still hits me every time something important happens, that we're all moving forward through life, getting older and Hannah won't.
She could be quiet and shy in big groups, so I'm not sure how many people outside our House really got to know her well. But she was so much more than the soft-spoken girl in the back of the class, though she was often that too.
When I think about Hannah, what I remember the most about her is that she was happy. That might sound simple and obvious, but anyone who's been unhappy for any length of time knows different. Hannah was one of the most cheerful, positive people I've ever met. And it's not as if she had the easiest life all the time either--she just had a natural talent for seeing the bright side of things.
She was really close to her family and especially her sister; she'd always talk about how much she was looking forward to showing Chessie everything about Hogwarts. I hate that she never got to.
When it was just us in the dorm, she absolutely loved to laugh and be silly; I don't think anyone who just knew her from lessons would believe the craziness she could get up to, and half the jokes wouldn't be funny to anyone who wasn't there. The other thing about her that I think would surprise people is that she absolutely loved loud music. Of course, she was a huge fan of The Weird Sisters--she'd have been well chuffed that they played the Yule Ball--but she also listened to some really wild stuff like Playing Quidditch With Hags, even though her dad didn't really approve.
And even though she was shy sometimes, she was really nice--a good friend and a good listener. We didn't really start talking as much until the end of first year, but once we did it was like we always had. She had a way of getting everyone together, and she always did her best to help everyone get along. She just had this way of talking people around until they realised that whatever they were fighting about wasn't such a big deal after all.
She worked really hard at her revising, but she always made time for fun. She loved Herbology, and when we were talking about our future careers last year, she said she'd like to learn about how Herbology is used in Healing. She cared a lot about living things in general, and hated to see them hurt.
She wasn't perfect or anything; I wanted to make sure and say that. She was a complete neat freak, and the constant cheerfulness could get annoying. She sometimes panicked and did things without really thinking them through. I used to wish she would stick up for herself more outside of our House.
But she was really, truly a good person, and I miss her a lot. They took the extra bed out of our room, because there are so many first years this year. In some ways, it's easier not to have that reminder. But I don't always want it to be easier.
I want to say something about my friend Hannah Abbott, something to help people remember.
Han was so much more than a tragedy, so much more than how she died.
But it still hits me every time something important happens, that we're all moving forward through life, getting older and Hannah won't.
She could be quiet and shy in big groups, so I'm not sure how many people outside our House really got to know her well. But she was so much more than the soft-spoken girl in the back of the class, though she was often that too.
When I think about Hannah, what I remember the most about her is that she was happy. That might sound simple and obvious, but anyone who's been unhappy for any length of time knows different. Hannah was one of the most cheerful, positive people I've ever met. And it's not as if she had the easiest life all the time either--she just had a natural talent for seeing the bright side of things.
She was really close to her family and especially her sister; she'd always talk about how much she was looking forward to showing Chessie everything about Hogwarts. I hate that she never got to.
When it was just us in the dorm, she absolutely loved to laugh and be silly; I don't think anyone who just knew her from lessons would believe the craziness she could get up to, and half the jokes wouldn't be funny to anyone who wasn't there. The other thing about her that I think would surprise people is that she absolutely loved loud music. Of course, she was a huge fan of The Weird Sisters--she'd have been well chuffed that they played the Yule Ball--but she also listened to some really wild stuff like Playing Quidditch With Hags, even though her dad didn't really approve.
And even though she was shy sometimes, she was really nice--a good friend and a good listener. We didn't really start talking as much until the end of first year, but once we did it was like we always had. She had a way of getting everyone together, and she always did her best to help everyone get along. She just had this way of talking people around until they realised that whatever they were fighting about wasn't such a big deal after all.
She worked really hard at her revising, but she always made time for fun. She loved Herbology, and when we were talking about our future careers last year, she said she'd like to learn about how Herbology is used in Healing. She cared a lot about living things in general, and hated to see them hurt.
She wasn't perfect or anything; I wanted to make sure and say that. She was a complete neat freak, and the constant cheerfulness could get annoying. She sometimes panicked and did things without really thinking them through. I used to wish she would stick up for herself more outside of our House.
But she was really, truly a good person, and I miss her a lot. They took the extra bed out of our room, because there are so many first years this year. In some ways, it's easier not to have that reminder. But I don't always want it to be easier.
