It was the third anniversary gala of the fall of Voldemort. The third time that they celebrated the end of the war and their victory. Kingsley Shackelbolt, the Minister, she once thought best for this position, walked to the podium. "Welcome guest. This year the heroes will give a speech worthy of mentioning. Please welcome Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley who had the leading roll in defeating Voldemort." He clapped as well as the rest of the audience.
Ron was the first to start speaking. "You see it wasn't an easy feet to defeat Voldemort. Without my help dear Harry" here he slung his arm around the shoulders of the still very timid man. "wouldn't have been able to do much. Together we conquered the snatchers, defeated a dozen Death Eaters and met Voldemort himself. It was all for the greater good" he smiled suggestively at the gushing females in the first row.
She couldn't even describe how disgusting this whole speak was. This was the boy who had went home crying to Mommy the first chance he got. When the applause died down after hearing Harrys quiet speech of how many of their loved ones were lost, she took a deep breath. She was fighting for a cause, for them to remember that everything wasn't as black and as white as they would like to believe.
Holding her head high she pushed the curtain with her free hand aside, while the other adjusted the small child on her hip. Her shoes gave a clicking sound with each step and suddenly everyone grew silent when they saw her. The now short brown locks swinging with each step and her eyes a dangerous dark color.
"My name is Hermione Granger but most of you should have heard of me. I'm one of those heroes you seem to admire" she said disgusted. "You thought that as soon as I wasn't showing up anymore that it was okay to ignore me, didn't you? But it isn't easy at that. You seem to forget and ignore most of the war after all. Makes it easier to celebrate this thing right?" Her gaze traveled over the faces looking at her, some were looking guiltily at the floor, others were glaring defiantly at her but what brought the bitter smirk to her lips was the look of pure hatred coming from Ron.
"You may have forgotten, but you all killed to survive. Just as the Death Eaters did." Protests were growing when she implied that they were all the same. The angry Weasley made his way towards her. Shoving people out of his way if he had to. Finally standing before the podium he snapped angrily at her. "What do you know? You haven't been here for the last three years! They have killed my BROTHER!" he shouted bitterly. She took it in strides. "And you Ronald? Whose brother, sister, mother or father did you kill?"
Gasps traveled through the rows of people and Ron was getting red in the face. "They deserved it! They would have murdered us all hadn't me and Harry..."
"You and Harry?" she cut him of coldly. "I only remember that you have left the first chance you got while hunting for the Horcruxes. You left us behind because you couldn't give up on a warm bed and three meals a day" she snapped at him and the first signs of her real anger could be seen. Angry lines marred her face but suddenly the child in her arms shifted and she took a deep calming breath.
"Hermione that's not true..." Harry tried to palace her, but she just glared at him. "No it's perfectly true. You all seem to celebrate the fact that hundreds of people died because of that silly war! Not even Muggles who most of you still think are slightly barbaric are doing something like that!"
"You weren't even invited!" billowed Ron angrily and then pointed his finger at the little girl who was still sleeping in her arms. "And who is that? Gotten pregnant and left because of the shame?" he taunted her.
A hand was on his shoulder grasping it tightly. "I would shut up Weasel. I you want to safe your sorry behind" sneered a cold voice. They gaped at Draco Malfoy just as much as they had stared at Hermione. "You want to know who this is? I will tell you. This is Anne Dolohov, the daughter of the Death Eater Dolohov you killed Ronald."
At the name most of the people drew their wand. "Look at you" she taunted. "Drawing your wand at a little girl of three years. Yeah you're real heroes. The Death Eaters had children just as the rest of you. Just like the rest of the orphaned children the 'good' side had. But you wouldn't look at them. Turned your back on them or worse treated them just liked their parents!"
She grasped Anne tighter and Draco silently slipped behind her. Strengthening her just because he was there. "She was born shortly after you had killed her father and when she was safe you killed her mother. Are you ready to celebrate that? She had nothing to do with the war. But you still treat her like she is dirt. Did you know that almost every Death Eater you knew had children? Just because they weren't any in Hogwarts didn't mean that they didn't exist."
Harry looked crestfallen at her while Ron had gone dangerously pale. Maybe their fame had blinded them too much.
"I welcomed this children with open arms and a warm house. My partner helped me. We are raising these children with the believes that everybody is just the same. The first will go to Hogwarts soon and I want to ask you, will they call me a liar? Will they hate me because you can't give up on this hatred against the parents they never have truly met? Will they not write to me because they are being treated like dirt just because of their names?" she emphasized the last word especially.
"What makes it different of being labeled by your blood? Are the Weasley's always going to be the good ones? Will this little girl be always the bad one? Are you sure your different than the Death Eaters you fought? Is it right to celebrate the fact that children lost their parents in spite of whose side they were on?"
"Hermione" Kingsley said gently and reached out to touch her. She drew back with a quivering lip. "No Kingsley. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of all of you that are pretending that everything is fine. I'm tired that some of the children who had been to other orphans still have nightmares because strangers hit them for somebody they had lost. I'm sick and tired of the blaming I do all the time. What had I done by helping defeat Voldemort? I helped creating a society that's exactly the thing he wanted, the only difference being that not blood but names decide the worth of a person." She swallowed hard and tears were slowly threatening to fall.
Draco gently embraced her from behind, kissed the top of her head and gave her silent support. "Mommy?" a sleepy child voice rang out and the tears just flowed down. "I'm right here Anne" she whispered back. "Daddy?" here Draco patted her head. "Sleep some more Anne, sour tired right?" With a small nod and with one hand clutching Hermione's hair, with the other Draco's finger she slept again. A long time there was no sound, all these people were watching the small girl who suddenly looked so tiny.
Mrs Weasley was the first to stand up and rush towards Hermione. With gentle firmness she hugged all of them and kissed the top of the small child. "I'm so sorry Hermione, dear. I didn't know..." here she trailed of when the rest of them stood up as well and began clapping.
"We will not celebrate again 'Mione" promised Harry while Ronald was still staring at the small hand clutching her hair.
Maybe just maybe she had righted her wrong doing. Maybe she had manipulated them with the small girl, but it was for the best. No longer her children would have to be lost and forgotten. They were found and maybe they would live a happy life.
I just thought of it. Most just write about celebrations about the lost ones on one side. I thougth it was right to mention the other side...
Hope you liked it and will leave a review.
Till next time