House: Gryffindor
Category: Drabble
Prompt: Balloons
Word Count: 691
Beta: BetterYouThanMe Thanks Miranda!
"What are we doing, Dad?" asked a small girl, no older than five. This was the first year that she was allowed to accompany her father. Her younger brother was left at home with their mother.
"I told you honey," he responded, "This is a muggle tradition." He gestured to the red balloons looped around his hand. "As a wise man once said, the ones who love us never truly leave us. Every year, we send these balloons up to the sky. We tie messages for our loved ones to the strings. The balloons float up and take our thoughts and memories with them."
"Can I write a message to Marigold?" the little girl referenced her grandmother's cat who had unfortunately been hit by a car a few months prior.
"I think that's a good idea." He handed her a small piece of paper and a pencil.
The young girl promptly plunked down on the grass and busied herself writing a note to her beloved cat. She told the feline about how much she missed her. She told her about the first bit of accidental magic she had exhibited shortly after the cat's funeral. Her father had been so thrilled when she made a small bouquet of the cat's namesake flowers appear atop her grave.
Once she was content with her note to Marigold, she stood and looked to her father. She noted that he had a tear slowly trickling down his cheek. "Are you OK?"
He hastily wiped at his eyes and looked at his daughter. "I'm fine. Writing these messages always makes me a bit sad."
The young girl wrapped her arms around his waist. "Why do you do it if it makes you so sad?"
He gave her a watery smile and replied, "It's important to remember them. This allows me to keep some important people up to date on my life."
"Who are you writing to?" she asked.
"I lost a lot of friends in a terrible war fourteen years ago. A lot of brave people fought and died to make the world a better place. This memorial balloon ceremony was set up by another muggle-born; Hermione Granger-Weasley- you remember I told you about her?" The little girl nodded so he continued to explain. "So many of my friends died the day of the final battle. I lost my brother."
The little girl knew that she had an uncle who had died. "Grandma never likes to talk about him."
"It's sometimes too painful for her. But it's important that we do remember him. That we honor his sacrifice and bravery today and every day. That's why we release the balloons."
He carefully tied their messages to the balloon strings, handed her one, and reached down to grasp his daughter's hand. Together, they walked over a hill and onto a large field filled with hundreds of people clasping their own balloons.
Hermione stepped forward and, with her voice amplified by Sonorus, announced, "Thank you all for gathering here today. Let's honor those who died so that we may live. I call for a moment of silence before we release the balloons."
The little girl heard a hush fall over the field. She observed many people bowing their heads. Feeling confused about what she should do, the little girl glanced to her father for guidance.
He squeezed her fingers and held his other hand out. She mirrored his actions and released her grasp on her balloon.
With awe, she stared as the sky filled with thousands of floating balloons- each carrying messages of love and loss. One way conversations ascending to the great beyond.
Slowly, the crowd dissipated. Some disappeared with a pop and others simply walked away.
Once the field thinned to barely a dozen people, Dennis Creevey wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "Come along now, Colleen."
As they slowly walked home, Colleen glanced back to the field and the balloons disappearing above the clouds. "Thank you," she whispered.