The Fallen
Hello, just another short story in memory of Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, Lavender Brown and all the other fallen fifty of Hogwarts.
The trees swayed in the light breeze on the 16th of May, the brightest and sunniest day of the month, contrasting with the sorrow and grief, which lay over the mass of people like a blanket.
Hundreds of witches, wizards, half-giants and many more were gathered on this warm day to pay tribute to those who had payed the most terrible price during the Battle of Hogwarts.
The Dark Lord, the most feared person in the wizarding world, had fallen and yet the feeling of victory was not shared by many. Lord Voldemort had left destruction, grief and anger in his wake drowning the feeling of triumph and success, which should have been the dominant emotion.
The many people gathered included children, adults, aunts, uncles, grandparents and teachers all of whom had lost someone dear and precious to them by the hands of Voldemort and his followers. On the 16th of May however, they all stood beneath the newly rebuilt Hogwarts, which had been severely damaged during the fighting, ready to give the fallen a proper farewell.
It was with great sadness that Minerva McGonagall weaved her way through the crowd thinking of faces she would never lay her eyes on again. People whom she had taught, her students who were brave, clever, ambitious and kind, too young to die. Her heart gave a painful throb as she past the Weasley family, always smiling apart from this one time. She spotted George Weasley who was surrounded by his family however, the distant look in his eye proved to Minerva that he was far far away, alone and solitary, grieving over the loss of his twin brother.
As she neared the front of the crowd, she could just about see the podium upon which she would have to stand and deliver a speech to commemorate the dead. She continued her way through the crowd until she finally reached the front where already many of her colleagues were already standing. She gave a small nod of the head as she passed her fellow workers and her breath caught in her chest as she saw the missing spot where Pomona should have been. She had just been to visit her at St. Mungo's that very morning even though it made no difference as Pomona still hadn't awoken yet, nevertheless Minerva still went everyday in hopes of Pomona waking up whilst she was visiting.
Minerva was not a woman who people described as shy or timid however, the older witch trembled ever so slightly as he walked up the wooden steps of the podium and looked out onto the Hogwarts grounds covered with what seemed like hundreds of witches and wizards who had come to pay their respects.
The tentacles of the Giant Squid could be seen waving above the water level of the Black Lake and the small breeze had picked up speed making the tree branches sway. Minerva cleared her throat and in an instant all eyes were on her. Then her voice, amplified by the sonorous charm, cut through the rustling of the leaves.
"We are gathered here today to pay tribute to the fallen that have fought bravely and courageously to defend, protect and avenge what is theirs, what they love and whom they love. May it be friends, best friends, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers… they will always be with us, always remembered and always celebrated as those who have changed our lives, our world and the lives of future generations. As a friend once said, the ones that love us never really leave us. Today, tomorrow, the day after and the many days after that we will always remember the fallen fifty of Hogwarts."