Together In Death
By: Black Rose
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
On the large sweeping grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry it was a sunny day. The day was a perfect day for flying. It was exactly this thought that had many on their knees in tears. Hundreds of people, including students and young children and adults, stood mourning in the early morning light. None spoke, though the sound of weeping was heard from many, men and women alike. They were there to mourn the lost savior, Harry Potter. He and many others had perished in the Final Battle that had brought down the Dark Lord. Now they held a memorial on the grounds of the final confrontation. Very few people knew where the body of the Chosen One had actually been buried, but before them stood three sparkling white stones, each inlaid with a glittering gold phoenix. The center stone like the other two was blank still. The ceremony lasted through the day, till finally there was one more speech to be made at the end of the long ceremony. Finally as the sun was nearing the horizon in the late evening the final speaker made his way to the podium placed near the three stones. As the mysterious figure was revealed there were gasps through the crowd. At nineteen years old the man was very handsome, as his silver gazed with open pain on the crowds of wizards and witches. He began speaking, his voice slightly strained with grief.
"Many of you know me, for those who do not... my name is Draco Malfoy. Many here know my name and face as that of an enemy... but I am not. I bear the Dark Mark, I will not lie, but I was one of three. Three spies who answered to one master. Now my master and my two companions lie dead. The three of them are being honored this day. I am here to speak of my master, the one who saved me, the man who saved us all... Harry Potter." Stunned silence followed this admission. Whispers spread through the masses till he continued.
"I am known well as the school yard rival of the Boy-Who-Lived, but it was a lie. A well structured lie that was upheld by the four of us for nine years. I never hated Harry. He understood, he showed the three of us a new path. I am not here to speak of the Boy-Who-Lived, or the Chosen One. I won't tell you he is our Savior, because you know that, and I won't reiterate the tales of his heroic deeds, because they are not who he is. I am going to tell you about Harry, not Harry the hero, but Harry, the wise, strong-headed, loving young man that captured the hearts of the three jaded spies." He shifted slightly, tears shimmered in his eyes as he stared with distant eyes at the enraptured crowd.
"Harry told me once that to live is to suffer. I have found that to be true, and no one knew that better than he... because he did suffer. He suffered the loss of every last member of his family who loved him, he suffered the indignity of being a slave to his only remaining family for fifteen years. He suffered the terror of their brutality to him, their hatred. He suffered the pressure of a war placed entirely on his shoulders, he suffered the horrors of being forced to lie, and kill, he suffered the nightmares of sharing a link with the darkest of evils. He suffered through loss and pain, torture and betrayal. He was forced to suffer until he had nothing but meaningless titles to ancient bloodlines, an endless fortune, and empty homes. Still he prevailed, rising above the Darkness and sacrificing everything to give our world peace. However, even in his suffering he was great... 'The measure of a well-lived life is not titles or riches, it's not even measured by the people we please, especially at the cost of our own souls, no, the true measure of a well-lived life is how well we love... and how well we are loved in return.' ... My father told me that the first time I became angry at Harry's life... Harry was loved and he loved us all enough to sacrifice himself, but the two who loved him most were my companion spies. My fathers. Shortly after his seventeenth birthday Harry Potter was married." The crowd gasped in shock. Cries of outrage rang in the air. Draco gave a sad smile.
"Yes, he bound himself in body, soul, mind, and magic to my fathers, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. I still remember how happy the three of them were. Father, Dad, and Papa were soul mates. They belonged to each other. Most would think I would be upset at the arrangement, but I can't remember a day in my life that means more to me than the day I was fully adopted as the son of Severus and Harry. We were a family. I had never seen Dad happy with Narcissa and Papa had been alone for as long as I'd known him and then Father came into their lives with his flashing green eyes, and loving smiles, and wise words. To them he was perfect, he was the center of our little family. We would have done anything for him..." Here he paused as if in memory, then he seemed to come back with a sigh.
"... I knew in some part of me that the three of them would not return from the battle. It was confirmed when Harry fell after killing Lord Voldemort. Dad and Papa both fell not even a minute later... Severus told me once that dieing is easy, it's living that's hard... and he was right... I miss them, and I don't know how I'm going to live without them... but I know wherever they are, they are happy and... free. That's what I choose to believe. It was Harry, after all, who said to me that when a person dies they are free, unlimited, unbound. Death is the ultimate freedom. Harry Potter was my master, my father, my friend. HE loved and was well loved in return. May he and his loves rest evermore in peace and freedom." He turned and, as the sun was setting, waved his wand. Above the gold imprint of the phoenix three interlocked rings in a triangle pattern appeared on the stones in silver. Words followed on each stone. The stone on the left was engraved with the words:
Severus Tobias Snape-Potter-Malfoy
Beloved Father,
Mentor,
Friend,
and Lover
May he rest forever in peace and freedom with his loves.
The stone on the far right of the semicircle read:
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy-Snape-Potter
Beloved Father,
Mentor,
Friend,
and Lover.
May he rest forever in peace and freedom with his loves.
The final stone in the center read:
Harry James Potter-Malfoy-Snape
The Man-Who-Saved-Us-All
Beloved Savior
Son, Brother,
Mentor, Friend,
Father, Lover,
and Leader.
His sacrifice lives on in our hearts.
May he rest forever in peace and freedom with his loves.
At the center of the three stones a square of the same shimmering stone appeared, the top of which was at an incline. Placed at the center was a picture. The picture brought tears to the eyes of all who saw it. Standing on the left was Severus Snape dressed in black dress robes a smile on his face and love in his eyes. On the right is Lucius Malfoy dressed in silver dress robes the same smile on his face and love in his eyes. In the center dressed in emerald dress robes a quiet triumphant smile on his face and unadulterated joy in his eyes was Harry Potter. Harry was being held by the other two and it was obvious this was their wedding photo. The three men looked happier than any had ever seen them and in scrolling silver letters under the picture were the words:
"Together In Death"