Author's Note:
I was originally going to make this the funeral service for everyone who died in the Battle of Hogwarts, but at the last second I decided to change it to be Colin's tribute. I hope everyone likes it.
The quote that Colin's father recites is by Chuck Palahniuk, by the way.
A Thousand Winds
It was almost dark when people started gathering in the cemetery that cold day in May, but for some reason the funeral notice had asked people to come this late. Harry didn't mind. His afternoon had been spent at Severus' funeral, where he gave the eulogy in front of eleven other people.
He apparated behind a grouping of oak trees near the cemetery with Ron, Hermione and Ginny in tow. They walked the rest of the way to the gates and met Dennis Creevey there. The fifteen-year-old stood in a plain black suit, much like the ones Mrs. Weasley had bought for Harry and Ron to wear to Fred's funeral a week before. But instead of the matching black ties they wore, Dennis had chosen to wear his striped red and gold Gryffindor tie.
"Thanks for coming," he said. "Follow me." He turned around and walked through the open gates.
There were already about twenty people seated when they reached the service. Dennis led them up the aisle to where a couple - both with red-rimmed eyes and the same mousy brown hair as both brothers - stood beside an enlarged photo of Colin. When they saw Dennis coming, they nodded at him.
"I've got to go back," he explained to Harry. "In case anyone else comes." He left as the woman walked up to them.
"You must be Harry," she said, giving him a small smile. "Colin talked about you all the time."
"I'm sorry for what happened, Mrs. Creevey. I-"
"No, don't apologize. This ... this isn't your fault."
Mr. Creevey walked up beside her. "She's right. Dennis told us what happened. All Colin wanted was to help people. No one could've stopped him from doing that."
Harry didn't argue the point. He nodded and went to sit down, Ginny following.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he heard Hermione say. When she and Ron came to sit beside him they had their arms around each others' waists. Harry wasn't sure who was holding who up anymore.
After five more minutes, Dennis returned with some people Harry recognized from Gryffindor. They joined the large group of chairs designated for wizards. The other half of the seating was already filled by family. When Dennis took his seat up front by his parents, a pastor began the sermon.
Several minutes later, Mr. Creevey stood, taking the pastor's place.
"As anyone here knows, Colin was one of the happiest people you would ever meet. He never let anything get him down not even when ... when everyone else had given up. Colin was never without hope. He would do whatever it took to make things right, no matter the danger to himself." His eyes flickered to Harry for a moment.
"Colin's passion was photography. He was never seen without a camera, and he'd spend all his money on film. Some people thought this was a bad thing, and that he wasn't really living life, just capturing it from a distance. But I think Colin understood life better than all of us. He saw the beauty in things nobody else did, and he wanted to share that beauty with the world. There's a quote that I'd like to share with you, from an author. 'We all die. The goal isn't to live forever. The goal is to create something that will.' I think Colin did that. He left his mark on the world in the form of pictures. And years from now, I hope that whenever someone sees his photos, they'll think of him, and remember the happy, loving boy he was."
Mr. Creevey went back to his seat beside his wife, who was openly crying.
Harry looked over at Ginny and saw her dabbing at her eyes with a black handkerchief. He wrapped his arm around her comfortingly and watched Dennis take his father's place in front of the crowd.
"When our grandmother died last year, my brother was asked to say something at her funeral. Instead, he read a poem. I know he really liked this one, so I thought I'd read it." He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it.
"'Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.'"
Harry watched Dennis return to his seat and listened to several more people break out in tears. He closed his eyes, remembering vividly when he first met Colin in his second year, to when he watched Neville and Oliver Wood carry the boy's body into the Great Hall just two weeks before, and he felt a single tear run down his own cheek.
Everybody would always remember Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the man that killed Voldemort. But no one would ever know Colin Creevey, the bravest boy Harry ever knew.
The End
Author's Note:
I don't know if I'm really happy with ending it there, but I couldn't think of anything else to say. In any case, I cried during Mr. Creevey's speech. Did you? Let me know if you did. I don't want to seem like the only wuss who cries over fanfiction. jk, jk. =D
I apologize if I messed anything up with this story as far as funeral proceedings go. I've never attended a funeral, so I went off of what I found online and what I've seen on tv.
Please review if you liked it, or even if you didn't.
-Lizzy