The Dark Lord Remembered

An eerie quiet pervaded the corridors and common rooms of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. It was a sunny weekday afternoon in June and where usually one might hear the sounds of students returning to classes from lunch in the great hall, now there were only hushed whispers from a huddled group at the hall's doors.

Less than a week earlier on the very same spot the scene had been one of joy mingled with grief. People cried for their lost loved ones, ate to regain their strentgh. Many danced, others threw themselves into each others arms, some just stared into space, dumbfounded by what had just occurred. But most were crying tears of joy. Lord Voldemort, the greatest and most terrible dark wizard in living memory, had been defeated. Right now though, the mood was sombre.

The students had been sent home after the battle. Those taking OWL and NEWT exams would be given time to study at home while the castle was repaired and exams would commence in July.

The group continued to whisper hurriedly to each other, so lost in their conversation that most failed to notice the loud banging noise coming from behind the large doors of the entrance hall. "Quiet! All of you!" came the stern voice of Professor McGonagall, "He's coming". The other teachers instantly fell silent and looked to the entrance hall doors as the banging noise drew nearer. Professor McGonagall waved her wand in a sharp sideward motion and the doors swung open. They could see a large wooden cart trundle up the final few steps and then enter the hall. The cart was followed a second later by the hulking form of Rubeus Hagrid. He stopped in front of the group.

"Hullo all" Hagrid greeted the teachers, and he waited for their murmured response, before noticing the two visitors from the ministry of magic. "Kingsley, Percy. Nice to see you". Kingsley Shacklebolt nodded silently by way of reply. Percy Weasley smiled weakly. "Right, lets get started shall we? Is it still in the same spot?". Professor McGonagall nodded and Hagrid and cart set off. He returned a couple of minutes later. Now the cart was filled with a black bundle, roughly the size of a man. Hagrid proceeded through the entrance hall doors and the group followed him without a word. They walked through the grounds and out of the gates, in the direction of Hosmeade.

Everyone was glad that the road was deserted, for it was a grim procession. The teachers bowed their heads as they walked, not out of grief, but something closer to shame. Birds scattered from the trees as they passed, further down the road a rabbit retreated through a bush. Nature, it seemed, was also shunning the event. It was a tribute to his terrible power that, even as a crumpled corpse, Lord Voldemort elicited such deep disgust.

They were now in the grounds behind the shrieking shack. Twenty feet from the back of the house stood a massive wooden pyre, made of wood and stuffed with dry grass. The party stopped a safe distance from this new structure and waited. Nowone seemed sure how next to proceed. Hagrid was the first to speak.

"Harry should be here. He should be the one te do it. After all the trouble thrown his way. Someone should apparate to him an'...". "No" came McGonagall's voice in response, "Potter's been through enough. He needs to rest. He'll be just fine at the Weasley's".

With that Hagrid took the dark bundle containing Voldemort's remains and began to drag it, roughly, towards the pyre. He was half way there before he heard someone yelled "stop" from the group behind him. He turned around to see McGonagall running towards him. "Hagrid, if I may.." she said and without another word she loosened the ropes keeping the bundle together with a flick of her wand. A lifeless, snake-like head lolled out from behind the cloth and both McGonagall and Hagrid recoiled sharply. Its eyes, once so bright red and evil, were as dull as the sky in January and its skin now hung soft, shiny and putrid. McGonagall waved her wand once more the the bundle re-tied itself. "I just needed to be sure" she said and then turned to walk back to the group.

The sun was getting lower in the sky. The body now rested upon the pyre and Hagrid had returned to stand between McGonagall and his cart. Once more, nobody seemed certain of what to do, or how to start. Hagrid began to speak in a low voice. "Excuse me Headmistress" he began. "If its alrigh' I'd like to be the one who does it. I know its nothin' compared to the big stuff but he was the one who got me kicked out of Hogwarts an'...". "Very well Hagrid" came McGonagall's reply. She almost looked relieved.

Hagrid nodded his thanks and took two steps forward. From inside his coat he drew a pink umbrella and pointed it forwards. "INCENDIO" he boomed and a second later the pyre was ablaze. They watched in silence as the fire hissed and crackled until there was nothing left but ash and ember. Kingsley Shacklebolt was the first to speak.

"May we never see another like him" he said before saying his goodbyes and then apparating away with Percy. Hagrid got behind his cart once more and began in the direction of Hogwarts. The rest of the staff followed, walking slowly.