AN: I am not British nor am I as brilliant as JK Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter. I had to write an inspirational speech for class, and we were allowed to make up a setting, so this little idea popped into my head. The first part in italics is from book, fyi. I wanted to set the scene but the Queen does it so well. There are three other fandoms referenced in the speech, let me know if you can find them :) Enjoy!
No More
The House tables were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups, their arms around each other's necks. The injured were being treated upon the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers. Firenze was among the injured; his flank poured blood and he shook where he lay, unable to stand.
The dead lay in a row in the middle of the Hall. Harry could not see Fred's body, because his family surrounded him. George was kneeling at his head; Mrs. Weasley was lying across Fred's chest, her body shaking, Mr. Weasley stroking her hair while tears cascaded down his cheeks.
Without a word to Harry, Ron and Hermione walked away. Harry saw Hermione approach Ginny, whose face was swollen and blotchy, and hug her. Ron joined Bill, Fleur, and Percy, who flung an arm around Ron's shoulders. As Ginny and Hermione moved closer to the rest of the family, Harry had a clear view of the bodies lying next to Fred: Remus and Tonks, pale and still and peaceful-looking, apparently asleep beneath the dark enchanted ceiling.
Hermione released Ginny into Bill's embrace and took a step back, giving the family some space. She ducked her head to avoid looking at Remus and Tonks, fighting back tears that threatened to overwhelm her. There were so many, too many. They were parents, they were students, they were friends, they were family. They were children.
Hermione took a few steps toward the row of dead when it hit her. This had to stop. She glanced around for Harry and felt a stab of disappointment when she couldn't see him. Hermione's resolve suddenly strengthened. Harry had memories to look at, and that was okay. But they had a war to fight. A war to end today.
Hermione knelt next to Tonks's head and stroked the witch's pink hair. The brunette didn't speak loudly, but her voice carried in the quiet Hall. "This isn't England's first war." The Weasleys were the first to look her way. "The War of the Roses, the Civil War, the world wars, Grindelwald's rise to power." Hermione looked up to see a number of people watching her. She forged on, "And it's always darkest during the fight, when you're surrounded by the war's destruction." She glanced down and bit her lip. Remus and Tonks's peaceful expressions somehow gave her strength. Hermione drew a breath and looked at Ron, "But we cannot let the darkness consume us." The slight smile he gave her brought Hermione to her feet.
"It starts with a spark to beat back the darkness. For most, that spark has been Harry." Hermione allowed a smile to slip out as she remembered the day Harry and Ron saved her from the mountain troll. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Hermione took a breath and brought the attention back to her and away from looking for the Boy-Who-Lived. "But a spark will not light a room. It can be extinguished with a drop of water or overwhelmed by the darkness. No, a spark is not enough." Hermione saw some brows furrow at the implication that Harry wasn't enough. She continued on anyway, "To overcome the darkness the spark needs help: tinder, branches, fuel. Something that will ignite and flare with brilliance. A drop of water nor even a bucket can douse a forest fire. A forest fire demands to be felt, demands to be seen, demands to be heard!" People started to nod and Hermione's hope grew that maybe their fight was possible. "It crackles and pops and grows louder and louder as it gains strength. It roars against the injustice and cruelty that has befallen our friends and families!"
The momentum Hermione had gained suddenly deflated when Oliver Wood walked into the Hall carrying Colin Creevey's limp body.
Others turned to see the Hogwarts alumni carrying the younger student. Silence descended over the Hall like a smothering blanket. Hermione bit her lip, but walked to the entrance to meet Oliver. She paused in front of him and pressed a kiss to the fallen Gryffindor's forehead then stood aside to let Oliver place Colin alongside the other dead.
Standing in the doorway, Hermione addressed the Hall in a subdued tone, "We stand among the fallen." She looked around at the worn faces standing among the still ones. "Fleeing death is human nature, and escaping this fight is still an opportunity," Hermione said gesturing to the door behind her. A note of resolve entered her voice, "But many of us will stay and see this to the end, whatever the end may be." Hermione wasn't sure when she had come to terms with the possibility of her own death. Maybe it was during the thestral ride to the Ministry, maybe it was after Sirius's death, or maybe it had been when Hogwarts had been infiltrated a year ago. Whatever the case, Hermione was willing to die for those closest to her. "Family doesn't end in blood, so we will for fight all our brothers and sisters: fallen or fled."
Death was a very real possibility, and everyone in the Hall knew that. "If those who continue fighting fall, it can still be a victory for the light. We'll be like Spartans who fought Xerxes's Immortal Ten Thousand. These supposed "immortals" bled and died just as Death Eaters can as they hide behind their masks. Even though the Spartans all fell, they united Greece. They lived on in legend." The original Order of the Phoenix flashed through her mind. "Despite the forest fire being extinguished, the coal beds were still hot. The rest of Greece alit and brought down the Persian attack. The country united to fight for its home."
"This building," Hermione glanced around the Hall, "Hogwarts, is a home for so many, but it wasn't built by one person. It was made by four people working together for a brighter future. Working together for the creation of a magical safe haven. Working together for a dream they didn't know would work."
Hermione shook her head with a disbelieving smile. "And it worked," she said simply.
"We have learned. We have loved. We have laughed. We have lived!"
A tired but genuine smile alit Hermione's face. Memories of snowball fights on the grounds, trips to Hogsmeade, rowdy Quidditich matches, DA meetings, and adventures that seemed to follow Harry around rushed through her head. Her life at Hogwarts flashed before Hermione's eyes and she felt no sadness for what might end, only determination to fight for it.
Her voice strong and her eyes ablaze, Hermione continued on, "Don't let that dream die. Even if you don't fight Voldemort because of his prejudice and barbaric views, fight for Hogwarts. Fight for a place whose doors are always open for those who need help. Fight for a dream-come-true for hundreds of witches and wizards that have come into these walls. Fight for our home.
"Pick up the flaming torch now. Don't let it fall to the next generation. No more delay of an old battle. No more atrocities that cause terror. No more torture that tear apart loved ones. No more destruction of childhoods. No more death of innocents. No more."
As Hermione looked across the Hall she saw pain and fear but with it was conviction and courage. Hermione wasn't sure how the day would end, but she knew that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would have a hell of a fight on their hands.
"Let's end today what was thought to end sixteen years ago. The flame has burned long enough. Let's rid the darkness from our home."