The death of someone you love is never an easy thing to deal with, no matter how old they are. But one thing I learned from the long, grueling fight against Voldemort was that life is never going to be fair and sometimes people are taken away long before they deserve to be. Before they can graduate school, get married, have children; before they can have the full and eventful life that they deserve.
On the day of Fred's funeral, Mrs. Weasley stayed dry eyed until they lowered the casket into the ground. That's when she finally broke down and sobbed. No parent should ever have to organize a funeral for their child and I wish I could have done more for her, for the whole family. They had always done so much for me, but there wasn't anything I could do except serve as a source of comfort when they needed it.
George was expressionless and silent during the funeral. He had hardly said two words to anyone since the battle. He looked like he hadn't slept much either and he probably hadn't. It was almost as if we had lost both Weasley twins on May 2nd, 1998. Every room the twins set foot in would instantly become brighter, just by them being there, but now the house was silent and eerie, and instead of laughing, George sat in his room, his eyes bloodshot and framed with dark circles due to lack of sleep.
There was a memorial service for all who had died. It took place two days after the battle. Ron, Hermione, and I had to give a small speech. Then, there was a mass funeral, except for the few that were going to have their own funerals in the few days that came afterward. Fred was one of those people, and Lupin and Tonks as well, who had a joint funeral.
One of the things I noticed at Lupin and Tonks' funeral was that Tonks was still wearing her wedding ring. I hadn't expected it to be gone, of course, but it reminded me of all they had left behind. They had left behind a happy marriage; they had left behind a child. Tonks and Lupin had barely begun their marriage. They won't get to experience many of the happy aspects of it. No anniversaries, dates, flowers, none of it. They won't get to experience Teddy growing up, getting his Hogwarts acceptance letter, getting his first wand, graduating Hogwarts, getting married, and having kids of his own. They gave it all up fighting to make sure that he would be able to do that one day. They are truly heroes, but I'd say they were heroes even before that day. They've always been heroes in my eyes.
During the few days after I defeated Voldemort, I thought of my parents and Sirius frequently. Like most of the people who had died, there was so much they never got to do. I never got to speak to my parents, but I did have the chance to get to know Sirius and there were a lot of things that he said that I remembered once he had gone. I began to realize how true the things he said were. For instance, my favorite piece of advice Sirius gave me was 'if you want to know what a man's like, take a look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.' I also remember him telling me that the world wasn't split into good people and Death Eaters. He had some good advice, and I'm not trying to say that I never listened to him before, but it all meant so much more after he died.
One of the youngest deaths during the battle was Colin Creevey. He had snuck back to fight after Professor McGonagall had ordered him away. That really meant a lot to me; probably more than he, or anyone else, will ever understand. I wish I could have gotten the opportunity to thank him for his loyalty and his friendship. His father actually gave me a few old pictures that Colin took during my second year. In a few of them I looked rather cross. I regret that now. I didn't understand back then, and I never would have dreamed that Colin would meet the fate that he did only five short years later.
During the memorial service, I thought of something Dumbledore once said to me. It was another example of memories of a deceased person flooding back at random times once they're gone. Anyway, he told me not to pity the dead. He told me to pity the living, and most of all, those who live without love.
I realized that most of the people being buried wouldn't want the living to pity them, or even cry. Fred, for sure, probably wanted to prank us all for crying during his funeral. He would have known exactly how to make us all laugh.
During Kingsley's speech, he reminded us that all of the deceased were now in a better place and that we should find peace and comfort in knowing that. While it helped a little, it didn't help much. Nothing except time can really make grief disappear.
I do strongly agree with one thing Kingsley said, though. He said that while the witches and wizards being buried were indeed dead, it was no excuse for us left behind to not keep them alive in our hearts and memories.
It sounds like a painful thing to do, but it actually helps. It's funny the things you remember about a person once their gone. For instance, I had almost forgotten the time Tonks knocked over that troll's leg umbrella stand in Grimmauld place and the memory was enough to make me laugh. It also helped to talk about the memories with the others. I can remember sitting at the Weasleys kitchen table a few weeks after the memorial service and the funerals, just talking and reminiscing. Even George joined us after a little while.
We remembered everyone who had died in the fight against Voldemort. This included my parents, Cedric, Dumbledore, and Sirius, who had died before the war had started. We remembered Professor Snape, who had a lot more to him than we thought. We remembered the time Fred, George and Ron had rescued me from Privet Drive. We remembered Fred and George growing beards due to their backfiring aging potion. I told the story about Professor Lupin teaching me how to perform a patronus charm. I remembered the first day I got Hedwig as a birthday gift from Hagrid.
Like I said, death is never easy to cope with, but trust me when I say that as long as you are surrounded by people that you love and love you in return, things will eventually get better and a little bit easier. I will never forget any of the people who died in the fight to defeat Voldemort. I will remember Kingsley's words and keep them all alive in my heart and in my memories. Their love, loyalty, and friendship means the world to me, and without it, I wouldn't have been able to destroy Voldemort. I can only hope that wherever they are, if they can hear me, they know that I am truly thankful and I will never, ever forget them. Every single one of them died at a young age, but every single one of them also died a hero.
A/N: This is just a oneshot/songfic based on the song If I Die Young by The Band Perry. I hope everyone likes it. :)
I don't own Harry Potter or the song. Don't forget to leave a review!