Do You Hear the Phoenix Sing?
Champion El Cid here. I've had this idea for a long time, but it took watching the new Les Miserable's movie (3 times so far) to finally make me put it down on paper. Hope you all enjoy! By the way while I thought the movie was good I think the singing could have used some work.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, walked back down to the Great Hall. At first Harry had wanted to lie down in the dorms and had seriously considered asking Kretcher to bring him a sandwich. But first he wanted to come back down and check on everyone else; he couldn't explain why he wanted to go back but something inside him told him it was the right thing to do.
The post-battle celebration was still in full swing. Students were singing, talking, and generally having a party. Harry noticed however that there was a small group who wasn't taking part in the festivities. He looked a little closer and noticed that one of the students was Dennis Creevey. He finally understood. These must be students that had lost loved ones during the battle. He saw the Weasly's still together hugging each other.
Harry's stomach dropped. He knew he would have to meet with the bereaved, but he wasn't looking forward to it at all. What would he say to them? There was nothing he could say that would truly comfort them. The thought of having to meet with them was tearing him up inside, he should be happy that the war was finally over. Yet he felt guilty about feeling happy when others would be sad at what they had lost.
He must have been starring a long time, because Hermione noticed him and finally spoke up.
"You can't let it bother you Harry," she said.
"Let what bother me?" asked Harry.
"I know you're concerned about those who died in this fight, but you can't let it get to you." She said.
"But what am I going to say to their families?!" Harry asked somewhat angry, "They all died fighting for me."
"We all knew the risks," said Ron, "Even Fred knew-," Ron trailed off and couldn't finish his sentence. After a few minutes he regained his composure and continued. "I don't blame you for Fred, no one in my family will. Voldemort was killing people before the battle even started and we all know he would have kept killing if given the chance. Am I gonna miss Fred? You bet I will, but I don't want my best mate blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault."
Harry seemed to take some comfort from these words. It didn't make his duty easier, and he still had no idea how what he was going to say to the Weasly's or anyone who had lost loved ones at the Battle of Hogwarts.
"Give yourself some time to rest," advised Hermione, "All of us are tired from everything that's happened. Ron and I will go with you when it's time. We won't let you be alone when you give comfort, because chances are you're going to need it to."
Harry continued walking into the Great Hall through the mass of people. He was about in the middle when it started happening. He heard music. Other people must have heard it to, because they stopped talking and all looked around puzzled. They could hear the music but not the source; they began turning their heads looking around trying to find where the music was coming from.
"Fawkes," said Ron, "It's him again! He's causing all of us to hear music."
"But it's different this time," noticed Hermione.
"I don't just hear music," added Harry, "I hear words too as if someone's singing."
The three continued listening and indeed they heard words as well. It seemed rather than all hearing different versions of a song. Just like when Dumbledore died they all heard the music in their hearts. Fawkes was causing them all to hear the same song. And it wasn't just instrumental, there were words this time.
"There's a grief that can't be spoken, there's a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables now my friends are dead and gone."
"Here they talked of revolution; here it was they lit the flame. Here they sang about tomorrow, and tomorrow never came."
The lyrics seemed so true and so personal. Harry looked around and saw that everyone else in the Great Hall had stopped talking. They were all starring into space; they were all listening to the song. Harry knew they were all hearing the same song in their hearts.
"From the table in the corner, they could see a world reborn. And they rose with voices ringing and I can hear them now. The very words that they had sung became their last communion, on a lonely barricade at dawn."
"Oh, my friends, my friends forgive me. That I live and you are gone, there's a grief can't be spoken there's a pain goes on and on."
Everyone in the Great Hall looked as though they cried a little. They were no doubt experiencing the same guilt about being alive when others weren't. Ron seemed particularly moved by this as he thought about his brother.
"Phantom faces at the window, phantom shadows on the floor. Empty chairs at empty tables where my friends will meet no more."
"Oh, my friends, my friends don't ask me what your sacrifice was for. Empty chairs at empty tables, where my friends will sing…no more"
The Great Hall was completely silent as the song ended. No one said anything; instead they hung their heads in silence. It was as if they all suddenly took a moment of silence for those who had been lost during the battle. The song was right about their being a "grief that can't be spoken." Even though everyone was sad it didn't seem as though there were any words that could express their sadness.
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, "why did Fawkes make us listen to that song?" It doesn't give me any comfort I think it made me feel worse."
"I agree with Harry," bawled Ron almost on the verge of tears, "and now after hearing that song I don't feel any better."
"Maybe Fawkes knew what we were feeling," suggested Hermione, "and the song was his way to help us put it out in the open."
"But it just made me feel worse," yelled Ron, "I don't understand—"
"Shhh quiet," said Hermione, "listen I think I hear another song."
Ron and Harry listened and sure enough they heard the faint murmurings of another of Fawkes song's. They almost didn't hear it as it was being sung very softly almost in a whisper. Once again it looked as though everyone else in the Great Hall was hearing it as well. Harry strained to hear what was being said as it was incredibly soft, but as he concentrated more he heard the volume of the song rising. As if it was slowly building up to something.
"Do you hear the people sing? Lost in the valley of the night, it is the music of a people who are climbing to the light. For the wretched of the earth there is a flame that never dies even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise…."
It was on the word "flame" that Harry noticed it and pointed it out to his friends. Other denizens of the Hogwarts noticed it too and began looking upwards towards the center of the Great Hall where a bright flame had appeared. It started small but quickly it burned brighter and then began to take shape. It didn't take on one shape but multiple shapes, Harry realized that the flame was turning into people, and not just any people, but those who had fallen in the battle. The flame was morphing into ghostly images of those who had been lost. They were bright and burning with a fire that seemed to glow and sparkle with passion. The images were all lined up straight and appeared to be marching forward; as they continued to march the song they were singing grew louder too. It was as if the music was filling not only the Great Hall but the entire castle, and it also sounded as though the voices singing were those of the actual people and not just a made up voice."
"They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord. They will walk behind the plowshare; they will put away the sword. The chains will be broken and all of them have their reward!"
The images were very clear now all of them glowing alive with the fire that was creating them. Their presence seemed to fill the entire room. Fred Weasly was in the center as if the leader of the group on either side were Tonks and Lupin. The row continued with more images Sirius Black and Mad Eye Moody were among the ranks. Harry also saw Colin Creevey his bright face even more alive than ever. Everyone starred up at them with mixed reaction, some were completely amazed, others began crying; still others shouted names at them almost wishing the images could hear them and respond. But they didn't, instead they continued singing and marching and the power of their song filled each observer with emotion.
"Will you join our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see? Do you hear the people sing? Say do you hear the distant drums? It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes!"
Harry began scanning the images and saw his parents. Even though he had just seen them he began weeping as he saw them again. They stood together raising their arms and singing along with the rest. It was hard to describe what was happening, but one thing was clear. The feeling of power and emotion in the room was off the charts. The images filled everyone up with hope and courage. Mrs. Weasly had started crying when she saw Fred's form but now she stopped and just starred continuing to look into her dead son's eyes and how alive they were with inspiration and power.
"WILL YOU JOIN OUR CRUSADE!? WHO WILL BE STRONG AND STAND WITH ME!? SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE BARRICADE IS THERE A WORLD YOU LONG TO SEE!? DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING!? SAY DO YOU HEAR THE DISTANT DRUMS!? IT IS THE FUTURE THAT THEY BRING WHEN TOMORROW COMES!"
The last verse was sung with such power and intensity that Harry wondered whether wizards all across the world could hear it. He looked back up at the images and noticed just briefly that Snape was also in the crowd, though it seemed he was in the rear and not fully singing with the others. But Snape looked straight at Harry and for a brief second and it looked as though he smiled at him. Harry had never seen Snape smile before but the smile only lasted and instant as Snape turned back and was lost in the crowd.
"Ahhhhh Ahhhhh Tomorrow comes!"
The finale ended in a loud crescendo and just as suddenly as it started the image disappeared as it transformed back into a wave of fire that spread throughout the Hall and out into the grounds. The fire passed harmlessly through everyone and as it did it seemed to fill them with a sense of comfort and power. All the people in the Great Hall were still in disbelief about what they had seen. Some were still weeping while others were cheering; some had begun to sing the song themselves and tried to match the scope and grandeur of what they heard.
Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. They looked at each other for a few seconds and then embraced each other in a group hug. It felt as though all the power and energy that had created the fiery image had been transferred out into all the people who had seen the phenomenon.
"I remember when Dumbledore once told me that to the well trained mind, death is nothing but the next big adventure," began Harry. "I think he was right."
"I think I get it now," said Ron, "Fawkes made us hear that first song because we needed to. We needed to feel sorrow for those we had lost, but he gave us that second one to show us that even in death there is triumph. Did you feel how grand and powerful that display was? I think Fawkes wanted us to see that even though they're dead these people are still alive."
"That song they sang was about standing up for what's right," commented Hermione, "everyone who fought today knew what might happen, but they choose to do it anyway because it was the right thing to do. I don't think any of them regret the decision regardless of what happened."
"Come on guys," called Harry, "I definitely need some rest. Tomorrow I want both of you with me I have a hard task ahead of me comforting the bereaved, but I think it got just a little bit easier."
The End
