As they stood in front of the hall they could hear people talking, eating, and occasionally even a laugh or two. Harry looked at his closest friends, and stepped into the hall. As their feet hit the marble floor, a deafening silence rang through the hall and all faces turned to them. Slowly as the crowd realized who it was a steady applause rose. Causing all four teenagers to blush, and look around frantically to escape all the attention.
"You don't think they expect a speech do you?" whispered Harry to his friends, his voice laced with unease.
"Sorry mate but I think they do." Replied Ron happy to be right hand man.
"Merlin! What am I supposed to say?"
"Don't worry Harry it'll come to you. You just defeated the darkest wizard of all time, a speech should be easy." Said Hermione, her voice filled with nerves she was trying so hard not to convey.
Harry couldn't help but glare at her.
Slowly Ginny slipped her hands into his and gave it a squeeze, and a smile. He looked into her eyes, and nodded, the fear slowly ebbing away. They had arrived at the head of the hall, and slowly they turned around and faced the crowd. Everyone waited with anticipation, and quietly Harry James Potter the Boy-Who-Lived stepped up after a few moment where he wished that someone would say something, anything. But at last no one made any noise and he slowly began to speak.
"It's been along time since I had a peaceful night's sleep without fear or worry. I think we all know why." His attempt to lighten to mood failing he hesitantly continued "I want to thank all of you with all my heart for standing beside me, trusting me, and for fighting for what is just and right. I know we have suffered great losses, and I cannot imagine our lives without them. They gave their lives fighting for what they felt was right, and for that we all shall remember them all." Even though he had been through puberty a few years back, his voice cracked with emotion, but he still continued "However, now is the time for action, not for rest. I must ask you all to take action and look around. There are not just wizards here. Our friends helped us when we needed it the most, and now we must acknowledge their greatness. Set aside our differences and establish harmony throughout our world." He could practically feel Hermione beaming at him from his side. "I am sure our new Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt will take the initiative." Glad to transfer the spotlight to someone else, he quickly stepped aside, as Kingsley stepped up.
Harry heard Ron's "Hear Hear!" and everyone in the hall started to cheer; he was surprised as the rest that the words came out and he had managed to not screw up. Slowly as Kinglsey addressed the crowd, the group slowly made their way towards the Weasleys. In an instant Molly had grabbed them all in a hug, and had begun to weep.
They followed her into a side hall. There lay all the people that had lost their lives during the battle. Tears began to pour from Hermione's eyes and she wasn't the only one. When she saw Lupin, Tonks, and Fred her heart felt as though it had broken, and would never mend.
She numbly heard the conversations around. She thought she heard McGonagalltell the other professors that the student's parents had been alerted and the parents were coming to take their children home, those that survived and those who hadn't, but all that fought for what they believed.
She seemed frozen unable to do anything but watch and cry. She watched as Ginny hugged George who seemed to have gone into shock, after hours of crying. She watched as the rest of the Weasleys had formed a circle and stood above Fred's body weeping. Fleur was weeping into Bill's chest, and slowly Hermione stopped watching and grabbed Ron's hand and cried into his shoulder, while Harry joined the circle and wept with his family.
After what felt like years, they heard McGonagall hesitantly approach the mourning family. Her footsteps caused Harry to look at her and follow her eyes, to Lupin and Tonk's bodies. The sight of them seemed to have pushed Harry to the brink and without another word, he ran.
He ran until he saw the sunlight through the doors, and he kept running till he reached his destination. Then his legs refused to carry him another further, and he fell into a heap at the foot of the tomb, and continued to weep.
He wept till he thought he could weep no more. He barely noticed that now Hermione was holding him, and Ron had a hand on his shoulder. They wept on the foot of the tomb till all that was felt in them were dry sobs that echoed throughout the grounds.
Then slowly Harry rose, his body shook from the strain and he raised his wand and opened the tomb, and gently placed the Elder Wand where it belonged. Then before he could fall apart again, he quickly sealed it and returned to the ground.
They remained in that position till the sun seemed to be setting. While their eyes had gone dry their hearts spilt over with sadness. They only stood when the Mr. Weasley told them it was time to go home.
Molly wanted Fred to be buried at home, near the garden where he spent many hours laughing. Where she could watch over him still. So Harry, Hermione and the rest of the Weasley's bid everyone a somber farewell and floeed to the Burrow.
Not being able to look at Fred's fallen body any longer, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had decided to hold his funeral right away. As the sun set members of the Order, schoolmates, teammates, and many others slowly gathered. There was not a dry face among the crowd. Word had spread fast of the funeral and everyone came to pay his or her respects to Fred.
Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, Lee Jordan and Harry carried Fred's coffin from the house to the spot by the garden, while Molly, Ginny, Fleur and Hermione led the procession. Everyone shared a story about Fred, and then he was slowly lowered to his final resting place. Sobs carried throughout the garden and throughout out the village that lay near by, their grief stifling the summer air.
Hermione wished she could make all this pain go away. She couldn't imagine how any of them would ever be happy again. She looked at Ron, and she couldn't take all the pain that was radiating from his eyes. His once sparkling blue eyes and gone lifeless.
Harry saw Hermione about to fall apart and walked up to someone he thought of as a sister and hugged her. He held her till her crying ceased, and all there was left was dry sobs. She had cried out all her tears, but he knew she would produce more tomorrow.
They all eventually made their way back to the house. Everyone simply filed into the drawing room. Some of the guests murmured their goodbyes and departed. Others lingered supporting the family. No one spoke, no one moved, they all ended up falling asleep in the family room together.
The sun's blazing light summoned everyone from the slumber. Mrs. Weasley was the first to rise. Molly looked around her and tears started falling. Fred's absence was painfully apparent and her heart cried out in pain. Yet, she did what she had always done got up and went to work. The rest of the family only awoke when the smells of breakfast wafted to them.
Breakfast was a somber event but everyone did have seconds, since no one had dinner the night before. George was the first to leave the table, and there was no doubt where he was going. As hours ticked away, each of them found themselves in the Garden. They simply sat there staring, not being able to do much else.
Mr. Weasley was forced to leave their vigil when Kingsley showed up. After a short meeting Arthur informed them that Saint Mungos had sent over healers so they all could be checked over. They all realized that Kingsley had allowed them to come and check them at the Burrow so they would not have to leave Fred, not when none of them were ready.
One by one the healers treated them, and all had received the same advice several times, bed rest. Most had also been given Skele-Gro and the standard patching up of cuts and bruises. The healers had also left a rather large supply of Draught of Peace, and Draught of the Living Death.
Soon after the healers had left, there was another floo call. Mrs. Weasley called Harry into the drawing room, and yet again her similarity to her sister sent a shock through him.
There stood Andromeda Tonks, with a sleeping baby with black hair in her arms.
"Hello Mrs. Tonks." Harry greeted her, not even trying to hide the pain in his voice.
"Hello Harry, I know that my daughter and Remus made you Teddy's godfather, but seeing as how yourself are so young, I just wanted you to know that Teddy will be living with me." She said it all at once, like if she got through it fast, it would hurt less. "I would also like you to know that you are welcome to visit him anytime you want." There was another pause, and she forced herself to finish "it's going to be hard on all of us, but we will manage. My daughter loved Lupin very much, as much as you do. I know you will love Teddy just as much as you loved Lupin. " She finally let out a breath of air, and looked to him.
He did not know what to say, how could he even been to explain how much it all meant to him "I want to be there for him, like Sirius wanted to be for me."
"Right. Also, about the funeral, I know it's a tough thing to talk about, but….." A small sob escaped her body and she clutched her last link tighter.
Harry actually had given it some thought as he had sat by Fred's grave, "I want them to be buried in Godric's Hollow with my parents." He stated in a small whisper staring at the floor not being able to look at his godson.
She simply nodded and added "the sooner the better I feel, how about tomorrow?"
"Yes." With that she had stepped back into the fireplace, and Harry returned to his spot next to Hermione.
Most of the people that had attended Fred's funeral were there for Lupin and Tonks. All of Tonk's coworkers from the ministry were there as well. Several others were there from her father's side. They paid their respects and more stories were shared. Teddy even as an infant seemed to understand the pain, and his eyes a somber brown. His grandmother held him tight sobbing into a handkerchief.
Then their bodies were slowly lowered into the ground. Some how there were still empty plots next to James and Lily's, and Harry had requested that Lupin be buried one over from James, leaving an empty spot in between. He then raised a black marble tombstone right next to his fathers. It read "Here Lies Sirius Black a beloved Marauder and Godfather".
So there lay Lily, Prongs, Padfoot, and Moony, together again and forever. Those they loved, much like they had in life, surrounding them.