Chapter Ten
The Memorial
The funeral days had dragged by. Harry tried to keep himself to the Burrow the following weekend, resting and eating and trying not to pester Andromeda about Teddy nor worry about his future. Without a calendar, these days blurred together. He had lunch with Hagrid one afternoon. He had a meeting with all the new Aurors, which turned out to be another lunch.
Other than that, he found himself sleeping a lot more than he should be. He felt like a failure when he acknowledged his waste of time, regretting all the opportunities to find an apartment and plan a date with Ginny. She was almost never at the Burrow during those days. No doubt she was spending time with Luna and Neville. Ron took naps with Harry frequently, which was a comfort to him.
He was used to sharing tight quarters with three people. Ron's small bedroom felt too large when he was alone. The following Monday, they were awakened by a sharp tap on Ron's window. Both awoke with a start, aiming their wands towards the noise. As Harry was not wearing his glasses, his aim was far off.
"It's just Errol." Ron sighed, stomping heavily over to his window.
Harry yawned and put on his glasses. Ron came into focus, squinting at the address.
"It's to you, mate." Ron said, extending his long arm to hand Harry the envelope.
Harry tore it open and read aloud: "Dear Mr. Potter, the date for the memorial banquet is set for May fifteenth at 6 o'clock. We would be honored if you would deliver a speech to the invited. The dresscode is formal..."
He did not need to read further. He was rudely awakened by the request of giving a speech for a banquet. Harry stared at Ron with his eyes wide.
"I'm so glad that letter's not for me," Ron said, pulling it out of Harry's slackened grip to read the rest silently.
"A speech?" Harry croaked quietly, laying down on his bed again and closing his eyes, rubbing his face. "A speech?! How can I write a speech! I can hardly plan my meals - it's not funny, Ron!" He threw his pillow in the direction of Ron's chuckling.
Ron caught it, "Relax, Harry. It's not like it's required." He quoted the letter, "We would be honored if blah-blah-blah."
"I have to do it, Ron. It's what's expected of me. I can't say 'no'." Harry sighed, flipping over on his front before remembering he was wearing his glasses. "I'm an adult now. This is adult stuff. Auror stuff."
"Blimey, you're taking it well!" Ron teased. "Well, if the Sorting Hat can do it - and it doesn't even have hands to write with -"
"You're not helping, Ron." Harry grumbled into the mattress.
Ron patted Harry's head roughly as he exited his bedroom, "I'll go tell the others that the date's set. It's good to give Mum something to plan for. Distracts her, you know?"
Harry mumbled in agreement, not lifting his head till Ron shut the door. He spent the intervening days thinking of what to say rather than writing down much. He scrunched up and tossed yet another roll of parchment the morning of the memorial service and ringed his hair, heart pounding. He was alone in Ron's bedroom but for Crookshanks playing with the half dozen balls of parchment. The sound of them scratching across the floor and Crookshanks's loud paw-falls irritated Harry.
He had one roll left and he stared it down resentfully. He glared at the door when a knock came.
"Harry!" Ron called out to him. "We're having breakfast."
"I'll be down soon," Harry lied.
"... Okay." Ron responded doubtfully.
Ron was the last person Harry spoke to while he was writing. Harry stayed in Ron's bedroom till it was time to leave for the Ministry. He finally had a stroke of inspiration and managed a whole roll of parchment written and all on an empty stomach. There was no time to shave or pretty himself up much. A tailored suit was delivered to him, free of charge.
He suspected that the rest of his friends had been gifted gowns as well. His suit lengthened and tightened wherever needed automatically. Harry came downstairs, securing his scroll in a inside pocket of his dress jacket. Hermione and Ron were standing together and Harry's eyes rested on Ginny. She was wearing a floor length lilac dress that shimmered at her slightest movement.
Her long hair was pulled up in a braided bun. She smiled at him. Before Harry could greet her, he was distracted by a cooing sound. He was drawn to the sound, coming from the kitchen. There he found Andromeda giving Teddy a bottle. All the tension Harry had been feeling, even his hunger, was forgotten.
She saw Harry and sighed, "Oh, good. Harry, could you take over for a moment? I need the loo."
"Of course!" Harry chuckled.
When Harry tried to give Teddy the bottle, the baby turned his face away and fussed. Harry then smelled something foul and Teddy's face screwed up in despair. Then he started to scream.
"I think he needs his nappy changed." Ginny said from behind him, startling him.
He grinned when he saw who it was. He fished around inside Andromeda's baby bag, extracting a fresh nappy, wipes, and baby powder.
Rolling out the mat to lay Teddy on, Harry shrugged to Ginny in bravado, "How hard can it be?"
When it was all said and done, Harry thought the anticipation of it was worse than the actual thing. But he hoped his gag reflex would get stronger. Ginny remained well away but watched him struggle, pinching her nose closed. Teddy squirmed on the changing mat and Harry tried his best to hold him down gently while depositing the dirty nappy in the garbage can.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Harry accused of Teddy, without drawing breath.
Teddy gazed up at him, just blinking away. Harry wiped his little bum, flecked on some powder, dressed him a fresh nappy and pulled his pants up.
"There, that wasn't so bad. Was it? Aw, don't be sad. You're all clean again." Harry smiled encouragingly down at Teddy.
"Wait till he's eating solids." Ginny teased, coming closer. "I reckon he likes you."
He beamed at Ginny, "Isn't he brilliant?"
"Yeah," Ginny agreed, standing by his side. "Hello, Teddy. Remember me? Ginny."
Harry looked up to see Andromeda had been watching.
"Have you changed a nappy before, Harry?"
Harry shook his head, "I've seen it done on TV and in movies before."
Andromeda grinned, "Not as easy as it looked with actors?"
Harry chuckled, "You don't get to smell it when it's happening onscreen."
They all laughed at that. Andromeda looked surprised that she could laugh and stopped shortly after. Harry scooped Teddy up and rocked him gently, holding him securely against his chest.
"There, there. Here's your Mumma-T." Harry cooed at Teddy as he passed him to Andromeda so that he could clean his hands.
He had asked Ginny out days ago and they were finally alone together.
"Where have you been?" He asked her, feeling rather intimidated by her beauty.
Ginny shrugged, "Oh, places. Gwenogg Jones wanted to meet with me."
"Huh." said Harry, without hearing her correctly. "You look b-"
"Time to go!" Mrs. Weasley called over him. "The cars have arrived."
They filed into the waiting Ministry cars, Harry ending up in a one with only Percy, Charlie, Hermione, and Ron. Hermione was wearing a burgundy and bronze dress. Her hair was in long curls. Ron was so clearly smitten with her, Harry could be fooled into believing they were all going to a dance party rather than a banquet to honor the dead. That he didn't have a speech to deliver.
Once inside the Ministry, they were escorted to a cavernous hall. They met no photographers but Harry was dismayed to see that Rita Skeeter had been allowed in. The room was filled with small circular tables with seats assigned by name plates on the back. His name was at a table closest to the stage with a podium. He gulped when he looked out at how many people would have their eyes on him.
He tried to distract himself by admiring the decorations. There were many historical tapestries hanging on the walls and a single beautiful chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.
"Do you have your speech ready, Harry?" Hermione checked, touching his elbow.
Harry tried to smile but he couldn't fool her, "What if I get ill?"
"Want to take something for your nerves?" She suggested, riffling through her purse.
"Good idea," said Harry, snatching up the beverage menu at the center of the table by the vase of flowers; he said to his tall glass, "Jameson on the rocks."
"Not quite what I had in mind," Hermione narrowed her eyes at the magically-filling glass, stowing away a tiny bottle. "At least eat something with that. You're too skinny."
Hermione pointed over at the long buffet table on the opposite side of the hall from the stage. Harry left them while the hall steadily filled with guests. They had varying degrees of injuries in the process of healing. Some were heavily bandaged, on crutches, or in wheelchairs. He waved at Luna and Neville with their families.
He saw many fellow students. Most were dressed in their best semi-formal. It was clear that not everyone had been delivered expensive gowns. Upon reaching the buffet, Harry saw that there was tiny sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, and a selection of cakes on decorative platters. There were also crumpets and tarts.
He ate a sandwich and was sipping his alcoholic beverage when Minister Kingsley approached him.
"I wanted to catch you before the ceremony begins." Kingsley began. "There is a reward I wanted to give to you privately, personally."
Harry wondered what it could possibly be, "Oh?"
"I assume that you have nowhere to live now that the enchantment has broken on Number 4 Privet Drive."
"I'm staying with the Weasleys, sir. But that won't be a permanent arrangement." Harry added.
"Certainly." Kingsley concurred. "You are a wizard with more responsibilities than most eighteen year olds. I wondered if Dumbledore would have advised you where to go after the war?"
Harry raised his brows and shook his head, "We did not speak much of the future, Minister. We were working too hard to make sure there still could be one at all."
"Of course." replied the Minister. "And the protective charms set over Grimmauld Place have been broken. There's nothing else for it - As part of our gratitude to your sacrifice and to make your recovery from the previous year smoother, on behalf of the Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding World, I am here to offer you a cottage in the countryside."
Though Harry had figured out where the conversation had been headed, he still needed a moment to process what he was hearing. A cottage all to himself? As a reward? He felt slightly embarrassed. The higher-ups of the Ministry did not think him mature enough to find a place on his own, Harry inferred.
But, that was not how Kingsley was putting it. He was only trying to help Harry.
"Oh, sir." Harry finally got out. "I don't know what to say. That is incredibly generous."
He imagined how Andromeda would react to such a development. Certainly she did not expect him to already have two of his to-do list items done not even weeks later? A cottage was better than renting a flat. This was certainly a subject to take his mind off his speech.
"It has been be outfitted with the best protective enchantments and all pests have been exterminated." Kingsley assured Harry.
"Where is it?" Harry asked curiously.
Kingsley raised a brow impressively, "Near the town of Nailsworth in Gloucestershire."
Harry took another sip, wondering if he should take the offer. He gazed over at his godson. Ginny was playing with his foot while he laid in Andromeda's arms. If he took the cottage, that would leave over that much more money to help Andromeda out with Teddy. He could start a Hogwarts tuition fund for Teddy and buy anything he'd need to take care of him. If he got a flat on his own, he'd have to wait a long time before being able to afford it.
A cottage in the somber English countryside sounded so much better than a flat in noisy London ...
"Thank you, Minister." Harry extended his hand and Kingsley shook it. "I am so pleased to have your help."
"Oh, do not take this as charity, Mr. Potter." Kingsley shook his head. "This is purely a reward for a well-deserved break. You can move in whenever you wish to. Just say Potter Cottage Nailsworth with your floo powder. Here are your keys."
Kingsley handed Harry the brass keys to his first house. Harry felt a wave of relief rush over him and a buzz of excitement that the Jameson could not take credit for. He could not wait to share the great news. He shook Kingsley's hand again unnecessarily. The Minister departed, clearly pleased, and Harry returned to his table for the celebratory supper.
A tall woman walked up to the podium just as Harry was sitting down. She pointed her wand at her throat.
"Welcome to the memorial ceremony. This is a banquet to eulogize the fallen and to celebrate the end to the Second Wizarding War. Please, have a seat and enjoy your meal. You are in for quite a show tonight!"
Harry saw that there was fish pie, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, beef wellington, duck breast with gooseberry sauce, and poached salmon with dill cream sauce being served on the menu. All he had to do was state the meal he wanted and it would materialize on his platter. He ate as much as his nerves would allow. Harry first showed the keys to Ron and Hermione, whom were seated on either side of him. Ginny was seated across from him, talking to her brothers.
"Wow, Harry. You accepted it?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.
Harry furrowed his brows, "What - did Kingsley offer you a place to live, too?"
"Yeah, but my parents were right there with me when he offered. It was a couple days ago. He wanted to see you, Harry. But he understood that you were resting. The look on my mum's face ... about me leaving ... I had to say 'no'." Ron replied.
"Hermione?" Harry turned to her.
"It makes sense for you to take it, Harry. You need a place for Teddy." Hermione said, patting his arm. "I told the Minister about my plans to go to Hogwarts. He told me that he would offer it to me again once I graduated."
"He's very generous," Ron raised his brows in awe.
"You are eighteen, Ron." Hermione reminded him. "Your mum would have understood you leaving the nest at some point."
"Does that point have to be now? I don't want to be responsible for the death of my own mother." Ron joked darkly.
"Oh, Ron!" Hermione chastised him.
Harry laughed at their bickering. He looked down when a finger tapped his elbow, expecting a child. It was a house elf whom he had not met before.
"Mr. Harry Potter, it's almost speech time." said the elf in a carrying whisper. "Follow Scaley up behind the curtains, Mr. Harry Potter."
He had not had the chance to tell Ginny about the cottage yet. But, Harry got to his feet and instantly felt hundreds of eyes on him. He followed the elf, weaving between tables and disappearing behind the curtain with him. Harry finished his glass and set it on the ground without thought. Scaley took the glass and vanished.
"Please give a round of applause to a man I need not give name to: Mr. Harry James Potter!" announced the tall woman, turning to cue Harry to take the podium.
Harry swallowed hard and ventured out from behind the curtain. His eyes were bombarded with flashing cameras from the crowd. He thought he saw Mrs. Weasley taking a photo of him.
"On the morning of May 2nd, 1998 ... along with the help of many friends and strangers alike, I helped to destroy Tom Riddle Jr.. Most of you referred to him as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who. My close friends, Fred and George, preferred You-Know-Poo." Harry blushed and braced himself for the lack of response.
However, he got the opposite and what he had hoped for. Indeed, he had to wait a while for the crowd to quit laughing. He gazed in the direction of where the Weasleys and Andromeda were seated and saw Ginny laughing behind her hand. Her eyes looked glassy, like she felt teary.
Harry continued, "Riddle spread his hatred to all corners of the earth, most especially here in our home of Great Britain. He infected many lives, including my own. Despite persecution at the hands of the powerful, Albus Dumbledore persevered to destroy Riddle once and for all. He died making that dream become a reality. There were two whom had been sucked into the Pure-Blood idealogy but turned away: Regulus Black, brother of Sirius - a man wrongfully accused of murder and whom died rescuing me.
"Regulus, a former death eater, died in the hopes of ensuring Riddle's destruction. Severus Snape, a man who taught me for six years but I still never truly knew, devoted his life to the good side before Riddle fell the first time. I was willing to lay down my life so that you all could have the chance to destroy Riddle. But I never would have made it to that point without my best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Not without the efforts of Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom along with many Hogwarts students to not make the Deatheaters jobs easy while they 'taught' at Hogwarts.
"I am blessed to have been given a second chance. We all are. We may now breathe at last and rejoice. Our world may have been saved and many aspects must be repaired. However, we cannot progress without change.
"Muggle-Borns and the creatures we share our world with have endured thousands of years of discrimination and criminalization. While we rejoice and celebrate our victory, we must prepare for the challenges ahead. We must teach our children about equality, for they are the leaders of our future. It may take time to reach this future, but it's time we didn't know we'd have. Now it is here.
"And we will not disappoint those who have sacrificed to get it back. There are no words to describe this feeling. To our new beginning!"
Harry punched the air with his wand, spraying golden sparks, and there was a tremendous applause. Everyone who was able to, got to their feet enthusiastically. The house elves were cheering as well as the goblins. He was pleasantly surprised at the latter. Harry stepped down from the podium and returned to his seat, shaking many hands along the way.
So much so that his hand felt cramped by the time he sat down.
Kingsley took Harry's place at the podium, "Now, please stay seated while we pay tribute to the Defenders of Hogwarts whom could not rejoin their families and friends. Warning, there will be flashing lights and sudden sounds."
As the lights dimmed to darkness, Harry heard the sound of a few charms being set here and there for those who would be bothered by the lights and sounds.
"That's good of Kingsley to warn them. Many people in here might have P-T-S-D." Hermione whispered across Harry to Ron.
(Writer Note: I listened to "Earth Light" by Louis Viallet while thinking of the ceremony)
Harry heard a piano playing and he looked up to see the ceiling transform into a beautiful starry night sky. Clouds blocked out the stars as violins joined the piano. With horns joining, enchanted doves with long tails flew overhead till drums banged, gaining momentum. There was a flash of light and the clouds transformed into photos of the dead, enlarged so that all could see them clearly. Below the faces were the names and accomplishments.
There were many dozens of photographs. Harry knew too many of the occupants personally. He sighed at the spectacle, feeling somewhat of a release at last. He would still mourn the dead, but he felt like this was a fitting way to say goodbye. The presentation finished with a flourish and the lights came back on.
Harry could hear the echoes of many crying softly into handkerchiefs. He had been moved by the presentation as well, dabbing his tears away with his napkin. He reached to stroke Teddy's tiny fist before standing up to find Ginny. Desert was being served, the menus replacing on their own. Luckily, he found her alone at the end of the buffet beside a towering aspidistra.
"I didn't get a chance to tell you how beautiful you look this evening." Harry said as he approached her from behind.
Ginny spun around and, upon meeting his eyes, she beamed, "You clean up well yourself, Mr. Harry James Potter."
"Don't tease." Harry joked, laughing with her. "It took me forever to write that speech."
"It really paid off, Harry. I thought it was really beautiful," Ginny complimented him. "I can tell a lot of people were touched. Who knew you had such a way with words?"
"I dunno," Harry smirked. "I did once convince you to go out with me."
Ginny's face seemed to freeze for a second. Then she looked away from him, her eyes thoughtful and she tenderly bit her lip.
"Harry, there are so many things I've been through. A lot of things that were important to me before just ... aren't now."
Ginny looked at him while he turned his face away. That was it. She did not want to be in a relationship, Harry inferred.
"But, I do know one thing." She continued and Harry met her eyes, "I hate being alone."
Then she wrapped her arms about him snuggly, pressing her body close to his behind the aspidistra. Harry tucked her head underneath his chin and they embraced in their dark corner. Her ear was near his heart; he hoped the sound of it beating brought her some comfort. Suddenly, the cottage seemed like the worst idea ever. At least, he could not move out now.
He wanted to be with Ginny however long he could, as a couple or as friends, whatever her plans were - if there were any at all. They held together silently and Harry stroked her back while she rubbed his. Suddenly, there was a commotion at the entrance and they parted.
"What's happening?" Ginny asked Harry, as he was much taller than her. "Harry, talk to me."
He narrowed his eyes at the intruders. They appeared to be holding up many picket signs. Whatever was written on them, it did not please the Defenders of Hogwarts. Without answering, Harry held her hand and they slid through the crowd. The closer Harry got to the intruders, the worse the signs got.
The intruders consisted of about a dozen witches and wizards. They were shouting incoherently. But all eyes were on their signs. Among them read:
'Muggles Doom Wizarding World',
'Aurors Curse Government'
'Kingsley Is A Fraud'
'Keep Dementors'
'Potter Is Our New Leader'.
Harry's teeth clenched together when he read the last one. He decided not to read the rest. It was a struggle to overcome his urge to blast them all away. How dare they say such things and here of all places. His eyes burned with rage.
"You are trespassing on government property." Harry said after aiming his wand at his throat so that his voice amplified. "And disturbing a private ceremony in honor of the dead Defenders of Hogwarts. Lay your signs down and drop your wands. Refuse and you'll be arrested."
Harry would have been impressed by his own natural sense of authority if he were not so infuriated. He was startled as a jet of fire consumed the sign reading 'Thank Merlin for Dead Phoenix Soldiers'. When Harry turned around, he saw that most that remained had their wands aimed at it. But Ginny's was the one that was smoking at the tip.
"You could've burnt me alive!" Exclaimed the wizard who had been holding it.
Ginny shouted back, "And I'd have done the world a favor!"
Harry held up his hand and looked over his shoulder at her. After a moment, she lowered her wand. He did not want to escalate the tension. Ron, Neville, and the other Aurors stepped to Harry's side. Ron restrained the wizard with no restraint on his part.
"OW! This is wrong! Potter, you defeated the Dark Lord! You are his replacement! You will all see!" screamed the wizard.
He exclaimed in pain when Ron twisted his arm and aimed his wand at the back of the man's head, "Silencio!"
The man could no longer speak. Kingsley made his way through the furious crowd, passing an excited Rita Skeeter, and handed Harry a cluster of handcuffs. Harry nodded up at the Minister and divided them amongst the Aurors. They went about chaining the trespassers and lead them to the jail cells on the Auror's floor. Turning away from his last trespasser, Harry massaged his temple.
Ron gasped, "Harry, what's wrong? Your scar? It shouldn't be burning anymore -!"
"Relax, Ron. It's only a headache." Harry assured his best friend. "A normal one. Probably from all the flashing lights."
"Or their stupidity!" Neville spat at the foot of one of the protesters he arrested. "Damn Pure Blood ideology!"
Harry chuckled weakly and followed them back to the ceremonial hall. It was much emptier than when they had left it. Ginny, Hermione, and Luna were sitting at a table, talking to each other in hushed voices. Ginny practically leapt to her feet when she saw Harry coming and she hugged him harder than he would have preferred. But, he hugged her back anyway.