Chapter 37 – The Eulogy:
Harry went into the next room to tell Cedric that his mother was all right, but that his Aunt Lily was no longer with them. While Cedric was very disappointed to hear the news about the aunt that he had just grown to admire and like, he looked extremely relieved to know that it was his aunt who had died and not his mother, whom he had always loved, adored, and respected.
After what seemed like hours, Jaime came through the door. She was no longer wearing her cloak and Harry guessed that she must have covered Lily's body with it. But, she looked absolutely miserable and devastated. There was no color in her face; even her freckles had gone so pale that they were not noticeable. The only color that was showing in her face were her red, puffy, bloodshot eyes that were clearly from crying for a long time. When she walked through the door and saw Harry sitting there, waiting for her, she charged towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a much needed embrace. At first startled, Harry hugged her back and let her continue to cry into his shoulder.
"What the hell happened?" she asked through her sobs. Harry explained how Pelton Nott had killed her via Killing Curse and how Lily had used an undiscovered branch of magic to bring Jaime back to life, but how death did not like to be cheated and how a sacrifice needed to be made; and how Lily had sacrificed her life so that Jaime could live.
"She actually did it," whispered Jaime, more to herself than to Harry. Harry pulled away from her and looked his daughter square in the eye.
"Did what? What do you mean?"
"Right before Lionel came for me, Lily and I were on the verge of discovering how to bring witches and wizards back from the dead," explained Jaime. "I wasn't crazy about the idea. But, it was a branch of magic that had gone untapped so I was curious."
"If you were on the verge, then why are you so surprised that she discovered it?" asked Harry curiously.
"Because I was the one who wanted to discover how to do it," explained Jaime, sounding almost ashamed. "To be honest, Lily was a bit creeped out by the idea of bringing back the dead. I think the only reason she went along with it was because she thought it would make her more powerful. After all, no other witch or wizard had ever done something like this before; or even gotten close to this kind of discovery. I thought once I was out of the picture, she'd stop exploring this kind of magic."
"But, she did anyway," said Harry, almost finishing her sentence. "Why?"
"To make herself even more powerful, of course," said Jaime, sounding bitter. Though she felt guilt, speaking ill of the dead. She was speaking ill of someone who had not only saved her life, but someone who had actually sacrificed herself for Jaime.
"You underestimate Lily's heart, Jaime," said Harry. "I think she may have learned it because she knew that her followers may try to hurt you and learned it so that one day, in case she ever needed to, she could protect you."
"I don't know," whispered Jaime, biting her lip. "What are we going to do about this, Harry? There is magic that can reawaken the dead! Do you know what will happen if the wizarding world were to find out about this spell?"
"There would be anarchy," mumbled Harry, feeling disturbed. "Witches and wizards would be killing one another, or 'sacrificing,' just to bring loved ones back."
"Exactly…" said Jaime, staring off into space. "Maybe…maybe we don't have to tell anyone?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.
"You think we shouldn't tell anyone about the spell that Lily used to reawaken the dead?" asked Harry curiously.
Jaime nodded. "I thought it was an interesting area of magic to explore when I was younger," she started. "Now that I'm older, I consider it…almost unnatural and that the dead should remain as is."
"It is unnatural," agreed Harry, nodding. "I agree. We should take the knowledge of the spell to the grave."
"Good!" said Jaime, letting out a sigh of relief. "But, there is something I want to clear up: I want Cedric and Ginny to always think of their aunt in a good light. I want them both to know, especially Cedric, that Lily saved my life. He just doesn't need to know the details."
"Won't he remember?" asked Harry curiously.
"He's only six," said Jaime, shaking her head. "If we plant the idea that she simply saved my life from Lily's followers; that Lily defended and protected me, then that is what he will believe. And that is what he and we will always tell Ginny."
"Absolutely," said Harry, nodding in agreement. "C'mon…let's go check up on your son. He's been through a lot and he's dying to see you. He was so worried about you."
Tears welled up in Jaime's eyes at the mention of her son and she nodded before looking up at her father with tired, sad, desperate eyes. "What about Lily? What do we do with the body?"
"We take her home," said Harry, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into a tight, comforting embrace. "We give her a proper burial."
"Will the Ministry allow it?" asked Jaime, uncertainly.
"Not to sound arrogant," started Harry, "but I'm Harry Bloody Potter. If I say that my daughter gets a proper funeral, no matter what she has done in the past, then my daughter will get a proper funeral."
To his surprise, for the first time in several days, Jaime beamed. It made Harry feel lighter because he made him feel happy that Jaime wanted to give her twin sister the proper burial that she deserved.
Four days later, and after several trials and arguments between Harry, Jaime, and the Ministry of Magic, they were finally able to have a proper funeral and burial for Lily Ginevra Potter.
Only immediate family attended the funeral: Jaime, Harry, Lionel, Cedric, Ginny, and all of the Weasleys, their spouses, and their children. To be honest, no one else really wanted to attend the funeral, considering Lily's past and all of the people that she had hurt, threatened, blackmailed, and murdered throughout her short life. History may one day consider her worse than both Grindelwald and Voldemort. But, Harry explained to the family and the Ministry of Magic that Lily had saved Jaime's life by protecting her from her followers and getting killed by them in the process. When Jaime confirmed this, Harry suspected that the only reason that they were allowed to give Lily a proper funeral and burial was because of this fact. That, her last choice in life had been the best one she could have made.
Jaime, of course, was set to give the eulogy. But, to be honest, she had no idea what she was going to say in her sister's memory. Yes, Lily had been her twin sister and they grew up together and loved each other dearly, but that did not change the fact that Lily was considered one of the Darkest Witches of all time.
Nervous and sweating, Jaime walked up to the solid, oak podium, which was standing behind the coffin that contained Lily's body. For a moment, she felt guilty because she was not sure what she was going to say. How do you find something nice to say about the Darkest Witch of all time? Then again, how can she not say something positive about her twin sister; the twin sister who sacrificed her life for her? The same twin sister who was always loyal to her and then doted on and spoiled her nephew?
Then, it hit her. Jaime knew that it was best to just be honest…to be honest on how she truly felt about Lily.
"Anyone who has been alive in the past decade knows that this is probably the most difficult eulogy that anyone would have to give," started Jaime, smiling slightly. Other people in the audience grinned as well, knowing there was a lot of truth to that statement. "Today, we are here to celebrate the memory of Lily Ginevra Potter." There was a long pause as all eyes in the audience stared directly at her face. To her immense surprise, but relief, they were not all dry eyes. Harry's eyes were red and puffy from the constant crying he had been doing over the past few weeks. Hermione was sobbing hysterically into Ron's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her in a comforting manner. Everyone else was not crying, but there was a definite sadness in their eyes and a heavy glumness in the air.
"I think it's safe to say that Lily was a far from perfect person," continued Jaime, a lump forming in her throat. She expected to hear a murmur of agreement from the audience, but they remained silent. Jaime felt relief, knowing that while they may have not liked Lily in her lifetime, they were respecting her in death. "And she did not lead a perfect life. She was born in London, England to Harry and Ginevra Potter…twin sister to me, Jaime Ginevra Potter. She had many aunts, uncles, and cousins but if I were to name them all, we'd be here until next week. But, those who matter, are all here today." There were some chuckles from the Weasley clan, knowing and understanding that they were a big group.
"While Lily was not perfect, she certainly had qualities that made her worthwhile and a wonderful person," said Jaime, the lump growing bigger and bigger. "No one could deny her loyalty to those she loved. Even in her darkest hours and against those who aided her, she protected her twin sister from being attacked, claiming that blood runs thicker than water. But, what I think she meant was, her family and those she loved were more important than her friends. When she met her nephew, Cedric, she completely doted on him; spoiling him and protecting him. There was no doubt that she loved him and she showed it the best way possible.
"That was the thing about Lily," continued Jaime, her voice now shaking due to the lump that was growing and growing. "She loved with all of her heart, but maybe she did not know how to fully show it. In fact, I know she didn't. But, when it came down to it, she always put them first and foremost. I know this…because…if Lily did not put those she loved first and foremost, I would not be here today. My husband would not have a wife; my children would not have a mother." At this point, there was no stopping them; the lump had now forced the tears to flow out of Jaime's eyes and down her face.
"Lily had her flaws, yes, but she gave up her own life so that I could continue to live mine. There is no better quality that a person could have," said Jaime, her voice becoming stronger. "To put their loved ones in front of one's self is…such a rare quality. And I know that there was a special place in my heart for Lily Potter…as she will remain in all of your's. I will always see her in my son, Cedric and my daughter Ginny because without Lily Potter, I would have never been able to see my children grow up. And I hope that all of you see a bit of her in yourselves as well; the power to sacrifice yourself for the ones you love. There is no greater love than that it dwelled within the so-called Darkest Witch of all time."
With those words, renouncing Lily's title as the Darkest Witch of all time and reclaiming her as a person who could love just as deeply as anyone else in the room, Jaime stepped down from the podium and took a seat between her father and her husband, who was holding her daughter comfortably in his lap. The tears were still flowing freely out of her eyes and down her cheeks. From her left side, she felt Harry grab her hand and held it tightly and comfortingly in his own. Just by that simple gesture, Jaime knew that he was proud of her eulogy and knew that she had truly honored Lily's memory the best way she possibly could.
When the funeral was over, Lionel had taken Cedric and Ginny back home. They had a lot of packing to do considering that they were moving out of their home and into a small cottage in Hogsmeade; an easy commute for Jaime and her job, since she would continue her post as Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts. Instead of going home, Jaime decided to go back to Harry's flat in London. They both knew that they still had some things to discuss.
Long before the funeral, both Harry and Jaime had decided to keep Lily's newfound power of reawakening the dead a secret between the two of them and they both vowed to take that secret to the grave. They both knew that it would cause absolute anarchy and chaos throughout the wizarding world.
But, Jaime was still depressed and confused over what had happened to Lily and there was no other person she wanted to talk about it with other than Harry. She did not want to talk about with Lynn, Lionel, or any other of her friends and family. Deep down, Jaime knew that only Harry would understand or appreciate her confusion, her depression, and her complete and utter sadness. He understood so much so that he did not look the least bit surprised when he saw his daughter standing on his doorstep, looking glum and lost.
"A cup of tea?" Harry asked, stepping aside to allow her to come in. Jaime merely nodded and stepped in and allowed herself to sit down on the sofa as he went into the kitchen, waving his wand to get the tea. As they sit there, sipping their drinks silently, Harry waited patiently for his daughter to come to terms with her confusion and allowed her time to talk about what she seemed to need to talk about. He had no idea what it was, but he knew that something was bothering her. Finally, Jaime took a deep breath and asked the question she had been dying to ask ever since she had found out that Lily had sacrificed her life for her.
"Dad?"
"Hm?"
"What about the prophecy?"
Whatever Harry was expecting Jaime to ask about, it certainly was not that. He gently placed his tea on the coffee table and raised a curious eyebrow at his daughter. "What about it?"
"I suppose I'm confused by it," started Jaime timidly. Harry nodded, urging for her to continue. "It…it never came true. Lily and I were supposed to destroy one another and instead, she ends up expressing her love for me in ways I didn't think she was capable of. Why was there a prophecy made if wasn't going to come true?"
Harry shook his head and placed a comforting hand a top of his daughter's white, shaking ones. "Your Aunt Hermione always said that Divination was always a very woolly subject and I hate to say it, but I agree with her. In other cases, I think it is a subject that requires a great deal of insight and symbolism.
"Jaime, the prophecy didcome true," continued Harry, looking right into Jaime's emerald depths. Jaime looked at her father, wide-eyed.
"It did?" she asked in a breathless voice. Harry nodded. "But…how…?"
"The prophecy said that only the light could destroy the darkness," explained Harry, his voice sounding both gentle and urgent. It was clear that he desperately wanted Jaime to understand that Divinations is not an art where you listen to the words in a literal sense, but something that needs to be interpreted and thought about it. "Jaime, you were the only light of Lily's life…the only person that she ever loved. And because her love for you never dimmed…therefore the light never dimmed…it destroyed her. It destroyed her because she was willing to sacrifice herself so that that light could keep on shining."
At first, Jaime did not say anything. She merely looked out the window and let her father's words sink in. She did understand because in a way, she had destroyed Lily. Lily's love for Jaime is what, in the end, had caused her death. The prophecy had been fulfilled, but not in the way any of them had expected. They all assumed that either Jaime would kill Lily out of hate or anger, or Lily would kill Jaime out of hate or anger.
Jaime also decided that maybe the prophecy and Harry's interpretation of it was irrelevant altogether. Maybe he needed to make an interpretation to help himself deal with the pain of losing a child; a child who never returned his love and a child whom he truly did not know as a person. But, Jaime decided, to deal with her own pain over losing her twin sister, a sister who did return her love and whom she did know as a person, to believe that some stupid prophecies or our abilities or our blood…they do not make us who we truly are; it is the choices that we make.
Jaime knew that for the rest of her life she would take those words of wisdom and carry with them with her, deep within her heart and memory of Lily, for the rest of her life. And they would continue to be carried long after she died because the one thing she made sure that Cedric and Ginny knew when they grew up was that it was the choices they made that truly made them who they were.
And it was the Darkest Witch of all time who had taught Jaime one of the greatest lessons she would ever learn.
It also made Jaime think, 'if it is the choices that make us who we are, and Lily made a choice to sacrifice herself for a loved one, then that made Lily Ginevra Potter one of the greatest, most bravest witch that I have ever known.'
And until Jaime's dying day, she made sure that the wizarding world knew that about Lily Ginevra Potter.
A note from the Jitterbelle. That is the final chapter of "The Heir's Revenge." I should have the epilogue up shortly. Please enjoy and please don't forget to review as they are greatly appreciated, as are you, my readers! Thanks again to those who have and who do review!