The funeral of Albus Dumbledore proceeded with a great gathering of witches and wizards from all over the country, including a few foreign delegations as well. I stood with my family, Fawkes now perched on my shoulder where he had taken to following me wherever I went as if wanting the company of someone in the wake of his own loss. I felt for him, so I let him stay with me as much as he wanted, though he was starting to appear old and ragged, malting feathers falling from his breast as his vibrant scarlet red and gold had started to fade with age. He'll be reborn soon. I could tell.
Dad had his hand on my other shoulder whilst mum was next to me holding my hand, trembling and crying quietly but with a firm, resolute kind of expression on her face as if she didn't want to appear distraught, wanting to seem strong despite everything. Remus was on my dad's other side, holding hands with Tonks who once again had her vibrant pink hair, though as the emotion of the gathering began to get to her, it changed to a deep, royal blue. The Order were also in attendance, gathered around us and then there were the Weasleys, Bill up and about looking much better than he had done before.
My potion had worked, a variation of the Wolfsbane potion to decontaminate the venom from Greyback, leeching it out of the wounds and his bloodstream gradually so that the scars could be healed enough so that they were not so prominent. I could not make them disappear completely, but Madame Pomfrey had reduced them to faint, silvery lines with slight indentations of where he had been attacked, but at least he was just as handsome and recognisable as he had been before. I'd warned him that he was nowhere near recovered yet, that it would take time and he needed to drink various potions every day, but I brewed them all with the help of Professor Slughorn whom I had gotten to know since it was his stores I had been raiding for supplies. He thought my ability to be exemplary, and tried to invite me to join something called his 'Slug-Club', as Ginny and Harry called it.
I hadn't really gotten much time to talk to Harry, despite having gone a year without seeing each other, there was not much we could think to say. All of us were quieter now, still recovering from the horror of the events from that night, but that wasn't to say it had driven us apart. Quite the contrary, we were all even closer than we had been before. I was able to learn everything I had missed that year, mostly from Ron and Hermione, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Ginny and Harry had started dating each other, which made me extremely happy. Remus and Tonks, Ginny and Harry, our families really were becoming one.
It was a comfort. One of the few that we could cling to in such times. It was good to see so many people had arrived to pay their respects to Dumbledore, a great deal of students having also remained in order to witness the funeral, but I was furious to see none other than Umbridge herself in attendance, as well as Rita Skeeter. With a stony expression on my face, I drew out my wand discreetly and turned them both into toads. Dad, who had been the only one watching, snorted under his breath but covered his laugh with a cough and looked around innocently but sent me a wink as the two newly turned toads croaked in confusion, but no one paid them any mind. In fact, I'm fairly certain McGonagall actually sent them zooming away, pretending to not know who they were and no one else had noticed, too focused on the raised platform where a pale white tomb had been erected.
In a beautiful tribute to Dumbledore, the mer-people rose up from their underwater city in order to sing, filling the air with the perfect blend of sadness and beauty to intensify the emotions that were already being acutely felt by all those who had truly known and loved Dumbledore. It was Hagrid who carried the body of our headmaster, as it had been requested in his will that Hagrid lay him to rest. He was covered in a flowing length of purple velvet with gleaming stars. Now I was crying too, Fawkes cawing mournfully as I reached for dad's hand in order to hold it tightly, unable to believe that this was truly happening, that we were saying goodbye.
Now was the time for the eulogy, and although I listened, I felt that it didn't perfectly encompass all that Dumbledore was. It made no mention of his quirkiness and great liking for mischief, enjoying the antics that the twins and I often displayed. They said nothing of his odd sayings and kookiness, they way he would open every banquet feast with the most bizarre words anyone had ever heard. It just made me all the more aware of how little people actually knew him, and I wondered if any of us really did.
When the speech was over, the man who'd spoken sat down and after a few moments, Dumbledore's body became encased in pure white flames. Fawkes began to sing and cry, the lilting wail filling my heart and soul as I held my parents' hands, wondering if at the end of all this, I would still have both of them there with me. After the flames had disappeared and a white tomb now enclosed around Dumbledore's body, the funeral was at it's end, with a final tribute being made from the centaurs who had come to the edge of the forest in order to fire arrows into the sky. People began to rise and talk in a quiet, reverent murmur, and somebody eventually took pity on Umbridge and Skeeter, returning them to their usual selves, both of them croaking still as they tried to find out who had transfigured them.
Dad was talking to Remus and Tonks whilst mum and Leo were conversing with their own friends, many of whom they'd gone to school with, so I took this opportunity to slip away unnoticed. I walked away a little, intending to try and clear my head until I saw Harry at the lake with one Rufus Scrimgeour who was limping away from him with a rather angered expression on his face, returning to the Ministry delegation which included Percy, who was yet to fix things with his family. Lifting my shoulder slightly, I looked at Fawkes before all at once, he burst into flame. They licked at my face, casting themselves upon my hair but none of it burned though several people cried out around me, and as I quickly caught the now smouldering bird as it tumbled off my shoulder, I felt his ashes fill them until it passed over, the flames dying off and Fawkes's tiny head peeked out, reborn as a new chick.
Raising him to my face, Fawkes croaked weakly, eyes barely open but when I touched him to my cheek, I felt him nuzzle against me slightly before I then poured the ashes and baby phoenix into a little cauldron pot I'd brought with me just for this incident, allowing him to rest comfortably as I started towards Harry, Ron and Hermione, the latter two having raced over to him after seeing Scrimgeour, our new Minister of Magic, ambushing Harry. I got close enough in time to hear them talking, Hermione wanting to know what he'd wanted.
"Same as he wanted at Christmas. Wanted me to give him inside information on Dumbledore and be the Ministry's new poster boy." What? That had happened whilst I'd been away? Well not likely, I'll be having words with this new Minister of ours. A brief moment passed before Ron then turned to Hermione and his loud voice carried so I had no problem hearing it.
"Look, let me go back and hit Percy!"
"No."
"It'll make me feel better!"
"I think all of us would probably feel better if someone hit Percy." I announced my presence, carrying Fawkes in his little pot like cauldron beside me as I looked upon the three of them and recognised those expressions to mean that they were planning something. "Don't worry, it's only me. No need to look so nervous." I promised, joining them as they all relaxed. Hermione gave a long sigh then turned slightly in order to gaze up at the castle which stood proudly against the clear blue sky and cluster of tall pines around it.
"I can't bear the idea that we might never come back. How can Hogwarts close?"
"Maybe it won't. We're not in any more danger here than we are at home, are we? Everywhere is the same now. I'd even say Hogwarts is safer, there are more wizards inside to defend the place. What d'you reckon Harry?" Ron reasoned rather smartly, however Harry wasn't looking at Hogwarts, but gazing out over the lake.
"I'm not coming back even if it does reopen." I looked at him sharply, eyebrows pulling together at his announcement.
"I knew you were going to say that, but then what will you do?" Harry turned in order to look at us all as I surveyed the three of them, suspecting that they knew something that the rest of the world didn't. Harry didn't hide anything though on account of my presence, explaining exactly what he was going to do.
"I'm going to go back to the Dursleys' once more, because Dumbledore wanted me to, but it'll be a short visit, and then I'll be gone for good."
"What do you mean, Harry?" I asked him slowly, slightly confused as to what was going on. "Are you going into hiding? If you are then I can help you." Harry looked at me sadly, and then the entire, full story of the year that I had missed came spilling out, where he told me all about the lessons with Dumbledore and how he had learned about Horcruxes, which were objects imbued with parts of Voldemort's soul which was why he wouldn't be able to die even if someone tried to kill him. I listened with wide eyes full of shock and wonder, listening without speaking a single word as Harry then told me exactly what happened that night Dumbledore died, about the cave and the locket, about everything Dumbledore had asked him to do, which was to hunt down the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them.
Once he was finished, I remained silent for a long time afterwards, the quiet disturbed only by a light breeze rustling the distant treetops, the lapping of the lake upon the shore, and Fawkes cawing in his cauldron. "If you're going to try and stop me…"
"No." I answered quickly, knowing immediately that that was the last thing I wanted to do. "No Harry, I'm not going to try and stop you. Dumbledore clearly must have felt that this was a task that only you could accomplish, one that you needed to finish, since it all began with you, the final war. You need to do this, Harry, so I'm not going to stand in your way, but that doesn't mean I can't help you. If there's something I can do, you let me know, and I'll do it." I told him, reaching out my arms in order to hug him securely against me. "If this is how we stop Voldemort for good, then that's what we'll do. Where will you start?"
"I thought I might go back to Godric's Hollow. For me, it started there, all of it. I've just got a feeling I need to go there, and I can visit my parent's graves, I'd like that." He admitted as I then let him go, ruffling his hair lightly as I looked at him forlornly, reluctant to let him do this but feeling that it needed to be done. There was no way I could tell anyone else about this, dad would put Harry on lockdown and Molly would blow her nut if she found out.
"And then what?"
"Then I've got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes, haven't I? That's what he wanted me to do, that's why he told me all about them. If Dumbledore was right – and I'm sure he was – there are still four of them out there. I've got to find them and destroy them and then I've got to go after the seventh bit of Voldemort's soul, the bit that's still in his body, and I'm the one who's going to kill him, and if I meet Severus Snape along the way, so much the better for me, so much the worse for him." Harry finished simply, like that was all there was to it. Ron and Hermione remained silent, but they never once looked at each other, but continued to face Harry with unwavering loyalty and friendship as Ron finally spoke first.
"We'll be there Harry." He blinked at Ron, monetarily confused. "At your aunt and uncle's house, and then we'll go with you, wherever you're going."
"No." Harry immediately refused, making me roll my eyes at him.
"You said to us once before, that there was a time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?" Hermione reasoned cleverly as Harry just stared at the both of them.
"We're with you whatever happens, but mate, you're going to have to come round my mum and dad's house before we do anything else, even Godric's Hollow." Ron informed him and after seeing Harry's puzzled expression, he gave a broad grin. "Bill and Fleur's wedding, remember?" After Harry recovered, he agreed that he wouldn't miss it for the world so I slung my free arm around his shoulders, the other still carrying Fawkes which Hermione had just taken notice of and was now crooning over with avid fascination.
"Well then, it's settled. You'll be coming to the Burrow with the rest of us, so make sure to dust off your dress-robes, or have you out grown them? What am I saying? Of course you have. Don't worry, I'll make sure to get you some new ones ready for when you get there." Harry looked at me strangely before remarking that I had taken the news about Voldemort splitting his soul repeatedly and making himself practically immortal very well. "We have a plan, don't we? You three are going to go off Horcrux hunting, and I am going to help man the fort here. I would say I'd go with you, but I think you three mischief makers will do fine on your own. Besides, I can be of more use out here, searching for clues about the other items to send you information and also keep Voldemort off your back. There's so much that needs to be done now, the Order needs every wand it can get…but I'll make sure that if you need me, you'll have a way to contact me so I can help. Think of me as the cavalry, ready to bail you out of trouble at a moment's notice."
Giving Harry a squeeze and a kiss to his cheek, I had everyone return to the gathering in order to begin making preparations for getting the students home. I naturally fell back into the role of Head Girl, barking out orders and threatening to hex kids who misbehaved, much to my mother's horror and my dad's amusement. Soon we had everyone packed up and boarding the train before I then turned my wand on the defences of Hogwarts, helping to strengthen them as they had weakened considerably since Dumbledore's passing, and one of the first things we did was make sure to destroy the vanishing cabinet and have the Ministry seize the other in order to destroy that one too.
Then in the evening of twilight, I stood before the gates and looked back at Hogwarts, gazing upon the castle for one final time in order to reminisce. McGonagall had suggested that I continue to care for Fawkes, as he seemed to have taken to me more than anyone else, and she felt that it would have been what Dumbledore would have wanted, so I agreed. Orion might not be too happy that he would have to share a perch for a little while, but I was sure I could make it work. In any case, I couldn't go back to Grimmauld Place until Moody had arranged an investigation team to ensure that it had not been entered by Snape or anyone else before we could then place new wards and defensive spells over it.
Dad was going to stay with Remus for a while, though I don't think he was too bothered about having to leave the house behind. We spent most of our time in meetings with the Order, planning and discussing everything that needed to be taken care of, all the while still feeling the tragic loss of the one who had founded this organisation. Still, we vowed to carry on his work and would not rest until Voldemort was vanquished, and with Harry's words in my mind, I felt a little more comforted that perhaps that vision will soon become a blissful reality.