Honouring His Sacrifice
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any characters they belong to JK Rowling.
Author note: this piece was written for the long assignment 9 for Hogwarts House of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Prompt used: Archaeology: What A Find! Prompt: Shipwrecked!AU – Alt: Write about a physical tribute to something.
Warning: Mentions of character death
The rain soaked his skin the moment he arrived and the wind bit against him. He smelt the waves before he heard them crashing against the sand. Harry took out his wand. "Lumos," he said loudly. The tip of his wand lit up, giving him some light on the dark cold beach. Harry took a deep breath before he began his trek.
A little while later, the night was now complete darkness, and he was starting to get tired. He thought about stopping to light a fire but knew there was hardly any point since he would soon be at his final destination. Harry could still hear the waves in the background, this part of the land was peaceful and he knew they had made the right choice to move his body further away from the beach. He now had a better and peaceful resting place. Much more suitable for a fallen hero than the rushed burial they had given him while fleeing the war.
Harry noticed the red painted rock, which told him he only was getting closer to his target. The rain and wind had calmed as he walked further into the forest. The damp patches of his skin now replaced with sweat on his forehead as he sprinted faster. Suddenly, he saw the treeline and knew he was finally here. The pictures carved in the tree trunk was a giveaway, but when Hermione and Ginny proposed the idea, he didn't have the heart to say no to them.
The pictures of stars, socks, and-animals had faded into the wood over time. He briefly touched them as he passed, taking his gifts out of his pocket as he drew closer to the gravestone. He peered at the crystal and the brightly coloured sock. They had all come together the first few years, but Hermione and Ginny began to find it too difficult to continue doing. Ron had suggested that he come with him, but Harry had refused knowing that Ron was offering -simply out of friendship.
After it, was Harry that had the main connection to him and he had saved Harry's life multiple times, including the times he had almost killed him trying. He hadn't appreciated his efforts enough when he was alive and he felt he had to make it up to him even if it was in death. So every year on this day, Harry came here to honour his fallen friend. He even found himself talking to him sometimes if he felt he couldn't talk to others about his troubles.
Harry sat the stone and sock down upon the gravestone. He remembered all the times he had saw him, including the first time he had met the strange creature in Privet Drive all those years ago, he had found him so strange at the time. Over the years he would become a true friend and he defended Harry venomously to others. Sitting on the grass, Harry reached over to touch the cold stone.
"Hello Dobby, my old friend;" he said, a lump forming in his throat.
He missed his jubilant energy and he wished he hadn't seen him as such an annoyance at the time. He had become a true friend who sacrificed himself to save them so Harry honoured his memory as best he could. Setting the sock down among the weird collection of gifts that it accumulated over the years, Harry smiled and looked at the birds up in the tree. Here was the perfect peaceful resting place for the courageous fallen war hero who had paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Author note: Thank you to Aya Diefar for betaing this piece for me. Thank you for reading. Please read and review.