A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters
This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Assignment #9 Archaeology Task #4: Terracotta Army: The Terracotta Army is a mesmerising collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. It's an example of funerary art made with the symbolic intention of protecting the emperor in his afterlife.
Prompt: Soldier!AU - Alt: Write about a funeral
Word Count: 318
Warning: Canon character death
He sees them all standing there,
heads bowed in reverence.
Everyone has come,
or remained,
the train from the school delayed
so everyone could say their
final good byes.
He wants to laugh, scoff
at their ignorance.
He shouldn't be here,
he was the one who had been
holding the wand after all.
He'd been the one who cast the
spell, the killing spell,
causing their beloved leader
to fall.
A white marble casket,
a crowd of sobbing followers,
sheep blinding believing him
to be their faultless master.
He could speak, break the
tearful silence.
He could speak,
admit the truth
behind what seemed
a senseless act of violence,
but instead, he keeps watching.
No one knows he's here,
no one should know he's here.
Appearances are important.
He was the one who killed
the man,
although on whose orders
he can no longer remember.
He could tell the truth,
come out of the shadows,
give away his position
as both spy and servant.
Dumbledore was dying
before he even drew the wand.
Dumbledore was dying,
now, now he was dead,
his secrets going to the tomb
with him.
The trill of a phoenix
fills the air causing him to
look up, tears glittering in
his black eyes.
He was spy.
He was a servant.
He was a man whose future
had never truly been his own,
but in this moment,
in this moment,
even his hardened heart
feels grief
feels pain
but also,
feels relief.
One master down,
one to go.
Soon death shall
come for him,
for the Dark,
as he watches the crowd
crying, tearfully dispersing.
He knows he should leave.
If anyone were to see him here,
he could claim he was playing his part.
He could claim so many things,
but he refuses to let anyone know
the truth, to let anyone see,
that the former dungeon bat
does truly have a heart.