Hey guys. Back with Chapter 6.
This chapter will feature the funeral for those who died defending Hogwarts in the final battle with Voldemort. I'm not quite sure how I want to write this out, but hopefully it won't be too bad. It will be somewhat short, and I probably won't go into a lot of detail.
HG4EVER69: I figure Ron's relationship with Ginny is kinda like the one I share with some of my siblings. He doesn't show much interest, but doesn't want her to get hurt. So, I kept that element of him being protective, without him going wild.
Enough chit-chat. Let's start.
Chapter 6- The Memorial
Harry sat in the front row of chairs. He was dressed in his dress robes, and waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Today was the day of the funeral for the dead defenders of Hogwarts. He had been selected to sit in the front of the crowd along with very important people, like Kingsley and Professor Mcgonagall. The crowd was seated right outside the plot of land where the graves were.
Everyone else was seated behind Harry's row. Harry glanced back to Ginny. She smiled sadly at him. The engagement ring that had once been his mom's glittered on her left ring finger, but only Harry could see it. They wanted to keep their engagement secret for a little while, so a charm had been cast on the ring for the ceremony so only Ginny and Harry could see it.
Harry smiled back at her. He felt so sad for her and her family. They had lost a member of their family, someone they were all so close to. He was glad to have proposed to Ginny when he did. It gave the Weasleys something to be happy about. Harry then turned back to face the cemetery, ready for the ceremony to start.
A minute later, at exactly 10 in the morning, Kingsley stood up at a podium to address the crowd. A charm had been put on the podium that would amplify the voice of whoever was standing at it.
"Welcome, everyone. I would like to welcome you all to the funeral and memorial service to all those who died defending Hogwarts from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Before I begin, I would like to recognize the presence of several important people." He introduced all the important people sitting in the front row with Harry. Then, he finished with, "And, last of all, Mr. Harry Potter, the one who finally defeated Lord Voldemort." There was polite applause for the announcement of each name, but when harry's name was announced, the applause was louder.
Kingsley then quieted everyone down. "We are here today to honor the many who gave their lives in defense of this school, and the cause of freedom. They made the choice to risk their lives to help stop Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They all deserve special recognition for their sacrifice.
Kingsley paused for a split second, then said, "The list of names of those who died fighting Lord Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts is as follows." He then began listing the names of everyone who died. He didn't recognize a number of them. But, when he heard the names Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Fred Weasley, he had to choke back tears.
Once Kingsley was done reading off all the names of the dead, he spoke a few words in the honor of all the dead. Then he opened it up to the relatives speakers.
For each of the dead, one of their relatives had been selected and was allowed to speak about their deceased relative. It was kept to one speaker per dead person in order to keep the ceremony from lasting too long.
When it came time for Tonks' speaker. Andromeda stood up. She spoke for both Lupin and Tonks. She spoke of their love, and their talents, and their dedication to the Order of the Phoenix.
As Harry listened to Andromeda, he felt a sense of determination. He had to meet Teddy before the day was over.
Another 12 speakers got up before George stood up to speak for Fred. When he stood up at the podium, he couldn't speak for several moments. When he did speak, his voice was a little shaky.
"Fred was my other half. He was my twin, and the best brother anyone could ever ask for. He made my life perfect. From day one, we were partners in crime. Without him, the chaos we sowed would never have been as fantastic, and our joke shop would never have become a reality." George gave a slight grin, then continued.
"But, beyond all the humor and the love of good pranks and jokes, Fred was a kind, loving, and dedicated man. He cared about all whom he met. He was loyal to his friends, and would do anything for them. Most of all, he cared enough about the wizarding world to give his life toward preserving its freedom."
At this, George really looked like he was about to break down crying. But, he got control of himself, and continued speaking. "Fred was a great man. The world is worse off without him in it. But, his memory, and the memory of all those perished trying to bring down Lord Voldemort will never be forgotten."
George looked like he wanted to continue speaking, but instead he wiped his eyes and stepped down from the podium. Kingsley patted him on the shoulder. George slowly walked back to his seat.
Then, Kingsley stepped up to the podium. "Now, will everyone please stand and observe a moment of silence as the coffins of the dead are brought forward."
Everyone stood. A small army of Aurors marched up the large aisle, each one levitating a coffin and moving it towards the cemetery. Everyone watched the procession in silence.
Once all the Aurors had entered the cemetery and were standing beside the grave of the person they were levitating, Kingsley stood up at the podium. "And now, before we do the burials, I would like to have one more speaker come up. Everyone, please welcome, Mr. Harry Potter."
Harry felt shocked. He had not been told about this. He had no idea what to say. But, now, he couldn't just not speak. So, feeling extremely nervous, Harry stood up and walked up to the podium. As he got close, Kingsley patted him on the shoulder, as if to reassure him.
Harry stood at the podium for a few moments, then finally spoke. "I'm not sure what to say. Because I'm sure anything I say will not sufficiently honor those who gave their lives in defense of this school." There was a little bit of applause.
Harry continued to speak. "These people made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat the ultimate threat to freedom. They gave their lives for the freedom of their family and friends, and the freedom of the whole wizarding world. Their memory will never be lost. And the sacrifice they made will never be forgotten."
Harry wiped a few tears from his face. "I did not know many of the people who died in this battle. But all of them were important, and will be remembered. Fred, Remus, Tonks, and the other 50 people who gave their lives in this battle to stop Lord Voldemort, your family and friends, and the wizarding world mourn your loss. We bid you goodbye. We will never forget you."
With that, Harry ended his short speech, and stepped down. Everyone gave him some applause. Harry returned to his seat.
Kingsley took the podium again. "Thank you, Harry. And now, we bid our final goodbyes to the deceased." Everyone watched as the Aurors placed the coffins into the graves, and filled the graves back in.
With that, Kingsley bid everyone farewell, and the memorial serivce came to an end. Everyone was now free to wander among the graves, or look for the graves of loved ones. Harry immediately made a beeline for Andromeda as she headed towards her daughter's grave.
"Mrs. Tonks," he called out to her. Andromeda looked at him fondly. "Hello, Harry. Thank you for those kind words you spoke."
Before Harry could speak, Andromeda spoke again. "Teddy isn't here. He's at my house. I have my neighbor watching him. But, you can come see him anytime." Harry smiled, thanking her, and promised to come see Teddy, then headed off to find Ginny.
He found her with the rest of the Weasleys, standing in front of Fred's grave. As he took her hand, she squeezed his hand. Harry knew, no matter what trial came their way, they would get through it. Together.
And I finish there. Sorry this took longer than I thought. I was unable to get in enough writing time since last publishing.
I hope this chapter was long and detailed enough.
Also, for those of you who may be wondering, I got the ending lines of Harry's speech from President Reagan's speech at the funeral of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
I have nothing else to say for now.
Please review, and wait for Chapter 7.
Raptor2216 out.
