J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and the Harry Potter universe. The plot is
mine, so please ask before posting to any other website. Thanks, enjoy,
and please review.
***
Paying Tribute
Chapter 2: Feeling Protected
The dining room at Hogwarts was full. Most of the Ministry of Magic, from Cornelius Fudge on down, occupied several rows in the middle of the room. The students and staff of Hogwarts, each wearing a black sash over their robes, filled all the seats in back. All of the students were in shock, not believing what was about to happen. Even Draco Malfoy was withdrawn, his expression inscrutable.
Sirius Black sat a few rows from the front. His head hung low, his long unkempt hair covering over most of his face. The fear and defeat on his face was striking, it was as if he couldn't bear to look up and accept that the casket containing his godson sat just a few feet away.
On the other side of the room, close to the front, sat the Dursleys. The three of them were jittery, weary of everything around them. When Professor Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere this morning at Privet Drive, they didn't know how to take the news of Harry's death. They didn't particularly like Harry at all; they were mean and cruel to him every chance they got. But they were Harry's only surviving family, and Dumbledore insisted that they come. They managed to sit away from everyone else.
Most of the Weasley family sat in the second row, in stunned silence. Arthur had both of his hands around Molly's, and her head rested upon his shoulder. Tears ran unchecked down both of their faces; they were as grief stricken as if they had lost one of their own.
In the front row, Albus Dumbledore was consoling Hagrid. Hagrid was bawling, trembling as Dumbledore tried to calm him down. A few seats over, Ron was a million miles away. His eyes were pointed in the direction of Harry's casket, but his mind was elsewhere. Ginny and Hermione sat on either side of him, each holding one of his hands. Neither had held out much hope that Ron would be able to face this day; both were very thankful that he was there.
Once Hagrid had calmed down, Dumbledore rose and walked up the stairs to the podium. He didn't need to clear his throat or cast a spell to get everyone's attention; apart from some scattered sobbing, the room was silent.
"I thank you all for coming. Today, we pay tribute to a boy." He cocked his head for a moment, in thought. "No, today we pay tribute to a man.
"In life, Harry Potter bore a heavy burden. We all know the story of how his parents were killed, how the Potter family has, for generations, held the line against evil in this world. For all of his years, Harry has had to come to terms with being 'The Boy Who Lived'. It was an arduous journey.
"There are several people who helped Harry cope with his heritage, and who sheltered him from the things he wasn't yet ready to see. Principal among them is Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt, and her family. I'd like to thank the three of you for being gracious enough to help raise such a fine man."
The Dursleys didn't know how to respond to this. They had ignored Harry's birthdays, they'd sent coins and bottle caps for Christmas, and they'd locked him in a cupboard under the stairs without food for days at a time. Under the gaze of everyone in the room, they felt humiliated and small.
Dumbledore continued, "I remember when Harry arrived at Hogwarts. He was a bright young boy, well liked among his peers. And," he added with a brief smile, "he was the youngest Hogwarts seeker in over a century."
This earned smiles and some mild laughter from the crowd. Most of the recent graduates could still remember Harry's first match, when he clinched victory for Gryffindor by swallowing the golden snitch.
"Harry faced Lord Voldemort several times over his seven years at Hogwarts." The room was somber once again at the mention of the Dark Lord. "As Voldemort rose to power, Harry Potter rose to meet every challenge.
"Harry has enriched my life and the lives of the students and faculty at Hogwarts in many ways. He was brave and fearless, but also kind and compassionate. Harry earned the respect of everyone here.
"He was everything that Voldemort never was. I am thankful that Harry and his friends were the ones to rid the world of Voldemort's evil." Dumbledore's calm façade was beginning to crack with emotion, to the surprise of all the students. "My friends, I would gladly have stood in Harry Potter's place. I would have lay down my life to save his." Dumbledore stepped back from the podium, bringing his hands up to his face. He took several seconds to wipe his eyes, and regain his composure.
"Nothing we can ever do will be enough to honor properly the memory of Harry Potter. Harry gave his life defending the school that he loved, the school to which he gave so much, the school he called home. I will spend the rest of my life making sure that the qualities that made 'our young Mister Potter' one of Hogwarts' finest is taught to every student that passes through this school."
"Harry Potter, I will miss you for the rest of my days." Stepping away from the podium, Dumbledore brushed his hand across Harry's coffin.
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"Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger, come here."
Dumbledore was all business as Harry and Hermione approached. Professor McGonagall walked up to Dumbledore at the same time.
"Albus, the students, we have to get them to safety!"
As always, Dumbledore projected calmness. "Yes, Minerva, I was just going to see to that. Harry, you and Hermione gather the prefects and instruct them to lead their houses back to their rooms without delay. Then I want you two to stand guard in the main hallway. You will be the last line of defense, but don't worry too much. They're going to have to get past quite a few wizards to get to you. Now, off you go."
Harry never thought that being Head Boy would make him the last line of defense against anything. He and Hermione rounded up the prefects and got the students to the dorms. After a final look around, they ended up in the main hallway.
"What took you guys so long? I've been here forever!" Ron was leaning up against a wall, wand in hand.
"Ronald Weasley, you should be up in Gryffindor house. Get going."
"No way, Hermione! I'm going to stay right here and keep you guys company."
"Ron, Dumbledore wants all the students in their rooms!" Hermione waited, becoming more agitated as Ron failed to move. "Ron, go upstairs!"
Ron gave as good as he got. "No, Hermione! I'm not going to sit upstairs while you two face...whatever!" Ron knew from the resigned look that crossed Hermione's face that he had won the argument. "Besides, when the three of us graduate from Auror School, are you going to...Harry?"
As was usually the case when Ron and Hermione were fighting, they stopped noticing what was going on around them. Ron repeated, "Harry?" as Harry doubled over in pain. Ron and Hermione rushed over to his side. "What's wrong?"
Harry clutched his forehead with both hands, grimacing. "My scar!"
Hermione gently threaded her fingers through his hair. "It probably means that Voldemort has begun his attack."
"Oh, those are soothing words, Hermione."
Annoyed, Harry stood up. "Will you two stop, we've got to...Look!" He pointed to the near end of the hallway. "A Death Eater!"
Bringing their wands to bear, each of the three students tried to steel themselves for the fight they knew was coming. The Death Eater slid a few steps closer.
Whispering, Hermione was trying to figure this out. "You aren't supposed to be able to Apparate into Hogwarts!"
"Forget about that for now, Hermione." Having faced worse threats, Harry was calm. "I'll go left. Ron, you go right, and Hermione down the middle. Ron does counter-curses, Hermione does shields, and I'll attack."
They had a second or two to separate before a cold whisper came from behind them. "Harry Potter."
It took all of their courage to turn and face that hideous voice. Lord Voldemort stood at the far end of the hallway, covered in black robes and wearing a wicked grin. "At last, I'm going to kill you, boy."
***
Paying Tribute
Chapter 2: Feeling Protected
The dining room at Hogwarts was full. Most of the Ministry of Magic, from Cornelius Fudge on down, occupied several rows in the middle of the room. The students and staff of Hogwarts, each wearing a black sash over their robes, filled all the seats in back. All of the students were in shock, not believing what was about to happen. Even Draco Malfoy was withdrawn, his expression inscrutable.
Sirius Black sat a few rows from the front. His head hung low, his long unkempt hair covering over most of his face. The fear and defeat on his face was striking, it was as if he couldn't bear to look up and accept that the casket containing his godson sat just a few feet away.
On the other side of the room, close to the front, sat the Dursleys. The three of them were jittery, weary of everything around them. When Professor Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere this morning at Privet Drive, they didn't know how to take the news of Harry's death. They didn't particularly like Harry at all; they were mean and cruel to him every chance they got. But they were Harry's only surviving family, and Dumbledore insisted that they come. They managed to sit away from everyone else.
Most of the Weasley family sat in the second row, in stunned silence. Arthur had both of his hands around Molly's, and her head rested upon his shoulder. Tears ran unchecked down both of their faces; they were as grief stricken as if they had lost one of their own.
In the front row, Albus Dumbledore was consoling Hagrid. Hagrid was bawling, trembling as Dumbledore tried to calm him down. A few seats over, Ron was a million miles away. His eyes were pointed in the direction of Harry's casket, but his mind was elsewhere. Ginny and Hermione sat on either side of him, each holding one of his hands. Neither had held out much hope that Ron would be able to face this day; both were very thankful that he was there.
Once Hagrid had calmed down, Dumbledore rose and walked up the stairs to the podium. He didn't need to clear his throat or cast a spell to get everyone's attention; apart from some scattered sobbing, the room was silent.
"I thank you all for coming. Today, we pay tribute to a boy." He cocked his head for a moment, in thought. "No, today we pay tribute to a man.
"In life, Harry Potter bore a heavy burden. We all know the story of how his parents were killed, how the Potter family has, for generations, held the line against evil in this world. For all of his years, Harry has had to come to terms with being 'The Boy Who Lived'. It was an arduous journey.
"There are several people who helped Harry cope with his heritage, and who sheltered him from the things he wasn't yet ready to see. Principal among them is Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt, and her family. I'd like to thank the three of you for being gracious enough to help raise such a fine man."
The Dursleys didn't know how to respond to this. They had ignored Harry's birthdays, they'd sent coins and bottle caps for Christmas, and they'd locked him in a cupboard under the stairs without food for days at a time. Under the gaze of everyone in the room, they felt humiliated and small.
Dumbledore continued, "I remember when Harry arrived at Hogwarts. He was a bright young boy, well liked among his peers. And," he added with a brief smile, "he was the youngest Hogwarts seeker in over a century."
This earned smiles and some mild laughter from the crowd. Most of the recent graduates could still remember Harry's first match, when he clinched victory for Gryffindor by swallowing the golden snitch.
"Harry faced Lord Voldemort several times over his seven years at Hogwarts." The room was somber once again at the mention of the Dark Lord. "As Voldemort rose to power, Harry Potter rose to meet every challenge.
"Harry has enriched my life and the lives of the students and faculty at Hogwarts in many ways. He was brave and fearless, but also kind and compassionate. Harry earned the respect of everyone here.
"He was everything that Voldemort never was. I am thankful that Harry and his friends were the ones to rid the world of Voldemort's evil." Dumbledore's calm façade was beginning to crack with emotion, to the surprise of all the students. "My friends, I would gladly have stood in Harry Potter's place. I would have lay down my life to save his." Dumbledore stepped back from the podium, bringing his hands up to his face. He took several seconds to wipe his eyes, and regain his composure.
"Nothing we can ever do will be enough to honor properly the memory of Harry Potter. Harry gave his life defending the school that he loved, the school to which he gave so much, the school he called home. I will spend the rest of my life making sure that the qualities that made 'our young Mister Potter' one of Hogwarts' finest is taught to every student that passes through this school."
"Harry Potter, I will miss you for the rest of my days." Stepping away from the podium, Dumbledore brushed his hand across Harry's coffin.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
"Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger, come here."
Dumbledore was all business as Harry and Hermione approached. Professor McGonagall walked up to Dumbledore at the same time.
"Albus, the students, we have to get them to safety!"
As always, Dumbledore projected calmness. "Yes, Minerva, I was just going to see to that. Harry, you and Hermione gather the prefects and instruct them to lead their houses back to their rooms without delay. Then I want you two to stand guard in the main hallway. You will be the last line of defense, but don't worry too much. They're going to have to get past quite a few wizards to get to you. Now, off you go."
Harry never thought that being Head Boy would make him the last line of defense against anything. He and Hermione rounded up the prefects and got the students to the dorms. After a final look around, they ended up in the main hallway.
"What took you guys so long? I've been here forever!" Ron was leaning up against a wall, wand in hand.
"Ronald Weasley, you should be up in Gryffindor house. Get going."
"No way, Hermione! I'm going to stay right here and keep you guys company."
"Ron, Dumbledore wants all the students in their rooms!" Hermione waited, becoming more agitated as Ron failed to move. "Ron, go upstairs!"
Ron gave as good as he got. "No, Hermione! I'm not going to sit upstairs while you two face...whatever!" Ron knew from the resigned look that crossed Hermione's face that he had won the argument. "Besides, when the three of us graduate from Auror School, are you going to...Harry?"
As was usually the case when Ron and Hermione were fighting, they stopped noticing what was going on around them. Ron repeated, "Harry?" as Harry doubled over in pain. Ron and Hermione rushed over to his side. "What's wrong?"
Harry clutched his forehead with both hands, grimacing. "My scar!"
Hermione gently threaded her fingers through his hair. "It probably means that Voldemort has begun his attack."
"Oh, those are soothing words, Hermione."
Annoyed, Harry stood up. "Will you two stop, we've got to...Look!" He pointed to the near end of the hallway. "A Death Eater!"
Bringing their wands to bear, each of the three students tried to steel themselves for the fight they knew was coming. The Death Eater slid a few steps closer.
Whispering, Hermione was trying to figure this out. "You aren't supposed to be able to Apparate into Hogwarts!"
"Forget about that for now, Hermione." Having faced worse threats, Harry was calm. "I'll go left. Ron, you go right, and Hermione down the middle. Ron does counter-curses, Hermione does shields, and I'll attack."
They had a second or two to separate before a cold whisper came from behind them. "Harry Potter."
It took all of their courage to turn and face that hideous voice. Lord Voldemort stood at the far end of the hallway, covered in black robes and wearing a wicked grin. "At last, I'm going to kill you, boy."