Chapter Eight
Saying Good-bye
Ron fell fast asleep that night and the next day saw the collective coffins of his Mum, Dad, Harry and Dumbledore. All the others had made it, but they were all shocked by what Ron had done. Lupin and Moody had for the most part defeated all the Death Eaters and Dementors and drove them from the school.
That night, Ron sat alone with Hermione at the table. They were preparing the funeral, which meant McGonagall was sending lots of owls to many of the close friends or relatives. Ron wasn't saying anything when Lupin and Sirius sat down at the table with Ron and Hermione. Lupin sat next to Ron and Sirius next to Hermione. Ron hadn't heard Sirius speak since they left Hogsmeade and he looked more sullen than usual. Lupin was trying to force odd uncomfortable conversation between them, but nothing worked. Hermione would only nod or shake her head, too distressed to talk. Lupin tried to comfort Ron, but he was beyond help.
"You two were very brave yesterday," said Lupin, his voice shaking and he looked near tears as well. "Harry would've been proud and so would your parents, Ron."
Ron's lower lip quivered slightly and he nodded. There was very little talking going on in the Great Hall. Even Snape seemed to be taking the deaths very hard. Ron looked at Sirius, who was staring at the plate in front of him.
"Sirius," Ron asked slowly, "Are you alright?"
"I promised Lily and James I would take care of Harry. I told them I wouldn't let anything bad ever happen to him," Sirius muttered, his voice soft and monotone. Ron saw a single tear roll down his cheek. "I let Lily and James down. I let everyone down. I should be dead."
Lupin shook his head.
"You tried your best, Sirius," said Lupin. "We all did."
Ron nodded and the past few days quickly flashed through his mind. Tears flooded Ron's eyes and he covered his face.
"Ron, it's alright," said Sirius, a tone of warmth in his voice. "Everything will be okay."
"No it won't," sobbed Ron.
Lupin put his arm around Ron and he cried into his shirt. Hermione moved next to Ron, and hugged him.
"It'll be okay, Ron," she explained. "Harry left quickly. He didn't feel pain."
Ron nodded but found it hard to believe that things would or could get better.
~~~***~~~
The next morning Ron woke around noon. The funerals were later that day. He didn't want to go he didn't want to believe that they were all dead. He found a note lying on his desk and read it.
Ron,
I hope you slept well, I know I didn't. If you want to talk about anything just let me know. I'm here for you.
All my Love, Hermione
Ron got dressed and left the dorm. He needed to talk to Hermione.
He reached the Great Hall and found everyone preparing for the funeral. Several of the other guests arrived, one looked very familiar to Ron.
He was a tall red haired man, with a ponytail and a dragon fang earring. He stood talking to Sirius and Lupin. His voice rang in Ron's ears.
"Ron and the others can stay with me if they need to," he said. "We'll manage somehow."
The man spun around and there stood Bill, Ron's older brother who worked for Gringotts Bank. He looked a lot more stressed than usual but smiled when he saw Ron. He hugged him tightly.
"Morning," said Bill. "How'd you sleep?"
Ron shrugged.
"No good," he said. " You?"
Bill shook his head.
"Not at all," he said. "You okay?"
"I will be," Ron assured him. "Soon enough."
Bill punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"That's my brother," he said. "Everything will be okay, I promise. You don't need to worry about where you'll stay."
Ron raised an eyebrow at Bill.
"That's not what I'm worried about," he explained. "I miss them."
Bill nodded.
"We all do," he said.
Ron nodded and they took their seats. Ron sat next to Hermione, but Bill was saving two other seats.
"Are Percy and Charlie coming?" asked Ron.
Bill shrugged.
"Charlie was busy with the dragons and Percy is flooded with work for the Ministry," explained Bill. "They're going to try but they're swamped."
Ron nodded and watched as different people came in. Many students came back to see Dumbledore, as did many other wizards that Ron had known from his Dad's work.
The funeral started and McGonagall stepped to the front of the Great Hall. She looked very somber, her face paler than usual.
"Thank you all for coming. We are here to remember four people who tragically died at the hands of the Dark Lord. I know that we will all miss them greatly," said McGonagall, her voice giving out slightly. "Albus Dumbledore was the greatest headmaster we have had or may ever know. He was a great wizard and an amazing friend. Arthur and Molly Weasley were always fighting hard to protect the wizarding community and Harry Potter."
Her voice broke off as tears filled her eyes. A silence filled the Great Hall. Ron stood up, and started to talk.
"Harry was the best friend I ever had. Hermione and I always broke rules with him, but we'd always stick together," Ron sniffed, and looked at Sirius. He nodded. "We went through everything, fighting against You-Know- Who, solving mysteries, and just goofing around. We fought to the end together. My parents.my parents were the greatest adults I ever knew. They worked so hard to protect the magical community. My Dad had a heart of gold and my mom always put up with our antics. Sometimes we'd get yelled at but she only did it because she loved us. They were a great loss."
Sirius stood next to Ron.
"They were great people," agreed Sirius. "We all miss them."
After the funeral they buried the coffins outside the school in a nearby wizard cemetery. Hermione held tightly to Ron's arm, as they lowered Harry's coffin into the ground. Nearby, Ron saw them lower Dumbledore and to the other side of Harry's grave they buried Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He and Hermione cried softly, holding onto each other for comfort.
Saying Good-bye
Ron fell fast asleep that night and the next day saw the collective coffins of his Mum, Dad, Harry and Dumbledore. All the others had made it, but they were all shocked by what Ron had done. Lupin and Moody had for the most part defeated all the Death Eaters and Dementors and drove them from the school.
That night, Ron sat alone with Hermione at the table. They were preparing the funeral, which meant McGonagall was sending lots of owls to many of the close friends or relatives. Ron wasn't saying anything when Lupin and Sirius sat down at the table with Ron and Hermione. Lupin sat next to Ron and Sirius next to Hermione. Ron hadn't heard Sirius speak since they left Hogsmeade and he looked more sullen than usual. Lupin was trying to force odd uncomfortable conversation between them, but nothing worked. Hermione would only nod or shake her head, too distressed to talk. Lupin tried to comfort Ron, but he was beyond help.
"You two were very brave yesterday," said Lupin, his voice shaking and he looked near tears as well. "Harry would've been proud and so would your parents, Ron."
Ron's lower lip quivered slightly and he nodded. There was very little talking going on in the Great Hall. Even Snape seemed to be taking the deaths very hard. Ron looked at Sirius, who was staring at the plate in front of him.
"Sirius," Ron asked slowly, "Are you alright?"
"I promised Lily and James I would take care of Harry. I told them I wouldn't let anything bad ever happen to him," Sirius muttered, his voice soft and monotone. Ron saw a single tear roll down his cheek. "I let Lily and James down. I let everyone down. I should be dead."
Lupin shook his head.
"You tried your best, Sirius," said Lupin. "We all did."
Ron nodded and the past few days quickly flashed through his mind. Tears flooded Ron's eyes and he covered his face.
"Ron, it's alright," said Sirius, a tone of warmth in his voice. "Everything will be okay."
"No it won't," sobbed Ron.
Lupin put his arm around Ron and he cried into his shirt. Hermione moved next to Ron, and hugged him.
"It'll be okay, Ron," she explained. "Harry left quickly. He didn't feel pain."
Ron nodded but found it hard to believe that things would or could get better.
~~~***~~~
The next morning Ron woke around noon. The funerals were later that day. He didn't want to go he didn't want to believe that they were all dead. He found a note lying on his desk and read it.
Ron,
I hope you slept well, I know I didn't. If you want to talk about anything just let me know. I'm here for you.
All my Love, Hermione
Ron got dressed and left the dorm. He needed to talk to Hermione.
He reached the Great Hall and found everyone preparing for the funeral. Several of the other guests arrived, one looked very familiar to Ron.
He was a tall red haired man, with a ponytail and a dragon fang earring. He stood talking to Sirius and Lupin. His voice rang in Ron's ears.
"Ron and the others can stay with me if they need to," he said. "We'll manage somehow."
The man spun around and there stood Bill, Ron's older brother who worked for Gringotts Bank. He looked a lot more stressed than usual but smiled when he saw Ron. He hugged him tightly.
"Morning," said Bill. "How'd you sleep?"
Ron shrugged.
"No good," he said. " You?"
Bill shook his head.
"Not at all," he said. "You okay?"
"I will be," Ron assured him. "Soon enough."
Bill punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"That's my brother," he said. "Everything will be okay, I promise. You don't need to worry about where you'll stay."
Ron raised an eyebrow at Bill.
"That's not what I'm worried about," he explained. "I miss them."
Bill nodded.
"We all do," he said.
Ron nodded and they took their seats. Ron sat next to Hermione, but Bill was saving two other seats.
"Are Percy and Charlie coming?" asked Ron.
Bill shrugged.
"Charlie was busy with the dragons and Percy is flooded with work for the Ministry," explained Bill. "They're going to try but they're swamped."
Ron nodded and watched as different people came in. Many students came back to see Dumbledore, as did many other wizards that Ron had known from his Dad's work.
The funeral started and McGonagall stepped to the front of the Great Hall. She looked very somber, her face paler than usual.
"Thank you all for coming. We are here to remember four people who tragically died at the hands of the Dark Lord. I know that we will all miss them greatly," said McGonagall, her voice giving out slightly. "Albus Dumbledore was the greatest headmaster we have had or may ever know. He was a great wizard and an amazing friend. Arthur and Molly Weasley were always fighting hard to protect the wizarding community and Harry Potter."
Her voice broke off as tears filled her eyes. A silence filled the Great Hall. Ron stood up, and started to talk.
"Harry was the best friend I ever had. Hermione and I always broke rules with him, but we'd always stick together," Ron sniffed, and looked at Sirius. He nodded. "We went through everything, fighting against You-Know- Who, solving mysteries, and just goofing around. We fought to the end together. My parents.my parents were the greatest adults I ever knew. They worked so hard to protect the magical community. My Dad had a heart of gold and my mom always put up with our antics. Sometimes we'd get yelled at but she only did it because she loved us. They were a great loss."
Sirius stood next to Ron.
"They were great people," agreed Sirius. "We all miss them."
After the funeral they buried the coffins outside the school in a nearby wizard cemetery. Hermione held tightly to Ron's arm, as they lowered Harry's coffin into the ground. Nearby, Ron saw them lower Dumbledore and to the other side of Harry's grave they buried Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He and Hermione cried softly, holding onto each other for comfort.
