A Funeral and other events

It was a bright and sunny day come Monday but no one was in a good mood. The death eaters that were caught were just some of the new young recruits; not anyone of importance much to everyone's dismay, and today was the day that most of the student funerals were going to be held. By the end of the day Harry, Icicle and Hermione were standing at the entrance dressed in formal black attire. Harry was going over the music that he had been asked to sing at the funeral with Icicle. Icicle ran her fingers through her long black hair trying to comb it out since she had gotten ready in a hurry when she spoke up, "Two funerals in one school year. Not a good record and I think it is only going to get worse."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Word is out that Voldemort is back. The magical community is already starting to panic so Voldemort is going to take advantage of the chaos and start attacking anyone and everyone… at least that is what I would do. So many people are going to suffer and die before Harry is strong enough to stop him."

"Who says that I am that one that is going to kill him.  I don't think I ever be nearly as strong as he is and I don't know if I can kill some one, even if it is Voldemort."

"He isn't human anymore and like it or not you know that it is your destiny to bring him down since Dumbledore is getting too old. You have to fight him and win or we'll be screwed."

"What about you? You kick my ass in dueling all the time. Why aren't you the one that is going to take him out?"

Behind them Dumbledore appeared and gave Icicle a quick disapproving look. "It is time to go. I know you hate it Harry but we are going by portkey."

Dumbledore pulled out a hat and they all gathered around Three, two, one… and they were off.

After a short while the four landed in a small cemetery with a church in the center. "This is the Weasley cemetery. All the Weasley's have been buried here," explained Dumbledore.

When they walked inside the church Harry saw the Weasley family and some other people such as Remus, Sirius, Mad eye Moody and Kate. Kate ran up to Harry and smothered him in a hug and a few kisses.  "Oh Harry, thank God you are all right.  You need to be more careful." 

Moody appeared over his wife, "He isn't a baby any more Kate and he did what he had to do.  Let the boy be he has some things to do."

With a final hug Moody lead Kate back to where they were sitting.  As Harry and the rest got closer to the front of the church he finally saw the pain that the Weasley's were going through.  Mrs. Wesley was sobbing hysterically into Mr. Wesley's shoulder while Ginny was doing the same with Bill. Percy stood there fiddling with his glasses trying to stop the tear while Ron didn't seem to notice his. Lastly, between his tears Charlie was keeping an eye on George who look the same as he did the day Fred died, dead himself. The funeral began and continued to drag on. Harry faintly heard Dumbledore speaking but he was lost in his own thoughts. Different people stood up and would say a few things about Fred, the family and about how much he meant to everyone. Finally the service was over and 6 people went over to the coffin and picked it up to carry it out to the cemetery. Sirius had been playing the piano through out the service and motioned to Harry and Icicle to come up and start their song. Harry composed himself and looked over at Icicle who was also pulling herself together.

Icicle was the one who started "I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go, and help us to be wise, in times when we don't know. Let this be our prayer, as we go our way, lead us to a place, guide us with your grace, go a place where we'll be safe."

Harry then started in "La luce che to dai"

"I pray we'll find your light."
"Nel cuore restero."
"And hold it in our hearts."
"A ricordarchi che."
"When stars go out each night. "
"L'eterna stella sei. Nella mia preghiera. "
"Let this be our prayer. "
"Quanta fede c'e. "
"When shadows fill our day. "
"Lead us to a place. "
"Guide us with your grace . "

Harry looked across the church and saw that people were breaking down with every word he sang. Together he and Icicle started the next section, "Give us faith so we'll be safe. Sognamo un mondo senza piu violenza. Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza. Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino. Simbolo di pace e di fraternita."

Harry then pick up on his own, "La forza che ci dai."
"We ask that life be kind." filled in Icicle
"E'il desiderio che."
"And watch us from above."
"Ognuno trovi amore."
"We hope each soul will find."
"Intorno e dentro a se."
"Another soul to love."
"Let this be our prayer."
"Let this be our prayer," echoed Icicle
"Just like every child."
"Just like every child."

And for the last time the two picked up together, "Needs to find a place. Guide us with your grace. Give us faith so we'll be safe. E la fede che. Hai acceso in noi. Sento che ci salvera."

With the last fading note Harry offered Icicle his arm and he began to lead her out of the church following the crowd. On their way out Sirius and Remus caught up with them. "That was incredible you two," complemented Sirius.

Harry looked at his feet uncomfortably, This is a funeral. No one should really be congratulating us on a sad event...

Icicle picked up on his discomfort, "It was for Fred and the family since we couldn't do anything else. It would have been a better gift if we could have stopped him from dying but we couldn't."

"I am positive that Molly loved it." assured Remus.

Out in the cemetery Harry and Icicle joined Hermione and some other Hogwarts students. The casket was slowly lowered into the grave and the family took turns throwing a hand full of flowers into the grave. When George had thrown his flowers into the grave Dumbledore came forward and performed the charm that buried the casket and put up a tombstone that read

Fred Weasley

Loving Son

Great Brother

A Joy to All

* * * *

A few days had past and it seemed that things pretty much returned to normal. Both Ron and Ginny seemed to push aside their grief and enjoy the rest of the year, as Fred would have wanted them to. George on the other hand was having a bit more trouble.

"My brain..." moaned Ron a few nights later as most of the 5th years studied and studied for the upcoming OWLS in only a week.

"What about it," snapped Hermione. Ever since she realized that the OWLS were so close she had crawled into a corner to study and had been very snippy.

"I think it is going to explode."

"Well if you didn't goof off all year then you wouldn't have to cram in the last week."

Harry rolled his eyes as he flipped through his potion book.  After the power surge and he found that he has all of the spells in this book already memorized.  At least something really good came out of that.

A while latter after a few of the students had called it a night Icicle came in looking very harassed. "What's wrong?" asked Harry.

"Studying with Dumbledore is hell. I have never read so many books in my life and I swear that most of them haven't been part of the assigned reading. He meets me at the gate and starts drilling me as we walk to his office……." She stopped as there was a yell from the boy dorms. They all jumped up and ran to the 7th year's room. Lee was standing there gaping at George who was completely pissed and hanging out the window with a knife. Ron paled, "What in the bloody hell are you doing?"

George laughed, "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you are about to make the biggest mistake of your life," said Hermione.

Harry saw a crowd begin to gather at the door so he flicked his wand and closed the door. "Summon you broom Harry," whispered Icicle as she slowly moved a little closer to George.

"Please George don't jump…" begged Lee

Harry saw George look faint. "I need to end all the pain before the alcohol…….," mumbled George as he passed out and fell out the window.

"No!!!!!" yelled Ron as Hermione held him back.

"Accico firebolt!" bellowed Harry as Icicle ran out the window and jumped out herself.

Grabbing his broom Harry flew out the window and began to dive. In front of him he saw the familiar copper dragon diving at top speed towards the falling body. She isn't going to make it…

He saw Icicle give a last gust grabbed George's body and realizing that she wasn't going to be able to pull up, she rolled and took the brunt of the fall with a load thud.     Seconds latter Harry landed besides a human Icicle with George laying next to her. He had managed to cut himself up pretty bad with the knife on the way down. "Fly him to the hospital wing. It is that window over there," said Icicle as she pointed to a window.

Harry grabbed George who was unconscious, "What about you?"

"He is worse off then me. Now go!"

Harry kicked off the ground and flew up to the window at top speed. Dam the window is locked, thought Harry as he started to bang on the window.

A long few seconds later Madame Pomfrey opened the window, "Mr. Potter what have you gotten yourself into now!"

Harry flew in the window and helped Madame Pomfrey get George on the nearest bed, "He got really drunk and passed out while dangling out of his window and then I think he cut himself with the knife as he fell."

Madame Pomfrey started to examine him shaking her head, "Potter out I need room to work."

* * * *

It was morning and being that it was a Saturday many of the students slept in, but Harry found himself up early with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Lee. "Is Icicle coming?" asked Lee as they met in the common room to go see George.

Hermione shook her head, "I don't know where she is."

Ron grabbed Hermione and pulled her up off the chair she was sitting, "Ok then, let's go and see if she is already in the Hospital wing."

It took the five near 15 minutes for them to convince Madame Pomfrey to let them in to see George and when they did he was sleeping. She had just re-wrapped his wounds and he didn't look like he was having a peaceful sleep. Ginny walked up to him and sat in the chair, "George, why are you doing this to us… why are you doing this to me?" There was really no response but she kept talking anyway, "You haven't seen how hard that Fred's death has hurt all of us. If fact I don't think you have seen anything that is going on around you at all. Mum is a wreak, Dad has buried himself in his work, Charlie signed up for a dangerous mission just to forget everything, Percy is hard on himself for not believing us that the you know who is back and Ron and I are struggling to get though school. The only positive thing that has happened is that Bill is looking to get transferred back to England so that he will be closer to all of us. Please don't do something else stupid because I don't think the family could take it. We all love you George."

After Ginny everyone else took a turn talking to George. They didn't know if he heard any of it but they kept hope that maybe when he woke up he will snap out of his depression. Hours seemed to pass with out George waking up when they herd someone walk up to the wing.

Dumbledore appeared at the door, "Hello everybody. How is Mr. Wesley this morning?"

"He still hasn't waken up headmaster," replied Lee.

"He should be coming around soon. Madame Pomfrey," called Dumbledore, "How is your other patient?"

The nurse walked out of her office and shook her head, "I swear she is worse then Mr. Potter! She had broken all the ribs on the left side of her body and luckily nothing else. She would have had to go to Saint Mungos if she had broken a vertebra but there were only a few dislocated discs that were easily mended. The hardest part was controlling the brain swelling but that was pretty minor and now the swelling is down so she was able to go back to sleep."

Dumbledore walked over and pulled back the curtain to a bed and lo and behold there was Icicle. Ron turned to Hermione, "Did Icicle ever come back last night?"

"Apparently not Ron."

"Is she ok?" asked George.

Everyone was surprised to see him up and buried him in hugs. Dumbledore smiled at this sight, "Don't worry yourself Mr. Weasley. Madame Pomfrey says that she will be fine in a few days. She is just seems to be very accident prone this year. Madame Pomfrey, call me when she wakes. Get better soon Mr. Weasley."

Both Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey left and George fell silent as the rest kept talking some lecturing him and some, like Ginny just bursting out in tears. After and hour of talking to what felt like a wall, Icicle stirred. Hermione was the first person to notice, "Icicle are you ok?"

"I don't know….. I am a bit lost and confused."

Out of no where George vaulted out of bed and grabbed Icicle by the front of her hospital gown, "Why did you save me? Why couldn't you just let me die."

"I could stand by and let you throw your life away."

George broke down crying causing Icicle to fall to the ground with him. Harry saw her wince as she hit the ground. "My life is pointless with out Fred. I feel like I died the day that he did. Don't you see that I am a walking corpse!"

Icicle reached over and made George look her in the eye, "You are a corpse because you choose to be! You are choosing to roll over and die. That is what Voldemort wants, he wants not only to have you dead but you break your spirit while he is at it. Killing the body does get old after a while so he moves onto the challenge of breaking the mind and soul too. You have to be stronger then that; you have so much that you can and need to do for your people, for the wizard kind.  We all need you."

George looked confused, "What in the world can I possibly do? We all know that it is going to have to be Dumbledore, Harry or you that save the world."

"There is more to saving people then the actual fighting.  For a hobby you create pranks; you have to know what spell and what ingredients cause certain things to happen. You could create so many gadgets that would help aid us.  Study muggles and things that they come up with.  They really are brilliant with some of their weapons.  And why couldn't you still go on with the joke shop since that is your passion. Fred wouldn't want all that hard work to go to waste."

"You don't know what it is like to lose some one that close to you."

 "How do you know that I haven't lost people that I loved?  How do you know I am not suffering for some of my past decisions?  Don't you start to judge my life because you don't know what I have gone though."

"You don't look defeated.  Nothing bad has ever happened to you," scoffed George.

"Have you ever murdered someone?"

George shook his head

"Well I have. When I was 18 months I killed the 2 year old Bones child. At 18 months you don't know your actions have consequences. That child was suppose to be one of my best friends. So I live every day with the knowledge that I murdered her and many other people; I live every day trying to earn redemption and forgiveness knowing that I will never receive it.  God has forgiven me, but I don't think that the people I have hurt will ever.  Live with that knowledge.  And that George, is just the beginning of the dramatic story of my life. If you want to know more ask Ron, Hermione or Harry because I don't feel like it."

Icicle pulled herself slowly off the floor and crawled back into bed. Quickly grabbing her wand and conjuring up a quilt she pulled it up over her head and fell silent.

* * * *