Chapter 14: Christmas Funeral
Holiday at Grimuald place was dismal and almost unbearable. And to make matters worse Hermione had asked Harry, Neva, and Ron to her parent's funeral. Ron had never been to a muggle funeral and agreed to go for support and experience. Harry had been to his parents funeral and although he didn't remember said he understood what she was going through and would be happy to go. Neva said she would go too, so on Christmas eve everybody dressed up in black muggle clothes (Hermione had bought Harry, Ron, Mr. Weasley, Mad-eye, and Lupin). Neva (who had come from a muggle orphanage) put on a pair of black dress pants and a black turtleneck with a dark grey dressy spaghetti strap with a dark blue, grey, and black flower pin. Hermione put on a spaghetti strap dress with a grey satin rose embroidered on the front. Mrs. Weasley, Tonks and Doris Crockford put on black skirts and sweaters and Tonks changed her hair from its usual pink to a shoulder length black with no bangs. The guard felt it best not to take their car, but instead the muggle train. Grimuald pl. was only a few blocks from Kings Cross station, so the guard walked a few blocks, boarded platform ten, and got onto train 13 and rode to Hermione's parents favorite vacation spot Paris, France. After mass at La Caterdriel a Notre Damme, The guard proceeded into the family/ friends limozine to the graveyard for the burial service. Since Hermione was the closest living relative to her parents she had to make a speech, close the caskets, and drop the first clump of dirt to begin the burial. It was a quiet, private funeral, only Hermione's grandparents where there. Hermione had hired the men to burry her parents and they where people from the wizard world. She had asked the priest not to come to the burial. Hermione began her speech with a surprising bit of information.
"Grandma, Grandpa, I feel the only way I give my speech properly is if I first tell you this, I am a witch. I go to a school that teaches me how to use my magic for good. My parents died because A dark wizard came looking for me. I have friends here who also have suffered from this dark wizard. My Friend Harry" she beckoned Harry up to the stage "his parents where murdered the same way when he was one year old. And his cousin Neva," she beckoned Neva up too "her mother was murdered when she was one and her father was murdered a few months ago. The headmaster of our school gave a speech in our fourth year when a student was murdered saying, We are going through dark times, we must remember that the death of our loved ones must remind us that they are in a better, safer place now and we must not grieve, but be happy for them. I learned about the curse that killed them and it is a painless curse. Kind of like a gust of wind, cold but painless. Our headmaster also said there are far worse things than death, like living in pain. We must not forget my parents but we must not live in the pain and agony of their death. Think, would they want you to waste away the rest of your lives grieving them? No. they would not want to be forgotten, but they would not want you grieve forever either. I can only say what I think they would say. Do not forget us, but please, do get on with your normal lives."
Hermione finished and everyone clapped in agreement. Hermione's grandma from her moms side said "That was very wise of you, and yes, I know you are a witch, Remus!" She suddenly spotted Lupin. "Remus! Oh, I didn't know you'd be here."
Hermione's Grandma and Grandpa chatted with Lupin for a while then the Guard took them back to the train station.