Saying Goodbye

One week later, it was a sunny spring day, the day which had been chosen to honour the brave warriors who had lost their lives in the Great Battle of 2000. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and family, and the survivors of the last battle has all gathered on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to say their final goodbyes to the lives that had been lost during the battle. Hundreds turned up and took their seats, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

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"On this day, a week after the final battle that took so many lives; we are here to honour the ones who cannot be here with us today." Albus Dumbledore started, as he stood tall and proud in front of the hundreds of mourners. "Fifty three lives were taken on that day and we are here to remember them and what they did for our community. We are also here to remember the lives taken before the final battle took place and the ones still in hospital recovering from the battle. We untied as one on that day, a week ago, and now today we need to untie again to say goodbye."

Dumbledore stepped away from the podium and a slightly greyed haired woman stood up and faced the crowd.

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"My name is Josephine Bell and I lost my two daughters, Katherine Grace and Elizabeth Jayne, to Death Eaters in the final battle. My little girl, Katie, was always separating right from wrong, as was my eldest daughter, Lizzie. It can as no surprise to me when the both decided to become Aurors and join the Phoenix Army. Of course I feared for their safety, as I did everyone's, but I knew no matter how much I tried I could have never convinced them to back away. I was also so proud of my girls and even more so once I had heard what they had done in the final battle. Although I didn't get to see them fall, but to me they will always be heroes of the second war, just as everyone who fought in the last battle. May Katie and Lizzie rest in peace and may their memories never be forgotten."

Josephine Bell wiped a few tears away from her eyes before walking away from the head of the crowd. Most people were openly crying as the realization of this memorial finally set in. Next up was a man with a head full of orange hair.

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"They say in death, it suddenly hits you about how much someone means to you. I know since the beginning of this war, our family and him didn't see eye to eye, but that never meant that we didn't care for him. He may have been rude, stubborn and most of all refused to believe what was in front of him, but he was our brother. The day he finally came home and accepted the truth, although tensions were still running high, it was the happiest day. Our family was together again and the power of love was the strongest weapon we had in the war. When we went out to battle, he volunteered to come with us, even though he wasn't a Phoenix Army warrior. He fought with all the bravery and determination of a PA warrior and died being the only person on the side of light not in the Phoenix Army. Today as we say goodbye to him, we are giving him the full Phoenix Army battle robe and even though we are a week late, he will always be a Phoenix Army member to me and to the rest of the community. Never forget and always remember Percy Weasley."

Charlie Weasley sighed and wiped the lone tear that had fallen on his cheek away and made his way down to the rest of his family, who were sitting in the first row. A young blonde haired man who was sitting a couple of rows behind them stood up and made his way to the front.

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"Growing up a Malfoy wasn't easy. Everyone assumed I was going to turn out like my father, until I started to fall for Hannah Abbot in my seventh year. I knew my family would disapprove as Hannah was a Hufflepuff and a muggle born, but that didn't stop me. It was a surprise when she said yes after I asked her out, but we dated in secret. It was Hannah who showed me that the only side to be fighting on was the side of light and I'm proud to say that I was a spy within Voldemort's inner circle. I then joined the Phoenix Army and started fighting for the side of light. The day Hannah died, at the hands of my so called father, was the day I lost part of myself. Hannah always managed to bring a smile to my face and didn't care that my family was full of Death Eaters. When Hannah was killed in the last battle, something just snapped. I killed my father, and I'm not proud that I did it, but he stopped being my father long before I met Hannah. I now don't have to hide the fact that I loved Hannah and everything she was. She was my ray of light and my heart of hope. I will never stop loving Hannah and I will never forget that she died a Malfoy, with us getting married the day before. Remember always, Hannah Malfoy."

Draco Malfoy stepped away from the podium and tried his hardest to hide his tears, as Malfoys never cry in public, but as soon as he sat down, he couldn't hold it off any longer. A woman with bushy brown hair put her arm around him, while Neville Longbottom got up, ready to start talking.

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"When we first met Luna, we all thought she was a bit, um, different, but she proved herself when she helped us fight in The Department of Mysteries, which seems so long ago now. The next year when we met Luna again, she had changed. Her father had been killed over the summer holidays and she was no longer the dreamy, eccentric girl she was the year before. She threw herself into the DA as it was known back then and did everything she could to help us. When we graduated Hogwarts, she was the first to sign up for the newly merged Phoenix Army. She was one of our best fighters and she died the way she wanted to, in the final battle after taking down twenty Death Eaters. Not known to many people, but Luna and I had gotten together a couple of months before and the day she was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, was the day my life fell apart. I cry myself to sleep every night, knowing I'll never be able to see her smile again or hear her infectious laughter. Many people have died during this war and many families have been torn apart, but we have untied together for the war and now we have untied again to say goodbye. I will never forget Luna and who she was and we all will never forget the heroes that gave up their lives for the side of light."

Before Neville stepped off the podium, he drew out his wand, muttered a few words and fifty three doves appeared and flew around the tress before disappearing into wispy white smoke. After the doves had finished flying, a red eyed young woman took to the podium.

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"People say that twins have some kind of special connection that links them to one another. Padma and I could always feel what the other was feeling and know what the other was about to say. Before my sister and I went into battle last week, we made a promise to stick by each other. Unfortunately that promise was broken and we were separated. I knew the second Padma died, as I felt half of me slip away. We had always been close, despite being in different houses at Hogwarts and when she died that day, part of me died too. She is my twin, my sister, my best friend. She is brave, courageous, a fallen warrior in the final battle. I'll never forget the time we spent together and how it was the best years of my life. Losing a sibling is hard, but losing a twin is something different. Padma was my other half, the half that made me a whole. If she was here now she would probably be telling me to stop getting all mushy, as she was never the mushy, crying type. She is my twin sister and even though she is now gone, she will never stop being my sister. I will never forget the love my sister gave to me and the sacrifice she made for our world. Rest in peace Paddy, and even though you are gone, I will never forget you memories and how much you meant to me."

Parvati Patil burst into tears and Dean Thomas quietly ushered her off the podium. Finally the last woman stood on the podium and faced the crowd of mourners.

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"As a child, he never knew his true heritage and when he finally found out, he was thrown into the deep end of a world that seems only possible in books. In his first year at Hogwarts, he saved the Philosophers Stone from Voldemort and in his second, he saved me from the Chamber of Secrets and the memory of a young Tom Riddle. In his third, he finally found some happiness through his godfather Sirius Black, only to witness death of Cedric Diggory and the re-birth of Voldemort after the Tri-Wizard Tournament in his fourth year went so horribly wrong. Coming into his fifth year, the papers had branded him delusional, but he never stopped fighting. At the end of that year, another life was cruelly taken away from us in the form of his godfather. As his sixth year started, he once again found himself up against Voldemort and battling to save Wizarding kind. He was almost killed that year, but thanks to the quick and efficient healers at St Mungo's, he was saved for another year. In his seventh year, my sixth, we found ourselves drawn to one another and not long later we started dating. Seventh year for him was the worst for him as dreams, terrible dreams kept him up every night. And at the end of that year, he was duelling Voldemort again. He survived and went on to be an Auror. When we went out to try and finish the dark side off the first time, it was a complete mess and he ended up saving me from a killing curse. That was when we confessed our love for each other and have never looked back. Last week he paid the ultimate price for saving our world as we know it. As Voldemort fell, the hero of light and the Boy Who Lived also fell and died in my arms. Voldemort is gone, but so is the love of my life and the hero of this war. He is the saviour of the Wizarding world and the son of light. He is Hermione and Ron Weasley best friend. He is my boyfriend and the love of my life. In his honour of my love for him, I would like to recite this poem.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever; I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood,
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Remember those who have fallen in this second war, remember the family and friends they left behind. Remember the sacrifice they made, remember their love for you. Remember they died a hero, remember they died for you. Remember that light will always prevail and remember the hero of this war, Harry Potter."

Ginny Weasley wiped away the tears she had been shedding through out the memorial, when suddenly she remembered something else she needed to announce.

"The tale of Harry Potter will be passed on for generations and the legacy of the Potter line will live on in the twins I am carrying, of which Harry Potter is the father. Harry will never be forgotten as a new generation of Potters will be born into the world of light that he saved. Remember Harry Potter and the heroes of his war."

More tears started to fall down Ginny's face as she rubbed the stomach lovingly knowing that two tiny Potters were growing inside of her. She stepped down from the podium and made her way back to her seat, finally knowing that Harry had been put to rest and that she will always have a reminder of him in his children.

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