CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

A Few Words

White chairs lined the freshly groomed grounds near the lake of Hogwarts. Hundreds of students, families, friends, and important figures from the Ministry were seated before the great white tomb at the edge of the grounds. Despite the fact that it was such a terrible circumstance, Harry was pleased to see people who he hadn't in some time.

Madam Maxime was trying to comfort a sobbing Hagrid. Firenze, the centaur, was there as well. Other creatures, such as the Merpeople, had also paid their silent respects from the lake. All of the Weasleys, except for Fred, who was still in the hospital wing, were present, along with Fleur and Hermimone. The entire Wizengamot was also present, as well as Fudge himself.

Harry was seated by himself in the front row, where McGonagall would eventually join him. Eva and Nora were sitting with the Finnigans. He couldn't deny that he needed some time alone, yet felt as though part of him were missing. Time seemed to pass him by ever since Dumbledore's death. He often seemed to be outside of his body, living only in his mind and in his heart. The shock that the headmaster was really gone had still not set in.

After everyone had found their seats, Fudge began the service by opening with a quote from Dumbledore himself. Naturally, Fudge twisted the headmaster's words into something they were not, and the introduction, well, sucked. He managed to get a few smiles on people's faces before sitting down. Then McGonagall took over.

"Albus Dumbledore had been a dear friend to me over the past three decades. Through our work at Hogwarts, we both managed to accomplish great things that have not only changed the present for the better, but also shape the future of our world." Her voice began to shake, which was something that Harry had never heard coming from McGonagall. She was really a wreck. "That is why I know that Albus is turning in his tomb as I make this announcement. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has given me the sad duty of telling all of you that, as of tomorrow night, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be closed indefinitely."

There were gasps from the students, but parents were nodding their heads in agreement. Harry could hear Hagrid's distinct cry of, "No!"

"I know that many of you, particularly parents, will find this as a relief. However, I assure you, this is an injustice to the wizarding world. It is an injustice to your children…"

"Minerva," Fudge warned, "Now is not the time…"

"In our current position," McGonagall continued, "we, the staff of Hogwarts, have no say in the politics of the school. However, I can safely say that if it were up to us, the school would remain open. It is what Dumbledore would have wanted. That is why I urge you, students, parents, and the like, to fight this wrong with extreme force. Dumbledore was a great man, and his greatness lives on within these walls. Your children still have so much to learn, and if they are not here, we cannot teach them."

"Professor McGonagall is right!" Harry recognized Hermione's voice. She stood up on her chair. "If Hogwarts is closed, where will we all go? Where will we learn? There is no other place like Hogwarts!" If Hermione didn't have Hogwarts, she would be completely closed off from the wizarding world, living with her parents as Muggles.

"Hogwarts isn't safe!" Harry turned to see where the voice was coming from. It was Seamus's mother, the same person who had thought Harry was a stark raving lunatic only a year earlier. "After what happened here yesterday, how can you expect us to send our children to such an awful place?"

"An awful place?" Hagrid cried. "Look around you. Hogwarts's beautiful! There's no finer place ter be!"

"And no place safer," Harry said, standing up himself. "Despite fact the Dumbledore has died, the rest of us have survived a full-scale attack from Voldemort himself. Two Death Eaters were killed, another four were captured, and only one person is seriously injured." He glanced at the Weasleys, who took up nearly a half of a row. "Can you imagine if it had happened at your home?"

"It will only be a matter of time," another parent stood up and said. "We are returning to the dark period when we all arrive home and fear seeing the dark mark over our houses!"

"But it doesn't have to be that way!" Harry said. "We have to fight. Professor Dumbledore died protecting all of us from the horrors of Voldemort. We can't let him win. If we close down the school, how are your children going to learn to defend themselves?" He paused for a moment, thinking of everything that Dumbledore had taught him, not only in the classroom, but in life. "Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world. It is safer than your homes. If you take your children away, not only will they lose their education, but they'll be in danger."

There were murmurs of agreement in the audience.

"Harry's right," Mr. Weasley said. "Hogwarts is the safest place for our children. It is the best place for them to learn and live. What happened yesterday was awful, but it should not close the school."

"It's too late, Arthur," Fudge said. "The governors have already made their decision."

"Forget the governors!" shouted Mr. Macmillan, Ernie's father.

"Yes, where are the governors today?" Arthur gestured to the crowd. "They do not even have the courage to be here to pay their respect to the finest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. They do not work here; they do not live here; they do not have children who call this place home. Parents, think back to your own days at this very school—think of how they shaped who you are today. Can you imagine what your lives would have been like without Hogwarts? Do you want to strip your children of the same magical experience when they clearly know how to protect themselves against evil?"

There were some cheers and clapping from the group. It was working. Harry looked at the white tomb before him and thought that Dumbledore would most definitely be smiling now.

"As a parent who has lost his only son to Voldemort, I can say that I whole-heartedly agree with Arthur." Amos Diggory, Cedric's father, stood up in the crowd. He looked much older than Harry remembered, but he supposed that happened after the death of a child. "Closing Hogwarts would not only tarnish Dumbledore's memory, but Cedric's as well. Cedric may not be able to learn here or play Quidditch on these grounds as he did when he was alive, but to take it away from his friends and classmates would be a travesty. Fudge, how many signatures does it take to amend this emergency decision made by the governors?"

"Er… well…" Fudge cleared his throat. "By law, it would take two-hundred."

"I think you will easily find that many here today!" McGonagall exclaimed.

There were more shouts of agreement and clapping in the audience. Fudge grew quite red in the face, glanced at the Wizengamot, who also had a few members clapping. "This is not the time to… A great wizard has just died!"

"And yet, he is still very alive," McGonagall said. She raised her hands to the crowd, to silence them. "Dumbledore, in the flesh, may be gone. But what he taught is still with us all. I believe that his honor, his cleverness, his charm, and his heart still show in his pupils. Harry, would you like to come up and say a few words?"

That wasn't quite the introduction Harry had been expecting. In fact, he thought McGonagall was going to uncloak Dumbledore's portrait. Surprised, he got up from his seat. The audience clapped as he walked to the podium on rubbery legs.

Harry cleared his throat. "Over the past term, I have had the privilege to work very closely with Professor Dumbledore. Thought he was the headmaster of Hogwarts, he never let me forget that he was also a teacher. He taught me many things, but probably the most valuable thing I have learned is that it's impossible to predict the future but it is possible to prepare for it. No one could have predicted that Voldemort would attack us yesterday, but I think that the Hogwarts student body did an outstanding job of defending the castle. We were prepared, thanks to him. Without his encouragement for certain clubs," he said, glancing at Hermione and Ron, "or his dedication to the truth," he looked at Amos Diggory, remembering when Dumbledore had spoken of Voldemort's return, "many more would have not survived the attack yesterday. But today, we are all here and safe. And we owe our lives to Dumbledore." He looked to the white tomb, shining brilliantly in the sunlight. "Thank you."

Harry left the podium and sat back down in his seat. There was a moment of silence before the onlookers burst into applause. He could not bear to look around at his friends. He would have not been able to say another word without crumbling. However, he finally felt as though what had needed to be said was said.

And the misery he felt at that moment—that too would pass.

Exams and O.W.L.s went on as scheduled after the overwhelming number of Hogwarts supporters stepped forward to re-open the school, though it had never actually been closed. The Daily Prophet called it "the biggest amendment in Ministry history." And Fudge, in effect, had been sacked.

Because of Snape's disappearance, everyone was given a passing grade in advanced potions, including Ron, who had worked twice as hard as everyone else all year. Mr. Weasley thought that Ron was well on his way to becoming an auror, with his experience in both advanced potions and Herbology. Whether Ron felt the same, Harry wasn't sure.

Fred was transferred to St. Mungo's burn unit shortly after Dumbledore's wake. The Weasleys seemed hopeful about his condition, but Harry knew Molly and Arthur were wondering how many of their children would be left standing after the war to come, including himself.

The last days of Harry's sixth year were lazy ones, filled with catching up with old friends, like Hagrid, who Harry gave Sirius's bike to for the time being.

"I'll take good care o' 'er for yeh, 'Arry," he had said. "Can' have yeh flyin' around yer aunt n' uncle's, now, I s'pose."

Harry also called one last meeting of Dumbledore's Army, where he congratulated everyone on a job well done. Though they could not save Dumbledore, they would serve him, even in death, against the horrors of Voldemort. Harry even invited new people to attend the meeting, including Eva, Nora, some first-years, the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and even the Slytherin student that Neville had accidentally told about the club.

On the very last day of school, Eva arrived on the train from Hogsmeade to take Nora back with her. Harry had not stopped touching her since she arrived—who knew when they would be together again? Whether he simply held her hand or pulled her into shadows to share passionate kisses, he knew that he had to cherish every moment they had left together before he was alone on Privet Drive for one last summer.

"I'll come visit you," Eva said, putting her arms around Harry's shoulders. The train was headed back to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in a matter of minutes. "I don't care if I have to hitch-hike by broomstick," she laughed.

"You'd better," he said, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her into him. He was quite serious.

She looked up at him and there were tears in her blue eyes, so he kissed each cheek, then settled on her lips, searching her mouth with his own for the last time. Bringing his hands together behind her waist, he pressed the button on his Timepiece.

"In memoriā redire sensusūs," he whispered.

There was a flash of light, but Eva didn't seem to notice as she kissed him deeply. Yes, that was what he wanted to remember. What it was like to be so close to someone he loved.

Nothing would ever be the same at Hogwarts. Harry could never go back to the sense of security that he'd had before. But he had made up his mind to dedicate his life to keeping the innocent safe. In the fall, he would not be returning to Hogwarts as a student. No.

He would be returning as a teacher.

A/N: I hope that you have enjoyed reading my fanfic. Congrats on making it to the end! It has been a long journey. I know that the ending moved quite quickly, but I just wanted to finish this entire project before I went crazy. I did manage to finish it in less than three years. Amazing! I remember sitting down in my screen-in porch at home after finishing OotP on June 23, 2003, and starting this wild adventure. I have met a lot of wonderful people and am honored to share my stories with all of you. Also, I really need to give kudos to my beta, Brie, for sticking with me, Fiction Alley, for putting up with me for the first 30 or so chapters, for its easy publishing system, and of course, the Harry Potter Lexicon! What would I do without you?

So some of you may be wondering—sequel? The truth is that I do have plans for Book 7 in this alternate universe I have created. However, I don't know if I will actually get around to writing it. I am going back to my original works again. If you would like to read them, please go to and find my username, ~dorky_kelly.

All in all, I've had a lot of fun. The Harry Potter fanfic community is amazing!

~Kel