Hello guys! So this is a story that I just wrote. It's about a memorial (obviously), six months after the war. It's also the beginning of the ending of my other story (called Harry Potter and the Life Beyond, that currently has seven chapters). However, it is absolutely not neccesairy to read that story first. This one goes quite well on its own. I took a break from that story and writing the ending first, just because I felt like it. I have loads of spare time due to Corona virus, so I hope chapter two of this story will be up soon too. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this, I don't own anything and please review!
It was the Second of November 1998, exactly six months after the official end of the war. The past six months had not been easy, they had been filled with grief, hardships and trying to overcome the mental issues caused by the war.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, the minister of magic, had declared today as a day of celebration and commemoration, and everyone would get a day off for it. Today was also the day of the memorial.
The memorial would take place at Hogwarts, and the entire British wizarding community was invited. Kingsley had asked Harry if he wanted to make a speech at the memorial, but naturally Harry had declined.
That was, until Ginny managed to persuade him to think about it. "Just consider it", she had said.
Harry had sighed, but promised her he would think about it.
And apparently it had worked, because to his horror, a month ago he agreed to Kingsley's request. Most of the time he still wondered what had gotten into him for accepting to speech, because every time he thought about it he felt like he had to puke.
But on the other hand, it was the right thing to do. Over the last few months he had increasingly felt like he failed the wizarding worlds expectations.
Sure, he had defeated Voldemort, but he had started to realise that during that last year, people had needed him to be more. They needed a public figure to lean on. Someone to give them hope, to look up to and who would show them what to do. Especially since Dumbledore wasn't there to be that anymore.
So people had expected him to be that person. They had looked out for him, hoping that he would be there for them, making speeches about perseverance and bravery, giving them the hope and power to move on despite everything.
But he wasn't. Instead of this public hero, he had vanished from the face of the earth for nine months, leaving people questioning if he would be the one to save them after all.
They had wanted him to be there for them, no matter he was just a seventeen year old who hadn't had any training for any of this, nor had completed his education.
Of course he knew it hadn't been an option for him to walk around the streets of wizarding Britain, patting the people on their shoulders and incidentally killing some death eaters. He had done what he could and it should have been enough.
But it wasn't. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should have been more, that he should have been there. So in a way, this was to make it up to them.
However, it wasn't the only reason he had for accepting to speak today. There were things he wished to say as well. He had a message and he wanted the entire wizarding world to hear it. Not changed or adapted by the press, not printed on paper, he wanted everyone to hear it. And today would be his best and only chance to do so.
Lastly, he wanted to thank some people. Bring out a tribute to some of the people who had helped him so much throughout his life. He hadn't done that properly in like… Ever.
And so he had agreed to speech, even though he wished he hadn't. He felt like backing out, but according to Ron it was too late to do so.
Ron had told Harry he hoped to receive an Order of Merlin, Second class, because it would look good on his chocolate frog card, to which Harry had replied he hoped so too.
Of course it had been obvious from the start that Harry would be receiving an Order of Merlin, First Class, but even after all these months he hadn't received it yet. The press had started speculating that the Wizengamot had stopped rewarding them, but Harry knew better.
Kingsley had told him they would be rewarded as a part of the memorial, and that both Ron and Hermione would receive a First Class too. Of course.
All these thoughts swirled through his head while he lay in his bed at six in the morning, waiting for the much dreaded day to begin. After a while he stepped out of bed. He tried to focus on the morning in front of him. After all, the memorial would only start at two in the afternoon, and he and Ron had to be at Hogwarts at seven thirty.
Seven thirty was no problem for them, as they had moved to Hogsmeade recently. They had to be there so early because of the many preparations that had to be done. However, there would most likely not be so much to do for them, so they would be able to spend some time with Ginny and Hermione. They had only seen them once since the schoolyear had started, during their first Hogsmeade weekend.
It was a Monday, so the Hogwarts students had classes. Probably to keep them away from the preparations going on in the castle than anything else, because no one would be up to much concentration today.
However, all the classes after lunch would be cancelled for the memorial. Harry was happy that at least Ginny could be there to support him before his speech.
In a way, it was good that he was so anxious for his speech, because it kept his mind off of the rest of the ceremony, which would undoubtedly be hard.
"Good morning", grumbled Ron, as he stumbled into the kitchen, still in his pyjama's at six thirty.
"Good morning. Had any sleep?" Harry replied.
"Barely. Not exactly looking forward to the memorial."
"Yeah, I know, I know."
They put on some comfortable clothes, the robes that had been ordered at, fitted and made by Madam Malekins would be at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione would come up on the stage with him on a later point of the ceremony, probably when receiving their Orders of Merlin, and they too would speak some words. The organisers of the ceremony had wanted a shared moment of 'The Golden Trio' on stage.
At a quarter past seven they reached the gates of Hogwarts. Behind the gate stood a guard. Even today, as half of the wizarding community was expected walk around the place, Hogwarts would not let down it's guards. Or maybe you should rather say, especially today, so that when so many people entered, no fugitive death eaters could secretly sneak in and cause… Well, whatever dark magic they wished to use. Everyone that came in would have to have their wands and names registered, checked for any signs of dark magic and scanned by the weird objects that Gringotts had used during the war, that would reveal the use of, for example, Polyjuice potion.
"Names?" The guard grumbled.
"Really, Klaver?", Ron raised an eyebrow at their colleague that was guarding the gate.
"Ah, it's you. Well, um… I gotta scan you. Er… yes, you're all good. Go on. The preparation team wanted to see you in the chamber behind the great hall. If I don't see you anymore before the ceremony, good luck."
"Thanks Klaver, you too"
They walked over the Hogwarts ground, past the black lake, past the quidditch pitch, past the forbidden forest and past Hagrid's hut, towards the castle.
"It feels weird to be back here, doesn't it?", Ron asked.
"Yeah. I mean, every single square meter here holds memories, mostly good, but then… The last time we were here…"
"Yeah, must be hard for Ginny and Hermione and all the others to be back here. I mean, you can't really not think of it. The battle, it's everywhere over here."
They reached the large, oak entrance doors to the castle and entered. There was another auror standing in the hall.
"Morning, Potter, Weasley.", Arib greeted them, a little too cheerfully.
"Morning, Arib. Ready for the day?"
"Ya, mostly…"
Harry and Ron looked at each other and proceeded towards the doors to the Great Hall. They stood in the doorway and looked at the hundreds of students gathered there, eating their breakfast. Soon, students started looking at them, pointing fingers. More and more teens spotted them, except for two unusually oblivious girls. They were easy to spot. Now that Ginny was the only Weasley left, her flaming red hair stood out amongst the rest even more than before.
She and Hermione sat opposite of each other, emerged in what looked like a private and concerned conversation. Harry stared at her only, trying to call her with his eyes. He enjoyed looking at her, but he liked spending time with her even more.
Still, they didn't notice their arrival, until a girl sitting next to Ginny poked her in her ribs and said something to Ginny with a mischievous smile on her face. Ginny looked up in annoyance, turned her gaze towards the doors and her face brightened up. She quickly turned around in her seat and ran towards Harry, grabbing him in a bone crushing hug.
"Hey", he smiled at her. "Good to see you"
Ginny didn't reply, but instead started kissing him intensely.
"Oi! Stop that! I don't want to see – Hermione! How are you?"
Harry detangled himself from Ginny's grip.
"You know the entire school, including teachers, is currently looking at us right now?", he smiled, while putting a strand of hair behind her ear.
"So what? I have adapted a new policy this year. It's called my 'I don't give a damn what anyone thinks of me' policy."
"Oh she sure has! Hi Harry, good to see you.", Hermione replied from Ron's arms.
"Hi Hermione, good to see you too."
Ginny kissed Harry again.
"Will you have breakfast with us? Knowing you, you haven't eaten anything yet today", Ginny asked.
"Sure, but I don't know if I'll eat anything."
They sat down again on the place where Ginny and Hermione had sat earlier. Harry sat next to the girl that had poked Ginny in her ribs earlier. She now looked rather stunned and stared at Harry wide eyed.
"Hi", Harry greeted her awkwardly.
Her eyes flashed towards his forehead.
"You're… You're Harry Potter!"
"Er… Yeah, I am…"
The girl looked at a loss for words, so he turned back towards Ginny, who was sitting on his other side.
"I take it this is that roommate of yours you wrote me about? The one that doesn't believe we're in a relationship?", he whispered.
"Yep. She also happens to be your greatest fan. Pretty annoying, really. She can't stop talking about you. Also believes every rumour she hears about you."
"I see."
He held Ginny close to him. For now, being back felt pretty good after all.