A/N: So sorry for not uploading in ages! Hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, all rights belong to JKR.

Chapter 9 - Heroes

Harry strode onto the stage hand-in-hand with Ginny and with Ron and Hermione right behind them. A few people had already arrived, and were sitting silently in small groups dotted throughout the hall. A group of chairs were already set up on the stage, and Harry noticed with a pang that almost half of these chairs had a bouquet of flowers placed on their seats. He, Ron, Hermione and Ginny walked slowly over to the chairs and found that they had been seated next to-

"Lily and James Potter." Hermione murmured, noticing the two bouquets of flowers that had been placed on the 2 chairs to Harry's left.

"That's beautiful." Lily whispered, tears springing to her eyes.

"Oh," Harry brushed his hand against the two name tags that were secured onto the front of the bouquets by a simple white ribbon, biting his lip. Ginny reached out and plucked a flower from Lily's posy, threading it through the open buttonhole on Harry's dress robes with gentle fingers.

" A lily for Lily. Now she and your Dad really are with you today." She cupped her boyfriend's cheek with her hand and kissed him deeply.

"I really like this Ginny chic." James smiled sadly as he watched his son sit down and the Great Hall begin to fill with people.

Half an hour later, Harry sat nervously in his chair on the stage, gazing around at the mass of people that were seated in front of him. They all wore black, a symbol of mourning and loss, and seemed fragile, as though one wrong touch would break them into a million pieces. One wrong word. Harry shook his head and tried to focus his attention on what McGongall was saying, but all he could think about was his speech.

"Now, would you please welcome Harry Potter to the stage to say a few words." A round of applause sounded from the audience as the green-eyed man made his way to the lectern.

James put an arm around Lily's waist and pulled her closer to him, sensing her worry.

"Good morning everyone. As you know, today marks the one week anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and the defeat of the darkest wizard in our history, the man who called himself Lord Voldemort. We are gathered here today to commemorate and celebrate the people who sacrificed their lives so that the next generation of young witches and wizards can grow up in a safe and peaceful world, and for that we will be forever grateful. The Fallen Fifty, as we have decided to call them, were a group of courageous, selfless and brave individuals who fought with valour and wit and spirit until the very end. WIthout their sacrifice, we would have lost the war. Their names will go down in history as heroes, because that is who they were, and who they still are. Heroes."

Fred, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, James and Lily smiled.

"Being heroic, as many of us have discovered over the past few years, isn't just about pulling off a superhuman feat of bravery and saving innocent lives. Being heroic is about having the guts to stand up for what you believe in, and being able to conquer your fears for the sake of others. Being brave is knowing that you may not live to see another day, yet still going to fight the battles that await. Being brave is about walking into a fight to the death with your head held high and your shoulders back.

Over the duration of the 2 Wizarding Wars our world has faced, we all lost someone. A son," Harry's gaze drifted over to the Creevey family, and then behind him to Molly and Arthur. "A daughter," He looked across to Andromeda Tonks. "a grandchild,a mother, a father," He caught a glimpse of his godson's bubblegum pink hair from between the folds of a soft green blanket that was cradled in Andromeda's arms."A cousin, an uncle, an aunt, a sibling,"He saw Ginny, Ron, George, Percy, Bill and Charlie all bow their heads."A boyfriend, a girlfriend, a husband, a wife, a friend, a mentor." Harry felt his heart beginning to speed up and a lump form at the back of his throat, and he swallowed uncomfortably.

"Oh, honey, it's ok." Lily murmured, the all-too-familiar longing to be down on Earth and comfort her son resurfacing. James kissed her forehead gently and rubbed her back, tears pricking the back of his hazel eyes.

"And I want to tell you all that no matter how hard it seems, no matter how impossible it is to feel that you will ever be happy again, there will come a time when these profound, agonising losses will fade into the background of our lives and we will be able to find joy in life again. In saying that, the pain of losing someone close to you never goes away, but we all are strong enough to keep moving forward.

I don't want to bore you all with a long speech, but before I wrap up, I would like to thank a few people: firstly, my best friends Hermione and Ron, who've stuck by my side since we were 11. I literally wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for them. Ginny… Thank you for being my grounding force these past few years, and for never giving up on me. I love you with all my heart and more." He glanced back at his girlfriend, who blushed slightly and smiled at him. "Molly and Arthur, for giving me the incredible family I've always wished for. Minerva and all the other Hogwarts professors who've helped me throughout my journey, you taught me so much. Hagrid, thank you for always having a cup of tea, plate of rock cakes and an ear to listen. I cherish our friendship in more ways than words can describe." The half-giant, who was seated in the back row of the group of people on the stage, blew his nose loudly. Harry smiled slightly and then continued."Teddy, you are too young to fully understand what has happened, but you will come of age with our young nation, and I hope all you know is peace. Lastly but in no way least, thank you to all the people who sacrificed their lives throughout the war, your bravery will not be forgotten. Thank you!" The crowd in front of Harry stood up and applauded as he walked back to his seat. As he sat down, Ginny leant her head close to his.

"Your speech was beautiful, and just so you know, I love you with all my heart and more as well." She sat up again, taking Harry's right hand in her left and squeezing it tightly.

"It was a very good speech." Sirius agreed, a definite note of pride in his voice.

"The family he's always wished for…" James whispered as he embraced his wife. Whilst he was forever grateful to the Weasleys and everything they had given his son, a part of him wanted more than anything for Harry to have grown up with his own parents and in his own house, because as much as Molly and Arthur tried, James knew that nothing in the world could ever replace your parents' unconditional love, comfort and support.

An hour later, after completing the memorial service, Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys apparated to a spot near the Burrow, where Fred's funeral was to be held. The family had chosen a beautiful spot on a hill near the Burrow to bury the man. It was shady, covered by a sprawling willow tree. The grass around the tree was covered in a bed of flowers of every colour, and golden rays of light filtered through the ancient branches. A headstone already stood at its roots, and it read: 'Frederick Gideon Weasley. 01.04.1978 - 02.05.1998. Beloved son of Molly and Arthur, loving brother to George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron and Ginny and friend to all. He died as he lived; laughing. He will be greatly missed.'

Fred sighed sadly as his family gathered around his grave. He could hardly bear to watch them so upset, and his gut twisted uncomfortably when it occurred to him, not for the first time, that it was his fault that his family were so upset. Lily noticed the younger man's grief and put an arm around his shoulders.

"It's not your fault." She whispered. "There was nothing you could have done differently." Fred sighed.

"I know, I know. Doesn't stop me from feeling awful though." He bit his lip and refocused his attention on the scene in front of him.

A/N: So so so sorry for not posting in ages! I've been super busy and not very motivated to write, but I'm back now. I will go on holiday for 2 weeks soon, so I might not get much time to write but I will try and find some time. Thank you for reading! Also, I think the next chapter will jump quite a bit of time, perhaps to when Ginny tells Harry she is pregnant with James, but let me know in the comments if there is a specific scene you would like to see that falls between the end of this chapter and the start of the next one, and I'll see what I can do. Thank you for reading!