It was cruelly beautiful the day of Harry's funeral. Birds sang their summer melodies and the sun made the lake outside Hogwarts sparkle like starlight.
"I hate this," Ginny said to no one in particular. "I feel like nature is mocking us."
Hermione gave her a hug, and they settled into their chairs in the first row.
"I thought Dumbledore's funeral was awful," Ron said, "but I never--" He broke off, giving way to tears.
"There're so many people here," Draco whispered, awed.
Ron put both arms around his sister as she burst into another fit of tears. "It's wonderful," Ginny said, "that they're going to lay him to rest here at Hogwarts with Dumbledore and Hagrid. They were his family."
Professor McGonagall leaned forward. "And his parents," she said quietly.
Ginny turned, surprised.
"His parents were moved here," she told her. "Voldemort couldn't touch him. It was an extension of Lily's protection." She regarded Ginny, laying her finger on the fresh lightning-bolt cut that had been burned into her neck. "Like mother, like son."
Sirius stood next to Harry's casket. "I stand here today," he said at last, "because of my godson's bravery. And I wish with every fiber of my being that I could trade places with him, that I could go back to death so he could breathe in new life. You know-- so many of us owe him our lives, and he never asked for one thing in return. Not once. And now, he has made the ultimate sacrifice. He has given up his place in this world so all of us can sleep peacefully at night, free from the terrors of Voldemort. And he gave it up out of love. He faced death to save Ginny, because she meant more to him than anything." He paused. "His whole life, Harry was known as the Boy who Lived. I think it's only fitting that we should remember him as the Boy who Loved."
Ginny's face was a storm of tears as Ron, Neville, Lupin, Bill, Sirius, and Draco bore the coffin on their shoulders and lowered it into the ground.
And then there was song-- beautiful, majestic song.
"It's Fawkes," Ginny breathed, recognizing the music. He swooped down from the treetops and alighted on Harry's headstone, which had been set into the ground that very morning, along with the markers for Lily and James.
"Hullo," Ginny said softly.
Fawkes cocked his head, looking her in the eye. Tears formed in the phoenix's eyes, and he flew up to perch on her shoulder.
"I've done enough crying for the whole world," Ginny said, "but if you must, please don't cry on my neck. I want to keep that scar."
Fawkes bowed, and hopped off of her, alighting on the ground. He shed one tear on Harry's grave, gave a low cry, and disappeared.