Eulogy for Colin Creevey

Everyone quietly waited as a short, light-haired figure approached the podium. Dennis Creevey.

In his hands, he held a camera. His face was calm, missing the enthusiastic smile that had always seemed as if it was plastered there.

Though he was a small figure, his voice rang through the Great Hall loud and clear.

"This camera belonged to my big brother. It represents a lot of things about Colin."

"The first is his love for Hogwarts. He was so excited to be here, when he received the letter, the first thing he asked my parents for was a camera, so he could take pictures of everything. He didn't want to forget anything."

"The second is his need to be a part of the action. Whatever happened, he wanted to be there. He wasn't content to sit on the sidelines. He wanted to see everything up close. He had to be a part of the action. Most of the times, he used his camera. Today, he used his magic to join the fight."

"The third is me. Because before I came here, he knew that I wanted to be a part of this world too. He sent me every single one of his pictures. He told me everything. About Harry Potter, about the monster that froze him…he was never afraid of anything, even after that happened. He went on about how exciting and wonderful and amazing this world was. And through his pictures, I loved this place before I came here."

"I know that if Colin had any regrets, it wasn't about coming to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was what he loved. Hogwarts was where he was happy. He was happy to fight for Hogwarts."

Dennis clutched the camera, tears sliding down his face. "I'm happy that he did it. He helped save my life. I'm grateful to him for all that he shared with me, for all that he did." He choked back another sob.

"So I don't know why I can't stop crying." He trembled, with confusion in his voice, "Colin would want me to be happy…he always wanted me to share in his happiness…"

After a long, long moment in which nothing but Dennis's sobs could be heard, a tall, red-haired figure approached Dennis, bent down, and slung an arm around him.

You could not find two more different-looking figures in all of Hogwarts. But standing there together, in their shared grief, they were exactly the same.

George Weasley quietly said to Dennis, "I know exactly how you feel." Dennis looked up to him. The tears slowed down, and he nodded.