Chapter 31: The Funeral

The afternoon of the funeral arrived and Harry was sitting in one of the front pews in the church next to Ron. The Weasley brothers had approached him several days earlier to ask him to be a pallbearer along with them in the service for their father and Percy. Feeling honored by their request, Harry readily agreed.

Arthur Weasley had been very well liked and many people took their turn to eulogize him; a much smaller number came forward for Percy. Harry sat stoically through the tributes but he heard little of what was being said. His thoughts kept turning toward his own memories of Mr. Weasley and how he was going to miss the man who had become as much, if not more, of a father to him as Sirius had been.

When it was time, Harry somberly took his place on the left side of the two polished wooden coffins behind Charlie and Fred. Bill, George and Ron took their places on the opposite side.

When he turned, Harry chanced a glance at Ginny who was sitting between her mother and Hermione in the front pew on the other side of the isle. Their faces were streaked with tears and Ginny held her mother close. Mrs. Weasley was leaning heavily on Ginny's shoulder with her face buried in a handkerchief; Fleur was on Mrs. Weasley's other side also trying to offer comfort.

Harry felt a lump begin to form in his throat and he quickly looked away.

His eyes went to Bill who gave a curt nod and the six of them drew their wands in unison. With near military precision, they positioned their wands to levitate the coffins and turned simultaneously toward the door of the church and then they slowly walked beside the coffins out into the cemetery.

After the services, friends and family alike gathered throughout the multiple reception rooms within the large church. Ginny knew her mother was nearing exhaustion and she urged her to accompany Fleur and Faith back to Grimmauld Place. As if on cue, Faith began to fuss in earnest and Mrs. Weasley took the baby into her arms. Molly Weasley doted on her granddaughter and Ginny was certain the baby was the main reason her mother had not fallen into a deeper depression.

Once her mother had gone, Ginny took up the role of greeting the many mourners who had come to pay their respects to her father and brother. Harry hung back, not wanting to intrude, but he remained near should Ginny need him for anything.

The opportunity to lend assistance came when Harry saw that an overly verbose Wizard had trapped Ginny in conversation and it seemed the man would never stop talking. He watched the Wizard take her by the elbow to lead her over to another group of Wizards on the far side of the room. Ginny was doing her best to be polite but Harry could tell that whatever he was saying had begun to upset her.

Harry walked up behind her and placed his hand lightly on her back to get her attention.

He said, "Ginny, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Bill needs to see you for a moment."

Harry could see the grateful relief in her eyes before she turned back to the man and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Blunt, but I really should go see what my brother wants. If you will excuse me, perhaps you can introduce me to my father's other friends later."

Harry turned to follow her but Mr. Blunt stopped him.

He smiled broadly, held out his hand to Harry, and exclaimed, "Why, Harry Potter! What an honor it is to meet the man who is providing hope to the Wizarding world during these dreadful times! I am very happy to finally make your acquaintance!"

Feeling slightly irritated by the man's words, Harry reluctantly shook his hand and replied, "Likewise, Mr. Blunt, is it?"

"Yes, yes. Jacob Blunt at your service. I worked with Arthur many years ago. My colleagues over there," he indicated the Wizards he had wanted to take Ginny to meet, "worked with him as well. I thought they would enjoy meeting the daughter who Arthur spoke of so often, but perhaps you might care to join us for a moment. I am sure they would be just as thrilled by the chance to meet the Harry Potter."

This last comment caused Harry's irritation with Mr. Blunt to grow. Even though he seemed friendly enough, Harry noticed his smile did not reach his eyes. In fact, the man reminded him of a used car salesman he once saw on television commercials while he was at the Dursleys'.

Harry looked toward the group of Wizards but they were just exiting the room through the far doorway.

"It looks like your friends have decided to leave, Mr. Blunt," Harry replied brusquely. "Perhaps another time."

Mr. Blunt looked somewhat annoyed but he recovered quickly, "Of course; I look forward to it."

Harry did not wait for Mr. Blunt to attempt to engage him further in conversation and left him to search for Ginny.

He found her sitting at a table with Hermione and Ron in one of the smaller rooms located off the main reception area.

When Harry sat down next to her, Ginny she said, "Thank you for rescuing me back there."

Harry took her hand under the table. "My pleasure. It didn't look like you were enjoying the conversation very much."

"I'm sure Mr. Blunt didn't mean to upset me," Ginny replied. "He was talking about Dad and I guess things started to hit me again. I still can't believe they're gone."

Harry rubbed his thumb across the knuckles of her hand, "I know. Me either."

They continued to talk quietly with Ron and Hermione until a man that Harry recognized as the one in charge of events at the church approached.

"I do not mean to intrude, Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley, but I was told that should I find you, your brothers would like you to meet them in the church office."

Ginny stood up and asked worriedly, "Is something wrong?"

The event coordinator smiled reassuringly and said, "They did not enlighten me as to their purpose but they did not seem overly concerned or alarmed."

"Oh, good," Ron said in a relieved tone as he stood up. Then he said to Hermione and Harry, "We'll be back in a bit, and then maybe we should head home," and he went with Ginny to follow the coordinator.

After they left, Harry and Hermione sat in silence. It had been a very long and emotionally tiring day and Harry knew if he was feeling the effects so deeply, the Weasley family had to be feeling much, much worse.

Harry asked suddenly, "How is Ron really holding up?"

Hermione replied with a tired sigh, "He's trying to put up a strong front, but inside he's really a mess. He told me last night that he should not have stayed in Romania for so long. Ron seems to think that if he had been here, he could have stopped all this from happening somehow."

Harry said, "But there's nothing he could have done."

"You and I know that, but Ron still won't stop feeling guilty."

Harry understood on some level how Ron might be feeling; after all, there were times when the guilt of how Sirius had died still snuck up on him.

They continued to converse quietly until Bill and George came over to join them.

"Did Ron and Ginny decide to go back to Grimmauld Place with Mum?" Bill asked. "I'd have thought you two would have left as well."

Harry and Hermione exchanged confused glances and Hermione replied, "They went to meet you in the church office."

George frowned and asked, "Why would they meet us there?"

With concern clearly showing on his face, Harry answered, "The coordinator came by a while ago and said you wanted them to meet you. You're saying you didn't ask him to find Ginny and Ron?"

Bill replied, "No. We've been talking to Dad's friends all afternoon."

Harry stood up so fast that it made Hermione jump.

He said, "We'd better see if we can find them."

Bill agreed, "I'll go check the office and then find Fred and Charlie. You two look around and see if they are anywhere else. There are Aurors patrolling both inside and around the grounds, so they can't have gone too far without someone seeing them."

Harry and Hermione set out toward the larger reception room but a thorough search did not turn up any sign of Ron or Ginny.

They came to the doorway of the church that led outside but a quick scan of the cemetery grounds only showed several people who they assumed had to be Aurors patrolling. Harry started to walk through the door just as the Weasley brothers rushed up behind them.

Charlie asked worriedly, "You haven't found them?"

"No," Harry replied, "and I don't see them outside either."

"But where could they have gone?" Hermione asked; her face was now a mask of concern.

Before anyone could respond, they heard shouts coming from the direction of the cemetery. They all turned quickly to see the Aurors who had been patrolling outside engaging a group of mask-clad figures that were quickly entering through the cemetery gate.

"Death Eaters!" Bill said bitterly under his breath and then he turned to Fred, "Kingsley and Moody are inside; go tell them we're under attack!"

Bill pulled out his wand and rushed into the cemetery with Harry and the others beside him. Four Death Eaters saw Harry and immediately headed in his direction. Harry hit one of them squarely in the chest just as another fired a curse at him. Harry instinctively brought up a shielding charm so that the curse bounced harmlessly away and he gave silent thanks to Ivan and his training.

To Harry's surprise, he heard a gruff voice shout, "No! Do not hit Potter! Secure the others!"

Confused to hear such an order issued, Harry watched as the Death Eaters turned their attention from him; one went after Bill and the others engaged George and Charlie. Harry wasted no time as he began to fire curses back at the Death Eaters.

He had only taken several steps forward when he heard a scream behind him. He looked back toward the church and saw that a Death Eater had grabbed Hermione from behind and was using her as a shield to make his way through the graveyard.

Harry raised his wand and yelled, "Let go of her!"

The Death Eater roughly pulled Hermione around so that her body would block any curses that Harry might attempt to fire at him.

The Death Eater replied, "I'll kill her if you don't back away!"

Hermione began to struggle but the Death Eater gave her a violent shake and shouted, "Be still!"

Harry's wand did not waver and he said coldly, "If you harm her, it will be the last thing you do."

The Death Eater's eyes looked beyond Harry's shoulder and he said, "Oh, I don't think so, Potter."

With his concentration on trying to help Hermione, Harry did not see that a group of Death Eaters was herding people out of the church and they were headed straight at him.

The terrified crowd rushed toward Harry and they pushed him into the middle of the cemetery. Harry lost sight of Hermione when a very portly wizard smashed into him and caused him to stumble. Harry fought to keep his balance because he knew if he fell, the panic-stricken crowd would crush him under their feet. He attempted to fight his way back through the throng to help Hermione but the momentum of the crowd continued to carry him in the opposite direction.

Just as Harry's mind hit on the fact that there had been Death Eaters hiding within the church there was a flash of bright light and a clap as loud as thunder. The people around him stopped in their tracks and many held their hands over their ears as they looked around wildly in fear.

Fifteen to twenty Death Eaters now stood between the crowd and the church in a face-off with nearly the same number of Aurors; however another twenty Death Eaters had also lined up along the cemetery fence to aid their comrades so that the Aurors were now hopelessly out-numbered. Eight other Death Eaters had taken hostages and were holding them at wand-point; with mounting fear, Harry saw that Hermione was among them.

Harry heard the same gruff voice that had ordered the Death Eaters not to hit him shout, "We have you surrounded! Do not resist us and no one will be killed."

People grew quiet with the exception of a few panicked whispers here and there as the Death Eater who had spoken walked up the stairs of a small crypt to better survey the crowd. Harry assumed he had to be the one that had replaced Bellatrix Lestrange as their leader; he was not wearing a mask but his face remained obscured by the black hood covering his head. Still, Harry felt there was something familiar about him.

Harry was standing in the middle of the crowd and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He still had no idea where Ginny and Ron were and he kept glancing nervously toward Hermione to make sure she remained unharmed. Someone nudged his arm and he turned to look into the grim eyes of Remus Lupin; Bill moved up on Harry's other side and Harry saw that both of them were carefully concealing their wands within the folds of their robes. Taking their lead, Harry did the same.

Looking around, he saw that Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt had positioned themselves on the far side of the cemetery along with several other Aurors and they had their wands trained on the Death Eater that had addressed the crowd.

The lead Death Eater said to Kingsley, "You are outnumbered, Shackelbolt! Tell your Aurors to throw down their wands or we will kill a hostage!"

He motioned to one of his comrades who was holding a very frightened woman in her mid-twenties. The Death Eater moved forward with the woman and pointed his wand at her head. Seeing no other option, Kingsley threw his wand to the ground in frustration; the remaining Aurors reluctantly did the same.

The lead Death Eater said, "Once we have what we came for, we will be gone."

Kingsley eyed the Death Eater angrily and asked,"What exactly is it you want?"

The Death Eater replied, "Harry Potter."

Kingsley stared at the Death Eater for a brief moment before answering, "Harry's not here. I saw him leave a while ago."

"Oh? I don't think so," the Death Eater replied smoothly.

Harry's anxiety had mounted when the Death Eater spoke his name; but before he could move, the man reached into his robes.

He said in a loud voice, "Harry Potter! I have a message for you!"

When he withdrew his hand, he held it up for everyone to see.

Harry's breath hitched in his throat and his blood turned to ice as the full horror of what he was seeing crashed down upon him; within the Death Eater's hand was a long, bright-red lock of hair. A sickening feeling clenched in the pit of Harry's stomach and talons of fear began to encompass his body making it feel like he would never be able to breathe again.

The Death Eater continued, "The Dark Lord has something of yours, Potter! Come forward and surrender to us unless you want your girlfriend's blood, as well as her brother's on your hands!"

People throughout the crowd began to murmur Harry's name but he did not notice; visions of the horrors that Voldemort could be putting Ginny and Ron through at this very moment were running rampant through his mind.

Like someone in a trance, Harry started to move forward but Remus grabbed his arm and said in a barely audible whisper, "Harry, no! You can't just hand yourself over to them! There has to be another way to get them back!"

Harry turned to him with a look of determination and anger, and he whispered, "There is no other way!"

Remus started to protest and Bill said, "You know he won't release them even if you go."

Bill's face was flushed with a barely suppressed anger, but Harry also saw the aguish born from fear for his sister and brother in his eyes.

"And you both know they are as good as dead if I don't," Harry replied in a low voice. "Voldemort needs me alive, at least for a little while. He wants to use them to ensure my cooperation, so maybe I can find a way to buy the Order some time to find out where he's holding them before he's done with me."

Harry knew Bill was trying to think of any other way out of the situation.

Harry continued softly, "He will kill them, Bill. I have to do whatever I can to keep that from happening."

Finally, Bill said resignedly, "We'll do everything we can to find you before…"

The head Death Eater shouted impatiently, "Where are you Potter? Do we need to kill one of these innocent people to prove we are serious?"

Harry walked toward the front of the crowd and he said clearly, "Here I am," and the people around him quickly made a pathway for him.

Harry could feel the Death Eaters' eyes boring hungrily into him when he stepped out of the crowd. His heart was beating rapidly and he was keeping a tight grip on his wand to stop his hand from shaking but he continued forward slowly. Then he halted halfway between the crowd and the crypt where the head Death Eater was stainding.

"Drop your wand, Potter."

Harry replied in a voice that sounded much more confident than he felt, "Let the hostages and everyone else go and I'll do whatever you want."

Kingsley shouted, "Harry! You can't!"

Harry ignored him and raised his wand slightly, which caused several of the Death Eaters along the fence to shift their wands quickly onto him. He heard Hermione let out a frightened whimper but he did not dare look at her.

Harry took several more steps forward and he finally saw why the head Death Eater seemed familiar to him; it was Jacob Blunt, and Harry was certain he was the one responsible for taking Ginny and Ron. This thought sent a wave of anger coursing through him and he had to use every bit of self-control to remain outwardly calm.

Blunt narrowed his eyes and held out his fist that still clutched Ginny's hair, "You are in no position to negotiate!"

Harry eyes shifted to the shiny strands; he knew he had no choice with Ginny and Ron's lives in danger so he angrily tossed his wand to the ground.

"Harry, don't!" Kingsley started to move toward Harry, but several Death Eaters moved in on him; there was nothing he could do to help Harry.

Harry glared up at Blunt who looked triumphantly down at him and commanded loudly, "Shackle him and secure the Aurors! If anyone tries to resist, kill them and then kill a hostage!"

Two very large Death Eaters came toward Harry. One carried a set of heavy chains and the other yanked Harry's arms painfully behind his back to secure his wrists with cold metal cuffs. They locked a metal collar around his neck, then attached the chains to the collar and then to the cuffs. The Death Eaters took up a position on each side of Harry, each holding one of the chains securely in their hands.

Blunt stepped down from the crypt. He grabbed Harry's upper arm and turned him roughly so that he faced the crowd. Harry watched helplessly as Death Eaters conjured ropes to bind the Aurors while others walked through the crowd to gather discarded wands.

Remus and Bill were at the front of the throng and Charlie and the twins had joined them. Harry could tell by their defeated expressions that they had surrendered their wands as well; Harry almost felt relieved because he knew as well as they did that any form of resistance could result in Ginny, Ron or Hermione's death.

Harry read the helplessness and guilt plainly within their eyes for their inability to aid him or the hostages. Making every effort to keep all emotion from his face, Harry stood up straighter and nodded slightly to them; he hoped to convey that he was prepared to accept whatever was about to happen to him, even though, deep down, he knew he really wasn't. Then he looked away from them and focused his eyes toward a spot above and past the crowd.

Finally, a voice came from near the church, "The Aurors have been secured and all wands collected."

Blunt said in a loud voice, "The Dark Lord has commanded that everyone watch what is to now take place! Observe! Tell others what you have witnessed! Tell them that on this day you watched your hero and your hope surrender to the Dark Lord's power! From this day forward, know that the Dark Lord has won and further resistance is futile!"

He turned to Harry and said so the crowd could hear, "Now, Harry Potter! Kneel before us! Kneel in defeat before the Dark Lord's forces!"

Harry's temper overrode his fear; he was not about to play their game nor play into Voldemort's quest for power.

He glared recklessly at Blunt, "I am not going to kneel to you or to anyone! Voldemort wants me, so let's get this over with and take me to him!"

Gasps and soft murmurs could be heard through the crowd and Blunt looked at Harry angrily, "I have heard that you dare to speak the Dark Lord's name. Perhaps you are in need of a lesson in respect."

One of the Death Eaters holding Harry slammed his fist into his stomach, knocking the breath from him. When Harry doubled over in pain the Death Eater brought his other fist upward and struck him in the jaw. Stars exploded behind Harry's eyes and he staggered backward. He would have fallen had the second Death Eater not held him up by the chain connected to the collar around his neck.

Blunt grabbed the chain from the Death Eater's hand and wrenched it upward causing the collar to bite into Harry's flesh. He struck Harry hard across the face, splitting his lip. This time Harry did fall to the ground as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

Harry heard more gasps and cries from the crowd and he noticed several people moved forward. Although he could not see who they were, he heard Remus' voice shout his name.

Harry tried to clear his head from the effects of the dizzying blows and he struggled to sit up.

He called shakily, "Stay back, Remus!"

Several Death Eaters converged on the crowd and one of them said, "We will kill a hostage along with the next person who moves!"

Blunt handed the chain back to the Death Eater who yanked Harry painfully and unsteadily to his feet.

Blunt turned on Harry and said, "The Dark Lord ordered us not to use magic on you. But he did give me free reign to use any other means I wish to make you obey."

Blunt's order not to use magic on him suddenly made sense. Voldemort would not take the chance of weakening Harry magically when he wanted to use him for the spells contained within the ancient tablet.

Blunt motioned to the Death Eater holding Hermione who half dragged, half carried her over to them.

Blunt said, "This mudblood is a friend of yours, is she not?"

Harry saw fear in Hermione's eyes and she was shaking badly but she pleaded, "Harry, don't! You can't give in to them!"

The Death Eater pointed his wand at Hermione's head.

Harry tried to fight against his bonds and shouted, "Let her go!" but the two Death Eaters held him firmly in place.

Blunt laughed at Hermione's attempt at bravery and the panic he saw come into Harry's eyes.

He bent close to Harry and said menacingly, "I remind you that we still have your girlfriend, but I think watching this one die will more than adequately convey the position you are in."

"NO!" Harry shouted as he felt panic rise up within him and he began to struggle wildly. "I'll do it! I'll do anything you want! Just let her go!"

"Too late, Potter," Blunt replied with an amused gleam in his eyes. "Kill her!"

A petrified squeak escaped from Hermione and she shut her eyes tightly.

"Avada Ke—" was as far as the Death Eater got before his wand flew out of his hand and he was shoved away from Hermione by an unseen force.

Harry had hit the Death Eater with a wandless disarming spell but the moment he did, the collar around his throat constricted tightly. Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he tried desperately to take a breath, but the collar continued to strangle him. Soon his lungs were screaming for air and his sight began to dim just before he collapsed face first to the ground.

Hermione dropped to Harry's side and she tried desperately to pry the collar off him.

"Harry! I can't get it off!"

Blunt grabbed Hermione by the hair and yanked her away from Harry. The Death Eater who had been holding her before pulled her roughly to her feet and held her in place.

Blunt waved his wand over the collar and it loosened immediately; Harry desperately took in gulps of air and began to cough.

Blunt grabbed the chain at Harry's throat and forced him to look up at him. "Wandless magic, Potter? I see now why the Dark Lord did not want us to underestimate you. He will take no chance of you escaping again. If you use magic of any kind, the collar will choke you. It will continue to choke you until you are dead or the counter curse is performed. Do you understand?"

Harry's bruised throat would not allow him to speak, but he nodded.

"Good," Blunt replied. "Now, I believe we were about to put this mudblood out of her misery."

"No!" Harry croaked and struggled to get to his feet.

Blunt kicked him viciously in the ribs and Harry to collapsed with a painful groan.

Blunt said angrily, "Don't you learn, Potter?"

The Death Eater holding Hermione had retrieved his wand and pointed it at her head again just as another Death Eater ran came running through the cemetery gate to address Blunt.

"We have received word from our contact at the Ministry! More Aurors have been dispatched and will be here at any moment."

"Damn!" Blunt exclaimed and commanded, "Move outside the fence! Bring the hostages!"

Then he addressed the crowd loudly, "Any attempt to stop us," he looked pointedly at Kingsley and Moody, "will result in the immediate death of every hostage!"

"You two," he addressed the Death Eaters who again had a firm hold on Harry's chains, "Bring Potter."

The Death Eaters did not wait for Harry to get to his feet and they dragged him unceremoniously toward the gate. Once they were outside of the cemetery fence, they roughly pulled Harry to his knees beside Blunt who turned back to the crowd. Many people were looking angry and mutinous but they dared not move against the Death Eaters for fear of what would happen to Harry or the other hostages.

Blunt grabbed a handful of Harry's hair and forced his head painfully backward so the crowd could clearly see his bruised and bloodied face.

"Take one last look!" Blunt called out. "The next time you see your hero, it will be when the Dark Lord dumps his lifeless body at the doors of the Ministry! Then everyone will know! With Harry Potter's death, the Dark Lord will have become even more powerful! The Dark Lord and his forces will have won this war!"

Blunt let go of Harry and said to the other Death Eaters, "Release all but the mudblood. She may be of further use."

Harry then felt the uncomfortable feeling of compression when he and Hermione were forced to Apparate from the cemetery leaving Remus, the Weasley brothers, and the rest of the crowd watching helplessly as they disappeared.