The next day was Headmaster Severus Snape's funeral. After five weeks of planning the biggest funeral of the year, and possibly the millennia, was finally here. After breakfast the Malfoy family packed a nappy bag, loaded the babies into their strollers flooed to the office of the Bodmin Moor Millenium Stadium. From there they walked over to the Quidditch stadium and up several flights of stairs until they arrived at their private box. Draco pulled the shrunken triplet swing out of the nappy bag and unshrunk it. They buckled Sev, Scorp, and Teddy in and spelled it on to entertain the babies while they got to work.
Grandmother Druella arrived soon after and joined the family in their private box. Harry and Druella waited in the box with the babies, while Narcissa, Lucius, Draco, and Andy all went about setting up. There were Aurors all over, waiting to handle the enormous crowd they were expecting; Andy and Draco went to speak to them and make sure they knew the proper time to start letting people in. There was the band that had to get set up and Lucius made sure they were. Narcissa went to talk with the various speakers, making sure they had everything they needed.
And then everything was ready and Andy, Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius each stood by one of the four sets of double doors. The doors opened and they passed out the day's program to everyone, while directing people to their seats. The Aurors were there too, directing people and encouraging them along, so that they didn't block the exit. It took a long time to get that many people seated, but eventually they did. The funeral started with a hymn led by a witch with a sultry voice and accompanied by the band.
During the singing, Draco, Lucius, and Andy all took their seats up in their private box, while Narcissa stayed down below to give the first speech. Narcissa spoke about who Severus Snape was and where he'd come from. How he'd come from a less than ideal family with an abusive father, how he'd made a life and a name for himself based entirely off of shear hard work, determination, and natural talent. How he met his best friend Lily Evans and how he lost her. How he joined the Dark Lord's following and why he soon thereafter turned away from the Dark Lord. How he became a double spy and a teacher at Hogwarts. And how he made it his mission in life to protect the children.
After Narcissa's speech, the band started playing again. She went up to their box and Harry came down. He was nervous; this was the first time he would speak about the war and if he had it his way, it would also be the last. But this was for a man who had given his life for Harry, to protect Harry, and to end the war, so Harry could honor that man today.
Harry's speech detailed just what Severus Snape had done during the war. How Snape had been a spy, ferrying information back and forth for both sides. How Snape had killed Dumbledore, but only because Snape would have died otherwise and because Dumbledore ordered Snape to. How Snape had protected the students at Hogwarts when the school was under Voldemort's control. How Snape had lied to Voldemort, right up to the very end, and died to maintain that lie, just so that Harry would stand a chance at defeating Voldemort. Then he told everyone how Voldemort had turned on Snape, ordering Nagini to bite and kill Snape.
Harry was crying when he finished his speech and stepped down from the stage on the Quidditch green. The band was once again playing while Harry made his way up to the box, passing Draco and Sev, who were on their way down for the next speech.
Draco was wearing a set of billowing black robes that had belonged to Professor Snape. They were a bit long, so he was wearing his black shoes with the half inch heel. The robes looked good on him, thanks to his new undershirt. He held Sev on his left hip while he spoke.
Draco told the audience how he wasn't anyone special to Severus Snape. He was just another student; maybe he was one of Professor Snape's favorite students, but all he really was, was another student who needed protecting. He spoke of the situation he was forced into upon his father's incarceration in Azkaban and how he and his mother had spent the summer with the Dark Lord. How he had been ordered to kill Albus Dumbledore and how Professor Snape had taken the unbreakable vow to protect him from the Dark Lord and kill Dumbledore for him.
Then he spoke of how Professor Snape had saved his life when Harry accidentally hit him with a very dark curse, cutting his chest open, leaving out the fact that Snape had invented the curse. How Snape had saved his mother, sneaking her out from under the Dark Lord's nose and hiding her away in a Malfoy property that Snape cast the fidelius charm on. How Draco had gone to that house to hide out after he married Harry. Then he spoke of how Snape had stopped his pre-term labor twice after Ron Weasley hit him in the stomach. And how Snape had delivered Severus and Scorpius and ordered his mother and father to take Scorpius, who wasn't breathing, to the nearest muggle hospital. How Snape had stayed with him and Severus when he was scared. That Snape had spent his last Christmas with him and his family. And that Snape loved Severus and Scorpius.
Finally, Draco activated a memory ball of Severus Snape playing with Severus Malfoy, sharing with the Wizarding World that hidden part of Severus Snape that so few people ever got to see; the happy, carefree side, that laughed and played happily with a blond haired green eyed baby. When the memory came to an end, Draco held Severus up to the microphone and let his son babble a few hissing words in honor of a fallen hero.
The music played again and Draco and Severus went back up to their private box. Lucius spoke next, telling of how unflinchingly and unwavering Severus Snape had played his part as a Death Eater. He gave the audience an inside look at what it meant to be a Death Eater; it was never pretty, but Snape endured it all without complaint. Then he told of the role Snape played in reuniting him with his family after he was released from Azkaban and the Malfoy family was already in hiding. He spoke of his gratitude for a man who had risked his life, to save Lucius' family, simply because they needed saving and it was the right thing to do. He ended his speech by offering his late friend his heartfelt gratitude and a thank you, before the music once more started to play.
The next speaker was a friend of Snape's who read a poem, which was followed by another short song, and then by Professor McGonagall, who talked about what Snape had done as Headmaster.
After that a former muggleborn Slytherin student talked about the difference Snape had made in her life, protecting her from the other Slytherins and their prejudices. There weren't many mudbloods in Slytherin, but every once in a while there was one. It had been hard for her, but not unbearable, thanks to her cunning and her head of house, who she remembered chastising the portraits in the Slytherin common room for calling her a mudblood.
The last speaker was Kingsley Shacklebolt, who got up on the stage and told the audience that Severus Snape was a hero and without Severus, Harry Malfoy wouldn't have been able to end the war when he did, if ever. Then he announced that Severus Snape was posthumously being awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, for his role in the defeat of Lord Voldemort. When he said that, the crowd broke out into very loud applause and cheering.
The cheering eventually died down and the music once more began to play, as the funeral came to an end. Afterwards, Draco stayed in the private box with the babies, while the rest of the Malfoys went down onto the stage and shook hands with the various guests. It was a closed casket, because of Snape's extensive snake bite wound, but a steady stream of mourners came up to touch the casket and say their goodbyes.
Harry was down on the stage shaking hands with various people. The other speakers who had delivered eulogies were there and Harry wanted to have a word with Kingsley, so he slowly inched towards the Minister of Magic, taking his never ending line of fans waiting for him with him. Then he was close to Kingsley and all he had to do was switch places with Lucius. It was tricky, but there was a break in his line and no one was shaking his hand for several seconds, which allowed him to cut to the other side of Lucius, next to Kingsley.
"Hello Harry," Kingsley greeted, before returning to his own long line of witches and wizards who all wanted to shake his hand or have a word.
Finally after an hour of shaking hands, Harry saw his chance. There were still a great number of people waiting in his own line, but Kingsley's line had dissipated for the moment, so he ignored the old blue haired witch waiting for him, and turned to Kingsley instead. "Kingsley, may I have a word with you?" Harry asked.
"Certainly, but this is a bit crowded; perhaps it'd be best to meet tomorrow or Monday in my office," Kingsley replied.
"I'll keep it short; Gregory Goyle wasn't a real Death Eater. He was just following along with his family and friends and was too stupid to know any better. He stopped Crabbe from killing me in the room of requirement and his mum saved my life. I'd like him released and barring that, I'd like a trial to be schedule for him, so I can go to it and testify for him," Harry said.
"I'm not familiar with his case, but I'll look into it on Monday and owl you as soon as I get a trial date set for him," Kingsley replied.
Harry thanked Kingsley and turned back to his impatient witch with the blue hair.
Author's Note: Up next the Malfoys will be moving back to the Manor.
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