Ch 67 The Parade of the Dead
It was the morning of June third, two days after the battle. Albus was sitting in the large living room of the palace, and beside him was Cleo. Jesus and Ginny, the Regents, were next to them on one side, and on the other side were Galadriel, Luthien, and Thorin. The key people governing the Magi were next to Jesus and Ginny, and a modest sized contingent of High Elves, including the prominent Goblin Elves, were next to Galadriel and her escorts.
"I want all the bodies brought to Switzerland first," Albus insisted, cutting off the Magi who was arguing with him about the battle and the aftermath. "The prophesies tell me we must have a grand parade to take the Crystal Ball to the Palace. I do not want anyone think this is about Cleo and me. We must never forget the cost to win this battle."
"We Elves will march alongside you," Galadriel insisted. "We fought the same enemy, the evil lord of this world. Our losses were no less grievous, the victory welcome but at a horrible cost."
The rest of the meeting was concerned with arranging the parade.
Friday June fourth there was a parade, covered by all the magical news organizations.
Leading the parade were Albus carrying the Crystal Ball, and next to him Cleo, their children, and in Cleo's arms the body of baby Samson. Next to them were the Elves Galadriel, her face scarred, her eyes blinded, pushing her sister Luthien who had lost her legs and more, Albus knew she had been pregnant, and she had apparently also lost her baby in the battle.
"Luthien will be my eyes," Galadriel had told Albus.
Thorin was marching along with them, wounded but very alive, but Beren, Luthien's mate, was accompanying them on another bier.
There were ranks of living, wounded, and dead Elves from all the various subsets of Elves, Goblins and Dwarves and even Leprechauns.
Following just behind Albus and Cleo was Arnold Castro, the only member of the Honor Guard to escape without grievous wounds, carrying the banner of the Honor Guard. Behind him came a wheelchair and a hospital bed contained two surviving Honor Guard members, along with their families.
Following them, forty-seven biers, each surrounded by family members, of the remaining Honor Guard. Too many widows with young children. Too many young couples who would never have a family. Too many grown children who had lost parents and grandparents. Too many, too many.
Roxanne walked with her three children alongside Frank, her hand on his casket, trying to be proud, but crying like many of the families. It was a heart wrenching scene. Neville and Hannah accompanied the body of their son as well, trying without success to comfort a distraught Roxanne while also tending their grandchildren.
"Neville Longbottom is in line to be the next headmaster of Hogwarts," a commentator remarked. "I've heard that his wife Hannah is leaving the running of her pub and rooming house, The Leaky Cauldron, to her staff so she can support her daughter-in-law, Roxanne."
The people arranging the parade insisted that Albus and Cleo's family came next. Molly Weasley was still in a wheelchair recovering from giving almost more blood than she could spare, blood that saved nine of the ten Magi it was given to, and the body of Arthur, who didn't want to have three young people die for a chance for life for himself.
Hermione and her family accompanied the body of Ron.
"Hermione Granger-Weasley is acting Minister of Magic of Great Britain, and we understand that she will probably be formally installed in that position in the next weeks," the commentator announced.
Rose, Scorpius and their children accompanied Hermione, who looked more lost and grieving than people could ever remember seeing her.
The parade of the dead went on and on, each person a tragic story worthy of a chapter or a book. There was the body of Andromeda Tonks, Teddy's family accompanying her. Old Bert Van Lente, a badly wounded Al in a wheelchair being pushed by his wife accompanying his father's body. Row after row of stories, rank after rank of the dead.
And the wounded followed, Fleur who had lost one eye, and had a face that was not as scarred as her husband but was certainly scarred. More disfigured and wounded.
Bringing up the rear, those who had escaped the battle unscathed in body, although not in mind. Harry was one of the Magi leading the way, always mindful of the prophesies that many people would die for him, aware that he had sent many of these people to their deaths.
Victory, but at so great a cost.
The crowd gathered around as Albus stood up on a platform that had been erected in front of the seven tiered fountain. Cleo and baby Samson were also there representing the Magi, Samson on a floating bier. Galadriel, Luthien, Thorin and Berin were also there, Luthien in a wheelchair pushed by an obviously blinded Galadriel, Thorin wounded but standing, Berin on another floating bier.
Albus started out, "My first act as the prophesied king of the Magi is to proclaim a thirty-day morning period. Too many good Magi and Elves have died to celebrate. The head Elves and the community of Magi need to confer with each other before we celebrate this victory.
"Cleo and I have conferred with the heads of the Elves, and we all agree. Magi and Elf will mourn together. We have won a great victory, but it has come at a terrible cost. Tomorrow we will bury our dead son, who gave his life for our magical community like so many others. I know the next days will be filled with many funerals.
"Thank you for marching with us; the victory is yours as much as it is ours, all of you, the many dead, the wounded, the survivors, those left behind."
Galadriel said something in elfish to the Elves, and when she was finished all the elves were crying. And then Albus and Cleo hugged Galadriel and Thorin, tears freely flowing.
Silently they marched into the castle, and the ceremony was over.
The funeral mass for Samson was a sad affair. The first reading was of Rachel crying for her children 'because they are no more.' The second was of the martyrdom of Stephen, and the gospel of Jesus saying to let the little children come to him. Most of the graves in Switzerland were in catacombs, tunnels burrowed underground. There was a special section reserved for those who had died in battle, and the prophets and priests insisted that Samson be buried alongside other heroes of the Magi.
The whole Potter and Weasley families attended the funeral, and tried to console Albus and Cleo.
The next day the family buried Frank Longbottom. Roxanne was only a little better; it was going to be a long recovery for her, but she did have plenty of family support.
Ron was buried a week later, with a funeral service at St. Merlin and Mungo's. His body was cremated and put in a niche in the columbarium at the church. Hermione purchased one niche for herself and Ron. She knew that before long she would be burying her mother next to her father in the Muggle cemetery.
She never anticipated burying Ron before her mother, although she had lost most of her mother by this point as well.
It was thirty days after the battle, and the morning garments were being put away. All the Wizarding Community was gathered by video screens, or magic equivalents, mirrors, or Wizarding wireless receivers, to hear and see Albus and Cleopatra ascend to their seats as chief Witch and Wizard.
The camera's focused on Albus and Cleopatra walking into the Council Chambers of the International Council of Witches and Wizards. They walked up to the high desk at the front of the chamber; the three Chrystal balls were there.
Waiting for then, next to them, were the High Elves Galadriel, Luthien and Thorin. There was a High Elf couple next to them. It was known that the female High Elf had been raised in a Goblin family, and her mate in an Elf family. Apparently Albus and Cleo taking their places as king and queen, and how it was being handled, was very important in the High Elf community, but few Magi knew many details of their fraught and complex tale.
Following Albus and Cleo were Jesus and Ginny Wang Rios, the Regents.
Albus took out the ring, the resurrection stone, and put it in front of the middle Chrystal Ball. He and Cleo then put the two eldest wands in front of the other Chrystal Balls.
Nausicaa Scheria and Sibylla Papadopoulos were there, and together they recited;
"They come, the New Zeus & Hera, heirs to gods when magic first came into world, with the three and the two and the one, and many other tokens besides,
The one ring worn by the king, never used for self but only to heal or save others,
The two first wands, the wand of Zeus, never wielded by a female, used by good for good and evil for evil, will come to him through his father and be willingly given
The wand of Hera, never used by a male, taken by force from an evil ancestor by the queen and her consort, the father of her children, and wielded by her who has two wands
The three original Chrystal balls,
And many other tokens besides,
They come to you out of deep sorrow, a son haven given his life for them, to bury the son in a place of honor.
"The prophesies are all confirmed. Welcome your new chief Witch and Wizard."
"We will serve as chief Wizard and Witch, because it has been ordained, and we must," Albus responded. "I serve only because as a Christian Wizard I can be under the authority of my God and my pastor, at the same time I am chief wizard. No one should ever consider themselves above all authority. I will not serve as Chief Mugwump, or head the council, or take any unnecessary executive position, except as asked by an overwhelming majority of the council, and then only for as brief a time as possible. I will do what I have to do, and am asked to do.
"I will exercise leadership with my wife as a full and equal partner, and will always seek and acknowledge the help and advice of the Regents.
"We the Magi will rule as partners with the other magical and sentient beings, in particular the High Elves. From now on any action that might impact both of us will be decided by a council consisting of equal or equivalent members of both Magi and High Elf."
"You will notice that there are representatives of all the intelligent species here. They deserve to be respected as creatures with a soul and an honored place in our community, and not be treated as slaves or objects by Magi. They must be our partners, not our subjects. The issues in dealing with centaurs and merpeople are complex, but we, High Elf and Magi, intend to confront those issues to the best of our ability.
"The Crystal Balls are to be used by High Elf and Magi alike.
"High Elf and Magi may use wands and other magical objects, a privilege that is not absolute but is subject to the laws of High Elf and Magi.
"I have one other thing to say. I will not leave my position, nor will Cleopatra, to our children. Prophets and the community of the Magi, in consultation with the High Elves, will chose the next ruler."
Galadriel then spoke. "Albus knows as well as any how the High Elves choose a ruler. It is not by election, but by a process of discernment. We High Elves have promised and agreed to let the current ruling couple and the Regent couple be fully informed concerning the process, and have promised to listen to their advice."
The council then moved on to the details of governing.
The arrangements that Albus, Cleo, Galadriel and Thorin had put in place governed the magical world for as long as this story intends to contemplate, not without occasional strains and controversy, but as well as could be expected.
2023