The week leading up to the memorial was sombre. The students walked around the hallways in a daze. Ginny and Hermione both noted it, but said little else. There wasn’t much that needed to be said. They were both nervous about what to expect the following week. It had been hard enough coming back to school and trying to do things in a normal fashion. But now, to also have to commemorate what had occurred, it was a lot to deal with for the student body as a whole. Professor McGonagall had informed Hermione that, as Head Girl, she would be expected to play a part in the memorial, as well as being one of the Hogwarts’ heroes.

Hermione had confided to Ginny, during one of their study sessions in Hermione’s room, that she was exceedingly anxious about the whole thing. ‘Professor McGonagall has given me an agenda and I am expected to preside over portions of it.’

She looked at Ginny nervously and Ginny commented, ‘You’re going to make a speech?’

Hermione nodded and Ginny laughed. ‘Better you than Ron or Harry.’

They both looked at each other and started laughing. Hermione sighed. ‘I can only imagine if either Ron or Harry were asked to speak. Harry said, in his last letter, that Kingsley told him not to speak!’

Ginny grinned. ‘I think he’s not great with words. Never has been, I’m so glad he doesn’t try to win me over with his words.’

Hermione smiled at her and said, ‘You wrote back to Harry about the night of the Dementor attack?’

‘Yeah,’ Ginny replied. ‘He sent a letter back earlier this week. I hope…’ she looked down at her parchment and said quietly, ‘I hope we can make this work. This long distance thing isn’t doing any good for me.’

Hermione nodded and they both went back to their revisions. Ginny couldn’t spend much time with Hermione that week. She was whisked off to a variety of meetings and Ginny felt the same sense of loneliness as she did when Harry, Ron and Hermione had left her the previous year.

Ginny got a strange letter from her mother, followed by a more concerning letter from Percy. Percy had told her that George would be coming to the memorial. She didn’t even want to think what kind of state he would be in, but hoped that Percy had him under better control than the previous time he was in charge of George.

Ginny was also worried that her mother had sounded so detached; as if reality had been suspended for her. Ginny spent time alone in her room with her curtains drawn around her bed. She’d kept one of the clippings from the Prophet with her and Harry in it and tried to think back on those happy times.

She found that she was falling asleep crying and hated it. She hated feeling so weak and helpless. She wanted nothing more than to have the memorial come and go and to have things back to some semblance of order.

She’d announced the new Gryffindor Quidditch team and was relieved that there was little to no argument with her about the positions. She had been spending a decent amount of time with Natalie McDonald, the new Keeper, and Dean. The three of them had come up with a few strategies for their first Qudditch match. This year, the school would be doing two matches in the fall and two in the Spring. There would be a ‘championship’ game with the two houses with the most points facing off. This would give the winning house, by far, a much larger point total than the other houses.

If nothing else happened this year, Ginny wanted that House Cup. She wanted to have that exhilarated feeling she’d had her fourth and fifth years, when she’d help win the cup when Harry couldn’t play. She didn’t like that he wasn’t there to help her, but at the same time, it was nice to be in charge and be responsible for the whole team.

She hadn’t thought much past the current school year, but knew that she’d need to think about her NEWTs and what she wanted to do in the future. She knew her father would want her to follow his footsteps to the Ministry, if she worked at all. She knew her mother stayed at home with them when they were younger. She doubted her mother ever really held a job, or ever really needed to.

She knew her family was never well-off; it was something that had always stung when being with Hermione. She didn’t have any concept of what it was like growing up without a lot of the luxuries her friend had. She knew Harry’s family never treated him well, he’d probably know better than Hermione. But even now Harry was loose with his money. She enjoyed the attention, but sometimes felt like he put too much stock in material things.

As the week wore on, Ginny became increasingly apprehensive about the memorial. She had to wear her Gryffindor Captain badge on her robes and noted Hermione had her Head Girl badge proudly displayed as well. On normal days, it wasn’t necessary to wear those, but with the Board of Governors in attendance, Professor McGonagall had made it clear that everyone should be dressed appropriately at all times.

The night before the memorial, Ginny found herself sitting up, wide-awake, in her bed. She couldn’t sleep. She had the same tense feeling she’d had before the Battle at Hogwarts not even a year ago. It was as if the world were closing in around her. She wanted to get up and run to Hagrid’s hut, but knew he’d send her back into the school. Besides which, the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team should not be costing the house to lose points. That was one trait she didn’t want to carry on for Harry.

She headed down for breakfast well before the other girls woke and trudged quietly to the Great Hall. She was surprised to see so many of the professors there and nodded curtly at them before sitting at one end of the Gryffindor table. Professor Sprout came over and stood near her. She asked quietly, ‘Ms. Weasley, why are you up so early?’

Ginny tried to smile and said quietly, ‘I couldn’t sleep.’

She’d had all her Herbology classes with Professor Sprout, but didn’t think they were on more colloquial terms. She nodded. ‘I know this will be a long day, you should try to get some rest.’

Ginny shook her head and said, ‘I think my family will be here soon.’

The professor nodded. ‘But not for a few hours.’

Ginny was getting increasingly irritated by this line of dialogue and tried to be as polite as possible. ‘I know, but I can’t sleep.’

Professor Sprout was being called back to the head table and scuttled off without another word. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. She just wanted to be alone. She wondered where she could get that solitude. She thought about hitting the pitch, but knew Hagrid had cleared it and she wouldn’t be able to fly safely. After she finished her scant breakfast she headed down the various corridors of the school and came across the Room of Requirement. She concentrated hard and watched, relieved, as the doors appeared.

She pushed them open slowly and saw the room as it was the night of that final battle. She took a tentative step in and felt an emotional upheaval. She needed to get out of the school, but there was nowhere to go, and more importantly, nowhere that she needed to be more. Her family would need her support and she would need theirs.

She didn’t know how long she’d been in there, but as was customary in the room, a clock chimed and she looked up to see that there was only an hour left before the ceremony started. She checked to make sure that she looked presentable and left the room quietly. The hallways were deadly quiet and she hurried out of the school. There was a throng of students milling around, but she saw a group of red-headed people and made a bee-line towards them.

She tried to smile and be happy to see her family, but she was dreading this more than anything. She didn’t see Harry in the group, but wondered if he’d be standing about with her family. She spotted her mother first and was embraced tightly. Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes and asked, ‘How are you, dear? How is your term going?’

Ginny nodded, not really knowing how to respond. She hugged the rest of her family in turn, seeing George standing at the edge. He looked sick to his stomach. She mustered what little energy she had and smiled at him. His apprehension seemed to ease at this and he hugged her quickly. ‘How are you?’

‘Okay,’ she replied truthfully. ‘How are you?’

She didn’t mean for her question to sound accusatory, but knew she’d done it. He sighed and said, ‘Better. Still a little dazed some of the time.’

She nodded and felt Percy closing in behind her. She turned and gave him a questioning look, but he was staring blankly around them. She wondered what he was doing, but didn’t think on it. Hermione had finally emerged from the school.

Hermione spotted the group, it seemed, in the same fashion Ginny had. She was stopped a few times by different people, but she smiled politely and continued towards them. Ron was the first to step forward. Ginny had almost forgotten; Hermione was very much in the same boat as she was. Both Hermione and Ron had been apart for a much longer period of time than she and Harry.

Ron wrapped his arms tightly around Hermione, whispering something in her ear. Ginny looked away as she saw Ron lean in to kiss Hermione. Although she was happy for her brother, his snogging skills lacked a certain something. If she and Hermione were closer, she might offer some tips at another time.

When the two finally broke apart, Hermione went through the motions of greeting the rest of the Weasley family. Mr. Weasley asked after her parents, to which Hermione commented that they were better, but would not be coming to the ceremony.

Walking towards the group, Ginny immediately recognised Andromeda Tonks and her grandson, Teddy. The boy was not even a year old, yet he had grown like a weed. He had his father’s height already, but had adapted his mother’s Metamorphing abilities. He looked at the group he was being brought towards and his hair turned from pale blonde to a deep red in a few moments. Mrs. Weasley embraced Andromeda, pulling her away from the group.

Before Ginny could ask to hold him, a bell could be heard chiming across the grounds. Ginny wasn’t certain what this meant, but Hermione motioned for her to follow and she sighed and followed Hermione across the grounds. Hermione was standing in front of a large swatch of land that had been populated with hundreds of chairs. Ginny was reminded of Dumbledore’s funeral and tried to pull her mind away from the memory.

Hermione looked away from Ginny, but the sound of quiet shuffling wasn’t enough to shake Hermione’s blank look. Ginny leaned close and asked, ‘Are we supposed to do something?’

Hermione nodded, getting control of herself and said shakily, ‘Just make sure everyone fills the seats and such.’

Ginny looked up at Hermione and could see the tears threatening in her eyes. She grasped Hermione’s shoulder and said, ‘Take a deep breath.’

Ginny didn’t expect she’d be the one in better control that day, but she felt numb, as if the events around her were occurring, with or without her involvement. Hermione nodded and took a few steps away to make sure there was enough seating. Ginny’s eyes passed over many notable people in attendance. She did not see a host of Ministry officials, but she expected they’d be coming later. She spotted Neville on the outside of the seating area; he waved at her, but came no closer. She looked around for Harry for a few moments, but didn’t see him.

She turned and spotted walking towards her Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. The latter was unusually sombre and he walked boldly towards her. Ginny looked around nervously, but saw no help in sight. Draco stepped forward and said quietly, ‘I know I didn’t get to see you after everything that happened, but…’ He looked away from her for a second before holding her gaze again. ‘I just wanted to give my condolences for your brother.’

Ginny tried to repress the shock crossing her face and she replied feebly, ‘Thanks.’

Draco stood there for a few moments longer and said, ‘Is…’ He screwed his face up as if he were about to say something painful and continued, ‘Is Hermione around?’

He said her name with some emphasis and Ginny couldn’t stop herself and raised her eyebrows at him curiously. The action didn’t escape Draco’s notice and he gave her a weak smile. Ginny nodded and pointed in the direction Hermione had gone and he nodded his thanks and left.

Ginny watched as he said something quickly to his mother and headed off in the direction she’d pointed out. She wondered what he could possibly have to say to Hermione and she wondered if Ron would be around to see the conversation.

She kept an eye open for Harry, but saw no sign of him. After a quarter of an hour, she saw most of the dignitaries had been seated. Hermione gestured for her to find a seat and noted that a group of Gryffindor students had held one open for her. She hurried over and sat down, seeing her family only a few rows away.

Hermione was seated close to the front, no doubt for her speech. There were a row of seats on a slightly raised platform. Ginny recognised Kingsley close to the centre, near a podium. Professor McGonagall was standing a few steps away from the platform, speaking quickly to Professor Slughorn and Professor Flitwick. There were other Ministry officials Ginny did not recognise seated on the platform. Ginny heard a loud chiming and this seemed to signify that the ceremony should begin.

Professor McGonagall strode to the podium. She was wearing much more formal robes than Ginny had seen her in. The robes were accented with the colours of the school and each of its houses. Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and started, ‘I want to thank all of you for coming to this Memorial. We have come a long way since the horrific events of last May and Hogwarts is a testament to the power of good to triumph over evil…’

Ginny tried to listen as Professor McGonagall began speaking about everything that had happened. She also spoke about the reconstruction that had occurred and made a point to thank each and every person who had been involved. Once the Headmistress finished speaking, Kingsley stood up, and embraced her. Ginny wished she had paid more attention, as it appeared that the Headmistress had been overcome with emotion.

Kingsley smiled out across the crowd and cleared his throat. ‘I think Professor McGonagall and all the professors here at Hogwarts have worked exceptionally hard to bring this school back to the glory and grace that Professor Dumbledore left it in. On behalf of the Ministry of Magic and the entire wizarding community, I want to thank you.’

The crowd erupted into applause and Professor McGonagall was obliged to stand and give a sort of bow before sitting down again, dabbing her eyes with her kerchief. Kingsley turned back to the podium and said, ‘Professor McGonagall and I have asked one of the Hogwarts heroes to speak and I’m sure we’ll all be glad I picked the most eloquent of the group.’

There was light laughter at this. Kingsley motioned to Hermione and Ginny watched as her friend took one deep breath before standing up and ascending the few stairs to the platform. Hermione walked towards Kingsley, embracing him before setting a piece of parchment on the podium. Ginny made a point to try to catch Hermione’s eyes, but Hermione seemed to be seeking someone specific out. She smiled across the gathering group, waiting for the applause to die down before starting.

‘I’d like to thank Professor McGonagall and Minister for Magic, Mr. Shacklebolt, for giving me this opportunity to speak. I know I speak for both Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley when I say that we are honoured to have been a part of something this life-changing and ground-breaking. I think we all agree that if we could do anything differently, it would have been to act sooner and preserve life where we could have.’

She took a deep breath before continuing, ‘It has been four months since the death of the most powerful dark wizard of our time. In those four months, people have finally been able to bring their lives back to normal, live their lives as they should. Without fear or worry that some dark menace will descend upon them for no greater reason than because it can.

‘Something that was a growing theme for what the press have jovially labelled us as ‘the trio’ have believed is that no matter the circumstances, just because someone is stronger than someone else, does not make that person, exerting their power over another, right. And it is incumbent upon those of us that see these injustices to act upon them, to stop them. Those of us in a position to do the right thing, must. As we’ve learned, it was for the greater good that we all stood together, united, against a common foe.

‘It may be a simple thing, to wake up and be free of concern over whether or not your life is in danger, but that is something we should hope for and hope for the generations to come. If we’ve learned anything over this span of troubled time, it is that vigilance will save us from a much worse fate. I am so very thankful that the threat is gone, forever. And even if it cost me a high price, I can always look to others, friends I’d consider family,’ her eyes strayed to Ginny’s as she continued, ‘and see that there was a much steeper price paid.

‘But for all the losses, something great grew from them. As we came to Hogwarts this year, I saw something I didn’t expect. The school was, like a phoenix, reborn. The school I remembered and loved so dearly, had been put right. All the pieces that were shattered and strewn at the end of the battle have been placed back where they’d long resided. Even now I walk the corridors, as Head Girl, and see things I remember from my very first year at Hogwarts.

‘And now,’ her voice broke here for a moment, ‘now it seems like there isn’t enough time left to be here. Friends have come and gone, but the school still stands. A testament to all the good that we’ve done; all the things we’ve learned that we will take with us. It all stems from this place. It isn’t just a building, its home. And it always will be, for me and for countless others in the future.

‘There have been many tragedies that have plagued my seven years here at Hogwarts, and I’m hoping that this extra year I’m taking won’t lead to any more excitement than high marks on my NEWTs.’ There was scant laughter at this, mostly from the section Ginny was sitting in, as everyone knew what an avid student Hermione was. But Ginny also noticed there was hardly a dry eye as Hermione tried her best to smile and continue on.

‘Hogwarts is too strong a presence in all of our lives to ever let something endanger it. It means more than just a place for students to go and learn how to practice magic properly. It’s a place where we’ve all grown up, witnessed ourselves become adults. We don’t just learn how to be witches and wizards; we learn how to be responsible people. And that is something we should all take with us. Hogwarts has been the foundation, but we must continue to grow and learn from our experiences here.

‘I could never ask for a more welcoming environment, and I hope that this building will long stand as a beacon for all those who wish to learn and learn in the safety and comfort of a place that will never diminish. Thank you.’

There was a deafening applause for Hermione, and Ginny could have sworn she was crying. Ginny wiped her eyes and turned, her eyes straying to the back of the seating area. She spotted quite a few familiar faces, but the one she was seeking out was nowhere to be seen.