He sat on it, and his gaze stopped suddenly on Ron’s bed where his two best friends were sleeping in each other’s arms. He didn’t wake them, but got up, walked towards the bed and closed the curtains around it so that no one else would notice them.
After a minute, Neville, Seamus, and Dean appeared in the room and started telling Harry what had happened earlier in the day. He found out that everybody except Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and himself had been celebrating in the Great Hall.
“It wasn’t until McGonagall started talking and asked you, Ron and Hermione to come forward that we realised you weren’t there,” Neville commented.
“It sounds like you missed us a lot,” Harry replied sarcastically.
“Actually, everybody cheered for you, Harry, with some for Ron, Hermione, and for the deceased... and even for Neville,” Dean added.
“Well, I don’t need that again, you know,” said Harry.
“But it’s cool,” Dean added.
“Not for me,” Harry responded. “And what did McGonagall say?”
“Well, it’s kind of complicated, but in the morning we are going to honour the fallen,” Neville explained.
So, without another word, the four of them got into their beds and fell asleep. Harry, who had been waiting a year to sleep without a wand next to him, slowly drifted, remembering that last kiss with Ginny. But his sweet dreams didn’t last long, he had flash-backs from the battle, combined with pictures of the bodies of the dead and the sensation of Ginny in his arms.
***
Harry appeared in the Great Hall at one o’clock, after a brief talk regarding Snape with Professor McGonagall and Kinsgley, who had been named as the new Minister for Magic. Ginny, Ron and Hermione had waited for him in the Common Room, and when he came back, they made their way towards the Great Hall together.
As they approached the Gryffindor table, everybody got up and started clapping and congratulating them. Ginny tried to run to where her mother was, but before she could start walking away Harry, pulled her closer and whispered, “Please, I need you here with me.” After that, Ginny didn’t attempt to run away again.
The four of them walked towards the Weasleys, and sat next to them. Harry caught the look Mrs. Weasley was giving her only daughter, and realised that he was holding her tightly by the waist. He loosened his grip and felt Ginny relax. They ate in silence, and Harry, who hadn’t had such a meal in a while, felt as if it was the best meal he had ever had. When they finished eating, Harry could feel five pairs of eyes staring at him; it felt like the Weasley men minus Ron were trying to enter his brain and read his intentions with Ginny, because surely all of them had mixed reactions and even more mixed feelings towards him after he left.
At the exact moment Harry felt like he couldn’t stand their stares anymore, Professor McGonagall stood up and spoke, “Now if everyone is settled, we can go out to the school grounds and honour the fallen. If you will all follow me, we may start.”
McGonagall’s words reached everyone, a melancholic silence invaded the Great Hall. They all stood up and slowly, like a funerary procession, and walked out of the castle.
When they arrived in the grounds, they found a huge statue which looked like an obelisk. The obelisk had a shining star on the top and a plaque on the bottom. It stood a few yards from Dumbledore’s white tomb.
“Now I need everyone to take out your wands, point them at the statue and think of a word, just one word that may explain the reason we are all here now. The reason for trying to defeat Voldemort and the reason each of you had for fighting”.
Everybody lifted their wands and did as McGonagall asked. Harry knew the exact word to choose: “Love”. The reason his parents had died trying to save him, the reason Sirius had fought Bellatrix on the day he died, the reason Dumbledore had died in the Astronomy tower, the reason Harry had walked towards the Forbidden Forest last night. That one syllable word said it all.
Too busy with his thoughts, Harry didn’t hear the spell McGonagall used, but he did see how hundreds of strips of light came out of everyone’s wands. The lights rushed towards the statue and engraved the word each person had thought.
“Now, my friends, I shall name all of the fallen in battle; and I want after every name I say for all the ones that loved or cared about that person step forward. Then, for only one of them to engrave the name of that fallen and what they meant to all of us,” Professor McGonagall informed them.
She started calling out familiar names to Harry, familiar because most of them were people Harry had heard about but never met. Harry lost count of how many people were named, even though he stepped forward every time.
“Colin Creevey,” Professor Sprout called, and Harry felt pain.
All sixth years, professors, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Dennis (who had arrived as soon as he found out about his brother), and a man who looked like Mr. Creevey stepped forward.
It was Dennis who walked to the statue and wrote:
Brother, Son and Friend
More names were called, until Harry recognised another one: “Remus Lupin.”
Almost every student taught by him, every professor, and every Order member stepped forward. As well as the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry. Basically everyone who knew him well, but nobody attempted to walk near the plaques. Harry took a deep breath and slowly stepped towards that magnificent statue. He took out his wand, and in the best handwriting he could manage, wrote:
Father, Husband, Professor, Marauder, and Friend
As he finished engraving those few words, Harry realised he was crying. By losing Lupin, he had lost the last father-like figure he‘d ever had, the last link he had to his parents and he wouldn’t be the only one suffering. Teddy, his godson, would have to live like him; without a father, without a mother. But Teddy’s case was different - he would be raised by Tonks’ mother, and he would have a father-like figure; Harry would make sure of it. In that moment, without even noticing, he promised himself that he would help raise Teddy. He would be there for him, as Sirius would have been there for Harry if he hadn’t gone to Azkaban.
Harry felt Ginny taking his hand, and looked down. He hadn’t moved from next to the statue, so the others couldn’t go on.
“Come on, Harry. Let’s go back to our places,” she whispered. He obeyed her and walked back.
As if nothing had happened, Professor McGonagall continued, “Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin.”
Harry was surprised to see so many people step forward, but only one in particular caught his eye: Andromeda Tonks - Tonks’ mother, a lady Harry had meet about a year ago, and who now, Harry realised looked nothing like her dead sister, she was the picture of a broken woman, she had lost everything to the war, her husband, her daughter and her son in law. She stepped forward, looked for someone in the crowd, and walked straight to Harry.
Without saying anything, Harry took the little boy nested in her arms. Andromeda smiled softly and turned around to walk towards the plaques. She then took out her wand and wrote:
Daughter, Mother, Wife, and Friend
When she walked back, she didn’t ask Harry to give her Teddy. She just looked at both of them and smiled at the silent conversation godfather and godson seemed to be having. As always Harry stepped forward at each name, even when Snape was called, it seemed like McGonagall and Kinsley had decided that he should be mentioned. Besides Harry, just the ones who knew about his true story stepped forward. McGonagall walked towards the plaque and simply wrote:
Professor, friend and faithful spy
A few more names passed but this time Harry wasn’t paying as much attention as before, he only had eyes and ears for Teddy, until the last name was pronounced: “Fred Weasley” Professor McGonagall finished. Harry stepped forward, looked up and realise that almost everyone had stepped forward; but the only faces Harry could distinguish were the Weasleys, Hermione and Lee Jordan, who were standing right next to him. George with his eyes totally red walked towards the statue, took out two wands and with the one from his twin he engraved:
Brother, Son, Joker and Friend.
George slowly, walked back to where his family stood crying in silence, as McGonagall declared the ceremony finished and everyone started walking back to the castle.
Harry felt like an intruder in the Weasleys grief so he held Teddy more tightly and walked back to the castle, the place he had once called “Home” that was now destroyed and full of terrible memories for him and for others.
He walked silently trough the corridors looking for Andromeda, while talking to Teddy about all the adventures the marauders, he and his friends had had between those now destroyed walls.