It had been five months since the defeat of Lord Voldemort, four months since the Dementor mist had disappeared. And although it was the chilly end of October no one, whether Muggle or Wizard, wanted to go inside.
Hogwarts Professors took their classes outside and the Heads of Houses held all but the most important meetings strolling through the grounds. Filch was the only person not pleased with this development. He spent long hours muttering under his breath about mud and dirt and threatening the students that passed him by whether they were responsible for mess-making or not.
It was a Saturday now, and a group of Hogwarts Professors, including McGonagall, Hagrid, Flitwick, Sprout and Longbottom were watching the giant squid and passing around a copy of the Quibbler. They all wore dress robes of various colors and formal hats.
“I think it’s a great idea!” Neville said confidently. “And I think it should be at Hogwarts. The Battle happened here. Most of the dead were killed here, that night, so the memorial should be here.”
Flitwick nodded. “I agree. Besides, what better way to ensure that the memory of those tragic events remains in the hearts and minds of the Wizarding world than to put it here, where every Hogwarts student will see it day in and day out.”
“That’s not really what concerns me,” McGonagall said at length. “I’m more worried about this experimental hologramic Muggle invention they want to attach to it…”
“It’s not really a Muggle invention,” Neville said. “It’s more of a Muggle myth, something born out of their imaginations that they haven’t been able to achieve yet, which is what makes it so perfect. With magic, we can make a very realistic, very immediate monument to the war. The people who visit the monument will be able to experience a little bit of the horror of those events. They’ll understand what really happened. We’ll be keeping the testimonies of hundreds of eye witnesses alive for thousands of years!”
“But is it possible?” Sprout interjected.
Neville nodded enthusiastically. “Blaise thinks he can do it. It’ll take a while, we’ll have to spend hours recording the testimonies, but it’s not impossible.”
Something in Hagrid’s pocket began to whistle. He dropped the rock he was about to skip and walked closer to the others, joining in the conversation for the first time. “We owe it to Remus and Tonks and Fred to let them try,” he said simply.
“Shall we go?” McGonagall said, nodding in the direction of the castle.
Hagrid shook his head. “I gotta run to Diagon Alley to pick up some presents,” he said. “I’ll see yeh there.”
“Wait, Hagrid,” Neville said. “I promised Ron and George I’d drop by the shop and go down with them.”
They broke off into two groups. McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout headed for the Transportation tunnel that would take them to the Academy while Neville and Hagrid headed out of the Hogwarts boundaries so they could Apparate to Diagon Alley.
Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes was an explosion of color and noise. Hagrid squeezed in and Neville followed. Inside, dozens of guests were grabbing up last minute presents before queuing up to enter the transportation tunnel in the back room.
“Hagrid!” Ron said excitedly. “Neville! There you are. We’ve been waiting for you. The party’s about to start.”
“Did my presents get here alright?” Hagrid asked.
“Of course they did,” George said. “But one of them nearly bit my head off as I was trying to wrap it. Hope you don’t mind, but I took a few hairs for experimental purposes.”
Hagrid’s booming laugh filled the shop as he took the presents from George and stuffed them into his jacket pocket.
“Ready?” Neville asked.
“Yeah,” Ron said. “Charlie owled a few minutes ago and said not to wait for him, he’ll meet us there.”
“Look after the shop, please, Violet!” George called.
“Of course, Mr. Weasley!”
They joined the queue and stepped through the latest transport tunnel connecting Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes to the Academy. Hundreds of friends, family, and guests were laughing and greeting each other on the lawn.
Tables had been set up in a large semi-circle around a small raised platform. Enchanted glasses of lemonade and other refreshments floated around between the guests and there was an impressive fireworks display overhead. Most of the guests were not looking at the fireworks,
however; they only had eyes for the large gold and silver dragon that was flying serenely overhead.
“Bloody git,” Ron said, frowning up at the sight. “Why does he always have to do that?”
“It’s his wedding day, Ron,” Neville said reasonably. “He must be a little nervous.”
“Yeah, well,” Ron said sending Hagrid and George disgusted looks that they did not see because they were entranced by the Dragon’s movements. “As long as he’s not marrying my sister!”
“Cheer up, little brother,” George said. “After today that Dragon will be your brother in law’s brother in law.”
Ron broke away from the group muttering something about looking for Hermione. Neville led the other two to a table near the front from which they resumed watching Draco Malfoy soar overhead. They were soon joined by Seamus and Theo. Neville grabbed one of the floating lemonades and began to sip it, watching Theo’s calm face closely.
He was interrupted by Draco’s spectacular descent and transformation. The dragon’s smooth, elegant transformation into a well-dressed young man was beautiful to watch. Neville noticed him shaking his arm irritably and he glimpsed a flash of scales. Draco finally gave up on his arm and stepped onto the platform, standing there alone and irritable.
Charlie Weasley came running up to him and passed him a rolled up piece of parchment which Draco read, his face breaking into a grin. Neville had seen it many times in the past few months, but the sight of Draco Malfoy and Charlie Weasley clapping each other on the back was still a very odd one to behold. They spoke for a few more seconds and then Charlie stepped off the platform and pulled up a chair beside Neville.
“What is it?” George asked his brother. “Malfoy looked pleased.”
“I got him the job in Romania – both of them, actually.”
“Good man!” Hagrid clapped Charlie on the back, sending him sprawling forward onto the table.
Dean and Luna finally arrived and pulled up chairs, making the table quite full. Luna was passing around copies of the Quibbler. Although Neville had already read this issue he took one politely and looked it over.
“It’s an excellent article, Luna,” Theo said seriously.
“What is?” George said, slightly puzzled. “I haven’t seen a single paper for a week with all these bloody wedding preparations.”
Theo cleared his throat and began to read. “Heroes Unsung: For the past few months the comings and goings of many of the Wizarding World’s heroes have been appearing time and again in the newspapers. We rightly look up to and respect those brave Witches and Wizards, both dead and alive, without whom the victory over Voldemort could not have been possible. But Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Kingsley Shaklebolt, Ronald Weasley, and Neville Longbottom were not alone in standing up to Voldemort. Nor were Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and their comrades the only ones to fall in the long struggle against the Dark Arts. Hundreds of Muggles, House-Elves, Goblins, Centaurs, and lesser known Witches and Wizards also played an important role in the victory. It is these unsung heroes that I wish to honor today.
“I will begin with the brave young Death Eaters who, after being forced to take up the Dark Mark, worked tirelessly to make a positive impact on the world. Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott are not unknown names in the Wizarding World today. Together with Ginny Weasley they faked their own deaths and proceeded to establish a Hall of Healing, A Healing Academy, in which many lives were saved on the night of the battle of Hogwarts.
“But before these events the boys were, like many others, trapped in Hogwarts and forced to fulfill a well defined role under the watchful eyes of the Carrows. They used a variety of spells, including memory modifications spells, to create an image of brutal ferocity which frightened the other students at Hogwarts. Meanwhile, both boys were working tirelessly to save other students from the brutal beatings and punishments of the Carrows and student bullies. ‘It would not have been possible without the help of the Hogwarts House Elves,’ says Theodore Nott. Zabini adds that his own House-Elves were responsible for the success of the boys’ plan to fake their own deaths and escape the clutches of Voldemort.
“House-Elves have been overlooked for far too long. From Dobby, who was loyal to Harry Potter until his death, and without whose intervention many of our heroes might still be languishing in a dungeon today, to Kreacher who led an army of Hogwarts House-Elves against Voldemort’s army just when the witches and wizards of Hogwarts seemed to be losing hope. These loyal creatures have proven themselves capable not only of loyalty, but also of great, heroic deeds. And they did not perform these acts at the behest of their masters. No, they acted out of conviction and out of love for witches and wizards that had shown them kindness and decent treatment, proving that House-Elf rights are crucial to building a healthy Wizarding society…”
Theo trailed off, because faint music had started up and it was getting louder and louder. “It’s amazing, Luna,” George said. “Here, I’ll take a whole stack for the shop.”
He took the rest of Luna’s copies and shrunk them, placing them carefully into his pocket. Neville straightened his back and turned around to watch Blaise leading his twin sister Celeste down the aisle. They looked radiant together, and the innocent ever-cheerful smile on Celeste’s face was infectious.
The music filled Neville’s ears now as Blaise handed Celeste up to Draco. Celeste took Draco’s scaly arm and stood beside him, smiling out at the crowd. Blaise stepped up beside her and stood, watching intently as Arthur Weasley walked Ginny up the aisle. Finally, all four of them stood beside each other in the glowing sunshine, ready to begin their new lives. Theo stood and pulled a large ring box out of his pocket and made his way up the aisle towards them.
