The Birthday Speech

"Way to go! One year older Harry my man!" Ron grinned as the Gryffindor class stood around the table celebrating Harry’s birthday. Harry looked over the cake with shock, "You put 1040 candles on the cake!" Fred laughed, "That was my idea. All though it’s not as fun without George." A sigh erupted thorough out Harry’s new apartment.

Harry, holding his heart together, spoke with a wavy voice, "I’m happy that all of you could come. I know I’m a lot to you all. To Ron a best friend. To Hermione I am an adventuring companion. To Draco," Harry said looking at the transformed boy, "a survivor. To Fred a shoulder to lean on. To all of you now and the ones who can’t be with us," He said on the verge of a sob, "I will be come a storyteller.

"This is the day of my birthday, in my new apartment at Diagon Alley. A great gift from Albus. I want everyone to be happy as well as myself, but I also want to take a moment and remember our departed friends who have given us our present freedom. We’ve all finally graduated from Hogwarts and have embarked on our jobs, what ever they may be.

"Now that Voldemort is dead," Everyone cringed at his name, "we will no longer fear him. We should in fact hate him for all the men and women he killed. Families have been killed because he was ruthless. Brothers were taken away from each other because he enjoyed it. Yet, we fear someone who should have never been feared. I want us all to take time and remember someone who touched our lives and something amazing about them"

Everyone looked at Harry blinking back at him or her, waiting for someone to speak. Fred opened his mouth straining to speak, "George. I loved the way he always brought a laugh to anyone even me. How no matter how hard things got he was there for me. He was my other half." Fred thought inwardly at the last moments of George’s short life. He was only twenty. He was so loving to me. He was protecting me every moment as the group came up against Voldemort. His arms wrapped around me holding me close against the death spell. Somehow George held out just long enough to speak to me. The death spell sending him through painful moment of life as he spoke his last words, ‘I love you brother. Take care of Ron and keep the laughs coming.’ Tears streaked down Fred’s face as he remembered his brother’s smile as he died. His finger still felt George’s cold skin, soft hair, and frozen smile as he squeezed his brother tight against his side.

Hermione smiled faintly as she remembered Neville, "Neville was always the wimpy one till the last years where he proved he had the powers and abilities to be a Auror. He even outdid me every once in awhile, but he was still forgetful." Everyone laughed slightly but Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when the memory came back reminding her of what Neville looked like. He had led her quite through a hallway getting her out a day of torture. She was too important, she knew too much. Neville had come to save her from death and telling anything. He had spent the night with her showing her love and finally confessed at dawn’s break that he was in love with her. She had gently told him that she was already expecting Ron’s baby. He had taken it lightly and continued to talk with her about how things were going. He protected her as Death Eater descended on them. Making a path for her, she ran while he held them off strong and hopeful. He loved her and he died for her. She breathed in crying softly; "He loved me to the last."

Ron gulped at the confession but he smiled lightly, "I can’t name just one person. Too many people mean too much to me. Fleur had just become a part of the England Embassy. Dean had successfully been Head Boy. Cho had just become part of the England Quidditch team playing along side Harry as a chaser, one of the best. Pansy, though snotty, was very helpful to get information for the good side sacrificing her body to aid us, One of the few good Slytherins. Charlie was amazing with the dragons. He somehow led the first ever Dragon army that to this day was the turning point in this war! They all meant so much to us."

Draco stepped forward his blonde hair highlight with blue muggle dye. "I’m still living but a part of me died in that war," he looked round seeing he had everyone’s attention, "a part not many will miss. Including me. My stone heart was cracked in that war and I began to love you all. I nearly died protecting my friend Severus Snape. I lost the hate, somewhat; I still hated Voldemort for killing Gin Weasley no matter how magically made she was. He also killed my parents no matter how mean they were. I will always remember them for the good they did even if it was in a bad way."

Harry nodded looking at all his friends, tears wet his face, "See it’s good to remember even if sometimes it eats us up. We should remember our friends, but they can not rule our futures as some of us let them now. So come up people sing me happy birthday!" Ron laughed wiping the tears away as everyone else was. He waved his wand and the cake suddenly sang. Harry gasped, "RON! You got me a singing cake! This is so amazing."

Everyone enjoyed the singing cake, but as Harry had told everyone, they remembered. There was a place in everyone’s heart that held the love of the lost ones; there always would be. Even to this day as the survivors of Voldemort’s slaughter looked through their Hogwarts yearbooks they would remember their friends with love. They would wave back to the happy picture that did not know its true self was gone. As the watchers looked down rubbing the picture with tears coming from their eyes they would put the book away, remember Harry’s Birthday speech, and carry on living for those who had died giving them that privilege.