Ordinary Hero

Dear Mr Weasley,

I know that it's weird that I'm writing you a letter, since I've seen you every day for the last month and a half, but there are some things that you should know.

I'm not very good with saying things in person, but there are some things that I feel you should hear.

Thank you for always being honest with me. You were as upfront as you could be about Sirius my third year. You've elected to always be truthful with me, even when the rest of the world thought it might be better that I not know. It's rare to find a man who values the truth as much as you do, and even rarer to find one as diplomatic as yourself.

Thank you for believing me to be strong enough to deal with things. You believed that I was strong enough to deal with the knowledge of Sirius Black. You thought that I could handle news at the Order of the Phoenix. Your faith in me has never waivered. I know that you knew that I couldn't have bitten you at the Ministry.

Thank you for seeing past my scar. You've never acted like I was special because I was the Boy Who Lived; you acted like I was special because Ron and Ginny accepted me as their friend, and that was enough for you. Almost every fusses over me; they see me as James' son, or the next Marauder, or the Boy Who Lived, or the Triwizard Champion. But you have always seen me as Harry Potter, ron's scrawny friend.

Thank you for showing me what a family is like. You opened your arms to me as your youngest children's friend, and showed me how a real, loving family functions. You took me to the Quidditch World Cup, inquired into my well being, and fussed over my 'adventures,' like it was no big thing. Like it was natural. Before I met you, right before my second year, only Ron and Hermione treated me that way. You gave me six brothers and a little sister, and suddenly I'm not alone anymore.

Thank you for showing me what a father is. I loved Sirius, but you were as close to a father as I could get; Sirius was more like my brother. You treated me like a son, and not like a stranger. You took an interest in me that no one ever has; an interest in my emotional wellbeing, as well as my physical wellbeing.

Thank you for caring for my friends. Even when Mrs. Weasley was being frosty with Hermione, you always treated her well. I love Ron and Hermione more than anything in the world, and you allowed Hermione to be in my new family, and loving us as you love your biological children.

Thank you for caring in the memory of my family. I think my mum and dad would be happy that you've filled the position they were stripped off; the role of loving parents. I watch you get up, work tirelessly in your own way to champion the cause they were for. Then you come home and push yourself to the max, putting yourself in danger so that other Muggleborns, like my mum and Hermione, can live in peace, as well as their family.

Thank you for caring for the world. You have taken a heavy burden with a light heart and made it your own, changing it from a burden to a cause. You champion a cause, and suffer for it, but I never see you complain about it. You do your work without praise or gratitude from others, and yet you consider it an honour to be allowed to fight for what's right. You take lousy pay and high hours, stress and heartbreak, because you see the bigger picture, and I know you'll never stop until you've conquer the problem. And you do it without pride or ulterior motives - you do it because you know it's right. Again, a rare gift to find in a man.

I know that you don't think yourself a great man; many people look down on you as if you're ordinary, as if you're nothing. Well you are ordinary, Mr Weasley. You're an ordinary hero, and they are the most extraordinary of them all.

Thank you, Mr Weasley. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being you.

Love,
Harry James Potter

Fin.