Half Life

Chapter Two

Letting Go

There was a chilly breeze that afternoon which swept the masses of people who had come to say their farewells to Albus Dumbledore. Friends, colleagues, former students and a great portion of the surrounding wizarding population had all come out to Hogwarts to pay their respects to the great man. There was a trail of people that started in Hogsmeade and lead all the way to the school. Rich, poor, and Squibs alike were all migrating towards the Quidditch pitch, where the service was being held. In fact, there were so many people that the Ministry had to enlarge the Quidditch stands just to fit all of those who did not arrive early enough to obtain a chair on the pitch itself.

There had also been a stage erected at one end of the field, underneath the goal posts. It had been fitted with a line of twenty chairs, each reserved for a person who would be sharing their memories that day. Each of those people would step forward to a podium, which had been fitted with a wizard microphone. A very successful Muggle/wizarding company had donated the microphone for the event. Connecting to the microphone were two small speakers, both of which had been enchanted with the Sonorous charm so that the person talking would not have to worry about going hoarse at any time during their speech.

Down in the first row of chairs, nearest the stage were the Weasley’s. Molly, her children, their significant others and their children filled the first row of thirty chairs. Included in that first row was also Hermione, who was already asking Ron for his handkerchief.

The crowd soon fell silent as Arthur Weasley, Minister of Magic, arose to be the first to speak. “ My fellow witches and wizards. We are here today to celebrate the life of Albus Dumbledore. I think that the amount of people who have shown up today is a testament to what he meant to all of us.” He paused looking around at the field, the stands, and the people. He took a deep breath and continued, with a slight shudder in his voice, “ I remember my first encounter with Albus. I was in my first day of my first year and I was late for class, because the staircase I was looking for had moved. Albus came up behind me and touched my shoulder. I looked up, afraid I was going to get a detention on my first day, but when he looked down at me with those kind eyes of his and said, ‘ Mr. Weasley, having trouble with the staircases are we?’ I knew I would never have to fear this man. I said, ‘ Yes sir, I was going to go up that one there, but it moved right before I set foot onto it.’ He smiled knowingly to me and said, ‘ Well then, let us find an alternative route shall we?’ He guided me to my first Charms class and the rest of our relationship was very similar. I would need help and he would be there. Dumbledore was one of the few men to whom I would tell anything and for whom I would do anything. He guided me in my decision to start working for the Ministry and even played the part of my future wife when I needed to rehearse what I was going to say when I asked her to marry me. He said, ‘Arthur you came to me to ask for my advice and my advice is practice. Now, I shall be Molly and you ask me.’ I couldn’t believe that I was on one knee in front of Albus Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard of our time, pretending he was my soon-to-be wife.” There was a brief pause, as Arthur started to give a small smile and said, “He accepted my proposal by the way.” This drew the crowd out of its anticipatory silence, and a great laugh ensued from all.

Arthur chuckled to himself and continued, still holding back tears. “Of course he always had a way of surprising even the closest of friends with his humor. He was an incredible man, an incredible friend and will be greatly missed by myself and the rest of the wizarding world.” That being said, Arthur Weasley turned around and began to weep as he slowly went back to his seat.

Minerva McGonagall spoke next. She was very eloquent in retelling her many memories of Dumbledore. She even lightly joked about his affinity for lemon drops and his encounters with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans. A few knowing souls laughed at this, for Dumbledore had only two-recorded events of ever eating them. Once when he was a child and received a vomit flavored one, and once in Harry’s first year, he ate what he thought to be a toffee-flavored bean…Alas! Ear wax!

The next hour was filled with Ministers of Magic from other countries, former staff and students from Hogwarts and a few people, which nobody knew or had any idea how they knew or were connected to Dumbledore. Other close friends such as Arabella Figg and Alastor Moody also spoke, but none of them could compete with the man who was rumored to be speaking sometime before the closing of the ceremony. Somehow the Daily Prophet had found out that Harry Potter had not only come out of his hiding to attend the funeral but would also be speaking. It was made front-page news right alongside Dumbledore’s passing. Arthur’s office had been flooded with owls asking him to confirm the news. Every Weasley household had been bombed with letters asking if they had seen Harry at all, if they had talked to him, or if they knew where he was. Ron and Hermione had gotten it the worst, though. The two of them had received so many owls that they felt what it must have been like to be at the Dursleys when the house had been flooded with Hogwarts letters.

There was a murmur amongst the crowd. The breeze that had died down for most of the service was beginning to pick back up and betray the midsummer’s day it actually was. People were getting restless. The last person who spoke had been sitting down for over a minute now and yet there was still no movement towards the podium from anyone on stage. Then, when most people thought everything was over and maybe they should start to leave, a man stood up in the back row of chairs and slowly made his way forward. He was wearing a simple black sweater with black pants and shoes. His dark messy hair was being whipped around by the wind as he stepped up to the podium. Harry Potter looked up and out to the crowd before him and a small murmur went through the audience. It was soon silenced by a wave of his hand and a penetrating gaze around the stadium. Each person felt the power of his presence and his gaze, as though he were staring straight at them, commanding their silence. He then spoke.

“ I was brought into the wizarding world 14 years ago by a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was overjoyed by the fact that I would be getting a chance to start a new life. A life away from the hostility of my childhood. I had thought I had no way out, until the letter came for me and I was off to learn how to be a wizard ‘Under thefinest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had.” Some people started to applaud lightly and cheer, but a quick glance up from Harry and people knew that he was not done and he was not looking for any sort of confirmation in what he was saying.

“ By my first year I had already gotten involved in a situation in which I would have nearly been killed if it were not for Dumbledore saving me at the last second. My second year, too, I would have been defeated, were it not for Dumbledore’s unexpected help when I most needed it. After the Tri-Wizard tournament, Dumbledore was my shoulder to cry on when all I could think was, ‘It’s my fault Cedric is dead’. When I thought I was to blame. When I was thinking, ‘He would still be alive, if I would have been selfish for a second and taken the cup for myself.’’ Dumbledore was always there for me and any other student who sought out his help. He always had a way of just showing up when you genuinely needed him. He was your friend, if you wanted someone to talk to. ‘My door is always open’ he said, and it truly was.” Harry surveyed the front row quickly and noticed that Hermione, Molly and Ron were holding each other, crying.

“ ‘All things happen for a reason’, he told me so many times. ‘ You may not know the reason, you may not understand it and it is quite possible you hate that, which has happened’. But in the end, everything does happen for a reason, and it is up to us as wizards and as people, to grow and learn what we can from each event that crosses our path. Do not sit and dwell on the bad, but move on and take with you the knowledge of that occurrence, so we can make the world a better place. Albus Dumbledore was a man who taught this and most importantly lived by this. If we take anything from his life, let it be that we should always strive to be best we can possibly be. The best witch or wizard, the best husband or wife…” Then Harry looked at Ron and Hermione as he continued, “… or the best friend we possibly can be. Regret not the past, for the future is what we can change.” He then took a small step back from where he was standing, turned around and walked slowly back to his seat in the back row.

There was a moment of silence and then some brave soul began clapping; soon the whole audience was applauding as well. Harry did nothing to stop them. He merely sat in his seat with his head down and waited for the end of the ceremony. He would not have to wait long, for Ginny Weasley had already stepped up to the podium and was waiting patiently for the clapping to die down. Once it did her soft, somber voice covered the stadium.

“ It was right before my fifth year, and I was in the attic, looking for my parents marks on their O.W.L.s. I was so nervous about them, and I wanted to live up to the standards that Bill and Percy had set. If I couldn’t, however, I wanted to be able to use their scores as leverage against mine.” Fred and George smiled, for it was their idea she try this. They did, however, forget to inform her that they had both tried to use their parents’ scores against them too, but failed because Arthur and Molly each had received all but one their required O.W.L.S.

“ After I had rummaged around a bit longer, I ended up moving this one stack of boxes and noticed a black case in the corner. I went over to it and popped it open. There was an acoustic guitar inside. I remembered Dad playing it when I was very little around Christmas, but one year it was misplaced and forgotten about when we couldn’t find it. Dad’s guitar had always interested me as a child. I thought it a very practical thing, because you could make music wherever you were as long as you had the guitar with you. I immediately forgot about my O.W.L.s, went to my room, and started teaching myself to play. When I began getting familiar enough with the chords, I started writing lyrics to the melodies I was playing. When I graduated Hogwarts two years later, I played a song at the ceremony that I had written for Dumbledore. He loved it and would ask me to sing a line or two of it whenever I saw him after that. Today I would like to perform another song I have written for my former headmaster.” Ginny walked back to her chair and picked up the guitar, which she had set on its side nearby. She threw the strap around her shoulder and came back to the podium.

“This for Dumbledore, who’s loving and kindness knew no end.” As soon as she had finished her sentence, she slowly began strumming the guitar. The microphone picked up the melancholy chord and magnified it for all to hear. She went through the strumming pattern twice and then began to sing.

There’s no one in town I know

You gave us somewhere to go

I never said thank you for that

Thought I might get one more chance

What would you think of me now?

So lucky

So strong

So proud

I never said thank you for that

Now I’ll never have a chance

May angels lead you in

Here you me my friends

On sleepless roads the sleepless go

May angels lead you in

Harry, still with his head down, tears in his eyes, thought of everything that had happened in his life since age eleven. How he had been picked up by Hagrid and then been brought to a place where everyone knew him and he knew nobody. His first Quidditch game when he had caught the snitch and won the game for Gryffindor. He thought of all the times Dumbledore had simply listened to him, as he went on about life, school, girls and wishing he knew his parents.

What would you think of me now?

So lucky

So strong

So proud

I never said thank you for that

Now I’ll never have a chance

May angels lead you in

Here you me my friends

On sleepless roads the sleepless go

May angels lead you in

Harry was now crying uncontrollably. Every thought of resentment, hatred and anger he had ever had towards Dumbledore was now gone and all he did was want him back so he could say thank you for showing him the world in which he belonged.

If you were with me tonight

I’d sing to you just one more time

A song for a heart so big God wouldn’t let it live

May angels lead you in

Here you me my friends

On sleepless roads the sleepless go

May angels lead you in

Ginny let the last note ring out, then put down her guitar, turned around and went straight towards Harry. They were the only two souls on the planet as she went to her knees and he fell into her arms sobbing.

“ I’m sorry!!” Harry cried into her robes. “ He did so much for me and now he’s gone and I can’t say thank you or tell him… I’m so sorry!! It wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t have done anything!!”

Ginny sat there crying to and said, “ Harry, Dumbledore knew you were sorry. He didn’t blame you for going away.”

Thanx: To Stardust9121 for being my Beta and making my chapters coherent. This girl doesn’t miss a thing and she’s a very good artist!! Peep her out in the artistic alley. Luscious and the Death Eaters, they are going places I tell you!! Props to my other beta Aphrodite the white witch for also reading and giving me her thoughts. Her humor is great and our joke filled emails are sometimes more fruitful than any of the work being done. I’m glad she signed up willingly for this depressing work in progress. Thanx also to the 322 people as of 05/02/2002 11:45 PM that read the first chapter. You know who you are and I hope you liked it. The only problem is I have only received 6 reviews. So get on the ball people and let me know you thoughts. Thanx again to Jimmy Eat World for the song. Take care all and chapter 3 will be out in about 2 weeks. Bye for now. - J - --