Barbeque Stain

Barbeque Stain

When I saw her for the first time, I knew that she was something different. Something remarkable. Like I've said to her time and again, she is the smartest witch of her age that I have ever known. She scored record high O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in her schooldays, outnumbering everyone in the history of Hogwarts. After she, Ron, and Harry graduated from Hogwarts, they threw themselves full-force into the Order. Dumbledore did not even have to ask them to join. The three of them went in together, and they came out together. Reminds me of Sirius, James, Peter, and myself.

The War raged for seven years, two of which were while she was in school and five after she graduated. So many deaths occurred that nearly everyone lost track of how many loved ones were gone by the end. The end. It came sooner than anybody expected. We weren't even sure if Harry was ready, there was so much more we wanted to teach him. But, alas, when Voldemort strikes we must answer, prepared or not. It was the worst battle any of us had ever seen. Hogwarts was under siege, Voldemort sent all his numbers to the castle that day. Wizards were dying left and right, students were forced to fight in order to stay alive. Even the young first years. Only eleven years old and already fighting in the biggest battle in the history of wizard-kind. Eleven years young is more like it. It was in the Great Hall where the Final Battle between Harry and Voldemort took place. It was just the two of them, all the entrances into the Hall were sealed. I remember passing by the doors while battling a group of Death Eaters. I heard yelling, and rumbling. Light was emitting from the cracks of the door. I was mortally terrified for Harry.

Then it happened. The whole world shook with the recoil of the force coming from the Great Hall. Next thing anyone knew, the walls around the Hall came crumbling down as a pure, white light escaped, momentarily blinding everyone within a fifty foot radius. That was the moment all the Death Eaters clutched their arms with looks of unimaginable agony on their faces. Even Severus, who was on the side of the Phoenix, clutched his arm. The Dark Marks must have been effected by whatever happened inside the Great Hall. Ginny Wealsey hovered next to Severus, attempting to numb the pain for him. Countless times has Severus Snape saved Ginny Weasley's life and she grew very fond of him. Never would she watch him suffer anymore, she only helped. I watched the rest of the members of the Order magically bind all the Death Eaters so they would not escape. Without the slightest thought to help wind up the Death Eaters, I ran through the rubble towards the Great Hall. My heart stopped when I found Harry lying unconscious among the rubble. For a moment I thought he was dead. I rushed over to his side and thanked Merlin that he was still breathing. Voldemort was nowhere to be found, the light must have dissolved him into nothingness.

Ron and Hermione rushed in not long after, both with the same look of horror on their faces. I gave them a reassuring smile and they knew that everything was all right. Despite the number of people that have been murdered, despite the state that Hogwarts was in right now, despite the status of the Wizarding community at the moment, I started to softly chuckle under my breath. This chuckle turned into a louder chortle, and eventually became a heartfelt, bellowing laugh. It was over. It was finally over. Ron and Hermione first looked at me as if I was some psychopath off my rocker, but then I spoke. It is over. When I said those three words, they joined my deep laugh of relief, of sorrow, of just about every emotion that a human is capable of possessing.

Every member of the Order of the Phoenix got an Order of Merlin, First Class. In addition, Ron got the title of Gryffindor's Noble and Hermione obtained Gryffindor's Sage. Harry. Harry not only received the title of Gryffindor's Knight, he also got a holiday named after himself. Harry Potter Day. The day that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, defeated Voldemort. He himself laughed when this was announced, but accepted it with a smile.

All this brings us here, the first anniversary of Harry Potter Day. We celebrated at the Burrow with a barbeque. It was a warm summer afternoon and the whole Order was present. That is, those who survived. We took a silent moment to pay respect to those who fell during the entire struggle, including the First War. Just because we celebrate today does not mean we don't remember the losses. Although some wounds will remain opened forever and tears will still fall at night, today was a day to celebrate the joyful rescue of the Wizaring World.

I was eating barbequed ribs (something Muggle from America, or so Molly says) when I looked up and saw her. She walked out of the house behind Ginny. My heart nearly skipped a beat, she was wearing a floral print miniskirt and a white tank top. Her tanned skin was radiating in the glow from the sun and her red lipstick matched her face perfectly. I had to catch my breath. I use to always think of Hermione as a mere child, my student. It was at this point that the tables turned. She was a woman, and she would be the one to teach me from now on. She came over to the table where I sat alone and took a seat directly across from me. My mouth was probably still open, the shock of seeing her like this was still taking its effect.

"Hello Remus," she said in her sweet, melodious voice.

"Good afternoon, Hermione," I replied, my voice quacking as I spoke. She smiled, and I smiled too.

Then she pointed at my chest and said, "you've got a barbeque stain on your white t-shirt."

Fin.