To Have and to Want

The end of year feast was the quietest in decades, surpassing even the one following the Triwizard Tournament and the death of Cedric Diggory. The students sat, as usual, in House tables, but the unusual part was the teachers sitting off to the side in front. The center stage was taken by the D.A. members who had fought in the battles this year. Terry Boot, Zacharias Smith, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, Ginny Weasley, Daphne Greengrass, Padma Patil, Theodore Nott, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Parvati Patil. Five seats were left empty, standing in for the Creevey brothers, who were attacked by Dementors in the final battle, Luna Lovegood, killed by Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, perished in an avalanche, and Harry Potter, whose body was found in the dungeon and brought to St. Mungo's where the best Healers could do nothing. The center chair was left glaringly empty.

At the teachers' table, empty seats were left for Professors Flitwick and Dumbledore. All students on the stage and all the teachers were dressed entirely in black to match the hall decorations.

Students made speeches about those they lost. Ginny talked about Luna and Neville. Terry Boot made a short speech about his Auror father. Professor Sprout gave an obituary to Flitwick. Theodore Nott talked about what he and his mother had to endure, and stressed that had he and Daphne not joined the D.A. in the fight, things might have been worse. Everyone looked at the Slytherin table, where the once-popular Head Boy sat alone and subdued. Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were awaiting trial and would no doubt soon go to Azkaban. "The Dark Lord was smart enough not to go at it alone, and if we had been too proud, too untrusting, to do the same, we would meet our downfall at his hands," Nott said.

After he sat down, the Hall was silent for several minutes. Neither Parvati nor Hermione seemed eager to say much--Parvati looked like she was about to burst into tears, and both Ginny and Hermione had to support her.

Then Ron stood up.

"Love," he began, "is the greatest gift one can be given.

"As we sit here, relieved and perhaps even happy--" he emphasized the word as if it were a curse, causing several people in the audience, including Parvati, to gasp-- "that the war we fought in is over, we should realize that we shouldn't have fought it in the first place."

He took a deep breath. "Lord Voldemort," he said, prompting more gasps, this time Hermione's being the most prominent--this was the first time he said it-- "was never truly loved. He was flattered, feared, respected, and even truly admired by some--but never loved. He couldn't understand the happiness one find in love--any love. The love of a parent, a sibling, a mentor, a friend. Had he understood what that meant--had someone showed him what love brought--we wouldn't have Lord Voldemort. We would only have a powerful, perhaps famous wizard named Tom Riddle--and a great many of those who are no longer with us because of him."

Ron sipped from a glass of water and continued. "Harry Potter knew all that. He knew and valued the gift of love, perhaps because, growing up, he had seen so little. He knew that should Voldemort win, our world would not know love--just fear, cruelty, and the desire to survive at the expense of others. Harry Potter knew love, he knew what it's like to lack it, he was willing to give his life so that others would live in a world where they would know it--and he did.

"Look around you. There are people who lack love, who do not know its value. If you take your time to care, truly, genuinely care, you may prevent a terrible future. We had all been very lucky in that this time, we had a Harry Potter. But all of us, including Harry himself, would be far better off if we hadn't needed him.

"That was a very good speech. Mostly accurate, too," someone said from behind.

Shocked along with the rest of the hall, Ron turned to see Harry, emerging from under his invisibility cloak, sitting in the center seat.

"Oh my--it's you--I'm not daydreaming--am I?"

"No, Hermione, you aren't."

"HOW?!" was all Ron managed.

"Priori Incantatem," Harry said. "Again. Voldemort didn't use his own wand to cast his final curse--and I didn't hold mine. But they were, surprisingly, brother-wands. But since I wasn't able to actually cast a spell, I did get hit by his curse--indirectly. I only woke up in St. Mungo's a half hour ago. I threated half the staff so they would let me come here. I arrived just as you were starting, and I decided not to disturb you. Good speech, I couldn't have said it better myself. Parvati--"

Parvati recovered from surprise, jumped up screaming, wrapped her arms around Harry, and kissed him.