[SSHP] End of life

The funeral is still going on.The speeches in memory of Dumbledore have all ended, and the memorial monument has been erected.It was a cyan stone tablet with the names of all those who died in the attack engraved on it.Hagrid was still blowing his nose so loudly that it was difficult for Harry to hear the reading of the inscription.

"May your pure white magic and fire be manifested. Through justice and strength, let joy and peace prevail, until love dwells in the heart, and sin and sorrow cease..."

Neville's coffin was decorated with red and gold ribbons.Harry stared at the colors moving in the breeze.On the first day of school, Neville did not show the bravery that was rooted in him, and as time passed, he became more and more like the iconic Gryffindor.

"Burn, Phoenix fire. Dispel the mist of straying, sharpen our tongues, pour out with fire and zeal, and make every hand raise a hand to help..."

Seamus' mother was still stroking the coffin, her face haggard.Her tears seemed to have dried up.If time could go back, Harry swore he would have chosen Seamus as Chaser.He didn't seem to realize until this moment that the outcome of Quidditch wasn't that important.If he can see Seamus again, he just wants to be with him, with all his friends, and everyone will fly in the sky again, just for freedom and happiness.Flying should not be mixed with anything more...

"You fall into endless darkness, and you will finally cut off death. Some unseen will continue to exist, and the earth will welcome breezes, flowers, and true light..."

Of the four Hogwarts houses, Gryffindor is known for courage, but that doesn't mean Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw aren't brave.Harry was sure there would be more heroes out of these students sitting pale and frightened by the lake, even though these qualities weren't always so evident in their behavior.

"Fly—to a new journey—"

Everyone stood up and took off their hats.In a blinding flame, Dumbledore's tomb closed.The flames even brightened beyond the sun for a moment, and were extremely blazing.It's just that the stone tablet standing there now is cold, covering Dumbledore's wise blue eyes, and the two stones fit perfectly.The glare of the burning eyes was pale and pale, and Harry felt a bone-chilling cold. He found that his fingers were cold, but his palms were all sweaty.

The wail of the mermaid is over.The horsemen retreated together, turned around and rushed into the Forbidden Forest.People began to leave one after another, and Harry stepped back from the funeral venue, watching the messy scene from afar.The surrounding chairs had been removed, and Hagrid was still sitting in his seat, covering his face.In the distance is Dumbledore's tombstone. The white marble is extraordinarily pure in the sunlight, so pure that it dazzles the eye.

He stood under the beech tree beside the Black Lake, looking at Dumbledore's tomb and the memorial tablet on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.He had spent many wonderful weekends under this tree with his friends, as had his father and godfather, and maybe his mother.He stroked the trunk, imagining that his loved ones had touched the same spot.It seems that through decades of time and space, their palms overlapped.

Harry closed his eyes, curling his fingers slightly, feeling the warmth from his palms and fingertips.

Ron and Hermione were hugging, Hermione hiding her weeping face in the hollow of Ron's shoulder.Almost everyone had left, and they all stayed away from Harry.Harry stood alone in the shadow of the trees, with no one around.

Harry's heart was at peace.He felt that everything around him seemed to be separated from him by something, that transparent invisible barrier separated him from other people.He stood under the tree, as if he was the only one left in the world.He has long known that he is lonely, and he can only walk the next road alone.His elders once supported him, but they are all gone, and he will take all the things they left behind, tangible or intangible, on his journey.

He needs to clear the layers of fog and find the connection behind all the events.What was revealed was not necessarily the truth, all the bitter experience had taught him that.He needs to use all he can, and put the rest of the people in no danger.The members of the Order of the Phoenix will obviously be monitored closely, and he doesn't have many cards in his hand.Who else is trustworthy...

If only Snape was really a spy.Voldemort would not have suspected him.How many shells does that man have?What part of him is real?No, he shouldn't have been curious about Snape.That is a mysterious and dangerous man, and the closer he gets to the core, the more likely he is to sink in.He didn't need to think about the man until he had done his job and finally punished Snape.Even if Snape clearly had a trace of humanity remaining, he wasn't something he could turn to, he couldn't control him.If you can't control it, you may betray...

It wasn't until Ginny came towards him that Harry realized he was thinking of Snape again.As he watched Ginny approach, he knew the deadline had come.

"Ginny, listen to me," Harry said softly, his voice sounding terribly loud to him in the silence, "I can't go on with you like this. You know, I have something I have to do —Let's...let's finish it."

A strange smile appeared on Ginny's face.She didn't cry, but said in a very calm voice, "So, for what you have to do, your mission, we're done, right?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny," said Harry, who suddenly realized that breaking up was not as difficult as he thought. "I have to do these things. I don't want to involve you, you can be with more people... "

"You never thought I could wait?" Ginny said, throwing her head up.Her hair was glowing fiery red in the sun, and her expression was mixed with anger and provocation.

"I can't." Harry stared at her for a moment, shaking his head.

Sometimes, Ginny's red hair and her strength and determination reminded him strangely of his mother.Voldemort had taken her life more than ten years ago.More than ten years later, Harry is about to embark on the journey to take Voldemort's life.

This road can only be walked by himself.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," he repeated, "I have to do these things myself. If I never come back...if I die in the end—" He turned his head to look at the lake, away from Ginny's Face.If he died, would Ginny still have his picture for many years to come?Maybe she'll lock up all the newspapers with his picture in a box, maybe she'll have a new family.Surprisingly, the thought of Ginny with another man made his urge to destroy everything fade a lot.He interpreted this as a kind of heroism brought about by a mission.

"What did you say? Photos?"

"I mean..." Harry froze for a moment, "I'm just sorry that we didn't even have a photo together."

"Yeah. Hermione keeps telling me that if I could be more relaxed around you, you might notice me sooner." Ginny smiled very reluctantly, "That way we might have a longer time." together..."

"I'm stupid. Really," Harry said, not to comfort Ginny, but he really felt it. "If I hadn't been hesitating, maybe we could have more and better memories."

"You're just too stupid. No one has ever been like you, always ignoring yourself to save the wizarding world. But that's what I like most about you." Ginny brushed her hair with her hands, and punched Harry on the shoulder, Strong enough to swing a Bludger with one stick.Harry took a step back from her punch.

"Don't be so stupid that you really die! If you die, I will marry someone else immediately!"

"Who are you looking at? Before I leave, I'm going to smash that person's nose." Harry also smiled, and the atmosphere became less awkward and dignified, and became more natural.

The two stared at each other silently for a while.In the distance, Hagrid was pulled up from the chair by Gropp hugging his shoulders. The huge Hagrid was like a big plush toy in the hands of the even bigger Gropp.The crowd had cleared, Hermione lifted her tear-stained face from Ron's shoulders, and the two walked towards them holding hands. "See you later." Ginny said, looking in the direction of the two of them, waved to Harry, and walked briskly as usual.Harry watched her back, although he knew she was sad, but it was undeniable that he felt a lot lighter, as if he had let go of a big event.He watched Ginny go away, then turned his gaze to his two friends.

Hermione had dried her face, and the two of them hurried towards Harry.Scrimgeour looked at them from afar, talking to Percy who was standing upright, and finally took a last look at the three of them, then turned and walked towards the gate.Harry stared at his limping back in disgust, and if he still tried to figure out what they had done at Dumbledore's funeral, the man was beyond redemption.He should be lucky, if he did come, he would draw his wand and cast a spell on him immediately.

Hermione and Ron had moved up to Harry's side.They followed Harry's gaze, both frowning. "Harry, isn't he trying to figure out what you did that night?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know either. But he's gone, isn't he?"

"Percy's kind of a Weasley..." Ron muttered.

Harry knew that Ron had always wanted his brother to be a little nicer, so he said nothing.On the contrary, Hermione glanced at Scrimgeour's back, and pursed her lower lip thoughtfully.

"Pfft, Ministry of Magic." Ron glanced in the direction of the door, "Look, it's the same no matter where it is now. If I were You-Know-Who, I must first master the Ministry of Magic. Hogwarts may be safer Well, he won't be hopping for long, Harry."

"Yeah, I bet Voldemort would be the first to kneel and beg for mercy if he showed up at the Ministry of Magic one day." Harry said maliciously. "He'd compliment Voldemort on how delicious his robes are, What an honor to be able to kiss it."

"Don't say that!" Hermione yelled, as if she had heard something unforgivable, she glanced at the memorial monument, her expression slightly flinched, "We shouldn't judge a person's quality so easily anymore!"

Harry, too, was looking at the reflection of Dumbledore's tomb and the memorial tablet on the lake, and for the first time, he wished the water would be a little undulating so that he could see less clearly.He took off his glasses and pretended to wipe them.

Noticing Harry's suddenly gloomy expression, Hermione looked a little apologetic.She comforted: "Come on, Harry, it's not your fault, it's all of us. Maybe we can kill You-Know-Who before he has time to do more. Two people live one, and you will be alive." The one that came down. Isn't it?"

Her consolation was especially feeble.Harry smiled.Unbeknownst to them, he planned to embark on this journey alone.If possible, he would like to be with them longer, longer.But he can't.They were at Hogwarts-his home together for the last three hours, and soon the old red train that had brought him was going to take him away again.His life began at Hogwarts, began here, and ended here.Once gone, he is no longer him.He is the savior of the British wizarding world, the Boy Who Lived, he needs to believe in Dumbledore, he needs to take on all the meanings carried by the name of Harry Potter, and he needs to work hard to fulfill that prophecy.Of course, if he ran into Severus Snape on the way, he might have more to do.

"I can't bear the thought that Hogwarts might be closed." Hermione said softly, looking up at the tall castle. "It's so safe here, and it's my first home in the wizarding world. I love it."

"Me too," said Ron, "but it doesn't make sense to us anymore does it? Whether it's closed or not, we're not going back here again."

"That's right." The disappearing smile returned to Hermione's face, "Harry, let's go together. We will always be with you, no matter what you do. We—"

"No." Harry interrupted coldly.He didn't want to drag his friends into this showdown destined to be just two people.They should have their own lives, their own families, and they have been with him for six years, which is enough.And, Harry thought slightly darkly, if Harry Potter disappeared, at least someone would remember him.

"Stop trying to convince us, Harry." Hermione raised a hand to stop him, "You don't like to read, and sometimes you don't have a good brain... I mean, we've been talking about it for six years. Overcome all difficulties together, don't we? None of the three of us would have won so many victories today."

"That's right! We have won once a year since the first grade. Hermione is the smartest of the three of us, and you have the strongest spell." Ron echoed with a smile, "But maybe you will one day Use me when you're trying to stuff your head up your sleeve."

"Ron! I didn't say that!" cried Hermione angrily.She tossed her head back, her six-year-old windblown wormwood hair shaking as fiercely as she had when she confronted Professor Trelawney in a Divination class.

"The three of us have gone through countless difficulties together, and we will always be together in the future." Ron said solemnly, the sun shining in his eyes, "We will go back to your aunt's house with you, and then you Come back with us to Bill and Fleur's wedding."

Bill and Fleur's wedding?Harry had almost forgotten.He was surprised to find that such ordinary and happy things can exist in the world. Perhaps for some people, no matter how dark the world is, the pursuit of happiness should not stop.This kind of cognition almost made him believe that he too could overcome all difficulties and win the final victory.

"We should indeed go," he said at last.

"Harry, be happy. You still have us." Hermione said, "If everything goes well, maybe we can still catch up with the last semester of classes, and then take the NEWTs exam as usual."

Ron groaned|groaned loudly.

"I know, of course." Harry smiled slightly with the corners of his mouth raised, his green eyes were calm and unwavering.He saw the sun shining on the faces of his friends, reflecting the mottled tree shadows, those shadows swayed slowly, as peaceful as if nothing had happened.

As for convincing his friends not to follow him, or to run away altogether, Harry decided to wait until after the wedding.Now that all safety has become a luxury, he decided to enjoy this perhaps the last good thing.

Two of the Horcruxes have already been destroyed, haven't they?He had the memory that Dumbledore showed him, and there were clues in it, and he had been educated for six years by Hermione, the smartest witch at Hogwarts for 50 years, so it couldn't be too bad.Wait until a month later—maybe a year, maybe ten years later, at the moment when he duels with Voldemort, he will bring the souls of all the dead, in front of all those who still believe in the light, and ask them to witness the darkest together the end of the era.They will win, they will.For some reason, looking at the smiles of his two friends, Harry felt that he was beginning to believe this too.