3When the first remembrance service had been held a month after the Battle of Hogwarts, the castle was in the midst of heavy reconstruction work, so the Great Hall was out of bounds. It was decided instead to hold the service in the Hogwarts grounds in front of Albus Dumbledore's tomb. This decision became tradition, so that even after the reconstruction was completed, services continued to be held outside in the rain or sunshine. What had also become tradition after that first remembrance service, when the wounds were still fresh and painful, was that Harry Potter would make a speech to the audience, which would be broadcast worldwide by reporters from the Daily Prophet.
As a result, Harry found himself standing behind the marble lectern, looking out through the drizzle and just picking out the red Weasley hair in the audience. He suddenly remembered an occasion when Dumbledore had been in a similar position at the Welcoming Feast, but his words had been much simpler: "Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, and Tweak". This memory gave Harry a strange desire to laugh, but he composed himself and concentrated on the message he had to deliver.
"Another year has passed, another year where the sun has shone on this white marble tomb, where the birds have sang in the branches of these trees and where the breeze has ruffled this grass. We have all aged another year, yet there are many who have been frozen in time by the cold hands of Death, and who could not be here to witness the passing of the seasons, or the aging of their children, siblings and parents. It is these people whom we remember today.
"Each year the pain of separation is duller than the last, yet we still remember. Each year the lamentations of grief are quieter than the last, yet we still remember. Each year our wounds heal and our scars fade and hope flourishes, yet we still remember.
"But whilst we remember our loved ones who died for peace and justice, whilst we uphold their memories by fighting for those same values, there are many who are even now working against us, to harm us and to destroy all that we have worked for over the years. We must stand strong and united against them, to show them that no acts of inhumanity will be accepted. The world has witnessed enough suffering—"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there appeared a group of people dressed in black robes and wearing masks. Their wands were already out, and after a split second, curses started flying across the audience. The Aurors amongst the audience reacted just as they had been trained to, hardly pausing to think before they were duelling with the new arrivals. Mothers were gathering their children to them as quickly as possible before attempting to leave the area and run to safety.
Harry paused in shock for a second, before he sprang into action, running down from the stage to aid his colleagues in the fight. However, they were badly outnumbered and, despite their skills, the Aurors were engaged in fierce duels, often with multiple opponents. The leader of the opposition walked slowly through the duellers with a disinterested expression, unchecked by the Aurors who were already struggling with their own battles. He came to a stop in front of Harry and drew his wand.
"Crucio," he drawled, smirking as Harry collapsed to the ground in agony.
-break-
Ginny was seated with her children and Teddy Lupin in the second row of seats. She had placed Lily and James on either side of her, to keep a close eye on them, leaving Albus to Teddy's care. She hoped this arrangement would keep them all out of mischief for at least an hour, so she could listen to the service.
Suddenly, people started appearing amongst the bushes and trees, and curses started flying. Teddy had already jumped up to retaliate, and Ginny drew her own wand. Just over a decade ago, she would have joined in and fought against these idiots, but now she had three children to look after and take to safety, so she did a quick scan before grabbing onto Lily and calling for James and Albus to run with her. However, they had caught sight of their father at the mercy of the opposition leader, and were even now trying to get to him.
"James! Albus! Come with me now!" shouted Ginny. As much as it hurt to see her husband in such pain, she knew he would want her to get the children to safety first.
"But what about Dad?" James retorted angrily.
"He wouldn't want you to get yourselves killed trying to help him, when he's quite capable on his own. So come with me and your sister now!"
James and Albus both knew their mother was right, so they stopped struggling to reach their father and instead turned around. The small group made their way out of the row and started running in the direction of Hogwarts castle, Ginny in front holding onto Lily's hand, with James and Albus close behind them.
Albus turned to look behind him for a second and tripped over an uneven patch of ground. James stopped and was about to help him up again when he saw a hooded figure raising his wand and aiming it at his brother's back. Without pausing to think, James flung himself in front of his brother, catching the full force of the powerful curse. His scream was so loud that the duellers at the memorial service, now some metres away, were momentarily distracted, which allowed the trained Aurors to quickly dispatch their less-able opponents.