Dearest Harry - Eileen's Story

A/N ~ hmmm what did I need to tell you again? Oh yeah! Cliffhanger. Next chappie up tomorrow. Thanks to the dearest darlings Claudia and Emma for betaing.


Chapter Thirty–One


They went by Portkey to the funeral. Harry still hated Portkeys He thought that he probably always would. Harry travelled with Severus and Eileen, wearing the new, lint free, velvety robes that Eileen had produced.

The Malfoys travelled with Arthur. Draco couldn’t seem to bring himself to look at Harry, though Harry tried to catch his eye several times. He assumed that Draco had not forgiven him yet and that made him feel dreadfully sad. Both mother and son wore robes with thick, cowled hoods that Harry thought were probably far too warm for the weather. But it seemed that perhaps discretion was more important than comfort to the Malfoy family right now. If Severus were correct then the Malfoy name had undergone quite a battering and a number of people were relishing the apparent downfall of such a mighty family.

Molly and Ginny had not surfaced today; as far as Harry knew at least. They were coming later to the Ministry. The other Weasleys and Hermione, all crowded round a battered old tennis trainer and landed together in a corner of the field in a large ungainly heap. Much snorting and snuffling could be heard as they tried to suppress the giggling that threatened to engulf them and struggled to untangle their limbs.

Ten minutes later and everyone was far more sombre.

They’d had to Portkey to a site a short walk from the graveyard as that was heavily warded. According to Arthur it was considered very bad form to Portkey or Apparate into a burial ground. Apparently that was one of the reasons that the wizarding public had found it difficult to believe Harry when he had told of his ordeal with Voldemort after the Triwizard Tournament. Magic performed in graveyards was always dark and sinister. It seemed to be one more thing that the wizarding world didn’t like to think about and therefore they pretended that it did not exist.

Now that they had arrived Arthur was going to be staying with Harry and Severus and Eileen were sitting with the Malfoys. Harry didn’t agree with this, he wanted to be with his family, but Severus had said that given the current newspaper articles it might be best if he and Eileen sat at the back of the group of mourners, well away from the Tonks' and of course Harry.

Harry had argued quite strongly that he didn’t give a damn about what the Daily Prophet said. It had been horrible about him before and probably would be again. And he loved his family and was proud of them. Severus had seemed really pleased when Harry had said that but he had added that today was about Tonks and not them. So Harry had capitulated. But he wasn’t happy about it.

Tonks’ funeral was to be held in a small, very private place somewhere deep in the Devon countryside. The graveyard itself was overgrown and full of higgledy- piggledy gravestones that were smothered in lichen and moss. There were stone angels, old statues and great granite tombs covered in ivy. It was tranquil here.

Large trees shaded the stones, roses, ivy and honeysuckle intertwined in the hedgerows and a large yew tree guarded the entrance in a time-honoured manner and acted to strengthen the wards Arthur told him. This apparently, was the graveyard that his parents had been buried in. Harry didn’t know how he felt about that. He would be so close to them, he had to go and see them. Severus had said that he and Harry and Eileen would stay on afterwards and visit his Mum and Dad then. That had made him feel all hollow inside. Like someone had scraped him clean.

The graveyard was peaceful. Except for the faint sound of the sea in the distance and the echo of wood-pigeons in the nearby woods, it was almost completely still.

There were about forty chairs placed under the trees and Harry was directed to sit in the front row. He was still with Arthur. Severus and Eileen were keeping their distance at the back of the rows of chairs, in the shade, amongst the trees.

Severus had told him over breakfast about the stories in the papers. He thought that Scrimgeour was behind them, it was his way of getting his own back for the fact that Harry had managed to best him over Severus’ release. Unlike Fudge, Scrimgeour was a consummate politician, according to his uncle at least. If he couldn’t tackle Harry directly then he would go about getting what he wanted using more underhand methods. Several papers had printed stories that suggested that Eileen and Severus were not a good influence on Harry. Severus had not seemed too bothered about what they’d said about him, but he both he and Harry were furious about the way they had treated Eileen.

Breakfast had been quite a sad affair until Harry had told them about Rita Skeeter and her little secret. They had finally owled her and arranged for she and Eileen to have a little chat later. Harry thought that the sharp-tongued ruthless journalist wouldn’t stand a chance against his gran. He was quite looking forward to the interview and that was definitely a first for Harry.

Kingsley had joined them for breakfast too in the end. Harry was still worried about how cross Draco and Mrs Weasley were with him, but he did feel a bit better. It was nice to think that he had people looking out for him. Just for him. It made him feel slightly fuzzy inside.

Kingsley thought that they would need to consider looking for somewhere else to stay. He was worried that Grimmauld Place had become too public. The Aurors who had visited the other evening might not remember the exact location, but they had certainly been in the vicinity rather a lot lately. And where there were Aurors there were often Death Eaters following close behind. Kingsley did not want to take any risks with the safety of Order members.

As Harry watched his friend, Kingsley moved from his seat to stand at the front of the circle of chairs. He was leading the ceremony today it seemed. He looked over in Harry’s direction and smiled at him rather sadly. He stood right beside a raised dais and on that stood a plain wooden coffin.

Harry could not believe that it could be so small. Tonks had always seemed such a positive presence. Since the first moment he had met her she had bubbled with life and enthusiasm. She had appeared to be so big to him then and yet now he thought about it Harry realised that when he had last seen Tonks he had towered over her. He had given her a hug the day before she died and her head had fit perfectly just under his chin. She was so small, tiny in fact and yet still he could not believe that a person as expansive as she had been, with such a large personality as she had had could fit in such a undersized box

When Harry had arrived, Scrimgeour, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody were already seated at one end of the front row of chairs and beside them were two figures. Harry had been seated beside and although he didn’t recognise them he assumed that they were Ted and Andromeda Tonks.

Ted was the image of his daughter. It was almost as if by totally accepting her magical heritage from her mother, Tonks had opted to resemble her Muggle parent just to even things out. Ted Tonks had sandy hair, blue eyes and a round face that looked as though it smiled a lot. He was not smiling today.

Andromeda was a rather lovely combination of Narcissa and Bellatrix. Bellatrix’s looks must have suffered in prison, because when Harry knew her she seemed rather brittle and her features had become pinched. Narcissa’s beauty had been marred until recently by haughtiness; well at least in Harry’s opinion.

But Andromeda was truly beautiful, Harry thought. She sat pale and still with her hand resting on her husband’s arm, her dark hair falling around her shoulders, her eyes shadowed with a veil.

She sat and listened as person after person stood in front of the assembled mourners and told what they knew of Tonks and how much they had loved her.

Finally Kingsley, as the Auror closest to Tonks began to talk about her and her life and Harry found himself mesmerised by Kingsley’s deep voice with its rich timbre. He talked about Tonks the Auror. How full of energy and spirit she had been.

The morning had been beautiful, with warm sunshine streaming down on them all and birds singing merrily. It seemed wrong to Harry that life just carried on like that. It should have been raining today he thought. He was actually quite pleased to see the mist rolling in quietly as the morning wore on.

“She really was a very special person Tonks was.” Kingsley said. “She was brave and funny and one of my very dearest friends, for all that she was so much younger than me. She was kind and generous and forgiving but woe betides anyone who called her Nymphadora. I teased her with the name when she first joined Magical Law Enforcement and she hexed me with such a severe case of boils that I could not sit down for week!

“Nothing seemed to work to remove them and it was only when I sought her out, apologised and promised not to call her by her first name ever again that the boils mysteriously disappeared.

“She was some amazing witch. Very powerful, immensely strong, but despite her magic and despite her talent as a metamorphmagus other things were even more important to her.

“She believed in truth and she believed in justice. She believed that we in the magical world could build a new future where prejudice and hatred were a thing of the past. She believed that all men and women were equal. No matter their heritage or their upbringing or their blood.”

Kingsley was looking directly at Remus when he spoke. Remus though could not meet anyone’s eye. His own eyes were fixed on the twisted scrap of handkerchief that he held in his lap. He was not going to speak today, because it was apparently considered bad form.

Severus said that Andromeda had wanted Remus to say a few words, but that Remus had declined. His uncle had been rather scathing about that, insinuating that Remus was a coward. But Harry thought that Remus didn’t want to spoil the ceremony. He wanted people to think about Tonks and her life. Not start gossip about whom she had loved. He also thought that Severus had a bit of a cheek going on about Remus like he had, when he had done just the same thing for the same reason and abandoned Harry to Arthur’s ministrations.

Harry thought that his uncle was not very sensible about Remus sometimes.

Remus had come quite late and had been directed to the back of the group of chairs by one of the Ministry officials, only to find himself grabbed by Ted Tonks and moved to the very front as part of the family, where he was seated firmly beside Harry. Scrimgeour had scowled at them but said nothing.

Remus was sobbing quietly as Kingsley continued to speak and Harry echoed Andromeda’s actions earlier and placed his hand on Remus’ arm. Harry’s hand, pale with lack of sunlight for the last few weeks, stood out starkly against Remus’ dark robe.

“Tonks was a very special person.” Kingsley continued. “She believed in people and she believed in Harry Potter.”

Harry sat stiffly in his chair. He could sense people looking over at him, hear them muttering, but he forced himself not to react.

“This young man inspired her with his courage and his selflessness. Qualities which Tonks also had in abundance. She died because she could not let Voldemort”

Gasps of shock and surprise rippled through the audience when Kingsley said the Dark Lord’s name and people looked around as if expecting him to leap out from behind a gravestone. And wouldn’t they get a surprise if he did Harry thought sourly.

But Kingsley was carrying on, seemingly undeterred by the kafuffle he had caused. He just raised his voice a tiny bit and continued.

“She would not let Voldemort win, not if she could help it. She did everything she could to work towards his defeat. Even undertaking to spy for the Light. A task that she knew to be onerous and difficult, a task which until recently had been fulfilled by Severus Snape, a man that she had long admired.”

There were more gasps from the mourners then, but Harry was not sure whether it was the mention of Severus’ name that had shocked them or the fact that Kingsley had just told everyone that Tonks had admired Severus.

“Tonks was unwavering in her belief that the evil that is Voldemort must be defeated and in order that such a defeat should come about she was prepared to pay the ultimate price. She died bravely saving someone that she believed deserved to be saved.”

This time he was talking about Narcissa. Harry couldn’t see her from where he was sitting but he did hear the murmurs that washed around him sounding for all the world like the nearby sea washing on the shore. Perhaps people were wondering who Kingsley was talking about. Severus had told him that very few people knew how Tonks had died, because the Order had agreed to keep it secret from the magical public. They did not want to risk Voldemort finding out that they had had one of his precious Horcruxes in their possession and destroyed it.

Kingsley’s voice was breaking and it was hoarse with suppressed tears.

But he had not quite finished; he had a little more to say.

“Tonks was a very wonderful person and I for one am honoured that I knew her. I will miss her with all my heart, I will think of her every day. Sleep well dear friend you have more than played your part in the battle against evil. The world is a darker place now that you have gone ahead.”

The tears that Kingsley had suppressed though his tribute were now streaming down his cheeks but he ignored them. Instead he turned slowly to face Tonks’ coffin raised his hand to his face and stood tall and unwavering in a silent salute.

A large number of the mourners were sobbing by now, one by one they stood as an auror that Harry didn’t know marched over to the little wooden box on the dais ahead of them. He was carrying a folded flag.

The Union Flag.*

Even though the magical world and the Muggle world were mostly separate the British flag was still used in the magical world and as Tonks had in effect died for her country, she deserved to have it draped over her coffin

As the flag was arranged a figure playing the bagpipes emerged from the mist that had slowly been encroaching and thickening throughout the ceremony. The figure was wearing a kilt and the strains of “Flowers of the Forest,” echoed into the silence. It was not until the piper came and stood alongside the dais that Harry realised that it was Oliver Wood. Harry had forgotten that Oliver had become an Auror. He played the pipes beautifully and Harry found that now his own cheeks were wet with tears. It was as if the mournful strains of the music had given them all permission to express their grief.

All at once the ceremony was over. And people started to move away. There still was the official lunch at the Ministry to come, but first people wanted to say a few words to Tonk’s family.

Andromeda and Ted were surrounded by people. But they had insisted that Remus be included in their group. Both of them had smiled kindly at Harry when he had told them how sorry he was that Tonks had died. But Remus had hugged him tight.

He had whispered into Harry’s hair, his voice tight with tears. “You really did love her didn’t you, Harry?” And Harry had nodded firmly and said that yes he had loved Tonks and that he would miss her dreadfully.

Finally two cloaked figures reached the grieving couple and Andromeda’s face paled. She had managed not to cry throughout the entire ceremony but now tears were rolling down her cheeks too.

Harry was too far away to hear what was being said. But he saw Andromeda gently brush blonde hair from Narcissa’s face and then enfold her in a hug. It was such a tender gesture, so full of love that the lump that had been in Harry’s throat all morning seemed to swell in size and get even harder.

He found that he had to turn away when Ted Tonks embraced Draco.

They were such good people Harry thought. They didn’t deserve what had happened to their daughter, no one deserved that. He would have to kill Voldemort soon he thought to himself.

All morning Harry’s heart had felt heavy with guilt over what he had done the night before.

But all at once he felt lighter than he had all day. The lump in his throat felt a little less solid, his heart felt just a little less sore

If he had not killed Tom Riddle the night before, then it might have been the Weasleys standing here mourning the loss of not only their daughter, but of Arthur too. Because Severus had told him that Riddle had enjoyed hexing Mr Weasley.

It might have been him and Eileen as well, grieving over Severus.

Harry thought with a slight panic that he could not bear to lose his uncle now. He cared about him didn’t he? He really had come to care for his uncle! It was quite a revelation for Harry. But it helped him come to a realisation.

Harry had done the right thing.

He shivered.

The mist was really quite thick now; it was not so pleasant anymore. He felt as if all the feelings that had been washing over him in the last few minutes had dissolved, all the good feelings. His certainty that he had done the right thing. The stirrings of relief. Suddenly the guilt was back in force accompanied by a deep and aching sadness.

Then Harry heard it.

In a corner of his mind, on the edge of his consciousness. He heard a woman’s voice begin to scream.

All at once Harry knew that this was not any ordinary mist that was engulfing them

The graveyard was surrounded by Dementors.

Mist cloaks everything. It deadens sound. But Harry must have unconsciously used his magic to augment his voice, because they told him later that everyone in the graveyard heard Harry scream that day. He bellowed out just one word

“RUN!!!!”




*The flag that Tonks’ coffin is wrapped in is often called the Union Jack. But according to many people, especially sailors, the Union Flag only can properly be given that name when it is being flown on a ship.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Flag