Charlotte Weasley

Chapter 30 - Hall of Remembreance

Christmas had passed and I still hadn't gotten a chance to use my invisibility cloak or my Marauder's Map. Whenever I tried to take either out to use it, someone always walked in.

However, a few weeks later, when everyone had returned from break, an opportunity arose. I was up in the dormitories, I had said that I was tired and went to bed early. Everyone else was downstairs doing homework or playing exploding snap, in other words they were well distracted. 

I yanked my trunk out from underneath my bed and grabbed the invisivbility cloak's slippery folds and the marauder map. 

I covered myself with the cloak, checking in the mirror that no one would be able to see my feet peeking out underneath but the fabric was plenty big enough so I set off. 

The halls of the castle were silent and dark, the only people left in the corridors were a few seventh years who could stay out later and Peeves in the distance, banging on a pan with a wooden spoon. 

I crept down the hall, unsure of where to go, following a random path. While walking, I routinely checked the map to see were Filch and Mrs Norris were located. 

When I looked at the map this time, I noticed there was a hidden room behind a painting, simply labled, 'The Hall of Remembreance'. My curiousity took over and I decided to investigate further, peering at the map closer and disovering the words etched right next to the painting. 

To enter this room, one must simply say the password when asked. The password is, 'Death is but the next great adventure'. 

I headed over to the painting in question, it depicted a tall wizard with a long white beard, who I recognized as Albus Dumbledore. 

I pulled off my cloak and Dumbledore spoke, "Ah, I should have known it was you wandering the castle at this time of night." 

"You knew there was someone walking around?" 

"Well of course I did! I wasn't coined the Greatest Wizard of All Time for being able to turn my owl into a tea cup, now was I? Well moving on then, do you have the password?"

"Death is but the next great adventure," I recited.

"Quite right too, I might add!" Dumbledore replied, opening the door with an amicable chuckle. 

The Hall of Remembrance was very long and at the end there were several statues. On the walls there were also plaques, carved with names and something to remember them by.

There was a sign a few feet in front of me made of solid stone. I walked forward to read the inscription, "This hall was ressurected to commemorate the losses after the two Wizarding wars."

I walked down to the end of the room, the largest statue was one of Albus Dumbledore, the portrait at the entry. On either side were more statues.

There was one of a Lily Evans, James Potter, Alice and Frank Longbottom, and many others that I had never heard of. 

On the bottom of each statue was just a simple quote, on Lily and James' it read, The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Dumbledore's was, Death is but the next great adventure.

As I read the other quotes, I began to understand the magnitude of the war that so many had fought in and lost their lives and it dawned on me that many other families must experience the pain and turmoil of losing a loved one. 

Even though we are gone in spirit, we are in your hearts, for when you love someone, you are never far apart.

I grabbed my invisibility cloak and the map and left, now I truly understood why my family had tried to keep this from me. There was a statue in there for Fred, and all it said on the bottom was, the one who laughs last always laughs best. His face looked exactly like George's but had a haunting eternal grin on his. 

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SORRY THAT THIS WAS SUCH A SHORT CHAPTER BUT I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME FOR IT, THANK YOU FOR READING AND REMEMBER TO VOTE AND COMMENT!

It was just kind of a filler chapter anyways... But anyways..

❤ Rose