Silver Hourglass

Calm After the Storm Chapter 59

When Harry and Neville walked through the doors of the Great Hall, they were greeted with thunderous applause. It seemed that the rest of the Death Eaters were now captured, and now the victors were taking care of their wounds and dead. It seemed to Harry that they have saw Lestrange's body, but thankfully for him, they have not brought it in.

The students flooded towards Harry, Neville, and Draco, all cheering and demanding to know what happened, their eyes on Harry, assuming that he was the one who defeated Bellatrix. Hurt and tired, Harry shook his head and told the crowd that it was Neville who had defeated Bellatrix. "Threw her off the tower," he grunted as he looked around the Great Hall, looking for Sirius and Remus. The Gryffindors cheered and left the two Slytherins alone as they hoisted Neville in the air, asking for every detail in the battle.

"Come on, let's go find Sirius and Remus," Harry said, holding Draco's hand. Draco nodded and followed Harry. The tables were pushed to the sides, only two long tables remained, as the victims of the battle were all laid in rows. Harry frowned when he saw the Weasleys, all gathered around Percy's body as they mourned. Harry decided to let them have their privacy and the two moved on. Theo, Blaise, and Hermione were close by to the Weasleys, but they were giving the family their privacy as well, Hermione glancing sadly at Ron as the three talked in hushed tones. Harry looked up at the staff table and noticed Kingsley and Professor McGonagall directing several owls before they flew up towards the destroyed ceiling. Then, there Harry saw, laying on what seemed to be a marble pedestal, was Dumbledore's body.

For some reason, Harry did not feel sad, or grief. He somehow knew that Dumbledore would be please with what everyone had done today, and that he wouldn't want anyone to grieve for him. Dumbledore would not want anyone to waste their tears on him, instead focusing on their friends and loved ones. Harry turned from Dumbledore's body and found Sirius... alone. Harry could not see what he was knelt over, but with each step he took towards his adopted father, his heart dropped further down his pit, and dread took its place.

"Sirius!" he said softly, moving out of Draco's grasp and started to run towards his father's best friend. The closer he got to the man, the more his heart dropped and the dread increased. It wasn't until he was right next to the man, did his dread become realized, sorrow filling every pore of him. Remus Lupin was laying down in front of them, looking peaceful, as if sleeping. "Remus..." Harry sobbed out softly.

But Remus did not move. Sirius looked up and brought Harry into a hug, pulling the boy to his knees. Harry allowed Sirius to hug him as he stared at the remains of his adoptive-father, and the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor he ever had. Tears rolled from his eyes as he started to cry. Draco remained quiet as he watched his Harry mourn for Professor Lupin. No words were exchanged between Harry and Sirius, they weren't needed, and even if they wanted to talk Harry did not trust his voice right then. The three just stood there, Harry and Sirius kneeling over Remus' body as Draco watched from a distance. Time did not care for the mourners, but eventually, Sirius took a deep, grief-heavied breath and finally looked at Harry. "Harry..." he said, his voice rough from crying. "Thank god you're alright... thank goodness you are safe."

He hugged Harry fully, and his eyes met Draco. "And you Draco... thank god you're safe as well," he sighed in relief. "I don't know how I can handle losing all of you..."

"Are you, going to be okay?" Draco asked uncertain.

Sirius shook his head, looking back at Remus' body. "I'll..." he began. "I'll be fine," he lied. He looked at both Harry and Draco and said, "How about you two go check on the Weasleys? I just want a few more minutes to... to say goodbye."

Harry nodded silently and stood up. He walked towards Draco, and they both gave a glance to Sirius before heading slowly towards the Weasleys. When they reached the huge clan, Harry noticed that while they stood near Percy's body, Mrs. Weasley was fretting over Bill, who was sitting in a chair, his face scarred. Madam Pomfrey had given Bill a salve to put on the scarring cut. Harry and Draco watched as Fleur and Mrs. Weasley had an exchange, and much to Harry's shock, both women hugged, apparently patching up their strained relationship. As Harry got closer, he heard Mrs. Weasley say, "Our Great-Auntie Muriel has a very beautiful tiara—goblin-made—which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."