Silence is Deafening

Chapter 26

I adjusted the strap on my ankle of my black heels and stood up. My bronze curly hair was now neatly pinned back into a plait that reached the middle of my back. I was clothed in a black dress that hung down to my knees.

This was it. Dumbledore's funeral was in an hour, and then I would be leaving Hogwarts to go back with Remus to an unnamed "safehouse" for the summer holidays.

"That looks really nice on you." Bonnie's small voice came from behind me. When I turned around, she was wearing a black pantsuit and was packing the last of her trunk. I offered her a small smile of gratitude.

"You do too, Bon." I answered, walking over to her and handing her a blouse of hers. Bonnie took it and placed it in her trunk before standing up to my height. She grasped my forearms intently, searching my eyes for any emotion. I was still as numb as I had been the previous evening, but now I had a resolution.

"You're going to come to my house over the summer. Even just for a week. I'm not taking no for an answer, so when you find out where you'll be, owl me, okay?" She asked, and I chuckled once.

"I will, Bonnie. I'm going to miss you, too." I said, and she pressed her lips together to keep from tearing up. She wrapped me in a tight hug, her breathing coming in short gasps. I held her back, wishing that I could be more emotionally there for her. I knew that it wasn't only my life that was affected by all of this; life was about to change for everyone.

We both stepped away from each other and smiled.

"Shall we go down, then?" Bonnie asked, and I nodded. We walked down the stairs of the dormitory, and my eyes immediately flew to the couches. Memories of Draco and I sitting on those couches, talking until the early hours of the morning flooded my brain with such ferocity I almost fell over. I bit my tongue hard to keep from reacting.

I followed Bonnie out of the school toward the black lake, where there were hundreds of chairs all in rows. Each row of chairs neatly faced a white tomb, which was gleaming in the misty light.

"Lizzie, my dear." I heard Remus' voice, and I spun around. He was standing on the edge of a group of wizards. I recognized Tonks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt. I took notice that Remus was gripping Tonks' hand, and for the first time since the day before, I felt a rush of happiness in my chest.

I walked slowly over to them, preparing myself for whatever Remus was going to say.

"Lizzie, are you alright?" Remus asked as soon as I was near enough to him. I nodded unenthusiastically, and Remus opened his arms.

"Please don't. Everyone's been hugging me recently, and I can't stand it." I said, taking a step back. Remus let his arms fall back to his sides and nodded slowly.

"I understand. We will be leaving after the funeral." he said, looking over my shoulder. Bonnie, Astoria and Ginny were all sitting near each other, and I noticed that Ginny had saved me a seat.
"Go, we can talk more after." Remus whispered, pushing me carefully toward the chairs. I walked toward Ginny, sitting down next to her and taking her hand.

Dumbledore's funeral went on, but I hardly paid attention to it. All I could think about were the events from the previous night. How did I end up here? How in the world was I caught up in all of this, without even trying? Draco Malfoy was the undoing of everything, and I wished so badly that I could hate him.

"Come on, Lizzie. It's over. Remus is looking for you." Ginny said lowly, and I blinked furiously. I had no idea that the funeral had ended, but everyone was getting up and walking back toward the school. Remus was standing on the edge of the lawn with my trunk already secured in his hand. I hugged Ginny goodbye, waved at Bonnie and Astoria, and trudged over to him.