The Black Sheep | George Weasley

Sixty-Eight

The Tonks family was given the body of Ted Tonks for the funeral. He was badly beaten and the family decided it'd be a closed casket wake and funeral.

Lyra was given time off to attend both the wake and funeral. Most of the event was filled with sobbing and stories of her Uncle Ted. Lyra hadn't seen Tonks cry so much. Remus have to grab a new box of tissues almost every hour. Andromeda was eerily silent most times. Her eyes were red and she looked like she hadn't slept in days, but she didn't cry.

After the funeral, family and friends met at Andromeda's home for a meal. The house was filled with chatter. People laughed as they retold stories. Ted's Muggle sisters told everyone embarrassing stories of him when he was younger. Andromeda actually managed to smile briefly. Ted's parents came too, they were also understandably emotional.

Lyra sat in the cramped living room with her husband who was eating dessert after eating a plate of homemade macaroni and cheese. He occasionally asked her how she was feeling or if she was okay, she always responded with a shrug. It was all she could give him.

Ted was Protestant and had a priest there to say some scripture and prayer. Lyra didn't really know what a Protestant was, but she knew it was different from being Catholic. The priest still walked around the house, going to people who are crying to comfort them with a prayer or something. He tried to say something to Lyra but she shot him down, stating she wasn't religious. She didn't want to hear that God works in mysterious ways or that Ted was looking down at us from heaven. Those didn't bring Lyra any more comfort or closure.

She watched as he was... shutdown. She watched the potion be poured down his throat, stilling his pulse. She watched the dim light extinguish from his eyes. There was nothing you could say to comfort her. She was there. Others can only imagine what happened. Ted's death will scar her for life.

"At least the ginger biscuits are good." Fred said as he entered the living room. He sat on the armrest of the couch beside his brother.

"I know. They are delicious, I stashed some in my pockets." George pat his breast pocket with a grin.

Lyra didn't want to hear any talk. She got up and muttered about needing some air. She walked towards the back door through the kitchen but young children were out there playing and old men stood awkwardly critiquing the back garden. She rushed back for the stairs and ran up them. She went to her old room to find it bare. She shut the door behind her and let out a shaky sigh.

The room felt still, so still. It was a welcome change from the chaos below. She walked deeper into the empty room before sitting on the floor, crossing her legs.

She thought of Ted. How she could still hear his hearty laugh from his recliner. Some stranger sat in his chair and George had to talk her out of yelling at them to get up.

She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. She felt like crying but no tears came out.

"I wish I could have done more." She whispered, half-hopeful that Ted could hear her from the afterlife, if there was one. "I feel like a failed you." She felt her eyes prickle with tears. She moved her mouth around, trying to fight the tears from breeching.

She heard something hit the wooden floorboards. Lyra perked her head up and walked towards the closet, that's where it seemed it came from. She opened the door to see some things on the floor. There was a pink jewelry box that was sort of broken. It had been in there for so long, she sort of overlooked it. She noticed the bottom drawer was pulled all the way out so it'd fall to the ground. Lyra felt sweat beading her forehead. The room felt twenty degrees hotter.

Lyra dropped to her knees and saw something inside. She pulled out her wand and lit up the tip of it to see daffodils, dried daffodil flowers. The flower of forgiveness.