To The Moon And Back

McGonagall's curious words

"We have all suffered a loss," McGonagall said leaning her head at her hand for some second before continuing. "May it have been minor or major, but we cannot deny that it is terrible to lose a fellow student, a friend or a family member. In other words, those you care the most about.
The pain you all feel is the part that makes you human...you may feel like it's weakening you, but the truth is ... what hurts you only makes you stronger, by every second of every day, of your very life.
The life we have recently lost here at Hogwarts is already missed dearly. But the pain will end, it will always end ... As a wise man once said; Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one remembers to turn on the light.
You just have to find that little light in your life, and hold onto it ... and after a while, you will see more lights, and suddenly not everything is dark but bright and ... happy.
While many of you may not wanna accept these latest events as real, but simply as a nightmare, that you're waiting for to awake from... there will come a time when it sinks in and you will be willing to let go. When that day will come ... the slight mention of the name won't be like a mental stab, but you will miss the girl and smile. That's what Orla Quirke would have wanted. That you would accept it, miss her and smile, and most importantly continue with your lives. It will be hard. and trust me I know it is hard. I myself have suffered from a loss, in fact, several of them." She said looking like she was about to break at these words.
"But that's life." She managed to say, her voice sounded hurt and broken now. "I suppose......It's like riding a dragon (without any training of course), it goes up and down. But you'll always in some way manage to get up again."

It was dead silent, but it was soon broken by several sobs in the front row. Those poor girls, they're lives would never be the same, ever again. It seemed as though McGonagall's speech had just made everything much worse for the girl's friends who had been crying non stop the last few days. The speech was maybe for them a kind of reminder of their great loss.

——

"Who do you reckon McGonagall lost?" Ginny asked Harry while walking up towards the room of requirement. "Dumbledore of course, maybe her parents and siblings if she ever had..." Harry suggested.
"Yes that's kind of obvious .. though, it just feels like she thought of someone else, y'know?"
"I guess.." he muttered.

Harry had never really thought of McGonagall's past that much. But now he came to think about it. She had never really given any signs of having a husband or kids, nor any family at all.

They were now standing in front of a wall. Harry started walking back and forth, and the third time, a door revealed itself. Ginny opened it, and what they both saw was the room Harry had opened about three years earlier, in a hope to teach students how to defend themselves.

They hadn't used this room for ages, or Harry hadn't. Everything looked just the same, but without Dobby cleaning it, it had over the time attracted loads of dust. Every step they took, dust was flying up and swirling before it found it's way back to the cold floor. On the walls hung several Daily Prophet articles and pictures. But in the middle of all these pictures were a dirty well-worn sock, Dobby's sock. Underneath was a note that said; Dobby is forever thankful. Such an honour it has been to know you, Harry Potter. -Dobby, a free elf.

"It was an honour to know you too, Dobby. I wish you didn't have to die for me, like so many others."
"You have to stop blaming yourself, Harry. It's not your fault. You didn't kill him. Bellatrix killed him, not you. It's not your fault." Ginny said taking his hand looking into his greener than green eyes.
"But it feels like it is ... I was the one Voldemort wanted ... just me ..."
"So he would just stop being a dark wizard after he had killed you? ... and just ... I don't know ... started to work in Honeydukes and secretly hand out free candy to third years ... I don't think so ... It's always been bigger than that ... you were just one of his many goals ... he wanted to kill all muggle-borns and rule the school for Merlin's sake!"

Harry stayed silent, he knew she was right, about everything ... However, in some way, he thought it was best to blame himself for it ... He didn't want to, but it was something his mind had decided, without his approval of it.

——

"As you all know this won't be the permanent meeting place as most of you are not going at Hogwarts anymore and some of you won't soon. However, this is what we have right now ... we will find other places to have the meetings ... in the future ..." Harry said looking at the remaining people of Dumbledore's Army. "Dumbledore's Army will no longer be just me teaching you how to defend yourselves, but sort of like The Order Of The Phoenix ... We will find death eaters ... and kick them into Azkaban ..."
"Everyone up for the fun?" Ginny said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Yeah ... Ummmmm ... I guess ... right ..." Someone mumbled while someone cheered in excitement ... weird enough since wars wasn't that fun, oh well ...

So so sorry for this crappy chapter, and sorry for it taking sooooooo long...
-Astra💛🖤