In Love & Hatred - Dramione

The Burial

Preface

Somber, silvery clouds hung low over the rolling hills of the gentle landscape. A whisper of a breeze began to rustle the overgrown lengths of grass. The subdued ripple of terrain rolled like a tide against the decaying figures that punctuated the open space.

In the atmospheric conversation, a reticent pop produced a weary traveler dressed in lengths of inky black to stand alone amongst the moss-covered statues. A veil of hesitation left the traveler rooted, surveying his surrounding plane. The air of uncertainty left him to ponder if he should turn away and leave the grieving to their own suffering.

Mournful ballads began to swim over the hills, ringing to a crescendo to where the traveler stayed. The arias breathed into him an air of sobering confidence as he stepped forward, the music coming ever louder. Over the last hill brought what he had hoped to come across into view.

Figures shrouded in obsidian cloaks materialized next to a cluster of fissured headstones. The traveler slowed, careful not to reveal his presence to the growing company of people. Rolling thunder threatened the impending onslaught of drenching rain as each of the newly formed members greeted one another. At last, the final figure appeared, hoisting an ornately-carved casket with a drawn wand ahead of the gathered company.

Onward they moved through the plane, the traveler lingering far behind. Audible sobs broke through the gushes of wind as they neared their destination. The traveler slowed to idle in the shadow of a bowing, stone wizard as the company broke around a patch of lush terrain. Droplets of chilling water fell, unable to mask the heartbroken wails of the mourners closely gathered around the hovering casket.

Eulogies were spoken by loving members, each more loving and forlorn than the previous. Pangs of guilt wrenched the traveler's core with every admiring word spoken of the departed. The traveler had only a moment's notice as a balding, red-haired man carved a perfect grave into the dampened earth under the suspended casket.

The beautifully-carved casket began to lower, without tether, into the grave. Every wand was drawn, mirroring complicated movements materializing exquisite floral bouquets to fall and land neatly atop the casket. A plump woman of equally red hair fell to her knees, sobbing and attempting to toss herself over the descending box. Her gathered children held her with struggled protest while tears streamed against their cheeks.

A solitary wand was held aloft, higher than the rest. Bursts of golden sparks showered the guests and then emerged a flock of deep, scarlet cardinals soared skyward. The remaining bit of earth flew overhead and fell into a sleek pile over the resting casket. Pristine, white marble rose from the head of the grave, taking shape into the bust of a regal jester to settle as the departed's ever-watchful guardian.

Dusk had just only become visible through the torrential rain. After words of farewell, members of the grieving company disappeared one after another until the final member had gone. The traveler emerged from the sanctuary of shadows and approached the new grave. His eyes searched the marking headstone and read the inscribed epitaph;

To die as he lived, his final laugh ever inscribed across his face.

Fred Weasley

1 April-

The traveler could not bear to finish as tears burned within his eyes and seared his cheeks. His knees hit the sodden earth. Remorse flared within his chest. This death was the one that struck the deepest cord. Lengths of his fingers clutched tufts of grass as his body shook with tortured lament.

A hand clutched the edge of a nearby gravestone gingerly while a pair of eyes observed the traveler's mournful presence. His shaken, anguished words had only just broke through the torrents of rainfall. There was only one who had remained, the only one to hear the deepest contrition embedded in Draco Malfoy's soliloquy, dedicated to the finality of the loving departed.