Chasing Love

Chapter One Hundred - Dumbledore's Funeral

Sadness filled her entire body, she wanted to cry but she had cried too much already, there was nothing left for her to do. Fred and George stood beside her as they waited for the funeral to begin. She wore a long black dress that went down to just below her knee, the dress was tight at the top with long sleeves and then the skirt was loose. The three of them were stood in front of the lake, the sunlight beamed down on them yet they felt no warmth. 

Hearing voices behind them they made their way over to the rows of mismatched seats, they chose three different ones all of different colours and materials. At the centre of the all there was an aisle with a marble table at the front. 

Fred suddenly glanced over at Eliza and George, "Look whose here." The two followed his stare and saw Cornelius Fudge looking miserable walking down, soon followed by Rita Skeeter, "I thought she had gone."

"She hated Dumbledore." Eliza muttered, "I would hex her into oblivion given the chance," She glared at the woman holding a notebook. "Oh no, look who it is." 

Dolores Umbridge, with an unconvincing expression of grief on her toad-like face, made her way down the aisle, she caught sight of the centaur Firenze and began to move even quicker than she had previously done. "Good grief, why on earth is she here?"

After a while, all the teachers had sat down and then there was a strange noise coming from the lake, Eliza looked over and realised the mer-people were singing. They seemed genuinely sad rather than the people from the Ministry. 

Everyone looked over to see Hagrid walking slowly up along the aisle, he was crying quietly, as he carried Dumbledore's body covered in a purple velvet blanket with golden stars on it. Fred and George both held Eliza's hands as they watched Hagrid gently place the body down. 

A little main wearing black robes got up onto his feet and stood in front of Dumbledore, he began to talk about how good a man Dumbledore had been. Eliza tuned out, she knew Dumbledore was good but that didn't mean he was entirely good, no man was. She wanted people to tell the truth, not to gloss over their life and all their faults. Glancing around, she saw how many people had turned up to celebrate the loss of the beloved Head-Master. There was the majority of the current students and a lot of past ones. 

The time coming, was to be the most trying and dangerous one yet. They were all going to have to stick together and fight to stop the evil of Voldemort and his death-eaters. 

Centaurs were there too, paying their respects to him. They did not go into the light where everyone could see them but instead stayed concealed in the dark shadows of the forest. It seemed that everyone was grieving for the man that had provided safety to them all for so long. 

That safety was gone. 

She did not know how to react, there was too much going through her head - he was dead, they were in danger, the fighting was nearing, people were going to die. She feared this was going to be the first funeral of many. 

Voldemort and his followers were all preparing to fight so now it was time for them all to too. They had to, the Ministry had to finally look what was right in front of them. They had to get ready and inform everyone what was going to happen. In all honesty, though, she knew they wouldn't - they were scared and did not want to do anything that showed Voldemort was back. 

The man at the front finished his speech and then took to his seat. Eliza looked around, waiting for someone else to say something, to tell a speech about what Dumbledore had done for them and how good he was. She thought that at least the Minister had to say one thing, he had to. 

But then that was when several people started to scream. Bright, white flames had erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay. It rose higher and higher, so that no one could see the body. White smoke floated into the air and made strange shapes, Eliza stared at the mesmerizing colours. It was beautiful. Within seconds, the fire vanished and it was replaced by a white marble tomb, in which Dumbledore's body rested and would forever lie. There were more cries as a shower of arrows soared through the air, but they fell short of the crowd - it was the centaurs' tribute to him. As she turned her head, she watched as they turned around and disappeared back into the darkness and the trees of the Forbidden Forest. And then, the mer-people sank slowly back into the green water and were lost from the sight. 

Fred got up first and held his hand out to Eliza so he could help her up, "We're going back to the Burrow, do you want to come?" 

She nodded her head, "Yes, I will."

The three then began to walk back along the aisle and up to the castle, Eliza looked over at the crowd - she was interested in who had attended - there was many people she had never seen before but there were some she did know. When his chocolate brown eyes met her bright green she froze. She stopped walking and all she could think about was how he had left her. 

Instead, of feeling happiness that he was there, she felt nothing. The weight pinning her down was even heavier. He tried to smile at her but she could do nothing back. 

He had left her.

He had left her when she needed him the most.

He had left her thinking he no longer loved her. 

He had destroyed the little there was left of her. 

Quickly, she looked away and sped up to catch the twins, trying to forget about the boy she had just seen.