Mum is dead. She's gone. That's what this whole idiotic thing is about. They all keep telling me it's so that we can remember and honour what Mum did in her life, but I think that's a load of tripe. It's just reminding everyone how she died, and that she should still be alive, sitting with us. Seeing her up there, with all those flowers, is wrong. Yes, she's dead. She was hit with the Killing Curse whilst out on Order work. They won't tell Ginny or me any more than that, as her work was, apparently, strictly top secret. I don't want to be reminded of the fact that she's dead, by her dead eyes, by her stiff body. They are an accusation to me, that I am still alive.
Fine, I know I'm being stupid. Mum used to yell at me, to tell me to stop. She can't do that any more, though. Hermione scolds me when I'm at school. It's sort of like having a secondary mother who's around when Mum's not. She isn't as strict as she used to be, though. She's definitely a lot less rule-bound than when we were first years.
We're growing up. We're all growing up. Mum won't age any more now, though. She won't see us get older, see Ginny and me finish school, see any of us get married. If any of us get married. The seven of us are doing a bloody good job of avoiding it at the moment. I think Bill's the only one going out with anyone currently. I think the war is helping to prevent any of us from forming long-term relationships. I'm not sure whether I think that's a good thing or not. I wouldn't want to have kids, what with all the danger, and I'd want to know I could trust the other person, but it'd be good to know that there is someone else out there for me.
Hermione's staring into mid-air, like she does when she's thinking deeply about something. Harry and I have learnt not to disturb her when she's doing it. She doesn't like being jolted out of her train of thought and will scold whoever disrupted her. I wonder what's she's thinking about?
There are lots of people here at the funeral. Most of the Order is here, not pretending that they didn't know Mum and the rest of us Weasleys for today. I can see Professor McGonagall sitting next to Dumbledore and Snape, though why she'd voluntarily sit next to him, I'll never know. Hermione says that we should try to cooperate with people from other houses, and I do, with Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. I don't see why I have to try and be polite to, and work with, Slytherins. I'm sure that they're all scum like Malfoy, pretentious idiots who aren't worth the time of day, no matter what Hermione says.
Harry and Ginny are nestled together. It looks like those two are finally going to spend a bit more time together. Harry's the only boy I trust around Ginny. After that joke she made about Dean… well, I don't like any of the boys she's gone out with. None of them. Well, I suppose I didn't mind, too much, when she went to the Yule Ball with Neville two years ago, but that wasn't serious. At least, it better not have been!
It looks like funerals are a time to support each other. Hermione couldn't object if I just put an arm around her, could she? She looks like she could use a bit of support. I don't think she's used to funerals.
Hermione hasn't objected, yet, which is a good thing. She can bite your head off when she gets riled. I sort of like having my arm here. It makes me feel protective. Especially when Hermione puts her head on my shoulder like that.
The world is changing so rapidly around us all. It's frightening, how suddenly people are dying. People like Mum and Sirius. I need my friends beside me, to get through this. We need to stand together, or all will be lost.
AN: It's the end! Thanks goes to my pre-readers Cathy, Loui and Knight Samar, for listening, helping, encouraging, acting as sounding boards, and, in Cathy's case, providing me with a quiet place to write. Special thanks must also go to Kagome and Heather, for pre-betaing, and discovering some egregious mistakes; and to Susan, without whom this story would have an oversupply of commas. This story would not be here today, without all of your help and support.