Secrets She Kept » Harry Potter

Part 38

All funerals are bittersweet. You are upset about the loss you have faced, yet it is up to the attendees to remember the positive memories of those that they have lost. There had been a mixture of the usual prayers spoken by the Minister before it was handed over to members of the family to speak of the woman that had raised them. There was only a small crowd gathered in the rows of the small church, creating an intimate affair as Harry pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. He had volunteered to be the first to speak, his green eyes wandering towards the closed wooden casket before turning towards the crowd.

There was silence from the crowd as Harry began to speak. "Petunia Evans was more than the aunt who chose to raise me after the loss of my own parents. That's a sacrifice I respect in more bounds than I have achieved in my own life." There was a smile between Harry and Ginny as he looked to her for support before continuing the small speech he had prepared. "There are many pleasant memories I have with Petunia, she was the mother figure in my life and I relied on her for advice for my future or just complain about the workload of homework from school." There was a brief moment of laughter from the siblings. "She was a selfless woman who put my happiness before her own, but she was also the woman that brought me closer to my cousins."

The Evans siblings, along with Dudley were sitting in the same row with each other, their attention pulled away from the casket towards the young man that stood before them. A small smile on his face as he looked over each of his cousins. "Petuina taught me the meaning of family, it is more than just a blood relationship. It's the connection between people and the memories shared with them. So my cousins are seen as my own siblings and Petunia Evans is an amazing woman who I consider a second mother to my own."

The speech touched the crowd, the words were genuine and it made the series of siblings almost closer. They now had to continue their life without the support of their mother and have to rely on each other. "I know that everyone here has their own stories of Petunia and I want to hear all of them, but I wanted to share mine with you." As Harry continued, I could see the tiniest bit of sadness in his eyes. "She was the woman that helped me become the person I am today. She was proud of me for being the best man that I can be." The Minister thanked Harry for that touching speech. Still remaining in the row of seats that the siblings had chosen to occupy, Millie was beginning to get overwhelmed by the sense of dread and lay her head on her twin brother's shoulder. In response, Beckham would hold her close for emotional support.

On behalf of the younger siblings, the next to speak was Dudley, he too had put together a small speech on a piece of paper.

Dudley was nervous once he was on the stage, awkwardly adjusting the microphone as he is a lot taller than Harry. "My mother put up with a lot of crap in her life," Dudley spoke plainly. "But she was strong and kept pushing forward. My siblings and I are a weird bunch, we're a blended family but my mother kept us together like glue. She was the glue that kept our family running." There were tears welling in his eyes. "I will miss her baking and constant comments about stopping us from arguing with each other. The room will be a bit quieter now."

There was a drawn-out pause in Dudley's speech. "It didn't seem like long ago I joined my family in their Australian home and my mother greeted me the same as she did when I came home from primary school. She made me feel loved and I will miss her terribly, but she will live on in my heart until my time comes to join her in heaven. I truly hope she is resting in peace as she had fought so hard for my happiness and my siblings and now it is time for her to be happy."

What followed the funeral was a short journey for Petunia's body to her final resting place. There was a family plot still privately owned by the Evans family and it had been arranged for her to be buried beside her parents when the time had come in the cemetery that lie just two blocks from the church. They were able to follow the long vehicle that carried her body towards the cemetery by foot as it travelled at such a slow pace. Trying their best to remember the good memories, there were still the thoughts that overshadowed those that included watching Petunia take her final breath on this planet.

With each step they took, the rain began to fall upon them as they entered the cemetery. The crowd would gather around the freshly dug hole, the only sound of the rain falling and the tears that fall. They watched as the casket had been placed in the ground. It was then that Petunia would finally be laid to rest with her parents. It was now that she would finally find some peace and rest from the pain that had plagued her life for so long. She would finally find peace knowing that she had worked so hard to bring join and safety towards her children.

The casket was lowered slowly into the ground. Millie supported her head on her twin brother's shoulder, a motion she had done at her funeral. The sky above was dark with clouds that threatened rain as the minister led everyone in prayer. George stood behind the twins, having a hard expression on his face as he watched the casket touch the earth. Dudley would show his support by placing his hand on his shoulder, he had tears swelling in his eyes.

After all the flowers had been placed on top of the grave site. There was a moment when the clouds moved away for the a and the sun came up above the horizon, lighting the path ahead of them. Petunia would always be remembered as a loving mother and wife who had given everything for her children. She would always be remembered as a kind and gentle woman who didn't deserve to die the way that she did.

With the funeral over and her body returned to her family, Petunia would finally find peace.