It’s been twenty years since the Battle of Hogwarts on May 2, 1998.
I am sure many of you still remember that world, and I am forever grateful that our children will not know what living like that was like.
There were many things to celebrate today, twenty years ago. The end of a battle, the end of a war, the return of loved ones, and the good who won. But there was also many things to mourn. The loss of innocence and childhood, the destroyed homes and school, the ruin of relationships and families, and the loss of our friends and homes.
Today we are here to celebrate everything we gained yes, but also everything we lost.
Today we are here to honor all the brave witches and wizards who gave their lives so we could raise our children in a safe world.
Remus Lupin.
Remus was loved by all who knew him. Some of us knew him as a friend, a classmate, a coworker, a fellow Order member, or even as Professor. For those who had the pleasure of knowing him will remember how he always managed to know just the right thing to help a person. From a comforting word of advice, to a loving hug, to a simple bar of chocolate, Remus Lupin was the friend everyone wants.
Nymphadora Tonks.
Tonks always knew how to make someone smile. Everyone she met has a story to share of how made them laugh when they were down, how she made them smile when they felt there was nothing left to smile at. She was a mother, a daughter, a friend, an Order member, an auror, and metamorphmagus. She was known for using her abilities to help others. She was strong, and confident. I once asked her why do you choose to have pink hair, purple hair, red hair, a pig’s nose, a duck’s beak, and even a mushroom like nose when you could choose any look. She told me that in this time of sadness and conformity, why fit in when she could use her abilities as a Metamorphmagus to bring happiness to those around her. She was stubborn, and loud in a way that only made you love her more.
Colin Creevey.
Colin was fiercely loyal and brave. I am sure we can all remember the small eleven year old boy who came to Hogwarts. He was exceedingly curious, and was a great friend. When he saw a friend suffering, he immediately would drop everything to be there for him. When I had no friends at the end of a rather tough first year, he, despite knowing everything I had done, was the first person to express any interest in being my friend. He loved photography. He could always be found wandering the castle with a camera. While he rarely got in front of the camera, those few times are cherished by those close to him. Colin had a way of spreading hope with that camera. During that year of war when he was gone, I found it hard to find hope when I knew that I wouldn’t be able to look up to find him pointing a camera at my face. He was the first best friend I ever had.
Fred Wesley.
Fred was an unbelievably wonderful person. He just had this effect on everyone he met. He dropped out of school in the final few months of his seventh year with George. He told us all that full-time education just wasn’t right. So they left school, and successfully opened a shop together. Growing up with six brothers taught me many things: how to eat quickly, how to punch, how to yell, and how to fly. But growing up with Fred and George taught me that anything is possible if you’ve only got enough nerve. Fred was always smiling. He was loud, and annoying. He got under my skin, and teased me relentlessly. But he was my brother. And without him I would not be the same person. Fred was the brother I may have sworn was the worst, but—and don’t tell the others—really was the best.
May 2, 1998 was a day that should be celebrated. But it is also a day we should remember, and reflect. For without the brave sacrifice of our loved ones, the world we get to live in today would not be this way.
I would like to leave you all with a quote from a poem I once read. To me this quote speaks to the pain we all felt after the war, and how we all came together to live again. “We must bring our our own light to the darkness.”
—a speech given by Ginny Weasley at the Remembrance Ball on May 2, 2018 to mark twenty years since the Battle of Hogwarts was fought and the Second Wizarding War won.