Harry Potter and the Magnificent Seven

Epilogue

Ding Chavez watched the celebration with sadness. He was standing in front of the Ministry of Magic, along with the rest of the survivors from the final assault on Voldemort and his forces. They had gathered here to receive medals for their part in the final defeat of Voldemort and his allies. As far as Ding knew, his Rainbow troopers were the only muggles to ever be extended that honor.

The entire wizarding world was in celebration, even now, three weeks after the battle. Thousands of people were in the streets cheering. Fireworks and spells shot through the air. Across the country thousands more were also celebrating. For the most terrible Dark Lord in history was dead.

For Ding and the rest of Rainbow, as well as many of the families gathered next to them, the euphoria of their victory was tempered by sadness and loss. For victory had come at a terrible price. Nearly 60 of the assault force had either be killed or badly injured. But by far the greatest sense of loss came from eight names. Ding turned and looked at the large marble monument that had been installed next to the building, listing the names of the dead. His eyes fell on the names near the top.

John Clark

Harry Potter

Ginny Potter

Ron Weasley

Hermione Weasley

Neville Longbottom

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Tears welled up in his eyes. He, along with Sirius, had been among the first to enter the ruins of Voldemort's throne room and had discovered the bodies. The Dark Lord was slumped against the remains of a wall, his body completely broken, a look of fear and awe on his dead face. They found the Marauders some fifty feet away, buried under rubble. Despite the damage to their bodies, they remained locked hand in hand as they had when they cast the final spell.

At first no one was sure what had happened, other than the obvious. But then Sirius had discovered a hastily written letter in the pocket of Harry's uniform. It had been written hours before they had left for the final assault. It detailed the spell that the teens had found, and its drawbacks, and their determination to use it if necessary.

Later, Dumbledore entered the chamber and using some powerful magic was able to capture the echoes of the battle, which were then played for all concerned.

Ding's body swelled with pride as he remembered the valor, courage and determination they had shown, even at the end when it became apparent that they would not survive the spell. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Sirius.

"You know its funny," Sirius said. "I always thought I'd be the one to go out in a blaze of glory against Voldemort or his people. I never thought I would survive and Harry wouldn't."

Ding nodded and smiled.

"Same here. I never thought that John would die; he spent his entire career making miraculous escapes." He replied. "Its hard to believe their gone."

"The ones we love are never truly gone." Dumbledore said, making his presence known. "And they would not want us to dwell too much on their passing. They died so that others could live."

"We have to make sure nothing like this is ever necessary again." Sirius said. His companions nodded in solemn agreement.