In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

Fifty Years Gone By

2 May, 2048

For some, it may feel like just yesterday the Battle of Hogwarts took place. However, it has been fifty years since the day Lord Voldemort was finally defeated by Harry Potter.

Many will reminisce over those years in the late nineteen nineties when terror was injected into all. Lord Voldemort's climb to power was a terrifying experience, one that Aurors are working around the clock to prevent from happening once again.

The Battle of Hogwarts took place early in the morning of 2 May, 1998. Witnesses and resistance fighters have given evidence that it was like any other night. Students at Hogwarts were sleeping as soundly as was possible with the condition the school was in, as were adults at home.

Neville Longbottom has confirmed before that he received word from the Hog's Head bartender at the time, Aberforth Dumbledore, that Harry Potter, along with Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger had arrived, looking for something to help defeat Voldemort. It is yet to be discovered what exactly it was that the Golden Trio was looking for. Some have, however, given reason to believe that Potter was in search of the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw.

"He came in and just started asking us if we knew of anything that belonged to Ravenclaw," said Terry Boot in a 1998 interview with the Daily Prophet. "We told him about the Diadem of Ravenclaw, and then he was off planning with [Ronald] Weasley and [Hermione] Granger," he continued to say.

The Battle, which consisted of two separate battles, was over as the sun rose the morning of 2 May. The first part of the Battle was spent with the resistance fighters defending Hogwarts from Voldemort's Death Eaters. Voldemort had issued a statement asking for Harry Potter to surrender. The young man in question was hardly seen during the fight. Voldemort had given him an hour to turn himself in.

"It was horrible, really," Luna Lovegood confessed in 1998 to the Quibbler. "We were all fighting, and then he was telling us that Harry was dead. I've never heard Professor McGonagall cry like that. It was a very devastating loss to us during that brief time. Most had lost hope, but of course, Harry had to pretend to be dead, otherwise we wouldn't be where we are now, would we? Yes, sometimes the things we hate to do most are the things that help everything work out in the end..."

When it was discovered that Potter's body was missing, people have acknowledged that they felt some hope flare somewhere deep down.

"It was like my light had gone out, and then to hear Hagrid shout that Harry was gone, I was ashamed and mad at myself that I felt some hope," Cho Chang, rumoured to be Potter's first girlfriend admitted amidst tears immediately after the Battle. "No one knew if the Death Eaters had taken his body and hidden it, or if he was actually alive. It was total confusion."

Many others have responded with the same feelings. As dawn approached, the duels began to cease, leaving two major ones; Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley against Bellatrix Lestrange and Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn against Lord Voldemort himself.

Molly Weasley went on to kill Bellatrix Lestrange after the Death Eater almost killed her only daughter. Voldemort, furious that his most loyal follower was gone turned on Molly Weasley. Before he could even raise his wand, however, a powerful Shield Charm was cast, and Harry Potter appeared, giving hope to all once more.

The two proceeded to circle each other, tossing words and insults back and forth and, on Potter's part, explanations. In the blink of an eye, it was over. As the sun rose, and light entered Hogwarts' Hall, Voldemort had sent the Killing Curse, and Potter had sent the Disarming Spell. Voldemort's curse was deflected, and Potter was left standing in the middle of the Hall, two wands in hand.

"It took a split second for the shock to wear off, before I had realised what had happened," revealed Ginny Weasley in her only known published interview about the Battle. "It was just as chaotic after Voldemort was gone as it had been during the fight," she said in the 1998 Quibbler interview. "After everyone had hugged and congratulated Harry, we were all left to figure out what to do with ourselves," she added, referring to the premature death of her brother, Fred Weasley who was killed during the Battle.

Fifty Gone

Fred Weasley was among the fifty plus others who lost their lives in the Battle. Among the others killed were Vincent Crabbe, Colin Creevey, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Lupin, [nee Tonks] Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape.

As the community slowly healed itself, the true heroes of the war disappeared from the public eye.

Student Resistance Leaders

Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley were responsible for leading the student resistance group, Dumbledore's Army, during the 1997-1998 school term. Lovegood was kidnapped by Death Eaters from the Hogwarts Express that December, on her way home for the holidays. Longbottom and Weasley were left to worry of their friend's wellbeing and continued to lead Dumbledore's Army. After the Easter holidays, Longbottom found that Weasley had not boarded the train. He later got a message from her telling him that she had gone into hiding with her family. Longbottom was left to lead the resistance on his own.

"It was a big challenge for me," Longbottom recalls in his 1998 interview with the Quibbler. "I was this weak, self conscious little boy who had to drag up the courage to lead almost all of Hogwarts against the Death Eaters who were running our school. It was intimidating, and I had to learn not to let my own self image ruin how I led the DA. If I had been some little pansy, I wouldn't have been able to give courage to the group, and when it got to be too much, and Ginny and Luna weren't there to help me, I had to learn to deal with my problems, instead of ignore them like I used to."

"I know it was really hard for Neville to lead that big of a group on his own," [Ginny] Weasley commented to the Quibbler in her 1998 interview. "We all knew he could do it, he just needed to be shown that he did have it inside him. He needed the confidence boost, and, I really am saying this, but the war was good for him. It helped him to learn who he was and to stand up for himself and what he believed in."

"Neville is very brave. He can do whatever he puts his mind to, but he needed to be shown that. He discovered how to ignore people's notions of what he was like," commented Luna Lovegood.

Lovegood had her own tribulations throughout the year, however.

"People always thought I was odd. I didn't really care. It wasn't up to them to decide who I was, it was up to me. In my sixth year, though, people began to look up to me, which was a nice change. I believe they still thought I was a nonconformist, but, you can't let what people think of you ruin your self image," she explained in 1998 to her father's magazine, the Quibbler.

Neville Longbottom had this to say of Luna in a 1998 interview with Daily Prophet. "Luna is a very peculiar person. But she's the wisest and most honest person you'll ever meet. She has a way of teaching you something through her odd little comments that are really genuine. She was always there to give a helping hand that year. It was a refreshing change from what everyone else would say. They all had the same take on everything, but Luna could put it in a different light for you, and help you to actually understand what was happening."

"It was such a tough year for me, but Luna was there to help me. If I needed to vent, she would listen. If I needed someone to sympathize with me, and just lend me their shoulder, it was Luna. She could identify with me, and she was just a delight to be around that year," Said Ginny Weasley in 1998.

It was young Ginny Weasley, however, most said had the largest impact on Dumbledore's Army and Hogwarts.

"When I glanced at her during the Welcoming Feast that year, when the Carrows were being introduced, I noticed that she had a different... look to her. Like nothing could stop her from doing what she wanted, and I suppose I was right. Her whole time at Hogwarts was spent trying to make life hell for the Carrows and Snape. Of course, we didn't know the truth about Snape then, but he never gave us any huge indicator of it so...," Neville Longbottom praised Weasley.

"She was the one who thought of restarting the DA," Lovegood said. "I remember right after the Welcoming Feast, she pulled Neville and I into a classroom and whispered some ideas she had come up with during dinner. She didn't have a very easy year, though. Physically and emotionally."

In one of her only known outbursts in public, directly after the war, Weasley bashed Rita Skeeter in the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts.

"How the hell do you think I felt? My brother, and two of my best friends were out Merlin knew where, and I was stuck at bloody Hogwarts doing nothing!"

"That wasn't one of my best moments," she admitted a few days later in her only war interview. "I was a mess then. I still am," she said, gesturing to her red eyes and knotted hair. "But I meant everything I said. My brother and two of my best friends were missing – no one knew what they were doing, where they were, or how long they were going to be gone for – and I was stuck at home or Hogwarts, being told to act like the perfect little lady that people expected of me. They should have realised that I'm not the type to wait around for things to clear up themselves. I had to do something. After I found out that the Carrows were going to be our professors, and that Snape was Headmaster, I remember plotting all these ways to make life miserable for them."

Golden Trio

Weasley was referring to the Golden Trio – Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. On 1 August 1997, the three disappeared when the wedding they had been attending (between William 'Bill' Weasley and Fleur Delacour) was disrupted by the appearance of Death Eaters.

Not much is known about what the trio did from August to May that year. It has been confirmed, however, that the three were captured by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor sometime after Easter. They escaped that same night and weren't seen again until 1 May, when they broke into Gringotts and escaped on a dragon, a story which has become legendary, and a trademark bedtime story for children, even if scarce details are known.

Where Are They Now

Neville Longbottom, now 67, went on to become a temporary Auror at the Ministry of Magic to help round up the remaining Death Eaters directly after the war.

"I didn't want to return to Hogwarts," he said in 2000. "I just... school's never been my thing, and to be given the privilege to work with these people, these Aurors, it was incredible and too special to pass up."

Longbottom later became the Hogwarts Herbology professor, the one subject he has said he excelled at. In 2006, Longbottom married fellow classmate Hannah Abbott, and the two had one son, Frank Alex in 2008.

Currently, Longbottom is still the Herbology professor at Hogwarts. His wife is the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron where the two live. Their son, Frank, now 40, works at the Ministry as an Obliviator.

Luna Lovegood, now 67, went back to Hogwarts for her final year in 1998. When she graduated, Lovegood travelled the world and became one of the wizarding world's most famous magizoologist.

In 2015, Lovegood married Rolf Scamander, grandson of the famous author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Newt Scamander. In 2017, Lovegood had twin boys, Lorcan and Lysander, who now work in Germany together, helping to revive endangered magical species.

"I'm exceptionally proud of them," she said of her sons. "They always loved coming along with Rolf and I when we went on expeditions, and now they don't need their parents to watch over them. They can do whatever they like, however they like. We've visited them in Germany countless times. The sanctuary where they work is really very lovely."

Ronald Weasley went on to work with his brother George at Weasley Wizard Wheezes for a length of time after the war. He then went on to become an Auror, where he still works, now as a trainer.

"I'd always wanted to be an Auror, and to be good enough to be accepted, it made me so proud. My mother was probably more so."

Weasley, now 68, says his proudest moment, however, was when he received word that he would be featured on Chocolate Frog Cards.

Hermione Granger returned to Hogwarts after the war to complete her seventh year. She passed with ten NEWTs, and went on to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she worked on the rights of underprivileged non-humans. She then went on to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where she helped to eradicate laws partial to pure-bloods.

Granger also translated the Tales of Beedle the Bard from its original text in runes and is featured on Chocolate Frog Cards as well. Now 69, Granger works in the Wizengamot Department of the Ministry.

"I never really considered working in the Department for Magical Law Enforcement," Granger admitted. "It wasn't very appealing to me when I was young. All I wanted to do was make the lives of House Elves better. After the war, though, I began to realise how many laws there were that were in favour of purebloods, that just completely disregarded muggle-borns and half-bloods. I realised that if I wanted to do something that would make people remember me, other than 'That girl who was part of the Golden Trio,' going into the DMLE was what it would be. I just wanted to make a difference."

In 2000, Granger and [Ronald] Weasley tied the knot, and later had their first child, Rose Jean in 2006, followed by Hugo Arthur in 2008. Rose, 42, now works as a Healer at St Mungos and her brother, Hugo, 40, works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic.

Ginny Weasley returned to Hogwarts for her final year in 1998. Appointed Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Weasley led the team to win the Cup, even with the knowledge that Quidditch scouts were at every game. By the time she graduated from Hogwarts, Weasley had five teams waiting on her to make a decision. Finally, she announced that she had accepted a position with the Holyhead Harpies, her childhood team.

"It was always a dream of mine to play Quidditch professionally. During the war, it was pushed to the back of my mind, and all I really thought about was getting through that, but I always loved Quidditch. It was a kind of release for me then. During my seventh year, Merlin, I got so many letters from teams, but I remember when I read that letter from Gerry Walsh, the Harpies scout, my mind was made. I didn't care how much I was payed or anything of the like. Just the fact that I got to play with my favourite team was enough."

Weasley went on to win Chaser of the Year from 2000-2004, Rookie of the Year in 1999, Best Female Player in 2003 and was the leading point scorer in the 2000, 2003 and 2004 seasons.

In 2002, Weasley was named one of the starting Chasers for England's National team for the Quidditch World Cup, where she went on to lead the league in points and helped England win their first World Cup since 1930. Weasley also led England to win the European Quidditch Cup in 2004.

In the 2005 offseason, at the peak of her career, Weasley suddenly resigned from the Harpies. Controversy was quick to follow, with guesses as wild as her being sacked for not scoring enough to her moving to Australia to join the Woollongong Warriors. In early 2005, Weasley was seen in Diagon Alley with Harry Potter, where she confirmed that she was expecting her first child.

Harry Potter went on to join the Auror department in 1998, where he helped to set the Wizarding community back on its feet after the war. In 2007, Potter became the youngest ever Head Auror and helped to organize and finish many big cases. Potter was also featured on the Chocolate Frog Cards for his accomplishments.

"Ever since I entered the Wizarding World, all I've ever wanted to do was be an Auror. They can make a difference, and they can protect people and keep lunatics like Voldemorts-in-the-making off our streets. Some people have asked me why I went on to work with the Aurors after the war 'Hadn't I had enough?' They'd ask me. 'Why didn't you go play Quidditch professionally?' I never considered playing professional Quidditch. That's Ginny's thing. I don't think I'd be able to keep my head playing a sport while others were fighting Dark Wizards for me. I just couldn't do that."

In October 1998, the media went crazy when they discovered that Potter and Ginny Weasley were dating.

"It was big news for us," said Jackie Parker of Witch Weekly. "It's not every day you see him wandering Hogsmeade, hand-in-hand with a girl – especially a Weasley, with whom he was very close to her family."

For the next few years, the two managed to keep their private life out of the public eye, until June 2002.

"I was at that game," a fan said. "About halfway through, one of the announcers noticed a ring on her finger. When the game ended, it was a mad rush to the private family box where Potter was being escorted to the Harpie's office by these three huge security guards. I remember I was right at the front of the crowd, and he was looking at his feet. We all naturally followed them, and half an hour later he and Weasley exited, holding hands, and apparated right away."

However, not before a picture was snapped of Weasley's left hand. The papers the next morning had a field day with the knowledge that they two were either engaged or married. A week later, Weasley confirmed after a practise that she and Potter were engaged.

"We are engaged, and we would appreciate it if all our fans would give us the privacy we want," she said.

In April 2003, the two managed to have their wedding without the press finding out. A week later, Potter and Weasley were caught arriving back in England at a muggle airport by a lucky reporter who quickly snapped a picture.

In 2006, their first child, James Sirius was born followed by Albus Severus in 2006 and Lily Luna in 2008.

Weasley, 66, is now the Senior Quidditch Correspondent for the Daily Prophet, and Potter, 67, is still working as Head Auror. Their eldest son, James, 43, works at his uncle's shop, Weasley Wizard Wheezes. His brother, Albus, 42, works under his father as an Auror, and Lily, 40, works at St Mungos in the potions laboratory.

In honour of all those who lost their lives in the war, let us partake in a minute of silence.

Written by Eva Glenn

Author's Note - I'm back!
So, I've posted this in honour of all the war veterans in the world, since it's Remembrance Day where I live. Remember to thank them for giving you your freedom