Chapter 4
Even though Dumbledore's 200th birthday wasn't for another 8 years, plans were already underway to put together
a 200-year retrospective publication on his life. Though he still seemed as healthy as ever, there was always the
chance that some of the material might end up being used posthumously, but no one was overly concerned about the
possibility.
The other milestone that would happen the same year that Dumbledore turns 200 is that Harry Potter would turn be turning 60. Though the book was going to be divided into 4 sections, 'The Early Years," detailing Dumbledore's first 100 years, "The Grindelwald Years," which would focus on defeat of Grindelwald and once and for all clear up any of the mystery surrounding the debate behind the Muggle Hitler and how his defeat was related to Grindelwald's. The third section will be based on Voldemort's first rise. The fourth and most detailed section was about Voldemort's second and final rise and would be a combination of a commemoration of both Dumbledore's and Harry's roles. The difference in this section from others would be the amount of information based on the big picture of this defeat. At first the publishers wanted to focus solely on Harry Potter, but Dumbledore and Harry stood firm, insisted on editorial power, and refused to lend their names to a project that minimized the efforts of the other members of The Order of the Phoenix and Harry's classmates.
Colin Creevey was the managing editor for the project and it was the assignment of the lifetime. He had volumes of research and both wizard and Muggle photographs of the lives of all of the major players. A year had passed since Ginny's death, and Harry was at the offices of Wizard Publishing looking at the preliminary layout of the history and the selected images to be used.
Harry silently looked through the rough outline. He saw his almost emaciated child former self, drowning in Dudley's old clothes, in his early Muggle school pictures. Then there were pictures of a much happier teen flying on a broom in an early Quidditch match at Hogwarts. He looked at pictures of people long gone that he only knew as adults, Sirius and Professor McGonagall, then at pictures of his friends that didn't make it though the battle that stayed forever young in his mind; Neville, Hermione. He tried not to dwell too much on Hermione, she could have changed the world, but she chose to sacrifice herself instead. He also looked at the pictures of the people he stayed in touch with, mostly the Weasley family and other school friends. It was hard to believe what they had accomplished so young. It was also hard to believe how people that had seemed so important in the context of school turned out to have no significance once his school days were over. Draco Malfoy had seemed like such a nemesis as a child, but in the grand scheme of things, his father was barely a footnote and Draco wasn't even remembered.
Then he began scanning through the events that had taken place after the defeat of Voldemort. He mostly focused on the portions about his own life; his marriage to Ginny; her brief Quidditch career. She really had been quite a player. If she had stayed in it another year or so, he was sure she would have made the British team as well, but together they had made the decision that they didn't want to wait any longer for a family. The Dursley's were also but tiny a footnote, his Aunt and Uncle passing away of grief not very long after Dudley died in a one-car alcohol related accident. His blood alcohol level had been over three times the legal limit and though Harry tried not to hold a grudge, this never surprised him very much. He had to admit though that he was thankful that Dudley hit a tree and not a school bus. He quickly turned to memories of happier times, looking over the births of his children and lists of their accomplishments so far.
He wasn't looking forward to the next section. He hadn't seen any of the photos from Ginny's cremation and even though a year had past, he wasn't looking forward to looking at them. He turned the page and was quite relieved. He finally spoke to Colin, who had been almost unable to breathe while waiting for Harry's comments about the compilation. "This part is quite tasteful, Colin. I was afraid there would be too many pictures."
Colin smiled and nodded. Though his childlike idle worship had long since mellowed, Harry was still someone he deeply respected and he was pleased that he approved of the treatment. "I added in another mention of the Wizard/Muggle medical information exchange charity that you support. They're doing good work."
Harry was touched by this and sighed. "She was still so young for a witch. When her first symptoms started, we thought we were going to have another child..."
Colin wasn't sure what to say. "I have extra prints of all of the pictures, would you like to go through them as well? There are hundreds that didn't make it into the book." he asked. "You are welcome to keep any that you'd like." Colin pointed to the box next to Harry on the table."
"I'd like that. Is there time for me to look through them now?" Harry asked.
Colin was always glad to share his pictures and thrilled when anyone wanted to look at them, let alone Harry! "Certainly. Can I get you some tea, coffee or Butterbeer?"
"Earl Grey, if you have it, please." Harry answered and began to go through the photos.
Colin really had been such a part of his life from a distance and the pictures were well organized. The Hogwarts photos were numbered by the years Colin spent there, but in no time he had the system worked out and he relived some of his childhood. He knew his family would love seeing all of these pictures of Mum, Dad and Ron playing Quidditch together! He wasn't sure he wanted to look at more funeral pictures, but as it had been almost a year and just about time to release Ginny's ashes, he figured it was about time.
The first picture left him so unnerved! He almost wanted to shut the box and not continue. It was a modern picture of the old Order house on Grimmauld Drive; he could tell the time period because the photo could not have been taken if the home was still unplotable and he houses on either side were identical tract homes. Each window was glowing with enchanted blue candlelight. He put it aside to ask Colin about it when he returned with his tea. Harry continued to look through the funeral pictures and got to one in particular that showed the crowd. He never would have noticed it himself, but far in the background, there was a figure circled in red ink. He wondered why this had been marked as it was, and continued going though the photographs. The next pictures seemed to be enlargements of the same picture focusing on what was now clearly a witch watching the funeral using a very old pair of Omnioculars. He knew that face, that stance....it had to be...
Colin returned with his tea. "Oh, you found our mystery guest." Harry nodded and Colin continued, "I did some research thinking she might have been a reporter also trying to cover the story, but her name, of all things, is Solonge Malfoy."
"A Malfoy?" Harry asked. "I didn't know that any of them had survived."
Colin answered. "I was confused at first as well, but it turns out that she is a very distant relation to the people we knew at Hogwarts. She's from a small group of Malfoy's that stayed in France hundreds of years ago and didn't come over with the rest. She's about our age and attended Beauxbatons. The French Malfoy's have always kept their distance from their British relations and have never had even the slightest connection to dark magic. Other than that, all I can find out about her is that she is in magical book restoration and works for the British Ministry of Magic." Colin paused for a moment. "She's quite secretive. I had to call in every favor owed to me and then some in order to get that small amount of information."
"It's just that she looks so much like..." Harry started.
"I know, Harry. That's why I did so much research. But you and I both saw her die. We both know it can't be her." Colin explained.
Harry didn't know what to feel. Even with the time that had past, he felt like he wasn't being true to Ginny's memory for even having the slightest hope for a moment that somehow his childhood friend was still alive. He changed the subject. "Here's another picture that seemed strange to me." Harry held up the Grimmauld Place picture. "I thought we expunged every drop of magic from the place before it was sold."
Colin shrugged. "It confused me as well, but I had to come to the conclusion that perhaps a bit remained and it remembered Ginny. I left it out of the book because it looked more like the kind of material from the Quibbler rather than a scholarly work. You know, I think I would be able to retire in comfort if I sold this image, but I have learned some restraint over the years."
Harry had to smile at that. "You know, I really hated the way you stalked me with a camera back in school, but I have to admit that it means a lot to have these pictures."
This pleased Colin to no end! "Thanks, Harry. Really, take what you want, even the whole lot if you'd like, I have plenty of copies."
Harry finished his tea and took Colin up of the offer of the box. He placed the images certain childhood photos of Hermione, the pictures of the French Malfoy woman from the funeral and the glowing Grimmauld Place in a separate envelope. There was just something about it that bothered him and he wanted to find his own answers.
*****
Later that evening, in the company of just his closest family and friends, Harry officially ended his traditional year of mourning by releasing Ginny's ashes into the wind on a hilltop behind her childhood home. Harry removed the ceremonial black armband he had been wearing for the past year, and the extended Weasley/Potter family enjoyed a simple meal and spent the evening in front of the fire looking through the box of Colin's photos Harry had brought with him. There were a few misty eyes at times, but the wizarding tradition of waiting a year for this kind of moment really allowed one to look back and celebrate life rather than to mourn its loss. Overall, it was a happy time of remembering a wonderful friend, wife and mother, singing her favorite old songs, and letting some of the children run around Molly and Arthur's house wearing her old Quidditch and school robes laughing at how old fashioned they seemed.
Missing from the box of photographs were the pictures of Grimmauld Place and the mysterious Malfoy woman. That was a
secret Harry felt that he needed to keep to himself. Perhaps Colin had run out of favors to call in, but Harry had
enough for several lifetimes.