A/N: I have always felt that description has been the weakest point in my writing. I wrote this as an exercise to force myself to write descriptions. There is absolutely no dialogue in this story at all. I only hope that I have succeeded in writing something that everyone can see in his or her mind's eye.

We Will Stay Strong

by jynx67

The early spring day dawned brightly; sunlight coated everything in its path with a golden glow. Yet despite the color, no one at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could feel the warmth. Everyone was sad because they had lost one of their own. Albus Dumbledore was dead.

The house-elves had set up rows of white chairs on the lawn. A large marble dais sat before the chairs looking as if it was waiting for something. Colorful spring flowers decorated the base of the dais and chairs. The sun reflected off the lake, shining across the area and bouncing off the marble creating a sparkling effect.

A lone girl stood looking out over the grounds, her eyes glued to the area with the dais. The light shimmered off unshed tears in her eyes. Her bushy brown hair looked a mess, like she hadn't touched it with a brush that day. Her clothes looked like she had slept in them, wrinkled and hanging loosely over her solid frame. She tried hard to hold back the tears, her bottom lip quivering with the effort. Suddenly, she felt a warm hand slip into hers as it hung by her side.

She tilted her head to see black robes with the Hogwarts emblem proudly on the left breast. A red and gold tie hung neatly around the neck of the redheaded boy at her side. His eyes were closed and a slight smile was on his face as he felt the sun's rays warming his skin. He inhaled the sweet scent of the blooming flowers floating on the breeze. He was trying hard to be strong. Squeezing her hand slightly, he opened his eyes to look down into her brown ones.

She looked up and held his gaze for a moment. Immediately she burst into tears, burying her head into his shoulder. Rather awkwardly, he wrapped his arms around her, a frown on his face. He hated seeing her cry and had little experience consoling anyone. Remembering what his father had done for his mother when they saw Bill for the first time, he brought his hand up to stroke her hair softly.

They said nothing as he stood there holding her, consoling her. Her sobs finally subsided, but she still clung to him. He placed a kiss on the top of her head before resting his chin there. His thoughts were of her and his other friends and family. What were they going to do now? Hogwarts, a place they had always felt safe, was no longer secure. The walls had been breached by the Death Eaters. Nobody was safe now.

Finally, her hands unclenched, leaving his freshly pressed robes wrinkled against his chest. Backing away slightly, but staying in his arms, she looked up at him. She lifted one of her hands to wipe away an errant tear that had slipped from his eye across his freckled cheek. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, shifting and looking down, embarrassed that she'd caught him being weak. She saw it and cupped his cheek in her hand as she shook her head. Standing on her tip-toes, because he was so much taller than she now, she kissed his other cheek.

His face flushed and the look in his eyes turned to admiration. She always knew what he was thinking; she had since first year. He moved his hand up to brush her hair back from her face, looking deep into her chocolate brown eyes. Leaning his head down, their lips touched in a soft, loving kiss. He smiled inwardly, realizing she tasted like a Sugar Quill. As they parted, they both smiled. They turned back to look outside and she leaned against him as his arm wrapped around her protectively.

Nearby, a tall boy with shaggy dark hair smiled as he leaned against the wall in the shadows. He reached up under his glasses to wipe away a tear that had collected in his eye. He was so happy for his friends. They had finally given in to their hearts and found that they both loved each other. He thought of the one he loved and smiled sadly. He loved her so much it hurt, but that pain was much less than the one he had when he thought of how she could be used against him. Anger seeped into his mind at the thought. He stepped back around the corner and let his head fall back against the cool stone wall. This was surely going to be the hardest day of his seemingly short life. He couldn't knowingly endanger anyone's life and being with him was a danger to anyone, especially now.

He thought of everything he had learned in the past six months. It was more than he had in the past six years. He was finally able to understand what his mother had sacrificed for him, why she had done it and why it hurt so much to let go. But he wasn't going to let anyone else sacrifice themselves for him. It had already happened four times; his mother and father, Sirius and now Dumbledore. They had all died protecting him. It was his turn to protect those he loved.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, organizing his thoughts and calming his emotions. A hand slipped into his and he knew who it was without looking. He had smelled her coming down the hall, heard the soft padding of her shoes against the floor, felt the temperature rise as she approached. He smiled as he opened his eyes and looked at her. Her long, silky red hair fell across the shoulders of her Hogwarts robes. They were all wearing their school uniforms with black robes. It was to honor the man they all admired. He pushed himself away from the wall and pulled her into a hug. He kissed her forehead and smiled down at her.

She slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. He was hurting and she knew that. She was hurting too. She missed Dumbledore as much as he did. But, she knew that she had to be strong and support him. He needed her and she loved him so very much. She could feel the tension in his body. Today was going to be hard on everyone, but on him it would be worse. He felt responsible for everything that had happened. When she finally had him alone, all he had done was hold her. She asked him what had happened with Dumbledore, but he refused to answer.

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, her brown ones looking concerned. He smiled down at her, letting her know that he was okay. It was a lie, though, and they both knew it. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before taking his hand. She looked towards where her brother was and he nodded.

They moved together around the corner and saw the other couple turning towards them. Suddenly, all their faces fell as they realized that this was it, this was going to be the end of Hogwarts, the end of an era. Without Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was sure to crumble.

Hermione reached out to take Harry's hand in her free one. She gripped it tightly, squeezing Ron's hand as well. Forcing a smile on her face, she looked at Ginny and nodded. Together, they walked down the long hall to the stairs that led down into the foyer of the once great and powerful school. They were greeted by their family and friends. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears the moment she saw Harry, gathering him in her arms and hugging him tightly. Mr. Weasley put a hand on his wife's shoulder, making her tear away from the young boy to allow him to breathe. She turned and buried her head against him.

Next to Molly and Arthur stood Bill and Fleur. The girl with the beautiful, long blond hair held onto the arm of the man beside her tightly as if worried that he might just disappear. Bill's red hair and face were nearly completely covered by bandages, but his clear blue eyes met Harry's and they shared a moment of understanding. They both knew the pain everyone else felt, but they also shared a pain that no one else would understand.

Professor McGonagall, now the Headmistress of the school, moved up to touch Harry's shoulder. She looked up into his deep, green eyes and was startled a moment as she swore she saw his mother within them. He nodded, not having seen her look of confusion, and moved towards the great front doors to the castle. He took Ginny's hand one last time and together with Ron and Hermione they moved across the grounds towards where the funeral for Professor Dumbledore was being held. The others followed along behind them in a long procession. The four in the lead held their heads high as if proving to everyone else that they were strong, they would survive this and move forward to defeat Voldemort.