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Well, in the orginal post, cooncatbob did write that if the families wished to bury the bodies elsewhere, that should take place. And, I assume, that would be what would be done.
I do not think it is necessary to have a graveyard at the school, now that I think of it. Hogwarts was Dumbledore's real home. And Snape's and LVs and Harry's. As Harry put it in DH, "the abandoned boys had all found home here." So maybe no cemetary. I do think it would be nice if Severus Snape was given a plot and a marker and be allowed to be buried somewhere on the Hogwarts grounds. I do, however, think there should be a large war memorial. (For some strange reason, I am thinking along the lines of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in the US.)
I, too, do not think a plaque alone will cut it. This battle was the final one in a major war. It took place at Hogwarts. There should, of course, also be a war memorial at Hogsmeade - there, a statue, i think - honouring all those who had died in this war which started at the end of June 1995 and ended May 2, 1998. But this final battle should be of particular interest to the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And those young witches and wizards who attend it in the future should be made aware of the sacrifice made at the Battle of Hogwarts by those who gave all to keep Britain and the world - because I don't think any of us believe LV would have stopped at conquering the UK - safe and at peace.
The fact that this was the final battle is significant, roonwit. This was the one that ended the terror and destruction that LVs reign had imposed on the UK WW. There is another point. Most of those who fought and died - and who were injured - in this battle were not soldiers; were not professional fighters. The members of the Order of the Phoenix were. Those who had volunteered to be part of Dumbledore's Army were, in my view. But the rest of the fallen at that final battle were civilians. Students, teachers, citizens of Hogsmede, former students, the families of students, Centaurs, house-elves. I would like to see their names inscribed on a beautiful, yet simple Memorial at the site of the battle. That is, at Hogwarts. And not just a plaque. And, on May 2 of every year, there would be an assembly at the memorial.
This particular battle liberated all of Britain. Of course all who died at the hands of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters are equally important. As human beings they are. But, historically, there is something uniquely important about the battle/confrontation that ends a war. And the location where this final battle takes place is given a special place in history. It is also marked in a physical way.
With this battle on May1-May2, 1998, with it's significance , Hogwarts ceased to be just a school. It became the site of a battle which won the war. It became like a town where the enemy was finally defeated at a terrible cost. (Like some towns in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, etc. during the Muggle Second World War.) Had this battle taken place in Hogsmede or Godric's Hollow or London, I could see a major installation piece being set up - visible only to magical folk, of course (grin) - as a memorial. With a suitable inscription giving a few details of the battle, mentioning Harry Potter who rid the world of a heinous dark wizard and his army, and possibly listing the names of the dead who took part in the battle. Well, Hogwarts is like a town where the final battle of the Second Wizard War took place and the country was liberated. I would expect no less in terms of a tribute to be erected there.
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And on another note, roonwit, I am not so sure that Lupin's happiest days were spent with Tonk's family. I don't think he went back to them when he went back to his wife. I expect he and Tonks had their own place. We know that Lupin had a house because, at the end of GoF, DD told Sirius to "lie low at Lupin's." I expect that might be where Remus and Dora lived after their marriage. Once the baby was due, and when Lupin was away, I could see Tonks staying with her parents temporarily (as we are told she did by Lupin in DH), but I don't think her husband lived there. Or was ever fully accepted into the family. If he was buried in the Tonks family gravesite by his mother-in-law, I think it would be reluctantly.
And I also think that, if a special graveyard is set up somewhere for the fallen soldiers of the Second Wizard War, Adromeda would be proud to have her only daughter buried there. Her daughter, as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, was a professional soldier and, as an Auror, had dedicated her life to fighting dark magic. I thing Adromeda would want her to be buried in a war cemetary. (As a member of the Order during the first and second wars, of course Lupin deserves to buried with such honours as well. The two should lie side-by-side, of course.)
Laura
This post has been edited by Laura W: Jun 21 2008, 02:56 PM
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Jun 20 2008, 06:41 PM
