Neville watched the small man in front of them speak.
Dumbledore was a household name for most, if not all, present. Everyone knew that Dumbledore had done great things. He'd conquered the evil wizard Gellert Grindlewald (a matter Dumbledore had never commented on, perhaps out of modesty), and he was the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of.
To Neville, Dumbledore was something else. His parents had been amongst the original Order members, loyal to Dumbledore and believing his warnings that the "random attacks" on Muggles were not so random. They had fought You-Know-Who for Dumbledore's cause three times... sacrificed their sanity...
"Wise" didn't cover it.
"He was a powerful, commanding man," the speaker continued, "noble... serious..."
"Nitwit, oddment, blubber, and tweet," Neville muttered, and laughed softly despite himself. Gran nudged him, but he was pretty sure he heard her giggle.
"Dumbledore was a special individual. The day he died, we all felt as though angels had disappeared from existence."
"We will remember him as a great wizard. We will remember him as genius. We will remember him as-"
Neville couldn't bear to listen to any more of the horrible speech. In fact, part of him felt quite infuriated; did this man even know Dumbledore? Had he met the man who'd joked after Sorting? Had he met the man who spoke to his students as individuals, not pests? Had he realized that Dumbledore was beyond genius?
Dumbledore had died, but others had died before him in more ways than one. He'd made people realize that there were things worth sacrificing for.
A Wise Man, Indeed
Neville watched the small man in front of them speak.
Dumbledore was a household name for most, if not all, present. Everyone knew that Dumbledore had done great things. He'd conquered the evil wizard Gellert Grindlewald (a matter Dumbledore had never commented on, perhaps out of modesty), and he was the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of.
To Neville, Dumbledore was something else. His parents had been amongst the original Order members, loyal to Dumbledore and believing his warnings that the "random attacks" on Muggles were not so random. They had fought You-Know-Who for Dumbledore's cause three times... sacrificed their sanity...
"Wise" didn't cover it.
"He was a powerful, commanding man," the speaker continued, "noble... serious..."
"Nitwit, oddment, blubber, and tweet," Neville muttered, and laughed softly despite himself. Gran nudged him, but he was pretty sure he heard her giggle.
"Dumbledore was a special individual. The day he died, we all felt as though angels had disappeared from existence."
"We will remember him as a great wizard. We will remember him as genius. We will remember him as-"
Neville couldn't bear to listen to any more of the horrible speech. In fact, part of him felt quite infuriated; did this man even know Dumbledore? Had he met the man who'd joked after Sorting? Had he met the man who spoke to his students as individuals, not pests? Had he realized that Dumbledore was beyond genius?
Dumbledore had died, but others had died before him in more ways than one. He'd made people realize that there were things worth sacrificing for.
A wise man, indeed.