"Hogwarts should be Dumbledore's final resting place, "
-- Professor Flitwick (DH29)
Classes and exams were put off for the funeral, but some parents took their children home soon after learning of Dumbledore’s death. Many witches and wizards come to bid farewell to the “greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had.”
A chorus of merpeople sing a tribute from below the lake’s surface. Dumbledore’s body is wrapped in purple velvet with gold stars. Hagrid tearfully carries it up the aisle to a white table in front of the crowd. After the eulogy, white flames rise from the table and surround the body before turning into a tomb. The centaurs of the Forbidden Forest salute the late headmaster with a shower of arrows.
After rejecting Scrimgeour again and breaking ties with Ginny, Harry walks off with Ron and Hermione. He pledges to find the Horcruxes himself, and they pledge to stand with him the whole time. The Hogwarts Express leaves an hour after the funeral.
Commentary
Notes
The text says this is the first funeral Harry has ever attended. However, he was present at the far less formal ceremony of Aragog's burial a few months earlier (HBP22). -BB
When he says his last goodbyes to Dobby, Harry wishes the house-elf's funeral could be as grand as Dumbledore's had been (DH24). While the two funerals certainly have many significant differences from each other, both occur on the edge of a body of water and both graves are marked by white stone. -BB
In taking in the huge and diverse assortment of attendees, Harry makes some observations that deserve explanation or special attention.
- Tonks and Lupin are holding hands - Harry had previously expressed confusion over their relationship. By the time he meets them again in DH, they are married and expecting Teddy.
- Filch and Madam Pince are standing together - earlier in the school year, Harry had expressed his suspicion (shared with many other students) that the two were romantically involved (HBP15).
- Harry recognizes the bass player from the Weird Sisters - His name is Donaghan Tremlett (FW).
- Harry recognizes the Hog's Head barman - In DH Harry will learn that this is Albus Dumbledore's younger brother, Aberforth.
- Rita Skeeter was there with a notebook - A few months later she publishes the biography The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.
- The centaurs stay at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
-BB
When the flames spring up around Dumbledore's body, the smoke makes odd shapes and Harry briefly thinks he sees a phoenix fly out of it. It may be that this fire is related to fiendfyre, which takes the shape of different creatures. It could also be a reflection of Harry's denial about Dumbledore's death, since the phoenix is immortal and rises from its ashes. Or it may have something to do with Fawkes in particular. -BB
The Elder Wand is entombed with Dumbledore, although Harry doesn't even know what the Elder Wand is when the funeral occurs. -BB
From the Web
Encyclopedia.com: British funeral customs
Pensieve (Comments)
Tags: crowds death friendship funerals grief guests love loyalty mourning outside respect sadness