My name is Ginny Weasley. You might have heard of me, or know my family. You might have read about us in the papers, or heard about us on the streets. Some call us heroes. I don’t believe that; I think that we did what we had to do, and that was that. I also believe that as humans our destinies sometimes lie on the edge of a knife: one choice, no matter how small, one thoughtless decision, even, can change the course of a life.
I was asked to tell my story, to tell the tale of the final battle at Hogwarts against Voldemort. Actually, others were asked before me, but declined. I have accepted, because I have seen how one opinion can shape the opinions of others, and I also believe the truth should be preserved as best as it is able.
It was once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Like anything else taken out of context we can make our own meaning from these words, and that meaning is clear. We are defined by our actions more than anything else.
Harry Potter killed Lord Voldemort. Neville Longbottom, through great courage, prepared the students of Hogwarts for the fight, and destroyed the last bit of Voldemort’s soul so that Harry could finish the task. Lavender Brown, a seventh year Gryffindor, is still recovering at St. Mungo’s, and may never heal completely. Several of her fellow students and teachers are gone forever, including one of my brothers. Severus Snape, the latest headmaster of Hogwarts and always Dumbledore’s spy, was murdered by Lord Voldemort in a last minute bid for power. Through his actions, he demonstrated that true courage and heroism lies not in the acclaim of others, but in the deeds and causes one truly supports, even if it might appear otherwise. We will never know how many people chose to take action and assisted in the defeat of the Death Eaters that day, whether they were at Hogwarts or not, and the sacrifice of those who perished in the fight will never be forgotten, because their choice lives on in the shaping of the world today.
The world is not black and white, good and evil. I was at Hogwarts that day, and I saw things I will never forget. I saw anger and fear, hate and sadness, and I even saw love. It was Parvati Patil protecting her fallen twin. It was strangers covering each other as they broke through a line of the Dark Lord’s servants. It was my mother, a housewife and Gilderoy Lockhart fan, shouting at and dueling one of Voldemort’s top lieutenants.
At some point near the beginning of the battle, I was cornered by several young Death Eaters, and I saw my life ending, only to be rescued at the last moment by Draco Malfoy. He saw I was in peril, and chose to take action. For me it was easy; I saw what was bad and I sought to destroy it, much like weeds are pulled from a garden. But for him it must be so much more complex; to have to turn my wand on people that I grew up with and cared for is not something I can fathom. I think that I and my family have had it easy; we didn’t have to choose between what was right for the world and what was right for ourselves and our family.
Before condemning anyone, I would ask that we all think about what it means to be a hero, and to think about your own actions. What is right is not always what is easy, and one cannot be judged merely by what is assumed.