The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Bold Face Type indicates a direct quote from Chapter Thirty-six, The Parting of the Ways, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.
When Molly left the room where Cedric's body lay surrounded by his friends, she realized that it was getting late. She felt a strong need to check on her children and make sure that Ginny was settled for the night. She walked along the familiar corridors and up to Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady immediately recognized her and let her in without a password. Fred and George and some of their friends were still in the common room. They told her that they did not know where Ron was but guessed he and Hermione might be with Harry. She thanked them for taking care of Ginny and then walked up to the room where Ginny and the other Third Years slept.
Ginny was lying on her bed, looking pale and worried. Molly tucked her in and kissed her good night, saying, 'Harry will be fine. Madame Pomfrey will see to that. I'll check on him before I go back home. I want you to get a good night's sleep. I love you.'
Ginny kissed her back and said that she couldn't wait for it to be summer. Molly went back down to the common room and hugged Fred and George. She told them what had happened to Cedric's body and that she would see if Professor Dumbledore would let them come to whatever service his parents chose.
Then she walked down to the hospital wing to find out how Harry really was doing. Bill, Ron, and Hermione were clustered around Madame Pomfrey asking about Harry. She joined them and found out that he had not yet arrived in the hospital wing. Molly wondered where he could be.
All of them whipped around as Harry, Dumbledore and a black dog entered, and Molly let out a sort of muffled scream. 'Harry! Oh Harry!'
She started to hurry toward him, but Dumbledore moved between them.
'Molly,' he said, holding up a hand, 'please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace and quiet. If he would like you to stay with him,' he added, looking around at Ron, Hermione, and Bill, too, 'you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening.'
Molly nodded and hushed Bill, Ron, and Hermione even though they had not said anything. Dumbledore insisted the black dog remain. Madame Pomfrey gave Harry some pyjamas, settled him into bed, and brought him a Dreamless Sleep Potion. He drank a few mouthfuls and fell into an exhausted sleep. Molly and Bill sat on either side of Harry's bed and the black dog settled down at its foot. Ron and Hermione stood together against the wall, unwilling to leave Harry.
Later, when Molly tried to remember what had happened next that night, it became jumbled in her mind. She wondered if she had nodded off since the next thing she remembered was that she and Bill suddenly heard loud voices.
Molly whispered, 'They'll wake him up if they don't shut up!'
'What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?'
Molly stood up. 'That's Fudge's voice,' she whispered. 'And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?'
'Regrettable, but all the same Minerva —' Cornelius Fudge was saying loudly.
'You should never have brought it inside the castle!' yelled Professor McGonagall. 'When Dumbledore finds out—'
Minister Fudge walked toward Molly with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape following him. He demanded. 'Where's Dumbledore?'
'He's not here,' said Molly angrily. 'This is a hospital wing. Minister, don't you think you'd do better to —'
But the door opened and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.
'What has happened?' asked Dumbledore sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall.
Minerva told him that Minister Fudge had brought a Dementor in with him to see Barty Crouch and that it had kissed him. She was very upset. Dumbledore told the Minister that he believed Harry when he said that Voldemort had returned. Fudge said he did not believe him, that he must be seeking attention. Suddenly, Harry sat up and accused the Minister of reading too much Rita Skeeter. Ron, Hermione, Molly, and Bill all jumped. None of them had realized that Harry was awake…
Harry argued with Fudge and Molly moved even closer to his bed. Both Harry and Dumbledore tried to get the Minister to understand that he must act quickly, but to no avail. Even when Dumbledore told him the consequences… 'Fail to act — and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!'
'Insane...' whispered Fudge. 'Mad…'
And then there was silence. Madame Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. Molly was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Ron, and Hermione were staring at Fudge.
The argument with Fudge continued for some time. Professor Snape showed him his Dark Mark but the Minister backed away from him and said, 'I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry.'
He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around… and stopped at Harry's bed.
'Your winnings,' he said shortly, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it on Harry's bedside table. 'One thousand Galleons…'
The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at the group around Harry's bed.
'There is work to be done,' he said. 'Molly…am I right in thinking I can count on you and Arthur?'
'Of course you can,' said Molly. She was white to the lips, but she looked resolute. 'We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper Wizarding pride.'
'Then I need to send a message to Arthur,' said Dumbledore…
'I'll go to Dad,' said Bill, standing up. 'I'll go now.'
'Excellent,' said Dumbledore. 'Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry —'
'Leave it to me,' said Bill.
He clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, kissed his mother on the cheek, and strode quickly from the room.
Dumbledore gave special instructions to Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey. After they left, he spoke directly to Severus Snape and the black dog that was at the foot of Harry's bed. The great black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then in an instant, turned back into a man.
Molly screamed and leapt back from the bed. 'Sirius Black!' she shrieked, pointing at him.
'Mum, shut up!' Ron yelled. 'It's okay!'
Dumbledore spoke earnestly to the two men and convinced them to shake hands to signify that they would stand together against the evil forces. He then asked Black to contact several people. He turned back into the black dog and ran off to do what he had been told to. Dumbledore and Snape spoke seriously and Snape left.
It was several minutes before Dumbledore spoke again. 'I must go downstairs,' he said finally. 'I must see the Diggorys. Harry — take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later.'
Harry was reluctant to take his potion so Molly began to talk to him about the gold he had just won. Harry said he didn't want it; that it should have been Cedric's. Molly realized that he was fighting off tears.
'It wasn't your fault, Harry,' she whispered.
'I told him to take the cup with me,' said Harry…
Molly set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry… She started to cry as she suddenly realized that Harry probably had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother. The full weight of everything he had seen that night seemed to fall in upon him as Molly held him to her…
There was a loud slamming noise, and Molly and Harry broke apart. Hermione was standing by the window. She was holding something tight in her hand. 'Sorry,' she whispered.
'Your potion, Harry,' said Molly, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. Harry drank it in one gulp. He fell asleep immediately and Molly led Ron and Hermione back to Gryffindor Tower. She hugged Hermione and then kissed Fred, George, and Ron and praised them for taking such good care of their little sister and being so loyal to Harry. She told them that she'd see them soon. Then she went to Professor Dumbledore's office to wait for him to finish trying to console the Diggorys. His gargoyle soundlessly lowered the stairs and opened the door.
When Dumbledore came in, she was blunt. 'You must not send Harry back to the Dursleys. Let him come home with me to The Burrow as soon as he is able to travel.'
Dumbledore put his fingers together and looked over them at her. 'It is impossible for Harry to go anywhere but to the home of his mother's sister at this time. He needs the protection that her blood provides.'
'Bill can cast stronger wards on The Burrow. Harry would be safe with us and we'd love him.' Molly began to cry.
'There, there, Molly,' said Dumbledore. 'I wonder if any of us are safe anywhere now that Voldemort is back.'
Molly blanched. 'Why does You-Know-Who want to harm Harry?'
'Try to say his name, Molly,' said Dumbledore in a kind voice. 'Or call him Tom Riddle. Practice when you get back to The Burrow. Corrine will need you tomorrow when she and Amos bring Cedric home. Arthur needs you now.'
'Promise me that you will let Harry come to us when he has put in the time he needs to with those horrible Muggles.'
Dumbledore grasped both of her hands. 'Have you said your good-byes to your children? My private Floo does not get much use so it may be a bit dusty, but you are welcome to use it. There is nothing so restful as sleeping in your own bed after an eventful day.'
Molly nodded. Dumbledore reached up to his mantle and held out a full jar of Floo Powder. She threw a pinch of it in his fireplace. 'The Burrow!' she said as she stepped into the green flames.
When Molly stepped out of the flames, she saw Bill and Arthur at the kitchen table, eating roast beef sandwiches and talking seriously. She kissed both of them and told Arthur to come up soon. She said she needed to soak in a bath and wash her hair. Dumbledore had been quite correct about the amount of soot and dust and spider webs she had encountered. She smiled as she remembered that Arthur always liked to cast the Drying Spell on her hair when it was freshly washed and hanging down. She also decided that tonight would be a good time to wear her new pink nightgown with the roses embroidered on it. 'Arthur needs to be distracted a bit from all the bad news that we have to discuss,' she murmured as she climbed into the tub. 'And I need to think about what happened today.'
*****
The next week went by swiftly for Molly and Arthur. Amos and Corrine returned with their son's body the following day. The Weasleys helped them make arrangements for a simple funeral service on Saturday afternoon. Professor Sprout brought the four classmates who had stood as honor guard and the entire Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall accompanied Cho, the Weasley boys, and Ginny. Harry was still in the hospital wing with Hermione keeping him company. Professor Dumbledore spoke movingly about Cedric's life and his honor and courage. Bill tested and strengthened the wards around The Burrow before he returned to Hogwarts after the ceremony to pick up the Sphinx and return it to Egypt.
Molly and Corrine walked and talked about Cedric on the days after the funeral. They shared what each knew about what had happened the night he was killed. Corinne said that Harry told her and Amos everything when they visited with him in the hospital wing. He had even offered them the prize money. She said that she told him to use all of it for something that would make the world a better and happier place. She also said that Harry seemed very relieved that she did not blame him for Cedric's death. Molly agreed that he had admired Cedric and could have done nothing to harm him.
A very large postal owl arrived the last day of June. Molly opened the letter and was relieved to read that Bill was safely back in Egypt.
Dear Mum and Dad,
It was a long trip but I was glad to be there to see you all and especially glad to be of service on that terrible night. How are the Diggorys handling their grief?
Mum, you realize that Ginny is still pretty shaken by what could have happened to Harry. She says he is the bravest person she knows. He really impressed her by bringing Cedric's body back to his parents. Ron and Hermione and Harry are very close and support each other. I was glad to be able to talk to Harry when he got out of the hospital wing after the funeral. He will need some time to get over his experience.
Fred and George told me that they were in some sort of financial misunderstanding with a public official. I cannot tell you anything more about it except that the public official is in terrible trouble with some of the Goblins. It's never a good idea to have Goblins mad at you. No one seems to have heard anything about Percy. I didn't see him at all the whole week I was in England. Is he still living at home?
I have decided to apply for a transfer to the London branch of Gringotts. If Voldemort is really back, I want to be able to protect those I love.
Love, Bill
Molly was thrilled about Bill's decision and wondered if he would move back to The Burrow or find a flat of his own. She aired the children's rooms and made their beds fresh on the last day of June. The Hogwarts Express would bring the students back to London on Friday. She thought that Dumbledore had been wise in extending the school year but would be relieved when they were back home so that she could make sure no harm could come to them.
