PhoenixSong.net :: A Harry/Ginny Fanfic and Fanart Archive

Author: Grandma Kate

Story: Ginny's Fifth Year at Hogwarts

Part: 11: The Funeral of a Great Wizard - June 17-30, 1997

Rating: Everyone

Setting: Pre-DH

Status: Completed

Reviews: 5

Words: 3,068

Updated: November 18, 2008, 8:45pm

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11: The Funeral of a Great Wizard - June 17-30, 1997

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, The White Tomb, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, or Chapter Two, In Memoriam, from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

A/N: This story is told from Molly's Weasley's point of view and parallels Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the summer after it.

Bill regained consciousness the next morning but did not remember much about Greyback's attack. He was shocked by the news that Professor Dumbledore was dead and even more shocked that Professor Snape had killed him. Arthur encouraged Molly to stay to help Fleur care for him but she informed him that she had the utmost confidence that his future wife would be the one most helpful to Bill.

Arthur and Molly ate breakfast in the Great Hall and said good-bye to their son and daughter and their closest friends before they returned to The Burrow. The children promised to go and visit Bill since all lessons were suspended, all examinations postponed. Acting Headmistress McGonagall was busy making arrangements and inviting witches, wizards, and other sentient beings to the funeral on Friday. Some of the students had already returned home but all four of them wanted to be there to say good-bye to their Headmaster. Molly and Arthur told them that they would be back for the funeral and used the Floo connection in Minerva's old office to return home.

Arthur left immediately to report in to the Ministry while Molly took a bath and climbed into bed for some much needed sleep. When she woke, she made a Floo call to Corrine to tell her all that had happened at Hogwarts. She sent Errol to Fred and George to reassure them that their oldest brother was doing as well as could be expected after being savaged by a werewolf.

Early Saturday morning, Molly and Arthur returned to Hogwarts for the funeral of Albus Dumbledore. They again used the Floo in Minerva McGonagall's former office. First, they went to the hospital wing to check on Bill and were greatly relieved to find that he was up and dressed. Fleur was fussing over him but he seemed perfectly capable of walking, holding fast to Fleur's hand all the way. Fred and George joined them as they walked to the place by the lake where hundreds of chairs were arranged in rows facing a white marble table. Molly was pleased that the twins looked relatively subdued, dressed in black dragon-skin jackets. Everyone who was anybody from the wizarding world was there. The Weasleys sat in the area that had been set aside for those especially close to Professor Dumbledore. It was mostly members of the supposedly secret Order of the Phoenix. Molly nodded at Kingsley and Mad-Eye. She poked Arthur with her elbow when she noticed that a happy looking pink-haired Nymphadora Tonks was holding hands with Remus Lupin while talking quietly to Bill and Fleur.

The students at Hogwarts, wearing their dress robes, walked in by Houses. Molly watched as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny filed into seats at the end of a row beside the lake. People were whispering and birds were singing as the Hogwarts teachers and officials from the Ministry were the last to be seated. She and Arthur both frowned at seeing Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge in places of honour but then shrugged their shoulders. Former offices must count for something in the protocol for a funeral of a man as important as Albus Dumbledore. Molly's heart skipped a beat as she noticed Percy sitting off to the side near Rufus Scrimgeour looking grave and dignified in the front row with Professor McGonagall… Professor Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, sat very close to Percy.

Merpeople began to sing their strange, otherworldly music… Molly felt tears pouring down her cheeks as she watched Hagrid walking slowly up the aisle between the chairs. He was crying quite silently, his face glistening with tears, and in his arms, wrapped in purple velvet spangled with golden stars was the body of Albus Dumbledore. He placed it carefully upon the marble table and walked slowly to the back.

A small tufty-haired man began talking but Molly was so overcome with grief that she did not hear much of what he said.

Arthur comforted her as best he could. When the little man finally sat back down, flames erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay… a phoenix flew out of the flames and a white marble tomb appeared where the table had been.

A shower of arrows soared through the air as the centaurs made their final tribute to their beloved friend. Molly stopped crying as the Merpeople swam away. She started to go over to where Ron and Hermione were sitting side by side, obviously crying. Then she became aware that a conversation that Harry and Ginny were having some distance away from them seemed to be both intense and private. As she watched, Harry strode away from Ginny with Rufus Scrimgeour following him as fast as he could limp. She hoped that Harry would make it clear again that he would not be the Ministry's poster boy for defense against You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. Ginny had disappeared by the time she looked back to where they had been talking. Ron was stroking Hermione's hair in a comforting way while she cried. She decided that her children could manage for themselves, so she smiled at Arthur and said, 'Dumbledore always did have his own unique style. This has been quite a funeral.'

'Molly, my love, are you ready to leave?' asked Arthur. 'The children will board the Hogwarts Express in less than an hour. We need to meet them late this afternoon.'

'Yes, I think I'd like a nap before we go to King's Cross. Let's give our condolences to Minerva and Aberforth first,' said Molly.

'Come by for the welcome home dinner tonight,' Arthur added to Fred and George.

'We have to get back to the shop. We can't expect Verity to run it all day,' said Fred.

'Although she leaves it a great deal more tidy than we do when she is the one who closes up,' added George with a smile.

Bill and Fleur walked with them back to the castle and left to find Madame Pomfrey, in case she had any last-minute instructions for them. Molly and Arthur went to McGonagall's old office and used her Floo connection again.

They tumbled into bed as soon as they got home and slept soundly until it was time to Apparate to the alley next to Kings Cross. Remus Lupin and Tonks were standing by the barrier outside of platform nine and three-quarters and greeted them warmly.

'Mad-Eye wanted me to keep an eye on Harry and get him to his aunt and uncle's house in case they don't come for him, ' explained Tonks with a wave of her hand. 'Remus is just along for the ride.'

'Does Harry have to go to stay with those awful people?' asked Molly. 'He'll be seventeen next month.'

'He says he promised Dumbledore that he'd go for a few weeks, but we'll fetch him before his birthday,' replied Remus in a quiet voice.

Just then, Hogwarts students began to come through the barrier. Ginny and some of her friends were first. She shouted out good-byes to them before she came to hug and kiss her mother and father. Molly thought she looked like she had been crying but said she was happy to be on her way home.

'What's this I hear about a wedding?' she said to Tonks and laughed when both she and Lupin blushed.

'My mother is planning it now, but I definitely want you there,' said Tonks with a smile. 'It might give you some experience for the big wedding you will be in later this summer.'

Ginny was watching the last few students come through the barrier. 'Here they are at last,' she announced as Harry, Ron and Hermione came through. Hermione ran to her parents and brought them over to Molly and Arthur.

'We will let you know when to come for Bill and Fleur's wedding, dear,' said Molly to Hermione, hugging her. 'Enjoy some time with your family.'

Ron was standing off to the side with Harry, so Molly ran over to hug them both. 'Tonks is here to take you to your aunt and uncle's,' she said. 'You'll be brought to The Burrow a few days before the wedding.'

'Is it there or in France?' asked Harry.

'You'll be brought to The Burrow, in any case,' said Tonks. 'Best not mention the wedding again.' She waved at the Weasleys and Hermione's family before she and Remus marched Harry out of the station. As they left, Remus shrunk Harry's trunk and was talking to him about letting Hedwig fly.

'There you are!' said Ron to Ginny. 'We saved you a seat, but you didn't ever come.'

'I sat with my friends,' said Ginny in a tired sounding voice.

Hermione put her arm around her. 'I've got to go. Owl me if you need to talk.' She left with her parents.

Arthur was busy shrinking the trunks and Pig's cage as they went out into the alley. 'Hold tight to your mother and Arnold's cage,' he said to Ginny as they left. 'Go to The Burrow!' Arthur instructed Pig, who fluttered off Ron's shoulder. His father grabbed his arm and Side-Along Apparated them to The Burrow.

When they reached the front of The Burrow, Molly let go of Ginny and asked her if she needed a nap before dinner. Ginny nodded and started up the stairs. Arthur restored the trunks and cage to their normal sizes and asked Ron to carry them up. He grumbled a bit but took his and Ginny's trunks and Pig's cage up. He returned almost immediately. 'Is there anything to eat while you make dinner?'

Molly flicked her wand and a plate with an apple, some cheese, and a knife appeared on the kitchen table along with a bottle of butterbeer. Ron smiled and sat down. 'Is something bothering Ginny?' asked Molly. 'She seems so tired.'

'She and Harry had some sort of disagreement,' said Ron, with a mouth full of apple. 'Do you have any fresh-baked bread?'

Molly looked at Arthur. He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, 'Stay out of it.'

Ginny didn't wake up in time for dinner that night so Molly made her a plate and brought it up after the twins left. She was drowsy but woke up long enough to eat a few bites, change into night clothes, and brush her teeth, before she went back to sleep. She did not confide in Molly nor did she ask for advice.

On Sunday, there was an expanded edition of the Daily Prophet with several articles about Albus Dumbledore and his funeral. Molly thought that the article titled ALBUS DUMBLEDORE REMEMBERED by Elphias Doge had the most information. She already knew a few things about his brother Aberforth but thought that his sister's death was very sad. She remembered how she felt when Fabian and Gideon had died. She shuddered to think about what it would feel like to lose a child. Arthur came upon her reading the article with tears running down her cheeks and quickly helped her up to bed for a nap.

Ginny seemed unusually quiet to Molly but they soon settled into the usual summer routine of chores and work in the garden. They generally took a break to listen to Days of Destiny and Bedside at St Brigid's but agreed that the programs did not have much plot. Each broadcast had only a few actors doing all of the voices and they mostly reminisced about things that had happened long ago or re-ran earlier programs. Molly wondered if the WWN had lost all of their scriptwriters as well as most of their actors. Nick and Kate were still there. She was sure that they would be able to tell her what was wrong.

Molly, Ron, and Ginny walked over to Diggory Downs on 24 June for the second anniversary service for Ceddie. Professor Sprout and Cho Chang came together. Arthur, Amos, and several people from the Ministry arrived at the same time. Some of the witches from their Witches and Stitches group also attended. Molly was surprised that Kingsley Shacklebolt delivered the short speech reminding them that many witches and wizards had loved Cedric during his short life.

Ron stayed for the refreshments but left when Molly and Ginny began helping Corinne clean up. 'I loved Ceddie. He was always nice to me,' said Ginny, drying some glasses. 'He even tried to help me my first year at Hogwarts when no one else paid any attention to me.'

'You were the first baby he ever held,' said Corrine. 'Time and time again, he told me that he wanted a little sister, just like you. He'd brag about being the only one who could always make you laugh.'

'Did he tell you how he did it?' asked Ginny. Corrine shook her head while Ginny giggled. 'He'd suck my toes!'

Corrine began to laugh. 'Oh, Ginny! I'll never be able to get that picture out of my mind. I'd have teased him so if I had known how he did it.'

Molly started to laugh, too. 'Percy would call me to Scourgify Ginny's feet before he'd let Ceddie near her. I guess he was afraid that he'd catch something from her bare toes.' Now, all three women were laughing so hard they could hardly stand. Molly and Ginny walked through the woods talking about Ceddie all the way back to The Burrow. Molly realized that this was the first time she had seen Ginny smile since she'd come home.

The next day, a strange owl brought a parchment addressed to Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Miss Ginny Weasley. Molly opened it and read

Ted and Andromeda Tonks
Request the honor of your presence
At the wedding of their daughter,
Nymphadora, to Professor Remus Lupin
On Sunday, July Seventh at Four in the Afternoon
At the Tonks' Residence

A small note addressed to Ginny fell out of the invitation. Ginny picked it up and read-

Ginny,

I want you to be my Junior Bridesmaid and help with the little flower girls and the ring bearer. Please wear a white summer dress. My mother will make a wreath for you.

Tonks

'I am so happy that Tonks wants me to be in her wedding! What can I wear?' said Ginny. 'Do I really have to wear a wreath like the ickle girls who throw flowers?'

'If that is what Tonks wants you to do, then that is what you must do. It's the bride's choice. We can turn your light green sundress white,' said Molly. 'Go try it on so we can see if we need to let the bodice out.'

Molly was able to charm an old sundress into quite a nice-looking junior bridesmaid dress. She sighed because she did have to let it out in the bust and take it in at the waist. Her baby girl was growing up.

On the last Saturday of June, Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived at The Burrow shortly after lunch. Molly offered him some refreshments but he refused, saying that he thought that they had better go straight away to the Dursleys. 'It's going to be difficult to persuade the Dursleys that their lives are in danger and it will be even harder to make them understand that they must abandon their home and life as they know it before Harry's seventeenth birthday,' said Kingsley.

'They will recognize Kingsley from his duties guarding the Muggle Prime Minister,' said Arthur. 'He is on their tell-a-vision box all the time.'

Molly felt restless while Arthur and Kingsley were gone. When Arthur returned, he was alone. 'Kingsley had to go to some Girl Guide affair with the Prime Minister.'

'Did the Dursleys agree? Will they go into hiding?'

'That fat lump of a son of theirs has more sense than either parent,' said Arthur. 'He did not fancy being tortured and killed by You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. Vernon wanted Kingsley to guard them personally and seemed unable to understand why he couldn't stop guarding the Muggle Prime Minster. He and Petunia simply would not believe that almost all of what they thought were natural disasters were actually the result of Dark Magic.'

'But will they go to a safe house? And Harry can come here?'

'They agreed to tell their neighbors they were going on a long holiday. Now, we have to figure out how we can move Harry without You-Know-Who using an Unforgivable Curse on him.'

Pig made several trips back and forth between The Burrow and Hermione's home with letters to or from either Ron or Ginny. Pig was careful not to let anyone read a letter except the person it was addressed to no matter how much Ron complained that Pig was his owl.

Hedwig brought Ron just one letter from Harry before the end of June. It was almost exactly like all the letters he had sent the previous summer. He did not send anything to Ginny but Hedwig flew to her and rubbed her head against her hand before she flew back to Harry.

Molly smiled. She had always liked Harry's owl.

A/N: My pre-beta, bookish 327, made corrections and suggestions on this chapter in part to help me, but also to lessen the details that my regular Beta would have to take care of. I am thankful to her.

My dear beta, Trelawney2213, has suffered one of life's most horrendous losses in the severe illness and unexpected death of her beloved husband in the past few weeks. I have been impressed with her grace and courage while grieving. With a million details to take care of, she has been generous enough to get this chapter ready for posting. I will miss Bernie and pray for the repose of his soul and solace for his family. Thanks for being there for me and helping with this story.

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