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

Author: Grandma Kate

Story: Ginny's Seventh Year at Hogwarts

Part: 8: Oh to be in England, Now that April’s Here-April 1999

Rating: Everyone

Setting: Post-DH

Status: Completed

Reviews: 3

Words: 5,710

Updated: September 16, 2009, 5:29pm

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8: Oh to be in England, Now that April’s Here-April 1999

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.

A/N: Even as those who loved Fred still mourn for him, they each begin to realize that life must go on. This story is told from Molly’s Weasley’s point of view and continues from where Ginny’s Sixth Year at Hogwarts leaves off. It takes place the year after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, therefore eighteen years before the Epilogue.

Much to Molly and Arthur’s delight, Bill, Percy, George, Angelina, Ron, and Harry all joined them for a simple breakfast on the first of April. Bill said that both Fleur and Philippe were getting over colds, but would have come otherwise. Each of those in attendance poured a breakfast beverage and followed the small birthday cake that Arthur Levitated up to Fred’s gravesite. They sang Fred’s favorite version of the birthday song that ends, ‘you look like a monkey and you smell like one, too.’ Then they broke off pieces of cake to eat with their fingers and told jokes until it was time for most of them to go to work.

Angelina and George were meeting Madam Chambers there at ten o’clock to make the final transfer. They invited Molly to come along to see their new house. George Side-Along Apparated his mother to the edge of the property. Molly could see a light green, square house surrounded by meadows in a wooded area. Madam Chambers was on the front porch, talking to a white-haired wizard. She greeted them effusively as they approached. The old wizard removed the Secure Entry Charm and handed George a large brass key. He explained that handing over the key had been a tradition as long as the house had stood. Then he grabbed a bottle Portkey, said ‘Enjoy the Box’ and vanished.

George and Angelina burst into laughter and asked Madam Chambers if the Box was the name of the house. She said that if it was, it was the first time she had heard of it. Molly looked at the two young people, laughing so hard that they were close to tears. ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked.

‘George and I had decided on a name for the house just last night,’ said Angelina.

‘We had decided to call it, the Joke Box,’ George finished. ‘So it was like a good omen to have him tell us to ‘Enjoy the Box’. We certainly plan to enjoy many jokes here.’

Molly understood what they were laughing about, perfectly. She followed them and Madam Chambers inside as they showed her the house that they had just purchased. It was clean, with spacious rooms. Angelina said that she loved the large kitchen with its mixture of wizard and Muggle appliances. She pointed out the huge Aga range and a cooling cupboard as well as the Muggle washer and dryer. The only furniture there was the big wooden table with six matching chairs that they had bought from the former owner. The worn settee was the only furniture in the sitting room but Molly noted that there was plenty of room for chairs near the big stone fireplace.

When they climbed the stairs, Molly was surprised to see three bedrooms on the first floor. One of them was small and was full of wires for a Muggle computer, but the other two were good size. Either was big enough to hold the large bed and two dressers that were to be delivered that morning. Angelina suggested that George go to the Ministry and get the Floo Connection transferred to them and check in at the shop. As soon as he and Madam Chambers left, Angelina and Molly used their wands to measure and record the dimensions of the large windows overlooking the meadows and forested area surrounding the Joke Box. They accepted delivery on the shrunken king-sized bed and pair of double dressers that Angelina and George had chosen, and watched as the delivery wizard returned them to full size when they were where Angelina wanted them.

Angelina cast Security Charms before she and Molly went to Bewitching Bed and Bath to buy sheets, towels, and curtains. They also started a Joke Box Housewarming Request List in case family and friends wanted to buy small items that they needed. ‘It turns out that it was good thing that Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet and I spent so much time planning our future homes. I was seeing Fred then, and he used to tease me so about ‘cauldron gray’ clashing with ‘Quaffle red’, but both he and George liked the colour schemes I made up.’

Molly looked with affection at Angelina and wondered, not for the first time, how Angelina’s life would have turned out if that wall had not collapsed on Freddie. Nevertheless, she only asked what her daughter-in-law intended to do with the old settee that she had bought from the previous owner of the Joke Box. Angelina was full of ideas about how to refurbish it.

The two Weasley women stopped by Wizards’ Wonder Woods and started a gift list there of small tables, lamps, bins, and the like. Molly saw a well-designed rocking chair and surprised Angelina by buying it for her. After the shop clerk took her Galleons, she cast a Shrinking Charm on the rocker and put it in her Expanding Bag with the sheets, towels and curtains. She told her daughter-in-law that it was just like the one she’d used when she nursed and soothed all seven of her children. Angelina blushed and said, ‘George is anxious to start a family. That’s one of the reasons we married so quickly and were so eager to get a house of our own. I don’t think we’ve succeeded yet, but I hope that we’ll have use for that rocker within the next two years.’

Molly promised she’d not tell even Arthur what Angelina was hoping for. They Apparated to the Joke Box, made the beds, and arranged the towels. Angelina said that George would help her hang the curtains so Molly went home to make Ginny’s bed up fresh and get ready for more people at The Burrow for the next two weeks. Hermione was going to spend some of the Spring Holiday with her parents but would be a frequent visitor there.

On Friday, Molly went to King’s Cross to meet the Hogwarts Express. Arthur, Ron, and Harry soon joined her. Augusta Longbottom was standing as far away from Xenophilius Lovegood as possible while still close to the barrier through which the young people would be coming. Molly nodded to each of them, but was distracted by Harry suddenly saying, ‘I can feel Ginny’s close.’

The first of the Hogwarts students began emerging and running to waiting parents. Ginny, Hermione, Luna, and Neville were together and peeled off to be kissed by Harry, Ron, Luna’s father, and Neville’s grandmother, respectively. Ginny hugged her parents next but returned to Harry for a second kiss. Mr and Mrs Granger hurried up, looking for their daughter, who was still kissing Ron. She finally noticed and greeted them. Jean and Hugo came over to where the Weasleys were standing.

By then, Neville was pumping Harry’s hand and saying, ‘I watched out for her as you asked me to, but the ring that says POTTER in such large letters seems to keep anyone from bothering her.’

‘Good,’ replied Harry with a grin. Molly noticed Ginny mouthing, ’you told Neville to watch out for me?’ to him and knew that they’d have words later. ‘Don’t forget that there’s a party for Teddy’s first birthday tomorrow afternoon at four. Andromeda and I’d like all of you to join us,‘ Harry said as Neville and Augusta Longbottom started to leave.

Ron went with Hermione and her parents, while Molly, Arthur, Ginny, and Harry hurried to the alley to Apparate to The Burrow. Bill, Fleur, and Philippe arrived for the welcome home dinner just after they did. Bill was carrying an array of boxes and bundles while Fleur had only the child carrier containing two-month-old Philippe. Ginny ran to pick him up and kissed his weak-tea-coloured hair.

‘Philippe ‘as ze strawberry-blond ‘air,’ Fleur said with pride. ‘Ze blend of Delacour and Weasley is a beautiful colour.’

‘He’s so big,’ marveled Ginny. ‘Philippe, you are so handsome and smell so good. Harry, do you remember when Teddy smelled like this?’

‘Teddy’s all ‘snips and snails and puppy dog tails’ now that he is crawling,’ said Harry. ‘He smells like whatever he has been crawling through.’

‘I can’t wait to see him. I know he’ll be able to say my name.’

Percy, George, and Angelina came through the Floo Connection. George said that Percy had heard so much about how old the Joke Box was that he had to come and try to fix the date of its construction.

‘It’s actually quite an old house, perhaps more than one hundred years old. I cast Specialis Revelio on the garden and it indicates that the house is built on a site where wizards have lived for centuries. There may be Iron Age artifacts buried there.’ Percy seemed to be just getting started expounding, but George stopped him by picking him up from behind and twirling him around.

‘We’ll let you dig to your heart’s content after we’re all settled in, said George. ‘We are going to need some help moving in on Sunday before we can have my birthday party.’

‘How many of the curtains did you get hung?’ asked Molly, bustling around the kitchen preparing dinner.

‘We managed all the whole ground floor and the biggest bedroom on the first floor.’ said Angelina. No one will be using the other two bedrooms so we’ll probably put boxes there until we can unpack.’

‘Mum said that your house is painted green,’ said Ginny. Angelina took this comment as an invitation to show the floor plan and pictures to anyone who would look. Bill and Fleur commented on how large the rooms were and how quickly they would fill up with furniture and objects d’art. Harry said that he was tempted to use Engorging Charms on the Pony Shed when more than four people came over.

Andromeda, with Teddy in her arms, climbed out of the fireplace while everyone was looking at the pictures and floor plan. Ginny took him gently and cooed at him the way she had been cooing at Philippe. His hair turned deep auburn to match hers. She began saying, ‘Gin-ee!’ over and over and laughing when he repeated anything. Harry hovered nearby, repeating, “Hair-ree.’

‘Try not to encourage him to shriek that letter that comes before F,’ said his grandmother. ‘Between cutting his first molars and trying to say Harry’s name, he gets a bit frantic.’ Teddy promptly stuck his fist in his mouth and gnawed on it.

Molly took Teddy from Ginny and put him in the hanging baby chair and put a teething biscuit in each hand and told everyone else to sit down for supper. As they ate and visited, all the Weasley children were assigned tasks for Sunday when the combination housewarming and birthday party would follow George and Angelina’s move.

As Molly and Arthur cuddled that night before they fell asleep, she wondered why Ron had not come to The Burrow for dinner, but realized that he must have wanted to spend some time with Hermione’s parents. They seemed to like him and approve of his relationship with their only child. They appreciated the efforts that he had made to find them in Australia and return them to England. That got Molly thinking about all the families and friends who had been reunited because of the committee. For some reason, she began thinking about Barry McQueen and Kerry Summers and wondered if they had been happier when they were living in Perth, Australia, than they seemed to be now that they were cast as a romantic pair in a Tell-a-Vision series. She fell into a troubled sleep with dreams involving Heath and Cliffe riding surfboards while the red-haired Kerry huddled under a big umbrella.

Teddy’s first birthday party was the following afternoon, so Molly was not surprised to have Harry arrive around ten in the morning so he and Ginny could do some shopping for him and buy a housewarming present for George and Angelina. When they left, she did a little weeding and checked the charms on the drip system in her garden. She was bringing roasted chicken to both Teddy’s and George’s parties so prepared half a dozen of them and baked an extra large chocolate cake for George’s party the next day. She also mixed and kneaded bread dough to bake in the morning.

Harry and Ginny arrived back at The Burrow with a ride-on toy dragon for Teddy and a set of enchanted cauldrons, bowls, and kitchen utensils for George and Angelina. ‘We only got what was still left on their list of things they wanted for wedding presents from Cauldrons-4-U,’ said Ginny. “Angelina has dishes and silver that belonged to her parents but didn’t have any of the new improved specialized cauldrons.’

‘I even bought myself one that makes porridge that you don’t have to stir with your wand,’ said Harry, while Molly sniffed and was dubious about such modern shortcuts.

Teddy’s birthday was a great success. Many of the Aurors who had served with Tonks and most of the professors who had taught with Remus at Hogwarts came to the party. Auntie Muriel and Mr Ollivander came bringing several soft Quidditch balls and a certificate for a wand in ten years. They had to leave the party early to meet with Richard Davies about what Auntie Muriel described as ‘pesky legal matters.’

Bill and Fleur brought Teddy a picture of his parents on their wedding day with them as attendants. He liked the wrapping paper much better, but Andromeda put the picture of the two happy couples on her fireplace mantle with tears in her eyes. Ron had gone in with Percy for an extra-small Chudley Cannons Quidditch uniform, while George and Angelina gave him Muggle play clothes. Hermione gave him several books about the care and feeding of magical pets. The ride-on dragon was a success, but the Toddler Broom that Harry gave him seemed to be his favorite. Andromeda was afraid that he would fall just as her Nymphadora had at that age, but Harry reassured her that it was set for the lowest setting. Teddy could unbend his knees and stand up when he was tired of floating around.

Ginny and Harry helped Molly and Arthur clean up after the party. They were all anxious to watch Generations Yet to Come on the new 40 inch wall-mounted Magic Mirror with a built in Tell-a-Vision converter. Arthur had bought it for a very reasonable price at Wizards Wholesale Wares, one of Chadwick Speedworth’s larger shops. Molly started to fill the two young people in on what had happened in previous episodes.

‘Roana is the youngest granddaughter of Roderick and Fiona. She has somehow come under the spell of Kyle Ainsley, Junior. What she does not know, is that he is the son of Lord Lyle’s bastard son who is also named Kyle. His uncle, Lord Leonard, is missing in Peru but Roana and her governess, Miss Prism, are living at Leonard’s Lair with Heath and Cliffe and the rest of the servants. Kyle is going to go to Transylvania in search of a potion that cures Vampires.’

‘And Heath and Cliffe are young and handsome and Kyle is middle-aged?’ guessed Ginny.

‘I thought Miss Prism was Cecily’s governess,’ said Harry.

‘Who’s Cecily?’ asked Arthur. ‘I think it’s about to start. On Saturday Peony wears her Simply Saffron robes.’

Peony, the Weather Prophetess, had been going on and on about cold fronts and cut-off lows with the sound muted while Arthur watched her. He was holding what looked like the sort of box a necklace might come in and pointed it at the Tell-a-Vision. Peony got much louder when he pushed a button on the box. A commercial for all the shops in Diagon Alley came on. A very cheerful voice said, ‘If you can’t find it in Diagon Alley, you probably don’t need it.’

‘Look, there are Auntie Muriel and Mr Ollivander waving from their chairs in front of his shop,’ said Ginny, as various shops were featured.

The music swelled and Nic Meath’s voice filled the sitting room. ‘The great love of Fiona and Roderick was too strong to be broken by time. Destiny was on their side throughout their days, and it will continue to protect — (pause) — Generations Yet to Come.’

‘Kate said that Nic is pre-recorded along with the music,’ whispered Molly, as Leonard’s Lair came into view. Miss Prism and Roana were sitting on a terrace under a huge umbrella. Miss Prism was testing Roana’s ability to transfigure common objects into less common objects. Roana did not seem to be particularly talented with Transfiguration, even though Fiona’s ability in that subject had saved her life and Roderick’s life scores of time in the past.

Cliffe, the assistant gardener, kept pushing a wheelbarrow back and forth nearby. It must have been a very warm day, because he took his shirt off after a few trips past the terrace. Molly wondered if he was trying to get a deeper tan by rubbing himself with baby oil. He seemed a bit greasy to her. After watching her pupil watch the assistant gardener for quite a while, Miss Prism said that she was going into the mansion to have the cook make something cold for them to drink. This left Roana free to watch Cliffe as he pushed the wheelbarrow back and forth without having to pretend that she was trying to turn the saltcellar into a bouquet of roses in a crystal vase. The scene faded to black.

Molly and Arthur looked at each other. ‘It is hard to decide whether she is interested in the young gardener because he is so strong or in his brother because of how well he rides,’ said Molly.

‘When will we get to see his brother?’ asked Ginny, snuggling close to Harry.

‘He is the stable boy, isn’t he?’ asked Harry, drawing his intended closer.

‘Having a proper seat on horseback doesn’t always lead to a happy relationship,’ said Arthur. ‘The gardener may be a better provider. Molly’s garden has fed us for many years besides allowing us to have fresh flowers in season.’

Molly nodded. ‘But does Roana have enough life experience to appreciate that?’

The commercials for multi-purpose cauldrons from Cauldrons-4-U finally finished and the music for Generations Yet to Come swelled.

‘I just realized that the music is the song that Heath and Cliffe were singing when they were looking for the girl with the mysterious singing voice,’ said Molly. ‘That may be a clue.’

When the program started up again, Miss Prism and the cook were in the kitchen with copper cauldrons of various sizes hanging from the ceiling. Miss Prism was untying a parchment from the leg of an unusually large sea bird while the cook fed him a small fish.

‘It’s from him,’ said Miss Prism, clutching her hand to her ample bosom. ‘He’s planning to come home, at last.’

The cook embraced her and said, ‘that’ll put a knot in someone’s knickers, won’t it? Do you know when he’ll be back from the supposed business trip?’

Miss Prism shook her head, sadly. The Magic Mirror went black.

The next scene was of Roana walking in front of the stables. Heath was brushing the very large horse he had been riding in last week’s episode. He began to sing that same strange song that he and his brother had sung when they were alone in the forest. Roana listened with obvious admiration.

Molly wondered why he kept singing about ‘pain for so long’ except that it rhymed with “it helps to keep me strong’.

He was standing out in the sunshine, so belting out; ‘shine on me!’ repeatedly seemed redundant. Roana obviously liked it since she was practically drooling.

Cliffe walked into the scene. He had put his shirt back on and left his wheelbarrow someplace. He obviously knew the words to the song that his brother was singing because he joined in. They sang for the final three and a half minutes of this week’s episode. The credits rolled.

‘What did you think of Generations Yet to Come?’ asked Molly.

‘Roana isn’t as spunky or resourceful as her grandmother Fiona was,’ said Ginny. ‘Maybe she hasn’t met her own true love yet.’ Harry nodded and looked at her as though she were the most brilliant person in the world.

Molly and Arthur went up to bed, leaving Harry and Ginny to say good night. Molly spoke first. ‘I don’t think either of the Speedworth boys can sing very well.’

‘You have to admit that they are certainly loud,’ agreed Arthur as he snuggled closer.

All the members of the Weasley family and many friends helped with the move and came to George and Angelina’s new home to celebrate George’s twenty-first birthday. Most of them brought housewarming presents or food or bottles for the party. Many of the gifts were from their wedding register or the new lists they had made at Bewitching Bed and Bath or Wizard’s Wonder Woods.

Auntie Muriel and Mr Ollivander arrived with a large box suspended between their wheeled chairs. ‘This is for you, George,’ Aunt Muriel announced in her rather loud voice. ‘It is my complete collection of shrunken heads, which Ollie had charmed so that they announce where they were shrunken and under what circumstances. Do not thank me! You are the one who appreciated them the most. My children never saw any value in them.’

Molly decided that she would try to find out what ‘pesky legal’ matter Auntie Muriel and Mr Ollivander had taken care of the afternoon before, so came to sit with them while other guests were being shown around the house. ‘Was Richard Davies able to help you yesterday?’

‘Yes, he was quite helpful. Mr Ollivander and I have a special bond and are the chosen companions of our final years, but do not want to complicate matters by being bonded in marriage. Therefore, we have up-dated our wills so that his nephew inherits the wand shop with the quarters above it. He is entering into an apprenticeship immediately.’ Auntie Muriel beamed at Mr Ollivander.

Molly nodded encouragingly, as Auntie Muriel continued. ‘It is my desire that Macmillan Manse remain in the family. Your children have as much claim to it as my children and grandchildren do. Not one of them wants to live there, so I have provided for them in other ways. Therefore, upon my death, Mr Davies has drawn up a binding agreement to sell the Manse to whichever of your children can pay the minimum asking price. The profits will be divided among the rest of your children and mine.’

‘That is very generous of you, Auntie Muriel.’

‘I would prefer that you keep this a little secret between a doting aunt and her favorite niece,’ said Auntie Muriel. ‘You must, of course, tell Arthur.’ She looked over at Mr Ollivander, who seemed to be nodding off. ‘I think we had better head for home and get our rest. Ta-Ta!’ She waved at everyone, clutched Mr Ollivander’s wheeled chair, and Side-Along Apparated him away from the party.

‘Well, well, ‘murmured Molly. ‘This is an interesting development.’

*****

Molly was extremely busy for the next few days. Monday morning, she saw Ginny off for the final time on the Hogwarts Express. She dueled with Corrine, gardened, and read all the committee reports that Percy had sent on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she attended the final meeting to plan the May 2 Memorial and Awards Ceremony

The Memorial sub-committee had suggested a grove of rowan trees with several marble benches scattered among the young trees, each with the names of people known to be killed in defense of the wizarding world by Voldemort and his Death Eaters or other supporters. Harry had insisted that Cedric Diggory be counted as the first casualty.

The names of those who gave their lives were to be read at the beginning of the ceremony but the committee decided to send the certificates that had been prepared for their survivors by owl, so the ceremony would concentrate on awards for the living.

Again, Harry had been adamant that each person killed during the Battle and each defender of Hogwarts receive an Order of Merlin. Professor Sturgis Podmore’s sub-committee suggested that Order of Merlin, Third Class be awarded to the students who chose to stay and fight, along with the shopkeepers from Hogsmeade and family members that came to the Battle as reinforcements. Members of Dumbledore’s Army and the members of the Order of the Phoenix were to be honoured with Order of Merlin, Second Class. After much discussion, the entire committee voted to award the Order of Merlin, First Class, only to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood. Molly suggested that Dobby, the house-elf, Mr Ollivander, and a goblin named Griphook be awarded a special commendation. The committee agreed.

The rest of the week, Molly was happy to be back at The Burrow, tending her garden and doing her regular chores. Bee arrived on Thursday afternoon with the following message—

Dear Mum and Dad,

Headmistress McGonagall says that three scouts are coming from three different Quidditch teams. Wish me luck! The birds don’t stand a chance!

Love,
Ginny

Ron and Harry came to The Burrow late Saturday afternoon and said that Gryffindor had beaten Ravenclaw and that Ginny was brilliant. They went back to the party in the Gryffindor common room before Molly and Arthur could ask any questions about the scouts. Later, Molly and Arthur watched the new episode of Generations Yet to Come and were surprised at a new plot twist. The opening scene was the kitchen of Leonard’s Lair. The old butler was polishing silver and the cook was stirring something on the big range while listening to Dash Darywimple on All the News You Need to Know. He was saying that inferior quality Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that had been adulterated with coal dust was being sold in Knockturn Alley at a price that was much lower than the usual sources. Foul play was suspected.

‘George sells Peruvian Darkness Powder from a very reputable mine in Peru,’ said Arthur.

‘Shh!’ said Molly, as the cook began to speak again.

‘I have a very bad feeling about this,’ she said. ‘Our Lord Leonard went on an expedition to find a new vein of high quality Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, disappeared without a trace, and someone began selling some that had been tampered with. I just know that something terrible has happened to that sweet old gentleman.’

Miss Prism entered the kitchen and asked if they knew something more about what had happened to Lord Leonard. There was a rather hard to follow discussion about members of his expedition returning to Lima with their memories wiped clean and replaced with false memories. They actually thought they were in Liverpool and could not understand why everyone was speaking Spanish.

During the break, Molly asked Arthur if he understood what was happening but he said that he was as confused as she was. The advert for the sale at Honeyduke’s featured candy that looked suspiciously like leftover Easter eggs which had been transfigured round. The Magical Plant Shop had a special on vegetable seedlings.

When Generations Yet to Come resumed, Heath and Cliffe had shoulder-length blond hair and were waving good-bye to Roana as they rode off singing the song, “Shine on me’. Roana followed Miss Prism to the terrace and began combining ingredients to make potions. Miss Prism kept wringing her hands and sighing while Roana made strangely coloured bubbling solutions.

The scene shifted to a forest, where a sad-looking girl with long hair, way up in a tower, was singing the same song as Heath and Cliffe.

Meanwhile, back at Leonard’s Lair, a very haggard looking Kyle Apparated to the entry gate, clutching a large flask of something. The credits rolled.

‘Do you suppose that he has found the antidote for Lycanthropy and can prevent Vampire blood lust?’ asked Molly.

‘I guess we will just have to tune in at the same time and same channel next week,’ replied Arthur.

It took Molly a long time to get to sleep that night. She worried about Lord Leonard and the sad-looking girl. She also could not get ‘Shine on me’ out of her mind. She was glad that Heath and Cliffe had daytime jobs.

*****

A letter from Ginny arrived the next morning while Molly was dishing up breakfast for Arthur and Ron.

Dear Mum and Dad,

We beat the Ravenclaw team 400 to 285 so we will win the Quidditch Cup if we can manage to beat Slytherin in three weeks. I scored 120 points because Demelza and Cordelia kept feeding me the Quaffle. I talked to the three scouts after the game. They were Gwenog Jones, Captain of Holyhead Harpies, Caitriona McCormick, Captain of the Pride of Portree, and Finbar Quigley, Captain of the Ballycastle Bats. The all said very nice things about my playing but I told them that it was my other team members that made me look good,

Andrew Kirke, Hermione, and I get to go to the dedication of the new fountain in the Atrium this afternoon, so I will see you then, but I just couldn’t wait to tell you about Gwenog Jones saying that she thinks I have potential.

Love,
Ginny

Molly and Arthur went to the dedication of the new fountain that afternoon. Kingsley was speaking earnestly to Holly Kirke and Ron right next to the black draped fountain. Lee Jordan waved at them. He was sitting next to a boy that Molly was sure was Andrew Kirke. On his other side, were what was must be his parents and grandmother. Harry had Ginny on one arm and Hermione on the other as he joined Molly and Arthur.

Kingsley said a few words of welcome, introduced Holly as the designer and Ron as the builder, and pulled on a long cord to drop the drape concealing the fountain. Everyone gasped. Instead of the expected figures of magical creatures, a large, but simple cauldron was overflowing into a larger pool with stepping-stones. Those nearest the cauldron were of different heights.

Kingsley explained, ‘the water bubbles up from the middle of the cauldron and overflows all around the side. The bottom of the cauldron is covered with magical mosaics of members of different magical species. When anyone stands on a stepping-stone by the edge and looks inside, he or she will first see a reflection and then random magical beings. You are welcome to come forward and investigate our new Magical Beings Fountain.

Molly, Arthur, and the three young people first went to congratulate Holly on the splendid design and then Ron on its sturdy construction. Then they walked over to the fountain and across the pool on stepping-stones to the different height viewing places by the overflowing cauldron. Harry thought it was very fitting that he saw a house-elf that looked a lot like Dobby, while Ginny was thrilled to see a Merperson.

The last Monday of the month, Molly Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts and walked to the area her committee had chosen to see how near completion the Memorial was. She and Hagrid lifted the Disillusionment Charm that hid it until the anniversary of the Battle. She was impressed with how peaceful it was already. She walked to the center of the Memorial; found Fred’s name followed by ‘2 May 1998’, and traced the letters with her fingers. Then she walked to the beginning of the path and traced Ceddie’s name and the date, ‘24 June 1995’.

‘Oh, Hagrid,’ she said with tears in her eyes. ‘I think you and the Hogwarts house-elves have made a perfect place for us to remember and heal.’ Molly embraced Hagrid’s waist and walked slowly to the gates and Apparated to The Burrow.

The rest of the week, she cleaned, cooked, and fussed over the accommodations for Charlie and Kathleen. She thought that they should stay in Charlie’s old room but it had only a twin bed. Arthur ended her comments about whether she should put another bed in there or widen Charlie’s old one, when he asked her, ‘is he a wizard or not?

Charlie and Kathleen seemed very tired when they arrived on Thursday evening. Molly hugged them both and commented, ‘Kathleen, we need to feed you and get you to bed as soon as possible. You look like the trip has been harder on you than on Charlie. Unless, you are…?’ She looked shrewdly at Kathleen’s stomach.

Charlie laughed and said, ‘I told you she would be able to tell.’

‘We think I may be a trifle pregnant,’ said Kathleen, as Molly led her to a chair, lifted her feet onto an ottoman, and Summoned a cup of tea for her to drink.

Again, that night, Molly fell asleep in Arthur’s arms, thinking about a wedding at The Burrow. This time the wedding was for Charlie and Kathleen, instead of for Percy and someone he had yet to meet.

A/N: Thank you to my flist at LiveJournal for providing me with corrections and comments. St Margarets has been especially supportive of my letting her characters come out and play again. The small but significant changes made by my patient Beta Trelawney 2213 make a big difference in each chapter’s readability.

There are only two more chapters in the last of my stories of Molly’s reactions to what is happening around her. Thank you to all who have come along for the long ride.

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