Authors Note
I don't own anything except the plot everything else is J.K.'s
This is just a little fic that I dreamed up the other day.
Thanks for reading and reviewing
"Fred Weasley I'm going to murder you if you don't come down here with my cat this instant!" Hermione called to the airborne Weasley twin.
Fred and George had decided to hold Crookshanks hostage after he had destroyed one of their experiments. They were now flying high above the burrow with Crooks in a woven basket charmed shut.
Hermione was spending her weeks Easter vacation from Hogwarts at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Harry. As much as Hermione loved the Weasleys the house was more than a little crowded on holidays. Harry and Ginny had gotten married last year and were expecting their first child and along with Harry's Godson Teddy Lupin stayed in Ginny's room. Fred and George stayed in their old room on holidays, but had a flat above their shop that they lived in. Molly however insisted that her children live at home during the Holidays. However that meant she got to share the divided attic with Charlie.
"Hermione it's time your evil cat learn a lesson. I'm sorry, but it's for the good of the burrow." Fred bellowed back, placing the basket on the roof of the burrow and floating down to the ground.
Hermione sighed and wondered how dense the twins could possibly be.
"Accio Basket" She shouted and the basket came zooming down with a very angry crooks inside. Hermione opened the basket and out hopped a very purple cat. Crooks streaked around the yard like lightning then finally found an open window and jumped through.
"Fred Weasley I… I can't believe you….you dyed my cat PURPLE!" Hermione shouted at the twin.
"Oh no dear, you can't blame that on me, he wouldn't be purple if he hadn't knocked over our cauldron. It was our newest product. Color changing mood skin. It's meant to be put into soap and it temporarily changes your skin colors that change as your mood changes, but your bloody cat got the entire potion on himself. I have no clue when the thing will wear off!" Fred cried with exasperated hand movements.
Hermione huffed back into the house. Really the problem with Crooks was the least of her worries. After accepting the job as potions master at Hogwarts this past year Hermione had packed her bags and moved to Hogwarts (though she refused to take Snape's old room in the dungeons) The first night there was horrible for Hermione. Every corner she turned she saw remnants of the war. Places where people had died, people she had respected and loved. She didn't know when it had happened, but at some point she refused to come out of her room except to teach classes. She even took her meals in her room.
The other professors had tied to convince Hermione that the castle was simply that, a castle and that she shouldn't be afraid of what had happened there but focus on what was to come. However Hermione couldn't. Every time she walked into the great hall she saw them. Remus, Tonks, Colin, Luna, and even Blaise who had helped them in the attempt to get everyone out of the castle. She saw their bodies lying on the floor and she swore that their blood could still be seen and smelled. Others had been killed later but their memories haunted her as well. She refused to go on the grounds because of her memories of Hagrid. He had been killed later by a rouge death eater his skin sliced in a way that could only be the cutting curse. Charlie had taken Hagrid's place as professor and the students truly loved him, Hermione enjoyed the company of him as well at faculty meetings, he always tried to make everyone laugh, but he still wasn't Hagrid.
Hermione made her way up the stairs to once again hide out in the attic. As she opened the door she realized that she wasn't the only one in the room. Charlie sat in the floor with papers covering most of the floor.
"Oh, sorry I didn't know you were up here." Hermione said standing by the door.
"That's no problem Hermione; it's your room too. I was just grading some papers, care to join me?" He asked patting the floor beside him.
She took a seat and picked up a few papers. Charlie handed her a quill and moved his bottle of red ink between them.
"The Phoenix and its magical properties. How long are they supposed to be Charlie?" Hermione asked
"Oh, it's supposed to be one foot and I'm giving them a point for every inch over." Charlie said shuffling through the papers for his measuring tape.
"Even Alice's?" Hermione asked holding up the 3 foot paper that reminded her of one of her own.
Charlie chuckled and nodded.
Hermione began to read over the girl's paper.
The Phoenix and its Magical Properties
By Alice Bakesfield
Phoenix's are brightly colored turkey sized birds that are said to have originated somewhere in India. The birds first show up in Muggle mythology as a fire bird said to have a life span of 1000 years then is reborn again. In all actuality the mighty Phoenix goes through a normal life span then burst into flames when he or she dies. The Phoenix is then reborn from its ashes.
Hermione read on until something caught her eye.
In Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts a Phoenix named Fawkes helped the young hero to defeat the basilisk in Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets. Fawkes, Dumbledore's loyal companion was called by Harry's extreme loyalty to the Headmaster. The Phoenix delivered Godric Gryffindor's sword and blinded the Basilisk making the creature's glare no longer lethal. In the process of killing the creature Potter was wounded by one of the basilisk's fangs and poisoned. Fawkes used his tears to heal the wound and carried Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley (now Ginny Potter) to safety.
Fawkes was also the phoenix whose tail feathers are in two very influential wands. One being Harry Potters own wand an eleven inch, Holly wand with a phoenix feather core. This wand was also the twin to the Dark Lord Voldemort's own wand. The power of the phoenix feather was enough to both condemn and save the wizarding world.
After Headmaster Dumbledore's death the Phoenix was left to Mr. Potter who gave the phoenix his freedom. Fawkes still residedes at Hogwarts, but can often be found at the Potter residence as well. After Mr. Potter's wand was broken in the last battle Fawks supplied another Phoenix feather to make the hero another wand.
Hermione laughed, leave it to Alice to find out information that isn't in any book.
"Something funny Mione?" Charlie said looking at Hermione as she measured the parchment and writing a score.
"Just laughing at Alice's extensive research. She has an entire half of a foot on Harry and Fawkes. Who knows where she got the information, but it's all correct." Hermione said picking up another parchment and scoring it.
"Reminds me of someone. I can't think of who though." Charlie replied with a wink.
They sat in silence grading until all the papers were gone. Charlie stood and placed the papers in his black bag then held his hand out to help Hermione up.
"Dinner!" Mrs. Weasley's booming voice came from the staircase.
Hermione took Charlie's hand and pulled herself up.
Hermione laughed at George and his antics as she excused herself from the table. It was Ron and Bill's night to do the dishes so she could go upstairs and relax. She grabbed her newest book off the counter where she had laid it earlier when Fred had catnapped Crookshanks and one again climbed the steps to the attic.
Once inside Hermione cracked open her book and began to read about the newest theories in potions.
It was late before Charlie climbed the creaky steps up to the burrow's attic for bed. Upon entering he found Hermione to already be fast asleep with a book in her hand and on top of her blankets. He smiled and walked over to her bed; he placed a bookmark on her page and put the book on her bedside table. Charlie then levitated the sleeping witch, pulled down the blankets on her bed, and covered her with the blankets once she was lowered back onto the mattress. He smiled once again at the witch who was so peacefully sleeping. A wisp of hair hung in her face and Charlie couldn't resist the urge to brush it away. She stirred in her sleep.
Charlie dove for his bed across the room. He magicly turned the lights out and covered himself with the thick quilt his mother had placed on the bed. He hoped that he hadn't waked her and after a few minutes of silence he decided that e hadn't.
Charlie pulled the blankets around him and turned onto his side. As tired as he was he just couldn't fall asleep. The moon shown bright outside of the window casting a blue glow to the room that reminded him of his room at Hogwarts. He had been offered the position after Hagrid's death and though he loved his job at the dragon sanctuary he couldn't say no, so he packed up his cabin and moved into Hagrid's hut. After a lot of charms and good old fashion work the old gamekeepers hut was truly livable again and with the help of his mother was really quite quaint. He loved being back at Hogwarts and had even been allowed to bring his miniature Chinese Fireball, Ming, with him. The small dragon was really no bigger than a large horse, but he could still do a large amount of damage if handled improperly.
Charlie heard a moan from the bed across the room and turned over to look. Hermione had curled up in a little ball on her bed and was now tossing back and forth. Gone was the peaceful look on her face. She now had her eyes scrunched as if trying to block out the sight of something as she began to quietly say no over and over again.
"Psst…..Hermione, Wake up love, it's just a dream." Charlie walked over to the side of her bed and shook her arm gently.
Hermione woke with a start, tears clouding her beautiful brown eyes.
"Charlie?" she asked looking around the room slowly.
"Yes Hermione?"
"how is it that you and the rest of our family can deal with the deaths of the war so quickly?"
"Life, we still have it, and we will hopefully have long ones now that Voldemort is gone. Yes the loss of our friends are quite sad, but Hermione they died to end this war they knew what they were fighting for, they knew they could easily be killed, but they fought on, they fought for the light because they had to because it was what was right! I could have died that day, but I would have died knowing there would be a better tomorrow for my brothers, my sister, and my niece, even you."
"Charlie, I see them every time I close my eyes. Their blood, the screaming. I feel it all.
"It was just a bad dream love, go back to sleep, I'll be right across the room."Charlie said as he once again tucked the young witch in.