Molly's Gift
Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable.
This story will be in parts instead of chapters because they are so short.
Part 1 Funeral preparations and Kinsley's visit
I took a deep breath as I hugged Ginny close. She was quiet lately. Not that I blamed her in the least. I normally tried my best to keep her distracted, and usually succeeded but today was different. Today was the funeral and it was all anyone could do to say a word, let alone anything encouraging.
Ginny was dressed in her new black mourning robes that I had gotten her for this. Molly was sitting stoically looking at the bowl of porridge that Kreatcher had sat on the table. He knew not to do anything heavy today. The house elf gave her a soft pat on her knee before going back to the stool in front of the stove top.
The Weasley's had been staying with me since the Burrow was burnt to the ground. They wanted to stay close by and Ginny and Ron had helped me and Hermione apparate everyone here after a few hours. Bill and Fleur were visiting daily and Charlie was every few days.
George, if possible, looked worse than he had the night Fred had died. He was barely eating, and that was only when Ginny coerced him. The family looked worse for wear but I was just glad we hadn't lost more than we had. The sacrifice for the war was not pleasant but it could have been much worse.
It was June 2, 1998, one month since the war had ended. Kingsley had stated that the Ministry would pay for every funeral for the lives lost at the Hogwarts Battle, save for DeathEaters, but it would only be one funeral a day. Students first, in alphabetical order, then teachers, the same way, the Order members and then family and friends who were none of the above. It was a very diplomatic way of going about it but Molly and Arthur had taken a mute stature when he announced when Fred would be buried.
Kingsley and Snape, who had ingested a vial of antivenom before he was attacked, were working diligently with McGonagall to get the funerals done and the school repairs going. People had turned up from far and wide to help with the school, house-elves were running themselves ragged trying to get things done that the humans couldn't get to yet.
The floo flared to life, making most of the people in the room jump at the sound as Kingsley and McGonagall came through.
"We have the Great Hall fixed up for the reception. Lee asked if you would want to help Mr.… George." Professor McGonagall said softly looking at the lonely twin.
"Yeah. I can do that." George said his voice hoarse and raspy as he stood shakily from the uneaten bowl in front of him. He kissed his mother on the top of her head before exiting via floo.
"Molly, Arthur; Poppy asked if you would like a bit of time with him before it starts." The Professor said softly to the two listless parents. Molly made a soft whining sound before she stood abruptly, making her chair fall to the floor behind her. Kreatcher rushed over and picked up the chair, not bothering to even send a glare to the Weasley matriarch.
Once Molly, Arthur and McGonagall were gone Kingsley turned to us.
"Mr. Potter, Miss. Granger? A word if you please?" he said softly before walking into the library across the hall.
I looked at Hermione who had managed to pry Ron off of her and was making her way to the other room. With a kiss to Ginny's forehead I stood passing by the silent and unmoving table full of siblings and followed her.
"Thank you. I am sorry for having to do this today but I am starting to feel the effects of all of this." Kingsley said softly before handing them each a thick scroll. "The two of you were left quite a few things by various people who died. Little Teddy Lupin being the first on the long list, apparently Dora and Remus were convinced that the little boy would need godparents who were close and Dora wasn't one for keeping the company of many girls. Dromeda said she is more than willing to keep him until one of you wants to take over, she is also open to taking sole custody of him."
"I have no issue with her having sole custody as long as she lets us visit." I said softly before opening the scroll. One side of the parchment was names and the other side a list of what apparently I had been left.
"Most everything has been transferred to your vault Harry, Hermione I took the liberty of opening a vault for you. Many of the order left you their libraries and odds and ends. You have a nice sizable amount of gold in that vault as well. The ministry has started a petition to divvy up the vaults of the accused and deceased deatheaters and set up a way to divide it amongst those who lost family members. It would be wise either later today after everything is said and done or perhaps tomorrow for the two of you to go by Gringotts and see your vaults. The ministry has taken care of any Goblins who had an issue with you continuing business there. Another thing that I wanted to discuss with the two of you is for the two of you to assist me in finding a new home for the Weasley's. They lost everything in the fire and quite honestly I think Molly needs her own kitchen to fuss over." He said lightly.
"We'll see what we can find." Hermione said with a smile as she rolled up her scroll.
"I'm sure there is a Potter property that hasn't seen love in a while that she could nag over." I said with a touch of humor.
"Right, well we should head over to Hogwarts and get the funeral over with." Hermione said leading the way back to the kitchen.
"I'll see if I can't find a house for them. They are the closest thing I have of family left really." I said to Kingsely before following Hermione with a sigh. I really hated it, but I wanted today done and over with.
Part 2 Gringotts
I was sitting at a desk in Gringotts going over the property list with one of the older Goblins. His name was Girk and he was immensely helpful with my ordeal. He had a map of the world and had little tacks of where I had properties and land and even a few small businesses that had been in the grandfather's name. Girk and I had been separating the scrolls by hand for hours and I had filled him in on my plan.
"I need a quirky house, Girk, maybe a few dozen house elves to go along with it. The house needs to have at the very least a dozen bedrooms." I said looking over each property located in London.
"how about a relocation spell Mr. Potter. There are a few 'abandoned' homes that are in your name in the U.S. that haven't been touched in close to 100 years, if not longer." Girk suggested holding up a three deed scrolls.
There were muggle pictures of each property attached to each scroll, showing the houses barely, the quality of the pictures starting to go.
Taking a sip of my cooling tea I picked up one of the U.S. deeds and looked at the picture. It was smaller than I wanted but it had a certain character about it that caught my attention. I looked at the actual details. Only six large rooms not including the living room with a fire place. It was a farmhouse in its day. At the bottom of the scroll it had a side note that it had a large room that was floor to ceiling wall to wall built in shelving. I humphed at the scroll before sitting it in the keep pile.
The house would make a nice wedding gift for Hermione and Ron in a year or so. I would have to see what she had to say about it in general before I looked into fixing it up and moving it.
The second scroll had another farm house but it was far too small. It looked like a one person, two at most house. I shook my head and sat it in the auction pile before grabbing the last one.
I sat there and blinked at the picture. It had been taken at an angle but I could count four visible stories to the old house. It had a wraparound porch that even I could see a family sitting on relaxing. I glanced at the scroll to see the listed details.
This house had been used by my grandfather before he married my grandmother so it was properly labeled; large kitchen, large dining room, two studies, a library, a decent sized living room, an attached green house, a proper laundry room, six bathrooms and fifteen bedrooms. It even had thirty house-elves still living there and keeping it up for the most part.
"This is it." I said handing the scroll to Girk.
"Very well. I will contact the American Ministry and see about their cooperation on a relocation spell. I will assume that you want the house to go where the Weasley's home burnt down?" he asked me.
"Yes, I think that would work." I said sitting back and finishing off my cold tea.
Part 3 America
Girk and I were sitting at the National Wizarding Bank of America in a small southern city in Tennessee going over the details for the house. I was trying to hold in my laughter at the absurd accent the man who we were talking to had. It rose and fell and caught in weird places and I had never heard anything like it before.
"Now, you said you wanted to do a relocation spell on the Potter Queen Anne Place?" the American, Todd, asked.
"Yes, I am gifting it to my mother-in-law to be. She recently lost her home to a raid and a fire during the war with Voldemort." I said watching as the American didn't even flinch at the name. Huh, odd…
"Ah, I understand. Well all I will need is for you to sign here," he said pointing to a line on the paper. "And here if you wish to put the land on the market." He said pointing to another line.
I looked to Girk who nodded. He had read the entire thing in less than five minutes while the American rambled on.
I started to sign before I thought about it.
"I want to see the house before I sign this. I might just sell it instead of gifting it to my mother in law. She can be very picky." I said clicking the muggle pen he had handed me.
That seemed to throw the American for a loop.
"You want to see it?" he asked confused, as if the idea never occurred to him.
"Would you give something to your mother in law without seeing it in person?" I asked incredulously. Ginny would have my guts for garters if the house was not perfect in every way I could think of if I had given it without looking at it.
He paled suddenly and shook his head.
"No. that would be very dangerous with my Anita's mother. She's a southerner and says everything that is on her mind. She makes a very good pecan pie though." He said with a charming smile. "Would you like for me to accompany you to the house?" he asked after a moment, probably thinking of the nut pie.
"That's not necessary. Girk and I will be back in a while. Save that contract though." I said before standing and shaking the limp hand of the American.
Girk and I walked out into the lobby of the National Wizarding Bank of America before he apparated us to the boundary line.
"I don't know what I was thinking, not looking at the bloody house before I tried to give it to Molly." I said laughing at myself as we walked up to the front door.
I knocked once and a small elf opened the door.
"Good after noon, my name is Harry Potter." I said with a disarming smile at the young elf.
"Master Potter?" she asked confused.
"Yes. I recently came into my inheritance for all of my properties and I would like to see this house if it is alright with you."
"Oh, yes, Master Potter, Amber would be happy to show Master the Queen Anne Place. Master Harold and Mistress Catharine left when young Master James turned ten for England. They wanted him to go to Hogwarts, they did." She said with a cheerful toothy smile.
"James was my dad." I said in a way of explaining who I was.
"How is the young Master?" Amber asked as she opened the door further and let Girk and I through.
"My mum and dad died when I was a baby. I never knew them. My grandparents died before then." I said softly watching as her ears drooped at the news.
"Amber is sorry Master. Amber did not know." Came a sniffled response.
"It's fine Amber." I said looking up and saw muggle electricity lights shining brightly on the high ceiling. "How is it you have magic and electricity?" I asked intrigued. I knew I should have brought Hermione.
"The American Ministry invented a shield charm a few years ago." Amber said as if it was old news. To her it most likely was. "It's linked to a generator in the basement."
"Oh, I'm sure the British Ministry will be looking forward to learning that spell." I said with a smile as she showed us the large Victorian house.
"May Amber ask why Master is looking at the house?" the elf asked softly as she led us through the upper floors where most of the bedrooms were.
"Well, I have a lady who took me in pretty much when I started Hogwarts. I'm friends with her youngest son and I plan on marrying her only daughter. She lost her house in a fire not too long ago and thought I might give her a new home. I had many good memories in her house in the few years I knew her. She's a very kind woman and doesn't ask for much but I feel like I owe it to her for being so kind to me when I had no one else, adult wise at that time." I said in explanation.
"is the Lady nice?" Amber asked timidly.
"very, she is a British woman and she does have a temper but on the whole she is a very nice lady. Her husband is also very nice. So are all of her children. But she had to burry one of them this week and she's been very sad. I thought having a new house would help distract her and her husband and help them cope with their loss a bit." I said as she opened the door to the kitchen.
I watched as the house elves worked around the room, cleaning and stocking the shelves. Apparently they had been cleaning up from eating lunch.
"Good afternoon." I said greeting the room full of elves. "I'm Harry Potter."
"Master Potter!" came a happy cry as the elves cheered happily.
Once I explained what I had planned I asked the elves that would like to serve Molly and Arthur to stand against the wall. There was about ten of them that were very happy about the prospect of having a Master to serve.
"I have a project for the rest of you. There is another house that I own here in the U.S. that has been abandoned and neglected for a few years. I want to give that house to one of my friends for a wedding present in a few years most likely but it will need some work."
"Clip and the house elves of Potter's Queen Anne's would like to help with this project." A proud older elf said standing as tall as he could.
"Thank you, Clip, I will be giving them the house and a few elves as well. I will warn you. My friend is muggleborn and will want to free you or pay you." I said with a smile as I saw the horrified faces of the elves. "You don't have to stay there once I give them the house. I have a good bit of house-elves I need to locate from various properties and I will choose from all of my elves not just you guys." I said with another smile as they sighed in relief as one.
"Well, Girk, looks like I have a paper to go sign." I said to the Goblin who was standing silently off to the side.
Part 4 gifting
Hermione met me at the Burrow's empty plot and helped me clean up the charred remains of the beloved house one week later.
"Are you sure she will like the house you picked?" Hermione asked worried as she flicked her wand.
"Yes. I have a few properties I want you to look at. I don't know if I need to sell them or keep them. There's one left in the U.S. I'm thinking of relocating as well but I would like your input."
"Sure. Anything you want Harry, let's just get this house relocated first." She said lifting the wards set up over the patch of land before walking with me back over to the mailbox.
I cast the relocation spell and watched as the house seemed to grow out of the ground before turning into a small doll house and growing bigger from there. The same spell had been cast on the house in the U.S. so that instead of just popping out of existence it would look as if the house had been torn down and the surrounding land taken care of.
I looked at Hermione and saw the pure amazement at the spell as she watched the four story Victorian style house grown nice and tall.
"I love magic." She sighed happily before going up to the house. "This is beautiful Harry. I never knew you had a house like this." She said excitedly as she skipped up the steps to the front porch.
"I never knew until Girk helped me sort through the crap I had loaded up on from all the generations of Potters. I have a few of the larger ones I think I might use for a healer's practice or maybe an orphanage for the children who lost their parents in the war. Maybe a school for muggleborn's to go to when they show their magic. Kind of a pre-Hogwarts school maybe; since pureblood children have tutors and personal instructors." I said rambling as I followed her through the front yard and up the steps.
"You should ask Kingsely once things slow down a bit. I'm sure there are those that would love to help teach younger minds." Hermione said when I opened the door and lead the way into the foyer of the house.
"Come on. Kitchen is this way." I said with a smile as we walked through the sparsely furnished house.
"Good morning Master Harry." Amber said as I walked into the kitchen.
"Good morning Amber. Hermione this is Amber. She will be the Weasley's head elf."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Amber." Hermione said kneeling down to the little elf with a smile.
"It's very nice to meet Miss Hermione." Amber said with her big blue eyes shining brightly with happy tears.
"Amber, we will need your assistance with the wards once Molly and Arthur are here." I said to the cheerful elf handing her the new uniform for the elves to wear. "This is your new uniform. This is me changing my ownership of the ten Potter House elves to the Weasley Family line."
"Yes, Master Harry." The chorused as one.
"Alright. It's time to go get Molly and Arthur." I said with a smile to Hermione as she watched the happy elves.
"For being alone for so long without a master of the house they sure are much more cheerful than Kreatcher was." She said with a smile as we walked back to the living room.
"He was also alone and only had the picture of crazy Mrs. Black to listen to. Grimmauld place!" I shouted into the fireplace before spinning through the Floo.
I stepped out into the library of Sirius' house. Hermione followed directly after me.
"You go get Arthur. I'll get Molly." I said with a smile. I was finally going to be able to repay the kindness this family had bestowed upon me when I was eleven.
I found the Weasley Matriarch sitting at the kitchen table like normal with a cup of tea a small plate of untouched toast.
"Good Morning Mrs. Weasley." I said softly as I came to a stop at a chair close to her.
"Hello, Harry dear. Please call me Molly dear. Would you like breakfast?" she asked wearily, as if afraid I would expect her to cook.
"No, I'm fine. I actually wondered if you and Mr. Weasley would come with me and Hermione for a minute. There is something we wanted to show you." I said trying to keep my excitement down. She was still prone to crying fits and I didn't want to trigger one before she saw the new house.
"Sure thing dear." She said blinking a bit before she sent her tea and toast to the sink.
"Hermione went after Mr. Weasley." I explained before she started up the stairs to find her husband. Sure enough Hermione and Arthur were walking down as soon as she looked up.
"Do you know what's going on Molly dear?" Arthur asked as he made his way down the stairs.
"Not yet." Molly said suspiciously now as we made our way to the library.
"I'll go first. Queen Anne's Burrow!" I shouted into the floo.
With a smile I saw I came out in the living room of the house. I was glad the new name took.
Molly and Arthur followed me and Hermione brought up the last of us.
"This is a lovely house Harry dear, but I don't understand why Arthur and I were needed." Molly said as we walked through the bottom level of the house.
"Well, I was going through my properties and saw this house. You and Mr. Weasley have been the parents I never had and I wanted to give something back to you. I've been wanting to move out of Sirius' house and use it as a safe house only for a while now. But I wanted somewhere for all of us to be able to go first. This is one of my Grandfather's homes. It was forgotten about after the last war, and I recently, as in today, relocated it to England from a small town in a southern state in the U.S., I am giving it to you and Mr. Weasley."
"Oh, Harry, you didn't have to do that." Molly said tearing up.
"I know. But I wanted to. You and Mr. Weasley once gave me a home when I didn't have one. Now I get to repay the favor with a bit more flourish to it." I said sheepishly as I opened the door to the kitchen. "Amber, can you come here please?" I asked with a soft voice as Molly and Arthur followed me into the room.
"Good Morning, Master and Mistress Weasley." Amber said brightly with a deep curtsy with her new uniform.
"Harry this is too much." Arthur said looking at the clean light blue uniform with the orange Weasley family coat of arms on the breast.
"All ten of the house elves here, are here of their own free will. They have served the Potter Line quietly for years now. I don't have enough to keep all of my elves busy and I don't want to insult them by freeing them. Amber here is the Head Elf and loves the idea of helping me help my extended family." I said softly as I watched Molly dissolve into tears.
"We know it won't replace the original Burrow but we hope it will help ease the loss." Hermione said softly touching Molly's arm.
"I plan on marrying Ginny. And I'm sure Hermione and Ron have their eyes just as far into the future and if all goes to plan then every bedroom will be needed for us to come visit over the next hundred years with children and grandchildren, maybe even great grandchildren." I said laughing along with Molly as she slowly cheered up at the mention of family.
"I know how to extend the house if extra rooms are needed." Amber piped up from my elbow. "All of us do." She added as the other elves popped into the kitchen in matching uniforms.
Molly dissolved into another round of tears as she leaned into Arthur who just looked stunned.
He blinked at me for a minute before I realized he too was tearing up.
"Thank you Harry."
"Family takes care of its own. And I don't have to be blood related or even related by marriage to consider this my family sir."
"Would Master and Mistress like to see the rest of Queen Anne's Burrow?" one of the younger elves asked cheerfully.
"I think we would like that a lot." Arthur said with a watery smile.
"I'll go get everyone else that I can." Hermione said kissing me on the cheek before I joined Molly and Arthur along their tour of their new home.
I watched with a smile as the elves all chipped in explaining certain areas of the older home. And Molly simply smacked her husband's hand when he went to flip the light switch on the wall to see what it did and was over-joyed to see it turned the lights on and off. Needless to say he flipped the switch multiple times before Molly pulled him away from the wall.
I felt tiny, dainty little hands wrap around my waist and hug me tightly from behind. I looked back and was greeted with the sight of a smiling Ginny, even if her eyes were too bright.
"Thank you Harry." Ginny whispered as she watched her parents bicker over the light switch in the next room.
"Anything for family, love." I said back just as softly before twisting and kissing her gently on her lips.
"Oi! Get a room!" came Ron's indigent cry from the stairs.
"We're in one Ronald" Was Ginny's simple response, as she smiled up at me like I had just hung the moon in the sky.