A/N: For the Houses Competition
House: Ravenclaw
Category: Drabble
Prompt: Diagon Alley
Word count: 452
It took a long time to build Diagon Alley back up to its former glory. Every single shop was ruined, the windows blown in, and the insides completely gutted. Gringotts reeked with the scent of death, and it would be a long while before all of the bloodstains could be mopped from the floor, even longer before the memories of the dragon could be forgotten. Rubble littered the winding streets, and shadows crept long over the once beautiful cobbled pathways. It was a sorry sight.
The process would, of course, have taken far longer without the use of magic, but average spells and charms could only go so far to undo the damage wrought by the Death Eaters. Complex magic, that which only few had mastered well enough to perform, was required in some areas, and some places were so totally destroyed that there was no hope of ever repairing them again.
(Not that it mattered to everyone. In many cases, the owners were already long dead and gone.)
There were, of course, more than a few famous faces making up the reconstruction team. Harry, in particular, had been especially keen to help out, as he felt that it was his fault that Diagon Alley was in this terrible state at all. Many other Hogwarts residents, both students and teachers, were involved, and even some Ministry members showed up, which had been a surprise to most. But then, they had all known the wonders of Diagon Alley, which had once been a place of refuge and genius for wizarding folk.
None of the Weasleys would forget the day that their family were first able to enter the old joke shop. Nor would they forget the way they had slowly stepped across the threshold, the way they had stared uncomprehendingly at the twins' shattered dreams. And Ron would never forget the way George had gripped his collar tight and leaned to whisper in his ear.
"We're going to fix this," he had ground out. "We're going to fix it for Fred."
The shop became the first one to be completely repaired, and it stood out as a beacon of hope that things could go back to the way they were before. Opening day was an emotional one for all, and it was with shaking hands that Molly and George cut the ribbon to allow to first customers through the doors.
It would be many years until Diagon Alley was fully raised from the rubble and brought back to its original glory. But the memories of it held, and the people who loved it would try their very hardest to make it as great as it had been in their youth, if not better.
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