This story was written in conjunction with my friend Olivia. Okay just to clarify some of this before the story takes off. This is a complete Alternate Universe to canon. In this Universe, Molly and Arthur were part of the Order of the Phoenix and it wasn't just the Potter family that the prophecy could have been targeted to. Remus and Sirius are not a couple, but they are raising Ginny and Percy together and that is explained in a different chapter. I hope you all like it. Please give the chapter a full read and chance before you click out of it. Thanks! WE DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER NOR IT'S CHARACTERS. Enjoy!
20 August 1987
Dear journal,
Hi I am Ginny. I am six. My brother Bill got this journal for me at a store. I love when we go to the stores. We are all together then. We live with other people but we are still family.
Remus needed to buy stuff from the smelly shop. He says its for his headaches. He gets them every month. Sirius sends me and Percy to stay with one of the others for it every month. Everyone is worried when Remus gets headaches.
People stared at us in the stores. No one tells me why they do this. I think its because of my hair. Sirius says that it looks like fire when I dance. People whisper when we walk by. I don't like it when they do that. Dinner is ready, I have to go.
Ginny closed the journal that she had gotten for her sixth birthday from Bill and tucked it into the top drawer of her desk. The time on her clock read 10:18 and she wasn't leaving until 11:30. If she remembered correctly, she was staying with Lily and James for the weekend. Just as she was pushing her chair back from her desk, she heard the telltale soft rap of Remus' knock on her door.
"Come in!" Ginny swiped her brush from the desk and started to pull it through her hair, meanwhile using her free hand to pat around the surface of the wood for a hair tie.
Remus leaned himself against the doorway and held back a snicker as he watched the girl he thought of as a daughter trying to get herself ready. "You know, Ginevra, that you have a box of hair ties on your dresser, correct?"
A slight flush spread onto Ginny's cheeks and she muttered, "Oh um, yeah. Yeah I knew that."
"I was just coming up to make sure you were all packed to go to James and Lily's?"
"About that… You see, I still have a whole hour to get ready and I don't need all that much! I still have a dresser at the Manor," the little redhead grinned sheepishly up at Remus and frowned down at her.
"Ginny, you need to get your bags together. I don't want to be dropping you and Percy off late. You know that it's rude to put everyone else behind time. I'll be coming back up in forty minutes and if you're still not packed, you'll be in trouble, little miss."
"Fiiiine. I'll see you soon then," Ginny stomped her way over to Remus and used all of her weight to try and push him out of her room. "Come on! I can't get ready with you watchin' me like that!"
Remus laughed at her antics before he raised his arms in surrender and retreated from the yellow room. He moved two doors down in the hallway and looked through the open door to see Percy propped up against the back of the bed, reading yet another book on his bed.
"Hey, Perce. Are you all packed?" Remus walked over and sat down on the soft mattress, placing his hand onto Percy's foot to draw his attention from the story he was reading.
Percy lifted his book over his head so he could look down the length of the bed at Remus. "Yes. I've been packed since yesterday." He immediately brought his eyes back to the text and Remus smiled at the boy's love for reading. He pushed off of the bed and left the room, not that Percy even noticed.
The stairs creaked as Remus made his way down and he made a mental note to charm them to be quieter later. He stopped in the living room to make sure that there was enough floo powder to get them to the Potter's house before he made his way into the adjacent room.
Sirius poked his head out of the fridge when he heard Remus enter the kitchen. "Anything to drink, Moony?"
Remus shook his head no and leaned back against the counter. The full moon was coming up in a few days and it wasn't hard to see the effect that it was having on him. The tired bags under his eyes were prominent and the weariness to his stature was causing him to pause for break after every strenuous activity. Sirius pulled a muggle brand soda out of the fridge and kicked the door shut with his ankle. He went and sat the the table, gesturing to the chair across from his for Remus to take. They sat together in silence for a few minutes before Remus started to speak his mind.
"It's wild to think that it's really been six years. I mean, watching them grow is crazy enough, but I never thought this far into the future when we agreed to take them in, you know?"
Sirius took a sip of his drink before revealing a guilty smile, "I feel so bad for thinking of them as my kids, but I can't think of them any other way. I know, logically, that they're Molly and Arthur's, but I just can't imagine not having raised them ourselves."
Remus nodded along to Sirius' confession, "Do you think we were crazy when we agreed to take them in?"
"Definitely. But do I regret it for a second? Not in the slightest."
Remus nudged Sirius across the table and tried to shake his unspoken comment out of him. "What's eating at you?"
There was a pause as Sirius tried to articulate his question, "Do you think that they would be happy with how we've done? Molly and Arthur, I mean."
"I don't know. There isn't any way to know. I don't think that they would've liked how we split up the kids, but I think that they would've known it was necessary. And they're healthy, happy. I want to believe that they know we did the best we possibly could. But, Sirius, I truly do not know. I'm sorry."
"I was afraid you would say something like that. Honest Professor Lupin-never can tell a lie," the joking smile on Sirius' face was very obviously forced and Remus sighed, knowing he hadn't helped to appease his friend's worries.
"I never will understand why all of you insist upon calling me 'professor.' Look, Padfoot, we couldn't do any better than what we have. We went into this with zero knowledge. We took in a newborn and a five-year-old. And that's without even mentioning the….other issues… that we learned to live with. And with that, I have to make sure that Gin has actually finished packing her bags. The little minx didn't have a single thing ready," Remus shook his head in exasperation before his muscles tensed as he prepared to push himself from his chair. Sirius caught sight of this and his hand darted forward to lightly push Remus back into his seat.
"I've got her. You rest up. I can handle a six-year-old girl."
Remus allowed himself to be pushed back down, "I'm going to let this happen, but I seriously doubt that you actually can."
Sirius laughed his way up the stairs. He knocked on the door and called, "Pizza delivery for a fiery, redhead!" He pushed the door open to the sound of the Ginny's giggles and his eyes widened when he saw the catastrophic mess the floor of her room had become. "Silly girl, what have you done!"
Ginny looked confusedly up at him, "I packed?" She proudly pointed at the neatly-packed, little suitcase on her bed.
"Funny enough, I was actually talking about the huge mess all over your room. It looks like a tornado blew through here!"
"Oh. Well I couldn't decide what to pack so I took out everything so I could look at it all. Was that wrong?" Ginny bit her lip and looked at the array of clothes on her floor. "Should I clean them up?"
"Yes. You really, really should. Remus is going to blow a gasket if he sees this."
"Blow a gasket? What does that mean?"
"It's not important. You get to work helping me fix this mess," Sirius bent down to start picking up the mini jumpers and folding them to be put away.
"Can't you just magic it up?" Ginny grumbled as she started picking through the piles of clothes.
"I'm not good at household charms-that's Remus. And there's no way I'm calling him up here to help out. Work, work, work, little one."
It was 11:25 now and Sirius was just folded the last pair of shorts and tucking them into the dresser when Remus stepped into the room. He looked around, confused, before his gaze settled on Sirius, "What's taking you so long?"
Sirius cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean? I was just spending some quality time with my best girl."
Remus' eyes narrowed, "Yes, of course." He looked behind Sirius to see the room in perfect condition and little Ginny just sitting on her bed, diary in hand, with the suitcase sitting on the floor in front of her. "Well, it's time to be going then. Sirius, should you fetch Percy, or should I?"
"I've got the squirt," Sirius stepped around Remus, to go retrieve Percy, first stopping to grab Ginny's bag.
Remus watched Sirius walk out before looking at Ginny, "What's he hiding? Did he pack for you?"
Ginny shook her head from side to side, making her hair swing around her face and locking an overly innocent smile into place, "Nope. I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout."
"Hmm are you sure? You really don't know what Sirius is hiding?" Right as Remus asked the question, Sirius walked past, Percy in a potato-sack hold over his shoulder, bags levitating behind them.
"I'm not hiding anything, Remus! Now come on or we'll be late!"
Lily was busy scolding Harry and Ron for stealing James' wand to turn their cat, Cheshire, different colors when she heard Sirius' floo call. The poor animal's coat was missing chunks of fur and different patches of color littered her body. With the cat still in her arms, Lily walked her way over to one of the dens and pushed the door ajar with her back. She set Chesire down on one of the cushy chairs and quickly slipped her wand out of her sleeve to place a freezing charm on the animal to keep it from escaping before she could fix him. She then waved her wand in a complicated manner to release the wards on the floo so that Remus, Sirius, and the kids could come through. Sirius came through first, little Ginny on his hip and her pink suitcase in hand. Ginny started to wriggle and squirm, trying to escape Sirius' grasp so she could pounce on Lily.
"Lily!"
"Hey there, Jitterbug!" Ginny finally got free and ran straight into Lily's outstretched arms. "My my! It seems as though you've grown five feet since I last saw you! I thought you swore to stay little forever!"
"I can't stay little forever! I'm not nearly grown enough! I need to be big so I can be awesome at quidditch!" Ginny pulled away from Lily's embrace and her eyes landed on the cat. "Cheshire! What happened to you? You're so pretty and colorful!"
Lily and Sirius both laughed at Ginny's excitement and Lily then turned her attention to Percy and Remus who had come through the floo while she was busy with the little girl.
"Hello Percy. What book have you got there? Oooh Lord of the Flies? That's a great one. Did Remus set you up with it?"
Percy smiled widely at her and began to rattle on about the book. Remus went to try and reverse the spellwork on Cheshire and Sirius slipped out of the room in pursuit of his best mate. When he found James, he was teamed up with Harry playing chess against Ron.
"Wow, Prongs. Can't even beat a seven-year-old kid at chess without the help of your son? And the two of you are losing, yet. How sad you've become in your old age." Sirius strode into the room and fell back into yet another cushy chair.
"Padfoot, you're the same age as I am. I'm actually a couple months younger than you. So if anyone here is in their 'old age,' it's you, you mutt." James then reached across the board to move his knight and Ron's hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him from making the movie. Ron then moved the pawn and smirked at James' colored cheeks.
"You wound me, James. Wound. I can't even look at you, you've broken my heart so."
"Geez, Sirius. Stop being such a drama queen. You're going to freak out the kids." Remus pushed past Sirius and greeted the two boys who were watching in amusement. He sank onto the couch and Sirius and James shared a quick, dejected glance as they realized the weariness of Remus' posture.
"Please, Moony. The kids have been living with James. After seeing that face everyday, nothing can freak them out."
"Are you insinuating that I'm not a beautiful man, Sirius? Is that what's happening right now?"
"A beautiful man? Please, James," Lily, Ginny, and Percy joined the everyone else in the room, the last with his arms full of new books.
"What is everyone trying to get at here?" James brought his hands to his chest in mock shock and wildly flung his head from side to side so that he could get a look at all of the people in the room.
"Good Merlin, James. You're a horrible example for the kids. You see what he acts like?" Lily said, turning to face the children. "This is the opposite of who you should aim to be like. Take note."
James glared at his wife before he pushed out of his chair, "I'm going to get a start on dinner. The elves treat me better than my own family."
Lily scoffed at James' childishness and moved to take his former seat. Harry looked at his mom pleadingly when she sat down and Lily sighed, "Harry, I'm not your father. I'm not going to help you cheat against Ron. You'll never be a good chess player if you can't play the game on instinct." Lily ruffled his already messy hair and watched him move his knight. It was an okay choice, but he really should've moved his queen instead.
Sirius and Remus soon grew bored with watching the game of chess, so they left the room to help James with dinner. They found him in the spacious kitchen, surrounded by elves trying to take over for him. Sirius and Remus couldn't help but laugh at the scene. James was covered in flour and trying to beat the elves to the cooking whilst laughing his head off. They walked into the room and greeted the elves, successfully grabbing James' attention in the process.
"You better not be down here trying to sneak bit of dinner before it's time."
Remus threw his hands up in surrender, "We aren't, James. I promise."
Sirius frowned at Remus' words, hoping that they could've snuck a nibble of food. James was an amazing cook and they learned that back in Hogwarts when they used to sneak down to visit the elves.
Remus leaned back against the wall and Sirius hopped up onto the counter. "Hey James, we haven't seen Bill since we've arrived."
"Yeah, he's on a date with the girl who works at the cafe. He's been chatting her up all summer long."
"Ooh chatting her up, huh? That's valuable information, that is," a slow smirk spread across Sirius' face.
"You stop that right there, Padfoot. You get to make fun of Perce when he starts liking girls. I get first dibs on Bill."
The smirk fell away when James started speaking and the room grew quiet save for the sounds of the cooking. Sirius was the one to break the silence.
"So full moon tonight. You coming along Prongs, or are you staying back to help Lil' with the littles?"
"I'll see if I can make it. You'll have to watch for my patronus. Is Wormy coming tonight or is he out of the country for work again?"
"I believe he's over in America right now. I sent him an owl, but he hasn't gotten around to replying yet. We'll see. I wouldn't count on it though, he's only made it to about half of them this year." Sirius said.
"We haven't really seen much of him in a while, have we? He never comes around anymore." Remus is still leaned against the wall, but a line now rests on his brow. "He hasn't been the same since the war ended."
James dipped a stir into the pot and slowly drew circles, "The war changed all of us. You know that."
The conversation stopped there, with soft hmms of acknowledgement from the others.
The house was so still. A deafening calm surrounded the once lively burrow and it's lopsided appearance had lost some of it's charm due to the dark feeling that everyone could sense. Lily reached for James' hand and he gave it a comforting squeeze before they apparated away. The burrow had been Lily's favorite safe house. All of the kids were adorable and Molly always cooked up a great meal for Order meetings.
She and James appeared in the foyer of Edgar's late great aunt's home. They were the first of the Order to arrive, even with their pit-stop to see the aftermath. James left her side to light a few candles with his wand and Lily conjured a tablecloth to drape over the dining room table. After placing a few heating charms, the two sat at the table and waited for the remaining members to drift in. It seemed as though everyone was floating through. While so many witches and wizards celebrated the end of the war, their small group was solemn.
As all of the members seated themselves at the table, no words were spoken. There wasn't anything to be said. The only sounds that they made were the sniffling of their sobs and murmurs of comfort. Mad-Eye and Albus were the last two to make their appearance. At their entrance, everyone's backs straightened as they awaited the news. Molly and Arthur were very noticeably not seated at the table, but the Order members couldn't help but wish they heard wrong.
"The children are all accounted for. I should say that they appear to be in proper health, if not for the emotional damage they no doubt will experience. Minerva and Poppy are with them now at the Hogwarts infirmary. I thought that to be a safe place to take them. Molly and Arthur did not survive the attack. Their bodies were recovered from the Burrow two hours ago and are now in custody of the Ministry." Albus' voice was loud in the silence of the room and it felt as though it shattered some last sliver of hope as it resounded across the space.
The mood in the room dropped even further at the confirmation of Molly and Arthur's death, but everyone felt some sort of relief in hearing that the children were safe.
"What about the kids? What's going to happen to them, Albus?" ALice Longbottom, who normally would always be smiling, still sat in her auror robes after working the scene at the Burrow.
"I will get to that, Alice, if you would be patient with me. First, I think it's important that we discuss matters involving Tom Riddle. His corpse was recovered along with Molly and Arthur's."
"He's dead!" Gideon's gasped question was extremely loud in the still air and his voice was cracked from lack of use.
"Yes, Gideon. The Dark Lord is no more, but I would not go so far as to say that he is dead. The wording rings with an air of finality and for a man who so greatly feared death, I doubt that he would allow his life to slip away so easily. In my understanding, Lord Voldemort is gone today, but this will not be the last you've seen of him," there was a pause in which Dumbledore used to let the information settle. "Now onto the matter of the kids. Molly and Arthur had no care guardians listed so the ministry is the current custody-holder. This is a legal matter that can be very easily dealt with, but for an issue with a much more complicated solution, we do not know where to place the kids."
"What do you mean you don't know where to place them? With me and Gid! We're their uncles! That's what Molly would've wanted!" Fabian yelped.
"Fabian is right," James' voice was strong, but low. "Molly and Arthur would have wanted the kids to go with them."
"What they wanted is not always what is right, James, Fabian. The financial situation is a matter that needs discussion. Not to mention that Emmeline and Fabian are going to be married and it is not always advised to be responsible for young children so soon." Dumbledore's hands folded in front of him, and Lily kept her eyes concentrated on the intertwined digits instead of the broken expressions that were painted on the faces of her friends.
"You think that we care about being responsible for them? Those kids are practically ours anyway! Who else would you place them with? Muriel? Bilius? Like hell. You know that there aren't any better options. And there is no way that I would let you put them in the system. No way that anyone here would let you. Molly and Arthur weren't going to raise them on a king's salary and you know it. We want to do this for Mols. We want to do this for the kids. You don't get to make decisions on their behalf. That isn't your right."
"There are matters that need to be discussed besides what was wanted. The children's safety is key and we can't place them anywhere lightly. There are many things to consider here besides the desires of those who can't even speak for them."
"You want the kids safe? They need to go with family then, Albus. They are going with me and Fabian. We may not have riches and a mansion, but we can afford to support them. They'll know love. And they will be happy. Our tiny apartment may not be the right option, but we can get something better for them soon. Anyway, it doesn't matter your opinion-family gets final say. And I say that the kids are going with us."
"Please consider the responsibility this will burden you with before you agree to take it on."
"Albus do you have no emotional range at all? These kids are my niece and nephews! My sister and brother-in-law have died! How dare you call those kids a burden! How dare you disregard Molly and Arthur's wishes! The dark lord is gone! You said it yourself! We don't need to take emotion out of everything anymore! We don't have to be soldiers 24/7! I know that there is still some danger lurking, but I can be responsible for the kids! We can be responsible! Just let us take care of them!"
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