(A/N: Please forgive me if I'm a bit a sketchy on the details of the next scene or so, I've only been to one funeral ever. *small smile*)
(A/N: Also, what should I call this stupid thing? I'm just calling it Change of Season 'cause that's the song I'm listening to right now and I'm not creative, and it's set in fall *a hur, I'm funny* Any suggestions? Take your time, I want to actually think up one of those plot things everyone's so excited about before the next chappy)
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Change of Season
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Chapter One
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A sad song was being played somewhere in the church. It wasn't anything Hermione recognized; it must have been a wizarding song.
No one was talking; everything from their clothes to the dim lighting itself was so dark… Except of course for the Harry, Hermione, Lee Jordan, the other Weasley children's best friends, and of course the Weasleys themselves. They all wore the last sweater Mrs. Weasley had given each of them. Hermione did feel a bit silly in the lavender jumper, but Ron had insisted. She had on a dark violet skirt too, to try to make up for any disrespect the pastel sweater might unintentionally mean.
The Weasley children had all nominated Bill to go and read a speech for them. It had been very beautiful… About how they were sorry for every discourteous word they'd ever said, for every time they'd snuck out without asking (Bill and Charlie mostly, so far), every time they'd blown anything valuable up (the twins of course), for all the times they'd ever done anything that would make their parents not smile, they had been sorry.
"We know you're in a better place now- a place without boys coming home for five minutes to ask for money then leaving, a place where there are no worries of a failed Apparation test, where peace is a given thing and Fred and George don't have to be bound and gagged in the basement. (A few scattered smiles)
"We hope we'll be better, we know the time you've already put in for us is enough to make us successful and sure of ourselves. And once you've had enough peace, we hope we can meet you again someday." Bill stopped and ran his fingers down either side of his nose, discreetly wiping tears. "We miss you." He stepped down.
Dumbledore himself spoke after Bill. His eyes were deep blue with a dark melancholy surrounding them. "There is not much else to say at such a time of grief. I am sure that the Weasley family will survive, over centuries this clan has faced many hardships and come out of every single one, stronger and with higher wills. Brilliant minds, strong ethics, and sharp wit can be seen only in this small group I see in front of me." He smiled and nodded to the seven Weasley children in their brightly colored attire. "They will carry on in the face of danger. Already, Ronald and Virginia have faced the mind of Voldemort in his many forms. Both have come out stronger than they were before and I must honour them because of this.
"We must all stay strong in the face of evil. Margaret and Arthur Weasley died heroes' deaths because they were willing to fight. Nothing more could be asked, than that they are now being rewarded wherever they are. Thank you."
Dumbledore stepped down.
***
Almost everyone in the church had shed at least one tear by the time the ceremony was over. Harry clutched himself inside his big dragon sweater and listened to the sad music playing as they were being let out. He looked around and saw Hermione a few rows back. She smiled sadly at him and picked at her own lavender quill-and-book-and-'H' sweater. In the back of the church sat Lupin and a large black dog whose shoulders came up to Lupin's waist. Lupin smiled and… Harry seemed to think Sirius winked, but as he was a dog it was hard to tell.
Harry turned back around and patted Ron's shoulder, giving him the same smile Hermione just had. Ron gave him the smallest shadow of a smile as he shuffled out of the pew. Harry walked next to him and Hermione joined them as they went down the aisle. They walked in silence until they were out of the church. Ron was supposed to stay and shake peoples' hands in the entrance hall with his siblings but he didn't feel up to it. They sat under a huge Weeping Willow on the front lawn of the church.
"So I guess it's been a pretty bad summer all around, huh?" Harry asked as he picked a length of the willow branch and swished it around like a wand. Hermione and Ron stayed silent. "Er… what happened with Draco, Hermione?"
Hermione, who was picking grass, shot her eyes up at Harry with an evil glare. Ron did the same thing, only to Hermione. "What's this about Draco?" he snapped.
"Well, um, you see… Harry?" She gave him the saddest pleading look that said this was one thing she very much did not want to be explaining to Ron.
"Apparently, Malfoy got down with amnesia and found his way to Hermione's house. For three days." Harry grinned up at Ron. He didn't usually like stirring up trouble like this, but even a Ron/Hermione bloodbath was better than them not talking at all.
"What?!" Ron shrieked and sat up. "You… No."
Hermione looked like she was having a migraine. "I do wish you'd stay out of my love life, Ron."
"Oh… My… God. No. Nonononono. You did not just… refer to M-Malfoy… as your love life?! I'll… good God… I…" he made a choking noise and settled on his back. "I mean… NO!" He suddenly got up again. "Hermione… Draco Malfoy! Our Malfoy… and… my Hermione… and, Mudblood… and… slap… I, NO!"
"Harry, what have you done to the poor thing?" Hermione stared between Harry and Ron, who was now nearing convulsions.
"I… but… You didn't really mean to say love life, though, did you?"
"… Well, I guess…"
"No!" Harry yelled. "Eww! That's just… Hermione!" He started going the way of Ron. Hermione glared at him and sat up.
"What is with you two, he's… kind of nice, really! You're just judging him on how he was before! He's… he's changed!"
She walked away, leaving the boys still sputtering.
***
Draco chewed on the side of his mouth as he watched Lupin's television. He'd been staying with Remus and Sirius ever since his parents had been taken in for questioning on the various charges of the practice of Dark Arts and then things about child abuse. Draco thought the child abuse charges were absurd, but then… that was how he was brought up. It really wasn't as much abuse as neglect, but he'd never really been neglected. How could he be with such a huge array of servants and house-elves?
Oh well, he'd think about all that when he was supposed to be testifying. Right now he wanted popcorn. Yeah. But Lupin didn't have any popcorn. Blasphemy.
He also wished Hermione were here, but everyone was at the Weasley parents' funeral. He hadn't been invited. Couldn't blame them. Hermione had been right, Draco had been nothing short of a prick all his time at Hogwarts.
Hogwarts. That reminded him, how were he and Hermione going to handle this whole thing when they went to school? Well, he'd probably need her to think through that, but really, what could they do? So many things about his life had been changed in just the last few weeks. His father arrested, his girlfriend muggle-born… but he was still in Slytherin. How would everyone take that? Well… really, no one asked much about what was going on to their fellow Slytherins, especially the boys. Whether they liked it or not, most of them were the sons of Death Eaters, and as long as Voldemort stayed powerful, their future was as Death Eaters. Whether they liked it or not…
And now Draco didn't like it.
He liked Hermione. And popcorn. Popcorn was good too. Cereal.
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You can take out that last sentence, if you prefer to have a less retarded version of this. ^_^
Oh my, in my rush to get out the last chapter of Runaway, I forgot to do the thankyous. Well, here we go!!
TO THE SUPER SLENDIFEROUS CHAPTER 11-13 REVIEWERS!2!#$2!#$123!!:
Chrissy, Emaeleigha, Caitlin, JudgeDP, G*Ness, Jaya, RebeccaSL8, FireBallFlier, michee, Cypheria, daydreamer, krissy, TALEWG, Chrissyagain!, Kasaki, A Writer, badgrrrl, porkypop, G*Nessagain!, FireballFlieragain!, quidditchis better than basketball (basketballSUCKS!), AngelzGazeX2, selena, thelostgirl, *whines about fingers getting tired*, micheeagain!, oreo of love, porkypopagain!, Draco is the king of the world, Lady Scorpio, Caswy, JudgeDP (I'm cruel and eeevil), Aubbah, Chaw, A Writeragain!, Emaeleighagain! (sploosh), oreo of loveagain!, badgrrrlagain!, G*Nessagain!, porkypopagain!, Seamus Finnigan, Trippinwithcats, micheeagain! And last but not least Wooookah!