Title: Rembrance
Disclaimer: Do I really look like the kinda person who owns Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley, Hogwarts, or anything else that JK Rowling came up with? Didn't think so.
Date: Friday, August 3
Summary: POST Deathly Hallows, pre epilogue AU, DH Spoilers. Dudley Dursley blinked at the yellowish parchment his son was holding in his hands. What would happen when two broken families are mended between first years?
Notes: Well, I'm impressed, highly, by how many people enjoy this story and how popular it is! Thank you all so much for the reviews; they're much, much appreciated!
Also! If you guys have any questions I'll be happy to answer all of them, and if I think that it's a popular question I'll post the answer instead of 'replying' it to you.
Q&A
Who was the woman holding Ted? The woman holding Teddy, was supposed to be Andromeda Tonks: Teddy's grandmother.
How old are the children? In this story, Teddy is seventeen, while James is eleven, Albus is ten, and Lily is eight. Brendan Dursley is eleven also, while Elizabeth is seven. Anna Dursley is nine.
Are You Looking for a Beta? Well...nobody's asked this, but yes. I am looking for a beta for this story. If anybody would want to beta for me, just PM me or review. If I get multiple offers, I can't have that many betas. But I will narrow it down...I just won't tell you how!
Will you continue? I don't think I have to answer this, do I?
The next morning, at around ten o'clock, a loud pop signaled the arrival of a wizard. At around 10:02 the sound of the doorbell ringing signaled the arrival of Mrs. Dursley's younger brother, Dennis.
"'Ello, Dudley. Good to see you again." Dudley blinked, shaking the hand of the youngest Creevy.
"Yes, well, good to see you, as well, Dennis."
"Uncle Dennis!" Elizabeth ran from the kitchen and Dennis hardly had time to catch the seven year old.
"Well, hullo there, Lizzie!"
"Dennis! I was expecting you to come later, ah well, come in, come in!" Margaret ushered her brother into the living room. He whispered something into her ear, to which Mary replied, "Yes, of course, I told him. Honestly! Oh! Lizzie, why don't you go outside and play with Anna?" Elizabeth looked between the adults and realized she didn't have much of a choice.
"Well, er, Dudley…how do I explain this? You see Hogwarts is a b-"
"Boarding school, yes? They can only come home for the Summer for seven years."
"Well, er, yes, actually. But they can come for Christmas, too!" Dudley blinked. He hadn't known that. 'Course he also wasn't that surprised to know that Harry had never wanted to stay over for the Winter Holidays.
"Wait a moment! Is that where Julie has been going for the past year?" Dudley asked, finally understanding where his niece had disappeared to.
"Yes, Julie is a witch and will be going to be in her second year in Ravenclaw. You see Hogwarts has four houses, mostly for dormitories and scoring points for the house cup and Quidditch teams. Quiditch is a sport by the way."
Dudley remembered his cousin's broom, "It's played on broomsticks isn't it?"
"Yes! Yes, it i…how did you know that?" Dennis blinked. Dudley answered,
"My cousin went to Hogwarts and I think I heard him say something about being the Gryffindor Seeker."
There was a pause in the conversation, as this new fact situated itself into the siblings' brains. Dennis was the first to speak.
"So you don't need a lecture about the wizarding, world do you, Dud?"
"Heck yes, I do."
"Brendan, there's nothing there!" Margaret replied.
"Mom! How can you not see that? There's a huge sign, right there! This is The Leaky Cauldron!" The young boy exclaimed impatiently, "Uncle Dennis said it was right here, and here it is!"
"Dennis, I don't see anything!" Mary groaned, rubbing her temples.
The boy just insisted that run down and boarded store (which had, it seems, faced fire damage) in front of them was the magical pub in which you accessed Diagon Alley.
Margaret looked down at the list in her hand. Honestly, why in the world would her baby need,
"Dragon hide, protective gloves?" She gaped at the parchment in her hand, "What?!"
"They're for Herbology, usually."
"Or Hagrid's class…"
"James!"
"That's what Teddy said!" The boy next to her whined.
Three people had just walked up to them, seemingly heading for the building.
"Don't look at me liked that! It's totally true. Even Dad said so!" The tallest of the three said defensively. Margaret's eyes widened as the boy's hair turned a bright orange.
The woman raised an eyebrow at the boy. He seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen. The other boy looked to be Brendan's age. Mary guessed that this was their mother. Teddy, was it, didn't look like her much though.
Mary paused.
Now that his hair had decided to stick with a dark blue, she decided she wouldn't be able to tell if her past statement was true or not.
The red haired woman rolled her eyes in annoyance. She looked up at Mary with a bright twinkle in her brown eyes.
"Anyways, I'm Ginny, Ginny Potter. This is my son James and Ted." She pointed at each boy in turn. Teddy smiled amiably.
"Mary. This is my son, Brendan." Margaret introduced, "Are, are you three…?"
"Magical? Yes. We are. I'm guessing that Brendan is a Muggleborn."
"How could you tell?!" Margaret asked the witch, bewildered.
"'Cause you were arguing over where the Leaky Cauldron was." James supplied.
"You mean it's actually there?"
"See! I told you, Mum!" Brendan said in excitement, "Come on! Let's go in! Let's go!" He grabbed his mother's hand, pulling her inside.
Ginny followed with a smile on her face.
Margaret gaped at the pub.
"Who would've thunk it?" She thought aloud. She looked around when she heard a hearty,
"Well, hello there Ginny! Ted, I'd say you'd gown since I last saw you, but the last time I said so you decided to have fun and shrink four inches. Can't believe this is your last year, Ted, m'boy." The man laughed, "And what's this? James, you're going to Hogwarts this year? You must be excited, aren't you!"
"Yup! And I'm going to be in Gryffindor, just like Dad!"
"I wouldn't be surprised."
"Now, Tom, don't encourage him! And I was in Gryffindor, too, you know." Ginny laughed.
"Mum, I want to go get my wand!" James abruptly changed the topic.
1…2…3…
"I want to get a wand!" Mrs. Dursley sighed.
"Mary, if you want you can just head out to Ollivander's with us."
"Ollivander's?" Brendan asked her curiously.
"Ahh, you must be a Muggleborn, then?" Tom asked Brendan. A smile lit up the aged man's face.
"Well, then. Ginny, I hope to see you and the family again. My, it will be strange without little James running around. Merlin, it feels just like yesterday, when you came in here with that stomach of yours for the first time…and the second…and the third…"
"Tom! You were the one who shouted it to the whole pub when I told you I was pregnant!" Ginny exclaimed good-naturedly. Mary smiled, she liked this Tom, man.
"Come now, boys. We don't have much time, and Kreacher promised that he wouldn't heat up the dinner if we're late tonight!"
"Kreacher? Who's Kreacher, Mum?" Brendan whispered in his mother's ear. The woman shrugged.
"Mom, I also need to go Quality Quidditch, too. My gloves are starting to tear." Teddy added. Ginny paused before replying,
"Well, head off, now, and we'll meet you at Florean's"
"Okay, then. And, yes, I have my wand." He said cutting her off before she could ask her question.
"Fine, then." Ginny muttered. "Well, let's head off, shall we?" she continued as Ted headed towards a trashcan. Mary watched, entranced as he hit bricks with his wand. The bricks pealed away and piled together, creating an archway.
"See you, Mum! James!" And the teenager dashed off.
"He is his mother's son." Ginny sighed shaking her head. Margaret blinked, was Teddy not her son? She had to admit, Ginny did look quite young to have a seventeen-year-old son. She felt awkward asking, but Margaret was always a curious woman.
"Ginny, how old are you, exactly. No offense!"
Ginny replied with an understanding, sad smile, "It's okay, I'm actually thirty four."
Margaret quickly did the math in her head, and her eyes widened. They had teenage pregnancy in this world too?!
"I was only seventeen when he was born, but he was a part of the family the moment he was. He was my ring bearer you know. My niece was a flower girl."
"Teddy and Victoire, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I--"
"James!"
"Mum, can we, please go get my wand, now!?"
"Fine, fine. Come on."
"Ahhh! I was expecting to see you sometime soon, James! I remember the day I sold your parents, both their wands. Holly- -"
"Yes, yes, Ollivander. We know what our wands are. Now what is James'?"
"Always straight to the point, eh, Ginny?"
Mary realized just how popular the Potter's must be.
And Ollivander handed James a wand, "Well, give it a wave!"
An inkwell exploded. Then a flowerpot, and a table book…
It went on like this for six times before Brendan ended up getting a try. It took Brendan thirteen wands.
"You know, Miss you certainly look familiar!" Ollivander said, before the group could leave. Mary stopped, puzzled. Certainly he couldn't remember her bro--
"I know! You remind of the Creevy brothers! Look just like them, you do! I remember all my costumers, and I don't forget anything. I even remember what their wands were, beechwood and dragon heartstring--"
"Mary, are you…really the Creevy's sister?" Ginny asked, walking out of the store.
"Who are the Creevy's, Mum?" James asked absently, skipping towards the awaiting ice cream shop.
"Yeah, actually, Dennis was the one who explained where the Leaky Cauldron was, and gave us some galleons."
"My, I haven't seen Dennis since I left Hogwarts. I think I remember you though." Mary blinked, remembered her from what?
"I, I think that was one of the worst days of my life you know. First, first we see Fred. Just…just lined up like that. He was right next to Teddy's father you know. And, and Colin. He was in my year, too. And then…Hagrid came out of the forest with…we all thought he was dead. But he wasn't, just faking it to surprise Voldemort…" Ginny didn't seem to be talking to her anymore. And then it hit Margaret, hard.
The Red Haired Family.
The woman with the baby, Teddy.
"So…does that mean we can go to Uncle George's joke shop!?" James asked, breaking off the somber mood, eagerly.
"Honestly, James...But, yes. I suppose we might as well. Brendan you might enjoy it there; the shop," Ginny sighed, turning to Mary's son, "is for magical pranks and jokes and such. For now though, let's find Teddy."
Mary looked around the brightly colored shop called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. A shout caught her attention, and she looked over a counter and saw the moving portrait of a smiling red haired boy. Just about Teddy's age. She recognized him, from the Great Hall, seventeen years ago.
"Oi! George get out here!"
"What?" Another shout came from a room behind a curtain.
"Honestly, Man. You're always half listening!" Ginny rolled her eyes. Mary sent her a questioning look and she told her,
"Fred's been using that line for almost eighteen years." Mary didn't get the joke until a man came out from the curtain, an older version of the boy, and noticed he was missing one of his ears. Margaret suppressed a gasp.
"Mary, this is my brother, George. George this is Mary."
"Good t' meet ya, Miss!" He said sticking out his hand. Mary went to shake it, but…
"NO!" Both, Teddy and Ginny, yelled, moving to grab her hand. Mary blinked…then she realized that she was in a joke shop.
"Aww, Gin. You ruin all the fun. Honestly, you better watch out, James, or she'll be a real Molly Junior!" George frowned, but his eyes were sparkling with mirth.
"Shove it, George." Ginny replied.
"Well, I doubt that--"
"Thank you, Fred!"
"--Cause, at the moment we seem to be missing one of our favorite nephews, George." The portrait replied, cheerily. Ginny looked around for her eldest son, but finding none. She quickly covered her mistake with,
"Yes, well…he'll show up eventually I suppose. I do have our money. Besides if he doesn't I'm sure Jack wouldn't mind another sleepover." Ginny shrugged. Mary blinked at her newest friend. Then, she realized that Brendan had left as well.
"What about, Teddy, though?"
"Ahh, you forget, Freddy, that Ted can apparate, now!"
"Hey! Mum, I'm going to head off with Shane. That okay?" Teddy had returned to the group.
"Do you hav--"
"Yes, I have my wand."
"Well, go ahead, then." Ginny sighed, "Honestly, old habits die, very, hard."
"No, Gin, you just decided to take after the Weasly Matriarch." George replied with a grin.
"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Mary! I hope we'll see each other on the Platform!" Ginny and Mary were both back in the Leaky Cauldron, all their school shopping and birthday shopping finished with.
"Actually, Ginny. Before you go. I was wondering, would it be likely that my other children, are magical?" Ginny paused before answering.
"I'd expect so. Especially since it was both of your brothers, who were wizards."
"My husband said that he had a magical cousin, too. His aunt was Muggleborn."
"Well, then. I expect there may be another wizard in your family, then!" Ginny laughed.
"Actually, I have two daughters. They both wanted to come, but I don't think I could handle three children running around a place I've never been before."
"Trust me, it doesn't help no matter how long you've been familiar with it. I grew up with six brothers. It's also not fun when people bring attention to us. It doesn't help that Teddy is a Metamorphmagus and enjoys changing appearances in large crowds. When he was little Harry and I used to have panic attacks each time we couldn't recognize him." Mary laughed, she'd have to ask what a Metamorphmagus was later, though.
"Well, I'll hopefully see you on the first, Ginny. Thank you so, so much for all of you're help." Mary smiled as the headed away through Muggle London.
"See you, James!" Brendan waved.
"Mum? Can I get an owl?"
"Couldn't you have asked while we were in the Alley, dear?"
"...No..."
"Well, if you forgot to ask then it can't be that important. You'll just have to use the school's owls. Or ask Ted to borrow his."
"Fine! I'll just ask Dad if I can have a familiar for Christmas."
"I don't think so! I will not have you trying to get something out of your father after I've already said 'no'!"
"But, Mum!"
"No!"
"Please!"
"No."
"Pleeeeaaaasssseeee!!!"
"...We'll see, James"
"YES!"
And with that Ginny Potter and her son, James, were gone.