8/7/15: Chapter 3 finally up! Sorry for the long wait; was sick with a stomach bug for a few days and all I did was sleep! Hope you enjoy!
8/12/15: Applied some minor edits. Chapter 4 posting will be in the next day or so!
8/30/15: Applied some more indoor edits.
9/29/15: Minor edits applied.
Chapter 3
The next few days at the Burrow was spent cleaning, inside and out. Even though the Ministry was holding a memorial ceremony for those who had fallen, the Weasley's were going to hold their own private memorial with all their family and close friends for Fred. It felt like getting ready for Bill and Fleur's wedding all over again, except this time they were not gathering for a happy occasion, which made Mrs. Weasley even more strict about chores than last time.
In the mornings, the boys would go outside to de-gnome the yard, cut the grass, and pull weeds while the girls cleaned up the sitting room, dining room, and kitchen. In the evenings after dinner, everyone was tasked with a chore such as sweeping, mopping, dusting, and polishing.
"Pretty sure I know the real reason why Bill went back to Shell Cottage… he didn't want to get stuck with chores," muttered Ron one day, scrubbing polish off from his hands.
The day before the memorial, the same huge tent that was used at the wedding was being set up again for the service. Mr. Weasley, Charlie, George, Ron, and Harry all levitated different sides of the massive tent, while Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione guided them.
After they were done, Mrs. Weasley said they could have a 10 minute break and she'll be back with lemonade before they start setting up the chairs inside. Grateful for the break, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione made their way to a nearby tree, where they laid on the grass under the shade of the leafy branches.
The weather had gotten hotter in the past few days, a sure sign that summer was approaching. Harry took off his glasses and wiped the sweat from his face. He put them back on, sat up, and looked around. He could hear birds singing and the sound of some sort of bug chirping in the distance. It seemed surreal to him that it had been almost a week since he defeated Voldemort. I shouldn't even be here, he thought to himself. He looked around at his friends and smiled but I'm glad I am. He went back to staring off into the distance until a gentle poke to the ribs brought him back to reality. Ginny was next to him, smiling.
"Where'd ya go, Harry? You kind of zoned out for a moment."
Harry put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "Just thinking about how much has changed in just a short amount of time, and how I'm glad I'm here."
Ginny smiled and leaned into him, then her eyes saddened. "I just wish tomorrow didn't have to come so quickly. It'll make it real, that he's really gone," She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and willed the tears the stop. "I can't let Mum see me cry, it'll only upset her... Tomorrow is going to be so hard."
Harry tightened his grip on her shoulders. "I'm so sorry Gin."
Mrs. Weasley came out of the house, holding a tray of glasses filled with ice and lemonade. Ginny hastily wiped away any signs of tears and got up to help her. The group drank thirstily then headed back to the tent, where they began to set up the chairs.
Later that evening, Harry was helping Ron set the table for dinner when Mrs. Weasley came over and told the boys to set up one more spot. "We're having a guest tonight," she explained.
"Wonder who it is?" Ron asked Harry.
Harry shrugged, putting the napkin next to the plate that Ron just set down, "No idea. As far as I know, everyone is coming tomorrow after the Ministry's service."
As if to answer their question, the fireplace glowed green from floo powder and their visitor stepped out from the ashes. When she looked up, Harry gasped. No! he thought, reaching for his wand, she can't be alive!... Then he realized that he wasn't looking at Bellatrix, but at her sister, Andromeda.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to how closely she resembles her sister," he whispered to Ron, as he tucked his wand away.
Ron nodded in agreement, color returning to his face. Apparently, he thought the same thing Harry did.
Mrs. Weasley walked over to Andromeda and gave her a hug. "It's so nice to see you, Andromeda. Oh! Is this little Teddy?" she cood, looking at a little bundle wrapped in a large cloth around Andromeda's chest.
Andromeda smiled "It sure is. He's out cold though. I don't like traveling by floo while he's awake just yet. I don't want it to scare him."
Mrs. Weasley nodded knowingly, still cooing at the bundled up baby. "Of course, of course, I understand." Finally taking her eyes off the baby, she looked around the room, "Now where is Arthur…"
"Right here, Molly," said Mr. Weasley, levitating something big and bulky in front of him. "It was buried all the way in the back of the shed. I cleaned it up with a good cleaning spell and it should be good as new." It took Harry a moment to realize it was a baby cradle. Mr. Weasley placed the cradle in the sitting area, near the fireplace.
"Oh, not too close to the fireplace, dear. You don't want him to get too hot and sweaty," said Mrs. Weasley, moving the crib about 2 feet away from where Mr. Weasley placed it. "There, that's better." Mr. Weasley mumbled something about how the fireplace wasn't even lit, but Mrs. Weasley was too busy fussing with the crib bedding to hear.
Andromeda unwrapped the baby she was wearing and placed him gently into the cradle. Hermione and Ginny went over and kneeled down on either side of the sleeping baby and started admiring how cute and tiny he was.
Andromeda looked over at Harry and gave him a gentle smile. "Good evening, Harry. It's been a while since I last saw you."
Harry nodded, "Yes, it has." He glanced over at the cradle. "So that's Teddy, huh?"
Andromeda looked over as well, smiling, "Yes," then looking at Harry "You've haven't met him yet, right?"
Harry shook his head, "No, not yet. Lupin showed me a picture of him though. I think he had blue hair at the time?"
"His hair has been blue many times. And red. And pink. And orange," she laughed, shaking her head, "Just like his mum…" her eyes saddened with the thought of her daughter. Harry was about to say something when Mrs. Weasley called the girls and Andromeda into the kitchen. After they left the room, Harry looked over his shoulder, then, slowly, walked over to the cradle and peered in.
Little Teddy was asleep on his back; arms at either side of his head. Harry noted that his hair was a regular, blonde color at the moment. He turned to walk away when all of a sudden a little wail came from the cradle. Harry went over and peered in again, noting that Teddy was very upset.
"Um…." he looked around the room, realizing that he was still the only one there. He started to panic, not really sure what to do with a crying baby. Should he pick him up? Should he go get Andromeda or Mrs. Weasley? Should he leave him alone?
To Harry's gratitude, Andromeda came in from the kitchen. "Oh I see my little Teddy Bear is awake," she said to the baby as she picked him up and cradled him in the crook of her arm. He immediately stopped crying and started cooing back at her. Andromeda walked over to Harry and said "Harry, I'd like to introduce you to your godson, Teddy." Teddy gave a gummy smirk as he made eye contact with Harry.
Harry smiled back, "Hey there Teddy, nice to meet you finally." He let Teddy grab his finger. "Woah, strong grip for such a little guy," Harry commented.
"Would you like to hold him?"
Harry looked up, surprised. "Me? No, that's ok. I couldn't….."
"Oh sure you can. Come, come," she said, as she pulled Harry to the couch and made him sit. "Here," she handed him a throw pillow, "Put this under your arm, that's it. Now, position your arms like how mine are, Good, good. And now..." she placed the baby in the crook of Harry's arm, "You are holding your godson."
Harry looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms, and smiled.
Teddy wailed in response.
Harry looked at Andromeda, "Um, I don't think he likes me, maybe you should take him…?" he tried shifting the baby so he could hand him back to her, but she stopped him.
"He's just hungry, that's all. Here," with a wave of her wand she conjured up a warm bottle, "this should help." She handed Harry the bottle who then gave it to the baby to drink from.
Andromeda smiled. "There you go. I'll just leave you two be for now. I need to go help Molly in the kitchen with dinner."
As Andromeda walked into the kitchen, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione came back into the sitting room. They looked at Harry and the girls immediately said "Awwwweee!" at the same time, causing Harry's face to turn red.
"Oh, shut up." he said, teasingly, "I'm just spending time with my godson."
Hermione and Ginny both sat on either side of Harry; Ginny started playing with his hair, which had started to turn into a purple color, while Hermione played with his feet. A few minutes later, Teddy spit out the empty bottle and started wailing again. "Uh oh… now what? I thought feeding him would make him happy?" He looked to Hermione and then to Ginny for help.
Ginny laughed. "He just needs to be burped, silly. Here, let me show you."
Gratefully, Harry handed the baby to Ginny, who held him up to her shoulder and started patting his back. Seconds later, Teddy let out a huge belch. "There you go big guy, all better now?" said Ginny, cooing at the baby.
Hermione got up from her side of the couch and went and sat on the other side of Ginny, so she could see the baby better. "You are a handsome little guy, aren't you?" she cooed.
Harry got up and walked over to where Ron was standing, then looked at the girls. "What is it about babies that make girls go all nutty?" he asked, smiling.
Ron shrugged. "I dunno. All they seem to do is eat, sleep, and wet their nappies," He shook his head, then started turning towards the kitchen. "Come on, let's go see if dinner is ready yet. I'm starving."
The breakfast table was unusually quiet at the Burrow the next morning. Harry picked at his eggs and toast and noticed everyone else was either doing the same or not eating at all.
"Well, you lot should go get ready," said Mrs. Weasley, who was starting to clear the table, "The ministry will be here to take us to the service soon."
"How come we are not apparating there?" asked Charlie.
"The Ministry wants family members to arrive by Ministry official cars. So that's what we're going to do," said Mrs. Weasley, with some finality in her voice. No one argued as everyone got up and headed to their rooms to get dressed. Mrs. Weasley had laid out everyone's funeral dress robes the night before: black button-up collared shirts with either grey slacks or skirts, grey and dark purple striped ties, and black dress robes. At 10 o'clock, a black Ministry car arrived in front of the Burrow and everyone piled in.
The drive to the memorial service was very solemn. Harry was looking out the window when he realized that they were not heading into London.
"Are we not going to the ministry?" he asked Mr. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley shook his head. "No. There just isn't enough room to fit everyone who is planning to attend. They secured a hillside to hold it at."
Harry nodded then continued to look out the window until they arrived at their destination.
The car stopped on the bottom of a large, grassy hill. As everyone got out of the car, a cobblestone pathway appeared, leading them up the hillside.
George looked at the pathway then back at everyone else and said, "Well, I guess we go this way," and started walking up the hill, leading the group. Arm in arm, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed their son, followed by Charlie and Percy, then Ron, who had an arm around Hermione's shoulders.
Harry looked at Ginny, who had a single tear fall from her cheek. He wiped the tear with his thumb then offered his hand. "Ready, Gin?"
Ginny nodded and took his hand, letting him lead the way up the hill.
The top of the hill overlooked a valley covered in grass and flowers. The pathway continued down the hillside, with hundreds of chairs on either side so it had an arena type setting. In the valley laid rows and rows of coffins; above each were long banners suspended in air, deep purple in color with gold writing, that had the name of the person who rested in the coffin underneath them, along with their birth and death date. The group met up with Bill and Fleur, who had arrived shortly before them, and made their way down the path to walk through the rows of coffins. They stopped at those they knew along the way such as Colin Creevy, Lavender Brown, and even Vincent Crabbe, putting single white flowers on top of them. When they got to Nymphadora Tonks, they met Andromeda there, with Teddy sleeping in a baby pram next to her. She was holding herself, shaking, and crying silent tears. Mrs. Weasley went up to her and put a comforting arm around her friend. Hermione made a wreath of purple and pink flowers to place on top of her coffin. Next to Tonks was Remus Lupin. Harry walked over alone and made a wreath of purple and blue flowers. Harry placed his hand on the coffin and did a vow to Lupin, as well as to himself, that he'd be there for Teddy and help take care of him. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny soon joined him and stood there by his side, silently remembering their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as well as their friend and mentor.
Towards the back row of coffins lay Fred Weasley. George was already there, standing over his twin brother. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley joined on each side of him, both grabbing one of his hands. Unable to hold it in anymore, George started to cry. He turned to his mum who held him close and cried her own tears for her lost son while Mr. Weasley held them both. Harry could feel Ginny shaking beside him and knew before looking at her that she was also crying. He squeezed her hand and motioned for her to join her family. Soon, all the remaining Weasley's were in one huge, grieving embrace. Harry and Hermione stood back, not wanting to interrupt, but they heard George from somewhere in the middle of the pile say "Oi! You two. Don't think you can get away from us that easily. You need to join in on this love fest." Laughing and wiping her eyes, Ginny emerged from the group and grabbed Harry's hand, dragging him into the circle while Ron did the same with Hermione. Soon, tears of grief became tears of laughter. Finally unwinding from each other, the group all stood in front of Fred's coffin together. George asked Hermione if she could make a wreath of red, purple, and gold and she happily obliged.
The Minster of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, walked up the Weasley family.
"I am so sorry for the loss of Fred," he said, as he hugged Mrs. and Mr. Weasley. "I wanted to present your family with this though.. it's in honor of his bravery and sacrifice."
He presented them with a rectangle shaped box and inside was a bronze medal in the shape of three stars with a purple and gold striped ribbon attached to it with a bronze star in the middle of the ribbon. Mrs. Weasley accepted it with watery eyes and thanked him. Then she turned to George, who she handed the box to him. "I think you should have this."
Stunned, George took the box and looked at the medal then back as his mum.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled, looked at the medal again, then closed it up and put it in his pocket.
Kingsley then turned to Harry. "Harry, I also have one for you as well. This is in honor of Remus Lupin. I talked to Mrs. Tonks and she accepted her daughter's medal but thought it would be a good idea if you held on to Lupin's."
Shocked, Harry took the medal handed to him. "Thank you Minister. But, shouldn't this belong to Teddy?"
"Well, that will be up to you. When the time comes, and you want to give it to him, of course."
Harry nodded, "Thank you, Minister. I'll take good care of it until then."
"I'm sure you will, Mr. Potter," he said, shaking Harry's hand and smiling at him. Then he spoke to the whole group. "Well, you all should go find your seats. The memorial service is about to begin."