After the Battle of Hogwarts; Chapter three
Harry came out of the fire place in the Burrow wiping ash of his clothes. He looked around and found Hermione alone.
"I was waiting for you." She answered Harry's un-asked question. "And letting the Weasley's have a moment together. Everyone broke down crying when they got back. To many memories in here." Tears glistening down her face. Harry held her in a hug. He knew it was like intruding on the Weasley's at the moment and knew Hermione felt the same. There was nothing in their hug other then brother and sister love.
"There in the living room, should we just stay in the kitchen?" Hermione asked.
"I think that would be good. I fell like I'm intruding on them. And I feel guilty whenever I see them and it looks like they had been crying." Harry told her, looking at his shoes as he spoke.
"Harry, I don't think anyone blames you. You should stop beating yourself up about it. And don't say you haven't been. I know you to well. You have the same look that you had after Sirius died."
"I can't help it, Hermione. I know in time when I can wake up to myself and know that it's not how it happened, I'll stop beating myself up, but until them." Harry finished.
"Hermione, I need to thank you. Without you we all would have died countless times." Harry said pulling Hermione into another hug, to show his appreciation.
"Harry look!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry turned thinking something bad, but turned to find nothing.
"What?" harry asked dumb founded.
"The Clock." She stated simply.
There were a few changes to the clock, Harry and Hermione now had hands on the clock and all the hands had changed to "home" except two. George's hand was on "lost" and Fred's hand was on "mortal peril".
"Poor George. I couldn't even imagine how hard its going to be for him." Hermione said. "Do you think we should make lunch so Mrs Weasley doesn't have to worry about it?"
"Yeah, let's get some sandwiches made up for them." Harry said. Thinking how much the Weasley's are the family he wished he had.
Harry and Hermione worked silently as they prepared sandwiches for there adoptive family.
"You know we are going to have to tell them everything of what we have done in the last 10 months?" Harry told Hermione.
"I know. I just don't want to cause Mrs Weasley to have a heart attack at some of the things like the Godric's Hollow incident and Malfoy Manor. I think they already know about Gringotts. I wonder how the family would react to Ron running away. I think we need to sit down and work out what parts each of us will tell. But I think we should wait until after Fred's funeral and the memorial at Hogwarts." Hermione told Harry.
They finished up making the sandwiches and Harry went to go get the Weasley's.
"Hey, Hermione and I have made lunch, do you want us to bring it in here or have it at the table?" Harry asked the silent family.
"We will have it at the table, you and Hermione didn't have to do that by the way, but thanks." Bill said taking control of the family like a true older brother.
Five minutes later the family were all in the kitchen sitting at the table except George who had escaped to his room as soon as they had walked out of the floo.
"Should I go get George?" Mrs Weasley asked; half getting out of chair looking up at the stairs concerned for you son.
"No, mum, leave him. He doesn't want to be mother at the moment. He wants to know how its like to lose someone and how to get over it." Bill said.
"I'll take a sandwich up to him. I think I could help him. After Sirius, I think I know how to help him." Said Harry and he took a Sausage and tomato sandwich and went up to George's bedroom.
Harry raised his hand and knocked on the door when he reached George's bedroom.
Knock, Knock!
No answer from the other side.
"George?" Harry asked through the door.
No answer.
"George, I'm coming in." said Harry.
Harry opened the door to find the room bathed in darkness. The maroon curtains were drawn and no lights were on. George was sitting on Fred's bed. Arms wrapped around his knees, staring at the photo of him and Fred on their first day of Hogwarts. Tears were streaming form his eyes, and falling of his chin and rolling down his legs.
"George?" Harry asked softly. It pained Harry to see George like this knowing he caused it.
George looked up at Harry but that was the only acknowledgement he made that there was someone else in the room.
"George, I'm so, so sor…" Harry began,
"Don't say it, Harry. We knew what we were getting into." George told Harry.
"Yes, but, If I had been faster, if I could have not wasted so much time, I could have ended it earlier!" Harry said, beginning to shake with emotion.
"Harry, just stop, please. I really don't want to hear it. Don't you think I've been doing the 'What if' questions as well? Don't you think I feel so guilty that I wasn't there protecting him! And I know there was nothing I could do to save him anyway. Percy told me everything that happened." George said hotly, tears not having an end, pouring from his eyes. Harry also had tears falling from his eyes, trying to cover it from George, but he already knew.
"Harry, just tell me one thing,"
"What is it George?"
"Does this, this feeling, this empty hole and feeling of suffocation, ever go away?"
Harry sighed.
"No, George, it never completely goes away, just over time the empty hole becomes smaller, so that you don't feel it all the time, but you know its there and the suffocation feeling goes away, until you think about it and the one you miss, and it all opens up again."
"Thanks, Harry. I knew you would be the only one that I could talk to about it. I remember what you were like after Sirius died."
"The only thing I recommend is talking. Don't shut yourself away. All your emotions just bubble and then you snap at everyone." Harry told George, remembering when he constantly snapped at everyone.
"I brought a sandwich up for you. I know what I said about shutting yourself out, but for a couple of days its fine to morn and not want to do anything, just don't make a habit of it." Harry said, and gave George the sandwich and clasped him on the shoulder as he left the room.
Before Harry left the room however, he noticed that the mirror that was hanging near the wall was not there any more. Poor George Harry thought as he closed the door and made his way back downstairs.
"He's eating." Harry said as Mrs Weasley looked up at his my questioning eyes as Harry came down the stairs.
"Mrs Weasley?" Harry asked
"Call me Molly or mum, Harry." She told him.
"Okay, mum. What do you want me to clean first? This house needs a cleanup from being left so long, and no you're not helping, I'll do the lot by myself. Pay back for letting me stay here all the time." He told her.
"Okay, do you want to start in the kitchen and go to the living room and then up to the bedrooms. And your not doing it by yourself. Ron, Ginny and Hermione can help. The rest of us are going to talk out the back." She said.
At once everyone moved to where they were told to go. Leaving Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry in the kitchen.
"How about we split up and get the cleaning done quicker?" Hermione suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me. How about Harry and I do the living room and you and Ron do the kitchen?" Ginny asked.
"Okay." They all replied and Harry and Ginny made there way into the living room, leaving Ron and Hermione to do the kitchen.
"Where should we start?" Harry mused. The place was covered in dust, there were papers scattering the floor, from the Death Eaters that must have came here and searched he thought.
Ginny pulled out her wand; even though she was underage they couldn't tell who was using the magic, and began saying cleaning spells and pointing them all over the living room. Harry followed her example and about half an hour later the place was as good as knew.
Harry put his wand away and looked over to Ginny, who had moved over to the mantel on the wall that was covered in photos. She had pulled out a tissue from her pocket and begun wiping over them, clearing the dust. She left the one of George, Fred and her taken out the back of the Burrow with there broomsticks next to them, laughing at some forgotten joke, when she broke down crying holding the photo to her chest.
Harry walked over to her and held her in his arms walking her slowly over to the love seat and sitting her down on his lap side ways, holding her tight against his chest, resting his face in her hair.
"I… I miss h…him so much!"
A/N: read and review! please!