Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If anything is familiar, it is not mine! Rated T for language.
After the War
Bill Weasley sighed as he sat down in the living room next to Charlie, who promptly passed him a drink.
"Everyone else asleep?" Charlie asked. It was three weeks after the war had ended and everyone was struggling. Fred's funeral had been the week before, and that morning they had all gone to Remus and Tonks funeral. They were all drained and tired from the toll the war had taken.
After the funeral, Bill's wife Fleur had gone to France to stay with her family for a week so that Bill could stay with his family through their grief. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with her, but he knew she also needed to check in with her family after the battle and needed them as well. Harry and Hermione were staying with them. From what Bill and Charlie could tell, Hermione had wiped her parents memory of her, and she planned to reverse the spell at some point. But for now, she had nowhere else to go. As for Harry, they all knew he was never going back to his muggle family. Harry had offered to stay at Number 12 Grimuald Place, but all of the Weasleys protested and said he needed to stay with family. The man had died and come back to life for Godric's sake. He needed to be taken care of as much as any of them.
"It took me a while, but I finally calmed George down enough to get him to take a Dreamless Sleep Draught," Bill said, "And Dad had already gotten Mom to sleep. Hermione was still upstairs and Ginny was pretending to sleep, but I let her be."
"Percy was asleep," Charlie said, "And Harry and Ron were up with Hermione. I talked with them for a little bit, and I don't think they'll be up too much longer. They are all dead tired still."
"Any more information on what they were doing?" Bill asked. All he really knew was from when they stayed with him right before the end of the war, and knew enough to know that whatever mission they were on was dangerous and they were lucky to all make it back.
"Not much," Charlie sighed, "I think you know the most. But as I was walking up I heard the word horcrux."
"Shit," Bill said, paling. It all started to make sense in his mind. Harry surviving both killing curses. Voldemort coming back powerful as ever. Dumbledore's secrets. Ginny being possessed by the diary. It made his stomach churn thinking about it, and he downed his drink.
"What is a horcrux, Bill?" Charlie asked, as he refilled Bill's cup.
"It's a dark object, the darkest actually," Bill sighed, "It's made when you kill someone and separate part of your soul into an object. I don't know the logistics of how they are made, but it basically prevents you from dying."
"You don't think…" Charlie trailed off, not knowing how to continue.
"Yeah, I do," Bill said, "I really do. It would make sense as to why he couldn't die. If he had one, maybe he's not really gone again. But I'm not sure, Harry seemed positive it was over. I'll talk with them about it in the morning, because now I'm curious."
"Might not need to wait that long, mate," Charlie said, pointing behind him. Bill turned and saw Harry, Ron and Hermione standing in the doorway.
"Sorry to bother you both," Hermione squeaked, "But do you know where the dreamless potion is?"
"We all need to actually get sleep tonight," Ron said, with a pointed glare at Harry. Harry just shrugged in response.
"Once you die, sleeping feels weird," He explained. Hermione took a shuddery breath and Ron looked slightly green. Looking at the trio, Bill realized that no one had really checked in with them after the battle. Everyone had been so worried with getting through the funerals and about George and Molly that everything else had been pushed to the side. Bill decided that was a mistake, and from a quick glance at Charlie, he did too.
"Why don't you three sit for a minute," Bill suggested, motioning for the other couch. Ron gave him a look but led the other two towards the couch and slumped down. Ron sat between Harry and Hermione, and Bill just looked at the three while Charlie poured some drinks. All three looked exhausted, and Bill wasn't sure how they were still awake. They were all so thin, as if they haven't eaten well in months. Again, Bill wondered just how intense the mission Dumbledore had left them was. If it involved a horcrux or god forbid two, it couldn't have been easy.
"I just wanted to check in with you three," Bill said, "I know it's been difficult with all of the losses, but you all had quite the journey the last year and I wanted to make sure you were all okay."
"We're fine," Harry said. Ron snorted.
"I'm going to ban that word from your dictionary, Harry," Hermione sighed, "We're doing as well as we can. Obviously, it's been difficult and we're all just trying to catch our breath."
"And the horcrux?" Bill asked. Harry stiffened and Ron's jaw dropped while Hermione looked slightly nervous.
"How did you know about those?" Harry asked. Bill's fear of multiple horcruxes was confirmed, and he tried to hid his shudder.
"I'm a curse breaker, Harry," Bill said, "I work with dark objects. I have my own theories about how Voldemort kept surviving."
"That, and I heard you use the word when I went to check on you a little bit ago," Charlie grinned, "And asked the great curse breaker what they were."
The trio laughed, and Bill gave an inward sigh of relief. They were dead tired and way too thin and saw more than anyone should have, but they were going to be okay.
"He made six," Ron said. Bill couldn't hide his shock at that.
"Seven," Hermione corrected, looking down. Harry glared at her and Ron looked green again. Charlie looked between the trio and Bill, trying to figure out. Bill knew another one of his theories had just been confirmed.
"Now that this journey is over, care to share it with us?" Charlie asked.
"It might help you sleep better," Bill continued. He saw the three share a look and Harry shrugged, which the other two took as a sign to start.
"Voldemort couldn't die because he made seven horcruxes," Hermione said, "Six he meant to make, and the seventh was an accident."
"Harry," Bill said, in understanding. Harry nodded.
"Woah, woah, wait," Charlie interrupted, "Harry was a horcrux?"
"Yeah, when the killing curse rebounded, part of his soul entered the only living object in the room," Harry said, "Which just so happened to be me."
"Seven horcruxes, blimey," Bill said, "He truly was the evilest of them all. He should not have been able to survive that, unless he had no feelings."
"He didn't," Ron said darkly, "The only thing he cared about was the goddamn school he destroyed and his stupid snake."
"So what were the horcruxes?" Bill asked, "And where did you find them? How did you destroy them?"
"He liked trophies," Harry sighed, "There was a ring from his mother's family, a locket from Salazar Slytherin, a cup from Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, which is what we were looking for in the castle. There was also his snake, Nagini, me, and a diary from his childhood."
"The diary is how he possessed Ginny, correct?" Bill asked as Charlie choked on his drink. Another theory proven correct. The horcruxes made so much sense, Bill was wondering why no one thought of it before.
"Yes," Harry said, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea that the diary was him."
"Harry, you were twelve for Godric's sake," Bill said, "You couldn't have known. You don't need to worry about it. Ginny is safe and she was okay."
"Bill, he feels guilty about every goddamn thing Voldemort did," Ron said, "Every death, every building destroyed, everything. It's not going to go away overnight."
"So this horcrux possessed Gin?" Charlie asked, "I thought dad said it was a memory of him?"
"In a way, it was," Harry said, "Horcruxes are like memories, pieces of the soul of the person who created them. So the part of Riddle in there possessed Ginny, the memory of a 16 year old boy."
"Jesus Christ," Charlie sighed, leaning back.
"How did you find all of them?" Bill asked. As the trio began their tail, Bill watched some of the tension roll of their shoulders. He listened as he heard about Harry's lessons with Dumbledore last year, learning all about Voldemort's life. Hermione was in tears as she explained what she had done to her parents to keep them safe, and where they were. He was shocked when he learned why they broke into the ministry, and how they all made it out alive and continued their journey. He understood why Ron left, and how it was mostly the horcrux's fault. His heart constricted when Hermione gave the recount of what happened in Godric's Hollow. Had Hermione not been faster, they both would have been dead. He was glad Ron had rejoined them and they continued the journey together.
"And then the snatchers got us," Hermione whispered, and Bill knew what happened next was right before they came to him. Whatever happened there was bad.
"It was my fault again," Harry muttered, looking anywhere but at Hermione, "I said his stupid name."
"And I've told you, any one of us could have said his name," Hermione said, glaring at him, "It was not your fault."
"We were captured, and taken to Malfoy Manor," Ron said, "Which was his headquarters at the time. Harry and I were taken to the basement, and they decided to keep Hermione above to question her."
"That's when we found Dean, Mr. Ollivander, Griphook, and Luna," Harry said, "And got the idea to use Dobby to get them out of there. Ron recommended Shell Cottage."
Neither boy seemed to be able to continue at this point, and Hermione took over.
"While the boys were downstairs, Bellatrix decided to question me," Hermione said softly, "And you know what Bellatrix is like."
"Cruciatus curse," Bill whispered, "That's why you were unconscious when you arrived."
"Yeah," Hermione winced, "The boys managed to save me again with Dobby, and we came to your house."
Bill listened with rapt to the rest of the story. He didn't feel the need to ask questions again until after the diadem was destroyed and after Snape had died. Then Hermione burst into tears again and Bill was shocked.
"I'm sorry," she squeaked, "It's just worse knowing what happens next, and not knowing it at the time."
"It was the only way you'd let me go," Harry said apologetically.
"During that time Voldemort gave us to treat our wounded and collect our dead, I went to Dumbledore's office to watch Snape's memories. That's when I learned that he was on our side, a double agent. He was watching over me during the entire journey. He sent the doe Patronus. He was Dumbledore's trusted servant. He killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders, not Voldemort's. I learned that I was the 7th horcrux, and that I needed to let Voldemort kill me. If he killed me, it would kill the horcrux part too. But it had to be by his hand. So I went to the forest, and that's when I realized Dumbledore had left me the resurrection stone. I used it and I saw my parents, Remus, and Sirius. I continued to Voldemort and he killed me in front of Hagrid and made Hagrid carry my body back. But Voldemort didn't know that I was a horcrux, and he also collapsed when he killed me. I could have died, and moved on, but I chose to come back. I wasn't done yet. He brought my body back to show all of you, and Neville killing the snake took care of the last horcrux. Finally, it was just me and him."
"And you all saw what happened next," Ron said. Bill noticed each of the three were tense again, waiting to see what they would say. Harry almost looked like he was expecting Bill and Charlie to be angry with him.
"Blimey," Charlie said, "Harry Potter, Master of Death."
"I can't believe the three of you survived," Bill said, "And I'm so thankful you did. Harry, does anyone else know that you were a horcrux?"
"No," Harry said, relieved that no one was angry with him, "And I don't want a lot of people to know."
"Understood," Bill said, "How do you feel now?"
"Still like death warmed over," Harry admitted, "It's been pretty hard to sleep, and I'm exhausted."
"I think you could use some dreamless draught," Charlie said.
"Yes, which is why we came down in the first place, you prat," Ron said, "But Bill wanted to talk."
"I wanted to check in," Bill said, "I was worried for you three."
"You don't need to be worried," Harry said.
"Yes, we do," Charlie said, "It's what a family does."
Bill stood up to get the potion as Harry tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn. He poured it into three glasses and brought it out to them.
"Just Harry," Ron and Hermione said at the same time.
"Just drink the goddamn potion," Bill said, "All three of you are exhausted and from your story, I know all three of you are having nightmares. Just drink it tonight and get one good night's sleep."
No one argued, and drank the potion.
"Now you three should go up and sleep before that potion kicks in too quickly," Charlie said, knowing very well how fast it could kick in. The three bid Bill and Charlie goodnight, and retreated upstairs.
"I'm not sure whether to be pissed at Dumbledore for what he put them through or grateful that he told them how to finish this war," Charlie said.
"You can be both," Bill said, "I wish they had told someone so that they could have had some help. That was such a big journey for three 17 year old's."
"Jesus they were barely of age!" Charlie realized.
"Let's not tell the rest of the family yet, especially Mum," Bill said.
"And Gin," Charlie said, "I don't want to freak her out."
"I have a feeling Ginny already knows the story," Bill said, "Or at least Harry's part in it. She was quite adamant on finding out why he left to die without saying goodbye to her."
"Oh Merlin," Charlie said, rubbing a hand along his face.
"I have a feeling they might be back together," Bill said, "Or will be very soon. My understanding from Ginny, the only reason they broke up was because he didn't want Voldemort to use her as a bargaining chip for him."
"Bloody Hell," Charlie moaned, "She's so young!"
"She just fought in a war, Charlie," Bill said, "Ginny isn't so young anymore. At least it's Harry, and not some bloke we don't like."
"Ginny with any bloke is mildly disturbing," Charlie said.
"Harry will take care of her," Bill said, "But don't tell her I said that, I'd like to avoid being hexed by her."
"You really think Harry would have told her?" Charlie asked as they stood up to clean their glasses.
"I do," Bill said, "Probably within three days. I have no doubt that Ginny would have had a lot of questions for him, and he probably tried to get her to wait until after we said goodbye to Fred, but she would have insisted."
"Sounds like Gin," Charlie laughed, "Way too stubborn for her own good."
"A Gryffindor through and through," Bill said, and they both headed up to bed.
AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! This was initially longer, with a chapter about the Weasley Brother's checking in with Ginny after her horrible year at Hogwarts, but I'm not sure I'm going to add that yet.