A lot of you have been asking about Remus. I'm sorry but I have no plans to bring him back. That's not because I don't like him, because I do. But I can't find a reason for him to come back. Sirius came back because Harry had nobody and also I love Buffy/Sirius pairings so he had to, and James and Lily came back to give Harry a difficult choice, and also because I wanted him to have some happiness finally. I'm sorry to all the Lupin fans but he won't be making a return.
Chapter 19 - New Year
The Scoobies travelled to the Burrow by the Floo network, arriving in the kitchen fireplace. Buffy and Dawn were thrilled to be going to a party where they could wear muggle clothes, and so they were slightly late waiting for them to get ready.
"Welcome!" Mrs Weasley bustled around, resplendent in dark purple robes, brushing soot off them with a huge clothes brush, whilst stirring something that sat on the fire in a cauldron.
"Lily, James, it's so good to see you," Mrs Weasley said, once they had all arrived. "I'm so glad you can be with us again. And you must be Mrs. Summers, it's nice to meet you.
"Call me Joyce," Joyce said warmly. "Thank you for inviting us." Mr Weasley came into the kitchen to greet the guests. He too welcomed them, especially the Potters.
"Come through, come through," he said, "Everyone is in the garden, we put a heating spell around the entire house." When they walked outside, it was like a warm summers evening. The darkness was made up for by the bushes being filled with glowing fairies, which lit up the large garden. A lot of people were in the garden, clustered in groups, with a huge buffet down one side of the garden. Harry saw many people he knew including all the Hogwarts Professors and many of the Order that he had met in the previous years. Harry saw Ron and Hermione with the Weasleys and he and Dawn went to join them.
"Hi Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "Hey Dawn!" Harry was greeted by the Weasleys and Seamus, Dean and Neville who had been invited to the party along with their families.
Fred and George were demonstrating their latest creation for their Joke Shop. By the look of the new dragon skin boots they were doing, business was booming.
"Now, imagine Fred is a poor student who hasn't done his homework," George announced. "He comes to his lesson but he hasn't done the work and his teacher won't be very pleased."
Fred was wearing what looked like Percy's glasses and Ron's Head Boy badge, and carrying a stack of books.
"He doesn't know what to do, but then he remembers his Weasley Wizard Products. So he takes this tablet."
Fred held up a growing green tablet and then swallowed it. He began to shrink, til he was only about as tall as Harry's knee.
"He shrinks, giving him enough time to escape the classroom, then he can go and do whatever he feels like!" After a few moments, Fred began to grow again, until he was normal sized. They all applauded.
"Thank you, thank you!" said Fred bowing and causing Percy's spectacles to fall on the floor and shatter. "Only 5 sickles a tablet, a bargain!" Harry laughed, then went over to join his parents, who were talking with Buffy, Sirius and Mad Eye Moody.
"So you'll be back with the Ministry then?" growled Moody. "Good, good, we need some more from the Order to cope with that blasted fool Fudge. You know, he expects to have two Aurors protecting him all the time now? As if he's a target!" James and Harry walked over to join a few of the Hogwarts teachers.
"Lily, James," Professor McGonagall greeted warmly, "Good to see you again." Harry looked around the circle and noticed that Professor Snape was present. At Professor McGonagall's words, his head had snapped up and his eyes were fixed on James malevolently.
"You," he spat. He was looking at James with more hatred than Harry had seen him look at anyone, even Sirius.
"Good to see you too, Severus," James said with a very fixed smile.
"What are you doing here?" Snape said viciously.
"That dead thing wasn't as permanent as you had hoped. I could ask the same for you." James said coldly.
"I was invited." Snape said, narrowing his eyes.
"Bet your other friends weren't too happy about that," James said. Harry looked between them
"Dad, come on," Harry said quickly, "Let's go and meet the new members of the Order, I can introduce you."
"Slime ball," James muttered as they walked off. "Sneaking his way back in with Dumbledore. Reckoned he was reformed. Rubbish. Once a death eater always a death eater."
"Dad, just leave it," Harry said. "Look he's my teacher, and will be until the end of this year. He's horrible enough as it is, without you adding to it."
"I'm sorry," James said ashamed. "Sirius told me that as well. It's just I can't stand him. We've hated each other from the moment we set eyes on each other, its just the way it is."
"I'm not Snapes biggest fan wither, it was partly his fault that Sirius died two years ago. He kept taunting Sirius about not being useful for the Order, causing Sirius to come and rescue me when we trapped at the Ministry." Harry said.
"Sirius would've come anyway," James said. "Though Snape's still a git."
Harry and James approached a group of Aurors, most of who Harry knew.
"Lily and James! It's so good to see you!" Emmeline Vance said, shaking both their hands. "We heard you were back." They were greeted by all the Aurors: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge and a few others Harry didn't know. He introduced them to Tonks, who promptly fell over when reaching to shake their hands.
They began a discussion that ventured between what Voldemort's plans might be, and what an idiot Fudge was. Harry and James mostly listened, but Harry could tell that his father was itching to be able to join in again. Harry left his father and turned to leave, walking into something huge and solid.
"Hagrid!" said Harry looking up at him.
"Alright 'Arry" Hagrid said, "Just come over to say hello to yeh mum and dad, didn' get a proper chance at 'Ogwarts."
Harry grinned then went to join Sirius and Buffy who were standing with Dawn and Joyce.
"Dads getting settled in with his Auror friends," Harry said still grinning.
"He's still going to be an Auror?" Sirius said. "Makes sense, he was damn good at it, hated the Dark Arts, your dad."
"Hated Snape too," Harry said grinning. "I thought Snape hated you and me, but compared to his feelings towards my dad…."
"I told you," Sirius said, putting his arm around Buffy. "They despised each other. Best day of Snape's life was probably when he heard that your dad was dead. Should be interesting if your dad sticks around Hogwarts for a while."
"C'mon Harry, Fred just turned green!" Dawn exclaimed, pulling him over towards the other young people.
At about two minutes to midnight, everyone at the party, about seventy people, all friends of the Weasleys gathered in a big circle to greet the new year.
"Twenty!…nineteen!…eighteen!" they all shouted, counting down the last seconds. Harry looked around the circle, everybody's faces flushed and lit by the large bonfire that crackled in the centre of the circle. Harry knew many of the people, the Scoobies, the members of the Order, his family, the Hogwarts teachers, Dumbledore who had turned up late due to urgent business and apologising profusely.
"Five!…four!…three!….two!….one!" they yelled. "Happy New Year!" Everybody turned to hug or shake the hands of the people next to them in circle. Harry had his cheek kissed by his mother, and was hugged by his father. He knew that his parent felt the same way he did, that the new year meant new things for all of them. Harry was entering the new year full of a hope and promise that he had never before had.
