Just Old Friends

Chapter 7: The Truth at Lunch

It seemed to take forever for twelve o'clock to show itself. Hermione entered the room with chicken sandwiches, handing one lot over to Harry. He had learnt that she made them herself and he had fallen in love with her cooking.

"So where did we get to?"

"Ron has one leg, looks like Moody USED to, becoming an Auror and chocolate frogs!"

She laughed at Harry and shook her head at him.

"Okay well you've guessed anyway but Moody was killed in battle, went down like a hero saving Ginny."

"Ginny... is she still alive?"

"Yes. She's working in the Department of Mysteries, so I can't tell you what she does. I don't even know myself, but I do know she likes it there. She hasn't changed much... although her life has."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well Ginny is still Ginny. She still likes to jump down your throat. She's finding it a bit difficult now compared to before. The battle was hard on her, a lot of choices she thought she could have in life have changed. I can't tell you all of it though it's up to her."

"What about Neville did he live through the battle, are they together?"

She frowned slightly but nodded at him.

"He's alive although it was tough. He lost both his legs when one of the carriages landed on him. He barely made it out alive. He's had to change the most; he doesn't like the loss of independence."

"Ginny spent three weeks in hospital just sitting next to his bed, when he woke up he told her to leave. He didn't want her to see him like that, he drove her away. He works in the ministry in the Experimental Department working with plants and other things to find more uses for them."

She smiled at Harry.

"He and Ginny are still close, but nothing like before. They're friends, he's engaged to a woman named April Philips; she's a trainee, the year below me and was in Hufflepuff in school. It upset Ginny at first but it's for the better. The war changed them both."

"But he was going to ask Ginny to marry him. He had the ring and everything!"

Hermione gasped and her eyes widened. Harry could tell that she hadn't known that about their relationship.

"I can't believe it. That makes it worse. You see the outcome of the war was hard on everyone and Neville just pushed everybody away its taken us long enough to become friends again but Ginny needed closeness, she needed somebody to help her through her hard times. That's why it ended."

Harry just nodded at Hermione. He wanted to ask the next question but she wouldn't allow it.

"So many people died Harry. The Weasleys, it was terrible, George is dead. Fred went into a coma just like you, he still hasn't woken up. We don't know if he ever will. Charlie lost his right eye and Mrs. Weasley she was tortured to insanity. Arthur couldn't take her not being there, he died three weeks later, he was already weak, he'd been tortured and knowing Molly wouldn't recover was his last straw."

Harry's own eyes were wide; the Weasleys had been his family and they were gone. They had been a big family and it was stupid to think they would all live but to actually hear it well that made everything seem more real.

"What about –"

"Dumbledore! Oh he's fine, he's a bit deaf now mind, a firework hit him in the face, went completely deaf but he's all right. He's become Minster helping to rebuild society; he couldn't stay on in Hogwarts. Not after he found Fudge was a Death Eater, needed somebody people would trust and since you were well... you know, he stepped in."

"McGonagall is pretty bad mind; she ended up having the other end of the firework in her face, completely disfigured. We've helped her as much as we could mind; it doesn't look all that bad anymore. We used the Muggle skin graphing idea and she looks better, she's the head now."

"Then Snape is the deputy, he's teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts now, and he's really good, much nicer to the students than he use to be. Flitwick is still there but he's returning soon and all the other staff is new."

Now this stunned Harry all the other staff had left, but that couldn't be right, not one bit.

"You mean Hagrid's dead?"

"No, of course not Hagrid's moved to France, he's ground keeper at Beauxbatons now, married Olympe didn't he and well he's never been happier. He sends owls once a week to let us know how he is and to ask about everyone. He's going to come visit once you're out of hospital."

"Hermione you still haven't told me about –"

"Remus! Oh my I nearly forgot to tell you about him, didn't I? How stupid am I. He took out Wormtail. He saw him there and looked the man straight in the eyes and said that this one was for Lily and James and wham! He was out cold."

She laughed hard and the smile spread up her face.

"Remus also took out the Lestranges shouting that it was for Sirius. When it was over he started this little jig he was so happy that he had been the one to take them out. I couldn't help but laugh, you know from my position of leaning on to the wall to breath. Of course he calmed down and then helped and was upset, but that instant when he had revenged his friend's deaths was just... wow."

"He's a trainer now as well. Dumbledore made him head recruiter for Aurors and he helps to train them up, sets up situations. Ron says he's excellent at it and well wait till you see him, he'll be so happy that you're awake he's been worried sick about you, saying he let James and Lily down and even Sirius by letting you get hurt."

Hermione looked at her watch.

"Oh God I'm late! Mavis is going to kill me I'll see you later."

Harry didn't bother to try and stop her as he took in all this information. What had happened in that battle seemed devastating. All he could think of were the Weasleys, he still didn't know anything about Luna, and Bill if he were alive, but he couldn't get past the Weasleys. They were his family and they'd lost so much.

He made a promise that before he left he'd go up to the ward that Molly was in and see her. He didn't care if she didn't remember him, he just had to see the truth for himself whether she truly had been injured.