Chapter Six; Home Again
Ginny, Lilly, Lucy, and Richie were sound asleep in the middle of the forest. They had spent the entire night running from trolls, dragons, ogres and a bunch of other monstrous creatures. Beethoven had stayed awake all night protecting them, and Ginny hadn't gotten much sleep either. Since she was dead she seemed to have forgotten how since she didn't sleep in Heaven.
She awoke to the sound of a mighty voice in her ear the next morning. "Ginny,.." He whispered while she slowly started to stir.
"Hmm,.." she groaned while slowly opening her eyes, yawning sleepily, and sitting up.
"Ginny, you must go to Harry. He needs you." The voice told her.
"Well I'd very much love to be able to do that if there was a way to get out of here!" she snapped angrily.
"Think of him and you will escape, and so will your nephew and daughters." He told her.
"Well alright, I sure hope you know what you're doing." She said.
"I created the world didn't I?" He questioned her back.
"Yeah, but then you made Fred and George and I was starting to have my doubts about you." She told him while muttering it under her breath.
"Ha, ha, very funny. I am sure glad that I made you with a sense of humor." He said sarcastically while Ginny rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth as she stood up.
"Aunt Ginny?" Richie questioned as she suddenly looked down at him and realized he was awake and looking up at her. "Who are you talking to?" he asked her.
"God." She responded.
"Oh, well can you tell Him something for me?" he wondered.
"He's listening, you can tell Him yourself." She assured him.
"Well alright,.." he began before he looked up at the sky. "I was just wondering, if it wasn't too much trouble if you could get my parents back together." He said.
"I'm sorry Richie, but I can't do that." He told him.
"Why not? You're God aren't you? I thought you could do anything that you wanted to." He said.
"What He means is that He can't affect somebody's free will." Ginny explained.
"Why not?" Richie wondered while Ginny shook her head at him.
"Because it wouldn't be right." She told him. "Just look at it this way, no matter what happens God gave you a family that loves you and wants what's best for you and the rest of your siblings. So in a way, He's been looking out for you this whole entire time only you didn't even realize it." She told him with a loving smile. "Anyway, He told me that if I just think about your Uncle Harry then that will be enough to get us home. Only, it would have saved us a lot of trouble if He would have just told that in the first place Mister high and mighty!" she snapped as she tilted her head back and scowled at the sky.
"Sorry, but you didn't ask me." He responded.
"Grr! Never mind!" Ginny growled with a shake of her head. "You see what I've got to put up with!?" she exclaimed as she pointed up towards the sky while there came a thunderous gleeful laugh.
"I didn't know God had a sense of humor." Richie said.
"Yeah well He doesn't, no matter how amusing He thinks He is." She said as the laughing continued. "Oh,.. knock it off! I'm trying to concentrate!" she cried when all of a sudden the laughing stopped. "Thank you! Finally, jeez!" she spat with a roll of her eyes before she closed them tightly and thought about Harry.
She thought about the first time she saw him at King's Cross when she was ten years old, and the first time she saw him in the burrow a year later even though she was rather shy back then and ran away. Then she thought about their first kiss, the day they got married, and the day she gave birth to their twins. Each one of the memories went flashing through her mind at rapid speed before she opened her eyes and realized that she wasn't in the forest anymore.
She looked around and saw that she was back inside Godric's Hollow along with Beethoven and the other three children. In fact, they were in front of the Potter's old cottage. "I can't believe it, it actually worked." Lucy said with a breath of astonishment and disbelief.
"Daddy we're back!" Lilly cried as she raced towards the front door with her sister running hurriedly along behind her.
"Dad!" she cried. "It's us! We're home!" The front door opened and Harry gathered both of his twin daughters inside his arms and embraced them tightly.
"Girls," he began while he breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I am so glad you're safe. But how did you get here?" he asked them.
"Mum did it." Lilly began before all three of them turned to face Ginny who stood back down the driveway with Beethoven and Richie at her side. Harry wanted to pick up both of his girls and carry them down to her like he used to, but since he couldn't (on account of the fact that they were way too heavy now) he walked down to her by himself.
"Ginny, Richie, I am so glad to see you both. Richie you better get home, both of your parents are worried sick about you." He told him.
"I know," he began while breathing a heavy sad sigh. "but what about Beethoven?"
"Well, can you honestly be able to afford or care for him anymore?" Harry asked him.
"No, he's gotten way too big and my parents need the money for their court case and child support after the divorce." He explained sadly.
"Then I'm sorry, but you'll have to do what's best for Beethoven." Harry told him.
"Can you keep him for me then?" he asked him eagerly.
"I'm sorry but I have my own children and animals to care for." Harry began but then as he saw the sad depressed look on his nephew's face he continued on. "But I can find a good home for him. I can't imagine why Hagrid wouldn't take him for you. That way you could still see him every day when you go back to Hogwarts." He said.
"Really? Gee, thanks Uncle Harry." Richie began before he bent down and wrapped his arms around the dog's neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm really going to miss you Beethoven, but I know that Hagrid will take good care of you and I'll see you in a few months. I love you boy." He told him when suddenly the gentle giant started wagging his tail and then started licking his face. Richie giggled before he stood back up.
"Well see you guys later, I've got to go back home where I belong." He said.
"I couldn't agree with you more." Ginny began while flashing him a warm and loving smile. "Goodbye Richie, it was nice to see you again." She told him.
"Goodbye guys." He said quietly before he turned around and ran away leaving his aunt and uncle alone once again.
"So, the Boss told me that you needed me, so what's wrong?" Ginny wondered out of concern.
"It's your friend, Amber. She got shot last night and now she's in the hospital and in critical condition." He explained.
"Oh no." Ginny said in a horrified whisper. "How's Aaron taking it?" she questioned him anxiously as Harry simply shook his head at her.
"Not well. Justin said that he didn't sleep at all last night and that he hasn't had much of an appetite." He explained. "All seven of his children slept over at their grandparents because he didn't want them seeing him like this." He explained.
"Right," Ginny began with a nod. "I know what I have to do then. Don't worry Harry, I'll take care of everything." She finished before she disappeared.
