Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you may recognize that all belongs to JK Rowling, all the characters you don't recognize Demi, and the Children are my own creation,
This story may be a little confusing; I hope you can follow along. This line here/\\//\\/ differentiates between the story and Rose's story.
When it is Rose telling the story, it is in Hermione's POV (point of view)
When it is Saffron telling the story it is in Ginny's POV
I am warning you now that the characters are AU but I hope I got them close.
Chapter 3: To Preserve the Memory
"Uncle Harry are you in here?"
"That's my husband" Saffron said
"That's Damien" I said at the same time as Saffron
"Uncle Harry!!"
"Girls stay here," Uncle Harry said and got up from his chair "what is it Damien? Oh my god what happened?"
"I was attacked" he said falling over on the couch
"Saffron, go get your mother and don't worry she knows I told her"
"Rose, go get a cold cloth from the kitchen" he pointed to where the kitchen was I ran and did as told
"Now what happened?" uncle Harry said bending over him staring straight into his eyes "did you find anything?"
"Yes I found it, it was so hard and heavily guarded they were everywhere I narrowly escaped"
"What are you talking about Dai?" I said coming back into the room, I put the wet cloth on his forehead and I started wiping off the dry blood.
"Oh my gosh, Damien what happened?" aunt Ginny said from the doorway, Saffron soon after following.
"Darling are you alright?" she asked immediately to his side, fresh tears were strewn down her face.
"I'm alright" he said bravely, although we could clearly see that he wasn't.
"Stand back you guys, Damien you are so lucky that I am a healer"
"Sorry, I was just doing as instructed"
"Instructed? You were on a mission, who put you on such a dangerous mission?" aunt Ginny asked "Harry!!" she said turning to him, "he's not an auror he's not supposed to meddle with the dark arts"
"Aunt Ginny it wasn't the dark arts that attacked me though" he said slowly. "How's mom?"
"Same as usual Dai and don't change the subject" I said
"Well if you're here then you obviously know" he said, Ginny was putting spells on his broken ribs and arm and wrist she was healing his cuts and fixing him internally. She used very, very advanced magic. "But still this is not for your ears"
"Dai you're my twin; if you're trying to protect me don't I can take care of myself"
"Please Rose, I need you to leave" he said slowly "I am not trying to protect you, I just can't let you hear, please, you to Saffron, go an check on the kids I need to talk to uncle Harry and aunt Ginny alone"
"Fine" I said and we Apparated back to Uncle Harry's Manor "I can't believe it"
"Calm down Rose," Saffron said calmly "Let's go get the children and go to my house alright? Diana needs her nap by now anyways" I nodded and we went to go find aunt Demi. We walked up the three floors to where aunt Demi was usually doing her things it was usually sewing. "Aunt Demi, I am going to take the kids home alright" Saffron said she scooped up the four kids and flooed to her house.
"Why did they leave?"
"Damien returned from his journey"
"Really did he find anything?"
"Yes apparently but he is really hurt and he sent us away"
"Oh my gosh, that is so tragic"
"Oh yes you seem real choked up Aunt Demi"
"I'm sorry dear, I'm trying to concentrate I really am worried I mean I did practically raise you both" I left her to her sewing and I went to go see mom, for once she was not in her chair.
"Mom?" I asked around the room "Mom where are you?"
"I'm right here Rose, don't worry" she said at the doorway, "I've been thinking and I miss my life, my family you and Damien grew up in front of my eyes and I didn't even see you, my grandchildren are growing up right in front of my eyes and I did even realize" I smiled "you by the way said the story beautifully sweetie, both you and Saffron,"
"Thanks mom" I smiled at her and I gave her a hug.
"I know he's alive though, you father I mean, I have proof"
"Really you do?"
"Yes, this ring, he gave me is the proof, he told me if he dies on his mission let's call it then the ring will turn blue, as you can see it is not blue"
"That's your proof? A magical ring"
"This is no ordinary magical ring Rose" she said "I think it is time I go get my husband from the clutches of his father"
"Mother know, listen to me first"
"What is it?"
"Damien, he's hurt, he went looking for father and got hurt"
"What where is he?" she asked very concerned
"He's at home" I said simply
"His home?" she asked
"No yours"
"I can't apparate there Harry has all these spells"
"Side-by-side apparition doesn't count though" I said smirking
"You inherited your father's smirk?" she said smiling
"Yep now let's go" I said and we apparated to the manor.
"Harry said this place is boarded up"
"It is, from the outside" I said to her, I opened the door; Harry and Ginny were tending to Damien who was sprawled out on the couch.
"Damien!!" mom shouted, the three of them looked at her shocked that she left her chair. "Are you alright my baby?"
"I'm not a baby mom" he said, she ran up to him and hugged him tight. "mom are you trying to make me more injured?" he asked through her tight hug.
"How did you get her over here?" Harry asked
"Side-by-side apparition" I said simply, they nodded.
"Why did you bring her here?" Harry asked
"She's needs to know, from me, not you" I said "trust me she's fine" he nodded "mom I want to show you something" I said and I walked into the study.
"This is your father's study, those there are his Quidditch robes and his trusty Nimbus 2001, but I don't remember these, she said and she picked up a letter. It was the letter that I had read earlier. She quickly scanned it, tears started to form in her eyes.
"Mom? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine Rose; I now know why he never returned to me"
"Yeah I guess so"
"You don't understand Rose, I waited all those long years." She said she looked at the letter she didn't read it she just looked at it, like it was something of evil that she could not let go. "Why wasn't I given this, it is dated 10 years ago"
"Hermione?" Uncle Harry said from the door Aunt Ginny was tending Damien.
"Harry." she turned to him and repeated her question, "Why wasn't I given this letter?"
"Because Hermione, I didn't want to hurt you, you're my best friend I hate seeing you so depressed"
"And watching me stare out a window for what 20 years makes you happy?"
"No I didn't mean it like that. The state that you have been in throughout the last few years caused me to not give it to you, I was afraid that if you knew the truth you would not be able to handle it"
"You thought I would kill myself?"
"Yes alright I did, so I did not tell you" he said pleading with her "I really wanted to but I just couldn't I wouldn't have been able to stand myself if I caused you to do that"
"Harry, do you honestly believe that I have no respect for myself?" she asked him, he just looked at her "Listen to me, I would never do that, Draco and I had a special bond, something that you wouldn't understand, it must have taken all of his heart to write this letter, it is obviously killing him or was killing him depending on what that appalling man did to him." He nodded and motioned for her to continue "Harry, I understand why he has to do this, he explained it to me I just didn't listen, my young and obviously naïve self believed otherwise" again he nodded in understanding.
"Mom what are you going to do then?"
"Well obviously I well we can't burden Harry anymore in his house"
"Hermione it is no burden"
"Harry this is something I have to do, I have to get back on my own feet, get back into the wizarding world" she said
"Hermione please it's no burden, I love having you and the kids at the house"
"Harry I need this"
"Fine, alright you'll need this then" he said walking over to a picture of mom and a man which I believe to be is my father because Damien looks almost exactly like him except for the hair, Damien is a brunette and I am the blond. He moved over the picture to reveal a safe[not exactly non cliché he opened it using a nonverbal spell and pulled out the package inside, it looked to be a really long necklace case she opened it to reveal her wand and pulled it out. "Hmm it's like a king grasping his sword for the first time in many years" he said.
"I haven't seen this since I first got pregnant, Draco had me give it to him so I wouldn't use any magic, and I had no idea where he placed it." She smiled, Uncle Harry and I went to go check on Damien, and mom pointed her wand to the safe, it closed magically and locked itself, and she then spelled the picture to cover it once again. "I am moving back here" she declared coming back into the sitting room.
"What why?" Ginny asked, we hadn't filled her in
"Because I need to become stable again, and I can't keep being a burden to Harry and Demi" she explained "I need to get back on my feet and get the lighthouse running again" she said and pointed her wand at the lighthouse. "hmm the bulb is broken, most likely from the winter months" she said to herself "Harry have you guys been taking care of it, even though it has not been on?"
"No, we left this place alone save for the office, the bathroom for obvious reasons, the kitchen which we kept stocked with food and the sitting room" he said
"Alrighty then I need to go get my stuff from the Potter manor" she said "Just one question."
"Yes what is it?"
"Where are my things, I mean this place is like empty" all I remember is you giving orders for the Weasley's to pack stuff but none of it was ever sent to the house was it?" he shook his head. "Where did it go?"
"It never left" he said, she looked at him curiously again he shook his head and smiled. He waved his wand around the room in a circular motion and everything came into view. "Hidden by a protection spell," he explained
"Except for your clothes and the baby things none of it ever left" Ginny said
"Why though?" I asked simply
"I was told to. I was told to take away Hermione's things and the baby things to my house but leave everything else and disguise the place as empty"
"Why?" again I asked "Uncle Harry your not explaining it"
"To preserve the memory" mom said simply, he nodded "Rose all the things you see here are from before you were born, this was a time when your father and I were completely in love, we were basically newlyweds all the time"
"Most of the time it was adorable but other times it disgusted us to no end" Aunt Ginny said, Uncle Harry and I laughed, Damien smiled he too was looking around but didn't want to talk because of the broken rib which was mending with a potion he had to drink and mom continued.
"As you know, from the story you told this morning of how we ended, it was the last few moments I had with my husband. But before those moments, we were in bliss. I am guessing he knew this was going to happen so he had all the preparations made, for when it came time" mom said, Uncle Harry nodded in agreement.