A/N: Hope you all had a fantastic Easter yesterday! You're getting all content hot off the press, so apologies for any future waits. Anyway, enjoy!
As the four stepped out of the fire, Mrs. Weasley bustled around them, sweeping up the ash they'd spread onto the floor. Her broom was a present from Harry for looking after him for so long. You could clip in your wand and the broom would use the tergeo spell to clean out the tougher stains. It was a new product from Witch Weekly and Mrs. Weasley used it at every available opportunity. As she finished brushing the floor and the four who had emerged from the fireplace, she stood in front of them and examined them.
Ron flinched as she brought out a handkerchief and spat on it, and cowered as she approached them, closing his eyes. The handkerchief never came. Instead, he looked up and saw that Hermione was squirming under the careful ministrations of his mother.
"Mum!"
She stopped, and ushered them over to the dinner table, where she had laid out plates of roast chicken, surrounded by vegetables. They converged with the stampede of the other Weasleys running down the stairs and somehow, in a strangely fluid movement, arranged themselves around the table without touching anyone else. The only exceptions were Harry and Ginny, who shared a brief hug before sitting down.
"Nice job getting mum the broom," grinned George. "Don't tell anyone, but we helped design that. Witch Weekly's product division have been all over us."
"We?" questioned Harry. "I thought, since..." George's face dropped slightly, almost imperceptibly. Harry noticed, and immediately apologised, but he waved it off, as though it were of no importance.
"Yes, Verity still works for us, I mean me... She was the one who got me into domestic products in the first place. They're a real money-spinner, but we don't want our name officially associated with them. The name is Witch Weekly, the magic is Weasley."
"Genius," Harry grinned, and tucked into his chicken with obvious relish. Gravy dribbled out of the corners of his mouth and Ginny giggled. Looking up, he saw that Ron was in the same predicament. Gradually, the whole table began to roar with laughter as people gradually caught on.
The next day, six eagle owls, one of them jet black, flew towards the Burrow clutching yellow envelopes. As though she was expecting it, Mrs. Weasley opened the window and they all flew in, landing on the kitchen table. She untied the letters from the legs of all the owls except the black one, which tried to bite her when she got too close. She just managed to make out Harry's name on the letter as it shuffled around.
"Sonorus. HARRY!" she yelled, her voice magically amplified. There was a loud crack as Harry apparated beside her. "HARRY! JUST BECAUSE YOU... Quietus. Just because you've got your licence now, doesn't mean you have to apparate everywhere. I know you feel you need the practice, but you're as bad as Fred and George." She fell silent at this.
"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," apologised Harry, hugging her tightly. "What was it you wanted?"
"Ah yes. You've got a letter." She pointed to the black owl on the table, which seemed to be scowling at her.
"It seems like I've got more than one letter," he chuckled, looking at the pile of letters on the table.
"Oh, they're for everyone. For now I just want that... owl... out of my house." She scowled right back at the owl and a staring contest persisted until Harry relieved the owl of its burden and it flew back to whoever had sent it. "Read that one later, dear. Help me get the others out of bed, would you?"
"Ok," Harry agreed. He headed off upstairs, first poking his head into Ginny's room. He saw she was asleep still, even after that yell from Mrs. Weasley, so he went and shook her awake. "Good morning, gorgeous," he murmured as she slowly opened her eyes and yawned. After her, he woke Hermione who was sleeping in the camp bed just next to Ginny's. By the time Hermione had seen who it was, squealed and hidden under the sheets Ginny was leaning over the bed, grinning at Harry.
After the girls, Harry rushed off to wake George and Ron, who were even groggier than the girls. He was amazed that he was the only one to wake up at the sound of Mrs. Weasley's call. After a long half an hour, he eventually managed to coax everyone out of bed and into the kitchen. Ron yawned, stretching his arms, as he finally fell down the last couple of steps into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley held up the five identical letters, spreading them out so that the crests on each of them could be seen.
"Hogwarts letters?!" exclaimed Ron. "But we've missed seventh year!"
"And why am I here?" asked George. "I left over two years ago!"
"It seems Professor McGonagall has seen fit to invite you all back, in light of your final years. Ginny, of course you'd get one anyway. Well, enjoy!" Mrs. Weasley handed out the letters and they each tore their envelopes open. Harry stared in wonder at his own letter.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Honorary Grand Sorceress)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to announce that we are inviting you to repeat the last year of your education at the school, given the circumstances surrounding that period. We await your owl no later than the 25th July. We apologise for the inconvenience of the earlier date, but we have more requests to process due to the predicaments developed by the last year. Please see the enclosed equipment list and personal notes if applicable.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Flitwick
Deputy Headmaster
Harry pulled out the next piece of parchment.
For your next year, you will be required to have:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven by Miranda Goshawk
The Ultimate Defence by Professor Vindictus Viridian
It seemed he could use most of his books from the sixth year. He then pulled out the personal note from the envelope.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We thank you for your participation last year in what is now widely known as the Battle of Hogwarts. We hope you will accept the position of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts in conjunction with your position at the Ministry. We will attempt to cover your lessons whenever necessary. We have sent similar letters to Mr. Ronald Weasley, Miss. Ginevra Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood and Mr. Longbottom. We hope that they will aid you in this position. You may wish to purchase the set books for the seven years in order to conform to OWL and NEWT standards. You will also be granted the use of the staff room for the duration of the year.
As you are repeating the seventh year, you will not be sleeping in the normal house dormitories. We have created communal "eighth-year" dormitories – one male and one female. They will be password-protected in the same way as the traditional dormitories. We hope that you will enjoy this year at Hogwarts and that you will do well in your NEWTs at the end of the year.
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
"It says here that I'm going to be teaching Defence," said Harry as he read the letter.
"Me too," claimed Hermione, who had also read her letter quickly.
"And me," said Ron slowly.
"Well, I haven't. I don't know why," said George. "Actually, though, I might go this year if Harry's teaching Defence. Should be a laugh..."
"Hang on," said a small voice slowly. Everybody's heads turned towards Ginny. "I've got an invitation to teach Defence, too..."
"There must be some mistake there. Ginny's too young! How can this have happened?" Mrs. Weasley was puzzled.
"She fought well against the Death Eaters in the Battle," explained Harry. "Her Bat-bogey Hex is amazing. She was at the Ministry with us. Ginny is one of the most skilled witches I have ever known and I don't know how much of last year I could have done without her." Mrs. Weasley's face split into a smile which grew with every word he spoke. By the end of it she was convinced and was at a loss for words. She merely nodded.
"Apparently," continued Harry, turning back to the letter, "I've got a position at the Ministry."
"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, "that should be the other letter you got then." Harry took it, slit open the envelope and read.
Dear Harry,
I've been informed that you wish to become an auror. We plan to hire you as an auror, but first you must undergo the auror training. Throughout your experiences with one Tom Riddle, you have already learned most of what you would ordinarily learn in the first year. As you are continuing with your education (I would expect that this is so), you would be taught the remaining part of the first year's course across the whole year. You would, as part of your duties, be expected to teach the others starting the auror course in sessions throughout the year, teaching them the basics that you have encountered. It is hoped that by the end of this year you will be at the same level as them and that you will join them in consecutive years as peers. Please send a reply as soon as possible. The owl who delivered this letter will return each day for your reply as a security measure.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic.
P.S. You will be expected to gain the NEWTs required as normal to become an auror, so no slacking off. Also, would you be so kind as to meet me on the 24th July? I have some time off, so would gladly join you at the Burrow, possibly staying to sample some of Molly's fabulous cooking.
"So, I'm going to be an auror," confirmed Harry.
"How can you?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "You don't have the qualifications yet. Are they giving you the benefit of the doubt?"
"No, I still have to take my NEWTs. It's just that Voldemort and Dumbledore have taught me most of what I need to know for the first year of auror training. The rest I'll learn as I study for the NEWTs I need. I wonder what I'll be learning..." Harry scribbled replies to both Hogwarts and the Ministry, and the others followed suit with their Hogwarts letters.
George had decided that he was going to take the very end of the seventh year, spread across the whole of the next year while he ran his business. He was going to be developing a wide range of new items, and was in the process of buying out Zonko's in Hogsmeade. Harry grinned at the thought of future generations buying Weasley products during their Hogsmeade visits. They all watched as Pigwidgeon flew off to Hogwarts carrying their replies.