Eleven Years Later

"Mum someone's at the door!"

"Well you're a big boy now Ralph go answer it."

Ginny heard a groan from the living room and then arguing, she knew they were fighting over who would answer the door. It was always like this. The knock came again.

"Will one of you answer the door!"

It wasn't a question it was a command. In seconds Alysia was at the door. Ginny could hear her ask polity who it was and then a yell.

"Mum, it's for you!"

Ginny swore lightly to herself. Great just when she was cooking the twins fish fingers. It's always the way. Moving out of the kitchen Ginny headed to the front door. As she passed the living room she could hear neighbours and knew that Alysia was watching the Australian soap.

As she reached the hall she smiled at Alysia.

"Go check on the fish fingers. They should be done now."

"Yes mum."

Alysia shut the hall door tight behind her. Now on her own Ginny looked out onto the front porch out of habit. What she saw caused her heart to miss a beat. She must be seeing things. Yet she hid that feeling quickly and addressed the woman standing there.

"Hello how may I help?"

"Are you Miss Black?"

Ginny nodded her head slowly wondering what was happening.

"I'm Hermione Granger. I'm here as a representative of a school named Hogwarts and we want to invite your children to attend. May I come in so we can talk about this in private?"

"Yes of course."

Ginny allowed Hermione pass and began to wonder what was happening. Why was she here to invite them, didn't they just get letters? Then from somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered a story Hermione had once told her. She had not received a letter to Hogwarts by owl post. No as a muggle Professor Flitwick had taken it to her when he went to explain about magic.

"Mum the foods ready do you want me to dish it up?"

"Yes Alysia if you would. Ralph go help your sister and no throwing food at each other."

Ralph ran passed her casting a quick look at the other woman. Ginny just smiled at him as she heard bickering start in the kitchen. Ginny just entered the living room though. She turned off that horrible television that her children loved and scoped up Ralph's homework putting it on the coffee table. Then she happily took a seat indicating Hermione to do the same. The older woman smiled gently as she settled herself. Ginny could tell that Hermione had yet to work out who she truly was.

"Now Miss Black, like I said I want to invite your children to Hogwarts. It's a bit different to normal schools, see it's a school for – "

"Witches and Wizards."

Hermione sat up a little straighter and met the girl's eye.

"How'd you know that?"

"I went to school there. I was a year below you though."

The woman didn't react. Her eyes scanned Ginny and then flickered in the direction of the kitchen. It seemed that finally Hermione was using her brain. There seemed to be a flicker of reorganisation. Then Hermione shook herself.

"Would I have known you?"

Ginny just nodded smiling. Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. When she spoke it was barely above a whisper.

"Ginny is that you?"

She nodded and saw the other girl smile briefly. It was the briefest of smiles though.

"What the hell are you playing at?"

"What?"

"Eleven years Ginny. Eleven years without a hint that you were alive.

"I couldn't Draco…"

"Draco is he here too? So help me if he is –"

"No it's just me and the twins."

Unexpectantly Hermione softened. She ran a hand through her wild hair and nodded.

"I'm glad that you're alright."

"What happened?"

"We thought you died. Draco sent for Fred and George one night eleven years ago now. Said he'd just got home and had found the flat like that. There was no sign of you we just all thought Voldemort had killed you and taken your body."

Small tears were forming in Hermione's eyes. Ginny moved quickly to her friend engulfing her in a huge hug. Hermione sniffed for a bit but then sobered up. She moved back in the chair and looked at Ginny.

"Why'd you do it Ginny?"

It was a tough question. Why had she run out on her family? She had been afraid wanted the best for her new family, but would Hermione understand that.

"I thought it was for the best."

"What making everyone believe you were dead?"

"I was attacked. My flat was destroyed."

"Ours were too."

"But you weren't pregnant."

They both fell silent. Eleven years had been too long. Their friendship couldn't survive a lie that lasted that long. It seemed that the silence was going to be never ending when Ralph walked in.

"Mum will you help me with my maths now?"

"I can't right now. Why don't you take it upstairs to your bedroom and get Alysia to help. She's already finished hers."

"But she's stuck on geography."

"Have you done your geography?"

"Yes."

"Well then help each other."

He nodded and left the room taking his books with him. Hermione's eyes had followed him.

"He looks like Draco."

"I know."

"Did he tell you to leave?"

"He thought it was for the best. So did I."

"Ron's going to burst a vessel."

Ginny looked at the girl and she smiled coyly.

"He wasn't happy when it happened. He and Harry thought something was fishy. But they couldn't prove anything. So they went to the memorial for you. He mourned for you to please your parents but he's never believed it."

"You're still close then."

Hermione laughed.

"Close. Bloody hell Ginny I'm his wife."

It was Ginny's turn to laugh.

"You said bloody hell. Wow you must have been married for years now if Ron's language is rubbing off on you."

"Eight years."

"But you're still Granger."

"Granger-Weasley. But it's so long. Honestly I only use the Weasley part when I'm with your parents or Ron. Harry finds it so amusing when people call me Mrs Weasley, makes me feel like your mum."

"How is Harry?"

Hermione gave a look that spoke more than words. Ginny knew that Harry hadn't ended the war yet. The look said that he blamed himself.

"He nearly destroyed Voldemort once. But there was an accident and Harry was injured. By the time he was ready to face him again Voldemort had created more Horcruxes."

"What?"

"Oh those were the things we went hunting for. Harry destroyed them and he was capable of killing Voldemort. It's basically objects that Voldemort hid bits of soul in. If you thought he was inhuman eleven years ago you'll really find him a monster now."

Ginny was busy bringing a memory to mind from twenty two years ago. It was her eleven year old self holding a diary. A horrible diary. She didn't need anybody to tell her how horrible a horcrux was, she'd already seen one.

"So Harry's kicking himself for the accident then?"

"Of course. He knows he could have ended the war nearly ten years ago. He feels responsible for all the lives lost, but it's not his fault."

Ginny just nodded.

"I have a two year old."

Ginny's head snapped up as Hermione rummaged through a purse pulling out a small picture. It was of a little girl with brown hair that fell in a manner much calmer than Hermione's. Her eyes were like Ron's a pale blue. She was laughing happily waving at whoever was taking the photo.

"Amber. She's a darling. I think she's going to be trouble when she's older mind. Too many influential people around her."

Ginny smiled kindly.

"What about everyone else?"

"Well your parents are still around as busy as ever. They're very much involved with the everyday running of the Order. It's become more important now there are fewer of us. Then Bill moved to France about nine years ago. Fleur wanted to be closer to her parents. He's over here a lot though but you know."

"Then Fred got married. There was a witch a year younger than him in Hufflepuff. Melanie Stringfield well she's now a Weasley. Got three children, two girls and a boy. There's Jynx she's the oldest at seven, then Ciaran is five and Electra is three."

"Wow."

"Yeah. He's solely in charge of the shop these days too. Doing a good job running it too."

"Why what happened to George?"

"Been in Hogwarts for a long time. Sat his newts, and then passed the tests to become an Auror. But he's using those skills to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. He's a great teacher all the students love him."

"I bet. What's Ron up to then."

"Ron's still hanging around with Harry. They're still on the hunt for Horcruxes not that they're having much luck. It's difficult and I worry for both of them. But while my job is to care for Amber these days they still need to hunt down those horrible things and finish this war."

Ginny sat there watching her sister-in-law for a while. Hermione had fallen into thought which was so typical of her. Ginny though was thinking about what Hermione had said. There had been no mention of Charlie or Percy.

"Hermione what about Percy and Charlie?"

The brunette looked up slowly with a half smile.

"Percy is Percy. You know what he's like and a decade hasn't changed him. No if anything he's more ambitious. He's working as the deputy minister now under Rufus Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour is out fighting with the Aurors again. Not in major battles but important ones. But that means he's relying on Percy to run things then and Percy is certain that Scrimgeour is going to end up getting himself killed and then he can be minister."

"Oh. Is he on speaking terms now?"

"Sort of. After you … Well you know left he came to pay his respects. Talked something's out and it seems like the past for most of it is just that. Your mum and he have got a relationship back, your dad though it's just a working one. Not talking to the boys much either but it's a little better."

Ginny nodded. She could understand that. She didn't think she'd ever forgive Percy but it was important to have some sort of relationship with him.

"But Charlie, Gin this is hard. I mean I never dreamt that I'd have to tell a family member this let alone you."

"What?"

"About three years ago now there was an argument. He had this massive fight with Draco and it went on for days. Draco was really on edge by it all. Well he went out on a mission and Charlie followed him. Nobody has seen either of them since."

"What? No you have to be mistaken."

"Ginny I wish I was, really I do. But they're missing and we can only assume dead."

"But you thought I was dead and you were wrong."

"Yes."

There was a firmness in Hermione's voice that said that she hoped it was wrong but that she didn't quite believe it. Tears sprung from Ginny's eyes. She'd wanted to believe that Draco was alive but something told her that after all this time he had to be dead. Death would be the one thing that could keep him from her.

"What about Hogwarts? Is that safe, since Voldemort is still around. I'm not letting the children there otherwise."

"Yes it's very safe we have lots of Aurors and Order members there. I mean I already told you that George is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts up there. Well I'm teaching potions and Neville is there doing Herbology."

"Really?"

"Yes and Fleur well her friend, Renee, has come over from France. She's really good at all the defence and has joined the Order. Well she teaches Charms and Luna she's in Hogwarts as well, taken over for Pomfrey."

"What happened to the old professors then?"

"This may be a shock but Sprout has been missing for about a year and a half now. Pomfrey has moved on to St Mungo's because she's so experienced and well Flitwick was killed five years back."

"Where's Slughorn?"

"Headmaster. Who'd have thought it."

"What happened to McGonagall then?"

"She was injured six months ago and still in hospital. She's gone mad. Same thing as Neville's parents. She'll never be back."

Ginny tried to take this all in but it wasn't working.

"What about transfiguration then, who's teaching that?"

"No one. McGonagall was still teaching she was going to continue, had no choice."

"Why not?"

"Nobody wants the job now."

"Why. It's Hogwarts."

"You remember what it was like after Dumbledore died. They had a hard enough time finding somebody willing to teach since the Death Eaters got in. Well it's worse now. The only people willing to teach are fighters. But we need them for the war. It's a nightmare."

"So people don't feel safe there."

"Not unless they can take care for themselves. Hey you can fight."

"I use to be able to, bit rusty now."

"No what I mean is you can take care of yourself. You should teach Transfiguration."

"What?"

"Well you're going to have to come back to the wizarding world now anyway."

"But that doesn't mean I can teach Transfiguration."

"Why not? You were always good at Transfiguration."

"But not good enough to teach."

"McGonagall always said you were brilliant. She said that your talent was wasted on death. When Erickson left she said that she would have asked you, but of course you'd been gone for a month by the time Erickson walked."

"I don't know. I was hoping for a low profile."

"Ginny come on. It's a chance to go back to Hogwarts."

"Fine, but only if Slughorn agrees."