Finally, I am Back! Disclaimer: Still not mine, though I do enjoy this delightful playground!

Keeping It Warm

"Harry! Ginny! What I nice surprise to get to see you two. I figured you'd be too busy the two days back before going to America to come see us." Andromeda said as she bustled around making tea. Bottles littered the countertops and clean baby clothes needing to be folded on the table were staked and piled everywhere. Toys were situated in corners and under the table and even above the ice box in the corner. Harry looked around for the tot and couldn't see him.

"Well, of course we'd come and see you guys. Harry missed Teddy a lot while we were in Australia. Has my mum been here yet? She said she was going to visit while we were gone," Ginny said while she helped the older woman around the kitchen. They shooed Harry away from helping and told him to wait so he returned to the table and sat there. The women talked and gossiped for several minutes and forgot Harry was there. Through listening to their conversation he learned that Teddy was having an afternoon nap at the moment so he had sat the diapers and mobile on the counter. He watched the women chatter away and started fiddling with the clothes on the table.

Several minutes went by and Ginny and Andromeda returned to the table with tea and biscuits to find Harry quietly folding onesies and cloth nappies, making piles by color and type of clothing. They were so shocked Harry didn't notice them starting until he realized he heard no chattering and looked up. Half the clothing was now folded and the table was cleared enough for the tray of snacks, so he waved at their hands and the table.

"Go ahead and put it down, I've cleared a spot." Andromeda recovered from her shock first and placed the tray down and smiled.

"What a gentleman, thank you Harry for folding these things. I was going to get around to cleaning up this afternoon while Teddy was asleep, but a visit from you guys is worth putting it off until tonight. I want to hear all about Australia." The two teens shared their stories of their visit to Sydney and recovering Hermione's parents and Andromeda shared a few stories of Teddy. An hour after they arrived a sharp cry emanated from Andromeda's pocket. She jumped up and pulled out her wand muttered something and the crying stopped.

"Sounds like the little guy is up, I'll run back and get him. Be right back," she said as she rushed towards the little boys room.

"Harry," Ginny whispered. "Does she seem a little…"

"Perky?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. When you came through to ask if we could come over, did you notice anything strange?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Well, she was just sitting at the table staring at the pile of clothes. She looked a little sad, too," he replied. Ginny looked at him quizzically.

"I think she might be depressed, Harry. Or lonely," she added sadly. Just then Andromeda returned with a sleepy Teddy. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning. His hair was dirty blonde, and tousled and he was wearing a tiny little tee shirt with a hippogriff on the front. Ginny watched as Harry's eyes lit up and he smiled a happy smile.

"There he is! Teddy, my little man! Can I hold him?" Harry asked as he held his hands out. Andromeda smiled and handed the baby over to Harry. Teddy looked up at Harry and yawned which made Harry laugh.

"Are you still tired little guy? Where's Puff, ah there he is! Gin, could you hand me that dragon?" Harry pointed to a spot near Ginny's left foot and she smiled. Harry waved the dragon around in front of Teddy while it puffed out small smoke animals. Teddy squealed with glee and giggled like crazy trying to catch the little animals with his fists. Andromeda smiled sadly as she watched while a bottle was heating up. Harry chuckled as more animals came out and his godson's face lit up happily.

"Exactly how old is he now, Andromeda?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, he'll be three months in about a week," answered the older woman as she turned back to the stove. Ginny had caught the sad smile on her face before she noticed Ginny was looking. Ginny's earlier suspicion that the woman was lonely was probably more right than she realized and she vowed to talk to her mum before they all left the next day. Harry and Ginny played with Teddy for a while changing off so they could each help Andy, as she told them to call her, clean around the house. Soon enough the toys were piled up in a corner basket, dishes were washed, clothing folded and floors were washed.

"You two are a God send, I can't thank you enough," Andy said as they gathered up their stuff to leave.

"It's no problem Andy, we're glad we could help. I only wish I didn't have to go to America. I wish I could stay and help out some more. I feel like your taking on all the responsibility, and I'm just leaving you to it. I'm his godfather, I should be around more," Harry replied sadly as he hugged Teddy for the fifth time.

Teddy giggled and blinked and his hair took on a messy quality and changed to black again, which caused Harry to smile sadly. He had watched Teddy change his hair from black to red all afternoon, to resemble either his or Ginny's hair. It was hilarious when he made it grow as long as Ginny's, it became longer than his own body. Andromeda had needed to stop cleaning briefly to give Teddy a haircut seeing as how the tot could make his hair grow but couldn't yet shrink it. Harry had laughed so hard he'd shot tea out his nose when he learned that.

"Don't you worry about that, Harry. You are only a teenager, you shouldn't have to take on such a responsibility quite yet. I am still here, I don't mind caring for my only grandson. It just gets a little lonely here with only an infant to talk too. Ginny, dear, tell your mum I said hello. Thank you for the diapers, again. They are a life saver, come by when you guys get back, and bring Ron and Hermione next time. Buh-Bye! Wave Teddy," Andromeda waved Teddy's pudgy little fist at them while they Floo'd away.

Back at Grimmauld place, Harry found Ron and Hermione in the drawing room, snuggling and sharing kisses. He cleared his throat and watched them jump up from the sofa quickly. He and Ginny chuckled at them as the two grumbled about interruptions.

"Oh, knock it off you two. Just be glad we weren't your parents," Ginny replied as she plopped down on the loveseat. "So, we came home earlier, and no one was here. Where'd you two run off too?"

"Well," Ron looked at Hermione. "We went with 'Mione's parents looking for a new house. They're still out there with a Real-Tour on a tour of a flat near London. We got bored, so we came back here."

"What about you guys? How'd the meeting this morning with Verity go?" asked Hermione.

"It went okay. We also cleaned up the shop a bit too. Then we went shopping for baby stuff, got Teddy a present and more diapers and I got a new owl, so did Ginny," he said quickly.

"Yeah I saw the owls in the kitchen. Nice looking ones, though they looked a little depressed," Ron mumbled.

"They're a mating pair. Before they were shipped here, they had an egg and it died. Harry made a familiar connection with the male," said Ginny. Ron and Hermione looked at Harry shocked.

"You found your familiar? Lucky," Ron chuckled.

"Harry, that's wonderful. Finding a familiar is a great experience. How did it happen? Tell me all about it," said Hermione quickly with a smile. Harry sighed and recounted the experience of making eye contact with the male owl and the chat they had with the clerk about familiars and owls. When he described the connection and how the owl told him about their egg, Ginny was shocked to learn that the owl didn't exactly speak to Harry, but it was more of a feeling than words.

Ginny thought quickly about what Harry was saying and decided to see for herself if what he said was true. She offered tea to everyone and said she'd run go get it while they kept talking. She ran down to the kitchen and quickly made the tea without looking at the birds in the corner. While the water was steeping she walked over to the birds and saw the female open her eyes. She looked into her eyes and instantly teared up at the pain she could feel. This mother bird was grieving for her chick.

"Oh, you poor bird. Come here," Ginny held out her arm for the owl to perch on and walked over to the table to sit. "I know it's painful. I can feel it. I just hope you can recover from this." Ginny and the bird sat in silence sharing emotions back and forth. Ginny shared her sadness about Fred, and the others who died. Her confusion at how to help her brother recover, and her happiness that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were okay. The owl shared her confusion at why she was ripped from her nest, and the sadness of leaving her egg behind. She shared her love for her mate, and the sadness she held for him at how he was taking their relocation.

Just as the tea pot started to sing, Ginny whispered to the owl, "I think you're my familiar."

Ginny wandered up the stairs holding the tray of teacups, teapot, and biscuits precariously placing each foot carefully. She arrived at the door to the drawing room and Harry jumped up to help her with the tray.

"Harry, I know what I'm naming my owl," she said happily. "Aphrodite." Harry looked at her weirdly.

"The goddess of love? Eh, whatever, she's your owl. I was thinking of naming the male, Charcoal." Ginny looked at him with her mouth agape.

"No, I will not allow you to name that poor creature Charcoal. Give him a name with meaning. You need to talk to him, get to know him better before you name him."

"Gin, it's an owl not a parrot, they don't exactly talk. And what's wrong with Charcoal? That's a good name," Harry complained. Ron and Hermione watched with smiles.

"Charcoal is a cat's name. Owl's are wise and deserve real names, especially your familiar," Ginny replied firmly as she poured their tea.

"Well, what about…Shadow?"

"Nope."

"Cloud?"

"Oh, Merlin no, the poor beast."

"Whisper." Harry was smiling. Ron and Hermione tried to hide their chuckles.

"Why?"

"No, for the name."

"Goodness no."

"Ash."

"No"

"Soot."

"It's a Sooty Owl, naming him Soot would be like naming it Owl, that's ridiculous.'

"Er, Night?"

"No."

"Hey, Hermione. This is how she got me to tell her to just name Pig. Every name I came up with was stupid to her, so I just said you name him then and he ended up Pigwidgeon. Poor bird," Ron muttered earning a laugh from Hermione.

"Blackie."

"No."

"Cinder?"

"No."

"Dusty."

"Nope."

"Midnight."

"No."

"Oberon"

"Where'd you get that one?"

"A play. What about it?"

"Hm, it might work."

"Well? Will it?" Harry asked.

"Can you imagine calling your familiar Oberon for ever?" Ginny asked.

"Well, no. I just said it because I didn't think you'd like it," he replied. Ron snickered at them earning a glare from Ginny.

"Well, Harry, your owl needs a good name. Something that means something. Where did you get the name Hedwig?" she asked.

"My History of Magic book, before first year," he replied.

"Well, why not look there again?" asked Ginny.

"Because I don't want too," he smirked at her.

"Well, then come up with a list of names, but first go to the kitchen and sit with your familiar for a little while. Now," Ginny said confidently as she pointed at the door. He sighed dejectedly and wandered to the door slowly.

"And Harry, if you're this bad at naming things, I'm naming our children," she said with a coy smile. Harry looked at her with horror.

"Ch-children?" he muttered. Ron burst out laughing. Harry turned and walked out of the room quickly, before he turned any redder.

"That wasn't very nice Ginny," said Hermione, who smiled at the other girl.

"I know," she grinned. Ron shook his head smiling.

"Girls," he muttered before standing up. "I'm going to go console Harry." He walked out leaving the girls laughing.

He strolled to the kitchen where he found Harry pacing in front of the owls, muttering about kids and women. Ron chuckled which brought Harry's attention to him.

"What are you laughing about?" he asked.

"Nothing, just the fact that Ginny totally got you good," Ron chortled. Harry stopped and looked at his best friend in shock.

"She was joking? Oh, that little witch," he muttered. He looked over at the owls who were still watching him from when he was pacing, and he picked up the male owl. "Ginny, says I need to name you. Got any ideas?" he asked the owl. The somber looking bird stared into Harry's eyes and Harry got an image of something that made him burst out laughing.

"That's what I said!" he told the bird. Ron watched perplexed.

"What do you mean?" he asked Harry.

"Oh, nothing, he just gave me a image of a night sky, he means darkness or something that has to do with dark," Harry responded. Ron stared at the bird.

"The owl gave you an image?" he asked.

"Yeah, kind of like telepathy or legilimency. He showed me an image and I interpreted it as he means dark. Along with the image I got a feeling like…it's hard to explain. It's like, when you think of dark, you get a feeling inside like some people are scared of the dark? Does that make any sense?" Ron shook his head, bewildered. Harry sighed.

"Well, it doesn't really matter. I don't know how else to explain it. Help me come up with some names, okay?" The two young men and an owl spent a half an hour coming up with names and running them past the owl, who gave Harry a negative feeling or a positive feeling for how he felt for the names. Finally, Harry, out of exasperation, said a name that Ron and the owl perked up and smiled at. Harry got a warm happy feeling from the owl and realized that he'd found a name. He smiled and shouted for Ginny. The two girls arrived and sat down at the table where Harry had gestured. He had the male owl on his arm and he stood in front of the girls and Ron.

"Ginny, Hermione, I'd like to introduce you too, Archimedes."

A few hours later, after the girls finished cooing over Archimedes and Aphrodite's names, the four left the house and Apperated to the Creevey's backyard. They walked around to the front and knocked on the door. A small boy answered the door and peeked out.

"Who're you?" he asked through the crack of the door.

"Er, we're friends of Denis's, is he home?" Hermione asked in a perky voice.

"Peter? Who's there?" A voice asked as they walked closer. The door opened wider and they saw a woman they recognized as Denis's aunt. "Oh, you four were at the funeral weren't you? Come on in, are you here for Denis?" she asked.

"Er, yeah, is he here?" asked Harry. They wandered into the sitting room and saw Peter and four other kids on the floor in front of a Playstation. Two of them, the older two, were gesturing wildly as the other three shouted for them to go left and avoid the three legged giant. Ron and Ginny were drawn to the television and wanted to join the kids, but Harry and Hermione held on to them tightly.

"Well, actually Denis ran off a while ago. His mother told me he's fairly depressed and has been tending to lash out at his family. Poor boy. You might be able to stay for a while and see if he returns soon, if you want." She waved her hand at the couch where a younger girl was sitting reading a book with a lion on the front.

"Er, actually, I think we'll walk around and see if we can find him. If we can't we'll just go home." Harry started to pull Ginny to the door while Hermione did the same with Ron.

"Okay, when he gets home I'll let him know you stopped by, that is if you don't find him. Thanks for stopping by," said their friend's aunt. The foursome wandered up the street towards the only other place Harry could think Denis would be; the cemetery.

The neared the plot of land where Colin was buried and saw a greasy tuft of dirty blonde hair sticking up from the other side of the stone. Harry and Ginny shared a look before they walked forward. They circled the stone and saw the small boy, only a few years younger than them staring off into space. As soon as they were in his view, he blinked and looked at them, glaring.

"What do you want, Potter? Didn't torment me enough yesterday? Came back for more?" Denis said scathingly. Ron and Hermione gasped, drawing Denis's attention to them. "Oh, and you had to bring back up? Hero Harry and the Golden Trio need to save another soul? Well, get bent, Potter. I don't want your help." Denis stood up and swayed. That's when Harry saw the deep circles under the younger boys eyes, and smelled the body odor from him.

"Denis, have you gotten any sleep lately? Or eaten anything?" Ginny asked quietly. Hermione looked at the boy with concern.

"Why do you care? I'll tell you something, you don't really care. You guys just want another thing under your belts for people to worship you for. Go to hell," Denis started to walk away but before he made it a few steps, Ron stopped him with a quick spell.

"Denis, what is your bloody problem? You're acting like a giant prat. Harry and Ginny care about you, so do Hermione and I. You were a fellow D.A. member, and D.A. members watch out for each other," Ron said vehemently. Denis looked at Ron and yawned pointedly.

"Yeah, sure. You care about me as much as you cared about Colin. He was just a nerd who followed you around taking pictures. You only put up with him because you were too nice to tell him to stop, and in the end following you guys around only got him killed." Denis turned to Harry. "It's your fault Potter that my brother is dead," Denis spat loudly.

Harry gasped and tears filled his eyes. It was bad enough that he felt that way, but to have it thrown in his face like this was too much. Ginny and Hermione both gasped at the harsh words Denis threw at Harry. Ron saw red and punched Denis hard in the nose. Blood spurt from both nostrils and they all heard a loud crack of bones breaking.

"Take it back Creevey, it's not his fault! He couldn't do anything to save your idiot brother, who shouldn't have even been there, it's Colin's own fault he died. Not Harry's, how dare you say that, you little prick," Ron shouted. Hermione and Ginny pulled Ron away from Denis and Hermione walked forward with her wand out to fix his nose when he yanked himself away from her, despite the spell holding him stationary, and fell to the ground.

"It's true though, if Colin hadn't have stayed at the school that night, he'd still be here. The only reason he stayed was because he was there. Potter was there, so Colin had to stay. I promised to help Harry no matter what the danger! he said. I'm a D.A. member, and I was trained for this fight! I told him to not go, I told him! But no, Harry's there, gotta help Harry bloody Potter!" Denis screamed. Hermione stared at him wide eyed and mouth agape. Harry was shaking his head and muttering to himself when he suddenly collapsed on the ground.

"Harry!" Ginny yelped. She fell to the ground next to him and began muttering to him quietly. "Don't listen to him, Harry. He's depressed and doesn't mean what he's saying. Just ignore him. You know what Colin would say right now, remember your dream, Harry," Ginny whispered to him. Meanwhile, Hermione had silenced Denis and fixed his nose. Ron was seething and being held in check by his girlfriend who had body-binded him and sat him on a bench nearby. Hermione knew that Ginny could handle Harry's emotional trauma, Ron was taken care of so she would handle the teen on the ground.

"Now, you listen to me Denis Creevey, and you listen well," she began firmly. "Colin's death is NOT Harry's fault. Colin made his choice that night to come and help fight. It was his choice and his alone. Not Harry's, not mine, not Ron's and not yours. Colin's. He made the choice to come and help and he died for that choice. I'm sorry for your brother's death, but sometimes things happen and we can't do anything to stop them from happening. We just have to learn to live with the past and move on. Blaming others won't help you feel better in the long run and what you said to Harry was just plain mean. You know that he had nothing to do with Colin's decision anymore than his decision to do photography. Now apologize to Harry," Hermione demanded. Denis stared at her and didn't reply. Hermione waited for several long minutes.

"I'm not apologizing. I meant what I said," Denis finally said.

"Fine then don't. But I want you to understand something, Denis, we are your friends, and friends don't hurt each other like that. Harry has never done anything to hurt you, and you just said something to him that is so far from the truth, and so hurtful, that I'd be surprised if Harry ever speaks to you again because of it. You aren't the only one who loved Colin. He was our friend too. We'll miss him dearly, and your attitude is beyond reproach. We wouldn't be here right now if we didn't care about you or Colin. You should be embarrassed by how you just treated someone who's never been mean to you, ever." Hermione unlocked Ron and gestured to Ginny and Harry to get up and get ready to leave.

"We're leaving for a few days, but if you want to talk, you can contact us through the Burrow, and Ron and Ginny's parents. We are not going to give up on you, Denis, because we still care about you. You should go home and visit with your cousins and aunt. They care about you too. And take a shower, eat a hot meal, and get some sleep. You're hurting yourself isn't going to bring Colin back. You're torturing yourself by sitting at his gravesite day in a day out, you need to stop this, because it's only causing you more pain." Hermione unlocked Denis from the bind he was in before she began to lead the others away.

"What would you know about pain? You've ever lost anyone close to you Granger. How can you possibly be able to lecture me about pain and grieving, and what's healthy and not? You've never went through this kind of pain, so why should I listen to you?" Denis shouted at their backs. Hermione stopped and turned around.

"You may be right about that Denis, I've never lost someone so close as a sibling, but I've lost many friends in this war, Colin was just one of them. And I'll tell you something, Fred and Tonks were close enough to be my brother and sister, and I'll miss them forever. Colin was a good friend, he was always there when we needed someone to talk too and he always had his camera during the good times and the bad. Thanks to him, most of my favorite memories were captured by him on film, and I can never repay him for that. So don't you dare imply that I have a free conscience in this, because I lost many people. Ron and Ginny lost a brother and you don't see them moping on his grave all day. Harry lost more people in this war than anyone I know, and you don't see him giving up. You are acting like a coward Denis Creevey, a bloody coward, and if you don't knock it off, I'm going to tell your mother on you." Hermione turned around and stomped away. Harry, Ginny, and Ron followed her staring wide eyed at her.

Halfway down the road she slowed her gait for them to catch up.

"Er, Hermione, you threatened to tell him mum about what? That he was mean to Harry? Isn't that kind of an empty threat?" Ron asked.

"No, Ron, it isn't. And no, not that he was mean to Harry, that he's been sitting on Colin's grave all day when he wanders off. It's not healthy. She should know this, because I think he might need to see a therapist for his depression," she replied.

"See a what?" Ginny asked.

"A therapist is someone a person can go to and talk about their issues. They're…healers for the mind," Hermione said quietly. Ginny nodded.

"Oh, why didn't you just say Mind Healer," she responded. Hermione looked at her quizzically.

"They actually have Mind Healers? That's what they're called?" she asked.

"Yeah, you mean you didn't know about them?" asked Ron. Harry walked along listening to their conversation holding Ginny's hand. He had never heard of Mind Healers before either.

"Well, no, I didn't know about them. Are there a lot of them?" Hermione questioned them.

"Kind of. They have to go through even more training than a regular Healer, so most people who choose Healing don't go the extra two years to become Mind Healers. So the ones that are out there are expensive, and only the most mental people go to them," Ron replied matter-of-factly. They wandered closer to the spot they were going to use to go to Diagon Alley when Ginny stopped them.

"Harry, are you sure you want to go deal with George today also? You had a hard time with Denis," she said quietly.

"Yeah, I need to be there for George, even more than Denis. George is like my brother, Denis is just a friend. What Denis said just came as a shock to me. Since the dream, I've pretty much stopped thinking of Colin's death and the others as my fault, for the most part at least. Hearing Denis say that, was just a shock to my psyche I guess. Plus, if you three show up to help George, and I'm not there, he could see it as weakness. And right now, weakness is something I can't afford when it comes to making George see that the shop is still important. So what are we waiting for?" Harry started walking again and the others followed him.

Soon they were walking down Diagon Alley towards the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. They arrived in front of the shop and Harry unlocked the front door. Earlier that day he had encouraged the door to know his signature and he could finally unlock it from the outside. He walked them through the store to the back stairs and walked up them.

He knocked on the door and waited for a signal to enter but heard nothing. He shared a glance with Ron and he unlocked the door magically but found couldn't open it. He told the girls to move down a few steps and Ron moved forward, together they shouldered the door a few times and knocked it open. A loud thud was heard from the inside of the room and Harry pushed the freed door open and saw a chair lying in the middle of the floor.

"What the bloody hell?" Harry heard George swear from the back rooms. A drunken George, clad only in boxers with beater bats and bludgers on them, stumbled to the living room and saw Harry and Ron poking their heads in the door. "What the hell? Why can't you two just leave me be? Go home, and leave me alone," George shouted.

"George Fredrik Weasley, you leave them alone. They are only trying to help you, and you are not helping them in the least. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Ginny shouted up the stairs as she pushed Harry and Ron aside to enter the room. Harry and Ron shared a smirk as they saw George pale slightly and cover himself.

"Ginny, what're you doing 'ere?" George slurred.

"Harry and Ron didn't want to enlighten mum and dad to your little pity party, so I made them bring me and Hermione with them tonight. I knew that if you wouldn't listen to them, I could make you listen to me. And I have no qualms about telling mum about your drinking the day away and planning on giving up the shop. I'd like to see you get out from under her wrath." Ginny smirked as she saw George pale even more. Clearly, threatening him with an angry Mrs. Weasley was the way to get him to behave still.

"Now, go get dressed, Harry needs to talk business with you before dinner," Ginny said as she pointed to the back room. George scampered back and they heard his door shut.

"Ron, Harry, quickly, you need to search the flat for bottles of liquor. Hermione, come with me to the desk and help me find paperwork." Ginny directed them all and they jumped to attention.

Harry and Ron found no more than fifteen bottles of Firewhiskey, five bottles of Muggle Vodka, and three bottles of Muggle Rum around the flat. Ron double checked the toilet tank, and Harry double checked the fake books they'd discovered cleaning the day before.

Ginny and Hermione were searching through the desks and piles of paperwork for documents and wages information. All the paperwork Harry would need for him to hire a few workers. Since he'd planned on having the others start working the next day, he needed all the paperwork filled out later that night, ready to send in to Gringotts the next morning.

Ten minutes after they'd arrived George stumbled out of his room, dressed in sweat pants and a gray exercise beater.

"It took you ten minutes to put on that?" Ron asked cynically.

"You burst into my flat and make demands this is all you get. Now, what did you so graciously demand? Mr. Potter wanted to speak business, did he? What, he suddenly doesn't know what to do, so he's already come running to me for help? Surprise, surprise," George said mockingly.

"Actually, I've already, hired five people to clean the place up and start making new product. The way it looks the shop should be ready to reopen in almost two weeks. I just needed some paperwork from you, so I can officially hire them. I also need recipes and directions for making product and your sales books and numbers. My new manager knows the deal and shouldn't have any problems, since she's worked here before. I just don't know where you keep it all here, or I'd have just gotten it myself," Harry said sardonically. George stared at him.

"You already hired five people? Who? Are they decent enough people that they won't steal from the till? Do I know them? Who'd you hire that worked here before?" George demanded. Harry smirked.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you didn't want anything to do with the shop right now?" Harry asked derisively. George glared at him.

"Fine you don't want to tell me, Potter. I have no idea where that paperwork you want is," George replied innocently. Harry raised his eyes.

"You want to play this game then? Fine. I'll tell you who I hired, if you tell me where all the paperwork is, you go first," said Harry.

"How do I know you'll tell me after I tell you?" George asked skeptically.

"I'll swear a Wizard's Oath if I must to gain your trust, but I'll have to ensure that you are telling the truth before I tell my part. So, do I have your word that you'll tell me where the paperwork is? I'll check for it, and if I have it in my hands, all of it, I'll tell you all five people I hired, deal?" George stared at Harry before he shook his hand. George got up, and walked to the back room, a few minutes later he returned holding several notebooks.

"These are the recipes and directions. The other paperwork you want, numbers and sales receipts, are all under the counter downstairs in the safe, combination, 5-23-17," George said quickly as he threw the books at Harry's lap. Harry checked them quickly, and seeing the correct items, stood up.

"I'll be right back." He left the room and went downstairs holding the notebooks. He returned several minutes later, holding several files and the notebooks.

"I hired Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Lee Jordan, Katie Bell, and Verity Venoux. I'm waiting for a reply from Oliver Wood to see if he'll work on the weekends if he's not busy. Angelina and Katie are both going to learn to manage the shop from Verity since she can't stay for longer than a month. Verity will be starting tomorrow, along with Angelina, Lee, and Katie. Alicia will be coming everyday afterwards. That should answer your questions, I have to leave now. Ginny, Hermione, Ron will you be joining me?"

The others stood up and walked to the door. Harry stopped and looked back.

"George, whenever you decide to start working again, you are welcome. I don't want to do this anymore than you want me too. But I am looking out for my interests in this shop, I won't let it go under for two reasons. First and foremost, Fred wouldn't have wanted your guys' dream to go under after all your hard work to get it established, and two, I put forth the money for you to start this. It was a lot of money, and I don't want it to go to waste. Whenever you decide you want to take over again, feel free too. It's your shop, I'm just keeping it warm for you." Harry led the way out the door leaving Ginny and Hermione to give George a tight hug, and Ron to nod his goodbye.

George sat in silence thinking about what Harry had said for a long time. It's your shop, I'm just keeping it warm for you.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all arrived at the Burrow for dinner after leaving the shop. They were welcomed by Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Granger who were busy cooking up a storm. Since it was the last night the four would be sleeping in the country the mum's wanted to make a feast for them. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Granger were busy in the sitting room talking about the Wireless versus Muggle Radio so the teens decided to congregate in Ron's room, as far away from the adults as they could get, to discuss George and Denis.

Harry sighed as he sat on the cot he called his own. Ginny sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Ron and Hermione sat likewise on Ron's bed across from them.

Harry pulled the pile of papers and notebooks out of his satchel and began to look over them. He saw the recipes for certain Skiving Snackboxes, fake wands, and more recently a recipe for something called InsomniMints. Also in the papers were records of sales for each month, which candy did best in which months, and possible ideas for the future. He particularly disliked the Harry Potter candies which turned the eater into a replica of himself. Along with those were Dumbledore Drops, Merlin Menthols, Snape Snickers, and McGonagall Gummies. The last two made Harry smile faintly. The Harry Potter Pops he hated, but if would be funny to see a group of midget sized Professors running around Hogwarts. Unfortunately, the treats hadn't been perfected yet, and a reminder at the bottom noted that Polyjuice might me needed. He knew there was no way on Merlin's green earth that he was giving his hair up for a candy, or how they'd be able to do Merlin, Snape or Dumbledore's candies.

Ginny turned to read what made Harry scowl so deeply and read the notes on the candies and started to laugh. Ron and Hermione became curious as to what was on the paper so they jumped off the bed and crowded around Harry to read also. Ron snorted loudly and Hermione giggled. Harry shoved them away mumbling to himself.

"Can't believe them, surprised they would even think of something like this," he muttered, gaining more laughs from his friends.

"Oh lighten up Harry, you're going to have to get used to people wanting to look like you, want your autograph, and want your Chocolate Frog card…" Ron burst out laughing at the look of horror on Harry's face at the frog card comment.

"As Merlin as my witness, the day my face is put on a Chocolate Frog card is the day I renounce the wizarding world and move to Siberia to live as a hermit," Harry yelped. The others burst out laughing even more which made Harry chuckle. Even he knew that idea was ridiculous.

"What other things are in there, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you saw the Harry things, then there's Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Merlin ones also. There's quite a few pages on something called InsomniMints," Harry handed the notebook to her. She went into Knowledge Mode, as they had begun to call it, and read over the notes.

"Well, since she's lost to us now for a while, why don't we talk about George and Denis, like we planned," Ron said. Hermione, without looking up, reached over to smack him on the arm playfully.

"Just because I'm reading something doesn't mean I can't hear you," she replied in a sing-song voice. Ginny snorted and shook her head.

"Seriously guys, we need to talk about George and Denis. Both of them are acting completely uncharacteristic, Denis was down right mean to you, Harry. The things he said to you, if he wasn't a friend I'd have cursed him right then and there. And George…I've never seen him act like that today, like he was totally indifferent to you, yet at the same time like he…well, like he hated you. At first I didn't want to believe what you had said about how you two found him yesterday but the way he acted today, I wouldn't be surprised anymore. It almost makes me want to put off going to America," Ginny said sadly. Harry softly nodded his head.

"Yeah, I was thinking of putting it off too, but I really don't want to have to do that. I just want to get it over with so I don't have to deal with them again. I think if we talk to Percy and maybe even Bill tonight they can watch over George for us, while we're gone. Besides, Angelina, Verity, Lee, and Katie will be there almost every day that we're gone. I can ask them to check on him in the morning and before they leave at night. I might even be able to talk Lee into staying there with him, possibly." Harry looked at Ginny and Ron. "If you two want to stay here, Hermione and I can go to America. Or even just myself. I don't mind going by myself."

Outbursts came from all three directions. From Ginny he heard, 'Not leaving me behind again', from Ron and Hermione he heard, 'Always be there with you.' Harry sighed.

"Look you guys, your brother is having a really hard time. I would understand if you wanted to stay at home. I'm not saying I'm leaving you behind, Gin, just that I would understand if you wanted to stay," he muttered. Ginny and Ron looked sorry for their outbursts, and Hermione looked confused.

"Harry, when we went to Privet drive to clean, you were barely in the front door when you threw the telly across the room. As much as you think you can, you can't handle the Dursley's by yourself. We are coming with you, despite George having problems, there are enough people here who can help him while we're gone. Like you said, you just want to get this over and done with, so lets get it over and done with together," Hermione said firmly, while Ron and Ginny nodded their affirmations.

Harry's eyes shone as he smiled softly. What did I do to deserve these friends? Harry thought to himself.

"Okay, so you guys are coming with me. That's decided. Now, what about tomorrow, getting everyone settled at the shop. I'm going to talk to Bill tonight about getting money to Verity, but what else do I need to do?"

They sat and talked for an hour until the heard the dinner call from the mum's. They headed down to find the two sets of adults, Bill and Fleur, and Percy and Penelope Clearwater seated around the table. It was a tight fit with three extra people, but they managed quite well. Dinner talk remained soft and light hearted, yet slightly strained. Charlie had returned to Romania, so his absence was normal, but George had told his mother over a Floo call that he was staying in that night and not to expect him.

This worried the teens and Ginny was ready to run over and make sure her brother wasn't drinking himself into oblivion again as soon as she's heard the announcement, but Harry held her back and calmed her down. Her mum was already worried after seeing her lethargic son the night before with sunken, bloodshot eyes, and pale, clammy skin. She didn't need to be more worried than she was, and her daughter panicking and running to the shop at eight in the evening would definitely set her over the edge. Harry assured her that he'd pop over later to make sure he was okay, this calmed her down enough so she'd be able to eat her dinner.

After dinner the large group gathered in the sitting room. Harry made eye contact with Ron who nodded. They'd agreed that each of them would get the attention of an older brother and get the two outside to talk. Ron approached Bill, and whispered something to him. Bill looked at him and nodded then turned to his wife and chuckled at something she had said.

Ron looked at Harry and gave a very brief nod. Harry turned and saw Percy wandering to the kitchen. He took note of Ginny distracting her mum and the other parents and Hermione distracting Penelope and Fleur so Harry, Ron and Bill all got up and followed Percy into the kitchen.

"Ahem, Percy, could you join us for a moment outside?" Harry muttered as they walked through the kitchen. Percy saw the discreetness about the way they were leaving so he followed without a word.

The four men arrived by the large tree that had a homemade tire swing on it and faced each other.

"We need to talk to you two about George," Harry began. Percy started to stutter.

"Look, I didn't know that taking the job from Kingsley was going to cause so many problems. George was acting just fine when I—"

"Percy, this isn't really about you. I believe you when you say you didn't know what would happen, but the reality is this, when Ron and I went over there yesterday, I had to check George for a pulse." Bill and Percy both gasped at Harry's revelation.

"Did he try to…you know, again?" Bill asked quietly.

"No, at least not that I think so. He was so drunk he'd passed out on Fred's bed, but not before he completely trashed the place. Everything in the whole flat was broken, ripped, or smashed. It took us a good three hours to clean it up after we made sure he was still alive and cleaned up the vomit.

"When we woke him up with a sobriety spell, he lashed out at us, and then went into the bathroom and pulled a bottle of Firewhiskey out of the tank in the toilet and started to get drunk again behind the closed door." Ron looked at Harry. Bill and Percy exchanged horrified looks.

"Harry told George that he was taking over the shop since he owns half of it, and there wasn't anything George could do about it, he was right angry about it at first then he kind of gave up. He told Harry to do what he wanted with it, he didn't care about the shop anymore," Ron watched his brothers faces when they took in what he'd said.

Bill looked pensive and worried. Percy looked physically ill.

"Three days, that's all. I left him alone for three days…" Percy was muttering. Bill stared at the Burrow contemplating the whole situation.

"So the reason you wanted to talk to us was so that while you four are gone, there's someone to check up on George, right?" he asked. Percy looked from his older brother to his younger.

"That's exactly why we're telling you guys this. If Charlie were here we'd talk to him too. We didn't want to tell mum and dad about this, unless we need too. Mum's taking Fred's death hard enough, and Dad…he hides it well, but he's hurting just as bad. What George needs right now isn't mollycoddling, he needs a firm guiding hand. He needs people to tell it to him straight and not cushion things for him. Harry's taken over the shop so that it doesn't go down hill, it's our job as his brothers to make sure he doesn't become an alcoholic and dead beat," Ron finished his speech and Bill and Percy nodded their heads.

"We can make up a schedule so that one of us can check up on him in the morning and night…" Bill started.

"Actually, if your schedule wasn't obvious to him, morning and night, he'd be more inclined to try and be sober all the time so that if you happened to pop over, he wouldn't be smashed. Also, I've hired several people who are starting work tomorrow, getting the place cleaned up and new product ready and such. They will be there all day, five days a week, so really you guys would only have to check in on him randomly during the week, and mostly this weekend while we're gone.

"Percy," Harry looked to the older man. "We discussed it and we don't think you should quit your job. Kingsley needs all the Light people he can on his side in the Ministry, and you are definitely a guy who will help out in a positive way.

"Bill, I have a lady named Verity Venoux working at the shop. If she contacts you, I need you to get gold for her from my vault. She helped run the shop before, and she's going to be training in Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell as the newer managers. Lee Jordan, and Alicia Spinnet are also on the payroll. I haven't heard from Oliver Wood yet, but I only sent the owl to him earlier today, so he is also a possible worker. Okay?" Harry asked.

Bill nodded his head. "So I would need to go to Gringotts to get gold for Verity. That's all?" Harry nodded.

"Another thing, guys…" Bill started. "I think we should tell Dad about George. He deserves to know, and if we do end up needing help, it'll be less of a shock for him. If you want I can talk to him later tonight, or tomorrow?" Bill said. Harry and Ron shared a glance and then turned back to Bill and nodded.

Bill said he would do that, and he and Percy agreed to meet the next day during their lunch break to plan a schedule of sorts. When they were done talking the four went inside.

"Where have you boys been? One minute you're all sitting here and the next you're all missing!" Molly Weasley shouted. The boys explained that they wanted some fresh air, so they'd just gone outside. Molly calmed down and stopped yelling enough to serve desert to everyone.

Soon after desert was done, Hermione and Ron brought the Grangers back to Grimmauld Place and Mrs. and Mr. Weasley said their goodnights. Ginny went with Hermione and Ron while Harry popped over to the shop alone.

He wandered up the stairs quietly and reached for the door handle. He quietly opened the door and peeked in. Quiet music was playing and he saw George sitting at the desk scribbling away on a long piece of parchment. Harry was just about to close the door and knock when George looked up at the painting of him and his twin.

"I'm not going to let you down Fred. This shop is ours and if Harry thinks he's going to outsmart me, he's in for a big pranking surprise. He's right though, it was our dream, and it's not right of me to let it die. You've got my word as a Prankster, I will reclaim our shop," he said vehemently before going back to scribbling on the parchment.

Harry smiled and thought, Finally. He closed the door and decided that George was going to be okay tonight. He could go home and go to sleep.

A/N: Yay! George is recovering!!! This chapter gives me the warm tingle's! So, 3 A's, a B, and an F (in math). That's how my semester ended! I knew I was getting the F since February since I quit the class but couldn't drop it, so I took the F and boosted all my other grades. I'm so happy! Now all I have during the day to keep myself busy is Sims, photographing ALL of my art and documenting it, playing with my new potter's wheel and kiln, and Writing Summer After! Review and make me happy, please!