A/N: Thank you for the new reviews, follows, and favorites! 25 REVIEWS! That happened a few days ago, so as promised, this chapter is on time. Even though the last chapter was like a month ago...I'm sorry, okay! Next time I'll do that will be let's say...at 75? Yes, 75 reviews. Same reward. Also, I have TWO VERY SERIOUS QUESTIONS AND I NEED YOU TO READ THEM AND ANSWER THEM! I ONLY GOT ONE RESPONSE TO THE FIRST ONE PLEASE ANSWER THESE PLEASE BE NICE TO ME PLEASE! Again, I don't want to sound desperate, but I am, so why deny it? The questions are in the author's note at the bottom. Also, I'm trying to plan for weekly uploads, but NO promises because I'm bad at commitment! And this is because 19 years is a long time and l'd like to finish it before 19 years of my own pass :P The next chapter should up soon, because I already know what's going to be in it because this one was getting soooooo long.

And to "Amanda," a guest reviewer who I really hope sees this!: You are able to follow my work by creating a account, and then checking the follow box when you are reviewing. Don't worry, it took me a while to understand it too :P Your email didn't show up. And thank you SO MUCH for the wonderful review!

Disclaimer: This belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros.

Beta: juliana677. thanks!

Picking Up the Pieces

George Weasley stood in the middle of Diagon Alley, staring at his lifeless joke shop.

Merlin, it had been their dream.

Ever since he could remember, it was what they had always planned. Fred and George: best friends, trouble makers, the best beater team there was, ladies men, business tycoons, and pranksters extraordinaire. They would take their jokes and genius magic, of the extremely rare sort, and their business skills, ones no one knew they had, and they'd run the best bloody joke shop the Wizarding World had ever seen.

Fred and George: together until the very end.

And now that dream was gone. Hell, it was practically buried under Hogwarts rubble! Fred... Fred was never coming back.

And George was broken.

Bloody hell, why was he even here anyway? The whole damn point of getting wasted every damn night was so that he could stay away from his damn joke shop! There was no way he could stay away from here in his sober state; it was too connected to Fred. And Fred kept bringing guilt and shame and tears and unhappiness, so he had decided it would be best if he attempted to steer clear.

But he just couldn't stay away.

And, like a puppet, he was pulled by his strings towards the front door of the dark, empty building.

A knock at the door made Percy wide-eyed in an instant.

They weren't attractive eyes. They were pale and bloodshot, surrounded by dark circles, and it was no surprise that he was vomiting in an instant. He was drunk. Again.

When his first round of belching was done, Percy let out a strangled cry towards the door, hoping to end the incessant knocking.

"What? Who is it?" he coughed, spit choking up in his throat, "actually, I don't care! Go away! Yes, that would be quite nice."

Only the deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt could travel through the front door of his flat and up the stairs, "Percy Weasley. You are requested at the Ministry of Magic tomorrow, 8 am sharp. Good day."

At this, Percy washed his mouth out and bolted down the stairs, flinging the door open before Kingsley could apparate away. When he spoke, he was dead serious, "You're joking." He looked right into the Minister's eyes, begging for the truth.

Kingsley couldn't contain his grin. It was always fun to mess with Percy. But really, this was a serious matter. He had to go home and see his family, and come to work. He needed to pull himself together.

And Kingsley needed people. Merlin, he was lacking those at the moment. Percy, despite everything, was great at what he did, and he could be trusted.

Arthur needed to see his son, too. He and Kingsley had worked closely since the battle, trying to the pull the Ministry together, and Arthur wasn't in it. His children were either back to work, isolating themselves, or drunk. All the time. His wife wasn't leaving the room.

Percy had to come back.

"As a matter of fact, Mr. Weasley, I am not joking. Whatever gave you that idea?" Kingsley's eyes twinkled.

"Minister-"

"Kingsley, Weasley. My name is Kingsley."

Percy waved him off, refusing to change his proper ways, even in such a pathetic state, "Minister, you want me? Back at the...the Ministry? Are you...I mean, are you sure about that?" his voice dripped with disbelief.

Kingsley dropped his cool attitude, and spoke to Percy frankly and quickly.

"Look, Weasley. I need people. People I can trust. You're bright, you've got the skills, and I want you back. Also, you need to pull yourself together, mate, because you look like shit, feel like shit, and make your parents feel like shit too. Molly hasn't spoken to a soul, not even your father, and Arthur is practically incompetent at work. He can't focus on anything but his family. Your brother is dead, Percy. Why are you not with them? They all miss you, that's for sure."

Percy stood for a moment, struck with silence. Then, he blinked disbelievingly, "They...they want me to come home? But I...I left them. You, too! You want me back at work?"

"Merlin, Perce, you've never been this slow. Yes, I need you at work. I've got barely anyone else. And your family is falling apart. You know what, I'm coming in," he started towards the flat, but Percy blocked his way in a panic,

"What? No! No, you can't-" Kingsley pushed through Percy's feeble attempt at physicality and moved into the flat. He smirked at him,

"I just did, Perce. Now you are going to go shower, while I sit here and wait, and then we're going to your house-"

"I'm already in it, Kingsl-"

"That's bollocks, Percy, and you know it. We're going to the Burrow. But good job with the first name thing. Now go: clean, shower. Geez, Weasley, have you even looked in a mirror lately?"

Percy had nothing to say, so he stomped up the stairs, huffing all the while.

Inside, George looked around at the dust covered pranks on shelves packed to the brim. The light shone through the windows in single beams, bringing to life fun toys and shiny knickknacks. Other than that, it was completely dark, and when George muttered lumos, the dust in the air caught in his throat and he hacked.

He wiped his eyes, teary from the musk in the air, and explored his shop, weaving his way between shelves and eying all of the fantastic products he and Freddie had worked so hard on.

He made his way to the back, entering the storage room that they had given their sole benefactor, Harry, private access to.

He wound his way into their office, and looked at the dent in the wall his twin had made when he was frustrated, hitting his beater's bat so hard against the wall it nearly snapped.

When he reached the center display, he looked up and saw the burn mark from that one time when a clueless kid set off a still-developing firework that was being safely stored on top of a shelf.

They had loved that kid. They gave him a free pick of anything in the shop.

He saw memories, and they killed him.

And when he reached the staircase going up to their flat, he froze, slumped against the wall, and put his head in his hands.

Bill pounded on the door of his childhood home, putting all of his frustration into his swinging fists.

Why in hell did he decide to work for those bloody goblins anyway? It was a great job, sure, but it was times like these that he was reminded how easy it is to despise the creatures.

But they controlled, like, the entire amount of Wizarding money circulating anywhere, so he had to keep the half-pints happy.

But he loved his job anyway, and so, after finally convincing Fleur to let him go back to work, he had reported for his usual, Wednesday noon shift. But he hadn't taken two steps into the entryway when he was confronted by Harlook, the current bloody Head Honcho Goblin at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

That's when Bill knew he was in deep shit.

Another thing he liked about his curse-breaking is that, despite the establishment he did it for, he rarely ever had to associate with goblins. Bill was head of one division of curse-breakers. He reported to the Head of the Curse-Breaking Department, who reported to the goblin, a vile guy named Scarlot, who managed the Department's assignments, who reported to the Head Goblin. So when the Head Goblin bothered talking to a lonely Curse-Breaker Divison Head, it wouldn't take Ron (haha, brotherly dig; convenient as well considering Ron was the cause of all of his problems) to figure out that he was in trouble.

It also helped that all of the goblins in the room looked up and glared at him simultaneously, and that they looked up not from teller counters, but from where they were cleaning up the floor and using goblin magic to put the place back together.

"And just what do you think you're doing here, Mr. Weasley?" Harlook had asked. Bill had narrowed his eyes, unamused, and turned on the sarcasm switch,

"I'm here for work, Sir. Are wizards still allowed inside? Or are we going to stop making money too?" Harlook, as it turned out, was not amused either,

"Weasley, your brother single-handedly robbed our bank, tore the place apart, and stole our dragon. What in hell's name makes you think you're even allowed to step foot in this establishment?" The other goblins had muttered Gobbledegook, but Bill knew enough to understand that his mother would stick soap in his mouth if he said the same.

"Sir, I want to come back to work," he had resigned to the truth, "what do you want me to do?"

"Bring those insufferable teenagers to me. We will have a heart to heart." Harlook had grinned a twisted, wicked smile.

So here Bill was. He was absolutely going to stay with Harry, Ron, and Hermione the entire time, but they still needed to talk to his boss. He would make sure they weren't in harm, but he was absolutely going to make them settle their business.

And finally, he heard Ginny's annoyed voice, getting louder as she approached the door,

"Merlin, what do you want?! Oh for heaven's sake, get out- oh, Bill!"

She opened the door and threw her arms around her brother.

Bill smiled, anger vanishing. He had always been a sucker for his little sister. He hugged her close, "Hey, Gin," he kissed the top of her head, "How are things? What about with Harry? Hmm?" He smiled at her blush.

"That's none of your business, I'll have you know!" and she freed herself from her brother's strong arms, before being trapped again,

"Come on, Gin. I'm kidding. You're alright?"

Ginny smiled, "I'm fine, Bill, but everyone else..." her smile faded, "we haven't spoken to Percy or George, and I haven't seen Mummy in days."

He pulled her close, resting her head on his chest, "It'll be okay, Ginny. I promise. But I've really got to talk to Ron's lot, you know where they are?"

"Yeah," she answered, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside, "We were playing two aside quidditch out back," and she began weaving him through the rooms.

"Geesh, Gin, I lived here too, you know!" he commented on her hasty pulling. She plowed on indignantly, until they reached the backyard. He tilted his head toward the sky, where Ron was flying circles around Hermione, trying to get her to move in the air from her teetering position about ten feet up, and Harry was just a blur, shooting through the sky. He inhaled deeply, and bellowed,

"OI! You lot! FRONT and CENTER!"

All three heads popped up in surprise, but at Bill's glare, they all hastily made their way toward him. Bill spoke when they had all arrived,

"Come on, then. Put the brooms away. Your presence has been requested by the goblins."

They all put up a fair bit of arguing, but when Bill resigned himself to begging because he wanted to work, they took pity on him. Ginny refused to be left behind, so he took her too. They flooed to Bill's office at Gringotts, and he led them through the building until they reached a room clearly meant for the guy in charge. Bill gave the door a firm knock.

"Come in," came the voice of Scarlot.

Bill gestured for his siblings and their friends to enter the room, then he followed them in. Harlook eyed Ginny, and Bill took a protective step in front of his sister when his boss spoke,

"And who is this, Mr. Weasley? I believe I only wanted to see the other three,"

"My sister, Ginny. I didn't want her to be alone at home when I took the other three."

"She looks old enough to be by herself, don't you think? Either way, she has to wait outside."

"No way. She stays. Tell me I'm not one of the best curse-breakers you've got and she can wait outside. She stays," Bill repeated. There was no way he was letting her wait out there by herself with all those creepy goblins around, even if he hadn't wanted to take her in the first place.

Harlook gritted his teeth and muttered "Fine. But keep her over there."

Bill nodded and told Ginny firmly to stand against the wall. When Harlook was content, he turned to speak to Harry Potter.

"So...the infamous Harry Potter. You destroyed my bank."

Harry grew angry immediately and responded, "Oh, I'm sorry. I was a bit busy, you know, trying to defeat Voldemort and all that,"

Harlook eyed him menacingly, "That is of no importance, Mr. - !"

But Hermione cut him off, "God, the way you treated that dragon! That is barbaric and disgusting, Sir, and if I could do anything-"

"Then it's excellent you can't, Ms. - !"

"And GOD, when's the last time that poor creature had seen sunlight?!"

Harlook stood up and took a menacing step toward Hermione, "Now you watch your mouth, you- !" But Harry and Ron stepped simultaneously in front of Hermione, and Ron's voice was controlled and dangerous,

"Don't you dare talk to her like that."

That's when Bill decided enough was enough, and he walked behind the teens and put his hands on their shoulders, pushing them back into their seats before going to the edge of Harlook's desk. He spoke low and threateningly,

"Get on with your business, Sir. Stop the trash talk, don't play games. They're just kids. And they're my brother, and his best friends. Who also have just happened to defeat the greatest Dark Wizard of all time and saved your vile arse. So watch it."

Harlook was silent for a few moments, then muttered "Fine. Move. Let me speak to them. But you better make sure they show some respect, Weasley, or this'll be the last day you step foot in my bank."

When Bill turned around and told them to behave, Ron sputtered indignantly, "But... he started it!"

Bill took a deep breath to control his temper, "I know, Ron, okay. He's being an arse. But I need a job, and he controls our money. Also, you trashed the place. You at least owe him a little respect. Get through this quick, and we can get out of here." He stepped out of the way.

Harry looked the goblin right in the eye, "What is it you want with us, Sir?"

Harlook let out an exasperated sigh, dropping his cool composure and letting his simmering anger through, "I want an explanation, Mr. Potter! That is my only request! As much as I'd like to, I can't take the three of you to Court, so I am at least owed a reason as to why our bank was left in ruins! Why our dragon was stolen! You can make no mistake about it Mr. Potter, I am incredibly grateful for what you and your friends have done. But when you are in charge of the entire wealth of Wizarding money in all of Great Britain, with high profile clients breathing down your neck for high security on their vaults, it's a difficult job!" He was red in the face and looked ready to pop like a zit. And, despite what he had previously thought, Bill felt himself gain sympathy for the menacing goblin. In charge of all the money in Wizarding Britain, with people like the Malfoys bossing them around and expecting perfection... that was a heavy burden to bear. He watched the trio soften as well, and Harry let out a sigh,

"Look. We're sorry, okay? But we definitely can't tell you what we came here to get. It was in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. It was vile and horrid, and we destroyed it. I've got some money, right? Use some to help rebuild the place. I owe you that. But the dragon abuse is over. End of story."

Harlook was silent for a long time, challenging the other two to speak up with a menacing glare, but no one said anything else, so the Head Goblin muttered "I suppose that's an acceptable excuse. No money will be necessary. We built the place the first time after all," Bill breathed a sigh of relief, "But we have more to discuss." Merlin, what now?

Harry and the others waited patiently for him to speak. "We have much to discuss, Mr. Potter. I believe you turned of age..."

"July Thirty First."

"Right," Harlook gave a curt nod, "You turned seventeen in July. Conveniently, that's also when you were an outlaw. And...You've inherited quite a bit of gold, Potter."

Harry looked shocked, "God, from who?"

Hermione scoffed, "You're serious, Harry?" He was still dumbfounded. "Harry, Sirius was the last remaining heir of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. You were his godson. You really think you didn't get anything? And what about your inheritance? You've got some of that, too."

"Oh...right. So, err- what are we talking about here?"

Oh, right, Bill reminded himself, Harry was filthy rich. It's not like Bill really cared, and he had earned his pay by working hard, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't wish he had had a few spare change every once in a while when he was still in school.

Harlook placed two rolls of parchment on his desk, then unrolled them and read aloud, "I, Sirius Orion Black, leave all of my possessions and wealth to my godson, Harry James Potter." Then, he looked down at the desk to read Harry's parents' wills, but Harry stopped him, "Please...don't read it." And for the first time since he had known him, Harlook's eyes warmed with sympathy, and he muttered, "I suppose that's we don't have to. I've read it all already. Your parents left you all of their money and possessions. You inherited their home in Godric's Hollow, and the home that your father lived in when he was a child. Your mother also left you her inheritance of muggle money, which she herself inherited and changed to gold when her parents died. All of this gold has been transferred to your vault...and the total, not including the worth of the homes and possessions you have inherited, is a sum of about three hundred thousand galleons."

Everyone in the room dropped their jaws in disbelief, Bill himself included. Harry was dumbstruck. He was silent for a few moments, then gulped and asked "Are you joking?"

Harlook raised an eyebrow, "Do I look like one to joke, Mr. Potter?"

"But- but what in hell am I supposed to do with all that money? I... I mean, I don't need that. And the homes...what about that? My..." he gulped, "my father's house. Is it intact? Where is it?"

"Potter Estate-"

"Estate?" Harry asked incredulously, but Harlook didn't even acknowledge it,

"With about thirty acres-"

"Acres?"

"Of land is located in Portmadoc, near the coast of Wales. It's still together, but the house is withering."

Harry was silent for a moment, taking in the information. Then he said,

"My house. In Godric's Hollow,"

"Mmhmm?" Harlook asked.

Harry gulped, "I want to leave it just the way it is,"

Hermione touched his arm, "Don't you want to fix it, Harry? You could live there."

He held her hand, but kept his eyes on the goblin, "No. It should stay as is. Preserve it. Remind people...remind them of what Riddle caused. And the Estate, I'll check that out in a couple of days. Grimmauld Place...I'll keep that too. But the money... I want you to put five thousand galleons each in the vaults of the Weasley children, and Hermione Granger, and twenty thousand for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."

Bill and Ron grabbed his shoulder at the same time, but Bill spoke first, "Harry, mate you don't have to do that. We don't need that stuff."

"No. Keep it. You deserve it, all these years putting up with me," then he looked scared, "Don't tell your Mum," he added hastily, before turning back around. "Keep another five thousand for your repairs. Donate...donate twenty thousand to St. Mungo's Hospital, and another ten thousand to Wool's Orphanage. It's muggle. And put thirty thousand into the vault of Theodore Remus Lupin."

Harlook finished writing down Harry's requests, then looked up, "Will that be all?"

Harry stood, "Yeah. Thanks for all the help. And sorry again, about the whole, er...tearing apart the bank thing."

Harlook almost turned up one corner of his mouth into the beginnings of a smile. "Not a problem, Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley, I expect you at work tomorrow, reporting to your usual post at the usual time. You've got a new breaker to train, but he's exceptionally bright. Good day." Scarlot ushered them out of his office.

George sat like that for a while, curled up in a ball against the wall. He didn't cry, he didn't make a noise, and he didn't move a muscle. He was so still and silent, he lost track of time. It could've been minutes or hours, but he honestly didn't care. The fact of the matter was that up those stairs was his life with Fred. And he wasn't living that life anymore.

When he looked up, he didn't gaze around. He just stared up, at the door on the landing on the top of those stairs.

George mentally debated his options, but his whole mind was fuzzy anyway. He could turn around and go home. Or he could go up those stairs.

But there was not an ounce of him that was anywhere near turning back around, and that's why the debate was fuzzy. He was fighting a losing battle.

Because he needed to go up there. He had to live that life with Fred again, if only for a while.

So he did.

Arthur sat on his couch in the Burrow, waiting anxiously for his children to come back home. Bill had left a note, saying that he would be back soon, but there were no details! Probably thought he could get away with it because Molly wouldn't read it, Arthur mused. He was so used to the paranoia; he had to worry at least a little. When he finally heard the door click, he breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, "Where did your lot get off to?" he asked them.

"Gringotts," Bill sighed, "The Head Goblin wanted a word."

Arthur nodded understandingly, and watched as Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way into the room, and Ginny and Bill made their way towards him. "Hey, Dad," she said, "when did you get back?" as Bill said,

"Sorry about that Dad, really."

Arthur waved off Bill's apology, "It's fine. I was just a little nervous,"

"A little?" Bill chuckled. Arthur sent him a glare but then ignored him entirely. "I got back a few hours ago."

Hermione whipped around, shocked, "We've been gone that long?" She looked toward Bill, who shrugged. "It was only one when we left!" Bill shrugged again,

"Maybe we would've gotten out a little sooner if you guys hadn't been so defensive," he said tentatively.

Hermione nearly exploded.

"I was joking!" he said quickly, seeing her hand move to her wand. Ginny threw him a filthy look. She looked ready to shoot a nasty remark at him to accompany it, but there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Ginny said, cutting off her glare. Arthur watched as she opened the door, and she opened her mouth, shocked. A few lone tears fell down her cheeks, and then she practically jumped out of the door. Arthur moved to investigate.

There, standing in the doorway, was Percy, with his arms around Ginny's waist, as she embraced her brother for dear life. Arthur felt his eyes water, and he gave his son a small wave. Percy didn't notice. He kissed Ginny's temple and brought her closer, stroking her hair. He closed his eyes and placed his chin on top of her's. When he opened his eyes for a split second, he gave his father a small smile.

"Molly!" Arthur called up the stairs, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. "Come down, sweetheart, please!"

Silence was returned, but Arthur was only slightly crestfallen; she had been ignoring him before, after all. But he absolutely wasn't taking no for an answer. Arthur went upstairs and confronted his wife, "Mollywobbles, please, love, you have to see this."

His wife sighed, wiping away perpetual tears, "What, Arthur, really? I don't...I'm fine right here, thank you." Arthur just grinned wider. That was the first time she had spoken in over a week. He crossed the room in two long strides and, with a burst of strength, scooped her up into his arms. "Arthur!" she shrieked, clutching his shirt with her hand, but she laughed and smiled. Finally, Arthur thought. He carried her to the top of the landing, placed her down, and simply pointed downstairs. When she saw Percy, she burst into tears of joy, ran down the stairs, and embraced her son and daughter.

It was basically like Kingsley wasn't there. Oh well, he grinned. That was the way it should be. They were together.

After watching the wonderful reunion between Molly and Percy, Kingsley walked into the room and nudged Arthur, proving that he was previously invisible when Arthur was shocked out to see him standing there.

"Thanks," Arthur grinned.

"'course," Kingsley smiled. Then, he walked further into the room and caught the attention of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "Can we talk?" They followed him into the kitchen wordlessly and sat around the table.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"Well," Kingsley addressed them, "I wanted to know what you plan on doing now that it's all over."

He saw Hermione jump happily, smiling and saying, "I want to go to Australia. I need to see my parents, Minister."

"Merlin, Hermione, it's Kingsley," but he smiled all the same. "I can absolutely arrange that for you. When would you like to leave?"

She smiled wider, "A few days from now would be perfect-"

"Done. And after that?"

"Oh, that," she said dismissively, "I'm going back to Hogwarts, of course."

Harry and Ron snorted. Thank Merlin, Kingsley thought, back to normal. "And what about you two, then?" he sent the question toward them.

The boys shrugged.

"Well, I think I can offer a solution. How would you two like to be a part of our Aurors?" Ron and Harry gaped, and Kingsley chuckled, "Minerva told me you had been considering it. I've considered it. We'd love to have you, and I've extended the invitation to Mr. Longbottom as well. Do you accept?" The boys broke into simultaneously grins, accepted the offer and thanked him, and practically jumped for joy.

The flat was exactly how George remembered it. Why wouldn't it be? He scolded himself for his own stupidity.

It looked lived in, but there was a thin layer of dust covering it all. George gulped...Fred's belongings were scattered across the room. His clothes...George's eyes watered...his clothes lay scattered around the living room, Godric...they were like pigs! and George actually chuckled a little.

His mug was on the counter.

His beater's bat was on the table.

His robe was on the rack.

And he wandered down the hall a little, to the door with the large purple "F," and pushed it open. Everything told him not to...but he...he couldn't not. He looked at the pictures plastered on the wall, Fred's manic grin lighting up his face next to his own...

That was absolutely it. He couldn't take it anymore. He lay down on his twin's bed and sobbed into his pillow.

Harry was overjoyed. He was going to be an Auror! Ron, too! And Neville, of all people! That night, they all ate together. Percy was back, Mrs. Weasley actually cooked, Hermione helped, and they hadn't felt better in weeks.

George eventually fell asleep. He woke up when it was still dark. But when he realized where he was, he promptly began sobbing again.

But Harry had never felt more horrible than he did in the morning, when all of the Weasleys realized they had dismissed the idea of George eating with them, because he had been drinking every night. But he didn't wander into the Burrow the next morning.

It was early, and Alicia Spinnet was headed to the Wizarding Wireless headquarters in Diagon Alley to see Lee Jordan. It had been awhile, really, and honestly...she needed someone she could grieve with. Angelina was absolutely torn to pieces. She needed to talk to someone; she had to let out her feelings. She couldn't be that rock anymore... not when she was so desperate to let her own feelings out, so close to breaking down.

But for heaven's sake, it was right there.

She couldn't not stop at the shop. It was so empty...and sad...and Merlin, why wasn't it happy?

She almost sobbed right there.

It used to be the crowned jewel of Diagon, shining and bright and fun, you definitely couldn't miss it. Now...it was just...UGH-

"Why on Earth are you staring at this?" The voice of her friend shocked her back to reality. She faced Lee's profile, as he was staring at the shop too, and he saw her tears and her curious face out of the corner of his eye. "I saw you out of the window..." he answered her questioning look. Her bottom lip trembled, and he turned and held her while she cried.

She gasped a shaky breath into her trembling body, and pulled on his hand, "I need to see it, Lee. C'mon, please," she cried.

"That's not a good idea, Alicia, you know it-"

"I don't care!" she screamed, and her mangled face was enough to break his heart.

"...fine. Alright, alright. Let's make it quick."

When they reached the shop, Alicia groped for the handle, desperate, and she had no idea why. She shouldn't want to see this. But she had to. She needed to.

The plan, Alicia reflected, was to just look around. Remember, have a little hope, and then get the hell out of there.

That plan was out the window as soon as they heard the sobs from above, and Alicia knew exactly whose they were, and she looked at Lee and cried again, "Oh, George." She rushed toward the stairs, but Lee stopped her.

Alicia felt the yank of her elbow, and turned to look at his watery eyes, "We can't...we've got to get the others. He can't have been there for long. We'll owl Ange, and Ollie, and Katie, and the lot of those Weasleys." She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Fine."

Molly was horrified. She couldn't remember feeling more horrible than she had right then. The letter from Lee lay on her table, and she swallowed her tears. How in heaven's name could she have forgotten her son? She was so overjoyed with Percy's coming home...the whole family together...the tears spilled again. They hadn't been together!

She had dismissed him; he'll be back in the morning, no need to worry.

It doesn't matter now, she told herself. She just had to get there, be there for him, comfort him as fast as possible.

It was so early, but she had gotten up just because she had felt so much happier than she had in days. The letter had come not five minutes ago, and she had already woken up the entire house. She was waiting for everyone to get ready, because they were going to be at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as fast as humanly possible, and was staring out her window in the kitchen, looking out into the yard where little Freddie used to play...

"Molly?" Arthur startled her, and she turned around to face his sad smile, "Let's go, sweetheart." She watched as everyone else gathered in the kitchen, walked to her husband in long strides, grabbed his hand, kissed his cheek, and turned on the spot.

Angelina Johnson had just experienced another consecutive night of insomnia, dried tear tracks on her face for yet another morning. She couldn't remember the last time she hadn't cried herself to sleep.

With mechanical movements, she got out of bed and rubbed her eyes sadly, stretching as she walked into the kitchen to make a much needed strong cup of coffee.

But there it was, hanging right there on the wall outside her bedroom. That goddamn picture. But there was no way in hell she was taking it down. It was her quidditch team, her family; old, crazy Wood was in the back with his quidditch cup held high, Lee next to him, cheering; and in front of them was Angelina, with Fred...Oh, Fred, she sighed...and George each an arm around her shoulders, and each had their other arm around Katie and Alicia; and Harry was right up front, grasping the snitch with such a huge grin and happiness bright in his eyes. As it moved, they all hugged, and her and the girls each placed a kiss on Harry's cheek (he blushed harder than ever that day). She smiled at the memory, despite her trembling lip.

But she couldn't take her eyes off of that mischievous, beautiful face. Mostly because it turned to look at her. A Cheshire grin, bright brown eyes...her Fred.

And there was a tap at the window. Breaking out of her reverie, she wandered into the kitchen, where Alicia's barn owl was tapping impatiently.

It was not two minutes after she had read the letter (she had to at least put on clothes) before she had apparated into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

The first words she spoke when she arrived were "Where is he?" That earned her a couple of teary laughs, before she was pulled into a fierce hug by Mrs. Weasley. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted everyone in the picture, and all of those Weasleys. She came out of Mrs. Weasley's embrace just for a moment, "You haven't gone to see him yet?"

She smiled, "Of course not, dear. We had to wait for you." Tears welled up in Angelina's eyes,

"Thank you so much." She hugged everyone in turn, as murmurs of "Hey, Ange," and "Thank god you came," were passed around, but she did it as quickly as possible, anxious to get to George.

Alicia grabbed her hand, "C'mon, then. He's upstairs. Can't you hear?"

And as Angelina listened, she actually heard the sobs. She had no idea how he hadn't heard them, but she wasn't about to complain.

Rushing, she followed the sound of George's cries. When she reached Fred's room, she hesitated, but pushed the door open nonetheless.

What she saw broke her heart.

George was broken: trembling...sobbing...clutching the sheets for dear life...rocking back and forth facing the wall like a small, innocent child.

Oh, no, absolutely not. George was not going to feel like that on her watch.

She went straight to him, quietly though, and sat on the bed, then gently grasped his shoulder. When he rolled over, and saw his whole family in his room, he let out a strangled sob and looked back into Angelina's eyes.

He sat up, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, burying his head into her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him ever closer and burying her face into his shoulder as well. "Oh, George," she cried.

He pulled her closer still.

They melted into the comfort of each other's arms, and cried together, mourning the boy they would never forget: his teammate, her teammate, his twin, her first kiss, his best friend, her best friend. Fred.

Teddy giggled madly as Harry hoisted him up and blew raspberries into his small tummy, then hopped him up and down on his chest. He rocked the baby back and forth, watching with amusement as Teddy's eyes (sky blue today) lit up with joy, and his hair turned sunshine yellow. Harry turned his godson round and round, throwing him and catching him and showering his face with kisses for a while before he resumed simply rocking him back and forth, grinning madly when Teddy released a content smile.

The rest of the gang was over at the shop, and Harry wished he could be there. It was nice to see everyone again, but he had promised Andy he would babysit, and so he only said hello and hung out for an hour as George was consoled by his friends and family before he had to say goodbye.

He could do this. He could actually do this. He was capable of raising a little boy. Andy taught him how to change a nappy, how to heat up his bottle, how to pat his back when he spit up; she taught him how to be a great parent, and he was so incredibly grateful.

When Teddy started playing with his fingers, wrapping his small ones around his godfather's long ones, Harry tilted his head down, just to look at him in happiness. God, Teddy was perfect. He looked like his father, and was already smart, but he was rambunctious and lovable like Tonks, ever eager and curious.

Harry rocked Teddy back and forth in his arms, watching as the baby drifted off to sleep. He then held Teddy away from his body slightly, completely gentle as to not wake him up, lay across the sofa, and repositioned his godson so he could lay him on his chest and hug him tighter and closer. Then, with Teddy's breathing close to his heart, he nuzzled his baby's head into his neck and drifted off to sleep as well.

Andromeda came inside a while later, smiled brighter than she had in years at the sight, and pulled a blanket on top of both Teddy and Harry, kissing both their foreheads.

A/N 2: ANSWER THEM PLEASE!

QUESTION 1: Do you want me to chuck Lucius in Azkaban? Oh, and if anyone has different punishment ideas, feel free to share them. I got a great one, but I'm still mentally debating it.

QUESTION 2: ages of all the children! We're getting around to the time where Victoire is going to be concieved, and I need you to vote on option one or option two for the ages of the rest of the kids. If you have SMALL modifications to either option, that you think would work better, please leave them in a review.

Option 1: These are the ages used in NoahPhantom's stories of Albus Potter. He said I could use them. Also, you should read those stories because they're fantastic.

1998: Teddy (has been out of Hogwarts for one whole year on Sep. 1, 2017)

2000: Victoire (Seventh year in 2017)

2001: Dominique (Sixth year)

2002: Molly (Fifth year)

2003: Louis and Fred (Fourth years)

2004: James and Lucy (Third years)

2005: Roxanne (Second year)

2006: Albus, Rose, Scorpius (First years)

2008: Lily, Hugo (Coming in two years)

2010: Lorcan and Lysander (Coming in four years)

Option 2: I found these online. I put the link to where I found them on my profile. Whoever wrote it, I credit you. I just changed Lucy and Roxanne.

1998: Teddy (has been graduated for one whole year on Sep. 1, 2017)

2000: Victoire (Seventh year)

2002: Dominique (Fifth year)

2004: Louis, Molly (Third years)

2005: James, Fred (Second years)

2006: Albus, Rose, Scorpius (First years)

2007: Lucy, Roxanne (Coming in one year)

2008: Lily, Hugo (Coming in two years)

2010: Lorcan, Lysander (Coming in four years)

VOTE! ANSWER! REVIEW! HOPE YOU ENJOYED!

Money: I assumed that in terms of usd Harry ended up with was over 2 million, and then converted using one of those crazy internet calculators. Wool's Orphanage: where Tom Riddle was. That was a tiny detail, and I'm not insulting any of your potterhead intelligence, but it's hard to remember.

More rambling book nonsense: Ohmigods, can we talk about House of Hades please?! How ridiculously awesome was that?! One of my fave new couples: Calypso and Leo. Gods, I was on the edge of my seat that whole book. I'm so psyched for Blood of Olympus!

I hope you loved it! You should tell me that you loved it in that little box!