Harry Potter

After the War

Chapter 1

"Ronald Weasley!" Molly's voice emanated through the Burrow like a noxious gas; it made you want to run away or you'll die. It was a big day for the Weasleys as there was to be a wedding. From upstairs a thump sounded an acknowledgment that Ron had gotten the message and fallen out of bed. Harry and Ginny smiled at each other in amusement but turned back to their breakfast as Molly rounded the corner, "I swear that boy would sleep for the rest of his life if he could." She lifted Harry's plate off the table before he could finish and he had to stab his last piece of bacon with a fork before it was taken away. Molly walked to the kitchen and started scrubbing.

"Mrs. Weasley, are you sure you don't want any help before we leave?" Harry asked gently. Molly put down the sponge and waved her wand. The plates started routinely scrubbing and stacking themselves beside the sink.

Molly cupped his face between her motherly hands, "Harry, dear, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Molly?" Harry smiled and Mrs. Weasley gave up. "No, dear, I have everything under control. Ginny, could you make sure your father has put the tent up in the right place." Ginny got up, kissed Harry on the cheek and went to find Arthur Weasley. "And tell Charlie to move that infernal dragon!" she yelled after her. Hermione came down the stairs, looking pale and anxious. She was clutching her bag to her chest and the buttons on her cardigan were mismatched. "Hermione, look at you! Here, dear, let me help you." Molly rushed to Hermione's side and quickly fixed her clothes.

"Hey, Hermione." Harry waved at her in greeting, she smiled weakly in return. She sat at the table and was automatically assaulted with food from Kreacher. Since she had convinced Harry to present him with clothes, namely another of Harry's socks, Kreacher had devoted himself to her. He didn't even care that she wasn't pureblood. He had nowhere else to go and though was free, still felt obligated to serve Harry as part of the Black family. Hermione thanked Kreacher and pushed the food around the plate without eating any of it. "Little bit nervous, then?" Harry asked her. She jumped as if he had just apparated next to her.

She sighed, "I'm just worried it won't work." She indicated towards her bag. Molly bustled back towards the table with an armful of flowers which she dumped on the surface as she sat down.

"Don't worry, dear, they will remember you. Even if they can't mentally remember you they definitely will remember you in their hearts." She started arranging the flowers into bouquets, "I remember just after Ronald was born. Fred and George got into Arthurs potion supplies and tipped a whole vial of forgetfulness potion into my tea." She laughed at the memory, "I suddenly found myself with a baby on my lap and sitting in house I couldn't remember. It took a whole week to wear off! But I always knew these monstrous children were mine. I could feel they were a part of me. Just as your parents will feel you are parts of them."

Hermione sat for a moment before pouncing on Molly, "Thank you so much, Molly! I knew I could count on you!" she cried as she hugged her. Eventually, she let go as Ron finally came into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" he asked. Molly got up and wacked him on the back of the head.

"If you'd been up before midday, you'd know!" she stalked off into the garden with her favourite pair of gnome throwing gloves. Ron stood there with a clueless expression on his face. Hermione and Harry burst out laughing and stood up to get ready. Ron reached for a plate of sausages resting on the kitchen counter but Hermione pulled him back.

"Oh, no. You had your chance for food for the past four hours. We're going now." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the staircase, "Go and get dressed." He started to protest but she shoved him towards the stairs, "Go!" Grumbling he mounted the steps and disappeared from sight.

"You do know he's got a stack of cauldron cakes hidden in his wardrobe, right?" Harry asked.

She nodded and shrugged, "If it shuts him up for a while then he can stash whatever food he likes."

Harry indicated to her bag, "Do you think this will work?" Hermione had been talking to Aberforth for the past week about his vast supply of memory potions, hidden underneath the Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade. Yesterday, a couple of owls flew up to the house with a large box full of about thirty small vials and a letter addressed to Hermione. They had automatically agreed they would go and try them before the wedding. Hermione pulled out one of the glass vials form her bag. The clear, emerald liquid looked the complete opposite to the forgetfulness potion they brewed in their second year. "It's just its not exactly like you used a forgetfulness potion. Obliviate is a little bit stronger." Hermione frowned. "Do you not remember what happened to Lockhart?" Harry asked her. Gilderoy Lockhart was their second year Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who had successfully removed his own memory thanks to Ron's broken wand. He had been transferred to St. Mungos hospital and never recovered. Hermione took a deep breath and turned to face Harry. She opened her mouth to speak when Ron shouted down the stairs.

"How long will it take to get there?" He appeared on the bottom step, "I mean, cauldron cakes are good and all, but I don't think they're very filling." He stopped and paused when he saw Hermione's guilty expression. "What's going on?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. Hermione?" Her face flushed.

"Okay, so remember during the battle, we went to look for the diadem and then found it and had a fight with Malfoy then saved his life and escaped barely with our lives?" She spewed out the words in one breath of air. Harry and Ron looked at each. This was going to be interesting. "Well," she wrung her hands together, "When Crabbe pushed me into one of those piles of hidden objects..." Ron's face grew slightly dark at the memory of it. Hermione reached into her endless bag and pulled out a rough looking, slightly singed book. It took Harry a moment to recognise it.

"The Half Blood Prince!" Harry exclaimed softly. Hermione passed the book over to him.

"Bloody hell! How d'you get that?" Ron asked, stepping forward to take a look at the book that had belonged to Severus Snape. Hemione twisted a lock of her between her fingers.

"When I fell, I knocked over this stack of books and, there it was. Right in front of me. I didn't want to keep it a secret but I went through it a saw something that..." She gave up, "It was an antidote to obliviating memories." I didn't want to say anything in case it didn't work." She looked at Harry who was still studying the book intently. "I'm so sorry, Harry! I know how much it meant to you, especially now."

Harry shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe it still exists. I thought it...burned in the flames but..."

Ron gently clapped his shoulder, "Are you alright, mate?"

Harry shook his head again, "I mean yes," he said, straightening out, "Hermione, it's ok. I forgive you. Let's just go help your parents." He held the book up in confidence, "If it's Snape's, it's got to work."

Five minutes later they were at the edge of the Burrows land. Behind them, Molly could be seen chasing a ten feet tall Norbert around the garden whilst being chased by Charlie Weasley in and out of wedding preparations. They stepped over the boundary and the protective spells it held and took each other's hands; Ron and Harry on either side of Hermione. "Ready?" Harry asked. They both nodded in reply. "One, two," Hermione's grip on Harry's hand tightened till it hurt, "three!" The disapparated, leaving behind nothing but a few swirling leaves and the cries of Molly Weasley, chasing a dragon.