"You disappear with all your good intentions…

And all I am is all I could not mention

Like who will bring me flowers when it's over?

And who give me comfort when it's cold?"

-Flowers for a Ghost

Chapter 2: Hope Remains

Disclaimer: I own the plotline, nothing else.

"Fred, George, Ginny! Supper's on the table!" Molly shouted for what seemed to be the twentieth time. Ever since the loss of their brother she had a hard time getting her children to eat…let alone leave their rooms for that matter. The Burrow had been disturbingly quiet for the past two weeks and it bothered her to no end. Even Arthur had spent most of his time at the Ministry, staying away from the house as long as he possibly could.

Still, it wasn't like she was her normal self either. Since the death of her youngest son, Molly had spent most of her time in Ron's old room quietly sobbing and reminiscing. She did her best to be discreet about it, but her family could hear her from any part of the house regardless. Her cries were heartbreaking and there was nothing any of the other Weasleys could do to stop them…especially not when they were all feeling the same way.

With a sigh, Molly gave up on her fruitless effort of getting her family to come downstairs and, with a flick of her wand, vanished the food into their rooms. It wasn't as if she really expected them to come to the table anyways. Every night had been spent this way. The children would pick at their food silently in their rooms while she would nibble at whatever was left in the kitchen.

Around 5 o'clock Arthur had finally made his way home. Even though his work day ended at three, he would never come around until much later…and Molly knew why. She couldn't blame her husband, for she would be no different if it were her. Molly would gladly take advantage of getting away from the house for a day. The memories were all too depressing and each day spent in it only brought more sadness upon her. She knew if they had the money she and Arthur would have sold the house long ago…but the reality was, they couldn't…and they just had to manage, as always.

"I left your supper in the fridge," Molly said almost inaudibly as her husband closed the door behind him. She was currently sitting on the ratty old couch they owned in front of their small fireplace while she knitted along with no idea as to what she was actually making.

"Thanks," Arthur replied just as quietly, making his way into the small dining room. "Did you have any luck getting the children to come down tonight?" he asked, hopefully. Sure, he knew what the answer would be, but a man could hope, right? Hope was all he had left these days…

Molly shook her head, "No," her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, "Maybe once they return to school things will start going back to normal." She didn't believe it to be entirely true, but once again, she could only hope.

Setting down the plate of food that he really had no intentions of eating, Arthur sat down next to his wife. "Do you think we should invite some of their friends over?" he asked, "I mean, if we get Harry, the Grangers, the Longbottoms, and the Lovegoods here it might help them to sort their feelings out. They could all talk about what happened that night and may even be able to find some closure," he suggested.

Somewhat uncharacteristically, Molly shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know…if we couldn't get any of them to attend the funeral, how could we possibly expect them to agree to come over?"

"Hermione attended," Arthur corrected.

"Be that as it may, you know as well as I do, Arthur, that none of those children would want to come over here. Even if their parents were to come along, I don't believe they would want to. Nothing would change their minds. It's just too soon," she decided.

"Molly," he sighed, "It's been a month now. We can't allow this behavior to drag on forever. We're the adults so I say that we should get the other parents involved here to make things right again. What could it hurt?"

"I don't know, it's just-"

"I think it's a good idea," two identical voices interrupted from behind them. Molly and Arthur turned around to see Fred and George standing at the bottom of the staircase with their unfinished dinner plates in their hands.

"Are you done eating?" Molly asked as she went to grab the plates from them. Nodded responses were all she needed to begin washing them as Arthur gestured for the two boys to take a seat.

"So, you two wouldn't mind if we invited some people over?" he asked his sons.

They shook their heads, "No," George said.

"If anything, it'll help Ginny to get some of the pain off her chest," Fred added.

"Us too," George agreed.

"Venting with the others," Fred said, "Would help all of us, really," George concluded.

"Then it's settled," Molly told them as she made her way back into the living room. "Go upstairs and send Errol off with the letters inviting Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and their parents over."

"Well, except Harry's parents, right?" George kidded for the first time in weeks.

Fred gave his twin a small nudge while their mum shook her head in mock-disappointment. How could she really be upset with that rude statement when it was the first time her sons had smiled in such a long time?

"Just go upstairs, boys," she half-smiled. "We'll go and fetch Harry tomorrow if we have to," she added, remembering that his relatives weren't known to let him come and go as he pleased…that and the fact that he had no means of transportation.

After they had gone upstairs, Arthur turned back to his wife, "Tell me again," he started, "Why is Harry still living with those muggles? I thought Sirius would be taking him in now that his name has been cleared," he questioned.

"Honestly, I don't know. Sirius owled me quite a few times saying that Harry seemed a bit out of sorts. I hadn't given it much thought, though. I figured it was only to be expected given," she cleared her throat, "well, given what happened."

Arthur nodded in agreement, "Well, we'll just have to ask him about it tomorrow, then. Maybe we should invite his godfather over too. That way he'll finally get to talk to Harry in person."

"Yes," she replied, "We will do that," Molly walked over and wrapped her arms around her husband, "But for now let's just head to bed. It's been a rather long day," she sighed. What days weren't long anymore?

A/N:Please let me know if you'd like me to continue and I will post as soon as I'm able.

Next: Hermione, Neville, and Luna receive their letters.

Until Then...