Sorry I haven't uploaded, I've had exams ans just general stuff going on for the last few weeks. Here's the next chapter, it's more of a filler than anything, but I enjoyed writing it.
Huge thanks to everyone who added alerts, favourites and reviewed. I'm looking for a beta on my stories, so if anyone's interested, could they please message me to let me know. Thanks!
Disclaimer: You probably saw it in every other chapter, but still, I don't own anything.
Chapter 6:
Harry and Ginny walked back to the Great Hall hand-in-hand, heading towards the table where the Weasley family was gathered, looking over a list of some sort. When they joined the group, Charlie sighed and looked over at Bill, who had a superior smirk on his face. Fleur and Hermione were beaming at the two, while everyone else was staring either at the parchment or blankly at the table. George looked the worst of them all. He was staring into space, while Angelina Johnson was trying to comfort him.
"What's that?" asked Ginny, breaking away from Harry slightly to lean over and look at the parchment. Mr Weasley looked up at Ginny and lifted the list slightly so she could see it.
"It's a list of the teams for the repairs," he said, pulling the list back down on the table and continuing to stare at it.
"You're on the Entrance Hall repairs," she informed Harry as she scanned the list. "I'm on Ravenclaw Tower," she continued, her brow furrowing slightly as she read. "Not that bad, at least I'm with Luna." Her mood brightened considerably at the thought. Although she would have preferred to be with Harry or her family, Luna was a close second. "Where are the rest of you?"
"Fifth floor corridors with Fleur and Charlie," said Bill, who was looking over at George with a concerned look on his face.
"Molly is going to help out in the Hospital Wing, while Percy, Ron and I are helping out in the dungeons," answered Mr Weasley emotionlessly. He was sitting close to Mrs Weasley, who didn't look as if she had acknowledged the conversation, or had the strength to join in.
"I'm going to the Ministry first thing tomorrow morning," supplied Hermione, who was sitting next to Ron, while the two were holding hands. "Later on, I'll be helping in the Main Courtyard."
"George and I are in the fourth-floor charms classroom. I was there just now, and it looked pretty bad," Angelina informed them, taking her eyes off George to answer Ginny. "I think Lee said he was going to help us there too, right George?" George nodded weakly at her, breaking off the stare for a few seconds.
"When do we start?" asked Harry, throwing George a strained glance. A look of guilt crosses his face, but he hastily dropped it when Ginny turned to glare at him.
"Tomorrow morning, after breakfast," replied Mr Weasley, who had turned back to Molly, who was sitting with her head down and her eyes closed, and looked quite tired. "It might be best if we have an early night tonight." He looked towards George, Percy, then Molly and gave the rest of them a final look.
"There are more rooms ready tonight," said Bill cautiously, gauging how his mother would react. "Charlie, Percy, George, Ron and Harry can have the dorm we were in last night, and the girls can go back to their dorms. Mum and Dad, you can have the Head Girl's room, and Fleur and I'll take the Head Boy's."
To Ginny's surprise, no one objected to these suggestions, only Angelina asked if she and Hermione wanted to move into their dorms. She told them that there was only Katie, Alicia and her in their room, and that it felt oddly empty. They quickly agreed, and everyone gradually drifted off to bed.
Ginny got ready for bed quickly, but instead of going to sleep, she decided to draw the curtains around her bed and sit up against the headboard. Occasionally she would hear one of the other girls getting into bed or whispering to each other, but she stayed as she was until all the noise had died down. She spent the time thinking over the past year, the war, the battle and how the future would turn out. A high-pitched whisper from Hermione drew her from her thoughts.
"Ginny?" she whispered faintly. "Ginny, are you asleep yet?"
"No," replied Ginny quietly, drawing back the curtain so Hermione could sit down on the bed. "I needed time to think."
Ginny lit her wand, and immediately noticed the tear stains that streaked down Hermione's face, her puffy eyes with dark circles around them, and her pale face. She was extremely skinny and looked very weak and her deep brown eyes looked tired and weary. She looked as though she hadn't eaten or slept properly in weeks, and Ginny knew that this could very possibly be the case.
"Yes," Hermione nodded, sighing slightly staring off into space for a moment before continuing. "It's strange to think that it's all over. So many people were lost and I don't know whether to mourn over them or celebrate out victory."
This feeling Ginny understood. When the battle was over, she had felt immensely happy for about an hour, knowing that now they were safe. She could be with Harry and her family could live normally again. All it had taken was one look around at the tear stained faces of her family and the others who had lost someone they loved in the fight to make her feel guilty about her happiness. She hadn't known which she should feel.
"It's also an odd feeling," continued Hermione after a slight pause. Ginny could tell that she needed to get this off of her chest, so she let her talk without an interruption. "For the last seven years, the last three especially, our lives have always involved Voldemort. Now, it fells surreal to think that we're free to relax and live a normal life.
"For the whole year, all I've thought about was the war and fighting Voldemort and the Death Eaters. All I've done is fight. For a whole year it's been constantly on my mind, and has taken up all my time. Now that it's all over, I feel so lost. So many people died because one man wanted power and glory. It's just so unfair."
Ginny could see the pain and worry in her eyes as she spoke, and she understood fully how she felt. She had spent several hours after she had first found out about the deaths, Fred's especially, wondering why he died and why not someone else. Their lives had been completely taken over by the war, and as much as her mother had tried to prevent it, they had all been heavily involved. They were forced to grow up quicker than they should have had to, and to deal with things only adults should have to deal with.
They had faced death, evil and suffering since the war had broken out, and it had literally changed their lives and shaped who they were. It had played such a major part in their lives that it was odd to imagine a life without it. The past year especially, had been hard on almost everyone, inside of Hogwarts and out. A life without the worries and fears they had face seemed impossible, yet it was a reality now.
They sat in silence for a few moments, before a second voice spoke up through the darkness, drawing Ginny out from her thoughts and startling them both.
"I guess you two couldn't sleep either," came the voice of Angelina from the opposite side to Hermione. Ginny shook her head as Angelina sat down on the bed too. "I've been worrying about George. He's been in shock all day. He won't talk to anyone and I only barely convinced him to eat dinner. I'm nearly positive he's not sleeping either."
She shook her head sadly, glancing towards the door, in the direction of the boy's dorms. "I've been considering going to check on him, but I don't know if it would help. He has his brothers there anyways."
"He just needs time to heal," assured Hermione softly. "He's been through a lot, we all have."
There was a short silence between them as they contemplated their worries, Angelina, throwing a glance towards the door every few seconds and Ginny and Hermione lost in thought.
Ginny was thinking about how her brother must be feeling. She was distraught about Fred's death, but while she had lost a brother, George had lost his twin. You never saw one of them without the other, and it would be difficult to imagine a world without Fred. Every time she saw George, she would expect to see Fred following him. She couldn't begin to understand how George was feeling, or how he would cope without Fred.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Angelina spoke again. "I suppose we'll have the time now," she said quietly, sniffing slightly before continuing. "Do you have any idea what you're going to do?"
"I think I'd like to do something more with S.P.E.W., after I finish my last year at Hogwarts, of course," replied Hermione thoughtfully. "I'll probably end up in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." She bit her lip gently before continuing quietly. "I'd also like my future to contain Ron."
"Are you two dating then?" asked Angelina, smiling weakly at Hermione's confirming nod. "Anyone could have seen that coming a mile away. It's been obvious that you've liked each other for years."
"Obvious to everyone except them," Ginny smiled, watching Hermione blush at her teasing. "As for me, I have to finish my last year at Hogwarts, then, I'd like to play Quidditch, for the Harpies if I can. A lot of my future will be with Harry too." She finished her speech confidently, smiling at the thought of her future with Harry.
"So you and Harry are dating as well?" Angelina queried, smiling again at Ginny's confident nod.
"What about you, Angelina?" asked Ginny, looking over at her. "What do you want to do?"
"I was in the middle of training to be a Healer when the war affected my training, and I had to stop. I want to finish my training and be there for George, if I can."
Ginny smiled to herself, thinking that George and Angelina could soon become more than friends if Angelina spent so much time with him.
"We should probably try to get some sleep," reasoned Hermione, brushing her hair out of her face and yawning.
"No offence, but you look like you really need a good night's sleep," said Ginny carefully. "All three of you look like you haven't slept or eaten well in a while."
"We were worse a few months ago, but when we stayed with Bill and Fleur, we gained some of our strength back."
Ginny frowned worriedly, lying down and pulling the cover around her as the others left with murmured goodnights. If they looked this weak after staying in Shell Cottage, she dreaded to think what they were like before…
Sighing, she pushed those thoughts aside and cleared her mind, before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
*Question* Does anyone want me to write a conversation between the boys? I have a basic draft for one, but I'm not sure if I'll finish it.