Unfinished Business: Shattered Pieces

DISCLAIMER: Look at first chapter.
WARNING: Look at first chapter.


Resolution Abound

The Burrow, at the end of the week, found the matriarch of the Weasley clan busying herself with preparing lunch for her, Arthur and all of her grandkids who weren't currently already at Hogwarts. Even though it was the weekend and her own children were at home, it was a daily routine to have her grandkids dropped off to spend the day with her and Arthur. The two grandparents loved having their grandkids over and it let Molly and Arthur's own kids have some alone time with their husband and wives.

As Molly was putting the final touches of the meal that would put the house elves at Hogwarts to shame, there came a knock on her door.

"Coming!" Molly called out as she took off her apron and rested it on the hook by the sink.

After leaving the kitchen, she spotted Lily and Hugo hovering in the air on the toy broomsticks their fathers had given them last Christmas. "No flying in the house!"

The two redheads, who promptly landed their brooms, gave their grandmother sheepish grins. Shaking her head in amusement as she reached the door, Molly opened it and was only mildly surprised to find Harry Potter on the other side.

"Harry, you're back," Molly smiled as she gave her son-in-law one of her motherly hugs. "Will you be staying for lunch?"

"No. I should be getting Lily settled back at home," Harry said as he pulled away from the elder woman.

"You can do that any time," she said, brushing Harry's comment aside as he followed her into the Burrow. "Lily's in the living room playing with Hugo at the moment, but I was just going to call all of the kids in so they could have something to eat. You know I make plenty just in case the rest of the flock drops by so you might as well stay and enjoy your first home cooked meal on your first day back from your trip."

"If you insist," Harry chuckled as he was led into the living room.

The moment Lily spotted him, Harry's little girl jumped from her spot on the top of the couch and rushed towards him.

"Daddy. You're back," she exclaimed as he wrapped her arms around him. "Did you get me anything?"

"Not thing time," Harry's smiled as he bent down to her level. "Have you been a good girl?"

"Daddy, I'm always a good girl. Did you hear about Albus getting sorted into Slytherin?" the red-headed little girl said with a wild gleam in her eyes when Molly and Hugo left them alone together.

"Yes. Both James and Albus owled me," he smiled in amusement.

"Mom's going to freak when she finds out," she said on the verge of laughter.

"I'm sure she will."

"Albus said that he doesn't care though because he's already made a friend. His name's Scorpius Malfoy and Albus is having so much fun with him. Rose is hanging out with them as well so it can't be all that bad."

"Is that so," Harry continued to smile. He already knew about Albus' new friend, though he also knew that his daughter loved being the source of information.

"Yeah. But it's weird though because-"

"Harry! Lily! It's time for lunch!" Molly's voice sounded before she poked her head into the living room. "Don't forget to wash up first."

Laughing at Molly's motherly nature, Harry stood up and went with Lily to go and wash up before they ate.


"I understand it now," Molly said as she rested her astrology book on her lap.

The first weekend of the year found James and his cousins sitting in the common room by the fire. James was currently playing with the snitch that he had snatched from the Quidditch supply closet on the first day of school, Molly and Rose were reading ahead for their subjects, and Dominique was pestering her sister while Victoire was trying to write a letter to Ted.

"What, finally realise that the world doesn't revolve around school and homework?" James joked.

"You mean like how you've realised that the world doesn't revolve around Quidditch? I don't think so. I just realised why you won't give Zabini a chance."

"Because he's an arse," James said as he held the snitch tight in his grasp. "I thought that was obvious."

"No. It's because of Auntie Ginny. I know she's your mother but I think she's been filling your head with a lot of anti-Slytherin propaganda. No offence, but that's why I prefer to listen to Aunt Hermione. She's a lot more level headed when it comes to this sort of thing."

"My mother has nothing to do with him or Slytherin," he said as he resumed with his snitch-catching game.

"Really? Then why haven't you owled her about which house Albus ended up in?"

"What are you talking about? I sent an owl-"

"-To your dad," Molly was quick to point out. "But he's in Germany while Aunt Ginny's in Bulgaria. If you ask me, I think you should follow your dad on this one. Uncle Harry overcame his animosity towards Slytherins. He let a lot of them help rebuild the school and even named your brother after one of them. I'm sure he was hesitant to trust them. But he got over it and now look at him."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were in cahoots," Victoire said as she finally finished her letter. "You should be careful though. If Zabini had it his way, he'd be walking James down the aisle before the year is out."

"Don't be silly," Molly rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that he should get married. I just want him to gather all of the facts before he judges," she said to her blonde cousin before turning back to James. "Just give Zabini a chance, if only to prove your suspicions about him. Besides, Slytherin can't be all that bad if your brother's in it. And since Albus is in Slytherin and making friends with other Slytherins, you'll be seeing a lot more of them, especially Zabini. Even Rose has made friends with that Malfoy kid and she says that he's really nice."


"Home, sweet home?" Harry asked his little girl as they stepped into 12 Grimmauld Place.

Walking into 12 Grimmauld Place decades after he first stepped through those doors, no one would have ever imagined how this place had changed.

The once peeling wallpaper had long been replaced by a soft, cream-coloured paint that lit up the entire hallway under the glow of the chandelier and gas lamps. The worn out carpet had been replaced by mahogany floors and the troll-shaped umbrella stand no longer stood by the door. The stairs to the upper floor were no longer decorated with a row of shrunken House-elf heads.

The most noticeable difference was the absence of Walburga Black's portrait. It had only taken a few months after the war had ended for Hermione to suggest removing the wall surrounding the Black matriarch in order to dispose of the screaming portrait. It had worked easier than anyone had imagined. Now there was a wider opening leading into the living room. The only hitch in the whole endeavour was that they could not actually destroy the portrait itself. This left them with the only option of placing it in the Black family vault.

In fact, what was left of the Black family heirlooms was either given to Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy or locked away in the vault. With everything that screamed, figuratively speaking of course, House of Black now gone, it left 12 Grimmauld Place feeling more like a home.

"I guess," Lily shrugged as she held her father's hand. "Though it would have been nicer to go back to the cottage instead."

"I agree, but you know how your mother feels about it," as they headed for the stairs.

"I know, I know. It's too isolated. Is she here as well?"

"No. She'll be arriving later tonight. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione will be coming over with Hugo for dinner later this evening, as a thank you for letting you stay over while your mother and I were away. Do you want to help me?"

"Absolutely," Lily beamed as they ascended the stairs.


"James, James!" Albus called out as he, Scorpius and Rose rushed up to the elder boy as they entered the Great Hall. "You'll never guess what we just realised. Me and Scorpius are twins. Isn't that cool?"

"Funny, you two don't look alike," James said lazily as he helped himself to some of the food lining the Gryffindor table.

"Twins don't necessarily have to look alike, James. They could be fraternal," Molly pointed out as she sat across from him.

"With different parents?"

"You never know. The mysteries about magic are endless."

"What makes you two think you're twins, anyway?" Dominique asked from beside Molly.

"We have the same birthday," Albus beamed at the blonde.

"Well there's one mystery solved," James laughed.

"And we have the same taste in food, we think alike and have matching birthmarks," Scorpius continued before he and Albus pulled back their robes and lifted up their shirts to reveal a jagged-shape mark on the side of their stomach.

"Well then we must be quadruplets because Lily and I have the same mark on our stomachs as well."

"But not the same birthday," Albus pointed out.

"I stand corrected," James surrendered to his brother's logic. "So new little brother. How does it feel to be part of the family?"

"I like it," Scorpius smiled softly.

"And who wouldn't? Being my brother is such an amazing experience," James boasted, causing the two boys to giggle while the girls rolled their eyes.

"I need to go to the library," Molly suddenly said.

"Surprise, surprise," James rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"No," James scoffed.

"Surprise, surprise," Dominique imitated.

"It was a rhetorical question," Molly said before pulling on his robes.


Dinner had not gone as planned for Harry that evening. It was supposed to have been a reunion of friends after having been away for a week. But for the entire duration of the dinner, Ginny had done nothing but complain and accuse Harry of sabotaging Albus' future.

"You know this wouldn't have happened if you had backed me up when I was telling them that only dark wizards end up in Slytherin. Now everyone will think that Harry Potter's son is a dark wizard," Ginny ranted after Harry had put their daughter to bed.

"Actually, there are plenty of dark wizards that we've come across that have been in houses beside Slytherin, including Gryffindor. There are also light wizards that have been in Slytherin. It's not the house that makes a dark wizard, Ginny," Hermione said from beside the irate ginger.

"Back me up here Ron," Ginny said as she sat beside him on the couch. "These two haven't been in the wizarding world as long as we have. They don't understand how being a Slytherin can change you."

"I actually agree with Hermione, Gin," Ron shrugged as he draped his arm over his wife's shoulder.

"Are you telling me that you would have been fine if Rose had ended up in Slytherin?"

"I would have been happy if she had been in any house as long as she wipes the floor with Malfoy's kid," Ron smirked, causing Hermione to roll her eyes from beside him.

"I should go over there and demand that Albus be resorted," Ginny said, standing up determinedly as if intending to head over to Hogwarts right this second.

"Ginny, you will do no such thing," Harry told her firmly as he stood before her. "Albus is happy where he is. He's made friends and likes the house he's ended up in. You will not do anything to disrupt that."

Harry and Ginny stubbornly stared each other down, neither one backing down. After a while, Ron and Hermione bid them goodnight, leaving the two alone. Finally, Ginny gave up, huffing in defeat before stomping up to their room. Not wanting to deal with her after that, Harry opted to sleep in one of the guess rooms.


End of Chapter Resolution Abound