I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to update, but life has been nuts around here with Christmas and New Years. It's only in the last few days I've had time to relax and even think. I hope you enjoy this update.
Harry and Ginny were back down stairs with the family when Ron and Hermione Flooed back into the barrow. Ron came through first looking a little stunned with piles of parchment, and Hermione followed close behind with a large stack of books.
"I thought you were going to the ministry not the Library?" Charlie questioned.
"Hermione can find books anywhere." Ginny commented.
"So are there Action Figures coming out next week or not?" Charlie then asked.
"No." Hermione answered. "We've managed to stop production and the posters as well. The ministries in such a mess at the moment I'm going to have to sort most of it out myself. There are some real problems in the legal department."
Ron rolled his eyes and dropped the pile of parchments on the ground in a corner. "I don't think those workers knew what hit them. Hermione knows more than the admin staff." He sighed and sat down. "But she was offered a job by the head of the policy department. He was impressed by her wide knowledge of muggle and magical law. Especially considering she hasn't even sat her NEWTS. I don't think he believed her that she still had a year of school to finish."
Hermione sighed. "I really expected more. I mean I know that they have had to arrest most of the legal team from the last year due to the crazy laws put in place and are still looking for new staff. But really there is so much to workout. The rights for magical Creatures for one thing, I always thought I would want to work in that department but now I'm thinking Kingsley may be right I could do even more if I worked in policy and laws." She placed the books in a pile and picked up the one on top to start reading. "I can't believe those people, starting to produce things with our images and without any permission what so ever. I have a good mind to sue them."
Ron just shook his head. "I don't know how she does it. Keep all that knowledge up there. I mean I can't even remember half the stuff she protested about when we were in the ministry. But I think she scared some of them. Kingsley thought it was a right laugh."
"Ron you really should get used to calling him Minister Shacklebolt." Hermione muttered. "Now where was I? That's it, right there, image laws." She continued with her head in the book.
Harry watched his two best friends wondering if he was reading the situation correctly. Ron looked tired just thinking about the last couple of hours he had spent at the ministry and looked like he could fall asleep where he sat, where as Hermione looked more than energized. Her hair seemed to be bushier as she kept twilling it in her fingers muttering to herself as she read, clearly making a good case in her head.
"So you didn't come back rich Ron?" He asked with a smirk.
"Nope, but we will be. Mate Mione's already got that sorted. I reckon I will be able to afford a firebolt soon. Can't wait." Ron replied with a little more energy rubbing his hands together.
"So are you going to buy me one too?" Charlie asked sitting up. "I want the new model."
"Who's buying who what?" Bill asked coming into the family room with a butter beer in his hand.
This led to a deep conversation on the merits of the different flying brooms, which features were the best and which brooms were the best for the different Quidditch positions. It was a conversation Harry enjoyed a lot as it gave him just the right information to know exactly what Ginny would like. Even if she had sighed after explaining it, and said she was just dreaming, as she doubted she would ever have that many galleons. Let alone be able to spend them all on one flying broom. The problem being that it also gave them all itchy feet to want to get out and fly in the meadow. Leaving Harry once again regretting the fact that he now needed bodyguards, he still thought it was stupid. There hadn't been any problems at all today with him going to Colin's funeral.
Things bustled around at the barrow that evening and everyone pretty much managed to get an alright night's sleep after Hermione insisted that Ginny drink some sleeping draft with her hot chocolate before she went to bed. Ginny had grumbled about it. But gave in whispering to Harry she didn't really want to give her family a repeat of her last night's embarrassment. To which Harry couldn't help reminding her it had been worse for him, he had had to face them while she slept on.
Ron hadn't come up to his room until at least an hour after Harry had retired, but then woke Harry while he proceeded to complain about the fact that Hermione had no time for him now that she had all those books. Harry couldn't help but find the amusing side of that complaint and pointed out to Ron that, "Do you realise you sound jealous of some books?" To which Ron had turned red, grumbled some more while he threw a pillow at Harry rolled over and pretended to go to sleep, leaving Harry wondering if he just watched hard enough he might see the steam coming out of Ron's ears.
Harry felt flat when he woke up the next morning and he noticed that things around the burrow were certainly a little more subdued. Not that he was surprised all of the Weasley's were to attend Remus and Tonk's funeral, while they also organized the last details to Fred's service for the next day.
Molly served breakfast to a much more somber table of people than Harry could ever remember seeing at the burrow, and then sat down took one look at the eggs on her own plate and burst into tears. "Fred always loved his eggs done this way." She mumbled through the tears while Arthur just took her hand.
George shook his head, and grumbled to himself. "She still can't tell us apart. Fred hated his eggs this way. It's me that loves them."
To which Harry couldn't help but notice Ginny and Bill trying not to crack up at while everyone else pretended they hadn't heard George.
The conversation from that point on was rather stilted. Fleur and Audrey talked quietly to each other, while Molly sniffed every now and then looking over her children like if she didn't keep an eye on them another one would disappear.
Harry just ate in silence his thoughts roaming over to the fact that he would never see Remus again. It was a strange feeling. He had always respected his father's old friend. Lupin had taught him much over the years and had always been a quiet but supportive figure for Harry since they had first met on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of Harry's 3rd year. Then there was Tonks and the fact that Teddy would grow up without knowing what wonderful parents he had been given. Harry promised himself there and then that Teddy would know what his parents were like and how they really died, to give their son a better life.
It was late morning when the Weasley's all stepped out of their wards to Apparate to the Tonk's house. Harry sighed as he had to let go of Ginny's hand and Apparate alongside one of his bodyguards. He really disliked the fact that Ron could apparate alongside Hermione. But Ginny just gave him a small smile before linking her arm through Charlie's. "I'll see you soon." She whispered.
Harry nodded amazed that after so much time apart it seemed to have taken such a short time for them to be able to understand each other again so well. He looked at the big Auror who stepped up to him. "I've been told your Godfather to Tonk's little one?" He questioned Harry.
Harry just nodded. "Not that I've met him yet."
The Auror nodded holding out his arm for Harry. "I like Tonk's. I miss her around the office."
Harry felt better about taking the man's arm at those words. He had forgotten how much everyone had lost in this wizarding war. Infact he would be surprised if there was any wizarding family in the United Kingdom not mourning the loss of someone.
Arriving outside the Tonk's wards Harry felt the bodyguard he was alongside stiffen completely. Harry instinctively grabbed his wand and felt his senses heighten. Seeing Ginny and Charlie arrive just after him he quickly stepped in front of her to keep her safe as he turned around to face whatever it was his bodyguard was facing.
His ears filled with screams, and his eyes went wide as he realised there were pictures of him being waved over barriers, and girls calling his name. The shock of it was quickly replaced by disgust. He was here to attend the funeral of two of the most wonderful people he had ever met and here were these screaming girls just wanting to look at him.
But the bodyguards had both moved in front of Harry, and he felt Ginny and pull on his arm. "Come on this way." She whispered.
Harry turned to look at her, and noticed the Hermione was also pulling Ron in the same direction. Ron couldn't seem to take his eyes off the girls who were now calling a mixture of Ron and Harry's names.
"I shouldn't have come." Harry muttered after Bill came through from the wards keeping people out and pulled the five of them back through. "Poor Mrs. Tonks. This isn't what she needs."
"Don't be stupid. Remus and Tonks choose you to be their sons Godfather. Of course you should be here. It's just a pity that your fan club found out about it." Bill answered him back.
"Crazy girls." Ginny muttered. "I'm glad that you made me speechless when I was infatuated with you."
"You couldn't look at him without turning red." Ron smirked at her, looking back over his shoulder with a slightly disappointed look on his face that the wards had been set so that he couldn't look out at the crowd or hear them anymore.
"Well being speechless is a lot easier to live with now than if I had ever stood in line screaming out for Harry to sign a picture of himself." Ginny retorted back.
"Ahh, you're here." Harry heard Kingsley as he walked up to him. "Mrs. Tonks is waiting for you in the house. Sorry about the crowd out there. We are going to have to rethink some of our security measures over the next few days."
Harry just shrugged his shoulders. "It's not your fault everyone wants to know me now. I just wish I had the guts to remind them that they all thought I was nuts a few years ago and made jokes about me."
Kingsley just nodded. "I think you may have to put that clock of yours into good use again. Bet you thought you were out of hiding."
"I'll need to sit my Apparition test and Ron as well." Harry answered back in a bit of a mumble. "Maybe the Weasleys and I should spend the summer overseas."
Kingsley just slapped him on the back as he showed him into the house. "It will get better I promise. But I do think you are going to have to get used to being in the witches gossip magazines."
"More like eat ash for the rest of my life Ginny blew up the latest witch weekly all over our breakfast the other morning." Harry answered back. "According to the questionnaire she wouldn't stand a chance with me. Goes to show they know nothing."
Harry couldn't help but notice the smirk on Kingsley's lips as he tried not to laugh. Kingsley opened the door to Andromeda's. "She just wants family in here at the moment. She counts you in that being Teddy's Godfather and the only other person Remus considered his family."
Please Read and Review. (If you review please don't just do it to point out a mistake. You must see something more and enjoyable in my story if you have read 16 parts of it rather than just the mistakes.).