"George is the one who's got me worried."
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"In darkest hour or brightest day, I come forth when the heart leads the way. When desire is deep, and desperation is strong, you'll find me, for it's there I belong."
Ginny was sitting on the porch with Harry, pondering another of the riddles left for them by Rowena Ravenclaw. In the week that had passed, Ginny was relieved that things seemed to be even better than normal with Harry. She still felt terrible that she'd messed up, but he refused to let her continue apologising. Everything had been forgiven without hesitation. She looked over at him as he stared intently at the parchment. She admired the way his eyebrows furrowed as he was lost in thought, the way his lips pressed together, and, most notably, the way his eyes directed intensity that never ceased to amaze her.
"The annoying thing is that it doesn't seem difficult on the surface. It's just a couple lines in a rhyming riddle. But when the answer is a word that's probably an idea more than a thing, I guess… it makes it difficult," Harry said, shaking his head at the parchment.
"And it's got to be exactly the right word. Otherwise, our translation won't be right and it won't work," Ginny added.
He nodded, pressing his lips together again. "So it's something that's found anytime, whether things are dark or bright."
"It can be found anytime, but it isn't necessarily. It says that we'll find it when desire is deep and desperation is strong," Ginny responded. "Maybe it's hope. It's there when the heart leads the way," she suggested.
Harry ran his hand through his long hair, considering it. "But hope isn't something that you can expect to find in the dark times. I mean you can find it, but I don't think you really expect it."
Ginny bit her bottom lip, realising he was probably right. "True. Besides, if these words are supposed to be related to the Room of Requirement, hope doesn't make a lot of sense. We need something that fits the riddle and fits the room."
He nodded before looking at her intently. "What did you just say?"
She frowned, a little confused. "The words are supposed to be related to the Room of Requirement."
He shook his head. "You said we need something that fits the riddle and fits the room."
She nodded. "Yeah, that's what I'm assuming, at least."
"It doesn't matter if it's dark or bright when you desperately desire something. If it's that important, it's something you need," Harry said, emphasising the last word.
"Need," she breathed out. He nodded. "I think you're right," she said, and he smiled, writing down the word next to the riddle.
"We're halfway there," he said optimistically.
She nodded. "And we've still got about another week before we can even start on the potion. We'll figure the rest of this out."
George walked out the back door then, apparently planning on leaving again. He hadn't been around much this week, but he hadn't come home drunk again. Hopefully he was just hanging out with some friends.
"Are you gonna be here for dinner? Andromeda's bringing Teddy over," Ginny said to her brother, knowing how much he liked spending time with the baby. Surprisingly, George shook his head.
"I don't think so. I'll see him tomorrow though," he answered, turning to walk down the stairs.
"George," Ginny called, and he looked over his shoulder. "Take care of yourself," she said quietly. He just nodded before walking away, disapparating once he'd left the wards.
She sighed. "I'm worried about him."
Harry put his arm around her. "I am too. I just wish there was more we could do."
She nodded, leaning into his embrace. "We'll figure something out," she said hopefully, knowing that this problem was much more important than the others they were trying to solve.
As usual, Andromeda brought Teddy over for dinner, and Ginny and Harry enjoyed entertaining their godson for several hours before it was time for bed. They changed him and laid him in his cot, and he fell asleep almost immediately. He did still wake up occasionally throughout the night, but he'd become very good at sleeping most of the time. Smiling at her two favourite boys, Ginny easily fell asleep.
She was woken by something that sounded like rocks being thrown at her window. Harry was awake too, and they glanced at each other with confusion before Harry hesitantly stood and walked toward the window. He looked back at her once more, and she nodded. He quickly opened the window, ducking when something flew in. A brown barn owl was now standing on Ginny's dresser, peering at both Ginny and Harry.
Ginny saw a note tied to its leg and stood up, hurrying to untie it. It was addressed to her, so she tore it open and began reading.
Ginny, I'm sorry to owl you so late at night, but it's about your brother. He's been coming into The Leaky Cauldron a lot in the past month, but I've never seen him like this. He's passed out at the bar, and I thought you'd be the best person to contact since you could tell whoever needs to know. He needs help. Your friend, Hannah Abbott.
Ginny exhaled deeply. "What is it?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes from being woken up so suddenly. Ginny held the note out to him, and he quickly read it, looking up with wide eyes.
"We need to go get him," Harry said. Ginny wholeheartedly agreed, and she was also well aware of the feeling of happiness she had at Harry immediately including her in this sort of adventure, even though it wasn't the kind that either of them had ever hoped for. In years past, she would've expected him to say 'I need to get him' or 'Ron, Hermione, and I will get him'. But now, it was 'we'– her and him. That was much better in her mind. There was just one problem.
"What about Teddy?" she asked, gesturing at the still sleeping infant. Harry rubbed his chin before blinking as an idea apparently came to him.
"Hermione can take care of him since I'm guessing you don't want your parents to know right now," he suggested, and Ginny frowned but nodded. Hopefully that wouldn't be asking too much of Hermione.
Harry began gently levitating Teddy's cot, and Ginny carried the baby supplies they kept next to it. They slowly walked up the stairs, not wanting any creaking boards to give them away or any sudden movements to wake Teddy. Finally, they reached the fifth floor, and Ginny opened the door as softly as she could. She and Harry walked in, setting down the cot and supplies. Harry walked toward the edge of the bed and knelt down next to Hermione.
"Hermione," he whispered, nudging her slightly. She woke up almost immediately, blinking to see more clearly in the dark.
"What is it?" she answered, clearly not understanding what was going on.
"It's George. He– he's passed out drunk at The Leaky Cauldron, and Ginny and I have to go help him. Would you mind if Teddy stayed in here with you? We don't want to tell Molly and Arthur and make them worry until we get George taken care of."
Hermione looked a little nervous, but she nodded. "Is– does he usually sleep through the night?" she asked.
"He's been getting better at it. We brought his supplies too. If he wakes up and starts crying, he's probably either hungry or needs to be changed. And you'll want to put an Imperturbable Charm on the door after we leave so that if he does wake up, nobody else will hear it."
Hermione nodded again, apparently memorising that information quickly. "Should Ron come with you?" she asked.
Ginny considered it, but she agreed when Harry said, "Not tonight. Ginny and I will take him somewhere and let the two of you know where we are, and you can come meet us tomorrow morning. Ron might be able to help you tonight though."
Hermione smiled wryly, as if she didn't believe that for a second. "Okay, I'll take care of him. Just go make sure George is okay."
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said, standing up. Ginny quickly hugged her before stepping back, anxiously taking Harry's hand as they exited the room and slowly walked back down the stairs. When they made it outside, Ginny looked worriedly at Harry.
"He'll be okay," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.
"I know Teddy will be. George is the one who's got me worried."
"Let's go make sure he's okay too," Harry responded, spinning on his heel and apparating them to just outside The Leaky Cauldron. Ginny quickly threw the door open and rushed in, almost gasping when she saw George slumped over the bar, even though she'd been expecting it.
"Hey Ginny," Hannah said wearily. "Oh, hi Harry," she added, seeing Harry come in behind Ginny.
"Is he okay?" Ginny asked, walking over to check on George, who was breathing heavily and reeked of alcohol.
"He's not hurt or anything. It's just he's never drank this much before, and we can't let him just sleep here," Hannah responded.
"How often does George come here?" Harry asked a question Ginny had been wondering about.
Hannah frowned and looked up, apparently trying to recall or figure out how to answer that question. "He's here pretty often, I guess. I see him a couple nights a week on my late shifts, and I know he comes in some afternoons before I start working."
"Does The Leaky Cauldron not cut people off when they've clearly drank too much?" Ginny asked, hoping she didn't sound too accusatory.
Hannah sighed. "I always keep track of how much my customers are drinking and refuse to serve them if they have too much. But I had to step away for a bit to take care of a couple issues in the rooms upstairs, and while I was gone, George apparently helped himself. He was like this when I came back down. I really am sorry he got like this and I had to owl you in the middle of the night, but I didn't know what else to do."
Ginny shook her head, dismissing the apology. "It's not your fault, Hannah. I'd much rather you owl me than just kick George out, even if that's what he deserves right now."
"He– he doesn't usually talk much until he's on his last drink or two of the night. Then he'll start talking about F-Fred. I would send him away because I know he's trying to use this to deal with his grief, but other places might be less tolerant of him if he gets to this point. I just thought you ought to know about that too," Hannah offered, and Ginny nodded, even though she already knew that was why George was doing this.
Ginny looked at Harry and nodded toward George. He nodded and picked George up, throwing him over his shoulder and grunting at the weight of the larger man. "Back to the Burrow?" Harry asked, and Ginny nodded before Hannah interrupted.
"I think when George is here at night, he just stays at his flat over his shop."
Ginny's eyes widened. She hadn't realised that George had been staying up there in his and Fred's flat. It was surprising, considering that he had been so reluctant to enter his bedroom at home. "Thanks, Hannah. We really appreciate you looking out for him."
"Anytime," Hannah replied with a kind smile, even though she clearly still felt bad about the whole thing, which wasn't her fault in Ginny's opinion. George would've just found another place if he'd been cut off and this desperate to get pissed.
So instead of disapparating, Ginny led Harry, who was still carrying George, into a deserted, dimly lit Diagon Alley. "First time I've been here since we rob– since Gringotts," Harry commented in a quiet and breathless voice, still struggling with carrying George.
"Why aren't you levitating him?" Ginny asked, and Harry sighed.
"Because I thought we were apparating and then forgot that I didn't have to carry him if we were just walking to the shop."
Ginny stifled a giggle. "Wingardium Leviosa," she cast, lifting George off a grateful Harry's shoulder.
"Thanks," he said, walking alongside her much easier now.
"So how does it feel being back here?" she asked, returning to what he'd mentioned before.
He glanced around. "It's a little quieter. And I'm not under the cloak with a goblin on my back, so I'd say this is an improvement."
She smiled. "That's saying something if dealing with your girlfriend's pissed older brother in the middle of the night is better than the last time you were here."
She felt a shock run through her when Harry took her hand. "Helping you is always the first thing I wanna do. Besides, George is my brother too, remember?" She nodded, pleased that Harry was continually growing into his place in their family despite his initial hesitancy. She looked away from Harry momentarily and was surprised to find that they were outside the shop.
Harry walked up to the door and pointed his wand at the lock. "Alohomora," he said before trying to open the door, but it didn't budge. He frowned, turning back to Ginny questioningly.
"I think they charmed it so only their wands could unlock it," she said, remembering hearing them talking about their security system a couple years ago. She missed eavesdropping on Fred and George's business meetings.
Harry nodded, took George's wand from his back pocket, and tried the spell again. This time, the door opened, and Ginny followed Harry into the eerily silent joke shop that had once been the life of Diagon Alley.
Even though it was the middle of the night and the shop would've definitely been closed anyways, it was obvious that no customers had been here in a long time. Dust had gathered on the shelves, and everything looked far less colourful than Ginny had ever seen it. Judging by the frown on Harry's face, he agreed with her assessment that things just seemed off here.
Ginny guided Harry to the back of the shop, where the stairs to the flat began. She led the way for Harry and walked backwards up the stairs, levitating George between the two of them. At the top of the stairs, she opened the door to their flat, which was unlocked, surprisingly, and walked in, followed by George and Harry.
Ginny had only been in the flat once, last summer before… well, before everything. Even in the midst of a war, Fred and George had managed to keep some spirits high in the wizarding world, at least until the Ministry fell. It had been oddly inspiring to her when she went to Hogwarts. She loved pranks and jokes, but she was inspired to lift spirits in a different way, a way that would be much more impactful at Hogwarts. And her older brothers had been happy to help her smuggle in tools that helped her in leading Dumbledore's Army last year. They'd always been happy to help her.
Gently, Ginny set George down on his bed, pulling a blanket over him before exiting the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She walked out to where Harry was pacing in the small living room.
"What do you think we should do?" Harry asked, turning to look at her when she entered the room.
She sighed. "I don't know, Harry. I have no idea how we're supposed to help him when he's going to these lengths to– I don't even know what he's trying to do."
"Numb the pain, I guess. I've been there. Not nearly as bad as this, but I get it," Harry said sadly. Ginny moved toward him and wrapped him in a tight hug. He'd been through so much, and he always acted like his problems were less than other people's.
"Thanks for being here," Ginny said quietly, still holding him close. She smiled against his chest when she felt him kiss the top of her head.
"Remember the deal? Where you go, I go. No matter what," he responded, squeezing her as if to make a point of it.
"Where you go, I go," Ginny echoed, wondering, not for the first time, how she could've told him that he shouldn't come to Hogwarts with her. But it didn't matter anymore. She wasn't ever going to forget that promise again.
"We did say we'd let Hermione and Ron know where we were," Harry mentioned while they were still standing in the middle of the living room with their arms wrapped around each other.
Ginny nodded, stepping back slightly. "I have half a mind to owl Bill about it too."
"Honestly, that's a good idea. George has blown us off when we've tried to talk to him about it before. We could probably use some help," Harry agreed.
"He probably would be more likely to listen to his older brothers. Well, maybe not Percy, but Bill and Charlie at least," Ginny said. "Only– do you think this will make George upset? Like he'll think we're trying to gang up on him or something?"
Harry frowned, thinking about it. "I'm not an expert on sibling relationships or dynamics or anything… but George needs help from somebody. This is getting too out of control, and we need to do what we can to help him now. At the very least, I'd imagine it's better for his siblings to try before talking to his parents about it though."
She hated that they'd come to this point, but she agreed. "You're right. We've tried being more subtle about it, but this is becoming dangerous for him now. So let's tell everyone but Mum and Dad, for now at least, and get them here tomorrow morning."
Harry nodded and began looking around the apartment for a moment before looking back at her. "We don't have an owl," he said, and Ginny exhaled, annoyed that she'd forgotten that critical piece of the plan.
"I guess– we'll have to apparate back, tell them, and then come back," she suggested, but Harry shook his head.
"That'll take a while, and we might wake up your parents if we do that."
Ginny bit her lip, trying to think of another idea, when Harry gave her a look that was a cross between arriving at an idea and hesitation about the idea. "What is it?" she asked curiously.
"Well, I was trying to think of another way to send a message, and I remembered Patronuses. But all I know about how those work is what Kingsley told us," he replied.
"We could practise it a few times. I'll stand in one corner of the room and you stand in the other and try to get your Patronus to talk to me," Ginny offered, and Harry nodded, seeming a little excited about trying this even though they had no clue if it would work.
"Expecto Patronum," Harry said quietly, and Ginny watched as a beautiful silvery stag burst out of his wand. She was familiar with it, particularly from the D.A. in her fourth year, but she hadn't spent a lot of time up close with it. She was entranced as she watched this extension of Harry survey the room before trotting over to her. She raised her hand as if to pet its nose, and she was surprised when it nuzzled her hand. Or at least, it tried to, but it disappeared when it came in contact with her, and she felt a spark of warmth where the stag had touched her.
"Did it work?" Harry asked, startling her slightly as she remembered what they were trying to do.
Ginny shook her head. "No, it didn't say anything. But you did get it to walk over to me," she said optimistically.
Harry nodded. "Expecto Patronum," he tried again, slightly louder this time. Once again, the stag burst out of his wand, but this time, without any hesitation, it walked straight to Ginny. She stared up at it, not wanting to touch it and make it go away yet. It pawed at the floor gently and bent its head, as if inviting her to touch it, so she once again brought her hand up to its nose, and once again, it disappeared at her touch, leaving behind a trace of warmth in her fingertips.
"Still nothing," she said, answering the unspoken question.
Harry sighed. "I don't think this is gonna work."
"Give it another try," she implored. "You've done a lot more difficult things than this without knowing what you were doing. Just pick a really good memory, and just… let your Patronus be part of you."
Harry nodded, and Ginny hoped her advice would help, considering she knew just as little as he did about this. "Expecto Patronum," Harry said, waving his wand as the stag leapt out and bounded now, confidently, to Ginny.
"I love you," Harry said as the stag bent its head to her again. She smiled past the stag at Harry.
"I love you too," she responded before admiring the stag for a moment and then touching its nose gently, causing it to disappear.
"You heard that?" Harry asked with wide eyes. Ginny nodded before closing her eyes in embarrassment at not realising what had happened.
"That was your Patronus talking?" she asked, and Harry grinned, nodding back at her.
"Your advice helped. I picked the best memory I have and acted like I was in the stag, telling it what to do and say," he said, making Ginny smile.
"And what is the best memory you have?" she asked, smiling even wider at the look on Harry's face, and she knew right away that they had the same best memory.
"The first time you said you loved me. It's kinda weird though because I saw that blazing look on your face the first time you actually said it, but it's like I heard you saying it in a bunch of different ways, like… you were shouting it and whispering it to me at the same time. Like all the times you've said it are in that one memory, if that makes sense," he tried to explain, smiling bashfully at her.
"It makes perfect sense," she responded, stepping forward to kiss him softly. "That night started horribly, but that's my favourite memory too," she whispered, staring up into his bright green eyes, just inches from his face.
"I really do love you, Gin," he whispered, making her smile once again.
"And I really do love you, Harry," she answered, adoring the smile that he wore every single time she said it. After kissing for another minute or five, she remembered what they had to do.
Breathing heavily, she said, "So… we need to send that Patronus to Hermione and Ron. They'll take care of getting everyone here in the morning."
Harry nodded. "Let's see how it goes. Expecto Patronum," he said, and Ginny looked on in amazement as the stag cantered towards the window and jumped through it. She watched as it rapidly disappeared into the night before turning back around to see Harry grinning again.
"If it works, that's pretty cool," he said proudly.
Ginny nodded her agreement. "Extremely cool. What'd you say?"
"I told them it was me, we're staying here tonight, and we want them to come here tomorrow morning with Bill, Charlie, and Percy. And I asked them to send an owl back if they got the message," Harry answered.
While they waited for Ron and Hermione's owl, they pushed the furniture to the sides of the room, and Harry conjured a small bed for them to sleep on. They lay in it and talked to pass the time, expecting it would be an hour before they got a response, if it did work at all.
"How do you know Hannah so well?" Harry asked, reminding Ginny that there was still a lot he didn't know about the last year at Hogwarts.
"She was a huge help in the D.A. last year. She was our best healer, always the one trying to keep us positive, but I know she took it the hardest when the Carrows… got to Chloe," Ginny answered, closing her eyes as she remembered the tears she'd shed with Hannah that night.
Harry wordlessly squeezed her tighter against him, and she knew she didn't need to explain anymore, at least not right now. There were no big secrets that would change how he viewed her, just a lot of stories that she was still sorting out in her own mind. He understood that she'd tell him everything in time, just like she'd understood it with his stories. At least she didn't have anything as dramatic as the conclusion of his big story had been.
She still wrestled with feeling like a failure at times when she did let herself think about the last year at Hogwarts, and that was a feeling she knew Harry could empathise with. It was just one more thing they had in common although she wished they didn't. He'd done great things, and logically, she knew she'd done more good than bad in her efforts in the last year. That didn't always make her feel better though, and she suspected these feelings would only grow as their return to Hogwarts drew closer.
Thankfully, she didn't need to think about this any longer because an owl interrupted her train of thought, pecking the window furiously. Harry rolled out of bed and opened the window, and Ginny was surprised to see Errol flop onto a chair they'd pushed against the wall. Their home wasn't terribly far from London, but Errol was getting rather old to be making fast flights like this anyways.
Ginny looked over Harry's shoulder as he unwrapped a small bit of parchment from Errol's leg and unfolded it.
Harry, I can't believe you know how to send messages with a Patronus and haven't taught me how to! You have to explain it to me! We'll send Percy's owl to Bill and Fleur in the morning, and we'll be there around ten. Teddy's been sleeping well so far, and we'll leave him with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley tomorrow. See you then. –Hermione
P.S. Let Errol spend the night there. Ron said Errol will need a week to recover from that flight, but he's exaggerating. Ron also wanted me to say… well, you can use your imagination for the reaction Ron and I had to you waking us up with a glowing stag standing over the bed.
They were both laughing at the end of Hermione's message. "Patronuses are officially my new favourite method of communication," Ginny said, still grinning as she got back into bed.
"We'll have to practise with yours soon. Then we can send messages even if we're not together," Harry said, eagerly joining her in bed and wrapping an arm around her.
She raised an eyebrow at him and innocently asked, "I thought we're never going to be separated again?"
He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Never again," he promised. She smiled, closing her eyes and quickly falling asleep, very content with keeping that promise forever.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry woke around eight, if the clock on the wall of the living room was correct. He was still rather tired after being awake for the better part of two hours in the middle of the night, but he knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep. He needed to make sure George didn't somehow slip out before everyone got to the flat, and he was surprisingly anxious about the conversation they were going to be having with George this morning.
He quickly checked the bedroom and found that George was still sleeping. Satisfied, Harry returned to the small bed Ginny was still in. He easily slid back under the covers and smiled as Ginny pressed herself closer to him, even in her sleep. He smiled even wider as he smelled the flowery fragrance of her hair that he loved so much. For a moment, Harry was reminded of the times in the past year when he would've given anything to smell it just one more time.
As hard as the time after the battle had been, the months before the battle had been even more difficult. The only thing that had gotten him through was the hope that he'd survive and have a chance to be with Ginny again. Harry knew he'd been a wreck in a lot of ways after the battle, and he hadn't fully mastered all the inner demons that told him things were his fault and haunted his thoughts with panic attacks. Even now, there were still things that he wrestled with regularly– he had no idea how he'd ever fully feel comfortable in his own skin after knowing he'd shared a soul with part of Voldemort's for his whole life. Despite all that, he'd managed to make it through the first couple months, but he knew he'd be acting a lot more like George if he'd lost Ron, Hermione, or Ginny.
Harry lightly kissed the top of Ginny's head while tracing circles on her arm with his finger, as if to remind himself that she was still here. He empathised deeply with George because he knew that it easily could've been him in this position after the battle instead. They'd won, but if Harry hadn't had Ginny and his two best friends after the battle, it all would've felt meaningless, and he suspected that's how George felt. And Harry couldn't even imagine how much more difficult it must've been for George to lose his twin, whom he'd spent pretty much every moment of his life with.
He didn't know how the time passed so quickly, but he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he was surprised when he saw the clock now read half past nine. He gently rubbed Ginny's shoulder. "Ginny," he whispered, surprised when her eyes fluttered open on the first try. He couldn't help but feel good about himself when she smiled at the first thing she saw being him.
Without hesitation, he kissed her softly, and she chuckled against his lips, running a hand through his hair. He pulled back slightly and saw her eyes sparkling. "Merlin, that's how every morning should start," she said, and Harry grinned at her.
"I'll do my best to make that happen every day," he said.
"You better," she responded before leaning up to kiss him quickly again.
"Everyone will be here in about twenty minutes," Harry told her once they'd both made sure the other was completely awake.
"We're doing the right thing, right?" Ginny asked, and Harry nodded, having thought a lot about this in the past couple hours.
"It's not gonna be easy, but…yeah, I think this is the right thing," he answered. Almost immediately, they heard a knock on the door downstairs. "Too late to back out now," he added as they climbed out of bed. Harry quickly vanished the bed and rearranged the furniture while Ginny went downstairs to let in whoever was already here. A moment later, she reentered the room with Bill and Fleur.
"Morning," Harry said to them both. Bill gave Harry a handshake that turned into a brief hug, and Fleur hugged him as well, kissing both of his cheeks before sitting next to Bill on the loveseat. Ginny and Harry sat opposite them on the sofa.
"Is he still asleep?" Bill asked, and Harry nodded.
"He's been out ever since we brought him back here."
"Hannah Abbott– she works at The Leaky Cauldron– told us that George has been spending a lot of time there, but he's never gotten this bad before. Apparently he talks about Fred when he starts getting really pissed though," Ginny added sadly. Harry put his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder lightly.
Bill nodded. "At least the two of you were able to be there for him last night. I think you were right to reach out to all of us though. We need to help him."
"'e's 'urting so much. Eet's difficult to imagine what 'e's going through. We need to be kind but make sure 'e knows zees eesn't ze way to 'andle 'is grief," Fleur said.
"It won't be easy, but Fleur's right. Hopefully with all of us here, he'll listen," Bill said. As if on cue, there was another knock at the door. This time, Harry rose and quickly went downstairs to the shop to let in everyone else. He opened the door, and Charlie burst in, followed by Percy, Ron, and Hermione.
"Where is he?" Charlie asked, seemingly both worried and angry.
"Upstairs in the flat. Bill and Fleur are already there," Harry answered, and Charlie quickly went up the stairs with Percy.
"Is Teddy okay?" Harry asked as he, Ron, and Hermione trailed behind.
"Yeah, he's with Mum and Dad now. We told them all of us were doing something together, and they thankfully didn't ask any questions," Ron responded. Harry nodded, a little surprised that they would've accepted that explanation unquestioningly.
"Harry, when did you learn how to send messages with a Patronus?" Hermione asked in an almost jealous tone.
Harry chuckled. "Last night, actually. I'll try and teach all of you how to do it later, but we've got something a little more important to deal with now," he said as he opened the door to the flat, which was now very crowded.
"So do we wake George up, or are we all just gonna wait?" Ginny asked, standing close to the short hallway that led to the bedroom as if to stop anyone from going right away.
Harry noticed that everyone seemed to look to Bill for his thoughts, even Charlie and Percy. He hadn't been a part of the family for very long, but it was plain to see that Bill's position as the oldest brother was important to everyone, even though it seemed like it must be a weight on his shoulders.
"I think we should wake him up. Not aggressively or anything, but we don't want to wait for hours while he sleeps it off either. Ginny, if you don't mind, you'll probably do better at waking him up gently than anybody else."
Ginny nodded and tentatively walked out of the room. "Let's get some more chairs in here," Charlie said when she left. He and Percy both conjured simple wooden chairs, although Percy's at least had a cushion and armrests. Harry conjured a small loveseat for him and Ginny that matched the one Bill and Fleur were sitting on, and Ron and Hermione sat on the couch.
They all sat in restless silence for a few moments until they heard footsteps coming back down the hall. Ginny walked in, followed by George, who looked incredibly tired and groaned when he saw them all.
"Bloody hell, I thought she was joking," he grumbled, collapsing into the chair that faced all of them. Ginny sat next to Harry, peering intently at her older brother.
"Look, I know why you're all here, and I'm fine. I just got a little carried away last night," George attempted to assure everyone, but none of them believed it for a second.
"George, we're not just here because of last night. We're here because you're still struggling a lot, and the way you're trying to handle it is hurting you," Bill responded, but George just shook his head.
"I'm not doing anything different from most people my age. We go out and get pissed, sleep all day, and do it again the next night. Nobody else has their family on their backs like this," George shot back.
"Nobody else that's out drinking like that lost a twin either," Ron said quietly.
"Don't you think I bloody know that?" George shouted. "I don't need any help! I don't want any help!" Harry was reminded of the fury George had shown before the memorial, and he remembered the promise he'd made to George to help him let his anger out if he needed it. He conjured a small stack of plates in front of George, in case he wanted to break something. Harry wasn't expecting George to pick up the first plate and hurl it towards his head.
"Impedimenta!" Ginny shouted, stopping the plate inches from Harry's face with incredible reflexes. Harry exhaled and plucked the plate out of the air, looking gratefully at Ginny, but her eyes were blazing furiously. He vanished the plates, aware that was a bad idea now, as Ginny practically screamed, "Vespertilio!"
Everyone in the room stared in shock as greenish bats began flying out of George's nose and attacking him. He frantically waved his hands around, slapping some of them with a disgusting squelching sound, but he was still drowning in bat bogeys. Seemingly coming to his senses, Bill pointed his wand at George. "Finite Incantatem!" he cast, and the bats disappeared immediately.
"What the hell was that?" George yelled furiously at his sister, who pointed her wand at him again.
"You went too far! We're trying to help you, you prat, and you threw a bloody plate at Harry's head!"
"I don't need any help! There's nothing any of you can say that's gonna change anything! None of you understand! He's gone!" George screamed, gasping for breath as they all looked sadly at him.
They sat in almost complete silence, disturbed only by George's heavy breathing. Harry cleared his throat, wanting to say something but unsure if he should. Everyone looked at him though, so he figured it was okay to speak.
"I– I don't know exactly what you're going through, George. But I do know what it's like to lose people. You all saw how much of a wreck I was after Sirius died. I've… blamed myself for what happened at the battle every day. There have been times when I've heard people talking about how great my parents were, and I'll get so mad and upset because I'll never get to know them. I'll never know what it was like to hug my mum or to fly on a broom with my dad. I'll– I'll never hear them say they love me. And I'm still so pissed off that they died, even though it was so long ago. That pain… it never goes away. I grew up wondering why I was the only kid I knew who didn't live with his parents. Even when I see you all with your mum and dad, sometimes– sometimes I'm reminded that I was robbed of that with my parents.
"But– damn, I know this has sounded really sad, but I do have a point. Even though I never knew them, I know my parents would've wanted me to be happy and live life to the fullest, just like– like Sirius and Remus and Dumbledore and every other person I've lost. It's been hard a lot of the time, but I do my best to honour them through that. And Fred– Fred definitely wouldn't have wanted you to spiral like this because of him. You lost an ear, and you made a joke to try and make him and all of us feel better. There's no way Fred wouldn't be wanting you to live life happily even though he's not here anymore."
Harry didn't realise until he finished speaking that tears were rolling down his cheeks. Ginny took his hand in hers and kissed it gently, and he saw just how sad she felt for him in her eyes. Everyone was looking at him like that.
"You know… Harry's right. Knowing Fred, he'd probably make some awful joke about him dying that would make us all laugh," Charlie said.
"He just liked to laugh. He– he died laughing at a joke I made, and I– I can't decide if it was my fault that he died, or if… I should be happy I made him laugh once," Percy said quietly.
Harry felt a pang of sadness for Percy. In the midst of his own guilt about the battle, he hadn't even considered that Percy might have felt his own guilt about what had happened. Harry had been there, and he knew there wasn't anything that could've been done differently to save Fred, but he also understood that didn't often make a difference in the guilt somebody was bearing.
"What did you say?" George asked, equally quietly.
Percy grimaced slightly. "I was duelling Thicknesse, and I told him I was resigning. Fred started laughing, and then…"
"Everything exploded," Ron finished darkly, staring at the floor in front of him. Harry closed his eyes, unable to forget the feeling of being thrown and crushed by the rubble before hearing Percy and Ron's shouts of grief.
Everyone fell silent once again, and Harry focussed on the warmth of Ginny's hand in his. She was staring blankly at the floor too, but she was still there.
"Sometimes… I'm mad that he's gone. Other times… I just– I feel so sad that it's hard to even breathe. But I– I always feel empty, like– like I'm incomplete now," George said numbly, breaking the silence.
"We know, George. It's not exactly the same, but… we all lost our brother too," Bill responded solemnly. Everyone around the room nodded, all too familiar with the crippling sorrow of losing a part of the family.
"I just– I don't know who I am anymore," George almost whispered.
"You're still you. You and Fred may have done everything together, but you're still your own person. That hasn't changed. Fred was a lot like you, but he wasn't you," Ginny said.
"For example, Fred was much more attractive," Ron said, grinning as George rolled his eyes before he chuckled slightly, making everyone else laugh too.
"He always talked more than me," George said as everyone quietened.
"You were always better at emotions," Ginny offered.
George smiled wryly. "Clearly I handle emotions very well."
"Non. Everyone 'andles things differently. Zere's no right way to do eet, but… zere are wrong ways," Fleur responded.
"We're not experts, George. We're all hurting too, and we're all handling it differently. We don't know what the right way is for you to handle things, but what you're doing right now isn't it," Bill added.
George nodded slightly. "I– I just don't know what to do. And when I get pissed, I– at least I forget about everything and it hurts less."
"After Sirius died, Dumbledore told me that the fact that I felt pain and could love was my greatest strength because it made me human. I told him I'd rather not be human than feel that pain. But he was right, as shitty as it feels to hurt like that. Because… I've seen the alternative, with Riddle, and it's so much worse. Fred's gone, and it hurts like hell, but you still have all of us here. There are things you can do to deal with the pain without hurting yourself like this," Harry said, hoping that would help, even though it wouldn't make the pain go away by any stretch.
"How?" George asked, and Harry heard the desperation in his voice. George clearly knew the way he'd been handling things wasn't right, but he'd just gotten so stuck that he couldn't find another way to deal with it.
"This sort of thing is fairly common with Muggles, and they've developed plenty of methods for trying to deal with it. But a lot of them are just about finding things to do when you feel the urge to drink, whether you're talking to someone or going for a walk or playing Quidditch. Keeping yourself busy will help quite a bit," Hermione suggested.
"And honestly, you've been pretty idle for the past two months. I mean, we've all been trying to get back to things at our own pace, but… maybe it's time for you to open the shop up again so you have something else occupying your time," Charlie added.
George frowned and thought for a moment before nodding hesitantly. "I– I'll think about that. I just don't know if I can do it with– without him."
"And you don't have to make a decision on that right away. It's just important that you start finding things that can distract you and make you happy without feeling like the only solution is to go to The Leaky Cauldron," Ginny said.
"We love you, George. We just want what's best for you, and we're all here to help if there's anything we can do," Bill offered, smiling kindly at his younger brother.
"I… thanks," George said quietly. "I– I do know that I'm not– that this isn't how he'd want me to be. It's just so hard sometimes. But I'll do my best to do better and find ways to– to not be drinking like that."
"And we'll be there whenever you need us," Ginny emphasised again. George nodded, smiling slightly.
"Let's go get lunch," Charlie suggested suddenly. "I'm starving, and George could probably use something to deal with the hangover. Not that that'll ever be a problem again, right?" he asked, and George shook his head, looking very eager for a chance to relieve the pain of his hangover.
"We have to get back to Teddy," Harry said, and Ginny nodded.
"That's fine. We'll all walk out together, and whoever wants to stick around can come with us," Charlie responded.
They all rose and slowly made their way out of the flat. George surprised Harry when he put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm sorry for chucking that plate at you," he said sincerely.
Harry smiled. "No harm, no foul. You're lucky Ginny's fast with her wand though," he joked.
George chuckled. "Actually, I think you're luckier than I am for that. Wouldn't want another scar on that pretty face, right?"
"What's wrong with scars?" Bill asked, rubbing the side of his face that bore the marks of his fight with Greyback.
"Obviously nuzzing," Fleur said, kissing his scarred cheek. George groaned, and Harry chuckled, following them out of the shop.
Harry noticed that Diagon Alley was significantly more crowded, with carts and street vendors out, than it had been when he'd been here the day they'd robbed Gringotts. Everything seemed much brighter, too. It was almost surreal to see the contrast between then and now. But he'd completely forgotten that he was still extremely recognisable and hadn't really appeared much in public until an older man with a white goatee, about a head shorter than him, approached.
The man extended his hand and said in a warm voice, "Mister Potter, I can't believe you're here! I've wanted to meet you for so long and personally thank you for everything you've done for all of us."
Harry shook his hand, feeling slightly uncomfortable but noticing that Ginny had walked up next to him without saying a word. "I– of course. It's nice to meet you, Mister…"
The man chuckled. "Oh, goodness. I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Barnaby Trumble, and the pleasure is all mine."
"You're the owner of the Chudley Cannons," Ginny said, with slightly widened eyes.
The man chuckled. "I am, but… well, I'm sure you can understand why I don't always introduce myself with that title." Ginny and Harry both nodded, not needing any further explanation. Harry suddenly had an idea.
"Would you mind waiting here for a moment? There's someone I would really like for you to meet," he asked, and Mr. Trumble nodded pleasantly, so Harry quickly ran to catch up to the rest of the Weasleys, who had made their way further down Diagon Alley.
"Ron! Ron!" Harry called, and Ron finally turned, as did several other people, who were openly staring at him. "Come with me. There's someone you've got to meet," he said, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him back towards the shop, doing his best to ignore the looks he was getting.
"What's going on, Harry?" Ron asked when they got closer to the shop.
Harry grinned as Mr. Trumble turned to face them again. "Mister Trumble, I'd like to introduce you to Ron Weasley, who's about the biggest Cannons fan in Britain. Ron, this is Barnaby Trumble, the owner of the Chudley Cannons."
Ron's jaw dropped as the older man extended a hand, which Ron took, shaking it gratuitously. "Mister Trumble, it's an honour for you to meet me! I– I mean it's an honour to meet you… sir. I've been a Cannons fan for as long as I can remember."
Mr. Trumble chuckled. "Goodness, it isn't very often I meet diehard Cannons fans these days. I just wish our performance could live up to the expectations that fans like you deserve."
"I really think this could be our year, Mister Trumble. The problem is we're not doing a good job of playing to the strengths of our team. For example, our Chasers aren't built to play defence, so we'd be better off pushing them up in the attack. If we dropped our Beaters into a more defensive structure like Ballycastle did when they won the title in eighty-seven, we'd give ourselves a better chance at controlling the game," Ron said breathlessly, gesturing for emphasis.
Harry smiled, knowing that this was Ron in his element, and he tended to get over excited about the things he cared about. He was very pleased when Mr. Trumble rubbed his goatee, considering what Ron was talking about.
"That's… an interesting idea, Mister Weasley. I wonder… would you like to join me for tea? I'd be very interested in hearing more about your ideas."
Ron nodded his head eagerly, and Harry laughed as they were both too preoccupied with talking about Quidditch to remember to say goodbye to Ginny and himself. Ginny shook her head, laughing with him.
"I can't believe he's talking to the owner of the Cannons about Quidditch strategies right now," she said, taking Harry's hand as they began walking down Diagon Alley.
Harry smiled, feeling very happy for his best mate. "He knows what he's talking about. It's great that he's getting to show it to someone other than us."
Hermione was waiting for them where Harry had grabbed Ron earlier. "Where's Ron?" she asked, looking behind them but not seeing him.
"He's having tea with the owner of the Chudley Cannons," Harry answered with a grin.
Hermione smiled. "I'm sure he's enjoying that. But–" she sighed "– he forgot about me, didn't he?"
Ginny laughed. "Sorry, Hermione, but Quidditch will always be Ron's first love." Harry and Ginny both laughed again, seeing Hermione turn red, either from the suggestion of love or from the suggestion that Ron cared more about Quidditch than her.
"Come on, Hermione. You can come back to the Burrow with us and see Teddy," Harry offered.
Hermione sighed again but walked with them out of Diagon Alley, through The Leaky Cauldron, and into an alley in Muggle London where they could disapparate. At the Burrow, they found Molly and Arthur in the living room with Teddy. Molly was knitting something while Arthur was rocking Teddy gently.
"Would any of you like to tell us what you were doing?" Molly asked, surprising all three of them.
"Er–" Harry tried to say something, but he wasn't sure how to answer that question.
"Sibling… bonding time?" Ginny offered with no confidence at all.
Molly rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I should've expected not to get a straight answer. It must've been important for the two of you to leave Teddy this morning, though."
"It was," Ginny said simply, and Molly just nodded. "I guess Teddy likes you, Dad," she added, smiling at Arthur and Teddy.
He chuckled. "It's funny. I've always had something of a way with babies. Of course, all of you threw fits and got upset, but I always seemed to be able to calm you down. Apparently Teddy feels the same way."
"He's a great baby," Ginny said, and Harry nodded his agreement. Taking care of Teddy wasn't easy, and they weren't doing it full-time, but he'd expected it to be a lot more challenging than it had been.
A moment later, Hermione left to get a book from upstairs, and Molly went into the kitchen to make something quick for lunch. Harry and Ginny sat on the sofa, and Arthur looked curiously at them.
"Is George okay?" he asked. Both Harry and Ginny's eyes widened.
Harry finally nodded. "Yeah, he's… better now. How did you–"
Arthur smiled slightly. "There aren't many things that could get all of you up early on a Saturday morning. I also saw George's hand on the clock was pointing to 'lost' when we woke up, but it moved to 'work' about thirty minutes ago, which made me think something happened and you all were at the shop. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay without worrying Molly."
"He's been struggling with a lot, but… I think he's finally on the right track," Ginny answered.
Arthur nodded and smiled. "That's all I needed to hear. Thank you both for being there for him."
Harry nodded now, thinking that it had started becoming second nature to be there for any of the Weasleys who needed help, just like he was slowly starting to expect that they'd be here when he needed help. It was nice to be part of a real family now.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Kingsley came over the next afternoon to talk to Harry about his hearing tomorrow. Ginny hadn't been surprised when Harry had asked her to join them on the porch, along with Ron and Hermione.
"The two things I'm most concerned to be asked about are Horcruxes and the Elder Wand," Harry said.
"I still think if anyone asks about the Elder Wand, you say Riddle was off his rocker and you saw an opportunity to mess with his head before the duel," Ron offered.
"Is anyone actually gonna believe that though?" Ginny asked.
"The Elder Wand is so mythical already that I don't think it'll be difficult for people to dismiss if Harry acts like it definitely isn't real," Hermione answered.
"The thing that helps us with the Elder Wand is that nobody's seen Harry use it for anything, so there's no way to verify that he's capable of doing more powerful magic with it. And now, nobody knows where it is, so it hopefully won't matter," Kingsley added. Ginny nodded, hoping they were right. The last thing Harry needed was another psychopath hunting him because they thought they could get the Elder Wand if they killed him.
"Okay, I guess I'll go with that. But what about the Horcruxes?" Harry asked. Ginny frowned, trying to think of a way that the concept could be explained without much detail.
"I think you have to say that Riddle performed terribly dark magic to make it more difficult to kill him, and the three of you spent the past year on the run trying to find a way to counter that. If they ask more questions, you can refuse to explain on the basis of public safety," Kingsley suggested.
"But… if I can't explain anything about the Horcruxes, how do I explain the break-ins at the Ministry and Gringotts? And if anybody asks about the forest…" he trailed off.
"You thought that the key to defeating him was in the Ministry, but it turned out it was in Gringotts, in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. What you found massively helped you defeat Riddle and the battle happened that night, so there's some justification for it, at least," Ginny answered, but she had no idea how they could explain the forest.
"You have to tell the truth with the forest. Or at least, as much of it as you can. If you tell them about your mother's protection and how it stayed alive in him, I think you can explain it without mentioning that part of his soul was inside you," Hermione offered. Ginny had to suppress an involuntary shudder at the reminder that part of Riddle's soul had been inside Harry his whole life. It felt so disgusting and unnatural to even imagine, and she was sure that Harry felt the same way, even if he hadn't talked about it.
"I think that would work quite well," Kingsley agreed.
"But… then doesn't it make it seem like I just… gave up?" Harry pressed. Ginny looked closely at him, wondering for the first time since she found out about everything that happened in the forest if Harry would've still given himself up if he didn't know he'd been a Horcrux. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was fairly certain he was always going to go to the forest, whether he'd seen Snape's memories or not.
"Even if that's what it sounds like, you still sacrificed yourself to try and protect everyone. Nobody will fault you for that," Hermione argued. Harry nodded, but Ginny could see that he didn't seem very convinced.
"Was there anything else you were worried about?" Kingsley asked after Harry didn't respond to Hermione.
Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Ginny realised what he was about to bring up. "I– er– no. I think that covers everything."
She raised her eyebrows at him, and Kingsley nodded, though he looked a little dubious. "Okay, then. While I'm here, I was wondering if I could speak to you, Ginny, about what happened at Hogwarts this year. After Harry's hearing, I'm planning on giving my recommendations to the Wizengamot for the Order of Merlin, and I wanted as much of the story as you could give me."
Ginny noticed the curious looks on Ron and Hermione's faces. She nodded after feeling Harry squeeze her hand gently for encouragement. For the next fifteen minutes, she gave Kingsley an abridged version of the story she'd told Harry the day after the battle. At a couple points, she could feel Harry's hand sweating, but she didn't look at him, afraid that her voice would start breaking if she did. Finally, she finished, and Kingsley shook his head in disbelief.
"So to summarise– you were tortured relentlessly by the Cruciatus Curse and more… primitive methods, yet you still led a student rebellion, along with Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and several other older Hogwarts students. That rebellion defied the grip the Death Eaters had on the school, and it ultimately saved the lives of several students who would've been tortured or worse by the Carrows. On top of all that, you helped train the members of Dumbledore's Army to fight, and every single member was present at the battle. Is there anything I left out?" Kingsley asked.
Ginny wanted to say that he left out the fact that she hadn't been able to save everyone, but instead, she just shook her head. "You forgot to mention she's a bloody hero," Harry said next to her in a slightly gruff voice that was filled with pride. She looked over at him now and saw tears at the corners of his eyes. She put her arm around him, and he easily leaned against her.
Kingsley smiled and nodded. "You're right, and I'll do my best to make sure the Wizengamot agrees."
At that moment, Ginny's mum came outside and invited Kingsley to come in and stay for dinner. She was slightly surprised that Kingsley accepted, following her mum into the kitchen. Once he left, Ginny kissed Harry's cheek.
"I love you, Blaze," he whispered.
She smiled. "I love you more."
Ron cleared his throat, and Ginny looked at him. "I– we didn't know about all that. That– that's pretty damn awesome, Ginny," he said.
Ginny smiled. "Well, someone wouldn't let me hunt Horcruxes, so I had to come up with my own adventure instead." Harry chuckled and kissed the top of her head, making Ginny smile even wider.
"This was quite the year for all of us," Hermione said, drastically simplifying their experiences of the past year.
"That's certainly one way of putting it. Although I, for one, am much more interested in what the next year has in store," Ginny said, winking at Harry, who grinned and nodded in agreement.
A few moments later, everyone, including Andromeda and Kingsley, were crowded around the table, tucking in to a delicious roast, when Charlie said, "Kingsley, I'd been meaning to tell you that I finally found a solution to our problem with that dragon."
The word 'dragon' caught everyone's attention, and they all turned to look at Charlie. Kingsley nodded. "Did one of the reserves you contacted have a space available for it?"
Charlie shook his head. "Nope. They were all full or didn't want her. So… I've decided to open my own dragon reserve, here in Britain."
The table erupted with shouts and cheers. Ginny whooped as Charlie grinned, clearly happy with the reaction he'd gotten. He wasn't going back to Romania. Bill was back from Egypt for good. Their family, while not perfectly whole, had grown, and it was growing closer– the grin on George's face was proof of that. She grinned up at Harry, who was cheering with everyone else at the news. There wasn't any question– their family was stronger than ever, despite everything the world had thrown at them. That was definitely something to cheer for.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
A/N: This chapter definitely wasn't easy to write, but it's also been a rather long time coming. The fact is that George's way of processing his grief had shifted to something that was incredibly destructive to himself, and at that point, it wasn't possible for his siblings to continue watching and letting him engage in that. I think George taking his grief to that point was a very interesting and important story to tell, but this summer is one of recovery for everyone, and George definitely deserves some recovery too, even if it means his siblings having an intervention with him that he most certainly didn't want to be a part of.
Obviously, since this story is about Harry and Ginny primarily, they needed to be the ones to take care of George. It would've been a lot less impactful for me to write that Bill had contacted them and said that he'd taken care of George overnight. But I do think the two of them were well equipped to help him anyways. Harry's intimately familiar with the kind of grief he's experiencing, and Ginny is definitely one of the more empathetic Weasleys. Plus, I've already shown that George, for a variety of reasons, is more willing to open up to the two of them than pretty much anyone else, so it did feel fitting to me to have them be the ones to help him overnight, even if this story wasn't totally centred on them.
It's never really explained how talking Patronuses work in canon, other than that it's something that Dumbledore came up with, so Harry's pretty much going off of just the instructions that Kingsley gave him a couple chapters ago. To me, it feels like something more complicated than how Harry makes it look, but we know that Harry is pretty exceptional when it comes to Patronuses, considering how young he was when he cast one for the first time, so it's definitely reasonable to me for him to be able to master a talking one rather quickly.
When I started writing SoR, I didn't realise it would take this long for Ginny's famous Bat-Bogey Hex to make an appearance, and I definitely didn't know that it would be cast on George the first time, but in planning this chapter, I sort of came to the conclusion that George needed to see how the way he was handling his grief could potentially have negative impacts on everyone. For all his joking, he would never, ever want to hurt Harry, so that was a shock to him, just like being attacked by Ginny. It sort of shows that all of this is rock bottom for George and that something has to change in his life after it. And as far as the hex goes, Vespertilio is both the Latin translation for bat and a genus of bat, so that's the one I went with. I know I've seen Chiroptera used as the spell before because that's the order that all bats fall under, and that's a perfectly fine and reasonable incantation. I just lean towards the Latin influence, both because it makes sense to me and the way that JKR created spells and because, as painful as it was, I had to spend five years in school learning how to read and write in Latin, so it's a weird little piece of myself that's in the story too.
As for the ending of the chapter… well, it's going to be a massive challenge for Harry to be honest at the Wizengamot hearing. It's not in his nature, at all, to talk about all the things he's done and accomplished, so that's already hard enough. Compounded with the sensitive nature of so much of it… well, like I said, it'll be a challenge. I do promise that the next chapter is the final chapter that really has any significant recapping of the books that I have written or plan to write for the foreseeable future though, and I promise that the hearing is a much different way of processing Harry's story than usual too!
So that'll do it for Part of the Family! The family issues are (mostly) sorted out now, Harry feels like he's really part of the family now, George is on a real path to recovery, and Charlie is going to be staying in Britain (he's probably never going to admit it, but he's grown far too close to his family to leave again, and I've been hinting at that since like Chapter 9, for what it's worth), but the next chapter is going to be a bit of a wild ride!
Coming Friday: Proud- Ginny's jaw dropped, as did Ron and Hermione's on either side of her.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Thank you as always for the comments and appreciation for the last chapter of SoR, and I'm very glad to have a few specific comments that felt like they warranted a bit of additional discussion!
Zjy- You're definitely right, this story is definitely very different from what most people expect, and I can definitely promise that this isn't the last time I'll really subvert and defy expectations based on what the typical view of life after the Battle looks like. I do really enjoy post-war stories that follow a more conventional path, little0bird's work especially is masterful, but I decided to write all this (750k words and counting!) because I wanted to do something different instead of rehashing what's already been done before, and hopefully I'm doing a good job with that so far! And thanks so much for letting me know that I have some readers in the Chinese HP fanfic community! It honestly blows my mind seeing statistics on FFN about where my readers are from. Assuming they're accurate, people from more than 50 countries in every continent except Antarctica are reading SoR, which is so amazing and crazy. All that's left to do is figure out how to get some penguins Wi-Fi so Antarctica can make that list!
TheRiflesSpiral- Family drama is definitely tiresome, and I'm very happy to tell you this is the last of it that we're going to be dealing with for quite a while! I do definitely get why you'd see Charlie as being more like Hagrid as a character. I feel like he's like that with animals, but, interacting with people, I always imagined him as more of the blunt guy that he is in SoR. I also felt like there were already a ton of people who I could write as quiet and kind, but I wanted to give a little bit of an intimidating older brother of Ginny for Harry to interact with because I thought it had a lot of potential, and since Charlie was the brother we knew the least, he fit that bill a lot too. I do think it's worked out quite well, in my opinion at least, and he does still have plenty of great, less ass-showing moments in the future too haha!
Also wanted to add for the guest who commented on Chapter 24 that I really love the idea of Harry and Ginny watching Armageddon, and I'd definitely be thinking about it if I hadn't already written the rest of SoR, which, ironically, does include them visiting the cinema again to watch a film that's a good bit more like Armageddon than Titanic. I am keeping a list though of films that might be interesting for Harry and Ginny to see in the future though, and Armageddon has officially made the list!