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Strengthening Our Stronghold | ||||
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Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:None Genres: None Warnings: None Rating: G Reviews: 1 Summary: Some scars will never heal, but the blemishes of Hogwarts can be repaired. Maybe, in the process of fixing the castle, some emotional mending can occur. Takes place in the summer of 1998, after the events of The Burrow Rebuilt. Hitcount: Story Total: 2268 Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. Author's Notes: I was solving a logic puzzle the other day and read "The one who enjoyed ..." as "The one with the ...". Of course, I had to finish reciting the Prophecy, then I told myself it was high time to start writing again. Here are the results. Hope you enjoy the first chapter, and I'll have more soon! |
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Looking up, Harry grinned again at the fantastic home that he had helped to build with his family. Ginny really had outdone herself, designing the place. The two spires leading off from the first floor gave the impression of a very tiny castle. With this thought, his mind turned to Hogwarts, his other childhood home, to which he would be returning tomorrow. Charlie, Ginny, Hermione and Harry had decided to help with the rebuilding which was still under way at the school. The decision had been made after the first meal at the new Burrow, after Aster and Daisy had excused themselves to return to their parents. After repeatedly thanking the girls for all they had done, Molly insisted that Fleur travel with the pair, while the rest of the family cleaned the remnants from the meal. As the last of the dishes was washed and stacked, Percy brought everyone's attention to the rebuilding going on at Hogwarts: "Well, that's one step back to normalcy. There's still much to be done, though, and the Ministry has its hands quite full at the moment. The three big concerns right now are the Ministry itself, St. Mungo's, and Hogwarts. If we can get those up and running by fall, more pieces should fall into place. At least it's mostly a matter of policy and staffing at the hospital and the Ministry; Hogwarts, unfortunately, has to undergo extensive repairs. I've heard that they've made quite a lot of progress, but there's still much to be done before it's ready to welcome students." Immediately, Harry wanted to help. It seemed that he wasn't the only one, since Charlie was quick to respond, "What say we join the effort? Let's take our Burrow Rebuilding Team on the road and show 'em how it's done!" Harry and Ginny quickly agreed, while Ron turned to George, "I know we need to focus on the shop again, but how about we scope out Hogsmeade? It's a good time to open up that second shop; it's sure to be a good year for sales, and Zonko's old premises probably won't be on the market much longer. Lee and Verity can surely keep up with things in London while we at least look. Once we get things going, we can split our time between the shops." "Slow down, Ron. You don't have to convince me. It was Fred's dream to open a WWW in Hogsmeade, and I'm going to make that happen for him." At this, Ron blushed a bit, and Mr. Weasley brought George into a hug, holding him there while he spoke softly to his son. Words like "proud", "Fred", "love", and "memory" were overheard by the others, and George's silent tears prompted similar reactions around the room. When Mr. Weasley was done, he made to release George, but the younger Weasley enveloped his father in another hug and told him, "Thanks, Dad." Father and son broke apart with matching watery smiles adorning their faces. Mrs. Weasley stood wiping the tears from her cheeks, then got the attention of all with a ringing, "Good! Fred would want us to go on living, and we will. Now, back to what comes next. Arthur, you and Percy will no doubt be busy with the restructuring at the Ministry." Before Percy could reply, she moved on, "Bill, you told me that you and Fleur will be going back to Gringotts full time, right?" At Bill's nod, she continued, "Charlie and Harry, your minds are set on helping at Hogwarts?" When she received a double nod, she added, "George and Ron, don't rush into any deals when purchasing your new premises. Promise me that you'll think before acting, and, please, have some fun. After all, what is a joke shop built on if not fun? Someone has to get the Burrow back up and running, so I'll stay here. Ginny, are you sure that you want to go to Hogwarts; after all, you're not yet of age, so you may not be able to use magic." Seizing his opportunity, Percy informed the family of the short-term policy regarding underage magic. "Mother, Ginny would be well within her right to perform magic to help at Hogwarts, or any other wizarding location for that matter. The Ministry is taking a very laidback stance on underage magic at the moment; if any spell can be linked to the current rebuilding effort, then that spell will be permanently expunged from the offender's record. In fact, spells like Reparo and Wingardium Leviosa aren't being investigated at all." "Mum, I have to go back. Last year was awful, everything at Hogwarts was wrong, and I have to see it being put right. I need to know that everything will be okay again," Ginny entreated. Seeing the look in her daughter's eyes, Molly did not have the heart to tell her no, so she gave her blessing and turned to the last of the kitchen's occupants, "What about you, Hermione? Will you be going to Hogwarts as well?" After a quick glance at Ron, Hermione replied to the Weasley matriarch, "Yes, yes, I will." Ginny's face was momentarily given to a look of confusion, but she let the comment pass for a minute. Instead, she addressed her mother, "All right, Mum. I think we should spend a few days helping you get everything started around here, but we'll leave for Hogwarts on Tuesday, okay? Harry, Ron, Hermione, a word if you wouldn't mind?" At that, she turned and exited through the rear of the kitchen and started walking purposefully toward the old Quidditch paddock, trusting her companions to follow. When the group made it to the orchard, Ginny turned and addressed her fellow witch, "Hermione, I thought that you were going to Australia to collect your parents?" "Well, with a population of more than 18 million people spread out over seven and a half million square kilometers, I doubt that I could just blindly run into my parents. I'll help at Hogwarts until I hear back from the Ministry; they've contacted their Australian counterparts, and Wendell and Monica Wilkins have been added to the list of British evacuees to locate." Harry suddenly felt like a very poor friend indeed. He had completely forgotten about Hermione's missing parents and the pain she must be going through. He mentally kicked himself and vowed to pay more attention to his bushy-haired friend in the coming months. Meanwhile, the conversation had progressed around him, and he caught Ron finishing, "I mean, would you like anyone to go with you when they're found?" "Oh, Ron, would you?" Confused, Ron looked down at his teary-eyed girlfriend and said, "Of course." This earned him a fierce hug, which allowed him the opportunity to mouth at Harry and Ginny, "What does she mean?" Suppressing a giggle, Ginny exclaimed, for Ron's benefit, "Oh, you two will have to tell me all about Australia! It's supposed to be beautiful! Maybe you can make a bit of a vacation out of it." As comprehension dawned on Ron's face, Harry too had a fresh, marvelous idea. "I think you two should have yourselves a vacation! And, I'm paying. I don't want to hear one word of protest because you're my best mates, and it doesn't hurt that you each saved my life this past year. While I'd love to come, myself, I think you deserve some time to yourselves; besides, I won't want for company here," he finished, snaking his arm around Ginny. Ron and Hermione stood staring at Harry in stunned silence for a minute, then Hermione bit her lip while she apparently weighed her options. When her decision was made, she beamed at Harry, then turned to Ron hopefully. "Oh, let's, Ron. It will be amazing!" Not able to bring himself to disappoint her, he turned to Harry, "Thanks, mate. I owe you." "No, you don't. Just have some fun, and we'll call it even." As he watched the pair walk happily away, Harry's mind turned to the pile of gold in Gringotts which had seemed mountainous as an 11-year-old. He knew now that it wasn't nearly as much as he had once thought; in fact, he rather thought that paying for this trip may be the last big expenditure he could make until he had an income. Soon enough he would be an Auror, and he was confident that he could live a meager existence until then. It was the first time he had seen any benefit to the starvation he'd endured with the Dursleys. Still, it didn't make sense; he knew that the contents of the Black vault were to be moved to his vault, but perhaps the goblins had used it to pay for the damages he had caused to the bank. Looking down, he realized that Ginny had been gazing at him with her head tilted questioningly. Now was not the time to worry. He had everything he needed, so he smiled down at her and squeezed her to his side in preparation for the walk back to the Burrow. Ginny seemed content to let the matter go for the time being. Shaking himself from his reverie, Harry continued up the drive. He had spent the morning on the outskirts of town, bartering with a local farmer over the cost of some good laying hens. Said hens were now making a terrible racket, and he had a hard time believing that he could have tuned them out for several minutes as he stood, reminiscing. After skirting the house with his cartful of hens, he began to unload the creatures into the newly-fashioned hen house. Upon completion of his task, not to mention his three impromptu runs around the yard, he took a step back and admired his handiwork. He was feeling quite proud of himself, until he looked down to discover that he was coated in sweat and feathers. It seemed that running after temperamental chickens in this heat wasn't a good way to keep up appearances. A simple cleaning charm set him right again, but he groaned as he realized that the birds would soon turn his masterpiece of a hen house into a feather-filled pit. Muttering to himself about blasted chickens, he turned and was startled to discover Ginny smiling at him from a patch of grass at the rear of the house. From her flushed cheeks, it was obvious that she had just had herself a good laugh, most likely at Harry's expense. Sure enough, she called out to him, "Potter, I hope you enjoyed your workout! Though, I have to wonder about your technique: personally, I would have favored a Summoning charm in that situation, but I suppose that your wild dashing was not without merit. As long as all of the chickens are accounted for, I suppose." She continued to grin up at him as he sauntered over. "Well, then, Weasley, why didn't you take the opportunity to educate me?" "I was comfortable, and I rather thought that you enjoyed the chase." He gave a low growl as he plopped himself down next to her. "I take it you're not willing to learn just how determined I can be when I'm chasing after something I want?" "Why would I need to, Harry, when you've already caught me?" She leaned over to kiss him, then stopped with a playful glint in her eye. She then propelled herself to her feet, and called out to him as she ran off, "On second thought, maybe you should have to work for it!" Harry grinned as he stood, then set off quickly on another path toward the pond, where she would inevitably end up. Sure enough, he arrived just before Ginny and made ready to intercept her. Her momentum proved too great to overcome, and he easily caught her up and spun her about. "Got you! Now, about that kiss." He lowered his lips to hers and was met with the fireworks which accompanied every kiss shared with that fiery redhead. "Now, as much as I would love to stay here and sit by the pond with you, we really ought to get back to helping your mother. After all, it is our last day at the Burrow for a while. We'll have plenty of time for fun and games later." Harry extended his hand to Ginny, and they contentedly walked back home. |
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