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SIYE Time:12:26 on 29th March 2024
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Fred's Legacies
By PhoenixFeather2

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Category: Post-DH/AB
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley
Genres: Drama
Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 109
Summary: It's the summer after the battle, but victory is not sweet. Old enemies are still causing trouble. Harry and the Weasley's are having trouble moving on. To complicate matters, Fred left something behind.
Hitcount: Story Total: 75307; Chapter Total: 3017







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Ginny spent the next week going back and forth to Dennis Creevey’s house. His parents were wonderful, loving people, but they didn’t understand Colin’s magical world or his magical belongings. Colin didn’t have much stuff to go through, really, but what little he had held so many memories that Dennis struggled to make decisions about it. His mum came up and sat on the bed in Colin’s room as Ginny helped Dennis decide what to keep and what to donate to younger Hogwarts students. The camera went into the “keep” stack. Most of the school books would be passed on. The photos were set aside for last.

Ginny and Dennis looked through the boxes of photos together. Colin had already catalogued them and arranged them in chronological order. Dennis offered to make copies of all the photos of those who had died and send them to their families. He even figured out how to convert the magical photos of the Muggleborns into Muggle photos so that they could be shared without a breach of secrecy. Ginny discovered that Colin had taken a good many pictures of her and Harry during their last year at Hogwarts together. She asked for copies of those too. She would make him an album for Christmas. By the end of the week, Ginny had three photo albums in hand, one for George, one for her mum, and one for Amanda. Amanda’s, unfortunately, would need significant editing. Not only did the photos move, but there was magic being done in most of them. Ginny did give George his as soon as it was made. Dean had sent George the name of a painter who could repair Fred’s portrait. Now George sent off his photo album together with the painting to see about repairs.
Midweek, Michael Corner sent a message out on the old DA coins for everyone to meet for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Hannah, who had lost both parents in the war, had been working there for the summer to provide for her sister. She had a back room setup when the group arrived. Everyone ordered lunch and drinks, but Michael still hadn’t shown. Hannah made small talk with everyone as she pretended to still be busy waiting on them. Someone asked her if she would be returning to Hogwarts.

“I can’t, I’m afraid,” she answered. “I’m barely making enough to take care of Suzanne as is, even though Tom lets us live in the rooms. I was hoping I could have sent her, but it doesn’t look like it will work. Hogwarts is strapped for funds this year, so not much by way of Bursaries. I still have our old books though.”

“You’ll tutor your sister, then?” Parvati asked.

“No, she won’t.” Neville had set down his sandwich and was wiping his hand.

“Actually, Nev, I was going to...” Hannah began.

“You’re going to send Suzanne to Hogwarts. I’m paying. And if you want to go too, I’m sending you.”

Hannah began protesting, but Neville wouldn’t hear of it. After Hannah bustled back to the kitchen, Harry put his head together with Neville. Ginny listened proudly as the two of them began talking about replenishing the fund for needy families at Hogwarts. Harry promised to set up an appointment with Bill. Michael arrived shortly thereafter and went straight into business.

“I talked to my dad. He can get the tunnel setup. It would normally not be possible, but they have goblins coming in to work tomorrow anyway. They haven’t been able to repair the part of the castle above the Room of Requirement since it was destroyed. They are bringing the goblins in for consultation. Apparently, they were involved in the original building.”

“Oh. Sorry we destroyed that room,” Harry apologized.

“It wasn’t you. It was Crabbe!” Hermione argued.

“Well, anyway,” Michael cut the two off, “the goblins can build tunnels without causing structural problems. Dad just asked where we wanted the tunnel to start from. He needed to know if we were starting from a room or a passage and what floor and such. I was thinking, maybe we could rebuild the Room of Requirement.”

“We can’t,” Padma and Hermione spoke together, then looked shocked at having had the same answer.

“The school was built through the cooperation of house-elves, goblins, and wizards. The magic on that room was threefold magic. We can’t rebuild it,” Padma explained.

“What’s threefold magic?” Harry asked.

“The knowledge was lost after the Goblin Wars,” Hermione began.

“How do you know about it then?” George questioned.

“Honestly, George, it’s in Hogwarts: A History!” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Yes, well, it’s a note in the Appendix in Hogwarts: A History.” Padma clarified. “If you want the full story, you’d have to read books on wizarding architecture from the fourteen hundreds. Dad has a few.”

“Could we take a look at them?” George had seized on the idea and wasn’t letting go.

“Sure, I can go home and get them,” Padma offered.

“Don’t go by yourself,” Seamus spoke up.

Padma looked at him appraisingly, “Fine then. Come with me. It’s high time you met my dad anyway.”

Parvati giggled as the two of them walked out.

“How long’s that been a thing?” Ron questioned.

“Oh, ages. But Padma kept saying the war wasn’t a time to couple up, so she spent last year arguing with him instead. I wish Seamus the best,” Parvati toasted the air with her butterbeer.

“Reminds me of another couple,” Harry commented, looking pointedly at Hermione and Ron. Ginny and George both keeled over laughing till they were in tears.

“We still would need house-elves who knew something about construction. Or does your dad keep house-elves?” Hermione accused.

“No. Dad likes independent workers. The house-elves only do exactly what you tell them, even if you tell them the wrong thing. Annoys Dad no end,” Michael complained, missing Hermione’s accusation entirely. Hermione rolled her eyes, preparing to launch into a defence when Ron put his hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze. She turned on him instead, but he stopped her arguments by kissing her.

“Well then,” Neville turned so that he couldn’t see Ron, “I happen to have house-elves. No idea if they are any good at architecture, but there’s a chance. My grandfather was an architect after all. I mean, I could ask.”

“If we are going to rebuild it, we’d need a list of specifications,” Michael continued. Hermione had surfaced from Ron’s kiss and dove under the table into her bag, emerging with parchment and a quill. Parvati moved over next to her and began cataloguing every known feature of the room.

Padma returned eventually with the books she’d been looking for and a rather embarrassed Seamus. Hermione surprised everyone by refusing to look at the books and instead asking to interview Neville’s house-elves. He escorted her off to his family estate before Apparating back to work. George took over the research at the pub.

When Hermione finally returned, she recounted the products of several circuitous conversations. She had the names of a wizarding construction company that still utilized house-elves in mysterious building projects. Due to the house-elves codes, no one would say what the projects were. Additionally, the company operated primarily in Switzerland and it was doubtful that the elves in question would speak English. Michael assured her that his dad spoke both French and German and could handle supervising contract workers. He left with the specifications, the Patils’ book on the original building process, and the name of the house-elf construction company for his dad.

-----

Word came the next evening that the initial rebuilding would succeed. George also received an owl that the painting would be completed in time for the Hogwarts work week on Monday. He rushed into the kitchen as Mrs. Weasley was fussing over Kreacher’s cooking. He grabbed Ginny in a hug and swung her around the room. “He can do it! He can fix Fred! Old Freddie’s coming back!”

A loud clatter from the stove failed to grab George’s attention. When his mum reeled and collapsed, George suddenly came to his senses. Ginny managed to revive their mum as George dashed off to find their dad.

“What was George saying about Fred?” Mrs. Weasley asked as she came back around.

“Fred had a portrait made,” Ginny told her mum gently. “It was incomplete, but it looks like the painter will be able to finish it.”

“Fred had a portrait?” her dad asked as he came through the door.

“Yeah. We wanted to get it finished for Hogwarts.” Ginny decided not to bring up the Room of Requirement or the tunnel plan just then.

“I want Fred at home,” Mrs. Weasley fussed, trying to sit up. Her husband held her down for a minute while he checked her for injuries. He then helped her into a chair.

“It’s a sort of big frame,” George explained, “garish, really. He was getting it made for the shop. But I asked the painter to make a smaller copy. I was going give it to you for your birthday. I didn’t think–spoiled the surprise.”

“Oh, George!” Mrs. Weasley exclaimed over her son, pulling herself up so she could hug and kiss him. He looked embarrassed, but didn’t pull away. Ginny slipped out and up to her room. She pulled the photo album from her drawer and returned to the kitchen with it.

“I made this for you, Mum.. Dennis had the photos Colin had taken. He helped me sort them out. You can have this, at least, until the painting is ready.” It was Ginny’s turn to be smothered in tears and kisses, but she really didn’t mind. It did feel somehow as though she had a small piece, or maybe many small pieces, of Fred back.

------------

When Friday morning came, Mrs. Weasley fussed about leaving and gave her children a long list of instructions for the weekend. Bill told his dad earlier that week that he and Fleur were going to take a holiday that weekend before they were needed back for the trials. They would be going to France to see Fleur’s parents, who had been understandably worried about them the last year. Bill invited his parents to stay at Shell Cottage while they were away. It would be a lovely holiday by the sea, Bill argued, and his mum could use the change of scenery. Mrs. Weasley suggested that everyone go together, but Harry and Hermione both vetoed the idea. Shell Cottage held memories that were a bit too painful for a holiday spot. In the end, Mr. Weasley convinced his wife that a couple’s holiday was just what they needed. That was how Mrs. Weasley ended up leaving George in charge for the weekend. As soon as Mr. Weasley got her out the door, George announced that he too would be gone for the weekend. He and Lee were working on a project and would be minding potions all weekend.

The foursome lounged around Friday evening, but Hermione retired early with a headache. She hadn’t quite recovered from earlier that summer, though whether it was from the stress of living with her mum or from Bellatrix’ curse was hard to say. With Hermione gone, Ron started to monopolize Harry. Ginny didn’t mind so much as they played rounds of Exploding Snap. When Ron pulled Harry into a chess game, Ginny gave up and went to the kitchen to study. To her surprise, Harry found her there not much later and told her Ron had gone to bed. She forgot about revising and spent a very pleasant rest of the evening cuddling and talking with Harry. When she finally did make it to bed, she was too tired and content to think about setting wards on the door. It was a habit she had started last year at school. She’d been pulled out of bed without warning more than once before she had learned how to alarm the door. Later in the year as the nightmares and screaming in the night became a common occurrence, everyone in the room cast a Silencing Spell on themselves before the last person turned in. It was a practice of common courtesy. Tonight, the spells just didn’t seem necessary. Ginny left her wand on the bedside table instead of hiding it under her pillow. She fell asleep within minutes.

Suddenly, Ginny sat bolt upright in bed. Someone was screaming. The Carrows were torturing someone. She reached under her pillow, but her wand wasn’t there. She could hear someone thundering on the stairs. The door to her room was jerked open. Light from a wand hid the person holding it and revealed her own wand on the table. Ginny grabbed it, but she was too late. The wand holder had charged across the room and was… wait, why was he holding her roommate? The Carrows didn’t have red hair. Surely, that bushy hair was… no. It wasn’t Demelza. She wasn’t at Hogwarts. It was Hermione. The screaming had stopped. Ron was holding a shaking Hermione. Ginny choked on a sob and buried her head in her knees. A strong set of arms pulled her from her tangled sheets. She gave in to Harry as he carried her out of the room and up the stairs to his own.

He sat down on the bed with her and held her as she cried. “I can’t do it,” she managed at last. “All I could think was the Carrows were torturing someone again. I can’t face it again, Harry, I can’t.”

“Shhh…” he murmured. He brushed the tears carefully away from her face and kissed her forehead. “You never have to face that again.”

Harry kept rubbing her back and kissing her face as Ginny tried desperately to calm herself down. “Ron will stay with Hermione tonight,” Harry said at last. “Do you want to stay with me?” Ginny nodded quickly. Harry lifted the covers on his bed and helped her lie down in it. He lay next to her and held her.

She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but he was still holding her when she woke late the next morning. Ginny observed her boyfriend’s face quietly for a few moments. It rarely looked this peaceful. Relaxed like this, Harry almost looked like the eighteen-year-old he was, rather than the scarred battle veteran and hero of the wizarding world. Ginny smiled and moved softly to hold him closer, realizing as she did so that he didn’t have shirt on. She must have been really out of it last night. She ran her hands softly down his back and moved her leg against his, then froze. He was only wearing boxers. Surely, she would have noticed THAT last night. She moved her hands down under the covers to confirm her findings.

“Hey there,” Harry murmured as her hands found his bum.

“Oh, hi,” Ginny kissed him softly, “I hadn’t realized you were awake.”

“I wasn’t, but this is a very pleasant way to wake up,” Harry responded to her. He pulled her in for a deeper kiss. “I could handle waking up like this more often in the future.”

Ginny giggled. Harry’s hands had begun to do some exploring of their own, reminding her just how skimpy her bed shorts and vest were. She pushed him playfully away. “We should get up before Ron finds us.”

“You don’t think he’s waking up with Hermione the same way?” Harry asked.

“Oh, he probably is, but you know he’s a filthy hypocrite.”

“We should fix that,” Harry proposed. Ginny looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

“Just how do you think you could do that?”

“Tell him he and Hermione can share a room again tonight if you and I can too.” Harry pulled Ginny back to himself. His warmth was addicting. Ginny ran her lips along his chest before she could think to stop herself. He groaned and kissed her neck. “Would you like to share a room with me again tonight then?” he whispered in her ear.

Ginny forced herself to take a deep breath and pull away from him. “What do you think would happen if we did?” she asked shyly. His gaze was far too intense. She couldn’t keep looking at his eyes. She buried her face in the pillow instead. He pulled it out from under her and turned her face back toward his own. He held it in both of his hands and pressed his forehead and nose gently on hers. “Only what you want to happen, I promise,” Harry whispered, his voice much too husky. Ginny let him kiss her. It was thrilling. She was ecstatic. She was passionate. She was terrified. She came up for air and blinked hard to keep the tears away. She had to do something to back out of this, and fast.

“What if I wanted a pillow fight?” she teased, grabbing the pillow that he had pulled away from her and shoving it into his face.

“Not fair!” came a muffled shout from underneath. Not even a second later, Harry had pulled his own pillow out and whomped her on the head with it. Several minutes of vigorous pillow fighting resulted, Ginny chasing Harry around the room and getting in multiple blows. She obviously had more practice and the game. “Truce!” Harry finally called, as she snatched his pillow out of his hand and whomped him against both sides of his head.

Ginny leaned against the bed, both pillows clutched firmly in her hands, laughing. Harry stood across the bed from her, still in nothing but boxers. Merlin’s beard! She had a good looking boyfriend! Ginny dropped both pillows onto the bed, grabbed Harry’s dressing gown and tossed it over to him.

“You should shower,” she suggested. She opened his wardrobe and pulled out a button down shirt that she wrapped around herself. “I’ll have Kreacher make breakfast.” She hurried out of the room and down the stairs.

That had been way too close a call this morning. She was not ready for sleeping with Harry yet. Well, for sleeping with him in the technical sense, yes, but definitely not for waking up with him half naked in bed. Ginny composed her nerves with a cup of coffee. Harry took his time in the shower, coming into the room only after Ginny had finished her first plate of eggs and toast. She ate a second plate to keep him company. They both smirked as Ron appeared, said good morning without making eye contact, made a tray for himself and Hermione and went back upstairs.

“You’re right, you know. We should teach him not to be a hypocrite,” Ginny looked over to Harry as the kitchen door swung closed.
“And how do you propose to do that?” Harry asked, hiding his face in a coffee mug.

“We should go to Neville’s and practice Quidditch today,” Ginny stretched. “Leave him and Hermione to their own devices. We’ll have plenty of time to plot, and we’ll deal with them this evening.”

Harry gave his assent. They left a note on the table, grabbed their brooms, left the house, Apparating away from the front step.
Neville rarely had visitors and loved company. Despite not being the most comfortable on a broom, he joined them in tossing the Quaffle back and forth for a while. Ginny loved the space she had to fly out here. She practiced her manoeuvres as best she could without a full set of teammates. Harry ran her through exercises. Ginny thought she might be in good enough shape to play decent school games by September. Unfortunately, she would be nowhere near good enough to try out for the professional teams. Playing Quidditch was the only career she had ever wanted, but she hadn’t been able to practice at all the last year. If she couldn’t train with a full team, how would she ever be good enough for try-outs. Despite having made every catch and every pass, Ginny was feeling rather discouraged by lunch. Neville’s grandmother sat with them and cheered Ginny by telling her stories of her childhood. Judging by Neville’s face, he had never heard the stories before. Thinking of his Gran as an adventurous teenager rather than as his strict and proper grandmother required more mental gymnastics that Neville was accustomed to.

-----

It was nearly suppertime when Harry and Ginny finally returned home. Ron and Hermione were not in the kitchen. Ginny and Harry trooped up to the sitting room. Hermione’s study books were scattered on the floor amongst Ron’s chess pieces, but the couple was nowhere to be seen. Ginny arched her eyebrow at Harry and went and knocked on her bedroom door. Silence. She opened it to find both beds neatly made. They crept up the stairs silently to Ron’s room and knocked on the door. A yelp from the other side had both of them instantly in stitches.

“Come on out and tell me about your day!” Ginny called. “Or, actually, we could just come in.” She winked at Harry.

“No!” Ron shouted from the other side.

“We’ll join you in the sitting room!” Hermione called out quickly. Ginny laughed all the way back down the stairs. Looking again at the mess that had been made in the sitting room, she tried to come up with a reason that with only the two of them in the house, both books AND chess pieces were on the ground. Ron, of course, might just have been messy. Hermione, on the other hand, never left her books open on the ground. Never.

“I’m guessing they were playing a game,” Harry suggested, taking the seat farthest from the mess.

“A game, huh? That’s what you call it?”

“Oh, uh, Ron has been saying for a while he wanted to corner Hermione with chess….” Harry ruffled his hair and looked around the room. Ginny’s eyebrows practically met her hairline. Her brother was far more creative than she gave him credit for, apparently.

The renegade couple entered the room a few minutes later. “I have an announcement,” Ron declared happily, collapsing on the couch nearest the mess.

“Yes?” Ginny asked, looking over at Hermione. There was no ring, so that ruled out one announcement.

“I’m going back to Hogwarts next year,” Ron stated happily.

Ginny looked at Hermione for confirmation. She had shoved Ron over to one side of the couch and taken her perch on the other. Harry spoke up before either of the girls had a chance.

“Ron, you hate school. You’ve been declaring all summer that you wouldn’t go to school. What happened?”

“Hermione’s going to school.”

“Well, yeah. That was a given,” Harry agreed.

“I promised I’m never leaving her again, so I’m going too,” Ron returned his friend’s gaze with ferocity.

Ginny had been watching Hermione’s face as he spoke. Her friend looked way too soppy.

“You’re sure you aren’t just going to school so you can shag Hermione?” Ginny asked her brother. Hermione instantly turned the colour of a beet.

Ron spluttered, “No. Nothing to do with it. I just, I love Hermione. So I’m going with her! That’s it!”

Ginny’s mouth fell slightly open as she turned her eyes back to Hermione. Her friend, however, had an almost equally flabbergasted expression. Ron had turned around to pull Hermione into a hug, but stalled as he saw her face.

“What? You knew I’d made the decision,” Ron growled.

“But I didn’t know you loved me,” Hermione whispered.

Ron pulled his girlfriend in and snogged her by way of reply.

Ginny cleared her throat loudly. “It’s good to know you two spent all day talking about schooling plans. I was under the impression you might have discussed your sentiments when you woke up in bed together. It’s really very nice to wake up in bed with your boyfriend.” Ginny sighed for dramatic effect.

Ron disengaged from Hermione and launched himself out of his chair and at Harry’s throat before Ginny had time to blink. “What did you do to my sister?” he yelled. “You take advantage of her and I’ll kill you! Everything that girl has been through and you have the nerve to–Argh!”

Hermione flourished her wand at the boys, and Ron was thrown backward across the room. She added a full Body-Bind for good measure.

“Ronald Bilius Weasley, I love you too! But go attacking my best friend in front of me again and next time I will jinx you senseless. Harry loves Ginny. Ginny loves Harry. And unlike yourself, Harry is the perfect gentleman. He listens to Ginny and would never do anything Ginny herself didn’t want. If Ginny wants it, then Ginny gets it. You will stay out of it, or you won’t get it either. Do I make myself quite clear?”

Unfortunately, due to the spell, Ron couldn’t really answer. Hermione moved over to him and bent down such that her lips were within inches of his. “A girl’s body is hers, Ron. My body is mine. I do what I want with it, which you seem to enjoy. Ginny’s body is Ginny’s. She does what she wants with it. Harry knows that. Do you know that?” She removed her spell. Ron sat up spluttering.

“Of course, Hermione,” Ron managed to choke out at last. “I just want to protect Ginny.”

“Then protect me from something other than Harry,” Ginny suggested. She had moved over to Harry and sat on his lap.

Ron nodded his head grumpily. “Take care of her,” he growled, before leaving the room. Harry hesitated a moment, shifted Ginny out of his lap and followed his friend up the stairs.

Ginny tried to apologize to Hermione for ruining Ron’s confession of love.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Hermione replied, moving to pick up the books and chess pieces that were still scattered around the floor. “Ron had no idea it was an important moment. He’s an idiot, that one. It’s beyond me why I love him.”

“Are you sure you want him at school with you?” Ginny asked. Her friend had been looking forward to not having the boys around the last time they had discussed it.

“Oh, yes. He’ll only be there till October, so I’ll still have plenty of breathing room. We’ll be in different classes mostly, since he’ll be revising for NEWTs. It’s the best of both worlds. I’ll have him there to help me adjust to being back to Hogwarts and I’ll still get my own time later. Ron will take care of the new Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes at Hogsmeade after he finishes. He still wants to be an Auror, I think, but I’m tired of worrying about people. He said he could put off joining the Academy till summer.”

“The idiot really does love you,” Ginny smirked. She dodged a pillow from the couch that came flying across the room.

“So what really happened with you and Harry this morning?” Hermione asked.

“This!” Ginny answered, chucking the pillow right back. Hermione ducked it.

“No, really,” she insisted.

“Really,” Ginny sighed, “he wanted to snog me senseless and suggested we spend the night together again. I started a pillow fight.”

Hermione shook her head. “You were scared,” she concluded. Ginny nodded miserably. “Don’t worry about it,” Hermione advised. “Ron needs to suffer a little bit tonight, and I need to get a good night’s sleep. I won’t get it with him there. You and I’ll room together again. I’ll take a potion before bed so I don’t scare you out of your wits in the middle of the night.”

Ginny hugged her friend briefly. “You don’t think Harry will be disappointed?” she asked.

“Frankly, yes, he will be disappointed. He will also understand. If he doesn’t, I’ll just give him a talking to.”

Ginny laughed at her older friend’s bossy behaviour. “You know something? You are just the sister I needed. But take your potion tonight! I don’t need your nightmares on top of my own.”
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