This is the third and final chapter of the story. It took me days to decide how I wanted the story to progress. Work has been hectic leaving me little time to myself. I guess this is the reason most stories take a while to update. But the challenge has a deadline that I would like to meet.
Happy reading!
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More than Just Galleons | ||||||
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Category: Potter’s Affairs Challenge 2008-4 Characters:None Genres: General Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 17 Summary: Harry receives a lot of galleons from several sources. He tries to decide what he wants to do with his future. What will he choose? Hitcount: Story Total: 11592; Chapter Total: 3284 Author's Notes: |
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Epilogue Harry arrived late at the Burrow having flooed from Grimmauld Place. He had to look over the orphanage this week before things got hectic for him. The orphanage had been progressing well. Wizarding children orphaned mostly from the war and had no other magical relatives were welcomed with open arms at Grimmauld Place. Life at the Grimmauld orphanage was almost like being adopted into a very large magical family especially when Molly Weasley is around. The children had their assigned chores although the house elves still bustled around. Yes, house elves. Kreacher often came around Grimmauld Place because he could not stand leaving the house to any other house elf. The house still belonged to the Ancient Noble House of Black/Potter. Winky and Kreacher would bicker and hit each other with pots and pans at times when Kreacher thinks Winky is not making enough effort to keep the house in order. In fairness to Winky, this house is now an orphanage; with many children living here, the house could never be one hundred percent tidy all the time. But Kreacher would hear none of that. That morning was one of those days so that Harry had to make a quick trip over there to placate the two before they tore the house down. The children living there, on the other hand, were quite excited that a living legend, an Order of Merlin First Class reciepient, the Chosen One, the…. (you get the picture) were under the same roof as they were. Of course, their excitement made them forget that the house did belong to Harry, which once they remembered, will get them all the more excited again. Harry shook off the soot and dust that clinged to his robes and looked around to see if he was the last one to arrive. He could already hear Molly in her element behind the kitchen door. She was giving instructions to her daughter and daughters-in-law on the various things that needed to be done. The cooking frenzy was in honor of his twenty-third birthday. They will have a small party where some friends and family would be coming over to help him celebrate. Looking back to the summer before his last year at Hogwarts when he got the ball rolling on making his plans happen. Those days seem so long ago. He was glad that summer happened for him. It gave him direction. And yet, Harry was being sentimental of that summer five years ago for a totally different reason. It was that summer when Harry went around shopping for a promise ring for Ginny. They were too young then to get married then. It was a simple ring — an emerald mounted on a platinum band. Now that Harry is turning 23, he thought they had waited long enough. He just hoped that Ginny agrees. It was an exasperating last three weeks for Harry. Opportunities keep slipping past him so that he could propose properly to the redheaded beauty. If it wasn’t the Auror office, it was the Harpies’ schedule that kept interfering. Crossing his fingers, he hoped he could succeed in proposing tonight. He could no longer stand the burning hole the ring box was making inside his robes. He had found the ring in his vaults years before when he had inventory done for all his vaults. It had belonged to his great-great-great (he wasn’t really sure how many greats it was) grandmother. The ring itself was stunning if he could say so himself — a rare round red diamond surrounded by four leaf-shaped clear diamonds. He hoped Ginny would love the ring. Harry headed out to the garden where the dinner party was most likely to take place. Stepping out, he noted that Hermione Granger-Weasley was directing the Weasley men except for Percy to arrange the decorations as well as the tables and chairs that they would be needing for tonight. Percy was assigned to babysitting duties instead. It was hilarious to see that Percy had no control of the 5 Weasley children he was assigned to, even his own daughters. Harry was already letting his imagination run wild to the things that could happen after Teddy arrives. Teddy was growing up fast. Harry wasn’t a bit worried. The world was now safer for kids like him. Harry made sure and tries to everyday. The only thing that Harry worries nowadays concerning Teddy was how to tell Andromeda that Teddy has a trust fund waiting for him when he starts his schooling at Hogwarts. He had set that up to cover Hogwarts and whatever apprenticeship Teddy wants to enter. Andromeda though appreciates Harry helping out financially did not think he needed to help her or Teddy at all. The posthumous Order of Merlin awards intended for Remus and Tonks had monies included and Andromeda had been very careful in spending them. She had most of them put away and invested wisely with the same financial manager as Harry’s. Mr. Baldorf was very adept in handling their finances and making very good recommendations that made good returns. It would be more than enough. Harry got to thinking the progress of the Weasley brood. Bill and Fleur still worked at Gringotts though Bill accepts short-term curse-breaker jobs from his employers once in a while. He says he misses the continuous adventures but he doesn’t think it compares how he misses his wife and kids if he goes away for work. Charlie is still a bachelor married to his dragons. He is the one Molly worries on most these days. Most importantly, Charlie is the one Molly keeps dropping hints on to get settled down already. Percy never handed his letter of resignation after declaring his to Thicknesse during the Battle of Hogwarts. Kingsley had other plans for him. Percy was knowledgeable with the Ministry and its laws and with his eyes now open to the truth, was very helpful in making things happen faster within the Ministry. It was Percy who made Harry’s plans happen in so short a time. George continued to expand the WWW empire, if they could call it that. These days, however, he keeps lacking the time to spend with his new family. Now that Angelina had given birth, George wanted to spend more time at home. He hopes that he can finally convince Ron to become his partner in the business. Surely, now that Ron is married and more money could be earned from the “empire” would be enough reason. He had already talked to their silent “partner” and Harry did not voice any objections in having Ron as a partner in WWW. Nor did Harry object in losing Ron as an auror. Family had always come first for Harry. Ron, who had wizened up and married Hermione last year, still couldn’t be convinced to join WWW. He felt that he was abandoning Harry. He had always promised to be by his side whenever Harry had to fight dark wizards. Fieldwork was dangerous but the duo of Harry and Ron had always prevailed. With George’s offer, Ron was keeping his options open by training his “replacement” with everything in his arsenal. If he chose to leave, he would sleep better knowing that Harry’s new auror partner was the best he could give him. If he chose to stay, the auror department had a very good new recuit. Hermione, on the other hand, had continued to dedicate herself to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She was already making some headway with Kingsley’s support and Percy’s advice. She knew Ron would want children someday so she needs to make serious breakthroughs before that time. She would not want to shortchange her kids with her time. The Weasley brood had each received a fine sum of Galleons along with their Order of Merlin Awards Second Class. They were wise enough not to spend them all frivolously except for the purchase of two Quidditch teams’ worth of the latest Firebolts. They, including Harry, had all pooled together their equal share to buy those brooms. It was a “necessary” purchase as they always had family “pick-up” games whenever they got together. Molly Weasley brought about the most change in her routine since after the war. Tapped by Kingsley for the leadership role in the foundation, Molly found the strength to move on after Fred’s death by taking the reins of the foundation. She had so much love to give and the little ones would only lap it up. True to his word, Kingsley used all the seize Galleons to establish a school to provide for a brighter future for the younger generations. Harry found several Ravenclaw graduates to willing help establish a day school for children not yet eligible for the standard wizarding school. Harry wanted the school established so that muggle-borns were integrated earlier into the wizarding world to bridge the gap of ignorance between different ancestries. Teddy had been invited to attend this school this coming September. Kingsley was saddened that Molly did not want to head up the foundation. She was the ideal mother hen — fiery but very loving. In the end, Harry had provided the surprising compromise. The Malfoys were seated at the center as the Wizengamot court assembled. The last two weeks were hectic as testimony after testimony was given for both prosecution and defense. They were all stoic and never shown any outward emotions. Harry came in day 8 to give his statement about the Malfoys. He tried to temper his bias against the Malfoy family against the help they had provided in defeating Voldemort. In the end, Lucius was still sent to Azkaban for fifteen years. Draco and Narcissa were spared of that fate but were sentenced to each serve 5000 hours of community service. The foundation was a lot of work and Molly Weasley needed help — a lot of full-time help. Imagine her surprise when Narcissa Malfoy came knocking at her door and offer her services. Molly was hesitant to accept her help and had to consult Arthur before obliging. It was a good call on her part. Narcissa was an outstanding assistant especially with dealing with the oversight committees of the foundation. The years helping her husband in his Ministry dealings paid off. “Hello, handsome. Knut for your thoughts.” Ginny had been busy training hard with the Harpies for the last eight weeks. Before that, the team had been constantly touring for the last nine months. She hadn’t had much time spent with Harry. She was worried that he might resent that she had not been spending enough time with him. Unknown to Ginny, Harry was glad that she had been spending so much of her time with the team. With Grimmauld Place being taken over by the orphanage, Harry decided to take his abode in Godric’s Hollow instead. He had been redecorating like crazy the past four months. It was a surprise for Ginny. The ideas were all hers after all since Grimmauld Place was lent to the orphanage. Ginny could not bear to throw away her research so Kreacher kept them in the attic. That foresight allowed Harry to redecorate Godric’s Hollow to Ginny’s tastes without her ever knowing. The house was finished last Tuesday. Ginny’s design ideas made for the open kitchen concept beside the dining area. She had grown up with her mother trying to feed everyone and it had rubbed off on her. Her designs allowed for a spacious kitchen work area with a lot of counter space for people trying to help. Harry even bought the latest Muggle appliances and made them run with magic. Even if Ginny would not appreciate them, he was already sure that they were the best four months for Arthur. He had helped Harry convert them. Harry had bought two of everything. One for Arthur to tinker and one to install. The shed behind the Burrow was certainly filled up now. The Manor had a large living room to accommodate the family and the fifteen bedrooms were bold and airy. The library housed many old texts that made Hermione hyperventilate every time she thinks about the place. The regulation Quidditch pitch at the back of the house would make Ron want to stay there forever. Harry was startled out of his reverie. He followed the seductive voice to see that Ginny had come from behind him to wrap her arms around him. “Hello, beautiful,” Harry replied, twisting his neck to give her a peck on the cheek. He reached for her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. “Let’s go for a walk.” Ginny nodded and pulled at Harry and usher him towards her favorite spot by the pond. Harry was nervous now and he tried to muster as much Gryffindor courage as he could. He cleared his throat and started the lines he rehearsed, “Ginny, you know that it’s always been you — the one who inspires me to wake up in the morning, the one who gives me the spring in my steps, the one who makes me want to be the best man I can be. You’re my everything. Would you give me the honor and be my wife?” With that, he knelt down on one knee and produced the velvet ring box. Ginny gasped as soon as she saw the ring. The red and white diamonds sparkled in the early evening sun. Tears began to form in Ginny’s eyes. She had waited for this proposal from Harry for so long. Ginny nodded and whispered a soft “yes” to Harry. Harry smiled and stood from his kneeling position. He took the ring out of its box and reached for Ginny’s hand and helped her put on the ring. The next thing he knew, he and Ginny were sharing a searing and passionate kiss. “Hem hem…” Hermione tried her best Dolores Umbridge impersonation. Ginny just rolled her eyes refusing to stop. Harry waved one arm trying to shoo Hermione away. They clearly did not want to be disturbed. “Come on, guys. Molly is asking for everyone to come to the table already. The roasted crown of pork ribs are going to be gone in three seconds with every Weasley being here. And if we don’t show up in one minute, I don’t think even Molly can stop them.” Harry and Ginny had to concede. After all, nobody could come between the Weasleys and their food. They turned and started toward the house. Harry put his arm around Ginny as she leaned her head on Harry’s shoulder. They could see the children running around with Percy still desperately trying to make them take their seats. Molly was waving her wand around as plate after plate of food hovered over the long table. The boys’ arms were full of cold butterbeers and pitchers of pumpkin juice. Everything was ready for Harry’s birthday party. Harry looked over his shoulder and found the person he was looking for. Hermione was still behind them. He waved her over. “Hey slow poke! You’re the last one!” With that, Hermione came running. Everything was as it should be. |
| Reviews 17 |
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