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SIYE Time:2:01 on 29th March 2024
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After the Horcrux
By Manwe Valarian

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Category: Post-DH/AB
Characters:All
Genres: Action/Adventure
Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Rape, Sexual Situations, Violence
Rating: R
Reviews: 138
Summary: Harry and Ginny were meant to be together, but that doesn't mean things will be easy. They must deal with a rebuilding British magical community, fame, and even overprotective family members.
Hitcount: Story Total: 76450; Chapter Total: 2181
Awards: View Trophy Room






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Harry thought about what Kingsley had just said. Shouldn’t he be proud that people thought he was a lousy liar. Being honest and trustworthy was important wasn’t it? The comment still bothered him.

Even though he had slept some last night, he was still rather tired. He could just go home and have a kip, but he didn’t want to sleep the day away. All the Grangers would be off looking for places to purchase, so he would be alone if he went home. Considering all his options, Harry decided to go to the Weasley’s. He could also give Ginny her Apparation license.

Harry appeared just outside of the fence surrounding the Burrow’s property. It was thirty past eight, so he guessed that Ginny and Ron would still be sleeping. They had no reason to be up this early. Upon entering the kitchen, he was surprised to see both up and eating breakfast. Not only were they awake but they were dressed as though they were going somewhere.

Harry looked at Ron and Ginny as they were shoveling food into their mouths. Ron always ate this way, but Ginny was a little more reserved in her culinary habits.

“Harry,” said Ron with his mouth full. He was the first to see him.

Ginny stopped eating and stared at Harry. She had a strange expression on her face.

“Good Morning Harry,” said Mrs. Weasley happily. “Sit down and I will get you some breakfast.”

“Sure, thank you.” He went to sit down beside Ginny when he noticed the Daily Prophet sitting beside her. He stopped halfway down to the chair when he saw his and Andromeda Tonks’ faces on the front page. They were both asleep and leaning on each other beside Teddy’s bed. It was accompanied with the headline ‘Harry Potter has a love child to an older woman.’

Mrs. Weasley walked up beside him tutting. “You would think they would have better things to do than to make up lies.”

“If it’s about Harry, they know it will sell papers,” said Ron. “Well sis, are you ready? Nice seeing you mate, but we need to go to work.” Ron stood up and walked outside.

“Harry,” said Ginny a little sheepishly. “George offered to pay me to help at the shop.”

Harry was going to respond, but Ginny talked over him.

“If I want to impress Gwenog Jones and have any chance at becoming a professional Quidditch player, I need a good broom. If I work all summer for George, I should have enough for a new Cleansweep. I hope you don’t mind, but I need to get to work.”

She stood up and kissed him before moving to the Floo.

“Ginny,” he said quickly. “Here, you don’t need the Floo anymore.” He held out her Apparition License. “Kings… The Minister handed it to me to give to you.”

Molly walked over. “When did you get trained and tested in Apparation?”

“Never,” said a puzzled Ginny.

“She Apparated to the Ministry to get the Aurors last night when we were attacked. Kingsley said that should qualify as passing the Apparation test.”

Ginny smiled as she took the card. “I can legally Apparate. Cool!”

She quickly kissed Harry again as she ran outside. He turned to ask when she will be getting lunch, but the sound of Apparation made him realize that she was already gone.

“With Ron and Ginny working and Hermione trying to make up for lost time with her parents, what are you going to do this summer?” asked Mrs. Weasley.

Harry stopped and stared at his plate of food. He had no clue.

[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

“There you go Mr…” the counter person hesitated at saying a name. Harry was in disguise and didn’t want to reveal who he was.

“Billings, Evan Billings is my name.”

“Alright, Mr. Billings, that is the entire listing of textbooks for Seventh years from two years ago and several advanced defense books,” stated the counter person at Flourish and Blotts. “Plus, extra quills, ink, and parchment, is there anything else I can get you?”

Harry stood there and looked at the pile of books. He didn’t want to go into this next year unprepared. He knew that his fame would help him, but he wanted to learn as much as he could before his Auror Training even started.

“Could I have a couple of introductory books on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy?”

“Why of course, do you also want the accompanying study guides?”

Harry knew he was going to regret saying this, but he answered affirmatively.

[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

Harry had the all the books laid out before him on Grimmauld’s library table. He had expanded the table slightly. He stared at the books wondering where to start. The house was empty. Ginny and Ron were at work. He never got to find out when they got lunchbreak or even how late they were working.

He wasn’t sure how much he could learn reading these books without first hearing a lecture. He was never one to read ahead in any of his classes. The closest thing he could think of would be during the Triwizard tournament and when he was training the DA. He looked at the stack of advanced Defensive magic textbooks. He wanted to pick one up and start on it, but he knew there were other subjects he needed to spend more time on. Reaching for the Seventh year Transfiguration Textbook he picked it up and started to read.

Ten hours later, Harry was sitting in the kitchen reading another book from the house’s library. It furthered explained the tricky transfiguration of inanimate objects into animate objects. He had been reading for the entire day. Kreacher had kept him supplied with tea and snacks while he studied. He placed the book down on the table and picked up his quill and made a few notes on the parchment he had been scribbling on all afternoon. He would need to go back and revise at another time. Maybe tomorrow morning, he was hoping that tonight Ginny would contact him. It was going on eight in the evening. He was getting hungry, but he had not eaten because he wanted to share a meal with Ginny.

The front door closed, and he heard voices. Hoping it was Ginny, he stood up and started towards the stairs leading up to the main floor. He had only taken a few steps when he realized that it was Hermione and her parents.

“I know it was an ideal location and house, dear, but we do not have the funds available to put a down payment on it,” said Hermione’s father.

“How long will it be before we get the money from our house in Australia?” asked Mrs. Granger.

“Most transactions take at least a month to process the paperwork and finalize the deal.”

“I don’t know if I can stand another month in this…,” Mrs. Granger stopped talking.

He heard Hermione whisper something, and their voices dropped to whispers that Harry couldn’t make out. He didn’t want them to think he was listening to their conversation, so he quickly retraced his steps to the table. He had just sat down at the table when Hermione walked down the stairs to the kitchen. She let out a little squeak when she saw him sitting there.

“Harry, I thought you were upstairs or over at the Burrow. What are you reading?”

Hermione didn’t wait for him to answer before she practically pulled the book out of his hand. He watched bemused as her eyes roamed over the page he had been reading.

“I am trying to get some studying done. I need to take an Auror exam in two months. I don’t want to make a fool out of myself.”

“This is very interesting; did you buy this book?”

“No, it was in the library. Mr. and Mrs. Granger, would you like something to eat? There is some beef stew and dumplings in the pot on the stove.”

“Is it any good?” asked Mr. Granger as he walked over to lift the lid and sniffed the stew.

“It smells good, but I haven’t had any,” said Harry. “I was waiting to hear from Ginny to see if she would come over after work.”

“Work?” asked Hermione. “Where is she working?”

“At the joke shop, along with Ron.” He smiled at Hermione’s blank expression. “You didn’t know.”

“No, I assume they are going to help George open the shop up,” replied Hermione trying to recover from her small surprise.

“Ginny said she was going to be working there all summer. She wants to earn enough money to purchase a new broom.”

“And Ronald, did he say how long he was going to be working?” asked Hermione rather waspishly.

Harry almost laughed when Mr. Granger let out a low whistle and whispered. “Poor boy.”

“No, he did not. Why don’t you Floo over to the Burrow and see if they are home from work.”

Hermione hesitated for a second. “No, if HE wants to speak to me. He can Floo or send an owl. I think I am going to get ready for bed. It has been a long day.”

Harry watched her walk out of the room extremely stiff. He almost hoped that Ron wouldn’t come over tonight. If he would show up now, those two would get into one of their loud rows. He did want to see Ginny, but he was still unsure if he should Floo over to the Burrow and check on her.

“If you want to go to see her, my advice is go,” said Mr. Granger. “You don’t want to get the same reception as Ron when you see Ginny again, do you.”

Harry started to snigger at his comment. “I think I will just Floo over and see how her day went.”

“Smart man,” said Mrs. Granger. “If you happen to see Ron, you might want to give him some advice about communication.”

“I will do that,” Harry replied.

He had a difficult time keeping from laughing about his two best friends. He was reaching for the Floo powder when green flames erupted in his fireplace. He stepped aside waiting for someone to step out of the flames. The only thing coming from the flames was a paper bird that flew around the kitchen and landed on his shoulder. It immediately unfolded into a note.

“That was some interesting magic,” said Mr. Granger.

“Yes, it was,” Harry replied as he picked the piece of parchment off his shoulder. He quickly recognized Ginny’s writing.

Dear Harry,
It was a long and trying day at the shop. I am completely knackered. I just finished eating and am heading to bed. I hope to see you tomorrow. I will contact you when I have time to see you again.
Love,
Ginny


“What’s that you are holding?” asked Hermione. She had returned without changing her clothes. She was carrying one of Harry’s new defense books.

Harry looked at Hermione’s parents before responding. He could see the apprehension in their eyes.

“It is a note from Ginny. She sent it through the Floo.” Harry stopped talking as he could see Hermione’s knuckles turning white as she gripped the book in her hand. “I guess they had a hard day of work and are going to bed early.”

“Well, I think I am going to do the same,” snapped Hermione. She turned and walked up the stairs.

“Don’t you want some stew, dear,” called her mother. “It’s delicious.”

“I am not hungry,” Hermione shouted from somewhere further up the stairs.

Harry turned to the Grangers. “I guess I will have some stew after all. It doesn’t look as if I will be going anywhere tonight.”

[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

Harry woke up the next morning to see the Grangers eating breakfast. Hermione looked tired, and, judging by how far she had read into the defense book, she hadn’t slept much last night. She must have read nearly hundred-fifty pages. Mrs. Granger was sipping on her tea and staring at the table. She looked up and wished Harry good morning, but Harry could tell it was forced. Mr. Granger looked at his wife with a sad expression.

“There are three possible locations we can look into today,” Mr. Granger said to his wife. “Hermione, are you going to accompany us again today?”

“Yes, Father,” said Hermione. She didn’t even seem to acknowledge Harry standing there.

“We should get going,” said Mrs. Granger standing up from her chair. “It will take us some time to get to all these locations.”

The Grangers all left after wishing Harry “A Good Day”. He stood there watching them leave. It looked like it was going to be another long day alone. He sat down at the table and poured himself some tea. There was toast and marmalade on the table. He picked up a couple pieces of toast and spread some marmalade on them. It looked like he will have another day alone to study.

Harry decided to start studying Potions today. He knew that without Snape’s potion book he will need to work extra hard to pass his Potion’s NEWTs. After spending all morning reading about Potion making, Harry needed a break. He wished he could go out for a spin on his broom, but he didn’t have one. He also realized that he would need to set up a Potions lab if he would be able to pass his NEWTs. Writing up a list of everything he needed to brew the potions he had covered today, he left for Diagon Alley,

Harry entered the Apothecary in his Transfigured disguise. He handed the older looking gentleman behind the counter the list of reagents to make the potions he had covered this morning.

“It looks like you are trying to catch up to last year’s curriculum,” said the older gentleman. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Harry. “Planning on taking your NEWTs?”

“I would like to be able to pass my Potion’s NEWT, but school was disrupted last year. If you could, I would like extra reagents,” said Harry.

“Extra reagents?” the old wizard asked with a surprised expression. “Are you planning on messing up your initial potions?”

“I have never been very good at Potions, so I wanted to ensure I have enough to practice.” He said rather embarrassed.

“That is a smart thing to do, young man,” said the man behind the counter. “If you are not an expert at Potions, then it is always best to have extra. People come in wanting only enough reagents for one batch, and they usually never get it right the first time. Potions are a funny thing. My wife is the expert at making Potions, but she is also a good cook.”

“A good cook, sir?” asked Harry.

“Most Potions brewers are good cooks.” said the man. “It is very similar process.”

“I guess as long as I don’t get my cauldrons mixed up,” said Harry. He and the attendant chuckled at his comment. “I also will need the cauldrons, scales, and knives to measure and process my reagents.”

The attendant placed all of Harry’s supplies on the counter. “That will be 80 galleons.”

Harry realized that he didn’t have 80 galleons on him. “I am sorry, I do not have that many galleons on me. If you could set the package back behind the counter, I will go to Gringotts and get the galleons I need.”

“If you have a vault, you could set up an account so all you need is to sign for the purchase. You want me to get the application?”

“No,” said Harry a little more forcefully than he intended. He didn’t want anyone to know who he was. “I will be back within thirty minutes, if the goblins are cooperative.”

“Good Luck with the goblins,” said the man as Harry left the store. “We close at 5 this evening if you are not back, I will add a restocking charge to the cost.”

“I will be back before then,” he shouted to the attendant as he left the store.

He hurried down the street to Gringotts. He hoped the goblins would be a little more courteous this time than the last few times he was at the bank.

The goblins didn’t seem to show any animosity to him. He was able to get more gold out of his vault without incident. He returned to the Apothecary in time to purchase the supplies. The shops were all going to be open for another couple of hours, so he went window shopping. He first went over to the joke shop, but it appeared to be closed and he couldn’t see inside the windows.

He strolled along thinking about what else he would need. He stopped in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies and stared at the Firebolt in the window. He thought about purchasing one, even though he didn’t need one to be an Auror. His birthday was coming up and he could say it was an early birthday present. Sirius bought his old Firebolt for all the birthdays and Christmases he had missed.

The memory of Sirius’s death hit him like a Dementor attack. He could feel tears forming in his eyes, and thought his transfigured appearance even wavered slightly. Focusing with all his might, Harry Apparated to Grimmauld Place’s stoop. He quickly opened the front door and slammed it behind him.

He found the first chair in the sitting room and collapsed into it. Dropping his supplies with a clang as the cauldrons hit the floor. He couldn’t hold his tears back anymore. He placed his face in his hands and started crying for Sirius’s death, His parent’s sacrifice, Remus, Tonks, Fred and all those others that lost their lives.

He could not understand why this hit him so hard right now. He thought he had dealt with their deaths. He should be over this grief, but it was consuming him. The tears stopped after a few minutes, but the feeling of guilt and grief seemed to lay on him suffocating him like a heavy blanket. He didn’t even react or move when he heard the door shut and when Hermione and her parents returned.

“Harry, Harry, what happened?” asked Hermione.

“I — I…,” he stopped talking. How was he going to explain where all this grief came from that caused him to break down? “…the thoughts of everyone who has died just overwhelmed me.”

“Who, who died?” asked Hermione.

“My parents, Sirius, Tonks, Remus, Fred, Dumbledore, Colin Creevey,….”

“Alright Harry, I thought someone else had died,” she said with a sigh of relief.

“Hermione,” her father snapped at her. “Grief can hit people in many different ways.”

“Harry, did you do something that made you think of these people whom you lost?” asked Mr. Granger.

“I-I was looking at the new Firebolt. Sirius bought me one. He said it was for all the birthdays of mine that he missed.”

There was a moment of silence before Harry heard Hermione whisper to her father.

“It’s like getting a Ferrari for a birthday present.”

Mr. Granger let out a low whistle before speaking again. “Harry, there will be memories that will trigger grief, and that is fine. It means you cared about these people. What can complicate this situation is some people will tell you to avoid those things that activate your grief.

“If these memories are happy and special then hold on to them. We should always remember those that have passed. Hopefully, these memories won’t make you stop wanting to live and experience life. That would be a bad thing. Emotions are such a difficult thing to sort out. Don’t be ashamed of crying about missing someone you loved. It shows that you can still feel.”

Harry looked up him and then to Hermione. He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“I have been trained to work with grieving patients. Although,” he smiled. “…being a dentist, it isn’t something that should come from my work too often. It also comes from having experienced loss in my life. You two should not have had to deal with the losses that you had experienced. It is almost like back in the forties when everyone seemed to know a couple of people who died from the war. It had affected my parents lives and their entire generation.

“Harry, grief is normal. Different things will set it off for people. The thought of this broom caused you to grieve. My mother enjoyed working in the garden. It will sound strange, but when I see certain flowers or an older woman wearing garden gloves and a wide straw hat, I miss her.

“It will get better over time, but you will always miss the ones you love.” Mr. Granger smiled at him. “I think I have said enough for now. I think I will check to see if there is anything in the kitchen.”

Harry watched Mr. Granger walk away. He was still sad but he felt better. He looked over at Hermione who had a look on her face that indicated she had just realized something.

“What did you just realize, Hermione?”

“Oh, sorry,” she said quickly. She must have been still in thought. “I was just remembering growing up. Mother and I would go to the botanical gardens to view the flowers, and Father would never go with us. I think I know why. I had always thought he didn’t like flowers.”

“Do you miss your Grandmum?”

“She passed before I was born, so I have no memory of her. How are you feeling now?”

Harry smiled up at his friend. “I am still a little off, a little sad, but feeling better thanks to your Father.”

“I should go see if there is anything to eat.” Hermione said.

“Hermione, wait,” said Harry quickly. “There is something I need to talk to you about.”

“If it about Ronald, I don’t want to talk about…”

Harry snorted a suppressed laugh. “No, it isn’t about him. I am thinking that I should take your wand away when you see him again.”

“I guess I will need to work on wandless magic then.”

“Alright, he probably deserves what he is going to get, but you do realize he may not have any idea why you are mad at him.”

“And that is why I am so, so, so…”

“I get it Hermione, but I thought we were not going to talk about him.”

“What did you want to talk about?”

Harry scratched the back of his neck nervous that Hermione would get angry with him for admitting he had listened in on her family’s discussion. “When you got home last night, I heard your parents talking about finding a home and a place for their practice. I didn’t mean to listen to your conversation. I thought it might be Ginny coming over and…”

“Oh, is that all,” Hermione said nonchalantly. “What did you hear exactly?”

“I heard about some place your parents really liked but didn’t have the money to put a down payment on it. I would like to give them the money for the down payment. I have it…”

“Harry, that is a lot of money. The broker wants fifty thousand pounds for the down payment.”

Harry stared at her for a few seconds going through the figures in his head. “I think there are ten pounds to a galleon, so I should easily have it. I can get it for you tomorrow after I go to Gringotts.”

Hermione stood there staring at him with her mouth partially open. “I can’t ask you to….”

“You didn’t ask. I offered. Don’t forget you and that redheaded git are the closest people I have to true family. If your parents want to, they can pay me back. If they don’t, I won’t care.”
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