*NOTES* Thanks to all the reviews and the reviewers. I appreciate your wonderful words. Anyway here is the next installment of my story. I should point out I'm not an English major in college (accounting is my major) so I try my best with the grammatical stuff but sometimes it is confusing to me. So please be patient with me and try to get over the errors. The next chapter should be up in a couple of days, I'm actually surprised that I got this written so quickly. I am packing to go back to college so the next chapters might be a little more spread out according to time wise. Thanks and hopefully you'll be reading the next chapter soon.
Remus loved the dawn; it was his favorite part of the day. He loved waking early to watch the sun rise and take over the darkness. Yet today was the day they are going to open the letters.
It seemed that at this time the dawn was actually taunting him. Here he was in the Weasley's garden, Tonks curled up next to him, and it was a picture perfect moment except for the fact they still had no clue about what was going on in Hogwarts. Tonks and he spent all of yesterday trying to get in the castle, but the wards still held fast and strong.
Two days ago he noticed that Mrs. Weasley's clock had changed, and his commotion had sent a ripple through the house. First he had to know what mortal peril meant: it doesn't mean they are dead but it doesn't mean they are doing great either. That had lent some comfort to the group but not enough. Dinner had been silent and breakfast the next morning quick. Ginny had actually tried to convince Remus and Tonks that she should go with them to Hogwarts. Everyone had the same view of that thought, no way.
Twilight was fading fast now and it would only be another half an hour before breakfast and the reading of Ron's letters. It was decided last night that he should be first. They would open his letters at breakfast time. But for now Remus was left to his thoughts.
Sirius hadn't left everything to Harry a couple of things were left to Remus. Such things as the ability to be the one to tell Harry right from wrong, not full guardianship seeing as he is a werewolf, but still enough for his sane mind. Also within the last year he had become the officially visitor to Grimmauld place. Really he was the only grown-up allowed to go and see them once a week. During that time he got to know those three even better.
He could picture them right now just starting to stir from their rooms. Harry and Hermione would be the first up. Hermione would start breakfast as Harry went through yesterdays post or read the paper. Then after breakfast they played rock, paper, and scissors, to see who would get the shower first.
The day would progress in a mannerly fashion with little order as to what they did. Hermione might hold herself up with a bunch of books or make cookies or even challenge Harry or Ron to a duel. Harry and Ron generally did the same thing, they might go flying or work with Hermione on the search for their next step in the war or even play chess. But that is what they did on the days Remus visited them, he knew that while he was away they did much more than they let on to. He knew now that they found and destroyed six parts of Voldemort's soul.
Beside him Tonks had finally awoken. "Did you sleep at all?" Remus nodded. He was being truthful he had slept some the last night if only out of pure exhaustion. Trying to get into Hogwarts was no trip to the playground. It was long and hard and slightly annoying. Sighing he saw that the sun had fully risen to shed away another night. He could hear stirring inside the house and he knew that whatever this day held it was not going to be easy for any of them.
"Come," he helped Tonks up and saw she was once again wearing he hair the way he loved it.
"Wait, Remus." She said softly into his ear. "Whatever today holds know that I'm not letting you go so no pulling away."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Her voice still held signs of sleepiness to it. "Tonks," he whispered into her ear. "Marry me?"
Dawn was breaking over Diagon Alley and the shop that the twins had built. Fred and George had bought the whole building with money Harry had given them after his fourth year. He was proud of their establishment and they knew it.
They sat on opposite sides of their kitchen isle both looking out the window. Neither had slept the night before as they were too down hearted to think about much other than their baby brother.
So too pass the time until dawn had fully spread its wings they spent most of the night remembering different times with Ron. They had made it up to his fifth year when the first light made its way out from behind the clouds. Talking it over they realized they might have misjudged Ron when it came to his intelligence. But hey they are the older siblings they were allowed to make fun of the younger ones.
Fred got up as the room started to lighten and made his way to the sink. There he grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey and a bottle of muggle gin. George had gone to the sink and pulled out to dirty shot glasses. He quickly cleaned them with the scourgifying charm.
Silently they both resumed their places at the isle and went back to starring out the window. Both either could acknowledge it they were holding full shot glasses. Half gin and half firewhiskey, a special drink to get them just slightly buzzed enough to stop feeling the pain.
"To Ron," Fred said and George repeated. They clinked their glasses and downed the drinks.
"You know that drunken apparition isn't good for you," Bill said as he entered the kitchen right after they toasted Hermione.
"Well, Bill, that is why we let Fleur and you camp out here." George said by way of greeting. They weren't even close to being drunk in fact they were just beginning to feel the effects of their drinks.
"Come on you two. The sun is up, finally, and we have to go to breakfast at Mum's." Bill said as he grabbed the bottles away from Fred. "I'm going to be right back with Fleur and then we are leaving." Bill exited the room and went into the guest room where Fleur was getting ready. He stood there taking in the last two days and raised the bottle up to the air, "to Ron." He said as he took a swig of firewhiskey.
Jane Granger woke from a fitful nights sleep. In truth she had only nodded off with her ears strained for any sound, such as was that she woke up for any sound. Now it seemed sort of surreal that she was awake. True it took her a second to realize where she was, a room at the burrow. Turning she expected to find her husband right beside her but instead the rest of the bed was empty. Looking around she spotted him at the desk.
"Percy," Edward spoke from the desk and she was completely confused. Quickly she looked at the window, dawn was approaching. "I wonder what happened to him. We haven't met him and no one has mentioned the kid."
"Edward, what are you going on about?" She sat up and swung her feet onto the cool floor. Gracefully she made her way over to the window; she could see Remus and Tonks sitting out in the garden. Vaguely she wondered if they had slept at all these past few days.
"Percy Weasley use to occupy this room but we haven't seen him or even heard of him. Jane do you think that he has died and they just don't mention it because they can't. I want to remember Hermione and yet I don't think I can stand if it she is dead. Don't you think that we would know?" His voice was soft and thick of emotion. Jane could tell he was struggling to keep some sort of composure. "I think," she started, "that we would know if she was dead. We would feel it."
Edward pulled her into a hug and they stayed that way as the sun rose spreading light fully into Percy's room. "Come now we still have hope, but more importantly she left us a letter. That might give us some clue as to how to help her, if need be. Remember we have to be strong."
Across the hall Ginny finally let her eyes close as the first light cast into her room. People were waking and she knew if anything happened she were to be called. She let sleep take her as she clutched Ron's teddy bear. Smiling she thought about how Ron never touched this teddy bear after Fred turned it into a spider, and yet he never gave it up either.
Upstairs Arthur sat in an already brightly colored room. He had been there most of the night trying to figure it out. Trying to figure out what it would be like to feel like this for the rest of his life. It felt like something completely indescribable, like someone had just left him to die. Idly he sat starring at Ron's Chudley Cannon poster. He watched the players zooming around on their broomsticks, and he blinked back tears as he tore his eyes away from the poster. They scanned the room to take in the fish tank with a frog in it, a scattering of books, but there wasn't much else. Ron had taken most of his stuff with him to Grimmauld place. Arthur's hands clutched at the blanket Molly had knitted for Ron while she was still in her womb, ironically it was also orange.
Like all of his other boys he had been there for the whole birth. The only one he wasn't there for the whole time was sleeping a floor below him. Ron had been stubborn, and Molly had been in labor for twenty-one hours before Ron decided to grace the world. Fortunately he had handed five newborns before his youngest son so he was an old pro at holding a newborn. Though it did come as a surprise when Molly asked him what his name should be. Molly, up until then, had picked out all of the names. Arthur chose Ronald Bilius Weasley.
The bright orange walls became brighter as sunlight crept in. Arthur had been dreading the dawn. For with it the waiting finally could stop. Today was the day the letters would be read. Today was the day his strength would be tester. With the dawning of this day he prepared for something a parent should never have to face, saying goodbye to their child for good.
Arthur's wife Molly had sat up all night too. If anyone thought she could possibly sleep during these last few days then she would have hexed them to an inch of their life. The only thing keeping her going was that she was sitting in front of the mantel starring at the clock and taking in the pictures.
On the far left was a picture of her and Arthur at their wedding. It had been a quickie wedding during the first war. Arthur and she had gone out for most of their latter career at Hogwarts and they had fallen deeply in love. Of course they decided to wait a while for but with the war picking up fast they decided against it and went and got married.
Next to that picture was Molly holding a newborn Bill and smiling like it the world was made of gold, which to her it was. Bill was just the beginning of a picture of newborn babies, after that pictured followed Charlie, Percy, the twins, Ron, and Ginny. In each of their frames there were a couple of pictures stuck around their edges of them growing up. Such pictures as them learning to ride their first broom or getting their Hogwarts letter.
Then came the clock and Molly gave a shudder as she noticed that their hands hadn't moved. During Bill's wedding, when she learned of Ron's plan to go with Harry, she decided to add their names to the clock. After all they are family all but the whole blood part, which didn't matter anyway.
After the clock came another smattering of pictures. But the last picture was the one that Molly's eyes drifted to the most. In it were Ron, Hermione, and Harry all laughing and chatting away. It was taken during Bill and Fleur's reception. Harry sat in the middle with Ron on his left and Hermione on his right. They each had food in front of them, Ron had the most, and as Harry said something Hermione cracked up laughing. Apparently they had made a pack to make this day as carefree as possible. They were not allowed to dwell on the war or anything pertaining to it.
She often wondered what Harry had said to get Hermione to laugh so easily when the girl was so composed, but then Harry and Hermione always had something special between them. Ron had truly found two amazing friends when he entered Harry's compartment that first ride on the Hogwarts Express. Mrs. Weasley was thankful for that and even though she sometimes regretted her family becoming involved in the second war she would never regret having thought of Harry as one of her own sons.
Dawn had set over her house and she got up fighting the ache in her heart. She made her way to the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove. A strong cup of tea would do her nerves some good. Quickly she looked out the window to see Remus holding Tonks close and she felt herself smile. Those two deserved happiness after all they had been through.
Just as the whistle blew to tell her that the water was ready she heard a pair of footsteps on the stairs. She silently conjured up a half dozen tea cups and went about getting everything set up for breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, she thought as she got everything out of the magical fridge.
Soon the kitchen was full of people. Ginny had awoken and joined the fray minutes before all they were waiting on was Fred, George, Bill, and Fleur. Charlie had just arrived via floo powder the same minute Ginny had walked into the kitchen.
"Oh those two," Molly mumbled as she banged the pan against the stove. "Never on time for anything in their life." And with that a pop was heard coming from the garden. Bill and Fleur each came in supporting a twin.
"Sorry we are late mum," Bill said giving her a peck on the cheek. "These two got into a little something." And with that Bill deposited George in his seat fleur was right behind him. Molly looked ready to explode at the twins when George mumbled something. "He has been saying that all morning."
"What?" Tonks asked he interest piqued as she glanced at Remus who had obviously heard what the boy was saying. "He says he is sorry for being so mean to him." Remus said quietly as he picked at his food.
Just as all the commotion was settling down a burst of fire erupted on Remus's shoulder. No one had given much thought to the phoenix, or rather where he had gone but now they all understood. Fawkes was carrying a scroll in his beak, the time had finally come.
Everyone,
Remus read as he unfolded the scroll, once again Hermione's writing met his eyes.
We are sorry we couldn't be here and that you have to read the letters we had so painstakingly written, but what we did had to be done. Anyway the reading has a certain flow to it and we were wondering if you could indulge us one more time. Please read Ron's first, as we figured that his family is the one you are intruding upon right now. Of course we made that happen but still.
Mine will be read next preferably right after Ron's. If you can't then it doesn't matter what time. Harry has requested to go last. Please read all our letters out loud, and by all we mean even the ones we have written to each other. Those two letters are very important to us as we have spent so much time the past seven years together. Please if there is any requests in our letters do them as we ask unless they are clearly impossible. Oh, and Remus, you have our memories and they are to be seen before the letters have been open. They can be watched in whatever order you want, and all you have to do is tap the glass of each bottle and say "expand memories." It will show a three-d image large enough for everyone in the room.
Love,
Hermione, Harry, and Ron
-->