Disclaimer: Nope I don't own Harry Potter. Which is a shame, because it'd have gone Harmony if I did…
A/N: An idea I had just after reading DH to make right things after the crapilogue. Hope you'll like the story, and please if you read, review, thanks.
After The Night, Sun Shines
Chapter Six: Telling the Kids and Funerals
As Harry woke up next morning, he groggily searched for his wife. The bed was empty though, apart for him, and the feeling suddenly brought him back to reality. Ginny was never going to be there again to greet him on the mornings.
The idea made his chest tighten, and he sighed, ruffling his hair with one hand, then stepped into the main bathroom to have a quick shower, before going down and prepare breakfast.
He and Hermione had agreed they would bring Hugo and Lily at the Burrow, where Molly would look after them, and then they would head to Hogwarts to alert their other children. It was not going to be easy.
Walking down the steps to the kitchen, he smelled pancakes and eggs. He just had to smile as he stopped on the threshold, leaning on the door. There Hermione was, an apron tied around her waist, working on their breakfast, brows furrowed in concentration, and he felt his heart swell.
Finally, she noticed his stare. "What? Am I dirty somewhere?" she asked, worried.
He chuckled, shaking his head, and walking to greet her.
"No, not at all. I was just enjoying the sight of you cooking, it's something I never witnessed" he said softly, helping her to distribute the eggs on four plates.
She smiled, the first sincere smile since he had told her the news. He knew the difference because it reached her eyes, albeit just for a moment.
"Well, you made dinner for the two of us yesterday, I thought it was just polite to reciprocate" she replied, pouring him some coffee. He took a sip, and nodded.
As if on cue, they heard steps on the stairs, and then Hugo and Lily appeared in the kitchen.
"Daddy, Mummy…" the little girl started, but then she noticed Hermione. And suddenly she remembered. The draught her father had given her had provided a dreamless slumber, so she could rest and not wake in the middle of the night haunted by what she had seen, but now she remembered.
"Mummy is dead" she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. Hugo was staring at his uncle Harry in a strange way, and he seemed on the verge of tears too.
Their parents immediately rushed to their sides, and comforted them. Hermione, it seemed, was the more experienced in this, because she managed to calm her son and then helped Harry with Lily. Of course, she would be the most troubled of the two, since she actually saw everything happen before her young green eyes.
Once the little ones were soothed, Harry and Hermione helped them with their breakfast, which both found delicious. Hugo was used to his mother's cooking skills, so he wasn't surprised, but Lily wouldn't stop complimenting Hermione on how her pancakes tasted good. Harry had to laugh at that, and mussed his daughter's hair.
It was good that despite the sombre mood hanging over them, they could manage a laugh here and there. It was pointless to stay closed in their rooms and cry all day long, they all needed to go on with their lives, bringing Ginny and Ron always with them in their hearts, but without wallowing in despair.
Once Lily and Hugo were properly dressed and they had collected something to play with at the Burrow, the four of them stepped in the fireplace, one after the other, spelling clearly "The Burrow!", and starting their Floo trip.
As they landed in the living room, they dusted themselves off, and Molly was ready to greet them.
"Harry, Hermione" she acknowledged them, then hugged her nephew and niece.
"Hi Nana" both the kids cried, hugging her back. Then Hugo spoke. "Nana, are you going to make us those chocolate biscuits I love so much?" he asked, giving her his best puppy eyes. He had Ron's ones, blue, and he had already learned no one could resist him if he gave them that face.
Molly just smiled. "Of course, Hugo. We can make them together later, if the two of you are up to it" she suggested, and Lily squealed. She loved cooking with her grandmother.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a smile, watching as their kids went to play in the garden.
"So, you are going to tell the other children, right?" Molly addressed them, turning serious.
"Yes" Harry replied. "We'll probably bring them home till the funerals" he added then, sharing a look with Hermione to check if that was ok for her. She nodded.
"Seems the best thing to do" Molly agreed. "By the way, what about the bodies?"
"I'm going to check at the office once we have the children at home" Harry announced. "I'm sure they have brought them back, but if they haven't, I'll go retrieve them myself" he added, his green eyes steeled with resolve.
That was a good enough answer for Mrs. Weasley, so she nodded. They said their hellos to the children, and then Harry and Hermione were on their way to Hogwarts, Apparating to Hogsmeade.
"It's been so long" he mused, taking in the scenery.
"So many memories" Hermione added, her own face clouded, as she reminisced particularly good times the three of them had shared there in the village. From afar, the Shrieking Shack could be seen.
Harry was reminded of third year, when they had wandered there to meet Sirius for the first time, and learned he wasn't a murderer. He had had too little a time with his godfather, it wasn't fair. But after all, life was rarely fair, and Ginny and Ron's deaths were further proof of that.
Sensing his discomfort, Hermione slipped her hand into his own and squeezed it, letting him know she was there and would listen, if he needed to talk. He squeezed back, then he entwined their fingers together and she smiled at that. They kept walking, Harry looking sideways at her and wondering what had he done to deserve such a wonderful friend.
They approached the main gates, and walked past them. Slowly reaching the castle, they stopped by Hagrid's hut for a quick hello. The half-giant couldn't stop the tears at the news, he had grown fond not only of Harry but of Hermione and Ron too, and he knew how much the redheaded meant to Harry. He blew his nose with his usual tablecloth sized handkerchief, and let them go their way up to the school so that they could see their children.
As they met other students on their way, everyone stared at Harry. Even twenty years after Voldemort's demise, he was the hero of the Wizarding World and attracting stares everywhere he went.
Finally, they reached the Headmistress' office, and Minerva McGonagall welcomed them in.
"I'm so sorry for both your families" she said once they were all sitting. "I've received a letter from Minister Shacklebolt telling me to expect your visit because of the deaths. Luckily, the Ministry managed to keep the Prophet away from these news, so the kids have not found it out on the newspaper"
Harry and Hermione let a breath escape. They had never thought about checking the Prophet that morning, but the fact the news had not been published was good.
James Potter was sitting in his Charms class, with his best friends Rob and Kate, when the door opened and he was alerted he was waited in the Headmistress' office. Exchanging a look with them, he stood up, collected his things and left.
Albus Severus Potter was instead in the dungeons, attending Potions, when he was told, and similarly, he left class to go and see what Headmistress McGonagall wanted from him.
Rose Weasley had a free period and was studying in the common room, her mother always recommended herself to not waste time, and to finish her work early if she had a chance, so she was most surprised when she was called to meet the Headmistress. She had never broken a rule, so she wondered what all that was about.
Once everyone was there, the children completely surprised to see their parents there, or at least some of their parents, Harry sighed. He and Hermione exchanged a squeeze of hands, then he started. He thought about it some time, but in the end, there was no easy way to say it, so he better go with the blunt truth. His sons were old enough to understand.
"James, Albus. I have a most tragic new to tell you. Your mother was killed yesterday by a group of dark wizards" he said. "I couldn't save her" he admitted then, tears coming to his eyes again. Hermione stroked his hand with her fingers, to try and reassure him it wasn't his fault.
James' face was stony. He couldn't move a muscle. His mother was dead. He wanted to scream, to fight with his father because he had failed to protect her. But he knew, in his heart, that if Harry had had the chance, he would have willingly sacrificed himself to let Ginny live. If he couldn't save her, it was clearly something out of his powers to avoid.
Albus was shocked. He felt tears prickling to his eyes, and he snapped them shut, trying to act strong but failing miserably. His soft sobs echoed in the silent room, and Harry's heart broke for his two sons who had to go through that pain. At least, he had never really known his own parents, and he had been spared this hurt, although he suffered many others in his life.
Rose was not Hermione's daughter without reason. "Mum…where's Dad?" she fearfully asked, dreading the answer.
"Oh, sweetheart, he's dead too. He was helping Uncle Harry to save Ginny…and he sacrificed himself to protect Lily…" Hermione said, rushing to hug her daughter, and letting the tears fall. Rose started crying too, and Harry looked at them wishing he could take their pain away. He, however, met the questioning stare of James, whose ears had perked up at the mention of Lily.
"Your sister is ok, James" he reassured his son, and both James and Albus released a breath they didn't even know they were holding.
"Minerva, I reckon it's better to take the kids from school for some days, at least till the funerals" Harry said, finally addressing the Headmistress who had been discreet all that time to give space to the families to mourn.
The older witch nodded. "I think it's understandable"
So it was settled. James ran to let his friends know what had happened and where he was going, and Kate couldn't help hugging him tight, feeling so sorry for him that a tear or two escaped her own eyes, wetting his shirt. He hugged her back, although he had a girlfriend, he could care less. Kate had been a constant presence in his Hogwarts years, since the very first day, as well as Rob, and if there was someone he felt free to mourn his loss with, it was them.
When he finally joined his relatives again, they divided in two groups, and with two Portkeys all of them travelled back to the Burrow.
Molly hugged the children one by one, and let them know all of them, including Harry and Hermione of course, were more than welcome to stay there as long as they wanted. During lunch, everyone tried to bring the chat away from sombre events, and Molly once again gave her best, cooking every one of their preferred dishes.
As the afternoon rolled by, Harry excused himself to go and see if the bodies had been retrieved. He, Hermione and Molly had agreed that it was best to have the funerals as soon as possible, since the kids definitely needed to put the whole matter behind them and go on with their lives. Molly insisted because he and Hermione did the same, and they assured her they would try, although it would not be easy.
So, two days later, a small crowd made by the whole Weasley family, well, all of those who were still alive at least, Fleur, her and Bill's kids, Victoire and Jean, and some friends from Hogwarts, including Neville, Hagrid and Professor McGonagall was reunited in the backyard of the Burrow. Some of Ginny's team-mates were there too.
Arthur had taken a day off from work, as well as Percy, and Charlie had arrived from Romania. Harry, Hermione and the children were all in the front row, dressed in black suits.
Two tables were set before them, and wrapped in Gryffindor flags there Ginny and Ron rested. It had been Harry and Hermione's choice to wrap them in their House colours, and they met the approval of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
As the officer moved in front of the crowd, Harry let his own mind wander back to everything he and Ron had been through together. He vaguely heard the officer talk about his deceased friend as brave, loyal, funny. He couldn't listen to the same person go about Ginny, how she had grown out of the shadow of her brothers, and a fine woman in her own right.
It was too painful, and yet he knew both of them would have wanted him to go on. Finally the moment came for him and Hermione to speak. First it was her, and he focused on her form, wrapped into a black robe. Her hair was collected behind her head, and she wore just an hint of make up, and even if the setting was sad and depressing, Harry fleetingly thought she had grown to become a beautiful woman, and that Ron had been really lucky to have her as his wife for twenty years.
It was strange for him to think about her as beautiful, she was his best friend, and he blamed it on the fact he was missing Ginny already. However, he couldn't help noticing little things that made her glow, even in such a sad occasion. For example, how two tendrils of hair were let loose and adorned her face, bringing light to it, or how even without lots of make up, which she had never worn to be truthful, her face looked almost angelic.
He was so wrapped up in admiring her, and how she managed to keep her composure through all of this, another proof of how strong a woman she really was, that he barely noticed she had stopped speaking and had invited him to join her there to pay their friends and spouses the last farewell.
He stood up and automatically walked to her side, then with his wand he amplified his voice.
"Family and friends" he started, his own voice slightly cracking. "Today we commemorate two of the most amazing people I ever met. True, me and Ron had some disagreements in the years, but I could never think of him as less of my brother. I know, however, that he would never want me, or any of us here, to mourn forever. He would want us to go on with life, and find that lasting happiness he wasn't allowed to live. So, if we really want to honour him, this is what we should do. And from his next adventure, he will look over us and we will always remember him in our hearts"
"Ginny…" he continued, his voice cracking a bit more, but a squeeze of his hand from Hermione gave him the strength to go on. He smiled at her, then continued. "Ginny gave me what I dreamed all life. My greatest desire has always been to have a family, and with her I had that. Now, I must find the strength to grow my children knowing she will look upon us from above, and that she won't be forgotten" he finished, leaving the spot to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to make their eulogies to their children, and then to all the Weasley brothers.
Once everyone finished speaking, and they were all back sitting in their places, the officer cast a spell on the two bodies, so that in their places two marble tombs appeared, keeping them safe with the tables where they were resting.
Slowly, people moved to give their condolences to them, then they would leave. Soon, Harry and Hermione with their kids followed the Weasleys back to the Burrow, where they would stay till James, Albus and Rose would not go back to Hogwarts.
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