Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. You are very encouraging!
*****************
Coming Home
Chapter 7: Family Ties
"Now remember to speak very clearly. If you don't, Merlin knows where you'll end up."
"Yes, Mom, I know," Evan said, rolling his eyes. "When Dad used the Floo for the first time, he ended up in a bad part of town and just barely got out alive."
"Yes. And keep your elbows tucked in and your head down."
"Or I'll be bruised when I arrive. I know. You've only told me about forty times already. Just give me the powder. I'm ready to go."
Ginny tentatively held out the tin of Floo powder. Evan took a pinch, threw it into the fire, stepped in, clearly said "The Burrow!" and disappeared in flame.
When Ginny arrived, a soot-covered Evan was engulfed in Molly Weasley's arms, apparently in desperate need of oxygen.
"Mum?" she asked, to no response. "Mum!" she said louder. "Oi! Mum! Let go or he'll suffocate!"
This finally seemed to catch her attention. She let go of Evan, then held him out at arm's length to get a good look at him. "Evan, dear! It is so good to finally meet you. Oh, you look so much like Harry! You're too skinny like he was, too. Does Ginny feed you enough?" And then she hugged him again.
Molly kept up the hug-and-release pattern for several minutes. Eventually she realized that Evan was dirty from the fire. She let him go in order to find her wand to cast a Cleansing Charm. He looked very dizzy, and Ginny helped him sit down with a laugh. "Don't look at me like that! You wanted to meet the family!" she said.
When Molly returned, she had Arthur with her. Evan didn't even notice her cast the charm as his attention was focused on his grandfather. Arthur solemnly shook Evan's hand and said, "Welcome to the family, Evan. We're glad to have you. You're always welcome at the Burrow, you know." Evan smiled widely. This was what he wanted. Family that welcomed him unconditionally, people that he didn't have to prove himself to. They didn't even know him, and they already loved him. Ginny smiled. She could read what he was thinking so easily. This was why she had decided to come back to England.
"So," Arthur said, sitting down next to Evan at the kitchen table. "I understand you've been living as a Muggle. They're so fascinating! Tell me what you know about Chia Pets."
Ginny sat back and watched her son converse easily with her father. He was much less awkward than Harry had been when faced with her father's incessant questions. Soon, she left them to it and helped her mother cook, a wide grin on her face.
Ginny and Molly had decided to stagger the family's arrivals so Evan wouldn't be too overwhelmed. Fred and George were to be the first to arrive. Ginny, of course, had warned Evan extensively about the twins. At the designated time, one of them arrived, alone.
"Hello, Evan!" he said, "I am Ginny's favorite brother George!"
Evan looked at him with narrowed eyes. "No, you're not. You're Fred."
Fred's mouth hung open. Evan calmly turned back to Arthur and continued discussing garden implements.
"How... How did you know?"
"Oh, it was easy. You both have freckles in the hollow of your throats, but yours is small and round and George's looks like a bow tie." Ginny burst into laughter. Just then there was another pop. Evan said, "Oh! Hello, George!"
George stopped in his tracks, giving Fred a quizzical look.
"I did! But he figured it out immediately. Our dear sister seems to have spilled some of our secrets."
"What secrets? Even Mum can't tell us apart!"
"But Ginny always can. She could even after ten years away. Obviously she's more observant than most of the family. And she must have passed it on," Fred said, then turned back to Evan. "You may look just like Harry, but you must have a lot of Ginny in you too. Harry wouldn't have been able to see the difference in those freckles if he had us side by side and with diagrams."
"Yeah, Harry was a great guy, but not very observant."
"No, not observant at all. But you, you have potential..."
"So," asked George, "do you want to hear about the time we turned your dad's hair green?"
"Oh, it was lovely," added Fred, "matched the color of his eyes!"
Ginny listened happily as Fred and George told Evan all of their funniest stories. Suddenly, she was engulfed in a hug from behind. "Charlie!" she exclaimed. "You made it!"
"Of course I did, Gin! Would I miss an opportunity to meet a nephew?"
"Thanks for coming! I know how hard it can be to Apparate internationally."
"Anything for you, sis. So do I get to meet Evan?"
"You can if you can peel him away from Fred and George."
Charlie grinned at her. "No problem. You forget that I have had to compete with them for attention from the time they were born. Watch and learn, little sister." At this, he staggered into the kitchen and yelled, "Mum! Mum! Can you help me with this burn?"
"Oh dear, what did you do to yourself now?" Molly asked, fussing over the day-old burn on Charlie's right arm. Evan had wandered over and was looking on.
"Oh, it was a Chinese Fireball. Poor dragon had a bit of a cold yesterday, and I got in the way of a sneeze."
Evan's eyes were wide. "You... You saw a dragon?"
"Of course!" said Charlie. "I work on a dragon reservation in Romania. Dragons, dragons, all the time!" He smiled contentedly. "You must be Evan." Evan nodded. "Do you want to see some pictures of our dragons? I'll show you once Mum has fixed me up. No one is better at healing a burn than Mum."
Molly and Evan both beamed at him. Fred and George looked a little put out that they had lost their audience. Charlie looked at Ginny and winked. Before long, Evan and Charlie were ensconced on a sofa in the sitting room, surrounded by wizarding pictures of dragons. Evan, who quickly adjusted to the fact that the pictures moved, seemed to have an endless list of questions about the different varieties. Charlie was in his element. It was rare that someone in the family would show so much interest in his favorite subject.
After a while, there was a flare from the fireplace as Bill stepped out. He was soon followed by three boys and then Fleur Delacour-Weasley. Evan had finally found something to tear his attention away from the dragons. Cousins. The children eyed each other with open curiosity as the adults greeted each other.
"Ginny," Bill was saying, "you remember Fleur, don't you? And these are our sons, Paul, Adam, and Eric." Paul and Eric had the Weasley red hair, but Adam had Fleur's silvery good looks. Ginny smiled and hugged the boys.
"I'm sorry I didn't get to know you sooner, but hopefully we can make up for it. This is my son, your cousin Evan." Evan politely shook hands with each of the boys, then naturally looked to Paul, who was his own age.
Paul looked briefly at his father, who gestured encouragingly. "So where have you been living?" he asked Evan.
"In Chicago. That's in America. I just found out about wizards a few months ago..."
Soon the boys were off in their own world, well on their way to becoming fast friends. Before long, they were outside, chasing gnomes around the garden.
The adults congregated in the kitchen while Molly finished cooking dinner, with occasional help from Ginny, Fleur, and Arthur. Ginny told stories of her time away, focusing on the mishaps that came of living amid Muggles in a slightly different culture. The others gushed about Evan, complimenting her on how polite he was, and commenting on how much he looked like Harry. But before long the conversation turned to more mundane things and after a while, Ginny started to feel as if she had never left home.
Soon Percy and Penelope arrived with their children Pembroke and Priscilla. They all went outside to meet Evan. Percy and Penelope hugged him politely. Priscilla yelled a cheery "Hi!" then plopped down in the dirt at Evan's feet. Pembroke shook Evan's hand stiffly, nodded hello to his other cousins, then returned to the house, wiping his hand gingerly on his handkerchief as he went. He spent the rest of the time before dinner in a corner of the sitting room, reading a book on the proper care and training of Crups.
George's girlfriend Natalie must have arrived at some point. On her way to the loo, Ginny stumbled on the two of them snogging in the stairwell. She had to hide a snicker as she reintroduced herself to an embarrassed Natalie before continuing on her way.
Bill and Charlie had brought tables out into the garden, Fleur and Penelope had set them, and Molly had herded the children into the washroom to clean up. Suddenly a small redheaded boy stepped out of the fire, closely followed by Hermione. Ginny held her breath, waiting for a third figure to appear, but he never did. Hermione looked apologetically at Ginny.
"I tried. I really thought he would come, but at the last minute he got stubborn again. He'll come around, I know he will. It just may take a while."
Ginny felt a pang of loss, but just nodded. She looked down at the boy, who was staring at her solemnly. "Hello," she said. "You must be Harry. I'm your aunt Ginny."
He just continued to look at her. Hermione said, "He's a little shy. He'll be okay once he gets to know you a little. Where's Evan?"
They wandered outside to find the children with Fred and George, who were whispering to them about something. Ginny called Evan over, and said, "Evan, this is your aunt Hermione. She and my brother Ron were your dad's best friends in school."
Evan looked hopefully up at Hermione, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. A strangled "Oh!" was all she could manage before squeezing Evan in a huge hug. They stayed like that, locked together, until Molly announced dinner. The two sat together for the meal, Evan listening attentively as Hermione told stories of her adventures with Harry. Ginny watched with tears in her eyes. She just wished that Ron was there to join them. She was glad that Evan didn't ask about his absence--it would have been awkward to explain, and she worried that he would take it as a rejection of himself.
When everyone had finished eating, Ginny moved to an open seat between Arthur and George. "Dad, Evan and I would like to visit the cemetery some time this week. Do you know if there is any time we could go that would be particularly good for avoiding crowds?"
"Hm. I'm pretty sure that it opens early one day a week. I would guess that would be your best bet, but I don't remember which day it is. Do you remember, George?"
"Me?" George responded. "I try to avoid the place if I can help it. Gives me the willies, it does. Haven't been there since..." He trailed off, glancing at Ginny.
"Don't worry about me, George," she said. "I've prepared myself for this visit. I've already relived most of what I remember of the funeral. You're not going to cause a breakdown."
"Oh good! Hey, Percy!" he yelled down the length of the table. When Percy looked up, he asked, "Which day does the cemetery open early?"
"Well, that depends on the phase of the moon. If the moon is full, then it is Thursday. If it is..."
"What about this week?" George cut him off.
"Oh! Why didn't you say that's what you wanted?" asked Percy, looking disappointed that his monologue had been interrupted. "The moon is waxing gibbous, so Tuesday."
"Oh! I should have known! Waxing gibbous! Of course!" George turned back to Ginny, who was giggling at the exchange. "There you go. Tuesday. You know, Percy can be a real pain in the arse, but he does have his uses!"
"Thanks for your interrogation skills," Ginny said, still laughing. "I would never have been able to shut him up so quickly!"
"It's a gift!" George replied, then added more seriously, "Do you want us to come with you? For moral support or to hold back the masses?"
Ginny looked briefly at Evan then told George, "Thank you for offering, but I think this is something we need to do on our own."
The adults spent the rest of the evening talking quietly among themselves, while the children taught Evan how to play Gobstones and Exploding Snap. Several times, Ginny thought they should leave, but then she would look at Evan's face, glowing with happiness, and change her mind. Harry, Eric, and Priscilla had all fallen asleep, and the others were well on their way before Evan let Ginny Floo them back to the flat, happier than they had been in a long time.
***
On Tuesday morning, Ginny and Evan woke up very early. They wanted to be at the cemetery when it opened at eight o'clock. Ginny didn't want to Floo into the pub nearby in case they were recognized, so they would have to take Muggle transportation to the other side of the city. She packed a bag with some rolls for breakfast and cloaks for the two of them to wear over their regular clothing once they reached their destination. They set out for the journey, both still slightly sleepy.
Ginny missed her morning coffee. She also had to admit that she missed talking to Draco. He had become an integral part of her morning routine.
Ginny had told Draco yesterday of her plans to visit Harry's grave. She smiled to herself now, recalling their conversation. As soon as she had sat down, he had said "No, don't tell me, let me guess."
"Guess what?" she had asked.
"How things went yesterday." He looked at her for a moment. "Everything went well. Your family was accepting and wonderful. Except that your brother Ron didn't show up. You stayed late into the evening because you and Evan were having so much fun. Am I right?"
"Amazing! How did you know?"
"You're extremely easy to read. You are happy, but not entirely, hence my guess that everyone but Ron was great. And you have slight bags under your eyes indicating lack of sleep."
"Am I going to have to start calling you Sherlock?"
Draco had shuddered. "I hope not. That's an awful name!"
"And Draco isn't?"
"At least Draco is powerful and dignified. Sherlock is just..." She had burst into laughter as he trailed off with a grimace.
Now she longed for her coffee and conversation. She wasn't looking forward to her trip to Harry's grave, even though she knew it was one of the things Evan most wanted to do. He wanted to have a place he could associate with Harry. And she realized that as much as she would hate it, this trip would be good for her, too. Her grief had faded significantly over the years, but the fact was that she had run away from it. There were still lingering fears she needed to confront. One of them was coming face to face with Harry again, even if all she would see was his grave.
As they neared the cemetery gate, Ginny pulled Evan into an alley and bundled him into a hooded cloak. She hoped they looked anonymous enough. They followed the well-worn path to Harry's grave, Ginny clutching Evan's hand tightly.
Ginny was relieved by the simplicity of the monument. She had worried that the Ministry would erect some monstrosity that Harry would have hated. She suspected that her father and Remus had a hand in the final result, because it was nearly perfect. It was a plain slab of white marble, streaked with black. The inscription was straightforward:
HARRY JAMES POTTER
Order of Merlin, First Class
Defender of the Wizarding World
31 July 1980 - 26 June 1999
There was a branch of flame burning in front of the stone, which Ginny recognized as Gubraithian Fire, charmed to burn eternally. In addition, there were dozens of bouquets of flowers in various states of decomposition. It was clear that Harry had not been forgotten.
Ginny hugged Evan and explained about the fire, and that the flowers had probably been left by people who didn't know him in life. He stepped forward to stand closer to the stone, and she stepped back to allow him some time to himself.
Ginny found a bench and allowed herself to think about Harry. She remembered the last time she had been to the cemetery, on the day of his funeral. But Ginny realized that the pain had dulled significantly. She missed Harry, yes, but the wounds were no longer fresh. It occurred to her that more time had passed since Harry's death than she had known him. She was relieved to know that she was recovering. Now she would have the strength to help Evan find his own place in the wizarding world.
Ginny returned to Evan and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. He had tears in his eyes when he turned to greet her. Her heart melted. "Oh Evan," she whispered. "Someone very wise once told your father that the dead we loved never truly leave us. And it is true, you know. Harry lives on in you. You just need to learn how to look for him." He continued to cry, safe in her arms, as they very slowly left the cemetery and made their way home.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. You are very encouraging!
*****************
Coming Home
Chapter 7: Family Ties
"Now remember to speak very clearly. If you don't, Merlin knows where you'll end up."
"Yes, Mom, I know," Evan said, rolling his eyes. "When Dad used the Floo for the first time, he ended up in a bad part of town and just barely got out alive."
"Yes. And keep your elbows tucked in and your head down."
"Or I'll be bruised when I arrive. I know. You've only told me about forty times already. Just give me the powder. I'm ready to go."
Ginny tentatively held out the tin of Floo powder. Evan took a pinch, threw it into the fire, stepped in, clearly said "The Burrow!" and disappeared in flame.
When Ginny arrived, a soot-covered Evan was engulfed in Molly Weasley's arms, apparently in desperate need of oxygen.
"Mum?" she asked, to no response. "Mum!" she said louder. "Oi! Mum! Let go or he'll suffocate!"
This finally seemed to catch her attention. She let go of Evan, then held him out at arm's length to get a good look at him. "Evan, dear! It is so good to finally meet you. Oh, you look so much like Harry! You're too skinny like he was, too. Does Ginny feed you enough?" And then she hugged him again.
Molly kept up the hug-and-release pattern for several minutes. Eventually she realized that Evan was dirty from the fire. She let him go in order to find her wand to cast a Cleansing Charm. He looked very dizzy, and Ginny helped him sit down with a laugh. "Don't look at me like that! You wanted to meet the family!" she said.
When Molly returned, she had Arthur with her. Evan didn't even notice her cast the charm as his attention was focused on his grandfather. Arthur solemnly shook Evan's hand and said, "Welcome to the family, Evan. We're glad to have you. You're always welcome at the Burrow, you know." Evan smiled widely. This was what he wanted. Family that welcomed him unconditionally, people that he didn't have to prove himself to. They didn't even know him, and they already loved him. Ginny smiled. She could read what he was thinking so easily. This was why she had decided to come back to England.
"So," Arthur said, sitting down next to Evan at the kitchen table. "I understand you've been living as a Muggle. They're so fascinating! Tell me what you know about Chia Pets."
Ginny sat back and watched her son converse easily with her father. He was much less awkward than Harry had been when faced with her father's incessant questions. Soon, she left them to it and helped her mother cook, a wide grin on her face.
Ginny and Molly had decided to stagger the family's arrivals so Evan wouldn't be too overwhelmed. Fred and George were to be the first to arrive. Ginny, of course, had warned Evan extensively about the twins. At the designated time, one of them arrived, alone.
"Hello, Evan!" he said, "I am Ginny's favorite brother George!"
Evan looked at him with narrowed eyes. "No, you're not. You're Fred."
Fred's mouth hung open. Evan calmly turned back to Arthur and continued discussing garden implements.
"How... How did you know?"
"Oh, it was easy. You both have freckles in the hollow of your throats, but yours is small and round and George's looks like a bow tie." Ginny burst into laughter. Just then there was another pop. Evan said, "Oh! Hello, George!"
George stopped in his tracks, giving Fred a quizzical look.
"I did! But he figured it out immediately. Our dear sister seems to have spilled some of our secrets."
"What secrets? Even Mum can't tell us apart!"
"But Ginny always can. She could even after ten years away. Obviously she's more observant than most of the family. And she must have passed it on," Fred said, then turned back to Evan. "You may look just like Harry, but you must have a lot of Ginny in you too. Harry wouldn't have been able to see the difference in those freckles if he had us side by side and with diagrams."
"Yeah, Harry was a great guy, but not very observant."
"No, not observant at all. But you, you have potential..."
"So," asked George, "do you want to hear about the time we turned your dad's hair green?"
"Oh, it was lovely," added Fred, "matched the color of his eyes!"
Ginny listened happily as Fred and George told Evan all of their funniest stories. Suddenly, she was engulfed in a hug from behind. "Charlie!" she exclaimed. "You made it!"
"Of course I did, Gin! Would I miss an opportunity to meet a nephew?"
"Thanks for coming! I know how hard it can be to Apparate internationally."
"Anything for you, sis. So do I get to meet Evan?"
"You can if you can peel him away from Fred and George."
Charlie grinned at her. "No problem. You forget that I have had to compete with them for attention from the time they were born. Watch and learn, little sister." At this, he staggered into the kitchen and yelled, "Mum! Mum! Can you help me with this burn?"
"Oh dear, what did you do to yourself now?" Molly asked, fussing over the day-old burn on Charlie's right arm. Evan had wandered over and was looking on.
"Oh, it was a Chinese Fireball. Poor dragon had a bit of a cold yesterday, and I got in the way of a sneeze."
Evan's eyes were wide. "You... You saw a dragon?"
"Of course!" said Charlie. "I work on a dragon reservation in Romania. Dragons, dragons, all the time!" He smiled contentedly. "You must be Evan." Evan nodded. "Do you want to see some pictures of our dragons? I'll show you once Mum has fixed me up. No one is better at healing a burn than Mum."
Molly and Evan both beamed at him. Fred and George looked a little put out that they had lost their audience. Charlie looked at Ginny and winked. Before long, Evan and Charlie were ensconced on a sofa in the sitting room, surrounded by wizarding pictures of dragons. Evan, who quickly adjusted to the fact that the pictures moved, seemed to have an endless list of questions about the different varieties. Charlie was in his element. It was rare that someone in the family would show so much interest in his favorite subject.
After a while, there was a flare from the fireplace as Bill stepped out. He was soon followed by three boys and then Fleur Delacour-Weasley. Evan had finally found something to tear his attention away from the dragons. Cousins. The children eyed each other with open curiosity as the adults greeted each other.
"Ginny," Bill was saying, "you remember Fleur, don't you? And these are our sons, Paul, Adam, and Eric." Paul and Eric had the Weasley red hair, but Adam had Fleur's silvery good looks. Ginny smiled and hugged the boys.
"I'm sorry I didn't get to know you sooner, but hopefully we can make up for it. This is my son, your cousin Evan." Evan politely shook hands with each of the boys, then naturally looked to Paul, who was his own age.
Paul looked briefly at his father, who gestured encouragingly. "So where have you been living?" he asked Evan.
"In Chicago. That's in America. I just found out about wizards a few months ago..."
Soon the boys were off in their own world, well on their way to becoming fast friends. Before long, they were outside, chasing gnomes around the garden.
The adults congregated in the kitchen while Molly finished cooking dinner, with occasional help from Ginny, Fleur, and Arthur. Ginny told stories of her time away, focusing on the mishaps that came of living amid Muggles in a slightly different culture. The others gushed about Evan, complimenting her on how polite he was, and commenting on how much he looked like Harry. But before long the conversation turned to more mundane things and after a while, Ginny started to feel as if she had never left home.
Soon Percy and Penelope arrived with their children Pembroke and Priscilla. They all went outside to meet Evan. Percy and Penelope hugged him politely. Priscilla yelled a cheery "Hi!" then plopped down in the dirt at Evan's feet. Pembroke shook Evan's hand stiffly, nodded hello to his other cousins, then returned to the house, wiping his hand gingerly on his handkerchief as he went. He spent the rest of the time before dinner in a corner of the sitting room, reading a book on the proper care and training of Crups.
George's girlfriend Natalie must have arrived at some point. On her way to the loo, Ginny stumbled on the two of them snogging in the stairwell. She had to hide a snicker as she reintroduced herself to an embarrassed Natalie before continuing on her way.
Bill and Charlie had brought tables out into the garden, Fleur and Penelope had set them, and Molly had herded the children into the washroom to clean up. Suddenly a small redheaded boy stepped out of the fire, closely followed by Hermione. Ginny held her breath, waiting for a third figure to appear, but he never did. Hermione looked apologetically at Ginny.
"I tried. I really thought he would come, but at the last minute he got stubborn again. He'll come around, I know he will. It just may take a while."
Ginny felt a pang of loss, but just nodded. She looked down at the boy, who was staring at her solemnly. "Hello," she said. "You must be Harry. I'm your aunt Ginny."
He just continued to look at her. Hermione said, "He's a little shy. He'll be okay once he gets to know you a little. Where's Evan?"
They wandered outside to find the children with Fred and George, who were whispering to them about something. Ginny called Evan over, and said, "Evan, this is your aunt Hermione. She and my brother Ron were your dad's best friends in school."
Evan looked hopefully up at Hermione, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. A strangled "Oh!" was all she could manage before squeezing Evan in a huge hug. They stayed like that, locked together, until Molly announced dinner. The two sat together for the meal, Evan listening attentively as Hermione told stories of her adventures with Harry. Ginny watched with tears in her eyes. She just wished that Ron was there to join them. She was glad that Evan didn't ask about his absence--it would have been awkward to explain, and she worried that he would take it as a rejection of himself.
When everyone had finished eating, Ginny moved to an open seat between Arthur and George. "Dad, Evan and I would like to visit the cemetery some time this week. Do you know if there is any time we could go that would be particularly good for avoiding crowds?"
"Hm. I'm pretty sure that it opens early one day a week. I would guess that would be your best bet, but I don't remember which day it is. Do you remember, George?"
"Me?" George responded. "I try to avoid the place if I can help it. Gives me the willies, it does. Haven't been there since..." He trailed off, glancing at Ginny.
"Don't worry about me, George," she said. "I've prepared myself for this visit. I've already relived most of what I remember of the funeral. You're not going to cause a breakdown."
"Oh good! Hey, Percy!" he yelled down the length of the table. When Percy looked up, he asked, "Which day does the cemetery open early?"
"Well, that depends on the phase of the moon. If the moon is full, then it is Thursday. If it is..."
"What about this week?" George cut him off.
"Oh! Why didn't you say that's what you wanted?" asked Percy, looking disappointed that his monologue had been interrupted. "The moon is waxing gibbous, so Tuesday."
"Oh! I should have known! Waxing gibbous! Of course!" George turned back to Ginny, who was giggling at the exchange. "There you go. Tuesday. You know, Percy can be a real pain in the arse, but he does have his uses!"
"Thanks for your interrogation skills," Ginny said, still laughing. "I would never have been able to shut him up so quickly!"
"It's a gift!" George replied, then added more seriously, "Do you want us to come with you? For moral support or to hold back the masses?"
Ginny looked briefly at Evan then told George, "Thank you for offering, but I think this is something we need to do on our own."
The adults spent the rest of the evening talking quietly among themselves, while the children taught Evan how to play Gobstones and Exploding Snap. Several times, Ginny thought they should leave, but then she would look at Evan's face, glowing with happiness, and change her mind. Harry, Eric, and Priscilla had all fallen asleep, and the others were well on their way before Evan let Ginny Floo them back to the flat, happier than they had been in a long time.
***
On Tuesday morning, Ginny and Evan woke up very early. They wanted to be at the cemetery when it opened at eight o'clock. Ginny didn't want to Floo into the pub nearby in case they were recognized, so they would have to take Muggle transportation to the other side of the city. She packed a bag with some rolls for breakfast and cloaks for the two of them to wear over their regular clothing once they reached their destination. They set out for the journey, both still slightly sleepy.
Ginny missed her morning coffee. She also had to admit that she missed talking to Draco. He had become an integral part of her morning routine.
Ginny had told Draco yesterday of her plans to visit Harry's grave. She smiled to herself now, recalling their conversation. As soon as she had sat down, he had said "No, don't tell me, let me guess."
"Guess what?" she had asked.
"How things went yesterday." He looked at her for a moment. "Everything went well. Your family was accepting and wonderful. Except that your brother Ron didn't show up. You stayed late into the evening because you and Evan were having so much fun. Am I right?"
"Amazing! How did you know?"
"You're extremely easy to read. You are happy, but not entirely, hence my guess that everyone but Ron was great. And you have slight bags under your eyes indicating lack of sleep."
"Am I going to have to start calling you Sherlock?"
Draco had shuddered. "I hope not. That's an awful name!"
"And Draco isn't?"
"At least Draco is powerful and dignified. Sherlock is just..." She had burst into laughter as he trailed off with a grimace.
Now she longed for her coffee and conversation. She wasn't looking forward to her trip to Harry's grave, even though she knew it was one of the things Evan most wanted to do. He wanted to have a place he could associate with Harry. And she realized that as much as she would hate it, this trip would be good for her, too. Her grief had faded significantly over the years, but the fact was that she had run away from it. There were still lingering fears she needed to confront. One of them was coming face to face with Harry again, even if all she would see was his grave.
As they neared the cemetery gate, Ginny pulled Evan into an alley and bundled him into a hooded cloak. She hoped they looked anonymous enough. They followed the well-worn path to Harry's grave, Ginny clutching Evan's hand tightly.
Ginny was relieved by the simplicity of the monument. She had worried that the Ministry would erect some monstrosity that Harry would have hated. She suspected that her father and Remus had a hand in the final result, because it was nearly perfect. It was a plain slab of white marble, streaked with black. The inscription was straightforward:
Order of Merlin, First Class
Defender of the Wizarding World
31 July 1980 - 26 June 1999
There was a branch of flame burning in front of the stone, which Ginny recognized as Gubraithian Fire, charmed to burn eternally. In addition, there were dozens of bouquets of flowers in various states of decomposition. It was clear that Harry had not been forgotten.
Ginny hugged Evan and explained about the fire, and that the flowers had probably been left by people who didn't know him in life. He stepped forward to stand closer to the stone, and she stepped back to allow him some time to himself.
Ginny found a bench and allowed herself to think about Harry. She remembered the last time she had been to the cemetery, on the day of his funeral. But Ginny realized that the pain had dulled significantly. She missed Harry, yes, but the wounds were no longer fresh. It occurred to her that more time had passed since Harry's death than she had known him. She was relieved to know that she was recovering. Now she would have the strength to help Evan find his own place in the wizarding world.
Ginny returned to Evan and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. He had tears in his eyes when he turned to greet her. Her heart melted. "Oh Evan," she whispered. "Someone very wise once told your father that the dead we loved never truly leave us. And it is true, you know. Harry lives on in you. You just need to learn how to look for him." He continued to cry, safe in her arms, as they very slowly left the cemetery and made their way home.
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