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Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Fifth Year at Hogwarts Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-DH Status: Completed Reviews: 8 Words: 44,208
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. A/N This story is told from Molly’s Weasley’s point of view and parallels Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the summer after it.
On the second Saturday of October, Arthur and Amos went with them into Diagon Alley so that they could do some clothes shopping and get the wool for the Weasley Christmas jumpers. The two couples Apparated there in the late afternoon and planned to meet Kate Wallace and Nic Meath around six. The six of them would have dinner at The Leaky Cauldron before they went home. The men went to buy Floo powder, owl treats, and to do some personal shopping nearby while Molly and Corrine looked at holiday clothes at Gladrags before they chose wool at Ye Little Lamb Shoppe. They agreed to meet at Flourish and Blotts in one hour. Molly noticed that there were very few witches and wizards on the main street of Diagon Alley. Fear of random attacks by Death Eaters or Dementors caused most people to stay away. Molly and Corrine were the only customers in Gladrags. They spent about half an hour looking at the latest styles and each bought a set of holiday robes with matching hats. Molly decided she looked best in some low cut robes in a gold colour. They came with a perky little hat. Corrine chose a similar style in deep midnight blue with silver stars embroidered all over. Her hat was wide brimmed. They were very pleased with their new outfits and picked out bras, knickers, and knee socks to match. They were both good at transfiguring old comfortable shoes to match outfits, so did not even bother looking at new ones. They hurried over to the wool shop. Molly had quite a list of family and friends that she intended to make jumpers for. Fleur had made it clear that she did not wear hand-knitted jumpers so Molly decided that she would not waste her time making her one. Corrine suggested that she make all of them the same colour this year and personalize them by embroidering either letters or objects that suited each person. Molly thought that was a good idea and chose a deep Gryffindor red as this year’s colour. Ye Little Lamb Shoppe was much busier than the fancy robe shop had been. Several young witches with little children were choosing wool, probably for hand-knitted Christmas jumpers. Molly and Corrine enjoyed flirting with a chubby toddler that was in a sling on his mother’s back and began to reminisce about their own children when they were that age. Just as Molly started to gather all the deep red wool she would need, the windows on the wool shop frosted over and everyone inside felt sad and cold at the same time. She and Corrine realized that they were about to be attacked by Dementors and shouted for the other customers to get down behind the counters. ‘I’ll hold them off. Send a message to our husbands!’ Molly closed her eyes and thought of Christmas when the children were young and cast a Patronus charm. Her gigantic silver hen Patronus appeared and rushed to the door of the shop where it flapped its wings furiously. Corrine’s silver owl Patronus flew out the transom toward Flourish and Blotts as a Dementor attempted to come through the door and was pecked and clawed viciously by the big hen. Reinforcements soon arrived. Arthur’s large silver weasel Patronus attacked the Dementors still in the street. The large silver bulldog of Amos snapped at and bit Dementors until they all floated off. Aurors Apparated into the space where they had been and stood guard. A rather stern older woman Auror came through the door to be sure everyone was unharmed. Arthur and Amos followed her inside. ‘Thank goodness we have been practicing doing the Patronus Charm,’ said Molly as she ran into Arthur’s arms. ‘That was very clever of you to send word to us so we could attack them from behind,’ said Amos, hugging Corrine. The other customers were comforting their crying children. Molly started conjuring small chocolate bars and gave them to the mothers. The children seemed to feel better as soon as they tasted the chocolate. The Auror began taking statements from the mothers. ‘The two older witches knew just what to do,’ said the mother of the toddler in the sling. ‘They sprang into action and saved us all.’ Her son was pointing and laughing at the bulldog of Amos. ‘Dood doggie!’ he said. His mother agreed with him that it was indeed a ‘very good doggie’. Then she and the other mothers asked Arthur where they could learn to produce a Patronus. Arthur told them that the Auror in charge might be able to direct them to someone who could train them. Molly suggested that they also listen to Bedside at St Brigid’s and send an owl to the WWN requesting the Patronus pamphlet that comes with a signed photograph of Kate Wallace as Healer O’Malley. The Auror took the names of the witches and said that she would send them an owl with the information. Then she got statements from Molly and Corrine. ‘We’ll have something to tell Kate and Nic at dinner,’ said Corrine. ‘But it was scary when those awful beings just appeared out of thin air.’ Fred came into the wool shop. ‘We saw Dad’s Patronus rush by. Is everyone safe?’ They assured him that they were fine and promised to stop by Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes after Molly bought her wool. The encounter with the Dementors was unsettling. Molly worried about where else they would show up. She was especially concerned about what could have happened to the young witches and their children if there had not been two highly trained witches in the shop. They stopped off to reassure George that they were not injured by the Dementors and then left to join Nic and Kate at the Leaky Cauldron. They had a great deal to discuss over dinner. Kate said that she was surprised at the number of requests she was getting for the Patronus pamphlet. She said that there was a waiting list for individual instruction by Aurors. Nic and the other men congratulated themselves on being with their witches and able to protect them in such dangerous times. The three witches smiled sweetly. ***** Molly and Arthur took a well deserved long lie-in the next morning so were just coming downstairs around noon when they saw a Hogwarts owl pecking at the kitchen window. Molly let him in and Arthur gave him one of the new owl treats. Molly recognized Ginny’s writing and told Arthur that it was from their daughter. Dear Mum and Dad, Fred and George sent us an owl about you fighting off Dementors in Diagon Alley yesterday. I have such a talented witch and an equally remarkable wizard for parents. I’ve always liked Mum’s big mother hen. Dad’s giant weasel has been the family protector for many generations. I am very proud of you both. We just had our first Hogsmeade visit. The weather was really cold for the middle of October and I didn’t have a very good time. I don’t think that going to Madame Puddifoot’s Tea Shop is much fun at all but a boy in Ron’s year asked me to go with him. Harry wanted me to come with him and Ron and Hermione and I should have insisted that we all go together. I will next time. The really bad thing that happened was that Katie Bell got cursed by touching an opal necklace that someone gave her. She’s one of the Gryffindor Chasers and has always been really nice to me. Now she’s at St Mungo’s because the curse on the necklace was so strong that it could have killed her if she had touched it any more than she did. She was lucky that she had just a little hole in the glove she was wearing Ron and Harry and Hermione saw the whole thing when they were walking back to Hogwarts. Katie flew up in the air and screamed and screamed. Her friend grabbed her ankles. Harry thinks that Draco Malfoy is the one who gave her the necklace but Hermione doesn’t. I don’t know which of them to believe. Fred and George should think about opening a second WWW after they make lots of money in their shop in Diagon Alley because Zonko’s Joke Shop is closed. Love, ‘Hmm,’ said Arthur. ‘Ginny’s friend somehow got a cursed necklace. That could be very serious. ‘Thank Merlin it wasn’t Ginny.’ ‘I hope that our Ginny wouldn’t take a necklace from anyone. She knows about cursed things.’ Arthur shook his head. ‘I don’t like this — Dementors in Diagon Alley and cursed necklaces in Hogsmeade on the same day. I had hoped that Minister Scrimgeour would be able to stop some of the mischief that You-Know-Who is behind.’ ‘I’ll make us a nice lunch.’ Molly started toward her cooker, froze, and went over to the kitchen door. ‘Is there someone on the porch?’ she said loudly. ‘Fleur and I heard about the Dementors and came to find out if you were both all right,’ said a familiar voice. ‘Bill, you scared me!’ said Molly. ‘Hello, Fleur. Come in. We are about to have lunch.’ ‘Mozher Weasley. Fazher Weasley. ‘Ello to bozh of you.’ She kissed the air beside each of their faces. ‘What’s this I hear about Dementors attacking Ye Little Lamb Shoppe?’ asked Bill with a worried expression. ‘Corrine and I were buying wool for the Christmas jumpers and they tried to get in. There were little children there,’ Molly was shaking just thinking about what could have happened. Fleur and Bill both looked shocked. ‘We have heard about Dementor attacks in fairly isolated places but I think this is the first time they have attacked a shop on the main street during business hours.’ ‘Eet is very near our flat and Gringotts,’ said Fleur looking worried. ‘I’ll make us a nice light lunch,’ said Molly as she began summoning food from the cold storage and pantry. ‘These are bad times everywhere. Did you hear about Ginny’s fellow Chaser, Katie Bell, being cursed?’ ***** Even the usually non-communicative Charlie sent an owl to his parents the following week. Dear Mum and Dad, Bill says that you and the Diggorys were heroes and saved some mothers and children from Dementors in Diagon Alley. Good for you! Things are pretty quiet here now that the breeding season is over. A couple of weeks ago, I got sent over into Transylvania to investigate a report of what might have been wild dragons (not that the ones in the Reserve are tame…ha ha). It was nothing but I met someone that Ginny might be interested in meeting. Kathleen Pen, who writes those romance novels that Ginny and her friend read, was on the stagecoach with me. She was looking for Vampires, if you can believe that! Anyway, I rescued her or we rescued each other. Tell our Princess. I thought you’d like one of her books. Charlie enclosed a signed copy of one of Kathleen Pen’s early books. Molly put the note from their second son at Arthur’s place. ••••• The morning of her birthday, Fred and George came by for breakfast and gave their mother a wand that, when waved, turned into a lifelike angry red hen. ‘We made it just for you, Mum,’ said Fred, summoning two more plates from the dresser. ‘In honour of your battle with the Dementors,’ added George, putting some apple butter on his toast. ‘I like this better than the one that turns into a rubber chicken or the dead fish!’’ said Molly waving the new wand and admiring the irritated mother hen. ‘I rather like the wand that turns into a bouquet,’ said Arthur. ‘Muggles can do it without starting with a wand. I find that remarkable.’ Molly kept dishing up breakfast until it was time for Arthur to go to work. ‘I’ll be home early. Remember we are going out on the town,’ he said as he kissed her goodbye. ‘We’ll keep you company until after your programs are over,’ said Fred. ‘Would you like us to de-gnome the garden for old times’ sake?’ asked George. The twins did toss most of the gnomes over the fence before coming in to listen to Days of Destiny and Bedside at St Brigid’s. The twins commented that Lyla was doing increasingly dangerous things and were certain that something bad was sure to happen to her soon. A new class of trainee Healers had arrived at St Brigid’s. One of the men seemed as though he was up to no good. Fred thought he would bear watching. George was sure that Smyla was entirely too trusting. The twins left for their shop as soon as the programs were over. They told their mother that they thought it would be a good idea to take a nap so she could stay up late that night to celebrate. Later that afternoon, Pig delivered a rather cryptic note from Ginny. Arthur arrived home just as Molly was opening it. Dear Mum and Dad, Happy Birthday, Mum! Bill said that he would bring you some flowers from Ron and me. He said that you looked very nice when he and Fleur visited. Did Charlie really save Kathleen Pen? Would he ask her to sign one of my books? Harry finally asked one of the boys in his year to replace Katie Bell and he will work out well. Ron is not doing a good job as Keeper. He thinks he can tell me what I can and cannot do. He even embarrassed two of his dorm mates. He is a git! Love, ‘It sounds like Ginny is mad at Ron for bossing her about. He had better watch that he doesn’t make her too mad,’ said Arthur mildly. Molly nodded in agreement. Her daughter did seem to have inherited her temper. Bill and Fleur came by with twin pots of chrysanthemums from them and Ron and Ginny. They both admired Molly’s new robes. They said they had friends coming for dinner so must leave soon. Fleur noticed Molly was wearing the sparkly earrings that she had given her last year and commented on how nice they looked. Arthur pulled a box from his dress robes. ‘Happy Birthday to the Queen of my Heart.’ Molly opened the box and discovered a pendant that matched her sparkly earrings. She was overwhelmed and began to cry. Arthur dried her tears and fastened the gold chain around her neck. ‘Oh, Bill! Your fazher is as romantic as you are. It makes my ‘eart beat with love. I ‘ope you will still love me so much when we have been married as long as they ‘ave.’ Bill kissed her and said that they should be going. They both wished Molly a happy birthday again and went outside to Apparate home. Molly looked thoughtfully at them as they went out the door. ‘I think I am going to try and find Fleur a Christmas Memories book like the one you gave me for our first Christmas as wizard and wife.’ Would you mind stopping off at Flourish and Blotts on our way to dinner? They might be able to order one.’ ‘Think ahead, Mollywobbles!’ said Arthur. ‘We have seven children. All of them need to have a book like yours to help them remember each Christmas.’ Arthur and Molly left for Diagon Alley and started the process of finding seven copies of a book that was out of print. They went to a Muggle restaurant in nearby London and had a lovely dinner. Arthur arranged for a cake with forty-seven candles to be brought to the table after dinner. Molly was both pleased and embarrassed. Arthur paid with a plastic card that Nic assured him was always used instead of pounds and shillings in all of the better Muggle establishments.
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