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Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Seventh Year at Hogwarts Rating: Everyone Setting: Post-DH Status: Completed Reviews: 7 Words: 48,775
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 - Even as those who loved Fred still mourn for him, they each begin to realize that life must go on. This story is told from Molly’s Weasley’s point of view and continues from where Ginny’s Sixth Year at Hogwarts leaves off. It takes place the year after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, therefore eighteen years before the Epilogue.
After a quick trip to the loo, but still in dressing gown and slippers, Molly hastened down the stairs. She paused as she reached the bottom stair. It looked as if George was showing Angelina how to make coffee in the coffee machine that Arthur had modified so that it worked on magic. He was standing close behind her and guiding her through the necessary swishes and flicks of her wand. Molly assumed that it was the incantation for perking that he seemed to be whispering in her ear. ‘Good morning,’ she said softly and smiled when they both jumped. ‘Come by for a bit of breakfast before you go into the shop?’ ‘Mrs Weasley, we need your help if I am supposed to make George look like Voldemort for the reenactment. The only time I saw him was from pretty far away and it was not yet light in the Great Hall. You were quite close when he was fighting with Harry, after you vanquished Bellatrix Lestrange,' Angelina paused, clearly having run out of things she wanted to say. ‘Yes, that I was,’ said Molly, starting to make breakfast out of habit. ‘He didn’t look real. He was very thin with a face like a snake instead of the man he used to be. And his skin was white. He had red eyes and very long skinny hands. Maybe Ginny could draw you a picture of what he looked like that morning.’ ‘That’s a brilliant idea. Ginny’s very good at drawing,’ said George, sitting down at the table as Molly waved her wand at the magically enhanced coffee machine. Arthur had even changed the label to read Mr Wizard Coffee. Scoops of Moonsickles coffee filled the basket as Molly muttered ‘Aguamenti’ to fill the top with water before she cast the Heating Charm. Angelina asked if there was anything that she could do to help with breakfast, but Molly told her to keep figuring out which Glamour Spells she’d need to cast on George so that he would look like Voldemort. As she Summoned some eggs; she also asked who was going to pretend to be Bellatrix Lestrange. George immediately said that Angelina was not comfortable pretending to be the insane witch. ‘Kate and Nic haven’t yet written the script for that scene so I am not sure how much she will even be in it,’ said Molly, as her wand motions broke the eggs, stirred them, and caused the bacon to turn in the pan. ‘Your battle with her is right before Harry battles with Voldemort, so it has to be in the Tell-a-Vision show,’ said George, Summoning the apple butter from the cooling chest. ‘I don’t know if I remember much about that duel besides how angry I was when that witch tried to kill Ginny. Then she taunted me, saying that she’d kill me and make me ‘join Freddie’. That was what made me duel her and finally use ‘Avada Kedavra’ to finish her off.’ Molly shuddered as she continued making toast. ‘How are you going to manage the smoke and the green light? And I hope we’re using fake wands so no one will get hurt.’ ‘We’ll add most of the special effects on the computer. Lee knows how to do that. His girlfriend, Holly, draws what he says something should look like and he copies it onto the computer,’ said George. ‘Dad says it’s almost like magic.’ ‘What’s almost like magic?’ asked Arthur, as he came down the stairs, kissing Molly and sneaking a strip of bacon. ‘What Lee can draw on the computer,’ replied George. ‘He and Holly have been making signs and designing packaging for some of our items. They are amazing.’ ‘And Nic thinks it will be easy to ‘See-Gee’ our Tell-a-Vision show,’ said Arthur, proud of his knowledge of technology. George and Angelina finished eating and Apparated into Diagon Alley to open the shop while Molly and Arthur ate breakfast, read The Daily Prophet, and waited for Nic and Kate to arrive to work on the rest of the script. The four of them decided that the best place to start was with the scene in which Voldemort forced Hagrid to carry what he thought was Harry’s dead body to the front door of Hogwarts. Kate was used to pacing as she dictated lines and Nic was used to using a Self -Inking Quill and reading the script back to her, so that is what they did while Molly and Arthur watched with amusement and suggested wording. Kate also blocked the scenes as she asked Arthur and Molly what they remembered about who was where and what they said. They next wrote the scene when Voldemort cast the Body-Bind Curse on Neville Longbottom, Summoned the Sorting Hat, put it on him, and set it on fire. Arthur described how Neville broke the curse, pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of the hat, and cut off Nagini’s head. Molly volunteered to transfigure an old Muggle garden hose into the great snake. By then, they were all ready for lunch. Harry arrived from feeding and bathing Teddy just as Molly finished preparing lunch. He listened to Kate and Nic read what they had written about what had happened in front of Hogwarts, but pointed out that he was not the best witness since he’d had his eyes closed until the giant snake’s head was lopped off. He said that Arthur and Molly could describe the scene better than he could. He did remember hearing the great noise that the reinforcements made as they approached Hogwarts. They ate roast beef sandwiches and drank Butterbeer for lunch. Then they read everything aloud with Kate and Nic playing every part. They took suggestions and changed a word here and there. Then they began discussing who would be the best person to cast as Bellatrix Lestrange. Kate said that she wished that more of the former WWN on-air talent were available. Harry was invaluable in describing the battles in the Great Hall since he had observed everything under his Invisibility Cloak. Arthur and Molly had been so involved with what was happening with members of their immediate family, that some of the details of what had happened when and where were distorted. Harry remembered it all, each thrust and screamed taunt between Molly and Bellatrix. He also admitted that he had been about to rescue Ginny himself when Molly had thrown off her cloak and rushed into the fray. On the other hand, Arthur and Molly clearly remembered every detail about Harry’s battle with Voldemort. At first, they had not been able to understand his reasoning when he was trying to get Voldemort to feel some remorse for all the evil he had done, but finally understood Harry’s explanation about the circumstances necessary to become master of the Elder Wand. Harry had a more difficult time getting Nic and Kate to understand that it had to do with how Draco Malfoy had disarmed Dumbledore and become its master without realizing it. Harry had to keep repeating the part about how he wrested Draco’s wand away from him at Malfoy Manor, but finally everyone understood the implications for Voldemort. ‘So you knew all along that Voldemort could not kill you?’ asked Nic. ‘It was a bit more complicated that that because he had already tried to kill me, and I was in a state between living and dead for a time, before I decided to return,’ Harry said in a soft voice. ‘All that matters is that I tried to warn him that he was not the master of the Elder Wand.’ ‘So you were unconscious after Voldemort used the Killing Curse on you in the forest?’ Kate obviously wanted to be sure that their reenactment was accurate. ‘Yes, both Voldemort and I reacted to his Avada Kedavra.’ Harry seemed to be choosing his words carefully. ‘When he recovered, he sent Narcissa Malfoy to check to be sure I was dead. She lied to him because she was desperate to rescue Draco.’ ‘And Hagrid carried you to the steps of Hogwarts,’ prompted Molly. Harry nodded. ‘Do we need the scene where Voldemort tried to kill Harry in the forest?’ asked Arthur. ‘I don’t think it adds much to the story,’ said Kate. ‘What we have now works better than starting in the forest.’ After a lengthy discussion, they all agreed that the Tell-a-Vision show should start as they had written it, with Hagrid carrying Harry’s body to Hogwarts. The next scene started with the reaction of the defenders of Hogwarts to his supposed death, followed by Neville’s part in killing Nagini. The rest of the scenes all but wrote themselves with three eyewitnesses. Nic and Kate were happy with the script. They suggested that Minister Shacklebolt read the final version before they started filming so Arthur made a duplicate of the script to show to Kingsley on Monday. The next day was Sunday, and Molly was happy that Bill and Fleur, along with Percy, George, Ron, and Harry, all came for brunch. George said that he had to get back to the shop to work on some of the new items that were going to be introduced for the Christmas season. He said he was nearly finished with the Visiting Baby Daydream Charm that he and Fred had thought up while they were at Auntie Muriel’s. This brought tears to Molly’s eyes but she agreed that it was brilliant idea and asked for a prototype to practice her grandmothering skills on. Bill and Fleur thought that they should order one to practice with, as well. Molly started the Christmas jumpers on Monday. The weather turned cold and rainy that afternoon; so on Tuesday, she and Corrine practiced dueling carefully inside. The needles working on various sized jumpers in the sitting room, just made thrusting more complicated. After Corrine used the Floo Connection to return home, Molly was startled to hear an owl blow into the kitchen window. Molly quickly opened the window and let in Kate’s owl to eat an owl treat and rest before returning in the storm. Molly smiled at Kate’s enthusiastic salutation. Merlin Be Praised! One of our major problems has been solved! Apple Glorioso contacted me yesterday. She and her Muggle husband have finally returned to England. She received one of the owls that we sent out from the list that Audrey Anderson developed. Apple emailed Audrey back, and when she heard about the defeat of Voldemort, she decided to return. There weren’t many suitable jobs for her in Newfoundland. She was the host of one of those relationship call-in shows that Trixie Quafflebaum axed after Voldemort took over WWN. It was too racy for their tastes because she advised people who were in wizard-Muggle relationships. Anyway, the program she hosted was called ‘Wickedly Wonderful’. She and her husband had been freezing their bits off in Newfoundland ever so long. They used to lease a place in Ottery St Catchpole, so you might have met them. They lived next door to Andromeda, in a funky little place that used to be a pony barn. Only now, apparently, someone else lives there. Anyway, Apple would be perfect as Bellatrix Lestrange. She would only need some Aging Charms because her mother was a Black. I think she said she was a first cousin to Madame Lestrange, once removed. Apple says she really loves those meaty parts where she gets to act insane. Her husband, Steve Gates, is a Muggle technology fanatic so he can help Nic with the lighting and computer graphics. I am absolutely delighted that they have returned. I think we should schedule a dress rehearsal next weekend. The last Saturday of November has been set for the shoot since most of the Hogwarts students will be off at Hogsmeade buying Christmas presents. Ta-Ta, Kate ‘Well, one more problem solved. I wonder if many more of those we sent owls to will return…’ Molly mused as she watched the needles start racing each other as they started left sleeves on a row of jumpers. Arthur Apparated home that evening with a package, which he presented to Molly. ‘Happy birthday. I had to send off to Egypt for this,’ he explained. Molly opened her delayed birthday present but was puzzled when it contained a small fuzzy blanket. ‘This looks like something for the baby instead of for me,’ she said quietly. ‘It’s a Lullaby Luller,’ explained Arthur. ‘Molly, when you sing into the corner with the embroidered bear, the blanket will remember what you sang and sing it to our grandchildren to soothe them to sleep. It will feel just like you are rocking them and singing softly.’ ‘Thank you Arthur, but I think I’d rather rock and sing to our grandchild myself.’ ‘I’m sure that we will have more then one grandchild eventually, so I think you will find this helpful. Even you can’t soothe as many offspring as our children are likely to produce. This way, you’ll still have some time for me,’ said Arthur with a broad grin. ***** Saturday morning, Molly recognized Ginny’s owl, Bee, and let her in, using an old tea towel to dry her a bit before giving her an owl treat. Bee was obviously exhausted and huddled in Errol’s old cage with her eyes closed. Molly opened the letter and read- Dear Mum and Dad and whoever else is still living with you, It is snowing and very windy here so we can’t even practice Quidditch until it is warm again, hopefully February. We’ve beaten the Puffs and the Snakes beat Ravenclaw, but those were the only games scheduled before it turned so cold. I agree with Ron that Hermione is mental. Our N.E.W.T.s don’t even happen for six more months but she’s ecstatic that now the Quidditch team has more time to revise. All she talks about is completing homework promptly and respecting the work that house-elves do. She wants all the Seventh Year girls to write notes thanking the house-elves for doing our laundry and making our beds, etc. Harry says that you both are helping Nic and Kate write the script for The Battle of Hogwarts. Headmistress McGonagall told Hermione, Luna, Neville, and me that you will be filming it later this month and that we all have lines. We’ve figured out that we all get to scream Harry’s name and cheer when Neville shouts, ‘Dumbledore’s Army!’ Do we have more lines when we are fighting Bellatrix Lestrange and you take over from us? Luna says that she doesn’t think any of us had time to say anything because we were so busy trying to keep that crazy witch from killing us. I will see you when we make the video, but I can hardly wait to come home for Christmas. Love, Ginny Molly, Arthur, and George met Apple Glorioso and her husband Steve on Sunday morning when Nic and Kate arranged for the non-student witches and wizards who had speaking roles to have a dress rehearsal at the WWN Tell-a-Vision studio. They would do the actual filming at Hogwarts the following Saturday but the Weasleys were very impressed with how much the scenery looked like the front steps of Hogwarts ‘Steve is about the same size so he’ll stand in for Neville Longbottom,’ said Kate. ‘We really need to get the Sorting Hat to work digitally. We can use almost anyone for Harry’s body but, we absolutely need Hagrid.’ There was a commotion as she mentioned his name and Hagrid ducked through the door. ‘We have enough Death Eaters and will digitally add the giants. George, is Angelina ready to cast the Glamour Spells on you? Apple is finished with hers. She likes to stay in character while she is filming.’ Molly and Arthur jumped back in amazement as Bellatrix Lestrange strode onto the set. They knew she couldn’t be real but felt their hearts pounding in their chests as she glared at them as though she was about to kill them all. ‘All you red-haired people must be Weasleys. I hope you remember your lines,’ she added in a haughty voice. George hurried off toward Angelina who was in the make-up area. He returned shortly, looking just like Voldemort. Molly was pleased that her garden hose Nagini also looked impressive. George had obviously been practicing talking in Voldemort’s strange high-pitched magnified voice, as he said. ‘Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself…’ Apple, as Bellatrix, turned toward him with such a look of adoration that both Molly and Angelina frowned at her. ‘I didn’t know we had a professional for Voldemort,’ she said sidling up to George. He merely smiled at her as he wrapped the imitation snake around his shoulders. ‘Let’s take it from the entrance of Hagrid, followed by the Death Eaters.’ said Nic. By the time the cast stopped for lunch, Molly was glad that she hadn’t ever wanted to become an actor. It was get ready and wait, get ready and wait, repeatedly, as Nic and Steve checked lighting and sound. Someone named Cecil kept saying ‘Action!’ Then he’d yell ‘Cut!’ Then he’d start all over again. Apple didn’t make it any easier, staying in character as Bellatrix Lestrange. She sneered at any attempt to be friendly. Molly wondered if she and Steve would have words when they returned home. Harry arrived after lunch but had nothing to do until Molly and Apple finished their big scene. He made a couple of suggestions about dialogue and dueling stances but mostly he just watched. Apple imitated Bellatrix taunting him and irritated everyone. However, Molly had to admit that having Apple be so obnoxious, helped her get ready for their dueling scene. Nic told them to take it easy because he planned to speed it up digitally and have them re-dub the dialogue. The only rather unfortunate incident occurred when the wand that Apple was using turned into a dead fish at the same instant that Molly’s became a rubber chicken. Nic was not amused, nor was Apple. They exchanged their WWW wands for some that Kate Transfigured out of old chopsticks and finished the scene with Molly triumphant and Apple in a grotesque heap on the floor. Nic was happy. He, Lee, and Steve were enthusiastic about what they planned to do to make the floor crack and look hot. Then he said that everyone except Harry and George could return home while they blocked their scene and worked on dialogue. Molly and Arthur fell into bed as soon as they got to the Burrow. Acting and waiting around to act was extremely tiring. It seemed to them both that just when you were ready to do something, a problem occurred with lights, costumes, or camera angle. Being able to fix things magically helped a lot but didn’t solve every problem. Cecil and Nic had to talk about every scene and change things slightly. It was just as well that Harry did not come to the Burrow for dinner because both Weasley parents slept through the regular dinnertime. Molly scrambled some eggs and made toast after they’d had a long nap, but they agreed that an actor’s life was harder than they had imagined. The final week in November went by quickly. Because the reenactment of the Battle of Hogwarts had to be on Saturday, Fleur invited Molly and Arthur to Shell Cottage to celebrate Bill’s twenty-eighth birthday the night before. She also wanted to show off the nursery that she had decorated for their son. Molly hoped the seaside themed room, complete with singing Merpeople, crashing waves, and a flashing lighthouse, would not traumatize her first grandchild. The magical videotaping of the Battle of Hogwarts started Saturday morning as soon as the older students left for Hogsmeade. Headmistress McGonagall was a bit surprised to have the strange witch in charge of make-up unbind her hair and make her look as though she had a gash on the side of her face. The students who were to act as extras were advised to loosen their ties and untuck their pristine shirts. The male members of Dumbledore’s Army had let their beards grow that week. Both boys and girls had been told to leave their hair untidy so they would look as though they had been sleeping in hammocks. The hair and make-up crew magically altered those who failed to do this. Molly was impressed by how many members of the Order, Dumbledore’s Army, and Fred and George’s Gryffindor Quidditch Team were assembled, ready to do their part in the reenactment. The group of actors who were cast as Death Eaters, joined George, Apple, and Hagrid, carrying Harry. The defenders of Hogwarts milled around the Entrance Hall waiting to hear George speaking in Voldemort’s voice. Then they all burst through the front door and out onto the steps. There was a pause after Neville lopped the head off the pretend Nagini. All the actors and extras went to the teachers’ table end of the Great Hall to pick up boxed lunches while Nic, Steve, Lee, and Cecil readied the part of the room that was going to be used for the two duels. Everyone wished Bill, ‘Happy birthday’ and tucked into the cakes that Molly and the house-elves had baked. When the Great Hall was ready, the students and other participants, took their places. Apple, already laughing manically, stood a little away from a group of extras, waiting to begin dueling with Luna, Hermione, and Ginny. Molly stood near the entrance hall with her cloak on, waiting for Apple to aim her wand at Ginny and pretend to cast the Killing Curse. When Cecil said. ‘Action!’ she began to unfasten her cloak so she could fling it off and leap into the duel. There were no wand malfunctions this time, so Nic was happy with the first take. They reset the camera and lighting before beginning the new scene with Harry casting a Protego Spell, therefore shielding all of them from the wrath of George, as Voldemort. He and Harry had worked very hard on their duel and delivered their lines faultlessly. George attacked Harry and then watched in amazement as his Avada Kedavra rebounded on him. The Elder Wand flew high into the air and landed in the hand of its Master. Cecil said. ‘That’s a wrap.’ Everyone cheered and went back for more cake. Molly and Arthur were surprised the first time they saw Apple Glorioso without her Bellatrix Lestrange Glamour Charms. She was a rather plain looking young woman with the Black family’s dark hair and light eyes. However, her real voice was warm and throaty and immediately made them feel at ease. ‘I hope I wasn’t too abrasive as Madame Lestrange. I saw her once at a family gathering when I was a girl, and she scared me.’ Apple clutched Molly’s hand and spoke forcefully. ‘I hope you’ll tune in to my new call-in show. We’ve decided to call it ‘Maintaining the Magic in Marriage’. It’s going to be about building strong marriage partnerships and refreshing tired long term relationships.’ All Molly could do when she heard this was nod her head and mumble something about needing to go and see her children before she and Arthur returned home. She hurried away, dragging Arthur with her. Kate caught up with them and told them that she had just received an owl from Finnbar McQueen, the actor who had played the son of Lord Lyle's bastard son. He had believed Audrey Anderson’s message and returned from Perth, Australia. He and his Muggle-born girlfriend, Kerry Summers were going to be starring in Kate’s new show, Generations Yet to Come. Kerry was going to play Roana, the granddaughter of Fiona and Roderick, who falls in love with Kyle Ainsley, Junior, without realizing the identity of his grandfather. The actors who were not students left Hogwarts, so the house-elves would have time to restore the Great Hall before the rest of the students returned from Hogsmeade. Molly and Arthur hugged Ginny before they used Headmistress McGonagall’s Floo Connection to return to the Burrow. Harry and Ron were going to stay for dinner and spend a little time with their girlfriends. Nic and Kate planned to edit the finished production when Lee and Steve had added the computer graphics. As Molly and Arthur cuddled before they went to sleep, Arthur said, ‘It’s been quite a day but it brought up too many bad memories for me. I felt as helpless as I did when you were really dueling Bellatrix Lestrange, instead of the Apple look-alike. At least this time, we don’t have to take Dreamless Sleep Potion and take care of your poor cracked and blistered feet.’ Molly nodded, and then began giggling. ‘We also got quite a bit more to eat. However, I think I’ve done all the acting that I am going to do. Even if the food is good, it’s too much hard work. An actor’s life is not for me.’ ‘Unlike Pinocchio,’ said Arthur as he drifted off to sleep, leaving Molly wondering what he was mumbling about.
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