5 – 6th of May 1998

Chronology

2nd of May 1998 : Battle of Hogwart

The group left Fred's body and walked up the rows of deceased. They expressed their sorrows for everyone they had known and exchanged condolences with the families they walked past. Twice, journalists addressed Harry, wishing to interview him. The young man dryly replied that he was here to mourn his friends and not to answer questions.

At last, their painful pilgrimage came to an end and they returned to the Burrow, accompanied by Andromeda. Harry hadn't really had the occasion to take back Teddy, who had been passed from arm to arm, as if holding this promise of life helped the survivors to support the empty space left back by those that had left them.

The next morning, they met in the small graveyard of Ottery St. Catchpole, where the Weasleys buried their son. A lot of people were there. Everyone from Fred and George's year at Hogwarts were present, including Angelina Johnson collapsed in Alicia Spinnet's arms. Oliver Wood, Minerva McGonagall, people the twins had met while running their joke shop, those they had met when hiding during the Year of Darkness, members of the Order, Arthur's colleagues and Molly's acquaintances were also there. Harry was surprised to also see Fleur's parents. He appreciated the fact that they had taken the time to travel to England to show their support of their son-in-law's family. Aunt Muriel had also joined the mourning. True to herself, she walked from group to group, gossiping non-stop.

Without hesitation, Harry took his godson out of Andromeda's arms, letting the latter walk towards Ginny who was supporting her mother. Harry's heart ached when he looked at the three women united by the tragedy they had experienced.

He felt gross and clumsy in front of so much pain. He didn't know Andromeda well enough to know what to tell her, and for Molly, he felt vaguely responsible for having started the battle that had killed her son. As for Ginny...

Ever since she had told him what she had on her chest – her coldness towards him had showed how much she was mad at him –, he didn't dare have the slightest gesture of reassurance towards her. He was scared to be intrusive, to be rejected. He knew that real friends shouldn't stop just because of the risk of being rebuffed, but he didn't trust himself and was scared to just cause her more pain with words that would seem importunate to her.

Silence fell when Arthur, Bill, Charlie and George apparated into the graveyard, carrying Fred's coffin on their shoulders. They slowly let it levitate into the tomb that was waiting for him and everyone joined around the gaping hole. Lee started to talk:

"Everyone who was at Hogwarts at the same time as Fred and George simply couldn't forget their names. They were associated with the best jokes, to the biggest laughs. They were funny, but always without being mean. They managed to let the comical side of every situation come out and their puns always let even the most serious of conversations seem ridiculous.

"They also managed to show that they were more than just some old jokesters. When the ministry sent their inquisitor to Hogwarts, they decided to use their talent in an offensive manner. These last months, their shop has served as a secure base for different traffics and as a hiding place for fugitives. In parallel, they animated with me the only radio network that wasn't controlled by the ministry.

"You might be wondering why I'm also talking about George, who's still here among us. Well, because the Weasley twins have always been inseparable and it's impossible to talk about one without mentioning the other. Most of you were incapable of differentiating them. Their complicity and complementarity were their trademark. For this reason, I do not only mourn the death of my friend Fred. I also mourn the part of George that died at Hogwarts and that he'll never find again.

"Farewell, Fred. George, we'll always be there for you."

Lee grabbed a spade that was lying next to him and threw the first shovelful of earth into the tomb. He stepped back, handing the spade to Arthur Weasley so that he could repeat the action. The latter had to try several times, as his hands were shaking horribly. The whole assembly copied them, everyone waiting for their turn in silence. While the ceremony was coming to its end, Teddy suddenly started whining, bringing all attention to him. Harry quickly solved the problem by sticking his baby bottle in his mouth, completely forgetting to warm it up, which didn't seem to disturb the child. This didn't stop Aunt Muriel from complaining loudly to Mrs Delacour:

"It's a disgrace to bring such a young infant to a ceremony like this! A lack of consideration for the deceased in the family! These days, people don't know the definition of respect anymore."

"But babeez are so cute," the beautiful Apolline answered placidly.

*

There were much fewer people around the flagstone that was going to accommodate Tonks and Remus. Only the Weasleys, the members of the Order, a few Aurors, friends of Andromeda and Kingsley Shacklebolt were present.

It was the latter who spoke the funeral eulogy of the couple in his slow, baritone voice:

"For those who make do with a superficial glance, this couple could seem badly matched because of their age difference and social environment. Remus, who had become grave and serious because of his condition of werewolf, and Nymphadora, a hyperactive, clumsy and cheerful Auror... These superficial descriptions aren't enough to express what they really were. The story of her family and of his lycanthropy made them the target of prejudice and mockery. This didn't stop them from feeling greatly attached to their community. Remus engaged in fighting against You-Know-Who as soon as he left Hogwarts. Tonks chose to become an Auror. They had the same values and they got close despite everything that could have separated them. When Hogwarts called for help, none of them could stay back. They went to fight, and only the most ferocious of Death Eaters managed to stop them.

"Despite the sadness that I feel for the young orphan they left behind them, I'm happy that they could feel the joy of giving birth to a child and that they showed by this existence the faith they had in the future. The little Teddy cheered up their last weeks and I'm certain that the hope to see him grow up in a better world was the centre of their determination to take back Hogwarts."

He paused, visibly fighting against his emotions. After having cleared his throat, he continued:

"A wizard and a witch of merit left us. They'll be missed by Teddy; they'll be missed by Andromeda; they'll be missed by their friends. We'll all keep in ourselves the image of Remus's modest courage, of his sense of duty and selflessness. We'll keep in mind the laughs that were created by the girl who called herself Tonks. Under her blunders and clumsiness was hiding a discreet humour, a surprising lucidity and a professionalism that earned her the respect of her colleagues.

"Farewell Remus. Farewell Tonks."

As for Fred in the morning, it was the public that buried the two corpses. Once again, Mrs Weasley insisted to Andromeda to stay with them after the ceremony. But Teddy's grandmother, rigid from keeping in her grief, declined the invitation and preferred to go home. Molly nevertheless managed to convince her to let them keep the baby so that she could rest a little.

When they arrived back at the Burrow, it was five o'clock in the evening. Harry suggested to Ron and Hermione to go and sit down in the garden. While his friends were preparing to follow him, he tried to meet Ginny's eyes to include her in his invitation. But she had dropped into an armchair, looking into space, Crookshanks on her lap. She visibly didn't want to talk to anyone at all. Harry gave up on trying to solicit her.

They sat down on the grass, spreading Teddy's blanket on the floor and letting him lie on it. Harry plucked a poppy out of the grass and waved it above the baby who tried to catch it, laughing.

"I've been reading the news lately," declared Hermione. "Should I give you a summary of what's being said?"

"Why not?" answered Harry, while Ron was lifting his head, interested.

"Prepare yourself to be considered as a powerful wizard, Harry," she warned him. "I don't think a lot of people understood this story of a protection left by your mother, and everyone is persuaded that it's only due to your powerful magic that you managed to send back Voldemort's spell."

"Fantastic," groaned Harry, tickling the baby's nose with his flower.

"Let's not complain about it," replied Hermione. "They also didn't understand much of your speech about the Elder Wand, and that's definitely a good thing. The official version is that with a simple Expelliarmus, you can drive away even the most powerful of jinxes. That's not too bad. Just think that now, no one'll ever dare to use curses on you."

"If it permits me to be left in peace, I won't ask more," admitted Harry.

"The Daily Prophet wrote a beautiful front page about yesterday's ceremony," she continued, showing him the article.

On the main picture, you could see Harry listening to Kingsley and McGonagall's speech. He had Teddy on his lap and Andromeda was sitting next to him, her black veil covering her face. The title proclaimed: Harry Potter, alongside the widow and the orphan.

"Should I laugh or cry about it?" wondered Harry. "Hey, Teddy! How does it feel to be famous?"

As an answer, the little boy sneezed.

"Let's say that it could've been worse. Imagine the title saying Harry Potter and his hidden son," commented Ron. "At least, that Rita bitch kept her Quick Quotes Quill out of the story."

"I also found an extremely bizarre tale of our visit to Gringotts," continued Hermione.

"I always wonder why people can't stop themselves from exaggerating!" cried out Harry who considered his life worse than an adventure novel.

"You don't have any journalistic sense," his female friend reproached fondly. "Telling people that the dragon didn't even notice that we were on his back doesn't make any sense. Describing it spitting flames and trying to throw us off its back is a lot more sensational."

"Do they know what we were looking for?" worried the Boy Who Lived.

"No, they get lost in guess work. Some hypotheses are funny and others are, well, less funny. The Prophet is wondering whether Voldemort himself was possibly hiding in the underground vaults of Gringotts, which implies that the goblins rallied themselves to him. They never miss an occasion to put non-humans down."

Both boys grimaced at the same time.

"I'm happy that Kingsley Shacklebolt is our new minister," Hermione tried to look on the bright side. "He's very open towards other species and maybe he'll manage to bring change to the way they're being treated."

"It's time to do something for the house elves," said Ron, very obviously sucking up to her.

"Don't try too hard, Ron," Hermione advised him sarcastically, nevertheless leaning herself affectionately on his arm, to the young man's satisfaction.

While tickling Teddy's stomach, Harry turned away and looked at the house, his thoughts returning to Ginny. He worried: would she one day ever consider him as someone she was close to again? He could still hear her last accusatory sentence in his head: Because if that's how you're going to treat me, I don't even want to be your friend!

What could he do to let things arrange between them? He wondered where the book about how to talk to women – the one that Ron had given him to his birthday – was. Probably still in his friend's bedroom, he concluded, as it wasn't very likely that Hermione had considered it important to take along. It was probably still exactly there where he had left it ten months ago. He considered going and looking for it when he saw Bill and Charlie exit the Burrow and walk into their direction.

"Can we talk to you, Ron?" asked Bill.

"Of course," answered the latter in a surprised tone. "I'll see you later," he told his friends, standing up.

They walked a dozen meters away and were soon immersed in a very serious discussion, judging by the looks on their faces.

"So what's going on between you and Ginny?" Hermione asked Harry, who grimaced, annoyed by her acuteness.

"Is there supposed to be anything going on between us?" he tried to skip the question.

"Oh come on, I've noticed she's always avoiding you," continued Hermione without letting herself be discouraged.

"She just lost her brother, it's normal that she gets closer to her family," improvised Harry.

Hermione didn't answer, and Harry concluded that she wasn't any more convinced by the explanation than he was.

"I don't know what she wants from me," he ended up by sighing. "She's mad at me and I don't know what to tell her."

"I think she just wants you to apologise for not agreeing with her when her mother tried to stop her from participating in the battle. And that you recognise that she fought well and that she was right to think that her place was with the Hogwarts defenders."

"I can't tell her that. I hated seeing her fight against Bellatrix. She could've died."

"I also fought and I also could've died, but that doesn't stop you from sleeping at night."

"But you're very talented at magic!"

"So is she, Harry. She's very good at duelling; she's already proven it to you two years ago at the Ministry."

"But she's underage!"

"So is Luna. Despite that, she overcame her imprisonment at Malfoy Manor and she fought in the battle without you worrying about it."

"It's not the same thing," replied Harry, wondering how to end the discussion.

"The only difference is that you're not in love with me or with Luna."

Harry didn't find anything to answer to this argument. Teddy, probably thinking that he was being ignored, started to whimper, and the young man used the occasion to turn away and to take him into his arms.

"She had to support the solicitude of six older brothers, Harry," Hermione insisted with tenacity. "She had to fight to impose herself, to play Quidditch, to show what she was really worth. What she needs is someone that lets her live her life without interfering and who is proud of her qualities, instead of blaming her for them or pretending they don't exist."

"I don't pretend they don't exist," Harry answered, offended.

"She broke up with Michael Corner because he was mad at her for winning at Quidditch, she broke up with Dean because he spent his time overprotecting her," Hermione reminded him, ruthless. "It's up to you to see what you're ready to do to let her stay with you."

She dropped down on her back to look at the sky, letting him think about her words. Harry, who didn't really feel like ruminating his friend's advice, started to clean Teddy's diaper, which was once again completely soaked. He was just finishing dressing him again when Ron joined them, his expression grave. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk, and they stayed there in silence until Molly came to ask them to dress the table.

*

Arthur, who had returned to the ministry with Percy after the Lupin's funeral, resumed them the current situation while they were eating dinner.

"The wand shortage is almost over," he declared with visible relief. "We found the place where the stolen ones were stored. They've all been labelled, which will considerably help us to redistribute them to their true owners. We can also use those whose owners died during the last year as well as those confiscated from the remaining Death Eaters that were arrested on the battlefield. All of these wands have been entrusted to Ollivander who has now reopened his shop. You'll be able to go there as soon as tomorrow, Hermione."

Harry wondered who was going to inherit of Fred's wand.

"In parallel," Arthur continued, "we'll import some from France and England for the start of the school year."

"About that, Mr Weasley," asked Hermione, "Kingsley Shacklebolt mentioned an undercover school, yesterday. What was he talking about?"

"At the beginning of the school year, when a big part of the students couldn't go back to Hogwarts due to their muggle ancestry, one of the parents decided to teach his daughter himself. He thought of letting other children with the same situation come as well, and through mostly mouth-to-ear, a considerable number of parents managed to send him their children through illegal portkeys. That's how Mr Brocklehurst found himself with a good fifty students."

"Why couldn't I go?" protested Ginny.

"They couldn't contact me as I was being watched precisely, and later you couldn't leave from Aunt Muriel's," answered her father calmly. "It was too risky considering your brothers' activities."

"Yeah, everyone was allowed to take risks except me," groaned Ginny.

Hermione threw Harry a significant look, who pretended not to have seen anything.

"Your parents told me this morning that they'll organise a transport back for all the families they took in charge at their arrival in France," continued Arthur, turning to Fleur.

"The Delacours hosted English wizards?" asked Harry, surprised.

"A lot of people underestimated the danger here and were hesitating to leave everything for the unknown," explained Mr Weasley. "Mr Delacour offered us his help by offering to find a home and a job for those we'd send to him. We organised the portkeys and Victor and Apolline did the rest."

"Grand-papa deed ze same at ze time of Grindelwald," commented Fleur, shrugging her shoulders as if it was a perfectly natural thing to do.

Arthur concluded his presentation by complaining about the difficulty they were having to catch the Snatchers who had done so much harm.

"The problem is that they were acting separately from the Ministry and we don't have any kinds of official lists. We only have testimonials of others that have recognised them."

"Isn't that enough?" wondered Hermione.

"Not everyone is reliable. We've been receiving tons of anonymous letters denouncing people as fervent Death Eaters, even though they were in Azkaban during that time or even fought on our side at Hogwarts. At the ministry, it's not a lot simpler. We can only imprison those who actively contributed to the application of laws of blood purity. Those who were in unconcerned services, even if they declared themselves very favourable to the new systems, won't be submitted to trial."

"Why not?" asked Harry.

"Because a democratic movement can't arrest people only for their opinions," answered Hermione. "We can only judge acts. It maybe feels unfair, but the contrary would be even worse."

The whole family meditated these words in silence during dessert.

*

After dinner, Harry brought Teddy back to Andromeda's house. She kissed her grandson and hugged him tight, thanking Harry to look after him so well.

"I just want to give him what I didn't get," stammered Harry.

"It's a great comfort for me to know that you're there for him," she assured him. "Well, it's time to bring this young lad to bed," she concluded, and went off to the bedroom, while Harry went back to the chimney.

Back at the Burrow, he tried in vain to discreetly talk to Ginny, but the young girl was always in the company of some other family member, and Harry had no occasions to take her aside to talk to her alone.

Ever since his discussion with his brothers, Ron hadn't lost his concerned look. Harry was about to question him while they were going to bed, when his friend asked suddenly:

"Would you be mad at me if I didn't go back to Hogwarts with you?"

Harry thought for a few seconds before answering:

"It's not up to me to decide whether or not you need to get your NEWTs."

"That's not what's really important," sighed Ron, buttoning his pyjama robe absentmindedly.

"What is really important?"

"We're worried about George," said Ron gravely. "It would be better if he restarted some kind of occupation instead of staying... like that."

George, apathetic and unrecognisable, seemed to hardly realise what was going on around him. Rather on the contrary, everyone else worked hard to not drown in their sorrow: Mr Weasley and Percy bestirred themselves with work at the Ministry, Molly supported Andromeda and helped Harry to look after Teddy. Bill and Charlie dedicated themselves to rebuilding Hogwarts and Ron made stupid jokes to not let himself be put down. As for Ginny, she accepted without begrudging all housekeeping chores that her mother gave her.

"You're going to look after him," guessed Harry.

"Bill and Charlie are convinced that I'm the best person to help George in his shop," confirmed Ron. "And we think that the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is the only thing that can pull him out of his depression."

"I agree with them," said Harry after having thought for a moment. "Are you hesitating to do it?"

"I also think it's the best solution, and I didn't really want to go back to Hogwarts anyways. What's tormenting me is what Hermione is going to say about it."

Harry shrugged. He had no idea how their friend was going to react and he couldn't reassure Ron on this point.

*

When Ron and Harry descended to the kitchen the next morning, only Hermione was already there. Harry pretended to decide to go and shower while the bathroom was still free and left them to themselves. When he came back, Hermione wasn't there anymore and Ron was finishing his breakfast in the company of Ginny. While the young girl walked to the sink to wash her bowl, Harry leaned to his friend and whispered:

"And?"

"She assured me that she trusts me to decide what's best for George and me," he replied in a whisper, visibly relieved.

Harry was happy for him, but at the same time a little uneasy about the idea that he was supposed to say the same thing to Ginny. The young girl was currently walking back towards them and asked:

"What are all these whispers for?"

"I decided to go work with George instead of going back to school this year."

Ginny raised an eyebrow:

"Have you told Mom yet?"

"No."

"Good luck, then!" she told him sarcastically before leaving the kitchen without even looking at Harry.

"Thanks for offering me your help!" groaned Ron as she left.

Harry fixed the young girl's back, thinking that for him, it wouldn't be quite easy either.

*

They met the girls in the living room half an hour later. Hermione proposed:

"Do you want to come along to Diagon Alley? I need to get a new wand."

Harry and Ron accepted immediately. Ginny seemed to hesitate, but Hermione insisted:

"You need to go out for a bit. I'm sure your mom would agree."

Ginny threw a look to the pile of washing to iron that was lying at the end of the sofa and agreed. Hermione went to inform Mrs Weasley of their project and, ten minutes later, they were exiting the Leaky Cauldron's chimney one after the other.

They passed the separation wall and stopped for a moment to contemplate the view that offered itself to them. The change since their last visit was surprising. A big portion of the shops had reopened, even if their displays didn't have the usual opulence. A happy crowd was walking around, people were calling to each other, and friends were falling into each other's arms.

The four friends joined the crowd, happy to plunge into the overall jubilation. Many people they didn't know addressed them in the middle of the street, just for the simple joy of sharing their happiness at first, until their spontaneity changed into ecstasy when they recognised Harry. The Boy Who Lived was drowning under congratulations, claps on the back and proposals to get free drinks in a bar. He only just managed to avoid being raised on an enthusiast's shoulder to be carried down the streets in triumph.

"Look on the bright side of things," Ron whispered. "You'll never pay for a Butterbeer in your life again."

Harry smiled mechanically, wondering whether he'll ever be able to stroll around peacefully in the wizarding world. Finally, they arrived at Ollivander's. A long line was blocking the entry to the shop. All those that had had the misfortune to lose or break their wands since the artisan's kidnapping were now waiting to get a new one. The four friends settled down at the end of the line, resigned to wait for their turn.

"Oh look, it's Harry Potter!" shouted the woman right in front of them. "Thank you so much for what you've done."

"Hello," said Harry politely.

"So you also need a wand, I see? Oh, go in front of me, please. I owe you that."

"Actually," started Harry, "it's my friend who..."

"Thank you very much," Ron interrupted him, pushing his friend in the back.

They went up the whole queue in the same way, no one wanting to let the grand Harry Potter wait. In less than a minute, they were in front of the door.

"There are a lot of people inside," whispered Hermione. "We won't all fit in there. You coming, Ron?"

She let her boyfriend in before her and closed the door to the two others' nose. To avoid having to explain himself to all the people that had let him skip the line, Harry pulled Ginny towards the alley that separated the shop from the one next door.

Ginny cast him a dark look, visibly unhappy to be alone with him.

"Ginny..." started Harry.

Seeing that she was briskly walking away, he caught her arm and shouted:

"Ginny, wait! I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?" she snapped.

Harry decided to trust in what Hermione had said. In what concerned feminine psychology, she had always known everything a lot better than him. He started:

"Sorry that I didn't understand your place was at Hogwarts. I only thought about myself. Please forgive me."

For the first time in three days, Ginny looked into his eyes.

"Do you really think what you're saying?"

"I... I know that I can't decide anything for you."

She fixed him intensely and he feared for a moment that she didn't think he was sincere. But finally she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with passion. Immensely relieved, he lifted his arms to hug her tight when she stepped back and told him fiercely:

"You know you're the first one to ever tell me that?"

Before he could answer, she had already pressed her lips on his.

*

They kissed with passion for a moment, then Ginny simply stayed cuddled up in his arms, eager for tenderness. To be left in peace, they decided to stay in the shadow and to stroll along the small alley that passed behind the shops.

While they were walking around Gringotts hand in hand, a stubby silhouette jumped at Harry, who narrowly avoided him by jumping to the side. He drew his wand, pushing Ginny behind him.

"Griphook!" he shouted, recognising his attacker.

"Here you are, thief!" snared the goblin.

"I'm not a thief!" protested Harry.

At this moment, Ginny walked forwards next to Harry, giving him a kick in the calf. Harry was about to tell her to hide behind him, but he realised in time that he couldn't fight to enemies at once. He decided to arrange his disagreement with the bank employee first.

"It's you who broke the terms of our contract!" rebelled Harry. "You fled with the sword while we were still in the vault. I really had the intention to give it to you later," he assured.

"Liar! You enchanted it to make it disappear!" yelled the furious goblin.

"Not at all," snarled Harry who was starting to get pissed. "I didn't know about this enchantment. But we almost died because of you!"

"You'll pay for this," spat Griphook, stepping forwards.

"Stay where you are," Ginny ordered him, pointing her wand at him.

"Tell your female not to meddle with this," retorted the goblin with arrogance, speaking to Harry.

The latter didn't even have the time to answer. An immense Bat-Bogey hex flew past him to melt down on his aggressor. Ginny pulled him back and they ran away without turning back. They arrived back in Diagon Alley out of breath and plunged into the crowd to stop the goblin to find them.

"Thanks," panted Harry.

"Please try to avoid placing yourself in front of your female like a brave knight," replied Ginny. "It tends to annoy me, and next time the Bat-Bogey hex is for you."

"I'll try to remember that," Harry assured her with sincerity, as his calf was still hurting.

"D'you recon Ron and Hermione are still at Ollivander's?" wondered Ginny.

"No idea. In any case, I don't think they'll complain about a bit of time together."

They were interrupted by a man with a notebook in his hand.

"Mr Potter, would you accept to answer a few questions for the Prophet?"

"No," he answered promptly. "I need to head on."

He walked away quickly, followed by Ginny.

"Should I cast him a jinx?" she offered.

"No thanks, it would make a lot of fuss and I don't really want that to happen," he tempered.

"We can only go home, then," she sighed.

"Yes, I really prefer your mom's supervision to this!"

"I never thought I'd say this, but me too. I'm looking forward to being back at Hogwarts!"

*

Molly was probably either very absentminded or very worried about her daughter's mood, as she sent both of them hang the washing at the back of the garden. Isolated by the big sheet they had decided to hang first, the chore was less unpleasant than they could've imagined and took a lot more time than it should have. But no one thought of blaming them for it.

Hermione and Ron came back just before lunch, looking satisfied, which led Harry to think that they too had really appreciated their time alone. Once the meal was over, while Harry, Ginny and Hermione cleared the table, Ron planted himself in front of George.

"All the shops have reopened in Diagon Alley," he told him blankly. "We're doing the same with yours this afternoon."

"The Weasley Wizards don't exist anymore," answered his brother laconically.

"Fred put a lot of effort into creating them. I refuse to see them disappear just because you don't want to look after them."

"It doesn't concern you. It's my shop."

"And Fred's. You were maybe his twin, but I was his brother and I have my word to say. I don't want all we have left of him to disappear just like this."

Harry, Hermione and Ginny had interrupted their work. Molly had abandoned her washing-up and had turned around, her wand raised just in case, forgetting her sink that was starting to overflow in the general disinterest. Charlie, who had eaten lunch with them, stepped in:

"Ron's right, George. The best way to honour Fred's memory is to continue to sell the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products. I'll come with you."

He walked forwards and placed his hand softly on his brother's shoulder. George stayed motionless before slowly raising his head to his older brother:

"I don't know if I'll have the strength to do it," he whispered.

"You won't be alone," Charlie reminded him affectionately. "We're all there. The whole family is with you."

He and Ron made him stand up and pushed him gently to the chimney.

__________________________________________________

Chat with J.K. Rowling, 30th of July 2007

o Ron joined George at Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, which became an enormous money-spinner.