The priest had long since walked from the gravesite, yet the entire Potter family still stood around the hole in the earth. Two, impossibly small, emerald green boxes were laid in the ground. A smattering of dirt covered each of them. 

James and Albus both stood between their parents in black pants and button-ups. Lily was holding her father's hand. She was wearing a black dress with white sleeves. Harry was in black pants, a white button-up shirt with a black tie. 

"Daddy," Lily said softly. 

Harry looked startled and peered down at her. "What is it Lils?"

She just pointed to his right hand, which was still holding a handful of the brown earth. "You didn't drop it."

Harry looked down at the caked dirt that had seemed to mold into his palm. "You're right."

Harry stepped up to the grave and dropped the handful with a heavy thunk. They all watched Harry stand there for a moment. Ginny was running her hand over James' hair. She was wearing a back dress with a tie around the middle and short sleeves. 

Ginny had wept hours before they came to the graveyard. She cried before they woke the children and explained what happened to the twins. She didn't weep now as they stood burying the twins.

Albus stood between his brother and sister. He was holding both of their hands, normally he would have begun to squirm from sitting still this long, but he could tell that his parents were sad, he was sad too, but this was something that Albus wouldn't understand for quite some time. 

Harry stepped away from the hole and placed three of his fingers to his lips. He then brought those fingers down and placed them on top of the marble gravestone that bore the twins' names.

Ginny sighed loudly, "All right, who's hungry, we're going out to lunch today."

The family began to walk but James stayed in the same place. "What about Nana and Papa?" He demanded. 

Ginny opened her mouth to respond but Harry was already making his way towards James and placed and fleeting hand on her shoulder. Ginny nodded. 

"All right, come on you two. Daddy and James will meet us at the car." Ginny led Albus and Lily away leaving Harry and James alone. 

Harry knelt down so he was eye level with his oldest son. "James-"

"We always visit Nana and Papa!" James cut him off. 

"I know," Harry said. "I know we do, but today we're saying goodbye to Cassiopeia and Cepheus. We can go visit Nana and Papa at any time. Just not today."

"Why not?"

"Because, everyone is really sad, especially your mum. Today we need to be with the people who are alive and with us." Harry explained gently. 

James nodded and poked at the ground with his foot. 

"But, is it really means that much to you then we can come visit them tomorrow. Just you and me." Harry continued. 

"You promise?" James asked. 

"Yes, J, I promise." 

The Potters sat in a mostly deserted restaurant eating fancy sandwiches and mac and cheese. Ginny kept sipping at her water and spent most of the meal watching her kids. 

"Are your brothers going to be mad?" Harry asked. "Because they weren't invited to the funeral?"

"No," Ginny answered. "Mum will tell them why."

(One Week Earlier)

"This is a family matter!" Mrs. Weasley cried exasperated. "The entire family ought to be allowed to attend if they wish!"

"Family matter my arse!" Ginny shot back. "This involves no one but, me, Harry, and our children!"

"Those were my grandbabies! I think I should be able to be at their funeral along with your siblings!"

Ginny took a long deep breath and stared at her mother menacingly. "Two living children died before they were even born two weeks ago. THEY DIED INSIDE OF ME! Their mother! Has that ever happened to you mum? Eh, has it?"

Ginny was angry. Her eyes were wide and her lips curled in a terrifying sneer. Mrs. Weasley's face flushed and she looked taken aback at her daughter's abrasive manner.

"No!" Ginny screamed answering her own question. "It hasn't! First, you have Bill, then without blinking an eye you have Charlie. Then Percy, then Fred and George. You wanted a daughter so bad you didn't stop. You have Ron and then you have me! But none of that matters not to you! You have seven perfectly healthy babies and children. YET you have the audacity to impose of my dead children's funeral that I have already asked you not to attend MULTIPLE TIMES!"

Mrs. Weasley looked close to tears now. Her face had drained of all it's color when Ginny said the number seven.

"Fred is dead," She choked out.

"You think I don't know that!" Ginny screeched. 

Harry flinched rustling the newspaper in his hands loudly. He was in the sitting room trying to ignore the raging argument between his wife and mother-in-law. 

Mr. Wealsey was on the front lawn with their kids animatedly explaining the function of a microwave.  A prospect which the children found highly entertaining because Ginny and Harry only ever used their wands to reheat food.

Ginny wasn't done. "During the war the only person closer to Fred than me was George. So don't talk to me like I don't know that my big brother is dead. Buried in our yard! Believe me, mother, Fred, and my deceased children have been frequent visitors in my nightmares!"

This was news to Harry.

"Ginny, listen," Mrs. Weasly spoke her voice calm but shaky. "I know this is hard-"

Ginny scoffed loudly. "Hard? No, Mum! Playing Quidditch is hard! This is suffocating. I don't think you understand the lengths to which I would go to get my children back. I've already killed people. Everyone in this damn family is a fucking murderer. I would kill a thousand times over is meant I could have my babies."

"Ginerva Molly Weasley!" 

"Don't deny it! I watched you murder Bellatrix Lestrange. You killed her for me! I would do the bloody same!" Ginny's eyes were a raging inferno. "And it's Potter. Not Weasley." She spat.

Harry was no longer trying to hide the fact that he was listening to the argument. He was looking at Ginny in slight shock. Tears fell from Ginny's eyes but her face remained stony. 

"Fine," Mrs. Weasley sighed, defeated. "We won't come."

"Good," Ginny shot back. 

Then turning on her heel Ginny stormed from the kitchen, marched outside, and hurled herself into the passenger seat of the car. But before she had slammed the door Ginny had heard Mrs. Weasley's sobs emitting from the kitchen. 

(Back to Present Time)

The Potter's arrived back home in a somber manner. The children went to change out of their stuffy funeral clothing and play. 

Ginny stood at the kitchen sink gazing out the window lost in thought. A glass was sitting on the counter waiting to be filled. Harry walked behind Ginny and wrapped his arms around her waist. His chest was pressed against her back. Ginny placed her hands over Harry's. His fingers were intertwined over her stomach. 

"Are you going to work from home this week too?" He asked quietly.

Ginny felt Harry's words tickle her earlobe. "Yeah, I think I'm going to for a while."

"Okay," Harry nodded. "I miss you at lunch. Eating with Hermione is boring."

Ginny gave a small laugh. "That woman and her work." 

Harry's lips were resting on the side of Ginny's neck. He could smell the warming scent of her perfume. It was the expensive kind he had bought her for her birthday last year. 

"I love you," He whispered.

"And I love you," Ginny said back.

*****************************************

James barged into the study where Ginny was scratching out an article. Ginny looked up at him in surprise. He was wearing his trainers and a jumper. Albus and Lily were standing just outside the door dressed in a similar fashion.  

"It's Friday!" James stated. "You said we were going to the park on Friday!"

Ginny sighed and looked down at her sweat pants and hoodie. "Give me a minute."

After what was more than a minute Ginny was dressed wither hair styled and makeup applied. She pulled down her own coat and grabbed her handbag. 

The playground was only a few blocks from where they lived so as soon as it was in sight of James and Albus they raced off to play. Lily held tight to her mother's hand until they reached the sand laid play space. 

Ginny watched her children run around gleeful to be somewhere other than their backyard. In her peripheral vision, Ginny saw two young boys race onto the playground. They were chased after by their laughing father who had a white cotton bandage over his left hand. 

Ginny found their presence unimportant. She knew her wand was ready in a moments notice if she were to need it. Albus and Lily were now both trying to push James on the swingset. She smiled as the pair of them strained their muscles pushing on their older brothers back. 

There was a thump as the mother of the two boys sat on the opposite end of the bench Ginny was occupying. 

"I used to think being famous was so amazing." The woman spoke. 

Ginny turned her head so quickly that she felt her neck crick. "Luna."

"Hey, Gin," Luna said gently, sliding over.

Ginny fell into Luna's embrace quickly. "What are you doing here?" She asked. 

"I heard about the babies," Luna responded. 

Ginny felt her stomach drop and her eyes began to burn. "How?"

"Rolf thought that it would be smart to stick his hand in one of his creature's mouths," Luna explained. "I heard some healers talking about you and Harry while they were fixing his palm."

"I hate being famous," Ginny muttered. 

"Me too." Luna agreed, rubbing Ginny's back. "I'm so sorry Ginny. It's terrible what happened to you."

Ginny didn't realize she had started crying. "It's okay. I'm going to be okay." She wiped her eyes.

"I think it is so awful that no matter what we do. No matter how hard we fight, people still die." Luna explained. "We have already lost so much, it just isn't fair."

"It's not fair." Ginny sniffed. "But we fought for a reason. Our children, they won't have to see the threstrals. We see them so they don't have to."

"I'd never thought about it like that," Luna said. They both turned to watch their kids running around, oblivious to the heartache meer meters from them. "We bear it so they never will."

"You didn't have to come to Godric's Hollow to see me," Ginny said. "An owl would have sufficed."

"I owl could never suffice," Luna responded immediately. "You were my first friend Ginny. You mean to much to me to just write a letter."

"That- that means a lot, Luna. Thank you." Ginny whispered. She grabbed hold on Luna's hand and held it tight.

"Ginny, I don't care what hour it is or what you need, I'll always be here for you. Life is determined to keep us down, but we can't let that happen. If you need anything please don't hesitate to write. Because Ginny I love you. You supported me through a lot when we were at school. Now it's my turn, let me support you."

Ginny gave one of her first real grins in weeks. "Thank you, Luna. I could live a hundred lives and not deserve your friendship."

"That's not true." Luna smiled. "Everyone deserves a friend."

Meanwhile in the Ministry of Magic Harry was sitting alone at his desk in his empty office staring down at a blank piece of parchment. He had a freshly dipped quill hanging over the smooth surface. His mind was elsewhere. Harry gazed at the yellowing paper with his eyes unfocused.

His left hand was supporting his head. Harry was so deep in thought he didn't hear the pounding footsteps coming nearer to his office. 

Ron slammed his door open and kicked the side of Harry's desk. The ink well fell over and black liquid quickly seeped all over the papers on Harry's desk. 

"For the love of Merlin Ron!" Harry shouted awakening from his stupor. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Come with me," Ron replied ignoring Harry's question. 

"What?" Harry said as Ron grabbed his arm and began to drag him through the door. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"We're dueling," Ron answered shortly. 

Harry wrenched his arm away from Ron's grasp. "What on earth would we be dueling?"

"Because," Ron said sharply turning around to face Harry. "You, need to wake, the fuck, up!"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Harry stated clearly confused.

"You can not go back to the place you went after the war. I can't let that happen. I see the signs, Harry. I see that you're falling apart. I don't know what else to do. I can't lose you. I can't my best friend. Not again. So we're dueling."

Harry was shocked. He didn't think he was crawling back into himself as he did before. Too many thoughts were churning around in his head as Ron lead him through the Ministry and took them to Grimwald Place.

"Two rules," Ron said as they walked into the already empty kitchen. "No unforgivables, and no disarming."

"That doesn't make sense," Harry said as Ron walked across the kitchen. 

"It doesn't have to," Ron replied pulling out his wand.

Harry responded instinctually and was clutching his wand tightly in front of him in a blur of movement. 

 Ron acted first. He sent a ball of white light careening towards Harry. Then they were lost. The only thing that mattered was the spells. Harry shot a stunning spell at Ron who flew backward into a wall. 

Ron's shoulder caught fire from Harry's Incendio spell. He quickly stamped it out his other arm and responded with Confringo which sent chunks of cement from the wall flying. 

Harry didn't know how much time had passed. He was exhausted and enraged. The room was filled with smoke and smelt of blood and singed hair. 

"Stop! STOP!" Harry shouted waving his arms. 

Ron instantly bent over with hands on his knees breathing heavily. 

Harry was also panting. "You made your point."

Ron looked down at the boils covering his calf. "I don't remember dueling being this taxing."

Harry gave a grunt that was supposed to be a laugh as he passed his wand over the array of scratches over his face. "We're not teenagers anymore."

"I need to cut back on the carbs," Ron said patting his stomach. "You feel any better?"

"How did you know to do that?" Harry asked. 

"I've known you for almost twenty years. Harry Potter, you live for an adrenaline surge." Ron said. 

"Why aren't you worried about Ginny?" 

"I am! But Ginny is different. We just need to give her continual support. Hermione's words, not mine. You just needed to snap out of it. Grief is terrible, and it's going to take as long as it's going to take. But, I know how to help you feel better." Ron explained as he repaired the walls. 

"Does that include the stinging jinx?"

"It always includes the stinging jinx." Ron nodded. Checking his watch he winced. "Damnit! I need to get home. Listen, call me tomorrow. Or call Hermione, she's been worried too."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. He was rubbing his elbow which large welts were covering.

Ron pulled on his undamaged coat and quickly left the dust-coated house and apparated to his own. The windows were glowing with warm light. Ron saw Hermione carrying Hugo, who was wrapped in a blue bath towel, into his room. 

Ron walked upstairs to change out of his slightly charred shirt and ripped trousers before Hermione saw. But he stopped to watch Rose in her room. She was singing to herself and coloring an owl in her picture book. 

 Ron leaned against the doorway while Rose made the owl's feathers bright pink. Unfourtantly, Hermione walked back out into the halls with Hugo now in his nightclothes and resting on her hip. 

"What happened to you!" She gasped. 

Ron flinched and turned around guiltily. "You told me to help Harry feel better."

"So you lit each other on fire?" She cried.

"No!" Ron shot back. He looked down at his feet. "We dueled."

"Oh for the love of Merlin," Hermione sighed under her breath. She set Hugo down. "Go play with your sister, Mummy needs to talk to your Dad."

Ron walked into his eyes downcast. Hermione followed him and closed the door. Ron turned to face her bracing for the worst.

Hermione's features softened and melted into a smile. "You're a bloody genius."

Shell shocked Ron stood still as Hermione enveloped him in a hug. He squeezed her back as she pecked him on the lips.,

"Dueling," Hermione muttered to herself. "Why hadn't I thought of that?"

"So you're not mad?" Ron asked peeling of his burnt shit and balling it up. 

"Well, normally I would be furious with you, but, dueling, what better thing than to help Harry," Hermione explained in broken increments, she looked as if she was in deep thought. 

"Well, I wasn't exactly keen on it. Harry did battle Voldemort four times. So I was only slightly concerned about being murdered." Ron joked.

Hermione gave a small laugh as she pulled her hair up into the messy bun that drove Ron crazy. "Ron, I love you, but you need to shower. Immediately."

Ron took a sniff at his own arm and gave an overexaggerated grimace. "Yeah."

Half an hour later Ron stepped out of the steamy bathroom with dripping hair. Hermione was sitting on the bed reading one of her muggle novels. 

Ron dressed in a pair of joggers and a shirt. He crawled onto the bed next to Hermione. Ron leaned on his elbow facing her, watching as Hermione's eyes quickly flicked over the page at lightning speed. He found it impossible that she could read so quickly and yet absorbed all of the information. 

They were interrupted by a squeaking of the door. Rose and Hugo rushed into the bedroom stopping at the door of the bed. 

"Mummy?" Rose asked sweetly. "Will you read us a story?"

She and Hugo made big eyes at their parents with their lips stuck out. Hermione gave a laugh disguised as a sigh as she put her book on her bedside table.

"Yes, I will read you a story." She smiled. Rose and Hugo let out cries of delight. "Rosie, will you go get that book by my earrings? The thin flat one?"

Rose bounced arose the room to retrieve the book her mother requested as Hugo scaled the large bed and plopped down into Ron's lap. 

Hermione sat with her legs folded underneath her as she opened the book searching for a particular title. Rose mimicked her mother's posture as she settled between Ron and Hermione. 

Hermione cleared her throat. "The Tale of the Three Brothers."

Ron looked up his eyes twinkling. Rose looked perplexed, she had never heard this story before. Hugo was just excited to be reading a story with his entire family. 

"Three brothers, traveling along a lonely, winding road at midnight," Hermione winked at Ron. He smiled at the inside joke. "reached a deep treacherous river where anyone who attempted to swim or wade would drown. Learned in the magical arts, the brothers conjured a bridge with their wands and proceed to cross."

"Like you!" Rose interrupted. "You can do magic!"

"Yes, we can. So will you." Ron smiled running an affectionate hand over her hair. "But listen to the story."

Hermione gave Ron an appreciative smile as she continued. "Halfway through the bridge, a hooded figure stood before them. The figure was the enraged spirit of Death, cheated of his due. Death cunningly pretended to congratulate them and proceeds to award them with gifts of their own choosing."

Hermione bit her lip before continuing. She hadn't thought of the day she had last read this aloud before she had started reading it to her children. 

"The eldest brother, a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. Death granted his wish by fashioning the Elder Wand from a branch of a nearby elder tree standing on the banks of the river. The second brother, an arrogant man, chose to further humiliate death, and asked for the power to recall the deceased from the grave. Death granted his wish by crafting the Ressurection Stone from a stone picked from the riverbank. The third and youngest brother, who was the most humble and wise, did not trust Death and asked for something to enable him to go forth without Death being able to follow. A reluctant Death, most unwillingly, handed over a part his own Invisibility Cloak."

Hermione continued reading history. Rose listened with wide eyes, enthralled with the tale. Once Hermione finished she and Ron shivered in synch, both remembering the events that had followed the finishing of this story when they were seventeen. 

Hermione rubbed her forearm which bore her Mudblood scar. Ron placed his hand over hers.

"Is that true?" Rose questioned. 

"You bet your broomstick it is," Ron replied. "At one point your Uncle Harry had all three."

"What!" Rose exclaimed. "Does that make Uncle Harry Death?"

"No," Ron laughed shaking his head.

"He still has the cloak and the wand." Hermione nodded closing the book.

"Just don't tell your cousins," Ron warned. "I do not want to be responsible for the Potter house being raided."

Hermione smiled at the joke. "All right, you two. It's off to bed."

Ron kissed the top of Hugo's head and Rose's and Hermione lead them to their bedrooms to tuck them in. When she returned she crawled under the sheets and cuddled close to Ron's chest. 

"I'm not sure I like that story." She whispered. 

"Then we'll just read them Babbity Rabbity next time," Ron whispered back.

*************************************************************************

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 
UPDATE!

It has been a minute. 

Sorry, it took me a while to get this out my Volleyball and Swim training both started recently so I have been exhausted. 

But, there are two more planned chapters coming up! So hold tight and they should be here soon! (don't hold me to that tho)

So, I'm making another HP related book, (surprise, surprise! i have a problem) it's going to be a marauder's one-shot book. It's called pavement, if and when you read it the blurb will explain the title.

Just saying when I wrote it I thought I was clever as shit.

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed! 

BYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEE!

See you next time Loves!

💚💜😌😌