Heart of Gold, Heart of Stone (Post-War)

Chapter Three

Most mornings Athenadora would wake up to the sound of Mona cooing from her nursery. Athenadora didn't have much money, but what she did have, she spent on her daughter and her little brother. Ever since Andromeda had passed away, Teddy had lived with Athenadora. She had a small cottage where she and the two children lived, which had been paid for by Harry Potter.

Though Athenadora still somewhat blamed Harry for her family's death, she still cherished the last of the family she had left. Harry was family, even if she had problems with him. Harry had given her the rights and key to the Black family fortune, since he still had quite a bit from the Potter vault. Athenadora was hesitant to use the Black fortune, so she used her own money instead, leaving the fortune for emergencies only.

Anyhow, every morning, Athenadora would wake change her daughter and dress her for the day, before she would wake Teddy and get him ready. Teddy was about a year and nine months older than Mona, meaning he wasn't much older than her. Mona was only two and Teddy was almost four. Having two toddlers was hard for Athenadora, but she wasn't going to ruin her only chance at having a family. Teddy may have been her baby brother, but he still called her Mum.

Athenadora had nightmares quite often, especially after Teddy started calling her Mum. One night she had a dream about her family, in which Remus and Tonks had told her she was raising Teddy perfectly, and as long as he grew up knowing how much they loved him, they were fine with him calling her Mum and eventually having a new dad as well. The dream had spooked her, but she wasn't even sure it was a dream, since a picture of her family had moved from her dresser to her bedside table while she was asleep. The picture was of Remus, Tonks, her, Sirius, Fred, and George all smiling. It was as if she was given a sign that the dream wasn't really a dream after all, and that her family was still with her even though she couldn't see them.

The picture had been taken right before Sirius had been killed by Bellatrix. Fred and George had been trying to get Athenadora to prank Sirius, after he had walked in on Fred and her in the middle of making out, she and Fred had both been topless. It was quite an awkward situation, but the twins wanted to make a joke out of it afterward. Remus was trying to defend Sirius, as Tonks was also trying to get Athenadora to get in on the prank. All six of them had been smiling and laughing, which caused Hermione to pull out a camera. She called to the six people and had them smile, before she handed the picture over to Athenadora, as if she knew what was to come soon after.

Anyhow, the picture stayed on her nightstand after the night it moved, to keep her family close to her. She would look at it and smile sadly each morning before she would get the children. Athenadora wasn't an amazing cook, but she was pretty good at it. She had learned quite a bit from Molly over the years, so the kids and herself wouldn't starve.

After breakfast, Athenadora would floo to the Burrow and drop off Teddy and Mona, before she would go straight to the joke shop. George had insisted for her to move in to Fred's old room above the shop, but Athenadora refused. She couldn't sleep in a room that reminded her so much of the person she had lost. George understood of course, since he was still haunted by Fred's death as well.

Angelina was around quite often to help George and Athenadora cope, but it wasn't easy. Angelina and George were engaged, but Athenadora didn't know how long it would be before they finally got married. Their relationship moved quite slow, but Angelina understood the hesitance. She was back to being close to Athenadora, though she still wasn't given as many secrets as she had been before. The only person who knew all her secrets now was George and vice versa, but they both knew eventually that would change.

The joke shop still ran quite well, though anyone who came in could tell it was missing some light. Fred had given much light to the joke shop, so when he died, the joke shop lost some of its light. It was hard for George to run the shop at first, but he had Athenadora to help him, even when she was big and pregnant. The duo helped each other cope with their loss. Often times, George couldn't even stay in his and Fred's flat, so he would go to Athenadora or Angelina for the night. Athenadora actually had a room set up for George when he needed to get away, or anyone who needed time away from wherever they had been before.

Many students from Hogwarts would visit the joke shop, which meant business was booming quite often. Adults and children alike would visit during the holidays, which really spread the holiday cheer. Holidays were hard for Athenadora and George, as well as the rest of the Weasley family, but they were able to cope. Athenadora, George, and Harry had it the worst though, since they had lost people who they had cherished the most, well and Hermione as well, since she had erased herself from her family years ago.

Athenadora's days weren't easy, but each day seemed to get better. She could finally smile without someone telling that it had been fake. She could laugh, though it wasn't as much as she had before. She still held pain, but it was easing up little by little. She needed a little help, but she figured she'd have to learn how to help herself. She couldn't put all her problems on a family that despised her for getting pregnant. Though they had apologized and brought her back with open arms, she still was a bit hesitant. The only person from that family that she still loved unconditionally was George, the twin brother of the man she loved. George would forever be her best friend, even if she wasn't the best at being a friend sometimes...

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A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. Until she meets Draco, there won't really be any inserts of Draco's time. The main character in this story is Athenadora, so she's going to be my main focus.

Love you guys!

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- Youngblood Xxx