Lumos

Chapter Fifty-Six: Gubraithian

A/N: 

Hello everyone!
It's been far, far longer than planned. This chapter took two extra weeks due to a few hiccups in scheduling (a last-minute surgery for a family member [nothing serious; all is okay. Some extra help was just needed. <3] and also a bit of writing process chaos). Thank you to all of you who sent encouraging notes, comments, and messages. That was so very kind. <3 <3 <3
At just over 66k, this is one of the longest chapters in the story, so editing also took quite some time. I really wanted to get it right. <3
I hope you all have been safe and well. <3 <3 <3 Thank you so much for taking the time to read. Also: Thank you to everyone who left such kind encouragement and/or kudos on the last chapter. <3
As always, I do not own the rights to this story world or to these characters.
I'm going to be away from my computer next week, which unfortunately means the next update will also be a bit off schedule. I will update this space as I learn more. (Updates about this chapter's delay were posted on the sideblog and Instagram, because the last chapter note was too long to add anything—I apologize! <3) At present, I suspect it will be late March, sometime around the 28th.
I'm going to keep this short, so:
Alright! Grab your snack (I suggest trail mix), your drink (I had a copious amount of cold brew this week, but also plenty of earl grey), and I know I say this like every other chapter, but this is really, really, truly the most blanket fort worthy update I've ever posted. So. If you haven't yet indulged in making your own little castle, the time is now. <3

PLAYLIST: https://spoti.fi/3vOIyVB
Playlist Instructions: https://bit.ly/35YTzJ4
[Quick Note: Doing this backwards, but the trailer's coming tomorrow, since it's a bit late at present. If you see this post before then, please take my affectionate grin of acknowledgement]

Content Warnings (Spoilers): Pregnancy (August 26, 3:04 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.), brief allusion to alcoholism (in recovery, Aug. 26—just after mention of the full moon until "her gaze had wandered, into the dark"), grief/mourning process (more generally throughout with a few, particular characters), brief allusion to child abuse situation (June 30, after "then the Greengrass boys" until "a pop echoed").

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LUMOS

Chapter Fifty-Six: Gubraithian

George

June 16, 1999

Mizzling rain wafted from the Scottish clouds over the Dark Forest and the Castle, washing the life from every craggle of ground. To George, rain usually felt like the sky getting crabby and having a go at the lot of them, but today's was even more foreboding. Like it might snuff every particle of warmth and fire from the students streaming about the courtyards with grim, terrified looks.

In other words, it was a fitting weather for N.E.W.T.s.

The crackling magical boundary over the examination rooms, the swoop and volley of charm work shot a fission of nervous energy through his arms and chest.

Hermione was quite pleased with herself over this.

She'd worked it all out with McGonagall, put an ad in The Prophet. Anyone whose education had been impacted by the war could come for O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s with prior registration. Witches and wizards had flocked to Hogsmeade for the opportunity. As it were, learning while fearing for one's life wasn't an ideal test-taking environment.

As a member of that group, getting himself into a N.E.W.T. was easy enough. But between all the extra foot traffic, he couldn't keep product on the shelves. The last thing he had time for was studying.

Drove Granger spare, that.

Oh, he'd tolerated plenty of her chuffed strutting in the flat, smirked aside the numerous, teasing comments every time Hermione dared lift her head out of her books to notice the world: