Who'll Fill a Coward's Grave? ↣ Harmione

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter 22 - Ripples and Reflections

Looking out from his office window, as his students headed down to Hogsmeade in the warm summer sunshine to catch the express home, Albus thought it was much more than the last Weasley leaving Hogwarts that signified the end of an era. His eyes were drawn to today's issue of the Prophet, laying on his desk.

Arthur, as Minister of Magic, had been a special guest at yesterday's leaving feast, and was pictured on the front page with his arm around Ginny. His daughter's Head Girl and Quidditch Captain badges were prominently displayed on the soon to be eighteen year old witch's Gryffindor robes. The accompanying article was also quick to point out that Ginny had played a big part in her house retaining both the Quidditch and House cups, and that she had just signed a professional quidditch contract with the Holyhead Harpies.

A picture of Arthur appearing in the Prophet was hardly a surprise, it happened at least a couple of times every week, but Albus couldn't think of any other previously published picture where the current Minister of Magic had looked so proud.

When Albus had recommended Arthur as his replacement for the vacant position of Minister, he'd expected the newly encumbered wizard to not only be grateful, but also constantly seeking him out - desperately looking for his advice and wisdom. Instead, both the Ministry and the Wizengamot had taken his rather anecdotal resigning remarks about him being 'too old and set in his ways' as a statement of complete retirement - certainly not what he had intended at the time. Albus now needed to read the Prophet in order to discover what was happening in a country he'd previously practically presided over.

Albus had repeatedly attempted to 'talk shop' with the Minister of Magic last night, on every occasion Arthur had held tightly onto the official ministerial line that he was attending Hogwarts simply as a very proud father. With no more Weasleys inside the castle, Albus had lost his last legitimate reason for contacting the family that had once almost worshipped the ground he walked upon.

It wasn't just the Weasley family though that had, very politely but firmly nonetheless, deliberately frozen Albus out. Other than the occasional picture in the press, Albus had never set eyes on Harry or Hermione since that fateful day in Hogsmeade. He wasn't even invited to their wedding, and Severus was - that was a black day for Albus Dumbledore. Again it was only when he, like the rest of the country, saw their pictures and read the details in the Quibbler that Albus actually knew they had gotten married.

They'd held the ceremony on Lord Black's private island, with the current Minister of Magic performing the wedding ceremony. The pictures taken by Colin Creevey, and the article written by Luna Lovegood, were the only coverage of the wedding - both Colin and Luna being invited guests.

Having his picture published marrying the young couple was an unbelievable coup for Arthur, especially as there were some serious grumblings about changes he was trying to push through the Wizengamot at the time. Here was indisputable proof though that Harry Potter backed their current Minister of Magic, and both Harry and Hermione were shrewd enough to understand exactly the message they were putting out there by releasing this picture for publication.

Unfortunately for Albus, him not being there also sent out a powerful message, an entirely different one to that of Arthur's oh so positive inclusion. Albus of course knew there were trust issues between him and the young couple, he thought seeing Voldemort finally defeated would resolve all of those issues. By them not returning to Hogwarts, they very publicly and clearly showed that was not the case. That message of mistrust was reinforced a hundredfold when Minerva, Poppy, Hagrid and Severus were all invited to their wedding - and Albus wasn't.

Albus had spent the last few years thinking things were slipping away from him, even within the very walls of Hogwarts. Breakfast time was simply unrecognisable compared to what it was even in Ginny Weasley's first year. Now it was becoming rarer and rarer to see an owl delivering a letter from home. Owls were still in use for packages and newspaper deliveries but the entire hall appeared to have been taken over by those blasted mobile phones. Since this was the usual time Hogwarts students read communications from their families, Albus couldn't really object when the muggle-born started using phones to carry out that task. Being able to instantly talk with your parents soon caught on, with pure-bloods not wanting their children disadvantaged.