The Rebirth

The Ministry

The Potter household was awoken at 7am, with the assistance of Ginny's enchanted clocks. They got louder and louder the longer you left it, and moved further and further away until you were out of bed. Groaning, Harry grabbed his wand and muttered "Accio clock".
He heard a gentle chuckle as Ginny got up to switch it off "you really think I would let that work?" she got back into bed, hogging the sheets till Harry was left lying in his pyjamas. "You know me too well" Harry said, rolling over to kiss her. "But with a wake up call like that, I'm going to need some coffee please!"

Soon they were awake, Harry suited in his smart grey suit, Ginny in her practise robes. He was greeted at the table by a mug of lumpy brown liquid.
"Arthur's homemade coffee machine?"
"You betcha."
They glanced momentarily at the chunky piece of machinery on the kitchen surface, you couldnt miss it - small bits of plastic stuck out here and there, and it was pretty hard to ignore the huge sign saying "muggle machine" that Arthur Weasley had superglued on.
The couple sat at the table, drinking their coffee, chatting and laughing about the letters they had received from James and Albus.
"Pranking already? Those two'll turn out just like -" A fond smile spread over Ginny's face as she quickly dabbed at her watering eyes.Harry put his arm around her, kissing her on the forehead. "He's missed, we all loved him."
A moment of silence overcame them, but was interrupted by the sound of one of Ginny's alarm clocks going off upstairs. "You really think I'd sleep in that much?" Harry asked, and the two laughed lightly.

They soon departed, Harry going one way to the ministry, Ginny apparating to the Quidditch Field.
Harry decided to go visit Ron on the third floor before going to his office, but found him half asleep, buried in papers. "Er Ron! Mate, wake up."
Ron jolted up, gasping for air. "Sorry, so sorry, I'll have this done in one minute, sorry I - oh, hi Harry." He straightened himself up, fixing his tie and ruffling his hair.
"You ok? You look pretty rough," asked Harry, sitting down beside him. "Ginny packed me some cold coffee using your Dad's machine if you fancy it," he laughed, retrieving a silver flask. "Mind you, you could always make it hotter, but the cold lumps tend to wake me up a bit more". Harry rambled on, whilst Ron put on a brave face.
Of all people, Harry was the last person he wanted to tell. He knew that neither him nor Hermione had slept that night, so how would Harry react? They'd all done so well moving on, why should he ruin that for Harry now?
Realising that Harry was still going on about cold coffee, he smiled and said "Thanks, but I'll have to pass. Since last Christmas I don't trust a single drink Ginny gives me" he chuckled lightly, and got up to leave. "I'm off to see Mione quickly, so I'll see you later". He rushed out of the office, leaving Harry in his office with the cold coffee.

The lift landed on the fifth floor, and a voice said 'Department of Magical Law Enforcement'. It was a beautifully decorated department, a beautiful fusion between white and green marble. Ron walked towards the corridor of offices, but stopped when he heard Hermione's voice. She was stood, her cheeks flushed. She was wearing a red shirt, which flowed elegantly as she moved. She had matched this with a grey skirt. She appeared to be arguing with someone in the fireplace, but stopped once Ron entered the office quietly. "Josh, I've got other things to deal with at the moment. But I'm telling you now, don't proceed any further with this. I'll send someone over and we'll discuss this properly" the man disappeared with the whoosh of a green flame.
"Stressful morning?" Ron asked.
"Like you wouldn't believe. Some issue about elves. I mean, you would've thought that people got the message about house elves now! I guess some people never change." She blew her hair out of her face, and composed herself. "Anyway, did you want something?"
"I just wanted to see if you were ok, after yesterday."
"Honey, I'm fine, I don't think we should worry too much about this." She began gathering papers, and started to move towards the door.
"But we are. We can't avoid this - neither of us slept well yesterday, and I - I just want you to feel safe, because you know I'd never let anyone hurt you right?"
A smile on her face, Hermione put the papers aside and sat down. Ron sat beside her.
"I love you more than anything, and I do feel safe with you. More than you'll ever know. But these things happen, we get scared. I've spent whatever spare time I've had to myself thinking about this, and we can't let this frighten us - maybe we're overreacting a bit."
"But what if we aren't? What if someone was there, what if it was -" Ron stopped as Hermione put her arm around him. "Hey, look at me. We can't do this to ourselves, we've come so far. I mean, who knew, all those years ago, that me, you and Harry would end up in the ministry, all with our own kids and living amazing lives! They're gone, HE's gone, and they aren't coming back. Ok? We're going to be ok, as long as we have each other we're ok"
Ron looked at Hermione's eyes, which were watering. He wiped them away, and hugged her tightly. "I love you" Ron whispered in her ear.
After several moments of silence, Hermione got up, and pulled Ron up with her, holding his hand. "I love you too," she said as she picked up the papers again. "But go back to work! They'll be missing you, I'll see you later." She opened the door, kissing him on the cheek before he turned and left for his own office.
So Ron's mind was soothed, and so was Hermione's. They did however, remain alert, but it wasn't as bad now they'd had reassurance from each other.
Their days continued as normal, Ginny teaching young players Quidditch skills,  Harry working in and out of his office, Hermione hustling about, and Ron, tiredly yet happily working in his department. Things seemed to go back to the way they were, the figure just being a small momentary panic.

Somewhere, not far away, the figure stood in a little abandoned flat. Oblivious to the panic she had caused, thinking she had gotten away, she stood calmly, gazing at the city view. "Nearly there my Lord," she whispered. "Nearly there."