Things Fall Apart, But Then You Build Again

Chapter 1: Shocking News

Harry woke up to the sound of the alarm clock going off. Like every other morning, he reached over to hit the snooze button. Just ten more minutes. Again, just as always, ten more minutes were not enough, but he got up anyway and headed to the bathroom to take care of his morning routine. After that he went down to the kitchen to find Dinky preparing breakfast and sat down at the head of the table. The same as every morning.

His three children came down soon after, but they did not make the racket that you would expect in a house full of children with Weasley blood. Instead, their feet made soft sounds on the carpeted stairs. James was still in his pyjamas, hair sticking up all over, obviously having just rolled out of bed. He was not a morning person and usually groaned at everything and everyone until he changed and was off to school.

He was followed by Albus, who found his chair with only a glance away from his book. Harry let out a sigh at the title "The 12 Uses of Mandrake Root". It was uncanny how that boy loved Potions, when neither of his parents did. He was also extremely intelligent, having learned how to read and write at the age of four from his Aunt Hermione. Ever since then he had read everything he could get his hands on, first starting with Harry's old school books. Of course, besides those there were not many books around, so they had to make frequent stops at book stores once he was done with those. Which took him three months. Harry just hoped he would use all the spare time he had at Hogwarts gaining friends. Albus wanted to go to Hogwarts already, but there were no early admissions. He couldn't wait to discuss things with professors and finally have more people to talk to than Aunt Hermione. His parents hardly understood what he spoke about most of the time, hence all the reading. Not even Hermione's children could keep up with him, both too much like their father, Ron.

Lily also shuffled down, her small legs still having a bit of a hard time on the steps, but she clutched her dragon all the same. That stuffed animal was almost as big as her, but she loved dragons and that one was her favourite. She took it everywhere with her. Harry just smiled at her red head. He always tried to not think of a certain man named 'Dragon' when she demanded to be read a story with dragons. He sometimes wondered what Lily would think of Draco.

Dinky laid out their breakfast. Harry ate ham and eggs with toast, James cereals, Albus a sandwich and Lily porridge. The tea was served and doctored to their tastes as well and their fruit juice was poured. Ginny insisted on them having fruit juice even when she was not there. Just as every morning.

Ginny was not at the table. Like most mornings, she was away somewhere. Harry tried to remember where she had gone off to, then recalled her mentioning some tropical island in the Pacific. He couldn't think of the name though. In the last two years she had proclaimed that she had had enough of sitting at home and expressed a desire to travel. Harry would have gone with her, but she didn't want the presence of the children, and Harry's career was important, so she went off on her own. Ever since then, she would only stay a week at home at a time, until she wanted to be somewhere else. Harry understood her desire to see the world and as she was his wife, he supported her fully. The children occasionally missed her, but Harry always had a more active role in their lives, even when she was present. Harry always understood everything she did.

After breakfast he sent the boys up to get dressed and taking the four-year-old Lily himself, got her ready for the day as well. Once everyone was ready, he used the Floo in the living-room to take James and Albus to the magical primary school that their grandmother, Molly Weasley ran and then dropped Lily off at the day-care. In no time at all, he was sitting behind his desk in the Ministry, looking at his Auror files. Just like every day.

However, his routine was broken by an owl that he received. It was from Hermione Weasley, who requested a lunch date from him. Since he didn't have any plans, he replied that he accepted her offer.