This story follows the Bleekers, a family who went into hiding when the war started and now that it’s finally over, try to go back to their normal lives. Unfortunately, the world and people they left behind are torn and broken and putting it back together might be more painful than anyone may have expected.

Our favourite canon characters also appear.

All non-original characters are from the creative genius of J.K Rowling and I take no credit for them.

But for all original characters, however, I do.

No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.



Chapter One
Good News Travels Fast

The sun was rising when Gavin Bleeker came stumbling into the room that his two children shared on the second storey of their small cottage in France. He was carrying a wireless and there seemed to be a lot of shouts and cheers coming out of it. He stopped dead in the middle of the room, and looked down at his children’s sleeping forms. Even though Anthony was twenty-five and an adult in all senses of the word, and Trish had just left Hogwarts the year before, Gavin had never stopped thinking of them as kids; he was sure that no parent saw their children for more than just that: children. More so during times of war. The very possibility of losing their children made every parent want to protect them even more and this was the case for Gavin and Marie Bleeker.

Gavin had been working in the Ministry of Magic when the war had broken out. He had already seen it coming, and like many of his colleagues, he wasn’t sure how safe he was at the Ministry. He had been just a few years out of Hogwarts when the first war began. He remembered going into hiding and the horrible things he had heard on the wireless. Witches and wizards going missing. Children dying. There had been chaos everywhere in the wizarding world. But then along had come this little one-year-old who had put a stop to all the bloodshed: Harry Potter.

There was not a single child in the wizarding world that did not know that name. Gavin himself had told his two children all about Harry Potter as they grew up. And this was especially important for him because Gavin was Muggleborn. If it hadn’t been for Harry Potter, he would probably have cut himself out from the wizarding world entirely and his children would have never been born and therefore would never have had the chance of going to Hogwarts.

Looking down at the slow breathing of his two children, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just moments ago, when he was listening to the wireless over breakfast with Marie, he had heard the announcer report that there had been a battle at Hogwarts and it was being reported that Harry Potter had, once again, saved them all and finally destroyed the Dark Lord.

Hardly able to believe it, Marie turned up the volume of the wireless and listened more closely to the reporter, who was saying, “Yes, yes. We have just received word from our source in the school that it’s over. The war is over! He Who Must Not Be Named has finally been destroyed forever!” There was a pause in the transmission as the wireless emitted a buzzing sound and when the announcer came back on there was cheering in the background. “There’s no need to clean your ears out, friends. It’s over. It’s really over.” The announcer gave a soft sniff and continued, “We will be right back with more news from Hogwarts.”

Gavin stared at his wife for a moment before jumping to his feet and pulling her into a tight hug. Behind them, a soft popping sound came from the fireplace and his sister-in-law’s head appeared out of the fire. “Did you hear, Mer?” Marie released herself from her husband’s arms and ran over to the fireplace. “Yes! Do you –” She broke off, her voice catching in her throat. “Do you think it’s true?”

“Well, I’d think so. That station I was listening to had been taking You Know Who’s side all along. They wouldn’t just come out with a story like that if they didn’t think it wouldn’t come back and bite them.”

Gavin stood behind his wife and looked down at his sister-in-law’s head. “If it is true, we’ll finally be able to get out of this dodgy little cottage. I’m sure the kids will love that.” And then he remembered. The kids.

As he made for the stairs, he grabbed the wireless on the kitchen table and turned the volume down just a bit. Now, standing in front of his two children, tears rolled down his face. If it was true... We’re safe. They’re safe. And as he brushed a loose strand of hair out of his daughter’s face, he smiled and whispered softly, “We can finally go home.”



OOC: All criticism is welcome but, please, be kind. This is my first FF here on SS. Next chapter will be up soon, promise..

Chapter Two
Breathing Easy

Anthony pulled his wand out from inside his sleeve when he heard his father shout his name, and sat up in his bed, pointing the wand at the door. He was panting softly and sweat glistened on his face and neck. He had been having a bad dream again. Upon seeing his father giving him an inquisitive smile, he scowled slightly and lowered his wand, “Merlin, Dad. I could’ve hexed you.”

Gavin grinned down at his son and threw a pair of Anthony’s jeans at him. “Get up. There’s been news.” Kneeling down by his daughter Trish’s bedside (Trish had an uncanny ability to be able to sleep even if the wireless was on the loudest setting), he shook her gently. “Trish, honey. Time to wake up.” He gave her another shake, this time a little harder, and watched her stir.

“Whadthehac Da,” she mumbled incoherently. Opening her eyes a fraction, she saw her father’s nose right in front of her face and she shot up, banging her head against the headboard of the bed. “Bloody hell, Dad!”

Gavin stood up and laughed. It was the first time he had really laughed since he had moved his family to his wife Marie’s parents’ old cottage in the French countryside. Putting the wireless down on the dresser, he turned back to his children, who were both sitting on the edge of the bed wondering if their father had gone crazy. “Here, listen for yourself.”

“—being rounded up as I tell you this. Bodies are now being removed from Hogwarts, some of Death Eaters and others of the brave fighters who helped The Boy Who Lived defeat the Dark Lord. And yes, we have now confirmed that The Order of The Phoenix were among the fighters and many of the of-age students stayed behind to fight as well. We will have the names of the fallen heroes of Hogwarts when the list comes in. And yes, my friends, if you have just joined us, the war is over. The Dark Lord has fallen and the Death Eaters who weren’t captured at Hogwarts are on the run.”

Anthony had been tense as he listened to the report and when the announcer’s words had changed to cries of joy from the rest of the station news team, he looked from his sister to his father. “Is... is it true, Dad?”

“Your aunt thinks it is, and you know how informed she is with the French ministry. And it’s on all the other stations, too.”

Anthony’s next words were drowned out by Trish’s screech and he saw his sister throw her arms around their father. Standing up, he walked over to his father and sister and hugged them too, his eyes filling with tears. As they broke apart and made for the stairs, the wireless continued in the background. “My sources tell me that it was the Boy Who Lived himself who brought the Dark Lord down. Harry Potter and his friends, the Muggle-born Hermione Granger and pureblood Ronald Weasley, son of Ministry employee Arthur Weasley, managed to sneak into the school in the middle of the night and right under Severus Snape’s nose, round up the Order of the Phoenix and as many fighters as they could. It’s being reported that they got the under-age students out through a secret passageway that links the school to one of the shops in Hogsmeade village.”

The report broke off again with cheers, and both Trish and Anthony went up to their mother and hugged her tightly. Pulling away from them, she smiled and looked over to Gavin, “Danielle said she’ll go and check what’s going on with her Ministry and will Floo over later.” Gavin nodded, brought the wireless back into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of tea.

Walking into the kitchen after her husband, Marie eyed him and waved her wand at the cupboard, from where four glasses and a bottle of wine came flying. “Oh to hell with tea, Gav. I think a nice glass of wine’s in order.” With another flick of her wand, three glasses filled with wine went flying to the rest of her family and she took hers. “A little early, don’t you think, Mum?” Anthony asked his mother suspiciously.

“Oh rubbish. If what that lot –” she pointed to the wireless, “ – are saying is true, we could all use a drink now.” She raised her glass, “To the heroes of Hogwarts.” The other three murmured the same softly and each took sips of the wine.

Sitting down, Anthony looked back at the wireless as another voice began to speak. “We have just confirmed that Kingsley Shacklebolt of the Auror office has been named temporary Minister of Magic and that he was one of the survivors of the Battle of Hogwarts.”

Gavin put his glass down and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. “That’s been one of the best moves the Ministry has made since...” He paused, unable to complete his sentence because at that moment, he really couldn’t remember the last time the Ministry had made a good decision.

“Speaking of the Ministry, love...” Marie looked up from the eggs she had just put on the stove, “If the war’s over, shouldn’t you be getting back to see what you can do to help?”

Gavin looked back to his wife then at his children. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. When he finally opened them, he looked directly at Anthony and grinned. “The Ministry has survived without me for months; they can survive another day or so, right?” Getting up and grabbing a piece of toast of the table, he motioned to the door. “Fancy some Quidditch practice, son?” And as Anthony grinned back and nodded, the two Bleeker men headed out into the cool morning and summoned their brooms for what seemed like the first time in years.

Chapter Three
Last Day Memories

The sun had almost set when Gavin, Anthony and Trish came back into the cottage with their brooms slung over their shoulders. The smells of roasted chicken, potatoes and lemon meringue pie came wafting out of the front door when they opened it. “Mmmmm. Whatcha cooking, Mum?” Trish placed her broom down in the middle of the living room floor and walked to the kitchen. “Smells good.” Upon seeing the amount of food her mother was preparing, she raised her eyebrow at her brother. “You do realise that there’s only four of us, right?”

Marie looked over her shoulder at her two children and her husband, “Make yourselves useful and help set the table. Danielle and Frank were coming over for dinner.” Gavin looked pointedly at Anthony and Trish as if to say, “Well, get on it,” turned and walked up to the second floor bathroom to have a shower.

Anthony and Trish both rolled their eyes at their father’s retreating back and pulled out their wands. With a flick of his, Anthony watched as their brooms flew into the coat cupboard, which they had substituted as an “outdoor supplies” cupboard. Trish directed her wand to the kitchen cupboard, from where six sets of plates, knives and forks came flying out and set themselves neatly upon the dining table. “It’s just the six of us, right, Mum? Angie’s still in school?” Marie made a muffled sound which Trish took to be a “yes”.

After admiring her wandwork for a moment, she turned to her brother and they both ran towards the first-floor bathroom at the same time. When Anthony reached it first and slammed the door in Trish’s face, she kicked the door with her right foot and immediately regretted it as she began hopping on one foot, up to the room she shared with Anthony.

Going to her wardrobe, grabbing a pair of jeans and a clean top, she smirked as she remembered that Anthony hadn’t taken any clothes in with him. One good Severing charm on his towel when he comes out should do the trick. As she turned to leave the room, an envelope on top of her desk caught her eye. Walking to it, she stopped dead in front of the desk, recognising the handwriting.

She hadn’t thought about him that morning when they had found out that He Who Must Not Be Named was gone. For one thing, she had still been groggy from sleep and for another, Anthony and Gavin had been hurrying her to join them up in the air. Andrew. She had been torn away from him when her family had gone into hiding and hadn’t heard from him for ten months, as they had agreed that while she was in France, it would be safer not to write to each other since the owls could be intercepted.

Andrew Tidwell had been her boyfriend since she was a fourth year and he was a fifth. He had stayed in England during the war, protected by his pureblood status; and now that the war was over, he was writing to her again. As she looked down at the letter, she couldn’t bring herself to open it.

Though they had been together for five years and she had been absolutely sure he was the one for her, those months apart had somehow changed the dynamic of the relationship for her. She knew she still loved him, she probably always would, but something had changed. She had always looked forward to his letters, had always run to her table and ripped it open like a giggly teenager. But at this moment, looking down at his first letter to her in ten months, all she felt like doing was running in the opposite direction.

Feeling her knees giving way, she sat down on the edge of her bed, her eyes never leaving the envelope. What the hell is wrong with you? She shook her head slightly, as though trying to shake herself awake. That’s your boyfriend. Hack, you two are almost married. Why are you feeling this way? And even though she would never have said it out loud, would never have even thought about it, the answer had been given to her the day before she and her family had gone into hiding.

Anthony was waiting along a darkened corridor for his best friend, Christopher Thompson. Chris had told him to meet him before he left for France with his family. And though Anthony knew that his father would kill him for leaving the house in the middle of the night, he had to come. A soft popping sound drew Anthony’s attention and he pointed his wand to the spot from where it had come.

“You’re not going to hex me, are you, mate?” Christopher stepped out of the shadows and gave Anthony a grin. “A bit twitchy, aren’t we?”

Anthony sneered at Chris but lowered his wand. “You’d be a bit twitchy too if your dad was a Muggleborn.” Taking a couple of steps towards his friend, they gave each other a quick hug and moved deeper into the shadows.

“Won’t you change your mind, Tony?” Chris looked serious and Anthony knew automatically what this meeting was about.

“I can’t, Chris. I’ve got my family to think about. Besides, I couldn’t put you and your family in danger like that.”

The week before, Chris had come over to Anthony’s home with a proposition for his family. If and when the Ministry fell, the Bleekers would leave their home and stay with the Thompson family. They would hide out in the basement of the house and at least still be in contact with other members of the wizarding world. Gavin, though slightly tempted, had refused this offer on the grounds that it would be putting the Thompsons in harm’s way.

Chris looked down at his feet. “How will I know if you’re safe?” Looking back up, he put his hand on Anthony’s shoulder. “You’re like my brother.”

Though Anthony nodded and slapped Chris on his back, he had a pained look on his face. “I know, mate. But the decision has been made. I’ll send word to you if I can. And with any luck, You-Know-Who will fall soon and things will go back to normal.”

The two young men raised their wands at the same time when they heard another soft popping in the distance. When no-one stepped forward, Chris tightened the grip on his wand. “Who’s there?”

Out from the darkness, Trish walked towards her brother and her brother’s best friend. “It’s just me.”

Anthony lowered his wand again and growled at his little sister. “Bloody hell, Trish! How the hell did you know where I was?”

Trish held out the small piece of parchment that Chris had sent to Anthony with the location of their meeting. “You shouldn’t keep these things lying around. Dad might’ve found it.” She looked to Chris and nodded stiffly, “Thompson"

Chris smiled slightly, “Oh c’mon Trish, your brother’s been my best mate for thirteen years, can’t you at least call me by my first name?”

Trish ignored this and turned to Anthony. “Ton, we’ve got to get out of here. Dad will be back any minute and we’ll be off.”

Anthony nodded and looked back at Chris, “Sorry, mate, but she’s right.” Holding out his hand, he grasped Chris’s tightly and the two friends hugged again. As Chris pulled back, he whispered softly, “Stay safe.” He then looked down at Trish and nodded to her. “You too.”

Anthony turned his back on his friend and ushered his sister forward; then, with a last look at Chris, he turned on the spot and vanished.

Trish had waited for her brother to Apparate before turning back to Chris. “Look, there’s another reason why I came.” Chris raised his eyebrows slightly and waited for her to go on. “Ton won’t ask it but I know it would mean a lot to him if you kept an eye on Sarah.” She sighed softly and continued, “It’s not like you’re the most responsible person on the planet but you do have connections and if you can keep her safe, I’m sure my brother would appreciate it.”

Chris didn’t say anything for a moment but continued to stare at his best friend’s sister. “So, you want me to look out for your brother’s girlfriend?” he said slowly, but before she could reply, he continued, “What about your boyfriend? Is he going into hiding too?”

Trish shook her head slightly but didn’t meet Chris’s eyes. “No. He’s staying. I–” She broke off, her voice catching. Before she could do anything to stop him, Chris had pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly to him.

“I’d be lying if I said that I only wanted your family to stay with mine to keep your brother safe. It has a lot to do with you, too.” He pulled away from her and kissed her lightly on her lips before letting her go and taking a step away from her. “You should go. Tony will be wondering what’s keeping you.” Trish felt like her body had been frozen to the spot. Her lips still tingled with the touch of Chris’s and with as much concentration as she could muster; she turned on the spot and headed for home.

Trish was still staring at the letter as she recalled what had happened that night. She had thought about it over and over again during those ten months and if she was completely honest with herself, it wasn’t Andrew she wanted to hear from. Standing up, she took the letter and stuffed it under her pillow, grabbed her clothes and headed out into the hall and into the vacated bathroom her brother had been using.

Chapter Four
New Day Dusk

Trish came down to the kitchen to the sound of laughter and the clinking of glasses. She saw her aunt and uncle sitting at the kitchen counter and hugged each of them before pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice. Anthony was already there, dressed and a shirt and khaki pants. Damn. I forget to hex him. Trish gave Anthony a smirk then turned to her mother, “Need any help, Mum?” Marie smiled at her daughter from the stove, “Could you bring the potatoes to the table, love?” Trish nodded and took the bowl of roasted potatoes out to the dining room.

Marie looked from her daughter’s retreating back to her son laughing at a joke her brother in law had just told and to her sister and husband talking about their respective Ministries and she had never felt so relieved that even through this war, they were all still healthy and alive.

When her husband first came up with the idea of fleeing the country to France, Marie was sure it wouldn’t work. If the Death Eaters wanted to find you, it wasn’t going to be hard for them even if you were in another country. But miraculously, no one came looking for them, or if they did, never came close to finding them. Marie looked at her husband’s weathered face and remember exactly why she married him. Above everything else, Gavin’s love for his family was unconditional and he’d go to every length to keep them safe. And he’d done it. He had kept them safe.

Marie removed the roast from the oven and carried it to the dining room where Trish was sitting, staring at the wall. “Honey? Is everything alright?” Trish looked startled but recovered quickly, “Oh yeah, I’m alright. Just thinking.” Marie moved over to Trish and pushed her hair out of her face, “About what honey?” Trish shrugged slightly then turned to the food. “Can we eat yet?” Marie nodded and called out to the rest of her family. “Dinner’s ready.”

The rest of the family came into the dining room and took their seats. As dinner was being eaten, most of the talk had been centred around the battle at Hogwarts though the only person who wasn’t participating in the festivities was Trish who’s mind was still on the letter up in her bedroom. Anthony had noticed his sister’s lack of interest during dinner and as they got up to retire in the small sitting room, he pulled her into the back garden. “Oi. What the—“ She pulled herself free from Anthony’s grip and slapped him with the back of her wrist on his shoulder. “What the hack do you think you’re doing, Tony?”

He glanced over her shoulder towards the house and saw that their absence had gone unnoticed. “What’s going on with you?” He paused then continued, “And don’t tell me nothing. Mum and Dad may be slightly think but you can’t fool me.” He sat down on the grass and laid back, looking away from the setting sun. “Can you believe the war’s actually over?” He turned his face towards her, “You must be excited to finally be able to see Andrew.” Bingo. Anthony knew he had said the magic word when he saw Trish flinch at the sound of her boyfriend’s name. Sitting up, he looked straight at her, “Everything alright with Andrew and you?”

But before Trish could answer, there was a soft popping from the edge of the perimeter of the gate. Chris had appeared out of thin and upon seeing him, Anthony bounded up the yard and met Chris halfway from the fence to the house. They hugged quickly and pulled back to take a good look at each other. When Trish saw Chris, she left her face go red and she quickly turned and walked back into the house so Anthony wouldn’t notice. Anthony clapped his hand on his friend’s back and said, “You look terrible mate.” Laughing, the two friends walked towards the house. “You’ve heard the news, I see,” Chris looked pointedly at the house and the laughter and the loud music coming from the wireless. “Yes. Dad woke us up in the morning when the report came on the wireless.” Anthony turned to Chris when they were just outside the door. “Tell me.”

Chris knew his friend wanted to know if anyone they knew had died. Wanted to know what exactly was going on. Wanted to know if they were really finally safe. Shaking his head slightly, Chris motioned to the house. “It’s still not completely safe to linger outdoors. Besides, I think your father would want to hear what I have to say too.” Chris walked through the door and into the sitting room where four people looked up at him with surprise; Trish hadn’t told the rest about Chris being there.

The first to recover, Gavin got up and walked over to Chris, “Christopher.” After they shook hands, Gavin motioned to Chris to join them and made a glass of wine appear out of thin air with a flick of his wand. “Here.” Chris took the glass and nodded his thanks. After taking a sip, he put the glass back onto the counter and he cut straight to business. “What do you already know?” He was looking at Gavin when he said this but Anthony answered. “Only what the wireless has reported. Battle at Hogwarts, You-Know-Who dead. Death Eaters on the run. Shaklebolt minister. No real details. And it’s been hours since they said they were going to inform the public about the deaths but still no news.”

Chris nodded and took another sip of his wine. “Father and I were there. We were in the second wave of re-enforcements sent to help in the battle. Almost everyone from the Ministry would hadn’t been Imperiused or in Azkaban came to help. When we got there, the battle had stopped and You Know Who was telling everyone that Harry Potter was dead. We couldn’t see from where we were but it sounded like he had Potter’s body there.” He finished up the rest of his wine and Marie refilled the glass. “Thank you. And then there were screams and it seemed as though Potter had disappeared. In the confusion, the battle started again and we charged up onto the grounds and joined the battle.”

“The castle was badly damaged. There were Giants and the Centaurs had come to help. The Death Eaters were grossly outnumbered but we still had You Know Who to worry about. When I got into the Great Hall, I saw You Know Who duelling with Shaklebolt, Minerva McGonagall, and Horace Slughorn. And then Potter came. Out of thin air. Guess he does have an invisibility cloak after all.”

“And they duelled. You Know Who’s curse rebounded off Potter’s and that was it. He was dead.” Chris took another sip of the wine and turned to look at Anthony, “Sarah was there,” Before he could say anything else however, Anthony had stood and made for the door. “Wait!” Chris jumped up and almost tackled Anthony down. “She’s ok, mate. She’s ok.” He released Anthony and returned to his seat. Anthony had remained on the floor, his insides aching not knowing what to say.

“Many of the over age students stayed behind to fight. And by the looks of it, some of the younger ones snuck back in too. Some of them were so sma—“ But his voice cracked and he hid his face in his hands and breathed heavily. “Sam’s gone,” he looked back at Tony, his face wet. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head slightly at the shock on Anthony’s face. “Sarah came to fight with the second wave because Sam had stayed with the other over age students but—“ Anthony’s hands were over his mouth now, stifling tears back. Trish was crying freely and the rest of the family had grim looks on their faces. “Sam had already dead during the first attack. Killing curse by the looks of it.”

Anthony couldn’t move from the floor. A part of him wanted to go to Sarah to comfort her on the loss of her brother but the other part wasn’t very sure how much she’d want to see him. They had had a fight before he left and she had called him some choice words she rarely ever used.

Gavin got up and went to his son, gripping his shoulder tightly. Looking back at Chris he said, “Who else?”

Chris took another sip of the wine, “Father was badly injured to otherwise alright. A team of Healers came in from St. Mungo’s to help treat the injured. Most of them have been sent back to the hospital and some up to the hospital wing of Hogwarts.” Gavin continued looking at Chris, “You didn’t answer my question, son.”

Chris looked uncomfortable can kept fidgeting in his seat. He looked up and caught Trish’s eye then looked away just as quickly. As he remained silent for a few minutes, Trish’s thoughts returned to the night she had seen him last. He’s different. And he was. Even Gavin who never exactly liked this choice of a friend his son had picked could see it. War changes you.

“Many of the Aurors who came to help are dead. At this moment, there’s less than half of the Aurors we had just last year. Some of your Department got hurt, not sure if any are dead,” Chris looked at Gavin who nodded. “Severus Snape’s dead.” Almost all the head’s in the room shot up and stared blankly at Chris. “Killed by You-Know-Who himself by the looks of it. Potter said so.” Chris got up and walked to the other end of the room, “A few of the Order of the Phoenix is dead too. The werewolf and his wife. And one of the Weasley kids.” Gavin shot up, got to his feet and but stopped suddenly again, “Remus Lupin? Nymphadora Tonks?” Chris nodded silently. “And which Weasley?” Chris shrugged slightly, “One of the twins. The ones who opened that joke shop in Diagon Alley.” He looked back at Gavin, “And the other twin has lost an ear.”

Trish gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. “His what?”

“Ear. There’s a great big hole at the side of his head.” Chris felt almost sick and sat back down. Marie took a long drink from her glass and drained it. Gavin sat down and shook his dead wordlessly. Then Anthony said, “The whole Weasley family was in the Order. It was bound to happen.” Chris nodded, “Their youngest kid was off with Potter, wherever they were. Potter’s still not giving away much.”

Gavin stared at the fire and said absently, “He’s still being secretive then?”

Chris nodded, “As far as I know. He disappeared right after the battle was over and hasn’t resurfaced since. McGonagall has roped off the Gryffindor common room and only the students and certain few others are allowed in.” Chris’s eyes strayed to his watch and jumped, “Bloody hell, there was supposed to be a report on the wireless at 9.” He looked around the room but Frank had already summoned it in from the kitchen and turned the dial till he found the right channel.

I started reading your story thing and I got hooked on it right away! I love it! I can't wait until you write your next chapter!!!

my first review...!
i was beginning to feel rather unloved.

thanks Fred&GeorgeLuvr! i love them too!
anyhow, the next chapter may take a while to be uploaded. it's done but I want my beta reader to work out the kinks first.
the first three chapters have been edited.

last update 7-30-2009