The reception tonight

[alt_molly]

I'm very much looking forward to seeing everyone tonight.

(Poppy, will you have Healers transporting those too wobbly to manage their own apparition? Because I'd be available to help with side along, if you could use another hand.)

Comments

Private message to Hydra

[alt_molly]

Charlotte truly is a darling!

I hope the house elf found you with that basket I sent? I did find Raising Your Witch and Raising Your Wizard to be the most helpful mothering books of all the scores that I read. I hope you find them as helpful as I did. But I'm sure you'll do splendidly.

Private message to Hermione Granger

[alt_molly]

I heard the news, but I have barely had a moment to draw breath to tell you 'Congratulations!' Arthur, of course, would have been so proud, but more than that, well, Severus! I can imagine him as sort of strutting around like a peacock, he'd be so proud of you. Except that unlike those albino ones (I hear they have them at the Malfoy Manor, don't they?), he'd be an all-black peacock.

I couldn't possibly imagine anyone more deserving, dear. Well done!

Private message to Linus Moon

[alt_molly]

Linus, you will be there tonight, won't you? Do come, please. You have worked as hard as anyone for this result, and I know it must be so very difficult for you right now, but please do join us.

Private message to Ron (and Sally-Anne)

[alt_molly]

Ron, dear,

I glanced in your quarters at the castle that you've moved out of, and I found one of your jumpers wedged down between the cushions of the sofa. The one I knit for your two--no, three Christmases ago? Maroon, of course, but the one with the cross-hatch pattern at the waistband.

Shall I bring it to the party?

Private message to Jeremy Stretton

[alt_molly]

Maureen told me this afternoon! Oh, Jeremy, how exciting! I am so happy for you both!

Now, I know you'll be making the announcement tonight, so I wanted to assure you I haven't breathed a word to anyone!

Private message to Frank and Alice

[alt_molly]

My heart is so full tonight for you both. I know you're grieving for Colin, as well as Sirius and Remus, and I know you're missing Neville and worried about Terry.

But you deserve to bask in a great deal of glory tonight, so please don't begrudge us for honouring you tonight. I just wanted you to know that I am so glad that Arthur joined forces with you to save so many children.

Albion has been so lucky to have you, leading the way from the very beginning.

[alt_poppy]

That would be most helpful, Molly. We might use another two or three steady Apparators to help, as well.

Private message to Mum

[alt_bill]

Look at you, Mum.

Already working the room like a pro, and the party hasn't even started yet.

Private message to Fred and George

[alt_molly]

I'll have your solemn promise tonight, you two.

No pranks!

Private message to the ones we've loved and lost

[alt_molly]

It's over. The war is finally over. Voldemort is dead, and Bellatrix is dead, and we are finally free to tear out what they cultivated and make the land bloom the way it was supposed to be. Although it will never be quite the same as the way as it was.

But I still hope that what comes next will be worthy of all the sacrifices made. Especially yours.

There's so much I wish I could say to all of you, both the ones we lost years ago--Gideon, Fabian, you still hover in the back of my mind practically every day--and the ones who laid down their lives just this past weekend. It has been hard, and so upsetting, but I wish with all my heart that you could see the small victories we've had. The children from Moddey Dhoo are free to live openly with their families again, and some of them will actually be arriving at Hogwarts tomorrow. More Sleepers are awakening every day, so the wounds in so many families who were torn apart are beginning to heal. Some of them.

Aurora says the last of the wards will likely fade away and disappear sometime this week. It seems just unbelievable that the prison walls are finally coming down and all of us--muggles, squibs, muggleborn, wizarding folk, and all the other free magical peoples of Albion--we'll all be able to mingle openly in the sun.

We hope you are happy. We hope you are at peace. Some of us are hurting terribly, and some of us are grieving afresh from missing you. But we will be all right.

We will be all right.

You made it possible.

We will never forget you, never.

Thank you.

[Arthur, dear man, I love you. How I wish I could feel your arms around me this day.]