I Have Been There

I Have Been There

By Qing-jou Granger

[A/N: This fic is based on a song by Mark Schulz titled `I Have Been There´. I´ve altered some of the lyrics to fit this story, obviously. There are snippets of the song throughout, but it isn´t here in its entirety. It´s a great song, and I highly recommend that you read it, some time. On with the show!]

On a cold, December morning, Molly gave birth to our son, Bill, who came screaming into the world.

In a room without a view,

A new mother smiles and holds the tiny fingers of her brand new baby boy.

Molly´s red hair is damp, and beads of sweat had formed upon her forehead. I kiss them away, and she smiles up at me. "I love you, Molly, dear," I whisper. Taking her hand, I look down at my new son. Bill. It´s a good name. It was Molly´s grandfather´s name. Or was it her great-grandfather?

Her husband takes her by the hand,

So unsure about the future,

With no money, can they make it in this world?

I´d just started my job at the Ministry when we found out my wife Molly was pregnant. I was proud, but how would we be able to take care of him? Molly and I weren´t exactly used to all the luxuries of life, but we had pretty much nothing, at that point. So, at that moment, we decided to pray. For our son, yes, but for us, as well.

And they pray, `Lord all we have to give is love!´

Then they heard a gentle voice, like an echo from above.

I have been there.

Know what fear is all about.

Yes, I have been there.

And I´m standin´ with you now!

I have been there.

I have come to build the bridges,

And this road will lead you home.

Oh, I have been there.

Somehow, we became more reassured. Two days later, we made our way out into the world as parents.

***

I was sitting on the deck outside of my corner office. My head, with hair that was now more gray than red, was resting in the palms of my hands, covering my face. Wondering how I got myself into this whole mess, I kneaded my temples with my knuckles.

He´s been Minister twenty years.

But tonight he sits alone and broken-hearted in a corner of the Ministry.

Tried to change a fallen world,

With his words and with his wisdom,

But it seems like it is only getting worse.

Suddenly, a soft, white hand alights on my shoulder. I look up, rubbing the purplish bags that had formed under my eyes. Standing there was my daughter Virginia. Her diamond wedding ring glinted in the soft light emanating from my office. She smiled a small, sweet smile. Ginny, as we still call her, is expecting, again. She and Draco have certainly given her mother and I a lot of joy over the past few years. This baby will be number eight. There kids, from oldest to youngest, were: Jacklyn, Arthur, Hermione, Harry, Kelly, Jamie, and Charlie.

Noticing my eyes on her large stomach, she smiled, and rubbed the swollen area. "It´s a girl. I can feel it." Eyes sparkling with happiness, she continued, "I have the perfect name for her. She´s definitely a Molly. Do you think Mum would mind, Daddy?"

I smiled, and took her hand in mind. "I´m sure she´d like nothing better."

And he cries, `Oh Lord I just don´t understand!´

Then he felt the hand of grace, and he heard a voice that said...

I have been there.

Know what pain is all about.

Yes, I have been there.

And I´m standin´ with you now!

I have been there.

I have come to build the bridges,

And this road will lead you home.

This road will lead you home!

Oh, I have been there.

"I love you, Daddy," Virginia murmured, planting a kiss on my forehead. "I love you so much. You know that, don´t you, Daddy?"

Tears streaming down my face, I nodded. I buried my face in my daughter´s long, red hair. "I love you, too, Ginny. I love you, too."

***

The sound of my softly retreating brood rings in my ears. My family has certainly grown over the years.

Bill married Fleur Delaceour. They have three children: Lily, Rose, and Marigold. Lily is the spitting image of her father, with Weasley-red hair. Rose has the same white-blonde hair as her mother. Marigold has gorgeous, long hair of strawberry-blonde. They´re the oldest grandkids. Lily´s twenty, Rose is nineteen, and Marigold is seventeen, and Head Girl at Hogwarts.

Charlie married Cho Chang. Cho, being unable to conceive, convinced Charlie that adopting was the way to go. They now have five children. There´s Jack, from Austria, Lila, from the U.S.A., Charlotte, from China, James, from Ireland, and Virginia, from Japan.

Percy...he...he was killed by Death Eaters soon after the birth of my Virginia´s little Molly. His wife, Penny, was pregnant with their son at the time. Soon after Percy´s death, Penny was killed in a car crash. Doctors were able to save the baby, dubbed Percy, and he was adopted by Virginia.

Fred and George married Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell, respectively. The girls are the professors of DADA and Transfiguration at Hogwarts, and say they deal with enough kids all year round that they don´t need any more. Gred and Feorge see kids all the time at their shop, 3W (short for Weasley´s Wizard Wheezes), and agree completely. They share a three-bedroom flat in Hogsmeade, and have about twenty animals running about the place.

Ron married Lavender. They have two girls, twins. They´re named Parvati and Padma, after the Patil twins, who died in the Great War. They both have Weasley-red hair. However, they seem to take after their uncles Fred and George more than anyone else. There was this time with chocolate sauce and tomato past...but...you don´t need to hear about that...

Virginia, of course, married Draco Malfoy. I never thought I´d see the day...but he´s truly a changed man, and fought on our side in the Great War, turning in his father to authorities. They´ve got twelve kids now. All the girls but the twins have Weasley-red hair, the boys have silvery-blonde hair (which, luckily, they don´t slick back!) and the twins have raven-black hair. Apparently, they get it from Draco´s grandmother, who was one-quarter vampire. Don´t worry, Draco isn´t a vampire, though.

I always count Harry and Hermione as part of my brood, as they´ve been part of the family since they were just children. They have four children. Cedric, Roger, Lily, and Katrina Leeann. The boys are both the spitting image of Harry, but with Hermione´s brown eyes, and the girls are the spitting image of Hermione, but with Harry´s green eyes. Cedric (Ced, for short) and Lily are complete bookworms with grades to make any parent green with envy, like Hermione, but Roger and Kat (that´s Katrina´s nickname) are both avid Quidditch-fans who tend to scrape by in school by the skin of their teeth.

But, enough of thinking about my family. I´ve come to say good-bye.

An older man up on a hill,

Holding flowers in his hand,

But he can´t hold back the tears.

Oh, he has come to say good-bye.

He thinks about the life she lived.

He thinks about her heart.

Oh, it´s hard to live without her.

Sixty years, right by her side.

Molly, oh, Molly. I love you with all of my heart. As I gaze up at the stars, I wonder. I wonder what you´re doing now. Are you an angel, now, Molly? Placing the white roses (you´re favorite, Molly, dear) by your grave, I kneel, my head in my hands. Then, I return my gaze to the stars. The Queen is shining brightly, tonight. Are you with her, now, Molly? Are you a star, up in the heavens, now, Molly? Do you remember me, my love?

And he cries, `Oh, Lord, I´ll love her `til the end!´

And he heard a gentle voice say `You´ll see her once again!´

Somehow, I find the strength to stand, and I look at the weeping willow tree that has been transplanted to be next to your grave. You always loved weeping willows, Molly. That´s why we always had this tree in the yard, forever and ever. With a strength I cannot explain, I tear my eyes away from the freshly dug earth.

Oh, I have been there.

Know what sorrow´s all about.

Yes, I have been there.

And I´m standin´ with you now!

I have been there.

I have come to build the bridges,

And this road will lead her home!

This road will lead you home!

Have you found your way to Heaven, Molly?

Oh, I have been there!

Know what sorrow´s all about.

Yes, I have been there.

And I´m standin´ with you now!

I´ll always love you, Molly.

Oh, I have been there...

Yes, I have been there...

Silently, I make my way down the hill. And rain begins to fall...

Oh, I have been there...