The Sleeping Princess

23- The Waking Kingdom

"To you all, I'm afraid that it has only felt like it has been a few moments since you last saw me," he said coming forward and putting his hands on the king's shoulders, still beaming. "But to the rest of the world, it has been almost a hundred years."

"A hundred years?" Molly screamed, looking close to fainting. "What do you mean that it's been a hundred years?! We were just going up to the tower and the next second we were all down here! We were going to find Ginny and…"

But he was shaking his head in a gloomy sort of way. He gave her a sympathetic look before he answered, "I am afraid that we were not able to reach the princess in time. She had pricked her finger on the spinning wheel and fell asleep… just as it was foretold."

Molly put her hands up to her mouth and looked as if she were about to cry, but he took her hands, still smiling and told her, "But it is alright now. Voldemort is defeated… for good this time. He was killed not too long ago…"

"But how?" Arthur asked, baffled to what he was saying. "I just don't see how this is all…?"

"It was the same person who woke the princess with true love's kiss that slew Voldemort in his true form," Albus explained, looking over their shoulders to the staircase. "And you have Prince Ronald to thank for bringing him here."

"Ron?" Fred and George both gasped, staring at each other.

"What are you talking about?" Percy demanded. "I'm lost here."

"You aren't the only one bro," George agreed. "What's happening here?"

"Instead of answering, why don't you look over your shoulder and ask him yourself?" he asked, pointing up ahead.

They all turned, and there they were. Ron and Hermione, who had borrowed a beautiful dress from Ginny, were coming down the stairs. They beamed at the sight of them all and Ron waved merrily, having changed into good clothes as well.

"Hey," he called, coming over to her as Hermione ran her finger through her tangled hair.

"Ron…?" George gasped, staring at Hermione, who smiled back.

"Hey!" Ron snapped, looking past them to see Dumbledore. "You crazy old man! Do you have the slightest idea to what you ended up putting us through? Ordeals, magic mirrors, dark forests, mountains with hats… and all this? What? Did you have too much time on your hands to think of all this?!"

Hermione was also frowning at him as he smiled. "I am truly sorry for putting you all through this," Dumbledore told them gravely. "Had I known, I never would have done so… but by the time I felt the spell weaken, and put two-and-two together and hurried over here… you had everything taken care of."

"Oh, real nice excuse!" Ron yelled, folding his arms. "You have no idea to what we all had to go through."

"Could you guys please tell us what the heck is going on here?" George croaked out, now sounding completely lost.

"But your sister…?" Molly whispered shakily as the boys looked at Hermione in surprise.

"There," Ron said, jerking his thumb at the stairs again, turning back to Dumbledore and continuing to argue. And there they were. Harry was guiding Ginny down the stairs, her face all aglow as they stared at each other. They glanced up just as they reached the foot of the stairs and Ginny beamed at the sight of them as she waved happily. "Mum! Dad! Percy! Fred! George!"

Almost dragging Harry with her, they went up to them and Ginny hugged her parents tightly. Molly merely hugged her back, still looking completely lost to what was happening here. Arthur stared from his wife, to Ron, to Ginny and back again—as if hoping that someone could explain to him just what was going on here.