One Summer Day
By KitLee
Disclaimer: Everyone and everyplace belongs to J.K. Rowling except Tabitha, Victoria and Elizabeth Dumbledore.
Author's Note: This story is sort of a sequel to "What Dumbledore Saw."
12:00 midnight --
Tabitha quietly Apparated back into the yard of her house. She normally would have just Apparated into her bedroom, but she new that her parents' security spells would sound if she did. She wasn't supposed to be out so late, especially with Voldemort on the rise. But she'd just had to go see her boyfriend. At twenty-six, she felt too old to still live at home, but her parents had insisted on her staying with them over the summer since Volemort had returned. She tiptoed through the kitchen on her way back to bed when suddenly the light burst on. Albus Dumbledore sat at the table.
"Hello Tabby," he said.
"Dad! Um, hi. What are you doing up so late?"
"I think the real question is what are you doing up so late."
"Oh, well, I was just going for a walk."
"Mmm hmm," he said, giving her a piercing look that plainly said that he didn't believe her story. "Look Tabby, I know that you think that you can handle yourself -- "
"I can handle myself Dad. I am an adult," she interrupted.
" -- But I still don't want you going out alone, especially at night. You're still my daughter, and I don't want you getting hurt. What would your mother say if she knew about this?"
Tabby grinned. "She'd probably give me detention and take 25 points from Gryffindor."
Albus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Just go to bed and do not leave this house without our permission."
Tabby crept up to her room. Her father looked so tired and old lately. Voldemort's return was taking its toll on him.
'I should behave more,' Tabby though. 'He doesn't need the stress of my antics on to of everything else.'
Tabby went into her room and turned on the light, revealing a figure sitting cross-legged on her bed.
"Vicky! What are you doing here?"
"Shhh. Beth's already asleep."
Tabby lowered her voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you. Where were you? Were you with him?"
"It's none of your business."
"I am your sister."
"Yeah, my little sister. Don't let the door hit you on your way out."
"Very funny. Just tell me -- please."
"Fine. If you must know, yes I was with Remus."
"Do Mom and Dad know?"
"Are you kidding? They'd freak. Now if you're done with the interrogation, I'm going to sleep."
"Okay. Night."
"G'night."
*****
7:45 am --
Eleven year old Elizabeth McGonagall Dumbledore was sitting at the kitchen table. She was the only one up; neither her parents nor her older sisters had arisen yet. There'd been some commotion last night, but as usual, no one had included her. At the moment, she was staring at the kitchen window, waiting for the mail to arrive.
Her sister Vicky, age fifteen, stumbled downstairs. "Morning Beth."
"Good morning Vicky," she responded, eyes not moving from the window.
"You know," Vicky said, fixing herself breakfast, "staring at the window won't make the mail come any faster."
"I just don't want to miss my letter," Beth said.
"Oh relax Beth; you'll get in," Vicky said.
They sat in silence, Bethy staring out the window, Vicky using her wand to float a book in front of her and turn the pages, for quite a while until their mother came down.
"Good morning girls," Minerva McGonagall said.
"Morning Mom," Vicky said, not even looking up from her book.
"Good morning Mom," Bethy said sunnily. She beamed at her. "I'm glad to see you."
"I'm glad to see you too Beth, but flattery won't get me to tell you if you've been accepted to Hogwarts."
"Why not?" Beth asked, sulkily.
"It's not fair to the other students. You'll just have to sit here and wait patiently to see if you get one like everyone else."
"That's not fair," Beth said. "I've been waiting all summer. I don't think I'll ever get one."
Minerva McGonagall looked at her youngest daughter's sad face and weakened slightly. "Alright Beth, I will tell you one thing. If you get a letter, it'll probably arrive today." She handed her daughters glasses of juice. "Now drink your juice."
Beth was drinking hers when their father's pheonix Fawkes flew in with the mail. She jumped up, spilling the juice everywhere. Beth grabbed for the mail before Fawkes had even gotten a chance to land. She flipped through the letters, tossing the one's not addressed to her on the orange-juice-spotted table. Then, near the bottom, she reached her letter.
"Look Mom! Look Vicky! I got it! I'm going to Hogwarts!" she exlaimed, jumping around happily.
"I see Beth," her mother said. "Now calm down please and clean up your spill."
Beth did so, still jabbering excitedly. "Can I get my school supplies today? Please? Tabby and Vicky could come too. I think Tabby was planning on going to Diagon Alley anyway, and then I could go with her, and Vicky could come too and get her school supplies."
"I'll ask your father when he gets up, but I don't see why not."
"Great!" Beth exclaimed. She jumped up from the table and ran upstairs.
"Where are you going Beth?" her mother asked.
"To get Daddy up," she yelled behind her.
Vicky and her mother just looked at each other and shook their heads. Beth normally expressed the energy of a hurricane, but today, thanks to her Hogwarts letter, she was even more excited. Vicky picked up the discarded letters dried them off. Most were addressed to her father or mother, and a few were to her from her friends at Menlo Park School of Magic. But one in particular caught her eye. It bore the Hogwarts seal. Vicky ripped it open and read:
"Dear Miss Dumbledore,
You're application to be transfered from Menlo Park School of Magic to Hogwarts for the upcoming term has been accepted."
There was more, but Vicky didn't have to finish it. "Mom, what's this?"
"What are you talking about Vicky?" her mother asked, not looking.
"I got a letter from Hogwarts."
"Oh -- that. Well Vicky, your father and I thought that it would be best if you came to Hogwarts. With You-Know-Who --"
"Voldemort," Vicky interrupted, knowing that her mother didn't like it when she called him that.
Her mother flinched but continued. " -- on the loose, we wanted you to be at the safest place you can be, and that's Hogwarts."
"But Mom I have friends at Menlo Park! This isn't fair! You didn't even ask me if I wanted to go."
"Vicky, I know you're disappointed, but your father and I want to make sure that you're safe. Besides, I know that ever since you've been little all you ever dreamed about was attending Hogwarts."
"Yes I did. And I didn't get in. I went to Menlo Park then, even though I wanted to go to Hogwarts, because you and Dad didn't think it would be fair. And now, now that I have friends at Menlo Park, you're again sending me someplace against my will."
"Vicky, this isn't up for discussion," Minerva McGonagall said firmly, and Vicky knew that she'd lost.
"Fine," she muttered to her oatmeal. "I'll go, but I won't like it."
*****
9:00 am
It took quite a while to get everyone and everything ready for the girls' trip to Diagon Alley. First Tabby wouldn't wake up, and then their father couldn't find his key to his vault at Gringotts. As a result, it took over an hour to go, and Beth wasn't happy about the delay. Still, it was all worth it once they'd gotten there. Beth loved the many shops, people and bustle of Diagon Alley.
First they went to Gringotts and removed some money from their father's account to pay for their supplies, with a little extra for lunch and ice cream. The ride in the cart excited Beth but left Vicky feeling rather discombobulated.
"Hey guys," Tabby said, once they were outside again, "I've gotta go. I'll meet you later -- say at noon in the Leaky Cauldron." She dashed off.
"I wonder where she's going," Beth said.
"She's probably going to see her boyfriend."
"Oh. That's Remus right?"
"Uh-huh," Vicky said.
"Why won't she tell Mom and Dad? They like him."
"Not that much they don't."
"What do you mean?"
"Mom and Dad just don't want us dating anyone. They, mainly Dad, want us to stay kids forever."
"Oh," Beth said, and before she could think of any more questions, Vicky dragged her off to get fitted for her robes.
Meanwhile, Ron, Harry and Hermione were also in Diagon Alley getting their school supplies. They made a quick stop at Madam Malkins' to get Ron some new dress robes. The only other people in the shop were two girls with dark hair, getting fitted for plain black robes. Ron bought blue robes, and the trio left.
*****
12:00 noon --
They ran into the girls again at Flourish and Blotts buying books, and again in the Leaky Cauldron at noon. By then they had met up with a third girl. All three were very pretty and looked so similar that Harry assumed that they were sisters.
"Hey Ron," Harry said as they waited for Hermione to get out of Flourish and Blotts.
"Yeah," Ron said.
"Look at those girls over there," Harry said pointing. "They're really pretty, don't you think?"
Ron studied them for a while and then choked on his butterbeer. "Oh my god," he muttered. "It really is one blue and one green."
"What?" Harry asked. "Do you know them?"
"Yeah, I think, I'm almost positive actually, that those are the McGonagall-Dumbledore girls."
"The who?" Harry asked, quite confused. The only people he knew with those names were Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore.
"The McGonagall-Dumbledore girls. There are three of them, see, and you can tell them because of their eyes. One's blue and the other's green. Or at least that's what my brother Bill always told me. He used to date the oldest one -- before she dumped him that is."
"What're their names?"
"The oldest is Tabitha, Bill calls her The Vixen, the next is Victoria, and the littlest is Elizabeth, I think."
"So why are they called the McGonagall-Dumbledore girls? Does it have anything to do with our professors?"
"Oh yeah. They're their daughters."
"Really?" Harry asked, shocked.
"Yup," Ron said. Just then Hermione walked up.
"Hi guys. What are you talking about?"
"I'm telling Harry about the McGonagall-Dumbledore girls. They're sitting right over there."
"Who're they?" Hermione asked.
"Geez," Ron said, "don't you guys know any gossip?" They shook their heads. "The McGonagall-Dumbledore girls are the daughters of Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. Or at least that's what the rumor says. It's a really big scandal."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Well do the math," Ron said. "Tabitha Dumbledore is my brother Bill's age -- he dated her while they were at Hogwarts -- which makes her about twenty-six. When she was born, Professor McGonagall was only about eighteen, barely out of Hogwarts. Which means that she got pregnant as a student. Anyway, so Tabitha was born, and Professor Dumbledore raised her. For years, no one knew who her mother was. He claimed that he'd just found her. Then Professor McGonagall came back and got pregnant and had Victoria, she's fifteen like us, but no one knew who her father was. By then people started figuring things out because they look so much alike, especially with the one blue eye and one green eye thing. Finally they had their last daughter Elizabeth, who, I think, is ten or somewhere around there."
"How do you know so much Ron?" Harry asked.
"Bill and Charlie told me about Tabitha and Victoria; Bill dated Tabitha, and Charlie liked playing with Vicky when she was little and growing up at Hogwarts. The rest I just picked up from here and there. It's rather big gossip."
As they were talking about the girls, the girls meanwhile were talking about them.
"Hey guys," Beth said. "Those guys over there keep looking at us."
"Which guys?" Vicky asked.
"The one's right behind you," Beth said.
Vicky turned to look at them, but Tabby immediately said, "Don't look Vicky."
"Then how am I supposed to see them?"
"Be discreet," Tabby directed.
Vicky rolled her eyes and then turned to look at them when Tabby wasn't looking. She saw three kids sitting there, two boys and one girl.
"Is he a Weasley?" Beth asked. "He looks like a Weasley with that red hair and those freckles."
Vicky stole another glance. "I think so. Let's see, that must be Ron, yeah, he's the youngest boy."
"Great," Beth said, "I'm gonna go talk to them. Maybe he'll date me."
Tabby leaned over and grabbed her littlest sister's sleeve. "Hold it Beth. First of all, you never just walk over and talk to guys who are checking you out, and second, you're too little to date."
"Besides," Vicky added, "Mom and Dad, mostly Dad, would kill you and the boy you dated."
"But it's not fair," Beth complained. "Tabby has a boyfriend, and Vicky has a boyfriend, so why can't I have a boyfriend?"
"I do not have a boyfriend," Vicky insisted.
"Yeah you do -- Charlie," Beth said.
"Charlie and I are just friends," Vicky insisted, but her sisters ignored her.
"Anyway, if I date Ron, then all three of us will have dated Weasleys."
Tabby laughed. "In the face of such logic, how can I stop you," she said, waving her arm in Ron's direction. "Go for it Beth."
Beth marched over to them, and Vicky grabbed her sister's arm. "Are you crazy Tabby? If Mom and Dad find out that we let her date, they'll ground us til we're thirty."
"Relax Vicky. Nothing's going to happen. What kind of fifteen-year-old do you think would want to date an eleven-year-old? This is just gonna be funny, nothing else."
Beth walked right up to Ron, Harry and Hermione just as Ron finished his lecture on her and her sisters.
"Hi," she said cheerfully, but at the sound of her voices, they looked up guiltily.
"Hi," they said.
"Are you Ron Weasley?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, I am. You're Beth Dumbledore, right?"
"Right," she said. "How'd you know that?"
"How'd you know that I'm Ron Weasley?"
"You look like a Weasley," she said. "And you don't look old enough to be anyone but Ron, the youngest."
"Oh," Ron said. "Well same with you."
"So who're the rest of you?" Beth asked politely.
"I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione said.
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said, surprised that she hadn't recognized him already.
"Nice to meet you," she said calmly. "Anyway Ron, I came over here to see if you'll date me."
"You did what?" Ron asked. Harry and Hermione gave her a strange look.
"I wanted to know if you'll date me," Beth repeated. "My sisters both have boyfriends, and I don't. Besides, they've both at one time dated a Weasley, so it's my turn."
"I know that your sister Tabitha dated Bill, but who'd Vicky date?"
"She's dating Charlie of course."
"Oh, right," Ron said, trying to find another way to let her down gently. "Don't you think I'm too old for you?" he asked.
"No," Beth said. "Besides, as my mother always says, 'McGonagall women like older men.' "
Harry almost spit out his drink in surprise. "Your mother, Professor McGonagall, says that?"
"Of course," Beth said. "Why wouldn't she?" Beth turned her attention back to Ron. "So will you date me?"
Vicky decided to jump in and save them all a lot of embarrasment. "Come on Beth," she said, pulling her little sister up. "Let's go."
"But I was talking to Ron," she protested. Tabby came over and helped pull Vicky.
"It's been swell kids," she said. "But we have to go. Say hi to your brothers for us, Ron." She picked up Beth and carried her away.
"Bye Ron!" Beth yelled over Tabby's shoulder. "See you at Hogwarts!"
*****
12:00 midnight --
Once again, Tabitha Dumbledore was sneaking into her house after seeing her boyfriend Remus Lupin. Tonight though, she was going to climb in through the window, Muggle-style. She managed to scale the drainpipe without too much trouble and climbed into her open window. Then she tiptoed to the top of the stairs and peered down to see if her dad was still up. There wasn't any light on, and when she crept down, he didn't reveal himself. Relieved, she turned on a light to get a drink of water before going to sleep.
A firm hand clamped on her shoulder, and Tabby turned to see her mother standing there looking very angry. She groaned quietly and allowed her mother to march her back upstairs and into bed. She would have to face the music, but that could wait until morning. Tabby changed into her nightgown and fell into bed. In moments, she and the rest of the house had fallen into blissful sleep.
By KitLee
Disclaimer: Everyone and everyplace belongs to J.K. Rowling except Tabitha, Victoria and Elizabeth Dumbledore.
Author's Note: This story is sort of a sequel to "What Dumbledore Saw."
12:00 midnight --
Tabitha quietly Apparated back into the yard of her house. She normally would have just Apparated into her bedroom, but she new that her parents' security spells would sound if she did. She wasn't supposed to be out so late, especially with Voldemort on the rise. But she'd just had to go see her boyfriend. At twenty-six, she felt too old to still live at home, but her parents had insisted on her staying with them over the summer since Volemort had returned. She tiptoed through the kitchen on her way back to bed when suddenly the light burst on. Albus Dumbledore sat at the table.
"Hello Tabby," he said.
"Dad! Um, hi. What are you doing up so late?"
"I think the real question is what are you doing up so late."
"Oh, well, I was just going for a walk."
"Mmm hmm," he said, giving her a piercing look that plainly said that he didn't believe her story. "Look Tabby, I know that you think that you can handle yourself -- "
"I can handle myself Dad. I am an adult," she interrupted.
" -- But I still don't want you going out alone, especially at night. You're still my daughter, and I don't want you getting hurt. What would your mother say if she knew about this?"
Tabby grinned. "She'd probably give me detention and take 25 points from Gryffindor."
Albus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Just go to bed and do not leave this house without our permission."
Tabby crept up to her room. Her father looked so tired and old lately. Voldemort's return was taking its toll on him.
'I should behave more,' Tabby though. 'He doesn't need the stress of my antics on to of everything else.'
Tabby went into her room and turned on the light, revealing a figure sitting cross-legged on her bed.
"Vicky! What are you doing here?"
"Shhh. Beth's already asleep."
Tabby lowered her voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you. Where were you? Were you with him?"
"It's none of your business."
"I am your sister."
"Yeah, my little sister. Don't let the door hit you on your way out."
"Very funny. Just tell me -- please."
"Fine. If you must know, yes I was with Remus."
"Do Mom and Dad know?"
"Are you kidding? They'd freak. Now if you're done with the interrogation, I'm going to sleep."
"Okay. Night."
"G'night."
*****
7:45 am --
Eleven year old Elizabeth McGonagall Dumbledore was sitting at the kitchen table. She was the only one up; neither her parents nor her older sisters had arisen yet. There'd been some commotion last night, but as usual, no one had included her. At the moment, she was staring at the kitchen window, waiting for the mail to arrive.
Her sister Vicky, age fifteen, stumbled downstairs. "Morning Beth."
"Good morning Vicky," she responded, eyes not moving from the window.
"You know," Vicky said, fixing herself breakfast, "staring at the window won't make the mail come any faster."
"I just don't want to miss my letter," Beth said.
"Oh relax Beth; you'll get in," Vicky said.
They sat in silence, Bethy staring out the window, Vicky using her wand to float a book in front of her and turn the pages, for quite a while until their mother came down.
"Good morning girls," Minerva McGonagall said.
"Morning Mom," Vicky said, not even looking up from her book.
"Good morning Mom," Bethy said sunnily. She beamed at her. "I'm glad to see you."
"I'm glad to see you too Beth, but flattery won't get me to tell you if you've been accepted to Hogwarts."
"Why not?" Beth asked, sulkily.
"It's not fair to the other students. You'll just have to sit here and wait patiently to see if you get one like everyone else."
"That's not fair," Beth said. "I've been waiting all summer. I don't think I'll ever get one."
Minerva McGonagall looked at her youngest daughter's sad face and weakened slightly. "Alright Beth, I will tell you one thing. If you get a letter, it'll probably arrive today." She handed her daughters glasses of juice. "Now drink your juice."
Beth was drinking hers when their father's pheonix Fawkes flew in with the mail. She jumped up, spilling the juice everywhere. Beth grabbed for the mail before Fawkes had even gotten a chance to land. She flipped through the letters, tossing the one's not addressed to her on the orange-juice-spotted table. Then, near the bottom, she reached her letter.
"Look Mom! Look Vicky! I got it! I'm going to Hogwarts!" she exlaimed, jumping around happily.
"I see Beth," her mother said. "Now calm down please and clean up your spill."
Beth did so, still jabbering excitedly. "Can I get my school supplies today? Please? Tabby and Vicky could come too. I think Tabby was planning on going to Diagon Alley anyway, and then I could go with her, and Vicky could come too and get her school supplies."
"I'll ask your father when he gets up, but I don't see why not."
"Great!" Beth exclaimed. She jumped up from the table and ran upstairs.
"Where are you going Beth?" her mother asked.
"To get Daddy up," she yelled behind her.
Vicky and her mother just looked at each other and shook their heads. Beth normally expressed the energy of a hurricane, but today, thanks to her Hogwarts letter, she was even more excited. Vicky picked up the discarded letters dried them off. Most were addressed to her father or mother, and a few were to her from her friends at Menlo Park School of Magic. But one in particular caught her eye. It bore the Hogwarts seal. Vicky ripped it open and read:
"Dear Miss Dumbledore,
You're application to be transfered from Menlo Park School of Magic to Hogwarts for the upcoming term has been accepted."
There was more, but Vicky didn't have to finish it. "Mom, what's this?"
"What are you talking about Vicky?" her mother asked, not looking.
"I got a letter from Hogwarts."
"Oh -- that. Well Vicky, your father and I thought that it would be best if you came to Hogwarts. With You-Know-Who --"
"Voldemort," Vicky interrupted, knowing that her mother didn't like it when she called him that.
Her mother flinched but continued. " -- on the loose, we wanted you to be at the safest place you can be, and that's Hogwarts."
"But Mom I have friends at Menlo Park! This isn't fair! You didn't even ask me if I wanted to go."
"Vicky, I know you're disappointed, but your father and I want to make sure that you're safe. Besides, I know that ever since you've been little all you ever dreamed about was attending Hogwarts."
"Yes I did. And I didn't get in. I went to Menlo Park then, even though I wanted to go to Hogwarts, because you and Dad didn't think it would be fair. And now, now that I have friends at Menlo Park, you're again sending me someplace against my will."
"Vicky, this isn't up for discussion," Minerva McGonagall said firmly, and Vicky knew that she'd lost.
"Fine," she muttered to her oatmeal. "I'll go, but I won't like it."
*****
9:00 am
It took quite a while to get everyone and everything ready for the girls' trip to Diagon Alley. First Tabby wouldn't wake up, and then their father couldn't find his key to his vault at Gringotts. As a result, it took over an hour to go, and Beth wasn't happy about the delay. Still, it was all worth it once they'd gotten there. Beth loved the many shops, people and bustle of Diagon Alley.
First they went to Gringotts and removed some money from their father's account to pay for their supplies, with a little extra for lunch and ice cream. The ride in the cart excited Beth but left Vicky feeling rather discombobulated.
"Hey guys," Tabby said, once they were outside again, "I've gotta go. I'll meet you later -- say at noon in the Leaky Cauldron." She dashed off.
"I wonder where she's going," Beth said.
"She's probably going to see her boyfriend."
"Oh. That's Remus right?"
"Uh-huh," Vicky said.
"Why won't she tell Mom and Dad? They like him."
"Not that much they don't."
"What do you mean?"
"Mom and Dad just don't want us dating anyone. They, mainly Dad, want us to stay kids forever."
"Oh," Beth said, and before she could think of any more questions, Vicky dragged her off to get fitted for her robes.
Meanwhile, Ron, Harry and Hermione were also in Diagon Alley getting their school supplies. They made a quick stop at Madam Malkins' to get Ron some new dress robes. The only other people in the shop were two girls with dark hair, getting fitted for plain black robes. Ron bought blue robes, and the trio left.
*****
12:00 noon --
They ran into the girls again at Flourish and Blotts buying books, and again in the Leaky Cauldron at noon. By then they had met up with a third girl. All three were very pretty and looked so similar that Harry assumed that they were sisters.
"Hey Ron," Harry said as they waited for Hermione to get out of Flourish and Blotts.
"Yeah," Ron said.
"Look at those girls over there," Harry said pointing. "They're really pretty, don't you think?"
Ron studied them for a while and then choked on his butterbeer. "Oh my god," he muttered. "It really is one blue and one green."
"What?" Harry asked. "Do you know them?"
"Yeah, I think, I'm almost positive actually, that those are the McGonagall-Dumbledore girls."
"The who?" Harry asked, quite confused. The only people he knew with those names were Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore.
"The McGonagall-Dumbledore girls. There are three of them, see, and you can tell them because of their eyes. One's blue and the other's green. Or at least that's what my brother Bill always told me. He used to date the oldest one -- before she dumped him that is."
"What're their names?"
"The oldest is Tabitha, Bill calls her The Vixen, the next is Victoria, and the littlest is Elizabeth, I think."
"So why are they called the McGonagall-Dumbledore girls? Does it have anything to do with our professors?"
"Oh yeah. They're their daughters."
"Really?" Harry asked, shocked.
"Yup," Ron said. Just then Hermione walked up.
"Hi guys. What are you talking about?"
"I'm telling Harry about the McGonagall-Dumbledore girls. They're sitting right over there."
"Who're they?" Hermione asked.
"Geez," Ron said, "don't you guys know any gossip?" They shook their heads. "The McGonagall-Dumbledore girls are the daughters of Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. Or at least that's what the rumor says. It's a really big scandal."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Well do the math," Ron said. "Tabitha Dumbledore is my brother Bill's age -- he dated her while they were at Hogwarts -- which makes her about twenty-six. When she was born, Professor McGonagall was only about eighteen, barely out of Hogwarts. Which means that she got pregnant as a student. Anyway, so Tabitha was born, and Professor Dumbledore raised her. For years, no one knew who her mother was. He claimed that he'd just found her. Then Professor McGonagall came back and got pregnant and had Victoria, she's fifteen like us, but no one knew who her father was. By then people started figuring things out because they look so much alike, especially with the one blue eye and one green eye thing. Finally they had their last daughter Elizabeth, who, I think, is ten or somewhere around there."
"How do you know so much Ron?" Harry asked.
"Bill and Charlie told me about Tabitha and Victoria; Bill dated Tabitha, and Charlie liked playing with Vicky when she was little and growing up at Hogwarts. The rest I just picked up from here and there. It's rather big gossip."
As they were talking about the girls, the girls meanwhile were talking about them.
"Hey guys," Beth said. "Those guys over there keep looking at us."
"Which guys?" Vicky asked.
"The one's right behind you," Beth said.
Vicky turned to look at them, but Tabby immediately said, "Don't look Vicky."
"Then how am I supposed to see them?"
"Be discreet," Tabby directed.
Vicky rolled her eyes and then turned to look at them when Tabby wasn't looking. She saw three kids sitting there, two boys and one girl.
"Is he a Weasley?" Beth asked. "He looks like a Weasley with that red hair and those freckles."
Vicky stole another glance. "I think so. Let's see, that must be Ron, yeah, he's the youngest boy."
"Great," Beth said, "I'm gonna go talk to them. Maybe he'll date me."
Tabby leaned over and grabbed her littlest sister's sleeve. "Hold it Beth. First of all, you never just walk over and talk to guys who are checking you out, and second, you're too little to date."
"Besides," Vicky added, "Mom and Dad, mostly Dad, would kill you and the boy you dated."
"But it's not fair," Beth complained. "Tabby has a boyfriend, and Vicky has a boyfriend, so why can't I have a boyfriend?"
"I do not have a boyfriend," Vicky insisted.
"Yeah you do -- Charlie," Beth said.
"Charlie and I are just friends," Vicky insisted, but her sisters ignored her.
"Anyway, if I date Ron, then all three of us will have dated Weasleys."
Tabby laughed. "In the face of such logic, how can I stop you," she said, waving her arm in Ron's direction. "Go for it Beth."
Beth marched over to them, and Vicky grabbed her sister's arm. "Are you crazy Tabby? If Mom and Dad find out that we let her date, they'll ground us til we're thirty."
"Relax Vicky. Nothing's going to happen. What kind of fifteen-year-old do you think would want to date an eleven-year-old? This is just gonna be funny, nothing else."
Beth walked right up to Ron, Harry and Hermione just as Ron finished his lecture on her and her sisters.
"Hi," she said cheerfully, but at the sound of her voices, they looked up guiltily.
"Hi," they said.
"Are you Ron Weasley?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, I am. You're Beth Dumbledore, right?"
"Right," she said. "How'd you know that?"
"How'd you know that I'm Ron Weasley?"
"You look like a Weasley," she said. "And you don't look old enough to be anyone but Ron, the youngest."
"Oh," Ron said. "Well same with you."
"So who're the rest of you?" Beth asked politely.
"I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione said.
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said, surprised that she hadn't recognized him already.
"Nice to meet you," she said calmly. "Anyway Ron, I came over here to see if you'll date me."
"You did what?" Ron asked. Harry and Hermione gave her a strange look.
"I wanted to know if you'll date me," Beth repeated. "My sisters both have boyfriends, and I don't. Besides, they've both at one time dated a Weasley, so it's my turn."
"I know that your sister Tabitha dated Bill, but who'd Vicky date?"
"She's dating Charlie of course."
"Oh, right," Ron said, trying to find another way to let her down gently. "Don't you think I'm too old for you?" he asked.
"No," Beth said. "Besides, as my mother always says, 'McGonagall women like older men.' "
Harry almost spit out his drink in surprise. "Your mother, Professor McGonagall, says that?"
"Of course," Beth said. "Why wouldn't she?" Beth turned her attention back to Ron. "So will you date me?"
Vicky decided to jump in and save them all a lot of embarrasment. "Come on Beth," she said, pulling her little sister up. "Let's go."
"But I was talking to Ron," she protested. Tabby came over and helped pull Vicky.
"It's been swell kids," she said. "But we have to go. Say hi to your brothers for us, Ron." She picked up Beth and carried her away.
"Bye Ron!" Beth yelled over Tabby's shoulder. "See you at Hogwarts!"
*****
12:00 midnight --
Once again, Tabitha Dumbledore was sneaking into her house after seeing her boyfriend Remus Lupin. Tonight though, she was going to climb in through the window, Muggle-style. She managed to scale the drainpipe without too much trouble and climbed into her open window. Then she tiptoed to the top of the stairs and peered down to see if her dad was still up. There wasn't any light on, and when she crept down, he didn't reveal himself. Relieved, she turned on a light to get a drink of water before going to sleep.
A firm hand clamped on her shoulder, and Tabby turned to see her mother standing there looking very angry. She groaned quietly and allowed her mother to march her back upstairs and into bed. She would have to face the music, but that could wait until morning. Tabby changed into her nightgown and fell into bed. In moments, she and the rest of the house had fallen into blissful sleep.