Here is the next chapter in my new fic.

Once again, I do not own anything in the Harry Potter franchise. *sigh*


That first dinner with Lucius led to a tentative relationship between himself and Hermione. Now, as she stood with Draco on the front steps of Malfoy Manor as his fiancé, she wasn't sure if that tentative relationship would extend to a muggleborn daughter-in-law.

They had spent most of the day going around to their family and friends, giving them the good news and celebrating a little with each of them. Harry and Ginny had insisted on going with them to the Burrow, where Molly and Arthur Weasley insisted that they have at least one glass of champagne. There were owls sent out to Bill and Charlie letting them know they would be expected home for the occasion. The mood had been high for Draco and Hermione when they left the Weasleys, who were still celebrating for the happy couple.

Minister Weasley had pulled Draco aside before they left to have a private word.

"I'm really sorry to hear about your aunt and uncle, Draco," he began.

"Thank you for your sympathy, sir. And I appreciate the help you're giving with getting Lyra's case submitted as soon as possible."

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that if there is anything you or your parents need, just let me know."

Draco shook the man's hand in true appreciation. "You have no idea how much that means to me, sir."

One of the house elves answered the door to the manor and Draco and Hermione entered into the foyer. They gave the elf their coats and went into the parlor to wait for Narcissa and Lucius to join them. Hermione was wringing her hands and Draco took them both in his hands and kissed them.

"You need to calm down, or they're going to get the wrong idea," he told her.

"I know. It's just that I'm afraid that your father will go back to calling me Miss Granger and being horrid. It took so long for him to even accept me as your girlfriend and now-" She did not finish her thought; Lucius had just arrived with Narcissa on his arm.

"Darlings!" exclaimed Narcissa. She hugged and kissed them both. "It's always wonderful to have you drop by. We weren't expecting you until Friday evening."

"Yes, we know Mum," said Draco. He took Hermione's hand in his. "We just had some news that we wanted to share with you."

The couple looked at each other and smiled. Lucius spoke up before they could say anything more. "You didn't impregnate her, did you, Draco?" he asked; sounding rather appalled at the idea. Narcissa gasped and looked at her son and Hermione.

"No, no, no!" exclaimed Hermione. She held out her hands and Narcissa noticed the ring on her finger.

The older woman made a rather ungraceful grab at Hermione's hand. It was the first time that Hermione had ever seen Narcissa speechless. Draco's mother just looked at Hermione's ring and then at her son.

"I've asked Hermione to marry me, and she has graciously accepted," Draco explained.

Narcissa let out a squeal that would have made a lovesick fourteen-year-old proud. She hugged and kissed Hermione on both cheeks and then moved on to Draco. The young man had to actually pull his mother off of him before he could look at his father. The patriarch of the Malfoy family slowly walked towards Hermione and stopped right in front of her. He looked down at her; not down his nose, like he sometimes did, but really considered her. He smirked when she lifted her chin and gave him a defiant lift of the eyebrow.

"I suppose congratulations are in order . . . Hermione," he said.

Hermione could not remember when her heart had felt so light. She gave Lucius a smile that would have lit up the world. She moved to hug him, but stopped herself and stuck out her hand instead. Lucius looked at the hand and took it, but with his other hand he pulled Hermione closer and kissed her forehead.

Narcissa began to cry and called for the house elves to bring champagne.

"Have you thought about a date?" asked Lucius as they waited for the champagne.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other and laughed. "Everybody has asked that question first, today," said Draco. "We haven't thought of a specific date, but we know it will be within the next year. We're waiting for someone to arrive from overseas."

"Who?" asked Narcissa.

Draco and Hermione opened their mouths, but one of the house elves arrived with the champagne before they could explain. Lucius raised his glass first. "To the happy couple." He turned to his wife. "May you find that you love each other more everyday." Narcissa blushed and put her free hand on her husband's arm.

"Cheers!" everyone said before taking a sip of champagne.

They all sat down on the settees around the fireplace. Narcissa began to talk about arrangements that had to be made and starting a list of people that 'just needed' to be invited. Hermione leaned towards Draco. "Shouldn't you tell them? He'll be here soon."

"What was that, Hermione?" asked Lucius.

Draco scooted closer to the coffee table and took his champagne flute in his hand. Clearing his throat, he raised the glass, waiting for everyone to do the same. "One more toast." He looked over at Hermione and she gave him an encouraging smile. "To a life once lost, and now found again. To Miss Lyra Helene DelaChapelle."

If a pin had dropped in the room at that moment, it would have sounded like a brass band. Narcissa let out a strangled gasp before dropping her glass and fainting dead away. Lucius was by her side in an instant. Draco and Hermione stood to stand by her chair.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" exclaimed Lucius, holding Narcissa in his arms. "You could have picked a better way to break the news."

Hermione was digging in her purse. "Here, I have some smelling salts." She thrust them at Lucius and the man uncorked the bottle with his teeth before waving it under Narcissa's nose.

The older woman came around with a groan. She looked at Lucius and began to cry. He soothed his wife and hugged her. "Is it true?" Lucius asked Draco.

"Yes, Father. She's been under the protective custody of the Swedish Magical Government. She was moved abroad and is living under an assumed name in the muggle world. Ronald Weasley is the Auror that has been assigned her petition for re-entry into Britain's Magical community. He will be here tonight to begin his investigation."

"Investigation?" asked Narcissa. She moved her head to look at her son, but did not allow Lucius to let her go. "Why is it an investigation?"

Draco sighed and walked over to the fireplace. Hermione sat back down on the other settee. "She has been missing for eight years, and her activities while she was in hiding are not known to our government. There must be an investigation into her movements. She is not only petitioning for re-entry, she is also asking for the release of her family's assets. Because of Uncle William and Aunt Rose's previous ties and their refusal to declare neutrality, the Ministry will launch an investigation before they will allow her entry into the country and release her inheritance. It's standard procedure."

"The investigation was given to Ronald Weasley? Why not Harry Potter? He is Head of the Training Department," said Lucius.

"Not really, Father," said Draco. "He and Ron co-head that department. I think Potter may have been asked first, but with his and Ginny's wedding coming up in one month, I'm pretty sure he does not want to leave the country for any amount of time."

"So what's next?" asked Lucius.

"I've owled Ron, and asked him to come here tonight to conduct his first interview. He's actually been really good about this. He went to his father post-haste to get a petition signed for the release of confidential papers regarding Lyra's whereabouts. That shaved off at least a month of waiting time."

"What must we do?" asked Narcissa. She had finally sat up and was ram-rod straight.

"If you feel up to it, Ron could interview you tonight, as well," said Hermione.

"Of course," Lucius and Narcissa replied simultaneously.

They remained in the parlor, trying to make small plans for the wedding. Hermione looked rather nervously at Narcissa; the woman was fidgeting in her seat, and that was not something any Malfoy did. It was only half an hour later that a house elf knocked on the door and announced the arrival of Ron Weasley. The young man looked completely out of his depth in the large opulent house. He sighed when he saw Hermione; at least there was one friendly and familiar face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," he said as he nodded towards them. "Draco, thank you for allowing this to proceed so quickly." He walked forward and shook Draco's hand, then turned to the remaining people in the room. "I'm sorry to say, but each interview must be held privately."

"Of course," said Narcissa. She took Lucius' arm and beckoned Hermione towards her. "Come, I think there are some things in the library that will help with the wedding preparations."

Ron and Draco sat down in front of the fireplace. Ron began to set out his parchment and Quoting Quill on the table in front of them. "Remind me to thank Hermione for giving me this on my birthday. I never thought I'd have a reason to use it."

"Before we start, Weasley, can I ask you a few questions? Off the record," said Draco.

"Sure, but I might not be able to answer them all," Ron said as he pulled out another parchment with the standard questionnaire.

"Is she safe?"

"Yes, Malfoy, she is safe. The Swedes have been good to her."

"How good are her chances? And be honest, I want to know if I should prepare my Mother for disappointment."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't answer that definitely. All I can say is that I haven't reviewed all the paperwork that arrived this morning. And there is a lot of paperwork. If she has been truthful and has reported her activities to the 't', there should be no reason for the Ministry to deny her entrance or her inheritance."

"How much paperwork?"

"She's sent in a monthly report for the last four years. It's going to take me a while to get through all of them."

Draco nodded his head. "Alright, Weasley, fire away."

Ron looked down at the parchment in his hands, and pointed his wand at the quill on the table. It immediately wrote down the date and time. "Ronald Weasley, Auror. Interview with Draco Malfoy; distant relation to Miss Lyra Helene DelaChapelle. How long have you known Miss DelaChapelle?"

"We have known each other all our lives. Our families have been close for many years."

"In the time that you have known her, has she ever performed or been known to you to perform the Dark Arts?"

"Lyra and I were raised surrounded by the Dark Arts, but I am not aware of her ever performing any kind of Dark magic."

"Do you feel that Miss DelaChapelle would be a threat to the British Ministry of Magic?"

"Absolutely not. Lyra always loved the time she spent in England. She may have gone to school at Beauxbatons, but she was born and raised in England. She returned home for every holiday, and had asked her parents to send her to Hogwarts. I'm sure that Lyra would be an asset to the British Magical community."

"Do you know where Miss DelaChapelle was during the time of her disappearance?"

"No."

"Did you assist Miss DelaChapelle and her parents flee from England?"

"What is this Weasley? I'm not on trial here!" Draco said, outraged.

"They're standard questions, Malfoy. I'll be asking anyone I interview the same thing. It's not personal. Please, just answer."

"I did not personally assist in their escape, but I know that my family assisted by providing a home and some funds to live off of."

"In the event of the rejection of Miss DelaChapelle's re-entry would you assist her in returning unlawfully?"

"If the Ministry found that she was a threat to the Magical community, then I would have to say I would not. I will be starting a family and I would like to see my children grow up in a Britain that is safe; or as safe as it can be."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. This concludes the interview." Ron waited for the quill to finish writing the information for the end of the interview before turning to Draco. "Listen, Malfoy, I was honest when I told you that I'm not used to this kind of assignment. I've always been a lot more comfortable doing something, rather than talking about a problem."

"I know, Weasley. I really appreciate you taking this assignment. I know you could have passed it along to someone else who would have taken their sweet time getting everything done."

Draco stood and shook Ron's hand. "I'll send in my Father." At Ron's nervous look, he said, "Trust me, you want to start with him. Mother is going to be the problem."

Ron sat down and placed the parchment that contained Draco's interview in the folder he had begun. He stood as the elder Mr. Malfoy entered the room. He shook the man's hand and sat down after Lucius took the seat that Draco vacated. Ron set up the quill and looked at Mr. Malfoy.

"Mr. Malfoy, I will be asking you a set of questions regarding Miss DelaChapelle. Please rest assured that these are questions I will be asking of anyone I interview in this case. Like I told your son, they are standard questions and not personal."

At Lucius' nod he began the interview. His answers were pretty much the same as Draco's, though he did know more about how the DelaChapelle's exited the country. Ron could tell that the man felt it was a personal affront to be questioned by anyone of Ron's age, but there was nothing either of them could do about it. Lucius would have to endure it to see Lyra again, and Ron had to do his job. When the interview was finished, Ron thanked Mr. Malfoy and asked if he could send in Mrs. Malfoy.

"Mr. Weasley, if I may?" began Lucius.

Ron inclined his head as a gesture for Lucius to continue.

"Is there anything you can tell me about Lyra's whereabouts or her condition?"

Ron hung his head; he'd somehow known this would come. "I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I'm afraid that information is confidential until the case is closed." Lucius nodded tersely and turned to exit the room. "However, if Draco were to talk to his father about his job, there's nothing I can really do about that. I tend to discuss my cases with colleagues."

Lucius nodded in thanks to the redheaded man on his way out of the room.

Narcissa's interview could only be described as disastrous. She believed that every question was based on information Ron dug up on her personally. He was thankful to all the gods of every civilization when her interview was over. He didn't know how Draco could have lived with parents that were so uptight. Maybe that was why he was such a git in school. Parents like that could make any bloke go loopy.

Ron finished packing all his things and was about to exit the Malfoy house when Hermione entered the parlor. "Ron, could I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure, Hermione." He sat down on a couch and she joined him.

"It's kind of about this case, but nothing about getting information. I just wanted to know how soon you'd be leaving to fetch her."

Ron laughed. "Trying to get rid of me, Hermione?" he joked.

"No! That's not it at all!"

"I'm just playing with you Hermione. I know what you meant." He took her hand and looked at the fireplace. "I'm going over to the Burrow as soon as I leave here. I'm going abroad tomorrow afternoon." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Harry was right not to take this assignment. I won't be able to be here for the wedding."

Hermione gasped. "But you're the best man!"

"I know, Hermione." He leaned back on the couch and put his hands up to his face. "Merlin, I hate to even think what Mum is going to say."

"Don't worry about your Mum. Imagine when Ginny finds out. She might Bat Bogey Hex you," Hermione said as she lightly elbowed his ribs.

Ron laughed at that. "Who knows, maybe Harry and I can find a loophole in policy and get me a leave for one day, or even a few hours. I'd at least like to see the ceremony. I even have my toast all written up for you to read and correct."

It was Hermione's turn to laugh. She was about to say something when the doors slid open and the Malfoys entered once again. Ron stood and picked up his suitcase.

"Thank you, once again, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Your early cooperation will help me get this investigation over much faster." He walked over to Lucius and Narcissa and shook their hands. "Draco, I'll try and keep you posted on whatever I can."

"Thank you, Ron," said Draco.

"Good evening." Ron waved at Hermione and exited the house.


Hermione was right. Molly Weasley cried when she found out that Ron would not be attending his only sister's wedding, but Ginny went ballistic. The only thing she didn't do was attempt to hex him. Thank Merlin Arthur was there. He took Ginny's wand away from her as she pointed it at him.

"But what is Harry going to do?!" she'd yelled at him after being disarmed. "Our wedding is going to be ruined!"

Harry ventured into the fray to help Ron. "He's not doing it on purpose, Gin," he soothed. "To be honest, he's doing me a favor." At her confused look, he continued. "They originally gave the case to me, but I passed it on to him because I didn't want to die after telling my fiancé that we would have to postpone our wedding for another six months."

"Is that true, Ron?" asked Ginny.

Ron nodded. "I figured you'd rather have the groom at your wedding than your brother," he joked. Molly wailed again and he went over to console her. "It's okay, Mum. It's not like I'm leaving and never coming back."

"B-but I w-wanted all m-my b-babies together at the s-same time!" She wailed into Ron's shoulder.

Ron rubbed her back as he hugged her. "Don't worry so much, Mum. Harry and I will try and find some kind of arrangement where I can come back for a day, or even a few hours for the ceremony at least." Molly's weeping lessened considerably. "Hey," he said as he put his finger on her chin and tilted her head up. "I hear you have connections with the Minister of Magic. Maybe you could write him a letter." His joke worked; Molly laughed and playfully swatted his arm.

Ron stood and made for the fireplace. "Listen, I've got a lot of paperwork to go through before I leave tomorrow. I'll be at my flat if you need me."

"Portkey abroad, son?" asked Arthur.

"Yeah," said Ron. He walked over to Ginny and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "I really am sorry, Gin."

Ginny nodded her head and watched as Ron walked into the fireplace and flooed home.


Lyra Helene DelaChapelle was not the kind of person to get nervous. She had been through rougher times that this. She had just received word from the Ministry of Magic that they would be sending an Auror, one Ronald Weasley, to stay with her for an undisclosed period of time. They had informed her that he would be the investigator for her case of re-entry into Britain and that he would have all the files, and reports she had submitted during her period in Protective Custody.

It was a relief, really, not to have to explain the last eight years of her life to a complete stranger. He would know all the pertinent facts and they could move on with the investigation quickly. She did not understand the need for an investigation, but the Ministry was old and full of red tape, so she would have to endure. Having her life examined, and poked and prodded at, was not something she would enjoy, but she would allow it. For only two reasons would she allow it, and those reasons were tramping up the stairs now.

"Mummy! Mummy!" cried the twin little girls. Lyra beamed at her little redheaded daughters and waited for what was bound to be a great story of their day.

It was almost five years since the event that led to their conception, and the only thing that Lyra regretted was the fact that she had really thought about not having her little rays of sunshine. She smiled as her daughters took her hands and began to pull her downstairs to show her what they had made at their day care center that day.

Lyra 'oohed' and 'aahed' over their works of art, that could be best described as Abstract paintings, but were explained as their house on a sunny day, and the walk they took in the park last Sunday. She wondered how long it would be before she would have to take them out of the day care center. They were four and a half years old, now. It wouldn't be too much longer before one of them showed signs of magic. That was the real reason she wanted to return to England. She would not be able to afford to hire a private tutor for them until they turned eleven. There was the public school system, or even private institutions, but Lyra just wasn't too keen on either of those ideas.

She pulled some fruit out of the refrigerator for a snack before dinner and sat down at the table with them. She would have to tell them about Mr. Weasley's arrival tomorrow morning. From her research into the procedures for re-entry, he would be going to the girls' day care at least one day out of his stay. He would have to assess whether she was a good parent and would raise kids that would adjust well into the British community. She was sure that the girls would do well wherever they were. Lyra had made sure that they would not be affected by the conditions of their birth. They would be told their story when they were older, or when they began asking questions. She just hoped this Auror they were sending, Ronald Weasley, would have enough sense not to mention anything to her very impressionable daughters.

She went about her day, playing and watching television for an hour with her daughters. They spent most of their time entertaining each other, so she was usually free to make dinner without magic, but tonight, because of her nerves, she just couldn't bring herself to cook anything remotely healthy. She wanted to take the pint of ice cream and attack it with a spoon. She decided it was a night for Denny's. She went into the living room and saw her two girls playing with their Barbie dolls.

"Who's up for going out for dinner?"

"Yeay!" was her response in red-headed stereo.

The girls went to the door and took their coats off the coat rack that was hung at just their height, and then helped each other button up. They all packed into the car and Lyra buckled the girls into their booster seats.

"I have something to talk to you girls about," Lyra said when they were seated at the family restaurant. It wasn't the high-class restaurants that she had been taken to as a child, but she was glad for the noise and bustle going on around them.

"Is it 'bout Mr. Chapman, Mummy?" asked Cassie.

"No, precious. We won't be seeing Mr. Chapman anymore." Lyra had stopped dating Gerald Chapman because he said he wasn't ready for a family, and she was not about to ship her daughters off to boarding school just to please the man.

"Are we going to be going to another school?" asked Hydie.

"Nope," said Lyra and shook her head. "Give up?"

The two girls looked at each other and then nodded at their mother.

"We are going to be having a visitor for a while."

"Who?" asked Hydie.

"His name is Ronald Weasley, and he works in England. Remember Mummy told you that she was born in England?" She waited for the girls to digest the information before continuing. "Well, Mummy is asking Mr. Weasley for permission to go back there and he is coming here to see if it's okay. He's going to talk to Mummy's boss and he's going to talk to your baby sitter and your teacher, too."

"Why does he need to talk to them?" asked Cassie, as she bit into a pancake. The girls did not like to use syrup on their pancakes so they ate them dry and drank a large amount of milk.

"Well, he knows that if we leave California, all the people we see every day will be very sad and he wants to ask them if it's okay with them that we leave."

Hydie tried to finish her bite of waffle before asking her question. "Will he ask us if we want to go to Enland?"

"England, darling; and yes, he will be talking to you as well. He wants to make sure that we will be happy when we go back."

"Can we get a puppy when we go to Enland, Mummy?" asked Hydie.

"Maybe we will," said Lyra. It was going to be a start of a new life. Another new life, thought Lyra.


Ron arrived at a beach in California. According to his briefing, it was a city called Malibu. Odd name for a city, thought Ron. He looked around and pocketed the old wallet that served as his Portkey. Miss DelaChapelle was supposed to meet him here in five minutes. He looked around and took in the beach. It was quite nice; there were no people around at four in the morning. It's noon in London, thought Ron.

He spotted someone walking towards him. He figured it must be Miss DelaChapelle and began to walk towards her slowly. She was a blonde, he noted. She did not look like she did in the photograph in her file. Probably because she's twenty-five, now, Ronald, he scolded himself. She walked gracefully, even though the sand shifted under his feet with each step he took. She had a nice figure, for a woman who had been pregnant with twins. She smiled when they were within talking distance. The smile looked forced to him, for some reason.

"Good morning," he greeted. "Miss DelaChapelle, I presume?"

"Yes, but please call me Emilie. I'm sure they told you my assumed name." She extended her hand and he shook it.

"Yes, and please, call me Ron."

"Deal," said Lyra. "Come on with me. I have my car parked in the lot. It's a short ride to my house."

Ron followed her to a green Ford Taurus sitting in the carpark. She disabled the car alarm and slid into the driver's seat. He opened his door and put his suitcase at his feet, before putting on his seatbelt.

"I'm glad they sent someone who knows how to behave around Muggles," said Lyra as she turned the car on and maneuvered into traffic.

Ron chuckled. "Trust me, it took a long time and a lot of tears from a few friends of mine before I learned the basics. There are still some things that I'm not used to."

"Like what?"

"Airplanes. I don't like them."

Lyra laughed. "You don't like airplanes? I've always found it interesting when wizards don't use Muggle transport. What would Muggles think of grown men riding around on something that Muggle women use to clean their floors?"

"But that's different," protested Ron.

"Only to wizards. And airplanes are the same for Muggles, as brooms are for wizards and witches. They are a form of transport." She patted the steering wheel of her car. "Just like this. Granted, we are on the ground and the only real danger comes from other drivers, but it is still a form of transportation that most witches and wizards don't use, but is common to Muggles. Especially around here."

Lyra pulled into a gated driveway and pushed a button on a box that was attached to her visor. The gate opened and the car slowly pulled into the drive. Ron would have been awed at the sight of the house laid out before him. It was huge, but nowhere near as large as Malfoy Manor. He exited the vehicle when Lyra put it in park.

Lyra opened the front door and took his coat for him, putting it in a closet by the door. She showed him to the kitchen where there was a pot of coffee already brewing. She pointed to a stool that he could sit at on the other side of a wall used as a breakfast bar. She put some biscuits and an odd looking piece of toast. It was round and thick, with a hole in the middle.

"They're called bagels, Ron. It's kind of like toast." Lyra poured herself a cup of coffee and pulled out some tea for Ron. Just as she was about to pour hot water, he held up his hand.

"Coffee will be fine," he said.

Lyra vanished the tea and poured him a cup of coffee. "Cream and sugar?"

"Two sugars, please," said Ron.

When they were seated with their coffees, Lyra began with her concerns.

"Mr. Weasley –"

"Ron, please call me Ron. My father is Mr. Weasley."

Lyra smiled and ducked her head. "Ron. I would like to voice some concerns about your stay."

"Of course. Please do," Ron took a bite out of the bagel and raised his eyebrows. Not bad, for such a funny looking thing.

"First, my daughters; they are not used to having a man around the house. It has always just been the three of us, and I don't want them to get confused. They are only four, after all."

"This is something that I spoke to my superiors about before coming here." Ron cleared his throat and took a sip of his coffee. "I asked to be put up in a hotel that is not far from here, and the Ministry has taken care of it. I will check in this afternoon and it will be easy enough to apparate in and out of the room."

Lyra let out a pent up breath. "Good. Also, I know that you are an Auror and will practice the utmost discretion, but in the event that this investigation proves unfruitful, I want to make sure that mine and my daughters', lives will not be damaged if we stay here."

Ron pulled something out of his suit jacket. "Emilie, I will talk to you frankly, right now, off the record. I can't tell you what the Wizengamot will declare regarding your case, but I can tell you that you have people on your side in England." He slid the photo of her remaining relatives to her. "They wanted you to have that." Draco had it owled to him before he left.

Lyra's eyes filled with tears. Her hand moved to cover her mouth when a gasp escaped. She picked up the photo with a shaky hand and tried to gaze on her beloved god-family through her tears. She closed her eyes and let the offending tears fall. "They survived," she whispered.

"I can't tell you a lot, but I can tell you that they are all doing well, and awaiting your return rather anxiously. I think Mrs. Malfoy is planning a search and rescue mission in the event this does not go well," he joked.

Lyra laughed at that joke. "That sounds like Auntie Narcissa." She looked up at Ron and squeezed the hand he had on the counter. "Thank you, Ron. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Ron nodded his head and smiled. Lyra let go of his hand and he tucked it closer to his body. It was strange how that little touch had nearly given him goosebumps. He watched as she took the photo and placed it on her refrigerator – thank you, Hermione for teaching me all the Muggle appliances – and set about making breakfast. Ron finished his coffee and pulled out the final report that Lyra had filed. He'd stayed up all night just to finish reading the paperwork he'd been sent. They were not long reports, just a lot of them for one bloke, who didn't like to read, to get through.

He watched as Lyra excused herself and went to wake up her daughters. Ron checked the schedule that Lyra had provided the Ministry. She would leave her home at 7:30 to drop her daughters off at a preschool in Malibu, then head to her job in Pasadena where she began her day at 9:00. The girls would be picked up by her housekeeper at 1:00 and taken to a day care center close to Lyra's house. They would be picked up by Lyra at 6 PM and taken home. He noticed that Lyra made a note that her job sometimes included weekend work and traveling throughout the Los Angeles area, but that she would keep that to a minimum while Ron was with her. He was thankful for that; he already felt like he was on information overload.

The girls came downstairs dressed and ready to have breakfast and start their day. He smiled at them and gave a small wave. "Hello, ladies," he said.

"Hello," they both said at the same time.

"Ron, this is Cassie," said Lyra putting her hand on top of the little girl with the green jumper. "And this is Hydie," she put her hand on the girl with the light blue jumper.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Ron. He knelt in front of the girls and stuck out his hand for them to shake. They looked up at their mother before shaking his hand in turn.

"Are you the man who's going to ask us questions?" asked Hydie.

"Yes, I will be asking you questions, but they won't be hard, so don't worry."

"Can we have a puppy if you let us go to Enland?" asked Cassie.

Ron laughed. "Well, that's going to be up to your Mum, but I know somewhere you can get one, if she says you can."

Both little girls giggled and ran to the table to have their breakfast. Lyra walked with them and began to serve them. She pulled out another two plates and served Ron large helpings of everything. "I hope you like breakfast. I usually eat on the run for lunch, so this might be the biggest meal you get before dinner."

Ron nodded his thanks and sat down next to Cassie. He tucked into his food with gusto. He'd missed breakfast because he was trying to catch up on the reading. He looked at the two girls as they ate their cereal. "Do you girls like your school?" he asked.

Hydie answered for them both. "Yes, we do. Our teacher is really nice. He lets us color and paint and play with our dolls. He says that we're very smart." Cassie nodded to her sister's answer.

"I'm sure you are very clever," agreed Ron. He wouldn't be asking the girls a lot of questions. It would be their teacher and baby-sitter - who was probably the same person who did Lyra's housekeeping - that would be interviewed regarding the girls, and how well adjusted they were.

Lyra took all the dishes from the table and put them in the dishwasher. She motioned for Ron to follow her to the front door, and he grabbed his suitcase before following her. Lyra took a little green backpack from the closet where Ron's coat was and Ron took the light blue one. He matched the backpack with the jumper and helped Hydie with her bag. The girls went out the door and Lyra locked the house up. Ron allowed Lyra to buckle the girls into their booster seats because that was one thing that Hermione had not taught him about.

He exited the car with Lyra and walked the girls to their classroom. Lyra introduced him to the girls' teacher and explained that he was a child psychologist that would be helping Lyra find the right school to place the girls in. Ron shook the man's hand and watched as he spoke with Lyra. He watched with a blank face as the man gently pulled Lyra to the side of the room and spoke with her in hushed tones. There had to be some kind of emotional connection, if not on Lyra's part, then definitely on the bloke's. Ron watched the girls intently. They put their things in their cubbyholes and ran off to play with their friends. He was surprised when they went off on their own; they each had their own set of friends.

Lyra came back to him and touched his arm. "Mr. Diamond will see you today when school is out." Ron nodded at the teacher and he followed Lyra out of the school. "The school has two sessions; morning and afternoon. The afternoon session ends at 5, so I will take an early leave and drive you down here."

"I'm really sorry about the inconvenience. I know you probably don't need to take time off of work, just to chauffeur me around," said Ron.

"It's not a problem, Ron. You can't very well fly everywhere, and Apparition is out of the question. Californians may believe a lot of strange things, but a man appearing out of nowhere with a wand in hand, is difficult to explain away."

Ron took advantage of the time they would have on the ride to her job, to ask a few more questions. "How long have the girls been going to that school?"

"About 6 months. My company offers day care, so before that they would come with me to work and I would know they were in the same building with me. I wanted them to become socially involved with other children, so they go on play-dates and they have a few very close friends."

"I noticed that they each have their own set of friends. I've never seen that with twins before."

"Do you have much experience with children?" asked Lyra.

Ron chuckled. "Only if you count changing my niece's dirty nappies. I'm one of seven siblings and just a year younger than my twin brothers. They tended to be their own best friends, and they shared everything. Well, maybe not everything."

"Cassie and Hydie are very clever girls. They tend to get into a lot of trouble if I leave them alone for too long. I don't want them to get so tied up in being twins that they forget that they are individuals. I always encourage them to do things on their own. It gets hard sometimes, but they're worth it."

"What about a father figure? Is there any male influence in their lives?" asked Ron.

"Is that a sly way of asking me if I sleep around?" Lyra asked, giving him a sideways smile.

Ron shrugged and held out his palms. "I was trying to make the Ministry's questions a little bit more couth."

Lyra laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure it was phrased something like: Miss DelaChapelle have you had sexual relations with more than ten men in the last eight years?" She made her voice deep in imitation of a man.

Ron smiled, but looked at her expectantly.

Lyra glanced at him and her smile faded. "You're serious?" She went from looking at the road to him. Her head went back and forth, like she was watching a tennis match. She finally shook her head and smacked her steering wheel. "I'll bet you 100 Galleons that, if I were a man, none of this would matter. I would be interviewed, as would my daughters, but this!" She was so upset she was shaking.

"Why don't you pull over," suggested Ron. "Just for a minute."

Lyra pulled off the freeway and pulled into the parking lot of a gas station. "I should have expected this," she said irritably. She grabbed her purse from the back seat and began to scramble around in it. "Mother-fucking, cocksuckers, have a god-damn double standard for everything!" She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. She rolled down both her and Ron's windows and pointed the cigarette at him. "If you were in my position, they would probably just say you were noble and doing what was right by your children!" She took a drag from the cigarette and blew the smoke out the window. "Seeing as it's a woman who's had children without the benefit of marriage, I'm just labeled a fucking whore!"

Ron was rather impressed with her colorful language. He'd not heard a woman swear like that in front of anyone. He knew Hermione would utter a curse word now and then, but never in the presence of anyone she didn't consider a friend. "Listen, Emilie-"

She cut him off. Pointing her cigarette at him again she yelled, "No, you listen. I may not have a husband, and I may not know who their father is, but that is not my fault! It took a lot of years to come to that realization! I will not allow some bureaucratic asshole come into my daughter's lives and tell them that they are beneath them. I was raped, godammit!" She hit the steering wheel, again. She was breathing heavy and she took a long drag from her cigarette before throwing it out her window.

Ron took a deep breath and tried again. "Bloody hell, Emilie, that was impressive."

She looked up at him with complete confusion.

"If I had known you were going to be so passionate about that, I would have recorded it and played it at your hearing." Ron took another cigarette from her pack and lit it. He took a small drag and handed it to her. "I think you might need another one, just to calm down." He waited for her to take it before continuing. "I know that you could have done a lot of things differently when it comes to Cassie and Hydie. You could have decided against being a mother, or you could have given them up for adoption. I don't think anyone would have thought less of you, considering what you've been through. You didn't do any of those things, and I for one think that makes you better than any collection of big-bellied, bureaucratic assholes."

Lyra laughed and wiped at her eyes.

Ron put his hand on her shoulder. "Listen, Emilie, from what I've been told, this investigation is more about making sure you're not lying about your situation, rather than assessing your goodness as a person or mother. My job is to make sure that you have been doing what you've said you've been doing and that your daughters really are taken care of. So far, I don't see why the Wizengamot would not let you into Britain." He removed his hand and shrugged. "If things go as smoothly as they have been, I just might make it back home for my sister's wedding."

Lyra's eyes widened. "Your sister is getting married and you're here on this assignment? Why didn't you just give it to someone else?"

Ron chuckled. "It was given to someone else: the groom. The only other person who could have gotten the job done with any kind of expediency would not have been considered. Draco would have a slight conflict of interest in this case."

Lyra laughed. "Well, I guess we should get going before I'm late. You have an appointment with my boss for lunch." She turned on the car and drove back onto the freeway. "How are you going to get the information you need from my boss, without revealing who I really am? I know you can't slip Veritaserum in his drink."

"Well . . ." Ron pulled out a small vial from his jacket pocket.

"You're really going to use that?!" exclaimed Lyra.

"It's the best way to get the information I need. There is no law saying I can't use it on your boss. Besides, if anything happens I can always modify his memory."

Lyra shook her head and maneuvered her car into the underground parking structure of her building.

"What is it that you do, exactly?" asked Ron.

"I'm a talent scout," said Lyra.

"I know, but what do you do? Do you sit in an office all day looking at tapes?"

"No, though I have done that before I got this current position. Most of my job consists of finding new talent and assessing whether or not they have what it takes to make it in the bigger musical arena."

"You're pretty much the death knell for anyone who isn't up to snuff."

"Not necessarily. If someone can't make it in the mainstream, there are smaller record companies who would be willing to take them on, and we would point them in that direction. They might make it back to us in a few years time and it would be a whole new story."

"How did you get into the music industry?"

Lyra stopped and turned to him when she finished signing him in as her visitor. "It was a rather unorthodox entrance, and I won't lie and say that I didn't use a little bit of magic to get my current position. I am the youngest executive in the music industry to date. Didn't you read all the reports that I sent in to Sweden?" she asked.

"Yes, but the only thing that I can glean from them is that you were struggling for a while as a dancer, and you got a part-time job with a friend who had to go through tapes for a living."

Lyra laughed as they went up to the 10th floor on the elevator. "Remind me to look at those reports when I get back home. I have a feeling that they were not as forthcoming as I had originally been."

"Do you mean to tell me that the Swedes changed your reports?"

"I'm saying that a 'dancer' is not what I was. I'm not ashamed of what I did to keep food on the table for my girls, but I know that most people would look down on me for it." She looked over at Ron's wide eyes and red face. "I didn't do that, but I was-" Lyra looked at the panel where the numbers were lighting up as they got closer to her floor. "I'll explain it all in my office."

Ron followed Lyra into a large office space that had many people working in small cubicles, much like his department in the Ministry. Everyone had personalized their space according to their own tastes and many of them waved or greeted Lyra as she passed. They went through a door past the cubicles and entered what looked like a waiting area. Lyra walked up to her assistant and took the proffered phone messages. "Tiffany, this is my friend Ronald Weasley. Ron, this is my assistant Tiffany."

The young woman stood up from her seat and shook Ron's hand. She appeared to be in her early twenties. Probably just old enough to drink, thought Ron. She gave him a coy smile. "So are you from a record company?" she asked. She tilted forward a bit so she was leaning against the edge of the desk; Ron could see right down her blouse.

Lyra saved him. "Yes, he's from Virgin. Based out of London. We're old friends from school."

"Oh, Emilie! I didn't know you went to school in England, I thought you were French!" The girl fairly bounced, showing off how well some of her anatomy moved with her.

Ron was blushing to his ears.

"It's called boarding school, Tiff. Ron and I will be leaving early today, but he has a lunch with Gus, let me know when Rhonda calls for him." With that she took Ron's arm and began to lead him to her office.

"It was nice to meet you, Tiffany," said Ron as he looked over his shoulder.

"Nice to meet you, too!" she called back.

Ron chuckled as they entered her office. He'd not been flirted with, or tried to flirt with a bird himself, since before Susan. That was a bit scary. "American girls sure are strange," he said out loud.

"She does that to any man that can walk in on his own and has all his teeth. Don't be too flattered. Tiffany is what most people would call a gold-digger. She wants a man who can give her the life she thinks she should be accustomed to."

Lyra went to her desk and sat down. Ron followed her and sat in front of her desk. "I have to remember to call you Emilie. I almost corrected Tiffany out there."

"You get used to it, after a while. It was strange to hear my name coming from you when we met. I was about to turn around and look for the person you were talking to." Lyra had not looked up from her desk.

"I feel kind of useless just sitting here. Is there something that I can help you with?"

"Not unless you know a lot about copyright law," said Lyra.

"Before you get totally engrossed in that wonderful legalese, let me pass something by you," said Ron.

Lyra looked up from the contract she was looking at. "Yes, Mr.- uh … sorry, Ron?"

Ron smirked at her. "I think that this is not going to work. If I come in with you, no one is going to answer my questions truthfully, they'll all think that if it gets back to you, they might lose their jobs."

"And what would you suggest?"

"I think that I should try and come in on my own. Maybe drive in with you, but you can drop me off a few blocks away, point me in the right direction and I will have already taken Polyjuice Potion that will transform me into some random person from the California Magical Legislature."

Lyra's eyebrows shot up. "That is a rather good idea. I will make something up about having bagels or something delivered to the office, and you can be the delivery boy." She gave him a Cheshire Cat smile. "If you knew more about Muggle culture you would know that delivery boys often deliver a lot more than just food."

Ron chuckled and blushed a bit. "Well, I'll make sure that it's some passably good looking bloke I change into."

"Well, I'll make sure you have a special delivery that requires you come into my office."

"Until then, would you mind if I talked to your assistant?"

Lyra laughed. "Just make sure she doesn't dig in her claws. Girls like her are ruthless and you might find your English generosity succumbing to her wiles."

"I'll keep that in mind. Being a highly-trained Auror, I'm sure I can handle one, twenty-something girl." Ron walked out of the office, with Lyra's 'Good Luck' ringing in his ears.


He should have listened to her. Ron had no idea what had happened. He'd been talking to Tiffany about Lyra for a good five minutes; and that was no feat, as he'd had to force himself to remember to call her Emilie. The conversation somehow turned to his job and what he did. He was quick on his feet and told her that he was more on the legal side of the company he worked for. Tiffany took that to mean that he was some kind of high-powered barrister for a record company. She'd started to tell him how she'd always wanted to date a lawyer, because she found the law to be so interesting. In the end, he'd re-entered Lyra's office confused, and with a date for Friday night.

Lyra tried to hide her smile when Ron walked into the room. She couldn't blame Tiffany for trying to get in Ron's pants; he was quite fit. "Did your interview go well?" asked Lyra.

"I don't know what happened," said Ron as he plopped down on the chair he'd vacated earlier. "We were talking about you and then she started asking me about what I do. I told her that I dealt more with the law, and then she said that she'd always wanted to date a lawyer because it was so interesting."

"When is your date?" asked Lyra.

"How did you know I had a date?" Ron asked perplexed that she would know.

"I have yet to meet a man who talked to Tiffany for more than ten minutes and did not walk away with a date. I told you she was wiley."

"I can't go on a date," moaned Ron.

"Why not? It's not like you're going out on a date with me. I don't see any kind of conflict of interest."

"I'm on assignment. I can't date. Plus, she's your assistant, and that is a conflict of interest. I just interviewed her, for Merlin's sake!"

Lyra put down her pen and leaned towards him. "Listen, if it really bothers you, I can tell her that you and I are kind of seeing each other. I'll explain that you didn't know that she was thinking about going out with you."

"Wouldn't that be difficult for you? I mean, wouldn't she want to know about us as a couple?" Ron wouldn't mind if Lyra did that for him. Tiffany truly scared him.

"Don't worry about that. I've had plenty of experience avoiding questions that I did not want to answer. Remember I've been living someone else's life for five years."

Ron ran his hand through his hair. Lyra watched as it just seemed to fall into place. Men in California tended to wear their hair in a stylized mess, but Ron's hair was just naturally messy. She found herself wanting to run her own fingers through the silky strands. Woah, there girl! This man has yours and your daughter's future in his hands. Those thoughts are not allowed.

"I don't want to make your remaining time here anymore difficult. Let's just forget about it, and hope she does, too."

"Alright," said Lyra. "Just don't complain when she shows up at the door to your hotel room."

"How would she know where the hotel is?"

"She's my assistant. She can get just about any kind of information by just saying I wanted to know."

Ron was about to reply, but Lyra's phone beeped. "Yes, Tiffany?" she said into the speakerphone.

"Rhonda just called. Gus will be here shortly to collect Mr. Weasley."

"Thank you, Tiff." Lyra clicked off the phone. "You should get ready to go," she told Ron. "Don't be nervous about Gus. He's a good guy who likes to talk a lot."

"Alright. Will you be here when I get back, or will you be at lunch?"

"I might be at lunch, but if I'm going to leave early to get you to the preschool, I think I'll just order in and work at my desk. Just come on in when you get back and if I'm not here, make yourself at home."

Ron nodded and went to fetch his suitcase. He checked his coat pocket for the vial of Veritaserum and waved goodbye to Lyra.

Gus Eddings was a rotund man, to put it bluntly. Ron could tell that his life in the limelight had contained a lot of free meals. He laughed a lot, mostly at his own jokes, and quickly put Ron at ease when he insisted on being called 'Gus'. They went to a nice restaurant at a nearby hotel and sat down with cups of coffee.

"So, tell me, Ron, what brings you to California?" asked Gus.

"I'm here to visit Emilie. We were old school friends and I saw her name mentioned in a trade paper. I thought it would be as good a time as any to pay her a visit."

"She tells me that you work for Virgin Records in London."

"Yes, but don't worry about me coming here to recruit her. I work for the legal team of the company and I'm sure taking a position under me would be a step back in her career."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. I'm sure many young men wouldn't mind Emilie taking a position under them, if you know what I mean," the man laughed at his own crude joke. Ron just smiled at him.

"So, how long has she worked for you?" asked Ron.

"She's been with the label for three years now. Emilie started out with the agent's assistants. She basically spent her days going through demos and watching video performances. She climbed the ladder fairly quickly; seemed to have a knack for spotting someone who could make it in the mainstream. She's a real asset to the company."

"Does she ever talk about her personal life?" asked Ron.

Gus eyed him suspiciously. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," said Ron. He tried to give the man his most friendly smile without being too obvious that he was fishing for information.

"Emilie is a very private person. That is something that's hard to be in this business, but she has managed rather well. Always disappears when the reporters get too close. I know that she focuses on her daughters most of the time and I commend her for that. Those are a pretty little pair of girls." The older man raised his coffee cup in a salute to Cassie and Hydie.

"Have you met the girls?" asked Ron. The look the older man gave him was wary. He knew that he wouldn't get much more information from him without causing suspicion. It was time for the Veritaserum.

He looked around for the waiter. "I wonder what's taking so long for the waiter to arrive," he said. His plan worked, Gus turned in his chair and looked behind him to signal the waiter. Ron quickly placed three drops of the serum into the man's coffee and dropped the vial back in his jacket before he turned around.

"Are you ready to order, Gus?" he asked.

"Of course, but please, you're my guest."

Ron ordered his meal and waited for the waiter to leave before turning back to his original line of questioning. "I don't think you told me if you've met the girls," he said.

"Yes, I have." Gus' voice was almost monotone. "Emilie invited me and my wife over to have dinner after we signed a big new act. She and the girls got all dressed up and she made dinner for us."

"How would you describe your relationship with Emilie?" asked Ron.

"She is the daughter I never had. My wife and I tried to have children, but there was something wrong with the plumbing and it never worked out. When Emilie began to work for us, the girls were only a year old and they were always getting sick, so she would take days off or just work from home. I never complained about it. She always got the work done and did everything ahead or on schedule."

"Has she ever lied to you about anything?" Besides the fact that she is not Emilie DuBois and her kids' full names are not Cassie and Hydie? Oh, and she's a witch, by the way.

"Emilie is no liar. She has always been truthful about everything with me. She even told me the story of the girls' birth. A woman who could go through that and still have the courage to raise twins on her own, well, I didn't think they made 'em like that anymore." Gus took a sip of his coffee.

"Was there ever a time where you thought maybe Emilie was neglecting the girls because of her job duties?" asked Ron.

"Good God, no!" exclaimed Gus. "That woman is the best mother I have ever seen. She would give those girls the world on a silver platter if they asked her for it. She's taken vacation time just to spend a day at Disneyland with her daughters. No reason, just up and takes 'em. If anything, the poor child neglects herself too often."

"How do you mean?" asked Ron. Oh, Merlin, I'm going to have to modify his memory after all these questions.

"She hasn't dated more than three men in the entire time I've known her, and one of those was a blind date that my wife set her up on. She only saw him the one time and that was it. The most serious relationship she's had was with a guy named Chapman, Gerald Chapman. He was a fuckwad from way back. The man thought that he could convince Emilie to send the girls off to a boarding school, just because he wasn't ready to have a family. Asshole to the nth degree."

Their food arrived and they tucked in. Ron continued to ask questions as they ate. He would only get one shot at this, so he needed to get as much information as possible. "Has Emilie ever done anything strange around other people? Maybe said some word that sounded like she'd made it up?"

"She's quite fond of calling people Muggles. She told me that it's her way of calling people idiots without saying the word in front of Cassie or Hydie."

Ron smiled at that little revelation. The woman had an amazing self-control. She had been living as a Muggle for the last five years, maybe more, and she'd only been caught using the word 'Muggle'. "If I were to tell you that Emilie is planning a trip abroad, maybe living there permanently, what would your reaction be?"

"I would ask what company and how much?" said Gus. "There is nothing I wouldn't pay to keep her here. Like I told you, she's more like family than an employee."

Ron made small talk for the remainder of the meal. He knew the effects of the serum would not last much longer, so he played it safe. He would have to wait until they were alone before modifying Gus' memory. As they walked back to the carpark where Gus left the car, Ron checked their surroundings and waited until there was no one around, and no cars passing by. He quietly pulled out his wand and pointed it at the older man. He stopped when the spell hit Gus. Ron whispered a short story as to what Gus should say they talked about at lunch, in the event someone asked him. He pocketed his wand again and waited for the man to come back around. He patted the man's back as if he had been choking on something.

"You alright, Gus?" asked Ron.

"Huh? Oh yes, I must have just choked a bit of leftover salad," Gus said.

They returned to the building that housed Gus' record label and parted ways at the elevator on the 10th floor.

"You and Emilie must come to my home before you go back to England. I'll talk to her and have her bring you and the girls for dinner. My wife would love to meet you. She had grandparents from England. Tries to go every year."

"I will speak to Emilie about it. I'm sure I can make some time before I go back," replied Ron.

He walked through the land-of-cubicles and entered the waiting area of Lyra's office. Tiffany was lying in wait for him. He called up all his Gryffindor courage and walked up to her desk.

"Hello, Tiffany," he said.

The woman leaned over her desk, showing off her low-cut blouse and everything that it housed. "Hello, Ron. How was your lunch with Mr. Eddings?"

Ron scratched his temple and looked away. "It was nice. Listen, Tiffany, about the date on Friday; you see, Emilie and I …"

"Oh, I know. Emilie came out and explained to me that you two are kind of an item. I think it's kind of sweet that you looked her up after all this time. I wish that I could find a guy like you. Are all Englishmen like you?"

Ron chuckled and breathed in inner sigh of relief. Thank you, Lyra, he thought. "I don't know about all the blokes in England, but I'm sure there are bound to be a few who would love to meet you."

"Blokes? Is that how you say 'guys' in England?" She giggled when Ron nodded his head. "I think I just might plan a short vacation in London."

"Well, let me know when you do, and I'll show you around." Ron smiled at the young woman and turned to walk into Lyra's office.

He was surprised to see that Cassie and Hydie were in the office, playing in a corner while Lyra worked at her desk. Ron walked over to the girls and sat down on the floor with them.

"Hello, Mr. Weezy," said Cassie.

"Hello, Cassie. Hello, Hydie. How was your day at school?"

Hydie began their account. "We learned numbers and we got a new letter of the week. And then Mr. Diamond said that we could go to stations and I made this painting for Mum. And then me and Loren played tea, but Josh came and drank all our tea, and I pushed him out of our station, and Mr. Diamond gave me a time-out and called Mum. She came to get us early and said that we had to sit here and play quietly."

Ron nodded along to the little girl's story. He thought he caught most of it; he wasn't too sure. He turned to Cassie. "What about you Cassie? Did you do anything special today at school?"

Cassie nodded as she twirled her doll in the air like a baton. "I made Mum a picture of the puppy I want when we go to Enland. Mr. Diamond said it looked like a pony, but I told him I don't want a pony, I want a puppy. Then I went to play with Rosie and she told me her Mum made her a special toy for her birthday and she's gonna fill it with candy, and when we go to her party we get to break the toy and all the candy comes out and we grab as much as we can. Then me and Rosie played house and Jeremy tried to be the daddy, but he hit Rosie 'cuz he said that she was bad, then Mr. Diamond gave him a time-out and me and Rosie kept playing without a daddy. Then Mum came to get us and she said we could play 'til we go home. Are you gonna give Mr. Diamond a time-out when you see him?"

Cassie was a much faster talker than Hydie, so it was more difficult for Ron to follow, but he liked hearing them talk. "I don't think I'll give him a time-out, but I will be sure he knows what Josh and Jeremy did, that way he will leave you two alone."

"Do you want to have tea?" asked Hydie.

"Sure, I love tea," said Ron.

Cassie jumped up and ran to a door near Lyra's desk. Hydie began to move some of the toys that were scattered around. "I'm going to ask Mum if she wants tea."

Ron stood from the floor and straightened his pants and took off his suit jacket. He smiled as he saw Hydie leading Lyra by the hand towards him. Cassie was trying to bring out a small play table from the closet she was in. Ron walked over to her and quickly picked up the table. "Where would you like me to put the table, Cassie?"

She pointed over to where they were sitting before. Cassie turned and picked up some of the cups and saucers from their play tea set. Hydie came over and picked up the remaining implements.

"Would you like some help setting the table?" asked Lyra.

"No thank you, Mum," the girls said at the same time.

Cassie took Ron by the hand and maneuvered him to one side of the table. Hydie moved her mother to sit next to Ron, catty-corner. The little girls took the other two sides of the table and looked at Lyra expectantly.

"Oh, right!" She leaned towards Ron. "Can I use your wand? Mine is in my jacket."

"Sure," said Ron. He reached for his suit jacket and handed Lyra his wand. He watched at Lyra tapped the little teapot and then handed the wand back to Ron. He smiled, "I could have done that," he said.

"Can you make magic, like Mum?" asked Hydie.

Ron looked at Lyra. This is one of the things that the Ministry wanted to know about: how were Lyra's abilities explained by her, to her daughters, especially since they were living in the Muggle world.

"Mr. Weasley is a wizard, like Mum," said Lyra.

"But you said that you were a witch, Mum. Is Mr. Weezy a witch, too?" asked Cassie.

"No, a witch is what you call a girl with magic," explained Lyra, as she poured out real tea from the little plastic pot. "A wizard is a boy who has magic. Do you remember what I said about magic?"

The girls nodded and Cassie answered. "Magic is a present for some little girls and boys. It makes you different, but you shouldn't tell people about it because it might make them sad that they're not magic."

"That's right, precious," said Lyra.

Ron watched the exchange between Lyra and the girls with interest. It was amazing how honest she was with the girls and how much they actually listened to her. If he had been given that speech when he was a kid, the first thing he would have done was go and tell everyone that he could do magic. The girls seemed to innately understand that keeping their magic quiet was very important; it was probably why Lyra avoided using it as much as possible.

The girls talked more about their day and what they had done at preschool, while Ron and Lyra drank their tea. It was amazing how much information a four-year-old could give you regarding such a small part of their day; to have that doubled made Ron think that he was reading the monthly reports Lyra had sent to Sweden.

Lyra returned to her desk to make some phone calls before they were scheduled to return home. Ron stayed with the girls and played with them. He'd never had much experience playing with young children, so he kind of just followed their lead. They were well into a game of hide and seek – Ron being the seeker – when Lyra announced that it was time to leave for home.

The girls picked up their toys and put them in the closet, and Ron grabbed their discarded jumpers and waited for them to return to him. They stood in front of him giggling; he was completely clueless as to which girl belonged to which jumper. Lyra joined him on the couch and asked, "Do you give up?"

Ron shook his head and leaned forward. He looked at the two girls faces, both of which were trying very hard to stay straight. "Cassie?" he asked as he looked at Hydie.

The other twin began to laugh loudly. "That one's Cassie," said Ron pointing at the laughing twin.

"How did you know?" asked Lyra. She took Hydie's light blue jumper and put it on the little girl.

"Because Cassie laughs more than Hydie, and I knew if I got the name wrong one of them would laugh."

"Good strategy," said Lyra.

Ron grabbed his suitcase and suit jacket in one hand and the girls' backpacks in the other and they headed out the door.

"Tiffany, finish up whatever you have left and go home. I might not be in tomorrow at all, so if you can do a full day, that would be great," Lyra took some folders her assistant was holding out.

"Okay, I'll be sure to reschedule before I go home today. Those are the files from legal, and the bottom one is the tour schedule for the new boy band."

"Thanks, Tiff. I'll see you around."

Ron nodded to the young woman and she waved at him. Little did he know that he'd just become, for the first time in his life, a heartbreaker.


Okay, I don't think I'll be able to update until the weekend, so enjoy the first two chapters of this story. If you like, drop me a review. If you don't like it, drop me a review. If you just want to drop me a line, go ahead and hit the review button, too. :o)

Happy Reading!