Here is the second chapter in Book 3 on time as promised. The only thing to address here is a review left last month by a guest reading Book 2 that asked if I had any plans to have Harry and his Team reconnect with all the past Avatars before Korra lost the connection during Harmonic Convergence in Book 4 or 5. I have been unable to address this until now due to housekeeping on these chapters but the answer is that I don't know if I can do that or not given my habit of sticking as close to established canon and possible and this feels like too much of a deviation. I will consider it for Book 5 though as that Book touches on spirituality which would cover past lives while Book 4 (which is 50% drafted) is grounded in the physical world and this concept wouldn't work. Other than that review to address, there is nothing else that to address in this note so sit back and enjoy the second full chapter in the third installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 3: Unity.
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.
Chapter 2
"So how did you get into the prison business?" Victoire asked Ty La once they were all seated and had begun to eat dinner. "I was unaware that the Kyoshi Warriors were prison guards until Uncle Ron told me about the one prison y'all guard a few years ago. All we knew about you was that Avatar Kyoshi founded y'all then you had an isolated warrior culture for about 300 years before Avatar Aang showed up and Zuko burned the village down. That was when Suki, your leader at the time, fell for Sokka and followed him into the war then they got caught Azula and Suki would become part of Aang's Team Avatar when Sokka freed her from the Boiling Rock and then became the guards to the Firelords but that was it."
"You certainly know a lot about our history." Caxton said impressed before taking a bite of steak.
"I have a lot of down time on Air Temple Island so I often read Aang's writings about his adventures." Victoire said with a smile. "I find the study of history fascinating so I try to learn as much about it as possible."
"Avatar how much is she cleared to know?" Ty La turned to Harry and asked. "I can't answer your niece's question until I know her clearance level."
"All but the location Hermione's prison or the names of the guards stationed there." Harry said. "Other than you two of course. The rest of the information regarding the Kyoshi Warriors prison duties has been declassified, though Teddy and Victoire have both received clearance for high level security information due to their parents."
"Very well but when I am done, Victoire you are going to have to tell me about this constitutional crisis you created." Ty La said smiling at the airbender. "I vaguely remember hearing about it but when you spend most of your time in an isolated location full of hardships and with limited ties to the outside world for security purposes you don't hear much about world news."
"Plus when we are on furlough in Ba Sing Se its usual to relax and not catch up on global affairs that are not relevant to our jobs." Caxton added, though Harry wasn't sure it was necessary for the earthbender to add anything.
"I will Ty La." Victoire said taking a bite of her rice.
"Why all the precautions?" Teddy asked. "And the hardships?"
"Well given the inmates we have guarded, all two of them, we needed to make sure that our charges could not be found by those either wishing to free them or violently harm them." Ty La said with a shrug. "And both cases were very true for our inmates. As for the hardships, they are what makes the Kyoshi Warriors strong and this assignment is seen as one of the most prized ones to receive. But to answer your question about how we got into the prison business, it was during the height of Avatar Kyoshi's tenure as the Avatar when she created a mountain top prison in what is now the Imperial State of Golguth for Chin the Conqueror but he died rather than be arrested. After that, the prison fell into legend and was forgotten about until it was needed during the Second Purity War."
"That was how the first Kyoshi Warriors prison guard unit was formed." Caxton added. "And Ty La was given the assignment as Warden, a role she still holds now under the official title of Warden of the Kyoshi Warriors."
"Thank you dear but I am not one for formal title." Ty La said with a smile at her wife.
"So how did you end up with the position?" Victoire asked, her interest in this particular area of history peaked.
"When Pyrites was caught in the Royal Palace, he made a deal with the Avatar to protect his own ass." Ty La began before taking a sip of wine and continuing. "And the Avatar needed a special, isolated and completely unknown prison to throw said ass into in order to protect it. That was when my commander, Commander Suki, may she rest in peace, suggested the prison that Avatar Kyoshi had built and Pyrites was transferred there. In order to guarantee security the Avatar charged us with guarding him. As the Deputy Commander of our forces in the Palace, I was given the position as Warden and my future wife the job as the earthbender of the prison."
"I was the only earthbender of the guard force in the Palace so I had no choice in the matter as an earthbender was required to make the prison functional." Caxton added helpfully. "Not that I complained mind you as I already liked Ty La and wanted to join her on this mission."
"True and after we were selected, 10 other girls volunteered to aid us in guarding Pyrites and we left." Ty La said, continuing her tale. "Because of this we were spared when Hermione killed our sisters and our Firelord. It is a fact that has been hard to live with ever since but given who we currently guard we don't mind as all 12 of us who were spared currently guard the woman who murdered our sisters. Anyway, when Harry came back to make another deal with Pyrites that freed our prisoner, the Avatar promised us Hermione should she be caught alive and spared the death penalty. When we learned she had been stripped of her bending and as such the Golguth Prison was deemed unnecessary as it is especially useful for housing firebenders, we were charged with finding a new location and Harry built us Hermione's prison and we have been guards ever since. Prison work is not usually our prerogative but for extreme circumstances and when we need to house the highest profile inmates the Avatar turns to us."
"I see." Victoire said after she had swallowed some food and digested Ty La's story. "Makes sense if it is for one or two prisoners."
"Only two in history have even been put under our care." Caxton said, though Harry knew there was a third who Victoire and Teddy weren't cleared to know about as it was not an official transfer.
"Pyrites and Hermione." Ty La confirmed without missing a beat.
"Well that is interesting." Teddy noted. "I had always wondered why Hermione was guarded by the Kyoshi Warriors and not the White Lotus."
"There is also the fact that the Kyoshi Warriors honor their promises and could be trusted to not be corrupted." Ron added through a mouthful of meat, Harry's best friend had never really grasped the ability to eat tactfully in private despite being able to do so in public."
"Yes now Victoire what was this constitutional crisis you managed to cause." Ty La said. "Hopefully it wasn't as deadly as the other crises Harry has had to end in his life."
"Of course and don't worry, it wasn't." Victoire said smiling. "Well as you can see I am an airbender but as you heard the Avatar used my, I dunno if it's a formal title or honorary title, when he introduced me as a former princess."
"Yeah I heard." Ty La said with a nod. "I recall you that you are related to the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, before you confirmed so earlier but what does being an airbender have to do with it. I know that technically the Avatar's and Prince Ron's kids all hold the titles of prince or princess as well and I am pretty sure that not all of them are waterbenders."
"It wouldn't be a problem normally." Victoire admitted. "I have cousins who are benders of all the different elements and even one nonbender, Uncle Percy's daughter Molly, but the problem arose because my dad was at the time Crown Prince William, heir to the Southern Throne, and I was his first born and thus by Southern Water Tribal law his heir and 2nd in the line-of-succession."
"And as an airbender that caused a problem should you become Chief of one of the water nations." Ty La said realization dawning. "I get it now. It's ok when you are a nonbender so long as you are a native, the legendary Sokka held the title and wasn't a bender after all, but when your element comes from a non native parent then I can see how it would cause a problem."
"Oh it caused problems alright." Victoire agreed. "I didn't show airbending until I was 2 or 3, the usual age apparently, but as soon as I did the debate began. This was especially prudent because granddad Arthur could die at anytime so there would be more of a problem if I became the Crown Princess. Well there was nothing against me being both the Chief and an airbender in the constitution but the common sense idea was that it wouldn't look good to have a Water Tribe Chief being and airbender. Also Korra had not become Chief when her father passed as she was the Avatar so she had set a precedent on inheritance when the heir wasn't purely a waterbender or a nonbender."
"But if you were the heir, shouldn't your bending not matter?" Caxton asked. "I know the Earth Kingdom is rigid and entrenched in law when it comes to matters of succession but I always under the impression that the Southern Water Tribe was more fluid on these issues."
"Oh we are, we were the first nation after all to use first born regardless of gender as the method of succession rather than male preference." Victoire agreed. "They just hadn't expected the first female heir to be an airbender Then my younger sister Dominique was born and manifested waterbending so now the Crown Prince had a potential heir that was at least the right elemental bender. That gave Dominique a stronger claim to the Southern Throne which could cause problems."
"I can see how that might cause issues." Ty La said thoughtfully. "But you two were children and second and third-in-line at the time so surely the debate on eligibility wasn't that much of a priority at the time?"
"You are right it was and the debated did indeed die down until I was about 16, so about 7 years ago, when Arthur began to consider abdication and retirement." Victoire said. "Though it had been always going on in the background and was why I wasn't granted my master tattoos when I became a master at the age of 14 as my succession status was still unresolved. That was why in the end granddad called in the Avatar to resolve it."
"I contacted Korra and she chose to instead of telling me to tell the Tribal Council her opinion, she instead took over my body and reappeared in the physical world." Harry interrupted to add context before shutting up and allowing Victoire to continue.
"Correct and it was after Korra decided to appear we had an answer." Victoire said with a nod at Harry. "She said that while she understood my right and respected it, she believed that the leader of a nation should, unless no other choice is available and excluding the United Republic where the leader is elected, be either a nonbender or be a bender of that nation's element. This was to ensure balance in the world."
"And what happened after Korra spoke?" Caxton asked, clearly interested in the drama.
"I was given a choice to make on my 18th birthday." Victoire said simply. "I could either decide to claim my birthright and thus my claim to the Southern Throne, a decision that would require me to give up airbending, which the Avatar would take with my consent, or I could renounce my claim to the throne and place in the line-of-succession and keep my airbending. Because of this I was still prevented from receiving my tattoos as an airbending master until I had made my choice."
"Fuck me that sounds like a tough choice." Ty La said with a hint of shock in her voice. "Your bending or the throne, not an easy choice I'd imagine."
"It was actually an easy choice and Teddy here supported me." Victoire said squeezing her boyfriend's hand as she spoke. "I did not want to give up my bending and well I had no real desire to lead a nation so I chose to renounce my claim to the throne. I had grown to love my airbending and the airbending lifestyle, plus I was always close with my mother, so it made sense for me to remain an airbender. As soon as I turned 18 I made my formal renouncement and my younger sister took my place in the line-of-succession and I received my master tattoos that very day. Within a year granddad had abdicated and dad became Chief so Dominique is now the Crown Princess and frankly loves it, she has always embraced Southern culture more that I ever did."
"Wow that must have been something no one really planned for." Ty La said when Victoire was done.
"Nope hence why it wasn't in the constitution." Ron said as he swallowed a slightly too large hunk of hippo cow steak. "But it was a good test given the increasing multicultural nature of the world and one that probably should have been seen in hindsight. All nations but the United Republic and the Foggy Swamp Tribe now have similar provisions in their lines-of-succession, though with the latter they don't have any benders who aren't waterbenders so they've never had to deal with the problem and are so isolated they likely never will."
"Anyway I also wanted to ask you how you too ended up together?" Victoire said Ty La, changing the subject to something a little lighter. "I know that Avatar Kyoshi was a champion of gay rights during her time but was faced with the stubbornness of the Earth Kingdom. From what I have gathered, it was Korra who really brought it forward to the point it is at now, so I am not surprised that several of the warriors are gay or bi. It would be useful to tell my brother Louis as he recently came out and could use a guide to that section of society given how the South prefers to keep matters of love, regardless or orientation, private. He is an airbender but unlike me he never really adapted to the Air Nomad way of life and still considers himself a Southern Tribesman. He also broke a lot of girls' hearts when he did come out but that is not relevant, just amusing."
"Tell him to travel to Kyoshi Island." Ty La said. "That is where he will learn the most about it, though our gay and bi to straight ratio is only slightly higher than the national average."
"As for us, well Ty La was persistent." The burly earthbender said taking Ty's hand. "She was always very open about her sexuality but I wasn't born on Kyoshi I was one of the recruits and I came from a very conservative family out in Bosco that were very old school in their thinking. As I said, I knew I liked Ty La, hence why I was happy to join her in Golguth, but I had to deal with my own reluctance to accept who I was first. It's not easy but in time I found it with Ty La's help."
"Yeah Bosco isn't known for its tolerance of homosexuality." Ron agreed. "I know because the Guide keeps ranting on about how it's one of the great things about his home state and how we need to go back to that era. Nostalgia works and there are always things that have been changed for the worst but advancements in gay rights, so long as religious rights are also respected and a balance found, is not one of those bad changes."
"Yes and well I was dealing with my own issues regarding this for years." Caxton said, ignoring most of what Ron had said. "But 5 years alone on top of a mountain with a very persistent and beautiful girl who just so happens to prefer her woman a little more masculine was enough to get me to accept who I am and not who my parents wanted me to be, even after I defied them and joined the Kyoshi Warriors."
"Well I'm a petite woman." Ty La said. "Or I was in my youth, it's harder to keep slim as I age but I do try. I like all types but if I can find a girl who's got a little more muscle then so much the better, it's why I was more attracted to Ginny than Luna when I met y'all."
"Anyway I don't think the Avatar wants to hear that." Caxton said as the others laughed and Harry nodded his thanks to her. "Anyway, after 5 years I was finally able to admit to myself my own sexuality and understand that it wasn't the sin my parents claimed it to be and gave in. We were married about 15 years ago on Kyoshi Island and I thank the Avatar for officiating it and we've been happy ever since. Working together helps as well, even if at times we have to take different shifts to ensure we get some alone time."
"It was the least I could do after all the warriors have done for me." Harry said smiling. "Y'all took a psychotic, megalomaniacal and unstable woman off my hands and put up with her bullshit for over 2 decades. I haven't seen here since the day I threw her in that hole and I am glad for it."
"Tell me about it." Ty La said rubbing her head. "If it weren't for that order demanding that we talk with her everyday so that she doesn't go mad, or madder in Hermione's case, we wouldn't speak with her. That being said none of us have seen her either as we only open the food slot for her and that's it, the air holes are small and numerous so that we never see our prisoner. It was the same with Pyrites, though at least he was less preachy, if no bit less intolerant and superior."
"Yes, well, even with the worst of the worst we cannot stoop to their level." Ron said as he finished his last piece of meat with gusto that made everyone look away. Put a slab or two of meat in front of him and he would still go to town on it in a way that few could understand or stomach to watch. "Izra never fully recovered from her 5 years in isolation according to Druzok and we cannot be as cruel as Hermione the Cruel now can we. Anyway, what is this deal that the cunt wants."
"I am honor bound to tell Harry this due to my oath to the Avatar to care for the prisoner and keep him informed of her should he ask after her or should she do something that would require his attention." Ty La said with a sigh. "But for the record I heavily advice against agreeing to her request given who we are dealing with and the fact that she still holds her views as if they were law and believes she is falsely imprisoned. That being said, she now believes she may have made a few small mistakes so that could be a sign of progress. Hermione has requested an audience with the Avatar and wishes to make a deal with him. She's willing to give up the Enlightened, give up everything she knows for the right price. Her words were that it would be 'Pyrites level' information. I don't trust her Avatar and I don't advise giving her the same deal you gave Pyrites."
"Neither do I." Harry said nodding after thinking for a moment. Hermione's request was what he had been hoping for ever since her arrest but he still had to decide how to play it.
"While I don't trust her, I do think I should hear her out." Harry said after another pause. "Let her know that I will meet her, and give her my word that should she cooperate and her intel be as good as Pyrites', which given the fact that the man kept a record of everything, even the some 400 million crimes he himself committed, would be impressive, then I will work to get her a deal. However any deal will be contingent on her publicly and to the whole world acknowledging and admitting her guilt and crimes and apologizing for them. In addition, I will not give her the same deal as Pyrites as his info helped tip the balance in a war and his aid helped remove a tyrant from power whereas Hermione's will at most just catch the most wanted criminals in the world."
"A wise strategy." Ron said in agreement. "I'll be with you should you need me when you visit her."
"Thank you." Harry said to his best friend. "However I think we should wait until the Academy's year is over then talk this over as a family, all of us so that includes Neville and Hannah if she wants to join us. I will see her but we can make a family summer vacation and learning experience out of it by going to the Misty Palms Oasis, it is a sight all should visit once in their lives anyway. Ty La thank you for doing your duty and informing me of this development. If you and your wife would like, you two are more than welcome to stay here with us for the next week or two while we decide what to do. I know that you are supposed to get time off from your duties anyway and this could be a good time for that."
"As much as we would like to stay for a week and enjoy Republic City, it has been a while since we were last here, I think it's best if we returned to the prison and prepare for your arrival." Ty La replied. "But we will stay the night and catch up."
"Misty Palms Oasis eh." Teddy said with a sly smile at Harry. "That means that Hermione's prison is almost certainly in the Si Wong Desert, it is the only port for entering the desert. Makes sense seeing as it is inhospitable and isolated. No one would dare rescue a prisoner there, let alone look for one in that boiling nightmare. I was once there for a training exercise and that was more than enough for me to never want to be trapped there."
"Fuck." Harry said realizing his mistake. His godson was sometime a little too smart for his own good, he was going to make a great officer. "Yes she's held in a special facility in the heart of the desert. It's the first layer in preventing her escape or the Enlightened from breaking her out, not that any have tried."
"I had a feeling you would slip up so I brought a few top secret forms for them and your children to sign." Ty La said with a laugh. "They are in my bag near the front door. It is always best to be prepared."
"So we do get to know about the world's most secret prison." Victoire said with amusement. "So many people have theorized where Hermione was buried, a good portion even thought the commutation of her death sentence had been false and she was in fact dead all this time. That theory was used by her surviving supporters to try and recruit people to her cult, though her crimes have been a good deterrent to any wishing to follow the teachings of Hermione the Cruel. Gotta admit though, Si Wong was on the list of places I thought she was but not the top choice as I saw it as almost too extreme."
"Yes you two get to know and can come with us if you want." Harry said before becoming serious. "But divulging any information to any not cleared for it will lead to a life sentence of your own in the White Lotus Supermax System. That is how secret the information is."
"You have my word." Teddy said seriously and Victoire repeated it. Harry nodded, he knew they were telling the truth.
"Well once they are signed I can give you a more detailed briefing." Harry said. "Then we can enjoy a relaxing night in and catch up some more. It will be tough to persuade the family given their own summer plans and well our history with Hermione, but I think I can do it."
"At least I can take a break from this fucking election and get a good drink at Hannah's tavern there." Ron said with a smile. "I can even check out the Oasis for wanted criminals, thus doing my job, justifying leaving, and boosting my poll numbers."
They all laughed and once the table was cleared Victoire and Teddy signed the confidentiality forms and were read in by Harry. The rest of the night was a relaxation but Harry could feel that it was the calm before the storm. He had known that the moment Ty La had shown up with a request from Hermione that the peace of the last 23 years was on the precipice of being shattered, Hermione had a habit of doing that. Hopefully they could avoid another conflict if Hermione was serious in her willingness to help. All he had to do was persuade his family to join him.
"You want to do what?" Ginny asked surprised. "Are you fucking sure?"
It was a week later and the Academy had ended for the year the day before and now they were all gathered together in the living room of Harry and Ginny's house. It was a large spacious room with multiple sofas, a large VV and a well stocked bar in the corner while tasteful pieces of art from all over the world graced the walls as a reminder of their adventures and all that they had done for the world.
Both complete families were there along with Neville and Hannah. Teddy and Victoire were present as well. Harry had just explained to his whole family and the others his decision to go to the Misty Palms Oasis and why, after making sure all the kids had signed the international security documents he had prepared for this.
"It's more I have to go." Harry said to his wife. "Hermione has requested an audience and this could be the break we have wanted for over 20 years. The Enlightened, other than her and Warren, are still at large and they are the last chapter in the horrors of the Fire Utopia, the only people who still haven't faced justice for the crimes they perpetrated all those years ago."
"Wait dad could you just explain it again?" James asked, his eldest son was more interested in the idea of going to the Oasis then his other kids. "You have to go and see a convicted criminal, for lack of a more appropriate word for what Hermione is, and see what she wants and you want us to go with you to do so."
"Not to the prison." Harry confirmed. "As the precise location of the Avatar's Prison, as it has become known, is classified with only a handful of people cleared to know its precise location, hence why Ron and I will take a Sand Sailer there with Ty La and her wife. Y'all now know that it is in the Si Wong Desert and that is enough for you to sign the agreement. Outside of the meeting I have to have with Hermione, I was thinking that we could all go there as a family and learn from the area. Hannah you own the Misty Palms Inn and Tavern right?"
"I do and you are all welcome to stay there." Hannah confirmed. "I cannot come as summer is one of the busiest times of the year in Diagon Alley so I must remain here but Neville will be able to sort you out. Besides, this is your world, not mine and I want no part of it."
"James, it will be a good experience for us all." Harry said after nodding his thanks to Hannah. "The Oasis is one of the natural wonders of the world given the ice on the edge of the desert and is a spiritual and cultural hub in the Earth Kingdom. It is a good place to visit and learn some things."
"I'm down dad seeing as me and my friends always go our own ways during the summer and this will give me a chance to work on my glassbending." James said with a smile. "Just wanted to see the greatest villain you ever defeated that's all. I'm sure I will find something to do."
"Just so long as you don't try to truth see some bar wench when you ask if she wants to sleep with you like you did with that girl at school." Lily said sweetly from her position.
"Lily!" Ginny exclaimed at her daughter. "Where did you learn that, you are 12!"
"Aunt Luna taught me about sex." Lily said simply. "She said we should learn young."
"I made sure that my own kids know, as well as my nieces and nephews." Luna said as if it was nothing. "You can thank me later."
"Please don't, mom scarred us." Rose said shaking her head.
"Oh I won't, we will be having words tonight." Ginny said glaring at her best friend who just smiled innocently back at her. All the while James had been smiling at getting away with what Lily had said, until Ginny added. "And young man, your father and I will be having words with you about abusing your abilities in a way that was totally unacceptable."
"I was just trying to get affirmative consent." James said, his smile falling at not getting away with it. "She said no and I knew she was speaking the truth so I never spoke of it again. I won't use it on a bar wench."
"Good, though we are still talking about this later young man." Harry said seriously. "But you will be doing something productive while we are there."
"I could use the hand of a strong and gifted fighter when I search for criminals." Ron said interjecting into the situation and moving it on. "It will give James the chance to see how we deal with criminals and keep him busy, preventing him from getting into trouble."
"Yeah if I can't see your greatest foe then I will accept Uncle Ron's offer to help him." James said eagerly, hoping to avoid talking with Harry about what he had done.
"Well Voldemort died nearly a quarter of a century ago so I dunno about seeing him." Harry said. "So you won't meet my greatest foe but you can help Ron, that will do some good and show you the kind of stuff we do for a living. Ginny are you in?"
"Of course dear, always, I am just worried about dealing with that mad woman." Ginny said. "She's been on her own for 22 years so what's to say her already fragile mental state hasn't snapped. She was a monster when she was in power and we took it from her, stripped her bending, and dumped her in a hole in the most remote part of the globe, that will not be good for her mental health and I just want you to be careful."
"Ty La assured us she has been in compliance with the international law regarding prisoners in solitary confinement." Ron reassured his sister. "I for one am looking forward to taking a break and allowing my campaign manager to do his work without me. There are a few seedy establishments I would like to check for one or two of our wanted criminals so James can help me. An earthbender is useful there."
"We aren't going to destroy the city." Ginny said bluntly. "The last time you and Harry went there you leveled a neighborhood taking down the most wanted man in the Earth Kingdom."
"Hopefully not but work is work." Ron countered. "So no promises and that wasn't me last time, that was a mixture of Harry's bending and a few shittily built buildings."
"Not my best day I admit." Harry agreed. "But I won't partake in the raids this time. Neville?"
"Of course I'm in." Neville said. "You can always count on me Harry. Plus it would give me time to work on my lesson plans for next year."
"And the Spirits there are numerous given the energy of the place." Luna added. "It will allow me to study them in more detail and teach the kids more about points like the Oasis that are membranes between our world and the Spirit World. It is one of several places that Spirits congregated after Korra left the portals open and a great resource for my work with the Spirits."
"Well kids do you want to come?" Harry asked his other two children, James was already in. "I won't force you as I know there are other plans and back when I was your age I was running around doing my own thing but it will be a good learning experience and where better to work on sandbending than the desert. It is also a good place to learn how to adjust seismic sense to the fine sand."
"But dad I'm a waterbender and the desert is kinda the opposite of water." Albus pointed out. "I was hoping on going to the Northern Water Tribe with Scorpius this summer to enjoy the solstice there and work on my waterbending."
"Bring him if you like." Harry said without thinking, he just wanted his family there and this was likely the only way to get Albus to come. "So long as he signs the documents he can come and if you both come then I will let you join him in the North for the Winter Solstice."
"Really?" Albus said and Harry could hear the confusion in his son's voice. "But you don't really approve of him."
"He's your best friend Al and while I never liked his father I shouldn't hold it against Scorpius." Harry said with a sigh. "So bring him, even if Draco and I don't get along."
"You scarred him dad." Albus pointed out. "Kinda hard to ignore that."
"There's a long story behind that and I have told it many times before." Harry reminded Albus. "And it started long before the night that Voldemort attacked the Academy and officially began the Second Purity War. Anyway, I can't take my own dislike of his father and grandfather out on Scorpius. This will be a chance to get to know him better and you said he was a lot more like his mother."
"He is." Albus agreed. "Thanks dad, I'll ask him and see what he says. His mom is still in hospital here so he and Draco are around to be with her and this could distract him from that."
"Isn't Draco still limited to the Northern Water Tribe?" Ron asked. "I gotta admit I haven't looked at his file lately, he slipped my mind after he was convicted and sent to the Catacombs."
"No Uncle Ron." Albus said shaking his head. "Draco served his 10 years in the Catacombs in Ba Sing Se then did 10 years of supervised parole in the Northern Water Tribe with one of those ankle monitors you had Varrick create and now he is free to travel. He's paid his debt to society and for the last three years he's been living in Republic City so that he is near Scorpius and his reputation is still tainted in the North."
"Oh yes I remember those." Harry said. "Still can't figure out how Pyrites managed to get royalties for them."
"It's Pyrites." Neville said. "We never know with him and it is always best to not ask how he does the shit he does."
"You are right." Harry said returning to Albus's statement. "Draco has paid his debt to society and hasn't been a problem since. Invite Scorpius and tell him we leave in 3 days so he has to make a decision before then so he can sign the necessary paperwork. Lily what about you?"
"Well I was hoping to get my first tat this summer." Lily said. "But I am sure that a place in the Oasis will ink me."
"No you weren't young lady." Ginny said crossing her arms. Her argument was weakened by the fact that the coiled koi fish tattooed on her forearms were on display.
"And how old were you when you got those done mom?" Lily asked pointing at the koi fish. She had inherited her mother's and grandmother's infamous fire and stubbornness. "I know you got those and the ones on your shoulders when you were still in the Academy. The ones on your back and abdomen were later but you didn't wait for your first."
"I was 14." Ginny said reluctantly admitting to her age at the time. "During my 3rd year and by that point I had stopped growing and none of you will be getting any ink until you have stopped growing. We only just let James get his extensive tattoos, which he still hasn't gotten done yet, so you can wait until you were his age when he got his first one to get one."
"Fine but as soon as I can get them you are paying for the first one." Lily said defiantly.
"It can be your birthday present." Ginny agreed. "Now do you both want to come with us? Albus don't worry about there being nothing for a waterbender to do, your uncle and I can teach you, Scorpius, Hugo and Rose how to survive with limited water available. It will teach you to be resourceful and you could use a little practice with a normal weapon."
"Thanks mom." Albus said. "I am a little rusty with a blade and not used to limited water. So long as Scorpius says yes we will come."
"Of course I will come." Lily said with a smile. "Lysander and Hugo will be there so we can practice for next year, we have a title to defend after all, and I can begin working with dad and James on sandbending, perhaps even glassbending."
"Now Lily remember that glass is to sand just as metal as it earth." Harry said. "You need to learn sand first before you can move to glass as glass is reliant on sandbending. That being said, the motions of sandbending is closer to lavabending than metalbending so you shouldn't have a problem, even if metalbending hasn't come to you yet."
"I don't think it ever will just as lava will never come for James." Lily said without any bitterness. "I have come to terms with it and will focus on what I can do and not try to do what I can't do."
"What about Roxanne will she be joining us?" Ginny asked Lily.
"No, as good at firebending as she is she wants to go into the family business and Uncle Fred wants her to learn at home over the summer." Lily said shaking her head. "Apparently Uncles Fred and George started at that age."
"Well they started earlier but makes sense." Ron said. "They're empire is huge now so learning it at a young age is a good idea and it is a family business at this point."
Harry nodded. After Fred and George started their joke shop it exploded. Now they had stores in every nation, even a small specialty store in Severus, the capital and only permanent city in the Foggy Swamp Tribe that sold special items that could only be produced in the Swamp, as well as in most major cities, with several in Ba Sing Se alone. They had done so well that they had built identical mansions in the hills overlooking Republic City, down to the last detail, just to fuck with everyone.
"Well that is settled then." Harry said as Ron and Luna's remaining children all nodded in agreement to coming with them. "Albus, let me know about Scorpius. I have to call Future Industries and make sure that the airship is ready. Make sure you are ready to go in a few days. This will be a fun family trip, and a frustrating meeting with my last great enemy."
After that they all said their goodbyes before the others left. Luna and Ron were heading back to their own large, two story, apartment that Ron owned near the RCPD headquarters with their kids while Neville and Hannah returned to their own apartment above the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley.
Once they were gone, Albus said his own goodbyes and went to find Scorpius to see if he was interested while Lily and James left to do their own things. Once they were gone Harry pulled Ginny into his arms and just held her. It would be a fun holiday with the exception of having to deal Hermione but it could be the break they needed. Harry just hoped that Hermione's information was useful and not a waste of his time, he wanted to end the Enlightened and their evil once and for all.
There isn't much more to say about this chapter in the post chapter note other than the fact that this sets up Harry's family. The next chapter will be the first to look at Albus and his relationship with his father which will serve as one of the major aspects of Book 3. Other than that there isn't much else to add here, as always keep reviewing my work as all reviews are useful and any questions in reviews or PMs will be addressed at the start of next week's chapter. Until next week.
Stringdog
