Natalie Erin Lillian Bryce Potter

I don't own anything that even seems vaguely familiar to you. Most characters and places are real or belong to the most brilliant and famous J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 9: The Press

Professor Dumbledore had been right. It was just as lovely at Hogwarts as it had been in Diagon Alley. Winky was helping Luann learn to walk; Moochy was keeping track of Andrea and Andrew; Dobby, Nana Becky, and Hagrid were watching all the other children, Ella, and Talon, Hagrid's puppy, play hide and seek.

"Found you! You have to count now!" As Virginia covered her eyes and counted, Nat, Dawn, Christen, Michele, and Brian hid behind the greenhouses.

"She'll never find us here," giggled Christen to the others as she flicked at a beetle, she was the oldest out of the four girls.

"Yeah," agreed the others.

"Merow hisck!"

"What's wrong Ella?" asked Natalie as her cat hissed again.

"Who are you hiding from?" The five children turned around. Standing in front of them was Rita Skeeter. She was clutching her crocodile skin handbag with her emerald green talons. Her comments quill and parchment were floating in front of her waiting to record what they said.

"We're hiding from our cousin."

"Chrissie!" hissed Nat, Dawn, and Michele as Brain stepped forward, as if protecting the girls.

"You're Rita Skeeter. You're not allowed to be here. My godfather banneded you," said Brain bravely as Talon growled. No one noticed Ella sneaking away.

"You must be Brain," said Rita kindly, "You look part veela, Michele right? Red hair, defiantly a Weasley, quite a tan, from Romania, Christen maybe? And you two I recognize from before. Brown hair, you'd be the werewolf's daughter, Dawn isn't it?" she turned to Natalie, "Which means that you're Natalie."

"Why does it matter to you? Go away!" yelled Brain. He tried to get the girls further behind him but Dawn pushed him out of the way. She was bright red.

"Don't You EVER TALK ABOUT MY DADDY THAT WAY! You...You...Groooooow!" Dawn had leapt at Rita, transforming into a wolf pup in the air.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Rita ran as fast as she could toward the front gate with the wolf pup in hot pursuit.

"Natalie!"

"Michele!"

"Christen!"

"Daawwn...!"

"Brian!"

"Now, the Press."

"I really didn't want Natalie to have to deal with all the fame that I had to deal with. And I was seven years older!" exclaimed Harry.

"I'm afraid that this will not just go away," sighed Arthur, "We can't stay hidden here forever. As soon as we go back to work, we'll be jumped on like a cat on a mouse!"

"They can only print 'no comment' and 'unavailable' for so long before they start making things up and that could cause a lot of trouble," commented Hermione.

"Don't ve all know zat! You got ze 'ole page for ze tournament. Ze rest of uz got squeezed in at ze bottom. Cedric didn't ezen get mentioned," reminded Fleur shaking her finger at Harry with a smile.

"Hate to tell you..." started Fred.

"But there's no avoiding..." continued George.

"The press..."

"Especially..."

"When you're..."

"The Boy-Who-lived..."

"Godson of ex-mass-murderer..."

"Wizarding World Hero..."

"Missing for eight years..."

"And all around good guy, Harry Potter!" finished both twins.

"I think you missed a few boys," smiled Ginny, "You forgot father, adopted brother, and huge hunk!"

"She's right," laughed Hermione, "At least about him being a father and brother."

"I'm not all that," mumbled Harry going red, "And that's not a lot of help."

"You have to 'come back' sometime," sighed Remus, "I suggest you tell them an extremely edited summary then go on vacation while your house in being built."

"I guess I could go for that," said Harry grudgingly, "But where would we go?"

"If it's OK with them, you could go back to Romania with Charlie and Linda. Then Nat could see a dragon."

"That sounds like a good idea, if it's OK with you," Harry directed the last part at the possible hosts.

"Sure," replied Charlie.

"Anyone else want to come?" asked Linda.

"I'll come if that's OK," said Ginny, "I don't want to be around when the press break in here."

"We haven't gone anywhere for a while," mussed Tonks, "and Natalie and Dawn are becoming good friends. If there's enough room we'll come."

"Of course, we have plenty of room," said Charlie. Everyone else declined the invitation; Percy said his kids were looking forward to being home for a while.

"OK," said Harry, "but how do we get the truth out?"

"Well you could go to Hogsmead and give a comment," started Professor Dumbledore, "Or..."

"Meeeeooooowww!"

"Ella?" questioned Harry, jumping to his feet, "What's wrong?"

"Meow!" Ella was running around; she'd go out, turn around, meow, and come back.

"Come on!" yelled Harry running after the little cat. The others followed, Ginny right behind Harry. Everything appeared normal at first, until Harry noticed that there were five children missing.

"Go away!"

Harry and Ginny were sprinting toward the shout. The group outside looked up at the yelling and watched everyone from inside run across the grounds.

"...EVER TALK ABOUT MY DADDY THAT WAY! You...You...Groooooow!"

"Dawn!" shouted Remus and Tonks.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Rita Skeeter came running out from behind the greenhouses followed by a little wolf pup.

"Natalie!" cried Harry scooping up his daughter. Ginny wrapped her arms around them both in a hug; Ella jumped onto her shoulder.

"Daddy!"

"Michele!" Bill grabbed his daughter up and carried her over to Fleur who had been moving more slowly.

"Christen!" yelled Charlie picking his youngest up in a hug.

"Daawwn...!" moaned Remus, as Dawn the wolf pup trotted toward him with Rita's handbag in her mouth.

"Brain!" exclaimed Penelope.

"What happened?" inquired the old Headmaster. There was a faint aura of power around him.

"We were hiding from Mini Ginny when Rita Skeeter came up on us. I told her to go 'way but she wouldn't listen!" explained Brian in a rush, "She knew who we were and called Dawn," he lowered his voice, "the werewolf's daughter. Dawn got mad and yelled at her then chased her away."

"But how did Rita get on the grounds?" asked Mrs. Weasley as everyone made their way up the lawn to where Nana Becky stood with the house-elves and other children.

"Is everyone alright?" questioned the nanny.

"Everyone is fine, now," said Harry, "but we still have a problem. How did a reporter, one who has been banned since my 4th year, get onto the grounds without anyone seeing her?"

"Wait!" exclaimed Hermione, "Did any of you see a big beetle before Rita appeared?"

"I did!" said Michele brightly, "It was a big green one. It was in Natalie's hair."

"I knew it! Remember what I showed you at the end of our fourth year?" Hermione turned to Ron and Harry. Ron looked as lost as usual but Harry's eyes widened.

"Professor," said Harry addressing the Headmaster, "I would advise you to put the strongest beetle repelling charm there is up around the grounds as soon as you can. Make it so that no beetle can get on the ground by any way short of apparating."

"You can't apparate or disapparate on Hogwarts grounds, Harry." Everyone turned to look at Ron. "What?"

"That's the point Ron," said Harry stunned, "How'd you remember that?"

"Hermione once locked me in a room for a whole day with nothing to do but read 'Hogwarts: A History'," explained Ron, "It wasn't as bad as I always thought it was."

"I guess I should go down to Hogsmead and sort this all out," sighed Harry putting Natalie down.

"I'll come with you," volunteered Ginny.

"Can I come too?" questioned Natalie, "I want to see Hogsmead."

"Not today, honey," said Nana Becky lifting Natalie up, "Daddy and Ginny can transform and hide if they need to. You can go some other day."

"OK, bye Ginny, bye daddy, be careful," called Nat as Harry and Ginny headed off to Hogsmead.

"Rita! Get your beetle-y little butt over here right now!" yelled Ginny as she walked into the Three Broomsticks followed by a laughing and invisible Harry.

"You don't need to shout," said Rita angrily as she made her way over, "Oh! Miss Weasley! You're back! Can you tell us if the rumors are true?" Rita was watching Ginny so closely that she didn't notice the pub go quiet as Harry reappeared.

"I'm sorry," said Ginny pretending to be sympathetic. "I can't..."

"But I can."

Rita spun around so quickly that it looked like she got whiplash.

"Harry! You're BACK," exclaimed Rita, "Where have you been? What's been happening? Do you really have a daughter? Is it true that Miss Weasley is her mother?"

"No," said Harry firmly, "I have been living in Pennsylvania. For the last four years I have been living with my daughter and our nanny in Reading where Erin, Natalie's mother, was born. Last month Ginny found me and convinced us to come back to England."

"What happened to Erin? Where you married? Where..."

"Miss Skeeter," interrupted Madam Rosmerta firmly as she made her way toward the group by the door. "I would appreciate it if you would leave now. You have disturbed my customers enough. Good day." Rosmerta pointed to the door, which magically opened. Rita reluctantly walked out and Madam Rosmerta turned to Harry and Ginny. "It's good to see you again. I suppose it's not for the same reason as the last time I saw you. Can I get you something to drink? or eat? It's almost dinnertime."

"Could we have two bottles of butterbeer to go?" asked Harry.

"Hot or Cold?"

"Warm please." Madam Rosmerta walked back to the bar and got their drinks.

"Here you go."

"Thank you ma'am. Um...Is there a way for us to leave that isn't being guarded by Rita Skeeter?" asked Ginny as Harry put the two bottles of butterbeer in his extra large robe pockets.

"I'm 'fraid that's the only door but there's a big panel loose in the back room that your father and his friends used to use," replied Rosmerta thoughtfully.

"Do you know where it goes?" questioned Harry.

"I'm not sure, but they once mentioned a mirror."

"Darn, that one's caved in," remembered Harry, "Is there a way to get to Honeydukes or the Shrieking Shack?"

"Try flooing," suggested Rosmerta as she lead them to the back room with a fireplace, "I wouldn't go to Honeydukes though. The owners are on vacation. And I don't know why you'd want to go to the Shack, haunted that place is, but I know that it's connected to the network. This is my daughter Rosemary by the way." Madam Rosmerta handed Harry the floo powder.

"Thanks Rosmerta, nice to meet you Rosemary. The Shrieking Shack!" cried Ginny as she jumped in to the fire.

"So, did you ever get to ask her?" inquired Rosmerta.

"No," said Harry, blushing, "Shrieking Shack!"

"Those two are almost as bad as Ron and Hermione," commented Rosemary.

"I completely agree," chuckled the bartender returning to her work.

End Chapter 9