Harry Potter Junior Level: Year Three

Ch. 10

Daddy's Prank Ideas

Having visited his parent's portraits the day before, Harry has been using his Daddy's instructions to practice the spells silently. He anticipates it being entertaining for his Dad and the dinner guests. Sirius has invited Severus, Narcissa and the two children, Draco and Alex to dinner that evening.

"Alright son, let's discuss tonight. We are going to be on our best behavior. We don't want to frighten Alexandra as she may not be accustomed to magic. We'll do our best to welcome Draco's Mother back into our lives. She is my cousin and I will expect you to treat her as family. This is for Draco as well as Severus. He needs to be able to enjoy his Mum's company without being in her home."

"I won't frighten the baby, Dad. Why do I have to wear a tie tonight? Dress clothes are bad enough but a tie on top of all that? It feels odd to be so dressed up just for a dinner with Drake."

"Don't refer to Alex as a baby, son. She's spirited from what Severus says and being nearly five, she might kick you in the knee for calling her a baby. Narcissa is old school and will expect us to be dressed for dinner. She'll expect proper behavior so be watching your manners tonight."

"If the girl kicks me, I'll just kick her back."

"You do that and you'll go to your room and then later, to bed with a smarting bum. I'm not playing around here, son. Severus will have Draco be using his best manners also."

"Welcome back to Black Manor, cousin." Sirius says ushering in the woman and child. Bending down on one knee, he looks directly into the sparkling brown eyes. "Hello Alex, my name is Sirius and this is my son, Harry. That is such a nice looking dog you have with you. Does the puppy have a name?"

Staring at the long haired man in front of her and stroking her toy, Alex answers. "His name is Dwagon Dog. I have a brother named Dwagon. He is coming tonight. I want him to come see me right now!"

"He isn't here yet but he will be soon. I'm Harry and your brother is my best friend. Do you want to go see my plush toys?"

"NO! I Want My Dwagon, Now!" Alex declares stomping one foot and then the other after hearing the sharp tapping sound on the tile floor. Smiling at the delightful noise, she repeats her stomp again.

"Alexandra! Remember, we spoke of good manners. I don't believe stomping your feet is good manners." Narcissa lightly scolds the now glaring child.

Crossing her arms with the toy dangling, she says "Not Alexandwa! My name is Alex and my shoes are happy!"

"I'm sorry, she's tired tonight. Her speech is usually much better and her actions can be." Narcissa apologizes.

"No need for that. I know much more about little ones than I used to. Harry has his moments as well." Sirius replies quietly so as not to embarass his 'little one'.

Muffling his laugh with his hand, Harry decides he likes this small spunky girl. Making a decision, he takes Alex by the hand. "Come with me Alex and I'll show you a good place to make your shoes happy."

Taking her hand, he takes her into the kitchen letting her bounce around making her shoes tap loudly.

"So Alex? Do you know how to do any tricks?" Harry asks the little girl currently resting from her three trips of tapping around the kichen table.

"What kind of tricks?"

"Magic tricks, can you do magic?"

"Yes, I can. See? I can dis'pear." She answers crawling under the table.

Bending down to look at the small girl, Harry sees legs and dress shoes enter the room before he hears "That's a good trick, Alex. Now come see your big brother."

"DWAGON!" Alex screeches crawling out to fling herself into his arms. "You comed to the strange house."

"It's not strange, it's fun. I have a treehouse outside, want to see it?" Harry defends, feeling slightly insulted at her comment of "strange house".

"NO. I NOT WANT TO! Play chase Dwagon!" The child answers running off around the kitchen.

"Alexandra! Harrison! Draconis! STOP THIS AT ONCE!" The boys hear in mid chase. Immediately freezing in place, Harry feels Draco slam into him from behind.

"Ooooffff, Draco!" Harry says picking himself up off the floor.

"Hawwy fall down on floor, Hawwy go boom!" Alex giggles.

"Stand together, right here!" Severus instructs pointing to the floor in front of him as he waits for the three children to do his bidding.

"Now, all three of you listen carefully. This is not a place to run. This is a kitchen. Children run outside not inside. Draco, Harry, I'm surprised you let a four year old talk you into misbehaving. All of you will be sent to a corner with a swatted bum if I catch or hear of you running inside someone's home."

"Yes Dad. Yes, Uncle Severus." Draco and Harry sheepishly reply.

"ALEXANDRA?" Severus intones in his answer me now voice.

"Yes The Papa. Alex is sowwy."

Hearing the little girl call his uncle, "The Papa", Harry looks at his cousin with wide questioning eyes.

"She calls him 'The Papa'. We let her." Draco answers the question not asked.

"All right you three, it's time to wash for dinner. Boys, help Alex and come right back."

In the washing process, Harry whispers "She got mad at your Mum for calling her Alexandra and yet your Dad called her that and she didn't. Why?"

"Because the last time they came to visit us, they've been to the Manor three times, when she threw a screaming fit over her name, Dad popped her bum. He told her if she talked to him unkindly, she could expect a swat. He also told her he was going to call her Alexandra when he wished to do so. She hasn't thrown a fit since over him using her full name."

"I like her, she's a prickly one, but I still like her. Is she magical?"

"I don't know. It's possible, I haven't seen any from her though." Draco whispers back as Alex joins them from using the loo.

Setting the final seving dish of mixed vegetables next to the platter of steak, Sirius sits at the head of the table. Narcissa is seated to his right, Severus to his left with Alexandra beside Narcissa and the two boys across the table from her.

"I wasn't sure about the little one and what she might like so I had Dobby fix green beans. There's also some ham if she prefers that to steak. Creamed corn should be well liked as I know the boys devour it. The kids have chips but we have twice baked potatoes. I also know we have mixed salad with cucumbers as I remember you used to love them and a broccoli with cheese casserole for us. I do hope you enjoy the bread, it's not french bread but it's bakery made."

"It all looks delicious, Sirius. There really wasn't a need to fix such a meal. Alex and I don't go all out for meals much. Sandwiches and soup are more our style. My mouth is watering for the mixed salad however. It's been some time since I've had what is considered adult meals."

"Here you are, help yourself." Severus says handing over the large mixed salad bowl.

"Harry? Sirius tells me you love to fly. Are you planning to enter the Quidditch tryouts next school year?"

"I want to enter this year not next year. I'm a great flyer."

"Well that may be, but the Hogwarts rules are you must be a second year before you may enter. That hasn't changed has it, Siri? I certainly wouldn't allow Draco to enter either. He's not old enough and is too small also."

"MUM. I'm not small, I'm big enough to ..." Draco begins to protest but stops at a look from his Dad.

"That is still the rule, Cissy. The boys will just need to be patient."

"Siri, this steak is so juicy and the bread is really tasty too. Don't you want to loan Dobby to me for a week or months? He's an excellent cook." Narcissa comments midway through the meal.

"Dobby isn't going anywhere! He lives HERE with us and at Hogwarts too! You'll have to get your someone else to be a servant 'cause Dobby is FREE." Harry answers before his Dad has the opportunity.

"Harry! You are being extremely rude. Narcissa was not speaking to you and you do not speak to her in that tone of voice. What do you have to say?"

"I have to say I'm right. Dobby is not going to live with HER. She doesn't even know how to keep a kid safe so why would we let her have our friend?"

Sliding his chair back to stand, Sirius says "Excuse us for just a few minutes. Please continue eating. Harry, may I see you in the kitchen?"

Exchanging a look with Draco, Harry follows his Dad.

Watching his cousin, slide back into his chair without wincing, Draco smiles at him. Waiting for the grown ups to start up the conversation, Draco whispers, "Did he smack you?"

"No, I'm grounded to my room until lunch tomorrow for being insolent It's all her fault I got in trouble. What I said was true, right?"

"Hmm, yeah kind of. I don't know about now but that used to be so. She does okay with Alex, so far."

"I'm going to get back at her for you. Watch this." Harry whispers. Muttering a spell under his breath while looking at Narcissa's bread, he watches and waits. Soon enough she takes a bite. The surprise on her face causes Harry to grin.

"Mummy? My bwead is hawd now. I can't bite it. Can I have more corn soup?" Alex asks.

"Here you are, more creamed corn. Try eating the other vegetables too. You know you like green beans."

"I do like them. The Papa? What's Quidditch?" Alex asks suddenly remembering the word she heard earlier.

"You don't know Quidditch?" Draco asks.

At the two dark ponytails swishing side to side at her head shake, he says "I'll explain it better later but right now it's a game where you get to hit things. Now do as your Mummy said and eat." Draco answers after Severus gave him leave to answer.

Frowning a little at not getting a reaction from the woman, Harry sends another silent spell. This one aimed at her cup of tea and wine glass. Once again he keeps his eyes focused on the objects waiting for her to lift them. Harry is soon rewarded.

After taking a bite of the salad, Narcissa reaches and lifts the wine glass only to find it stuck to the table. Trying the teacup, she finds it attached to the saucer and table.

"Mummy? I can't reach my milk!" Alex protests a few seconds later.

"Let me help, dear. Ah, yes, here we are, take a few sips." Narcissa tells her while simultaneously casting a mobilarbus on Harry's plate. As he reaches with his fork to get a piece of meat, the plate moves away from him.

"DAD?"

"Yes son?"

"Watch." Harry again reaches for his plate and it slides down the table.

"Very interesting, son. I hope you catch it." Sirius answers much to the disgust of his son.

"Someone has a spell on it!" Harry complains as once again the plate scoots away from his reaching hand.

Seeing Severus looking at him, Draco quickly announces "It wasn't me. I don't have my wand, see?" as he stands showing his hands and pockets.

"Sit down, Draco. It was me, not Draco. I cast the mobilarbus on the plate. Now let's have a real prank war, young Harry." Narcissa says suddenly turning the boy's hair orange with long sausage curls.

"OY! Turn me back, please. I'm sorry." Dad, she's turned my hair into girly hair."

"Did I fail to mention my cousin Cissy is excellent at unspoken charms, son? You thought you could get by with doing the same to her and she now has paid you back. Let's learn from this, hmm? Don't prank people without expecting to have them retaliate. This was all your own doing."

"Ma'am, I apologize for casting charms on your meal. I surrender to you as top prankster for now." Harry informs Draco's Mum.

"Very well said and I call a truce. We will continue our prank war later. Sirius, you have a fine young prankster here. You have taught him well. Do you know the green slime soap in the shower trick, Harry?"

"Mum? You are supposed to tell ME the pranks, not Harry." Draco complains.

"Let her tell Harry, son. If you pull a green slime prank on me, I will pull a 'make your bum pink' prank on you." Severus states, calmly finishing his meal.

"The prank is all yours, Harry." Draco quickly announces causing Sirius and Narcissa to laugh.

"I take it your new Dad isn't one to appreciate a good prank, son."

"No Mum, not much. Uncle Siri loves pranks though unless we use them at the wrong time."

"I appreciate pranks as long as they aren't on me and cause no harm." Severus speaks up.

"Well Sirius, this dinner seems to be over so what do you say we stop being so formal. I was hoping you had dropped Grandfather's formal living style and continued to be the fun loving cousin I remember. It seems I overestimated how much responsibility has changed you."

"Let's all move to the family room. Would you children like to go upstairs to Harry's playroom or stay here?"

"You have a Playwoom? I wanna go see! Carry me Dwagon! I don' like climbing staiws." Alex replies going to her new brother with her arms up.

"Have fun, Alex and be nice to the boys." Narcissa tells the child snuggled in her son's arms.

"Boys? Watch her well, she is much younger and could hurt herself." Severus tells the two boys as they pass by him.

"Look, I have a chair seat swing here in the corner. Want to sit in it? You and Drake could sit in it together if you want." Harry asks as he leads the way into the room.

"Nuh uh. Dwaco, I wanna see Quidditch. Play it with Hawwy."

"We can't do that inside, Alex. We'll be punished."

"I wanta see Quidditch! I throw fit and scream and say you hitted me if you don't play it!"

"Harry, she will. She got me punished that way and all I did was say 'No I won't play dolls' when I was at her house. Dad swatted me and I had to stand in the corner because I made her cry."

"Alright, but Alex, you can't talk about this to the parents. I'm going to do some things that might seem strange but you have to stay quiet about it. My dad and Uncle Severus would punish us if they found out. You don't want Draco to get a spanking do you?" Harry asks crouching before the little imp to look into her eyes.

"No, I don't want you spanked either. Spankings huwt. I stay quiet."

After locking the door, Harry pullis his wand out of his desk drawer. Taking the toy Quidditch set, he enlarges it to fit half the room. Casting a engorgio charm on the players to enlarge them, Harry sets the game in motion.

Watching the players who are almost her size fly around the pitch, zooming up and back down to bat a ball like object, Alex claps her hands and squeals with delight.

"Shhh. Remember, you must be quiet, Alex." Draco urges her.

"Can I fly too? Hawwy, make me fly on their broom too."

"I can't. I'm not good enough to do that. Sometime when we can go outside, I can let you do something a lot like this. Can you make something fly or move?"

"Yep. I can make something move. See?" Alex says, waving her hands over and then touching the top of a toy car. The car rolls off the shelf just as the children hear a crash and glass breaking.

"The window! Oh No! I forgot to steer the players! Draco, what's the spell to make the glass go back together? What is it?! Quick tell me!"

"I don't know Harry. I hear someone coming up the hall. Do something!" Draco whispers.

"Ahh, finish incanitume" Harry whispers waving his wand at the Quidditch field and players.

"It didn't wowk, Hawwy!" Alex announces shaking her head sadly.

"I see that!" Harry answers angrily just as the door is rattled from someone trying to open it.

"Harry? Draco? Is everything all right? I heard glass breaking. Let me in, please. It's time for Alex and I to leave. Draco, Severus says to tell you he is ready to leave also."

"It's your Mum. Will she tell?" Harry whispers to Draco.

"I don't know."

"BOYS? Do I need to go get your Dad, Harry or are you going to open the door?"

"I'm coming." Harry answers regretfully as he crosses the room.

Taking one look at the flying toys that are obviously enlarged, Narcissa asks the boys "Which of you used magic for this?"

"Mum, you said the "M' word in front of Alex."

"Alex knows all about the "M" word, Draco. She's grown up with a witch and wizard and can do some magic herself."

"You Can? Why didn't you show us when we asked?" Draco asks turning to the little girl now sitting on Harry's bed.

"Don't know how. It comed and it doesn't comed." Alex answers nodding to emphasize her words.

"Harry? What happened to your window?"

"It broke, Ma'am."

"I can see that. What broke it? "

"The flying player flew into it with the broom end, I think. I lost concentration and it just happened. Now I don't know how to fix it back. Could you do it? I can't stop these players either. I don't remember the end the spell words." Harry replies shame faced.

"Will Sirius punish you for breaking a window?" Narcissa asks softly.

"I don't know. I haven't done that before. I wasn't to use my magic though and I did. I'll get in trouble for that."

"We don't want our first meeting to end with someone in trouble so "Finite Incantatum" Narcissa intones with her wand swishing through the air. The game shrinks to it's original size as the children watch.

"Oooohhh, it went small." Alex whispers.

"Thank you Ma'am. Finite Incantatum, I could not remember how to say it. Now I know." Harry tells her before looking at the broken window sadly.

"Harry, do stop calling me Ma'am. I'm not a Grandmother aged person. Call me Narcissa or Cissy."

"Draco, did you have anything to do with these toys being enlarged?"

"No Mum. I can't do magic without my wand and I don't have it with me because Dad keeps it locked in his office desk at home. I've had some problems with using it."

"Do you need to get a new wand, then? I could take you to Ollivander's to pick a new one."

"No,I don't need a new wand. I need to stop using it without permission." Draco answers with a slight grin for his Mum.

"Still a hard headed boy, hmmm? Well, what will we do about this window? It's not good to have a hole in it so... 'Reparo." Narcissa casts with the wand pointed at the window.

Watching, the children see the glass re-form into it's original condition with no evidence of being broken.

"Thank you Cousin Cissy. I am sorry for the pranks I played at dinner. I appreciate you getting me out of trouble up here." Harry whispers as he hears the sound of footsteps coming their way.

"Draco? I've been waiting fifteen minutes for you to come down. Did your Mother not tell you I was ready to leave?" Severus asks from the door while frowning at the boy sitting on the bed.

"I'm sorry Sev. It's my fault. I was talking to the boys about their magic and spells. I took up his time. Please forgive us."

"Certainly Narcissa. Alright Draco, it's nearing bedtime so let's be moving on along, please. Narcissa, would you like me to carry Alex? She's asleep."

Looking over at the little one, Narcissa sees the child wink at her. "By all means, please carry her down for me."

"Well Harry, will you accompany us down?" Severus asks seeing the child standing there gaping at him as he lifts the little girl.

"Yes sir. Come on Drake. We'll go down first."

Later after helping clean up the kitchen, Harry is tucked in bed with Sirius sitting beside him.

"Why did you pull pranks on Narcissa? Didn't we talk about not using magic tonight?" Sirius asks.

"I was mad at her. I apologized and we're kind of friends now. She's not as mean as Draco said she was way back when he lived with her."

"She's not under the Imperio curse any longer. You remember, this is one of the unforgivables and is a mind controlling curse. Lucius cast it on her and all of her actions were not her own during that time. Now I have another question. Who told you how to cast those spells you used tonight? I know Duro and Immobilus are advanced spells you have not learned in school."

"Daddy told me how to do them when I visited yesterday. He said I should get Narcissa for all the evil things she's done to wizard kind and I would be doing it in his honor. Mum said I shouldn't do them without knowing what I was doing. I practiced all morning though and I learned them."

"I need to have a talk with your Daddy. He's being a bad portrait!" Sirius exclaims making Harry giggle.

"You might need to spank him and not me. It was his idea."

"Yes, it was but you went along with it after I told you not to use magic. You disobeyed me and you were rude to guests. That is why you are grounded to your room until lunch tomorrow. No owl posts, no games, no books, only schoolwork and lines. I know you have yet to finish your essay for Herbology, so you will do it tomorrow. School term begins in two weeks, son."

Ignoring the part about essays and school Harry asks "What lines? No one told me I had lines to do!"

"I just did. 100 lines of I will respect my guests and obey what I am told. These will be due at lunch."

"DAAAADDD! I despise writing lines. I don't want to!"

"Would you rather go over my knee? The pants will come down."

"No, I'll do lines. I will." Harry quickly backtracks.

"Good to hear. I'll see you at breakfast. Sleep well, son. I love you." Sirius replies, rising to leave the room.