Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Title: The Poet's Wish
Author: ReadingRed
Chapter Twelve: The Owl
Virginia and Harrison Potts were out with their children, Theo and Phineas, for a perfectly normal walk, thank you very much, when what should happen but a post owl careened into the back of Mr. Potts head. Being such good magical folk as they were, the lifted the dear owl off the ground and healed it as best they would. For some odd reason, even after being healed, the owl would not continue its flight, so Mr. and Mrs. Potts along with their children decided they would do the polite thing and return the owl to its rightful owners. A simple point me spell and the family of four were on their way to an eccentric home set in a peaceful field in the delightful town of Ottery St. Catchpole.
After taking a brief respite to adjust their new faces, thanks to their metamorphmagus abilities, and the family entered the land owned by the Weasley family.
"Are you ready Gin?" Harry asked, realizing the full weight of what he was asking his wife to do. Her entire family had died, some in front of her eyes, and now she was about to walk right into her childhood kitchen and see them all.
"Yes, yes of course. For Sirius. And for us," Ginny said. She looked briefly down at their children, who looked little like their children, and realized that as big as this moment was for she and Harry, it was near to inconsequential for Teddy. He new of these people of course, she and Harry had made sure to tell him of not only of Remus and Tonks family, but also of their own, and yet, he had met so few of them, and remembered even fewer that meeting them again would be the same as meeting strangers.
She took a deep breath and raised her hand to lift the doorknocker. Before her palm came in contact with the door, two nine-year-old red haired rockets shot out from to doorway and crashed into her.
"Omh!" Ginny fell in a pile, her little, older brothers falling down on top of her. She looked up into their dirt-streaked faces and saw the men they would become. The lives these two would save through their inventions would be countless, their impact on the war effort, unknowable. And yet, here they were, two skinny, shaggy haired boys who loved nothing more than playing outside and making mischief for their mother and brothers.
As one, the boys sat back, resting on Ginny's legs as she propped herself up on her elbows to look them over.
"Hello pretty lady," Fred said, dragging the word pretty out a couple extra syllables.
"What brings you to our fine home?" George asked.
"My husband and I found your owl," Ginny said grinning at their antics.
"Oi! She's got a husband, mate," Fred said to George.
"Right bad luck that is," George said in response.
"Your say you've got Errol have you?"
Just as Ginny was about to respond, Molly Weasley came thundering to the doorway.
"Boys! What have I told you about leaving the do…" Molly's tirade died on her lips as she saw her twins sitting on the legs of a strange woman, pinning her to the ground while a man and two younger children looked on.
"Boys! Get off that poor woman this instant!" Molly said as she managed to grab an arm of each boy and pull them up one handed, the other arm full of a little read headed toddler who could be none other than Ginerva Weasley.
By this time, Ginny getting to her feet and Finley was standing half behind Harry, fearful of the loud woman.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what possessed them," Molly said to Ginny as she sent the twins off to the orchard to play.
"It's quite alright, as you can see, I have two of my own. I know how rambunctious they can be."
For the first time, Molly seemed to take notice of the two children who were watching her with big eyes. She looked them over, then Harry, and finally noticed her owl in the man's hands.
"Ah, that must be why you're here then. You've found our owl."
"Yes ma'am," Harry said lifting he owl away from his chest and silently removing the charm to keep him still. The owl flew out of his arms and into the house to settle on his perch by the window.
'Well, come in, come in. It's the least I can do to give you a nice cup of tea and perhaps a snack for the little ones, for all the trouble you've gone to, to bring old Errol back to us."
Harry and Ginny struggled to keep grins off their faces as they accepted the offer. Their plan seemed to be going off without a stich.
Molly set young Ginny down on her feet and the three year old immediately left her mothers side to investigate the new children in her home. While the child did look Teddy over, it seemed as if even in his disguise, Ginny Weasley only had eyes for Harry, now Finley, Potter.
"I'm Ginny," the little girl said to Finley.
"I'm Phineas," Finley said, proud that he remembered his pretend name. "This is my brother, Theo."
"Wanna see my books? I have a book 'bout Harry Potter!" Ginny exclaimed, taking a hand from each boy and pulling them behind her, out of the kitchen and into the living room, but not before both boys could give their parents very confused glances.
That's going to take some explaining, Harry thought to himself. He and Ginny both took a seat down at the Weasley dinner table and explained the story they had concocted to explain how they had come into possession of Errol. Molly seemed to believe every word as she set the tea down in front of the couple. As the conversation drifted to other topics, Harry new that it was a good time to start the next phase of their plan.
"Excuse me, but I wonder if I might trouble you for your washroom?" Harry asked as innocently as he could manage.
"Yes, yes of course. It's just up the stairs three flights; you'll see it when you get there."
Harry excused himself with a polite, "thank you" and started up the stair, trying his best to seem as if he hadn't done this a thousand times before. As soon as he rounded the first flight of stairs, he removed a shrunken cage from his pocket and enlarged it, checking the anti-animagus charms as he climbed the stairs. Finally he reached the third floor, but instead of continuing to the end of the hall, he opened the first door on his right and entered Percy's room. To the left of the door sat a small cage, and in the cage was a rat missing a finger on one paw. Harry sent a silent stunner at the rat and quickly transferred it from one cage to the other, making sure to leave the door to the cage open. He new that young Percy would see the open door and either blame a sibling, or conclude that the rat had managed to open it himself, and while he might be sad for a time, at least he would no longer be sharing his room with a murderer.
As much as Harry wanted to drag this part out, perhaps with a few words to Pettigrew about home much the rat would come to regret his decision, Harry new that was opening the situation up to too much risk. Better to do it while the rat was asleep and be certain that everything would go as planned.
Harry shrank the cage down to the size of a small coin and slipped it into his pocket. It was time to collect his family and go free an innocent man.