Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor Twilight
Chapter 14:
Driving Edward's precious Volvo down the long drive back to his house, Jasper became aware rather quickly that something was wrong, the instinct of a soldier informed him that there wasn't something quite adding up. Shutting down the engine and reaching into the foot-well of the passenger seat, Jasper grabbed the handles of his weekend bag and stepped out of the car in front of the house. Taking a few steps towards the door, he suddenly felt the emotions of many vampires around the house. A mixture of excitement and anticipation (with a few undertones of condescension), basically it felt like the emotions that preceded the great finale of one of Emmett's pranks. And that was suspicious. Sniffing slightly, Jasper could smell the scents of many vampires, some he recognised, such as Emmett, Rosalie and the rest of his family, and some he did not, he supposed these were the Volturi who were apparently staying.
Ducking suddenly, Jasper missed a projectile by inches coming from the right and aimed at where his head had erst while been. Looking to his left, he saw a lurid paint splodge on the door of the garage. Immediately realising what was about to happen, Jasper went on the defensive, dropping his bag and realising that the best chance of survival seemed to be with those he knew, he dashed off to the left, where the smell of his family permeated. Crashing ten or so metres into the tree line Jasper came upon his family, all dressed in camo with paint adorning their faces and each carrying a rather large gun.
"Welcome back Major" Emmett said, a slightly crazed look in his eye as he reached behind him and grabbed another gun as well as a bag of what Jasper could see were paintball grenades, "What are your orders?"
"Emmett!" Jasper asked wide-eyes as he looked at his bear like brother, "What the hell? I come back and am promptly involved in some sort of infantile war?"
"Yes" Emmett said emphatically, "War is the right term. Now, we have the advantage of local knowledge, but they have strength in numbers as well as reinforcements, apparently another column will be heading up north from Seattle soon. What should our tactics be, Sir?" With that Emmett snapped a military salute (incorrectly of course) to his brother.
Said brother looked around at the other family members. Rosalie was picking dirt from her fingernails, Alice had her hair in some sort of showercap (who knew you could get one in military camo pattern) whilst Carlisle and Esme looked on with amusement.
"How many of them are there?" Jasper asked, realising this was one of those situations where it was just best to go with the flow.
"Nine at the moment but another four following up within two hours."
"Are there limits? I assume we aren't planning on playing vampire paintball on the road?"
"Fifty miles to the north, twenty to the east, ten to the south and two west." Carlisle answered
Their little strategy meeting was broken up by the voice of Aro drifting through the trees.
"Are we going to play or not? Major Whitlock now knows the rules..."
"Totally agree" Emmett called back as he cocked his gun dramatically, "Let's go Team Alpha!"
"Wait a second" Felix called out from the trees behind, "As leaders of the vampire world, we are totally Team Alpha, you can be Team Beta...or maybe Omega..."
There were sounds of agreement from the Volturi as Emmett vehemently disagreed, "I said it first so we are Team Alpha!"
"Can we just get on with this?" Carlisle asked with a slight disbelieving tone to his voice as the infantile argument started to escalate.
"Good idea!" Aro replied, "Volturi...evasive maneuvers in 3...2...1!"
Five hours later saw a group of paint covered vampires slowly meandering back to the rear of the house. Their once camouflaged clothes now torn and covered with paint such that it was impossible to tell their original state.
"Well that was fun!" Alice chirped as she pulled off her shower cap to reveal her paint-free hair.
"Of course it was fun for you." Rosalie muttered as she inspected her green tresses, "Telling the future helps mightily to avoid the damn paint..."
"Don't be jealous Rosalie" Alice intoned as she skipped around the corner to the front of the house, "AHHHHHH"
"ALICE" Carlisle yelled as he heard his daughter's scream and immediately started a charge to find the pixie vampire staring at a certain Volvo still parked out in the open in front of the house.
"Oops..." Emmett said as he looked at Edward's car.
"When did this happen?" Alice asked in mild hysterics.
"Bagsie not explaining it..." Jasper announced
"Agree" Rosalie added as she stood with her head tilted to one side as she looked at the car that seemed to be a cross between a Pollock painting and some sort of modern instillation sculpture.
Emmett wrinkled his nose, "I think it looks better this way...less...'preppy'."
"Oh sure Emmett, explain to Edward that was the reason we destroyed his damn car..." Carlisle said sarcastically as he considered the mess that was his son's car.
"I don't suppose there is any way we can get him a new car before he get back?" Esme asked
"Good idea, hang on, let me go check..." Carlisle replied as he headed inside to find a phone.
"Carlisle" Alice yelled, "You can't just pass of a new car as his old one..."
"Oh it will be fine" Rosalie answered, "So long as he has a car that is all that matters."
"Rosalie!" Alice exclaimed as the blonde vampire turned towards the house.
"I hope you know that you are going nowhere near my house in that state." Esme pointed out as her three children stepped towards the door.
"Noooo" Emmett singsonged innocently before he whispered to Rosalie, "That was the right answer, wasn't it?"
He got a glare in return from both his mate and his adoptive mother as the latter started to unwind the garden hose with a smirk on her face.
"I don't think that is really necessary..." Rosalie started to say taking a step back only to find herself with a mouthful of water as Esme turned the power-hose on full blast.
Soon each and every vampire who had participated in the great Paintball Fight of Washington found themselves drenched with water in an attempt to remove at least some of the paint. Once Esme had finished hosing everyone down she pulled a bag out of the bushes containing several dozen towels which she distributed to all and then 'suggested' (with threat of imminent pain if refused) that everyone removed their clothes and shoes before entering her house.
And so the vampire leaders, their guards and the group of Cullens' entered the entrance hall in towels and fearing to let a single drop of coloured water taint the clean lines and floors of the house.
"Daddy! Uncle Aro!" Came a voice drifting down the hall, followed by the pitter-patter of footsteps on the stained wooden floor boards. Soon the dark haired figure of Hattie skipped into the sitting room dressed in a long white nightdress with a blue dressing gown billowing behind her, "Siri said I could come and say night-night!" She was immediately picked up by an overprotective Aro who hated to see his niece's bare feet in contact with a potentially cold floor.
It was at that point that all the vampires heard a reverent whisper, "Mine..."
There was silence for a moment before everyone looked at Jasper who seemed not to notice, so absorbed was he in recording every feature and expression of the small human girl's face. He would follow her for eternity, try to learn everything about her, protect her from anything, it didn't matter what happened, he was hers as much as she was his.
And so the great Major of the Southern Vampire Wars meet his mate whilst dressed in only a towel with wet hair that still ran with pink and green paint.
Emmett, who at this point seemed allergic to sentiment decided to ruin the moment, "Good going bro! You are marrying up, she's a princess...Not bad." (He very swiftly received a kick in the shins from Alice, a smack over the head from Rosalie and a hit from his mother, as well as a whole host of glares from the Volturi.)
Aro stood with his mouth agape as he looked between his niece and the Major, "I don't know whether Caius will be enraged or fan-girling..."
"And why would Caius be enraged or fan-girling?" Came the distinct voice of the vampire in question from the front door as he arrived followed by the other Volturi.
"Aah" Marcus stated as he turned to see his blonde brother entering the house clearly not having heard the start of the conversation.
"Well..."
"Hello." Hattie said, interrupting whatever Aro's explanation was going to be as she looked at Jasper struggling slightly so that she might be let down from Aro's arms. When he seemed disinclined to allow her freedom, going so far as to hoick her further into his arms, she turned to face him, "Uncle Aro, can I be let down?"
After an expression of indecision flitted across Aro's face for a couple of seconds, the glare that Marcus gave him convinced him to let his niece down. Said niece then pottered over to Jasper.
"Hello." She repeated, "I am Hattie, my full name is Harriet Lily Dorea Potter-Volturi and I am eight years old." Jasper by this point was mush, his reaction was furthered when his little mate decided she should go to bed, "I need to go to bed now but can you tuck me in?"
Jasper was suddenly returned to reality by the growls of multiple vampires, Caius by this point had worked out the situation, "He is not going anywhere near Hattie's bedroom for at least two centuries."
Hearing this Hattie was upset, "But what if I want him to read me a story, or show him my dolls house?"
Marcus had had enough by this point, as someone who saw the bonds between people and who had suffered the loss of his mate knew that finding a mate should never be denied, seen as a bad thing nor undervalued. What was even better, was that Jasper was someone who could protect Hattie, his name was rightly still feared around the vampire world. The Volturi had encountered some of the vampires who survived the Southern Wars and when their memories were read by Aro, they showed a vampire who could fight better and lead better than anyone outside of the Volturi. Even without his empathetic gift he was strong, with it he was a force to be reckoned with. And for Marcus, he saw that Jasper would treat Hattie right, he could and would protect her and love her, she would want for nothing as he would look after her as only he could. Marcus was fully prepared to ensure that his brothers' did not come between the pair. Sure he would never allow a physical relationship to exist between them but it was not as though Hattie would see Jasper as anything more than a friend until she was matured.
"Right, Jasper, if you would be so kind as to take Hattie up to bed and Pica will accompany you and show you where everything is. The rest of you, into the sitting room and sit down!"
He was interrupted by a squeak from Harriet, "Are you Jasper Whitlock?" Receiving a nod, she got even more excited, "Uncle Caius talks about you all the time...did you really kill a hundred and fifty newborns in under fifteen minutes on your own?"
Jasper looked rather panicked for a second, likely trying to decide whether this was normal behaviour for an eight year old and indeed whether he should answer, however his choice was made for him when Marcus spoke. "Hattie! You have already stayed up late, why doesn't Jasper take you to find Sirius and go to bed so you can speak in the morning."
The little girl pouted for a minute before sighing dramatically and grasping the hand of her new friend, "Come on Jasper, come meet Uncle Siri!" The vampire followed as instructed although he cast a wary look back at Marcus to gauge his reaction. As soon as the pair had left the room there was a cacophony of voices overlaying each other in their musical tones, many of whom addressed a distinctly unimpressed Marcus who was quick to stifle protests.
"If any of you value your tongues you will hold them!" Regaining silence he continued, "Yes I am well aware that this is a less than perfect outcome however really is may be for the best. Think about it Caius, Hattie now has one of the strongest vampires in the world prepared to look after her with all he is. She is now safer than ever and we should not and cannot complain, feel free to threaten him if he breaks her heart but trust that he is not likely to do so even before you threaten him. Now, grow up and accept that Hattie will grow up too and I shall not begrudge the fact that she has found her mate in a vampire rather than one of her own kind. If you excuse me, I am going to say goodnight to my daughter, whilst you can consider everything and work out how you are going to explain to the Cullens about Sirius' and Hattie's alternative abilities."
There was silence for a moment after Marcus left before Aro looked at Caius, "Why do I feel that Marcus got the better end of the deal?"
"That is because he did, now we get to explain to that lot over there" Caius said, gesturing with his head to the group of Cullen's who stood, unsure of whether they were going to be assaulted by some irate Volturi, ...that dragons, mermaids, giants and goddamn unicorns exist."
Twenty minutes later Marcus returned having had to partially drag Jasper from Hattie's room as he seemed content to stand guard over her all night. They returned to find a rather smug group of Volturi looking down at the Cullens' who were torn between horror and shock, all except perhaps Emmett who was in the middle of a rather long list of questions.
"...giants? So they have these societies hidden within the world, who wave wands and wear dresses. How many are there? And they can fly on broomsticks and have a sport of essentially a cross between dodge ball, rugby and 'I spy' whilst flying fifty feet up in the air? Wait! Important questions first...Can I eat a dragon...?"
Jasper sighed, having heard from Marcus about his mate's situation, "Emmett!"
"What? It is legitimate question. My list of 'Animals to eat (and/or wrestle) before I die' has just expanded rapidly. I mean come on... apparently trolls exist..."
Here Marcus interrupted before Emmett could go on extolling the virtues of the creatures of the animal world, "If you wish we shall introduce you to the Prince of the magical vampire, Sanguini, who I am sure would love a hunting partner although you would most certainly not be hunting dragons as they are protected by nearly every magical governmental system in the world."
Esme whimpered slightly, "Why on earth did you just offer that, we will never see Emmett now?"
Emmett however appeared unconcerned, "It'll be fine, don't worry... I would worry more about never seeing Jazz."
"Ahh yes." Caius said, turning to Jasper who froze slightly, "The mate..."
The Major of the Southern Wars looked around to see a group of Volturi looking at him, all still wrapped in their towels. There were very few sympathetic faces in the crowd and indeed Emmett was close to giggling like a little child with excitement whilst Alice, Esme and Rosalie all smirked him knowingly.
"I think" Aro stated, "That we should go and have a nice little conversation Jasper, don't you?"
Jasper just nodded as he was led out of the house.
Sirius Black was in a panic, just a minor one. After all it was not as though he had made a mistake big enough to force him to disappear to Peru for the rest of his life. He would miss Heidi, but it was for the best. If Marcus didn't kill him then Jasper certainly would...or Caius...or Jane...or actually anyone. There was no choice. He was going to die over the fact that his oh-so-cute goddaughter had in an absolutely stupendous example of accidental magic turned herself into an animal. And because she wasn't a trained animagus so she couldn't damn well turn back and his goddaughter was stuck as a cub...
Sirius sat in the guest room of the Cullen's house looking at a little snow leopard cub, rather unsteady on her feet who was trying to get used to the experience of walking on four feet. To say it wasn't adorable would be a total lie but to say that it wasn't a minor problem would be another. He had tried as many spells as he could think, including animagus reversal spells to human-to-animal reversal transfiguration but it wasn't working and he was well aware that it would not be long before one of the vampires came to collect Hattie and instead found a damn snow leopard cub who was by now making little mewling sounds.
"Hattie? It is going to be fine" Sirius said, sitting on the floor in-front of the little cub, "Now I want you to imagine yourself human again." If he couldn't change her back, maybe she could change herself back. The main problem was that as the eight year old wasn't a trained animagus she had not been trained in how to control her body such that she became an animal or returned to a become human. Whilst her limited meditation and occulumency training could have helped to some extent but it wasn't enough apparently.
Ten minutes later and this still hadn't worked. Hearing the door open behind him, Sirius tensed and slowly turned around to see Marcus, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett who were all staring at the cub sitting on the rug by the sofa.
"There is a very good explanation for this..." Sirius started, he then paused trying to think of what this 'very good explanation' was going to be.
"Sirius?" Rosalie asked slowly, not taking her eyes from the feline companion, "Where is Hattie and why on earth is there a snow leopard cub here?"
Marcus however immediately understood, "I think that Hattie is the snow leopard cub. Right Sirius?"
Sirius nodded slowly as though slow gestures and actions would make him less of a target to irate vampires, "She wanted to try becoming an animal like I can but I can't change her back and she can't change herself back quite at this moment..."
"Awww" Emmett announced, looking at the little feline on the floor infront of him, "She makes a very sweet cub. Can I play with her?"
"Emmett!" Jasper exclaimed, apparently having processed the part where his mate was now an animal, "Hattie is not a human at this moment in time and all you can say is that she is 'sweet'?"
"Yup!" Emmett replied as Hattie started trying to clamber towards her mate lifting her legs high to avoid tripping over her toes and making occasional snuffling and mewling sounds as she tried to greet him.
"Hopefully someone doesn't eat her..." Sirius muttered before groaning as Jasper's face became even more panicked and he started looking around for any threats as he picked the little white cub up and gently cuddled her to his chest.
Marcus rubbed his temples, "How long is this going to last?"
"Errr..." Sirius considered, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as he watched Jasper inspect Harriet closely, "I am not sure, it is accidental magic and I can't work out how she managed it."
Jasper most definitely did not squeak, "You mean you don't know how to turn her back?" By now the poor Major was now subconsciously scratching his mate behind her ears as she purred contentedly in his arms.
"Not as such..." Sirius stated as he tried to subtly look for exits from the room.
By now all the other vampires in the house had worked out something was wrong and so they all piled into the room.
"Whatever is the matter?" Caius asked, "Where is Hattie?" The only explanation he received was four people pointing at the cub sitting, purring contentedly in Jasper's arms.
"Why is my niece a cat?" Caius said slowly, emphasising the last letter of the sentence.
"We don't quite know but we are working on it." Marcus said gently tapping the nose of his daughter with one finger who gazed at intensely before trying to gnaw at it ineffectively. "Alec get the phone and call Sanguini. He may have seen something of this ilk before."
Alec was quick to run from the room but returned within a minute baring a mobile that he offered to Marcus.
"Sanguini? Hello."
"So your daughter is now a cat Marcus?"
"Sanguini, we need help not jokes."
"Fine, fine. I have seen this before with witches with a creature inheritance, it isn't an anigmaus form it is just an animal she can naturally turn into."
"And that is helpful because? We can't get her to turn back!"
Sanguini was unconcerned, "She will turn back in time and eventually learn some control over it. It'll be fine."
Naturally all the vampires in the room had heard the conversation and Jasper in particular wasn't too happy with the news, "You mean you don't know how to turn her back?"
Everyone could almost hear Sanguini's smirk over the phone, "So this must be the mate? I take it you have been...encouraged towards good behaviour?" Jasper's growl only made Saguini laugh, "Fear not Major, I shall tease you no longer for I fear that would put me in Hattie's bad books. I would get used to Hattie turning into a little feline, it is as natural for her as it is a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, at least be grateful it is happening now when she is safe and protected. Now I am afraid I must go, it is a petitioners day for us. Oh, and my father still desires to meet Hattie. I suggest organising a time to come and visit us here. Actually bring along the Major, he is well known to us and I know has some fans amongst men and women alike here. Ciao ciao."
With that he hung up leaving a group of slightly irritated Volturi, some confused Cullens' and a snow leopard cub still sitting in her mate's arms.
"That was the prince of vampires?" Emmett asked breaking the silence, slightly in awe, "He sounds awesome. Is his father the king?"
Demetri sighed, "Yes. Drakul is the king of magical vampires at the moment..."
"WAIT!" Emmett exclaimed, "Drakul?"
Marcus just sighed and considered whether his life could get any more complicated.
After a good two hours of pouncing on trailed pieces of ribbon and the occasional hand, Hattie fell asleep on Jasper's lap once more and just over an hour later returned to her normal form. She continued to sleep, curled up against her mate's chest for another two hours before waking rather hungry.
"Aro...Aro? Whatever is the matter with you?" Marcus asked as he entered the drawing room with Caius to find his normally jovial brother sitting in an armchair in partial darkness.
"I am just thinking..." Aro replied, twirling a fountain pen between his pale fingers.
"Care to tell us what about, it is rather disconcerting when you are this serious." Marcus said as both he and Caius lowered themselves into arm chairs.
Aro huffed, "Fine, what is a wand made of?"
"You already know the answer to that. Why are you asking us?" Caius answered curtly.
"Please? I want to see if you can get the same idea as me."
Marcus sighed, "Fine, wood and a magical core."
"Right." Aro said, standing and starting to pace around the room, "What kind of cores?"
Caius rolled his eyes, "Dragon heartstrings, unicorn hair, phoenix feathers, kneazle whiskers, selkie, niffler, veela hair... basically anything magical."
"Right... Now what is made of wood, catgut or sheep intestine and horsehair?"
Almost instantaneously both the kings realised what they were being asked to connect, "Violins... Do you really think...?"
Aro was back to excited self now, "How are they any different...? Wands are made by bonding wood and a core as well as adding runes and magically binding them. What is to say that we can not do that with a violin, use a wood for the body, dragon heartstrings for the strings and then unicorn hair for the bow strings? What would it do?"
"Aro, mayhaps we should experiment and speak to Sanguini and the goblins before we get too excited but I agree that it is a sound theory and an interesting quandary." Marcus said, trying to curb Aro's excitement slightly but at the same trying to hide his own.
Caius was equally interested, "Marcus is right, brother my. I am impressed though. Shall we go and speak to Sanguini?" the blonde king asked as he stood and left the room followed by Aro.
This left Marcus sitting in the drawing room alone until he was disturbed by an exhausted owl fluttering in through one of the large curtain windows to land on the back of a nearby sofa. Quick to retrieve the letter, the king tore it open upon seeing the Gringotts' seal emblazoned upon it.
Dear King Marcus,
At our last meeting we discovered the existence of the soul fragment within your daughter. Whilst we cannot tell you that we have found a way to solve the problem some of the Elders wished to meet Harriet and perform some tests, we believe we may have found one ritual strong enough to counter the soul fragment but we have no desire to be wrong.
Yours faithfully,
Ragnok, Chief of the Goblin Clans
"Sirius!" Marcus yelled as he reread the letter with fervor. "Come here and read this!"
There was a yelp from Sirius who came racing into the room and grabbed the parchment from the king's hands.
"Marcus, we need to think about the future now." Sirius said, running his hand through his hair as he slumped back into his chair, "We need to think about how we manage life, whilst Hattie is safe at the moment, we cannot guarantee that at all, as soon as she goes to school, wherever that is, she will be subject to scrutiny, enemies and sycophants."
"You are right." Marcus sighed, looking at his clasped hands, "There are too many unknowns."
Sirius huffed, "I mean for a start, we need to ensure that she can manage her empathetic abilities. She is going to be in a school with a load of teenagers... We know that Hattie struggles when people aren't content, it unbalances her, what happens when she is in a room with a group of boys lusting after someone or her?"
"Apart from ensure they never so much look at her again? I don't know." Marcus groaned, "Do you think Jasper could help? He must be used to it."
Sirius looked up, "I hadn't thought of that... I feel we should step up on the training though, did you speak to the others about Remus Lupin?"
Marcus nodded slowly, "As you can imagine they weren't...happy but for Hattie they would just about be prepared to kiss a werewolf if it helped her. There are conditions though, such as the wolf not being anywhere near Hattie two days either side of the full moon."
"I would expect nothing less...I shall write to the goblins and ask them to contact him for me, he went off grid I am told after that Halloween but I expect that for a price an address might just suddenly magically appear from the goblins for the man."
"Agreed, I was wondering whether it may be a good idea to find Hattie a friend, not just someone she meets at the smart parties and functions, but someone who she can trust who is her own age? She needs friends more than acquaintances at the moment."
"That is probably for the best, otherwise we may end up with a precocious little girl, just on the right side of spoiled who lacks any knowledge about how to play and interact with people her own age. That is always the problem with the magical world, unlike in the muggle world where children are children, the magical nobility treats them as little adults. Certainly when I was a child, I was more likely to have been introduced to allies rather than friends, I wonder whether it would have been different if there was someone I could have trusted completely other than James and Remy."
Marcus sighed understanding Sirius' wondering thoughts, "We cannot change the past but we can change the future. Are there any who you would think Hattie would get on well with? You have seen her interact with children at the parties you have attended."
Sirius looked contemplatively at the paper still in his grasp, huffing slightly he answered, "I can't really think of anyone who would suit her as a true friend, Hattie got on with many of them but there is too much politicking for my liking. Outside of those children, the only people I could think of are my second cousin, Nymphodora Tonks, but she is several years older, and Neville Longbottom, he is the same age as Hattie and from a traditionally neutral family, although not in recent years, more light orientated. His parents are in hospital long-term after torture by Death Eaters. He is being raised by his grandmother, a rather...formidable woman but one who I think highly of. The best thing about the Longbottoms are they are Friends of the Line to the House Potter."
Marcus reflected on what Sirius had said. Friends of the Line was one of the strongest bonds between families or houses that could be invoked by magic. They implied an equality to the relationship where one house was not subservient to the other, unlike some other bonds between family implied that there was a stronger or more powerful in the group, for instance the Goyle and Crabbe families who had a Line Bond to House Malfoy, in return for protection they were essentially at the beck and call of the Malfoys. But a Friend of the Line was better, more long-lasting and infinitely stronger. Remembering the books of wizarding nobility, Marcus recalled that the Longbottom/Potter bond had existed for nigh on four centuries, originally starting after a a member of the Potter family was saved by a Longbottom from the witch trials under James VI of Scotland and the I of England, the following generation saw a Longbottom saved by a Potter during a dragon attack.
"It is a good idea." Marcus stated, "But do you know what he is like? I don't think it would be a worthwhile relationship to foster unless they are likely to appreciate each other's company."
Sirius shook his head, "Never met the chap, he has the same birthday as Hattie though, or maybe the day before, can't quite remember. Should I write to Madame Longbottom and request the company of herself and her grandson in the next few weeks?"
Marcus nodded emphatically, "Yes. Apart from this Longbottom scion, is there anyone else you would consider?"
"Not off the top of my head. There are some like the Weasleys' who are too close to Dumbledore. I shall think about it though but in the mean time I shall write to the Longbottoms. Start small and all that. It is unlikely that we would be able to hide you and your fellow vampires if this goes to plan so we need as few people as possible to start with."
Marcus sighed, "You are probably right. Anyway, I need to go and see where Hattie is, the last I saw of her was her being coerced into trying on dresses with the female Cullens."
"When was that?"
"Four hours ago... Maybe more. I am a terrible father."
Sirius laughed, "Knowing Harriet she is probably loving the attention, now you go rescue your daughter and I go rescue her enthralling social life."
Lord Black and Harriet Potter spotted in America
The pair are quickly becoming some of the most well-traveled nobles of our time, so far the pair, often accompanied by Heidi Volturi, have been sighted throughout Europe but this is the first time they have been seen further afield. This reporter looks forward to hearing whether a new trend will result from this sojourn to the Americas within Europe, after all where Lord Black visits tend to become fashionable very quickly.
They were seen entering the Magical Congress of the Unites States of America early yesterday morning and were later shown out by the American President of Magic, Lionel Aurum, himself. It is unknown whether the visit was purely social but it is believed that the pair will be attending a garden party with the renowned Curos family from the American state of Maryland. Our dear Girl-Who-Lived, Harriet Potter will be, I am sure, the star of the party, many who have met her have commented on her absolutely impeccable behaviour and dignity in the face of her fame. She will celebrate her ninth birthday in the coming weeks and we here at the Prophet wish her all the best in her coming year. It is expected that we will see her in two years time at Hogwarts and we look forward to this time.
In the next few months it will be a year since the trial and release of Sirius Black, to mark this occasion the Prophet will run a special long article to look at the impact of the trial, Sirius Black and the newly revived House Black in the last year.
It was bound to happen Marcus mused in a minor panic. It had to happen, but why now? Why not in two, three years time? Why? Why? Why? The vampire king was generally fine with the whole 'being-a-father' thing but this had caught him a little unawares. The rest of the room was split between complete silence whilst the other was muffling chuckles as they watched the interaction between himself and his daughter. His little eight year old daughter who had just asked what 'sexy' was.
Marcus cleared his throat carefully, "Where did you hear that word?"
Hattie tilted her head to the side as she looked at her adoptive father, "Uncle Caius said it. He said that Auntie Dora looked 'sexy'." Immediately glares were leveled at a blonde king who was trying to slowly merge into the wall behind him, Hattie though was not going to let her question go unanswered, "So what does it mean?"
"It means..." Marcus started before pausing to consider how best to answer without having to answer a load of further questions, "It means to look good for someone special."
"Ohhhh" Hattie answered looking thoughtful, all the vampires sighed with relief, thinking that this particular conversation was over for now but alas, it was not to be, "So I should look 'sexy' for Jasper?"
Chaos ensued.
My Beta has unfortunately been unable to help me with this chapter so please read and review, I would love to hear what other people thought about this chapter.