July 16th, 1989
All the adults had their wand out, spooked. Nicolas and Perenelle looked the least alarmed – probably just their experience with assorted loud bangs.
Harry had transformed – the noise would have frightened him more than anyone, save Sirius – and said godfather and werewolf stood beside the wolf cub.
Albus scanned the room with a practiced eye for threats. He came up with nothing, but for – aha.
He lifted the tablecloth under the food tables to find two small redheaded boys. Two familiar redheaded boys. "Misters Weasley," he said, "Am I to assume that you had something to do with the excitement?"
They blinked.
That's an affirmative, then.
"What happened to Harry?" a small voice said.
"It must have been a Transfiguring Cracker," Remus answered. "I can turn him back, no worries."
I haven't heard of those. I would bet Remus is lying. Justifiably, admittedly, but still…
Albus watched as Remus waved his wand slowly. Wolf-Harry watched the movement carefully, and transformed back at the appropriate moment.
Brilliant. How straightforward it is to keep this secret, then – without even a single Obliviate. Misdirection and careful misinformation…
Harry's hair was mussed, his glasses were askew, and – if Albus didn't know any better – his mouth was trying to twitch into a growl. He looked into Albus' eyes, and Albus could see the raw rage of a wild animal disturbed in Harry's mind.
Harry's bright green eyes seemed to glow as turned to the Weasley twins. They winced at his glare.
"I would not recommend doing that again," Harry said quietly. "Next time it might not end so well for you."
The twins squirmed. Harry didn't blink; he just stood, and stared at them with a ferocity not normally seen in humans.
"Sorry," one of them squeaked.
The other nodded fervently. "We won't be pranking you again, Mister Potter, sir!"
"See that you do." Harry turned around and walked towards the punch bowl. He was still thirsty, after all…
***0***
The party returned to almost its level of cheer as before, except for the curious glances at Harry from the indiscreet and the glares at the Weasley Twins from just about everyone.
Remus stood next to Harry for the rest of the party. Harry gave him a few questioning looks, but otherwise accepted his presence.
Having an overprotective godfather right next to me keeps the less brave away. I can like that. At least Macmillan isn't trying to talk with me anymore.
"Harry?"
He looked up into Nicholas' worried eyes. "Yes, Granddad?"
Nicholas created a subtle silencing charm around them. "We are going to need to work with your Animagus skills. Transforming at every alarming thing isn't going to work."
Remus raised an eyebrow. "All due respect, Nicholas, but I think Harry did the right thing. Transforming when something disturbs the peace is better than lashing out with magic."
"Granddad, do you really believe that I Changed on purpose?"
"No." Nicholas sighed. "Remus, your quick thinking saved the day."
"Maybe. I did hear a few suspicious parents whispering, though. Some aren't going to be convinced that easily – Molly Weasley, for one."
Nicholas winced. "No, she won't even listen to Albus."
"Agnes Longbottom, too – she didn't like the happenings or the explanation."
A shrug. "We'll just have to deal with it when it comes." A thought. "Where did the twins get the firecracker?"
Remus sighed. "Probably from my room, or Sirius'. Both of us tend to leave prank items on our beds…"
***0***
"And to think that Lupin couldn't come up with anything more convincing than 'Transfiguring Cracker'! My cousin Ellard – bless him – is a developer of tricks for Zonko's. From what he tells me, there's not possibility of those sorts of things in the market for the moment."
"There is now, Mrs Longbottom," Molly Weasley said. "I wouldn't put it past my twins to make up something like that, the moment they learn the charm for transfiguration. They're going to be scrubbing the floor for weeks to make up for this embarrassment, though."
The two women – one much younger than the other – stood off in a corner, kept company only by each other and Fred and George, who had decided staying out of the crowd was the better part of valor.
"What else, other than a cracker or a trick, could it have been?"
"My first thought was an Animagus transformation, but Harry's much too young for all that. Why, he doesn't even have a wand yet – he's only nine!"
"I don't think any of the adults transfigured him, either. Whatever my differences with Albus, I don't think he would do that, or allow any other adult in the room to, even to save him from an explosion. He would have found a better way."
A sigh. "It just doesn't make any sense."
***0***
Remus stood off in a corner – not the same one as Mrs Longbottom and Molly Weasley, though, of course.
Though I might as well be. Listening in on their conversation, Lupin? Quite the spy, aren't we? No, no, that's Severus Snape…
Harry was standing by the punch table again, not seeming to care about the peeled grapes in his cherry drink. To Remus' practiced godfatherly eye, he looked distinctly bored. The boy talking to him – talking at him – was a thin boy named Finch-Fletchly.
Poor Harry. Too many kids all at once – at not one intelligent enough to bring up a stimulating topic of conversation.
All of the kids were magic-raised, too; not a single Muggle-born, Remus rued.
Maybe next year.
Catching the jaded glint in Harry's eyes, though, he amended his thoughts.
Or not.
***0***
Nicholas slept on his side in two piece pajamas.
Now, normally this would not be something for anyone to be grateful – or ungrateful, depending on your point of view – for. But this morning – just after sunrise, the day after the party – was not an ordinary morning.
Nicholas' ordinary mornings did not begin with cold, wet wolf nose in his lower back.
His screeches could be heard on the cliffs.
But, he reflected, it was all his fault. He knew that Harry would want to prank someone after all the stimulation yesterday. Add in the Animagus mayhem, and stir, to create a recipe for early morning pain.