Harry Potter Junior Level: Year Three
Ch. 30
Unexpected Happenings
"Draco? Professor Snape is motioning for us to come to him." Ron says as the group comes together after the last ride.
"Alright, let's all go over. I want to go get on the Apocolypse ride next and it's past the pavilion." Draco answers leading the group over to where Sirius, Severus and the woman are waiting.
"Yes, Dad? Did you want us for something?" Draco asks having walked up to where his Dad is sitting leaving the others standing just outside the covered pavilion.
"HI, DWAGON! I'm here for the party!" Draco hears from beside him. Turning to look down he sees Alex in a bright pink top, a light purple skirt with pink flowers. She's also wearing purple leggings and pink trainers.
"Hi, Alex. How did you get here?"
"I came with Mummy of course. MUMMY! COME SEE DWACO!"
Answering the summons, Narcissa steps out of the shadows holding a box of drink cups. Walking over she sets the box down on the table, handing Alex the smallest of the covered cups. "Here's your lemon and raspberry drink, Alex. Hello, son. Happy Birthday!"
"Hello, Mum. Thank you." Draco replies.
"Draco, call the kids over and let them meet your Mum and Alex." Severus tells the boy who seems to now be struck mute.
"Well, okay. Harry? Bring everybody up here." Draco calls.
As the group of kids spread out around the table, Draco says "Mum, I would like to introduce my friends from school. The girls are Hermione and Ginny. Ginny is the redhead and is Ron's sister. Ron is the chap with the red hair. Neville is next to Ron, then Jake and Quint. I believe you know Harry already. Everyone? This is my Mum, Narcissa Hightower and my little sister Alexandra who likes to be called Alex. Don't call her Alexandra unless you want to be kicked in the shins."
"That's Wight! I'm Alex or you get sore legs!" Alex confirms with a nod and crossed arms much to the delight of her listeners who are grinning.
"Alexandra Elizabeth! There will be no kicking!" Severus informs the tyke firmly.
"No calling me Alexandra! I'm Alex!" he gets in response, complete with a mutinous glare and pout.
"ONE!" Severus responds.
"NO count! I'll be good, Draco's Papa!" the minx commands before turning to the girls. "I'm Alex and I'm five. Who are you and will you take me around with you? I want to ride something too."
"I'm Hermione and this is my friend Ginny. We would love to take you on some rides if it is okay with your Mummy."
"It is fine with me but Alex you will have to stay right with the girls and do what they tell you. Would you children like something to drink? You all look flushed."
"We have fast passes and have a free drink with that. We'll go order what we want. Thanks anyway, Mum. Come on, Alex. Come with me and help me choose what drink to get." Draco tells the child contently sipping her own drink.
"Okay and I can help Harry, Hermione and Ginny with their drinks too. I'll let the others pick out for themselves cause I don't know those boys." Alex answers hopping right off the bench seat to go with the big kids.
As the kids walk off, Severus calls "Draco, come here for just a second."
"Yes, Dad?"
"Why have you not checked in with us as Sirius and I requested? It's been two hours and this is the first time I've spoken with you since we entered the park."
"I'm sorry. It's just we could see you from the rides so we err, I thought it would be alright to just keep in your sight."
"When I say check in every hour, son, I mean check in every hour. You are wearing a muggle watch and you know how to tell time. I expect a check in every thirty minutes from now on." Severus scolds.
"DADDD, you can't mean it. We won't have time for everything we want to do if we have to stop, come back here and check in all the time!"
"Sev, he's right. Compromise. Draco, you or Harry come check in every hour no matter where you are. Even if you can see one of us, you are to come tell us how things are going. We will follow you to the area where you are going so you won't have that far to go to check in. Agreed?" Sirius asks after receiving a nod from Severus.
"Yes, Uncle Siri, I'll tell Harry. May I go get my drink now? It looks like they are all waiting for me."
"Go on. Let's move to the wizard part of the park in an hour." Severus answers.
"Yes, sir."
"Everything alright with the Dads?" Harry whispers as Draco waits for his strawberry, kiwi, lemon slush.
"I got reamed out over not checking in every hour. Dad almost reduced it to every thirty minutes but your Dad talked him around. We are to check in every hour now. Either you or me. They'll be nearby, they said. We have an hour to finish this part of the park and then we'll move into the wizard side."
Finished with bathroom breaks after the drinks, the boys head off to ride the Apocolypse while the two girls take Alex with them.
"Draco? What does this ride do?" Neville asks as they stand waiting to be let in the gate.
"Look up and you'll see. It goes all the way up to the top of the castle and then drops very fast. It's really wicked just like how we play our game at school where we use the hoops and golden ball up high." Draco answers, trying not to use magical terms such as Quidditch, snitch, quaffle or brooms.
"Are we strapped in to ride it? Are you sure it's safe?" Ron asks.
"Look at the ride waiting over on the side. Do you see the heavy harness? It comes down over our shoulders and fastens like seatbelts in your Dad's car. It's not unsafe at all. Ready to go get in?" Harry asks his friends.
"Yes. It's a good thing we went by the loo already though!" Ron says quietly to Harry.
"Right this way lads. There are six to a section so all of you will take one. Sit and harness up. I'll be back to lock the belts and the railing across your chests." The ride attendant instructs as the line moves into the ride.
"He better lock us in or I will not ride." Neville says to Draco.
"I see him locking the next group. Don't worry. We'll be fine and it will feel like flying."
"Yes, but I'm not much on flying." Neville replies.
While the boys are enjoying the thrill ride, the girls have taken Alex on the flying airplane ride.
"Ohh, this is fun! We's swooping just like bwirds! UP and down and Up and down. I like you, 'Mione and Ginny. You's fun!"
"Thank you, Alex. We like you too." Ginny says as the ride rises up from the ground as it moves in a circle.
"Can we wide the bug ride next? It's over there." Alex asks pointing to a small roller coaster with cars made to look like parts of scorpions.
"If you want to ride it, we'll go with you. It looks as if it's not too high." Hermione answers.
"Yay! Can we get fairy floss to eat?"
"Maybe later after we finish the rides you want to go on, alright? If we take sticky fairy floss on a swooping ride, we might wind up with sticky hair." Ginny tells the happy little girl between them.
"Yes, that's not fun." Alex giggles.
"Mione? Ginny? Want to have more fun?" Alex asks.
"Sure, what do you want to do?" Ginny answers.
"This." Alex says as she uses her finger to wiggle her nose. Suddenly the airplane rides are not only swooping but tilting up and back and side to side. The squeals around them are not a happy sound. The squeals from inside their own blue airplane are much happier.
"Alex! Can you do magic?" Hermione asks.
"Sometimes and I just got to do it. I have to. Mummy does not like me too but I have to or I explode.
"What do you mean?"
"I get all tingly and hot and then I blow something up by pointing at it. Mummy says my finger is worse than a wand. She says not to talk about my fingers." Alex explains to Ginny while Hermione listens.
"Can you undo what you did?" Hermione asks
"Huh?"
"Can you fix it back? The other kids don't like it." Hermione whispers.
"Oh, okay." Alex uses her finger to wiggle her nose again and the riders are back to only dipping and rising once again.
As the ride stops, the girls hear a man say "We have to check out this ride. It's doing strange things."
Giggling, Alex skips right past the ride attendant heading toward the small roller coaster.
"No more wiggling your nose, Alex. That's naughty." Hermione scolds her small charge.
"You tell my Mummy?"
"Not this time. Don't do it again."
"I won't, with you. Papa might swat me."
"Who is your Papa?" Ginny asks not having seen a man with them.
"I call Dwaco's Papa, my Papa but he doesn't know. My weal Papa got dead."
"Ahh, Professor Snape, a little girl's Papa. Hard to imagine." Ginny murmurs to Hermione as the little one skips ahead. "From what my brothers say, he's really mean and sounds so scary! Today he doesn't seem that scary though."
"He's strict and a good teacher. In potions, you have to be careful to pay attention or you might cause harm. He tries to keep his students on task so no one gets hurt. I love his classes. He's really a nice Dad to Draco even if he is strict. He has a lot of rules Draco has to follow but not any that are unreasonable. Harry likes him too now. He isn't as mean as he pretends to be in class." Hermione replies as they hurry to catch up to the purple and pink princess now attempting to board the ride.
"No, young miss. You can't ride this without someone with you." They hear as they catch up.
"We'll ride with her, sir. We were left behind as she skipped ahead." Hermione tells the attendant.
"Very well, three to a seat with the little one in the center, please. Strap in and I'll come around to tighten the belts."
"I want to sit in the dragon head. Come, let's go this way! We can all be in one part as I am little."
Following the strong minded child, Ginny whispers " She certainly knows exactly what she wants!
"Even if she isn't blood related, she reminds me of Draco in her actions." Hermione replies as the girls speed up to catch a now running young miss.
"Alex, after this ride we are going back to your mummy," Hermione tells their young charge firmly.
"Why? Mummy doesn't need me. She has Papa and Mr. Serious to play with. He is not fun either. Papa and Mr. Serious are stuffy mens. You and Ginny can have me for a time. Mummy gets to play with me all the time. Look! Penguin toys! I like Penguins!"
"Alex!" Hermione calls to the child dashing for the cart filled with stuffed toys.
"She is so funny! That comment about Professor Black being Mr. Serious. From the twins and Ron, I know he is not a stuffy serious professor at all."
"No, he is very nice and fun in class. Alex must have heard someone call him by his first name, Sirius, and thinks that is his surname. Come, let's go rescue the cart vendor. She looks done in already with all of the questions, I hear Alex asking." Hermione replies.
Joining the adults, Alex asks where Draco is.
"The boys are enjoying one more ride. They are coming here in just a few minutes and we will go inside the pavilion for lunch." Severus answers.
"Goody! I am hungry. Can I get hamburger and chips Mummy? Maybe a chocolate milkshake? Do they have McDonalds here? Draco likes McDonalds."
"How do you know Draco likes McDonalds?" Ginny finds herself asking.
"I like McDonald's Draco likes me so he likes McDonalds." Alex answers as if this should be obvious to everyone.
"We won't have that today, young one. Today, we have pizza and other things you will enjoy." Sirius tells the bouncing girl, smiling at her reasoning.
"I see the boys coming. Let's go meet them and move this party indoors for a time." Severus announces standing.
"Alright everyone, we are stopping for lunch. Let's go inside this building and freshen up. Boys to the right, Girls to the left and meet in the large room just in front of you. They'll have a buffet of food for you to choose from. Later, we'll have cake and then go to the Wizard side of the park. I believe there are many unique creatures to see. The last activity we'll do is you children may enjoy the waterpark area. So, let's get the afternoon started." Severus instructs the group of children.
"My, when your Dad plans a party, he really does it big. You're lucky to have a rich Dad." Ron exclaims looking around at the tables loaded with food. He's spotted a table of different pizza toppings to create your own pizza, a sub sandwich table, a table with hotdogs and hamburgers steaming in cookers with all the fixings you could ask for. The one table he isn't happy to see is the one with steaming platters of vegetables, bowls of salad, roast beef, steak, potatoes, bread. He assumes that would be for the adults.
"Somewhat in awe himself, Sirius says "Leaping Leprechauns, Sev. Were you planning to feed everyone in the park? This spread is nearly enough to do that. We only have eight kids and then little Alex. With three adults that makes twelve people.
"Yes, I wanted enough for everyone to have something they liked. I'll send the rest to the town orphan's home with a multiplying charm to feed them as well. Let us go eat. The children are already busy finding their favorites."
Finished with lunch, the kids begin to play the arcade style games at the far end of the room.
Finding a set of varying size rings with holes in the center, Quint calls the rest of the kids over.
"Hey everyone, look at this. This is a Skeeball set. You take turns throwing the five balls from this line. You want to ring the hole and get as many points as you can. Some games have tickets that you trade in for a prize. I don't know if this one does. Who wants to play me?"
"I'll play. You go first so I can see your technique." Harry answers.
"It's not technique, it's just chance. I throw it and watch where it lands."
"You rang the 50! That's not chance that's skill!" Draco calls after Quint has thrown four of the five balls. "That gives Quint 90 points and Harry sixty five." He continues as the two finish the competition.
"That's kind of a fun game but I prefer Quidditch." Harry tells his friends.
"Children? Gather up here. Time for the reveal of the cake." Narcissa calls to the group.
"Draco, in honor of your twelfth birthday, Creative Custom Cakes made this for you." she tells her son before calling to the door "Please bring in the cake."
As the cake is wheeled in, the children all clap as they see a two tier cake. The lower tier is a Quidditch theme with a figure flying around the three circular goals. The small figure seated on a broom has the same color of hair as Draco. The top tier is smaller with a dragon figure breathing fire. Below the dragon, in red and gold lettering is 'Happy 12th Birthday Dragon'.
Examining the cake, Draco tells Severus "Thanks Dad! This cake is wicked! What flavor is it?"
"The cake is all your Mum's doing, son. Tell her not me. She made all the arrangements."
Immediately turning to Narcissa, Draco says "Thank you very much for this cake, Mum. It is perfect. You never had a cake like this at any other birthday? Was I not special then? Now that I have a real family, are you trying to bribe me for your affection?"
"Draconis Tobias! That is uncalled for! You do not speak to her that way!" Severus reprimands with a look his child recognizes well.
Turning from his Dad back to his mother, Draco apologizes. "Mum, I apologize for what I said. I appreciate the cake. Thank you."
"I accept your apology. Now, the cake is vanilla with raspberry filling on the top tier and chocolate with cream filling for the bottom tier. Do you still like those flavors?"
"Those flavors are great. I will enjoy tasting this cake. May we have some now?" Draco asks motioning to his friends behind him. The group eased back a few steps after Severus' stern scolding.
"I sure hope the answer is Yes. I would love to taste the flavors you just mentioned. My taste buds are quivering in anticipation." Sirius says with a wink at the hesitant children.
"We will now have Draco cut the cake. Happy Birthday, son." Narcissa announces handing over the large cutting knife.
"I wants the chocolate piece, Dwagon." Alex announces having kept quiet as long as possible.
"Right. Who else wants chocolate?" Draco asks his friends.
After enjoying large helpings of the cake, the children return to the few games at the other end of the room. Having insisted on joining in, Alex is trying her hand at skeeball with Harry prompting her.
"You can do it Alex! Just pitch that ball up towards a hole."
"I have pitched it thwee times and the dumb ball won't listen to me and go in the hole!" Alex declares, eyes flashing, hands on hips.
"I know you can do it though. Try some more. Don't be a person who gives up!" Harry encourages as the girl lifts her hand to try again.
The adults on the far side of the room are packing up the cake and relaxing before beginning the rest of the day. Glancing over to where the children are gathered Sirius frowns as he watches the wooden skeeball float through the air only to drop straight into the top ring causing the machine to flash 50 points. Continuing to observe, he sees the second ball do the same and his son talking excitedly to young Alex.
"HARRY, come here please." Sirius calls having walked closer to the children.
Startled by the stern sound of his Dad's voice, Harry nearly drops the two wooden balls he is holding. Embarrassed at having to go to his dad in front of his friends, he protests to Sirius, "Dad, you are embarrassing me in front of my mates."
"Walk with me." Sirius replies firmly striding away from everyone.
"Daaad, what is going on? Why are you making me look like a baby in front of everyone?" Harry asks angrily.
"Stop with the cheek young man. I have a question and it needs to be addressed privately. I expect an honest answer as well, understand?"
"Yes." Harry answers with arms crossed and glaring up at Sirius."
"I was watching you with Alex. The two balls which just went into the top ring were sent by magic were they not? You used magic just now didn't you?"
Avoiding the first question altogether, Harry responds icily, "The balls went in without my using magic. I haven't used my magic, Dad."
"Harrison James, you know what copping an attitude and lying will get you. Do you honestly want me to take you to the loo and administer a spanking today? I will if you do not tell me the truth right now. Did you use magic to score points for Alex? You know we never use magic in muggle places, young man."
Suddenly feeling a tug on his shirt, Sirius glances down only to find a dark haired, green eyed imp staring up at him.
"Mr. Sewious? Don't be mad at Hawwy. I did it. I made the balls float I wanted to get balls in the holes. I used my finger magic. I am sowwy." Alex adds a trembling lip and tearful look to her speech making sure to melt the adult. It works and Sirius is kneeling before her.
"Don't cry little one. Magic is hard to control for someone your age. All is forgiven. You two go finish the game and try not to do any more magic, please."
"I will twy harder, Mr. Sewious. You can laugh mowre and not be so sewious, okay?"
"Yes, little minx. Go play. We are heading out to the Magical Menagerie in fifteen minutes."
Rejoining the adults, Severus cocks an eyebrow questioningly. "Something going on Sirius?"
"A misunderstanding. I saw those game balls float through the air. I accused Harry of using magic but it was young Alex. She admitted it."
"Alexandra? I was not aware she was magical. Narcissa?" Severs calls causing the young woman to cease directing the packing of the cake and join the men.
"Yes?"
"Is young Alexandra a magical child? To put it another way, is she capable of performing magic?"
"She has shown some spurts at times. If she is excited, angry or frustrated, she may have some control of magic. Has she demonstrated it, is that why you ask?"
"She just helped herself win at that skeeball game. I saw the balls float and accused Harry of using his wandless magic. I did not realize young Alex had that gift as well."
"I do not know if I would refer to it as a gift, Sirius. A difficulty is more what I would call it. A five year old with uncontrollable wandless magic who is prone to emotional use. What is the gift in that?"
"As I see it, all magical ability is a gift!" Narcissa states haughtily before breezing across the room to her daughter.
"Don't make the mother mad, Sev. She can be hard to deal with."
"I do not need advice from a mutt." Severus replies.
A/N: Thank you for your patience as I recuperate from a broken ankle/leg. I can't write as often as I used to yet but am trying. The two surgeries are behind me so maybe it will get better from here. For anyone reading my Paradise stories, I will do my best to get you a chapter in November. Once again we have to skip chapters because my previous note was labeled 29.
