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"Nothing!" yelled Sirius as he flipped yet another of his daughter's drawers. After he got word of what happened during the tournament he has spent days unraveling the wards around his daughter's bedroom; with Dumbledore's help after all. What he had found was a whole lot of nothing.

"Here!" said Sirius as he found some paper letters tied together with a green silk ribbon. He tore the top one from the stack and began to skim it like a madman.

"To my dearest cousin Galatea, I regret to inform you that while I did have amorous affection towards you I now find myself taken with my dear cousin/friend/false sister Portia…blah, blah, blah sincerely Harry James Potter…who gives a damn!" said Sirius throwing the letter to the ground. It fluttered down slowly and anticlimactically. He made a frustrated noise and skimmed the rest of the letters. More from Harry, the traitorous son of James and Wormtail…eew…some from that pasty yellow half-sister of hers, that slag Margaretta, and from somebody named Lyra Belacqua that felt very wrong...hmm…

"Dear Galatea, Portia, Persephone, Hermione…Hermione?, and little Timmy and Celeste, I am writing from your Cambridge in regards to the whereabouts of my alethiometer. I need it back and soon because I fear I cannot remain at my current position. Pan agrees. I know I gave it to you for safe keeping but I do need it back…burning!" said Sirius as the letter began to burst into flames. He dropped it onto the plush oriental rug not caring about the damage it would do. After the letter burnt its self out the ashes formed a vaguely human looking face.

"I do not belong to you!" screamed the letter in a demonic voice before the ashes threw themselves into his face. The many photographs of, and pictures drawn by, Timothy all seemed to be laughing at him. He ripped down a framed drawing of some gargoyles flying around a castle in the sky and threw it on the ground. The shards of glass from the frame then proceeded to try and burry themselves in his leg. Just bloody wonderful. Well, at least he had something to take to Dumbledore not. Soon she's get hers.

"Better keep looking." Said Sirius making his pant leg invulnerable. He flipped over every drawer, tipped the wardrobe over, tore up the bed, and looked in every box in her closet. He vaguely felt an emotion akin to shame, or maybe just general discomfort, as he pawed through her knicker drawer. At least that yielded wads of what looked like muggle money.

"This could come in handy someday."

"Home sweet home." said Portia as she entered the parlor of her childhood home. India was nice and all but this was her home before the truth about Harry got out.

"Hasn't changed at all." Said Harry as a parade of staff moved about to put the finishing touches on their home. He had been gone for about a year but it felt like a lifetime.

"It's emptier than I remember." Said Portia

"We'll fill it with children, don't worry." Said Harry with a touch of nervousness in his voice; he still wasn't sure about being a father.

"We've got to keep the population up, come the day." Said Portia. She went over and examined the new anabaric lights sticking out of the walls where the gas lights used to be.

"Hopefully we don't blow ourselves sky high before then." said Harry. Sure anabarium smelled better, glowed brighter, and didn't ravage the environment but it also exploded on occasion.

"Hopefully. Say, maybe we should have some people over." Said Portia playing with the string of pearls around her neck.

"We've only just got here and you already want to entertain, you're becoming quite the lady of the house if I do say so myself." Said Harry gently teasing her

"I just don't like how empty it is, and before you say anything the staff doesn't count." Said Portia

"Well when we get settled in and we're sure Galatea doesn't need anything of us we can have her and Persephone over…and their children of course." Said Harry who was not opposed to socializing in the least bit but after the wedding he just wanted to get into bed and never come out.

"Maybe we could have Hermione come over too." said Portia. She liked the other girl's company and it was nice to have a friend that wasn't related to her.

"Alright, Galatea did say that we needed her on our side." Said Harry taking her hand and leading her up the grand staircase.

"You know what I like most about being married?" asked Portia, her shoes clicking against the immaculately polished floor.

"You get new dresses that touch the ground?" joked Harry. Portia gave him a playful shove with the hand that was holding her long blue dress up. She needed to get used to this, she was at least used to seeing the tops of her shoes.

"No, guess again." Said Portia cheekily as they walked down the hallway. The floor was so well polished that they could see themselves in it almost as clearly as if it were a mirror.

"We never have to go to school again?" said Harry. That was a relief. He had gone to two secondary schools and both were either boring, put his life in danger, or both somehow. Thank goodness Hogwarts was under review from their government.

"Alright, that's pretty wicked, but guess again." Said Portia as they reached their new bedroom. They both felt a momentary pang of longing for their childhood rooms with all their toys and games. They were adults now; it was time to leave all of that behind.

"Umm…martial relations?" asked Harry opening the door. Portia gave him another playful shove before making her way to her vanity table. Harry racked his brain for what the answer could be while she took the many metal pins out of her hair.

"We did that already. Alright, what I like most is that we don't have a nanny anymore and mother can't tell us what to do." Said Portia. Harry kicked his shoes off and laid himself down on the bed. It was soft, a bit too soft for his liking but he's get used to it. Portia finished letting her hair down and jumped in next to him.

"You still like the other thing, right?" asked Harry. Portia tapped her silk stocking clad foot against his cotton stocking clad one. Harry couldn't help but stare as her dress had ridden up to her knees showing the lacy bottoms of her short drawers.

"Shut up and help me out of this stupid dress." Said Portia turning around and showing Harry her ivory dress buttons. Harry didn't need to be told twice and obliged her. They didn't notice the owl impatiently tapping at their window.

"Hermione, dear, would you like a cup of tea?" asked Hermione's mum tapping at her daughter's bedroom door.

"No thanks, mum." Said Hermione looking up from her book. She had be reading and rereading the same sentence over and over again but the words remained a jumble on the page.

"Aright dear…would you like to talk about it?" asked Hermione's mum again. Hermione bit back some unkind words towards her mother. She just wanted to be left alone to sort her mind out.

"No, it's alright." Said Hermione. She held her breath until she could hear her mother's footsteps clicking down the stairs. She just needed to sort out her thoughts on her own. Her parents didn't know about her true parentage, what happened in the wizarding world, and how she went to India on her own when she was supposed to be staying with the Weasley family. She decided to give up on her book; it might as well have been in Chinese for all she could read in her state.

"What's wrong with me?" Hermione asked herself as she put her book back on the shelf between "The Young Witch's Guide to Manner's" and "A History of Remordere". She laid down on her bed for some unproductive sulking.

"Maybe if I just apologize to Ron again…" said Hermione absently. She and Ron had quite the row on her last day visiting. She had cut the visit short to go to the wedding because the entire situation felt very uncomfortable. Ginny's situation had put a cloud over all of them.

"Why did I ever show Ginny that stupid book?" muttered Hermione to herself. Ginny had asked about Polyjuice potion and Hermione had showed her the book "Most Potente Potions" as not to lose Ginny's friendship. Ron and Ginny were her only friends at the time. Now…

"Why did she have to go and do that…?" Hermione asked the plastic stars stuck to her ceiling in constellations she tried to replicate as a child. Something was wrong with Ginny mentally and Hermione should have brought it to someone's attention. Maybe if she had mentioned that Ginny was often talking to herself, talking about someone named Tom, her obsession with Harry Potter…Hindsight was a harsh mistress.

"Because of that now I have no one and I'm here talking to myself like a nutter." Said Hermione. She turned onto her side and looked at the photograph on her nightstand. It was her at the wedding with Portia, Persephone, and Galatea. Timothy was hovering in and out of the shot. In the background Portia tossed her bouquet and Timmy caught it before giving it to his mum. Such a sweet little boy. On impulse she decided to pen a letter.

"Are you sure that the letter referred to Hermione Granger?" asked Dumbledore as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth. He was grateful for the calming potion he laced into these, he needed it. First the Ministry decides to force some toad faced woman on him as the so called 'High Inquisitor' and now he finds out that Hermione may have been slipping from the side of the light. This was not his year.

"Well, it didn't mention her last name but how many other Hermione's do you know?" asked Sirius. It made sense; she was much too smart for her own good, muggle born which meant she was discriminated against, and she only had Arthur Wealsey's youngest son and mad daughter for friends.

"Five." Said Dumbledore in his most deadpan voice. It wasn't exactly a common name but it was no Beadle Bard Pettigrew...Peter had never been a bright boy. The mood was pressing on him as if there was a great weight on his shoulders. Well, more of a weight that usual.

"Well, how many have had contact with Peter's traitorous spawn and my little-" said Sirius before he was cut off by a portrait on the wall.

"Langue! This is a school!"

"I agree, please refrain from using profanity in my office or I'll have to take points from Gryffindor." Said Dumbledore trying to lighten the mood. Sirius felt better, there was the Headmaster he knew and platonically loved.

"You can't still do that, I graduated almost twenty years ago." Said Sirius. He could swear that one of the portraits muttered something along the lines of 'Thank Merlin'.

"Try me, Mr. Black." Said Dumbledore. Sirius decided to show the restraint he gained with age and decided to let it be.

"To borrow a phrase of yours, 'we are not here to debate when your power as headmaster ends'. Now I need to know if this enough for us to do something about Galatea already before she brings about the end of the world, or worse." Said Sirius

"Worse?" asked Dumbledore cocking an ancient eyebrow. Sirius shuddered, it almost looked like a long white caterpillar.

"Slytherin could win the house cup again." Said Sirius shuddering. Dumbledore decided not the mention that with the recent turn of events he doubted many but the youngest students would care who won the house cup.

"I will speak to both Hermione Granger and Galatea Black personally." Said Dumbledore. He was not looking forward to tracking Galatea down wherever she was but he was looking forward to seeing that amazing son of hers. Nobody had seen a fey for almost a thousand years and now here was this little boy. Half fey too but like looking into the past just the same.

"Thank you for that, Headmaster." Said Sirius as he went over to the fireplace and took a handful of granulated green powder.

"You're welcome, Sirius." Said Dumbledore popping another candy into his mouth. He sighed as the potion made its way into his system/

"Oh, and sir?" asked Sirius turning around with a slight flourish. Substitute the red coat he was wearing with a green dress and it would complete his resemblance to Galatea.

"Yes?" replied Dumbledore slowly, every muscle in his body unwinding. Usually he didn't have Severus add such a large concentration of the potion but these were trying and uncertain times and he was allowed his vices.

"Next time can I meet you at your house? I assume you don't actually live year round in the school." Said Sirius

"Don't ever assume, it makes an ass out of you and me." Said Dumbledore waving Sirius away. He needed this is he was going to get through all that was dumped on him.

"Mum, Persephone, Beadle, dad, mum, Timmy, Galatea, mum…is this all that mum does with her time?" asked Portia as she flipped through the pile of mail taking up space on her table. Harry swallowed his pineapple juice before replying.

"Mum just misses us, I guess. Besides, this mail comes by boat so it takes a while." Said Harry cutting his sausages up into smaller pieces.

"I miss her too, I suppose…not that this isn't wonderful." Said Portia before downing another glass of pineapple juice. Harry just pushed the entire pitcher towards her.

"Would you like some breakfast with your juice?" said Harry as he opened the letter from Beadle. It was a drawing of the two of them riding a flying elephant with a short note about the goings on in India. Bertie Bott was getting better; that was wonderful all things considered.

"I can't help it, the baby likes pineapples." Said Portia picking up the letter in an unfamiliar paper. Muggle, that was curious.

"Who's that from?" asked Harry

"Hermione; and its recent." Said Portia checking the date on the envelope. She put it close to her face and smelled it.

"Well it didn't come all the way from Planter's Circle for one thing and also what are you doing?" asked Harry. Maybe pregnancy was making Portia crazy.

"Hermione wants to come by for a visit over the summer holiday." Said Portia reading the letter, her eyes lingering on Hermione's graceful loops and swirls; much nicer than the scrawl Portia passed off as writing.

"That doesn't answer my question." Said Harry. Portia handed him the letter. He felt the paper, muggle obviously, but still just plain paper.

"It smells different, nicer than ours." Said Portia as if this was a completely normal thing to be doing at the breakfast table.

"You're not going to eat it are you?" asked Harry in a half joking voice. Back when mum, no, when Addie, was pregnant with Beadle she occasionally ate flowers and although she denied it, candle wax.

"No, it's just nice. Anyway, I think we should let her come over for a Holiday. I mean, we like her and she took the time to write this in her own hand instead of a quick quotes quill." Said Portia as she cut her ham steak, ignoring what it did to her stomach. She needed meat even though she didn't particularly like it.

"Whatever you want is fine, just stop hogging all the juice." Said Harry. Portia laughed and playfully kicked him under the table. As a direct result of this when Dumbledore finally went to personally visit Hermione he was informed of her whereabouts. His opinion of her as being someone who needed to be brought back to the light was cemented in his mind.

"Mummy, I don't want to go to America and live with Daddy." Said Timothy with a defiant stomp. He was in the cold place again and while he didn't like it he didn't want to be apart from his mum.

"Come now, Timmy, it's about time you paid your father a visit." Said Galatea as she shrunk down the last of his belongings. Dumbledore was sniffing around looking for her and while he played the doddering old man he was still Albus Dumbledore. She would put herself in harms way and maybe her son but not if it could be avoided.

"But I want to stay with you." Said Timothy throwing his arms around his mother as best as he could. He didn't really like it in the cold place even though there was snow but he hated being away from his mother more.

"We've been apart before and you didn't mind." Said Galatea in her best mothering voice. Timothy twitched his long ears in annoyance.

"Auntie Addie, Uncle Peter, Beadle Bard, and the others were there." said Timothy angrily under his breath.

"Yes, but consider this. You know that Daddy, Uncle David, Auntie Fox, and all your gargoyle friends will be in America with you." Said Galatea running a hand through his shaggy Black hair. Hmm…he definitely was going to need a haircut soon.

"They're all grown-ups there. There aren't any other kids that I can play with and I can't just go and find some because they live in an all muggle place…and I don't even know them all that well anyway." Said Timothy counting his points off on his little finger. Galatea laughed and hugged him close to her and lingered a bit more than usual. Timothy wondered if there was something wrong but decided to focus on the argument at hand.

"Come the day you won't have to worry about the way you look. None of us will ever have to hide again." Said Galatea holding her first born close. Timothy neglected to say anything about the baby not liking being crushed; even at his age he knew not to ruin the mood. Something felt important about this and maybe when he was older he'd look back and figure out what it was.

"Come what day, mum?" asked Timothy unable to contain his question. His mum always talked about the day; for as long as she could remember.

"You'll see when it happens. When destiny calls you, you must be strong." Said Galatea with a hitch in her voice.

"Mummy?" asked Timothy as his mother slid the heavy golden compass around his neck.

"I need you to take this and don't ever show it to anybody but daddy. Do you understand?" said Galatea

"Yes mummy." Said Timothy

"Good. Now, I won't have any more discussion of wanting or not wanting to live with Daddy for a little bit." Said Galatea finally letting her son go all the way. It felt almost like losing a limb.

"I love you, mummy." Said Timothy

"I love you too, Timmy." Said Galatea before they disappearing in a ball of flame.