Chapter 7:
Setting up a secure way to contact Molly wasn't as difficult as the men had initially expected. With magic there was always a concern that an insidious outsider could be listening in without them realizing if they used the Floo network. It shortly afterward occurred to them that there was one advantage to death eaters all being pure-bloods: none of them understood modern technology. For some reason wizards and witches in the UK seemed more opposed to technology than their US counterparts-who for their part had begun to embrace the newer no-maj technology to a fairly moderate extent. Even the purebloods at Zauberei had a basic understanding of radios, television consoles, and phones. This year the school was even contemplating making technology a part of the curriculum for the No-maj studies courses.
Wolfgang and Silas had passed onto Danny their intent to call her and explain what had happened, then Danny passed the message to Ted, who in turn passed it onto his mother via a trans-Atlantic owl. Obviously the specifics weren't in the letter: just that she needed to find a telephone somewhere far away from magic users and call the Clay family's landline.
It was two days after the owl had been sent when the Clay phone rang at a bit after four in the afternoon. Danny had just entered the front door carrying his schoolbag over his shoulder when he heard the chiming of the telephone in the living room. Both his fathers were busy elsewhere-Wolfgang was readying dinner while Silas was busy writing something for work in his scrawling cursive at the kitchen table, the men chatting idly as Danny answered the phone before Wolfgang could pick up the one in the kitchen. He lifted the receiver from the base and walked across the room to sit on the sofa, believing it to be Chase asking about what the homework had been-he'd likely left his planner at school again-. As he plopped on the sofa the cord dangled behind him and snaked across the floor, being long enough that it wouldn't become a tripping hazard until it stretched a few more feet.
"Hello, Clay residence." Danny replied automatically as he pulled his planner from his bag and flipped to the date, readying himself for Chase's request.
A woman's voice responded, high and clear across the line, "Um, hello…" She said in a British accent. "…I was wondering if your refrigerator was running?"
Danny frowned, "One sec-I have to get my dad." Danny got up off the sofa and walked into the dining room, the cord straining as he approached. "There's someone calling and asking about our fridge." Danny shrugged, "I think it might be a crank-call."
Wolfgang immediately put the spoon down and moved the pasta off the burner, then picked up the kitchen phone and gestured for Danny to put down the receiver from the living room then motioned for him to go upstairs. The boy nodded and walked up, leaving the men alone with the call in the kitchen. "Hello? Were you asking about my fridge?"
"Yes. I was asking if your refrigerator was running?" The woman responded, somewhat hesitant.
"Yes, it is. I suppose I should catch it?" Wolfgang half-smiled.
The password had been exchanged. The line was quiet a moment before she spoke again. "I had a feeling it might be you when Ron wrote me about how I needed to call this phone number." She paused, "It's been over ten years. You could've said something before now. How'd you even manage to track down my son? Don't tell me you got into teaching."
"Not quite…" Moony replied, "My son goes to the same school and he managed to puzzle out the truth."
"I guess that might have been the boy who answered the phone." Molly replied, "No offense intended, but I never took you as the type to settle down." She paused, "So, are you married then?"
"Not exactly." Silas interjected, leaning into the phone, "Hello Molly."
"Sirius?!" She chuckled, "Well, I can't say we didn't have our suspicions. So, the two of you are together and have a boy?"
"Yes, that's Danny. Well, I suppose you know him as Harry." Padfoot replied.
"Merlin, so the rumors were true. You really did spirit him away to keep him from Dumbledore's grand scheme." She sighed, "Honestly, with the way the man acted after… Well, after what happened, my opinion of him is less than it had been." She paused, "But that being said, it's still been over a decade! It would've been nice to get some word that you three were alive and well! You two were pronounced dead a few years ago after the aurors gave up the search and all the diviners failed to find you. Even Gringott's moved the vault custody to others… As for Harry, well, we know he is alive-but no one knows where."
"We truly wish we could've kept in touch, but we had to keep Danny safe. Any contact could have jeopardized his safety. The only reason we're reaching out now is to warn you about your own children's safety." Moony stated.
"What do you mean? Zauberei has a spotless record. It's also fairly small, outside that part of the country it's almost unknown…" Molly replied, immediately worried.
"Well, it was until last year…" Wolfgang paused, "Death eaters infiltrated the school and had nearly figured out Danny's secret-there was a murder over the holiday and then they kidnapped all the muggle-born students from the dorms… and, well, they nearly used an ancient necklace to remove their magical abilities… We stopped them, barely, but chances are they know something's up-our covers are intact, mercifully, but even considering that…" He exhaled, "Something else might be on the horizon."
"It figures that in trying to save them I just managed to place them in a different kind of danger." Molly sighed, "I swear it seems like something's conspiring beyond all of us to make things happen a certain way. So, how's Harry, or rather, Danny been? I haven't seen him in years. Last I remember was when Lily and James had him over to the burrow for Sunday dinner all those years ago."
"He's okay." Wolfgang replied, about to continue when Silas snatched the phone-never missing an opportunity to brag about his son.
"He's better than 'okay' Moony," Padfoot boasted, "I swear the man still hasn't learned how to be any less modest, even with my coaching all these years." The taller man nudged his boyfriend in the ribs, "He's a good kid. He's bright and has a helluva knack for potions. Should've seen his marks last year-straight As. Even back in muggle school he wasn't too bad. He's a bit like James was-only without the Casanova wannabe hair…"
"So I take it that means he's been getting in plenty of trouble then, especially with you two looking after him." Molly smiled.
"Unfortunately, no. Seems he's dead-set on being an all-around goody-two-shoes."
"Which I don't mind." Moony chimed in, "It's nice to not have to look after a child and my son."
"Oh, how your words hurt me…" Silas snarked, to which Wolfgang merely rolled his eyes and pretended to ignore the peck on his cheek his boyfriend planted.
"I suppose we should return the favor and ask how yours are. I remember you had a few older boys-Bill and Charlie-I guess they're out of school now, given how Danny said that there were only five new students at school… Forgive me, but I can't remember all the others. I know there were twins, but more than that I'm unsure." Moony interjected.
"Yes, the two of them are still over here, Bill's a codebreaker and Charlie's off studying dragons somewhere on the continent… The others have been well enough until recently. Percy is the eldest over there, then the twins-Fred and George, then Ron, and our youngest is Ginny-though I don't know if you'd ever met her…" Molly listed.
And so a conversation ensued that took the next half-hour describing the struggles and triumphs of parenting that the three had encountered. Molly recounted the twins' many antics while Wolfgang and Silas detailed Danny's time ignorant to the world of magic and how the two of them were actually employed as muggles. Eventually the conversation wrapped around again to the Weasley children currently residing in the dormitories of Zauberei.
"…and so, we had an idea." Silas stated.
"That's usually not good." Molly joked, knowing too well the reputation of the two men.
"With the school being potentially compromised we wanted to offer being a 'host family' for your kids." Wolfgang replied, "Essentially we'd look after them during the year instead of having them at the school." He half-chuckled, "We're out in the middle of the Ohio suburbia-there's literally no safer place on earth."
She was silent a moment, "I'm not certain. Wouldn't it be a risk having them and Danny all together?"
"No more of a risk than when they're at school. We live in the middle of a large muggle area. In order to get here any death eater would have to successfully blend in. Then they'd have to manage to get through the two-dozen or more protection charms my better half has on the house ever since Danny could manage to walk more than ten feet without falling over."
**HP**
It was a Friday when the five new house guests had moved in. The school had approved them as a host family and soon after the house had been slightly reconfigured. Danny was sharing his room with Ted while Paul, Will, and James shared the old guest room. The only girl, Jane, had a room to herself in the basement bedroom that had been Wolfgang's office when he worked at home while Danny was young. It was certainly interesting to watch the reactions of the five to everyday household appliances, particularly when Danny invited them to try out the Nintendo. Paul absolutely refused to be near it-though was notably lingering in the back of the room watching while Danny explained the controls-while Will, James, and Ted all tried to figure it out. Jane was also watching, but mostly seemed to be interested in working out why the game was about an angel fighting monsters. Danny had a feeling it was going to be a culture-shock when they went clothes shopping the next day.