Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! Well, 2020 sure was a shit show huh? Let's hope that 2021 is about a million times better! Life has finally given me a moment so I can write the next chapter so here it goes!
Twas the night before Christmas Eve.
After the mess that was the past school semester, Harry finally felt at home. Here with his godfather sirius, Harry could finally feel like himself. The only good thing that came out of the school year, was the strange, but enduring couple that's nestled together in the loveseat by the fire. There, sitting on the chair was Professor redfox,her husband, and their cat Pantherlily. Harry sat on the chair across from the small family, observing them secretly behind the cover of one of his textbooks.
Leave it to Umbridge to assign homework over the Christmas holiday.
Over the past 3 days that Harry has shared a home with the strange family, he started noticing some… unusual behavior. Well, unusual for even a wizard family, that is. First off, something that Harry had noticed in school but never paid enough attention too - until now - was that Professor Redfox and her husband talk to Patherlily like a person. For example, one morning when Harry wandered into the kitchen beady eyed and still tired from sleep (too many nightmares) Harry caught the tail end of a rather strange conversation:
There in the kitchen was Mr. Redfox, humming away while he was fixing up some breakfast, and next to him was Patherlily.
"...Lily when you're done with your kiwi, go help the Shrimp. I think she's grading papers or something." Mr. Redfox said as he cooked on the stove, "Heavens knows she can be too easy with grading."
Patherlily seemed to look up at the man, almost as if he was to answer, when Harry tripped his way into the kitchen and distrubed the moment.
"Oh, morning kid," Mr. Redfox said cheerfully (which, in itself was strange given the man's known grumpiness), "just finished making breakfast, get a plate and grab something to eat - you'll like a twig, gotta put some meat on those bones!"
At the time, Harry was too tired and hungry to think the scene was overtly strange but as the days went by and Harry witnessed more and more direct conversations with the thought to be normal cat, Harry wasn't so sure anymore. Another strange behavior, Harry noticed, happened after Sirius made a comment about some silverware of all things.
"I thought I had more spoons then this," Sirius muttered one evening as he and Harry were setting the table for dinner.
"Maybe the house elf has them?" Harry asked his uncle, however, in the corner of his eye he spotted Professor Redfox smacking Mr. Redfox's shoulder, giving him a glare as she did so. The man in question also had a slightly guilty look about him.
"I was hungry," the large man mouthed to his wife.
Hungry? Harry thought in confusion. Had he interpreted that correctly? No, Harry thought, that couldn't possibly be right! What type of person eats metal of all things? But that thought stuck itself up in Harry's mind, refusing to let loose as he observed the couple more closely.
The last noteworthy incident wasn't an incident at all, rather an object - a book of all things - that Harry found laying on the loveseat. It was written in a script that Harry had never seen before: Not in the english alphabet, oriental, arrabic, or any other script one might find written on a sign in London. It didn't even look like it came from this world! Harry was so confused by the strange script then he failed to notice Professor Redfox enter the room.
"Oh! There's where I left it!" she exclaimed as she came over and gently took the book from Harry, "I was looking everywhere for my book!"
"Professor, what is this book written in?" Harry asked in wonder, almost not catching the slight look of panic in Professor Redfox's eyes.
"It's written in, um, fioren," the Professor seemed to blurt out.
"Fioren?" Harry was puzzled, but before he could ask anything else on the matter, Mr. Redfox called Professor Redfox from another room.
"Excuse me Harry," the Professor said smiling as she left the room.
Now, sitting across the couple in the living room, Harry could see then Professor Redfox was reading that exact same book as she sat next to Mr. Redfox.
"How many times are you gonna read that book Lev?" Mr. Redfox said chuckling, "I get it that Bunny Girl wrote it but do you have to read it for the eighth millionth time? Didn't you proofread her book anyways?"
Bunny Girl? Proofread? So it wasn't some ancient text? This caught Harry's attention, that would mean that 'fioren' must be some modern language, but from where?
"But it's my favorite book!" Professor Redfox exclaimed, "and Lucy made such a great story! How could I not want to read it again?"
"Read again for the first time and the hundredth time is to separate things, Shrimp, "Mr. Redfox chuckled.
Now Harry was even more confused, so it was a modern book and a novel? Then why wasn't it in some more common language? Lucy definitely sounded english, or at least english speaking with a name like that?
"It's a little part of home," Professor Redfox said quietly, as if justifying herself against her husband's comment. This seemed to passivate the large man, who hunkered down closer to his wife.
Home? Harry thought in confusion. Harry had always assumed that Professor Redfox must have been english or french given that she went to Beauxbatons and that Mr. Redox might have been Ukrainin given that's where he and Professor met but Harry knew whatever 'fioren' was, it wasn't the written or spoken languages of any of those places. So what was it and better yet,
Where were the Redfox's from?
Later that night, as Harry retired to his room, he was so disturbed by the thought that the Redfox's weren't who they said they were, that Harry had to write a letter before going to sleep. Given that Dumbledore seemed to trust the Redfox's and Sirius didn't suspect them of anything, left Harry with one option of who to turn to: Hermoine. (Given that Ron was coming over tomorrow, it didn't make sense to send him a letter now.)
In a quick note, Harry expressed all his concerns to his oldest female friend and within twenty minutes had Hedwig on her way. Before the hour was over, Hedwig returned with a small note in reply, which had the following:
Harry, I will send you a more thorough note in the morning, however, do you have reason to distrust Professor Redfox? Your reply will alter what I send you in the morning. Signed, Hermoine.
Distrust her? Harry was startled by the question. Did he distrust Professor Redfox? After everything she's done with him? For his friends? Harry sat down on his bed to ponder his reply, thinking back over the school semester, from when he met Professor Redfox to now. What exactly did he know about Professor Redfox? She was happily married to the exact opposite of herself in the form of Mr. Redfox. She had a cat whom she loved and talked to like a person. She was an amazing teacher and confidant. Dumbledore trusted her with his safety and Umbridge hated her. But what else? And what about Mr. Redfox? He was a dragon researcher in the Ukraine, apparently, even though it felt like the man spent more time at Hogwarts then in the Ukraine. He might be the scariest look man Harry had ever made and yet was married to Professor Redfox. He had way too much skills in stealth to be normal but Dumbledore allowed him to visit the school which was very unusual now that Harry thought about it, which meant one thing: Dumbledore trusted Mr. Redfox too.
But what did this mean?
Looking back, Harry realized that he knew nothing about Professor Redfox and Mr. Redfox's pasts other than vague general information. Too vague and too general to be completely honest but Dumbledore trusted them, that counted for something. And then there was what Luna said about Patherlily…
Things didn't add up, but did that mean he distrusted the Redfoxs?
No, that didn't mean he distrusted the Redfoxs, only that they were hiding something and Harry wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not over that fact. Everyone was entitled to secrets but how did those secrets impact him? Will they impact him? Impact Hogwarts?
Getting up, Harry quickly scribbled out a reply to Hermione and sent Hedwig out again.
"I trust them Hermoine," Harry said quietly as he watched Hedwig fly, "we just need to see where this trust leads us."