When Harry Met Daphne Part 4
HP, DG, HG, RW
Harry took his parents by side-along to Caernarfon, where he got them into a hotel room, and paid for a week.
"Harry, dear, you must stay for dinner" said his mother.
Harry exhaled, and had dinner at the hotel's restaurant.
James looked at the wine list "I don't recognize any of these" he said.
"I don't drink wine" admitted Harry "I was mostly too busy with work."
"And why?" asked his mum "Isn't Daphne here?"
"Well" said Harry awkwardly "She's not the best in you know…"
"James was like that" said his mum affectionately "We'll have that Spanish one." she said pointing to the wine list.
Over a glass of wine, Harry's mum asked him when he was getting married.
"Well… it's all a bit new" admitted Harry. "After… after you two are settled in, and um… I guess grandma and grandpa."
"Grandfather" said James "Not Grandpa. Old Grandfather Henry gave me a clip around the ear for saying that once. And dad… well... he's got a bit of a temper."
Lily snorted. "Potter men" she said blandly. "All mellow and friends to the world, but rub their hair the wrong way… and they pull … a weapon."
Harry stared at his auburn haired mum, who had an amused smile on her face. "Harry, I've seen what you got up to for years. Don't try to look all innocent." she said.
Harry looked around the room restlessly, and slowly the meal was served, and they ate it.
Harry's parents savoured every mouthful.
"This is quite something" said James, nibbling a bread bun "After… before… there's nothing like it."
Lily sipped some more wine, a blush spreading up her cheeks, and she patted James's hand.
By dessert and coffees, Harry's mum was giggling and leaning against his dad.
"Harry dear" said Lily "Don't… come around till noon. We're probably going to be very sleepy."
James looked over at Lily "I don't know Lily, this coffee's got me quite awake." he said.
"Exactly" purred his mum and Harry paid the bill and fled.
At noon the next day, he went to the hotel and his parents were sitting in the lobby, his dad's hair looking like an utter birds-nest, and his mum looking quite smiley.
"Harry, dear!" said his mum.
Harry took his parents on a tour of the shops of Caernarfon, looking for clothes.
"No money?" asked James as Harry paid with a bank card.
"Hardly anyone carries cash now in England" said Harry "Bank card. I'll get you two some, I suppose."
"Through… our bank?" asked James.
Harry nodded "dunno how they do it." he admitted.
After the third hour of shopping, Harry started to get really bored. His father was … a bit of a prat about clothes, and him mum… some of the way she talked was annoyingly like aunt Petunia sometimes.
"I suppose" said Lily as they walked along the street in a cold breeze "We need to go to Diagon. Robes and such."
"Probably best to avoid publicity for a bit" said Harry.
"Oh we're old news. It's been twenty years" said James.
"I'll get some more vault keys" offered Harry. "Mum, you'll probably want cauldrons and ingredients"
"Well, to settle in a house, yes. But we will need some robes to visit your in-laws." said Lily. "They're a bit …. posh." said Harry awkwardly.
"Not that posh" countered James.
"Posher than your parents house" counted Lily "It doesn't look five hundred years old on the inside, for starters"
"Well, that one's burnt down now anyway" grumbled James. "The old Potter house was great. All odd-shaped oak beams and whitewashed walls. Lots of oddly shaped add-ons, and mum's big greenhouse, full of American plants."
"It certainly was very organic" said Lily. "And had quite low ceilings."
"Remus was the only one that hit his head on the door-jambs. And mostly the really old central bit."
"And the front door!" said Lily. "You should have seen it… it was so low… your father's hair brushed the jamb every time. In a hat, the Potter males would duck. Your grandmother, of course had to duck."
"Sirius tried to charm his hat to jump back on" mused James "Didn't work, and nearly took his eye out on the point."
"Sirius lived with your dad after fifth year" confided Lily "His awful mother."
"I met her painting" admitted Harry "Sirius said it was true to life."
"What is their house like?" asked Lily "I always imagined it was rather… grand?"
"Mildewy, it was doxy infested by ninety-five" said Harry. "It's… a bit shit."
"Language" said Lily.
After the marathon shopping trip, James decided they were going to Diagon, to get vault keys and a few essentials, and his parents dug out robes from the bags Daphne had provided.
"We need a cover story" said Harry.
"Oh. Like Secret agents" said Lily. "We can be cousins from America?"
"You could be my parents, recovered from… some tricky magical limbo" said Harry.
They settled for "frozen into a crystal by a portkey malfunction" as that was so unbelievable nobody could pick nits with it.
Harry was handing out interim robes at the old Potters cottage when Daphne arrived and Harry explained the plan.
Daphne took out her hairbrush "Disguises please! Nobody will fall for that." she said.
A blonde James Potter with a blonde Lily Potter looked… nothing like themselves.
They bought robes in Diagon Alley, cauldrons, and a huge chest of assorted potion ingredients.
Harry's dad was really annoying about fabrics. "That's so coarse. Something finer" he kept saying.
Once they'd shopped, James said "Well, now would be a good time to see that house of Sirius's.
Harry rolled his eyes "Fine" he said "We'll floo from the Leakey, apparating in's a bit awkward."
"Awkward?" asked Daphne.
"The front door's in Muggle London" explained Harry "And we're in robes with cauldrons and stuff"
"How" asked Lily "Could the Blacks, who were such bigots live in London."
"Islington" explained Harry "It's a bit of a bolt-hole, I think."
"It can't be" interrupted James "His mother and father were hardly hiding."
Daphne pulled Harry along "Come on, lets go see it" she said.
"Harry" said Lily as they went in the back arch behind the Leaky "Daphne hasn't seen your house?"
"Not that one" said Harry.
Lily stopped, arms crossed in the back alley behind the Leakey, next to the bins "And which house has she seen?"
Daphne gave Harry a look that Harry assumed was a 'please stop' look.
"Uncle Tom's place in Little Hangleton" said Harry.
"Uncle Tom?" asked James "We don't have an uncle Tom."
A witch pushed past the group, headed into the Leakey, muttering about rude people.
"Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort" said Harry "His father's family owned a small manor in the country."
"And you decided to just take it?" asked James.
"Well he's our relative through the Peverells, and mums' through the Slytherins" said Harry "And apart from some cleaning, it's okay. Not full of … well you'll see" said Harry, striding off.
"Twelve Grimmauld Place" said Harry, throwing floo powder into the fireplace at the Leakey Caudron and stepping in, to tumble and spin through the green flames , to step out, falling to his knees on the floor of the Kitchen at Grimmauld place.
Kreacher looked over from the stove.
"Master" croaked Kreacher, and went back to stirring something.
Harry was still getting up when James stepped out of the fireplace and collided with Harry, knocking him to the floor and falling heavily over him.
Harry rolled over with difficulty, his father's knees and elbows pinning him to the floor, and the firplace flared again, Lily stepping out and looking about with an unimpressed look that Harry recognized from Aunt Petuinia.
She stepped over James and Harry, and walked across the room to investigate the shelves, and turned, just as Daphne stopped out of the fireplace.
Daphne's mouth formed a tight line.
"Harry" said Lily in a tone that got right into Harry's brain and reminded him of his aunt. "Why is this kitchen an exhibit for madam Tussauds's?"
Harry looked over at where Kreacher had been, and the elf had vanished silently.
With a bit of what felt like poking from James, Harry and James got up.
"Um" said Harry "It's a lot better than it used to be." he said, weakly.
"This" said Daphne "Is unhygenic" Lily nodded.
"Reminds me of the kitchen at home" said James "How did Sirius ever leave home with clean clothes."
Harry brushed his knees off "The thing," said Harry awkwardly "Is that Sirius's mum went bonkers, and the house elf, Kreahcer, he's pretty cracked too. When Sirius moved back in, we spent all summer cleaning, and that got it to here."
"A house elf, how la de dah" said James derisively.
"Well, give us guided tour?" said Lily. They crowded up the steps to the front hall, and James had to look under the curtains on the hallway.
"Thieves! Halfbloods!" yelled the painting of Walburga Black. After a lot of yelling and swearing by Walburga, Harry got the curtains shut, and made a shush gesture.
In the dining room, leaning against the massive table Harry explained "That's Sirius' mother, Walburga. A very true-to-life painting."
"What an awful woman" said Lily "Take the painting down." she said firmly.
"Permanent sticking charm" explained Harry "Or she'd be on a bonfire"
Daphne made hmm noise. "And this room is dreadful because?" she asked.
"It's clean-ish" said Harry.
Daphne cast a charm on the ceiling which lightened in a patch from cream to white. "Clean-ish?" she said.
"I've been busy" said Harry "You know, work, necromancy, stuff."
"Anything else on this floor?" asked James.
"No" said Harry, and he led everyone upstairs to the first floor.
Lily went to open the bathroom door.
"Mum, no!" said Harry "That one's got a ghoul in it."
Lily stopped and turned around "That what?" she asked.
"The first floor loo's got a ghoul in it" said Harry.
"Honestly, is this whole house one long nightmare" said Daphne.
James was fingering the lamp in the hall "Fingernail and snakes shaped?" he asked.
"The blacks were nasty bunch" said Harry, and showed them the drawing room.
Daphne lifted the cover on the piano and tapped a key. Discordant noise filled the room. "Not tuned" she said.
"I've had a lot on my mind" admitted Harry. Lily cast a cleaning charm across the room, and the spider-webs vanished.
"Harry?" asked Daphne "Is this house, the one you actually live in grosser than Uncle Toms?"
Harry shrugged. "Oh, be careful with the grandfather clock, it shoots crossbow bolt on the hour" he added.
Three bedrooms later, he opened the library door "Be careful" said Harry "There are a lot of curses on the books"
The third floor had Lily check the bathroom.
"A bit dirty" she said dismissively "A bit of gumption would see that put to rights" she said.
Daphne looked around Lily "And the elf has cleaned this when?" she asked.
Unfortunately, James opened the door to Walburga's bedroom.
"Feathers and shit?" asked James "What was in here?"
"Hippogriff" said Harry, and he explained about Buckbeak.
"And you never felt like cleaning?" asked Lily "Droppings in the house. Honestly it's unhygienic."
"We got rid of the doxies and boggarts" said Harry.
Finally, on the fourth floor, Lily and James eyed Sirius's room "And this is your room?" asked Daphne.
"I got used to it" said Harry, eyeing the cracked plaster and mildewed curtains.
James crossed the landing and opened the door into Regulus's room.
"Regulus's room?" asked James "Where is he? He vanished."
"Died" said Harry "He was um, on the other side, and decided that one thing Voldemort did was too evil, and helped undo it. He died in the process."
"And you never brought Sirius back" said James.
"I'd need a body for him, and I've got nothing of him" said Harry "He fell through the veil of death."
"And Regulus?" asked James.
"Got dragged into a lake full of inferii" said Harry blandly. "A bit hard to get him out, assuming he's not an inferii."
James had crossed his arms "You're very good at that stuff" he said "But not cleaning."
"The Riddle house is nicer" said Daphne "While I appreciate never having come here before, Harry, how can you live like this?"
"I've just got used to it, I suppose" said Harry.
"Well, we can come and stay, and help you clean up. Having a house in London is quite convenient" said Lily briskly.
"Well, there are lots of bedrooms" Harry admitted.
"Once we get your grandparents back we can still all have a floor each" said Lily.
"I thought" said Daphne tightly "We'd live at the Riddle house, maybe the family could base from the Manor."
"It's a bit beat up from the squatters" said Harry.
"Harry did spend years getting people out of Azkaban" said Daphne "And before he brought you two back he'd been living for the weekend."
"So I could kiss Barbara" admitted Harry "But really Daphne."
"Well, we've got time now" said James "Harry will need to go see Slughorn."
"I'll come with him" said Lily "Sluggy always had a soft spot for me."
"He's a difficult man to get something out of" observed Harry.
"He still eats Dried pineapple?" said Lily. Harry nodded.
"If Harry's on this floor, we'll take a room on the third floor" said James.
"Where does Sluggy live these days?" asked Lily "Still in Bath?"
"He moved around during the war" said Harry "He's back at Hogwarts I think."
"I'll get some dried pineapple" said Daphne "There's a good store in Gatronom Alley."
"I'll clean out the main bedroom" said James "With some help from these two."
By the time Daphne returned with gift-wrapped pineapple, the largest bedroom was feather amd dung free, and James had transfigured the walls back to smooth, removing the claw marks.
"While you two hit Sluggy up" said James "I'll take Harry's Daphne to Diagon and get some furniture, and bedding"
"Not just red and gold" said Lily firmly "Daphne, James is not allowed to buy a gigantic car bed, red sheets or gold." Daphne rolled her eyes "Would he really?"
James looked disappointed.
"He really would" said Lily.
"Well, some gold" said Daphne, and James grinned.
"Harry, your father's childish" said Daphne blandly.
"I'm older than he is" said Harry.
"And you look it" said James.
"He insisted on red and gold underwear at our wedding" said Lily with a sigh, and waited "Doesn't suit his skin-tone at all." she added and Harry snorted.
"So you get the wit from your mother" said Daphne.
"Sarcastic cracks" said James firmly. Lily smiled.
Harry stepped out of Grimmauld place with Lily and said "over to the park, we can apparate from the bushes."
Lily stepped over the broken shopping trolleys with a shake of her head.
They disapparated with a double crack and reappeared at the gates to Hogwarts.
Lily walked along with Harry, stopping to point to Dumbledore's marble tomb. "And what's that?" she asked.
"Dumbledore's tomb" said Harry "The black slabs are the war memorial."
They reached the doors to Hogwarts and Lily stiffened "The decorations are all broken" she said.
"The war" said Harry tiredly.
Lily walked over to a student, who was staring at Harry "Where is professor Slughorn, do you know?" she asked.
"Potions dungeon" said the small girl. "Are you Harry Potter's girlfriend?"
Lily shook her head "A relative of his" she said modestly "Harry's Daphne's got blue eyes, and a eastern European look."
The girl nodded.
Harry set off for the potions dungeon, to be caught up by Lily "And you don't talk to little fans?" she asked.
"If I stopped to talk to everyone, I'd never get anything done" said Harry.
Conveniently, or perhaps inconveniently, classes were changing, and Harry and Lily had to press past a pile of teenagers to get to the classroom door, and Harry opened it, to see Professor Slughorn setting up a demonstration.
He slipped in, followed by Lily.
"Hey Sluggy" said Lily "I'm not dead."
Professor Slughorn dropped an alembic which shattered. "Lily!" he exclaimed "How?"
"Portkey crystal malfunction" said Lily "We've been stuck till this week in a half-portkeyed stasis."
Professor Slughorn nodded "A likely story. And Harry, you're not with the Ministry now?"
"Family business" said Harry "In every sense of the word."
Lily handed over the dried pineapple "For you Horace" she said "Quality stuff."
Horace put the present down unopened "And what does my favourite student want?" he asked Lily.
"Where Sanguini these days?" asked Lily "We've got a reason to visit him, family business."
"Erh" said Professor Slughorn "Old Sanguini's hiding on Romania, some overexcited chappie tried to stake him out. Poor Sanguini's hardly sanguine."
Lily's eyes narrowed "A rotten pun, Sluggy." she said "I'll tell James."
"How is your husband?" asked Professor Slughorn.
"Well, a little disappointed in Harry, he only managed to pick up a clever, pretty witch" said Lily "Not a goddess in human form."
Professor Slughorn nodded at Lily's exaggeration.
"And of course, Harry's got a little too used to living as a bachelor in the old Black townhouse" said Lily "Which is dreadful. Dirty and full of ghastly décor."
"Well, Harry Potter has been a very busy man" said Professor Slughorn.
"The shopkeepers act is all used up" said Harry "I can do more good with wands for the wandless, and the Black family business needs some attention."
"Well, when you have a complete list of dwellings, I'm sure you'll remember your old Professor" said Professor Slughorn "I'd like a townhouse near Bath again, something modest."
"I'll see what I can find" said Harry. "Some tenants may not have been paying."
Professor Slughorn smiled artificially "Well, I have a class to teach, please do remember to come to my next Slug Club, bringing your delightful husband, of course" said the Professor. "Sinaia in Romania. The old Monastery," he added "Thought once you're in Sinaia, Sangiuni will know."
"See you at the next Slug club" said Lily, pulling Harry towards the door.
They walked back to Hogsmeade, Lily wrapping her arm around Harry "We missed out on coming in person to your quidditch matches" she said "We saw them, obviously."
Harry walked along, in a one-armed hug from his mother, looking pensive. Having a family was… rather nice, he thought.
The walked all the way to Hogsmeade in the late morning, and took the floo from the Three Broomsticks, Harry tossing two sickles in the jar.
They stepped out, Harry stumbling, into the Kitchen.
Kreacher was stirring a pot on the stove.
"Kreacher" said Harry "My parents will be visiting, I think they're using Mrs Black's old room."
"Mistress has already told Kreacher" grumbled Kreacher.
James had set up beds, side-tables and some couches in the huge bedroom, and Daphne was sitting causally on one couch watching as James transfigured wallpaper into being.
"He's quite good at small stuff" said Daphne casually to Harry.
"Sanguini's in Romania, in Sinaia, at the old Monastery" said Lily "And Sluggy wants us all at the next Slug club meeting."
"And a townhouse in Bath" said Harry drily. "He's always got his hand out."
"Well, we'll see" said Daphne. "We'll need to portkey. Your parents can't come; they'd need some ID for an international portkey."
"I think this little fixer-upper will have us busy for the time it takes you two got get to Romania and back by portkey" said James drily.
"I have work to do at the DMLE" said Daphne "Getting people wrongfully imprisoned out of Azkaban" she said.
"Weekend trip" said James "Portkey won't take ten minutes."
-==0==-
Daphne took part of her lunch break as AD Watermeadow to book a portkey for Harry Potter and AD Watermeadow to France, and a second set to and from Romania.
The witch at the international portkey office filled in the form and asked "Where are you actually going?"
"Sinaia" said Daphne "We're going to question Sanguini." The witch dropped her quill on her robes. "The Vampire!" she exclaimed "That sounds terribly dangerous."
"I've heard he's quite civilized. A bit fond of young women." said Daphne.
"You'll have to wear silver and garlic and…" burbled the witch, then saw Daphne's expression of boredom.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, you're AD Watermeadow, you probably aren't scared of vampires." she said, blushing.
"I assure you I am worried" said Daphne.
"Well, Twilfitt and Tattings are having a sale if you er, wanted to take something slinky." offered the blushing witch.
"Slinky?" asked Daphne, confused.
"Well, if you wanted to er… you know… have a night of passion with Sangiuni." said the witch.
Daphne's mouth fell open in disbelief. "What?" she asked, frowning.
"Well… you know… they say one night out getting bitten isn't enough to get you turned but … you know they're like werewolves… all manly." said the witch.
"Did you go to Hogwarts?" asked Daphne. The witch shook her head.
"My defence teacher was a werewolf" said Daphne "He was a good teacher, but he certainly didn't have anyone swooning over him. His wife apparently liked cardigan wearing wizards who are good at Defence."
"Cardigans?" asked the witch "But… shirtless?"
Daphne shuddered "Properly dressed." said Daphne "Covered in scars and tired after full moons. He died in the war against Voldemort. As did his wife, who was an Auror."
"So... not a muscular man with dark wavy hair?" asked the blushing witch.
Daphne's brain came up with the memory of a different surprisingly muscular man with his shirt off, and she swallowed uncomfortably. "No" said Daphne firmly "I believe Sanguini came to a function at Hogwarts some years ago, and ate blood pops and merely ogled young women."
"That's like most old men" complained the witch.
"Sanguini is apparently hiding from some hot-head who thinks he needs to be staked to death" said Daphne drily "As long as he's complying with ICW regulations, there's no cause for prosecution, and vigilante murder is a crime."
"So, you won't be going to the sale at Twilfitt and Tattings?" asked the witch.
"Probably not, no" said Daphne, and A.D. Watermeadow's growing reputation as a no-nonsense witch who was less fun than a Dementor was further solidified.
-==0==-
Harry Potter and AD Watermeadow appeared in a heap in a stone room surrounded by serious looking wizards all in blue robes with their wands drawn.
Harry stood up, "Hello" he said. AD Watermeadow stood and dusted herself off.
"You are Harry Potter?" asked a wizard in a slight Oxford accent. Harry nodded.
"This is therefore your assistant, AD Watermeadow" said the wizard.
Angela nodded.
"What is the purpose of your visit to Romania?" asked the wizard.
"We're visiting an old family friend to ask for a loan of a book" said Harry. Angela closed her eyes and sighed.
"And who is this old family friend?" asked the wizard.
"Sanguini" said Harry "My grandmother apparently cleared up a problem he had with wild garlic ages ago."
The wizard shook his head "Your reputation precedes you, Mister Potter."
"Which one?" asked Harry "The baby that defeated a dark lord, the teenager that actually did do that, or a ministry employee trying to help clean up after the previous government?"
"The latter" said the wizard "Apostol Constantin, Auror. Our ministry would like to know why the British minister's dirty jobs department is in Romania. To see Sanguini, clearly. Are you planning on killing him?"
"Far from it" said Harry "He is complying with ICW regulations, so he can be allowed to continue his… sort-of-life."
"And the real reason for your trip?" asked Apostol again.
"He has a manuscript we will copy" said Angela. "We are planning on using a favour Potter's grandmother did earn years ago to get permission to copy it."
"And the manuscript is what?" asked Apostol. "We can hardly have you coming in and copying dark magic. ICW non-proliferation treaties forbid it."
Angela nodded "We are not going to do that" said Anglea.
The Romanian Aurora parted and a door opened from the outside, letting Harry and Angela leave the room, to a hallway full of signs neither could read.
"If you want my advice" said Apostol, who had followed them "The portkey office is the third door down, and just say what you want. They get plenty of tourists who can't speak Romanian."
"köszönöm." said Angela.
"Gehunteit" said Apostol.
"What was that about?" asked Harry as they were about to the portkey office.
"I tried my Hungarian, and he made a joke in German" said Daphne. Harry gritted his teeth and went into the portkey office, where the witch at the desk spoke to them in Romanian.
Daphne tried in what sounded to Harry like German, and with some head-shaking by the counter-witch they got a return portkey to Sinaia, which came with a warning and a booklet, in five languages including English. 'Correct procedure for muggle places in Romania.'
The witch pointedly insisted (apparently according to Daphne) they both read the booklet in front of her.
Harry read a boring page from a booklet on dressing muggle, not using magic in front of people, and certain things not to do in Romania. Mostly to do with going vampire hunting, and never referring to magical creatures. And a stern admonishment not to try to leave Romania with magical creature parts, or dark magic.
Harry handed Daphne the brochure "We should have one like this" he said.
Daphne read the booklet quickly, and pocketed it.
"Costume!" said the witch loudly. "Costume!"
Daphne got the booklet out of her pocket, turned the page and read a page Harry had missed about costume. 'Don't wear robes in public, in front of muggles'. There were rows of pictures of witches and wizards, with red crosses and green ticks.
Harry looked at his clothes. Crumpled robes over muggle clothes. Harry took off his robes, and shrank them into his pocket. The witch behind the counter nodded.
Daphne sighed "I don't have a muggle dress" she said.
"We'll need a shop then" said Harry, and looked at the good and bad clothes list. One of the witch pictures was wearing muggle trousers. Harry held the picture towards the counter witch and pointed.
The witch said something in German to Daphne who nodded.
"I know where there's a shop" said Daphne "Come on."
They changed money at a shop with a sign that was a large pile of galleons, getting a bundle of paper notes in thousands of lei, for a small pile of galleons. Daphne nodded to Harry "time for a costume" she said.
Harry walked along what Harry suspected was the Romanian ministry of magic in muggle clothes, feeing rather touristy, and they stopped at a pair of wooden doors, marked with "IEȘIRE"
"Anca said about twenty shops down" said Daphne as they stepped out of a building into a long street with very high building on both sides, and many people shopping. Mostly in costumes Harry recognized from the ministry.
It was surprisingly warm, and twenty shops down was more like forty, Harry felt, when they finally found a clothes shop with a sign the simply said "Sofia's."
The shop, Harry found was cooler than outside, and full of clothes, mostly muggle, with some that Harry was starting to mentally categorize as Romanian. And all second-hand.
Daphne looked around "What will I get?" she asked.
"Something touristy" said Harry, seeing jeans.
Blue jeans, trainers and a puffy blue parka over a sweatshirt later, Daphne looked well… muggle. Harry hadn't got a good look at her jeans before the parka covered her bum up.
They portkeyed to Sinaia, and stepped out of the shed that was muggle-repelled. Sinaia was, it turned out a small mountain town dominated by the hotel, and very pretty. The streets were dotted with tourists. Harry and Daphne strolled over to the nearest hotel, set in a pretty old turreted house and booked.
"A room for this weekend" asked Harry. The young man at the desk frowned "That's eight hundred thousand lei" he said, "For a double room." Daphne crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Two singles?" asked Harry and the clerk shrugged, "more price, a million lei."
Harry checked the labels on the bundle of banknotes and handed over two five hundred lei notes.
"A day?" asked the clerk. Harry handed over two more notes and the clerk nodded, and got two keys from the key-board to one side of his desk "They're adjoining rooms on third floor, checking out is ten on Sunday." Harry nodded.
"Where's your luggage?" asked the clerk.
"Stuck in Bucharest" said Daphne "A mix-up at the airport."
The clerk frowned "The Ada down by the railway station has clothes." and he smiled.
Daphne said "Thank you" and they walked to the stairs. Harry followed Daphne up the stairs, and they got off the stairs through a door with crinkly glass reinforced with wires on the third floor and found their rooms, which were at one end of the hallway, and Harry found, as he unlocked the door, not very big. Or glamorous. The room had single bed, a small bedside table, and a side door.
Daphne opened her door and looked in "A bit basic" she said.
"We need somewhere to stay, our contact is a night person" said Harry.
Harry went into his room and puzzled over the shared door. There was a lock on Harry's side, and he unlocked it. Moments later, Daphne unlocked the door and opened it.
"We should have conjured up suitcases" said Harry. "Good idea with stuck at the airport."
"It was in my muggle-studies book, but they said stuck at the train station." said Daphne.
"I think stuck at the airport happens often" said Harry. "Where's the monastery?"
"In the town" said Daphne, taking a map out of her coat pocket.
"Have you already space-expanded your pockets?" asked Harry.
"As soon as I decided to buy them" said Daphne idly, looking at the map "Up past castle Peles."
"Well, no point dropping by till nightfall" said Harry "Fancy some lunch?"
"I certainly do" said Daphne, looking at the map. "Tavera Sarbului shouldn't be too far away."
Harry thought, as his legs burned that the map didn't show the hill they had to climb, when the finally got to the tall log building with a steep tile roof.
Harry recognized nothing on the menu, and Daphne looked a bit puzzled "We'll get the lunch special, whatever that is" she said brightly.
A soup that Harry had never tasted before, and some nice chewy black bread, and sausages. Well sort of sausages. Daphne put her knife and fork down "I think this is eastern European food" she said "It's bit like what grandfather has when grandmama's out."
Harry had a beer in a glass that proudly proclaimed it was Ursus.
"Is that any good?" asked Daphne, who drank some white wine instead.
"I think I could drink a few pints of it" said Harry "But I've got work to do later."
The bill was a hundred thousand lei.
They walked over in the daylight, seeing Castle Peles, which looked pretty impressive to Harry, not as vast as Hogwarts, but beautiful.
"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Daphne.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Harry replied "What's that?"
"People say that, don't they?" asked Daphne.
"Your textbook was out of date" said Harry "I was thinking Castle Peles looks pretty."
"It's bigger than Grandmama's" offered Daphne.
"Why?" asked Harry "Is San… hiding out at the monastery, not just staying at Castle Peles.?"
"Because he's hiding" said Daphne "It looks like he'd live there" she pointed to castle Peles,"and who'd look for someone like him at a monastery?"
Harry nodded "Well, we've got a few hours, fancy going on a castle tour?"
"Excellent idea" Daphne said, and they went off on towards Castle Peles.
Castle Peles was beautiful and full of decorations that wouldn't look out of place at Hogwarts. It made Harry feel nostalgia for pre-war Hogwarts. With suits of armour and tapestries and furniture in the hallways.
They ate dinner at a different restaurant, and walked over to the monastery, passing between it's gate towers and heading towards the arch. The sun was beginning to set.
"Where are we going?" asked Angela.
"I thought we could just wing it" said Harry "Sanguini will know we're around."
Anglea sighed.
A tall priest in a brown robe, with his hood up came out of a doorway and walked over to Harry
"Harrry Potter" they said in a german accent "My master is expecting you."
He then walked off, back through the archway of the monstery.
Harry shrugged and followed the large man, and Angela crunched across the gravel behind him.
They passed through a courtyard with a house-sized church in the middle, and through another arch, into a second courtyard, and veered right around another small church, stopping at a pair of grey steel doors that lay almost on the ground, at a slight slope. The priest reached down and pulled one door open, then another, letting faint daylight into a set of stone steps leading down.
There was wave of warm air and a faint whirring noise coming out of of the passageway.
"Please go down" said the man dressed as a priest.
Harry walked down the stairs, going down into a vaulted basement with large squat bales of something on pallets, and a large green machine that was warm, that connected to large pipes. On the far side of the vaulted basement room was a spaced out row of doors with numbers.
Angela got off the steps and stood next to Harry.
Their guide came down the steps, Harry seeing boots on his feet, and trousers, turned on a lightbulb with a switch by the steps, went back and closed the doors, walked back down, walked past them, to the far side of the basement room, and using a key, opened door number three, and waved to them "Come, please." he said, and turned on a light switch by the door.
The room beyond was a square storage room, and had many trunks and crates.
Harry walked in and looked around, and the room was a luggage room, apart from a coffin leaning against the right side wall. Next to the coffin was an open wooden crate big enough for the coffin.
Angela entered the room and stopped near Harry.
The man lowered his hood, and Harry saw a young blonde man with short hair and blue eyes, and a broad neck. Who didn't really look like a priest.
"I am Luka" said the man. "My master will rise soon. What is your business with him?"
"Well, I'm Harry Potter" said Harry "And my grandmother, Euphemia Potter cleared up a problem with wild garlic at Sanguini's castle. I need to copy a ritual from a book I'm assured Sanguini has."
Luka blinked "Copy a ritual?" he asked, frowning "Is that all?"
Harry nodded.
"And you?" asked Luka.
"Angela Watermeadow" said Angela. "Harry Potter's assistant."
"The AD Waterweadow?" asked Luka. Angela nodded cooly.
"I am My master's Thrall" said Luka. "One day, he will make me a vampire." he said proudly.
"But not without waiting for another vampire to die" said Harry "Under ICW rules."
Luka nodded "Of course, my Master is a law-abiding vampire."
Harry smiled politely.
Luka walked over to the coffin and whispered to it "Master, they're here. Potter and AD Watermeadow"
He leaned closer to the coffin and listened intently for a long time.
"But Master, they're right here." said Luka plaintively, and again he listened.
Luka stood up straight.
"My master will not see you" said Luka.
"Oh come on" said Harry "I just want to copy a ritual from a book, and go home."
"My master will not see you" said Luka firmly.
The lid of the coffin swung open and Sanguini, a pale, dark haired man in dark red robe lay in the coffin, arms crossed over his chest, almost standing.
"I am not having visitors." said Sanguini in a thick accent, and the lid closed.
"I just want to copy one ritual from Rituals moste singular" said Harry "Grandmama got rid of your garlic problem. Why aren't you at your castle anyway?"
"It's tourist season" said Luka. "Master likes some variety in his diet. Why I'm not enough for him, I don't know." he added a little petulantly.
"And hiding from the idiot who wants to stake your master isn't a reason for being here?" asked Angela.
"Don't listen to her Luka, get her out of here" came a muffled shout from inside the coffin.
"Anglea's a perfectly reasonable witch" said Harry blandly, the end of his mouth twitching. "But don't try to bite her. I'd get peeved."
"Like I'm going to let some geriatric vampire bite me" said Angela firmly.
The coffin lid slammed open and Sangiuni stepped out.
"I am deathless, I am not geriatric!" he exclaimed.
Angela got a box out of her space-expanded jacket pocket and handed it to Harry "Blood pops" she said.
Harry stepped forward and handed the blood pops to Luka, who looked at the box carefully.
"These are Droobles" said Luka "An unopened shipper of blood pops."
"Oh" said Sanguini in a thick accent "A gift, and one I like. What good manners the AD Watermeadow has."
Angela nodded politely.
Sanguini looked thoughtful "Rituals moste singular is in the library, on the rightmost shelf, four from the floor, and has a burgundy spine."
"You don't have it here?" asked Harry.
"This is just some clothes, a few little things, I'm travelling light" said Sanguini.
Harry drew his wand "Accio Rituals moste singular" he said, and a crate bust open and burgundy book landed in Harry's hands.
"I'll just copy this" said Harry "Angela?" Sanguini ignored the book.
Angela took the book, withdrew some parchment and a quill, put the book on a tall crate and found the right page and started copying.
"You're… just copying one ritual, and then leaving?" asked Sanguini.
Harry nodded "Sorry about the idiot trying to stake you. We informed the Romanian Aurors, so he'll be stopped at the border, if he ever gets this far."
Sanguini tilted his head "You are… trying to help me?" he asked in a thick accent.
"My grandmother's favour is paid off, and now I have done you a favour" said Harry "Best to keep a favour with people like you with good libraries."
Sanguini nodded, smiling. "Such things are remembered" said Sanguini in a thick accent.
He took a step towards Angela and frowned "What is that?" he asked.
"What is what?" asked Angela.
Sanguini sniffed "There's something…." he said and quick as a flash, bolted towards Angela, and sniffed her, and froze, stepping backwards slowly and rigidly, towards his coffin, away from Angela.
"Take him, leave me!" cried Sanguini, thrusting Luka, towards Harry and AD Watermeadow, and pulling his coffin lid shut with a bang. Harry and Angela fell over, Luka on top of them.
Harry pushed Luka off himself, Luka standing up
"You should go now" said Luka.
"Once we're done copying the ritual" said Harry, and Angela went back to work.
"He's not usually like this" said Luka quietly as Angela packed up the scroll. "It's just you two have a reputation."
Harry smiled politely "Well, we're leaving now" he said "And we will try to get that nutter caught. I will tell the minister how upset Sanguini is."
Luka nodded, and hustled them out of the storeroom, and he closed the door carefully.
"Now leave" said Luka "Tonight is ruined."
Harry pushed the doors open one by one, and Harry and Angela climbed out of the basement onto the gravel, and Harry carefully shut the doors.
"Well that went quite well" said Harry.
"When we're home, you can say that" said Angela.
"It's not like Sanguini had some backup plan involving calling in all my enemies in eastern Europe" said Harry jokingly.
Angela frowned "What enemies?" she asked.
"Well, the ones that fled Britain after the war?" asked Harry.
Harry was walking across the courtyard to the arched exit, when he noticed several black robed figures on the roofs of the surrounding monastery buildings.
"Cast a shield" said Harry quietly "Protego duo, and don't drop it no matter what" he added tightly, drawing two wands, and flicking a flame-whip out from the elder wand that bisected a dark-clad wizard on top of the building to Harry's right, and flicking another whip to cut the wizard approaching Harry and Angela from behind the central church of the courtyard.
Carnage ensued. Harry using two flame whips, one unstoppable flame whip that split buildings and wizards, and one that merely burned wizards in two.
A dusty, sooty Angela dropped her shield as the last black-robed wizards died under a flame whip, and there were a large number of blue-robed Romanian Aurors, surrounding the ruin of the monastery, and advancing by pairs across the rubble-strewn landscape.
"The paperwork for this" said Harry tiredly, covered in brick dust "Is going to be shit."
"They're going to complain to the ICW, aren't they?" asked Angela thoughtfully.
"If this happened in Britain and we were Romanian?" asked Harry.
"Kingsley's going to be annoyed" mused Angela.
"Kingsley's not going to be my friend any more" added Harry.
"Percy's never giving you your job back" said Angela with a slight smile.
"At this rate, Percy will probably hex me" said Harry.
"Harry, we need to hide the scroll" said Angela "They're not going to turn a blind eye to much now."
"It wasn't technically our fault" said Harry.
Angela took the rolled up parchment out of her robe pocket and transfigured it into a finger sized silver cylinder.
"You can hide it" said Angela "I'm certainly not hiding it."
"What! You want me to?" asked Harry.
"Before they arrest us" said Angela.
Harry awkwardly dropped his trousers and hid the cylinder. "Did you have to make it so big" he complained.
"I thought it might dissuade you from certain thoughts later" said Angela. "Sort of a two-for-one thing."
They were approached by a grim looking Apostol.
"Auror Constantin" said Angela politely "We were attacked by multiple wizards."
"Purely as a formality" said Apostol "Please hand over your wands and consent to being arrested."
"We were" said Harry tiredly "attacked by more wizards than you have Aurors. We'll put our wands away, and this whole thing get no worse."
"The muggles have seen a beloved monastery destroyed" said Apostol "That is going to be a long prison sentence."
Harry drew the elder wand and swept it around in a huge circle, and cast the building repair spell he'd learned from Slughorn, and put everything he had into it.
The crushed and burning buildings of the monastery slid upwards implausibly and reformed, the fires went out, and the gravel of the courtyard hissed back into an even surface. Harry's arm was shaking, but the building kept growing taller and taller, the tiled roofs settling back into place, the window-panes un-shattering and the curtains reappearing in the windows.
Some time later, Harry stopped, and put his wand away, one arm over Angela's shoulders, breathing hard.
"I'm sorry we had to kill our attackers" said Harry politely "But they did outnumber us."
The other Romanian Aurors were casting spells on the buildings, and levitating bodies away.
"Many of the priests have died" said Apostol. "Even if the buildings are repaired, the muggles may have recorded it."
"Their camera will have broken from all the magic" said Harry "I assume your obliviators will be working flat out all night and day."
"You undid it" said Apostol "How does a wizard undo so much?"
"By being lucky" said Harry "Does this mean no prison sentence?"
"No automatic sentence." said Apostol "AD Watermeadow was only shielding, that I saw."
"And has to got to work on Monday" said Harry. "Thanks for your support" he said to Angela.
"If" said Angela "The priests aren't too mangled, I may be able to help"
"They're dead" said Apostol.
Angled nodded "I'll need a tent, and Harry to guard while I work." she said.
"You're… a necromancer?" asked Apostol "It was not on your file from Britain. Just that you did certain courses as a student."
Harry shrugged "A tent, some healers, strict privacy, and some may be savable."
"Some?" asked Apostol "Dead is dead."
Harry shook his head "Not necessarily, and I don't know if muggles can even be raised."
"If they come back as Inferii, you will be arrested for creating them" said Apostol.
Angela nodded "We need a tent, come lights, and a floor."
Apostol called out "Funarescu?" and a dark haired male Auror apparated over with a crack. "Yes?" said Funarescu.
"A tent, here now, and a dead priest" said Apostol "AD Watermeadow is apparently a necromancer, and is willing to try to bring back out dead priests."
Funarescu took a tent out of one of his robe pockets, and it self-errected into a square tent with a chimney on one side. He vanished with a crack, and walked back, a floating brown-robed figure trailing behind him.
"No blood" said Funarescu, taking the priest into the tent, and coming out, Angela going in and Harry standing across the doorway and drawing his wand.
"If I try to go in, what will you do?" asked Apostol.
"Probably try to stop you" said Harry. "Which would be a shame."
A few moments later, from inside the tent, there came a loud gasping breath, followed by screaming, that stopped suddenly.
Angela came out, brushing her hair back into a neat ponytail "He's stunned. He'll need obliviation."
"And is he wampiri now?" asked Apostol.
"Of course not" said Angela. "He should be all right, his soul is in a normal state."
"What?" asked Apostol.
"He hasn't moved on" said Harry "You need to get all the priests through the tent quickly."
"What do you mean quickly?" asked Apostol, frowning.
Angela put her hands on her hips "Time is wasting. More than a day is probably too long."
"Half an hour" said Harry quietly.
Apostol blew a whistle from his uniform robe pocket and many Romanian Aurors apparated into the space near the tent suddenly with a chorus of cracks, wands drawn.
"Du-te să iei repede preoții morți, îi putem salva, se pare." said Apostol and several Aurors looked shocked.
"Este necromantă" said Apostol, and wands pointed at Angela.
Harry waved his left index finger in a sideways 'No' motion, his wand level. "We're from the ministry and we're here to help" said Harry, and Apostol snorted.
"El a spus că suntem din minister și suntem aici să vă ajutăm. Nu cred că vreau să mă lupt cu el pentru asta." said Apostol. (He said, We're from the ministry and we're here to help. And I don't think I want to fight him over this.)
The groups of Aurors went off and levitated dead priests one by one to the tent.
The sun was just beginning to light the sky over the mountains when the last dead priest had been taken into the tent and 'treated.'
Harry eyed the two rows of priests, the ones to the left, that needed healing, and the ones to the right that just needed obliviation. A small group of green robed healers were bending over the injured priests, carefully treating their ugly injuries.
Angela came out of the tent, lined and dirty, and stretched her back and cracked her neck from side to side "I'm exhausted" she yawned.
Harry cast a cleaning charm on her, and the dust and soot came off.
Apostol waved his wand at Harry and the brick dust vanished.
"You're not even injured" said Apostol to Harry.
"Two broken ribs" said Harry tightly "I've had worse, and they needed help more."
Angela pointed her wand at Harry and muttered a spell, and Harry grunted in pain.
"Christ woman, do that a bit more carefully!" Harry said, wincing.
"Are they still broken?" asked Angela tiredly.
"No" said Harry.
"So stop complaining." said Anglea.
"Can you help with the injuries?" asked Apostol, with a small smile.
"My healing spells are rather basic, Auror Constantin" said Angela "Fortunately I know that he's had far worse."
"That didn't mean I liked it" muttered Harry.
"Your ministry must be very fortunate to have you both" said Apostol. "Such… capable people."
"We do" said Harry blandly "whatever the minister wants done."
Apostol nodded stiffly. "Quite" he said.
Harry eyed the priests getting treatment. Some had need to have massive wounds repaired.
"One small matter, do not be taking dark magic from Romania" said Apostol "Just a reminder."
"We're going back to the hotel to sleep" said Angela "Portkey to Bucharest after lunch, back to Britain soon after. Is that approved?"
"I will have to clear that with my superiors" said Apostol.
"I will have to inform mine" said Harry.
"And I will have to write it, or nobody will be able to read it" said Angela.
"I was just going to send a patronus" said Harry offhandedly.
"I'm going to end up writing the report, aren't I" said Angela, yawning.
Harry yawned "Just a rewrite" he said.
"I would offer to escort you" said Apostol "But I don't see the point now. Please don't have another pitched battle in a muggle tourist destination."
Harry fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow in the narrow hotel room.
-==0==-
AD Watermeadow and Harry Potter were allowed to leave Romania by portkey after lunch.
The assistant secretary, with Apostol translating, asked that they not return to Romania "Purely as way of smoothing over relations between our two countries."
They landed at the international portkey office in the Ministry, and left quickly, ducked into a closet and apparated out of the Ministry before Percy could find them.
Harry and Angela apparated on the top step at Grimmauld place with a crack, and quickly got inside.
"Home at last" said Harry, leaning against the clean wall covered in grey and black paisley wallpaper.
"Are all your adventures this awful" asked Angela, taking off her glasses, and finite-ing her hair charms to turn back into Daphne.
"Most ended in hospitalization" said Harry honestly.
"Aren't you glad I mended your ribs then" said Daphne, with a small smile.
Harry looked around the front hall, which was notably clean and re-wallpapered.
"It's clean" said Harry, surprised.
Daphne stared at the lights "They're not snakes or fingernails anymore" she added.
"I" said Harry "Have not had a kiss from my girlfriend in days."
"Well, if you meet her, tell her your fiancée says hello" said Daphne.
"I" said Harry "Have not had a kiss from my fiancée in days."
"Well, not in the front hall" said Daphne.
Kreacher appeared with a pop
"Master has returned" croaked the elderly house-elf, and turnd to Daphne "Mistress is here. What can Kreahcer do?"
"Well, hold off my parents while we nick off to my other house for a few hours would be good" said Harry.
"There's no need for that" said Daphne "We're going to Harry's room for a few hours to have a nap. We'll be having dinner here, and I'll go home to my parent's tonight."
"Yes mistress" croaked Kreacher.
"A nap?" asked Harry, as Daphne started climbing the stairs, taking her red puffy coat off. Harry caught sight of blue jeans and took off up the stairs.
On the first floor, old rock music was coming from the parlour, and Harry and Daphne kept climbing stairs to the fourth floor, and Harry's room.
Daphne put the scroll with the ritual on Harry's desk "Now don't lose that" she said, and lay down on a red and gold striped bed. "The ceiling's fixed" she observed.
Harry shut the door and looked around. No cracks, no mildew, new curtains and bed-covers.
"This is reasonably nice" said Harry.
"Harry, bed!" said Daphne.
Harry pulled off his jersy and kicked off his shoes, and got on his bed next to Daphne.
"Hi" said Harry "Fancy a snog?"
Harry decided to wait till next weekend when Daphne would be there to help, and observe to see the ritual to make his grandparents bodies. And was remined on tuseday night by an irritated Daphne who'd flooed over that the cauldrons needed four days to boil before use.
Harry's grandfather was shorter than Harry expected. Not Dennis Creevy short, but quite short. And his grandmother was very tall. Taller than his grandfather, and nearly as tall as he was.
Grandmother, or Effie as Grandfather called her, didn't to Harry's slight surprise put on Indian robes and stuff. She instead put on the robes mum had got for her robes and went to Twilfitt and Tatting and came back in dark, high collared robes with a touch of lace. She looked quite severe, and both his grandparents were clearly pure-bloods, and old money by the way they dressed.
"Now we're all back, you two can get married like respectable people" said Euphemia.
Daphne smiled. Harry felt happy at the sight of the smile.
"Now, Daphne" said Harry's Grandmother politely and clearly in the sort of english newsreaders used "Have you set a date?"
Daphne nodded politely "Yes Mrs Potter" she said.
"And a porcelain pattern?" asked his grandmother.
"No" said Daphne and she frowned "We will evidently need more, a lot of the Black's good and second best set at Grimmauld place is broken."
"And there's none for château noir." said Lily "What do you think we should do?"
"Well," said Daphne "Mother has suggested we buy some antique sets. Harry, do you have a preference for china patterns?"
"Er, no" said Harry.
"Lily, you cannot be held accountable for that" said Euphemia "We shall have to take Harry and Daphne to some manufacturers."
"Um, what are we talking about?" asked Harry uncertainly.
"China" said Lily "A dinner service. Plates and cups."
"We'll need silverware too" said Euphemia "The werewolves will have destroyed everything silver."
-==0==-
"Monty!" said Euphemia, tall and severe, striding down Diagon Alley in dress robes "What Did I say about duelling!" she said loudly.
Monty turned, wand out to Euphemia "Oh, Effie, ah…. Not to?" said Fleamont, his round face smiling hopefully.
"And what's this?" she asked, looking down on Monty.
"Um… a duel?" said Monty "The Flint boy was being a Flint, and I hadn't given a Flint a beating in ages."
Marcus Flint groaned from the cobblestones.
George sidled over to Harry "That's your grandmother?" asked George "Bloody hell. She's better looking than most people's mum's."
"Not mine "said Harry dismissively.
"Harry" said George, stepping closer to Harry "Your dad's the jammiest bugger ever born. I mean, he's like a better-fed you with less scars, but, still… Your mum must have been the best looking girl at school in her year."
Harry shook his head "Dad fell in love the day he met her as a firstie." said Harry. "Its not about looks."
"Well, she'd be top of the spank bank, pushing out Malfoy's mum" said George.
"Have you seen Daphne's mum?" said Harry, shaking his head.
"Doesn't count" said George quickly "Foreign witches aren't included. Otherwise it's Fleur's mum by a landslide, covered in olive oil." Harry went slowly red in the face.
Harry looked behind George to see his grandfather talking empathetically to his grandmother under a privacy charm. His grandmother looked unimpressed. She was looking tall and severe and silent.
"Grandmother's not buying Grandfather's line" said Harry. "Slammed doors and sulking at the manor tonight."
"So all Potter blokes are moody?" asked George "And somehow pull good-looking birds."
"I suppose so" said Harry.
"Well, at least Gin would have fit in" said George. "Thought your mum would have given her a complex about… dress sizes."
"I still miss her you know" said Harry quietly.
"And no necromance for my sister" said George.
"Daphne's the one who worked out how to bring my parents back without dying" said Harry with pointed look. George nodded.
"And… with how" Harry's face collapsed into a grimace and he sniffed "How she died" he sniffled "I don't think it'd work anyway."
"Well, if she's watching us" said George solemnly "She'd be pleased to know you're eternally torn up about it, even if the new girls' got um… bigger tits."
Harry blinked "Did you just say what I thought you did?" said Harry, drying his eyes.
"I can't abide to see you crying" said George "And thinking about a pair of milky white orange-sized knockers will snap your right out of it."
Harry shook his head "I'm still sad, but, … the thing I've got with Barb – Daphne it's complicated." 'And they're more grapefruit sized and concealing bra's' thought Harry.
"Not knowing what name to call her would do that" said George with a sigh "Isn't she AD Watermeadow too? You and her in the office, her in a short skirt bending over to get to the files in the bottom drawer?"
"Er?" said Harry "She's always worn full robes to work and we never. We both took our jobs very seriously."
"Obsessively" said George "Percy described you two as being his army of justice."
"She's seconded to DMLE, reviewing old convictions with Hermione" said Harry "They've got ninety percent of the people sent to Azkaban out. A few more months and everyone will be free, and the corrupt government will be a memory."
"And Harry Potter lives happily ever after with a mum and dad and paternal grandparents" said George "Lucky for you." he added.
"Luck" said Harry grimly "Had nothing to do with it. I went to Azkaban every day for what, two years? I used some family magic to commune with my family, and Daphne got creative."
"Ambitious, clever Slytherin witches are like that" said George "I'll keep Angelina, she's unlikely to accidentally become Britains greatest necromancer. I wondered about that, about Fred. Raising him."
"Well you'd be kicked out of bed by Ange, and have no luck pulling the rest of the old team, so you'd do better not to" said Harry.
George blinked "you… thought of all of the angles, didn't you?" he asked.
"Well that stood out" said Harry "My plans are often rubbish. Daphne's on the other hand… I like her plans."
"Involve beds do they?" asked George.
"Don't have failures where people die." said Harry bluntly. 'And grandmother's keen on her.' he thought to himself.
"When's the wedding anyway?" asked George.
"Easter" said Harry "It's traditional or something."
George snorted "Quite traditional." he agreed.
-==0==-
It wasn't till Harry's wedding reception that Luna Lovegood said "Oh Harry, an eastere wedding, planning on a big family?"
"What?" asked Harry.
"Well, getting married on a fertility ritual" said Luna "A large family, not counting the necromancy."
"About that" said Harry thoughtfully "Your mum?"
"Harry, you can't" said Daphne, walking over and grabbing her husband around the waist "There's only one you-know, and Luna's mum died more than a few days ago."
"Oh yeah" said Harry, scratching the back of his head "Sorry, I forgot some of the technicalities."
"So Mrs Black, going to have a big family?" asked Luna.
"I don't know yet" said Daphne "If I don't like being pregnant, a small family."
"There's always rituals" said Luna.
"Hmm" said Daphne "you're right. I'll ask Harry's grandmother, have you met her?"
"She said I need a dream-catcher to stop the fuzziness" said Luna "She seems to believe some rather odd things."
Harry smiled politely.