Chapter Two: Island in the Sun
Harry, having awoken, showered and dressed before his soulmates, was busily trying to work out how to operate a wizard kitchen. As he was about to give up, Millie walked in, still in her nighty and barely half-awake.
"Good morning, Millie."
"Morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thanks. Did you?"
"Very well, thank you. I had the most pleasant dreams. They mainly concerned just what I get to do with you when you turn sixteen in just over nineteen months…
"Merlin! You are so cute when you are blushing, Harry!"
Harry pulled Millie into his arms and they shared a tender kiss. "Millie, do you know how to start a magical oven? I was planning on cooking us all a Full English Breakfast."
"Well, one of our House Elves did most of the cooking. That said, my mother was training me in how to be a respectable Pureblood wife to my probably Death Eater husband, whichever lowlife scum gave them the best offer.
"Wait! A husband who likes to cook?! How did I get so lucky?!"
"Well, my relatives had me cooking as soon as I was old enough. I had to do it perfectly too, or else…"
"Harry?! Who were these relatives that raised you? Did they…?"
"Abuse me? Not usually physically and certainly not that way, but I answered to Freak and Boy.
"My mother had a muggle sister, my Aunt Petunia. She and her husband, my Uncle Vernon, raised me alongside my Cousin Dudley. They are horrible people.
"Merlin! You won't blame all muggles…?"
"No, Harry. I am a half-blood, but the wizard side of my family is far worse than the muggle. Don't worry on that account.
"Sue Bones' Aunt Amelia is Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Harry. You need to talk to her. They can't get away with treating you like that! I only wish that the Bulstrode name didn't keep my father from facing justice.
"You have seven witches who love you now, sweetheart. We are your family! Daffy, Trace, Ginny or Parv's parents could easily claim guardianship over you now.
"Trust me, Harry. None of us shall ever be alone ever again!"
Well said, Millie!
Thanks, Parv.
Parv, you and Pans addressed each other by your Christian names prior to our bonding. I can't imagine that her parents were allied to yours or mine.
No, Harry. My father is a Death Eater, who got off by claiming that he was under the Imperius Curse, as Lucius Malfoy did. He was never a Potter ally! The two of us often had to attend the same Wizard Society Events. We were close enough to address each other informally. Her Indian ancestry was not an issue as far my parents were concerned, particularly as she and Pads are Purebloods.
Thanks, Pans.
"Now, I believe you wanted to cook breakfast, Harry. Let us do it together."
"Thank you, Millie darling.
"Before we do, though, don't you want to get washed and dressed? As sexy as you look in that nighty, it isn't really suitable for cooking in."
"A swimming costume is even less suited for it, dearest. There is a green bikini with an underwired top in my wardrobe which I want to try out. Hopefully, you will like seeing me in it…"
"Millie, I love you. As far as I am concerned, you are an absolute stunner, regardless of your attire."
"Again, how did I get so lucky?!"
"How long was it before you stopped snogging long enough to start cooking?" Daphne teased, a full plate in front of her. "That said, a cooked breakfast this delicious would have been worth a far longer wait!"
Harry and Millie grinned back at her. They were proud of the scrambled eggs, bacon rashers, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, Lincolnshire sausages, mushrooms, hash browns and slices of toast that they had prepared. Neither of them could deny that Daphne had a point, but both were too euphoric to care.
"You'll get your turn later, Daffy," Millie replied sweetly. "This is effectively a honeymoon after all."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Any chance the pair of you could cook us all breakfast every morning, mes amours?! This is delicious!"
"Of course, Wednesday. We would love to. I get to cook and snog Harry at the same time."
"True. I love cooking, but kissing Millie is even better.
"That's a point. Millie and Pans are both Potters now. What about…?"
"I guess that I shall be a Potter too. It is unlikely that none of my six elder brothers would have one or more sons."
"Daffy and I don't have brothers. I guess that I shall be Davis-Potter and she will be Greengrass-Potter. At least one son from each of us can then take our maiden names."
"Pads and I don't have brothers, either. We will be Patil-Weasley and Patil-Potter respectively. Again, hopefully at least one of us shall have a son to take our maiden name."
"It is less important in the States, mon amour, but I can be Addams-Potter. If Pugsley has one or more sons, ours can be Potters."
"What about any daughters?"
"They shall almost certainly be Potters, Harry," Daphne told him. "Daughters can't continue a family name as easily as sons can. That doesn't mean that daughters are unwelcome. Dad loves Tori and me just as much as he would a son. Trace's Dad is the same, as is Parv's. Messrs Parkinson and Bulstrode, however, are nasty pieces of work and no doubt would have preferred boys…"
"My father told me that all the time when cursing and/or caning me," Millie muttered.
"Same with mine. I must have spent most of last summer either under the Cruciatus or bent over his desk with my skirt up and my knickers down, having my arse hammered with his cane."
"Poor you! My father always caned me across the knickers. That hurt more than enough.
"Harry and our other wives are our family now, Pans. Those monsters we called our fathers will never hurt us again!"
As a tight eight-person group hug spontaneously started, Pansy smiled to herself. I have a family that Truly Loves me. I am going to be OK.
We all are, Pans.
Thank you, Harry darling. Are you looking forward to seeing us in skimpy swimwear later?
Let me think. Do I want to spend time looking at my seven attractive wives in swimsuits?! Yes!
Oh, we have struck gold here! Which of us gets to snog him first?!
He's all yours, Pans!
Thanks Ginny. Your turn next!
My family call me Gin, Pans.
Before I snog Harry, I have my feisty bubbly redhead to kiss. Pucker up, Gin!
Of course, Pans!
"This breakfast was lovely, Pads. You must teach Ron and I how to operate a wizard kitchen."
"It was only toast, rolls and preserves, Hermione."
"Even so, I don't remember being taught how to operate a magical toaster at Hogwarts. That might be more useful than turning a pincushion into a mouse and back."
"Pads, did you just hear Hermione complaining about the Hogwarts curriculum?!"
"Yes, Ron, I did. You weren't dreaming!"
"It is a good job that I am in love with the pair of you," Hermione sighed. She pulled first Ron and then Padma into prolonged passionate kisses, before smiling as her spouses shared their own kiss. "Mum and Dad will adore you both.
"We are Anglicans, Pads. That won't be a problem…?"
"We are Wizard Hindi, Hermione. Parv and I marrying non-Hindi won't be a problem. Neither will our bisexuality for that matter.
"Are you going to be wearing a one-piece swimsuit or a bikini, Hermione? I'm putting on the latter."
"Normally, I would wear a one-piece in public, Pads. As we are all family here, however, I shall also be wearing a bikini. Conservative or skimpy?"
"Conservative for now, I think. We can always opt for skimpier ones in a few days when we are more comfortable with everyone. It is one thing to wear skimpy bikinis with Parv and other girls by the pond at home, but quite another with boys there. Ron's an exception of course!"
"Of course! Since Ron is effectively our husband, we can give him the odd flash of flesh! Given that we are sharing a bedroom and bathroom, I am sure that we shall give each other free shows every so often.
"Ron, darling, if you do see my bare bum or bust, you don't need to look away. By the same token, I won't look away if your naked body is before me."
"It's the same with me, Ron," Padma said. "Don't worry about my modesty or yours. I am yours and Hermione's for all eternity."
"Two hot girls who want me to see them naked?! How did I get so lucky?!
"There is a wizard gramophone in the lounge. Would you like a private Post-Yule Ball tonight? This time, Pads, I will pay you all the attention that you deserve.
"Hermione, how was your date with Viktor Krum? I'm sorry to break you up…"
"Viktor and I are friends, Ron. I don't know whether he would have liked us to be more or not. It was a lovely evening, but he was too old for me really.
"If you had seen me as a girl before he did, Ron, I would have gone with you. For all future balls, we shall go as a trio."
"Yes, my loves," Ron said pulling both Hermione and Padma into a three-way hug, "we shall!"
"Any further ideas, Mary Poppins? Should we make a few more changes to standard universes?"
"What about Luna meeting…?"
"Rolf? I thought that was planned for later?"
"It is, Doctor. Not her True Love. Luna needs the support of those who will Always Be True…"
"…To Each Other Whatever Happens! She needs her Honorary Big Brother and his friends.
"Any chance that we could do a bit more matchmaking at the same time?!"
"I like the way you think, Doctor. As it so happens, a Christmas Mystery has just been solved.
"The Abominable Snow Leopard is about to be unmasked…"
Jackson Hole, Boxing Day 1994
"And now to see who this really is…" the short bespectacled brunette announced, pulling off the mask of the snow leopard costume. "Mr Jenkins the recently sacked Janitor?!"
"One of these days," the tall slim dark-haired British man with the exercise book and pen said, "you will just interview the former employee with a grudge at the very start!"
"Very droll, Rex," noted the tall slender American brunette with soft brown eyes. "If Mystery Inc. ever deviates from their usual routine, I am sure that Fred would die from shock!"
"On the subject of following our usual routine, it is time to start explaining how we solved the case, Velma," the tall redheaded American noted.
"Thank you, Daphne. Well, the white hair traces in the doorways that Fred found were from a poodle. Mr Jenkins' wife owns a pet shop. Presumably he used them to make the costume look more realistic.
"Then Mr Jenkins wears a particularly potent cologne. The Abominable Snow Leopard always smelled like it too. We thus knew who it was."
"Finally," interrupted the fair-haired American jock, "snow we found piled around the floor contained traces of boot prints. The soles of Mr Jenkins' boots aren't covered by the costume.
"He wanted to scare people away from the resort in revenge for his sacking."
"And I would have got away with it too," Jenkins growled, "if it wasn't for those pesky kids and their dog! Well, I'm not sorry…"
"You will be!" the police chief retorted. "I believe a few years in the pen is in store. Cuff him and read him his rights, Officer."
"Well, our skiing holiday over Christmas has been fun so far," said the short stocky ginger-haired British man. "Still, I should have known that a nutcase in fancy dress would get involved when vacationing with Mystery Inc!"
"That bizarre happenstance does seem to reoccur with high statistical significance in that eventuality," the solidly-built American agreed.
"That stated, we Three Investigators also have encountered similar statistical improbabilities when by ourselves. It may be a phenomenon associated with Former Young Adventurers in general, Jigger, and not just Mystery Inc. in particular."
"Gleeps, Jupe! Bob and I would appreciate it if you spoke in English sometimes. Please can you stop insisting on speaking Jupiter Jones!"
"He is Jupiter Jones, Pete!" commented the wiry bespectacled American man. "We will never change him!"
Velma Dinkley looked around the group. Fred had invited not only Mystery Inc. but the Dana girls, the Three Investigators and the Paranormal Investigations Bureau. This was founded by Jon Warrender of the Lone Piners, George Kirrin of the Famous Five and Jigger Johnson and Rex Milligan, both Old Boys of Sheldrake Grammar School. Jon's wife and fellow Lone Piner Penny was also present. Louise Dana is the tall slender brown-eyed brunette; her younger sister Jean is an only slightly shorter blonde; George (you still don't call her Georgina without considerable risk!) is tall, dressed in shirt and trousers and with her brunette hair in a short boyish cut; Jon is lanky and bespectacled with untidy fair hair and Penny is a redhead with sparkling grey eyes and a beaming smile. Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw (who was tall and athletic) and Bob Andrews (the wiry bespectacled one) formed the Three Investigators. Velma (the bespectacled brunette), Daphne Blake (the redhead), Fred Jones (the jock, who is Jupiter's second cousin), Shaggy Rogers (a man with shaggy brown hair and a wispy goatee) and Scooby-Doo (a genetically-modified Great Dane) were Mystery Inc.
The British and American Former Young Adventurer Communities had been granted access to the Royal Jelly Honey elixir vitae that Mr Sherlock Holmes had developed by their respective governments. As a result, whilst they were clearly all no longer teenagers, they looked in their twenties and not forties, fifties or even late sixties in the case of Louise and Jean.
"Well, now the case is over," Shaggy Rogers commented, "can we like finally get to eat?!"
"Right, Raggy! Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo…!"
At that point, six women in Classical Hellenic dress appeared out of nowhere. "My friends," said a tall dark brunette with an owl on a falconer's glove, "I am Athena, and these are Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hecate and Hestia. We are the semi-ascended beings that have been worshipped as goddesses from ancient times.
"We have come to take you to an island where there are some teenagers who need your support and guidance. Others of your comrades will be joining you shortly. Yes, Mr Johnson, you can go back each day to see your menagerie. We can even bring them over for your wedding."
"What wedding?!" Jigger asked bemused. "Fossilised fishhooks! I don't even have a girlfriend…"
"You have a soulmate, though. Are you not in love with Ms Dinkley?!"
"Velma?! Well…" Jigger suddenly grinned. "Yes. Yes, I am!
"Velma, darling, I think I always knew deep down that I love you, but I never appreciated it until…" He was cut off by Velma throwing her arms around him and crashing her lips against his. "Jinkies!" she exclaimed after their kiss had finally ended. "I have loved you ever since we first met, even though I didn't realise until just now either.
"Now, I m sure that you are going to get threatened by Fred and Daphne for what happens if you hurt me. Equally, I am sure that Rex, George, Jon and Penny are about to enquire as to my intentions. I guess it is time to face the music…"
"Not quite yet, Velma. Before that, will you be my girlfriend?"
"Do you think that I would have kissed anyone who wasn't my boyfriend like that, Jig?"
"Finally!" Penny shouted delightedly. "Now, Jon darling, if Rex and George can finally see…"
"I adore Rex, but as a brother and not a boyfriend."
"It is the same here. I love George dearly, but…"
"No, you prize specimens of addle-pated clodpolls!" Jigger sighed. "Rex, if I asked you to describe your ideal woman, what would you say?"
"She would be smart, brave, loyal and kind. Someone like Louise, I guess."
"Then why not Louise?"
"Oh, just kiss her, Rex!" Jean ordered. "My sister will kiss you back. She loves you, even if she doesn't know it."
"Now, Jean…!" From the way her lips responded to Rex's kiss, however, it was clear that Louise was indeed in love with him.
"George dear," Jon suggested, "you might want to kiss Jupiter."
"OK, Jon. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Once again, the kiss established that the participants were indeed in love with each other. "Everything gained!" George sighed happily once she had finally surfaced for air.
"Now that is all sorted," Athena continued, "we can take you to your new centre of operations. You can all return to your homes as often as you wish. We shall set up a magical portal network.
"Now, if you will hold hands in a circle with us, we can take you to the island now." With that, they vanished into the ether.
"This is the life!" Susan Bones sighed happily. "I get to lounge on a beach with my boyfriend and both my girlfriends. Swimming, sunbathing and snogging is a great way to spend Boxing Day.
"Can you rub some more of that anti-sunburn potion into my back please, Nev? If you need to untie my bikini top, please feel free to do so."
"Are you sure, Sue?"
"We are married, Nev!" Hannah noted. "If you catch sight of our bared breasts, well, that comes with the territory. We are face down, so you shouldn't see much anyway. Again, if you do, so what?"
"We will all be old enough to make love in nineteen months or so," Lavender chimed in. "You shall be seeing us in all our glory often enough then, Nev! If you get a sneak peek or several at our attributes in advance, Nev, we won't mind, unless you refuse to return the favour.
"In fact, once you have finished with Sue, Nev darling, both Han and I will want our backs rubbing too. Again, please feel free to untie our tops."
Before Neville could start, the goddesses had appeared with the Former Young Adventurers in tow. With a shout of 'View halloa!' from Artemis, all the young witches and wizards came running up to see what was going on.
"My friends," Hera announced, "these are Louise and Jean Dana; Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Shaggy Rogers and Scooby-Doo; Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Jones; and Jon and Penny Warrender, George Kirrin, Jigger Johnson and Rex Milligan. These are all British and American former young adventurers, who began their careers between the mid-1930s and late-1960s…"
"They must be mages, mutants or metahumans," Wednesday observed, "because they all look to be in their mid-twenties, not at least their forties."
"These are all no-majs and muggles, Wednesday. Sherlock Holmes developed an elixir of youth from the exposure of bees to a certain rare plant and fragments from an irradiated meteorite that landed in Yorkshire in the 1790s. This Royal Jelly Honey has been granted to various agents of the British, American, Canadian and other Western Governments for services rendered. They found Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Swifts and their ilk very useful for intelligence and counter-intelligence work.
"My other friends, these are Harry, Millicent and Pansy Potter; Fred, George, Ron and Ginny Weasley; Padma and Parvati Patil; Daphne and Astoria Greengrass; Pugsley and Wednesday Addams; Hermione Granger; Tracey Davis; Neville Longbottom; Hannah Abbott; Susan Bones; Lavender Brown; Angelina Johnson; Alicia Spinnet; Katie Bell; and Luna Lovegood. All are witches and wizards. These are humans gifted with genes giving them the ability to perform certain types of magic."
"We've seen weirder stuff," Rex noted. "A number of us are friends of Jason Blood."
"Jason is to be one of their trainers. We are near to Themyscira, the Paradise Island of the Amazons. I believe you know their princess and champion, Wonder Woman?
"In any case, Luna, Ms Blake, Mr Andrews and Mr Milligan are journalists. Your father is the editor and proprietor of a wizard newspaper, so you may wish to speak to them.
"That tent over there has a full-length mirror that can open portals to and from ones in your homes. Hecate shall key you in. We transferred the Mystery Machine and the cars of the elder Ms Dana and Mr Crenshaw back to the respective garages magically.
"See you all in the morning. Good afternoon to you all."
"That was a relaxing day," Millie sighed in the hammock she was sharing with Harry.
"Well, we are here for a rest before our training begins." He kissed her softly. "By the way, you do look good in that green bikini. I love you, Millie Potter!"
Millie's initial response was both emphatic and entirely non-verbal. "I love you too, Harry Potter!" she exclaimed once their lips had parted. "You look good in those green trunks as well!"
From their meeting place outside of time, the Six Goddesses stood among the Doctor, Mary Poppins, Aslan and the rest. "Millicent Potter is going to be as Wonder Witch and the general of the Furies than she is in other realities," Hecate exulted.
"The self-styled Lord Voldemort won't know what hit him!"