Unspoken
by Teddylonglong

Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.


"Artemis, do you remember what you promised Harry and me to do after we've taken our OWL?" Connie grinned in apparent eagerness.

Artemis groaned in obvious annoyance. "Yes dear, I promised that we'd engage in experimental potions. We will do some research, however, please note two points. One is that you must still study for your Potions NEWT, and the second is that you shouldn't get your hopes up. Many potions masters throughout the centuries have tried to find a cure for lycanthropy without success, and neither of us is a potions master, at least not yet. I really should work on the mastery some time," he added as an afterthought. He remained pensive for a moment, only to state, "Your mother was a potions mistress, Harry. Did you know that?"

Harry smiled at what he thought of one of his uncles and mentors feeling extremely happy at the mentioning of his birth mother. "That's cool."

"She was brilliant. Yes. With her help, we might even succeed, but as far as I know, there isn't even a portrait of your parents." Artemis sighed. "Anyway, the only advantage I can imagine we have above all the other potions masters is that the two of you have been studying with several teachers other than humans for more than four years by now and might have slightly different approaches to the topic."

"Too bad that the primary school will begin again soon." Harry let out a deep sigh. Noticing the look of obvious concern he received from Connie, he smiled. "Don't worry, Connie. I will still attend school together with you."

With a flick of Artemis' hand, two parchments appeared in front of the Unspeakable, who handed one to Connie and one to Harry. "I believe that your lesson with Nicholas is going to begin soon, and I need to return to Hogwarts. This is the recipe of the so-called Wolfsbane potion, which allows the werewolf to keep his mind, while he is in his werewolf form. I suggest that we use this recipe as the basis for our research. Please study the recipe and think about any possible changes that you can imagine to possibly make this potion a cure."

"All right sir," Harry replied, noticing that Connie was already engrossed in her reading of the ingredients, apparently deep in thoughts. 'If anyone can find a cure, it'll be her,' he thought with a combination of amazement and amusement. 'I so wished she could attend Hogwarts together with her. It'll be absolutely boring without her.'

HP

A few minutes later, Archie strode into the team room, shrugged off his Unspeakable robes and them as friendly as always. He exchanged a few words with Whisker, who was already preparing to pop away, before he turned to Connie and Harry.

"Have you studied the drawings of the broomsticks I gave you and decided on a model?"

Harry let out a deep sigh. "Yes sir. Would it perhaps be possible to make a different broom?"

Nicholas cast him a questioning look.

When Harry hoped that Connie was going to explain as usual, she remained quiet for once. "I want to make a broom for two people to sit next to each other, so that Connie could sit next to me. Of course, I fly the whole broom using my magic."

Nicholas nodded in apparent understanding. "A unique idea, but I believe that we should be able to make it work."

Connie hesitantly pulled a parchment out of her robe pocket. "I don't know if this will work in hindsight of stability and whatever, but I've tried to draw such a kind of broom."

Nicholas held out his hand, smiling. "Please show me." He studied the drawing for a moment, before he began to explain, which parts they would have to change and why. "May I modify your drawing?"

Connie nodded, eagerly. "Yes please."

Together, they observed with interest how Nicholas magically changed several parts of the drawing, carefully explaining the reason for each alteration. After at least two hours of working on the drawing, he nodded, seemingly contented. "Now, it's already too late for today, and I suggest that you return home. Tomorrow, we shall discuss what kind of wood would be appropriate for this specific broom and head into the forest to look for it."

Harry and Connie nodded eagerly. They just loved these trips into the forest, which was nothing more than a large room within the Unspeakables' office. It had been charmed as a forest with all possible kinds of trees, herbs and even bushes with berries. Artemis had taken them to find potions ingredients multiple times, and usually, going into the forest involved small breaks in front of one of the bushes. Any potions ingredients as well as the fruits were charmed to always be ripe, and Harry and Connie just loved to pick some berries as they walked through the forest. Sometimes, they were even allowed to take some home for their families, considering that they would re-grow overnight.

It took them several months to build the broom to completion. Whenever they believed their masterpiece to be finished, Nicholas tried it out only to demand more changes.

At the beginning of December, when Harry finally held the final version in his hands, grinning happily, an idea crossed Connie's mind. "Nicholas, could we perhaps make such a broom for Rebecca and Artemis for Christmas? Would we manage on time?"

"Oh, that's great." Harry immediately agreed.

Nicholas nodded. "You can do that. Now, that we have this prototype, you only have to build it the same way. However, instead of giving it to them for Christmas, I'd wait and make it their wedding present if I was you."

"Are they going to marry?" Connie's expression was one of pure delight.

"On February 14 next year."

Harry and Connie immediately agreed with Nicholas' suggestion.

"Then we'll have some more time, too." Connie nodded contentedly.

"Nicholas, will you help us though?" Harry cast the old wizard a concerned look.

"I will help you if you need my assistance. Otherwise, I'll simply watch."

Neither Harry nor Connie noticed the mischievous grin that was playing on Nicholas' lips.

During the next few weeks, they spent much time working on the double broom for their teammates, and indeed managed to finish it by Christmas. Not wanting their teammates to know about the matter, they decided to hide it in Connie's room at her parents' home until the wedding.

HP

In the morning of Christmas Eve, Regina intended to take Harry and Connie into muggle London to view some of the Christmas decorations in the town, before the extended family was going to come over. The children were quite excited, as Minerva and Rebecca had promised to show them how to decorate the Christmas tree in the living room using magic.

However, when they were still having breakfast together, a Patronus in the form of a chameleon arrived.

"That's from Nicholas," Harry said in surprise, recognising the chameleon, right before they could hear their old colleague's voice.

"Harry and Connie, please come to the team room for a few minutes. I need to show you something. I promise that I won't keep you long."

"Ah, sorry, Mum, may we go quickly? We'll be back shortly. We can still go to see the Christmas decorations afterwards, can't we?"

Regina smiled. "Of course, son. We'll simply go afterwards. Leave Lucy here today."

Harry nodded. Not even bothering to pull over their Unspeakable robes, Harry and Connie used Harry's Portkey to travel to their team room, where Nicholas was waiting for them.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," he said, and Harry noticed that he seemed uncharacteristically excited. "I have taken the liberty to show your prototype of the double broom to an old friend. In fact, he is the owner of the broom company Nimbus. I don't know if you've heard of it."

"Yes, we have." Connie's voice was laced with excitement. "Harry, isn't the broom Sirius gave you from Nimbus?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, it is."

Nicholas nodded. "Very well. Anyway, the Nimbus company have made a contract with me on your behalf. Mind you, they do not know your real names. I made the contract with them using your Unspeakable identities. As you might or might not know, usually, their brooms are called Nimbus followed by a number."

Harry and Connie nodded. They knew that from the broom Harry owned.

"Anyway, they will produce the double broom under the name Paws & Turtle 1 broom, and for each broom they sell, you'll each get ten percent of the sale proceeds. You also hold the patent for the broom." He handed them two officially looking parchments. "How's that?"

"Totally amazing." As usual, Connie beat Harry to a response.

"Thank you very much, sir."

Nicholas smirked. "You're welcome, dears. Oh, Connie, this is yours by the way." He handed her a small key. "I have asked Buckbean to make a vault for you, so that you'll be able to receive your share from Nimbus. Rebecca as your magical guardian has given her signature on your behalf."

"Thank you so very much, sir." Connie eyed the key from all angles in apparent amazement.

"It was my pleasure. Now, I need to return home, before my wife, Perenelle, will verbally kill me for spending Christmas Eve in the office. I wish you a Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Nicholas."

"Merry Christmas, sir."

tbc...?

Thank you so much for the kind reviews for the last chapter. Are you still interested? Please tell me what you think and what you would like to see in this story. My muse appreciates it.