I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Extended Family
Chapter 1 – The Horror of Camping
Set during the summer before Harry's seventh year.
Dedicated to FanfictionFanGirl59
Oliver let out a gutsy breath. "Taste that air! It's so fresh and clean. I told you guys this place is great!"
Angelina glared at him, breathing hard. "Why aren't you giving him hell for this?" she asked Alicia.
Alicia shrugged. "It's one of the things he likes that isn't Quidditch. I can't hate on everything he likes."
"Yes you can."
"Well yes I can obviously but I shouldn't."
Angelina wiped the sweat off her brow. "I can't believe you like camping honestly."
"It's fun in moderation," Alicia said. "Besides, I get to wear fun boots and hiking clothes." She twirled on the spot, showing off stylish yet functional pants, boots and vest over a nice short sleeved shirt.
The original team had decided to spend the weekend together. Their schedules aligned perfectly and Oliver convinced them to go camping. He loved camping, his family enjoying a yearly trip into nature for a few days to get away from the bustle of normal life. The twins and Alicia agreed readily enough with Angelina, Katie, and Harry agreeing too. They decided they wanted this to be a trip with the original team and family and might invite others in the future.
Oliver took them to one of his favorite camping sites, somewhere remote and not one where Muggles camped at. It was a pleasant wooded area with a very large river running through the forest, idyllic and natural. He side-along apparated with Alicia and the twins prior to the trip and on the day of, they side-along apparated with the last three and they hiked to his favorite spot.
Harry climbed over the rocks leading up to the flat ground, helping Katie up. He was excited to be here and to spend a whole weekend with the original team like this, a last hurrah before Katie left for the Academy and he returned to Hogwarts.
The fact he was the last of them to go back, alone, made him queasy. Yet he was not truly alone he knew. Still, it would be tough going back without anyone with him. His first family.
His backpack was full of cooking utensils and supplies, food, clothes, and a full emergency medical bag as well as his personal medic kit. He also brought his two-way mirror just in case. Tonks had gotten the location from Oliver and promised to bring a search party if they did needed it.
Katie was breathing hard as she gratefully accepted Harry's help. "Why couldn't we camp out on top of Grimmauld?" she huffed. "Or in the orchard?"
"Where's your sense of adventure?" Oliver asked with a smile.
"Where your sense of comfort is," she retorted with a smile.
"Then it must be right here 'cause I'm perfectly comfy." He dropped his large pack. "We're here! What d'you lot think?"
Harry looked around. The area was very nice. The trees were large and in good health, not overgrown or clustered. Plenty of sunlight came through the branches. The forest floor was even and hardpacked. The river ran right by the campsite, filling the air with the pleasant sound of running water. "I think it looks beautiful," he praised.
Angelina wiped his nose with a handkerchief. At his raised eyebrow she sniffed. "Just thought your nose was a bit brown is all."
Oliver snorted as everyone laughed. "At least I can rely on someone backing me up."
"Alicia is standing right there," Fred chortled.
"I shoot down more ideas than all of you put together," she said smugly.
George patted Oliver's shoulder. "Sorry mate," he said before ducking a cone thrown by Alicia.
The twins and Oliver set up the tent in short order while Harry set up a campfire spot aided by the ladies.
"You expect us all to pile into one tiny tent?" Angelina asked, looking at the tent with worry.
"It's probably a magic tent," Harry said. "We had one for the Cup two years ago. It's like a flat inside."
"Sir Harry's right," Oliver said as he finished tying down on end, hammering the stake into the earth. "I love camping but prefer having a proper bathroom if I can help it. It's one of the smaller ones my family owns but there's two bedrooms, a sitting room, a full bathroom, and a tiny kitchen but Chef Harry says he can do campfire cooking out here."
"I got a new book!" Harry said, showing off the camping cookbook he got for the trip.
Angelina poked her head between the flaps and came back out smiling. "That's brilliant. Maybe I can get used to camping."
"Poor Muggles," Alicia said. "Imagine having to sleep overnight in the woods without a proper tent."
"Pretty sure magic tents are improper," Katie laughed.
"Speaking of improper," Fred said as he finished tying off one of the ropes, "what's the sleep arrangements in there?"
"One of the rooms has a bunk bed set up and the other has a couple cots. Couch in the sitting room," Oliver said.
"Boys in one and girls in the other with anyone wanting to escape can sleep in the sitting room," Alicia said severely. "There will be no inappropriate behavior on this camping trip."
"You shouldn't have let us come along then," the twins said together.
"I mean the other kind of inappropriate," Alicia snarked.
"Oh that kind," George said, pretending to blush.
"What kind?" Harry asked, opening his eyes wide and pretending to look innocent.
"You know, that kind," Fred said with a scandalized whisper.
Harry gasped. "You don't mean…"
"The kind that gets you into trouble," George said in a sing-song voice.
"The kind that you catch cooties from," Fred said in the same sing-song voice.
Harry held a hand to his brow and pretended to faint, slumping to the ground.
"Ohhh," Angelina groaned, rubbing her temples, "we date these idiots."
"I'm not dating any of you," Fred said indignantly.
"Ohhh," Angelina amended," we date some of these idiots and are friends with this seventh wheel."
"Much better," he smiled.
George began slapping Harry comically. "He's fainted! His English sensibility has been overgasped! We need a medic!"
"He's the medic!" Oliver cried in alarm.
"Oh nooooooo!" the twins screamed in horror.
"We need to dispose of the body!" George yelled.
"To the river like the sailors of old!" Fred shouted.
"Wait!" Katie yelled dramatically. "I am a trainee-Healer! I can bring him back to life!" She jumped on Harry prone form, making him grunt and cough. She took a deep breath and kissed him on the lips, pretending to administer CPR that was entirely incorrect and hilariously inappropriate.
"I'm alive!" Harry exclaimed with glee.
"She's a witch!" the twins cried in horror, pointing at Katie. "She brought him back from the dead!"
"I have been discovered!" Katie screeched. "Come my undead thrall! We must kill them before they reveal my secrets!" She and Harry chased after the twins who screamed shrilly.
"Oliver, make them stop," Alicia said, covering her eyes.
"I'm the great aunt," Oliver chuckled. "Angelina's the dad, get her to stop them."
-0-
After unpacking and getting everything set up, Harry started making dinner. Oliver brought fishing rods but everyone was a little too tired to fish. After a short while, sausages sizzled on the grill over the coals with vegetables grilling beside them. A Dutch oven sat over the flame with American style biscuits baking within and soon the air was filled with their warm bready scent.
Everyone ate heartily, enjoying the food after hiking and setting up their campsite. Fruit wrapped in foil and grilled on the coals was dessert and they sat around the fire chatting and laughing. Butterbeer was opened and Fred poured a shot of firewhiskey into the ones that wanted them. He cleared his throat, smiling mischievously. "Now, who's up for some spooky stories?"
"Like ghost stories?" Harry asked interestedly.
"Nah. I mean, ghosts can tell their own stories," Fred said. "I mean creepy spooky stuff to fit the atmosphere."
"Oh that's what Muggles call them," Harry laughed. "They don't believe in ghosts or at least Magical ghosts."
"Oh then yeah! I'll get us started, here's one George and I know." The twins stalked to the far side of the fire, letting the shadows flicker around them. They used the abilities as consummate showmen and entertainers, using their gifts of making sounds and changing their voices.
"And that was when he realized he could see thestrals the entire time," George intoned at the end.
Katie and Angelina shivered, clutching onto Harry and Alicia glared at the twins. "If I can't sleep tonight because of you two I'm keeping you both awake!"
Oliver laughed and drained his bottle of drink. "I think my goosebumps have goosebumps, good story. Best version I've heard yet!"
Fred scowled. "What gives?" he asked Harry.
"Hmm? No it was a really good story," Harry said.
The twins looked slightly put out. "You just don't look as wigged out," Fred complained.
"Maybe he thinks he can do better," George said with a grin. "How about it Harry? You know any of those Muggle scary stories?"
Harry hummed. "Oh, I think I know a couple actually. I didn't hear them camping but I've heard a few."
"Go on then, show us up," the twins said.
Harry snorted. "It's not a competition, is it?"
"It is now," George said. "Let's see if one of those Muggle stories can stand up to Magical stories."
Harry looked at the rest of the team looking at him expectantly. "Well, okay I can think of one." He cleared his throat. "There's this one about this man called Freddy Kruger."
"Freddy? Who's scared of a bloke called Freddy?" Fred scoffed.
"Most of Hogwarts," Angelina coughed.
"Wary, not afraid of," Alicia sniggered.
"Exactly," Fred sniffed.
Harry laughed. "Well a lot of people were scared of Freddy Kruger. He was a Muggle that had horrible burns all over him, especially his face. He wore an ugly red and green striped jumper and had a glove with knives for fingers. Long wicked ones."
"For what?" Angelina said, her face twisted.
"For killing people. He was a murderer, especially children, and was burned alive. But he somehow came back to life sort of. He could enter people's dreams and kill them in their sleep. And when people died in their dreams, they died in real life."
Everyone blanched at that.
"How, how do you stop something in your dreams?" George asked in a hushed tone.
"And he could change in the dreams too," Harry continued. "He was like a Boggart even, turning into people's fear's and killing them, turning their fear to look just like his burned face before they died."
A loud splash in the river carried over to them, and Katie squeaked, climbing over Harry and sitting on his other side.
"Uh, well, that's…terrifying," Alicia gulped. "Did they stop him?"
"Multiple times but he kept coming back. Would always show up in someone's dreams and just leer at them and wiggle his knife fingers." Harry waved his hand. "Before stabbing them and cutting them apart."
"That…that can't be a real story," Fred said shakily. "I mean, even for a Magical you can't do that sort of thing."
"Maybe he was a someone with their magic bound and dying released his magic," Oliver whispered. "Legilimency let's you look at someone's thoughts."
Alicia smacked him in the shoulder. "Stop trying to make it plausible!" she hissed.
"Oh we shouldn't have to worry about him," Harry said.
"Really?" Angelina asked with barely concealed relief.
"Oh yeah, he stuck around cities and towns. Jason Vorhees is the one you should be worried about."
"W-W-Who's that?" Katie asked, not wanting to know.
"He's another scary bloke. Big, like bigger than Marcus Flint and with more muscles. He wore one of those ice hockey mask things and had a giant knife. Or a sword. What's the thing that you use to clear underbrush?"
"A machete?" Oliver offered, horrified.
"Yeah that! He lurked around forests and camps in the forest. He waited for people to be alone and would hack them apart with the machete. Anyone he found. Or throw them through doors or things or drown them in the water. The creepiest thing is that he never made a sound. Ever. People would hit him with things or shoot him but he would just keep coming. Always watching with empty eyes before he caught up to them and cut them apart."
A log in the fire cracked, sending a spray of sparks into the air and the girls and the twins yelled and shrieked, falling back and eyes looking around wildly. A distant splash made them all look towards the river. The fire made the shadows dance and branches became claws of knives, of long machetes.
"L-L-Let's move it inside," Alicia whimpered, one arm clutching Angelina and the other on Oliver.
"H-H-Harry," Katie said shakily, her teeth chattering, "c-c-cast all the defensive spells you know around the tent please."
"No problem!" Harry rose and started casting all the protective spells he knew while the others fled into the tent. He extinguished the fire with a wave of his wand, before entering the tent himself. As soon as he did, Oliver closed the flap and engaged the ward scheme. After some light delusory conversation, they went to bed, or at least attempted to.
-0-
"Stupefy!"
"Watch it!" Oliver hissed, ducking under the stunner. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you two?"
George and Fred glared at Oliver, pointing their wands at him. "What's wrong with us?" George asked. "What's wrong with you?! Why are you sneaking in our room! I thought you were sleeping in the living room next to Harry!"
"I decided I wanted a more secure location," Oliver said heatedly.
"Next time give a whisper or something," Fred hissed.
"I didn't think one of you were still awake."
"After those two stories?! We were trying to take turns keeping watch but I'll be buggered if I get any sleep." George rubbed his eyes. "Bloody hell."
"You left Harry alone out there?" Fred asked indignantly.
"He's sleeping like he hasn't a care in the world!" Oliver said. "I don't know how to be honest. Look it'll be fine. We have the wards up and the door is shut and well, he knows about them so he knows how to deal with them. And we'll run out wands shooting if we hear him scream or something."
"Besides, Freddy and Jason are only Muggles right?" Fred asked uneasily.
"I don't know any Muggles that can go into people's dreams," George said just as uneasily.
"Let's just try to not dream then," Oliver sighed.
-0-
Katie screamed as she felt something touch her. She belabored the would-be assailant with her pillow, scrabbling for her wand.
"Ow! Katie stoppit!" Angelina growled, wincing as Katie hit her hard in the eye.
"Don't scare me like that!" Katie snarled.
"I didn't know you were still awake! Move over." Angelina pushed her way into Katie's bed.
"Don't leave me by myself you cowards!" Alicia crawled into bed with them, squeezing between Angelina and Katie. She practically pulled them over her, trembling. "We should just apparate out of here. Get to somewhere with plenty of lights and preferably a bunch of wards and a dragon."
Katie snuggled closer to the other two girls. "We'll be okay," she said unconvincingly. "Harry cast a lot of protection spells."
"We're also in the room farthest to the back," Alicia said, her voice muffled. "Anything that comes after us will have to go through the boys first."
"How are Muggles scarier than Magicals?" Angelina moaned. "Bloody insane bastards with knife hands and machetes and dream killing and forest stalking-"
The girls squealed at a loud noise from the room next door, unaware of Oliver trying to sneak into Fred and George's room.
"I hate Oliver so much right now," Alicia groaned. "'Let's go camping' he said, 'it'll be fun' he said, 'if you go camping with us, I'll do that thing you like' he said!"
"I want to know why does Rabbit know such creepy things!"
"Me too and in the morning I'm erasing those memories one way or another," Katie vowed.
-0-
Harry woke after a restful night of sleep. The couch was very comfy and he enjoyed the silence for a moment before realizing that Oliver had disappeared. Wandering about the tent, he saw that the girls were sleeping all squeezed into a tiny cot, a tangle of limps and forms. The twins and Oliver all dozed in a seated position, wands dangling from their hands.
Harry blinked then shrugged, unaware that he was the culprit of their current positions. He decided he would have a nice breakfast waiting for them. Walking out of the tent he stoked the fire back up. He soon had more American biscuits baking, having liked the taste and texture the night before. He cut onions and potatoes up to make a hash, mixing in some tinned corned beef. In a separate pan he had bacon frying up, leaving them on the far side of the grill to keep warm as he started frying eggs in the drippings. Two kettles began to sing, hanging over the side of the fire and he set a percolator full of coffee to steep while preparing some breakfast tea.
He smiled at the opening of the tent flap. "Good morn-" his smile faded when he saw the looks of the girls when they came rushing out into the sunlight. "Is everything okay?!"
Alicia made a beeline for him and started smacking him in the shoulder. "You!" she thundered. "You and your bloody Muggle scary stories! You prat! You monster! What is the matter with you?!"
He yelped, trying to flee from her. "I was asked to tell stories! Scary ones!"
"Don't listen to the twins!" Alicia scolded shrilly. "Never listen to them! Always check with us first!"
"Okay okay you made your point," Angelina said tiredly, pulling Alicia off and dropping her into a camp chair. "Where are the other three?"
"Sleeping still I think in their room," Harry said, rubbing his shoulder.
"Oliver left you alone?!" Katie asked angrily.
"I didn't even know it until I woke up. It's fine, we're safe out here. Nothing tripped any of the wards or protection spells I set up." He started pouring cups of tea and coffee, missing the look of relief from the girls. "I decided to get breakfast ready."
"Feed me now before I bite you," Alicia snarled as she took a cup of tea.
"Harry, where in the hell did you learn those stories?" Katie asked as she gratefully guzzled the steaming hot coffee.
"The Dursleys used to tell me," Harry said simply. He still felt a twinge of pain deep inside his chest when he thought of them, which thankfully was very rare. "Dudley used to tell me that he wished they would take me camping so he could leave me for Jason. Vernon used to say he thought it was a shame that we weren't in the States where Freddy was so he could do away with me."
Angelina growled dangerously. "I'm going to find them and leave them for Jason and Freddy. Bloody bastards."
Harry smiled softly as he dished food into plates. "Let's not ruin our trip by thinking about them. I regret mention-OW!"
Alicia grabbed Harry's arm and bit it. "Food now!"
"Okay! Yikes!" Harry exclaimed as he handed her a plate of bacon, eggs, biscuits, and hash. He watched astonished as she gobbled it down. "What happened to you last night?!"
"We barely slept. I think we fell asleep right before dawn," Angelina said as she took her plate. "We might be a bit cranky."
"Because of my stories?" Harry asked meekly. "I'm sorry."
Katie took her plate and started to eat ravenously too. "Why weren't you as bothered?"
"Oh when I first heard the stories I was. Scared pretty badly."
Angelina's eyes narrowed. "When did they tell you those stories?"
"When I was six or seven maybe? For a while they said if I cried out loud then Freddy would come for me. Didn't make much noise for a while. Guess with everything I've been through since…" he shrugged.
Katie made him sit down and she sat on his lap, snuggling into him as she continued to eat. "One day you're going to tell us where they live and we're going to go do something," she swore. "Telling a little child such horrific things." She sighed softly as she felt his arms go around her waist.
Angelina tore her bacon to bits, gnawing on it with a very feral expression.
Harry chuckled. "I better make more if the others are going to be as hungry." Katie let him up reluctantly but walked around with him, pressing against him when she could.
Eventually the twins and Oliver stumbled out and they made inarticulate sounds as Harry plied them with food and caffeine. They too ate madly, energy severely depleted without sleep to replenish them. After they all ate, the six older people passed out in the warmth and sunlight, finally sleeping peacefully.
Harry moved the branches of the trees around a little with his wand, manipulating them gently. The twins were slumped against a tree with Angelina cuddled up against George, the three of them in the newly created ample shade. Alicia laid half in shade and half in sun, slumped over Oliver's legs. Harry made Katie comfortable in a pool of sunlight. He sat beside her and started looking at his camping book, holding a fishing rod. Soon he was sitting back by the river with the line bobbing in the water. Katie had reached out in her sleep and he held her hand as she slumbered.
-0-
Katie woke slowly, feeling pleasantly warm and much more relaxed. For a second she thought the person cuddled behind her was Harry but then realized Harry was sitting in front of her, fishing. She twisted and saw Alicia lying against her, drooling in her sleep. She blinked and turned back, smiling as she watched Oliver standing beside Harry, fishing as well. Her hand was in Harry's lap, holding on his shirt.
She pulled herself to him, Alicia being dragged along. Harry felt her tug on his clothes and smiled, helping her over until she rested in his lap. "Look!" he said happily. He held up a line and two trout flopped from the bucket beside him. "I caught fish!"
Katie giggled, delighted by his happy tone and look of pride. "Well done," she praised sleepily. "Are you enjoying fishing?"
"It's relaxing," he said. "I managed to catch the one then Captain woke up and taught me how to fish better."
"Is that why Alicia's on me?" Katie asked.
Oliver grinned. "She was fussing in her sleep so I figured you'd be her snuggle buddy."
"I don't mind," Katie yawned. "Even if she's drooling on me."
"I'm not drooling on you," Alicia muttered, waking up. "Also I'll remember this Oliver, abandoning me so you can play with your rod."
Harry and Katie laughed as Oliver shook his head. "I'm catching dinner!"
"Likely story." Alicia burrowed into Katie's back. "You're comfy," she said.
"Aww thanks," Katie said. "I don't mind if you drool on me."
"I don't drool on people!"
"Yes you do," Oliver said with a smile.
Alicia huffed. "Bollocks to both of you! I'm going to snuggle someone that deserves it!" She crawled over a protesting Katie and latched onto Harry. "Go away," she said to an annoyed rumpled Katie, "my baby bird!"
"Hey!" Katie poked Alicia in the side. "Get off!"
"You're such a ladies' man, Sir Harry," Oliver laughed.
"It's good to be wanted," Harry agreed with a smile, struggling to stay upright between Alicia and Katie pushing and shoving each other while holding onto him.
-0-
That night, after a dinner of salad and pan-fried trout, the rested around the fire. No one wished to repeat last night's terrible mistake, instead they played cards and laughed over old jokes and pleasant reminiscing.
"You know, this is a lot of fun," Katie said as she held Harry from behind. "I didn't think it would be but it's nice."
"See? I have good ideas that aren't Quidditch related," Oliver laughed.
"We should turn this into a yearly thing," George said enthusiastically.
"Just us or with others?" Fred asked.
"I'm cool with either," Angelina said. "We should do a thing with just us every year at least though, even if it's a day to just chill together. Of course, when you get someone, they can come along," she said magnanimously to Fred.
"Don't you mean if?" Alicia snarked with a broad smile.
"Ouch my feelings," Fred sniffed to their laughter. "It's cruel to mock the relationshiply challenged when you are in one."
"How many birds are you seeing now?" George asked, eyes narrowed.
"A gentleman never tells tales," Fred said with a scandalized tone. He noticed Harry counting on his fingers, mouth moving silently with names. "Harry!" he hissed, face as red as his hair.
"You tell Harry?!" Oliver laughed.
"Out of all of you, he's least likely to judge and most likely to be impressed!"
"Don't give him ideas," Angelina said severely and smacked Fred in the head.
Harry smiled and snuggled back against Katie. "Wouldn't dream of it, I'm very happy with my one Katie." His smile grew as she kissed his face messily.
Later that night after they went to bed, Harry startled awake, feeling someone touch him. "Sorry!" Katie whispered as she crawled over him on the couch, snuggling between him and the back of it. "Didn't mean to wake you."
He smiled, wriggling to let her fill the space between and cuddling close. "I don't mind for this. I thought we weren't supposed to do this though."
"Alicia can bunk it," Katie sniffed. "Oliver is in the twins' room and she and Angelina are fine in the other room. I want to sleep with my Harry." She cooed happily as she pressed her face into his neck, feeling his arms slip around her. "Goodnight," she murmured softly.
Harry hugged her tight and felt her go limp against him, liking the way she felt in his arms. He decided he liked camping a lot but next time, he will get a tent just for him and Katie.