"Outnumbered"
Day 2
Friday-noon
Harry put on a determined face as he walked up the stairs to where the six of his daughters resided. The third floor was for the girls only, Harry and Hermione occupied the second floor, while the first floor was a buffer zone between the generations. It was on rare occasion that he went to the top level of his home, for he only went up to talk to his girls, or get something from them. He walked around the light blue corridor when he noticed one of the doors was cracked open. It was Sonia's room. He decided to talk to her and catch up on father to daughter stuff.
He knocked twice.
No response. So he knocked again.
"Soni, are you in there, love?"
No response. Harry opened the door a little. She was there, reading, as usual, sitting on her bed with her nose buried in her book. Harry cleared his throat to tell her that he was there and wanted to come in.
"Soni, er... Soni, I was wondering if you wanted to talk, just like old times?" Harry asked. When he continued to hear nothing but silence, he said it a little louder.
"OY, SONIA! HAVE YOU GONE DEAF!?"
"DAD! Please. I am really trying to read this and you are bothering me!"
"But, I just wanted to talk to you."
"Be a normal father for once and encourage me to study!" With that, she pushed Harry out of her room and slammed the door. 'Wonder where she got that from'. Harry thought to himself sarcastically.
He continued to walk down the hall until he saw another door totally opened.
He decided to try his luck again. He knocked on the door.
"Yes?"
"Hello, Candace. Thought we could spend some quality time together."
"Oh, hi Dad. Sure." She jumped on her bed and sat cross-legged in the middle while Harry on the edge.
"So, how are things going in school? Third year. That was one of my favorites."
"How so?"
"It was when I met my Godfather. Uncle Sirius."
"Oh yeah, I remember. Dad, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, love."
"Why don't I have boobs?"
"Errr..."
"I mean, Corliss has them and she is only two years older than me. All the girls in my year have them and I will just DIE if I don't have them soon!"
"Err..."
"There is this boy in my house, Marlo Finnigan, and I will just DIE if I don't marry him. I know that all guys like boobs and I don't have any! I am THIRTEEN Dad, and I have NOTHING!"
Harry had had enough.
"Err... Why don't we continue this later, like when your mother gets back." Harry walked out of the room as fast as possible and almost ran down the stairs. No more talks with Candace, that was for sure. If Seamus' boy went anywhere near his daughter, that man would get it.
The afternoon wasn't going very well, so he decided that he should take a walk around the yard, to clear his head of thoughts concerning his daughter and Finnigan. He pulled his favorite wool jumper on, wrapped a scarf around his neck and walked out the door. The air was cold and crisp, an excellent December day.
"Hey Dad." Came a voice above him. Corliss was hovering a couple inches above his head on her new StarBrush5500. He smiled at his daughter as she flew ahead quickly.
"Feel like getting your rusty bones on one of these things and teaching me the Wronski Feint as you have promised ages ago?" She said looking as innocent as possible. Harry grinned at her and pulled out his wand.
"Accio Firebolt." His trusty old Firebolt came whizzing around the corner and right into his out-stretched hand.
"Why do you still use that splinter of wood?" She asked as he mounted and kicked off the ground.
"This broom and I have a history together." Harry simply stated.
For the next forty minutes, Harry taught his daughter the technique that had won him so many games in the past. Corliss caught on to the meneuver and perfected it quite rapidly.
"Ready for some one on one?" Corliss asked, holding a snitch out to him. Harry looked at his daughter and grinned. "I'll show you what these rusty old bones can do."
With that, Corliss released the snitch and it went zooming off. Harry and Corliss stared each other down, slowly counting from ten.
"three... two... one." The both sped off in the opposite direction, seeker against seeker, hunting down the snitch. Harry saw his daughter speeding around the trees and heading towards the small forest. He followed her and sped up to her speed. The two strained their eyes, darting back and forth in search of the tiny golden ball.
There it was. Harry saw it. Corliss saw it too. They both sped after it, side by side. Harry pulled out of the chase and dove down as fast as possible, but Corliss was still going strait. He wondered what she was doing, the snitch was right under her. Then, to his horror, he saw what she was doing.
She quickly flung herself so she was flying the broom upside down. Her legs were wrapped around the broomstick and she was only clinging on with one hand. Her other was stretched out to grab the snitch. Harry had never seen a move like that and was proud that his daughter showed no fear. But then the paternal side of Harry kicked in and noticed that she was handing on to a broom with one hand forty feet in the air. Harry almost choked on his fear and flew up to help her.
"Corliss! Get back on your broom!" He yelled.
Corliss continued to reach for the snitch and finally wrapped her cold fingers around the small golden ball. But when she did, she lost all gripping of her broom and fell forty feet from the ground. Harry raced after to try and break her fall, but he was a little late. He heard a 'thud' and then a 'snap'. He was petrified on the spot. What had happened?
Harry flew his broom down and ran to where Corliss had landed. He knelt beside her and checked to see if she was alright.
"DAD! CORLISS! Oh my goodness!" It was Asenath. She came running from the house with Sonia behind her.
"Is she alright?" Asenath asked, concern written all over her face.
Harry lightly tapped the motionless girl's face to try and wake her up.
"Hold on! I have a book on medicine!" Sonia ran as fast as she could back into the house.
In the mean time, Corliss fluttered her eyes open and stared at the faces of her father and sister.
"Wicked move, eh Dad? I think I'll call it 'The Corlissanator'." She sighed. Harry looked at her in shock.
"Anything hurt?"
"Just my arm."
Harry looked down at her right arm and didn't even have to pick up her sleeve to know that it was broken, the funny angle at which it was resting gave it away.
"ewww." Groaned Asenath.
"That bad? Let me see." Corliss tried to lift her head, but screamed with pain at the effort.
"Calm down, we'll get you in the house." Harry picked her up and carried her inside where he laid her on the sofa.
Sonia came down with her book and wand, ready to perform a bone-mending spell.
After an hour, Corliss' bone was back to normal and hanging loosely in a sling. Harry moved some black hair from her face and smiled at her, but then remembered that he was angry, so he frowned.
"Don't EVER do that again, do you understand me? You could have killed yourself!"
"I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done. Mr. Wood tells us hundreds of stories about you every chance he has. Don't deny it, Dad. You were more reckless than I am." She pouted for a little bit until Harry agreed with her.
"Have I ever told you about why I love that old splinter so much?" Harry asked her.
She shook her head and looked interested in what he had to say.
"Well, when I was in my fourth year, it was the year of the Triwizard Tournament..."
Finally, Harry was able to bond with one of his daughters and get to know her a little more than before. She, in return, learned some things about her rusty-boned father. Harry smiled to himself as he continued to clean the kitchen, later that day. Things were starting to look up for him.
Day 2
Friday-noon
Harry put on a determined face as he walked up the stairs to where the six of his daughters resided. The third floor was for the girls only, Harry and Hermione occupied the second floor, while the first floor was a buffer zone between the generations. It was on rare occasion that he went to the top level of his home, for he only went up to talk to his girls, or get something from them. He walked around the light blue corridor when he noticed one of the doors was cracked open. It was Sonia's room. He decided to talk to her and catch up on father to daughter stuff.
He knocked twice.
No response. So he knocked again.
"Soni, are you in there, love?"
No response. Harry opened the door a little. She was there, reading, as usual, sitting on her bed with her nose buried in her book. Harry cleared his throat to tell her that he was there and wanted to come in.
"Soni, er... Soni, I was wondering if you wanted to talk, just like old times?" Harry asked. When he continued to hear nothing but silence, he said it a little louder.
"OY, SONIA! HAVE YOU GONE DEAF!?"
"DAD! Please. I am really trying to read this and you are bothering me!"
"But, I just wanted to talk to you."
"Be a normal father for once and encourage me to study!" With that, she pushed Harry out of her room and slammed the door. 'Wonder where she got that from'. Harry thought to himself sarcastically.
He continued to walk down the hall until he saw another door totally opened.
He decided to try his luck again. He knocked on the door.
"Yes?"
"Hello, Candace. Thought we could spend some quality time together."
"Oh, hi Dad. Sure." She jumped on her bed and sat cross-legged in the middle while Harry on the edge.
"So, how are things going in school? Third year. That was one of my favorites."
"How so?"
"It was when I met my Godfather. Uncle Sirius."
"Oh yeah, I remember. Dad, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, love."
"Why don't I have boobs?"
"Errr..."
"I mean, Corliss has them and she is only two years older than me. All the girls in my year have them and I will just DIE if I don't have them soon!"
"Err..."
"There is this boy in my house, Marlo Finnigan, and I will just DIE if I don't marry him. I know that all guys like boobs and I don't have any! I am THIRTEEN Dad, and I have NOTHING!"
Harry had had enough.
"Err... Why don't we continue this later, like when your mother gets back." Harry walked out of the room as fast as possible and almost ran down the stairs. No more talks with Candace, that was for sure. If Seamus' boy went anywhere near his daughter, that man would get it.
The afternoon wasn't going very well, so he decided that he should take a walk around the yard, to clear his head of thoughts concerning his daughter and Finnigan. He pulled his favorite wool jumper on, wrapped a scarf around his neck and walked out the door. The air was cold and crisp, an excellent December day.
"Hey Dad." Came a voice above him. Corliss was hovering a couple inches above his head on her new StarBrush5500. He smiled at his daughter as she flew ahead quickly.
"Feel like getting your rusty bones on one of these things and teaching me the Wronski Feint as you have promised ages ago?" She said looking as innocent as possible. Harry grinned at her and pulled out his wand.
"Accio Firebolt." His trusty old Firebolt came whizzing around the corner and right into his out-stretched hand.
"Why do you still use that splinter of wood?" She asked as he mounted and kicked off the ground.
"This broom and I have a history together." Harry simply stated.
For the next forty minutes, Harry taught his daughter the technique that had won him so many games in the past. Corliss caught on to the meneuver and perfected it quite rapidly.
"Ready for some one on one?" Corliss asked, holding a snitch out to him. Harry looked at his daughter and grinned. "I'll show you what these rusty old bones can do."
With that, Corliss released the snitch and it went zooming off. Harry and Corliss stared each other down, slowly counting from ten.
"three... two... one." The both sped off in the opposite direction, seeker against seeker, hunting down the snitch. Harry saw his daughter speeding around the trees and heading towards the small forest. He followed her and sped up to her speed. The two strained their eyes, darting back and forth in search of the tiny golden ball.
There it was. Harry saw it. Corliss saw it too. They both sped after it, side by side. Harry pulled out of the chase and dove down as fast as possible, but Corliss was still going strait. He wondered what she was doing, the snitch was right under her. Then, to his horror, he saw what she was doing.
She quickly flung herself so she was flying the broom upside down. Her legs were wrapped around the broomstick and she was only clinging on with one hand. Her other was stretched out to grab the snitch. Harry had never seen a move like that and was proud that his daughter showed no fear. But then the paternal side of Harry kicked in and noticed that she was handing on to a broom with one hand forty feet in the air. Harry almost choked on his fear and flew up to help her.
"Corliss! Get back on your broom!" He yelled.
Corliss continued to reach for the snitch and finally wrapped her cold fingers around the small golden ball. But when she did, she lost all gripping of her broom and fell forty feet from the ground. Harry raced after to try and break her fall, but he was a little late. He heard a 'thud' and then a 'snap'. He was petrified on the spot. What had happened?
Harry flew his broom down and ran to where Corliss had landed. He knelt beside her and checked to see if she was alright.
"DAD! CORLISS! Oh my goodness!" It was Asenath. She came running from the house with Sonia behind her.
"Is she alright?" Asenath asked, concern written all over her face.
Harry lightly tapped the motionless girl's face to try and wake her up.
"Hold on! I have a book on medicine!" Sonia ran as fast as she could back into the house.
In the mean time, Corliss fluttered her eyes open and stared at the faces of her father and sister.
"Wicked move, eh Dad? I think I'll call it 'The Corlissanator'." She sighed. Harry looked at her in shock.
"Anything hurt?"
"Just my arm."
Harry looked down at her right arm and didn't even have to pick up her sleeve to know that it was broken, the funny angle at which it was resting gave it away.
"ewww." Groaned Asenath.
"That bad? Let me see." Corliss tried to lift her head, but screamed with pain at the effort.
"Calm down, we'll get you in the house." Harry picked her up and carried her inside where he laid her on the sofa.
Sonia came down with her book and wand, ready to perform a bone-mending spell.
After an hour, Corliss' bone was back to normal and hanging loosely in a sling. Harry moved some black hair from her face and smiled at her, but then remembered that he was angry, so he frowned.
"Don't EVER do that again, do you understand me? You could have killed yourself!"
"I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done. Mr. Wood tells us hundreds of stories about you every chance he has. Don't deny it, Dad. You were more reckless than I am." She pouted for a little bit until Harry agreed with her.
"Have I ever told you about why I love that old splinter so much?" Harry asked her.
She shook her head and looked interested in what he had to say.
"Well, when I was in my fourth year, it was the year of the Triwizard Tournament..."
Finally, Harry was able to bond with one of his daughters and get to know her a little more than before. She, in return, learned some things about her rusty-boned father. Harry smiled to himself as he continued to clean the kitchen, later that day. Things were starting to look up for him.