Elisabeth sat at the dinner table, the novelty of seeing the niflers
in the gold mines still running strong.
"I can't believe we have to go back to schol tomorrow!" Apacia wailed.
"I know, summer's gone by so fast." Anna lamented.
Ron shook his head and glnced at Harry. "Remember how we used to complain bitterly about having to go to school?"
Harry smiled, "Yeah, but we always wanted to go back."
"You were the only ones." Lavender said.
"Excuse me?" Hermione said. "I believe it wa you who showed up at Kings Cross an hour before the train left in seventh year."
"My dad had to get to work early." Lavender mumbled, blushing.
Harry glanced across the table at Ginny. They had agreed to take things slowly until Elisabeth got used to the idea of Ginny.
"Ow! Christ!" Draco pulled his sleeve back and looked at the tatoo on his arm. It was bright, deep red.
"What is it?" Lavender asked nervously.
"Somebody's out of Azkaban." Draco said softly. "And they have a wand."
"Oh not again!" Ron exclaimed.
"This happens often?" Harry asked.
"Only once before, but last time they didn't get a wand." He turned to Mr Weasley, all business. "Minister, permision to apprehend and arrest?"
"Granted." Mr Weasley replied, pulling a piece of parchment out of his pocket and scrawling something on it. "I'll write you up a grant while you're away."
"Dad! How long are you going to be?"
Draco glanced at the mark on his arm. "Not long sweetie, whoever it is isn't very strong." He kissed his daughter on the forehead and apparated to whoever cast the mark.
They sat, picking at their food and making forced conversation for about half an hour until Draco returned.
"Who was it?" Mr Weasley asked anxiously.
"MacNair. It didn't take to long. He's completely insane."
"Robert MacNair? He should know not to interrupt during dinner." Mrs Weasley said crossly.
"Yes dear, I know," Mr Weasley said, patting his wife's arm fondly, "but these people's minds work in funny ways."
"Still."
"Did anyone else show up?"
Draco shook his head. "I'm the only one with enough rope to be able to be caught with another death-eater." He clapped his hands together and looked at the children. "You kiddies should get off to bed! School tomorrow."
"Shut up." They groaned.
"None of that, it really is getting late."
"Mum! Come on! It's only ten thirty!"
"So?" Hermione asked severly.
They grumbled but got up to go to bed.
"Okay you guys, auntie Hermione and I have to leave early in the morning so we probably won't see you until you get to the school." Neville said, kissing his children good-night.
They said their good-nights and drifted up to bed.
After they had changed into their pajamas Anna joined Moira and Elisabeth in their room.
"Are you guys excited?" Elisabeth asked.
"You better believe it. And nervous! Oh my god am I ever nervous!" Anna replied.
"You gys have it easy." Elisabeth said. "You both have a parent who works there."
"We do not!" Anna said. "We aren't allowed to call them Mum or Uncle Neville, we have to call them Professor Granger and Professor Longbottom."
"We can't visit them in their offices unless we have detention or questions about an assignment and if they want to give us "parently advice" they have to owl it to us."
"But you still get to see them every day."
"That can be more a burden than a blessing. Myra Chan's mum is the divination teacher and Myra got caught kissing Cedric Chang and Mrs Chan gave them both detentions for two months and called in Cedrics mum."
"At least she didn't call in his dad." Moira giggled into her hands.
"Ahh! That would have been horrid!"
"Apparently Mrs Chang married Mr Svightswiler just so she could have a kid and name it Cedric." She giggled again.
"Poor kid."
"You're telling me." Anna said.
Draco knocked on the door and came in. "What are you girls still doing awake?"
"What are you going to do that requires us to be asleep?"
"I'm going to kidnap you and sacrifice you to the Dementors."
"No, seriously." Elisabeth said.
"I'm going to kidnap your father and take him to a gay bar."
"You don't need to kidnap him for that, I'm quite sure he'd come if you asked him. So long as you're willing to take your shirt off."
"You think so?" Draco asked, looking at his stomach. "I haven't been working out lately, I'm a bit out of shape."
"Aw, I'm sorry, you know what a superficial person my dad is, you'l have to try harder than that."
"Damn, here I was getting all excited."
"And here I thought that was your wand in your pocket." Harry said, leaning against the door frame.
Draco turned and grinned at him. "Don't tell my wife."
"Oh don't worry, even if you did have a wife I wouldn't tell her. I'd like to keep things the way they are."
"You rogue!"
"Dad! Please!"
"Sorry darling. Now why aren't you asleep?"
"Because you two are standing here trying to beat each other in weirdness."
"If you think we're weird wait till you meet Snape." Draco said.
"So if we leave will you guys go to sleep?"
"Probably not." Anna said.
"Didn't figure. Well, try to keep it down will you?"
"Sure thing dad."
Harry nodded and he and Draco walked out, talking.
"William is sitting in his room, repeating Gryffindor over and over again. I hope he gets but into Hufflepuff, just out of spite."
"Now why, Anna Elaine Granger, do you wish such malice upon your brother?"
"Because he's my brother. Need I say more?"
"Nope, guess not."
"Hey, do you think your dad and auntie Ginny will get married?" Anna asked suddenly.
"I hope not."
"How come? That would be cool, we'd be like, cousins."
"But it would be kind of-unnatural." Elisabeth struggled to find a word to describe her discomfort.
"Oh, right.that. I don't know Lis, people change. Your dad never used to like auntie Ginny but I guess he does now. Auntie changed, once she was living with grandma and grandad again. Things change."
Elisabeth nodded and changed the subject back to school. That, at least, was something they could all agree on.
"I can't believe we have to go back to schol tomorrow!" Apacia wailed.
"I know, summer's gone by so fast." Anna lamented.
Ron shook his head and glnced at Harry. "Remember how we used to complain bitterly about having to go to school?"
Harry smiled, "Yeah, but we always wanted to go back."
"You were the only ones." Lavender said.
"Excuse me?" Hermione said. "I believe it wa you who showed up at Kings Cross an hour before the train left in seventh year."
"My dad had to get to work early." Lavender mumbled, blushing.
Harry glanced across the table at Ginny. They had agreed to take things slowly until Elisabeth got used to the idea of Ginny.
"Ow! Christ!" Draco pulled his sleeve back and looked at the tatoo on his arm. It was bright, deep red.
"What is it?" Lavender asked nervously.
"Somebody's out of Azkaban." Draco said softly. "And they have a wand."
"Oh not again!" Ron exclaimed.
"This happens often?" Harry asked.
"Only once before, but last time they didn't get a wand." He turned to Mr Weasley, all business. "Minister, permision to apprehend and arrest?"
"Granted." Mr Weasley replied, pulling a piece of parchment out of his pocket and scrawling something on it. "I'll write you up a grant while you're away."
"Dad! How long are you going to be?"
Draco glanced at the mark on his arm. "Not long sweetie, whoever it is isn't very strong." He kissed his daughter on the forehead and apparated to whoever cast the mark.
They sat, picking at their food and making forced conversation for about half an hour until Draco returned.
"Who was it?" Mr Weasley asked anxiously.
"MacNair. It didn't take to long. He's completely insane."
"Robert MacNair? He should know not to interrupt during dinner." Mrs Weasley said crossly.
"Yes dear, I know," Mr Weasley said, patting his wife's arm fondly, "but these people's minds work in funny ways."
"Still."
"Did anyone else show up?"
Draco shook his head. "I'm the only one with enough rope to be able to be caught with another death-eater." He clapped his hands together and looked at the children. "You kiddies should get off to bed! School tomorrow."
"Shut up." They groaned.
"None of that, it really is getting late."
"Mum! Come on! It's only ten thirty!"
"So?" Hermione asked severly.
They grumbled but got up to go to bed.
"Okay you guys, auntie Hermione and I have to leave early in the morning so we probably won't see you until you get to the school." Neville said, kissing his children good-night.
They said their good-nights and drifted up to bed.
After they had changed into their pajamas Anna joined Moira and Elisabeth in their room.
"Are you guys excited?" Elisabeth asked.
"You better believe it. And nervous! Oh my god am I ever nervous!" Anna replied.
"You gys have it easy." Elisabeth said. "You both have a parent who works there."
"We do not!" Anna said. "We aren't allowed to call them Mum or Uncle Neville, we have to call them Professor Granger and Professor Longbottom."
"We can't visit them in their offices unless we have detention or questions about an assignment and if they want to give us "parently advice" they have to owl it to us."
"But you still get to see them every day."
"That can be more a burden than a blessing. Myra Chan's mum is the divination teacher and Myra got caught kissing Cedric Chang and Mrs Chan gave them both detentions for two months and called in Cedrics mum."
"At least she didn't call in his dad." Moira giggled into her hands.
"Ahh! That would have been horrid!"
"Apparently Mrs Chang married Mr Svightswiler just so she could have a kid and name it Cedric." She giggled again.
"Poor kid."
"You're telling me." Anna said.
Draco knocked on the door and came in. "What are you girls still doing awake?"
"What are you going to do that requires us to be asleep?"
"I'm going to kidnap you and sacrifice you to the Dementors."
"No, seriously." Elisabeth said.
"I'm going to kidnap your father and take him to a gay bar."
"You don't need to kidnap him for that, I'm quite sure he'd come if you asked him. So long as you're willing to take your shirt off."
"You think so?" Draco asked, looking at his stomach. "I haven't been working out lately, I'm a bit out of shape."
"Aw, I'm sorry, you know what a superficial person my dad is, you'l have to try harder than that."
"Damn, here I was getting all excited."
"And here I thought that was your wand in your pocket." Harry said, leaning against the door frame.
Draco turned and grinned at him. "Don't tell my wife."
"Oh don't worry, even if you did have a wife I wouldn't tell her. I'd like to keep things the way they are."
"You rogue!"
"Dad! Please!"
"Sorry darling. Now why aren't you asleep?"
"Because you two are standing here trying to beat each other in weirdness."
"If you think we're weird wait till you meet Snape." Draco said.
"So if we leave will you guys go to sleep?"
"Probably not." Anna said.
"Didn't figure. Well, try to keep it down will you?"
"Sure thing dad."
Harry nodded and he and Draco walked out, talking.
"William is sitting in his room, repeating Gryffindor over and over again. I hope he gets but into Hufflepuff, just out of spite."
"Now why, Anna Elaine Granger, do you wish such malice upon your brother?"
"Because he's my brother. Need I say more?"
"Nope, guess not."
"Hey, do you think your dad and auntie Ginny will get married?" Anna asked suddenly.
"I hope not."
"How come? That would be cool, we'd be like, cousins."
"But it would be kind of-unnatural." Elisabeth struggled to find a word to describe her discomfort.
"Oh, right.that. I don't know Lis, people change. Your dad never used to like auntie Ginny but I guess he does now. Auntie changed, once she was living with grandma and grandad again. Things change."
Elisabeth nodded and changed the subject back to school. That, at least, was something they could all agree on.