Disclaimer: I love, like, adore, enjoy, am a fan of, obsessed with, incredibly amazed with, am delighted with and craving for more Harry Potter, but none of it belongs to me. It's all from the wonderfully-equipped imagination of J.K. Rowling.
A/N: Terribly sorry about all the delayed updates again, I have recently gotten addicted to some teenage-chaptered fics, and I have been destroying both my eyes and finger mobility for typing in the rest of my own fic. My apologies also if the fic is starting to sound childishly shallow as well, as it isn't as easy to place characterizations and emotions to babies who are still less than capable of understanding that much. =^) By the way, I just noticed that the babies' mispronunciation of words makes the fic look a little sloppy, but please don't mistake them for grammatical errors. I just thought that having them pronounce everything perfectly would make this less believable than it already is. =P
It's All in the Diapers
+_+_+_Chapter Five_+_+_+
-------
Ron's tears stung, but he struggled to peer through them, anyway. He could recognize that voice a mile away.
"Mama!" he cried gleefully, feeling a long wave of relief wash over him like one of his cottony baby jackets. He held his arms up for his mother to reach, now feeling deaf to the other babies' cries surrounding him. The whole adventure was over now, and he could get back to his little Weasley crib and suck on his prized bottle of milk. There would be no more scary grown-ups, eight-legged creatures, or any more fussing over that coffee….
…or so he thought.
"Ronald, dear, what in Hengist's name are you doing here? Who are all these babies?", she interrogated all at once, carrying Ron into her arms. The two boys were standing behind her, looking at all of them in confusion. "Goodness, me, that muggle nursery should keep a closer watch!"
The first boy, whose age hovered around ten, pointed at the only bald baby of the group. "Look, Mum! He's got a wand!" Blue-eyed and auburn-haired just like Ron, he looked rather tanned with his face practically made up of tiny freckles. "How come I can't get mine yet?"
Mrs. Weasley waved her free hand at him. "You'll get yours next year Char--- oh, dear heavens! A wand! So that's why they got lost! What irresponsible parents… if that child's got a wand… now, Charlie, you be good and help your brother gather up the babies. We're going home in a while."
Soon after, the three older Weasleys had a baby each in their arms (with the exception of Mrs. Weasley, whose hands had the capacity to carry both Ron and Draco). Mrs. Weasley had placed lightening charms on Harry and Hermione, so her two older sons could manage to carry them as well. Privately pondering on the cause of their current fate, Mrs. Weasley led everyone to the nearest shop, which happened to be a particular pet store of owls carrying the name "Eeylops Owl Emporium".
A bronze-haired man in his mid-50s peered through his horn-rimmed spectacles as the lot entered the place. "Good morning, madam,"—he looked curiously at the children surrounding her---"purchasing early owls for the brood?"
"Oh, not today, I shall think," Mrs. Weasley replied, waving off her sons' pleads to get one for each of them. "I just found my son and these babies outside a while ago, and I was thinking if I could borrow a transfigured cage for a bit of convenience for these babies?"
The shopkeeper nodded curtly. "Certainly, madam. That will cost a meager five knuts for the rent, and I presume all shall be returned before"—he was now flicking a wand at several numbers in the air—"…Wednesday next week?"
"Of course."
Mrs. Weasley and the two boys soon exited Diagon Alley with an expanded baby stroller containing the four babies in it, sitting side-by-side. All of them had stopped crying, and even seemed to have fallen asleep. The bartender greeted their lot once they had entered a shabby-looking pub.
"Ah, Mrs. Weasley," the bartender said, smiling at her before he shifted his eyes to the large stroller. "Oh! Sweet, now, isn't it? Four more to the family! And three seemed to have dropped the famous Weasley hair… not saying that for this bald one 'ere, o' course." If he looked any closer, he would have seen that Draco blinked an eye open and sneered at him.
Mrs. Weasley gave a hearty chuckle. "Only the redhead's mine, Tom. Oddly enough, I found the poor dears crying helplessly at Diagon Alley. Parents gone, tears out… I didn't know what to think. I haven't got a clue as to how they ended up there. Figured I'd just take the three back to the muggle nursery I left mine in before we get home."
"I see… gettin' adventures this early in life, are you?" He chuckled. "Hope to see you soon, Mrs. Weas…..ley."
"What is it, Tom?"
Tom's eyes had fallen back to the stroller. He was squinting unsurely at the rightmost end of the buggy, where one of the babies lay with his black mop of hair, distinctly unruly for a little one-year-old. "Good Lord," he started, bending closer to the boy. "Is this—where on earth--- what's that on his forehead?"
Mrs. Weasley bent over the sleeping infant. She hadn't seen this before—that odd mark on his forehead. It seemed very likely for the baby to be him, but perhaps, she thought, she was stretching things too much. "I don't—perhaps it's just a little scratch. Poor thing must have had enough excitement for the day."
Tom the bartender looked rather disappointed. "Oh…right. Must've gotten a bit paranoid, there… I mean, with You-Know-Who and all… oh, well, I'll see you around!"
Mrs. Weasley did an attachment charm for the baby carriage to stay with her during their journey back home. About a minute later, at the Leaky Cauldron's fireside, the Weasleys, along with the other children, vanished back into a somewhat small-ish, but unusually—there was no other word for it, perhaps-- magical living room with a few pinches of Floo powder.
The seven of them were greeted by another cluster of redheads once they reached home. Although all three of them had the trademark red hair and innumerable freckles on their faces, only two of the cluster looked identically alike. Twins, as one could point out at first glance, and both innocently sleeping at a crib by one of the couches where the third Weasley sat.
"Hello, mother," the third boy of about five years of age greeted as Mrs. Weasley halted the stroller near the crib of the twins. This particular boy seemed rather advanced for his age; their was a very authoritative air about him that made one think so, including the fact that he sat utterly still with a children's book at hand, absorbed into reading it like television to an average muggle child.
Mrs. Weasley smiled at her son in half-acknowledgement and half-contentment at his interest in reading. "Hello, Percy, dear." She gave him a tiny peck at the cheek. "The boys didn't wake up too much, now, did they?"
"Stayed really still the whole day," the five-year-old boy smiled, slurring slightly at his words as he attempted to speak with a more advanced vocabulary. "What's that?" His turquoise eyes shifted suddenly to the baby buggy near him.
"That's Ron, dear, and some other babies we found outside," she said, taking a sheet of parchment from a cabinet by the fireside and scribbling something on it. "Now, you three, I want you to go back up to your rooms for now. Stay there until I return, alright?"
"Where are you going?" asked one of the boys who came along with her.
Mrs. Weasley rolled the piece of parchment she had been writing on onto the leg of a ruffly, gray owl. "I'm going back to the muggle nursery nearby. Just stay put and don't cause any trouble. Your father will be home in about an hour, in case it takes me that long."
"But mum," the boy retorted. "It's boring here. And I'm old enough to go. Can't I? Please?"
"Not now, Bill," Mrs. Weasley replied, now busying herself with a muggle-looking coat as she struggled to place it on. "I'll have you in charge of things, alright? Take your brothers upstairs and bring the twins back to their bedroom. Can't be too safe, now."
She hustled over to each of her children, planting a kiss on their cheeks, and then walked back over to where she halted the stroller. "Goodbye, dears. Be back in several minutes." Then she walked out of the burrow without another word, pushing the stroller in front of her as she did.
It took her no more than fifteen minutes to get back to the muggle nursery where she had left Ron. Though muggle as it was, it was only several blocks away, and needed no more than a bit walking to be able to get there.
She pushed the door gently, and walked in to face the lady at the counter as the chimes belted out its familiar ring.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Weasley!" the lady at the counter table spoke. She seemed ruffled and distraught, extremely vulnerable to tears. "Hours ago—thick fog—and the babies—oh, I'm sorry!"
And she broke down completely.
+_+_+_+_+
Harry squinted as he attempted to open his eyes from that lovely bit of sleep. For a moment, he had thought that he was at his despicable aunt and uncle's house again, but then he saw the familiar colorful walls, and those huge drawings that seemed to grow over him everytime he took a peek. He was back in the nursery, in a stroller with his newly-found friends, for a reason he didn't really know to be.
He tried looking up and through the hood that covered the stroller he was in, realizing suddenly that somebody was crying. No, it wasn't any of the other babies resting at his sides, as all of them were still sleeping. It was coming from somewhere above them, but he couldn't determine who.
"Psst," he called out, prodding the baby beside him. "Haymon, wake up!"
The baby girl simply fused her eyebrows together for a second, and then went back to being motionless.
"Haymon," he whispered out loud.
"A, Bee, C…", she mumbled.
"Haymon."
"D, E, F… after which comes G, the letter that starts the word Green and Goat and other such words…"
Harry blinked. This girl was very odd.
"And after G comes the letter H, beginning beautri-ful words as Ham, Hair, and Hermrione…"
"Haymon!!"
"Agh!" the baby let out a little shriek that only the ones in the buggy could hear. She squinted just as Harry had upon being startled by the sudden splurge of sunlight. She looked at him groggily. "What?"
Harry looked at her oddly. "You were—erm—talking in your nappie."
Hermione looked a little defensive. "Of crourse not! That's silly… hold on, where are we?" She looked around and saw the familiar walls again. "The nursery! Why are we—when did—why're we back here?"
"I don't know," Harry mumbled. "But go and wake Ron and Draco up, we still have to find the coffee, remember?"
"There's no need for that," a voice spat suddenly. "Haymon's shrieks could wake up a monster. Stupid girl." It was Draco, and he was looking very disgruntled upon being waken up so rapidly.
"Why do you have to be so rude?" Hermione asked him angrily, bending over a still sleeping Ron to glare at Draco.
Ron shifted in his sleep, looking irritable.
"Stop fighting, you guys!" Harry interrupted. "We have to finds that coffee!"
Before anyone in the group could even take another breath, a huge face peered into the stroller all of a sudden, making one of the babies shriek shrilly once more… except it wasn't Hermione. This time, it was Draco who shrieked.
"Oh, poor dears!" the face cried, scaring the babies a bit with her saddened puffy eyes and stray wisps of hair. Harry recognized it easily as the once nice lady at the counter. "Where did you all fly to? I was so worried!"
Ron opened his eyes at the sound of the gasping voice of the lady. His eyelids shot open, and a crinkle at his forehead appeared in his shock, then a bit of irritated baby face twisting here and there, continuing until he finally had tears in his eyes and---
"Aaagh!!!" Ron cried, feeling uncomfortable at the huge face before him. "Aaagh-hagh!!"
Hermione looked at Ron as though he were insane. "Ron, stop crying! Please!"
"Shut up, you little scaredy-cat!" Draco whispered at him. "You're making my ears hurt!"
But Ron didn't stop. And it didn't help at all when the lady suddenly took him out of the stroller muttering, "Poor, poor dear!" and carried him in her arms. It was fortunate, then, when Mrs. Weasley smiled unsurely at the lady, and took Ron back into her own arms.
"That's alright, now," Mrs. Weasley said, both to Ron and the panic-stricken lady. "I'll just take him home. Please do watch over these babies more carefully, next time. Take away all their toys out of the playpen--"
"Take the toys away?" the lady gasped as though it were a violation of the Ten Commandments. "You can't ever take the toys away!"
"Er, yes, sorry," Mrs. Weasley said quickly, trying to avoid the lady's sensitive side and make her break out in tears again. "Just—just don't let them get hold of any erm--- wooden sticks."
Draco suddenly felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing her say this. "Ack!" he gasped, almost as shrilly as the lady at the counter. "My want! It's gone!" He dabbed furiously at his diapers.
Harry furrowed his forehead worriedly. "Oh, no! Not now!"
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, leaning over at him.
"We need the want right now!" he replied anxiously. "Look!" He pointed quickly to the counter where the lady settled herself again.
Three pairs of curious eyes went quickly to the flat, wooden counter. On top of it was a brown, porcelain mug, steam billowing slowly at the opening.
There was no mistaking it—it was the coffee.
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A/N: Sorry for the extremely long delay! Anyway, in reference to the story, don't underestimate that coffee! It can actually lead to a great deal of safety for the wizarding world, in indirect ways. Perhaps the last chapter will be the the next one, chapter 6, so keep on reading, okay? ^_^
Thanks to those who reviewed!
heather: Thank you! I'm glad you still think so. I would like that to happen, if I could alter this fic a bit, but it would make the fic much more complicated. But I'm still happy you thought of it that way, it means it isn't that predictable! ^_^
sissy-6: Glad you did! But I guess that doesn't go for this one, does it? I'm sorry… I'll try being quicker next time. :)
Avlyn: I hope it really did. :) Thanks!
Lela Potter: Thank you! That really encourages me :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.
E.K. Kropp: Can never get enough encouragement. ^_^ I'm sorry about the late update, though. ^_^ Thank you very much!
snickerdoodle: LOL, I can too. Glad you understood that… it's frustrating at times, isn't it? Hehe, lucky guy in your English class, then! ^_^ Update's here, apologies for the lateness. :)
Angel Lorelai: Sorry about your being grounded and all… don't worry, it'll be over before you know it. :) I'm happy you took the time to read this during computer class, too. And, you're right, I did write a piece of baby Malfoy after Angelica—both are quite the bullies, and it won't be complete without them! ^_~ Thanks for loving it!
Alexa Donaghy: Hehe, thanks! Hope you enjoy chapter 5! ^_^
Thanks to everyone… especially all the great reviewers! I owe you guys the encouragement I'm getting to write. It feels good to receive a bit of feedback once in a while, even if it's just a tiny remark. Thanks a lot and don't forget to review!
