Authors Note: This is a WIP. With work and what not, I can't guarantee how often I'll be able to update the chapters of this one. Please, bear with me in this.
Also, I do not own any of the characters or places in this story. The belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I am making no money off this (would be nice though…laugh)
Sins of the Father
Chapter 9
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Hermione rose the next morning to find that Narcissa and Philip were already not only awake but not in their room. Frowning slightly to herself, she walked out into the sitting room and found Cho already seated at the table. Cho looked up as she sat down and rested her head on her arms, groaning slightly. "I never thought jet lag would be this bad." Hearing Cho chuckle slightly she raised her head and glared at her. "Forgive me Cho if I don't see the humor in this."
"Here, silly." Cho smiled slightly as she pushed a cup across the table. "Drink this and you'll be right as rain."
Sitting up, she picked up the cup and took a tentative sip at the steaming beverage. "Oh! Turkish coffee! I haven't had this in ages." Leaning back in her chair with a sigh she sipped the drink and felt her exhaustion slip away. "I've never had it have quite a quick effect as this but I'm not about to complain about it."
"Remus brought it by earlier and left it on the table with a warming charm over it. He left a note explaining that it had a "No Jet Lag Potion" mixed in with it so we would be awake and alert for our lessons." Cho paused and glanced toward the clock on the wall opposite them. "Speaking of which, we should be going otherwise we might find Padfoot and our door growling at us to hurry."
Laughing, Hermione stood up and went into her bedroom to change. As she was pulling on her shirt she heard a soft knock at the door, followed by Cho's voice. "Hermione? Penelope's not in her room."
"Eh, don't worry about it. She's probably still miffed at me about Magnus yesterday." Hermione tried to shrug it off lightly but couldn't help but get the feeling that something wasn't right about that boy. His mother's reaction in the dining hall didn't do anything to soothe that feeling either. "Most likely she's already with Sirius and Remus, waiting impatiently for us to show up. I just hope the children have found their way to the classes this morning."
"They did," Cho said with a laugh. "I woke up to find Narcissa, Philip, and Lily heading out the door. When I asked if they needed a map they told me no that they had found their classrooms yesterday. Now, we just have to find our way around."
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"Good morning class."
"Good morning Professor Agiss," came the chorused reply from the room.
Narcissa turned to look at her brother, one delicate white-blonde brow raised. Philip fought back a laugh as Lily grinned. "This should be interesting."
"Now remember what mother said, Narcissa. We can't cause trouble." Philip said under his breath.
"We're not the ones I'm worried about causing trouble," Narcissa replied. Philip and Lily glanced at her and followed her gaze to Magnus Weasley, who was seated across the room by himself.
Before Philip or Lily could say anything more the professor began the class. "All right, this is Wandless Magic 101. In this class you are going to learn to use the magic you posses and the magic of the world around you without the use of your wands. So, put your wands away in your desks. Yes, you heard me correctly, I don't want anyone with wands in reach during this class."
There was a stunned silence in the room for a moment before the students began to put their wands away. After placing their wands in their desks they returned their attention to Professor Agiss. Sitting on her desk, she swung her legs in the air as she began the lesson. While she spoke and the students took notes, her eyes wandered the classroom picking out students here and there, preparing to pair them off to work with one another.
After a short time, she spotted Magnus at his desk and frowned slightly. Thinking to herself that he might be a particularly difficult one to adapt to the new environment she thought she should find him a particular partner. His eyes lifted from the paper in that moment and instead of looking at her, he turned his gaze across the room and settled it on another student.
Following his gaze, she had to stop her eyebrows from rising in surprise when she realized he was staring at Narcissa Malfoy. Glancing back at him, she noticed no malice in his gaze, almost a detached curiosity. Being the witch she was, she always enjoyed testing students mettle, she decided her last pair and stood up, bringing the speech to an abrupt halt.
"Very good. Now, put your things away and listen carefully while I arrange you into pairs to work with each other on the charms. The first thing we are going to work on today is the Accio charm. All of you are familiar with it, after using your wands, I'm sure it shouldn't be too difficult."
She began calling out names two at a time and sorting the students. Since her class was kept quite small she was done in a matter of moments. As she called out the last four names, she noticed the look of indignation on Narcissa's face. "Something wrong Miss Malfoy?"
"No ma'am, nothing." Narcissa's reply was clipped but polite.
Nodding to herself, she ordered the children to pair off with their partners and space themselves easily around the open floor of the room. The room was circular in shape with the desk lining it against he wall. Her desk was situated directly in front of the desks with its back facing the rest of the empty classroom. Because of this, she spent most of her classes on her feet, walking among the students and correcting the as needed. After a few moments of helping some of the students gather their thoughts and center themselves, she told them to begin.
The pillows that they were fetching from across the room were slow to move at their commands but a few did manage to get them to slither across the floor slightly. Seeing one of the students becoming particularly distressed across the room, she headed toward them as a cushion went zooming in front of her, missing her face by a few scant inches.
Biting back a yelp of surprise, she turned quickly to see who had mastered the charm so quickly. She watched as the pillow flew into Narcissa's outstretched hands before nodding and giving the young woman a smile of approval. Her partner Magnus glowered for a moment before attempting the charm himself.
Narcissa turned toward him with a smirk and said something under her breath to him causing him to pause and glare at her, his eyes smoldering. Before Professor Agiss could reach the pair, she saw Magnus's hand come up and the charm leave his mouth. "Expeliramus!"
"Mr. Weasley! That's quite enough!" Professor Agiss's command was unheard by the class who turned to watch as Narcissa was thrown across the room to land in a heap at her brother's feet.
Seeing Philip bring his hands up, Narcissa muttered a warning that like the professor's went unheard by the young Malfoy. "Shellarius!"
Hearing the obscure spell come from the young man's mouth Professor Agiss spun to see Magnus Weasley stop in mid-movement as he was encased in a charmed glass shell, imprisoning him completely while not harming him.
"ENOUGH! LISTEN TO ME WHEN I ORDER YOU TO STOP!" Professor Agiss was breathing hard when she reached the children and grabbed Narcissa by the arm, bringing her up off the floor while grabbing Phillip's collar and giving him a good shake. "Release that young man, right this instant! Did you hear me?" She released his collar and glared at him while still holding onto a stunned Narcissa. Lily was standing off to the side staring open-mouthed at the twins and teacher in amazement.
Phillip straightened his shirt collar and waved his fingers toward Magnus, muttering under his breath. "There, he's fine now. But if he ever tries anything like that again…" Phillip let his words trail off as he shot dagger with his eyes toward the young Weasley.
"I will take care of that, if and I repeat, if it happens in the future. Mr. and Miss Malfoy, the two of you are excused to return to your rooms, but be back here in my class directly after dinner." As Professor Agiss turned away from the twins she heard Narcissa's protest.
"Why both of us? Weasley started it."
"Actually, Miss Malfoy, I believe you started it. I will admit that I didn't hear what you said to Mr. Weasley after you called the cushion to your hands, but I can imagine it was rather inappropriate. Thus, his retaliation. Mr. Weasley, you will be here as well to serve yours. I'm sure I have more than enough to keep the three of you out of trouble and away from one another. You're dismissed." Without another word, Professor Agiss turned away and walked toward her desk.
Glaring with indignation at Magnus, Narcissa turned and walked away from her brother, shoving Magnus aside as they reached the door at the same time. "Move it, Weasel." Magnus glared at her and stepped through the door, casting a calculating glance around the hall as he did so.
"You can't really be that stupid, Weasley." Phillips' voice was soft but filled with meaning as he closed the door behind himself and regarded Magnus coldly. "Oh, one thing. You ever pull a stunt like that with my sister again? I'll kill you. Understand?"
Magnus said nothing, only glaring at Phillip as he turned and stalked down the hallway in the opposite direction of Narcissa. Phillip sighed and trotted to catch up to his sister and try to talk her down from her thundercloud before they reached the room and had to explain to their mother what had happened in class.
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Hermione shook her head as she finished relaying the story to Sirius and Remus over dinner that evening. Cho had pulled Lily to the side and questioned her on what happened. Magnus, to everyone's surprise, including his mother's from the look of total shock on her face, had admitted he had started the fight after Narcissa's comment to him. Hermione had made both twins apologize to Magnus for what they had done while Penelope had made Magnus do the same to Narcissa.
Cho had made a comment a short while later that she was surprised that Penelope had actually made him apologize. "Considering her reaction to what happened at lunch yesterday, I can't imagine what's come over her."
"Maybe she's had a change of heart," Hermione said sarcastically. They had reached Sirius and Remus' quarters to find both men with questions on their tongues and small smiles of pride.
Sirius let out a bark of laughter as Hermione told them about the spell Phillip had worked on Magnus. "I haven't used that one before. I wonder where he learned that one," Sirius added almost as an afterthought while casting a curious look at his mate. Hermione had the grace to blush, knowing his had found it in one of her books.
Remus spoke up softly, bringing Hermione out of her embarrassment. "Where are the twins and Lily?"
"Well, the twins are on their way to detention with Professor Agiss, along with Magnus. I hope they stay out of trouble." Hermione sigh of frustration was interlaced with worry and what seemed little bit of wry humor.
"Lily is watching the girls and Nimue," Lily said, reaching for her wine glass. "Penelope said she had some research she wanted to do in the library so Lily volunteered to watch the little ones for us."
Nodding, Remus leaned forward and picked up his own wine glass. "A toast. To the mischief of children. May they never make our lives dull." With a glint of humor in his eyes, he clinked his glass with the other three and took a drink. Sirius grinned openly while Hermione rolled her eyes and Cho snorted openly.
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Narcissa and Philip said goodbye to Lily and headed for Professor Agiss' room. Turning the corner down the hall from her room, Narcissa collided with someone, causing her to fall backward with an indignant squawk. Philip helped her to her feet, glaring at the person she had run into. Glancing over, her eyes filled with venom the moment she came face to face with Magnus. "Watch it, Weasley."
"Sod off Malfoy," Magnus said with a small growl at the end. "On your way to see Professor Agiss?"
"Yes, and forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't you heading in the wrong direction?" Philip's voice was filled with disdain as he spoke. "The classroom is this way."
"Magnus isn't attending detention this evening."
Turning at the voice, Narcissa and Philip turned to see Penelope walking down the hall, Nimue following her while Lily brought up the other two girls behind her. "Neither are you."
"Mrs. Weasley," Lily said softly. "Nimue's dinner has just arrived. Were you going to be long?" Narcissa could tell Lily was furious with Penelope for taking the small girl away from the apartments with dinner soon to be served.
"My daughter is mine to do with as I please, Ms. Potter. But, I'm ever so glad that you decided to come along. This makes things much easier." Penelope took that moment to reach out and grab Philip by the arm while doing the same to Lily. "Magnus, the Malfoy brat! Take her!"
Magnus lunged at Narcissa, a malicious grin on his face. Brining her hands up, Narcissa tried to use her magic to cast him aside but wasn't able to mutter the spell before he landed on her and brought both of the crashing to the floor, forcing the air from her lungs.
Wrestling her up from the floor, Magnus pulled both of her arms behind her back roughly and nodded to his mother. "I've got her."
"Good, we need to be off then. Let's get out to the garden, we can't Apparate indoors here." Penelope began to walk away, pulling Lily and Philip with her as Magnus followed behind her, forcing Narcissa to walk in front of him.
In that moment, Lily looked back over her shoulder and saw her sisters standing with a confused looking Nimue. "Anne! Jun! Go get Mother and Aunt Hermione! They're with Uncle Sirius!"
"What!?" Penelope spun just as Ann and Jun turned and sped down the hall, Jun carrying a now crying Nimue in her arms as they ran. "Get back here! Nimue!" Turning away from the fleeing girls, Penelope snarled and started forward again.
"But, Mother. Nimue!" Magnus stopped and turned, looking back in the direction the girls had run with his baby sister.
"Magnus! Come along! Now! I don't have time for you hysterics over your sister!" Penelope's voice cut through the hall as she continued on without him. "Magnus! Don't make me tell you again!"
Growling frustration, Magnus followed his mother while Narcissa was calculating how she could possibly get herself, Philip, and Lily out of this situation.
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Hermione and Cho were walking down the hall with Sirius and Remus, heading back to their rooms when Ann and Jun came down the hall yelling for them. Looking at the two girls racing toward them, Hermione and Cho rushed forward. Cho, taking the crying Nimue from Jun immediately asked them what was going on. "Where's your sister?"
"She has them, Mama!" Jun was trying to comfort Ann who was now weeping just as hard as Nimue. "She took sissy and Philip. And that mean boy took Narcissy."
"Boy? Magnus? Wait a moment." Cho was getting lost, Hermione could tell.
"Ann, which way did they go?" Hermione leaned forward, placing her hands on the small girls shoulders. "Did you see which way they went."
"Yep. That mean woman said that they had to get to the garden so the Apparate out."
Turning to look at Sirius, she saw him nod slightly. Turning back to Cho, she sighed. "Cho, take the children back to our rooms. Sirius, Remus, and I will go after the others."
"I'll go with her," Remus said, coming up and taking Nimue from Cho and smiling softly at her. "Hurry."
Sirius and Hermione rushed down the hall in the same direction the young girls had just come from. "This way, I know a quicker route there." Sirius' voice cut through her thoughts. Nodding her agreement, she turned and followed him down a dim stairwell. A few turns later, they pushed through a set of doors into a moonlit garden.
Hermione saw Penelope standing in the center with Philip and Lily in front of her as Magnus was holding a struggling Narcissa, who was using the moment to call Magnus every nasty name she had ever heard, plus a few that surprised even Hermione.
"This isn't going to be easy," Sirius said softly from beside her. Glancing at him, she could see his face was grim. "We're going to have to be very careful so as not to hurt any of the children, including the young Weasley."
"Agreed." Hermione stood and walked forward, ignoring Sirius's call for her to get down. "Penelope! What are you doing?"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the proud mother come to the rescue? I was wondering how soon you would show up." Penelope's smile was cold as she regarded Hermione. "You're the true prize I was after though."
Releasing Philip and Lily, she smiled grimly at Hermione before walking forward and doing the one thing that Hermione never expected. Pulling her arm back, she punched Hermione in the jaw, causing her head to snap back and watched Hermione crumple to the ground as she groped for her wand. Philip and Lily rushed back to Hermione's side, placing themselves in front of the woman, who was trying to push them aside as she rose.
"This is even better than I thought. Four for the price of one. Fabulous." Penelope reached into her robe and pulled out a small battered wallet. Muttering some words, she felt the pull of the port key as she was sent to her destination.
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Sirius watched in shock as Penelope activated the port key, somehow taking Hermione and the others with her, considering none of them were touching it. As he shook himself out of his shock, he rushed forward to find the garden deserted as professors and other students began to flood the garden, alerted to the loud voices they had heard.
Shaking his head in dismay, he was wondering how he was going to be able to tell Harry that his oldest daughter was gone and explaining to Draco Malfoy that his entire family was missing as well.
The one thing that he did have a clear thought of was how he was going to throttle Ronald Weasley once he got his hands on him and make the boy ever regret choosing Penelope Clearwater as a wife.
TBC