Firstly, sorry for my long lack of update, but as I was telling one of my
more persistent reviewers, and may I say that the persistence has been
rewarded, I was so busy this week and none of my computers that were hooked
to the internet had a disk drive so I got very angry. And now I'm going
through a crisis with just about everything in my life, but I can't tell
you how happy it made me to get an instant message telling me to get moving
with my story in the nicest way possible, so if anybody ever wants to get
me to update or just to chat about my story or even to yell about it, feel
free to IM me or e-mail me. Thanks a bunch to all my reviewers and
readers!
Chapter Twelve (I think):
"Sirius!" Ari shouted from her bed in their hotel room. "Stop your damn pacing! Just sit down or something." She rubbed her temples harshly and glared at the black haired man who sneered back before sitting on his bed that was adjacent to hers. She looked a little regretful when he remained sulky for several minutes and quickly said, "I'm sure Harry's fine. You don't need to worry about him."
"Why shouldn't I? He just up and left with three complete strangers and that Malfoy boy!" He gesticulated wildly and threw himself back on the bed. "And to America of all places!"
"Dumbledore trust the family Harry's with; I'm sure they'll be equipped to look after him." The Auror reasoned.
"Sorry. I just can't stop thinking about the danger he's putting himself in."
"I can help you forget." She leered moving from her bed to his and ignoring the end part of his statement. At this, Sirius perked up a bit and sat up in his bed.
"Really? Well how about-" He was cut off as the door flew open and Remus stood there clutching a bag close to his chest.
"Siri, Ari, can I-" He looked around and saw both sitting on the same bed. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked hesitantly.
"No." Sirius said as he raked a hand through his hair. "What'd you need?"
He toed the carpet silently, looking awkward. "I kind of needed a place to stay."
"What happened to your house?" Ari asked, moving back to her bed.
Remus blushed. "Well, some of the villagers found out I was a werewolf and they sort of...torched it." At their outraged faces he quickly added, "Don't worry, the house is fine and so is all my stuff but I'd rather them not torch me when I'm asleep."
"Of course you can stay with us." Ari said as she rose from the bed and grabbed his bag and set it on the table. "I could share with Sirius, or you could if you two don't mind."
"Actually, I was just going to kip on the couch." Remus shrugged as he pulled out a blanket and laid it on the thin mattress from the foldout bed.
"But it's so hard!" Ari said in shock, trying to usher him to one of the beds.
"I've slept in a lot worse places." The werewolf said with a wry grin. "I'll be fine, don't worry and I'll probably leave soon anyway."
"Stay as long as you'd like, Moony." Sirius said with a grin.
************
"Come on Perce!" Ron pleaded for the fifth time from his position on the bed. His older brother still hadn't told him whom he was dating yet and it irked him to no end. Ron just couldn't understand the reason for secrecy, something Percy wasn't sure to be thankful for. After all, he had wanted to reveal his secret to his family and it wasn't like he was ashamed of it.
"No, Ron. Why does it matter anyway?" He asked tiredly.
"Because you're my brother." Ron said as if it explained everything. "You know who I'm dating and I want to know who you're dating."
He looked at his brother for a moment, internally debating whether or not to trust him with this. His girlfriend and best friend both knew of his relationship with Oliver so it seemed rather wrong to leave him out of this, especially since he was the closest to Percy of the three. Silently, he made his decision.
"Okay, Ron. I'll tell you." His brother's face lit up at the thought of being trusted with this well kept secret. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone else, except for Harry and Hermione because they already know.
"Why do they know and I don't?" Ron asked after his face fell from that last bit of news.
"They caught us together; Harry in his third year and Hermione over a week ago." This seemed to calm Ron for he patiently waited for Percy to continue although he could tell the younger man was bouncing in his seat in anticipation. "Okay." Here, he took a deep breath and said his words quickly and almost unintelligibly. "I'mgayanddatingOliverWood." He waited for Ron's reaction and held his breath.
It took the younger boy a moment to figure out what he was saying and when he translated the Percy jumble he just sat on the bed in shock.
"Well, what do you think?" His older brother asked nervously in fear of rejection from his family.
"Y-Your dating Oliver Wood?" At his nod, Ron took a deep breath and began ranting. "The Quidditch player? Fred and George and Harry's team captain? The man who doesn't believe in life before Quidditch?" Percy nodded quietly. "Well. Nice choice, Perce!" He slapped his brother on the back and Percy just stared at him in surprise. "What? I like Oliver. He's nice, fun, easy going, loves Quidditch, some may call him handsome." Ron said ticking the points of his fingers. Percy blushed at the last one.
He was tempted to say 'Heart stopping-ly sexy,' but Percy held his tongue and simply thanked his brother for being so understanding.
"Oh, it's nothing Perce. Hey! Do you think he knows the Canons?" Ron asked hopefully causing Percy to laugh; this was the way he expected the conversation to be going.
"I don't think so. Sorry Ron."
"Drat. Oh well. You know," Ron said as he sat back on the bed, "You really should tell mom and dad. It's not like anyone in this family will care. Besides, they still think you're going to get back with Penelope."
"That's not going to happen anytime soon." Percy said with a laugh and Ron could finally understand what the fun loving Quidditch player saw in his brother. This must be the side of Percy that they shared when they're together, not the uptight one that worked at he ministry and slaved over reports on cauldron thickness. Sadly, Ron wished he had helped his brother turn out like this instead of having someone else bring this Weasley out of his shell, not that Ron was upset that it was Oliver who did this, for the redheaded boy respected his brother's lover very much.
"Right. Well, I better go save my girlfriend from mum." He prepared to go out the door but stopped in the doorframe and looked back at Percy who had resumed working. "You know, if you ever need to talk about him, I'm just a room or owl away." Percy looked up and smiled at Ron.
"Thanks Ron." The younger boy nodded his head and left before closing the door behind him. Ron had made it to the stairs before a thought hit him and he rushed back to Percy's room, startling the man when the door swung open and then closed when Ron took his position on the bed again. "What's wrong?"
"I just remembered what we were talking about." Percy waited for him to continue but nothing could have prepared him for what his brother was about to say. "You slept with Oliver Wood!" Percy choked and looked up at Ron who looked triumphant with his discovery. "I knew it! You said you never did anything with Penny and the only other person you've been with is Oliver! You had sex with the Quidditch captain!" He was ignorant to how Percy's face grew more and more red until it looked like his whole face was on fire. "Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your spot?" Ron laughed as he walked out of the room.
"They won't have the chance!" Percy yelled out the door and smiled as he heard Ron's laughter all the way downstairs.
*******
When Harry arrived at the flat, he noticed the girls had abandoned their work stations in the kitchen and Draco, who had gone first, was no where to be seen. He walked to the Potions lab that was behind another door opposite of their rooms. The door was open and he saw Draco reading a brief note before sticking it in a burner.
"What was that?" His voice caused the blonde to jump and nearly burn his hand.
"Don't sneak up on people like that, Potter!" He inspected his finger for a moment before answering. "And that was a note from the girls. They're in California."
"California?" Harry said in shock. "What are they doing there?" He couldn't believe Randolph would just let his siblings up and leave.
"Visiting some Wiccan coven." At his roommate's shocked face, he laughed quietly before adding, "Don't look so surprised. Allie and Andrea do this all the time."
"What about Randolph? Or Sn-Severus?" Harry still had a hard time remembering to call his professor by his first name when out of school. Snape had come by to visit for a few hours on the forth day he and Draco arrived and gave Harry the permission to call him Severus but it was a large adjustment from normal protocol.
"Randolph cares but its not like he could do anything to stop it, even if he wanted to. Both girls are pretty responsible when they need to be. As for Sev', well, he may be their father by birth but to the whole family, Severus included, they treat each other as confidants and almost friends."
"Friends?" Harry sputtered nonplussed. "He's their father."
Draco shook his head at the other boy's ignorance to the world. "We don't remember what it was like during Voldemort's reign, but times were different. Here's Sev', recently a widower with two twin girls about two and a half years old and a young stepson who's away at school most of the time. It wasn't easy for him, mainly because he was a traitor in many dangerous circles and those two were huge liabilities."
"What'd he do?" Harry asked as they made their way to the living room and plopped down on the couch.
"Left them with the Diviner's Council. Later, when Randolph graduated, he took the girls with him to America where he found a job and, with help of Sev's funds, he manages to take care of them all." Draco finished with a shrug. "Not many people know of them because not only are they risky to Sev's fight to stay on the good side but they could also cripple the light side of the war. Voldemort could manipulate their powers, force them to reveal any secrets they may find out via Andrea's visions and destroy people who should have been saved."
"Wow." Harry said, as he leaned back into the sofa and processed everything. "I thought my home life was complicated." Draco chuckled mirthlessly and Harry looked up at him. "Where do you stand on the war, Draco?" Harry asked timidly.
The Slytherin snapped his eyes towards Harry's face and stared at him coldly. "Why's it your business? Besides, you shouldn't have to ask; if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Draco hissed as he got up to leave but was pulled down by Harry, practically on top of the other boy.
"No, don't go." Harry said quietly, inches away from Draco's face as the blonde struggled to remove his legs from the awkward position on Harry's lap. He finally gave up and looked up at his ex-archrival. Their eyes locked for a moment and Harry, who was enthralled with the shifting color of Draco's eyes, loosened his hand allowing Draco to slide back to his section of the couch.
"I'm not going anywhere." Draco said quietly.
"I'm sorry. Recently you've never done anything to make me believe you were in his league."
"In the past I have." Draco conceded. When Harry was about to counter the argument again, he held up a hand to stop him. "Don't. Let's just forget it." Harry nodded and they sat there for a moment in an uncomfortable silence, each trying to come up with something to say that would break the ice. Luckily, a falcon flew in and perched itself on Draco's arm, digging its talons into his arm but not enough to break the skin.
Draco unraveled the letter and skimmed it before folding it up and passing it to Harry who read it and understood that Randolph wasn't going to be home the rest of the night.
"What do you think he's doing?" He asked Draco who was stroking the bird's feathers gently and murmuring to it softly.
"No idea." He said finally when the falcon flew to its perch in the back of the room. "Possibly a date; I know he's seeing someone."
"So, what do you want to do?" Draco shrugged and Harry sighed. "How about a movie?"
"Sure."
When Harry first arrived he was glad to find that the siblings preferred muggle entertainment to wizard. They had a whole entertainment system that baffled Draco and would have had Mr. Weasley salivating at the sight of all those plugs. Oddly enough, the blonde boy actually seemed to enjoy films although he claimed the idea was stolen from wizard pictures. Harry browsed along their wall of DVDs and sorted through a few of them before he found a black case with no cover that was only labeled as 'LoTR Alt. Uni.' Curiously, he held it up to Draco and asked if he knew what the title meant. To his puzzlement, the boy burst out laughing and grabbed the disk to put into the machine. That done, he dragged Harry back to the couch and fiddled around with the remote until the opening started. Harry had already seen this movie and had no real desire to see it again; already he was bored by the voice over from the Lady of the Woods.
"Why are we watching this?" Harry whispered as he saw Draco fast forward through some parts.
"Well, Harry," He said with a wide grin as he paused the film, "This isn't your average version of Lord of the Rings."
"What do you mean?"
"You see, when Andrea and Sev' get together and start brewing, lots of interesting things can happen. Once, about a year ago, they developed the Sciftan Potion that basically allows the drinker to pass into any dimension or realm in the time it takes to apparate. As it turns out, it's possible to shift from a three dimensional world to a two dimensional world." He trailed off and waited for Harry to fill in the pieces.
"Oh! So you mean they entered the film and-"
"Altered it. One event can change the whole future of this film and from what they've told me, this one has been played around with fairly often."
Harry smiled and grabbed the remote from his hand to press play and they sat back and began watching the film.
***********
It was thirty minutes in when Harry noticed the first large change. Arwen seemed to have already sailed over to the Grey Havens, thanks to the fast talking twins who needed the Elven princess to leave for their ploy to take place. It was another twenty minutes when Harry watched as Allie pulled Aragorn to the side and Andrea took care of Legolas. But the largest alteration was the lustful glances the two in the company kept giving each other when the other wasn't looking.
With wide eyes, Harry watched as the elf and man began snogging on screen. He turned to Draco to see how it was affecting him but the blonde seemed as composed as ever, not even flinching when a tunic flew across the screen followed by another and a pair of breeches.
Finally, Harry couldn't stand it and hissed over to Draco. "Draco!"
"What?" He snapped, obviously upset that he was missing the movie.
"This has turned into a porn flick!" He turned back towards the screen as Draco did then quickly turned away with a blush on his face.
"So it has Harry, so it has." He said as if his roommate had just remarked that it had rained last night.
"Don't you care?" At the Slytherin's negative response, he sighed. The Slytherin house really was the house of sex and orgies. "We can't do this!"
"What? Watch this? Who will know? Besides everyone else in this house has already." He turned back but continued talking. "You don't have to watch if you don't want to. But you might never get the chance to see elves and men get it on again." Harry rolled his eyes and watched the movie in mortification.
'I can't believe I'm watching gay Lord of the Rings porn with Draco Malfoy.' Luckily the scene had passed and everyone was once again fully clothed, much to Harry's thanks. However, he knew better than to think that it would only happen once because once they entered Moria, the two snuck off again with the camera following them. Only this time, Harry didn't look away completely although the blush on his face still remained.
"Huh." Draco said as he cocked his head to the side. "Did not know that legs could bend like that." Harry moved his head towards the side and shook his head.
"No, that's an arm." As if one, they turned their heads the opposite way. "Never mind."
"Ah Potter, so innocent." Harry rolled his eyes and focused on the movie. Throughout the scene he was watching, he felt his whole body heat up and he squirmed uncomfortably next to Draco, hoping the other boy wouldn't notice. No such luck.
"You know Potter," A voice drawled from the side, "I have no problem if you get all hot and bothered but if you start fondling yourself, well that's the last straw."
"Don't you ever get-you know." Harry gestured downwards and Draco smirked.
"Aroused and attracted? Yes, but I can turn it on and off better than humans can." At Harry's skeptical look, he continued. "What? It's true, the only reason you're not falling all over yourself trying to get into my pants in because I turned off my attraction."
"What about Fleur?" He pointed out. "She had people fawning all over."
"The pretentious glutton? She craved the attention."
"I'd have thought you were the same way." Harry murmured, avoiding a swat from Draco.
"Funny Potter. Just watch the movie." And they did.
********
Harry woke up the next morning when he fell off the couch. He looked up and noticed Draco still asleep and curled up on the couch with the T.V screen blank because no one had shut it off. Picking himself up, he glanced around the room for a moment before he heard the key turning in the lock. The door swung open to reveal Randolph in good spirits and slightly rumpled clothes.
"Good night?" Harry asked with a smirk as he watched the older man blush although he answered calmly.
"Very. And you?"
"Informative." At Harry's wry smile, he noticed the T.V and quickly crossed over to it, grabbing the black box that was sitting on top of the DVD player. Quickly reading the title, Randolph burst out laughing before packing the disk back in and hiding it amongst the other films.
"I'm guessing it was Draco's idea?" At Harry's nod he smiled and shook his head. "The blonde definitely takes his sex drive seriously. But don't let him make all the decisions; if you're uncomfortable just change the film or leave."
"It was fine. Probably not my movie of choice, but it was educational to say the least."
He noticed Harry was looking at where he stuck the film in confusion. "We kind of need to hide this film, so if Sev' ever asks, say you have no idea where it is." Harry laughed and went into his room to take a shower.
"Are the girls still asleep?" Randolph yelled to Harry but was answered by Draco who stretched himself out on the couch, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"No." He said covering a yawn. "They left to go visit a coven in California. They'll be back in about a week." Randolph shrugged his shoulders before going into the kitchen and beginning to prepare breakfast. "Where were you this morning?" Draco asked as he stumbled into the kitchen and sat in one of the chairs.
He replied curtly. "My girlfriend's."
"Imagine," Draco said in mock surprise, "Leaving children on their own while you get some hot shagging action."
"Says the boy who was watching porn."
"Touché." Randolph finished with the eggs he was making and laid them out in front of Draco while keeping a heating spell on them for Harry who came out of the shower five minutes later with hair still dripping.
"Hey. Where were you last night?" He asked as he got himself some breakfast and Randolph repeated his statement. "Oh. Do we get to meet her?" Draco perked up at this.
"Um..." The older man squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "She sort of doesn't know I'm a wizard yet."
Draco chuckled while Harry looked on in shock. "Well what does she think you do?"
"She knows I'm a linguist, just not which kind." Both boys burst out laughing at the sheepish remark.
"Can we meet her?" Draco asked. Randolph quickly shook his head no and the blonde began to pout. "Why not?"
"She's not like us, Drake. Her parents belong to country clubs. Her mother sings in the church choir and her father's a physiatrist."
"So?" Harry asked through a mouthful of breakfast.
"She's normal! Once they find out about us they'll probably think we're satanic worshipers who let our children run to bars and get drunk."
"Last part's true." He mumbled while Draco stared at Randolph who was upset from his rant.
"You're not ashamed of all this, are you? I mean, who cares if you have a seer for a sister, you and your other sister are empaths and your father teaches at a school for magic?"
"They might. I know they don't like me already based on their emotions." The older boy said as he picked at the food on his plate.
"Isn't she a little curious about why she's never met your family or seen any coworkers?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Randolph admitted. "She wants my family to meet her parents."
Draco jumped up looking gleeful. "Let's do it today. You can bring us."
"I don't know..."
"Come on," Harry pleaded, "The girls are gone and we've got nothing to do. Besides, we shouldn't be let out of sight because he's a felon." Draco sneered at Harry on the last one.
He finally agreed. "Fine, just let me call Anne and set something up." He left and the two boys stared at each other.
"He's dating an Anne?" Draco said with his nose wrinkled in distaste. "How boring."
"Hey. My name's Harry-that's pretty ordinary."
"Well, I never said I liked your name Potter." He left and headed towards their room probably to take a shower. Harry followed him with the intention to dry his hair a moment later and walked in just in time to see a pale back disappear behind the bathroom door. Grabbing the hairdryer, Harry began drying his hair when he felt a slight hum in his head again. Assuming it was just the hairdryer, he ignored it until he began to hear muffled voices. Quickly, he turned off the hair dryer and laid down on the bed in relaxation before attempting to push his powers away. He learned the technique from Andrea and Allie, although the latter girl used it more often in order to ward off a barrage of emotions. Andrea's visions couldn't be pushed aside but she often used it to calm herself down and review the visions in her head again.
While relaxing, Harry allowed his mind to drift once he noticed the buzz was beginning to become even more muffled.
Ever since he had arrived, his telepathy hadn't been that active; only small phasing amounts slipped through the delicate mental barriers he had. However, the power never broke through far enough and Harry had enough restraint to hold in back until he was by himself so almost no one in the house could tell. Unfortunately, the telepathy once switched on when he was sitting next to Andrea and Allie at the time and Allie, using her empathy, picked up on his fear and tension. This led to the relaxing exercise he was doing now. He didn't know how long he was laying there but soon enough Draco came out in a towel with skin flushed from his shower. Harry sensed him but didn't look up while Draco grabbed his clothes and returned to the bathroom with the hairdryer. When he exited the bathroom for the last time, he pulled up an unwilling Harry and dragged him out the door to Randolph who was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.
"Ready to go?" He asked without looking up from his paper.
Draco was about to say yes but noticed Harry's hair and dragged him back into the room telling the older boy that they'd only be a moment.
"You're so cruel to your hair Harry." The Slytherin said as he grabbed a brush and the hairdryer to finish the job. By now, Harry's hair was curling around his shoulders and could be tied up easily, which is what Draco did with a leather hair tie before pushing him out the door and declaring they were ready to go.
Walking down to the front of their building, Harry couldn't help but feel underdressed next to those two. Randolph was wearing black trousers and a white dress shirt, which made him look older and more responsible than he did when he wore his raggedy old jeans with holes on the knees and t-shirts he threw on. Draco, however, never looked raggedy, probably not even if he wore Harry's clothes because everything on the blonde just seemed to work well for him. Now, Draco donned tight black leather pants and a silvery silk shirt that, and although it wasn't fancy and definitely not in-law appropriate, it made Harry's cargo pants and green t-shirt look dowdy.
They walked out the door and it was then that Harry realized how they were actually going to meet Anne's parents, for Anne was leaning against her car with a smile on her face. She greeted Randolph with a kiss before saying hi to both boys.
Looking her over Harry thought of one word to describe her: gorgeous. While she wasn't someone he would go for, he could definitely see the attraction. She was oriental with a flawless olive complexion and sleek black hair that fell down to about her mid back. Her eyes were a delicate almond shape that housed cheerful brown eyes. Anne must have been about five inches shorter than her boyfriend but they seemed to fit together and make an attractive couple.
They all jumped into the car with Randolph in the front and the two boys in the back.
"Hi you guys." She said brightly as she surveyed them through the rear view mirror. Harry could barely hide his surprise when he noticed that she was driving on the wrong side of the street and sitting on the wrong side of the car. Draco saw this and laughed.
"Relax." He whispered in Harry's ear, causing the black hair boy to shiver slightly. "Driving in America is different from in England." Harry nodded. He was still surprised at his reaction to having the boy that close.
"So what are your names?" Anne asked.
"Harry."
"Draco."
"Draco, the dragon." She said with a small smile that was returned by Draco. "I suppose your family liked astronomy."
"Yes." He agreed. "We often used the moon to remind us of our blood letting rituals." Anne laughed while Randolph looked slightly nervous. "But very good, picking up the meaning. Do you work in astronomy?"
"Yes." She said as she drove. "That's actually how Randolph and I met. Though I assume you already know the story."
"I don't." Harry said, speaking up.
"Well I was at a convention." Anne explained. "And then I saw Randolph who was helping his sisters with some research about something." She turned to her boyfriend and began to talk to him. "What were you researching again?"
"Planetary movements and how people believed you could use them to tell the future." He replied unsurely.
"Right. A bunch of nonsense if you ask me."
"Definitely." Draco said smoothly. "Almost like the belief of magic." Harry stifled a laugh and Anne showed her agreement.
"Yes. Anyway, Randolph and I were seated together at the banquet that night and we hit it off. That was almost a year ago and here we are now."
"Amazing. Odd how we haven't met sooner." Draco said almost flirtatiously.
"I suppose us being in England has something to do with it." Harry said. They continued conversing for several more minutes before they pulled into a parking lot and got out. Harry looked up to see a large building, though not in height, with well-dressed people strolling in and out. He saw some of them carrying around golf bags and head into the beautifully landscaped courses. They entered and walked until they reached a lounge where Anne simply said their last name and was shown to a table where two other people were sitting.
Anne's parents looked kind enough in Harry's eyes. She got most of her looks from her mother, who was also oriental although her father was a dark haired man with hazel eyes and a tanner complexion. Both parents had small wisps of gray hair near their temples and had small wrinkles around the corner of their mouths and eyes.
"Hello Mother, Father." Anne said giving each one a hug.
"Anne." Her mother said calmly as she gestured for them to sit down.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Van Dros."
"Randolph. We meet at last." Her father said and Harry noticed Randolph looking uncomfortable.
"And so do we, Mrs. Van Dros." Draco said charmingly as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. Harry rolled his eyes and then realized that Draco must have been using his charm because she began giggling like a schoolgirl. When Draco sat down, Harry leaned over towards him.
"You're probably going to get your arse kicked by her husband." He whispered watching as Mr. Van Dros glared at him.
"Strange enough, you're not the first person to tell me that." He said innocently as he winked at Randolph who shook his head at his cousin's antics.
"Please, call us Charles and Joy." 'Joy' said sweetly, obviously still under Draco's thrall. "It's such a pleasure to have this get together."
"It is, isn't it?" A voice said from the side and he looked to see Allie and Andrea standing to the side, both dressed in long flowing skirts and wearing dark pendants around their necks.
"What are you two doing here?" Randolph asked as they grabbed two chairs and sat on the other side of Harry and next to Charles.
"Meeting your girlfriend." Andrea said as she reached a hand over the table. "Hi, I'm Andrea and this is my sister Allie."
"Hello." Allie said cheerfully as she fingered the straw in her drink that she had brought over.
"Hi." Anne said kindly. "How are you all related?" She said interestedly. All five looked at each other and exchanged looks. The siblings had a muted debate while Harry and Draco just shrugged and waited for things to play out. Anne and her family were looking rather confused at the exchanges.
"These two are my half sisters. Draco is our adopted cousin." Draco nodded his head to show which of the boys he was. "And Harry is my stepfather's second cousin." Harry waved slightly.
"How nice." Charles said gruffly and Allie and Randolph both felt feelings of dislike and distrust wash over them. Harry noticed the tension that grew in the two and quickly figured out what was going on. "Randolph, what was it you said you did?"
"I'm a linguist, sir." He said promptly.
"Fascinating." Joy said as she leaned forward on the table. "What languages?"
Randolph's eyes widened in fear at this. "Just a few dead and tribal languages."
"Do you think maybe you could charm her father? Things are getting kind of tense." Harry said to Draco who winked at Harry before leaning over the table.
"So Charles and Joy, what do you two do?" He practically purred to them. Anne raised an eyebrow at the sight of a fifteen-year-old kid flirting with her parents. The other eyebrow was raised when said parents began to blush and giggle from receiving the veela's attention.
"Nice." Andrea commented, earning a glare from Randolph and a laugh from Harry and her twin.
"Randolph, could I talk to you for a moment?" Anne said, standing up stiffly.
"Sure." The four teenagers exchanged looks. When the two left, they sent Draco after them because he would be hard to hear and track if he was using his elven grace. Creeping around the corner that led to the entrance of the lounge they were in, Draco saw Anne speak fast and furiously to his cousin who was looking impassive.
"What is going on here, Randolph? I take you to meet my parents and you bring two boys you aren't even related to. One of them is little more than a prostitute!" She cried. Draco glared harshly and forced himself from transforming into his veela half. "And then your two sisters show up looking like a couple of hippie children and then that blonde managed to seduce my parents! I don't understand your family." She crossed his arms and Randolph spoke quietly in a dangerous voice.
"First, don't insult my family; Draco is not a whore and both boys are considered family to me whether they possess my blood or not. As for Allie and Andrea, they mean more to me than anyone and I wouldn't care if they showed up naked and began dancing on top of the table before giving your parents lap dances." Draco smiled at this.
Anne looked grieved for a minute. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just wanted everything to be perfect and already daddy doesn't like you because of your family."
Randolph hugged her and then gave a dry chuckle. "Glad he hasn't met Sev'." A 'pop' sounded nearby and he looked up to see Sev' standing there in black trousers and a black silk shirt. "Never mind." Anne looked up and into the strict face of Snape. She gasped in fear as he regarded her sternly. "What's up, Sev?"
"Potter's been found." He said as he began to stroll back in. "Get him out of here." This was all Draco could take before he stepped out into the hallway.
"What's going on?"
***********
At the table, Allie fiddled nervously.
"What's going on?" Harry asked causing both girls to look up. Allie closed her eyes in concentration and began rubbing her temples. At Charles and Joy's odd looks, Harry quickly spoke up. "Headache." They seemed to accept this for they turned back towards the door.
"I sense anger, distrust, frustration and pain." She looked up again and silently conversed with her twin. Harry sighed; he hated when this happened because he felt left out.
Suddenly Andrea spoke up. "Something's wrong." She whispered.
Chapter Twelve (I think):
"Sirius!" Ari shouted from her bed in their hotel room. "Stop your damn pacing! Just sit down or something." She rubbed her temples harshly and glared at the black haired man who sneered back before sitting on his bed that was adjacent to hers. She looked a little regretful when he remained sulky for several minutes and quickly said, "I'm sure Harry's fine. You don't need to worry about him."
"Why shouldn't I? He just up and left with three complete strangers and that Malfoy boy!" He gesticulated wildly and threw himself back on the bed. "And to America of all places!"
"Dumbledore trust the family Harry's with; I'm sure they'll be equipped to look after him." The Auror reasoned.
"Sorry. I just can't stop thinking about the danger he's putting himself in."
"I can help you forget." She leered moving from her bed to his and ignoring the end part of his statement. At this, Sirius perked up a bit and sat up in his bed.
"Really? Well how about-" He was cut off as the door flew open and Remus stood there clutching a bag close to his chest.
"Siri, Ari, can I-" He looked around and saw both sitting on the same bed. "Am I interrupting something?" He asked hesitantly.
"No." Sirius said as he raked a hand through his hair. "What'd you need?"
He toed the carpet silently, looking awkward. "I kind of needed a place to stay."
"What happened to your house?" Ari asked, moving back to her bed.
Remus blushed. "Well, some of the villagers found out I was a werewolf and they sort of...torched it." At their outraged faces he quickly added, "Don't worry, the house is fine and so is all my stuff but I'd rather them not torch me when I'm asleep."
"Of course you can stay with us." Ari said as she rose from the bed and grabbed his bag and set it on the table. "I could share with Sirius, or you could if you two don't mind."
"Actually, I was just going to kip on the couch." Remus shrugged as he pulled out a blanket and laid it on the thin mattress from the foldout bed.
"But it's so hard!" Ari said in shock, trying to usher him to one of the beds.
"I've slept in a lot worse places." The werewolf said with a wry grin. "I'll be fine, don't worry and I'll probably leave soon anyway."
"Stay as long as you'd like, Moony." Sirius said with a grin.
************
"Come on Perce!" Ron pleaded for the fifth time from his position on the bed. His older brother still hadn't told him whom he was dating yet and it irked him to no end. Ron just couldn't understand the reason for secrecy, something Percy wasn't sure to be thankful for. After all, he had wanted to reveal his secret to his family and it wasn't like he was ashamed of it.
"No, Ron. Why does it matter anyway?" He asked tiredly.
"Because you're my brother." Ron said as if it explained everything. "You know who I'm dating and I want to know who you're dating."
He looked at his brother for a moment, internally debating whether or not to trust him with this. His girlfriend and best friend both knew of his relationship with Oliver so it seemed rather wrong to leave him out of this, especially since he was the closest to Percy of the three. Silently, he made his decision.
"Okay, Ron. I'll tell you." His brother's face lit up at the thought of being trusted with this well kept secret. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone else, except for Harry and Hermione because they already know.
"Why do they know and I don't?" Ron asked after his face fell from that last bit of news.
"They caught us together; Harry in his third year and Hermione over a week ago." This seemed to calm Ron for he patiently waited for Percy to continue although he could tell the younger man was bouncing in his seat in anticipation. "Okay." Here, he took a deep breath and said his words quickly and almost unintelligibly. "I'mgayanddatingOliverWood." He waited for Ron's reaction and held his breath.
It took the younger boy a moment to figure out what he was saying and when he translated the Percy jumble he just sat on the bed in shock.
"Well, what do you think?" His older brother asked nervously in fear of rejection from his family.
"Y-Your dating Oliver Wood?" At his nod, Ron took a deep breath and began ranting. "The Quidditch player? Fred and George and Harry's team captain? The man who doesn't believe in life before Quidditch?" Percy nodded quietly. "Well. Nice choice, Perce!" He slapped his brother on the back and Percy just stared at him in surprise. "What? I like Oliver. He's nice, fun, easy going, loves Quidditch, some may call him handsome." Ron said ticking the points of his fingers. Percy blushed at the last one.
He was tempted to say 'Heart stopping-ly sexy,' but Percy held his tongue and simply thanked his brother for being so understanding.
"Oh, it's nothing Perce. Hey! Do you think he knows the Canons?" Ron asked hopefully causing Percy to laugh; this was the way he expected the conversation to be going.
"I don't think so. Sorry Ron."
"Drat. Oh well. You know," Ron said as he sat back on the bed, "You really should tell mom and dad. It's not like anyone in this family will care. Besides, they still think you're going to get back with Penelope."
"That's not going to happen anytime soon." Percy said with a laugh and Ron could finally understand what the fun loving Quidditch player saw in his brother. This must be the side of Percy that they shared when they're together, not the uptight one that worked at he ministry and slaved over reports on cauldron thickness. Sadly, Ron wished he had helped his brother turn out like this instead of having someone else bring this Weasley out of his shell, not that Ron was upset that it was Oliver who did this, for the redheaded boy respected his brother's lover very much.
"Right. Well, I better go save my girlfriend from mum." He prepared to go out the door but stopped in the doorframe and looked back at Percy who had resumed working. "You know, if you ever need to talk about him, I'm just a room or owl away." Percy looked up and smiled at Ron.
"Thanks Ron." The younger boy nodded his head and left before closing the door behind him. Ron had made it to the stairs before a thought hit him and he rushed back to Percy's room, startling the man when the door swung open and then closed when Ron took his position on the bed again. "What's wrong?"
"I just remembered what we were talking about." Percy waited for him to continue but nothing could have prepared him for what his brother was about to say. "You slept with Oliver Wood!" Percy choked and looked up at Ron who looked triumphant with his discovery. "I knew it! You said you never did anything with Penny and the only other person you've been with is Oliver! You had sex with the Quidditch captain!" He was ignorant to how Percy's face grew more and more red until it looked like his whole face was on fire. "Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your spot?" Ron laughed as he walked out of the room.
"They won't have the chance!" Percy yelled out the door and smiled as he heard Ron's laughter all the way downstairs.
*******
When Harry arrived at the flat, he noticed the girls had abandoned their work stations in the kitchen and Draco, who had gone first, was no where to be seen. He walked to the Potions lab that was behind another door opposite of their rooms. The door was open and he saw Draco reading a brief note before sticking it in a burner.
"What was that?" His voice caused the blonde to jump and nearly burn his hand.
"Don't sneak up on people like that, Potter!" He inspected his finger for a moment before answering. "And that was a note from the girls. They're in California."
"California?" Harry said in shock. "What are they doing there?" He couldn't believe Randolph would just let his siblings up and leave.
"Visiting some Wiccan coven." At his roommate's shocked face, he laughed quietly before adding, "Don't look so surprised. Allie and Andrea do this all the time."
"What about Randolph? Or Sn-Severus?" Harry still had a hard time remembering to call his professor by his first name when out of school. Snape had come by to visit for a few hours on the forth day he and Draco arrived and gave Harry the permission to call him Severus but it was a large adjustment from normal protocol.
"Randolph cares but its not like he could do anything to stop it, even if he wanted to. Both girls are pretty responsible when they need to be. As for Sev', well, he may be their father by birth but to the whole family, Severus included, they treat each other as confidants and almost friends."
"Friends?" Harry sputtered nonplussed. "He's their father."
Draco shook his head at the other boy's ignorance to the world. "We don't remember what it was like during Voldemort's reign, but times were different. Here's Sev', recently a widower with two twin girls about two and a half years old and a young stepson who's away at school most of the time. It wasn't easy for him, mainly because he was a traitor in many dangerous circles and those two were huge liabilities."
"What'd he do?" Harry asked as they made their way to the living room and plopped down on the couch.
"Left them with the Diviner's Council. Later, when Randolph graduated, he took the girls with him to America where he found a job and, with help of Sev's funds, he manages to take care of them all." Draco finished with a shrug. "Not many people know of them because not only are they risky to Sev's fight to stay on the good side but they could also cripple the light side of the war. Voldemort could manipulate their powers, force them to reveal any secrets they may find out via Andrea's visions and destroy people who should have been saved."
"Wow." Harry said, as he leaned back into the sofa and processed everything. "I thought my home life was complicated." Draco chuckled mirthlessly and Harry looked up at him. "Where do you stand on the war, Draco?" Harry asked timidly.
The Slytherin snapped his eyes towards Harry's face and stared at him coldly. "Why's it your business? Besides, you shouldn't have to ask; if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Draco hissed as he got up to leave but was pulled down by Harry, practically on top of the other boy.
"No, don't go." Harry said quietly, inches away from Draco's face as the blonde struggled to remove his legs from the awkward position on Harry's lap. He finally gave up and looked up at his ex-archrival. Their eyes locked for a moment and Harry, who was enthralled with the shifting color of Draco's eyes, loosened his hand allowing Draco to slide back to his section of the couch.
"I'm not going anywhere." Draco said quietly.
"I'm sorry. Recently you've never done anything to make me believe you were in his league."
"In the past I have." Draco conceded. When Harry was about to counter the argument again, he held up a hand to stop him. "Don't. Let's just forget it." Harry nodded and they sat there for a moment in an uncomfortable silence, each trying to come up with something to say that would break the ice. Luckily, a falcon flew in and perched itself on Draco's arm, digging its talons into his arm but not enough to break the skin.
Draco unraveled the letter and skimmed it before folding it up and passing it to Harry who read it and understood that Randolph wasn't going to be home the rest of the night.
"What do you think he's doing?" He asked Draco who was stroking the bird's feathers gently and murmuring to it softly.
"No idea." He said finally when the falcon flew to its perch in the back of the room. "Possibly a date; I know he's seeing someone."
"So, what do you want to do?" Draco shrugged and Harry sighed. "How about a movie?"
"Sure."
When Harry first arrived he was glad to find that the siblings preferred muggle entertainment to wizard. They had a whole entertainment system that baffled Draco and would have had Mr. Weasley salivating at the sight of all those plugs. Oddly enough, the blonde boy actually seemed to enjoy films although he claimed the idea was stolen from wizard pictures. Harry browsed along their wall of DVDs and sorted through a few of them before he found a black case with no cover that was only labeled as 'LoTR Alt. Uni.' Curiously, he held it up to Draco and asked if he knew what the title meant. To his puzzlement, the boy burst out laughing and grabbed the disk to put into the machine. That done, he dragged Harry back to the couch and fiddled around with the remote until the opening started. Harry had already seen this movie and had no real desire to see it again; already he was bored by the voice over from the Lady of the Woods.
"Why are we watching this?" Harry whispered as he saw Draco fast forward through some parts.
"Well, Harry," He said with a wide grin as he paused the film, "This isn't your average version of Lord of the Rings."
"What do you mean?"
"You see, when Andrea and Sev' get together and start brewing, lots of interesting things can happen. Once, about a year ago, they developed the Sciftan Potion that basically allows the drinker to pass into any dimension or realm in the time it takes to apparate. As it turns out, it's possible to shift from a three dimensional world to a two dimensional world." He trailed off and waited for Harry to fill in the pieces.
"Oh! So you mean they entered the film and-"
"Altered it. One event can change the whole future of this film and from what they've told me, this one has been played around with fairly often."
Harry smiled and grabbed the remote from his hand to press play and they sat back and began watching the film.
***********
It was thirty minutes in when Harry noticed the first large change. Arwen seemed to have already sailed over to the Grey Havens, thanks to the fast talking twins who needed the Elven princess to leave for their ploy to take place. It was another twenty minutes when Harry watched as Allie pulled Aragorn to the side and Andrea took care of Legolas. But the largest alteration was the lustful glances the two in the company kept giving each other when the other wasn't looking.
With wide eyes, Harry watched as the elf and man began snogging on screen. He turned to Draco to see how it was affecting him but the blonde seemed as composed as ever, not even flinching when a tunic flew across the screen followed by another and a pair of breeches.
Finally, Harry couldn't stand it and hissed over to Draco. "Draco!"
"What?" He snapped, obviously upset that he was missing the movie.
"This has turned into a porn flick!" He turned back towards the screen as Draco did then quickly turned away with a blush on his face.
"So it has Harry, so it has." He said as if his roommate had just remarked that it had rained last night.
"Don't you care?" At the Slytherin's negative response, he sighed. The Slytherin house really was the house of sex and orgies. "We can't do this!"
"What? Watch this? Who will know? Besides everyone else in this house has already." He turned back but continued talking. "You don't have to watch if you don't want to. But you might never get the chance to see elves and men get it on again." Harry rolled his eyes and watched the movie in mortification.
'I can't believe I'm watching gay Lord of the Rings porn with Draco Malfoy.' Luckily the scene had passed and everyone was once again fully clothed, much to Harry's thanks. However, he knew better than to think that it would only happen once because once they entered Moria, the two snuck off again with the camera following them. Only this time, Harry didn't look away completely although the blush on his face still remained.
"Huh." Draco said as he cocked his head to the side. "Did not know that legs could bend like that." Harry moved his head towards the side and shook his head.
"No, that's an arm." As if one, they turned their heads the opposite way. "Never mind."
"Ah Potter, so innocent." Harry rolled his eyes and focused on the movie. Throughout the scene he was watching, he felt his whole body heat up and he squirmed uncomfortably next to Draco, hoping the other boy wouldn't notice. No such luck.
"You know Potter," A voice drawled from the side, "I have no problem if you get all hot and bothered but if you start fondling yourself, well that's the last straw."
"Don't you ever get-you know." Harry gestured downwards and Draco smirked.
"Aroused and attracted? Yes, but I can turn it on and off better than humans can." At Harry's skeptical look, he continued. "What? It's true, the only reason you're not falling all over yourself trying to get into my pants in because I turned off my attraction."
"What about Fleur?" He pointed out. "She had people fawning all over."
"The pretentious glutton? She craved the attention."
"I'd have thought you were the same way." Harry murmured, avoiding a swat from Draco.
"Funny Potter. Just watch the movie." And they did.
********
Harry woke up the next morning when he fell off the couch. He looked up and noticed Draco still asleep and curled up on the couch with the T.V screen blank because no one had shut it off. Picking himself up, he glanced around the room for a moment before he heard the key turning in the lock. The door swung open to reveal Randolph in good spirits and slightly rumpled clothes.
"Good night?" Harry asked with a smirk as he watched the older man blush although he answered calmly.
"Very. And you?"
"Informative." At Harry's wry smile, he noticed the T.V and quickly crossed over to it, grabbing the black box that was sitting on top of the DVD player. Quickly reading the title, Randolph burst out laughing before packing the disk back in and hiding it amongst the other films.
"I'm guessing it was Draco's idea?" At Harry's nod he smiled and shook his head. "The blonde definitely takes his sex drive seriously. But don't let him make all the decisions; if you're uncomfortable just change the film or leave."
"It was fine. Probably not my movie of choice, but it was educational to say the least."
He noticed Harry was looking at where he stuck the film in confusion. "We kind of need to hide this film, so if Sev' ever asks, say you have no idea where it is." Harry laughed and went into his room to take a shower.
"Are the girls still asleep?" Randolph yelled to Harry but was answered by Draco who stretched himself out on the couch, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"No." He said covering a yawn. "They left to go visit a coven in California. They'll be back in about a week." Randolph shrugged his shoulders before going into the kitchen and beginning to prepare breakfast. "Where were you this morning?" Draco asked as he stumbled into the kitchen and sat in one of the chairs.
He replied curtly. "My girlfriend's."
"Imagine," Draco said in mock surprise, "Leaving children on their own while you get some hot shagging action."
"Says the boy who was watching porn."
"Touché." Randolph finished with the eggs he was making and laid them out in front of Draco while keeping a heating spell on them for Harry who came out of the shower five minutes later with hair still dripping.
"Hey. Where were you last night?" He asked as he got himself some breakfast and Randolph repeated his statement. "Oh. Do we get to meet her?" Draco perked up at this.
"Um..." The older man squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "She sort of doesn't know I'm a wizard yet."
Draco chuckled while Harry looked on in shock. "Well what does she think you do?"
"She knows I'm a linguist, just not which kind." Both boys burst out laughing at the sheepish remark.
"Can we meet her?" Draco asked. Randolph quickly shook his head no and the blonde began to pout. "Why not?"
"She's not like us, Drake. Her parents belong to country clubs. Her mother sings in the church choir and her father's a physiatrist."
"So?" Harry asked through a mouthful of breakfast.
"She's normal! Once they find out about us they'll probably think we're satanic worshipers who let our children run to bars and get drunk."
"Last part's true." He mumbled while Draco stared at Randolph who was upset from his rant.
"You're not ashamed of all this, are you? I mean, who cares if you have a seer for a sister, you and your other sister are empaths and your father teaches at a school for magic?"
"They might. I know they don't like me already based on their emotions." The older boy said as he picked at the food on his plate.
"Isn't she a little curious about why she's never met your family or seen any coworkers?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Randolph admitted. "She wants my family to meet her parents."
Draco jumped up looking gleeful. "Let's do it today. You can bring us."
"I don't know..."
"Come on," Harry pleaded, "The girls are gone and we've got nothing to do. Besides, we shouldn't be let out of sight because he's a felon." Draco sneered at Harry on the last one.
He finally agreed. "Fine, just let me call Anne and set something up." He left and the two boys stared at each other.
"He's dating an Anne?" Draco said with his nose wrinkled in distaste. "How boring."
"Hey. My name's Harry-that's pretty ordinary."
"Well, I never said I liked your name Potter." He left and headed towards their room probably to take a shower. Harry followed him with the intention to dry his hair a moment later and walked in just in time to see a pale back disappear behind the bathroom door. Grabbing the hairdryer, Harry began drying his hair when he felt a slight hum in his head again. Assuming it was just the hairdryer, he ignored it until he began to hear muffled voices. Quickly, he turned off the hair dryer and laid down on the bed in relaxation before attempting to push his powers away. He learned the technique from Andrea and Allie, although the latter girl used it more often in order to ward off a barrage of emotions. Andrea's visions couldn't be pushed aside but she often used it to calm herself down and review the visions in her head again.
While relaxing, Harry allowed his mind to drift once he noticed the buzz was beginning to become even more muffled.
Ever since he had arrived, his telepathy hadn't been that active; only small phasing amounts slipped through the delicate mental barriers he had. However, the power never broke through far enough and Harry had enough restraint to hold in back until he was by himself so almost no one in the house could tell. Unfortunately, the telepathy once switched on when he was sitting next to Andrea and Allie at the time and Allie, using her empathy, picked up on his fear and tension. This led to the relaxing exercise he was doing now. He didn't know how long he was laying there but soon enough Draco came out in a towel with skin flushed from his shower. Harry sensed him but didn't look up while Draco grabbed his clothes and returned to the bathroom with the hairdryer. When he exited the bathroom for the last time, he pulled up an unwilling Harry and dragged him out the door to Randolph who was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.
"Ready to go?" He asked without looking up from his paper.
Draco was about to say yes but noticed Harry's hair and dragged him back into the room telling the older boy that they'd only be a moment.
"You're so cruel to your hair Harry." The Slytherin said as he grabbed a brush and the hairdryer to finish the job. By now, Harry's hair was curling around his shoulders and could be tied up easily, which is what Draco did with a leather hair tie before pushing him out the door and declaring they were ready to go.
Walking down to the front of their building, Harry couldn't help but feel underdressed next to those two. Randolph was wearing black trousers and a white dress shirt, which made him look older and more responsible than he did when he wore his raggedy old jeans with holes on the knees and t-shirts he threw on. Draco, however, never looked raggedy, probably not even if he wore Harry's clothes because everything on the blonde just seemed to work well for him. Now, Draco donned tight black leather pants and a silvery silk shirt that, and although it wasn't fancy and definitely not in-law appropriate, it made Harry's cargo pants and green t-shirt look dowdy.
They walked out the door and it was then that Harry realized how they were actually going to meet Anne's parents, for Anne was leaning against her car with a smile on her face. She greeted Randolph with a kiss before saying hi to both boys.
Looking her over Harry thought of one word to describe her: gorgeous. While she wasn't someone he would go for, he could definitely see the attraction. She was oriental with a flawless olive complexion and sleek black hair that fell down to about her mid back. Her eyes were a delicate almond shape that housed cheerful brown eyes. Anne must have been about five inches shorter than her boyfriend but they seemed to fit together and make an attractive couple.
They all jumped into the car with Randolph in the front and the two boys in the back.
"Hi you guys." She said brightly as she surveyed them through the rear view mirror. Harry could barely hide his surprise when he noticed that she was driving on the wrong side of the street and sitting on the wrong side of the car. Draco saw this and laughed.
"Relax." He whispered in Harry's ear, causing the black hair boy to shiver slightly. "Driving in America is different from in England." Harry nodded. He was still surprised at his reaction to having the boy that close.
"So what are your names?" Anne asked.
"Harry."
"Draco."
"Draco, the dragon." She said with a small smile that was returned by Draco. "I suppose your family liked astronomy."
"Yes." He agreed. "We often used the moon to remind us of our blood letting rituals." Anne laughed while Randolph looked slightly nervous. "But very good, picking up the meaning. Do you work in astronomy?"
"Yes." She said as she drove. "That's actually how Randolph and I met. Though I assume you already know the story."
"I don't." Harry said, speaking up.
"Well I was at a convention." Anne explained. "And then I saw Randolph who was helping his sisters with some research about something." She turned to her boyfriend and began to talk to him. "What were you researching again?"
"Planetary movements and how people believed you could use them to tell the future." He replied unsurely.
"Right. A bunch of nonsense if you ask me."
"Definitely." Draco said smoothly. "Almost like the belief of magic." Harry stifled a laugh and Anne showed her agreement.
"Yes. Anyway, Randolph and I were seated together at the banquet that night and we hit it off. That was almost a year ago and here we are now."
"Amazing. Odd how we haven't met sooner." Draco said almost flirtatiously.
"I suppose us being in England has something to do with it." Harry said. They continued conversing for several more minutes before they pulled into a parking lot and got out. Harry looked up to see a large building, though not in height, with well-dressed people strolling in and out. He saw some of them carrying around golf bags and head into the beautifully landscaped courses. They entered and walked until they reached a lounge where Anne simply said their last name and was shown to a table where two other people were sitting.
Anne's parents looked kind enough in Harry's eyes. She got most of her looks from her mother, who was also oriental although her father was a dark haired man with hazel eyes and a tanner complexion. Both parents had small wisps of gray hair near their temples and had small wrinkles around the corner of their mouths and eyes.
"Hello Mother, Father." Anne said giving each one a hug.
"Anne." Her mother said calmly as she gestured for them to sit down.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Van Dros."
"Randolph. We meet at last." Her father said and Harry noticed Randolph looking uncomfortable.
"And so do we, Mrs. Van Dros." Draco said charmingly as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. Harry rolled his eyes and then realized that Draco must have been using his charm because she began giggling like a schoolgirl. When Draco sat down, Harry leaned over towards him.
"You're probably going to get your arse kicked by her husband." He whispered watching as Mr. Van Dros glared at him.
"Strange enough, you're not the first person to tell me that." He said innocently as he winked at Randolph who shook his head at his cousin's antics.
"Please, call us Charles and Joy." 'Joy' said sweetly, obviously still under Draco's thrall. "It's such a pleasure to have this get together."
"It is, isn't it?" A voice said from the side and he looked to see Allie and Andrea standing to the side, both dressed in long flowing skirts and wearing dark pendants around their necks.
"What are you two doing here?" Randolph asked as they grabbed two chairs and sat on the other side of Harry and next to Charles.
"Meeting your girlfriend." Andrea said as she reached a hand over the table. "Hi, I'm Andrea and this is my sister Allie."
"Hello." Allie said cheerfully as she fingered the straw in her drink that she had brought over.
"Hi." Anne said kindly. "How are you all related?" She said interestedly. All five looked at each other and exchanged looks. The siblings had a muted debate while Harry and Draco just shrugged and waited for things to play out. Anne and her family were looking rather confused at the exchanges.
"These two are my half sisters. Draco is our adopted cousin." Draco nodded his head to show which of the boys he was. "And Harry is my stepfather's second cousin." Harry waved slightly.
"How nice." Charles said gruffly and Allie and Randolph both felt feelings of dislike and distrust wash over them. Harry noticed the tension that grew in the two and quickly figured out what was going on. "Randolph, what was it you said you did?"
"I'm a linguist, sir." He said promptly.
"Fascinating." Joy said as she leaned forward on the table. "What languages?"
Randolph's eyes widened in fear at this. "Just a few dead and tribal languages."
"Do you think maybe you could charm her father? Things are getting kind of tense." Harry said to Draco who winked at Harry before leaning over the table.
"So Charles and Joy, what do you two do?" He practically purred to them. Anne raised an eyebrow at the sight of a fifteen-year-old kid flirting with her parents. The other eyebrow was raised when said parents began to blush and giggle from receiving the veela's attention.
"Nice." Andrea commented, earning a glare from Randolph and a laugh from Harry and her twin.
"Randolph, could I talk to you for a moment?" Anne said, standing up stiffly.
"Sure." The four teenagers exchanged looks. When the two left, they sent Draco after them because he would be hard to hear and track if he was using his elven grace. Creeping around the corner that led to the entrance of the lounge they were in, Draco saw Anne speak fast and furiously to his cousin who was looking impassive.
"What is going on here, Randolph? I take you to meet my parents and you bring two boys you aren't even related to. One of them is little more than a prostitute!" She cried. Draco glared harshly and forced himself from transforming into his veela half. "And then your two sisters show up looking like a couple of hippie children and then that blonde managed to seduce my parents! I don't understand your family." She crossed his arms and Randolph spoke quietly in a dangerous voice.
"First, don't insult my family; Draco is not a whore and both boys are considered family to me whether they possess my blood or not. As for Allie and Andrea, they mean more to me than anyone and I wouldn't care if they showed up naked and began dancing on top of the table before giving your parents lap dances." Draco smiled at this.
Anne looked grieved for a minute. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just wanted everything to be perfect and already daddy doesn't like you because of your family."
Randolph hugged her and then gave a dry chuckle. "Glad he hasn't met Sev'." A 'pop' sounded nearby and he looked up to see Sev' standing there in black trousers and a black silk shirt. "Never mind." Anne looked up and into the strict face of Snape. She gasped in fear as he regarded her sternly. "What's up, Sev?"
"Potter's been found." He said as he began to stroll back in. "Get him out of here." This was all Draco could take before he stepped out into the hallway.
"What's going on?"
***********
At the table, Allie fiddled nervously.
"What's going on?" Harry asked causing both girls to look up. Allie closed her eyes in concentration and began rubbing her temples. At Charles and Joy's odd looks, Harry quickly spoke up. "Headache." They seemed to accept this for they turned back towards the door.
"I sense anger, distrust, frustration and pain." She looked up again and silently conversed with her twin. Harry sighed; he hated when this happened because he felt left out.
Suddenly Andrea spoke up. "Something's wrong." She whispered.