Harry Potter & the Return to Honeychurch
By Darkmoore
"Who is that then?" asked Harry.
"V... V... V..." Tommy said, before crying to hard to be understood.
Chapter Eighteen: Dreams and Surprises
"It's okay Tommy, it was just a dream," Harry said to the crying boy.
"He wants to hurt you Harry," wailed Tommy. "Please don't let him hurt you."
"It's okay," Harry said gently, "I don't think that wizard is alive anymore."
"Are you sure?"
"Not entirely, but mostly I am," Harry said with a smile.
Sniffing hard Tommy said, "I j... j... just don't w... want to loose you."
"You don't have to loose me, kid," Harry said comfortingly and gives Tommy a big hug. "Do you think you're ready to try to go back to sleep now?"
Tommy nodded into Harry's chest and then turn away to snuggle once again into his bedding and Harry tucked him in and started to get up to leave.
"Harry?"
"Yeah, Tommy?" responded Harry.
"Stay with me."
Smiling Harry said, "Okay." Then Harry sat back on the bed and lay down beside the boy until he was sound asleep again.
A few minutes later, as he listened to Tommy's peaceful breathing, Harry rose gently from the bed and left the room to return to Vesta.
'Where did he ever learn that name I wonder?'
((Section Break))
Walking back through the sitting room Harry heard a soft 'woof' from the painting and saw to his delight that it's occupant had returned.
"Sirius?" Harry said. "You're back."
Transforming back into a human the painting replied, "Yeah, just got back a few moments ago. How's the rug rat?"
"He's fine, just a nightmare," Harry replied. "Since I don't see parts of Dumbledore's back side hanging out of your fangs, I assume that he twinkled his way out of it again."
Sirius growled under his breath, "That man spins more riddles and half truths than anyone else in the wizarding world."
"My childhood, welcome to it."
Sirius laughed, "Yeah, I guess you would understand that more than anyone else wouldn't you."
"So I take it that there is another painting of you at Hogwarts as well as here?" Harry asked pointedly.
"Uh, yeah," Sirius replied realizing that Harry didn't know that. "Didn't he tell you about it?"
"What do you think?"
"I think I'm going to plead ignorance on that one Harry."
Smiling Harry said, "Coward. So how many paintings of you are there in the world?"
"Just the two. Albus wanted you to be able to communicate with him in case of an emergency."
"And yet, he neglected to tell me about the second one. He wouldn't be spying on me now would he?"
"No, Harry! I promise you I have never spied on you for him," Sirius promised. "Marauder's Oath!"
Harry relented and smiled at the painting of his godfather, "So what did the barmy old codger have to say for himself this time?"
"The same thing you told me, but I could swear that there is more there that he wasn't telling me."
"My adulthood, welcome to it."
((Section Break))
A short time later, Harry made it back to his lady, who was waiting for him in their bed.
"Vesta," Harry cooed into the darkness of the room.
Silence answered him.
"Vesta, are you asleep?"
Unfortunately she was.
"Damn."
Smiling Harry slips off his boxers and crawls into bed with her and holds her tight.
((Section Break))
The next morning, Harry actually managed to wake up before Vesta and silently crawled out of bed so not to disturb her. However, as he watched her sleep, he couldn't help but feel a warmth in the middle of his chest and bending down he kissed her shoulder and whispered, "I love you Mrs. Potter."
Then he crept silently into the sitting room, remembering to bring his boxers along, as he had slipped them off before going to bed the night before and sat down at his writing table and began to compose a letter. Harry had never been this nervous when composing a letter before, but then again this was the most important letter he would ever write, so he had to it right the first time.
"Harry?"
"Yeah, Sirius?"
"As much of a turn on it is to watch my naked godson sitting there, don't you think it would be a good idea to actually put the boxers on, instead of laying them on the arm of your chair?"
"Very funny," Harry said as he placed his seal on the letter and started to get dressed. Creeping back into the bedroom, he retrieved his robes and shoes and also put them on, left his quarters in order to find Hedwig.
((Section Break))
A short time later, Harry returns to his quarters to find Tommy still sleeping in his bed and Vesta in the shower. Smiling to himself, Harry kicks off his shoes and pulls off his clothes and walks into the bathroom to join her in the shower.
"Morning," Harry said as he jumped into the water.
"Morning," Vesta replied as she gave him a kiss. "Where were you when I woke up?"
"I had an urgent piece of post that needed to go out as soon as possible, so I went up the owlery to have Hedwig take it off for me," explained Harry as he began to nibble on her shoulder.
"That feels nice," purred the potions mistress as Harry's hands began to massage her back.
"Yes, it does," the defense teacher agreed seductively.
Turning around Vesta slid her arms around Harry's neck, as he wrapped his around her waist pulling her closer to him. Finding each others mouth, they began to kiss passionately making up for the missed opportunity from the night before.
"Ouch," Harry said, as his scar once more prickled.
"What's wrong Harry?"
"Nothing, just my scar giving me some trouble this morning," Harry said offhandedly, trying to get back to what they were doing mere moments before.
"Harry," Vesta said warningly. She hated not knowing when things were going wrong for him.
"Honey, it's okay," Harry said soothingly. "It just prickled a little. It's no big deal."
Turning the water off, Vesta said, "Let's go check on Tommy to be sure."
"Damn."
((Section Break))
After getting dressed, Harry and Vesta walk into Tommy's room expecting to find him in the middle of another nightmare; however, what they find instead was completely unexpected.
"Morning, Harry," Tommy said happily. "Morning, Vesta."
"Good morning Tommy, what's going on in here?" asked Vesta pleasantly.
"I'm just playing with my new friend here."
"Good morning everyone," she said pleasantly.
"Morning, Tepthilda, how are you this morning?" asked Harry suspiciously.
"Oh, I'm fine, just playing with this little rascal here."
Harry smiled and said to Tommy, "Well, this little rascal needs to get dressed this morning or else he'll miss breakfast." Then he turned to the new teacher and said, "Why don't we give him some privacy?"
"Of course," she replied and the adults left the boy to get dressed alone.
Once everyone was in the sitting room, Vesta turned to the younger witch and asked, "Tepthilda, how did you manage to get into our rooms this morning? I don't recall giving you the password."
"Oh, I have my ways," she replied seductively to the two other teachers. "I'm just full of surprises."
"I bet you are," Harry said, while thinking that he needed to change the password as soon as possible.
"Yes," Vesta agreed.
"Oh now, don't be mad at me," cooed the Arithmancy teacher. "I just wanted to come by this morning and see if you needing anything before going down to breakfast with the rest of the school."
"I can't imagine what that might be," Vesta asked pointedly.
However, before anyone could say anything else, Tommy came tumbling into the room, fully dressed and announced, "Come on everyone, I'm hungry."
((Section Break))
A short time later, as Harry and Vesta took their usual seats at the staff table with Tommy about to take the vacant one beside his mentor, when Tepthilda beat him to it. Both Harry and Vesta were not happy when they saw the look of disappointment on Tommy's face. He always sat beside Harry at breakfast.
However, Tommy didn't let that stop him and he crawled up into Harry's lap to have breakfast there, which caused Harry to smile at him.
"You know something kiddo?"
"What Harry?" asked Tommy.
"You're soon going to be too big to sit in my lap anymore."
Looking crestfallen, Tommy asked, "Does that mean I have to get down?"
"No," Harry said smiling still, "It just means that someday you'll have to."
"Good!" Tommy said and began to eat breakfast as the post owls began to arrive with the morning mail.
Vesta was still looking oddly at Tepthilda, as she opened her copy of the Daily Prophet and paid the owl.
"Oh look Harry," Tommy squealed, "Here's comes a red one for you."
Looking up Harry witnessed as Narcissa Malfoy's owl once again brought him his daily howler, before it took off again in a vain attempt to escape the noise it would produce.
"HARRY POTTER, YOU MERCILESS SON OF A BLOOD TRAITOR! HOW DARE YOU KEEP ME FROM MY RIGHTFULU INHERETANCE! I DEMAND THAT YOU RETURN TO ME ALL THE TITLES AND PROPERTIES OF MY GOOD FAMILY IMMEDIATELY OR ELSE I SHALL BE TAKING THIS ISSUE UP WITH THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC," bellowed Narcissa before the letter disintegrated into a pile of ash.
"Well Harry," Tepthilda cooed, "That is certainly an interesting way to start the day."
Fitzy, however, was sitting on the other side of Vesta raised her goblet of orange juice and said, "Cheers Narcissa."
Harry laughed at the plump charms teacher and continued with his breakfast before he noticed that Grady was now perched on the back of his chair and nipping at him.
"Oh, hello Grady, what do you have for me this morning?" asked Harry as the owl hopped down to the table and held out it's leg to have the letter removed. As soon as he was relieved of his burden, Tommy began feeding the ancient old some bacon rinds.
"Who is the letter from Harry?" Vesta asked curiously.
"Aunt Petunia," replied her raven haired fiancé. "She wrote me a letter and sent an invitation to my cousin Dudley's wedding."
"Is he that fat guy who ate all the food when he went to visit last summer?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah, that would be him."
"Who'd marry him?" Tommy said slyly before going back to his breakfast.
Harry chuckled and read the invitation to see when and where the wedding was to take place.
"So when are we going?"
"You want to go honey?"
Vesta smiled and said, "Of course, I want to go. Tommy's right, I want to see who'd marry him. Besides I want to make sure that our wedding will be bigger than his."
"Professor Sangeorge," Harry said in mock surprise. "Did you just propose to me?"
"Maybe, kind of, sorta," said Vesta slyly. "Would you like it to be one?" she asked remembering their earlier conversation about the topic.
"Maybe, kind of, sorta," replied Harry as she had before. Then he gave her hand a squeeze.
"Are you two planning on getting married?" Fitzy asked quickly before they could distract her with some other nonsense.
"Maybe, kind of, sorta," Harry and Vesta replied together.
((Section Break))
Harry walked into this classroom from his office just as the morning bell was ringing to signal the start of classes for the day. "Good morning everyone," Harry said cheerfully.
"Morning sir," several of the third years replied.
Smiling Harry said, "Well, it's good to see that everyone is in a great mood this morning."
"Well, sir," Daphne Feeney, the seeker for the Desdrilla Quidditch team said, "we've heard that you've not been giving any homework yet this term and we're hoping that you won't give us any either."
"Oh you did, did you?" replied Harry with a small smirk. "What makes you think you're going to get out of homework then? I was helping the fifth years review for the upcoming O.W.L.'s."
Suddenly six thirteen year olds were looking somewhat unhappy. However, Harry reached over and pulled his invisibility cloak off of the wheel that he had used the day before.
"Alright third years," Harry said, "let's get into three teams of two and let's review what you've forgotten from over the summer."
So for the remainder of the class period the third year students played the game and as the class was drawing to an end, Harry tallied up the scores and found that the team of Grant Emerson and Daphne Feeney had the highest points and they were rewarded with a slab of Honeydukes' best chocolate as a reward. The two third years were pleased, Harry hadn't done that with any of the other classes that played the review game.
Soon the bell rang and the third years rushed out of his classroom to go down to the potions laboratory on the ground floor and Harry replaced the invisibility cloak over the wheel and waited for his sponsored class to find their way from History of Magic to his classroom.
((Section Break))
A very short time later, Harry was standing behind his podium and watching his sponsored class as they took their seats and waited for class to start.
Spying his two wayward boys take seats closer to the back of the classroom, Harry was once again reminded of his suspicions from the night of the New Term Feast.
'Those two are up to something.'
However, the bell soon rang and Harry started class, "Good morning everyone."
"Good morning," some of them responded.
"I'm sure by now, many of you have heard about the review game that everyone has been playing in my class," said the raven haired teacher.
All the girls nodded in anticipation to the game.
"I'm sorry to say that we will not be playing the game today, I forgot to prepare the questions for your class," Harry admitted reluctantly. "However, I thought we might take a few minutes and everyone can tell me about their summers."
All seven second years smiled, they were getting out of working today and they were pleased.
"Let's start in the back shall we," Harry said teasingly while looking right at Will Beagle. "Will, why you don't start us out. Since you seem to have a very pronounced mischievous look on your face since you've returned to the school."
Rolling his eyes at his favorite teacher, Will innocently says, "Sir, I've told you before, you're just paranoid. Maybe you need some therapy?"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: To everyone who reviewed, thanks again...
Author's Notes: I am pleased to announce that as of 1 November 2, 2004 I now have 80 people who have me on their favorites lists and over 160 people who have me on their author alert lists. My nipples are so hard right now!