Authors Comment: Here is the next instalment of this totally fluffy story.
Chapter 9. In and Out.Harry had discovered that waking up in the morning, firmly ensconced between his two loves, was generally one of the best times of the day and today was no exception.
He whispered, "Who's awake?"
"Mmmm," in stereo, was the contented reply of two very comfortable others.
Silence for a few minutes, Ginny quietly, "How many times have you done it?"
"That morning was quite exhilarating," Hermione also quietly, "was it three or four?"
"No, no, that's not what I mean, what I mean is have you done it again?" Ginny asked, "since then."
"No we wanted to but we decided not to," it was Harry, "we thought it wouldn't be fair to you. So we decided to wait until after you joined us."
Ginny snuggled as much closer to Harry as she could get, 'no wonder she loved him, he was always so thoughtful.'
Again in a whisper, "I love you both."
"I love you both too," the stereo was on again.
"I wish your birthday would hurry up and be gone," it was Hermione, now sounding slightly frustrated, "I'm as randy as a," pause for thinking, "something that is very, very extremely randy." She finished with a flourish.
"That was excellent English darling, one out of ten for similes." Harry and Ginny were giggling and he continued, "We could always do everything else."
Further encouragement was something neither of the girls seemed to require, so they did everything else, several times and they were consequently late for breakfast.
Very late for breakfast, but all three of them looked exceptionally content and at peace with the world.
There were only Dan, Emma and Molly in the dining room, they thought that Arthur had probably gone to work and there was no sign of Ron or Luna.
"Very suspicious yesterday 'Engagement' today late for breakfast, I wonder?" said Emma with a sly smile, by the way of a greeting.
Hermione was blasé and said, "Nothing we have done today could possibly result in pregnancy, even if there wasn't a perfectly simple charm to prevent it."
"So they've been up to something but they're not saying what," said Molly, also smiling cheekily, "I wonder what?"
"Where's Luna and the carrot?" said Ginny attempting to change the subject.
The three adults laughed and Molly said, "It certainly suits him, who gave him the new name?"
They explained Ron's goof of the previous day and Luna's subsequent manipulation, then they asked their question again.
Dan told them, "Luna came down a little while ago to have some breakfast and she told us that Ron had opened his bottle of rum last night so predictably this morning he has a hangover. Apparently he won't come down because he is scared that we all might shout at him."
"As if we would dream of doing such a thing." Said Molly who was trying to look innocent and failing completely.
"But there's a perfectly simple charm that cures hangovers," Ginny said, "even I have known it for years."
"Luna knows it as well dear," her mother said, "but as she said he won't learn if she doesn't let him suffer for a while."
With a small smile Hermione said, "There's a lot more to that girl than I would of thought when I first met her."
The trio had worked their way through a considerable quantity of food, getting engaged really does give a girl an appetite and then Ginny asked, "What are we going to do today?"
"Well I thought that we might take a look at the garden," Harry said, "we haven't even looked outside yet."
Jemma appeared and said, "Harry I have not yet told you about the gardens. The door nearest this room and the front door both lead into the garden that the Muggles see when they look at the house, so you must wear Muggle clothes if you go out that way. The door nearest the Masters study leads to the concealed garden and it is shielded from Muggle eyes so you can do and wear whatever you wish out there.
If Mr and Mrs Granger go into the shielded garden I do not know what they will see, to my knowledge no Muggle has ever been out there. The weather in the Muggle garden is good today, in the magical garden the weather is always good."
"Thank you for the information Jemma," Harry said, "we would definitely have wondered what was going on without it"
"So what shall we do first?" asked Hermione then she started fluttering her eyelashes and blowing him kisses, Ginny soon joined in; their parents were all laughing at the girls antics.
"Behave yourselves," said Harry smiling, "flirting will get you everywhere, no I don't think that was quite right. We are in robes so we may as well go into the hidden garden first, we might possibly change and go into the other one later.
Mrs Weasley can you do me a favour please, will you take Mr and Mrs Granger to 'Mme Malkins Robes for All Occasions' and buy them some robes for Monday, they will not want to feel out of place?"
"Of course I will Harry and I think that you should start calling me Molly and Arthur by his name as well." Molly answered then asked, "But how do I pay?"
Harry took his pad out of his pocket and wrote 'Mme Malkins Robes for All Occasions' on the top sheet and signed it, he tore it off and handed it to her and said, "If you want anything as well please buy it and while you are about it you should buy Emma at least four and Dan two or three. Buy them anything else you or they think that they may need as well." He took his moneybag out of his pocket and withdrew fifty Galleons and gave it to Molly then he did the same for Dan and for Emma.
But when he gave Molly another fifty Galleons she said, "What's all this for?"
"I don't know," answered Harry, "you know what is in your drawers and wardrobe and if Emma and Dan are going to spend much time in the wizarding world won't they need much the same?"
"Come on Emma," said Molly with a grin, "it looks like we are being forced, much against our natural instincts, to go shopping for clothes."
Emma's face was alight, she put her hand on her hart and said, "Against all my natural instincts, Pot! Let's go."
Laughing the parents left and Hermione said, "You are just so thoughtful darling, how do you do it?"
"I find that it comes easily," he said, "if I just try to think what I felt like when I was with the Dursleys and do whatever I can think of to counteract it. Come on enough moping here let's go and look at this garden."
The trio went through the left hand door and found themselves in a porch that was more the size of a small room than the average porch it had two smallish windows and a door to the outside. The room had a broom rack with half a dozen brooms and on checking the cupboards they only found things like travelling cloaks, boots and hats.
Ginny had gone straight to the broom rack, she had taken one down and was examining it, excitedly she said, "This Nimbus Flash has my name on it and there is one with each of your names on them as well."
Harry and Hermione had made their way over to the rack as Ginny was talking, when she reached the rack Hermione noted, "Harry your Firebolt is here as well but I don't want a broom whether or not it has my name on it is totally irrelevant."
"End of year headlines in the Daily Prophet," Ginny did her best impression of 'Rita Skeeter', "Muggle born Hermione Granger, First Hogwarts head girl ever to be refused a leaving diploma due to her inability to perform on a broomstick."
She said with a cheeky smile, "I thought that I did very well on Harry's broomstick the other morning."
"Behave yourself Miss Granger," Harry tried to sound serious but wasn't doing too well, "you have to pass your flying test. And just for the record, I thought that you did brilliantly the other morning, although I will expect some improvement with your next venture.
"I didn't know," Hermione said querulously becoming serious for a moment, "that we were tested on brooms."
"All Muggle born witches and wizards are," Harry assured her, "plus anyone else they believe may not be competent, like for instance Neville. I ordered these brooms especially so you can either let us teach you here, out of sight of everyone or I will have to teach you on the Quidditch pitch, it's entirely up to you really."
She took down the broom with her name on it, "It looks so fast," she whispered timorously.
"With your level of magic," he told her seriously, "even the school brooms would be extremely quick but this is also the most controllable broom on the market, so if you want to, you will be able to fly it very sedately."
"I'll try," she said with a look of determination and they took their brooms and went outside, Ginny was on hers and had gone swooping over the grounds immediately.
Harry said, "Just do as I do," and he lay his broom on the ground at his right hand side so she did the same. Now we are going to tell the broom's to come up to us, don't be too forceful or the broom will break your hand as it comes up."
"The last time I tried to do this was in first year," she said, "do you remember the difficulty I had?"
"You know a lot more now than you did then," he told her, "and this time you have me teaching you. Up." His broom rose gently into his hand.
"Up," her broom rose gently into her hand and she smiled nervously.
He said, "We are going to get on our brooms and rise gently six feet then we are going to fly slowly around the house."
She followed him exactly and finished, having flown around the house, hovering alongside him with a huge smile on her face.
"This time," he said, "we will just fly around and look at the house and try to relax a bit." So they flew around the house for half an hour discussing it he realised that it had four floors, two above their bedrooms, "We will have to explore those sometime, I wonder how many cellars we have."
"We have two full levels of cellars," she told him, "and a third level that sounds more like a dungeon, from the description in the books that I read, you know the ones that Jiffs gave you to read the first day we came here. 'The Potters Wheel a History', I believe it is called." Then she poked her tongue out at him then flew up level with the third floor windows out of his reach.
They had continued flying around looking at the house and he said, "Is that Ginny over by those trees, let's fly over to her." So they set off at a sedate pace and he said, "Would you like to go a little faster."
She accelerated until they were going at quite a reasonable pace towards Ginny and they soon reached her.
"Just look at you, up here flying like an old pro," Ginny said with a sweet smile, "you won't have to do any more to pass your test, if you practice a few more times before the end of year you will walk it."
"I'm not supposed to walk it I am supposed to do it on a broom," Hermione quipped, "what's that over there."
She went zooming over towards an odd looking spinney, they found that it concealed a very secluded picnic area with a view over a small lake.
After they had landed Hermione said, "It would be very nice to have lunch out here."
She had no sooner said it than a tablecloth was spread before them with their lunch on it; it also had Luna and Ron's half eaten lunches on it, "Who's not going to be a happy carrot then," said Ginny and they were all giggling.
Looking towards the house after a couple of minutes they could see Ron and Luna looking for them so Ginny went up on her broom and waved them over.
Ron complained, "I was sitting in the dining room innocently eating my lunch."
"Innocently?" queried Ginny and Hermione at the same time.
"Well reasonably innocently," he amended, "and it disappeared, then I was informed that a picnic by the lake had been requested and I was directed here. I just hope that my steak is not cold." He sat down on the grass and continued eating his lunch, so joining Ron on the grass they all tucked into an exceedingly good lunch by the lake.
When they had taken the edge off their hunger Ginny asked, "So how much of your Rum did you get through last night?"
"Well there's only about an inch gone out of the top of the bottle, so it wasn't that much," he answered, "and if it does that to you then I won't be drinking much in the future."
A little bit puzzled Hermione asked, "Does what to you?"
"Brewers droop," said Luna petulantly.
"Brewers droop! What's that?" asked a puzzled sounding Ginny.
Luna in her own inimitable way launched off into a story and told her, "I only know what it is called because some witch wrote a letter in to the magazine complaining about her husband and so they did an article about it in the Quibbler a few months ago. When a bloke has too much to drink he can't get it hard, so try as I might last night I was left completely unsatisfied." She half turned her back to Ron as if in a huff but she was winking at them.
Leaving Luna with a bright red carrot who was still eating the picnic but promising her all kinds of compensation when he had finished his lunch in the spinney, the trio set off once again around the garden
Flying on they were pleasantly surprised when they found a full size Quidditch pitch, it was complete with a clubhouse that looked like the Gryffindor common room with broom racks and a long bar. Looking in some of the cupboards they found two full team sets of Quidditch robes one in Gold and the other in red, they also found two sets of balls. So they collected themselves some very cool Butterbeers from behind the bar and flopped onto a sofa for half an hour chatting, then continued their tour around the grounds.
When they found the greenhouses they realised that these were at least as extensive as the ones at Hogwarts and although they saw Lodi the gardener working away, they didn't call him because they had no intension of entering the greenhouses. The only other thing of note they found was a large purpose built free form swimming pool and although all three of them liked splashing around in the water on a hot summers day, none of them were great swimmers.
So they carried on around the grounds and were soon back in the house where Harry and the girls had a debate, was it to be up or down, the cellars or the upper floors.
It was finally decided that they should go upwards and so Harry called Jemma, "We were going to look at the upper two floors of the house do we need a guide?"
"The top floor just has storage rooms with some old furniture and of course the Elves quarters," she said, "the second floor just has forty more bedrooms that have not been used for a couple of hundred years. Every thing up there is clean and in good repair and really there is nothing worth looking at, unless you go up on the roof, but I will let you find out about that for yourselves."
The trio were now quite intrigued and they realised that this was what Jemma had fully intended to make them, so they thanked her and started making their way upwards.
Looking in a few of rooms on the second floor they found it was exactly as Jemma had described to them, they were bedrooms that there hadn't been any use for, for many years, however they all appeared to be clean and in good repair.
Journeying on up to the third floor once again they found Jemma's description of it being a storage area to be wholly accurate. Hermione however was not satisfied until she had looked at the Elves accommodation which to her delight she found to be, as she put it, sweet, spotless and more than adequate.
Making the final ascent to the roof they were still curious as to what lay before them and when they did finally reach it they were very pleasantly surprised. There was the most spectacular roof garden imaginable, Harry immediately cast a warming charm on Ginny and then himself, Hermione had done her own, they were in a winter wonderland of snow, some small pines and lots of ice sculptures.
Of course there began a snowball fight that Ginny put a stop to after about thirty seconds and said, "Right you two, if you want me to play this game then no magic."
Agreement was instantaneous and the battle restarted.
Two hours later, laughing, exhausted and with no apparent victor they left the roof for the hot tub in Harry's bathroom, his was twice the size of the other two and they all fit in it quite nicely.
I bet you guessed that they were going to be late for dinner.
You're nearly right; to be exact they were very late for dinner.
All the others were there and Molly didn't beat about the bush, "What have you three been up to? Why late for two meals in one day?"
Ginny wasn't one to duck issues either, "After lunch we finished our tour of the garden, then we spent a few hours having a snowball fight and after that because we were freezing cold we went and soaked in a hot tub."
Harry and Hermione were eating steadily and Ginny started doing the same.
The others at the table didn't quite know what to make of Ginny's story and Arthur asked quite reasonably, "It's the middle of the summer, where did you find the snow?"
Hermione answered, "There's a beautiful winter wonderland up on the roof. Did you enjoy your shopping trip mum?" She was trying to change the subject.
She didn't succeed and Molly said scathingly, "There's no snow on the roof in August."
"Have you been up there?" questioned Harry rather brusquely, "and did you enjoy your shopping trip?"
Molly realised that she had been politely rebuked and blushing said, "Yes we did didn't we Emma."
Emma being rather more diplomatic than Molly immediately told them what a glorious day they had had and then she started carrying on a conversation with Luna, Ginny and Hermione about the robes they had bought. She also told the girls about their other acquisitions during what had proved to be a very pleasant and successful shopping trip to Diagon Alley.
"Fancy a snowball fight Luna?" Ron asked and continued, "Anyone else?"
Smiling Luna nodded her assent but Hermione said, "I think that we three need to do some reading, we have been very remiss lately."
Having finished their dinner they all left the table Molly and Arthur went to watch a film, Luna and the carrot went up to the roof all the others went into Merlin's study.
An hour and a half later Ron burst into the study, he was soaking wet from his snowball fight with Luna, "Save me Harry! Mum's going to kill me."
Luna and Arthur followed Molly in she was after Ron with her wand out but she hesitated when she saw Harry, he said to Ron in a very calm voice, "What did you do?" Luna and Arthur were grinning behind Molly's back.
"I put snow down the back of her robes." He whimpered.
Harry stood and said much as a pronouncement, "All those who believe that Ronald 'the twit' Weasley should be taken from this place forthwith, to one appointed by his mother and there to have punishment inflicted on him as she sees fit, please raise your right hand's."
Everyone, including Luna, raised his or her right hand.
Then they all started giggling as Harry said quite conversationally to Molly, "Well this is the quiet study Molly, so take him somewhere, where we won't hear the screams. I have been told that there is a really comfy dungeon three floors down, although I have not seen it myself."
"I don't need a dungeon for what I have in mind," said Molly with an evil smile, "but thank you for the offer Harry and I will keep it in mind for future use. His bedroom a silencing charm and a really powerful tickling charm should be more than adequate this time. Accio Wand."
Ron's wand flew into Molly's hand and she passed it to Luna turning back she levitated a still whimpering Ron out of the door and marched off towards his bedroom.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" asked Luna, after they had gone.
"If I was you dear," answered Arthur conversationally, "I would give them about five or ten minutes then take it upstairs and see if he needs it." The pair of them wandered off chatting amicably.
Then Emma said with a grin, "Well at least Molly will believe that there is snow on the roof now."
"Typical Ron though," Ginny said, "you would think that at his age he would have acquired a little sense."
With a small smile, Hermione said, "If you asked him he would probably tell you that he has got along without it so far why should he go looking for some now."
"The warrior needs a certain amount of recklessness," Merlin had joined the conversation, "although more bravery in the face of a woman would be an asset."
"That wasn't just a woman granddad," said Hermione, "that was tiger Molly his mother, anyway he knew that he was in the wrong and so he wasn't allowed to even defend himself."
"You just called Merlin granddad," Emma said, looking slightly confused.
"That is because I asked them if they would like too," Merlin said, "I do hope that you don't mind dear lady?"
"I don't mind," said Emma smiling, "I actually think that it is rather endearing."
Having continued reading for another hour or so they decided that they had had enough excitement for one day so they all said goodnight and went to bed.
At breakfast the next morning Ron didn't appear to be any the worse for the ordeal of retribution by tickling inflicted on him by his mother, indeed he was eating with gusto as usual. Then Luna told them that she had been chatting to Mr Weasley for about fifteen minutes but when she had arrived upstairs Mrs Weasley had just finished with Ron.
The normal subject at breakfast seemed to have become 'what are we going to do today' and this morning turned out to be no different so when asked Harry replied, "I think that maybe we should venture into the Muggle garden today and then possibly to the village, what do you both think?"
Ginny was nodding and Hermione said, "That sounds lovely darling, would some of you grownups like to come with us?"
Molly was looking a bit disappointed and said, "I have to go to the Burrow again today, the twins are coming over and I wouldn't trust them to come here, you all know what they're both like."
"I will come with you," said Emma, "but Dan can't he has to go to do some dental work in a few minutes. We have never met your twins Molly so we don't know what they are like, you seem to think that they might cause some kind of a problem?"
"Some kind of a problem," answered Molly, "if it were 'a' problem it wouldn't be too bad but these two are every kind of problem you have ever dreamt of and some of those dreams would have to be your worst nightmares. Most of the most unpleasant ones are their own invention, they were born on April the first and they are practical jokers, that I think just about says it all."
Luna said, "Ron and I thought that we would go out into the garden again and have more of a look around, if you don't mind Harry?"
"I don't mind at all Luna," Harry said, "we found a swimming pool and a Quidditch pitch yesterday besides the greenhouses, if you find anything else interesting you can tell us about it."
"If you had told me that there was a Quidditch pitch out there," Ron said with a maniacal gleam in his eye, "I would have gone out there instead of up on the roof."
"And doesn't Luna have any say in what the two of you do?" said his mother.
"Oh I quite like Quidditch," said Luna dreamily, "although I don't intend spending the rest of my holiday on a Quidditch pitch, but maybe a couple of hours one or two mornings a week won't be too bad. And an hour swimming every morning would do us both the world of good, but really we should work some fixed study periods into our routine as well."
Everyone noticed the gleam in Ron's eyes diminish but only slightly, before Luna led him out towards the garden.
"She's trying to refine him a bit," Molly said, "I just hope that she gets it finished before he notices what she is doing."
Standing up Harry said, "I think that we three had better go up and change into Muggle clothes, if we are going out."
The trio left the room and went up to their rooms to change.
Fifteen minutes later Dan and Molly had gone off and the trio met up with Mrs. Granger in the kitchen, she was talking to Jemma who said, "The Muggle weather is good again today as is the forecast for them for the next few days, so you should not need topcoats."
"Thank you Jemma." Harry said, "First I want to try a little experiment." He took Emma by the hand and led her to the magic garden door then requested, "I want you to go right out into the garden and then come back in, if you are not back in two minutes we will come to find you."
"Certainly Harry," Emma said going out of the door. A minute and a half later she came back in through the door that was nearest the dining room and looking very disappointed said, "It's just a garden Harry, much like any other."
Hermione was also looking disappointed but Harry said, "Time for a treat, I give Dan and Emma permission to enter the magic garden whenever they want to."
As they took Emma out into the garden again Harry pointed at the brooms on the way passed, "This is lovely and it's totally different to just now." Her eyes were glowing and she gave Harry a kiss on the cheek adding, "Thank you so much."
Hermione handed Harry his broom, she and Ginny already had theirs and they took off and hovered, Harry climbed onto his broom and asked Emma to climb on behind and to hold on tight.
Then he asked, "Are you afraid of heights?"
"I have heard what this is like from Hermione's terrified description in her first year," Emma said, "and I must admit that I have been dieing to have a go ever since she told me about it."
"Well I'm not so scared any more." Hermione said zooming off across the garden, Ginny was struggling to keep up with her.
Harry took off and followed them at a much more sedate pace, "Can't we at least try to catch them?" Emma shouted in his ear.
Harry yelled, "Hold on tight!" and Emma did. Which was just as well because their speed tripled, they soon overhauled the other two and they all landed by their picnic place.
As soon as the four of them were off their brooms Emma threw her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him full on the lips then said, "That was the most exhilarating thing I have ever done and I am not going to apologise for kissing you, if you were mine I would throw you on the ground and make mad passionate love to you."
"But he is not yours mother," Hermione said brusquely sounding a bit annoyed, "he is ours and believe me we also have great difficulty keeping our hands off of him."
Not wishing to listen to a potential argument between Hermione and her mother Ginny had taken off and was gracefully flying loops, which finished the argument. Emma was enthralled. "Can we do that?" Emma asked in a hushed voice, totally ignoring Hermione.
"With two on a broom," Harry said, "I doubt it."
"Ever since Hermione first received her Hogwarts letter telling her that she was a witch, I have wanted to be one. Can't we at least try Harry?" Emma pleaded.
"If I were to convert my fianc's mother into a pancake," Harry said with a grin, "I don't think that my fiancé or her father would be too happy."
"I don't know," Chuckled Hermione, "if she keeps on kissing my boyfriend then I might be giving her some falling off a broom lessons myself."
"I think," said Harry, "that we should all be going back to the house, to look at the Muggle garden then maybe go to look at the village of Pont y Myrddin. Also I believe Mimi was hinting that one of the House Elves should come with us."
Authors Note: I am posting this prior to taking my Disabled wife away on a short holiday; apart from anywhere else we visit, we will be going to Fairyland and Merlin's Bridge so the next update may not be for a few weeks. Fairyland you will find the location of in my story 'A Week in the Life of Harry Potter' which also ships Harry with Hermione and Ginny, the location of Merlin's Bridge is described in this story.
I will obviously appreciate a lot of reviews to be waiting for me when I return so Please Review.