HP Life after Hogwarts
Chapter 29
One of those days
--
Hogwarts was a happy castle the next morning, because at breakfast Professor Dumbledore had canceled their remaining classes for the week not including the Advanced Potion Making classes, who were nearing completion of their midterm potion final. All of whom were relieved that they would be able to complete the assignment and not have to start from scratch when second term started. Bastion and the boys were let off on good behavior, but Quidditch was still not in their futures. The third year students and above were given Hogsmeade privileges until Saturday when they would be boarding the train for Christmas holiday. The family were all back in the Pendragon wing. Albus was more than happy to give everyone an early Christmas present, so he and the other members of the family could spend time with everyone.
--
Pendragon Wing
"You would think after all this time that they would be enjoying their freedom, but it's been hours since the boys took over the entertainment room." Ginny castle bound and bored out of her mind was knitting something for DJ.
"Boys will be boys. They are twelve after all and it's not surprising that they happen to be addicted to their video games." Luna had two magical weaving looms in front of her and was working on two baby blankets for Ryan and Tyler.
"The ones of us who can are all out skating with Emmy." Ginny pouted.
"I know and it sounds like delirious fun, but we have to sit inside and amuse ourselves in other ways this winter." Luna heaved a mournful sigh.
"I know, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it."
"Now, now we'll have none of that nonsense." Mab appeared in the Common Room. "Sitting here moping is not good for you or the little ones that you carry. It's off with me to Avalon where it's warm and you can even go for a dip if you fancy one."
"But the boys said to stay put here in the castle." Gin and Luna chimed as one.
"Oh falderal. You are your own persons, so you are more than capable of making your own decisions, wise ones of course. So stop being meek little mice." Mab planted her hands on her hips and shot them a look.
"Our men have nasty tempers. We'll end up on the couch for sure." Luna worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
"They went out to enjoy the fresh air did they not?"
The two nodded.
"Well then it's only right that you do the same. Now as your First-Grams and a Healer of the highest order I am ordering you to come with me." She crossed her arms in front of her and tapped her foot impatiently.
"We can't disobey an order like that." The girls grinned at one another.
"Can we at least leave them a note?" Luna pushed herself up to her feet.
"Yes, we must or they'll be…" Ginny didn't get to finish because with a wave of her hands Mab had whisked the two of them away.
--
"Gin? Luna? Do you wanna have a go…" Bastion poked his head out to see if they needed anything, but all he saw were the sets of knitting needles and the two magical weaving looms hard at world with their tasks. "Hey, now where did they go off to?" He pulled out his map to check on their whereabouts, only to find that they were nowhere to be found. "This is so not good."
"What's up…" Sean saw them missing and glared at Bastion. "I told ya that we should've parked them on the sofa in the entertainment room, but no you never listen ta me!"
"Hey, now what's with the growlin…" Alan knocked Bastion upside the head with the heel of his hand. "Nice goin! We're toast!"
"Let's not panic. Maybe they went shopping. Girls even pregnant girls still do that you know." Donnie wasn't ready to panic just yet.
"Find me Ginny Pendragon-Black and Luna Pendragon-Weasley please." Bastion tapped his wand to the map.
--
The mistresses are not within the range of this map…
Sorry about that….
Do you have another request?
The map wrote out on the parchment.
--
"Scratch that mates we are beyond toast." Donnie wasn't so calm anymore. "Do ya think that somethin sinister is a foot?" He walked over to the sectional and checked for signs of struggle and found none.
"What the bloody hell does bloomin out of range of map mean!?" Sean tapped the map with his wand.
--
Allow me to explain….
Out of range means the Mistresses in question are no longer in the United Kingdom…
Perhaps they journeyed abroad…
Unfortunately I am not capable of broader searches…
So sorry have a lovely day….
It wrote out on the parchment.
--
"Show me Professor Dumbledore, please." Alan tapped the map with his wand.
--
I'm sorry, but you are not at liberty to view the Ministry of Magic therefore this map cannot help you…
It wrote out as polite as can be.
--
"We are up to our necks in quicksand for sure for this one." Bastion moaned. "Show me Harry, Draco, and Ron."
--
The masters are visiting the dragon colony
It showed their location on the map, each of them was holding a triplet and Dani seemed to have what appeared to be the Sorting Hat on her head or so the map said.
--
"We have no choice." Donnie eyed the others.
"We know." The others sighed in defeat.
"It was nice while it lasted." Bastion headed back into the entertainment room so he could save their game.
"Naughty boys! You's gone and lost the mommies haven't ya!" Peeves appeared out of nowhere.
"Not now Peeves!" Sean snarled.
"Doomed Diggy, Grangy, Cleary, and Chumping all in big trouble!" Peeves cackled in delight.
"Go away!" Alan and Donnie snarled.
"Peeves tell Sevy, Loopy, and Chucky that you've gone and lost Drakie and Roonie's girls!" Peeves blew them a raspberry and vanished.
"You didn't!" Bastion came out just in time to see Peeves make his exit. "Please tell me that you didn't rile him up!"
"He annoys us to no end!" Sean snarled.
"He's been on good behavior! This will make his day!" Bastion stalked out of the Pendragon Wing.
"It's Peeves! They'll never believe him!" The boys chased after him.
--
Dark Forest path
"When you two get back to the castle might I suggest taking my little sisters to Avalon for the rest of the afternoon, before they toast your asses like Empress toasted your boots?" Harry suggested to them as they made their way up the path back to the castle with the triplets snoozing in the toboggan that he was pulling behind him.
"The lad's got a point." The Sorting hat which was now safely sitting on Harry's head commented.
"It's chilly out here today and Luna was showing signs of the sniffles this morning." Ron growled in his defense.
"So was Gin." Draco echoed. "I'm willing to risk her being angry with me for her and our baby's sake."
"Well then lads you should be pampering your lassies not gamboling outside in the snow." The Hat scoffed.
"We are not gamboling about in the snow! Harry needed a hand with the triplets and we gave him one." Ron had tried silencing the hat that Dani had called to her, but he was protected by countless spells.
"They do make a valid point." Harry nodded. "I did need help with the girls."
"It wasn't like we left them completely alone. The boys are keeping watch over them for us." Draco grumbled.
"Those lads can't stay out of trouble for ten minutes. Oh smart move…" The Hat was sarcastic as all get out.
"Okay you that's enough." Harry plucked him off his head and went to try to shove him into the diaper bag that he had slung over his shoulder.
"Listen here you ruffian! This is no way to treat your elders! I have your many-great-grandfather's spark in me and I demand to be treated with respect!" The Hat ranted as he was zipped up inside the diaper bag.
"Is he barking mad or telling the truth? I always thought it was only partial truth when he sings his song." Ron scowled.
"Oh, he's telling the truth, but he was giving me a migraine." Harry muffled the growls of protest coming from the bag with a silencing charm. "Ah, blessed silence."
"Blimey Harry. Your many-great-Granddad was gonna stick you in Slytherin all those years back." Ron stared down at the diaper bag in disgust.
"Yeah, well let's not go there and its a spark not Godric's soul in that Hat." Harry's face flushed crimson.
"Spark or not it's still a part of Godric Gryffindor." Draco arched a brow at him. "It wouldn't have mattered though. You would have still befriended Ron and Hermione and the others. Although, that whole heir of Slytherin bit would have been a hell of a lot more complicated, that and your influence might have had a positive effect on me far sooner than it was written in the cards."
"Yeah, I suppose, but no offense I liked being able to choose." Harry paused in the clearing where they had set up a skating area for Emma. Hermione was skating on the ice to their song and doing a bang up job at it with spins, leaps, jumps, and the works. "Guys chalk another one up on my had-no-idea-she could-do-that list."
"Bloody hell, she's really good." Ron stared at her in disbelief.
"That's some O quality skating all right." Draco nodded.
"Would you look at that it appears as though Bree and Binky aren't half bad at it as well." Harry watched as the two girls joined her on the ice.
"Look at Emmy. She's watching every movement and committing it to memory." Draco smirked.
"Yeah, she's so like Hermione it's scary." Ron grinned.
"She cornered me at breakfast this morning and requested of me something that I'm not so sure about." Harry checked on the girls who were snoozing under a warm blanket, but decided to add a canopy over-the-top of the sled to give them even more protection from the elements.
"Do tell."
"She wishes me to pop her over to Australia, so she can spend some time with Daniel before she has to hit the books again and cram for her finals." Harry covered the canopy with a blanket adding even more warmth inside with his girls.
"Emmy is the new darling of the paparazzi, so that wouldn't be wise." Draco frowned.
"Yeah, how would she explain it anyway? Oh, I hopped on a plane and poof here I am. Those HP fan sites have eyes everywhere. They'd be over that with a comeback like…Oh really, was it using Wizarding World air? That's if you don't go all Next Merlin and bend the rules like Merlin tends to do." Ron pointed out several flaws to her request. "GOF made well over 700 million worldwide. If she pops over there out of bloomin nowhere then no doubt tongues will be wag."
"There is the Floo network, but it's summer over there, and I haven't a clue if the place where he's at has a fireplace or not." Harry worked over various tactics in his head. "I could port the two of us there Merlin style and there's always altering memories if that need arises. I mean that's what Mione and I did last Christmas Eve."
"Those diehard fans are ruthless when it comes to getting their stories! By the gods if we so much as sneeze or do anything it ends up on the bloomin net!" Draco muttered.
"Don't go there. To me it's like being stalked, but then again my life doesn't revolve around pleasing loyal ticket buyers and the like."
"No just pleasing everyone here in our world, so they'll give us all some peace." Draco turned his attention back to the ice. Fleur was the one dancing flawlessly across the ice. "Isn't she?"
"Oh yeah," Ron spotted Bill and Charlie heading up the path, "This is so not good. Bill is gonna lose it when he sees her."
"I made sure the rink was safe, so Fleur and…" Harry focused on what was to come. "Her little girl are safe."
"Looks like chewing Fleur out is gonna have to wait because the two are heading straight for us and that can only mean one thing something's afoot." Draco scowled.
"You can say that again." Harry pointed above them. "The boys raided the broom closet."
"What gives?! They're supposed to be looking after the girls and they get to have Telly and video game privileges." Ron was not pleased.
Bastion screeched to a halt in front of them. "OK. First of all this is not our fault!"
"What's going on Sebastian Alexander?" Harry folded his arms in front of his chest and scowled at him.
"If Peeves is correct, the kids misplaced Ginny and Luna." Bill growled.
Charlie narrowed his eyes at the boys. "You four are skating on razor thin ice already. Now off to the castle with the lot of you. You will replace those brooms where you found them and then write me a yard long essay on tending and nurturing dragons. Due before you board the train on Saturday! You were given a simple task and blew it! Now move!"
"This is so not fair! We parked them on the sectional in the Common Room, supplied them with trays of snacks, goblets of refreshments, and gave them a bell with which to call us by! We checked on them every half hour! They were growling about Ron and Draco while knitting and weaving god knows what every time except for this last time I checked on them. There were no big sisters to be found, only knitting needles and the looms still working on their tasks!" Bastion pleaded their case. "I took out my map to see if they had gone up to nap, but it stated to me the mistresses were out of range!"
"Hang on a minute! Pause and rewind! You aren't supposed to have a map!" Harry was borderline furious now. "Where did you nick it from Sebastian?!"
"Oh, nice going you blockhead! Now you've gone and screwed it for the rest of us!" Sean snarled.
"Button it Sean!" Draco snarled.
"So much for this summer…" Alan muttered.
"You too Alan! Not another word!" Ron was furious with the lot of them for misplacing Luna and Ginny.
"It's just a harmless map, so why all the drama?" Donnie frowned. "You had one didn't you?"
"I had the original Marauders Map that was given to me my third year by Fred and George. That doesn't have anything to do with Bastion having a new Marauders Map or the fact that he stole one!" Harry snarled.
"Bastion stole what exactly?" Hermione decided to see what was up.
"Your pride and joy and very handy location device," Bill growled.
"Um…" Hermione bit down on her lower lip. "That's not entirely true."
Harry focused his attention on his guilty looking wife. "Oh and why is that exactly?"
"I created a simplified map for Bree, so she could keep tabs on Bastion and the boys." She admitted softly.
"Oh, nice goin Hermione," Ron rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Don't start with me Ronald or you Draco! You ditched your pregnant wives to play in the snow! It's no wonder that First-Grams whisked the two of them off to Avalon for the afternoon! Harry never ditched me when I was carrying the girls!" Hermione laid into both of them. "You both have a lot to learn about pampering your life mates!" Hermione went to check on her girls.
"Avalon?! First-Grams!! We're toast!" Ron and Draco vanished.
--
"Mystery solved. Now if you'll excuse me I have to collect my wife." Bill stalked towards the ice.
"The map Sebastian," Harry growled.
Bastion handed over the map.
"Now back to the castle. You have an essay to work on." Charlie pointed towards the castle.
"Ah man this bites!" The boys sped off towards the castle.
"I'll see you two later. Matt was crawling when Peeves popped by and Dory will want to know what's up with the girls." Charlie vanished.
"PUT ME DOWN YOU BRUTE!" Fleur screeched in outrage. "I'M NOT MADE OF SPUN GLASS!"
"You are expecting our firstborn and will not endanger him or her by frolicking on the ice!" Bill snarled back.
"I WAS NOT AS YOU SAY FROLICKING! I WAS PERFORMING A MAGNIFICENT DANCE YOU BIG GOON!" Fleur fumed. "AND HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SUCH AN ACT!" She burst into tears. "YOU DON'T THINK I CAN BE A GOOD MOTHER!" She wailed at the top of her lungs.
"Now beautiful, I didn't mean it that way. You'll make a smashing mum to our child." Bill set her down on her feet and cuddled her close.
Fleur looked up at him with mournful tear filled cornflower blue eyes. "I am well schooled in the art of ice dancing…(sniffle)…our little one was safe…(sob)…you plucked me off the ice and made a scene for nothing and your paranoia and constant hovering is stifling me! I will not be cooped up indoors doing nothing, but eating, napping, and reading for eight months!" Fleur went from mournful to spitting mad in seconds.
"I am a former member of the tri-wizard tournament! I scored top marks and was Head Girl at Beauxbaton! I'm not some scatterbrained bimbo who wouldn't know which end was what on a magic wand! That ice rink was magically transfigured by Harry, Draco, and Ron. They made sure to cast safety measures on it, so Emma or whoever used it would not come to any harm!" Fleur's eyes narrowed to slips as she continued to lay into him.
"My daughter and I are safe and sound!" She patted her flat tummy lovingly. "You however are not!" She brandished her wand at him with lightning speed and transfigured him into a Flobberworm with colorful pustules all over it. "I'm going home to Paris for the holidays! You can stay here and get drunk with your long lost friend like you did the other night! And you have the nerve to fault me on responsibility when you seriously lack it yourself!" Fleur stalked off.
Harry knelt down in front of Bill the Flobberworm and stared down into furious green eyes. "So what do you reckon we do with big brother?" He glanced over at Hermione.
Hermione was on Fleur's side, so her answer was blunt and to the point. "Take him to St. Mungo's. Let them sort him out. I'm insulted that he would even believe for a second that I would let Fleur skate if it wasn't safe for her or the baby. He needs to stew like that for a day or two. Maybe then he'll have learned his lesson."
"Mione, yes he beyond stepped in it, but cut him some slack. He's new at this and a guy doesn't think straight about these kinds of things."
"You weren't a paranoid Neanderthal when I was carrying our girls." Hermione planted her hands on her hips and glared down at Flobberworm Bill. "You were doting, patient, and loving during my first trimester. Not heavy-handed and paranoid like this one was with Fleur."
Harry raked his fingers through his hair. "Oh, believe you me had you tried to go skating like Fleur did a while ago the result would have been similar. Only I would have carefully plucked you off the ice, set you down out of harms way, and then taken my fury that you had taken such a risk, out on the ice itself. Afterwards, I would have calmly carried you inside, waited until we were safely back in our rooms, then after setting you down on the bed would have proceeded to lecture you until my face turned blue."
Hermione jumped back when Bill righted himself again, then proceeded to focus on his jinxed skin until he was once again back to normal. "Men protect it's just instinct." He growled down at her. "That," He pointed to the ice rink in the clearing. "Is a red flag in our eyes, no matter if you happen to be a bloomin expert at it or not! You knew better, but went and let her have a go anyway!"
Hermione stepped back until the heels of her boots bumped the sled. "She was sulking and…" Hermione gulped when Bill cut her off.
"Just like all bleedin heart females you let common sense fly out the frickin window and let her go frolic on the ice!" Bill was beyond furious that he was being cast as the bad guy when he was just looking after what was his. "You're a Healer! Damn it! You know better than this! Your training is sorely lacking in the common sense and good judgment areas! I'd work on that if I were you! Now excuse me I have to go collect my wife!" Bill vanished, Merlin style, in a flash of orange and gold light.
--
"He's right. I'm a horrible Healer!" Hermione burst into tears and plopped down beside the sled. "I knew better than to let her skate, but…Oh bother, he's right I'm horrible at it!" She buried her face in her hands.
Harry sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "No what you happen to be is a softie and not one to tread over a person's feelings especially if the ones in question are miserable or emotionally distraught. Fleur sulking would make anyone give in just to make her stop. It's like looking at a kitten denied her cream or a puppy their bone."
"That may well be true for a member of the male species, but Bill is right. I should have known better than to even take such a risk by allowing her to skate." Hermione felt like a failure and she despised that feeling. "It shant happen again."
"Angel, you aren't her Healer nor are you certified as of yet. Bill was way out of line saying what he did." Harry tilted her chin with his finger, so she was looking at him. "When you're ready to fill those shoes you are gonna be a great Healer. You've got the potion part down and are a natural at the rest. Now why don't we get our little ones back to the castle and tucked in their cribs. Then you and me can cuddle for a while." He kissed away her tears.
"Don't you want to have a go on the ice?" Hermione wiped away her tears with the heels of her hands and looked up at him.
Harry scratched the back of his neck with his hand and frowned. "Uh, no I don't…"
"Don't be silly. The girls are toasty warm and snoozing the afternoon away, so it won't hurt if you wish to give it a go." She sprang to her feet.
His frown turned to a scowl when she reached out her hand to him. "No means just that."
"Please." She pouted.
"No and no amount of batting your lashes or pouting at me is gonna change my mind." Harry folded his arms across his chest and remained exactly where he was sitting.
"Why Harry you aren't afraid of falling on the ice are you?" She focused on her boots and was once again wearing skates.
Harry glowered up at her, but said nothing.
"I promise that I won't let you fall; besides you love a good challenge." She conjured a pair of skates in her hands and then set them by his feet.
"Woman one of these days you are gonna have to learn to take no for an answer." Harry traded his boots for the pair of skates. Glaring at her when she knelt in front of him to properly lace up and tie his skates then with her task complete kissed him chastely on his forehead as if he were three. "You'll pay later for this." He hissed in her ear as he awkwardly levered himself up to his feet.
"You'll love it." Hermione steadied him by putting an arm around his waist. "Think of it as if you were riding your first bicycle."
Harry clung to her waist as they walked…well she walked while he tried desperately to keep his footing. "I wouldn't know that Hermione. I never had a bike until a year ago, so no I don't think that analogy is gonna work on me and this is nothing like flying my broom. It's more like walking those blasted polls that Master Teacher made me do daily seventh year."
"Well, then think of it as a Master Teacher challenge then." Hermione stepped onto the ice and pulled him along beside her. "It's like waltzing only on the ice. You need to relax your body and just glide across it."
Harry gritted his teeth in sheer concentration. "Oh, that's easy for you to say because you're a bloomin pro at this." He muttered under his breath.
"I took lessons for years until I grew out of the phase at eleven and discovered magic." The two of them avoided Emma who was practicing her spins with Ami, Bree, Moria, and Binky, who were also enjoying the ice.
Nanda seeing the perfect video family moment left the ice to sit by the sled, so she could capture the scene with her Digital Video Recorder.
"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Harry snarled when he nearly lost his footing. "Let me get straight down first before we move on to turns!"
"Don't be such a baby." Hermione rolled her eyes at him as they stopped. "Pretend that we're strolling along. Just watch me and then follow along." Hermione skated flawlessly over to the other side of the rink and then turned so she was facing him. "Come on try it."
Harry gritted his teeth in sheer concentration as he skated, all be that haphazardly with arms flailing about, over to where she was standing. "The result was him tumbling into her outstretched arms. "Hermione! Next time teach me how to stop first!" He was fairly certain that they weren't supposed to end up landing in a snowbank, but then again he didn't mind having her lying on top of him and smiling down at him either.
"Well this is one-way to stop, but the proper way is to use the toe-pick or front tip of your blade…" She found herself pulled down into his arms and kissed mindless.
--
Wills scowled down at them a little while later. "All right you two shows over."
"Any more of that and you'll be melting the ice and everything around you." Henry chuckled.
Harry and Hermione ignored them.
"Oh…" Emma, who was sipping some hot coco, skated over to where they were standing. "So that's where the two of them vanished to."
"Wills let them be." Rory smirked. "They aren't hurting anyone."
"It's not like they have an impressionable audience anymore." Dromi giggled.
"Uncle James came out here a bit ago in search of something that's disappeared from the castle and sent the girls back to the castle." Emma smiled. "He and Uncle Sirius also brought Nanda and me some hot coco and then looked in on the babies before heading back to the castle in search of…well I believe it was a hat of some sort."
"The two of them just left them like that and said nothing." Wills stared at her in utter disbelief.
"We looked around for them, but they chalked it up to Harry and Hermione using the invisibility cloak for some private cuddle time." Nanda walked over to them.
"No one thought of looking in a six-foot snowdrift." Emma smirked.
"Why would Daddy be searching for a missing hat anyway?" Rory frowned.
"Don't know, but they said it was very old and that Uncle Albus was looking for it." Emma sighed.
"Dada!" Dani wailed not knowing where she was. "Mama!"
"Mama! Dada!" Ally and Mia were also frightened.
Harry and Hermione instantly reacted to their cries. "Be right there girls." She called to them.
"Where be? No like!" Dani did not like being in the sled.
"You're all right." Harry helped Hermione to her feet. "Mummy and Daddy are right here. Just give us a minute to get to you." Harry now focused on his girls managed to skate across the ice and over to the other side without losing his balance.
"Not bad handsome, you just free-skated your way across the ice and didn't fall once." Hermione laughed when he transfigured his skates back to boots, so he could carry her over to the sled.
"I did?" Harry grinned at her when she nodded as he brushed most of the snow off them.
Hermione after transfiguring her skates back to boots went about uncovering the girls. "Yes you did." She removed the blanket.
"Well how about that." Harry helped her by making the canopy vanish and smiled down at their girls. "See it's all right. We're here no need for tears or those unhappy faces."
Dani sneezed. "Dada up," She reached up for him to pick her up and sneezed again.
Harry conjured a warm blanket and scooped her up into it. "Did my little shadow catch a chill while she was napping?" He crooned as he cuddled her into his coat.
"I think she's been outside a little too long." Hermione patted Dani's back. "Now our other two on the other hand wish to play some more." She looked down only to find that Ally and Mia had escaped the sled and were crawling around in the snow.
"Mama play," Ally crawled up to her boots.
"We like." Mia was heading for the ice.
"Not so fast there munchkin it's time for you to go inside." James appeared in front of her and scooped her up into his arms. "So where have you two been hiding?" He arched a brow at Harry and Hermione's snow covered state of appearance.
"That's obvious Prongs. They were making time rolling around in a snowbank." Sirius appeared next to James. "Either of you seen the Sorting Hat? He's disappeared."
Harry was occupied shrinking the sled to toy car size, so he could get Dani back inside before her sniffles got any worse and didn't catch what they had said. "It's okay baby girl. We're gonna make it all better. I promise." He crooned softly.
"Honestly Dad, why would you think that either of us had him?" Hermione was bundling up Ally so she wouldn't catch a chill.
"Sweetie I'm not saying that either of you did. Just that he'd disappeared." James was doing the same with Mia.
"Yeah and the maps have gone crackers on us, so we're searching the hard way for him." Sirius took out the map and scowled down at it. "The bloomin hat isn't outside you defective old relic."
Hermione could see the guilt washing over Harry's face and just assumed that it was because Dani had caught a chill. "Harry you did nothing wrong it's just the sniffles."
"Uh, yeah, Mione I know that. I just hate to see any of them miserable." Harry picked up the diaper bag and slung it back over his shoulder.
"Oh, now that's rich! It's sayin that he's next to Harry." Sirius grumbled and took out another map. "So does the one that you and Harry made; only it seems to be showing that he's steaming mad."
"Who's steaming mad?" Harry acted like he didn't have a clue that they were referring to the Sorting Hat, who was stuffed in the bag that he was carrying.
"The Sorting Hat seems to have come up missing and the maps say that you happen to be carrying him on you somewhere." Hermione looked him over before taking the diaper bag from him.
"Now it says that Hermione has him."
"Uh, well, you see the thing is that Dani called him to her and I set him in there for safekeeping." Harry acted as if it wasn't that big of a deal.
"You squashed an over a millennia old hat in the diaper bag?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.
:Dani no feels good. Dada.: Dani sneezed again and then coughed.
"I know baby." Harry crooned softly. "Look, it was for his own good, now I need to get Dani inside where it's warm." He vanished.
"Ron and Draco were with him. He must have been annoying the heck out of them." James surmised as he freed the hat from his prison.
"That boy of yours needs a lesson in treating his elders with respect!" The hat was seething mad. "Just for this bout of insolence I'll take great pleasure in putting the triplets in separate houses!"
Hermione glared down at him. "You will do no such thing. We decided last night the girls would choose and that's how it will be."
"Why were you stuffed in there in the first place?" James growled.
"Miss Dani has taken a liking to me and called me to her. Then when her and her sisters nodded off Mr. Pendragon decided to set me on his head for safekeeping. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Black were discussing how to soothe the ruffled feathers of their lassies and I gave them my view on the matter. The boys didn't like it, so I found myself being stuffed into that bag." The Hat stated his case.
"More power to them…I'd say." James put him back into the bag. "In ya go old man that is until I get you safely back to Uncle Albus."
"This is an out…" The bag once again muffled his protests.
"Mystery solved. Now let's get the girls inside before they also get a chill." Hermione glanced over at the ice. "I'm going back to the castle! Dani caught a chill and I don't wish for these two to catch one as well!" She called over to them.
"We'll see you in a bit." They called back.
--
Later that evening in the Pendragon Wing.
Harry walked the nursery floor with Dani cuddled against his shoulder. "Grandma and Mama are fixing you up something that's gonna make you feel so much better." He felt her forehead she was spiking a fever.
"How's our little trouper feeling?" James walked into the nursery.
"Miserable and now she's spiking a fever." Harry sat down in the rocker.
Dani sneezed, sniffled, and coughed miserably against his shoulder. :I hot.:
"Hermione and Lil's sent me up with some of this for her fever." James produced two vials of bubble gum pink potion from his robes.
"She's not the biggest fan of that particular potion." Harry put Dani in his arms so she could take the potion. "How about if my angel tries and takes a little medicine to make that fever go away."
Dani caught sight of the potion and immediately covered her mouth with her hands. "No…Dada" She coughed out a whimper. :No like it.:
"This is gonna make you feel better and you want to feel better don't you." James knelt down in front of the rocker.
Dani nodded.
"Well then take your medicine like a good girl." James measured out a dose of potion.
Dani shook her head no and kept her hands over her mouth.
"Watch this Dani." James gave Harry the dose of potion to show her that it wasn't that bad to take.
Harry forced a smile on his face as he swallowed the not so nice tasting medicine. "See baby nothin to it. Now you take some for Daddy." Harry negotiated with her.
Dani reluctantly uncovered her mouth and let James feed her some medicine.
Dani wrinkled her nose in distaste, sneezing the medicine all over her grandfather. "Yucky." She coughed weakly.
"It's not that bad angel now please take some for Daddy." Harry tried to feed her a dose himself, but the result was the same with Harry ending up with the potion all over him.
"No like!" Dani refused to open her mouth for the third try at taking the medicine. She went as far as making the spoon vanish from his hand.
"I wonder who'll be the recipient of that little present." James watched as the two vials of medicine vanished from his hand. "She's as stubborn as you were and still are about taking medicine. Luckily I hid one more vial in my robes.
"Danielle Stephanie Anastasia you will take your medicine and like it." Harry was trying to be patient with her, but she needed to take the medicine.
"No like." Dani whimpered.
"Would you rather that you kept feeling hot and achy?" Harry locked eyes with hers.
Dani shook her head of reddish brown curls. "No Dada."
"Then you need to take the potion that your mama and grandma made special for you." Harry conjured another spoon and measured out another dose of medicine.
"Okay Dada." She reluctantly opened her mouth.
Harry quickly took advantage of that and gave her the dose of medicine.
"Now swallow it." Harry ordered softly.
Dani wrinkling her nose in distaste swallowed the potion. "Yucky."
I know that sweetie, but it'll make you feel better." Harry crooned as he rocked her.
"The other two munchkins are being looked after by your older sisters, so you can focus on Dani tonight." James whispered softly because the potion had done its job and Dani was sound asleep in Harry's arms.
"That's good thinking. We don't need three miserable little angels with the sniffles not if we can help it anyway." Harry carried Dani over to her crib and carefully tucked her in. "Love you little shadow." He bent down and kissed her warm forehead then after setting the baby monitor quietly left the nursery.
--
"They'll have the Pepperup Potion for Dani in a few hours." James followed him into the adjoining master bedroom. "Severus had been brewing some for Poppy and Gene, so we lucked out there."
"Oh, she'll be all for taking that." Harry headed for the shower to wash the potion out of his hair.
"At least it has a peppermint taste to it." James picked up a folder that was on the desk. "You do know that Winter Solstice is the twenty-first."
"Yeah, Dad I know that." Harry answered back.
"Jo's taking advantage of a day many in our world view as sacred." James leafed through the itinerary.
"Really that's news to me. I always thought it was just another day. In fact I've yet to see any celebration, besides Christmas that is." Harry came out of the bathroom towel drying his hair and in a fresh pair of sweats.
"It's a subdued affair, but the day is celebrated." James eyed the times of the appearances. "Midnight at Edinburgh castle for a reading and book signing?"
"Don't go there Dad. Midnight is the witching hour and the muggles who will be attending were chosen by lottery." Harry pulled on a sweatshirt.
"Tell her that you have family plans for that day."
"You wish me to lie and leave her hanging?" Harry pulled on some warm socks as he frowned up at his father.
"It's not a lie per say and that way you won't ruffle any feathers in our world." James set the folder back on the desk.
"Dad I'll not back out on Jo when it was my idea to release the original manuscript in the first place." Harry had been through seven Wizarding World Christmas's and not once was there a big blowout about Winter Solstice. "I've got to put the finishing touches on book six. I promised Percy that it would be finished by this weekend." He grabbed his laptop and got settled on the bed.
"It's a masterpiece already." James let him change the subject.
"Yeah, everyone who's read the rough draft like it."
"What you and Hermione see as rough is what others see as perfection." James pointed out.
Harry glanced up at him and shrugged. "I know that, but it's become my obsession to get it right."
"Son you've outdone yourself with this book, when you read it you feel as if you're there. It's a masterpiece as it is, so just let Percy publish it." James sat down at the foot of the bed.
"Hermione said something similar to that when I said I wanted to do another draft."
"Then she must have given Percy the green light to print it because Severus and several other members of the family are carrying around hardbound copies of Sixth year with them." James arched a brow at him waiting for him to react to that news.
"I hadn't come up with a title for it yet." Harry sighed.
"Sixth year by Harry and Hermione Pendragon summons it up nicely." James conjured himself an apple and bit into it. "Now as far as the Solstice we burn a Yule log and then decorate…"
"You mean decking the halls…We've done that, now as for a Yule log we can do that when we get back. I also know that it's tradition to give back which the foundation is doing in spades with Operation St. Nick. So I've pretty much got those areas covered." Harry decided to check his e-mail and muttered some choice words under his breath.
"Now what's the matter?" James frowned.
"Daniel Jacob has it all arranged so Emmy can come see him this weekend." Harry felt like pulling his hair out as he read the plan.
"Daniel is in Australia filming December Boys and Emma is here with us…" James eyes narrowed. "Oh no! Absolutely not! She is not popping over there for a visit! We're responsible for her that's out of the question." James nixed the plan altogether.
"Dad he's with his parents, so it would be a well chaperoned visit. They miss each other and it is Christmas."
"It's beyond complicated is what it is!" James got up and started pacing the room. "Not to mention that she's also got her finals and GCSE'S to study for as well."
"I realize that Dad." Harry reread the plan. "Daniel has this weekend off, so he's cleared everything on his schedule citing the need for some much needed rest before he has to be onset again."
"There are eyes everywhere many of whom watch his every move and report it over the internet." James grumbled.
"He's got that covered as well stating that while he recognizes his fandom that he wishes for some downtime with family and friends. He sent that message to various fandom sites who have agreed to give him his space." Harry was impressed by his plan so much so that he was almost for it.
"Do they have a fireplace? If so then we can use the Floo Network." James sighed deciding that may be this could work after all.
"Either that or I could just pop her there Merlin style it's a lot less messier than Floo powder."
"That's true." James nodded.
"Hell dad as it is I feel like James Bond trying to smuggle someone to an undisclosed location." Harry remembered one tiny little flaw to the plan. "Shit I forgot about promising to go Christmas shopping with Mione this weekend. I've ditched it twice, so she'll not stand for me ditching it again no matter if it's a good cause or not."
"Australia is a day ahead of us, so you'll be able to do both." James glanced down at the screen and swore. "They never give up do they?"
"If you mean the media or fandom sites then no I'm afraid the hunt is in their blood." Harry junked most of his e-mail. "Daniel's indulgent towards them, so they assume that I should be as well. That assumption is total rubbish. I'm more of a private person than he is and that's just the beginning of how different we are from each other."
"That's as it should be and those individuals should abide by your wishes and let you be."
"It's a passion of theirs and nothing is gonna get in the way with that. I don't have to like it, but then I can't fault them on it either." Harry had learned to live with the situation.
"I don't like it." James growled. "You aren't Harry Potter the sooner they get that through their thick skulls the better."
"Yeah, but Dad I am Harry Potter and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if one of their sources is a half-wizard or witch, a muggle-born, or a squib."
"I'll look into that possibility and if I find that to be true then heads are gonna roll. It's a breach of the nondisclosure agreement and will not be tolerated."
"Dad you can't fault anyone for being proud of their heritage, but it does scream of rule breaking doesn't it." Harry logged onto one of the forums at one of the most visited sites and felt the urge to shove someone in Azkaban and throw away the key. "Whoever they are just gave me a good idea about their origin in our world. They went to Hogwarts and aren't one of my biggest fans either."
"What makes you say that?" James frowned.
"I only keep tabs on the sites that circle around our lives. It's been a focal point for my being able to keep one step ahead of them. You see most Muggles can't help but shout out their every move." Harry called up the site in question on his laptop. "There's the site called the Pendragon Legacy for those who are wild about Mione's book, but mostly they discuss all of us. It's a respectable site and has a forum that heatedly debates magic and if it's real or not. They are trying to decipher if my magic is real or if it's all illusion. The magic that I performed March thirty-first and the magic that was seen at the Charity concert floored even the biggest skeptics."
"Raven-eagleclaw05 seems to post a lot." James pointed out a name on the screen.
"Yeah, he posts on many forums and blogs. In fact he provides them with exclusive snaps and hints about where he believes certain locations are like Godric's Hollow, Godric Castle, our private Lane, and more…" Harry called up his personal gallery on the screen. "Here I'll show you…Son of a Bitch that's just bad form!" He wasn't at all happy to see what the latest additions to the gallery were.
"That's a snap of Hogwarts Castle shot from Hogsmeade station! There's another one of the Black Lake shot from what had to be one of the towers. What the hell that's at your reception at Sanctuary last Christmas Eve. By Merlin he's even got snaps of the wedding! He's got snaps of Godric Castle and of the Millennium Ball!" James was in the mood to throttle the one who posted the snaps. "Those are the swords?! How the hell did he get those!? Who the hell is this person?!"
"What?!" Harry noticed that they had even gone as far as to make folders on the key members of the family and saw red when he noticed the one labeled triplets. "No one puts all of us up for public display! Where the hell did he get the snaps of my girls!? This is stopping now!" He saw that the person in question was online and requested to chat with them.
"This person is dragon fodder when I'm done with them!" James was in the mood to kill.
"Come on you bastard it's time to find out who you are." Harry waited impatiently for Raven to accept the chat request.
"HBPiscodswallop? Is that your username?"
"Well, that book she released last summer is codswallop…Ah hell he's even got snaps of Dragon Manor…" Harry typed in a message on the screen.
--
HBPiscodswallop: If the Wizarding World was in fact real are you not risking everything by violating some nondisclosure agreement?
--
"This person is risking Azkaban, getting stripped of their magic, or both." James snarled "This is a serious breach of security."
--
Raven-eagleclaw05: Yeah probably, but not a fan of HBP at the moment.
HBPiscodswallop: I'm in total agreement thus the nick.
Raven-eagleclaw05: The HBP is an SOB and the royals are full of it too!
HBPiscodswallop: HBP? As in the book or are you meaning something or someone else?
Raven-eagleclaw05: Let's just say someone else and leave it at that. There ain't a loyal one among 'em! Prince Prefect is the worst of the lot!
--
"Who the hell did you cheese off?!" James pinned him with a glare.
"No one that I'm aware of! This is news to me!" Harry glared back. "I haven't had time to wreck or meddle in anyone that I knows lives!"
--
HBPiscodswallop: Hehehe. You talkin about Prince William?
Raven-eagleclaw05: Try Prince Harry.
HBPiscodswallop: So you're cheesed off at his younger brother?
Raven-eagleclaw05: No I meant Prince Jamie the good for nothing back stabbing bastard!
--
James narrowed his eyes at Harry.
"Honestly Dad! He's crackers! I haven't cheesed off any of my former classmates!"
--
HBPiscodswallop: So the prince isn't as perfect as he seems?
Raven-eagleclaw05: The git can't leave well enough alone! He has to have a say in every bloomin part of his friends lives!
HBPiscodswallop: So he wronged you and now you're evoking your revenge by posting the pictures?
Raven-eagleclaw05: Serves him right for causing my girl to ditch me for some jock!
--
Harry raked his hand across his face and groaned. "It's Michael Corner…Parvati met Chase Landry last Sunday and must have broken it off with him."
"I see and now he's under the assumption that you arranged the meeting?"
"Yeah, but I didn't arrange anything. The two of them met all on their own."
"Find out the details so we can fix it." James snarled.
--
HBPiscodswallop: It's bullshit when others try to play matchmaker! So what, uh, makes you think it was him?
Raven-eagleclaw05: The jock that my girl is stepping out with happens to play on the prince's Polo team…It's like this I've never been good enough for him or any of his followers! My babe is the friend of his wife and a member of their circle…I just put two and two together and got four!
--
"Look that's a bunch of dragon dung! He was a member of the DA! He always had this attitude that all the serious stuff going on was shit! Never took anything seriously! How the git is gonna pull off being a Curse Breaker is beyond me! He's also a sore loser!" Harry muttered darkly.
--
HBPiscodswallop: So you went and posted doctored pics as a sort of revenge on the whole lot of them?
Raven-eagleclaw05: The public has a right to know the truth.
HBPiscodswallop: Are you saying that those are real pics?
Raven-eagleclaw05: Well they ain't bloody fakes.
HBPiscodswallop: Raven-eagleclaw Ravenclaw?
Raven-eagleclaw05: Got it on the first try. The snaps of the loc were taken from Ravenclaw Tower…that snap of the castle is from the train platform.
HBPiscodswallop: Unreal…Although the prince has never claimed the castle or the train didn't exist.
Raven-eagleclaw05: The prince is full of horseshit and good at spinning a good yarn.
--
"Why that…!"
"Save the snarling and keep typing!"
--
HBPiscodswallop: You had a good thing going here, so why risk screwing it up by disclosing the truth to a world that hasn't earned it?
Raven-eagleclaw05: I've got a newsflash for ya mate. The other half are lazy good for nothing backstabbers who would just as much jinx you to next Christmas before shaking your hand. To them or most of them you muggles are a virus not worth catching, hence the bloody paranoia among the lot of them, and for the Dark uprising!
--
"He's got issues."
"No really what gave you that idea." Harry rolled his eyes at his father.
--
HBPiscodswallop: So are you mentioned in the books?
Raven-eagleclaw05: I dated Ginny Weasley my fifth year and after that I dated Cho Chang…
HBPiscodswallop: Hello Michael Corner.
Raven-eagleclaw05: Bloody hell you've got a knack for solving puzzles.
HBPiscodswallop: Let's just say that I had incentive and leave it at that…one might say that school wasn't fun for me.
Raven-eagleclaw05: Why's that?
HBPiscodswallop: I had big shoes to fill and a scar on my forehead to remind me of it everyday.
Raven-eagleclaw05: Son of a Bitch! Harry!!
HBPiscodswallop: Yeah, it's me and you've beyond stepped in it this time. Oh and another thing I did not arrange shit between Chase and Parvati! I was with my wife all-day on Sunday and when I did see her it was only for a few minutes!
Raven-eagleclaw05: Uh, I'm gonna remove those snaps straight away!
HBPiscodswallop: The personal ones of my girls and all the family yes, but as for the others I'll just have Collin log on and debunk them.
Raven-eagleclaw05: I was over the moon for her…
HBPiscodswallop: Love hurts…cry me a river... You've broken the bylaw of all bylaws.
Raven-eagleclaw05: I'll plead temporarily crackers.
HBPiscodswallop: I'd expect to be getting an owl or worse case a knock on your door tonight.
Raven-eagleclaw05: ??
HBPiscodswallop: My dad is standing beside me and isn't happy with your internet activities.
Raven-eagleclaw05: Shit!!
HBPiscodswallop: He knows the reason for this bout of insanity as do I. We'll try to plead your case to the council.
Raven-eagleclaw05: I'll be stripped my magic! I'll be a muggle! No woman is worth a punishment like that!
HBPiscodswallop: Look, I'll talk with Parvati tell her the situation and maybe she'll put a good word in for you as well. Truth be told you bored her to tears when she was dating you…Word of advice never talk shop or Quidditch on a date it's just bad form.
Raven-eagleclaw05: But Landry…
HBPiscodswallop: Leaves the shoptalk at home or on the pitch where it belongs. You learn to control your actions during Auror training.
Raven-eagleclaw05: Son of a Bitch! I just assumed that she liked going to the games…Bloody hell all that time she was drooling over Landry!
HBPiscodswallop: Fraid so and Michael that bunch of shit you spewed about me and my circle of friends is just that! Now fix this mess and I'll see you at your hearing. Oh, in case you didn't know I'm on the council now.
Raven-eagleclaw05: What?!
HBPiscodswallop :( HBPiscodswallop has ended the chat)
--
"Okay Dad it's time for some damage control so watch the master at work." Harry sent flaming emails to everyplace that Michael had posted or was a frequent visitor of. Vowing to sue or have them shut down if the pictures and posts were not removed. To add to the power that he was in fact serious he named the attorneys that handled both the foundations business and that of the family as well.
"Nice one son. This way you teach both Corner and those snoops a lesson." James approved of his son's actions towards this matter.
"I'll have to post a new version to all the fan sites who are no doubt posting the snaps." Harry changed the e-mail and then sent them off with other emails to Jo, Daniel, Rupert, and Tom advising them of what was going on. "Hey, they wanted a response from me, well, now they've got one."
--
Chapter 30
Paying the Piper
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I do not claim any of JKR's characters only that I love being able to create my own kind of mischief with her beloved characters. I do not claim any other things that are owned by other companies that I may mention once and a while in the stories...Although the original characters and ideas are mine and I loved creating them. So please review if you wish but try not to flame me too badly.
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Cindra 2004-2008