Chapter 14
Hermione was laughing in her room. Her brother, Mason, was lying on the bed beside her. I could hear his giggles throughout the house. Carlos and I spent most of our time at the Manoso home in Newark instead of using our Trenton apartment. For August, we stayed with Aunt Jean in her home. I followed his laughter to Hermione's bedroom at the back of the house. "There you are, little man. It's snack time for you," I said, lifting Mason from the bed. "What's funny, Hermione?"
"Oh. Ron wrote to me. He said that he called the Dursleys," she said.
"Ah. Let me guess, Ron doesn't know how to use muggle technology, and he hollered into the phone?" I asked.
"Something like that," she replied, laughing. "Anyway, I saw this advertisement in the Daily Prophet. May I purchase the kit for Harry's birthday?"
"Of course, sweetie. We leave for France in the morning. Do you have your things packed?"
"Yes, mom. Ron also mentioned he would be in London for the last week of the holidays. Can I meet them?" she asked. I had a feeling Hermione wanted to go alone. She's thirteen and mature for her age.
"Sure, Hermione. We can rent a room for you at the Leaky Cauldron. Your letter from Hogwarts arrived today," I slipped the letter from my pocket to drop on her bed. "Dinner will be ready in an hour."
Carlos entered the room, carrying a copy of the Daily Prophet. Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban prison. It was the first time anyone had made it past the dementor guards. I wondered how it was possible. "He got arrested for killing Peter Pettigrew," Carlos stated.
"I don't know. There's something that doesn't feel right about it. I've heard rumours from the other students that Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin and James Potter were best friends. How do you go from best friends to killing them?" I was trying to find more information about Harry Potter's family. Hermione uncovered a lot of information, but it felt like the main piece of the puzzle got lost.
A few days later, Hermione sent a letter to Ron, letting him know that she'd be in London during the last week of school. She also wrote a letter to Harry and ordered a broomstick service kit for his birthday. "I do hope Harry stays out of trouble," Hermione said as she released Hedwig.
"You could have used our owl, Herm," I stated.
"I know, but Hedwig showed up out of the blue. She probably wanted to make sure Harry got a gift this year. Oh, I also sent him the cake we made last night. I hope you don't mind," Hermione explained.
Neither Carlos nor I minded that she sent the cake. It stopped us from adding a few pounds to our hips. We travelled to many areas of France for Hermione to research various creatures for her History of Magic homework. Her report contained several feet of multiple pieces of parchment, but she was satisfied that she got it completed. I shook my head, wondering why my daughter loved homework so much.
"What did the ministry assign us for this month?" I asked Carlos.
"All of the Aurors and undercover teams got pulled from their current assignments to locate Sirius Black," Carlos replied. "If he doesn't want to get found, I doubt anyone could locate him."
"We could always transform to check high places and caves," I suggested.
"The ministry doesn't know we are animagi. By ministry law, we're supposed to register if or when we achieve the transfiguration," Carlos stated.
"I bet there are a lot of unregistered animagi in the wizardry world. It does seem strange that my animagus is the same as my Patronus," I added.
Carlos had a bat Patronus, but his animagus was a jaguar. "It's because you have always wanted to fly," Carlos explained. Truer words had never been spoken.
He wrapped his arms around me as I fed our son. Mason smiled in between the spoonfuls of vegetables. The boy grinned whenever he saw us hugging, as though seeing us together brought him unexplainable joy. "He's happy today," I commented.
"Babe, Mason is always happy. I don't think I have ever seen a happier child," Carlos stated. "I signed the permission slip for Hermione to visit Hogsmeade."
"Thank you." I lifted my chin for him to kiss my lips. Mason giggled when our lips touched. He's going to be a hopeless romantic. I could hardly wait to see him grow up.
"It will happen faster than we can keep up," Carlos whispered.
I sent Molly an owl, letting her know I rented a room at the Leaky Cauldron for Hermione and Ginny to use. We weren't able to stay with her for the week. Carlos and I had important ministry business to handle. Molly returned Chipper with a reply, thanking me for letting Ginny stay with Hermione. I had already told Molly that I was paying for the room anyway, and she wasn't required to contribute.
Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore requested a meeting. Hermione signed up for more classes than I thought she could handle. However, if anyone could manage the course load, it would be my daughter. Carlos and I permitted Hermione to use a Time-turner. Professor McGonagall promised to file the appropriate paperwork with the ministry, and she'll update Hermione on the first day of school.
"Oh no!" Hermione screamed. Carlos grabbed Mason from the high chair, and we ran to our daughter's room.
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting beside Hermione on the bed.
"Harry. He blew up his aunt Marge. Not as exploded, but made her swell like a balloon. Harry lost his cool and used magic. He's going to get himself expelled from school," Hermione cried.
"Did the ministry expel him?" Carlos asked.
"Well, not exactly. Harry took the Purple Bus to the Leaky Cauldron. The ministry got his aunt sorted, and the Dursleys said he was allowed to return next summer. With Sirius Black after him, it was a foolish thing to do," Hermione explained.
Carlos and I exchanged a glance. Neither of us thought that Sirius Black was out to hurt Harry. We discovered that he was Harry's godfather, and he got granted guardianship. Sure, Black was the secret keeper for their location in Godric's Hollow. I still didn't believe that Sirius told Voldemort where to find the Potters.
During my research, I had uncovered that Sirius was in Gryffindor with James Potter, Remus Lupin, Lily Potter and Peter Pettigrew. Sirius was the only member in the Black family tree who got placed in a house other than Slytherin. He had spent his summers and holidays at the Potter home. It seemed strange that a man James thought of as a brother would betray his friend.
"I told Molly that you're staying at the Leaky Cauldron. We'll drop you off with all of your school things. You can go to King's Cross Station with the Weasleys," I said.
Hermione hugged Carlos before she hugged me. "Thanks, mom and dad," she whispered.
It wasn't long before we had to drop Hermione off at the Leaky Cauldron. Carlos and I were returning to Newark after we said our farewells. I watched Carlos give her extra money. "You can still use Chipper or a school owl to send correspondence, but I thought you'd like some cash to purchase your own pet," Carlos said.
"Thanks, daddy," she cried. "Any pet I want?" Hermione wanted to clarify her options.
"Yes, Herm. Any pet," he replied. I resisted the urge to slam my palm against my face. He waited until we left Hermione's room at the Leaky Cauldron before asking, "Babe?"
"You do realize she'll bring home a cat, right?"
"She'll be sensible," Carlos replied.
"You can't say that I didn't warn you," I singsonged. We returned to aunt Jean's house to feed Mason and take him back to Newark. Aunt Jean said she had sent our items home using magic. She passed me the silver pot to grab a pinch of powder. Mason got strapped to my chest for travel. Carlos went ahead of us to catch us on the other side.
After I fed Mason, he grunted as he filled his diaper. I shook my head as I carried Mason to his room. He needed his diaper changed. "Are you a stinky boy?"
Mason laughed. I removed the dirty diaper and sent it to where everything gets banished. "Do you feel better?" I asked when I cleaned his bottom. I could have used a charm to change the diaper, but I enjoyed the time we spent interacting during the process. "I'll let your daddy rock you while I wash my hands."
Carlos held Mason as he rocked him to sleep in the rocking chair. We could have put him in a swing or magically swayed him from side to side, but there are some interactions you can't replace by using magic. The time we spent with our son was irreplaceable.
Hermione was growing up too fast and didn't need us as much. My daughter was an independent girl. We already had the puberty and sex talks. I wasn't surprised when she already learned everything from the older Gryffindor girls.
When we got home, we spent a few days with the family before we had to leave. "We'll pop in from time to time, mama," Carlos said. "Mason, be good for your Abuela."
Mason grinned and babbled. I kissed his cheeks, nose, forehead and blond curls. "I love you, baby." He tugged my curls and drooled on my face.
"Keep my granddaughter safe," Maria Manoso said. "Her friends too."
"We'll keep an eye on them," Carlos whispered when he hugged his mom. "I've placed extra spells on the house and yard. Tank will deliver your groceries. My team will keep an eye on dad while he's at work." We promised mama that we'd stay safe.
Within a few months, Carlos and I found where Serious Black had been hiding. We ran into Professor Dumbledore outside of Hogsmeade, close to the cave. He recognized our animagi. I didn't realize he knew who we were. "Evening Carlos and Stephanie. It's a wonderful night for a flight," he said. Carlos and I shifted to our human forms.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"Stephanie, even as an eagle, your blue eyes shine bright. Your husband's fur is shinier than any jaguar I have encountered. Together, you are easy to place. But only because I know you well, Miss Granger," Dumbledore replied. "As you have discovered, Padfoot is hiding close to Hogwarts. I think he deserves the chance to prove his innocence. Good evening." Dumbledore sang as he left us standing, rooted to our spots.
"I'm not sure if Dumbledore's a genius or barking mad," I mumbled. Carlos tipped his head back and laughed.
"Babe, it's probably a little of both," he said. He grabbed my hand and twisted on the spot, apparating us to the backyard of the Manoso home. We entered the house to visit with our family before our patrol shift at Hogwarts started at midnight.
Several hours later, after making love and sleeping, we got up to shower. I kissed Mason's forehead as he slept in his crib. A smile crossed his lips when I looked at his handsome face. His natural skin tone is between Carlos and mine. He has dark hair like his father. Mason has gorgeous blue eyes, and his hair is curly but not as tightly curled as mine. Whenever Hermione is home, he changes his eye colour and hair to match hers. It's adorable how much he loves his older sister.
We arrived for our shift at Hogwarts. The dementors swarmed around the area as requested by the ministry of magic. I shivered as they got too close for comfort. Dumbledore was furious when they went onto the campus during a Quidditch match. If it weren't for Dumbledore slowing his fall, Harry Potter would have died.
It got cold. I had started to relive the day Morelli talked me into following him into the garage. My legs shook as he touched me. An oil can rupture behind me, soiling my clothes at my back. The memory morphed to standing on the roof of the garage. I had jumped and started to fly.
Valerie yelled and threatened to tell mom. I lost my concentration and fell hard. My arm broke when I landed on it. The doctor and nurses at the hospital surrounded me. I felt my breaths catch in my throat. It morphed into my mother yelling at me for burning the ground beef for the lasagna. I felt fearful and screamed. A white bat appeared, pushing away the dementor that I never noticed behind me.
"Babe, please open your eyes," Carlos said, his voice shaking from fear.
Someone approached me, handing me a chunk of chocolate. "Eat the chocolate. It helps," the man said.
I looked into the face of an attractive man. He had dark skin like Tank. If I didn't know better, I would swear it was Tank's brother.
"Thank you," I said before nibbling the chocolate. I felt the warmth return to my body. "I'm Stephanie Manoso."
"Kingsley Shacklebolt," he introduced himself. "Behind me is Emmeline Vance." I nodded as I continued eating the chocolate. Kingsley handed me another chunk of chocolate before he guided Emmeline back to their sector.
"Babe?" Carlos whispered.
"I'm better, Carlos. Thank you," I replied. He kissed my lips before leading me back to our station.
Madam Pomfrey ran across the castle grounds to my location. She used a cold, damp cloth to wipe my face. Once the stickiness got removed from my face, she pressed another chunk of chocolate into my hand. "Eat it, dear," she said, patting my cheek. Pomfrey ran back across the grounds before disappearing past the gate.
Carlos didn't stray too far from my side. I felt like an idiot for not recognizing the effects of a dementor. However, I had never encountered a dementor in that capacity before.
Hermione didn't write home as often as she had in her first two years at school. She had a packed course load. I wondered how much she could handle before she cracked.
A few months before the end of the year, Hermione wrote, telling me that she had withdrawn from a class. She told us that her Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was a werewolf. Carlos and I already knew the information before the school year started. Minerva McGonagall informed me that Hermione would still receive credit for the course dropped since Hermione had covered the required material for the class.
I was proud of Hermione and her friends. Harry and Hermione had shown great bravery as they went a few hours back in time to save Sirius from certain death. They discovered that Ron's rat, Scabbers, was really the animagus form for Peter Pettigrew. Unfortunately for Sirius, Pettigrew disappeared before they could approach the ministry to clear Sirius for murder.
Everyone relaxed when the dementors got sent back to Azkaban to guard the prisoners. My daughter got high grades in all of her courses again, except for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry Potter was still the top student in that class.
When school finished, Hermione met us on platform 9 3/4. Her smile was bright when she saw us waiting. Hermione hugged Harry before kissing his cheek. When she moved to hug Ron, he awkwardly shook her hand. I shook my head, wondering when Hermione would realize Ron liked her. It wouldn't do him much good because Hermione liked Harry. I had noticed Ginny's lips thinned when Hermione hugged Harry. Huh, I wondered if Harry knew about Ginny's crush. I'd have to ask Hermione.