Author's Note and Acknowledgment—

This is a work of fanfiction, published here solely for the enjoyment of readers of fanfiction. The author receives no remuneration for this story. Characters are drawn from the Harry Potter novels of JK Rowling. The author wishes to thank Ms. Rowling for allowing us to riff on her themes a bit.

There really is a Jurassic Coast. It is officially 95 miles long. A magical cartographer would put the length at 97 miles but that would just confuse the muggles so, these days, no one bothers.

In-Law Problems

By

Bfd1235813

The Jurassic Coast is 95 miles long, stretching from Devon to Dorset, between England on one side and the sea on the other. The coastline is a geological marvel, its rocks documenting millions of years of Earth history from the Jurassic and Triassic periods. Anyone who ever looked at a trilobite fossil and marveled at the alien creature preserved in stone will love the Jurassic coast. It holds a particular fascination for young children and the elderly. The little ones' minds are not yet filled with disappointments and goals never to be realized. They can hold the trilobite in their palm and let it speak to them of fabulous worlds that were. If that world is gone and probably won't come again, this world right here has wonders still to be discovered. In fact, it is made to order for a young, supple, imagination-capable mind just like theirs. The elders, if they are adepts, look across hundreds of millions of years of cycles of species appearing, multiplying, consuming and being consumed, to succumb, finally, to the inevitable. The trilobite's silence speaks a great truth as the contemplative owner of the hand stares: THUS.

The Jurassic Coast is so significant it is a World Heritage Site. That is a matter of record. Fossil hunters, ramblers, water sports enthusiasts, photographers, kite flyers and myriad varieties of hobbyists savor the delights of the coast. The overwhelming majority are quite conventional. A small fraction aren't. The fraction tend to stay out of sight, using a bit of beach a little over two miles in length, somewhere in the vicinity of the delightful town of Lyme Regis. Lots of people find the name itself magical, just for the way it sounds.

The relative few who use the two miles of beach don't have a lot of competition for space. The majority of vacationers could walk right past it and not be aware. They don't even notice the time it takes to walk the roughly two miles. The explanation has to do with a combination of natural phenomena including a rare juxtaposition of refracted light passing through mist thrown up by waves crashing into rocky outcrops and a rare spectral anomaly so dazzling the unaware stop thinking while they are in the affected zone. The senses find it delightful while a person is between the boundaries but by some little-understood rule the memory of the experience is forgotten when the casual visitor departs. Lastly, says local lore, the beach had a spell cast upon it in the distant past, possibly by a Neolithic shaman who worked for the tin mining consortium.

Whatever it was, the beach was treasured by witches and wizards. Many a magical adult had fond memories of going to the Jurassic Shore with their family, the children all equipped with little pails and shovels for excavating and collecting fossils, then, after a day of sand and sea, returning to the hostel or guest house or weekly rental for baths and anti-sunburn spells and a nutritious dinner of fish and chips from a local shop or pub.

Harry Potter, the wizard war veteran and single father, knew the beach well. Beaches weren't his favorite place to spend free time. He would have preferred to be flying a broomstick. His preferences weren't the only consideration, however. The household of non-flyers comprised his son, James; his godson, Teddy Lupin; and Teddy's grandmother, Andromeda Tonks. The children were too young to fly and Andromeda chose not to. Everyone enjoyed going to the beach.

Besides, Potter liked letting his son have some time with his grandparents, Achilles and Mathilde Selwyn. The Selwyns would have considered themselves Potter's enemies during the civil war within Magical Britain. Potter, marked for death by the leader of the insurgents, returned the favor by removing his enemy's magical protections before maneuvering him into a one-on-one duel. Potter won, the duel and the war.

Potter's post-war affair with Roxelana Selwyn initiated a sequence of pregnancy, marriage, James Sirius Potter and divorce. Potter had a godson, Teddy Lupin, just a year and a bit more older than James. Potter liked fetching James over two weekends a month and for two weeks in the summer. James and Teddy were natural pals and allies.

Roxelana, who used Rox instead of her full given name, sent James back to Potter full-time upon her marriage to a non-magical police officer. Potter thought James needed some exposure to his mother's family, even if the Selwyns had fancied themselves loyal pureblood supporters of the late Dark Lord Voldemort. Potter saw the summertime lure of the beach as an opportunity to cultivate relations.

Andromeda Tonks was mystified by his approach.

"Harry, are you sure? Selwyns?" she asked.

They sat at the kitchen table in the townhouse at #12 Grimmauld Place, London. The youngsters were upstairs, asleep, so a freewheeling discussion was underway.

"Look, I understand if you don't want…" Potter began.

"What? I'm not intimidated by Selwyn, or Maude, for that matter," said Andromeda.

Mathilde Selwyn detested the name her mother picked out. She adopted Maude when she was eleven, having read about the Empress Matilda, who was Empress Maude to her subjects.

"I don't think either one of them did anything during the fighting, except maybe look for someplace out of the action. What's irritating is how they were all mouth when things were going their way. Threatening people like you and me. Name-dropping their pureblood pedigrees every five minutes. Your mother had more magical power in her little finger…"

"Andy, I know, it's why I'm still here," Potter said.

It was rude to cut her off but they'd had that exchange plenty of times already.

"They don't talk about that around us. Now," Potter continued. "Maybe they still do when they're alone but if they do, I've never heard it. They dote on James, though. Teddy, too, even if they aren't related. If the boys get a week at the beach and some exposure to a little different brand of witch and wizard than they see most of the year, it will be educational for them and you and I get some karma points. Brighten up a couple of grandparents' lives."

Andromeda looked skeptical but she was a tough and resilient witch and Potter knew she'd come around. He excused himself and went to his desk for the brochure.

"I reserved three of these," he said when he returned.

Andromeda looked at the literature Potter had dropped in front of her. The magical holiday camp consisted of six cabins arranged in a U-shape around a central green. It was located within walking distance of the beach the wizarding community frequented, which was not all that distant from Lyme Regis.

"It does look nice," said Andromeda. "I think I've heard of it before. It's all magical?"

"Supposed to be," said Potter. "There's a pub everyone uses, in Lyme Regis. It's like the Leaky Cauldron, obscured unless you look at it just right. Anyone who can use the floo can pop in and then take off and stroll the street or get some muggle take-out to bring back. You and Teddy can have your own cabin, the Selwyns can have one and James and I get the third. Sound like fun?"

"Sounds like fun," Andromeda conceded. "Will it actually BE fun?"

Potter sighed.

"I know they're tedious," he said. "Rox wants to make it work with her constable. I think, when she had the twins, it got complicated, trying to keep relations going. The last time it came up it sounded like Peter is still unaware. There isn't a lot she can do to give the girls a normal grandparent-grandchild relationship and maintain his ignorance of our world."

Andromeda stared into the fireplace, pinching her lower lip.

"You should have obliviated him when she gave up James," Andromeda said. "That way, the constable has no recollection of his wife's child from her first marriage and Rox could come by when he's at work, if she's still interested. Which I don't know…"

"Andy, please," said Potter.

Andromeda Tonks harbored opinions. Potter let her have all the slack she wanted, most of the time. He still had some residual feelings for Rox, though. He didn't admit it to anyone other than himself, but he'd never gotten those completely out of his system. Besides that, he felt the loss of his own parents every day of his life and swore he would do anything within his power to help his son escape a life in that awful void.

"Okay, we'll go, of course," said Andromeda. "I just had to have my say."

"Which I am always happy to indulge," answered Potter. "Now I'll take that brochure and pop over to Achilles and Maude's."

Magical onlookers, privy to the socio-political opinions of the Selwyn clan, never tired of observing and gossiping about Harry Potter and his in-laws. They actually got along when a rational observer would have declared that to be metaphysically impossible. James Sirius Potter was the deciding factor, of course,

The young wizard inherited some of his looks from the Selwyns, courtesy of his mother. Maude always found a way to engineer a photo of herself, her husband and their grandson at least once a year. James' paternal grandmother, the late Lily Evans Potter, possessed rarely-seen skills and magical power. The pureblood supremacists were still analyzing Potter's victory over Voldemort, a phenomenon that did not fit with their worldview. Achilles Selwyn paid James the high compliment of telling him he was a 'worthy successor' to his father and grandmother.

"So, I wanted to bring this over," said Potter after the arrival greetings died down and he had accepted a cup of tea. "This is the brochure for the camp. All-magical clients, these cool little cabins, all with kitchens and so on."

He handed the brochure to Maude.

"Oh, these do look sweet!" she said. "We went to that beach, the magical one, but we stayed in a muggle place in Lyme Regis. Remember, Ax?"

The Empress Maude could get away with calling her husband Ax. Nobody else could.

"Harrumph!" he said.

"My husband didn't really like it," explained Maude.

"So I gathered," Potter replied. "Well, I think, if it pleased you to do it, you could make any reasonable changes you wanted, to these magical cabins, while we're there. Treat yourself to a canopy bed or one of those combination sauna-aroma baths. Just as long as you remember your restoration charms. If the weather is helpful the young wizards will want to be out in the sun and sand as much as possible. I'm hoping the cabin is mostly for sleeping and showers."

Maude handed the brochure to Achilles, who was a reader. Achilles Selwyn became inaccessible to everyone until he was finished reading. Giving him his head opened the floor for a side conversation.

"So Harry, how is Andromeda?" Maude began.

In the time it took Achilles to read the holiday camp brochure, word for word, including photo captions, Maude checked on the health and well-being of Andromeda Tonks, Teddy Tonks, Potter's house elf, Kreacher, and James Potter.

"Rox stopped by the house a couple of weeks back," Potter offered. "She left the girls at home. We haven't seen them since Yule. I wish they could see James more. It's hard, I know."

That was the complicating factor of the International Convention. Witches and wizards went to great lengths to conceal their existence from the non-magical majority. Even so, some crossover was inevitable. That put a great strain on mixed families like Harry Potter's. His former wife, Rox, now Rox Smith, following her remarriage, had a magical son who lived with his magical father, and non-magical twin daughters who lived with Rox and their father, the non-magical Constable Peter Smith.

Maude Selwyn flinched just a little. Potter stopped talking and studied her face. For a moment, she appeared to be suppressing a smile.

Potter returned home with a commitment from the Selwyns. He didn't think Maude would meet any significant resistance from her husband. He was a wizard. James was his wizard grandson, son of Harry Potter, that was true, but Potter had taken Achilles' squib daughter to bed and she brought forth a son. A magical son, a wizard grandson of Achilles Selwyn. The old man spun visions of future luncheon meetings, dinners and holiday fetes with his apprentice/grandson at his side, carrying the glorious saga of the Selwyns into Magical Britain's twenty-first century future. James was the primary reason the physical presence of Harry Potter did not induce apoplexy in Achilles Selwyn.

Vacation was set for the second week in June. Potter traveled with Andromeda, James and Teddy. They were all at the cabins when the Selwyns arrived. Andromeda boiled water and poured it into the teapot she had ready. Potter promised James and Teddy they'd go to the beach as soon as everyone had their tea and caught their breath. The young wizards skipped tea and tried very hard to act as if they were patiently waiting.

Potter anticipated taking the boys by himself but Achilles rewrote Potter's script when he put his empty cup down, stood and asked, "Ready?"

Achilles Selwyn made conversation all the way to the magical beach.

"How is London? Have you been to Diagon Alley recently? Is that Black elf still working for you? What's his name again?"

Achilles' sociability was a complete surprise. Potter found it very pleasant. He didn't have an excess of interlocutors with whom he could trade small talk and bits of innocent gossip. Potter and Andromeda were each so familiar with the other's views they seldom heard anything new. Potter and Achilles would probably always find it impossible to call the other a friend but cultivating neutrality enabled acquaintanceship. Both found that far superior to permanent hostility.

As expected, the lads felt compelled to get in the water. They'd worn sandals and canvas shorts so the sandals and tee shirts came off and were handed over to Harry. The water was calm as a farm pond but the temperature kept them from getting too carried away and they soon returned to dry land and the fossil hunt.

James ran up with a splendid specimen for his grandfather.

"Grandfather Achilles…" he began.

"You can call me Ax, son," said Selwyn, stretching his hand to take the fossil. "You too, Teddy."

James looked at his father. Potter nodded.

"That will smooth out our communications," Potter observed.

Selwyn thanked James for the fossil and waited until he and Teddy had run back to their hunting ground.

"While it's just us two, Harry, I want to say this is the biggest surprise of my life. It was hard for Roxelana at home. A squib in a family of purebloods. Half of us couldn't charm a dirty glass clean with magic but no one was shy about putting their family tree on display. I don't recall ever shaming her or intentionally expressing disappointment. All the same, just being the odd one out had to hurt. Hell, she's better with her pens and drawing tools than I am with a wand. I do regret not finding a way to convince her of that when we had her at home."

Potter listened, trying to come up with something relevant to say. Rox hadn't been a complainer. At the same time, she cut their marriage short for a reason. Harry Potter understood, from bits of unguarded conversation, that Rox could not settle in as the squib wife of her powerful, magical, war hero husband. His mind turned, if he wasn't careful, to contemplation of the meaning of his wife, whom he'd loved, preferring to make her life with a non-magical constable.

"Well, Achilles, she couldn't manage with me, either, and we had James to share," said Potter.

Selwyn nodded, silent, watching James and Teddy prospecting in the sand.

"How are they doing?" Selwyn asked. A gesture with his chin included both James and Teddy.

"Very well," said Potter. "James isn't quite twelve so it's still early. Teddy's a transfiguration prodigy. Well, his mother was a genuine metamorphmagus, so he inherited some talent. He just turned thirteen. He could go a long way."

"And no sign of, of," Selwyn began, then caught himself.

Potter looked around. There wasn't anyone close by. He knew what Selwyn was asking.

"Turning? No. Remus didn't inherit. He was bitten and turned at a fairly young age so he had to contend with his lunar cycle changes but that was it. Teddy would put all Remus' fears to rest, if his father was here."

"That's nice," said Selwyn. "Anyone can see Andromeda is glad to have him."

"Yeah," Potter agreed. "They've been the salvation of both of us. Thanks for inviting them to call you Ax. I'm sure they'll enjoy using it."

"Don't know what came over me," said Selwyn. "Something said I needed to get down off my high horse. They're young men, or well on the way. Time they're invited into the circle."

Potter looked at his former father-in-law, mildly mystified. The pureblood supremacist of days past had evolved, it seemed. Selwyn felt bad for having mishandled the raising of his squib daughter. He seemed to be opening up a little space for Teddy Lupin, within the greater Selwyn clan. And he plainly doted on his grandson James, son of Harry Potter.

The sun was losing its mid-day intensity. Potter noticed the beach was becoming more pleasant by the minute.

"Want to sit down?" he asked.

Selwyn agreed. They moved closer to Teddy and James. Potter threw the boys' shirts down.

"Someplace to collect your finds," he called out.

Potter and Selwyn sat directly on the soft sand.

Two pairs of hands picked up the fossils and gave them a good shaking-out before putting them on the shirts. The boys hunted for a little longer, then came and sat down next to their fossils. Deals were struck that facilitated offloading duplicates and getting three chipped fossils for one in perfect condition.

"About ready?" Potter asked as he squinted at the sun. His rough calculations indicated it was a good time to start back as it would soon be dinner time. The young wizards returned to the cabins shirtless, having neglected to bring bags for their collections.

Teddy and James were directed straight to the showers as soon as the party got back. Andromeda and Maude were in the kitchen of the Selwyns' cabin, pulling apart heads of iceberg lettuce to be thrown into a great wooden bowl with some other salad components. Judging by the scent, the baguettes were fresh. Potter took his time with dinner, including mopping up all of the olive oil at the bottom of his bowl with the bread.

"What do you think?" Potter asked the youngsters.

Everyone agreed it had been a great day and a great meal. Potter and Andromeda took the boys home early since it looked like they were about to fall asleep at the table.

The cabins were next to one another so Potter didn't feel like a neglectful father when he got James to sleep before stepping over to Andromeda's porch for a cup of tea.

"Notice anything tonight?" she asked.

Potter held his cup under his nostrils and inhaled. The black tea was fresh and very aromatic.

"Something unusual, I take it," said Potter. "Don't believe I did."

Andromeda took a deep breath before speaking.

"Rox and Peter are in Lyme Regis," she said. "Along with Cassandra and Cordelia."

Potter looked at the green. A sliver of moon was peeking over the roof of a cabin across the way. He felt his mind considering Andromeda's news. No doubt his subconscious would work on it all night long.

"Great," said Potter.

"Rox," he added, with a sigh.

"Might not have been all Rox, Harry," said Andromeda. "Maude likes seeing the girls. She could have gone rogue on this. Did Selwyn mention anything?"

"Nothing. Not a hint," said Potter. "You're right, though, about Maude."

Potter paused and thought some more.

"Or it could be complete coincidence," said Potter.

Another thought occurred to him.

"Did Maude say anything about Peter? It wouldn't have been complete chance that he had a week of leave coming, maybe?"

"Nothing about Peter," said Andromeda. "Just that the family is over there for the week. Well."

Andromeda drank the last of her tea and looked at Potter's cup.

"Done?"

"Yes, thanks," Potter said, handing over the cup. "So we'll see you in the morning."

The next day was Monday. The morning sky was mainly overcast with patches of blue. Potter had a magical device with him called a Traveler's Friend. It was a framed picture about five by seven inches showing a Sol face during the day and a Man In The Moon at night, along with other graphics depicting clouds, raindrops or snowflakes. Potter always put his on the nightstand when he was traveling. The morning prediction was for a partly cloudy day with no rain.

"Good show!" Potter said.

He hoped his Traveler's Friend appreciated the positive comment.

James arrived in the kitchen while Potter was brewing coffee.

"Cloudy," James declared following one look out the window. "Going to rain?"

"Not according to the most scientific information available," said Potter. "We didn't make any plans for breakfast yesterday. Did you and Teddy talk?"

"No," said James. "What do we have?"

"Tea. Coffee. Sugar," said Potter. "I don't think we can do better over there, unless Andy went out and brought something back while we were at the beach. Maybe the thing to do is wait until they get up and then we all walk to town. Someplace has to be making breakfast and then we could shop a bit."

"Sounds good," said James.

The morning worked out much as Potter had outlined. The six walked together to Lyme Regis where they found a muggle café capable of cooking prodigious breakfasts of pancakes, fried potatoes, all kinds of eggs and several shades of toast. The party sat in a corner with a large round table. Maude ignored the adults and chatted up the young wizards.

Potter listened carefully as Maude led a conversation about Hogwarts, classes taken last term, likes and dislikes and houses, all with no slippage into magical-specific subjects. In fact, Potter had to admit, Maude hadn't even gotten close to forbidden territory. Rather, he thought a muggle could eavesdrop on the conversation for an extended period and not overhear anything that would violate the Convention. Just a gran showing interest in the young folks' academic progress.

Eventually, plates were emptied and Potter asked about preferences for future meals.

"We can shop and fill in the gaps between meals," he began. "We can stock up on breakfast things and go out for lunch and dinner…"

He had some more options lined up and ready to deliver when he saw a familiar face enter through the street door.

"Aha," said Potter.

James and Teddy turned their heads to see what Potter was looking at.

"Gran!" said the twin girls flanking Rox Smith. They trotted down the aisle between tables, much too fast for safety. Maude opened up her arms for Cassandra and Cordelia, dispensing a lingering double hug and a generous ration of kisses. Once freed, the twins turned to their grandfather. Meanwhile, James stood to greet his mother and Teddy looked for instructions from Andromeda. Potter came to a decision and stood. He looked at Rox but didn't extend his hand. Rox looked like she'd suddenly realized she'd been caught out and did not know the exact protocol for the situation.

"Harry," she said.

She spoke over James' head as she gave her son his hug.

"Rox," Potter acknowledged with a smile. "Imagine meeting you here. Hullo girls. Going to the beach?"

Chairs were borrowed from nearby tables leading to parallel conversations that were mostly remembered in fragments.

"Peter got in late so he's still asleep. We left to keep the noise…"

"Which hotel?"

"I found about twenty…"

"I found thirty…"

"Do you like fossils?"

"Did you go swimming?"

"We just waded yesterday. The water is cold."

Every now and then Potter felt Andromeda Tonks' gaze and looked over. She had a kind of look on her face.

'Uh-huh,' said the look.

It didn't require any great revelations for Potter to work out what had happened. The solution sprang into existence in his mind, nine-tenths complete. Careful listening to Maude and Rox confirmed the hypothesis.

Maude got Achilles Selwyn to take her on vacation by dangling the opportunity for the proud grandfather to bond with his grandson. Even if he was a pureblood and convinced, deep inside, of the natural superiority of pureblood wizards, he had to acknowledge the facts. Harry Potter stood up to the tyrannical leader of the pureblood faction and defeated him in single combat. Then Potter engaged in conjugal relations with a squib and sired another wizard who, at twelve, was showing signs he could become Potter's co-equal in skills and power. Selwyn watched his grandson's development and modified his views.

With Achilles and Maude's commitment to accompany Potter's family to the shore, Maude's grandmotherly instincts caused her to let drop, in an unrelated conversation with Rox, that she and her family might as well travel to Lyme Regis for the week. There might be a chance to get everyone together as a family.

"Well, sure," said Potter.

He sat with Andromeda Tonks, watching Teddy and James. It was late morning. The boys were wading, the water up over their knees. Potter marveled at their tolerance for the chill.

"I suppose they're going to invite them over? Can't let the cabin just sit there."

"Maude hasn't said," Andromeda answered. "It does sound a bit obvious. Time will tell, I suppose."

"I suppose," said Potter.

"You're upset," said Andromeda.

Potter didn't answer right away.

"I'm confused," he began, a bit hesitantly. "If Rox wants Cassandra and—Caroline?"

"Cordelia," Andromeda corrected.

"Cordelia. Cordelia. Cordelia," Potter repeated, frustration with himself visible on his face, palm smacking his own forehead.

"If Rox wants Cassandra and Cordelia to spend time with James, we could work something out. Peter works shifts. Fine. Rox has her graphics which has slow periods and rush jobs. Fine. Any day they have a conflict, the girls can go to Achilles and Maude's and I'll take James out there. Or, the grandparents come to London and we host everyone at Grimmauld Place. All day, if that is what Rox wants."

The way it sounded, Potter had everything worked out.

"What did you think of them?" he asked.

"The Smiths?" asked Andromeda. "Nice girls. For six, that is, can't expect a Debutante of the Year from a six-year-old."

"True," Potter agreed.

Potter had some other thoughts spinning around but kept his peace.

"What?" Andromeda asked. "I know that look."

"I—ahh—it's a little premature," Potter demurred.

Potter invited Achilles and Maude to breakfast at his cabin the following morning, Tuesday, but they said they would walk into Lyme Regis for a breakfast with the Smiths. Potter noticed they didn't include James, which might have been somewhat hurtful if James hadn't been so well-adjusted to life with his father and Teddy, and Teddy's grandmother. Potter watched carefully for signs that James was feeling snubbed. James didn't seem to notice. Potter thought James' reaction was quite rational, unlike his own reflexive resentment on behalf of his wrongfully snubbed son.

The beach needed visiting, right after breakfast, so Potter took the boys and Andromeda stayed around the cabin. The three ventured nearly to the end of the magical section. The fossil hunters had met their need for quantity and were taking their time, looking for the highest-quality specimens. Teddy found a galleon in the sand, a discovery with instantaneous significance for the treasure hunters. The object of their quest underwent adjustment. Potter turned the party around and headed back, slowly retracing their steps. A perfect day developed—not too warm, sunny but not uncomfortably so, enough wave action for some soothing background sounds. Conversation was free and wide-ranging.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?" Potter answered.

"How hard is it to tame a dragon?"

"I don't think dragons are trainable. They have minds of their own. If they decide to put the flames to someone, there isn't much a person can do about it."

"Okay, then how did you ride a dragon from London to Scotland?"

James turned to look at Teddy, wondering if Teddy had just earned himself a good scorching.

"What do you think you know about that?" asked Potter. "Who said I even did such a thing?"

"Dad, everyone knows," James said, accepting responsibility for that bit of enlightenment.

James tried to sound very knowledgeable and worldly. Potter looked at Teddy. Teddy nodded agreement with James.

"Do they? How many people do you know personally who were there? Give me a number."

"We know you," Teddy answered.

"That's one," said Potter.

"There are some others," James mumbled.

"Right," Potter agreed. "First of all, neither one of you is going to try to do anything involving dragons. You aren't going to talk about this with your friends, are you? There are good reasons not to bring it up."

"No, no," Teddy and James agreed, James even making a zipping motion across his lips.

"Okay, so we're agreed we'll keep this between ourselves?"

"Yes!" said the young wizards.

"There were three of us," Potter began. "Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley, both of whom you know. We were stuck in a situation and there was a dragon chained up nearby so we got on the dragon's back and Ms. Granger-Weasley used a relashio charm to set the dragon free. We stayed on its back while it flew north. Then we let it go."

Teddy and James walked along, pondering. Teddy was the first to speak.

"Why weren't you killed?" he asked.

"Ted…"

"No, it's okay," Potter said to James. "It's a legitimate question and a good one. We should have been, one or two of us if not all three. Nothing but desperation justifies trying something so foolish. We were desperate, that is the only explanation. We were desperate and we got lucky."

"Do you think Peter knows?" James asked.

It was Teddy's turn to be shocked.

"About?"

"You know," James said. "M-A-G-I-C."

"You got me," said Potter. "Your mother never said she talked to him. Speaking of which, look up ahead. Lads, we're going to terminate this conversation right here. We can start up again when it is nobody but us. Agreed?"

James and Teddy did agree, sounding relieved that they wouldn't have to have an uncomfortable exchange with Rox, Maude, Andromeda, Cassandra and Cordelia.

"Mum," said James when the two groups closed the distance.

Teddy glanced at Cassandra and Cordelia, of whom he was constitutionally suspicious, before looking to Andromeda, seeking a clue as to what he was expected to do.

James again conceded to force majeure, accepting a hug from Rox. Maude looked on, beaming, then showed a little surprise when James didn't greet the girls.

"Everyone," said Potter, nodding as he scanned the group. "Where are you headed?"

"Wherever you three could be found," said Andromeda.

Potter considered her answer. Roxelana Selwyn Smith, formerly Potter, was a squib. Born of magical parents, she could not work magic herself. A high percentage of squibs could cope with occlusion charms, doing things like seeing the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and on into Diagon Alley. Rox could probably have navigated to the magical beach, and magical holiday camp, on her own. What raised a question in Potter's mind was the presence of Rox and Peter's twin girls. Non-magical children weren't normally seen on the magical beach. Did Rox bring her twins to the holiday camp and insist they be invited to come looking for Potter and the young wizards?

She might have. Something told Potter there was more to it.

"Care to take our time strolling back and start thinking about lunch?" Potter asked.

Teddy was perpetually ready for lunch unless he'd just finished lunch or had some stomach ailment. James acknowledged Teddy's leadership in such matters. Potter and Andromeda wanted whatever the young wizards wanted, within reason.

"Okay," said the twins.

With a clear majority in favor of heading back for lunch, the group struck out for the holiday camp.

Potter walked with Andromeda on one side and Teddy on the other. James fell in with the twins. They were siblings and Rox liked getting them together, keeping them familiar enough to trade catch-up questions and answers. Potter looked and listened.

James spotted a fossil and wanted a closer look. He stopped to pick up his prize and everyone gathered around.

"Ammonite," said Teddy. "Good show, James! It's perfect."

"Can I see?" Potter asked and James handed it over.

"Excellent. Not even a chip. Those perfect spirals always amaze me. That's a good one, James."

He gave the ammonite back to James. Cassandra and Cordelia asked for a closer look. Then they determined that they needed ammonites as well, leading to an extended discussion of the merits of additional fossil hunting as opposed to continuing the pursuit of lunch.

"Let's compromise," Andromeda suggested. "There are fossils all up and down this beach so we can do both. We'll hunt fossils, going in that direction. That way we'll keep moving."

James and Teddy grasped the wisdom while the twins showed some skepticism.

This time, Potter ended up walking next to Rox. Resolving to keep his irritation in check, he was irritated, nonetheless. Strolling next to his still-attractive former wife, who had left him then asked him to take their son so she would be free to remarry, he thought for the billionth time that if living with James and Harry Potter were what she really wanted, she could have stayed with them and saved everyone from the bureaucratic entanglements. Then he thought, for the billionth time, that Rox and her complications were both subordinate parts of the totality of the intrigue of Rox.

"That's a nice fossil," Rox noted.

"It sure is," Potter agreed.

"I'm glad you did this," said Rox. "Get them all together on holiday."

Potter thought if she said, '…like a family…' he would have to be restrained.

"Got to take kids to the beach," Potter observed.

He was habituated to striving, when Rox was present, for strict neutrality in all of his comments.

Once again, a fossil rose to the occasion. This one was a trilobite, found by Teddy. It was a fine specimen. There was a bit of sediment around one side. It gave the trilobite a little air of antiquity.

"Do you share?" Teddy asked the twins.

"Yes, everything," Cordelia assured him.

"Then take this home with you, as long as you promise to share," Teddy said.

Potter noticed the delays for fossil hunting were forgotten, once Teddy presented the acceptable trilobite to the twins.

When the party arrived at the cabins, Potter saw that someone had maneuvered quite deftly to arrange lunch for the returning congregation. Achilles Selwyn had walked to Lyme Regis while everyone was away and come back with bread, condiments, sandwich meats, cheese, lemons and a small sack of sugar. Achilles had the components of the sandwiches yet to be spread out on the table in the Selwyns' cabin, waiting for the beach-goers' return. All that was left was to make the lemonade and Selwyn was on the porch, cutting into lemons and dropping them in a pitcher when everyone arrived.

Potter stopped on the lawn in front of the cabin, looking at Andromeda. Andromeda looked back. Both were wondering what was in store. Something certainly was.

"Let's get the sand off the feet and legs, then split up and wash. Don't everyone try to use the same bath," said Potter.

Teddy and James stood in the grass, whipping their feet with towels.

"Okay, okay, that's good," said Potter. "Now hands. With soap! You've been handling three hundred-million-year old dead animals, no telling what you've caught."

Cassandra and Cordelia watched as the wizards left, then followed their lead and went inside, looking for the Selwyns' washbasin. Potter looked at Maude, his former mother-in-law. Maude was engrossed in watching Achilles slice lemons. Potter tried Rox, who sensed a need to duck into the bath and check on her daughters' handwashing.

Potter directed his question to Achilles.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Gramps," he said.

Achilles Selwyn stiffened, his lemon-slicing in time-out.

"Harry, I don't know anything," Selwyn protested.

"Oh, stop it, Selwyn," said Maude, now, by some miracle, back on planet Earth. "It's just a little get-together, Harry. So the children are making memories of childhood rambles together at the shore."

Teddy came out of the door of the cabin he shared with Andromeda. Andromeda got up from a lawn chair and ambled toward Teddy, eventually taking him in hand and redirecting his course toward the Potters' cabin.

"And that is all it is?" Potter asked.

Maude and Achilles looked back and forth. Potter thought they were getting ready to tell him a whopper when Rox stepped back outside the cabin.

"No, Harry, that's not all," she muttered. "I want to talk to you and Andromeda, without the children around."

"Okay," Potter agreed. "After lunch. Thanks for being honest."

'Finally,' he thought to himself.

It was evening before conditions for the private talk could be arranged. Following lunch, Rox took the two Smith girls back to Lyme Regis. She returned after dinner. Teddy and James had textbooks, at Harry and Andromeda's insistence, so they were tasked with completing at least one summertime homework assignment for each class.

"So," said Andromeda when she and Harry had taken their seats on the Selwyns' porch.

"Well," Rox began, "Muggle Peter seems to have begotten witches by me."

"Sure," said Potter. "What a surprise. Those Selwyn bloodlines. Can't escape them. Probably where James gets his magic."

Achilles Selwyn puffed up some, at that. Maude knew it was a serious matter and Potter was pulling their legs, but she liked it just the same. Andromeda did a professional job of suppressing a laugh.

"Well, it's not something to make fun of, Harry!" Rox protested. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Rox, stop right there," Potter began. "The only way I get involved in your life or you get involved in mine is via James. If it doesn't concern James, I have nothing to say."

"Of course it concerns James," Rox said with a snort. "Cass and Cordelia are his sisters."

"Of a sort," Potter conceded. "Different fathers and raised in two different households. See the boundary? See the conflict?"

"Why does it have to be a conflict?" Rox began.

Andromeda couldn't stay quiet.

"Rox, Harry's right," she said. "How is it any of his business?"

"They're doing little things, like kids do. Like summoning a toy. They might be communicating without speech but I don't know enough about that. Maybe they're just twins with a secret language. I've read about those."

"Where is Peter in all this? Does he know about magic? Has anyone come, sat down, had a talk?" asked Potter.

"No. I thought that came later," said Rox.

"It can," said Andromeda. "When the Hogwarts letters come out. If the child is precocious, as it sounds like yours are, a visit can be arranged. It goes through the Ministry. So, grandparents? Anything to add?"

Potter looked over at Andromeda, trying to project gratitude. He knew his own personality was totally unsuited for counseling Rox on the subject of damage control. Potter didn't control it. He did damage, he was chagrined to admit. Andromeda was a great humanitarian, Potter acknowledged.

"Well, Andromeda, we've just had an initial conversation, or two," Selwyn began. "I didn't know if it was appropriate to bring the briefer in at this point. Seems a bit early. We don't want to act prematurely. Couldn't that do more harm than good?"

"That's a consideration," said Potter. "Back to the beginning—why do I have a part in this?"

Rox sighed and slumped in her chair. She gave the appearance of deflating.

"Harry, I don't have a lot of magical friends. I don't use magic. I have a muggle job, live in a muggle neighborhood with my muggle husband. Until last year I thought I was raising muggle daughters. Then Cassandra dropped a spoon on the floor…"

She looked at Potter, who made the connection.

"Cassandra looked at the spoon and thought she wanted it back and it came up off the floor right into her hand. The same thing James told me he did. About the same age, too. Five? Sounds right," said Potter. "Was Peter there? Did he see Cassandra levitate the spoon?"

"No, or," Rox began.

Potter knew the end of that sentence, too. Or could paraphrase, at least.

'Or I would have been in the same position I was when James came to live with you.'

Potter and Andromeda exchanged looks.

"What do you want to do? We can find out from the Ministry how to arrange for a visit from the counselors," said Andromeda.

"Then we should back out," said Potter. "You and I are exes. We shouldn't be participating in one another's life decisions. These things have long-term consequences if they're badly handled."

A shocking thought bubbled up in Potter's mind.

"Peter doesn't know anything about this, does, he? You've come to talk this over with me and you're keeping your husband in the dark."

Potter looked at Rox, then Achilles, then Maude Selwyn.

Maude spoke first.

"Harry, it's just a way to get two more magical minds together to talk a few things through," said Maude. "Rox doesn't have many magical contacts, just us and a cousin or two. This situation—it's all kind of delicate."

"Delicate," repeated Potter, nodding agreement. "Yes, I'd say it is delicate."

He looked up, away from the others. His hand rose, unbidden, to his lower lip, giving it a pinch.

"I think we should stop talking, don't you? Put yourself in Peter's position, if he dropped in here right now. Go back to your husband and children. If you want professional assistance with your problem, and I concede it is a problem, let Maude know and I'll be happy to work with the Ministry. Those people do this all the time. They know the way to do it. And they're discreet. Andromeda?"

He looked toward their cottages. Andromeda nodded and stood. Potter stayed where he was.

"It's going to be fine," Andromeda said, stepping over and laying an arm across Rox' shoulders. "We've all been through lots worse."

Harry Potter and Andromeda Tonks went to Potter's cabin. The young wizards had begun work separately but within fifteen minutes, Teddy Lupin was seen going next door to Potter's, quill, parchments and textbook in hand. Potter doubted if the two had their noses pointed down at their work but they were being quiet so he hadn't come over to initiate supervised study. Both of the adults seemed to have the same thought that evening. It was too late to begin a fresh discussion. If the wizards wanted one last cup of tea, so be it. Otherwise, it was time for bed.

Potter lay in the dark, trying to leave his anger at Rox so he could go to sleep. His subconscious had other ideas.

'If she'd just stayed where she was!' he thought.

'It was so simple!'

'She knows how it works. James could have inherited his magic from her as much as me. Some of both, most likely. Why did she think having children with Peter would insulate them from magical heritage?'

It was a wonder Potter got to sleep at all. He did, though.

He woke up smiling. Potter moved around, consciously trying to minimize noise so James could sleep as late as his internal clock wanted. He made coffee and took a cup to the porch. Everything had a kind of otherworldly look, due to some mist coming from the water. Potter heard what sounded like actual surf hitting the beach. He listened to the respiratory sounds—the inhalation as the close-in water rushes out to build the wave, then the few moments when in and out are in balance, then the crash of exhalation while the water climbs, stalls and runs back home. Potter leaned back, took off his glasses and looked at the blurry landscape.

"Dad? Morning," said James.

The door hinge squeaked as he pulled it closed behind him.

"Hey," said Potter. "Feel like eating breakfast?"

"Yeah," said James. "Guess I woke up hungry."

"Sun, sand and surf will do that to you," said Potter. "Don't wake them up, but if you run next door and your grandparents are up, offer to cook them some breakfast over here. If they're interested."

James crossed to the Selwyn's cabin. Potter watched as he knocked and seemed to be invited inside. Speculating that meant the grandparents were up and about, Potter went inside and started gathering bread, oil, eggs and a skillet.

James and his grandfather sat on the porch. Potter fried eggs. Maude tried to take over but Potter resisted, gently. Maude stayed inside.

Potter put eggs and toast on a single platter and summoned James.

"Can you take this out to the table?" he asked.

"I'll do these," he said to Maude, indicating the plates, knives and forks. "We'll need cups and the coffee."

Plates and cups were filled, quickly, and the Potter-Selwyn consortium got to work on breakfast.

"Looking forward to next term, James?" asked Maude.

"Yes, ma'am," James answered. "Defense gets radical."

"Radical?" Maude asked, looking at Potter.

"Dueling mannequin," he said.

"Third year? No!" said Maude. "I put my foot down!"

"Maude, it has been a few years," said Selwyn. "The students are much more advanced than we were."

Maude Selwyn gritted her teeth.

"Hmphh!" she replied.

"So, anyway, James, the Selwyns and I are going to try to have an adult conversation," Potter began. "It's family business so I would like you to be here. It concerns all of us. You're a man now, a young one, but a man nonetheless, and I think you can keep confidences and use good judgment, so I'd like you to be here. You would learn everything, eventually. This saves us all some time. Understand?"

"Yes," said James, wondering what it was all about.

"Good," said Potter. "Your mother, as you know, doesn't use magic. Your grandparents are both magical and she was born able to do and see certain magical things but actually using magic isn't one of them. You know about people from muggle families who can use magic and those from magical families who can't, don't you? I think I remember you had a few lessons on the different kinds of magical abilities. So, as it turns out, your sisters…"

"Are witches," said James.

Ax, Maude and Potter sat bolt upright.

"You know?" asked Maude. "How did you find out?"

"Yesterday when we were walking together," said James. "Cordelia told me and Cass told her to shush. Then they argued a little bit. I didn't tell them about Hogwarts or anything."

"Oh, that's pretty impressive," said Potter. "More importantly, it is wise."

"I'll say!" Ax Selwyn burst out. "Well done, James."

"So the thing is, James, your mother passed along some abilities, magical abilities. That seems to be how it usually works. It's hereditary, like Potter men have a tendency toward wild black hair and take naturally to flying around on broomsticks," said Potter. "Your grandmother Potter was from a non-magical family. She was what we call muggle-born. Her natural ability was very strong. She got her Hogwarts letter and worked really hard in school. Even so, being magical in a muggle family and muggle neighborhood can be difficult. There are good reasons for the Secrecy statutes. Right now, your grandparents and I are aware and want to help. What we don't want to do is cause any more difficulties for your mother than she already has. That means keeping this all between us. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," said James.

"Good," said Potter.

"Good man," added Selwyn.

"I'll say," Maude said. "That is very responsible of you, James. Very mature, as well."

She looked at her grandson, studying him.

'Who would have thought?' she said to herself. 'When Rox and Potter came to see us and told us what they'd done I started screaming at them. Oh, how I wish I had known then what know now!'

"We don't know exactly what kind of help we can give or how it will be delivered," said Potter. "I think it is safe to say that your grandparents will be involved and they'll welcome your support for your sisters. Remember to be nice to your mum, too. She will have enough on her mind."

Selwyn, who had been waiting for his opening, seized the chance at the podium.

"James, I heard a report of an exceptionally fine ammonite fossil. You wouldn't have that close by, would you?"

"I do!" said James. "Right in here."

He left to go in the cabin.

"He's a gift, Harry," Maude said, keeping her voice low. "Thank-you so much."

Potter gave her a very slight smile.

"Rox did all the work," he said.

Andromeda and Teddy emerged from their cabin while the ammonite was being passed around. Potter brought Andromeda a cup of coffee and got a glass of orange juice for Teddy. A short while later, the Selwyns excused themselves. They had an appointment in Lyme Regis for some strolling with the Smith family.

When Achilles and Maude Selwyn were safely away, Potter turned to Teddy.

"We had a little talk out here, a bit ago, with James' grandparents," he began. "This all has to be held in strict confidence for now, but I think you should know. All the evidence says Cassandra and Cordelia are witches. Were you aware?"

"Uh…I didn't know for sure," Teddy said.

"That's okay," said Potter. "If they are, it will all come out, in time. Now, there can be complications when people from the two communities encounter one another. None of us four want to make things difficult for the other family. We want to be supportive. That means we keep this info private until the situation resolves."

"I get it," said Teddy. "There are some muggle-borns in my year. That must be tough."

"It is," said Potter.

He noticed Andromeda nodding agreement.

Potter agreed to follow breakfast with a trip to the beach. Dirty dishes went into the sink and the party of four was soon strolling, cooling their soles on cold, wet sand and grading fossils and seashells to keep or toss back.

"Glad I'm not a seer," said Potter. "I don't think I'd want to see how this is going to come out."

"Don't be so sure," Andromeda replied.

She paused and flipped a fragment of stone over with her toe, only it wasn't a fragment. Andromeda's find was just the visible facet of a very fine trilobite. The two stood still, Andromeda turning the fossil this way and that.

"There's no way to tell until you can see the whole picture."