Beta: DarkerThanYin [the full document] and Demos [on the first half]
Original release date: 12/25/2014
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Harry Potter or any other universe. All other mentioned items, games and the likes belong to their respective owners and not to me.
Chapter Nineteen – Surprise, Surprise
"What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed, going after the Philosopher's Stone!" exclaims Remus pacing back and forth in front of Harry.
Nostrils flaring, Harry replies, "It was a spur of the moment decision. I was studying, looked down at the map you gave me, and saw someone disappearing from Fluffy's room. By the way, your map doesn't work down there!"
Sitting in a plush chair, Sirius comments, "And yet you failed to think about contacting us to sort it out instead."
Well, I'm still alive, aren't I?" retorts Harry.
Exhaling loudly, Sirius says, "Harry, you're basically my son, and I don't want to see you taking unnecessary risks. What you did was an unnecessary risk."
Harry's face adopts a look of mutiny when Sirius begins in a more calm tone, "Harry, just promise me you won't take such an unnecessary risk again, please."
"Ok, I promise" says Harry in a somewhat defeated voice.
"Good" begins Sirius before clapping his hands together loudly, "this summer you shall begin studying Occlumency. Snivellus-"
"Severus" corrects Remus.
"-is known to be skilled at Legilimency. To help counteract that, I think teaching you and Neville Occlumency to help you two resist his probing" finishes Sirius, ignoring Remus's correction.
"When do I begin?" asks Harry.
Smiling, Sirius replies, "Seeing as I have a date with Miss Amelia Bones this evening, I think tomorrow shall be a good day to begin."
"You're going on a date? I wasn't aware that you were able to attract women" jests Harry.
"I'm doing better than you, pronglet" jests Sirius in return.
Opening his mouth to reply, Sirius beats him to it, "So, Remus, Amelia should be here with Susan any time now-" when a nearby fireplace roars to life, expelling a slightly soot covered Susan Bones followed quickly by a similarly covered Amelia Bones.
Jumping to his feet, Sirius strides over to Amelia, lifts her hand and kisses the back of her right hand.
"Ma chérie. I do believe it is time for us to leave, Amelia" comments Sirius, gently tugging Amelia towards the door.
As the front door shuts behind Sirius and Amelia, Remus audibly sighs before wordlessly waving his wand over Susan, causing the soot to instantly disappear.
"Well you two, there are board games and movies to do for the next few hours. No Quidditch though. I'll be in the workshop if you two need me. Susan, you are welcome to stay the night if it becomes too late before Sirius brings your aunt back" states Remus.
As Remus begins walking away, Harry suggests, "Susan, what would you like to do?"
"Um, what kind of board games do you all have?"
"There's Risk, Stratego, Monopoly, and Scrabble. We can listen to music if you want as well."
"Scrabble sounds good" replies Susan.
Grabbing the Scrabble box, Harry leads the way to the dining room where he begins to set up the board. Minutes later into the game, Harry is looking over the board to place his tiles when he spots an arrangement of 3 words. Looking up at Susan, Harry asks, "Is this arrangement of words coincidental, or did you plan it?"
Susan just continues to smile. As Susan makes the last word, 'couple', Harry tabulates the score and then says, "Susan, you got 121, and I got 189. Good game."
"Thank you. Good game to you as well" replies Susan, smiling.
Harry puts the game up, before asking, "What would you like to do next?"
"How about a movie?"
"Sounds good. Follow me" says Harry.
Entering a smaller room with a dozen or so seats, Harry leads Susan over to the back of the room where many shelves lined with VHS tapes.
"What do you want to watch?" queries Susan.
"Whatever you want to see" replies Harry.
Looking through the collection of movies, Susan thinks to herself, 'not a single romantic movie'.
Minutes later, Susan and Harry sit down, a container of air popped popcorn between them. An hour or so into the movie, Remus pops his head into the darkened room to see two enjoying their movie.
In the early morning hours, Amelia and Sirius quietly open the front door and slowly creep into the manor.
Giggling, Amelia whispers to Sirius, "this makes me feel like I'm sneaking back into my parent's house after a night with a boy".
Kissing Amelia's hand, Sirius replies, "But I'm sure I'm the best looking one you've ever had" before winking.
"Now my love, would you like to spend the rest of the night here?"
Sighing, Amelia replies quietly, "I think it would be best. Susan needs to sleep and not be interrupted."
Hours later, Remus enters the kitchen and begins brewing a pot of coffee when a groggy Amelia and Sirius enter the kitchen, both looking like zombies.
Remus just chuckles before sliding a couple of empty mugs to the zombie couple.
/*elsewhere in the house*/
Waking up, Susan notices Harry's hand resting on her arm. Looking around, Susan realizes that she and Harry fell asleep watching a movie. Without warning, Kreacher slips quietly into the room before announcing, "Breakfast is served, Master Harry."
Head whiplashing around, Susan sees Harry beginning some morning stretching.
"Morning, Harry."
Finishing up his stretching, Harry replies, "Good morning, Susan. Are you ready for a bite to eat?"
Susan nods, and follows Harry through the house to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, Harry hears, "Morning, Susan, Harry. Harry, how do you feel about a joint celebration of birthdays with Neville in a couple of fortnights?
"I like it. What's for breakfast?"
"Ha! Straight to the food. Well, Pronglet, how about some waffles? I'm sure Remus could whip you up some waffles" calls out Sirius from across the kitchen.
"Or, I'm sure Sirius could whip you up some waffles and let Remus continue brewing this amazing coffee" says a smirking Amelia.
Fifteen minutes later, a large platter of waffles is levitated to the table where four hungry individuals dig into the waffles with gusto.
"Didn't you all save me any?" whines Sirius.
"No" choruses everyone at the table.
"I figured as much. Good thing I saved myself a few" chuckles Sirius, carrying a plate with half a dozen waffles on it.
/*weeks later*/
"Can you see anything?" asks Harry.
"Nope" replies Neville.
"Follow the sound of my voice…" calls out Sirius, before cackling evilly.
With a minor bit of bumping into each other, Harry and Neville exit the to the outdoors.
"You can take off the blindfolds" calls out Remus.
As Neville and Harry remove their blindfolds, a motley collection of voices call out, "Happy birthday, Neville and Harry!"
As their eyes adjust to the sunlight, the two see many of their fellow students from Hogwarts standing in the backyard. For the next half an hour or so, Harry and Neville mingle with their peers, before Sirius shouts out, "CAKE TIME!" before transforming to into a shaggy black dog, running around the yard. Lining up in front of him, Remus cuts a slice of cake for everyone.
Transforming back into his normal self, Sirius fires off a couple fire crackers to get attention.
"To celebrate Harry and Neville's birthdays, Neville's being yesterday of course, and Harry's today, I've set up a couple of what muggles call 'dunk tanks'. Essentially you toss a couple of balls at a lever, which drops the person into a tank of water. There is a tank for each one, so go knock them into the water. But no magic allowed" announces Sirius.
Minutes later, both Harry and Neville sit upon their respective seats, ready to be plunged into the water.
Off to the side of the gathering sit some of the parents.
"It's nice to take a break from watching over the twins" remarks Molly.
"With seven kids, with five at Hogwarts, I'm sure it's a chore" replies Alice.
Dropping into an empty chair, Remus breathes deeply for a few moments before joining in, "Molly, I'd like to offer Fred and George an apprenticeship at our store. The world needs more merrymaking, and I think they've got it."
Silence descends upon the group of adults as that settles in.
"What would they be doing?" asks Molly somewhat frostily.
"Learning the ins and outs of managing a business, product creation, and product evolution. They'd also be offered a position to beta test our items before the items are sold."
"They are entering their fourth year at Hogwarts" remarks Molly with a tone so icy that no one could miss the disapproval.
"I understand that, Molly. It would be a summer only thing for the next few summers. It would give them a chance to mature and they wouldn't be in your hair every day."
"When would they begin?" asks Molly, tone warming just a bit.
"Tomorrow morning if you approve."
"Would they have a job after graduating from Hogwarts?"
Smiling, Remus replies, "If they do as well as I hope, they will have a job that will be fulfilling and exciting."
After a few more hours of Sirius directing the various party games and activities, parents begin to arrive to take their kids home. When it is just the Longbottoms and Weasley's left, Harry and Neville gather around their parents when Remus opens his mouth to speak but Molly beats him to the punch, "Fred, George, Remus has offered to take you under his wing to learn business at his store. I want you two to be on your best behavior as you go about this apprenticeship."
"Sirius or I will come by around 8:15 in the morning to pick you all up for the first few days. Then we will give you some floo powder to use to get here own your own. You all will then return at the end of the day back to your house. Understand?" explains Remus.
Nodding their understanding, the twins follow their mother, along their siblings, and Remus into the house to floo back home, with the Longbottoms following suit.
"Did you have fun today?" asks Sirius, sitting down at the table.
"Yes. Thanks, Sirius, and thank you, Remus" replies Harry.
"No problem" replies Remus, sitting down at the table, across from Harry, "I do think it is time for bed though, don't you agree, Sirius?"
Mmhmm. Off to bed, pronglet."
Hours later, in bed, Harry awakens with the feeling of being watched. Looking around his room, Harry spots a pair of tennis ball green eyes looking at him from a corner of the room.
"Kreacher?" Harry says quietly.
But when the owner of the tennis ball green eyeballs spoke Harry knew instantly it wasn't Kreacher.
Author note: To teachergirl, that brought up the topic of why Ginny should have gone with her parents to Romania, my argument is that portkeys are expensive and are based on the number of people taking it, and that is why Ginny didn't go with her parents. I don't think the books ever said if she did go with her parents or went and stayed with her Aunt Muriel. Merry Christmas, and other holidays to you all! Thanks for reading this fanfiction this long. I'd like to note that this chapter was still being written an hour to an hour and a half before its release. Please pardon my mistakes.