Chapter 40 - The Birth of the Triplets
Security around Hogwarts was a lot tighter after that night, Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan had been fired. His portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back. She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had agreed to return to her job only on condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her. They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs. However, I managed to get us all to meet up at the lake during dinner. I wanted us all to get how we used to be, including Hermione and Ron.
"Hi boys." I called as Hermione and I approached the boys who were sat under a tree. Unfortunately as soon as Ron saw Hermione he scowled then in turn Hermione glared back, brilliant start. "Stop that right now." I glared at them individually before they both sat on the grass.
"I miss us." Harry commented. "The four of us."
"What will it take to get us back to that, Ron, Hermione?" I asked.
"She could act sorry that her flea bitten cat ripped apart my pet rat, I've had him for years then poof. Gone. Dead." Ron finished bitterly.
"Oh, Ronald. I am sorry, I just don't understand how I was supposed to control an animal's natural instincts. Would you have stop Scabbers from sleeping or eating flies, Ron?" Hermione sighed.
"Your birthday is in two weeks, Ron. I'm sure you'll get a new pet that you'll love as much as you did Scabbers. Now let's just forget about it, hey? What do you say?" I asked hopefully.
"Friends?" Harry chimed in, looking between Hermione and Ron. Ron finally nodded making Hermione smile brightly. "Brilliant. How about we go see Hagrid?" While visiting Hagrid we caught the boys up to speed about what we had been doing for Buckbeaks cause, they both felt quite guilty about not helping but Hagrid didn't blame them. We couldn't stay for long so we had to sneak back up to the castle for our next lesson after have dinner with Hagrid. It was Divination for them and Muggle Studies for me. We learned about the muggle royal family and about some of the more famous royals of the past. Like Henry VIII, he had six wives! He created a religion so he could divorce his first one, had his second one beheaded, his third one died giving birth to his only son and was apparently the only wife he loved. He divorced again with his fourth wife, his fifth also beheaded and the sixth managed to survive as Henry died. I decided history is incredibly fascinating when it's not being taught by a ghost. I got the best news after I saw Hermione after lesson in the common room. Although she was in Muggle Studies she went back in time to do Divination.
"I quit." Hermione stated. "I quit Divination, it's a stupid subject."
"I couldn't agree more." I replied dryly.
-.-
Before I knew it we were in spring and at Ron's birthday and we had a big celebration at Hagrid's hut. I asked the house elves to make me a cake which they gladly obliged, I big chocolate fudge cake, Ron and mines favourite. And sure enough, Ron got a new pet. An owl. He was jet black but had ginger tip on his wings and tail. As soon as I saw him I knew he was a Weasley pet. It was from all three of us, we all chipped in equally.
"You have to name him." I grinned at him.
"I've never named a pet before. Percy named Scabbers. I don't know." Ron looked at his beloved owl proudly.
"Call him Jaffa Cake." Hermione stated, Harry burst out laughing while Ron, Hagrid and I just looked confused. I rolled my eyes, muggle joke.
"I quite like Griffin." Ron stated.
"Tha's a good name, Ron." Hagrid replied.
"He looks like a Griffin." Harry agreed.
"Griffin it is then." I grinned at him. We finished the night with a slice of cake and some hot chocolate before Hagrid escorted us back to the castle just before curfew. Exactly a week later on the 12th of March, the Hyde children got the news we had been waiting for over nine months. Bright and early on Saturday morning when we all sat down to eat breakfast. I didn't notice mum's owl drop a letter mere centimetres short of Abe's porridge. He read jumped up and went to his nearest sibling. Allie was sat on the Ravenclaw table just a few spaces down from where Abe was sat. I did notice my twins squeal though. I looked up as did a lot of people. My twin was jumping up and down in glee and Abe laughed merrily at his youngest sister's antics. That's when they both ran to me and passed me a sheet of paper.
Kids, it has been a very long night for both your mother and myself. She went into labour and half seven last night and just before midnight she gave birth to her final child on the 11th of March. She had our triplets. The labour was a lot shorter than the rest of yours, I suppose mum has got better at it over the years. She had a little girl and two boys. Arianna May Hyde was born at 10.45pm, Alec Henry Hyde was born at 11.11pm and Aston Lee Hyde was born at 11.58pm. I'm sorry this letter is so short however I have just popped home for a change of clothes, I don't want to leave your mother for too long. She's sleeping now, she'll write all of you when she's back on her feet in a few days. Have fun at Hogwarts and be good.
Lots of Love, Dad.
The triplets had finally been born, I couldn't believe it! It's always been a spooky coincidence that Abe and Addy were born on the eleventh of May and Allie and I were born on the eleventh of July and now we had three more siblings born on the eleventh of March. I jumped up from my seat with a squeal of my own and bounced with Allie in excitement. We next ran over to the Slytherin table to inform Addy, in any normal circumstance I wouldn't go near but on this occasion I practically skipped there. It was one of the few times I had seen Addy smile so brightly since I had come to Hogwarts. As it was Saturday we spent the time in each others company for most of the day as a family, writing a congratulatory letter to mum was one of the few things we did. It was a lovely day and it did make me miss my family when we were all together. I hoped that the next summer would be different to the previous one.
-.-
March soon turned into April when we had our next Hogsmede trip unfortunately Harry and I had now been banned due to the whole Sirius Black was out to kill us situation fortunately all I had to do was borrow a Ravenclaw tie and robe from Allie and I was fine. Harry had to use his invisibility cloak, I let him borrow the map. Hermione and I went to Gladrags Wizardware and agreed to meet the boys at the shrieking shack after they went to Zonko's, I practically own everything in Zonko's so I didn't need to go. We saw Ron's bright red hair on the approach.
"He's had to run up to the castle, Malfoy saw his head." Ron told us urgently.
"He'll probably run straight to Snape." I replied worried.
"And if he makes him turn out his pockets, they'll see all the stuff you bought from Zonko's." 'Mione piped in nibbling at her lip.
"Shit." Ron and I stated before the three of us set off running back to the castle. It took a good ten minutes to get Snape's office and following my nose I knew he was in there.
"Ash, your tie and robes." Hermione hissed. I threw them off with my bag from Gladrags before I barged in after Ron.
"I - gave - Harry - that - stuff," Ron wheezed. "Bought - it... in Zonko's... ages - ago..."
"He's been with me all day!" I panted before looking up and seeing Moony. I noticed the Marauders Map on the table, I snatched it up before anyone could stop me. "That's my diary."
"Your diary? And why does it look like a spare bit of parchment, Miss Hyde?" Snape asked.
"It's called magic, Professor." I sneered. "My mother made it for me."
"And she'll clarify that?" Snape glared.
"I'm sure she would but are you really going to bother a woman who has just had triplets?" I smirked while the Potions Professor glowered at me.
"Well!" Moony smiled. "That seems to clear that up! You four, come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay - excuse us, Severus -" As soon as we left the room Moony turned to me and noticed the Ravenclaw robes ditched at the side of the door. He glared at me angrily while I smiled sheepishly. "Aurora-Shaw Lily Hyde, get to my office right now. You as well Harry James Potter. You're both in trouble."
"But Uncle Remus..." I whined.
"Now! Hermione, Ronald; I am very disappointed in the pair of you, you should know the danger they are both in. To your common room, now." Moony dismissed them, they hurried off remarkably quickly before Harry and I were frog marched to his office after I picked up Allie's Ravenclaw robes. Harry looked at me with wide eyes as he was uncertain as to what punishment we were going to get. We weren't going to get punished, he's my Uncle, why would he? "I am very disappointed in the both of you, although I am happy that you made up but I thought the incident in February might have awoken you to the danger you're in. As long as you are in my care, Aurora, I am your guardian, and I will not stand for this and Harry." I looked at the floor feeling bad as my Uncle started on Harry, "Your parents gave their lives to make sure you live and this is a very poor way for you to pay them back. Give me the map, Aurora, I will be taking it for the foreseeable future. You are dismissed, go to your common room." We ran out of the room, both feeling pretty bad and we didn't know it but we were to feel worse when we got into the common room. Hermione and Ron looked miserable too.
"I got a letter from Hagrid, Buckbeak lost the trial." Hermione told us sadly.
"Oh no." I moaned sadly.
"How was it with Lupin?" Ron asked.
"Horrible." I moaned again.
"He made us feel bad and confiscated the map." Harry sighed.
"What's up with you guys?" Dean asked us coming in the common room and sitting next to me and put his arm around my shoulder comfortingly.
"Hagrid's hippogriff lost his trial." I replied and leaned on him.
"The hippogriff that injured Malfoy at the start of the year." Harry clarified.
"We've been campaigning to make sure he survived and we failed. He'll be sentenced to death." Hermione sighed as I moaned again feeling terrible.
"You're kidding me, tha' Hippogriff deserved a medal." Seamus commented making us all chuckle.
"Should we go see him?" Ron asked hopefully.
"We probably shouldn't risk it, we'll see him after lesson tomorrow." I replied. Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement. We did go to see him the day after, he looked miserable during the lesson, He seemed numb with shock at the verdict.
"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em..." Hagrid told us.
"There's still the appeal!" said Ron fiercely. "Don't give up yet, we're working on it!" We were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead was Malfoy, walking with Crabbe and Goyle. They kept looking back, laughing derisively and were slowly pissing me off. "S'no good, Ron," said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm just' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that..." Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief.
"Look at him blubber!" Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening. "Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!" I practically growled in anger planning to go after him only to be stopped by both Harry and Ron as seemed to me the usual but it didn't matter, he still got his comeuppance.
"You foul loathsome evil little cockroach." Hermione snarled and pointed her wand at him, backing him to a wall.
"Hermione." I gasped grinning, Harry and Ron had released me. 'Mione lowered her wand making Malfoy smirk before Hermione pulled back her fist and popped him right in the cheek. Malfoy fell to the floor in shock then get up quickly and ran off with his henchmen.
"That was bloody brilliant." Ron said in shock.
"Just like I taught you." I smirked and hugged her.
"That felt good." Hermione said sheepishly. "I can understand why you do it quite a lot, Ash."
"Pssh, you make me sound violent, 'Mione." I grinned at her.
"Yeah because you're not violent at all Ash." Harry replied sarcastically.
"Come on, let's get to Charms." Hermione smiled slightly.
"I can't wait to see Malfoy cower again." Ron smirked as we walked into the castle.