Wheels Within Wheels – Part Three
Iolanthe
Chapter Two
How Iolanthe Astoria Potter Got Her Name
As it turned out, Daphne and Harry did go to Greengrass Manor later in the afternoon. Using the floo network did not, after all, appear on the list of proscribed things for expectant witches. Healer Daphne didn't even have to look that up, nor contact her own healer for permission. Harry, reflecting, recognized he and Daphne had just found another subject area where he knew nothing, and would have to follow her lead and try to learn something new now and then.
Daphne called Kreacher to the study and informed him they were going out, thanked him for the tea, and told him he could take the evening off if he had personal business elsewhere.
Kreacher seemed pleased by the consideration Daphne showed him, and responded with an elfin, "Thank you, Mistress Daphne," before backing out of the study, bowing.
"You've been promoted," said Harry, who had only heard Walburga Black's portrait addressed as 'Mistress' before.
"I didn't ask him to, it just showed up," Daphne said. "Do you have to do anything before we go?"
"Not really," Harry said. "Different jacket."
Harry swapped jackets and two minutes later they arrived, with a 'WHOOSH,' in the library fireplace at Greengrass Manor. No one was in the library, and Raffles didn't greet them in the hall. Daphne led the way through the house toward the gardens, eventually finding Fabio and Kendra in the gazebo. They'd been picking at a large tray that amounted to a small buffet. The main dish was cold roast chicken, which could be piled on a variety of Mad Monk bread that was a particular specialty of the Greengrass Manor elves, accompanied by cold potato salad, raw carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, and a large pitcher of what appeared to be a vegetable juice blend.
"Daphne!" said Kendra, smiling a very pleased-looking smile. "At last!"
Daphne stopped by her mother, leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. She gave a head motion toward Fabio and made a little questioning look.
"Of course not," Kendra said, as if the question were too absurd to entertain.
"Father," said Daphne, leaning down and wrapping her arms around Fabio, "Do you think the sound of 'Grandfather Greengrass' has too much alliteration? Because there are plenty of alternatives, if you do."
Fabio considered the question, and seemed to be on the verge of answering Daphne's hypothetical, when the meaning of it dawned on him. He looked at Harry, who looked back, nodding slowly, a very pleased smile on his face.
"Oh, Daphne, did I hear right?" Fabio asked. "You're going to make us grandparents?"
"Yes we are," Daphne said. "It was official about eleven this morning. And, I understand Mother has a second opinion to offer?"
Kendra blushed.
"Daphne, I didn't mean to pry, now, so don't take offense. I was just doing some practice casting and the runes volunteered it," Kendra said. "Once they showed me that, it wasn't something I could keep to myself."
Daphne started to laugh.
"Did you just happen on the question, or have I obviously been in the initial stages of something like, oh, pregnancy, for example?" she asked.
"Oh, Daphne, there really isn't anything that looks quite like it, to a seasoned observer, is there? If you think about it?" asked Kendra.
"Don't feel bad," Daphne said. "Your deputy's owl was only a minute or two behind yours. She confirmed. Father, the two best rune-witches in Britain say you're going to be getting a little granddaughter in December."
Fabio was smiling and chuckling and touching the corners of his eyes with the knuckle of his index finger, all at once.
"Well, that is just…" he began, neglecting to finish.
"Sit down, sit down," Kendra began. "Where are our manners? Dig in, we're picnicking tonight. If you don't want the vegetable juice the elves can bring you whatever you want."
The meal went on, with lots of actual questions about how Daphne was feeling, mixed with oddballs like how did Harry feel when Daphne told him?
"We are looking at a couple of days in July," Harry said, when someone asked about wedding plans. "Things should have calmed down after Astoria and Draco, and they're already blocked out on our calendars."
"That was me, Harry," Kendra said. "The runes came up with propitious dates. They didn't seem to see a need to say why, or what they were propitious for. Then you and Daphne figured that out for yourselves."
"That works," Harry said. "Very magical, the way it should be. They gave us the seventh and the seventeenth. Anyone have a preference?"
This resulted in Daphne pulling out her personal magical organizer, and Kendra going to the library to fetch hers, followed by a long session of comparing, handwriting entries, removing the entries with the wave of a wand, discussions of who would be available to participate, who they knew who would be out of the country, and on and on.
Harry finished his sandwich, then joined Fabio in taking a few tablespoons of fruit from the large bowl, then a few more, and finally giving in and just spearing pieces of melon and papaya from the bottom of the bowl with his fork.
"Well, why don't we stick with the seventh, then, dear?" Kendra finally said. "Your father will have the garden back, you and Harry don't have conflicts. If you want Tracey to be your maid of honor you'd better let her know, tonight. She might have to reschedule something of her own."
Daphne thought that was a good idea and departed for the library to use the fireplace.
"Whatever, Harry?" Kendra said.
"I know," Harry said. He felt bubbly laughter coming up all the way from his diaphragm. "All I can say is, The Mill. We'd gotten engaged out there, and the day we got the bedroom complete, it was late, and we decided to spend the night, and next thing you know, here we are. At least, that's what Daphne thinks, and she's the pro. Isn't it fantastic? I haven't had a family since…"
At that point, Harry stopped, his eyes welled up, he took off his glasses and dabbed with his napkin.
"Ooooh…sorry," he said when he'd composed himself.
Daphne walked back into the gazebo, followed by Tracey, who was wearing magenta silk pajamas, fuzzy magenta mules, and a full-length summer weight linen traveling cloak in a light gray color, with a magenta velvet Chesterfield collar. Even for a witch, her wardrobe choices made a statement, but Tracey had the presence and personality to make it seem perfectly normal, as if simply everyone had a linen traveling cloak with a Chesterfield collar that spring, and those who didn't simply must not care about counting for something in this world.
Tracey made the rounds, kissing first Kendra, then hugging Fabio, then hugging, kissing, and hugging Harry again. Tracey tossed her cloak at the chaise, missed, and sat down next to Daphne. Trix popped into the gazebo, picked up the cloak and gave it a shake, then carefully folded it before putting it down on the chaise.
Trix hadn't yet asked Tracey what she wanted to drink before Tracey said, "Just a glass for some of that excellent vegetable juice, Trix. How are you tonight?"
Unlike many witches and wizards, Tracey loved house elves. She found them fascinating. They didn't look like much, in human terms, but their magic was so strong when applied to household tasks, or cooking, or gardening. She was genuinely interested in the elves, studied them all the time, and paid attention to their lives outside their households. She generally knew when an elf was seeking a position, having been dismissed, or had outlived his or her most recent mistress or master. Tracey had brokered a number of successful matches of that type, carefully considering both elvish specialties and household needs, looking for the perfect balance.
Trix loved Tracey, all within the bounds of propriety, of course. It wouldn't do to neglect her own family in favor of a visitor, even if the visitor was Tracey, who was practically a member of household at the Greengrass'.
"So, you're getting married," she said to Daphne, taking her hand.
"And, Tracey, you might as well know, we're expecting a baby, as of this morning," Daphne replied.
"Oooh, Daphne," Tracey said. "I knew you'd been busy, but THAT is BUSY!"
"Yes, well, that's one way to put it," Daphne said. "We didn't plan it, we didn't ask for it, but we've been given a gift, and Merlin knows, we aren't teenagers and we aren't getting any younger, so we might as well get started."
"I'm going to give your fiance' another kiss, I think," Tracey said.
"That sounds calculated and rehearsed, but, okay," said Daphne, and Tracey kissed Harry again.
"Thank-you, Harry, I love having cousins, the more the better," Tracey said before letting him go.
"My pleasure," Harry said without thinking.
This brought on a "Hey-y-y!" from Fabio and guffaws from the ladies.
Daphne asked Tracey about her plans for the first week in July, and if she wanted to be her maid of honor.
Tracey said she could cancel anything she had going, short of the End of The World, to be Daphne's maid of honor. Daphne had kind of thought that to be the case, but it was good to know for sure.
Astoria never did make an appearance, but neither Kendra nor Daphne seemed concerned, so Harry assumed she was off somewhere with Draco. Tracey, Daphne and Kendra spent a little more time with the magical planners, but that wasn't exciting enough to keep everyone up late. Tracey had her own room upstairs, so when Harry and Daphne called it a night and went up, Tracey slipped into her mules and came along.
Harry got to the sunny room next to the patio before everyone else in the morning, but the early morning light and pleasant temperature were quite compelling, and he kept right on going outside. Trix offered breakfast, but Harry decided to wait until the others had come down to eat, asking for coffee and a glass of water instead. He sat on the patio, enjoying the silence and the air filled with the scent of Fabio's flowering shrubs.
Astoria and Daphne arrived, eventually, saw Harry outside, and joined him on the patio. Astoria took a moment to greet Harry with an extended hug and a kiss to his cheek.
"So," she said, still wrapping Harry up in a bear hug, "Daphne says you bring news, of a date for a wedding, and a little niece for me to spoil. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I plead guilty?" said Harry, turning it into a question.
"Rogue wizard," Astoria said, giving Harry another little kiss on the cheek, before pulling away. "I was so looking forward to an extended interrogation."
Daphne asked Trix for a glass of fruit or vegetable juice, whichever was ready, and some fresh fruit. Astoria sat with her contemplative look, which Harry theorized was the precursor to Astoria's morning brain thaw, when once again it would become functional enough to choose between scrambled and poached eggs.
By the time Astoria started her poached eggs and toasted muffin, Tracey had arrived, outfitted in a clean, pressed pair of emerald green silk pajamas and matching mules.
"So, what's on the program this morning?" Tracey asked.
"Work," Harry said, "But there's no rush. They'd have owled me by now."
"Rounds," Daphne added. "I should be at St. Mungo's by nine."
"Tracey, have you seen Harry's mill?" Astoria asked.
"I didn't know Harry even had a mill, much less gone to see it," Tracey answered. "What kind of mill do you have, Harry? Powder, pepper, steel?"
Harry nearly choked on the coffee he'd been swallowing when Tracey asked her question. Recovering, he took his time answering, to make sure he wouldn't compound the problem.
"None of the above," he said. "It's an old gristmill, converted to a cottage. We could pop over and see it if you want. I have time. Daphne?"
"Sure, as long as we don't dither," Daphne said.
"Astoria?" Harry asked.
"I'm in," said Astoria.
Everyone took a last drink of juice or mineral water, and a last bite of whatever they were eating, and headed for the library. The floo system address was simply 'The Mill' and the party walked out of the large fireplace at The Mill moments later.
Harry waved his wand at the front door, opening it, and letting in daylight and fresh air. Astoria walked around making comments about the additional changes Harry and Daphne had made since her last visit. Daphne took Tracy to look at the bedroom and the upstairs.
Harry reached into a jar that sat on the mantle before he and Astoria made their way outside and continued to the mill pond to check on the trout.
The trout had not been used to seeing people prior to Harry taking an interest in the property and had been habituated to lurking in the shadows except for bursts to the surface to gobble up insects that let themselves fly too close. Harry and Daphne started bringing fish food for the trout and it wasn't long before a human silhouette against the sky brought the trout to the surface, circling and poking their heads out of the water in anticipation of a meal.
Harry offered his handful of dried crickets to Astoria, who looked back with curiosity, mixed with disdain.
"It's okay, toss one in and watch," Harry said.
With her nose performing an involuntary crinkle, Astoria took a cricket between her thumb and forefinger and tossed it underhand toward the pond. A large trout rose out of the water, caught the cricket in its mouth, and returned with a satisfying splash. Astoria thought that was just about the coolest thing she'd ever seen, at least since getting up that morning, and reached for another cricket. Trout began getting scored on the beauty of their leap and the loudness of their returning splash.
"We are going to have to get back," Daphne said. "Rounds."
"We're out of crickets," Harry responded. "What did you think, Tracey."
"It exceeds expectations, that's for sure," Tracey said. "I was anticipating old sacks and rat nests. You've got a great little country place here, assuming you like that kind of thing."
Harry noticed little points of light rising from among the plants around the base of The Mill.
"One more thing," he said. "Hello to all the fairies. We hope all is well."
The fairies drifted together into their usual ball of tiny lights, except for the ones that began making crowns for Daphne, Tracey and Astoria.
"Hello, Harry. Hello, Astoria. Hello, Daphne. The fairies are fine," said the voice from the ball of lights.
"We would like to introduce Tracey to the fairies. Tracey has come to visit The Mill and we would like the fairies to look out for her when she is here," Harry said.
"Hello, Tracey," said the fairies.
"Hello," Tracey said to the ball of lights, perhaps a little reluctantly.
Harry was about to thank the fairies and go back inside to the fireplace when he noticed lights gathering around Daphne, forming a smaller ball at her waist.
"Oh," Harry said. "I think they have noticed…"
Daphne stood still, letting the fairies congregate in front of her.
"The fairies say hello," said the voice. "What is this one's name?"
Harry was pondering how to explain to the fairies that they had yet to formally choose a name, for the baby that would not arrive until December, in a way that would make sense to beings that live outside time, with no reference to past, present or future, when Daphne spoke up.
"Her name is Iolanthe. Iolanthe Astoria Potter," said Daphne. "She is visiting the mill, and the fairies. Will the fairies look after Iolanthe at the mill?"
Harry was surprised to learn Iolanthe's middle name was Astoria, but Daphne spoke so assuredly he accepted her statement as settled fact. Astoria burst into a smile and tried to suppress a fit of giggles, which only made them more obvious. Tracey was affected, too, but less demonstrative about it.
"Iolanthe is the owner of The Mill," said the voice from the fairies. "Iolanthe is sitting on the bench near the door."
The fairies were getting at something, that much was obvious, but the difficulties of translating the fairies' meaning when humans could not use tenses were profound. Harry recalled Fabio's remark to the effect that offending the fairies was to be avoided. Daphne was trying to parse the fairies' meaning at the same time. They spoke of Iolanthe, presumably Iolanthe Peverell Potter, who had brought The Mill into the Potters' landholdings by marriage. Iolanthe, the owner of The Mill, was sitting on the bench. Daphne deduced that the fairies, seeing Iolanthe sitting on the bench, outside of time, were suggesting Daphne take Iolanthe Astoria to sit with Iolanthe Peverell on the bench.
The fairies buzzed more and more excitedly as Daphne walked closer to the bench. She sat down and beckoned to Harry to join her. Harry walked over and sat down. The fairies formed their ball of tiny lights, all of them, except the ones making crowns for Daphne, Astoria and Tracey. Harry and Daphne sat quietly, hands touching on the bench between them, as the fairies drifted around near Iolanthe, who as yet wasn't big enough to make a bump. Harry kept an eye on Daphne, although he tried not to be too obvious in his observations. He didn't understand fairies very well, and these had always been harmless when they'd visited, but still, babies…
"What do you think? Do you feel anything?" he spoke quietly, just for Daphne.
"It's fine," Daphne said, "Really, just fine. It feels warm, like a blessing. Like the feeling, when you're conscious of being loved. I think we have to wait until the fairies are done with us, Harry, work or no work. This doesn't happen very often. Don't ask me how I know that."
Astoria and Tracey waited patiently, watching their crowns of circling fairies. At some point, Harry wasn't sure exactly how much later, the fairies began drifting back away from the bench, forming a ball some distance off in front of The Mill.
"Iolanthe Astoria is at The Mill," said the voice that spoke for the fairies.
That was that. The fairies left their ball and flew off as individual points of light, some back to the ground and the patches of wildflowers, some up into trees, some to the flowering shrubs that grew under the trees or around the mill pond. Daphne stood up.
"Done," she said.
"How do you know?" Harry asked.
"Just do," answered Daphne. "Ladies, we'll have to go. You're welcome to stay, if you're having too much fun."
"I'll go with you," Tracey said. "Things to do today."
"Same," said Astoria. "You didn't tell me you were going to give her my name."
"Is it alright?" Daphne asked. "The fairies kind of took me by surprise, and it just sounded like exactly the thing I should say."
"It's perfect," Harry said, before Astoria could answer. "It's a poem, in two words."
"Thank-you, Harry," the two said together, then started laughing at themselves.