"We're about to have another couple of guests show up," Ava said.
"Any moment now," Sara said. "Although the reading room is getting crowded."
A flash of light brought a pair of individuals into the room. One of them was a very attractive middle-aged woman dressed in a nice sweater and a pair of blue jeans. She had her hair pinned back with a pair of glasses over her vibrant eyes. Hermione's eyes widened.
"Mum?" she asked.
"Hello, Hermione," she said.
Hermione shifted anxiously.
"For those of you who haven't met her, this is Hermione's mother, Charlotte," Harry said. "Charlotte, this is…well a lot of people."
Everyone went around the table and introduced themselves. Charlotte smiled and took it all in. She moved over and greeted Harry with a hug and a kiss which caused Hermione to flinch.
"Well at least we know Potter's an equal opportunity motherfucker," Malfoy murmured to Hermione.
Hermione only responded with the look of deepest loathing directed towards Malfoy. Narcissa gave her son an extremely reproachful look at his choice of language. And Bellatrix slapped him across the back of his head.
"Rude," Bellatrix said. "I can't believe my nephew has such poor manners. It must be from his father's side."
"It is," Harry said nonchalantly.
"I can't believe you brought my mother here," Hermione said.
"Oooh, who is this? It kind of looks like that sister you said I have, Mum. You know the one that never calls, never visits, never writes.
A rather tall teenage girl of about fifteen years old dressed in a black leather jacket, tank top, and tight fitting pants with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her vibrant green eyes shined with a mischievous smile on her lips. Ruby snickered and Lita looked very amused.
"Katherine," Hermione said stiffly. "How are you?"
"This is my youngest daughter, Katherine," Charlotte said.
"Call me, Kate," she said. "Everyone does."
"So, you have a sister?" Ginny asked.
"A half sister," Hermione said sternly.
"Hmm, I can't for the life of me figure out who the father might be," Zari said.
"Yeah, those emerald green eyes of Kate's don't give me the slightest hint," Lita said.
"Hey, you're the Legends!" Kate said. "Big fan of your work, causing chaos through the timeline."
"Well we don't try and cause chaos," Sara said. "Although with the type of nonsense we get into chaos happens."
"We break things, for the better," Zari chimed in.
"Right, of course," Kate said before she walked over and threw herself onto Harry's lap before kissing him. "Hey, Daddy."
"Another one?" Mick asked.
"One of the first," Harry said. "And remember…"
"Not until I'm eighteen, I know," Kate said. "My poor asexual sister doesn't understand that some women actually have needs which is why she's scowling at me."
"I'm not asexual," Hermione said crossly. "It's just there are more important things in life than sex."
"Well, yes," Sara said. "But, it does make life worth living."
Hermione shook her head and looked towards Kate, who did not dislodge herself from Harry's lap.
"Oh, you must be Harry's friend from Hell," Kate said to Astra.
"Katherine, that was rude," Hermione hissed.
"I like this one," Astra said. "She's much more relaxed than her sister."
So, Harry and Hermione did not talk for fifteen years. And Harry had a daughter with Hermione's mother that was fifteen years old. Perhaps Astra put two and two together, but this was a bit too big to be a coincidence.
"Seems like I'm not the only one who gets it from my father," Malfoy said.
"As opposed to your mother, who got it from Harry," Kate said.
Kate and Lita exchange a high five and Ruby giggled.
"Okay, kids, that's enough," Sara said.
"Right, sorry Captain," Kate said with a mock salute. "Let's see what embarrassing childhood trauma I can dig up on my dear half-sister."
"Oooh, Morgana give me strength," Hermione murmured.
It was bad enough that her mother was in the room for this chapter. But, her sister being here, well, they had a bit of a rocky relationship. To put it mildly.
"I'm excited for this," Charlotte said. "It took a lot of effort to get anything out of my daughter. She didn't like talking about school and always changed the subject when I asked her. Going to be nice to actually see what my daughter went through. Beyond what Harry shared with me."
Now, Hermione looked worried. Ron just gave her a look.
"You didn't tell your mother anything?" Ron asked.
"You had to have kept stuff from yours, right?" Hermione asked.
"A little here and there," Ron said. "But, it sounds like you shut your mother out. Makes it easy to see how easy it was to…"
Ron's tongue got tied to prevent the spoiler of what Hermione did to her parents from getting out.
"Family therapy can wait for another day," Junior said.
"God knows some people in my family need it," Regulus murmured when he looked at Sirius and Bellatrix who both glared at him.
"Gideon, if you pleased,"
"Chapter Four," Gideon read. "At Flourish and Blotts."
"Well, that seems like this would be a nice easy chapter," Sirius said. "Trip to the book store. Nothing bad would happen there."
"Well, let's just read, shall we," Harry said.
Harry's tone caused Astra to groan.
Harry's early days staying at the Burrow is shown.
"The fact people actually liking you stands out is really concerning," Lena said. "Twelve year olds should not have those thoughts."
"No one should have those thoughts," Peter said. "I think my mother loves me. In her own way. She's just overbearing at times."
"This is about those idiots Dumbledore sent you to live with, isn't it?" Kate asked.
"The Dursleys, who Astra hates," Harry said and Astra flashed a grin. "They just did their lowest thing."
"Bars on the window, cat flap on the door, barely enough food to survive," Lily practically growled. "I can't believe my sister."
"I can't believe her either."
"I…I didn't know," Charlotte said. "I didn't know your homelife was that bad."
Charlotte knew Harry did not get along with his aunt and uncle. But, forcing him in his room as a prisoner and starving him went way past not getting along. There should have been an intervention.
"Dumbledore sent him there for a reason," Hermione said.
"Why didn't you just go and marry Dumbledore?" Kate sniped at her sister. "Since you're in love with him so much?"
"Well Dumbledore's gay and Granger's asexual," Malfoy said.
"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not asexual?" Hermione asked. "As if there's anything wrong with it."
"Well, obviously, I don't," Malfoy said. "But, you seem to find something wrong with it."
"Okay, you two, let's get on with the story," Harry said.
"And there's also a gap of like a hundred and thirty years between Hermione and Dumbledore," Zari added. "So, that wouldn't work out there."
"True," Sara agreed. "But, let's continue."
We see Harry indulging Mr. Weasley in his Muggle obsession and explaining the telephone to him.
"That's always a trip," Lily said. "Walking your pureblood friends to things that are every day and mundane."
"Don't you guys have a class that teaches about that sort of thing?" Zari asked.
"Muggle Studies and the teacher is kind of a joke," Sirius said in disgust. "I took the class to yank my dear mother's chain."
"I took the class because I wanted to find out all the ways Muggles kill each other without magic," Bellatrix said. "I found the information sorely lacking."
"Class didn't really teach me anything," Hermione said. "But, it's fun learning from a Wizarding perspective."
"Sure, from about a hundred years ago," Kate said. "And that's being charitable."
"I could have explained it a bit better," Harry admitted.
"Well, maybe," Ron said. Harry raised an eyebrow. "Okay, yes."
Harry gets his Hogwarts letter. Mr. Weasley mentions that Dumbledore already knows he was here. Seems to know everything.
"And yet he doesn't know about Harry's living situation," Astra said.
"Unless he did know," Kara said.
"That doesn't put me in a happy place," Astra said.
"He knew," John said. "He knew about everything."
"Bastard," Lily said. "What was he thinking?"
"Dumbledore's not the great man we thought he was," Peter said.
"Maybe," Remus offered.
Remus found conflict. Dumbledore allowed him to attend Hogwarts when no Headmaster would.
They read the booklist. Complete with all of the Lockhart books.
"You've got to be kidding me," John said. "No one likes Lockhart that much unless…"
John's expression trailed off.
"Oh, no," John said. "Not even Dumbledore would have…he's…no."
"What?" Sirius asked.
"Lockhart can be the president of his own fan club," Regulus said in disgust. "And his only member at times."
"Oh, I don't know, there's a lot of idiots who hang on his every word," Junior said. "I expected better from Ravenclaws."
"I expect better from people in general," Zari said.
"You should really lower your expectations," Kate said. "People can be shit."
"Katherine," Charlotte warned her daughter.
"Well, about forty-nine percent of the time," Lita said. "Fifty-one percent of the time, those are the people who matter."
"Well, those forty-nine percent really spoil the majority by being so loud," Kate said.
"Kid's got her head on right," Bellatrix said.
"A bit too cynical for her own good at times," Harry said.
"Don't worry, Daddy, you make life worth living," Kate said while fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"She has some real Daddy issues, doesn't she?" Ginny asked Hermione.
"The biggest issue is the three year wait I still have."
"Mmm, that can be a bitch," Lita agreed.
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," Mick said. "And that preening idiot is actually smarter than you give him credit for. He made a lot of money off of books that year by making seven years worth of students buy them. He sold thousands of books in a few weeks. Not bad for a glittering goon."
"Mick has a point," Sara said.
"Well, he's not wrong," Remus agreed. "If Lockhart did take that job, his book sales skyrocketed."
"And the books were marked up just a month before the booklists went out," Narcissa said.
"Just by coincidence, I'm sure," George dryly said.
"Right, coincidence," Nora said.
The Lockhart books are a financial concern for the Weasleys. Ginny will be starting Hogwarts. And when Harry interacts with her, she does the old elbow in the butterdish trick.
Kate, Ruby, and Lita all laughed and Ginny sighed.
"It's almost cute at times," Lena said.
"It's nauseating," Ginny said.
"It's not that bad," Ron said.
"Oh, yes it is," Ginny argued.
"You aren't the first person to make an idiot of themselves in front of a crush," Harry said. "Nor would you be the last. You were eleven."
"I know, but it still makes me cringe looking back," Ginny said.
Percy arrives for breakfast almost sits on poor Errol, who returned with Hermione's message.
"That poor owl should just retire," Kara said.
"We did push the little bugger," Ron admitted.
"I'm all about getting your money's worth," Remus said. "But, you really should retire that thing for its own good."
Hermione's letter, warning Ron not to get in trouble, and also remarking about her homework. And asking if they can meet up in Diagon Alley.
"Man, summer homework sounds like a bitch," Lita said. "I'm glad I'm in the American public school system."
"Where the same lesson gets repeated for eight years straight?" Sara asked.
"Wow, only eight years?" Ruby asked. "It feels like more than that."
"No summer homework is the best," Lita said.
Harry, Ron, and the twins play Quidditch, of sorts. Ron's really ancient Shooting Star Broom is not exactly the fastest.
"At one time that was the best broom," Regulus said.
"How long ago?" Ron asked.
"Oh, around the time of the Founders," Regulus said.
"Yeah, I wouldn't use one of those to sweep the floor," Astra said.
"Me either," Sirius said. "No offense."
"I was very offended to use such an ancient broom," Ron said.
Talking about Percy, and his twelve OWLs.
"Um, did Percy…have help?" Nora asked.
"Have help?" Sirius asked.
"You can sit the OWL without taking the class," Junior said.
"I didn't even do that," Hermione said.
"You likely could have gotten Muggle Studies though," Lita said.
"Maybe," Lily said. "But the exam is based on the textbook and not what is actually going on in the Muggle World. I sat the exam and just barely got an Acceptable with it."
"Which was bullshit," Natalie said.
"It was," Lily agreed.
Harry thinks about his vault under Gringotts, feeling awkward when the Weasleys are a bit low on money and talk about the money situation.
"Not your fault," Ginny said.
"I know," Harry said.
"And you offered to help Mum and she shut you down," George said.
"Numerous times," Fred agreed.
"I still think you might have helped out for some things behind her back," Ron said. "When you thought you could get away with it."
"Harry's good at doing that," Lena said. "A lot of his best help is what you don't see in the papers."
"I don't do it for the publicity," Harry said. "I do it because I'm the only one that can."
"Yeah, and you are richer than the ten other richest men on Earth combined," Kate added.
"That helps," Sam said. "But, a lot of Harry's money is tied up in investments."
"Which keep making money every year," Ruby said. "Top of the line computers. Top of the line phones. Tablets."
"Not to mention all of the rights fees he gets from the Harry Potter books," Lena said.
"So, you're even richer than you were then," Ginny said.
"To be fair, Potter needs the money with all of the bastard children he has…"
Bellatrix conjured a bar of soap and shoved it into Malfoy's mouth before he could finish his thought. Narcissa just raised an eyebrow at her sister.
"Should have done that a long time ago," Bellatrix said.
Molly offers Harry the Floo Powder.
"Because, that's going to mean something to a person who has never used the Floo," Nora said.
"I hate the Floo Network," Lily groaned.
"Me too," Kate said.
"I guess that runs in the family, because I hate it too," Ruby added.
"Well, it's not exactly my favorite way to travel either," Natalie admitted. "But, Lily's first time was a trial of errors."
"Oh, what happened?" Harry asked.
"I misspoke and ended up in three streets over," Lily said. "I thought I was going to get hexed by the crazy old man. Thankfully Nat tracked me down."
"You've got to be clear and concise," Natalie said.
"I would rather deal with an automated phone system than that thing," Kate said.
"Nothing can be that bad," Lita said.
"Oooh, trust me, the Floo sucks dick," Kate said. "And half the time your destination fireplace gets disconnected mid-Floo. Just hopefully you go one over."
"I guess that's gone downhill in recent years," Remus said. "I don't like it either. Floo travel doesn't agree with me."
"Or me," Peter said. "But, that's because I have a weak stomach."
Ron happens to remember Harry never used Floo Powder and Arthur has a million questions about traveling the Muggle way.
"Really not the time, Dad," Ginny murmured but she was smiling.
"I would have happily explained everything," Harry said. "But, I wanted to focus on doing this."
"Floo is easy when it works though," Regulus said.
"The problem is, when it doesn't, you might as well be boiling your skin in oil," Lily added.
"You're not going to have a good time in the Floo, are you?" Astra asked.
"Imagine if you got lost," Nora said.
"The Dursleys would throw a party," Kara said grimly.
"Yep," Harry agreed.
Molly and Ron try to explain to Harry how to use the Floo Powder. This only makes things far more complicated.
"Ooh, that's not going to help anyone's nerves at all," Charlotte said.
"How badly did this fuck up?" Kate asked.
"I ended up in one of the worst places for a twelve year old to go," Harry said.
"Oh no," John groaned.
"John?" Natalie asked.
"I know where he went, and it's not good."
Harry swallows hot ash and stammers his destination.
"Well, that won't end well for you," Sirius said.
"You have my Floo luck," Lily said. "I'm really sorry."
"It's fine," Harry said.
"You always have the most skewed definition of what fine is," Zari said.
Harry could not argue.
Harry arrives in an unfamiliar and terrifying place. Before he can make it to the door, he catches a glimpse of Draco Malfoy.
"And what were you doing down there?" Narcissa asked.
"You recognize that place?" Charlotte asked.
"That's Borgin and Burkes," Narcissa said. "Surely, Lucius could not have been…he was, wasn't he?"
"It's already happened," Frost said.
Narcissa nodded in tense agreement.
"So, you were there," Malfoy said. "I thought I heard someone creeping around."
Harry enters a mysterious black cabinet, just leaving a small crack to peer through.
"Bloody hell, it's a good thing you didn't shut that door all of the way," Sirius said. "I don't know where you would have ended up, but if that's in Borgin and Burkes, that wouldn't be good."
"No kidding," John said. "Good thing you had enough sense not to shut the mysterious cabinet."
"Vanishing cabinet," Regulus said. "There's another one like that at Hogwarts."
"He's right," Peter said.
"So, there's a passageway between Borgin and Burkes and Hogwarts," Bellatrix said. "Does Dumbledore know?"
Lucius and Draco arrive, with Lucius warning his son not to touch anything.
"Most sensible advice he could give you," Regulus said.
"Given that he should not have taken you there in the first place," Nora said.
Draco whines about his father promising him to buy a present. And about Harry getting special permission to play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"Because, Harry's the best and he could fly circles around anyone in his sleep," Astra said.
"Still a little butthurt bastard that Harry didn't take your hand?" Lita asked.
"Yes," Malfoy said. "And the fact I got thrown into the Forbidden Forest."
"That was entirely your fault," Harry reminded him.
"The school never should have scheduled that detention," Nora said. "And the teachers never should have signed off on it."
"We did agree everyone should have been fired," Sara said.
"I thought the Forbidden Forest was off limits to students," Charlotte said.
"Well, obviously not, because four students were sent there for detention," Astra said.
"I read that in the first book before we came up here," Kate said. "Hermione was part of that, weren't you, sis?"
"Katherine!" Hermione hissed.
"They sent you to the Forbidden Forest for a Detention?" Charlotte asked.
"Mother, I'm fine, and it was thirty years ago," Hermione said.
"Your father and I never were informed about it," Charlotte said.
"And Harry nearly died when he was attacked," Kate said. "By Voldemort."
"Voldemort was at Hogwarts?" Charlotte asked. "And you were close to him?"
Everyone watched Hermione gulp and she turned to Harry. Harry gave her a look as if to say she was on her own.
"They put you, Harry, and those other two students in danger," Charlotte said. "And you never felt the need to tell us."
"I didn't want you to pull me out of Hogwarts," Hermione said.
"And how do you think we would have felt if you got killed because of something dangerous at that school?" Charlotte asked. "Hermione, you kept pulling away from us."
"I don't have to listen to this," Hermione said in frustration. "You hate me because I wiped your memory and Father's to protect you. I get it."
"I don't hate you, but you never should have gone back to Hogwarts after your first year," Charlotte said. "Dumbledore never even bothered to tell me. And my own daughter kept things from me!"
Hermione said nothing. Everything went silent as mother and daughter exchanged a staredown.
"So, let's continue?" Zari asked.
Lucius warns his son not to appear less fond about Harry Potter.
"That advice went through one ear and out the other," Frost said.
"The one good piece of advice Lucius Malfoy could give and his son ignores it," Ron said. "Imagine that."
Mr. Borgin arrives to conduct business with Lucius.
"Bastard's sweating," Sirius said.
"It's good for him," John said.
"That guy looks like one you to watch," Mick said. "So you don't get screwed."
"Lucius knew how to deal with Borgin," Narcissa said. "They've done business before. And Borgin knew better than to stiff Lucius out of any gold."
Some shady dealings going on, with Lucius talking about the raids and how Arthur Weasley was behind it.
"Well, some things never change," Junior said.
"If anything it's only got worse over the years," Ginny said.
"Especially after this year," Ron said quietly.
Draco his eye on the Hand of Glory. Lucius is not too pleased about his son not being worth more of being a thief and a plunderer.
"Given your little fiasco with the Remembrall, petty thief fits you like a glove," Astra said.
"You're still on about that?" Malfoy asked.
"If you're still on about Harry refusing your handshake, then I can remind you just how petty you are," Astra said.
"Little klepto thief doesn't like being reminded of that," Lita said.
"I've seen one of those things," Frost said. "Really thought you had better taste than that."
Lucius coldly remarks how Draco should be ashamed that a girl of no wizarding family in Hermione beat him in exams.
"Greengrass beat them both," Ginny said.
"And it was not by much with the top three," George said.
"Even a tenth of a point losing to Granger was too much for Father," Malfoy said.
Draco eyes a cursed object. Lucius ushers him out of the shop.
"Every single thing in that shop should be destroyed," John said.
"The problem is, that just scratches the surface of what's available in Knockturn Alley," Nora said.
"Please tell me your father didn't take you there," Ava said.
"No, my father wouldn't take me to a place like that,' Nora said.
"So, Damien Darhk is a better father than Lucius Malfoy for those keeping score," Zari said.
"Damning with faint praise that," Sara said.
Harry escapes the shop, Borgin and Burkes, and finds out he's in Knockturn Alley.
"I won't say the place is without merit," John said. "But, it's no place for a twelve year old underaged wizard."
"Especially one who has no idea exactly where he is," Regulus said.
A creepy witch with fingernails leers at Harry, asking him if he's lost.
"She's a trafficker," Junior said. "Lucky you didn't get snagged."
"Okay, that's seriously creepy," Kara said.
"I should have run," Harry said.
"That would have just caused someone to snatch you," Sirius said.
"Besides, you can't be perfect in a crisis," Sara said.
"Especially because you're twelve and twelve year olds are not known for critical thinking," Sirius added..
Hagrid thankfully arrives to make the save.
"Well, that's better than nothing," Astra said.
One could tell that Astra was still a bit jaded at Hagrid about the entire Norbert fiasco. And she was not the only one.
"Well, he's made his mistakes, but we're glad he's here," Kara said. "And he won't let anything happen to Harry."
"Unless Dumbledore tells him differently," Lita murmured darkly.
"That must have been a nightmare," Hermione said.
"It was," Harry said. "I was relieved to see a friendly face."
Harry and Hagrid leave Knockturn Alley, with Hagrid telling Harry he shouldn't go down there. Hagrid explains he was there because Flesh-Eating Slugs were eating the school cabbages and he needed to find a repellent.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that Harry had been steered out of Knockturn Alley.
"Yuck," Nora said. "Those things are terrible."
"Still having that problem?" Junior asked
"There's something about Hogwarts that breeds them," Severus said.
To be honest, Harry had almost forgotten the younger Snape was here, he talked so little.
Hermione arrives to meet Harry and Hagrid.
"I had no idea," Hermione said.
"I had just been getting my bearings myself," Harry said. "I never wanted to step into a Fireplace ever again."
"After that experience, I couldn't blame you," Natalie said.
"Still lucky you didn't close that cabinet," Astra said.
"No kidding."
The Weasleys arrive and find out Harry ended up in Knockturn Alley. Ron, Fred, and George are somewhat envious, much to Hagrid's chagrin.
"Trust me, it loses its charm," Sirius said. "And the people down there are creepy as all fuck."
"Not all of them though," Kate added. "There's a lot of people in Knockturn who don't have anywhere else to go. Although, you shouldn't really roam the streets at night."
"Kate, you haven't been down there, have you?" Harry asked.
Harry gave his daughter an appraising look.
"No," Kate said. "But, people talk at school."
"She's right," Malfoy said. "The Ministry's just quarantined the area pretty much and tried to forget about it."
"So, that hasn't changed," Junior said
Molly is rightfully relieved that Harry was found by Hagrid.
"To be fair, most people are going to think twice when squaring off with Hagrid," Lily said. "So one of the best people to have watching your back."
"Mum really was losing it," George said.
"She would have lost it just as much for any of us," Ron reminded them.
"I would have been just as wound up," Lily said.
"To be fair, it would have been pretty good odds Harry would be worried that he lost you in the Floo," Natalie said.
Lily glared at her friend, but could not argue.
Harry informs Ron that he saw the Malfoys in Knockturn Alley. Which causes Arthur to ask if Lucius Malfoy bought anything.
"Dad's like a dog with a bone," Fred said.
"Well, that slimy bastard kept slipping out of certain arrest," John said.
"Not forever," Sara said.
"He ran out of favors," Narcissa said.
Narcissa realized that either Lucius went down or the entire Malfoy family did. And she threw Lucius to the wolves to prevent all three of them from going to Azkaban. Given all of what Lucius did.
The Weasley parents have a discussion about whether or not Arthur is a match for Lucius Malfoy.
"Unfortunately, Lucius had the Minister's ear at that point," Narcissa said. "So your father would be well out of his depth.
"She has a point," Ron agreed.
"It's not what you know it's who you know," Junior said. "Although knowing a lot helps."
Meeting Hermione's parents, much to Arthur's giddy excitement.
"Can't help and be excited for the guy," Sara said. "He must have been like a kid in a candy store."
"Adorkable," Kara said.
"Good word for Dad," Ginny said.
"David didn't know what to make of him," Charlotte said. "I was amused that someone was excited about our world as I was about the world of magic. Although information about that world was less forthcoming."
"Well, it's a shame you didn't have a daughter who could fill you in," Ginny said.
"My thoughts exactly," Kate said.
Hermione closed her eyes. Did they not understand that there were some things her parents were better off not knowing? For their own protection.
After a shopping trip through Diagon Alley, they fight out that Gilderoy Lockhart is having a book signing.
"Ugh," John said. "Not sure how much of this year I'm going to like if this git is all over it."
"Just be thankful Lockhart was not around in the age of social media," Zari said.
"Oh, hell no," Sara groaned. "He would be insufferable."
"What's social media?" Bellatrix asked.
"You're…better off not knowing," Sara said.
Hermione is giddy about Lockhart and gushing about him.
"Well just because he wrote a bunch of books doesn't make him special," Mick said.
"But, you wrote a bunch of books," Sara said.
"My thoughts exactly," Mick said.
"My sister has a crush on this thing, of all things?" Kate asked. "Really?"
"I was twelve," Hermione groaned.
Most of the crowd to visit Lockhart is made up of middle-aged witches.
"That seems like the proper target audience," Kara said. "Oh, this is so embarrassing."
"Imagine being there," Harry said. "Having to see him."
"His teeth sparkling in your eyes," George said.
"Kind of like a Twilight vampire," Lita said.
"Well, that's an apt comparison," Kate said grimly.
"What's a Twilight vampire?" Bellatrix asked.
"Trust me, you're better off not knowing," Zari said.
"Is there anything from the future that I'm better off knowing?" Bellatrix asked.
Everyone looked at each other.
"We'll get back to you on that one," Ava said.
"But, that's one thing you're better off not knowing," Mia said.
We get a look at Lockhart in the flesh. A member of the press moves in to get a picture for the Daily Prophet. Ron is rude which draws Lockhart's attention Harry's way.
"RON!" Astra yelled.
"Sorry, I didn't know the idiot would look Harry's way," Ron said.
"Tough break, kid," Peter said.
"Should I point out it's weird that you're calling a person who is technically much older than you a kid?" Remus asked.
"Well technically he's from the future and I'm from the past," Peter said. "And time travel makes my head hurt."
"You get used to it," Sara said. "Eventually."
Harry is dragged into focus for Lockhart for a photo-op.
"Get your hands off of him!" Natalie, Lily, and Astra all snarled at once.
"He grabbed you without permission, without consent, and just dragged you into a photo," Kara said. "What the hell?"
"It happened so quickly," Harry said.
"Most acts often violation often do," Zari said darkly.
"He can't get away with that," Lena said.
"Oh, I think he just did," Lita said.
"Fucking Lockhart," John said.
Lockhart gives a spiel and he announces he's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
"Well, fuck," John said.
"He's a teacher," Regulus said "What can he teach other than preening?"
"Obviously how to inappropriately touch a minor in public," Zari said. "And get away with it."
"That's a lovely lesson to teach children," Charlotte said. "And I didn't think he should have grabbed Harry, but those guards blocked us from getting forward."
"At least you thought it was wrong," Harry said.
Harry receives a full set of Lockhart's books, who he gives to Ginny and decides to buy his own.
"Worst early birthday gift ever," Ginny said.
Everyone snickered.
"Well second worst," Ginny quietly amended.
Those who knew what was coming grew somber.
Draco arrives to be his usual charming self. Ginny stands up for Harry which causes Draco to snipe that Harry has a girlfriend.
"And?" Kate asked. "You come across as a jilted lover."
"Sorry, but you really do," Frost said.
"I wanted to get under Potter's skin," Malfoy said. "I swear though it takes a lot to rattle him."
"You found the right button fifth year," Harry said. "Hope it was worth it."
Malfoy subconsciously rubbed his teeth where they had been magically regrown and winced. Narcissa's eyes narrowed at her son because she knew what Harry was referring to.
Ron and Draco have a little snipe fight, with Draco remarking about how the Weasleys will go hungry for a month paying for all of the books.
"He really does have his greatest hits," Kara said.
"And we were fine," Ron said. "No thanks to Lockhart."
Then, Lucius and Arthur have a face to face. Lucius looks at Ginny's battered textbook and makes a snide comment about it.
Here, Sara's eyes followed the progress of Lucius and the book. She was rather curious how to see how he pulled off.
Ginny sighed. Ron put his arm around his sister.
"I'm fine," Ginny murmured.
Lucius makes several snide comments, some directed against the Grangers, which provokes a fight.
"I didn't hear what was said," Charlotte said. "But, now that I did, I really wish Arthur would have hit Malfoy harder."
"Me too," Bellatrix said.
Hagrid arrives to break up the fight.
"Ahh," Lita, Ruby, Kate, and Astra all said in unison.
"I was looking forward to seeing his teeth getting knocked out," John said.
"Oh, I feel like we shouldn't encourage this," Natalie said. "But it feels good to see that pompous git get knocked around a bit."
"Should have hit him harder," Charlotte said
"Here, here," Sirius, Regulus, and Peter all said in unison.
"Well, he did have it coming," Remus agreed.
Lucius gives Ginny back her book.
Sara saw it. Briefly. She had to give the devil his due. It was a good bit of slight of hand.
"I would have had that book checked," John said. "Never know what that pompous arse would have done."
"If only," Ginny muttered.
Lockhart liked the free publicity of the fight.
"Any publicity is good publicity," Zari said.
"And controversy creates cash," Mick said.
"I'm sure he's weaving some narrative that he heroically broke up the fight and is in process of mending the fences between the Malfoys and the Weasleys as we speak," Junior said dryly.
"People wouldn't be that gullible, would they?" Peter asked.
"Yes, yes they would," Sirius dryly said.
Harry returns through the Floo. He's not a huge fan of it.
"Me either," Kate and Lily said in unison.
"So, that's the chapter," Sara said.
"Quite, interesting," Charlotte said. "I wonder how much more I can learn about my daughter's school days."
"So, you're staying?" Hermione asked.
"I can't do anything and we can't change the past," Charlotte said. "I wish I would have asked more questions."
"Well these books are a learning experience," Lita said.
"You don't mind if we stay, right?" Charlotte asked.
"Well we have a crowded room," Sara said
"Actually, I've got to dash," Sam said. "Got a few things to take care of at the office. It was nice hanging out for a little bit."
"Come back any time," Harry said.
Sam hugged Kara, Harry, and Lena goodbye before bidding a fond farewell to everyone else.
"Well, it's been fun," Frost said. "I might be back a little bit later, but I've got a check up to go to. Mom wants to make sure everything's fine after Caity and I had our split."
"Tell Carla I said hi," Harry told Frost.
"Will do."
Frost shared a kiss with Harry before slipping away.
"Other than Harry's misadventures with Floo and Hogwarts having more misadventures with a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, pretty light chapter all things considered," Lena said.
"Which makes me worried," Astra said.
"We've got a couple more guests to call in for the next chapter," Sara said. "Boy, this was a lot easier to juggle without eight time travelers."
"Well, it would be eight when James gets the all clear," Sirius said. "Speaking of which, I'm going to visit him. So make things a bit less crowded."
"Go ahead," Ava said. "I need to check up and see what Doctor Snow and Doctor Danvers have to say about his latest tests as well."
"Tell me if anything changes," Harry said.
"Always," Ava said. "And I'll see if we have any leads on the time assassin."
Harry pulled out the coin.
"I call upon the damned soul of Severus Snape!"
The younger Severus jumped with a start as his older self came up. The older Snape almost jumped in surprise when he saw his younger self and several of his classmates, including a younger Lily sitting across from him.
"I knew he would end up getting sent to Hell," Natalie said.
"What is this nonsense?" Snape asked. "What have you Legends done this time? Potter, what have you done?"
"Actually, that's a question I want the answer to as well."
And there was Minerva McGonagall in the flesh as well.
"Let's get you two up to speed," Harry said. "Needless to say, we ran into a bit of a snag in the timeline."
To Be Continued.