Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, I am just playing in her world
With two birds in two hands, dinner will likely be on the floor
Previously
Neville guiltily excused himself, while Luna appeared to ensure that she had fanned the flames as much as possible ….
"Neville, did you do anything to upset Mrs. Weasley, and who is Heather? Was Ginevra's melt down at Dumbledore's funeral because of Hermione and this Heather witch?" Augusta Longbottom queried her grandson as soon as he escaped from the Weasley family argument that had a few station stragglers trying to listen in on. The current running gossip was Harry had absconded with a madly suggested two or the worse rumors said three witches of ill repute.
She had a valid reason to wait, seen as her grandson had been dragged into the room. The rest of these gossip harpies just didn't have anything going on in their lives; causing them to be pathetically attempting to glean gossip from the overloud, and over-bearing Weasley matriarch. One would think Molly would at least put up sound proof charms if she had no control of her volume. Augusta glared at a group that used the filthy word instead of using 'muggleborn'. They had been claiming Heather was likely the same as Hermione. A 'mudblood' witch, and that all mudbloods were gold diggers.
"Grandmother, can we get home and I'll answer all your questions there?" Neville replied, pointedly looking at the strangers crowding in to listen.
Just then Luna danced out being chased by a slew of even louder, if that was possible, exclamations that included, 'Scarlet Witches', 'unnatural evil practices' and 'incestuous relationships'. As the majority of the people still on platform nine and three quarters stared between Luna and her father, whom Luna was enthusiastically greeting, Augusta thought enough was enough, and proceeded to cast numerous sound proofing charms on the exterior of the waiting room area. Luna and Mr. Lovegood left oblivious to the looks and thoughts from the clueless busy bodies that were examining them.
"Good idea, Neville let's get home and enjoy your summer vacation." Mrs. Longbottom declared turning her nose at those that obviously had nothing better to do.
Neville had initially managed to escape the grilling, as when they got home his favorite great uncle Saul had needed something from his grandmother. Saul was his grandmother's brother, and hadn't done the things that his grandfather's brother, Algie, had done to try to get him to show his magic. With the two of them heading to the Manor study he had enjoyed some time in his own room. He was actually half way through the Herbology Digest, and was thinking of what he planned to do in his greenhouses this summer first, when Tilly called him down to dinner. He even was able to enjoy dinner as his great uncle was monopolizing the dinner conversation.
However, when great uncle Saul had looked at his pocket watch, squawked; yes Neville was certain that this was a first he'd witnessed. It was still a squawk, one that occurred before great uncle Saul had regained his composure and made a few quick excuses and apologies on having to leave, and left. Several embarrassing minutes went by before Neville and his grandmother recovered.
After complaining to Neville on his great uncle's bad behavior as if this was somehow Neville's fault his grandmother swung back onto her questions she had been asking at Kings Cross. "Right Neville, you stated you would answer my questions once we got home. Who is this Heather witch, and what is her relationship with Mr. Potter and Hermione?"
"I am not really familiar with her grandmother. Today was the first day I met her. She has not ever been introduced to Harry Potter either. Hermione would likely know more about her than anyone else." Neville skirted the first question.
"How, ever would you know that Heather and Harry have never been introduced? It's not like you know every second of Mr. Potter's life?" his grandmother interrogated.
"Grandmother I have no way to explain it but I can state definitely that neither formally, casually, nor by clandestine methods, have the two ever been at the same place together at the same time." Neville replied.
"Okay well I will accept that as far as you know, that is the truth. However, I am disappointed in how little you know. Do you really know nothing about Heather? You are both in Hogwarts for most of the year. You need to socialize with more people at school. By now you should know all the students in your own form and those that are at least within two years of your form."
"Heather actually hasn't yet been to Hogwarts."
"Well I will be having words with Molly. How can she talk so… so… Well if Heather is only a little child… How old is Heather?" Mrs. Longbottom demanded.
Neville was so tempted to say ten, but knew that he would be brought up a liar. For if he did, his grandmother would be flooing Mrs. Weasley and chewing her ear off before he even finished saying the word 'ten'. He also decided that it was best he didn't answer with two ages, so replied, "She is the same age as Hermione right now."
"You have not been associating with a day-schooler? You know I was adamant that I would never allow you to make friends with a student of those three schools Neville!"
"Grandmother, I don't know much about Heather, but I definitely know she hasn't attended one of those three schools." In his mind he still couldn't work up what was so bad about them. His mum's parents had gone to one of them. Then wanting to cut her off from the even worse accusation he knew his grandmother believed, "I do know she is formally taught. Heather is not a hedge witch."
"Does she go to Beauxbatons?"
"No, Heather can't speak any foreign languages." As soon as Neville said it he kicked himself for offering information that would lead to more questions, and remove so many schools that Heather could attend.
Augusta was mentally puzzling through the information gleaned on this new witch. No foreign languages, well that in addition to Beauxbatons also ruled out Durmstrang and most abroad schools.
"She does speak Magical English, not that atrocious accented Colonial English that is the only thing they can handle in the outskirts of the Empire?"
"Yes, Heather speaks Queen's, I mean Magical English."
Well that means she doesn't go to Salem or one of the schools even further away from civilization. There were no other magic schools left. If she is being formally taught at home… expensive tutors… would have to be pureblood of course if that was the case, couldn't be anything else… That meant Heather's parents were obviously affluent, from a well to do pureblood family to be able to hire the very best private tutors for their daughter, and thus be eligible the waiver from attending Hogwarts. "What is Heather's last name?"
Neville getting very nervous wondered what it would take to sate his grandmother's curiosity replied vaguely, hoping that way his response would end the string of questions he was finding harder to answer without lying as they kept being asked. "As I said grandmother, I only met her today, and unfortunately really know little more than her first name. I think I have told you everything I know on her."
"But Heather is Hermione's friend? That is how you met her?"
Well vagueness didn't stop the questions maybe just try to answer so everything points to Hermione, so Neville tried replying, "Yes, Hermione introduced me to Heather and probably knows her the best. Likely better than Heather even knows herself right now."
"Minerva is always raving on how intelligent Hermione is. They likely know each other because of studying on extra curriculum advanced topics. Heather must be smart, from a good family that is able to hire private tutors." Neville's grandmother was mainly just talking to herself, then seeming to realize her grandson was in the room turned the conversation back to him, "Neville you must write Hermione and get Heather's last name. Find out all that she knows on the girl. I will invite her to your birthday party. It is time for you to start socializing, and if I let her parents know that their avoidance of society is creating a vacuum that could destroy a reputation...
"Go write the letter now while I work out what I need to write to the poor girl's parents."
As Luna recovered from the side-along-apparition her father wandered to his desk mumbling her mum's name. His eyes had ventured into the stare that was seeing something other than reality and Luna stamped her foot in frustration. This ride on the Hogwarts express was the best day she had ever had. It was better than the almost having friends of her fourth year and she wanted to stay with her great feelings and enjoy now. Not live as Looney as she had done every day, since the day she failed to save her mum's life. Pain, hurt, sadness, fell off Looney better than water fell off a duck's back. Her dad didn't blame his daughter for killing his wife. He didn't blame her because he avoided noticing that his wife was no longer alive. Unfortunately her dad didn't even notice she had stamped her foot.
She needed to startle him. "Dad I kissed two girls at the same time today."
"That's nice sugar plum, can you take your trunk up to your room with you. I really need to plan our next hunt for crumple horned snorkack's. I am sure we will find them this time."
"I think if we take Harry Potter with us, he will agree to get me pregnant dad. Don't you think I should be getting pregnant?"
"What!" Mr. Lovegood actually fell back out of his chair. Getting up he focused on his daughter. "No I don't and no, Harry Potter, nor any boy, will be coming with us on our family trip! We do this just the two of us."
They stared at each other for several moments then her dad shoed her away and the haunting glaze encroached and covered his eyes once more. Shutting himself back off from reality. "Then I am not going this year! There is no such thing as a crumple horned snorkack anyway! I hate you! And I will not go anywhere with you! Even though I won't be spending summer with a boy, I am sure I can find a girl willing to let me stay the summer. If not? Then staying here alone is no different from being with you. You might as well be dead!" Luna slammed to door as she left. Her tirade had done little more than confuse her dad. He was lost. Yelling the most outlandish things and at the cost of hurting basically a defenseless animal she could grab his attention for mere minutes at most. The sad thought she had next was if she did actually get pregnant, she doubted even that would release her dad back into reality for more than a couple of hours. Her tears escaped even as she tightly held them back. Being Looney would be better. Looney was never hurt. A sob wrenched its way through her body. Lowering her trunk, she sank beside it, hugging her knees tightly into her crumpled form. Her arms tightly wrapped around her lower legs pulling them into herself as she attempted to vanish. She had thought today the best day, but it was the worst. To be shown what she couldn't have was not a best day.
Heather and Hermione had not only got the keystone into the unfinished basement and set it on the concrete floor, but had got both trunks out of the car's boot and into their bedrooms. Hermione's bedroom shared a Jack and Jill bathroom with their second guest, 'cough, cough', Hermione's ensuite library. This bedroom was now Heather's. She wouldn't want for books to read if she was bored.
Bill was sitting in the living room with the Grangers waiting for the delivery so he could bring back up the notice me not charms. Professor Moody was probably still out there guarding the house, hopefully not attacking their neighbors or the delivery driver.
"So will the postman miss our house?" Dan Granger asked.
"You should get a post box and not have anything delivered to the house."
"My parents are coming in less than two weeks. How do we handle that?" Mrs. Granger demanded.
"If you can't cancel the visit or change it to visiting them, can you drive them here?" Bill replied. Then their door bell rang.
As Mr. Granger opened the door to get their dinner an owl swooped in, causing the delivery driver to startle and drop their food. Mr. Granger recovered fast enough to catch it just prior to it hitting the welcome mat. As the owl landed beside Heather, and stuck out its foot requesting the attached letter be taken, a second owl swooped in landing beside Hermione and mimicked the behavior with the other twin. Both girls paled reading their letters so they obviously didn't have good news. The delivery driver stared in shock, and had to have his hand tapped to acknowledge he had been paid. He backed out of the house nearly tripping off the front doorstep.
Hermione's dad grabbed Bill before he followed the leaving delivery driver to turn on their new cloaking device. Pity he couldn't brag about owning a house that doubled as a 'klingon bird of prey', definitely cooler than calling it a 'notice me not charm'. It was more fitting with the three birds of prey currently present too. "So let's say that all suggestions offered so far for my in-laws visit are not acceptable, what options are available?"
"Either I get two small keys for you that you ensure your in-laws are wearing in contact with their skin so they can bypass the wards as if they weren't there, or I am here and have turned the notice me not off until you get them to touch the keystone for a few minutes while I chant to add them to the wards. Talking of adding, I should exit the house before my extended presence gives me access through the wards. I will try to think if there are any other options and relay it to you the next time I can get here, which will be only a few days at most." Bill then left not giving them time to think of other awkward questions or more owls to arrive or whatever next madness was scheduled for this evening.
"Okay Heather you're the guest, do you want to share what has arrived in your letter. Do we need to get out our largest guns." Mr. Granger asked.
"Guns might be nice. Well to cut to the chase. I am being warned that I am almost certainly being pursued for a marriage contract to Neville Longbottom."
"Wow I actually thought your letter could not be as bad as mine." Hermione said. "For mine I just need to ask mum and dad to let me have a second female friend over.
Heather had no clue what they ate. Dinner was uncomfortable as her presence was obviously causing the Grangers difficulty. They had all read both letters. There was no dinner conversation, Crookshanks was spending an awful amount of attention on her, likely to keep Bill's earlier joke running, or he didn't want to lose her to his male competitor. He kept butting his head against her legs and begging to be allowed on her lap, which was not happening. She was going to have her bedroom door closed tonight, she didn't trust the cat. Hedwig was happily sitting on Hermione's shoulder, showing her back to Heather. Whether, the cold treatment was due to her not liking how she looked, how she was gaining attention from Crookshanks or Neville via his grandmother, because she was partially a half-kneazle, or some other reason she was clueless.
Finally, thank Merlin, the dinner from awkward'ville was over. Pots washed and kitchen tidied up and the twins requested to go to sleep rather than stay up. Both knew eventually Hermione's parents would think up difficult questions to field and they were tired and needed the day to end. Obviously the tiredness at least was mirrored as all four went bed. Heather of course verbally demanding that Crookshanks was not allowed in her room, which only got a response from Crookshanks that she swore, was smiling wider than the Cheshire cat ever grinned, even if he shouldn't be able to smile.
