Disclaimer: I don't own…yadda yadda…not…mine…belongs to JKR…
Of Elves and Owls
Neither Ginny nor Harry could fix a broken nose, so they returned to Grimmauld Place quickly. When Mrs. Weasley saw Harry's bloody face, she screamed and pulled him into the kitchen before anyone could question him, leaving Ginny to answer everyone's questions.
Mrs. Weasley fixed up Harry and cleaned him off. Once she was done, she allowed everyone to enter the kitchen for dinner. Ron and Ginny teased Harry about letting a runt like Denis get the better of him and breaking his nose.
"It's not like I lost a fight, he surprised me. Ginny, you saw him, he has a great right hook," Harry said moping. This made almost everyone laugh.
"Poor Harry. The savior of the world, taken down a peg by a four foot tall, seven stone runt!" Bill roared, slapping his knee. Percy smiled and chuckled lightly. Ron and Hermione sat by watching Harry get grumpier and Ginny lean over and whisper something in his ear. He perked up and smiled a bit, letting the jests roll of his shoulders after Ginny's whisper.
"Now, boys leave Harry alone. He was only trying to help the poor boy. I just feel so bad for that little Denis. I think I'll send some of my baking to his mother in a condolence package." Mrs. Weasley spoke to Mr. Weasley and the Grangers for a while as everyone finished their food.
With a wave of her wand, Mrs. Weasley had desert on the table and the dinner dishes cleaned away.
"My goodness, I wish I could clean the table like that." Harry heard Mrs. Granger whisper to her husband. Hermione also heard and giggled. Harry sat and watched his loved ones eat and be happy, or generally happy. George was still as quiet as ever, seated between Percy and Bill. As far away from Harry and Ron as he could get. Harry watched the girls giggle, the parents swap baby stories, and Ron tell Bill about the roller coasters at Luna Park.
Harry finally felt content. Like he finally had what he always wanted. A family that loved each other and enjoyed each others company. He sighed and smiled. Ginny heard him and glanced over at him. She saw his faint smile as he looked around and she knew what he was thinking. She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek, which made him smile wider than before.
At exactly eight o'clock Bill and Fleur shared a glance and stood up.
"Ahem," Bill cleared his throat. Percy, and his parents all smiled. They knew what was coming. "Fleur and I would like to let you four in on a secret. We only told mum and dad less than a week ago but, Fleur's pregnant. We're going to have a baby," he finished with a huge silly grin. At the end of his announcement Ginny and Hermione squealed loudly and jumped up and ran to hug the happy couple. Ron sat in stunned silence for a moment and Harry watched his friend come out of his shock.
"A baby? Really? Your going to be a…dad?" Ron squeaked out the last word which made everyone laugh.
"Yep. I still can't believe it myself. The baby will be born in late December, early January," Bill said to Ron and Hermione. Ginny had run and hugged Fleur.
"How are you feeling? Any morning sickness yet?" questions bubbled forth. Fleur giggled and nodded.
"I've been feeling fine, a little bit of sickness in the early morning but it passes by about nine am. Then I'm ravenous," Fleur replied. The family spent a half an hour talking of the baby and little things like names and boy versus girl. At half past eight Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all left for the Burrow while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stayed to have a nightcap with the Grangers. Bill and Fleur left for Shell Cottage, Percy went home to his flat, and George left for his.
When the teens arrived at the Burrow they saw that they were first to arrive so they sat outside in the garden until they heard voices from inside the house. They wandered in to find Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, and Verity Venoux staring around the silent home in confusion.
"Hello," Harry said. The three jumped and whipped out their wands. Seeing the Weasley's and Harry and Hermione, they lowered their wands.
"Harry! What's going on? Where is everyone?" asked Alicia.
"They're at my house. Come on we're heading there for now by Floo, I decided to come and tell you the location since the secret keeper died. The way I understand the Fidelius Charm is everyone who had the secret is now able to tell the location. So I'm going to ask that the three of you not tell anyone the location unless it's an emergency, okay?" Harry watched their faces as he spoke. Lee nodded immediately, as did Alicia. Verity however looked around the house she was in before finally nodding.
"I'm sorry Harry, it's just hard for me to forget the war is over. I don't have to worry any more about being caught and tortured for information anymore. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret," replied Verity with a smile. Harry smiled at her and nodded. He took out a few scraps of paper and handed them to each person. They read them and looked confused for a moment before the papers burst into flame and crumbled to dust.
"That was the location, you can Floo there now. I'll meet you there and then we can talk." Harry waved them through the Floo and followed quickly. He arrived and hurried the guests to the upstairs Drawing room. The seven people sat around the large room while Harry explained his dream to Lee, Alicia, and Verity. The guests and Ginny and Hermione all gasped and teared up when Harry and Ron explained how the found George that afternoon. Ginny was ready to go to Percy's and flay him alive but Harry put a stop to her, explaining that even Percy couldn't have known that George would sink that low in a matter of a few days.
He then asked them if they wouldn't mind working at the shop for a while and help get it ready.
"Verity, I'm asking you since you're the only person I know who worked there once already. Do you know much about how to do things, run the place?" asked Harry.
"Do I know much?" scoffed Verity. "I practically ran the place before. They spent almost all their time inventing new things. They only surfaced when they needed new ideas, or medical attention. If George is really as bad as you say, I don't mind returning for a while to help out. I can't stay for a long time, a few months at most because my uncle needs help re-opening his shop also."
"I think we can work with that. You can train someone else to run it, that should only take a few weeks, then you can return to your uncle's shop once someone else is able to read the books well enough to keep the business afloat," Hermione replied.
"Fred and George were my best mates. I still can't believe Fred is gone, but I will help George as much as possible. Count me in, Harry," said Lee vehemently. Alicia nodded.
"We can't let out other beater down, our teammate needs us!" Alicia said with a sad smile. "Have you asked Angelina and Katie? I'm sure Oliver might be able to help out on the weekends now that Quidditch season has resumed."
"I hadn't thought about Oliver, but Katie and Angelina I'm meeting tomorrow morning. I'll send him a letter tomorrow telling him what happened and why I might need him," Harry said as he turned to Verity. "Verity, could you meet me at the shop at about ten? It's in a bad way and I'll need your help to show me what to do. The four of us are traveling to America in only a couple days so I will need you guys ready to start as soon as possible. Verity will be in charge and you'll probably be teaching someone else to run the shop. It'll be better if there are two people who know how to run the shop, just in case. Is that alright Verity?" Verity nodded and Harry continued.
"You guys really don't mind doing this for me? George is putting up a right stink about me taking over for now," said Harry quietly.
"Well, I was kind of wondering why you're taking over for him. If he doesn't want you too, can't he just say no?" asked Lee.
"Well, technically no, he can't just say no. See, I'm the one that gave the twins the money to start up, so in return they made me a third partner. They signed an agreement without my knowledge that if one of them passed on, the remaining twin would split the leftover third of shares with me. Making me an equal partner. If they both died, I'd be full owner. So, for all intensive purposes I own half the shop. I told George that I was doing this for my own interests, and not his. But it's not true. I just think that eventually he'll realize his mistake of letting the shop go and regret it, so I'm not letting that happen." The three guests smiled at Harry.
"So, Harry, where'd you get this house? It's kinda…Slytherin, isn't it?" Lee asked with a smirk.
"I inherited it from my godfather, Sirius Black," Harry said with a grin. Lee, Alicia and Verity all gasped.
"The Sirius Black? The only prisoner to escape Azkaban? He was your godfather?" Verity said with a whisper.
"Well, yes, he was my godfather and the only person to escape, but the thing is, he wasn't guilty." Harry told them the story, shared with Hermione, about Sirius's escape and betrayal and about Peter Pettigrew. At ten pm Lee, Alicia, and Verity all left 12 Grimmauld Place and the four teens went to bed.
The next morning Harry woke early and went to the kitchen. He saw the pouch he'd left for Bill to get money for him on the table. A note with it explained that the portrait was somewhere in the house. Bill had hidden it in retribution for his sass the day before. Enjoy looking for it Potter. I hid it well, the note said. Harry chuckled while he pocketed it and started a kettle of water for tea. It was so early not even Mrs. Weasley was up yet.
Once his tea was ready, he sat at the table in Sirius's old place and began writing a long to do list for the day. He only had a day to finish everything before they left for America.
To Do:
Find portrait of Remus and Tonks; continue at night if needed/possible.
Meet Verity at shop at ten.
Borrow Hermes to owl Oliver.
Visit Teddy and Andromeda.
Visit Denis again.
Owl Bill and tell him if Verity contacts him to get her gold from vault for supplies.
Think about getting a new Owl.
Harry set his cup down and stood up. He wandered over to Kreacher's cupboard and knocked. He heard a grumble and then a gasp. The door was wrenched open by a sleepy elf.
"My apologies, Master Harry! Kreacher has been alone for so long he's forgotten to wake up when Master does or when he hears people moving!" Kreacher knelt at Harry's feet and cringed waiting.
"Er, Kreacher, what are you doing?" asked Harry perplexed.
"Kreacher is waiting dutifully for his punishment, Master Harry," replied the elf. Harry sighed.
"Kreacher, stand up please." The elf jumped to his feet and stood with his eyes closed and his shoulders hunched.
"Oh please, Master Harry, it'll never happen again, please, please don't give old Kreacher clothes! Kreacher is a good house-elf! It'll never happen again! Kreacher will punish himself really good. Kreacher will slam his hands in the oven door, while it is hot!" Kreacher cried. He had large tears falling down his face and was balling his little fists in his eyes. He was also visibly shaking in fear as he edged toward the oven.
"No, Kreacher! Listen to me, please stop crying." Kreacher stopped instantly, but the sniffling continued. "Now look at me. Kreacher, I forbid you to ever punish yourself again. I am not giving you clothes just for sleeping in. I know that I am up early so I don't mind if you sleep in a bit. It doesn't matter, I know how to work a teapot. Okay?" Kreacher looked up at Harry with big grey-blue eyes.
"Master Harry is not…giving Kreacher clothes?" asked Kreacher hopefully.
"No, Kreacher I'm not. Come and sit at the table with me. I'd like to talk to you," said Harry as he went and got a second cup for tea. When he turned around Kreacher was sitting on the floor next to where Harry had been sitting before.
"No, Kreacher on a chair, please."
"Master, wants Kreacher to sit at the table? Kreacher can't sit at the table, Kreacher is only a lowly house-elf, he doesn't deserve to sit at the table," the elf said in disbelief which caused Harry to sigh.
"Kreacher, I'm asking you to please sit at the table with me." Kreacher stared at him, and Harry thought, this is going to be harder than I expected.
"Kreacher sit at the table. That's an order." Kreacher ran to a chair and sat dutifully with his hands in his lap and his feet dangling off the chair. "Thank you, Kreacher. I want to discuss a few things with you before everyone wakes up." Harry handed the elf a cup of tea as he sat down in his chair. Kreacher stared at the cup in astonishment.
"Master Harry just served Kreacher a cup of tea? This is most irregular, Kreacher is the house-elf, Kreacher is the one who much serve Master…" he mumbled.
"Kreacher, do you remember Dobby, from Hogwarts?" asked Harry. Kreacher suddenly scowled.
"Oh, yes, Kreacher remembers that disgrace of an elf. Lowers his-self to demand pay and days off. No respective house-elf would do such a shameful thing. Dobby deserved to die—"
"Kreacher, shut your mouth!" Harry said sharply. Kreacher's mouth snapped shut as he realized that his master was angry.
"Dobby was a very special elf. He had bad masters, bad people who treated him badly. No one, not even house-elves deserve to be treated like the Malfoy's treat their elves. Understand?" Kreacher nodded, his wide eyes watching Harry in awe. "Good. Now, I know you don't want to be free so I'm going to set some rules straight right now, and if you take them as an order that's alright, but I am merely asking you.
"First, no more Master Harry. Please, just call me Harry, or if you feel the need Harry Potter is what Dobby called me, I guess that's okay too."
"What about Mister Harry?" asked the elf meekly. In his mind mister sounded a lot like master, so he could pretend that mister was master and Harry would be none the wiser.
"I guess Mister Harry is okay. I'd prefer just Harry, but if you have to work your way to it, I guess that's fine. Next thing, Hermione's parents will be staying here until they can find a flat to rent. They are muggles and I'm not sure how they'll react to you. I'll let them know about you, and if they are okay with you, then there should be no problems. If they call for you, go to them and do what they ask.
"Third thing, you will have one day off a week. It's your day to do as you want. I'm doing this because you are getting older and I appreciate your help around here. By the way, how old are you?" Harry had never thought about this but Kreacher was the oldest elf he'd ever met, and he wasn't sure how long they tended to live.
"Kreacher is not sure Ma-Mister Harry. Kreacher remembers tending to Master Orion when he was a babe which was 1929 and before that Master Arcturus in 1901. Before that however, Kreacher is a little foggy." Harry was dumbfounded. Kreacher was over ninety-five years old.
"Er, how old do house-elves usually live, Kreacher?" asked Harry. The elf thought for a moment.
"Kreacher would have to say about one-hundred and twenty years," the elf nodded. Harry did some quick calculations in his head. If Kreacher was about one hundred give or take a few years, then he'd only be around for maybe another twenty, if that. His idea of letting the elf have a day off once a week was sounding better by the minute. The last thing Harry needed was to find a dead elf on his kitchen floor in the morning.
"Here's another question that might help clear the fog. Did you serve anyone before Arcturus? Or were you a…baby elf?" Harry couldn't imagine what Kreacher would have looked like as a baby, but it brought interesting images to his mind of a tiny wrinkled, hairless, big eared, long nosed, doe eyed Kreacher.
"I do not remember any Masters before Master Arcturus. But I do not think I was a babe. Young perhaps, Mister Harry, but not a babe." Kreacher stared at Harry while he thought. Kreacher was clearly at least one hundred if not older.
"Okay, well then Kreacher, I'm going to say that if you ever feel ill, let me know and I can let you rest. Tell me if you're sick. That is an order. Next thing is, I want you to take a room for yourself. The little boiler room is too small and I want you to be comfortable. Besides, there's definitely enough rooms for you to have your own. Alright?" Kreacher started crying loud racking sobs. Harry jumped up and squatted next to the elf's chair. Immediately, Kreacher launched himself into Harry and hugged him.
"Master Harry is too nice to old Kreacher! Harry Potter is the bestest, most noble, most kind, most generous master ever!" at this Kreacher broke into more sobs and couldn't speak anymore. Harry patted him on the shoulder. He looked up when he heard a noise and saw Mrs. Granger staring wide eyed at the hairless animal clutching Harry around the hips.
"Ah, Mrs. Granger, I was hoping to tell you about my little friend here before you saw him just incase you happened to be frightened. This is Kreacher, he's my house-elf." At the friend comment Harry made Kreacher began to bawl even louder and wetter as he clung to Harry's waist. Harry continued to pat the elf's shoulder which created even more tears.
"I'm clear on what a house-elf is, I just didn't realize you owned one. Hermione is my daughter," the slightly shocked woman said as she walked further into the room. Harry chuckled.
"I don't know why I didn't think about that. Let me guess, end of fourth year?" Harry inquired as he pried the elf off of himself. He quietly, but nicely ordered Kreacher to choose his room soon and to make sure no one else was using it. Kreacher nodded as wandered off up the stairs sniffling, a euphoric look on his little face.
"Actually, it was before your fourth year. Right after the World Cup. She wrote to us appalled at the way that man Crotch? About the way he treated his elf, Blinky." Harry chuckled.
"Actually, it was Crouch and Winky. But he was kind of a crotchety old man." The two shared a quiet laugh over the slip of the tongue she had made.
"I'm still unsure about why you, a friend of my daughter, would actually own one of these poor creatures, let alone name it Kreacher," Mrs. Granger asked looking puzzled. Harry gave her a cup of tea while he spoke.
"Technically, I inherited him. My godfather, Sirius, died at the end of our fifth year and he left everything to me. Well, some of it went to Remus Lupin, I think, but mostly everything went to me." Harry looked into he teacup sadly. Mrs. Granger reached over and placed a hand on his arm.
"The ones we love aren't really gone. I didn't know your godfather but I can see that he left a lasting impression on you, and that is what counts." The words touched him deeply. He remembered Sirius's bark like laughter and he felt better.
"Well, he left me this house, which I hate; a load of money, which I hate and don't want; and his house-elf, which I used to hate, but now I don't. I've come to see Kreacher as a part of the family, kind of. I actually agree with Hermione that the treatment of elves is horrible. They are effectively slaves, bound to a family or a name for their whole lives. But if you've ever spoken with one, you'd know that they live for their jobs. The people who are kind and generous masters have a loyal friend and companion for life.
"Kreacher used to be hard to live with, but once I started treating him with respect he began treating me with respect. You saw how he gets before. I told him he was to have a day off every week, and he could choose a room in the house as his, and he sobbed all over me," Harry chuckled.
"But I'm not sure I understand. Hermione mentioned a younger elf named Donny, Daffy…"
"Dobby?" Harry supplied with a sad sigh.
"Yes, Dobby. She told us that he was happy to be freed and getting paid. He had the right idea," she said with a confused look.
"Yeah, well you'll get a nutter in every species I guess," Harry said using a phrase he'd heard Ron say before. Mrs. Granger looked even more confused so Harry elaborated.
"Dobby's first masters were supporters of Voldemort. To say the least would be saying they didn't treat Dobby very nicely. I helped free him, and he took to freedom like a child in a candy shop."
"Actually, you should say like Dobby to a sock drawer," Ron mumbled as he wandered in the room rubbing his eyes. Hermione and Ginny followed in also sleepy, and still in pajamas.
"Why are you guys talking about Dobby?" Hermione asked as she poured a cup of tea.
"Your mum had the pleasure of meeting Kreacher this morning." Hermione looked up at Harry mid pour with a look of shock.
"He wasn't too rude was he?" she asked, forgetting the tea.
"No. Hermione, the tea?" Harry pointedly looked down at her hand and she gasped when she realized that the puddle around her cup was getting dangerously close to the edge of the table. She quickly waved her wand and washed the table clear.
"Thanks Harry," she said, while Ron and Ginny snickered into their cups.
"No problem. Anyways, I think Kreacher was too shocked at my order to even realize that a Muggle was in the room." The others watched Harry and waited for him to continue. When it was clear he wasn't going to they prodded him to talk.
"Alright, I told him he was to have one day off a week, and his own room that's not the boiler room," he said softly. Hermione jumped up and squealed as she ran to hug Harry. Ron and Ginny rolled their eyes.
"Did you offer him pay too, Harry?" she asked exited.
""Well, I did think about it, but I learned something about him that you probably didn't know. Something that would probably mean offering money would insult him. He's over one hundred years old." The stunned silence made Harry chuckle.
"One hundred years old? Wow, for being a century old, he kind of looks good," Ron said earning a slap from his girlfriend. "What? I'm just saying that I though he was only about seventy-five or something. He looks good for a hundred." Hermione scowled at him for a few moments.
"Harry, about how long are the life span of house-elves?" Mrs. Granger asked from the stove where she had begun cooking breakfast for everyone.
"Well, I'm not quite sure about it, but Kreacher said about one hundred and twenty."
"So, the old codger's only got about twenty years left?" Ron asked getting another slap. Ginny laughed.
"Well, actually," Harry started. "He's probably got less than that. He's not sure the year he was born, so it's probably less. I'd say he's probably about one hundred and ten at the most." Harry spent the next ten minutes discussing house-elf laws and training before Mrs. Granger set piles of pancakes and sausages on the table in front of them.
While they ate Harry explained his day's plan with everyone and they all agreed to help Harry look for the portrait. Ginny had asked if she could come to the shop with him and help him pick out an owl when they left for Andromeda's and then they wouldn't have to borrow Hermes again.
Hermione reminded Harry he was supposed to meet Angelina and Katie at the Leaky Cauldron at nine. Harry saw that it was almost eight. Then he wondered where Mrs. Weasley was.
"Erm, Ron, Ginny, where's your mum?" he asked. Mrs. Granger snorted.
"Arthur and Michael sat up till the wee hours of the morning talking electronics and sipping whiskey until Molly came in and demanded that he follow her home. She whispered something in his ear that sounded like, Make it up to you at home, before he turned beet red and they both left, barely saying goodnight to us." Mrs. Granger was laughing pretty hard at the blushing faces of the teens in front of her.
"Mu-um, do you have to put those images in my head?" Hermione moaned which made her mother laugh even harder.
"What's the matter sweetheart? Was that a little too risqué for your innocent mind?" asked Mrs. Granger, giving Hermione a very pointed look that everyone but Ron couldn't miss. Harry and Ginny hid their grins while Hermione turned pale, then a blotchy red color. Ron was still trying to the images of his parents out of his mind.
"Wow," whispered Harry to Ginny. "I've never seen anyone but my uncle turn two different shades of color before." Ginny snorted and covered her mouth and nose quickly, so all Harry could see was her very wide, brown eyes and reddening skin. He chuckled.
Hermione glanced at Ron quickly, saw that he was still occupied, and waved her mother out of the room. As soon as the two were out of ear shot, Harry and Ginny burst out laughing. Ron was shaken from his mutterings of plum pudding, corned beef, bogie flavored beans and slug burps to see Harry and Ginny laughing hard and Hermione and her mum nowhere in sight.
"What's going on? Why're you laughing and where'd Hermione go?" His questions were drowned out by the others loud laughter. When he failed for the sixth time to get an answer from them he stormed from the room, the back of his red neck showing his anger and frustration.
By the time Harry and Ginny calmed down, it was ten past eight and they still needed to get ready. They decided to put off the search for the portrait until either later that night or after their trip. At half-past the hour, they were both showered and ready to leave, so they wandered down to the kitchen to see Mrs. Granger serving Mr. Granger some breakfast. They told them where'd they be if they were needed, and to send Ron or Hermione if they needed anything before they left.
Ginny dragged him up and down Diagon Alley, which was surprisingly empty this early in the morning. Only a few shops were open before nine, and that included the Leaky Cauldron, and the Owl Post Office. Harry decided to send the owl to Oliver from the post office before their meeting and buy a new owl later in the day.
He was not eager to replace Hedwig, but it had been almost a year since she had died and Harry knew that he would need to get a new owl sooner or later for postal reasons. He just didn't think any owl could ever replace the familial feeling Hedwig gave him. She had represented family and friends all in one small, winged body and Harry felt that one owl or pet could never come close to being such a close companion as her. She was the one who was with him at the Dursley's every summer no matter what. She was the one he could talk to when he had no one else around. That kind of bond wasn't to be repeated, because he was never to return to that situation. This thought made it even harder for Harry to just replace Hedwig.
Ginny felt Harry's melancholy and held his hand as they wandered past the Owl Emporium's closed doors. No words were spoken but Harry felt calmer knowing that she was there with him.
They sent off the letter Harry had written before going to sleep the night before and wandered back towards the Leaky Cauldron. They found a booth and Tom brought them a pot of tea, "On the house for you Mr. Potter. I'll not take a Knut from you," Old Tom said to him. Harry scowled at the special treatment but Ginny's foot rubbing up his trousers was enough of a distraction for him. When her foot hit mid thigh and he gasped at the touch, they heard the door open. Instantly, her foot was back on the floor and he was breathing deeply, trying to control his manly urges. Ginny smirked at his obvious discomfort and he growled at her.
"Harry? Did you just growl at her?" The two looked up to see Angelina and Katie standing a few feet away smirking. Harry blushed and Ginny's smirk widened.
"Why, yes, Angelina, he did. But it's all okay. He was just trying to intimidate me, but he knows it won't work. Have a seat, girls," Ginny replied with a smile. The two sat opposite while Ginny scooted over to Harry's side. Harry explained the issue with his house and made them make the same promise as everyone the night before. He watched as they read the slip of paper he handed them and it burn to ash in their hands.
A half an hour later, sitting in the Drawing room of his house, he finished explaining George's situation and what he was asking of them. He remembered a question he was going to ask the night before but didn't get too.
"Would either of you want too, or be able too, help take over the shop for a while. I might be returning to school in the fall, and if George still isn't up to running the place, I may need someone to help run the shop. Verity said she needs to return to her uncle's shop eventually. She's willing to teach someone to run the shop with me, so once she leaves we'll still have two people who can run it for a while. At least until I return to school. But I have a lot of stuff coming up this summer, so I won't be able to be there all the time. I need someone. If one of you two can't do it I can ask Lee or Alicia." Harry watched the two exchange glances.
"I can do it for now Harry, but maybe you should have both of us taught just in case. That way when you go off to do something and, say one of us is ill, the other can still be there," said Angelina quietly. She'd had the harder reaction to George's situation of the two girls sitting before him. She clearly wanted to help George out of his slump. Harry thought about the plan, nodding.
"I think that will work. Thanks for the suggestion, Ange," he said. She smiled shyly at him and Harry was confused for a moment why the older girl would suddenly act this way. Ginny raise an eyebrow at the older girl and made her point clear with no words and Harry being none the wiser. He showed the girls to the Floo and watched them go and then turned to Ginny.
"Ready to head to the shop?" he asked. She nodded eagerly. "It's not pretty, I'll warn you now." After another few more warnings Harry brought Ginny to the front stoop and she held his arm while he Apperated them to the back room of the WWW shop, to the emergency Apperating spot between shelves. Ginny sneezed when the dust flew up around them.
She followed Harry out into the main shopping area and gagged at the smell.
"What is that?" she asked plugging her nose. Harry was grimacing at the smell also, but he'd smelled it before and was ready for it.
"I do believe it's a mixture of spoilt Puking Pastilles and dead Pygmy Puffs," he replied. She gagged again and he cast a bubblehead charm on her. She smiled at him gratefully and watched him do the same to himself. They had a quarter of an hour to wait for Verity so they decided to tidy a bit. Harry had told George the night before that he would be here early to work on the shop and if he wanted to come down, he could. George had given him a withering look and turned to walk away without saying anything.
Harry unlocked the front door but kept up the sign to discourage anyone but Verity from entering.
Soon the smell was gone, and most of the dust was also cleaned up. They heard a faint gong noise and the room brightened slightly when the door opened. Harry saw Verity take a look around.
"Well, it looks better than I thought it would," she muttered before seeing Harry and Ginny there, covered in dust, with bubbles around their heads. She smiled at them and said hello.
"Well," Harry said, "It's a little better now that we got rid of the dust and the smell. But there's still a lot of work to do." The three of them sat down and talked about what was needed, what it would cost, how much of everything they needed and made list, after list, after list. Around noon, Verity had to leave for her uncles shop. She was going to go explain what was going on, and that she was needed for about a month, maybe less, at her old job. She planned on coming back the next day, as would Harry for a little while, to get everything organized.
After she left, Harry and Ginny decided to walk down the Alley and search for a baby toy and some more diapers for Andromeda.
Ginny had also almost convinced Harry that he needed another owl. So they went for the baby supplies first. In the store Little Witch and Wizards, Harry watched Ginny coo and cuddle every stuffed animal and point and sigh at all the little witch outfits for a half an hour. Finally, they chose a small, floating mobile that the pictures changed whenever the child would get bored. It would float above the child and dance in front of them when they sat up. It also sang lullabies softly to help soothe a child into dream land.
They also picked another two packs of self-cleaning diapers, since one pack only contained six diapers and each were only good for a day or two before the charm would wear off, Harry figured Andromeda would appreciate them. He got the added bonus packs that would change colors when the charm wore off, instead of letting the smell escape because he thought that they'd be interesting.
Harry heard Ginny's stomach growl and realized that it was half-past noon.
"Why don't we get something to eat now?" Harry suggested hopefully.
"We'll get the owl first then eat." Harry sighed dejectedly. Ginny stared at him confused. She had always wanted an owl, but they couldn't afford to buy each child an owl. She knew Harry missed his old owl, but necessity demanded he get one soon. She knew if she left it to him it could be years before he wised up and got one.
They wandered to the Emporium and walked in holding their packages. Harry stared glumly around. He saw several owls sitting in cages around the walls, but most of them were freely perched in the open. He saw a large white Snowy Owl near the window and wandered closer. He reached out his hand to pet the owl and it hissed at him and swiped at Harry's hand with its razor sharp talons.
Harry retreated quickly, mumbling to himself.
"Ah, I see you've met Stella. She's not the most friendly thing. Which is part of the reason I named her, instead of relying on her being sold. The name fits her though. Are you looking for a Snowy?" a raggedy old woman asked from behind a counter.
"No. I had a Snowy before and I…don't want to…I don't want a Snowy," Harry said quickly. The woman took a closer look and Harry saw her eyebrows rise slightly, but she made no point of cooing over him. She nodded her head as if she understood.
"Well, dearies if you find something you like, let me know, I'll be happy to help you out if you can't choose either." The strange woman wandered into the back room again, leaving him and Ginny in the dark room.
"Harry, come here and look at this one," she said from the rear of the room a moment later. Harry sighed and wandered back slowly. When he rounded the corner he saw Ginny standing in front of the cage of a large Eagle owl.
"No. Not an Eagle owl. I refuse," Harry said as he turned away. Ginny opened her mouth when Harry turned but saw him stop suddenly staring at a cage. He walked towards it slowly as if not to frighten the inhabitants. She wandered closer and saw two dark colored owls, one slightly larger than the other. Harry was staring at the smaller one and Ginny saw it was staring back, its companion was sleeping.
It had large black, mournful eyes and a heart shaped face. It was only about 12 inches in length from head to toe, and its companion only a few inches larger.
Harry stared at the somber looking owl for several long minutes. Ginny didn't say anything because she thought maybe this is how you buy an owl. A connection has to be made. She watched the two stare at each other for several long minutes until the owl hooted softly to wake its mate, its eyes never leaving Harry.
The mate looked up and around seeing Harry and Ginny watching them. It made eye contact with Ginny and she felt the pull of the trance Harry had been in. For several long minutes they stared at the two owls and the owls stared back.
Finally, the owls broke contact simultaneously and closed their eyes. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and smiled. They wandered up to the front and rang the bell to call the clerk.
"Did you find something you want young man?" The lady wandered forth and smiled. "Ah, yes, you have. I see the look of those who've found their familiars. Come with me and show me to them," she said. Harry looked shocked. His familiar? Was an owl?
Ginny was shocked also. She had been in a trance as well, but didn't think she had made that kind of connection. She had felt a sadness from the female and felt like it had something to do with her egg, but she hadn't known why. Usually familiars could, in a way, speak to their humans. Ginny walked behind the lady and Harry, confused about the strange comment.
Harry led the woman to the cage and she gasped.
"Oh dear. I had not imagined that anyone would want these two. They are Lesser Sooty owls. Unfortunately, I cannot sell one without the other for they are life mates. They have already hatched one youngling together before being transported here. Lesser Sooty's mate for life. They cannot be sold separately." The woman looked to Harry as did Ginny.
Harry was staring at the owl with a sad look.
"They lost their chick didn't they?" he asked softly. The woman's eyes widened.
"Ah, that would make a good deal of sense. They have been very quiet and solemn since they arrived. Which one told you this?" asked the woman. Ginny watched Harry stare at the bird.
"It wasn't so much as he told me, but I could understand the look he gave me. I also knew he was male and she was female. So, if he's my familiar, what exactly does that mean?" Harry asked the clerk.
"Why don't we go up front and talk. Let them sleep." They wandered upfront and the lady waved them into the back room.
The lady offered them comfortable chintz armchairs to sit on and offered them tea. They turned her down for the tea and Harry repeated his question.
"Well, my dear, a familiar is a term you understand right?" Harry nodded his head briefly.
"Kind of, but isn't it usually like a cat or raven or something?" Harry asked.
"Sometimes, but they can actually be any animal you can connect too. History has skewed the term horribly over the decades. Familiar is a being or spirit in animal form that is there to help their person. If a person who has a familiar feels lonely, abject, or depressed the familiar would present them with a reason to be happy. They are a companion that will never turn on you, and will always be there if you need them.
"Most people can communicate somehow with their familiar, whether it be with a mind link, or by mutual understanding of body language and facial expressions. There are other things familiars can do, but I would suggest the book, So You've Met Your Familiar by Gulliver Pokeby, to help you understand them." She stood and walked to a shelf and pulled off an older looking tome. She waved a wand over it to clear the dust and handed it to Harry.
"But, I thought you said you couldn't sell him," Harry said confused. The woman chuckled.
"Nay, I said I could not sell them separately. If you are willing to take on two owls, I have no problem selling them to you, young man, goodness knows I wont be able to sell two foreign breed owls together like this."
"Why not? What's wrong with them being foreign?" Ginny demanded.
"Oh nothing dearie, there are just some people who would think that foreign born owls dream of returning to their home lands. But that's a load of tosh. My familiar is an owl from Australia, a Boobook breed. She's told me several times that she likes it here more than there. So I have no worries about foreign birds."
The three sat and talked for several more minutes about familiars and how to care for the breeding pair. Twenty minutes after entering the store, Harry and Ginny left carrying two cages, a double perch with added side nest, and a large bag of owl treats. The decided to Apparate back home and drop off all the stuff before heading to see Teddy. They Floo'd to Grimmauld Place and set down all their stuff in the kitchen.
"Hello?" Ginny called up the stairs but she heard no reply. Her stomach rumbled louder than before which made Harry chuckle.
"Lunch it is then. How about some turkey sandwiches and crisps?" Harry asked. Ginny stomach answered for her with another loud rumble. The two laughed as they made their lunches.
"Harry?" Ginny asked. "Why were you so reluctant to buy another owl?" She took a bite of her sandwich while he glanced at the two owls they had yet to name. They were perched in the corner together sleeping snuggled close to their mates.
"I just didn't want to just replace Hedwig. She was…one of my best friends. I know that can be hard to understand but, when I was at the Dursley's every summer, she was the only one I could share anything with. I couldn't send everything by mail to you guys, so I talked to her. I know she couldn't talk back but I could tell she understood. Does that make sense?" Harry said morosely. Ginny sat back and chewed her food thoughtfully.
"Yes, that makes sense," she said after swallowing. "She was your companion. Someone who would watch out for you, when no one else could. I…" she stopped talking to think about how to word her next thought. "I'm sorry if I rushed you into getting a new owl, Harry. I didn't really understand before about what exactly Hedwig meant to you." Harry looked at Ginny.
"It's okay, Gin. I knew I would need to get a new owl eventually. I just haven't really grieved for Hedwig yet, I guess. It just hit me today, hard, that I was never going to see her again." Harry sighed as his eyes watered. Ginny stood up and walked over to where he was sitting and sat in his lap. He pulled her into a hug as he buried his face into her shoulders and hair and sniffled.
"Harry, it's okay to cry for her. She was a great owl. It might help to talk about certain things about her. Share stories, if you want?" He nodded is head and pulled it out from under her hair.
"You want to know something? She was my first ever real birthday present I can remember. Not just something the Dursley's threw at me, or a toy from before my parents died. But a real present I can actually remember getting. Hagrid got her for me the day I found out I was a wizard. She was…" Harry sniffled loudly. "She was my friend." Harry started to softly cry in to Ginny's shoulder and she rubbed his back and let him grieve.
After several minutes Harry sat back up. Ginny looked at his face.
"You okay now?" she asked quietly. He nodded and smiled softly.
"Sorry I got your shirt wet, at least I didn't snot on it," he chuckled.
"Well, I'm glad for that, wet I can deal with, snot would just be gross," she laughed.
"I remember one summer, I think it was before third year, she was sitting in her cage and I had just gotten a letter from Ron. I was reading it and laughing at his story about the Egyptian tomb where the twins made the mummy start following Percy around whining about making a boom-boom in his wrappings. Hedwig gave me this look, like, well, what's so funny? So I read it too her and she hooted so loud my uncle started yelling. He hated her so much. But she hated him just as much. Sometimes, I think she made a racket just to annoy him." Harry smiled sadly at the memory. Ginny smiled at the memory of the mummy and his brothers.
"My goodness I had forgotten about that trip. Percy didn't talk to Fred and George for almost a week for that stunt." Harry and Ginny laughed for several minutes over memories of Hedwig while they finished their lunches.
"We should probably name these two shouldn't we?" Harry supposed. Ginny looked at them curiously.
"It might take me a while but I will think of something for her. Do you want me to think of something for him as well?" Ginny asked.
Harry remembered the disaster named Pigwidgeon and quickly replied, "I'll name him, that's okay."
"Well, I think we should get going to Andromeda's soon, okay?" she replied. Harry agreed and the two quickly cleaned up the kitchen and wrote a note telling whoever came home first that the owls were theirs and they would be back later, before Floo calling Andromeda to get the okay to come over. She was thrilled that they called and said to come over right away, so they left each carrying a package.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long…this chapter was a butt, as in a pain in the…It's kind of dull, but I have the next chapter written and titled, so I just need to write chapter 24 and then I'll post ch 23. I have many ideas so it should be quick going. What did y'all think of Kreacher and the Familiars…feedback people…I need it like air…
Now, I know I've mentioned this before, but people really, I am a review whore. They are like air and water to me. They create inspiration. To only get 3 reviews for a chapter that gave me a horrible time because I was crying and laughing and…chapter 21 was a really hard, great, terrible chapter for me to write and I asked specific questions in my a/n about what you liked and how I wrote a certain character and I only got 3 reviews. Callie258, Harrypotter crazy!!, and Rebecca I thank you three for reviewing. But I know there are more people out there reading, I have 233 hits for ch. 21, and I know I have 59 people on the alert list for this story…don't a lurker people, it's creepy…
I usually don't like doing this but for anyone who leaves an anonymous review and asks a question or leaves a nice comment and I feel compelled to answer I'll do it here, otherwise it's PM's for those of you who have an account.
Rebecca: I actually got the goblin subplot and the baby analogy from another story, titled Harry Potter and the Antiquity Link by semprini on Snoogle dot com. Very good story! Highly recommended by me. Thanks for mentioning the goblin thing in your review, I like it when people notice the little things like that and say something about them.