Chapter Sixteen - Nowhere to Go this Fall but Up
It was the first day of school. Harry and Ginny were taking Teddy back to Hogwarts in time for the feast. It seemed strange to be back in the Great Hall as guests for the evening, but they had a special announcement for the students, and so had been invited to stay for the meal.
The first year students were brought in to the Great Hall, and nervously waited while they were sorted into their new Houses. Teddy noticed how some of them were staring at his Uncle Harry like they were seeing someone famous.
"Why do they all keep staring at him?" he asked Ginny. She smiled and gave him a hug.
"Your Godfather doesn't talk about it much, but there probably isn't a Witch or Wizard anywhere who doesn't know him." Teddy looked past Ginny at Harry, trying to figure out why that would be.
"It's probably because he's the mostest fun to play with," he decided. Ginny laughed and gave him a kiss.
"I'm sure that's probably right," she told him.
When the first year students were sorted, and seated at one of the four House tables, Professor McGonagall stood and waited until the students quieted down.
"Good evening. For our new students, I am Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts. All of your Professors, our school staff, and House Elves welcome you and hope you have happy and wonderful years ahead of you here at your new school. To our returning students, welcome home! You all remember how difficult the first days in a new school can be, so please help our newest students to feel welcome into their Houses and school." She paused as the students clapped.
"Before we begin our feast, I am pleased to announce that all of our Professors have returned for this school year." Another round of applause came from the students, and she had to wait for another few moments. "The forbidden forest, as always, is off limits to all students except when in Professor Hagrid's class. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind all students that Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products are banned at Hogwarts."
Harry smiled at the annual ban on George's tricks and jokes. He suspected that Filch secretly enjoyed the jokes nearly as much as he enjoyed catching the students with them. Professor McGonagall looked briefly over toward Harry and Ginny before continuing. While all the students knew about Marauders Institute, there certainly wouldn't be anyone there who knew it was one of Harry's companies, and only a few might know that his wife was in charge of it.
"There is one new rule for students this year," the Professor continued. "All 3MP's and WWVN's are banned from classrooms and from the library." There was a loud collective groan from the students. The Headmistress put up her hand for silence.
"Please do not attempt to break this new rule. Your professors have all been instructed to confiscate these items if they're found being used during their classes or at any time in the library, and returned to your parents for the remainder of the school year." She took a moment to look around the room to make sure they all understood her clearly.
"Finally, I would like to welcome two special guests this evening - Harry and Ginny Potter." All of the students who had been at Hogwarts when Harry and Ginny had attended jumped up and began clapping - even at the Slytherin table, and soon every student was standing and clapping. When the students were all seated again, Professor McGonagall continued.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter requested the chance to make a special announcement to start the year off at Hogwarts. Harry, Ginny, please come and make your announcement." She sat down as Harry and Ginny stood and walked over to stand at the front of the hall.
When they'd talked about making this announcement, he had wanted Ginny to make the announcement, but she insisted that he would be expected to talk with the students. They compromised, and would each be making part of the announcement. Harry began.
"Thank-you for such a warm welcome! Some of you will remember that both Ginny and I played Quidditch on our House team here at Hogwarts." He paused as the students at the Gryffindor table cheered, and the students at the other House tables booed. Harry had a big smile on his face, and Ginny was openly laughing.
"It's so nice to know that we left an impression," he joked as he looked around the hall, his green eyes sparkling in the candlelight.
"When we were students here, we loved the competition between the Houses each year, and we wanted to do something this year to make those competitions special for all of you." He paused to take a breath.
"The Quidditch World Cup is being held next summer in Spain. Ginny and I will be going to that World Cup final, and we're going to be taking our little buddy Teddy," he said pointing at his Godson. "We're also going to take every student in the House of the team that wins this year's Quidditch Cup."
The hall erupted into shouts of excitement, and it was several minutes before order was restored. Ginny took over from there, while Harry had his hands full with the little boy who had run over and jumped into his arms.
"Now I know my husband, and many of you probably think that there isn't anything more important than Quidditch," she began, looked around at as many of the students as she could, smiling and nodding at some she knew would believe that was true.
"The biggest award each year at Hogwarts is not the Quidditch Cup, but the House Cup, awarded to the House that earns the most points during the year. Everyone can contribute, earning points for doing well in class, for participating in clubs, and yes, even for playing Quidditch. We want all of the students to do their best in everything this year, so we will also be taking the students that win the House Cup with us to Spain." The Great Hall erupted once again, and Ginny had to wait several more minutes for the students to quiet again.
"If one House should happen to win both the Quidditch and House Cups, the runner-up for the House Cup will become the second group of students to come with us to see the Quidditch World Cup Finals," she told her captive audience. All of the students cheered again. "We want to wish you all good luck, and may the best Houses win!" The cheering started again, and continued as Harry, Ginny and Teddy returned to their seats.
Professor McGonagall stood again, and the students quieted once more to listen to her. "I'm sure we're in for an exciting year. Let the feast begin!"
The dinner was amazing, and Harry enjoyed visiting with Hagrid and the other Professors. A few of the Gryffindor students that knew them came up to shake Harry's hand, hug Ginny, and speak with them briefly. When the evening was over, and the students had left for their Houses, Harry and Ginny were at the front entrance saying their good-byes to Teddy, Andromeda, Hagrid, and Professor McGonagall when they started hearing excited shouting coming from the House Common Rooms. Andromeda laughed.
"I'm guessing they've discovered the surprises waiting for them," she suggested. "When their families start getting the letters telling them about those monster WWVN's you guys put in those Common Rooms, it won't be long before the Institute is swamped with requests for them."
Ginny laughed too. "That was Luna's plan all along. She's got them going on sale next week." There was one last round of hugs, and then Harry and Ginny headed home.
Harry was comfortable, hanging out in the sitting room and talking quietly with Neville. The sound on their big screen WWVN was turned down low while they waited for the game to start. It was opening day for the Quidditch season, and the Cannons were visiting the Champion Tornados for a rematch of last season's Championship game.
They would have normally been at the game, but it was also going to be the first live sporting event on WWVN, and they had decided to watch the match at home. He heard a quiet chime, pulled out his WiComm, and opened it. 'You have 1 new message,' it told him. He tapped the parchment and laughed.
'Harry, we'll be in with the snacks in a minute. Could you pour drinks for us, please? Love, Ginny.'
Harry tapped the 'Exit Messages', closed his WiComm, and put it back in his pocket. He stood and went over to the table where they'd put the glasses and wine, and poured glasses for everyone. He handed one to Neville, and had just picked up two more for the girls as they walked in, carrying the trays of snacks. When the trays had been set down, Harry handed them each a glass. He picked his up, and they all sat down.
"You girls weren't out there talking shop the whole time were you?" Harry asked them. The girls looked at each other and laughed.
"Most of the time," Luna admitted. "We also covered fashion, hair, make-up, and cars." She looked over at Ginny, her eyes soft and dreamy. "Anything else? Oh yeah - how to talk Muggle policemen out of speeding tickets." Harry put his arm around Ginny as they all laughed, and kissed her cheek.
"You've just gotta love a girl that likes sports and drives fast cars," he said.
They spent the afternoon watching the game and enjoying each other's company. It was certainly different watching the game on WWVN. The network putting the game on, QSPN, had worked with Marauders Institute to make some special cameras. There was the broom-cam, the goal-cams, and quaffle-cams to go with the regular cameras they had positioned around the stadium. Demelza scored nine goals, Ron had a shutout, and Dennis won the game for the Cannons by catching the snitch with a wild display of flying that left some of the WWVN viewers a little dizzy. Ron and Hermione apparated over after the game and joined them for a celebration dinner and a quiet evening with their friends.
Ginny was in her office catching up on the seemingly endless paperwork that crossed her desk every day. Her Marauders Institute - she still shivered in pleasure every time she thought about that - was becoming a giant company. Selling millions of their inventions was pretty cool, but Ginny especially loved some of the things they did that almost nobody ever heard about, like what they'd been able to do for Neville's parents.
All of this administrative work hadn't left her time to do much of the research she so loved. She did like working with everyone, and making the big decisions, and knowing about everything that was going on in her company, but she did miss being in the lab. The question that started nagging her was whether she could do something about the way things were set up so she could have more time to do her research.
She called Hermione, Fleur, and Luna in for a meeting near the end of October to deal with that issue. When the girls had all arrived and had taken seats around her desk, Ginny got right down to business.
"I want to get back to doing more research again," she told them. "I think the only way that'll happen is if I get some help with some of the administrative work I'm tied up with most of the time here in the office."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "It'd be nice to have my favourite research partner back again," she agreed.
"I think it's a great idea too," Fleur said, and Luna nodded her approval.
"Any suggestions for someone to take the job?" Ginny asked them. Luna spoke up first.
"It might be a lot of fun to see what would happen if you asked Dean Thomas to be your assistant," she suggested. They all laughed at that.
"I'm sure you would all find that hilarious," Ginny told them with a grin, "but I think I'll pass. Any other suggestions?"
Fleur nodded. "I've worked with a Witch over in manufacturing - Mandy Brocklehurst. She is very bright, and she would be very good for this job, I think." Hermione agreed.
"She'd be perfect. Nearly as good as you and I in Arithmancy if I remember right," she told Ginny.
"Will it cause any issues if we take her from the job she's doing now?" Luna asked them. "We don't want to make any problems for ourselves over in the manufacturing plant." Fleur shook her head.
"We have someone who's ready to take over her job," she assured the others.
"Do we all agree then?" Ginny asked them, waiting until she had three nods of agreement. "Could you have her come see me tomorrow morning, Fleur? I'll offer her the job, and if she takes it, she can start the week after the WiComm's hit the stores." Fleur nodded and made a note.
"That is a good idea, Ginny. It will give her time to get her replacement brought up to speed too," she said.
"Do we have anything else we need to take care of today?" Hermione asked the other women.
"That's all I had," Ginny said.
"Then I vote we adjourn this meeting and head into town for an after work drink before going home to our husbands. All in favour?" She was answered with three enthusiastic 'Aye's'.
The Chudley Cannon's were undefeated again through October. The Quidditch Leagues all over the world were now having their games broadcast on WWVN networks, and now had millions of fans watching the games every week. Dennis and Demelza got engaged, which caused a huge splash in the newspapers and teen magazines.
Harry kept track of the House Cup race at Hogwarts, and Professor McGonagall sent him a thank-you letter from all the Professors who were seeing their students so far having the best academic year ever at the school. The Wizengamot met during the month, and among other things, a House Elf bill of rights was introduced to them for consideration, submitted by Hermione Weasley. More than a few Witches and Wizards were surprised that the proposal was sponsored by Elder Slughorn. The members were all given copies of the proposal, and it was tabled until the next meeting to give everyone time to read through and consider the bill.
The sales records that had been set with the WWVN's were shattered on November first with the WiComm's. Harry and Luna went with George on a one day, six country, twelve time zone promotional tour. Fleur, Ginny, and Hermione hosted a lunchtime celebration at the Institute, and then gave everyone a paid afternoon off. When Professor McGonagall saw hundreds of owls dropping off packages during the Owl Post, including one delivering the WiComm she'd ordered for herself, and packages that were dropped in front of all of the Professors too, she quickly added the WiComm to the list of items banned in the classroom right then and there.
Ginny happily got back into the lab in November, and Mandy smoothly took over managing the day-to-day operations at the Institute. Mandy was officially the Chief Administrator, and Ginny was now the Executive Administrator - mostly meaning that she only got involved when the big decisions needed to be made, and kept up with everything else by reading over the daily summaries that Mandy prepared for her.
She got involved in some of Hermione's charms and spell research, but also set aside a small lab for herself where she worked on a her own pet projects at least a little every day, which she kept completely top secret. Ginny was always happy for Hermione and the other researchers when they came up with the inventions, charms, spells, and all of the rest of the great ideas they turned into reality, but she had some ideas of her own, and was eager to see if she could have some breakthrough inventions of her own. When she had a working prototype of her first invention, she brought Hermione and Fleur in, swore them to secrecy, and had them help her with testing and refining what they all new would be MI's next big thing.
Harry's favourite business day arrived - a bright, crisp morning. He and Ginny were both at the kitchen table having breakfast when two Owl Posts arrived, one for each of them. Harry opened his first, and with their heads close together, they read the letters. When he got to the bottom, he had to read it again to make sure he hadn't read it wrong. Ginny threw her arms around him.
"I'm guessing that nobody will be doubting you anymore when it comes to business," she told him happily. He kissed her and returned the hug.
"You're the Arithmancy expert in our little family. What's one and a half percent of a billion galleons come out to anyway?" he asked her, laughing with genuine delight. He signed the seven authorization forms and sent his Owl on it's way back to Gringotts as Ginny opened her envelope. She read the top parchment out loud as Harry sat back, drank his tea, and watched her reaction to what he suspected was in her package.
Dear Ginny,
As the Account Manager for Marauders Institute, it is my pleasure to advise you that your first annual incentive has been calculated and approved unanimously by the Account Manager team. A transfer to your account in the amount of seven million galleons has been completed by the time you receive this letter.
You will find attached a list of proposed incentive payouts for all other Marauders Institute workers, with the exception of Hermione Weasley and Luna Longbottom, whose incentives are, like yours, approved by the Account Managers. As Executive Administrator, it is your responsibility to review the incentives, make changes if necessary, and approve them.
This Owl will wait for your return post. Gringotts is prepared, and would be pleased to transfer these funds to your worker's accounts upon receipt of your approval.
Sincerely,
Fleur Weasley
Account Manager - Marauders Institute
P.S. You'll see that we factored in the percentage of the year each person worked for Marauders Institute to be fair to everyone. The average incentive for manufacturing division workers is just over forty-five thousand galleons. Your managers and research division workers received additional incentive depending on level of responsibility, and this year your workforce earned approximate incentive of thirty-seven hundred galleons for each month worked. I included a special adjustment for Mandy's incentive.
Ginny started looking through the pages of incentives. Her hands were shaking an hour later when she signed off on spending nearly one hundred and fifty-four million of her husband's galleons. She quickly dispatched the Owl, and then went over to Harry and pulled him to his feet.
"Come with me," she told him. "You and I are taking the rest of the morning off - and I think we'll figure out a few other things to take off besides the morning." Harry picked her up in his arms, and with both of them laughing, carried her back upstairs.
Ginny had everyone at the Institute attend a meeting at the manufacturing plant that afternoon. She had drinks and a buffet set up, and then she proceeded, with the help of Hermione, Luna, and Mandy, to spend the next two hours handing out the incentive letters that had been delivered from Gringotts shortly after lunch.
There wasn't a single person there that wasn't astonished at how much they received. Ginny had grumbled to Harry a bit about how he only had seven incentive letters to do, while she had about fifteen hundred manufacturing and five hundred management and research incentives to review. Now that she was getting to share in all the happiness, though, she was sorry that Harry hadn't come to be part of the fun.
Harry had a meeting with his Account Managers at Gringotts a week before Christmas to discuss new investments for the next year. They needed to keep the large amounts of money coming in from sitting around doing nothing. When he arrived, everyone was there waiting, and to his surprise, Hermione and Ginny were also there. When he was seated, Fleur called the meeting to order.
"We are here to present and discuss new investments for the coming year," she began, smiling at Ginny, who could barely contain her excitement. "I am pleased to welcome Ginny Potter and Hermione Weasley from Marauders Institute to our meeting. They will begin our meeting by demonstrating an exciting new product, and presenting their investment proposal. Ginny, are you ready to begin?" Ginny stood, and smiling brightly at Harry, began the presentation.
"During the past month, Hermione and I have been working on a top-secret project at the institute. I invented the prototype in early November, and we have been testing and perfecting it since then." She held up what looked like a large metal coin. "I call this a Translocator." She passed the little device around, and then continued.
"In the Wizarding World we use Owl Posts to send letters and packages from place to place. We can levitate objects a certain distance - for most Witches and Wizards, only within a room or house. When we apparate, our clothes and anything we're carrying go with us to our destination. The same thing happens with portkeys. I was interested in why we couldn't move objects the way we move when we apparate or use portkeys. I found out that the answer was because nobody had invented a way to do it." Harry was taking a look at the Translocator, and looked up and smiled encouragingly when Ginny paused for a moment.
"The Translocator is able to move any object, of any size to anyplace in the world nearly instantly," she continued. Harry, Mrs. Weasley, and the five Goblin Account Managers all stared at Ginny in amazement.
"We will now provide a small demonstration," she added. "Harry, would you please call Luna on your WiComm for me?" Harry pulled it out of his pocket, and had Luna's face smiling up at him a moment later.
"For this experiment, Luna is in a storage room at my brother's store in Los Angeles. My Mum and Fleur verified this earlier, although Mum wasn't told why she was there." The two women nodded in agreement, and her mother smiled at her. Ginny attached the Translocator to the large conference table they were all sitting around.
"If everyone would please push their chairs back from the table a bit, we don't want to accidentally send some of you to Los Angeles during the demonstration. Luna are you ready?" They could all hear Luna answer that she was. Ginny touched the Translocator.
"Luna Longbottom, SEND!" she said, and quickly took her hand off the device. It immediately vanished, along with the entire conference table, and everything that was on it.
"Luna, could you please point your WiComm at the table so we can see that it arrived?" Ginny asked her friend. Harry watched as Luna showed him the table that was now with her in L.A., and then passed his WiComm around so everyone could see. Ginny asked Luna to return the table, and then join them so that they could continue the meeting. A moment later, the conference table was back as if it had never been gone.
Hermione handed out their proposal to everyone while they waited a few minutes for Luna to get there by portkey. Hermione took over from Ginny for the next part of their presentation.
"The Translocators can, as you just saw, move an object to wherever a person is just by 'addressing' it to them. They can also send them to specific locations - it would be inconvenient if we'd had this table show up while Luna was in the shower, for instance, if she wasn't expecting the delivery." They all laughed at the example. "The Translocator will completely change the way business in the Wizarding World moves material, inventory, and how deliveries are made to customers. Wizards and Witches will be able to send and receive packages, move furniture - there's really no end to the possible applications." Hermione looked over at Luna and nodded, and she stood to complete the final part of their presentation.
"We think that Marauders Institute has a proven track record of success in marketing our products," she began, looking around and receiving nods of agreement from everyone. Harry, Molly, and the Goblin account managers were reading through the proposal as Luna continued.
"We are requesting a two hundred million galleon investment, and we would be able to have the Translocator to market by March. Our market research allows us to confidently project a fifty percent return on investment during the first fiscal year ending next November thirtieth. We have also provided our projections for the next ten years in our proposal." Harry looked around at his Account Managers who all looked excited.
"Any questions or comments?" he asked. They could all see what they had here, and so there was not really any need for discussion. "Mrs. Potter," Harry said with a smile, "your proposal is approved. If it's alright with you, I'll congratulate you when I see you after work back home." The girls all laughed, and Ginny, Hermione, and Luna left to go back to the institute.
Harry continued the meeting. "That was an exciting start. Two hundred million down, about four hundred and fifty million more to go. What other gold mines have you all discovered?" He spent the next two hours going over the recommendations from his account team, approving just over four hundred and twenty million galleons in investments.
"I guess I'll have to go Christmas shopping with the rest of it," he joked. "Seriously, though, I'm sure you will be able to find other opportunities. Invest the rest of it when you can." They adjourned the meeting, and Harry headed home to set up a congratulations Ginny would never forget.
Bill and Fleur invited the entire Weasley clan to join the Delacour family for a Christmas holiday on the Mediterranean coast of France. Harry and Ginny left after Ginny was done work on the Friday before Christmas. Teddy was going with them for the weekend, since he would be spending Christmas with Andromeda at Hogwarts this year. Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, met them when they arrived. She was now a stunningly beautiful fifteen-year old young woman, and she had a dazzling, welcoming smile for them.
"Fleur and Bill are running late, so she asked me to show you to your suite," she told them. Ginny introduced Teddy to Gabrielle, and they all exchanged hugs before following their young hostess.
Calling the Delacour home a house would be like calling Buckingham Palace a shack. The suite Gabrielle took them to had two bedrooms, a huge bathroom, and a large sitting room with a wonderful view of the sea.
"This is amazing," Ginny told Gabrielle, hugging her again. Teddy was bouncing around, exploring everywhere, and blasting an endless stream of questions at them. Gabrielle laughed and picked him up.
"Why don't you and I go exploring and let these two old people get unpacked and settled in," she suggested. Harry and Ginny laughed.
"What old people are you referring to?" he asked.
"Well", she conceded, "you guys aren't exactly ready for rocking chairs yet, but compared to Teddy and me, you are pretty old. Right, Teddy?" she asked him as she tickled the little boy.
"Nu-uh," he answered, giggling. "Aunt Ginny says Unca Harry is a little kid like me in disguise." The girls laughed and Harry wasn't sure whether to be offended or not, since it was basically true. "Can we go 'splore now?" Teddy asked Gabrielle, flashing her his most winsome dimpled smile.
George and Marietta wouldn't be coming until after the Christmas rush ended on Christmas Eve. Ron had a game on Saturday, and then he and Hermione would be there, and Percy and Penelope would be arriving on Monday. Mum and Dad, and Charlie and Nathalie arrived safely, settled in to their suites, and then they all met with the Delacours for drinks in the early evening.
Because Harry and Ginny were teenagers when Fleur and Bill got married, they hadn't really gotten to know her parents very well. Monsieur Delacour was friendly, and had a warmth about him that Harry liked very much. Madame Delacour was very formal at first, but she was soon able to relax and enjoy herself too. Harry now understood just how difficult social gatherings could be for a Veela, and he could tell that Apolline enjoyed the rare chance to socialize without having to deal with the usual effects she had on men.
Teddy had quickly wrapped the Delacour women around his pudgy little finger, and at least for the evening, Unca Harry was on the sidelines as the little boy happily allowed Gabrielle and her mother to feed him treats and play games with him. Bill and Fleur finally arrived with Victoire, who was immediately passed around among the grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
Charlie, Bill and Harry sat down on Saturday afternoon to watch the Cannons' game. Teddy lasted for about ten minutes of 'hanging out with the men' before boredom set in, and he talked some of the girls into an afternoon playing down at the beach. Ron's team had the game well in hand an hour later, and Harry had gone to look out the window at the sea. He saw Ginny with the other girls, playing in the surf with Teddy.
"You guys know I love your brother," he told his brother-in-laws, "but can you explain to me why we're in here watching him play Quidditch when we could be out there on the beach with all those swimsuit clad, beautiful women?"
None of them could, so they all went to get changed and join in the fun at the beach. When Ron and Hermione got there later, Harry sheepishly and unapologetically admitted they'd missed most of the game. Harry had long since gotten used to the energetic nature of the Weasley family. They were on their best behaviour as visitors, but the approximately half as rowdy as usual was definitely a shock to the Delacours.
That wasn't to say that their hosts didn't enjoy themselves. Monsieur Delacour happily joined in. Gabrielle was delighted that they all treated her as an equal and not a little kid. She also thought that they were a lot more fun that most adults too. Apolline was more reserved than her husband and younger daughter, but she was won over by the obvious love that automatically included everyone around this unusual family.
It was a beautiful morning that greeted them on Sunday. Harry and Ginny took Teddy for a sunrise walk on the beach before breakfast. Madame Delacour announced that the grandparents would be taking Victoire and Teddy for a 'kid's only day, and that Gabrielle and Fleur would be taking the others sightseeing.
Their little group was given special permission for a tour of the Beauxbatons School, and then they had lunch at a charming café in Marseilles, followed by an afternoon of sightseeing. When they returned to the house, Harry and Ginny were swarmed by a hyper active Teddy. He proceeded to tell them in great detail about his day, which had included a boat ride, a picnic on the beach, building a sand castle, burying Victoire in the sand ("She liked it until I covered her head with sand"), and finishing their 'kids only' day making and eating ice cream sundaes ("'cuz it's Sunday - Grandpa said we had to wait for today, since if we'd had them yesterday, they would've been ice cream Saturdays"). Harry pretended to be very disappointed that he wasn't allowed to be there, and Teddy was very pleased that for once it was the grown-ups that missed out on the bestest fun of the day.
Monday morning, there was going to be a shopping day in Paris. They split up into groups for the morning, and would be meeting for lunch. Teddy and Gabrielle went with Harry and Ginny; Ron and Hermione paired up with Charlie and Nathalie; and Bill and Fleur went with Victoire and the grandparents. Harry was glad to have Gabrielle with them, since his grasp of the French language was non-existent.
He was not as happy about the fact that he quickly become little more than the packhorse for the three busy little shoppers. Teddy managed to score two toys and some candy with a devastating combination of hugs and dimples. The first time Teddy was hugging Ginny and peppering her with kisses, Harry teased them by putting his arm around Gabrielle.
"Fine," he told them. "If you're going to steal my girl right in front of me, then Gabrielle and I will be on our way," he joked. Teddy had them all laughing when he seriously told Harry that he wasn't stealing nothing - he was sharing.
While they were shopping, Gabrielle told them about how school was going. She was in her fifth year at Beauxbatons, and tops in her class. There weren't any boyfriends at the moment. Teddy happily told her that he and Unca Harry would be her boy friends.
They were ten minutes late getting to the restaurant where they were to meet for lunch. Andromeda was already there to join them for the meal, and to pick Teddy up. Harry had reserved a private room for them, and had ordered an amazing buffet. When everyone was there, and the food was out and ready for them, Ron happily led the charge to start filling plates.
There was animated conversation as they ate, along with a great deal of laughter and happy faces. When lunch was finished, and Teddy had made the rounds to say his good-byes and to thank everyone before leaving for Hogwarts with his grandmother, they all decided to go back to the Delacour house and have a relaxing afternoon at the beach. Harry told Ginny he'd meet them there a bit later, and went back to a couple of the stores they had visited to pick up a gold and diamond necklace that Gabrielle had admired, and an exquisite, hand crafted jewellery box that Ginny had looked at three times, but wouldn't buy herself. When he got back, he hid the jewellery box, and showed Ginny the necklace, and had her help him wrap it up.
After an afternoon of sun and fun, and a light meal, they were gathered together for a quiet evening of conversation when Percy and Penelope got in from London. While introductions were being made, Harry wondered why even after everything that happened he never felt that Percy was ever as comfortable with his own family as Harry was.
There were no longer any of the reasons his reserved and proper brother-in-law once had for shunning his family. They were all quite wealthy now, even if Percy didn't realize just how wealthy, and he knew without a doubt that his family had always been on the right side of the war, while he himself had followed at best weak men, and at worst Tom Riddle's minions.
Harry realized then that he didn't really care about the why, and that he might never actually like his arrogant, misguided brother-in-law. Mostly, he felt sorry for everything that Percy was missing out on with his family. He turned and saw Ginny watching him and he shrugged. He smiled, knowing that she'd been reading his mind again, and then went over to her to help welcome her brother and his wife.
Christmas Eve day was bright and sunny again. Gabrielle came by their suite early, and spent all of about five seconds convincing Ginny to go with her to Marseille for a morning makeover. Harry's understanding smile was rewarded with a quick good-bye kiss – from Ginny - and the girls were gone. He wandered into the dining room, where everyone was starting to gather for breakfast.
"Where is Ginny?" Fleur asked him. He laughed.
"I think your sister has decided to adopt her, and they abandoned me in favour of a morning of pampering themselves in Marseille at some spa." Fleur's eyes lit up. She looked over at Nathalie, Hermione, and the other women.
"That sounds like a wonderful way to spend the morning," she told them. "Anyone interested?" She immediately had five volunteers, including her Mum and mother-in-law, and it didn't take them long to finish their breakfast and hurry off to get ready to leave for Marseille. Ron gave Harry a grumpy look.
"You had to go and open your big mouth didn't you. I've hardly seen Hermione in weeks, and now she's off again already." Harry put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
"It's only for the morning, and you know that a little pampering makes the girls very happy." Charlie looked over at them thoughtfully. "Maybe we should spend our morning putting some kind of surprise together for them," he suggested.
"Got anything specific in mind?" Bill asked him.
"Not really" Charlie admitted, but Monsieur Delacour had the perfect idea.
"Why don't we put together a formal dinner and dance for them tonight? Tuxes, banquet, music, the complete package."
They all thought that would be a perfect surprise for their girls. Harry was put in charge of the dinner, and recruited kreacher and Winky to get it all together for them. Monsieur Delacour took the guys who didn't have tuxes out to pick some up. Mr. Weasley would take care of the music, and Percy would get corsages for each of the girls. Bill had already been given the full time job of watching Victoire, but he helped out here and there around the Estate, giving the other guys a hand. Harry and Charlie sent messages to Ginny and Nathalie to tell the girls that they were on their own for lunch, because the guys would be busy, so the girls decided to have lunch in the city too once they were done at the spa.
Harry was waiting in their suite when Ginny and Gabrielle got back. He was already dressed in his tux, and when the girls stopped and stared at him, he bowed gracefully.
"My ladies," he told them, "I would be pleased if, after you have both had appropriate time to get ready, you would allow me to escort you to the dinner we have prepared for you, followed by an evening of dance and entertainment." Ginny walked over and gave him a hug, and Gabrielle looked thrilled.
"Why sir," Ginny answered winking at Gabrielle, "I do believe we would both be delighted to have such a handsome and famous gentleman be our escort tonight." Turning to Gabrielle she added - "Why don't you meet us back here when you're ready. Will an hour be enough time?" Gabrielle nodded, and hurried off to get ready. Harry put his arms around his wife.
"You look absolutely amazing," he told her, kissing her tenderly. Ginny laughed and hugged him back.
"You guys are amazing to pull this together in one morning. Pour me some wine, and I'll go start getting ready."
Ginny was ready when Gabrielle returned just under an hour later. Harry presented them with their flowers.
"Are we ready to go?" Ginny asked.
Harry smiled at her. "Almost," he said. "Our beautiful young friend here looks almost perfect, but there seems to be something missing." While Gabrielle looked down at herself, a little frown of worry on her face, Harry winked at Ginny. "I think I know what it is. Why don't you give her an early Christmas present," he suggested. Ginny smiled too, and a moment later, a small gift floated out from the bedroom and over to Gabrielle. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled, and she gasped in surprise when she opened it.
"It's so beautiful. I can't believe you went back and got it for me," she said. "Thank-you so much." She gave Ginny a giant hug. "Will you help me put it on?" she asked, holding the necklace out to Ginny.
"Of course," Ginny assured her. She led Gabrielle over to a mirror on the wall by the door, and fastened the necklace for her while the younger girl held her hair up ouot of the way. "That is absolutely perfect for you," Ginny told her, kissing her cheek, and hugging her again.
"Definitely," Harry agreed. "Now we're ready. Shall we?"
Harry walked into the room where they were holding a before dinner reception, with a beautiful girl on each arm, and a big smile on his face. To the couples who had already arrived, he grandly announced - "My Lords and Ladies, may I present to you the Lady Gabrielle, a young woman of impeccable lineage," he said, nodding to his left, and the Lady Ginevra, my beautiful and beloved wife."
Gabrielle left them to go show her new necklace to her mother and the other women. Charlie brought them crystal goblets of wine, and kissed Ginny's cheek. He slapped Harry playfully on the shoulder.
"You always have to come up with something else to keep the rest of us mere mortal men scrambling to keep up, don't you?" he joked, and Ginny laughed.
"Look who's talking," she told him. "Last time I checked, you're princess was the only one who has her own real life, dragon fighting knight in shining armour." Charlie bowed, graciously conceding the point.
While they waited for dinner, they divided up into smaller groups. Victoire toddled up to Harry, and raised her arms up. He scooped her into his arms, and gave her a tickle-hug that made her giggle as she put her tiny arms around his neck and kissed him. They walked around together for a while, and with a royal wave of her hand, she directed him to a tray of food, so that he could procure a treat for his adorable little princess. Fleur caught them in the act, and he was summarily relieved of duty.
Harry had remembered late in the morning that George and Marietta didn't know about the dinner and dance plans, and had called George on his WiComm to get him up to speed. When he and Marietta arrived, they entered with an extravagant flurry of streamers and confetti, accompanied by a musical fanfare. Harry happened to be standing beside Charlie at the time, and both men were laughing.
"And you thought my entrance was over the top?" he asked.
While the last two members of their group were being welcomed, Harry went to the dining room to see Kreacher and Winky while George and Marietta waded through the sea of hugs, kisses, and handshakes. The two House Elves had done an amazing job on such short notice, and they told him they could serve dinner whenever Harry was ready for them to do so. He bowed to his two diminutive friends in appreciation.
"This is wonderful. I am very proud of both of you. Thank-you so much for doing all of this for us." Winky, with tears in her eyes, cautiously walked up to him. He knelt down, and she timidly gave him a hug. He hugged her back.
"Winky loves Harry and Ginny Potter very much," she told him, and he smiled at her.
"We love you and Kreacher very much too, Winky," he said, and then stood up again, a little misty-eyed himself. "I had better go invite everyone in now." While their family started going into the dining room and taking their seats, Ginny took his hand and smiled at him.
"Is everything alright?" she whispered. He smiled and leaned over to whisper an answer in her ear.
"Yeah, just a bit emotional. Winky just gave me a hug, and told me that she loves us before I came out to get everyone." Ginny gave him a hug, and then they went in to join their family.
Dinner was an extended affair that began with appetizers, and ended nearly two hours later with a truly decadent chocolate, whipped cream, and fruit confection that even Ron couldn't help but notice was a true work of art. When they were finished, Mr. Weasley led everyone from the dining room to the main sitting room in the house. Harry and Ginny stayed behind briefly to again thank Kreacher and Winky. Ginny hugged them both.
"I've put your Christmas presents under our tree at the house in Godric's Hollow," she told them. "When you leave, could you stop there and pick them up?" The two House Elves nodded. "Have a Merry Christmas."
The music was already playing softly when they caught up with the others, and Monsieur Delacour had already swept his youngest daughter onto the little dance floor they'd set up for the evening, and Bill was dancing with a sleepy Victoire. Harry and Ginny joined them, and soon Mum and Dad Weasley, and Charlie and Nathalie were swirling around the room too.
Harry held Ginny close as they moved to the music, and whispered in her ear - "In case I forgot to tell you today, I love you." She gave him a squeeze, happy to leave her head resting against his shoulder as they danced.
"I love you too," she whispered back. Harry danced with all of the girls at least once, and danced several times with Gabrielle, which got him a nod of approval from Fleur. Ginny danced with her father, Monsieur Delacour, and each of her brothers. Victoire had fallen asleep, and was curled up on a sofa with a blanket tucked around her. George and Marietta, after having had a very long day at work, had bid everyone a goodnight and retired to their rooms early.
There seemed to be more quiet conversations and less dancing when Ginny tracked Harry down. He was dancing with Gabrielle again, and they were one of only three couples on the dance floor. She tapped Gabrielle on the shoulder. "May I cut in for a last dance with him?"
Gabrielle smiled and nodded. "Certainly. I'm pretty much ready to go get some sleep now anyway." She curtsied to Harry. "Thank-you for the dance, sir."
Harry bowed and returned her smile. "It was my honour and privilege, my lady." Gabrielle hugged Ginny, then left them and went to say goodnight to the others. Ginny began dancing with Harry, holding him close.
"This has been a really extra special night," she said quietly. She looked into his eyes and smiled at him. "I'm a bit jealous that you danced with Gabrielle more than you danced with me, though." Harry laughed and hugged her.
"I may have danced more with her, but I'll be going to bed with you." Ginny perked up at that, a gleam coming into her brown eyes.
"That's true. Maybe we should go back to our suite and talk about it." Harry kissed her until he heard Ron nearby.
"Oi, get a room, will ya!" he told them. Ginny looked over at her brother, who was dancing with Hermione, and grinned at him.
"Well fine, if you insist, we will!" she told him. Hermione laughed as Ginny took Harry's hand and led him away, heading toward their suite, only stopping for a few goodnight hugs as they left the room.
Ginny slowly woke up Christmas morning, warm and comfortable, cuddled next to Harry. His arm was wrapped around her waist, and he was holding her close.
"Merry Christmas," he murmured, kissing her softly on the neck.
"I suppose we should get up," she sighed. "Victoire is probably hopping around by now, wanting to open presents." Ginny could feel his lips curl into a smile against her neck.
"And you're not excited about opening your presents?" he asked.
"Of course I am, silly," she told him. "Staying here warm in bed with you is pretty nice too, though." Harry had been ready for that, and handed her a present.
"Your wish is my command - you can have both of your fondest heart's desires at the same time." She laughed, snuggling in closer against him, and opened her present excitedly. Harry smiled in anticipation.
When Ginny finally held the jewellery box in her hands, she gently ran a hand along the edges, feeling the intricate carvings in the smooth, perfectly polished wood. She opened the lid to listen to the music she knew would start playing when she opened the lid, and her eyes opened wide when she saw the jewellery that Harry had hidden inside.
The jeweller had commented to him that the stones set in the pieces he had bought for her nearly exactly matched the colour of his eyes. Ginny carefully picked up the earrings first. The emeralds shone in the morning light, dangling from small gold chains. The necklace had more emeralds laid into a golden locket. She opened the locket, and saw two tiny polished mirrors inside.
"Think about someone you love," Harry whispered in her ear. She thought about her extraordinary husband, and watched as her image appeared in one mirror, and his appeared in the other. "Hermione helped me with the locket," he told her quietly. "Now you'll have pictures of everyone you love with you wherever you go, just a thought away." Ginny had tears in her eyes now.
"Harry, I love it - and I love you," she told him as she looked at the mirrors that were still showing the two of them smiling up at her. "I wonder how Hermione did this?"
Harry laughed. "I have no idea. She had me help her with some magical muscle, but the only part of what she was talking about that I understood was when she told me that she used the Mirror of Erised to help her make it."
Ginny put it around her neck, and had Harry help her fasten it. There was also a matching emerald studded bracelet that completed the set, and after admiring it for a few moments, she laid the jewellery box aside, put her arms around his neck, and gave him a long, tender, rock-his-world kiss.
"Thank-you," she breathed. "We'd better take this up later, or I'll keep you here in bed all day." Harry hugged her tightly.
"I love you, Ginny,' he answered. "Let's get going then - the sooner we get the family stuff out of the way, the quicker we can get back to the 'take this up later'." She kissed him again, laughing, and they both started getting ready for the day.
They were the last couple to come for breakfast. Ginny immediately went over and gave Hermione a hug. Victoire was bouncing in her seat between Bill and Fleur, so they both ate quickly, and then took cups of tea with them to the sitting room to watch the excited little girl open the large pile of presents waiting for her under the tree.
Gabrielle and Ginny were handing out the presents. Harry was sitting on a comfortable sofa, talking quietly with Nathalie and Charlie, and trying to keep up with the frenzy of activity around the room. He had been handed quite a few presents, and put them aside to wait for Ginny to join him. George's gifts were always the most entertaining, and Mum still managed to make jumpers for her ever-growing family.
Harry watched as gifts were opened, and hugs and kisses were liberally spread around the room. There were clothes and jewellery, toys, games, and a menagerie of unique little gifts. When Ginny joined him, they opened the presents together, and then worked their way around to room so they could thank everyone, and see some of the other gifts that had been received.
There was a sea of gifts surrounding Victoire, and she was happily playing on the floor. There were dolls, a cute stuffed, furry dragon, toys, and clothes. They managed to each get a quick hug and kiss from her before she turned back to play with her new toys.
They sat with Gabrielle for a few minutes, and she showed Ginny all of her presents. She was still wearing her new necklace, and Harry was sure she expected that had been her present from them, so he smiled when he pulled the gift out of his robes and handed it to her. She looked at him in surprise.
"You have to wait a few minutes before you can open it," he told her quietly. "Fleur has something she needs to give your Mum and Dad first." He caught Fleur's attention, and nodded that she should go ahead. Fleur stood up, got everyone's attention, and went over to her parents.
"We all want to thank you so much for having us all here for the holidays," she told them with a bright smile. Her parents both nodded, and she handed them a present. Apolline opened the gift, and pulled out the little painted ceramic palm tree.
"It's um, very nice dear," she told her daughter politely. Fleur laughed.
"If you and papa will stand up, we'll use this to go see your real present," she told them. They stood, and Fleur had them both touch the palm tree. She put her hand to it also, and said - "I need to get away." As Fleur disappeared with her parents, Ginny pulled Gabrielle to her feet, took her own little palm tree out of her pocket, and in a moment the three of them were on their island.
"You can open your present now," Harry told her. They were in front of Harry and Ginny's house, so they went around the house, and began to walk the path to where Mrs. Weasley and Fleur had built the Delacour's new island home. While she walked and started opening her present, Gabrielle asked them where they were.
"We're on our private island in the Caribbean," Ginny told her with a big smile. "This place is one of our family's best kept secrets." When Gabrielle opened the box and found the keys on the bright plastic keychain, she looked at them for an explanation.
"You and your Mum and Dad have a new house here on the island," Harry told her, "and those are the keys to your new jet-ski." Gabrielle gave them both a big hug, and then they went on to meet up with Fleur and her parents.
The rest of their family were going to be here for lunch and an afternoon in the sun. When Gabrielle had finished exploring the new house, she met up with Harry and Ginny again, who had waited for her out on the lanai.
"Ready to go try out your new toy?" Harry asked her. She nodded excitedly.
"Yes, but I didn't bring a swimsuit or anything," she answered. Ginny smiled, and handed her a bag.
"I've got you covered," she told her young friend, earning herself another hug. Harry pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and handed them to Ginny.
"Why don't you two go play, and I'll get lunch ready for when the rest of the gang gets here," he suggested. That earned him two big hugs, and he was smiling as the two girls ran down the path toward their house hand-in-hand, laughing and talking excitedly.
He followed them more slowly, and the girls were already heading toward the lagoon when he got to the house. Kreacher and Winky had already prepared the food for their lunch, and Harry's job was to set up tables at the edge of the beach, warm up a few dishes, and put all of the food and drinks out. He listened to the girls playing out on the lagoon, their laughter mixed in with the deeper whine of the jet-ski motors as they sped smoothly through the water.
When Ron and Hermione walked down the path, the first to get to the lagoon, Harry was just finishing getting everything set up. Ron looked out at the girls playing on the jet-skis, his keys jingling in his hand, but then he put them in his pocket and decided that food would come first. Hermione had been watching him and laughed.
"Decisions, decisions," she said and Ron shrugged.
"Not really," he answered. "The lagoon will still be there later, but in this family, the food won't be." They all laughed, and then Hermione put her hand out.
"Then hand over the keys, and I'll go play with the other girls while you're eating." Ron gave her the keys, and she kissed him before running off down the beach.
"You're a very lucky man," Harry told him as he watched his friend run down the beach to where the jet-skis were lined up along the edge of the lagoon. "She's brilliant, beautiful, and absolutely amazing." Ron punched him and smiled.
"We both are, mate," he said, and Harry nodded his agreement.
While Ron loaded up a plate and started having lunch, Harry began to greet everyone as they arrived, handing out drinks, and getting them to fill plates of food and find seats among the groups of chairs and tables he'd set up for them. Nathalie and Marietta saw the three girls playing on the jet-skis, quickly appropriated their husband's keys and were soon out on the water having fun too. It was still pretty early in the morning on the island, but the sun was bright, and it was a warm, terrific day. The girls that were playing in the lagoon trickled in slowly to join the others and get some food.
When everyone was finished with lunch, they started to move off, some heading for the beach, others to wander around the island, and quite a few to play on the jet-skis. Mrs. Weasley shooed Harry and Ginny off to go have fun, offering to take care of the cleanup duties. Apolline took a sleepy little Victoire back to their new house for a little nap. Monsieur Delacour and Mr. Weasley offered to help Mrs. Weasley, and then they went on a full tour of the island. Harry and Ginny went for a swim, and then they joined Bill and Fleur on the beach. They sat close together in the warm sand.
"Hi Harry, Ginny," Fleur greeted them. "It is so nice to have all of my family here together. Thank-you."
Harry smiled. "I'm glad you suggested it," he told her warmly. "Gabrielle's becoming the little sister that neither Ginny or I have, and your parents are wonderful." Bill pointed Gabrielle out as she zoomed around the lagoon, laughing and taunting Ron and George as she out-raced them.
"I think you've both made a big impression on her too."
Fleur nodded. "She still 'as a bit of a crush on Harry, but I think she will like having you both as her friends much more."
They talked about inconsequential things, four friends comfortably spending time together. Charlie and Nathalie brought their jet-skis in, and came over to join them. Harry looked out at the others playing on the water, and Ginny gave him a push.
"Go on and play with your friends little boy," she told him. Harry laughed and gave her a kiss. He looked over at Bill and Fleur.
"Can Bill come out to play too?" he asked Fleur. She laughed, and nudged her husband, and the two young men were soon roaring out in chase of the other kids. Nathalie turned to her two sisters and smiled brightly at them.
"I never imagined there were any families anywhere like this until I met all of you," she told them. Fleur nodded, smiling too as she watched her husband out playing on the lagoon.
"When I first met Bill's family, they always seemed to be able to have fun, even with all of the horrible things that happened during the war, and now - it's like every day is an exciting new adventure." Ginny smiled, agreeing with Fleur.
"Harry promised me after the war that he was going to spend the rest of his life making me happy," she told them. "So far, I'd give him an 'Outstanding'." Charlie, Nathalie, and Fleur all laughed.
Victoire was back at the beach after her nap. Fleur and Ginny helped her build a sand castle, and played in the water with her. They all played, relaxed, and enjoyed an afternoon in the sun, but eventually, it was time to head back to the Delacour's house in France for dinner.
George and Marietta, and Percy and Penelope would have to head back to London later, having to work the next morning. Everyone else would be staying another night and would then be departing at different times of the day. They had a quiet dinner, saw the couples off that were leaving that night, and with everyone being tired from an eventful day, most of them decided to turn in early and go get some sleep. When it was time the next day for Harry and Ginny to leave, Gabrielle tearfully hugged them.
"I'm really going to miss you both a lot," she told them. Ginny smiled and hugged her too.
"We'll miss you too," she assured her. "I'm only a WiComm call or QuillMessage away, though, so we can keep in touch."
"Mama and Papa are going to take me back to the island for a few days before school starts. It won't be the same without everyone else, though." Harry looked at Ginny and smiled.
"We could probably take Teddy there for a visit on Saturday so you could spend some extra time with Gabrielle," he suggested. That prompted another round of hugs, and then it was time for Harry and Ginny to head for home, another amazing Christmas holiday over, and another New Year less than a week away from beginning.