Harry's Future, Part 34
Harry sat with Ginny at a table set aside for part of the Weasley clan. The reception for Percy and Audrey was starting to wind down. It had been a pleasant affair held at a small hall that Audrey's parents had arranged for. Harry's leg had precluded any attempt at dancing so he was forced to watch from the sidelines but other than that it had been an enjoyable day. He could see the newlywed couple making the rounds of the tables while Ginny and Fluer had their heads close, chatting mostly about what other people were wearing.
Harry had been receiving a number of visits to the table from various well wishers who hadn't seen him since his injury. Many of the comments for a fast recovery contained varying degrees of suggestions that maybe it was time for a career change. Harry accepted them with good grace but it was starting to wear on him a bit. As he was watching the newlyweds he noticed Percy whisper to his new wife and then make a straight line for Harry. Percy pulled up a vacant chair and sat down next Harry, his expression that of any typical new husband.
"Harry, I don't know how you managed it all with that big wedding you had. If I have to shake one more hand, I think my arm is going to come off."
"Yeah, you do get numb after a while, don't you?" Harry replied with a smile.
"There is something I need to talk to you about though and I figure I'm in safe territory at this table. It's about the dragon business," Percy said looking uncomfortable.
"What's the problem, Perc?"
"I haven't told Audrey about you yet. I just never got around to it after we got engaged and now if I do I'm afraid she's going to be upset that I was holding it to myself."
"Hmm, yeah, I can see where that might cause some problems. I'll tell you what. If we can manage some time tonight or in the very near future I'll tell her and I'll take the blame for not letting you tell her yet."
"Are you sure you want to do that? Especially after all the grief you took from Eleanor," Percy said with some dismay.
"It's not really the same thing, plus I think I can explain it away easier then you could. I'll take care of it, don't worry," Harry said with a smile.
"Thanks, Harry. I'm sorry to drop this on you, but this is a bit outside the newlywed experience for revealing family secrets," Percy said, his expression a mix of relief and humor.
So it was as the reception wound to a close Percy and Audrey came over to sit with Harry, Ginny, Fleur, Bill, Eleanor and Charlie. After some cursory comments about what a great day it had been and what plans did the new couple have for the honeymoon and living accommodations, Harry coughed a bit and then looked at his new sister-in-law.
"Audrey, now that you are an official member of the Weasley clan, it's time you were brought into a select group of secret keepers," Harry said in his quiet, serious voice.
"Alright. What is it? A mad uncle in the attic?" she asked.
"No, although that might be something your kids have to look forward to. It involves me. You see, Audrey, I'm an unregistered animagus."
"Really, Harry? Isn't it against the law to be unregistered? Kind of an odd spot for you considering your job," she said, obviously surprised.
"Yes, it is. But the Minister is aware of it and feels the need for secrecy and me staying on the job outweighed the legal questions. But that's not all. The animal I become is something unusual."
"Ok. Well, I'm listening," she said.
"I become a rather large, dark green dragon," Harry said.
He watched as her eyebrows climbed up nearly to be lost in her short bangs. Her eyes were wide and it appeared she wanted to say something but nothing came out. She looked around at those sitting at the table and they all nodded. She came back to Harry and finally managed to speak.
"You mean to tell me that one of my new brothers-in-law can become a dragon at will. What? Flying, fire breathing all that? How long have you known?" she asked.
"It happened when I took that trip to Europe during my confrontation with that wizard."
Harry went on to explain what had happened, all the destruction he caused and his subsequent discussions with Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore as well as his practice sessions.
"So does that mean that that whole business at Hogwarts with the two dragons, it was really you that came and killed the first one?" she asked, incredulously.
"Yes. My being a spectator was a cover story to hide my secret. I got hurt as the dragon. It seems that sort of thing carries through the change," Harry replied.
She turned to her new husband and said in a very wifely tone,
"And you waited until now to tell me?"
As Percy turned red and started to speak Harry broke in.
"That's my doing, Audrey. When this all first happened I told the family about it but I swore them to secrecy and I would decide when you and Eleanor could be told, since I really didn't know either of you very well. El found out by accident the day after Christmas but I waited until tonight to tell you. Please don't blame Percy for holding back on you."
Audrey's eyes tightened as she looked at Harry, his bright green eyes fixed on her. Then they relaxed as she sat back in her chair and blew out a long breath. She let her gaze travel around the table.
"Am I correct in thinking that you all have seen this happen?" she asked.
They all nodded but Charlie spoke first.
"Yes, we have. When Harry first arrived back from his trip to the continent he had already changed back by the time we had gotten out to see him. Little Abagail was first to meet him but she didn't say anything about what she saw. A couple of days later he gave us all a demonstration. El saw it the day after last Christmas. Harry was posing for Abagail and Ginny sent me word and I was so excited I didn't think about it and just had Eleanor come along and…" he shrugged in conclusion.
"I'm not so sure I wouldn't have preferred the uncle in the attic," Audrey said. "Well, you don't need to worry about your secret. Besides, I doubt anyone would believe me if I did say anything."
"That's what I said," Eleanor offered.
Audrey took a look around the hall and then said quietly,
"You weren't thinking of any demonstrations tonight were you?"
"Um, no, I've never been much for public appearances," Harry said with a smirk.
"Besides," Charlie added as he looked around. "I don't honestly think he'd fit."
Audrey let her gaze wonder around the hall, taking in its length and the height of the ceiling. Then she looked at Harry and simply said,
"My word."
Harry just nodded and then said,
"So, that's about it. Like I said, it was my idea to keep it in the family so to speak, so welcome to the family, Audrey."
The next morning Harry and Ginny were sitting at the kitchen table in the London house having a second cup of tea after breakfast.
"That was a really nice wedding, wasn't it, Harry?" Ginny asked
"I thought so. As much as I enjoyed ours, there's something to be said for just fun and uneventful," he replied with a wry smile.
"What you were telling Audrey though, wasn't exactly true was it? I mean you originally gave Charlie and Percy the discretion to decide when to let El and Audrey in on the secret."
"Well, Percy was kind of in a tight spot. He was afraid that if she found out he hadn't gotten around to telling her it would have caused trouble. You saw the way she reacted at first. So, I figured it would be better for me to take the blame for keeping it from her until they were married," he said, suppressing his shrug.
Ginny just looked at him and shook her head. Then Harry changed the subject as he often did at times like this.
"So, when will construction start on the house?" he asked.
"They said it would be until the end of July before the detailed plans are finished and then they can start work. Mr. Basswood thinks it will be sometime in the spring before it's done. The first big deadline is to have the structure up and the exterior sealed he called it before the weather gets bad and then they can do the interior work."
"Sounds good. If I haven't said it before, I want to thank you for taking control of this whole business. It makes everything else I'm doing that much easier," Harry said.
"That's why I'm here, Harry. Well, one of the reasons. To help make things easier for you. Plus it makes me feel like I'm making a major contribution to our future," she said with a small smile.
Harry reached across and took a hand in his, locked her brown eyes with his green and said,
"You are my future," with a heavy emphasis on the 'are'.
Her smile got much wider. The next big event after the wedding was the annual return of Hogwarts students. Harry insisted on being on the platform, crutches or no, so at the appointed hour he and Ginny stood amongst the other expectant magical parents waiting for Abagail to return. Her brief appearance for her birthday did little to ease how much they both missed her. Some of the parents had stopped to offer Harry wishes for his speedy recovery and thanks for responding to the emergency but more than a few stood off and tried not to make a show of watching him. Ginny just shook her head and Harry shrugged, and this time Ginny let it go. Soon the chuffing of the steam locomotive let everyone know the Express was arriving. As the trained rolled to a stop Harry straightened up on his crutches and tried to figure where the fifth years were going to spill out onto the platform.
What happened next was unexpected. As students began to disgorge from the train a shout went up and they all began to move towards Harry. They formed a quickly growing ring around him and there were many shouted greetings, well wishes and thanks for his actions that terrible night. Several porters made their way towards the crowd to try and get things under control. Harry did his best to acknowledge the students and in some cases accept what appeared to be cards and small tokens that were offered. Finally, an older male student, most likely the past year's Head Boy shouted out over the crowd, bolstered by the 'Sonorous' spell, directions for the students to disperse and please allow Professor Potter some room to breathe.
They did so, although reluctantly, and with many 'see you in the fall', the crowd melted away, leaving a slightly stunned Professor-to-be and his wife standing with their hands full of parchment and small items. A small figure stood just at the edge of the platform looking at her surrogate parents with a wistful smile. When eye contact was finally made her smile widened and she dashed up to the two and began hugging them as best as circumstances would allow. Abagail then began to take hold of the notes and presents and put them in a shoulder bag she had been carrying, almost as if she knew what to expect. A porter pushed a trolley with Abagail's trunk and owl cage up to the three and said,
"Here you are, folks. Thought you might like to have this," he said and with a smile and tip of his cap he walked off.
"That was really something wasn't it, Harry?" Abagail asked.
"Yes, it was. Very unexpected, but you seemed to have come prepared, little one," Harry said quietly.
"Inside information, Harry. Ever since the word got out that you were hurt as part of the rescue from that hybrid thing practically everyone was talking about how they should do something for you and so on. This is what they came up with," Abagail said.
"How did they know I'd be here, bad leg and all?" Harry said, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"I guess a little owl must have told them," the little witch replied with her impish grin. "Come on, I can't wait to get home."
Harry smiled and with Ginny pushing the trolley they went through the barrier wall and then outside where a Ministry car awaited them. The driver wrestled the trunk into the boot and then they all piled into the car for the short drive to the Black house. Ginny helped the driver get the trunk up to the top of the steps and then Kreacher opened the door and levitated the trunk inside, all the while Harry stood by muttering under his breath something about being 'bloody useless'. Ginny gave him a squeeze and then let him precede her into the house. Harry went into his study while Ginny and Abagail followed Kreacher as he floated the heavy trunk up the stairs to Abagail's room where the contents would be removed and sorted. After a short while Ginny came back down with Abagail's bag in hand and walked into the study and sat down at the desk. She emptied the contents onto the desk and began sorting out 'cards' from presents. Most of the messages were on parchment although it looked like some of the muggle born students had acquired actual get well cards. She began handing them to Harry and as he read he noticed that a number of them contained what appeared to be very familiar artwork.
"Did you look at these, Gin?" Harry asked.
"Not until just now. Why, sweetheart?"
"Some of the artwork on these parchment messages looks awfully familiar," he said as he showed her some examples.
"Hmm, you're right, Harry. It does."
They looked at more of the messages and some of the little gifts that had been pressed on them. After a little while they heard the sound of someone rapidly descending the stairs and Abagail appeared in the doorway.
"So what do you think, Harry?" she asked as she entered.
"I think it was very nice of them to take the time and effort to do this for me. I noticed that some of the parchment messages have some very nice art work on them," he said, eyebrows raised.
"Oh, that," she said with a giggle. "When some of the muggle born students showed the cards they had gotten from home and how nice they looked, the ones from magic families tried to find ways to make the ones they were doing on parchment look better. A friend of mine asked me to draw something on hers and it kind of got around so I wound up doing a fair number of them. Made more than a handful of sickles out of it, too," she said with a grin.
"You charged them for it?" Ginny said, sounding surprised.
"Of course. It's one thing to do it for a friend but I had people from other houses asking me. I read somewhere that talent shouldn't be given away for free, otherwise people won't value it," she said seriously.
Harry looked at Ginny, who said,
"Looks like our girl will do alright for herself, Harry."
"Looks that way. I wonder how big the bill will be for her work on the house drawings," he replied deadpanned.
"Harry," she started indignantly, "I wouldn't charge you for something…" she tailed off as she saw Harry trying to suppress a grin.
"Oh, that was a dirty trick," she said but chose not to retaliate physically due to Harry's bad leg.
"Anyway, these are all great and I'll have to make sure I find a way to thank them when I get up there," he said.
"You know it's funny, Harry, but a lot of people were talking about how they didn't really think you were just a spectator. They think that after what happened to you the first time you dealt with a mad dragon that you figured out a way to call one if you needed it. In a way it's kind of true but they think you were the one that really made it happen," Abagail said.
"Hmm, seems I'm developing a reputation that I can't live up to."
"Not true, Harry," Ginny said, "just not in the way they think."
The conversation was interrupted by Kreacher's call to dinner and with help from his two 'ladies' Harry was on his feet, or foot as the case may be, and they made their way to the table. As they ate Harry looked at his ward and asked,
"So besides making a small fortune in the get well card business, what else were you up to? Any more work on your magical creatures drawings?"
"Oh sure, I think I've drawn just about everything that Hagrid could find, not to mention you," she said with a grin. "I've got enough to fill a book."
Harry looked over at Ginny and said,
"A book she says."
"Yes, that's what she said, Harry. What are you thinking?"
"Just that with all the drawings that Abagail has put together and Hagrid's knowledge of magical creatures you could put together a pretty impressive book on the subject," Harry said.
Ginny started to laugh a bit and said,
"Harry, I appreciate that you think very highly of Hagrid, so do I. But I don't really see a book full of 'yas' and 'tas' and 'summats' attracting much of an audience."
Harry gave his a wife a serious look and said,
"That's how he talks, Ginny, not how he writes. I've seen his notes and that's not what comes through. Plus, I was thinking that a certain budding writer of my acquaintance might find some time to help assemble and edit such a volume. But it was just an idea. Don't feel you need to take it seriously," Harry said as he went back to his meal.
Abagail sat very still, looking back and forth between Harry and Ginny. She thought it was a brilliant idea but she was afraid to say anything. Ginny looked over at her with a squint and said,
"What do you think, Abagail?"
"I think it's a great idea. I'd love to do the illustrations and Harry's right. Hagrid knows so much about magical creatures. He would tell me all kinds of interesting things about them while I was doing my sketches. With you helping with the writing it would be really something."
Ginny nodded and then looked over at her husband, her squint more pronounced.
"This isn't some sort of trick to get me away from writing about you, is it Harry?" she asked suspiciously.
"Love, I learned a long time ago that I couldn't change your mind about anything if you were really serious about it. I just thought it would be a great way to preserve a pretty extensive source of knowledge and give Abagail a good project that would help firm up her reputation as an artist," Harry said seriously.
"Hmm, well let me give it some thought," Ginny said.
Harry looked over at Abagail and gave her one of his 'dragon' winks which sent her into a fit of laughter. Ginny chose to ignore the exchange. Once Abagail had gotten control of herself again Harry looked at her more seriously and said,
"You know, little one, I was thinking about something the other day. Has our taking you out of school for those little visits, you know, your birthday and the meeting with the builders, been causing you any trouble? Anybody giving you a hard time about it?"
"No, not really, Harry. A couple of comments were made but when I explained it was part of your therapy no one said anything anymore," she said with a straight face.
"My therapy?" he asked.
"Yup, I told them that the healers said that the better mood you were in the quicker you would recover from your injuries and having me around put you in a much better mood," Abagail replied with her signature smile.
Ginny's eyes were wide but Harry's had narrowed behind his glasses.
"You know, I think someone has been spending just a little too much time with a bunch of Aurors. They are having a bad influence on you and you are developing a very devious mind, young lady."
Abagail's eyes got very wide and began to mist up and her lower lip began to quiver. She said in a barely audible voice,
"Oh, Harry, what a thing to say. Don't you love me any more?"
Harry almost instinctively began to apologize but a dry, cold voice in the back of his mind suggested he not do so. After a moment the little witches eyes brightened and she started to laugh. Harry looked over at his wife and said,
"No more unsupervised visits with Fleur and I mean it."
The dust had barely settled in the Black house from the arrival of Abagail when things got exciting again. Word arrived that Angelina had gone into labor overnight and that Mrs. Weasley was already there along with a midwife. It was particularly difficult for Harry because he wanted to pace but the braced leg and crutches made it very impractical. Angelina was second only to Fleur in her outward demonstration of concern for Harry's well being and he had come to care for his 'unofficially adopted sister-in-law', as she once put it, very dearly. Ginny did her best to try and keep him calm but it proved to be a bit of trying day for them all.
Finally word arrived shortly after sunset that Angelina had delivered a healthy baby boy, Fred, and mother and son were doing fine. A true sign of Harry's concern was the fact that he had barely eaten all day and once the tension had passed Kreacher was hard put to keep up with him. A message from George arrived shortly after they finished their meal that relayed a preemptory order from Angelina that the three of them were expected the next day for a visit, no excuses.
It was slightly past noon when Harry made his way up the outer staircase to the second floor apartment above the Ice Cream Haven with Ginny and Abagail following behind. A single knock and George was there, looking slightly disheveled but grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey, I was wondering when you three were going to get here, come on in. The baby is asleep but Angelina is wide awake," the new father said.
Harry tried to keep the clumping of the crutches to a minimum as he entered the apartment. Once they were all in George led them to the bedroom in the back that he shared with his wife and now little Fred. As Harry peeked around the door frame he saw Angelina sitting up, supported by pillows, looking back at him with a contented smile.
"Get in here, you," she said quietly so as not to disturb her son.
Harry smiled and slowly made his way to the bedside. Not being able to bend his leg presented a major obstacle to giving and receiving the hug he knew was coming. Angelina looked up at him with a funny half smile and then patted the bed next to her and said,
"Just sit yourself right down here, brother mine."
Harry handed his crutches to George and then gingerly sat down on the bed with his bad leg resting besides Angelina. He was then able to lean over and exchange a tight, emotional embrace. When they pulled apart they were both misty eyed and smiling.
"So how's the new mum?" he asked.
"She's doing great, Harry. Tired but very happy," she replied.
Ginny and Abagail came around to exchange hugs from the other side of the bed. Then they went and looked at the sleeping infant in his crib.
"Oh, Angelina, he's beautiful," Ginny said, barely above a whisper.
"Don't you mean handsome, Gin? He is a boy," Harry said.
"No, all babies are beautiful. Boys don't become handsome for a couple of years yet," she said with a grin.
Abagail was looking down at the boy and then she turned to his mother and said,
"Let me know when you want me to come over and I'll do a sketch like I did from Fleur and Victoire."
"Thank you, sweetie. Sometime next week would be good, I think," she replied.
Abagail smiled and then she looked over at George.
"How are you feeling, Dad?" she said with that impish grin.
"The new father is doing quite well. That will likely change in the future with lack of sleep but for right now I'm doing great."
The visitors remained for around half an hour and then left once it looked like the mother needed some rest. They returned home and Harry and Ginny wound up in the study while Abagail went upstairs to work on a project. Harry looked up from the book he was reading and noticed that Ginny was staring off into space with a rather wistful look on her face.
"What are you thinking about, love?" Harry asked.
"Hmm, oh, I guess I was just picturing how cute little Fred looked and how happy Angelina is," she said.
"And thinking how you'd like to be a mother and how my being banged around is keeping that from happening?" he asked.
"Oh, Harry, sweetheart, don't say it like that," she said as she stood up and came over to kneel by his side. "I'll admit I'd like to add to our family but we have time and it's not like you're going to be like this forever."
Harry took her hand and guided her around his bad leg so she could sit on the half lap formed by his good one and he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight for a while. Then he let her move back enough so they could look eye to eye.
"Well, my love, I think it's about time and don't worry about this," he said, indicating his left leg. "Where there's a will, there's a way."
Something else that Ginny had been giving some thought to was starting to bear some fruit. Despite her initial misgivings when Harry had first broached the subject, she was finding the idea of collaborating on a book on Magical Creatures with Abagail and Hagrid more and more interesting. She had sent an owl to Hagrid asking what his thoughts on the topic were and she was anxiously awaiting a response. The use of the owl had also prompted another idea and she contacted the builders about including a small owlry in the plans for the new home.
Shortly before Harry's birthday she received a fairly lengthy reply from Hagrid. First he apologized for taking so long but he had been on a short vacation and had gotten the message just a few days before. Secondly he was very surprised that someone thought he knew enough about anything that would be worth putting in a book, but when he considered it for a while he realized that he did know quite a bit about magical creatures after all.
He had mentioned it to Professor McGonagall and she thought it was a very intriguing idea and she rather liked the idea of a Hogwarts faculty member authoring a book. She suggested that perhaps Charlie Weasley could be convinced to add his expertise to the section on dragons. Hagrid closed by inviting Ginny up to the school to discuss it more if she'd like. Ginny showed the message to Harry.
"What did I tell you, Ginny, and aside from the handwriting it's a pretty well written message," he said with a grin.
Her next step was to send a message to Charlie, care of Eleanor, to get his view of the project. A rather quick response in the affirmative and a suggestion for a dinner meeting resulted in an interesting evening. Harry, Ginny, Eleanor, Charlie and Abagail were sitting around the dining room table after finishing another flawless meal. As was now usual, Harry had left little that could be considered leftovers. Eleanor was looking at him with something akin to awe.
"Even with so little activity you're able to eat that much and not put on any weight, Harry?"
"Apparently so. I don't know where it all goes but…" he concluded with a shrug.
"The Hogwarts house elves are going to have a tough time keeping up with you, Harry," Charlie said with a grin. "But what do you say we discuss the topic at hand. I thought it was a great idea, Ginny. With all the research I've been doing I was thinking about something more than just a dry old report that the Ministry would probably just file away somewhere, but including it in a book on Magical Creatures would be really great. And with Abagail doing the illustrations I bet it would be very popular," he finished with a grin.
Abagail looked at the one she considered her favorite amongst the Weasley brothers, if only by a little bit, and asked,
"Charlie, do you think that the information you have would be enough to fill a book all by itself?"
"It's possible, Abagail. It's been a lot of years since I started so it might be. Why do you ask?" he replied.
"Well, I was just thinking that if a book on magical creatures just had a section on dragons you would only be able to go so far with how much information you could put in. If you have a lot more information maybe you should consider writing your own book, maybe with Ginny's help and I'd be happy to illustrate for you. Maybe we use the first book as practice and help you get organized for your own," she said thoughtfully.
Harry sat back with a little smile as he watched his family discuss the ideas. Obviously Charlie found the idea of his own book intriguing. Eleanor certainly found it exciting. Ginny looked a little dubious, however.
"What's the matter, love?" Harry said.
"I'm just wondering if I'd have enough time to work with all that. There's the house and all. This would be three writing projects."
"Not really, love. The journal has no time limit so there's no real hurry there. You work together on the magical creatures book and then you've already had a start on the dragon book and I'd bet Charlie wouldn't need nearly as much help writing as Hagrid would."
"Um, don't make any bets on that Harry," Eleanor broke in. "You haven't seen some of the messages that Charlie has sent to me. He may be a champion when it comes to dragons and broomsticks but the quill is not his friend," she finished with a fond smile.
"A bit of an exaggeration but not all that far off the mark," Charlie added. "But you're right Harry, it would be sequential, not everything at once."
"You might be right at that. Well, first things first. I need to go pay a visit to Hagrid. Could you come along, Charlie?"
"Sure, no problem."
"How about you, Harry?" she asked.
"Not a bad idea. Maybe I could arrange to get my broom back from the Centaurs. I'm sure they'd like to be free of it," he said.
"Ok, I'll draft a message asking when it would be convenient for Hagrid and then ask Mum if she wouldn't mind a day with Abagail," Ginny said.
"It's not like I need a baby sitter, Ginny," Abagail said.
"I know that, sweetheart, but Mum got used to you being around last summer. I'm sure she misses you already."
"Oh, I didn't even think of that. Sure, I'll be glad to go," Abagail replied.
So Ginny wrote a message to Hagrid and went to send it off. Charlie got into a discussion on flying with Abagail and Eleanor sat looking at Harry, who looked back with raised eyebrows.
"So, Mr. Potter, how are you getting along?"
"Not too badly, Ms. MacManus, all things considered."
She smiled and continued,
"You all set for the upcoming term?"
"Very close. I've had a lot of time to pull everything together. I need to have one last meeting with the Professors to finalize it all. I was thinking of having them come here and include dinner. A way to say thanks for all their help," he said.
Eleanor looked at him without saying anything. Harry looked back, his expression inviting a comment or question.
"I was just thinking I'm glad we got things straightened out is all, Harry. I know that the others didn't think very highly of me for what I said. But I guess if I hadn't we wouldn't have had a chance to clear the air the way we did."
"True and it did help me get a grip on what was going on with Mum and Dad. It's not like you were all wrong, El. We learned some things about ourselves and each other so it's all good, I think," Harry said with a smile. "So what about you and Charlie? You must be driving Mum crazy."
Eleanor laughed and leaned in to whisper to Harry.
"I'm afraid we are but neither of us is in a hurry and I still want to play for the Harpies so I'm not in any rush to have children so we figure with everyone else married off and grandchildren coming along we aren't under any real pressure. She treats me like a daughter in law anyway so it's not really a problem."
Harry laughed quietly then looked over and saw the intense conversation taking place at the other end of the table now that Ginny had returned. He looked back at Eleanor and said,
"Fancy a cuppa and a game of wizards chess?"
"That would be lovely, Harry. I didn't realize you had a set," Eleanor replied.
"Yeah, we found it last year. It was up in the attic. It's pretty old and kind of fancy but a board's a board. Hang on a minute. Kreacher, can I see you, please?"
In less than a moment the little house elf came in.
"How may Kreacher be of service, Master Harry?"
"Kreacher would you please bring down the wizard's chess set so Eleanor and I can play? And then could you bring in some tea for everyone?"
"Of course, Master Harry. Kreacher will return in a moment," and then he popped out of site.
"You know, Harry, I think you're the first person I've ever known that actually asks a house elf to do something."
Harry just shrugged and any comment was cut off when Kreacher returned with his burden floating in front of him. When Harry said it was fancy he wasn't kidding. The board was actually a small pedestal table of dark, polished wood, the playing surface at least two feet on a side. The surface itself was made of alternating squares of light and dark marble separated by strips of brass. The perimeter was made of the same dark wood as the pedestal. The playing pieces were magnificent figures done up in hand painted pewter with lifelike embellishments such as swords, shields, capes and crowns.
"My goodness, Harry. This is a gorgeous set. You say it was in the attic?" Eleanor said breathlessly.
"Yup. When Ron and I started playing more I was mentioning to Ginny I should get a set to have whenever he and Hermione came for a visit. Kreacher overheard and mentioned this set. It was dusty and the pieces needed a good cleaning but he was happy to take care of it for me. Apparently it was made for one of Sirius' great great something or others and hadn't been used in decades, if not centuries. The pieces were really happy to get the chance to play."
As if on cue the black king looked up at Harry and said,
"What ho, Sir Harry. We stand ready to do thy bidding onto the death. But give the command and we shall commence the contest."
"Thank you, your majesty. Allow me to introduce my opponent, Ms. Eleanor MacManus."
Before the black king could speak the white king looked up at her and said,
"Eleanor? Eleanor of Aquitaine? Now there is a noble name which to lay claim. Attend to me, my good people. We prepare to do battle in the name of a true Queen. Prepare to defend thyselves, black devils, for we shall take the field and win the day for the fair Eleanor."
Eleanor's eyebrows shot up and looked over at Harry and said,
"I think I want to take him home with me."
Harry just laughed and shook his head and indicated for Eleanor to make the first move. It was a spirited game to say the least. It was also very verbal. As pieces were commanded to move challenges were shouted and despite the rules dictating the outcome, the combat was carried out with enthusiasm and skill. And as luck, or fate, would have it, Eleanor won. As the black king succumbed the white monarch turned to Eleanor and bowed deeply.
"Under your brilliant command we have won the day and laid the dark fiends low, fair Eleanor. We look forward to the day you once more lead us upon the field of battle."
She looked up at Harry with a twinkle in her eye and a wide smile.
"Oh, Harry, that was so much fun. I've never played with such a magnificent set before. I hope we can do this again."
"I'm sure we will. I know Ginny intends to have the set placed in the library of the new house so it'll be a lot easier once that's done and in the meantime Kreacher can always set it up for us."
"Has Ron played on this set yet?" she asked.
"A few times. After he beat me the first couple of times it becomes a real fight between the two kings to see which side he plays from. He can be pretty smug about the whole thing, actually," Harry said in a slightly irritated tone.
Eleanor just laughed. By this time the budding literary collaborators had come up with a plan on how they thought the first book should be handled. They would lay it out for Hagrid when they were able to meet with him and then get to work. They thought that Harry's connection with Flourish and Blotts might help them find a publisher and he said he would be glad to make the request.
The next day a message arrived from Hagrid inviting them up the following afternoon to discuss the project. He indicated that Harry would have an opportunity to retrieve his broom as well. A quick trip by Kreacher confirmed that Charlie would be available and that Mrs. Weasley would be overjoyed to have Abagail visit for the day, the earlier the better.
So it was the following day Abagail made an early exit from the Black house to arrive at the Burrow. The arrangement was that when they were done with their meeting with Hagrid, the three would have dinner at the Burrow and then collect Abagail. It was shortly after lunchtime when Norbie charged up the trail to meet the three visitors. He made straight for Harry as he was the most familiar.
"Easy there, big fellow," Harry said with a smile as he leaned on his crutches so he could give the big head some rubs.
"Good grief, he's huge, Harry. Is this the dog Abagail has made friends with?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, this is Norbie and he and the little one are best of friends. He's been a big comfort to her and he's of the opinion that he's her personal bodyguard," Harry said as he began to swing along down the path with Norbie gamboling on ahead. As they approached the stone hut that Hagrid called home they saw him step outside onto the path. He waved and said,
"Afternoon ta ya. Glad ya could make it. Come on inside," he said and then went back in.
Charlie and Ginny let Harry go in first and then they followed behind with Norbie bringing up the rear. Hagrid waved them into chairs and he began carrying out a pot and cups to put on the table. Then he sat down in his greatly oversized chair and looked at his three friends.
"Charlie, it's good ta see yas. It's been a while."
"Yeah, it has Hagrid, you look like you're doing well, although I see a bit more gray then the last time," Charlie said with a smile.
"Oh, aye. Can't keep that from happenin'. And Mr. and Mrs. Potter, yer lookin' like yer doin' well. Except for that knee, Harry."
"Yes we are, Hagrid. I'm almost done with my class preparation and Ginny's been busy with the house we're planning on building. As for the knee," he shrugged and continued, "I'm taking it a day at a time and I'll be seeing the healer right before coming up for the year and we'll see what's what. Did the Centaurs tell you how they were going to bring my broom to me? I'd have thought they'd just give it to you."
"Interestin' thing that, Harry. They said they'd be bringin' it ta ya here. They was very solemn about the whole business."
"Ok, we'll I just wait and listen while you three discuss your project," Harry said.
"Our project, he says. Who thought it up in the first place, Mr. Wonderful?" Ginny said with a squint but then she smiled.
Harry just returned a look of wide eyed innocence and sipped some of the excellent tea from a battered old mug. Ginny then began to lay out for Hagrid what they had in mind and Charlie joined in and soon the three were in deep discussion. Ginny pulled out a notebook and she was scribbling furiously as they discussed ideas. Harry listened for a while but then he began glancing out the window. Norbie seemed to sense his distraction and decided it was a good opportunity to look for some more head rubs. Harry obliged so he sat with one leg propped up and one hand occupied with the big head. Norbie differed from Fang in that he didn't feel the need to rest his head in your lap while you petted him which suited Harry just fine. He had just gotten to where the vigorous rubbing around the ears had the big dog rumbling happily when Harry noticed some movement in the shadows under the trees near the edge of the forest.
"I think the Centaurs are here. I'll go out and meet them," he said as he pushed up from the big chair and grabbed his crutches.
He made his way out the door and Norbie followed behind. The others also got up but only went as far as the door to watch. Harry swung along on his crutches to cover the short distance to the trail that led deeper into the trees. He only had to go in a handful of yards when a pair of familiar figures appeared on the pathway.
"Hail, Serpent King. Well met, Harry Potter," offered the deep voice of Bane.
"Hail, Serpent King," Ronin rumbled.
"Hello, my friends, Bane, Ronin. I am very pleased to be able to meet with you today. I would like to thank you for finding my broom and taking care of it for me," Harry replied.
"It was our honor to assist you in your great work on that evil day, friend Harry Potter. We had felt the wrongness of that creature for many turnings of the moon and we felt nature itself cry against what had been done. Those of us who were in a place to observe saw how you dealt with that one with mercy and we heard from friend Hagrid what transpired after. One of the younger of the herd found your broomstick shortly after you were observed flying off. It was found standing straight out of the ground in the very center of our meeting circle," Bane said.
"Is that where you took me that last time we met?" Harry asked.
"Indeed, Serpent King. Many argued that we should not disturb it for they saw it as a sign of your greatness and of your tie to the herd. The elder said the herd needed no such sign and the Serpent King would have need of his broom. So we have carried it here to you today. The elder would ask that you send word once your injury has healed sufficiently that you may once again make the journey to the meeting circle."
"I would gladly meet there again and I will make every effort to hasten when that may happen," Harry said.
"Proceed at a pace that does not worsen the injury, friend Harry Potter. It is obvious that it is much more serious then the last, yes?" Ronin said.
"I'm afraid you are correct, friend Ronin. It was heavily damaged when I was dispensing with the facility where the kin had been debased. It will take time and effort to heal and may never be the same, but it is a small price to pay."
The two Centaurs looked to one another and nodded slightly. Then Bane looked back behind him and waved to someone unseen in the shadows. A smaller Centaur emerged from under the trees carrying Harry's Firebolt in both hands, almost reverently. The usually stern visage of an adult Centaur was softened somewhat by youth and despite the strategically arranged mane he could see this particular Centaur was female.
"This is Felena. T'was she who first came upon your broomstick, Serpent King and once it was decided that we would see to its return, it was she who cared for it. She would return it to you now."
With those words, Felena stepped forward, her eyes downcast and visibly trembling, extended the broom to Harry, who balanced on his crutches to take it from her. He looked at it carefully and there wasn't a speck of dirt on it anywhere and the one scratch that did show looked to have been rubbed down carefully to smooth it out as much as could be. Harry looked up at Felena who was now regarding him with wide, dark eyes.
"Many thanks to you, friend Felena. It is obvious that it has been well and truly cared for. I appreciate that very much," he said with a small smile.
"It was my honor to have been of some small service to you, Serpent King," she replied, a faint quiver in her voice.
Then Harry looked at his broom and then down at the crutches and his braced leg. He looked back up at his two friends and said wryly,
"Hmm, this is going to be a bit awkward."
The two Centaurs looked startled as they both suddenly realized what Harry just saw. How was he going to carry the broom back to the hut while on the crutches?
"We apologize, Serpent King," Bane began. "It did not occur to us that you were so encumbered. We should have come directly to friend Hagrid's hut, much as we dislike leaving the trees."
"No need to apologize, my friend. It is easily remedied," Harry said as he turned to look over his shoulder. "Ginny, could you help me here, please?"
Ginny made her way across the short stretch of grass and the few yards of trail and came to stand besides her husband. She looked up at the two male Centaurs.
"Hail, Serpent King's mate, well met," Bane offered.
"Thank you. It's very nice to see you again."
"Ginny, would you mind carrying my broom? It seems I've run out of hands," he said with a grin.
"Of course, sweetheart," she said and as she took the broom she looked it over and added. "It's in great shape, Harry. Someone really took care of it for you."
"That would be friend Felena here. She found it and took care of it for me."
Despite being a younger female, Felena was still tall enough that Ginny had to look up at her.
"Thank you, Felena. That was very kind of you," Ginny said, her voice even and polite, but Harry was picking up on something else.
"It was an honor, Serpent King's mate, and an honor to meet you as well."
"We bid you fare-thee-well and await word of your readiness to attend the circle," Bane said with a bow and with a lesser one to Ginny he turned and began moving down the trail.
"Serpent King, until then," Ronin likewise took his leave.
Felena bowed deeply and without a word but with several backward glances followed her elders back into the deep shadows. Harry didn't look over at his wife but he knew exactly what expression she was wearing. He did hear the long release of breath.
"She did me a great favor, Gin. Don't feel that way," he said quietly.
"What way would that be, Harry?" she asked, her voice edgy.
"The same way you felt when you accused one of Angelina's assistants of ogling me."
Harry looked over at this wife who was looking back at him, her eyes tight. She looked at his scar and the unruly hair and big glasses. It wasn't like he was the most handsome fellow in the world, she thought to herself. What was it about him and these girls? She just blew some hair away from her forehead and shook her head at him.
"Come on, Harry. Hagrid and Charlie will want to hear all about it," she said.
And they did. Harry spent about fifteen minutes retelling the tale and when Hagrid heard about Felena his eyebrows went up.
"Now that be summat odd fer sure. Females, particarlarly the younguns never come ta the edge or meet with humans. Yer really summat special ta 'em, Harry, and no mistake," he said.
Harry just gave a little nod and squeezed Ginny's hand a bit as she hadn't let go of it since they sat back down. It was close to dinner time when the three visitors left, Hagrid waving to them from his front door. In less than half an hour they were sitting in the living room of the Burrow, waiting for Arthur Weasley to return home so they could start dinner. Abagail sat in wide eyed wonder as they discussed the meeting with the Centaurs.
"Wow, Harry. That must have been something to see. I've met a couple of the younger Centaurs but it was always the boys and even they shouldn't have been there. But what about the book? What did Hagrid have to say about it?" she asked, further endearing her to Harry by tactfully changing the subject.
"He loved the idea, sweetheart," Ginny said, "He was worried about writing but once he knew I would be helping him with that he got very enthusiastic. Said he was going to dig through all his class notes and start putting some things together. He's going to draw up a list of creatures and we'll match them against what drawings you have and see where more needs to be done and of course Charlie will start work on turning his research notes into something more readable for the students and the general population."
"I want some of that writing help too, little sister," Charlie chimed in.
"Of course, big brother," she replied.
When it came time for Harry's birthday celebration, it was a very quiet one, at his request. He didn't want a big party with him hobbling around on his bad leg, so it was a quiet dinner with immediate family at the Burrow. The presents were kept modest and mostly dealt with his upcoming year at Hogwarts. He got a brand new scheduler from Ron and Hermione, some books and writing materials, and from Charlie and Eleanor, a beautifully hand carved cane, the handle of which was a subtle representation of a dragons head. Harry looked at it with raised eyebrows.
"It was my idea, Harry," Eleanor began. "Even when you can get off the crutches I'm sure you'll have need of that for a while. Plus it will add a bit to you mystique as a Professor."
"My mystique?" Harry asked.
"Of course. Other people don't see you the way we do. I can only imagine what it will be like for some first year to be sitting at a desk in a classroom at the castle, looking up at someone who's as much legend as real wizard," she said with an odd little smile.
Harry looked back at her and a thought began to form. Once again, Eleanor said something to Harry that was to have unintended and far reaching consequences.
By the second week of August Harry was pretty well prepared to begin his term at Hogwarts. Ginny had, among the other things she was doing that summer, found a small house on the outskirts of Hogsmeade to rent. While it was agreed that Harry could have Disapparated back and forth from Hogwarts to London, they both felt he would feel more a part of the school being closer and it would make it easier on him since it did take energy to make each trip and they thought he should try and conserve his as much as possible to aid his healing.
All his materials for his classes had been transported to the school and he was assured that the books he wanted the students to read were available at Flourish & Blotts. No text book was found so Harry was going to have to work from his own notes but that suited him fine. He was scheduled for his examination with Doctor Antimony in two days and his gathering with Aurors for his send off in three.
On this particular morning he was roused from his sleep by the feel of Ginny stumbling out of bed and then hearing her hurry down the corridor. Sensing something wasn't right, Harry crawled out from under the covers and pulled on his robe. He shuffled down the corridor using one crutch and no brace. When he got to the bathroom door he heard some very unpleasant sounds.
"Ginny, are you alright in there, love?"
"Just a moment," she managed to get out before more unpleasant noises were heard.
"Ginny, what's going on in there," Harry said, becoming alarmed.
After a moment Ginny appeared in the doorway, her face pale but lit with a bright smile.
"Are you alright, Ginny?" Harry asked again.
"Yes and no, sweetheart. If I'm not mistaken, I think they call it morning sickness."
Harry looked at it for a moment and then finally comprehension dawned and his eyes went wide. Now it must be said that to Harry's credit he didn't set back his recovery but doing the dance he wanted to do at that moment. Instead he just pulled his wife into a warm, loving embrace and they both held on laughing, crying and celebrating the beginning of the next new phase of their life together.