Chapter Three; The Surprise Visitors

"Alright your move." Heather said once her pawn had magically moved towards Eve's queen.

"Queen to D5." She said as the white queen moved a few spots towards Heather's pawn and pulled out her sword before she smashed the pawn and it burst into a million billion pieces. A sly grin appeared a crossed Heather's face as she looked over at her knight.

"Knight to D5." She said while Eve's lower jaw dropped down while she widened her eyes with complete and utter horror and disbelief as the knight hopped a crossed the board and destroyed her queen.

"How the heck did you get so good at wizard's chess!?" she demanded. "You're not even double digits yet!" she cried.

"Harry taught me how." Heather told her when all of a sudden Patrick the owl swooped inside the living room and landed on top of the table beside her proudly holding out an envelope addressed to her and her twin brother underneath his bill. "Speaking of which that's probably from him. I was wondering when he would write, I haven't heard from him in ages." She said before she grabbed the envelope and tore inside of it.

"What does it say?" Eve asked her eagerly.

"It says dear Teddy and Heather, I miss you both as well as everyone else in the family and I hope that you are doing well. I'm sending my card and gifts for you under a separate cover that should be arriving soon." She read aloud. "Hmm, a separate cover, I wonder what that means." She said when suddenly the doorbell rang.

"No,.. it can't be." Teddy said as Heather quickly leapt up from her chair and raced to the door.

"Harry?" she questioned with uncertainty before she opened it up. Sure enough her eldest brother was standing there on the opposite side of it grinning down at her while Ron stood beside him. "Harry!" she squealed as Harry chuckled while she leapt up inside his arms and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You came! You really came! I knew you wouldn't let me down!" she exclaimed while she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"I wouldn't miss my little brother's and sister's eighth birthday party now would I? I mean now that you're going to be eight years old in a couple of days it's kind of a big deal." He told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"Well then you start your second year of charm school." He told her.

"Yeah so?" she questioned him with a shrug.

"So, this year you'll be studying muggle magicians and enchanted objects like invisibility cloaks, dream pools and enchanted mirrors." He told her.

"Cool!" she exclaimed as Harry laughed again.

"Don't forget about the maps." Ron reminded him as she groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh man, we have to do those things again!?" she cried. "I did plenty of those already!"

"These aren't your ordinary maps though." Ron began with a shake of his head before he glanced over at Harry. "Go ahead Harry, show her." He told him before Harry turned around and carried Heather down the hallway.

"Alright, but I don't know how much longer that I'll be able to do this. You're certainly getting heavy." Harry said.

"That's because Daddy says that I'm a very healthy little witch." She told him.

"Speaking of that where is Dad?" Harry wondered while he continued carrying his little sister into his bedroom before she took a deep breath and sighed.

"He's out on a date. He's under the impression that we need a new mother." She told him.

"Really? What about Jasmine? Hasn't he been dating her for months?" he wondered.

"Yeah but neither of them are all that serious about it yet and I don't think that they're ready for a commitment. I just don't know though. I mean I'm only a kid so nobody takes me seriously anyway, but I really don't think we need a new mother. I like things the way they are." Heather told him.

"So do I. See? I take you seriously." He told her before he sat her down on top of his bed and opened up his nightstand drawer.

"Thank you but what are you doing?" she asked him.

"Looking for something." He replied.

"Really? What's that?" she wondered.

"I'll show you as soon as I find it." He told her. "Aha!" he exclaimed before he grabbed a rolled- up piece of paper and sat down next to her unfolding the paper on top of the bed beside them. That's when he all of a sudden he took out his wand and gave it a tap. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said when suddenly Heather widened her eyes as words appeared upon the parchment and she started to read it to the best of her ability.

"Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs per-vay-oars of aids to magical mischief-makers, are proud to present, the Ma-rowders map." She read as Harry grinned and stifled a laugh.

"That's pretty good for an eight year old." He told her.

"I'm not eight yet." She told him firmly as he stifled another laugh.

"I know but we're celebrating your birthday today since everyone goes back to Hogwarts on your official birthday. Anyway, speaking of Hogwarts that's what the Marauder's Map is. It shows you everything inside the castle. Every nook and cranny and secret passageway. I figured that I would give it to you since you get to go there in a few years." He told her as she smiled at him happily.

"Really? Thanks Harry." She told him. "And thanks for coming even though you're supposed to be practicing your music. It really means a lot to me." She said.

"You're welcome, but the electricity's out so I wouldn't be able to practice anyway. Even if I was back at the hotel with the rest of the band. Anyway,. Mischief managed." He said as he tapped his wand on top of the map again and stored it back inside his drawer. A few seconds later the front door opened.

"I'm home." Snape said.

"Daddy!" Heather exclaimed excitedly while she hurried out into the living room to greet him. He grinned at her while she flung out her arms and leaped inside his own.

"There's my little princess." He began before planting a kiss on her cheek. "Did you have fun while I was gone?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I kicked Eve's butt in the chess game even though we didn't get a chance to finish it because Harry and Ron came over." She told him as Harry coughed and pulling up his shorts started walking down the hallway while his father turned to face him.

"Well hullo there son. It looks like you and Weasley came to help me out after all. Well, considering that everyone's coming over in a few hours and I haven't even gotten supper started yet, I could use all the help I can get." Snape said as he set his youngest daughter down and headed towards the kitchen while Heather smiled to herself. Even though a part of her wanted to tell her father about the map that Harry had given her, she figured that it would be a better idea if it remained her secret.