Author's Note - Hopefully this clears up some things...or makes it even more confusing...Eh, either way, I know things that you don't! *Silly happy dance* I hope everyone likes it! XD
Chapter thirty-nine.
It was finally dark out and between the Gum trees were strung lanterns that changed colours and attracted lots of bugs, like the Rocking-Horse fly that caused great annoyance amongst the adults, but glee with the children.
Remus groaned as a group of children ran about squealing with Teddy, trying to catch a shrieking Dragon fly that kept spitting sparkling fire to deter them.
"How can we STOP this racket?"
Roy shook his head, "Every year, day in and day out at Christmas time! I don't think it'll change any time soon."
Remus snorted, "Hey, remember when we were the ones running about, causing migraines? Good times."
"Better yet, remember how many times we were the ones doing that?" Roy sniggered, pointing out a group of teenagers who were oh, so, subtly, levitating all the grog on the table to their small dark corner.
Hermione came out of the house, several books floating behind her, opened at different places as she intently read a page or so, before she flicked her wrist and make another book would soar down in front of her for intensive studying. She stepped out of the porch light and into the garden, under the almost bright blue of the night sky that was littered with stars and the small coloured Chinese lanterns that lit up the garden.
Roy chuckled as Hermione looked up, flashed a brief smile before returning to her books, deep in thought as she joined the two men and Roy returned to the previous occupation of their conversation.
"Well, if anyone knows, its Alice! She always knows how to calm down these kids, I reckon it has to be from working in the RAAF, Merlin knows where else she could've gotten it fro – Wait…' Hermione glanced up at the sudden change of tone and furrowed her brow, 'No, I'm sorry, Alice can't do that…I don't think anyone would know how to calm these kids, much less Alice!" Roy continued cheerfully.
Hermione frowned at him wonderingly, flicked a wrist and a completely different book floated down in front of her. She grabbed it and began to flick through the pages manually, muttering to herself.
Remus frowned at her sudden behaviour, "Hermione? Hello, Earth to 'Mione? …? I'm a dancing pink elephant wearing a yellow tutu and I have issues with alcohol and lamingtons, can you help me?" he asked, teasingly.
"Hmmm? That's nice Remus, I hope you have fun…" She said absent-mindedly as she wandered back into the house, still reading and muttering.
Roy and Remus stared at her in shock and Tonks came up, smiling cheerfully, "'ello boys, Whadid I miss?"
Hermione wandered back into the house and shrieked when she felt a pair of hands enclose around her, the books falling to the ground in her sudden distress and lapse of concentration.
"'Mione, relax, its just me!" Harry chuckled.
"Harry! What did you do that for?" she scolded, levitating all the books up again.
He shrugged cheekily, "Do you want the long answer or the short answer?"
Hermione frowned, wary, "Uh…the short I guess…"
He grinned, "Whim."
"What was the long answer?"
"It was a whim."
"Oh, ha ha Harry. Stop watching Black Adder!"
"But you like it too!"
"Not when you go about quoting it all the time!"
"You like it when Alice quotes it, in her funny New Zealand – slash - Australian accent – Wait,' Harry frowned and his eyes focused and unfocused briefly, '- My bad, Alice has an Irish accent and hates Black Adder…'Mione what are you doing?"
"Hmmm…" Hermione had suddenly grabbed Harry's head and was busy inspecting his eyes. She frowned intently, whipped out her wand and prodded the boy interestedly in the face, ignoring him when he cringed at the sight of it, as if he was expecting a curse to come flying out at him. Merlin knows it's happened plenty of times before.
She muttered a small charm and Harry looked around startled when he started to glow purple. Hermione, for lack of a better word, whooped with glee.
"Aha! I thought so! Now, to prove it…" she turned around, still muttering like a nutter and with several books floating around her which she referenced at different times, she completed the image. Harry looked around, still vaguely confused, "Uh…Hermione?"
"Sorry Harry, gotta go! Gotta research and such!" she waved at him over her should, barely noticing him.
"But it's Christmas Eve - "
"Oh, and by the way, you'll be purple for a couple of hours!" Hermione called out, interrupting him and dashing up the stairs while Harry gaped at her.
"A couple of hours…? Hermione!"
Ron smiled contentedly at Padma, who was practically glowing as she rubbed her stomach.
A couple of kids ran by, holding sparklers high over their heads (thanks to the Weasley twins) and were singing, very loudly, a very well known tune…
"Weasley is our King! Weasley is our King! He doesn't let the Quaffle in - "
"Wait a minute, I thought he did?"
"No, I got told he didn't."
"Uncle Draco said he did."
"What is a Quaffle?"
"I dunno, I think it's like a Russo Ball for Knoking."
"Ohh…"
The kids started up again, skipping away, their argument forgotten for the time being. "Weasley is our King! Weasley is our King! - "
"We still have to think of names." Padma whispered, the secluded corner requiring the quiet as she grinned at a previously disgruntled Ron who perked up. Her breathing was beginning to feel a bit laboured.
"Hmmm… How 'bout we call it Ron Jr?" he asked teasingly.
Padma raised an eyebrow, "And if it's a girl?"
"Still Ron Jr."
She whacked his arm as he chortled, but then groaned.
"Paddy, love, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned as he held her bent over figure.
"Ugh…Ron…The baby…"
"What about it? Is it coming?"
"Ugh…' Padma groaned again in pain, 'I – I don't – don't think so…Get Alice!"
"Alice?"
"SHE'S A DAMNED HEALER!" She shouted, distraught.
"Uh, right!" Ron said panicking as he jumped up. Someone turned around at the sound of the groans.
"Mate what's going on?"
"Something's wrong with the baby!' he panicked, 'Where's Alice?"
"I don't know, I think she had to go get something."
Within minutes, two other women who had already been through pregnancy before were calming her down, while everyone else had voluntarily moved away into a small cluster in the garden so as to get out of the way. Neville, Draco and one of the many Australians there had levitated and formed a large crash mat underneath Padma before carefully getting her inside, where she could be properly attended to.
Molly came rushing out of the kitchen, all the kids quickly getting out of the way before joining everyone else outside.
"Padma dear, are you alright?"
"Does it look like I'm alright? Where's Alice?" she groaned and whimpered in pain.
Molly bit her lip, "I'm sure there's another Healer - "
"There isn't!' Padma gasped out, 'Alice told me before we came that she was the only one that would be able to help with a magical pregnancy and that she'd look out for me, just in case, now WHERE IS SHE?"
"Can – Can we get someone from home?" Ron asked nervously.
The bloke that had helped Padma poked his head in from behind the door and shook his head, "We've all got our International Apperation Licences, but it'll take ages for us to get clearance."
Hermione rushed in, her books forgotten, "Padma!"
"Hermione! Get – Get Alice for me!"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears, 'Oh, Padma…I can't."
Draco stoically came up behind her and put his arms around her comfortingly.
"Wh-What?" Padma gasped out, her face sticky with sweat and she clearly was in pain.
"Al – Alice isn't Alice… She's a Changeling."
"What has that got to do with anything?" Ron blew angrily.
"It means Alice isn't Alice! A Fae has taken her place, slowly wiping away our true memories of her to replace them with her characteristics! One of the things that she hasn't changed yet is her Magical Signature, which was how I was able to finally tell!"
Padma groaned in pain again.
"All right, everyone out, NOW!" Bellowed Molly, shooing Neville, Ron and Draco out.
"What about - "
"They're females and know what to do."
"But - "
The door slammed in Ron's face.
"Her – Hermione, what are we going to do?" Padma panted.
Hermione paced the floor, "I have to find where Alice really is. The book says she has to be in a containment spell that has the Fae crest on it…" Hermione stopped suddenly, causing the other to look at her in alarm.
"What is it?"
"Why didn't I see it before?" Hermione cried.
"See what?" asked Nelly, who was wiping the sweat off Padma's brow with a cold cloth.
"The Marriage Law requires that the couple have to be in the presence of each other with only a week or so to be separate legally and as the Fae doesn't have Alice's Magical Signature yet, she has to keep her in the containment spell, HERE! Otherwise the Ministry would investigate because Alice isn't there, but it looks like she is and yadi yadi ya!"
Padma groaned her eyes shut against the light, "So where is she?"
"Oh, I don't know, she could be in any of the portraits or anywhere on the grounds!' Hermione moaned in frustration, 'If only I could remember what she looks like!"
"Well hurry! We don't have all night!" Molly scolded.
Hermione stopped and stared at her, "That's brilliant."
"What is?"
At that moment, time stopped. Literally.