Ch. 19: Summer Vacation
It was the last morning at school. Lillian was sitting alone at the breakfast table, staring at her food with unseeing eyes.
"A penny for your thoughts!" – Dianna's voice startled Lilly for a moment. She turned towards her friend who was making herself comfortable and loading her plate for breakfast.
"I'm a shame for the Marauders," commented Lilly.
"Why would you say this?"
"Well, the year is almost gone and I didn't play even one prank at school. My Potter grandfather would have been ashamed of me and Uncle George will surely have a few words to say on that matter."
Dianna looked at her friend with some confusion. "You actually took part in pranks played by Julius and I'm sure that some peculiar events were also connected to you, not to mention what we did in the Slytherin common room when they brought me there."
"These do not count. They weren't really my initiative and now there doesn't seem to be any time left for pranks." Lilly looked worried.
Dianna looked at her and then smiled. "You could play a prank at the farewell feast. I don't think it has ever been done."
Lillian looked a bit relieved. "Well, that's an option… What could I do, though?..."
It took her a few more moments of deep thinking. Andrew and Julius had already joined the girls by the time Lilly's face brightened. "I have an idea!"
"What about?" asked Julius.
"It's a surprise," was all he could get out of Lilly.
Not having any more lessons, the girls spent the morning in the library, searching through some books on exotic charms. Lillian protected their research by casting a privacy shield around their table. Nobody even noticed them there, especially since there was nobody else at the library.
No nagging during lunch could make the girls disclose their secret, and then they went to their dorms to pack for the voyage home due next morning.
The girls arrived together at the Great Hall, now sporting the four long house-tables. They were among the last to arrive, as the hall was already packed with students awaiting the feast. They went each to her house table without saying a word. Lillian went to the front of the hall, nearest to the teachers' table while Dianna stayed at the far end of the Ravenclaw table. They both stood at their places, waiting for the last students to arrive and then turned around with their hands open wide, as if trying to grab all the excitement around them and take it with them for the vacation.
"You remind me of Luna," commented Andrew, who was saving her a seat. He had already met the unusual witch during his visits with the Potters.
"Well, aren't you excited to have finished your first year at Hogwarts?" Lilly answered with a question. Andrew just laughed.
The headmistress started her speech a moment later, praising students for outstanding achievements – both Dianna and Lillian were mentioned, and then giving the house cup which went to the Hufflepuffs this time, mainly due to their talented Quidditch players. "Let us all toast for the end of a year full of achievements and for a pleasant vacation for you all," the headmistress said, waving her hand and making goblets full of pumpkin juice appear in front of the children. They all took their goblets and stood up, raising their goblets for the toast.
Lilly glanced at Dianna, nodding her head slightly. Nobody noticed the girls holding their wands while everybody was drinking. Once the goblets were put back on the table, a gasp was heard from all students.
The headmistress looked at the hall. Each student's face was sporting the house colors: the Gryffindors had the left of their faces painted gold while the right was red and the other houses were showing their colors as well. On each forehead there was also a flashing message: "I'm Brave", "I'm Smart", "I'm Loyal" and "I'm Cunning" – according to the houses.
The teachers didn't escape the prank. Each sported the colors of all the houses, rotating slowly with the nose serving at the axis and the word "Professor" blinking happily on their foreheads.
Lilly glanced at the head table. She caught the headmistress' eyes and winked at her. She could see a shadow of a smile appearing on the stern face for just a moment, and then the headmistress announced: "Don't panic! I'm sure these colors will be gone by the time you meet your parents tomorrow. Let the feast begin!"
Food appeared on the tables and the children started filling their plates, disregarding their face colors and the flashing messages for a while. These were, though, the main topic of all conversations around the tables during the feast and speculations about the one responsible for the prank continued well into the night.
All faces were clear of the house colors when the students went for breakfast and then hurried to do the last minute packing before boarding the train leading back to London.
Julius managed to find an empty compartment and had Andrew, Dianna and Lilly join him there.
"What do you plan to do during your vacation?" asked Andrew.
"My French family invites us to stay with them during the summer vacation," Dianna informed them.
"Why would they invite me?" Lilly wondered.
"I've been owling them during the school year and I told them about you and about Andrew and Julius. They invited us all to join them during our vacation."
"What about your mother and my parents?"
"I'm not sure. I believe they are also invited, only that invitation would not go by me."
"When are we supposed to visit if we accept the invitation?"
"Starting from the third week of July and up until school starts, if we want to stay that long," affirmed Dianna.
"I'm not sure Mom would like to go abroad with such a tiny baby," Lilly commented.
"Mamman is also becoming heavier each day. I'm not sure she would like to travel either."
"What shall we do then?"
Dianna didn't even think of the answer. "I should certainly go. They love me like their own and it would be quite cruel not to visit them during the summer, at least. I really miss them, you know..."
Lilly seemed to understand. "I'll go with you, even if nobody else will. Do they speak English?"
Dianna shrugged. "Most of them speak English quite well and understand it perfectly. Their accent, though..."
"Oh, I don't mind the accent. Both Fleur and Gabi are from France yet I get along with their accent very well."
"Gabi – is she the one Andrew's brother intends to marry?"
"Yes, she is."
"Wow! She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!"
Lilly smiled. "You have probably missed her sister, Fleur. She is a few years older and even more beautiful. Mom says it is due to some Veela blood they have."
"Veela?..." Dianna's eyes opened like two saucers. "I thought these were only a legend."
"Not at all! Gabi and Fleur are quarter Veela. Their grandmother is a full-blood Veela, so they told me. Actually – my family has a standing invitation to their parents. We may just visit them when we go to France."
"I've never visited anywhere," confessed Julius. "Dad left us enough to live by comfortably, but Mum didn't think we should waste it on unnecessary traveling."
"I'm sure Dad would invite you both to join us," said Dianna while Lilly nodded approvingly. "Will you come?"
Both Julius and Andrew answered with an enthusiastic "Yes!".
Dianna could hardly wait for the date to come, now that she had much more to look for than just meeting her old family, yet there were some other events to take care of first.
Lilly's birthday was due in a week and Dianna's was due two weeks later, followed by Harry's at the end of July.
Lilly spent the first weeks of the vacation with her family and visiting some old muggle friends. She took Dianna with her, introducing her as her friend from the boarding school she was attending. They were all glad to meet her and Dianna felt really welcome.
They spent most of the time, though, with Andrew and Julius. No amount of time spent together seemed to be enough for any of the four. The girls usually spent some more time talking on the phone with the boys after they went home. Dianna was very happy that the boys were also invited to France.
Both Hermione and Narcissa decided not to make the journey. Using any means of magical or mundane transportation seemed inappropriate for them. Hermione didn't want to take a small baby traveling by Floo or by apparition or Portkey and taking the train or a plane seemed to be too long a voyage for the baby. Narcissa had similar thoughts about traveling in her condition, being quite big with her pregnancy which was making her uncomfortable in a short time, no matter which position she tried to sit.
James and Rose, though, were just too glad to travel. Harry decided to take them by airplane, as the younger Potters had had no chance to use that means of transportation before. They took a train to London, just to experience the modern trains, and then boarded a flight to Paris. This was actually a first for Julius as well, not having a chance to go abroad before.
Mr. and Mme. De-Poitiers were waiting for them at the airport. They both hugged Dianna lovingly and took long looks at her, as if trying to satisfy the year-long longings. They welcomed the rest of the group warmly as well, paying special attention to Lilly and Andrew, before escorting them all to a large limousine which was waiting with its chauffer at the parking lot.
"Will we all fit in?" asked Andrew.
"It's a magical vehicle. Its interior will expand to accommodate as many as needed," Mr. De-Poitiers explained with a smile.
It soon proved to be true. The four Potters, the two boys, Dianna and her adoptive parents fitted all very nicely within while their luggage was stowed into the seemingly normal size luggage compartment at the back.
"Where are we going now?" asked Harry.
"To our chateau near Bordeaux. It is on a hill surrounded by vineyards and orchards. It also has a nice formal garden, a Quidditch pitch and an Olympic size swimming pool. We hope you'll like it there," his host answered.
"It sounds quite nice. I'm sure the kids will like it. Isn't it a long journey though?"
"It is – for muggles. It only takes this car a few minutes. We can adjust it, though, as we like it."
As if to prove him right, the limousine was already approaching the gate in the wall surrounding the chateau. While the word originally meant a castle, a fortress, the building within the wall looked actually like a palace. It wasn't very large – only slightly larger than the Potter Manor – but it was as elegant as they come, styled similarly to the Versailles smaller palace and just as richly decorated. Once inside, it proved to also be a very welcoming place. Despite its elegance it was a warm, inviting place, making one feel at home no matter where he came from.
Dianna just couldn't wait. "Come, see my room," she said, grabbing Lilly's hand and signaling for the boys to follow.
A throat clearing from Mme. De-Poitiers stopped her. "Don't you think it would be politer to first show your guests to their rooms?" she asked Dianna in a tone that didn't leave any doubt about the correct answer.
"Oui, Madame. I believe their rooms are adjacent to mine, aren't they?"
The lady smiled. "Yes, dear. Lilly's is the next room on the same side and the boys' rooms are just on the opposite wall. Your luggage should already be there. Once you are all set in I suggest you change to swimwear and join the rest of the family at the pool"
"Merci. Madame!" Dianna jumped at her and kissed her cheek before grabbing Lilly again and hurrying along the corridor.
"Children…" sighed the lady before turning to the other guests. "Your rooms are on the other side of the stairs, just a few paces away from them. We've also prepared another room for Theodore Lupin, who didn't join you, eventually."
"He promised his grandmother to spend the vacation with her before we got your invitation. She intended taking him to Disneyland, so he didn't even consider breaking his promise."
"Oh, I was thinking of taking the children to Euro-Disneyland near Paris. Should we change our plan?"
"No. I'm sure they'll love it. I know I will."
"Well, we shall all join them, of course. Although not using magic, that place looks more magical than almost everywhere else."
Harry joined them for most of their visit there, yet he didn't stay the whole time. He used to return home two or three times a week to spend some time with Hermione, Narcissa and Herbert. He just couldn't stand being separated from Hermione for more than a day or two.
The children had no such problem. They fully enjoyed their vacation, getting to know the French family and also learning to speak a bit French. By the end of August they were all well tanned and fully relaxed and eager to start a new term.