Disclaimer: see chapter 1
"That's the Grimorum Acranorum." Said Galatea as she held a gas lamp up to the book
"The what?" asked Harry from his wizard's chess game with Portia who was beating him largely due to cheating. He could tell by the cuts on her hands from when the pieces had hurt her when she moved them. She thought Harry wasn't looking but she was wrong.
"The Magus' lost book of spells. Don't you ever pay attention?" asked Portia as she destroyed Harry's knight. Harry in return destroyed her pawn ad Galatea put a hand to her temples.
"Looks kind of small, how do you read it?" asked Persephone as she took the book from Galatea. Harry and Portia rolled their eyes. Persephone was more ill than normal and she always seemed to become slower when she was ill.
"It's just an illustration." Said Galatea shaking her head
"Oh. Well, what does that have to do with us?" asked Persephone as she sat down on the ground next to Galatea. In the light she looked awful but nobody said anything.
"If we got that book think of what we could do." Said Galatea thinking of all the power that came from that book.
"We could use it as an excuse to learn ancient English." Said Harry knowing that if the book was that old they'd need to decipher it.
"Or Gaelic." Said Portia laughing under her breath
"Oh come off it, it's a powerful book." Said Galatea thinking of how great a witch she could be. At thirteen she had dreams of leaving the island but knew that her dreams would most likely never come fo fruition.
"Let's not fight everybody. It's a hot day and this room is very stuffy so please let's not add to the unpleasantness." Said Persephone wiping the sweat from her forehead
"Not as hot as that fire." Said Portia remembering the fire from a few years ago that had seemingly welded their friendship together
"I said I was sorry!" said Galatea indignantly
"Let's do what father always said and leave the past behind us." Said Harry remembering how his father always said that whenever Harry asked him about his past. As of late his father was getting very nervous and seemed to be afraid of the owls that brought their daily post.
"Agreed." Said everyone as they continued with what they were doing. They went about their business until the breakfast bell was sounded. They tore down the stairs and almost knocked down the servant who rang the large meal bell. They took their places at the table and began to eat.
"Owls late today." Remarked Addie between bites. Peter handed her a napkin and nodded in agreement
"What?" asked Margareta from across the table. She had to be sat far away Addie because the two of them fought almost constantly about everything form the weather to how to discipline the children.
"She said the owl post was late this morning" said Harry loudly as he buttered his toast.
"That's odd." Said Margareta
"Enough about the bloody owl! From this moment onward it's against the house rules for anyone to mention owls in my presence." Said Peter angrily. He was worried because he knew that Harry and Portia's Hogwarts letters would be coming soon. Galatea had been attending for two years so as not to arose suspicion. He had several problems with that but Galatea was his sister's daughter and he had no say about her but she was under strict orders not to mention him.
"Uncle Peter?" asked Galatea as an owl perched itself upon Peter's shoulder. He didn't notice and continued to eat as if nothing had happened. The owl seemed to be laughing and she saw that it had several large envelopes tied to its legs.
"Is this about the owl?" asked Peter rubbing his temple. He felt something on his shoulder and assumed that it was one of the children playing a prank
"Yes but it's important." Said Galatea as everyone began to laugh
"I've had a servant dispatch the owl to the post building. It'll come back eventually with your letter. I thought you Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart." Said Peter not meaning to be so short with his niece
"Peter…" stated Addie Peter sighed and threw his hands un in mock defeat
"Alright, I'm sorry Galatea please accept my forgiveness." Said Peter
"Father…"started Harry and Portia
"Children, remember what I said."
"Merlin! Brother there's and owl on your should and I think it just stole a bit of your toast." Said Margareta annoyed with the whole affair. She found it most undignified
"What?" said Peter jumping up. The owl was startled and flew away. It perched itself on the table and hooted in anger
"Come here you bloody bird." Muttered Margareta as she untied the mail from the owl. She shooed it off to its roost ad noticed that there were two new letters.
"My letter!" said Galatea in excitement. She forgot her manners and snatched all of the mail away from her mother.
"Galatea!" said Margareta trying to get the letters back but she was already back at her spot with the rest of the children crowded around her
"Dear Mrs. Pettigrew, we are glad to welcome you to your first year at Hogwarts?" said Galatea in confusion
"I think that's mine." Said Portia taking it unceremoniously from Galatea's hand leaving a paper cut. Galatea put her hand in her mouth while Harry found his Hogwarts letter
"Look, I got one too!" said Harry tearing the envelope open.
"I think you'd better give the to me." Said Peter getting up to try and take the letter away from Harry
"Wait, just a quick read?" asked Harry. Peter shook his head no. he was afraid of what Harry would find on that bit of parchment and he was also afraid of how Dumbledore even knew Harry was there.
"I'll do it!" said Portia snatching the letter away from her father. She wished that Persephone could have been there for the momentous occasion but her cousin took most of her meals in her room.
"You give that back to your father right now!" said Addie angrily. She was worried about how mush Dumbledore knew and was also confused as to how Dumbledore would even be aware of Harry's presence
"Later. Ah yes, here we go. Dear Mr. Pettigrew, I am most surprised to find your name amongst the new first years but then it came to my attention that you were found through the Pettigrew family tax records. I am pleased to welcome you to your first year at Hogwarts…supplies…pets…boring!" said Portia handing the letter back to her father
"You are in so much trouble but now we're going to have a family meeting. No children allowed!" said Peter summoning a servant to shoo them out of the room
"No fair." Said Portia digging her shoes into the floor as a servant tried to drag her away
"Yes fair now go!" said Peter slamming the door. The children felt hurt but then felt better as they thought of Hogwarts. They ran upstairs to show Persephone their letters and try to tell her that her letter would come one day too.
"This is bad." Said Addie trying to compose herself
"Bad? This is awful! I won't have my brother rotting in Azkaban for life just because he made some bad decisions." Said Margareta
"Let's not panic!" said Peter as he began hyper ventilating
"Peter…" stated Addie as her husband began to turn red
"I said stop panicking! Why are you all panicking!" said Peter as she began to pace the room
"Brother, you're the only one who's panicking."
"I have every reason too! They know he's here! What else do they know? They could be watching us right now." Said Peter as he looked around the room suspiciously
"Peter be reasonable! Nobody's watching us." Aid Addie as her eyes shifted back and forth
"Will you too calm down! Brother, you of all people should know what happens when you act without thinking." Said Margareta as she fanned them both with her handkerchief. She was worried too but she had to be the one to keep a calm head or else the household would descend into chaos.
"I don't want to go to Azkaban!" shouted Peter as he began to cry into his wife's dress. The bird pattern on her dress flew away from his tears.
"You won't go, here's the plan: Margareta, think of a plan." Said Addie
"You're just like your daughter…Heidi!" said Margareta turning her back to Addie
"Yeah well, at least I didn't sleep with Sirius Black!" said Addie arrogantly
"Yes you did! And the entire Quidditch team too!" said Margareta haughtily
"Yes well, at least I never got pregnant by them!"
"Say that to my face!" said Margareta drawing her wand
"With pleasure!" said Addie before trying to curse Margareta. She was stopped as Peter's old governess and now high maid walked in with a new scullery maid
"Just like old times." Said Paulette as she handed the scullery maid supplies and surveyed the scene
"What?" they all asked at once. Peter was sitting on the floor panicking and the others were going to have an impromptu dual.
"Whatever it is I'm sure you can find a solution that doesn't involve sending each other to the hospital."
"Paulette it's alright. You don't need to worry yourself in your old age." Said Peter calming down after seeing his old caretaker
"You've always said that since you were just a boy. In fact; when you were just eleven years old you were so excit4ed about Hogwarts you wouldn't stop talking about it but then when we got to platform 9 ¾ you cried and wouldn't let go of my skirts. It took Addie and that nice Lupin boy to get you off of me. But I guess I'm just rambling on in my old age. The think you're dead after all, nobody from the island would have reason to say otherwise to Dumbledore. Even the children are young enough for it to be believed that they never knew you. I always said you were fast with the women. I never like you hanging around that Mudblood girl Lily Evans anyway; Halfblood children could come of that. But I suppose this old woman does tend to ramble. Well, back to my duties." Said Paulette hoping that the three of them got the message. They were so like children even as the approached middle age.
"Paulette is a genius!" said Margareta looking like her daughter Galatea. Addie and Peter go it too and decided to tell the children what to say and use the fact that everybody thought he was dead. It was a fool proof plan.
"Paulette?" asked Margareta as she opened the door. Paulette came back through the door with a knowing smile on her face
"Yes ma'am?"
"Summon the children. We have something important to discuss with them." Said Margareta
"Yes ma'am, right away."