I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Extended Family
Chapter 79 – Ice Place to Be
Takes place after chapter 73.
"What is going on here?"
Harry looked up sheepishly. "Oh uh, it…actually, I have no idea what it looks like."
Katie smiled at him. "I have to hear how this came about."
Harry grinned. "Well, it started with Luna reading to Lucas. You know that big book of non-magical animals we got her? She was reading it to him and showing him the pictures."
"Okay," Alicia said. "With you so far."
"So she just finished reading to him about birds and Hedwig got interested. Specifically about penguins because they don't fly. Hedwig was curious about sliding around on the ice on your belly."
"Hedwig was curious," Hermione said, covering her mouth to hide a smile.
"Yeah so I transfigured a small pool, filled it with water and then froze it so she could slide around on it to see what it's like."
"You made an ice rink for Hedwig to pretend to be a penguin," Katie said.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Okay, then explain the rest," Alicia said, her smile from ear to ear.
"Well the bunnies saw and wanted to try too and I might have transfigured their clothes into penguin onesies. And since I did it for them, I couldn't leave Melanie or Rilly or Lucky out of it." He flushed at the looks the witches gave him. "What?" he asked, defensively.
"You are too damn cute," Katie said and kissed him on the lips.
"And so are the little ones," Alicia sighed. She watched as the three older girls and Melanie and Iris slid around on the ice, squealing happily.
"How did Hedwig like it? Actually, where is she?" Hermione asked.
Harry patted his front and a muffled hooting could be heard through his shirt. "She enjoyed it but her belly got cold. So she's warming up."
"You are too damn cute," Katie repeated. "Stop that."
"I thought that was part of my charm," he said, batting his eyelashes. He snorted when Katie pushed his face away.
"Part of it, sure." Katie scooped up a wiggling Lucas dressed like a penguin. "Now you are the absolute cutest and you should stay this cute." She kissed him, making him giggle and pat her face clumsily with his little onesie wings.
"Oh my goodness, what is all this?!" Angelina asked. She had walked out with Abby in one arm and George and Fred trailing her, Fred carrying Alex. "Why are you all so cute?!"
"You lot look like you're having fun," Fred smiled.
"Slide with us!" Hailey shouted.
"The pool is a bit small for us," George said with mock sadness. "And we don't have the right clothes."
Fred looked at the pool with a thoughtful expression. He looked up at a nearby hill and slope. "You know, you don't have to wait until winter to go sledding…"
"Or sliding even," George said, looking at the hill with an identical thoughtful expression.
"We are magicals, aren't we?"
"That we are."
"We can mimic Harry's brilliant idea here."
"And make something a bit more fun for adults there."
Alicia took Alex from Fred. "Give me the baby before you do something stupid."
"Stupidity is a matter of perspective," Fred sniffed.
"No it isn't," Katie, Alicia, Angelina, and Hermione said.
"Opinions are a matter of perspective," George sniffed.
"Uh…maybe?" Katie said, looking confused.
"Come on George, I've got a good idea," Fred said and he and George ran off.
"This isn't my fault," Harry said hurriedly, "nor is anything that comes."
"No it isn't," Alicia agreed with a sigh. "Girls, no sliding on whatever your uncles create, okay? Stay in the small one here."
"Harry," Angelina said and held Abby out. Harry smiled and transformed her clothes into a penguin onesie too and did the same when Alicia held Alex out.
"Gosh, that is really well done," Hermione praised.
"I practiced a few times to get it right," Harry said proudly.
George and Fred created a track going down the incline. Wooden barriers grew from the ground and were made soft with Cushioning Charms. They smoothed out the ground and conjured water became ice, making a smooth surface. They then created a very large pillow target at the end of the track, jumping up and down on it a few times and throwing themselves bodily at it and making adjustments as needed.
"Well, what do you think?" they asked as they walked over, preening.
"I think it'll be a hilarious way to die," Alicia said. "I'm going to etch it into your tombstones. 'Here lies two idiots, killed by circumstances they created on their own'."
"If we haven't killed ourselves yet with all we do, this will hardly be the thing to do it," George sniffed.
"They have a point. Not a good one, but one regardless," Hermione snorted.
"Go on then, prove us wrong," Angelina said.
"Gladly!" Fred ran to the top of the hill and struck a ridiculous pose before flinging himself down onto the track. His cry of victory became a loud squawk as he spun around in circles on the ice, picking up speed as he slid down the incline. The squawk became a shriek when he went flying into the pillow and bounced off of it, hitting it hard and flying over it, landing on the hard ground.
"Oh and uh, the reason I gave the girls a onesie isn't just for warmth, the belly is thicker and cushioned and more streamlined to slide properly," Harry said weakly while the women and George howled with laughter.
"That makes sense," Fred said as he clambered to his feet wincing.
"Even when you go sledding in winter, you need something to sled on, you numpty," Alicia gasped, crying from laughing.
"Forgot that bit," Fred said, sighing with relief when Harry cast healing charms on him. "Not to mention we should soften the ground around the target zone just in case as we saw." He and George made the adjustments and Fred climbed up to the top of the hill once more. He transformed his clothes into a penguin onesie, one less realistic than Harry's, and threw himself down the incline once more. This time he slid smoothly without spinning and he grinned triumphantly as he slid into the big pillow, sinking into the target without a problem. "Success!"
"I'll give it to you, it did work," Alicia laughed.
George went to his house and came trotting back with a rug. "I don't feel like putting a onesie on so let's see how this works." He flung himself down the slope and whooped with glee as he slid down the ice lane, sliding into the pillow and bouncing a few times. "That's fun!"
Fred gave them all a look. "Come on, you can't tell me you don't want to give it a try."
"I guess if you two can do it," Angelina said. "Harry, do me up please." She grinned as she flapped her arms. "Dang, this is really comfy actually. Might need this on a permanent basis." She waddled up the hill and laid down on the ice, pushing herself down the slope. She yelled exuberantly, sliding neatly on her stomach and flew into the pillow. She stood and bowed as the others clapped. "Okay, that's fun!"
"Me next!" Katie, also penguin attired, threw herself down the slope and shrieked with laughter as she careened down the course. She hit the pillow a little harder but bounced easily, landing on her feet but overbalancing and falling backwards onto the mat. She laughed even harder as she struggled to climb up. "What a rush," she smiled, cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
"Can we slide on the big one?" Dahlia pleaded with Hailey and Hadley sharing the wide-eyed expression.
"I don't know," Alicia said slowly. "It's still rather big."
"We'll make a smaller one for the sprogs," Fred said. He and George did just that, making one that was less steep and increasing the safety measures. When finished, they both tested it out and had no difficulties. Alicia slid down the small one, using the rug, and nodded as she clambered out of the cushioned end zone.
"Okay, that's good. Stay away from the big one though," she said. "Melanie, you stay in the pool here please though. You're still a bit too small."
Melanie had no problem sliding around the pool with Iris and the three older girls enjoyed using the miniature version of the slide, shrieking with laughter as they slid down the lane.
"Do you want to try it?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head. "I'm fine. How about you?"
"Still seems a bit much for me," Hermione laughed. "I'm not keen on going down a slope on my stomach like that."
"You can sit on the rug, then it'll be like regular sledding," Alicia offered.
"I'll sit with you Auntie Hermione," Dahlia said.
"Well, if you keep me safe, I suppose I can try," Hermione smiled. She sat on the rug with Dahlia in her lap and went down the smaller ice slide. She shrieked with laughter when Dahlia 'accidentally' pushed her onto the cushioned area when they were getting up and she retaliated by tossing the squealing penguin girl back. "You're right, that is fun!"
Alicia sat beside Harry and smiled, watching their friends and children zoom down the slope and in the rink. "You come up with the best ideas to pass the time."
"Wasn't even trying really," Harry chuckled. "Just how it goes usually: I come up with something silly and the twins take it and run with it and it becomes a bigger thing."
"Oh my goodness, what is all this?!" Daphne and Tracy came walking up, holding Heather's hands. The adults gaped at the sight of everyone sliding down the ice and Heather wriggled free from her parents and latched onto Harry.
"Hedwig wanted to know what it was like to slide on the ice like a penguin. Harry, being Harry, indulged her and the little ones and Fred and George ran away with the concept," Alicia smiled.
"That sounds like the usual," Daphne smiled. "The little ones are adorable."
"Fred looks ridiculous," Tracy laughed as Fred slid down backwards still in his getup.
"Would you like to slide around the rink with Melanie and Iris?" Harry asked Heather.
The little girl nodded furiously. "Yes please!" She looked to her mothers. "Mummies, may I?"
"Only this one but yes," Daphne said. She cooed when Harry transfigured her clothes into a penguin outfit and helped her climb into the rink. She flailed a little at first but soon learned how to slide around as Iris and Melanie taught her. "This is too adorable."
"Good thing we had a late breakfast and haven't had lunch yet," Tracy smiled.
"I'm making fish for dinner if you all want to stay," Harry said. "The bunnies already asked for something penguin appropriate."
"You're not serving them completely penguin appropriate, are you?" Alicia asked.
"Oh no, I'm making fish pies," Harry laughed. "No raw freezing fish here."
"That's good then," Alicia giggled.
"Oh you are entirely too adorable," Daphne said, picking up Lucas and bouncing him in her lap.
"The things we get up to here," Tracy said. "Never would've imagined seeing people dressed as penguins and sliding about but here, it doesn't seem all that weird."
"You may join if you wish," Daphne smiled at her wife.
"Maybe a couple! Harry, can you penguin me?" Tracy, once attired, clambered up the hill and Harry and Daphne and Alicia howled with laughter as she flailed her way down the slide. Unperturbed, Tracy did it again with the biggest smile on her face.
"You can sit on a rug like Hermione," Alicia offered.
"That is quite alright, I am more than content right here," Daphne smiled.
The afternoon passed pleasantly and as the sun began to sink behind the horizon, they decided to stop. Warming charms took away the last of the chill and everyone helped to undo the spells that created the tracks, the rink, and the ice. The adults had their clothes returned to normal but the little ones begged to keep theirs for a while longer.
"Oh! I had no idea we had our own waddle of penguins here." Luna came up and smiled as she watched the children play in the Triangle, still attired.
"A bunch of penguins is called a waddle? Adorable," Angelina said.
"On land yes, or a colony or a huddle. In water they can be called a raft."
"Groups of animals get the best names," George said. "Too bad people don't."
"A coven of witches," Alicia smiled.
"A menagerie of magicals," Hermione offered.
"If you listen to Sirius, the group in the Wizengamot is called a bastard," Harry chuckled and the others snorted and laughed.
"You missed them sliding about," Daphne said when the laughter died.
"I was fortunate to see the beginning when Harry made the pool for Hedwig," Luna smiled.
"We took lots of pictures so you can see how the rest happened," Katie said. "Besides, I'm sure we'll do this again. It was a lot of fun."
"Told you," the twins said together.
"Yes, well done," Alicia said without any snideness. "I will change the etching."
They ate together outdoors under the darkening sky. Night fell slowly, covering them in gentle darkness. Conjured bluebell flames kept the dark at bay and they chatted comfortably as they ate.
"I wonder what bright idea Hedwig will get next," Fred remarked.
"She did not seem as interested in ostriches or cormorants," Luna said as she fed Lucas his dinner.
"She's not much of a runner or a diver," Harry said and Hedwig cheeped in agreement.
"It's so nice that we have the space and the ability to do something like this though," Angelina said. "Imagining living in closer quarters to people who aren't as nice about random things."
"You won't believe what the neighbors are doing again!" George said in a shrill and unpleasant voice. "They're mucking up the gardens for ice of all things! And not even for a drink!"
Everyone laughed. "Ugh, no thank you," Hermione chortled.
"That's basically great-aunt Muriel," Fred shuddered.
"Only one more thing to make this perfect," Katie said.
"What's that?" Harry asked. He blinked when Katie put a hat on his head, one she transfigured to look like a penguin.
"Baby birds! Get the big mama bird!" she shouted.
Harry took off running while Dahlia, Hailey, Hadley, Melanie, Iris, and Heather started to chase him. The adults and the babies laughed and laughed at the sight of Harry being trailed by squealing penguins. Harry's laughter was the loudest of all as he ran around the gardens and the girls keeping pace.
"I don't know who's happier," Alicia sighed softly as they watched.
"That's how it should be," Luna giggled when Harry tripped and fell over and was immediately buried beneath the pile of penguins.
-0-0-0-
Imaginer.012 - I knew I wanted to tie it back somehow with this chapter and am glad it came off well without being trite or cheesy. I thought it was a nice way to show how Harry has grown and how he will defend his as fiercely as he could, in not so obvious ways. Always good to see you. Hope you have been well and things have gotten better.
odonnellzoo99 - I looked up how treacle was typically bought or stored and a bucket of it sounded right.
alix33 - They asked her so I imagine she would be fine with it.
Urgwaew - I like to try and think of how the Society would be given the limits of the setting. Don't want it to be over the top, but certainly archaic and very much not fitting modern sensibilities. Glad you enjoyed it. It was fun to see Andi and Sirius running roughshod over normal Society conventions and enjoying it as they do. Hope you've been well.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - It was fun to bring the ring back and let it be a facet in Cyrus' downfall.
EbonPurlight - That was the goal of this fic. Snippets of life that bring back little details and expand on small stories.
Ghostwriter - I typically post twice a week, occasionally more.
guest - It is satisfying to see someone beat another at their own game and I hoped it felt realistically done here.
