I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Extended Family
Chapter 97 – Hide and Seek
Takes place after chapter 55.
"Everything okay girls?" Katie asked, seeing Hadley, Hailey, and Dahlia lying on the grass.
"Yes Mummy, KatiMum," the girls said in lethargic unison.
"You don't sound it," Katie said with a raised eyebrow.
"We just don't know what to do," Dahlia said. "We can't decide on a game and we did all our homework but don't want to get more right now."
"Hmm, it's still a bit early to start preparing for dinner, want to go swimming in the creek?"
"The bugs are bitey today," Hailey said dispiritedly. "We checked."
"Want to go flying? I'll be happy to come watch you," Katie offered.
"We thought about that too but we weren't in the mood," Hadley said tiredly.
"Poor things, can't decide on something," Katie teased.
"It's so sad," Dahlia said, the picture of depression.
Katie stifled a chuckle, bouncing Iris in her arms. Suddenly she was reminded of a time where she and Lyla were in a similar state of self-inflicted somberness and their mother had a face of sheer exasperation. "I suppose you could just lie about and bemoan," she smiled.
"We're already doing that," Hailey sighed.
"What is the problem?" Alicia asked as she walked up. "Is something wrong?"
"No, the girls just don't know what to do," Katie said.
"I can think of some chores," Alicia said. The girls groaned at that.
"Oh!" Dahlia sat up. "Last time you made up the scavenger hunt for us, AliMum."
"Oh right, that did happen the last time you lot were bored." Alicia snorted at the hopeful looks the three bunnies gave her. "I'm not sure if I can be that creative right now."
"Hey, I have an idea," Katie said enthusiastically. "How about hide and seek?"
"I guess we could do that," Hadley said, looking at the other two girls.
"But here's a twist, you come looking for us," Katie continued. "We adults will hide in the village and you three come seeking us."
"That sounds like fun!" Dahlia said and the other two nodded eagerly.
"Hmmm, that does sound like fun," Alicia said slowly.
"You can't use magic to hide though," Hadley said. "That wouldn't be fair."
"Agreed," Alicia said. She smiled. "Let me see who's about and wants to play." Her smile grew as the three girls clapped excitedly.
In a short time, Harry, Katie, Hermione, Daphne, Tracy, Angelina, Oliver, Alicia, Tonks, Lyla, Mirabelle, and Luna were assembled in the Triangle. "Here are the rules," Daphne said. "The adults will hide around the village and will not use magic to hide. The three girls will hunt for them as a team and when found, they will bring the adult back here. I will keep track of time and if the girls can find everyone within the limit, there will be an extra prize for them."
"Do we get a prize if they don't get us within the limit?" Tracy asked.
"That will be fair," Daphne agreed. "I will sit out for this game and watch the babies and enjoy the show. I will also not help the girls aside from general hints if they ask for them, providing I know the hiding spot of course."
"You don't want to play?" Dahlia asked, concerned.
"I will be very happy with watching this time," Daphne assured her. "And next time I will hide and play."
"Right! Let's go!" Tonks shouted and the adults scattered with the three little girls sitting facing each other and their hands over their eyes.
After a count of three minutes, Daphne smiled at them. "Off you go girls!"
With a happy squeal, they jumped up and looked around. "How should we start?" Hailey asked.
"We should go house to house," Hadley said. "Go through each one thoroughly and know that we can move on to the next one."
"Let's do yours first then," Dahlia said and they scampered towards the Wood's home. They went through the home and did not find a single person. "Okay, mine next then." When they entered Dahlia's room, Dahlia knew someone had been in there recently. She prowled about slowly and then jumped. "Got you!"
Lyla squealed when Dahlia landed on the pile of plushies. She had burrowed under them and arranged a few pillows around herself to try and hide. "How did you know?!" she laughed, hugging Dahlia.
"I always put Delacour on the top of the pile because she's a thunderbird and I put the kitty you got me on the side close to me," Dahlia explained.
"Dang, that's good observational skills!" Lyla praised, kissing Dahlia on the forehead. "You got me fair and square." They jumped at a loud clattering noise from downstairs. They ran out of Dahlia's room and into the kitchen and Lyla nearly fell over with laughter, seeing Mirabelle in the pantry with a large pot on her head.
"Are you okay Auntie Mira?!" Dahlia asked.
Mirabelle waved a hand. "I'm okay," she said, voice muffled and echoing slightly. She took the pot off and shook her head. "I was hiding in the pantry and Hadley and Hailey scared me and I jumped."
"Sorry Auntie Mira," the two girls said sheepishly.
Mirabelle smiled and hugged them. "It's okay!" She glared over their heads at a still laughing Lyla. "I'm going to pot you if you keep laughing!" She pushed Lyla as they were led back to the Triangle.
"How did you two get caught?" Daphne asked with sparkling eyes while the girls ran off to continue the hunt.
"I hid under Dahlia's plushies but didn't arrange them back the right way. I never had a system when I was younger and underestimated her," Lyla said ruefully.
"I was tucked into the pantry in the corner and when Hailey and Hadley burst in, scared me and I knocked a pot over my head," Mirabelle said sheepishly.
"Would you like a headache tonic?" Daphne asked, holding one out.
"Oh thank you." Mirabelle drank it swiftly. "Do you normally walk around with those?"
"A necessity," Daphne said wryly. "Seriously, I have started carrying around a small pouch with a few essential potion vials. Quite handy for many situations."
Mirabelle sighed. "I should do that too."
"Now we can help watch the babies and heckle the others," Lyla said, picking up a wiggling Iris.
"That is why I did not mind sitting out," Daphne smiled. "I get to enjoy the show without having to worry about my performance."
"Any ideas where the others are?" Mirabelle asked as she gently rocked the bassinet holding Alex and Abby.
"I did not look, I wanted to be surprised too."
-0-
"Hmmm, I think we checked everywhere," Hadley said, looking around the Weasley home.
"The spell locking Daddy's office is still there," Hailey said. "Oh! I think I know where someone might be." She led the other two to the master bedroom and they walked inside, searching the closet and under the bed. She then pushed the door into the master bath and looked around carefully. AS she crept to the very large bath tub, she peered in. "Ah ha!"
Angelina groaned and smiled at her daughter. "You got me." She climbed out of the bathtub and picked Hailey up. "I thought I'd last longer than that!"
"You were lying in the bathtub?" Dahlia giggled.
Angelina slung Dahlia over her shoulder and picked up Hadley with her other arm. She walked down the stairs and out of the house with a girl under each arm and Dahlia draped over her shoulder like a stole. "Hailey did that to me the other night when she was trying to avoid having a bath."
"Mummy!" Hailey protested while the other two laughed uproariously.
"You don't like baths?" Hadley asked.
"I was already comfy and didn't want to get uncomfy," Hailey muttered.
Angelina watched fondly as she dropped the girls off and they ran away. "How're the babies?"
"Being very good," Daphne said as she held Melanie.
Angelina sat and lifted out her twins as they started to babble when they saw her. "That's good. I was hoping to last longer but those three together are very smart and thorough."
"Yeah they are," Lyla said. "This is so much fun!"
-0-
"Found you Mummy!"
"I thought I was safe!" Katie complained. She smiled as she crawled out from under Tonks' bed. "How did you find me?"
"Auntie Dora has her bed skirts tucked up usually so no monsters can hide under her bed," Dahlia said.
"Huh, now that's something new to worry about," Katie muttered. "Who else have you found?"
"We found Auntie Lyly, Auntie Mira, and AngieMum so far."
"Dally! I think someone else is here!" Hailey called.
Dahlia and Katie walked to the large closet that Tonks used to store her equipment. Hailey and Hadley were at the entrance, peering inside. The closet, unlike the rest of the house, was very neat and organized. Things hung from hooks and racks, clothes and gear arranged neatly on hangers. "Normally the door is closed," Hailey said. "We promised to never go in and poke about but we noticed the door was open."
"Oh, if that is the case, you found me." Luna slid off the top of a shelf and landed on the ground. "I had no idea you were not allowed inside. My apologies for inadvertently cheating."
"Do you want to hide again?" Hadley asked.
"No, that is okay. I did not close the door after me and you noticed something amiss so I believe that counts," Luna smiled broadly.
"That's good of you to surrender," Katie praised.
"It wouldn't be fair to the girls," Luna said easily. She and Katie followed them out. "I will choose my future hiding place more carefully next time. I do hope there is a next time. This is so much fun!"
"I can't remember the last time I played hide and seek as a hider," Katie agreed.
-0-
"Where were you hiding?" Daphne asked.
Hermione laughed. "I hid in Luna's studio. She stacks her canvases and easels like a little hut in the back corner and I thought that would be a good place to hide."
"Oh yes, I make that into a little solitude corner by design," Luna said happily. "It is one of the favorite spots for the girls to hide in normally."
"Wish I knew that," Hermione said with a large smile. "It's super cozy in there. Makes sense now." She watched the girls run off again before picking up Iris. "I never really got to do this when I was younger. It's really nice to be able to now, even being much older."
"This place is great for wish fulfillment," Katie said softly. "We get to live close to friends and enjoy life with each other, making up for lost time and opportunities."
Hermione's sigh was heartfelt and full of emotion. "It's wonderful."
-0-
"Five more minutes," Tonks grumbled sleepily, rolling over.
"But we found you," Dahlia giggled as she and the other two shook Tonks.
Tonks blinked and flushed, remembering the circumstances. "Oh right." She sat up and yawned, grinning at the giggling girls. "This place is so quiet and good for napping." She let them pull her up and she followed them out and back towards the Triangle.
"Where were you?" Katie asked.
"Napping in Hermione's library," Tonks said weakly and the others roared with laughter.
"Aren't you supposed to be good at hiding on stake outs and the like?" Angelina asked.
"Well then I can use my abilities and it's a bit more serious," Tonks said defensively. "Plus I don't pull observation duty in a library because I know full well that books put me to sleep. Still, I think it's a compliment saying that the library is comfy enough to nap in."
"But there's so much to do in it," Hermione said indignantly. "Why would you want to nap in there?!"
"Napping is a thing to do in it," Tonks retorted.
"We thought you would be the last, considering your job," Daphne smiled.
"I'll up my performance next time," Tonks said gustily. "Who still needs to be found?"
"Harry, Alicia, Oliver, and Tracy," Lyla said.
"I can't wait to hear where they are," Mirabelle said.
-0-
Tracy held on for as long as she could. Her eyes were closed, her lips sealed, and she desperately tried to push off the inevitable. However, right when she thought she was safe, she felt the surface above her move and hands touch her. She pushed herself up and coughed and hacked when her head broke the water's surface.
"Hi Auntie Taffy!" the girls trilled.
"Hi girls!" Tracy said, still coughing but smiled at them. She climbed out of the creek. "I thought I could hold my breath long enough."
"We saw you a bit ago," Hailey said. "We stood here and watched to see how long you were going to hide underwater."
"You were going to let me drown?!"
"No, I grabbed you before that!" Dahlia said severely.
"I can't believe you three were going to let me drown," Tracy muttered. She shook her head as the girls giggled. "Was I the last one?"
"No, we're still looking for Papa Harry, Daddy, and Mummy," Hadley said.
"Dang, thought my spot was pretty good. Still, close to the top," Tracy said. She followed them back to the Triangle.
"You are soaking wet," Daphne smiled and waved her wand, drying Tracy out with directed warm air.
"Thanks Babe," Tracy sighed with relief. "I was hiding in the creek. The girls were going to watch me drown."
"Was not!" they shouted in unison.
"Any ideas where the others might be?" Hermione asked.
"We looked at Auntie Daffy and Taffy's house," Dahlia said. "No one was there. We even checked the greenhouse."
"Hmm, where could the others be," Angelina hummed.
"That's all the buildings then, checking the creek was a good idea. Perhaps you have to search the rest of the grounds," Luna suggested.
"Oh! I know!" Dahlia took off running and Hailey and Hadley chased after her.
"You have an idea?" Hailey asked as they ran.
"Yeah!" Dahlia led them back to Luna's home and they went into the back garden. Luna, with help from Neville, had grown some expansive flowers and plants there and it was more wild and natural than the more cultivated gardens and greenhouse that Daphne and Tracy had. Dahlia picked her way around a flowerbed and ducked underneath the dirigible plums. "Found you!"
"You did!" Harry said and he laughed when Dahlia pounced on him and Hailey and Hadley followed soon after. After hugging them tightly, he climbed up to his feet. Harry had hidden himself between the dirigible plum bushes and a willow tree, ensconced within the branches and fairly well hidden from sight unless you walked behind the tree. "How'd you find me?"
"I remembered you saying you liked Auntie Luna's garden and it was like the book The Secret Garden, a garden hidden away," Dahlia said proudly. "When Auntie Luna said to search the grounds, I remembered to search her garden."
"Good girl," Harry praised. "I heard you girls find Hermione and thought I was safe when you ran past me earlier."
"Problem is, we searched all the homes," Hadley said. "And the grounds are so big otherwise."
Harry hummed. "Maybe look in the obvious places now?"
"But we already searched the homes," Hadley repeated.
"We haven't checked the pitch though," Hailey said.
"Are there places to hide at the pitch?" Dahlia asked. They trooped over with Harry to look around. The girls looked beneath the benches and the stands where the watchers sat.
"Daddy!" Hadley had turned and looked up slightly and saw a grinning Oliver sitting on a ledge around one of the goal posts. "You're not supposed to use magic!"
"I didn't!" Oliver expertly slid down the post and landed easily. "I climbed up there with my own hands and feet."
"I've never thought about sitting there," Harry said admiringly.
"It's surprisingly comfy," Oliver smiled. "Was I the last one?"
"We're still looking for AliMum," Dahlia said. The girls searched the pitch some more before finding no one and they and Oliver and Harry went back to the Triangle.
"Never guessed Alicia would be the last one remaining," Tracy whistled.
"We've searched everywhere though," Dahlia hummed.
"Now you'll have to think like Alicia to find her," Lyla said.
Angelina, Katie, Hermione, and Daphne snorted. "Good luck there," Angelina said.
"Oliver's standing right here," Harry said, giving the women a look of mild reproof.
"I agree with them," Oliver said easily and they all laughed. "I've known her for years and years and she still surprises me."
"Mummy's tricky," Hadley said proudly before scowling slightly. "Sometimes really tricky."
Dahlia ran into her home and came back out with parchment and quill. She started writing all the places they searched.
"That does look like everywhere," Angelina said, looking over her shoulder.
"Where else is obvious?" Hailey asked. "Papa Harry said look in the obvious places."
"Looks like you have already," Hermione observed.
"Then time to look in the unobvious places," Luna said.
"What does that mean?" Mirabelle asked.
"Where you would look last or least expect," Luna clarified.
The little girls looked at each other. "Oh!" Hadley looked up. "I think I know then!" She ran off and Hailey and Dahlia followed a step behind.
"I wonder where that is," Katie mused.
"Don't look at me," Oliver chuckled. "Like I said, I don't know how she thinks sometimes. What do you think Melanie?" he asked as he lifted Melanie high into the air.
"Butts!" Melanie said loudly.
"Thanks so much for teaching her to shout that, Sir Harry," Oliver sighed while the others laughed. "That's her go to word when asked a question now." He smiled. "Though Mum thinks it's hysterical."
"Hey look they found her," Angelina said, pointing. "Sounds like they're arguing though."
"AliMum cheated!" Hailey said, running back to them.
"I did not!" Alicia waggled a finger at her god-daughter. "I did not cast a spell to hide!"
"Where was she?" Katie asked.
"She was in the shed by the pitch!" Hadley said angrily. "And we didn't go inside without permission Papa Harry!"
"That really would be the last place to find you," Angelina said with a thoughtful nod.
"But Mummy used her wand to undo the spell locking it so she could go inside!" Hadley complained.
"Ohhhh you know, they have a point," Lyla said.
"The rule was no magic to hide," Alicia insisted. "I even left the door open a crack."
"We're not allowed to go to the shed normally though so we didn't think of it until the end," Dahlia said.
"Hmm, that is a good point," Alicia conceded. "I was not thinking of that when we said everywhere in the village was fair game."
"What do you rule?" Luna asked, looking at Hermione.
"I'm a solicitor, not a judge," Hermione said, bemused.
"Close enough," Luna shrugged.
Hermione hummed for a moment. "I don't think Alicia cheated deliberately, but she was a little lax on the wording we established earlier. I think the girls caught her fair and square but she shouldn't be punished for cheating."
"That's not fair to us," Hailey grumbled.
"Welcome to the judicial system," Tracy said, patting her shoulder sympathetically.
"They are far too young to be so cynical," Daphne scolded, kicking Tracy in the rear gently. She smiled at the girls. "But good job girls! You found everyone within the time."
The bunnies cheered, jumping up and down and high-fiving one another. The adults enjoyed their celebration.
"We have to do that again, that was a lot of fun," Lyla said.
"Imagine how much crazier it'd be with the twins too," Luna said brightly.
"I'm for it," Oliver said enthusiastically. "It's nice to play games and have fun like that."
"What's the prize?" Mirabelle asked.
"Oh right, the prize!" the bunnies said excitedly.
"I was thinking of getting a cake from a bakery and giving you three the first big pieces," Daphne smiled.
"Ooh can we get one from Mrs. Tilly at Skye Market?" Dahlia asked.
"That sounds wonderful to me," Daphne agreed.
"I'll go too," Harry said. "I can see what they have there that's fresh and let's have an outdoor dinner tonight, how does that sound?"
Everyone cheered at that.
-0-
"That was a great idea," Harry said later that night, watching everyone eating and chatting.
"It was a lot of fun," Katie smiled. She leaned against him. "Did you have fun?"
"Loads," he said warmly. "It was nice to play like that with everyone." He chuckled softly. "I'll have to start looking around for good hiding places for the next time."
"That is an enormous piece!" Katie exclaimed when Dahlia carried a plate to them.
"Daphne bought a small one to split up for the girls," Harry smiled. "The bigger one is for all of us."
"Oh that's nice of her." Katie blinked when Daphne carefully cut her piece into four. "Those are big bites Dally."
"I wanted to share with you and Daddy and Iris," Dahlia said.
"Oh you're just the cutest," Harry gushed and hugged her. "Such a good girl."
Katie smiled proudly and hugged her family, warm and content. "Did you enjoy the game today?"
Dally nodded happily. "It was so fun! I can't wait to play again!"
"Neither can we," Harry said sincerely.
-0-0-0-
Ghostwriter - Thank you.
odonnellzoo99 - I purely envisioned Mirabelle to always be a little sister only in this setting. I wanted her to give Harry a chance in being that older mentor figure to a new person who desperately needed a friend, like he did. I wanted her to be that person so very much out of their comfort zone, being a Muggleborn, and letting Harry shine as an older brother figure. I never intended on Luna being a romantic interest in this one either. I always wanted her to be that younger person that needed someone to genuine care for them and Harry would be that person, and they help each other in similar ways. Defiance of Fate was my ode to a Luna and Harry pairing and I think that did rather well in that regard. I like the relationship that she and Harry have in this setting too, to be vain.
poka - Aw, I love chocobos. Lyla is very serious about candy so she would remember.
alix33 - Hedwig is a very good dancer and very expressive in her body language.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - I was happy with all my OCs but Mirabelle was one of my favorites too. She evolved into a character that I was very happy with and proud of.
