Chapter 44 - Regina

The plan was an easy one. Easy to explain but very difficult to accomplish. The idea was exactly what Regina had suggested; he had shared it with Hermione at the beginning and with James and Ginny later. He had recounted them about their conversation. The house was going to be moved in its entirety.
They were living in a terraced place and what they would try to do was to move it two or three appartements further down the street, squeezing it amid the already existing ones. It was going to be extremely tricky. The houses in the street were all inhabited by muggles therefore, it was something it needed to be done at night and taking all the necessary precautions for them not to realise.
Harry and Hermione had memorized all the many and complicated spells necessary for the task and, together with James, they had practiced them thoroughly. Ginny had agreed in allowing James doing magic in this particular occasion in accord with Harry about the necessity of teaching him to take responsibilities for his wrongdoing and, with the added motive to regain back his beloved room (since he was now occupying Rose's one), he had worked extra hard in it.
Their flat needed to be mapped thoroughly and charms had to be casted in every room to every single wall, window, door and fireplace. Not a spot could be overlooked.
It was already days they were working on it, helped occasionally by very keen Rose and Albus (enchanted by the possibility of breaking Hogwarts rules) for the easiest tasks.
That night it was going to be the night chosen for the experiment.
They had picked a moonless one and Hermione had brought with her the deluminator.
Ginny was there too; she had casted some anti muggle spells to keep them as much as possible away from the street. It was very silent; some of the families leaving in the street were enjoying holidays elsewhere and, the one still in London, were sleeping. Only occasionally a car engine could be heard rumbling in a nearby road.
Harry was keeping his position in front their place concentrated on the task ahead. James was standing on his side.
Hermione and Ginny were a few feet further down the street in front of the spot chosen for the house to be moved. They were both tracing some lines on the pavement with their wands murmuring incantations. Brief flash of lights could be seen alternatively gushing from the tips.
In the meanwhile, Ginny's spells were working the trick; the street was deserted, no cars in view, streetlights were illuminating dimly the surrounding but there was no sign of life besides them.
When they were done with their spells casting, Hermione nodded to Harry, and a second later one by one all the lights in the street were off caught by the deluminator.
The street had been engulfed in darkness and nothing could be seen beside a blue faltering light behind a house curtain coming from a television still on.
Harry was ready. He started to mumble the incantation learned from the architectural book pointing his wand toward the house. A thin red gossamer sprouted, enveloping the whole of the building in a spiderweb of ramification. It had then started to shrink slowly, as if the ones besides were squeezing it on both sides.
Seeing it, James murmured "Lumos" and as soon as his wand ignited, he waved it in Hermione and Ginny's direction who, on the alert, started to pronounce their part of the spells aiming to the junction of the two houses.
Harry didn't stop his flow of incantation until the house hadn't disappeared completely as if it had never been there. James had already ran down the street toward Ginny and Hermione to check the progression of the spells on their part. The house had slowly started to push his way between the others, moving them aside and not much later it was there in its entirety. Perfect as it has always used to be. James exclaimed a loud jubilation, immediately shushed by Ginny. Harry didn't lose a second and casted a powerful Fidelius charm on it. Once that was done, they looked at each other grinning. James ran immediately inside and, after Hermione had put back all the lights in the street and Ginny had removed all the anti muggle speels, they all followed, Harry keeping a beaming Ginny under his arm.
They started to chat animatedly when inside, exalted by the success of their difficult enterprise.
James was running from room to room to make sure everything was in order and Ginny went to the kitchen to prepare tea for everybody unable to drop a relived smile, happy to be back in the cherished home.
They were all sitting at the kitchen table and Harry was thanking Hermione again, when they heard a loud shriek coming from upstairs. They stopped talking and looked at each other smirking knowing exactly the reason for that shriek.
Two seconds later they heard some thumping down the stairs and James, with a bewildered face, entered the room, balancing on his arm a beautiful cream coloured barn howl.
He only managed a stutter, his face flushed with emotion 'Is it…?'
Harry completed the sentence for him 'Yes, it is for you. To be used with discretion because now you know what is at stake'
James nodded still speechless admiring the owl pecking affectionately at his sleeve and, after a few moments, he raised his eyes from the owl to them, but instead of the thanks they were all expecting, he looked straight into his father's eyes and said quite simply but feelingly 'I'm sorry'.
Harry smiled, touched. It had taken some time but those felt apologies, he had hoped to hear many weeks before, had finally arrived. His words and efforts hadn't been wasted. He realised now; it had been foolish of him to expect them when he did. But it was right to hear them now. He had let his son behind that barrier he had built to protect himself and them, and thanks to that James had finally got to know him as he had never been allowed to do before.
'It's all right…' he answered going and putting an arm around his shoulders 'What would you like to call your owl?'
'Is it a female or a male?'
'Female'
James observed the owl, that was smothering her feathers quite showily, pondering. Then a sudden mischievous grin spread on is face 'I think we should call her Regina' he proclaimed.
They all burst out laughing and between the amusement Harry stammered 'And Regina it will be'