Ch 14 Getting Ready
Sunday morning, as was their custom when the children first came home from Hogwarts, the Potters and the Granger-Weasley's ate breakfast in the Potter's kitchen. Of course this was the first time Erica was part of the group.
The Elves had set up the breakfast buffet style. Everybody was there, including Jean Granger. Once everybody was there, Lily looked at her brothers and cousin and asked, "Well, how was it?"
No one said anything, so Lily looked right at James and Erica and persisted "James, Erica, did you enjoy yourselves last night?"
Erica quietly replied, "It was very nice," while looking at James, who followed up with, "None of your business," while frowning at his little sister.
Lily then looked right at her cousin Rose and Scorpius Malfoy. "You get excellent grades in sex as well?"
Scorpius became red and looked embarrassed, but Rose fired back, "Like we're going to tell you anything. Don't make me want to embarrass you when you get married."
Lily then looked at Al and Cleo. "Am I going to get any more information out of you?"
Al looked at his sister and wondered, "In front of Mum and Dad? Why don't you go into your love life in front of mum and dad and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron?"
"What love life?" asked Lily. "I haven't snogged anyone yet. Most of the boys in my class are not interested in girls yet, not that they would admit anyway, and the older boys just want to … well, some want to be the first ones to snog Harry Potter's daughter and some really nice ones are scared of trying to ask out Harry Potter's daughter."
At this remark Lily looked at her father and muttered, "Thanks, dad," in a voice that was halfway between cynical and disgusted. Then she turned to Cleo and said, "Cleo, we have not heard from you. How was it?"
Cleo looked at Al with a big smile, gave him a little kiss, turned back to Lily while at the same time holding on tight to Al and exclaimed, "Oh Lily! I must have a body made for pleasure. I can't begin to describe how good it was." She looked at the people at the table and remarked, "Al says I am voluptuous. I thought it meant something like fat but OK looking, but I think that's probably not the right definition. I mean, I know there is a lot of me, but I really don't feel fat anymore."
There were several stifled laughs at the table, and Al explained, "That's not what it means at all!" He looked around the table to see if he could get any help.
Jean Grainger elaborated, "In music they use it for a passage that has all the instruments playing, that is not only pretty but big and full, like the Ode to Joy in Beethoven." Jean then proceeded to hum a couple of bars of Ode to Joy while expansively conducting an imaginary orchestra.
"Oh," Cleo understood, and she had the Ode to Joy playing full out in her head, climax on top of climax.
Hermione further explained, "Often it is applied to a woman who has more of everything and celebrates it. None of us at the table are exactly flat on top, but Grandmother Molly is bigger than any of us except you. She is too heavy to be cute but curvy enough to be voluptuous. Ginny and Victoire are voluptuous. I'm not flat, but I'm surely not voluptuous. Voluptuous in this context has strong sexual overtones."
"I AM sexy, I guess, "Cleo sighed, "but I don't want anyone but Al."
"That's not really the point of the word," Hermione further explained. "Scorpius' mother is pretty but not exactly, well probably not at all, voluptuous. She is smaller on top than any of us, really hardly anything there at all although she is pretty and her shape is not masculine at all. The same for her bottom, she has a very narrow waist and nicely shaped legs and hips but they are very thin. Skinny but pretty is probably the opposite of shapely, hourglass figure with lots of it on top and bottom."
"I'd much rather have a wife with some shape," Ron grinned, patting Hermione's hips.
"That's a good thing, because I was never anywhere near as skinny as Astoria," Hermione elaborated, "or Dominique, although I have always been on the thin side."
"I know Harry likes me better like this than my weight when I was playing for the Harpies," Ginny smiled.
"You are a little more comfortable to hold," Harry admitted.
Cleo looked at herself again. "Voluptuous sounds a lot better than comfortable, although I am very comfortable being with Al." She followed this with another long smile looking at Al.
Lily looked at Cleo, shaking her head. "You're hopeless, Cleo."
"Totally, hopelessly, overwhelmingly in love with Al," Cleo purred with the same huge sappy smile on her face.
"I think it's kind of cute," Rose giggled.
James looked at his sister. "Wait until Lily has a boyfriend!"
"What about Billy Lionheart?" asked Cleo.
Erica giggled, and gave James a knowing look.
"We haven't really snogged yet," Lily frowned, thinking that the kisses they had shared had come nowhere near what SHE considered snogging. "He is nice and sexy and he is a really good Quidditch player, but he is always telling me to study and get better grades." At this she stuck out her tongue. Lily sighed. "I'm not sure if he wants to be my boyfriend or my father. He's a good dancer, though. We've been friends since I was sorted into Hufflepuff, and we always go to dances together."
"But he's not your boyfriend, Lily?" asked Erica.
"He's your brother!" Lily exclaimed.
"James is your brother," Erica replied. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Marrying your brother would be just weird," Lily crinkled her nose. "Even if he has a nice body."
There were a number of giggles and rolled eyes at this remark.
"We are going to the New Burrow for lunch today," Ginny announced. "Mum wanted to give everyone back from Hogwarts a chance to get a little settled before we gathered."
"I'm going to leave before dinner," Ginny told Molly and Victoire. "I want to help James and Erica move some of his things to the house next door."
"I know they left right after lunch to go to her house and move some of her things," Victoire noted. "I can remember when I moved here, and Teddy and I moved in together. That's a big step."
"I think they will end up moving into their own place in Chudley after they leave Hogwarts," Ginny told the two witches. "Meanwhile it is better for them to be somewhat on their own."
"It feels like everyone is waiting for an explosion," Molly remarked. "Just how dangerous is this confrontation likely to be?" Molly wondered.
"The Battle of Hogwarts dangerous," Ginny replied, looking close to tears. "Harry is terrified."
"Teddy is too," Victoire added. "Assuming Albus and Cleo win, they need to go to Jezebel's island and take possession of it. Teddy has to go along, since he is one of the few people that everyone can trust who knows the island and the people on it. So he and I just feel that he will be going from danger into danger. He is not too much at risk at Malfoy Manor, but we have no idea how much danger he will be on Jezebel's island."
Cho Chang Koizumi woke up Monday morning. Ed was groggy, but by the time Cho was dressed Ed was up. Ed watched as Cho put on her armor, and carefully did all the spells to make it work. Cho conjured up the instructions and methodically went over everything a second time.
"Harry says that Magi from Jezebel's island are starting to appear around Malfoy Manor," Cho told Ed. "My whole team is going to have to Apparate into the Elf area at Malfoy Manor and spend the night. It is not really big enough for all of us, and it is going to be uncomfortable."
"You're scared," Ed volunteered. "I've never seen you so worried about a mission."
"Harry Potter is terrified," Cho admitted. "This is the group that took off Teddy's leg, and I've been told he's the lucky one. Two other undercover Aurors lost their lives the day Teddy escaped. I'm worried that I'm going to lead people into battle and some of them will be hurt or even killed. Merlin, we may all be hurt or killed. I'm smart, Ed. I kept my head on and did what I needed to do at the Battle of Hogwarts and every time I've been called on to lead a mission. I'm sure that's why Harry wanted me to be closest to the action, leading Aurors into battle, if that's what's needed."
"I have all the confidence in the world that you'll do the best you can," Ed replied. "I love you, and at the end of the day I know I'll be proud of you."
"I'm too old for this," Cho emphasized. "I've written my letter resigning from the Aurors, effective the first of the year. I'm going to be a grandmother next year, not an Auror."
At breakfast Charles saw that his mother was upset. "What's the problem, mum?" he asked.
"A mission," Cho replied. "I will be gone at least overnight."
"Dangerous!? Exciting!?" Charles wondered. "I wish I could come along. I really want to go on exciting missions!"
"If you get to be an Auror you'll get your chance," Cho responded. "This one could be real dangerous. I hope you never face anything as terrible as what we faced at the Battle of Hogwarts."
"I want excitement!" Charles countered.
His pregnant wife Patricia just squeezed Charles hand. "I want you safe, Charles. I don't want to lose you. Excitement is one thing, but don't be foolish."
"Mum hasn't been seriously hurt yet," Charles insisted. "She knows how to take care of herself!"
"Yet?" Cho said pointedly while showing him of each and every one of her scars. "Not all hurts are visible. Charles you should know that, the worst kind of injuries are injuries of the mind, soul and spirit. I lost a good friend before the Battle of Hogwarts, and several friends at the Battle. That kind of loss is hard to get over."
"But you did get over it, didn't you?" Charles hopefully asked.
"Not totally," Cho shook her head 'no. "I still have nightmares of the things I lost before and after becoming an Auror. I knew and know Aurors and others who were killed or hurt, including members of my team. It's not a game, Charles."
Cho left not knowing if Charles really understood danger. Like too many teen age boys he didn't seem to understand.
"I need to show you something," Draco told Astoria after lunch Monday. "Come with me."
Draco took Astoria's hand, and to her surprise she let him. The charms or spells that the witch and wizard worked on her and Draco was making her feel at least a little, a very little maybe but a little, embarrassed that she had not been a wife for Draco since …
"We are going to stand here when Jezebel and her witches and wizards come," Draco told Astoria. "If I touch this," and he took out his wand and touched a panel on the outside wall of the room, "this door will open. We can escape if things get dangerous."
"Do you think they will?" she asked.
"I have no idea if they will, but I want to be ready if they do."
"Who's side are you on, Draco."
"I don't know," Draco admitted. "I've thought this whole stupid plan of my father's and Jezebel was crazy, and I don't trust anyone at this point. If spells start flying everyone in the room would be in danger, and I'm not going to just stand there and be killed."
"What side are you on?" Astoria persisted.
"Scorpius, except I don't know what he wants? Not Jezebel's exactly but not Potter's either. I don't know."
"Why tell me this?" Astoria wondered.
"You are my WIFE, Astoria," Draco pled. "I still care for you. I want more for us, I really do, but even if you never reciprocate you are my wife."
"Thank you," Astoria replied. She really ought to give Draco a kiss, but a kiss might lead to more intimacy, and she should, but she hadn't, and she didn't want to, but …
Everybody in the DMLE did not know what was planned, but everyone could sense the tension in the department. Most of the people left early. Many of them were aware that Cho and a crack team of Aurors were missing, but there was no information on where they were or what the mission was.
Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione ate dinner with Albus, Cleopatra, Scorpius and Rose. Lily, Ivana and Minerva were spending the night at the Weasley grandparents, and James and Erica were eating on their own.
"Does Erica know how to cook?" Harry asked Ginny.
"Donna has taught her," Ginny replied. "She is no great cook, but she and James will not starve."
"Is everybody ready for tomorrow?" Ginny wondered, looking at the somber faces of all the people at the table.
"We are as ready as we can be," Albus replied. "Now we just need to get a good night's sleep and be ready for a very busy and difficult day tomorrow."
"We are going to WIN!" Cleo exclaimed. "It is just that I don't know what it will cost us."
2022