First the taste hit. Super sweet coffee, soured, then strained through Ron's socks.
Next was a lightheadedness causing Harry to swoon and fall off the bench…
As he starting v
Then his guts cramped.
He curled into a ball as he shrunk and sprouted black feathers, with a white lightning bolt crest. The feathered ball unfolded and shook itself as it stood on it's two spindly legs.
Caw!
"A crow?" Dan questioned.
"A raven." Emma corrected.
"A rook." Hermione smirked. "He is bigger than a crow, yet smaller than a raven. Especially a London Raven. If Sirius were ever to colour change his feathers yellow…"
"Kitty would have her Canary." Sirius barked
The Rook cried out in pain as it collapsed into a ball. Everything but the wings morphed into a snake… a cobra. As it uncoiled and raised its head and hood… on it's chest was a lightning bolt, matching the colour and shade of his eyes.
"And what is that?" Dan stepped back as Hermione stepped closer.
"I believe it is a Coatl." Hermione knelt down and extended her off hand. Knowing that if Harry bit her, her parents would know how to save her and Black could work his magic. "Come here Harry." The 'snake' coiled about her forearm, just before his wings retracted into his back.
Harry's hood collapsed as his tongue flicked out.
Hermione bopped his snoot with a talon.
A spark of light ran from where she made contact to the tip of his tail, before returning up his spine. As the spark returned up his spine it changed his scales to a rainbow shiner. As it passed his wing points, the feathered appendages exploded out… only now the feathers burn with a black flame. A cold flame. As the spark reached her talon, her kitty claw, it flashed up her arm, up hrr head to her ears, before traveling to her kitty toes. She shimmered and faded from view. The last thing that vanished was her smile. For a minute Harry, as a rainbow of coloured snake with black burning wings, hung in the air before Hermione's 'cloak' engulfed him.
Suddenly Hermione hissed, and as she reverted to visible, was seen throwing something across the 'room'.
The ball of black fire rightened it self just before it hit the wall and swung about to crash oh the table and as it slide up to the pizza boxes. It reverted to Harry's human form.
QTR
Gomez walking… no, Pacing, he was pacing on the ceiling of the office. While Fester was the older brother, Gomez was the one who handled everything else.
Fester was a master thief. He was wanted around the globe under multiple aliases. He stole anything and everything that was not nailed down. He usually carried a crowbar for when they were.
But it was not money or even business that had Gomez pacing.
No, it was his little scorpion. She had just returned from Nevermore. And come the next year, young Pugly would follow her into those Hallowed Halls. But Gomez noticed that she was warmer. Her frown was not as tight. Her barbs, not as sharp. Her Shade, not as dark.
Had she found her Paramore or was it just gas?
He was torn between be Proud of his little viper, that she was becoming so much like her mother, and worried that she was becoming like her mother, a beauty that was on par with the gods.
He was worried that he was losing his little girl.
A big boom shook the house.
He fell from the ceiling and caught himself one one hand before he rolled forward and to his feet.
"Sorry!" His son's voice sounded from above.
Kids.
QTR
"One question." Selected a wedge of Hawaiian with bacon. "How are we going to get everything packed? So our shopping and all that?"
Sirius also snagged a wedge of the same pi. "Too bad we don't have an Elf. Kreature is too old and set in his ways." He took a bit of pizza and chewed quickly as Hermione flattened her ears in distaste. "Besides he is cleaning the Black House for my Heir."
Harry frowned. He remembered an Elf…
" Dobby? "
Instantly, something was humping Harry's leg.
"Great Wizard Harry Potter call for his Dobby!" The little guy spasmed in joy.
"His Dobby? " Hermione glared at the lad.
Harry placed his palm in the elf's head. "I tricked Malfoy into freeing him. When ole Luci objected… this little guy threw him down the Hallway." Harry rubbed the bald head at his knee. Then something caught his attention." Ah Dobby… what did you mean by My Dobby?"
The vibrating Elf froze. "Great Wizard Harry Potter not want Dobby?"
"Never said that." Harry scratched behind a floppy batwing ear. "I just needed to know that I had an Elf. This is important information that I need to know."
" Master not turning Dobby away? " the ears rose.
"Great Wizard Harry Potter takes Dobby as his Elf."
The joy those uttered words was felt by everyone in the room.
Murrough.
Everyone turned to look at the opening in the ceiling. Crookshanks had his head poking into the case. He pulled back and dove into the case… landing lightly on the floor at the foot of the ladder. Then with an air of self importance he sauntered up to his human.
"Hello there Mr Cat." Harry spoke to the beast. "There's two rooms unclaimed. One is Hermione's. As she has not chosen one yet, you get to choose." He turned to the humans. "Dan, Emma, are you packed? Show Dobby what you need or want packed, and he will take care of everything. Hermione clean out your trunk and repack it with the books you want to bring. A duffle bag of clothes. Remember that we are going shopping in New York, and you have to carry everything you want to buy home."
The two adults looked at each other as the cat-girl bolted up the stairs.
Emma shrugged, "Just an overnight bag and our papers?" Dan nodded and helped her up the ladder before following.
Crookshanks snagged a wedge of pizza and sauntered into one of the open rooms, and jumped on to the bed.
Harry shook his head and turned to his room and opened his trunk and pulled out Hedwig's cage and placed it on the desk. A sticking charm cemented it in place, leaving the door open, he returned to the dining area only to see Hedwig had drug a wedge of pizza from the open box and was picking the meat off it.
QTR
A rubbled librarian sat dozing in the waiting area for the international flight of the airport. He had gotten past the security with a confundus and the promise that his ticket was paid for at the counter.
He was awoken by the sound of the main clock striking midnight. As he was shifting to resettle, he noticed two people approaching him. The man was of a military bearing and the woman was a professional business woman. Something about them made him uneasy.
"Lupin?" The woman asked when they were close enough to speak in a soft voice.
Moony stilled.
"I believe I am supposed to say… 'I solemnly swear that we are up to no good.'"
She frowned. "I think that was the passphrase."
"It is." Lupin stood and shook hands with the man, before kissing her knuckles. Remus Lupin at your service. And just who am I meeting you for? "
"And I quote, ' The Pup is walking his dog to the Colonies.' Or something like that. The son of a bitch, his words, is really happy to be playing it this way." He smiled at the werewolf. " The name is Granger. Dan and Emma. We are to take you with us to the first class seating area. The dog said something about you needing a day of rest while the lad gets a start on his homework."
"Though Hermione might have something to do about that." Emma detached from his arm as she pulled Lupin close. She saw the trunk and shopping bags at his feet. " Dobby." The sound of a pop was at her knee. "take the Trunk down to Lupin's room and the bags too. "
" The bags are for the dog." Lupin sighed, "And not just the dog toys."
The trunk and 5he bags vanished.
Lupin frowned. "Elf?"
"The lad's." Shifting The case, Dan pulled a pack of tickets from his pocket. "Join us. The lad paid for three first class, priority boarding, with unlimited drinks."
Lupin adjusted his tie, and escorted Emma Granger to the first class lounge.
QTR
In the trunk the two students sat at the table working on the assigned homework, even if they were not returning to Hogwarts.
In the Shower, Malfoy, Lucius Abaraxis awoke bound in leather ropes. His head hurt. The lower pain from his skull was where he fell when he was stunned. The pain from the top of his head was from…
Wait … where was he?
"Bad old Master is Awake." He turned to look at the Elf standing over him. Its dirk like nose wrinkled in distaste. "Attacking the Master's Pussy like that. Shame." It tisked. "Dobby should just throw Bad Old Master out. Dobby now debating tying Bad Old Master. Leaving Bad Old Master tied means he drowns when he hits the Water. Untying Bad Old Master means he has to swim should he survive hitting the water."
"Dobby? Who are you talking to in here? " Potter poked his head into the Shower. "Oh, Luci. Awake are we." He grinned. "What is the sentence for Muggle Baiting?"
"I will have your wand snapped for this." The bound Wizard snarled.
"Only if Bad Old Master swims back to land." Dobby kicked the bound wizard.
Potter raised an eyebrow as he looks at the Elf. Pulling the pocket watch from his pocket. "Dobby is correct. We will be landing in New York City in just over 10 hours… so if we drop him in five hours… he lands in the middle of the Pond. Put him to sleep, Dobby."
Dobby snapped his fingers and the Wizard slumped into slumber.
"You can't be serious about dropping him from the plane in five hours!" Hermione screeched.
"Of course not." Harry smiled at the witch and the wizard standing over her shoulder. "One… He is Sirius. I am just Harry." Padfoot just grinned as Hermione groaned. "Two, we don't take off for another 6 hours."
He knelt down beside the Elf. "Okay buddy. Remember that prank you pulled to get me thrown out of School? Take him back to the Granger's House, stick him to the ceiling, and stick his Skull Mask to his face with a permanent sticking charm. Padfoot I need you to first curse the mask to force the wearer to speak the truth and to always answer if asked anything." He tossed Padfoot Luci's cane. Turning back to Dobby he looked him in the eye. "Okay once he is stuck on the ceiling and the mask is stuck on his face, set something on him that will mimic a traced wand being used at that address. We want the day shift DMLE to come looking and find him. We want him to be questioned why he is there and the details of his Dark Mark." Turning to the Witch, " Hermione, you have the best handwriting, please include a note for the Director so they can get to the truth."
Padfoot stepped past everybody and placed the mask on Luci's face. "I included a passcoded sticking charm. Tell Amelia to 'clear the map.' She will know what it means."
Hermione quickly scribbled the note, and gave it to Dobby. Dobby took the note, the wizard, and vanished. He returned five minutes later with everything Lucius was wearing other than the black cloak and mask.
Hermione said she was going to bed, and closed her door.
Padfoot took the bag of dog toys to his room and as a Grim he flipped on the bed and worried a rawhide bone.
Harry called Dobby into his room and showed him the foot locker. Offering it to the little guy as his nest. He sat back and let the Elf pad the box with rags made from the Dudley hand me downs.
QTR
Using her phone, Wednesday texted her two Friends. The Beekeeper, Eugene, and the werewolf, Enid, would text her three or four times a day. So she would have to text back. Then she mastered the language of Emoji. While she used her sharp wits and sharper tongue, they knew that she was defensive and very protective of those she called hers.
Right now She was working on her sword skills with her Father as they 'danced' about the den, the office, and the parlor. She was a dervish of hair and blades.
Gomez was walking on the walls and ceiling as often as he was on the floor. While she was faster of foot, he was faster of blade and had the better vantage points. Only his years of experience and his ability to walk on surfaces other than the floor kept him out of reach of her blade.
'Tish was in the conservatory trimming her roses.
Lurch was lurking somewhere in the shadows.
Granny was in the kitchen. Either she was brewing potions or cooking dinner. And no one but her knew which.
Then an explosion rocked the house.
Pugsly was experimenting with the chemical compounds of his explosives.
The explosion worked in Wednesday's favor and as Gomez looked away she tapped him on the nose.
"Touche"
"Ah my little cobra, you do a Father proud. Run and check on your brother." Gomez did a forward flip of 540 degrees and touched down lightly. "It is almost 4 o'clock. I must find your mother. Do stay clear of the Conservatory."
Just then, her Phone her 'ringtone' sounded. Where she had found the tolling of a mourning bell, he did not know, but it added to the aura of gloom that she liked to project.
Pulling the item from her pocket in her off hand she carried the rapier out of the room, and climbed the stairs to her room.
The main clock struck the first strike of the hour. Gomez moved with all speed to the conservatory where he took his wife's offered hand and began to kiss along her arm to the small of her neck where he used lips to nibble the nerve bundle under her ears.
She hummed as the radio began to play a song of undying love.
QTR.
Tbc
An: sorry for the short chapter, but between a block, a bad place to cliffhanger, and the need for time skip…
VL.