oooOOOoooOOOooo Chapter 9
The weeks flew by. Harry settled into a routine with the babies and the elves. Harry would go to class, spend his free period studying, and then come back to his rooms after classes. He would spend time with the twins until dinner. Then, he would put them to bed and spend his evening finishing his homework with Hermione and Neville. They had started studying together most nights. Quidditch hadn't started yet. Harry knew that would cut into his homework time. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep up with practices with everything else going on in his life. It was something to think about.
Harry had been so busy with his own drama that he'd failed to realize the excited buzz that had filled the school for the last few weeks. It grew to such a raucous level that he finally noticed the morning before Halloween.
"What's got everyone in such a flap?" asked Harry, confused. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Harry? How do you not realize these things? The Triwizard Tournament is taking place at Hogwarts this year. The other schools participating, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, are arriving today. Classes are canceled all day because of it. The entire school is meeting outside to greet our guests before dinner," said Hermione.
Harry looked flabbergasted. "No, I didn't know. What's the Triwizard Tournament?"
Neville answered this one. "It's a really old competition between the three premiere schools of magic in Europe. It was canceled a long time ago. I wonder why they started it back up?"
"No idea but it's a very dangerous competition. Competitors and spectators alike have died. That's why it was canceled. The death toll grew too high," said Hermione, judgmentally. She was starting to wonder if the adults in the wizarding world had any sense at all. "At least there's some sense to it. This time, they'll only be allowing of-age students to compete."
"That's barmy. Who would want to put their lives in danger like that?" asked Harry.
"Oh come on, Potter. You don't expect any of us to believe a glory hound like you doesn't wish he could compete? It's a good thing we're not allowed to compete or I'd finally show you who's the better wizard," said Ron.
Harry laughed bitterly. "The day you're better than anyone is the day hell freezes over, Weasley," said Harry. Ron grit his teeth and lunged at Harry. Harry didn't move. Ron got in one good punch before McGonagall froze him.
"Mr. Weasley. That is enough. Your unprovoked outbursts are starting to try my patience," she said, sternly.
Ron's face turned red. "Unprovoked. I was provoked. Did you hear what he said?"
"Yes, I did. I also heard what you said. Don't try my patience. Get back to your seat and mind your own business, or so help me, you'll be in detention for the rest of the month!" McGonagall said, sternly. Ron muttered under his breath about it but he moved.
McGonagall moved away while Hermione looked forlornly at Ron. She didn't understand what had come over their friend. Why was Harry having babies so upsetting to the other boy? She didn't understand what was worth their friendship. She shook her head and turned back to her breakfast.
The three of them went back to Harry's rooms to get ready to go get Hermione's parents. They weren't technically supposed to leave Hogwarts today but there really was no way for Hermione's parents to make it up to the school without them.
They would run out and get the family and their belongings before heading back to Hogwarts to help them get settled. They would attend the feast tonight along with the babies. Feast days were one of the few days married students were allowed to bring their families to the Great Hall. Harry dressed the boys in their warm jackets and hats.
"Ready to go?" asked Hermione, entering the room inside the trunk. Harry turned and smiled at her.
"Just so," said Harry, standing and putting on his own jacket. They would be out in the muggle world somewhat so Harry wanted to look normal.
The two students took the babies and used the floo to go to the Leaky Cauldron. They went through the pub and exited out into London. Harry stuck out his wand arm and called on the knight bus.
"G'day, welcome aboard the Knight Bus. Transportation for the stranded witch or … Is that you? Is that Neville Longbottom? Good ter see ya again, Neville," said Stan Shunpike to Harry. "Hey Ern, you remember Neville? We picked 'im up last summer when Sirius Black was on the loose. Never caught that one, now did they?" asked Stan, cackling to himself. The real Neville looked at Harry strangely. Harry just blushed in response.
"Come aboard, Nev. Where ya headed?" asked Stan. Hermione gave Harry a look. Harry just blushed again. He'd have to explain later.
"Er, yeah. We're headed to 417 Winsome Way in Hampstead," Harry responded, giving Hermione's parents' address.
"Sure thing, Nev. Are those babies yers? Best take them up to the second or third level. It's too bumpy down 'ere for babies," said Stan, pointing them to the lift that Harry had neve noticed in the back of the bus. They pushed the buggy inside just in time. The lift doors slammed shut just as the loose tables and chairs filling the bus today started skidding towards them.
They decided to try the third level, seeing as it would have the best view. The entire third level was set up as a restaurant with booths, waitresses, and a fry cook. Harry's eyes goggled.
"How many in your party?" asked the waitress.
"Um, three adults and two babies?" answered Harry. The waitress marked it down, ignoring them all. She led them to a booth and got them settled with drinks and menus before she shuttered off to check on another table.
"I didn't know this was up here," said Neville in wonder. Harry kept one hand on the baby buggy, just in case but otherwise barely noticed they were moving. If it wasn't for the sickening jumps in scenery outside the windows, he wouldn't know he was moving at all.
"It's much nicer than the first level," said Harry, relaxing when the buggy didn't go flying with each start and stop.
They had a snack to share and waited for their turn to get off the bus. Their turn finally arrived. They stepped back into the lift and out of the doors to the bus. It took off with a terrifying bang that made the twins jump. They went right back to sleep, thankfully.
Harry pushed the buggy towards the front door of the lovely two-story brick home in Hampstead. The neighborhood was quiet but each of the homes had their own character. It was easy to see that the people who lived in this neighborhood had money.
Hermione hurried up to the front door. She rang the bell and waited, cursing herself for not bringing her keys. Someone hurried to the door and threw it open. A kindly woman with bushy brown hair streaked heavily with gray rushed outside and pulled Hermione into her arms.
"Hermione! It's so wonderful to see you," said the woman, squeezing her tight. Hermione laughed.
"It's only been two months, mum. Less than. Don't be silly," Hermione beamed, squeezing the woman just as tightly.
"We're still working to pack things up. I hope you don't mind. You said we can bring the car, yes?" asked Hermione's mother, Dr. Emma Granger.
"Yes, certainly. Let me call for Dobby and Winky. They'll come help us pack up everything you'll need," said Hermione, grinning at her mother.
"Oh, you," said Emma, patting Hermione's cheeks, lovingly.
"Dobby! Winky!" called Harry. The two elves popped into the room, looking at Harry for instruction.
"These are our friends, Dobby and Winky," Harry said, introducing the two elves to the lady of the house. "Winky, Dobby, do you mind helping Hermione's mum and dad pack? They'll be joining us at Potter Hideaway today."
"Certainly, Mr. Harry," answered Winky with bright eyes and a chipper attitude.
"Yes, sir!" said Dobby, doing some kind of weird salute. Harry looked at him strangely but just let it slide.
The two elves followed Hermione's parents around the house while Hermione introduced her friends to her home and her neighborhood. By the time it was getting close to lunchtime, the packing frenzy was coming to a close. All of the shrunken boxes were loaded into her parents' cars. They each climbed into a car with the teens and babies climbing in beside them. Harry gave a garage door opener to each Dr. Granger.
"You just push the button and say Potter Hideaway or Garage Door. If you say Potter Hideaway, a limited portkey will move the car and everything attached to it to our home in Potter Hideaway," explained Harry. "If you say Garage Door followed by where you want to go, the car will portkey into a clear stretch of road near where you're going. Just be careful of traffic when you arrive," warned Harry. That was the warning the shopkeep gave to him, along with four of the garage door openers.
"Alright," said Emma with dread. "Do the babies need car seats?"
"Their buggy seats detach as car seats," said Harry, situating the babies in the backseat of Dan's car. Neville rode with Harry and Dan while Hermione rode with her mother. They each buckled into the car, then pushed the button.
A brief whirlwind of light and silence surrounded the car before it gave an almighty jolt and landed in the open garage door of Potter Hideaway.
"Wow!" shouted Dan, excitedly. The babies woke up and started to fuss. Harry jumped out of the car and unloaded them back into their buggy.
Dan jumped out of the car and ran around. He looked at the gorgeous beach, the Mediterranean feel of the air, and the taste of the sea. He rushed back to look at the giant, gorgeous house and the surrounding forest. He was in awe. This was all inside a trunk?
Emma was no less impressed, even if she was less demonstrative about it. She was still affected by the wild ride from their own garage to the garage at Harry's home.
The elves were already working to unload the boxes, each of them leading the way for a floating train of boxes that followed them into the house and up to the second master bedroom, which Harry had set aside for Hermione's parents. He would take the other master bedroom while Hermione and the twins would each have a room on this floor as well. No one seemed to notice that Hermoine had moved her things out of the girls dormitory. None of her roommates mentioned she wasn't staying there anymore.
"This is amazing. You say it's inside a trunk inside your dormitory, Harry?" asked Emma, as she watched a flock of birds fly over the forest towards the sea.
"Yeah. Once you're settled in your rooms, we'll give you the tour. It's still almost two hours until dinnertime," said Harry.
Emma looked at him a little skeptically. It had taken her two days to pack. It would surely take her a week to unpack. Harry just smiled at her and offered to give a quick tour of the outside before they would head up to their rooms. Dan and Emma agreed.
Harry showed them the front garden. Hermione pushed the baby buggy down the path to the sea. Her parents felt the slightly warm water and grinned. This would be pleasant to spend time in. They walked up to the gazebo, which had a swing.
"I plan to get the boys a play set out here. A nice one with a treehouse and some swings. We'll look for that for Yule," Harry said, planning something nice for the holiday for the first time in his life.
Hermione smiled at him. She knew what that meant to Harry.
"That sounds like just the plan," Dan enthused. "We can put it together ourselves. Bond over bruised thumbs and what not." Dan beamed a grin at Harry. Harry smiled in return.
Harry showed them the walking trail that led to the quidditch pitch or veered off to continue on a trail that led through the woods back around to the other side of the house. The Grangers were suitably impressed.
Harry led the group into the house and up the stairs to the second floor.
"This is the main living floor. I figure the floor above will be for guests. This floor has two master bedrooms and four bedroom suites. I thought you could take the second master," he said, respectfully to Dan and Emma.
Dan grinned at Harry and slapped his back.
"Are there rooms for the babies and Hermione on this level as well?" Emma asked, wanting to be near the children.
"Yes. There's room for all of us on this level, except Dobby and Winky. They stay in the elf quarters in the attic. They're specifically designed for their needs," Harry said, thinking of the odd little rooms with circular doors and soaring windows.
"Alright then, let's see these rooms," said Dan with a grin. They went up the stairs and turned onto the second floor. A hallway led to the left and the right off the second story platform.
"My room and the babies' rooms will be to the left. Your room and Hermione's room will be to the right," Harry said, leading the group to the right.
There were three rather nice cherry wood doors leading off of the platform. One led to Hermione's room suite, which Harry quickly showed to the group. An exact replica of the room faced it across the hall. This room was empty. The door in the center of the hallway at the end was the entrance to the master bedroom.
They walked inside and gasped in awe. The room was open and extremely spacious. A his-and-hers study was set off to either side, forming a small entryway. This opened up into a double height room with a wall of windows that opened up to a private deck facing the sea.
Off to the left was a sitting room with a giant fireplace. Off to the right was the largest four poster bed Dan and Emma had ever seen. It was a magnificent English oak bed carved with scenes of mythical creatures that might not be so mythical, now that Dan thought about it.
"This," said Emma, stunned into silence.
Dan turned to Harry with a grin on his face and a booming laugh echoing from his chest.
"I think we're going to like it here, just fine, my boy! Just fine!" Dan slapped Harry's back, hard enough to knock the boy off his balance for a second.
Emma turned and hugged him, with tears in her eyes.
"This is wonderful. You've given us so much. Our daughter is back in our everyday lives. Grandchildren to spoil. Then, this. This gorgeous place to spend our golden years. Thank you, my boy," she said, giving him a fierce Hermione hug. Harry felt a lump form in his throat. He squeezed Emma back, gently.
"I'm just so glad I'll get to learn how to be a parent from such wonderful examples," Harry said, his voice a little husky from unshed tears. Emma squeezed him harder for just a second then let him go. She smiled with pride at both teenagers.
The Grangers and the teenagers worked together with the elves to quickly unpack the room and get things situated for the Grangers. In less than half an hour, the work was done. They had a quick tour of the rest of the house then started to get ready for the feast.
"Do you have robes?" Harry asked, hoping the Grangers would be able to blend in as much as possible.
"Yes, we do. We went to the shops in Diagon Alley specially to get a few things we might need in the wizarding world," said Emma, matter-of-factly.
"Really? You went on your own?" asked Hermione.
"We did," puffed Dan. "We got robes and these medallion things. They let us see all forms of magic and protect us from most curses and hexes. It won't protect us from dark magic, according to the shopkeeper, but it should protect us from anything set at us by school children," said Dan, proudly.
"Yes, and we got these rings. They warn us of potions and poisons," said Emma, flashing her new ring. It was lovely. Dan had a men's version of the same ring.
Hermione looked at them with her mouth agape. Emma rolled her eyes.
"Please dear. You got your intelligence from us. Did you think we wouldn't realize some people won't welcome our presence here? We do. We want to stay safe. That burden shouldn't be on you," said Emma, patting Hermione's hand.
Harry laughed. "That's the way to be prepared! Just like Hermione," he said, beaming at his friend. She smiled shyly in return. Harry noticed that it was a beautiful smile. How had he never noticed that before?
"We also got special cloaks and hats that protect us somewhat and our robes have protection runes sewn in them. We'd also like you to cast tracking charms on us and the babies. If anything ever happens to us, gods forbid, we want you to be able to find us easily," said Dan, showing off his new dragonhide cloak and vest. Her mother had a lovely dragonhide shawl and a cloak as well. They handed Hermione and Harry a package each. They also had a vest, shawl, and a dragonhide cloak.
"These are wonderful," said Harry, admiring the dragonhide that shifted between black and green, depending on how the light hit it. It looked lovely with Harry's eyes. He put on the vest under his robes. It looked very nice with his black school slacks and new black dragonhide boots. He found he had two shawls, each slightly different from the other, for the babies. He wrapped them in it right away. They snuggled into the soft leather.
"Oh, mum! Dad! I love them!" Hermione said, ecstatically. She put on her vest. Then, she flashed the shawl that shifted between a light gray and vibrant blue that really brought out her coloring. She put the shawl over her shoulders and turned this way and that. She made a lovely sight.
"This must have cost you a fortune!" Hermione said. Her father laughed.
"We're wealthy, retired dentists, darling. We can afford it," he said, hugging her close.
"I can't thank you enough. This'll provide a little more protection for the babies. I'll have to look into getting them a medallion like yours, too," said Harry.
"That's a great idea, Harry," said Neville. "You should get them as bracelets though. They might choke on the medallions."
"Right," said Harry, thinking of the safety concerns that surrounded new babies. He was glad for the books he'd purchased on raising magical babies. He needed all the help he could get.
Everyone got changed into their best robes, with house crests and all. The Grangers all wore the Dagworth Granger crests with pride. Harry and Hermione had both decided to keep the Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor house status in secret until they left Hogwarts. It would be too awkward to be a student of the school and also become the decision makers for school matters. They'd just leave that to the board of governors and to Dumbledore, unless the issue was forced somehow.
Harry wore all of his house crests, even if he felt foolish doing it, as did Julius and Jameson. Neville was decked out in his Longbottom best. They checked each other over once more and made sure their hats were on straight. The polished looking group headed down to meet the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students.
They mixed in with the throng of people exiting through the Great Hall, which was easy to do with almost 800 people in one place. The small group went over and stood nearest the professors. They hoped this might deter some of the shenanigans from their classmates once they realized there were muggle amongst them. If they realized it at all.
Harry and Emma each held a baby as they went to greet the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang contingents. Professor McGonagall made her way over during her inspections.
"Weasley, tuck in your shirt. Brown, button yours," she said, barking out instructions to various students as she walked through the throng. "Potter, you look well put together today. It's a nice change. Adorable robes on the bairns. Keep a warming charm on them. This cold air could make them sick."
She moved on, barking out instructions to other students as she went. Harry immediately cast the suggested charm on each of the babies, glad that he already knew the spell.
"Perfect Potter. Wearing posh clothes now to match his toff status. No need to show off so much. It's making you look pathetic," Weasley said, snidely.
Harry's face grew red but he ignored the comments. Ron kept taunting him, but not too loudly; McGonagall was headed back their way.
"Showing off your money by hiring not one but two governors for your children. Can't be bothered to care for them yourself?" Ron asked.
"Ronald. You should be ashamed of yourself. Harry's just trying to do his best by his children," Hermione chided.
"Right. Like you wouldn't stick up for him. What are you now? His girlfriend or something?" Ron asked, outraged.
"Better him than you. At least he knows how to be mature and refrain from childish insults," said Hermione.
Ron's face turned red when a few people laughed at Hermione's words. Lavender hurried forward to comfort him.
"Like anyone would want you, Granger! With that hair and those teeth, ha!" said Lavender, her arm linked through Ron's. "Come on, Won-Won." She pulled the other boy away, into the snickering crowd. It was hard to tell if they were snickering at Ron or Hermnione at this point but Hermione didn't care. She turned her back on them, with her nose in the air.
"Line up everyone! Our guests will be arriving momentarily," McGonagall called with her voice magically projected.
"Let's go stand over here," Hermione said, moving on the complete other side of the line of students, near the central path that led into the school.
Everyone stood for what felt like a long time and chatted. Then, Harry spotted it.
"Look!" he said, pointing at the sky. Hermione looked but didn't see anything at first. After a few seconds, she saw something moving. Over the next few minutes, the moving speck grew larger, and larger, until it landed gracefully on the ground. It was a large carriage, pulled by six of the most giant horses Hermione had ever seen. They easily stood five meters tall at the head.
The door of the carriage opened. A coachman rushed forward and put a set of large, sturdy steps on the ground in front of the door. The largest woman Hermione had ever seen stepped out of the carriage. She could have easily warred with Hagrid over size, though the woman was dressed in an elegant set of robes with her hair and makeup perfectly done. A gaggle of students in light blue school robes followed the woman out of the carriage. They walked in two rows at a stately pace.
Harry met the eyes of one of the girls. Everyone was staring at her sister, a tall blonde woman with a perfect figure and haunting violet eyes. Harry's eyes were caught by the cornflower blue eyes of what must have been her younger sister. He was mesmerized.
"I'm going to marry her," Harry and Hermione said, transfixed.
"What?" said Harry and Hermione at the same time, looking at the other, embarrassed. The Grangers exchanged glances. This was a new development all the way around.
"I think you said you're going to marry her. Both of you," said Dan, with his eyebrow raised. The children's faces were flaming red but so was the face of the young blonde who was watching the two teens with the same avid interest in return.
"Bonjour," she said quietly, as she walked by.
"Hi," said Harry, breathily.
"Bonjour," returned Hermione, with stars in her eyes.
"This is definitely something new," said Emma. Dan couldn't help but agree.
The second school arrived shortly after the first set of students came inside. It was impressive to see the ship bubbling up from under the surface of the lake, but none of the Durmstrang students caught their eye the way the Beauxbatons student had done. They were the only ones.
A low murmur of "Krum" was building amongst the other students. Harry really didn't notice. The twins had started to fuss. Harry worked with Emma to change them on the floating changing pad that Hermione had wisely thrown in with Harry's other baby purchases, along with a baby bag the size of a coin purse. It was bottomless and easily held literally everything a baby could possibly need.
The Hogwarts contingent started to head inside the school. Harry, Hermione, Neville, the twins, and the Grangers walked towards the Gryffindor table. They sat at the very end nearest the head table, trying to circumvent any possible disruption caused by the Grangers' presence. As they were settling in, a voice interrupted them.
"Pardon, may we sit with you?"
Harry and Hermione looked up. They locked eyes with the same cornflower blue that had so captivated them outside.
"Yes, er, please," said Hermione, tripping over her words in an uncommon way for the young girl. The other girl beamed a smile at her. The new girl sat, along with her sister and two other girls. The two other girls seemed to be playing buffer to the sudden influx of Gryffindor boys who were trying to sit at their end of the table now. Harry gave them all a hostile look. Some of them were scared away, some emboldened.
The girls ignored all the boys, subtly putting up a barrier that would keep them at least arm's length away.
"I am Gabrielle. This is my seester, Fleur. These are our friends, Claudette and Marie," the young girl said, introducing herself and her companions.
"I'm Hermione Granger. These are my parents, Doctors Emma and Dan Granger, and my friends, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. And of course, the twins, Julius and Jameson," Hermione said, smiling at the babies.
"Zey are so precious," said Fleur, cooing over the little boys and ignoring all the big boys trying to get her attention.
"Are zey yours?" Gabrielle asked Hermione. Hermione blushed but shook her head.
"I could only be so lucky. These are Lord Black Potter's children," said Hermione, gesturing to Harry.
Gabrielle looked deeply into Hermione's eyes. "Zey would only be so lucky, too, I am guessing." Hermione giggled and blushed again. Gabrielle turned to Harry.
"I should 'ave known zey were yours. They 'ave your 'air and your gorgeous eyes," said the girl, looking at Harry shyly.
Harry grinned but blushed. "Thank you. You have beautiful eyes, too. It was the first thing I noticed about you," Harry said. It was Gabrielle's turn to blush.
"May I hold one of zem?" asked Fleur.
"Of course. Watch the head. They're a little under two months old now. It will seem like they can hold their head up when it will suddenly become a missile aimed at your face," warned Harry, handing over Jameson. Claudette took a turn holding Julius. Harry told them who they were holding.
"If it is not too presumptuous of me to ask, where is their mother?" Marie asked. Harry looked a little uncomfortable before he answered.
"I used a surrogate," he said. The girls exchanged a look.
"Is that common for Hogwarts students?" asked Fleur.
"Er, no. I'm the lord of an ancient and noble house, well, a couple of houses, really. These are my heirs. They were, um, gifted to me," Harry said, trying not to make the situation sound worse. The girls exchanged another glance but let the conversation drop.
The students and the Grangers had a lovely time chatting about France, which Hermione and her parents visit almost annually, and about the tournament, which Fleur was hoping to enter.
"Good luck to you," said Harry. "I'm glad I can't enter. I've too much on my plate with the twins as it is," Harry said, patting Julius' back. Emma now had Jameson.
"You seem to be such a good fazer," Gabrielle complimented. She, Hermione, and Harry had all been having a lovely conversation, mostly with each other.
"Thanks," Harry said, rubbing the hair at the back of his neck. "It's a new thing."
Dumbledore stood to make a speech. Harry wrinkled his nose at the man. Fleur noticed.
"Do you not like ze headmaster?" Fleur asked.
"It's not that I don't like him. It's that I don't like his speeches. They always draw attention to me in some way," Harry said. Fleur nodded.
"The goblet will be available in the entrance hall until dinner time tomorrow night, when our champions will be chosen. Please remember, only students who are considered of-age will be allowed to compete," Dumbledore said, looking right at Harry. Everyone else in the hall turned their eyes on him, too.
Harry slumped down in his seat. "I don't want to be in this competition," he said, mulishly. The headmaster and the rest of the students tittered in laughter at the pronouncement.
"I don't!" he said, hotly.
"Be that as it may, Harry. You won't be allowed," said Dumbledore, chidingly. He went on with his speech. Harry's face was flaming red in anger.
"I could 'ave swore I 'eard you say you did not want to be in ze tournament?" Gabrielle said, confused.
"Yeah, well, I'm either the paragon or pariah of this school. Nothing in between," muttered Harry.
The French students didn't know about that but they did see Harry's point. He really was the center of attention, whether he wanted it or not. The feast ended and everyone stood to exit the hall.
"Where will you all be staying?" asked Harry.
"We will be staying in our carriage. It is much bigger on the inside," said Gabrielle with a grin. She had dimples. Both Harry and Hermione sighed and leaned towards her.
Fleur leaned over and tried to get their attention. She even turned on her Veela charm, for just a moment, to see if it would work. Harry and Hermione ignored her completely. She and the other French girls giggled. Gabrielle noticed and blushed. Harry and Hermione unconsciously took hands and leaned into one another. They both sighed.
"Seems like you could have the best of both worlds with these two," said Fleur, quietly to Gabrielle.
"He already has male heirs, too. So, I know that wouldn't be a problem, either," whispered Gabrielle back. Fleur giggled again.
"Would you like to sit with us again for breakfast?" asked Hermione, politely but also because she wanted to spend more time with Harry and Gabrielle. She didn't know what had come over her but she liked it.
"We would love that," said Gabrielle, waving shyly at the two Gryffindors.
They waved back with goofy smiles on their faces. As the group walked back to Gryffindor tower, the good mood was broken. A group of Slytherin's accosted them as they walked to the stairs.
"First a mudblood, then a creature? God, you're sick, Potter," said Draco, shaking his head.
Harry grit his teeth and breathed deeply. He had Julius in his arms. He couldn't turn and give the little ponce the what for he deserved.
"Sod off, Malfoy," said Harry. Draco looked around to make sure no teachers were watching then stepped forward.
"What will you do about it, Potter? Your little bastards will keep you from fighting, now won't they? Unless you're hoping a stray spell will take them off your hands," said Malfoy. Harry growled and turned to face him.
"Watch what you say," Harry growled.
"Or what? You'll sick your new little creature on me? Will she be a joint pet for you and Granger, certainly looked like it," said Draco, mockingly.
"Of course! She's a veela! That explains so much," exclaimed Hermione, talking to herself.
"You are such a mudblood. You honestly didn't know she was a veela? No wonder she ensnared you. You're so weak," Draco said laughing as he turned to walk away. His group laughed with him and followed his lead. They made snide remarks about Hermione, Harry, and the babies. They obviously didn't know the Grangers were muggles or that would have been mentioned too.
Hermione huffed and turned to walk up the stairs.
"Is it always like that here for you both?" asked Emma Granger in concern. She didn't like the way the headmaster had singled Harry out and she didn't like the bigotry so openly displayed by the other students. They didn't even care that adults were present!
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look. "Pretty much," Hermione said.
"This actually wasn't a bad day," said Harry, thoughtfully.
Dan laughed. Emma's mouth dropped open.
"Wasn't a bad day? I'd hate to see what a bad day is like then," said Emma.
"You really would. During second year, everyone thought Harry was the Heir of Slytherin. Everyone was either terrified of him or down right hostile," said Neville, remembering how horribly Harry was treated that year.
"Or like during our first year when we lost all those points for Gryffindor. Remember that?" asked Harry.
Hermione nodded. "Too right. Or like last year, when everyone thought you were afraid of dementors. They were such berks about it. Like they weren't afraid," said Hermione.
"Do the teachers even try to intervene?" asked Emma.
"Not really. They expect we'll sort things out ourselves most times," said Harry, shrugging.
"I guess that's one way to teach problem solving," said Dan, shaking his head. They all arrived back in the Gryffindor common room. Ron and Ginny sneered at them but everyone else just ignored them. They went into Harry's rooms and into the trunk.
Winky and Dobby had the whole place sparkling clean. All the Grangers' things were put away nicely in their room. The Grangers settled in the study for a nightcap while Harry and Hermnione went to put the babies down for bed. They'd had a lot of excitement for two month old chaps.
Harry and Hermione came to settle back into the sitting room with the Grangers and Neville about 20 minutes later. Harry and Hermione had a butterbeer each while they sat on the couch beside the fire. They didn't even notice that they'd taken seats quite close to one another. The handholding from earlier was also back. It just felt right to both teens.
"What did that nasty little boy with the blonde hair mean? Why did he call that nice French girl a creature?" asked Dan, perplexed by that part of the interaction.
"Because she's a veela or at least part veela," said Hermione.
"She's a what?" asked Harry.
"A veela. Veela are a humanoid magical species that can shift into a fierce bird that shoots fire out of her eyes and mouth when she becomes angered or is threatened. Veela are always female, males are very rarely propagated through the species, as males cannot transform nor can they pass down the Veela genetics. Veela are always ethereally beautiful. They exude an allure upon puberty that makes other people inclined to behave as if they are head over heels in love. Puberty doesn't usually begin until age 15, though. She must not be 15 yet the effect was present," said Hermione.
Neville looked uncomfortably at the Grangers then added to Hermione's information. "People who are in love aren't affected by the veela allure. Also …" he trailed off. He looked at Harry and Hermione, unsure if he should say anything.
"Also, what?" asked Hermione. She didn't like having information denied her.
"Well, they also say that when a Veela finds their mate, their mate will fall instantly in love with them, for real. Other veelas' allures won't affect the mate. Veela are known for taking both a male and a female mate. It's pretty common in their society. So much so, that it's also legal for wizards or witches to marry a veela and another person at the same time. Because veela can't carry male children, it's considered a wise decision to marry both a veela and a non-veela. That way you'll still have heirs to carry on your name and such," said Neville nervously. "Not that you need more heirs," he said, laughing uncomfortably at his own bad joke.
"So you're saying that Harry and Hermione are magically in love with this young woman?" asked Emma, trying to understand what was going on.
Neville shrugged uncomfortably. "It's just that Gabrielle didn't have an allure. I didn't feel it but I definitely felt it from Fleur."
"Really?" Harry asked, perplexed. "I didn't feel anything from Fleur."
"Me neither," said Hermione, contemplatively. "Is there a book on all this?" Hermione asked.
"Probably. There've been a ton of studies on veela. People think they're romantic or sexy, so they get a lot of shelf space," said Neville.
Hermione nodded and decided to check the library first thing in the morning.