I do not on Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Extended Family

Chapter 137 – Speaking Four, A New Hopewig

As per tradition, takes place all over the timeline with the first instance happening during chapter 110.

"Trust me, you don't want to finish it," Harry said and started tucking the letter away. He flinched when Alicia lurched forward, snatching the letter from him and tackling him, lying over him. "Alicia, you really don't want to-" he stopped talking when Alicia pushed a finger into his lips.

She read and started shaking. She sat up and held the letter with both hands, the letter shaking in fury alongside her whole body. When she got to the end, she tore the letter in half cleanly, her eyes burning and her hair on end. "Oh, no. Too far." She scrambled to her feet. "No one enter the house for a few moments." She walked off in what seemed like a sedate pace but the ground seemed to shudder under her steps.

"What, what did it say?" Oliver asked, staring after Alicia.

"Uh, basically, her mum blamed her for humiliating them today, that she is denying grandparents rights, that Christina and Tyler are fighting now and it's all her fault." Harry rubbed his neck. "And that if Alicia doesn't come home and beg for forgiveness then she is going to have legal action."

Alicia could be seen through the sitting room windows, screaming and howling at a piece of parchment. Words appeared on it and the parchment was slowly turning from pale cream to deep scarlet.

"Yeah, you tell her!" Angelina praised.

"Is it just me, or are the windows flexing?" Harry asked.

"It's not just you," Katie said, awed. "She must have cast a Silencing Charm because otherwise we'd hear her clearly, but I can still hear her shouting from here."

"I love her so much," Oliver smiled.

Finally the door flew open with an audible crack and Alicia came walking back to them. She was massaging her throat with one hand and held a shivering and shaking deep red envelope with the other. She coughed, pointing at her throat. After Harry cast a throat healing charm, she sighed with relief.

"Thank you, baby bird," she said huskily, voice slightly raspy. "May I borrow Hedwig?"

"Of course, don't want to use Archimedes?" Harry asked as he whistled loudly.

"Not for this," Alicia said. She smiled when Hedwig came flying over and landed on her arm. "Hello Hedwig. Please deliver this in the most dramatic way that you know. I want this to never be forgotten."

Hedwig's eyes opened wide, as did the others. "The most dramatic? You lot usually tell me to not do that," Hedwig barked.

"And I will go and buy you an entire pork bellies worth of your favorite bacon."

Hedwig licked her beak and nodded happily. "Deal! Don't worry, I'll earn my bacon." She nuzzled Alicia's cheek and waited for Alicia to tuck the envelope in her special harness. After a comforting hoot, she flew off.

"If they didn't deserve it, I'd feel bad for them," Angelina remarked.

"Can we eat together tonight?" Alicia asked.

"Of course, family dinner," Harry smiled.

"Let's go to Skye market," Katie smiled. "You, me, and Angelina. We'll get loaded up on groceries and some alcohol, come home, and have a proper family meal."

"Sounds wonderful," Alicia smiled.

-0-

Hedwig sat on a tree branch on the Spinnet estate, looking at the house with eyes half-closed and filled with disapproval. "Hmmph. It's a big nest but it feels cold and stale. Prickly too. No wonder Sharp-tongue is the way she is. Though she's much better now."

She could feel the heat and ire from the Howler and she shared the feeling of righteous indignation. "She doesn't get truly mad without reason so I can do my best worst here. Hmm. Let's see. Ah ha. Idea."

Hedwig flew up to the roof and peered into the chimney. "It's so clean. Means it isn't used properly. What a cold nest." She squirmed down the chimney, climbing down carefully. Listening carefully right before coming out of the hearth, she heard no one about and popped her head out to look around. "No one around. Good. Oh yes, that looks nice and expensive. Perfect."

She hopped onto the floor and silently walked to an end table and carefully lifted the edge of a very expensive and fragile looking plate and slid the howler beneath it. The howler was already getting darker and starting to shake slightly.

"Hmm, might need a bit more weight. Wouldn't want it to shake loose and ruin things. Ah ha. That looks even more expensive and heavy."

She flew to the cabinet and opened it with her talons. "Wasn't even closed properly," she sniffed. "Now let's see. What looks the most expensive. This might work." She selected a heavy crystal decanter half full of amber liquid and carried it over to the plate and howler and gently set the decanter down on the plate. She inspected it critically and nodded. "Good! That should show them."

After mooning the plate and decanter, and then mooning the rest of the house, saving a very expressive rump waggling and tail feather flicking for a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Spinnet, Hedwig climbed up the chimney and flapped away.

"I almost want to wait nearby and see how it goes," she giggled to herself. "But I have bacon waiting and someone has to eat it."

-0-

"Gramma!"

Danielle scooped up Melanie and kissed her on the cheeks. "Hi baby! Oh you're so cute and huggable and kissable!"

"What about me?" Hadley asked.

Danielle hugged and kissed her too. "Just as much, just a little harder to pick you up without my wand. You're getting so big!" She shifted the soot from the Floo trip off. "Is your mother home?"

Alicia appeared, walking up from the potions lair. "Hello Danielle," she smiled.

Danielle gently put Melanie down and wrapped Alicia in her arms and hugged her tight. "You are a beautiful wonderful woman and I absolutely adore you."

Alicia blushed and hugged her back hard. "Thank you," she laughed, a little confused.

"If I ever upset you, please tell me," Danielle said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"I don't think you ever truly would," Alicia said honestly. "What brought this about?"

Danielle started to chuckle, deeply amused. "So last night, I went to see my former best friend Melissa because I heard how she treated my wonderful daughter-in-law. Well, I got there right on time and I'm happy that I apparated onto the grounds to walk in because I got to see the show and not be a part of it."

"The show?" Alicia repeated, confused.

"Oh yes! You see, as I was walking up the path, all the windows of the main viewing room into the garden exploded! Then there was a sound that was louder than thunder! I got to hear my lovely daughter-in-law screaming such a lovely letter!"

Alicia gasped. "When was this?!"

"About nine at night."

"I sent the letter in the early afternoon!"

"It must not have been opened until then! Howlers get stronger while they remain unopened, but how? They get even more unstable while they wait."

"Come on," Alicia said. She took Danielle and her daughters to the Potters where Danielle repeated the story, sending everyone listening into fits.

"Hedwig, what did you do?" Alicia asked with great interest.

"I'll show you!" Hedwig picked up a piece of parchment and flew out the window. They waited for a moment before they gasped seeing Hedwig come shimmying down the chimney. She snuck about the room and deftly raised a plate on a side table and slid the parchment beneath it. Then she mooned it condescendingly and crawled back up the chimney and flew back into the home.

"You snuck in and made sure the howler would remain closed until disturbed?" Alicia asked, astounded.

Hedwig nodded, looking smugly pleased with herself. "Oh yes. Picked some very expensive looking things to make sure they were the first to break. Serves them right."

"Hedwig, you're the best," Harry praised and kissed her.

She nuzzled him back and bit his nose gently. "I know, but keep telling me so others know too."

"You did ask for the most dramatic way," Katie laughed.

"What happened after the howler finished?" Angelina asked eagerly.

"Well the viewing room was a mess as you might imagine," Danielle laughed. "Melissa looked a state and rather shell-shocked. She was also slightly deafened and I had to write out all the things I was going to yell at her over, but it was worth the effort. She looked very upset. Same as Peter."

Her merriment mellowed slightly. "He was none too happy either with her." She patted Alicia's arm. "This was none of your doing, love. It's about time he got his head out of a cauldron and into real life. He has to reap what he has sown."

"I hope this will be the end of it," Angelina sighed.

"Even if it doesn't, it won't be easy for them," Harry said grimly. He flushed when everyone turned to look at him. "I mentioned to Uncle Ted yesterday that you were being threatened with legal action. After him laughing for a solid five minutes at how absurd their case would be and how no one would take them seriously, he decided to 'entertain their nonsense' and he'll be sending them an official notice that any kind of legal buffoonery aimed at you would be returned a thousand times and he'll bring the wand down on them."

"Really?" Alicia gasped.

Harry nodded. "Uncle Ted likes you and Captain and he loves the girls."

"Legal buffoonery, love it," Katie smiled. "MumAndi's influence."

Later that night at another Village dinner, Alicia hugged Harry tightly. "Thank you, baby bird," she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

"Of course, no need to even mention it," he said back warmly. "I love you."

"I love you," she said and kissed his cheek.

"By the way," he said and winked at her. "Remember what I said that time in my third year? I've met the other Spinnets now and you're still my favorite one. No question."

Alicia's laugh was long and loud and full of love.

-0-

"Yes chicklings?" Hedwig said, gliding down to land in front of the bunnies.

"Can you teach us to dance?" Dahlia asked. "We want to learn how to do interpretive dance and you're the best dancer in the village."

Hedwig puffed her chest out and hooted smugly. "Why yes I am and yes I will. Dancing is an underrated form of communication for you humans. Okay, let's do the Yes Dance. Start with both talons, err feet planted but balancing on the points." She nodded with approval when the girls mimicked her.

"Good! Now bend both legs, then bounce up, kick right, then bend and bounce, kick left. Yes, like that! Very good girls!"

"What are they doing?" Colette asked.

She and Aimee were visiting Potter Village/Barony de Potter, name depending on who you asked, which is not an unusual thing. They have visited many times in the past, ever since the neighborhood came into being. Now though, with Fleur having a home there, they went from rare visitors to often visitors and were happier for it, they and the residents of the village.

Fleur, Aimee, and Colette were sitting in the small space that was called the Triangle, where chairs and tables were permanently there as well as a playground. The trio of French witches watched fondly at Dahlia, Hailey, and Hadley in the playground with Hedwig in attendance.

"I do not know," Fleur said. "Harry, what are the girls doing?"

Harry walked up with Katie and was carrying Iris. He handed Iris to Aimee who held her arms out for the baby. "Oh so the bunnies are into 'communicating without speaking', or something like that right now. Apparently just pointing at your open mouth doesn't suffice really," he snorted and the women laughed. "Luna suggested interpretive dance and Hedwig is the best dancer here so she's teaching them how to dance."

"Is she really the best dancer?" Colette asked.

"I can usually tell what she's trying to say when she's dancing," Katie laughed. "She also has very expressive facial expressions."

"That and when all else fails, she nips," Harry grinned.

"They know her happy dance," Fleur smiled. "I remember that from the Cup celebration."

"That's a good one," Harry nodded.

"What's that dance?" Aimee asked, pointing with one arm while cradling Iris with the other. They watched as Hedwig hopped up and down, first on one leg, then the other, then both.

"That's when she's being eager or impatient, which is sorta both for her," Harry said.

"I dance like that when I need to use the restroom so that tracks," Katie said and they laughed.

"Good girls," Hedwig praised as they bunnies demonstrated mastery of the Yes Dance. "That dance is to show appreciation and that you want something or want to do something. Just general positive energy. Now this dance is just as if not more important. First, you face the target with your rear. Then you waggle from side to side like so."

"Oh what is that one?" Fleur asked. "It does not seem polite."

"That's-HEDWIG! NO!" Harry rushed over. "Don't teach them that dance!"

"Now I have to know what it is!" Colette exclaimed.

"Probably her 'I think you're an idiot dance'," Katie snickered. "It involves a lot of mooning and arse waggling which is distinctly different from rear wiggling and butt shaking." She looked at Fleur. "How did you know it was impolite?"

"Hedwig and I are kindred spirits," Fleur sniffed with faux haughtiness. "We are both beautiful, care for the finer things in life-"

"-both are birds," Colette continued, "both are very snooty." She shrieked when Fleur shot her with a stinger. "Both attack people without cause when confronted with the truth!"

"Fleur danced a little when she was younger," Aimee said, cooing at Iris in her arms.

"Really?" Katie asked.

"Ballet," Fleur said. "How terribly French of me, no?"

"Why did you stop?" Katie asked.

"The culture became unpleasant. People fighting for roles and positions and a lot of the old Veela related troubles," Fleur said lightly. She shook her head. "Did you ever do ballet?"

"Once. I spun, cramped my toe, fell on my arse, and cried," Katie said and laughed when the trio did, them all laughing harder when Iris joined in. "Turns out, I'm a lot more graceful on a broomstick." They watched as Harry chased Hedwig around the playground with the bunnies chasing after them.

"Daddy! We need Hedwig to teach us!" Dahlia shouted as she and Hailey and Hadley chased after them.

"This is what I get for teaching!" Hedwig barked indignantly. "Nobody respects teachers!"

"Does that happen often?" Colette asked, holding her stomach from laughing.

"At least a couple times a week, usually Hedwig chasing Harry though," Katie smiled.

"Oh what did Rabbit do?" Angelina asked as she came walking up with Fred and George carrying the twins.

"Hedwig was teaching the girls a rude dance and he wanted her to stop," Katie explained.

"Oh the 'you're an idiot' dance?" Fred asked.

"How did you guess?" Aimee asked.

"I've seen it a lot," Fred sighed.

"I wonder why," Angelina said dryly.

"Because we're idiots," George said proudly, puffing his chest out.

Eventually the table was turned and Hedwig and the bunnies chased Harry to the tables, tackling him over and piling on top of him with Hedwig sitting on his head. Alicia, Oliver, Melanie, Hermione, Luna and Lyla came drifting over.

"What happened here?" Alicia asked, seeing the pile.

"Hedwig was teaching them a rude dance," Harry said, ignoring Hedwig's indignant cheep. "I tried to stop it." He looked up at her. "Wait until they're older at least." He sputtered when Hedwig shoved her tail feathers into his face.

"You're rude! Don't stymie the arts!"

-0-

"Hand me the purse?" Harry reached in when someone passed it to Luna who held it for him. He looked at it and smiled. "Oh, I got this." He looked up at Hedwig and scratched his arm a few times, then mimed holding something between thumb and forefinger beneath his arm.

Hedwig blinked once before brightening and nodding. "Oh right! Pancetta! Be right back." She launched herself off his head and flapped energetically, flying into the Potter home. She came back soon after and dropped something into Harry's hand.

"Pancetta?" Lyla asked.

"We decided it was the third best bacon underneath rasher and slab," Harry said. He handed the piece back to Hedwig who munched noisily on it.

"Oh you scratched your arm, rash," Katie laughed. "That's clever."

"Mmmm pancetta. I want to try this game. I bet I'm good at it."

"Oh, you want to try?" Luna asked brightly when Hedwig hopped onto her head and walked down her arm, reaching into the purse with her beak and withdrawing a slip. She fluttered to the table and dropped it flat, kicking it open and looking at the word. "Classes. Hmm. Oh I know." The owl tilted her head in thought before she turned on the spot and looked at Harry. She opened her beak and closed it, slowly and repeatedly. "Chick, start talking."

"Talk?" Harry asked. "Oh you want me to keep talking?" he said when she shook her head. "Okay," he said when she nodded. "Uhm well I'll just keep talking and you tell me when-"

Hedwig closed her eyes and let her beak fall open and her head tilted to one side. As Harry continued to talk, she started to snore.

"Ooh is it boring?" Colette asked while everyone hooted with laughter. "Do you find him boring?" She gasped when Hedwig nipped her on the wrist before going back to snoring.

"You're boring you French Chicken. Snnnnnrrrrkkkkkkkkk"

"I know, lessons at Hogwarts," Harry said. He laughed when Hedwig perked up and nodded, flapping her wings happily.

"That's my chick! We can communicate like no one else," she hooted happily.

"Oooh, now that is a comment on your education," Fleur giggled.

"As if we never fell asleep during a lesson at Beauxbatons," Aimee smiled.

-0-

"Can we try?" Dahlia asked, pointing at the purse.

"Sure, go ahead," Harry said. They watched as Dahlia reached in and pulled out a parchment and she and Hailey and Hadley bent over it, looking at it. They whispered amongst themselves. They clapped their hands and nodded and stood in a line. With hands on their hips, they swayed first to the left, then to the right, staying in rough tandem. They swayed back and forth, moving left twice and then right twice before swaying up and down, squatting a little.

"Hula dancers?" Lyla asked.

"Oh uhm, hula-hoops?" Hermione offered.

They shook their heads, continuing to dance. They added another part, raising a right foot then a left foot before repeating the hip swaying and then squatting up and down.

"Rain dance?" Alicia asked.

"Ooh that's a good one but guess that's wrong," Angelina said thoughtfully. "Kinda look like frogs, a little."

"Oh well done bunnies," Hedwig said, realizing. She nodded with professional approval. "Bend a bit more at the waist, yes like that. And really wiggle the rear. You need to make up for your lack of tail feathers, poor girls."

Luna began to giggle, her face turning red from suppressed mirth.

"Do you know?" Katie asked.

"I have an idea," Luna said, continuing to giggle mightily. "Is it twins?"

"Yes!" the bunnies cried and they hugged and kissed Luna in congratulations.

"Twins, but it is three of them?" Aimee said.

"Do the dance again," Luna encouraged the girls, "but turn away from us."

"Hedwig!" Harry cried when he recognized the dance once the girls were facing away. "I thought I stopped you in time!"

"Oh the 'you are an idiot' dance!" Fleur laughed and the others joined her when they realized it.

"Oh right, us," Fred laughed.

"That's fair," George laughed.

"You are a terrible influence," Harry sighed, wincing when Hedwig pulled on his hair. "No you are!" The owl launched herself into the air and landed on Dahlia's head and joined the dance, waggling her tail feathers expressively.

"If you had tail feathers, you would point them at the idiot directly and really waggle the arse to get the point across." She demonstrated, flicking her tail feathers at Fred and George.

"To be fair, they've seen her do it a lot before she taught it to them officially," Katie laughed. She smiled when the idiot dance became the happy dance, the girls and the owls stomping their feet and kicking in time with arms and wings held wide.

-0-

Dahlia fought gamely, trying to push Heather off who was lying across her to keep her pinned while Iris gleefully buffeted her with a pillow. A loud bark cut through and the three looked up to see Hedwig landing on a table beside the playground.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU CHICKS DOING?! STOP THAT!"

Hedwig looked down at them, eyes narrowed and she barked again. "Why are you all fighting?! You stop that right now before I make you!"

"It's okay," Dahlia said cheerfully, "we're playing!"

Hedwig looked dubious, tilting her head. "Is that right? Just 'playing'? I don't know…"

"Look out!" the twins yelled.

A red throwing pillow came rocketing in and hit Hedwig from behind, knowing her beak over talon. Hedwig splayed out on her stomach, wings out and feathers rumpled.

"Oh no," the twins said, horrified. Everyone stopped and stared.

Hedwig clambered up to her feet and her body was stone still but her head turned all the way around. She looked at the twins with eyes wide open with shock and affront before they narrowed with sheer indignation. "You. Did. NOT. Just. Hit. ME. With. That."

"Don't point at me!" Abby said, smacking Alex's hand. "You threw it!"

"You ducked!" Alex said.

Hedwig flapped her wings and flew in place, picking up the pillow in her talons. She flew up and then sharply dove before flapping hard, twisting her lower body and releasing the pillow. The pillowy projectile flew on and it hit Alex first in the stomach before bouncing off and hitting Abby in the stomach too. The twins fell over from the impact and the others giggled and snorted and gasped.

Dahlia's eyes widened when Hedwig flew to the chest and somehow lifted the biggest pillow out of the chest. Hedwig grasped the pillow firmly with her talons, shaking it to find the balance and her eyes narrowed as they did when she sighted prey. "Okay, time to play chicks and let you know who's at the top of the pecking order!"

"Run," Dahlia said. Soon she and the others ran shrieking with Hedwig in hot pursuit, swinging the pillow menacingly while barking and hooting loudly.

"Come back here! You can't escape me!"

-0-

Tonks stepped out of the Floo and blinked when she heard the noise outdoors. She hurriedly threw her bag onto a chair and tossed her cloak over another and opened the door. She held her wand at the ready, looking about. She gaped when Iris and Heather came running up the path to her. "Come here!" she shouted and ushered them in. "What's wrong?!"

"We're having a pillow fight!" Iris said, breathing heavily.

"A pillow fight?" Tonks repeated. "It sounds like you lot are killing each other!"

"We're running from Hedwig, she's really good," Heather gasped.

"Hedwig is a part of this pillow fight?" Tonks shook her head. "Actually, that doesn't surprise me. So it's nothing bad then?"

"No Auntie Dora," Iris said happily.

"Alright," Tonks said skeptically. "I'm still not convinced though." She opened the door again and got a face full of pillow, a small throwing one impacting her solidly, making her stagger back. Iris and Heather shrieked with glee and used Tonks as a shield when another came flying in.

"Ha! Take that Pinky! I always wanted to do that!" Hedwig cackled as she flew away.

Tonks pulled the pillow off her face and glared at Hedwig flying away. "Oh, so that's how it is then? Okay, pillow fight? Let's fight."

-0-

"Hey! No fair having Auntie Dora on your team!" Hailey shouted as she ducked behind the table.

"She's only using pillows too!" Heather shouted back as she handed another throwing one to Tonks.

"Send out the chicken!" Tonks shouted, waving a large pillow with one hand after throwing the other. "I've got beef with that bird!"

"Hedwig isn't on anyone's team, it wasn't fair!" Hadley shouted as she pummeled Alex with the floppy pillow.

"I'll chicken you, you spike-feathered bottomless pit!" Hedwig dove in and swung with her pillow.

Tonks held up the pillow as a shield, swinging it after blocking a blow. She flailed with it several times, growling when Hedwig dodged the return attempts and flew off, hooting condescendingly. "Come back here! This has been a long time coming!"

"Come and get me no-wings!"

-0-

"Hey Alicia," Katie said, stepping out of the Floo. She banished the soot and ash off and did the same when Harry, Angelina, and Oliver came after her. "So why did you tell us to Floo here?"

"It was safer," Alicia said dryly. She pointed out the window.

"What happened here?!" Harry gasped. There were pillows littering the gardens and the Triangle and he watched in open-mouth astonishment as Tonks and Hedwig dueled in the middle, swinging large pillows at one another while the others fought around them.

"From what I can gather, a large pillow fight broke out and Hedwig got involved and then the others did piecemeal." Alicia shook her head when Luna pegged Tracy with one and Fleur battled against Iris and Dahlia. "I don't know where those pillows came from however."

"Those are Wheezes," Angelina groaned. "I didn't know they were ready for testing though."

"Must be enchanted ones," Oliver said when he saw Melanie nail Hadley in the face again with Hadley running on looking little worse for wear.

"Thank Merlin for that," Katie said, giggling as she watched Fleur go down and be belabored by her daughters.

"You didn't want to join in?" Oliver chuckled.

"I wanted to make sure the pillows were safe," Alicia said. "I would believe the twidiots doing something to them to make them do strange things to us as hidden jokes."

"They shouldn't have, at least not for these," Angelina said. "George kept me in the development process for these."

Harry walked out into the gardens, followed by the rest, and an errantly chucked pillow hit him cleanly in the face, knocking him over. A silence fell over the area as the children gasped with shock and horror at him being hit and all action stopped immediately.

"Ow you bloody bird!" Tonks shouted when Hedwig took advantage of Tonks' inaction, thwapping her solidly in the head.

"Should have been paying attention you big baby!" Hedwig hooted back.

Harry chuckled and got to his feet, 'helped' up by a hysterically laughing Katie. "I'm okay," he assured everyone. "So, pillow fighting?"

"I think it's technically a pillow war," Tracy said. "A bit bigger than a fight."

"The chest was in the play spot!" the twins shouted when they saw their mother looking at them.

"I'm going to have words with Fred and George," Angelina sighed.

"And no one is hurt?" Katie asked. Everyone shook their heads. "That's good at least."

Harry looked around at them and then at the pillow in his hand. "So, who threw this?"

"Me," Luna said proudly. She squealed when Harry threw it back at her, hitting her in the side. That restarted the war with Fleur and Luna attacking Harry, only to be driven off by the combined force of all the children and the owl coming to his defense and the other adults scooping up pillows to join the fray.

"Come grandchicks!" Hedwig barked as she led them. "Defend the Big Chick!"

-0-

"It looks clear," George said. He and Fred looked around the living room carefully. The peace was both welcome and somewhat worrying to them.

"Hi Angelina!" Fred greeted brightly and loudly.

"Hi Fred," Angelina said wryly. "Good day at work?"

"Sure was! We gots you some treats for being such an awesome person," he gushed.

"Why thank you," she said, taking the flowers and ice cream from them. "And not for any other reason?"

"None that I can think of," Fred lied winningly. He winced when she looked at the chest that was sitting out in the open. "Oh well maybe that too," he said with a weak smile.

"Seeing that out though, how did things go?" George asked.

"I wasn't around for the start but played a bit myself. They're pretty nice," Angelina said. "And the only bumps and bruises were from diving and falling and not from getting hit."

"Oh that's good," the twins said with relief. "Did the sprogs enjoy themselves?"

"You should ask them," Angelina smiled.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Maybe they'll want to play a bit more before bed," George said. "Let's go encourage it actually-wait." He opened the chest and saw that it was empty. "Where are the pillows? Where are you going?" he asked when Angelina ducked back into the kitchen.

"Now!" Angelina yelled.

The closet door flew open and Fred and George danced about as they were bombarded by a flurry of pillows. The children poured out of the closet, throwing the pillows and shouting happily and soon they chased a laughing and yelling Fred and George out of the Weasley home and into the back gardens.

Angelina followed after them sedately, shaking her head and smiling at the new melee forming between Fred and George versus all the children. She walked to the Potter home and accepted a bottle of butterbeer from Harry. "Finally, a bit of comeuppance."

"They love it as much if not more than the children," Harry chuckled.

"They're not loving it as much right now," Katie laughed, watching George and Fred fleeing before a pillow-wielding Hedwig, screaming with actual fear.

Tonks growled. "I'm going to get her. I swear, I'm going to get that flying pillow one day."

Harry smiled and leaned against her. "I should be surprised that she knows how to pillow fight, but I'm not really."

"She's very talented," Luna nodded when Hedwig bounced the pillow off Fred and George's head, hooting gleefully.

"Taste the fruit of your labors!" Hedwig laughed as she bounced a pillow off them again and again.

-0-

Katie yawned and stretched, blinking slowly. Smiling, she rested her head against Hedwig's soft feathers. "You come up with the best names and insults," she said sleepily.

Hedwig hooted just as sleepily, looking very smug. She preened Katie's hair some before the woman and the owl fell back asleep.

-0-0-0-

Darth Vindicta - thank you for the kind words, glad you enjoy the fic.

odonnellzoo99 - Katie's a great healer in training. Hedwig is surprisingly sweet to lots of people, while being a menace to others. Glad you enjoyed the reference too.

Ghostwriter - It is a very difficult profession yes.

poka - I think that will be a new running theme. A day in the life of blank to explore the day to day lives of the others. Yup, she's a great healer.

alix33 - Sadly, the cheery alarm clock gets us all. I'm sure you will get there eventually.

Guest - Thank you. Sometimes it is difficult. I don't mind constructive critiques now and then but those felt a bit too personal.