Teddy was particularly eager, as they would be visiting England again soon. He couldn't wait to tell Victoria and the others about their new home and how much fun he was having.
Lia wasn't as thrilled, mostly because the older lady still gave him a bad feeling. He had never forgotten how she had put that awful black stuff on his foot that had burned. However he trusted his Mama to keep him safe.
To ease his fears, Melody decided it was past due to spoil the boys. She had never been allowed to shop for toys or games, and she refused to follow the Dursley's example of over indulging them with the latest trends.
Sebek was doing some last minute training, as he had gotten his invitation to the same school Lilia, Malleus and Silver were currently attending. Lilia was off doing...something, but Silver was free.
Silver easily carried his younger sibling, as Lia happily attached himself to the older boy. Teddy eagerly held Melody's hand.
Seeing the children light up when they entered the toy shop made her entire week. Silver had an indulgent smile as Lia and Teddy eagerly looked at the wares.
"Mama, lookit!" said Lia eagerly. "It's Sebek!"
Lia held up a large green crocodile, which had Silver trying desperately hard not to laugh.
Melody looked at the toy seriously.
"I do believe you are right. I think we owe him a present to say thank you for all the help he's given us," said Melody. Lia dutifully put the massive crocodile into the basket, and went to look at the other toys.
Teddy came up with a tawny wolf.
"Mama, it's Papa!" said Teddy.
Silver looked to Melody in question. She ruffled Teddy's hair.
"I agree, he looks just like your Papa Moony. I think he should come home with us, don't you agree?" said Melody. Teddy nodded in agreement. "Why don't you find Moony a friend to join him?"
Teddy was off like a shot, likely to find other dolls that resembled Padfoot and Prongs. Or one for his actual mother, Nymphadora.
Lia came up with another doll, one that had Silver stifle a laugh. Mostly because those red eyes reminded him strongly of his father Lilia, which was clearly Lia's intent behind the toy. Lia eagerly put the toy into the basket, which was now half full. As predicted, Teddy returned with a stuffed stag and a large black dog.
However it was the last toy that had Silver and Melody burst out into giggles, because it was a comically large stuffed dragon with green eyes that the two boys immediately named "Mal".
Malleus had, at the prompting of the children, switched into his dragon form during their last camping trip. He found the concept of a 'dragon tent' beyond amusing, and Melody rather enjoyed it. It still puzzled him the sheer lack of fear the two young children had at his dragon form, which was a bit bigger than Melody's own.
Lilia had commented that her form wasn't fully grown yet, which meant she could possibly become bigger later. Whereas Malleus had mostly reached physical maturity a while ago.
While the dolls were a little pricy, she considered it worth it to see the joy on the children's faces.
Sebek was overjoyed when presented the gift from the boys. It was clear he appreciated the large doll.
Lilia had a gleeful grin when he saw the stuffed bat, and he used a little bit of his magic to make it move. His grin widened at the way Lia giggled and chased the doll until he was just tuckered out.
Teddy hugged his tawny wolf that he immediately named Moony.
He was almost sad that they had to go to England for a week, because he wanted to play with his new toys.
A few days later...
Bill and Fleur's children shrieked with delight when they realized Teddy was there. Lia clung to his mother, because the home was very noisy and he hadn't forgotten about the iron. Melody solved this by simply picking him up and letting him get acclimated.
Lia hugged his bat doll to him protectively, almost like a charm. To be fair, Melody and Lilia had enchanted that doll nine ways to Sunday with numerous protective spells and enchantments.
"Is Lia okay?" asked Ginny.
"He's just being shy," explained Melody. "He's not used to the noise level around here."
She tactfully did not mention the stunt Molly and Arthur pulled.
"So where will you be staying while you're here?" asked Hermione.
"Definitely not Grimmauld place. And I sold my old home to pay for my current one," said Melody. "I make enough money at my current job that we can afford a proper hotel, one with all the amenities."
"Don't be silly dear," said Molly. "It's ridiculous to spend money on a room."
"Let me rephrase that. I'm paying for a hotel so I don't have to cook breakfast, the kids get to go swimming, and it means I can show them what London is like without having to clean up after them," said Melody. "At least I can use a magical credit card to pay for muggle accommodations, and no one is going to look for us there."
"That's sensi...wait. Magical credit card?" said Hermione suddenly.
Melody sensed a way to cause massive waves among the magical community, and best of all she'd be out of the line of fire when things imploded.
"Oh the things I could tell you about Twisted Wonderland..." she said gleefully.
The more she spoke, the more infuriated Hermione became.
"I am moving in with you," she stated flatly. She was very irate no one had mentioned this at Hogwarts.
"I had a feeling you might, which is why I kept one of the rooms open," Melody replied, sipping her tea. "Perhaps I can introduce you to some nice guys who aren't intimidated by a woman who enjoys a good book and isn't afraid to hex people. I know several adventurers who would happily accept a witch of your caliber."
"Room for one more?" asked Ginny hopefully. "Being a Quidditch player is fun, but your life sounds way more interesting."
"Ginny Weasley!" scolded Molly.
"Think we should rope Luna in too?" asked Melody honestly. "I can introduce you to the Realtor I used to get my home, and I think you'd love the Zigvolts, Mione."
"Zigvolts?" said Hermione.
"My neighbors. The father runs a dental clinic and his youngest has been babysitting the children for me," said Melody cheerfully. "Baul is a bit grumpy, but the children love having him around. He's practically an uncle to them."
~~*~~*~
Lia perked up when he was introduced to "aunty Luna", who gave the best hugs. Melody had to deal with some nuisance at the bank, as there had been a few discrepancies with her account. She was sick and tired of the goblins little games, and wanted to deal with it quickly.
Fortunately, Luna was available to watch the children and lived close enough that Teddy could visit Victoria and the others. Lia was still extremely wary of the Weasley Matriarch.
The second she stepped foot in Gringotts, nearly every goblin froze. All of them were staring at her with an indescribable expression, though if she had to guess what it was, she would have to say fear.
The goblins were absolutely terrified of her, and it made the regular patrons uneasy.
Something in her clicked, and she sneered at the nearest goblin. The thing was absolutely petrified as if he could sense something about her. Likely the countless number of them she slaughtered with great enjoyment.
Unnoticed was the way her demeanor changed. Before, she was annoyed and exasperated...now she had the stature of a queen all too ready to wage war. Her eyes developed a slight slit in the pupils, and her fangs elongated a bit. Her senses broadened, and there was an aura of sheer power around her.
Instinctively, the goblins knew that they no longer held any sway over this female. Any thoughts of cheating her went out the window, especially with the scent of their slaughtered brethren.
She would not hesitate to make examples of anyone who crossed her path.
It was not a good day to be a goblin.
Several hours later...
"So how did it go?" asked Bill.
"It was the strangest thing. They caved to nearly any demand I made, almost as if they were eager to be rid of me as quickly as possible, even if it didn't benefit them in the slightest," said Melody.
Bill paused and looked at her.
"Really."
"I can't imagine why they looked absolutely terrified in my presence," said Melody 'innocently'. "After all the grief they've given me in the past over my finances..."
"What did you do?" said Fleur, darkly amused.
"Well aside from becoming the go-to at the guild for goblin extermination quests..." she started.
"Goblin what?" said Bill shocked.
"Fun fact, in the Briar Valley goblins are considered a nuisance to be dealt with quickly, rather than forced to be bankers. Not even the faeries tolerate their presence and pay high sums to rout their nests as quickly as possible," said Melody. "Something to do with the fact they forcibly capture females to act as breeders."
Fleur sniffed.
"Unsurprisingly, really. I never understood why the British allowed those...things...to create such a large nest in their magical communities, since they are absolute vermin," said Fleur.
Bill winced.
"To be fair, I try not to think about the witches that end up as breeders. It's one of the first things we have to learn to overlook as a curse breaker if you sign up for Gringotts," said Bill.
"I'm sorry, what?" said Melody sharply, sitting her tea down.
Bill's wince became more pronounced.
"It's not discussed, but the Ministry has an unofficial pact with the goblin clans to provide...breeders. Usually muggleborn witches that won't be missed. In exchange the goblins don't try to acquire them by force, which protects the older families from them. I'm pretty sure that a number of them went missing under the Toad's rule, because there are still a hundred unaccounted for."
Melody inhaled sharply. Bill looked rather alarmed at the amount of smoke coming from her mouth.
"Are you telling me that the Ministry deliberately sends muggleborn witches to be..." she snarled.
"Like I said, it's something not discussed in polite company," said Bill quickly.
Melody was absolutely pissed. While the number of victims to the goblins had dropped since she started clearing the backlog of extermination quests, she had stumbled across nests where help didn't show up quickly enough to prevent victims.
It had firmed her resolve to mutilate any goblin she came across whenever she stumbled across another woman captured. There was a reason why the receptionists never commented on the sheer damage done to the proof she brought back of her kills.
Sometimes, it was better to die quickly than to be caught by such foul creatures.
Melody made a note to come back with reinforcements to permanently deal with the...infestation...of goblins in England. A chill went down the back of every goblin hiding in Gringotts, knowing their days were permanently numbered.
On the plus side, Lia finally started to warm up to his cousins and play with them normally, even if he was very leery of Molly and Arthur.
He made a point to never stray far from his older brother or the 'safe' adults like George or Hermione.
It was almost a relief to return to Briar Valley, even if Sebek was currently at Night Raven. At least Baul was still there.