Part 14
A/N World Cup, shopping, and, dammit, I still didn't get to year 4. But the next chap starts with the welcoming feast.
- World cup. I don't do action. I won't be writing a game. Sorry?
- One commenter said McG wasn't written with a Scots accent. I guess I got that from the movies, which I watched more recently than I read the original books. Sorry!
- You know there are whole online discussions about how much people hate certain tropes? They get super pissed about mischaracterization, especially Snape (romantic hero), the Weasleys (bashing of any sort), Harry (super!)… the list goes on. But they never seem to complain about the serious amount of fanfic writers who hate on Dumbledore. Weird, huh? For the couple of readers who informed me they're dropping this because I redeemed Snape and that's out of character… alas. Earwax. :) (Sorry, not sorry)
- For another mischaracterization: Why did I write Sirius as a gay character? I've had a few questions about this. I don't recall Sirius being straight in canon. I recall him being super flirty with all females and having racy pictures up to piss off his mum. He could be straight, gay, or bi. I've chosen gay, just because that's how the character read to me.
~~here we come, walking down the street~~
The Weasley/Black tent reservation was in the neutral zone. Ireland partied to one side; Bulgaria boogied on the other. Well, as much as Bulgarians boogied. It had been almost an hour's walk from the portkey dropoff to their site.
Sirius and Remus guided their horde to the assigned slippage and saw that the Weasley tent was already erected, the campfire set up. Though there was no Weasley in direct sight, a few of the red heads were bobbing back in the general direction, laden with buckets of water.
Harry showed everyone how to put up the tent and where they would be sleeping. Hermione, in particular, was absolutely floored by the understated opulence in a tent of all things. They stood in the environmentally-controlled area, discussing the magic that allowed it, as Sirius went out to greet the neighbors.
"Hullo Weasleys?" Sirius greeted with a grin, and the patriarch of that family walked out of his own tent with a spring in his step.
Arthur greeted Sirius with an open smile and extended hand. "Thank you again, Lord Black, for the tickets…"
"Arthur, it's Sirius. Just because I got a title doesn't mean I became a total berk. And the more the merrier. We are going to have a blast! Holy crap, tell me this isn't Bill."
When Sirius had gone down, Bill had just been a lad, wanting to fight, but not nearly old enough to do so.
The eldest Weasley came forward. "That's me. I remember meeting you when you were hanging out with my uncles."
Sirius's smile turned poignant. "Fabe and Gid were the best. Good to meet you again. Who else do we have?" There were almost countless other gingers standing there, all very obviously Weasleys.
"My brothers, Charlie, Fred and George, and Ron. Percy decided to pass. He's not a huge fan. Mum stayed home, too. But Gin's here somewhere."
Sirius was greeted by the kids formally or informally, depending if he'd spent time with them when he was with Harry at Hogwarts. "Lord Black," "Mr. Black," "Hey, Sirius!" from Ron and the twins.
"Well, my gang is mixed, too. Where are you guys?" Sirius called to his group.
"Putting up this tent of yours," came a disgruntled voice as several people exited the Black tent.
"Come on, I showed you how," Harry nudged his werewolf uncle.
"Hush, it's my job to give Padfoot the what for in all possible circumstances," Remus stage-whispered.
"Lils always did like you best," Sirius sighed and Harry grinned, loving this nonchalant piece of his parents' past. "You remember Remus, Arthur? This is his honorable lady, Livia Prescott."
They greeted the family of redheads and the next adult tripped out of Sirius's tent.
"Wotcher, Weasleys. Charlie!" Nymphadora Call Me Tonks jumped across the space, suddenly as graceful as the nymph that was her eponym. She jumped into the waiting arms of the burliest Weasley, who proceeded to swing her around, a huge grin on his face.
"I take it those two know each other," Remus deadpanned.
"I'm just saying, the Coriolis effect is very much misunderstood. What most people think is the Coriolis effect is just a difference in the shape of the drain. But it can be proved…" Hermione's voice in lecture mode got covered by chatter as all the teens from the Black brigade exited the newly-erect tent, having chosen their accomodations and put their stuff away.
"Well, the curraca giratoria very much spins anti-clockwise if it's north of the equator and clockwise if it's south. It's very interesting." Luna's voice was the least dreamy Harry had heard. "I do wonder if it's correlated to your Coriolis. I shall give this information to Daddy. It should make an interesting article. Do you want to be co-authored?" Luna looked at Hermione seriously, and Harry held his breath.
Hermione smiled. "I'd love to contribute, if you'd have me! I can write up an explanation of the muggle science."
Luna smiled, genuinely, and the two began to plan.
Test passed. Harry thought and smiled.
"Harry! Nev! Cheers!" Ron came over and shook his friends' hands. Then he turned to the girls who were still plotting. "Hey, Hermione, Luna! How's your hols been?"
"Harry! Nev! Cracking to see you!" "Simply Smashing! Nev! Harry!" The twins greeted the two boys, shaking hands furiously, crossing hands, and making a Weasley Twin Rumpus.
It certainly set the mood for the festive atmosphere. The groups mingled and chatted. Ginny moved her bag into the girls' room in Sirius tent, thanking Sirius and Hermione for letting her come over.
"Dad's tent was free, but it smells of cats. And not in a pleasant way." Her little nose wrinkled and Hermione chuckled.
"And who wants to be with all those boys?" Luna asked.
Ginny nodded with a smile. "Right?"
The two groups mingled, setting up lawn chairs in their spots, putting up wards around their space, eating a light breakfast provided by elves. The ten AM warning bell for rang, and they began to make their way into the stadium, stopping at vendors along the way.
"We're in the fourth level – box 42," Sirius told Arthur, in case the groups got separated. "Might take us quite a bit of time to get there. But we have it."
"You didn't have to waste money on a box, Sirius," Arthur protested.
"It's not as though you're afraid of the crowds, Pads. You always preferred to be with the rabble," Moony argued with surprise.
"That's true. But, if I got seats in the stands, we'd have had to set up camp a week ago. I didn't want to sleep on the moors for a week. Harry and I did an overnight a month ago. The midges are terrifying and they find their way through all the anti-pest wards. Harry got us this bug spray stuff from a muggle store. It worked but smelled like…" he saw the younger ones listening to his words and moderated what he had been going to say. "It smelled awful and was greasy."
"Aww. Poor Siri. Did you get bit by the bugs?" Tonks teased.
"Watch it, or you'll get bit by the grim, girlie." Sirius said in mock-sternness.
They passed several vendors, looking at the wares with interest. Ron got a Victor Krum action figure after weighing the pros and cons of all the different players. Neville got Aidan Lynch, just to rile Ronald a little. The boys joked that they could have seeker battles.
Neville knew he'd be done for if that was the case. Nobody outflew Krum.
Harry waited for the others to move on and purchased the package of quidditch hero action figures. He figured it would make a great Christmas present for Ron.
At another vendor, Harry picked up a long-sleeved t-shirt that featured tiny, moving figures of the players from both teams, blocking, scoring, searching for the snitch. The pattern was a little busy but would be perfect as a memento. Ginny decided that she, too, liked the t-shirt and picked one up for herself.
"Now, we can match!" She said, with what she hoped was a shy, flirty smile.
"Yeah," Harry said, his smile weak, as he turned back to Neville and Ron.
Luna and Hermione watched the interaction, Hermione shaking her head. Those two girls eventually picked up some snacks and big poofy hats – Luna wearing Bulgaria while Hermione wore Ireland. Neither were huge quidditch fans.
The twins didn't buy anything, but their brothers put flashing necklaces around their necks. They'd done face paint earlier, supporting the Irish.
As the group got into their box, ad Sirius handed out glossy programs for the match that featured all of the players, a history of the cup, and an overview of the season. He also passed around several sets of ominoculars for everyone to share.
The kids were in the front of the box, surrounded by adults. Arthur pulled open a large tote that was filled with drinks – butterbeers and the like – as well as sandwiches that Molly had sent along. He handed it all around, and the group dug in to their lunch. In all, they were ready for the match.
Ireland's mascots bounded into the stadium first, the leprechauns throwing gold hither and yon.
"Whoa? It's raining gold?! I mean, do they need fans that badly?" Hermione asked.
"It's leprechaun gold," Luna said. "It disappears within a day. But it is pretty, and clever magic!"
Ron put down the coins he had been hoarding with a disappointed huff.
"Drat. I thought I'd be able to buy a new pet!" Neville said as he, too, dropped the faux-gold he'd pocketed. "I left Trevor in the greenhouse at home; he's happier there."
When the Veela mascots came out, Ron and Fred both tried to get to the beautiful sirens.
Bill grabbed his youngest brother, while Remus corralled Fred.
"Watch it, Ronnie. Those are veela."
"They're gorgeous!" Ron breathed. Ginny rolled her eye in disgust.
"They have allure," George said. He'd been thinking about designing a Wheeze around the leprechaun gold magic, and had missed the Veela. "They used it on us. I'm a bit surprised you didn't fall for it, Harrikins."
"Perhaps he's met his true heart's desire," Arthur teased.
"I've been studying occlumency this year," Harry explained, as his ears burned just a little with blush, "as has Neville." Harry nodded to his friend who hadn't been lured to the beautiful mascots, either.
"Whoa! Here come Ireland!" Now that the mascot shows were over, the teams came into the stadium.
The last player to enter was Bulgaria's Krum, to a roar of approval from all the crowd, no matter what team they followed.
He was a genuine artist on a broom, and everyone was excited to watch him fly.
Well, that admiration lasted until the second time he ploughed Lynch into the ground. Ireland's seeker looked very much worse the wear after his second head-on collision with turf.
Of course, Ireland's chasers were the strongest in the league and quickly overwhelmed the Bulgarian line. No matter that Ireland was down a player, and that Krum played defensively while searching for the snitch, Ireland pulled into a huge lead.
When Ireland pulled ahead by 160 points, Krum captured the snitch, ending the game.
"I can't believe he gave up like that!" Ron bemoaned.
"He knew his team couldn't hold off those chasers. They were amazing!" Harry enthused. He'd learned so many new maneuvers watching this game. He'd also learned that some of the moves he'd instinctually made had actual names.
Who knew?
The group made their way back to their tents. Sitting next to the campfire, after the match, the quidditch players and fans discussed every move they'd seen, while Neville, Luna, Hermione, and Livia talked about the other parts of the match.
"Those stands simply are a feat of magic. Absolutely defying gravity!" Hermione couldn't get over the temporary magical construct. "And no muggles can see it?"
"Well, that was a bit of work," Livia answered, taking a sip of her tea. If the kiddos weren't here, she'd be drinking firewhiskey and snuggling with her mate. But the kiddos were here. And most of them knew she was a were and didn't care.
Life sure had gotten interesting.
Sirius called across the group to Hermione: "Call your mother."
"I would have," Hermione rolled her eyes. She was just having so much fun hanging out with her friends and even the adults.
She got out her mobile phone and saw it was dead. Magic. They'd planned for that, though, and she went into the tent and pulled out the mirror. "Hey Mum, Dad," her smile was bright as the sun as they answered the call. There was hooting and hollering all around them as fans celebrated or commiserated, depending on which side they were from.
"Ma belle, ça va?" Élise smiled, seeing her daughter obviously happy.
"The match is over. Ireland won," Hermione said, though she knew her parents didn't really care.
"Ah, oui? Only one night?" Her mother asked. "I thought you said these things could take days." Her father interjected.
"Yeah. Harry and Ron can give you a play by play if you need." Hermione's eyebrow raised in challenge.
"Ah, no thank you." Benedick wasn't quite ready to hear a teenage boy give him a rundown of a match he didn't have the first inkling about.
"Sirius says he'll drop me off tomorrow… wait, he wants to talk to you guys." Hermione handed the mirror to her host who had followed her into the tent.
"Benedick, Élise. I was wondering if you would mind if I took Hermione for supplies on the Alley tomorrow. That way, you can spend the rest of break without having to go back in."
"She doesn't have funds…" Benedick began.
"I'll cover it, get receipts. Since I have my friends' time for tomorrow, anyway, I thought it would be a good day to get it done. I have to do for Harry and Neville, I can talk Xeno into letting Luna stay. I'm sure she'd like a girlfriend along."
"If Hermione wishes to, that is fine." Élise answered after getting a nod from her husband. It would save them some time and a trip into town.
Hermione shouted "YES!" from the background and her father shook his head. "How much sugar did you feed them?"
Running a hand through his hair, Sirius sighed. "None, really."
"Well, have fun with them!"
They closed out the conversation and Hermione put the mirror back in her bag.
The Weasleys and the Black brigade were simply sitting around in conversation, eating food Dobby popped up from the house. Luna went into the tent and brought out a bag of large marshmallows and a handful of pointy sticks.
"What are they, then?" Ron asked at the obvious muggle package. They looked like small clouds.
"They look like huge marshmallows," Hermione said, with a furrowed brow.
Luna took one of the sticks and skewered a marshmallow onto it. "Neville, hold this marshmallow just above the flame. Not too close, or the flame sprites will indulge. They adore marshmallows, and will blacken it purposefully. Make sure to rotate it, so that the Maillard reaction occurs evenly on the whole surface."
Neville didn't understand all the lingo, but he got the jist of the directions, so he faithfully turned the cloud just above the flame. He saw it start to change color and bubble a bit.
He hoped that was the mallard thingy.
Meanwhile, Luna opened her bag again and got out a box of graham crackers and another of a sweet called Hershey bars.
Remus's eyes lit at the chocolate. It wasn't his favorite type of chocolate – too sugary – but it was still chocolate.
"Daddy and I spent time in Texas before going down through Mexico to South America. We started trying to chase down the Chupacabra, but Daddy thinks it's just a muggle cryptid. We did, however, find these gourmet sweets called a Smore, because you want some more? I think? It is a most delicious pudding."
Taking the stick from Neville, she layered the now toasted marshmallow between the crackers with the chocolate then cut it, giving a piece to Ron and a piece to Remus. Both rolled their eyes in delight upon the taste hitting their tongues.
The kids roasted marshmallows and made Smores while talking and joking, enjoying the post-match high.
Conversation flowed. There were some fights in nearby sites – rival fans who'd imbibed a little too much in firewhiskey, mulled mead, and the like. But in all, the denizens of the temporary campground were well-behaved. There were plenty of aurors patrolling, and plenty in the crowds.
And most of the people who would have caused serious issues were "victims" of the Burning, and couldn't afford box tickets, so had chosen not to attend the match at all.
As the evening began to wear down, some of the crowd had the early portkey time hit them, hard. The twins disappeared earlier and had come back, grim, before retiring to their tent. Bill and Arthur stayed out until the boys started to look tuckered. They encouraged the teens to hit the sack – the girls having gone in just a few moments earlier. Charlie and Tonks sat next to each other, reminiscing and sharing stories of what had happened since they'd last seen each other. They were the last of the group not in their tents yet, and both were reluctant to let the evening end.
Charlie looked at his ex-girlfriend, his mind still not able to understand one simple thing. "Why did we break up?"
"Because you moved to Romania." The accusation was there, but tempered with understanding and time.
"And you joined the auror corps." There was a little bit of heat in the rejoinder.
"Yeah." She sighed. She wanted to crawl into his lap, like old times. He could hear the regret in her voice.
"If I weren't in Romania, would you be willing to give it another try?"
Tonks finally admitted it to herself. And it was time to admit it to him. She looked him dead in the eye: the only guy who'd ever liked her for her. "Even though you are in Romania, I'm more than willing to give it another try."
"I'm not." Charlie said.
Tonks was hurt. Why would he have done that? "Willing to give it another try?" She asked him to clarify.
"In Romania." he corrected, shaking his head. "I'm not in Romania. Anymore."
She was confused. Then her eyes widened. "No?"
"No. I'll be working in Britain for the foreseeable." He reached out and linked his fingers with hers.
"Really?" The excitement built in her voice, and he appreciated the sparkle in her eye.
"Really." His whisper was husky.
"What are you doing next Thursday night?" Tonks was never one to let grass grow under her.
"I'm not sure. I have to check to see if I'm on the duty."
"Duty?" Tonks was confused. Happy, but confused.
"Yeah. I understand the faculty rotate who has to watch the halls."
"Faculty? You're teaching?"
"At Hogwarts." Charlie nodded. "I'm the new Care teacher."
"Oh my god. Every hot professor fantasy I've ever had." Tonks's murmur caused Charlie to blush.
"Excuse me?"
"Hmmm. We'll revisit later. I have to get back to my own charges. I've left them to Livia long enough." Standing, she pulled him up. Her lips met his in a fiery kiss that was more than what they'd shared in the past.
"Ok, then. I'll floo you." Charlie whispered against her lips.
"Do. Please."
"Thursday?" He clarified. He'd make sure to be free Thursday, if that was the case.
"Yeah, I'm off rota Thursday and Friday next week."
"Ok, then," He said, and kissed her again before she turned away. He watched her go back to the Black tent, really glad he'd decided to try again.
Tonks came into the tent to find snoring coming from the boys side – probably Remus, as Sirius was always a light sleeper and it was worse since Azkaban. But there was chatter coming from the girls. She used the loo, changing into sleeping sweats, before heading to her temporary bed.
"Did you see how tall Harry's gotten? He looks so good," Ginny enthused.
"He looks healthy, for sure," Hermione agreed, trying to keep the hero worship of her best friend to a minimum. She wasn't jealous. She wasn't. But if Ginny didn't stop fantasizing about Harry, Hermione might just punch the ginger.
"He doesn't have the shadow spectre in his aura anymore," Luna added. "It makes him more appealing."
Ginny ignored that. "Well, I know he was watching those moves on the field with an eagle eye. He'll be doing some of them on his firebolt, guaranteed. He's just the best flyer. I bet he could go pro if he wanted."
"He wants to be a healer," Hermione said in a serious voice, then mentally smacked herself. There was no reason to give Ginny any information about Harry. He certainly wouldn't appreciate it.
"Does he really? Well, he's smart enough. Could you imagine waking up in the health center and having him over your bed? Yum. Those green eyes are so dreamy when he's into something. It's why girls ask him questions about classes now."
"It does seem he likes it best when people aren't so very observant of every little thing he does," Luna added archly.
"What would you know about it, Loony?" Ginny snarked.
Hermione huffed and replied, "Luna at least knows that Harry absolutely despises bullies. I'm for bed." With that, Hermione turned off her bedside lamp, and Luna followed. Ginny blushed. Was she a bully? Just because she stood up for herself? She didn't think so. Everybody – even the dorky Ravenclaws – knew Luna was weird. Ginny felt she was really doing her old friend a favor, trying to get her to act normal. What would Hermione know about normal, anyhow?
Tonks came into the room noting the cold front that seemed to have entered. She shrugged it off as she looked over to her co-chaperone, who was sleeping. "Night, girls," she said to the teens.
"Night."
~~ scene change ~~
The next morning dawned cool and misty. The Weasleys had a return portkey set for 7AM and had to rush to get there. Arthur didn't notice the awkward goodbyes between the girls, but Sirius did. He wasn't sure if he should ask and decided girl drama was not in his wheelhouse.
Their own portkey return was set for 8, so after making sure that all was packed (and the Weasleys had left nothing behind, surprisingly, in their hasty retreat), they made their way back to Grimmauld place.
When they got there, Tonks took her leave, wanting to get some shut-eye before she had night duty. Sirius floo-called Xeno to ask if Luna could stay and get her school shopping done, and Xeno was actually quite grateful for the offer.
After getting everything put away and having a nice breakfast, the four remaining teens made their way, with Sirius, Remus, and Livia, to Diagon Alley for school supplies.
"First stop? Madame Malkins!" Sirius announced. They were early enough on the alley that it wasn't terribly crowded. Many wouldn't be in today as they would still be making their way back from the cup festivities.
"I've grown beyond the charms in mine," Luna volunteered.
Hermione was looking at her school letter. "We're supposed to get formal robes this year. Do we get them at Madame Malkins?"
"Hmm, no," Sirius answered as he opened the door to the shop. "We'll go elsewhere for those. Harry, Neville, you good for school wardrobe?"
"I got all new last year, but Nev grew like a weed this summer," Harry answered, grinning at his friend.
"I… I'm not sure…" Neville wasn't sure how much he could get from Gringotts, even though he was officially Heir Longbottom now. They were, after all, in the midst of an audit of the accounts.
Harry saw the hesitation on his friend's face and pulled him aside. "Just get what you need. Longbottom and Potter look out for each other."
"I swear, I'll pay you back," Neville earnestly replied.
"Friends don't have to."
Uniforms ordered, they went outside toward the higher-end tailor. As they walked past Flourish and Blotts, Hermione and Luna both looked longingly at the purveyor of knowledge, and Sirius chuckled. "That's the last stop of the day, ladies."
Hermione nodded, sighing. "Save the best for last."
"Like a good pudding!" Luna added with a smile.
They ordered their formal robes, though Luna declined, stating she had formal robes at home she could use if she actually needed them. The letter said they were only required for year four and above, after all.
Making their way through various stores, they purchased the necessary for a new school year. Luna was starting her electives, so needed a rune engraving kit added to the pile of quills, ink, parchment, and whatever notebooks everyone else was purchasing. At Mulpupper's, they updated their potions' kits, and Hermione bought a new cauldron.
"Ooh, APL. I love their products," Hermione raved.
"Hear that, Nev? Hermione loves your stuff!" Harry teased his friend in a whisper. Neville flushed a little, but in a good way.
Following Livia into the nicely-scented clean space, the kids went to the candle section first.
"Sir," the clerk approached Neville with a little bow. "Good morning! I wasn't told you'd be in today. The new formulation is simply flying off the shelves."
"Do you have an infestation of golden wax hoarders?" Luna asked as she sniffed at a candle.
The clerk looked at Luna in bafflement and Harry swallowed his laugh at Luna's secret smirk.
"I'll have my elf bring another delivery this week. I only made enough for 4 more batches, though. And I'm not going to be back at the manor to make more until yule break."
"Well, scarcity does drive demand. Next year, it will certainly sell out."
"You own APL Purveyors?" Hermione asked, finally understanding the conversation she'd just heard snippets of.
"My mum is APL. Alice Pandeva Longbottom." Neville smiled.
"Wicked! I love the Sleekeazy." Hermione said, indicating the supply in her basket.
"That's from Harry's grandfather. He licensed my mum to sell it."
"Isn't Pandeva Baba Vanga's name?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, that's the seer branch of the family," Neville confirmed.
"What's the new formulation?" Harry asked, curious.
"Oh, I worked most of the summer in my greenhouse and in my potions lab trying to recreate that Pumpkin Spice?" Harry nodded, remembering the conversation they'd had about that.
Hermione picked up one of the few candles in that line remaining on the shelf and sniffed delicately. "Oh, that's lovely. Spicy and wonderful." The candle went into her basket.
After ensuring the APL's books would be in the black that month, the shopping troupe moved on.
"We haven't heard much of your summer, Hermione," Neville asked as they made their way to Tilly's café for lunch.
Hermione told of vacationing in France with her snooty cousins. Of how they accused her of flirting on the beach which made them all chuckle, mostly at her offense to the possibility that she could be accused of flirting. "Mostly, though, I decided to catch up on studies on the muggle side. I'm going to take my exams on that side too, in case I need to… you know."
"The magical world would be very much the loser if you leave," Neville said as the adults looked at each other with the sad knowledge that muggleborn fleeing magical Britain still occurred, even with the secondary society having sprung up.
"I would never leave my friends," Hermione said.
"Well, I know you two kept in touch with Harry, but I didn't. Where did you and Stubby go this summer?" Luna asked Harry.
Harry told how they made some overnight, some day trips around the island. "I finally got to see my parents' graves, pay respects." Harry said quietly.
"You know," Remus said as he looked at the child of two of his best friends, "Halloween used to be our feast for the fallen. I don't know why it changed. I know your parents got rid of Riddle, but…"
"Maybe we should restart the tradition," Hermione stated.
"We need to make sure we do the proper thing for the fallen or the Bánánach will bring us evil portents," Luna stated sagely
"Now, that one, I've heard of!" Hermione nodded. "My Irish gran told me about them. And yeah, the fallen warriors from the first war should be honored."
Making their way around, back toward the bookstore, Harry pulled them into Storage Bazaar and Emporium.
"Mr. Twig!" Harry greeted.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Lovegood, how are you both?"
Luna smiled. "Your nargle-proof locks are brilliant! Thank you ever so much for securing my trunk."
"You are very welcome." Mr. Twig handed Harry two bags that he then passed on to his two friends.
"Hermione, Luna, you both needed new school bags. Happy Birthdays." Harry handed the bags to his friends, glad he hadn't had to wrap them.
"Thank you! I was going to buy a new bag, but it slipped my mind," Hermione said as she accepted the gift.
"Well, now you can spend the money on books," Sirius reasoned.
"I can, can't I?" Hermione smiled then looked at the leather bag. "Oh, it's gorgeous."
Luna's large eyes got impossibly bigger as she took in the pattern on her own bag. "Thank you, Harry!" The leather had muted earth tones worked into it, giving patterns of forest, field, ocean, and sky variably. And in those settings were tiny creatures, frolicking. Sometimes there, sometimes not. "Oh! There's a snidget hiding in a dirigible plum tree!" Luna kept looking at the patterns, not even noting the interior of the bag.
It was a total work of art, and Harry was chuffed to see how much Luna loved it.
"Mr. Twig, you and your wife have outdone yourselves," Sirius said to the very happy salesman as he paid the balance on the bags. They were dear, but they were worth every knut.
Hermione was equally impressed with the magical enhancements of the bag Harry'd given her. "Bottomless? Feather light? Oh, is that a library trunk? Harry!"
"And they both have durability and anti-theft enchantments."
"Well, you'll have to lock it to your magic, then," Remus added, showing Hermione how to do that and discussing how it worked while Livia and Luna searched the pattern of Luna's bag for more flora and fauna.
Sirius pulled Mr. Twig aside. "Your wife did an amazing job on the bag design. Little Luna loves it. I was wondering if I could commission something?"
Always looking for interesting work, Steven turned to Sirius. "Yes?"
"Harry, he's become something of an artist." Sirius watched as Harry explained some of the magic on the bags to Luna and Hermione.
"Paint? Sculpture?" Twig asked.
"Black and white drawings. He's getting really good. He's had lessons this summer, and I think he'll keep up with it through the school year. I'd like to commission an artist's box for him for Christmas? Would your wife know how to design it, maybe what kind of supplies to put in it?"
"Yes… but I think it would be good to consult his tutor. Would you like get back in contact later in the week, when little ears might not be listening?"
Sirius smiled, "Perfect."
They left the shop, moving to their last stop of the day: Flourish and Blotts. By the time the two bibliophiles were sated, and their new bags expansion and feather-light features being tested, Livia looked at her watch.
"The uniforms and robes should be done."
It had been a fun day overall. Remus and Livia took Luna home, while Sirius escorted Hermione to her parents' house after dropping Harry and Neville off at Grimmauld.
"You don't mind me staying for the week?" Neville asked Harry as he sorted his items into his trunk. "I had a kind of blow up with Gran…."
"I've been hanging with adults all summer. It'll be great to have you here. Besides, you can advise us on the mess that is the garden. Sirius cleaned up the whole house, but the conservatory has plants neither of us can identify and the garden hasn't been touched. I swear, one of the bushes growled at me last week."
Neville smiled. It would be a good way to end the holiday.