Peverell Manor - June 30, 2003
Hadrian was sitting by the pool, watching his sisters swim as he slowly read a book. He wanted to be prepared for the electives that he had decided to take. What was worrying him was the number of new classes he would be taking.
Students were required to take a minimum of 2 electives, but Hadrian had already decided that he was going to take 9 of the 14 electives. Although he would be self studying a few of them.
Thankfully, he wouldn't have to do all the assignments for the classes he chose to self study. Because they were electives, and not required courses, he could just make a formal request to take the exam at the end of the year. The grade he got on the exam would be the grade he got in the class. The only reason he had had to do all the assignments when he had been studying DADA the year before was because it was a core class.
They had been given an electives sign up sheet before leaving school at the end of the last year. He had signed up to take alchemy, care of magical creatures, arithmancy, ancient runes and phys-ed. He would be self studying magical theory, magical law, comparative religion, and politics. The only classes that he wouldn't be taking were muggle studies, wizard studies, divination, language, and english.
While magical theory, and muggle and wizarding studies were all required for first and second year, they became electives during third year and up. The muggle and wizarding studies class also separated and became two different classes allowing for a more in-depth look at each of the different cultures, rather than the basic overview that the students got during the first two years.
Hadrian already knew a lot about runes. He had spent years studying them as a way to calm his magic as a child, but he wanted to take the class anyway. Although the first half of the year would be dedicated to learning different runic languages, the second half would start on the practical applications, and that was something that he hadn't had the chance to learn. Or, that was what the course description said anyway.
Now he was second guessing himself. He was worried that he had overestimated his own capabilities and that he would fail. When his papa had noticed how worried he had been, he had sat him down to talk. After he told his papa and dad what was worrying him, they had encouraged him and had also reminded him that if it was too much he could always just drop the class or switch to self study. That had eased his nerves slightly, but he still wanted to try his best.
The constant studying also gave him an excuse to avoid certain people. It had only been two days since the end of term, but he was already getting multiple letters per day from the bad Weasleys. Molly had even sent his parents and uncles a howler, demanding that they send him to The Burrow for the summer.
Both Ron and Ginny had also already sent him multiple letters each. All of them encouraging him to tell Remus and Sirius that he wanted to spend the summer at The Burrow. Ron went on and on about how they could play quidditch together, while Ginny was going on about how they could have so much fun with each other.
There was no way Hadrian was going to go there. He remembered just how jealous Ron got whenever he had anything that he didn't. And Ginny, well, there was no way he wanted to spend anytime alone anywhere near that girl. The good thing was that she was still in her shy phase, so he had been able to avoid her for the most part.
Ministry of Magic
Percy slowly made his way through the halls of the ministry, heading towards Gerald Greengrass's office. He had gotten a letter the day before requesting a meeting. Percy was a little confused by that. It had taken a lot of work the summer before, but he had sorted through almost all the outstanding paperwork. It shouldn't have taken more than a few hours a week for a few months to finish off what was left.
So, he was wondering why Gerald wanted to see him. He couldn't think of anything else he could do for the man.
Arriving at the office, he went to go in. But, the door was locked. The lights were also off. Knocking on the door a few times, he waited. But no one came to let him in. The office was empty.
Pulling out the letter again, Percy double checked the time. He was a few minutes early, but that shouldn't have made a difference. Gerald, himself, had always been early.
Looking closer at the letter, he saw it. In the top right corner, there was a drawing of a foot. Something about that caught Percy's attention. Forcing himself to focus, he saw a large room with a crystal foot. He could almost remember amazing things, and they were all in one place.
The Department of Mysteries.
Turning away from the office door, Percy started to walk to the DOM. He didn't know what was going on, but he thought it might have something to do with what he saw there the summer before.
Arriving at the DOM, Percy went in.
Standing in the centre of the first room was an unspeakable. At first he thought it might be Regulus, but he was to short. Then the man spoke and he knew for sure it wasn't Regulus. His voice was harsh and rough, it also sounded extremely old.
"Hello Mr. Weasley, right on time. I must admit, I am a little surprised. Although, Unspeakable Onyx did say that you would be able to figure our message out. But, it was a fairly simplistic message. The fact that you could figure it out proves that you are at least partially trustworthy."
"How… Sir?" Percy was still trying to figure out what was going on, and why he was here.
"As Unspeakable Onyx told you. The magic of this place keeps you from remembering what you see here. The more you try to remember the more you forget. If you had tried to tell anyone anything about even coming here, your memories would have faded to the point that you wouldn't have been able to make the connection between the foot on the page and the one in our main room.
Since you made that connection, we know that you didn't try to tell anyone anything specific. Now, please follow me."
The unspeakable led Percy down hallways, and into an office. This one was even more impressive than Regulus's had been.
"Now, Mr. Weasley. I am Unspeakable Chronos, I am the head of the department of mysteries." The man lowered his hood. He looked ancient. His hair was pure white, there wasn't a part of his face that wasn't covered in lines, and his eyes were almost completely white.
"What is it that you wanted to speak to me about, Unspeakable Chronos?" Percy asked in a formal voice. This might not have been what he planned for today, but he wasn't going to risk being rude to someone that was obviously extremely powerful.
"As I said, I have spoken about you with Unspeakable Onyx. He has told me of the unfortunate situation your fathers find themselves in. He has also spoken very highly of you, and your talents.
Unfortunately, even we do not know everything, and therefore, do not know how to help you, but you might be able to help yourself.
You are an extremely talented young man. Talents that could help you go far in any field you should choose. Unspeakable Onyx has recommended you for recruitment. With your knowledge and power, you have great potential in these halls."
"But I know many others who are much stronger than I am?"
"It is true. Those like your older brother William are more powerful than you, but you have what they lack. William, for instance, is extremely powerful, he is also highly intelligent, but his mind is narrow. He has the potential to be one of the best warders and curse breakers of your generation, but that is it.
But, you, can be so much more. Your mind is open. You have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Looking at what you have chosen to study both in and out of school, that is obvious. You have the ability to excel in every subject without sacrificing any of them. That tells me everything I need to know about you.
You see, it isn't about just having the power to preform a spell, but having the knowledge of what spells to use.
If you put in the time and effort, you have the potential to sit in this chair one day. But it will take hard work.
Unspeakable Onyx has suggested that I give you a summer internship to see if you are capable of everything we believe you are."
"Yes." Percy wasn't going to let an opportunity like this pass him by. The chance to learn even a fraction of what the unspeakables did was beyond his wildest dreams.
The man chuckled, although it sounded more like sandpaper on wood. "I was told you would respond like that. As he was the one to recommend you, you will be working with Unspeakable Onyx. You will be his assistant for the summer.
Officially, if anyone asks, you will tell them that you are working in the auditors department. No one will look to deeply at that. Your pay will be coming out of that office just to make sure. I do understand that there are a few members of your family and friends that know about Unspeakable Onyx, so we will accept them knowing about your job, but no one else. And, you are forbidden from telling anyone, if you want one of those that know Unspeakable Onyx to know, then he must be the one to tell them, not you. While you are here, you will be referred to as Apprentice Tesla.
With all that said, Unspeakable Onyx is here. He will deal with everything else for you. Enjoy your time here Apprentice Tesla."
Percy shook the mans hand in a near state of shock. He was an apprentice in the DOM. He couldn't believe it. Turning, he saw who he assumed was Regulus by the door.
Thanking Unspeakable Chronos, Percy said a formal farewell before following Regulus out of the office.
The Burrow
That evening, while everyone was sitting down for dinner, Percy still wore a shellshocked look. Arthur couldn't stop himself from glancing at his son every few minutes during the meal. He didn't understand what could have happened to make him look like that.
"Percy, is everything ok?"
"Fine dad." Percy looked to his father and saw the concern in his eyes. He obviously wasn't doing a very good job at hiding how he was feeling.
"So Percy," came Molly's sickly sweet voice. "Will you be going back to work for Gerald Greengrass this summer?"
"No, I finished that job last year. He just needed me to sort through the mess the previous Chief Warlock's left behind. I went in today to see if there were any other jobs available. I got an apprenticeship in the auditors department."
"Wow, even I didn't think you could be that boring." Ron laughed at his older brother.
"Ronald." Arthur snapped. "If Percy chose to work in the auditors department, then we will support him. You might not like it, but you do not get to decide which jobs your brothers take.
And before you start laughing to hard, just remember, soon enough you will be old enough to get a summer job. Also, you might mock him now, but when he goes to Hogsmeade this school year, he will have spending money."
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I have money for Hogsmeade?" Ron demanded.
"Have you saved up any money? Your mother and I give each of you 2 galleons for your Hogsmeade weekends. That's enough to get a drink at the Three Broomsticks and a treat at one of the shops. Anything more than that, you will have to pay for it yourself." Arthur was still amazed sometimes at how little respect the younger children had for money, even after all this time.
"But I want to get lots of stuff from Honeyduke's and Zonko's." Ron demanded.
"I want to go to Hogsmeade." Ginny whined at the same time as her brother.
"Ron, if you want to do any extra shopping then you are going to have to earn the money this summer. Your older brothers all did extra work in the garden and in the orchard. If you spend an extra few hours out in the garden, and help with the harvesting before you go back to school you will have plenty of money in your account.
And Ginny, you can't go to Hogsmeade until you are in your third year. You know that." Arthur sighed. He couldn't stop himself from starting to count in his head to see just how long it would take before both children whined to their mother.
"But I don't want to work. Muuum, tell dad I don't have to work." Ron whined less than three seconds later, turning to his mother. But she couldn't really hear him, as Ginny had started whining at the same time and drown him out.
"Muuuum. I want to go to Hogsmeade with Harry. It's not fair that I can't go and everyone else can. Make them let me go."
All of the other males at the table rolled their eyes.
"Don't worry Ronnie, I'm sure it will all work out. Ginny, I'm sorry sweetheart but your dad is right, you can't go to Hogsmeade until next year. I will try talking to the headmaster to see if he will make an exception, but I don't know if he even can. With the other school governors being so difficult, the headmaster is having a really hard time lately." Molly tried to placate both children.
Ron was happy. He was sure his mum would just give him the money and that he wouldn't have to do those stupid jobs his stupid dad wanted him to do.
Ginny, for her part, was still furious. She knew when she was being placated. They weren't going to let her go to Hogsmeade and she knew it. It wasn't fair. She wanted to go. Who did they think they were, keeping her away from her Harry? Ginny slammed down her fork, and stormed off up the stairs, pretending to cry as she did.
Molly got up and rushed off after her baby. Reassuring the girl that she would make it all better and that she would get to go to Hogsmeade. Ron wasn't paying any attention to them. Seeing two unguarded desserts had distracted him. Quick as lightning, the two extra plates were in front of him, next to his own already empty plate.
Before he could put his fork in the cobbler, the plate was snatched away. Looking up he saw his father looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You have already had your dessert Ron. Those are your mother's and sister's. It is wrong to take other peoples food."
Ron was furious. His dad just didn't understand. he was a growing boy, he needed extra food, his mum always said so. Slamming his fork down, he stomped up the stairs and into his room.
When Ron was gone, everyone else sighed. They really did love Ron and Ginny, but they made it so hard to tolerate them.
"Those two… I swear to Merlin, I don't know what I did wrong…" Arthur put his head in his hands.
"You didn't do anything." Both Fred and George reassured their father.
"Yeah, it's her. She treated them like babies, even now. They have never grown up. They behave like 5 year olds still. Demanding everything they see.
That isn't your fault. You've been trying for years to teach them responsibility, but as soon as you turn your back, she's there, giving them whatever they want.
Besides, five out of seven isn't bad." Percy told his father. He hated seeing how bad his younger siblings made his father feel about himself. There was just too much Molly in those two, and not enough of their father.
"They're right Artie," Fabian said, patting his old friend on the back.
"You've done what you could." Gideon added, wrapping a comforting arm around his friend.
Before anyone else could say anything, Hedwig flew in the open window and flew directly to Arthur. Once he took the letter, she hopped over to Fred and George and started cooing at them. It was like she was trying to tell them a story. They both grabbed some of the trimmings from their roast and took turns feeding her.
Arthur opened the letter she had brought to him. He sighed.
"What's wrong dad?" Percy asked.
"Maggie's at the manor. She is completely exhausted and Sebastian was just letting me know that they are going to keep her their overnight. He doesn't think she would be able to make it home on her own tonight, so he will be sending her back tomorrow afternoon.
He's also requested to place a ward on her so that she won't be able to come back. Between your mum, Ron, and Ginny, she has had to deliver 5 letters to them, just today. Sebastian wants to make it so that she won't have to keep going back there."
Grabbing a quill, Arthur quickly scribbled his approval for the ward, and an apology. The ward would make it so that whenever someone gave Maggie a letter addressed to anyone in the manor, she wouldn't leave. She would just sit there since she wouldn't be able to deliver the letter.
Once Hedwig had gotten all the attention she felt she deserved for delivering the letter, she turned and accepted Arthurs reply and flew off through the open window.
River Run Alley, Mischief Managed - July 13, 2003
Fred and George were escorting all three of their fathers, and their three older brothers to their shop. Earlier that morning, Percy had asked them where they had been spending so much time.
The twins had been going to the shop to do a little work. During the school year, Remus managed the shop just fine on his own. And whenever he needed a little help, he would just call in James. But now that it was summer, they both wanted to spend as much time with Hadrian as they could, so they couldn't run the shop on their own.
They had had to hire summer staff. Currently, Cedric Diggory, Oliver Wood, Marcus Flint, and Alicia Spinnet all worked at the shop. They had all had to sign magically binding confidentiality contracts to work there. Neither of the twins wanted to risk anyone learning that they owned the shop, at least, not yet.
Most would think that having Oliver and Marcus working together would result in a disaster, but it actually worked really well. They still argued, but it was entertaining for the others. They usually spent their entire shifts debating things with one another. Somehow, even when they agreed on something they could still argue about it. But it was all in good humour.
It was never personal. It had taken less than a week for the once mortal enemies to form some indescribable relationship that could only be called frenemies.
Having so many teenagers working in a shop that was owned by teenagers resulted in an extremely fun working environment. It also allowed for Remus to take most days off, and many of the days he did come into the shop, Hadrian would come with him.
But now, the twins were going to have to let the rest of their family in on their little secret.
Once Percy started questioning their absence, the others started asking them about it too. They didn't want their family to worry about them, or start following them, so they had decided just to take them to the shop.
"Welcome to Mischief Managed." Walking in, the twins both flourished their arms.
"Wow. Look at all this." Fabian couldn't stop looking at everything.
"Oh, look. Fireworks." Gideon was like a little kid.
"Do you two work here?" Arthur asked, grabbing Fabian and Gideon and pulling them back before they could get lost in the little shop. Sometimes they were just too much like Fred and George.
"Kinda." Fred said hesitantly.
"Come on." George started walking into one of the back rooms that served as a lab.
"Boys, we can't just walk into the back of shops." Arthur was worried that they would get in trouble.
"Yes we can." George said.
"You see, we kinda…" Fred hesitated.
"We own the shop." George finished for his brother.
"You WHAT?" Arthur was shocked. How could two 15 year olds own a shop?
"We went to the bank last year,"
"And got a business loan."
"Then we opened the shop." The twins said.
"What about while you're at school?" The twins both smiled. you could always trust Percy to be practical.
"Remus manages the shop,"
"During the school year."
"Boys… Do you know just how dangerous it can be to take a loan from the goblins? What if you can't pay it back?" Arthur was worried. He didn't want to risk his boys to an angry goblin. Defaulting on a goblin loan often resulted in decades working in the goblin mines.
"Well,"
"We actually only have,"
"About three months left,"
"Until the loan is completely paid." The twins told their panicking father.
"What?" Bill gave them a critical look. "There is no way you could pay back a loan like that in a year. The amount of money it would take just to rent the place, not to mention supplies and staffing would have to be rather large."
"Unless they already had money saved up." Charlie added. He smiled at the twins as he grabbed one of the colour potions that had been brewed that morning off the shelf at the back of the room. "These started showing up in my final year. I heard that someone in Hufflepuff was selling them, but no one ever figured out who.
It was you two. You've been selling your pranks for the past four years, haven't you?"
"Can't prove it." Both twins said as one, smiling at their brother.
"Nice." Fabian and Gideon laughed.
"You two are even more like Uncle Fabian and Gideon than even I thought." Bill laughed.
"What do you mean by that Bill?" Arthur asked his eldest son, giving both sets of twins a critical look.
"I heard a rumour of a mischievous set of twins collecting all the notes, assignments, and tests for the old history class and selling them while they were at school." Bill gave his fathers a vicious grin as he saw that his dad hadn't known what they had done.
"That was you two?" Arthur turned to his two old friends. He had known someone was selling the information, but he hadn't known who. He had even been sent copies each year.
"Like our counter parts said." Fabian grinned.
"Can't prove it." Gideon finished.
"Nice." Fred and George said as they high fived their fathers.
"I give up. You four are going to kill me." Arthur smiled.
"No, they'll just keep our lives interesting." Bill told his dad.
Charlie was walking around the shop, checking out everything that his little brothers had invented. Walking around one of the corners, he bumped into an old friend, almost knocking him to the ground.
Reaching out, he caught the smaller man before he could hit the ground.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Olli."
Oliver looked up to see his old quidditch captain was the hard chest he had bumped into.
"Hey Charlie. What brings you here?"
Charlie couldn't help but smirk at the blush creeping over Oliver's cheeks. The younger boy had had a poorly disguised crush on him since his first year. Charlie had always taken great joy in teasing and tormenting the boy.
"I came in with my brothers. They wanted to show off a little. How do you like working here?"
"It's not quidditch, but it's fun."
Charlie laughed. Oliver always had been obsessed with quidditch.
"Well, I'm working down the road at the bubble until Yule, so I'll have to stop by from time to time. I promise I'll liven things up for you."
"Charlie." Bill's voice cut through Charlies mind. "No flirting with Oliver while he's working. That's for after work. What good is it getting yourselves all hot an' bothered when theres still another two hours before he can leave?"
Bill walked away, and Charlie turned back to the now bright red keeper and gave him a devious grin.
"My brother is right. I should be getting back to my dear family."
Just before turning the corner, Charlie looked back. "I'll be here when your shift ends and we can pick up where we left off."
Hogsmeade, Hogs Head Pub - July 16, 2003
Remus walked into the old pub that many seventh years had always gone to. Abe had always been decent about letting them get some booze for a house party. As far as anyone knew, he hadn't told on them, or if he had, no one had ever stopped them.
Seeing the old man behind the bar, he nodded at him. Hesitating slightly. With his heightened senses he could smell that the man wreaked of sorrow.
Remus ordered a mug of beer, and then went to sit at one of the back tables to wait for a friend, the entire time watching the old man at the bar. His friend, Sam, had asked to meet him here.
Sam was a werewolf that he had met years ago. He had helped him to escape Greyback's pack. He had asked to meet with him because he had heard of some odd happenings with the pack over the past few years, but he didn't know who to tell.
He was worried that Greyback was looking to replace the wolves he had lost to the cure. When they had been hunted, many had flocked to Greyback, seeing him as a protector. But now that they were safe and could get jobs, they were fleeing the man. Greyback seemed to be planning to replace those he lost with newly turned kids. Sam said, from what he had heard, Greyback was looking at attacking the Sea Cliff Home.
After Sam left, Remus stayed, continuing to watch Abe. The man kept reaching up to rub at his throat.
Remus had seen him do that all the time when he had been younger and had just written it off as a habit, but it wasn't. Every now and then, he would see something sparkle around the mans neck when his collar opened slightly when he rubbed at it. Whatever it was, Abe clearly didn't like it.
When the pub was empty other than him and Abe, Remus went up to the bar.
"What can I get ya, Remus?"
Rather than answering, Remus reached forward and pulled down the mans robe collar. Sitting around the mans neck was an old golden collar.
Looking closer at the runes etched into it, Remus saw many he recognized. Put together, they formed an enslavement collar.
Abe pulled away from him like he had been burned. A look of pure terror in his eyes.
Those eyes. Remus saw it then. Abe's eyes were the same blue as Albus's. They were related.
Remus quickly left after that. He made a quick stop at the DMLE to report to King's what Sam had just told him. Apparently, Sam wasn't the only wolf to hear the rumours. The DMLE already had over a dozen reports of the possible attack.
Then he went home to talk to the rest of his family.
Hadrian had told them about what Luna had told him. The bee. Dumbledore was an Old English word for bumblebee. Abe was the bee that needed to be freed.
He must be like Fawkes. Imprisoned by that old man. And they needed to help him.
Granger House - July 21, 2003
Sirius Black silently made his way towards the home of one of his students, Hermione Granger. He was under the Potter invisibility cloak, so he didn't need to worry about the street lights.
Grangers talent at picking up spells wasn't natural. The girl wasn't overly strong magically, and she didn't seem to have a natural talent with the spells, but she had still always been one of the first students to complete a spell. It wasn't normal, and he thought he knew why.
She had found a way to practice outside of school.
Once he was close to the house, he used a masking spell to hide his magic, and then started casting detection spells.
As he had thought, there were multiple wards around the house that would hide the underage use of magic. Sitting down on the grass, Sirius went to work unpicking them. He made it so that the wards would experience a catastrophic failure the next time the little cheat went to cast a spell.
Granger House - July 23, 2003
Hermione Granger was even more furious than she could ever remember being. She had already trashed her entire room in her rage, and now she had to clean it up, without magic.
The day before, after going over her fourth year charms book, she went to practice the summoning charm. When her first few attempts weren't very successful, she had only managed to move her pillow a foot, she turned back to the book to reread how to do the spell.
As she had been reading, an owl had flown in with an official looking letter. The letter had been from the Improper Use of Magic Office. It informed her that she had preformed a summoning charm outside of school, and as an under age witch, she was receiving an official warning. The next time she did it, she would be charged.
Hermione had been horrified. She was going to be minister of magic one day, she couldn't have formal charges on her record.
She had immediately written an apology letter, explaining that she had just been practicing her wand movements and that she hadn't meant to cast any spell. Rather than being understanding, she had received a letter back saying that if she wanted to practice movements then she should get a practice wand, but the warning stayed.
How dare they not accept her apology. It wasn't fair. She was sure those dark purebloods did magic at home, so why couldn't she?
After that, she had written to Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster explaining what had happened. She was sure they would be able to make those people see that she didn't deserve that warning.
They had written her back just an hour ago. The headmaster had managed to arrange it so that the warning would be wiped from her record with three years of good behaviour. But that meant that she couldn't get caught doing magic outside of school again until then.
He had also checked the wards around her house, some how, they had collapsed, but even he couldn't figure out how or why. The problem was that since she had been caught, she would be watched closer now. There was no way new wards could be put up around her house.
This meant that she was no longer going to be able to practice outside of school. It wasn't fair and Hermione knew it.
Peverell Manor - July 31, 2003
Originally, the plan had been to go to Egypt for Hadrian's birthday, but they hadn't been able to get away. When Remus had explained about Abe, they had known that they needed to save him. Not only because no one deserved to be trapped by that man, but also because he could undoubtedly give them all kinds of information about Albus.
Hadrian hadn't had an issue with not going to Egypt. As much as he would love to do a little traveling again, saving Abe was more important. Besides, his dad and papa had told him that they would still be going to Egypt. It just wouldn't be until after Abe was free.
Over the past two weeks, with most of them working together, they thought they might have found a way to free Abe. It had been Percy and Regulus that had discovered the final part they needed.
Arthur, Fabian, Gideon, and the rest of the Weasley brothers had all been surprised when Regulus had gone to them and told them that Percy was his apprentice. Although, thinking about it later, it made perfect sense. They all knew just how much Percy loved to learn, and now he had a job that was all about learning.
The plan that they had worked out was a temporary blocker. It would allow them to keep Albus from knowing that the man they now knew was his younger brother, Aberforth, was partially free. Before they completely freed him, it would be good to know just who's side he was on before they did anything to rash.
They already had a golem created. If Abe could help them, then they would have him imbue the golem with some of his magic, enough that it would be able to fool a magical signature check. Then, they would light a fire to burn the pub to the ground. To escape, they had goblin portkeys. Since goblin magic was different than wizard magic, the portkeys magical signature wouldn't register if any checks were done.
If he could prove that he was on their side, then they were happy to help him.
This year, for his birthday, Hadrian had a relatively quiet party with just his family and friends. Or, as quiet as his family and friends ever got.
Since they were staying home this year, it was easy enough for the Weasley's they liked to make arrangements to come. Although Arthur, Charlie, and Percy would have to wait until after work. Bill had even made arrangements to come back into the country for a few hours, before returning to Egypt.
The party was just a small gathering of those that Hadrian was the closest to. James and Severus had both worried that Hadrian might want a larger party, but he hadn't. They knew that it would be completely understandable for Hadrian to want a party with his friends, but they also worried about it. Having large groups of people in their home brought with it too many risks. Hadrian had said that he preferred the family affairs that they had, it just felt better to celebrate with those that knew and loved him most.
Like it often was, Hadrian's party was full of fun and laughter. Fred and George spent the entire day pampering their little soul mate. Anything he wanted, they made sure he had. Not that Hadrian really wanted anything other than having them there.
"Do you know what that's about?" Arthur asked Severus. He, Fabian and Gideon had been grabbing a piece of cake with Severus.
"You don't know?" Severus was surprised. But then again, the twins had only told them because they had confronted them.
When all three shook their heads, Severus lead them over to a private corner and cast a muffliato charm.
"We confronted your twins last year about it. I think that's the only reason they admitted the truth to us. They have been keeping it a secret because they want to surprise him when he's older." Severus said.
"How about you stop dancing around," Fabian started.
"And tell us what your on about." Gideon finished. Fred and George were their family, and no one got away with keeping secrets about a member of their family from them.
"They're soul mates." Severus said with a soft smile.
"Wait?"
"What?" Fabian and Gideon were stunned. Soul mates were so rare that the idea that someone in their family had one, let alone found them at such a young age, was astounding.
"Really?" Arthur asked, pure joy radiating from his voice. His precious little boys had a soul mate. And that soul mate clearly loved them as much as they loved him.
"Yup. We knew that Hadrian was going to have a soul mate, we had been told by the goblin healers that he would have one. But we never thought it would be a set of magical twins, but apparently, it is." Severus smiled as he saw the twins doting on his son.
Arthur could only smile as he looked at the same scene as Severus. His sons, his precious little boys, looked so happy as they sat with the boy that was their soul mate. He already knew that those three boys were going to be great together.
"Are we going to need,"
"To give our twins,"
"The 'talk'?" The older twins asked.
"I don't think so." Severus said. "Sirius and I have already threatened them to within an inch of their lives if they pressure him in any way. But, they have both assured us that there were lines that even they wouldn't cross. They both feel that Hadrian is still to young for anything more than friendship. I mean, you can give them the sex talk if you want, but that is usually covered by the sex-ed course that the students get in their fifth year. Which means, they will be getting that talk this year anyway."
Arthur just nodded. He was still going to have to have a talk with the boys, but he was proud of them. Even knowing that they had found their soul mate, they were choosing to wait until he was ready. Arthur knew, that in spite of all the problems he was having with Ron and Ginny, he had managed to raise his twins right.
Hogsmeade, Hogs Head Pub - August 3, 2003
Early on a Monday morning, Remus, Sirius, and Severus went into the Hogs Head. James had stayed home with the kids. Since it was so early, they both knew that no one would be there, other than Abe.
"What can I…" Abe started, then seeing who it was, he visibly paled and started to panic.
"Hello Abe." Sirius said. "Or should I say, hello Aberforth Dumbledore."
Before Abe could say or do anything, Sirius and Severus went behind the bar and grabbed him. Each held an arm as they dragged him out from behind the bar. Walking forward, Remus pulled out the disruptor that they had made. Slipping it around the mans throat, he moved it down so that it would sit between the slavery collar and Abe's skin.
"What… What did you do? What is this?" Abe had felt the slavery spells that he had been under for decades lift. He hadn't even remembered ever feeling this free.
"That is a temporary disruptor. For the next hour, the slavery spells linked to that collar will not work. But, it will not register with whoever put that collar on you." Remus explained. "We have some questions, and we need the truth."
When Remus said that, Severus held up a vial of veritaserum. "If you can convince us to trust you, then we have plans to free you, if not… We will wipe this encounter from your memory, and leave you here."
Abe didn't bother to fight anything. These men were offering him a chance at being free. There was no way he would do anything that would risk losing that chance. He wanted nothing more than to be free.
After the potion had been administered, Severus started the interrogation, not bothering with any test questions, he had brewed this potion himself, he knew it would work.
"Who placed that collar on you?"
"My brother, Albus Dumbledore."
"When did Albus place the collar on you?"
"July 7, 1904."
"How old were you?"
"21."
"Why did he place the collar on you?"
"He caught me planning to run away to France with my fiancée. He didn't want me to be out of his control. I knew too much about him."
"Who was your fiancée?"
"Cassiopeia Narcissa Black."
Sirius was stunned. Cassiopeia was his great aunt that was still living in France. They had written a few times over the years, but hadn't met since he was a child. She had had such a deep seated hatred of anything Dumbledore. She might not know that the only reason Aberforth hadn't run away with her was because of the slavery spell.
"What was it that he wanted to hide?"
"Many things. He dated Gellert Grindelwald when he was in his teens. They had planned that war together, it was all just a game to them. He and Gellert murdered our little sister, Arianna. He betrayed Gellert when he felt he was gaining to much power. He kidnapped muggleborn students from Hogwarts and turned them over too Gellert to experiment on. He arranged for a student, Tom Riddle, to become a dark lord when he felt he was losing too much influence. He kidnapped James Potter and his son, Hadrian, and forced them to live with Lily Evans. He arranged for Peter Pettigrew to betray James. He kept James Potter prisoner after faking his death. He sent Hadrian Potter to an abusive home. He murdered James Potter after learning that he had arranged for Hadrian to be blood adopted. He…"
"Enough." Severus had heard enough. Most of that they already knew. Although they hadn't known that Albus had killed his own sister.
"Are you loyal to your brother, Albus Dumbledore?" Severus continued on,
"No."
"Do you like your brother, Albus Dumbledore?"
"No."
"If you could escape your brother, Albus Dumbledore, would you?"
"Yes."
"Will you willingly tell us everything you know about your brother, Albus Dumbledore?"
"Yes."
That was enough for the three men. Severus quickly administered the antidote.
"Is that enough?" Abe asked, shaking his head to clear it.
"Yes. We trust you. We have a golem all set up. All you have to do is imbue it with your magic, and then we can burn this place down. We can also remove that collar." Remus told him.
"Not yet." Abe said. "Albus keeps all his more questionable books here. Only his light based books are in the castle. Everything grey or dark is upstairs. You will need those books. I know that he has used a lot of spells and rituals out of those books over the years."
"How often does he check on you?" Sirius asked, he knew they needed that library.
"He comes here every Sunday evening after I close. The collar forces me to spy for him, but I only have to answer direct questions, so I have been able to keep a lot of things from him over the years." Abe told them.
"We can arrange for space expansion trunks. If we spend the rest of the week packing the trunks, we can arrange your 'death' for Saturday. Our plan is to burn this place to the ground, so he won't know that we took anything." Remus adjusted the plan.
Abe just nodded. For the first time in close to 100 years, he had hope.
Hogsmeade, Hogs Head Pub - August 10, 2003
The time had finally come. At 5 a.m. Sunday morning, Abe closed the pub for the last time. Once the last person had left, he went to the back door and let four men into the pub.
James, Severus, Sirius, and Remus came in, bringing a golem with them. Remus quickly slipped another disruptor onto Abe so that he would be able to help them with his escape. One of the compulsions on his collar was that he was never to try to escape.
While Abe set about pouring some of his magic into the golem, the others went upstairs to deal with the trunks. The only thing they had left to add to the trunks was the portrait of Arianna. Abe had left it on the wall so that no one would notice anything was different. The portrait was added to Abe's personal trunk that was sent to Abe's new home, before the rest of the trunks were sent to the DOM. It had been decided that Regulus would be the best one for the job of dealing with the books. Between him and Percy, the others had no doubt that they would make great use of all the books.
Once all the trunks were gone, a fire was started. The flames were magical, and wouldn't produce any smoke. By the time anyone realized that there was a fire in the pub, it would be to late to stop it.
James, Severus, and Remus all portkeyed out. It had been decided that Sirius would be the one to take Abe out.
When Sirius had learned that Abe had been engaged with his great aunt, he had contacted the woman. Cassiopeia lived at the vineyard that the Black family owned in the south of France.
Upon learning that the only reason her love had abandoned her was because he had been enslaved by his own brother, Cassiopeia was equal parts heartbroken and furious.
She had thought so many terrible things about Aberforth over the decades. She had cursed him until her jaw was sore. And now she knew he had never meant to hurt her. If it was possible for such a proud woman, she felt guilty.
She wanted him with her.
Because of that, the portkey that Sirius had would take him and Abe directly to her. He had a second portkey that would bring him home. He didn't want to be there for that reunion.
Once the others were gone, Sirius turned to Abe. He used spells to keep the magical flames from burning them, they went over to where the golem lay behind the bar.
They waited a few moments, until the flames had caught on the support beam of the ceiling. Once that happened, Sirius made quick work of removing the collar from Abe and transferring it to the golem.
With that done, they portkeyed out.
France, Marseille, Black Vineyard
Arriving at the vineyard that Cassiopeia had claimed as her own so long ago, Sirius took a few steps away from Abe.
"Where are we?" Abe looked to Sirius.
Sirius just smiled before portkeying away.
"What… Sirius?" Abe was confused. Where had he been taken? And, why?
"Abe?"
A soft voice interrupted his confusion. Turning around, Abe saw someone he never thought he would see again. Cassiopeia Black. It may have been almost a hundred years since they had last seen each other, but he would know her anywhere.
"Cass?"
The prim, proper, and frigid pureblood woman did the last thing anyone would ever expect of someone as proud as her. She broke down into tears as she rushed forward to embrace her first and only love.
Hogwarts, Headmasters Office
Albus was fast asleep when he was suddenly jerked awake. Something was wrong.
Going over all the different spells that he had attached to himself, he found what was wrong. Aberforth wasn't wearing his collar.
Getting up as quickly as he could, Albus darted down threw the castle towards Hogsmeade. This was one of the times he hated how big the castle was. Even moving as quickly as he could, it still took him almost 20 minutes to get down to the town. The Hogs Head Pub was completely in flames.
Looking around, Albus ducked back into the early morning shadows. He didn't want anyone to see him.
He knew what had to have happened. Aberforth hadn't taken off the collar, he had died. It was the only way for the collar to stop working.
Now he had a new problem. Although the pub wasn't registered in his name, it was in Aberforth's. It wouldn't be long before it was linked to him.
The pub was well known in certain circles. Everyone in Hogsmeade knew that that pub catered specifically to a darker clientele. Which meant that he was going to be linked to a dark business.
Then there was the loss of information. By forcing Aberforth to spy on his patrons, Albus had learned a great deal. Now that source of information was lost to him.
The worst part, was the loss of the library. He had kept so much information in the upstairs apartment. All that information, gone. Albus was furious over the loss.
The only good thing was that he never had to worry about Aberforth getting free and betraying him.
He was going to have to make plans that could spin this in a way that presented him in a positive light. He was also going to need to find a way to get that collar back.
Slipping away before anyone noticed him, Albus made his way back up to his office. He needed to get everything in place for when the aurors came to make the notification that his brother had died.
Sea Cliff House - August 12, 2003
Just before midnight, under the light of the full moon, a pack of 16 werewolves slipped towards a large building that smelled of children. All in a state of madness and rage.
When the cure had first been offered, Greyback had made sure that those in his pack had nothing to do with it. They had shunned society completely for years, so the goblins had had no way to contact most of those in the pack. Greyback didn't want anyone to have the cure, he loved the madness his wolf brought on.
Even with him keeping his pack so isolated, and forbidding them from using the potion, many had gone and gotten the cure. Now, the once mighty pack of 47 wolves, only had 16.
But they were going to change that.
That night, just before the moon rose, they had made their way to the area where they had learned the orphanage was. The smell of the children would draw their wolves towards them.
Earlier in the week, one of the more powerful wizards in the pack had gone to check the wards. They were pathetically weak. There was no evidence of any dark creatures being warded out, the fools obviously didn't think they were a threat.
After the blissful agony of the change passed, the insanity of the wolves kicked in. They could smell humans.
Making their way, fast and silently, towards the manor house. Running over the weak ward line, they moved forward.
Until they slammed into a solid barrier. There was a second layer of wards.
With the second layer triggered, the weak first layer strengthened, sealing the wolves in. Barriers started to form from one layer of wards to the other, boxing them in. Once they were boxed in, the wards all started to move in, shrinking the space.
Inside the slowly shrinking area, the wolves thrashed around. Trying, and failing, to find a way out.
Two dozen aurors came out of the manor and made their way to where the wolves were trapped. The magic of a werewolf made them exceptionally strong and resistant to almost all spells and potions, but the aurors had found a way around that.
King's and Frank both stepped forward, tranq guns in hand. Sometimes the best thing to do, was the last thing that was expected. Werewolves were resistant to magical tranquillizers, but not muggle ones. Each gun held a dozen darts filled with elephant tranquillizers.
After each shot, they would wait until the wolves had collapsed to the ground, before they fired again. They didn't want to risk any of them not being drugged. This was one time the wolves madness worked in their favour. They didn't have the strength of mind to figure out how to pretend they were drugged.
Once all the wolves were down, cages were levitated in. No one was going to risk passing the ward line, even with the wolves being drugged. Even with the drugs they were still dangerous, all it took was one bite.
Each wolf was separated and held in a cage. When morning came, they would be formally charged with attempted mass murder. They already had plans for when the moon rose next month. Each of the werewolves would be forced to accept the cure. Special cells were currently being prepared in Azkaban to hold them.
King's smiled to Frank once all the wolves had been contained. They had been preparing for this ever since Remus had come to King's with the information.
Going back inside the manor, both men looked around. It really was a nice place. Light and airy. A good place for a child to grow up.
But, right now, the manor was silent. Not a single sound associated with a child within the house.
The 38 children that called the Sea Cliff House home, were not there. No one had been willing to risk the children, even if they were confident that they would be able to capture Greyback and his pack.
All the children were currently enjoying a week in the manor houses that were built on the Malfoy's private island just off the coast of Greece.
Luxor, Egypt - August 14, 2003
Hadrian was enjoying traveling once again, but it wasn't the same as it had been. Like had happened the year before, when they had gone to Black Island for his birthday, Hadrian felt like something was missing. He missed the twins, it wasn't too bad, he still had fun, it was just always there, in the back of his mind. Another change was the girls. In the years since they had moved into a proper home, the girls had only continued to grow.
A room that had once been easily big enough for the three of them, was now getting small. They had had to have the wall separating the girls room from the spare room removed so that all three of them could fit in comfortably, although, more often than not, there were four of them as Lyra had come to Egypt with her family and preferred to stay in with her cousins.
Frank had come to join them all the day after the failed attack on the Sea Cliff House. Everyone was glad to hear that not only had the attack failed, but the aurors had managed to catch every single one of the rogue wolves.
Like Hadrian, Draco and Neville were enjoying their vacation. It had been years since they could really travel, and they found they still enjoyed it. It also helped that they were with their friends and family. Having to spend so much time away from their family was even harder then they had thought it would be.
The good thing for Hadrian, was that the twins and their family were planning on coming to Egypt for the weekend. Even better, Molly, Ron, and Ginny, weren't planning on arriving until Monday afternoon, after Hadrian and his family had arranged to leave.
Since arriving in Egypt the week before, Bill had been showing everyone around. James, Severus, Sirius, and Remus had happily thrown themselves back into curse breaking. It may have started out just as a reason to be out of the country, but they really had enjoyed it.
All seven children were enjoying themselves with all that they could see and do. Hadrian and his friends were having a great deal of fun exploring the parts of the tombs that were open. They were all fascinated by everything, just like they had been every time they got to explore the tombs Hadrian's fathers were working on.
For the girls, it was different. They were still so young that it was all just one big adventure. Kali, Cas, and Ari, all remembered all the traveling they did when they were younger, but it was the hazy memories of young children. They had only been 4 when they moved into the manor. Now, at six, they were old enough to properly process what was going on around them.
And, for little Athena, Ares, and Alex, it was an almost completely new experience. Although, they were still only three, so there wasn't much they could do. All that really registered for them was that it was hot and there was lots of sand to play in.
The Burrow - August 15, 2003
After coming home from work, Arthur, Fabian, Gideon, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George, all packed their things for Egypt. Arthur and Charlie had both taken a week off so they would be able to stay with Bill. But, Percy and the twins hadn't been able too.
Percy, because he was only interning, and had too much to do. They had just gotten a large shipment of books. Regulus had told him about what had happened with Abe. Percy hadn't thought he could possibly think less of the headmaster, but he had been wrong.
What kind of man enslaved his own brother? Over the years, he had learned more and more about what the headmaster had done, and he hated the man for it.
He knew that they had no evidence that it had been the headmaster that had preformed the ritual on his fathers, but he didn't think it could have been anyone else. Molly wasn't strong enough to do something like that on her own, not to mention, there was no way she could have found a ritual like that.
Those books might hold the key to helping his fathers, and he didn't want to stop until he found what he was looking for.
Fred and George just couldn't stand the idea of being separated from their soul mate for another week. They wanted to be their for their family, but their dad had assured them that they understood.
For Fabian and Gideon, this was something that they knew they had to do. They had gotten the joy of listening to Molly give a half hour long rant about how Bill was wasting his life and how being a curse breaker was a foolish career. It devastated them both to see her do that to her son.
They both loved Bill as if he were their own, and they hated seeing his mother, a woman that should have given him nothing but support treat him that way. This trip wasn't just about doing a bit of travelling and seeing Bill doing his job, it was about showing him their support.
Once they were all ready to go, they went down into the kitchen.
"Are you sure you three don't want to come with us?" Arthur asked Molly and the two younger kids. He was still hopeful that Ron or Ginny would come with them. It really did hurt that his two youngest children didn't seem to like spending any time with him. He understood that they were angry when he had to tell them no, but still… Over the years he had had to tell the five older boys no a lot, but they still liked him. Maybe they just needed to grow up a little more, maybe, one day, they would understand that he was just trying to help them to grow up to be good people.
"No, Arthur." Molly said. As much as she didn't want to leave Arthur alone with her brothers any longer than she had too there were things they needed to do.
The first time she had given Maggie a letter for Remus and Sirius, explaining that Harry needed to come over and stay with her babies, and Maggie hadn't flown off, she had been confused. When Arthur had explained that he gave permission for those dark wizards to place a ward around the owl to stop her from delivering any of her letters to them, she had been furious. How dare they stop her and her babies from writing Harry.
Harry was meant to be her babies best friend and husband, he needed to spend time to get to know them better. All it would take was a little time together and she was sure Harry would realize just how perfect her babies were for him.
Now they couldn't even write to him. And none of the other boys would even let them use one of their owls. Going so far as to tell their owls not to deliver any letters from them, even if they managed to catch them. Neither of the owls would even let them close.
"We have a few things that we need to do, and then we will be arriving in Egypt Monday afternoon." Molly gave a sweet smile. In truth, she really didn't even want to go, but she had to pretend she did.
The idea of spending a week in a hot desert wasn't something that sounded fun to her. But her babies had convinced her to let them go, and she wasn't going to let them go without her. Ginny wanted to go, because she had heard Harry was going to be there. And Ron, because he had heard Harry would be there and he thought it would be great to rub in everyones faces.
When they had gone to Diagon Alley the week earlier to look at a few things, Molly and the two kids had overheard a conversation between Frank Longbottom and Remus. They had been talking about the trip they were planning with the kids. They had said that they were thinking about being in Egypt between 16-23 that month.
It was exactly what they needed. An entire week with Harry in a camp. It would be a little annoying, having the Longbottom's there, but it also might be a good thing. Molly was sure that she could convince Frank and Alice to come back to the side of the light, and her babies would be able to show Harry and Neville the proper way to be light wizards.
What none of them knew was that that conversation had been a set up. Frank and Remus had wanted Molly and her brats to think they would be in Egypt a week after they were really planning on going.
"If you're sure. Ron? Ginny?" Arthur asked hopefully.
"We're coming with mum." Ginny told him.
Arthur softly sighed. Ever since the beginning of the summer he had gone out of his way to try and get closer with his younger two children, and so far, no luck. He really did want to try, but they weren't making it easy, and he wasn't willing to just give them whatever they wanted to make them like him more.
"Well, so much,"
"For a family,"
"Vacation." Fabian and Gideon said. They could both see how disappointed Arthur was.
"What is that supposed to mean? The entire family is going to be there, Ron, Ginny and I will just be there a few days later." Molly gave her brothers a look. She hated having her brothers in her home. All they did was look down on her and judge her.
"Yes, the entire family is going, but not at the same time. Percy and the twins will be returning home Monday morning." Arthur told her.
"And just why are you three coming home early?" Molly turned towards the three boys.
"Work. Dad and the others can take time off work because they have full time jobs, but the three of us can't do that. We only get weekends off." Percy told her.
"The twins don't work." Molly said, looking towards Fred and George.
"Yes," George started in an exasperated voice.
"We do."
"We've been working part time,"
"Since the beginning of summer."
"Haven't you,"
"Noticed?"
"The boys have been working part time at a shop on Morning Dew. It's a good place." Arthur told Molly. "Haven't you noticed that Fred and George aren't in the house most days."
Molly didn't know what to say. She really hadn't noticed the twins absence, but thinking back, she really couldn't remember seeing them. But, she hadn't really been paying attention to what those two were doing. Fred and George were just too much trouble. They might have managed to avoid getting caught while at school, but she knew that they were still causing trouble, they had just gotten better at hiding it.
"Surely they can stay a few extra days. It's just a summer job." Molly said.
"No." Percy said instantly. "We aren't going to risk losing our jobs. We will be going for the weekend, that's it. As much as I would, and I'm sure the twins would also, love to spend a full week with Bill, we can't. We've already talked to Bill about it, and he's fine with it, he understands."
"Why would you even want to keep a stupid job like yours? All you do is look at numbers. You're even lamer than I thought." Ron laughed.
"Ronald." Arthur turned to his youngest son. Arthur was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he really had messed up with his youngest son.
"Say that now Ronnikins," George turned on his younger brother.
"But when school starts up again,"
"And Perce goes to Hogsmead,"
"And can buy whatever he wants,"
"His job won't be so lame then."
"Muuuum." Ron wailed, turning to look at his mother.
"Fred. George. Be nice to your brother." Molly snapped at the boys. "You two are going to be grounded if you keep that up."
"Then Ron will be joining them." Arthur turned towards Molly. "The twins were only telling him the truth. Percy is earning his own money to buy whatever he wants. Ron has spent the entire summer so far mocking Percy for his job. The only reason he hasn't been grounded so far is because Percy said Ron's childish behaviour isn't worth getting angry over, but I disagree. Percy might have made peace with the fact that Ron feels it is acceptable for a 13 year old to act like a spoiled 5 year old, but I have not.
It is time for Ron to grow up. He is not a baby anymore Molly."
"I don't act like a baby." Ron shouted at his father.
"Yes, you do." Arthur knew that this wasn't the best time for it, but there really wasn't any good time for it, but Ron needed to hear the truth. "How many other children your age have you heard cry for their mothers every time they can't get their own way. Do you behave like that at school?
I understand that you are still young, I am not saying that you are ready to move out, but, please, act your age."
Ron was furious, he was acting his age. "You're just jealous because I'm gonna have a better life than you did."
"Ron. That is what I want." Arthurs voice had taken on a pleading tone. "I want you to have a better life than I have. As your father, I want you to have the best life, just like I want the same for your brothers and sister. But you aren't going to get that behaving the way you do.
I had a job that I hated for years. I got up every morning hating having to go to work. I don't want that to happen to you, I want you to get a job you love. But to get your dream job, you are going to have to work for it.
You aren't going to get that job by yelling for your mother and demanding she get it for you. If you want something, you must earn it, but you don't seem to understand that.
I have been telling you for years, if you want an owl, than you need to save up. But every year, it has been the same thing. You don't even try to save up, but just expect to get what you want, and when I say no, you go crying to your mother.
I am not trying to be mean, but you need to grow up. As your father, it is my job to teach you how to be a grown up, and that is what I am trying to do.
I love you Ron, I want what is best for you, whether you like it or not."
The older boys, along with Fabian and Gideon could see just how desperate he was for Ron to understand, but they didn't hold out much hope for the boy. It was clear Ron was a spoiled little boy. They all hated to see how much it hurt Arthur.
Molly was just as furious as Ron was. Her baby boy was still young, Arthur had no right to tell him that he needed to grow up. And she was going to make sure he knew it.
"Arthur, don't you dare talk like that to Ronnie. He is still so young, it is only natural for him to come to me. He knows that he can come to me and I will make it all better. He is my baby boy, and that is how I will treat him."
But her attempt to tell Arthur off went the wrong way.
"I am not a baby. And I don't need to be treated like one." Ron shouted at his mother before storming off up to his room.
Molly was shocked. Ron had never shouted at her like that. She had been defending him, and he had gotten angry at her for it, sh didn't understand why.
Arthur just shook his head. "Say what you want Molly. Ron is not a baby, and you are doing him no good treating him like one.
I think it is time for the rest of us to go. We will see you when you decide to come."
Turning away, Arthur and all the others left to go to the international floo terminal at the ministry.
Luxor, Egypt
After arriving at the Egyptian Ministry, they got a portkey that would take them to Deir el-Bahari where the camp was set up. As soon as they arrived, Hadrian immediately dashed into the waiting arms of Fred and George. He had been waiting at the portkey area for them for over an hour.
Smiling as they moved past the three hugging teens, the others went deeper into the camp to set up their tent.
When they had decided to go on the trip, Arthur had let Fabian and Gideon go out and get the tent. He had later regretted it slightly when he saw what they had gotten. The inside of the tent was huge. Fabian and Gideon had always loved to buy extravagant things for their family.
The tent had five bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, a living room, a library, and two bathrooms. They had even made sure that Percy and Fred and Georges rooms were decorated in their house colours.
Their first evening was fun as they met many of Bill's coworkers as they had a group dinner.
Luxor, Egypt - August 17, 2003
The weekend had been amazing. Everyone had had tons of fun together.
The only downside was the heat. But, thanks to the cooling charms that everyone cast on themselves, it was ok.
They had all visited many of the different local sights, including the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, the Ramesseum, and Medinet Habu. In the Valley of the Kings, Bill had taken them into a few of the tombs that they were excavating. It had been incredible to see what was hidden in the magical parts of the tombs.
One of the best parts had been watching everyone trying to figure out how to ride a camel. The entire area where the tombs were had been warded against apperation to protect the treasures inside from tomb raiders, so the best way to get to them was by camel. They quickly learned that none of them were natural camel riders.
Arthur had really enjoyed everything. He had been a little hesitant at first, because he was worried that because of all the others visiting he wouldn't get any time with his sons, but that hadn't happened. Every one of the boys had made sure that they took time to spend one on one with their father, even the twins separated. Arthur had been stunned that they had willingly separated not only from their soul mate, but from each other just to spend an hour with him. The twins rarely, if ever, separated from each other.
Since it was Sunday evening, the entire camp got together for a potluck dinner. It was fun, and loud. Because there were curse breakers from all over the world, there were plenty of different dishes that would appeal to everyones tastes.
Sitting together with so many people, Arthur felt at peace in a way that he hadn't known he could feel. All around him, his friends and sons were enjoying themselves. The only thing that could make him feel sad was that three of his boys were going to have to leave tomorrow, and that his two youngest children weren't here, but he was refusing to let that bother him.
"Everything good, dad?" Bill asked his dad.
"Yeah. Everything has just been so great this weekend. Is this what it's always like?" Arthur asked as he looked at his eldest son.
Bill smiled as he slowly shifted to face his dad more. Making sure to move slowly so that he wouldn't wake Ares up from where he was sleeping in his arms. "Pretty much. I mean, normally there are fewer kids, but this is basically what it's like. Most curse breakers, while highly trained, don't take things too seriously. Our job can be dangerous, so we find our fun where we can."
Arthur nodded. He had seen just how hard they had to work to keep each other from getting hurt when they had been in one of the tombs and seen them taking out a cursed chest.
"Is everything ok dad?" Bill was worried about him.
"Sure, things are just complicated."
"Ron and Ginny?"
"And your mother. I really don't understand those three anymore. I want so badly to know where I went wrong."
"You didn't go wrong. You have raised Ron and Ginny the same way you raised the rest of us, and we turned out just fine so far. It's just Molly babying them that has made them like that. Who knows, maybe those two will get their heads on right, and all this worry will be for nothing."
Arthur gave Bill a small smile. He hoped Bill was right.
Fred and George were sitting just off to the side of their eldest brother and dad, a lightly dozing Hadrian between them.
'I hate what they do to dad.' Fred mentally growled.
'I know. We are going to have to try and fix them this year.'
'How?'
'I don't know? Maybe we can just show them how amazing our lives are because we work hard. Point out how many of the other girls behave to Ginny. Show Ron how the boys are, and reminding him that if he had worked this summer he would have had money to spend in Hogsmeade.'
'We can try that I guess.'
Hadrian's voice cut into their silent conversation. "Will you two stop talking in your heads and just enjoy the night?"
"Whatever you say,"
"Sweet boy."
Hadrian just rolled his eyes, cuddling Nem in his arms as he went back to enjoying watching everyone. He had loved this weekend so much.
Getting to travel and explore old tombs again had been so much fun, made even better by the presence of the twins.
"Are you two happy?" Hadrian asked in a quizzical voice.
"Of course." Fred said, his voice confused.
"Why do,"
"You ask?"
"Well… It's just… You both spend so much time always making sure I'm happy, I just wanted to make sure you both were happy too. I want to make you both as happy as you make me." Hadrian said, he honestly was confused about why he felt the way he did about the twins. He had never felt like this about anyone, in this life or the last.
The twins both just smiled as they hugged him. "You make us happy." They both said as one, and it was the truth. Knowing that he wanted to make them happy really did make them happy.
Just a little ways away from the three young soul mates, sat an older set of twins. They both smiled as they looked at the three boys.
They had heard the conversation the boys had had.
It was so sweet to listen to young love.
Neither Fabian or Gideon could stop themselves from looking towards their old friend, Arthur. For some reason, they never seemed to be able to make themselves stop looking at him.
There was just something that drew them towards him, like moths to flames.
Arthur must have felt their eyes, because he looked up from the conversation he had been having with Bill, and smiled at them.