The Burrow - December 21, 2003
After a great deal of stress, worrying, and planning, the day of the wedding finally arrived.
Waking up that morning, Arthur couldn't stop smiling. Everyone was going to know that he was married to Fabian and Gideon. Everyone was going to know they were a family again.
As Arthur smiled, so did Fabian and Gideon. Their thoughts were almost the exact same as Arthurs.
All three of them had gone over the plans that Muriel, Marlene, and Narcissa had made. The ceremony would be held that evening, just as the sun went down. Since it was the shortest day of the year, sunset was actually going to occur just before 4pm.
The ceremony would be held outside. Thankfully, they had individual warming charms that would keep them warm without melting any of the snow or ice. Narcissa had even arranged for their to be fairy lanterns all around to give them light as the sun went down.
After the ceremony, there would be a Yule feast, with a proper Yule fire for those that celebrated the holiday. Once the ceremony and meal was finished, it was just going to be one big party. Arthur hated dancing, so there was only going to be a small dancing area off to the side, but most of the evening was just going to be devoted to being with friends and family.
Arthur and the others had considered what they would do for their honeymoon, but had decided to just stay home. As nice as it would be, they just didn't think that it was a good idea. They had just started investing in a business, it wouldn't be smart to spend a lot of money on going somewhere, just incase the worst happened. Money wasn't overly tight, but it was safer for them not to risk their families financial future so soon.
Once out of bed, Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon started to cook breakfast for themselves and the seven children that were sleeping throughout the house. Arthur was beyond happy that he had all of his children there for him that day.
"Good morning, lovelies." Muriel said as she walked into the house, ready to take care of any last minute problems. "Shoo, shoo. Trissy my dear, breakfast for eleven if you please, thank you my dear."
"Yes Mistress Muriel." The little elf quickly shooed the three human males out of her way and started to cook.
"Now, is everything ok? Has there been any issues?" Muriel looked between the men. She really wanted today to go perfectly.
"Everything is just fine Muriel." Arthur smiled as he sat down, Trissy sending a teapot and cups to sit on the table in front of him. "There isn't anything wrong."
"We are all just fine for now Aunt Muriel." Gideon added to settle his aunt.
"Hey everyone, is something wrong?" Percy asked as he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Every thing is just fine." Arthur smiled.
"If your sure." Percy gave his fathers a once over just to be sure. As he was doing so, his older brothers both arrived in the kitchen. Percy turned to them and smiled. "Everything is apparently fine."
Bill and Charlie chuckled lightly as they sat down to have breakfast.
Upstairs, Fred and George sat facing each other on their beds. They both knew that today was going to be interesting.
The night before they had already caught Ron and Ginny trying to sneak downstairs. What had woken them up was that the two had been arguing about whether they should destroy the ceremony setup that had already been set out, or to destroy the food.
Fred and George knew that they were going to need to keep a close eye on the two brats. One of the best ways to make sure they didn't cause any major issues was to tell their older brothers. Between the five of them, they were sure that they could keep their fathers from noticing Ron and Ginny's behaviour.
Getting up, Fred went up to Ron's room, while George went to Ginny's. It took them close to half an hour to get them both up. They had ultimately had to resort to dumping a glass of water over their heads.
Both Ron and Ginny stormed out of their rooms, damp and furious, to see Fred and George leaning against the wall, smirking.
"What is wrong with you?" Ron demanded.
"It's time for breakfast baby brother." Fred smiled calmly.
"We were sleeping." Ginny snarled. "There was no need to get us up. I'm tired."
"Maybe your tired because you were up late and sneaking around last night rather than sleeping." George said in a quizzical voice.
"But, since you two clearly can't be trusted to act with any form of respect or dignity, we will be making sure that you are not left alone at any point in time today." Fred gave a smile.
"We weren't doing anything." Ron said petulantly.
"If you want us to believe that," George looked to his brother.
"Then you need to learn how to whisper." Fred finished.
"So what?" Ginny hated everything that was happening, and how no one was doing what she wanted them to anymore. "It's not like it matters. This wedding is a sham, and I'm not going to pretend like it isn't."
"Well then, I guess we will leave it up to you both to explain, not only to dad and the rest of the family, but the rest of the guests that will be here this evening." George kept his face blank. He knew that they were going to have to use the threat of Hadrian to keep the girl in line. Ron was going to be another issue, especially since Granger was coming to the wedding.
"Again, so what? It's just some stupid friends of dads, and those mens. They don't matter." Ginny snapped back.
"Oh, they matter." Fred smiled.
"You, baby sister, go on and on about marrying a Lord and attending all the fancy parties in beautiful dresses, well guess what. This, is one of those parties." George said.
"Amongst the guests tonight, there will be multiple Lords and Ladies. Oh, and just so you know, 'those men', are both Lords." Fred informed his now stunned sister.
"If you stop this wedding, then you are stopping your father from marrying into a noble family. Plus you will be showing yourself as an embarrassment to everyone else. You would never be welcome at a party again." George carried on.
"But, I think the worst thing, for you at least, is that you would have to explain to our dear Hadrian just why it is that you are destroying a wedding that was planned by two of his aunts. Aunts that he loves." Fred smirked slightly as he saw Ginny realizing Hadrian would hate her if she did anything. "Because, let's be honest, Hadrian loves his family, and any insult to them, will not be forgiven."
"Now, it's time for breakfast, get moving." George directed his younger siblings in front of him. He and Fred shared a smile as they followed the other two down.
Ginny's mind was working overtime as she went down the stairs. There really was nothing that she could do. If she did anything, the twins would tell everyone that it was her. Then everyone would know. She would be a laughing stalk in the more elite social circles, and she couldn't risk that.
She almost growled as she saw her father smiling and laughing with those men. Her mood didn't improve when she saw that Muriel was already there. This was not going to be a good day.
After their late breakfast was finished, everyone went their separate ways. Muriel took Arthur, Fabian and Gideon outside to make sure everything was just how they wanted it.
Fred and George went to sit on the couch, making sure to keep Ron and Ginny in sight.
"What have they done?" Percy sighed when he saw the twins looks.
"We didn't do anything?" Ron argued.
"We caught them trying to sneak downstairs last night." Fred told his older brothers.
"They weren't being very quiet about wanting to destroy the wedding." George continued.
Bill let out a deep sigh before turning to look at the two of them. "Honestly, what is wrong with you two? Is seeing anyone else happy really so bad that you feel the need to try and destroy it? It is time to grow up, you are not babies anymore."
"We didn't do anything." Ginny repeated, crossing her arms defensively.
"You didn't do anything, because you got caught before you could." Charlie, like his brothers sighed. "I am done. I'm just done. Let me make this perfectly clear, to both of you, if you do anything, and I do mean anything, then I am just… Done with you.
I love you both. You are my brother and sister, and I love you. But if you are so selfish, that you try to destroy dad's happiness for your own pleasure, then that is it for me. I will always love you, but I will not allow you to be a part of my life. I just can't…"
With that, Charlie turned and left the house.
"What is his problem?" Ron demanded, confused by what Charlie had just said.
"His problem is a thirteen year old boy, and a twelve year old girl that behave like spoiled toddlers. We are all exhausted with your behaviour." Percy tried to explain, again. "Other people deserve to be happy. But the two of you act as if anyone else having the audacity to be happy is a personal insult to you.
Dad is happy. Dad is in love.
But you have done nothing but try and destroy it. Do you understand just how cruel that is? To try and take this away from dad. It's like making him miserable is the only thing that would make you happy, and that is wrong."
"He's hurting mum." Ron argued while Ginny glared.
"How? How is dad being happy hurting her?" Bill asked in exasperation. "She's been married for months. If she wanted to be with dad, then why did she get remarried less than two months after they separated? If she can move on, why can't he?"
"Because she loves him." Ron argued.
Fred started to laugh. "Love. Are you kidding."
"Ron, she's already married. You don't go and marry someone else if you love another." George argued back.
"So who cares about Charlie. It's not like he does anything for us." Ginny snapped back. She really didn't care if Charlie liked her or not, he was just in her way.
Percy sighed and shook his head in sorrow. "Ok, we get it, you don't care about anyone but yourself. But, I guess, since you don't care about Charlie, or us, then we should just return your Yule gifts and not bother to get you any birthday presents. Thanks for letting us know now so that we can return everything."
"I want my presents. You can't take them away, they're mine." Ginny stamped her foot.
"No Ginny." Bill tried again in a way that might get through to the girl. "We get you presents, bought with our own money, because we love you. But, if you don't care about us, and don't want to be our sister, then you don't get presents. Gift giving is something that occurs in families. If you don't want to be a member of this family, then we don't have to give you presents.
Also, presents aren't required. We give you presents because we love you. Presents are a gift."
Ginny glared for a few moments before she flopped down on the couch in the living room. She knew she needed to keep quiet. The plan was to give Yule gifts after lunch, so she had to wait until at least then.
Ron was stuck, he wanted to argue, but he couldn't figure out an argument. He knew that he was going to have to wait until Hermione arrived. That girl could argue anyone into the ground.
12 Grimmauld Place
Hadrian was sitting in Marlene's house elf casino with Dobby watching those around them. Originally, Dobby was supposed to have the day off to spend on his own, but the happy little elf had seen how worked up Hadrian was, and had suggested that Hadrian go with him to the casino.
With the wedding happening today, Hadrian was on edge. He knew it was silly, but something was making him stress out. At first, he had thought that it might be that he knew that he was going to have to deal with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, but that wasn't it. For some reason, the idea of going to a wedding with Fred and George made his stomach do flips.
Now, he was sitting, watching as Dobby bet one of his collection of socks against another elves ear muffs. He himself wasn't gambling, he really didn't know how. Pretty much his entire family, Dobby included, had tried to teach him, but he had never gotten the hang of it. His face was just to expressive. No matter what he tried, everyone that knew him could always spot his tells.
As he was sitting there, watching, another elf hesitantly came to sit next to him. Glancing over, he froze.
Winky.
The Crouch house elf was sitting next to him. Over the years, Hadrian's family had repeatedly tried to set it up so that Crouch Jr. would be caught, but they hadn't had any luck. As far as Hadrian knew, Barty Crouch Jr. was still being held prisoner by his father rather than in Azkaban, where he belonged.
"Hello, I'm Hadrian Potter-Black." Hadrian held a hand out to the little elf.
Winky looked at the hand for a second before she shook it hesitantly. "I's Winky."
Once introductions were out of the way, Hadrian slowly got the little elf to open up to him. He made sure to never mention anything negative about the Crouch's, he knew just how loyal the little elf was.
After Hadrian talked to Winky for a while, the elf started to relax. She started to open up a little more, and become more open to the conversation. Winky had only come to the casino because Dobby had invited her, and her master had told her to leave for the day.
Eventually, it was time for lunch, and Hadrian had to go home. Like the Weasley family, Hadrians family and friends would be exchanging their Yule gifts after lunch. But he needed to do one last thing first. He smiled at Winky.
"Winky, I know you probably are, but I have to ask, are you happily bound?"
Winky blinked a few times. "Yes, yes I is."
"Ok, I was just wondering. I knew you probably were, but I figured I would try. It's just I figured you would be the perfect elf for my friends family. But, oh well. Just figured I'd ask.
If on the off chance, you ever find yourself in need of a new family, just go to Dobby and have him bring you to me."
With a small smile, Hadrian walked away.
Winky watched as the odd wizard said a quick goodbye to his own elf, and leave. She smiled to herself as she thought that wizard thought she was a good enough elf for his friends.
The Burrow
As day turned to evening, and guests arrived.
Fred and George grinned when they saw Hadrian arrive. Quickly, they went over to greet him before they returned to where their fathers stood.
Once everyone had arrived and been directed to their seats, they began. It had been decided that the ceremony would be conducted by Pandora Lovegood, who was a High Priestess at the Temple of the Moon.
The ceremony itself, was perfect. Not even Ron or Ginny caused any problems, although neither of them looked completely happy as they stood up for their father. But, at least they didn't cause any problems, much to their older brothers relief.
Arthur had been surprised when Muriel had first come to them with their original binding ribbons that they had used in their handfasting ceremony. They had decided to use the ribbons again, and they even used their original vows, although, they did need to make a few changes to adjust for the time.
In spite of knowing that the wedding was about Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon, Hadrian struggled to keep himself from watching Fred and George. Fred and George, for their part, couldn't stop themselves from smiling and standing a little taller every time they saw Hadrian's eyes drift from their fathers over to them.
Everyone cheered happily when the ceremony was complete, and Arthur kissed both his husbands publicly for the first time in over a decade.
Up at the head table after the ceremony was finished, the Weasley-Prewett family sat to eat their dinner. Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon were all happily caught up in each other, so they really didn't even notice what their family members were doing.
When Muriel had been arranging the meal, she had been smart enough to ensure that Ron and Ginny were monitored. From one end of the table to the other it was Muriel, Ginny, Percy, George, Fabian, Arthur, Gideon, Fred, Charlie, Ron, and then Bill. It would ensure that both Ron and Ginny could be watched properly, while still keeping them separated from their father.
Although, they all already knew that Arthur was well aware of how Ron and Ginny felt about him getting married, but they didn't feel that he needed to have to listen to them. It was just best, in their opinions, to not let the children ruin Arthur's mood.
"I want to go and sit with my friends."
Both Bill and Charlie tried not to roll their eyes as Ron continued to whine.
"No Ron, as we have already told you, a dozen times, we are here for dad. You can go and see your friend after dinner." Bill said in a forced calm voice.
Thankfully, for his brothers sanity, Ron went back to shovelling food into his mouth.
Bill and Charlie both sighed as they went back to their own food. Making sure to set aside a small portion for the fire ritual.
"I want to go and sit with Harry." Ginny whined at the other end of the table from Ron.
"How many times do we need to tell you Ginny, you are sitting with the family. And again, his name is Hadrian." Percy almost growled. Ginny had been complaining almost non-stop since they sat down.
Ginny glared slightly at her brother. "What would you know?"
"I know his name because I actually talk to him. We are friends. And, I know for a fact, he hates when people call him Harry." Percy once again explained to the girl.
"You don't know anything." Ginny hated everyone challenging her over Harry. She was the one who was going to marry him, she knew better than they did.
"That's enough Ginevra, eat your food." Muriel really was getting annoyed with the girl.
Ginny fumed for a few minutes as she ate. Nothing was going how she wanted it to anymore. She wanted her mum. Surely, her mum would be able to make her idiot father and brothers start doing what she wanted again.
Looking around, Ginny saw all the stupid people that were actually supporting her father. She hated them all, except her Harry of course, but she was going to need to teach him better once they were together.
"I thought you said that there were going to be a bunch of Lords and Ladies here? All I see is a bunch of random people." Ginny was beginning to suspect that her brothers had lied to her just to stop her from stopping the wedding.
"There are plenty of Lords and Ladies Ginevra." Muriel looked around with a slight smile at all the people that supported Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon. "I am going to have to teach you about the nobility in our country. It is clear that you have never been properly educated about our government. Your mother really should have taught you, but that is just another thing she neglected.
If you must know, there is of course, your new step-fathers. Fabian and Gideon are the Co-Lords of the House of Prewett. Then there is Lord Peverell-Gryffindor, he is married to Lord Prince. Lord Black and his husband, Lord and Lady Malfoy, Lord and Lady Longbottom-Hufflepuff, Lord and Lady Bones, and, of course, Lord and Lady Lovegood."
Muriel motioned in the direction of each as she named them. But, she made sure to never point. To do so would be the height of rudeness.
"And, then there is of course their heirs." Percy smiled slightly. "Hadrian, Draco, Neville, Susan, and Luna are all in line for their parents titles. And my date, Penelope, is the Clearwater heiress."
Ginny was stunned. How dare Loony be an heiress, when she wasn't? It wasn't right, Ginny would be a much better heiress than that freak ever could be. It just wasn't fair. And she was going to make sure everyone knew it.
"Why would anyone ever let Loony be an heiress? She would never be accepted in proper society."
"Loony?" Muriel questioned.
"That is the name Ginny uses when she tries to bully Luna." Percy growled slightly, he hated how cruel Ginny was to the other girl.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley." Muriel scolded in a strict harsh voice, making sure that her voice was quiet enough that it wouldn't carry. "Good Merlin.
I honestly don't know what to say. Behaviour like that is completely inappropriate for a member of this family. You will never treat that sweet girl like that again.
There is a long standing alliance between the Lovegood and Prewett families. Your behaviour could cost us that alliance. You could even start a blood feud if you did anything to harm her.
I think you, Ron, and I are going to have intensive etiquette lessons this summer. Your behaviour thus far has shown that you have no clue how to behave in society."
Ginny was once again glaring at the older woman, that bitch was not the boss of her. "If Loony gets to be the Lovegood heiress, then I want to be the Prewett heiress. Since mum is a Prewett, and Uncle Fabian and Gideon are now my… step-fathers," Ginnys tone was one of disgust at this point, "then I should get to be the Prewett heiress."
"Your mother is a Diggle, not a Prewett." Muriel informed her. "And, you can't be the Prewett heiress. Fred and George were declared the heirs the day they were born. On that note, I will have to check to make sure they have collected their heir rings."
Ginny was stunned. "It should be me. I want to be the heiress. Since Bill, Charlie, and Percy have already been deemed unworthy, then it should come to me. Fred and George would be terrible lords, and Ron wouldn't know what to do. So, I am the only viable option."
Percy rolled his eyes. "Bill, Charlie and I weren't deemed unworthy. You really should learn about the family history.
The family was raised to prominence, and received its title under the guidance of a set of magical twins, magical twins are given prominence in the family. So, any set of magical twins in the family are automatically granted the heirship over all other children. If there are no magical twins available, or the twins refuse the title, then it goes from oldest to youngest.
So, for you to be the heiress, Fred and George would have to reject the heirship. Then, it would go to Bill, and on down the line. I'm sorry to say, that as the youngest, you are last in line for the title Ginny."
"But that's not fair. I want to be the heiress. I want to, I want to, I want to…" Ginny started to whine, going silent after Percy flicked his wand under the table casting a silencing spell on her where no one could see.
"Life isn't fair young lady. Now, that is it. You are not a baby, so stop acting like it." Muriel was realizing that it was going to take more than a summer of lessons to teach the girl proper behaviour. "Percy, my dear, leave the silencing spell on until dinner finishes. I think that your little sister needs to sit and think about her behaviour."
Percy silently smirked at his aunt.
Ginny was enraged, and there was nothing she could do. If she threw a fit, everyone would see. She was stuck, and she knew it.
Ginny swore that she would make Percy and Muriel pay for this.
A little ways away from the head table, sat the teens table. Around the table was Hadrian, Draco, Neville, Luna, Susan Bones, Cedric Diggory, Oliver Wood, Penelope Clearwater, and Hermione Granger.
Hadrian was happily sitting between Luna and Oliver. He knew that that had been arranged to protect him from Granger. Hermione herself was less than pleased as she was sitting between Penelope and Susan. Neither girl was any happier than Granger.
"Hadrian?" Came the hesitant voice of Penelope.
"Yes Penelope?" Hadrian gave her a smile.
"I was just wondering… I mean… Are you safe at home?" Penelope finally got out.
"Safe?" Hadrian was confused by that. Why would Penelope think he wasn't safe at home?
"Well, it's just that we have all read about what's going on with your Uncle Sebastian." Oliver added, making it clear that he and Penelope had obviously discussed the issue amongst themselves.
"You've been reading the Daily Prophet, haven't you?" Hadrian smirked slightly when everyone else around the table nodded.
Ever since his dad had claimed the proxy of the Slytherin Lordship, The Daily Prophet had been attacking him at least once a week. It had started out with snarky little comments every now and then in random articles, but now they were right flat out saying that he was evil and supported Voldemort. They had even repeatedly said that he should be sent to Azkaban, be stripped of his titles, and be barred from having any contact with Hadrian.
So far, James had been holding back, he had plans. He was going to let the paper dig its own grave.
"All you need to do is go to the Headmaster Harry." Hermione was using her bossiest voice. "I'm sure that he will be happy to help you even though you have been so disrespectful in the past. You should just apologize, and he will help to arrange for you to move somewhere safe."
"Why would I ever want to move? I am perfectly safe and happy with my family." Hadrian gave the girl a look that clearly showed his dislike. "Besides, I haven't been disrespectful to that man. I have always been courteous and polite, no matter how rude and disrespectful he has been."
"Are you sure you're safe?" Susan asked.
"Completely." Hadrian smiled. "I know what that rag of a paper has said, but they are completely wrong, once again. I know Lord Slytherin personally, and he is absolutely no danger to me.
Soon enough, everyone will know that. I know for a fact that Lord Slytherin has arranged for an interview with The Quibbler just after new years. Then, everyone will see just how wrong the Prophet is, like usual. Honestly, I don't know why that rag is allowed to be called a news paper, it's more of a gossip rag, and not even a very good one."
"Oh yes, mummy and daddy were so pleased when they found out that they were going to be the ones to introduce our world to the wonderful Lord Slytherin." Luna sighed dreamily as she placed a small amount of her dessert on the small plate to her right.
"Why do you keep putting food on another plate?" Hermione questioned, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get anymore information on Lord Slytherin with everyone else around.
She didn't understand why Hadrian, Draco, Neville, Luna, and Susan were all placing small portions of their food on separate plates.
"Because it's Yule." Susan said. "The five of us all practice the olde ways. Setting aside a small portion of your Yule dinner to burn in the Yule fire is a part of the ritual."
"But that's stupid. Why would you waste your time on some stupid, false, religion? Just eat your food." Hermione demanded, looking down her nose at them like she expected them to just do as she said.
"As you have your beliefs and practices, so do we. We aren't going to turn our back on our rituals that have strengthened and sustained our people for thousands of years just because you have different beliefs." Neville told the girl.
"Can I ask you guys another question?" Penelope waited until the others nodded their agreement. "Why do you practice the olde ways? I've heard from Percy that he does it because he likes their ideals, but what was the reason for the rest of you?"
"I think I can answer that for all of us." Susan said. "I'm not sure why the others started, but I know why we all continue. You know that feeling after running in gym. When you're all sweaty and your muscles feel like goo." Penelope nodded, she knew that feeling all to well, but wasn't sure what that had to do with the rituals. "That calm, clean, relaxed feeling you get after you take a hot bath with those muscle relaxing bubbles, that's how your magic feels after the ritual."
Hadrian smiled at Susans description. "The rituals help to refresh and renew magic. So, when we take part in the rituals we are cleansing our magic.
I ended up starting at the recommendation of a woman I met when I was younger. I used to have a hard time with magical outbursts when I was little, my family used the rituals to calm and soothe my magic."
Penelope and the others discussed it with them for a little while longer, and ultimately decided to try out the Yule ritual. Hadrian and the others talked them through what they would need to do.
Hermione sat and fumed as she watched all the others at the table take their offerings over to the Yule Log. She had spent most of the dinner trying to explain to the others just how bad and dangerous the olde magical religions were, but none of them had been willing to listen to her. It horrified her that Harry was responsible for corrupting so many others. He should be ashamed of himself, and she was going to make sure he was one day.
As Penelope stood over by the Yule Log, she couldn't help but give a happy little sigh. Susans description of how taking part in the ritual made a person feel had been completely accurate. She felt completely clean.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" Came Percy's voice from behind her.
Penelope turned and smiled up at her new boyfriend. "I feel amazing. I can actually feel my magic tingle. Well, Mr. I-Know-Everything, why does it feel so good?"
Percy smiled at Penny. "It is because your magic has been refreshed."
"I still don't understand. All I really know is that Susan was right when she said it felt like getting out of a relaxing bath after a hard gym class." Penny smiled up at Percy as he directed them towards the drinks table.
"Well… Using that analogy, think of your magic like the water in that bathtub. You use that same water over and over, every day. The rituals are like pulling the plug, and refilling the tub with fresh water." Percy knew it wasn't exactly like that, but that was the best way he could think of explaining what the rituals did. "Your magic feels all fresh and clean, because it is. Now, let's go and mingle with the others."
"Hey Harry." Ron practically shouted as he, Ginny, and Hermione walked over.
"Elmer. Ethel. Eunice." Hadrian nodded to each of them. He was sitting in a small grove of flowers with Fred, George, Luna, Susan, Cedric, and Athena was curled up on his lap napping.
"Those aren't our names." Hermione stomped her foot. Ever since Fred and George had called them that at the beginning of the year most of the students used those names. Even members of their own house had started using the stupid names.
Hadrian didn't respond, he just raised an eyebrow.
"What do you guys want?" Susan asked after it became clear that the three idiots weren't going to understand what Hadrian was implying.
"We were just coming over to hang out with you guys." Hermione said in a flat voice. It was clear that she and the others wanted to see Hadrian, but the others were in their way.
"What did you think of the ceremony Harry?" Ginny asked in a sickly sweet voice. She was initially going to go over and sit between Harry and George, but the stupid twins both moved closer to her Harry, and the others made room for her and the others on the opposite side of the circle.
"Well Ethel, I thought it was perfect." Hadrian said in a droll voice. "I think Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon are perfect together."
"But they're brothers, and polygamy is illegal." Hermione almost screamed. How could Harry be so stupid as to actually support this abomination.
"Fabian and Gideon married Arthur, not each other,." Hadrian said, his tone showing how stupid he thought she was being. "Besides, polygamy is only illegal in the muggle world. It is perfectly acceptable, and common, in the magical world, and has been for well over a thousand years. It is actually encouraged in the case of magical twins."
"Fred and I will be marrying the same person." George added.
"And more than likely so will Hadrians little sisters, Cas and Ari." Fred explained.
"Why would any of you ever do something like that?" Ginny demanded. "You both really need help. Marrying your brother is gross."
"Like Hadrian and the twins said, they would be marrying the same person, not each other." Draco attempted to explain.
"Don't speak to my sister you disgusting snake. I don't even know why the likes of you were even invited to be around good, light, people." Ron was almost foaming at the mouth.
Everyone else just rolled their eyes. They had gotten used to Ron's racist rants. It was just better to ignore the brat, especially if they wanted to keep this wedding violence free.
"You do understand just how co-dependant you are? It isn't healthy." Hermione tried to sound like she was actually worried about the twins mental health, but she really just sounded patronizing. "You really should see a therapist."
"What's a therapist?" Cedric and Susan both asked at the same time.
"It's a muggle mind healer." Neville quickly explained to them.
"Why would we need a mind healer?" Fred asked, giving the girl a disparaging look.
"Our behaviour is perfectly normal." George added, giving the girl the same look as his brother.
"No, it isn't. You two are completely incapable of being your own people. Look at Padma and Parvati, that is how twins should behave."
"That is a completely different situation." Neville sighed. He was actually surprised that none of the three of them even understood. "Fred and George are magical twins, Padma and Parviti are identical twins."
"It's the same thing, your just calling them something different." Ginny snapped back.
"No, it isn't." Fred sighed. Was Ginny really that stupid?
"Honestly, you call yourself our sister." George glared.
"Identical twins are just that, identical twins."
"Magical twins are something different."
"Not all magical twins are identical, but most are."
"A set of identical twins are two separate individuals that look the same."
"Magical twins are two people that share one soul."
"We are separate people, but we share one soul between us."
"What?" Hermione, Ron and Ginny all said at the same time after Fred and George had finished their explanation.
"I can understand Eunice, but what is your excuse?" Draco asked as he looked to Ron and Ginny. "They are your brothers. You have lived with them your entire lives, and you never even noticed that about them. How do you think they always know what the other is thinking or going to say?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Granger demanded, she had never even heard of magical twins. They had to be making this up just to mess with her.
"Because they share a soul, their minds are connected. They have a telepathic connection. It's why they use twin speak." Hadrian smiled at both twins. "It's why the school has suppressing bracelets. It's for when magical twins are there and have to take exams. They have to wear the bracelets so that they can not give each other the answers."
"So the two of you are the same?" Ginny asked in confusion, none of this made sense.
"No, we are our own people,"
"We have our own likes and dislikes,
"But we do still share everything." Fred and George said.
"Fred is the softer of the two, he prefers ancient runes and spell crafting, and anything sweet. While George tends to be more out spoken, he likes alchemy and warding, and prefers his food spicy and his desserts tart." Hadrian listed off. Not noticing how happy the twins were that he had noticed that about them without them ever having to tell him.
Most of the others just stared at Hadrian in surprise. Most hadn't realized that there were differences between the twins.
"How do you know all that?" Hermione demanded.
"Because I have two little sisters that are magical twins. I am also friends with Fred and George. Just because someone is a twin, and looks exactly like another, doesn't mean they are the same person." Hadrian said, he knew just how much Cas and Ari hated it when they were treated the exact same.
Ginny just glared at the twins. Why did her Harry know all that about them. He shouldn't be paying any attention to the twins, he should only be thinking about her. She was going to have to yell at the twins again so that they would remember their place in her Harry's life.
But, before Ginny could think of anything to say, Percy and Penelope walked over.
"Hey Hadrian." Percy smiled when he saw the little girl curled up in his lap. She was far to small to be any of his sisters, leaving the only option for who she was. "I was wondering where Athena got to. Penny and I will take her. Narcissa and Alice have set up a room for the kids to sleep in."
"Who's Athena?" Hermione questioned. She had never met any one named Athena.
"My little sister. She's sitting in Hadrians arms." Draco said as he indicated the little girl Hadrian was holding.
"She isn't a Malfoy." Ron said, looking at the girl. "She looks nothing like you. You can't just claim some kid is your sister. She should be with her family, not some dark wizards like your family."
Athena's eyes snapped open as soon as she heard that mean boy being mean to her brother. "You're a meany."
"Don't be mean Ron. Athena is most definitely a Malfoy." Percy gave his brother a look.
"Why don't you come with me sweet heart, and I'll take you to your mum." Penelope smiled kindly at the spirited little girl as she stepped forward to take her from Hadrian.
Athena liked these new people. They were nice to her and her brother, and they had told that meany to be nice. Looking up, she smiled at them. Her hair shifting to the same curly brown style as the other girl, while her eyes went to the same brown as the boys, as freckles spread across her rounding face.
Penelope laughed as she saw the perfect combination of herself and Percy. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing that ever existed."
Percy smiled as he and Penelope walked away with Athena.
"She can't do that." Hermione said.
"Do what?" Draco questioned in a cold voice. He wasn't about to let this girl dictate anything about his baby sister.
"Do magic." Hermione snapped.
"She didn't do any magic." Hadrian said, he fully supported Draco in his protection of his sister.
"Yes she did." Ron argued, backing up Hermione. "She just changed her appearance."
"How did she do that?" Ginny asked. She wanted to learn how to do that. It would ensure that she was always the most beautiful girl in any room. Then Harry would have to pay more attention to her.
"Athena and her twin, Ares, are both metamorphmagus's. Her changing her appearance is like you changing your expression. It's just something she can do. Legally, it isn't seen as magic." Draco explained.
"But it's still magic." Hermione argued. "If she can do it, so can the rest of us. Where did she learn it?"
"It's passive magic, not active." Hadrian rolled his eyes. "And, you can't learn it."
"I can learn it if I want to. You can't just say that I can't learn something because I'm a muggleborn." Hermione was furious. She had tried repeatedly over the past few years to force Harry to teach her the goblin language, and he had just kept refusing, now he was doing it again.
"You know, you are the only one that ever brings blood status into anything, right?" Neville questioned the girl. "He isn't saying you can't learn because you are a muggleborn, it is because you don't have the ability."
"And how would you know that?" Hermione demanded.
"Because," Hadrian almost growled. "The metamorphmagus ability is something you have to be born with. It's a genetic anomaly that has only ever been recorded in the Black family here in the UK."
"But she isn't a Black, she's a Malfoy." Ginny was confused.
"My mother's maiden name is Black. She and Hadrian's uncle Sirius are cousins. That's how Athena and Ares got the gift. You can whine and complain all you want, but no matter what, you will never be able to learn the ability." Draco told the annoying trio.
Thankfully, before any of the three could come up with some new reason to argue with everyone, Muriel came over to discuss things with Hadrian. She had seen the clear evidence of annoyance in the children and had gone over with the intent of distracting them from the other three.
With Muriel there, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione knew that they couldn't say or do anything with the woman there.
It was almost 3 in the morning when the evening finally drew to a close. Everyone had finally gone home. It was only the Weasley-Prewett family that remained.
"What are you doing Bill? Charlie?" Arthur asked as Bill and Charlie carried out three suitcases. "I thought you both said you were staying until the kids went back to school."
"Oh, these aren't ours, they are for the three of you." Bill smiled at his fathers.
"But we agreed that we weren't going to go on a honeymoon. It just isn't responsible right now." Fabian said.
"Well, since Ron and Ginny are leaving for Molly's tomorrow, and you all have the rest of the holidays off work anyways, we figured… Why not?" Charlie smiled.
"This honeymoon is already fully paid for, so you can't say no. But, be warned, we let Fred and George plan most of it." Percy warned.
"Oh relax." Fred smiled when he saw the slightly fearful look on their fathers faces.
"Hadrian served as a voice of reason." George told them, they all relaxed at that. Hadrian would be able to keep the twins from going to far.
"Why would Harry help you plan anything?" Ginny questioned.
"Because he is a good person and wanted to make sure the wedding was perfect." Fred gave his sister a look.
"Here is the portkey. It will take you to your honeymoon destination. The activation word is love." George said as he handed over a bottle of champagne that had been spelled.
"And we have packed everything that you will need." Bill added as he and Charlie handed over the suitcases they had packed.
"Well, off you go." Percy gave his fathers the shooing motion.
Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon Quickly hugged their boys, Ron and Ginny wouldn't let any of the three of them near them, and then they activated the portkey and popped off.
"Why did you do that?" Ron questioned. He didn't understand why his brothers were so supportive of their dad and his stupid wedding.
"Do what? Support our family?" Bill looked to his younger siblings.
"Pay for some stupid honeymoon. It's just a waste of money." Ginny gave her brothers a critical look. If they could afford to send their father on holiday, then they certainly had enough to buy her more presents.
"It's our money, we can do what we want with it. That's what happens when you have a job, you earn money that you can spend." Charlie said. "Besides, it really didn't cost us much. All we needed to pay for was a few supplies for them. Everything else was free."
"Then why can't we go? I want to go on vacation." Ron whined.
"You are going to your mothers tomorrow." Percy reminded the two children. "And, this is a honeymoon. It is about them, not you."
"Mum can come with us. If it's free, then it won't be a problem." Ginny argued.
"Are you out of your minds? This is about them, there is no way we would ever allow Molly to crash their honeymoon." Charlie was shocked at the idea of sending Molly on his fathers honeymoon with them.
"Well, we can just get rooms on the other side of the hotel." Ron tried to bargain.
"They aren't at a hotel." Fred said.
"Then where are they?" Ginny wanted to know.
"Yes dear brothers. Where did you send them?" Bill asked as he looked to the twins. All that the twins had told them was that their fathers were going to somewhere hot with a beach.
"Hadrian helped us to arrange for them to go to the island." George smiled.
"What island?" Ginny demanded.
"The Black families private island." Fred smiled.
"Hadrian talked to his Uncle Sirius about letting them stay at the manor on the island for the week." George explained.
"Harry has an island?" Ginny was thrilled that her Harry had his own private island. That was just perfect.
"No, the island belongs to the entire Black family. Hadrian can use it as he wishes, but it isn't his alone." Percy clarified.
Ginny just rolled her eyes. The island was Harry's, she was sure of it. She would just write to him when she went to her mothers new place tomorrow. Ginny was sure that Harry would let her and her mother go there. Then, once she was out of the view of everyone else, she could make sure her father knew just what she thought about this stupid wedding.
It would be easy enough to convince her parents to get back together. A private island would be the perfect place for a double date between her and Harry and her parents.
"Now, time for bed. Ron, Ginny, you will be flooing to Diggle Manor tomorrow, so you will need to be up and ready by 10." Bill reminded his youngest siblings as he ushered them towards the stairs so as to avoid any more issues over their fathers honeymoon.
"Why do we have to be up so early?" Ron whined.
"Because that is when Molly and dad agreed that you would floo there. So, bed, now" Charley said as he followed the others up the stairs.
Diggle Manor - December 25, 2003
It was Christmas day. It was one of the two days a year that Ron and Ginny woke up early, the only other day being their own birthdays.
Long before the sun had even begun to rise, Ron and Ginny were slamming on their mothers bedroom door demanding that she get up so they could open presents and have breakfast.
Molly had been expecting it, so she was already getting ready to give her babies the Christmas they had always deserved. Now that Arthur wasn't around, she could get her babies all the presents he had denied them.
Sitting at the breakfast table after opening all their presents Ron and Ginny were adequately pleased. They had both gotten plenty of presents, much more than they had gotten in years.
Ginny was pleased that something was finally going her way. Having her mother there, giving her so many presents, and reassuring her that everything would be fixed soon, was exactly what Ginny needed.
The only thing that was really upsetting her was that she hadn't heard back from Harry yet. She had written him explaining that he was to make arrangements for her and her mum to go to his private island so she could get her parents back together. She had even been nice enough to suggest that he come with her so that they could do it together while getting to know each other better. But, she was still waiting for him to make the arrangements. Honestly, how long did it take to arrange a portkey for them.
Things had gotten so messed up in the past few years. Her parents had broken up, both had then gotten remarried without her permission, Harry was sorted into the wrong house, and Harry wasn't paying her the proper amount of attention. Why wasn't anything going the way she wanted it to?
She had already told her mum all about what had happened at the wedding. Her mum had been furious when she learned about what Percy and Muriel had done to her, they would each be receiving plenty of howlers over the holidays.
Now, sitting at the table, like her mother, Ginny was disgusted. This house was disgusting. Everything was dirty and it smelled like mould. Even her room was gross. It was almost completely empty, but it wouldn't be for long since most of her presents were to help her decorate the room.
Ginny had made sure to let her mum know just how much she didn't like this house. Her mum was going to have to fix it up if she expected Ginny to stay there. She was the future Lady Potter, she wouldn't stay in a dump like this.
Ron was, like usual, stuffing his face. Like his sister, he was happy with the amount of presents he had received. Like his sister, most of his presents were intended to actually make his room livable. And, like his first room, everything was going to be decorated in Chudley Cannons merchandise.
Unlike his sister, however, Ron, for once, wasn't obsessing about Harry. He and Hermione had talked about it, and they were going to make it so that his house turned against him to force him to request a resort. When they got back to school, they were going to start all sorts of rumours about Harry and how he was being corrupted by Lord Slytherin and his uncle Sebastian. They were sure that his own house mates wouldn't want someone connected with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in their house, and he and Hermione could be there to offer him support.
Looking at her babies, Molly smiled. She was so happy that they were with her once again. The only problem she could see was that they were going to have to leave her again soon. She still couldn't understand just how Arthur could be so cruel to her. They had been together for over a decade and he acted like that meant nothing.
Then there was what had been done to her baby girl. How dare Muriel and Percy treat her precious baby like that? The only solace she had was that they were going to know just how she felt about it. No one was mean to her babies and got away with it.
Turning to her babies, Molly smiled. "I have one more present for you both."
"What is it?" "Then give it to me." They both responded at the same time.
"I can't give it to you both until tomorrow." Molly smiled at their enthusiasm. "Tomorrow, when the shops are open again, we will be going to Eeylops Owl Emporium and you both can pick out your owls."
Molly was extremely happy as both her babies cheered.
"Why can't we go today? I want my owl now." Ginny said as soon as she got over the excitement of being told she was finally getting the owl she deserved.
"I wish we could go now baby, but the shops are all closed for Christmas. They won't be open again until tomorrow." Molly said in an understanding voice.
"Stupid people, who closes a business when there are people that want to buy things." Ron laughed around the egg in his mouth.
"I know sweetheart, but you just have to wait one more day." Molly simpered to her babies.
She had wanted to have the owls for them for Christmas morning, but she knew it was better if she let them pick them out themselves. Once the children had chosen the owls they wanted she would just charge everything to the account Albus had set up for her, like she had done with the rest of the kids presents.
Molly knew that it had seriously depleted the funds she had available, but Albus had told her that he wanted her to manage the restaurant once it was up and running, so she was sure that she would be able to refill the account quickly.
Eeylops Owl Emporium - December 26, 2003
Philip Eeylops was standing behind the register in his families shop when Molly Diggle and her two children barged in. Philip had decided to work at the shop so that his children could stay with their children and grandchildren. Although Christmas had slowly been losing popularity since the return of their rituals, the day after Christmas was almost completely silent.
Philip barely managed to withhold a sigh and keep a smile on his face. He still remembered just how loud and difficult these two children had been at the end of the summer. And, since their father was no where around, they would more than likely be even less behaved since it had been their father that had tried to give them rules while their mother argued against them.
Ginny and Ron rushed forwards towards the owls. Ginny was searching for the perfect snowy owl. Although she would prefer a girl, she knew that she was going to have to get a boy. A boy snowy owl would be the perfect mate for Harry's owl. She could just imagine it now, the perfect owl couple, and the perfect Gryffindor couple.
Ron was looking for the biggest and fastest owl he could see. He didn't care what type it was, just so long as it was better than his brothers.
But, neither of them could see what they wanted.
"Where are the owls?" Ginny demanded, looking to the old man behind the counter.
"They're right in front of you." Philip had dealt with many rude children before, so he didn't show any of the distaste he felt for the demanding child.
"I want a snowy owl." Ginny stated.
"We don't have any of those right now." Philip said calmly.
"Well, why not?" Ginny was getting annoyed.
"Because snowy owls are hard to come by. Even in this business, snowy owls are rare. We've only had three or four in the last five years, and they have all been sold within a few hours." Philip explained. "We started a waiting list for snowy owls last year, if you would like, you can add your name to that. But, I will warn you, the list already has over thirty people, so it will be years before we can get you one."
"But I want a snowy owl now." Ginny whined.
"Unfortunately, that isn't possible." Philip told the girl bluntly.
"Mummy!" Ginny turned to her mother with a demanding look.
"Now surely…" Molly started.
"No." Philip calmly stated. "As I said, snowy owls are not common. And, we have a waiting list. It will be years before we would be able to get her one, and that isn't going to change."
Ginny glared at the man while Molly tried to comfort her.
"Why aren't there more of them?" Ron asked as he looked at the less than 15 owls in the shop. Usually there were a lot more when he was in there.
"Because it's just after a holiday. Most of the owls we had were sold before Yule and Christmas." Philip explained. "You're actually further ahead to wait to buy an owl. We get a larger selection of owls in the middle of the summer so the students will have a wider variety to choose from."
"But I want my owl now." Ron demanded much like his sister had. He didn't want to have to wait any longer for his owl.
"Well then, this is what we have, you will have to choose one of them." Philip said. Merlin these kids were whiny.
It took over an hour of whining, but Ron and Ginny finally chose their owls.
Ron chose a large tawny owl he named Cannon. Ginny selected a little grey elf owl she named Pixie.
Peverell Manor - December 31, 2003
This year, the new years party was once again going to be held at Peverell Manor. Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon had returned just a few hours before the party began.
All three of them were completely happy. Their honeymoon had been perfect. Spending their days together on a beach, with no worries at all had been just what they had all needed.
Now, they were back home with their children, and even happier.
Arthur smiled around at all the people around him. It was a mix of dark and light, all happily coexisting together, and better for it. He had never considered that this was how his life would end up, but he was happy that all the bad had led to this.
Grabbing a small glass of fire whiskey Arthur headed back over to where his husbands sat.
Hadrian was happily sitting with Draco and Neville, Fred and George had gone to get him a drink. Turning on his mage sight, he looked over to his Aunt Marlene so that he could get a look at his new cousin. The baby's magic was calm and relaxed.
As he was checking on his new cousin, Arthur walked past with his drink. Hadrian blinked a few times trying to process what he had seen before quickly getting up. Making an excuse to the others, Hadrian followed Arthur to the table he was sharing with his husbands.
Getting there, Hadrian quickly grabbed Arthurs drink just before he could take a sip.
"Hadrian?" Arthur looked at the boy in confusion.
"You are to young to start drinking." Fabian told him.
"It's not for me, it's for the twins." Hadrian said.
"We understand that Fred and George have more then likely had a few drinks while they were at school, but, they shouldn't be drinking fire whiskey." Gideon said, glancing towards his twin sons. A casual drink was fine, but fire whiskey was to strong for teenagers to be able to handle properly.
"Not those twins. I… Um." Hadrian flushed a little with embarrassment. "I have mage sight, and I was checking on Aunt Marley's baby when you walked by Arthur.
The… The thing is, I got a look at your magic too."
"Ok?" Arthur didn't really understand what Hadrian was trying to say.
"It's just… Well you see… You currently have two sparks of magic forming in your abdomen." Hadrian finally got out.
Arthur just stared at Hadrian, blinking a few times in an attempt to process what he was saying. Fabian and Gideon looked from Hadrian, over to Arthurs stunned and confused face, and then down to Arthur's stomach.
"I…I… I have… Hmm?" Arthur tried to speak, but it really wasn't working out.
"They're just tiny right now, probably only a day or so old, but I didn't want to risk you having a drink." Hadrian said.
"Twins?" Both Fabian and Gideon said at the same time, never taking their eyes off Arthurs stomach.
"Yeah, but they aren't like you or Fred and George. Their magic is already separated and different, so they aren't magical twins." Hadrian explained.
Arthur was still to shocked to speak, but Fabian and Gideon had identical smiles spreading across their faces.
"Thank you for warning us Hadrian." Fabian said.
"Can we keep this between us for now?" Gideon asked.
"I… I can try." Hadrian rubbed his arm and glanced over to where Fred and George were watching him. "I really don't want to try to keep secrets or lie to Fred and George."
Arthur, finally getting over his surprise, smiled at the boy. He really was glad that Hadrian was his boys soul mate, it was clear just how much they meant to him. "I understand Hadrian. You won't have to keep this to yourself for long, we will be telling the boys tomorrow I'm sure.
Mostly, we are just going to keep it relatively quiet for now. More than likely the rest of your family will learn about it soon since Remus will obviously pick up on it as soon as he gets anywhere near me.
Mainly, we want you to keep this from Ron and Ginny. I understand that you really don't speak to them, so I'm sure it won't be a problem. They've already had to deal with enough change this holiday, so I think we will hold off telling them until they come home for spring break."
"I can do that no problem." Hadrian was glad he wasn't going to have to lie to Fred and George for long. As for Ron and Ginny, he had absolutely no problem not telling them anything.
Saying a quick goodbye, Hadrian went back over to his friends. When the twins asked him what was going on, he just told them that they would find out tomorrow. Taking it as a challenge, Fred and George spent the rest of the night trying to get him to tell them what he was hiding. But, he was able to keep from telling them anything.
The Burrow - January 1, 2004
It was just after 3 in the morning when the Weasley-Prewett family made their way home. Everyone was happy and tired, but Fred and George both had concerned looks on their normally cheerful faces.
"What's wrong boys?" Fabian asked his boys.
"It's Hadrian." Fred sighed.
"He's keeping secrets." George said in the same tone of voice as his twin.
Arthur smiled at his clearly upset boys. "It isn't anything bad. We asked him to keep a secret for us so that we could be the ones to tell all of you. He didn't want to, but he did it for us."
Fred and George looked over to their fathers.
"We were going to tell you all after we woke up, but I guess it is best that we tell you all now so that our poor Fred and George stop worrying about what Hadrian was hiding." Gideon told the boys.
"Hadrian saw something and came over to let us know." Fabian smiled.
"Well?" Fred said.
"What is it?" George added.
"Much to our surprise, you are all going to be big brothers." Arthur announced.
All the children took a moment, just staring at their fathers. Bill, being the quickest to catch on, turned on his own mage sight and looked at his dad. Seeing the two sparks of magic, he smiled. "Twins!"
"What?" Both Fred and George said at the same time, turning to their eldest brother. But, he wasn't looking at them, he was still looking at their dads stomach. "Twins!" Fred and George cheered as one, rushing forward to hug their fathers. Percy Bill and Charlie all joining in.
It took over five minutes before their boys calmed down enough that Arthur was able to be heard over their own voices. "Boys. Your fathers and I have talked about it, and we all feel that Ron and Ginny have had enough change for now. We will be waiting to tell Ron and Ginny about the babies until they come home for spring break, and we were hoping that you would also help us keep this secret."
All the boys quickly agreed, they knew just how badly Ron and Ginny would take the news right now. It was better if they waited a while, and they all knew it.
Criss Cross - January 3, 2004
James smiled as he looked around the new restaurant in Hogsmeade. He thought it was perfect. With all the money that Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon gave them Nox's parents had been able to afford to create an amazing place.
The building was three stories tall and sat just on the edge of town by the Black Lake. It was in the perfect place for the families of the teachers that lived at the school to visit.
Inside, it was even better. The first floor was a large, open sitting area. It was very much in line with what the Three Broomsticks was like. The second floor was sectioned off areas that formed over a dozen rooms. Each room had it's own theme and had been enchanted to make the customers feel like they weren't actually sitting in a restaurant. One room was decorated like you were out on a balcony over looking a beach, another was designed to be like sitting in a downtown cafe in Italy. The third story was filled with two dozen smaller rooms that were intended for one on one meetings or dates. Half of those rooms were made to be more formal, for meetings, while the other half were more romantic for dates. The entire focus of the top two floors was the suspension of reality.
Going inside, James went and sat down in one of the rooms on the second floor. This room in particular reminded James of a cafe that he and the others had often visited when they were in Greece. James was only there for a few minutes before his guest arrived.
Tamsan Dove was thrilled as she walked into the new restaurant in Hogsmeade. Over the years, her career had only been elevated due to her discussions with Lord Peverell, now she was getting the interview that every other reporter had been scrambling for for months. She was going to be introduced to Lord Slytherin.
Originally, she had worked for The Daily Prophet, but she had not been happy there. The editors of the paper preferred to print sensationalized stories rather than the truth. A few years before she had joined the small staff of The Quibbler and was much happier. Although the magazine tended to be a bit more… fanciful, it was still far more accurate than the Prophet. Pandora Lovegood was very good at serving as a moderating influence to her husband.
"Welcome Ms. Dove." James stood as the woman walked into the room. He was glad to see the pleased look on her face as she looked around. James had specifically chosen to hold the interview here for a little free marketing for the Cross's.
"Good afternoon Lord Peverell." Tamsan took a seat when he indicated the one across from where he had been sitting. "So, what is it that you wished to discuss with me?"
James smiled at the woman. "Well, I am here to introduce you to Lord Slytherin. After all, there have been so many slanderous rumours about him and I."
"Yes, I have heard so many different stories, none of them very kind." Tamsan quickly pulled out her quill and parchment. She set it up so the quill would record everything that was said. Lord Peverell had given her permission to use her charmed quill long ago, so long as it was set up to record everything and he wasn't taken out of context. "Well lets start this off simply, what do you think of the reporting from outlets like The Daily Prophet?"
"I find it extremely insulting. Rather than looking for the truth, or waiting until Lord Slytherin felt comfortable speaking to them, they chose to lie. Although I am quite used to their behaviour now, I can assure you that Lord Slytherin stayed in the shadows as long as he did because of all the terrible things that have been said about him, he just didn't feel safe.
Many of those reports said terrible things about him, when the didn't even know who he was. I myself have been repeatedly attacked. Lord Slytherin only felt that he needed to come forward because they had gone so far as to suggest my incarceration and taking my heir from me. That was to much for him to tolerate."
"Will Lord Slytherin be attending the next Wizengamot now that he is coming out publicly?"
"No, I will be continuing in my roll as proxy, at least for now. Lord Slytherin has more important things that need his attention."
"What could be more important than helping to guide our world?"
James smiled. "You will understand once you meet him, but before that, I must ask you, what do you know of the ancient right of conquest?"
Tamsan thought, but she really had no clue what he was referring to. "Let's just assume that I know nothing."
James nodded. "Well, that really isn't surprising. Conquest rights are rarely ever used due to the fact that they only come into play between the ancient families.
If, during a magically declared war, the last heir of one ancient family attacks the last heir of another ancient family that has been declared an enemy house, it creates what is known as an heir battle. To ensure the survival of both lines, magic transfers all inheritance rights to the winner."
"But why does that all matter?"
James used his wand to open the door. "Why don't you come in Lord Slytherin?"
Tamsan couldn't stop her gasp as Hadrian Potter-Black shyly walked into the room. Then she understood what Sebastian had been saying. School. His education would be more important then attending the Wizengamot.
"Ms. Dove, allow me to introduce you to Lord Potter-Slytherin-Le Fay, Hadrian Potter-Black." James grinned at the shocked expression on the reporters face.
"Hello Ms. Dove." Hadrian said, making sure to keep his voice soft and unsure.
"Well this is a surprise." Tamsan had to force herself not to coo at the sweet boy. "Please, call me Tamsan."
"You can call me Hadrian." Hadrian gave her a slight smile.
"Thank you Hadrian. Shall we get started with this interview." Tamsan pulled out her questions when the boy nodded. "To start off, how do you feel about what The Daily Prophet has written about you and Lord Peverell?"
"To be honest, I really don't read The Prophet, or papers like it. I find them to be a complete waste of time. Although they do on occasion have decent articles, it isn't enough to make up for all the lies and misinformation.
I decided that I wouldn't have anything to do with that paper after I read one of their older issues. A few years ago I became interested in the catastrophe that was my Uncle Sirius's imprisonment. I read the reports they initially wrote when he had been sent to Azkaban, and it was a disgrace, they wrote about it for weeks. They wrote about a trial, that we all know never occurred. They wrote that he had confessed to everything and had even laughed and was happy about it all. Uncle Siri is my blood adopted godfather, and they portrayed him as a monster. Then, when it came out that he was completely innocent, and all the injustice that it involved, they never retracted a single one of their articles about him. They never even bothered to issue an apology.
But, although I don't read that paper, I have heard plenty of what they have accused my Uncle Sebastian of, and they should be ashamed of their blatant lies. Since they didn't know the truth, they, again, made up terrible stories about another member of my family. It just reinforces my refusal to have anything to do with that publication unless they have a major overhaul."
Tamsan grinned slightly, she really wasn't fond of The Prophet or the senior management. "Where have you heard about what has been said about your Uncle?"
"Mainly from my friends." Hadrian said in a matter of fact voice. "Given all the claims that my Uncle was a threat to me, many of my friends wanted to make sure that I was safe."
"It's good to know that you have such caring friends." Tamsan really was glad this sweet boy had good people around him. "Have you been happy with how your Uncle has been handling your seats?"
"Of course. My family has ensured that I was trained in how to properly handle my seats for when I come of age. Everything my Uncle has done as the proxy of my seats has been at my request." Hadrian wanted to make sure that everyone knew that he was in control of his seats, and not being controlled.
"This is the last question I have prepared, it has often been rumoured that the former dark lord, Voldemort, was the heir of Slytherin, and since you gained the title by conquest rights we know that is true. My question is, how do you feel about that?" Tamsan only stuttered slightly on naming Voldemort, she had been using the name more and more over the years, but old habits were hard to break.
"Yes, it is true that I gained both the Slytherin and the Le Fay titles due to conquest rights. At first, I was a little uncomfortable about it, but I decided to take up the titles so that I could use the seats to make our world a better place then he wanted. But then, I took the heir tests, and learned that he had been deemed unworthy. That made me realize that Riddle's views weren't the views of the families."
"Heir test?" Tamsan didn't really understand what that was, she didn't come from a noble family.
"In some of the more ancient families, they have what is known as an heir test." James started to explain. "This means, when the heir goes into the bank to claim the lordship, they are tested by the family magic. Each test is unique to the family.
The only way to take the title is to be accepted by the family magics. If the family magics find you unworthy, they will reject you and the lordship ring will return to the family vault for a worthy heir.
That is what happened to Riddle. The family magics found him lacking and rejected him. However, they found Hadrian to be worthy."
"After experiencing the heir tests for both families, reading many of the journals that Salazar Slytherin left behind, and speaking to the portraits of the schools founders, I learned that almost everything that was written about Salazar is wrong or taken out of context." Hadrian said, this would give him a chance to change the public image of Slytherin house.
"So he didn't want to ban muggleborn from our world?" Tamsan found this to be very interesting, she was going to have to see if she could get copies of those journals.
"Yes and no." Hadrian said in a thoughtful voice. "From what I have read, and what the portraits of all four founders have said, is that Salazar wanted to give muggleborns a choice. They could have their magic bound and memory altered and remain in the muggle world, or they could leave their muggle families behind and move completely into the magical world."
"But that is barbaric." Tamsan gasped.
"In modern terms, but you need to remember what was happening at the time. Tell me, what do you remember about what you learned about the witch hunts?" Hadrian asked.
"Well… The main thing that I remember is that Wendelin the Weird allowed herself to be caught over 40 times because she enjoyed pretending to be burnt at the stake. It really wasn't that dangerous of a time for witches and wizards because they would just cast a flame freezing charm." Tamsan said with a small smile, she had always thought that story was entertaining.
"But what I bet you never read about was what happened to the kids. Yes, an adult witch or wizard could escape easily enough, the children couldn't. It isn't information that you will find in 'A History of Magic' by Bathilda Bagshot, but the witch hunt's were extremely dangerous for children. They couldn't just cast a flame freezing charm.
Each of the founders kept track of their students as much as they could during summers, and they all lost plenty of them to the witch hunts. Just from the few journals that I have read, they were losing an average of at least 10 students a year, every year. And most of those students had been denounced by members of their own families.
I mean, we have the DCW, and they remove children from abusive homes, it's almost the same thing. If you knew that there was a good chance that a child was going to be killed, would you just leave them there.
And, there was a fight between the founders, but it wasn't Salazar against the others, it was Salazar and Godric against Rowena and Helga. They ultimately compromised and offered to let the students stay at the school year round if they didn't feel safe going home." Hadrian could see the slightly horrified look on the reporters face as she learned that the witch hunts weren't just the fun and games described in Dumbledore's approved history book.
"So Salazar didn't leave the school because the other founders refused to ban muggleborn students?" Tamsan asked, truly curious.
"No." Hadrian said definitively. "Again, according to the journals and portraits of the other founders, Salazar served as the schools potions professor, deputy headmaster, and head of Slytherin house for over 80 years before he retired around the same time as all the others.
He was killed about a decade after that when he had been contacted by one of his former students about a group of children that had been caught by another witch trial. Both he and Godric went to save the children, and both were fatally wounded saving the lives of over a dozen children and getting them to the school.
Godric, Salazar, Helga, and Rowena all did fight. They were all strong willed, opinionated people after all. But from what I've learned, they were all the best of friends until the day they died.
If you want, I can send you copies of the journals."
"I would appreciate that." Tamsan knew that Xeno and Pandora would be more than willing to publish excerpts from the journals of the founders.
"I think it's time to wrap up this interview, we have other appointments today." James said with a small smile towards his son.
"Thank you for agreeing to sit down and speak with me Lord Potter-Slytherin-Le Fay." Tamsan shook the boys hand.
"It was my pleasure Ms. Dove. I will have copies of the journals to you by the end of the week" Hadrian and his father both watched as the reporter packed up her things and left.
"Was that ok dad?" Hadrian turned to his father.
"It was perfect. You did wonderfully for your first interview." James reassured his son. "Let's get out of here, your papa and Kali were going to go book shopping, we can go and join them."