Diagon Alley - July 10, 2004
Two days after Winky had arrived, it was a Saturday. Hadrian had gone into Diagon Alley with his Aunt Marlene and baby cousin Rigel. Regulus was over at the manor helping Sirius, Fred, George, and his dad on some new joke product, so Hadrian had offered to go with Marlene so he could watch Rigel while she took care of business.
Marlene had an appointment at the bank, and then she needed to buy some supplies from the apothecary. She loved being off on maternity leave because it gave her the time she needed to look after Rigel, but she also tended to get board. Since he was still so young a majority of his time was spent sleeping, leaving Marlene sitting around waiting for him to wake up. Recently, she had started to spend that time trying to improve her brewing. Potions had never been her strong suit, but she wanted to improve given its importance in the medical profession, she thought it was better in the long run if she got better.
After the bank appointment, Hadrian took Rigel to Fortescue's. It was always recommended that no child go into the apothecary until they were at least three. This was because there were certain ingredients that were harmful to young children sold there. Those ingredients were usually kept away, but with the importance of children in their world no one wanted to take any chances.
Hadrian was sitting at one of the little tables in front of Fortescue's eating a scoop of both of his favourite ice creams, honey rhubarb and strawberry rose cheesecake. Rigel was sleeping in his buggy next to him. Although, Hadrian knew that he wouldn't be sleeping for much longer. Rigel had already started teething, and he had been rubbing at his mouth in his sleep for a little while now. Hadrian knew that soon enough he was going to wake up and want something to teethe on.
Looking up from where he was cautiously watching Rigel fight waking up, he groaned. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were walking down the alley. Directly towards him. They didn't look like they had seen him yet, but it was only a matter of time. The only good thing was that he was at one of the single tables so there was no room for them to sit with him.
Going back to his ice cream, Hadrian hoped for the best and feared the worst. And, not even two minutes later, the worst happened.
There was a slight squeal from just down the road that Hadrian knew came from Ginny, though he made sure not to look up. No need to let her think he had noticed her. Then, he heard three sets of hurried footsteps rushing towards him and he sighed, his shoulders slumping.
"Harry, Harry, Harry. Hey Harry, how lucky we're here at the same time. It must be fate." Ginny called out in her high pitched voice, even though she was only a few feet away.
"Or I'm cursed." Hadrian muttered under his breath before he looked up and shushed the girl. "Please, there is a sleeping baby here, keep your voice down."
That made Ginny freeze. She HATED babies.
"Who is that?" Hermione demanded as she got closer and glanced in at the sleeping baby.
"He, is my baby cousin, Rigel. You met my Aunt Marlene at Twilfit and Tattings, and again at the wedding." Hadrian rolled the buggy back and forth to sooth Rigel after Ginnys voice had disturbed him. Nem, who was curled up next to him, was less than pleased to see those loud people, it was even worse that they had woken her up.
"You can't have any magical aunts or cousins." Hermione said in a bossy voice. "Your mum's sister is a muggle and your dad was an only child."
"Not that it's really any of your business, but Rigel's dad was my dad's cousin. He as also Sirius's little brother. Since Sirius is my blood adopted god father, which in the eyes of the law makes him my father, yes, he is my uncle."
Seeing that Hermione was getting in to deep, Ron decided to cut in. "So how has your summer been Harry?"
"Great, up until now. It's been two weeks of no one calling me by the wrong name." Hadrian rolled his eye slightly as Ginny faked a laugh.
"So, Harry, why do you have a baby with you? Were you forced to look after him?" Ginny asked, moving forward to try and get between Harry and the stupid baby.
Hadrian pulled the buggy closer to him, blocking Ginny while keeping Rigel close. "I offered to look after Rigel while his mum's in the apothecary. Why would anyone need to force me to spend time with a member of my family? I love my family. I enjoy spending time with Rigel when I can. Since I'm away at school so much during the year I like to spend as much time as I can with the younger kids in my family during the summer.
Just wait, soon enough you'll have two new siblings. Then maybe you'll understand." Hadrian smirked slightly, knowing that neither Ron or Ginny were exactly happy about the babies.
Ginny held back a slight growl, she hated being reminded about her dads pregnancy. "Why would you want to look after a baby?"
Hadrian gave the girl a pitying look. "Because he's family. It takes a particular kind of selfish person to not want to spend any time with a baby in their family. Family is important to me, always has been, always will be. The same can be said about all of my friends. We all understand the importance of family. I honestly don't think you can trust anyone that would turn their back on their family, especially if there is an infant involved."
Ginny just stared for a moment. She really didn't like kids. Having kids of her own had never been in her plans. Sure, she understood she was going to have to have one when she married Harry to ensure her access to the family vaults no matter what, but that didn't mean she was going to raise it. That was what nannies were for. And, Harry wouldn't be the one raising it since he was going to be accompanying her to parties and shopping.
Now she was going to have to pretend. She should have seen this coming, Harry had always been so obsessed with his family, his little sisters in particular.
"Of course. I know I can't wait until the twins are born and I get to meet them." Ginny's voice sounded as fake as possible.
Before Hadrian could say anything Rigel started to fuss as he woke up. Grabbing the baby bag that was sitting under the buggy he started looking for his teething soother. Hadrian thought it was a brilliant thing. The soother was actually just a jell outline in the traditional shape, but it had a perforated surface. It could be filled with baby food and frozen so that as the baby teethed their gums were soothed by the cold and they also got a small snack.
The New Zealand branch of JT had been the one to work on the design. They really hadn't changed anything in the shape, the original muggle design had been close to perfect. The only real changes they made was to charm it to stay cool longer and enlarged the inside so the baby could get more food.
Rigel loved the avocado and banana flavour that Marlene mixed up for him. Often, when his teeth woke him up and he had one of those it would calm him enough that he would go back to sleep for another half hour or so.
Getting to the bottom of the bag, Hadrian sighed. The soother wasn't there. The only soother there was the traditional kind. He gave that one a try, but Rigel refuse to accept it.
Hadrian really didn't want to do this. He was going to have to call Kreacher.
Since Winky was safely at the manor, and wouldn't be attending the world cup, Hadrian had hoped that the world would never have to go through Hermione with her SPEW thing again. He knew that there was a chance that she would eventually learn about house elves once Winky went to work at The Burrow, but at least he wouldn't have to be there for that.
Looking at the tearful baby, he knew he had no choice.
"Kreacher!"
"Young Master Hadrian, Noble Heir of the House of Black calls Kreacher?" The elf popped in at Hadrians elbow.
"Yes Kreacher, Rigel needs his frozen soother but I don't think Marly packed it today. Can you go home and check for it?"
"Yes Master Hadrian." Kreacher looked at the quietly whimpering baby that was one of the most important wizards in his life before he popped home to find the soother the boy needed.
Both Ron and Ginny were green with jealousy. Of course Harry would have a house elf. With all his money and fame he probably had legions of them.
Hermione just stared at the spot where the strange creature had been. What had that been? The magical world just had so many weird things. And, why was it calling Harry master?
Before any of the others pulled themselves out of their own thoughts, Kreacher was back, soother clasped tightly in his hands.
"Here is Master Rigel's soother Master Hadrian. Will Master Hadrian or Master Rigel bes needing anything else from Kreacher."
"No, thank you Kreacher. This is everything." Hadrian tipped the back of the buggy up a bit so that Rigel was closer to a sitting position before giving him the soother. As soon as the soother was in his mouth the whimperers stopped and he started to suck contentedly. Once Kreacher saw that Rigel was ok he went back to the casino where he had been before, he and Dobby were in a pretty intense game of Texas hold'em, and he didn't trust that crazy elf not to cheat.
"What, was that?" Hermione finally managed.
"That was a house elf." Ron told the girl. "Why did he only mention the Black's, the Potter's are more important, everyone knows that?" Ron said in confusion. He really didn't understand that.
"Kreacher is a Black family elf, not a Potter elf." Hadrian said simply, not really paying any real attention to the boy, too caught up in Rigel.
"But why did he call you 'master'? That makes it sound like he's a slave." Hermione said indignantly. "How much does he get paid?"
Hadrian rolled his eyes as his shoulders slumped. Here they went.
"House elves are servants Hermione." Ginny said in a voice that showed she thought the other girl was an idiot. "They don't get paid."
"WHAT?" Hermione shrieked, getting a lot of attention from the others on the street for a moment before the other people decided they had more important things to do with their lives. "But, but that's slavery."
"Shhh. You do not scream around a baby." Hadrian said in a harsh, but quiet, voice. "It isn't slavery, per se. House elves and wizards have a symbiotic relationship."
"They aren't paid, that means it slavery. It's wrong Harry. How can you not see that. In the muggle world slavery was abolished in the 1800's, the wizarding world is just so backwards. You need to set that elf free. You need…" Hermione started to rant.
To save himself, Hadrian tried to cut the girl off. "Enough. Before you start ranting and raving about this topic, you should actually learn about it. Elves aren't slaves.
Yes, there are some elves that are in bad homes, but most are happy. They like to work. Elves need to be bound to a wizard for their own health."
"What is wrong with you?" Hermione interrupted, stomping her foot. "You sound like a monster saying things like that. Keeping slaves is wrong. And, I'm not ranting and raving, I'm just speaking the truth. Just because you don't like what I'm saying doesn't mean I need to be quiet. You can't use your fame to cover up, and explain away the fact that you own slaves.
You should be ashamed of yourself. Keeping an intelligent being as a slave. Honestly Harry, what are we going to do with you. You need to learn to listen more…"
"Hadrian, darling, are you two ready to go?" Marlenes voice was like hearing an angel for Hadrian.
When Marlene had first come out of the apothecary, she had been thinking about quickly running down to the book shop for a moment. Then, she had seen Hadrian surrounded by the two Weasley's and the Granger girl. It was clear the girl was giving some kind of lecture and Hadrian looked like he was ready to start hexing. Rigel would be fine in the bookstore, and even she wasn't so cruel to leave Hadrian with those three.
"Yes!" Hadrian jumped up as soon as he heard her. Moving quickly he brushed past Hermione and started pushing Rigel towards his mother.
Seeing that Hermione was putting her hands on her hips and starting to follow them Marlene realized the girl intended to follow them and continue on about what ever she had been saying. She could go to the book store any day, she wasn't about to expose her son and nephew to that girl for any longer than she had to.
Turning away from the rest of the alley, Marlene guided her boys home.
Hermione watched as Harry left, completely ignoring her.
"Well." She huffed as she turned to Ron and Ginny.
Ginny just glared at her. She was furious that Hermione had chased Harry away. This was the first time she had had a chance to be seen publicly with her future husband, and the other girl had made him leave.
"What?" Ron was very confused.
"House elves." Hermione huffed again. "They're slaves. How can you have nothing to say? Wizards are keeping slaves."
"They like it." Ron said stupidly, realizing as soon as the words left his mouth that was the exact wrong thing to say. Hermione was going to start yelling, and he knew it.
"Like it? Like it? Are you kidding me? Just because they have been brainwashed into thinking they like it doesn't mean it's true." Hermione all but screamed, forgetting that they were standing in the middle of Diagon Alley. "How many poor creatures like that out there are there?"
"I don't know." Ron tried, giving the girl shushing motions with his hands as he saw people looking at them.
"Most old pure blood families have at least one." Ginny supplied, starting to wander off towards the clothing shops they had originally been going towards before spotting Harry.
Hermione snarled as she followed the others that had already started to move away. She was going to have to fix this. She wasn't about to live in a world that still accepted slavery.
Quality Quidditch
That afternoon, after Hermione had gone home in a huff, Molly met her children outside of Quality Quidditch. She had a surprise for her babies.
"What is going on mummy. Are you finally getting us our brooms?" Ginny demanded. Starting to get excited as she looked at the quidditch shop in front of them.
"Even better baby." Molly smiled at her little girl. "You're buying your own brooms. Since you are buying them they belong to you. That means your dad can't take them away from you. If he does, that means he's a thief and you can contact the auror department."
"But we don't get enough allowance." Ron said. he was both extremely excited and confused.
"Your dad might not give you what you deserve, but I will." Molly pulled out the bank cards that were connected to the account that Albus had set up for them 12 years earlier when she told him they needed money.
Since they hadn't taken any money out, and Molly had been adding the money she had skimmed off Arthurs pay checks when he worked for the ministry there was close to 6,000 galleons in the account. There really was no need for them to know that it had been Albus to open the accounts, so she could take the credit, she had been the one to make him open the accounts anyways.
Pulling out the little account books she showed them just how much she was giving them.
Ron just grinned happily as he saw how much money he had now. Ginny hopped up and down squealing in joy. Finally, she had some decent spending money.
"Let's go get you two your brooms." Molly grinned at the children as she escorted them into the shop.
Both children immediately when to the Firebolt display. It had been released the year before, and it was the best and newest broom on the market. Both children wanted it.
In a stunningly small amount of time the children had grabbed everything that they wanted. They had both gotten new, top of the line, gloves and robes. Ron got everything he could ever need to be keeper, while Ginny got everything for being a chaser. In total, their little shopping spree cost them close to two thousand galleons each.
But, Molly didn't really notice just how much the children were spending, she was just happy to see her babies so excited. She was the best mum and she knew it.
Peverell Manor - July 16, 2004
Friday night, after finishing up a late evening at work, Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon flooed to Peverell Manor. Hadrian had gotten in touch with them earlier to tell them that Winky had woken up. The healer elf, Kobi, had said that she needed the bond now if they wanted her to survive.
Down in the elf quarters, Hadrian was sitting with a still weak Winky. When Arthur and the twins came in Hadrian smiled and waved them over.
"Winky, this is Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon Weasley-Prewett. They're the ones I was talking to you about. They want to bond with you, but only if it's what you want."
Winky slowly lifted her eyes to the three men that had come to sit next to her nest. They looked nice. When her eyes caught on the large stomach of the man in the centre she smiled. A baby, maybe, if she bonded with them she could keep this child from becoming like Master Barty.
"Hello Winky. I'm Arthur. Why don't I tell you a little about our family to help you make a decision?" Arthur smiled when the little elf gave a small nod. "We have 7 children. Our eldest two, Bill and Charlie, both work out of the country. Then there is Percy, he just finished at Hogwarts and is now working at the ministry, but he is still living at home while he saves up for his own place. Then there are our twins, Fred and George. They are going into their 6th year at Hogwarts in September. They are also best friends with Hadrian, so they will probably be here to visit while you recover.
Then, there is Ron, who is 14, and Ginny, who will be 13 in the middle of August.
And, of course, we have these two." Arthur stroked his hand down his stomach. "We are expecting twins in the middle of September.
Now, don't worry, we wouldn't expect you to manage everything. We want to teach the children to be self reliant, so they are responsible for themselves. And, we try to be as involved as possible with their lives so we will take up primary responsibility for the twins once they're born. Your main job would just be keeping the main area of the house tidy, the kids are responsible for their own rooms, and maybe a few meals during the week. The three of us all enjoy cooking so we could split the job between the four of us.
Can either of you think of anything I've missed?"
Both Fabian and Gideon shook their heads. Arthur had covered everything they could think of.
"Well, what do you say Winky?" Hadrian looked to the elf. "Would you like to bond with them?"
Winky looked at the three men. Her first instinct seemed to have been correct, they were nice. But, should she bond with them? Winky wasn't a fool, she knew that if she didn't bond she would die. But, would that be better?
She couldn't stand the idea of bonding to another family like her Master Crouch's. Winky had been born into the Crouch family, so she hadn't had a choice, but she had once been proud to be a Crouch elf. Then she learned the truth. Her family wasn't normal. Over the years she had seen and heard so many terrible things. The family she had been so proud to serve were criminals and killers. Could she really trust herself to make the right choice? Could she trust her instincts on this?
Then she looked to Dobby's Master Hadrian. The boy trusted these men and had personally chosen them for her. She might not trust herself, but she trusted him.
Winky gave a nod, agreeing to the bond.
It was rather quick and easy to bond with a house elf. All that really needed to be done was for the potential master(s) to take the elves hand and then for them all to allow their magic to reach out.
Winky sighed happily as her new bond settled into place. She never realized just how painful her old bond had been. It had felt cold and hard, like a never melting piece of ice was being held to her chest all the time. This bond was warm and soft. She could feel the kindness in her new family. The bond soothed the pain in her chest.
It was like night and day in Hadrian's opinion. As soon as the bond took hold Winky visibly improved. She was still small and weak looking, but she didn't look like she was about to die anymore. Hadrian sighed in relief.
"Winky, what is your favourite colour?" Fabian asked.
"Winky's likes purple Master Fabian. Whys does yous want to know?" Winky was confused, then she was terrified. "I's is sorry Master Fabian. Winkys didn't mean to question you."
"Winky, calm down sweetheart." Gideon tried to sooth the fearful elf. "You didn't do anything wrong. It is more than ok to ask questions when you don't understand something, actually, we encourage you to ask questions. It's the only way for us to get to know each other. As for the colour, we were just wondering so that we could make sure that you have plenty of blankets and pillows in your favourite colour in your new nest room at our house for when your ready to move in."
Winky teared up. These masters wanted to make sure her nest was in her favourite colour. Her last masters just let her use old towels to make her nest. Yes, these were good masters.
Hadrian smiled as he left Winky to get to know her new family better. He had known he had made the right decision in choosing them for her.
Healers Office - July 22, 2004
Arthur nervously made his way into the healers office where Healers Morrison and Lane worked. Rather than having the children attend their usual Thursday meeting, Arthur, and Molly, would be speaking to their healers to see what the treatment plan they recommended was. Both healers felt that they had enough information to start to diagnose the children.
At first he hadn't planned on involving Molly in this, since he knew she would just make up excuses for the children, but he had changed his mind. Ever since Ron had written her and told her that he was sending them to mind healers Molly had been on a tear. Sending him multiple howlers about how there was nothing wrong with her babies. Arthur figured Molly needed to hear a professional opinion if he had any hopes of her working with him and whatever decisions he made.
Molly arrived a few minutes late, but Arthur was relieved that she had at least decided to attend. She needed to learn that the children really were having problems, and she wasn't helping make anything better, if anything, she was making it worse.
"Well, now that we're all here, let's start." Arthur smiled at the two mind healers.
Molly huffed slightly. She really didn't see what was wrong with Arthur. Nothing was wrong with her babies. The only real reason she had even bothered to attend was because of his pregnancy, those twins were meant to be hers, so she wanted to make sure they at least heard her voice before they were born.
"Let's." Healer Morrison smiled. He was a larger jovial man. "I guess I'll start." He looked over to Healer Lane and she nodded to him. "So, Ronald. We've got some work to do here, but I'm sure we can deal with most of it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Molly snarled. No one said there was something wrong with her baby boy.
"Enough Molly. Let Healer Morrison explain before you lose it." Arthur sighed.
Healer Morrison saw how this was going to go. "Well… I'm just going to use plain language and not get into technical terms to much so this goes faster.
I have found a few issues. The first, as we discussed when you were first arranging our meting Arthur, is that Ronald shows a clear lack of understanding of the difference between reality and fiction. Just from our few discussions it is clear that Ronald thinks he can rewrite history and it will become true simply because he says it is.
Second, he has almost zero understanding of what consequences are. He seems to thing he can get away with anything, again, just because he says so. I don't think I need to tell you why this is a problem. The law won't change just because he wants it too.
The third issue I found was his inability to focus. He seems to struggle with focusing on anything for any real length of time. And, Ronald absolutely refuses to focus on anything he doesn't want to. I think this is more than likely one of the factors that is contributing to his failing grades.
And, the fourth, and probably the largest issue in my opinion, is his complete self centred world view. Ronald does not seem to understand that there are other people in the world, and that they have just as much right to exist as he does."
Arthur really wasn't surprised by any of this. "Is there anything we can do to address any of these issues?"
"Plenty." Healer Morrison smiled. "I'm going to need to continue to see him of course. I will serve as an outlet for his thoughts and ideas. I can also help him talk through what is going on and his feelings. I am also going to recommend some mind magics and potions.
We have a spell in our profession that will allow our patients to experience things from other peoples perspectives. This will teach him to empathize with others and hopefully show him that other people matter to.
With his focus problems there is a two pronged approach. There is a potion, Lasarox, which will help him to focus for longer periods of time. He is also going to need structure. I understand that this is the summer so it would be easy to just let him do what he wants, but that is the exact worst thing for him. You are going to need to work out a strict schedule that will keep him on track.
I would recommend using a time table similar to his school schedule since he will be going back there in September. It will help him to learn to focus at the times when he is in class which should help his grades tremendously.
And, there needs to be consequences if he strays from his schedule by refusing to do things. This is about teaching him, not being cruel, but he needs to learn if you want him to be able to function as an adult."
Molly just stewed in her own thoughts so Healer Lane decided to add her part.
"I have actually found Ginevra to have similar issues. Like her brother, Ginevra lacks empathy, compassion, or even notice, that other people exist and matter.
However, the largest issue that I have noticed with Ginevra is she has one of the worst cases of something we call obsessive love disorder, or OLD. 12 is a little early in my opinion to be in a serious relationship, but she isn't my child."
"What serious relationship?" Arthur questioned, although he already had an idea. "She isn't in a serious relationship."
"According to her, she has been seeing Hadrian Potter, although she refers to him as 'Harry', since she was 11." Healer Lane said in an inquisitive voice.
Arthur shook his head sadly. "No she hasn't. Hadrian, and yes, his name really is Hadrian, he hates when people call him Harry, but she just won't listen, either way, he doesn't like her."
Healer Lane nodded in understanding, the girl was clearly making more things up again. But, before she could say anything, Molly turned on Arthur.
"You have no idea what you're talking about. Harry and Ginny are meant to be. They love each other."
"No Molly, they don't. Ginny loves the idea of Hadrian. She doesn't even know him.
As for Hadrian, he can't stand her. Her obsession with him frightens him. Also, the fact that she refuses to call him by his name infuriates him. The only reason he is polite to her at all is out of respect for the family. He understands that she is Fred and George's little sister so he tries to stay civil."
"So her condition is even worse than I thought." Healer Lane said, attempting to interrupt the argument. "That is something that needs to be seriously addressed.
Aside from that, the thing that worries me the most is her clear evidence of sociopathic tendencies. She shows a disregard for the rights of others, and a near complete lack of empathy for anyone that isn't her. With her temper, this is extremely dangerous."
"What will treatment be for her?" Arthur asked in a subdued voice.
"For the first part, it will be a lot like her brother's. Some mind magics to help her start to empathize with others. Treating her sociopathy will be similar. That isn't something that can ever truly be removed, but we can at least teach her to respect others and their rights.
For her OLD there are a few potions that will ease her symptoms. Other than that she will need cognitive and talk therapy.
This isn't something that is going to go away overnight. I know that one of the healers at the school, Healer Savoy, is a practiced mind healer, I personally helped to train her, so I would recommend arranging for Ginevra to see her during the school year."
"I would suggest Ronald see her as well. There is only so much we can do with only the few months the children are home for the summer." Healer Morrison agreed with his colleague.
"There is no need for any of this. There is nothing wrong with my babies. They're just fine. The only one with issues is you three." Molly growled. She had been quiet long enough. No one talked like that about her babies.
"Molly, the kids aren't alright. They need help. They aren't babies anymore. Ron is a teenager and Ginny will be as well in August. I have been telling you for years, they need to grow up." Arthur tried again. "You do nothing but make excuses for their bad behaviour, but I have had enough.
They are both failing classes and getting detention almost every week for bullying. If this keeps up they will be going to Azkaban rather then their graduations. All it will take is for one of their bullying victims parents to file charges."
"There is no need to be so dramatic. They are to young to go to Azkaban." Molly brushed him off, but she didn't get any further.
Healer Lane was not someone that was considered a pushover by anyone. She was as strict as they came. With a job like hers she often had to deal with family members that denied the truth about their child's diagnosis. Her first priority was always, and would always be, her patients, and not their parents feelings.
"They might be to young for Azkaban at the moment, but that won't last forever. But, that is not the only thing you need to worry about.
I will put it simply so that you understand. If any of the parents of your children's victims file charges, Healer Morrison or I will be called to testify. Given their diagnosis, and, if you refuse to let them be properly treated, we will have no choice but recommend that the children are removed from your care and committed.
There is a ward in St. Mungo's for those with criminal tendencies. If you cant be trusted to get your children the help they need, they will be taken away from you, plain and simple.
The best thing you can do right now is get on board and do what is best for your children. As your ex husband has already stated, they are failing class and getting in trouble. Either you can help them and be their mother, or you can try and stop it and risk the imprisonment of your children.
No parent wants to think that there is anything wrong with their children, but I am here to tell you, there is something wrong. But, we are going to do the best we can to fix it. The question is, are you going to help, or hinder?"
Arthur withheld a smirk. Healer Lane had done that expertly. She had put Molly back in her place and then framed the question in a way that Molly would have no choice but to agree with her.
Molly just huffed. What was she supposed to do? She was sure there was nothing wrong with her babies… But she couldn't deny that she had been having problems with their attitudes in the past few years. Then there was the failing classes. She still couldn't believe that they had failed two classes each. It was so embarrassing.
No, she had no choice. She had to let these people 'treat' her babies how they saw fit. If it worked, then all the better, but if it didn't, like she thought, then she would be able to rub it in Arthurs face. She could use that to show that he clearly didn't know what to do without her. It would let her show Arthur that the children needed a mother that lived with them full time.
She might not like it overly much, but she would be willing to live in her old room at The Burrow to be close to her babies. Then she could get to work breaking her brothers and Arthur up. It would also let her become more active in the new twins lives.
Completely ignorant of Molly's planning, Arthur was discussing what they would need to do for Ron and Ginny over the next few weeks.
The Bubble - July 31, 2004
This year, for Hadrians 14th birthday, James and Severus arranged for Hadrian to have a real party. It wasn't overly large, just 20 or so people that he was close to, but it was his first party.
They went to The Bubble for the party. Charlie helped to arrange for them to be able to set up a picnic area in the field in thee unicorn inclosure. Most of the girls at the party enjoyed getting to just spend time around unicorns. Since they were so used to the caretakers coming in, the unicorns had no fear of people so the kids could all get close enough to pet them.
As much fun as he was having with his friends, Hadrian did find himself getting a little overwhelmed. Seeing this, Fred and George suggested they go and explore the rest of The Bubble for a bit.
Eventually, they came upon Charlie and Oliver, once again making out in the dragon enclosure. Fred and George couldn't resist teasing their brother, but Hadrians attention was caught by the two young dragons.
Mercury and Silver were now the size of horses, and, as sarcastic as teenagers.
"Great, more two legs to come and mate in our home." Silver snarked.
"Be nice Sil, you've seen how open it is out there. Maybe they're just shy?" Mercury looked to his sister.
"I don't care. The least they could have done was bring us more fishies. I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry. I honestly don't see why you like those things so much. I liked the stuff they call beef they gave us after you snuck out and ate all the fish. It's so much better. You should do that again, I want some more of that stuff."
"I was sick for almost a week after that. I'm not doing that again. It's not my fault they always give us fish, maybe they just like me better."
"Or they just don't mind you getting fat."
Silver glared daggers at her brother. "How dare you. I'm not fat. I'm the perfect size for my age. One of the two legs said so."
"That two legs is staring at us."
"All the two legs stare at us. They're just stunned by my beauty."
"Or stupid. No, this one is different. He knows something."
'Well, two legs. What's your problem?"
"Nothing. Just thought your argument was interesting. I'm Hadrian by the way." Hadrian said.
Both dragons were stunned as they had never met a two legs that understood them before.
"I'm Silver. You speak our language. No other two legs we've met has." Silver said happily.
"Tell the other two legs, 'Mercury doesn't like fish'." Mercury grouched sulkily.
"Hadrian be careful." Charlie called out, seeing Hadrian walking towards the two dragons.
Fred and George immediately left their brother and rushed to Hadrian. They couldn't believe they had been so caught up in teasing their brother they had let their soul mate put himself in so much danger.
"I'm fine. We're just talking. Oh, and Mercury says he doesn't like fish. He much prefers beef." Hadrian said as he glanced over to Charlie.
"What?" Both Charlie and Oliver were confused.
"Oh, that's right." Fred smiled at his little soul mate.
"What?" Charlie tried again.
"Hadrian has all speak. He can understand them." George told his elder brother.
Charlie rushed forward, pushing his brothers out of the way so he could get closer to Hadrian. "You understand them? You can talk to them? Mercury doesn't like fish?"
Hadrian smiled at Charlie. "Yes, yes, and no. I can't believe I never told you. Yes, I can understand magical creatures. I think… I could even find a way for you to communicate with them, give me a second."
Moving forward, Hadrian started drawing symbols on the ground. Dragons were serpents, so he wondered if they understood parseltongue. Parseltongue had a written language that all serpents were born knowing.
"Do you guys understand this?" Hadrian asked.
"Of course. That's the serpent tongue." Silver huffed. Two legs could be so weird.
The others stared in confusion. When Hadrian spoke using his all speak, his voice was completely indecipherable to them. It wasn't the hissing of parseltongue, it was just noise.
"This is the written language of parseltongue. All serpents are born with the knowledge of how to speak and read it. I can give you a few basic words and phrases that you can use if you want." Hadrian said as he looked to Charlie.
Charlie could only babble. This was beyond his wildest dreams.
"Great, I think you broke my boyfriend." Oliver sighed. "Time to get back to the party." He looked to Fred and George.
Fred and George understood. They needed to get Hadrian and Charlie away from the dragons, and each other, or they were going to lose them to the dragons and language.
"Bye guys. I have to get back to my family. But, don't worry, I'll make sure the handlers know you don't like fish, and I'll give them the basics of snake tongue. It might give you a way to tell them what you want to eat.
"Bye Hadrian two legs." Silver puffed out a few smoke rings.
"Make sure to tell them I don't like fish." Mercury called out as Hadrian was rushed from the enclosure.
Puddlemere United Main Office - August 4, 2004
Oliver was a little nervous as he made his way into the main office of the team. He had just been signed as reserve keeper for Puddlemere United two days before. Now he was being called into a meeting with the boss. Oliver was worried they were going to tell him there had been a mistake and he hadn't really made the team.
Going into the office, Oliver sat down on the edge of the seat. "Is something wrong, ma'am, sirs?"
"There is something we need to discuss Mr. Wood. You show great potential, that is why we recruited you, but we can and will not risk our reputation. We can not have players on our team getting in trouble with the law." The coach said, the others in the office, the owners, kept quiet.
"Trouble with the law?" Oliver was confused.
"Yes, we were visited by an auror yesterday. She implied that you were a person of interest in a case, although what case that is, we don't know. We wanted to speak to you about it before we made any decisions." Coach Hastings said.
Oliver was confused, but only for a few moments. Charlie had mentioned Nymphadora's obsession with him. They figured that was why professor Tonks had been actively trying to fail him. Dora had even started harassing Charlie when he was home visiting. Now, it looked like she was trying to destroy his life.
"Let me guess, you met Auror Tonks." Oliver growled.
"Yes." The coach was slightly confused by Wood's reaction.
"I can explain that. Nymphadora Tonks was obsessed with a boy she went to school with, Charlie Weasley. She, and her parents, had even started planning their wedding. But, Charlie had no interest in her." Oliver explained.
"But what does this have to do with you?" Mrs. Fairchild, one of the teams co-owners, asked.
"Charlie is my boyfriend." Oliver said. "Nymphadora's parents both work at Hogwarts and her mother was even sanctioned by the school board for repeatedly failing my assignments in her class when it was proven she was marking me down just because I was dating Charlie. Charlie mentioned to me that Nymphadora has started to harass him whenever he comes home from Romania, where he is working as a dragon handler."
"Ahhh, we understand." Mrs. Fairchild nodded, this wasn't the first stalker a member of their team had to deal with. "Many of our players have had to deal with issues like this. Although, I think you might be the first member of the team having to deal with harassment because they are dating the victim. Normally our players are the target of the obsession.
Don't worry, we won't let this affect your career with our team. We know that this isn't your fault, although, I would recommend maybe taking this up with her boss. She could cause some serious issues for you with what she is doing. She truly made it seem as if you were suspected of doing something terrible."
"I think I will be going to the DMLE to file a complaint after practice today. I didn't realize she would go this far." Oliver sighed.
"That is for the best. If you need anything from us, just let us know." Mrs. Fairchild smiled at the young man. Stalking was something she took extremely seriously, as any sensible person should. "There is actually procedures in place for a case of stalking, Coach Hastings should have the paperwork with information and recommendations."
Oliver looked to his coach who nodded that he did have such things.
DMLE
After finishing up practice, Oliver went directly to the DMLE. He wasn't going to let this go. He could have lost his job today if the owners hadn't chosen to speak to him first.
Mrs. Fairchild had made arrangements for him to have a meeting with Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour. She had also gotten the other owners and Coach Hastings to write up a statement about what happened and even sent a copy of her memories of what happened when Tonks met with them.
"Mr. Wood, please, have a seat." Amelia motioned to the chair on the other side of the table from her and Rufus. "Now, I was wondering what this was about? Madeline Fairchild wasn't very specific when she requested this meeting with us."
"I'm here to file a formal complaint of harassment agains one of your aurors. Nymphadora Tonks." Oliver said, his voice cold and hard.
"Don't be ridiculous." Rufus laughed gruffly. "Tonks is an excellent auror." Tonks was hand selected by Dumbledore, and Rufus trusted Dumbledore. He wasn't really willing to risk crossing the clever old man.
"What is the basis of your claim?" Amelia shot Rufus a stern look.
"She went to my place of work and started interviewing my employers under the pretence of my being a suspect in a major case. She heavily implied that I was a criminal. I could have lost my job due to her actions." Mrs. Fairchild had told Oliver that he needed to remain calm no matter what while he was filing the complaint, so he was doing his best not to let the old aurors behaviour bother him.
"She's just doing her job. If you break the law, then you have to deal with aurors." Rufus huffed.
"Except, I have not broken any laws. All I have done was dare to date a man that she is obsessed with. I should also point out, that she has been harassing and stalking my boyfriend whenever he is in the country. You should probably expect him to file a complaint after I tell him about this.
Up until now he has just brushed it off as an overly enthusiastic crush. But, I don't think he will be so calm when he hears what she's done now. He can be a little protective when someone he cares about is threatened.
I brought these." Oliver pulled out the statements and memories. "These are the statements of the different people she met with and the memory of one of those witnesses."
"If you don't mind, we will view the memory?" Amelia quickly set out the pensieve.
Oliver just sat, going over the statements of the others while Madame Bones and Mr. Scrimgeor viewed the memory. When they came out, both were stunned.
Amelia was furious at the clear evidence of abuse of power. Rufus was stunned at the foolish girls stupidity. He wasn't above throwing his weight around, and he often over looked it when his aurors did the same, but the girl hadn't even been subtle about it.
"Now… I'm sure it isn't as bad as you claim." Rufus started to try.
Amelia glared at the man before cutting him off. "I can assure you Mr. Wood, I will personally ensure that this is addressed. You have our full apologies. Please, have a nice day."
Knowing he had been dismissed, Oliver thanked Madame Bones, shot a look at Scrimgeor, and left.
"Now Amelia…"
"Don't even try it Rufus." Amelia snarled at her co-worker. "This is one of the clearest cases of harassment and abuse of power I have seen in years."
"Maybe he really is a criminal. We don't know what she found during her investigation." Rufus tried to make an excuse for the girl, but it was weak, and he knew it.
"I know for a fact that she is assigned to the faulty cauldrons case. I know this because she stormed into my office last week and demanded to be assigned to a bigger case, because she felt that the case was beneath her. She even threatened to go to Dumbledore about it for some reason. As if I would be intimidated by my old headmaster. Honestly, what could he do, give me detention?
I highly doubt a quidditch player is involved with smuggling in faulty cauldrons.
Allow me to make this simple. Either you reprimand her and find an appropriate punishment, or I will deal with it. If she does something like this again she will be fired, and you know it. And, I will inform the minister that I wanted to have her reprimanded but you didn't. Don't think for a second that I won't let you go down with her."
"Wouldn't dream of it Amelia." Rufus knew he didn't have a choice. He knew Amelia would have no problem helping take him down. The woman was just to much of a rule lover. "I will address the problem."
"You better."
The Burrow - August 7, 2004
The day had finally arrived for Winky to move to her new home. Over the past month she had recovered remarkably well. Even before the murder of her old master, Winky hadn't been doing very well. She still wasn't fully recovered, but she was ready to go back to work.
If she had to spend any more time in bed she was sure she was going to lose it. She hadn't even been aloud to help out around the manor. All anyone said was that they didn't want her to hurt herself.
Winky was excited as she popped into her new home.
There was a large, multicoloured sign announcing 'Welcome Home Winky' in large, sparkly letters. All three of her new masters and the five older boys were all there to greet her.
Winky had never felt so loved in her life.
"Welcome home." Everyone shouted as one as soon as she arrived.
Winky could only babble her thanks and blush. She had met them all over the past few weeks, they had come to visit her often while she was recovering. The only ones she hadn't met were the two youngest children, Master Ron and Mistress Ginny.
After lunch, which Winky ate at the table with her masters for the first time in her life, the children all went on their ways. Bill was meeting a few friends from school, Charlie had a date, Percy was going to look at some apartments in London, and Fred and George were going to the shop. And wasn't that a surprise for Winky, two of her young masters had already started their own successful business.
"Winky, there was something we need to discuss with you." Fabian said.
Winky looked to her new masters, confused.
"You see, we have had a few problems in the past, and we don't want them to surprise you." Gideon started to explain before looking to Arthur.
"When I was younger, I married Fabian and Gideon. We were happy together with our five boys. But, not everyone was willing to let us be." Arthur started.
"Our former little sister, Molly, was obsessed with Arthur. She used an incredibly old ritual to change things. It forced us to forget that we were married." Gideon carried on.
"She pretended that she was the one who married Arthur, and used love potions on him to make him believe it. It was around that time that our friends were attacked by death eaters. When Gideon and I went to help, we were taken and imprisoned by Voldemort. I'm sure you heard about the recently discovered prison, well, the two of us were amongst them." Fabian told the now upset elf.
"While the twins were in prison, I carried on under the ritual and potions, not knowing the truth. During that time, Ron and Ginny were born. I will admit to you, since you will undoubtedly feel the difference in your bond with them, I am not their birth father.
Molly used a blood adoption on them to make them mine. Although I was not their birth father, I am their father now, and I love them.
Our older boys discovered what had happened to us and worked to free us, which, they obviously did. We are now trying to pull our lives back together and figure out how to carry on. So you might notice that we say or do odd things from time to time. One thing we would request is that you not speak of any of this around Ron or Ginny, neither of them know any of this, and we would prefer to keep it that way.
Ron and Ginny have been struggling for the past few years. I finally arranged for them to see mind healers this summer, and they are currently on potions to help them adjust to their changing situations.
But, the major thing we want you to know is that if Ron or Ginny are at any time mean to you, you are to come to us and let us know so that we can deal with it. They were both diagnosed as lacking empathy or compassion for anyone, it is one of the things they are being treated for. I do not doubt that they will be mean, so I will apologize in advance.
And, you are not to follow their orders. They are responsible for cleaning their own rooms and looking after their own things. If they were to ask you for a sandwich for lunch, then that is fine, but if they order you to get them lunch, then you don't have to listen. They are currently having to learn that they can't just demand things, they have to ask nicely. Unfortunately their mother felt that was a lesson they didn't need to learn as children.
Just use your own discretion. If they ask or tell you to do something that doesn't seem normal, come to us or just say no. You have the right to say no to any request or order by any member of this family if you don't want to do whatever it is or it makes you feel uncomfortable." Arthur said all at once.
Winky nodded. She was sad that her masters had been hurt like that in the past, and she swore that she would do anything to stop it from happening again. As for the two youngest children, she had no problem with her orders regarding them. She wasn't about to make the same mistakes she had made with her Master Barty.
Both she and the boys mother had tried to make up for his fathers cruelty by giving him anything that he wanted, and she had already seen how that turned out. No, she wasn't going to let these two go down that path if she could help it.
The Burrow - August 9, 2004
All the Weasley-Prewett family members remaining at the house were up early and getting ready for work. Both Bill and Charlie had left to return to their own countries of work the night before.
Everyone was smiling and happy as they ate the incredible breakfast Winky had made for them. She had already started to settle in and was learning everyones favourite things. The overly large breakfast had been a trick. She had been invited to sit at the table at every single meal, and Charlie had even already made her her own special chair so that she could sit comfortably at the table, so she was watching who chose what. It would allow her to know what her new family liked to eat.
About half an hour before everyone had to leave, the floo flared green and Ron and Ginny slouched through. Neither of them were happy to be back at their dads, or up as early as they were. Their dad had created a, in their opinion, incredibly stupid schedule that they were forced to stick to.
They had to be up by 8 am on week days and 10 on weekends. They also were expected to spend at least 4 hours on their summer school assignments each day, and then another hour on Percys notes for their next years. And, their dad had even attached them to detailed schedules that actually monitored them, it didn't count any time they spent day dreaming, even if they had their books open in front of them. Their mother was even forcing them to stick to the schedule, but she was nicer about it and kept pushing things back for them.
Before they had left their mothers, they had eaten the breakfast she had made and agreed that they were going directly to their rooms. They didn't want to have to deal with any of the others so early in the morning.
That had been the plan, that was until they saw all the food and smelt how good it was.
"Where did all this food come from? Why do you have it?" Ginny asked. Ron was to busy salivating.
"It's breakfast Ginny. And, it came from the kitchen." Percy said in a bland voice.
"Ron, Ginny. Please, have a seat. There is a few things we need to discuss." Arthur said.
Ron had no problem with that, the food smelt good. Ginny groaned as she shuffled to the table, whenever her dad said they needed to discuss something her life got worse.
"This is Winky." Arthur motioned to the little elf that was sitting in her seat between George and Percy. "She is our new house elf. But, do not make any mistakes, she is not your personal servant. She will not be cleaning your rooms. She will not be following any order that comes into your mind. If you would like something, you must ask politely, and she has been given permission to say no if she doesn't want to do it or it isn't her job. Winky's job is to tidy the main area of the house and make meals on occasion. She is not a slave that will do anything you want.
Also, you are both grounded from the brooms for the week."
"What?" "Why?" Both children shouted, momentarily forgetting the surprise of the elf.
"Because you didn't follow your schedule." Arthur sighed. "You are supposed to get up at 10 on weekends, you know that. Yet, your schedules say you both slept in to well past noon all weekend. Ron, you didn't spend even half the time on your summer school studies that you were supposed to. And Ginny, you didn't even spend any time on studying for next years classes. Since you both broke the rules, you are both being punished."
"You can't touch our brooms. We bought them for ourselves, we own them, so you have no right to go near them. If you try and take my broom I'll have the aurors charge you with stealing." Ginny gave her father a look that clearly showed she thought she had won.
"Winky, is there any way you can make it so no broom can fly on this property without my permission?" Arthur asked the elf.
"Yes Master Arthur. Winky can." Winky snapped her fingers, casting an area effect spell that would keep all brooms on the ground.
"Thank you Winky. There you go Ginny. You're grounded and I didn't touch your broom. Now, I think you might need to go up to your room and think about your attitude and how it is unacceptable to speak like that to your father." Arthur watched the girl storm off. "Ronald, table manners."
Ron didn't even look up. He just kept shovelling food into his mouth. Fred and George were almost sickly fascinated as they watched their brother eat. Somehow, he was both managing to chew with his mouth open yet swallow his food almost hole.
Seeing her new masters anger, Winky once again snapped her fingers. All of a sudden the rude boy couldn't grab any of the food, it all moved away from him.
"Thank you Winky." Arthur smiled at the elf before looking back at his son, he hadn't even realized she could do something like that. "Ronald."
Arthur waited until Ron looked at him. "You need to chew your food properly, and, chew with your mouth closed. You are not a starving animal, don't act like it. If you continue on like that I will speak to your Aunt Muriel and ask her to start teaching you proper table etiquette."
Ron just glared at his father. They stared at each other until Ron sat properly and picked up his fork and knife. When he reached toward his food this time he was able to reach it.
Arthur smiled and went back to eating when he saw that Ron was eating properly, for the moment. Shortly after that, everyone left for work, and Winky cleaned up breakfast, much to Ron's dismay.
Lyon, France - August 15, 2004
Dudley Dursley was extremely worried as he sat in the front room of his house.
Years ago, when he had been just a young child, he had been a terrible person. He didn't remember much of what he was up to when he was five, but what he did remember made him ashamed just to think of it. He had bullied and tormented his cousin because his parents told him it was ok. It was only after his cousin was gone that he started to realize just how it felt.
One night, after his dad had had a bad day at work, Dudley had accidentally knocked a glass of juice off the counter. In the past, his dad would have made his cousin deal with it, and then probably hit his cousin, but now his cousin wasn't there. Dudley had ended up crying in his room clutching his chest, knowing that this was what his cousin had endured for years.
That night had left Dudley with a fractured wrist, three broken ribs, a black eye, and a lot of painful bruises. It also left him with a new respect for his cousin, and hatred of his parents.
After that he had been sent to live with his Aunt. Dudley had once thought the world of the woman because she always had treats for him. But after only a few days of living with her he learned she wasn't any better then his father.
He had been helping her in the dog kennel with a new litter of puppies when she had given him a small one and told him to get rid of it. He hadn't understood. When she told him to go and drown it because it was a runt, Dudley had been horrified. He had taken the puppy out of the kennel, letting her think he was doing what she said, but instead he ran all the way into town to where he knew the vet was and gave him the puppy and told him what his aunt had said. She had been arrested for animal cruelty a few hours later after social services had gone to the house the check into what was going on in regards to him.. He didn't know what else they had found, but he really didn't want to.
After that, his life had gotten much better. He had been sent to live with his dad and aunts cousin, Owen Dursley. Owen was in the military and single at the time, so it had just been the two of them. From the first day he had arrived at the small house he was to share with 'Uncle' Owen he had felt welcome and safe for the first time in a while.
They had moved all over the world as he grew up. Moving from military base to military base every few years. Until just last year when Owen had gotten married and left the military to move them to Lyon, France with his new wife, Claire, and her daughter, Marie.
One day, Dudley had been talking with Claire, who worked in a legal aid office, he had confessed his shame about how he had treated his cousin and how he had never gotten to apologize. She had said that if he really wanted to she and his uncle, who now worked in private security, might be able to try and track his cousin down for him.
Dudley had jumped at the chance. It had taken the better part of a year, but they had eventually found him. Dudley had nervously written a long letter, apologizing for every little thing, thinking that he would never hear back.
But, he had gotten a letter back. Harry, actually known as Hadrian, had said that Dudley didn't need his forgiveness as he hadn't done anything wrong, he had just been responding to what he had been taught, but if it meant that much to him, then he was forgiven.
They had written back and fourth for a few months, learning more about each other. And now, today, Hadrian was coming to visit.
"Dudley." A soft voice called from the door way. Looking up he saw Marie. "You need to calm down. You have been talking to him for months. You know he isn't angry with you."
Dudley loved Marie. From the first day they had met, she had treated him as her little brother. She had loved and cared for him almost like a mother. She was kind and gentle, with just the right amount of 'I will kick your ass if you don't smarten up'.
"I know, I know. I'm just worried. What if it's all been a trick just so he can come here and yell at me because I was so awful?"
"Then he will have to answer to me." Marie said with a simple shrug.
Before Dudley could respond, there was a knock on the door.
There was an older man with long black hair and bright blue eyes standing at the door next to a boy with messy dark hair and bright green eyes. If Dudley hadn't known that this was Hadrian, he wouldn't have recognized him.
"Hadrian?" Dudley asked in a shy and nervous voice.
"Hey Dudley. Long time no see." Hadrian tried to get his cousin to relax, it worked, a little.
If Hadrian hadn't known this was Dudley, he never would have guessed. This wasn't the same fat bully of a 14 year old he could have been. Although this Dudley wasn't skinny, he wasn't fat, Narcissa would have described him as sturdy. He wasn't handsome, but he would be considered attractive. There was also an aura of kindness around the boy.
This wasn't a self centred bully. This was a typical awkward teenager.
"This is my Uncle Sirius." Hadrian motioned to the man.
"This is my Uncle Owen, Aunt Claire, and step-sister Marie." Dudley introduced.
"Why don't the rest of us go into the kitchen and get some tea, and you two boys can spend some time together?" Claire said as she motioned for Sirius and the others to follow her. Giving Dudley an encouraging smile as she went.
"So…" Dudley started.
Hadrian laughed at him. "You need to relax Dud. Like I said in my letters, I don't blame you for anything that happened. And, hey, it all worked out in the end, for both of us. I guess…"
Dudley smiled and decided he liked his cousin. Deciding to keep their discussions private from his eavesdropping family that was in the kitchen, Dudley showed Hadrian up to his room.
"So… How has everything been going for you?" Dudley tried.
"Great. I was taken in by my godfather and his husband. I now have three little sisters, plenty of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and some really good friends." Hadrian smiled. "How about you?"
"I've been really good. It was a bit of a mess after you left and all… that." Dudley tried. "But ever since I got away from them I've been good."
"That's good. I'm glad you didn't have to stay with them." Hadrian was happy to see the changes in Dudley in comparison to who he could have been. "Do you ever hear from them?"
"Not really. Mum sends me a letter every year on my birthday. Complaining about… Well she goes on and on about how our lives fell apart because of you. I have no interest in restarting a relationship with them. Even now, after years, they still think that they didn't do anything wrong and make all kinds of excuses for what they did."
"I'm sorry Dud." Hadrian reached forward to pat his cousins shoulder.
As Hadrian was sitting back in his seat, his foot hit on something that was just under the chair. Reaching down, Hadrian pulled out a thick book. That wasn't what startled him.
It was a transfiguration book. A french transfiguration text book.
Why would Dudley have this? He didn't have magic.
Dudley's face was a mask of shock with a slight mix of terror.
"Hey Dud, I think I forgot my… book." Marie rushed into the room and froze when she saw the new boy with her textbook for next year. "Don't mind that, it's just a joke book of mine. I…" Marie didn't know what to say, besides to curse quietly in french. She was going to have to contact the ministry and have someone come out to erase the boys memory.
"Beauxbatons?" Hadrian smiled up at the scared girl.
"I… What…? How did you…?" Marie stuttered out.
"Hogwarts." Hadrian smiled as he watched Marie visibly relax.
"What?" Dudley was confused.
"Dudley, there was a reason they called me an unnatural freak." Hadrian looked to his confused cousin.
"He's a wizard Dudley." Marie explained with a laugh.
"Really?" Dudley looked to his cousin.
"Yup. That's why Petunia hated me. From what I was told, she and Lily weren't just sisters as children, they were the best of friends. That is, until Lily received a letter telling her she was a witch, and Petunia didn't. I think Petunia hated magic because it took her sister away from her, even though that meant she hated her sister. Not the most sound logic, but Petunia was never exactly logical." Hadrian explained.
"Wow, so my aunt was a witch." Dudley smiled sadly. He finally understood where his mothers hatred came from, and it proved she was crazy.
"Yup, although, you might want to get yourself tested." Hadrian looked to Dudley.
"Why?" Both Dudley and Marie asked at the same time.
"Because, there was a study done that showed that those often referred to as being muggle born, are actually squib born. For Lily to be a witch it means that she came from a family of squibs. Petunia was probably a squib, and you might be too.
It would be interesting to know for you. While squibs can't use active magic, they can use passive magic. If you're a squib you could do things like runes, arithmancy, and lower level herbology, care of magical creatures, and potions. Nothing higher end, but at least the basics."
"Really?" Marie squealed. "We have to go to the alley and get you tested, now. There is so much I can teach you."
Dudley just smiled at his cousin and his step-sister. He knew there was no way he was getting out of this. Not that he wanted to. There was a chance that he could do magic things!
Marie dashed off downstairs to tell their parents that they were going into town to the alley. Since the home was muggle they didn't have a floo, but Marie did have a car and a drivers licence.
After Marie had first run off up stairs, after realizing she had left a book on magic on her brothers floor, Owen and Claire turned their attention on Sirius.
"So, I hope you don't find this too rude, but I need to know. Why didn't you take Hadrian after his parents died?" Claire asked bluntly. That was one thing that bothered her. Why hadn't he been there for the boy after his parents died? Why only show up years later.
"Umm… Well…" Sirius was a little stuck. "There were a few issues that got in the way."
Before Sirius could dig the hole any deeper, Marie came bouncing back into the kitchen.
"Were gonna take off to Allée Magique." Marie announced happily, grabbing her car keys.
"What?" All three adults asked at the same time. Shocked at hearing the word magic in the company of the other.
"Oh, so the reason I ran upstairs was because I realized I forgot my new transfiguration book in Dud's room. But, when I got there, Hadrian had already found it. But, it's fine. Hadrian attends Hogwarts, the British version of Beauxbatons." Marie said before she left the kitchen.
The three adults just stared at each other as they heard the two boys come down the stairs.
"Uncle Siri, I'm heading out with Dud, and Marie. I'll just floo back to the vineyard. And yes, I have my emergency portkey just in case." Hadrian waved before he rushed out the door after the others. They were all staying at the Black Vineyard in Marseille and had just apperated to Lyon.
"So… You know about magic?" Sirius looked at the still stunned adults. "Well then. I was illegally imprisoned without a trial for being a member of a terrorist group, which I wasn't, and mass murder, which I didn't commit, and my husband is a werewolf so we weren't even offered custody."
It was like a bandaid in Sirius's opinion. It was best to just get it all out in one and let the shock settle.
"Oh." Was Owen's only response.
"So how did you get free? Did you sue?" Claires mind immediately went to the legal implications of false imprisonment.
"Well, when Hadrian was found an investigation was started. That was how they found out about me not getting a trial. From there I was freed and the real killer was arrested and convicted. I was, of course, given reparations, and full custody of my godson.
All three of them took a long drink of their tea, all privately wishing there was some whiskey in it.
Allée Magique
"So, I have a question." Marie said as she swerved through the afternoon traffic. "Why was it so hard for my parents to find you? I mean, my mom said that she tried going through your mom, since that was who she knew about. But she couldn't find anything."
"That's a little complicated." Hadrian said, clenching his fingers around his seatbelt. He really hoped Marie was focused on the road.
"I think we can handle complicated." She said over her shoulder.
"Well, to put it simply, Petunia was the sane nice one." Hadrian smiled slightly.
"What?" Dudley practically turned around in his seat to give Hadrian a look that showed he thought he was crazy. "Are you mad. That woman is insane. She hates anything magic and thinks child abuse is excusable."
"Yes, but she never kidnapped a man and his infant son. Wiped the mans memory, doused him with love potions, and then claimed his son as hers and used an illegal blood ritual to adopt the child." Hadrian said. Then he panicked as both Dudley and Marie turned to look at him.
"So… She kidnapped you?" Dudley was stunned.
"Yup."
"So, we aren't related." Dudley said, he was sad about that.
"Yes, we are. The blood ritual that she used on me made her one of my biological parents. So, biologically, yes, we are still cousins." Hadrian smiled at him.
"Wait. Someone can do that?" Marie asked. She hadn't even known that was possible.
"Yeah, it's called blood adoption. It binds the blood of the wanna be parents to the childs. If you were to test me it would show that I have like… five parents."
"Five?" Dudley questioned.
"Yup. My birth parents. My Uncles Sirius and Remus, who were my god parents that adopted me at the request of my dad as an extra layer of protection. And, Lily."
"Why don't you just break the ritual. I mean, she did kidnap you. Why would you stay connected to her?" Dudley asked in confusion. If he could stop being the son of Petunia and Vernon Dursley he would.
"I can't. There is no counter to that ritual. It's why it is taken so serious. Besides, I might not like her, but I am who I am because of her, at least in a small part. The bad just makes me stronger." Hadrian smiled at his cousin, he understood what Dudley had been thinking.
"Wow, you're really chill about that. We're here!" Marie darted into a newly open parking space so fast Hadrian thought he was going to have whiplash.
The alley was incredible. The french alley seemed to be the perfect mix of past, present, and future. But they didn't have time to really look at anything in the moment. Marie was all but dragging Hadrian and Dudley towards the local branch of Gringotts.
Marie was thrilled when Dudley's test came back positive. He was a squib. After that, she dragged the boys back out of the bank. They needed to do some shopping. They needed to find all the things she and Dudley would be able to do together until she had to go back to school.
After over an hour in the bookstore they were headed for the apothecary when they heard someone call out to Marie. Turning, Hadrian was a little startled to see Fleur Delacour walking down the alley towards them, her little sister, Gabrielle, following closely behind her.
"Fleur, what brings the great and powerful Fleur Delacour down to our little alley." Marie said, her voice teasing as her eyes sparkled at the other girl.
"Oh please Marie. We both know this darling little alley has the best pastry shop in the country." Fleur smiled demurely, glancing over to the two boys next to her school (semi) friend. "This is my little sister, Gabrielle. It's our girls day, and no girls day is complete without pastries."
"I agree. This is my younger step-brother Dudley, and his cousin, Hadrian. Hadrian came to visit from Britain." Marie indicated the boys.
"It's lovely to meet you both." Fleur smiled again and nodded at the boys. Trying to bring her sister forward. The entire point of this trip was to try and get Gabrielle out more. The girl was painfully shy.
"It's a pleasure." Hadrian smiled, seeing how Fleur was trying to get Gabrielle involved. "Hello Gabrielle."
The girl just clutched the little stuffed toy closer and squeaked a little. Now he was sad he didn't bring Nem with him, she would have been great help with the little girl, but he hadn't thought bringing a kitsune to a muggle home was a good idea. But, Hadrian recognized the toy. It came from a comic book series aimed at younger kids. His sisters loved it.
"Is that your Tisker?" Hadrian tried again. That seemed to do the trick.
Gabrielle looked up at the pretty looking older boy in surprise. "How did you know? Everyone always thinks it's Tusker."
Hadrian laughed, seeing Fleur grin as her sister spoke. "I have three slightly evil little sisters that love that comic. I will never make that mistake again." Gabrielle giggled slightly. "Oh, sure. You laugh now, but I was green. A delightful shade of lime green for a week. I didn't think it was so funny."
This time Gabrielle laughed openly, not hiding behind her toy. All the others laughing with her. Hadrian just smiled. He could see the gratitude in Fleurs eyes.
"Where do you go to school?" Gabrielle asked hesitantly. She had heard other people use that to start a conversation so she tried that to keep the nice boy talking.
"I go to Hogwarts back home in Britain." Hadrian said.
"Why don't we all go back to the pastry shop and I'll get everyone a snack and drink and you can ask Hadrian all the questions you want?" Fleur smiled at her little sister before looking up at the others. "If that is ok with you?"
"Of course." Marie smiled. She and Fleur weren't exactly friends at school, but she was more than willing to help her out. She knew just how much Fleur worried about her little sister while she was away from her while at school. It was clear how much the girl loved her kid sister.
"But we already had one?" Gabrielle said as she looked to her sister in confusion.
"Do you want to know a secret?" Dudley asked, waiting until the shy little girl nodded at him. "There is no such thing as too many pastries. I'm pretty sure that's the best part of being a grown up. Being able to have as many pastries as you want without an adult telling you your going to ruin your dinner."
Gabrielle laughed again, her arms relaxing down to her sides as she became more comfortable with the others.
The five of them spent over an hour in the pastry shop talking. Hadrian told them all about Hogwarts, without betraying any of its secrets, and Marie and Fleur told them about Beauxbatons. By the time they left Gabrielle was relaxed and actively starting conversations and giving her opinion on things. Fleur made sure to send the others a grateful look as they went their separate ways.
Hadrian, Dudley, and Marie spent the afternoon going from shop to shop, exploring everything. By the time Hadrian flooed back to the vineyard he was exhausted but happy. He and Dudley were actually friends now, plus he had gotten to know Marie. They had all agreed that they were going to have to stay in touch and visit each other from time to time. Although, Hadrian had a secret little smile, knowing that he would be seeing Marie again sooner than she realized.