"I can't believe you won the house cup again," Pansy grumbled as the train leaving Hogwarts pulled away from the station. "You know, I heard from all the older Slytherins about how we'd won for several years in a row, but then I get here and we've been shut out."
"Yeah, but you remember how much of a cheating scumbag Snape was, right?"
"True," Pansy admitted. "Still, you would think the Ravenclaws would win more often. They are the house with all the smart little nerdy types. No offense, Luna."
"None taken," she replied without losing her relaxed, dreamy smile.
"They did win last year," Harry pointed out. "And this year, well-"
"Professor Watts loved you and gave you a huge bonus for teaching several people the Patronus charm," Luna said, kicking off her shoes and conjuring a couple of pillows to make herself more comfy for the long ride. "That was fair, really. The last time Hogwarts had multiple NEWT students able to conjure a Patronus was in 1980. We've never had multiple OWL level students succeed in casting it."
"Really?" Pansy asked.
"Yes, Watts was telling us all about it in our final period with him. He was hoping that next year might see similar results. He had me demonstrate for the class. I suppose that will help me once it's time for my own Defense exams. How were they, overall?"
"Not that bad," Harry shrugged. "Arithmancy and Transfiguration were both kind of tough. I think we both nailed most of them."
"You fell asleep during the History exam," Pansy reminded him. "I will be shocked if you passed it."
"Who cares? I think that just shows that I learned the important part from that class- how and when to get in a nice little nap."
Pansy snorted and rolled her eyes at him. "I hate to agree with this goofball that I love, but they weren't really as bad as the teachers had made them out to be all year long. I think I might have passed all eleven of them that we took. Hopefully."
"I'll keep my fingers crossed," Luna said with a grin. "So, what are we doing this summer?"
"I've got a little project that Dobby and I have started," Harry said.
"Is this about whatever 'studying' he was helping you with the last few weeks?" Pansy wondered.
"Yep. It's not until next year that we officially learn to apparate," he replied. "However, Dobby has been using his magic to transport us all over the place for years. I asked him to teach me how to do it."
"But house-elves don't technically apparate," Luna said. "Can humans even learn to use magic the same way?"
"I didn't really think of it like that," Harry admitted with a frown. "But I have learned some things about magic with him in the past, and it seems to work well enough. Only the first couple of times were that hard, after that, it was pretty easy. It's really all about willpower."
"You've already learned it?" Pansy asked.
"Well, I've really only gone back and forth between a couple of places," Harry said. "We sneaked down to the Shrieking Shack and then he popped me back home before having me practice going between the two places. I've now gone between both of them back and forth four times."
"Anywhere else?" Luna asked.
"No, Dobby wanted to make sure that I didn't get lost."
"We should experiment then," she replied as she stood up and held out her hand. "Take me to my home."
"Now?'
"Why not?"
"Um, okay," Harry shrugged, standing up and turning to look at Pansy. "We should be back in a minute."
And with a pop, they were gone. She sighed and called for Dobby. "Will you go make sure the two of them don't have any problems?"
"Of course, miss," Dobby replied before he too popped away.
Pansy sat back and waited. She turned her head when the door slid open revealing Parvati.
"Where's Harry?" she asked. "I assumed he and Luna would be in here with you."
"They're trying an experiment," Pansy grumbled.
"What do you mean?"
"You might want to take a step back," Pansy replied. "Just in case."
"Just in case of what?"
A pop was her answer as Harry and Luna reappeared standing in the middle of the compartment. Parvati let out a little shriek and toppled over back into the hallway.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked as he helped her to her feet.
"Did you just apparate?" Parvati asked.
"Um, kinda," he shrugged.
"We aren't supposed to learn that until next year. And you aren't even sixteen yet!" Parvati came inside and sat down on one of the bench seats, making use of one of Luna's cushions and chuckling wearily. "You don't do anything normal, do you Harry?"
"Not really," he said as he sat down opposite her. "I don't see what the big deal is though. It's not that hard to learn. I mean, I did it accidentally when I was a kid once. I think the adults don't want teenagers to have the freedom to move around without them knowing about it. That's why they wait until you come of age before allowing you to do it 'legally.' Think about how silly that is though. If you learn it while underage, what are they going to do if they catch you breaking that stupid law? Throw you in Azkaban? I don't think any decent parents would stand for that sort of thing."
"They could fine you," Luna suggested.
"Nope, not legally," Harry countered. "They could fine your parents."
"I hadn't thought of it like that," Luna nodded. "It usually amounts to the same thing as most of us won't have our own money other than what our parents might allow us."
"That could be a problem for me one of these days," Parvati said. "I hope it won't come to it, but I'm not sure how much time I might have before my parents start trying to arrange something for me. They said that they'd wait until after school was over, but..."
"But what?" Pansy asked.
"It might not have been smart of me to help when Harry rushed off to the ministry," she replied with a sigh. "I've gotten a few more looks from some people around school. I'm sure my parents would be proud of a heroic daughter. At the same time, it worries me that other people might become more interested in me too. Some men like that sort of thing- someone fiery and adventurous. I've heard my grandparents talk about when they met. I take after my grandmother's personality, and my grandfather chose her because of it. When I was little, sometimes it seemed sweet to me. But then I got older and I figured some things out, and now I'm not so sure."
"What changed your mind?" Luna wondered.
"I learned their ages, for one," Parvati sighed. "My grandmother was seventeen when they wed. My grandfather was thirty five. I've seen that they seem really happy together, but it just sort of creeps me out. I know for a fact that he was fairly rich, and a rich guy picking out a teenage bride for himself... well, it's worried me that something like that could happen to me. On top of that, I know that my parents expect me to marry an Indian guy."
"And Harry isn't Indian," Pansy teased.
"None of the guys here are," Parvati replied with a frown.
"I'm sorry," Pansy said, losing the sarcasm from her voice. "I can definitely relate. My father was a monster. He would have only approved of me marrying some vile little son of a Death Eater. I'd have rather died."
"I guess it could be worse," Parvati laughed. "Let's talk about something else. Something not so awful."
"Alright. Why did you come looking for us? Or was that just Harry?" Pansy couldn't help but smirk a bit.
"Padma is talking with some of her Ravenclaw friends, and it was just so boring in there."
"What about Lavender?" Harry asked.
"She's busy with Ron. They're officially dating now."
"Oh. Hmm." Harry thought for a moment. "I guess that could maybe work."
"Yeah, it's all new and exciting, so they're happy now," Parvati replied. "I love Lavender, but I don't know if either of them is mature enough for anything long term. I expect it to end in screaming and tears."
"Well, maybe that will happen over the summer so we won't have to witness it."
"If only we can be that lucky, Harry," Parvati giggled. "I don't know how much they might be able to see each other. That could be a problem."
"I agree," Luna piped up. "Lavender is sixteen and pretty hot. I've heard that she lives in the muggle world, and I imagine plenty of muggle boys would be interested in her. That could lead to trouble, especially if she doesn't see Ron all summer."
"With what I've seen of the Weasleys, I doubt Ron's mum would let him out of her sight long enough for him to spend much time with her," Harry agreed.
"That doesn't mean Lavender would cheat on him. She's not that much of a tramp," Parvati said, defending her best friend.
"I'm not saying she is." Harry raised his hands in surrender. "I'm just saying, she might decide not to sit around all summer and waste her time. I could see her break up with him in that case. It would really suck to have to be away from your boyfriend or girlfriend all summer long. Hell, Pansy and I miss Luna when we won't see her every day anymore."
"That's very sweet," Luna said. "Speaking of which, daddy wrote to me of a planned excursion to Australia next month. It's winter there, did you realize that? That means that some of the nasty beasties that might want to kill us will be either dormant or at least less active.
"We'll be gone for two weeks, but we should be back in time for your birthday."
"Well, I hope you have fun, sweetie," Pansy said. "But we should plan on doing a few things before you go."
"I'm sure we could come up with something fun to do," Luna answered with a smile.
"Lucky you," Parvati grumbled. "I'm leaving for India in a week. I don't think I'll be back until the end of August. It sucks."
"Don't you like your family?" Harry asked.
"It's not that so much. It's just that... I like my home. Here in England. I get to go back and enjoy my bedroom and all the things I don't take to school. But I only get to do that for a few days before I have to pack up again."
"I think I get it," Harry nodded.
"Maybe we could invite you along," Pansy suggested. "We could all go out to see a movie, eat in a restaurant somewhere. Something like that. Would your parents be okay with that?"
"I think so," Parvati answered. "I'd need a little bit of notice before hand."
"I'll figure something out when we get home. I'll contact Luna then and Harry can send you a message with Hedwig."
"She'd like that," Harry added. "I worry about her sometimes. Who knows what she gets up to when she's bored?"
"She might meet a violent owl from the wrong side of the tracks," Luna said. "He'd be all rough around the edges, with a cockney accent. If you looked at him wrong, he'd be the type of bird to go for the talons first and ask questions later."
"Hedwig doesn't need a ruffian for a boyfriend. She's a classy bird," Pansy said in a snooty voice, sticking her nose up in the air. "Harry only associates with the most elegant and refined of females, regardless of the species."
"It amazes me that you can say that with a straight face," Luna giggled. "I don't think I've ever felt elegant or refined. And I know most of your dirty little secrets."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Pansy replied.
"Oh really?"
"Really." Pansy winked at Luna. "But if you can wait until we can speak in private, I've got a new one to tell you."
"Color me intrigued," Luna grinned.
"Oh no," Harry groaned. He gave Parvati a pleading look. "Please don't leave me alone with them."
All three girls giggled, and Harry hoped that he hadn't just made things worse for himself.
The next day came and Pansy left their flat to go downstairs. The door to the Brightwells' was open, so she announced herself.
"Anybody home?"
Ruby Brightwell appeared from around a corner. "Oh, Pansy dear, it's lovely to see you again. Did you just get back? Come in, come in."
"Yeah, last night." She followed Ruby back towards their kitchen and dining area. "We've officially survived another long year at Hogwarts."
"That means you must have just taken all of your OWLs," Ruby said with a nod. "I remember when our Simon had to take them. He studied for months and stressed himself so badly that it looked like he'd lost a stone since Christmas when he got back home for the summer. Silly boy. I suppose it was worth it in the end. He did pass all ten of his exams, five of them with Outstandings."
"That's really good," Pansy said, not having to fake being impressed.
"He was a Ravenclaw, you know," Ruby replied with a grin. "I've always been proud of that boy. It was nice to rub it in my stupid bloody aunt's face too. She's an awful woman who always treated me like I was some sort of pitiful moron just because I'm a squib. I might not have magic, but my son damn sure does, and he did better than she ever did as a student."
"How is he doing?"
"Very well," Ruby replied as she motioned to the Daily Prophet laying spread out on the dining room table. "No cover story today, but he's on page four."
Pansy looked at the paper's headline and frowned. "I can't believe they still haven't removed Fudge from office. I know it says there's an emergency meeting today, but it's been two months since that buffoon was exposed. A real emergency meeting should have happened that day. Stupid bloody arseholes."
Ruby laughed. "That's one of the reasons that I don't miss magical society. There were some nice things about it, but I'm much happier living here. Mortie opened up the shop this morning, so you and I can catch up a bit. Would you like some tea?"
"Of course," Pansy said with a smile. "Do you mind if I use your phone first?"
"Make yourself at home," Ruby said as she filled her teapot.
"Our friends Vanessa and Steven were expecting a baby," Pansy explained. "It was due a few weeks ago, so I'm hoping to get to see their little girl soon."
"Oh, I just love babies!" Ruby giggled. "That reminds me that I need to pester Simon some more about settling down with that nice girl of his. Remind me to tell you all about her."
"I will. I'll be back in a minute," Pansy said as she went into the other room. She found the phone and quickly dialed the number, realizing for a moment that it was the only phone number she actually knew.
"Hello?" a weary voice answered after several rings.
"Vanessa? It's Pansy. How are you?"
"Exhausted," she replied. "This parenting thing is bloody hard. I would take being enormous again if it meant I got a decent night's sleep."
"I'm sorry," Pansy said, not really knowing any better way to console her.
"It's alright," Vanessa answered. "Did you just get back from school?"
"Yeah, I was hoping to come around sometime soon to see the little one."
"Not today. I'm a mess, this place is a mess, and since Steven's off, I'm hoping to get in a nap or two while I can. Maybe we could meet up sometime next week."
"Okay," Pansy said. "I don't want you to worry too much about it, but I'm sure Harry would agree that we would love to meet her. Whenever you feel up to having some company, let us know."
"I'll check with Steven's schedule and get back with you."
"Sounds good, and congratulations, by the way. I'm really happy for you."
"Thanks," Vanessa said as her voice clearly perked up a bit. "As much as I might moan about everything, I'm really glad to have a little girl. She's got Steven's eyes." A crying infant was heard in the background. "And there she goes, spoiling the moment."
"Maybe she knew we were talking about her," Pansy suggested with an unseen grin.
"Probably just wants to nurse again," Vanessa grumbled. "I've got to go, but I'll talk to you again soon."
"Okay, take care."
After Vanessa said her goodbye, Pansy returned to the kitchen where Ruby was pouring two cups of tea.
"How was your friend?"
"Tired and a bit cranky."
"That is the way it goes with a newborn," Ruby replied with a smile. "Simon was a very needy baby. Always wanted to be held, even when he didn't need to be fed or burped or anything like that. I was glad Mortie was really good with him. We both carried Simon around so much those first couple of years, I swear I think we've never been so strong. And the added definition in Mortie's shoulders was something I enjoyed."
Pansy joined Ruby in giggling. "I'm sure."
"So, unfortunately, I feel like I have to ask- are you and Harry alright? I haven't heard anything else since that cover story, but, well it was pretty shocking. And you-know-who hasn't been heard of since then either, apparently."
"Yeah, I'm glad about that," Pansy nodded. "We're doing okay, really. Harry's been changed a bit ever since that happened. Like, he's more relaxed. He seems to be absolutely convinced that everything will work out alright. Plus, from what I've heard, it seems like the Dark Lord is almost out of followers. That's a huge relief too. I think, for now, we're going to focus on just having a fun summer. Let the adults worry about things for a change."
"That's a good idea," Ruby agreed before she took a sip of tea. "I haven't been pleased about the stories they've been writing about Harry- calling him the Chosen One and all that rubbish. The boy isn't even sixteen yet; it's shameful that they should all look to him as a savior. I had to give my son an earful when he told me that he might write one of those pieces of trash." She chuckled for a moment. "Simon later told me that it was like a howler going off in his ear. He should have known better though. I didn't raise him to be a foolish busy body."
"Harry would appreciate that," Pansy grinned. "I find those damn articles annoying too. He seems like he's been able to ignore them for the most part, but I have noticed that he doesn't do anything more than glance through the Prophet. I think he's looking to see if there are any attacks, but he says he mostly keeps his subscription so that Hedwig, his owl, will have something to do. He doesn't want her to get bored."
"Well, are the two of you planning on any trips over the summer? I know you have access to different forms of travel, and I heard there were some pretty large bounties on those terrorists. The paper said that Harry might have defeated half of them."
"I think it was five," Pansy said with a frown. "I'll have to ask again to make sure, but unfortunately, that's another thing that the ministry is dragging its heels on. No decent new minister, and no pay out for all of Harry's hard work either. I've told Harry we should write to our lawyer Sam. He ought to be able to light a fire under their lazy arses."
Ruby laughed along with her. It was really nice to be home.
"Argh!"
Padma heard her sister's frustrated growling and decided to investigate her bedroom. They had shared one when they were younger, but Hogwarts served as the catalyst to help them both decide that they wanted more space at home, just as they had grown used to not being constantly together while at school. She sometimes missed that closeness, but she also knew that she and Parvati had increasingly different views of life.
She found her sister had thrown half her wardrobe onto her bed and was still sorting through things. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know what to wear," Parvati grumbled. "I really need to pick just the right outfit. For one thing, I can't wear anything that would stand out among muggles, but I also have to walk a very fine line. I need something that might turn Harry's head, but not too much, so I don't anger Pansy. But it also needs to say that I belong with them- that I fit in with their little clique like a natural. Getting everything just right is turning out to be even harder than I had thought."
"Sis, are you okay? I mean, why are you still so hung up on Harry? There are other guys out there, you know."
"Like a certain mister Goldstein?" Parvati teased.
"Please, that was nothing more than a little silliness," Padma snorted. "He could hardly handle more than a peck, but at least I learned a valuable lesson. Don't try dating among your fellow prefects. I'm really happy that Hermione was willing to swap sometimes. Did you notice that she and Harry weren't as close this last term?"
"Of course I did. I think everyone did."
"What happened there?"
"I don't know," Parvati shrugged. "I guess I could just take it as a good thing. One less girl that he'll be spending time with."
"Yes, but why? Why Harry?"
"Why anyone at all?" Parvati scoffed as she threw down the blouse she'd been examining. "You know what our parents are planning for us once we're done with school. Find some nice men from back in India for us to marry. I hate it!"
"It turned out alright for them," Padma said quietly as she stepped over to her sister and wrapped an arm around Parvati's shoulder. "Dad's parents turned out really well. Think of how happy Gran Amala always is. We could end up like that."
"Yeah, or we could end up miserable."
"I don't think mother would allow that. She loves us; she wouldn't let anyone awful get past her."
"I don't care," Parvati growled. "It's not what I want."
"So, what's your big plan? Try to talk Harry and Pansy into taking you along as what- some sort of second girlfriend? Even if they did decide to do that, how long do you think it would last? You're my sister, and I love you, but you really need to stop being obsessed with Harry."
"I love him," Parvati insisted.
"I think it's just a crush, and when it doesn't work out well, you'll end up feeling crushed." Padma felt her sister pull away and watched as she stalked back over to her closet. "I'm just trying to look out for you."
"Thank you, but I don't need that sort of looking out."
Padma waited for a moment, but Parvati refused to turn back around or saying anything else. Wanting to be supportive, she tried again. "Then, what do you need, sis?"
"Nothing."
She could really be so stubborn. It was frustrating at times. Padma decided to try a different approach. "Want me to help you find the right outfit?"
"Yes!" she cried out even as she started to laugh.
Padma chuckled as she got to work. Parvati really had a lot of clothes to go through.
Pansy and Luna were sitting on the couch waiting for Parvati to arrive while Harry had gone downstairs to look through the Brightwells' muggle paper. Earlier suggestions of them going to see a movie meant he was going to try to track down the local listings for what might be playing, as well as when.
Dobby brought their guest into the living room with a small pop and Parvati was soon looking around.
"Be it ever so humble, welcome to our home," Pansy stated as she stood up.
"It's not quite as grand as I expected," Parvati replied. "I guess there is no rumored Potter Manor then?"
"I don't know if any of the Potter family homes were grand enough to count as a manor. Harry does have access to a couple of other properties, but neither of us wanted to live out in the middle of the country."
The door opened and Harry returned with a smile as he carried a section of the paper. "I didn't want to be too presumptuous, so I figured we could bring this with us. Ruby didn't mind, although I am supposed to tell you that we are expected for dinner on Tuesday evening."
"Who's Ruby?" Parvati asked.
"Our downstairs neighbor who occasionally likes to mother us a bit," Pansy answered as she took the paper from Harry and stuffed it into her purse. She might never match Harry's love of runes, but she now knew those used in creating spacial extensions like the back of her hand, and all of her purses were enchanted. "What are we going to do first?"
"I was thinking we might want to walk around a bit first, maybe show our lovely guests some muggle shopping before lunch," Harry suggested. "Then a movie in the afternoon."
"Taking three girls shopping?" Pansy smirked. "You are feeling brave, aren't you?"
"I'm hoping that hunger will win out and save me," Harry smirked right back at her.
"I should have had a bigger breakfast," Parvati added with a grin. "So, where are we going exactly, and how are we going to get there?"
"Church Street?" Pansy looked at Harry.
"Works for me," he shrugged. "As for how, I was thinking that I could take us all."
"You haven't tried that many people before."
"First time for everything."
"Fine," Pansy huffed. Having experienced it after the train ride, she knew Harry could handle popping them around just as well as Dobby now. She just hoped there wasn't a limit to his power, although this was the same boy who had conjured a Patronus at thirteen, so she probably shouldn't doubt him.
"Before we go," Luna said as she stood up and pulled a small bag out of her pocket that she handed to Harry. "Daddy insisted that he pay for today's outing. You, and Parvati too, helped save his life after all. Please don't argue about it, either."
"Thanks," Harry replied as he handed the money over to Pansy and then grabbed his wand. "It wasn't necessary, but I don't want to be insulting either. Now, before we go, I'm going to place a notice-me-not charm on each of us. We don't want our sudden arrival to startle anyone."
"It's too bad we won't all fit under your invisibility cloak," Luna said as she watched Harry cast the spell.
"You just like cuddling," Pansy snorted.
"Yes, I do," Luna replied dreamily. "Between my favorite wizard and two pretty girls, who could blame me?"
Pansy chuckled in response. Harry might not have looked Parvati and her outfit over, but Luna definitely had. There was nothing too revealing about her skirt and blouse combo, but she did look pretty nice, and she'd also had the good sense of not wearing anything too odd and obviously magical. Pansy had the feeling Parvati was going to fit in just fine.
Harry didn't say anything about Luna's comment, and Parvati was too busy smiling at Harry as he placed the charm on her. Pansy knew that the day was going to be plenty of fun. She even had a movie picked out that should provoke some interesting responses from the other two girls.
A moment later, Harry had finished their preparations, and the group left the flat with a pop.
It wasn't even one yet, and she was already having a blast. In spite of Harry's moans, Pansy had insisted that he pull out the chairs for all three girls when they were shown to a table at the Italian restaurant they had chosen for lunch.
"I need some guy friends," he grumbled as he finally took a seat.
"I could take polyjuice," Luna offered without looking up from her menu. Pansy glanced over and saw that she was checking the desserts. She held back a snort when she realized that there would be plenty of tiramisu served before the end of the meal.
"That wouldn't be quite the same," Harry replied.
"I'd prefer to turn into another girl if I did that anyway," Luna said before setting the menu aside and grinning at Pansy. "We could be twins!" She turned to Parvati with a smile. "What would you say have been the most fun things about having an identical twin sister?"
"Um, I'm not sure," Parvati answered with a frown. "Padma and I were never the type to play up that sort of thing like the Weasley boys do. We took to wearing our hair differently when we were pretty young because we were bothered when people couldn't tell us apart. But, I guess I do like having someone whose clothes I can always borrow because I know they'll be a perfect fit."
"I doubt that's what Luna would be doing," Harry snorted.
"What do you mean?" Parvati asked.
Harry looked around and lowered his voice slightly before responding. "I'm saying that Luna is a pervert."
Parvati looked surprised as Pansy started to giggle. Luna just shrugged and replied, "Guilty as charged."
"Oh," Parvati blushed.
"Be careful," Harry warned as Parvati looked questioningly at him. "These two love teasing people, so if they think you're an easy target, they will never stop. Believe me, I speak from experience."
"We wouldn't want to pick on our guest like that," Pansy disagreed. "Parvati is my friend, you know. Besides, I strongly doubt that she could ever be as fun to tease as you are."
"It must be your lucky day," Harry said to Parvati, who grinned slightly.
"Well, thank you for that," she nodded at Pansy. "Now, will someone help me with this menu? I've never really had Italian food before."
"I can do that," Harry replied with a grin. "We'll have to take you out again some time. I'd like to have an expert's opinion about Indian restaurants."
"Harry loves curry," Pansy added.
"I could do that." Parvati frowned for a moment. "Probably not this summer, though."
"You leave in a few days, right?" Pansy asked.
"Yeah. My parents are really looking forward to it."
"But you're not?" Luna wondered. "At least you won't have to worry about Tom Riddle causing any problems while you're gone."
"I don't think any of us need to worry about that too much," Harry suggested. "There haven't been any sightings since that day at the ministry. I think he might have crawled under a rock to lick his wounds. Either that or Dumbledore is correct in that he's trying to get the record of the prophecy out of the blackened orb."
"He can't do that though, can he?" Parvati asked.
"The headmaster said that he wasn't aware of any way to do it, but he also wouldn't put anything past Riddle. Coming back from the dead, or near dead or whatever he was, wasn't supposed to be possible either. Either way, I'm going to enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as I can. In fact, I'm hoping that Dumbledore will solve one of my problems this summer without any of my help."
"What's that?" Luna asked.
"It's a secret for now," Harry answered. "But I'll tell you someday. Whenever this is all over."
"Okay."
"Right then, come here Harry," Parvati beckoned him closer. "Help me pick something to eat."
"What are you in the mood for?"
"I'm not sure. Nothing with beef, definitely."
"Well, there are plenty of things you can get with chicken, pork, or seafood sometimes," he suggested. "I think there's a few options without any meat too."
"Fettuccine alfredo is always good," Pansy added.
"Yeah, it's a little bland though, especially if you're used to spicy food."
"Not everyone wants to burn their tongues when they eat, Harry," Pansy teased.
"I eat plenty of spicy food," Parvati said. "Something bland, as you say, might be different enough that I like it."
"Well, let's get the salads out, at least." Pansy waved their waitress over.
"Ooh, and some fresh bread too," Luna grinned before pointing to a bottle on the table. "If they're going to give us olive oil, then I'm going to need some bread to soak in it."
"Sounds good to me," Harry agreed. "Do you need a minute more, Parvati?"
"No, I think I've decided."
"Good, I'm starving."
"I have a confession to make," Parvati said while they waited for Harry and Luna to finish in the bathrooms after the movie had ended.
"What's that?" Pansy asked.
"I've had Italian before," Parvati admitted with a small grin. "I just wanted Harry to lean over and help me with the menu. It was like I could pretend, just for a moment, that we were on a date." Parvati sighed, then continued "I'm sorry."
"That's actually kind of cute," Pansy replied.
"Really?"
"I've known about your feelings for him for a long time, you know? After all this time, I don't think you would try to push things too far, and I know that Harry wouldn't let you if you did try. Besides, I know very well how lovable he is, so I can hardly blame you for that."
"That's... surprisingly mellow," Parvati frowned.
"Harry and I are going to be together no matter what. He did come back from the dead for me," Pansy smirked. "Most of my insecurities and worries have been worn away by now. Harry has helped with that a lot. He can be very persuasive about things when he wants to. Plus, you're my friend, and you haven't bothered me the way some girls who've eyed Harry up at school. Like Chang- for some reason that bitch just really annoys me. I've loved seeing Harry humiliate her when they've met on the pitch."
Pansy started to laugh and Parvati joined her. "Remember when Lavender and the three of us were all screaming for Harry to knock her off her broom?"
"Yes, Luna said it was a fun bonding experience," Pansy answered with a smile. "That was when I was first starting to get to know her, and I was quick to realize how much fun she could be. Plus, she drove Granger nuts, and that always amused me."
"You never liked Hermione, did you?"
"No."
"Do you know what happened between her and Harry?"
"I do, but it was a private argument," Pansy said. "It's probably better if we leave it at that."
"I noticed she was kind of sad this last term, when she was around in the dorm. We were never close, and she was always too busy studying to spend much time with me and Lav, but it was obvious that something was bothering her."
Pansy gave her a look as the doors to the restrooms opened at almost the exact same time as Harry and Luna came out.
"That was kind of a weird movie," Parvati said.
"You didn't like it?" Harry asked.
"I wouldn't say that, it's just not quite what I expected of a vampire movie."
"I loved it," Luna said. "I think they made a mistake though."
"What do you mean, sweetie?" Pansy asked.
"Look at this." She led them over to the poster for From Dusk till Dawn. "Notice something missing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Salma Hayek!" Luna threw up her hands in disgust. "She was obviously the best part of the movie. That dance she did was so hot! I've never wanted to be a snake so much in my life."
Harry lost it at that point, laughing loudly even as a few people stared over at them.
"Oh Luna," Pansy chuckled fondly.
"Would you ever consider doing a dance like that?" Luna asked. "Harry is a parselmouth, so he could help with getting you a snake."
"Despite where I was sorted, believe it or not, I'm not that fond of snakes."
"Ah," Luna pouted. "What about the part where she poured the bottle of alcohol down her leg? I'd like to see that, and I bet Harry would agree with me, right?" She nudged him in the side as he tried to stop laughing before she grinned at Pansy again. "Ooh, are you flexible enough to lick your leg like that? Please say yes!"
"I see what Harry meant," Parvati said. "You are a pervert."
"Oh please, I'm just saying what everyone was thinking when they watched that part of the movie."
"Sorry, Luna," Parvati shook her head. "I wasn't thinking that."
"No, you were probably thinking how much fun it would be if you were playing the dancer and Harry was the guy sucking on your toes," Pansy teased, getting a blush in response. "Not that I can blame you. Did I ever mention how Harry likes to-"
"No, no, no," Harry interjected, clamping his hand over her mouth. "We are not turning this into yet another day of 'all the girls tease Harry.' Maybe I should tell them about some of the things you like?"
Pansy glared at him as he removed his hand. "Fine. What did you all think of the rest of the movie?"
"It was too violent for my tastes," Parvati replied, clearly happy for the change of subject.
"I didn't mind that, but I wish they had focused more on the sexy side of things for vampires," Luna said. "There's nothing wrong with some bloodshed, but usually with vampires, I expect that to involve some erotic biting. It should be a metaphor for sex, and even better if there's actual sex too."
"What if the vampires don't have sex?" Harry wondered.
"Then those are sucky vampires," Luna huffed. "Who would want to live forever if you couldn't have sex?"
"Yeah, not me," Harry agreed.
"Exactly. And I think all movies would be better with more sex scenes."
"Really?" Harry looked over at Luna. "What about movies for little kids?"
"Okay, maybe not all movies, but most of them anyway. What's the point of having gorgeous actors and actresses if we aren't going to see their naked bodies?"
"Well, what about today? Harry asked. "You clearly liked the dancing scene, even though the lady didn't get naked. I think revealing, skimpy clothes like that can make someone look even hotter."
"Yes, but it still would have been better if she'd ended up topless," Luna insisted. "The world always needs more boobies."
"I think most of the people at Hogwarts would look at you a lot differently if they saw this side of you, Luna," Parvati said. "I imagine the girls in your year, and your dorm especially, would be surprised."
"Why do you think I don't act like this normally?" Luna replied. "Harry and Pansy don't judge me. That's part of why I love them so much. Plus, I wouldn't want my dorm mates to act weird about being undressed in front of me. That would make things too awkward."
"Do you... um."
"What?"
"Do you ever think of any of them like that?" Parvati asked.
"Not really," Luna shrugged. "They're usually pretty bitchy. And none of them are that attractive either."
"Have they bothered you anymore?" Harry asked with a frown. "I could always come around and threaten to murder them again, if you want."
"That might be nice," Luna said with a little smile. "I don't think any of them need the warning, but I appreciate knowing you care."
"Of course," Harry grinned back. "You're our girl."
"Okay, so now that we're done with the movie, what are we going to do next?" Luna wondered.
"When do you have to be back home?"
"Oh, whenever," Luna shrugged. "Daddy knows I'm fine with you, so he isn't worried. I could probably spend the night, as long as we let him know."
"What about you, Parvati?"
"I'll have to be home in time for dinner," she frowned. "So, we've got until six or so."
"That's a couple of hours still," Harry said as he looked at his watch. "Who wants ice cream?"
"Ooh, me, me!" Luna grinned.
"Well, thankfully, I saw a place nearby that will only be a short trip," Harry replied. "And it will give us all a little time to walk, if we need to build up our appetites."
That short trip was spent mostly talking about the recent OWL exams, as Luna was curious about what she would need to look forward to for the coming school year. Harry moaned about the professors wanting them to write longer and longer essays, which Parvati agreed with while Pansy teased him about how lazy he could be. He countered with the fact that learning magic shouldn't involve nearly so much paperwork as it made things boring. Luna grinned at them both, having heard this argument before, and although she was the brainy Ravenclaw of the group, she had to admit that Harry had a point. She would prefer it if some of the class had more focus on the practical applications over the theory- that was one of the reasons she had found Harry's club so useful.
Once they had their ice cream cones, the group found a table in the corner, and Harry cast the ever so useful notice-me-not charm. He didn't want them getting any funny looks if the topics continued to include the magical world.
"Overall, OWL year really wasn't as bad as I thought it might be," he said, finishing a thought he'd had before they went inside. "Well, not the actual schooling part anyway. Some of the other stuff was pretty stressful."
"How do you think you did, Parvati?"
"Okay, I guess," she shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I did well in a few classes. I know I did better in things like Defense and Charms in part thanks to being in Harry's group. Divination went well too. Some of the others, maybe not so much. I know I don't want to take Potions anymore for one thing. Slughorn was an infinitely better teacher than Snape, but I still didn't like the class very much."
"I'm going to have to keep taking it next year," Harry sighed.
"Really? Why?"
"It's her fault," he said as he pointed to Pansy. "It's one of her favorite classes, so we're both going to keep taking it."
"Oh, you like the class too," she teased. "And dear old Sluggy would be heartbroken if you weren't there anymore."
"Yeah, probably."
"What other classes do you think you'll take next year?" Parvati asked.
"Defense, Runes, Charms, Transfiguration," Harry listed off.
"That sounds like the order in which you prefer the classes too," Luna added with a grin before going back to her ice cream.
"Yeah, you know me so well." Harry licked his cone and thought for a moment. "It's too bad about Care of Magical Creatures, though. I liked the class pretty well, but Hagrid never forgave me for killing that dragon back in the tournament."
"He's a bloody maniac," Pansy snorted. "They should have never put teenagers up against nesting mother dragons in the first place, and I'll take a hundred dead dragons if it means you didn't get roasted."
"Yeah."
"What about Arithmancy?" Luna asked.
"We're still in discussions about that," Pansy answered. "Sluggy suggested keeping it up, and from what I've looked into it, they do get into some interesting stuff in the NEWT years. But, we don't know for sure how our grades will be, and it was one of the hardest tests. Plus, Harry couldn't coast on the written part for once," she added, smirking at her boyfriend who rolled his eyes. "He also thinks five classes is plenty, but I might be able to talk him into making it six."
"That is a lot less than ten," he admitted with a sigh. "I still think we could learn a lot about the subject just reading the books. You two should be glad you never took it. Some of Vector's assignments were bloody hard."
"You know the thing I'm looking forward to most?" Luna said. "Only one more year of History with Binns. I like naps as much as the next person, but they really aren't very comfortable when you have to be sitting in a class."
"I could not agree more," Pansy chuckled. "How's your ice cream?"
"Wonderful," Luna said before pulling her cone a little closer. "But you can't have any. It's not my fault that you didn't pick the obvious best flavor."
"I think cookie dough is pretty good too," Harry said. "But I prefer cookies and cream."
"You're entitled to be wrong if you want," Luna replied with a smile. "Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that Pansy had to pick the one green flavor?"
"Mint chocolate chip is delicious."
"If you say so," Parvati said while sticking out her tongue in disgust. "I don't believe in mixing mint and chocolate. That's always seemed like a weird combination to me."
"What did you get again?" Pansy asked. "Fudge ripple or something?"
"Vanilla fudge ripple."
"Mixing vanilla and chocolate is yummy," Luna added. "I like mint with chocolate too. Oh, and peanut butter with chocolate!"
"Luna, I think you'd eat anything with chocolate," Harry laughed.
"No, not meat or meat dishes," she disagreed with a grimace. "That's where I draw the line."
"I would say I'd have to remember that, but I don't think I would ever try to cook something with both meat and chocolate at the same time."
"You never know," Luna shrugged as she looked around the rest of the store. "Have you ever noticed how sexually suggestive ice cream cones are?"
Harry snorted, thankful that he didn't have a mouthful at the time of her comment. "You mean because of all the licking?"
"Oh yes, licking is good," Luna grinned.
"From what I've heard from Seamus and Dean, all guys think about that when they see girls eating ice cream cones."
Pansy took a long lick, swirling her tongue around her cone and batting her eyelashes at him. "I have no idea what you mean."
Harry just shook his head and smiled. "That seems kind of silly to me though."
"Why?" Parvati asked.
"I would think that guys licking something would be just as sexually suggestive as girls, if not more so." Harry leaned back and licked at his own cone even as all three girls looked at him. "And I am pretty good at licking, if I do say so myself."
"From what I've heard, you're right," Luna giggled. "I'd let you lick my ice cream."
"I think we all would let Harry have a lick or two," Pansy added with a smirk.
"Oh, you could too!" Luna thought to herself for a moment and then a massive smile spread across her face. "Or even better, I could lick your and Harry's ice cream cones. At the same time, even. Well, maybe. That might take getting into just the right position. My tongue is only so long, sadly."
They all laughed but Luna continued her thoughts.
"Ooh, or you know what I bet you would like Harry? If two girls licked your ice cream at the same time."
"For some reason, I don't think we're talking about ice cream cones anymore," he said with a grin.
"Whatever else could I be referencing?" Luna asked in a completely deadpan tone.
"No comment."
"What might you be thinking about all this licking, Parvati?" Luna asked.
"I think I could guess," Pansy teased.
Parvati started to blush but had her mouth full at the moment. Harry patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. "Now you have some idea what I often have to deal with between these two. Although, to be fair, Luna does occasionally team up to tease Pansy with me."
"You two never pick on me together," Luna said. "You should do that some time. It could be fun."
"I think we haven't just because we're both so fond of you," Pansy replied with a smile.
"Well, we're fond of Harry, but that doesn't stop us from messing with him."
'Yeah, but Harry is the guy and us girls have to stick together."
"I suppose that is true," Luna frowned. "Maybe Parvati can be on Harry's side then? They could be team Gryffindor, and we could be team Awesome. Because we're both so awesome, clearly."
"Clearly," Harry said with a chuckle.
"I would be happy to be on Harry's team," Parvati smiled. "And just remember, with Harry on our side, we proud Gryffindors have won the quidditch cup every year, as well as the house cup four out of five times. I'd say that makes us pretty awesome too."
"Yeah, we must be the most awesome table in England right now," Harry laughed.
"It's nice to see you in such a good mood," Luna said. "I could tell how hard some of the last year was on you."
"Thanks, Luna." Harry sat back and enjoyed another bite of his quickly diminishing cone. "It's easy to be in a good mood when you're surrounded by pretty girls."
"I could not agree more," Luna giggled before turning to Parvati. "It's too bad your sister isn't here."
"Down girl," Pansy teased.
"What? Twins are hot." Luna frowned for a moment. "I miss Hestia and Flora. They were the best part of Potions class, if you ask me. I sat behind them every year. You know, I probably would have gotten better grades if I hadn't been day dreaming so much."
"Maybe that's why you're not in the Slug Club," Parvati giggled.
"I regret nothing," Luna replied with her chin held proudly in the air.
"Speaking of the Carrows," Pansy cut in. "I heard they've settled in pretty well at Beauxbatons. Did Sirius say anything to you about them recently?"
"Not much," Harry shrugged. "He mentioned trying to set up a house in France, but the Delacours were insisting that it wasn't necessary. With Gabrielle starting school next year, I think they like the idea of having Flora and Hestia around to help keep an eye on her."
"With Gabrielle, that's probably a good idea," Pansy laughed. She turned to Parvati. "Have you met Harry's most insistent fan girl? Remember the second task, when Harry rescued Fleur's little sister?"
"Oh, yeah," Parvati nodded. "He got extra points for heroism, as I recall."
"She's been obsessed with Harry ever since, and it's bloody hilarious," Pansy snorted. "You should have seen the way she was fawning all over him at the New Year's Eve party. And Harry couldn't be rude to her either because she was only ten, not to mention being an adorable tiny Veela."
"I'm kinda surprised you find that so funny," Parvati said.
"If you had seen her proclaim to Harry that he needed all the practice he could get for when she eventually was old enough to be his lover, you would understand," Pansy giggled. "Not to mention her little strut, or the way she kept trying to swipe glasses of champagne when her parents weren't looking. I love that girl. She's a riot."
"It sounds like another fun party I missed out on," Luna pouted. "You'll have to invite me to something one of these days."
"I'm sure we'll be going to France again someday." Pansy reached out and squeezed her hand. "We'll take you with us next time."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"You know, we don't have any trips planned yet," Harry said. "Maybe I should talk to Sirius, see if he wants some company whenever he goes to check on the girls. I wouldn't mind seeing Flora and Hestia again. I don't know how much they might have heard about all the Death Eaters that have been taken out."
"I'm sure they'll be happy to hear about that," Pansy agreed.
"Why do you say that?" Parvati wondered.
"We daughters of Death Eaters stick together," Pansy replied. "They were terrible people, so it should come as no surprise that they were also terrible parents. The Carrow girls were very happy when they found out that Harry had killed their parents in the fight at the graveyard a year ago."
"Oh, I guess there's still some gossip out there that I hadn't heard yet," Parvati said. "I think it's because you Slytherins don't often let people know too many of your secrets. Not that I can blame anyone when it comes to Death Eaters."
"Speaking of which, the ministry still hasn't paid out the rewards for all those bastards you guys dealt with a couple of months ago," Pansy frowned. "I think we need to sic Sam on them."
"Who's Sam?" Parvati asked.
"Our lawyer, Sam McKenzie," Pansy answered.
"I'll give them another month," Harry shrugged.
"Why?"
"Because I thought I'd give Sam a present for my birthday- I haven't had him threaten to sue anyone for awhile, and I don't want him to get out of practice at it."
"You know Harry," Parvati began, "most people receive presents on their birthdays, not the other way around."
"I like to spread the love," he grinned. "And don't forget, it's your money too that they're screwing us about."
"Yes, but I won't see any of it for a couple of years anyway," she shrugged. "I haven't been thinking too much about it, to be honest."
"Fair enough."
"So, Parvati, I heard you're going to India soon," Luna piped up.
"Yeah, unfortunately."
"Well, the closest I've ever been was Kathmandu-"
"Where's that?" Harry interrupted.
"Nepal," Luna said before turning back to Parvati. "However, I'd like to visit India someday. What can you tell me about it?"
"What do you want to know?"
"For starters, how many naga have you met?"
Harry had never heard of nagas before, but over the next couple of hours, he learned quite a lot about them. He also found out why Parvati had been one of the few people who hadn't been bothered by the rumors of him being the heir of Slytherin back in their second year- parseltongue being a much sought after gift in India, with the snake speakers being very well respected there.
There might have been a few teasing remarks about how that ability could lead to other uses as well that Pansy confirmed, much to Harry's chagrin when Parvati blushed and asked if he needed another girlfriend.
Another week had gone by before Vanessa called to let Pansy know that they would be up for visitors that evening. Harry had to calm her down a bit, reminding her that new parents wouldn't necessarily want their guests to be too well dressed when meeting a baby. She was still thrilled, and Harry was grinning as well when they knocked on their friends' door.
Steven answered it shortly thereafter, and the smile on his face was promising. "She's just been changed, so hopefully she'll be in a good mood for your visit. We'll keep our fingers crossed, anyway."
Pansy's delight was obvious as she practically bounced past him and down the hall. Harry grinned as he followed along with Steven. "I think you can tell that she's excited about this. We're both only children, and she never really had a chance to be around a baby before."
"Yeah, I can tell," Steven chuckled. "She'd know how boring it can be sometimes otherwise."
Vanessa looked up as they all arrived at the living room, where she was in a recliner with a tiny face peeking out of a blanket. "Meet Grace Elizabeth Frost."
"Oh my god, she's adorable," Pansy cooed as she stepped closer, bending down to look at the infant. "It's very nice to meet you, Grace, and your mum was right, you do have your dad's eyes."
"That might change," Steven replied as he sat down on the couch. "Supposedly a lot of babies have blue eyes when they're born but they darken later."
"We'll see," Vanessa sighed. "I think it's just proof that she's going to be a daddy's girl. She does seem to like you more."
"That's because a lot of the time when I'm holding her, you've already let her nurse," he chuckled.
"Speaking of which, I don't think she'll need to feed again for a bit," Vanessa said as she looked up at Pansy. "Would you like to hold her?"
"Can I?"
Vanessa nodded and lifted Grace up slightly. "Be sure to cradle her head with one hand; little ones like this can't hold their heads up yet. Gracie, this is my friend Pansy."
Pansy took the baby carefully into her arms and smiled deliriously before sitting down on the end of the couch closest to her friend. "She's amazing."
"Let's just hope she continues her good mood for a while," Steven said. "Don't be surprised if she starts to fuss. The nice calm times like this never last too long."
"I guess she doesn't sleep very well at night?" Harry asked.
"She sleeps fine for awhile, but then it's time to get fed or changed," Steven answered. "Then, back to sleep for a couple of hours, and do it all over again. We're getting used to sleeping in shifts, and usually one of us can take care of everything while the other gets a bit more rest."
"Yesterday evening, I was sitting here nursing her and dozed off for a bit," Vanessa said. "You wouldn't think I could sleep through feeding a baby, but it worked out okay. She just happily kept on suckling for awhile until it was time to change boobs. That was when she woke me up.
"Unfortunately, I think she got her pipes from Steven, because when she wants you to do something, she lets you know- loudly."
Pansy giggled while she looked at little Gracie. "I think she likes me then. She hasn't protested about this strange new lady holding her. She might even be smiling a bit."
"Be careful," Vanessa replied. "Sometimes when she gets that happy little look on her face, it means she's about to burp. Here." She handed a piece of cloth to Pansy. "Hold that under her chin, just in case. You'll thank me later."
"Come over here, Harry," Pansy grinned. "Look how precious she is."
"She's very cute," he agreed before turning to Vanessa. "If she stays in a good mood, can I hold her too?"
"Sure, if you think you can get Pansy to share," Vanessa laughed.
"Just scoot closer," Pansy replied. "You can say hello too, while I hold her. Look at those chubby little fists."
"She likes to wave one around while she sucks on the fingers of her other hand," Steven said. "Watch out or she might hit you accidentally. Gracie isn't too graceful yet."
"She can learn that as she gets older," Pansy said, waving off his concern. "You can accidentally bop me in the face if you want, Gracie. You're so adorable, I probably won't even swear if you do."
"As long as she doesn't get you in the eye, you should be okay," Steven said. "That happened to me a couple of nights ago, and it definitely woke me right up."
"Your daddy is not going to convince me that you are anything other than perfect," Pansy whispered to Grace, who waved her tiny left fist at her and made a small gurgling noise. "See, you know what I'm talking about, don't you Grace?"
"Harry, if you place your finger in her hand, she'll probably hold onto it. She won't start grabbing things on her own for awhile-"
"Thank god," Vanessa muttered, cutting off her husband.
"But she will grasp your finger as a sort of reflex," Steven finished. "It's pretty neat learning all these things about how she's going to develop. You never really think about how simple we all start out- so small and curious."
He held his hand out, stretching out his index finger and when the wobbly little fist got closer, Grace bumped up against him and after a moment, she began to squeeze his finger in her hand.
"Do you feel that?" Harry asked Pansy in a quiet voice.
"She's so cute, I know," she beamed in response.
"No, not that." He shook his head as his girlfriend scowled at him. "I mean, I know she's cute, but there's something else. Can't you feel it? She's magical."
"We've got two new baby converts," Vanessa laughed. "You two need to finish school before you have any of your own. Don't let us be a bad influence on you."
"That's not-" Harry looked over at Pansy who was staring at Grace, studying her little face. He took his free hand and placed it behind the one Pansy was using to hold up the little girl's head, not knowing how he could show her what he sensed. He closed his eyes for a moment and just focused on what he felt, and when Pansy gasped, he knew that he had somehow managed to convey that same truth he had instantly known about the baby- she was a muggleborn witch. "You see it now, right?"
"Oh my god," Pansy whispered.
"We have to tell them," Harry immediately said.
"But- what about the laws?"
"Fuck 'em," Harry replied.
"Harry! Not in front of the baby!" Pansy reacted by pulling Gracie away from him with a frown.
"Sorry."
"What are you guys talking about?" Vanessa asked, her expression clearly worried about whatever her friends were talking about.
"Harry, you know how much trouble this could cause," Pansy stated.
"What are they going to do? Arrest me? The ministry can't even fire their own traitorous head idiot without discussing it for more than two months. I'd like to see any of them stupid enough to go up against their precious 'Chosen One.' The public would crucify them.
"Besides, I won't leave our friends in the dark for eleven years just because stupid people are stupid. Just imagine how much stress they could have when strange things happen because no one is willing to tell them the truth."
"What truth?" Vanessa asked as she got up and stepped over to take her daughter back into her arms.
Pansy reluctantly handed her over even as she glared at Harry. "Fine, but if you get in trouble, I'm leaving it to Sam to fix things."
Harry nodded and looked at Vanessa, who was starting to fret. "The truth is that magic is real." He pulled out his wand and lifted their coffee table three feet in the air as Vanessa gasped. "I am a wizard, Pansy is a witch, and your daughter is one too."
"Magic? But- but how?"
Harry shrugged and used his wand to conjure a rose that he then set down on top of the coffee table. "I'm not sure how it happens, but it tends to run in families. Magical people mostly stay hidden from the rest of the world, so normally you wouldn't find out about any of this until Grace turned eleven. Then, they would send you a letter saying that she was invited to Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry, where they would teach her how to do magic. Cast spells, make potions, fly on brooms, all that sort of thing."
"Fly on brooms?" Steven laughed nervously. "Really?"
"Mine can go almost three hundred kilometers per hour," Harry replied.
"You're shitting me!"
"Nope."
"And Harry flies like a maniac on it too," Pansy added.
"But how is Gracie magical?" Vanessa asked. "Steven and I can't do anything like that."
"There are several theories of how muggleborns come to exist," Pansy answered, before starting to clarify. "Magical people refer to non-magicals as muggles, hence a child born from muggles is called a muggleborn."
"They have a special word for normal people?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, magical people can be pretty weird," Harry shrugged. "That's a much longer conversation."
"But you two seem so... so normal," Vanessa said.
"Well, I grew up in the regular world," Harry replied. "I didn't find out about magic until I was eleven, like what would have happened to you guys with Grace. Before then, I did things like somehow turning a mean teacher's hair blue at school- or teleporting onto the roof of the school. You know, come to think of it, a lot of my accidental magic had to do with school- you'd think the ministry would have to obliviate stuff like that all the time."
"Anyway, as I was about to say, there are four main theories for how and why sometimes a magical child can be born to two parents who don't have any magical abilities," Pansy interjected. "The first is that it just randomly happens sometimes. The second is that somewhere they had magical ancestry, often in the form of a squib. A squib is a child who can't do magic born into a magical family. We have some evidence that might be true-"
"We do?" Harry asked.
"Yes, remember the Brightwells? They're both squibs but their son is a wizard."
"Oh, yeah, I hadn't thought of it like that. I guess I never classified him in my head as a muggleborn."
"Well, his family would have known about magic, so I can see why. Anyway, the next theory is that the child was conceived in a place with strong magic and that somehow influenced things. That might be the case here," Pansy finished.
"Really?" Vanessa asked.
"You told me that you went to the Skorrid Mountain Inn in Wales and you were pretty sure that she was conceived there."
"You told her that?" Steven asked with a confused expression.
"Oh, shush, this is interesting," his wife waved him off. "Keep going."
"Yes, so I looked it up, and that inn does have a real ghost that lives there. Usually, muggles can't interact with them, so for the most part ghost stories are just thought of as rumors and superstition, but-"
"Wait, ghosts are real too?" Steven wondered.
"Yes, but they won't usually haunt people or anything like that," Harry said. "We have a few at our school that sort of watched out for the kids a bit."
"What about Myrtle?" Pansy giggled. "I don't think what she did qualifies as 'watching out for the kids' exactly."
"Myrtle is... unique," Harry grimaced.
"I'll say," Pansy snorted. "Moaning Myrtle is the ghost of a girl who died at Hogwarts decades ago and who has remained there ever since. She also might have a bit of a crush on Harry."
"Just because I was decent to her," he shrugged. "Silly me, I should have been more of a jerk."
"What's so bad about this Myrtle?" Steven asked.
"Myrtle was fourteen when she died," Harry replied. "She's been stuck as a hormonal teenager even into her afterlife. As we found out rather intimately."
"How intimately?" Vanessa asked.
"Apparently, ghosts can masturbate," Pansy snorted which made Vanessa laugh. "And Myrtle is a bit of a voyeur. I'll tell you the rest some other time." Pansy grinned as Vanessa nodded at her. "Anyway, I believe that may be why your daughter is magical. There would have been magic in the environment, so it's the best explanation I have, unless you want to dig into your genealogy."
"Wow," Vanessa said as she sat back down, holding Grace a little closer.
"Yeah, I know it's a lot to take in," Harry said. "That's why I wanted to let you know now, so that we can help you get used to it. As she gets older, Grace will start having bouts of what is called 'accidental magic.' From what I've heard, it mostly happens during times of stress. Hopefully, we'll be able to help you guys out and explain things when you have questions."
"Why would that be a problem?" Vanessa asked.
"There are laws that keep the magical world hidden. Technically, we're breaking the law by telling you all of this."
"But, I thought you said-"
"You would eventually find out anyway, but not for a long time." Harry shook his head. "I think that's a dumb law personally. My childhood would have been a lot better if I had known the truth. Well, maybe not a lot better, but..."
"So, you two have been going to this Hogwarts since you were eleven?" Vanessa asked. "How long does it take to learn magic?"
"Oh, um..." Harry looked over at Pansy who rolled her eyes at him.
"You were the one that wanted to tell them everything, so this is on your head. Go on," she waved at him.
"So, we're actually not as old as you guys think." Harry used his wand to cancel the glamour charms he regularly used on himself and Pansy. "We're only sixteen."
"Ahem," Pansy grumbled.
"Okay, technically only Pansy is sixteen. But my birthday is at the end of the month."
"Then... were you guys only fourteen when we met?" Vanessa paled as she asked. "Have you really lived on your own since then?"
"Well, we do have Dobby to look after us, so not really."
"Who's Dobby?"
"I can introduce you," Harry said. "Just don't freak out when you meet him. Dobby is what is called a house-elf. He takes care of us."
"House-elves are like magical servants, usually," Pansy added. "They tend to be sort of like a butler or a maid, only Dobby is more... um, how do I put it?"
"Dobby is part cook, part bodyguard, part friend, and part... I know I'm leaving something out here," Harry said with a frown. "Basically, Dobby is a lot of things to us. Anyway, like we said, he's a house-elf, and what that means is that he's about three feet tall with really big eyes and ears. Oh, and no hair. Would you like to meet him?"
"Yes," Vanessa said as Steven nodded.
"Okay, hold on. Dobby?"
Dobby popped into their living room and Vanessa still gasped even with the warning.
"Master Harry is being too careless with the rules, but Dobby will take care of things if Dobby needs to."
"I know you will, but let me introduce you to Steven, Vanessa, and little Gracie Frost. They're our friends."
"Yes, and Dobby can see that little miss is a witch," Dobby grinned. "She'll grow up to be a powerful witch, just like miss Pansy."
"It's nice to meet you, Dobby," Vanessa said.
"Oh, miss is too kind to Dobby, but then miss is friends with the great Harry Potter sir, so Dobby should have known." The little elf looked around the house for a second before turning to Harry. "Can Dobby please help master Harry's friends?"
"Um, yeah if you want to, I guess," Harry shrugged.
"Excellent!"
Dobby vanished with a pop.
"What was that all about?" Steven asked.
"Dobby literally lives to clean things," Harry chuckled. "He'll have this place tidy in no time. He would get upset if you asked him not to clean something messy. He got mad at me this spring when I made him take a day off."
"That only tells a very small part of that story, but we don't have a week to go through everything," Pansy said.
"You said there were four ways," Vanessa interrupted, drawing their attention. "Four ways you knew of for a witch to be born to non-magical parents. You only told us three though. What's the fourth?"
"Oh," Pansy sighed. "You really want to know?"
"Yes."
"The fourth way would be for a woman to have been raped by a wizard and not realize that she was carrying his child."
Vanessa gasped at Pansy's explanation. "Does that happen very often?"
"Officially, no. Unofficially, it's possible but not talked about."
"But how could someone get away with that?" Vanessa asked.
"There's a memory charm that can erase your memories," Pansy replied. "There are some people who will use it pretty much without regard to any muggles they might come across."
"Yeah, parts of the magical world are pretty messed up," Harry added. "That's one of the reasons we're lucky to have Dobby watching our backs."
"That... could that have happened to us?" Steven asked in a soft voice. "Is it possible that Grace isn't my daughter?"
"We can find out for sure," Harry answered after a moment of thought.
"Harry?" Pansy asked. "How?"
"Dobby?" When the elf reappeared, cleaning rag in hand, Harry smiled at him. "Can you get me the book on blood magic from my trunk please?"
"Of course!"
As he disappeared, Pansy looked at him with a tired expression. "Really? Blood magic? You're just completely ignoring the laws today, aren't you?"
"This one isn't illegal, as far as I know," Harry shrugged.
"Is blood magic what it sounds like?" Vanessa asked.
"It is a form of magic that uses blood for a variety of purposes, many of them that are frowned upon if not actually illegal."
"Because they can be dangerous!" Pansy scowled at him.
"Only some of them," Harry scoffed. "This one is so simple that a second year could cast it. Don't worry so much."
Dobby showed up and handed Harry a book. "Thank you, Dobby. Give me just a moment." He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He read the spell again and nodded before setting the book aside and looking at Steven. "I'll need to make a little cut to access your blood. Don't worry, I can heal it afterwards, but the blood is a key part of the spell. Okay?"
"Yeah, do it."
Steven held out his hand and Harry took out a small knife and nicked it with his left hand while holding his wand in the right. "Invenio familio!"
A single drop of blood floated up out of the back of Steven's hand before flying across the room and landing directly on Gracie's forehead. He exhaled in relief. "I assume that's what it was supposed to do?"
"Yep," Harry nodded with a smile. "Gracie is absolutely your daughter."
"Now that the drama is over," Pansy turned back to Vanessa with a smile. "We can tell you guys all sorts of things about magic."
"I thought you could get in trouble for this though," Vanessa replied.
"Harry's probably right," she shrugged. "If you ever meet anyone with a wand that's pointed at you, just tell them you know Harry Potter. They'll probably be so startled that you can explain things to them."
"Yeah, you could probably just tell them that I'm Gracie's godfather and they would leave you alone."
"Um, no offense Harry, but Richie is actually Grace's godfather."
"Oh, that's fine, I just meant you could say that if you ever need to."
"Why?"
"Because in the magical world, I'm kind of a big deal," he smirked.
"That's putting it mildly," Pansy giggled. "Can I tell them?"
"Sure," Harry replied. "Luna always says I suck at telling stories anyway."
"Goodie," Pansy grinned. "So, it all starts with a baby with beautiful green eyes and a magical forehead."
Harry snorted as his girlfriend launched into a very snarky retelling of the myth of the boy-who-lived. He had a feeling they were going to be spending a lot of that summer bringing their friends into the know on all things magical. He sat back and smiled- for once he was looking forward to this new adventure that should be fun instead of life-threatening.
He might have to make another set of charmed mirrors though. Harry was determined to get Pansy to another beach as soon as possible. A summer spent without her in a bikini would be too sad to contemplate.
Whatever the Dark Lord might be up to would just have to wait for these much more important things.