Aguas Calientes, Peru - June 28, 1999
It was once again the night of the full moon, and everyone was restless. If Severus had been right, then Moony was no longer infected with rabies, so his change should be much easier.
Remus was geared up and ready to go. It probably had something to do with the fact that it had been Litha the week before. Like they had done the last time, they celebrated in traditional fashion. Litha was focused more towards fire and life, as it was the longest day of the year. There was dancing and a large meal, everyone had sacrificed a few bites of their meal to the bonfire they had lit when it got dark.
Over the past month he had regularly shifted his forms, he liked how easy it was now. They had made sure that he was nowhere near any of the kids when he shifted, just in case, but everything had been fine and he had retained his mind. His instincts were more wolf like but that was to be expected.
When the sun went down and the moon came out Remus shifted into Moony. It was seamless. There was no pain. Like last time they spent the night running and playing.
When the sun came up they went back to camp to tell the kids the good news. A quick message was sent off to Ragnock. There wouldn't be much of a profit in the potion, but it might be beneficial in the long run.
The ministry forbid werewolves from having bank accounts, or, working for the most part. With this potion they might be able to get rid of those laws, allowing the wolves to open accounts and earn money, which in turn would help the goblins. It was also better for everyone to cure the wolves and fix some of the laws.
Ragnock replied quickly. He was glad that they had managed to figure out what was wrong with the wolves. The wolves and the goblins had once had a long standing alliance, and this could benefit them. He informed them that they would conduct a large scale test of the potion by contacting the wolves they knew in Britain and offer them a chance to try it. Although the government wouldn't allow the goblins to provide the wolves with a proper vault, they still did what they could to care for what little money the wolves could make, so they knew many of them. He expected that it would be easy.
The Bubble - July 17, 1999
Charlie Weasley dashed through the different sections of The Bubble. He had been working in Section 2 when their new arrivals showed up. He knew this wasn't something Hagrid would want to miss. Hagrid was once again, visiting with Aragog and his family in Section 9.
Aragog, his wife, and kids had all settled in quite nicely. Hagrid had been pleased to see how much his old friend enjoyed his new home. When Charlie came into the acromantula area he made sure not to get within striking distance of any of the spiders. They might be nice to Hagrid, but they made sure to keep the other handlers on their toes.
"Ay, Charlie. Wa's ta rush?" Hagrid was confused by the boys state. He was out of breath and his eyes were bright and shining.
"No time, Hagrid. You need to come." Charlie couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face, Hagrid was going to love this. "Some smugglers were caught. The creatures are being brought in, you're gonna wanna be there."
Seeing how excited Charlie was Hagrid decided not to argue with him. They both ran back to Section 2. Hagrid's strides caused the ground under them to shudder as they went.
When they arrived, Charlie put out a hand and they both stopped and took a moment before they took a deep breath before they entered the arrival bay. The entire place was in chaos. They could see a group of handlers trying to persuade a clearly stubborn sphinx. A small heard of mooncalves were trying to hide from all the noise and light as some other handlers tried to shepherd them to another section and away from the sphinx. Three large winged horses were stamping their feet and trying to take off.
Charlie saw who he was looking for. Nick, Charlie's friend and primary boss, was off in a corner trying to protect a crate from everything going on. When Hagrid and Charlie got over to him he explained that they needed to move the crate to one of the private rooms. The crate was too large for Nick or Charlie, but it was no trouble for Hagrid to pick it up. Hagrid was a little confused about how Nick was fussing about being gentle with the crate.
When they were in one of the private sections, Nick and Charlie started casting heating charms until the room was sweltering. Hagrid just continued to watch in confusion.
"Nick. What's got you so worried?" Charlie asked in concern.
"Their damaged. It's also time." Nick told him and Charlie started to worry like Nick.
Once it was warm enough they went over to the crate and lifted off the lid. Inside were two, large, shiny eggs.
"Dragon eggs." Hagrid almost squealed when he saw the eggs. "Wai'. Watch ya mean damaged?"
Nick reached into the crate and gently lifted one of the eggs out and placed it in the heated nest Charlie was making. Turning it he showed Hagrid the pattern of scars on the shell. "Antipodean opaleye eggs. The poachers weren't caring for them properly. They both show signs of being cracked, and the heater they had them in wasn't high enough. All the movement from getting them here has also caused them to start the process of hatching. If everything goes well, we'll have two new baby dragons here. But… More than likely, we will lose at least one of them. They've already been through so much trauma."
Tears filled Hagrid's eyes as he gently stroked the egg while Nick moved the other one to the nest.
The hours passed slowly as Charlie, Nick, and Hagrid watched the eggs slowly hatching. Charlie and Nick directed jets of hot air from their wands to simulate the mother dragons breath. Charlie had gotten a special dispensation from the ministry to use his wand outside of school for work, any student working in a job that could require magic could apply. As much as they wanted to help the little dragons out, they couldn't. Forcing their way out of the shell was how the baby dragons strengthened their wings and legs. If they didn't do it on their own their muscles would never properly develop.
Charlie had sent a message home, telling his parents that he was going to be staying at work over night. Arthur had come to check on him, since he hadn't told them what was going on in the message. He just wanted to make sure that everything was ok, he also brought the three of them some dinner. Once he saw the sad look on Charlie and Hagrid's face, he knew something bad was happening. When Charlie explained he was also sad for the poor baby dragons.
Eventually, 11 hours after they first entered the room, a small baby dragon tumbled out of it's shell. It squeaked in indignation as it fell. Looking closely they could see the straight clean lines on the small horns on its head, clearly identifying the baby as a boy. The horns of the females were curled.
They moved quickly once the boy had hatched. He needed to be kept as warm as possible and fed. They already had a smoothie of oysters, mutton, and brandy. The baby dragon was placed in Hagrid's arms, wrapped up in a heated blanket, and Hagrid bottle fed him. Normally the dragon would be able to eat on his own, but they didn't want to take any chances.
While Hagrid was cooing at the baby dragon, Charlie and Nick watched as the second egg started to shake. A small squeak came from the egg as the cracks grew larger. The cracks on the top of the egg linked up, forming a circle, which popped up as a little dragon looked out of the egg at them. They could see the curving designs on her horns.
The movements caused the egg to tip, but rather than falling out of the egg like her brother, she slowly pulled her too thin body out of the tiny hole she had made. Charlie quickly wrapped her up and started feeding her. She was far to tiny.
After both babies had been fed Charlie handed the little girl over to Hagrid. The two siblings curled up, resting their heads against Hagrid's chest, and went to sleep.
Nick sat back and watched the reactions of the baby dragons as Charlie and Hagrid talked. He had an idea.
"Hagrid? Would you be willing to take a sabbatical from Hogwarts for a few years?"
"What ya mean, Nick?" Hagrid didn't really understand what Nick had just asked him, but was too embarrassed to ask him to explain the big word.
"What I mean is, would you be willing to come here and work with us? I know that you work as one of the grounds keepers at the school, but we could really use you here. We could even call your time here training for your job. It would allow you to gain your beast handlers license."
"I never finished my school'in, so I can't get my license. What could ya need me fer, ya got some o' the best people workin' here?" Hagrid would love to work at The Bubble, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.
"You don't need to have graduated from Hogwarts to work here. The ones that have the big fancy diplomas work in the office. If you talk to the staff, you'll find that most didn't even attend a proper school, most of us are self taught. And, to get your beast handlers license all you need to do is work in a place like this for three years. We could really use your help with those babies. You see the way they're resting their heads on your chest." Hagrid nodded at Nicks question. "In the wild, a baby opaleye will only go to sleep if it's mother sings to it. The mothers singing is a deep rumble they make in there chest that soothes the baby. It would seem, that the way your voice rumbles in your chest is close enough to the sound their mother would have made that it helps them sleep.
They won't be able to sleep properly for at least the first six months of their lives without hearing that. Those two are going to need round the clock attention for the next year if we want them to survive. Right now, I have Charlie to help me out, but he's gonna have to go back to school for his final year in September. Don't even try arguing with me Charlie, the last thing I need is your mother coming here to yell at me for corrupting her baby boy…Again.
It's just too much work for me to do on my own, and the babies have already clearly bonded with you."
Hagrid thought about it as he rocked the dragons in his arms. He always had love dragons, and this was a chance to help save their lives, and raise two of them. He didn't want anything bad to happen to them. But could he really leave the school and earn his beast license. He had been living at the school for so long, he didn't know how to live in the outside world.
"You should do it Hagrid." Charlie told him, Charlie knew Hagrid wasn't properly appreciated at the school. "It's only a few years, and you could classify it as job training. Getting your beast license would enable you to be able to deal with the creatures in the forest better. Plus, the babies need you."
Hagrid held the babies a bit closer. He didn't want to leave them. A few minutes later he made up his mind. He was staying at The Bubble. He would write to Headmaster Dumbledore and explain that he was taking one of those sabaty things from the school. Then, all he had to do was pack up his things.
Charlie and Nick spent the next hour explaining all about what Hagrid would be doing. The Bubble had small areas in each section devoted to housing some of the handlers. Given the fact that the newly hatched dragons would need constant attention they would just turn one of the creature areas into a place where he could live. He would also be welcome to bring his pets along, some might not be able to stay with the dragons, but the other handlers would make sure that they were well cared for.
Gringotts - July 26, 1999
Healer Vessra was sitting in her office when a young male wizard was led in. The man looked to be in his early 20's, but his hair was already streaked through with grey.
"What do you want from me?" The wizard asked fearfully.
"I am Healer Vessra. We here at the bank would like for you to be a part of a large scale test that we are conducting on a new potion."
"But I'm a werewolf."
"That is exactly why you were selected. Now, from my file and the diagnostics that were cast on you on your way in. Your name is Mathew Pike, you were attacked and turned by Fenrir Greyback when you were 12, you are currently 23. Is that correct?"
"Yes." Matt was scared. He knew his kind were often hunted, his own family had thrown him out after he was attacked.
"Good. The potion that you will be testing was developed by one of our curse breakers. It was discovered recently that the primary cause of the insanity werewolves experience under the full moon is the result of a disease known as rabies. The potion will cure this issue. In a previous test conducted, after the potion is consumed the pain of the shift, and the resulting insanity is removed. The subject was also able to shift at will."
Matt just stared at the goblin healer. Was she really saying what he thought she was saying.
"We will require you to send us a letter detailing what happens during each shift for the next 5 years."
The rest of the meeting finished up quickly. Of the 34 werewolves that Vessra had met with so far, every single one agreed. She had another 41 werewolves left on her list.
Britain - July 28, 1999
All over Britain werewolves took the potion pills that they had received from the goblin healers before locking themselves in for the night. The transformation was excruciating, as normal. But a short while after they changed, each wolf crouched down as the potion was released from the pills. When they stood back up they had their own minds again. The mindless bloodlust and pain was gone.
There were many barks and howls of joy.
When morning came, the shift back was easy and painless. A few even dared to try shifting back and forth on their own, it too was easy and painless. Reports were quickly sent off to the bank telling the goblin healer their experiences.
Aguas Calientes, Peru - July 31, 1999
Hadrian, Neville, and Draco were playing with the introductory potions kits they had each received from Severus for their birthdays. All three of them were having fun, but Neville seemed nervous.
Seeing Neville's fear, Severus went over to him. "Neville, what happens if you mix fairy and pixy wings in the same potion?"
"They react negatively and often turn the potion poisonous, and if the potion is boiling when their mixed the potion will explode." Neville told him, confused as to why he was being asked.
"Exactly. You have spent years studying the different ways potion ingredients react. So, why are you so scared to make a potion?" Severus smiled at the scared child.
"What if I mess up?" Neville was terrified that he was going to blow up his potion and everyone would think he was stupid.
"Neville, your going to mess up." Severus told him softly. "It isn't a question of if, but when. But do you know what? That's fine. No one expects you to be perfect. You're just starting, your going to make mistakes, its how you learn. And, guess what. I am the youngest person to earn their potions mastery in hundreds of years, I have brewed hundreds of thousands of potions over the years, and invented many new potions, but I still make mistakes. I still blow up one of my cauldrons at least every other month. So, if I can mess up, so can you, but like I said. It's ok."
James and everyone else smiled as they heard Sev talking to Neville. James loved his husband even more when he did things like that. Sev was still a snarky bastard most of the time, but he was always kind and gentle with the kids.
Neville smiled at Sev before running off to go and start trying to brew a few basic potions with the others. Everyone was a bit surprised that both Hadrian and Draco managed to explode their cauldrons before Neville. They weren't dealing with anything dangerous so none of the parents were overly nervous.
A few hours later, after dinner and cake, Narcissa called everyones attention. Remus just smiled at her. Ever since he had been cured his senses were far better, he could smell the shift in hormones.
"I am happy to announce that, come January, we will be welcoming two new Malfoy's" Narcissa smiled happily as everyone started congratulating her.
The first to quiet down was Remus and Alice. Remus just smirked at Alice as she looked back at him. Narcissa was looking around at her friends happily, with all the children gathered around her hugging her, when she noticed the little staring contest going on.
"Remus, Alice. What are you two fighting about?" Narcissa asked.
"Nothing." Alice said at the same time Remus said, "Ask her."
"Alice?" Narcissa asked, then she noticed the happy smile Frank shot his wife. Looking closer, she saw the happy little grin Alice had, and that, while her right hand was holding her tea, her left hand was gently laying on her stomach. She squealed in delight.
Alice huffed a sigh, there was no way she was going to be able to hide it and give Narcissa her moment. "As someone can't seem to keep his nose to himself," She glared at Remus, "Frank and I have an announcement as well. Come the beginning of February, we will be welcoming a new Longbottom."
Everyone started to congratulate her, with Sirius and James telling them all about the joy of having a pregnancy buddy. Neville was so excited. He had asked his parents about maybe getting a little brother or sister a few times since last year, and now he was getting one.
The only downside was that it wasn't safe to travel by portkey in the last trimester. Soon enough Narcissa and Alice wouldn't be able to come and visit them. Hadrian was sad about this, but when they did get to come again they would have new babies to bring with them.
Aguas Calientes, Peru - August 3, 1999
Bill was sitting at the dining room table looking at a message orb and shrunken trunk. Sev, James, Remus, and Sirius were sitting with him. The orb and trunk were addressed to Fred and George, from George. Bill was worried that whatever was on there would be too much for the 11 year olds.
After debating back and forth for days, and changing his mind multiple times, Bill made a choice. He was going to send it.
He didn't want Molly to find out, he knew that if he just sent it to the house the twins wouldn't get it until after Molly had gone through everything. To avoid that, he decided to send it to his father. He would disguise it as a little package of presents so he went into town and bought a few generic souvenirs that wouldn't indicate where he was.
The Burrow - August 10, 1999
When Arthur came home from work he was carrying a small package that the bank had forwarded to him. He missed his eldest son, but he was also glad that he was happy. He had stopped off at The Bubble on his way home to drop off Charlies present. Charlie had been spending most days and nights at The Bubble helping Hagrid deal with the hyper baby dragons. Bill had sent him a braided leather cuff with runes to protect the wearer against flames carved on it.
Both of the baby dragons were still going strong, but they would never be able to be regular dragons. The little boy, named Mercury, had a damaged wing that had never formed properly. Most likely due to his egg being dropped on its side. The little girl, Silver, had most of the vertebra in her tail fused. As dragons used their tails like a rudder, she wouldn't be able to properly direct herself if she managed to get into the air.
Walking into the kitchen he saw for once, the rest of the family was there. Molly was making dinner. The twins were sitting and reading a book together, it was clear from the look on their faces they were being watched because they had gotten into trouble. Ron was eating a snack. While Ginny, was sitting colouring in one of her books while shooting smug looks at her brothers, Arthur knew those looks meant that she had been the one to tattle on her brothers.
After they had all eaten dinner, Arthur pulled out the package. "Bill sent us a gift package today." He told the family.
Fred and George were interested, Molly just huffed, she still wasn't over his leaving, and Ginny and Ron got excited for presents.
Ron and Ginny were the first to rip open their presents. They were both imagining all the different treasures that Bill might have sent them, but what they got wasn't anything extravagant. Like Charlie, they both received braided leather cuffs, but theirs were watches and there were instructions on how to set alarms for morning. Arthur thought they were excellent gifts, but Ron and Ginny just whined about it.
Molly received spices that Bill had thought she might like to try. Arthur had gotten a book that explained how cell phones worked, he found it extremely interesting. Percy received a book on world history.
Fred and George looked into the box that held their present. They both noticed instantly that the inside of the box had been expanded. There were two books about occlumency, with a note on top by Bill suggesting that they learn it, sitting off to one side. On the other side was another box. 'Don't show this to anyone else. - Bill' Was written on the other box. Pulling out the books they showed their family before asking to be excused.
Once in their room they pulled out the other box. As soon as it was out of the first box it expanded to double its original size. Opening that box, they found an orb and a shrunken trunk. There was a note attached to the orb that told them how to unshrink the trunk, by tapping a finger on the jewel on the top, and that they needed to go into the first compartment to listen to the orb, the note was signed by George. The twins looked at each other, they both knew that that was George's handwriting, but he hadn't written this.
Doing as the note said, they unshrunk the trunk and went into the first compartment. The compartment was a small, cozy little sitting room with two purple chairs and a blue couch. Sitting on the coffee table, between the couch and chairs was another note that explained how to activate the orb. They activated the orb and sat down.
They watched as an older version of George came into view. There were lines on his face, one of his ears was missing, but the most startling thing was the dull look in his eyes.
"So, this is probably pretty confusing for you two. Seeing me, you, us, however you want to say it. I don't even know if this will work. But, it was worth a try.
If everything went according to plan than this message should be reaching you just before you start your third year, but again, we aren't sure if this is going to work so it might show up sooner or later than that point, or not at all.
I sent this to make sure you didn't make my mistakes. First things first, George, give Freddy a hug for me.
Just after our 17th birthday Voldemort returned and restarted the war. Naturally we fought with style, and pranks. At the final battle, where Hadrian Potter defeated him again… We lost you Freddy. I have never felt as lost as I did that day. My other half was just gone…
But we kept going, we had too. Within the next few years, things didn't get any better. In retaliation for what Voldemort did, many sought revenge on anything or anyone they classified as dark.
Bill had been scratched by a werewolf a few years before and his wife was 1/4 veela.They were hunted down. Dad died trying to help them, but they died anyway. The only member of their little family that survived was Bill's baby daughter. She was brought to Charlie and I by Hadrian and we had to flee the country to save her, and ourselves. But Hadrian stayed behind to keep fighting.
There was nothing we could do but watch as our world tore itself apart. Until Hadrian came to us with this idea. A chance to warn ourselves, and change the future.
Now, one thing you need to know, because it is a danger that you are probably currently around. Molly isn't our mother. Dad didn't marry Molly Prewett, he married her twin brothers, Fabian and Gideon. They are our fathers. Molly drugged dad with a love potion and she and Dumbledore did some old ritual that made people think that dad had married her and not our fathers, you can't tell dad this, the ritual will kill him if he finds out about it before it is countered. She then went on to have Ron and Ginny.
You can not trust Molly, Ron, or Ginny. They work for Dumbledore. It was them that gave up the location of Bill's home. They are the reason I lost another brother, sister-in-law, and my father. And we don't know what happened to Percy, but what ever it is, we don't think it's anything good.
Depending on when this reached you, our other fathers should still be alive. While they were reported dead after the attack on Bones Manor, they were actually kidnapped. We have been trying to gather information over the past few years, but we haven't managed to figure out where they were taken. What we do know is that they didn't die until February 2007. I am not telling you this so that you drop out of school to go and save them, Bill should already be working on that.
You need to stay in school. The reason I say this is because there is someone else who is going to need you. Our soulmate. As magical twins we have the same soulmate, and the first time we saw him was getting onto the train in our third year, it was his first. Our soulmate is none other than Hadrian Potter himself.
The first time we saw him, we knew and were so excited. We waited for years for him to notice it too, but he never did. I learned only a few years ago that Hadrian had had his soul bond with us blocked and had been doused with hundreds of love potions, most of them focused on Ginny. By the time Hadrian finally escaped their control you were already gone Freddy, and the damage had been done, Hadrian was left with a complete inability to feel anything at all, so it's just been me these last few years.
When you see him, if he doesn't react in some way, you are going to need to try and get him to the bank to get a purge done. If you don't already have it, there is a map, called the Marauders Map. When you use the password 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good", it will show you all of Hogwarts, where everyone is, and all the secret passages. It will help you. To clear it just say, 'mischief managed'. It is in the old filing cabinet in Filch's office.
The reason you need to stay in school and help him is that there are many there that will do anything to control him. This includes Dumbledore, McGonagall, Ron, Ginny, and a muggleborn girl, Hermione Granger. They used all kinds of potions and spells on him to force him into dangerous situations, including facing a fully grown mountain troll, a teacher possessed by Lord Voldemort, and a 60ft. basilisk, and that was only in the first 2 years.
If you are entering your third year than you will be able to request a resort. We were originally sorted into Gryffindor, but we can't stay there. As much as I loved our time there it's just to dangerous. Most of those loyal to the headmaster are there. I have spoken to Hadrian, and he said he would most likely ask the hat for Ravenclaw, but I think we would do best in Hufflepuff. The thing is, you can always trust a Hufflepuff to have your back, and let's be honest, no one ever suspects the puffs, because they don't see them as a threat. I originally thought of Slytherin, but they are just to uptight. Slytherin's are very prim and proper, which we are so not.
I think that's everything I needed to say. Oh, just so you know. I never told Hadrian that he was our soulmate, so he will have no idea when he meets you. Have some fun with that for me, will ya.
Oh, and after we dropped out of school when we were 17 we opened up the best joke shop around, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I know I told you not to drop out this time, but that doesn't mean you can't restart our mail order business while you're in school. The students were our best customers anyway. But, you might want to come up with some cool nickname alias's so none of the teachers know it's you.
All of our research and notes on our products are in the other compartments of this trunk. So keep this trunk safe. This was originally our workshop that we used at home after Molly came into our room one day and caught us working and destroyed all the stuff we had been working on. It's layered in notice-me-not charms and warded so that only the two of us, and Hadrian, can enter.
Have fun, cause more than a little mischief and mayhem, and enjoy every moment of it.
This is Gred, signing off."
Fred and George just stared at the spot where the image of George had just been. George had a death grip on Fred's hand, and had since he had heard he had died. George couldn't even begin to comprehend the idea that his twin had died.
"She… She's not our mother." Fred stuttered out, unconsciously mimicking what Bill had said months earlier.
"She's using a love potion on dad."
"Our other fathers are alive."
"We have a soul mate."
"60 ft. basilisk."
"V…V…Voldemort possessed teacher."
Fred and George when back and forth repeating what they had just learned. they looked at each other in shock. This was going to take some thinking.
The rest of the night was spent in the trunk going over everything they learned from the message. By morning they had decided their path.
They would start school next month and try to get themselves sorted into Hufflepuff. They would use the joke stuff to earn a bit of money, but try and make sure not to draw to much attention to themselves. They would use the nicknames Mischief for Fred, and Mayhem for George. The note from Bill that came along with the occlumency book told them that they would receive some basic protection because they were magical twins, but it would be safer for everyone if they learned it properly. They were also going to warn their father about the love potions, he deserved to know.
The next morning they cornered their father in his little home office before he left for work to warn him about the potions. He told them that he already knew, and that they didn't need to worry about it, the goblins had helped him to ensure his protection from any future attempts to drug him.
Hogwarts - September 1, 1999
Fred and George had spent the rest of the summer going over all the different pranks and products that they had invented in their past life. By the time they got on the Hogwarts Express for the first time, they were ready. They wouldn't be able to make any of the more advanced stuff yet, but they had plenty of the little things, like pellets that would change a persons skin tone.
The train ride had been spent talking with their best friend Lee Jordan. The twins told him about their desire to be in Hufflepuff. Lee was initially shocked that they were going to try and avoid the lion house, but he understood that the twins were different.
Arriving at the castle after a boat ride, the boats were being led by one of the grounds keepers, the twins knew that Hagrid usually brought the first years, but he was still at the nature preserve with the dragons, they were all led up to one of the side rooms where Minerva McGonagall was waiting. She gave a quick introductory speech about the school and the houses. Because the twins were paying close attention, they noticed her voice went flat when she said the name of Slytherin House.
The sorting hat sang its song and then the sorting began. The twins cheered loudly when Lee was called up and sorted into Ravenclaw. The boy may be an excellent prankster, but the reason he was so inventive was because he was always reading and getting new ideas.
When the time came, Fred was called up first. Sitting down on the stool, a hat was dropped over his eyes, and he heard a new voice in his head, other than his and his brothers.
'Well, well, well. Magical twins. I must say, it is a bit crowded in here. But, let's get down to business. Ah, I see a message from the future has given you a warning. That will serve you well. But ah, I see you desire the house of the loyal badgers. Yes, I do agree. You will do great things both for, and in, that house. HUFFLEPUFF! '
The last word was shouted to the hall. Percy and Charlie cheered happily along with the rest of the hall for their little brother. Both were a little surprised that the twins weren't going to be in Gryffindor, but they thought they would be more than happy in Hufflepuff. They both knew that George would soon be following his twin when George was called up.
'Well, this mind is also crowded, and seems rather familiar,' The hat snarked once it was on George's head. 'Now, yes, there is no doubt where you belong. HUFFLEPUFF!'
Once again everyone clapped as George joined Fred. They were sitting next to Cedric Diggory. They had known each other since they were children because Cedric's family lived just over the hill from The Burrow. As soon as Fred had been sorted into his house, Cedric had made room on the bench next to himself and waved the bouncing red head over.
Minerva watched as first one, than the other, Weasley twin went to Hufflepuff. Part of her was annoyed that they weren't in her house, but she was also happy. The twins were trouble makers and now she wouldn't have to deal with all the trouble they were going to cause.
Albus was once again furious. This was shaping up to be his worse year yet. He couldn't believe that the twins were being so difficult and refusing to do what he wanted. He needed the Weasley's to be known as light and Gryffindor, now they had one Ravenclaw and two Hufflepuff's.
He knew that Molly had spent the entire summer leading up to today telling the twins that they needed to honour their family and make sure they were Gryffindor's. He had been the one to instruct her to do so after all. But, no, they wouldn't listen.
There was also his loss of Hagrid. He had loved having Hagrid at the school, it helped him to maintain his image of a kind old man, there was also the fact that he had ensured that Hagrid practically worshiped him.
Like Severus, Hagrid had been doing the job of multiple people, so now he was going to have to hire more people. Hagrid had trusted him so completely that Albus had been able to funnel off over 3/4 of Hagrid's wages, so he was going to lose even more money. He had had to hire 5 people just to do the work that Hagrid had done on his own.
The Burrow - September 2, 1999
Like he did every year, Arthur Weasley was sitting at the table waiting for the first letters home from his sons at Hogwarts. He couldn't wait to hear which house the twins had been sorted into. The twins had always been difficult to categorize, they could fit in any house. In his opinion they were as bold as lions, as clever as a raven, as ambitious as snakes, and as hard working as badgers. Arthur took the letter from the twins black eagle owl, Loki, when he flew in the open window, making sure to give the bird some bacon. Loki had a bit of a temper if he felt he wasn't being properly appreciated. The twins had saved all the money they got as an allowance to buy the owl for themselves.
Like he had with Percy's sorting, Arthur found himself overjoyed with where the twins were sorted. Minerva had been fine with Bill and Charlie, but she was just to strict for the twins, Pamona was much better suited for dealing with them.
"Well, did they get into Gryffindor or not?" Molly demanded.
"They were sorted into Hufflepuff."
"What?" Molly was furious. "What is going on with those boys. First Percy dishonours the family, now the twins."
"The only one that is dishonouring this family, is you Molly. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being sorted in to any other house. I have had enough of you trying to force our children into being someone they are not, and you will stop teaching Ron and Ginny that."
"Arthur, how dare you speak to me like that?" Molly practically screamed at him. That was it, she knew she was going to have to start feeding him stronger potions. He shouldn't be able to talk to her like this.
"I dare because your narrow minded views are harming our children, and I am done allowing it. And don't even think of trying to feed me more love and submission potions."
"W…What? What potions." Mollys voice, for what might have been the first time in years, was low and subdued.
"Yes, I know about all those potions you have been trying to feed me. My financial advisor required me to get tested before he would sign off on our first budget years ago. That was how I found out about that. I arranged to have monthly checks for the last few years and have been taking nullifying potions ever since. I have spent these last few years trying to find the woman I married in this harpy you have become, but do you know what, I don't think she ever existed outside my potion laced mind.
As of this moment this marriage is in name only. We will stay together for the sake of the children. Once Ginny is of age we are done. Until then we will be civil to one another."
"I could just take the kids and leave you. I won't be treated like this."
"No, Molly. You won't. I own this house and I am the one that earns the money. If you leave, you leave the house and the kids. When we file for divorce I will request full and sole custody. And given your lack of job skill's, lack of your own home, your drugging me with potions, and your history of emotionally abusing the kids, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be granted, especially if the divorce judge we go to was in any house other than Gryffindor."
"Fine. We will be civil." Molly knew she had no choice but to back down. There really wasn't anything she could do.
If Arthur tried to file for divorce, he would learn that they weren't married. Because she had used love potions on him she could actually go to Azkaban. If he filed for sole custody he would probably get it. She could try saying that she should be able to keep Ron and Ginny because they weren't Arthurs kids but that probably wouldn't work. They had used a full blood adoption potion on the kids to make them Weasley's, which meant that, though he wasn't their birth father, he was still one of their biological parents. Lying about there parentage like she had could allow them to claim that she was an unfit mother, which would go against her. Not to mention what it would do to Albus's reputation. No, there really was nothing she could do, she would just have to live with Arthur until Ginny was 17, it was only 9 more years.
"And another thing." Arthurs voice interrupted Molly's train of thought. "You are going to get your spending habits under control."
"There is nothing wrong with my spending."
"Molly, you spent over 500 galleons last month on clothes, jewellery, and candy for Ron and Ginny. There is no reason for that. That money was meant to be spent on food, not wasted."
"It wasn't wasted. Ron and Ginny needed them. What is wrong with giving them presents from time to time to show we love them. Besides they need clothes."
"There is nothing wrong with presents from time to time, but really Molly. A treat every now and then, not hundreds of galleons every month. They get an allowance every month. If they want extra candy and trinkets, they can buy it for themselves, which they do. They both instantly spend their allowance on candy, and then whine that they want something else after the money is gone, and you always buy it for them. That needs to end.
And, yes, they need clothes, but not that much. Ron is almost never out of his pyjamas, when he does wear anything else, its one of three outfits he likes. The rest just sits in his closet. And Ginny. There are three space expansion charms on that girls closet and it still doesn't fit everything. Last year you bought her a hand made formal party dress. There was no need for it, we don't go to fancy parties. The only time she wore that dress was when she was playing dress up, and she outgrew it within a few months because you didn't have expansion charms put on it because you two said that it made the fabric wrinkle. If she wants to play dress up there is a perfectly good second hand store on River Run where she could get a dozen dresses for half the price you paid for that one. She is 8 years old, she doesn't need fancy jewellery either.
If you are going to keep wasting money on frivolous things then you are going to have to get a job so you can pay for them. As of today, I will be going to my financial advisor and setting out a solid budget for you, and arranging for a regulated account with the goblins. It will give you how much you can spend on food and clothes. If you attempt to buy beyond that amount the card will be denied. If I see anything else in this house I will address it then. If the kids want treats, they will be limited to one special treat, worth less than 2 galleons, per week. If they want extras they can use their allowance to pay for it. They get 5 galleons per month, that is more than enough. No more buying dozens of chocolate frogs at a time. There is no need for it."
"Fine." Molly snarled.
After that, Arthur left and went to work. Molly just glared at the floo. How dare he say she couldn't get her babies everything they needed and wanted. Now what was she to do. If she used the accounts that Albus set up for her and the kids, Arthur would think she was 'wasting' money again. If he had his financial manager look into it, he would find out about those vaults, and then he would know.
Hogwarts, School Board Meeting Room - December 1, 1999
Dumbledore was sitting in a near state of blind fury. The meeting had just ended and he was watching as the school's governors were talking before they left. While this meeting hadn't been as bad as previous meetings had been, it still hadn't been good.
A largely pregnant Alice had suggested that they have more board meetings. Albus had slowly been trying to change some of the classes that had recently been brought in. He had been subtly forcing the comparative religion professor to start telling the students that muggle religions were better. He had the law professor limit what laws the students would spend time learning, and casually suggesting which laws were good and which ones were bad. He had also been trying to get the magical theory professor to start telling the students that anything dark was evil and would corrupt them. Compulsion and loyalty potions were wonderful things if used correctly.
What he hadn't counted on was the students not liking it. When some of the older students started to feel that the classes were bias, they had written the school governors and complained. Just this meeting they had had over 60 complaints just from the last few months to address. Alice said that if they met for an hour or so every month they wouldn't have such a large backlog.
The suggestion had been approved quickly, and now he was going to have to deal with even more meddling in his school. The governors were also demanding that they get more in-depth information on what each class was going to teach, as they clearly couldn't trust the teachers to always be neutral.
This was just another issue. During the last Wizengamot meeting the laws governing vampires were brought up. Many had tried to say that vampires were dangerous and attacked people. Sebastian had just looked at them and asked 'what would you do if someone made laws that prohibited you from marrying, having children, and even eating'. Many had tried equivocating, but he just kept bringing it back to that point.
When one of Albus's supporters had referred to the vampires as rabid beasts, Sebastian had given him a bland look before pointing out that the Vampire Council, based in Budapest, had been established over a hundred years before the ministry had, if that made vampires beasts, what did it say about wizards. It had been decided that the wizengamot would be going over the rules restricting the rights of vampires over the next few months, but while that was happening, a blood bank would be established in a neutral location to allow the vampires to get food.
Albus wanted the vampires wiped out, not given food that would make them stronger. Then there were the changes with the werewolves. A reporter named Tamsan Dove had recently written a piece on a potion that had been created by Severus. It went into how the wolves had actually been infected by a disease that cause violent madness, and that that was why they were so dangerous. She told everyone about how the 'amazing and compassionate' potions master had studied the issue and had come up with a way to cure the disease, and that the werewolf population had embraced it. Government funded studies had already been started in America and France. If Albus wasn't careful the werewolves in Britain, like the vampires, might have their rights returned. And that just couldn't be allowed.
He had also had to deal with Molly and her latest issue. She had been furious about what Arthur had done, and Albus had actually felt a moment of fear. He couldn't have anyone knowing what he had done, or that Ron and Ginny were his kids. It would destroy the reputation he had spent decades building. He had had to force Molly to take a magically binding vow that she wouldn't tell anyone about him being Ron and Ginny's father. He knew how her temper was, all it would take was one bad fight and she could destroy everything.
Junior Technologies - December 14, 1999
Arthur was walking around the shop, trying to find a little inspiration for a new project when he heard the bell above the door chime. Looking up, he was surprised to see Lucius Malfoy walk in, his son at his side, and his daughter in his arms. Arthur would admit that he was surprised, he didn't think a Malfoy would set foot in a shop like this.
"Lord Malfoy, what can we do for you today?" Arthur decided that he would be polite.
"Ah, Arthur. Please, call me Lucius. I was looking for a set of baby mood bracelets." Lucius wasn't about to give Arthur a hard time. He knew from everything Bill had said that most of the mans worst personality issues and bigotry were a result of the potions Molly had been feeding him.
The baby mood bracelets had only been invented in the Australian branch the year before. They were based on the muggle mood rings. Except rather than using body heat to tell an emotion it was tied to the child's magic. It would show if the child needed anything like, food, diaper change, or sleep. Lucius thought Narcissa and Alice would love them.
"Sure, we've got those. Their just right over here." Arthur directed him to the aisle. "I hear congratulations are in order. When is the new baby expected."
"Next month." Draco announced happily.
Lucius smiled down at his happy son before looking back at Arthur. "We're expecting twins three weeks from now. As you can tell none of us can wait to meet them."
"Pict're, pict're." Lyra announced from his arms. She loved seeing the pictures of the twins.
"Picture?" Arthur asked. "How could you have a picture if they haven't been born yet?"
Lucius smiled as he reached into his inside breast pocket and open the ultrasound photo of the twins one handed so that he wouldn't have to put down Lyra, he knew she would cause chaos if her little feet hit the ground. "We've been going to see a muggle doctor during this pregnancy, we did the same with Lyra. The muggles have a device known as an ultrasound. It allows them to see the baby before its born. They use it to make sure the baby is developing properly." He handed Arthur the latest ultrasound photo of the twins, it was taken only a week before.
Arthur looked at the black and white photo in his hand. It was a little grainy, and didn't have the clearest view, but he could clearly make out the faces of two infants laying next to one another. One of the babies was looking directly at him, while the other was in profile. He had never seen anything like it.
"What is the machine called again? We've been trying to figure out what to work with next, and I think people would love something like this." Arthur thought magical hospitals all over the world would love to be able to show expecting parents a picture of their unborn child as it grows.
"It's called an ultrasound machine."
"You should make a magic T.V. or a video machine so I can watch football at school." Draco told the tall red head. He liked this man, he reminded him of Bill, and he liked Bill because he would help him play pranks on the other adults at camp."
"Oh ya." Arthur smiled at the boy. He knew this boy was about the same age as Ron, but he couldn't imagine Ron behaving like this. As soon as they took Ron or Ginny into a store they would take off or start demanding things, this boy had stood calmly at his fathers side the entire time.
"Draco, I promise I will see what I can do about getting recordings of the football matches you miss, even if I have to go on my own so that I can show them to you using a pensive or a memory orb." Lucius almost rolled his eyes. Doctor North, who had delivered Lyra and was going to deliver the twins, had suggested that Lucius start taking Draco to see football games. This had been when Draco had first been jealous of his sister before she was born.
He had taken Draco to one of the games to give it a try, and they both had loved it. Ever since then, they had gone to a few matches every year. "Forgive my son Arthur. We're going to a football match tomorrow so its all he can think about. He's worried that he's going to miss all the games once he starts school."
"Oh, I completely understand. My boys love going to see a few quidditch games during school holidays." Arthur suddenly had plenty of ideas. An ultrasound machine would be great for hospitals but wouldn't be in great demand with the general public. But a way to record and mass distribute recordings of sports games would be amazing. "So, how many bracelets do you need?"
"Three."
"Three?" Arthur was a little confused by that.
"Yes, shortly after the Longbottom's got better, Narcissa, who took over the Lestrange family, went over to apologize. She and Alice hit it off and have become friends. They currently call each other pregnancy buddies because Alice is due a few weeks after Narcissa. There is no way I can get Narcissa the bracelets without getting one for Alice. Narcissa would have my head for forgetting her friend, and I really don't want to upset a pregnant witch, I value my life too much."
Arthur could only laugh as he helped Lucius get the bracelets and showed him up to the till. He couldn't blame the man for that at all. Only a fool angered a pregnant witch.