Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 10

Coming of Age

Outside the misty walls that protected Godric's Hollow, war raged on. The Dark Lord had fallen but it was too late. Where one would think that the Dark forces would crumble in confusion and chaos, within three weeks others rose up in power, taking over where Voldemort left off.

Some who were loyal sought revenge on their fallen Master and believed that his daughter shared the same fate and had to be revenged as well.

While inside the misty walls, research was under way. For three solid weeks they had been slaving over the books Harry and Hermione brought back from Hogwarts.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing!" Hermione was getting frustrated slamming another book closed.

"Professor Plum, in the Library with a rope!" Aeryn burst out, Harry and Hermione, being the only ones in the room, looked at her odd, "Sorry, weird dream." She told them trying to brush the sleep from her eyes.

"We have been at this for three weeks and we still can't find anything about this Tempus Temple."

"Maybe I was wrong to think we had any books at Hogwarts that would help," Aeryn said, "I mean Voldemort did not find out where it was with these books."

"So the question is," Harry said, "Where did he find out where it is?"

Another dead end. The clock in the hall chimed twelve, midnight.

"Happy Birthday," both Harry and Aeryn muttered at the same time. They both looked at each other and slightly laughed showing how tired they really were.

"I'm off to bed," Aeryn said

"I think the rest of you should follow," Lily said as she entered the library, scolding them off for being up so late.

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

Aeryn and Draco were spending the morning in the atrium, which was located at the back of the house. It overlooked the wide backyard that contained a stable house. During their first week there they had found the stable house and its five horses.

Aeryn favored the white one, which was such a contrast to the type of horse that Jade favored, the demon black horse left behind at Hogwarts. However Draco favored the roan one. They had often gone riding when they were not researching, to get away from all their worries. They had even planned on going riding later that afternoon. For now they were sitting there in silence, in the mourning sun.

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

"So what do you want to do today?" Hermione asked Harry as she came up behind him, wrapping her arms around him. Harry had been sitting in the library reading.

"What, you aren't going to nag that we should be researching?"

"Even I have me limits. We aren't going to find anything in those books." Hermione said, "So back to the question, what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. I'm seventeen today, I was really looking forward in tormenting the Dursley's." Harry said receiving one of Hermione's glares. "I get to spend my birthday with my whole entire family for the first and most likely the last time."

How could Hermione reply to something like that?

"I heard your Dad say something about a Quidditch game later, I'm sure we could round up enough players." Hermione said.

"That sounds like a good idea." Harry said, "I haven't seen Aeryn all morning, do you know where she is?"

"She and Draco are in the atrium," Hermione told him, "I can't help but feel bad for them."

"Some of have to sacrifice so much for the greater good," Harry stated, "Sometimes I wish I could just be selfish and stay here, where all my family is. But that would not be fair. You wouldn't have the same family that you know; Aeryn would always be slenderized because of a person she is not. So many people that are dead now, shouldn't be, and many people who are alive here gave their lives to make the world a better place."

"I love you so much," Hermione told Harry, "I always will be."

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the mention of Quidditch all plans for the afternoon were dropped. The first game was played father against son, which Harry caught the snitch first. The second game Draco insisted that he play against Harry, but Harry won that game as well. Now they were back at the house. MacKenzie had been hovering over Harry since they all came back from the Quidditch matches.

"Harry, you were absolutely brilliant," she commented about his flying.

Right now, it was after dinner. The kitchen was in plain view from where Harry and Aeryn were sitting side by side. The watched as Lily and Molly Weasley were tiring with all there might to light thirty-four candles on one huge cake.

Of course it was Harry and Aeryn making the candles blow out whenever they were lit. No one could understand why they both were having small fits of laughter as the twins both watched. Harry was using his ability to control fire, make the fire go away. Aeryn was using her TK to blow small amounts of air over the candles.

"And what pray tell is so funny?" James finally asked. Harry and Aeryn looked at each other again and just burst out laughing. Lily had hear the laughter and finally got what was happening with the candles.

"Will you to stop that," she scolded her children smiling herself. Aeryn gave Harry one last look as all the candles became lit.

Everyone sung `Happy Birthday' and each of them made their wish as they blew out the candles together. On the cake it said, `Happy Birthday Aeryn and Harry'

They found out then, as they asked why Aeryn's name was first as it was always `Harry and Aeryn' that it was in fact Aeryn that was born first. Aeryn gave Harry a smug look.

"Well now that's interesting," she said. She pretended to hold up a microphone up to Harry, "So Mr. Potter, how does it feel to be the middle child."

It was truly a wonderful day.

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Another filler chapter, I know. But I promise that the next chapter, `Sent Visions,' something will happen to set thing in motion; the quest for the Tempus Temple will begin!!!!

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 1.0.0

-->