Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling, I just like to play with them a little.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AT THE POTTERS
Ginny was standing in the front room of the Potters modest home. She had just stepped out of the large fireplace with Drake and Angel. All three of them were smudged with soot, so she withdrew her wand from her cloak and performed a Scourgify charm on each of them.
"Hello! Harry, Mione! We're here."
"Gin, good to see you," Harry said as he entered the room. "And how are you two? I hope you've been behaving for your Mum." Harry looked specifically at Drake. Hermione had told him what had happened the day before and Harry decided he'd have to have a stern word with the little wizard.
Harry took his role as the twins Godfather very seriously, particularly as their father wasn't around. He wanted to give them everything he had missed out on as a child and would, more than likely, lavish the same attention on his own children, when he and Hermione had some.
"Drake ran off yesterday in Diagon Alley again," Angel told Harry as Drake scowled at her.
"Yes, I heard all about that and we're going to have a little chat later. Aren't we, Drake?"
"Do we have to?" Drake knew Uncle Harry would do all the talking and he would do all the listening - they'd had the same talk every time his mum lost him somewhere, honestly it wasn't his fault.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Harry told the little boy nodding his head in confirmation. "But for now, why don't you go find Aunty Mione and see what she's doing?" He put the twins down and they ran off through the house, calling to Hermione.
"You're so great with them, Harry. You and Mione should have a baby soon." Ginny smiled at Harry.
"Yeah well, maybe. I want to have a talk to you too," Harry said rubbing the back of his neck.
Ginny rolled her eyes at him.
Harry laughed. "You know, I've heard you tell the kids off for doing that."
"Harry, everything is fine now. I just over reacted yesterday. There's absolutely nothing to be worried about," Ginny told her friend. "Besides, I want to forget it ever happened."
"No can do, we need to talk," Harry said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her into the kitchen.
"Gin, how are you this morning?" Hermione asked.
"Hi Mione, I'm good. How about you?" Ginny replied.
"All good," Hermione said as she placed a fresh pot of tea on the table.
Drake and Angel were already sitting at the small kitchen table eating cauldron cakes, with large glasses of pumpkin juice in front of them. Harry took the seat at the head of the table as Hermione and Gin sat opposite the twins.
"So have you two decided what you would like for your fifth birthday, yet?" Harry asked the children.
"I want a `Lightning Bolt 5000,'" Drake stated with absolute certainty.
"Boy, that's a fast broom. Are you sure you can handle it?" Harry chuckled.
"Yep no problem."
"Drake, we spoke about this last night didn't we? You're not getting a racing broom for your birthday, you're too little," Ginny said gently.
"But Mummy I can fly and I'm not little. I'm big!" Drake declared. "Uncle Harry, how big were you when you got your first broom?" Drake thought his Uncle Harry might be able to help him convince his mum.
"Actually, I was eleven and I was on the Gryffindor Quidditich team."
"Eleven! I can't wait till I'm eleven. I'll die before then!"
"Drake, you're not going to die if you don't get a broom, okay? We talked about this last night too," Ginny was losing her patience with this flying business. Her babies were far too young to be flying, let alone ordering the fasted racing broom on earth for their fifth birthday.
"What about you, Angel? What would you like for your birthday?" Harry skillfully turned the attention away from Drake, before Ginny lost her temper.
"Umm…. I think I'd like a dragon," Angel considered her answer carefully.
"Oh, a dragon and what colour would this dragon have to be?" Harry pretended to be very serious.
"Uncle Harry! He would be purple, of course" Angel was taken aback, how could her Uncle Harry, of all people, forget that her favorite colour was purple.
The adults in the small kitchen laughed.
"I guess, I'll have to go purple dragon hunting with your Uncle Charlie then."
"Hey, guess what? I saw a white bunny rabbit in the garden this morning. Why don't we see if we can find him now?" Hermione asked the children.
"A white bunny," Angel squealed. "I just love white bunnies - not as much as purple dragons but I love white bunnies."
After Hermione had ushered the twins outside, Harry turned to Ginny. It was time for the talk.
"Gin, Mione thinks that maybe you didn't tell Draco about the twins," Harry started gently.
"Oh, Harry, I couldn't. He'd already left." Ginny placed her head in her hands; she knew this had to have been the reason Harry had invited her over today.
Because he knew what it was like to grow up without parents, he was always on at her to get in contact with Draco, in the hope that one day he may want to be part of their lives. Even though it was Draco, Harry still pressed the issue; he was their father and should be there for them.
"We could have found him. You know that," Harry said a frown forming on the handsome face.
"I know, but it's too late now." Ginny sighed. Maybe she had made a mistake, perhaps she should have told Draco; she was so confused.
"It's never too late, Gin. Besides, do you really think Lucius Malfoy will keep his mouth shut?" Harry asked. "He saw Drake and there's no denying Drake is a Malfoy. It's almost like you had nothing at all to do with him."
"Well, he might. I mean, a Malfoy and a Weasley, not quite his idea of a perfect match, is it?" She could only hope that Lucius Malfoy had kept his discovery to himself. She was counting on the likelihood that he wouldn't want to admit to grandchildren who were half Weasley's.
"Gin, Lucius knows and he'll probably tell Draco. Don't you think it would be better coming from you?"
"Maybe - I don't know."
"Listen, just think about it and if you decide you want to tell Draco, I'll help you find him, okay? And just for the record, I think you should tell him as soon as possible." Harry could see Ginny was getting upset and he didn't want to push the issue too far, otherwise she might not talk to him about it at all.
Ginny and the twins spent the rest of the day with the Potters, at their home. After they ate lunch Harry took the children flying. Young Drake really is a natural, he thought watching the little boy closely. When all the witches in the house had settled down to a game of Gobstones in the front room, Harry decided it was time for he and Drake to spend some `quality' time together.
"Drake, I think we might have that talk now," Harry said as he placed his hand on the little boys shoulder.
"Do we have to?" Drake asked with a pained expression. He knew he was not going to enjoy this.
"Yep, afraid so." Harry smiled as he led Drake into the kitchen.
Angel looked at Harry hopefully. "Can I come too?"
"Not this time, sweetheart. We need to deal with some Wizards business."
"That's not fair!" Angel protested as her chin began to quiver. Harry looked to his wife desperately, he couldn't stand upsetting his little goddaughter, and because of this, she usually had him wrapped around her little finger.
"It's all right, sweetie. Wizards aren't the only ones who have secret business - witches do too," Hermione told Angel in a superior tone, putting the little girls smile back in place.
Harry paused to give his wife an appreciative look along with a silent thank you before continuing into the kitchen with Drake.
"Girls are so silly," Drake stated after he'd sat at the table.
"We'll talk about girls some other time." Harry hoped, not for quite some time.
"Well, they are."
"Now, what's this I hear about you wandering off from your Mum again?"
"The books were boring and I just wanted to look at the brooms - so's I'd know which one to ask for, `cause I want a good one." The truth sounded reasonable to Drake so he tried it on Harry.
"But your mum didn't know where you were. You frightened her." Harry's tone hadn't changed yet but he was struggling to keep it, after all, he could see Drake's point - he'd rather look at brooms than books any day.
"I didn't mean to."
"I know you didn't mean to but you do it all the time and it's got to stop. Now!" Harry said forcefully. "There will be no more running off from your mum when you're out. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Uncle Harry."
"Good. Because if it happens again I won't take you flying anymore, okay?"
No flying? Was he serious, he might be, Drake thought quickly. "I promise, Uncle Harry, I won't never do it again. I promise."
"Good man," Harry said patting him on the back.
A short while later Ginny and the children were preparing to floo home. Before they left Harry made a point of pulling Ginny aside to speak with her about Drake.
"I don't think you'll have a problem with Drake anymore," Harry told Ginny very quietly so as not to be over heard.
"Oh?" Ginny responded raising an eyebrow questioningly.
"Amazing what the threat of no flying can do." Harry winked at her playfully and laughed.
"I see." Ginny joined him in laughter. "I'll have to remember that one."
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AUTHORS NOTES
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