Chapter Five: Nursery Tricks
Title: Harry Potter and the Secret of Godric's Hollow
Author: Ericadawn16
Characters: Harry Potter, Gabrielle, Ginny, Fred, Ron, Bill, Albus, Hermione, Tonks Bill/Fleur, Molly/Arthur, Rubeus/Olympe, Hermione/Ron
Rated: PG-13 ANGST AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: But who will catch the garter belt and bouquet?
Author's Note: I started writing this before Order of the Phoenix came out which meant immediate rewrites! Then, I rewrote it repeatedly over and over as more things came out. I think it's time to finish this thing and post it.
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/209841.html
Chapter Five: Nursery Tricks
Harry took his place on the groom’s side. He sat behind Molly, but he’d grown tall enough that he could see over her. The minister was the same one that had presided over Slughorn’s funeral. He said stuff about love that didn’t make an impression on Harry. It was meaningless really. Love seemed like an almost unattainable concept that few would ever have.
Arthur was holding Molly who was crying. Mr. Delacour was watching with an unreadable face while his wife was as bad off as Molly.
Bill looked ready despite rumours that he’d had last minute jitters and Fleur looked even more like a Veela than usual. They said their own vows, but the wedding wasn’t overly long. Then, it was time for the reception although there was a ten minute intermission as tables were set up and a request that Lupin and Tonks not sing.
Instead of the traditional cake, Bill and Fleur had a croquembouche which resembled a pyramid of pastries with caramel topping and while there were shouts for Bill and Fleur to smash each other in the face with them, they resisted and fed each other a pastry in a civilised manner.
There was some eating and then a dance floor was made up. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat at a table but Harry knew that wouldn’t last. Hermione was eyeing the dance floor and Gabrielle was eyeing him.
“Vould you like a dance?” she asked. Harry didn’t have a good reason to say no.
“Sure,” he replied. He followed her and they danced through two songs. She had changed a lot in the past two years and looked a lot more like her big sister. He hoped she wasn’t getting the wrong idea.
“Can I cut in?” asked Ginny. Gabrielle nodded and Ginny took her dance partner. It was the first time they had been this close since he had broken up with her. He looked for some hint of emotion, but she seemed just as happy as she had all day. This was different…almost odd. It was definitely not like when he and Cho had broken up. Ginny rolled herself into him and said softly, “Watch out for her. I think she finds you fit.”
“Gabrielle?”
Ginny gave him a look that plainly asked, who else would I be talking about?
Harry nodded and she swung herself away to where Lupin sat. Gabrielle took her leave of one of Ron’s red-haired cousins and made her way back. They danced through three songs before he summoned up the courage to say something.
“Gabrielle, you’re a great girl, but I don’t…I don’t like you in that way.”
“In what way?”
“As a boyfriend.”
She stared at him and then began to laugh, explaining, “I ‘ave boyfriend already, at school.”
Harry felt like an idiot, but Ginny had been fooled as well. Luckily, Fred interrupted the awkwardness.
“Finally, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Will the single gentlemen line up to my left please?”
Gabrielle practically pushed Harry over to where the others stood.
“Come stand with me, Harry,” said Ron, “I’m trying not to catch it.”
Bill slowly rolled up Fleur’s skirts and Fleur held them as he undid her garter and slipped it down her leg. Once free of her shoe, he held it aloft and shook it. Her parents looked a bit red in the face, but Fleur was laughing.
“Hagrid, move more,” Bill requested, but Rubeus and his wife were so close to the house that Bill must have been overestimating his abilities. He was. He let it go and it soared for about a foot or so before dropping. It was heading for Ron so he pushed Harry toward it. Harry tried to return the favour, but his foot slipped on a wet place and he fell on his back. The garter landed on his nose.
“Congratulations, Harry!” said Fred in a way that Harry found annoying, “Now let’s see who the lucky bride is, ladies, your turn.”
Unlike the men who had treated it like a funeral, the women were excited to catch the bouquet. Fleur teased her yellow flowers before throwing them out toward the back of the gaggle of girls. Oddly enough, the bouquet landed in the hands of a very surprised Minerva McGonagall. Everyone laughed and was willing to let it go except Fred suggested, “Why don’t the future bride and groom dance?”
Harry gave him a look while Minerva responded, “Honestly, Fred.”
“No, I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Albus, “I’d like to see them dance.”
It was now Minerva’s turn to shoot a look which was directed at her employer.
“Please,” said Albus with the tone of an eight year old. She continued to stare at him before sighing and giving a wave to the wireless. A jazz number began to play and she took Harry’s hands. Harry didn’t know a thing about swing. He was barely able to muddle through dancing earlier, but she was gentle with him and a very competent dancer. He found himself forgetting that she was his Head of House. He also had no time to ask after her absence last night.
When the song ended, she curtsied and Harry bowed, but noticed that Minerva was looking towards Albus whose eyes twinkled. Many of the audience clapped. The real bride and groom left shortly after that and the party slowly broke up as others went home.
The next day, Harry moved back to Grimmauld Place, Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
After breakfast on the day after that, the four made their way up to the top of the house. Harry eased open the creaky, old door to reveal a dusty catacomb of junk and cobwebs.
“Spiders?” asked Ron.
“It can’t be worse than Aragog,” Harry reminded him. Hermione held Ron’s hand tightly and they walked in. Harry took up a rag and began to clean but said, “Tell me everything new.”
“The twins may be full-fledged members but they’re still working on improving the newest model of Extendable Ears,” said Ron, cleaning with the use of his wand.
“Except for the one little problem,” said Hermione, getting up on a box to reach higher.
“What’s that?” asked Harry.
“It leaves a slime trail,” said Ginny, laughing.
“The Order also has a muggle working for them,” said Ron.
“Who?” asked Harry.
“They won’t tell us,” complained Ginny, “as usual.”
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” said Hermione, “A muggle intermediary to keep an eye on things and distract other muggles when they get too close for their own good.”
They worked diligently until a little past eleven when Hermione brought everyone to a halt.
“What is it?” asked Harry.
“Take a look around. This was a nursery,” said Hermione and she pointed out that the walls had faded wallpaper decorated with strange creatures. There was a worn place in the floor from a riding horse and an abandoned plush dog in the corner, but most telling were initials written next to an unicorn: S.S., S.B., R..B. Harry traced S.B. with his finger.
“Who’s S.S.?” asked Ron. Hermione shook her head and Harry shrugged, “I don’t know.”
He had just discovered a small corpse that he hoped was a mouse.
“Look at these,” said Ron, finding a stack of abandoned, worn books. They wouldn’t have looked out of place at Borgin and Burkes. Inside were grotesque illustrations and extremely dark magic, but its dog-eared pages had language so simple that a child could understand and possibly master.
“You could enter Hogwarts knowing more than the upperclassmen do,” said Ginny, slightly shocked. Ron threw them on the rubbish pile and they growled. This seemed to make the teenagers even more determined to clean until Tonks arrived.
“There’s some sandwiches and soup downstairs,” she said, right before she tripped over a toy. Three of those she told dropped what they were doing and headed for the door, but one did not. Tonks righted herself and motioned them on.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” said Harry and Tonks picked up the offending toy which was the stuffed dog. She smiled, saying, “And you must be Felis.”
“Felis?” asked Harry, wanting a distraction.
“Sirius told me about him. He doubled as Sirius’ imaginary friend and Sirius dragged him everywhere to his mother’s horror…tried to get the house elves to steal it from him.”
Tonks had unconsciously brought the dog closer to her body in an embrace. Harry liked how Tonks could talk about Sirius and she liked sharing what she remembered.
Author: Ericadawn16
Characters: Harry Potter, Gabrielle, Ginny, Fred, Ron, Bill, Albus, Hermione, Tonks Bill/Fleur, Molly/Arthur, Rubeus/Olympe, Hermione/Ron
Rated: PG-13 ANGST AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: But who will catch the garter belt and bouquet?
Author's Note: I started writing this before Order of the Phoenix came out which meant immediate rewrites! Then, I rewrote it repeatedly over and over as more things came out. I think it's time to finish this thing and post it.
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/209841.html
Chapter Five: Nursery Tricks
Harry took his place on the groom’s side. He sat behind Molly, but he’d grown tall enough that he could see over her. The minister was the same one that had presided over Slughorn’s funeral. He said stuff about love that didn’t make an impression on Harry. It was meaningless really. Love seemed like an almost unattainable concept that few would ever have.
Arthur was holding Molly who was crying. Mr. Delacour was watching with an unreadable face while his wife was as bad off as Molly.
Bill looked ready despite rumours that he’d had last minute jitters and Fleur looked even more like a Veela than usual. They said their own vows, but the wedding wasn’t overly long. Then, it was time for the reception although there was a ten minute intermission as tables were set up and a request that Lupin and Tonks not sing.
Instead of the traditional cake, Bill and Fleur had a croquembouche which resembled a pyramid of pastries with caramel topping and while there were shouts for Bill and Fleur to smash each other in the face with them, they resisted and fed each other a pastry in a civilised manner.
There was some eating and then a dance floor was made up. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat at a table but Harry knew that wouldn’t last. Hermione was eyeing the dance floor and Gabrielle was eyeing him.
“Vould you like a dance?” she asked. Harry didn’t have a good reason to say no.
“Sure,” he replied. He followed her and they danced through two songs. She had changed a lot in the past two years and looked a lot more like her big sister. He hoped she wasn’t getting the wrong idea.
“Can I cut in?” asked Ginny. Gabrielle nodded and Ginny took her dance partner. It was the first time they had been this close since he had broken up with her. He looked for some hint of emotion, but she seemed just as happy as she had all day. This was different…almost odd. It was definitely not like when he and Cho had broken up. Ginny rolled herself into him and said softly, “Watch out for her. I think she finds you fit.”
“Gabrielle?”
Ginny gave him a look that plainly asked, who else would I be talking about?
Harry nodded and she swung herself away to where Lupin sat. Gabrielle took her leave of one of Ron’s red-haired cousins and made her way back. They danced through three songs before he summoned up the courage to say something.
“Gabrielle, you’re a great girl, but I don’t…I don’t like you in that way.”
“In what way?”
“As a boyfriend.”
She stared at him and then began to laugh, explaining, “I ‘ave boyfriend already, at school.”
Harry felt like an idiot, but Ginny had been fooled as well. Luckily, Fred interrupted the awkwardness.
“Finally, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Will the single gentlemen line up to my left please?”
Gabrielle practically pushed Harry over to where the others stood.
“Come stand with me, Harry,” said Ron, “I’m trying not to catch it.”
Bill slowly rolled up Fleur’s skirts and Fleur held them as he undid her garter and slipped it down her leg. Once free of her shoe, he held it aloft and shook it. Her parents looked a bit red in the face, but Fleur was laughing.
“Hagrid, move more,” Bill requested, but Rubeus and his wife were so close to the house that Bill must have been overestimating his abilities. He was. He let it go and it soared for about a foot or so before dropping. It was heading for Ron so he pushed Harry toward it. Harry tried to return the favour, but his foot slipped on a wet place and he fell on his back. The garter landed on his nose.
“Congratulations, Harry!” said Fred in a way that Harry found annoying, “Now let’s see who the lucky bride is, ladies, your turn.”
Unlike the men who had treated it like a funeral, the women were excited to catch the bouquet. Fleur teased her yellow flowers before throwing them out toward the back of the gaggle of girls. Oddly enough, the bouquet landed in the hands of a very surprised Minerva McGonagall. Everyone laughed and was willing to let it go except Fred suggested, “Why don’t the future bride and groom dance?”
Harry gave him a look while Minerva responded, “Honestly, Fred.”
“No, I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Albus, “I’d like to see them dance.”
It was now Minerva’s turn to shoot a look which was directed at her employer.
“Please,” said Albus with the tone of an eight year old. She continued to stare at him before sighing and giving a wave to the wireless. A jazz number began to play and she took Harry’s hands. Harry didn’t know a thing about swing. He was barely able to muddle through dancing earlier, but she was gentle with him and a very competent dancer. He found himself forgetting that she was his Head of House. He also had no time to ask after her absence last night.
When the song ended, she curtsied and Harry bowed, but noticed that Minerva was looking towards Albus whose eyes twinkled. Many of the audience clapped. The real bride and groom left shortly after that and the party slowly broke up as others went home.
The next day, Harry moved back to Grimmauld Place, Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
After breakfast on the day after that, the four made their way up to the top of the house. Harry eased open the creaky, old door to reveal a dusty catacomb of junk and cobwebs.
“Spiders?” asked Ron.
“It can’t be worse than Aragog,” Harry reminded him. Hermione held Ron’s hand tightly and they walked in. Harry took up a rag and began to clean but said, “Tell me everything new.”
“The twins may be full-fledged members but they’re still working on improving the newest model of Extendable Ears,” said Ron, cleaning with the use of his wand.
“Except for the one little problem,” said Hermione, getting up on a box to reach higher.
“What’s that?” asked Harry.
“It leaves a slime trail,” said Ginny, laughing.
“The Order also has a muggle working for them,” said Ron.
“Who?” asked Harry.
“They won’t tell us,” complained Ginny, “as usual.”
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” said Hermione, “A muggle intermediary to keep an eye on things and distract other muggles when they get too close for their own good.”
They worked diligently until a little past eleven when Hermione brought everyone to a halt.
“What is it?” asked Harry.
“Take a look around. This was a nursery,” said Hermione and she pointed out that the walls had faded wallpaper decorated with strange creatures. There was a worn place in the floor from a riding horse and an abandoned plush dog in the corner, but most telling were initials written next to an unicorn: S.S., S.B., R..B. Harry traced S.B. with his finger.
“Who’s S.S.?” asked Ron. Hermione shook her head and Harry shrugged, “I don’t know.”
He had just discovered a small corpse that he hoped was a mouse.
“Look at these,” said Ron, finding a stack of abandoned, worn books. They wouldn’t have looked out of place at Borgin and Burkes. Inside were grotesque illustrations and extremely dark magic, but its dog-eared pages had language so simple that a child could understand and possibly master.
“You could enter Hogwarts knowing more than the upperclassmen do,” said Ginny, slightly shocked. Ron threw them on the rubbish pile and they growled. This seemed to make the teenagers even more determined to clean until Tonks arrived.
“There’s some sandwiches and soup downstairs,” she said, right before she tripped over a toy. Three of those she told dropped what they were doing and headed for the door, but one did not. Tonks righted herself and motioned them on.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” said Harry and Tonks picked up the offending toy which was the stuffed dog. She smiled, saying, “And you must be Felis.”
“Felis?” asked Harry, wanting a distraction.
“Sirius told me about him. He doubled as Sirius’ imaginary friend and Sirius dragged him everywhere to his mother’s horror…tried to get the house elves to steal it from him.”
Tonks had unconsciously brought the dog closer to her body in an embrace. Harry liked how Tonks could talk about Sirius and she liked sharing what she remembered.