Chapter 25
Four sober-up and hang-over potions plus five pepper-up potions later found them standing in front of the Manor.
James was leading “Right, So, you three have your buttons and us two have galleons. When I send the signal we start casting at the same time. Does everybody know which part they are going to rebuild?”. They all nodded.
“Are you sure you don’t need to be in contact with me? The last couple of times it worked like that” Hermione said, a little worried, she didn’t want to risk anybody else’s magical reserve.
“We were talking, Lovely and all of us minus Fred have read our family’s Grimoires. Theory is that since all of the people involved in the bond are present and recognize the bond that should be enough to balance the magic. Do you feel your arm pulsing like before?” asked Regulus
“No, It’s lighter, like the first time I tried the Malfoy Grimoire’s Magic”
“That is proof enough and it also helps that we are in a version of the family’s seat” said James trying to reassure her, smiling shyly at her, she still didn’t know how to react to him. She was grateful of the work he has put out to do this, the idea, the research, even drunk he was fast on his feet and resourceful but what was his goal with her?
“I think we should seal the bond with a kiss,” said Fred, feeling the hesitation in Hermione and trying to dissolve the tension, also he loved kissing his witch.So, sauntering in her direction he took her in his arms bent her over and her kissed her, she smiled into his lips at his demonstration. After a thorough snog he stood up straight with her in his arms and winked at her in a way of goodbye.
Regulus was next and not to be left behind he kissed her passionately, his hands found their way covertly to her ass and grabbed her, she gasped and pulled away from him, surprised at his bravado, he grinned deviously at her and nipped her lower lip.
She was curious what was going to happen next, what would the other two try.
James came with confident steps “ May I kiss your cheek Hermione?” she nodded, they were getting along much better and he was really taking so much from her shoulders. He bent to her height, placed his left hand on her right cheek and kissed her left one with pillow-like lips. He straightened up, looked into her eyes and gave her a little smile.
Draco stared at her, his high cheekbones dusted with pink and bright silver eyes. “Granger, I don’t want to impose…”
She advanced on him and kissed his cheek, he was in shock, Draco was so emotionally stunted that she was going to help him with these little interactions, she knew he had the confidence he just needed to feel safe.
He gave her a crooked smile , a little imperfection, the exception to the rule of his gorgeous face and bowed his head lightly.
James clapped his hands smiling, he looked very satisfied with this turn of events.
“Everybody to their positions, we have a Manor to save and make our own”
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What the drunken research showed was that, what saved the other three of them was Hermione using The others Family’s Magic. In conclusion the only Magic left to explore was Weasley Family’s Magic, that’s where it got tricky.
Regulus had left to help Draco with his feelings and what not, what left Fred responsible for the feelings of the other Gryffindor, that and a need to think on how to save Draco from being buried alive, again.
They had ended half a bottle of firewhiskey talking about their feelings and how to get James an opportunity to make it up to Hermione. They slept it off, woke up, ate and talked about the theories of what the Weasley magic could do, the lack of conclusion got them angry, so they drank the other half of the bottle.
That’s how Regulus and Draco found them, very drunk and talking silly about quidditch and Harry’s and Hermione’s adventures, the ones Fred had front seats to. Draco and Regulus joined them to share the new bottle when Draco mentioned Fred’s very large Family and very small house. Regulus expressed his surprise at seeing the structure of The Burrow, when he described it to Draco and James they both were amazed.
“No biggie, My father and his family had great magic for building, repairing houses and magical foundations, nothing can make The Burrow fall down”
Bingo
It was written in the stars, building magic to save a magical building. They decided that changing the distribution would guarantee that the magic took in without needing to wait for nightfall to confirm that their efforts worked. Also it would be great fun, said Fred. It would change my landscape, said Draco, bored of his house and full of bad memories from Hermione’s last time at the Manor. They all agreed.
“There's a room that I cannot…someone should hide it, deep in the darkness of the Manor where no one can ever find it” Draco said, drinking his way to the other half of the bottle with Regulus.
“Can you do it Fred?” asked Regulus “It’s your family’s magic so you and Hermione should master it better”
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The galleons and buttons warmed in their hands at James’ signal and they started casting.
This magic was different from the others, mainly because she wasn’t familiar with building, construction or manual work magic or muggle. During the rebuilding of Hogwarts she helped clean, levitate debris or organize the Library and classrooms, nothing related to building.
It was exhausting but you could see and feel the spells working, the magic coming from the Ley lines through the foundations of the house flowed differently too. The coin warmed and cooled four times, the others were done, she responded and they all came back to their spot in the front doors.
Ariana and Merope came from the back gardens and around the house.
“Are you guys ready for your new home?” asked Fred mischievously
Oh lord !
They opened the door and it was pandemonium.
The ballroom was the first room they met, it occupied the entire ground floor of the south wing and it was mirrored on the upper floor that was visible from the entrance in an open plane. The grand staircase was now two staircases one on each side of the room. There were four doors at the wall opposite the entrance.
They opened the first one and it went to the sun room that was now an open plan sharing with one of the sitting rooms and with the kitchen, they didn’t know where it was before now, and an open archway to the side that lead to the conservatory, french doors to the garden, the library on the wall opposite the kitchen and a stairway to one side.
The second and third door from the ballroom went to the music room and the portrait hall respectively.
The fourth door led to the library, but what used to be its second floor, when they entered it the library looked like it used to before the spell, but it wasn’t logical because, normally, they were on the ground floor, and the ground floor part of the Library that they accessed from the sunroom was occupying the same space that this room was right now.
“Fred, what did you do ?” Hermione gasped and was horrified this was a multidimensional nightmare
“I made the house fun sweetheart, this way coming and going to the Library will become an adventure”
They heard high pitched giggling, and shrieking, wherever she was, Merope was having a blast, they followed her voice to the first floor of the library, that was originally the third, where a door was left open, when they peeped through the door their hair flew up. There was Mery,walking upside down on the ballroom ceiling on the first floor.
“Oh Godric Mery, are you okay?” Hermione asked worriedly…ugh If Fred Weasley weren’t dead already…
A chuckle started behind them. Ariana and Draco couldn’t contain their laughter.Had they seen any of them laugh freely before?
Fred Looked at her triumphantly and she had to give up her glare.
James took her hand and Draco’s and dragged them into the room. Fred started cartwheeling and Regulus held Ariana’s hand when she got scared about entering the upside down.
They got tired and Hermione and James had to herd the others back before they hurt themselves from the blood going to their heads.
When they reentered the library, it changed to the ground floor and they escaped through the door to the sun room. They soon discovered that the doors up those stairs in the ‘normal side’ were the bedrooms and that the doors exchanged places, so they painted them different colours to identify them.
The fear of entering another dimension if they tried any more doors than necessary had them expanding the sun room, adding armchairs and decorating the sitting area to be more cozy and a dining table enough to fit seven, eight if you count Tommy’s high chair. No need to go on an adventure on the other side of the house.
The pepper-up was no longer effective and they were exhausted, they finished their exploring right until nightfall when Mery left them. The youngest of them all, the only one with a job.
Everybody agreed to take an early night and left for bed, Fred threw her over his shoulder and stalked to his room.