Two Miracles Before Lunch
‘So tell me what have you been learning young man?’ asked Lyall.
It was now February, and Harry had been going to school for five months. Remus wasn’t just teaching the boys their alphabet but all sorts of other things, and Lyall loved asking Harry about it.
‘We’ve been learning about the dinosaurs!’ said Harry bouncing in his seat excitedly.
‘They used to walk on the earth thousands of years ago! They’re even older than you Grandpa!’
Remus choked in laughter as he drank his pumpkin juice.
‘Your Grandpa’s not that old Harry,’ said Remus as Lyall glared at him.
‘I wish I could go to school,’ sulked Ophelia.
‘Harry gets to learn fun things like dinosaurs, writing.’
‘Hey now princess,’ said Remus pulling Ophelia onto his lap.
‘You get to start school in September, and I’m teaching you how to read. We do a little each night before bedtime. You’re getting really good.’
‘I think you might be a better reader than Harry,’ he whispered conspiratorially.
This cheered Ophelia up immensely, she was a better reader than Harry, and he was nearly a whole year older than her.
‘If you get any better, you won’t need your Daddy anymore,’ said Remus shaking his head.
‘Don’t be silly Daddy!’ giggled Ophelia giving Remus a huge kiss on the forehead.
‘I’ll always need you!’
‘I should ruddy well hope so,’ said Lyall pulling his robes on for work.
It was a cold day that day, and it was Hope’s turn to look after the nursery group. As it was February and not sunny like it was in Summer, they would have to stay inside rather than playing outside. Hope pulled an extra jumper on Ophelia before Luna and Ginny arrived, and in the morning it wasn’t raining.
‘How would you three like to go for a walk down to the village with me?’ asked Hope.
‘I want to make some biscuits this afternoon, but I’m all out of chocolate.’
It was true that she was out of chocolate for the cookies, but she also needed to get some extra chocolate for Remus as the full moon was coming up.
‘Can we make cookies?’ asked Ginny her eyes lighting up.
‘I don’t see why not,’ laughed Hope, ‘we can make some after music time, so you can all take some home.’
‘Chocolate biscuits!’ said Luna her mouth-watering with anticipation.
‘Come on then,’ laughed Hope, ‘let’s get your wellies and coats on please.’
Hope helped the girls on with their coats and little wellie boots. It wasn’t raining that morning, but the path was still quite muddy.
‘Now don’t forget please girls,’ said Hope as she did up Ophelia’s little coat.
‘No running away, I want all three of you in sight at all times.’
‘Yes, Mrs Lupin,’ chorused Luna and Ginny.
Ophelia nodded her head, her plaits bobbing as she nodded.
‘Alright then,’ said Hope taking Ginny and Ophelia’s hands. Luna held on to Ophelia’s hand.
They walked down the country path to the village, and whenever they passed Muggles on the path, everyone commented on how cute the little girls where, and even asked if they were triplets.
Ginny loved the attention, and practically wallowed in it, Luna was completely unphased, but Ophelia was so shy that she kept on trying to hide behind Hope’s legs.
When they got to the village shop, Luna and Ophelia carried the basket for her, and Ginny helped Hope to get all the things she needed including huge amounts of chocolate. Ginny thought it was enough chocolate to last her at least a year, but Ophelia knew that any amount of chocolate only lasted a few days in the Lupin house between Harry and her Daddy.
The shopkeeper thought that the girls were so well behaved, that he gave them each a lollypop which they ate on the way home. Ophelia was given a strawberry lollypop to match her pink coat, and she was very pleased because strawberry was her favourite flavour.
They got back home, and helped Hope to put all the shopping away, then Luna, Ginny and Ophelia played nicely together in the sitting room, whilst Hope did some mending on a pair of Lyall’s robes that need fixing.
Luna, and Ginny were having a tea party, with their teddies. They looked very silly in Hope’s big hats she usually wore for weddings, but they were having a lot of fun. Ophelia joined them for a while, before getting out her fairy tale book and reading The Wizard and The Hopping Pot.
The children were behaving themselves nicely so Hope went to go and check something in the attic. The second that Hope had left the room though, a maniacal grin worthy of Fred and George appeared on Ginny’s face.
‘Do you want to do something fun?’ asked Ginny.
‘What?’ asked Luna. Ophelia looked up from her book interestedly.
‘Fred and George told me yesterday, that there’s a way to find out if you’re magic.’
‘Ophelia’s already magic,’ said Luna.
‘Yes, but we don’t know about you and me,’ said Ginny obviously.
‘Apparently you’ve got to try and force the magic out of you,’ said Ginny, ‘Fred and George tried it out when they were four, and jumped off of things, but they just bounced.’
‘That’s silly,’ said Luna. Ophelia needed in agreement with Luna.
‘Well, it will be fun trying,’ giggled Ginny, ‘besides we have to do it before Mrs Lupin gets back.’
Ginny checked that Hope wasn’t coming back anytime soon, and started to climb the china cabinet which was the tallest thing in the room. If she flew or bounced when she jumped off, then she was definitely a witch.
As Ginny climbed up, the cabinet began to rattle and shake as Ginny climbed to the top. It was about to fall over!
‘Ginny no!’ squealed Ophelia running over to the china cabinet pulling a pillow with her.
Ginny fell down from the china cabinet, and it came crashing down breaking the china into tiny pieces. But Ginny wasn’t hurt at all, she had fallen as if in slow motion, and landed safely on the pillow that Ophelia had pulled over.
‘I’m a witch!’ beamed Ginny.
‘You talked!’ gasped Luna pointing at Ophelia.
‘I did?’ asked Ophelia in a timid whisper.
‘You can talk,’ said Ginny dumbfounded staring at Ophelia.
‘You can talk,’ said Luna giving Ophelia a huge girl.
The three girls started dancing around the room and giggling. Ophelia could finally talk in front of her two best friends!
‘What’s going on down there?’ asked Hope running down the stairs.
‘I heard a crash!’
The three girls gasped in astonishment; they had completely forgotten about the china cabinet falling over. They ran over to stand in front of the fallen cabinet thinking that they could try and hide the evidence.
‘What happened!’ said Hope clenching her hair frantically, ‘I leave you three for five minutes!’
‘Ginny wanted to know if she was a witch,’ said Luna.
‘So I climbed the china cabinet and it fell over,’ said Ginny looking very foolish.
‘But she bounced,’ said Ophelia.
‘We’re sorry,’ said the three girls.
Hope was tied between three conflicting emotions; Frustration that Ginny had climbed the cabinet and knocked it over; relief that Ginny was fine and hadn’t got hurt; and joy that Ophelia had just talked in front of Ginny and Luna. Hope walked out to the stable, in a state of great confusion, the three girls following her terrified.
‘Remus!’ she stammered in a hoarse voice, hardly even able to speak herself.
‘There something wrong Mam?’ asked Remus looking up from Percy’s maths problems he was marking.
‘Ginny, china cabinet, bounced,’ she said breathlessly, ‘Ophelia talked.’
‘Can somebody fill in the gaps please?’ asked Mrs Weasley glaring at Ginny. Mrs Weasley had heard enough to know that Ginny had been being naughty.
‘Well,’ said Ginny looking her mother in the eye bravely.
‘Fred and George told me a way to find out if I was a witch. You have to force it out of you.’
Fred and George looked at each other mortified, they had told Ginny that as a joke, it wasn’t true! They didn’t think that Ginny would actually try it! What if their little sister had gotten hurt!
Mrs Weasley eyed the twins ominously. They knew they’d be in trouble when they got home tonight.
‘What did you do Ginevra?’ sighed Mrs Weasley wanting to get it over with.
‘I climbed the china cabinet,’ said Ginny, ‘but it started to wobble.’
‘Ophelia yelled for me to be careful, bringing a cushion.’
‘The cabinet fell, and the china all broke. But I didn’t break, I fell really slowly, like I was flying! And then I landed on the pillow Ophelia had brought.’
‘Then I noticed that Ophelia had talked,’ said Luna.
‘Ginevra Molly Weasley I’m very cross with you,’ said Mrs Weasley, ‘that was very naughty, and I’ll be telling your Daddy when he gets home. We’ll decide your punishment then.’
‘But,’ she said softening slightly, and hugging Ginny ‘I’m very glad you’re a witch. Just never scare me like that again!’
‘No Mummy never,’ said Ginny hugging Mrs Weasley.
‘Fred George,’ said Mrs Weasley whipping her head in their direction.
Fred and George slunk back in their seats. They had hoped that she might have forgotten that this whole thing was their fault, as they had placed the idea in her head.
‘You should know better,’ she vented, ‘you’re older!
‘Sorry Mum,’ they mumbled.
‘She’s your little sister, you’re supposed to protect her. Not set stupid examples!’
‘You’re both grounded, for a month!’
‘A month!’ shouted Fred and George astounded.
‘A month!’ nodded Mrs Weasley firmly.
‘What’s grounded?’ Neville asked Ron.
‘No flying,’ said Ron, ‘she’s taking away their broomsticks.’
‘Ophelia darling,’ said Remus crouching down, ‘can you come help me fix the china cabinet?’
Ophelia nodded and took her Daddy’s hand as they walked back into the house.
Remus didn’t need any help fixing the china, or the china cabinet. He fixed everything within a matter of seconds using his wand.
‘Did you really talk to Ginny and Luna?’ asked Remus excited, still thinking it was too good to be true.
‘Yes,’ nodded Ophelia, ‘I said no Ginny, I did, she bounced, and we’re sorry.’
Ophelia counted all the things off on her little fingers as she remembered them all.
‘That’s a lot of things princess,’ said Remus impressed.
‘I’m so proud of you!’ he beamed throwing her in the air and making Ophelia squeal with laughter.
‘I love you Daddy,’ giggled Ophelia as Remus put her back down.
‘I love you too darling,’ said Remus kissing Ophelia softly on top of her soft strawberry blonde hair.