Chapter 9
For Hermione, Ron, and, Harry supposed, Teddy, they landed in a beautiful, if slightly overgrown, field, facing a mound of grass and the outline of a long since dried-up moat.
Harry, however, could see a castle. It wasn’t as large as Hogwarts, or quite as old, but it had familiar castellations, turrets, stone archways and mullioned windows. He let out a breath.
“What is it, Harry?” Hermione asked, attempting to sound concerned for him, but Harry could hear the edge to her voice – she could never stand not knowing something.
Without speaking, he sliced his thumb open with a slash of his wand, allowing a few drops to spill onto the grass. Wards, suddenly visible to him, shimmered with gold, and he stepped through them. “Ron, Hermione, Teddy, come in,” he said.
Ron and Hermione gasped as they entered the wards. “Bloody hell, mate,” Ron laughed, clapping him on the back. “You’ve got a bloody castle!”
Harry’s throat was dry, as he gazed at the building before him. “It’s very big,” he observed.
Hermione took Harry by the arm and led them to a stone path that led up to the gatehouse. By the large stone archway next to the gate, three nicely-dressed elves stood to attention.
“Master Potter has returned home!” one of them squeaked, pleased.
Harry felt incredibly awkward. “Erm, hello,” he smiled at them. “I’m Harry.”
The eldest, and, by the withering look she gave the elf that had already spoken, most senior elf curtseyed to Harry. “I know your name, Master. I was there when you were born.”
“You were?” Harry asked, excitedly. These elves had known his parents!
The elf nodded. “I am Roslyn. This is Mimsey,” she said, indicating the elf who had spoken before, “and this is Hokka.” The last elf was larger than the other two and remained silent as he looked at Harry with scrutiny but nodded in deference as he was introduced.
Mimsey seemed to be bursting out of her dress with excitement as the three elves opened the large front door for Harry. “Master is home now! We is waiting so long!”
Harry frowned. “I’m sorry, Mimsey. I didn’t know this place existed until today.”
Roslyn scowled. “The house was placed under stasis, Master, when your parents passed. We kept working the gardens and the winery and assumed you would return to us when you turned eleven. Mr. Dumbledore told us this was not possible.”
Harry sighed. “Yeah, Dumbledore said that about a lot of things.”
The Entrance Hall was very large but sparsely decorated with a richly embroidered rug, two bronze stag heads on either side of the door, and a large Gryffindor-red tapestry that featured a family tree, like the one in the Black House.
“Dad,” Harry breathed as he found the embroidery of a familiar-looking mess of black hair and glasses. Next to him, pale compared to the rest of his family, was his mother with flaming red hair. “Mum,” Harry choked out.
Next to all, except one, of the names on the tapestry, a small ‘d’ was inscribed. Beneath his parents, an eerily-accurate likeness of Harry appeared, although his tapestry counterpart didn’t have Harry’s dark under-eye bags.
“Wow, Harry,” Hermione said, coming to stand beside him.
Roslyn smiled at him and indicated to their left. “Through here is the family room, Master,” she said, pausing. “I think you’ll want to see it.”
Harry dragged his eyes away from the tapestry and followed her through the doors to a large but comfortable-looking sitting room.
“No way,” Ron exclaimed, running over to a small television set in the corner of the room. “How does it work in here?” he asked the elves.
Mimsey squeaked. “Don’t get too close to it! It’s under a void,” she said, looking at the piece of muggle technology warily. Voids were very dangerous, very rarely used outside of the Department of Mysteries, as they prevented all magic within them. Ron wisely stepped back, but Hermione edged closer, looking fascinated.
Harry ignored most of this interaction, jaw nearly on the floor. Large portraits crowded the walls, the largest of which was a portrait of four very familiar-looking young wizards.
Taking a few steps forward hesitantly, he peered into the frame, sure he was mistaken. There they were, the marauders.
A teenaged James Potter smiled broadly at him. “Harry, my boy!” he said in a deep, booming voice, “You are so grown up!”
Harry blinked, his heart pounding. He searched for his voice. “Dad?”
A young Sirius elbowed James out of the way. “Prongslet! And Moonslet!” he cried excitedly. “Look, Moony, it’s your sprog!”
16-year-old Remus smiled at Harry, his eyes watering. “Hullo Harry, Teddy,” he said softly.
Harry glanced down at Teddy, and, since his face was currently smushed into his chest, he unwrapped him from the sling and cradled him in his eyes. Turning his body sideways, he said quietly, “Look, Teddy. It’s our dads.” Teddy gazed at the portrait
“I’m so proud of you, son,” James said quietly. “I know I’m not really here, but I want you to know that, wherever I am, I’m proud of you.”
Harry nodded, his throat finally unsticking. “I know. Thanks, dad.”
He glanced at the fourth person in the portrait. Short and stubby, young Peter Pettigrew seemed to be very far back in the frame and was wisely staying out of the way for this particular reunion. James noticed Harry’s gaze and shook his head firmly.
Remus, no doubt sensing the heightened emotions and wanting to ease the tension, broke the silence. “Ron, Hermione,” he nodded at the two. “Good to see you.”
“You too, Professor Lupin,” Hermione said, feeling very weirded out by calling a teenager ‘Professor’.
James smiled at them. “Thank you for keeping my boy safe,” he said.
Hermione and Ron nodded at him. They stood in silence a few minutes longer, before Roslyn cleared her throat.
James smiled. “You’d best finish your tour of the house, Harry. We’re not going anywhere,” he said self-deprecatingly. Harry blinked and realised for the first time in his life, his three father-figures literally couldn’t go anywhere.
Leaving the room, Harry kept glancing back at the portrait, his heart hammering in his chest. Hermione squeezed his hand and Ron clapped him on the back.
Roslyn led them down the stairs into a bright kitchen with a small dining table. Opening what appeared to be a regular cupboard, Roslyn stepped through to reveal a large potion’s lab. “She didn’t live here for long, but your mother spent a lot of time in here,” the elf said, her voice laced with regret. “Mistress Lily was very kind. She taught me to read.”
Hermione grinned at Harry. “I think I would like your mum, Harry,” she said softly. Turning to Roslyn, Mimsey and Hokka, she asked, not unkindly, “Are you happy working here? Wouldn’t you rather be free?”
Mimsey looked horrified and Hokka looked disgusted. Roslyn looked appraisingly at Hermione. “You are very like Mistress Lily, Mistress Hermione. She asked me the same thing.” Roslyn paused, but addressed Harry when she continued. “My family has been working for the Potters for over three-hundred years. It is an honour to be one of their house-elves. I served your grandparents and parents. I will continue to serve you, as will my daughter,” she said fiercely, waving a hand in the direction of Mimsey.
Harry blinked. He hadn’t thought that house-elves had children, although he supposed that they must. He nodded, shooting a regretful look at Hermione. “I hope I can live up to your expectations,” he said very seriously.
Suddenly, Hokka let out a bark of a noise. “Hokka finds you amusing,” Roslyn explained. “He lost his tongue working for his last family. Mistress Lily and Master James took him in.”
Harry shuddered. “That’s horrible, Hokka,” he said, remembering how Dobby had been treated by the Malfoys.
Hokka shrugged and moved his hands and fingers in a strange manner. Roslyn looked exasperated at him, but translated, “You are already exceeding his expectations.”
They exited the kitchen and made their way up the grand staircase to the right of the entrance hall.
Hermione gasped as they entered a long gallery. “It’s exactly like the Hall of Mirrors!” she exclaimed. “Mum and Dad took me to Versailles when we went to Paris.”
“Where do you think Louis XV got the idea?” Roslyn smirked, clearly enjoying Hermione’s reaction.
Harry could hardly breathe throughout the whole tour. He’d never really had a home before, and suddenly he had a whole castle. From the Hall of Mirrors, a wide central staircase lead to: the library, with decoratively carved bookcases lining two walls and an impressive floor to ceiling stone fireplace; a small but beautifully decorative study with even more books, and the dining room, with a wide bay stone mullioned window and an ornately carved stone fireplace. Returning to the Hall of Mirrors, they were lead to the drawing room, a light and airy room with windows offering sweeping views of the gardens, a large fireplace, a fine ceiling with ornate carved and gilded decoration, and easy access to the gardens via the adjoining Fernery and a secondary kitchen. Upstairs, there were two impressive Principle Bedroom Suites offering views over the gardens and the countryside beyond, as well as seven additional en-suite bedrooms.
“The rose garden was a particular favourite of your grandmother,” Roslyn said, pointing to a small, blooming area encircled by ramparts. “They bloom year-round, and pixies can often be found there.”
“Are there any other magical creatures here?” Harry asked, thinking of Hagrid. He would love the gardens here, he thought with a pang of guilt. Since the battle, Hagrid had been working hard to rebuild his hut and care for Grawp, who had been quite badly injured. Harry hadn’t seen the half-giant nearly enough in the past month.
Roslyn nodded excitedly. “We house several Thestrals and two Pegasai in the stables,” she said, pointing to a large stable near the winery. “As well as several muggle horses.”
“Pegasai?” Hermione asked, interested. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“They is very shy, Mistress. They is too scared of the noisy children being at Hogwarts,” Mimsey explained in a squeaky voice.
Roslyn asked the three to stay for dinner, and pointedly asked when Harry was going to move in. “This house has gone far too long without a master,” Roslyn said sadly.
Harry had already made up his mind. “As soon as I can,” he promised, even more eager to leave Grimmauld Place than he had been before. He paused. “Do you mind if I bring another house-elf with me?”
Mimsey squeaked excitedly. “Master is bringing friends for us!”
“Erm … he’s not very friendly,” Harry warned, not wanting to get her hopes up. Harry wondered if Kreacher would even want to leave Grimmauld Place. He was still very attached to his memories of his old masters. Harry supposed if he didn’t, he could set it up as an office or something. Not that he had use for an office of any sort. Filing those thoughts for later, he turned to the others. “We should probably be going back now, Malfoy’s waiting for us.”
The elves waved them off as, clutching bottles of the Potter Manor’s Elvish Wine, they stepped through a newly-connected floo with promises that they’d set up a nursery for Teddy.