Marvelous Return

Before desserts arrived, someone knocked on the door. Ragnok let the goblins in and a short conversation in Gobbledegook took place. Ragnok seemed agitated and kept glancing toward the cot. 

“Do you need us to leave, Ragnok?” Remus finally asked. 

“No,” Ragnok affirmed before sighing deeply. “Arthur Weasley and his eldest sons are in Manager Ironclaw’s office, they want an explanation and to be tested. He knows now the youngest two aren’t his, although he didn’t decide yet what to do, when asked where they were he said Ron was napping and Ginny, which I assume is Ginevra, was feeding, Molly wouldn’t let him take them for a visit to the Leaky Cauldron where he said he and the boys would join the celebration still going on. He didn’t want to leave the children with her in case she and Dumbledore were made aware of the judgment before he came back.” 

“If you let them come in here, they will be under the secrecy ward, won’t they?” Clint asked. 

“Yes.” 

“Then why not?” Clint wondered. “We don’t need to tell them everything, Sirius can explain he wasn’t the secret keeper, and while we were looking into Harry’s affair we found the contract.” When everyone looked at him, Clint blushed, which Remus had to admit was cute, “I suppose the Potter being rich, knowing their lives were at risk and having a kid, made a will, if they ask who we are, or what we are doing here tell them we came for the will, since most of us are squibs or No-Maj, tell them we are from Lily’s side of the family.” 

“That’s actually a good plan. They do have a will, I was going to read it after the purges. Dumbledore sealed them quickly in the Wizengamot stating it was to keep Harry’s location safe,” Ragnok said but Sirius interrupted him by snorting loudly. 

“He tried to give him to Petunia, there is zero chance for the Will to say that’s who he was supposed to go to.” 

“Anyhow, as I told him, sealing it in the Wizengamot only means it won’t be published or registered at the ministry and as it was for Harry’s safety, it won’t be read in public before his 11th birthday, but Harry or his guardian can ask for a private reading and for any settlement to proceed as it should, with the recipient only being made aware of what they had and nothing more,” Ragnok explained. 

“Let me guess, he said you were endangering Harry, and if anything happened to him the wizards would turn on you,” Severus said. 

“He called him, the Boy-who-Lived, and made sure to tell me, he would personally blame me, but yes,” Ragnok admitted with a grin. 

“Binns has been talking about Goblins Wars and nothing else for decades, you would think the man learned a thing or two from his own teacher, even when they put the students to sleep,” Rems commented. 

“Do we call in Arthur or not? I know we needed to do that, for Harry and because Dumbledore and Molly deserved it, but I didn’t know it would affect him, Arthur is a nice man,” Sirius said. “Do you know what testing his sons will show?” 

“I found William’s with his employment contract, and the twins with their Prewett Lordship, nothing that should be too hard to hear or impossible to correct,” Ragnok told them. “Though if you were right earlier Arthur Weasley has been under a love potion at some point, and it might be traumatizing for him.” 

“Then we should be there for him, even if it is just to distract the children,” Tony told them and everyone nodded. 

“Though someone should put a silencing charm on our napping little ones, five boys, no matter how well-behaved they might be, are bound to be noisy,” Natasha told them as Ragnok told the goblin to bring the Weasleys and Ironclaw. 

“This is going to take longer than planned, there were things needing to be done today, would you be opposed to staying the night, quarters will be arranged for you, but I wouldn’t let you walk back to the tower right after the purging, and they need to be done, neither you nor I can risk it taking weeks before the next opportunity, and it would be better if at least Severus’ was done before he meets with Madame Bones on Tuesday.”

“I’ll just need to send a quick message to JARVIS, and he will cover for all of us,” Tony said when everyone agreed. 

“Nox can bring everything we’ll need,” Sirius told them. 

They waited for a few minutes, Tony being led out of the room, then back in, before Arthur and his sons came in, only William, or Bill as he seemed to prefer from the journal, seemed to notice the barrier at the door, or the wards around the room, maybe Ragnok had been right, you can’t learn talent like that, it was worth making sure he would choose to work for them. 

“May your gold always grow,” Arthur said as he bowed quickly soon followed by the boys, though they seemed confused by it. 

“May your life bring you joy and riches,” Ragnok answered. 

“Are you responsible for this?” Arthur asked their group without greeting them. 

“Hello, Arthur, how are you?” Sirius said sarcastically, before rolling his eyes, “Yes, I did this,” technically he let Harry do it, but he agreed to let him do it, so, “would you rather stay bonded to her? Are you even bonded to her? I noticed it says Prewett everywhere. And before you go around telling me to mind my own business, I didn’t do it against you, this isn’t a prank or a joke, if you didn’t notice, it says it is Lady Magic judgment, Molly and Albus tried to force a bonding contract between Harry and Ginevra, even though it was illegal. I simply asked for a judgment on it, as Harry’s legal guardian.” 

“Oh, Merlin, it is real,” Arthur said and stumbled on his own two feet, his eldest sons running at his sides to hold him while they all cried out “Dad!” 

“Okay, come here, Arthur,” Remus told him, and he and Clint stood up to guide him to a chair. 

“Can you boys sit quietly? Or do you want us to conjure you some toys?” Remus asked them. 

“I happen to have an Exploding Snap in my pocket,” Sirius told them and handed it to the boys, “Why don’t you play with it?” 

“I want to stay with dad,” they said as one. “But thank you,” the eldest added. 

“Okay, well it’s there if you change your mind, just tell us, so we can conjure pillows for you to sit on, okay?” All five of them nodded. “Did you have lunch?” 

“Yes, I couldn’t take them out before they ate Lunch,” Arthur said with an embarrassed look, not that anyone commented on it, but Remus knew he meant they didn’t have the Galleons to eat out, and everyone seemed to pick up on it. Hopefully, things would turn up alright, and they will find a way to correct that.

“I don’t know what to do,” Arthur finally admitted. 

“How do you feel?” Remus asked him. 

“Like I was knocked over my broom by a bulger.”

“Sounds about right,” Sirius commented. 

“Ironclaw said you wanted to test your sons?” Ragnok inquired. 

“I…” Arthur started then looked around the room. “I don’t know all of you.”

Sirius introduced all of them, and explained, “We came to hear Lily’s and James’ will, and see about Harry’s inheritance.” 

“Harry!” The twins cried out. 

“I didn’t know they knew each other,” Sirius said surprised by their reaction. 

“They have been like that since… Well, at first I thought it was because she kept talking about him while we ate, but they kept doing it,” Arthur said hugging his youngest sons. “If they met, I wasn’t told.” 

“Headmaster Dumbledore brought him home that night, so mom could look him over, it was just after you were called to the ministry; dad,” the second eldest, Charles, said. “Mom said, we couldn’t tell.” 

“That’s okay Charlie, thank you for telling me,” Arthur told him and passed his hand through his dark ginger hair, affectionately. 

Remus couldn’t help but look at Sirius and Severus, he knew what he wanted to do, his instincts as a wizard and as a wolf, were telling him they were Pack, they needed help, but the decision wasn’t his alone to make. Sirius shrugged but Severus started speaking, “The tests are a good idea if you don’t mind sharing the results with us that is.” 

“Oh, I... “ Arthur hesitated, “I only want to know who… well, you know.” 

And they knew, he wanted to know if he was their father without telling them it was what he was looking for. 

“Ragnok, can you please do a full test on them?” Sirius asked already knowing the answer, “Charge my account for it,” He added with a nod toward the now-closed trunk. 

“Oh, no Sirius, I can’t,” Arthur protested. 

“This isn’t charity Arthur, at least 3 of your sons, 5 of your children depending on what you decide, will be going to school with Harry, hopefully be great friends to him, I want to make sure everyone is safe,” Sirius told him, in a no-nonsense voice, to which Arthur agreed. 

Though the twins and the two eldest didn’t hesitate when they were told to draught some blood, Percival seemed more demurred. 

“It’s okay Percy, it doesn’t hurt, and Dad will heal you right away,” Charly told him. 

“Yeah, it’s worse when you cut your finger with the page of a book,” Bill said. 

Meanwhile, the twins singsonged “Do it! Do it! Do it!” Which made Sirius, Clint, and Tony turn around to hide their grin. 

Once it was done, Remus noticed Arthur didn’t do his and elbowed Sirius nodding toward Arthur when the man calmed down enough to look back. 

“Arthur, I meant you too, surely, you are not afraid to give a little blood, look at your army of Gryffindors, all giving up their blood to protect Harry,” Sirius teased him, making Arthur smile down at his sons. 

“Yes, daddy, be a G’yffindor,” One of the twins told him as the other, his hands over his daddy’s behind, tried to push him toward the table. 

“For Gryffindor!” Arthur cried out as he played out an extraordinary fit, as he cut his fingertip to donate seven drops of blood. 

They waited a few minutes as the boys cuddled with their dad, congratulating him on his heroic fit. 

“Why aren’t all kids like that?” Tony asked. “They are cool.” 

“I think it’s Arthur’s doing,” Sirius told him, in what he clearly thought was a discreet manner, though it was not, as everyone heard. 

“I like to believe so too,” Arthur told him with a big smile. 

“It’s ready,” Ragnok said taking a quick look at the parchment, before turning to the family, “Congratulation, it’s boys,” he told Arthur, “all parents are yourself and Molly Prewett.” 

Arthur sighed and conjured pillows for the boys, telling them they should play while the grown-up talk. Charlie asked to stay at with him and Arthur hugged him tight and told him it was okay if he wanted to stay, but he could change his mind at any time.

“Did mom do something bad?” Charlie asked and Arthur looked lost again. 

“Charlie?” Remus made sure he had the boy’s attention before he explained. “Your mom signed a contract so Ginny and Harry would have to marry once they are of age. Do you know what I mean?” 

At first, Charlie nodded, and then he asked, “But they are still babies, what if they don’t love each other, later?” 

“You are a good boy, Charlie, thinking about that,” Sirius praised him. “Well, once a contract is signed by the legal guardians, they don’t have a choice. It is a really bad thing to do to a baby, but unfortunately, many of the pureblood families still use these contracts.”

“So they have to marry?” Charlie asked incredulously. “That’s not okay,” He said after everyone nodded.

“No, it is not,” Remus agreed. “But, and this is very important, while your mom signed the contract as she isn’t the Head of the family she didn’t have the right to do it, and since Harry’s mom and dad didn’t sign it, but the Headmaster did in their name, the contract is not legal.” 

“That’s really bad,” Charlie said with a sigh. “They should be grounded.”

“They should, and they will,” Sirius told him. “I will be Harry’s daddy from now on, and if I didn’t say what they did was bad now that I know about it, it would be the same as saying it’s okay. Do you agree?” 

Charlie nodded. 

“But as you said it is bad,” Sirius said. “So, I told Lady Magic, I wanted her to choose if Harry should marry Ginny or not,” He explained simply but efficiently. “Lady Magic is like you, she thought your mom and the Headmaster should be punished for what they did, so she wrote her own contract, a legal one, and she sent a copy of it to your dad, it is why he came here, to see what was going on.” 

“What did Lady Magic said they had to do?” Charlie asked. 

“She said they have to marry, before Ginny’s first birthday,” Arthur told him. 

“But you are married to mom.” 

“I thought so too, but Lady Magic judgment says we are not.” 

“Oh!” Charlie said looking lost. “What now?”

“That’s what we are here, to find out,” Arthur told him. 

“Is Lady Magic forcing mom to marry the Headmaster because they spend so much time together? Because I spend a lot of time with Bill and Tonks, and I don’t want Lady Magic to make me marry either of them,” Charlie asked them. 

“Won’t happen if you don’t try to write contracts for other people,” Tony answered him when Arthur appeared to be too furious to do it, and Charlie shook his head. 

“Why don’t you go play with your brothers, Charlie?” Sirius asked him. “Looks like they are letting the twins win, you can’t let that happen can you?” 

Charlie looked down at his brothers and sighed when he saw Bill and Percy cheating. “They are always doing that, they say the twins are too little for the cards to explode on them, and they like to make them laugh. I think they are creating little monsters, the twins tried to put the exploding carts in Ron’s cot last week, they said it was, so he could learn to play.” 

“If you laugh, I’ll change all your clothes into princess pink,” Remus whispered to Sirius discreetly when he saw he had a hard time keeping it together. 

Charlie thanked them for explaining, and make sure his dad had tea then went to play with his brothers after the last hug. 

“He is sweet,” Phil told Arthur. 

“They all are,” Arthur said smiling as he looked at them play, “Though Charlie is right, the twins are demons.” 

“So they took after their uncles?” Sirius asked with a grin. 

“Pretty much, yes,” Arthur said and shook his head, turning back to the table to talk to the adults in the room. “Now what?”

“Now you take the time to decide if you want to raise Ron and Ginny,” Sirius told him. “If you want you can move into my house for a while, I can only imagine the scene Molly will make once she is aware she got caught, I don’t want you to have to endure that. And before you say anything, we aren’t currently living there, so it’s just sitting empty, and I will send Dewey to take the boys stuff anyway so nothing can happen to it,” He said then hesitated. “To be honest, if I had the power to do so, I would forbid you from going back there while she is, I saw how she is when she doesn’t get her way, and this is a big blow, even bigger if you decide to keep Ron and Ginny.” 

“Also, I would like to know how it is possible for you not to be bonded to her, because I remember James and Sirius sulking for a week straight in our first year when the Prophet announced your bonding, and a few weeks later, Bill’s birth,” Remus told him, then looked at Ragnok. 

“I can only tell you all parchments says Margareth Prewett, not once Margareth Weasley.” 

“Dumbledore performed the ceremony in his office when my parents refused to let me bond with her,” Arthur told them, “It was quick and just the three of us.” 

“Well, this explains that,” Ragnok said. “First, the Headmaster is only legally allowed to bond students, and you already graduated. Second, your parents, your Head of House, had said no, the bonding would only be considered legal if they disowned you, otherwise you have to marry, not bond. Third, a bonding requires at least two witnesses one for each, it is never just the two being bonded and the officiant.” 

“So, I could have left, all these years?” Arthur seemed conflicted, happy but anxious. 

“I am sorry if I had known I would have tried to help months ago,” Sirius told him, extending his hand on the table for Arthur to grab. 

“You wanted to leave?” Severus asked. 

Arthur looked at his sons and discreetly cast a silencing spell at them, though Bill lifted his head, he just nodded and went back to the game. 

“I don’t remember the night Bill was conceived, we were in our last year, I went to see Madam Pomphrey because I wanted her to test me for the bearer gene, as my father said it was something often found in my family, and I was confused by all the things she explained to me, I remember going down to the Great Hall to eat, and that’s about it,” Arthur explained, “I woke up later that night in one of the abandoned classrooms on the fourth floor, with Molly beside me, a month later she said she was pregnant, we had to go through NEWTS, so, I told her I would write to my parents, and we would get bonded in the summer, but… Well, as I said before, my parents refused, they wanted me to files for Line Theft, and…”

“And Rape, right?” Sirius asked. Remus slapped the back of his head. 

“Yes, my father said it needed to be done, he wanted to bring me to Gringotts to test for Love potion, or anything else, they could think about,” Arthur said. “Fabian and Gideon were my best friends, I didn’t want to do that to their family, and no matter how he came to be she was pregnant with my baby, it was my responsibility.” 

“Arthur, are you even straight?” 

“Sirius, if you don’t shut up, I’ll castrate you, and this time I will not make it temporary,” Remus growled at him. 

“That’s okay, Remus,” Arthur said with a chuckle. “I rather honest direct question than guessing games, and to answer you, Sirius, I went to Madame Pomphrey because I was attracted to one of my classmates and I wanted proof for my parents that I could still provide an heir for the family, even if I chose a same-sex partner.” 

“So, not entirely straight,” Tony said, suddenly looking interested. That is until Severus stood up and dragged him away, telling him off, about the poor man having his life upside down already. 

“Especially, when he is full of Amorentia, I would guess,” Sirius mumbled but everyone heard. 

“Amorentia?” Arthur asked. 

“Yes, we…” Remus was going to say, they heard her talk about it at a meeting, but he didn’t want to lie to the man. “It is a theory we had, when we saw the judgment,” he said, not the whole truth but still the truth. 

“I can confirm it now, and if Mr. Weasley wishes to file a complaint against her, it can be done,” Ragnok informed them, sounding sterner than he did since they came in. “I will need to know if you wish for your bonding to be recognized first, as the head of your house you can validate it, or recuse it definitely. The option was left open by Lady Magic when she chose to marry the Headmaster to Margareth Prewett, as you know you can bond to a witch and yet marry another, one being magical, the other strictly legal.” 

“What of the boys if I choose to recuse it?” Arthur asked. “I don’t want them to be seen as bastards, being considered Blood Traitors and poor will be hard enough on them.” 

“Lady Magic stated your sons are yours to care for, and cherish, rest assured she made it, so they are not bastard,” Ragnok explained. “This is meant to be punishment for Dumbledore and both Miss Prewetts, not you or your children.” 

“I, Arthur Septimus Weasley, do so swear, my bonding to Margareth Prewett, was neither by choice, or sanctioned by love other than that I have for my children, So Mote it be.” 

“So mote it be.” 

A parchment appeared next in Ragnok’s hand. 

Hear Lady Magic’s Judgement, on acting and enforcing a magical bond to one Arthur Septimus Weasley, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and Margareth Prewett are found guilty. 

On betraying the vows they were trying to enforce, they are found guilty. 

On this day, for betraying her family, Margareth Prewett will be stripped of her name and family magic. 

She may keep her personal magic, until such a time she proved unworthy of them. 

On this day, for betraying the trust of his position, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore will be stripped of his guardianship over all students under his care. From now, and to eternity. 

On the secondary charges, I am sad to admit the one punishment in my power, goes as is. 

From this day henceforth, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore will only be allowed to find release and pleasure at the command and in the company of his bonded partner, Muriel Alice Prewett. 

From this day henceforth, Margareth No Name will only be allowed to find release and pleasure in the absence of Muriel Alice Prewett, and at her husband Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore command. 

So it was judged, so mote it be.

“So mote it be.”

“Well, I hope they enjoy that,” Severus was laughing his arse off. 

“Why?” Arthur asked confused. 

“He can only come if this Muriel person tells him, and she is in the room, but she can only come if Muriel isn’t in the room. I hope they’ll have fun figuring that one out,” Tony said as he was laughing too. “By the way, who is Muriel, I noticed they shared the same last name?” 

“Molly’s aunt,” Arthur told them and started to laugh with them. 

“On happier subject, congratulation Lord Weasley, you are now able to take your rightful title,” Ragnok said, before adding, “after a purge, to get the Amorentia out of your body completely, even though she hadn’t used it in years, the ring would still deny you, if we tested it now.”

“Did she give potions to the children?” Arthur asked. 

“Nothing harmful, but young William has a block on his Mage Level Sight, it was done by a healer, probably because he complained about a headache. It is  , but I would rather our curse breakers look into it, make sure no damages will come to him,” Ragnok told him, and although he sounded genuinely concerned and probably was, Remus could also see the plan, the curse breakers would explain things to Bill, get him interested into the subject, offer to teach him, well played. “Frederick and George have a block on their secondary magical core, it, too, was performed by a healer, it is a normal medical procedure on magical twins delivery, being separated from their twin so abruptly is known to cause accidental magic too early, destroying the core or even killing the bearer.” 

“But they are three now, so it shouldn’t be blocked still, should it?” Arthur asked, looking worryingly at his sons. 

“No, it keeps them from growing to their full potential, as they are sharing one core between them, instead of two,” Ragnok explained. 

“Then, yes, take it out of them, but what about Bill?” Arthur was unsure, “If the headaches were bad enough, maybe we should leave it.” 

“Arthur, Gringotts only hires the best, if they say everything is fine then there will be no problem, but Ragnok told us their human Curse Breaker sometimes have magical sight too, it is why they are hired in the first place, some of them should know exactly what is going on with Bill and help him control it, instead of blocking it,” Remus told him, technically not a lie, though he felt bad for manipulating the man, it was for his and his son’s own good.

“Ironclaw will lead you down there, now,” Ragnok said and gestured toward the other Goblin, who Remus was ashamed to realize, he had forgotten about. “When you are done, you are free to leave, or return here.”

“What about Charlie and Percy?” Arthur asked. 

“The purifying baths aren’t deleterious, they can go in with you without troubles, only the twins and William will be led to another room for a little while,” Ironclaw assured him. 

With this Arthur took down the charm and collected his sons, Sirius told them to keep the game if they wanted and after saying goodbye to everyone they left.