Harry had been training hard for the up coming game against England, mainly to distract himself from the trail. It had been a hot Monday morning, surprisingly hot as it was autumn, when he'd been chasing the snitch, concentrating so hard he didn't notice the man until he'd bowled right into him.
"OOF!" The impact of hitting the man made Harry fall from his broom, luckily he was less than a meter in the air, and tumble across the freshly clipped grass. He shook his head and looked over at the person he hit. The man was taller than Harry and by his looks, older, with neatly cut brown hair, dark blue eyes flecked with gold and a muscular build. He too had fallen over, crimpling his jeans and blue shirt, but he didn't seem surely damaged. Harry got to his feet and made his way over to the man and his broom. "Sorry, about that, I wasn't really concentrating on my surroundings." Harry apologised, picking up his fallen broom and offering a hand to the man.
"Well I really shouldn't be standing around on a Quidditch pitch." He smiled, taking Harry's hand and hoisting himself up. "I'm Kevin Fletcher." Even his teeth were perfect, Harry noted before also smiling.
"I'm Harry, Harry Potter."
"I should have known." Kevin smiled, shaking Harry's hand, which he was still holding.
"If it's not rude to ask, why were you on the pitch in the first place?" Harry inquired, ducking as Emma, a chaser, flew over them.
"I'm a journalist for the Quidditch magazine; Brooms and Snitches." Harry nodded, remembering the magazine, which had been realised a week before he'd left to Australia. "I'm here to interview the Australian team. And as I've already um…bumped into you, could I possible have an interview?" Harry shrugged seeing no harm in Kevin.
"Sure, it would be a nice break from trying to catch that snitch."
When practise had ended Harry had given Kevin an interview to make front page. But Kevin wasn't finished questioning the Wizard saviour.
"One last question." Harry turned back to the reporter waiting. "Will you go out with me?"
"Um…"
Hope and Truth had found the wonder of Isabella's make-up! They trotted into the kitchen, in a proud fashion, both supporting red lickstick, none made it to their lips, blush all over their hands, eye shadow on their cheeks and nail polish on their eye lids.
"What the hell!" Isabella cried when they had grinned proudly to their nanny.
"Do you like it?" Hope asked, eyes shinning. Sirius was laughing so hard it was hard to hear him.
"They-choke of laughter-look like-another choke-you!" Isabella had promptly hit him over the head with her wooden spoon.
"Come on girls." She took their hands and lead them to the bathroom. When she opened the door she let out an ear splitting scream.
"OWWW AUNT IZZIE!" Truth yelled, rubbing her ears and smudging the blush. The bathroom floor was half covered in bath salts while the other was covered in the blue bubble bath.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Isabella screamed. Hope grinned proudly.
"We made a beach!" -1- Isabella pulled out her wand and vanished the mess making the twins pout.
"Don't you two EVER make a beach again." Isabella waved her wand again and the water spat from her wand drenching the two.
"She must be doing that PMS-ing thing Uncle Sirius told us about." Hope whispered. Truth nodded. Isabella handed the two towels and marched out of the room while the two dried off. Sirius appeared in the doorway holding fresh cloths and a hairbrush which Truth eyed with suspension.
"Don't mind Izzie, she'd just a little…off…" He winked at the girls. "Now let's get you out of these wet cloths before your dad gets back and kills me."
When Harry opened the door sometime later he found Sirius, Truth and Hope huddled under the small table in the hall. Truth was gently rocking while muttering. "She can't see me, she can't see me."
"Um…I'm afraid to ask…" Harry placed his broom down and walked over.
"It's Izzie." Sirius whispered, peering around in fear. "She's PMS-ing and well…it's scary!" Harry chuckled and walked into the kitchen where Isabella was making dinner, three cracked pots and a broken cup laid on the table and she was stirring the gravy so violently and he noticed a crack in the metal spoon.
"Um…Izzie…?" Isabella wiped around and Harry ducked missing the spray of steaming gravy.
"WHAT?" She snapped and Harry felt more afraid then he did when facing Voldermort.
"Um…are you…ok…?" Isabella narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"Do I look ok?" Harry didn't answer but Isabella didn't notice as she began raving. "Truth and Hope found my make-up and now I need to go buy more! They used all the bath salts and bubble bath to make a beach then got their best cloths covered in chocolate!" Harry had the urge to hide with the girls and Sirius under the table, but he was saved from Isabella's ranting by the arrival of a barn owl.
Mr H Potter.
Harry tore open the letter while Isabella peered over his shoulder impatiently.
Mr H Potter.
The Trial for custody of Miss Hope Charlotte Potter and Miss Truth Lillian Potter against Mr Gerald Paul Ruth will begin in two days time; your lawyer has been noted of the date and time.
With all due respect,
The council of family Affairs.
A whole bunch of signatures followed but Harry ignored them and looked to Isabella who had a sad look on her face.
"So it's really going to start…" She muttered. Harry nodded. They stayed silent for a moment.
"What am I going to tell them?" Harry asked, looking up at Isabella in hope.
"The truth."
"The truth? Oh because that's so wonderful! 'Oh girls I forgot to tell you both, you may be the daughters of a Death Eater who rapped me one night or the guy you've taken a great liking to and now I have to go to court and try and fight to see you again!' That'll be a great bedtime story!"
"Well what are you going to tell them? What if you lose Harry, then what?"
"I won't lose! I can't…" Harry wiped away the unshed tears.
Blaise cursed softly under his breath as he read the letter the Family Affairs Council had sent. He threw the letter aside and sat back. Only two days time to prepare, not to mention Harry's match was in less than a weeks time so it made everything even more difficult. He gathered his papers he would need for the trial and read over some notes, luckily he had a back up plan if Harry didn't win, and Harry persuaded Blaise not to mention the rape incident, only if it was truly desperate moment, so Blaise would have to fight harder. But first he needed to talk to Harry.
He meet with Harry at the Leaky Cauldron.
"Did you get the letter?" Blaise asked after taking his seat across from Harry who already held a butter beer.
"We only have two days!" Harry hissed. Blaise nodded.
"The court wants to get this over with and soon, Ruth has been sulking around and persuading the court to hurry with the trial."
"How good are my chances?" Harry needed to know wether or not he had a chance with his daughters.
"Harry if we don't tell them about…that night…then you'll have a very slim chance of winning."
Harry shook his head. "You can't say anything about it!" Blaise nodded reluctantly.
"Then you better do all the things you wanted to do with them, because this trial may not come out in your favour." Harry's eyes went down cast and Blaise sighed. "Look I'll need to meet with you before the trial to over some things."
"Not tonight." Harry looked back up. "I'm…busy tonight."
"Ok then…tomorrow."
"Alright."
Harry didn't know why he hadn't told anyone about his date with Kevin Fletcher, maybe it was because he knew their reaction.
"But what about Draco?"
Draco was the one who was getting married Harry was merely going on one date, but still he didn't say anything about the date.
Isabella was still in her PMS mood and the girls had taken to hiding in their room while Sirius went to Remus'. Harry stayed in his room looking at the picture of Draco in the gold frame and thinking. Luckily Isabella had decided to take her rage out on the TV and was yelling abuse at the poor little TV man who was trying to tell the weather. Harry gazed at the picture and remembered the day he'd taken the photo, it was after Ginny had declared she was engaged, Harry frowned slightly, last he'd heard of the youngest Weasley she was in China for her Auror work with her husband and two kids. She was the first Harry had confessed to about being pregnant; they had been training together as Aurors, she'd been the one to suggest Australia, she had a pen pal there once. Oh course she knew nothing of the 'incident' only he was pregnant and had no idea who the other father was. Harry had often thought of a blood test but was too scared of the answer to go through with it.
"Daddy, why is Aunt Iszzie yelling at the TV?" Harry looked over at the door were Truth stood next to a nervous Hope. Harry smiled at the two, he couldn't imagine losing them.