!DISCONTINUED! Guardian of Death [A Harry Potter Fanfiction]

8. Two little firecrackers

Henry was a socially awkward man by nature, although he had long since learned to mask his shortcomings and present himself as a man who was in control, who knew exactly what to do and when to do it. And yet, he found his foot bouncing nervously on the old wooden floor of the living room, pondering how he had even gotten into such a situation.

The day had started out casually; the sun shining and his manor quiet....too quiet...

Henry jumped out of his sheets as screaming erupted right outside his window and sleepily stumbled, pulling the curtains open to see what the ruckus was all about. It took him a few moments to process the scene before him enough to understand that - merrily chatting with Hannah on his front porch - was an all too familiar pair of red-haired twins.

He did a double-take at the pair. They looked younger - dear Merlin, his brain really didn't function in the mornings! - and a lot less burdened than he had ever seen them. As usual, they both wore identical grins, filled with mischief and juvenile mirth that felt so refreshing for him to witness. He had gotten so used to their strained smiles and hunched shoulders during the war, it felt as if he had forgotten how they looked without the permanent threat of death looming at every corner.

For a moment, it felt as if he had forgotten how to breathe, and small wistful tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. 

" I really am back. And I'm not going to let things happen the way they did last time." A sense of relief washed over him with those words, a tiny bit of the tension gathered in his shoulders fading away.

Grabbing his wand from its holster he quickly changed his clothes and hurried downstairs and out into the yard. There, he found the three, running around chasing after a small golden ball with tiny wings that the twins had most definitely snatched from somewhere. Their laughs sounded so sweet and genuine it made him stop in his tracks.

Hannah was the first to spot him and, with a gleeful giggle, she ran straight into his arms, the two following in quick pursuit, although a bit less eager. They stared up at him with big bright and innocent smiles.

"These are my new friends, dad," the little witch pulled on his sleeve pointing at each as she spoke with unmasked cheer in her voice. "That's George and that's Fred. They are like us, they have magic too."

"Nice to meet you sir", the duo spoke in unison, each shoving their little child hands into his face with a great deal of importance.

Henry masked an endeared chuckle, gently prying his sleeve from the little girls and shaking both their hands at the same time with a big smile. "I'm Henry, Hannah's dad. It's wonderful to meet the two of you, Fred," he stared right into the eyes of the boy in question, before doing the same for the other "and George."

He hid a proud smirk at the sight of their gobsmacked faces. It had taken him almost six full years to be able to differentiate one from the other, but it was all with it. In his past experience, the twins had appreciated his efforts greatly, as not even their own mother was able to tell them apart most of the time, making the wizard quite special in their eyes.

"How did you-"

"- do that?"

He winked at the pair, placing one finger over his lips with an amused smirk. Before they had the chance to ask more the three kids' stomachs growled, making their ears turn pink in embarrassment. Henry's only response was to throw his head back and let out a laugh, them motion the tiny menaces-in-the-making to the house.

"I'm sure the house-elves will be very sad if all their hard work will go to waste, after all, they worked so hard on those pancakes~", he exaggerated.

They didn't need to be told twice before they dashed to the open door with determination written all over their little faces. A small chuckle escaped the man's lips. He stretched his hand, catching the poor forgotten snitch that was hovering above his face, and followed them inside with a benevolent smile.

The children chatted happily all though-out breakfast while he pretended not to be listening in to their conversation, hiding behind that morning's paper while a mirthful grin tugged at his lips continuously. He purposefully waited until they finished their meal before folding his paper and fixing them with a serious look.

"So, boys, would you mind telling me how you came to play with my daughter in my yard at seven in the morning? Not that I mind, but I'm sure someone must be worried sick looking for you right now."

If he heard the twins gulp at the thought of what their mother would do once she found out they disappeared without a trace, then he said nothing of it. Instead, he gave the pair an encouraging smile, while keeping his tone even and warm.

"I'm pretty sure I know how the two of you got here, but I'd prefer if you confirmed it, for my own peace of mind. Then we can start working on how to get you back to your family, okay?"

"We think it was accidental magic."George began, playing with his fingers.

"Yeah, one minute we were preparing to pull a prank on Charlie, the next we woke up on your lawn."

A relieved sigh left the older wizard's lips at that. It was true, he hadn't put up a ward against accidental magic, so their explanation was fully plausible. Now all that was left was to get them back into Molly's smothering hands, he thought, drumming his fingers on the polished table.

"Alright," he nodded, "now all that's left is to notify your parents of where you are so that they can come to pick you up. What are the names of your parents?"

"Molly and Arthur Weasley." they once again responded in unison, earning a hum of acknowledgment.

"All right. Mopsy, could you please bring me some parchment and a quill?", he barely finished his words before the eager house-elf popped in front of him with the items. His hand moved in deliberate and elegant flicks, drafting a short yet polite message informing the redheads of their sons' whereabouts and including his address at the bottom with the invitation to come whenever they wished via the Floo Network.

"Please deliver this message to the Weasley residence." He handed her the letter and watched as she shook her head up and down wildly before popping out of existence. 

Henry then ushered the children into the living room to play amongst themselves while they waited. He watched them from the nearby sofa with a soft smile and warm eyes, sweet nostalgia and pride blooming in his chest. Yes, he was going to raise Hannah to be a great witch, but for now, he was happy to see her being a child and having fun with her friends. 

Hey, quick question. I was thinking about redoing the cover for this book. Should I do that or should I leave it like this?