Raising Hope {Fred Weasley}

Partners in Crime

Hope and Henry had been close especially since they spent so much time around each other since their births. Henry certainly had a knack for cheering up Hope when she grew bored or upset during their play dates and Hope had a way of getting them into trouble, which Henry never seemed to mind. One afternoon, as Hope and Henry were left in the care of Sirius for the afternoon for their little play date, the two were rolling a ball back and forth, or so it seemed.

Hope in reality was really watching Sirius out of the corner of her eye while the man shuffled about in the next room. She exchanged a look with Henry, who turned his head around and grinned in his father's direction who was completely unsuspecting to their plot.

Sirius glanced over as he felt eyes on him, and saw the two four year olds eyeing him. They smiled in his direction causing him to smile back at them, and make a silly face.

They amused him by laughing before he turned around and returned to what he was doing. Taking the opportunity of the man's turned back, Hope carefully stood up as well as Henry and the two left to the front door.

Carefully, and quietly, they opened it and ventured outside.

"Daddy's not going to be happy when he sees us outside." Henry told Hope.

Hope shrugged her shoulders noting she didn't have a care in the world before she looked further down the walking path towards the water.

"Let's go to the water!" she said excitedly.

"Uh..Mum says I'm not supposed to go near the water without an adult." Henry said with a nod as he recited his mother's lecturing tone in his head.

Hope pouted at him. "Why not?"

"I don't know." he lifted his hands up with a shrug of his own.

Hope kept looking at the water before turning back to Henry with a face. Henry looked at his friend's face before glancing back at the direction of his house knowing if his mother found out she was going to be furious, not only with him, but his father as well.

"Let's go." Henry told her.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

Meri emerged from the water that same afternoon to check in on her family when she saw her grandson and his little friend down at the shoreline. More importantly, she saw them alone.

"Oh I can only guess who was in charge of watching over these two today." Meri said with a smirk as she lowered herself into the water, only her eyes visible as she neared the two youngsters.

"Hey I found a shell and a rock!" Hope said excitedly.

"Ooh let me see." Henry said reaching his hands out to grab at it, however, he only ended up hitting Hope's hand and knocking the rock and shell out of her hand back into the water.

The two looked in the direction of the lost shell and stone before Hope turned to Henry with her badger face.

"Sorry." Henry replied quickly. "It..was an..ac..acci..acci-"

Hope continued to watch him as Henry struggled to say the word but refused to give up.

"I believe the word you're looking for is accident, sweets."

"Accident!" Henry said triumphantly before his face fell as he recognized the voice.

The two turned and saw Meri near the shore, looking at the two with a small grin.

"Uh."

"Oh."

"Now Henry, I specifically remember your mother telling you not to come down here without adult supervision."

"Sorry Nana." Henry said quickly hoping Meri wouldn't rat him out to his parents, especially his mother.

"But you're an adult." Hope suddenly pointed out.

The area grew quiet as Meri glanced over at Hope who raised a brow in the mermaid's direction.

"Cheeky little thing you are..." Meri began. "I like that, Hope."

The girl smiled before returning back to her shell search.

Henry neared his grandmother with a worried look. "You're not going to tell my mum, are you?"

Meri chuckled at his wide eyes that were full of fear of his mother discovering his naughty act.

"No, Henry. I won't be telling your mother, even though I should. Why don't you go play with Hope, I'll be around."

Henry nodded his head before running over to where Hope was.

Meri waited and waited a little bit more before she heard the door of the home open and slam close.

"Looks like someone made a discovery finally."

Sirius appeared in a matter of seconds, and as soon as he saw his mother in law, he grimaced. He saw his son and Hope playing by the water throwing rocks into the water.

"Oh Sirius..." Meri said shaking her head.

"Don't tell Nixie...or Ellie for that matter." he quickly pleaded.

"What's in it for me?"

"Meri!"

Before Meri could say anything else on the matter, Henry raced over to his father's side and tugged on his father's shirt.

Sirius was fully prepared to scold the boy for leaving the house but he looked to the little mastermind called Hope that was smiling at him a little ways away.

"Weasley.." he narrowed his eyes at the child.

"Daddy!" Henry continued to tug.

"Yes, Henry?" Sirius looked down.

"Here, Daddy." Henry lifted up a rock to his father.

"What's this?"

"It's shaped like a dog!" Henry said excitedly. "Hope found it. She said you would like it."

Meri chuckled from the water as Hope continued to flash an innocent smile in Sirius' direction who seemed flustered that he was being outsmarted by two four year olds.

"Do you like it, Daddy?" Henry asked.

"Yes, Henry...I like it very much." Sirius smiled down at his son.

"You need to tell Hope thank you." Henry told him.

"What?!"

Henry made a face at his father that resembled his mother's face. "Manners."

Hope waited patiently as the grown man made his way over to her, mumbling something under his breath about manipulative children before he lowered himself to her eye level.

"Thank you for the rock, Hope."

Hope grinned at him. "Thanks for bringing us down to the water to play!" she said with a wink.

"Why you little..."