Worm-Snakes and the Miner's Curse
It was lovely being home for the Easter holidays. The downside was, however, that Harry found he was tripping over people everywhere. Every time he knocked on the door to one of the toilets, someone was using it. Every time he wandered into the kitchen, at least two or three people were in there raiding the pantry. The Slytherin-hostage work party could generally be found cluttering up the garden or some of the newly-cleared rooms, and Draco had taken to enjoying afternoon naps in the bedroom they now shared.
Harry's family were entirely unpredictable and could be found anywhere at any given point – he'd even stumbled across Remus tucked under one of the library tables reading a book earlier that morning. Harry nearly had a heart attack when he went to sit down and he knees bumped up against something large and warm.
In spite of this Harry could never remember being happier. Only a couple of days had passed since his family had returned and this morning they'd had to leave for the Ministry early to sort out more of the paperwork involved in being unexpectedly resurrected. Harry had taken advantage of the break to retreat to the parlour, where an old roll-top writer's desk was positioned across from the hideous Black family tapestry, to catch up on planning his lessons and schemes of work for the coming term.
He bent over it now, quill scratching across the parchment as he scowled through the dull ache that was spreading across his brow again. He's been much more prone to headaches and migraines since the Marauder's had taken up residence in his brain and he hoped it wasn't a permanent side effect of the whole Master of Death thing.
Behind him, the floo flared, and Harry swung round to see Andromeda stepping over the grate with Teddy in her arms. She looked apprehensive and Harry wasn't surprised. When he had floo'd to let her know that the ceremony had been a success, she'd looked like she was torn between joy and sadness. Teddy had been hers (and Harry's) for almost three years now, but Remus was his father. It was going to be a real wrench letting that responsibility go.
"Hello, Andromeda. Hi Teddy." Harry stood and motioned her to follow him through to the kitchen.
"Are they here?" she asked.
"Not right now. They should be back any minute now. They've been at the Ministry doing..." Harry waved his hand, "...you know; back-from-the-dead things."
Andromeda sighed as they entered the kitchen. "You know, your eloquence never ceases to astound me, Harry. I sometimes think – " She broke off, staring wide-eyed at the kitchen table where Draco and Narcissa were eating breakfast.
Narcissa half rose from her chair at the sight of her sister.
"What's she doing here?" they chorused in almost exactly the same tone of voice.
Andromeda rounded on Harry. "Did you go and break her out of prison, Harry? What were you thinking?"
"Ah...er..." Harry looked frantically at Draco for support, but the Slytherin raised his hands and shook his head. "That she was innocent?" he tried.
"Innocent?" Andromeda pointed an accusatory finger aimed right at Narcissa's nose. "She can't be trusted!"
"Can't be trusted?" Narcissa's voice was shrill. "You can't be trusted! Sneaking around with Muggle boys and breaking Mum's heart."
"You married a Death Eater!"
"Your son-in-law is a werewolf!"
The two stared at each other, only a couple of feet between them, anger and betrayal etched into their faces. Teddy glanced between them from his perch on Andromeda's hip, then proceeded to break wind loudly.
