Chapter 36: Purple Magic

2015

As the sun shone briefly through the clouds I put on my turn signal and waited for the cars to pass before I could turn into the little driveway that led to Ron and Hermione's place. After almost being rear-ended by a lorry that dwarfed my little Morris I finally was able to turn into the long, tree-lined driveway. Set almost a mile back from the road it did take a little while to get there, and I was running late, but that really wasn't a surprise or a problem. Ron and Hermione didn't mind HR staying over all the time at their house, and HR loved it, but most of all Rosie was grateful as the boys would do their own thing and leave her alone. The last time I picked up HR from spending a weekend over in Satterbourne he didn't want to leave and wanted to know why he had to have sisters instead of a brother like Hugo.

After stopping the car behind the little shed I noticed that Ron and Hermione's car had a large dent on the left side near the headlight and was missing its wing mirror, something that didn't give me a very comfortable feeling as Hermione had owled me the previous week about giving Ron driving lessons. Apparently he was quite determined to learn how to drive like a Muggle but her lessons had ended in one of the usual Ron and Hermione bickering festivals. I was thinking about reasons to say we couldn't use my Morris for lessons when I knocked on the door.

"Oh, Hank. Come on in."

Hermione ushered me inside, but I could tell from her voice that something was amiss. I walked into the kitchen as usual and put my hand to my ear. "Are you sure HR's here? Usually I can hear him and Hugo the minute I walk inside."

"Yes, well…how about a cup of tea, Hank?" Hermione gave me a weak smile and headed over to the stove and put on the kettle.

I sat down at the kitchen table and took off my glasses. "What did they do this time? How bad is it, and how much money do I owe you for a replacement?"

After moving her bushy hair to the side Hermione sat down and clasped her hands together. "Hank, I think you need to have a chat with HR on the way home. He's very upset. Right now he's in the library with Rosie, reading."

"With Rosie? Really?" That never happened, as Rosie considered HR and Hugo pests of the first magnitude, slightly smarter than gnomes and just about as fun to deal with. "What happened?"

"Hugo had his first bit of accidental magic today."

"Oh."

"I tried to tell HR that it comes at different ages, that even though I remember it happening for me at an early age it took Ron a lot longer, but it didn't seem to help. Hank, he asked me if he'd ever be able to do magic or if he was…" She looked down at the table and began fussing with her rings.

"Or if he's like me." I sat back and sighed as the kettle sang its little song. I watched Hermione wave over the tea items with her wand and we avoided the topic by focusing on tea. Once again I marveled at the utility of tea, specifically this time as an excuse to take a break in a sensitive conversation.

"Hank, they're only seven. Sometimes it happens much later." Hermione took a sip of tea. "I sent Melody an owl but she told me you were driving over, I apologize for just springing this on you when you walked in."

"It's fine, really, it's fine. I knew this would happen one day. You remember before he was born…"

"Hi Professor!" Hugo walked in, beaming. "Guess what? I did magic today!"

Hugo never failed to crack me up, as he had the smarts of Hermione but usually applied them like Ron. He thought my first name was Professor and didn't believe my name was really Hank until HR showed him my driving license. "That's great, Hugo." I glanced at Hermione from the corner of my eye and saw her give me a sympathetic look. "What happened?"

"Me an' HR were playing Aurors an' I was Dad and HR was Uncle Harry an' we were fighting Voldymort when Rosie came in an' told us we were being loud gits and it made me mad and before I could even think about it I made her book all wet, just like it fell into the pond at The Burrow!"

"Wow, I bet she didn't like that, did she?" I reached out and tousled Hugo's shaggy red hair. "Can you tell HR that I'm here?"

"Sure." Without another word Hugo took off through the house.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but I held up my hand. "It's ok. I'm not the first father who disappointed his son by not being an Auror, let alone not being Ron or Harry. Thanks for taking care of him. We'll talk in the car."

Once HR's things were safely stowed in the Morris, and he'd thanked the Weasleys for having him over, a very subdued Hieronymus slid into the passenger seat. I waved at Hermione and told her I'd send her an owl later, making sure to emphasize my owl would be about Ron's driving lessons. After buckling up and starting the car we headed back to Stintborough, just part of the Muggle cars making their way on a regular early Sunday afternoon. I glanced over at HR a couple of times but he didn't say anything, instead he just sat there with his reddish-blonde hair illuminated by the sun, his glasses slightly skewed and his forehead pressed against the door window.

We'd gone about three or four miles when he suddenly looked over at me. "Am I going to be a Muggle like you?"

No, Hieronymus, you're going to be a regular wizard, you'll go to Hogwarts, get your wand at Ollivander's and do all of the things your friends will, you're not going to be any different. That's what I wanted to say, but I couldn't lie to him. "I don't think so but nobody knows, HR. Hermione told you that people get their magic at different ages, right? It just might not be your time." As we drove a little further and he remained quiet I knew I couldn't leave it like that. "Are you worried about it?"

He nodded slowly. "Mum went to Hogwarts but you didn't an' she said that I have to go to Muggle school this year, not Aunt Lavinia's school. If I have to go to school with Muggles will I lose my magic?"

"Your Aunt Hermione went to school with Muggles before she came to Hogwarts, and she can do magic. It won't make magic go away if you go to school with Muggle kids. Listen to me, Hieronymus. You have just as much chance to have magic as anybody else, even more than your Aunt Hermione. Nobody in her family can do magic except for her, and your mom and your grandmum Lane can do magic. Your grandfather, who you were named after, could do it too. They all went to Hogwarts."

I made the turn off the road to head north and we passed through a small village, going slower. Since we weren't going as fast I rolled down the window and put my elbow out of the window. HR kept his window rolled up, even though it was somewhat warm. Finally, after what seemed an eternity of silence he rolled down his window and stuck his head outside for a few moments.

"Don't lose your glasses again or your mom will kill us both."

"That was Gin's fault, Dad." He sat there for a while longer and then turned to me. "How come you can do some magic if you're a Muggle?"

"I'm not all Muggle. It's a long story that I'm going to save for when you're older, but a long, long way back in our family tree a lot of my family were witches and wizards. By the time it got to your Grandma and Grandpa Boyd, and their grandparents before them, it had kind of, um, it went away. I got just a little, tiny bit of magic from way up in our family tree. I didn't know about it until I started teaching at Hogwarts and bought my wand at Ollivander's."

"If you can do magic you're not a Muggle why do they call you Professor Muggle, Dad?"

"Nickname. I teach Muggle Studies, that's part of it. I thought I was a Muggle, some of the kids called me Professor Muggle as well as your Uncle George and the name just stuck. Kind of like how James calls you Ronnymouse." I had to step on the brakes suddenly. "Crap, another lorry delivery? It's freaking Sunday."

"Can we go to Ollivander's today? Maybe I could get a wand and find out, too."

As we sat still in traffic I looked over at him and felt my heart ache. I wanted so badly to drive as close to Diagon Alley as possible and take him to Ollivander's, but I knew it would do nothing but discourage him even further at that point. "You'll go when everybody else goes, after you get your letter. Besides, if the traffic doesn't move soon we'll be late. Hannah and Neville are coming over for dinner tonight. And we still have to pack for the New Orleans trip; you've been looking forward to that, right? Mr. Malfoy will do the magic stuff you like. Think about that instead."

A disgusted look came over his face and he pushed his glasses back up with his finger. "Gin an' Alice better not have gone in my room or I'll…"

"Remember what happened last time you and Gin got into it? She's five, HR. You have to remember she's not as old as you are."

"Yeah, Dad, but you an' Mum didn't do anything! And when Mione and Minnie ripped up my paper dragons they didn't get in trouble either! Why do I always get in trouble?"

"Gin and Alice were playing, and you know the twins are even littler than Gin. They're three. They'll learn." I put the car in gear as we began moving again. "I know what it's like trying to keep a sister and brothers out of my room. Your Uncle Nate was a massive pain in the…he was a pain. Ask Uncle Neville for some ideas about how to keep your room secure when we get home."

"How about Uncle George?" He smiled mischievously at me.

I laughed and saw HR doing the same thing. "Yeah, that didn't go so well last time. Talk to Uncle Neville after dinner."

A sudden worried look spread across HR's face. "Is Mum cooking or…"

I shook my head. "Nope, your Aunt Hannah is." As HR sat back in the seat with a relieved look I kept my mouth shut tightly but chuckled to myself. Melody's cooking was much better than when we got married, but HR thought with his stomach and much preferred his godmother's cooking.

When HR and I entered Colony House Melody had a napping Minnie on her lap while Hannah held a squirming and completely filthy Mione up in the air by one leg. HR mumbled hello to his mother and godparents and then walked straightaway to his room. Neville was in one of the chairs reading a book, so I plopped down in the opposite chair. "So, everything's normal here, then."

"Hank?" Melody scrunched her nose at me. "How's HR?"

"Nervous and jealous, mostly. He's worried he's going to be a Muggle." Hannah set down Mione, who ran over to me and held up her hands. I picked her up and put her on my lap. "What in Merlin's name have you been doing, monkey?"

"Caught her in the garden, sitting there pulling out flowers." Melody shook her head. "She'd pull them out, sniff them and then throw them. I've lost all of my petunias."

"How did she get out there in the first place?" I turned to Mione and wiped some dirt off her face with my fingers. "Monkey Mione, did you escape from the zoo?"

"Gin left the door open. She and Alice wanted to go out to the garden and I told them no." Hannah looked over to Melody and shook her head. "I thought she closed the door but she must have left it open hoping they could sneak out later."

As Mione began to squirm I sat her down on the floor, and from the moment her feet touched a solid surface she was off, laughing and running as fast as she could. I looked over at Melody, holding the sleeping twin. "You know, HR brought up having a brother again, I think he's had it with his sisters. Can't be…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! MUMMY MUMMY MUMMY!"

Gin's voice came from down the hall and I looked over to Melody. As she handed Minnie to Hannah she shook her head. "It's always Mummy, never Daddy, oh no, always Mummy. What now?"

As Melody walked out of the room in a severe state of irritation I looked over to Neville. "Well, you can't say that it's boring over here."

Neville shook his head. "It's never boring over here. You see today's Prophet? Cassandra Palliurum has requested a new trial."

"Pfffft. Like that'll happen. She confessed like crazy, she couldn't wait to tell her story."

"Henry!" Melody's voice rang out from the direction of HR's bedroom, but she didn't sound angry. "Everyone, come here!"

I shrugged at the Longbottoms and we all went into HR's room. Melody stood right inside the door, her hand wiping away a tear. HR was sitting on his bed almost bouncing with excitement, but Alice was hugging Gin, who was crying and oddly was wearing Hieronymus' Chudley Cannons stocking hat.

Seeing Gin crying and HR happy made me nervous. "What happened? HR, what did you do?"

"I did it, Dad! I did it!"

His feet were tapping wildly and his glasses were crooked, but I could tell that whatever happened was definitely good according to my son. That was my thought until I saw Virginia take off the hat. My oldest daughter stood with her friend Alice Longbottom, and usually the girls had almost the same hair color, but today was quite different. Alice's dark hair looked just like Neville's, as usual, but Virginia had bright purple hair, almost a neon shade of purple. Professional sports team purple.

I went over and picked up Virginia, who threw her arms around my neck, began to sob and told me in staccato bursts between gasping cries that she didn't want purple hair and HR was mean. It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks, and while I comforted my crying daughter I felt a massive wave of relief. I glanced over to HR, and then to Melody, who simply nodded.

Neville put his arm on my shoulder. "Told you all along not to worry, Hank."

As soon as the owl came back I went in to get HR. He was sitting on his bed surrounded by broken sticks and was in the middle of taping them together when I walked into his room. "Put on your shoes, we're going on a little trip, just the two of us."

"Are you sure I'm not in trouble?" He sat down the sticks and looked up at me as if he wasn't sure. "Is Gin's hair fixed?"

I nodded. "Yes, your mom and Aunt Hannah did that right before the Longbottoms went home. Come on, kiddo. Put on your shoes."

After HR had his trainers on we walked over to the fireplace. I stepped inside and motioned for him to do the same. With my hand around his arm I threw down the Floo powder.

As we walked out of the fireplace at The Leaky Cauldron I waved at the witch behind the bar and looked down at my son. "Come on, we're expected."

HR's eyes were big as we walked through Diagon Alley, but then again he'd always loved the place, ever since he was really little. He'd always begged to go to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, but two things had kept him from ever setting foot in the shop. The first thing was that George had to institute a policy of not allowing kids under the age of ten unless accompanied by a parent, and the second thing keeping HR from the shop was his mother's flat out refusal to let him buy anything there. It wasn't that Melody disapproved of George's shop; she just didn't like how George's products always ended up doing something like turning our dog Spit pink or literally filling the house full of bubbles, which happened after HR received his present from George and Angelina last Christmas.

That's why when I opened the door to George's shop HR's eyes grew wide behind his glasses. "Wow."

"That's the type of reaction I expect, well done." George rolled over on a ladder that went from the floor to one of the top shelves of the shop, his purple robe billowing out behind him. "I understand congratulations are in order." After sliding down the ladder and landing in front of us with a thump he stuck his hand out to HR.

HR seemed to be in a state of shock as he shook George's hand. He looked over at me questioningly and I just smiled.

"Now then, young wizard Hieronymus, I understand you have a liking for the color purple. Me too." He tugged at the triple W logo of the shop on his chest. "Your sister probably not as much, but she'll get over it. After all, sisters are for pranking. Too bad you don't have a little brother, but mention that to your mum later. Tell her five is a good number." George looked over at me and closed one eye. "Hmm…twenty Galleons?"

I shook my head. "Five. And nothing that explodes."

George leaned down stage-whispered in HR's ear. "Can't say I didn't try." He stood up and looked towards the back of the shop. "POESY!"

Eventually Poesy Phillips-Jones walked out from behind the shelves with her wand stuck behind her ear and ducked as a toy car zoomed through the air. "Yes, boss? Oh, Professor Muggle!" She headed over quickly to us and when she saw HR was with me she stopped suddenly. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

I saw HR look up at me and I nodded. "Tell her what happened."

"Gin broke all my pretend wands an' I got mad an' turned her hair purple. I did magic!"

"Poesy, why don't you help this young wizard pick out some appropriate items. He's got a ten Galleon budget." George ruffled HR's hair and winked at me.

"Five, Poesy, it's a five Galleon budget. And Melody said nothing that explodes." I gave George a look. "Nice try, what, sales are off today?"

George didn't say anything until Poesy and HR were off in the shelves. "Told you not to worry, Hank. No way could he be as boring as you."