Chapter 18 Treasures Found

Hydrus had to rush the patents for the improved toys and harmless pranks, but since he had already done the preliminary work with Mr. Jasper it was relatively easy. His manager was Merlin sent, she got both rooms up and running within the week. There was, however, a setback for the toys. Jesse was able to get all the toys to work, but was falling behind the deadline. The immortal and his repairman worked two days straight to get the inventory they needed. Hydrus ran an advertisement in The Times and put everything on an opening day sale.

The jokes played on the Alley went off with only a few hitches. It was funny to watch people jump when they went past the store and heard cackling. If they came in the store their hair would turn green and their skin purple. A few got upset until they realized it only lasted for twenty seconds. The workers all had joy buzzers on their hands. The mines that popped up ghosts may have been a bit much, since a few witches fainted. You would think after Hogwarts magicals wouldn't be afraid of ghosts. Hydrus made sure the ones who fainted were okay, and gave them a small gift-certificate for the store. All in all a good laugh was had by most of the customers.

The annexes opened with a lot of fanfare, Fun For All Kids, was a huge success. The educational stuff sold out that day. Thank Merlin for magic, and Jesse, or they'd never be able to keep their stock. Frostwell came to see what the fuss was about and was a bit put out that he didn't think of the teaching toys first, since they went hand in hand with his book-readers. They may have to talk about mergers or at the very least selling compatible products in each store. Sarah was talking about renting them in her tea shop so mums could bring their older children.

Fun For All Pranking got good profits as well. Young adults flocked to the annex and they had a hard time keeping the shelves supplied. The store manager knew that once Hogwarts was out for the year, they would have even more business. Hydrus was hopeful that when the Weasley twins were old enough he could form a partnership, instead of being rivals. Magical Britain didn't need three joke shops. If worst came to worst he would bow out and sell his stuff to the twins, because had it not been for George, in his timeline, he never would have done as well as he had.

Dumbledore came on the second day.

"Ah, Hydrus, my boy, I see once again you have taken the public by storm," the old man said with a delighted twinkle in his eyes as he turned from his perusal of the jokes. "I am afraid that Mr. Filch will ban these items in Hogwarts. The poor man never could understand the need for laughter." His gentle grandfather smile was on his lips as he shook his head at his caretaker's lack of humor.

"Headmaster," the immortal greeted with a nod, "it's good to see you. Are you looking for yourself?" You never know with Dumbledore.

"Alas, no, I am merely endeavoring to see what we must be on the lookout for at the school. Children can be most rambunctious. I wish to make sure that nothing detrimental is being sold," he said, looking over his half-moon glasses in mild reprimand.

"As you can see, Headmaster, nothing harmful is in this stock." Hydrus gave the man a defiant glare, since he had gone out of his way to make sure everything, when used correctly, was non-violent.

"Forgive an old man his worries. When you have been in charge of students as long as I have, you find yourself doubtful on such things as pranks," Dumbledore answered, looking at the prank in his hand.

"I suppose I can understand that," the time traveler said with a slight nod. He knew as well as anyone the simplest thing could cause havoc. "Please feel free to look around and ask anyone here if you have doubts on the integrity of our products." And he turned to walk away.

"I was hoping that I could ask you a personal question, my boy," Albus said before he could even take a step.

"As long as you know, I don't have to answer," Hydrus sighed, turning back to face the older man.

"It has come to my attention that you do not bank at Gringotts, may I ask why?" the Headmaster asked, as if Hydrus had committed a minor infraction. "The goblins seem most put out that you are banking elsewhere. They have brought their grievances to the Ministry."

"I had a bad experience with goblins when I was younger. I find them to be greedy and they think wizards are lower life forms. I don't trust them with my money," he answered with another defiant look hoping to cut off further inquiry.

"Do you think it wise to anger such a volatile nation?" was the gentle argument. "We do not wish to have a rebellion on our hands. It would be most devastating to the populace were such a thing to happen." The old man once again had disproval in his eyes as he looked over his glasses.

"I hardly think that one wizard refusing to use their bank would cause such a disruption," Hydrus all but snapped, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"Perhaps," the old man said, stroking his beard in thought. "I have heard it said that you do not make your employees bank elsewhere, so it is probable that the goblins will eventually overlook your slight."

"They slighted me first," Hydrus snapped. "Besides, where I put my money is my own business. It's not illegal to bank outside of Britain, my lawyer checked." Though the goblins had tried to make it so, the Wizengamot refused to censor such activities. Perhaps a few of those old fogies also banked outside of Britain, or held secret accounts for their bribes. Hydrus wouldn't put it past them, nor begrudge them, since he did the same.

"Of course, my boy, I did not mean to infringe upon your privacy. As Chief Warlock it is my duty to make sure that no one stirs up trouble, and I see that is not your intention," the Headmaster placated, moving his empty hand in a calming gesture. "I do have one more inquiry. I was wondering if you could tell me where Sirius is living. I have attempted to contact him with questions about young Harry; however, I cannot seem to locate his abode."

"Don't you see him at the Ministry?" the younger man asked with a quirk of his head, letting the subject of his banking habit go. Sirius had told him he talked to Dumbledore many times over the years, so Hydrus had to wonder why the old man wanted his cousin's address.

"I do," the old man confirmed with a slow nod, "however, I sometimes have thoughts that I feel must be answered straightaway when I am doing my duties elsewhere."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you where he lives," Hydrus lied, making sure his Occlumency shields were up. "I only meet with him in public and we use the telephone to communicate. I will however tell him you wish to speak to him. If there is nothing else, Headmaster," he said firmly.

"No, nothing at the moment," Albus said a bit sorrowful at not getting the answers he wanted. Then he perked up and hoping to lighten the young man's sour demeanor, he added, "I do want to express how wonderful these enterprises you have brought to Diagon Alley are. They seem to be most useful to the society at large, especially the academic toys, most useful indeed. With the amazing things you and young Mr. Frostwell have invented, our students have flourished. Good show." He looked that the firm face in front of him and was resigned to the fact that he might have stepped on some toes. So he gave his good-byes. "Once again, it was good to see you, my boy," Dumbledore said brightly and turned back to the grabbing hag's hand he was admiring. He wondered if he should purchase a few, it would liven up his staff meetings and meals.

"Thank you, Headmaster, until we meet again." He turned and this time made his escape.

Hydrus finished out his morning at the store and went home. As he was making his way to the Apparation point he felt eyes on him. He looked around and noted there were a few people smiling at him, so he shrugged it off as nothing. When he made it to the house, he told Sirius that the Headmaster was trying to find out where he lived, leaving out the part about his banking preferences.

"I can't tell him I live here," Sirius sighed, flopping in his recliner. "I wonder what took him so long to ask, and why he didn't just ask me." That question went unanswered, since none of them understood the Headmaster's way of thinking.

"You could always use the flat in London. Have a ward set up to tell us when owls come," Remus suggested, after a minute's silence. "Just tell him, that you live in a non-magical area and that you had an owl ward up to stop inquiries about Harry."

"That's not a bad idea," Padfoot said. He then turned to his older cousin and asked, "Hey, Hydrus, speaking of owl wards, I was wondering where all of Harry's post is. Even if he is not the hero you were, there's always going to be diehard fans."

"I set up my own post ward, right after I took down Albus's, and had it redirected to Hellströms. They check it, put it in a vault and then send thank you notes. I'll tell Harry about it when he learns to read and write better. For right now, there's a form letter stating that his lawyer handles all post, which Mr. Jasper set up. There really isn't that much, thanks to those books never being published," he said with a grateful grin. He never did find out what happened to all his mail in his timeline.

"I am really glad you stopped those books, Sirius. Now, at least, he can go to Diagon Alley without being mobbed," Remus added, remembering some of the memories of Hydrus's time in the Alley.

"Yeah, that was never fun," Hydrus pouted. "Anyway, how did Neville's play date go?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"It went well. You were right, little Neville doesn't like brooms. There was a bit of a small argument over that, but they got over it pretty quick," Sirius said happily. It had been a good day. Harry brought his broom and they did teach Neville to fly, but the child was scared of heights, so that only lasted a few minutes. So they broke out some of Harry's more educational, yet fun, toys and started Neville on his spelling. Frank and Alice were very impressed and declared they would hit Fun For All Kids the next day.

"We're going to have to set up other places for the kids to play. I'd like to have the Weasleys and Neville interact, maybe a park with a rec center?" the immortal said thoughtfully. He wanted Harry to know the people he was going to go to school with. Maybe the more exposed he was the better other people's reaction would be. They already made trips to Diagon Alley with little to no problems. With Harry's scar nothing but a thin white line, his pleasant character and outgoing personality, people didn't see the reason to overwhelm the child. The articles The Times ran helped immensely. They were actually thinking of stopping them, the readers had to be bored by now. He did wonder if there was a park near Hermione's house.

"I do not think having them meet in the non-magical world would be a good idea. Both of those families are Pure-bloods, with little to do with that world. We might just have to let them in on our secret," Remus contradicted, thinking of the trouble accidental magic would cause. Not to mention, all the questions the kids and Arthur would ask that would, more than likely, be noticed.

"With Voldemort and the Death Eaters gone, it might not be a bad idea," Sirius added. "Even if we let them in on the secret they can't tell anyone."

"But, what if they ask about the Dursleys? I love Arthur to death, but he can't keep a secret to save his life, he's much like Hagrid. Ron is just as bad," Hydrus argued. "Not to mention, Molly will be up in arms about a child being raised without a woman around."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. There are parks that don't have many children visit them. So, we can look into them. They may not have rec centers, but we can always continue what we're doing and go to the other houses in the winter months," Sirius said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Speaking of Arthur, I'd've thought you'd've hired him right away. I know he'd be in heaven working in one of your stores."

"Well, Mr. Weasley's knowledge of non-magicals is kinda warped; he keeps praising them as if they were small children. I told him that if he went through the training he could work in Fun For All. I think he is talking to Molly about it. You know convincing her to let him leave the Ministry will be quite a battle," the immortal said with a tilt of his head, then shrugged. "I'm going to look up some parks." He pulled out his book-reader to see if there was indeed a park near his old best friend's house. He was very hopeful that with Harry's outgoing personality, the boy would befriend the shy girl. Then again, Harry still thought girls were icky.

They sat for a few quiet minutes until Hydrus found what he was looking for. They talked over the location of the park and that they would set up the play dates when it was warmer and fell into silence again.

"I'll go set up the flat and write to Albus," the dogman said suddenly, getting up from his chair.

"I'm going to check on Harry, he's being awful quiet up there," Hydrus said, also getting up from his seat and making his way to the stairs. He made it to Harry's room and looked in on the child. Harry was sleeping on the floor surrounded by his favorite toys.

The room was a pigsty; blocks, books, clothes, stuffed toys, and electronic devices were scattered everywhere. Tippy had been told from the time Harry was four not to clean this room. It would be up to the child to keep it tidy. Hydrus was regretting not looking at the room sooner, he had been so busy putting his affairs in order that he really only saw Harry during meals, on weekends and bedtime, which Sirius took as his responsibility as the boy's guardian. The playful uncle was also supposed to make the child clean his room, but judging from the mess that didn't happen. It made Hydrus shudder to think what the dogman's room looked like.

Hydrus sighed and shut the door, when Harry got up he would talk to him about the mess and help him clean and straighten the room.

He took himself to his study and booted up the computer. He then wrote a note to the Headmaster about the Founders' artifacts. Kreacher had passed away, and upon his passing he gave the locket to Sirius. Hydrus didn't know why the house elf died much quicker than before, maybe it was because the house had been made non-magical and he was too heartbroken about the loss of his only home and Mistress.

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore

These artifacts came into my hands after searching for other treasures. There had been some Dark magic on them, but I took care of it. I thought you might like them for the school. As you know the cup belongs to Helga Hufflepuff, the necklace to Salazar Slytherin, the diadem to Rowena Ravenclaw. It is with great sorrow that I did not find anything pertaining to Gryffindor, since it is my former House.

I do hope that you will strive to place these items where the children can see them, perhaps with a bit of history for each one. Ask the ghosts and I am sure you will be riddled with stories about each. Being the great wizard that you are, I know you can set up proper security.

I am also enclosing a ring that I was told you have been searching for. I found no magical properties on it, though there was a taint from past magic, which I cleansed. I found this ring in a small shack that once belonged to the Gaunt family, who are said to be the last of the Slytherin line. I hope it is what you were looking for.

Enjoy

A former student

Hydrus couldn't help but put the dig about the ring in the letter. As far as he knew the Headmaster was still looking for the Hallows. Maybe now that Dumbledore had all three of the now defunct items, he might start thinking it was a mere child's story after all. Then again, the man might start his search anew.

It did make the immortal wonder why no news was ever heard about the Headmaster's wand not working anymore. The old man seemed to be as chipper as ever, but then again, Dumbledore always held his cards close to his chest and had a great poker face.

Another thought drifted across Hydrus's mind. Did the Board of Governors ever actually clean out the Room of Hidden Things? No news was ever told about that either. Perhaps he should write a letter of inquiry.

He called all the items forth and using the Elder Wand, he cleansed them of everything having to do with him; magic, fingerprints and so on. Conjuring a box and levitating the artifacts to it, he cleansed his magic once more, donned a non-magical disguise, cleared his departure with Tippy, went to Diagon Alley and posted the package.

When he returned to the house and after removing his disguise, the time traveler checked on Harry. The boy was up and eating his lunch of grilled cheese sandwich and crisps. So Hydrus made a roast beef sandwich and joined him.

"Harry, when you're done with your sandwich, we're going to go and clean your room," Hydrus said firmly.

"But, why?" the confused child asked. He liked his room the way it was. He knew where everything was and didn't see the need to clean. Uncle Padfoot never made him put stuff away.

"Because, if you keep your toys on the floor, especially the electronic ones, you could step on them and break them. If that happens then I'm not going to replace them," his eldest uncle warned, with a very stern look. "I work very hard at making those things for you and I don't want to have to take them away."

"Oh," Harry said nodding his understanding. He didn't want to lose his toys, they were too fun to play with and he was learning loads of interesting things. He knew how to spell all sorts of words now.

"If you keep up your room then maybe I'll let you help me in my lab," the immortal offered. There were little things the tyke could do to help. Even if it was holding something still while Hydrus worked on it. From what he had read, children this age loved to help.

"Really?" the green-eyed boy asked. It would mean he really was a big boy, to help in the lab. He wasn't even allowed to go in there. He tried, but his Uncle Hydrus made it so little boys couldn't open the door.

"Yes, really," Hydrus said, patting the child on the head and turning back to his sandwich.

So the two finished their lunch and went to clean the youngster's room. It was easy to tell Harry where to put things as Hydrus floated a few to the space they belong and the boy put the rest away. In short order the room was straightened and Harry promised to not let it get that messy again.

They then went to the lab and Hydrus let Harry hold his holly wand with a Lumos so that he could see inside the toy he was making. Harry was ecstatic and watched his uncle very carefully. He wanted to do this when he was all grownup. They worked in the lab for about an hour, doing little toys and one easy potion. They both left the room with great satisfaction. Hydrus warned Harry that he couldn't come to the lab alone and only if his room was clean.

Three days later, The Times headline read:

Lost Artifacts of the Founders Returned

The story told about how an unknown alumnus returned the artifacts to the Headmaster. Dumbledore did indeed set up a display in the Great Hall; he even included the Gryffindor sword. Parents and alumni herded to the castle, only to be told they must return on the weekend as to not disturb classes. It also was read that a great deal of security was around the artifacts at all times. There was a picture of the historical items on the front page. Each one had a placard under it with the story behind them. They were direct quotes from the ghosts. Side articles about the spirits' history were posted. Now everyone knew why the Bloody Baron was… bloody and who the Grey Lady was, plus the grim story of the death of those two.

"Wow, I didn't actually think he'd let it be known," Hydrus said in surprise as he placed the paper down. "I'm even more surprised that he got the stories from the House ghosts."

"Why? I would think that all the kids would write their parents anyway. Besides, Dumbledore has no pull with The Times," Remus said as he picked up the paper to read it for himself. "I am a bit surprised at the House ghosts' articles as well."

"Yeah, but in all the years I attended Hogwarts very few of my exploits ever made it to the paper, and it was usually the bad things, like me being a parselmouth. That's why rumor was so easily believed," the time traveler explained, leaning back on the sofa. He still didn't know if young Harry was a parselmouth or not, maybe they got the horcrux out soon enough that the language didn't stick. He'd have to test that soon.

"Like Remus said, the Headmaster doesn't have anything to do with The Times," Sirius said, waiting for Remus to finish the paper so he could read the sports section.

"I guess," Hydrus conceded, thinking once again that he should write the Board of Governors. If they didn't do anything this time, he'd write The Times and they could question why such a treasure trove of valuables was being ignored. From the stuff that was still in his pocketspace, Hydrus knew they would find little things of the Founders and Merlin in there.

"Hey, Moony, are you done with the sports section? I want to check on the Harpies," Sirius whined impatiently.

"Here you go, you big baby," the werewolf said, handing the section over to the dogman.

Hydrus smacked himself on the head, making the other two men look at him funny. "I can't believe I forgot. Hey, Sirius, you're still in good with the goblins, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" came the wary inquiry. Anything to do with Gringotts was a touchy subject with the immortal.

A wicked smile came across the older man's face. "I have the results of Quidditch winners up to 2010." Then his brow furrowed. "Though they might not be accurate, what with Muggle-raised being hired more than they were before, it'll still be a gamble, but some of those results should pay off."

"Do you have the team list, if the teams are the same the results should be too," Sirius said excitedly, bouncing in his recliner. "We can check what was then with what is now and see."

"Yeah, here let me get them," the immortal said, pulling all of his paperwork on future games out. The three men bent over the papers and compared the teams. Most were the same, so they decided to take the chance and do some betting.

Hydrus wrote the Board and waited to see if they would search the room. He figured with the return of the Founders' items, they might be a bit more interested this time.

A week passed when the headline in The Times appeared:

Hidden Room in Hogwarts Found: Thousands of Lost Artifacts Recovered

Things discovered were old spell books, diaries from past students, clothes, jewels, money, antique furniture and school books on subjects not taught at the school in hundreds of years, plus lots and lots of junk. The article went on to tell that with the books found the Hogwarts library was now the biggest school library in all of Europe. Once again parents and alumni converged on the school.

The Ministry of Magic also wanted to claim the treasures and a compromise was invoked. The Department of Mysteries would check each item for curses or unknown spells and remove them for study, and monies and jewels were put in the school vault. All the books were added to the library, and copies went to the Ministry. The article told that with the help of the Hogwarts house elves, the Department of Mysteries sorted through everything rather quickly, though they were still sorting through it hoping to find journals of the Founders.

Lost Journal of Merlin Discovered

Was the second headline. Though there were only a few great feats of magic depicted, the chronicle did tell of Merlin's schooldays and how Slytherin was a great wizard of his times. Too bad Merlin left the school before the historic fight between the two male founders happened. But it was still a great find and also placed in the display with the Founders' item, after it was copied for the library and the Ministry. The students were quoted to say they were happy to have untold stories of years gone by at their fingertips. And with the book-readers they could take those stories wherever they wanted.

The next day an article in The Daily Prophet dampened their mood.

Who is this Mysterious Benefactor? Is He Really Helping or Hindering?

The headline read. The elusive Skeeter had put together all of the anonymously sent notes and The Prophet was now stating that they were all from the same person, including the one about the Death Eaters and Umbridge. Since the letters were unsigned whoever wrote them must be up to no good, was Rita's reasoning.

Barty Crouch was up in arms to find who was writing these missives. He was still in denial that his son was a Death Eater, the Dark Mark notwithstanding. Other families gathered to his side; their voices could be heard arguing with the Minister to do something. However there were no leads.

Hydrus, upon seeing the article, put on his Cloak and went to the Prophet's offices that night. He tried to find where the woman lived, but to no avail. Her address was unlisted and her employee contract was barely legal. He tore apart that office and her desk looking for anything that would lead to the vindictive bitch. He went home unsatisfied, but not without leaving a few pranks behind. He'd have to get his investigators on her case again, now that she had shown herself to the public. He'd have them stake out the newspaper's offices. They'd find her sooner or later.

The next day The Times ran an article on all the good things the man, or woman, had done, including letting families know their loved ones were dead. They waxed on that only a person of good moral fiber would let go of the Founders' artifacts, give closure to families, turn over a criminal and tell where treasure was hidden.

The Quibbler hit closer to home by saying that the mysterious person was part of a conspiracy to make the wizarding world more useful. They waxed poetic that the person was only being truthful and keeping the nargles away. That article was buried in the back pages of the failing paper.

The three papers battled back and forth for a week before it was all old news. Nothing was heard from the DMLE in all that time, so the men relaxed a bit.

It was a good thing that all the notes pointed to someone who attended Hogwarts, barring two. There really was nothing to tie Hydrus to any of it; however, it did make the public question the motives. It was beneficial that The Times wrote articles on all up and coming wizards and witches, never singling out anyone, which kept people from pointing at someone and asking 'where did he come from?'

Hydrus's back story had been published years ago and he was known as a Muggle-raised orphan who was taken in an unknown magical couple and home schooled, since the couple was in hiding from the Death Eaters. When asked who the couple was the immortal would simply say they were dead and their family name died with them.

The detectives came to the conclusion that Skeeter was coming and going from The Daily Prophet in bug form. She must know that someone was looking for her. They made sure they weren't carrying any passengers when they left their stakeouts. The only way they made contact with Hydrus was via the telephone.

Hydrus did wonder if Skeeter was his stalker. She was good enough to hide from him. He would have to make sure that the bitch wasn't around if he talked about anything in public, which he rarely did.

The gambling paid off; they won quite a bit, and lost a few, which actually worked in their favor—for a while. The goblins were in an uproar over their losses. They banned Sirius from betting, so Remus took over until he too was blocked. They simply hired others to place their bets from there. It would take a while, but the goblin nation would start to feel the losses. Yeah, it was petty, but it made Hydrus feel good inside, until he could find another way to get them back.

The weeks passed and it was warmer now and Hydrus decided it was time to go to the park near Hermione's house. Though whether the little girl was there or not was uncertain, he had to try. So he told Sirius to ask if Neville could come and plans were made for that Saturday.

The day came and Sirius picked up Neville and met Hydrus and Harry at the park. The boys whooped at the swing set and jungle gym and ran to play. Sirius, being the kid at heart he is, joined them. Hydrus looked around to see if there was a bushy-haired girl anywhere, but unfortunately there was not. He sighed and turned his attention to the playing boys, who seemed to have started playing with a few of the other kids. If what he was seeing was correct they were playing pirates on the jungle gym. He sat on the nearest bench, smiled and kept watch.

"Which one is yours?" a voice said from his left.

He turned his head and spotted a young woman with short blonde hair and startling blue eyes. He shook his head and smiled. "The dark-haired, green-eyed one, hanging upside down," he answered, pointing to Harry.

"Oh, he's a cutie," the woman cooed.

"The sandy-haired kid next to him is his friend." He waved to Neville who was trying to do the same as Harry with little success. "Which one is yours?" Hydrus returned the question.

"None of them really, I'm the nanny for a young girl who lives near here. I just come to watch the children play. My employers come home for lunch and eat with the child, so I come here. My charge doesn't get out much, she's a bit of a bookworm," she said with a soft smile. "Grace Banks," she added holding out her hand.

"Hydrus Black," the immortal replied as he shook the very soft hand offered to him. He did have a fleeting thought if her charge was Hermione, but his best friend never said anything about nannies, so he waved it aside.

"What an unusual name, the water snake star, isn't it?" Grace cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah, it's my family's tradition, to name the children after stars," he said with a shy grin. "That's my cousin Sirius over there, playing with the kids." He pointed to the man trying to climb the gym and laughed at his efforts.

"And your boy's name?" the blonde inquired, looking to the playing children and Sirius.

"Oh, well, he's adopted by Sirius. His name is Harry, so no star name for him," Hydrus answered, and the two fell into a quiet conversation about the stars and their names until Grace had to leave, her lunch break being over.

"I'll bring my charge here to play, if you're going to be around they can meet," she said shyly, once again offering her hand.

"That'll be great," Hydrus said, this time kissing the knuckles, making the young woman giggle.

"Next weekend?"

"We'll be here."

Grace then went on her way, while Hydrus watched the sway of her hips. He then sighed and berated himself for thinking about setting up dates, especially innocent ones. He was still a firm believer that he being immortal would mess up any relationship.

"Who's the bird?" Sirius asked as he flopped on the bench, tired from playing.

"Her name is Grace. She's a nanny," were the succinct answers.

"Nice name. She's not your normal type. I don't think she's a love them and leave them type of gal," the dogman said thoughtfully. "You two seemed rather cozy. Are you going to see her again?" He was actually hopeful the immortal would say yes. He had tried time and time again to get the man to date, but so far to no avail.

"We're coming back here next weekend to meet her charge," Hydrus said reluctantly.

"Yes," the other man shouted, pumping his fist in the air, making the kids look at him as if he were weird. "It's about time." He slapped the older man on the back.

"It's only a play date with her charge. Quit getting all worked up," the time traveler snapped in denial.

"Whatever you say, old chap, whatever you say," the cousin grinned.

Hydrus let it drop and watched the children playing until it started to get dark. He called them over and had Sirius take Neville home, while he took Harry to the car. They made it home and had a quiet night, listening to Harry tell of his pirate adventures, until it was time for bed. Hydrus went to sleep that night thinking of a short-haired blonde with nice hips.