Chapter Text
“And then after almost hitting the hang-glider I think I swallowed a bug, Harriett. Maybe lots of bugs.”
Harriet glances up from her notebook. Hermione had somehow managed to drag her away from the Polyjuice potions and get her to change into a reasonably appropriate dress but she’s still almost entirely focused on the experiment.
Even though the arrival of James Potter is a terrifying eventuality like the coming of a hurricane it's obviously not of any concern to Harriett. Neither is her reunion with the rest of the family she ran away from three weeks ago. Or her boyfriend who she sent to Black Manor for predinner initiation and who is now trying to tell her the harrowing story of his first ride on a flying motorcycle.
Harriett closes her notebook sadly but firmly and places it on the toddler sized kitchen table.
“I’m sorry Caelum, I was distracted. Did you say you ate a bug?”
Caelum nods still shell-shocked. “At least one bug. They just fly into your mouth when you try and talk. Or scream. And I practically froze up there. I can barely feel my legs.”
Harry raises a caterpillar eyebrow at him. “Up where?”
“Haven’t you been listening to me for the past ten minutes?” Caelum says as loudly as he can without technically yelling. “I flew here Harriett. Flew. On a flying motorcycle thanks to your mad Uncle Sirius.”
Caelum pauses to glare daggers at Harry. “He wants me to keep that ridiculous thing, practice and go flying with him again next Sunday.”
Harry shrugs nonchalantly. “I should have warned you. He used to threaten to buy my first boyfriend a flying motorcycle. But it's more to annoy my Dad then it is to annoy you. And he probably likes you already if he’s invited you on another motorcycle ride. So you’ve made a good impression on him.”
Caelum is incredulous.
“Is that all you have to say?”
Harry shrugs. “How was I supposed to know he was being serious about buying my first boyfriend a flying motorcycle?”
They both grimace at the unintended pun.
“We use insects and arachnids all the time when brewing, “ Harriett says calmly. “Acromantula webs and legs, beetle eyes, billywig stings, wings and slime, blatta pulvereus also known as smashed cockroach-”
“Thats not the same thing as swallowing a living bug whole and you know it!” Caelum snaps indignantly.
“They’re a good source of protein too,” Harry says thoughtfully. “And you can even buy them covered in chocolate at sweet shops.”
“I don't want to eat bugs covered in anything!”
“You know you should really stay clear of Uncle Sirius,” she says thoughtfully. “He’s always wanted me to have a boyfriend with not just a flying motorcycle but also with an exciting tattoo or facial scar. Don't go anywhere with him. Don't be alone with him. Don't drink with him.”
A stray toddler wonders over to giggle at Caelum. “He ate bug! He ate bug!”
“That’s right Addy,” Harry says approvingly at the child who Caelum presumes is her little sister.
“Caelum ate a bug.”
Harry pushes the small child towards Caelum.
“Caelum meet Addy.”
“Hawwy!! Kay-loom!!”
Harry smikes indulgently. “She hasn’t mastered the letter ‘c’ yet. Or ‘r’. Or ‘u’.
Caelum watches the child curiously. He has no experience with small children, Draco is his only cousin and the babies of his more distant cousins are carefully guarded by their parents until they're old enough to make brief appearances at social events. Caelum also isn't exactly anyone’s first choice as a babysitter.
Addy, with a surprisingly strong look of intensity on her face serves Caelum a plastic tea cup of what looks like runny mud.
“She likes you, ” Harry says cheerfully. “Probably because you're handsome. She's probably bored of looking at Archie, even though his face is new.”
Caelum ignores the compliments and eyes the cup suspiciously. Whatever this is, it doesn't look very appetizing.
The toddler looks at him expectedly with her huge eyes and he can tell that she is waiting for something. Caelum looks at Harriett for guidance.
“You’re supposed to drink it,” Harry says expertly. “Haven’t you ever had pretend teatime before?”
Caelum is indignant. “I’m not drinking it.”
Addy screws up her face and howls.
Harry glares at him. “Look what you’ve done, you’ve just hurt her feelings. You have to drink anything a child gives you at pretend teatime.”
Caelum shakes his head. “I’m not drinking that.”
Harry crosses her arms and continues to glare at him. “I’ve seen you and Pucey drink far worse things. Plus you ate bugs today, how much worse could this be?”
Caelum can’t do much while facing the disapproval of both Potter sisters. Besides, at any moment someone is bound to come inquire about why the small girl is yelling.
“What is this Addy?” he asks the small girl.
She stops screaming to smile proudly at him. “That’s my potion. I bwooed it.”
Harry beams at Addy while Caelum winces. “See Caelum, she brewed something.”
This doesn't sound promising.
He closes his eyes and swallows the contents of the cup. It tastes like what he imagines rain water and old crayons taste like. He vanishes the contents before they reach his stomach.
Addy claps her hands and smiles at him.
“Good work,” Harry says smiling as well. “She really likes you now. No one ever drinks the magic potion.”
Caelum glares as his girlfriend laughs at him.
“She’s less than three years old Caelum, you don't have to do what she says.”
“I can see why you ran away from your family, “ mutters Caelum, wiping his tongue with the play napkin. He feels increasingly like he's not going to survive until dinner.
Harry glares at him. “What was that Caelum?”
Callum sighs. “Nothing Harriett.”
Addy pours him another cup of magic potion and also hands him a very suspicious looking green lump on a plastic plate.
“Cake time! Cake time for pwetty Kay-loom!”