Harry Potter: The Invincible Stag
Chapter 143: On a Fun Trip

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 143: On a Fun Trip

"Wow, those towers are all in disrepair," Andromeda commented as they walked through the massive yard around the castle.

"All, except for that one." James pointed at the one he had fixed. "I got that one fixed."

"Did you make a lab in there?" Bella asked.

"Of course. It seemed like a waste not to," James responded.

She had to fight the urge not to roll her eyes. "Of course…"

"This entire garden seems to be pretty much abandoned. What a shame, I bet it would be gorgeous if someone fixed it a bit," Andromeda said. "We have a house in Wales with a big yard like this, but we rarely go there."

"Oh, that one…" Bella seemed to recall something. "It's been years since… I don't think Mother likes that house. I remember her saying that it was too bright or something like that."

"Yes, I think our mother is half bat or something." Something caught Andromeda's interest. "Let's go there!" She pointed at a small gazebo that had been placed next to a pond.

It was made of wood and covered in vines. But it was obvious that no one had used it for a very long time.

"That thing is not going to fall on our heads, right?" Bella asked.

"It looks like the structure is still solid," James said. He had been there before, so he knew it was going to be fine.

He liked to come here to read when he wanted something more peaceful than his room.

"This place is beautiful." Andromeda went to sit on one of the wooden benches. "And it's a lot cleaner than it initially looked."

'That's because I cleaned it…' James thought. He was the only one in his family who used it.

"I suppose we can wait here for the meeting to end," Bella said. "They will call us when we have to sign our…" She threw James a furtive glance. "Part…"

James noticed the stare but decided to ignore it. 'She has been acting out of character since Pollux mentioned the marriage contract.' Bella was never one to swallow her words.

If she wanted to say something, he preferred if she just said it.

Seeing that the girls got comfortable, he took a seat and pulled out a book to read.

The three of them remained in silence for a few minutes, watching the pond and enjoying the cool breeze.

Andromeda and Bella seemed to be enjoying the peaceful landscape, but that didn't last long.

"I'm bored…" Andromeda complained. She turned her attention to James and the book he was reading. "The Silent Crypt? What is that about?"

"An ancient tomb," James answered without lifting his eyes from the paper.

Bella's interest seemed to have been piqued. "And here I thought that your only interests were potions."

James put the book down. "Not at all. I have many interests. Although I will admit that ancient tombs are not one of them."

"Then why are you reading a book about that?" Andromeda asked.

"Because I am interested in this particular tomb," James said.

"How so? What does this tomb have that interests you so much?" Bella asked while taking a peek at the book's cover.

"This tomb may contain a magical item of incredible power. I was actually planning on visiting it today, but…"

"Did you forget that we were coming?" Bella wasn't too surprised. James was always getting distracted with his personal projects and tended to forget about the rest of the world.

"A little bit…" He brushed her off. "It matters not. I should still have some time tomorrow. I wanted to get this done before returning to Hogwarts."

"Tomorrow? You have to be at the station before midday… I don't think you have much time for expeditions," Bella pointed out.

James frowned. He had forgotten about the time. Bella was right… there would not be enough time for this. The other option would be to go tonight, but finding the tomb during the night was going to be much trickier. "That's…"

"Why not go now?" Andromeda asked. "You two have several hours before you are needed."

"I couldn't possibly leave you two alone. My mother would certainly disapprove of such action," James said.

"Who said anything about leaving us alone? Of course we are going too. Right, Andy?" Bella looked at her older sister.

This one had a mischievous smile on her face. "Obviously, we are coming along. Come on, Po—James. We are pretty much family now."

"Are you sure? It could be dangerous. Ancient tombs are no joke. Many people have died while exploring them." James' tone was completely serious.

He was confident in being able to protect those two, but he didn't want them to accompany him with such a casual attitude.

"That just makes me want to go even more." Bella said with a rarely seen grin on her face.

James felt a shiver go down his spine. Once in a while, she gave him these short glimpses of the woman that she was in his other life.

"Well, what do you say? You may not have another chance to do this until the summer break. Are you okay with that?" Andromeda asked.

"Come on, we can take care of ourselves," Bella insisted. She really seemed eager to do this.

James had to consider it for a moment. He would have preferred to go by himself. But perhaps having four extra eyes could come in handy. And he really didn't want to wait until the summer to visit the tomb.

He could use these few last months of school to experiment with that 'thing'.

"Loory," James called.

A moment later, the house-elf appeared in front of him. "Master James called?"

"Inform my parents that I will be taking the two ladies for a stroll outside the property. We will return before it is time for dinner," James said.

That would give them over six hours. More than enough time for a quick exploration.

Or so he thought.

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