Summer Holiday.
 
 
 

Xander stepped off the train and looked around, smirking in relief.  "Yes!  Freedom!" he shouted, letting out an evil cackle.

His consort gave him an odd look, then smacked him across the back of the head.  "I'm the evil one in the family, get it right, Alex."  He looked stunned as a group of aurors rushed them.  "Alex, have you been playing with the dark curses on the students again?" he asked fondly, smirking at his lover.

"No, I finished releasing them last week," he said thoughtfully, looking at an auror.  "Why are you guys here?  Hi, Tonks, back again?"

"Yup, sure am," she said happily.  "Back from scaring the rest of the universe.  We came to escort Harry to training camp.  He not off yet?"

"Not yet.  Yo, nephew!" Alex yelled.  Harry Potter, his beloved great-nephew, trotted over with his trunk.  "These scary people are here to take you to training camp."

"But I don't want to be an auror any more," he complained.  "I thought I sent that letter."

"You did," one of the males grunted.  "There's been death threats."

"Oh."   Harry shrugged and nodded. "I guess that's really normal."  He hugged his uncle, kept himself from slapping his uncle's smug consort, hugged Ron and Dawn.  "I'll write soon, guys.  We're off to the training camp."

"Sure, Harry, have all the fun," Ron said with a smirk.  "Tell Oliver the twins said hello.  I'm sure they'll try to once they figure out how to find you guys."

"Sure."  He grinned as the aurors rushed him off, one of them taking his trunk with them.  He walked out of the floo and into the barracks-style room, looking around.  "Well, this is cheery for not being a military camp," he snorted.

"This is for tryouts," a familiar voice said from the other side of the fireplace.  "We've got rooms already because we're beyond that."

"Ollie!" he shouted, hugging him.  "Good to see you!"

"Good to see you too, Potter, let go," he gasped.  Harry let go with a warm chuckle.  "Damn, you're strong!"

"It's all the training I've been doing with my uncle."

"Uncle?  The bloated bastard?"

"No, my great-uncle Alex.  He's pretty cool.  He even managed to civilize Malfoy."

"I didn't think you had relations left," Oliver pointed out.

Harry flipped some of his hair back as he nodded.  "Yeah, it turns out I do.  And I'm kinda related to Snape, which makes him oh so very happy," he added with a wink.  "Let's see if I can recite this.  Alex is my Great-Uncle on my mum's side.  He's my grandmother's brother on that side.  They're Dumasses.  Then on my dad's side he kinda slept with his grandma so I'm kinda his on that side too, we think.  We can't be quite sure.  Snape's his son so he's my uncle I believe. Then of course there's the whole apprentice curse breaker thing going on, with Ron of course, and his little sister by adoption Dawn."  Oliver looked confused so he gathered some things from around the room to make a diagram for him.

Oliver finally nodded.  "Okay.  That makes sense.  That explains why you're so strong too."

"And why I fly so well," Harry added.  "Uncle Alex is killer on a broom.  Back in his day the league offered him *women* to join their teams."  Oliver gaped - they had only offered him a good salary and all the flying he wanted, plus someone to handle the stupid press things when they started to happen.  "Yeah.  Sent a lot of them to the school to be with him and everything.  Alex Dumass is one hot and strong thing, even as a beater.  Impressed the hell outta Forge and Gred, plus their wife."  Someone shouted and rushed at them.  Harry reacted using his new training and got the guy onto his back and disarmed, pressing the knife against his throat.  "Who the bloody hell are you and what did you think you were doing?" he asked in a slightly amused tone he had blatantly stolen off Draco.  The man babbled drunkenly so Harry waved away the fumes coming from his mouth.  "Does anyone know this loon?"

"I do.  He's a former beater that just got cut," Oliver said, glaring down at him. "How dare you try to hurt our seeker!  Seekers are precious!"  The man babbled some more so Oliver got Harry off him and let the aurors take him away.  "Thank you.  C'mon, Harry, we're sharing a room for the camp."

"Cool.  We get along well enough.  Man, you wouldn't believe some of the friends my uncle has.  The whole Bane network adopted him, me, Ron, Dawn, and Draco."

"Malfoy really has a soul?"

"Yeah, and it's apparently that of a harlot," he snorted.  "Always on his back and begging for my uncle to do more.  Consort veela you know."

"Wow.  That man's got to be powerful if he makes it out of bed."  He saw Harry's arms and looked at them, then at him.  "Banes?"

"Group of students in my dad's year," he said with a smirk.  "They include people like the twins' wife and our defense teacher, plus my Uncle, the bastard potion's master."

Oliver shook his head.  "Good on you, mate.  They help you learn the curse breaking stuff?"  Harry nodded.  "So why are you here?"

"Two reasons," he admitted as he sat on his bed.  "My uncle agreed that I needed to get it out of my system.  Plus, I'm watching over Ron's fiancé, who's only a third year, even though she's nearly our age.  She was being taught by a nature witch back in Sunnydale before it exploded."

"I've seen them in the paper.  They're perpetually cute."

"Yeah, and Dawn's one of us," Harry said smugly.  "Her sis's a former slayer, now a vampire.  Longer story there and she'd have to tell it, she's the only one who knows all of it."  He grinned again.  "So I'm doing this until the press makes me run away screaming and by then Dawn should be out of school.  Then I'll finish my training with them."

"Okay.  Four years is a good average," Oliver agreed.  "Maybe you'll stay longer?"

"Only if I can find a way around everyone staring at me.  You know I hate it."

"True," Oliver agreed, he did remember that.  "We'll work it out.  Did you get to see any of the Weasley clan before they snatched you?"

"Ron and I sat together on the way back since Dawn was asleep in his lap.  I'm sure we'll get cookies from Molly or one of the Dumass clan's aunts.  There's a bloody ton of them."

Oliver snickered.  "Making the moves on you?"

"No!"  He frowned at him.  "Trying to get me to date a nice witch and have kids since Alex hates them.  I'm the only one to carry on the family name."

Oliver burst out in giggles. "I can't see you being the da to a pack of little monsters," he snickered, shaking his head.

Harry shook his head.  "Me either, but they certainly can. They've even threatened to take some of my seed and do it without my helping.  I had to point out that it took all the fun out of getting a girl that way and Auntie Cordy stopped that idea cold."  Oliver burst out in renewed laughs, making him smirk.  "So, how's things here?  Good food at the least?"

Oliver nodded.  "Very good food.  Decent enough coaches, but they're under a lot of stress at the moment.  I'm surprised they haven't been in here yet."  He rang a bell and a house elf appeared.  "Where's the coaches?"

"Meeting," she said, tidying up the room and unpacking Harry's things for him, leaving his brooms and an outfit of jeans and a t-shirt.  "There, much neater now," she decided.  "Yous need things, yous ring bell," she told Harry before walking away.

"Wow, she's efficient," Harry said.  "More like the one Cordy got in LA when Alex sent her a house elf strip-o-gram."  Oliver mouthed those words, then shuddered.  Harry smirked at him.  "See, the souled vampire, that's Angel, and my uncle are old enemies over Dawn's big sister, who's now living with him."  He got the stuff from the diagram to work it out with him again, ending with the story of Morgan, the former stripping house elf.  "Plus, he once sent one to Bill Weasley.  He still hasn't figured out a good enough punishment for that yet," he finished with.

Oliver shuddered again. "It's all right, Harry, we'll keep you sane," Oliver promised, patting him on the shoulder.  "I'm sure the twins enjoyed that one."

"Oh, they did," Harry said with a mean grin.  "Especially when Draco bribed their new house elf to do it for their anniversary party.  Their private anniversary party.  Apparently one was watching in shock and horror and the other one couldn't stop whimpering and shaking his head while repeating 'bad friends, bad' over and over."

"Good!  Someone finally got those two!" he said happily.  He heard someone stomping up the hall.  "That'd be the defensive coach," he said fondly.  "You'll hate 'im, but he's good."

"Good, you're finally here," he said as he walked in, looking Harry over.  "You're a bit more muscular than you had been."

"My Uncle Alex has been teaching me curse breaking."

"It's a good thing to fall back on," he agreed.  "Muscles aren't a bad thing either, as long as you don't bulk up so far you're slow.  Come on, it's time for practice."

"Sure.  Let me change clothes."

"Fine.  Wood, you too."

"Yes, sir."

"Good boys."  He left, heading out to the pitch.  "Potter's changing clothes, already had his brooms out.  They were catching up."

"Good," the head coach agreed.  "Ollie trained him, he'll be able to watch over him and correct him."  The boys ran out with their brooms and took off, heading up to warm up with a game of tag.

"I'm going to get you yet, Potter," Oliver warned, smirking at him.  "Dumass or not!"

"You can try but that's why I'm the seeker!" he called back, diving out of the way and coming out of it with a roll and a surge upward, nearly toasting the end of Oliver's bristles.

"Bloody hell, he is good," the head coach admitted.  "That uncle of his must be good for him.  Maybe we should recruit him."

"Carnage?"

"Oh, never mind," he said quickly.  He had caught that one game against Slytherin at the school.  He knew who the uncle was now.  There was no way in hell he was going near that boy.  He was demonic...or something.  To make poor Hufflepuffs do that to the even more poor Slytherins was just bad.  Those poor Slytherins hadn't left the game walking, not a single one of them.

***

Xander, Draco, Ron, and Dawn all appeared in the house under portkey. They stacked their trunks in the hallway, grabbing a few pairs of shorts, a few bathing suits, and a few shirts, changed clothes for the day, and then left again.  "Laters, Aunties, we're on vacation," Alex called as he ran out the door.

Aunt Cordy came out of the kitchen wiping her hands off.  "Did someone just hear Alex?"  Everyone nodded. "What was he yelling this time?"  She found the trunks and grimaced.  "Alex, these do not belong here!" she yelled.  No response so she got one of the house elves.  "Where did the troublesome ones go?"

"Vacation he says," she said quietly.  "Me put up?"

"Yes, Me, please put up their things," she said with a smile.  "Thank you, dear."

"Welcomes."  She took the trunks upstairs, unpacking everything, even the naughty things.  She didn't understand why Ron had a riding crop, but it wasn't her place to ask those sort of questions.  She simply treated the leather and put it on the dresser.

Xander landed on the beach he had picked out and dropped his bag beside him before stretching out.  "Yes, finally!  No more school!"

Draco landed behind him and curled up on the sand beside him.  "Does this mean we can have unbridled shagging?"

"Since when did you follow Luna's stallion example?" Xander teased.  "I don't think you'd look that good in a bridle and bit, dear."  Ron and Dawn appeared, him having done a portkey for her since she was underage to apparate for a few more years.

Ron looked around.  "It's pretty.  Where's the room?"

Xander handed him the reservation and his wallet. "Go for it," he agreed.  "Check us in too.  Take the bags with you."

"Sure," Ron said dryly, taking them with him to the hotel nearest them.  It wasn't the right one but they were nice enough to tell him how to walk across the path to the private, small resort hotel that was directly off the beach.  He walked in and a house elf greeted them, taking all four bags.  "Thanks, mate."  He walked up to the desk. "I'm checking in the party Dumass."

The witch behind the counter smiled and updated the scroll in front of her.  "I see you're in for two rooms?"  She looked at Dawn, then at him.  "She is over the legal age, sir?"

"We're engaged and she's sixteen."

"That's fine then," she agreed, letting him sign in and taking Alex's Gringott's credit card to run.  She came back with a bigger smile.  "Where might the owner be?"

"On the beach, lounging with his consort honey."  Dawn pointed them out.  "Why, are the goblins being sneaky to get him to work?"

"Probably.  They said he has to sign personally."

"Xander!" Dawn called, making him jump up and run inside.  He gave her a look, then looked at Dawn.  "The goblins did it to you again."

Xander grimaced and took the phone, growling at the person on the other end in goblin.  Then he handed it back.  "That should suffice," he said with an impish grin.

"Oh, my, you are him," she said, blushing a bit.  "We've never had such important personages before."

Xander beamed.  "Thanks, we're on vacation though, so I'm gonna go back and convince my consort that sex on a beach is fun, but really nasty."  He trotted back out there to pounce his lover.  If people didn't like it, they didn't have to watch. "See, I told you sand gets everywhere."

Ron signed them into the hotel, taking their keys and his girlfriend up to their room.  "Oh, how cute," she cooed.  "Two double beds.  No waiting for the sheets to be changed."  She pounced him in the finest family fashion and Ron eagerly went with it.  After all, that's why they were engaged.

***

Greg looked up from playing with his precious daughter as the phone rang, using his wand to call it over to him.  "Yeah?" he answered.  He grimaced. "Nope, sorry, not back yet, Penn.  She's apparating but slowly today."  He beamed.  "Yeah," he said happily.  "The new one is taking a toll on that.  She'll have to quit soon, but she wanted more kids."  He tickled his little girl, making her giggle and wiggle for him.  "What's up?"  He listened to the guy go on and on about another potions person who kept a menagerie in town.  "Wow.  Sure I'll be on the lookout for it.  Pretty much anything strange comes to us automatically.   Grissom loves it, it's like a puzzle to him."  He chuckled again, smiling down at his little girl.  "No, do not crawl toward the pool," he warned.  She laughed and kept going, only faster.  He dropped the phone to capture her, bringing her back.  "Sorry, baby was heading for the water.  What was that?"  Penn said something smart.  "Keep it up, man, she'll make you babysit.  She's like that you know."  He smirked.  "Sure.  Not an issue.  If I hear things, I'll tell you.  How's Teller?  I heard he had a cold."  He nodded.  "Need a pepper up potion?  I've got a few bottles because Cassandra had the sniffles recently.  Scared the hell out of her Ped too."  He smirked. "Yes, I meant me," he said patiently.  Emilia appeared and he stood up to hug her, letting her have the baby when she gave a tug.  "It's Penn.  Wanna chat?"

"Tell him I'll see him tomorrow, just as soon as I've peed a few gallons and then jumped you, studly."

"Well all right then," he said, hanging up on the laughs.  He walked her into the bathroom, taking their daughter to put in her room.  "Now you play like a good girl in here," he ordered gently.  "If you do, I'll try to get Auntie Catherine to visit you tomorrow."  She clapped and cheered, so he left her in there with her toys, making sure all the doors outside were closed and locked, just in case.  Then he went to pounce his wife.  "Missed you."

"I was only gone two days."

"So?"

"Good point.  I missed you too," she said with a grin.  "Plus, I got to stop in and see Tipsy.  She's looking suspiciously round at the moment but her husbands are ignoring it and the dry heaves.  They're denying everything."  He smirked as he went down to open her bra with his teeth.  "Why, Greg, are you *desperate*?" she teased.

"Hell yes," he said against her flesh.  "I'm always desperate.  And greedy, let's not forget greedy."  He kissed her skin gently, knowing she was tender.  So she spanked him, making him moan.  "More," he pleaded.  She did that so well!  She flipped them over with some effort but he didn't care, he went willingly.  His woman could crawl on top of him at any point and at any time.  He adored it.  She was his and he was her willing slave.  She stopped all thought with another kiss and a wiggle against his hips, and he was lost, yet again, in her incredible eyes and soul.  "Mine," he whispered, making it a prayer to her.

She smiled at him. "One of these days, you're going to regret giving me this much power over you."  She pinched the end of his nose. "I guess I'll have to spank you for real that day and make you beg."  He laughed and arched up against her as she tickled him.  "Ha!  Found it again!" she crowed, getting him harder, until he begged and pleaded her to stop.  She loved her little weirdo.

***

Methos looked around his house and sighed in relief.  Not a sign of Macleod anywhere.  He was so happy!  He nearly skipped inside but he remembered he had to appear decorous just in case someone was watching.  He walked inside and muted all the shades so no one could see inside, then he did the happy dance of joy.  No more students!  No more Ron or Alex!  No more Draco!  He was free!  An owl cheeped at him and he stopped long enough to pat it on the head and take the letter.  He laughed and shrugged.  "I don't care, I've got a few months off," he told it.  "If he wants I'll be back, but I still won't have Draco, Ron, or Harry!  Or Alex!  Insufferable git!"  He ran into the kitchen to have ice cream for dinner.  At his age who cared what he ate?  He found a roast in the oven baking for him and looked around.  "Helpful things, ghosts," he said dryly.

"Yes, and they can watch you dance too," Macleod said as he came down the stairs.  Methos scowled at him.  "Sorry, I'm hiding from Amanda."

"Here?  There's no bloody way!  I just taught the most horrible students in the bloody world!  Out!"  The Highlander pouted at him so he grabbed him and shoved him out the back door.  "Come back when I'm less happy!" he yelled as he locked it and walked away.  He would keep the roast, he could use some meat to go with his ice cream.  "Hmm, toffee or butterscotch?" he mused as he went to unpack.  He noticed his bag had disappeared.  "Since when have I had a house elf?" he called.  She appeared, looking scared.  "Where did you come from?"

"I's is Muffy.  I's like the house, wanted to volunteer?" she asked hopefully, covering her ears.  "Hates the old folks.  Especially grumpy ones.  Muffy likes to be of service, but not that way."

Methos patted her on the head.  "Fine, you may stay but I'll be gone again in a few months, back to the school."

She looked hopeful.  "School?  There other elves?"

"Many other elves, and some of them are even single," he offered.  "I'm a coffee person most of the time.  We'll figure it out one way or another."

"Yes, master."

"Thank you.  Did you start the roast?"

"No, smiling strange man did.  He's scary when he grins."

"Yes, he is," he agreed dryly, glaring at the back door. Then he smirked at her. "I have my moments but I won't hurt you."  She nodded, her ears flapping.  "Find yourself something to wear that won't get in your way.  I'll be in the library when the roast is medium rare."  He headed that way, sitting down in his favorite chair, getting comfortable.  That's also where he fell asleep.  He had happy dreams of showing Ron, Harry, and Alex exactly what Death was like.

***

Greg was woken an hour before he should be awake by the shrilling phone.  "Hmwhazit?" he mumbled into it.  He sat up, staring in shock.  "Repete, por favor."  He listened to Catherine tell him all about the animals she had seen, and that someone had called in as odd things in the desert.  "I'll be right there.  Is there a sphinx?"  He nodded once.  "I know just where that is.  One hour.  Keep out the gawkers, they're new mechanical trials for a resort."  He hung up and dove for some clothes, waking his wife on the way.  She gave out an adorable sleepy mumble.  "Babe, I can't pounce you.  The guy with the menagerie just got bitten by something and the shield's down.  I need you to go see Penn."  She hissed at him so he kissed her until she woke up, making him grin when she blinked sleepily at him.  "Awake now?"  She shook her head.  "The guy with all the walking potion ingredients got bitten.  His shield's down.  Someone reported his beasts."

"I'll go see Penn," she agreed, climbing out of the bed with a bit of help.  "Thanks, babe.  Go have fun.  I'll send Penn if he's not busy."  She blew a kiss, so he stole a quick one before leaving. "'San, we've got to go see Uncle Penn.  Put on real clothes," she called to their toddler.  She was so smart she'd be naked by the time she made it over there.  Right after she went to the bathroom again.

***

Greg got out of his car and trotted over, stopping to look at the wizards, peering under the bloody bandage.  "What did that and do you need an anti-venom?"  The wizard's lover glared at him.  "Keep it up, sparky.  I'm the good guy here."

"Matilda bit me," the wizard said, looking at his fellow potions master.  "She's the blue one.  I don't want to lose her but I can't keep her like this and I don't want to put her down yet."

"Then let me handle it.  Do you need an anti-venom?"

"No, I'll be fine.  I had one on hand.  Thank you, Gregory."   He looked around.  "No wife?"

"She's going for Penn.  Illusions are his thing, not mine," Greg said with a grin.  He trotted over to where Catherine was staring at the big beasts, past the others on their team, stopping to look at the blue one.  "Oh, you just had to be a dragon," he said bitterly.  "I have no idea who deals with you guys over here."  He put his hands on his hips, tapping his fingers as he considered it.  He patted himself down until he summoned the phone he had left at home, calling the father-in-law of the group, Arthur Weasley.  "Hey, Art, it's Greg.  Yeah, fine, no, big issues.  We've got a wizard here who keeps his own zoo for practical purposes.  He's got a big, non-flying blue dragon here who just bit him.  Is there *anyone* on this side of the lake to deal with them?"  He listened as Arthur put in an urgent call to Species.  "Shoot," he said simply, shaking his head. "Got any ideas?"  He listened, then shrugged. "If it works.  Please.  Yeah, I'll try the less original channels.  Thanks, man."  He hung up and touched his arm, bringing Xander at a jog, with Ron and Draco behind him.  He pointed at the dragon.  "Know anyone handy?"

"The twin's brother does dragons, I remember him from the Triwizard tournament," Draco noted.  He looked at the big thing.  "What's wrong with him?"

"Her, she's in heat," Ron said grimly.  "Make sure he takes an anti-venom.  They're poisonous in this stage."  He waved.  "Let me talk to the twins.  Stay here.  Xan, can you work on the illusion?  It's totally down and the cages are starting to fall apart.  Should have welded them," he said with a head shake.  He headed at a running apparation for the twins' shop, startling their wife so much she squeaked.  "Hello, love, we need Charlie and possibly Bill.  We're on vacation and I'm not sure what Alex has planned for the animals."

She blinked a few times.  "Ron?"

He looked down at himself, then back at her.  "I was on the beach," he defended.  "Dawn thought the speedo was cute."

"It is," she said with a snicker.  "Guys?  Bring the camera and call Charlie," she called back into the testing areas.  There was a loud thump and a wall bowed out momentarily.  "And leave the bludger alone!"

"Coming, dear," one of them said, bringing out the camera.  He paused, then handed it to her with a grin.  "Charlie, love?  Going for another of us?"

"No, dimwit, we just found a dragon in the open at Greg's."

"Ooh," the twin said, wincing.  "Poor thing.  And poor Cassandra too, being an orphan now."

"Not yet.  She's in heat," Ron said dryly.  He posed and Tipsy Ramvette-Weasley took a few pictures, then he helped the twins call their big brother.  "Hey, Charlie, got room for one more?  We've got a buddy in Vegas who's just had a personal use zoo come into the open.  The dragon bit him, she's in heat."

"What kind is she?"

"Long necked blue.  Wingless.  Mean shit right now too, looks like her first one."

"Coming.  Step back."  He stepped through and Bill followed, and both of them gave him a long look. "Comfy, Ron?"

"We were on the beach in Jamaica," he defended. "Dawn liked the hell outta them.  Come on.  I'll lead the way back.  We'll be putting on stronger spells.  Bill, Alex is there.  Sorry to break the vacation, Charlie."

"Not an issue, Ron.  People like that annoy the hell out of me.  Is he alive?"

"Still.  She only got him on the arm, a love bite."  He created a portkey.  "Hell of a ride," he warned, handing it over.  He waved and apparated back, making it a few minutes beforehand.  He ran into a warm back too.  "Ooops, sorry.  Alex, can I have some pants at least.  All my bros hate me at the moment because I'm built better."

"Sure," Greg said, handing over a spare pair of sweats.  "Clean 'em first please," he said, checking the dragon over.  "She's odd somehow and I don't know how."

Charlie appeared and fell to the ground panting.  "Bloody Hell, Ron!  Where is this?"

"The states," Ron said with a grin.

"Welcome to Vegas," Penn said with a smirk.  "You are?"

"Charlie and Bill Weasley," Ron said, pointing them out.  "You're fucking famous, mate. You're one of us?"  Penn smirked at him.  "Cool beans as the woman says."  He shook his hand and came over to help Alex with a cage.  "What is that thing?"

"A fucking bird, and it's landbound.  It's cruel and unusual punishment," he said grimly, glaring at the wizard, who flinched.  "Oh, really?"

"I'm a potion's master."  Like that explained everything in the world to him.

"Really?  'Cause I don't need those sort of helpers," Greg pointed out dryly.  "Neither does Snape."

"Yes, but some of us aren't filthy rich by our own hands," he snapped back.

"Enough, children," Penn said before Greg could retort.  "You can't keep them.  They've soaked up too much energy already.  That's dangerous for all of us.  No more animals for a good long time, even if you live through that."

Charlie walked over to test the wound.  "You took an anti-venom, what about the anti- charm? She's in heat."  The wizard looked stunned, looking at his mate.  "Then go lock yourself in the house, stay in there.  You," he said, looking at the mate. "He'll be in a fever to have sex.  Do not let him rut."

"Yes, sir.  Who are you?"

"Charlie Weasley.  I'm in conservation with dragons.  We've got a few of these.  Someone start a fire so I can call home?"  Alex started one without his wand, making everyone stare at him.  "Get along with the wandless brats do we?" Charlie asked dryly.

"Yeah, I've been living with them.  You learn a lot from playing kitten poker with demons," he said dryly, smirking at Bill.  "You should try it sometime, it's very informative."

A few people mouthed 'kitten poker' to each other, but Ron shook his head.  "Leave him alone.  He's a Dumass and a curse breaker.  He could be *much* worse."

"Growing up with Buffy should be enough of a warping influence," Greg snorted.  "The queen of vampire fashionability is not my favorite dinner companion."  Penn gave him an odd look.  "She's Ron's fiance's sister."

"I only met Buffy during my second time in school," Xander reminded them with an evil smirk.  "Ask Bill, I had been worse."

Bill Weasley nodded.  "He was. Never challenge that man to do something, he will.  He'll probably even enjoy doing it.  I know he did when we taunted him until he went in to pick on the mummy while naked."

Penn gave them all a look, then looked at Greg.  "They're your *friends*?" he asked.

"More or less," he said with a grin.  "More like family, kinda.  Sorta."

"Ah, them," Penn said, remembering the Banes very well from his last meeting with Tipsy.  "How is your sister-in-law, Ron?"

"Preggers and ignoring it," he said with a wicked grin.  "I still say she's having twins for each twin.  She's much bigger this time.  So's Emilia, Greg."

"Emilia's pregnant?" Draco asked happily.  "Good, I can watch the babies."  Everyone stared at him and he snorted.  "Hello, fellow consort veela here.  We can easily see power flows."

"So you're with Xander because you saw the power in him?" Ron taunted.  Draco glared at him so he smirked harder.  "What?  It makes sense."

"I'm with him because he can send me into orbit without getting pushy and he always has my pleasure in mind.  His skill and power are added bonuses," he said smugly.  "I doubt I could say the same about you."

"Dawn seems to think I do a good job of keeping her pleasure in mind," Ron countered.

"Guys, enough," Catherine said.  "There are adults here and none of us want to know that much about your sex lives.  Ron, isn't your girlfriend barely sixteen and therefore barely legal in only about half of the states?"  He nodded, starting to look defensive.

Penn gave her a long look.  "Actually, it's more interesting than what they print in the tabloids. He's second on the charts, next to his trouble buddy Potter.  Then comes his uncle and his former whoring ways, and how his consort veela changed that, and then quidditch players.  How is Mr. Wood, Ron?"

"Harry hasn't sent a letter yet but I'm sure he's fine.  He's too valuable to risk after all."

"I'd like to see him play against us," Draco said snidely.  "He's not that great."

"He's too pretty and too afraid of getting hurt," Xander reminded him with a pat on the back.  "I wouldn't mind playing him either.  He'd make a great target, but that means I'd have to cream Harry again."  He smirked at Ron.  "You're sure I didn't hurt you too bad that game against your house?"

"Sure, Alex.  It's quidditch, that's all that needs to be said.  The fact that you broke three ribs and my wrist is forgivable."  Everyone stared at him.  "It's *quidditch*."

"It's our only sport," Greg told them.  "Multiple balls, flying through the air.   Xan's really good.  Draco's not bad as a seeker, and Ron's a keeper."  He looked at the other beasties, then around. "What the crap are we doing about this?"

"We move them somewhere they won't be used," Charlie said firmly.  "It's the right thing."

"Good.  Are we needed?" Grissom asked.

"Nope.  It's tests of new animals for a casino," Greg told him.  "New mechanicals."

"Sure.  I like that idea.  As far as I'm concerned it is that," Sarah said as she headed for the car quickly.

Greg and Penn played 'rock/paper/scissors' to see who got to charm her this time.  She and he didn't get along and Greg liked her enough to only memory charm her and not take great pleasure from it most of the time.  Usually Penn won because he would make sure she remembered nothing of seeing him anywhere.  Penn won and with a cackle erased the whole day from her with glee and joy in his heart.  Penn grinned at the others.  "Anyone else?"

"Only if you can erase the image of our little brother in a speedo," Bill said bitterly.  "Alex, must you corrupt my baby brother the way you did me?" he complained.

Xander gave him a look.  "I'm not sleeping with him," he defended.  "Just teaching him everything I know so he can please Dawnie."

Charlie and Draco both gave him a look, then shook their heads.  They didn't want to know.  Catherine giggled and leaned against Gil's arm, making him shake his head in amusement.

"I'm not.  I promised to never share Draco and I can't cheat on him, he could suck all my lust dry for hours on end."

"I doubt anyone can do that, Mr. Dumass," Penn assured him. "It's too deep a well.  After all, you're infamous for that emotion."

"And then some," he agreed smugly.

"I've only seen one other wizard with that level of lust, and Kid just keeps going for the strippers," Penn sighed.  "I wish I had it, but I'm doomed to be smart."

"He's a wizard?" Ron gaped.  "Damn it!  Now I know I'm taking Dawn to the concert!  Xander, I'm having that night off, even if I do have to sleep with you for it."

"I'd never let you sink that low," Draco assured his consort with a pat on the arm.  "Go away, Ron."

"Fine, smart ass," he sighed, going to help his big brothers.  He wanted to show off for Bill and to seriously impress Charlie.  It would be nice to get some recognition for being 'Ron' instead of 'this one's brother'.  "Can I help so I don't beat Draco to death?"

"Sure, grab that bar and take down the cage," Bill said with a grin.  "You learned deconstruction yet?"

"Oh, yeah, we were practicing in the Chamber," Ron said lightly, going to take apart the seams of the cage.  "We were doing the stream to divert it, but is metal really that different?"  He tested the seams.  "Grab the other side of the top, Bill."  He struck at the magic binding the one joint in the back of the oddly shaped cage, making the sides fall apart, and the top come loose.  They caught the top and Ron got the side that was falling inward with his foot, letting Charlie get the creature with a sigh.  "It worked!"

"It did, but you could have hurt her, Ron."

"Sorry, little girl," he said, scratching the firm head. "You're shedding," he said, wiping the feathers off on his pants.  Greg gasped so he stopped.  "What?  Big magical components?"

"Yes!" he said with a strangled gasp, coming over to gather them.  "Olivander will pay dearly for these!"

"Good, get the third generation of us a school fund," Ron told him with a smirk.

Greg had such a hopeful look.  "Do you think they'll take 'San?" he asked in a breathless, worshipful tone of voice.

Ron gave him a long look, then grinned. "She'll have to.  How else will Joxer and Iolaus pounce her and get with her to date her?"

Greg gave him a small frown.  "I doubt it.  Tipsy said they can't date.  She's going to beat the child who dares to soil her precious little girl."

"So she's going to follow them on their honeymoons?" Draco asked.  "Might make for some awkward moments."

Xander gave him a shove.  "It's what good parents do.  That's why ours aren't and Molly's simply hoping for legitimate grandchildren.  It'd wear her out just watching Ron otherwise."

"Remember, you sleep," Ron said firmly, glaring at him.  "We're not having any little ankle biters.  I hate kids!"  He went to help Penn since Bill and Charlie looked like they were rolling their eyes.  "How are you doing that?"

"It's like a defensive wall, only it bends light," Penn told him.  "Pick a spot and try a small one, kid.  Get Draco to too.  He could use the practice."

"Yo, Malfoy, come do some real work," Ron called, smirking back at him.

"I still go by my married name, you stupid git," Draco complained as he walked over to help with the exercise.  He missed Xander and Penn sharing a grin and Xander winking in relief as he went to help the other adults.   "You do realize you left your girl on a beach full of cute men?" he taunted.

"Yeah, and she'll take full advantage of it to have more suntan oil put on," he said with a shrug. "I trust Dawn.  She trusts me, even though we both still look.  I don't have to threaten to suck her dry even in playing."

"Good, because otherwise you'd be one toasty brother," Alex called.

"We'd help too, right after we stole her," Bill agreed. "Think she'd like you or me better, Charlie?"

Charlie gave him a look.  "You probably.  She's in the same field.  I spend too much time out in the field.  Dragons don't like to watch humans mate, they think we're disgusting. That's why they do it in front of us, to teach us better."

"Some of us perfected the art," Xander said smugly.  "We only need wings."

"I've heard you can use a broom for that," Catherine said smugly.

"Yeah, but then you have to have two excellent fliers," Xander said blandly.  "I could teach Draco how to do that, and probably will some day while I'm bored, but that's the advanced lessons."   Draco gaped at him.  "It is."

"It probably is," he agreed.  "I only put someone in front of me on my broom."

"It's much more interesting with two brooms," Xander said with a grin.  "I learned it from an exchange student from Constantinople."  He went back to helping gather up the animals.  "Charlie, a healer and others in the other fields?"

"Oh, yeah."  He went to the fire to call his home base, getting the healer to come running and his boss called other preserves to get them some help.

"Bloody potions masters!" the healer said as he came out of the fire.

"Hey!  Some of us don't need this shit," Greg shouted back.  "Some of us can *buy* ours."  The healer glared at him so he glared back.  "I'll have you know that I work on healing potions mostly, little boy."  The healer backed off, going over to Charlie and giving him a look.

"That's Greg Sander's, he's a friend of the family, especially Ron and the twins," he explained.  "Hey, Dumass, she'll bite," he warned.

"She's got that same feeling as a tomb."

"Spores," the healer moaned, shaking his head.  "We can't move her back, Charlie."

"If we don't she'll die," he pointed out.

"Okay, spores first," Xander decided.   "Like mold?"

"Like mold, but it's a particular form and it's like chicken pox for the dragons," Charlie noted. "Only their eggs can come out funny that time and it's contagious."

"So put her with one who's already had them and give her the antidote.  I've got a ton of anti-sporifics if you want.  We get them all the time in the tombs."

"Do you have anything that works on that specifically?" the healer asked.  Xander pulled the kit he had stashed at Greg's so he could see all of what he worked with.  The healer gave him a long look. "You're like Bill then?"  Xander nodded as he started to pull out bottles, handing them over.

After fifteen of them he stopped and stood up with one last one.  "That's a general I know," he admitted.

The healer tested the contents in the others, finding another broad spectrum that might not be too bad.  He dosed the poor thing, or tried to anyway.  She didn't seem to like the taste a whole lot.  Then he found another one that he pulled out, handing the others back. "It's the best we can do.  Even if these eggs go wrong, we can always try again. How do we get this down her throat?"

"Dust some grass," Charlie told him.  "We do it in the field all the time."  He grabbed some sweet hay and came back to get the dust, liberally sprinkling it for her over half of it.  Then he fed her some of the treated and more of the clean until she'd eaten it all.  "There, good girl," he soothed, patting her on the side.  She let out a whimper so he scratched the base of her neck gently.  "You'll be an easy one to train, you don't steam people and you're very loving."  The other conservation people showed up and quickly claimed their species and anything related that was leftover, leaving them to move the dragon and one bird.  "How are we going to move you back, girl?  You're oozing null-magic like you wouldn't believe."

"Easy, we do the camp moving spell," Bill told him.  Alex shrugged and put everything back into his bag, handing it to Greg, who grinned at him for it.  "Thanks, Alex."

"Not an issue.  I had copies of everything with Greg in case I got stuck over here somehow."  He whistled, brining his consort and apprentice.  "That's three cursebreakers.  Can we do three?"

"We'll need four," Draco said, looking at the dragon.  "Unless you can sedate her?"

Charlie shook his head.  "Won't work at this stage.  She'll be jumped by a few dragons as soon as we reappear.  So, who do we need?"

"Either another of my apprentices, or another breaker who uses that spell," Xander said thoughtfully.  "It takes days to teach the thing."

"I still don't get it," Draco admitted.  "I keep thinking too deep on the displacement."  Bill nodded, looking like he understood that.  "Dawnie or Potter?"

"Potter," Alex sighed, going to call him. "Harry, love," he called out, using his floo's codes.  "Hey, Harry, we've got to move a dragon and we're at least one short for the moving spell.  Can we borrow you for a few hours?"

"Sure, not an issue.  Stand aside.  Where are you guys?"

"Vegas."

"Ah.  Coming through.  Sorry, coach, be right back, in about an hour!"  He stepped into the floo, coming out a few minutes later patting himself down.  "Damn, I hate that we have dispensation to move so far around the world.  It's unnerving sometimes to see the water go past."  He looked up at the dragon, smiling.  "Aren't you a pretty one," he cooed, making her preen and shift some.  "Ah, you're in heat.  Hagrid would love you, sweetheart.  Which is my side?"

"Take the tail.  Ron the other side, Bill the nose.  Make sure to wrap the bubble around everything and aim for a space so she won't come out of it," Xander ordered, taking the last side. It was broader and he wanted the more powerful people to be doing those, but he wanted Bill doing the head in case she moved suddenly.  He built up his part of the bubble, merging it with the others as they were constructed, then he concentrated on the spell.  "Now!" he shouted, moving with the spell.  Ron landed a few minutes later, already asleep.  "We have got to work on your timing, Ron," he decided.  He moved Harry back to the camp with a wave for the coaches.  "Sorry, needed his skills."  Then he disappeared again, going back to Vegas.  "Anything else you need our help with?" he asked Greg, who snickered and shook his head.  Xander stripped back down to his bathing suit and handed over the borrowed clothes.  "That way you can get any and all spores, scales, or feathers off me."  He waved and disappeared, going to save Dawn from the admiring boys.  She was only sixteen after all.

Charlie had to pull Ron out of the way as a dragon came flying in.  "Shoo, she's a girl too!" he shouted, waving at her.  She squawked angrily then flew off.  "Oh, wonderful.  At least her guy's not too bad.  Then he'll let her go to her own kind."  He got Draco out of the way as the large, black, winged dragon came flying in and immediately mounted her. "That's the wrong hole," he noted to the dragon. "You'll hurt her, get off!"  He fired a lazy bolt at the dragon, spooking him enough that he did get off, making her sigh and wiggle even more.  Another male came up, this one like her only more teal than blue, and mounted her correctly, latching onto her back.  "Good job.  Much better.  Walk her off now," he said, making shooing motions.

Draco gave him a look.  "Is it always like that?"

"With them.  The flying ones put on incredible shows for us when they mate, but these guys pounce, swell up inside her, and then latch onto her back until she's out of heat.  He'll work her properly, she'll nap, wake up cranky, he'll shift some until she realizes what he's doing, and then the cycle will start over," he said with a grin as his newest baby waddled off with her burden on her back.  She snapped back at him.  "He's trying to help.  Curt, do it more, buddy.  She'll need it, it's her first time."  The male dragon humped her harder, making her pause and then go limp under him again with a moan. " See?  She'll be fine and he'll unswell once the chemicals from her being in heat dissipate.  That's what they're there for."  He clapped Draco on the back.  "Can you take Ron?"

"Of course I can," he said bitterly.  "Don't I always seem to?  It's my life's desire to cart him around."  He grimaced and turned Ron into a portkey, sending them both back to the resort.  Dawn could uncharm him if she wanted.

Charlie shook his head.  "My brother is nuts to live like that."  He disappeared, going to his mother's for the rest of his vacation.  Bill met him in the garden and handed over a beer.  "She not here?"

"At the market, Dad left 'em.  He knew how trying Ron can be some days," he said with a smirk.

Charlie snorted.  "How did you learn anything from that man?"

"He slips the lessons in between the jokes and the pranks," Bill said with a grin.  "You don't even realize he's doing it until you need it."  He finished his beer and put the bottle down just as his mother appeared.  "Hi, mam."

"Hey, mum," Charlie agreed, grinning at her.  "We've just gotten a new dragon."

"Good for you, dear."  She kissed them both on the cheeks.  "Those bottles had better find their way into the trash.  Ginny's at the Dumass's right now helping with their unicorn."  She breezed into the kitchen.  "I'm going to bake the twins some cookies so they can feed them to Tipsy.  Would either of you like to help?"

"Sure, mum," they agreed, coming in to help her cook and to chat with her.  It wasn't often they got her alone these days.

***

Xander stalked the giggling creature like he would a vampire, eventually plunging his arms around the small, wiggling body until she squealed and fought his ruinous grip.  "Got you," he said happily, making Cassandra squeal and wiggle in his hands.  "Yes, the Uncle has you," he said, making a silly face at her.  "Who has you?  The uncle does."  She kicked and laughed some more.  "You look like a frog when you do that."  He kissed her on the forehead, taking her back to his seat by the pool.  "Daddy said you can't swim without him being here, Cassandra, or I'd let you.  Now, sit here and let Uncle Alex tell you about the big, huge doggy creature he saw last night."  She cooed, liking his voice.  "It was big and huge and slobbery, and it slobbered all over Ron," he said, grinning down at her as he tickled her.  She squealed again, grabbing his fingers to play with.  "It wanted to eat the Ron, but the Uncle Alex was smarter and faster and got it onto its back for belly scratches, thereby saving the Ron and the Dawn, and possibly the Draco as well since he was watching in fascinated horror."

"Don't tell her that," Ron complained.  "It was stupidity I know, but it was handled."

"Yeah, by him having to show his skills off yet again," Draco said bitterly.  "Alex, I demand that we either have a real vacation or I'm going to have to pout."  Ron grimaced at him.  "What!  We aren't!  We go to the Caribbean.  There's an emergency, which I don't mind.  We help, we go back to lounging in the sun.  The local curse breakers want Alex's opinion on something so we end up in the middle of a shipwreck guarding the treasure from pirates.  We move our happy little family to Brazil.  We lounge for a few days and then one of the local curse breakers has an emergency and nearly dies, so they call in Alex, so we get to see the fabled temples of wherever," he said with a wave of his hand.  "Which didn't get us anything more than some blisters from our boots because the whole place has been scoured eons ago and the local breaker was in it for the pictograms.  We move to Geneva," he went on, making Ron moan.  "We're there a whole day when the local Gringotts is broken into and we're *all* called into service to use our unique finding abilities to find what was stolen which lets the auror-like scary people who retrieve the lost or stolen items do their jobs.  We come here and I'm waiting for a new emergency.  You promised us a year off and I want my vacation.  I just spent the last seven years fighting Potter and Weasley!"

"That wasn't the war the rest of us fought, you can't claim veteran status," Ron said dryly.

"I helped in the final battle too, then I had to deal with Hufflepuffs for the rest of the year!" he said hysterically.  "Do you know what that did to my nerves?  Having to deal with happy and cheerful little horny creatures all the time?"

"It was like the prozac pod people from the planet hippie," Xander agreed.  "I don't remember Woodstock having that much sex."

"The leaving feast get a bit warm up there?" Emilia asked as she strolled out to join them.  She waved at her cooing daughter.  "She likes you."

"It's a temporary thing so you can ball Greg's brains out," he reminded her firmly.  "This is in payment for him redoing our field kits without charging us an arm and a leg."

She grinned. "He had fun collecting the three pubic hairs he needed for a few things," she said smugly.  "You know, if you could talk your son into the family business, Sev would be the only one of you breakers who'd have a full kit all the time."

"Yeah, but he'd only be in it for the knowledge and you get looked at funny if you're out there to learn from things."

"Did you?" she asked with a grin.

He nodded.  "All the time, and I'm still getting it."

"Is that what that goblin was talking about?" Ron asked from his seat beside the pool.  He needed some sun badly.  He was pasty and pale.

"Yup."  Emilia made a 'go on' motion.  "The goblin we handed the dog spirit over to last night asked me what I had learned from the temple walls in Brazil.  I told him I had learned the proper angle for the sun to be at so you could sacrifice a virgin to the old gods, then I gave him a long look."  He smirked.  "He backed off rather quickly so apparently he's not mated yet."

"What is with that?" Draco asked.

"Their sexual organs don't ...flourish until they're mated.  They're activated during the wedding.  Before that, they're at the same level as little kids only as grownups."

"So, goblins can't fool around before the wedding?" Ron asked.  Xander nodded.  "Doesn't that make it boring and how do they know if they like the person enough for that?"

"They're all the same, Ron.  There's no difference there.  It's a species difference.  That's why you'll only find young goblins in the field, the ones who are searching for a mate.  It wins them prestige and therefore a woman who'll be able to make him work."

Emilia giggled.  "That's so odd.  Then again they are goblins."  She picked up her daughter to nuzzle.  "Have you been a good girl, 'San?"

"Sure, I can handle vampires and monsters, I can handle one kid for a few hours.  Aren't you supposed to be at dinner?"

"The sheriff wanted Greg.  They've just busted a dealer and he can't make heads or tails of any of the formulas lying around, and since they don't have any real drugs from the bust, they needed something.  So my pookie bear is there."   She sat next to him.  "So we'll let you watch her again later, when he gets back, so I can bang him then."

"Hey, that's a worthy goal," Xander agreed.  "I try for that nightly with Draco too."

"You'd have to, otherwise he'd get so horny he'd eat you," she said dryly.  "I had so much more control at that age."

"You're a girl," Draco pointed out.  "You would."

"True," she admitted.  "I've heard from your mother.  She's being courted by a muggle who won't take 'no' for an answer and has gone to Methos for help.  The muggle's still not catching the hint."  Draco glared across the pool.  "So you guys might wanna pop in on the prof soon."

"That can be our next stop," Xander agreed.  "I haven't seen the head office in a while from the outside."

"As long as we get a real vacation, Alex," Draco said firmly.  "And I do mean a non- working one."  He scowled at his mate, making Cassandra giggle at him.  "Thank you, love, just destroy my illusions of being scary."

"That's what kids are for," Emilia said happily.  "So, Draco, come see if you can see the kid.  I want to work on names and maybe the colors will give us an area to look in."  He trotted over, sitting beside her on the lounger, staring at her stomach.  He gasped and touched her stomach.  "What?  Bad, good?  Full veela?"

"There's green and blue swirls, then there's orange and yellow ones," he breathed, tracing the places where they were flowing and overlapping.  She moaned.  "So either it's a very broad spectrum wizard or you've got twins.  This is amazing."  He continued to trace the energy whorls around the babies, removing all the cramps from her stomach from the gentle rubbing.

Xander put the baby down and pulled his consort away from the stomach.  "Let the babies sleep," he said at the hurt look.  "'Mil?"

"Twins?" she squeaked.

"Or one that's really strong," Draco agreed.  "The orange and yellow swirls aren't as strong.  You need to see a mediwitch."

"Oh, we are so going to the doctor's tonight," she agreed, standing up and catching her daughter as she escaped.  "No helping Ron suntan, his girlfriend will get upset."  She looked around.  "Where is Dawn?  I expected her to be squealing over my stomach."

"Emilia, it's August sixteenth," Draco said gently.  "She's shopping."

"Ah.  Good enough then.  I'm sure Potter can and will protect her."  She strode off, going to pounce her husband and kill him for this.  She found him in the middle of Grissom's office.  "Twins?" she demanded. "You wanted twins?"

"No, I was thinking really hard about having boys," he said softly, looking confused, until his brain caught her words.  He fell to his knees and clutched her around the stomach, rubbing his cheek against them. "Twins," he moaned.  "Oh, Gods, you're so wonderful!"

Grissom chuckled and got up to leave them alone.  "How did you find out?"

"Draco and I both do really well with power flows.  He caught the two different ones."  She rolled her eyes.  "Greg, has it become obvious yet that I'm a bit old to be having twins?"

"Shh, let me commune, they need to know the daddy," he whispered, continuing to rub and hum to the babies.

Grissom walked out and closed the door behind him, shaking his head at the sheriff coming up the hall.  "Greg just found out they're twins.  He's communing with her stomach."  The sheriff grimaced but he couldn't break that up.  "Catherine?"  She came out of Greg's lab.  "It's twins."  She smirked and went back to work.  "Give him an hour?"

"I've got a news crew coming."

"Well, they can wait.  They're used to it," Grissom reminded him, walking him back out of the area.  He paused to watch Sarah hum 'I'm a little teapot' over and over again while she worked.  He blinked a few times.  "I think it's time she took her vacation," he said, continuing the sheriff on until he could send him away.  "Come back in an hour."  He hurried back inside, going to stop Sarah.  "What are you doing?"

"I was listening to some woman's blaring stereo on the way in and this was the track under the rap song, now it's stuck in my head," she complained.  "Why would someone rip that for a rap track?"

"Who knows," he said, patting her on the back. "Take some of your vacation, Sarah, please.  That way you can relax and forget all about it."  He went back to his office, finding Warrrick staring at the door.   "It's twins."

"Oh."  He nodded.  "Good thing then.  The doc wanted Greg."

"Greg, you're still working, you can go to lunch soon," he called, tapping on the door.  Emilia squealed and he shook his head.  "Don't do that in my office, Greg!"

"I'm not," he said as he opened the door.  "The baby just kicked her."  He gave them a smug look.  "Twins.  I am the man."

"Well, the man, doc wants you," Warrick said dryly, getting out of the way.  "Congratulations, Emilia.  Should we worry about him if he disappears?"

"No, I can hide a body better than most of the idiots you guys see," she said, glaring at her husband's back.  "This means twice as much labor pains, Greg."

He kissed her on the back of the hand.  "For which you'll be in the hospital with pain killers this time and I won't even let the Prof deliver them for you."  He smirked at her then trotted off to go back to work.  He'd nail her during lunch.  Then they could celebrate all day since didn't have to work tomorrow night.

"The sheriff needs a report too, Greg," Grissom called after him.

"Sure, boss."

Emilia sighed and stomped off.  Why was everyone so happy about this?  She went to gather up Draco and take him to Tipsy's.  If she had to be miserable, so did her best friend.  "There, check her stomach," she demanded, waking up the twins.

The twins got out of the way as Draco sat on their wife's thighs and stared down at her stomach, then grinned when he burst out laughing and nodded.  He smirked at his cousin.  "Blue and green, and black and red."

"Blue and green power flows are normal, they're in water," Fred said.  "The baby books all said so."

"Black and red?  It's a fire person?" George asked.  "Bloody hell, wife!"

"Plus there's a dark spot," Draco noted, tracing it.  "It could be where they're fraternal, but then again it could be one hiding."  She pushed him off so she could run and cry.  "I'd stop that, guys."  They ran after her to soothe and love her. He smirked at his cousin. "You're matching?"

"She had twins the first time and they're all twins," she reminded him.  "I'm not!"

"It's not unheard of for veela twin births," Draco pointed out.  "Usually it means it's a boy and a girl.  It seems to be the only way boys are born."  He lounged on the bed smirking at her.  "Was Greg happy?"

"Yes," she said bitterly.  "Tipsy, come on, we'd better go see a healer now," she called.  "I want to make sure I'm not alone in the misery of having twins."  One of the twins disengaged from his wife's side to hug her too.  "Thanks, Fred."

"George."

"Whichever.  You're basically one guy in two bodies anyway."  She pulled Tipsy up.  "St.  Mungos?"

"Yes!  I want to know what that black spot was."

"Like I said, if I have to be in misery having twins, so do you," she repeated, taking her with her by portkey.

"Bloody hell, she's having twins too?" Fred asked.

"How did we infect her?" George asked.  "We haven't slept with her."

Draco came out laughing.  "It's known to happen and one's probably a boy. It seems to be the only way we're born."

"You were a twin?"

"Mine died at birth," he said coolly.

"Sorry, Draco."  The twins gave him a hug.  "Was it a bad thing?"  He shrugged.

"You couldn't tell?" the other one asked.  Draco shook his head again.

"Then we should get dressed...."

"They'll need us," the other finished.  They ran to put on something vaguely resembling clothes and head for the hospital.

Draco got himself back to Emilia's house and fell down to nap for a bit.  "Tipsy's having twins too," he told whichever person was trying to wake him up.  "Cousin's with her."

"I should pout," Greg complained.  He touched his arm, sending dirty thoughts at his wife, making her blush where the doctor was examining her.  She filled him in and he smirked.  "Oh, Molly's going to freak," he said happily.  He found Xander in the kitchen with his daughter.  "Are we cooking again?" he asked, kissing her.  "How would you like to be a big sister?  You'll be a very good one, 'San."

"How's Tipsy?"

"Draco said twins.  They're at the hospital because there was a dark spot again."  He leaned against the counter.  "Are you guys staying tomorrow too?"

"If you need us too, if not I was going to head home for a few days so we can see Dawn off and make a big deal of her."  He grinned at him.  "I guess that depends on you needing a sitter."

"We probably could use one," he agreed with a smirk.  "Twins."

"With veelas, that usually means that one's a boy.  They always seem to happen in pairs."

"Draco was a twin?"

"Draco's twin died during childbirth," Xander said quietly.  "His father wouldn't let her go to the hospital."

"Good thing he's dead."

"Very," Xander said smugly.  "Still won't save him from some of the demons I know."  He smirked and went back to making the little girl a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, handing over the little triangles with a flourish. "There you go, even you sized," he offered, putting her back onto the floor so she could toddle off and eat.

Greg put her in the high chair when she pouted, letting her have the saucer with the sandwich pieces on it.  She already knew you only ate at the table.  His angel was so smart!  "You're good at this, Alex."

"Only for short times, then my temper or my creativity run out."  He shrugged. "I know my strengths, Greg.  I make a great babysitter and uncle, but a sucky parent."  He handed over another sandwich.  "Because you'll probably need it," he said with a grin

Blair landed in the entryway and dragged his tired, depressed body into the dining room to hug Xander. "I suck."

"You don't suck," he soothed, patting him on the back.  "I don't take you for someone who likes to suck."

Blair snorted, standing up.  "Jim found his woman, his 'one'," he said bitterly.  "So I got to train my replacement and then Simon and I had to break up because the Chief was threatening his job.  My whole life is one sucking void at the moment.  Hey, 'Sandra."  He kissed her on the head when she smiled at him.  It was only proper to worship the darling little one.  "Now I have no idea what to do with my Ph. D."

"Then you go to Dumbledore and see if he's got a spot open," Greg advised.  "After all, you're a teacher."

Blair's whole face brightened.  "I can, can't I?"  He smiled at him. "Thanks, Greg."

"Welcome, Blair.  You can hide here, but there'll be noise after I get off work.  She's having twins."

"Gods," Blair breathed.  "Twin little Emilia and Gregs?  The world may end."

"Not funny, Sandburg."

"Sorry, couldn't resist," he said with a grin.  He looked at Xander.  "How's the vacation?"

"Each and every place we go, there's problems," he noted.

Ron came jogging out of the tv room.  "There's a magical hostage situation in town," he panted. "The concert Dawn couldn't go to."

"Crap," Greg sighed, calling Grissom.  "It may not be a normal hostage situation," he said over the staticky reception.  "I'm coming back.  Where?"  He stood up.  "Deal."  He hung up and kissed his little girl on the head, then left without changing.  He always had his wand on him these days.  He felt Ron following and looked at him.  "No way, kid. Only the cops.  There's a few others in town."

"Yes!" Draco shouted.  "We're not needed!"

"That's why you two are staying here with the baby," Xander said firmly, "and I'm going."  He looked at Greg.  "I'll simply follow you.  I've been held hostage before and I can slip in where you guys can't."

"Fine, Grissom can yell at you," Greg decided.  It was wasting time.  He drove them to the area, pulling out his CSI badge when a uniformed cop opened his mouth.  "Grissom?"

"East entrance, sir," he said, pointing. "Your friend?"

"Psychological warfare," he said grimly.   He jogged that way, finding Nick first. "How many hostage takers?"

"Just two but SWAT can't get in," Nick said, looking at Xander.  "You brought one of them?"

"Try arguing with him sometime."  He pushed his way to Grissom's side.  "Okay, what's going on?  I can feel the shield."

Xander tested it then nodded once.  "There's a weak spot.  He only laid it against the ground, not into it.  That means it's pooled, like a tent."

Grissom looked at him.  "How do you do that?"

"How do you think we break into tombs?" he retorted.  "Sometimes with other things waiting in there for us."  He looked around.  "Am I taking anyone on my circuit?"

"No," Grissom said.  "It's too dangerous to the people inside."

"Unless he's got weapons, he can't do more than one cast at a time and I'm guessing the wizards in there can block him."  He looked at the building.  "He sectioned it, there's a joining at the top," he said after studying the power flows.  He felt a small seam and smirked.  "He left himself an out.  There's a spot here that's weak."  He turned and found a few cops behind him.  "Turn around, guys, this is a strange new weapon."  Brass looked at him.  "Okay, except for you, then you can explain it to them."  He lifted his wand and a dagger, working them together to split the seam without warning the wizard, getting them inside the parting of the magical 'walls'.  He opened it wider.  "In."  The cops rushed past and he followed at a trot, taking a course that would get him behind the stage.  He fired a quiet hex at the wizard, making him fall to his knees and release his stolen power, then a second one to knock him out.  He came out.  "His talisman, the thing that was talking to him, is the wooden thing.  Put it into a wooden box and keep it in one," he ordered as he came out.

Brass gave him a look.  "Which friend are you?"

"Alex."

"Oh."  His eyes widened.  "I've heard of you.  Thank you, sir.  Please stay nearby so we can take a statement."  He helped drag the kid out.

The rockstar on stage looked at him.  "Who?"

"Alex Dumass," he said with a grin, holding out a hand. "One of my proteges is a big fan, sir."

"Thanks."  He shook it.  "We're doing this concert over again tomorrow night.  Wanna come?  Backstage and everything?"

"Ron would die," he breathed, hugging him.  "Thanks, man.  I'll go tell him.  Have a better night.  There shouldn't be any more in town."  He jogged off and disappeared, going to tell Ron.

Kid Rock shook his head.  "Wow.  That's one strong guy," he told his bodyguard, a fellow wizard.  "I didn't even feel him come in."

"You probably wouldn't.  Do you know who that was?" he asked as he led his boss away.  The concert would be done again tomorrow night, with better security.  "That's Carnage."

"Huh."  He smirked.  "From what I hear, he's got a real taste for the ladies.  Who's Ron?"  His bodyguard rolled his eyes and handed over a tabloid sitting on the table, making him gasp.  "He's training Weasley?"

"Yeah, and Potter's guarding Weasley's girlfriend for him," he said smugly.  "Or dating, the press can't decide which."

"Shit, give them full access passes, send them to the cops so they can find him again.  I'm sure someone down there knows him."

"Yeah, I've noticed one of the CSI people outside is one of us," one of the roadies noted.  "Are you okay, Kid?"

"Fine, how are the kids he sucked off of?"

"Being taken away.  It looks like simple power drains so they'll be fine in a few hours with some rest and some juice.  Should we tear down the set?"

"No, leave it up.  We're doing the whole show over tomorrow night."  The roadie nodded, taking the orders off to the rest of the crew.  He looked at his bodyguard.  "I'm surprised that there's so many of us in town."

"We can hide in plain sight," an amused voice said as he walked in.  "Are you all right?  Alex didn't scare you?"  Kid Rock smirked at him and shook his head.  "Good.  He's a scary man.  Showed up the first time I met him in a speedo.  They're on vacation after a year of school.  He had to go be with Hufflepuffs.  Speaking of, are you thinking about doing Britain?  The World Cup is next year and they could probably use a halftime show.  Greg knows people in their Ministry."

"He's well connected."

"More like some of his buddies are the kids of a Minister," Penn noted.  "They're all Banes."  Kid gaped and swallowed.  "So, yeah, you probably could get permission for a show over there and I know one odd little Ravenclaw who'd love to go.  She's teaching all the Hufflepuffs 'street'."

He laughed, shaking his head.  "Good for her.  I'll consider it.  How did you get in?"

"Magic," he said smugly.  "What else would they expect from me?"

"Good point.  Sit, let's relax before they come back here to ask awkward questions."

"Offer to talk to Brass.  He knows."  Penn sat down across from him.  "You know, I didn't get to meet Dawn."

"She'll be here tomorrow night," the bodyguard said.  "Alex said Ron was a big fan and had wanted to come tonight."

"I'm betting if Ron had been here, the guy wouldn't have done more than pause the show," Kid noted. "Next time, let's send the guy to sleep like Alex did.  It'd be easier."

"It would.  He's a damn good brawler," Penn agreed.  "Then again, Carnage should be."  They all nodded at that.  A uniformed officer came in and Penn looked at him.  "Mr. Rock's really tired and would like to head out to get drunk.  Is Detective Brass taking statements yet?"

"I'll check, sir."  He ran off, going to tell Brass that the star wanted to cooperate and was being polite.  "Sir, Mr. Penn asked if you were busy or ready to take statements," he told Brass, saluting.

"Sure, I can do that," he agreed, following the kid back.  "Go help, kid."  The officer ran off so he walked in alone.  "Tired?"

"I want a drink and I figured you'd want me before I did that," Kid noted with a grin.  "Ask away."

Brass sat down and pulled out his notepad to take notes.  "All right, when did you notice him?"

***

Ron strolled into Madam Malkins and grinned at the ladies there.  "Sorry, ladies, but I need her more."  A few of them cooed and sighed at the romantic nature of the request.  "I've got us concert tickets for Vegas tonight," he said with a grin.  "Since Alex pulled his knight act and all."  She squealed and hugged him as hard as she could.  He stroked her back.  "Hurry up and find something naughty for me tonight.  We'll spend some of my paycheck that I'm not using and spend the night while Draco and Alex go off on their own for a romantic dinner."  She let him go and whispered in the fitter's ear, getting a smirk and a nod, so she was let out of her uniforms and she paid, sending them all to the house with a note for her aunt so they wouldn't worry.  Then she skipped off with Ron.  "Tipsy's having twins again, and there's no unhealthy third one so the doc said she shouldn't have any problems."  The saw a crowd and sidestepped into a doorway, watching who they were mobbed around.  "Hey, it's Wood."  He dragged her over.  "Oliver!"  Oliver turned and grinned, letting Harry out of his protective grasp before they went into the broom shop.  "Harry!"  He clapped him on the back and gave him a strong hug.  "We've missed you.  We've gotten into trouble all summer without you."

Harry laughed.  "I'm sure you have, Ron.  You always seem to get into trouble with my uncle."  Ron snickered, nodding.  "Where you off to?"

"Concert tonight.  You?"

"Polish.  Hey, Dawn.  I'm sending you tickets to any of the games you can get free for.  That way I can check up on you afterwards for the big git.  Got it?"  She nodded, beaming at him.  "Good girl.  We'd best go before the reporters show up."  They ran their separate ways, heading off to run the necessary errands.  Harry beamed at Oliver.  "Sorry, that was Dawn.  She's Hufflepuff's keeper now.  Ron's training her.  She's not half bad."

"Good.  She still think it's a game?"  Harry nodded, smirking at him.  "I'm sure he'll be able to convince her otherwise soon," he said with a clap on the back.  "Ron looked bulky.  He's really grown since the last time I saw him."

"Yeah, he has," Harry agreed.  "And he's got a tan!"  He walked in with a grin for the salesclerk.  "I need some of Finnigan's bristle polish and a giant tub of Elixir polish for my handle.  That way I don't have to brave everyone out there again."  The clerk stared at him in awe and Oliver burst out in giggles.  "Please don't do that," Harry pleaded.  "I promise, I'm a normal wizard."  The clerk shook himself and went to get the things for him, and Harry made sure he paid the correct price for it.  It'd be noted and talked about otherwise.  Then he drug Oliver out the back door and out of Diagon by a hardly used exit.  He looked at him as they walked up the street.  "I hate that."

Oliver patted him on the back.  "So do I, but sometimes it's funny when it happens to the others.  I enjoy the hell outta you getting it for once.  Plus, no one tried to rip off our clothes."  A few of the people around them gave him an odd look.  "In joke," he said, making them run away.  He nudged Harry and they disappeared into an alleyway to apparate back to the camp.  The coaches looked at their watches in unison, then at them.  "Harry got mobbed in Diagon.  I saw Dawn upclose.  She was clinging to his arm and nearly vibrating against him."

"She's getting my courtesy tickets," Harry told his coach.  "I promised to watch over her while Ron was off getting into trouble."

"We'll make sure the press knows that you're not stealing her," the head coach said firmly.  "Got it?"

"Everything," Harry said, pulling out the other bags they had retrieved before the crowd had surged and found them.  "I wonder what concert they're going to."  Someone handed over a paper on the way past him.  "Oh, hey, Kid Rock.  I remember Luna talking about him."  He walked off reading it.  This was better than Ron's stories about what they had done because of all the inaccuracies.  "Oops, they've got Dawn preggers again."  He went to call the paper, startling the editor.  "Hey.  Dawn's not pregnant.  The twins are pregnant."  He turned off the floo and went back to his reading, using his wand to put everything up.

***

Ron woke up the next morning and found a paper on his chest with a bow on it.  "Bloody bastards," he complained as he sat up.  He opened it and the headline screamed 'Weasley twins pregnant!  Men break the barrier finally!'  He groaned and shook his head.  "Harry!"

"Better them than me," Dawn quipped from beside him.

The End.

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