The Triwizard Tornament: Raised by Moony and Padfoot

Short Story #2

Dora
July 1987

"Thanks for watching the kids. We needed a night out and hate to ask Minerva every time." Sirius said when she arrived at the Lupin household. Sirius is her mother's cousin, and he and his husband Remus had two kids that were like Dora's little cousins. Millie, who was 4, and Harry, who they adopted after his biological parents were killed, who was about to turn 7.

"No problem. We're going to have fun, aren't we guys?" Dora said as Harry and Millie came into the room with Remus.

"Dora!" Millie exclaimed. "You're hair looks so cool!" Dora was currently sporting a purple bob. Perks of being a Metamorphmagus.

"Yeah we are!" Harry answered her question.

"The kids still need to eat, but there are plenty of leftovers so you shouldn't need to cook anything. Whatever mess the kids make, they need to clean up. Millie needs to go to bed by 8, and Harry around 8:30. We should be home around 9:30." Remus instructed.

"We'll be at the Leaky Cauldron. Feel free to floo us if you need anything. Do you have any questions?" Sirius asked.

"Is there anywhere they shouldn't go?" Dora asked.

"They know they aren't supposed to be in our bedroom without one of us there, and we told Harry that after his birthday he could start learning how to ride a broom, but he is not to take anything from the broom cupboard until after his birthday. And neither of them need to be in the storage room in the basement." Sirius explained, making direct eye contact with Harry during the broom cupboard part.

"Gotcha. Well, have a great night!" Dora said.

"Thanks, again, Dora." Remus said.

"No problem." Dora answered.

Remus and Sirius said goodbye to the kids, and apparated out. Dora checked the clock. 6:30.

"Well kiddos, what do you want for dinner?" Dora asked.

"SPAGHETTI!" They both answered in unison. She heated the spaghetti up in the microwave (her dad was muggleborn, and had taught her how to use muggle appliances. For some reason the Blacks never used them, and never taught their kids how, so it took her mother ages to figure it out.)

The kids ate their spaghetti, making a huge mess on their faces and the table.  After they finished, Dora told them to go to the bathroom and wash off their faces. Dora had brought her wand with her, in case of emergency, but this seemed like something that would be much easier to clean with magic. Besides, she was in a magical house, so they couldn't trace the magic back to her.

"Scourgify!" She cast. And just like that the kitchen and dishes were clean.

After that they played a round of Gobstones, then hide and seek. By then it was almost 8 o'clock. Dora left a TV show on for Harry while she put Millie to bed. She read Millie her favorite story, 'the Fountain of Fair Fortune', and put her to bed.

When Dora came back, Harry was no longer on the couch. She, suspected where he was, and bolted for the broom cupboard. She was right, that's where he was, but he had not taken a broom as she suspected. He had taken out a quidditch set, and opened it on the floor of the broom cupboard. He was holding a quaffle, examining it.

"You know you aren't supposed to be in here." Dora said.

"No, I'm not supposed to take anything out of here. I'm just looking at the quaffle, and I didn't even take it out of the cupboard." Harry defended.

"I guess that is what your Uncle Sirius said." Dora said.

"I know how to use a quaffle, it's pretty easy. Uncle Sirius says that my dad was a great quidditch player. I want to be just like him." Harry said.

"He was amazing. I came to a few Potter family Christmas parties when I was little. Fleamont and Euphemia had a habit of taking in strays like my parents who didn't have anywhere else to go for the holidays. There was a quidditch match at the parties every year no matter how cold it was. And no matter who was playing, James Potter always had the high score." Dora reminisced.

"I know we aren't supposed to take it out, but can you throw the quaffle around with me?" Harry asked.

"Quaffle's fly when you throw them. But I can definitely throw a ball around with you. Let's grab one from the garage, and throw it around in there. I saw that the car isn't there so it should be ok. And if we leave the door open, I can hear if Millie needs me." Dora answer.

"Ok!" Harry said.

They went out to the garage and Harry got out a kickball around the same size as a quaffle. Dora took a Hula Hoop and levitated it to use as a goal. So they played a mock up of 1 vs 1 quidditch until about 8:25.

"Harry, this was a ton of fun, but you better get to bed. It's almost 8:30 and that's when your Uncles said you should get to bed. You go up and put on your PJs, and I'll put this away." Dora instructed.

"Ok. Thanks for playing with me!" Harry said.

Dora stopped the enchantment on the hula hoop, and put the hula hoop and kickball away. She went back inside, and went upstairs and saw Harry in the bathroom, in his pajamas, brushing his teeth. When he finished, Dora read him a bedtime story ('Warlock's Hairy Heart', his request), and tucked him in.

Dora went downstairs and turned on the TV. She put in one of their DVDs, 'Peter Pan', and watched until Remus and Sirius got home.

"Were the kids good for you?" Remus asked.

"Yep! We had loads of fun!" Dora replied.

"Good. Thanks for watching them." Sirius said, handing her her money.

"Are you taking the floo home?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." Dora answered.

"Incendio!" Remus cast at the fireplace and it came alive with flames. Sirius brought out the floo powder.

"Here you go." He said handing it to her.

"Thank you." Dora said. She took a handful and threw it into the flames. When they turned green, she stepped inside. "Tonks home!" She said very clearly. And in a few moments she appeared in her own home, standing in the fireplace.