"Quixotic"

extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.

27th July 1997

"Danielle!" Fleur chimed, leaping off the thestral and rushing to embrace her best friend. "Gods, I've missed you so much!"

Athena calmed the mystical creature as Fleur clung to Danielle, gently stroking its leathery neck. She then dismounted, her eyes lighting up as she spotted Bill.

"Billy!" she greeted with a grin, her enthusiasm evident.

"It's been too quiet around here," Bill said, giving her a warm smile. He glanced down at the Ashryver insignia on her chest before pulling her into a hug. "Good to see you, Thena."

Athena beamed, squeezing him back. "So good to see you too, Billy."

"Athena!" Ron called out as he jogged over, Hermione and Moody close behind, urging them all toward the house. Hermione flung her arms around Harry while Ron gave him a hearty clap. Others began emerging from the shadows: Fred, George, Bill, Danielle, Athena, Fleur, Marlene, Tonks, Sirius, Lupin, Arthur Weasley, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and lastly, Hagrid, dismounting his enormous motorbike.

Hagrid removed his fly-specked goggles and yanked a tiny, twittering bird from his beard. "All right, 'Arry? Yeh look fit."

"Yeah, he's ruddy gorgeous. What say we get undercover before someone murders him," Mad-eye quipped.

"Very cheery, Mad-Eye," Athena teased, patting Moody on the shoulder before heading toward the house, Fleur's hand tightly clasped in hers.

"Well, Missy. You are lucky that we need you!" Moody growled, but there was a hint of amusement behind his words.

Athena turned, flashing him a sly smile. As they moved into the house, the group spilled down the hallway into the sitting room.

"I thought you were looking after the Prime Minister, Kingsley."

"You're more important," Kingsley replied with a slight nod.

"And you? No duties in France?" Harry inquired, raising a brow at his sister.

Athena chuckled softly. "Like Kingsley said, you're more important," she said, pulling Harry into a hug, and pressing soft kisses into his messy hair. When she finally let go, Fleur stepped in to do the same.

"Wherever my wife goes, I follow."

Harry grins at the Veela, and then a tall, red-headed man is before him, hand extended. His face is scarred.

"Hello, Harry. Bill Weasley."

"Wasn't always this handsome," Fred snickered.

"Dead ugly," George chimed in.

"True enough," Bill said, smiling at Harry.

A kiss on the cheek by his fiancée, Danielle, "You are still beautiful to me, William."

"Just remember, Dani, once you're married: Bill takes his steaks on the raw side now."

"My husband, the Joker," Sirius laughed.

Before anyone could respond, Marlene piped up excitedly, "By the way, wait until you hear the news! Moony and Padfoot are—"

Moody cut her off, "All right, all right! You'll all have time for a cosy catch-up later! We've got to get the hell out of here and soon!" he grumpily huffed as he dropped some sacks at his feet and turned to Harry. "Potter, you're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you."

"The Trace?" Harry asked.

Athena stood by the window, her posture tense. Fleur noticed the way her wife kept scratching at the scar over her heart—an old sign that something was troubling her. Fleur gently placed a hand on Athena's arm, calming her.

"You sneeze and the Ministry will know who wipes your nose." Moody explained, "Point is, we have to use those means of transport the Trace can't detect: brooms, thestrals and the like. We'll go in pairs. That way if anyone's out there waiting for us—and I reckon there will be," he glanced at Athena, knowing that she sensed the ambush. "—they won't know which Harry Potter is the real one."

Harry looked around, confused, "The real one...?"

Moody draws a flask from his cloak, its contents bubbling ominously. "I believe you're familiar with this particular brew."

Harry spat. "No! Absolutely not!"

"I told you he'd take it well," Hermione sighed.

"If you think I'm going to let people risk their lives for me—"

"Never done that before, have we?" Ron chimed in dryly.

"This is different!" Harry protested. "Taking that. Becoming me—no."

Fred smirked, "Well, none of us really fancy it, mate."

"Yeah, imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as scrawny, specky gits forever," George nodded in agreement.

"That is mean, you two," Athena voiced, turning to everyone as she raised an eyebrow at the twins.

Moody interrupted the banter, holding out the flask. "Everyone here's of age, Potter, and they've all agreed to take the risk."

"Technically, I've been coerced," Mundungus said, turning to Harry and extending his hand. He received a terrifying glare from Athena. "Mundungus Fletcher, Mr. Potter. I've always been a huge admirer."

"Nip it, Mundungus!" Moody snapped at the small man. "All right, Granger, as discussed."

Hermione grabs a tuft of Harry's hair—yanks.

"Blimey, Hermione!"

"Straight in here, if you please."

Athena sauntered over to Mundungus and whispered, "One more word from your mouth, I will make sure you are arrested the moment you set foot in China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and the Scandinavian countries. Those countries are harsh with foreign criminals. Nod if you understand." Mundungus timidly nodded while Athena took a step back and smiled at the man. "Good."

Moody holds out the flask, un-stoppered now. The potion inside begins to spit forth smoke. He hands it to George.

"I can drink it," Athena whispered to her wife. "It's disgusting."

"It's okay," Fleur pressed a kiss on her wife's cheek as she turned back to Moody. Athena let out a deep exhale as she took a step back, joining her godparents and their lovely partners that were introduced or encouraged by Athena herself.

"For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before, fair warning. It tastes like Goblin's piss," Mad-eye stated while Athena sucked in her breath, seeing how her wife slowly turned around.

"Have a lot of experience with that, do you, Mad-eye?" Fred teased, earning a menacing glare from the grizzled Auror. Moody's eye rotates menacingly onto Fred.

"Just trying to defuse the tension."

Fred takes the flask from George, followed by Ron, Hermione, Fleur and a less-than-overjoyed Mundungus. He scowls as the potion trickles past his lips and seconds later, his features—like those of the others—begin to bubble like hot wax. As the transformation completes, seven Harry Potters stand in the tiny kitchen.

"Wow—we're identical!" the Weasley twins joked.

"Not yet you aren't," Moody replied. He opened one of the sacks, pulling out seven identical outfits.

"Don't have something a bit more sporty, do you?" George asked cheekily.

"Yes, don't fancy this colour at all."

"Fancy this: You're not you, so shit it and strip." Mad-eye turned to Harry, " You'll need to change too, Potter."

Harry, a bit self-consciously, begins to strip down. The others, meanwhile, appear unconcerned to be exposing Harry's body.

"Thena, look away—I'm hideous," Fleur blurted without thinking and it hurt Harry's feelings a little.

Athena snorted in response and was confused when she was handed her bra.

"Do I keep it or?" Athena turned to Marlene and she slowly slid her wife's bra into the inner pocket of her coat. Marlene just laughed at her, playing with her rings.

"I knew Ginny was lying about that tattoo," Ron remarked with a grin, causing Harry to stumble slightly.

"Harry, your eyesight is really awful," Hermione commented, squinting through Harry's glasses.

Mad-Eye, rummaging through his pockets, pulled out a fistful of glasses. "Right then, we'll pair off. Each Harry will have a protector or two." He turned to all the Harrys and tried to figure out which one was the real one. "As for you, Harry..."

"Yes?" All the Harry Potters answered while Athena decided to go out for air. She did not know which Harry Potter was her wife and just left.

"Hey girl," she whispered, patting the thestral's neck. Looking up at the night sky, she took a deep breath. "Let's hope they're too focused on him..."

— | —

"There are four tailing us!" Athena shouted, her voice battling the fierce wind that lashed at her face. The air was thick with tension, each gust biting at their skin. Fleur twisted in her seat, trying to catch a glimpse of the Death Eaters gaining on them.

"I can't see them!" she shouted back, her eyes darting over the darkened landscape, the night obscuring everything but shadows.

Athena's grip tightened. Without a second thought, she yanked the reins, sending them both into a steep dive. The thestral beneath her plummeted, its bony wings slicing through the air as they dropped like a stone. The wind shrieked in their ears, but Athena held her focus, aiming for the trees below.

Just before they crashed into the forest canopy, Athena cast an illusion spell, the air around them shimmering before they vanished from sight. The dark cloak of her magic blended seamlessly with the night. The pursuing Death Eaters roared past, oblivious to the sudden disappearance.

"They're gone for now," Athena whispered, guiding the thestral to glide under the cover of the dense trees. As they landed in a shadowy alleyway, Athena's eyes never left the sky, watching for any signs of pursuit. The tension between them eased, but only slightly.

Athena tapped Fleur's arm gently. "You okay?"

Fleur nodded, her breath still shaky from the adrenaline. Athena motioned for her to dismount. "You take the thestral. I'll cover us from here."

"Athena..." Fleur began, her hesitation clear. But when she saw the determination – no, the desperation – in her wife's eyes, she relented. "Fine. But you better still look good doing it."

Athena smirked, a flash of humour breaking the tension. "I learned from the best." She waited as Fleur settled into the saddle. "Relax, it's just like riding a horse... except this one flies."

Fleur exhaled, still uneasy but trusting Athena's calm. "Okay..."

"Marlene right above us, waiting. So we will move once they circled back."

Athena send her Patronus to Marlene, hoping that none of the death eaters wouldn't catch a glimpse of it.

— | —

"Mad-eye's dead," Bill said, his voice cutting through the tense silence. The room froze, and Tonks, still standing by the door, anxiously shifted her gaze outside, clearly worrying about her girlfriend and the others they were with. "Mundugus took one look at Voldemort and disapparated."

Remus, filled with worry about his goddaughter, broke the quiet. "Mad-eye reckoned You-Know-Who would expect the real Harry to be with the most skilled Auror. He knew he'd be in the most danger and probably explained why Athena's not back yet."

"It doesn't explain how they knew we were moving Harry tonight." Arthur pointed out, his voice barely above a whisper. The weight of his words thickened the air, and the room grew even quieter as uneasy glances were exchanged.

Suddenly, a blue light pierced through the night, flooding the room in an eerie glow. Everyone's heads turned to the window. Tonks was the first to react, bolting outside.

Athena stepped forward from the light, not bothering to raise her wand, sensing that her people had arrived safely. The others, still wary, watched cautiously. Her wife, Fleur, stood close by, her features slowly shifting back to normal after the terrifying flight. Marlene dismounted her broom beside them, her stance steady but her eyes betraying exhaustion.

"Thena," Remus called out, uncertainty lacing his voice as he raised his wand toward the three figures. Sirius hovered behind him, unsure whether to speak or act, concern etched across his face. "What tattoo did Sirius get after the close incident with the Veil?"

"A black cat, angry face. Padfoot drew it himself," Athena answered without hesitation, her voice calm but strained.

Sirius let out a short, dry snort. "And badly," he muttered, attempting to mimic his botched vision of the tattoo.

Marlene chuckled, stepping closer. "I was the one who had to clean it up and tattoo it on his back, behind his heart," she added. "It was meant to honour her—" she glanced at Athena, "—because she saved his life."

Tonks darted forward, throwing herself into Marlene's arms. Relief flooded her face as she clung tightly to her girlfriend. Meanwhile, Harry rushed out of the house the moment Remus lowered his wand, sprinting toward Athena.

"Georgie's okay?"

"He's doing better," Sirius replied, stepping forward to embrace Athena in a tight hug. His tension seemed to melt slightly with the contact. Once he let go, he guided the trio back inside, arm still wrapped around Athena's shoulders.

"Wha'? One of us? Tha's mad." Hagrid exclaimed, his voice booming with disbelief. "I'd wager me life it wasn't none of you lot. An' if it was me I'd kno', wouldn't I? Talk in me sleep on occasion, I'll admit, but there's Fang aroun' ter hear an' mostly it's gibberish an' besides I'd cut me tongue out 'fore 'd betray 'arry e'en in me dreams—"

Hagrid's voice trailed off as he blinked, noticing everyone around him smiling. Confused, he frowned and asked, "Wha's so funny!"

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "I trust you with my life, Hagrid. I trust everyone in this room. Understood?"

"Understood," Lupin replied calmly.

"'Ear, 'ear." George added with a grin, and Athena, crouched by George, rolled her eyes while inspecting his wounded ear.

Fred nodded approvingly to his brother, "Better," he said, gesturing to his twin's half-missing ear.

— | —