//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: Sleep Slumber and Shuteye // Story: Hazy Days and Magical Ways // by Dogger807 //------------------------------// After dark, the castle was a completely different beast. What were once wide open, light filled, and airy corridors became a sanctuary of shadows. The puddles of illumination cast by the evenly spaced torches were no match for the encroaching gloom. It was her new playground, a marvelous wonderland of opportunity. Despite her hard hooves, she was almost silent as she traversed from one well of darkness to another. Finding comfort and security in the absence of light, she found a new element and claimed it as her own. Already, two professors had patrolled within a few feet of her; neither had been the least bit aware of her presence. The night belonged to her. She might not have figured out how to fly yet, but that was only a matter of time. Clinging to the ceilings and higher places might have decreased her chances of being caught, but for now, she would content herself with being landbound. She was having more than enough trouble compensating for her diminutive form without adding in flight lessons to her first foray exploring Hogwarts after curfew. The sheer audacity of it almost made her feel like a Gryffindor. She, however, was something no Gryffindor could ever hope to match. Well, okay, maybe Lovegood and that Bates mudblood could come close, but the rest hadn’t a prayer. She was liquid motion, flowing noiselessly through the realms of darkness. Undetectable, she was free to explore to her heart’s content. Still, she did have classes tomorrow; it was time to return to her bed and get some sleep. Having made up her mind, she turned her nose in the direction of the dungeons and tip hooved toward the next hole in the scarce light. “You really aren’t that stealthy.” Pansy froze with one hoof held an inch above the floor; her ears swiveled as she tried to lock onto the source of the voice. Was she imagining things now? “Still, I suppose you aren’t too bad for a neophyte.” Whipping her head back and forth, Pansy was at a loss for words. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull when a larger pony melted out of the shadows that still defied her own enhanced eyesight. “You do have potential.” Pansy winced when she recognized the pony that had been introduced at supper as Extra Security. She had failed to consider the elder thestral when she resolved to indulge in her midnight excursion. The mare circled, studying the shaking foal with unblinking eyes. Then without warning, Extra Security used her muzzle to flip Pansy over. The filly landed on her back with all of her limbs splayed out at awkward angles; including her wings. “Well, you are a filly,” Extra Security stated. “I guess it was too much hoping that you’d be a colt.” Pansy squawked with indignity as she righted herself. “Technically, I should be taking points.” Extra Security reached out and used her mouth to correct the way the filly had folded her right wing. “However, keeping you locked in a dorm at night would be cruel. You need to wander on a regular basis.” Pansy looked up at the larger pony and let herself smile. “Don’t just stand there.” Extra Security smiled back. “Change into your human form; I’d like to know whom I’m dealing with.” Seeing no way out of it, Pansy stood up as a human. She shivered when she realized she had just been wearing her dressing gown when she had changed into a pony; the cold stone of the passageway sucked away her warmth. “A Slytherin if I’m not mistaken.” Extra Security nodded knowingly. “In that case, let me escort you back to the dungeons; you still have classes tomorrow.” Pansy shrunk back into her pony form and obediently followed after the more experienced nightwalker as she again became one with the darkness. Sirius Black lay on his crowded bed and basked in the warmth of his wives. It had been two weeks, and he still had episodes of being struck speechless at the thought of becoming a father. Intellectually, he knew it was the natural outcome of the activities in which he and his partners had been engaging, but there was a difference between knowing it could happen and it becoming reality. When the time came, he’d be ready, but it was going to take some time to get into the proper mindset. But first, he had to help Twilight out of her current dichotomous existence. The woman had been ping-ponging between being in a funk over her perceived failure at the task her princess had set for her and the euphoria common among expectant mothers. Sirius had been there when Princess Celestia had informed Twilight that she hadn’t failed the test; it just had been completed in an unexpected manner, confirming that luck was always a factor. However, this did little to soothe the guilt Twilight felt at the thought of disappointing her mentor. It would take some time and a lot more hugs before Twilight got over the discontentment. Pinkie, on the other hand, was in a constant state of . . . being Pinkie. She had been bouncing around so much that Sirius, Ted and Remus were all developing whiplash. Surprisingly, so was Bellatrix, but that was a can of worms that Sirius refused to open. It was bad enough that Pinkie had informed him that she was taking her herd to meet her family. The train tickets for later in the week had already been purchased. Then there was Rainbow Dash; it was abundantly clear that she was feeling left out and was determined to correct that infraction. With a perverse dedication, she had jumped Sirius every day since they found out the other two were expecting. She was relentless, but he wasn’t complaining, and he suspected Andi was supplying Rainbow with certain potions. It would only be a matter of time and effort before he was three for three in that department. That was time and effort well spent, as far as Sirius was concerned. The oddest reaction was also, in many ways, the most understandable. By any measure, Bella was becoming unidentifiable as the woman who had been tossed into Azkaban all those years ago. A good portion of that might very well be her mandatory sessions with both the mind healers and the muggle sigh-something or other. Sirius’ cousin was swapping periods of wanting to be left alone to sulk with cycles of going around hugging everyone; letting the object of her attention know just how much she appreciated them. An activity which his pony wives were always more than happy to participate, no matter how surely Rainbow felt she needed to be perceived in order to preserve her reputation. Whatever was in those prescriptions she was on, Sirius was going to make sure they remained filled, although, the amount of love honey that Nissy kept plying her with might also have something to do with it. As it stood, the only times Bella was dangerous were those few instances when anyone was unwise enough to get between her and her soap operas. The redistribution of weight on the mattress instantly brought the two remaining occupants of the bed to full wakefulness, a reasonable state of affairs when you stopped to consider that one of them had a less than happy life so far, and the other used to make her home in a place where heavy slumber would only contribute to her sleeping through her own demise. “Is it that time already?” Severus asked, pulling Zecora closer to himself to make up for the loss of his other wife. “Yep.” Applejack shook her head in a vain attempt to get her hair out of her eyes. “Morning chores won’t do themselves. Go back ta sleep, y'all don’t need ta be up yet.” “True, we must reap an added hour’s sleep.” Eyes closed to punctuate the sentence. “Y'all are so cute together.” Applejack lent down to kiss Zecora on her forehead before pressing her lips to Severus, who didn’t have half his face hidden in the covers. “We are better when you are lying here next to us,” Severus said. “Ah wish I could stay.” Applejack grinned. “But responsibilities are a calli. Ah’ll be back ‘fore too long. Now go back ta sleep; Lodestone is waiting fer my tail ta get in that pouch of his.” Not seeing any benefit in complaining about his wife’s routine, Severus said. “Have a good day. Please tell Granny and Big Mac that we say hello.” “Will do.” Once upon a time, the building had been known as Malfoy Manor. That time was a memory now, as the structure had been renamed Cheese Sauce Fondue, or C'est Cheese for short, much to the chagrin of the poor attendant who had been responsible for registering the change in name. She hadn’t thrown the application into the face of the customer when asked if she thought the name was too cheesy, but it had been a close thing. Several adjustments to the property had become evident since it had a transition of ownership. Some of the peacocks, that roamed the estate were now displaying some curious coloration. It was saying something that the plaid specimen was plausibly the least memorable of the lot. Something similar had happened to all of the drapery, leading to the edict that, chaotic immortal or not, the women had the final say on any and all decorations. The results may not have been the uniform drudgery of the Deatheater, but they weren’t so jarring to the eyes after a few minor changes in attitude. The master suite had gone through some modifications as well. Where there had once been a large four poster mahogany bed now rested something that was half bed, half glade, half water mattress and half nest, all in more dimensions than the human mind could comprehend. It was decidedly, entirely, impossibly comfortable, despite the houndstooth silk duvet that covered paisley satin sheets. Lying on the unusual furniture were three figures, two of which were primarily complementary shades of brown, though their limbs and heads introduced various other hues. The third was a familiar, lovable, yellow pony, an individual of unrivaled sweetness whom many felt was a true para . . . urk! Without looking, Discord reached out a claw, putting it through a hazy window in the air. A second later, he hauled the author’s head and torso through the portal, firmly holding onto the shirt the poor, abused, innocent individual was wearing. “I thought we already had a discussion about scenes like this,” the draconequus said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Right . . . moving on then . . . The lord of the manor lay on his back, enjoying the weight of the two members of the fairer sex splayed across his chest. In an amazing turn of fortune, his wife had been more than enthusiastic at the prospect of adding another woman to their family. As of yet, he still wasn’t sure where that sentiment had come from; his wife had always been the jealous type before, but she had welcomed the other woman into their bed and into their hearts. Against every expectation, it had worked out smoothly, leaving him with two wives where there had been one. Now, his new wife was pregnant, granting him another roll of the dice for the chance of having a male heir. With the way his luck was going, there was no way he wasn’t getting a son this time. Life was good. Then there were the political connections he had gained. His second wife was a Knight Elemental in her homeland, lending much prestige to House Greengrass. Furthermore, she had personal connections with the rulers of that wealthy kingdom, while her sister would be an invaluable ally in the Wizengamot. That sister was also a conduit to many more influential individuals, not the least of which was the Potter heir. On top of all that, Rarity was a rare beauty of impeccable breeding. Her charms were very desirable, to say nothing of the pleasures of the flesh she offered. There had been mornings where he had been reluctant to leave the bedroom. If not for the need to provide for his wives and his children, he might have given into the temptations. His children were also doing very well for themselves. His eldest and current heir was doing well in her schooling and, according to Rarity, was positioned to be accepted into the same herd as her new aunt. That was a checkmate move, as far as Lord Greengrass was concerned. The relationships that both houses could now cultivate gave him access to the highest levels of government in two worlds. Meanwhile, his youngest had started her formal schooling at an uncommonly young age. Granted, it was unorthodox, but he wasn’t blind to the potential value of the venture. The lord ran a hand down the sleeping bodies of each of his loving wives, enjoying the feel of the ones who belonged to him. Yes, the future was bright for the Greengrass family. Harry Potter smacked his lips and looked around, bleary-eyed. His pillow had escaped. Unable to move much due to Luna’s human arm being draped over his body, he reached out and latched onto a tail with his teeth. He gave a good yank, setting his pillow back where he wanted it. “Hey!” complained Lavender before closing her eyes and falling back asleep. Things had been relatively dull ever since the herd had returned to school. The most exciting incident had been the confiscation of the remainder of their explosives. Other than that, it had mostly been schooling as normal, with only a few bumps along the way. With any luck, the faculty wouldn't have any reason to learn about the more unorthodox uses of aluminum. Of course, since they were learning magic, those bumps could be painful. One such example was the class where Professor Flitwick had taught them the charm for igniting candle wicks. That had been enlightening. The small professor had just distributed the candles and was giving the okay to practice when Abagail and Apple Bloom looked at each other in alarm before turning to look at Dean who was sitting behind them. The two girls then dove out of their seats and started rolling for cover. In the desk in front of them, Susan Bones had seen their reaction and had promptly snatched her friend Hanna, dragging the surprised girl out of the line of fire. The professor’s desk, on the other hand, hadn’t been as lucky. It was only due to the professor’s quick reflexes that it had only received a few scorch marks. This had led to Dean being forbidden from casting any fire-based spells without the supervision of someone with at least N.E.W.T.-level proficiency in pyromancy. Really, the only new thing was a strange habit Magah had picked up. Instead of following the herd around all day, she had taken to spending her mornings, after breakfast, on two legs in the Gryffindor common room watching telly programs for young children. With a snort, Harry saw that he wasn’t the only one to have lost their pillow. In the light of a softly glowing Hermione, Harry watched Ron yank a blue form back into position and lay his head on her barrel. “We are buying sooooo many throw pillows first chance we get,” Parvati grumbled. Life was different from everything he had experienced so far. It wasn’t just one change either; it was a complete overhaul of his previous existence. His new school wasn’t the same type of predator Smeltings Academy had been. The only comparison would be that they were both boarding schools; after that, all similarities went in the wastebin. For one thing, he wasn’t at the top of the pecking order anymore. He had tried to get Ralph to do his homework for him once. In response, the smaller boy had just looked at him and asked. “You do realize one of these days I’m going to be able to cast fireball?” That had put things in a whole different prospective. Or as Ralph put it, his class’s primary trait was now intelligence, not strength, and he had better buckle down and work on raising that statistic. Even worse, Dinky had not been happy at his attempted display of dominance. He wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much, but it put paid to any future attempts. This mess resulted in his having to do his own homework for the first time in his academic career. This revealed that he needed to study to understand the material to get decent grades on his homework. From that, he learned that he didn’t know how to study. That, in turn, led to Dinky teaching him the basics. He was spending a lot of time with Dinky, now that he thought about it. Wondering if it was time to get up, he looked at his alarm clock and saw he still had sleep coming his way. With a sigh, he pulled the small blonde closer to himself and smiled. Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Button Mash yawned and stretched in the arms of the girl who had been snuggling him tightly. He wasn’t even sure which girl it was, just that she was one who shared the tent with him. Once again, he cursed himself for being such a heavy sleeper. Every night, he’d go to bed in his own bed; the next morning he’d wake up next to one of the girls. They had decided that he was their communal snuggle buddy. Without a doubt, they had worked out a rotation and everything. He had tried going to sleep in his human form, but the girls had learned that they just had to nudge him and ask him to change. Apparently, he was extremely accommodating when he was more asleep than not. Dispirited, he had suggested that they do the same to Rumble, but the pegasus was a much lighter sleeper. He, on the other hoof, would sleep through being shot out of a cannon. He was almost certain he had destroyed all of the negatives. In a bed much too big for him, he slumbered. As a house rule, his housemates no longer bothered him when he was sleeping, well, with the exception of Ralph, who was making waking him into an artform. Princess Celestia had already thanked the young human for the roses and lilies he had sent her on two separate occasions. Unlike Button Mash, he didn’t have the curious experience of waking in a different bed every morning, even though he was arguably a heavier sleeper than the brown colt. To be honest, it was true that he checked the ‘cute’ box as far as the girls were concerned; but there was a reason his name was Spike and not something like, say, Downy or Fuzzy. The net result was that when he lay down to sleep at night, he was generally left alone until Ralph decided it was time for everypony to wake up. The Ravenclaw girls' dorm was a slight misnomer as on most nights there were no girls in it. There were, however, an equal number of fillies to the number of girls it should have contained. As a whole, the group had access to three transfiguration rings, one belonging to Sue Li, the second to Mandy Brocklehurst and the remainder was Padma Patil’s. It may have been a bit of a hassle to pass them around so each girl could hold one in their mouths to transform, but they made do. Luckily, Padma had gotten to the point where she could change without the use of hers. It went without saying that making Sue Li mad in the room was frowned upon. Being Ravenclaws, they hadn’t needed to be burned to come to that conclusion. Gryffindors were known for overriding their survival instincts, Ravenclaws, not so much. Anyone entering that dorm would have found a pile of fluffy bodies on one of the beds and no other occupants. Anyone foolish enough to assault one would quickly learn why ponies had formed herds. The Slytherin girl’s dorm was in a similar state, the main difference being the darkness being held at bay by the steady glow of the green filly with her head resting on the yellow unicorn’s shoulder. There was also a shadow isolating itself and sticking to the ceiling, but she was hard to make out even in the soft green light. There was a large mustard yellow earth pony filly in the pile on the bed, proving that not all ponies were cute despite being cuddly. Along with her were another pale grey unicorn and an off-white pegasus. Perhaps, it should be noted that there were two fewer fillies in the room than one might have expected. To be more accurate, they were not visible at first glance, having climbed into one of the trunks all but carrying a colt with them every night. If anyone were to ask which girls' dorm had pony piles, Hufflepuff would have been second on that list right after the Gryffindors. It was, therefore, paradoxical that it was the only first year girl’s dorm lacking that particular feature. There was a bed holding a unicorn, a bed holding an earth pony, and a bed holding a pegasus. The remaining beds held human girls. It was kind of ironic that the house of friendship and loyalty hadn’t thought of sharing their rings around. Or maybe they were more hygienically conscious. It had been a very long time since he had been in a bed this large. Okay, it had been a long time since he was this small that a normal sized bed seemed this big to him. He was back at square one, once again dependent upon the goodwill of strangers. Curiously, it wasn’t angering him. After all, he had come across his patience the hard way. What was the pitiful time needed to regain his adulthood compared to a thousand years of near sleep? He had time to regain his strength. He had time to learn about this new world. He had time. He also had a family, something of which he wasn’t quite sure what to make. Pleasant Thoughts had insisted on taking him in as soon as she found out he didn’t have any living parents. There was a mound of paperwork to complete, but her profession allowed for his immediate placement under her care as opposed to the orphanage. So, he could now claim Crisp Lick as his sister. The down side was, of course, being required to attend school again, not to mention rebuilding his power to any semblance of what it had once been. That would take more time. Luckily, he had time. Besides, playing hoofball again was kind of fun. Andi couldn’t hold it in anymore. Nature had a package and wasn’t willing to wait any longer. Oh well, it was nearly time to get up anyway. She shuffled out from under the covers, avoiding waking Ted after years of practice. Her erratic hours had made it a necessary skill. She paused, sitting on the edge of the bed long enough to stretch and release the tightness in some of her bunched muscles. Then, she retrieved her housecoat from the back of the chair near their bed as her feet found her slippers. From there, it was a quick shuffle to the ensuite to perform her morning ablutions. It was an unmentionable amount of time later that she left the washroom. Unmentionable, because any man knows not to mention how much time a woman spends in that particular room. Either that, or he learns to love sleeping on the couch. Andi then made her way into the corridor to go downstairs to break her fast. On the way, she stopped by a certain room. Her hope wasn’t as prevalent as it had been, but it was still there. She was, however, prepared for another day of disappointment. What she wasn’t prepared for was the fulfillment of her wishes. It is safe to say that the entire house was awakened by her screaming. There may have been a bottleneck at the top of the stairs as the house’s occupants rushed to find out what could cause that outburst. Two of the individuals chose to take alternative means to rush downstairs. One hopped into the air, transforming, and proving why she was considered the fastest pegasus in Equestria. The other bounced along the walls, rushing along it like a skater using her momentum to stay . . . only she really hadn’t built up enough momentum . . . and she wasn’t a pegasus or thestral . . . and she was hopping sideways . . . Seriously Pinkie, what the buck? I’ve already had Discord breaking the 4th wall this chapter, not to mention the seams on my shirt’s collar; don’t you start with me as well. It wasn’t long before the entire household was standing in a certain doorway, staring at Andi and looking for danger. “It’s happened!” Andi cried out, hopping and clapping her hands. Her gaze never leaving the family tapestry. “I was starting to doubt, but it’s finally happened.” She took a quill to a parchment on the writing table snug in the corner of the room as the rest of the family filed in to examine the wall hanging. “Kreacher!” Andi called out. When the elderly elf popped into the room she commanded. “Take this and attach it to an owl with the instructions to find Glados.” “Kreacher will,” the elf said before popping out. “Are you happy now?” Ted asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before going over to hug his wife. “I told you not to worry,” Twilight said wrapping one arm around Sirius’ middle as Rainbow did the same from his other side. “She got to it in her own time.” “This calls for a party!” “That it does,” agreed Bella with a yawn. Sirius smiled, reaching out to run a finger over the new word. “Our family is growing,” he stated unnecessarily. Everyone nodded their agreement as they watched one portrait transform from human to avian. It was linked to a similar portrait, labeled with a single name: Gordon. The form stopped before the closed door and narrowed her eyes in irritation. It took a couple hops before she managed to catch the handle in her mouth and properly twist it. The portal creaked slightly as she pushed it open. She peered inside, scrunching her nose at the rank smell of sweat that the air freshening charms and pink scented candles could not cover. On the bed she could see the overweight form breathing steadily in her sleep. Nodding to herself, she retreated a few steps to pick up the iron skillet she had found in the unused kitchen. It took three attempts to jump onto the bed with the added mass, but she managed to avoid waking the occupant of the room. For a minute she stared down at the face of the sleeping woman, anger building the entire time. Then, in one swift motion she brought the skillet up high over her head. “No!” *Clang!* “More!” *Clang!* “Pretty!” *Clang!* “Pink!” *Clang!* “Pajamas!” *Clang!* “No!” *Clang!* “More!” *Clang!* “Insufferable!” *Clang!* “Cooing!” *Clang!* “I!” *Clang!* “Am!” *Clang!* "Lord!" *Clang!* “Voldemort!” *Cluff!* She tossed the bloody cookware off the bed before snatching the wand off the end table. It was time for her to strike out on her own. It was past time for him to strike out on HIS own.