Disclaimer: Rowling presented seven years of a school which supposedly existed for centuries. Hogwarts 1835 had little from canon besides location. Hogwarts 1940 could serve as a prequel to the novels. This sequel to 1835 has little from canon but some family names and occasional locations which originate in Rowling's books. Similarities to any person, living are dead, with the characters in this story is an amazing coincidence.

Uh, if you've read Hogwarts 1835 these characters will be immediately familiar (at least if you have perfect, total recall). If you've not read it I hope they will emerge as distinct characters quickly.

I explain my approach to/ definition of canon at the chapter's end.

Chapter 1 - Measure for Measure

"Mother!" Vivien called as soon as she entered the shop on Diagon Alley, "I must have clothes if I'm going to be Mrs. Malfoy."

Mrs. Kestrel sighed, "How many owls have we exchanged on this subject? You have no chance of becoming Mrs. Malfoy, and I have paying customers I need to satisfy."

"When I'm Mrs. Malfoy you can close the shop. You need never work again."

"There's a pretty picture indeed. This shop has been my life longer than you've been alive. What am I to do all day? Sit around and eat chocolates? Or perhaps I'll spend my days visiting my friends here in the Diagon shops."

"You'll find things to do – whatever the wealthy do. The mother of Mrs. Malfoy can't be a seamstress in Diagon. And you mustn't spend your days here when I'm married."

"Oh dear then, if the mother of Mrs. Malfoy can not be a seamstress then I fear you shall not be Mrs. Malfoy. For I am certainly a seamstress."

"I'm to be at the Malfoys for a month. I must have clothes."

"You will."

"I must have clothes worthy of Mrs. Malfoy."

Mrs. Kestrel wished her daughter had a greater sense of reality. "Has young Claudius asked you to marry?"

"No."

"Is he likely to ask?"

"Claudius would not ask for any woman's hand. But he must marry. His father will see I am perfect for his son. I'm certain that is why Lizzy and I were invited to the Manor. I am perfectly willing to put up with all of Claudius's idiosyncrasies."

"And what idiosyncrasies would those be?"

Vivien smiled, "And one of the many reasons which makes me the perfect wife for Claudius is that I shall never say a word about him behind his back."

"You will have clothes for your trip. But you will not have all you demanded – and paying customers come first. You must recognize our station and the fact it is most unlikely that your dreams will happen."

The pretty witch scarcely heard her mother, "With father dead Mr. Malfoy must ask you for my hand. Please, promise that when he asks your permission you will tell him yes."

"I'll tell him yes, if he asks," Mrs. Kestrel promised her daughter – more to close the conversation than in any belief that the situation would ever arise. She tried to change the subject, "Is Miss Gray home?"

"I think she was staying a little longer at Hogwarts. Something came up, very much at the last minute, It had something to do with her cousin Robin teaching herbology and Lizzy would stay to help him prepare. I was too busy thinking of all I would need for my trip to the Malfoy's to pay proper attention."

"And I just remembered, the Grays bought a country home two years ago and are probably out of the city now."

"Shall the elves measure me now? I don't believe I am any different than last summer before I started my seventh year, but it would be good to make certain everything I need will fit."

"And I will remind you, once again, that customers with money in their pockets receive service before young women with dreams in their heads. If you want to work here in the shop or more at home to give the elves more time you might gain another outfit or two."

"When I'm Mrs. Malfoy I won't work as a seamstress."

"When you're Mrs. Malfoy you won't have to. But today you are Vivien Kestrel. This shop is Kestrel's, and there is a very good chance you will inherit it someday. It has kept a roof over our heads and food on our table. And I won't have you speaking it against it – or against your mother who runs the shop."

"I'm sorry," Vivien apologized, and gave her mother a hug. "You're wonderful. But I want more than this."

Her mother sighed, she had heard Vivien's dreams of improving her life through an advantageous marriage too often. Vivien was beautiful, but she was the daughter of a seamstress and men of the class into which she wanted to wed would see her as too far beneath them to propose marriage. Mrs. Kestrel hoped she had instilled values in her daughter which would prevent her from accepting a proposal of something less than marriage such men were likely of offer a beautiful young woman who dreamed of money. "Let the elves measure you now. Most of the regulars have their summer clothing and very few have thought of autumn yet."

Vivien stayed in the shop to pen a note to Elizabeth asking when they could begin their plans. While the Kestrels had no owl the woman with the chemist shop two doors down kept three for delivering packets of potion ingredients and often allowed Vivien or her mother to use one if there were no pressing deliveries. Unfortunately while the season was relatively slow at Kestrel's the apothecary was too busy to lend her the use of an owl. Vivien spent the rest of the day in her small home, pacing and fretting about what she would need in order to impress her future father-in-law. She told herself she did not need to be jealous about Elizabeth. Lizzy had no interest in Claudius, but her family wealth would make her appear a better possibility for his hand. Elizabeth would have more knowledge of country fashions – to the extent they differed from city fashion – that Vivien might need for her own plans. Vivien told herself she need have no concerns about Elizabeth, even as she continued feel jealousy towards Elizabeth.

Before Vivien could dispatch an owl Elizabeth Gray arrived at Kestrel's with the most terrible news in the world. "I am to marry Charles and be off for Russia as soon as possible! I need clothes for the trip."

"What!" While Elizabeth was not known for her sense of humor Vivien felt certain this must be a joke of some sort.

"He stopped at some shop for something," Elizabeth exclaimed, and gave her smaller friend a hug, "Isn't it wonderful? Congratulate us."

"Tell me you're joking! You and I are to spend a month with the Malfoys this summer."

"I am not joking. Mrs Pilton – and you must forget every evil word I said about her – arranged for me to accompany the Potter expedition, and suggested that Charles would confess his love if I applied moderate pressure."

"I hope you've not crippled him for life," Vivien muttered. "Can't you stay here and wait for him or something? I need you to go with me to the Malfoys. I can't go by myself."

"There were a couple witches in Hufflepuff you were friendly with... Ask Kitty; I know she has no plans for the summer."

"I can't just invite someone else! Mr. Malfoy invited the two of us."

"Well I shan't be able to go. Do you want me to write to him and ask if you may bring another friend with you?"

"That wouldn't be polite. It was the two of us who-"

"Do you want to spend a month with the Malfoys?"

"Yes."

"Then I will write. Any breach of etiquette will be on my head."

Vivien took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "I'm sorry, Lizzy, but this means so much to me I scarcely know what to think or do."

"I did suggest you congratulate me," Miss Gray reminded her.

"Yes. Yes, you did," Vivien responded and gave her friend a nervous hug. "Congratulations... I... Does... I wish the two of you well. When do you leave?"

"As soon as we can marry. Charles will see the bishop tomorrow for a license and... Clothes! I need clothes for the trip. Charles will be here in a minute to discuss what I will need for the journey and while his father does his work. I can't imagine there will be a Kestrel's in Russia."

"Clothes?"

"Of course. Why else would I be here? Except to inform you, of course. We haven't even told our parents yet. We will tell Charles' father this morning, and then out to the country for Charles to formally ask my father for my hand."

"So your father could say no?"

"You sound almost like you wish for my father to forbid the wedding."

"I'm sorry, it is simply all so sudden. I saw you and Charles becoming good friends last term I simply didn't expect-"

Whatever Vivien might or might not have expected was cut short by the arrival of Charles Potter who put an arm around Elizabeth's waist and pulled her to his side. Vivien was concerned that Lizzy didn't remind him such behavior was entirely inappropriate – at least until they had secured the blessing of their parents. But rather than raising the proper protest Elizabeth actually put her own arm around Charles.

"I was just telling Viv," Elizabeth told her new fiancé, "that you can give her mother some idea of what I will need. And, of course, it must be made as quickly as possible."

"Mother is out looking at fabric. Let me write out a list."

Much as Vivien loved her friend it was hard to feel joy for Miss Gray when Miss Kestrel felt her own plans for happiness collapsing in flames around her.

When the pair left the shop to inform his father of the change in plans Vivien looked over the list with a feeling of despair. Every elf in the shop would need to drop everything else for a week in order to perhaps finish the clothing Lizzy needed by her likely departure date. Other customers would need to have their own orders delayed – which would push back Vivien's own wardrobe plans even longer. Her mother would probably argue that the Grays should pay extra for the inconvenience of short notice – and Vivien would need to remind her mother that the Grays were steady customers and Elizabeth a dear friend.

Only later was Elizabeth able to share the full story of the parents' reactions with Vivien.

Professor Potter, fretting to leave, was equal parts happy for his son and irritated by the further delay. "Why didn't you propose a month ago?" he demanded of his son. "We could be well on our way by now."

Mr. Gray, who had contemplated his daughter's marriage as a good thing on a philosophical level for some months found the actual prospect of losing her to travel for a few years a proposition of horror. Only after Elizabeth assured him of her desire to traipse off to the ends of the earth did he reluctantly consent. "At least he's a wizard and not some damn muggle."

Mrs. Gray had simply smiled at the news, "I had expected as much."

"How could you expect it?" Elizabeth demanded. "We didn't know it ourselves until this morning."

"It was quite obvious the two of you were interested in each other when you asked him to serve as a counterfeit fiancé."

"Mother! I asked him because we were not interested in each other so there could be no misunderstanding by either of us."

"You were obviously interested," her mother insisted, "otherwise you would have shown more interest in John Gardiner."

Professor Potter obtained the license for the wedding and worked like a dervish to change the various plans which required alteration due to the addition of another member to the expedition.

Word reached London of Turk's elopement during the spring term. Both families were up-in-arms and vowed to find some way to have the marriage annulled. The couple were staying with a Lennox cousin in Edinburgh until one or the other families calmed down enough for rational conversation. Vivien was quite upset that Elizabeth had known of the elopement and said nothing to her.

"It was a secret!" Elizabeth protested.

"You should still have shared it with your dearest friend in the world!"

"And you would have told Peter, or Charlotte, or someone else and soon it would have been all over Hogwarts."

"Lizzy, I'm ashamed of you. You truly believe I would have told another soul?"

Elizabeth gave her friend a level stare for a few seconds. "You would truly have told no one?"

Vivien hesitated, "Fine, I would have let it slip. But I am still angry with you for not trusting me. I'll forgive you if you tell me everything you know about the elopement."

An owl to Elizabeth from Titus Malfoy offered congratulations on her nuptials and said that Vivien would be welcome at the Hall with any companion she wished.

Vivien received the news with joy. "He is nibbling at the hook," she told Elizabeth. "He is considering me as a wife for Claudius or he would have withdrawn the invitation."

"Or perhaps he is too polite to withdraw an invitation. Remember, nothing has been said of marriage. We were only invited as the friends of his son – not as wedding fodder."

"Nonsense. Claudius must be married, it is his duty. And his father will soon realize there could be no more suitable partner."

The letter from Kitty announced she had no plans for the summer and would be delighted to spend a month with the Malfoys. Actually Kitty had no particular plans for any time in the future. The Kellys were not a wealthy family, and had enough children that providing a dowry for their daughter Catherine might be a problem. A more affluent relative had funded the witch at Hogwarts – where she had failed to find a husband as her parents had wished. Her mother made it clear to Kitty that should any respectable wizard show any interest in her he would have the blessings of the family on him in asking for her hand – and in the meantime she was welcome to take any work which presented itself.

The Kelly family took pride in their ability with animals. It was possible that Titus Malfoy, with his many connections in the wizarding world, might be able to recommend Kitty to someone in need of the Kelly magic.

Vivien would much rather have had Elizabeth for her companion on the trip. Not only was Lizzy her dearest friend, but the Grays had some sense of life on an estate having purchased one a few years earlier. Catherine 'Kitty' Kelly knew life on a farm, which was not the same. Vivien didn't worry about anyone rivaling her in beauty, and Kitty with her broad, flat face, snub-nose, freckles, and red hair would appear drab in comparison. Kitty's problems were twofold. First her manners might be so inferior to the demands of good society that Vivien might suffer from having her as a companion. Second, Kitty's temper was feared not only in Slytherin but in the other houses as well and a cause of embarrassment for all Irish students at Hogwarts. The blonde witch prayed her friend could keep her temper under control.

The Grays returned to the City for the few days before the wedding. There was more for everyone to do than seemed possible to accomplish in the time before the wedding and the Potters' departure from England. Elizabeth stopped at Kestrel's once or twice a day for any necessary fittings and to see how her trousseau was progressing.

The wedding ceremony was brief and, given the hurried nature of the arrangements, poorly attended – although all of the Fletchers were present. Immediately following the ceremony the Grays returned to the country, allowing Elizabeth and Charles to enjoy a few days of absolute privacy in their London home. It was not certain what sort of intimacy they would be able to enjoy during their travels and while staying in northern Asia.

The Kestrels and their shop elves worked long hours into the evening to insure everything was finished before the Potters left.

Vivien managed to a few private moments of conversation with Elizabeth when the couple came by to collect her purchases. "Will you ask your father if I can borrow your carriage for the trip to the Malfoys? It's not that far. I'm certain Geoffrey could make it in a day."

Elizabeth started to protest, Vivien could arrive by floo without inconveniencing her father who might need the carriage for himself, but realized how important it was to Vivien. "I'll ask," she sighed. She then opened her purse and looked inside, "And if Geoffrey drives you," she found a galleon and passed it over, "give this to him for his labor... What happened to your fingers?" she asked as Vivien took the coin.

"Out of practice with a needle, I fear," Vivien admitted. "When I'm Mrs. Malfoy I'll never touch a needle."

"Some ladies do very nice needlework."

"This lady will not. Wait a minute." Vivien went behind the counter and pulled out a small parcel, wrapped in paper and tied with string. "A nightgown. I sewed it myself. I know it isn't much but–"

"But I'm certain it is wonderful," Elizabeth said and gave her friend a hug. "Promise me you will write and give me all the news and gossip."

"I promise. But remember, you must write me so that I shall know where to send my letters. And I'll pay you back the galleon when I become Mrs. Malfoy – and all the money I've borrowed."

"I told you, you don't owe me anything."

"I won't be as stubborn as Charles, but I will pay you back when I can. Promise me you won't be as stubborn with me as you were with him."

"I'll try," Elizabeth promised. "And I'll miss you very much. I pray you find someone who will make you as happy as I feel right now."

The two friends hugged, "All I want is to be out of this shop," Vivien assured her. "That is all the happiness I need."

The Potters left London the next day. With the various delays in setting out Professor Potter now planned to spend the winter in Moscow before moving further east the following spring. In Diagon Alley Kestrel's remained closed one day so the mother, daughter, and the shop elves could catch up on sleep lost during the rush to finish Elizabeth's order.

Marriage laws changed in England and Wales later in 1836. For years the only groups allowed to perform marriages outside the Church of England were Quakers and Jews. Most marriages were solemnized by publishing the bans. For three consecutive weeks the local parish minister announced the intention of the couple to marry. If no valid objections were made against the marriage or other impediments found during the period the couple was considered married at the end of the three weeks. It was considered marriage on the cheap. A common license, purchased from your Bishop, allowed a marriage ceremony in your local parish immediately. A special license, purchased from an Archbishop, allowed you to have a marriage ceremony anywhere. This is why so many couples eloped to Scotland, where you told a witness you were married and *BAM* you were married. (Gretna Green, first village in Scotland on a main coach road from England became a solid fixture for hurried marriage/elopement in English novels.)

Authorial Disclaimer: Imablack, my canon-checker, predicts I'll get grief from reviewers for not taking Pottermore as canon. I take the novels as canon. Period. I try to take even the novels' large improbables as canon (Rowling included details meant to be humorous for their absurdity) - and attempt plausible back-stories for some of them in Hogwarts 1940. Some of the things characters say in the novels I take to be jokes - as I believe Rowling intended them to be. I won't list my objections to Pottermore, and I don't use it. The novels provide no clear picture of the wizarding economy.
My canon: The wizarding and muggle worlds were once closely connected, with wizards recognized as craftsmen extraordinaire. They tended to see themselves as above muggles, but there were no firm barriers between them. Small wizarding communities existed across the country, usually near muggle cities where the consumers who wanted magically made goods lived. (The muggles would not have known how the wizards produced the goods - guild secrets were the order of the day.) In era of the scientific revolution and proto-industrialization (17th/18th centuries) the importance of wizard tech diminished in the muggle world, and once industrialization hit (19th century) wizards no longer had a real role in the national economy. With the shifting demographics of the era some of the wizarding communities disappeared as the muggle centers they had served lost population. Other villages, such as Diagon, were engulfed by the growing metropolitan centers. The reduction in status, from being the valued centers of national life to being marginalized and no longer necessary created a resentment among some which made the rise of Voldemort possible.
Don't expect anyone to spout Voldemort ideology in this. That would be like expecting someone in 1790s Württemberg to hold Adolf Hitler's Nazi views. Hitler talked about a 'pure Aryan race' but it was nonsense. I believe it is Dumbledore in the novels who says Voldemort's followers claiming they are "pure-bloods" is nonsense. I take that statement as canon. The Malfoys were not proto-Voldemorts. A manor is an estate, and applied to the home of the lord of the manor. Depending on other features the home might also be a house, court, hall, park or a grange. I will refer to either Malfoy Manor or Malfoy Hall. A manor has workers - serfs in an earlier period, peasants later, and finally tenants. You would not have had wizard serfs, so muggles work the Malfoy lands. If you have muggle serfs/peasants/tenets you need human servants to deal with them - can't send house elves out. These servants could be either muggles (who might or might not realize the lord of the manor was a wizard) or squibs. Don't project the prejudices of Voldemort's followers on an earlier era (even if characters in the novel do) when the novels themselves declare that wasn't true.