Severus persed his lips for a moment thinking. "I don't actually know... Though I think it would be wise to have both of them try. Now we simply have to find the enterance for them to open."
Right then Morgaine came running up and was all smiles. "Harry! Guess what!"
"What?" Harry's eyes were soft as he smiled at her.
"I was helping Bella with her packing as she got a letter from her parents. They said that she could come with us to our new home! She would be able to stay with us as long as you would let her. Can she stay with us, please?"
"Of course. She and Blaise are welcome any time. Now why don't you go back and finish your packing. The Leaving Feast is in a couple of hours and you'll need to have your things ready to go so that you can stay up late with the House party." Harry tapped her on the nose before sending her on her way. Within moments Blaise came walking up a letter in his hand. "Harry, my mother and father sent this to me for you."
Harry accepted it and opened it already having a good idea of what it would intail.
/ Dear Mr. Potter, We're sorry to be so rude as to write to you without a proper introduction my husband and I are the parents of your housemates Blaise and Bella Zabini. We have been told that you are offering sanctuary to any of the Slytherin children who could be in harms way with the coming war. My husband and I are afraid that Blaise and Bella will be in grave danger should they return to our home, as we believe it's location has been compromised. We ourselves are going to be leaving our manor in a short time. If you can please take them in long enough for us to secure a safe place for them to return. Should this not be possible, please have Severus make a portkey to Anastacio's home in Italy.
Our Thanks, Alissa & Rudolfo Zabini /
Harry read it twice over before handing it to Severus and looking to Blaise. "Will you be comfortable coming with us or would you rather go to your Uncle's?"
"I would like to come with you so that I might help you protect the children." Blaise said as he crossed his arms over his chest, still partially upset about his parents having to abandon into their family's manor.
"Then you are more than welcome. We'll need all the help we can get to corral the younger years." Harry smiled at him before gesturing for him to go on with his packing.
After Blaise had gone, Harry looked to Severus who had folded the letter and handed it back. "Forty children... Harry are you certain that we can handle this?"
"With the help of the staff and others my age we'll be more than okay. Now we just have to get them moved there. Have you already got the rope port key made?" Harry asked as he settled back to think over the last moment things they needed to have done before they left in the morning.
"Yes and I have the book lists for the next term ready so that we can procure their study materials in advance. Have you heard from Moilyn about the potion laboratory?"
"Moilyn told me that it would be completed by this evening and that he would be stocking it in the morning. What about your packing? Is it done?" Harry said as he ticked off things in his head.
"Harry, calm down and enjoy this day because in the morning you'll become the parental figure of forty children under the age of 17." Severus petted back his hair before rising. "I must go and help to prepare for the feast. I'll see you later for the party."
Harry smiled as he walked away before standing up and going to see about helping the young one's with their packing.
"Another year has come to an end... And while it has been interesting, I am certain everyone is looking forward to their summer. I must impress the danger that is upon us with the return of Voldemort. Also, while summer is tradtionally a time of freedom from duty and responsibility... I would ask that all of you keep up your guard as well as your studies. Now, for the house cup. In forth place is Hufflepuff with 257 points. Gryffindor with 304 points in third. Second place goes to Ravenclaw with 398 points. And finally taking first place with 414 points, Slytherin! On that note, eat well and party the night away!" Dumbledore said as he lifted his glass to them before sitting down and starting to eat.
Harry and Neville were laughing and chatting with the others of Slytherin while partaking of the feast.
"I've already got my Gram's permission to come with you for a while. I have to go back with her to our cottage for the last two weeks of the term. I've already been talking with Eiberion, your gardener, about working on all of your gardens. You have better than forty acres of land that is ripe for planting. I've got about ten large trunks of spelled starts ready to plant. I've got them all organized into medicinal, decorative, and combat plants... I think that by the end of the summer break most will have firmly rooted and get ready for more starts to be brought in." Neville said as he smiled and nibbled on a large piece of baklava.
"Don't you think you've had enough, fat ass?" a snid voice said from behind them.
Harry, Draco, Blaise and Neville all turned and glared at Ron, who stood with Ginny on one side and Hermione on the other. A small group of obvious followers were standing behind them.
"You will take it back now, Weasly or I will have to call you out for a duel." Blaise hissed as he stood up, his eyes flashing dangerously.
Ginny all but spit at his feet. "You wouldn't know a duel if it hit you on the arse."
With his wand in hand, Blaise was about to start the duel right then, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. Turning his head he looked at Neville who shook his head. "I can fight my own battles, Blaise..."
"Sure you can, fat ass... You can fight your way to where the sweets are." Ron laughed and his group did with him.
Closing his eyes, Neville began to murmur his fist held out in front of him. All of the houses were now watching, and even the professors didn't move, wanting to see what Longbottom was up to. A moment later Neville's chanting stopped and he opened his hand. Before Ron or any of his followers could say anything, a thick, long vine shot out of Neville's bare palm, throwing all of the Gryffindors back to their table. "Do not insult me, Weasly. I might have been weak while I was younger... But like all children, I've grown up."
Blaise, along with everyone else in the room, stared in amazement as the vine retracted into Neville's palm and the boy sat back down and began eatting his baklava as if nothing had happened.
The first one to react was Harry, who began laughing. Taking this as their que, the rest of Slytherin began to laugh as well. It didn't take long before some of the members of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were laughing as well. The Gryffindors on the other hand, were not reacting well. Had McGonagall not stepped in and begun to speak sharply to her house, there probably would have been a duel right there in the Great Hall.
"Love, where did you learn to do that?" Blaise asked as he pressed a kiss to Neville's cheek.
"Lady Helga taught it to me earlier this week... I think I might have used too much energy..." Neville giggled a little as he lay against his bondmate-to-be's shoulder.
"Why don't we go ahead and retreat to our room for the night?" Blaise was a little worried, knowing how drainning new magics could be.
Neville nodded and stood slowly with Blaise right beside him. "That's probably a good idea... I'm sure I used most of my energy with that one spell."
With a nod to Harry, Blaise walked Neville out of the Great Hall, but the entire length of the hall he glared at Ron who was still getting chewed out by McGonagall.
"Well... is everyone ready?" Harry asked as he and Severus stood near all of the children who would be coming home with them for the summer.
A mumur of consense made him smile as Severus unfurled the rope. "I trust everyone knows what to do?" Severus looked around and was pleased to see all of the children touching the rope in some fashion. "Good... Inabro!"
Harry felt himself jerk from the gut as the portkey activated. He would never get use to the feeling and it would always bring about bad memories. After blinking his eyes to get his bearing he smiled when he saw that they were in the grand gardens behind Oak Hope Manor.
Moilyn rushed up to meet them and with a kind smile he bowed. "Welcome to your new home, little ones. I trust your stay here will be as joyful for you as it will be for us who serve you."
The children all giggled and smiled happily before looking to Harry for their directions.
"Why don't you go pick out the rooms you want in the east wing of the house. You can pair up in rooms if you like... but only if Severus, Draco, Blaise, or myself approves it. Anyone who is caught rooming with someone they're not approved to will have the punishment of having to help me resort the library... by hand." Harry smiled when the children all hurried towards the doors and then made their way to the east wing to begin looking for bedrooms.
"Harry... you don't mind that Blaise and I share the room we've been using when we stayed over to help you on the weekends, do you?" Neville asked as he slowly walked up to Harry, hoping to get settled quickly so he could get to the gardens.
"Of course not, Nev... You're of legal age, so I don't have a problem with it. I'm going to be sharing with Severus so it would be kind of hipocritical of me to tell you no." Harry said as he patted Neville on the back and then gave him a little push towards the gardens.
Nodding, Neville transfigured his robes into something more appropriate for the garden before he hurried away to find the gardener.
One week after they had moved in and gotten settled the three heirs and their mates began to work on the problem of locating Rowena's tower.
"Okay... do any of you three remember where her 'high place' might be? Maybe it's Ravenclaw tower proper, but I doubt it." Harry said as they sat in the high north library of Oak Hope Manor with the three founders.
Helga nibbled on her lip and thought, while Salazar tapped his chin and Godric stared off into space.
"It would not be the tower you call Ravenclaw... that used to be the professor's quarters before we died. But I will agree it's one of the towers... Ro' loved high places." Salazar frowned a bit as his mind went over all of the towers in his head and tried to decide which one could be where she was locked away.
"The only thing I could suggest is that we go and search the towers... see if perhaps we can find one which will only open for the twins." Severus suggested as he looked at the three founders. It was easy to see that they were missing their comrade... and he only hoped that they would be able to find her and maybe get her help before Voldemort made his next move.