Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. This is for fun only, please don't sue.
Chapter 7: The Mahakali Community and School
The Ramillies Park Estate region of Aldershot had undergone a radical change since the start of the New Year. The new General Redvers Buller Housing Association had purchased both Ministry of Defence excess housing stock and some former local Aldershot Council housing properties. Under the new management of the private housing association the old housing stock had been renovated, refurbished and new ecological features like solar power added to the infrastructure. Tennant applications for the new housing association did not only come from within the Little Nepali community but included serving personnel in the non ghurkha regiments based at Aldershot, Department of Transport and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch staff based at Fanbourough along with wider members of the Aldershot community.
The third way alliance thanks to a rather large funding grant from the goblin nation investimate agency run by Rakshi had purchased a former care home on the Ramilllies Park Estate that was currently undergoing refurbishment and some extension work as it would be opening up as a private community school with its first intake of pupils in the coming September. There was a flow on effect at the local high street area for the suburban estate as a micro regeneration for the semi military estate occurred. The business district received additional funding support to incourage refurbishment, rejuvenated along with the injection of new business entities that had been attracted to the area thanks to economic activity occuring in the area. For starters the new housing association opened an office front near by so that there was easy contact with their customer base. In addition, the community found that they had access to a new building society that had been launched directly to appeal to the Nepali community. The Ministry of Defence particularly noticed the number of personnel who had changed their payroll details. It had certainly created a lot of additional work in the paymaster general's branch of the logistics base.
While this Aldershot community was regenerating young Hardik was also going through a period of growth and change. He had settled well into the Granger Household and the diverse family routine. The change in the young boy was extreme but there were still times when his past would come back and haunt him. He still had nightmares of the night with woman, his mother, begging for his life and seeing the green light. It was at the spring equinox when the Subedar-Major and the Goblin healers felt that Hardik was strong enough to get rid of the leech and address some of his long-term magical health issues.
During the Easter break Hardik was introduced to some new members of the mixed community of Ramillies Park. The Farnborough branch of the St John de Commander had moved their local operations into a newly adapted Victorian Villa on the Ramillies Park Estate High Street and one of its new in-pensione was a one legged gentleman known as Alastair Moody by Rakshi. The hair, eyes and scar put the old auror on alert and harsh words were had after the children's visit with the old timers. He hadn't been James Potter's Auror Academy Instructor for nothing to remember that scruff of hair. Added to that personal history the Senior Auror had also know the boy's grandparents personally so there was no way in hell could Hardik Granger not be the young wizard Harry Potter.
He had instant recognised the child and thanks to Radshi had not made a complete prat of himself. The old Auror had been brought into the Mahakali Community and was now part of the eyes keeping watch over the young child when he visited the area.
Asmara and Fezile had moved into a new housing association house on the estate and had another teacher for Harry and Hermione's new school was also lodging with them in their lovely three-bedroom house. This teacher apparently had some sort of medical condition that meant that he was only able to work part time but Emma was sure that as soon as the Subedar-Major got his hands on the man his health would improve considerably. The Subedar-Major and Rakshi had been the one to break it to Remus Lupin about the removal of Harry from his muggle family for his safety. Asmara had demonstrated in that meeting her mettle and Fezile was quite aware that his wife had a backbone of steel to protect those she loved.
oOoOo
Alistair Moody had been recruited to the new order of anti dark and now Anti Dumbledore faction which supported Harry Potter by his old friend the goblin general Rakshi. The current Ministry of Magic was going to the dogs. More than it had been during the last war. There was something wrong with the government thought Alistar when dark wizards like Lucius Malfoy could get off scotfree. No it was time for him to retire and he had wanted to do so for quite a while. He had pretended that he didn't want out so he got a good fiscal package from the Ministry.
His residence at the local St John de Commander home for old soldiers had been a boon for the old wizard. He got three meals a day with little or no bother. His unit was cleaned for him each week and he had the commradeship of the other pensiones who came from all the muggle services. Alistair was enjoying the benefits of retirement into a semi military retirement home thanks to Rakshi string pulling. The old warhorse actually felt more accepted in this community than he had for many years after the war in the UK magical community. He felt like a frustrated seer. He had heralded the danger informing the ministry of the security threats to the safety of magical Britain but again and again he had been mocked for his watch cry of Constant Viligence.
No since he was not wanted and not needed according to the Minisitry of Magic he would find himself a nice little bolthole. Check. Ingratiate and intergrate himself in the local community. Check. Keep a watching brief on the dangerous ones and keep his network of snitches going. Check. To do the last he would need a new pay master. Check this is where the goblin nation and the semi retired general Rakshi came to his intelligence network rescue. The goblins would pay for his network as they also believed that the Dark Lord Voldemort had not died that October night in 1981. No while the Death Eaters appeared to be back hidden in their hidyholes not cause death and mayheam he would wait and watch. Those bastards would come out of their lairs one day again to cause destruction of the magical world.
Rakshi had recommended the hill tibes men healer at the local community health centre to the retire Auror and many of his injuries were being reassessed by the man. The Subedar-Major was going through his many dark magic injuries like a dose of salts. Alaistair Moody felt years younger from the health treatments. He also got know the new foster mother for Hardik Harry Potter Granger thanks to his frequent customer status at the Little Nepal Health Clinic when she visited for her regularly dental consultations and Saturday practice. The former Auror had also faced the female fang merchant because the Subedar-Major had bullied him to do so and now he could eat a steak without wondering if he was going to break any more teeth and if he was going to get somesort of face ache.
Watching Emma Cawthorne Granger he could see she had a strong morale streak along with the stubborness that some describe as determiniation. She would stick to it what ever she gave her pledge to even if it killed her. She was also a wicked dentist and if he could ever get her to practice on a Death Eater without Novacain he would be in heaven as he believed they would not have to administer Versiarsutum. It was a pleasant daydream for the old man to think of Lucius Malfoy in her chair and using her tools to extract his teeth sans anthestia.
oOoOo
Miss Claire Smythe the muggle born witch librarian from the British Library Magical Section turned out to have a considerable amount of information about several first-generation groups that tried to get information about various practices that occurred within the UK magical society so that those who wanted the information could access it and resources in the other community.
The goblin architects and builders had accepted a large design brief for the Mahakali School after undertaking some benchmarking of facilities around the world to produce an ecologically sound development that had both primary and secondary non magical education facilities above ground while underground there was the magical educational facilities. In addition to the magical educational facilities the underground developed below the school would include a goblin cavern living space facilities for the protectorate details who would be using the school for their training with other units such as the Ghurkha regiment next door at the Normandy Barracks and the secure data centre.
The registrations of the magical homes had been handled at the Ministry of Magic with the explanation that the majority of the Nepalise magical community were moving closer to the Normandy Barracks as many had sons or grandsons serving there. Since it was from that foreign bunch of magicals who seemed to enslave themselves into the British Army there was not notice taken at the Ministry except for the pureblood administrative officer to sneer at the bright coloured clothing, women who wore blankets and the strange hats even for wizards on the men.
Amelia Bones was the shift supervisor sent to investigate the higher concentration of magic in the Muggle Aldershot region of Ramilllies Park Estate. Before going to the area she checked the details of who was known to live in the area. No vampire coven and other than werewolves based on the military base there was noone to be on the look out for in the area. According to the records there appeared a great amount of magical usuage found in the region of one High Street shop building. After meeting the Subedar-Major again Amelia found that he had all the paperwork to open a second clinic in Ramillies Park High Street to meet the needs of the large Nepali community that had started to establish itself there. When told that the Subedar-Major's wife was ensuring that community didn't get into trouble with the Ministry by supervising and coordinating all the paperwork, she sighed a breath of relief thinking she fortunate to duck the next couple of months being covered in an avalanche of paperwork. There was just something fishy going on especially when Madam Bones stopped at the local shops to get her lunch and saw Remus Lupin walk by.
"Remus Lupin"
"Hello Namaste Madam Bones"
"Will you join me for some tea I am having my lunch".
"Why not? I was about to do some shopping for my dinner at the cooperative."
"Do you live round here? Remus, you know you have to notify the ministry of your address."
"Amelia I did that weeks ago. I have the paperwork right here", advised the werewolf pulling out his forms that he was required to have on him at all times from his wallet. Sure enough there it was Remus Lupin had notified the Department of Dark Creatures of his new lodging address back in March. Yet he was not on the DLME map of dark creatures in the area as she had checked all the estate's details. Obviously the interdepartmental notification system was blocked up again. She would unclog that sink later when she got back to the Ministry of Magic.
Talking to Remus she was glad to see that he seemed to be happy, as he had been a good friend of one of her favourite young Aurors James Potter. Remus was talking about his new position at the new private school that was opening up. Walking round the cooperative store with Remus as he picked up his odds and ends Amelia Bones noticed that there was much for sale that was covered under the Ministry of Magic legislation.
How did they get away with this? As Amelia started bluster and Remus could see that she was about to produce her official identification wallet he whispered "Its Ok. It is all licensed. Look at the wall near the cash registers. The strange items are shrugged off by the Muggles as Nepali cultural things"
After he payed for his shopping basked she walked with Remus back to his digs where she met his landlord Fezile. When she had gotten home that evening she had several stiff drinks of fire whiskey when she reviewed her memories of the meeting with Remus Lupin's new landlord.
"Madam Bones I need a witches oath from you that you mean the residents of this house no harm" asked the tall dark man who had scars to prove he was not a stranger to danger. She had placed him for a Muggle and with the request she had gripped her wand in a defensive pose.
"Pax, my wife is what the Ministry of Magic describes as a squib and I am fully aware that I have a wizard who is a werewolf for a tenant. We both have our WOMBATs so there is no breach of the Statue here". The silent stand off between them lasted over five minutes as each other's eyes trying to read the other was disturbed by the arrival of the dark man's wife in a white tunic with gauze like headdress.
"Namaste Remus! Molo Fez, Unjan? (Hello Fez, How are you?)"
Seeing the wand and the tension in the room Asmara stepped up "Hello I am Asmara. Fezile? Biza Nceda? (Call for help?)"
"No Asmara we don't need to call for help from another wand holder do we? Madam Bones here is part of the Magical Amapolisa (police) isn't she Remus".
"Yes that right Fez she was here to check my residence. We don't have facilities here for Remus to overnight during the full moon so he has been going to the facilities at the near by Normandy Barracks. There apparently ars a number of werewolves in the regiment so the Barracks have appropriate cells for them. They also have access to the traditional medicine that makes the transformation much better than the Wolfsbane that is commonly used by the European community."
It was over coffee made by Asmara in the traditional manner did the tempers that had been present in the room were allowed to cool. Amelia had to admit that it was some of the best coffee she had ever drunk in her life and it had been interesting to watch Asmara make it using the traditional utiensiles. In the social chitchat Amelia learnt that squib woman also worked at the same new school as Remus.
Currently they were doing all the preparation for setting up the school and this included organizing all the lesson plan preparation and the fit out of the new classroom facilities.
It was reported to the Madam Bones that school would also be teaching wizarding children from the community to control their magic. The school had an educational license from the Ministry and the magical classrooms had all been reviewed and inspected by Madam Marchbanks Governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority
Amelia Bones reported that the increased magical activity was a reflection of the transfer by the Nepali minority magical community moving into a new housing estate at Ramillies Park. There was no wrong doing, as the ethnic minority had done all the correct paper work but it appeared that there was a backlog in the Ministry of Magic interdepartmental notifications.
The stern lady in question from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement went personally down to the Department of Dark Creatures and bollocked Madam Delores Umbridge out for the lack of interdepartmental communication. The last thing the DMLE needed was to go unaware into an area where a dark creature was living. Knowledge was power and would help tip the situation in favour towards the underfunded DMLE officer who was attending the call out. It was quite satisfying to get one over that little toady in dark creatures Amelia thought as she left the office to go home to her niece Susan.
It was a couple of months later in about July that Remus Lupin sent Amelia Bones a prospectus for the Mahakali Community Private School. It was a nice glossy brochure that she looked over with interest. The school options along with the afterschool programs were interesting. This might help young Susan to get a handle on crossing between the magical and non magical world. The afterschool programs would also help in with her hours and Susan's loneliness.
oOoOo
Fezile work wise had been very busy for the Picaroon Enterprise Group. This company had some connection with goblins and Hardik's family. Much of the funds that had started of the school and community development programs had come from this private company and now they were paying him an excessively high wage to move a vax based database system over to Unix Oracle system. The Goblin caverns below the new school included a data centre that was now providing offsite services to the Surrey Community Healthcare Alliance, The Little Nepali Community Healthcare Alliance, the Farnbourgh St John the Commander Retirement Home, General Redvers Buller Housing Association, the Subhakamana Building Society and some other organisations.
The switch from Barclays to the Subhakamana Building society had provided a bit of a gasp of surprise with the Granger's Barclays account manager but knowing Emma Cawthorne he could see why these two dentists would put their money where they mouth was to support this enterprise for the Nepali community considering Emma's links. He felt it was foolish move but when he got to have a chat with Dan on the links one Wednesday he found that the rate of return for their savings was considerably better than could be found on the High Street even with his organisational discounts with his bank. It wasn't long before this banker and others in the surrounding counties started a private savings account with this new building society.
oOoOo
Miss Claire Smythe was invited out to the Mahakali Community Centre to meet with the Patuka Association. This organization was equivalent to the Women's Union, the Women's Institute and the Blue stocking movement combined together and then on methamphetamines. The ladies charged forward like the Blitzkrieg working hard to provide resources and opportunities for their community with a strong belief in supporting everyone's but especially women's endeavours.
Miss Smythe was invited out to help with the organization of a book club for the reading guild that this organization had little knowing that she was going to be come a leading activist in the literary freedoms development community. With her links to the British Library she was able to discuss the development of a book club and helping with the new school and community centre library. The British Library was currently looking into technology for the new Bloomsbury building. The Patuka Association Magical Grandmothers started to pull the Muggle born witch into their sticky web. Soon the British Library Magical section would have at least one of these Grandmothers visiting as it became commonplace for the patuka to be seen in the library.
It was with the assistance of Miss Smythe that the Patuka's grandmothers found or ferretted out a Muggle born technomagical specialist who was acquired by the Picaroon Enterprise Group to work in their technological division joining Fezile Mpheli.
oOoOo
Amelia Bones knew something was up when Andromeda Tonks started to spend hours in the Ministry Library. Sitting in the cafeteria Amelia noticed that Andy Tonks was doing some serious research into events over the last days of the blood war.
"Good Morning Madam Tonks. Can I join you on your table?"
"Good Morning Madam Bones. Of course nobody is sitting there."
"What brings you here to the Ministry so frequently? Are you working on a big case for one of the firms?"
Madam Bones was wondering who was paying for this woman to be a researcher. What a waste of talent! She should be at the bench but oh how those pureblood traditionalist males like to punish females who challenged them. No Andy Tonks had run away from a marriage contract. Strike 1. A bloody good lawyer who happened to be female. Strike 2. A member of the dreaded or Black family, which still tarnished her reputation even though she had been disowned. Strike 3. Andy's muggleborn husband worked a lawyer in the non-magical world even though he was just as qualified as a magical lawyer.
"Now that Nymphadora is in Hogwarts I can get back to trying to get my cousin Sirius an appeal full time. I have been trying for years to get an appeal for him. The ministry was in such a state at the time I cannot even find his trial transcript in the Library. I have been coming in for months and there appears to be nothing. We, Ted and I never believed that Sirius had attacked the James and Lily. For Gods sake he was and still is Harry's godfather."
After their pleasant luncheon the two ladies went their separate ways but a seed of idea was working in both ladies. Andy was hoping that Amelia might find some details in the DMLE records and Amelia was starting to have the horrifying thought that Sirius Black never got a trial.
oOoOo
Amelia Bones organised a visit to the new school where Remus Lupin was working with a view to possibly enrolling young Susan next September. While they were out near the sports grounds was when she asked the werewolf about his friend Sirius Black. She gripped her wand at his reaction to the name he literally growled she thought he would turn on her right there even though the full moon was weeks away. When she asked more details about what Remus knew it had turned out the werewolf himself was not in the country when the attack happened as a result all his knowledge was secondhand and came from Albus Dumbledore.
"Remus there could be a chance that Sirius never got a trial. Andy and Ted Tonks believe he innocent. Andy can't find any evidence of a trial. I am trying to be discreet but I can't seem to find anything in our files."
"Do you think we could be wrong about Sirius?" asked Remus with a look that showed how much pain he had been in over the years with thought that one of his best friends had betrayed his other best friends leaving him alone in this world a pack of 2. The pack which had been separated for years and only back together in last couple of months even though it was on a highly limited basis. At least some contact with Harry his cub but he had only gained that in the last couple of months.
"Andy said that he is and was Harry's godfather. If they had done the pureblood promise ritual there is no way he could have harmed Harry", suggested Amelia.
"Come with me Amelia and kept your wand put away. You will also need to control your magic or Fez will have your guts for garters if you fry one of his precious babies. We need to contact Andy Tonks and some others to get some facts and we can do that quietly undisturbed in Fezile's office area.
Entering the main school building Madam Bones was taken through various areas where Remus had to swipe card them through the doors, which Amelia thought was a good system as according to Remus the children would also be given swipe cards and they would have to swipe into school and again in and out of lessons. The swipe cards were part of a security tracking system so they could do the attendance easily and also have the most up to date student details available for the security teams.
When they reached a particular set of doors Amelia watch Remus press a buzzer and she heard the voice of his landlord through the speaker.
"Hi Fez, Can we come in and use your phone we have some queries that our friend Rakshi could help us with?"
"Come in but remember to calm your thoughts and no fast movements round here near my machines" advised the deep lilting voice. Sometimes when Fezile spoke Remus was almost sure that heard a sub vocalisation of a click sound from the man.
After they were buzzed into the Computing office, Remus pointed to a chair "Remember no magic now or he will fry the pair of us". After attempting to glare a werewolf down Amelia looked round the large room she was now in. There was an internal window and through it she should see many box like machines with lots of lights.
"General Rakshi please" asked Remus and Amelia immediately knew he had the Goblin nation on the telephone. So there was a telephone service to Gringotts.
"What does the Goblin Nation have on Sirius Orion Black?" inquired the werewolf.
"Currently in the data centre office with Amelia Bones from the DLE" advised Remus so he had obviously been asked where he was and whom he was with.
"Right oh, do you want me to pick up a coffee ok we will meet you there and I will preorder your coffee for you" advised Remus. "Do you think you could bring Andy Tonks along as she is apparently another interested party? Right see you there I will drag Fez out of his dungeon." After signing off with a "Bye" Remus turned round to look for the man whose domain they had invaded.
As he could not see the man in the room or a small office near by Remus walked over to the machine room window to view if he could see the computer scientist in the room. Spotting the man in question Remus promptly walked over to the server room doors and pressed a buzzer before calling "Fezile. We are going for coffee and your lovely wife demands that you meet her there."
No long afterwards Amelia observed the tall dark skinned man with short tightly curled wiry hair came through the server room doors with a winter coat on which he hung up on a near by hook. Amelia had been shocked by the cold blast of air that swept round the room when the doorway had opened.
Seeing her surprise the African advised her "We need to keep the servers cool as they can overheat" before turning to overhear Remus on his phone using a similar line to his wife suggesting that Fez was demanding her presence.
"Oi… False pretences. I thought Asmara had organised the coffee meeting", he advised the werewolf with a hint of steel under the lighthearted tone. Fezile may not have magic or superhuman strength but he had taken down a lion with a spear when he transitioned from boy to man.
Grabbing a light coat jacket Fezile was waiting at the door after pressing a few buttons on his desk phone to transfer the calls to the switchboard and administration office.
As they left the downstairs area Fez swiped his pass card on the inner door reader. "Why did you do swipe before you left?" asked a curious Amelia when they had gotten into the lift to take them back up to the ground floor.
"I was confirming I had left the area and basically putting it the data centre area in lock down. Without appropriate cleared personnel in the data centre no one will be able to use the lift to come downstairs. If push comes to shove I can lock myself in the office and shut the lift access off", explained the man.
At the front reception Remus guided Amelia through the retuning of her visitor pass while Fez reported to the administration office advising that he had switched his phone through and would be out of the office on business. She was reintroduced to Amara Mpheli when she arrived with her handbag meeting them in the front reception area only a couple of minutes after their arrival there.
Again Amelia notice that the other three all swiped themselves on their way out of the building before guiding her over to nearby café to the front street entrance for the school. The café was African variety of some sorts thought Amelia and the other three members present of the party were all greeted as though they were old friends and very frequent customers.
oOoOo
Come September 1st Susan Bones along with many others started at the Mahakali School and by extension joined the extended community associated with school. Susan found the Muggle education a wonderful adventure and she made many new friends. She was particularly enthusiastic about the afterschool programs, which included magical education and theory. According to the Subedar-Major if she participated in exercise she could help develop her mind and her magical core. Susan had noted that there were many Nepalese Magicals in the school but there appeared to be a growing group of first generation magicals who joined the school in a steady pace over the year.
Thinking about the whole setup it seemed logical for first generation magicals to help in controlling their magic. It would make the handling of accidental magic outburst better and if the families understood what was happening the families could be supported. Susan's Aunty Amelia certainly supported this approach. It was handy that Susan was quickly involved in the afterschool activities and programs of the school for Amelia, as it seemed that this autumn she was snowed under by a shed load of work. It was not just raining, it was haling hard with sleet and ice loads of work.
