As they had been forewarned, the children started their lessons that afternoon, although as it was already rather late, they consisted only of an improvised placement test, so that Remus could see just how much they had slept during history of magic. Once a quick dinner had been served and eaten, quills and parchment was passed around and everyone set to their own tasks.
Harry wrote a quick letter to his cousin explaining vaguely what had happened and that if he wanted to visit for a weekend ot the holidays, it would now be possible. He then set to studying a family tome that had appeared by magic and then kept inching closer when no-one was looking, until it knocked his glass of water over into his pudding.
Hermione wrote a lengthy letter to her parents, and at Remus's suggestion invited them to visit. She then copied down the Elf pairing into the house book, which had been emphatically delivered by yet another house elf some time ago.
Remus set about the somewhat tedious task of writing to his various acquaintances, setting up a correspondance. He also drafted a number of letters to the packs, at least those he knew of, although he knew that only word of mouth would be effective.
Ron had the daunting task of writing to his parents and siblings telling them he was fine, and to not look for him, and the next time he saw them cold they please restrain his mother. To Charlie and Bill he also mentioned Haven and their wish to start up a dragon and werewolf sanctuary again.
At around eight Dobby popped in to inform them that some minor guest suites had been prepared for them, and that they now needed them to come to their proper suites so that they could choose the furnishings. Master Harry would be taking the Head of house suite of course, and if it was appropriate master Harry's Wheezy and and Granger would take some permanent apartments, but would the professor be taking guest apartments, normal apartments or the tutors quarters, or would he be staying elsewhere. Harry, not having seen said apartments couldn't really compare, and didn't feel particularly comfortable about dictating where someone would live, just told him to give him the best one and be done with it. That said, Dobby ushered them into the Ford Anglia which was conveniently waiting outside to take them home, to the castle.
The short ride was furnished by Remus asking about their plans for reopening the Peverin school and what they would like additional schooling in. Hermione then discussed at length the many holes in their education, what she had or would like to study and how it was both illogical and an outrage that no one had actually done anything when the school had closed, because obviously Hogwarts couldn't be standalone, the curriculum was simply too reliant on outside teaching, Arithmancy for example relied heavily on mathematics and algebra which was not taught; the students were expected to know how to write essays and know potion reactions, which for the most part, they did not. The lack of tuition in social domains such as languages, economy, politics or music was another sore point, although not something that could be attributed to the lack reviewing the curriculum, as apparently it had been cancelled in a bid to maintain affordable tuition when money and students had been few and far between due to two devastating wars.
By the time they arrived, Hermione was predictably writing down the rather daunting list of the things she felt should be taught, while Remus was alternately talking her down from some of her more unreasonable ideas and suggesting more things to write down such as household management and outdoor skills.
Three other elves were waiting for them under the arched doorway that led into the inner coartyard. They explained that they would be leading them to their apartments, as young master Weasley and young mistress Granger were on the third floor, professor Lupin on the fourth and master Harry Potter on the fifth..
this time they entered not by the grand door but by a rather discrete entrance at the end of the family wing. After a small atrium, two small corridors and two left turns, they climbed a sunbathed spiral staircase which led through all the storeys into the attic, which as the roof had been enchanted like the great hall of Hogwarts, also doubled a as greenhouse, although the floor had been removed, as the castle hosted inner gardens, sometimes stretching through several storeys; century old trees taking root on the third floor. Hermione and Ron's apartments were quite long, with one double door facing a central corridor and another glass one facing the inner court and a stately balcony, covered arches protecting them from rain and forming the support for the balcony above them. The insides were also well appointed, obviously intended for a family and not one person, they contained three bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms, a grand parlour that doubled as an all purpose formal room; three studies of various sizes, including one that doubled as a small private library and a well appointed kitchen. Remus's apartment was slightly smaller, tucked between the heir's suite and the outer wall on the 4th storey. The layout was actually quite confusing, a series of square rooms that would have benefited from a corridor or some central room from which to branch out. None-the less, it contained all the rooms one would expect from a well-to-do retainer, although the teacher joked quite faintly that his previous quarters would fit in the (slightly disproportionate) master bedroom alone.
The climb to the fifth storey to the family head's suite had Harry swearing to install a lift, especially as his suite was just about the only thing in this floor, apart from the continuation of the indoor garden, which was a cone of greenery and served to bring in natural daylight, enchanted windows just didn't compare. He was however amused to find out that he had a private staircase to the previous floor, which led to a corridor and two indoor playing fields, including a quidditch pitch.
The suite itself was in his own words, quite big; superfluous even, as the lower floors had an abundance of just about any rooms one could want, but still, he had a bedroom with a partitioned space comfortably filled with armchairs and a table, an interconnecting dressing room and bathroom including a small swimming pool. A cosy breakfast room led into a wide corridor from which doors opened to the flight of stairs or the garden, a victorian living room with a small playroom, a grand room of which Harry couldn't quite define the purpose of except for showing off and a small loo. The central room was a dining room as large as the Dursleys entire house in which beautiful polished oak tables formed an u shape, rows of sculpted mahogany chairs of more recent make (only a few centuries) neatly arrayed on each side. To the north lay the formal parlour, a floo room and a luxurious meeting room. To the south a kitchen but also various storerooms, laundry and even house-elf quarters, although those were in case of a siege, so that the servants would not be cut off from their masters. To the west was a formal sitting room, a tea room and a music room. Sou-West was a private library, a work study and a private study ( not that Harry saw a huge difference).Nor-West contained the less glamorous rooms, an animal room in which Hedwig was safely ensconced and sleeping, a nursery with adjoining an wetnurse's room. Then there was a small corridor with a few tiny servant rooms and three embarrassing suited intended for live-in concubines. Dobby had of coarse cheerfully inquired whether Harry Potter sir would be requiring someone in particular, and that a girl from the village could be acquired whenever he wished, or a boy, but that would make having little baby Potters more complicated. The now very embarrassed teenager had wisely refrained from asking for a hole in the ground to hide in, but had vehemently and repeatedly explained that he wouldn't be needing anyone's services for anything of that nature for a while yet. There was surprisingly little to do, as the décor consisted mostly of antique furniture and wood panelling and floor, and Harry was rather inclined to keep it as such. That and he didn't care enough about doorknobs to change them, even if the dragon shaped ones would have to go if they kept singing his sleeve.