Chapter Fourteen
Harry woke up at eight the next morning and gently shook Ginny awake. She groaned and moved to another room, while Harry tried to wake Draco for several minutes, before blasting him with ice cold water as a last resort. Draco jumped up and cursed Potter. "Sorry you weren't waking up and I thought it would be best to get there early." Harry said and Draco paled. "Nice briefs." He said and Draco blushed, before hastily getting his pants and a shirt on.
"Alright I'm ready."
"Lets go then." Harry said and they apperated first to the flat to grab Draco's wand, before going over to the Ministry of Magic. "We're here for the Trial of Narcissia Malfoy."
"It will be held in trial room fourteen." The witch said and they nodded, going to trial room fourteen. Everyone stared as Harry entered with Draco.
"I'd like to be a witness." Harry said.
"And what is your testamony."
"I'd be willing to swear under Vertiserum that Narcissia Malfoy nee Black told the Dark Lord I was dead, when I really was alive." Harry said.
"That won't be nessasary the defendant will be questioned and what she says will determine the course of this child. The court calls Narcissia Malfoy to the stand." Narcissia was given veriteserum.
"Mrs. Malfoy is the statement that Harry Potter gave true?"
"Yes."
"Why did you commit to such actions, on the day in question?"
"I wanted to protect my son, he's the only thing I love in this world." Narcissia said.
"The only thing?"
"I never loved my husband, we had relations enough to have Draco and then for the majority of our marrige we slept in seperate rooms. I wish that he hadn't died like that, like an animal, I wish the guards had done more to stop it and you will be hearing from my defender if I get out of court. I saw two of them just standing there, watching it happen, watching as they killed my husband. Lucius may have been many things, but he was a wizard, he didn't deserve to die like that and I didn't deserve to watch it in the next cell. Watch as they beat my husband to death. He should have never been put in there with Crabbe and Goyle, never!"
"So you blame the guards for your husbands death?"
"Of course I blame the guards, If you saw the memory, you would blame them too. The minsistry said that it was inadmissable as evidence."
"As it has no baring on your case, the guards and men in question will be tried at a later date. This trial is about your guilt in these manners."
"The only thing I'm guilty of is protecting myself and my son, you might as well try every witch that has a child, as me." Narcissia said. "What Lucius did in his own time was his own affair, I never approved but we agreed early on that we would both be able to do as we liked in the marrige. I never practiced Dark magic and the only reason I'm here, is because of who my husband was."
"You did nothing to stop the events."
"Oh yes, because I could go up against a hundred witches and wizards on my own? If I had tried anything, anything at all, it would have meant my life and Draco's life. I was caught in that world, just as much as my son was."
"I see for the crimes of being an active member in a known terrorist orginization, guilty?" He asked and only a handful of people raised their hands. " Not guilty." The man said and most of the audience raised their hands. "For the crime of assisting a known organization?" Again the wizengammot determined that she was not guilty. "For the crime of not turning in known fugitives?" This time the verdict came back guilty. "Given the evidence and the current atmosphere at the prision, the court sentances you to thirty six months of community service and will grant that the sentance be changed to twenty four months for good behavior."
"Your making her do community service because she didn't stop the death eaters? Might as well sentence everyone in this room, I don't remember seeing most of you on the battlefield."
"That is enough Mr. Potter, this trial is concluded, Mrs. Malfoy is free to return home." The judge said and struck his hammer. Harry glared at the court before leaving. He walked to a building that was for sale, it was in direpair, but he called the flood address left anyway.
"I'd like to buy the building." He said changing his voice.
"Very well the price is three thousand galleons, with the understanding that you will furnish it and preform the repairs."
"That sounds fair enough, should we sign you the papers and I can give you the galleons?" Harry asked and the man nodded. He came over and paid three thousand galleons, before going to the building and starting to work on it. He replaced the boards and got most of the outside restored, before moving to the inside. He was pleased to see that the inside was no where nearly as damaged and it was a pretty large building over all. He repared some of the walls and walked around the room, before going back to the muggle side of london and buying some paint. He painted the building bright cheerful colors and hung a wooden sign outside. POTTER'S HOME FOR CHILDREN. He then went and bought beds at a furnature store and sevral different couches. He then bought school supplies and went back to the building setting up a small classroom on the flight above the one he was one. He was glad that the place he had bought was big. It wasn't too hard to fix up all told, he decided. He smiled and survayed his work. It seemed like the orphanage could be running soon. He walked downstairs when the wards he had set up alerted him, to someone being outside his steps. He opened the house and stared at the large crowd gathered and the reporter on his doorstep.
"Will you explain what you are doing?" The reporter asked and Harry nodded, gesturing for the reporter to come in and sit down at the kitchen counter.
"Haven't bought a dining room table yet, I'm afraid." Harry said. "I'm making a wizard home for children, that aren't wanted by their familes, or have nowhere else to go."
"Why?"
"Because Voldemort spent his childhood in an orphanage and my living situation as a child was less than ideal. I want to make a safe and happy home for kids that need someone to care for them. To take a genuine interest in them and their hopes, dreams and desires. I never had that growing up, but maybe some child will."
"I see so your home life was less than ideal."
"I was raised by muggles that hated magic, that's all I will say on the subject." Harry said and the reporter nodded.
"I see, well I'm sorry your upbringing is less than ideal, will you hire someone to help with the orphanage?"
"I thought this might qualify as public works and I owe Narcissia Malfoy a life debt. I would of course employ other people and Mrs. Malfoy might not even be interested in serving her community service in this matter."
"I see what qualifications are you looking for and how much would you be willing to pay?"
"I don't even know what the standard wages are, in the wizard world."
"Stardard wages?" The wizard asked.
"You know minimum wage, I won't pay someone that low, but this will have a lot of expenses." Harry said.
"Have you thought this through Mr. Potter?" The reporter asked and Harry nodded.
"I think its the right thing to do, the nessasary thing to do. We need a place like this where children can stay, without worrying about their next meal, or their next beating."
"I see, did you have to worry about that as a child."
"No comment, but you have to admit that there are some children that desperately need this service." Harry said. "If the government won't do anything, then I will."
"It sounds like your pretty clear on that, are you angry at the ministry?"
"Yes, but I don't understand much about the history behind how things are done, I view things from an outsider's perspective, never having grown up in the wizard world."
"I see, commonly wages start at nine sickles, but that's just for sweeping and such, a good wage for what you want is around fifty galleons a day." He said and Harry nodded.
"That sounds fair." Harry said and smiled at the reporter. "Would you like to see the orphanage, this is what I've got to so far." He said and showed the reporter around.
"I'm suprised at how much you accomplished in a day." The reporter said and Harry smiled.
"I'm good at fixing things up and painting, its loads easier with magic." He said and the reporter nodded. "This is going to be the staff quarters." He said taking him to a smaller room off the one he had made the children's nursery. "Upstairs there are going to be several classrooms."
"I see and how soon can people start dropping children off."
"Immediately." Harry said and the reporter nodded. Harry then used the floo and talked with both Mrs. Weasley and Narcissia Malfoy, both were willing to work for him and Narcissia thanked him for getting something she enjoyed. Harry smiled as Narcissia came over and a screaming baby was dropped off.
"She's my niece, but I just can't take care of her." A woman in tattered clothes said. "Its hard enough to feed myself and she was my brother's child. Both he and his wife died in the war."
"I understand, we'll take good care of her."
"Here are her things, she won't sleep without this blanket and there should be enough formula to last for a few days."
"Thank you, you are doing the right thing." Harry said and put his hand on the witches shoulder. "She'll be well taken care of here. What's her name and birthdate?"
"Abigale Owens, March 1997." The woman said and left.
"Hello Abigale." Narcissia said and went into the other room to change the baby. More children arrived, until Harry didn't have any more beds. They were all crying and scared and Narcissia couldn't get them to settle. Harry sat down in the middle of them and started to tell them a story. They calmed and listened to him as he told the tale of the three brothers. One little girl was even brave enough to crawl into his lap, sucking at her thumb. Harry smiled and held the child close to him, she was filthy but she smiled up at him with innocent eyes. Then to his suprise, Madam Malkin arrived with a bag of fabric.
"I made you some things out of my spare fabric, once I realized what you were doing. I wanted to help." Madam Malkin said and Harry smiled at her. He helped keep the children calm as they were measured and the clothes were altered to fit them.
"Can you take care of your own clothes?" Harry asked the older boys and girls and they nodded, though none of the children seemed older than ten. "Good, if your younger than six, they will be in a drawer for you and ask a grownup for help, if you can't get them on yourself. Now you all need to wash up, before you wear your nice new clothes, can you thank Madam Malkin."
"Thank you Madam Malkin." The children corused and Harry smiled. He let the older ones go first and wash on their own, before asking the younger ones if they needed help. The children under three, he didn't ask and settled the little boys and girls into the tub three at a time. The water had to be drained and refilled repeatedly. Harry realized that he didn't have any brushes and decided that was the first think he'd take care of tomorrow. Then he realized that he had completely forgot to get brushes. He helped the children into their clothes and got them settled into bed.
"I can read them a story, you go and get supplies." Mrs. Malfoy said. "Some muggle shops stay open late don't they?" She asked and Harry nodded. He apperated from a apperition point and went to the supermarket close to Number Four. He cleared them out of hair brushes, tooth brushes and baby formula, before getting a lot of diapers, baby food, baby formula, ten flats of eggs and forty loaves of bread toast. More sandwich bread and meats and cheeses. He also bought large bags of pasta, beans and twenty cartons of milk. He also cleared out the cheese and got twenty heads of broccoli, a cutting board and a knife. He then went to the toy section and looked at toy dolls and trucks, adding them to the cart, along with a coloring book for each child and crayons. He then bought workbooks for the children and wheeled the cart which was now full to compasity to the checkout counter. He was glad that he'd had enough galleons changed over to pay for all the food. He then disapperated behind a dumpster in back of the store, taking the cart with him. He wheeled it down the cobblestones and to the orphanage. He then put the food in the fridge realizing that he'd have to get a new one tomorrow. He took out the list and wrote carefully the children's names in black marker on the underside of each of the toys. Mrs. Malfoy came in and smiled at him.
"Just got them all to sleep." She said. "Need some help?" She asked and Harry nodded. "I'll take half the list, you can take the other half." She added quietly and Harry nodded. Together they worked until one of the children started screaming. Harry jumped to his feet and Mrs. Weasley ran into the room with him. The other children had been woken by the screams and Harry gently shook the boy awake.
"Its alright, your alright." He assured the little boy who clung to him. "No one here is going to hurt you, now how about some warm milk? It always helps me when I've had a fright." He said and poured it into the glasses and sippy cups he had bought at the store, warming it with a warming charm as he did so, he handed a glass to each of the children who stared at him with wide eyes. "When I was little I used to have bad dreams too, of the bad man that took my parents from me, after I woke up, I used to imagine that I was far, far away." Harry said. "It helped somewhat, then when I was older, I went to Hogwarts, you've heard of Hogwarts haven't you?" The little boy nodded drinking his milk. "Well Hogwarts was my first home, its this huge castle and there are so many kids there to play with. There's a large lake and lots of strange creatures live in it, including a giant squid and merpeople. Then there is the forest, which is scary and students aren't supposed to go into, but some do anyway. There are centaurs in there and butterflies and all manner of creatures, some friendly some not. Oh and there are portraits and passages, so many that I got lost several times on the way to class at first. There are so many wonderful things.
"I'm hungry." A little girl complained and Harry realized he'd forgotten to give the children supper.
"I'll make you something then sweetheart, show of hands who's hungry?" Harry asked and every child raised their hands. "Can the older children help me get sandwiches ready for the younger ones, everyone will eat faster that way." Harry said and ten of the older children went to the kitchen to help Harry. "Everyone gets two slices of meat and cheese and letus." Harry said and the little ones started to make sandwiches, Harry watching and helping them. He got out the ketchup, manase and mustard.
"What are those?"
"Muggle sauces." Harry said and opened a bag of crisps. He poured a small amount onto the children's plate along with some baby carrots. "How many have we made so far, lets count them." Harry said and helped the children count the sandwiches. "We need four more, how many is four?"
"This many!" A nine year old girl said holding four fingers up proudly and Harry nodded.
"Very good." He said and smiled at the child.
"That's baby math." A boy said. "What's twenty and twenty?"
"Forty?" The little girl asked and the little boy nodded.
"We'll help you get different workbooks later, sorry I'm not very prepared."
"Its okay, at least there's food here." The little boy said. "My Mum tried really she did, but after they took her wand..."
"I understand." Harry said. "Maybe once she gets back on her feet, you can go back to her."
"Really? She loved me and gave the best hugs, but she explained that she didn't have enough food to let both of us eat." The little boy said.
"Does anyone else have mummies and daddies that are unemployed?" Harry asked and the children all nodded, he frowned. "They can still visit you of course, you will just be staying with me for now." He said and the children nodded, he called Mrs. Malfoy in with the little ones and helped her feed the babies, in turns.
"What's that?" A little girl said pointing to the baby food.
"Its baby food, you ate it when you were small." Harry told the child and she nodded, they ate their food and started yawning again.
"It doesn't sound like there's an angry troll in my belly." The little boy from earlier said. "Thank you mister." Harry nodded and helped the children back to bed. Several of the children had accsidents and Mrs. Malfoy and Harry changed them. He then gave each child one of the toys he had picked out.
"These are your toys and your brushes, they have your name on them, so you know its yours. If someone takes your toy from you, we'll know who it belongs to." Harry said and the little boys and girls nodded. They got back into the beds and Mrs. Malfoy told them The Wizard and The Hopping Pot. The children fell asleep with smiles on their faces and Mrs. Malfoy helped Harry cast some spells over the beds, so the children couldn't hear when one had a nightmare. "Go to bed Harry, I can watch them." Mrs. Malfoy said and Harry nodded. He went upstairs and laid down in the bed he had bought, he was asleep nearly as soon as his head touched the pillow.
AN:I hurt my wrist a week ago and managed to get Tendinitis so I need to lay off the typing for a while, I'll continue this story as soon as I'm feeling better