Disclaimer – I solemnly swear that JKR owns everything Harry Potter. Whether or not I am up to no good with her characters is for you to decide.
-oOoOo-
The Fourth School
Chapter 25
The momentary flash of blue light and small pop caused Harry to jerk slightly backwards. No matter how much he was expecting it, the portkey arrival of anyone to Potter Haven always startled him.
Gathering himself, he stepped forward and sketched a short bow to the goblin who was now standing before him.
"Welcome to Potter Haven, Slipshard," he said.
"Mister Potter," Slipshard returned as he stepped off of the long bundle of cloth that had arrived with him.
"Is that it?" Harry asked excitedly, eyeing the bundle.
"If you mean is it the tapestry of your family tree that you asked to have made," Slipshard replied, his sharp teeth displayed prominently, "then, yes, it is."
A deep guttural laugh escaped Slipshard as he looked up into Harry's face. Then, after stepping to one side, he gave the tapestry a sharp kick, effectively unrolling it across the floor.
Harry's eyes roved over the rich golden brown cloth hungrily. It was easily three metres long and at least two metres wide. Its edges were trimmed in a deep chocolate brown, with tassels of the same colour hanging from its bottom edge. In the direct centre of the top of the tapestry were three crests. As was expected, the Potter crest was slightly larger than the two that were woven either side of it, with each of their names embroidered directly underneath: The Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter; The Ancient House of Peverell; and Clan Lomas.
It was the Lomas coat of arms that really caught his attention, which was unsurprising considering that this was the first time that he'd seen it. As there was no magical Lomas family crest, Harry had had the goblins research and then use the muggle coat of arms for the family. The top third of the shield consisted of a wide blue band. Two thinner red bands descended from it, splitting the lower white section into thirds. Three black fleurs-de-lis adorned the middle third of the shield.
The family tree itself was made up of hundreds of names and dates, all embroidered in rich red-gold thread, all interconnected by black lines designating marriages and child-parent relationships.
Dropping to one knee, Harry reverently touched his own name, before sliding his hand up to his parents and then to their parents. There were simply so many names on here that he knew that he was going to be spending hours staring at them all, committing them to memory.
"Instructions from the enchanter," Slipshard stated, breaking his concentration by holding out a roll of parchment. "This details how to add extra names to the tapestry in the coming years. He estimates that there is enough space for three, possibly four more generations on the bottom of the tapestry."
"Thank you, Slipshard, it's perfect," Harry smiled, the depth of emotion clear for the goblin to hear in his voice. "Dobby."
With a small pop, the small house elf appeared, his tennis ball green eyes widening as he realised that he'd just materialised in the middle of the tapestry on the floor. With one massive hop, he was off and looking up into Harry's face.
"Could you roll this up and move it to my room, please?" Harry asked.
"Of course, Master Harry Sir," Dobby replied.
A single snap of Dobby's long fingers had the tapestry rerolled. A second snap had both tapestry and house elf disappearing from the room.
Seconds later, flames in the fireplace behind them erupted before turning emerald green.
"Thanks for coming, Mister Tentridge," Harry said to the elderly man stepping from the FLOO, a briefcase clutched tightly in one hand.
"My pleasure, Mister Potter," Julius replied with a nod of his head, then, turning to face the goblin, he executed a bow. "Slipshard, it is good to see you again."
"Likewise, Mister Tentridge," the wily goblin replied. "Shall we get down to business?"
"I trust that the Board are ready for us?" Julius asked, looking at Harry.
"They should be," Harry replied. "I asked them to wait in the dining room for us."
"Then if you would lead the way?" Julius suggested.
Taking his cue, Harry led the two new arrivals through the manor to the dining room of Potter Haven. Stepping inside, he found the people that he'd expected already there: Headmistress McGonagall; Remus; Sirius; Emma and Dan; Madam Longbottom; and Beth.
"Harry?" Sirius asked, his eyebrows nearly disappearing under his dark bangs at the sight of the two who followed him into the room.
"I'll explain in a minute, Sirius," Harry replied, leading Julius and Slipshard to the three seats in the middle of the table opposite the Diricawl contingent.
"I wasn't aware that you'd be here; it's good to see you both," Minerva stated with a nod to the lawyer and the goblin.
"I asked them to come," Harry explained, "to help me with something that I'd like to propose to you all."
"Oh?" Minerva asked, cocking a single eyebrow at him.
Suddenly feeling slightly nervous at the seven pairs of eyes that had fixed upon him, Harry shot a glance to Julius to his left.
"It's your show, Harry," the old lawyer told him.
Taking a breath, Harry concentrated on the speech that he'd been rehearsing for the past few days.
"Having everyone here at Potter Haven, making Diricawl Academy, has been brilliant," he began. "But I think that everyone here would agree that Potter Haven isn't set up to be a full time school for lots of people."
"That is why we've been looking for a new place," Headmistress McGonagall agreed.
"That's not to say that we haven't appreciated you opening up your home to us," Emma said, leaning forward on the table with a smile, "because we have. Even having as few of you kids as we've been able to have here has been amazing."
"It's just a shame that we couldn't get even more of your friends out of that madhouse of a castle," Dan agreed, shaking his head.
Harry smiled. "That's why I asked you all here this evening. I think that I have a way to help you move Diricawl somewhere larger so that we can have more people learning with us."
"You know where a large piece of land that will meet our needs can be found?" Remus asked eagerly.
Harry nodded, a wide smile nearly splitting his face.
"Yeah, I do," he told the eager Board of Diricawl Academy of Magical Studies.
A sharp intake of breath from Sirius told Harry that he, at least, had figured out where Harry was going.
"Ynys Crochenydd," Sirius breathed.
"Ynys Crochenydd," Harry nodded. At the confused looks coming from Beth, Emma and Dan, he elaborated. "Ynys Crochenydd, also known in English as Potter Island, is the Potter ancestral lands. It's where, once upon a time, my family manor stood before Death Eaters destroyed it in the last war. It's about three miles off of the Welsh coast and is almost six hundred acres all up. There's a few magical creatures already there: fairies for sure and Sirius says that there used to be a small herd of hippogriffs and unicorns as well."
"That's all very well and good, Harry, but Ynys Crochenydd is your land," Minerva stated. "Why would you even consider letting us use it. We're more than content to find some land for the school to buy for itself."
"Minerva's right, Pup," Sirius said, leaning forward, "you've already done enough for everyone here; you don't need to give up Potter Island as well."
"I believe that you misunderstand," Slipshard cut in, "this is a business deal, not a gift."
"Business deal?" Sirius questioned.
Harry nodded. "Yeah. When I went to Diagon Alley last week, I spent some time talking to Slipshard and Mister Tentridge. And I've basically decided that between Potter Haven, Godric's Hollow, the Peverell property and the houses around the world, I don't need an extra island sitting doing nothing. But I also don't want to give it up. So, we came up with the idea of a lease agreement."
"Lease?" Minerva asked cautiously.
"Indeed," Julius replied, taking over smoothly. "Harry is proposing that, in return for a few minor concessions, that he lease Ynys Crochenydd to Diricawl Academy of Magical Studies for a period of ninety-nine years. At the end of that time, Diricawl Academy will have the option to renew for a further ninety-nine years. These terms will continue until such time as both Diricawl Academy and the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter agree to conclude the arrangement."
Harry watched the adults across the table looking at each other in disbelief. Emma and Dan seemed to have the most thoughtful looks on their faces, but that might have been because Julius had lifted the idea from the muggle world and they understood it better. Augusta, Minerva and Sirius seemed highly confused, while both Remus and Beth seemed intrigued.
Finally, Minerva seemed to gather herself and faced the three across the table from her.
"Before we make any decisions, I think that it would be best to hear all of these terms and concessions that you are asking for," she stated.
"A wise decision," Slipshard stated.
In response, a sheaf of papers was pulled from Julius' briefcase and a copy of the proposal passed to all present.
"As you can see from the top of the page," Julius began, "Mister Potter is proposing to lease Ynys Crochenydd to Diricawl Academy as well as provide the contents of Gringotts Vault Ten Oh One to Diricawl Academy for their sole use to build structures and revamp any part of the island that needs to be remodelled to enable it to benefit the school."
"A vault? Exactly how much is in there?" Sirius as suspiciously.
"A little over a million galleons," Harry replied.
"Harry, no!" Minerva and Remus cried.
"No way, Harry!" Dan agreed.
"That's your money, Harry, you can't go giving it away," Emma protested.
It took Harry holding up both hands and waving them about before the furore finally died down enough for him to get a word in edgewise.
"Look, it's okay," he said. "It's just the gold that I got from the goblins selling the basilisk. I don't need it and I certainly don't want to profit from it. It's not like it's a part of the Potter or Peverell estate and I'd always intended on finding something good to do with it. And what better than making sure that kids for generations to come can get a really good education?"
"But what about rebuilding Potter Manor?" Sirius asked. "I know that your father put some gold aside to do just that."
"He did, but with the manor here at Potter Haven, I don't need another manor somewhere else," Harry rebutted. "Instead, I thought that I'd use that money on fixing something up on the mainland across from Ynys Crochenydd, maybe something like a motel or something for the parents of the muggleborns so that they can visit their kids a bit easier or something. That's assuming that you take me up on my offer, of course."
"That's not a bad idea," Madam Longbottom mused. "I know that when I was on the Board for Hogwarts, we'd get a number of enquiries each year from parents, especially the muggleborn parents, asking about visiting the castle to see where their children were being educated."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Minerva interjected. "We still need to hear the rest of the details before we decide whether or not we'll agree to Harry's proposal."
"As I have already explained the leasing agreement that Harry is proposing," Julius continued, "I'd like to direct your attention to page two. There you will find the concessions that Harry is asking for from Diricawl Academy.
"Firstly, Diricawl Academy of Magical Studies will be required to pay a fee of one hundred galleons per student per year to Mister Potter. Depending upon the final size of the school that you build, that would easily see the return of the contents of Vault Ten Oh One to Mister Potter within the first ninety-nine year lease of Ynys Crochenydd."
"That's something," Sirius grunted.
"Second," Julius read, "all Potter, Peverell and Lomas students will be exempt from tuition fees for their education at Diricawl Academy of Magical Studies."
"Potter, I understand, but Peverell and Lomas?" Dan asked.
"When the goblins did their heritage test, they found that I'm the Head of all three of those families," Harry said.
"That's fair," Remus agreed.
"And thirdly, Mister Potter or his designated appointee will hold a seat in perpetuity on the Board of Diricawl Academy of Magical Studies," Julius said.
"And, before you ask, it'll be my appointee until after I've graduated," Harry stated. "In this instance, and assuming that you agree, I've asked Slipshard to fulfil my responsibilities in that regard."
"Well, why not? We've already got a house elf as a teacher," Minerva murmured.
Harry nodded. "Yes, and that's something that I'd love to see more of."
"What do you mean, Harry?" Remus asked.
"This isn't a condition, mind you, but I'd love to see Diricawl become the first really inclusive school in not only Britain or Europe, but in the world," Harry replied passionately.
"We've already got you, Moony, a werewolf, and Jaxom, a house elf on staff, not to mention Dan and Emma, muggles both who do some part-time teaching. I'd love to see other species not only teaching, but as students as well. A goblin, perhaps, who we could learn from; I know that I'd love to learn gobblegook and who knows what else they could teach us.
"And if we can make it safe for Moony to be here, then why not werewolf students? We simply build some safe rooms and provide some wolfsbane potion and there won't be any problems. And, I'd love for at the very least the option for goblins or house elves or dwarfs or whoever to be able to come here to learn. Yeah, I know that they're not allowed to use wands, but there are so many other subjects that they could learn that they wouldn't need wands for."
Harry took a breath and snapped his jaw shut in the face of the amused grins that were aimed at him.
"Yeah, well, you get the idea," he finished sheepishly.
"You make excellent points," Headmistress McGonagall smiled, "and I can assure you that we'll be giving them a lot of consideration. Now, as to your proposal, I think that, at first glance, it seems more than generous, but I also believe that it is not a decision that we should make tonight. Would I be correct in assuming that there is no hard timeframe on when we must decide by?"
"That is correct," Julius assured her.
"In that case, I would like to thank you for this, Harry, and assure you that we will think on it and discuss it at length," she told him. "Give us a few days, a week at most I should think, and you'll have your answer."
"Okay, Headmistress," Harry replied, "and for what it's worth, I hope that you take it; I only want what's best for me and my friends, both those here and those that wish they were."
-oOoOo-
Sirius Black was deep in thought. There were plans to be made. Plans that needed the special attention of a Marauder. And said plans had to be best for not only were they for the greatest prank that the Marauders had ever pulled, but they'd also be responsible for protecting the son and godson of a Marauder.
Thus, Sirius was sitting back in one of the comfortable wicker chairs on the back patio of Potter Manor. His arms rested on the chair, the scroll of parchment tapping on his chin even as his unfocussed eyes stared out at the valley below.
"Here he is, Remus," a voice from far away permeated his consciousness.
But even then, it wasn't until the sound of a pair of chairs scraping along the tiles coming towards him that he was roused him from his musings.
"I take it you're on duty?" Dan asked.
Blinking profusely at the tall man now sitting on his left, Sirius said the only thing that he could.
"Huh?"
"That's a galleon you owe me, Dan," Remus laughed. "I told you that there was no way that Sirius Black of all people would be being responsible and keeping an eye on the kids."
Sirius looked between the two, noting the sour look in the dark brown eyes of Dan Granger in comparison to the merry look in Remus' grey eyes.
"What are you two on about?" he finally asked.
In response, Remus merely indicated the view before them.
Turning back towards where he'd originally been facing, Sirius' eyes widened in surprise.
The first thing that he saw were the nine teens on the lawn not far from the end of the patio. They were formed up in two teams of four on either side of a long, thin net, all with small rackets in their hands. A tiny white, feathered ball of some kind was being hit backwards and forwards over the net between them. He watched as Neville did a small, awkward looking jump as he hit the ball, sending it back over the net where it was missed by Tracey before landing on the ground.
"Point for Neville's team," Astoria, who was standing beside the net, called.
This prompted Hannah to bound over the Neville, give him a quick hug, and then bounce back to her spot on the court.
A movement above the playing teens caught Sirius' eye and pulled his gaze upwards.
There he found the rest of the kids. Colin, Dennis and Mickey looked to be playing an elaborate game of tag, only fifty metres up on broomsticks. Harry and Hermione completed the broomstick flying group, only these two were flying more in tandem, lazily crossing the sky above. Suddenly, Harry accelerated ahead before looping up and around until he was flying back towards Hermione, only this time upside-down.
A small smile grew on his face as he watched the teens have an awkward mid-air kiss, with Harry maintaining his sloth-grip hold on his broom.
"I wish they wouldn't do that where I could see them," Dan groaned.
"Better where you can see them than wondering what they're doing when you can't see them," Sirius shot back.
A quick glance at Dan Granger's suddenly green face caused both Sirius and Remus to laugh.
A sudden pop in front of them revealed Neri sporting a small smile as she placed three bottles of butterbeer on the table before them. Before they could do more than thank her, she sketched a tiny curtsy and popped back off again.
"So, if it wasn't the kids, what did bring you out here on a fine day like this?" Remus asked after a time of the three men enjoying their drinks while watching the kids.
With a face of disgust, he handed over the scroll that was still clutched in his hand.
"Is this real?" Remus gasped after reading it through.
"What is it?" Dan asked.
The scroll was passed along the line for the third member to read for himself.
"Betrothal!" Dan spluttered, staring wide-eyed at the other two men. "The magical world still does that?"
"It's rare, but it does still happen," Remus replied, before fixing Sirius with a piercing gaze. "Please tell us that that thing isn't real."
"I wish I could," Sirius began before being interrupted by an enraged Dan.
"It's real! That's going to crush Hermione; probably Harry as well!"
"Relax, guys, it may be real, but it's completely invalid," Sirius said taking back the scroll and opening it to reveal the bottom part. "If you note the date here, you'll learn something very important."
"January two, nineteen ninety-three," Remus read. "Why's that date so important?"
"Ah, that would be because Minerva and I officially became Harry's guardians exactly one week before this was signed, making this completely invalid," Sirius explained.
"An illegal, too, I should think," Remus added.
"Thank God for that," a relieved Dan said, relaxing back into his chair.
"Who signed it? Dumbledore and Molly Weasley?" Remus asked.
"Yeah, those two," Sirius spat. "Trying to get their claws into Harry's inheritance, I'd think."
"Well, I hope that you're going to make them pay for that," Dan stated.
"Oh, yes, I'm going to make them pay alright," Sirius agreed before suddenly freezing in place as an idea began to bloom.
A wicked smile slowly began to grow and he looked to either side of him, confident that he had the brains beside him to turn this nugget of an idea into a Marauder worthy one.
"Yes, I think that we're going to make them pay indeed," he grinned.