Chapter 113 – Last Days of Quiet
Breakfast on Friday morning had not been as bad as Harry feared. The only new information in the morning edition of the Daily Prophet about the attack at the Ministry was that Severus Snape had not, in fact, died. Everyone in the castle already knew that, as he'd been at dinner the night before. Harry got no more than the usual number of funny looks and was relieved; he'd endured far worse scrutiny many times before.
"Have you seen Madam Pomfrey this morning?" Hermione immediately wanted to know. "You do look much more rested and calm today."
"She told Severus and me to come to the Infirmary after breakfast. We were both instructed to get at least 10 hours of sleep last night – she threatened to admit him to the Infirmary and give him a potion to make him sleep 24 hours straight, if he didn't," Harry offered with a small chuckle.
"Were you alright last night? I wasn't entirely certain what was going on, but it certainly looked like Ron and I needed to leave."
Harry blushed slightly. As pleasant as it had been to spend time sitting on Severus' lap, the reason for his distress and later need for comfort from Severus was still upsetting to him. He spoke softly so only Hermione could hear him. "The things he said about my magic last night really frightened me."
"You're OK now?"
"Yeah. I guess I'm still frightened, but Severus assured me that it will all work out, and I'll be fine. Sometimes, he's really good that way," Harry concluded, with a small smile.
Ron and Seamus interrupted Harry's and Hermione's quiet conversation. "We're going to go flying down by the lake, Harry, want to join us?"
Harry's eyes lit up. He would love to join them. Flying always took away his worries and cares – zooming about in the sky, free from all the nonsense that had invaded his life lately. "I'd love to but I don't know. I have to see Madam Pomfrey after breakfast, and I'm not sure what that'll entail. If I can, I'll join you later, then."
His two friends seemed satisfied with that answer. Harry joined in the noisy chatter swirling around him until he saw Severus stand and head to the exit behind the Head Table.
"Uh, oh. Severus is leaving, so I'd better get going. We're both supposed to head to the Infirmary when we're done here. I'll see you guys later," Harry said as he stepped over the bench on which he'd been sitting. He hurried out, hoping he could catch up with Severus before he got to the Infirmary.
Harry needn't have worried; Severus was waiting for him in the corridor just off the entry to the Great Hall, so they connected almost as soon as Harry was out of the Great Hall.
Madam Pomfrey's detailed scans revealed that Severus had gotten ten hours and seventeen minutes of sleep, a fact duly noted and for which he got an approving smile. His magic had reformed and his magical signature was recognizable as his. His head wound had technically been healed by the time he left the Ministry Infirmary, but Madam Pomfrey remained concerned about the length of time he'd been left unconscious. She continued to fuss at him and was convinced that a small amount of healing was still needed for his skull to be completely repaired. Severus was largely inclined to ignore her, but did agree to take small doses of Skele-grow and get extra rest over the next few days.
Harry had gotten just ten hours and two minutes of sleep, but that amount satisfied Madam Pomfrey. Her scans of Harry revealed that his magical pathways were on the mend, and he was given a further dose of potions to speed that along. "I want no efforts at all to fuss with your magical pathways until they are fully healed from this last event. No working with the Headmaster, no lessons. Do you understand?" she asked, as much of Severus as of Harry.
The two were released to their own devices with the admonition that they were to report back on Sunday afternoon before all medical restrictions on their activities would be lifted.
"Honestly, that woman! " Severus muttered as the two unwilling patients exited the Infirmary with as much speed as was dignified once she released them.
Harry walked quickly to keep up with Severus' longer strides. "I wonder if the Headmaster will be up in his office now? I'd love to know if he's gotten any more information about what went on yesterday at the Ministry, or anything that connects those two Indian men to the attack."
Severus had every intention of heading right up to the Headmaster's office, but he wasn't so sure that he wanted Harry to accompany him. "You cannot begin lessons or training on your magic, with Madam Pomfrey's restrictions in place, and Merlin knows, the woman will know immediately if you've violated any of her restrictions," he replied with a meaningful glance. The precision with which she calculated the amount of sleep each had gotten the night before was not lost on either of them. "I will get whatever news from the Ministry has arrived, and share it with you later. It's a beautiful day, and it would shock me senseless if your Gryffindor friends are not out on their brooms over the lake even as we speak. Why don't you join them?"
Harry was about to argue, but realized that Severus could share information with him later, but right now it was a beautiful, sunny day and his friends were out over the lake swooping in the air. He took Severus' advice, and headed off with a smile back at his bondmate.
The Headmaster was reading a letter from a large stack on his desk when Severus arrived. With a wave of his wand, the correspondence was obscured from view as he directed his guest toward a chair near the fireplace.
"So, my boy, I understand that you and Harry are recovering nicely from your ordeals of yesterday. Good news, indeed! To what do I owe this early morning visit, Severus?"
"I've told Harry that we cannot hope to begin any training with you on wandless magic until his magical pathways are completely healed, nor can I begin work on training him to better control his magic, until Poppy removes all restrictions. For the time being, Harry was persuaded to join his friends flying over the Lake. We are both most interested in any news you may have from the Ministry, which I promised to share with Harry later."
"Ah, yes, the Daily Prophet seemed to be focused on your amazing survival this morning, and didn't have much else to say. Well, I did hear from the Minister herself, and from Auror Darmut, so I probably do have a bit more detailed and current information. The Minister is taking a long-distance portkey to Agra for the funeral rites this afternoon, and Darmut will join her. He went to school with the head of the Indian Auror organization."
Severus interrupted, "But Albus, we have absolutely nothing that actually connects your spell, the attack yesterday on me, or their deaths! Won't any questions touch off a diplomatic nightmare?"
"No, no, there is really an "Indian" angle to the investigation. Darmut's team went through Mr. John Smith's cloak and valise very carefully when they found them in Mr. Uggers' office yesterday." Albus visibly warmed to his subject: while he'd never been an Auror himself, the process of unraveling a mystery like this intrigued him greatly. "The valise was new, purchased a day ago in one of the small shops just off Diagon Alley, and it contained only yesterday's Daily Prophet. The cloak was of local manufacture, not brand new, but didn't look as if it had been worn for more than a few months. From the label, though, they discovered it had been sold here over 10 years ago. Detailed scans revealed dust and pollen from plants that don't grow in England – but that do grow in India. The suspicion is that the cloak was purchased here and brought to India, where it sat unused for years before being sold second-hand, presumably in India."
As Albus stopped for a sip of tea, Severus felt he had to comment. "The Aurors have been busy, indeed, Albus, but is this still something that would be brought to the attention of the head of their Auror organization?"
"Of course, Severus. Don't forget, this involved an attack in our Ministry offices, so our Aurors are absolutely inclined to go to the head of any similar organization in another country. Everything about this points to a suicide mission. Possibly one that might have been staged out of India. That's enough for an old friend to ask for a few moments after the funeral."
Severus nodded, a pensive look on his face. "Will anything be shared about the intention spell?"
"Not now. The Minister has told me that she'll speak to her counterpart in India if evidence arises that suggests they need to know. For now, all we plan to do is make the wizarding world aware that such things as intention spells exist in the Daily Prophet article. Let's not rule out that a foreign Auror corps might conclude that one of their leaders was killed by the effects of my intention spell and still want to keep that quiet, lest they sully the reputation of the leader after his or her death."
That last observation caught Severus' imagination. An Auror corps might well conclude that dealing with a death, especially the death of a leader, for which there seemed to be no medical explanation was preferable to dealing with one where they had to admit such a bad action by the deceased. Interesting.
Although ultimately, it was better for those bad actors to know about the spell that would kill them as they intended for him to die. He would definitely prefer to live his life without the threat of assassination hanging over his head.
"I did want to make you aware of something young Weasley told me last night. His mother heard a cracking sound when she was lying on the floor at the Ministry yesterday afternoon. We had considered that it appeared unlikely that anyone saw Harry's magical spillage, but did not discuss what others might have heard."
For the first time since he'd arrived in Albus' office, Severus felt he had told the old man something he didn't already know. The look of amusement on his face was momentarily replaced by one of concern. "Oh, my. I will need to speak to Molly about that." Severus nodded, wise enough to keep any hint of smugness off his face. "And what prompted young Weasley to share this with you?"
With an elegant lift to his eyebrows, Severus explained "Miss Granger has a research project underway for Harry. When I'd told Harry of our thoughts that he acquired some of Odin's magic when the Eye exploded in his hand, he became concerned that this was the second time he'd acquired some other wizard's magic. The first instance is believed to be his ability to speak Parseltongue, which they believe came from Voldemort."
"As do I, Severus."
"Miss Granger offered to do some research to see if she could find anything to explain why this happened, and what might he or should he do about it. Miss Granger and Weasley came to our rooms after dinner at Harry's invitation so I could tell them more about the spillage problem – Harry wondered if acquiring magic from others caused him to exceed his own capacity to manage his magic – and hear her report. She's found several cases that might involve what she calls "magical transference," and will be pursuing this with Madam Pomfrey, if more detailed medical journals are required."
Albus' look of satisfaction returned, as he contemplated where Hermione's inquiries would carry her. "Such a creative mind, that one, no, Severus? I'll mention to Poppy that Miss Granger is working on a project for Harry and if she needs access to professional journals and records and such, to provide discreet assistance."
"Any other news from the Ministry, Albus?" Severus asked. "The project with the royal princes – the message to the muggles – has that been arranged? Is Harry still to be a part of it?"
"Ah, yes. The Ministry is planning that as we speak, and Harry most definitely will be part of it. There is a group writing out what needs to be said, and another group getting ready to actually capture the speeches. The muggle royals have a castle right here in Scotland, did you know that? Balmoral, it's called. As the royal family resides there for part of the year, it has all the electrological things that one apparently requires to "tape" a message. There is a team there now, placing security wards, and checking out the possibility of connecting a fireplace there to the floo network next week. There is nothing to be done right now."
Albus momentarily looked sad. "Today we'd normally be bidding farewell to the students, Severus. No Hogwarts Express this year, I'm afraid. Only about fifty students will be joining their families elsewhere this summer, so I've gotten portkeys for them. Some are just staying on for the summer themselves, and a number of families will be arriving. I've asked Minerva and Filius to develop a summer curriculum, to keep the children busy. I expect that you and Harry will be busy enough this summer, so I did not suggest that they speak to you about any potions program." Severus snorted – he wasn't sure who would want that less: himself or the students. "We'll be announcing the program on Monday, so while most of them don't know it, this is their last completely free weekend. Leave Harry free to enjoy the weekend with his friends. You rest up, as well. We'll be busy enough once next week starts."
For once, Severus took the Headmaster's suggestion without an argument.
Severus had brewing to do, and the prospect of having the dungeons to himself was as welcome to him as the day outside on the lawn was to the others. He spent just a few minutes at his desk, dispatching a message to Gringotts to request that a curse-breaking team be dispatched to begin work on Snape Manor, and then consulting with a house elf about the items that he wished to have brought to stock his small kitchen, things he would need should he have the opportunity to cook dinner with Harry. He finally, happily, disappeared into his lab.
Friday set the tone for the entire weekend. Because the early summer weather was particularly beautiful, most of the castle inhabitants were outdoors, flying, wandering, and a few brave souls even went swimming in the lake. Students and their families mixed with squibs, and even the Winter Land warriors and some of their families joined in.
The house elves set up large tents to give those who preferred it some shade, and provided tables laden with cool beverages, samovars dispensing tea and picnic lunches. The large group would not have to interrupt their day on the lawn or by the lake to go inside for lunch, and most stayed out for supper as well.
Even the animals participated in the impromptu celebration of the summer. Several unicorns left Dark Forest to frolic at the shore of the lake, to the infinite delight of the children (and more than a few adults). The giant squid even got in on the fun, occasionally squirting water in a plume into the sky, in which the flyers on brooms frolicked.
A few of the Hogwarts professors joined in. Madam Hooch was a constant presence, as she kept order in the sky. Professor Sprout supervised activities under the big tent, and Hagrid stayed by the shore of the lake, his enormous trouser legs rolled up to his knees, to be sure all the swimmers remained safe. Others stopped by for short periods, mostly taking breaks from their other tasks.
The days were long at this time of year, too, with daylight lasting until well past bedtime for many of the youngsters. On Friday, Harry did not go back inside until it was nine o'clock, still light enough for games, but he was worried about Severus. He had taken his meal breaks in his lab; the house elves were not going to allow him to skip a meal as long as he was regarded as under Madam Pomfrey's care. Harry found him still engrossed in his brewing, but quite willing to call it a day when Harry pointed out the time.
The other days of the weekend passed just as Friday did, except for the fact that Harry came back to the dungeons much earlier on Saturday to cook dinner with Severus. His attempts to seduce Severus were for naught, but the food was delicious.
When Severus and Harry presented themselves in the Infirmary late Sunday afternoon, Madam Pomfrey was impressed, indeed. She'd never had Severus adhere to any of the restrictions she requested before when he was under her care, and while she wasn't sure if it was the threat of being kept in the Infirmary for at least 24 hours or Harry's influence, she wasn't complaining. Harry was also magically rested, although from the windblown look of him, he had gotten a full measure of fresh air along with the others outside all weekend.
After her scans were complete, she sat with both of them in her office, beaming in approval. "Congratulations, gentlemen! You obviously complied with the restrictions I imposed, and you are both much the better for it. Professor Snape, your head wound is fully healed; I imagine that you've not experienced any headaches this weekend?" Severus nodded in response – he hadn't noticed, but now that she mentioned it, he felt quite fine all weekend.
"And Mr. Potter, your magical pathways are as solid as they ought to be. While I still have serious reservations about anyone your age even contemplating wandless magic, I understand your unusual situation. I am sure with the careful tutelage of Professor Snape and the Headmaster, you will be safe."
Once again, Harry and Severus retreated as quickly as dignity allowed, both glad to be free of the restraints the mediwitch had imposed but secretly relieved that they were found to be in fine health.
Severus suffered a most uncharacteristic lapse in attention as he walked along with Harry. As they chatted idly, Harry had them heading out the front door of the castle and down the lawn toward the shore of the lake, where the house elves had been serving the evening meals all weekend. It wasn't until it was too late to reverse course and head back into the castle without attracting attention that Severus realized he and Harry had arrived in the picnic area and dinner was already underway.
Severus had hated informal meals for as long as he could remember. A seated dinner was one thing; even as he youngster, he had a place to be and could keep up a conversation with the two people seated to either side of him. He could handle receptions, where he either attended with someone and thus had someone to speak to, or he lurked at the perimeter and disappeared after a short while. At Hogwarts, there were usually separate and more formal arrangements made for adults. Even at that horrid Yule Ball, he'd had a place at the Head Table, and was able to escape under the guise of making certain that students were behaving themselves in the courtyard when the meal was over. What on earth was he supposed to do here?
Harry was blithely heading along to the tables where the food was set out, and selected two plates, handing one over to Severus. Severus accepted it and followed along, desperately looking for clues as to what the other professors were doing in this setting – were they all at one table? Had they all remained back in the castle and dined in their rooms, or in the Great Hall? He couldn't immediately spot any of his colleagues. Worst case, and it would be worst for him, he'd eat standing up and escape back to the castle as quickly as he could.
Harry wasn't engaging in any such inner dialog; he was loading up his own and his bondmate's plates with food as they passed along the table, and despite the fact that it was most uncommon for a professor to sit with students at meals, it was clear that Harry did indeed expect for them to dine together. When their plates could hold not a morsel more, Harry spotted a table. "Come on, Severus, there's space over there, by the trees."
Severus could not see an empty table, but he followed along, realizing that Harry was directing them to a table already occupied by several of Harry's Gryffindor friends, assorted members of the Weasley family, Draco, and the two squib princes. Despite his general discomfort with such . . . eclectic . . seating arrangements, Severus had no choice and took the seat next to Harry as the young man had clearly intended.
In short order, they learned that Charlie Weasley had a weekend off from the dragon preserve in Romania and had flooed to Hogwarts to see Draco, of course, and his parents after their adventure at the Ministry. The twins had heard that Charlie was coming in, so they flooed in from Diagon Alley, and were currently entertaining their end of the table with some of their newest inventions, explaining the enlarged, flapping ears, orange hair and steam coming from the nostrils of the people sitting with them. Ron wanted to visit with his brothers, and of course, Hermione sat with him. Neville and Seamus had followed along with them. The younger of the princes had worked in the greenhouses for a time. He'd gotten to know Neville, who still had no idea who he was but liked the prince's way with plants, so he and his older brother sat with Neville.
For the first time, and much to Severus' surprise, Neville weathered proximity to Severus without a look of panic on his face, even though Severus had taken the seat directly across the table from him. Severus took what he admitted was the cowardly approach, and avoided small talk by starting in on his meal as soon as he was seated and had exchanged greetings with the others at the table. It was a night of surprises when Neville was the one who began a conversation.
"Professor, I've spent some time up in the Winter Lands, and they showed me another of their strange plants – a magical tipitiwitchit."
Noticing Severus' immediate look of alarm, Neville smiled shyly. "No, no, don't worry, I didn't bring it here. It's a very dangerous plant, and it's huge. It eats deer, wild pigs, and the herbalist who brought me to see it said that these plants have been known to eat children who wander too close. Anyway, she told me that she harvests its digestive enzymes and some small bits of plants for the healers up there to use as potion ingredients, and she offered to send some down to you. I mentioned this to Professor Sprout, and we looked tipitiwitchits up in one of her old reference books. The leaves in particular have very unusual properties, not too unlike your roses. I'll send the reference book to you to review; if you think these ingredients would be of interest, I would be glad to bring some leaves and enzymes back next time I go up there."
Severus felt he did an admirable job of hiding his shock that the young man he'd always regarded as a scared rabbit had been busy sourcing exotic potions ingredients for him. "Thank you, Mr. Longbottom. I was not even aware that tipitiwitchets grew outside of America. I have seen the odd specimen in collections, but they were always very small, so this sounds most interesting. I will look at the reference book if you'd have a house elf bring it to my quarters. It is not everyday that a potions ingredient I've never encountered before comes to my attention, so I would appreciate the chance to explore the uses to which we might put the ingredients whenever you are able to bring them back."
"No problem at all. I expect to be going up there some time this week, or by next weekend, at the latest, and I'm sure she'll have some handy. She'll be very flattered that you are interested in the ingredient she offered."
None of the other conversations Severus had were as interesting as the exchange with Neville, although Harry was having a fine time gossiping and laughing with his friends. He'd enjoyed the last several days, removed from all the pressures and nonsense that went along with his current role in life, flying and swooping and generally behaving like a student after classes had ended. The easy banter at meals, the shared experiences and histories – Harry was glad he'd had this time to enjoy his friends.
One subject of some discussion and speculation was the awakening of the muggles, which was expected to be soon, and Harry pointed out to the princes that he had not taped anything yet; were they aware of any plans?
"We know your Ministry is working on this right now. Harry and I told them about a family castle up here in Scotland, not far from this castle apparently, and they've had a team out there all weekend. Lots of wand-waving on the lawn, and people really fussing with the fireplaces. I expect we'll be going there tomorrow or the day after, and tape it there. Your Headmaster was adamant that we were not going to do this in London, and since the family spends some time at this castle every year, it has a pretty comprehensive television studio on site." Wills looked at his younger brother, as if to invite him to chime in if he'd heard anything else about this.
The younger prince just added "We were invited to spend today here, so I expect we'll be going to Balmoral Castle tomorrow."
Not too long after that, making eye contact with Severus, Harry announced "Well, it was great to see everyone. Severus and I have to check in with the Headmaster, so we'll be heading back to the castle now."
As they were welcomed into the office, directed to seats and offered lemon drops, Harry found his mind drifting back to the conversation he'd had in the Winter Lands at Christmas, about how difficult it was for most of the wizarding world to secure an appointment with Professor Dumbledore; he felt momentarily discomfited by this reminder of his place in the world. That was reinforced when the Headmaster began to brief him and Severus on the things planned for the coming week.
"We've installed a secure floo connection between my office and Balmoral Castle; it's warded and protected by passwords," he began, looking at Harry. "Teams of Aurors have been in place at Balmoral all weekend, securing the location and making it ready for you and the princes to tape your message tomorrow."
"Thank you, sir. We sat with the princes at dinner on the lawn, and they told us they expected we'd be taping tomorrow. You said we'd not do this in London?"
Albus was a bit surprised that Harry would even consider returning to the Ministry or to any other location in London; he had expressed his concern anticipating how Harry would feel. It turned out that it was Severus who appreciated the sentiment. "I am glad to hear that we'll be avoiding crowded places, like the Ministry or London itself," he volunteered. "I'm sure a Scottish castle, that's been secured and warded, is a better location."
"And the Ministry advises that we'll be needing this message very soon. The staff at St. Mungos has been monitoring the muggles they are tending, and report that it appears that the spell is weakening. Muggles might begin awakening this very week!"
Harry was pleased to hear that. "Do they expect the muggles to waken all at once? What do they expect?"
"The Ministry is preparing for them to awaken all at once, just as they all went to sleep. But as I understand it, at least some of the mediwizards are speculating that given differences in age, body mass, nearness to the source of the spell when it was cast, things of that sort, they could awaken at different times. That adds a layer of complexity, I'm afraid. Panic could ensue."
Severus was not particularly looking forward to whatever mass muggle panic would look like, but there was nothing to be done about this. "Let us hope the awakenings go smoothly, then. There's nothing we can do about it, in any event."
X X X X X X X X X X
The morning was clear and crisp as Harry and the two princes, accompanied by Severus and the Headmaster, stepped through the floo in the Headmaster's office and emerged in an enormous fireplace that seemed to be part of the kitchens of the castle.
A flustered-looking Ministry functionary was there to greet them. "I apologize for your arrival in the kitchen. We thought that the fireplace in the drawing room could be adjusted to accommodate a floo connection, but the ancient stones here are just not as receptive to spells. They might have been charmed at some point. This was the only fireplace that could safely serve for use as a floo."
Albus waved off the apologies, and the princes, familiar with the place, led the group up the back stairs through to the front parlor. Space for the media had been created in a small room off the entry to keep the press in a contained space. When a royal message needed to be taped, the front parlor was convenient to the equipment and presented a homey scene; as a result of some of the messages, most of world had seen part of this room already, another familiar aspect.
The room itself had been prepared, with several chairs grouped to one side. Cameras were set up in front of them, capturing the speakers as well as a view of part of the room and out the window into the countryside beyond. A number of Ministry people, including the Minister herself and the Head of the Department of Explanations, were already in the room, milling about with cups of tea. They immediately grouped around the new arrivals, welcoming them. The wizards all seemed to be particularly taken with the cameras and the teleprompter.
The princes knew from experience how to deliver televised messages using the teleprompter, and they quickly coached Harry on the process. Once Harry had learned the knack of reading his lines without appearing to be reading them, it was time to record.
A man in his early thirties stepped in front of the camera. He was a bit paunchy and slightly balding, with what hair he had pulled into a frizzy ponytail that went a good way down his back. "Good morning, sirs. My name is George Barker. I'm an assistant producer with the BBC, but I've never directed the camera work for anything like this. We pulled together a crew of folks who were awakened from the sleeping spell, and we can definitely do this, but it's not going to be as fancy as you all might be accustomed to. Our usual directors and editors are all still asleep, unfortunately. We'll just use the one camera," George said as he pointed to the large device held steady on a tripod. "You will all be on-camera at all times. You each have a teleprompter and we've synched the scripts. Let's do a run-through first, and then we'll start taping."
The princes were not flustered by the unusual protocol at all, and followed along easily with George's suggestion. Harry, having no experience at all with any of this, took his cue from the others, and eased into the experience. After a couple of run-throughs to test the script, allow for a few spot adjustments, and find opportunities for the personalities of the three young men to come through, they were ready.
Wills spoke first, introducing himself and the others, leaning forward a bit as he began to speak.
"We want to tell you about extraordinary events that have occurred. On April 16, just as many of you were about to sit down to dinner, or just getting home from work, something terrible happened. Every human being in the world fell asleep. Just like that, we were all out cold. A few moments later, some of us were awakened. What we found was frightening. Everyone else was still asleep, and nothing we did could rouse them. My brother and I were awakened, but the rest of our family was asleep. We called the Prime Minister's office, and found someone there who had awakened, and he came to help us. That was our introduction to a most unexpected and amazing world."
"We have learned that magic is real. It does exist, and there are witches and wizards in the world who can do the most amazing things. When we were awakened, my brother and I both experienced the sense that our names were being called by someone; that's what woke us. We had no idea who had called to us, but we've since found out. Every once in a great while, a witch or wizard is recognized in the magical world as its King, and we learned that the young man who woke us is the King of the entire magical world. He happens to be a Brit, and we'd like to introduce him to you. This is Harry Potter."
With a visible gulp, Harry Potter now leaned forward a bit and took up the story. "Thanks, sir. Before I tell the story about what happened here, I want to stress something you said. Every human being in the world fell asleep. This is not really about magic, it's about human beings. Keep that in mind. I grew up in the non-magical world, in Surrey, and did not even realize that magic was real or that I was a wizard until I was eleven, when I was invited to attend a school that teaches witchcraft and wizardry. Just as we all know that there are good and bad non-magical people, I learned that there are good and bad witches and wizards."
Harry went on to tell the story of the bad and powerful wizard who had sent a spell into the world that put all human beings to sleep, presumably intending to waken on those who had his favor. His sleeping spell would kill everyone else, as they would have slept for a very long time, and died of dehydration long before they woke. Harry told of his own effort to waken everyone who had been put to sleep, but finding that he could only waken people with magic in them. Even the smallest bit of magic would do, but without that, he could not waken them.
"Once our healers had a chance to study the spell that was cast, they recognized it as one that was impossible to break unless the person under the spell had magic, so we knew we could not wake non-magical people. We did the next best thing – we developed and cast a second spell to preserve the people who remained asleep until the sleeping spell wore off on its own. We've done out best since then to take care of your world until you all woke up. We've used magic to tend to farms, keep animals and pets fed and watered, keep your electric grid up and running. You'll probably have a few days before grocery shelves are filled again, but we were able to preserve the food in your pantries and refrigerators."
The other Harry took the story now. "It's not all good news, unfortunately. Some people, both magical and non-magical, were in the midst of doing things that were not safely interrupted by even a few moments of sleep, let alone an extended sleep, so there were some terrible accidents. Planes and automobiles crashed, fires raged, there were calamities. As Harry said, the magical people found a way to keep non-magical people safe as they slept off the spell, but many people, both magical and non-magical, did not survive the onset of the sleeping spell. So, there are changes in our world – people did die, some structures were damaged and not everything was able to be restored to its prior status. The magical people have promised to continue to work with us to fix what we can before they return to their own lives, but I want everyone to understand that there are changes."
Wills ended the announcement. "My brother and I were awakened because we have a small bit of magic in us; we can't use magic, but the small bit is there. We have learned that about ten percent of the population in the world has some magic, ranging from my brother and I with the merest bit, to people with great amounts of magic. As I said, and as Harry Potter amplified, this is not about people with or without magic – it's about human beings, some of whom do bad things. We wish everyone good luck as we get back to our day-to-day lives now."
The taping stopped for a few minutes, as people huddled around television monitors and spoke in hushed tones. Severus and the Headmaster had stayed on the periphery with the Minister and her Department Head, but they were among those invited to have a look at the monitors. Severus seemed rather interested in the process, but Albus looked like a young child opening his gifts on Christmas morning, the very picture of nearly uncontained excitement.
George requested that the three young men go through the script twice more on camera, although eventually it was decided that the first take captured more emotion and was the version of the message that would be used. Wills was asked to tape additional versions of the concluding lines, so he could tell people what date it was. The plan was to splice the different endings onto the message so that it carried that important information, no matter what date the message was actually being aired. It was still not known if the muggles would all awaken at once, or if this was something that would occur over several days, and the BBC planned to run this message through the entire period that people were awakening.
The Minister herself spoke to George before she left. "Mr. Barker, we've been in regular contact with the wizarding governments across the world, and I mentioned to several that we were working with people such as yourself to create this message. They asked if they might have this message to present when their muggle citizens awaken. Could this be shared?"
"Yes, Madam Minister. I don't have the usual translators available." It was clear from the Minister's puzzled expression that she wasn't entirely sure what that meant, so he explained further. "We employ people who speak multiple languages, and they provide either typed words that we put at the bottom of the screen to express what is said in a different language, or they speak the words in a different language and we replace the original voices. Our translators are asleep."
The Minister still wasn't entirely sure what that all meant, but she did gather that it had to do with the fact that the message just taped was in English, and not everyone spoke English. "How can we make arrangements for this to be shared, then?"
George thought for a second, and then produced a small card from his pocket, and wrote a string of numbers on the back. "This is my cell phone number." To illustrate, he extracted a small mechanical device from the same pocket. "Pass that number along to others who need the message in their countries and can work with their television and technology. They will be able to run this on televisions as well as computers, you know. I'll make arrangements to send the message to them."
Everyone but the technicians headed down to the kitchens, back to the fireplace that was connected to the floo network. It was a pleasant surprise to find a large spread of food set out on the table; the Hogwarts house elves had used the connection to locate this castle and provided lunch, as it was lunch time. There was a delay for lunch, before, one by one, everyone stepped through the floo.
The technicians did their best to create a series of messages that could be played continuously and loaded them into the BBC computers. The first message announced that the current date was July 3, which was today. The young men checked that the message was working properly, and cued up to switch to the next message at midnight each day for the next two weeks, unless the cycle was interrupted. The cycle could stop the day after the muggles awoke, at which time, the BBC would turn to live reporting.
It turned out that the messages were recorded just in time. The muggles were about to awaken.