Ch 15 Winter into Spring
I want to thank my Beta Deb for major changes and additions to this.
The students arrived back on Wednesday, January second, two thousand and nineteen. Classes started right away, with the first classes Thursday morning.
Thursday, after dinner, the Magic and Elf Language Learners (MELL) students met in the meeting room under the Gryffindor common room. As long as it was before curfew, Gryffindor students could have students from other houses there, and it was the room the Weasley/Potter cousins and friends use for their meetings.
The students spent some time talking about their Christmas break. All of the MELL students had been asked about Galadriel and Luthien and Elf wands, and Thorin and goblin wands.
"I have already been approached by students upset that I have a wand," Thorin announced after the group got down to business, "even though I have been using this wand since I first arrived at Hogwarts."
"We have had some students amazed that we are Elves," Galadriel laughed, looking exasperated at that. "We do not look quite human, thank goodness. We have never tried to hide what we are."
Gabrielle DuMond remarked, "Well, you are much prettier than most Elves." Galadriel just rolled her eyes at the remark.
"Some students want to argue with us, with my sister and Thorin and me," Galadriel continued, shaking her head. "I would expect all of us MELL students would have people trying to argue with us. Please do not argue. Just refuse to talk about wands."
"That is not going to be easy to do," Gabrielle protested.
"I think Galadriel is right," Albus stressed, looking at each of the MELL students. "See if you can put off any discussion of Elves and Goblins and wands until after next summer. We are learning much more about these subjects, but are not ready to talk about them until we learn more and are sure we are right."
Throughout the next few weeks, a number of the students tried to get more information out of Albus and the rest, but no one would say more.
Friday night, just before midnight, after two full days of classes, Albus and Scorpius were awakened by a Hogwarts Elf. The Elf told the boys as they quickly got dressed, "Bowman Flint is at the Hogs Head Inn, and we think he will be there for some time. Now is a good time to map all the area around the sewage treatment plant and his house. Rose and Cleo are with another Elf, and will meet us there."
The four friends spent about two hours mapping all the area from the border of the protected area around Hogwarts to the castle, mapping almost all of the side of the castle that had not been previously mapped. When they were finished Albus made a copy of the map and handed it to the Elf. The Elf told Albus, "I will give this to the headmistress." He then took the two boys back to their room to try and get back to sleep until it was time to get up for breakfast.
The next morning Albus sent his father an updated copy of the Hogwart's Map. When Harry received it, he looked at the map. He watched as Bowman Flint went up to the two cisterns that fed water to Hogwarts once a week. Earlier Harry had installed a video camera at each cistern to record what Bowman did at the cisterns. He waved his wand over the water several times. Harry saw that at least some of the time he was testing the water, since he produced a parchment that he gave to an Elf to deliver to Minerva every week. The report showed generally very minor contamination, well within any health standards, including extremely low levers of residual potion ingredients. Harry knew that at least once a year a sample of the water was taken to the Ministry where it was tested, and that the tests had agreed for as long as the testing had been done.
Bowman also continuing to meet with the witch that was working for the Pirate Witch Queen of the Caribbean. Harry felt powerless, like something was going on and he neither knew what it was nor how to stop it. He wondered if he could have someone/elf watch the map to see if Flint met with anyone else. A couple of weeks of watching did not turn up Bowman meeting with anyone else, however.
The first week in February Henry Slughorn asked Albus to stay after History Class. Albus and Cleo stayed. "I am having a meeting of the Slug Club this weekend, Sunday night. I would like to invite some of the students that are here with Elves. Give me a list of the students, please, so I can give them formal invitations."
Albus sat down and wrote out a list of all the student's names, and handed it to Professor Slughorn. He then asked, "Do you have a list of the other students?"
Professor Slughorn replied with a sly smile, "You will find out when you meet them."
There were two history classrooms next to each other. Willie Nutting, a one-hundred and thirty-five-year-old witch, taught Modern History, since she had lived much of it. She, Henry and Horace Slughorn were the hosts of the party. Olivia Ollivander was the only other professor there.
Albus made a map of the classrooms as soon as they arrived, and as soon as Henry announced that everyone was there he froze the map so he could tell who had attended the party. There were a fair number of Slytherin students. Albus noticed that the Elves and Goblin were not invited, even though they were attending Hogwarts with the Magi. None of the MELL students in first year were invited either.
The four friends arrived at the party together. They were all dressed in good Muggle clothes. Albus wore what his mother called his "banker suit," black with fine pinstripes. Scorpius had purchased a Muggle suit in Switzerland, along with other Muggle clothes, so he could fit in with the other MELL students, and he was wearing it. Both had silk ties in Slytherin colors. Rose was wearing conservative floor length dress with a high neckline and full sleeves. Cleopatra was wearing the white dress with the big flowers, and of course big pockets, looking as usual way too feminine without looking particularly pretty.
Albus thought that he and Scorpius were the only Slytherin students not in robes until he spotted Orion Ollivander, Ashley Ollivander's older brother. Orion was wearing dark trousers, a white shirt open at the collar with no tie, and a lightweight jacket that had on the back, "Ollivander's, Diagon Alley, England. Wandmakers."
Albus went up to Orion, and looked at the jacket. "You are not wearing robes," he remarked, motioned to his and Orion's suit.
"This is more comfortable," Orion replied, flexing out his arms. "I do not see why some of these old families are fighting modernity."
"Did they know how you felt when they made you a prefect?" Albus asked.
Orion held a finger up to his lips. "I think you and I need to talk privately," he whispered.
Cleo was waving at someone. "I see Alice Longbottom over there," she said, waving at the oldest of the two Longbottom daughters, a seventh year student.
"Hello, Alice. This is our first time at the Slug Club. What kind of people are here?" Cleo inquired when Alice came over to the group.
"The Slughorns' try to pick people who will be prominent, or rich, or who have very prominent parents," Alice indicated, waving her hand to point out who the people in the room were. "The Macmillians are here because they are rich. We are here because of my father. Most of the professors' children are not here, but the Longbottom family is wealthy, and with dad being the second in command and heir apparent of Professor McGongall, I guess we are important enough to be invited.
"Dad says I should go to see what is going on, but it's mostly a stupid party with a lot of posturing by some of the students. Dolly is a prefect, and she knows more of the politics. I like working at The Leaky Cauldron, and I think I will just work there after Hogwarts."
Cleo enthusiastically waved Dolly Longbottom over. Rose whispered to Scorpius, "That's Cleo," shaking her head at Cleopatra's exuberance.
Scorpius replied, "Subtle she is not." Cleopatra's exaggerated feminine figure was noticeable. Some guys talked about girls' figures, but Scorpius was embarrassed if he did. He wondered if girls looked at guys like guys looked at girls.
Scorpius told Rose, "That is a pretty dress."
"Thank you," Rose muttered. Rose looked at Cleo's somewhat revealing dress, her very conservative dress, shuttered and turned away. Rose was developing a more feminine figure, but she wasn't about to show it off. This growing up was complicated for a girl. It seemed so easy for a guy.
'I've said just the wrong thing,' Scorpius thought. 'Rose wears a pretty dress that shows she is a girl, and then doesn't like it when I notice. It is not easy knowing what to say to a girl when you are a guy.'
By this time Dolly was with the others, and Orion had moved away.
"Welcome to the Slug club," Dolly cheerily intoned. "I see the Slughorns think you are important enough to be invited. All the older MELL Magi are here. It looks like they didn't invite the Elves and Goblin. I wonder why?"
"I will ask them," Albus replied. "Have you figured out why they invite some people and not others?"
"Part of it is money," Dolly thought. "The Slytherin students are all from old, rich families. Louis Weasley is here because of how rich his father has become, and because he seems interested in power and money. Victoire was not invited when she was at Hogwarts because she seemed more interested in healing and babies and Teddy, at least from what I can see."
"What are you interested in?" Scorpius inquired.
"Expanding the greenhouses at Longbottom Mansion," Dolly replied with a shrug. "I love growing magical plants. I think the greenhouses could grow more and make more money."
"Frank can be the hero Auror in the family," Alice explained. "I really like playing hostess, and helping people. The magical community has grown, and we are going to be buying a couple of Muggle buildings next door to the Leaky Cauldron and expanding both the restaurant and the hotel part of the business. Mum doesn't even need any of the Longbottom money to do it. All the money will come from the Leaky."
The party lasted a couple of hours, but was winding down well before the students had to be back in their dormitories.
The next time Albus saw the younger Professor Slughorn he asked him, "Why did you not invite the first year MELL students?"
"Politics, Mr. Potter," the professor replied. "Some of the old guard in the Slug Club get upset if we add too many new members at a time. I wanted to make sure that your group of students would not cause problems."
"Why not ask the Elves and Thorin. You could not find more prominent beings," Albus insisted.
But Professor Slughorn demurred. "Mr. Potter, you have no idea how much of a problem it would be if I treated house elves and goblins like they were PEOPLE. Many of our patrons would want the club dissolved, and would never talk to my grandfather and me again. Not possible having house elves and goblins as members. Not possible."
At the next meeting of MELL students Albus explained what Professor Slughorn had told him about inviting the Elves and Goblin. "I don't think we should go to his Slug Club meeting if they don't include Elves and Goblins," Albus concluded.
After some discussion, they all agreed not to attend any more Slug Club meetings unless the Elves and Goblin were included.
Albus was coming back from Quidditch practice towards the end of February when he spotted Orion Ollivander. "Want to talk," Albus whispered.
"Privately," Orion whispered back.
"Follow me," Albus motioned.
Two turns and they were alone in a seldom used hallway. Two more turns and Albus was leading Orion into a small, comfortable room. It looked like the living room of a small apartment, and that is what it had last been used as.
"How did you know about this room?" Orion asked, amazed as he looked around the room.
"I have a reasonably good map of the castle," Albus explained taking a seat and motioning to Orion to sit opposite him. "There are areas around our dorm that are hard to map.
"I am eager to talk to you. You were wearing Muggle clothes, not robes, at the party. You usually wear Muggle clothes, not the strange, old fashion garb that many of the Slytherin students wear."
"That's pretty superficial," Orion countered. "You judge me because of the clothing I wear?"
"I try not to be hasty judging anyone," Albus replied. "I have noticed that the families most resistant to the changes happening in the world of the Magi wear traditional robes."
"Mum and dad wear traditional robes in the shop," Orion explained, "but otherwise we normally dress in comfortable modern clothes."
"Why do you want to talk to me privately," Albus wondered. "It is hard to understand the dynamics of Slytherin, but I am not sure you are totally in agreement with Tom Riddle Hanley and his clique."
Orion responded, rubbing his forehead, "I want to talk to you for a couple of reasons. I do not like the way the ruling clique is trying to run Slytherin, and I am really concerned about Tom Riddle Hanley and what he is doing."
"We think TR Hanley has found a way into The Chamber of Secrets, but we cannot find it," Albus suggested leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "We also know that for the first time in over a generation there seem to be basilisk in the forest. I notice that the Slytherin students mostly wear the special protective glasses."
"Hanley is insisting that the Slytherin students wear the glasses," Orion confirmed with a nod. "Well, he is insisting that all of the pure blood students wear them. Hanley hates anyone who is not a pure-blooded wizard. Archana Lucy and Tom Higgy, the seventh year prefects are on his side, as is his sister Bellatrix Hanley. Katherine Wilkes is too. I'm not sure about Victor Valsey. Being on the Quidditch team seems to have made a difference with Victor, you not all being pure blooded."
"What about your sister Ashley?" Albus asked.
"Ashley is still upset that she did not get the wand that Cleopatra has," Orion explained with a sigh. "She and aunt Olivia seem to be upset about many of the changes going on. I know that they are upset that you have the Elder Wand. Aunt Olivia has gone on and on about how that wand should be in the possession of wandmakers."
"Does your aunt want to be a wandmaker?" Albus wondered.
"She does, but it takes a married couple to make wands," Orion replied. "Mum said that when she became pregnant with me it was easier for her to do her part in making a wand. Dad said it was easier for him as well. I've asked about it, because I think I would like to make wands myself. Aunt Olivia seems to not like men much. I do not know what her problem is."
"There is a group at the Department for Magical Law Enforcement that deals with domestic abuse," Albus admitted. "I've talked some to my father about it. Sometimes the abuser is a female, but most of the time it is a male. Maybe your aunt has had a bad experience with a man or men."
"I think you can be a man without being nasty," Orion suggested. "Some of the pure blooded guys just seem to think that they have to be tough and mean, and some of the girls, I don't know, go along with it or something. Dad says that to be a good wandmaker you need a wife partner, not a wife who acts like a house elf."
"Does that mean we may be able to change some of the girls, get them on our side?" Albus pondered.
"Maybe," Orion guessed. Albus and Orion spent another hour talking about all the students in Slytherin, and met privately a couple more times to go over who might be potential allies in changing Slytherin.
It was cool the first Saturday in April, but not too cold to visit the centaurs. As was their custom, Albus and Cleopatra left their Elf guards at the edge of the forest, and after they were well into the forest stripped to their waists to appease the centaurs.
After the usual formal greetings, the centaur Apollo told the two Magi, "The basilisk are growing, and there are at least two and maybe more of them. We have cordoned off an area around the spider's nest, and are guarding that area as well as we can. These," and Apollo took out his mobile, "only help a little. Your father, Albus, cannot offer us any advice."
"We think the basilisk are in the Chamber of Secrets," Albus told the centaurs, "and we are looking for a way into it. The old way is blocked. We are reasonably sure the second entrance is near the Slytherin dormitory, but we have not found it yet."
2019