"Knights of Walpurgis, I have summoned you to conclude another semester of our reign. I am very proud of you for staying loyal to the cause and following through with the resolutions of our last meeting. You shall all be rewarded by today's great news, but first things first.
"Isaac, Maxmilion and Aaron, congratulations on your N.E.W.T.s, I am sure you've done well. It is unfortunate that you will not be joining our meetings next year, but I believe you shall remain true to us even after your graduation.
"It is fortunate, however, that many new faces have approached us and joined our ranks to compensate for the loss. Ignatius Prevett, fifth year Gryffindor, Alima Shafiq, fifth year Ravenclaw, Osian Driscoll, sixth year Gryffindor, Sean Cunningham, fifth year Slytherin, Clarence Pebblestone, sixth year Slytherin, Claire Jenkins, sixth year Hufflepuff, and Willow Miller, sixth year Hufflepuff, you are hereby initiated into our circle.
"As all of you know, our ultimate goal is the survival and prosperity of the wizardkind – we represent the new generation of wizards and witches that refuses to sit back and let our incompetent governments put our future in danger. When the war in Europe resolves itself, we will be ready.
"Aaron, present your findings."
The bespectacled boy bowed his curl-covered head. "My research has confirmed your initial assertions: no correlation had been found between magical power and blood status, a slight negative correlation has been found between Muggle blood and squib birth rate. Over one thousand subjects have been included in my observations.
"Thank you, Aaron. As you can see, we have come a long way from our previous misguided ideals, and I believe one more change is due. From now on, you shall simply address me Leader during our meetings since we no longer wish to associate ourselves with the purist values. Understood?"
"Yes, Leader."
"Good. Now for the big news: with help of Harry Potter here, we have raised funds over the year and secured the perfect place for a new, more isolated wizarding oasis, better and larger than Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. We have also launched an ambitious project regarding the integration of the wizarding youth in need – over the summer, we will be building a shelter that shall prevent the young from turning to the Muggle world for help.
"This facility will be run by our organisation with Harry in charge. The materials and their transport have been arranged for, but I ask all of you to lend a hand, and a wand, in the construction. Those of you who have turned seventeen and have acquired their Apparition licence will be expected to participate as much as they can – we shall meet on the 3rd of July at 10 o'clock sharp on the platform of Hogsmeade station, it should be empty at the time.
"Harry and I will then Apparate you to the island and explain the task. You may choose the frequency of your participation, but I must once more stress the importance of this project – try to participate as much as you can, bring friends, if you know anyone who might want to help, although you must not reveal the details about the Knights or the role we aspire to play yet. To outsiders, we will all just be volunteers working on a charitable project.
"That is not the whole truth, however. While this project will indeed help many, it will also grant us a highly positive public profile, which we shall make use of in our later activities. It will allow us to influence generations of witches and wizards, passing our ideals on them and motivating them from breaching the Statute of Secrecy before it is inevitable. In short, it is a win-win situation. Any questions?"
The room was dead silent, everyone in speechless awe. If they hadn't been aware of the gravity of the Knights of Walpurgis, they were now – this was no child's play anymore, no silly high school club.
If anybody had been considering backing away, though, they weren't letting it on. As Tom had predicted, they wouldn't refuse to help, not after hearing that a large amount of money had been invested on their behalf… Most of them, especially the Gryffindors Harry had recommended, appeared excited about the whole deal.
The biggest surprise among the new members had been Clarence Pebblestone with his girlfriend who actively approached Harry and Tom one day at the library, asking to join their club and promising to help them with anything they needed. Gratitude was indeed a powerful recruiting mechanism.
Both Clarence and Claire turned out to be big fans of Ancient Runes, which would come in very handy in the construction of a wizarding home – well-written runestones could anchor magical properties to mundane objects or create temporary barrier to protect the site and the workers from the tough scottish climate. Tom could do it himself, of course, but the couple would save him a lot of time.
They had to push the meeting to before the curfew as they couldn't smuggle so many people in and out of the Room unnoticed – there was also the added risk of information breach, which Tom had addressed by casting a Fidelius Charm on the sentence "Knights of Walpurgis members are Tom Riddle, Harry Potter, Fulcran Lestrange, Dalamar Avery, Maxmilion Dolohov, Tristan Mulciber, Aaron Morgenstern, Isaac Rosier, Ignatius Prevett, Alima Shafiq, Osian Driscoll, Sean Cunningham, Clarence Pebblestone, Claire Jenkins and Willow Miller, they meet in the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor," with Harry as the Secret Keeper. It effectively concealed both the list of member and the information about their meeting place, meaning Malfoy and Nott couldn't remember where they used to meet and whom with anymore – that satisfying fact alone made that bitch of a charm worth learning (it must have been the most complicated one Tom had ever studied).
Isaac was the one to finally ask the question everyone had been thinking: "How have you raised enough money for all that?"
"We have come across a rare resource we were able to sell… legally," he emphasised. "I cannot reveal more."
"Building it is one thing, but how do you plan to handle the operation expenses?" asked Willow, the new Hufflepuff member, friend of Harry and Claire.
"We have a way to cover them for years to come, but I believe the public opinion will pressure the Ministry into funding us eventually. Same deal with any rich wizard in need of a reputation laundering." Some people nodded thoughtfully.
When no one else spoke, Tom took the word again. "Can everyone make it to the meet-up?"
A chorus of "Yes," or "Yes, Leader," filled the air.
"Very well. Meeting dismissed."
xXx
The involvement of the rest of the Knights had been a brilliant idea, Harry thought with a tired smile… His brilliant idea, for once. The total of twenty people showed up at the Hogsmeade platform on 3rd of July: twelve past or present Knights, five extra Ravenclaws, two extra Gryffindors and one extra Hufflepuff. Ravenclaws were apparently still quite passionate about the matter because of poor Sarah Jacobs. She ended up spending the summer with one of her friends who persuaded her parents to take the orphaned girl in.
They Portkeyed everyone to the island and moved directly to the explanation. Tom Conjured the architectonic design again, showing the wide-eyed crowd the desired result before handing them detailed plans of it on parchment in several copies. So far only the foundations had been laid, and piles of wood, stone bricks and other materials had been set aside under the Impervius Charm.
The volunteers were divided into teams and assigned specific tasks: one team was in charge of erecting buttresses, one team was in charge of tiling the floors, one team was in charge of laying the bricks, some members had individual assignments specific to their skills (like the Pebblestone couple and their protective runework).
Most of the tasks only required careful levitation of material from one place to another, so at the end of the day, they mostly just had sore wrists from all the swishing and flicking or headaches from the prolonged concentration, but they managed a good amount of work.
Tom and Harry treated the volunteers to Firewhisky and roast chicken at Bard's Barn, at last listening to some of Robert the Bard's odes and having actual fun with the Knights like the teens they were.
One by one, the others Flood home until only Harry and Tom were left. Harry had eventually talked his lover into staying with the Potters over the summer, so they reeled home and pissed Voldemort (now a five-foot long serpent) off by their drunken hissing… Oh okay, Harry's drunken hissing.
Most of the volunteers kept showing up in the upcoming weeks, though obviously the graduates couldn't come as often as the future seventh-years. With at least ten witches and wizards on site each day, the rough construction had been completed in a little under a month. Then came the fun part: decorating. Predictably, everyone seemed to prefer painting the walls, assembling the furniture, even installing the bloody loos to the dull brick-laying of the previous weeks.
Harry used the skills he got from repairing the Great Hall enchantments to animate the magical countryside scenery that Tristan Mulciber had painted (who knew?) on the wall of the playroom – now there were Hogwarts Express trains running, Snidgets flying and Demiguises appearing and disappearing all across the room.
Following the success, anyone who wished to could decorate one or two of the twenty-five single bedrooms, making some more childish, some more mature, but all original and welcoming to all kinds and ages of kids, despite only having one bed, wardrobe, table and chair in them.
The children's bedrooms and the common bathrooms took up the whole first floor of the house. The loft rooms were left undecorated, should additional staff move in someday or should the orphanage need more space. The ground level consisted of a kitchen, a dining hall, a playroom, a common room and Harry(and Tom)'s living quarters, consisting of a bedroom, a bathroom and a study.
All that workload didn't keep Tom from throwing a birthday party for Harry – unlike his own, this one was full of people, lively, chattery, with all the volunteers and the Potters having a barbecue on the island. They set up a bonfire, sang songs, popped some bottles, told stories and overall had a great time. Harry thought it was his best birthday ever, although it still hurt that Hermione and Ron couldn't be there.
"… and then I dodge the Bone-crushing curse, spin and send a Freezing Spell flying… right at his crotch! Years later, our classmates still wouldn't stop calling him Blue Balls!" Fleamont's cheery voice cut through the night.
"Let's head home, dear, you're drunk," Euphemia sighed, her face exasperated but amused despite herself. The potioneer started to protest, but she grabbed his wrist uncompromisingly and Disapparated them with a loud pop. The boys in the circle laughed, and Maxmilion Dolohov started a duelling story of his own.
Harry had retired to sit with Tom on the other side, wanting nothing more than to snuggle up to him but having to settle for resting their knees together since the others were around. They stared into the fire, the dark silhouette of the house they'd been building in the background.
"It's brilliant," Harry said softly.
"The house or the party?"
"…The home," Harry smiled. "I've been wondering… I feel like it deserves a name."
Tom raised an eyebrow, also smiling. "I suppose it does. Any ideas?"
"The Knight House sounds cool, but I guess that one's taken."
"Is it?"
"…Will be taken, whatever. I forgot the Knight Bus probably isn't a thing in the forties."
Tom looked genuinely confused. "I started a bus service in your version of the future?"
Harry snorted and shook his head, "No, I don't think you did… Oi, weren't you the one who always came up with cool names for stuff?"
"I… might have a suggestion," Tom said slowly.
"I'm all ears."
"The day you left… You told me once that the memorial in the Entrance courtyard was called Custodes de Hogwarts. 'Custodio' means 'to guard', and 'angelus custos' means 'guardian angel'. I thought could call the place Custodarium, since its purpose will be protection, and the word has a personal meaning to both of us."
"Wow, that's…" Harry didn't expect to get more emotional today, maybe it was the alcohol, but… "perfect. You just thought of that now?"
"Oh, it just came to me."
He'd obviously been thinking about it for a while.
"Sure it did," Harry grinned and levitated the bottle of Sugarplummet wine over to refill their glasses.
"Are you doubting my proficiency in Latin?"
Harry grinned, "I'm doubting your sobriety."
He'd been expecting Tom to deny it, but the other wizard just chuckled, so ridiculously attractive in the warm firelight, and replied, "Me too."
He met Harry's eyes. "Because right now, I'm this close to kissing you in front of all these people."
Then do it, Harry's brain supplied, but he didn't trust himself at this point either.
"I mean, we'll have to… come out eventually, won't we?" he said hopefully.
Tom tore his gaze from him and stared into the fire again. "I'd rather leave it for after we graduate."
"Oh. I guess that makes sense," Harry nodded, somewhat disappointed.
"Don't make that face, I'll make it up to you once we're alone."
Harry loved being around the people he liked, yet he couldn't help but wish they'd left already.