Fireworks Chapter Seventeen Chapter Sixteen and Three Quarters
In which things are getting caught up with
Harry looked at his mail.
A letter from Andromeda Tonks stood out.
'
Harry Dear,
You haven't come to visit in ages.
Where is that secretary you said you were hiring?
Minerva tells me your progress on translations has ground to a halt.
While I appreciate you opening your own orphanage, you need staff for that.
Tomorrow, ten am.
Bring Daphne
Andromeda Tonks nee Black
'
Over a noisy lunch with nearly twenty small children being chased by house elves Harry showed Daphne the letter.
Daphne leaned closer so Harry could hear her and said "Harry, I love you very much, but this is a zoo. You need staff. Get a secretary please. My Sister is sending me sarcastic letters"
Harry floo-called Alexa Foley, who quickly suggested a Mary Carruthers.
An hour later, a food-stained Dreedle popped into Harry's office, where Daphne was … hiding with Harry "A Carrutters master" said Dreedle, and popped off.
Harry opened the door and entered the front hall, which had a surprising number of children's toys and shoes lying around.
A stiffly erect black haired witch in dark green robes and a pointed hat hat pursed her lips
"You are Lord Slyth.."
Harry cut her off "Harry Potter" he said. "Mary?"
"Mary Carruthers, I understand you need a secretary" she said, eyeing the children's mess with distaste.
"Please come into the study." said Harry.
Mary Carruthers stopped at the sight of Daphne sitting on the couch, trying to translate a book.
"Mrs Potter" said Mary.
"I prefer Lady Slytherin" said Daphne "Please, close the door. We'll need some quiet."
Mary Carruthers decided the facing couch was where she wanted to sit.
Harry sat down next to Daphne. "So… Alexa said you were to person for this job" said Harry.
"What exactly is the job?" asked Mary tensely.
"Social secretary" said Daphne "And organise hiring some staff. Harry's orphanage is a lovely idea, but the children are running roughshod over the house elves."
Harry opened his mouth to explain.
Mary spoke up "Mister Potter, have you any experience managing a company?"
"I captained a quidditch team" admitted Harry "I've been meaning to get someone to organise the cleaning crews"
"Cleaning crews?" asked Mary
"We have four buildings. This manor, Slytherin Castle, Peverell Castle and Black Manor. Black manor is … almost derelict."
"And what requires cleaning crews?" asked Mary
"The castles need to be cleaned, Slytherin castle fitted out to be the school for these younger children" said Daphne.
"How many" asked Mary.
"About twenty." said Daphne. "Possibly also boarders, some external day students"
"What about Black manor?" asked Mary
"I've got two witches and two elves working on it… it's a bit much." said Harry.
"A bit much?" asked Mary, confused.
"One hundred and seven rooms, doxies and boggarts." said Daphne firmly.
"And red caps on the grounds" said Harry glumly.
"What is the budget?" asked Mary.
"Erm… maybe " Harry looked at Daphne.
Daphne rolled her eyes "Twenty thousand a year" she said.
"And teachers?" asked Mary.
"We don't know" admitted Harry.
"I'll be your social secretary. I think you need a couple of permanent employees: a Headmistress for your school, and a head of cleaning." said Mary.
"Oh Alexa Foley said she had a line on people for the school" said Harry. "They could live there"
"Does this job come with a room" asked Mary.
"I suppose so… do you mind if it's in another castle" asked Harry.
Mary said quite clearly "I don't mind" … being away from this mess was implied.
"Well, um, can you start now" asked Harry.
Mary sighed "What's the salary ?"
Daphne poked Harry. "Ah, would a thousand galleons a year be okay?" asked Harry.
Mary got a notebook out of her pocket. "What is urgent" she said.
"So you'll take it?"
"It would be inhumane not to. This manor is degenerating into a zoo" said Mary.
Forty minutes later Mary had a checklist, rough directions to an office in Peverell castle and a small bag of galleons.
"Er, Mary, have you got enough to get started?" asked Harry.
Mary coughed "I have three people to hire, two letters to write for you, and a pile of mail to reply to. I think we will all have plenty to do"
Mary paused. "I I might ask, what are you doing, that book looks quite old?" she asked.
"Translating Salazar Slytherins library into modern English" said Daphne. "Harry does the parseltounge books, of course"
"Oh… well I'll get through your mail and get I back to you" said Mary nervously.
"Call Dreedle, he can pop between buildings easily." said Harry.
"The portal to the castle is on the third floor, the large mirror on the right hand side." said Daphne.
Mary left the room.
Harry relaxed "Daphne, she's a godsend. No mail to answer, all school stuff underway, cleaners organised"
"Harry, it's called delegating. Mary's going to hire the staff Alexa already recommended, and get back to keeping you from drowning in mail. You can concentrate on reading poor Hermione's briefings." said Daphne.
Two hours late Daphne got up and stretched "Come on, time to go practice. You'll get fat sitting behind a desk"
Harry followed Daphne off to get changed.
-==0==-
Twenty minutes later.
Boom. Thud!
Harry landed face down on the courtyard of Peverell castle.
Daphne approached him in full goblin armour "Harry, are you okay?" she said.
"Well, apart from being knocked off my feet and flattened, I'm fine. I thought we weren't trying to kill each other."
Daphne pulled Harry to his feet "Any broken bones?" she asked.
"Sore" groaned Harry, "what was that?"
"Blasting curse behind you" said Daphne "Bounced off the shield wall"
"I could have been badly hurt" said Harry, stretching.
"I'll rub bruise ointment on your sore places" said Daphne, "You big baby"
"I hit my nose" said Harry, touching it. "Ow" he said.
"Episky" cast Daphne.
"I feel awkward duelling,. I don't want to hurt you" said Harry.
"Well, that's good" said Daphne.
-==0==-
Two days and three thousand galleons later.
Harry Potter closes the secret door to the Potter treasure room.
Daphne, curled up on the couch says "Harry, would the muggles pay us more for the silver?"
Harry things for a bit "Good question Daph".
Harry went back down to the treasure room and came back with a single small silver ingot.
"I'll go see what they'll pay for one" said Harry. "I'll just get changed first"
"Be careful" said Daphne.
"How much trouble can I get into with one little bar of silver" said Harry.
Daphne looked thoughtful "Harry, I love you but… when you say 'how much trouble' I think, A lot"
Harry laughed, and left the study.
He crossed the blessedly toy and shoe free hallway, hearing children… in the far distance.
Harry apparated some bushed behind to the Little Whinging public library, in jeans and a leather jacket that would pass for cow hide, as long as nobody tried to cut it.
He went inside and asked the librarian politely "Where would I find a company that bought silver?"
Harry left half an hour later with a list written by the amused old librarian.
He apparated as close as ho could to the first place, and after a five minute walk saw it was closed.
The second place was a pawn shop that advertised that they bought precious metals.
Harry opened the door and an electric buzzer went off.
The shop had various thing on shelves, and perspex walls behind which more expensive things sat on shelves. Harry went to the counter where a bored looking fat man in a too-small t-shirt sat.
"Whatya want?"
"I'd like a price , if I sold this ingot" said Harry, and took it out of his jacket pocket.
The clerk sighed and reached under the desk, getting out a tray of stuff.
"Slide it over" said the clerk, and Harry slid it through a small hole in the perspex.
The clerk weighed it.
"It's a stupid weight, is it old then" asked the clerk.
"Yeah" said Harry.
"No stamps. That's a bit dodgy" said the clerk, and shaved off a flake with a knife and put it in an empty clear jar. He poured some liquid from a white plastic bottle into the container, and watched the silver fizz a little.
"Should have dissolved and gone black" said the clerk "Dunno what that is, it's not silver."
"Oh" said Harry.
The clerk slid it back over "That's five quid for the test" he said.
Harry paid the clerk.
"Did you think it was silver" asked the clerk "It's way too heavy and hard"
"Oh yeah, they did call it hard silver" said Harry.
"Who?"
"The bloke who bought it last time" said Harry.
"Did he know what it was?"
"Yes, but I wanted to see what a different buyer might pay" said Harry.
"They pricks?" asked the clerk, settling back down on his chair.
"Utter bastards" said Harry, pocketing the ingot. "Any idea who might know what this is?"
"You want a lab. An assay office" said the clerk.
"Do you know of one?" asked Harry.
"Mate, I work at a pawn shop. I can do the silver and gold tests. That's what I know"
Four days later
An clean office with lab tables
Harry dropped the ingot with a thud onto the desk of the assay office.
"I have ingots of this stuff. I inherited it. It's not silver. What is it, and what's it worth."
said Harry.
"Who, well" the clerk picked the ingot up "Whoa nellie. That's really heavy" he said.
"Come back tomorrow… should cost around a thousand pounds"
A day later Harry opened the door of the office.
"Oh, Mister Potter, with the mystery ingot" said the clerk.
"Oh, do you know what it is?" asked Harry
"Well, not really, it makes no sense. It's an like a platinum group metal but too heavy. There's something wrong because the only thing it could be is Darmstadtium, and it can't be that"
"Why not"
"Because Darmstadtium, according to the computer at MIT, is artificial, and only exists for twelve seconds. And this isn't radioactive, so it can't be that"
Harry scratched his head "So it's like a really hard silver"
The clerk snorted "Yeah, really really hard silver, your magical Darmstadtium that doesn't decay."
Harry paused "Did you say magical?" Harry asked nervously
"Well, obviously not, there's no such thing as magic" said the Clerk "Space aliens more likely"
Harry pulled his wands out "Stupefy"
The clerk stunned, Harry pointed his wand upwards and cast "Expecto Obliviatum"
Fifteen minutes later a wizard in brown robes barged in "What is it?" they asked.
"Muggle metal assayist. I thought this was silver, turn out it's impossible and the muggles would freak out" said Harry.
"What is it really?"
"The goblins call it hard silver"
The obliviator took an hour, and fifty galleons for a non-accidental need for an obliviator. "If you'd known it was magical, you'd be facing charges of breaching the statute" said the Obliviator.
-==0==-
Harry sat at his desk in his office. Lord Potters office, the office of generations of his ancestors.
The room lamps were low, the desk lamp illuminate the large blotter.
He opened the bottom drawer of the desk and took out the top sheet of parchment.
There was a list on names on the parchment. Fifty names. He glanced at the list. Remus Lupin Nymphadora Tonks Colin Creevy.
His eyes watered and he took the sheet of cardboard from his shirt pocket.
He copied the forty names onto the parchment, onto the right side.
He exhaled and stared at the fireplace, guttering in the late evening.
He put the cardboard back into his pocket.
Biting his lip he added another name to right side. 'Astoria May Greengrass'.
He sat staring at the two lists, the right side still short.
Snorting, he opened the shallow middle drawer of the desk and took a ruler and pencil.
He ruled a line down the page, following the line of forty one names.
Below it he ruled seven lines, and switched back to his quill, and wrote Potter out seven times.
The lists were nearly the same length.
'Nott' he wrote on the right margin.
He put his quill down again and in pencil sketched in 'heir Malfoy'
The lists were the same length now. But not adequate.
Harry swore "fucking bloody fuck."
He took the ruler and ruled another line down the page, making a third centre column.
He took up his quill and started to write.
The first name Tom Riddle Jr. Then Harry crossed the name out.
Reaching into the open bottom he took out sheaves of parchment.
He sorted through them, mostly Auror office reports.
He copied out the first eight Eight names, crossed them out.
The next three from three Auror office missing person reports all dated the same day.
He put his quill down. Still too few.
Harry sorted thought the pile and found the report from Black manor.
Twenty five names, though Harry often referred to it as two dozen.
Lord Carrow went next, then crossed out.
Not enough. Not anywhere near enough.
Harry sat and stared at the list for an age, only the desk lamp lit now.
Finally, someone cleared their throat delicately near him.
Harry looked up and Daphne was standing in a dressing gown, looking at him, looking tired and sad.
"You can't do this" she said.
Harry felt annoyance surge within him. These were his dead, his fault. The words spilled out of him "They are my fault. They are my fault. If I had gone somewhere else they would be alive" he said.
Daphne spoke softly "Perhaps Harry, but what is done is done. Now, you need to burn that list, and the Aurors reports."
"What?" protested Harry.
"You can't keep a list of all the people you killed. Imagine if your desk was searched by the ministry. Burn the paperwork Harry. We need plausible deniability. Especially for those three"
Harry sat, feeling stubborn, staring at his desk in the semi darkness.
"You can't do this Harry, you can't keep evidence that associates you wit their disappearances"
Harry looked up. "When you said I can't do this..."
"I meant about keeping evidence silly. We've killed nearly forty, and I have no doubt that if any of the old hardliners attack us, we'll fight them too." said Daphne "Come to bed, I woke up without my Harry pillow"
Harry got up and gathered up all the evidence and tossed it in the fire. It burnt quickly.
"One of the elves will vanish the ash in the morning" said Daphne "Come on, lets go back to bed"
Harry took Daphne's offered hand and walked the three flights of stairs back to bed. The bedroom doors opened for them, and closed behind them.
Daphne lay down on her side next to Harry in the bed and put an arm over him. "Go to sleep my love. We'll persevere"