Ch 31 Jane's Family
Major changes by or inspired by Deb and Diane. Thank you.
Lavender Brown walked up to Mary Lou Creevey's desk in front of Harry's office at the Ministry mid-morning, and saw Mary Lou and a young wizard deep in conversation, so she sat down to wait. She heard the wizard complain, "How am I going to itemize these expenses? This week Harry was working on Great Britain Auror work, International Auror work, Wizengamot work, and work for the International Conference of Witches and Wizards."
Mary Lou replied, "You could ask Dobedo. He usually can give you some idea."
"I have, but what do I do when he tells me people talked about two or three different things? And the accountant would like to know if Harry is working on a current case or general administrative work or, look at all these categories."
"Do your best, and don't worry too much about it," Mary Lou let the young man know. "Addition and subtraction are precise, but accounting is not. Do your best. Just do not ask Harry."
The young wizard left, muttering to himself.
Lavender stood up and quipped, "Attack of the precision bookkeepers?"
Mary Lou laughed. "Harry is involved in so many different things keeping everything straight is as easy as keeping his hair neat," Mary Lou admitted. "What brings you here, Lavender?"
"I need to talk to Harry about Jane Smith, the girl Harry and Ginny are taking care of."
"They are?" Mary Lou wondered. "Things have a tendency to gravitate towards Harry, and often I try to push them back down to where they belong. This is something I haven't heard of. What happened?"
"You know, of course, that Scorpius and Cleopatra ran away from Malfoy Manor," Lavender tried to confirm.
"I think everybody in the Ministry is aware of that mess," Mary Lou granted.
"When Scorpius and Cleo got on the Knight Bus there was another runaway on the bus, a witch who was running away from her father so she could go to Hogwarts this fall. Well, that's the two Knut version of the story. Jane ended up at the Potters. When Harry has time, I need to go over what we have found out about her and her family."
Mary Lou and Lavender looked into the window in Harry's office. There were seven other people in the office, and they were looking at papers and parchments and some sort of display on the wall.
Mary Lou looked at Harry's schedule. "Harry is busy until about two this afternoon," she suggested, "and I cannot promise that this mess will not run over. I will put you on his schedule for three. I have your number, and will let you know if that does not work out."
At three Lavender wandered back to Harry's office, just as a harried looking young witch left the office with several papers in hand.
"That was intense," the young witch remarked. "That is the worse meeting I have been in yet. I have to document it, and then summarize it on one page?"
"If you can," Mary Lou gently reminded the young girl. "You wanted to be on the team that helps manage Harry and the Auror office. I do need that report by this time tomorrow."
"I will get my great-grandmother-in-law to babysit a few more hours tomorrow," the young witch sighed. "I wanted this job."
Harry came out of his office, looked at Mary Lou, and the young witch who was walking away. "Glenda looked overwhelmed," he remarked as Glenda was disappearing.
"Tough case?" Lavender inquired.
"Ten countries are involved, so it is an administrative and logistical nightmare," Harry confirmed. "The law enforcement part of the case might be the easiest."
"May I talk with you in your office, about Jane," Lavender asked. "It would be good if Ginny was here too."
Harry looked at Mary Lou, who informed him, "Lavender is on your calendar for right now."
Harry called Ginny, who told him, "I'm just working on my Quidditch column, and Jane is watching Minerva. Jane and the Elves can take care of Minerva. I will Floo right over."
Harry and Lavender went into Harry's office, and shut the door. Within five minutes Ginny took the private and very secure Floo connection right into Harry's office.
"It has not been easy straightening out Jane's legal or emotional situation," Lavender told Harry and Ginny. "Her father was emotionally abusing her, more emotional distant, as I don't remember him being nasty or denigrating to her, but we do not think it was intentional. He also had some unfortunate experiences with magic, with the Rosier that stalked his wife, and with Ministry people who were not very patient with him. I do not think he is a bad person, just one who doesn't have the knowledge or emotional resources to deal with what happened to his wife.
"I think that the Ministry really mishandled the situation as well, causing much of the problems. Her death was suspicious, and if it was a crime it was never solved or even thoroughly investigated. We may have discovered a Ministry problem here, but it also may have been left over from an employee who was fired shortly after Jane's mother's death." Lavender leaned back with a shake of her head.
"With magic we have made him think that he sent Jane away to school, and that she has decided to stay at school. I would like to see if we could keep Jane in touch with her father. The more I look into this the less I think he deserves to lose his daughter." Ginny nodded. In the time she spent with Jane she knew the child loved her father and was very conflicted with how he had been treating her since her mother's death.
"His side of the family is very dysfunctional, and he doesn't speak to them. Jane's maternal grandparents and their son, her uncle, have been very worried about her, but they are not in any position to take Jane. I would like to arrange a visit, and have Jane stay in communication with her mother's family."
"Have her mother's family come over," Ginny replied, looking over at Harry, and Harry nodded in agreement
"The Grandfather, John Smith is in poor health, and his wife Jane, who Jane was named after, is overwhelmed and not in the best of health herself. Their son Richard lives with them, and helps as much as he can. He is worried that if he leaves both of his parents will die, and he may be right. They do not have an automobile. Harry, could you pick them up and drive them to Grimmauld Place?"
"I would be delighted," Harry replied.
The next day that Richard was off work was a Thursday. Richard worked a modest retail job with irregular hours, at a store that did not pay much, but allowed him to take off for his father's medical emergencies.
Harry had upgraded his personal automobile to the largest Mercedes SUV available, partly to avoid too many stares when lots of people exited. Jane could see, when she entered this huge vehicle, that it was expensive. Jane sat down in the leather seats in the rear, and watched as Harry drove to one of the poorer outskirts of London.
Harry called the mobile of Richard from the hands-free phone in the Mercedes when they were five minutes from the house, and Richard was out in front to greet Jane and Harry when they parked the car. Jane opened the door and flew out, running into her uncle's arms, who picked her up and swung her around him before pulling her close for a hug.
Richard looked at this large, gray Mercedes SUV. The color almost blended in with any environment, and despite its size, if you didn't take a good look at it the vehicle was almost invisible. (The Auror on a flying motorcycle that shadowed Harry when he was driving was invisible.) A small, good looking man with aviator glasses climbed down out of the driver's seat. His unruly black hair was graying at the temples. Richard and his parents knew his sister had gone to Hogwarts, although the magic that allowed Muggles to go to Hogwarts also kept the family members from talking about magic to anyone but family members. Richard wondered if this was the famous Harry Potter that his sister had talked about. Somehow he thought of this hero as being an imposing figure, but this small man was anything but imposing.
"I need to help Mother and Father out of the house," Richard remarked. He went back inside, and came out helping a bent over man slowly walking with a walker. A moderately tall and somewhat confused lady followed.
"Are you Jane?" the lady said when she came over to the child, tilting her head as if trying to remember something.
"Yes, grandmother," Jane replied, walking up to the woman and carefully giving her a hug before leading her to the car. "I've grown. I don't think I've seen you for a long time, and I've grown."
"It has been over four years," Richard remarked.
Richard helped his father into one side of the SUV, and his mother into the other side. Jane sat down between them, and Jane tried to talk to them while holding both of their hands. Harry noticed that Grandfather was lucid, and could talk about Jane's mother. Grandmother said little, and not all of what she said made sense, but she would squeeze Jane's hand often, taking comfort in the contact.
Richard sat up front with Harry. "Jane's father became an awful man," he started in without a preamble, keeping his voice soft so that Jane couldn't hear him. "He was nice enough when they were courting, but after they were married a few years he became possessive, and he kept Jane away from her family. It may have been something to do with that Rosier guy who was stalking her. Once all that blew up, we were lucky to see them once a year, and it has been four years since we saw Jane. I cannot thank you enough for rescuing her."
"You are welcome," Harry replied. There did not seem to be much more to say. More and more it was looking like he had a Ministry problem to look at as well as the problems with Jane and her family.
'Are you the Harry Potter my sister talked about when she came back from Hogwarts?" Richard asked, turning more to look at Harry. "I've always pictured you as some big hero."
"I am somewhat height challenged," Harry laughed. "Sometimes it is better to be underestimated."
"My sister was always so excited when you and your wife had children," Richard continued, looking back at the chattering Jane. "She hoped that Jane could go to Hogwarts with your daughter."
"They will both start this year," Harry acknowledged.
"Thank you for picking us up, Mr. Potter. This visit will be good for everybody. It is very hard to go anywhere with mother and father."
"Call me Harry, Richard."
"You can call me Richard or Dick. People call me either. My girlfriend calls me Richard, but most of my male friends call me Dick."
"Is it a serious girlfriend?" Harry wondered.
"It is hard to marry when you are poor," Richard mumbled, his ears turning red. 'I would have her move in with me, but the place is too small. We are trying to save enough money to move into a little larger place, three bedrooms instead of two. We would like to start a family, but things keep happening, and money is tight."
Once he started Hogwarts, Harry had never lacked money. He looked at the new, very expensive SUV he was driving, with all the also expensive magical enhancements. Maybe he could quietly do something for Jane's family.
Richard noticed that Harry drove to one of the more expensive areas of London. It was a mix of new construction and older but mostly upgraded and modernized homes. He drove up to one of two large garage doors, that opened for him, and down into an underground garage. Richard noticed that there were new flats above the garages, although the homes were not all that new. There were several gray Range Rovers in the garage, some obviously police vehicles, and a number of other vehicles. After they got out of the car, he led them into a modest size room with four doors, closed one door and opened another, and some green powder floated down.
A plump, very short, curvy lady greeted them. "Hello, I am Ginny Potter. The children are waiting in the drawing room. They are anxious to get going to other activities, but I told them they at least needed to meet Jane's family first."
Harry levitated John Smith up to the drawing room, the man seemingly delighted with zooming around, and the rest of the people followed. Richard noticed a small creature, he guessed a house elf, walking with Mrs. Potter.
When they arrived, there was a large crowd of young people waiting.
Harry and Ginny had the Jane and her family sit down, but Jane immediately jumped up, saying, "Grandmother, Grandfather, Uncle Richard, these are the people who rescued me, Scorpius and Cleopatra!"
"We are happy to meet Jane's family," a very well dressed teen-age girl replied formally.
A slightly frumpy and wild looking girl took out her wand, waved it over Jane's family, and announced seriously, "Oh, Jane. Your family are nice people. I'll make some shampoo and soap for them." She turned to Harry and Ginny. "Mum Potter, Mr. Potter, you need to help them. Mr. Smith wants to be a father, but he needs help."
"I will see what I can do," Harry replied to Cleo, not at all put off by the girl's forwardness.
"Hello. I am Albus Potter, and this is my cousin Rose Granger-Weasley."
Albus came forward and offered his hand to Richard and John. Albus looked right at Jane's grandmother, but she was obviously confused, and he did not quite know what to do, although he did bow in greeting her.
"We are all glad to meet Jane's family. May we go down to the potions room now, please. Mary Middy and Henry Edington are meeting us downstairs. We are going to be making soap and perfume and shampoo. Louis may meet us later. I think Henry Edington is going to be meeting someone in Uncle Dudley's workroom. Uncle Dudley has a small CNC milling machine down there, and Henry is learning about Muggle/magical milling."
"Go," Ginny replied. Turning to the Smith family she said, "Explaining all that Albus just said could take half a day."
Ginny turned to the other four young people, saying, "James."
James Potter introduced the four. "Hello. I am James Potter, and this is my little sister Lily, and our friends Erica and Bill Lionheart." James looked expectantly at his mother and father.
"You may leave. I want you to stay in the garden area between Grimmauld Place and NewBright Street, and do not fly too low and bother people."
"Yes, mother," James and Lily replied. Bill and Erica said, "Yes, Mrs. Potter," at the same time.
The four young people promptly took their leave, excitedly talking about flying.
"You are living here now, Jane?" Richard asked.
"I have my own bedroom upstairs!" Jane exclaimed. "It is on the top floor. You have the ground floor where we came in, on the garden level, and then the main floor where the Potters have a dining room and a library, and then this first floor is the drawing room. Mr. and Mrs. Potter and Minerva, their toddler, are on the second floor, the boys are on the third floor, and Lily and I are on the fourth floor."
At this Mitzi appeared with Minerva by her side. Mitzi put the little girl down. Minerva looked at all the people in the room. The toddler slowly and carefully made her way over to Jane, and seriously informed her, "Pay. Pay me."
Jane picked up Minerva, turned her to face the others, and introduced the toddler. "This is Minerva, Mr. and Mrs. Potter's youngest. I have been spending a fair amount of time playing with her, and she thinks that playing with her is my job."
"She is going to be very upset when you leave for Hogwarts, Jane," Ginny grinned. "Well, maybe not very upset. She is the easiest and most even tempered baby in the whole Potter and Weasley families."
"Barack is wild!" Jane exclaimed, waving her hands but smiling happily.
"Barack is my parent's first great-grandchild," Ginny explained. "Our children, mine and my brother who is just a year older, are the youngest grandchildren. I have two nieces marrying this summer, and my mother hopes she will have a new crop of great-grandchildren soon."
Minerva toddled over to each of the people in turn as the Smith family talked to the Potters. Grandmother Jane was enamored with the toddler, picking her up and holding her for several minutes before Minerva squirmed down. After an hour and a half Mable, the ancient house elf (she firmly refused to be called an Elf), announced, "Lunch is ready in the dining room."
Harry levitated John Smith down to the dining room, again much to his delight. Richard noticed that Mitzi helped Mrs. Potter, who looked uncommonly unsteady on her feet, navigate from where she had been sitting in the drawing room to her chair in the dining room.
After lunch it was obvious that John Smith was getting very tired. Richard told everybody, "This has been a fantastic visit. Jane, you have found a wonderful family to live with. I am afraid that we will have to be going, however. Grandpa is getting very tired, and we need to take the old people home."
"Jane, do you want to ride with me to take your grandparents and uncle back home?" Harry asked.
Jane did want to spend as much time as she could with her uncle and grandparents, so she rode with Harry.
Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione and the whole crop of children that were living in the two houses went to Mario's, the Italian restaurant that was within walking distance of Grimmauld Place. When they arrived Harry notices a "cook wanted" sign in the window. Harry asked Mario, "Are you having any luck finding a cook?"
"Thank you for asking, Harry," Mario responded, with a heavy sigh. "I am getting old, and need more than just a cook. One problem I have is the housing prices in this area. Anyone who I could hire would have a long commute. I am not having much luck, but without some competent help I may have to sell the restaurant and retire, and I'm not ready to do that yet."
Harry thought of Jane's father. He worked in a restaurant. If he worked at Mario's and they made it possible to rent an apartment across the street from Dudley's house it might solve two problems.
On Saturday Harry, Ginny and Hermione, along with all the children who were living with them, went to dinner at New Shell Cottage, the large chateau that Bill and Fleur had built when the original Shell Cottage had been turned into a shrine to Dobby and Kreacher. Ron was working, since Saturday evenings were big shopping times at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, although he was going to be joining them later.
"We are rebuilding the flats on NewBright alley," Bill explained to the adults after they their children had finished dinner. The youngsters were all in the enclosed and well-guarded greenhouse and garden area in front of the chateau. "To make the finances work we are greatly expanding the size of the flats. We are installing lifts at each end so we can go up six stories from the street level, and putting in an underground garage for parking. There will be a modest common garden area behind the flats."
"Are you trying to put all Magi in the flats?" Harry asked.
"No," Bill replied, "But all people who have some connection to Magi. We are opening the apartments up to Squibs and non-magical families of Magi."
"I have some potential tenants," Harry told Bill.
"I will send you information on the leasing agent," Bill told Harry.
"You wanted to see me?" Lavender asked as she peeked into Harry's office a few days later.
"Come in and sit down." He motioned her to a seat in front of his desk.
"The flats on NewBright alley are being finished," Harry explained, shuffling papers around on his desk. "Could we move Jane Smith's grandparents and uncle over there? Jane's uncle has a serious girlfriend, and I think she would like to move in as well."
Lavender nodded. "I have a couple of people who are working on moving people into different housing. We have found jobs for Muggle relatives. Jane's uncle is no genius, but he is smart enough and hardworking enough that we should be able to find him a good job easily. If my team is allowed to work with the girlfriend, we should be able to help her find a job as well. Bill has everything worked out so that even with affordable rents for the tenants the complex will make money."
"Sometimes I think Bill could turn a Boggart into a Unicorn," Harry kidded with mock disparity. "I try to give money away, and while doing good often enough Bill finds a way to make money in the process."
"He and Fleur have given plenty of money away, Harry," Lavender countered. "I am very grateful we can help all the people who have needed it. We are still supporting people who lost everything during the troubles before the Battle of Hogwarts. Fewer every year, but still way too many."
"What about Jane's father?" Harry wondered. "He works in restaurants, and Mario's is looking for good help, someone who can both cook and manage."
"He has not been a high priority for us, to be honest," Lavender confessed, but paused to think about Harry's proposition. "Mario's is within easy walking distance of the flats, though, and that may be a good idea. I will have someone on my staff work on it.
"Thank you, Harry, for fighting for another person for our staff. We are actually dealing with fewer cases of spousal or child abuse, but it is not easy. Without the extra help we could not afford to have anyone spend time trying to help a family like Jane's."
Every week through the rest of the summer Lavender kept Harry appraised on the progress of moving Jane's family to the new flats, and finding them jobs. Jane was thrilled when she was able to visit her grandparents twice weekly.
"Tomorrow afternoon we are going back to Grimmauld Place for a picnic," Ginny announced to her children and the Granger-Weasley cousins at dinner at Potter's New Burrow one Friday afternoon. "Jane, there are at least a couple of children your age who are going to be in your class at Hogwarts."
"I'm going to be in Gryffindor," Lily proudly announced.
Jane did not say much. She was just glad that she was not going to Hogwarts without knowing anyone. The Potter and Weasley families spent some of the summer at Potter's New Burrow, but less time than when the children were younger. It was very easy to go back and forth from Grimmauld Place to Potter's New Burrow, and Jane had to work at remembering where people were going to be each day. She thought they needed a large calendar in everyone's kitchen with everyone schedules, because she couldn't keep everything straight. Jane had seen people wave their wands and look at calendars, but she had no idea how they did that, and she didn't have a wand either.
The next afternoon Jane stayed close to Ginny as a rather large group of people congregated on a section of grass, tables magically appearing where needed. Ginny spotted Jim and Sue Shook, the lead Auror guards for the Potter/Weasley family, and for both this complex of buildings and the New Burrow properties.
The entire family came over and set up a table next to the Potter family. Hermione had set up a table a few tables away from the Potters'.
Ginny looked at a boy about the same age as Jane, and motioned him over. "Marvin Shook, this is Jane Smith. She is going to be going to Hogwarts too. She is living with us now, and I would like to have her meet a few people before she goes."
"Harry Gudgeon is going as well," Marvin volunteered. "I thought Lily and Hugo were going this year."
"They are," Ginny confirmed.
"Do you have your wand yet?" Marvin asked Jane.
Jane shook her head 'no.'
"I have two older sisters at Hogwarts," Marvin told Jane. "Do you want me to find Harry Gudgeon? Maybe we can ride to Hogwarts together. The first years are all supposed to ride together."
"It would be nice to ride with someone I knew," Jane admitted shyly.
Ginny watched as Marvin dragged Jane over to the Gudgeon table. Before he was finished Marvin had dragged Lily and Hugo over to a second table between the Potter and the Shook table, and the five students who were going to be in their first year talked, and agreed to meet at the train on September first.
That evening as they lay snuggling in bed, Ginny told Harry, "I am going to take Lily, Hugo and Jane to Diagon Alley next week to get them outfitted for Hogwarts. I do not want to leave it to the last minute. I have already taken the older children."
"You have spent a couple of days with the older children," Harry remarked, his voice sleepy and content.
"School supplies are easy enough, as is shopping for clothes for the boys," Ginny confessed, "But it took a whole day clothes shopping with Rose and Cleopatra. Rose wants to be dressed in the latest fashions, and Cleo wants to be Cleo, and together I think I ought to receive an Order of Merlin for shopping with them."
"That bad?" Harry wondered, as he pulled her closer to him.
"Not really," Ginny laughed as she rolled over to face him and give him a proper kiss. "I can see why Hermione doesn't have the patience for clothes shopping with Rose, though. Hermione owes me for clothes shopping with her daughter."
"How was your visit with your father?" Ginny asked Jane when she came home looking pensive.
"Harder than visiting with my grandparents. Since they moved in across the street I see them a couple of times a week, and it is nice. I like my uncle's girlfriend too.
"Mr. Gudgeon goes with me when I visit my father. He takes me there and picks me up, and I can call him if I want. As long as we talk about my father's new job at Mario's he is all right. I cannot talk to him about magic. I do not dare show him my new wand or talk to him about Hogwarts. I'm glad I am not living with him. It was better when mum was alive and I was real small, but then things became bad. I've been told why, and it is not all my father's fault, but I would still rather live here.
"Thank you for taking me in, Mrs. Potter." Jane hugged the older woman.
"You are very welcome, Jane," Ginny replied, returning the hug.
Ginny had not really anticipated being a mother to all these almost adolescent and adolescent girls, but here she was with not only her own Lily, and in some ways Rose, but also Cleo and Jane. It was not that she minded, but growing up with all brothers wasn't very good preparation for dealing with all these female hormones. Hogwarts and the Harpies should have prepared her for living with females, but sometimes she felt a little over her head.
Hermione was no help at all in figuring out female emotions. The non-logical part of being female often just frustrated Hermione, and Rose, despite being an excellent student, was no Hermione. Ginny's other sisters-in-law were more help, especially, somewhat to Ginny's surprise, Fleur.
"Hello, Gray," Mary Lou said as Lavender's blind husband, Gray Blackburn, and his seeing eye Elf Lumos came down the hall towards her desk. "Here to see Harry?"
"Just for a moment," Gray replied.
Harry's door was open, and Mary Lou ushered Gray and Lumos into the office.
"I am trying to see Jane's father every week, but we only make it about two weeks out of three," Gray explained. "I am really the only trained mind healer in the Domestic Affairs Unit, and establishing trust with him has not been easy. I just wanted you to know that we are trying."
"Thank you for all you do for the Domestic Affairs Unit, Gray," Harry told him. "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
"I think it is mostly a matter of time," Gray replied. "I doubt if she will live with her father again, but I think they will have a good relationship eventually. It is just a little touchy right now."
2020