Ch 49 Easter Break at Hogwarts
Thank you to Deb for inspiration and, at least this time, to Deb for editing.
The invitation read, "Professor Henry and Mrs. Flossy Slughorn invite you to a Slug Club party for Professor Horace Slughorn, who is taking a leave of absence until this Muggle quarantine has ended. Casual attire. Refreshments will be provided."
Albus thought that Galadriel, Luthien, and Thorin were no longer students at Hogwarts. They seemed to be spending all their time trying to reconcile Elves, house elves, Goblins, and all the other beings that were descended from the original High Elves. He did not see any reason not to go to this party, certainly not because no Elves were invited, especially since it seemed to be a retirement party of sorts for old Professor Slughorn.
Albus soon found out that, as usual, all the MELL students had been invited. All came in Muggle clothes. Cousin Louis Weasley had also been invited, which was not a surprise. Louis had, as always, a date. Albus found out that Louis frequently invited witches who seemed to have more trouble getting a date for dances. His father, Uncle Bill, was wealthy and powerful, as the wizard who managed the Harry Potter Estates, and Louis was always well dressed. Dragon Ollivander was a Ravenclaw, a quiet boy but an excellent student, and Albus knew that wandmakers could be potent allies, so it was no surprise that he was also invited. Dragon brought along Belinda (Badenov) deCarlo, a Ravenclaw in his year. Belinda's parents worked for Uncle Bill, although Albus did not know if Professor Slughorn knew that. Both were comfortable in Muggle clothes.
Albus did not know how he felt about James being invited; James brought along Erica Lionheart. The Macmillan family was wealthy, so it was no surprise that Amelia Diana Macmillan was also there.
When Cassie Starkey found out that Scorpius was invited she talked him into inviting her as his date. When Rose found out Scorpius was going with Cassie she invited Percival Frobisher, not wanting Scorpius to have a date and her not to have one. Scorpius wore a sports jacket but no tie, and Rose had to admit that he was very good looking.
Emily Susan Macmillan came with Zeus Sinistra, the grandson of Professor Aurora Sinistra. Cleo had told Albus that those two had the potential to become a couple. Both wore very conservative Muggle clothes. Rose commented that both looked like Magi trying to dress like Muggles.
Albus wore a dress shirt and trousers, but no tie or sports jacked. Cleo wore the white dress with the big roses, and the thin but by now rather large bra, showing plenty of cleavage. There was way more of her than when the dress was purchased, and although Cleo was no prettier, certainly not beautiful like Aunt Fleur, nor cute like some of the littler witches, she was sure sexier. Cleohad become more voluptuous since the dress had been purchased. Albus thought it brought out her sexy side, and while she would never be as exotically beautiful as his Aunt Fleur, he found her classic beauty, with her feminine curves, much more appealing. Her two big plaits were almost to her waist. Rose had worked with Cleo to minimize the two large pockets, but they were still visible, as was the wand pocket.
Cleo always liked meeting people and talking to them, and listening. She almost always examined them with her wand, as long as they did not mind. Albus could see that the unique wand that Cleo had, plus her own skills and talents, gave her unique insights into people. Cleo shared them with Albus, of course. It was a great help to Cleo that Albus could see when Cleo was making people uncomfortable, so he could gently steer her away.
Mrs. Flossy Slughorn had just moved into Henry's quarters in Hogwarts. The party was in a couple of large classrooms that were joined together for the occasion, and it was catered by the Elves. No one had been in the Slughorn flat since Mrs. Slughorn had moved in. Mrs. Slughorn watched over everything with a little panic in her eyes, and neither Albus nor Cleo were sure why she felt she had to come to the party. "Mrs. Slughorn likes everything neat and precise," Cleo told Albus. "Hogwarts is too chaotic for her to be comfortable. She is only staying here because of the quarantine.
"She is dressed in very traditional robes as well. I do not think she is very comfortable living in the twenty-first century."
"Young Professor Slughorn seems more open to the twenty-first century," Albus suggested. "He is wearing robes, but I have seen him in casual Muggle clothes."
"I think Mrs. Slughorn is pregnant, although I doubt she knows it." Cleo giggled. "I guess that when she moved she either forgot or could not find her birth control potions."
"How do you know?" Albus wondered.
"There were actually some instructions, a parchment, along with this wand," Cleo explained. "It is really good at telling if people are a good couple, and if a woman is pregnant."
"Are Professor Slughorn and his wife a good couple?" Albus wondered.
"Acceptable," Cleo thought. "The soul bonding spells with a marriage help. They both can be difficult people to get along with at times, and they put up with each other."
Cleo looked across the room, and giggled. "Rose and Scorpius are trying not to gravitate towards each other, and both are staring daggers at the other's partner. I wonder when that foursome will blow up."
Albus made sure he and Cleo talked to everyone. They wished old Professor Slughorn a good retirement.
"I may be back, just part time like I am now, once this blasted Muggle illness goes away," the professor told everyone who would listen.
"How are we going to make soap, shampoo and perfume if we are quarantined?" Louis Weasley grumbled to Albus, Cleo and Mary Middy. Louis held out a small stack of papers. "Look at all the orders we have. Mary has become very good at figuring out ideal formulas for people. I'm mostly good with the youngsters, and most wizards. I can feel that too many of the older witches think I am attractive, and that messes up my ability to discern good scents for them.
"I'm not bragging. I like girls. I just have not found the right witch for me, and it is just a problem at times."
"I have quite a few orders too," Cleo reflected. She giggled. "Girls have learned to come to me when they want to know if a wizard is a good partner, and I can usually tell." Looking at Mary she indicated, "You and Henry are excellent partners."
"We are going to get married this summer," Mary smiled. She then griped, "We are getting married Sunday the twenty-sixth of July. The problem is …" Mary looked at Cleo, like she did not want to say any more with the males present.
"Let us allow the girls to talk," Al suggested, sensing what was going on. Al and Louis left the room.
When the boys were gone Mary confessed, "I'm very regular. My period starts every twenty-eight days, and it should start on our wedding day. I don't know what to do about it. We have signed the formal engagement papers. We did that over Christmas. I guess we could become intimate before the wedding, but it is not that easy to do here at Hogwarts."
"I think the matrons can get you birth control potions," Cleo suggested.
Mary shrugged her shoulders. "If I was pregnant my period would not start. We just need a place to do it."
"Oh, that's all," Cleo smiled. "There is a room right under the Astronomy tower. If you and Henry go to the astronomy tower and go looking for it, I think you will find it. You cannot get into the room unless you are both sixteen, and I'm not sure about all the spells on the room, but I think if you are formally engaged there should not be any problem."
"So if we have sex when I am fertile I should become pregnant?" Mary wondered. "I think I would like that."
"Are you sure?" Cleo wondered. "Mum Potter and Grandmum Weasley keep telling me that they love babies too, but that I want too many and too soon. I think I know it in my head, in that small part of my brain that thinks logically, like Albus. Albus is mostly logic and makes sense. So that logic part of me, it says that I need to ask you if you really want to be pregnant and have a baby right away, even though I think it would be the best thing in the world."
"Henry has already worked at Dursley, Potter and Weasley LTD as an apprentice toolmaker, last summer, and he has a good job waiting for him as soon as we are finished this June," Mary reflected. "We can live in an apartment in the Middy family compound. We can easily afford a baby or three. We will not be rich, but I've never wanted to live in a big house and be wealthy. I've talked to my mother about it, about having a baby right away, and she does not have any problem with it. Especially since we have signed the formal engagement documents, I'm sure she will not mind.
"I'm tired of waiting."
The boys were called back in, and Albus wondered, "How can we get the scent making supplies here, and where can we make them? I'm not sure I like the idea of using one of the potion's classrooms.
"The Room of Requirements?" Cleo asked.
"I would rather have a room that did not disappear," Albus responded. "I will ask Professor McGonagall."
"Who is going to help you make soap, shampoo and perfume when we are gone?" Mary wondered.
"I have a couple of candidates," Louis volunteered. "Nancy Weasley and Daniel Tiger. Neither of them has much money, and they seem to be spending much of their free time together."
"Nancy seems to have the same fascination with Muggles that Grandfather Weasley, her Uncle Arthur, has, and Daniel is fascinated with someone who has lived all their life in the magical world," Albus noted.
"They are a good pair too," Cleo confirmed. "Unless something happens I think they will end up married. Albus, do you want to ask them? You know both of them."
"We could teach them this summer, if we go home this summer," Albus suggested.
"You should ask them," Louis suggested, looking at Albus.
Albus went up to the head table, and looked at Professor McGonagall. She looked at Albus with amusement. Many of the students seemed rather in awe of her, and were reluctant to reach out to her. Albus had no such reservations about talking to anyone, no matter how important or famous. She waved him up to where she was seated. "What now, Mr. Potter?" she wondered out loud, grinning.
"We go to the Potions room at twelve Grimmauld Place to make shampoo, soap, and perfume, but with Hogwarts under quarantine trying to leave on a regular basis to go to Grimmauld Place seems like a very bad idea," Albus suggested. "We could go when we did not see anyone else, and wear masks, but even though we could be safe I do not like the idea that it would seem that we do not have to follow the rules everyone else has to follow."
"I like your logic, Mr. Potter," the headmistress nodded.
"But we have a problem. We have plenty of orders for soap, shampoo and perfume. So we need a place to make them, and I do not think the potion's classrooms are ideal."
"I agree," Minerva nodded. "Professors Elessar & Arwen Wong have a fair number of more advance students, ones who are eighth year and beyond, who they are teaching. I know that second year on the older students also help in the classroom, and even do all of the teaching for some of the lessons."
"Most of the advanced students are excellent," Albus confirmed. "They actually show you how to do something. The Professors Wong and their students listen when Cleo or anyone has a suggestion or question. It is just that all three Potions classrooms are busy, and I would like something more private."
"Do you have any ideas, Albus?"
"Not really, Professor," Albus admitted. "I know that the Elves make potions, but I would not want to use any of their areas. The only other area that I have seen that actually could be used as a Potion's room is the office in the Chamber of Secrets, but the last time I was there it was filled with dark magic books and things. Besides, the Elves use that area now."
"All the dark material has been removed, and is in a safe place, Albus," Professor McGonagall replied. "If the Elves will let you use that area I do not have any problem with it."
Albus did ask the Elves, and after they gave him permission he contacted his father.
"Hello, Father."
"Hello, Albus."
"We want to move all our scent making material to Hogwarts, so we are not breaking quarantine. We do have to come over once to move the material, but after that we have a room we can use here."
"Let me know when you are coming, Albus, and I will make sure no one is in the kitchen for an hour before and after. You do need to use Professor McGonagall's private Floo, and we need to give the Floo Authority advanced warning. I know they are trying to make sure there is plenty of air flow in the Floo network, but they are concerned that Covid-19 could linger in the Floo network."
Within twenty-four hours Albus and his team had set up the scent making business in the office area of The Chamber of Secrets.
Cleo walked into the Gryffindor common room Saturday night after the regular church services. She did not really understand what happened when the priest said mass, but something did happen, and she guessed she missed it. None of the clergy had been able to travel to Hogwarts since the quarantine. Since quarantine they had what Albus called a bible service, music, then readings from their bible, discussion that she really did not understand usually, and then prayer, which she did understand, and more music. The moral teachings she did understand; how important it was to be good. She knew she probably should not formally join the Wizard Christian Church just because of Albus, but she guessed she probably would anyway.
If belief was important to Albus, it was important to her.
As she walked into the room Cleo saw Daniel Tiger. He was holding a letter, looking very sad.
"What is the matter, Daniel," Cleo wondered.
"My grandfather broke his hip, and is in a care home. Someone from the care home wrote me to tell me he is not in good health. He has been writing me, but if he cannot write he must be really sick."
"I will ask Albus about it in the morning," Cleo consoled the boy. "I think they have a way of helping."
The next morning Cleo told Albus about the problem, and Albus called his father. Harry promised to let the Domestic Affairs Unit know about it. "The Domestic Affairs Unit handles more than cases of abuse, Albus," Harry let his son know. "When a Muggle is the only adult with custody of a magical child, and something happens, there are legal steps we need to take. Please let Daniel know that his situation is not unique, and we have ways of helping."
Sunday at dinner Albus received a call from his father. "I need to talk to Daniel, Albus. Can you put him on the mobile?"
"I will, Dad," Albus answered. He left his seat at the Slytherin table and found Daniel at the Gryffindor table. There was a long conversation, and then a sniffing Daniel handed the phone back to Albus. "Dad?" Albus asked.
"When an older Muggle breaks a hip it all too often leads to their death, Albus," Harry told his son. "We need to find a magical guardian as soon as possible. There does not seem to be any logical magical relative."
They hung up, but Albus stayed next to Daniel, offering comfort for the distraught boy.
Dinner was finishing, and Nancy Weasley skipped dessert and came over to see Daniel. She wondered, "Is it about your grandfather?"
"He's probably not going to make it, and I need to find a place to live," Daniel sniffed. "I guess I can just stay here until I graduate."
"Nonsense," Nancy huffed. "You can come home with me for the holidays. We even have an extra bedroom. You may have to transplant some magical plants, but you will be paid."
Albus sensed an opportunity, so he asked, "Would the two of you like to learn how to make soap, shampoo and perfume? It would be a way of making money."
"Together?" a beaming Nancy wondered.
Daniel reached for Nancy's hand, and grinned a shy grin.
"Yes, together," Albus confirmed. "Louis thinks you would be a good pair to help us when he and Mary Middy graduate, and we might as well start to teach you."
"I would like that," Daniel agreed.
Later that evening Albus did call his father, to relay the conversation between Daniel and Nancy. Albus eventually learned that Nancy's parents were going to become the guardians of Daniel if his grandfather died, and would be going to their house for holidays, once they could go home for holidays.
2021