A.N./Disclaimer: Most of the characters and the original plot belong to J.K. Rowling. I do not own them. Neither am I profiting from this nor do I plan to commercialize it. I am writing for fun.
A.N.: I apologize for the delay in the update. I just have a main plot in my head. For the rest, I am building it as I go. Therefore, I usually wait and put out at least two chapters together. Sometimes, while working on a chapter, I have to go back and change a few things in the previous chapter. To avoid having to change something already published, I am publishing the chapters only when I feel satisfied with the part. For example, I published Chapters 3 and 4 together as they were related to Harry's time in the Time Chamber. Similarly, Chapters 5,6 and 7 were published together keeping the remainder of second year in mind. This chapter and the next two are about the summer and the journey back.
A.N.: Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews.
Chapter 8
As the train pulled into the station, Harry was shaken awake by Hermione. "Harry, wake up", said Hermione. "We've reached London." Harry rubbed his eyes and stretched. He looked at his friends who looked as sleepy as him, or that's what he thought.
As the train came to a halt, Neville said, "I am glad Star and Tony took away our trunks mid-journey. It feels good to not having to carry them."
"True", added Harry.
"Though we could have always shrunken our trunks", added Hermione.
"Hermione, boys don't think with their heads", giggled Susan.
"Oh, yeah? What do we think with then?", retorted Neville playfully.
"I think Susan meant boys don't think at all", chuckled Luna. The girls sniggered at the comment while Harry and Neville pouted in jest.
"Alright, let's get going. I need to bring my parents into the platform so that I can introduce them to everybody", said Hermione and opened the compartment door. Susan and Luna followed Hermione. Harry and Neville made up the rear of the fivesome. They proceeded towards the mundane entry point, which wasn't very far from their coach. They had hardly taken more than ten steps when they came across a large group. Hermione instantly recognized her parents chatting with Amelia and a group. The other members in the group were a stern-looking old witch who was dressed like someone out of the Victorian era, a short, slightly balding middle-aged man, a man whom she recognized as Sirius Black from the Daily Prophet, though he was now dressed in an elegant suit, a man who had light brown hair and another man who was dressed in robes that rivalled Dumbledore's outlandish choices.
Approaching the group, Hermione shot towards her parents with her arms wide open. "Mum, dad, you're here! How did you get in?", asked Hermione hugging her parents.
"Hello, Hermione", said the man with chestnut brown hair and gray eyes. "We came together with these lovely people here."
"Hermione", exclaimed the woman with the bushy hair. It was clear to the group whom Hermione got her looks from. She continued, "We've missed you dear."
"I've missed you too, mum", said Hermione hugging her mother again.
"Harry", said Sirius. Everyone turned towards them. "Amelia was telling me how much you look like James. You look exactly like him but for your eyes."
"Padfoot", said Harry and changed his appearance to look more like Lily with fiery red hair. "How about now?", chuckled Harry.
"You're a metamorphmagus. Amelia didn't tell me that", said Sirius and turned towards Amelia.
"I was hoping Harry would prank you all like he tried to pull one over us", said Amelia pointing to herself, the old witch and the middle-aged, balding man.
Sirius bellowed with laughter as everyone else sniggered at the comment. Attempting to rein himself in, Sirius said, "Oh Merlin, James would have been so proud of you. Pulling one over Amelia and old lady Augusta in one go." Turning to the man with light brown hair, he added, "Moony, Prongs has produced a worthy Marauder. You and I shall teach him the ways of mischief."
"Can it, Sirius", said Moony shaking his head. "Don't embarrass your son the first time you meet him after a long time. At least introduce yourself to his friends." Everyone laughed at Moony's reply. He continued, "Forgive Sirius for his tomfoolery. He forgets his manners time and time again. I am Remus Lupin, one of Harry's parents' friends and the Marauders. You may call me Remus or Moony. This lunatic here is Lord Sirius Black, Head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. He is also one of Harry's parents' friends and the Marauders. He is Harry's godfather and blood-adopted father."
"And you may call me Sirius or Padfoot", added Sirius. "Of course, Harry may call me Dadfoot or Dad as well, if he wishes."
"Dadfoot", said Harry with a smile.
"Excellent", said Sirius. Pointing towards the old witch he continued, "This is Lady Dowager Augusta Longbottom of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom. She is Heir Neville Longbottom's grandmother." Pointing towards the short man, he said, "This is Mr. Edward Tonks. He is a Law Wizard. He is the Solicitor on Retainer for all of Harry's houses, Houses of Black, Longbottom, Bones, Lovegood and Lupin. He is Harry's uncle through House of Black." Pointing to the man in outlandish robes, he added, "This is Lord Xenophilius Lovegood, Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Lovegood. He is Heiress Luna Lovegood's father." Pointing to Amelia, he said, "Of course, you've all met Amelia before."
"Harry", came a voice from far. Everyone turned towards the side the voice came from. A sea of redheads came to a stop in front of them. "Harry, mate, I was sitting with my brother and Ginny, discussing about our vacation. I forgot to look for you", said Ron.
"It's okay, Ron", said Harry.
"Harry, my dear", said the plump, red-haired witch. "We are so sorry we can't invite you over for your birthday. We haven't seen Bill in a while. We wanted to make this trip happen. We can have you over after we return. I will ask Ron to write you."
"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley", said Harry. "Besides, I get to spend time with my father."
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley", said Sirius. "I am grateful to you for having looked out for my son the last summer. However, I don't think Heir Potter is available during the summer. He has a lot to catch up on, especially about his parents and family."
"But he's just a boy, Sirius - ", began Mrs. Weasley but was immediately cut off.
"That may be so, Mrs. Weasley", began Augusta, "but if his parents were around, Late Lord Potter would have taught Heir Potter about his family's history right after his ninth birthday."
"But – ", tried Mrs. Weasley.
"I will say this once again, Mrs. Weasley", continued Augusta, "Heir Potter needs to learn the ways of the Potters. Besides, didn't you teach your children about your family before they joined Hogwarts? Why should Heir Potter not have that privilege?"
Mr. Weasley placed a hand on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder to quieten her and said, "I am sorry on behalf of my wife, Lady Dowager Longbottom and Lord Black. We will take our leave." Without another word, Mr. Weasley gathered his family and left.
Amelia whispered something into Mrs. Granger's ears and put up privacy charms. Mrs. Granger turned to the kids and said, "Hello kids. I am Elizabeth, Hermione's mother." Pointing towards the man beside her, she said, "And this is Richard, her father. Coming back to Hermione's first question, the Wednesday before last, Ted paid us a visit along with Sirius and Amelia. They told us about the things that have been going on in the magical world. And I mean everything. At first, we were scared and wanted to pull you out of the magical world. Amelia advised us against it. She said how giving up magic would have a negative impact on your health."
"We also remembered your letters and how happy you seemed to be. When we told her about our worries when your letters stopped this year, she relayed us the exact situation", said Richard. "I am thankful to you, Harry and Neville, that my daughter is safe and back. Sirius, Ted and Amelia then explained us about how things will begin to change with Sirius' freedom and Harry's Lordships."
"Yes, we know about it", continued Elizabeth. "Amelia also told us about how they plan to train you kids and teach you advanced magics. We were convinced by this point when Amelia added further that she would happily take up your magical guardianship from Professor McGonagall even though she is on our side. This will prevent any misuse by your Headmaster Dumbledore."
"And by the way, Heiress Dagworth-Granger", added Richard, "Ted is also the Solicitor on Retainer for your houses. We received the letter from Ragnok XII last week and decided that Ted would be the best man for the job. Of course, you have to make the final decision as we have no say according to the magical laws."
"Anyway, Ted picked us up last night", continued Elizabeth. "We stayed over at Black Manor with everyone else and came together this morning. We didn't tell you anything because we wanted to surprise you."
"I am surprised, to be honest", began Hermione, "but I am happy. Let me introduce you to my friends, without all the titles." Pointing towards Harry, she said, "This is Harry Potter, my best friend." Turning to Harry she said, "Harry, these are Dr. Richard Granger and Dr. Elizabeth Granger. They are dentists, mundane teeth healers."
"Hello, Drs. Granger", replied Harry. He took Elizabeth's hand in his brushed his lips against her knuckles. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Harry."
"Please call us Elizabeth and Richard, Harry", said Elizabeth. "Dr. Granger makes us sound a bit old." Richard sniggered beside her.
Pointing to Neville, Hermione said, "This is Neville Longbottom, my friend and Harry's godbrother." Neville greeted them in a fashion similar to Harry. Pointing to Susan, she said, "This is Susan Bones." Pointing to Luna, she said, "And this is Luna Lovegood. These are my friends and Harry's godsisters." The two girls greeted and introductions that had been interrupted before were finally carried out within the group.
Sirius looked at his watch and said, "Goodness me, look at the time. The platform is almost empty as well. Let us get going. Andi will be furious with us otherwise."
"Where are we going?", asked Neville.
"Didn't you hear a thing what Hermione's parents said, Neville?", reprimanded Augusta. "We are all going to Black Manor. We will stay there tonight. Each one of you has healer's appointment at Gringotts tomorrow, followed by a meeting with Harry's account managers regarding Lily's Keep. After the meeting, we will head to Lily's Keep. We will discuss more after dinner tonight."
Sirius took out a rope from his pocket. Everyone gathered around him and held onto the rope. He tapped the rope twice with his wand and the entire group disappeared from the platform.
Black Manor
Arriving at the entry hall of Black Manor, Sirius led them into the sitting room where Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks were waiting for them. Sirius introduced the kids to the two witches who returned the greetings. "What took you so long, Sirius?", asked Andi.
"We got to introducing each other and began talking. Couldn't keep track of time", replied Sirius.
"Now that you all are here, Nymphadora will show the kids to their rooms", said Andi looking at the kids. "Freshen up, change and come down for dinner. Your trunks have already been placed in your rooms by Tony and Star." Turning to Nymphadora, she said, "Nymphadora, off you go!"
"Mum, stop calling me Nymphadora", huffed the pink-haired witch. Everybody broke into fits of giggles.
"Why Nymphadora?", questioned Andi. "Nymphadora is such a beautiful name."
"No, it isn't. It is embarrassing is what it is", replied Tonks. Turning to the five school going wizards and witches, she said, "Better call me Tonks or Dora. I'll jinx you people if you call me by that stupid name."
"Come off it now, Nymphadora", chuckled Ted. "You're just giving everyone more reasons to call you Nymphadora. Not that I mind. After all, Nymphadora is a beautiful name." Nymphadora 'Don't-call-me-by-my-first-name' Tonks huffed and led the kids away from the sitting room.
Arriving on the second floor, she led them down the corridor towards a set of rooms. Pointing to the one on her right, she said, "This is Harry's room. As he is Heir Black, he will be staying in the Heir's suite. It is a bit bigger than the other rooms and has a private study and a sitting room. The other rooms do not have a private study. The sitting room and the study are combined in other rooms. Of course, all of these rooms have en suite bathrooms." Pointing to the one on her left, across the hall to Harry's, she said, "This is Hermione's room. The one after Harry's room is Neville's room. The one across from Neville's is Luna's. The room just before Harry's is mine and the one across from mine is Susan's. There is a common room down the hall if you people want to sit together. Of course, you can always use one of your sitting rooms."
She paused to look at their faces. "Any questions?", she asked. The kids shook their heads. She continued, "Alright. I am heading downstairs. You people change and meet us in the sitting room." Tonks left the kids.
Hermione said, "Shall we change and meet in Harry's room?" Everyone nodded their heads and headed towards their respective rooms.
Harry entered his room and was mesmerized by its elegance. The room had a huge four-poster bed at the center. There were four doors on one side of the room. He went through the first door to find a large wardrobe, a dressing mirror, a cabinet and a few stools of various heights. On one of the stools, one of Harry's casual clothes had been laid out. Harry figured that it might have been Star's doing and picked up those clothes. He explored the other rooms, which were a plush study, a sitting room with couches and a large fireplace, and the bathroom, where he freshened up and changed. As he returned to the bedroom, he heard someone knock at the door. Harry opened the door to find Hermione smiling at him. She said, "Oh, Harry, the rooms are so beautiful."
"Yes, they are big as well", said Harry.
"How are you feeling, Harry?", asked Hermione.
"I am happy. For the first time since joining Hogwarts, I am happy to be on holiday", replied Harry.
"Oh, Harry", said Hermione and embraced the wizard. "This will be one of your best summers. I am so happy for you." There was another knock on the door. Harry broke the hug and opened the door to find the remaining friends. The five of them proceeded to the sitting room together.
As soon as they had reached the sitting room, Andi said, "Let us have dinner first. There are a few things Sirius needs to discuss about tomorrow's appointment at Gringotts." She led them into the dining room. Everyone took a seat and enjoyed a hearty dinner. The kids spoke of their school year and their plans for the summer over dinner. It seemed like a huge joint family having a cheerful dinner.
After the dinner, everyone was gathered in the sitting room. Most of them were enjoying a cup of hot chocolate that Crofty, one of the elves had served. Tabby appeared and handed a few parchments to Sirius. Sirius cleared his throat and began, "Tomorrow will be a long day. In fact, it might be one of the longest days of our entire summer. We adults want to get tomorrow out of the way so that each one of us can enjoy the summer. Besides, getting these things out of the way will also help the desired businesses to be up and running by Christmas.
"We will all be spending most of our time at Gringotts tomorrow. Our appointment is at 10:00 A.M.. Amelia has already taken a leave for tomorrow, and so have the rest of the adults. The first order of business is the change of Hermione's magical guardianship. We will file the relevant paperwork through Gringotts. This will be followed by health checkup for the kids. Director Ragnok has assured the use of Time Chamber for healing, if necessary. In real-time though, we won't be spending more than fifteen minutes on healing. We expect this to be over by 10:30 A.M.. Master Sato will arrive by 10:30 A.M. for our second wands. Since I already have one of Master Sato's wands, I had to buy a wand from Ollivanders' as the ministry had snapped my wand.
"After Master Sato has gotten all the information for our wands, we will have a joint meeting with all our account managers for a business venture. When the Potters were in hiding, James and Lily had come up with some business plans which Harry, Moony and I want to make a reality. The original idea was to have ten partners for the venture. The Potters were to be the main investors. They would have a control of 28 percent of the venture. The other nine were Houses of Black, Lupin, Tonks, Longbottom, Ross, Lovegood, Bones, Pettigrew and the last one would be for Harry's best friend. Each of these nine houses were to control 8% each. As Peter turned out to be a traitor, we will be nine partners." Turning to the Grangers, Sirius said, "Harry was adamant that Hermione be a part of this group. He said, and I quote, 'I haven't seen anyone as smart as her, nor have I seen someone care for me so deeply. It is only fair that she and her houses be a founding and controlling partner.'"
Hermione left her place beside her parents and hugged Harry. Once she had taken her seat, Sirius continued, "In the new arrangement, Harry maintains his houses' 28% and each of the other eight houses get 9% each. We wanted Gringotts to be another partner but because of the current laws, they cannot be a partner. However, the profits after the initial investments have been returned are split in a different manner. Each of the houses who control 9% will receiver 9% of the profits. From the remaining 28%, Harry's houses will receive 21% and Gringotts will receive 7%. Any questions up to this point?"
"I have a question", said Richard Granger. "Why is Harry the only one contributing towards the Gringotts share of profit?"
"Mr. Granger", replied Harry. "Once the laws change, Gringotts will receive 7% of controlling shares as well. When that time comes, I want the 7% of shares to be given from my share. My father had recorded in his journal that these businesses were supposed to make the magical world better for everyone, especially mundane-born wizards and witches. I am just fulfilling my parents' wishes."
Richard nodded with a warm smile in understanding. Sirius continued, "The name of the venture is The Phoenix Group. The main goal of Phoenix Group is to make life for the mundane-born wizards and witches better. Due to a long-standing pure-blooded dogma, most of the mundane-born wizards and witches find it difficult to find decent jobs after graduation. The Phoenix Group will offer them jobs in its companies. At the moment, we have identified certain areas where we can bring about changes in the magical world and mundane. Some of the areas are gold mines which will help in maintaining a consistent profit. This will also recover any losses in other areas.
"The first company is Marauders Inc., and it will operate in the pranks and magical tricks sector. Zonko's is up for sale. The Phoenix Group will buy Zonko's and its current stock. We will add in a few more employees and put our Marauder ideas into the market. Prank shops make a lot of gold. Additionally, it has the potential of entering magical markets of other countries.
"The second company is Ethereal Shield. Our aurors do not have a proper gear nor do they have any long-range weapons that can impact a larger number. Ethereal Shield will work towards that end. In addition, it will also provide protective gears for quidditch and dueling. Thanks to Richard's and Moony's suggestions, Ethereal Shield will also operate in mundane world to provide protective gears for security personnel.
"The third business is The Mystic's Bow. It is well-known that none of the clothing shops in Magical Britain have decent mundane wear. In all honesty, you will just stick out like a sore thumb if you wear those in mundane world. The Mystic's Bow will operate in the clothing sector to provide decent mundane and magical wear.
"The next sector we will be operating in is hospitality and food. We will establish The Fairmont Phoenix, a chain of hotels, all over the magical and mundane world. The Hungry Hippo will be a chain of bars and restaurants. It should make good profits in the upcoming Quidditch World Cup next year as well.
"Quad Squad will be our next company. It will be our foray into the communications market. We will start with the commercialization of communication mirrors in Magical Britain. We will gradually enter the mundane world of communications as well. One of our research divisions in Quad Squad will be dedicated to make the usage of electrical devices a possibility in Magical Britain.
"Mind the Twinkle will be a magazine company that will be published once a week. The goal of the publishing house will be to educate the magical community about the advancements in the mundane world. It will also report on the recent events in other magical countries. We would keep the location of the publishing house a guarded secret between employees, us and Gringotts to prevent any damages due to retaliation to some of the damning articles we may put out. We don't want to use Daily Prophet and Quibbler to prevent the said damages.
"The final one is called My Wish Mag. It will be an owl order service that will cater to the Magical Britain's thirst of knowledge. Over the years, a lot of the books have been regulated by the Ministry illegally. My Wish Mag will function in a secretive manner. It will not provide any books on forbidden and dark magic. Rather, it will enable the magical community to educate themselves about their rights.
"These are the sectors we will foray into beginning tomorrow. As the founding and controlling members of The Phoenix Group, I request you to put forward your suggestions", finished Sirius.
"Padfoot, if I may?", replied Hermione when nobody spoke for a while. Having received Sirius' nod of approval, she continued, "I like the ideas that the Phoenix Group will be standing for. As a mundane-born witch, it makes me feel better that there will be far more opportunities with the establishment of these businesses. I was wondering if there are any apothecaries that readily supply potions of different kinds. A few mundane-born students and I were petrified this term. I believe if there was an apothecary that can supply potions readily, it might actually benefit Magical Britain. I have seen only one apothecary in Diagon Alley. What if we establish an apothecary with the sole intention to supply potions and some potion ingredients which are not readily available?"
"That is a fascinating idea, Hermione", replied Augusta. "Now that you mention it, I believe we can also add a nursery for plants. It can be used to provide potion ingredients for the apothecary and also make profit by just selling plants. Based on the kind of names we've had for the other businesses, I propose we call the apothecary as Apria Apothecary and the nursey as Blessed the Herb."
"I agree", replied Sirius. Once everyone had agreed to the suggestion, Sirius noted it down on one of the parchments. He continued, "If there is nothing else, I guess we can move on to the next part of our appointment at Gringotts."
"Before you proceed, I would like to ask, what is the current investment?", asked Augusta.
"The current investment is at 50 million galleons from Harry. The goblins at Gringotts believe that the establishment of The Phoenix Group and all its businesses other than the two we added will cost around 38 million galleons. I will add 10 million galleons tomorrow to the initial funds to take the current investment to 60 million galleons", replied Sirius.
"The House of Longbottom will add 10 million galleons as well. We can start with multiple outlets for a few of our businesses", replied Augusta.
"The House of Bones will add 10 million too", added Amelia.
"I would like to add 10 million as well", said Hermione after a short discussion with her parents.
Sirius looked at Remus' dejected look and said, "Moony, this isn't a charity. You better not wallow in self-pity. Don't you dare think that you're receiving your share only because you're a friend. Everyone has a role to fulfill in the Phoenix Group. For example, you and I are going to be in-charge of management of Marauders Inc.. We will also look over Ethereal Shield along with Amelia, Dora and Richard. Elizabeth and Richard will help in the management of The Mystic's Bow and Quad Squad's mundane division. Andi, Augusta and the Grangers will look over the management of our hospitality sectors. Xeno will look after Mind the Twinkle and My Wish Mag. You will also help me with the apothecary and the nursery. Ted will be our solicitor for all the companies. He will also be in-charge of our account books along with Minerva. The kids will have a say in everything. After all, they are the ones who will inherit The Phoenix Group. In fact, none of our discussions will be materialized without their approvals. You better not look so down."
After Remus seemed to have relaxed a bit, Sirius continued, "After this meeting and signing of the relevant paperwork, each of us will be free to meet our respective account managers to discuss house's financial matters. At 3:00 P.M., we will convene again to collect our portkeys to Lily's Keep. Any of us who doesn't have a legal mundane travel document will also be issued one. Master Sato should have our wands ready by 4:00 P.M. He will be in the Time Chamber to finish crafting all our wands. That will conclude our appointment at Gringotts. Now on to the exciting part." Looking at Richard, he said, "I believe Richard wants to be the one to relay the message."
"Alright", began Richard. "All of you kids will be spending almost the entire summer together." The kids looked surprised at the statement. He continued, "Well, all of us got to talking and decided that it was better for us and for you people to spend the entire summer together. That is why we will all be moving into Lily's Keep."
"One wing of Lily's Keep has been shielded from heavy magical interference. This will house electrical components such as mundane entertainment units", replied Sirius.
"The goblins have also linked a portal each to all of our main residences. We can travel seamlessly between our houses", added Augusta. The kids looked very happy. The adults were smiling as well. Hermione was hugging her parents while Susan held her aunt in a similar grip. Neville seemed lost in happiness. Luna was laughing merrily embracing her father. Harry was looking at his friends and smiling.
Harry rushed to Sirius, hugged him and said, "Thank you, Dadfoot. Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, Prongslet", replied Sirius. "We just want to see each of you happy." After another thirty minutes of idle conversation, everyone headed to their rooms. Harry had just entered his room and changed into his pajamas when there was a knock at the door. He opened the door to find Sirius and Remus. Sirius said, "Harry, do you mind if we come in? We just wanted to talk to you for a bit."
"No, please come in", replied Harry and invited them. They headed to the sitting room inside the chamber and sat down for a conversation.
Sirius began, "First of all, we are sorry for not having checked on you over the years. I had made a promise to your parents to protect you and I couldn't live up to it. I shouldn't have gone after Peter. I lost you because of my stupid anger."
Remus continued, "And I should have pressurized Dumbledore a bit more into letting me meet you. I let my self-pity and guilt come in the way of Padfoot's freedom and your childhood."
"It's okay, really", replied Harry. "Director Ragnok said that a lot of things had gone wrong and we cannot let those come in the way of leading a happier life in the future. He said that we should be happy that things will get better now. Auntie Min said that we cannot think about what should have been but work with what we have now. I am just happy that I have a family that wants me."
Sirius left his seat and pulled Harry into a hug. Moony joined them as well. "After Director Ragnok had shown me your blood test results", began Sirius, "I wanted to go and murder those disgusting relatives and Albus Frickin Dumbledore. It was only because of Ted's and Moony's interference that I was able to calm myself down."
"Of course, Padfoot", replied Remus. "We couldn't let you squander the opportunity to raise our cub." The trio of the godfather, the honorary-uncle and the godson bonded over the stories of James and Lily Potter for the next hour or so. Moony looked at the time and said, "Goodness me, we've been here for a while. Padfoot, let Prongslet get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." Sirius and Remus bade good night to Harry and left.
June 28, 1993
Conference Room A, Gringotts
9:55 A.M.
All of Harry's party at Black Manor along with Minerva McGonagall were gathered in the conference room. They were waiting for Director Ragnok and his group of goblins to join them. As soon as the clock struck 10, the large doors to the conference room swung open. Director Ragnok XI and Senior Account Manager Ragnok XII walked in along with a group of five other goblins. After the initial greetings and introductions were carried out, Director Ragnok said, "Let us get down to business. I am led to believe that Lord Black had gone over today's agenda. The first order of business is change in Heiress Dagworth-Granger's magical guardianship. I request Lady McGonagall, Lady Regent Bones, Dr. & Dr. Granger and Heiress Dagworth-Granger to come forward."
After the said people had stepped towards the table the goblins were seated at, Ragnok XI continued, "Lady Dowager Longbottom, I request you to come forward as the witness." Augusta briskly did so. After the paperwork was signed, Ragnok XI pressed a button on his desk. One goblin guard walked into the room and left with the signed papers. Ragnok XI continued, "Everyone except Heiress Dagworth-Granger may return to their seats. Heir Longbottom, Heriess Bones and Heiress Lovegood, please come forward for your blood tests." Neville, Susan and Luna joined Hermione at the front desk for their tests. As soon as the results were ready, they were handed the parchments. "Do you want everyone to know of your reports?", asked the director. When the kids nodded, he snapped his fingers and everyone received copies of their reports.
Name: Hermione Jean Granger
Father: Richard Alexander Granger
Mother: Elizabeth Jane Granger née Williams
Magical Capabilities:
Magical Core: 20% blocked
Natural at Occlumency: 10% blocked
Natural at Legilimency: 10% blocked
Blood Report:
Loyalty potions keyed to Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley
Physical Report:
Minor complications due to Polyjuice Potion
Other:
Traces of compulsion charms
Name: Neville Frank Longbottom
Father: Frank C. J. Longbottom
Mother: Alice Lillian Longbottom née McKinnon
Godfather: James Charlus Potter
Magical Capabilities:
Magical Core: 60% blocked
Natural at Occlumency: 30% blocked
Natural at Legilimency: 30% blocked
Blood Report:
Loyalty potions keyed to Albus Dumbledore
Physical Report:
No issues
Other:
No issues
Name: Susan Emily Bones
Father: Edgar Anthony Bones
Mother: Emily Agnes Bones née Roberts
Godfather: James Charlus Potter
Magical Capabilities:
Natural at Occlumency: 0% blocked, needs to be trained
Natural at Legilimency: 0% blocked, needs to be trained
Blood Report:
Loyalty potions keyed to Albus Dumbledore
Physical Report:
No issues
Other:
No issues
Name: Luna Joyce Lovegood
Father: Xenophilius Cyrus Lovegood
Mother: Pandora Athena Lovegood née Dearborn
Godmother: Lily Marie Potter née Evans
Magical Capabilities:
Natural at Occlumency: 0% blocked, needs to be trained
Natural at Legilimency: 0% blocked, needs to be trained
Blood Report:
Loyalty potions keyed to Albus Dumbledore
Physical Report:
No issues
Other:
No issues
"Alright, I hope you've all gone through the reports now", continued Director Ragnok XI after a pause. "My son will lead the Heir and Heiresses into the Time Chamber. Their guardians may join them if they wish. I would like to have a private meeting with Lord Potter in the meantime." When everyone had a puzzled expression on their faces, Ragnok added, "Please don't worry, we will discuss the same in our meeting after the healing. There is, however, something that needs to be discussed with Lord Potter in private. It has to do with his family history." Everyone seemed to relax at this statement. Hermione, Neville, Susan and Luna left with their guardians/parents. Harry followed Director Ragnok into a smaller office behind the table in the conference room.
As Harry took a seat, Ragnok said, "Harry, I've got some good news for you. My team of curse-breakers had been gathering Riddle's horcruxes. We believe he had made seven horcruxes as besides the one in your scar and the diary, our curse-breakers located five on a runic map. We have already recovered three of the five. One was the Slytherin Heir ring that was found in the Gaunt House near Little Hangleton. We found one inside our bank in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. It was the Hufflepuff Cup. The third was the locket of Slytherin and it was found in the townhouse owned by House of Black. We believe Lord Black's younger brother, Regulus, stole Riddle's horcrux and died doing so.
"Out of the remaining two, one is in Hogwarts. We will try to retrieve it once the school is in session. This will prevent from any unwanted attention from Dumbledore. The last one isn't in Britain. It has been consistently on move with the main soul fragment. We believe this is with Riddle himself. We will just have to wait before we retrieve the last one."
"That's great, Ragnok", replied Harry. "Thank you for looking into it."
"There's more, Harry", replied Ragnok. "As these objects are of significant value and importance, we transferred the pieces of soul to other objects. The Locket of Slytherin and the Hufflepuff Cup have been returned to the respective heirloom vaults. As Bellatrix Lestrange violated the Gringotts principles, half of her considerable assets and gold stored in the vault has to be added to your account as it was only possible due to your information, and the other half is forfeited to Gringotts. The Lestrange vault currently has items and gold totaling to 54,129,536 galleons. The half of the said amount is 27,064,768 galleons. My question to you is where do you want me to move those funds to?"
"Director, if I must be rewarded with gold, then please divide it equally between Houses of Emrys and Slytherin", replied Harry.
"Yes, that would be a good idea. These two accounts have the least amount of gold in it. 13,532,384 galleons each will be added to vaults of Slytherin and Emrys", said Ragnok, noting it down. He continued, "The Slytherin Heir ring has been placed in the Slytherin Heirloom vault. However, we found something on the ring that would intrigue you." Ragnok then retrieved a small velvet pouch from one of his pockets and placed it on the table.
Harry picked up the pouch and emptied it on his hand. A stone dropped out. Harry gasped and said, "The Resurrection Stone." Harry could feel a shift in his magical core. It was similar to how he had felt when he had taken up the Elder Wand. Godric pulsed into the room and dropped a ring in front of Harry.
'Harry, wear the ring and place the stone on it. The stone will mold itself into the ring. Lord Achaius Peverell had created it to stop the prying eyes from figuring it out.'
'Thank you, Gordic', replied Harry. 'How did you know?'
'I was at Peverell Manor and I have been reading through the parchments in the Heirloom room. It should be mentioned in the grimoire as well.'
'Thank you, Godric.'
He picked up the ring and placed it on his finger. As soon as he brought the stone near the ring, the stone molded itself onto the ring. Harry looked at Ragnok and said, "Godric said Lord Achaius Peverell crafted this ring to hold and hide the stone in plain sight."
"That is brilliant, Harry", replied Ragnok. "I don't have anything else to discuss. If there's nothing else, we can return to the conference room." Godric pulsed out of the room. Harry and Ragnok left the smaller office and joined the rest of the party. Everyone had already returned from the Time Chamber. Master Sato was also present.
Harry walked up to the wandmaker and said, "Good morning, Master Sato. It is good to see you. Thank you very much for coming."
"It is good to see you too, Lord Potter", replied Master Sato.
"Please call me Harry. These are all my friends and family", said Harry.
"Very well", replied Sato. "I sense a change in you, Harry. Am I right in assuming that you're the Peverell, possessing them?"
"Yes, Master Sato. I just got the stone", answered Harry.
"Good. I hope you're going to bind them to your blood?", asked Sato.
"Yes, I will be doing so later today", replied Harry.
"Very well, let us get on with your dear ones' wands. Call them one after the other", said Sato.
Harry nodded his head and called for Augusta. Harry turned to Sato and said, "Master Sato, this is Lady Dowager Longbottom of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom. She is my godmother's mother-in-law and the grandmother of my godbrother, Heir Neville Longbottom."
"It is good to make your acquaintance, Master Sato", said Augusta.
"It is good to see you, Lady Dowager Longbottom", replied Sato and instructed her of the selection process. Augusta drew a block of cypress wood in both her hands as her wand wood. For her wand handle and wand marbling material, she drew chestnut and a claw of a hippogriff. For her core, she drew a Wampus cat hair. "Excellent", said Sato and set aside the materials for Augusta. "A wand that speaks of your nobility out and out."
Next was Minerva. After Harry had introduced her, she began drawing materials for her wand. She pulled out two blocks of alder wood, acacia wood for the handle and a griffin claw for the marbling. She pulled out a griffin feather and a phoenix feather. "Interesting", said Sato as he set the materials aside. "I had an intuition that some of these materials would choose you because of your unyielding and brave yet kind nature. I was a fool to think you would not draw that particular phoenix feather. That feather was given by James' familiar. Both of James' familiars had given three feathers each. One phoenix feather was used for Lily's wand when she had hers made after her wedding. Lord Black carries a wand that has James' thunderbird's tail feather. You are James' godmother. Of course, one of the familiars' feathers was to be used for your wand. I will need to draw a vial of your blood to bind it to you." Minerva obliged to the request.
After the blood was drawn, Minerva smiled and thanked Master Sato and returned to her seat. Harry called Ted and introduced him. Ted's wand materials were elm wood, pine wood for the handle, a dragon claw for the marbling material, and a dragon heartstring as the core. Andi followed Ted. She pulled out laurel wood, hornbeam wood as the handle, a hippogriff claw as the marbling material and a hippogriff feather as the core. Amelia went next. She was chosen by blackthorn wand wood, larch for the handle, a griffin claw for the marbling material and a thunderbird tail feather. Nymphadora followed her boss. Her wand wood was blackthorn as well. She had snakewood as her wand handle, a badger claw for the marbling material, and a unicorn tail hair and a griffin feather as her wand core. A vial of her blood was drawn as the binder. Xeno was next, who drew beech wood, ebony as the handle, hippogriff claw as the marbling material and a hippogriff feather as his core.
During Remus' turn, he pulled out spruce wood, dogwood as the handle, a griffin claw for marbling, and a unicorn tail feather and a thunderbird tail feather. Master Sato, putting the materials aside, said, "And that was James' thunderbird's tail feather. It is no surprise you pulled it out. Had things been more relaxed during the war, James would have wanted to get a wand crafted for you." Remus thanked the wandmaker, who drew a vial of blood for the binding.
Harry then called Luna and introduced her. She pulled out apple wood, fir wood for the handle, a cockatrice claw for marbling and a snallygaster heartstring for its core. "I so wanted to draw a crumple-horned snorkack's horn as the marbling material", said Luna.
"I assure you, Heiress Lovegood, that a cockatrice claw marbled wand looks way better than a crumple-horned snorkack horn", replied Master Sato, smiling.
"So, they are real", exclaimed Luna.
"Why, yes! I have seen a few myself", replied Sato.
"That's amazing", said Luna. "Daddy and I will have to go look for them." She skipped back to her seat.
Neville went in next. He drew Brazilian pau wood, walnut as the handle material, griffin claw as the marbling material and a chimaera heartstring as the core. Master Sato said, "That is a wand I wouldn't want to cross. Brazilian pau wood is very resilient. A chimaera heartstring hasn't been used in ages because of its overly powerful nature. My father wielded a wand with chimaera heartstring at its core. He used to say that even though the wand demanded his absolute best at all times, he has never felt more attuned to any other wand. I would look after this wand well if I were you, Heir Longbottom."
"I will, Master Sato", replied Neville and returned to his seat.
Susan was the next to go. She had been chosen by cedar wood, willow as the handle, a badger claw as the marbling material and a White River Monster Spine as the wand core. Setting aside the materials, Master Sato said, "A wand that speaks of loyalty, power and elegance. It is everything that House of Bones is known for, young Heiress."
"Thank you, Master Sato", replied Susan and took her seat.
Harry then called Hermione. She drew two different blocks of wood: yew and elder. She pulled out lignum vitae as the handle material and an erumpent horn for marbling. As soon as she had laid out her drawn core material, a Jackalope antler, on the table, Godric pulsed in and laid a tail feather in her hand. Sato then said, "This would be fun to craft. Yew and elder wood are very rare and notorious to craft. Combining them and using two cores will be interesting. I was also surprised when Harry had come to me with one feather each from his familiars. In all my years of crafting for the Potters, I have seen at least one of the familiars give two feathers."
"I guess Godric just wanted to make a grand entrance", replied Harry while petting Godric, who trilled a joyous note. Everyone laughed at this while Master Sato drew a vial of Hermione's blood for binding.
"Excellent", said Sato, "I have almost everything I need. Harry, do you have the list of everyone's current wand length?" Harry nodded and handed the list. "Perfect, I am heading to the Time Chamber now. I will have all of your wands ready by 4:00 P.M." He gathered all the materials and left with a goblin guard.
"Alright", began Director Ragnok, "now with that out of the way, I have a small update before we begin with the contracts and signatures for The Phoenix Group. I am sure each of you present here knows of Riddle's horcruxes by now. My team of curse-breakers had been gathering Riddle's horcruxes. We believe he had made seven horcruxes as besides the one in Lord Potter's scar and the diary he had destroyed, our curse-breakers located five on a runic map. We have already recovered three of the five. One was the Slytherin Heir ring that was found in the Gaunt House near Little Hangleton. We found one inside our bank in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. It was the Hufflepuff Cup. The third was the Locket of Slytherin and it was found in the townhouse owned by House of Black. We believe Lord Black's younger brother, Regulus, stole Riddle's horcrux and died doing so. As these objects are of significant value and importance, we transferred the pieces of soul to other objects. The Locket of Slytherin, the Slytherin Heir ring and the Hufflepuff Cup have been returned to the respective heirloom vaults
"Out of the remaining two, one is in Hogwarts. We will try to retrieve it once the school is in session. This will prevent from any unwanted attention from Dumbledore. The last one isn't in Britain. It has been consistently on move. We believe this is with Riddle himself. We will just have to wait before we retrieve the last one."
"That is quite a good news, Director Ragnok", replied Minerva. "Whenever your team of curse-breakers want to enter Hogwarts, please do let me know. I will make sure Albus doesn't find out."
"Thank you, Lady McGonagall", said Ragnok. He snapped his fingers and a contract appeared in front of him, on the desk.
Sirius said, "Before we get to signing, there are a few more additions .." and recounted the previous night's meeting.
Ragnok, after having made the changes, said, "Now then, according to the updated information, The Phoenix Group will be the parent establishment with Houses of Potter, Peverell, Emrys, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin maintaining a total of 28% ownership. Houses of Black, Bones, Longbottom, Lovegood, Tonks, Lupin and Ross will have an ownership of 9% each. Houses of Dagworth-Granger and Draven combined will own 9%. The Phoenix Group will own the said businesses: Marauders Inc., Ethereal Shield, The Mystic's Bow, The Fairmont Phoenix, The Hungry Hippo, Quad Squad, Mind the Twinkle, My Wish Mag, Apria Apothecary and Blessed the Herb. As of June 28, 1993, the Phoenix Group has an investment of 50 million galleons combined from Houses of Potter, Peverell, Emrys, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, 10 million galleons each from Houses of Black, Bones and Longbottom, and 10 million galleons combined from Houses of Dagworth-Granger and Draven. After the initial investments have been returned, the profits have to be split in the following manner: 21% to Houses of Potter, Peverell, Emrys, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin combined, 9% each to Houses of Black, Bones, Longbottom, Lovegood, Tonks, Lupin and Ross, 9% to Houses of Dagworth-Granger and Draven combined, and 7% to Gringotts. Is this correct?"
"Yes", replied Sirius.
"Very well. Legally, for banking purposes, Lord Potter and Heiress Dagworth-Granger are the only minors who can sign contracts. However, as per the venture's founding rules, none of the decisions will be deemed final without all of your signatures. Meaning, for any new investments and establishments, the bank will only release funds if all of the present members have signed the required paperwork. Is it agreeable?", asked Director Ragnok.
"Director, when you mean each of us, do my parents and I have to sign for Houses of Dagworth-Granger and Draven?", asked Hermione.
"Heiress Dagworth-Granger, yes, all of you have to sign. Each of your opinion is valued. Your signature is a testament to that", replied the goblin chief.
"Thank you, Director. It is acceptable", said Hermione. Everybody else agreed as well. They signed the relevant paperwork and finalized the opening locations for their businesses over the next couple of hours.
"Alright, it is 1:00 P.M. now", said Director Ragnok as they wrapped up the discussion regarding The Phoenix Group. "We will convene at 3:00 P.M. for the portkeys, travel documents and the wands. You are free to discuss any house business with your respective account managers. Lord Potter, I need you to come with me to sign a few documents regarding your prior and future investments other than The Phoenix Group." Everyone filed out of the room one by one. Harry went with Director Ragnok to discuss his family businesses. Over the past two weeks, Harry and Ragnok had been discussing investment opportunities to expand his portfolio. They also had to discuss the final amount generated by the basilisk carcass. He left Gringotts with a team of curse-breakers and enchanters to cast Fidelius on top of the impenetrable wards of Lily's Keep.
Over the next couple of hours, prior to the next convening time, everyone else met with their account managers to discuss their businesses. Hermione looked into investment opportunities to expand her estate with the help of her parents and Ragnok XII.
Sirius, on the other hand, went over his family's finances and marriage contracts. He was going to right the wrongs of his family. He began with setting up a trust fund for Nymphadora Tonks and Andromeda Tonks, which they had been wrongfully denied before. He was also putting contingency plans in place to avoid any chances of Malfoys getting the Black Lordship. Sirius requested the goblin in-charge of his accounts to take over the Lupin account, which the goblin obliged. Lupin account was going to expand over the next few years. It was a no-brainer. Remus and the goblin discussed business opportunities to make the Lupin account some money.
The Tonks family met with their account manager to discuss the establishment of Tonks' law firm and any investment opportunities. Neville had accompanied his grandmother to get a hang of his family's portfolio and estates. Susan too, like Neville, went with her aunt to understand her family's estates. Luna and Xeno discussed about upgrading the Quibbler's facilities. Minerva had left Gringotts to finish some tasks at Hogwarts.
Everyone left Gringotts at 1:30 P.M. for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron. After lunch, they returned to Gringotts and gathered in Conference Room A for the business end of their appointment. As Fidelius had been cast on Lily's Keep, Harry, who was the Secret-Keeper, revealed the location of Lily's Keep. Everyone then received a portkey to Lily's Keep. Each of the portkeys was a ring that could stay hidden on finger or around the neck in a necklace. After having received the portkeys, the members who did not have a passport, received one. They also received mundane identification documents. Senior Account Manager Ragnok XII said, "The portkey activation phrase is 'Prongs Place' as requested by Lord Potter." The goblins then left the humans in the conference room, who were immersed in excited, idle chatter.
As the clock struck four, the doors of the room swung open and in walked Master Sato with a knapsack of wands and holsters. One by one, he called them and handed them their wand and two holsters each. When everyone had taken their wands and holsters, Master Sato said, "These holsters are specially enchanted holsters. They will remain invisible to everyone but you once they have been activated by your magical signature. They have anti-summoning charms too. Harry had requested me to bring them along with the wands." Everyone thanked Master Sato. He continued, "Now, before I take your leave, I have a suggestion for all of you. Each of you has two powerful wands. You'll need to practice more with these wands regularly, especially new ones. They need to be attuned to your magic. What better way to master them than practicing with them?"
Harry replied, "We will be practicing quite a lot, Master Sato. Thank you for your suggestion."
"Okay then, if you ever need my assistance with any thing, you can always send me a note with Godric or Rowena. I am quite sure they will know where to find me. I will be seeing you and your friends soon, Lord Potter", said Sato.
"Thank you for everything, Master Sato. This goes without saying but if there is anything Houses of Potter and Peverell can help you with, you need only ask. My friends and I will always be ready to help you", replied Harry.
"Thank you, Lord Potter", said Sato. Harry bowed and bade farewell to the ancient wandmaker.
After Master Sato had left, Ragnok XII came in and said, "Lord Black, that wraps up all the scheduled tasks for the day. If there isn't anything else to discuss, I suggest we proceed to Lily's Keep. The rooms have been set up as standard chambers. Everyone might wish to make slight changes to their arrangements, or at least decorate their rooms. The head architect and designer, Master McCallus, would also like to give you a tour of the mansion. As he has signed the contract, he will forget anything about Lily's Keep as soon as he receives the payment."
Sirius replied, "Thank you for helping my son and all of us out throughout the day. We have nothing more to discuss at the moment."
Ragnok XII said, "In that case, we will proceed to Lily's Keep. Instead of using your personal portkeys, we will divide into three groups and take generic, once-use portkeys. Your personal portkeys will take you directly into the landing zone in the Entry Hall. Right now, we are going to arrive outside the mansion so that everyone can see it from the outside. Follow me." He turned around and headed for the door. The group followed him out of the conference room.
Lily's Keep, Privet Drive
The group arrived in front of huge iron gates. Inside the gates was a huge greyish-white mansion. The lawn looked well kept. There was a driveway from the gates to the portico which ran around a huge fountain in the middle. The fountain had a huge statue in the middle. The statue looked like two people in the middle of a dance. The shrubs on the outer side of the driveway were well kept and looked breathtaking.
An old man with pearl-white hair greeted them, "Hello Lord Potter, it is good to see you. I am Evan McCallus, the architect and designer in-charge of Lily's Keep. I must say, I was very pleased with your requests. It is very similar to Potter Keep and Potter Chateau. As I had renovated them some fifteen years ago, it wasn't much difficult to fulfill your requests."
"It is good to see you too, Master McCallus. Please call me Harry", replied Harry. "I haven't visited Potter Keep, nor have I visited Potter Chateau. I had a design in mind, and I relayed it to Director Ragnok XI. He must have known that you were behind the renovations. Thank you for completing it in such short notice."
"It is quite alright, Harry. Please call me Evan", replied Evan. "As for completing it in such short time, anything is possible with magic." Everyone chuckled at that. Harry introduced everyone to Evan. After the introduction, Evan said, "Now, let us get to the beautiful Lily's Keep. First, the gates. They are a part of the wards. First and foremost, the entire area is under Fidelius. Anybody who hasn't been told of the location by the Secret-Keeper can not see it. However, Fidelius alone is never enough for security. The wards that control the gates are set up in such a way that they'll only open to people who have been invited by one of the residents of the mansion besides the residents. The second thing you ought to remember is that the wards will also act as obliviators. Suppose you invite a guest, but you don't want them to remember anything about Lily's Keep, all you have to do is add their names under obliviate guests in one of the updating ward books, which are present in the library and each of your formal and personal studies."
As soon as he turned towards the gates, they opened to let them in. They turned to the left and started walking on the driveway. Evan continued, "The gates will open and close on their own with the help of wards. The mansion can be roughly divided into three parts, the central body, the East wing and the West wing. The East Wing of the mansion will house all the rooms and chambers that require heavy magic usage. The West Wing will mostly have the bedrooms. The idea behind the design of East and West Wings is basically to have less magic usage in the West Wing to enable usage of electronic devices." Stopping at the statue, he said, "Harry had given me a photograph of Lord James and Lady Lily. I used it as a reference to get a statue carved for the fountain."
Harry, who was in tears looking at the statue, sniffed out a reply. "Thank you so much, Master McCallus." Padfoot and Moony, who were struggling to hold back, embraced Harry and expressed their gratitude to the aged architect.
Evan replied, "You're welcome, Harry. Your parents were a joy to work for." He continued to lead them through the driveway and arrived at a fork. He said, "The road on the left will lead to the basement garage entrance that is at the end of the West Wing. The road on the right leads to the portico. The basement garage opens at the East Wing." He led them to the portico and said, "This is the main entrance to the mansion. Anyone who you invite, will arrive right at the main gate and enter through this door, unless you've given them the Floo address and password for the Entry Hall."
Leading them into the mansion, Evan continued, "This is the Entry Hall." The hall had a fireplace on the left and an open space on the right. In front of them was a pair of ornate doors. The wall on top of the doors had various coats of arms. Evan pointed to the fireplace and said, "That is the fireplace that has been hooked to the Floo system. The address is 'Lily's Keep' and the current password is 'Marauders'. Of course, none of you need to use the floo since you have the portkeys." He pointed to the open area on the right and said, "In that case, you will land on that side." Pointing on top of the ornate doors, he said, "These are the coats of arms for the Houses of Potter, Peverell, Emrys, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Black, Bones, Longbottom, Lovegood, Dagworth-Granger, Ross, Draven, Lupin and Tonks."
Leading them through the doors, he said, "The mansion has three floors. It has been designed with the idea of maximizing privacy of the residents while maintaining ease of maneuverability. The central zone on ground floor has the formal sitting room, the formal dining area, the formal conference room, the ball room and a few bathrooms. The East Wing on ground floor has twenty formal studies to hold meetings with visitors and guests. The West Wing on ground floor has twenty guest rooms with two adjacent rooms sharing the bathroom in between. The staircase from the basement and the stairs to the upper floors are in the sitting room." One by one they visited the rooms on the ground floor before heading to the first floor.
They arrived at another sitting room, that looked exactly like the one on ground floor, only a bit more casual. The aged architect said, "The central zone on the first floor has the family sitting room, the family dining room, the kitchen and the library. The East Wing has the classrooms, potions lab, combat and dueling arenas, designed as per Harry's letter to Director Ragnok. The West Wing on first floor has ten bedroom chambers, a lounge, a game room and a mundane entertainment room. The West Wing on first floor has been designed keeping the adults in mind. The lounge has a bar. There is a television each in the lounge, the game room and of course, the mundane entertainment room. Each bedroom chamber has a sitting room, a personal study, a dressing area and an en suite bathroom."
They first explored the East Wing, followed by the West Wing and then the central zone. The library was the last place they went into. The library was huge. It had a staircase leading to the upper floor. Evan said, "I was told the library needs to be huge as there are intentions to house as many books as possible. The library stretches to two floors, with an entrance each on both the floors." Leading them through the stairs to the second floor and out of the library, he continued, "The central zone on this floor has the library and a family sitting room. The East Wing has eighteen portal rooms. One each for the Houses of Potter, Peverell, Emrys, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Black, Bones, Longbottom, Lovegood, Dagworth-Granger, Draven, Ross, Lupin and Tonks, and one each for Grangers' Residence and Nymphadora Tonks' apartment. Each door has the coat of arms and the name on it to indicate which house the portal leads to. The doors open to the designated entry rooms to each of the houses, except for the Grangers' residence, where it opens to the garage."
They explored the East Wing without opening any of the doors. Evan continued, "The West Wing on the second floor has ten bedroom chambers, a lounge, a game room and a mundane entertainment room. There is a television each in the lounge, the game room and the mundane entertainment room. Each of the bedroom chambers has a sitting room, a personal study, a dressing area and an en suite bathroom." They toured the West Wing and returned to the family sitting room on the second floor. "The basement has an in-house gym besides the garage. There is a swimming pool, a garden and a greenhouse behind the mansion. I was told that Heir Longbottom loves herbology. I hope the greenhouse is up to his expectations. Of course, we can add more if you need. There is also a quidditch pitch and a multipurpose field for other sports as requested. As there was still a very good chunk of land remaining surrounding the mansion, my team and I decided to establish a small forest like dwelling around the mansion. It increases the security, acts as a hunting area for your familiars and provides for a natural scenic beauty. It can also be used for overnight camping experiences and such."
"Thank you, Master McCallus", replied Sirius. "That's very thoughtful of you."
Evan nodded and continued, "As you've seen, all the rooms have been designed in a basic manner. You can decorate and alter your room arrangements with the help of house-elves. As there are so many residents, I would also recommend putting some sort of sign to help others know whose room or study it is." He continued after receiving nods from everyone, "That's all from me. Do you have any questions?" He spent the next thirty minutes answering everyone's questions regarding how mundane electronic devices were made usable in a magical household. After the discussion, the architect and Ragnok XII left the residents and the mansion.
The residents in the mansion sat with a blueprint of the mansion and chose their bedroom chambers and formal studies. The kids and Nymphadora Tonks chose bedroom chambers on the second floor while all the other adults chose chambers on the first floor. Each of them also chose a formal study. After having made their choices, Harry called for Tony and handed him the blueprint who stored it in the library. They spent the next couple of hours decorating their bedrooms and their studies with the help of house-elves.
Around 9 P.M., they all sat down in the family dining room for dinner. Over dinner, Sirius asked, "What are everyone's plans for tomorrow?"
Amelia was the first to reply. "I have the first of many meetings with Head Auror Scrimgeour and other senior aurors to instruct them of their duties while we are away for the vacation. Can't let Fudge and Dumbledore do anything they wish even while we are away."
"Good, good", replied Sirius.
"I have to work on this year's syllabus for Defense Against the Dark Arts", said Remus. "I want it done in the next couple of days so that I can present it in the staff and the Board of Governors meeting on the 9th of July."
"That's good, Remus. If you show me when you're done, I can provide you feedback before the actual meeting", replied Minerva. "I am going to be in Hogwarts tomorrow. Quite a lot needs to be done for the letters this year. Then there's the financial mess that Albus has created which needs to be taken care of."
"I can go over it, if you want Minerva", said Ted. "I just have a few interviews tomorrow for the new firm."
"Thank you, Ted. I will ask for your help if Filius isn't available", replied Minerva.
"My wife and I have to go to the practice tomorrow", said Richard. "We will be free by 5 in the evening."
"I will be at home with the kids", replied Augusta. "I don't have much to do at the moment."
"I have my auror training to report to", added Dora.
Xeno said, "I am going to establish the facility for Mind the Twinkle and My Wish Mag, as discussed."
Andi said, "I have to be at St. Mungo's till 2 P.M., after which I am free."
"Perfect", replied Augusta. "Andi and I can go over designs for the restaurant and the hotel. Elizabeth and Amelia will join us as soon as they return."
"Oh, that's a good idea", added Sirius, "but Elizabeth won't be able to join in as soon as her practice is over. The Grangers, Ted, Moony and I are going to pick up cars that I had ordered for us. We will need cars to travel in mundane areas. We also have a surprise for kids."
"She can join us later then", replied Augusta.
"What surprise?", questioned Hermione. Each of the kids were now staring curiously at Sirius who just kept on smiling.
Sirius replied, "Surprise is just that, a surprise. What have you kids planned?"
"Nothing as of now", said Hermione. "We are going to start with our homework tomorrow. I have a schedule in mind that we will finalize tomorrow. I am going to make sure we follow the schedule."
"That's it", replied Susan. "There goes my dream of sunbathing by the pool every day."
"And mine of spending in the greenhouse", replied Neville.
"Oh, quiet you", huffed Hermione. "We will have plenty of time for everything. I just want to make sure we finish our homework before vacation. We also have to practice with the new wands and help Luna prepare for the advancement tests."
"We will do all that and more", replied Luna in a sing song voice. "The nargles told me so. We should let Hermione be in-charge of preparing a schedule for us."
In a matter-of-fact tone, Hermione said, "I told you so. What about you Harry?"
"Oh, don't mind me. I am up for anything and everything", replied Harry, "as long as you can squeeze in a bit of flying here and there."
"You and your flying", said Hermione. "As long as you don't pull off a deadly stunt on that wretched broomstick of yours, I suppose I can schedule some flying sessions for you."
"I will let you know Hermione that the broomstick you so eloquently termed as wretched was a gift from me to Harry", humored Minerva. Everyone broke into fits of laughter as Hermione turned red with embarrassment. "However, I do agree with your assessment of Harry's death wish. He better not pull off any ridiculously deadly stunts of his", added Minerva. This time it was Harry who turned as red as a tomato while everyone else laughed. The family continued chatting and laughing over dinner. After their dinner, they headed to their respective rooms for a good night's sleep.