As always, JKR owns all canon. I'm just playing in here.

The Argument

August 20 was the last meeting of the Hogwarts Board of Governors before school would start. Harry was on the Board as Lord Gryffindor, and he had asked for permission to address them. He had also asked Madam Hooch to prepare a report to present, which she was delighted to do.

"I wish to present an offer to the Board. First, here are copies of a detailed Report I asked Madam Hooch for. I know she has been begging for new school brooms for many years. The ones I learned on were antiques, and many were dangerous - Neville Longbottom broke his wrist falling off one such rickety excuse for a broom, and I am sure there have been more accidents. The Malfoys donated 7 2001's in 1992, and according to this Report those are still the newest brooms the school owns. Apparently the school has only replaced brooms if they actually broke, and since brooms are very hard to break this does not happen often. Many students do bring their own brooms for recreation, but using them in official Quidditch matches can make the games uneven, depending on who has the newest or fastest broom rather than who has the most skill or best strategy.

Allowing the students to bring any broom also puts the school at risk if the family sends an inappropriate broom, such as a Firebolt to a beginner. I was an unusually talented child, but there was no way Sirius could have known that - I might have been killed the first time I climbed on that broom!

Thus, I wish to make an offer to the Board, and a proposal. The Proposal is thus: that no Hogwarts child may bring an adult-level broom as their personal broom UNLESS their Head of House gives specific permission in writing, such as if the student is actually 17. These adult broom should never be allowed to be used in official matches. School matches must be played on school brooms.

Which brings me back to those nasty brooms, and my offer: My company, Dragon Brooms, is willing to accept any or all of the present school brooms as trade-ins for an equal number of my company's popular student broom, the Norwegian Blue, at cost.

I have included a sheet of estimates of these costs. The estimate for the current year, replacing all of the brooms, is of course quite high, but it IS calculated at our actual cost. Instituting a yearly schedule of refurbishing a smaller number, such as one-tenth of the brooms each year, will yield a smaller annual cost after the initial expense. Allowing for a regular replacement plan with that, to keep all the brooms safe and reasonably current, would be the next obvious step.

He looked around the table at the others, who were beginning to look at the papers he had given them. A few seemed upset for some reason, several were talking to each other, one was talking to Madam Hootch over the broom report - and one looked quite angry.

Lord Castleberry was turning purple. He rose, and the others looked at him. Harry nodded politely and sat down. "Besides the expense of the offer - there is no way I believe this bid is 'at cost' and making no profit - there is the little fact that this basically creates a monopoly for the Dragon Broom company. Parents will know that the school uses one brand exclusively, and thus most will buy that brand and model for their children's personal brooms. Children who grow up using one brand almost exclusively will probably buy that brand when they are looking for adult brooms.

I am aware that Lord Potter's company is advertising a trade-in offer to the public, which mentions refurbished brooms will be provided to the Orphanages. This offer will give him a great many old brooms to pawn off on the children while gaining him publicity.

I am majority investor in the Nimbus Broom. I cannot control everything, but I will guarantee Nimbus will match the stated details of this offer as far as we can. That is, Nimbus will replace all the Nimbus brooms on this list with our current student broom, the Nimbus Flame, at cost." Looking around in challenge, he sat down.

Harry rose again. "One thing about Quidditch is that not every broom is best for every position, or even for every rider. Having a mixture of decent models available will give the teams choices. It might be a good idea to have Madam Hootch contact the other companies represented on the list of school brooms, in case they would care to match the offer for their brooms. My company stands firm in our offer - we will accept ANY of the school brooms as trade-ins for our Blues. This offer is at cost, and we do not expect to make any profit. Neither do I believe any of the school brooms will be given to the Orphanages, because most of them are so old that I doubt they can be salvaged. Truthfully, I intend to use them, and most of the trade-ins from the store, for this year's Beltane Fires."

After some lively discussion, these were agreed to: The Board authorized the estimated expenditure, and asked an ecstatic Madam Hootch to contact as many of the other companies as she could, with the goal of having all the brooms replaced by the scheduled first flying lessons at the end of the second week of school. A letter about the new broom regulation would be sent to the parents of every second-year or older student, though students would be allowed to bring brooms they already had for personal use. The full ruling would be implemented in future years, beginning with this year's Firsties.

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A week later, Harry, Ginny, the Harpies and representatives of other teams, and a large number of reporters were at the Half-Blood Orphanage. The children were assembled in the stands of their small Pitch, all wearing their sports clothing, along with their staff. The Headmistress came down to the platform which had been set up in the middle of the field. A Sonorus was cast around the podium as everyone took seats.

First to speak was Gwenog, as Captain of the Harpies, "At our last visits, the teams could not help but notice a few things lacking, things we thought the children needed. Specifically, the children need brooms. We thought about donating the many old ones we have in our training rooms, as we have to use the most current models. However, it was clear this was not a good idea. Our old brooms are not only adult brooms, but they are Professional quality. They are too big, too fast, too dangerous for children! Another solution was sought, and we believe we have found it. I present to you the CEO of the Dragon Broom Company, Lord Potter!"

Harry stood, and waited for the noise to settle down. Almost all of the adults, and many of the children here, were aware of the offer his company had been advertising for the last weeks. Anticipation ran high on their faces.

"We bring you brooms!" was a great start, though the noise rose so high that he had to wait again before he could continue. "As most of you know, Dragon Brooms has been offering a trade-in program.

The box on the left end of the stand contains children's training brooms, and a full set of children's Quidditch gear. These will stay here so that they younger children can be taught to ride and play properly. There are enough for everyone, though these will not be your own. You will get your own when you go to your second year of school.

In the other box are enough student brooms for ALL of the boarding-school students allowed to have a broom, to have one of your very own. This includes the one child I was informed attends Beaubatons, as well as all those at Hogwarts. Now, these are not new brooms, but they have been thoroughly reconditioned to meet current requirements. You will not be using them in school competitions, but they will be just what you need for the informal games of all sorts. We have even inscribed your names on the handles. Each broom includes a full set of personal safety gear. These are yours, and will be placed in the third compartments of your school trunks. We have them out here because we thought you might like a bit of a ride? Thus, these players from the Quidditch Teams are here to help you." One thing Harry hadn't mentioned was that there were also a set of good adult brooms included for the staff, who would need decent brooms in order to safely supervise the children.

The noise was deafening, so Harry had to pause, again. He rather thought the older children might be about to come over the rails in their joy and eagerness, so he raised his arms high and shot off a purple firecracker blast to gain their attention.

'Now, stay in your age groups and follow your staff onto the field!"

At this point Harry left the podium. No one was paying any attention to him anymore! He happily joined the group of players helping the smaller students put on safety gloves, helmets, padding, and goggles with face protectors. Gymnasium teachers quickly organized the oldest of these into a small-scale quidditch game, while the beginners were led off in wobbling lines, star-struck by their famous leaders. There were even tiny brooms for the babies, barely lifting off the ground, carrying laughing toddlers beside their walking nurses. From the other end of the platform, freshly-accoutered students were launching their new-to-them personal brooms toward the hoops, or entering impromptu races. It was a wonderful morning.

As soon as all of the children were occupied, Harry and Ginny slipped away. The Pureblood Home had turned out to not need any brooms for the older students, though they accepted a box of children's trainers. The Ministry seemed to keep that Home better supplied than the others, and gave its Hogwarts students a better package.

There were two more Homes to visit today, with team players and more reporters waiting at each. Each received the same packages as the first. These Homes did not have a Pitch, so the children assembled in their gardens, and rode their brooms there as well. There were plans afoot to deal with the lack, but not everything could happen in the few weeks before school.

Harry was a little surprised that he had received enough decent school brooms as trade-ins to supply every one of the 58 students who qualified, as well as the dozens of trainers for the smaller children. He had actually had scouts out, going to boot sales and second-hand stores, purchasing every child and student broom they could. Only one broom traded in had been found to have a curse on it, and the family that brought that one in had warned the clerk that it was unusable. As expected, there were a large number traded that were very old, damaged, and generally unsafe. The Hogwarts brooms were in this number. A very few of the trades were genuine antiques, even unique examples of brooms made by the families that rode them. Dragon Brooms was delighted to find these, gave their former owners great prices, and was preparing a museum type display.

And one last item: Harry had thought of the true Squibs, who attended mundane schools, and the non-magical children at the Home in the mundane world. While no one mentioned it, and there were no photos or stories in any papers, every single one of those children and their Staff received a brand-new bicycle with full accessories.

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Outtake

Jonas Jones was a janitor at St. Mungos. His wife Jasmine was an assistant to the hospital Apothecary. They, and all their families for as far as anyone remembered, were Hedge Witches and Wizards. That is, they were lower powered, ordinary folk, with a strong affinity for the Earth and growing things. No one had ever been invited to Hogwarts - until now. Their son Jamie had received the Letter on his 11th Birthday in July last year, and the whole family was mad with excitement. Hogwarts was expensive, but as a family they could do it, and did. Jamie was a Hufflepuff, and had done very well. However, he had some comments on those school brooms.

"They are awful, Da! I tried to heal the ones I rode, as you taught me, but they are so old there is little life left in the wood to work with. I know you said they would be much better than our family brooms, but they are not! Could you PLEASE make me a broom my size for school?"

Jonas had received the letter from the school explaining the new broom regulation. It did sound as though a family broom, of the appropriate size, would be acceptable for personal use. However, he had also seen the advertisement in the Quibbler with the trade-in offer. He thought he would take in Jamie's outgrown broom and see if he could get a discount on a 'real' broom for his boy. It couldn't hurt to ask. So, he took the small broom with him to work, and after work went to Dragon Brooms in Diagon.

The clerk blinked at the object Jonas laid on the counter. Instead of a shaft of wood, it was made of twisted and braided vines, with the aft end splayed and flattened. It looked more like a garden rake than a broom. The seat area was broad, and actually looked comfortable. "And, this flies?"

"Oh yes, they fly quite nicely. Our whole family uses this type. It's stable and can carry a good load. Even though I made this for my son when he was younger, it can carry a grown man. Being flexible means it doesn't fight high winds, but instead flows with them for a smooth ride. I see you have a practice room at the back - would you like to try it?"

The clerk, being a small man, would like to very much. He signaled the Manager that he would be away from the counter for a few minutes. The Manager, curious, joined them in the back, and both men took a few laps. They spoke quietly for a few minutes.

Jonas was tired. No one had mentioned any numbers. "Will you be able to accept this as a trade-in for a Blue? I really can't afford the full price, but was hoping for a discount."

"That, sir, is not going to be a problem at all. I can guarantee your son will go to Hogwarts with a brand-new Blue in his trunk. If you will excuse me a moment, I need to make a call." The Manager stepped out of the crowded room to a quieter spot, and quickly called the offices.

Within minutes another man came through the doorway. "Really unique, you say? Lovely! May I take a look? I called a few others, too. Let's take this to your office."

Jonas was bewildered. The clerk had him signing trade-in papers and ownership papers on a Blue so fast his head was spinning, and nowhere was a price mentioned. His broom lay on a desk in the back room with several men running wands over it. Every so often one would take it for a ride around the room, and then they would do it all over again. He could see the glow as each part of the spell work was examined.

"Mr. Jones, do you think you could come to our Company offices, maybe tomorrow, and help us look over this broom? You have some very unique spells here, probably some Family Magic, too. We'll sort out a suitable price then, if we may?"

THAT was what Jonas was waiting for. "I am worried that I may not be able to meet your price for the Blue, even though you are willing to accept this as a trade-in. I would really hate to disappoint my son by telling him he is getting a Blue, and then not being able to get it after all. Could you give me an estimate, at least? Also, tomorrow is a work day for me and I really cannot afford to miss. Could I meet you on Saturday, instead?"

The Manager and the Company man looked at each other, and both blinked. The Company man said, "Mr. Jones, I think you are misunderstanding my intentions here. The Company is buying your broom, and giving you a Blue as the down payment. Here are 200G as earnest money - I'll give you more on Saturday when we settle up. Here is my card with the correct address - is 9 AM all right? And, Saturday is a formal job interview. We want your unique talents at Dragon Broom. We'll give you our offer and have the contract ready to sign."

A VERY confused Jonas tumbled out of his home Floo. His wife picked him off the hearth, and began dusting him off. "I'm so glad you are finally home! You did get paid tonight? The cupboard is bare and we need to go shopping before I can even fix supper. I left the children at Mother's so we can go."

Jonas began to take bags out of his pockets, and enlarged them as he laid them on the table. First was a large Shepherd's Pie from the Leaky, still steaming hot, with a bag of rolls. "You darling man! So thoughtful! I'll call Mother and bring the children home." Jonas continued unloading his pockets as she called, until the table looked as though it was Christmas! There was the long blue box with a Blue Dragon emblem. There were bags from Madam Malkin's, spilling blue, green, and pink robes. There were large dolls for the three little girls, and a plush dragon for the baby. Finally, there was a familiar small leather bag, clearly half-full. Jasmine and the children silently looked at the table.

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Finally home, Harry and Ginny went to their room and began to change, Harry into his favorite evening robe and Ginny from her Harpy uniform. Harry turned to Ginny and said, "You looked great today! I have no idea how you stayed so fresh. I was tired by the time we left the second Home, but you just kept perky all day!"

To his amazement, Ginny stopped pulling the braid from her hair, and burst into tears!

"You NEVER notice! I came here between each Home and put on a fresh uniform! I was the only player who had to be at all three Homes!"

"I just thought you were taking a minute to slip out to the Ladies'..." But Ginny was on a roll and continued right over his voice as though he had not spoken.

"You NEVER notice! You never say a word! After all these years, all you can say is 'you look fresh?' What about when I'm wearing one of those pretty robes? I get my picture in the papers all the time wearing pretty gowns but YOU never notice them! Did you even notice my WEDDING DRESS?" Ginny's face was rapidly turning a shade of red which did not match her hair. Her tears continued, and she began to snuffle, but she didn't stop yelling.

Harry was blown away. His whole life he had been ordered around, his opinion never asked. Indeed, when he tried to offer it he had always been interrupted and told how wrong he was. This was more of the same, the same treatment he had received from the Dursleys. Even Dumbledore had never listened to him, but just patted him and twinkled at him. But, this was his wife - he needed to make her hear him! He tried again, as she ranted on:

"I DO notice! I'm a man - I don't pay a lot of attention to clothes, but I do notice how you always look great." It was no use. She didn't seem to hear him at all.

"AND you never mentioned, not once in the whole day, that this whole broom project was mine! I'M the one who brought it to you! I'm the one who got the teams together! Gwenog only talked about how our old professional brooms were inappropriate for children. YOU focused on the children getting brooms! All of the other players played with the children, but NO ONE said so much as 'nice job' to ME! All of the papers are going to focus on the children! There will be dozens of pictures in all of the papers, probably for DAYS, and except for the little fact that I was at all three Homes today so I will probably get into one or two photos somewhere, no one is going to be looking at ME!"

By this point she was almost incoherent, mumbling as she pulled her jersey over her head. She certainly wasn't looking in Harry's direction, so he took a chance and twisted away to his Study. He twisted back quickly, two large albums in his hands. He was too late. Perhaps she had heard him go, because now she was staring right into his side of the suite, screaming loudly; "YOU COWARD! You can't even answer me! You know I'm right! Don't you dare run away! SAY SOMETHING!"

He said, "Here," and thrust the two albums at her. Being wizard albums, each contained hundreds of pages even though they seemed thin to hold. Startled, she took them, and then dropped them on her dressing table.

The cover of the top book had the word "Clippings" written on it. Inside, in chronological order, were every article and photo from every paper and magazine that had ever printed anything about Ginny, starting with her Hogwarts Quidditch games. Each was dated and fully labeled. There were clippings of any article Ginny had ever published - mostly sports commentary under her byline, but also quite a few snippits of gossip and Society commentary without her name. Harry had subscribed to a clipping service.

"WHERE did you get these? How dare you spy on everything I've said! WHO DO YOU HAVE FOLLOWING ME?" It was a good thing Harry had strong preservation and protective spells in place, because Ginny let loose with an INCENDIO that was almost blinding. He had a duplicate album, so he said nothing in his shock. He had thought she would like it! The flames died down, leaving the album unharmed but too hot to touch. The white paint on the table was bubbled around the book, but the manor fire wards held.

The second album had the word "Memories" on the cover. Again, it contained pictures, but most of these pictures had been taken by Harry, with a magical camera, using a Pensieve. These pictures nearly all moved, twirling around and often smiling at you. In chronological order, these began with the Burrow, including family Quidditch in the orchard. Then there were school pictures of Ginny at Hogwarts, again including Quidditch. There were pictures of her from their dating years, on picnics, at family dinners, helping clean Grimmauld. There were multiple pictures from their wedding, some of which were not in the big wedding album on her shelf. Finally, filling more than half the volume, were thousands of pictures of Ginny, one or more in every dress he had ever seen her in. Each was tagged with the date and a description of the dress, and the event it was worn for if he knew it. There were pictures of Ginny in her Harpy uniform, in every game and team event Harry had been at.

Ginny became silent as she flipped through these photos. As she reached their wedding, she told Harry, "Go, eat your dinner, and don't come back here. I need to think."

Harry did peek back into the room later, where he found Ginny asleep on her bed, still half-dressed, with tear streaks down her face into a soaked pillow. Harry pulled the photo album out of her bed and laid it on her table, and tucked an embroidered satin sheet over her. Then he slipped back out, and went to sleep in his hidden room.