The children had gone back to Hogwarts. The Season of the Big Balls was upon them. Outside Potter Manor, the snow lay deep upon the grounds. The flower beds, the bushes, the greenhouse and pitch were buried. The fountains were silenced and wrapped securely, shaped into fantastic snow sculptures of chess pieces and draped in thousands of twinkling fairy lights. The pathways were meticulously cleared and also lined with lights, forming fantasy walks and little grottoes with private seating.
Inside the Manor, the elves were laboring in shifts to completely clean and shine every inch. Others were cooking wonderful dishes, which went straight into the stasis lockers. Ginny had decided upon a Chess theme, with everyone to dress as Kings and Queens. Sheer drapes swung between ceiling knots. White flowers descended from the ceilings instead of snow, and twined thickly up every column with more fairy lights, forming the dining room, and ballroom, and all of the hallways, into an indoor winter wonderland. Every window in the building was alight, every stair rail twisted with more white flowers. Every tiny table and shelf seemed to have glass chess pieces. Once again all of the elves were wearing white or gold togas, and were cheerfully referring to themselves as "Pawns".
Harry was twisting himself into his outfit of white silk brocade, with Opal-eye boots and a very wide belt with a strong gold buckle. The pants were loose enough for him to move, even a bit baggy, but the shirt was tight. It had a high, pointed collar, with an open V-neck, and no sleeves. Finally satisfied he had his scars glamored over, he made a face at how much the outfit showed of his well-muscled body. It couldn't be helped - he had to be able to move freely. Over it he wore a loose, open, dark-green robe embroidered with lilies.
Ginny was also in form-fitting white silk with tiny Opal-eye boots, and had a lot of skin showing. However, her bodice was about half sheer, with the brocade as an applique cut in a dragon curling around her shoulders. The dragon was outlined in pearls, holding the brocade onto the sheer silk. The pearls continued, outlining a swirling tail, wrapping around her the full length of the skirt. Her long hair was up swept with thin strands of pearls as a crown, shaping her hair into a grand flower. Her jewelry was, of course, all tiny pearls, including finger-less gloves that attached at the wrists to her open, scarf-like sleeves.
Ready at last, they exited their suite and walked together down the long staircase to the foyer to greet their guests. Elves were stationed with trays of sparkling drinks in every corner. The wall plaque hung across from the huge Floo fireplace, easily the first thing any guest would see. Harry and Ginny stood just to one side. They were just in time, as the Floo began to flare open to ticket holders.
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It was a beautiful dinner. The dinnerware was black-and-white in a checkerboard pattern; all of the glassware was black, and all of the flatware white. Much of the food was also black or white, and much of it was cut or served in chess shaped servings. Finally the desserts were brought in, and they were totally different. Dessert was ice creams, molded into flowers. Green ice stems opened into blooms in fantastic colors, mostly bouquets of lilies but other blooms were included. Somehow each guest discovered theirs was in their favorites, both blooms and flavors. Finally they finished, and everyone rose and moved on to the Grand Ballroom.
When most of their guests were in the Ballroom, talking and standing around the edges of the great black-and-white chessboard of a dance floor, Harry stood at the top of the short set of stairs and announced, "Your attention, please! I wish to present to you our honored guests of the evening, the Holyhead Harpies!" The doors opened wide behind him and he slipped to the side and back to the hall as the first ladies and their escorts began a stately processional.
Harry dropped his robe into the arms of the waiting elf, and took his place in the line of identically dressed men. All of them had dropped over-robes of assorted colors. Most were the husbands of the Harpy they stood with, some were their cheerleaders, and some were both. Ginny and the other women, however, had donned over-robes. Now they were all in dark green with the Harpy Talon on their back, slim cut with high layers of points leading the eye upward, and long sleeves. All of them had their hair up. Suddenly they all looked like flowers! As they reached the bottom of the stairs, each man took his Harpy onto his hands and held her 'in flight' above his head. Their arms outstretched and long sleeves fluttering, they swirled around the room, spinning and swooping, until all 32 pair were circling. They stopped, suddenly, one pair in each square of the opposing sides. A silent beat, and a real orchestra began playing Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Flowers" as the first pieces stepped out. It wasn't a chess match. No one was making plays, but the men moved the Harpies from square to square in similar ballet patterns. The two sides became indistinguishable as they moved across the board and mingled. It was a dance, highly choreographed, and beautiful! As the music ended the men lowered their partners to the floor a final time and knelt beside them.
Applause rang out. Conversations and laughter began again. Elves brought the men cold, invigorating drinks, and everyone began to mingle. Harry and the other men slipped out into the hall and regained their outer robes, while the Harpies shed theirs so they would be free to dance the night away. Harry bowed to Ginny, slightly winded, and led her out onto the floor to begin the dances.
There were also quiet card rooms further along the hall, and parlors where you could sit and talk if you tired of dancing. You could walk out through the French doors onto the patio and walk through the brightly lit gardens, or rest in a grotto. It was cold out there, but warming charms on robes meant people never really noticed any inconvenience. Some people went back to the foyer, to spend time examining the plaque. The dining room had been cleared and a buffet set out for any who wanted a snack or a drink. The little Pawns circulated everywhere with trays of drinks and treats.
Along the side of the room were glass cases on the wall, displaying the collection of Potter Prizes Harry had managed to find, with a brief history of each piece. Where pieces were missing there were illustrations. Some of the guests were also wearing Prizes, heirlooms of their Houses. Some had even arranged to wear costumes similar to what their ancestors had worn when they were presented. There were tiaras, necklaces, pins, bracelets, and rings. These were all greatly admired.
Along another wall were framed drawings of the playing fields that were to be built for the Orphanages, along with tallies of the amounts of equipment already bought or still needed. The money raised by the Ball was included in the self updating totals, which showed how much was still needed. During the evening many people pledged more, so that by the end all of the basics were covered.
Nearing Midnight, Harry stood back at the steps to make a few announcements and presentations. He sent elves to invite the wanderers, though not all chose to leave their card games.
"The Ball is not over. We will continue dancing and so on until Dawn. If everyone stays awake we'll even host breakfast." Laughter at this. "However, I know a few people are going to leave soon, and I'm sure everyone would like to see this fun. First, I am sure the children of the Orphanages will think kindly of all of you, because tonight we have collected enough to establish their new sporting grounds.
I wish to thank those who located and wore their family Potter Prizes, many of you in re-creations of the original costumes! These have certainly added interest and conversation tonight! I hope all of you have or will take the time to examine the pieces I have displayed in the cases. Meanwhile, I have some gifts. First, could the Harpies and their escorts assemble here?"
"For the Harpies, I had special Prizes made. Because they graced us with their Dance of the Flowers tonight, each receives a pin of lilies that will never fade. Their escorts will receive a tie clip of a Dragon broom." Applause sounded during the several minutes it took to share out the boxes, and laughter when the escorts insisted that Harry also receive and wear one. Since none of them were wearing anything resembling a tie, all chose to pin the clip on their shoulders.
"Next, I have the honor of presenting the reinstated Potter Prize. Traditionally, this is presented to the person or couple who best portray the theme of the Ball, which this year is "Chess". While we have many couples here in excellent renditions of Chess pieces, I have chosen tonight's winners because they had their costumes designed from a traditional chess story, Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass". Will our Red King and Red Queen please come forward?" Hermione came forward quickly, but there was great laughter when Ron was found asleep in one of the parlors!
As a sleepy and slightly confused Ron came through the doors, he found Harry collapsed in laughter at the top of the stairs. Harry continued to gasp for several minutes before he calmed enough to continue. "I swear I could not have planned that in a million years! Hermione, I present you with this Potter Prize Tiara for 2004. Ron, I give you a new chess set, may it serve you well!" The tiara was a delicate narrow band, with a design of tiny chess pieces alternating with lilies of assorted colors. Ginny helped Hermione settle it in her tresses. Ron's chess set was handsomely carved of black and white obsidian in the shapes of fantastic animals. He took Hermione back to his parlor to play a few rounds.
The dance continued, with a small trickle of people leaving every hour or so. When the sun came up there were still two card games going, though their spouses had gone to sleep on couches and been moved to spare bedrooms by the elves. Harry was rather firm that the games were over, and woke their wives up to take them home. The orchestra had earned their breakfast, and a fat bonus check from Harry. Harry helped them pack into their bus and trailer, and opened the gates for them. They vanished between the trees before reaching the main road.
Harry found Ginny in their breakfast room, drinking a glass of pumpkin juice. He accepted one himself. Finally alone in their home, Harry and Ginny went upstairs and to bed while the day shift of elves took care of the cleanup.
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That afternoon Harry met with Dobby for a final accounting. He had expected some kind of trouble, inviting people into his home by hosting the Ball. Now was the time to see how well their security precautions had worked.
Dobby refused to sit down. He stood to report. "There was no major damage. A few of the cheap glass figurines were broken, and quite a few simply disappeared into various pockets, but we expected that and the timed gemino spell will cause them to vanish tomorrow morning. We have noted the kleptos in the guest register, and the elves will be careful to shadow them whenever they visit. The original glass chess sets will be distributed as 'party favors' in the baskets being made up for the Orphanages and Senior Centers. Several women arrived without their husbands, who were blocked at the Floo by old Dark Marks, but they made no fuss and just stayed for the dance. We made sure they were supplied with nice treats and each went home with a bouquet and a genuine figurine.
One of Missy Weezy's fancy mirrors in the hall was broken when someone tried to place listening and scrying spells on it. There were several serious, not accidental or innocent, attempts to get into locked rooms, but since Dobby had moved the real doors and just made the walls look like doors, no one managed to snoop where they should not be. Last was the attempts to steal some of the cased Prizes. There were several attempts there, some quite creative. First they tried to simply summon them, and then they tried switching spells, gemino, and duplo. There were several attempts to break either the glass or the cases. The final event was pure spite: there was a delayed lightning detonation that struck the plaque earlier today. No elves were hurt and the plaque is undamaged. We have added each of those magical signatures to the wards AND reported the attempts to the DMLE."
Harry had expected the theft attempts. Thus, the cases were as unbreakable as possible, including Walburga's permanent sticking hex, fireproof, and impermeable to anything except light. Then, the pieces were not even in there! Illusions, reflections of the true pieces, were projected on the heavy glass. It was a science called 'Catoptrics', which was used to protect valuables in the mundane world. Just in case some trick had actually worked, the cases were completely full of strong sleeping gas.
Dobby continued, "We found several items of clothing in odd places, some purses, a pair of glasses, some IOU slips in the game rooms, and a number of tracking spells that peeled off their targets when they came or left through the Floo. All of them have been returned to their owners, or in the case of the spells, attached to 'Return to Sender' spells with a bright pink dye."
Harry thought that was creative! Then he realized Dobby meant ALL of the spells he had just listed had been returned with the dye bombs, and really cracked up!
"Mitty, the Head Cook, wants to check about tonight's meal, as Missy Weezy did not leave instructions." Harry nodded, and Mitty appeared.
"The kitchen has plenty of food. The elves will be eating the leftovers for days! The infants are already having chess cookies with their juice in the playroom. There were not many ice flowers left, so we gave them to the Old Ones for their Tea." She spoke quietly, twisting her hands in the pockets of her paisley apron and peering up at Harry. He found the sight of her beaded hairnet endearing, stretched over both ears and her bald noggin! "What would Master like for dinner tonight?"
Harry gestured toward his parfait glass of yoghurt and blackberries. "We ate heavily last night, and I don't have much appetite today. I think something light, not sweet, would be a good idea. Do we have any chicken?"
Mitty bobbed her head again, "Oh yes! We have some thin sliced chicken breasts I could saute with mushrooms and vegetables! I would suggest serving them over herbed rice? We also have plenty of fruit and yogurt!"
That sounded perfect to Harry, so he asked her to have it prepared for dinner at 8.
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Ginny had finally woken, and was taking a slow soak in her Jacuzzi, eating her own parfait that had appeared on the ledge. Scented candles were lit in the corners, and the curtains that normally covered the wide window were open, letting in the afternoon sun. She had a wonderful time last night, dancing all night long. The Harpies and their escorts were all in excellent condition, so they had danced with all of the guests in turn. Even being in great condition, Ginny had sore feet and achy muscles this afternoon! Fortunately there were no games scheduled for the rest of this week, and only a light workout for tomorrow morning. Gwennog had mentioned to her that everyone needed to be fitted for new uniforms before the next game. The Championships were approaching and they would need to look their best! Ginny examined herself critically in her mirror, deciding she was exactly the same size, though she knew her seams were beginning to pull out. Quidditch is a strenuous game, and hard on clothing!
She eyed the parfait. Gwennog had passed out new diet requirements for the team, with yogurt and fruit prominent in the breakfast and snack sections. So were fruit 'smoothies', and things like fortified banana milk. It was also suggested that they drink several glasses of water every afternoon, and they could have fruit flavoring in that! Large helpings of vegetables were suggested for both lunch and dinner, along with high-protein main dishes. A few pages of sample menus and recipes were attached. This was very healthy eating, Ginny supposed, but she had grown up eating heavy food and never had any weight problems! They had always eaten a lot of vegetables from their own garden, and they had a small orchard, but gravy was almost a beverage in Molly's kitchen and most of the fruit wound up in either jams or pies.
Ginny knew many of the team would pay no attention to the 'suggested' menu. The Harpies were well known for partying hard, drinking hard, and in general doing whatever they wanted to. She was a bit surprised none had gotten drunk or wild at her party! Thinking it over, she realized the elves had been giving the team fruity drinks all night, rather than the strong wines that were served to other guests. She didn't even have a headache today! She was going to have to pay attention to her elves, because she knew they would gleefully try to manage her. They clearly had found the diet sheet, exampled by the parfait appearing. If she wanted sausages and beans for breakfast she was going to have to be firm!
She exited the tub and dressed in fluffy sweats and thick socks. Her exercise mat was laid out by the bedroom window, and she began her daily stretching routine, working out the sore spots gently. She noticed that she was stiff along her abdomen, and was grateful their dance costumes had included support where the men had held them. Being in good shape was one thing; doing an aerial ballet routine was something else! Briefly, she wondered if Harry was sore, too.
The doors throughout their suite were open and it was clear he was up and doing whatever. His bed had been made up fresh, and she could see a fresh pile of towels by the door of his en suite. Some people, such as her mother, knew them well enough to know they slept in separate beds. Ginny had explained to her that Harry still had nightmares, from which he would wake violently. She hadn't told her mother that she did, too.
As she finished her workout and changed to a pant suit and trainers, Puff began to stir in her basket. Quickly she was bouncing, begging to be picked up. Ginny laughed as she did so, choosing a pink harness that matched her own suit. On it she clipped the name tag and a pink leash. The two of them dashed straight to the nearest garden door, with Puff squeaking slightly in urgency. Ginny let her out and decided to jog around the paths. Puff almost matched the snow, but her pink harness was bright. She chased Ginny, yipping now and again, bouncing along in the rocking horse motion used by Bichons. Her tag flared once as a shadow passed above, warding off the hawk that was looking for a snack. If the hawk had stooped to hunt it would have been bounced off a shield. The tag also carried a tracking charm and an ill-intent triggered electric shock. Harry was still working on incorporating a summoning or apparition charm that could be triggered remotely if the pup was lost, but there was only so much you could put on the tiny metal tag.
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When she returned to her starting place Ginny took Puff inside and called out, "Daisy!" The tiny elf appeared quickly, and Puff bounced over to her, looking for treats. While Ginny did take Puff running almost every day, and worked on her puppy training exercises, Daisy was the one who made sure Puff was kept on a schedule that allowed her to be housebroken, walked her if Ginny was not available, and often took her down to the playroom to socialize with the infant elves or the Old Ones.
Ginny called again, "Winky!" Another pop, and there were two elves before her, waiting.
"Winky, I have an easy week this week, and think I would like to spend some time with my mother. Is she busy?"
"No. She and your father are going on a short trip, leaving Friday. She plans to spend the week packing and shopping."
"That sounds perfect. I will have practices but my next game is Saturday, and the team leaves Friday. I will come stay for a few days and we can go shopping together! Daisy, pack up Puff's things and a week's bag for me and take them to the Burrow. I'll go talk to Harry, and then Floo over."
Both elves popped off, taking the dog along. Ginny turned to the main stairs, and her face hardened. She did have a few things she wanted to say to Harry!
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Harry was alone in his study, going over the paperwork for the Orphanages when a ball lit in the air, showing Ginny coming up the main staircase. He quickly tidied the papers away, and verified that his hidden doors were closed. It wouldn't really matter if she saw the doorway to the Library, but seeing one might make her wonder if there were others. He was starting to stand when Ginny came in. She started talking the moment she came through the door,
"How could you give the elves instructions like that? I am so embarrassed! The Harpies are well-known for being hard drinkers, and you had the elves give them sparking fruit juice! They KNOW we have deep cellars full of fine wines! Most of them were here for my Birthday, so they KNOW we have better than they were given! I am surprised they were so polite, but I'm sure I'll hear about it when I get to practice tomorrow! The elves even gave ME fruit juice! It was good juice, very refreshing, and I didn't even realize it wasn't wine until I appreciated having no headache today. The Ball was wonderful but you cannot get away with serving juice instead of wines!
And then I realized the elves found that silly menu sheet Gwenog left! I don't think we have ever had a parfait in this house, but one appears on the rim of my tub? I'm sure that's why they served the juice, since they must think the team actually stays on a strict training diet, but we are the Harpies and we do whatever we want!"
The sharp scolding was harsh enough, and Harry couldn't get a word in edgewise. One reason for this is that he was employing every bit of skill he had in ducking and dodging, as Ginny was grabbing everything she could reach and throwing it with deadly accuracy, mixed with fireballs. A complete glass chess set shattered against the window frame as Harry rolled around his desk. A whole fantastic zoo exploded into glass shards without being touched. His heavy computer monitor crashed against the wall behind the couch, taking the wireless down with it. Delicate glass shepherdesses snatched from side tables exploded above his head as she chased him down the stairs and the hall. As he slid into the foyer she passed him with a last jeer, "I'm going to spend a few days with my parents before they go on vacation. My next game is Saturday, so I'll be back on Friday to get fresh clothes before I leave with the team! I don't know what kind of apology you are going to come up with for the team, but it better be good!"
Ginny walked into the Floo, leaving an astonished Harry quivering on the floor.
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This seems to be a good place to add some background about the elves. ALL of the Potter-Black elves are free elves. They are paid, wear whatever they please though they are provided uniforms, and have healthcare - Harry insists on them seeing the Healer regularly. They are both friends and employees, and Family. They even have proper Birth Certificates and ID. There are probably several hundred of them spread between the assorted properties. They move around as needed, and the main colony (with the infants and Old Ones) is in the old Potter place where Harry has his flowers. Ginny knows there is an old house there, but she isn't interested and has never been there. Harry alone has at least six houses mentioned so far, there has to be a farm somewhere, and he has an Island. Ginny's Dower is a small apartment in Holyhead.
Going along with their longevity, elves have a very low birthrate. There are only about 6 infants in the playroom, of which Cara (daughter of Dobby and Winky) is the oldest. The Old Ones are the elves considered too old to work, but that doesn't mean they are useless. Even Kreachur in his floating wheelchair tells stories to the infants. Harry insists all of the elves have basic educations, so all of the infants and some of the older elves are spending time every day in the standard home education studies. For the infants this means mostly stories and coloring and Nature Walks. They also have two cats, Puff comes regularly, a very large aquarium of tropical fish (referred to by all as 'the cat TV',) and there is that tyrannorabbit in the steel enclosure by their playground. With his mouth spelled shut he's really quite cuddly! The infants and Old Ones keep small gardens as part of the children's schooling. Since it's January, they are starting seeds indoors under lights, to transplant later.
Dobby didn't die. He is now Head Elf, having taken over from Kreachur, and Security Chief. He and Winky live in Ron's Penthouse and have one child, Cara. Cara attends classes in the mornings, and is beginning the same curriculum Teddy is in. They are very close to the same age and are good friends. Cara also is beginning training as a house-elf with Andromeda, spending perhaps an hour a day working with flowers and running small errands. She will be Teddy's personal house-elf when they grow up.
Winky takes care of Ron, but since there really isn't much to do for him she also helps Molly. Molly's definition is that Winky drives her crazy, because she likes to do her own work. Once Hermione moves back to London, Winky will clean her apartment, too.
Daisy is also a very young elf, and is Ginny's personal maid. She was orphaned by the War, and though she is a teenager she is only just beginning to learn to read. After Ginny leaves in the mornings she goes to the 'adult' elf classes.
Mitty is a chubby elf who has always belonged to the Potters. She truly believes you can't trust a skinny cook! Being free confuses her, so she doesn't pay much attention to it. She does know how to read well, and is good at Maths, but has never heard the stories from the curriculum. An Old One is usually sitting in the corner of the kitchen reading aloud while she works. She is modeled slightly on a relative of mine - that beaded hairnet is in a bottle on my dresser. And yes, my Aunt had hairy ears.
