While the Potters were working out their difficulties, and having a baby, the world neither stopped nor waited for them. Other people went on having babies, attending meetings, running businesses and plotting Politics. Parties were held, marriages arranged, children progressed another year of schooling. Contrary to the norm of the past score of years or more, a few people even managed to die in their own beds of nothing more than extreme old age.
Harry continued to go to the Monday night Auror Auxillary class, as did most of the old DA who were not Aurors. They weren't alone. Many others who had not been in the DA came. One night Draco Malfoy and some of his old friends edged into the hall and sat at the back. Even though they had made no fuss, the temperature steadily dropped around them until Kuras, the Instructor, decided he had to break this up.
"Tonight we are going to start sparring practice. While most of you are going to the target range to learn some basics of handling guns, I am going to choose a few to begin hand-to-hand training. First my assistant and I will demonstrate some simple dodging and falls. After all, if they can't touch you, they are going to have more trouble killing you! This practice will be without wands or any magical focus. It will also be without knives or any other weapons. You are going to be armed only with your hands and your minds. Mack, let us give a brief demonstration."
The two stepped to the side of the platform and stripped off their over robes, dropped their wands, emptied keys and change onto the desk. Standing there in singlets and gym pants everyone was aware of their muscles. These Aurors were not flabby desk jockeys. Kuras was tall and thin; Mack was short and heavily muscled. They stepped toward each other, and without a word they both attacked. They dodged, leaped, rolled, and swung punches that would have dented steel if they had connected. With barely a whisper of sound they switched into a Kata sparring drill series, working through multiple Kata in a few minutes. They stopped, barely winded, and drank glasses of water that appeared on the desk.
No one was paying any attention to Draco, now.
Satisfied, the Instructors lined everyone across the mats and began drilling them - in how to fall! It quickly became clear that some of the class had taken Defense seriously enough to take private martial arts classes. Several others had good gymnastic skills. No one who wasn't serious enough to stay in good shape stayed long in this class! The best were Harry and Ron, who had been doing karate and were used to sparring together. Surprisingly, Draco and Theo were also good! The rest were taken to the shooting range by the Arms Master.
Harry and Draco were the first pairing.
"Scared, Scarhead?"
"You wish!"
They were off, sparring as beautifully as a dance, but deadly. Neither gained any advantage, neither laid a hand on the other. One would feint, testing for weakness, the other responded, and both moves morphed into the next attack. These two knew each other as children, as enemies, and, finally, as reluctant allies. A closer match could not have been imagined. The audience of four slid behind to the half walls, staying far out of the way as blond and dark swirled.
"Time!" Called Mack, and they ceased. They were handed hot towels to wipe with, as both were dripping sweat. Ron and Theo acted as seconds to their exhausted friends, toweling them and leading them to benches. Kuras continued, "That was a bit more intense than I had expected. You are far in advance of the rest of your group in this area. We will continue your training, but separately from the rest. Except, I think we will use you to demonstrate lessons." He turned to Ron and Theo, and motioned them onto the mats. "I don't expect that level from you two, though you both show talent. Let's see what you can do - run through the Kata, from the beginning and as far as you can go."
Ron and Theo, both tall though Ron was built a little heavier, began with stretches and proceeded into the Kata. At the beginning they were well matched, but by the time they reached the middle levels it was clear their timing was becoming less accurate. First Theo, and then Ron missed a step, which threw their actions into disarray. Kuras stopped them before they could hurt themselves. They took towels and sat as the rest of the class returned to the room and joined them on the benches.
Hermione had brought extra copies of the handouts from the gun training. It was just like school, and Ron and Harry grinned at the familiar action.
Kuras stood at the front and began, "Out by the entrance wall there is an announcement board. Pay attention to it, check it every time you are in the building, because we are going to start posting a ride-along roster. Each of you will get multiple turns, with assorted patrol teams. Most of them will be during this class time, but some may be on weekends. Please let the secretary know when you have free time. You will wear the generic red trainee robes from the locker room unless instruced otherwise. We hope all of the trips are boring, but some of you will find yourselves in troubled situations. Your assignment will be to observe, protect each other, and protect the innocent. Let the experienced officers take care of the problem!
Anyone who is NOT on that roster for this time slot is expected to be in here for hand-to-hand, sparring, and weapons drills.
We will be starting a new class in Auditorium 'B', meeting at this same time, going through the lesson sets you have finished. If you missed a particular class you are expected to attend the repeat; also if you did poorly. No one flunks this voluntary training. Just repeat it until you get it right! We'll be here for questions for a few minutes, but otherwise I think we'll dismiss early tonight."
Mack motioned for the 4 who sparred to stay in their seats while most of the rest left. "You two," indicating Draco and Theo, "will need to attend sparring with Harry and Ron. You are all just too good to let loose on the rest of the beginners. However, you will need to attend the training sessions in Auditorium 'B'. We'll try having you spar after the regular class. As you get better we'll have you come in during the daytime to spar with some of the experienced Aurors. We also want to talk to your Sensei. Talent like that is something we look for!"
Stopping by the Notice Board on the way out, Harry found Neville carefully noting the information on his first couple of patrols. He looked up as Harry pulled out his own notebook to write down his and Ron's dates. "Just how do you plan to join any kind of patrol without being mobbed? Even in Reds, with your hood up, you are going to be identified."
Ron and Shacklebolt, behind them, joined the question. "Just how do you plan to do this?"
Harry finished his notes and put the pad into his pocket. "The same way I travel through the Alleys and the Ministry now, when I don't want to be noticed. This comes in two parts - the first is my height and long hair. I'm easily as tall as most of you now, but people still think of me as the very short and thin waif with the bird-nest hair. So..." He reached up with both hands, touched his fingers, and drew them down in the air in front of his face. The reappearing face had brown hair in a long braid, brown eyes and oval tortoise shell glasses. The change was startling! "The second part follows. If people don't expect to see you, they won't even if they see someone a bit like you."
"I can do several variations, including short hair. I do this all the time, even when I take Teddy into the mundane parks. I usually change as I'm passing through a transition area, such as a doorway into sunlight. Anyone noticing black hair turning brown just thinks it's an effect of the Sun and shadow."
Neville was amazed. "I had no idea you are so good at glamours! I'm sure I've seen you like this, but I didn't pay a lot of attention. I just thought it was someone who reminded me of you! You'll have to be careful, though. The Goblins aren't the only ones who test for glamours."
Harry just smiled at his friend as they walked toward the tea house they frequented after classes. "I have no desire, or need, to fool the Goblins."
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That was the truth, too. After the War, the trio had gone back to Gringotts in answer to a summoning letter. There were several possibilities suggested by his friends. Perhaps the Goblins meant to fine him, or force him to pay damages, or even take anything they didn't confiscate out of their Bank forever?
The true result was something no one had forseen. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had won the Goblin's respect. They had challenged the fortress and not only stolen from a heavily guarded vault, but had freed a dragon during the escape! The Goblins were a warrior race, this was war as they understood it, and Harry had won! To their utter shame, he hadn't even killed or seriously wounded any Goblins! That insult meant they couldn't even claim any honor from battle! He now received the very best service any time he went into the Bank. His accounts were in meticulous order. He was ushered into comfortable rooms, offered tea and food, and his slightest request honored. Ron and Hermione also received much honor and respect.
The detail that this wasn't a glamour was one Harry didn't bother to mention. He had become very good at avoiding telling the whole truth, simply by telling the truth. People knew the Blacks had the rare trait ofa metamorph in their family. Most people knew about Tonks, and even knew about Teddy - but they forgot Harry was also a Black by bloodline. Harry was willing to let them forget.
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Ginny and the Harpies were in full training mode. All had delivered by now, and were busy toning up their muscles and getting back into shape. The suggested diet and exercise plan had been an excellent one, and the trainer and they OBGYN had not let the women gain too much weight. It would not take much time to get them ready to play. That was good, because their first game was scheduled right after the World Cup, before Hogwarts opened.
There was no lack of places for the babies, either. Most of the team had older children at home, so were used to juggling babies and schedules. There was a nursery in the locker room, tended by elves. Little James had more options then they expected to need, though there is no such thing as too many backups. He slept in the locker room during practices and meetings, except when he needed his mother. Ginny's second suite in her apartment was his regular bedroom, with his own elf Nanny at night. The second half would become his playroom and schoolroom when he was older. Molly always kept a nursery ready at the Burrow, with space for several children. The fancy French nursery at the manor was there any time he needed it, and Harry had an extra bassinet put in his office. Finally, there was always space in the elf nursery in Harry's Haven.
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On Tuesday morning Harry went to his Corporate Office. Thursday was to be the presentation of brooms at the orphanages, and the ribbon-cutting on the new (child-size) pitches and ball fields that had been built. Today would be the last checking of the counts, and paperwork, meaning a dull day getting ready for a fun one.
The trade-in program had continued to be a success, though they didn't get as many brooms from other brands as before. Most of the other companies had taken Lord Castlebury's point, and instituted their own trade-in programs. Harry was the only one to extend it into Adult brooms so far, but it was clear the others would follow rather than lose market share.
The moment he walked through the floo, he was hit by a familiar whirlwind of brown hair! Hermione hadn't been this excited in years! She spun him around dizzily in a huge hug, talking so fast he could barely distinguish words. Finally breaking free, he stumbled into a chair. "Whoa! Slow down! What happened?"
"Wegotit! Wegotit!" She put her hands on his shoulders, shaking him. "We got the Development Permit! Project Phoenix is a GO!"
Around the room, and then quickly spreading through the offices as the word spread, clapping and cheers filled the air! Managers began ordering in pizza, cakes, and biscuits! The developmental labs had an amazed Jones family being slapped on their backs! There was a stepped bonus built into their contracts, triggered at each major phase. The cousins would go home tonight with huge bonuses! So would the manager from the Diagon store, who had first called in the executives.
There were by now quite a few of the prototypes circulating in the Company, not even counting the home-made ones the hedge wizards continued to make and use. The contracts very carefully did not restrict or patent the Family magic involved. Most wand-users had no idea how to do something like this at all! The design the Dragon Broom Company intended to use was planned to become 'everyman's broom', the basic model everyone would use. It wasn't a sporting model, or a racer. The children's versions would be extremely safe. Harry hoped that the other broom companies would not feel threatened until his brooms filled a large niche market that no one seemed to see! He thought his popular Dragon Brooms would remain the leaders, but they were expensive and didn't suit everyone. Hr thought they would actually sell far more Phoenix Brooms, making more money even at a lower price.
You could compare his business model to an automobile company with multiple models. There would be a high-range professional racecar, a muscle car for hobbyists, a sturdy family sedan, and a cheap, flashy basic model for young drivers. Many car companies also license pedal-car or battery-powered models for children. Harry intended to handle the whole range!
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On Tuesday evening Harry and Ginny had a joint appointment with their Mind Healer. He met Ginny at the cafe she favored near the Harpy Pitch for a quick dinner before they went. Nanny took James home to Molly for the evening.
Healer Jones had two enormous books sitting on his desk. He offered them seats, and tea, as he always did. Then he turned the books so the titles faced Harry and Ginny. "Miss Manners Guide To Excruciatingly Correct Behavior; Traditional Wizard Edition."
"These are going to be yours, and your homework for the next set of sessions is going to come from them. I suggest you read through them completely, both of you. I will tell you each week what chapter we will work out of next, so you can read ahead, but we won't do every chapter together. Still, I can tell that both of you need most of what is in this book!"
"Ginny, you grew up in a Wizarding family, but your family did not and does not follow Purebred traditions. Also, your family may have spoiled you somewhat, and your expectations are out of sync with the rest of Society. As a high ranking Lady, your manners need work." Ginny began to sputter at the suggestion that she was spoiled, and by the time he said that her expectations were out of place she was speechless!
However, Healer Jones simply pushed one book toward her, and then handed the other to Harry. "Now you, on the other hand, were raised completely outside the Wizard world. I doubt you were even instructed in formal Mundane manners or traditions. You seem to have picked up a few Wizard traditions from Andi, from your friends, and Family Portraits, but you are a Lord! In fact, you are one of the socially highest ranking individuals in Wizarding Britain, being Lord of four Families. You are kind, unassuming, even shy - which is probably why people like you as much as they do. However, you have probably been spreading minor insults unintentionally for years. This is bad, because minor hurts can fester and cause big trouble later."
"You have both been doing well with small social skills, small family parties and outings. However, the baby is born and both of you are going to be back out in the spotlight. I am going to require that when you go out in public you use 'excruciatingly correct behavior.' Your posture and speech to each other will be practiced here, using the examples in this book. Your interactions with others will be cued by how they behave toward you - but we will practice looking for the formal cues others may be expecting. Your homework for next week is the first chapter, on Greetings and Introductions. Pay particular attention to Rank and social situations, such as being introduced to the Queen, compared to meeting a friend's Mother at a store. I suggest you keep a notebook, and write down any questions so we can address them. That's all for tonight - I'm sure I've given you plenty to think on. Any comments or questions?"
Harry had one thought, "I'm pretty sure Andi has this book and has been using it in some of the lessons for Teddy that I've sat in. Is it all right for me to ask her questions about these lessons? I would, of course, not let Teddy know about these meetings."
"Andi is your regular Healer, and she is the one who brought me in. So, no, it would not be breaking confidentiality to ask her."
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Wednesday morning was the regular meeting at the WWW offices. Harry reported the happy news about the Phoenix brooms, and invited everyone to tomorrow's ribbon cutting for the orphanage stadiums.
Ron reported on the progress in setting up a computer host for Hogwarts, separate from the one in Hogsmeade. There was plenty of power. The difficulty lay in establishing various levels of access to the Internet at large. In a boarding school situation you simply could not allow unrestricted access to Internet, floo, or phones. Firsties would miss meals or stay awake all night playing war games, at the very least! He was designing the system to be accessed by a series of passwords with different privileges, under a Master Password keyed to House Curfews. It sounded very complicated! Just locking the Ravens out of the Records and Administration required a second server!
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Harry took out a new notebook, and began reading the new chapter. He decided that the best way to do this would be to treat it the same way as his college classes. He began with the Introduction, and outlined as he went. He only lightly read the Introduction, but left space for more notes. Then he began the assigned first chapter. He outlined it thoroughly; headings, subheadings, sidebars, and answered every question in full sentences. At the end of the chapter he wrote a summary paragraph. A separate page held vocabulary words with full definitions. He used ink of a different color to mark points he was going to want to discuss at the next meeting. All of this took him about two hours, after dinner when he wasn't allowed to be working.
Finished, he took a long drink of his tea. Then he looked in the Index for the heading, "Formal Apology". From his desk drawer he pulled out a package of quality parchment with his Family Coat of Arms engraved, and a fine silver-tipped quill he had never used. He had a letter to write.
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Thursday morning was a smaller-scale repeat of the previous year's visit to the orphanages. There were more speakers, because all major contributers were invited. After the speeches, at each orphanage ribbons were cut on new child-size Pitches. All of the new second-year students received refurbished brooms. Assorted professional Quidditch players led the groups of children out in simple drills and small games. Tea and cakes were distributed to all.
Most of the speakers skipped the Squib and Mundane orphanages, even though each had a brand-new Sports Complex. Harry made sure new bicycles were arranged for children who had grown, and full sets of sports gear were provided for the outdoor games. He even managed to get a few National Football players to attend!
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Friday, Ginny called Harry and asked him to take James for the weekend. She promised there was plenty of milk in the ice chest for him, and Nanny would do most of the work. Gwenog had arranged for the team to go to a Spa together for the weekend, as a 'team building exercise'. They were leaving that afternoon, and would be home on Sunday afternoon.
Harry was surprised at the short notice. However, he was delighted to spend time with his son. "Ginny, have you any idea what we are going to practice on Tuesday? I'm finding all sorts of things I didn't know in the reading. I may need more than one week for this."
"No, I haven't read the chapter. I'll look at it Sunday, when I get home. It can't be very hard - it's only greetings and introductions! We say 'Hello' and shake hands! Sometimes a very old-fashioned Continental man will kiss my hand instead of shake it. That's all there is to it!"
Harry closed the Floo with the feeling that Ginny was going to have even more trouble than he was. Then he wrote less formal notes, to Andi, Fleur, Aubrey, Angelina and Molly, suggesting a family picnic in Hyde Park on Saturday. He specifically suggested the Splash Pad for the children. Then he told Mattie that he would need a picnic packed, please.
Andi, Fleur, Aubrey and Angelina replied that this sounded good to them, and they could be ready about 10.
Molly floo-called later to tell him she and Arthur were going to Brighton on Saturday, so they could not come. She was surprised Ginny hadn't asked before, because "I have known about the Spa outing for a week! Ginny asked me last Friday if I could watch him this weekend, and I told her that we couldn't."
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Monday evening Harry and Ron dressed casually, with sweatpants and T-shirts under their robes, similar to what they wore to the Dojo. They did own the cotton suits, but this was not the time to wear them.
After the class session, where Harry and Ron were in the shooting group while a few others showed their Kata skills, they met Draco and Theo for their own sparring practice. There was no conversation beyond:
"Scared, Scarhead"
"You wish!"
And they were at it again, probing for weaknesses, testing reflexes and speed, checking what moves the other knew.
Again, when "Time!" was called, they were draped in hot towels and sat down to watch the others warm up. Then Kuras had them on the mats again, behind Ron and Theo, so he and Mack could demonstrate some higher level moves Ron and Theo needed to learn before they could work on the next Kata.
At the end of the class Draco nodded at Theo, and they both faced Harry. Ron had a bad feeling about this, so stood beside him. Sensing the face-off, Kuras and Mack stood by, ready for anything.
"Do you mean it? You really had no idea what I meant?"
"No, I didn't. I only started reading the book last week! No one ever taught me properly, and no one told me when I made a gaffe."
Ron interrupted, "What gaffe?"
Harry didn't even look at Ron, but did answer him. "When Draco and I first met, he introduced himself and offered his hand. Yes, he was rude about it, but we were kids! He did get it right, that the socially lower individual is supposed to introduce themselves to the higher when they meet. To refuse to shake his hand was very rude of me, whether I accepted his offer or not. Essentially, I dismissed him as being worthless. I had no idea, no intention of any of that! I didn't even know any of our ranks, or what it meant. So, when I found out last week, I did the only thing I could - I sent him a Formal Apology." Ron goggled a bit, but kept his mouth shut.
Draco and Theo communicated silently for a moment, but had clearly discussed this ahead of time. Draco turned back to Harry with, "Hi, I'm Draco Lucius Malfoy, Healer-Apprentice at St. Mungo's, and this is my study partner Theodore Bronson Nott," and he held out his hand again.
Harry blinked. Healer-Apprentices? He hadn't seen that coming! He said, "Hi, I'm Herald James Peregrine Potter of Dragon Brooms, and this is Ronald Bilius Weasley of WWW." He reached out and shook Draco's hand.
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AN- Let me recommend anything by Adari, but specifically number:
s/5190766/1/The-Elite I did not copy his story, but I'm sure you can see where I got the idea.
As for the name 'Herald'? I've seen about every possibility offered and I like this best. 'Harry' is only a nickname, usually but not always for 'Henry'. In a very formal introduction, he would use the correct name. He probably did use all of his titles and last names in the letter, but it would be pretentious to use them in an introduction. I'm also going to assume higher ranks mean more names - just look at any real Royals! Albus Brian Dumbledore, however, adopted most of his on his own.
