HLN 23 Politics
On Friday morning Harry was exhausted before he entered the Wizengamot with Hermione. He had slept well, due to the calming drafts, but they didn't relax you enough to sleep deeply. Harry was really looking forward to a quiet weekend. He would pick up Ginny at 7 for dinner at the Lagoon. The shifting sunset views would give the illusion of warmth. Nanny would bring baby Harry in the morning. He was thinking about his flowers as they walked through the Atrium in the traditional heavy plum robes.
Hermione also seemed distracted. He knew she would be leaving on a weekend trip right after the session. She had a huge stack of notes with her, even though the matters he expected to be on the Agenda were not important or complicated.
"All Rise." Tofty took the high seat, and everyone settled down quickly.
"First order of business. The Ministry, and the Wizengamot, have been presented with the Probate of a recent Lord's Estate, which has been designated for a female Heir. While there is a male candidate as Heir, that candidate has elected to leave the Estate in Trust for a future Female Heir to reach the age of majority, to meet the wishes of the family. He accepts the role of Proxy to the Trust, and will vote the seat. Will the Proxy to the Prince Trust please stand?"
A moment of silence, and then Harry stood. "I accept the Proxy and will hold the Trust for a future female Heir to be named at her majority." A fifth golden light appeared on the top of his seat. "My own designated Proxy, my associate Hermione Granger, will also vote this seat in the case of my absence.
By the time some of the oldest had realized who was speaking, Harry had already been seated.
The rest of the session was over quickly, with no trials or major bills to consider. Hermione had stood with a sheaf of copies of more regulations she proposed needed changes. These were shared around to be studied, and scheduled to be voted on during the next session. The Members were used to her doing this, and knew that most if not all would be sensible proposals. They also knew Harry stood behind her, so she had his voting block already. They would still go over every proposal carefully, for many had broom business interests.
Harry and Hermione had lunch brought to his Ministry office, and various Members came by to talk to him. Hermione excused herself after lunch, and left for her weekend. Harry was actually pleased to see her go. She worked far too hard and needed a change of scenery. "Try to get a tan!" He bade her.
"Not likely! It's far too cold. I'll be inside by the fire with a good book most of the weekend, with meals catered and long hot baths to pamper me! I'll be spoiled rotten by Monday! I won't be able to take Floo or phone calls. You can leave a message with Winky."
"I plan a quiet weekend myself, in my greenhouse. It's time to begin implementing the next garden design. I'll have baby James to talk to! Now go! Don't want you to miss your trip!"
Lord Tofty was the next visitor, with Jefferson (Eric) Tremblewhite tagging along.
"So, the new broom you are developing is the reason Ms Granger has been overhauling the regulations? That needed done! I haven't seen any innovation or real changes in brooms in over 200 years! Do you think she'd be interested in going over other types of regulations, like small businesses?"
"While I have no question that she is capable of blowing through the Ministry like a hurricane, you will just have to ask her. Decide what you want her to do, and what authority she will have as a Ministry employee. Establish a suitable position, probably in the Minister's Office to provide that authority, and offer her a Contract. I do pay her well and value her, so you'll have to make it a very good offer."
Tofty looked a bit deer-in-the-headlights, and Tremblewhite laughed. "You though she'd work for the Ministry while Harry paid the bills? Not likely! Harry isn't a babe in the woods!"
"No, no," Tofty managed to sputter out. "I just had not thought through all the details! I don't have authority to make that offer! I was thinking of something in MY office. I could use someone sensible to review all the idiotic proposals that come in."
Harry suggested, "Why not check your Secretarial Pool. I know you have a roomful of spare secretaries. I use one myself when I'm here. I'd look for Hufflepuff mundanes or half-bloods who grew up on the mundane side, who have gone to mundane office training or have college courses in office management. Look for a battle axe, someone who has worked in every department, knows where the bodies are buried, and where the extra supplies are hidden. Pay them well, and let them at it!"
The three left the office level together in the golden lift. "Plans this weekend, Harry?"
"Not much. Taking Ginny to dinner at the Lagoon, which is one of her favorite places. She'll be away this weekend. The whole team is going to an International Round-Robin tournament in Ireland, 8 teams, playing each other once, all in two days. Of course they will have multiple Pitches set up, and these games are limited to two hours each or they would never finish! Each team will play 7 games, four on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. The games won't count toward the Season standings, but are more of an exhibition and chance to see all the teams in action. I will probably go over Sunday afternoon. Bill is coming on Saturday morning to kick around some ideas I've had. I'm going to be working in my greenhouse most of the time, with baby James to talk to. I often wear him in a backpack so my hands are free, and I have a playpen in the greenhouse for when he gets tired. It's a lot of fun having a baby! If you need me the elves will bring me the message."
"No chess tournament this weekend?"
"Wise guy! You know I'm only an average player. No, Hermione is off to some seminar in Greece. Ron is helping George finish the new outlet store in Godric's Hollow. Ron says his electrical crew should finish the wiring by Sunday. I have no idea what your niece has planned. She's running Ron's offices, not mine."
HLN23PoliticsHLN23PoliticsHLN23PoliticsHLN23Politics
They reached the apparition point near the new fountain in the lobby, and went home. Harry showered, and then asked Dobby, "Is Ginny getting ready? Is she even home yet? What color robes does she want me to wear?"
"Missy Weezy moved back to the apartment on Monday afternoon. Daisy says she will be ready at 7. She said the dark blue with silver trim. I have fetched them from the downstairs closet and cleaned them."
Harry knew that meant Ginny would leave him cooling his heels while she dawdled. It was all right. He had reserved the table for the whole evening. He was 1/3 owner so he could do that easily. He put on the robes Dobby brought out, and took the Floo to Ginny's apartment. Much to his astonishment, she was ready when she had said she would be! She also wore robes of dark blue velvet, trimmed with silver catches and silver cords sewn into the seams. Her hair was in a soft chignon, with silver clips. Harry helped her don her matching velvet cloak, offered her his elbow, and almost silently apparated them to the front of the Lagoon lobby. It was snowing heavily outside, again, but there was no reason to go outside. The headwaiter spotted them immediately, and summoned Harry's favorite waiter to escort them to their table on the edge of the loft section. Ginny could see everyone, and be seen by anyone entering. That was the way she liked it, and she would spend the entire evening waving at friends as they came and left. The net veils swirled in the random breezes, giving an illusion that they were looking down into the water of the lagoon at their friends, and the lovely scenery of the sunsets around the walls let your mind think you were there.
"What do you suggest tonight?" Harry asked the waiter as he brought the menus.
"The Chef has had a good batch of tender tiny eels in spicy sauce tonight! Very Italian, and piping hot!"
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Eels? Those fat greasy things usually toasted on sticks over fires in pubs? They taste like mud. No, thank you!"
The waiter was quick to deny this. "Missy is thinking of English eels, usually caught in rivers. No, these are true ocean eels, quite tiny and served piping hot in a spicy sauce." Ginny still looked dubious.
"What about fish? The Chef has some Palombo, also Italian. We could prepare a platter of both, large enough to share and choose your favorite?"
That interested her, so they ordered it. The baked Palombo was served stuffed with mushrooms and a lemon sauce. The eels arrived in a small tureen, sizzling in red sauce. None were longer than Ginny's smallest finger. There was a pair of long forks to serve themselves. There was a salad for each of them, a long loaf of crusty bread to spread the eels on, and a bottle of Italian wine. It was an excellent dinner, and they ate every bite. Much to her surprise, Ginny ate her fair share of the eels, which tasted nothing like she had described. Desert was a raspberry sorbet, perfect to clear your palate. They drank tiny cups of thick coffee as Ginny looked around to see who had come in while she was eating. However, she had to go early in the morning, so they did not linger. Harry thanked the waiter with a large tip, and sent his compliments to the Chef with another. He helped Ginny with her (unneeded) cloak, and took her home.
At the door, she stopped him. "Why won't you stay?"
"I am not ready. I don't know if I ever will be. I'll try to come Sunday to catch your last game or two. I already have my ticket." He turned and left, again.
She watched him vanish, and shut the door. She did not cry. She would not cry. But she was determined to get him back.
HLN23PoliticsHLN23PoliticsHLN23PoliticsHLN23Politics
Harry was greatly relieved to be home on Saturday. He was beyond tired of people. As expected, since it had been a very busy week.
Nanny brought James early in the morning, with everything he could possibly need. At 6 months old, he could sit up, pull himself up, and manage small bites of soft foods. He was also very fond of arrowroot animal crackers, gumming them and making a slobbery mess of everything he touched. He had his first two teeth. Ginny had declared him weaned when the first one broke through. She didn't like being bitten! He was now completely on the bottle, though he was starting to at least try to hold a sippy cup. His grasp was still unsure, though when he got a grip on something it was almost impossible to force him to let go. Trading him an animal cookie usually worked. He refused to let go of a stuffed rabbit of pink flowered fabric. It went everywhere with him. When he slept it was clutched tight in his arm. He babbled cheerily to it as much as he did with Harry.
Harry told the tired-looking Nanny to go sleep in the elf quarters. He knew they kept a few extra beds ready, and it would be quiet there in the daytime.
Harry took his son (what a wonderful word) with him to the greenhouse, and settled the excited child in the circular playpen with a large collection of small toys. James promptly began experimenting with gravity – which means he grabbed the nearest toy and lobbed it out of the playpen as hard as he could. Once the small area was cleared of everything except his bunny, he began screaming to get them back. Harry, who was already elbow deep in potting mix, simply waved a hand to toss the whole set back. James thought it was hilarious to be buried in his toys. He spent the next few minutes squirming underneath the pile, popping his head up and saying , "A boo!" Harry would hold his own dirty hands in front of his face and reply, "Peek a boo!" as he peeked around one side or another. James would giggle so hard he wouldn't be able to speak for a bit. Then the whole cycle began again, with stuffed animals pelting Harry's back. At one point Harry pulled out a row of clean pots and lined them up. There he 'planted' every toy James lobbed at him! James looked at him curiously, and finally managed a demanding, "DA!" Harry popped every toy straight up in the air, and they landed back in the pen. James had never seen anything funnier! He lay there, chortling, clutching his bunny, and suddenly was asleep. Harry pulled a small, knit yellow blanket out of the diaper bag, and tucked the child under, with a baby-monitor spell on the rabbit. Then he got serious with his own potting. Spring was coming, so he had to get the bulbs and roots started out of their Winter sleep. Some of these had been Yule gifts so he wasn't sure what color, or in some cases what variety they were. This was so much fun!
Through the glass walls the snow could be seen getting deeper and deeper, burying the paths, bushes, fountains and trees. If he looked toward the river he could have seen the remains of the copse that had burned, fantastic shapes vanishing in the snow. He and the elves had trimmed it properly, removing the burned trees and harvesting the good ones. The thickly entwined root system had barely been touched, so they would sprout again in the Spring. A copse like that was hundreds of years old, perhaps even a thousand, providing a salable crop of straight saplings even in dry years. It was probably one of the original sources of brooms that his family was known for. That copse, or one in that exact spot, was on every map of the grounds, in every record they had. Harry considered it family, and had Neville check it over after the fire. Neville had been impressed at what good condition it was in.
When Mitty popped in asking about lunch, Harry told her he was expecting Bill, so to bring lunch for three when James woke up. Their voices must have penetrated the blanket, as James began to stir and squeak. Mitty popped back to the main house to fetch what was needed, while Harry scrubbed up. James needed changing, so a clean bench was pressed into service. Changing a baby isn't hard when you can vanish the mess and the nappy, and clean the baby with a baby-safe version of Tergio. Sliding the fresh nappy under was a bit harder, because the brief exposure to cooler air brought the expected reaction, which Harry dodged with Seeker reflexes. James was dry and dressed when the high chair appeared for him. Harry happily spooned warm chicken and rice, with bits of vegetables in the broth, into his eager son. He finished with a small dish of riced fruit cocktail, which James loved. The baby was lying on his back in Harry's arms sucking on his bottle when Bill walked in, shaking snow.
"Perfect timing! Mitty will be right back with our lunch!" She was, too. Dobby came along with the small table and chairs, where Mitty laid boneless roast chicken on rice beside steamed vegetables, and hot buttered rolls. Thick mugs of hot tea were on a tray with honey and cream. A few moments later she returned with individual bowls of cut fruit.
James was laid back on the blanket. They settled to the serious business of eating the nice lunch without a word. The baby mumbling happy sounds around his milk was the only sound beside the soft background gurgle of the water circulating system. When they finished, the table and dishes vanished, but the tea tray moved to the potting bench and refilled, including a small plate of Arrowroot biscuits for James. Harry nibbled one. "Not bad! Vanilla flavor, not too sweet."
Bill refilled his mug, adding honey but no cream. In Egypt it was very hard to get good cream, so he had learned to like his tea without it. Harry, who had rarely gotten tea at all as a child, loved all the options. Blond and sweet was the way he liked it! Mitty loved offering him new varieties and flavors. Sure, he had favorites, but there were none that he didn't like. Ginny's favorite was always apricot, though the Patil's flowered varieties were a close second.
Bill started. "I have a few ideas I'm working on, but I want to run them past you."
"I'm open to all ideas! I've been thinking, and wonder why no one ever came up with this before? All the defensive Wards I know, and certainly all of the offensive ones, are on the outside. There are Wards and charms inside, such as fire suppression and ones that tell you who is calling or coming through the Floo. Books are often spelled to not leave the shelf, or the house, without the owner's consent. I have all of those in my house."
"I think the reason might be children. Children rampage through the house – think of how loud and lively the Burrow gets! Children fight, argue, and play pranks constantly. So, even intent-based protections need to be safe enough for an angry child. Do you have any suggestions? Hogwarts might be a good setting to think about. Even though the children are told 'no magic in the halls', because there is no one there to rescue them from mistakes, magic is going to happen."
"My first thought was my own reaction when I thought there was danger at Ginny's flat. I put shield bubbles around everything alive. It took power, but Hogwarts has plenty of power. The elf released herself, but I had to end the shields for Ginny, the baby, and the pup. Ginny couldn't do it because she was inside the bubble. Can we delineate an area of effect, so that everyone inside it is bubbled if there is danger? If we can, separate areas could be set for each hall or even each room.
A variation might be that whoever in inside the ward is moved to a safe area, just as I have a line around Ginny's patio that pops Puff back to her bed if she crosses it. It's intended to protect her from being blown off the roof terrace, but it could work other places."
"I think that can be done. We'd have to define what we mean by 'danger'. Wards are not intelligent, they have to use triggers. There would need to be some sort of ill-intention detection for most such wards, such as the Unforgiveables. Some might only need a defined action, such as anyone falling over a staircase, but we don't need to protect against every tripping jinx. Children are going to prank each other and it's best to allow them to practice against minor stuff. We only need to think about serious dangers. Hogwarts already has a new fire ward we installed this last year. If there is a fire – and some magical fires will even burn stone – every being in the castle will be evacuated by the nearest safe exit. The children love fire drills! The Ward turns every hall and stair into a slide, and the children are slid out the nearest safe exit. Anyone in the dungeons is even slid UP to the nearest safe door or window!"
James pushed his empty bottle aside and began to fuss. Harry picked him up, discovered he was wet, changed him, and popped the fussy baby on his shoulder (on a towel, of course.) He was becoming an expert baby-burper. Sure enough, a moment later a large bubble popped all over his shoulder. Bill had expected this and was ready to clear it away. A little water on the other end of the towel gave them a way to cleanse the baby's mouth. It wasn't safe to use any cleaning charms inside a baby's mouth. Harry put James up again, on a clean towel, and continued patting him. He banished the used towel to the laundry. James quickly drifted off to sleep, but Harry didn't put him down, preferring to hold his child.
"James gives me an idea for a second ward. I'd like a baby gate that can be installed on any stair, including the platforms for the moving stairs at Hogwarts. As long as there is a stair there students can walk normally. No stair means the landing is blocked to everyone. Babies and small children must hold the hand of an adult or at least a teenager to get on any stair. I can think of other places it could be useful, including any kind of gate, maybe even the Floo."
"I think we actually have described three wards so far. A baby gate, an area shield effect triggered by major danger to be described, and a net around all staircase or balconies. I think a fourth would be a strong intent based protective ward putting the aggressor or both persons involved into a bubble to be sorted out by authorities. That bubble shield should also send an alert to an appropriate authority, such as the Healers. That would stop serious jinxing and aggression in the halls or empty rooms. Does that list sound good?"
"It does, as long as the fourth ward includes NON-magical attacks. That fourth ward needs to stop any excessive aggression inside the ward., magical or physical. It doesn't matter whether someone uses a tripping jinx on the stairs, or simply pushes you. They need to pass out, and you need a serious cushioning charm. Who gets alerted depends on where you are.
I just thought of a possible Fifth. Any injuries, even an accident, needs to alert the Healer or School Nurse, Nanny or Parent. This can be tied to the other wards.
I will offer my Manor to try them out as you design them. I could do it, but I'm really quite busy. I can tweak your finished Wards to Potter standards later.. It's large enough to apply any of those, but won't risk the children at Hogwarts if something doesn't work. At the moment I'm the only one living here all the time, with the elves. We can try triggering the wards on purpose. I have many fire wards, which are very good, but I want to try adding that new one you described."
HLN23PoliticsHLN23PoliticsHLN23PoliticsHLN23Politics
Expected publication Nov 19. Next chapter expected Dec 3.
