July Parties ch 27 Expected posting Jan 21, 2021
The first Monday night in July Harry and Ron had a surprise. Draco and Theo both brought them invitations to their Graduation as Healers. It was a triple Graduation, because Astoria was Graduating from Nursing training. "It's not our end to education. We'll be going on to Medical School as transfers. St. Mungo's students are accepted as Interns at London Hospital. Theo and I will be studying to be Surgeons. Astoria is to take Administration classes while working in the Women's wards. We'll be having a party that night, with Pizza, a DJ, and dancing all night in my flat. Mother is a bit upset I'm not holding it at the Manor, but I rarely go there. She can hold a tea for her friends on Sunday. My party will be at my flat in London. OK with you?"
"Sounds fine to me. I'll ask Ginny but she ought to like it."
Ron, "Same here. Hermione is going to ask, though. Why us? We were not exactly friends in school, and most of your friends were on the other side of the War."
"Well, that IS why. We finished on the same side, and most of the people I thought were friends dropped me like a hot rock. Greg didn't, though he laughs at me a lot when we get together. Most of the friends we have now are new friends, mostly classmates in med school. It's a chance for us to bring together the decent people we know."
"How is Greg? I haven't seen him in years. Didn't he spend time in Azkaban?"
"Yes, the DE still in the Ministry chucked him in there because he fought against them in the Battle of Hogwarts. When the cells were cleaned out, he was found and released. He still has nightmares, even though it was only about two months. He took his NEWTS, married Daphne, went on to school that Fall. He is finishing Veterinary school in Edinburgh. He got an EMT Medic certificate, and is registered as a Druid, too. He's to be Heir to the Goyles of Skye. They're all Blacksmiths, which he insists on calling 'farriers' because they are also Vets. Because they are often the only medical people around they have to be able to help people as well as animals. Blacksmiths do weddings and funerals. Greg spends every vacation and holiday with one of the traveling teams. He delivered his first baby before our fifth year! Oh, and he performed the Bonding for Tori and I, with Daphne standing for her."
"GREG does all that? He never talked! We called him a bookend! He followed you around and he ate like Ron did! What happened?"
"Nothing! Gregg is brilliant. He tutored us all in Slytherin. Didn't you notice him being in the top 5 of every class? He took 12 OWLs and 12 NEWTs! He gave Granger a real run for top student every year! He studied all night, rarely slept more than a few hours, and finished his "A" in our 5th year. Then he started his Druid training. He didn't talk much in class because he was exhausted. He may have been the most Slytherin of us all, since ambition is supposed to be one of our defining traits. His Great-Grandfather, Lord Goyle of Skye, has already named him 'heir-apparent' to the Family and formally Declared he will be full Heir as soon as he provides a son of his own. He's married to Daphne, who is reading Law, but they don't have any children yet."
"May I ask? How did he and Vincent grow up so differently, when they were both your friends?"
"My father and Greg's father were classmates. My grandfather was one of the dark tosser's group, a Prefect, and Goyle's grandfather was in that class but not a follower. My grandfather knew who the Goyles were and ordered my father to make nice when Dad and Goyle III were both Sorted Snakes. Dear old Dad made it sound really cool, very traditional, just as he did with me. Goyle III was not as bright as his Grandfather, his father, or his son. He took the Mark when we were small. Lord Goyle remembered Grindlewald and was horrified, so he took Greg into his own household. We didn't see each other again until the train to school. Dad had ordered me to be close to Greg, and honestly we were glad to meet again. Greg was never interested in the tosser. Vince was the one who was loyal to him, and I was simply an idiot following my Father's instructions. When I realized just how bad it was, I was only trying to stay alive and save my mother. My family was trapped by my Grandfather. You saved us."
At the party, Ginny found herself sitting next to Millicent during a break in the music. Harry had explained things, so she knew that just being here proved Millie had NOT been a DE. She had better be nice!
"So, what have you been doing since Hogwarts? Have you married?"
"No, I have not married. I finished my 'A' at Spring Break our 7th year, right before the Battle. Snape actually escorted a batch of us to London for the exams!
I'm the one who took the littles out the tunnel to Hogsmeade and kept them quiet, hiding in Aberforth's barn with the goats! You were fighting, I was hiding! I felt ashamed, but someone had to take care of the littles. Greg, and a few others, chose to stay and fight. Greg vanished during the Battle and we thought he was dead. The Goblins said he was alive, but no one knew where.
I went to Aberdeen Business College, and then to London Hospital where I became a Medical Technician, which is rather a tradition in my mother's family. I'm working there now as assistant to the Department Chief. That Business degree is dead useful! My Brothers are running the various branches of the Family business, 'Bull Run' trucking. Aberforth has protested, but Dad has given him free service for life in thanks for saving me since I'm a half-blood. I would have been a target to punish Dad. Dad is Lord Bulstrode, but he was never a DE and neither were any of my brothers. We're Dark and Traditional, but I hope not evil!"
"You seemed pretty firmly in the DE clutches in Hogwarts? You were on that Squad of Umbridge's, and you were certainly snarky and even mean during that last year of the War. You seem much nicer, happier, now!"
"I was scared out of my mind in Hogwarts. I was constantly bullied and harassed in Slytherin for being a half-blood, even if my father is a rich Lord on the Dark and Traditional side. I have 17 older brothers, so there is no chance of me being the Heir. Being a 'spare' that far down the ranks means the only use Slytherin House saw for me was a marriage tie, and I am not even pretty! I don't want to become a second or third wife to nurse some old man! I learned quickly to be snarky and snappish to keep worse attacks off. Slytherin might keep a united face outside the dorms, but in our Common Room half bloods were low class. Snape did intervene if it got nasty, but he expected us to learn to defend ourselves. I am big and magically powerful, related to the Blacks, so Draco kept me in his circle. That's why Umbridge put me in her Squad, not realizing my Blood status. I had no choice about it. Snape knew, but he always did protect Slytherin, even in 7th year."
"You are a half-blood? I didn't know that! Who is your mother? Is she a mundane-born, or..."
"Actually, it's DAD who has mixed Blood! In America that doesn't matter. Mom is a pureblood from Transylvania, cousin to the Blacks. Count Vlad is her Grandfather, and they are a lace making clan as well as magical. The Nazis were taking all the lace clan women, and Grindlewald was adopting all the magical children into his followers families. Her Grandfather evacuated all their women and children to America, and all the men fought the Nazis. Mom grew up in America, and met Dad there at Ilvermorny. My oldest brothers were all born there. Dad inherited the Bulstrode title, lands and businesses from an Uncle who died childless, so they moved here."
Ginny had pulled one word out of that, 'lace'. She knew lace! "Do you know how to make real lace? Do you know how to mend it?"
"Oh yes, though it's more of a hobby for me. I make pillow lace in the evenings while I'm listening to the radio. I know how to crochet, knit, and tat as well, but pillow lace is what I do most. I made the lace on this dress." She was wearing a lovely pale blue silk that showcased her shining long black hair and flawless skin, with a lace panel in a floral design set diagonal on the front.
"Did you know there is a huge demand for people who can make and mend real lace? I'd like to take you to properly meet the Patils, at their PParty store. They are sometimes offered beautiful clothes with damaged lace. They can't use them that way., so they usually pass those to friends who are in the Historical business. Are you interested?"
Thus Millie became a regular in the Historical circles, much in demand for accurate costumes, and by extension, Museum repair work. The fact that she was a Med Tech was very helpful at Reenactments! She soon set up her own tiny tent at weekend Renaissance Faires, where her demonstrations of lace making were very popular. She began to sell, at what she called 'insanely high prices', her own lace, pieces from her family, and pieces brought to her for repair. She could, and did, double her hospital salary with Museum commissions alone! Her Christening Gowns were in great demand.
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Ginny, still in search of things she could share with Harry, dropped by the PParty Store one day after her Quidditch practice. She knew so little about the Ministry that she hadn't really known what her father did there. She wasn't interested in making or selling brooms, though she did know how to tell a good broom from a bad one. She wasn't interested in Ron's Joke shop, though she knew Harry was involved in that. She wasn't interested in George's electronics stores. She really wasn't interested in business at all, but she was beginning to think she ought to learn at least something more than being a customer. She did know clothes, and cloth. She would see what she could learn about the clothing business. Perhaps she could get Harry interested in that?
The PParty Store was much larger than she remembered. The front was abut the same, but the office section was much bigger, and she could see a busy packing and shipping operation through an open door in the back. There was a section of owls, and every so often someone would tie a shrunken package to one, letting it out a window.
Padma and Parvati were delighted to see her! "We can use some help on the magical side, if you are willing to spend a couple of hours a day?"
"What kind of help? I can come during the weekdays this month, until our practices become more intense in mid August. Our first games will be in September this year."
"We need tutors to teach wizard shoppers how to shop online. I know we showed you, and you showed Esther, and probably a few more?" Ginny nodded. "That's what we need! We already have a list of witches trying to order who are having trouble. We have been trying to help them one-on-one, but we are really too busy. We need witches who know how to do it to teach each other. We can set you up an office to meet them here, or you can take a laptop and meet them at tea shops or even in homes. You probably know many of them, so it's just a friend helping a friend, right? We'll give you credit for free picks, or discounts to buy new stuff if you like? This would give you some hands-on experience, and we'll help you understand how it all works. That's what you want, isn't it?"
"Yes, I think that's what I want. I don't want to learn business, exactly. I don't want to go into any business, and I certainly don't need a job. I just want to understand it better so I understand Harry better. I know clothes and fabric, so I thought this might be a good start."
"Our husbands are running the computers, the website, and the advertising for the online service. We run the Store and source the clothes. The mundanes are easier, because they already know computers. They are mail order, or come in person to the shops. We decided to include an enchanted paper measuring tape in every Flier, so they can't lie to us about what size they are. Doesn't matter what they enter on the website, the tape fills in the right measurements before the order is sent. Mundanes never notice. If they insist they are size 10, we sew a tag with that number into a seam of the dress they really need.
Sometimes it gets funny. Recently we had a neat size 8 insist she needed a 10. Turned out she was actually using her account to order for her sister. We told her using the same account was fine, but we needed the sister's actual measurements 'because different companies are sometimes off size.' The sister was a 12. We told her that her bust was larger than the fashion houses allowed for. Now both of them love us."
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This week their date was going to a play in London. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was a musical comedy about a magical dream. Harry and Ginny arrived a little early and took their box seats. Harry put up a muffalato so they could talk before the play began. Ginny was enjoying watching the seats below them fill.
"Ginny, I have a request. I want you to stop putting tracking and listening charms on all of my things. It reminds me of Hogwarts, where everyone seemed to think they had the right to know everything about me. I started cleaning them off as soon as I learned how, but they were very annoying. Now I have Dobby cleaning them, and we do sweeps of the house and my offices every week. Most of the charms I find have your signature. Why do you think you need to keep that kind of surveillance on me? I even found Dicta Quills in your closet, writing everything down!"
She blushed. "I like being able to find where you are, and knowing what you are doing. The Quills were because you were in some important meeting that I wanted to know about, and then I forgot them!"
"Why didn't you just ask me? That's called 'Industrial Spying', and it's quite illegal even if you aren't selling the information."
"I didn't ask because I assumed I had the right to know anything about you that I wanted to. When someone asked me questions, I liked knowing the answers. I know now that was wrong,"
"Someone asked you something about me?" His voice was very gentle and his eyes seemed very large and close to hers.
"Yes, at my Birthday Party, the big one at the Manor right after we remodeled. It was a girl I knew a bit from the Prophet. She ran errands and made coffee, I think, and came as the date of the brother of one of my friends. She was teasing me that I didn't even know what you did, and named that meeting you were about to have as an example. I told her I knew everything I wanted to know, and she challenged me to prove it. Oddly enough, I don't think I've ever seen her since. She isn't at the Prophet. Maybe she got married?"
Harry was very quiet for a minute. "Ginny, that is the definition of Industrial Spying. The girl was using you to find out something about my business. You do know we have wards on the Floo and anyone who places spying spells is blocked from all the Floo connections we own? Someone broke one of your fancy mirrors trying to stick a spy spell on it. It could have been the girl, or she could have placed a different one, but I'm guessing she's been tagged and blocked for spying. It happened to several reporters, and I hear they were fired. Served them right!"
Ginny was shocked! "She was USING me? She was spying? I thought spies snuck around in disguises and broke into offices at night?" Ginny's hair began to loosen and strands flew into a nimbus as she got angry. Small sparks flew off the tips of her fingers.
Harry edged back in his seat, ready to make an escape, but kept talking. "I suppose some do, but why break into offices at night if you can find out what you want to know just by teasing or flattering someone? Please, stop tracking and listening to me. I am not a child who is likely to get lost. If you need to know something, ask me. If someone else ever asks you about me, or my businesses, or the Wizengamot, tell them to ask me. If you need to find me in a hurry, ask an elf. Ours are bonded to us and can find us instantly."
Ginny settled, abashed. "She tricked me. I never thought of it. Yes, I will stop. I am ashamed I did it." And she was ashamed. She had been happy and proud and felt important that someone would ask her instead of gushing about how wonderful he was. She felt about an inch tall. She was glad the lights went down and the curtains went up just then, so she could pull herself together.
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It took another week, another date, before she found her courage and told him what she was doing with the Patils. "I know I don't know much abut any kind of business, but I thought I could learn something. I'm just tutoring some friends in how to shop online, using the PParty Store as their practice. I even help them learn how to set up computers. Then I get them registered online, measured and fitted properly. I make them write down everything, especially the passwords. In return, Padma and Parvati are showing me a lot of the stuff behind the business. It helps a lot that I know so much about fashion, because I can sort incoming clothes faster than anyone! It's fun! What do you think?" She held her breath a bit, hoping he would not think she was silly.
Instead, Harry had a suggestion. "We have many of your old clothes in storage. Nothing wrong with them at all. Shall we sell them to the PParty Shop or the online company? We wouldn't make much, but we could donate it somewhere, either to the Orphanages or add it to whatever Charity we choose for the next Ball."
"That's a great idea! They showed me that they can set the computers to sort by social groups, so I'd never see people wearing my old stuff. I won't tell my friends that I do it, but I can suggest they can. It's a great way to clean out the closets!"
Since cleaning out the closets was certainly something Ginny had never thought of before, Harry had a very hard time keeping a straight face. He didn't tell her that he was the primary owner of the online business, or that cleaning her closets had been what started the business.
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Molly was busy canning, mostly jams and jellies. The kitchen at the Burrow was steaming hot even with fan charms at every window. The ovens were on night and day, baking jars by the dozens, The six burners on top of the huge stove had multiple kettles going; of lids and rims and of course the berries boiling. More were dripping through strainers to remove the seeds, saving the pulp to go into Jam. Huge balls of cheesecloth hung from the ceiling, dripping clear juice into pots to be turned into more jellies. Jars of spices, sugar, honey and pectin sat on one end of the table with a pitcher of lemon juice. The other end held baskets of tiny cucumbers, squash, zucchini, beets, lemons, bundles of Mint, Dill and Rosemary, and a jug of apple cider vinegar. Molly had always done her own canning, and saw no reason to let the elves do it, although she did let them pick the berries. The various wives took turns helping, going home exhausted. Everyone else avoided the Burrow. She was happy, singing along with the radio at full blast as the pantry shelves filled. She would be doing this almost continually for the next few months as the various fruits and vegetables ripened. Molly loved canning. Cases of good things were packed and sent to the various homes. The bounty of the gardens was fulfilling its seasonal promise.
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Neville and Hannah hosted a dinner at the Leaky, in the bricked yard at the back. Normally it was small, barely a passage past the tips. (Why do they need tips?) Expansion charms can do interesting things, and tonight the yard had expanded to hold dozens of small tables. The path to Diagon was open, and an extra wall provided privacy. Ropes of lights crisscrossed overhead and along the tops of the walls. A second door to the Leaky went straight to the kitchens, making service quick and easy. A DJ in the corner played popular music for the casual, friendly party. Harry and Ginny handed over the traditional bag of fertilizer, shrunken and gift-wrapped. Harry had brought 50K of 'Tyranorabbit'. Harry told Neville, "Just be glad Luna found homes for all the babies, or I might have given you one!" Neville had seen the babies, and their mother, and was glad NOT to have one, no matter how rich their dung was! Elves kept weird pets!
The next day was July 31, and would be celebrated at the Burrow. It was the last Sunday in July, so of course it was family dinner day as well as Harry's and James' double Birthday. All of the children came, even baby Molly cooing in her basket. It was clear she took after Molly in more than hair color, because she talked every moment she was awake. Everyone arrived early for lunch. The children went paddling in the pond after depositing their gifts for James on the garden table. Only Teddy was a good swimmer. Most played on the sandy beach, getting dirty and wet chasing frogs and tadpoles in the shallows. There were sand toys, shovels and buckets, molds and sieves. Bill and Fleur sat there, building a huge sand dragon that was destroyed almost as fast as they built it by the children climbing over it! The children's Birthday dinner included hot dogs with American Fries (Fleur insisted "These are NOT French!"), cups of ice cream and fruit, balloons and glitter everywhere! At some point every child found a toy in their lunch or in their chair, small stuffed animals for the smallest ones, and sturdy small race cars for the older ones. Molly finally fell asleep clutching her soft red bunny. James was presented with a very small cake, with one candle. He was quite excited and knew what to do! He took an enormous breath, concentrated, and blew out his first candle! Almost every adult had caught that picture! James now had 5 upper teeth and two lower, so he was able to eat the cake with both hands! A large plate of Fairy cakes were distributed, either chocolate or white as the child liked.
Seated on a blanket on the grass, the children encouraged James to open his gifts. Laughter, and shouts of "I picked that!" filled the yard. Harry and Ginny handed James one gift after another, claiming cards ad gift tags. There were piles of new clothes, a rocking horse (George), soft balls for different games, soft toy dragons (mostly Charlie) and dinosaurs (Luna), wooden puzzles (Fleur), and story books from everyone (mostly Hermione and Aubrey). Molly and Arthur had brought wash-off edible finger paints, and Harry had provided fat chalks. When the gifting was done, James and the other children grabbed all the balls, all sizes, and ran with them through the grass. James fell often, but it didn't bother him. He simply scrambled up and ran in a different direction. James rarely walked. He seemed to have gone straight from crawling to running.
Teddy and Victoria helped various adults to herd the running babies into a circle and started tossing the balls across. That caught their attention and soon all of the balls were in the air. Few were caught, but running after them and tossing them again was fun. Puff was running, chasing balls with glee and proudly returning any she could get into her mouth, wiggling with excitement as she waited for the children to toss them again.
Finally, the babies began falling asleep in the grass as their sugar rush wore off. Their parents scooped them up and took them to the nursery for long naps. Puff was located among the roots of a large tree, so she was tucked in her basket next to James.
It was warm! The adults were glad to sit in the shady yard, drinking mint lemonade. Teddy and Victoria picked a spot of grass in the shade to set up a small chess set. Ron took his chair over there and began showing them some simple combinations. They were too young for strategy, but learning basic patterns was something that would help them later.
Tea was a small meal. Plenty of cake for the children, trays of mixed sandwiched with an assortment of fillings (the watercress seemed particularly peppery today, against the sweet cucumbers), and sliced melons of several colors. A few more rounds of chasing through the grass with the toy cars used their spurt of energy, and the children were taken home by Nanny elves for baths and bed. Many objected, sleepily, that the Sun wasn't even down yet. They were told firmly that bedtime had nothing to do with daylight.
The adults stretched, and headed for the broom shed near the orchard, which still wrapped around the hilltop they used for a Quidditch pitch. Dodging trees only made the game more interesting! The wards now ran all the way to the fences, so no one would see them playing. The married couples were divided, and this time they played men against the women. Hermione wasn't very good at ball handling, though she had finally learned to be a decent rider. It was self-defense. Not only had she married into a Quidditch obsessed family, but her job was managing a broom factory. She HAD to know how to ride, how to tell a good broom from a bad one. Her weak ball handling skills were more than compensated for by having Fleur, Angelina, Gabrielle and Ginny on the same team. They handed her a bat and told her to keep the Bludgers away. Her random hits were at least as dangerous as the more expert bashes by Aubrey, because they were completely unpredictable. Cajoled into playing, Andi turned out to be a fine Keeper. The men were not the guaranteed winners. It was a good thing Ron was a very good Keeper, but both teams had excellent Seekers and tough Chasers. With Harry as Seeker, Charlie usually played Beater with George because he was bigger. Arthur, Percy and Bill made up the Chasers. This was a very well-matched set of teams, and no quarter was given. They even played with a professional quality Snitch which had its boundaries limited to the hilltop. That meant both Seekers were responsible for breaking up as many plays as they could while looking for the fleeting ball. Harry and Fleur were happy to do so!
Any professional Scout would have been drooling, watching this family play. Fortunately, there weren't any there.
"TIME!" Molly called from below. The sun had set several minutes ago, leaving the higher fliers illuminated while the lower ones blurred in the shadows. Molly reached out to snatch the speeding Snitch as it passed her, and headed back to the house on her own broom. The players pulled up in shock, not quite sure how the game had ended. In cheerful confusion, they racked their brooms and headed to the porch taps to clean up.
"The score was 120 to 120! We tied!'
"Molly caught the snitch! The women win, 270 to 120!"
"Molly wasn't even playing! That counts as outside interference! We need a rematch! That was a given, since they played every month. The genial bickering continued into the garden, where Ted, Dan and Emma Jean had set the tables.
A pop at the gate and Arthur excused himself to bring more guests in. He came back looking rather surprised with Draco, Astoria, and Theo, Neville and Hannah. "Harry invited us. Is it OK for us to come in?" It was, and they were seated at the end of the table. Astoria and Hannah were each showing a baby bump, so the women quickly had something to talk about. Neville handed over a wrapped bag of "Dire Wolf", and, surprisingly, Draco gave Harry a book.
"We heard about your little adventure, and decided you need to read this." Pulling the wrappings displayed 'The Midwife's Companion'. Opening it to the first page, the title was 'Never Give Up'.
Trays of cold pasta salads and sizzling ham balls alternated with more platters of fancy sandwiches and cut fruit. More jugs of icy mint tea were spaced at easy intervals. Even wizard appetites were filled with good things.
The elves had hung flickering Chinese lanterns above the railings and tables, leaving room for the huge cherry Snitch cake to be brought in. It was a thick half circle cake with wings on each flat side. Snitches were not round balls, but elongated as the original birds had been. The Seekers caught it together, lowering it for Harry to cut.
He pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of his pocket, causing everyone there to pale. He grinned, "Ooops? Wrong sword?" The illusion vanished, leaving him holding a long silver knife. He cut the cake neatly down the middle lengthwise and they set the halves on the large platter, forming a normal round layer cake, feathery wings spinning down on the top. When they stopped they turned into lit candles, so Harry had to blow them out.
"Wish! Wish!" was the chant, but Harry shook his head, refusing to tell what, or even if he had wished for anything at all. He served out sliced cake, filled with chopped cherries, the butter cream cherry icing decorated with tiny cherry lilies on slivered almond stems. Arthur took over after the first slices, letting Harry take his over by Ginny to eat. This cake had been made with almond milk and almond butter, which only enhanced the cherry flavor.
Every single person, or family, gave Harry lilies. Molly had knit several new vests to match his office suits, all with discreet patterns of lilies. Charlie brought some mountain lilies from Bulgaria. Bill brought some from Egypt. The Patils sent several rare bulbs from India, and a packet of wild-pollinated seeds that could grow to be any color at all.
Ginny wasn't sure what to do about Harry's gift. She needed to show him she was trying to be interested in what he was. There would be time to find more joint interests. Skating had been fun during the Winter. They could fly together now, and go to the beach. But she had to think. Harry loved candy but did not eat much. He loved flowers, but she didn't know enough about lilies to pick a good one. Finally, she ordered a large book with full page, full color plates, 'Lilies of the World'. On the back of each page was the description of the flower. Harry was delighted with everything.
Chapter End 27 Expected Post Date Jan 21, 2021. Chapter 28, "The Wish", expected Feb 4, 2021.
