oooOOOoooOOOooo
The night before the children were set to leave, they finally discussed the marriage contract.
"Have you all read the contract?" Andromeda asked, wanting to make sure the children understood everything. They all nodded earnestly.
"We took our copy to the library. We spent an entire week looking up all the contract terms and their enforcement in the magical courts. It's quite fascinating," said Daphne.
"Absolutely!" enthused Hermione. "In 1572, the provision to allow for a child to be named after the matrilineal line was upheld, despite the fact that only one son was born to the marriage out of thirteen children. The marriage contract stated that the second child would be named after the mother's line but it was the only male child born."
"Yes, and the right of the wife to attain education was also upheld in 1638. Despite the fact that they already had two children, the wife was allowed to attend to get her mastery in potions. It was written into the betrothal agreement," nodded Daphne.
Harry felt besotted with them both. They were so smart.
Andromeda smiled at the two girls.
"Excellent," said Ted. "Do you mind if we read it one more time and explain a few things? To the adults?" he said with a wink. The children laughed and agreed.
An excruciating hour and a half later, the contract had been read, explained, and debated to death. The children just wanted to get it signed.
"Are we ready now?" asked Sirius, exasperated.
Andromeda grinned. "I am satisfied. Feel free to sign away. It is traditional for the highest-ranking female to sign first. Daphne?"
Daphne hurried forward. Her parents each signed first, then Daphne affixed her signature. She squealed to see it done.
"You're next, Hermione," said Ted, encouragingly. Sirius signed for her first. Hermione very carefully signed. She made sure to blow on her signature to make sure it was fully dried and in place. She nodded in satisfaction when she was done.
Next up was Harry. He was bouncing from foot to foot in nervousness. What if they changed their minds? He wanted to hurry up and get it over with.
Sirius grinned. He took his time signing his name, making sure to get the dot over every "i" just right. Harry was literally sweating by the time he was done. Sirius played keep away with the quill until Harry stomped his foot in frustration.
"Just give it, Sirius. Please!?" Harry said. Sirius relented and let Harry sign. Everyone cheered when it was done. The paper glowed golden and three copies appeared. The original copy disappeared.
The girls ran to Harry and took him in a quick embrace. They were so happy, they could squee. That's exactly what all three of them did.
It made the adults cheer again to see the children so happy. The adults had a surprise for the children.
"Here's a little something in congratulations, from all of us, including your father, Harry, and your parents, Hermione," said Sirius.
He handed them a long box. The children looked confused but opened it together. They gasped when they saw what was inside.
Three gorgeous golden pendants with rather large fire opals set in the center lay on thick golden chains. A thick silver triskele, the three-fold symbol of the goddess, was set into the surface of the gold. Below the symbol was the Potter coat of arms. A wooded scene with lovely stag was etched into the background.
"It's beautiful," said Hermione, in awe.
"Are these betrothal medallions?" asked Daphne, staring at the lovely jewelry.
"They are," answered Annette. "We thought you all might like to wear them. You deserve to, after all."
"Yes, please! Did father commission these?" asked Harry.
"He did," said Sirius. "Hermione's parents donated the fire opals. Of course, they don't realize the significance of the jewelry but everyone in the wizarding world will understand."
"Your mother and I added some fine enchantments to the medallions and the chain. No one will be able to remove the medallions without your consent. If you're in danger, they will burn for all three of you and will provide a way of tracking each other. Finally, if you put a drop of blood from each of you on each medallion, they will provide a limited telepathic ability between the three of you," said Jason.
"Thank you, daddy," said Daphne. She hugged first her father, then her mother. Everyone got a round of hugs and thanks after that. The medallions were quickly put on.
"I'll just take a copy of the contract for my records, as well," said Andromeda. "The original should be filed with Gringotts while the Ministry, and Hogwarts, each got a certified copy. All our legal ps and qs are taken care of. Congratulations, future Mister and Missuses Potter," she said, grinning at the children. They squeed and hugged again.
oooOOOoooOOOooo
The morning that the children were set to leave was a bittersweet moment for the entire family. The children were growing up and moving on with their own lives. Vernon felt an impending sense of loneliness that he had never expected to feel. He was bound and determined to start looking for a lovely lady to call his own while the children were away.
"Ready, boys?" Vernon asked, waiting in the entrance hall for the children to hurry it along. The butler appeared, carrying the two boys' trunks stacked on atop the other. He grinned in pride to see such fine trunks bearing his children's things.
The boys themselves came skidding down the stairs at a near run.
"We're ready papa!" shouted Dudley. He lurched to a stop right before he knocked into the driver.
Harry ran up and hugged Vernon as tightly as possible. "We'll call you as soon as we can, papa." Sirius had agreed to act as connector so the boys could talk to their father on Sunday evenings. He also promised to facilitate a call the night the boys arrived at Hogwarts. Any parent would worry about not being able to speak with their children. He'd made the same bargain with Hermione. Harry and Dudley would talk to Vernon at 3:00pm on Sundays. Hermione would talk to her parents at 4:00pm. It would only be an hour long to talk but it was the best Sirius could promise consistently. The children acted like he was a hero but all he was doing was propping a phone up near a magical mirror. He'd never turn down praise.
"I'll speak with you boys tonight. Around 7pm your godfather said? Is that right?" Vernon asked.
"That's right, papa," said Harry, giving his father one more squeeze before moving over and giving Dudley a turn. There'd be no such displays once they were out in public.
"Tally ho!" Vernon said, wiping the tears out of his eyes. He had the boys line up so he could take a good photo of the two of them on their first day of school. They were wearing their best suits with all the proper gold or silver accoutrement. He was proud to be their father.
They loaded up in the car, including Betsy, who wanted to come see them on their way. She had packed an entire picnic basket lunch for the boys and their friends on the train ride to Hogwarts. She meant to pack enough food for 8 children, as that's how many could easily fit into one of the compartments, but she'd really packed enough for around 16 students. It was alright, Harry and Dudley already knew the stasis charm to keep food fresh until they were ready to eat it. Betsy had fully stocked both of their kitchens inside their trunks with all their favorite foods. She and Mipsy the cook had been cooking up a storm, getting ready for the boys' departure. They were still stuffing goodies onto the shelves this morning. Harry hated to tell them, but he did believe Hogwarts would feed them.
They arrived at Wilton's and went inside to meet up with Sirius, Remus, the Grangers, the Greengrasses, the Davises, the Goldsteins, and the Boots. They had a merry and rambunctious brunch, including several mimosas for the adults, before it was time to take the children over to the train station.
"Make sure to give your teachers their gifts. Treat the ladies with respect. Don't spend all your time doing homework. I expect you to keep up with your fencing and martial arts, too," said Vernon. "Remember, you're not better than anyone else but your station is above some people's. Don't let them forget it! Don't trust authority too much, either. You know only fools end up in administrative positions," Vernon said, giving his sons the last-minute litany of advice that he'd already given them a dozen times this summer.
"Yes, father. We'll remember," said Dudley, shaking his father's hand. The butler had already taken their things through the barrier and reserved what Sirius and Remus called the best compartment for his boys.
"Make sure you don't get caught if you do any pranks. Be nice to the ladies now when you're young or they won't be nice to you when you're older," Sirius warned, squeezing his godson's arm, since he couldn't hug him on the platform. He gave Dudley's arm a squeeze as well. Dudley grinned back at him.
"Make sure to keep up with your studies. I'll meet you all every afternoon at 3:30pm sharp for tutoring. Also, Sensei Tomagucci will be arriving every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during your free period to keep you up on your Taekwondo training. You'll have fencing on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Mistress McMichaels. You have all your equipment?" Remus asked, fretting about his students being away from him for so long. He was working on their summer lesson plans right now.
"We love you darling. Make sure you brush your teeth. Remember, dental health is general health," said Emma Granger.
"If any boys bother you, remember what Sensei Tomagucci taught you. Don't hold back," said Dan Granger, fiercely. Hermione hugged her parents close while Dippy, the driver, moved Hermione's, Daphne's, and Tracy's trunks to the train compartment.
"Make sure to call when you can," said Abby Boot, crushing her little Terry to her chest. Harry snickered at the public display, causing Terry's cheeks to turn red.
"Let the boy go," Charles said, prying his wife off their youngest child to head off to Hogwarts. Their older two children had already said their goodbyes and made their escape before Abby could become clingy. Dippy carted off Terry's and Anthony's trunks as well. With that, all the trunks were loaded on the train.
"Well, I think that's got it," said Sirius. "Dippy has loaded everything up for us. We'd best let them get to it. Dippy, do you mind leading them to their seats?"
The kids got in one last round of goodbyes then headed around the trains parked in platform 9 and out of sight. Then, they slipped through the barrier, where Dippy led them to the train compartment he'd reserved for them. They saw Neville on the way. Dippy grabbed his trunk and got them all settled before he left them to get on with it.
The kids sat excitedly, looking out the windows and chatting animatedly while they watched the other students start to load onto the train. They'd arrived an hour early to the train station but only got settled on the train 30 minutes before it was scheduled to depart.
The train finally started puffing and the whistle blew. One final family came rushing onto the platform. They literally threw four trunks and four children onto the train, as the train was pulling away. All the family had bright red hair and beat up looking things. Harry guessed from his etiquette lessons, where they had also learned the family history of all the major players in the wizarding world, that these were the Weasleys.
The group took it in turns to play rousing games and to read quietly. Anthony and Terry went to find Terry's older siblings during a lull in the excitement. That's when their first visitor arrived.
"Can I sit here? The rest is full," said the redheaded boy with stars in his eyes aimed all at Harry. Harry smiled magnanimously.
"I'm afraid we're all full. Two of ours just went for a quick walk," said Harry. He didn't want to roll his eyes in disgust but the boy had food dirty hands and a streak of dirt on his nose.
"They can find somewhere else to sit," the boy assured Harry, moving into the compartment.
Hermione pointed it out. "You've a streak of dirt on your nose. Just there," she said, trying to be polite.
"What's it to you?" asked the redheaded boy, aggressively. Harry was about to tell him off for talking to Hermione that way when they're second visitor arrived.
Draco Malfoy knocked politely then waited to be told to enter. Dudley called for Draco to come in.
"Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to see you again," Draco said, shaking Harry's hand. The Weasley boy's face turned red in anger.
"I'm Malfoy, Heir Draco Malfoy," Draco introduced himself to the rest of the compartment.
Ron sniggered at Draco's name.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask your name. Red hair, hand me down robes, and more children than they can afford. You must be a Weasley," Draco sneered.
Ron jumped forward; his fists clenched. Harry stood up.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen. I don't think there's any need for insults. Draco is a welcome acquaintance. You have not even introduced yourself, yet sir. I'd kindly ask you not to speak rudely to the ladies or anyone else while you're in here," Harry said, firmly.
"You can't shake hands with him! He's a Death Eater!" shouted the Weasley, pointing at Draco.
"I can and I have, twice now, actually," said Harry, looking at Ron like he was a bug.
"But you're Harry Potter," the Weasley said.
"I am and I'll ask you to remember it. Draco is no Death Eater. He was barely a more than a baby when Voldemort was defeated," said Harry matter-of-factly. Draco and Ron winced at the name. The rest of the students were used to it. Harry wouldn't be cowed by a name or the memory of an evil wizard.
"But his father," started Weasley. Dudley interrupted him.
"Is not Draco. Please, be kind to our guests or leave," Dudley said.
Ron looked apoplectic. "I'd rather leave than stay here with the likes of you! You're all probably Death Eaters!" Ron stomped out of the room, dropping his pet rat on his way out, even though he didn't realize it. The fat rat plopped on the floor, dazed.
Harry's familiar Zeek spoke up, "There is sssssomething not right about that ratsssss. He is not food. He smellsssss like you."
Harry looked at the rat. The rat saw Harry watching him and squeaked, running towards the door to try to escape.
Harry whipped out his wand and used one of the spells Remus had taught them for defense. "Somnus!" Harry called. The rat was struck dead on and fell dead asleep on the ground an instant later.
"Harry! What in heavens?" asked Daphne, shocked by Harry's sudden spell casting.
"There's something wrong with that rat," Harry said. Draco leaned closer. He pulled his own wand and cast a spell.
"Hominem revelio," Draco said. Everyone in the compartment glowed red, including the rat. "He's an animagus," sad Draco, disgusted.
"What should we do?" asked Hermione. She grew up in contact with Vernon Dursley so she didn't trust authority too much but she didn't know who else to turn to in a situation like this.
"You should send him to the DMLE," said Draco. "Anonymously, so that way if he's a wanted felon, you won't get blamed for hiding him." Draco was always trying to think of ways to stay out of trouble while still getting into mischief.
"That's not a bad idea," Harry said. He turned to the owl that he had purchased. A snowy owl who had chosen the name Hedwig. "Will you take him, girl?" Hedwig cooed and hooted at Harry. She loved him dearly, like her own chick.
Hermione took out a notepad and a pen from the muggle world. She wrote in very blocky print. "This rat is an animagus. We found him hiding on the Hogwarts express. Please, look into it."
"We don't have a cage or anything," said Dudley. "How will Hedwig carry it?"
Harry reached into his mokeskin pouch and routed around.
"Here! It's a really big potion's vial. He should fit in it," said Harry, shoving the fat rat into the very large vial. Harry corked it.
"Better hurry, Hedwig. He won't have enough air to last for long but the potions vial is unbreakable, so he won't be able to get out," Harry said. Dudley wrapped the note around the vial and tied it on. Harry gave the lot to Hedwig and tied it securely on her leg. She took off out the window of the compartment with soaring white wings.
"There, that's taken care of," said Tracy, glad the rat was gone from the room. She hated rats.
"You are an exciting lot," said Draco with a smirk.
Harry smirked back. "Like attracts like," he said in a sing-song voice. Draco laughed and headed on his way back up to his compartment. He wrote a letter to his father as soon as he arrived.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. A few other strangers stopped by to say hello. Harry and Dudley also traversed the length of the train, stopping in to say hello and schmooze with students who looked their age.
They finally arrived at Hogwarts. All of the children had entered their trunks to change into their nicest Hogwarts robes. Harry made sure to display his gold pocket watch and betrothal medallion appropriately.
They hopped off the train and followed the sound of a booming voice calling, "First years, over here!" Harry walked up to see Hagrid standing before a fleet of tiny boats.
"Alright there, Harry? I hope yer doing well there Hermione, Daphne," Hagrid said, acknowledging the students he'd already met.
"Doing fine, Hagrid. Will we be taking a little trip in these fine boats tonight?" Harry asked, dazzling Hagrid with his smile.
"Aye. 'At we will be, 'Arry. Choose a boat. Four to a boat, no more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Harry, Daphne, Hermione, and Dudley climbed into a boat together. The boat immediately moved out into the water and waited for the other boats to join it.
Soon, the boats set off on a leisurely glide across the Black Lake. The lake was calm and clear as glass tonight. It looked like the boats were cutting across a starry sky rather than through water. They bumped gently into the shore. Dudley and Harry helped the ladies from the boat and followed them as they walked up towards the school. The seven friends were walking together.
"It's beautiful," said Hermione in little more than a whisper.
"It's certainly a sight to behold," agreed Blaise.
"What house should we plan to be in?" Tracy asked. They honestly hadn't thought about it much before now, when they were walking across the school grounds in the quiet night.
"I don't care as long as we're together," said Harry, reaching out to squeeze Daphne's and Hermione's hands. The girls smiled at him and looked towards the school.
"Some of us won't fit very well into Slytherin," said Hermione. She might be the Dagworth Granger heir but she was still a muggleborn.
"Agreed," said Dudley.
"Some of us won't fit very well into Gryffindor, either," said Blaise.
"Quite," agreed Daphne.
"I don't want to be in the house of the duffers," said Neville. Everyone looked at him in surprise then started laughing.
"Okay, Nev," said Tracy, laughing. "If you feel that strongly about it."
"Sounds like it'll be Ravenclaw then," said Hermione, pleased enough with that.
Neville looked uncomfortable with that. "I might not be able to get into Ravenclaw. I'm not that smart," said Neville.
"Don't be silly, Nev, you're the smartest person I know at Herbology," said Dudley, slapping Neville's back as they all started to gather outside the double doors.
"You want to learn everything you can about it, don't you Nev?" asked Harry.
"Yes, I do," said Neville, slowly. He was embarrassed at the praise from his friends.
"That's all that matters. Ravenclaws aren't necessarily the smartest, they just want to learn more than anything else. So just make sure you think about what you're smart at and what you want to learn really hard while the hat is on your head and you'll be a shoo-in," Harry explained. All the kids nodded. Hagrid arrived and knocked on the double doored entrance to Hogwarts.
A stern-faced professor answered the door.
"The first 'ears for ye, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said, ushering them all inside. McGonagall led them to an anteroom off the Great Hall and told them to wait.
"That's the Deputy Headmistress," said Hermione in awe. "She also teaches transfigurations. She's an award-winning Transfigurations Mistress and has written several articles about human to other object transfigurations."
Daphne had peaked out the doors into the Great Hall. She gasped. "There's Professor Flitwick. He's a world champion dueler. He also contributes regularly to Charms Monthly and Enchanters International."
She saw McGonagall approaching. She hurried back to her friends.
"McGonagall's coming!"
The seven friends quickly straightened their clothes and hair, checking themselves in their mirrors. Then, they moved in front of the door and started to line up.
The other students saw them lining up and automatically started lining up, too. Some of them started smartening themselves up while others looked around, cluelessly. McGonagall opened the door and saw the shining faces of Hermione and Daphne side-by-side with Harry and Dudley behind them, and Blaise and Tracy behind those two. The line of twos continued until all 96 students were lined up in a double line that backed all the way up to the entrance to the antechamber. McGonagall gave a small smile. She walked the line quickly correcting children's appearances and uniforms as she went. She finally reached the front of the line again, looking at the very well-groomed students at the front and led them in. The seven friends stood quietly and watched the proceedings. A hat on a stool gave a little tuning whistle then started singing.
"I might be a little funny,
My head is kind fuzzy.
I'm all together dusty,
Yet, you mustn't get too fussy.
Though the golden trio
Causes tremors,
Bold darkness
Reeking madness
Doesn't tarry.
The light already wanes,
We must be wary.
Chaos screams in birth pains.
Unless the treasures
Four are renewed,
The measure
That we're screwed
Will never be eschewed.
So let me set your seats
To where you'll be schooled.
I'll hurry now, as a need it meets.
Ravenclaw is not for the meek;
Gryffindors can be slaves.
Hufflepuff loyalty isn't weak;
Some Slytherins need to be saved.
Let love's golden triangle
Help to set you free.
Don't ignore the angle
Or else it's you that will leave."
Everyone clapped for the hat, even though the seven friends looked at each other confusedly.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Blaise asked.
"Maybe it's a riddle. I'll write it down as soon as we sit," said Daphne.
"Sounds like us, doesn't it?" Harry whispered to the two girls. "The golden trio? Love's golden triangle? What does it mean?"
"I'm not sure. Let's talk after," said Hermione, turning to pay attention to the sorting.
It took about 10 minutes until Tracy's turn to be sorted was called. She was the first of the seven friends to be called. She took a deep breath and thought hard about how she wanted to learn everything there was to know about Healing. She wanted to know how to heal every disease. She saw herself reading and researching until the wee hours of the morning to learn how to save someone. The hat touched her head and thought for only a few seconds before it shouted out, "Ravenclaw!" Tracy sagged in relief and went to sit at the blue and bronze table.
Each of the friends had their turn and each thought hard about what they wanted to learn more than anything. Dudley wanted to learn to take over his family business. He wanted to learn everything he could about metalsmithing and geology, so he could know how to choose the exact right stones. He wanted to learn about how to handle money and grow rich like his dad had done. The hat practically grinned as Dudley's thoughts of studying rocks, gems, metals, and money filled the hat to the literal brim. "Ravenclaw!" was quickly shouted.
It continued on with Hermione, who wanted to learn everything she could about the law. She wanted to learn everything she could about magic. Daphne was right after Hermione. She thought hard about her desire to learn everything she could about how to run a business and about enchanting. Neville was next. He thought hard about herbology and how much he loved studying it, which often meant being knuckle deep in dirt. He wanted to learn more and keep his mother's family business going. The hat had to agree.
Each of the students only took a few seconds to be decided. Harry's turn wasn't such a smooth sorting. The hat settled over Harry's head and the problems started right away.
"Oh ho! The evil that once marked this brow is gone. Our illustrious leader will not be pleased. His plans for you run deep," whispered the hat in Harry's mind. Harry had no idea what the hat was talking about.
"Please, put me in Ravenclaw," said Harry.
"I do see within you a thirst to learn. You also thirst to prove yourself. Maybe you belong in Slytherin instead?" The hat asked.
"Please, no, my friends are all in Ravenclaw. Please put me with them," Harry said, starting to panic.
"Your friends are most important to you? I see your plan. The plan your loyal friends cooked up to trick me. Maybe you belong in the house of the Badgers?" The hat asked, cajolingly.
"Not without my friends, I don't. I wish to learn! I wish to learn to be the best friend I can be and I can only do that if I'm with my friends! Place me there, now!"
"Brave of you to demand things from me. Maybe I should do as Dumbledore wishes and place you in Gryffindor," the hat said. Harry felt ice flow down his veins. Dumbledore was trying to control him.
"No. Please, I wish to learn. I wish to learn to protect myself and my people. I wish to learn to run a business so I can help with my father's business. I want to learn to love Hermione and Daphne, my bondmates!" Harry was shocked by that last desire. He knew he wanted to be with the girls and he liked the idea of marrying them someday, even if he didn't really understand what that meant. He wanted to learn to love them more than anything.
"Ah. There it is. What you really want. I see it now. Yes, it must be, Ravenclaw!" The hat yelled the last word out loud for all to hear.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to his friends at the Ravenclaw table. They saw his look of relief and looked at him curiously. He waved them away and set the focus of the group back on the sorting.
The sorting continued on until Blaise joined the rest of the friends in Ravenclaw. The tally ended up with 32 Hufflepuffs, 24 Gryffindors, 23 Slytherins, and 17 Ravenclaws. Harry glanced up at Dumbledore and saw him looking at Harry and Neville with annoyance. Harry didn't know what it was about but he gave his own look of annoyance back. Dumbledore didn't seem to notice.
The feast was called to begin. The students ate heartily and chatted happily. Harry and Dudley made sure to introduce themselves to the students sitting around them. Everyone liked the affable boys.
Harry, Dudley, and their friends walked up to the Head Table and asked if they could speak with the Headmaster for a moment. Dumbledore was just curious enough to see what the boys wanted, especially the Boy-Who-Lived, someone Dumbledore wanted to get much closer to.
"Headmaster," Harry started. "Our father asked us to present you with these gifts of our gratitude," Harry said, placing the small jewelry box into the Headmaster's hand.
"Our friends also contributed to these gifts," Dudley said, introducing the friends around him, as well as Harry and himself.
The headmaster opened the jewelry box and saw the lovely golden beard clip with the Hogwarts crest. Dudley handed him a larger box.
"These are also a gift from our families to the school. You might want to sit it on the floor to enlarge it," Dudley said. Dumbledore moved the somewhat large box onto the floor and tapped it with his wand. The box exploded into being and grew 10 times larger than it had originally been, at least. Dumbledore opened the lid and two teachers gasped. Minerva McGonagall and Rolanda Hooch both jumped up out of their seats and ran around to the box.
"Are these brooms?" Hooch screeched.
Harry and Dudley grinned. The other friends covered their mouths to keep from laughing.
"Yes, they are. 80 Cleansweep 19's as our gift to the school as a token of our gratitude for being allowed admission," said Harry smoothly.
"Our father insisted that we provide a useful gift to the school," embellished Dudley. Vernon thought they had donated their usual supplies but Hogwarts didn't require supplies like facial tissues and hand sanitizer. They needed something different. Something they all chipped in to provide.
"Our friends wanted to contribute as well, as did my godfather," said Harry, not wanting to leave anyone out.
Dumbledore's face soured. "I'm sorry, boys, but we won't be able to accept them. The gift is much too extravagant. You should not be spending your trust vault like this Harry. I'm very disappointed in you," Dumbledore gave his best disappointed look. He wasn't really disappointed. He was angry. The money in that trust vault should have been Dumbledore's. It should have come to him along with many other expensive and rare items when Dumbledore became Harry's magical guardian but that never happened. Instead, Harry's blasted uncle had the Potters' wills read too quickly for Dumbledore to suppress and Sirius was a free man because of it. Dumbledore couldn't very well lie and say Sirius had been the secret keeper when he signed the notification that Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper found in James' and Lily's wills.
Minerva McGonagall looked like she might smack the old man. She jerked his arm and threw up a silencing bubble around the Headmaster, herself, and Madam Hooch. It was easy to see the two women were literally yelling at the old coot behind the silencing bubble. The entire school had grown silent and watchful. The bubble finally fell. Dumbledore winced to see so many students silently watching the spectacle. He forced a warm smile onto his face and announced.
"Thanks to these fine students, and their families, we now have 80 fine brooms for flying lessons and student enjoyment. Please join me in giving them a round of applause. Their donation is greatly appreciated," Dumbledore said, clapping through a forced smile. Dumbledore discouraged things being given as donations. He preferred money that he could misappropriate for his own devices. He couldn't do much with 80 beginner level brooms.
The friends took a bow and turned back to the teachers. The other students started gossiping about the amazing gift from the little Ravenclaws instead of paying attention to any other antics by the firsties. It was just as well; they didn't want their fellow students to think they were suck ups or anything.
"Professor McGonagall? Professor Flitwick? We would also like to present you with these gifts, as a show of our gratitude for the assistance and attention you will give to us over the coming years," Harry said, smoothly. He handed over the clock to McGonagall while Dudley handed a clock to Flitwick.
They oohed and aahed over the gorgeous clocks.
"What are the charms on this? I can feel that some exist but not what they do?" Filius asked.
"Ah, those," Daphne answered, since her family enchanted the clocks. "They track your progress on the material for the semester for each of your classes. There are 20 hands on the clocks. Just tap the clock hand and state the class, and the clock will begin tracking for you."
"That is some advanced magic!" Filius said, excitedly. "Good show. These will be very useful."
"They're absolutely gorgeous," Minerva said, admiring the rainbow array of gemstones on the clock hands when they were all spread out. This would help her keep on track, quite nicely.
"Thank you all very much. Five points to Ravenclaw, each," said Minerva, smiling down at them.
"Yes! And a special charm for each of your rooms. Just let me know what you'd like when I do my rounds later tonight," the small professor said, grinning at the children.
The excited children thanked the professors for their kindness and hurried back to their tables for dessert before bedtime. Harry made sure to note that the Headmaster never thanked him and Dudley for their beard clip gift, even though he noticed the headmaster was already wearing it.
What Harry didn't notice was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Quirrell, glaring daggers at all their backs as they headed back to their table.
oooOOOoooOOOooo