Chapter 23
The next week had been rather hectic, with Harry staying at the Burrow for the few days of the full moon and then preoccupying himself with his holiday school work. He hadn't had the chance to see Daphne in that time and while it had been fun staying with the Weasleys, well there were just others on his mind.
When Harry woke up on the 31st of July he felt a distinct sense of unease. It didn't strike immediately, he rubbed his eyes and fished about for his glasses, finding them on the bedside table as usual. He stretched and everything felt fine. The sun was shining on the floor beneath him, everything normal.
"Ahh! What in the hell!" Harry screamed, scrambling back on his bed, clinging to it for dear life. His bed, furniture and all his possessions were sticking to the ceiling of the tent room as though it were the floor. He was similarly sitting in his bed as though it were the right way up, nothing like doing a handstand, blood rushing to his head. He felt as though he were completely right side up, but when he looked up it was at the floor, and when he looked outside through the window, looking at the ground felt like looking up.
He heard some chuckling from beyond the door and he knew exactly what was going on. His bedroom door opened and his godfather and former professor, grown men that they were, burst into renewed peels of laughter.
"Jokes over! Help me down!" Harry yelled in frustration. Remus flicked his wand and Harry and the furniture slid strangely off to the side of the wall, like they were all on escalators. Everything moved as one, spinning until it was all the right side up. Sometimes magic was a very weird experience.
"Happy birthday!" They both cheered, storming into the room.
"Is this what I can expect every year?" Harry demanded, though his frustration was slowly turning into mirth, it hadn't been the worst prank he supposed.
"Only if you keep up your grades." His godfather warned ominously, giving him a mock baleful look. Remus elbowed him in the ribs with a smirk.
"Here Harry." The werewolf passed him a neatly wrapped rectangular package. Harry unwrapped it quickly and found a slightly worn book on spacial charms and enchantments. "You got a taste of its contents this morning" Harry glared at him reproachfully for a second then grinned.
"Thank you Moony!"
"Once you are done with it we will go get you registered with the Ministry. Expansion charms are where the real rune galleons are." His godfather grinned. Another elbow to the ribs. Sirius grimaced but pulled his godson from the bed. "My present is outside!"
With the greatest of trepidation Harry followed the former inmate out of the tent. When they got out in one piece he was a bit confused, as everything looked normal. But his godfather kept walking, moving away from the ruins, down past the turn off for the forest to an outcropping of rocks that Harry often sat on to take in the view of the lake and valley beyond. There he found out exactly what Sirius had done.
Six posts topped with rings of varying heights stood proudly in the field beyond.
"Quidditch rings?" Harry asked, flummoxed.
"Not just the rings, Remus helped with the protections and I got someone in to make sure the cushioning and other safety measures are all up to scratch. Can't risk the neck of my favourite godson after all."
"Your only godson." Harry replied distractedly. Then he realised something though. "Um Sirius, you built them on the neighbours property…"
"That I did." He replied proudly, puffing up his chest. "Lucky we are neighbours then isn't it?"
"Are you serious?"
"Always!"
"What's going on Sirius?" Harry demanded, not appreciating the joke.
"The neighbour was selling, and so was the one to the north. Something about his kids having moved away. Anyway I thought it would be good to have the whole valley, faaar as the eye can see." His chest puffed up once more. "Cost a pretty galleon but I couldn't think of a better use for them."
"But why?" Harry asked, but the man just shrugged.
"This is your land Harry, but it's also a place I love more than probably anywhere else. I don't want to feel like we are just squatting on your goodwill-"
"You wouldn't be-" Harry interrupted, but Sirius held his hand up to stop him.
"I know, and you say that now, but there will be a time, when you will want your privacy, your own house, maybe even start a troop of redhead spectacled skamps." He grinned down at Harry and wiggled his eyebrows. But the humour left him quickly and he exhaled a tired sigh. "I've been thinking about the future, and the past, and everything that you've told me too, about You-Know-Who. Most of all I want you to be safe, and there is safety in numbers. You've already talked to Hagrid about building here, and I want to give Moony somewhere safe, and maybe I will invite Tonks and Andi. Maybe there will be more too. I want to keep them safe too, and I wonder with that tree of yours." He became bashful then, something he only ever was when he felt he was being presumptuous, Harry had discovered.
"It's not the worst idea." Harry agreed. It would be interesting, a town of only magical folk. Or complete chaos, if this morning was anything to go by. But having a place to live in the open was certainly appealing. Other than Hogwarts the Wizarding World was a very cramped place, people looked for, literally created, space between the cracks.
"Happy birthday kiddo." Sirius gripped his shoulder. "Days not over though." He guided them back up the hill to the ruins.
Later in the day, after a hearty breakfast from Dobby, they stood within the ruins of the main house of Laurel's Peak. They had transformed after a few weeks of cleaning and some limited repairs.
All of the debris had been cleared away and the salvageable bricks restored and added to the rebuild materials. The foundations had been repaired and the wall readied for building. The most painstaking and time consuming part had been checking and fixing the plumbing. They all agreed to give it the proper attention it needed.
After all that the only thing which had been built, strangely, was a fireplace where the entrance foyer would stand. The purpose of which Harry had already guessed, but was confirmed when he saw a bushy haired muggleborn witch step out of it.
"Harry! Happy birthday!" He was promptly engulfed in a firm hug. The fire roared to life again and Neville spluttered his way out of the green flames. Harry was envious, he'd take some ashes up the nose for being ejected any day.
"We thought you might like your first birthday party." Sirius answered his unasked question. "So we invited a few of your friends."
"Welcome to Laurel's Peak!" Harry greeted his friends, once Hermione had let go of him. The fire turned green once more and Ron stepped through.
"Hey mate." He greeted, brushing ashes off himself.
"Hello, happy birthday." Neville added also, as his sneezing died out.
"Happy birthday to you too Neville!" Harry replied, remembering that they shared the day. All three of his Gryffindor friends were carrying packages, so Harry led them away to the tent. He was glad to see his friends, but was also sad that the person he most wanted to see couldn't be here.
Sirius had explained on their walk back that he would see her tomorrow instead, but the secrecy chafed and he wasn't sure how well he would do under it.
"This is where you're living?" Ron asked, looking around the ruins with an odd expression. It was almost like he was relieved. Harry felt like sometime soon he would need to have another chat with his best mate about, well everything.
"It's not much to look at yet but it's coming along." Harry replied. They walked past the Dawn Oak, now taller than six feet, and saw Neville and Hermione's attention wander.
"It's getting bigger." Neville remarked.
"That's your tree Harry? The one you were learning that alchemy for?" Hermione asked, approaching it for a closer look. He guessed Hermione hadn't seen it since it was barely a shoot in the study at Hogwarts.
"The one and only, I called it a Dawn Oak." He replied proudly, it was, after all, the thing he was most proud of in the world.
"And you're carving runes in it!" Neville cried, aghast at such heresy. Harry just grinned at his friend's distress. Neville loved plants more than Daphne did, and he couldn't even hear them. Though from what the plant whisperer had told him, they were most frequently complaining, so maybe it didn't help endear one to the life of a botanist.
"As few as possible, but I made it with a purpose, so 'needs must' and all that." At Hermione's questioning look Harry explained briefly how he intended to use the tree as a way to protect this place, but didn't bother with too much detail. They moved on to the tent where Dobby served a much larger lunch than normal, which was saying something. The table was overflowing with Harry's favourites and he shuddered to think of what the larger dinner planned for later would look like.
He enjoyed catching up and finding out what Hermione and Neville had been up to over the holidays thus far.
Hermione had apparently driven her parents crazy by spending more time reading, rather than enjoying the beach near the house they had rented in Spain. At least that was Harry's interpretation of Hermione's complaints about her parents not letting her catch up on her reading.
Neville's surprise had, in fact, not been tutoring or anything of the sort. Rather he had been taken to Norway with one of his great uncles to look for plants.
Harry marvelled at the tales of their adventures, not so much for the details, though they were interesting. Rather, in the past he would have felt overwhelmingly jealous of the freedoms of their holidays. Now, they were just interesting and enjoyable stories shared over food.
Eventually they ended up out at the new quidditch pitch after Ron learned of it. They had discovered that Sirius hadn't just bought the rings, but a number of brooms, though none as good as his firebolt.
Ron and Neville were up in the air, Ron trying to get Neville to catch a quaffle. Neville was too critical about far too many of his abilities, but his assessment of his flying was pretty spot on. Flying was a confidence game and unfortunately Neville struggled.
Harry decided to stay with Hermione on the ground, preferring to spend time with his friend, the pitch wasn't going anywhere and he didn't think it polite to leave her alone. So they sat comfortably watching the two boys in the air.
"You're doing it again." His friend broke the silence suddenly. Neville fumbled the ball again and Ron swooped for it.
"Doing what?" Harry asked, staring up at them, Ron taking a pretty dramatic catch.
"Changing. It's becoming a habit."
"Changing how?"
"I don't know, less burdened perhaps. You've had this little smile all day that I've never seen on you." Hermione pulled at some of her hair, twirling and fiddling with it.
"I've been having a good holiday." He replied simply with a shrug, but then grinned slightly. "I also kissed Daphne."
"You what?!" She shrieked excitedly, turning to him on her knees and giving him her full attention. He wondered if, in having two male friends, Hermione was missing out on 'girl talk' or just female friends in general. Though the way she complained about Parvati and Lavender, perhaps not.
"Quiet!" He hissed, not wanting to draw attention. "It's meant to be a secret."
"Why?" She asked, tugging at her hair, whispering conspiratorially.
"For some personal reasons but also because I am, well, me, and she is in Slytherin."
"Alright, alright." She said, patting his hand and grinning conspiratorially. "Tell. Me. Everything."
Later that day more guests arrived, a full contingent of Weasleys, eldest sons included, Hagrid, the Tonks', and even Professor Babbling. Mrs Weasley had brought enough food to feed a small army and Dobby took offence. By the time they were done the enlarged table seemed ready to break.
They settled into a night of frivolity and joy the likes Harry had not experienced. He would have been sad when everyone had to leave, if he didn't have plans for the next day.
Spending time with Daphne and her family had been a new experience entirely. He had never had the chance to spend time with such a 'normal' family, ignoring the wand waving, eccentric décor and somewhat terrifying garden. It had been nice, both seeing how the two daughters interacted with their parents, mostly Mrs Greengrass though as Cyrus was busy for much of the day.
He had been sad when Sirius had to come and get him that day.
"Hey Sirius." Harry said, coming down the stairs carrying his bag for staying the night at the grounds of the Quidditch World Cup. "Why does my school supply list for this year require dress robes?"
"Haven't the foggiest Harry!" His godfather replied, flicking the Daily Prophet he was reading stiff and then folding and depositing it on the dining room table. "All set to go?"
"Yep. You?" He patted a bag next to him.
"You still don't want to come, Remus?"
"I will have to decline." The werewolf responded. "I've never been much of a fan of quidditch."
"And he doesn't do that well in crowds " Sirius added and stood up and picked up his bag. "Let's be off then. The Weasley's should have arrived by now."
Godfather and godson bid their friend goodbye and left the tent and warehouse. Walking up the stairs to the front courtyard Harry smiled at the changes of the past few weeks.
The tree was double the height of Sirius now, with branches beginning to fork out properly, gold and green leaves swaying slightly in the breeze. He smiled every time he saw it properly, almost like he was hearing Fawkes sing again.
The main structure of the house was also coming along. The first story was almost fully built, made of grey brick fused together at Harry's insistence. He had spent the last few weeks adding runes to the base of the structure, all the way along the base. Runes that would prevent trespass, damage and spells being cast on it. The doorway had the most intricate protections, only allowing people invited to enter.
They left down the path until they were outside the property line from where they would be able to apparate and disappeared with a bang.
The camp, made of thousands of wizards, was an assault on the senses. There were fireworks and explosions, people wearing strange clothing, vendors of all shapes and sizes. He saw some men levitating others and doing flips in the air. There were bubbles the size and toughness of balloons floating above them.
The tents were an amusement in themselves, somewhere between camping tents and houses. Some had chimneys, others had window planters or even picket fences. One well established tent even had a turret.
"Wizards get awfully rowdy when we come together like this." Sirius smiled.
They found the Weasleys after some effort, the camp being a veritable maze, and settled in Harry and Ron sharing a bunk with the twins in the same room. Harry wasn't much looking forward to Ron's snoring tonight.
Harry, Ron and Hermione went off to explore the camp shortly after, where they ran into some of their classmates and Harry treating them to some omnioculars. Ron had protested but Harry had at least offered them as an early Christmas present, even though he had asked Mr Weasley about the robes also and he was definitely actually getting Ron dress robes after Mr Weasley had said they would find some for Ron somewhere.
To Harry's disappointment the omnioculars had the same security runes Harry himself used, but he could at least recognise some of the techniques for the glass enchantments. He thought he could probably reproduce the zoom function at least, maybe it was internal expansion of the light? It bore thinking about later.
Eventually it came time to head to the stadium however. The Weasley's, Harry and Sirius had all been invited to the box for the event. If he was being cynical he would suspect that it was due to their association with him. If his fame did get the Weasleys tickets to the Quidditch World Cup Final, which they would otherwise not be able to attend, well he figured he was okay with it and would grin and bear the spectacle that awaited.
"If it isn't scar head and his sidekicks, what did you do to get seats here Potter, sell all your belongings?" A snide voice intruded and Harry was suddenly not so sure if he could bear it at all.
"Hello Malfoy, still sitting on that silver spoon I see." He returned. He was about to continue when the imposing form of Lucius Malfoy in his best robes loomed behind his son. His wife was a few steps behind him and looked as though she wished to be anywhere else.
"Well well, I thought Cornelius joking when he said all of…you…would be joining…us." Malfoy senior remarked with a sneer, his eyes lingering on Hermione more than anyone else. Harry felt his hackles raise at the insinuated slight.
"Unfortunately we didn't receive the same warning." Sirius replied, putting a cautionary hand on Harry's shoulder. "I know you hate the sun Lucius, but it doesn't mean you have to dress like it would kill you."
"Ah, Black, so good to see you, though I don't know I should be taking advice about outdoorsmanship from you of all people." Clearly determined to have the last word the ponce twisted on his heel and made to leave. "Come along Draco, there is a smell in the air."
"Always a pleasure Narcissa, do keep your husband at home next time." Sirius barked, his words half a chuckle. "He certainly hasn't changed." He added more quietly to Harry now the Malfoy's had slithered off.
"Harry, so good of you to join us!" Harry heard the distinct voice of Cornelius Fudge over the sound of the crowds and sighed.
What proceeded was the worst hour of Harry's life, including the time he was stabbed by the fang of a thousand years old basilisk. He was shoved around to meet official after official, the Bulgarian and Irish contingents, the heads of Ministry departments, prominent business people.
The only thing keeping him going was the fact he knew Fudge had helped him and Daphne had said it was always better to try and keep people on side rather than off. He wasn't sure how well he would do with that, it was a very Slytherin perspective, but it was probably the right approach.
Eventually, though, he was deposited into the seat saved for him in the seat saved for him between Hermione and Ron. Hermione was quizzing a small house elf in the seat behind them who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else.
"That was exhausting." Harry complained, hoping to distract his bushy haired friend.
"Not fun talking with your adoring fans?" Ron asked. It was phrased as a joke, and his friend was grinning, but Harry could hear something else underneath.
"Those aren't the sort of fans you would want, trust me." Harry replied, a bit perturbed and tired. They were interrupted then by Ludo Bagman, amplify charm at full volume, opening the ceremony.
Harry largely ignored his recaps of the events of the 1994 World Cup thus far, not really interested, until a strange sort of ripple overtook the stadium. "Watch out for your husbands because here come the Bulgarian mascots!" Harry spotted a group of women entering the stadium from a small door on the ground. He pulled out his omnioculars and was greeted with a group of the most beautiful women he had perhaps ever seen. They were supernaturally attractive in the most conventional of ways, curvy in just the right places and well proportioned. They danced and twirled across the grass in bare feet.
"Interesting." Harry noted, and turned to his friends. Hermione had a look of distaste, an unusual expression for her that Harry wasn't sure what to make of. He looked over at Ron but found him standing up and walking towards the edge of the box. Harry grabbed him quickly, Ginny grabbed the twins who were behaving no less strangely, while Mister Weasley seemed somewhat occupied with Percy and Charlie.
"What are you doing!" He demanded. When his redhead friend turned to him it was with a blank vacant expression.
"They're amazing Harry, do you think they would talk to me? Maybe if you come with me?" He started trying to get up again but Harry held him firm. Sirius didn't seem to be having any trouble and was helping hold on to the older Weasley boys.
"Veela." Hermione said, venom dripping from her voice, as though it explained everything. "Though you seem fine Harry."
"Why would I not be fine?" He asked, holding his friend firmly.
"Veela are magical creatures capable of mesmerising men, sort of like the muggle stories of mermaids." Hermione answered, she reached over and pinched Ron hard on the arm.
"Ow what was that for!" He cried, snapping out of his stupor.
"The Bulgarians shouldn't have brought them to such a large crowd." Mister Weasley said disapprovingly. Harry wasn't sure what was going on, he didn't feel any differently. Ron quickly lost his focus again.
"You two seem fine." Harry noted of the older men. Sirius shrugged with a grin.
"Animagus, though I wouldn't mind having a chat with those girls, I don't know that jumping over the bannister would be the best way to go about it."
"Veela are more effective on younger men also." Mister Weasley informed them. Charlie Weasley was a very strong man and seemed to be getting the better of his father.
"Dad it's fine, I just want to invite them to the dragon reserve, I'm sure they would be interested!" He insisted. Mister Weasley rolled his eyes and tripped his son back into his chair.
"And here come the Irish mascots!" Mercifully Bagman piped up again and the veela stopped dancing.
"Were you watching it Harry, the feint, it was majestic!" Ron enthused again, playing it over again on his omioculars on his bunk.
"Watching the sky." Fred sang to a jovial tune.
"Oh how I'd die." George added.
"Just to see my Viktor fly!" They chorused together. Ron threw his pillow at them and went back to his reminiscing.
There were more sounds of fireworks in the distance, the Irish having been celebrating all night. He could only imagine what Seamus was up to right now. Hermione and Ginny had gone to bed, while the older men were outside by the campfire. Bill and Charlie had wandered off some time ago, Charlie claiming to see someone he knew and Bill just to go join the merriment. The twins had tried their best to join them but had been firmly denied by their father. Harry wasn't sure if it was for their own safety or everyone else's.
There was more banging in the distance, and sounds of raised voices. Definitely everyone else's safety.
Sirius and Mister Weasley suddenly barged into the tent, wands drawn and all merriment quickly evaporated. They looked worried and stressed. Ginny and Hermione were following after them
"Up, everyone, wands out." Sirius demanded.
"What's going on dad?" One of the twins asked.
"There's fire in the camp, everyone get up, we aren't sure what's going on but it isn't good." Harry could hear the tightly suppressed panic in their voices. "Fred, George, Ginny is with you, don't let her out of your sight for a second."
"You three able to stick together?" Sirius asked Harry unusually serious in a way Harry had not seen him behave, so he nodded and took out his wand. "Good, you're to make for the trees, away from the noise, you hear me? Stay safe and stay together, we will be right behind."
Harry's mouth had gone dry but he nodded again and looked at his friends. They all looked as scared as he felt but he wasn't going to show it. He had been in dangerous situations before. "Lets go." They all nodded and followed after the adults to the outside of the tent.
The camp was in chaos, smoke filling the air and panicked witches and wizards rushed about shouting and screaming. None of them could apparate away due to the Ministry restrictions so they were running for the proverbial exits and making a mess of everything in their stampede. Harry had to catch himself as a man rushed past holding a young child and almost bowled him over.
"Harry!" He heard Hermione shout and turned around. "Are you okay?" She shouted over the sound.
"I'm alright." He reassured her and grabbed her by the hand. The light was getting closer and the smoke thicker which meant that the fire was approaching, causing him to cough. "Come on, we need to move."
The twins pushed past them and Harry quickly lost sight of them behind a row of tents as a group of wizards cut them off from each other. Picking a gap he pulled his friends forward. The row of tents they ended up in led slightly towards the sounds and light, but they didn't have an option. They ran down the tents and Harry looked fervently for a turn towards the trees.
When he finally found one he moved left but his friends had stopped behind him. Turning around he found Hermione and Ron looking away from him and at a group of wizards in dark robes and masks at the end of the street of tents. Floating above them a man writhed in clear agony. It made Harry's skin crawl in discomfort but he knew he couldn't help the man.
"We have to run, come on!" He screamed, pulling them both by the sleeve. Thankfully they followed but when Harry looked back he saw two men in the robes had split from the group and were making to follow. "Run!"
They picked up pace and made distance on the men, who Harry somewhat suspected were having trouble seeing in their masks. The trees were dark and foreboding but nothing as frightening as the wizards on their tail.
They slowed down slightly in the trees, and Harry took the chance to look back, but saw nobody close, perhaps they lost them. Though more likely they were still on their way after seeing people run for the forest.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked in a whisper. "They might be following us."
"We can't fight them." Ron said, his voice quivering somewhat. "Did you see what they were doing to him?"
Harry looked around them, nervous of the men following them. Would they even know they were there, could they really put up any fight if they needed to. Or had they lost them?
The trees loomed large, casting shadows across the pine forest, even though it wasn't a particularly bright night. They were in a small gully, somewhat protected from sight but equally unable to see far. It continued on getting deeper further into the forest.
"If you are weaker and wanting to take your opponent's queen in a game of chess, what would you do?"
"Chess, now?" Hermione hissed, but Ron answered anyway.
"You set a trap."
There was a hunched over figure in the gully in the forest close to the camping ground of the Quidditch World Cup Final as two figures crested the rise overlooking the dry riverbed. They were dressed in dark robes with black hoods and dark masks that shined slightly in the moonlight.
One of the men hit his comrade in the arm and pointed at the hunched figure. They both chuckled and moved down the embankment, sliding a bit on the loose dirt and pine needles. One grabbed a tree for support on the way down.
"Who do we have 'ere." The taller one said, leering at the figure, who was smaller than a fully grown person and wearing a dark robe. It didn't move or respond, arms staying perfectly still wrapped around its legs and head tucked down. "Don't worry, we ain't gonna hurt you."
The shorter of the robed men stopped and grabbed the arm of his friend. "Something ain't right here."
Just as he said that a voice called out loudly. "Erupt!" And all hell broke loose.
The tree the shorter one was holding on exploded in the middle, just beneath where his hand was resting, sending the man flying. The taller one had to jump to the side as the tree came down. More trees erupted into splinters, crashing everywhere, snapping branches as they came down. The hunched over figure exploded also, shredding the cloth upon it.
The tall man cried out in pain as large pieces of wood cut at him and he fell to the ground, trying to avoid the chaos and protect himself as trees fell around him.
"What the fuck is happening!" He screamed in terror. "Alecto are you okay?"
"Don't-ugh." The shorter man hacked and coughed. "Don't use my name, halfwit."
The taller man scrambled to his feet, crying out in pain. As he stood he saw three figures standing further away into the forest, just standing and watching. "I'll fucking kill you!" He screamed at them and started to walk further into the gully.
"Don't be an i-ach-idiot." Alecto hissed at his friend. "There could be more traps, get me out of here!" The tall one raised his wand high and cast a lumos, but the figures were gone again. "Hurry up!"
The tall man retreated back to his friend and found him on the ground, his arm a bloody mess and huge pieces of wood sticking out of his side and right leg. He was bleeding profusely. The taller man picked his friend up easily and spun around, disappearing with a pop.
"Harry, what the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked, gulping audibly from next to him on the ground. They had just watched the entire treeline explode and fall around the men who had been following them.
"Unstable rune arrangements." Hermione answered for him, to his surprise. He had thought she had been occupied transfiguring the rock into something passably human.
"Activated to a phrase word." Harry confirmed. He wasn't sure if he should take pride in the carnage he had wrought, or feel slightly sick. But it got the men to leave and that was enough he supposed. Rolling over onto his back he let out the breath he had been holding.
"They weren't good people." Hermione said, ever the mind reader. Or perhaps she was feeling the same way he was.
"No, they aren't." He agreed, and sat up. "And what's done is done."
"You two are scary, you know that?" Ron added unhelpfully. Harry was thankfully saved from having to respond by a voice in the dark.
"Who's there?" Thankfully it was one he recognised well.
"It's us Sirius!" Harry responded, and the man rushed forward and engulfed him in a firm hug. "Are you okay?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling very tired and wanting to go home.
"Am I okay?" Sirius asked with a half laugh, wet with concern. "Look around you, are you okay?!"
I really knocked this one out , I know that there was a good bit of time skipping, but it just felt like it needed to happen to keep everything moving along.
There were some things I had planned a bit differently but realised that it was too much work for something that really didn't matter with the story. For example I had a whole subplot about the buying of the two neighbours properties. But it just would have been a lot of effort for something that, even if nice to read, wouldn't have really mattered. So I figured it would be better to spend the time actually moving the story forward.
Anyway, bit of a different tone this chapter, I just got a review about the story being boring, which was amusing given the progress of this chapter. For the record though I am okay with boring as I wasn't not going for some level of slice of life elements to this story. But this chapter at least ended with a bang. Harry also using some previous skills which are important to me. It's a pet peeve when stories have a character doing something just once and never using it again, so it was satisfying to get this out.
Hopefully limited errors. I hope you all enjoyed it regardless!
