CHAPTER TWENTY
SUMMER, AUSTRALIA
Every face in the room looked mortified, some even looked as if its owner had stopped breathing, no one said a thing and no one moved for what seemed like an eternity to Harry. He himself could hardly believe it, he merely sat where he was looking up at Elwyn, waiting. Then at last, as if after a stand still in time, time finally got moving again, everyone seemed to talk at once "You cant!" "No way!" "Your kidding?" "But. but. but. but." "But what will you do?" A man not far from Elwyn faulted, it was the Minister of Magic, Forellius Crudge, "What will you do, Elwyn? What will Koalingo do? You are the last living founder." "Precisely," Elwyn spoke again, "I am the last living founder, or so one would believe, I am old, I have been teaching officially for two hundred years, its time for a break," "But for how long, Sir?" Forellius asked again "For as long as I need, minister, please, lets not have another word about it, Professor ConDoin has agreed to take over as Headmaster in my absence and has already acquired a great many new staff for the new year," Elwyn smiled at Professor ConDoin, "You fired everyone?" Harry couldn't help it; it just slipped from his mouth. But to his great surprise Professor ConDoin merely laughed, "No, Mr Potter, it seems after last years. events, a few of the teachers fear that with Elwyn not returning next year, that they cannot trust in the safety of Koalingo manor," Professor ConDoin answered coolly, "As will the parents of every child," Mr Crudge had started up again, "Elwyn you know they trust the safety of Koalingo Manor, because you are there." "Yet, minister, the safety of Koalingo was compromised yet already, or have you forgotten?" Elwyn spoke, the minister went silent at once and many eyes were on Elwyn, Dumbledore looked at him curiously over his half moon specs, "Who better to ensure the security of Koalingo, then a general of the Australian Wizardry Defence Force? Professor ConDoin is a highly talented teacher and a fantastic leader, Koalingo will survive" "But." Mr Crudge began to say something but must have thought better of it as he fell silent, "Very well, if that is your decision." "It is," Elwyn looked back at him, and then smiled, "Now, I am sure the house elves have prepared a splendid meal for us all, so why delay it any longer, let dinner be served," Elwyn clapped his hands once and many doors in the walls opened and in walked over a hundred house elves, with platters upon platters of food,
The feast bore on to the point where Harry and Hermione had swapped seats with Mr and Mrs Weasley so they could speak with Dumbledore and Elwyn while Harry and Hermione joined Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, "Pretty sweet set-up you have here, Harry," Fred grinned, "So hows business in Australia?" "What's that?" Ginny looked at a platter of huge steaks, "Its Koala meat!" George joked, Fred laughed, "Not quite," laughed Godric. He, Alex, and Arthur were seated just across from Fred, George and Ginny, "But it is a meat you'll not get in any other country. unless it's imported," "What is it?" Ginny said, looking slightly worried, "Kangaroo meat," Alex dropped an especially large steak on his plate and cut into it, eating his first bite rather fast and swallowing it down, "No finer steak," "What's a Kangaroo?" Ginny looked at Fred and George, Fred grinned, looking at George, George grinned to and then spoke up, "Try some,"
"Why?" Ginny looked at them, she knew something was up, "Its very nice, look," Alex took another huge bite, by this time Arthur and Godric were also feasting in Kangaroo steak, Ginny lifted a small steak onto her plate and cut a bit off looking at Fred and George, who had done the same, except they had placed a particularly large piece in their mouths and were eating it wildly, "Its really nice," they said through full mouths, Ginny cut a piece off and put it in her mouth; she smiled, "It is nice," "Glad you think so," George smiled, "Do you want to know what a kangaroo is now?" Ginny nodded slowly, "A Kangaroo." Fred grinned, "Is a huge bouncing RAT!" "EW GROSS!" Ginny spat the steak out and it flew across the table landing in someone's drink, Fred and George burst out laughing, as did Alex, Godric, and Arthur. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, needless to say Ron was filling his face as best possible, and Hermione was looking at all the House elves, "Its ok, Hermione, you can eat - Australian house elves are paid for all their work, and they have days off, and they have holidays," Harry smiled, Hermione looked at him, "No. its not that. its nothing," she spoke but seemed a lot more comfortable afterwards.
The feast went on for quite some time, in which Harry had broken several wizard crackers with Ron and Hermione, loosing each time, but he was happy because Ron had gotten quite a few things from them, including a Christmas pudding, a remote control sailing boat, a muggle hand held computer game, and one of Fred and Georges fake wands, Ron was curious as to how it got into a wizard cracker, "He don't know, do he," Fred winked to Harry, Harry grinned back, The Feast went on for another few hours until the plates were left abandoned, the crackers had all been broken, and the guests were beginning to run out of things to tell each other, although Ron, Hermione and Harry had barely begun,
"Anyone for carols in the garden?" Elwyn said as he smiled, stood up and headed for the door, followed by just about all of the guests, Harry, Ron and Hermione waited until last, they walked from the dining room as the house elves began to tidy up,
"What happened? Were you drugged? I bet something was in the Butterbeer?" Ron asked as Harry told them the tale of Koalingo and all that had been going on, "Well you can always return to Hogwarts, you know, Harry" Hermione said to him, she looked slightly sad, "Well I cant leave Koalingo the way it is, if I was to leave, then I heard that something horrible happened, I'd never forgive myself," Harry said as they walked along the terrace. Godric, Alex, Arthur and a number of other kids had taken to running around the gardens with sparklers burning in their hands, waiting until they got low and close to there hands, they would then throw them in the air, where they'd sparkle and then explode,
"Why cant you, Harry? Why?" Hermione looked at him, "What do you owe these people? The only reason you are here is because Snape expelled you, and you've been pardoned," Ron looked at him, "Look, you can help or you can turn your back on me, either way I am staying here," Harry looked at them both,
Every face in the room looked mortified, some even looked as if its owner had stopped breathing, no one said a thing and no one moved for what seemed like an eternity to Harry. He himself could hardly believe it, he merely sat where he was looking up at Elwyn, waiting. Then at last, as if after a stand still in time, time finally got moving again, everyone seemed to talk at once "You cant!" "No way!" "Your kidding?" "But. but. but. but." "But what will you do?" A man not far from Elwyn faulted, it was the Minister of Magic, Forellius Crudge, "What will you do, Elwyn? What will Koalingo do? You are the last living founder." "Precisely," Elwyn spoke again, "I am the last living founder, or so one would believe, I am old, I have been teaching officially for two hundred years, its time for a break," "But for how long, Sir?" Forellius asked again "For as long as I need, minister, please, lets not have another word about it, Professor ConDoin has agreed to take over as Headmaster in my absence and has already acquired a great many new staff for the new year," Elwyn smiled at Professor ConDoin, "You fired everyone?" Harry couldn't help it; it just slipped from his mouth. But to his great surprise Professor ConDoin merely laughed, "No, Mr Potter, it seems after last years. events, a few of the teachers fear that with Elwyn not returning next year, that they cannot trust in the safety of Koalingo manor," Professor ConDoin answered coolly, "As will the parents of every child," Mr Crudge had started up again, "Elwyn you know they trust the safety of Koalingo Manor, because you are there." "Yet, minister, the safety of Koalingo was compromised yet already, or have you forgotten?" Elwyn spoke, the minister went silent at once and many eyes were on Elwyn, Dumbledore looked at him curiously over his half moon specs, "Who better to ensure the security of Koalingo, then a general of the Australian Wizardry Defence Force? Professor ConDoin is a highly talented teacher and a fantastic leader, Koalingo will survive" "But." Mr Crudge began to say something but must have thought better of it as he fell silent, "Very well, if that is your decision." "It is," Elwyn looked back at him, and then smiled, "Now, I am sure the house elves have prepared a splendid meal for us all, so why delay it any longer, let dinner be served," Elwyn clapped his hands once and many doors in the walls opened and in walked over a hundred house elves, with platters upon platters of food,
The feast bore on to the point where Harry and Hermione had swapped seats with Mr and Mrs Weasley so they could speak with Dumbledore and Elwyn while Harry and Hermione joined Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, "Pretty sweet set-up you have here, Harry," Fred grinned, "So hows business in Australia?" "What's that?" Ginny looked at a platter of huge steaks, "Its Koala meat!" George joked, Fred laughed, "Not quite," laughed Godric. He, Alex, and Arthur were seated just across from Fred, George and Ginny, "But it is a meat you'll not get in any other country. unless it's imported," "What is it?" Ginny said, looking slightly worried, "Kangaroo meat," Alex dropped an especially large steak on his plate and cut into it, eating his first bite rather fast and swallowing it down, "No finer steak," "What's a Kangaroo?" Ginny looked at Fred and George, Fred grinned, looking at George, George grinned to and then spoke up, "Try some,"
"Why?" Ginny looked at them, she knew something was up, "Its very nice, look," Alex took another huge bite, by this time Arthur and Godric were also feasting in Kangaroo steak, Ginny lifted a small steak onto her plate and cut a bit off looking at Fred and George, who had done the same, except they had placed a particularly large piece in their mouths and were eating it wildly, "Its really nice," they said through full mouths, Ginny cut a piece off and put it in her mouth; she smiled, "It is nice," "Glad you think so," George smiled, "Do you want to know what a kangaroo is now?" Ginny nodded slowly, "A Kangaroo." Fred grinned, "Is a huge bouncing RAT!" "EW GROSS!" Ginny spat the steak out and it flew across the table landing in someone's drink, Fred and George burst out laughing, as did Alex, Godric, and Arthur. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, needless to say Ron was filling his face as best possible, and Hermione was looking at all the House elves, "Its ok, Hermione, you can eat - Australian house elves are paid for all their work, and they have days off, and they have holidays," Harry smiled, Hermione looked at him, "No. its not that. its nothing," she spoke but seemed a lot more comfortable afterwards.
The feast went on for quite some time, in which Harry had broken several wizard crackers with Ron and Hermione, loosing each time, but he was happy because Ron had gotten quite a few things from them, including a Christmas pudding, a remote control sailing boat, a muggle hand held computer game, and one of Fred and Georges fake wands, Ron was curious as to how it got into a wizard cracker, "He don't know, do he," Fred winked to Harry, Harry grinned back, The Feast went on for another few hours until the plates were left abandoned, the crackers had all been broken, and the guests were beginning to run out of things to tell each other, although Ron, Hermione and Harry had barely begun,
"Anyone for carols in the garden?" Elwyn said as he smiled, stood up and headed for the door, followed by just about all of the guests, Harry, Ron and Hermione waited until last, they walked from the dining room as the house elves began to tidy up,
"What happened? Were you drugged? I bet something was in the Butterbeer?" Ron asked as Harry told them the tale of Koalingo and all that had been going on, "Well you can always return to Hogwarts, you know, Harry" Hermione said to him, she looked slightly sad, "Well I cant leave Koalingo the way it is, if I was to leave, then I heard that something horrible happened, I'd never forgive myself," Harry said as they walked along the terrace. Godric, Alex, Arthur and a number of other kids had taken to running around the gardens with sparklers burning in their hands, waiting until they got low and close to there hands, they would then throw them in the air, where they'd sparkle and then explode,
"Why cant you, Harry? Why?" Hermione looked at him, "What do you owe these people? The only reason you are here is because Snape expelled you, and you've been pardoned," Ron looked at him, "Look, you can help or you can turn your back on me, either way I am staying here," Harry looked at them both,