Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Author's Notes: I appreciate the warm reviews. Please note that the next two chapters will continue with background, before we get into more action.

Chapter 4

"The boy who could help"

Harry was awakened to a small grayish green hand over his mouth. He looked up to see

Dobby's other hand gesturing to Harry to keep quiet, with one long finger pressed up his lips.

Dobby was a house elf who had been in the employ of Harry Potter for 14 years. To this day,

Dobby remains the only House Elf to receive pay for his services. Though do to a change in "social climate" most House Elves were treated a lot better these days then they had been in the past. All House Elves could have chosen freedom and pay, but they all (except one) preferred the tradition of servitude. Harry nodded to Dobby and mouthed a silent thank you. Dobby stood up and straightened out this three piece suite. It was navy blue with faint off-white pinstripes, three buttoned with a flared lapel. Barely visible was a soft blue shirt, who's French cuff, with "D" shaped cuff links, showed at the end of the sleeves. It was accented with a lavender neck tie Ginny Potter had purchased a nice muggle children's suite for Dobby on Christmas many years ago and from that point on he had spent most of his salary on nothing but clothes.

"Dobby did you know that the house elves come out of the kitchen and take a bow before a feast is served at Hogwarts now."

"Yes Harry Potter, sir. Many things have changed since your very smart friend with the bushy hair got on to the board of governors of Hogwarts. Mandy and Trutie were telling me just the other day."

"Mandy and Trutie, a couple of friends up at the school Dobby?"

"I have lots of friends up at the school, Master Harry; I'm the only House Elf in the world who can buy presents." Dobby said with a rather wicked grin. "Being a free House Elf is rather nice."

Harry walked in the spacious kitchen at The Hideaway, their family home in the country, a few miles outside of Godric's Hollow. He was immediately barraged by his two boys. James Albus Potter was 10 years old and the spitting image of his father. He was a slender boy with the Potter family trade mark messy dark brown hair, and deep green eyes. His brother Charlie, though a year and a half younger than his brother, was nearly the same height and a hint thicker in build. He looked a Weasley, his mother's side of the family, completely. He was named after one of her brothers who had died in the battle with Voldemort. He had shoulder length wavy red hair and blue eyes. The boys were a formidable team, and Harry worried about them being separated next year when James left for Hogwarts.

"Daddy tell us about your trip to Hogwarts." James pleaded tugging on his fathers robe.

"Can you tell us why you had to go now, what's the big surprise?" Asked Charlie.

"You'll be late for school, their will be plenty of time tonight." Harry said gently

Neither of the boys were happy or satisfied with that answer.

"Come on Dad it's just muggle school." James piped in. "We've got to be the only wizards we know that have to go to a muggle school. I'll be off to Hogwarts next year, what's the difference if I miss a day, if I'm late."

Charlie simply nodded in agreement with his brother while finishing his eggs and bacon, not much stopped Charlie from eating.

Harry tried to look rather serious; this sort of thing was usually Ginny's territory.

"Boys you know why you go to a muggle school, for now. There is a world much larger than the wizarding world out there, and you should be able to function in both. Three of your cousins are still in muggle school too, even if it's not your own. And I know you have plenty of friends there; I heard your mother and grandma talking about a girl friend

Charlie?"

"Yuck, no way Dad!"

"Yeah, she likes him dad, it's not Charlie's fault." Both boys protested.

"Your mother will be down soon, why don't make nice, finish breakfast and get ready to go. I'll tell you all about last night and I'll tell you the story of the Tri-Wizarding Tournament tonight. Deal?"

The boys looked at each other and silently agreed, this was indeed a good deal. Almost in unison they both answered.

"Deal Dad." James said clearing his plate. Charlie hoped for even more, "Maybe even pensive a couple of parts for us to see dad?"

Before Harry could answer, a lovely but very pregnant Ginny Potter wobbled down the stairs and asked,

"You will be pensiving what for the boy's there, Dad?"

"Good morning sleeping beauty, I was afraid you weren't going to make it before we all had to leave."

Harry said, getting up to help Ginny down the stairs and into a seat. Dobby brought a rather large, rather full, plate over to the table and set it down in front of Ginny. Harry whispered into his wife's ear.

"Just a touch of bribery" Then in full voice with a touch of mock bravado, "Going to tell them about the Tri-Wizard Tournament tonight."

"Sounds like fun, Harry. Why don't you ask Ron if Hermione and Vicky want to come over, I'm sure she would love to hear the story as well. Finish getting ready boys your Grandmother will be here any minute, she'll be walking you to the bus."

The boys darted out of the room. Dobby came over to clear the rest of the table.

"Thank you, Dobby. I don't know what we would do with-out you." Ginny said smiling at the house elf, who cleared the plates while dressed like a banker. "I hope they were well behaved this morning. I seemed to need a bit of a lie-in."

"No trouble at all Miss Ginny, the boys and Dobby do just fine, we do. How many for dinner Miss Ginny?"

"Actually Dobby, Molly will be spending the day and night here with me, and she asked me to see if you wouldn't mind if she cooked, as she misses cooking for more then two, just her and Dad at the house and all."

"No problem at all Mrs., Dobby might make himself scarce then, wouldn't want to be under foot."

Ginny looked worried as if she had upset him, Dobby could be very sensitive. However, before she could explain Harry jumped in.

"Off to Hogwarts, again Dobby you suave dog? Don't let Dobby fool you Ginny he is quite the celebrity in the Hogwarts Kitchen."

Dobby smiled and winked and got back to work as the Molly buzzed them from the aparation room. The aparation room was a brilliant idea of Mad Eye Moody's, before old age finally got the best of him. It was a room similar to a muggle garage in looks. It allowed anyone who knew were The Hideaway was, as it was protected by a Fidelius charm, to apparate in or out, but held them in that room until they were cleared by Harry, Ginny, or Dobby, but not the boys, to come into the house or apparate back out. It was just an extra bit of safety, which had indeed caught a few less the friendly folks in the first few years after Voldemort's downfall. Harry hurried out of the kitchen and through a long hallway until he glanced through what usually looked like a large mirror. When people were in the apparation room it asked as a viewing screen and intercom.

"Hello Molly." Harry said warmly but bracing for what was coming.

"I swear, I just don't know why you keep this room up and working. Hello, Harry dear.

What will my quiz be today hmm?"

"I think you just answered it Mom, in your own special way."

Harry smiled wide and opened the door for her. He helped her with her over-night bag and was greeted with a big warm hug. As he turned around there was Dobby, hand out stretched, who's manner almost demanded the luggage. Harry handed him the bag and with a pop he disappeared before Molly could say hello, or Harry could thank him.

"I hope he is not upset that I wanted to cook tonight." Molly said very sheepishly

"Not at all." Harry assured her, "I think he is just in a rush actually, big plans today."

Molly smiled, although not getting the meaning and continued into the kitchen.

The rest of the morning moved along quickly as Molly said goodbye to Harry and took the boys off to the bus to school. Harry and Ginny got a couple of minutes together before he would head off to his office. Harry was glad that Molly was here to keep Ginny company during her last few weeks of pregnancy. As too much use of apparation, port key and floo travel were all not good for an expecting mother, it had left Ginny a little stranded. Though Dobby was wonderful, and the boys were home by 3 most days, her mothers company was a big help. Harry told her about last nights events but tried to keep it rather dull, so she didn't feel as if she had missed out on much. Though some time alone was indeed wonderful he had to be off.

Now Harry kept a small office in a wizarding settlement called Godric's Hollow not too far from the house. It was a nice small building made of redbrick, with one floor and five rooms. The first was the entrance way and waiting room with several almost unused couches, as there was very little traffic in and out of the office. Off from this room were two doors, one led to the bathroom. The other led to a small hallway with three doors. Behind the first door was a nice spacious office for Harry's only employee. Behind the second door was the meeting room. It had a long stone table, room for 20 seats a nice cabinet filled with butter beer, wine, mead, and even some fire whiskey. This room had been covered in so many charms and curses it might be one of the most secure rooms outside of Hogwarts and Gringotts. As Gingotts top curse breaker Bill Weasley was one of many people who had helped Harry protect the room. Then there was Harry's office which had a side door that connected it to the other office in the building. Harry's office might not have contained more then a desk and two chairs if it had not been for Ginny. Soon after the building was bought, rebuilt and magically protected, Ginny had stepped in and decorated Harry's office as a birthday present. In was done in Gryffindor colors of garnet and gold. The walls that did not hold book cases, shelving, or a secret cabinet that had a fridge, were covered in portraits of some very special people. There on Harry's walls were portraits of Sirius Black, Albus Dumbeldore, James and Lilly Potter, Mad Eye Moody, and Charlie Weasley. These moving and talking magical portraits had similar paintings of themselves located around the wizarding world, including the Hideaway, Hogwarts, the burrow, and various homes and business of some dear and special friends and family. Harry often spent too much of his time consulting and conversing with the two dimensional roommates of his office. Harry had a rather simple or at least classic red wood desk, finished wonderfully in his office. It too was very well charmed and work for but him alone. There were several comfortable chairs and couches for his occasional 3 dimensional guests.

And what was all this office space for, what did Harry do? Well most people in the wizarding world would like to know that as well. There were only two things that the general public were aware of for a fact, when it came to the business of Harry Potter. One was that Luna Lovegood shared office space and worked for the famous Harry Potter. The second was that he headed a charity to help children and orphans in particular. The wizarding world had suffered many tragic deaths during the years of the war against Voldemort. There were children without one or both parents on both sides of the war. There were families who had lost businesses and homes. "The boy who could help" foundation aided them all. Where all this money came from was another mystery. Though most people were aware of sizable family vaults Harry Potter had inherited, they could not have been this large? Harry had invested in rebuilding the wizard world.

It all started with Harry's 1000 galleon "leg up" he had given George and Fred Weasley, the twins. They had parlayed that money into a very successful joke shop business. After the war Harry had insisted in reinvesting some additional galleons to allow them to expand into other markets, like Hogsmead Village, and into a very expansive catalogue and owl post business. In return they and made Harry a silent, but full partner. Harry got to thinking; many other businesses had disappeared during the war. Either out of lack of customers, as people were afraid to do much of anything. Or out of loss of life and disappearance, but either way the wizarding world was a shell of it's former self. Harry began reaching out for friends to see if together they couldn't change all this. He kept it in the family to start with. He knew Ron had been tinkering with racing brooms at home in his spare time. Harry talked him into some start-up money and a couple of employees. In a years time Lion Brand brooms, customizable to position were off. By designing different brooms for seekers, beaters, keepers and chasers, they soon dominated the racing broom market. Soon the initial investment was paid back with a bit of profit and a percentage of the proceeds every year going to the charity. Harry had done this with a number of different businesses and friends making a good deal of money himself in the process. Business in the Magical world was soon flowing again, and after a little longer it was back to normal. Harry had always asked for the same few fair things, his involvement kept silent and small return on investment and a small percentage of yearly profits to the charity. Luna worked with Harry handling all the daily business, money transfers and overseeing the charity. Even more importantly she also stayed on top of Harry, to make sure he did what he should.

"Hello there, Harry." Luna mooned "How were the events at Hogwarts?"

"It went well enough; the Minister and I had a grand old time."

Luna stood up from her desk and walked through the side door into Harry's office.

"Anything from the night I can't see Harry?"

Harry thought about the night beginning to end, and finally shook his head no. With that Luna gathered a pensive from one of the shelves and placed it on Harry's desk. He extracted the memory of the evening and placed it directly into the pensive. Luna carried it back to her office.

"I hear you have been quoting me Harry?" a soft warm voice filled the room.

"I hope you didn't mind Albus, maybe I should have talked to you about it first?"

Harry and turned toward the painting of the former Headmaster.

"But I'm surprised you knew."

"Ah, yes Harry, even in death there is little that happens at Hogwarts that I don't know about. I was touched at your reaction to my statue". His eyes twinkled as he said so.

Harry shook his head; could his marble statue have the same attributes as his painting? Harry looked around, and noticed that Moody was the only other painting being inhabited.

"Mad eye good to see you." The painting nodded curtly back. "I wanted to ask you both a question. There is a contestant in the new Tri-Wizarding Tournament that I thought there was something as ah…different about. His name was Tormes Meliflua. Mean anything to either of you?"

Both paintings shook their heads, neither recognized the name. Dumbeldore spoke first,

"What was it that bothered you Harry?"

"I'm not really sure. Something was a touch familiar about him. I also had the most unusual head ache last night."

"Unusual how Harry!" Demanded Mad Eye.

"It seemed to start under my scar." Both portraits looked at each other and then to Harry who continued, "It also seemed to start and end with my time spent with the Minister of Magic."

"Keep and eye out Potter, I don't think I need to remind you of constant vigilance do I? " Moody barked but smiled.

"Harry please keep me informed about anything more regarding you headache. But for the time being I don't think you have anything to worry about." Dumbeldore added.

Harry caught them up on the rest of the night's events and inquired to the missing portraits who it appeared were off visiting other people. As lunch approached Luna came in the office with a rather large stack of papers for Harry and the contents of the pensive in a glass vile. The glass vile went into the refrigerator which Harry had discovered preserved a memory with increased vibrancy. She placed the stack of papers in front of him.

"And all this is what Luna?" Harry asked, somewhat all ready knowing the answer.

"Well, where to start" Luna said, "The top 3 letters are to each of Ministers of Magic commenting on how good it was to see them and soliciting their aid for the charity. The next two are letters to Maxime and Nikola. After some formalities it asks them to submit any names of students that might need our support. There are three letters of congratulations drafted to each champion, whether you know it or not Mr. Boy who lived, a personal note from you would be a very nice keep sake to most students. There is a letter to my husband asking him to come and have lunch with you soon, I think we both know what Professor Sprout meant." With this Harry looked up from shuffling the letters Luna nodded her approval and continued on. "Finally there are letters to each of your nieces and nephews done with your personal handwriting quill, apologizing for not coming to see them before or after the feast. To think, you couldn't find some personal time for them?"

Harry began to explain about the headache she could not know about from the pensive memory, and being a bit out of sorts after seeing the statue and being there for the first time in so long, but Luna cut him off and simply said,

"Tell it to them Harry, not to me."

Harry began to read and sign and make a few post scripts. Luna went back to her office. Harry knew he was very lucky the charity interested her more then the quibbler. Harry knew the loss of her mother had always stayed with her more then she let know. Harry worked through lunch and he and Luna closed up early and said their good byes for the weekend. They both apparated off feeling very satisfied with the day.

Please feel free to review, criticize and correct as much as you want. This is a first for me and just some fun.