JK Rowling Owns Harry Potter and all the Supporting characters from that universe.

FASA Owns Earthdawn

ϡ - To prevent confusion, conversations in French will start and end with ϡ. Reminder: Harry learned French from his mother's incarnation as she wanted him to attend Beauxbatons. Not everyone speaks French, and there will be a few folks that struggle without translation charms.

Note, spells verbalized will be in Bold and in Quotations. Spells cast silently will not be Bold and will be between apostrophes.

"Protego!" = Vocalized

'Protego!' = Silent

Parseltongue is designated with §"Italic Script"§

I didn't get to any action in this chapter, but it will be in the next. Combat takes a long time to write convincingly. Rather than make you all wait for me to finish proofing and fine tuning the combat section, I decided to just release this chapter now. Yes, it is shorter than most of my chapters, but it sets the Harry/Daphne pairing on the path forward.

Note: There is a bit of world building at the end. I focused on Family Grimoires and if you like it, let me know and I'll incorporate more into the notes of future chapters. I hope you will like it.

—Casting Shadows—

Chapter 23: Dinner with a Friend

Malfoy Vacation Chateau

Nernier, France

Sunday, August 12, 2001

5:30PM

Harry had gone back to the Delacour manor to prepare for his date with Daphne. He needed to stop thinking about mages and bloodlines for a few hours and just go on a normal date. No combat or crazy talk about mages and monsters. Just a fun night out with good food.

He went with a 'dressy casual outfit' Kreacher had put together. It was nice… as always. Grey trousers, White shirt, burgundy tie and a light weight navy blazer. Black wingtips to keep it casual. It seemed more formal than he felt. Still, just clothes. What really mattered was the conversation and the way he treated his date. Fleur gave him a bit of advice, but it was basic stuff. Open the door for her, help her into her chair, kiss her hand, etc. Harry couldn't help but notice she wasn't really into it, though. Maybe she had wanted him to be with Gabby. That door shut when Gabby became his apprentice.

As a general rule, Harry avoided active occlumency when he wanted to connect with people. He knew he could shut off all emotions and close himself off. Fully focusing on specific things with no distraction. It would keep him from looking nervous, but it wasn't worth it in this situation. It was amazing how well it helped him learn and present a calm image, but it also made him a bit of a 'robot'. He remembered how much it bothered Ginny when he shut down his emotions. So, he was going on this date both open and vulnerable. Two things he did not enjoy being.

Now, walking up to the Malfoy Chateau, Harry suddenly felt nervous. He was extremely early, but Fleur said it was expected. It gave him time to meet and talk with the family. Of course, in this case, it was the Malfoys. The home itself was gorgeous. Nothing was casual about this home, it was just plain beautiful. Pipsey had picked out a simple arrangement of flowers, Harry suddenly felt silly holding it. His stomach was queasy and his heart beat was elevated. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Draco.

"Harry, come in. Daphne is almost ready."

"Thanks, Draco. You have a very nice home." Harry realized he was stating the obvious. Still, despite the beauty of this vacation home, Harry definitely preferred the warmth of his own small house in Yvoire. Draco led Harry into a comfortable looking parlor.

"Harry, can I get you anything? A shot of courage, perhaps?" Draco added the last bit with a small smirk.

Harry chuckled a bit, "Oh, boy. Is it that obvious?" Harry always found it odd that Draco could read his mood better than any of his other friends.

Draco had always been able to spot Harrys emotional state. Reading people was one of his skills. His father had taught him early how to read people. Lucius Malfoy had used the ability to further the family fortunes and avoid prison. Draco used the talent in his healing practice to good effect. But he hadn't always use it to heal. In school, he used his ability to torment other students, especially Harry. Later, once they mended fences, he mostly used it to keep Harry calm and gauge his approachability. Right now, he could see Harry was nervous. Nervous and possibly conflicted. Hopefully he didn't feel guilty about going out with someone other than Weasley.

Draco poured Harry a small drink. "Just be yourself, Harry. Don't make this a rebound date. Just a dinner with a friend you want to know better." That seemed to calm Harry. But he just couldn't stop there. "A drop dead gorgeous friend…"

Draco guiltily noted the sudden spike in anxiety. As much as he enjoyed twisting Harry up, he couldn't do that to Daphne. Being honest with himself, he realized he wanted both of them to have fun. Somewhere along the way, he and Harry became friends.

"Just have fun. I highly doubt Daphne is expecting you to dazzle or impress her." Draco watched Harry slowly relax, "Enjoy the food. And hey, if you get tired of Daphne, you can always ask Jean Chopin on a date. That man seems to love you more than even Slughorn!" They both laughed at that. Draco decided he had done his part.

They started talking Quidditch. Sports were always the easy fall back between the two. Harry mentioned his partial ownership in Puddlemere United and how he had no idea what to do with it. Draco apparently was a Puddlemere fan and that got them discussing the current roster of players. After a good thirty minutes, they began making plans to watch them in the coming season together. In the middle of their plans, Tracey Davis came down and joined the discussion.

Draco picked up a lot of emotional cues from Tracey. She was now a 'tough as nails' Auror with a solid reputation. Back in school, they seemed to get along OK. He always had respected her fearless nature. That's why he was so surprised to see her somewhat tentative and nervous around Harry. Draco had expected her to come down and do the whole 'You better not hurt her, Potter!' spiel, but one look and he knew that wasn't happening. Why was she afraid of Harry? What had she seen?

Tracy had her bravado up and used it to cover up her anxiety, "Alright, boys. If we're gonna talk Quidditch, let's focus on some real competitors. The Kenmare Kestrels are looking better than ever and have a new Seeker that is flat out amazing…."

The 'smack talk' really started up at that point. Eventually, they were interrupted by Astoria entering the room. Astoria had a presence that just seemed to calm you down. She was kind and caring, and when you were around her, you seemed to find it in yourself as well. It was great to be around, but it killed the mood when it came to smack talk.

With a pleasant smile, Astoria said, "Harry, Daphne will be down in a moment. I hope these two haven't been giving you a hard time." She said it in jest, but he sensed she meant it.

Tracey pretended not to hear and Draco laughed a bit and responded, "Not at all. Harry is going to get us box seats for the Puddlemere United games." Seeing Harry's look of confusion, Draco added, "Partial owners automatically get four tickets to the owner's box. I imagine the other owners have been filling your seats with their own friends for years."

Harry didn't like the sound of that. First, his estate's mana and orichalcum, now his seats. He was tired of being everyone's doormat. How many people are going to take advantage of him?

Draco suddenly picked up a flash of anger, "Easy there, Harry. This is normal. If an owner doesn't request their seats, the other owners have the option." Daphne would kill him if Harry started the date pissed off. Worse, Astoria would hex him silly.

Harry was sick of being taken advantage of. "It just seems like everyone has their hands in my cookie jar, but I haven't had any cookies."

Tracey just stopped and stared. She then said what everyone was thinking, "Are you kidding? Do you know how that sounded, Harry?" Everyone slowly started to chuckle. Even Harry recognized the double meaning. Tracey just kept going, "Well, better protect those cookies, big boy. We wouldn't want Daphne to try and get her hands in your private little cookie jar." She made quotations with her fingers as she said 'cookie jar'.

Just as everyone began laughing, Daphne entered the room. "Did I miss something?"

And just like that, everyone stopped laughing. Daphne looked gorgeous in a black evening dress. She seemed to steal the light from the entire room and focus it on her. Or maybe it was just that Harry couldn't look away. He no longer felt over-dressed. Quite the opposite.

Harry managed to croak out, "Hi Daphne, you look amazing." He then remembered the flowers. He handed them to her and kissed her hand. No matter how much he did that, he always felt embarrassed. He forgot to coat his lips with a charm, but he was confident she hadn't poisoned him. Soon, they headed to the apparition point and departed on their date.

After they left, Draco looked at Tracey a moment and asked, "So, what's the deal with you and Potter? He may be obtuse but I definitely sensed a bit of… trepidation."

Tracey winced. "I had planned to do the whole 'big sister' spiel, but lost my nerve. How do you threaten someone like Harry? Honestly, he's kind of too innocent to threaten, but also too vicious and powerful to want to anger." Seeing the odd look on Draco's face she added, "I didn't see you challenging him."

Draco took a deep breath, "Harry may be one of the most powerful mages we'll ever meet. Right up there with Dumbledore and 'You-Know-Who'… but he's still Harry. I lived with him for over a year and I can tell you, he is exactly what he seems to be. Besides, why make threats you can't back up to someone who would never do anything inappropriate anyway? It's kind of like threatening a dragon and warning it not to dance ballet."

Astoria laughed. "You two always act so odd around Harry. Like he's one heartbeat away from exploding. He's just a sweet guy who likes helping people."

Tracey always fell back on the one thing she couldn't get past. The only thing she and Susan ever seemed to agree on. "He didn't help Umbridge."

Astoria flinched. Draco just looked down. After a moment of silence, Astoria walked out without uttering a word.

Draco looked over at Tracey, "Why do you always bring that up? You know he couldn't have done that. Harry may be powerful and dangerous in a fight, but that was way beyond anything he's capable of." Draco knew Harry set Umbridge up, but he had been naive and had no idea how vicious her inquisitors were.

Tracey knew she shouldn't have said anything. "Then explain it to me… I saw the woman's file and it was horrible. Daphne saw him in the theatre, he was there. If it hadn't been for those lawyers…"

Draco went stoic. "Fine. We'll agree to disagree. I'll let you see yourself out." And he went to check on his fiancé.

Tracey was suddenly left alone, feeling like a heel. She knew how horrible Umbridge was and she didn't hold it against Harry. But he was dating her best friend…

—Casting Shadows—

Le Savoureux Restaurant

Paris, France

6:30 PM Sunday Night

August 12, 2001

Harry and Daphne walked along Montmartre* towards Le Savoureux. They were stopped a couple of times by people that wanted to thank Harry for saving Paris from the 'blood thirsty Muggle-borns'. Not at all what he was looking for. At least they weren't running in fear or treating him like a budding Dark Lord.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Jean greeted the pair warmly and took them to a cozy corner table. Harry noted that Jean made a point of leading them through the restaurant where everyone could see them. Just like Slughorn would have. Once seated, Harry quietly put up a privacy charm and checked for any remote listening devices. The scan came back negative - clean and clear.

"Daphne, thanks for agreeing to come out with me. Are you enjoying France?"

Daphne was all poise and control, "France is lovely. I hope to spend more time here in the future, but I still love Britain, especially Scotland. There's just something about the Scottish Highlands that pulls you in. I think it's the remoteness of it."

Harry considered what she said and agreed. "Yeah. I remember going out with Hedwig and just feeling like we were all alone in the word…" Thinking of Hedwig always got to him. Changing the subject, Harry asked, "Say, are you familiar with Oxfordshire? I keep thinking about rebuilding property there, but I'm not sure if I want to duplicate the old manor or go with something new."

Daphne nodded. She understood the need to honor tradition as well as the need to build something new. "Well, the foundations are probably intact enough that you could do both. Keep the basic shape and design, but add your own touches to the inside. The Potter manor was known to have been very nice. Less ostentatious than most, but very nice touches. Dorea Potter was very good at design and decorating. And then there's the vault to consider. Probably filled with paintings and family artifacts. It's amazing how important those things are compared to gold and wealth."

"I thought about a house in Hogsmeade, but decided to build a place for the orphans from the last war. You know, a place they can feel at home in. I haven't talked to anyone about it yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll be doing it. You know, the five acres of the shrieking shack. Maybe more if the Goblins can buy up the surrounding property."

Daphne smiled, "That's very charitable, Harry. Let's just make sure you get plenty of funding and tax breaks. You don't have to foot the bill in its entirety. We can raise funds through various means." After a moment, she added, "You know, it's been tried before, but private orphanages and schools never had the funds to last. The magical community just isn't big enough without plenty of sponsors. Sponsors with deep pockets. Have you thought about goals or a mission statement?"

Harry hadn't thought that far ahead, "Well, no. I just want to help out. Maybe when we get back to Britain we can review it with Andromeda." This was turning into a working dinner, not at all what he wanted.

"So, enough of that." Looking at Daphne, he asked, "What did you want to do when you graduated? I remember you taking all the more advanced classes. Hermione used to stress about you or Padma having higher scores and bumping her out of the top spot."

Daphne actually laughed a bit at that. "She did obsess a bit. You had high marks as well, if I remember correctly."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I hated History and Snape used to harass me so much in potions… It was easier to just focus on the other classes. I guess I was better than most at the practical work, but I hated writing. I mean, why write two feet of script when I could just sum it up in six inches?"

Daphne had heard similar phrases from other gifted students. They just didn't understand why others struggled. "Harry, you were not 'better than most', you were better than everyone. Even some of the teachers. Some of your knowledge was… well, how did you know so much? I mean, you were Muggle raised, but you knew more about Runes and Arithmancy on day one than most seventh years."

Harry considered just shrugging, but he knew Daphne couldn't reveal anything he told her, "My mother left a bit of herself with me when she died. She was training me and passing along her knowledge my whole life. While most kids slept, I was in training. In my sleep. When I got the chance to learn curse breaking, I just went into overdrive. God I loved it. Then Voldemort came back after fourth year. At that point, I just focused on survival and never planned to do anything other than fight dark wizards and witches. Now, I'm a licensed curse-breaker and warder, but I'm finding I want more. Family, friendships, improving the world as a whole… I'm having to re-invent myself. It's a bit frightening how unprepared I am for day to day life, when all I mostly just planned to do was charge into battle." Harry didn't have to finish that thought. He obviously never intended to live this long.

Suddenly, Harry realized what she had done. Distract and avoid. With a wry grin he said, "Back to you, Greengrass. What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Daphne knew she had been found out. With a smile she said, "I'm not that different from you, Harry. After You-Know-Who returned, I focused on becoming the model of a Pure-blood trophy wife. My family was neutral in the first war and my brother and I had roles to play in the second. It started as delay tactics, but turned into survival tactics. My father had no intention of marrying me off, but after the Ministry fell… Well, we just wanted to survive. We were pulling for you, Harry. Not just to save ourselves, either. We have a lot of 'less than pure' friends."

Harry knew more about Daphne and her family than he let on. How she had refused to practice the Cruciatus curse on other students. How she looked the other way, more than once, when the Gryffindor students were 'resisting'. How more than one marked Deatheater was petitioning for her hand. He knew her older brother, Michael, had acted like a Pure-blood sympathizer, but had helped Muggle-born refugees escape. Thinking of Michael, Harry silently resolved to find out if Padma had passed on his message to the Ministry. He'd try to find out later.

Still, he wanted her to talk about her dreams, "What did you want to be before he returned? Before it all went off the tracks?"

Daphne considered the question a moment, then admitted, "I wanted to work in the Wizengamot. I planned to be the Greengrass chief of staff on day. If the position never materializes, I'd like to be a lobbyist. I'd love to say I wanted to join the Department of Mysteries, but the role of a researcher… no. I want to make changes in our world, not focus on theory and rituals. There are lots of careers around the Wizengamot, even if you don't sit in a chair. I also considered enchanting, but only as a hobby."

Harry didn't really know what to say. "Well, that explains how you understand so much about what's going on. Andromeda was raised in much the same way. Before she ran off with Ted, she was meant to assist in running the House of Black."

Daphne nodded, "That's one of the reasons I was so eager to work for her. That and helping my family dig out of the hole the last war left us in."

Harry knew all this. She had been very transparent. "I'd like to hear more about the enchantments you prefer. I dabble quite a bit myself. Some of the most unique are not exactly legal… blood charms and what not. But most is above the board." Seeing Daphne flinch at the mention of blood charms he added, "You know, it's not illegal to make blood charms, just to sell them. Gifting them is a grey area… Hell, all the best property wards are 'technically' blood wards. That's how a family is able to dial in and control them. Then you have the ritual bowls most of the families own… All blood magic."

Daphne was suddenly very interested. They talked on through dinner, discussing ward schematics and different charms. Harry discussed how he would regularly give away enchanted items designed to protect his friends and family. Some people are carrying around massive protections and don't even know it! He never enchanted for money, but it was definitely a passion. He did, however, collect royalties for a few of his designs.

Harry's favorite 'royalty design' was a simple inertia dampener for the DMLE he had created over a year ago. It centered on a medallion worn around the neck. It was designed to stop any small object moving over about seven hundred feet per second. It generally worked against modern bullets, but not arrows or low powered musket balls. He designed it to have a range of about two and a half feet from the charm, allowing the holder to fire a firearm if he extended his arms and wore the medallion backwards so it was in the center of his or her back. Worn at the center of the torso, the body, head, and upper arms were covered, but not the lower legs.

Daphne asked a lot of detailed questions. It reminded Harry of his conversations with Padma. She asked all the right questions and seemed intrigued at the idea. All magical children were taught the dangers of firearms. After the Grindelwald War, aka World War Two, no one underestimated Muggle weapons.

Daphne pressed him a bit, "Couldn't you make the field oblong to cover the legs? And, if strengthened, I imagine you could cut the speed affected to three hundred feet per second. Would that work with Arrows?"

Harry nodded. "Three hundred feet per second would work with arrows fired from powerful bows or crossbows, two hundred would cover most traditional bows. But once you go that low, the field loses a bit of stability. It begins impacting extremely fast wand movements. Especially with 'whippy' wands. Fast movements and dodges might be partially impacted… it's just safer and more reliable to focus on bullets. As for the shape of the field, oblong shapes impact the mass it can affect. A small caliber bullet could potentially slide through. Possibly small shotgun pellets as well."

Daphne followed the logic and asked, "So, basically, it covers the surprise attack."

Harry smiled, "Right. Once a witch or wizard knows they are under attack, there are all kinds of better charms or transfigurations to deal with a Muggle sniper. This just gives them the time to react."

Watching Daphne discuss enchantments made Harry wonder about her own thoughts and ideas. "So, Daphne… what charms have you considered making? I'm sure you have some ideas you've come up with."

Daphne decided to share a few of her ideas for practical enchantments. "Mine are mostly communication based. Something easier than sticking your head in the fireplace. Faster than sending an owl. Look at Muggles and their mobile telephones. Unless you have a banishing box, international communication is terribly slow. I like the idea of simple enchantments to allow for better communication."

She went on to share some of her ideas. Most were tied to wearable or easy to carry objects like watches or makeup compacts. All were designed to enable easier communication between wearers. She also discussed two-way-notebooks, but those had already been invented and users were charged per letter.

Harry noted that Daphne's ideas were primarily communication based and less combat oriented. Basically, they were more marketable.

"Daphne, those are good ideas. My father and godfather created two way mirrors to assist in communication. They never tried to market them though. Seems like they could have made a fortune."

Daphne smiled in a sad way. "Or they could have been arrested. Communication devices would interfere with Ministry revenue, which would result in either over taxation or outright confiscation. The Ministry has a hefty broom tax. Look at what they did to block the sale of magic carpets."

Harry was surprised to learn this. "So those mirrors were illegal? What else does the Ministry control? I always wondered how they made their money. It seems to employ a fourth of magical Britain."

Daphne thought a moment then said, "The Ministry collects revenue from transportation, communication, and the resale of Muggle products. Communication comes from the floo network and, if you don't need immediate communication, there is the Ministry owned 'owl post'. While personal owls were allowed, they're heavily taxed to cover the lost revenue. Transportation comes from the Ministry owned and operated Knight Bus, the sale of Floo powder, and the expense of apparition licenses. Don't forget Portkeys and international Portkeys. All heavily controlled through the Ministry."

Harry followed, "You also mentioned Muggle reselling?"

Daphne painfully noted how little Harry knew about their world. "Right, there are hundreds of areas where the Ministry holds a monopoly or applies high taxes, but the biggest is muggle products and food. With the statue of secrecy, they're the only permitted reseller of muggle products. Food is the biggest revenue generator. Distantly followed by other commodities and raw materials. It's easier to let muggles produce certain specialty raw materials. For example, you like tweed. I've seen you in plenty of tweed overcoats. Rolls of Harris Tweed and other quality fabrics are purchased by the Ministry and supplied to various magical tailors. Same with iron, aluminum, etc. But food is the big source of revenue. Honestly, most magical families could just charm or transfigure whatever they needed for day to day living, but not food. Most magical families rely wholly or partially on Muggle produced food. The Ministry purchases food from Muggle wholesalers and adds a significant mark up."

Harry considered the Weasleys and their garden. It supplemented their food, but they still got food elsewhere. He couldn't imagine Mr. Weasley going into a Muggle grocery store. That would be disastrous. Harry even had to teach Bill how to act in the muggle world, and Bill was pretty good at fitting in anywhere. It made sense, but somehow seems wrong. So many monopolies.

Daphne correctly interpreted his consternation, "Harry, the Ministry needs money. Wizarding money. Galleons. They employ so many wizards and witches. Then there are the rituals and maintenance to keep magical Britain intact. The taxes are needed, and without the monopolies, the Ministry couldn't pay its employees or sustain the country. The system works, it just feels oppressive when you try to break out of it."

Harry nodded, "I see. Well, why not license these enchanted products back to the Ministry? Take a cut, but let the Ministry keep the bulk of the profits?"

"People would find a way to work around it. Still, maybe we can come up with something. And there's nothing wrong with creating a personal enchantment, it's only if you go to market that it becomes a problem. Tracey and I used to spend hours coming up with all kinds of ideas for enchantments. We had a book that we would keep our notes in. I think I still have it somewhere." Daphne seemed so excited thinking about enchanting and her old school days.

"You and Tracey were friends all through school. Kind of like Hermione and me." With a small laugh, he added, "She mostly focused on keeping me out of trouble. Then Ginny and Neville came along… And Colin. I guess I used to dream of playing Quidditch. In my first and second year. Then I apprenticed with Bill in Egypt before my third year and curse-breaking took over. Did you know my family was once known for curse-breaking and enchanting?"

Daphne laughed, "Of course, Harry. The Potters were, without a doubt, the best in Britain. Your curse-breaking business is already garnering tremendous respect. Not just in Britain, but internationally as well. If you branch out into enchantments, you'd be continuing the family tradition."

They talked on through the night. Harry shared his life with the Dursley family and how hard it was to come back to Hogwarts in his sixth year. He touched on losing Sirius, but tried to avoid dwelling on that. He got Daphne to talk about her time in Slytherin house and how it wasn't really that bad until fifth year. She detailed how the extremists took over and how the moderates and half-blood members had to adjust. It went from the house of ambition to the house of survival. She also shared her decision to join Umbridge's inquisitors in order to keep Tracey and Astoria safe.

After dessert was served, Daphne asked a question she had wondered about for years. "Harry, you know I'm under a contract for privacy. I was the one who ran for help when Umbridge and her inquisitors had you cornered in the old theatre. Will you tell me what happened?" She was beginning to really like Harry, but this was holding her back.

Umbridge's injuries had been so horrible… She needed to know if Harry had a dark side. Well, she already knew he was merciless in combat, but how deep did it go? Umbridge's injuries looked like torture. Horrible injuries inflicted even after she must have passed out. If Harry did that, he had a really dark side. Tracey saw Umbridge before the authorities arrived and had been affected by that event. She always said it spoke volumes about a person who would do that. Daphne wasn't so sure. She just didn't see Harry able to do that. If he was, then he had issues she wasn't prepared to deal with.

Harry sat back. He had only shared his role in that encounter with five people. Andromeda, Ted, Ginny, Draco and Hermione. Solicitors don't count... He was also fairly certain Dumbledore knew… He had second guessed his decision that day for years. He set events into motion that he never dreamed would have resulted in so much pain… But he felt no guilt. Umbridge brought it on herself.

Harry nodded. "Are you sure you want to know? You can never share the details of what I did. But you can share your general opinion. You know, as long as it doesn't incriminate me…" The last part was said in a jovial manner, but he meant it.

"I want to know, Harry. I was the one who went to get help… Honestly, I think I deserve to know."

"Okay. I'll demonstrate…" **

—Casting Shadows—

Harry brought Daphne back to the Malfoy Chateau a little after midnight. She had an amazing time. Harry had been everything she had expected and more. His little trick was impressive. Brilliant even. She'd never again wonder about Harry's integrity. How he dealt with Umbridge was beyond brilliant. And that woman brought every bit of it on herself.

The date had been mostly about getting to know each other. Harry was just coming out of a long term relationship and she knew how much the breakup had upset him. It was unspoken, but they both seemed to want to take things slowly. This had potential. Neither of them wanted to move too fast and ruin things.

At the end of the evening, Harry had asked if she would be his date to a French Ministry ceremony this coming Wednesday. Some kind of award ceremony for saving those witches he had saved. He planned to announce Gabrielle's apprenticeship and say a few words about the Lavoisier family. Harry was disturbed that so many were thanking him for defending the Pure-bloods from the violent 'muggleborn hordes'… He planned to address that. Daphne politely declined to be Harry's date to the event, she needed to stay with her family.

She discussed going to Britain on Tuesday to show support for Michael when he was released. Apparently, getting someone out of Azkaban with a clean record required a great deal of paperwork and legal expertise. They were expecting there to be protestors when it was announced. Harry asked to attend and show support, something that she knew would carry a great deal of weight.

Things were looking up.

—Casting Shadows—

Notes:

* Montmartre is the Wizarding District of Paris.

** I'm not sharing this trick before I write it out in the Dance of Death. Sorry. I think it's worth the wait, though.

Family Grimoires:

Innate magical talents like Parseltongue and Metamorphmagus abilities are not the same as magic in the 'Family Grimoire'. The grimoire contains a group of unique spells and rituals created by family members and passed down through generations. Sometimes, the spells are commonly known, but with a unique twist. Oftentimes, there are unique rituals and spells that have been passed down and 'improved upon' for centuries. Most of these grimoires are heavily warded and have never been shared or practiced outside of the core family. The majority of family grimoires in Britain predate 1066.

Over time, these spells and rituals become a natural part of the family's magical identity. This means family members can learn them easier than outsiders and the effects are somewhat more pronounced than they would be by members of another family. The repeated use of these rituals can also become an innate magical talent over generations of constant familial exposure.

Example: Salazar Slytherin's ancestors created a ritual that allowed for communication and command of serpents. After being practiced for generations, it became ingrained into the Slytherin family's natural magical pattern. Eventually, some of the descendants of the original Slytherin no longer needed to use the ritual. Salazar was probably the great, great, grandchild of the originator of the snake communication and commanding ritual. Each generation before him practiced the ritual regularly. Eventually, the descendants naturally could speak with and command serpents. The Gaunt family probably lost or sold the Grimoire as the talent began to appear in the Far East over time. Primarily in India.

Non-family members can learn the spells from a family grimoire, if given access. For this reason, grimoires are coveted and protected by families as others may try to steal them and replicate the spells for themselves or their own family. Tom Riddle found out about family grimoires in school and this drove much of his recruitment efforts. He valued the family grimoires as much as the galleons available when choosing families to recruit. All of Voldemort's followers were eventually required to share their Grimoires with him. Once his followers were marked, they literally could not refuse. Many of Voldemort's attacks on pureblood families who tried to remain neutral or resisted his efforts to recruit them were partially driven by a desire to steal knowledge from ancient family grimoires. For this reason, many family grimoires are hidden and stored in Gringotts vaults.

Older families frequently end up sharing some of their own family spells to further the overall magical community. This is actively encouraged and tax breaks are given when a family shares their knowledge. However, no family shares all of their knowledge. The choice spells are always kept in the grimoire. Sometimes, families will share an earlier version of a spell and keep the more up to date version to themselves. Occasionally, when a family needs galleons badly, they will write a book containing a number of family spells from their family grimoire and sell the book internationally to replenish their vault. Muggleborn wizards and witches frequently feel cheated as there is a large amount of undocumented magic that they have no access to. Purebloods respond by telling them to buy an empty book and get started.

Ministry Funds

I touched on this in the chapter. When you look at the size of the ministry, it is huge. It also seems a bit bloated. So, where does all the money come from? Most witches and wizards can be fairly self-sustaining with simple charms and transfiguration magic.

Food - This is the easy winner. Everyone has got to eat and you can't magically create food. I see this as a way for the ministry to collect buckets of money – just re-sell muggle food. Let's face it, the modern world is very good at distributing food.

Muggle Commodities and Raw materials – It's easier to just let muggles collect, manufacture, and sell raw materials and semi-finished products to the ministry for re-sale than to produce from scratch. Why mine silver when you can just buy it from a muggle wholesaler and re-sell it to the wizarding population. Think 'ministry approved' muggle products. Always finished by magical families and sold to the public. Madame Malkin must get her fabrics somewhere. E.g. Acromantula silk = wizarding sourced. Tweed coats = muggle bolts of material.

The ministry has plenty of muggle money, they use it to purchase the materials they resell. Most of the muggle funds were created through investments directed by the obliviators. Not especially honest, but they have to buy the commodities and groceries somehow.

Muggle-borne can get around this easily. The ministry just accepts this, but will assess fines and criminal sentences if they hear about a 'Black Market' for muggle goods forming. It is near impossible to tell a muggle-born witch or wizard that they can't go to their local muggle owned grocery or retail store and buy food or clothing for thirty to forty percent less, just because the ministry needs their money. The same ministry that won't hire them because it fears they won't support the wizarding world.

Then there is transportation revenue– Floo powder, portkey fees and taxes, international portkey charges, the knight bus, magical trains, apparition point maintenance fees, probably more.

Communication revenue– The owl post, the floo network fees, taxes on privately owned owls.

Other taxes – Broom tax, sales tax, luxury tax on expensive items, home taxes, liquor taxes, import tax, etc.

License fees– Enchanters license, curse-breaker license, apparition license, business licenses (restaurant, etc.), familiar license, medical license maintenance, etc.

Sale of Mana – Not every home runs on a ley line. Mana can be distributed by the ministry to make the house run magically without being on a ley line. Nothing extreme, just a little extra mana to help keep things in order. The ministry weekly deliveries or pick up can me arranged for a 'mana battery'.

Just like our world, everything is taxed, charged, and assessed. Still, food resale is the big revenue generator.

If none of this appeals to a witch or wizard, they can go 'hermit' and live in a cave or off the grid somewhere. Grow their own food, keep livestock, collect their own mana, weave/transfigured their own clothes... Many older wizards opt for this simple life.

Thanks