Beta: None
Original Release Date: 2/28/16
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the canon Harry Potter universe or any other universe.
Author note 1: I've decided to switch from using 'non magical folk' to muggle, as it is easier to use and more commonly known.
Chapter Forty Three – Concerns Build
"Harry, I think you're right about teaching everyone about Dementors at this point in time" remarks Remus as he and Harry sit in Remus's office.
"I'm surprised you haven't yet" answers Harry sipping on a cup of tea.
"While your input is greatly appreciated, I do not want you to tell me what you think of my lesson planning unless I request it" states Remus in a disapproving tone.
"Understood, sorry" replies Harry apologetic.
"Thank you" remarks Remus before taking a sip of his cup of tea then continuing, "However, I do have some bad news for you. In the hellish winds during yesterday's Quidditch match, in addition to you being bucked from your broom, your broom was blown into the Whomping Willow where it was…thrashed into hundreds if not thousands of pieces."
The tinkling sound of a teacup shattering results in Remus deftly retrieving his wand from his robes and vanishing the mess into oblivion. "Harry, are you alright?"
"M-my broom is gone?" utters Harry in a state of shock as he sits back in his seat.
"Yes, but it is replaceable but you are not. Do you not remember that with yours and Neville's help that all Quidditch teams have Nimbus 2001 brooms? So fear not about playing in future matches so much."
"It's not that, it just feels like I've lost a part of me" murmurs Harry just loud enough to be heard.
"Here, have some chocolate" states Remus firmly handing Harry a brick sized piece of chocolate.
Multiple long moments later after Harry had multiple mouthfuls of chocolate, Remus asks, "So Harry, are you excited for the upcoming Hogsmeade trip?"
Emptying his mouth of chocolate first, Harry responds, "I suppose. I mean, I've been there a few times with you and Sirius, and of course with Luna, Ginny, Fred, George, Hermione, and Neville. But with more students in the village, it will be different I bet."
Chuckling lightly Remus remarks, "It is. And I'm sure you'll enjoy it more with a variety of people. Don't be afraid to spend time with others outside of your close group of friends."
"Understood" states Harry firmly.
"One last thing, don't smuggle students who don't have permission out through any of the secret exits out of the castle" mentions Remus leaning back in his chair.
"What, are you going to watch the map every minute during the Hogsmeade trips or something?" jests Harry with a smirk.
"No, but if I told you about the methods we have in place, I'd be ruining the security that is in place" answers Remus with a smile.
"Maybe I'll just have to try break your system to prove you wrong" laughs Harry.
"And if you do, I guess we'll just have to make a better system and try again" chuckles Remus.
/*in France*/
Looking around the shop with a similar design as the original in Diagon Alley, Sirius sighs. The day hadn't gone as planned. Of the three interviews, two were by some teenagers who playing jokes and weren't interested in a job and the third just wanted a quick euro or two. Scanning over the store to see if anything would be potentially offensive to any prospective customers, Sirius misses the tinkling of the bell over the door.
"'ello? Aneeone 'ere?" comes a thick French accent from the front of the store.
Spinning around to face the door, Sirius smiles before saying, "Welcome Mrs. Delacour and young Gabrielle."
"'Ush you. Call me Apolline" responds Apolline Delacour with a smile.
"Certainly, Apolline. You can just call me Sirius. Now, how may I help you?" adds Sirius.
"You are 'olding interviews, no?" inquiries Apolline.
"I am. Are you interested?" asks Sirius taken back.
"Yes. 'aving used some of the products, I think I can explain well 'ow to use them. And-" begins Apolline before Sirius holds up his hands and interrupts, "If you think you'd enjoy this, then I'll gladly hire you if you want."
"I am and would love to" answers Apolline with a smile on her face.
"Great! How do you feel about working from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon, Monday through Friday, and then nine in the morning to noon on Saturdays with the rest of the time yours?" inquiries Sirius with his Omni Play on the counter.
"I am good with that, if Gabrielle can be 'ere for me to watch" answers Apolline.
"I certainly have no objections to that. Ten galleons a week an acceptable wage?" inquiries Sirius curiously.
"T-ten a week?" stutters Apolline.
"Correct. Is that too low?" answers Sirius.
"Oh no, just fine. When do I start?" asks Apolline quickly recovering.
"Does tomorrow sound good to you?" asks Sirius.
"Yes, fine with me."
"Great! Please sign your name here with your finger" requests Sirius indicating to a line on the screen.
"What is this?" inquiries Apolline not signing her name.
"It's just the document that states that you are agreeing to be our employee, your wage amount, and the likes" answers Sirius.
"Do I get a copy?" asks Apolline hesitantly.
"Of course. A copy in English and a copy in French" answers Sirius.
Wordlessly Apolline signs her name before handing the Omni Play back to Sirius. Tapping on the screen a few times, Sirius smiles as the sound of parchment being unraveled comes from under the counter. Walking around the counter, Sirius fetches the two tightly rolled scrolls of parchment, sealed with a light piece of wax and the letters 'ME' in the middle of the stamp before handing them to Apolline.
"These are the documents. And what you just witnessed is our newly named printing device, MageSCP. It is a scanning, copying, and printing device that connects to an Omni Connect or even directly to an Omni Play" states Sirius with a smile.
"Oh my! 'Ow very useful" remarks Apolline.
"Do you have the time now to go over our register system, or would tomorrow be better?" requests Sirius.
"Now is fine" answers Apolline.
Walking over to the register, Sirius begins to demonstrate how to use the mounted Omni Play to ring up products, clock in and out for the shift, and the likes. An hour later Sirius activates his PRT and arrives in London in the closed Marauders Emporium. Doing a quick check on the security measures in place, Sirius disappears and reappears at home.
Sitting down in a chair, Sirius begins musing long enough to miss Amelia calling out his name, "SIRIUS BLACK!"
Snapping to attention, Sirius answers, "Y-yes?"
"Seeing as you were deep in thought, I wonder if there is anything on your mind that you would like to talk about" remarks Amelia taking a seat across from him.
Pausing to collect his scattered thoughts, Sirius answers, "There is. I'm worried about Harry, especially with what happened to him in regards to the Dementors. This is the second time that he has encountered a Dementor and obviously it wasn't good at all. Falling hundreds of feet, hearing a woman screaming in his head, he was lucky that he didn't die."
"But thanks to you and Remus creating the Quidditch Gear that he and others use, he hasn't died. I would say that you two have made an impact on at least a single life, even if it is only Harry's" remarks Amelia.
Putting his fingertips together, Sirius sighs and adds, "I suppose you're right about that."
"So how did interviews go today?" inquiries Amelia as Jack brings a cup of tea, giving him a quick thanks.
"Initially not the best, but Apolline Delacour arrived and she decided that she would enjoy something to do during the day. She remarked that while House Elves are wonderful, she would like something to do other than sitting and reading all day."
"I'm glad that you've found someone reliable and ready to work and for her that she finds something she seems to be interested in doing" remarks Amelia.
"Dinner is ready" calls out Jack's squeaky voice.
Getting up, the two humans slowly make their way into the dining room.
/*a few days later*/
Standing up from behind his desk as the bell rings for the start of class, Remus steps to the front of the class and begins, "Class, today we shall talk about Dementors. They suck the happiness out of the room, and can leave you weak enough to not be able to fight back. Their kiss, also known as the Dementor's Kiss, will leave you as a soulless shell. You will essentially lay there and be unable to move, unable to control your body, be unable to do almost everything. However, there is a spell known to repel and chase away Dementors. As a warning though, you all must understand that this magic is highly advanced and many witches and wizards are unable to perform this spell, so do not be disheartened if you are unable to for quite some time. The Patronus Charm is outside of the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum for all students, but after discussing it with the Headmaster, we both agree that all students should have a chance at learning this spell. Are there any questions before I get to the incantation?"
Looking around the room for any raised hands or anyone looking to potentially raise their hand, Remus continues, "Without any questions I provide you with the incantation, 'Expecto Patronus'. To successfully cast a corporeal patronus, you must think of an extremely happy memory and let it fill you up, similarly to reliving the moment."
As the bell rings announcing the end of class, Hermione hangs back until everyone else leaves before approaching Remus.
"Professor, I have a prototype of the diary ready" states Hermione nervously.
Looking up from his desk, Remus smiles and asks, "Do you mind if I take a look at it?"
Rummaging through her bag, Hermione quickly procures the diary and hands it to Remus. Turning it over in his hands, Remus inspects the diary before opening it and thumbing through a few pages. Chuckling, Remus hands the diary back to Hermione and remarks, "I suppose that I was supposed to see the pages full of what could be notes on a particular subject?"
"Yes sir. To those who aren't the owner that is what they see. I think it allows quite a bit of privacy without insulting anyone who reads it."
"Insulting you? Did you confer with Neville regarding part of the spell work?" inquiries Remus with a chuckle.
Looking down briefly before meeting Remus's eyes, Hermione answers quietly, "Yes sir."
"Oh don't seem down about it, I think that is quite resourceful of you. Back when I was your age with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Petter, we had something called the 'Marauders Map' that would insult anyone who didn't have the correct passphrase to see what it contained. I figure Neville let you in on that portion and helped you be pointed in the correct direction, am I correct?"
"That is correct sir. The library and the amount of books that have been added since the renovations have also helped, at least to what Madam Pince has said" answers Hermione.
"Wonderful! I'm glad our contribution has helped students. Do you have an instruction sheet on how to replicate these diaries for sale, in addition to an instruction sheet on how to set it up for the future owner?" inquiries Remus handing the diary back to Hermione.
"I do sir" answers Hermione pulling out a scroll and handing it to Remus.
"Thank you Hermione-" begins Remus before Hermione interrupts with, "Ginny came up with the idea with me and added the way to identify the person as the owner, so professor, I think she should get some credit overall as well."
Smiling Remus answers, "Certainly. You two will get a cut of the profits once you two both sign the form that has appeared….now on your Omni Play. It just states that you two will get a 5% cut of each sale, and that you two will be credited with the creation of this diary, and so on."
"Thanks professor!" beams Hermione before skipping out of the room.
Author note: Thanks to all who have read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this fanfic! If anyone reads any of my other fanfics, I WILL update them as I can. This fanfic has the highest writing priority, and when work gets hectic, this gets worked on first. Hope everyone is enjoying the spreadsheet with the Marauders Emporium items, prices, notes, etc, in addition to the text documents that have outlined previous plans for the series. Any comments on my dialogue for Apolline? Her English isn't supposed to be perfect (nor do I claim that anyone else's is perfect).
I'm not ready to release a set name yet for the television product, so feel free to keep pitching or voting. It should be next chapter (should is key word) when I make an announcement. :)