Wheels Within Wheels – Part Three
Iolanthe
Chapter Thirteen
Harry and Daphne Tidy Up Their Business
Harry and Robert repeated their security measures one more time. Robert put the little obsidian cylinder in the lockbox, Harry wrapped the tape both ways and put more blobs of sealing wax where the courses of tape crossed, and Robert put the whole thing in the locking file and re-spun the dial.
Harry told Daphne the short version of his visit to Princeton, up to the point she came through the door to the lab, then had a question for her.
"How'd you know to come here?" he asked.
"Tie," Daphne said, gesturing.
Harry looked and saw that the pin dots on his emerald green tie had changed from amber to white.
"I asked my patronus to stay with your tie and come get me if you needed help," Daphne said. Harry and Robert stood silently, looking at her.
"How—"
"I didn't know—"
"It likes to keep busy. It likes being useful," Daphne said. "You told me that yourself."
"Not complaining," Harry said, holding up his hands in surrender. "That was very creative of you. Wonderful magic."
"Indeed," Robert said. "I'm going to have to learn how to do that myself."
The campus security liaison official arrived.
"Walter," Professor Goldstein said. "Come on in. We've had an incident."
Walter looked between Annette, Harry and Daphne, giving Robert a little questioning look at the end.
"Oh, forgive me," the professor said. "These nice people are a magical couple from the UK, Doctor Daphne Greengrass and her husband, Harry Potter. Folks, my colleague Walter, from campus security."
"And Professor Oiseau?" Walter asked.
"Harry was getting the grand tour," Robert said. "He'd brought me some experimental material, which we'd secured, and Annette showed up and wanted to take it by force. She cast a spell and got in the way. She's been like that ever since."
"Just like that?" Walter asked.
"Pretty much," Robert said, looking at Harry, who nodded his concurrence.
"You're a medical doctor?" Walter asked, looking at Daphne.
"Yes," she said. "I've seen just one other case like this, but no permanent damage was apparent, as far as I was able to follow the case. Do you have a healer on staff?"
Walter and Robert both nodded.
"Here's her wand," Daphne said, holding it out to Walter.
"What could have gotten into her?" Robert asked, shaking his head.
"Anything we can do to help?" Harry asked. "Don't want to overstep our bounds."
"Our healer has a little clinic. That's where she belongs, so I'll get a couple of the liaison staff to help me get her over there," Walter said. "I did not foresee Professor Oiseau coming to our attention, at least not like this."
Walter had his assistance onsite in short order, freeing the party to carry out their lunch plans.
Robert had booked a small private dining room at the faculty club, and an extra place for Daphne was no trouble at all.
Harry wondered if Daphne got done what she wanted at the conference. She observed that she was done with the conference as soon as her patronus showed up, so it hardly made a difference at that point. Robert complimented Daphne on her rings, and if he wasn't completely ignorant of his nephew's role in getting the rings made by the Goldsteins' goblin contacts, he made a darn good show of it.
The return to Greengrass Manor was much less eventful than the earlier part of the trip. Robert took delivery of a package from a waiter while they were still at the faculty club. He showed Harry and Daphne the way to a discreet apparation point and they traveled to MACUSA by port key.
Harry's counterpart met them in the lobby, took them to a very private part of the building and gave them another port key, which they used to take them to Cornwall, and the Black estate, that having been the starting point, according to the original plan. Then it was a simple matter to use apparation for the last bit of travel, and they were soon walking down the slope to the talking gate.
"Well, our travelers are home once again!" said the gate. "When will the bard have the saga ready for the mead hall?"
"Sometimes, talking gate, you cause me to formulate threats I could throw at you," Harry said.
"Embrace the quaintness, Oh…what are you these days, anyway?" asked the gate. "It is so hard keeping up."
"A simple citizen, talking gate. An obscure member of the Wizengamot. Strictly a back-bencher," Harry answered.
"Oh, that's very original," said the gate. "G'night."
Trix met Harry and Daphne at the front door, welcomed them back, and stepped out of the way of Raffles' charge. Daphne scooped him up, only to hand the Bichon off to Harry when the slap-slap-slap of toddler feet sounded in the front hall.
"Mum-mum!" shouted Iolanthe, her face showing signs of very recent consumption of a carrot or squash puree.
"Iolanthe Astoria!" said Daphne, trying not to over-squeal. "Oh, I missed you so much. You've been on my mind for all this time. Should we go find your grandparents?"
Fabio and Kendra were in the sunny room by the patio. It wasn't sunny, but it wasn't fully dark quite yet, either.
"Hullo, all," called Daphne from the doorway. She walked over to Kendra and kissed her cheek, then held Iolanthe on her hip while she used her free arm to give Fabio's shoulder a kind of semi-hug.
Iolanthe looked at Harry and said, "Da-da!"
Everyone agreed that was indeed Da-da.
Then she added, "Sy-OSS!"
"Is Da-da a snake?" Harry asked.
Iolanthe pointed at Harry's tie clip.
"Sy-OSS!" she said.
Harry looked at Daphne.
"Like father, like daughter," she said, with a little shake of the head. "What is on that anyway?"
Daphne moved closer to Harry and focused on his Slytherin Quidditch Captain tie clip.
"Harry? Is Flint missing a tie clip?" Daphne semi-demanded.
"Hardly. Well, truthfully, I really don't know," Harry said. "Blaise brought me the port key to get me from Ilvermorny to Princeton. This is it. He looked quite pleased with himself, seeing me wink out of existence as the port opened."
Daphne started to laugh, which got Iolanthe laughing along with her.
Harry removed the clip from his tie and gave it a close inspection. It appeared the little medallion had indeed been a pin, but had been mounted on the gold tie clip so some previous captain could keep wearing it after finishing school.
"This will probably get me a good table at Morgan le Fay's," Harry said. "I probably shouldn't take it so lightly."
Fabio and Kendra were done with dinner, desert and coffee, but Trix had some sandwiches and pumpkin juice ready for the travelers in no time. Daphne sat with Iolanthe on her lap, succeeding in getting the odd spoonful of yellow vegetable puree accepted from time to time, but mostly dividing her time between bites of sandwich and dodging stray puree from Iolanthe's well-supplied fingers.
"Want a cleanup?" Harry asked.
"Da-da," said Iolanthe, reaching out. Harry took her from Daphne and headed upstairs.
"What has been going on here?" Daphne asked.
"We saw the young Malfoys today," Kendra reported. "Scorpius watches everything that goes on around him and comments in gibberish. Then he wants an answer."
"How did Astoria look?" Daphne asked.
"Good," Kendra said. "She's not as pale as she was. We were outside most of the time and she kept up with Scorpius and the rest of us just fine. Draco won't let her do much. If she's got Scorpius, he's offering to take him. If she says she's going to get a glass of water, he heads for the house."
"He's concerned," Daphne said. "Better that than the opposite."
"You're so right, Daphne," said Fabio. "You and Astoria are very fortunate. Some of the things we hear…"
He broke off with a slight head-shake. Fabio wasn't one to gossip. He was a bit old-fashioned and liked being the acknowledged head of his household. He was used to a bit of deference from his wife and daughters. His sons-in-law listened when he went on about his gardening and life lessons he'd picked up, which he both appreciated and expected in his position of an elder.
At the same time, he loved his family and was put off by men who took too much pleasure, in his view, in dominating theirs, and he had no respect for anyone who used physical force as a routine part of home life.
Harry came back, leaning over so Iolanthe could hang onto a finger. She walked on her own, but still loved taking a finger and directing adults this way and that.
"Aren't you about ready for bed, Iolanthe?" asked Daphne.
"No," said Iolanthe, using one of her favorite words.
Harry sat and Iolanthe immediately began climbing onto his lap, whence she looked at Daphne in defiance, toddler hands clutching bunches of Harry's shirt.
Harry's patronus bounded through the glass and stood shimmering in the sunny room.
"Horace Slughorn here, Harry," said a voice. "Kingsley's invited us for breakfast, his office, tomorrow at seven. I'm afraid we had to make it a bit early so I could get back to school and stick to the class schedule."
The stag dissolved, and Harry felt a little vibration in his wand.
"I sent it to Slughorn to let him know we were back," Harry said, answering Daphne's silent question. "With hopes, of course, he'd give up some insight, but as you just saw…"
Harry turned to Kendra and Fabio.
"You might as well know," Harry said, "We took something to the States, for safekeeping. There were two robbery attempts in a few hours' time. One involved Daphne getting held at wandpoint…"
"Until Harry came in and maneuvered the master criminal into immobilizing himself, allowing us to turn him over to the New York aurors," Daphne interrupted, taking over the narrative. "Then he magnanimously let the lads have the collar."
Harry couldn't hold it in. He managed not to laugh at Daphne's employment of crime novel jargon, but smiled through a little snort of amusement.
"He's been a career criminal for thirty years, at least," Harry said. "Only one known photo, no pattern to the crimes. He made life difficult for aurors on both sides of the ocean. Those guys are probably going to get awards for bringing him in. That might buy me a little good will someday.
"And, just so you know you have this asset at hand, should you ever need it, Daphne did some very creative magic today, and had her patronus inhabit my necktie, just in case I got in a jam, and while I was momentarily unconscious, it went back and summoned Daphne to come to my aid," Harry went on. "It was brilliant."
"Very good, Daphne," said Fabio.
"Indeed," Kendra added, "I don't think you learned that in school. Did it just occur to you?"
"Pretty much," Daphne said, not looking at anyone. "It seemed logical enough, if the patronus had the capability. It was worth a try. If it lacked the capability, nothing would happen and we'd just be where we started. But it worked just fine."
"Amazing," said Kendra.
"Mum-mum," Iolanthe said.
Iolanthe didn't last much longer, and Harry and Daphne followed her straight to bed.
"Want to come tomorrow morning?" Harry asked. "You can go to St. Mungo's from the ministry. I'm sure Kingsley would be happy to get your insights."
"Thank-you for asking," Daphne said. "They may have other subject matter on the agenda, and I'd just get in the way. Tell the minister I'm available if they need me."
Harry slept well, but not long. He was up at five, found some sweatpants and a pair of trainers and went out to find a lane and get the kinks out. By six-fifteen he was sitting on the patio with a coffee and a big tumbler of mineral water, compliments of the tireless and efficient Trix. Daphne arrived, wearing the crimson and gold bath robe over her nightgown.
"Isn't it a bit chilly?" she asked.
"Unseasonably warm," Harry answered. "I'll sit with you, if you want to stay inside."
Daphne wasn't going to the ministry for breakfast, so she had hers, after apologizing for eating in front of Harry. Harry advised her, as politely as he could, not to be silly.
Harry and Horace Slughorn arrived via floo in the ministry atrium at the same time.
"Well," said Slughorn, "Perfect timing."
"I guess we'll just go on up," Harry said, "Since we're all here."
Harry, Slughorn and Kingsley Shacklebolt took all the time they needed to cover the trip and a little additional business, and not a minute more. Kingsley was a master of meeting management. Harry resolved, as he did every time they met, to pay close attention and learn all he could from Kingsley. He realized he was getting free lessons in how to operate the bureaucracy, lessons not taught in any school.
"If it's not too close-hold," Harry said, "May I ask if I actually transported the baton to Princeton?"
Kingsley looked at Slughorn. "Oh, go ahead," he said.
"Not exactly," said Slughorn. "The baton inside the cylinder was a replica. Everything is there except the actual memories Daphne took from Grindelwald. Those are still in the sealed baton with the Unspeakables, unless Hermione has taken them out to play with."
"We suspected a leak, Harry," Kingsley continued. "It certainly looks like you and Daphne confirmed we had one. Or have one. Whether we can follow it back from Hoffman and Professor Oiseau is another question. Their minds might have been tampered with. They might not know who they're working for, or why. If they can't give that up, we'll reconstruct what we can of their movements, see if we can put them in the same place, or talking to the same person."
"The point is, Harry, you confirmed something we suspected," Slughorn went on. "The baton is important, but, to be honest, any witch or wizard who wanted to could have done the work and come to Grindelwald's conclusions at any time since Einstein's papers were published. The ongoing concern is how the word got out. That problem still remains."
They didn't have a lot of time to linger over breakfast, with Slughorn's class schedule, and before long Harry was back at Greengrass Manor, walking around with the Honorable Miss Iolanthe Astoria.
Harry didn't have any plans other than keeping Iolanthe happy until Daphne returned from St. Mungo's. The weather was very nice, sunny and cool, so Harry got Iolanthe into a sweater and some leggings and took her out to the gardens. Iolanthe was in her element in a garden, because she had learned gardens have snakes, and she was always eager to meet up with her friends.
Harry walked slowly up and down Fabio's garden paths with Iolanthe and Raffles, getting guidance from time to time, as Iolanthe reached for an adult finger with one hand and pointed out the desired change of direction with the other. Raffles stayed with the party, as a sort of scout, going into the beds to look for danger, gnomes, and threats of unknown origin.
If there were snakes up and about, they must have been sluggish, because none came out to pal around with Iolanthe. Disappointment set in, detectable at first by a little petulance as they passed bed after bed with no herpetological action. Eventually, Iolanthe was simply done with their walkabout, and refused to go further. Harry turned to go back to the house, looked down, and found he no longer was walking with Iolanthe. She had stopped several paces back and stood still, looking at Harry, sticking out her lower lip, with tears just starting to show at the corners of her eyes.
"Oh, do you need a lift?" Harry asked. "Does Iolanthe Astoria need to be picked up?"
Iolanthe was too emotional to talk but managed to nod her head in answer.
"Well, then, come on, let me pick you up. Mum will be here soon, and we'll have a nice lunch. Apples, and pears, and carrots, and squash…"
Harry kept naming fruits and vegetables Iolanthe liked until he ran out of species, so she prompted him to start up all over.
"Ap-pul?"
"Yes, apples and pears and carrots…"
When Iolanthe and Harry got to the sunny room by the patio, Iolanthe was fully recovered and ready to start working on lunch. She began bouncing up and down on Harry's shoulders, jabbering about 'Ap-pul' while keeping her balance by gripping Harry's ears. They'd just entered the hallway when Harry heard loud voices coming from Fabio's study. They were both male voices, so Kendra wasn't in on the discussion, unless she was sitting and looking on in silence.
Harry slowed to a stop, then reached up and brought Iolanthe down to stand beside him. Harry thought of snakes, before speaking.
"Can you be quiet? We'll just wait and see what is going on," he said, in parseltongue.
"Yes, Father," Iolanthe replied. "Let me know…"
She got Harry's leg between herself and the study door, but her head was fully exposed. Iolanthe might be a toddler, but she knew enough to know she didn't want to miss whatever was coming.
The door to the study opened, and Fabio was just visible, standing back to let his visitor exit.
"It's a fair offer, Greengrass!" the visitor said. "More than fair. I advise you to take it!"
"Fairness isn't the issue, Lestrange, as I've tried to tell you," Fabio said. "When and if I decide to sell the Greengrass businesses, you'll know and have the same opportunity everyone else has."
The visitor Lestrange did not move, but stood stiffly just over the threshold, into the hallway. Fabio was visible inside the study, one hand on the door handle, the other at his side. Harry saw Lestrange make a slight movement and knew what was coming. Lestrange's wand wasn't clear of his sleeve when Harry thought 'Accio wand!' The wand was in Harry's left hand before Lestrange knew it wasn't in his.
Iolanthe spoke only for Harry, in parseltongue.
"Should I summon an adder, milord?" Iolanthe asked.
"Let me handle this one, which I don't think will be a problem," Harry answered, keeping his voice down.
"What? What?" Lestrange demanded, turning and seeing Harry and Iolanthe standing in the hallway. "Potter! Tend to your own business for once. And I'll have my wand, if you please. None of your tricks, either."
"Let me know about the adder," Iolanthe said in low-volume parseltongue.
"Oh, I most certainly will," Harry replied.
Lestrange listened to the exchange which had been conducted entirely in parseltongue. His face lost its color and sweat broke out on his upper lip. Harry judged Lestrange was too young to have made it to the ranks of the Death Eaters. On the other hand, as a Lestrange, he had to have had some exposure to the events of the Second Wizarding War, and possibly the First. Harry wasn't familiar with his branch of the family, but guessed this one came from someplace in Corvus V's orbit. He'd no doubt heard of parseltongue and the late Dark Lord Voldemort's proficiency.
"Sure," Harry said, addressing Lestrange in English. "Let's just get you back to the hill and safely on your way."
Trix was ready at the door.
"After you, thank you for coming," Harry said, keeping the wand.
They walked the gravel path to the talking gate, which didn't say anything at all, for once. Instead, it opened with the sound of rusty hinges, and closed with a bass drum boom that evoked mental images of coffin lids coming down and tombs being cemented closed. When they got to the spot Harry always used for apparation, just outside the wards, Harry stopped and turned to the visitor.
"I don't know what your discussion with Fabio was about," Harry began, "But he is respected in the magical community, not to mention a wonderful father and grandfather. You might want to consider working with him, rather than browbeating him in the expectation he'll see things your way. Just a suggestion."
"Not everyone inherits multiple estates and titles, Potter, some of us have to make a living. Can you stay out of the way of business until you learn how business is done?" Lestrange demanded. "And how about my wand?"
"Of course," Harry said. "Safe travels."
He handed Lestrange his wand and backed away, staying focused on his adversary until the latter disapparated with a 'pop.'
Harry walked back to the talking gate, which confined its comments to a simple, "Good one, Lord Harry."
Harry didn't spare a lot of consciousness for formulating a reply but managed an 'Um-hmm' as he walked toward the front door. Trix let him in with a big smile.
"Mr. Greengrass is in the study, Master Harry," said the elf, then, "with Miss Iolanthe."
Harry proceeded to the study, where he found Fabio sitting cross legged on the floor, facing Iolanthe, an illustrated guide book to the snakes of Britain open between them.
Iolanthe looked up at Harry, pointed to a picture of one of the common, non-venomous native snakes and said, "Sy-OSS!"
"Yes! That is a snake!" Harry said, joining Iolanthe and Fabio on the floor. "Very good."
Turning to Fabio, though, Harry was a bit more serious.
"What was that all about?" he asked.
"Pretty much what you heard," Fabio said. "Lestrange deals in magical commodities. Minerals, some unusual plant matter, I'm not sure what the full range is. He hit on the idea of buying us out, sometime in the last year. We met for lunch and he made an offer. Just like that. I kept him talking over soup, and a sandwich, followed by coffee, and came away satisfied he did not have a clue how we do things, or why.
"Granted, putting his product lines together with mine makes sense, theoretically, but our methodologies are completely different, and he had no patience with me trying to nudge the conversation toward that kind of detail. He seems to have some money behind him, which convinces me he confuses access to capital with business skill.
"I don't know if Daphne told you, but my approach is all personal contact with my suppliers. I'll buy before harvest so they get their cash out, even if the crop yield doesn't fully meet my requirements. We make adjustments the next season. It has taken a lot of patience, but the relationships are solid. That's why I've got customers. We can reliably supply high quality to customers who have to have that. Lestrange is all fast money and turnover. No one really likes dealing with him, but he can usually deliver product, so he stays in business. It's the difference, though, between something that is essentially a craft product and something that is mass production/utilitarian. I don't think my little part of the field can be run like he runs his part. Like I said, though, he lacks the patience to discuss it, or even listen to what I have to say."
Harry didn't say anything right away, but sat watching Iolanthe enjoying the pictures of snakes.
"He drew his wand inside your house," Harry said, finally.
"Yes," Fabio said. "That could have gotten him killed."
"Certainly could have," Harry agreed. He drifted off into his own thoughts again. Harry was vaguely aware of a 'WHOOSH' coming from the library.
"Probably Kendra," Fabio said, looking at his watch. "Still a little bit early for Daphne. Will you be staying for dinner?"
"Don't know," Harry said. "I was thinking we'd all go back to London after lunch, but now…"
"Harry," Fabio said, "I don't speak parseltongue. I don't know what you two were talking about, but you and Iolanthe were having a conversation."
"Oh, yeah," Harry said with a little laugh. "Probably best to keep it to yourself. I don't want Iolanthe to become a specimen at her age, and that is what the people who obsess about that kind of thing would turn her into."
"When did you find out?" Fabio asked.
"Out in the garden, the summer after she was born," Harry said. "Fall was right around the corner. We stopped to talk to one of her friends, and she told it in parseltongue to get to the den because the cold was coming. He crawled off of my hand into the bed and disappeared under some dried-up plants. We've been able to talk ever since, as long as I speak parseltongue."
Iolanthe looked at Harry.
"Da-da," she said, in toddler English.
"That's right," Harry confirmed.
"Mum?" Iolanthe asked.
"On her way," Harry said.
The words were barely spoken when Harry heard another 'WHOOSH' from the library, and the sounds of two females greeting one another. Iolanthe got excited.
"Mum-Mum-Mum!" she related, getting up and toddler-running to the study door. Harry got there just in time to take a pinch of fabric and pull her back from the door swing.
"Mum-Mum-Mum!" Iolanthe announced, as Daphne scooped her up and held her on the threshold.
Daphne had to ask if her big girl was ready for lunch, to which Iolanthe gave affirmation, and the Potters and Greengrasses departed the study and made their way to the sunny room where so much of Greengrass family life took place.
"You're unusually subdued, Harry," Kendra said at one point.
Harry looked at Fabio, trying to yield the floor.
"A visitor forgot his manners a little while ago," Fabio said, "And Harry defused the situation. Very professionally. I didn't thank you for what you did, Harry, so, thank-you."
"Fabio, what—" Kendra started to ask.
"It was a Lestrange," Harry said. "He wanted to do some business with Mr. Greengrass, but he let his ego get involved and he didn't know when to adjust his goal to what he could negotiate, as opposed to what he wanted to negotiate. He got a little overwrought, kind of lost his bearings. I hope he calms down and learns from the experience."
Harry said the last sentence calmly, matter-of-factly, and, unbeknownst to him, sent a little shiver up Fabio's, Kendra's and Daphne's spines. Harry's sincere best wishes, coupled with his well-known history, were a combustible mixture. Harry wasn't given to making threats. On the contrary. Everyone understood, though, that if Harry hoped someone learned from an encounter with him, it could be a very good thing for them if they did, but most certainly would be a very bad thing if they didn't.
"On another subject, Mr. Greengrass," Harry began, "I was asked to attend the Wizengamot tomorrow afternoon. The debate is of interest to the minister, and he asked me. I don't even know what the subject matter is, but I told him I'd be there. It could go late. I was wondering if you had heard what they're going to discuss?"
Fabio looked around the table. Kendra and Daphne both shrugged.
"Not a clue," Fabio said. "That's odd, too. Usually there are pros and cons sending owls and asking for support for days before an important vote. Maybe they're not voting?"
Fabio made it into a question.
"Don't know," Harry said. "I guess I've got time to ask around."
"Anything interesting happening at St. Mungo's?" Harry asked, ceding the floor.
"I talked to Augusta Longbottom today," Daphne began. "She'd like to have Alice and Frank to the house. That would be a big step. They've got to manage it if they're ever going to get released. I don't see any reason why they shouldn't. It would be nice if you could be there, along with Neville and Hannah. It might make them feel more protected."
"Sure," Harry said. "Name the day, I'll be there. Have you given any more thought to your art buying trip?"
"Haven't really had the gray cells to spare this morning," Daphne answered. "Mother, Harry and I went to New York via Utica, and Harry met Uncle Larry. We both think I need to pick out some paintings for the new house."
Harry liked Daphne's characterization of Potter Manor as 'the new house.' Daphne's perceptions of a proper country house for a magical family were completely formed by Greengrass Manor. The contemporary design seemed spare, lean, even, but a walking tour revealed a house that continued to unfold, revealing its complete and wondrous self only to those with the stamina and determination to walk each corridor and suite to the end. Harry and Daphne had a suite with a large bedroom, sitting room, bath and attached nursery, because neither thought Iolanthe Astoria would end up as an only child. There were smaller suites for Tracey Davis and Astoria, Draco and Scorpius.
"We'll want them to come and stay over Christmas Eve so we can all get up and watch the children open presents," was Daphne's reasoning.
She added another suite, with a bedroom, bath and sitting room, because she needed her witches around her. Harry eventually deduced that Daphne was thinking Ginny Weasley and Millicent Bulstrode would need accommodations for country weekends.
There were three additional children's bedrooms, just in case, including one designated for Teddy Lupin.
Daphne and Fabio designed the ground floor for family life and entertainment. The townhouse at #12 Grimmauld Place could play host to no more than one hundred guests. Daphne wanted to have space for larger gatherings, resulting in large living and dining rooms at the new place, along with an expansive patio between the house and gardens.
Those last meant there would be long, unbroken stretches of walls requiring some bits of interest that harmonized with contemporary design aesthetics. Uncle Larry was a painter, Daphne needed paintings, and Uncle Larry was looking for reasons to brave current flying conditions to come to England and get to know Iolanthe, so everything was lining up. All that remained was the trip to Utica to pick out paintings.
"What a splendid idea!" Kendra said. "I hope you got Larry to commit to coming for a visit."
"He said he'd come to hang everything," Daphne said. "We have to pick everything out, then get it here, then he'll come over and we'll work out where it all goes. He'll have to fit it in around school, of course."
"That's wonderful!" Kendra said. Lawrence Davis, Uncle Larry, was her favorite sibling. Kendra had even let Lawrence show her how to use a muggle cell phone just so they could talk two or three times a week.
"Please prioritize getting over there and picking out what you want," Kendra added. "Then we'll see how much time he'll grant us for hanging it all."
"On it," Daphne agreed.
Harry noticed Iolanthe slowing down her puree-eating and pushed his plate aside.
"Looks like she's done, so why don't you give her to me and I'll finish up so you can eat. Are you going back to St. Mungo's or are you done?" Harry asked.
Daphne handed Iolanthe to Harry and gave him the plate of puree.
"I have to go back for a staff meeting," Daphne said. "No more patients today. What are your plans?"
"Don't have any," Harry said. "No obligations anywhere, until tomorrow afternoon. Why don't we wait for you here? Maybe one of us will have some ideas by then."
But Harry did have a plan. He had gauged Lestrange's emotional state and assessed the man's thinking had become fixed on the subject of acquisition of Fabio's enterprises. He'd leave the psychological dimensions to Daphne, as he always did, but he did not think Lestrange would simply go away and reconsider his approach. He judged it best for everyone if he stayed close to Fabio and Kendra for a bit, until Lestrange's response to their short interaction emerged. Harry could use the Greengrass Manor connection to the floo network for communications. A few informal inquiries might be in order. There wasn't any need to go the complaint route right away. Better to be discreet and not tip any hands.
Iolanthe Astoria still liked a bottle of milk and a nap after lunch, so Daphne took care of that before returning to St. Mungo's for her staff meeting. With Iolanthe sound asleep upstairs, Harry asked Fabio and Kendra if he could use the library fireplace for an hour. What he really meant was he was taking over the library, and might be using the floo for communication or transport, and he'd really prefer if no one were about while he was working. Neither one objected, as Harry anticipated.
When Harry sought counsel he invariably started with Ron Weasley. Harry's oldest friend, by length of tenure, Ron was also a good listener and an investigator for the Wizengamot. His insights were informed by a range of experience that complemented Harry's, and vice versa.
Harry tossed a pinch of floo powder in the library fireplace and waited for the 'WHOOSH' to end, then asked for Ron's office in the ministry.
"Harry?"
"Do you have a minute to receive a guest, or come see me?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Ron said, "Why don't I come to you? Where do you want to meet?"
"My flat?" Harry suggested. "Can you go now? I'll wait one."
"Done," Ron said, breaking contact.
Harry counted to sixty and stepped into the fireplace, dropped his floo powder and said, "Harry's flat."
"What's up?" Ron said when Harry arrived.
"Don't know," Harry replied, "Just need your valued perspective. Got time for tea? Coffee?"
"Tea. I know that look on your face, Harry, so you might as well make a pot," Ron said.
Harry did make the pot, which he and Ron finished by the time they'd talked through the problem.
Lestrange, it turned out, was Georges Lestrange, who was just old enough to have been done with Hogwarts by the time they began first year. He hadn't distinguished himself as a magical scholar and had spent the most serious part of the Second Wizarding War abroad. When he returned to Britain, he'd brought a little money, as well as some vague allusions to financial backing from mysterious silent partners. He'd established a magical commodities firm that, according to Ron's information, tracked very closely with Fabio's description. He seemed to be able to deliver what people needed, although his products didn't get the raves Fabio's did.
Fabio, Harry was aware, had a stellar reputation for quality. When a serious potioneer placed an order, he had to be ready to pay top price. Tolerances in magical potions were very close. Any kind of contamination, pest damage, or extraneous compounds in a magical ingredient could ruin an entire batch of a very expensive potion. Magical apothecaries, potioneers and retail suppliers counted on Fabio's products and were willing to pay for the extra care and attention Fabio paid to quality.
"Does Lestrange want Fabio to stay on?" Ron asked.
"That I don't know, we didn't get that far," Harry said.
Ron was lost in thought for a bit.
"It might not matter, one way or the other," said Ron. "I'm guessing his goal is to add some luster to his firm by acquiring Fabio's. He'd like to get the goodwill along with it. Then he'll squeeze the growers and collectors and whatnot, with no worry Fabio won't take a vacation, get bored and start right up all over again, cutting the ground out from under Lestrange from both ends, taking his suppliers back as well as the customers.
"From Lestrange's point of view, he's boxed in now, kind of a mass marketeer with no way to get into the higher-profit, higher-quality lines of business. He doesn't have the patience to build the quality slowly until he's a competitor, so he'll buy his way into that market."
Harry thought it over.
"That's a pretty good theory," he said. "All that hanging around with George has widened your understanding of the magical business community. At any rate, I'm co-opting your view for my working assumption until proven wrong.
"Now, I'm going back to Greengrass Manor, just in case. Thanks for everything."
"Any time," Ron said. "Let me know if you require an extra wand or two."
Harry stood up, gathered the tea things and put them in the kitchen sink. Ron was already back at his office in the Wizengamot section of the ministry when Harry stepped into the fireplace, dropped his floo powder, and said, "Greengrass Manor."
Harry stepped out of the library fireplace and went looking for Fabio and Kendra, who had taken the just-awakened Iolanthe Astoria to the sunny room.
"Da-da," Iolanthe said, pointing.
Harry acknowledged that he was, in fact, Iolanthe's Da-da.
"Gran," Iolanthe added, pointing at Kendra.
"Very good, Iolanthe," Harry said. "That is Gran."
"Gran-Fa," Iolanthe announced, pointing at Fabio.
Everyone agreed that was just about the best Grandfather they'd ever heard from someone so young.
Harry sat with the Greengrasses in the sunny room, chatting up Iolanthe and waiting for Daphne to finish at St. Mungo's and return. While he sat there he listened for one of those slight 'pops' that indicated someone had just apparated outside the wards.