[A/N: Sorry this took so long. This chapter fought with me tooth and nail! It's also difficult to find a decent newspaper article written about craft/Ren faires.]
Monday morning dawned and Harry slowly dragged his carcass out of bed despite his body screaming for more sleep. He went through his morning routine and headed up to the Great Hall for breakfast. He barely acknowledged the others at the table as he poured himself a large mug of coffee and scooped up a bowl of porridge. The morning mail rush started just as life was beginning to dawn in his eyes. Hedwig landed in front of him and peered into his face before giving a concerned huff at her tired chick.
"Thank you, Hedwig. I appreciate your concern but I'm just tired after the activities yesterday. I'll be fine by this afternoon." He said as he divested her of the morning paper and handing her two strips of bacon. She accepted the reward and settled down to eat.
Harry took a sip of his coffee as he read through the headline article.
Hogwarts School Revolutionizes Magical Arts and Crafts
Edward Bloomer, Staff Writer
It's not every day when the words, 'Hogwarts' and 'Revolutionize' are used in the same sentence let alone in the field of magical crafts. Normally when someone mentions Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the image that comes to mind is a one thousand year old castle set in the Scottish Highlands, an unchanging bastion to magical learning.
The Hogwarts Express made its departure at eight in the morning from King's Cross Station in London and arrived at Hogsmeade several hours later to disgorge its passengers. Those passengers weren't the students like normal though. They were the parents and guardians of the kids who go to the school.
When those parents and guardians arrived at the gates, they were presented with a ten-minute speech by Council Leader and seventh year Ravenclaw Marcus Robertson who went over the general rules and etiquette expected of their guests. Once inside gaily decorated tents festooned with hand-drawn signs and hand-sewn flags clustered the grounds between the school and the Quidditch grounds. Everywhere you looked, there was something new and interesting to see and experience.
It was an eye-opening experience for many of the parents of the muggleborn students. Their first foray into the magical world and to some, the first chance to be able to witness what they sent their child or children to learn.
"My daughter is in her third year here and it's been a dream of mine to finally be able to witness her practicing magic like some of her magically raised friends. It was heart wrenching to find out that she wouldn't have been able to show off what she learned because of some outdated laws but this has given me and my husband a wonderful opportunity." – Jennifer Pikewood, Mother of Darlene Pikewood, third year Hufflepuff.
Over 150 students of all year levels and Houses organized and operated a veritable feast for the senses. All manner of vendors, concessions, sewn, knitted and handmade crafts were on display. Everything was laid out in craft specific 'zones' that showcased the particular talents of the craft, be it cooking and baking to doll making, embroidery and other textiles, pottery, metalsmithing, jewelry making, glass blowing and that's just the start.
Our illustrious Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge had this to say about the apparent success to yesterday's Makers' Faire:
'If it weren't for the artists, metalsmiths, wood carvers and their brethren, many if not all of the luxuries that we enjoy today would not be possible if it weren't for the creativity and efforts put in by the students here at Hogwarts. This Makers' Faire is just an example of what could be possible if the school and its students were offered professional instruction.' – Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic.
Yet despite the sunshine and excitement in the air, there is always one cloud on the horizon. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was overheard mumbling to himself about how this sort of event shouldn't be held as it was a 'distraction' to the students' learning and routine as well as completely unnecessary to the Greater Good of the wizarding world. I don't know about you, ladies and gentlemen but this reporter wonders if Dumbledore's misgivings stems from the lack of involvement in the Faire and his own rather 'out-of-touch' moments that seem to be showing themselves more and more often. It begs the question, has Dumbledore reached the end of his usefulness to the future education and leadership for today's youth and is taking out his anger and frustration on our children?
The article was well written in Harry's opinion. It was full of glowing praise and had quotes from several parents as well as the Minister for Magic himself! Harry too, had been quoted as to the reason why the Arts Program was such a needed outlet for the students.
Harry grinned at the responses to the questions posed by the reporter. Lucius Malfoy had expressed his interest in seeing if a formal program could be instituted and as he was on the Board of Directors, he'd be looking in to see what could be arranged come their next meeting. The article did a bit of a background section stating that the fine and practical arts had been part of the school's curriculum up until the late 1940s when it was slowly dismantled by the administration of the day.
Harry shook his head in disgust at that, ' I'd almost say that it was the result of Headmaster Dumbledore sticking his nose in where it didn't belong because it didn't fit into his worldview.'
Up at the Teacher's Table…
Albus was fuming at the accolades being offered to the students while at the same time taking a poke at his reputation and career as an educator. 'How dare that little shit suggest that I'm out-of-touch and no longer relevant. Everything I've done has been for the Greater Good. This is all the Potter brat's fault. If only he would just follow the destiny I had planned out for him.' He glared at Harry over the top of his copy before grunting and turning the page.
Minerva was watching her colleague in the corner of her eye and inwardly sighed. 'I think that it's time for Albus to have an examination whether he wants to or not.' She glanced over at Poppy and the two women nodded understandingly.
The next day, Harry and the denizens of Artists' Row were going over the results of the Faire with the senior staff except for Dumbledore, who was for whatever reason, still squirreled away in his office and refused visitors.
"I think we did pretty well, professor." Harry said, "I was really impressed by the metalsmithing section. They cleared out of their stock within three hours and netted an average of two hundred Galleons for the larger sculptures." Vincent and the other blacksmiths blushed and gave each other high-fives.
Council Leader Marcus Robertson complimented the puppeteers on their splendid retelling of the founding of Hogwarts, "There's something totally hilarious at seeing a puppet version of Salazar Slytherin getting booted out of the school by a fabric Godric Gryffindor." The others giggled at the memory.
Minerva slowly shook her head in surprise as well, "I'm stunned really, and the atmosphere and goodwill that was generated definitely was helped by bringing in the muggleborns parents. That was a good idea you had, Mr. Potter." Harry looked down as he blushed at the praise.
Severus read over a letter he'd received from one of his students' parents, "I think I'm more impressed by how well the pureblood families got along with the non-magical parents. I was dreading that we'd have a revolt on our hands. I have a letter here from Lord Nott expressing his thanks for allowing the non-magical parents to join in the festivities. He mentions that he found several new contacts for his potion ingredient shipping business."
"I was also impressed by your actions, Severus. See? It didn't kill you to interact with others," Minerva gently teased her younger colleague. Severus merely narrowed his eyes and gave a small sneer back.
Filius chuckled as he looked over his copy of the report, "I agree with Severus on the tolerance displayed between the non-magical and magical families. The Aurors that were there ended up rather bored. I gather Arthur Weasley managed to keep himself under control?"
"Yes, though I think that may have had more to do with his wife, Molly." Pomona quipped, "She stayed by his side the entire day." The others commiserated for the poor, hen-pecked middle-aged man.
Potter's Place…
Harry, Hermione and Neville were hanging out in Potter's Place a couple of days later, the topic was still about the events of the Faire. Harry was busy applying a metallic glaze to a vase while Hermione and Neville chattered at his side while sipping from mugs of tea.
"Gran was really impressed by how well run everything was," Neville commented as he ran his finger lightly around the rim of his mug. "She was also flabbergasted by the fact that I know how to cook at all and repeatedly stated that she was going to make our relatives and her friends eat their words that I was never going to be a good enough wizard." He said that last part with a pronounced sneer.
"Did she get to see your work within the greenhouses, Nev?" Harry inquired as he applied a deep royal blue tinted slip to the rim of the vase.
Neville nodded, "Yup. Professor Sprout told her that she's never had such a wonderful student than me and that if I were allowed to continue my efforts at home, I could easily become a professional Herbologist or even a professor at the school." Hermione clapped him on the shoulder in happiness.
Hermione gushed about her parents' reactions to the school and the magic she was able to perform. "That's one thing that is rather annoying about being a muggleborn, not being able to show my parents what I've been learning. I wish I could do this at home too."
Harry could commiserate with her, "I know. It's like Darlene's mother said in her quote in the Prophet that the laws governing when and where muggleborns are allowed to do magic outside of the school or places like Diagon Alley are outdated and prejudiced."
Neville shook his head in exasperation, "I don't understand them either and I was born and raised in the magical world. If you're a muggleborn and you let your parents or even grandparents see you perform magic, how can the ministry still knock you back since they've been aware of the existence of magic since the first time the child does something?"
Neither Harry nor Hermione had an answer to that. They were quiet for a few moments as they tried to process the inequalities and outdated practices of the magical world. Hermione finally spoke up, "So what about you, Harry? What was your relatives' experience like? Did they enjoy themselves?"
The dreamy look on Harry's face said it all, "I'm still in shock that my relatives were able to show up. They certainly surprised me. Wow…Aunt Petunia's told me how she'd always dreamed of being able to come here. I think we both got our wish; she got to see the castle and the magic performed while I got to share it with them. The look on Dudley's face when he got to fly on a broom! Hehe, I know what he's going to want for his birthday."
"What about your uncle? What impressed him about the school?" Neville asked.
Harry thought about it, "I think it was the food personally, though he did say that the demonstrations in Transfiguration were amazing. He's the Vice President of Sales at Grunnings Drills so he understands the manufacturing process. His insightful comments that he wished that they could incorporate what he described as 'magical engineering.' I think he intrigued Professor McGonagall; the two of them spent an awfully long time together discussing some examples that I could potentially assist with once I'm of legal age and of mind to help."
Hermione giggled, "I saw that. It was hilarious."
Neville looked curious at her statement so she elaborated, "Imagine a muggle being able to discuss in depth and at length practical and advanced transfiguration as it applied to a manufacturing setting. Being able to transfigure a tool or machine into something else without the need to rebuild or buy a whole new item would be a major boon to the industry."
"Wouldn't that hurt the part of the industry that makes the tool or machine?" Neville asked.
Hermione shrugged, "I'm not sure. I guess that unless you used a runic anchor to hold the transfiguration in place, you'd have a built in obsolescence where the transfigured part would revert back to its original shape after a set amount of time."
Harry snorted at Hermione's rather technical answer. She never failed to amaze him on how she got sorted into Hufflepuff as opposed to Ravenclaw.
In an effort to change the subject, Harry leant back in his chair and gestured with his paintbrush, "So…two more months until the end of the school year. Have either of you started planning out what you're going to do over the summer?"
Hermione immediately launched into what she and her parents had in mind, travel-wise. They were planning on touring the Spanish coast with the possibility of going to Italy to see Venice and Rome.
Harry got up to rummage around in one of the cabinets for an additive for the upcoming firing. Without turning, he commented that he and the Dursleys were planning on visiting a number of museums, the London markets and maybe even Alton Towers for a day.
"I teasingly suggested the zoo but after the last time, Aunt Petunia doesn't want to go anywhere near the place." He chuckled at the memory.
Neville looked curious, "Two questions. One, what happened and two, what's a zoo?"
"A zoo is a menagerie where the public is educated on the various animals that live within. Each animal enclosure is made to resemble their natural habitat as closely as possible." Hermione explained.
"As for what happened, it was the summer before I got my Letter." Harry began, "We were in the reptile house, Dudley and his friend were being their usual annoying selves and I inadvertently vanished the glass to the boa constrictor display. The snake started to escape but I managed to get it to stop when I yelled at it. At the time, I couldn't figure out why it stopped but now that I know that I was speaking an actual language." He chuckled at the memory.
Harry was sitting in his Defense class busily taking notes and reminiscing about the past semester. 'Auror Tomlinson is pretty good and it's a shame that he's not going to be sticking around.' There was the sound of a knock on the class's door and when the professor called out for the person to enter, everyone looked up in surprise. A grey-robed Unspeakable strode in and pulled out a wand.
Not knowing why he did it but Harry drew his own wand, pointed it at the Unspeakable and ducked behind his desk before yelling out, "Identify yourself and your reason for intruding!"
The Unspeakable's body language expressed a sense of humor even though the person hadn't said anything. Professor Tomlinson started laughing his head off whilst the rest of the class was stunned by the utter absurdity of Harry's words and actions.
"Stand down, Mr. Potter. Very good reaction though so I'm awarding you fifteen points."
Harry warily stood and moved out from behind the desk. He still hadn't put away his wand and slowly slid into his seat. Both the professor and the Unspeakable nodded in approval of Harry's behavior while the professor quietly admonished everyone else for being so lax. The Unspeakable began to wave his wand in a distinctive pattern and when a section of the wall above the door lit up in a bronze-ish glow, he or she approached and began to examine it minutely. After a few moments, the Unspeakable nodded briefly and sent off a glowing shape in the direction of the Great Hall.
Just then there was a deep rumbling noise and heavy vibration, almost like if you were standing too close to the railroad tracks as a train was rushing past. The stonework above the door glowed an angry bright red before a small section exploded outwards. The kids shrieked in shock and ducked under their desks. When the dust cleared, the wall appeared to be untouched other than a few new cracks and a layer of dust and debris on the floor.
Professor Tomlinson stood up, shook out his robes and turned to the Unspeakable, "What the bloody hell was that about?"
"Taking care of an old problem, professor. It has been solved and dealt with." With that, the Unspeakable turned and left the room.
Up in Dumbledore's office…
Albus was sitting in his chair grumbling to himself as the Unspeakable team wandered through his school in an attempt to clear out the so-called 'Curse of the Defense Professorship.' Truth be told, he knew about the curse as well as all of its anchor points but refuse to discuss them with anyone else for one simple reason. He wanted the quality of Defense professors to fall to their absolute lowest. If the sheep of the wizarding world couldn't defend themselves, they'd look to him to solve their problems and therefore allow him to push through bills and proposals as he saw fit.
However, the Unspeakable team had just shown up out of the blue and began investigating the school and its anchor points to root out and destroy said curse. It was infuriating that he had neither been consulted nor even asked to join the teams in searching the school. They had been treating him like some errant schoolboy who was constantly getting in the way of his superiors.
When the school rumbled and vibrated with the telltale markers of a curse being broken, he'd slumped back in his chair and let out a low groan of frustration. 'I bet this is another episode of meddling from Madam Bones! She has no right or excuse for interrupting the school's operations for something like this. After all, the school's being running just fine under my guidance since the late 50s.'
He popped another one of his favorite lemon drops into his mouth and crossed his arms as he pouted sulphurously to himself. Just then his door opened and admitted to his office Minerva and a couple of Healers, none of whom he'd recognized.
Straightening up, he glared at his deputy, "Minerva? What is the meaning of this?"
Minerva merely stared back, "Albus, these Healers are here to give you a mental health check. You seem to be laboring under a number of delusions and I along with the entire staff are worried about you."
Albus started rising from his chair as he roared his disapproval about the apparent betrayal from one of his closest friends and coworker. The lead Healer merely pulled out her wand and stunned Albus. He barely had any warning so when the stunner hit, he flopped back down in the chair and slumped off to one side. The Healer team rushed forward and began a series of diagnostic charms.
Minerva sank into a guest's chair and looked pensive at the proceedings.
Thursday morning arrived and Harry got a letter that cheered him up tremendously. Director Bones had been keeping up a correspondence with him regarding the status of his godfather, Sirius Black and her push to get him a trial. Well, according to the letter he'd just received, Sirius' trial had happened the prior day and the man was found not guilty of all charges levied against him. She then went on to tell Harry that Sirius would be remanded to Saint Mungo's Hospital to begin rehabilitation. According to Director Bones, Sirius was in great spirits and looking forward to seeing Harry as soon as possible. Harry wrote back to Amelia thanking her for all of her efforts and that he too, were looking forward to seeing his godfather. In addition to that, he decided to compose a letter to Sirius to fill him in on some details and general knowledge about his life.
Dear Sirius,
Well, first off I'm glad to hear that you finally got the trial and exoneration that you should've had ten years ago. Better late than never, eh? I'm writing this letter to give you a heads-up into what my life has been like since that Halloween night. First and foremost, I am happy with my aunt and uncle. When I got my Letter of Acceptance and made my way to Gringott's, I found my parents' Will and discovered that I should've never been placed into their care but things worked out okay. They do love me as one of their own and my cousin and I are like brothers.
I grew up in a nice muggle town in Surrey and was a pretty good primary school student. Nothing extraordinary in school grades wise, though my artistic talents were encouraged by my teachers as well as my aunt and uncle. It even got to the point where my teachers encouraged my relatives to help me design and build my own pottery studio and kiln in their backyard.
I learned early on that I'm artistically inclined and therefore should live up to the name of Potter. I've made, given away and sold many different pottery and ceramic creations both at home and here at school. I can't wait to show you what I inadvertently started here at Hogwarts!
Speaking of Hogwarts, I'm finishing up my first year as a Hufflepuff. I'm sure you, like so many others whom are familiar with my family name, are wondering why I wanted to become a Puff? Simply put, Hufflepuff is the House of the artists. We are not 'duffers,' we are not lazy; what we are, are generalists. We are good with everything we put our minds to.
I have made several friends here at school, some of which may be surprising. For example, I'm a good friend with a boy by the name of Draco Malfoy. He's told me some about how his family is related to the Black Family and through them, related to me. We met on the train in September and things just kind of grew from there. Looking back, I think the real reason why we got along so well is because I didn't end up in Gryffindor like my parents and you did. Had I gone there, it would've soured the beginnings of a friendship. (When we meet, remind me to tell you the story of how I introduced the game of Monopoly to the Malfoy family.)
I've made friends or at the very least acquaintances with the children of so-called 'Dark families' but they have known from the very start that I'm not interested in politics and 'social maneuvering' as Draco likes to call it. I mean, I'm only eleven! I'll have plenty of time to deal with that nonsense later in life. That and since the introduction of the Artists' Row, the animosity that used to exist between Houses is now nearly non-existent.
In addition to making friends with many others in Slytherin House, I have friends in the other two outside of my own. I even have a…well, somewhat girlfriend. We're kind of young for such a relationship, at least according to our Head of House, Professor Sprout but I really like her and I know she really likes me. We're practically inseparable though she does have her own friends that she likes to spend time with whenever we boys get to be too much for her own peace of mind.
My best friend in Gryffindor House is a boy named Neville Longbottom. He's a great friend and extremely knowledgeable about plants. He's kind of shy whenever he meets new people but once he warms up to them, his quiet and natural brilliance takes over. He doesn't talk a lot like most Gryffindors I've met but when he does say something, it's very insightful and thought provoking. He's got a gentle sense of humor though there have been times where he will pull a 'wicked left-hook' of a prank.
That's another thing that I feel I'm different from my parents (and have been repeatedly told by the staff), is I don't normally pull pranks on those around me. I have pulled a couple of relatively minor ones but nothing to the level of what you and my father would pull (yes, Professor McGonagall has told me all about you, my dad, Remus Lupin and the traitor and how you formed the Marauders during your time in the school.)
I'm going to hold off on telling you just what kind of pranks I have pulled to date as that should give you the incentive to get better. I hope my aunt and uncle will allow me to visit you in the hospital (assuming it's alright with you) so I can tell you myself.
Please don't let yourself get overwhelmed by the survivor's guilt and know that I'm not upset that you ran off after the traitor. I understand your reason and the circumstances even though I totally believe that it was done at the wrong moment. We can discuss it when we meet up.
See you soon godfather,
Harry