Harry and the Magic Factory

Chapter 6

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"Sorry, everyone," Harry said. "Mother gets mad, very mad, when she thinks about the past, particularly about certain people. So let's just move on to exploring technology…"

Of course, none of the purebloods standing there had the slightest clue about what all of this stuff was. But, for some odd reason, Luna Lovegood, seer of Crumpled-Horn Snorkacks, seemed entranced by these devices.

"…so the telly-vision shows wizarding photographs, but with sound, and for a longer time, then?" she asked.

Harry sort of nodded.

Luna's eyes became even more dreamy. "I think I'll like telly-vision, then. It sounds like the Muggles have finally started using some kind of magic."

That got derisive laughter from the three remaining Chosen. But Luna just looked on and smiled.

"Here, Luna, I think you might enjoy this. It's a nature program on odd insects from Australia." Harry tugged the blonde girl into a seat. He completed the tour with the other three in a few minutes. They were clearly bored.

Lily and James were still following along behind. Lily was the current division head of the Technologica. But right now she was staring daggers into Bracus Snape.

Harry then walked everyone out of the doors of the building while he listened to their grumbling. His parents kept up with Harry. They, too, were grumbling…but about the quality of the Chosen. James went on first, "I can't understand what's happened to Hogwarts. Is this really the best they can do?"

Harry was the one to counter. "Not fair, dad. Hogwarts is the standard everyone accepts. But we designed our school to meet our different needs: to train witches and wizards, squibs and muggles – by the way, we need different words for those classifications, I feel like a pureblood bigot when I say them – and we'll even train friendly werewolves and vampires and the like. It's not like the students are to blame, exactly, it's more like the government and the school aren't demanding enough. I mean, how silly is it not to start formal training and education until someone reaches the age of eleven or twelve…"

The three lapsed back into an old argument. Harry was not terribly interested in criticizing a school he'd never seen, although he would often comment about how unlikely it would be for a Hogwarts graduate to manage a mastery by the age of twenty.

Lily and James, after all they'd endured after their graduation, had an abiding hatred of the school now, particularly its headmaster.

Lily began another one of her standard diatribes. This one was loud enough that the Chosen overheard most of it. "…he had the papers all drawn up, Harry, you know that. For you and the Longbottom boy. He'd already decided where he was going to place both of you. Already drawn up modified versions of our wills, after he'd insisted he be allowed to witness them. He was going to use our money, our family's money, to help fund his wars. And even after Sirius and Remus got you out of danger, he did that same exact thing to fifteen other war orphans. Got guardianship, got control of the estates, and dumped the children off with distant relatives. He's evil beyond mention, so vile I'd like to summon up a demon just to create Albus Dumbledore a personal sort of hell on earth…"

Lily Evans, like many redheaded women, had a tendency toward strong emotions and violent longings.

But James reined her in this time. "…know, what we're doing is far worse than going after him in the courts, Lily. He's off trying to look busy, trying to figure out what happened to Voldemort, even attempting to track down Voldemort's horcruxes – he wants to insert his own name into this story. But he'll never be able to. Remus went and collected the last horcrux four weeks ago after I managed to find the traces toward it…"

Harry stopped this part of the argument. "Just leave it, mum and dad. The court of public opinion is vicious enough to handle him. Let it do its work."

The Chosen weren't well educated, but they weren't slow. What exactly was it that these three Potters, two ghosts and a slip of a boy, were plotting against their Headmaster? Blaise was amused, Snape was looking for an advantage, but Lisa Turpin was positively aghast. Dumbledore had made her Head Girl. She owed the man a lot, probably even her upcoming job in the Ministry of Magic.

All three decided to listen and learn more. Years at Hogwarts does teach people to become effective spies, of course.

So Harry walked them across a mostly empty field and the Potter School loomed larger and larger. From a distance it seemed rather a small building, but up close it was most impressive. Harry gave each of the remaining Chosen a brief walking tour of the building before stopping before a heavy set of doors. He flicked out his hand and then walked in.

The largest office any of them had ever seen was before them. And it was already full. Neville, the Weasley twins, and all the other Chosen (save Luna) were already enjoying cakes and tea. After Harry stepped into the office, an Oompah popped into view holding Luna Lovegood's hand.

Blaise looked around at the room. It was clearly a place for someone very important. But who? Who rated an office like this?

"Please help yourself to the snacks and then find a seat. I have to deal with Mr. McLaggen first, then we can get down to business." This version of Harry Potter was considerably different from the goofy, whimsical Harry they'd all met earlier in the day.

So the Chosen collected food and quickly found seats.

Harry turned to Cormac McLaggen and frowned. "For the crime of attempted theft, any privileges which you might have enjoyed here are suspended. In addition, your memory will be bound so you can never speak of what you've seen and heard here." Harry tapped the young man on his chest and he promptly vanished.

"Now the Oompas can take care of him…"

Harry turned back to the assemblage just before Sirius Black and Remus Lupin let themselves into the office. Harry was glad of their presence.

"You're all here as the first generation of outsiders to be introduced to the Potter Estate. I have an offer for each one of you that we can discuss a bit later. But, first, you all need some context to understand some of what you've seen today. At present the Potter Estate has more than twelve hundred persons classified as adults living within the wards. We are more than self-sufficient and have operations on every continent save Antarctica. We also run what is now the premier school for magic in the world…"

More than one of the people gathered in front of Harry wanted to protest about Hogwarts.

"…I'll explain and you can see for yourself. We have more than six hundred children enrolled in our school. Some are war orphans who were basically abandoned in your world; some are the children of Potter Estate citizens; some are the children of Muggles who work for outside Potter Estate companies…"

"Muggleborns," Blaise Zabini asked.

"No, Muggles. We teach witches, wizards, squibs, and muggles here, Mr. Zabini. Students come to us as early as their fifth year…"

"What?" "That's awful…it's far too young." "What can you teach a five-year-old?" The Chosen were obviously concerned about schooling starting at such a young age.

"…and you'd be surprised the kinds of things they can learn. We begin teaching them reading, mathematics, care of magical creatures, and introductory sciences. We offer field trips to magical sites throughout Britain and France. We also begin acculturation through story telling, stories related to wizarding history and myths and heritage. We've been doing this for nine years now and it's tremendously successful…"

The Chosen were sitting still, for the most part, trying to divine the reason for them hearing this story. Fred and George Weasley had already cottoned onto what they thought it was, but it was mostly wishful thinking. Fortunately for them, and their desires, they guessed right.

"The school works on a strict merit system. We assign a certain amount of content to each class. Passing the class requires mastering the content, whether it takes four months or sixteen months. Most classes require ten months of study. Students generally spend about ten years preparing to pass their basic competency. Some finish as early as fourteen; some as late as seventeen. Passing basic competency is fairly challenging. For example, the requirements include: demonstrating competency in 4 foreign languages (up to 1 magical), equivalency of ten years study of the English literature and language, 10 years of magical and human history, 10 years of mathematics, practical and magical, 20 equivalent years and a minimum of six disciplines within human and magical sciences, life training, including several years each of economics and banking; household management and culinary skills; law and politics; family heritage and traditions; and ethics. And for magical students only, a minimum of four disciplines and 30 equivalency years of training. Every student also completes a basic competency capstone project…"

The Chosen were goggling. The requirements were harder than the Mastery system endorsed by the British Ministry of Magic. And this was just to complete a basic competency.

"…at that point, students are free to select exactly which subjects they wish to continue further studies in. Most elect to pursue three or more subjects. Then they do an additional two years of study to prepare them to pursue Mastery-level work. To advance to the Masters-level, each of these mastery qualification students completes any foreign languages required for the subject, take the master's qualification examination, and then submits a research proposal…."

Blaise Zabini suspected that this Potter person had to be lying. There was no way someone could set up a school where everyone was forced to meet these standards. They sounded impossibly high.

"…the Master's program is completely self-directed. It requires only four things, but none of them are simple to achieve: a full and complete understanding of the field as a whole, original research into one or more subsets or aspects of the field, completion of a final project or projects, approved by a board of Masters, which is generally new spells, new techniques or processes, or new interpretations of older theories. Finally, each Master must swear an oath to continue the development of the field in the future (research, teaching, skill practice and usage, or the like)…"

Blaise asked the question everyone wanted to know. "Why would anyone sign up for that kind of torture?"

Harry smiled. "The Potter Estate is vastly wealthy now—and for a good purpose. But the only people who are allowed to participate in the wealth, to help spend it and enjoy it, are the citizens here. The only way to become a citizen of the Potter Estate is to have a Potter Mastery…"

Lisa Turpin blinked a couple of times, then scowled. "…so you have hundred year old men here without masteries who don't qualify as adults?"

Harry shook his head. "Yes and no. In principle, you're right, but not in actual practice. Anyone we bring in to help on a project has three years of provisional citizenship to work on their project, and work toward their citizenship. Anyone who doesn't complete their mastery within three years leaves, with their memory bound of their time here. People who pass are granted citizenship and the right to move between our world and any others they wish to…"

Blaise leaned forward again. "You explained why people need to become Masters, Potter, in order to stay, but it still sounds like a lot of torture for a little reward…"

James Potter floated forward. "My son has reestablished the family on a meritocratic basis. All adult privileges hinge on the completion of a mastery: voting for officeholders and for major laws and revisions to the basic charter, use of a private vault at the Potter Trust, standing for office, holding a Potter job, access to private (rather than communal) housing, ability to teach in the Potter School, full ability to access the Potter Estate Library (rather than the school library), responsibility to serve on juries (which can levy against personal freedoms and possessions, order the binding of someone's magic, or their expulsion from the Potter Estate). We have to have responsible people here. There's much to be done and not a lot of hands, yet, to do the work."

The room descended into chaos. Some of the Chosen thought it sounded like a recipe for a failed utopia, a dystopia; some thought it sounded wonderful.

"Hold up, folks," Harry said. "This is not a perfect society. We still have crime, we still have bits and pieces of corruption. People try to bribe others to get votes to serve on the Council and such. People have tried to embezzle. But we've got a decent system in place and committed, dedicated types as citizens. We've got wizards and goblins doublechecking the financial statements. We've got centaurs and werewolves and others coming in to help teach history to our young to help check natural tendencies toward arrogance and thoughts of supremacy. We've got Muggles intermingling with us. We're the opposite of a dying, decaying society. We're just starting out and we've got a plan for the future…but that's something we'll discuss a bit later, I think."

George and Fred Weasley decided it was their turn to ask a question. "So, Mister Potter," one of them started.

"…what exactly are we doing here?"

"Going to give us a chance to work here…"

"…or become citizens?"

Harry smiled at the twins. "You got it in one. As of today, we're going to begin drawing a bit closer to the traditional wizarding world in Britain and other nations. You all have been invited here to see some of the things we work on. If you'd like, I will arrange an apprenticeship for each of you and three years of provisional citizenship so that you can complete a Master's if you'd like. We won't even force you to take the basic proficiency examinations, which are rather challenging…"

That was enough to push their buttons again. Nearly everyone of the Chosen demanded to be able to take the basic proficiency testing. If Potter's fourteen and fifteen year olds could do it, then why couldn't they do it when they were sixteen and older?

Bracus Snape was staying quiet. He actually knew what it took to become a Master under the British system. And he wasn't sure if even his father could manage to secure a Mastery here. Severus had been a Master for years, but he hadn't needed to actually create new potions to do it. And his father owned a research company, in addition to his work teaching at Hogwarts, but he had never actually created a new potion from whole cloth before. Wolfsbane was based on dozens of years of semi-failed work from others. If the researchers who lived in this 'Magic Factory' were this smart, Bracus needed to figure out how and why. He needed to give his people, the people he cared about, an advantage over these traitors.

Harry smiled. The basic proficiency examinations would instill some humility in these people, then they could begin their work in their departments and on their masteries. Looking around, Harry guessed that Fred and George would pass. Neville was a possibility in Magical Botany. Luna Lovegood could probably take on a couple of subjects and do well. But Harry had his doubts about the others. And that Colin Creevey was particularly creepy, but it was possible he could be good with a camera – assuming he could keep his clothes on.

"For those that stay on, we'll begin the examination tomorrow. It lasts for three solid days, so be ready."

Susan Bones was looking torn and thoughtful. She was very much interested in working with that Necromantics department, but she wanted to know what kind of projects she would have to work on to achieve a Mastery here. So she asked.

"What are the options for Mastery? And which one are you working on?"

Harry smiled at the second part of the question. But he felt glad to answer the first half.

"Well, we're always working to expand the options so we don't leave out any worthwhile field. As of today, we have options in Potions, Pranks, Defense, Duelling and Offensive Magics, Warding and Runic Magics, Transfiguration, Charms, Healing, Spell Development, Arcane Magics like Divination, Necromancy, Soul Magics, and Mind Magics. There's Magical Zoology, Magical Botany, Ancient and Magical Tongues, Practical Languages, Politics and Law, the Human Sciences such as Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Biology and Physiology, Geological Sciences, Practical and Magical Mathematics, Business and Economics, Human History, Magical History, and Technology."

The Chosen were trying to filter through the list. "But don't worry, I have some documentation I can give you if you're genuinely interested. It covers all of the Masteries and their required subject matter."

Fenecule Moody was rather disturbed by what he'd heard. "Why are there Muggle subjects allowed for Mastery?"

"Because witches and wizards need to know Muggle subjects too. And Muggles need to know magical subjects. Our first Master of Magical History was a Muggle actually. So be careful of yourself, young Moody."

This causes more grumbling. He realized that these Hogwarts students wouldn't even know Muggleborn students much any more, because the Potter School went and found most of the Muggleborn by age five.

"Hold up. How many of you even know a Muggleborn student, aside from Colin Creevey or his younger brother?"

Colin looked impressed that Harry knew that much.

But no one else raised their hands. "See. Your world isn't working the right way any more. We identify all the Muggleborn from accidental magic and then outreach to them way before Hogwarts would think to. We teach magic right next to muggle subjects. And we allow nonmagical siblings to attend, especially through our sister school in the nonmagical world. And we invite parents to visit. I don't know why we missed Colin and his brother, but we don't miss many of the Muggleborn any more…"

The grumbling intensified. But Harry had other things to show them. So he ushered them out of the school office and back into the hallways. On their quick trip outside, Harry introduced them to Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy ("one of my best friends, actually, once you get past his snooty early years" which provided everyone a laugh), and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Then he waved to a number of teachers moving around, including Instructor Alastor Moody.

Harry was opening a portal so that all of them could return to the grounds of the Potter Estate when Luna Lovegood reminded everyone, "Harry here has not explained what mastery subjects he's studying."

Harry smiled again and started pushing people through the portal. "When we arrive, we have a bit of time. If you'd like a story, perhaps I can share that one…"