The Nice School of Magic
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
This story is COMPLETELY AU. If you don't likt it, don't read it!
As soon as their head of the year took a sip from their glass, her hair turned green just like the heir of the teachers who were heads to older students and therefore sitting at the teachers' table.
"I think it was the first years," Amelia whispered to Severus in clear amusement. "Look how pale they are, and they don't even dare laughing."
Severus merely returned a grin, wondering who of the first years apart from Harry was adept enough to brew such a potion and when they'd have had the time to do such a thing. 'Harry wouldn't brew such a potion without my permission. That's for sure,' he thought, knowing that his son was very responsible in spite of his young age.
'I forgot to ward the Potions classroom,' he realised, resolving to charm the door to the classroom to alert him if anyone tried to get in like he had charmed his former classroom at Hogwarts.
HP
As soon as dinner was over, a huge group of students stood in front of the hour glasses, including all nineteen first years.
"How come that we've already fifty points, while all the others are empty?" Hermione blurted out what everyone else was wondering about. However, none of the teachers enlightened the students that the headmistress had personally awarded the points.
In spite of the success with the twins' prank potion that only wore off after twenty-four hours, the first years decided to not play any pranks for the time being.
"Instead, let's try to win against the other classes," Alicia suggested, and everyone agreed.
Like before Harry had been grounded, they spent every free minute in their tree house. When their head of the year and the headmistress took them into the city of Nice one Saturday morning, explaining that it was a reward for studying so diligently, they all put their pocket money together and bought a huge bag of sweets for Hagrid.
"It's about time that we go and thank Hagrid..."
"... for making that gorgeous tree house for us," the twins said, when all nineteen students walked up to the caretaker's hut upon their return from the city, and everyone agreed.
Hagrid was as delighted as he was surprised and ushered all the first years into his hut for some tea and rock cakes.
On their way back to their tree house, the first years agreed that Hagrid was a great friend, that they would be eternally grateful for the tree house, but that they'd never again give him the opportunity to invite them for rock cakes.
HP
Much too quickly for Harry's liking, the weeks until the end of the school year passed and the test week began. To his relief, he found that the tests were not overly difficult. 'Thank Merlin Hermione made us study so much,' he thought, when he trailed behind his friends to the last dinner before the end of the school year. 'I hope we managed to win against the other classes,' he thought in anticipation, knowing that at least at lunchtime, the first years had still be leading with 357 points before the seventh years with 343 points.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Susan suddenly addressed him, waiting for him at the door that lead inside the building. "Are you falling asleep?"
"Oh no," Harry replied, smiling. "Sorry, I was only thinking. It's going to be quiet when they all return home tomorrow, don't you think so?"
Susan smiled. "Well, yes, but at least there's two of us to remain here. It would be worse if one of us was going to be alone."
Harry could only full heartedly agree, thinking, 'And we're probably going to spend much time together, considering that her aunt and my dad seem to like each other a lot.'
Harry was not mistaken. Like during the previous summer, his father spent the mornings in his private lab brewing potions for the hospital wing and allowed Harry to assist. However, whenever Severus decided to take off the afternoon from brewing, he and Harry made small excursions to interesting places together with Amelia and Susan.
The thought 'It's almost as if we were a real family' crossed Harry's mind, when they spent a sunny Saturday in Paris.
"It's strange," he thought aloud. "Although Paris is the capital of France, the magical shopping centre is not bigger than the one in Marseille."
"I think I like Marseille more though," Susan voiced her thought.
"They're both about the same size, and there's no big difference in the quality of the shops either," Severus added. "However, Paris has one thing that Marseille is missing." He glanced at Amelia.
"A magical hospital," she replied.
Severus chuckled. "Well, that was not what I meant, but it's true. A magical hospital we don't have in Marseille, and the Ministry of Magic is situated in Paris," he informed the children.
'I'm going to found a hospital then, when I'm big,' Harry resolved, however did not voice the idea. He only told Hermione about the matter when he wrote to her the next morning before breakfast.
HP
Unbeknownst to Harry, Susan, who had already turned seven a few months ago, took the matter of his birthday into her own hands. She spoke with Amelia and Severus, before she wrote an invitation to all of their classmates, gratefully accepting that her aunt copied the invitation for her and that Severus turned the parchments into Portkeys.
Harry woke up to Barkymort trying to stick his tongue into his mouth. "Ahh, stop it Barky," he mumbled in disgust. "What is it? Do you need me to take you outside?"
Barkymort eagerly waggled his tail and proceeded to lick the boy's face with dedication.
"All right then, come," Harry said, annoyed but fairly awake by now. He wiped his face with both hands, before he scrambled out of bed, throwing his robes over his pyjamas as he crossed the room.
"Good morning, sleepy head," Amelia was the first to greet him as he entered the living room, trying to not stumble over Barkymort's tail.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," Susan added in clear excitement.
"Thank you," Harry replied and quickly opened their quarters' entrance door, so that Barkymort could run into the park and relieve himself.
"It's about time that you got up," Severus commented, dryly. "Breakfast in the Hall Magnifique is going to commence in fifteen minutes."
HP
When Harry entered the Hall Magnifique behind what he secretly thought of as his family, he stopped dead in his tracks. All of his classmates were gathered around the table together with the teachers, and, as soon as he stepped into the Hall, his guests began to sing the birthday song.
"Thank you," Harry replied like in a daze. "It's great that you're all here. Thanks so much for coming."
"Susan invited us all," Hermione supplied, "and we're going to stay overnight."
Harry stared at the girl in appreciation. "Thanks Susan," he whispered in a barely audible voice, only for his friend to hear."
Susan chuckled and whispered back. "That's my birthday present for you, Harry. You know that I don't have any pocket money left, after we spent the afternoon in Marseille the other day."
Harry grinned, remembering all too well how they had turned around all the centimes in their pockets three times, counting if they had enough to buy the huge Lego plate that they wanted for their tree house.
"This present is the best," he whispered, before he ran over to the others to greet each of his friends.
HP
After a huge breakfast, for which the house-elves had out-done themselves, Severus announced that Professor Bones, Professors Weasley and he were going to take the whole class to Marseille.
"Since you won against the other classes during the last school year," the headmistress spoke up, "your class will receive fifty Gaullions to spend in Marseille for something that you'd like to have for your common room. You don't have to spend it today if there's nothing you like. The money will still be yours."
A huge commotion followed, since none of the students apart from the four younger children had ever been to Marseille yet, and fifteen minutes later, a whole class of excited children stepped through the portal, which they had already admired so often. Arriving at the shopping street, the four teachers offered that the children could go in small groups of five students each, however, the class decided to remain together.
"I know what we could buy," Fred suddenly spoke up, causing his brother to agree immediately.
"Our mother has a clock..."
"... with all our names on it..."
"... and it shows where each of us is at the moment," the twins explained.
"Oh right, it would be great to know where someone is if one of us is missing, while everyone else is in the tree house," Cedric commented, and after a short discussion, the students asked the adults where to buy such a clock.
"I think there's a clock maker a few houses behind the wand maker," Bill spoke up, and the group quickly headed to the shop. Unfortunately, it was very small, so that the adults decided that Severus would go inside accompanied by the twins and Harry.
'Of course Dad is the best, because he's the only one who knows about the tree house,' Harry thought, inwardly grinning, as he absentmindedly listened how the twins explained to the clock maker what kind of clock they wanted to have.
Unfortunately, the clock maker informed them that that specific clock with nineteen arrows on it would cost 75 Gaullions.
"Oh no, but you see..."
"... we're only nine..."
"... and we don't get so much pocket money yet," the twins spoke up, beseechingly.
"Very well then, sixty Gaullions," the shopkeeper relented. "It's quite difficult to charm it this way."
'Maybe Professor Flitwick can apply the charms for us,' Harry thought and was just about to voice his idea, when his father spoke up.
"All right, we'll take it," Severus decided and added ten Gaullions to the fifty that his son's class possessed.
HP
Back at the school, the soon to be second-years rushed towards their tree house and put the clock on the wall.
"Harry," Angelina spoke up, thoughtfully. "Do you think we could ask your father if we may stay here overnight?"
"That would be absolutely cool," Terence added.
"Let's do that," Harry replied, smiling.
To their relief, Severus agreed, and after spending an hour in the library to do some research, Hermione managed to cast a silencing charm around the tree house to not alert anyone to their presence in the park in case the party was getting a bit louder during the evening.
tbc...
Thanks to the kind readers who commented on the previous chapter! More soon - this story is already completed on FB...