[Disclaimer] Don't own, and don't even try. And even this fic was written under pressure of reviewers. So thank them.
A/N: my apologies for late update. The chapter was actually done long ago, but my Beta told me it was too short, then I decided to expand on things and actually write them out instead os summarizing as one reviewer advised me and got stuck . It didn't want to go the way I wanted, and when I complained to my teenage cousins, they gave me a 'look', and said: "this doesn't make sense, why would he/she do that? And what does that word mean? We're not college students to use such complicated words." So I had to redo it several times. Finally, I asked my sister, my cousin and my mom(!) to write out the letters. Hope you appreciate it.
XXX
Last chapter:
By the end of the day Harry was totally drained, made a few life changing observations, found out how little he actually knew, had a brand new (Muggle) wardrobe put into his new trunk that was currently lying at his feet while he was eating in an Indian restaurant.
Ch 2: The week after
After having such a nice meal, Harry didn't want to withstand the haphazard driving of the Knight Bus, choosing to trade fast travel for comfortable travel, thus opting to take a train and then a bus. It also gave him a couple of hours to kill and think, which he used trying to put on paper what he wanted to have in his orphanage. He knew that it wasn't a final list, but he needed to start somewhere.
XXX
The next morning started as usual. He was awoken by the screech of his Aunt and prepared breakfast. He did chores till lunch, after which he worked in the garden, planting flowers so his Aunt could win the yearly unspoken competition of the best flowers in the neighborhood. During all this he was trying to formulate some plans and coming up short due to lack of information, experience and general idea on how to proceed. After dinner he took a deep breath to steady his resolve and made a life changing step:
- "Uncle Vernon, could you please help me out with some of the documents I got from a bank, as I don't understand them, and you can explain as the Manager in such a big company as Grunnings, and doing very good at that as you recently got a promotion."
Silence reigned, and Harry internally cringed, hoping that he didn't just sign up for a punishment of getting stuck in his room with no food or worse, and that laying it that thick will help him subvert some irritation.
- "I mean, we all want me to get out from under this roof, but we can't until I'm of age. - He wisely decided not to mention his godfather. - And the only other option I found was for me to get my own place, with your permission, so I went to a bank in London. Normal Bank, - he hastened to add, seeing his Uncle starting to get purple, - and asked them on how to get a loan or something, but they said I need your signature as a minor, so I decided to ask for your opinion on all this, as I have no idea what would happen, and I..."
He never finished, as his Uncle exploded.
- "You ungrateful freak! We clothe you, feed you and provide roof above your head, and that's how you answer us? You filthy no-good lazy freak of an abomination!"
Vernon was towering over Harry by the end of the speech; spit flying all over the place. Harry crunched over himself, and dared to put in when his Uncle seemed unable to keep talking:
- "But that's the point! I want to get a place of my own so that you won't have to put up with me and my freakishness. Wouldn't it be better for you?"
His Uncle didn't hear a word of it though. He grabbed Harry by the scruff of his T-shirt and pushed him out of the room, screaming:
- "Up to your room Boy, and don't get down before you are allowed out."
Harry scrambled by the stairs as fast as he could, and as soon as he was in his room, he dropped on his bed, thinking: "Well, that went well". Then he took out his PDA, and started reading news as became his evening routine.
XXX
The next day Harry was let out of his room only to cook breakfast and was locked up in his room after that, and with nothing else to do, he went back to browsing news sites on his PDA. A couple of hours later, bored out of his mind at the repetitive and depressing news columns, he decided to make it more productive, by searching for a place for the future Orphanage. Not that he was having much luck, as he was searching for a piece of land to build everything from scratch, and thus was on his own (1), and he couldn't even decide what size the land should be to begin with and how much he should poor into the projects. In the end, he got contact information for several estate agencies, but all the legal jargon on the sites was going over his head.
That evening he was surprised to be called down to the living room where his relatives were waiting for him. He was ordered to bring in the contract he got by a very disgruntled Uncle, who then proceeded reading it, getting purple the more he read.
- "I agreed with Pet to at least give your stupid arse a chance, and this is how you repay us? This postulates for us to sign as your guardians, essentially making us pay with our hard earned money for all the expenses, while you give nothing. And what's worse, after everything is done, the dead is gonna be in your name and we won't get a penny. And this, this! - Vernon practically dragged him down from a chair all the while shaking the papers in the air, - This practically says that if for whatever reason we can't pay the down payment our whole place goes to them. OUR HOUSE, MY CAR GOING TO THE BANK! That's not gonna happen, you freak! - The last part was practically hissed into Harry's terrified face, while Aunt Petunia let out a sound between a horrified gasp and an indignant squeak. - Now listen here, Boy. If you ever try to get a paper with a bank, never, you hear me! NEVER put our names and our address on it, as we will not pay a penny for you. Now get out back to your room!"
Harry hightailed from the living room as fast as he could. He was just glad that he got a standard loan agreement form from one of the banks he visited on his trip, as he highly doubted his Uncle being reasonable with a contract made by 'his people' after this debacle.
XXX
After the whole disappointing, though not that unexpected incident, Harry took a few hours to re-evaluate his plans. Or at least attempt to, without much headway. It was Hedwig, flying into the open window, which gave him an idea. An idea so obvious, he hit himself in the forehead for not thinking about it sooner. Of course! He could write Hermione, who had muggle parents and their own practice of Dentistry no less, for advice and instructions.
Hey, Hermione,
I wanted to start a project, but am hitting road blocks on every corner. I don't even know where to start and how to put this on paper. Ok, you know that my home life is not the most stellar. So I had this idea - I want to start an orphanage for all the kids left on the streets or with hateful relatives like mine. But I have no idea where to start, and when I went to a bank to get a loan for it, I had no idea what to ask for, and I, can you imagine? even asked my Uncle for help.
So, with all the books on law that you went through last year, I figure if you know what's a proper procedure to open a business and buy a property. Specifically, I want to buy a piece of land, and build an orphanage there. Can you ask your parents on how it's done in muggle world, for comparison? Hedwig will wait for you to answer.
Harry
PS: the answer is green_lily, yahoo to US search networks (2).
PPS: do you know how to get a mobile? Is it worth it?
Harry hoped that Hermione would understand that it was not a light hearted question, and would be smart enough to get the hint to answer via e-mail he gave her.
- "Hey girl, can you take this to Hermione? And wait for her to answer. Oh, and greet her parents and make sure that Hermione talks with them in regards to this letter, ok?"
Harry tied the letter to her leg, when Hedwig nodded her head in understanding. She preened his hair, as if asking him to keep safe and took out the window, with Harry tracing her against the sky until her silhouette vanished.
- "Back to business then." - He clapped his hands, ruffled his hair, and sat down at the table with his PDA searching for a piece of land he would want to start his place at.
XXX
The rest of the week passed as usual: Harry was doing all his endless chores under the unforgiving sun rays or his Aunt's piercing gaze during day time, and searching for a nice place to start his orphanage and reading news in general by night. It was weekend when Hedwig returned with quite a large parchment attached to her leg. Harry scrambled to untie it and feed and offer water to Hedwig as she seemed tired. The snowy owl hooted in appreciation and tiredly folded her wings afterwards and went to sleep. And Harry opened the letter, or to be more precise unfurled several long parchment rolls. He started from the one on the top.
Harry,
How was your summer so far? Hope your relatives are treating you fine. I looked up and wrote down everything I know about how to get a business started, you wouldn't believe how many books I had to go through for that. I wrote them all on separate parchments for easier navigation. So first page is about the general laws of opening a business: what kind of documents you need to fill out, what Ministry department you need to register it with, and other important points. The second one is on how to get a business started in general, and I need more specific information on what kind of business you mean, so I can conduct proper research, because it all depends on what you want to do, but I researched all the common steps that you need to take first, so you should be fine until I get more specific information. And I wrote ways to buy a property on the third parchment, and the easiest and most secure way is through Gringotts, but there are other options depending on how big and what conditions.
Harry smiled at the long-winded sentences, almost hearing Hermione's voice in lecturing mode, barely pausing to take a breath before launching into another long sentence.
Now, how DARE you make Hedwig tag along until I talked to my parents? I am perfectly capable of getting this information on my own.
Harry was taken aback and surprised with Hermione being cross with him for writing to ask things from her parents, as she went on complaining for almost half a page, ending with:
In the end, we decided to write it separately, just in case, as having more sources is, of course, better. I'll attach their letters to mine, before sending it.
Now, about those mobile phones. I checked them out, and they are completely unreliable and expensive. You need to have at least a yearly subscription and use it at least once a month, which is inconvenient for us, as we spend 9 months in Hogwarts, and no electronic devices work there. And in the contract it says that if the number is not in use for3 months (or 6 in some cases), you lose subscription and they would probably not reimburse you for it. And the signal is not reliable as it gets high jacked all the time, so we're better off using owl post.
Anyway, hope you are doing all right. Did you finish all your summer homework? You know how important it is. I finished mine within the first week back. Right me back if you need more explanations.
Hermione.
Harry chuckled. That was Hermione through and through, worrying about homework more than about anything else. He frowned at the information on the mobiles, but sighed in resignation. He put down Hermione's letter and un-scrolled the other pages, and started reading with a feeling of trepidation at the sheer length of the parchments.
XXX
It took Harry a few hours to sort out through all the information Hermione sent him, admit that he was in over his head, and didn't understand most of what was written. He wondered if Hermione actually understood everything she wrote or if she simply copied everything that she deemed important or related enough. The whole process seemed very complicated with many documents required, and when he tried to write them out on a separate piece of paper, he soon got lost in references and same files called by different names. So, with his eyes going cross-eyed and his brain feeling like mush, he decided to put those parchments away to try to work them out later, and took out pages underneath them. These pages were completely different, as they were written on lined notebook pages of A4 format.
Dear Mr. Potter,
My name is Dan, and I am Hermione's father. I thank you for an opportunity to try and connect with my daughter more, as I am afraid that we are getting more and more distanced with no common interests and topics to discuss. Even though, this action seems to have raised her ire, I sincerely thank you again for this chance to get closer to her and talk about future prospects. As she cannot show us the magic she studies, we can only hear stories from her, and take her on her word. And even though, Hermione has a brilliant mind, she lacks life experience overlooking some things, which we would like to address before it's too late.
From the letters she sent us from previous years me and my wife knew a few things about you, of course. However, this is a much better opportunity for me to get to know one of the boys my daughter associates with and get another opinion about what is going on in that school of yours. This in no means implies for you to report what Hermione does, but I would like to get a different view on some of the things that happened to my daughter, as she seems to dismiss certain things as inconsequential.
Now that the rant of a worried father is done, let me address the topic that started this. As I understood, you want to start a small business, and trying to get information on how to proceed. From my daughters rant while she was researching, I understood that some procedures seem to be different. What worries me is that she only seems to get her information from books, which is good for most part, but every Encyclopedia has to be constantly updated to have the latest information, and most books I saw from Wizarding World seem to have been out-of-date for several decades if not centuries. I urge you to use internet for certain information, such as official web-sites of companies that provide start-up capital for infant businesses. In the off chance that procedures are actually very different, I would advise you to ask the bank for the options it can provide.
I can provide you with details on how our dental practice came about. Unfortunately, it would be too complicated and incomprehensible in large part due to the tangled bureaucratic procedures involved. With that in mind, I want to request what kind of business you want to open, so I can get some idea on how to proceed, and for us to agree on a time to meet, so I can explain everything in person, as I am afraid, I have no talent for explanation on paper. This way you can ask your questions immediately and we can minimize the risk of forgetting some major point or misunderstand each other. You can either give time and day though letter, preferably in the evening or you can call our home or our dental practice on the following numbers so we can negotiate it.
Sincerely,
Dr. Daniel Ortega Granger
Harry put down the letter, deep in thought. Hermione's father seemed like an okay bloke and he even offered to explain everything in person, even going as far as giving him several means of contacting him. Even though he didn't actually tell him much on the topic itself, he pointed him to the starting point. Harry decided to read the second letter coming to any decision.
Dear Harry,
First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Evelyn Granger, but you can call me Eve or you can guess, I am Hermione's mother. She told us so much about you and Ron, and I am very glad that she's happy and have friends to back her up in the magic school, a place where unfortunately we cannot follow.
Me and Dan were asked, by your prompting, if I understood Miya(3)'s grumbling, to help you out in a complicated matter of opening a business. Well, we decided that Dan will explain you all the intricacies of that, and me, as a woman, I will take up the administrative and financial aspects of the deal. Now, remember, it is very important to divide responsibilities, as one person cannot know everything. It would be a good idea to ask around and see if people are interested in this kind of thing.
As I understood, you want to open an orphanage. Did you consider taking over an existing orphanage? This way you'll already have people who know how and when to pay bills, taxes and fees, and you won't have to search for caretakers, groundkeepers, teachers and other personnel that you will need. Not to discourage you, but this is a very big project you are taking up. I would advise taking a few months to actually write down a business plan with timelines. You are still a teenager, so you can wait until you finish school before starting the project, and you can actually take some things from your school. Note what you like or don't like about your school: building, territory, sports, clubs, teachers, etc. It's always easier to start from something you know. Put down some notes now, and we'll add to them as we go.
To give you an example, I compiled a list of the first steps one needs to take to open an educational institution, such as school(4):
a. Go to the City Hall to find out where an orphanage can be opened and on what conditions (can you open a new one, or if you can take an existing one and redo it). Get a list of all the required documents. Write official letters to appropriate departments that are involved with similar projects. Receive an official letter from the Marie and Department of Education and all other departments that are directly and/or indirectly connected to opening an orphanage and a school.
b. Find an appropriate building for opening the orphanage: school building, dormitory, administrative buildings, gym, etc. Appraise the price of the existing structure and whether it needs upgrading and refurbishing (touch-ups, complete, refurnishing, etc), how much is it going to cost.
c. Find a construction company and ask the price of an orphanage project, either from scratch or an existing standard one. Ask the price of modifications and changes to a chosen ready project. Get a list of materials and сметаand their cost.
d. Find an investor. Even in case you have a sufficient amount of money to start the project, it's a good idea to find an outside investor for a loan.
e. Hire the chosen construction company to make the repairs or the full scope of the construction from foundation up.
f. Hire a designer for interior (construction provides exterior) design.
g. Buy the equipment, furniture, lights, etc.
h. Pass the commission and receive permit for putting the buildings into service.
i. Hire the teaching, cleaning and administrative staff.
j. Give an ad into all media about opening/re-opening of the orphanage/school to get attention of potential students and/or their parents/guardians.
k. Inform the Department of Education of the opening to receive the governmental subsidies and potentially a list of possible students (there are many more kids on the streets than there are places that can take them in, and if the school is magical, the government will have better means of getting their attention).
As you can see, it's a very long and daunting process, but this list should help you take first steps.
Bisou (5),
Evelyn.
PS: I want to ask about some of the adventures that Hermione had in the school, as some things she said don't match up with the notes we received, if that's okay with you.
Harry's head was swimming with Hermione mom's style of jumping all over the place and changing tones. Fortunately, he had a few years of experience of following his best's friend's thinking out loud on an interesting idea or question, when she jumped from idea to idea the same way. He chuckled, guess he knew where Hermione got her enthusiasm and curiosity, and the habit of making lists. It also sounded like Hermione was keeping or at least smoothing over some of their adventures, and her parents were getting suspicious. He gulped. He really hoped that he's not going to get in trouble with the Grangers. Well, there was no need to fret until he met them. Meanwhile, he would follow Evelyn Granger's advice and write down what he wanted in his orphanage. He already started the list after all.
Harry decided to call them the next evening to set up a meeting time.
XXXX
Explanations:
1. The process of buying a property varies in US and UK; for reference, read this article: refinancemortgages(dot)com(slash)real-estate-agents-uk-usa(dot)php
2. Cookie to anyone who got the riddle, not that it's so hard.
3. Yes, it's not a standard shortening of Hermione's name, but my family always somehow ends end giving nick names that have nothing in common to our real names, or quite a far stretch, so I thought it'll be fun to do it. Also, I don't like name Mione.
4. Yes, I understand that this seems awfully complicated, but I needed this to explain why Harry can't just snap his fingers and everything is done. It's not gonna be mentioned later.
5. That's French for "kisses", usually can be understood as simply "Cheers" in signature.
Thanks: to my friends and family for putting up with me. And to my reviewers: Haunt of twilight, Loraliell, soulknight121, I Just Won A Free Toaster Oven, AmaltheaLuchiaAizen, Signora Lilium, Draghen De Sanglant, xXxOtAkU-444xXx, mute-by-choice, Cynthia Joy Finnegan, Star Fata, anne, Maiden of Books, zafaran, neela organa of rogue, domsijohn, Elspeth, history, Daenin, Jisa, haji jaku, shebajay, Noctisis Rrhagia. special thanks to gender-bender-lover-101 for review that made me realize that I haven't updated and put my ass in gear.
R&R, pls. Tell me where I can improve and if smth is confusing.