Chapter Twenty-Four - New Priorities
When Ginny had been back at work for a while, she and Harry had started talking about their plans for the future, and what they each wanted to do. She had told him that she really would rather just do research. She was good at the business part of the job too, but she didn't love doing it like she loved being in the labs. They made some decisions about not just Marauders Institute, but about their whole financial organization, and in the first week of November, they had a series of meetings. The first one was with Mum and Fleur. When the four of them were seated after exchanging hugs, Harry got straight to the point of the meeting.
"Ginny and I have decided to make some changes in the way our investments are going to be handled from now on," he told them. Fleur and Mum looked at him with interest, confident that anything they were going to hear next would be at least two things - exciting, and good for everyone involved.
"The first step of these changes, which will begin on December first, is that we want Fleur to become the CEO of our organization." Fleur stared at him in amazement. "We know you'll do the same great job taking care of everything that you've done as account manager for the Marauders Institute part of our investments," he told her as he handed her a few pages of parchment. "If the offer is satisfactory, you'll be in charge of everything, and the only thing I expect to see are annual reports, and I guess I'll have to sign off on your annual incentive, starting next year." Fleur read through the contract. She had tears in her eyes when she looked up when she was done.
"Thank-you, Harry; Ginny. I promise to do my best for you." Ginny smiled.
"We're pretty sure your best will be pretty spectacular," she told her sister-in-law before turning to her mother. "We didn't think you'd want the load of work we've just dumped on Fleur, but we're hoping that you and Penelope could handle both the Marauders Institute and the Property division accounts together, and we'd leave it up to all of you to add any extra Junior Account Manager positions if you need them." Mrs. Weasley nodded her agreement, and Ginny continued.
"You and Fleur can promote Penelope whenever you have everything else ready for the change." Her mother nodded again, smiling happily.
Harry continued the meeting. "There are a couple of other issues to bring to your attention before we finish up and take our new CEO, her husband, and our parents out for lunch," he told them. The girls all smiled at him and waited.
"The changes we're making here, and are about to make at Marauders Institute, will increase total annual incentives to forty percent of profit. I also want to have ten percent of the annual net profit put into an account that I am going to use entirely for charity. This will be on our personal investment profit, but the Investment Partnership is also welcome to donate to this fund, if they choose to do so." He looked at Fleur and smiled. "You can continue to put this money to work in short-term investments only so it doesn't sit there while I get started with giving it away." Harry took a breath, and then continued. "I'll want the first ten percent to be transferred at the end of this business year." Fleur had been taking notes now, and both she and Mum nodded their support.
"Finally," Harry said, "we're firing the Executive Administrator at Marauders Institute." Ginny and Harry both laughed when they saw the looks on the two women's faces. Ginny took over from Harry at that point.
"That's what I want," she told her mother. "I'm going to just be a regular researcher. We'll be meeting with Hermione, Luna, Mandy, and Natalie tomorrow, and letting them know of the changes. Harry and I are going to concentrate on the boys, and on doing the things we love to do. When they grow up, if they're interested in getting involved with all of this, they can come learn from the best - and that'd be you two, and the other senior managers."
Molly got up and hugged them both again. "I am so proud of you kids," she told them, including Fleur in the comment. "You're all just so amazing, it just makes me want to burst with pride."
Ginny was a little misty-eyed. "We're pretty proud of you too, Mum." Harry smiled and handed them each tissues.
"Fleur, why don't you sign that contract, and we'll go pick up your husband and father-in-law, and go out for an extended lunch."
The next morning they were in Ginny's office, and there were four women watching them curiously. Harry began this meeting too.
"I've asked you all to come to this meeting to announce that I have decided to fire your Executive Administrator, effective November thirtieth," he told them, and loved seeing the same reaction in them that they had gotten yesterday from Molly and Fleur. "Before you collectively lynch me," he continued with a laugh, "you should first know that Ginny is more than happy to be fired, and that she will still be working at Institute with you as a researcher." The girls were now at least partially mollified.
"Ginny and I have been discussing the future for Marauders Institute, and have also been questioning each of you to help us in making some decisions." He looked at Hermione and smiled. "You're also fired - or demoted to researcher - take your pick what you want to call it." Hermione was smiling as she watched him have his fun. "Let's stop wasting your time on paperwork, when you can be doing more for the company just doing your research." Hermione nodded, happy to get rid of that part of her job. Harry turned to Mandy and handed her the pages of parchment - her new job offer and contract.
"We'd like you to become the head of Marauders Institute, effective December first," he told her, and Mandy's mouth fell open. "You're practically doing it all now anyway," he added with a smile. "Look at it as the same job, more work, and a big raise." The girls all laughed at him. "We'll leave it up to you to make whatever changes and promotions you want, except for one." Now he turned to Natalie, smiling brightly at her.
"You've done a great job as the head of the game division, Natalie." He handed her some pages of parchment too. "We want you to take Hermione's place as the Head of Research for us, also starting December first." Natalie didn't read her contract over first - she instead jumped out of her chair and started distributing hugs.
"If I forgot to tell you guys today, I really love you all!" she told them happily. When the girls had settled down again, Harry finished with the last item he had to go over with them.
"Luna, when we talked to you, it was obvious you're happy with what you're doing, and you're the best in the world at it, so the only thing we have for you is a raise to make sure there's no way any other company can come along and try to lure you away from us." Luna smiled at him patiently. Her friend was such a little kid sometimes, but it was fun to watch. Harry stood up. "I'll let you girls take care of the rest of things, and Ginny's taking you all out for lunch later." He gave his wife a hug and kiss, and then left to go pick his sons up from the daycare, his work done for the day.
The new 3D GameWizard and GameWitch portables took the Wizarding World by storm when it went on sale in mid-November. Luna had, as always, done an amazing job, and in that last half of the month, her careful management of the launch of the game systems and the games that went with it broke all previous records. There was also a surge in sales of the original GameWizard systems as she put out the new line of games geared toward young Witches and Wizards, which she combined with price cuts that made the older systems affordable to nearly all families.
Harry only agreed to do an appearance at one store this time, and spent the day at the GamePortal store in Toronto with his favourite store manager, Valerie, helping her to win the trip to Hawaii that was awarded to the store that sold the most systems that first day. They had Witches and Wizards come to Toronto from all over North America to buy their games there once word got out that Harry would be there for the day, and be signing autographs.
James and Albus were up, dressed, and fed before Harry and Ginny had a chance to sit down and take turns going over their annual Gringotts reports. Harry watched and entertained the boys while Ginny read her reports first.
Dear Ginny,
Yesterday was your last official day as the head of Marauders Institute, but your last duty as Executive Administrator will be to review the incentive report for the year that just ended. I am pleased to announce that the Institute outperformed our expectations, primarily due to the higher that projected sales of both the new and old game systems.
Your incentive has been approved by the Account Managers, and a transfer of twenty-one million galleons has been completed. This Owl will wait while you review and approve the incentive report, and you can return the report to Gringotts with her.
Fleur Weasley
CEO - PBP Investments
Ginny quickly used her remembrall, and started to check the report. Harry had read over the cover letter while she was going over the incentives for her employees.
"That was a good idea of yours for putting a name on the company that Fleur's running now," he told her. She looked up from the report and smiled.
"We needed to have something to call it, and only the few of us that know will understand what it stands for, and if anyone asks, I'll tell them it stands for 'Pretty Big Profits'." Harry laughed, and watched as she signed off on the report and sent it out with the Owl. Ginny took over with the boys, and Harry opened his package.
Mr. Potter,
I am pleased to report to you another exceptional year for your investments. Every division had outstanding results, and our expansion into new areas, particularly in media and advertising is proving to be a wise course of action. We have also set up the charity account you directed be created, and the details of that amount are included on the summary. Please review the financial statement and incentive authorization reports. The Owl will wait, and you can return the approved incentive letters with him.
Griphook
Account Manager Coordinator
Harry was impressed as he reviewed the financial summary.
Summary of Consolidated Accounts for Mr. Harry Potter
Beginning Balance: 6,790.25 million galleons
Investment Partnership: 1,123 million galleons
New Investment: 400 million galleons
Total Beginning Balance: 8,313.25 million galleons
Profits:
Marauders Institute: 2,100 million galleons
Property Division: 660 million galleons
Goblin Ventures: 400 million galleons
Other Investments: 190 million galleons
Total Profit: 3,350 million galleons
Less incentive: 1,239.5 million galleons
*Thirty-seven percent; Pending approval of projected incentives.
Less Non-Profit Vaccine: 50 million galleons
**As of Nov. 30th. Eleven million vaccinations completed.
Profit after incentives: 2,060.5 million galleons
**Investment Partnership receives 18.32 percent of after-incentive profit.
Ending Balance: 8,304.75 million galleons
Charity Account: 168.5 million galleons
Investment Partnership
Ending Balance: 1,900.5 million galleons
Combined Ending Balance: 10,373.75 million galleons
Ginny reached for the parchment that Harry handed to her, and read it over as he went through the process of signing off on the incentive authorizations for his account managers.
"That's amazing that we can turn half of the profit back to everyone that works for PBP Investments, and now for charity, and still keep doing better with our own bottom line," she commented as he finished up and sent the Owl on it's way. He nodded his agreement.
"And they're all doing better every year too, especially the ones taking advantage of the Investment Partnership," he agreed and smiled at Ginny. "Maybe we should get Grandma and Grandpa to watch the kids and go out to celebrate tonight." She went and put her arms around him, smiling too.
"Not on your life, Mr. Potter. Last time we celebrated like that, we ended up with an extra surprise." Harry looked over at Albus, who was sleeping in his little carrier/rocker.
"It was a pretty terrific surprise - and a pretty terrific night too," he reminded her, grinning at her. Ginny laughed at him.
"Well, I'm open to discussing more children for the future, but if you're looking to have another one right away, then you had better plan on carrying it to term yourself, 'cause this Witch is officially on a baby-free sabbatical for the next year or two."
Through the rest of December, until Christmas, Harry had continued to work with Hermione in the lab three afternoons a week. He attended his last annual account manager's meeting, really just there to congratulate Fleur and Penelope on their respective promotions, and to thank all of them for the amazing work they'd been doing, and would surely continue to do. Other than the usual December meeting of the Wizengamot, the rest of his time was spent with his sons, and with Teddy and Victoire.
He took James and Teddy to one of Ron's games, and made lots of time to play with all of the kids. They went on shopping trips to buy Christmas presents, and took mommies and aunts out for lunches. The Weasleys were having their family Christmas on the Saturday before Christmas, because Sunday was Christmas Eve day, and most of the family would be with their respective in-laws this year.
Harry and Ginny had spent the morning helping Mum and Dad get the Burrow ready for the gang that was coming over, then had gone back to their cottage to get ready and pick up the kids, who had been with Winky all morning. They had a light lunch at the Burrow, then Ginny helped her mom with cooking dinner, and Harry and Arthur took care of the boys.
The other members of the family started getting there throughout the afternoon, and George and Marietta were the last ones to get there, coming after the store closed in Diagon Alley. Dinner was as loud and exciting as ever, and nearly everyone ate too much. Harry and Hermione were the two exceptions, and they were both nervous. Ginny had noticed, as had Nathalie, but they were just told that they had a surprise for later, and everything was fine.
The sitting room was packed. With the addition of three new grandchildren, it was definitely a full house this year. Hermione caught Harry's eye, and he nodded that he was ready, so she stood up, calling for everyone's attention.
"A few of you know that I've been working on a secret project at the lab for most of the past year," she began. There were a few nods around the room, and she smiled nervously.
"Harry started helping me with this in September," she added, waving in his direction. "What we've been doing is by far one of the most difficult things we've ever tried at Marauders Institute, and as a special Christmas present for all of you, Harry and I would like to show you what we've come up with."
All of the adults were now looking on expectantly. Hermione then told them that she needed a volunteer from the 'audience', and supposedly randomly, picked Bill out of the crowd. She pulled a small jar from a pocket, and had him sit in a chair. Smiling at him, she teasingly said - "Do you trust me?"
Bill was looking worried now. "I'm not going to end up in Australia in a minute or two am I?" he asked, and Hermione laughed.
"No, you'll still be right here when we're done," she promised him. Opening the jar, she began to carefully spread a thick cream over his face, and Bill was the butt of several cosmetics related jokes while she was working. When she'd covered his face to her satisfaction, she motioned for Harry to join her, and she took his hand.
"Now, watch closely everyone, and be amazed!" she said theatrically, and there was scattered laughter at her feeble attempt at showmanship.
Harry was the focus wizard of their little two-person team. Hermione had developed the entire process, but he had the power needed to pull it off. He squeezed her hand gently, and they both closed their eyes and began the spell. At first, none of the others could tell that anything was happening, and then Bill's face began to softly glow. The light gradually grew in intensity until it was a bright, shimmering blue glow that lit up the room. It lasted for nearly five minutes, and then slowly faded away and was gone.
Bill had also closed his eyes, and had felt - something strange happening, but didn't feel any different, other than there was still a bunch of goo on his face. He opened his eyes, and looked around at his family. Ron spoke up first.
"You've invented some kind of makeup that makes your face glow?" he asked. "That's the big surprise?" Harry laughed at his friend. He put an arm around Hermione, knowing that she was now even more exhausted than he was feeling. It was her show, though, so he let her continue their little show. He did happen to look into Nathalie's eyes, and she was staring at them in awe. He wasn't surprised that she'd be the first to figure out what they had just done.
"The surprise is still coming," Hermione assured her husband. "First, though, let's all thank our brave volunteer with a round of applause while I clean this stuff off of his face."
They all clapped as Hermione, stepping away from Harry, and standing right in front of Bill, cleaned the paste off. The room went perfectly silent when she stepped back again, and Bill looked around at the stunned expressions on everybody's faces. Hermione had tears running down her cheeks as she gently put her hand to the side of his face.
"Merry Christmas, Bill. I hope you like your present." He looked into her eyes, not understanding what was going on. Fleur came across the room from where she'd been sitting, carrying Victoire with her. They were both staring at him in wonder, and Fleur was crying too.
"Your face is all better, Daddy," Victoire told him, reaching out to run her little hand along his cheek. "Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry fixed you."
Fleur put her arms around the now speechless Bill, and the three of them shared a quiet moment together as the others watched in silence. When they separated, Fleur and Bill both hugged Hermione and Harry. Mrs. Weasley brought a small mirror to Bill, and hugged each of them as he looked at a reflection that was once again the smooth handsome face he'd had before Greyback had so horribly mauled and scarred him.
"The Healers told us that I'd have those scars for the rest of my life," he whispered. "I never dared dream…" He was crying now too, unable to hold in the emotions. Nobody would stare at him in horror or pity anymore. Parents wouldn't pull their children closer when he walked past. Fleur hugged him again, and held him for long minutes while he cried into her shoulder. Bill took Hermione into his arms to hug her again, and felt her trembling.
"Are you alright?" he asked her, concern now on his face.
"Like I said earlier - it's a very difficult thing to do," she told him, and Bill led her to one of the sofas and helped her to sit down. Ron, who was holding Rose, came over, sat beside her, and held her hand. Ginny had come over and put an arm around Harry's waist.
"Why don't you come sit down too, Harry," she told him quietly. He nodded and went with her and sat down, exhausted. There weren't very many dry eyes in the room, and Hermione was being asked about what they'd done. She smiled weakly and answered the questions in a quiet, tired-sounding voice.
"I started looking for a way to get rid of scarring after seeing the scars some of the people get from Dragon Pox. I thought I had a way to do it, but didn't have the magical power I needed to get it to work. That's where Harry came in, and it still took another nearly four months to get it to work." She took a shaking breath. "Maybe in another year or so, I'll get everything worked out so that a larger group of Healers can work together and do the same thing, but it takes an enormous amount of power." Hermione looked at Harry and smiled. "Our brother here, though, will have to live with his scar. This process won't work on it."
Harry laughed. "Honestly, most of the time I don't even notice it anymore, so I think I can live with that."
Victoire was now sitting on Bill's lap. "Daddy, if Aunt Hermione is done fixing you now, do you think we could open presents? Please?" Everyone laughed, and they spent the next couple of hours exchanging gifts and having another perfect night together.
Christmas morning, James pounced on his parents just as dawn was breaking. Sitting on top of Harry as they lay in bed, he bounced up and down.
"Mawy Kwismus, Mawy Kwismus! C'mon, mommy, op'n pwesents now!" Harry reached around James' back, and pulled him down in between himself and Ginny.
"Merry Christmas to you too," he said with a laugh. "I've got a present for you right here! A big, giant tickle-hug!"
James giggled and squirmed. "Dats not a pwesent, daddy!" he complained. Ginny was watching them playing, her eyes shining, and a gentle smile on her lips.
"Then maybe it's kisses you want for Christmas!" she told James, giving him a big, wet kiss.
"Yuck, mommy!" he said, giggling and squirming even more. Harry got out of bed and reached for the little boy.
"Come with me and let your mother rest a little while longer," he told his fired up son. "We'll get dressed, make breakfast for everyone, and then you can open pwesents after that." James hopped into his arms, and Harry carried him back to his room to get him dressed.
Ginny had drifted back off to sleep, and when she woke up again, it was to the smell of coffee, and the sounds of breakfast being made in the kitchen. Breathing in deeply, she decided she also smelled eggs, and sausage. She got up and dressed, then went in to check on Albus, but Harry must have already gotten him ready too, so she went downstairs. Her three favourite boys were in the kitchen, and Harry was just putting a bowl of eggs and a platter of sausage on the table.
"Good timing," he told her brightly in greeting. "Come and sit down. Would you like tea or coffee this morning?" She sat down on a chair beside James.
"Coffee, please," she answered. He poured two cups, and then joined them at the table. Albus was sucking on a bottle in his little carrier. Ginny helped James as they all ate, and then went with the two boys into the sitting room while Harry quickly cleaned up the breakfast dishes before joining them.
Ginny had picked out a few new outfits for each boy, and there were books and toys. James' favourite present was the Hogwarts Express train set that the little boy knew was just like the one that his hero, Teddy had. Harry and Ginny spent the day playing with James and Albus. Grandma and Grandpa stopped in for dinner, and they ended the day with a two-story bedtime.
The New Year brought with it a new phase in Harry's life. When he thought about what he wanted most to do with his new charity, he decided that his very first project was going to be taking care of orphaned, under-aged Wizards and Witches like himself. During the first part of the year, property was purchased, with lots of room for kids to play. He was having several buildings constructed, including one with dormitories, a large hall, and classrooms. He hoped to have the place ready to begin taking in kids by summer, starting with the sixty-three orphans he new about that were currently Hogwarts students. He was not going to let those kids spend another summer holiday in some dismal place like the one he remembered seeing in Dumbledore's memories of Tom Riddle.
Ginny still seemed to work just as many hours as a researcher as she did when she'd been the boss, but she came home every night happy, and that was what was important. Mandy and Natalie were doing a great job so far, and were both starting to put their own personalities into the business. They might choose to do some things differently, but everyone in the company was confident in their proven abilities, and trusted them both completely. Ginny was having breakfast in the kitchen on the last Friday in January. Harry was feeding Albus, and she was keeping an eye on the unpredictable James as he ate.
"Are you ready for the week in paradise?" Harry asked her. She smiled and nodded.
"I can hardly wait! It's going to be so nice to spend a week with you and the boys, and get to have a long visit with Gabrielle and Kevin." Harry smiled back.
"We'll get everything ready today, so we can leave when you get home, and then, with the time change, we'll still have half the day there to enjoy." Ginny finished her breakfast, kissed them all goodbye, and left for work. Just a few short hours, and she'd be officially on vacation.
She was really happy to be back playing in her lab. Ginny didn't think of it as work, really. The week off had been really great, and they all had a wonderful time, but she was glad to be doing the things that challenged her mind, and stirred her creativity. Today was Valentine's Day, and her three Valentines had made her breakfast in bed, then given her a portrait of James holding Albus in his arms, sitting on one of the beaches at Marauders Paradise, with the island at their backs. James was looking off to the side, presumably at something out on the water, a smile on his face, and Albus' gaze was pointed directly at you, his green eyes looking right into your heart. Ginny was sure it was one of the best pieces Kevin had ever done, and they'd managed to keep it a total surprise.
When she was finished work, she knew that her evening was going to consist of a bubble bath, dinner for four in the kitchen, followed by play-time, a bedtime story, a lullaby or two, and if she planned it right, a little cuddle time with her husband once the kids were asleep. Smiling to herself at the thought, she went back to her research.
Victoire's seventh birthday party was held on the Saturday closest to her big day. She now had some little friends that were all invited, along with her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and various cousins. Many of the family were able to come, with only Percy, Charlie, George, and Marietta having to miss the big event. Harry was enjoying the chance to spend some time with Nathalie and Art. He usually found time for Victoire, Nicolas, and Rose, but it was harder to get together with Charlie and Nathalie and their son.
Art was now going on four, and he was a lot of fun to watch and play with. He was at an in-between age right now - not quite big enough to keep up with Teddy or Victoire, and big enough to find the little games that James and Nicolas wanted to play a little boring. Harry had been sitting on one of the sofas watching the kids play, and Nathalie came and sat beside him.
"I've been watching your boys, and thought I should warn you that you're in big trouble with them," she told him. Harry smiled at her.
"Really? What seems to be the problem?" he asked.
Nathalie returned his smile. She pointed at James. "That one is going to be the leader of the pack, showing off and chasing the girls," she predicted, and Harry nodded.
"Probably true," he agreed and watched as she pointed at Albus next.
"That one's going to quietly use those green eyes and looks to steal the hearts of all the girls, and he probably won't even realize that he's doing it."
Harry laughed again. "Just like his Grandma Lily did when she was young. Thanks for the warning." Nathalie gave him a hug.
"No problem," she told him. "That's what sisters are for."
Victoire opened her presents, and then everyone was served birthday cake and ice cream. Harry and Ginny stayed around long enough after the guests had left to help Bill and Fleur with the clean-up before wishing their niece a last Happy Birthday, and taking a pair of tired boys home.
The 3D-VMP was coming to a store near you on the last Saturday in June. That spring, there was advertising everywhere, and display models started showing up in stores. With the feedback that Luna was getting, they made the decision to increase production through the rest of the year to meet their new expectations of what demand would be for the second of what would now be four major products coming from Marauders Institute. Harry made it to a couple of Cannons games, and Ron's team continued to have another really good season.
Harry bought Teddy a real firebolt for his ninth birthday, although he got Hermione to limit it's speed until he decided Teddy was good enough to be able to use it at full speed and be safe. His Godson was turning into a very interesting combination of his parents. He had a serious side to him that probably came from his father, yet still had a strong streak of adventure that was definitely all his mother.
The months of June and July were a non-stop roller coaster of events where all you could really do is hold on tight, and enjoy the ride. James turned two, and there was all the work involved with planning a party and getting his gifts. The Cannons made it to the semi-finals before losing to Puddlemere United, though they at least had the consolation of knowing that the United team went on to win the League Championship.
School got out, and Harry went to King's Cross station the day the kids were leaving Hogwarts for the summer to meet the train, and surprising the sixty-three children who would be going to live at a new home. Nearly every one of the kids looked scared, and all of them were awed that Harry Potter was taking them from the orphanages they'd known - some of them for their whole lives.
When they arrived at the Lily Evans Memorial Residence, the children could only stare. Harry took them on a tour of the grounds first. There were playgrounds and a Quidditch pitch. There was a giant indoor swimming pool. The property was beautifully landscaped with places where the kids could go to hang out together, or have a quiet place to be alone for a while.
After that part of the tour, they went to the main building. Ginny met them at the entrance, and led them all inside. They went into the dining hall, and Harry directed the small group to tables and chairs at the front, where place settings had been made for the lunch that was going to be served shortly. When they were seated, Harry stood at the end of the tables, smiling, and spoke with them.
"Welcome home," he told the children. "We built this place because being an orphan myself, I know exactly how hard it is growing up without parents, and without having people around who loved me." He took a deep breath, trying to keep control of his emotions.
"I can't bring your parents back to you any more than I can have my own back. What I can do is make your lives a lot better than they have been in the orphanages you've been kept in until now." He looked at each of these youngsters. "You're the first group to come live here," he continued. "We have room for two hundred children, and because you've all spent at least one year at Hogwarts, you will be familiar with how you will live here, because the dormitories here were set up in a similar manner."
Every child was now smiling, beginning to dare hope that they were going to get to live here and that their lives had drastically taken a turn for the better.
"We have an entire afternoon of surprises coming your way, but first, I want to introduce you to some of the Witches and Wizards who will be your guardians and friends for as long as you live here."
Ginny had hit 'Send' on the qm she had ready and waiting for that moment, and it was only a minute before the group of ten men and women came into the hall. Harry had personally interviewed and hired the manager and staff here, and he was certain that every one of them was going to be completely dedicated to these children. There were actually nearly one hundred people who would be working here, but Harry didn't want to completely overwhelm the kids.
Harry introduced each of the people, coming finally to the new residence manager, Susan Bones. When she'd heard about this place, she had tracked Harry down and he'd been grateful to have her want to come and manage the residence. She was young, smart, and pretty, and he was sure the children would fall in love with her.
They all had lunch together, and then the children were taken on a tour of the main house. Harry could hardly wait until it was time to show them the dormitories, which he had personally designed. The kids were all jumping with excitement by the time they'd finished seeing libraries, lounges with big screen WWVN's, and three spectacular game rooms that each had what Harry assured them was the only 3D GameWizard HES systems in the world, since they wouldn't go on sale for another four months or so. When they got to one of the dormitories, Harry stopped them before they entered.
"We're going to all take a look at this dormitory now," he told them. "Every one of the dormitories here are similar except for decorations. Are you all ready to take a look?" Harry got sixty-three enthusiastic nods. He opened the door, and led the children into a Common Room that could comfortably seat about thirty people. When they were all inside, Harry again talked with them.
"I told you earlier that this residence will have two hundred children staying here," he said, and they all nodded. "There are ten of these dormitories, and each have room for twenty children." He pointed around the room. "You will see that the Common Rooms are set up with WWVN's, and there is also a GameWizard HES system hooked up, with every current game title installed." The children all had grins that just made Harry's heart leap in joy. He pointed toward two hallways next.
"The biggest difference between here and the Houses at Hogwarts is that you each have a private bedroom and bath." There were open-mouthed stares now. "If you'll split up into small groups, you can all go check out the bedroom suites, and I'll meet you back here when you've all had a chance to see the rooms."
Ginny stayed with him as the children fanned out into the two hallways to check out the rooms. "Harry, this is so nice, I might want to come live here."
He laughed and hugged her tightly. "Did you see their faces? I could just burst. This is going to take a while, but when I'm done, I'll make sure that there'll be no such thing as a neglected orphan again anywhere in the Wizarding World," he promised. Ginny kissed him, and they heard a soft giggle. They turned to see one of the younger little girls watching them, a shy smile on her face.
Ginny walked over to her, smiling too. "Did you get a chance to see one of the bedrooms yet, sweetie?" she asked, and the youngster shook her head 'no'. Ginny reached out and took her hand. "Then why don't you and I go take a look at one together," she suggested. The girl smiled shyly at Ginny, nodded, and they went down the hallway together. When everyone had gotten back to the Common Room, they gathered around Harry again.
"I'm going to have to leave soon, and let you all get to know everyone here and settle in, but there's just a few more things I need to go over with you." He smiled at them, just so happy he could do all of this for them.
"While you each stay here, there is money available for new clothes, books, school supplies, and for you to have a small amount of spending money for both when you're here, and when you're away at school." He smiled at the girl who was still holding Ginny's hand.
"When you graduate from Hogwarts, we will help you with whatever you decide to do as adults, including finding jobs, places to live, and having some money to get started out with. The final thing I want to tell you all is that I'm going to come here as much as I can to spend time with you all, and I will get reports from Susan about how each of you are doing." He looked around at each of them for a moment.
"If there's anything you need, let anyone working here know, and if I can help, I will." He smiled again. "Oh, and when you're shown to your rooms, Ginny and I have left a gift for each of you. Please make this residence your home, and I'll see you again soon."
Harry and Ginny both gave Susan a hug, Ginny had hugged the little girl before leaving her, and then they went home to their own little boys, thankful that they could be there for them, when so many other parents couldn't.
The 3D-VMP was a huge hit. Luna had also revived the 3MP's with clever marketing that targeted young kids and older adults. Harry and Ginny went out on a double date with Ron and Hermione to celebrate their double wedding anniversary. Rose turned one, and there was a big party at Ron and Hermione's to celebrate that. Harry took Teddy and James to Romania for Art's fourth birthday, and they somehow managed to fit in a week at their island home with Teddy, James, and Albus before July ended.
During the rest of the summer, Harry went to the Residence at least twice a week. Teddy liked to go with him, and he knew some of the children that were Hogwarts students. There would be around one hundred and twenty children there by the time school started, and they should be close to the two-hundred-child capacity before Christmas.
The younger children had much more adult supervision than the older teenagers needed. Susan and her team spent most of the summer helping the children to adjust, taking them to buy whatever clothes they needed, and sorting through the hundreds of other orphans, making decisions on which children needed to be brought to the residence soonest, and which children would have to wait for the next residence to open.
The nursery would only take six infants per year to make sure that those babies would have a home here for their entire childhoods, while having enough openings to take in newly orphaned under-aged Wizards and Witches. Harry knew this was just the start, and there were already three more facilities like this one either already under construction or in final planning stages.
Albus had his first birthday. Ginny had decided to have a small party for him, with just her Mum and Dad invited to come spend the evening with them. Albus, as James had, got the toy Firebolt that Harry had been getting pretty much all of his nieces and nephews on their first birthdays, except for Rose, and that was only because Ron had beat him to it. The adults had fun watching the two boys zoom around the yard. Harry and Ginny ran around beside Albus, and James was hamming it up for the grandparent audience.
When it was time for cake and ice cream, Albus certainly managed to do a better job eating than James had on his first birthday. Harry looked over at James, who had his face covered with chocolate, and decided that his younger son had managed to do a better job than his brother was doing right now.
When the Hogwarts letters went out to the students, Harry and Ginny went to the residence, along with some volunteers from Marauders Institute, and they each took one or two children to Diagon Alley to get supplies. The little girl that had held Ginny's hand at the beginning of summer, and her best friend at the residence went with Harry and Ginny. Her name was Lisa, and her friend was Megan. Lisa was going into her second year, and this was going to be Megan's first year.
They took the girls to be fitted for new robes, and picked up all of their school supplies. Megan got her first wand at Olivanders. They had time to spare, and so they went into George's store, and the two girls came out with a Pygmy Puff each, and a one-year supply of food for their new pets.
When all of the Hogwarts students had been returned to the residence, Harry and Ginny took the group of volunteers out to dinner to thank them, and during that meal, nearly every single Witch and Wizard decided that they were going to volunteer at the residence - they had all been touched by their assigned children, and wanted to keep up the relationships they'd started today. That led to suggestions of a kind of 'adopt-a-kid' mentoring program at Marauders Institute that would hopefully lead to a Witch or Wizard mentor for every one of the children at the Residence.