The Magical World Exposed
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.
Warnings: COMPLETELY AU! If you don't like this, just stop reading and write your own story more to your liking.
The morning of Christmas Eve was very exciting for the children. Before leaving his room, Harry sent Gina to unobtrusively buy a kitten for Hermione as well as some sweets for each of the Weasley children to give them to their visitors in the evening. When he finally headed downstairs for breakfast, he realised to his surprise Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey had already arrived to help them set up a Christmas tree.
"Where are we going to put the tree?" Harry asked, while Annette and Remus ushered the older witches into the dining room to join them for breakfast.
"Harry, that's a valid question," Cillian replied, chuckling, before he explained to their visitors that family life at the manor mostly took place in the dining room in order to involve Lily and James in their conversations. Only the evenings were often spent in the recreation room.
"We don't have enough place for a Christmas tree here though," Annette added, thoughtfully.
"Set it up in the parlour," James threw in from his portrait. "That's where my parents and grandparents always put up our trees."
HP
After a short breakfast, the children eagerly learnt from the two witches how to decorate a Christmas tree with magic. While Professor McGonagall taught them a spell to transfigure tissues into colourful baubles and other ornaments, Pomfrey showed them how to charm the tree in a way, so that snow was falling onto the top of the tree without reaching the floor.
"I love it," Hermione said, seemingly contented, when they finally finished the tree and stepped back to get a good look at it.
"Oh my, this is absolutely beautiful," Annette blurted out upon entering the room. "Very well done."
Trouble seemed to like the tree as well. He ran a few rounds around the tree, closely followed by Purry, before he stood on his hind legs pointing his nose at one of the colourful baubles.
"Oh, you want your own bauble?" Harry asked in amusement. He quickly transfigured another tissue into a golden bauble and stared at it for a moment, before he hung the bauble, which was now decorated with Trouble playing with Purry, onto the tree.
"You better cast an unbreakable charm at it," Professor McGonagall suggested and showed him the wand movement along with the incantation.
"Thank you so much, Professor," Harry replied and hurried to cast the spell at the bauble, before he showed it to Trouble, who gratefully licked his hands.
"You're welcome, sweetie," Harry told the dog and proceeded to cuddle with him.
HP
Dinner with the Weasleys was a funny affair. Harry especially liked the twins, who talked a lot and entertained everyone with funny stories of their first few months at Hogwarts.
"If you played pranks like that all the time, I'm surprised that Professor McGonagall didn't complain about you more often," Mrs. Weasley finally spoke up and shook her head in annoyance, making the O'Briens and the Grangers laugh.
'I hope we can become friends with the twins,' Harry thought. 'They're really funny. Ginny, Bill and Charlie seem nice, too, although I don't like Ron and Percy very much.'
HP
After dinner, everyone headed to the recreation room. On the way up the staircase, David cornered the twins and asked, "Would you perhaps teach us some of these pranks?"
"Oh yes please," Harry added, eagerly, causing the twins to grin.
"Sure..."
"... Do you have a potions lab?" they queried, making the younger twins stare at them in confusion.
"I think there's something..."
"... somewhere in this manor..."
"... but we don't know where it is," they replied, giving Hermione a questioning look.
"Go back to the dining room and ask the Potters," the girl suggested, adding, "I'll tell Mum, so that they won't worry about us."
"If our mother gets to know, they will worry," the Weasley twins contradicted, smirking.
By now the boys were back in the dining room and spoke with the Potters.
"Harry, call Gina and instruct her to make a small photo frame, into which I can slip, so that I can accompany and supervise you," Lily told her son in a firm voice that allowed no contradiction. "The brewing of potions can be very dangerous, and even if I can't effectively help you, I might be able to warn you in advance."
"Mistress Lily," Gina addressed the portrait, "shall I ask Tipsy to accompany the children? She's very adept at brewing potions and will be able to assist them."
HP
Finally, Tipsy led the excited children into the potions lab. Harry absentmindedly placed the small photo frame with Lily onto the table, before he let his eyes wander around the lab in absolute amazement. The lab was situated on the top floor of one of the four towers which were placed at each end of the manor, similar to the recreation room. Underneath the windows surrounding the room where shelves with ingredients on one side, empty phials on another side, cauldrons of different sizes and material on the third side and finally several large sinks on the last side. The centre of the room was occupied by four workstations.
"This is totally amazing," Hermione blurted out, causing the others to nod their agreement.
"Unbelievable to be able to brew..."
"... in such surroundings," the Weasley twins spoke up, grinning broadly at each other, before they suggested brewing a potion that made everyone's head turn into parrots' heads.
"Are you sure that it won't harm our parents?" Hermione threw in, worriedly. "As you know, our parents are Muggles."
Knowing that Lily was a healer, Hermione turned to the small portrait, and Harry inwardly sighed in relief when his mother confirmed that it would be absolutely harmless even for Muggles.
"I suggest, however, to play the first prank on Sirius and Remus only," she continued to speak. "Another time, you can then target everyone."
The children grudgingly agreed, understanding that Lily probably was right. "Then we need to do something more spectacular than just parrots heads though," Harry spoke up in anticipation.
"I can help you change your recipe accordingly," Lily promised, smirking.
HP
While the five children spent the rest of the evening brewing several easy prank potions, the adults and the other Weasley children enjoyed themselves in the recreation room. Amazed at the TV that obviously worked in a magical environment, Mr. Weasley asked Cillian many questions that finally led to a small excursion to the O'Briens' Muggle house.
When everyone was back in the recreation room, the O'Briens and Grangers exchanged presents with the Weasleys, before the visitors headed home around midnight.
To Harry's surprise, Mr. Weasley and Cillian had, while they were at their former home, agreed that the Weasleys should visit them in Potter Manor again for dinner on the day after Christmas day.
"I hope Mr. Weasley at least asked his wife in advance," Mrs. Granger spoke up, when Cillian told them about their arrangement, glancing at Annette.
"Men," Annette replied, grinning. "Oh well, the manor is so big that I really don't mind having them here," she added, and everyone else agreed.
HP
It was when Christmas dinner was almost finished and everyone was eating their desserts that Sirius and the three children suddenly transformed into baboons - to everyone's amusement.
=Let's play a little= Sirius suggested, and the four baboons spent an hour roaming the halls of Potter Manor enjoying themselves greatly.
After exactly one hour, they automatically transformed back into their human forms.
"That was great," Sirius commended the children. "You really have talent to become worthy successors of the Marauders," he added, before he had to explain everything about the little group that he had his friends had made during their time at Hogwarts.
HP
During the remaining days of the winter holidays, the Weasleys came to visit the O'Briens and the Grangers almost on a daily basis, and not only became Harry, David and Hermione good friends with the twins and Ginny, but also the adults seemed to enjoy each other's company very much. On some evenings, Mr. Weasley was unable to join his family due to being busy at the Ministry of Magic, and the Weasleys' three oldest sons sometimes stayed away as well.
"I hope that Arthur Weasley will become the new Minister of Magic," Cillian spoke up one morning. "Tomorrow is the election."
"On New Year's Eve?" Mr. Granger asked in apparent surprise which everyone shared and that intensified when Cillian confirmed the date.
"I hope that he wins, too," Sirius agreed. "Not only because he's very nice, but also because I don't want the meddling old coot Dumbledore as Minister. Bad enough that he's the head of the Wizengamot and the headmaster of Hogwarts."
"Arthur also promised to support my magic class if he becomes the Minister," Cillian added, smiling at the children.
HP
It was only in the morning of New Year's day when Cillian Floo called the Weasleys to enquire about the election, that they heard that Mr. Wealey had indeed become the new Minister of Magic.
"Congratulations Molly, and please give Arthur my best regards. Please come to visit us as soon as things have quietened down a little," they heard Cillian speak, before he ended the fire call.
HP
To Harry's, David's and Hermione's chagrin, the twins had to return to Hogwarts on the following day, and only Ron and Ginny remained at the Burrow with their parents.
"Shall we invite them here or rather not?" David asked, causing a huge discussion about the pros and contras and the question if it would be possible to only invite Ginny leaving Ron out.
However, the topic came to an end abruptly, when Sirius spoke up in a stern voice. "As you heard, Hogwarts is going to commence tomorrow. Therefore, you're going to have classes as well, and Ronald and Ginny Weasley will join you." He handed each of them a schedule that listed various subjects with Annette, Sirius, Remus and Molly Weasley. They even had a few hours of Potions class with Lily and Tipsy and one Ancient Runes class with James. "We expect you to be on time for all classes, just as if you were attending school," Sirius added, strictly.
Harry observed his godfather in amusement. 'I'd have never guessed that he could speak in such a strict voice,' he thought. 'So far, he did not much but nonsense since he came here.'
HP
However, classes turned out to be very interesting, and the children enjoyed themselves very much.
"This is much more interesting than only being taught by Mum," Ginny whispered to Harry after a few weeks of classes together. "I'm glad that we're allowed to join you."
"We're also very happy to have you here," Harry replied, smiling. 'I miss the twins though. They're really funny and always in a good mood, not at all like their brother Ron. I don't know why he's so grumpy all the time.'
HP
Unbeknownst to the children, at the beginning of April, Cillian and Mr. Weasley had a meeting with the British Prime Minister concerning Cillian's classes, during which Mr. Weasley explained about the statute of secrecy concerning the magical world that hindered him to actively support the matter. Following their meeting, they sent a petition to the head of the Wizengamot about the shun of the statute of secrecy from their three institutions, the Ministry of Magic, the university and the Muggle government.
"I don't think that Dumbledore will accept our petition," Mr. Weasley said, sighing, when the Weasleys came to Potter Manor for dinner on Sunday evening, like they had been doing regularly since the beginning of the year.
Sirius nodded, grumpily. "How would he get people like the Malfoys to agree to such a thing?" he spoke up. "The only way I can imagine for Dumbledore to agree would be to not openly discuss the matter in front of the Wizengamot but just to decide by himself."
"Why would he?" Remus threw in, looking questioningly at his friend.
Sirius let out a snort. "To get to Harry maybe. Like McGonagall told us, he knows that Cillian is Harry's adoptive father, and if the class at the university is continued, Harry might attend the class to perform some magic again, which would be an opportunity for Dumbledore to get to Harry," he explained, seemingly serious.
"That might be true," James agreed.
"But we're always with Harry, and if we did magic in your class again, Flora would join Harry anyway. She could take him home very quickly," David spoke up, shrugging.
"Sure my dear," Annette confirmed, "and we could even ask Gina or any of the elves to invisibly stay close to Harry to take him back here if the need arose."
"Shall we do another performance then?" Hermione enquired, eagerly. "I'd love to practise some funny spells again."
"Let's see and wait for the outcome of the petition," Cillian replied, calmly. "For the time being, I'll just continue with the class in theory, without any display of magic. We'll leave that for the last class before the summer holidays or such like the last time, provided that Dumbledore agrees to our suggestion. I wouldn't want any of the three of you to get into trouble with the magical world, and even the Minister can't openly act against Dumbledore's wishes. As the head of the Wizengamot, he is too influential and could make Arthur loose his position over the matter."
"If Albus Dumbledore agrees and you plan another display of magic at the university, I'm sure my twins would love to join you," Molly Weasley added, smiling at the excited children.
"Oh, that would be great," Harry and David blurted out, simultaneously.
HP
Everyone was surprised when Professor Dumbledore indeed gave in to the petition of the Minister of Magic, the Prime Minister and the Ethnology professor.
tbc...