Disclaimer:
I solemnly swear that the literature and works of the Harry Potter Verse belong to JK Rowling, Bloomberg and Warner Bros. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...
Mischief Managed Damn It!
Title: Book 1, Chapter 16
Posted Date: March 11 2023
Updated Date: March 20 2023
(November 1988)
"Again." Harry took a deep breath to steady himself before he brought out his hand with the palm facing up and focused hard as a few sparks over it before a small flame appeared and grew to the size of an orange, a stern Arcturus Black watching closely behind with a keen eye. The flame then twisted itself like a ribbon and twirled around until he had shaped it to look like an arrow with a burning tip. "Good, you have perfected shape manipulation. You can take a break now. I need to check on something, and we cannot strain your arm still." Harry nodded as the man moved out of the room, only allowing himself to relax when he heard the door closed and let out a breath.
"This is weird."
Wasn't that the understatement of his life?
It has been 2 months since he first met Arcturus Black in the hospital. A few days after that meeting, Harry was able to move enough for him, Jeremiah, Arcturus and Amelia to go to Gringotts to formally check on the irregularities of what he had enlisted Jeremiah to do along with checking for himself his connection with Arcturus. Getting the confirmation that he was related to the man by his great grandmother was a mix bag for him; he had often wondered if there were other relations outside of "Aunt Petunia" and "Uncle Vernon" that he could have gone to, and seeing the list of people he was related to based on the inheritance lineage test, showed that he had a few he could have gone to even if a few were overseas.
And it was one Albus Dumbledore who left him on the doorstep of the Dursleys. The same old man who had followed him a few times in the past when the weird sickly dome around the residence was broken and replaced with his own accidental dome. The same person, based on very colourful gestures by Arcturus, Jeremiah and Amelia to the amusement of the goblin tending to them while under a silencing ward, had done something to make all of them very angry. What it was, he had no idea, but given the look on the law enforcement lady, he did not want to know for a long while.
After that bit of information, Harry was temporarily placed under joint custody between Arcturus and Jeremiah while Amelia went about handling the paperwork on the sly, until they could get a more permanent solution for him. Evidently there were laws on adoption that made it difficult for them to do outright, a couple of which was passed shortly after his placement at the Dursleys, with conditions that made it very unusual as they could match his situation. Amelia was going to look into it with Jeremiah's help, which meant he would stay with Arcturus for the time being in his home.
Staying with the man was a unique experience, partially due to the fact he was in an actual magical home that had moving portraits about him (his first experience with a portrait has the two screaming at each other only to be silenced by an irritated Arcturus), actual house elves that acted like brownies, and again, the fact that he was actually related to the man. The closest he would equate would be that of a stern grandfather. It also helped that the man had actual stories to tell about his parents and his other relations from the magic side of life, although he was a little guff about it.
For the moment, he had been training in his own brand of magic, something that Arcturus wanted to know since he had walked in on Harry levitating several small blocks when he was not allowed to move around too much to aggravate his injuries during the early days of coming in despite having magical means. Arcturus had listened to his training methods and proceeded to add on to them, which were doable for his age even if they were a lot harder to do. He stressed that the boy should make notes so that he could add on to the Potter's Family Grimoire, or at the least, create a personal grimoire if he could not get the former anytime soon.
His thoughts were interrupted when Arcturus returned, this time with Jeremiah following him.
"Hello there, Mister Potter." Jeremiah greeted the young boy with a smile.
"A good day to you too, Mister Gottwald." Harry greeted back while standing up. "So what is the occasion?"
"We will be meeting with Madam Bones and one more person shortly. We want to get this done before Dumbledore returns from his trip to the ICW." Arcturus answered.
"Who would be that extra person?" Harry asked. The wizard looked at him briefly before replying.
"Someone who might be able to help us with your current living arrangements."
~ooOOoo~
(Present Time / Thornwood Residence)
"Merry Christmas!" That was the only warning Harry got before someone slammed into him on his bed. That sudden attack, along with the sleepiness, may have contributed to Harry summoning chains of light to restrain the person in question. "Oh, wait! Wait! It is me!" Harry took a moment to shake his head of drowsiness before looking up to where the person was.
"Really?" Harry could not stop the deadpan tone.
"Erm, morning?" an embarrassed Sirius Black waved at him lamely while hanging from the roof. "Nice spellwork, I do not recall this from the school books. Is this from one of the foreign spells or the ones that I heard you created yourself?" Harry sighed to let the adrenaline and frustration out as he rubbed his eyes. It was too early for this.
"I see that you have been woken up." Albert came by the door with a big mug of coffee, with a notable stubble evident on his face.
"Got you too?" Harry's answer came in the form of Albert taking a very long sip of caffeine from the mug. "Right, who let him out this early in the morning?"
"That would be me." Arcturus Black announced as he appeared behind Albert, already dressed for the morning and looking immaculate doing so. "Though admittedly not one of my brightest moments."
"Come on, grandfather. You know you love me." Sirius whined only to shut his mouth at the look on the elder lord's face.
"Right now, I am reconsidering." The sharp reply was softened by the smirk on the old man's face. "Let's get down for breakfast. I am in need of sustenance before we deal with the presents and your increased excitement."
"Right-O!" Sirius paused as he looked back at Harry. "Can you let me down now? As much as I enjoy getting called a monkey by some of the old crowd, this is getting very uncomfortable." A gesture of the hand cancelled the spell and sent him bouncing on the bed and off. "Oof!"
"That is for waking me up so early on Christmas." Harry grumbled as he slowly got off the bed and looked at the clock. While it was normally around the time he would wake up on other days, Harry preferred sleeping in a little more on holidays, not to mention the previous day he had spent debriefing Arcturus, Albert, the ICW officer and a certain individual from higher-up on all that had happened at Hogwarts. It was draining work to say the least.
"Yeah, just like Lily. She was never the morning person even on the best of days." Sirius rubbed his hip where he landed on the floor despite it being cushioned with spells. "Meet you later, Prongslet." The man walked off leaving Harry and Albert in the room.
"Quite the excitable man, that one is." Albert commented while Harry went to stretch his limbs.
"Don't I know it?" Harry sighed as he loosened his arms.
"Everything all right, Harry?" Albert asked, noting his reaction.
"Just the meeting from yesterday." Harry turned to him. "The officers wanted to know what was going on about Hogwarts. I think the one from the government is mentally struggling with some of the actions done by Dumbledore for Hogwarts along with the Ministry's reactions."
"And he has yet to be debriefed on what he had done for the previous civil war." Albert mused as he drank the caffeine.
"Yeah, I do not want to be in his shoes when that happens." Harry grunted. "Okay, I am going to wash up. Meet you downstairs." Albert nodded and moved away while Harry went to the bathroom. After that, Harry moved downstairs to the dining room where the adults were having their breakfast, Arcturus having finished his and using the time to look at some letters.
"Pop! What does the Young Master like for breakfast?" A house-elf appeared next to him as he took his seat, dressed in a formal butler uniform and the crest of Thornwood embroidered on it.
"Good morning, Hopsy. Eggs and toast, please. I don't mind whatever style of eggs. Thank you." The house elf bowed and popped away softly. Within a few seconds, a big plate of perfectly made toasts and scrambled eggs appeared before him. He took a bite of the eggs and sighed in content.
"I said it once and I will say it again. Hopsy makes good meals, and I will get the recipe for these eggs."
"Pop! Hopsy is pleased that Young Master likes his meal, but Hopsy will state that he wishes Mister Potter good luck in the next cooking lesson." The elf popped away before he could remark, but Harry knew that the elf had a cheeky smile on his face.
Oh, it was "on".
"Never thought I would see an elf competing with a wizard over food recipes." Sirius mused while drinking his coffee.
"Those two have been going at it ever since they met." Albert commented as he took his bacon. "Not that I will complain much on that, since their little competition has increased the food quality by a lot. The only issue is that I need to watch my waistline, otherwise I have to change clothes."
"I think it would be a nice compromise." Sirius remarked in a joking tone. He then turned to Arcturus who was looking at a letter with a frown. "Something wrong?"
"There is another Wizengamot session coming up in two days time, and given how my face was shown on the broadcasting of your trial, they had asked for my appearance to deal with the matter of selecting a new Chief Warlock after Dumbledore got kicked out. I have been out of touch with some of the recent news going on in the Ministry, and it is clear that some people have been taking liberties with my absence to screw us over." The look in his eyes made it clear that Arcturus was not amused and wanted answers, one way or another. "I think I can make one exception and come to the Wizengamot session."
"I can almost hear the screams right now." Micheal commented with a chuckle.
"So I guess you won't be coming for the opening of the new building then. Who is chairing the position now?" Sirius asked his grandfather who took a moment to enjoy the tea.
"Currently, the seat is temporarily under the custody of Griselda Marchbanks. She has the seniority to handle most of the tasks, along with being the only one that the ICW officials actually approved since she would not let anyone walk over her. This session would be to select someone permanent for the role."
"There is something I want to ask." Harry placed his cup down. "How are Chief Warlocks, the Minister or anyone in high positions chosen?"
"Ideally, for the positions of Chief Warlock and Minister for Magic, they would be through an election raised by the Wizengamot with the full house of members involved, with at least 50 to ensure the numbers are met." Arcturus explained. "50 as they represent the original number of members when the Wizengamot was first formed in days long past. Specifically, during King Arthur's time."
"They served that long?" Harry blinked at that bit of history, wishing again that Binns got "binned" to allow a real historian to do the lessons.
"The original Wizards' Council was said to be created by Merlin to help govern the wizards and witches that were coming out into the open once Camelot was being established." Arcturus settled himself in to give a lesson, clearly happy to bestow a lesson not learned from Hogwarts thus far. "It became a standard for the neighbouring countries to govern their own communities. MACUSA was formed based on that structure shortly after the Salem Witch Trials."
"It was from the council that the first Wizengamot was formed, comprising the first 50 clans in Britain, the ones who would become the ancient and noble families. Of the original 50, it would be the families of Blacks, Bones, Prewetts, McKinnons and Potters who have lasted this long." Arcturus hummed in thoughtful reflection. "Regarding your family, it is funny that despite the long standing distaste for politics, they were granted the position to sit in when needed. Your great grandfather Charlus absolutely detested going into Wizengamot sessions as he felt they wasted a lot of time arguing on useless topics. Mind you, he was right on that. Cauldron bottoms of all things." Harry smiled at that little tidbit of his family history. "Your grandfather Fleamont was also reluctant to get on the Wizengamot. A number of times, he brought books to read when matters got really boring."
Arcturus then snorted. "Dorea, my cousin? Now she was a totally different person to deal with on the Wizengamot, she literally made everyone piss their pants when she got into the discussions. If she decides to vote against a bill, everyone would follow just to avoid getting into an argument with her. And that is not counting the times when she decided to go on the offensive to tear down fools. You could say that she was the political version of You-Know-Who, no one wanted to get on her bad side." All snorted at that description, with Harry thinking he would have liked to meet the woman when she was alive.
"Going back to the matter. I would prefer having Marchbanks to hang on to the position, if only so that no one else tries to screw us over." Arcturus continued with the topic.
"What is the issue?" Albert asked while spreading some jam.
"For better or worse, Dumbledore had kept the status quo balanced, although he should not have been too…" Arcturus paused to look at Harry who looked back with a puzzled expression. "Well, let's just say that he should be firmer and leave it at that." The other adults understood what he really wanted to say and smirked at the restraint of language. Sirius privately thought that this was a small indication that his grandfather was actually changing for the better, he still remembered his childhood where the old man could demonstrate very colourful vocabulary despite him being five years old.
The look on Euphemia's face when Sirius at 8 years old while visiting innocently asked what "fucking" meant was already quite memorable itself. Fleamont had given a visible prayer to Lord Black before running behind cover while the woman went with wand at hand to have words with Arcturus.
"In any case, the Chief Warlock position is one that not only oversees the court, but also the parliament. Even the Ministry must listen to them at times to avoid getting into trouble with the charter. So the position will be highly contested, but there is too much power for that seat, and there are too many who want it for the wrong reasons." Arcturus grumbled at that.
"Why don't they split the role and make it into something similar to a panel of judges? Easier to maintain some level of competency and less likely to piss people off if they don't get selected." Albert suggested as he bit into some toast. The other two adults blinked at that.
"That… is actually not a bad idea." Arcturus stroked his beard in thought. "Goodness knows the factions are getting very out of line with their posturing, and with this latest scandal from Dumbledore, there will be plenty trying to get one of their own in. No matter who gets in, the other factions get very vocal about disagreements. Having a panel would help to maintain civility and would require a majority vote for major court cases or parliament laws to be granted."
"You can voice it out for that session." Sirius observed while thinking on that idea. "Perhaps have the panel with a minimum of 3 to suit the major factions. Maybe even two per group. As long as they take oaths to not abuse the power, it should be fine."
"What are these factions you are talking about?" Harry asked. "Is this the so-called Color Factions I have been hearing of?"
"Is that what they are calling it these days?" Arcturus snorted. "It wasn't always like this. Sure there were greedy members, but nothing that would divide in such a manner as it did in the past couple of wars. Ever since the war with Grindelwald, lines were drawn over how magicals should behave in this changing world. This whole light and dark labelling has gotten out of hand, that much I will admit." Arcturus could see that Harry was being very attentive. "This talk is best done on another day, this will get very long and technical. Just know that there are people who would want to take advantage of the situation and we hope this option works. Today is Christmas, let us relax. We still have the Yule tidings later since the school let you off late."
Harry wanted to shrug but knew Arcturus hated that (unbecoming of an heir to Blacks, as he would put it) so he just nodded and focused on finishing his meal. After that, they moved to the living room where a big Christmas tree was standing with presents below, all of which had been screened heavily for any spells, charms and potions in the event someone tried to mail them something. A little over the top for security but when you have two Lords of Ancient and Noble Houses, one overly famous kid and a recently released ex-convict in one house, measures must be taken for protection.
Constant Vigilance!
(Somewhere out there, a certain Auror raised a cup of mead to toast the ones who maintained vigilance on a holiday.)
"Hope you enjoy what I got for you, Harry." Sirius commented while putting on a Santa cap.
"Don't need to go too far on my account." Harry replied only for Sirius to shake his head.
"I still need to make up for the 8 years' worth of lost Christmas, along with you working with Albert and grandfather to get my behind out of Britain's holiday island." Sirius answered a little heavily while taking a package from the pile and handing it over to the boy. "I have to start somewhere, and this is the best time to do it." Harry slowly reached out to take the present from Sirius while nodding. The man was still taking it hard from his actions that led to his false imprisonment, and it likely not helped with some of the populace still walking on eggshells around him on the few occasions that he was out and about doing some House related matters despite having his trial broadcasted and confirmed that he was innocent of the crime that he was unceremoniously thrown into Azkaban.
They left that topic and focused on the presents which were mostly tasteful. Sirius's present came in the form of a bangle charmed to protect the user from getting physically touched by those with ill intent. It may not do much against those summoning Harry by his clothes, but it could help if he was up close and personal. Albert's present came in the form of a book detailing the history of wizarding families from around the world and how they came to settle in their respective countries. And it was self-updating, so Harry could find his family history as well.
Arcturus's present was more practical in the form of gloves made of some sort of leather that would extend to his forearm with a push of a rune, and was charmed to grow in size as he grow older in age. It was meant to be an update for the prototype gloves Harry had created as a test for alternate focus, and this was clearly a better material that could help to make the man flow with ready made slots for his additional runes, so he was grateful for it.
For the most part, the presents he got from his friends were in the form of books ranging from fiction to spellbooks, with the odd confectionery from a couple of others. He just hoped that they enjoyed his gifts as well. Hermione should enjoy hers the most, it was a rare copy of Joseph Daniel's "Charmed Arts for Beginners" third rendition, meant for those who wished to learn the bare bones of creating charmed portraits.
"Something wrong, boy?" Harry turned to Arcturus who was looking at Sirius having a pensive expression.
"I was sort of hoping to contact an old friend in time for Christmas, but I could not find him." Sirius sighed. "I could not write to him earlier since Madam Bones would not want anyone to know that I was out of Azkaban undergoing interrogation and semi-asylum protection. After the trial, I would have thought he would answer back by now."
"You are referring to Remus Lupin?" Arcturus had a notable tone in his query that Sirius picked up.
"Yes, that friend." Sirius answered with a hard tone. "You got a problem with that?"
"I would not begrudge your choice of friends, but keep him away from the Black Manor and townhouse. And I will remind you that you can't bring him here without permission." Arcturus merely replied while looking at the gift that Harry had got for him, a rather impressive looking cane with the house totem with gold etchings at the top of it.
"Why not try asking a house elf to find him?" Albert asked partially to avoid the confrontation from building up. Sirius paused at that question, before a sheepish expression took over the angry face. "Although if you are going to do that, you would need to let them rest, especially if your friend is in another country."
"Yeah, I better do that." Sirius sighed. "It's just that I would like to keep track of the only Marauder left in this world. Now that HE is in a cell." Harry kept silent on that, knowing his godfather's hot temper over the fact that someone he once called a friend had betrayed him and others, two being his parents.
The trial of Peter Edmund Pettigrew came shortly after Sirius, confirming that he was the Secret Keeper that gave the Potters up to Voldemort and framed Sirius for the act along with murdering innocents before going into hiding with the Weasley Family apparently. The ICW were still holding him to question him more on his crimes done as a Death Eater, but made sure his role in the Potter/Black situation was made known to all countries by broadcast with heavy emphasis in Britain. It helped that with the shares Harry held, the newspaper showed the ICW verdict word for word on the front page for all to view.
The Wizengamot session that came immediately after the two trials was absolute mayhem. What they did agree immediately was to remove the Order of Merlin Pettigrew got posthumously but there were a few who were trying to insist that his vault should be confiscated as Ministry reparations. That did not fly with the ICW officials who ensured that whatever finances were granted as penalty to Sirius and partially Harry. There were also demands to have Pettigrew extradited back to Britain for his punishment, but the officers did not agree given a good number of said demands came from those who were declared innocent for being "under the Imperius Curse".
There was also the question of having Sirius formally cleared in Britain that saw the ICW officials wanting to crack a few heads for being so bloody opinionated on him despite his innocence being proven. As Filius had commented, the Black Family was very influential in power and money, and there were a good number who would want to retain it to "outstanding citizens" as someone had emphasised, but thankfully that was buried when other countries were looking at the British colony and they were forced to formally clear the man and let him retain the lordship.
"I'm sure you can get in contact with him soon enough. Considering the news was broadcasted to all countries and they are ensuring to have it repeated a few times to be on the safe side, your friend should be hearing about it at this point." Albert tried to assure him. "Come on, we still got presents to unwrap, and then we have places to be." That cheered Sirius up a little and they went about doing what was stated.
They spent the rest of the day enjoying the holidays and visiting certain people that Arcturus wanted Harry to meet along with visiting certain locations outside of Britain, mostly so they could get away from the madhouse going on in the country and from Dumbledore who was currently hounding Albert and Arcturus for the locations of either Harry or Sirius "for their safety". At least they were able to get some fun out of it, and Sirius was off his sad mood.
Yet Harry had the odd feeling something was going to happen in the near future.
~ooOOoo~
(December 27 1991)
"So this is where we are to meet up." Benjamin "Ben" Granger looked about the area they had arrived at by car near the business district side of London, noting other parents and children talking to one another. He appeared to be in late thirties with black hair and streaks of white evident in the sideburns, and wore casual smart clothes for the occasion. "Looks like we are not the first ones to arrive."
"Well, at least we know that we are not late." Monica Granger, a woman of roughly the same age as him with dark brown hair that showed where Hermione got her bushy hair from, not to mention a possibility of what Hermione could look forward to in the future in terms of puberty. She wore simple clothes that were okay for a visit to town and wore little makeup.
"Hey Hermione!" The girl turned to find Terry, Justin, Lisa and Su waving to her with their parents coming behind them. The girl turned to her parents with pleading eyes.
"Go on." The beaming smile that she directed at them before she made off to talk to her friends was a balm to the parents' souls. They had been worried about her being alone in a new world that would not allow them to come and check on her regularly, and Ben had been very vocal about the lack of 'true' subjects like English, Mathematics and Science. A meeting with an officer from the Lily Evans Foundation had assuaged a lot of their worries, along with the amused officer listening to the particular vocabulary by Ben who did not like the prospects found for those like Hermione even if they have good results. At least with the foundation, there were people actively helping to look after instead of paying lip service to them along with granting her a proper education for the A Levels if needed. And thanks to them, they were able to get regular correspondence by a certain enchanted box that made them feel tickled at the magic being done.
On their part, Monica and Ben really wanted to thank Harry Potter personally for looking out for their daughter these past few months. The letters they had gotten from Hermione spoke a lot of the company she went with, the boy being quite evident in them with how he had helped her with the first couple of months and moving her to the new house, along with saving her life. Ben would have considered bringing out his shotgun with all Hermione had focused on him if not for how she described the boy as "someone who needs a minder twenty-four seven for the absolute mayhem he could bring about without knowing."
Ben still insisted on giving the shovel talk to Harry just in case. Monica just rolled her eyes at the wanton display of being an overprotective father.
Not knowing their thoughts, Hermione went to her friends (And wasn't that a nice feeling? Her, the bookworm, having actual friends!) to greet them and compare the presents they got from Harry. She was really wanting to ask Harry where he got her that book for Christmas, but looks like he had yet to arrive.
"Do you know what it is that Harry wanted to show us?" Su asked while looking about.
"My guess is the building over there." Justin motioned with his thumb at the relatively new building that stood out from the other buildings with the new windows and paint. It resembled something of a sports hall slash office with the general design. "At least we are here, and we can be sure he will be punctual for this."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence." The children turned to find the boy in question dressed smartly and with a smile. "I make sure to deliver expectations."
"Harry!" Hermione practically leaped on him. "Where did you get the book?"
"At a bookstore off the path of Diagon Alley, it was in the second-hand discount pile." Harry answered while watching her expressions go all over the place before she evidently decided on being indigent.
"The second-hand discount pile?!" The girl looked outraged at the idea that such a valuable book would be considered second-hand. "Such a valuable book is in the discount pile?!"
"Don't shoot the messenger." Harry put up his hands at her indignation, honestly feeling a little scared for his life.
"Hermione, calm down." The other girls tried to placate the bookworm, leaving Harry safe enough to get to the other guys who patted on his back for that reaction. They talked a little until the stated time got closer and Albert called him back for whatever was planned. That got Harry to get the others to collect their parents to enter the facility and into what looked to be a big reception room for them to listen in.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for clearing your schedule to come today for this occasion. Now, you are all wondering what is the reason you are called here." Albert looked out to all the faces in front of him. "You may have been told by the representative of Hogwarts or certain people that your children would not be able to use magic outside of the school until they hit their age of majority in the wizardry world. Something I am sure frustrates a good number of you." Parents and children nodded at that with a few grumbling. "Now, to be frank, this rule came about in a time when the church was getting a little zealous on magic users, and they were afraid that the first-gens would be too enthusiastic to show off and draw attention. These days though, it is quite a detriment, as I have no doubt that you want to know your money is going somewhere into your child's education." That earned more nods and agreements.
"Well, my ward had an answer to that." Albert turned to Harry at this point. "You want to take over?" Harry stepped forward to look at the crowd before him and took a breath to steady himself.
"The current laws are introduced from the signing of the Statue of Secrecy, meant to safeguard and conceal the wizarding world from those who would have an adverse reaction to those with magic. To be fair, there are people out there who may think that those with magic are abnormal, and much like you, can be problematic for parents who have children starting with these abilities, but to more extreme types of reactions." The parents looked to their children with consideration evident in their expressions, likely thinking back to their own reactions.
"The main issue right now is that any first-gens or half-bloods raised in mundane Britain would be subjected to the underage laws, and given we have homework to do, it would be hard to train ourselves for magic." A few nodded with Hermione acting like the bobbing head of the car doll to much her parents' amusement. "This is a disadvantage as the purebloods lived in magical homes and having been registered, are allowed to use their magic without getting called out." That certainly got the bees in the bonnet for the group.
"That's not fair." Justin Finch Fletchley complained loudly about that, his white-collar businessman father nodding in heavy agreement.
"And from that, there is a loophole." All the children snapped their heads towards him like meerkats.
"I have it on good authority that in places that have high amounts of magic like Diagon Alley, Innovatio Alley, or Hogwarts, there won't be any sensors to detect underage magic." Harry started explaining about what he and his guardians had researched on. "So you could go there, but I doubt it is very conducive for everyone, so the next best thing to do is to have a registered building to perform magic."
"Wait a minute." Terry's father looked about with dawning comprehension.
"Indeed. Right now, you are standing inside a facility that is registered under the Lily Evans Foundation, and by proxy that means you are in a building where those under the protection are allowed to use magic within reason." He smiled as he watched several children sporting eager expressions at the possibility of showing off magic to their parents. "The facility is currently split in a manner that makes it easy for both sides to be around, but with magic, we have to make sure that only registered users are allowed. You all have your passes?" heads nodding and a few raised hands with said passes were his answers. "I know what you guys are thinking, so how about a quick tour of the facility, and then you can show what you have learned?" A loud cheer was his answer and they began to move about the facility. The staff on hand led them in small groups to different parts, showing them the top levels first which held the gym, small sports hall, resting area and the library, something that made Hermione and a few very happy.
Then came the real secret.
"Whoa!" Funnily enough, it was the adults who said that instead of the children when they went through a door that brought them underground to a very big space that had been expanded by magic. One half was open with several clear partitions that allowed them to see what certain spaces were meant for, such as general target practice to spaces for them to perform other spells. The other half was meant to be study cubicles and rooms to do potions with actual cauldrons, a sight that made a few of the parents raise an eye at the stereotype. There was another library, but this was strictly for the magicals as it held the books for spells and potion texts, guarded by a security system that required the users to be registered in the foundation and a secondary pass by the librarian on hand to even get through the gate, with a private room to read in if one is not wanting to borrow the book. If they do, they would need to book it in the system with their pass and sign a confirmation document with an oath stating that the user would not take it out of the facility or to use any spells for malicious means.
"Right then, that is enough show-and-tell from me. I think your children would like to do the same for you, have at it!" Harry smiled as the children cheered and dragged their parents accordingly to different spots for them to start demonstrating what they have learned from Hogwarts. It was easy to tell that the older students were happy for that as they took the chance to show off a lot of spells they had learned so far.
"Harry!" That was the only warning he got before a busy haired bookworm slammed into him with a big hug. "This is a great place! Now I can actually show my parents everything I have done and more!" She released him who had enough time to catch his breath before he got more hugs from the girls. Terry and Justin were thankfully not the hugging type and just clapped their hands on his shoulders.
"It is a neat place all right. I can see that we will be able to practise our spells during summer." Justin observed. "Dad was wondering about the situation."
"This only came about when I talked with others older than me before coming to Hogwarts." Harry replied while catching his breath from all the hugs. "From what I know, there have been attempts to set up such facilities but they end up closing or shut down because of certain people not liking first-gens getting better and all."
"That's not nice." Terry grumbled at that.
"Won't you be in trouble then?" Su asked with a bit of worry.
"That's the beauty of it all. I am working within the laws and having a proper facility with authorizations from both the Ministry and the ICW. As long as you are in this facility and away from the general populace, you can use your magic." Harry pointed to the pass and tags that Justin had out. "As long as your parents or guardians have them and proper acknowledgement, they too can see magic without getting outed."
"Well, if we have the highest authority in the world granting permission, we should be safe." Terry remarked flippantly, his smile showing his happiness to remove the carelessness of his words. "Now I can get the spells done for the practicals."
"I don't see a lot of the others though." Sally shyly observed.
"Many could not make it, but they will be granted a quick brochure with instructions to come and register themselves to use the facilities." Harry answered as he watched a third year dazzle his little sister with animal shaped bubbles.
"Will there be similar facilities in the future?" Harry hummed but someone else answered it.
"We are hoping for that." Albert Thornwood came forward, having heard that question on his way to meet Harry. "We are trying to see if we can get a spot in Innovatio Alley. It should be easier to do than Diagon Alley since construction won't be too heavily monitored there."
"Why would anyone want to monitor a new building?" Terry's father asked.
"As you were told, the wizarding world is heavily skewed in favour of purebloods, so they would not like the idea that we have areas that could let us use magic without getting tracked. Diagon Alley is the alley all wizards would be familiar with, so any new stores would be scrutinised. At best we may have a building that connects to both alleys, but I think that would be a security risk." Albert answered. "Unless we can get proper grants, I think we should stick to Innovatio Alley for the space. At least that alley is for people like us." All the children nodded at that.
"I see." The other man hummed before getting called by the other parents for a quick talk. Harry talked with the others before they got called by their parents to show more of their magic. Harry had to smile at all that was going on around him. This was a small step to helping all those being forced down by the current laws, and he would like to think that his mother would like what he had planned.
Overall, this was a good holiday and a good business venture for him.
~ooOoo~
Matthias Brownbard was not having a good holiday.
He was recently made the regent of the Minor House of Brownbard, being the youngest of three brothers with the elder two having taken each other out in a stupid attempt to seize control after their father had passed away in the civil war, leaving him in charge without meaning to. He was a semi-supportive advocate that muggleborns should not be allowed to sully their traditions, but maintained neutrality during the civil war as unlike his brothers who were all for taking out the mudbloods, he could see there was a possibility that the Dark Lord would fall for reaching too far despite all the gains the wizard had obtained on his campaigns. And given that he was overseas studying at Durmstrang and they were not rich enough for him to come back in his years of studies every year, he was lucky enough to get away without having to take up the Dark Mark.
He was proven right when the wizard got defeated not by Albus Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, an Auror, or even a regular grocer from Diagon Alley, but by a damn baby at that. Matthias was glad to be alone in his rented apartment when he heard that bit of news, as he proceeded to let out a guffaw of laughter at the absurdity.
Matthias returned to Britain later and led a quiet life to ensure that people did not attempt to point the finger at him for whatever the reason they could think of, and it helped when his brothers passed away and the Aurors wanted to interrogate him on the situation. For his part, Matthias helped to ease the investigations by agreeing to take Veriterserum on the premise that they asked him questions strictly related to the case. That helped his standing a lot, more so when one of the Aurors 'accidentally' asked questions unrelated to the case in hopes of incriminating him, only for him to deny it truthfully as he was not involved in any of the supposed crimes from the war and after whatsoever.
Said Auror was punished by going to guard Azkaban.
In any case, he was able to walk about freely without any issues since word of him actually accepting Veritaserum had spread in the Ministry, and given how people of his sort could have avoided the use, that got him some wary respect. That also helped with his regency of the family seat, so he would hang on to the lordship until his nephew, his elder brother's son, was of age. While he might like the power of the post, he had no major quips about handing it over when needed. He did not fancy the paperwork that came with it.
Mattias did make sure that his own son was kept away from the nonsense in Britain and studying abroad to learn other types of magic. Unlike his compatriots, Mattias had seen what was going on in Hogwarts and checked both the public and private records on the education. He honestly did better overseas and made sure his son had the better education. Given how his nephews are handling Hogwarts, the decision was a good one.
And right now, he was very glad to have his son abroad for the holidays.
"Hello, Mattias."
Mattias barely held back a scream at the fact that he was currently bound to his chair and facing what looked to be a two-faced man sitting opposite with a wand held idly in hand, and he meant that literally. He recognised the wizard as the assistant from the liquor store in Knockturn Alley, but half of his face had been disfigured and stretched to an unnatural tightness, and both eyes were a deep crimson red that he had only ever seen on one person in his life. "I believe it has been a little over a decade since we last met."
"My Lord." Mattias would like to think he was able to reply calmly even if he was pissing his inner robes. "It has been a while. Although you have me at a disadvantage."
"Ah, you are always so polite." The possessed wizard caressed the wand he was wielding while his eyes narrowed. "Even if you did not take up my mark."
"I wouldn't have minded it, my Lord, if not for the fact I was studying abroad." Mattias focused on his Occlumency to try and talk his way out of getting a Cruciatus Curse from Voldemort. "Not to mention, there were a few Aurors demanding to see our arms. It would have been prudent to remain unmarked to ensure the family line did not get killed off or sent to Azkaban. That way, there will be at least one to serve you behind the scenes."
"Hmm, true. Crouch was very zealous even though Dumbledore had tried to stop him from getting Severus." The dark wizard paused for a moment, something that felt longer to Mattias, before waving his empty hand at him. Mattias could tell that the bindings were gone along with the rope, but he still did not move from the implication that it was done wandless and silently. "At least you have the cunning, not like your brothers, or their sons for that matter."
"You know them, my lord?" Mattias slowly moved to rub his wrists.
"I have the dubious honour of teaching them this year at Hogwarts." Voldemort's tone was anything but amused. "I am amazed they even learned anything with the rock they call a brain." Mattias had to let out a sigh at that, having confirmation from the Dark Lord himself was not a good thing for their family. "I understand you have a son yourself?" His Occlumency and his twisting of the body were the only reasons he could hide the surprise and fear.
"I do, my lord. He is currently studying overseas on a long term trip, so he won't be back for at least a couple of years." Mattias answered smoothly while turning back.
"I see. Well that is good for him to learn about the world." Voldemort nodded, making Mattias queasy with how the skin was going tight with the motion. "In any case, I will be in your care for a while." Mattias managed to force out a smile despite his desire to hurl.
"I shall prepare a room for you, my lord. Is there anything else?" The crimson eyes placed themselves directly on Mattias, and the man had a feeling that his life expectancy was going to be shortened very quickly.
"Indeed. We will be embarking on a little trip shortly to a small town."