… - …
Chapter Eighteen
The No/Low Program
Thursday June 11, 1998
"Hello Mandy, thanks for taking time to meet with me today."
"My pleasure, Harry. What's on your mind today?" She leaned back in her chair for a moment to clear her mind and took a long sip of her Orange Crush; a habit she had picked up from her boyfriend, Daryl. "Would you like an Orange Crush?"
"Sure, thank you. My question is, what decent paying occupations can you think of where the work would be aided by using charms?" I want to know specifically, what are a dozen jobs you could get or do with an OWL or NEWT in charms? I hope this conversation helps me evaluate how much better we could make the Low Mage students' lives with my Firesticks."
"Let's work on this together. Do any of your friends' parents use charms in their work?"
"One of the guys on the crew, Ernie's dad has a home remodeling business. He uses charms, transfiguration and enchanting. I expect that he makes decent money."
"OK. What else?"
He looked baffled for a moment. She added, "How about a Beautician?"
"So someone skilled in hair dressing and make up charms would be in demand in a shop, or on-site for weddings and functions. Do they pay pretty good?"
She admitted, "I've never used a wedding planner, but I expect so."
He commented, "I suppose you could have a tree service, trimming branches, cutting them down, vanishing them. They pay pretty good."
"Good. What else?"
"My friend Katie's parents have a garden shop and sell magical plants. He uses his Firestick to levitate heavy bags of stuff rather than lifting them. He's pretty pleased."
She smiled and remarked, "I would be too. What else can you do with levitation?"
"Landscaping or roofing; especially if you cast a notice-me-not charm."
"Both of those are within OWL level. How about indoors?"
"Home cleaning, or repairing things. Michael Winter's dad has an auto crash repair business. I bet he uses repairing and transfiguration charms a bunch."
She nodded and asked, "How about painting charms?"
"Easy. Ernie's dad uses those too."
She suggested, "Interior designer! Colovaria the color changing charm. Murus pingere! The paint the wall Charm. A lot of those positions need a good eye for color and detail but the charms themselves are easy enough. How about small package delivery?"
"Maybe; they'd run down the wand's power pretty quick."
"Harry, the instructors have thought this question through, as they've been asked a hundred times. Someone looking for one of your devices has already thought the issue through a thousand times."
"Good point."
"So when's your next construction project?"
"We start on the 19th of June."
"You think you have enough job ideas for your purposes, Harry?"
"Yes. Thank you. This was fun. It made me think of magic in a different way. I appreciate the time."
"My pleasure, Harry. My pleasure." She'd come to know that he didn't ask seemingly random questions like that without a good reason, and wondered what he'd come up with next. He was the most interesting wizard that she'd ever met. She added, "Can we change the subject?"
With only the slightest hesitation, he replied, "Sure."
"Did you have anything to do with Dr. Winsloe's sudden resignation?"
"Yes. I offered her a surprisingly small amount of money to leave immediately and she freely accepted on the spot."
"Then you purchased a total of 96 seats, split among two summer session courses?"
He nodded.
As diplomatically as she could, she asked, "Harry, what happens if your plan doesn't work? You've jeopardized the education of several hundred students."
With absolute resolution, he replied, "It will work, and I'll personally find them better jobs than they would have otherwise had."
She whispered, "I hope you're right." she only hoped that the amazing teen could back his words.
… - …
Monday June 15
It was time for Harry to make his first presentation to the the perspective Firestick users. Given the opportunity that he was offering them, he was surprisingly nervous. Mandy's momentary flash of disappointment stuck with him. He felt a bit like a trial lawyer pleading his client's case. He had witnesses and an expert witness lined up.
He looked out at the faces, took yet another deep breath and began his presentation. The only difference was in this case, the jurors were 12 years old and a handful of parents. "Thank you for having me here today. Many of you are here because you enjoy growing magical plants. It's a useful skill for a witch or wizard to know, whether you grow your own herbs for home potion making, or later in your lives, do so on a larger scale as a business. I'm here today to let you know about a new option in the wanded side of magic."
He looked around and was pleased that he still had their attention. "Every witch or wizard is unique. Some people master charm work, others transfiguration. Some go into law enforcement. Others go into healing, or construction, or work with charms. Others grow plants or make potions for people. Witches and wizards help people; that's what we do best. I help a group of people and elves make drinking water for people who live where there isn't enough fresh water."
He had the parents' attention and didn't want to lose the students. "I've made a device that can help you successfully cast spells – be they charms, transfiguration, or to help protect yourself. By using this, and if you study hard, most of you will be able to successfully thrive in charms, transfiguration, or both. You'll still need to learn the theory, wand movements, and practice, but you'll be able to do well at wanded magic, just like you're currently doing well in herbology."
He had everyone's attention, including the handful of teachers that had joined the group. "My Power Assist Device will help provide the magical power to assist you in successfully completing the spell that you sparked. The Power Assist Device that I call a Firestick doesn't originate the charm; you will. As such, if you want to, you'll be able to learn the different charms and transfigurations, just like the other witches or wizards at Salem. If you successfully say the incantation, use the correct wand movement, and focus on the results that you want, the Firestick will help you cast the spell. Your Firestick will become a focus and extension of your magic."
He still had everyone's attention and no one had blurted out a question yet. He asked, "How about a demonstration? Professor Taylor, could you come up here for a minute?" He'd called his expert witness.
She walked up and casually whispered, "You're doing great."
He said. "I need one other volunteer right now." He looked around the room and saw Laura Simmons, his table partner from the day he'd visited the class. Like most of the students, she had her hand raised. He said, "Miss Simmons, could you come up here?" As she was walking up, he told the class, "I met Laura here two weeks ago when you were repotting nightberry. It's good to see you again. Laura, would you let Professor Taylor take off the copper bracelet that you're wearing?"
"OK."
Mandy looked and saw it through the notice-me-not charm. Harry whispered, "They're all wearing them."
When she touched it to remove it, she immediately realized what it was. She put it in the plastic bag that Harry had provided. Harry said, "Laura, you probably had that bracelet on a while. You should rub your wrist for a minute."
He turned to Mandy and said, "Professor Taylor, this is an ordinary wand that I made in Professor Whitehorn's wandcrafting class. It has a unicorn tail hair for a core and has an oak casing, so almost anyone could use it. Would you try it please?'
She used the levitation charm to float the chair that she'd been sitting on a moment ago. The students applauded. After she set it down, Harry asked, "Do you recall the first magic that you did in your first Charms class?"
Mandy said, "We learned to light our wands."
Harry said, "You probably learned that when you were eleven or twelve. Go ahead and try that with the wand I handed you."
Mandy held it up, pointed in a safe direction and clearly said, "Lumos." The wand lit brightly and shined like a flashlight. The class applauded and Mandy smiled.
Harry said, "Please shut of the spell now."
Mandy said "Nox," and ended the charm.
Harry said, "Laura, I think you could do this. Hold the wand like this. Think to yourself that you want the wand to light up and shine a light like Professor Taylor did. When you're ready, say "Lumos" and watch the wand light up."
"Lumos." A smaller light shined but the smile of Laura's face would have lit up any room. The students applauded enthusiastically.
"Shut if off by saying Nox." She did, He handed her a bottle of Orange Crush, opened it for her and said, "Well done. Professor Taylor, could you try the wand lighting charm with my Firestick please?"
She did with the same results. He asked, "Would you levitate the chair please?"
She did with the same results. She stated, "It works like a regular wand for me."
Harry agreed. "It does for you. Laura, would you light this one up please?" He handed it to her and said, "Could you make it just as bright as Professor Taylor did, please?"
This was it. He'd played his hand and hoped that his star witness would do the right thing. She said, "Lumos." It lit up as brightly as a Maglight with a fresh set of batteries!
The class applauded loudly.
Harry asked, "Laura, can you make your light a little less bright? Think what you want your magic to do and make it happen."
It did.
"A bit less. Good. Now bright again." It was. "Excellent. Now shut it off please."
"Nox."
"Well done, Laura." Her classmates applauded her accomplishment.
He let her rest for a few minutes while he described how the Firestick worked, then showed her the levitation charm. Ten minutes later, she'd levitated a ping pong ball. The class cheered for their friend.
For the next five minutes, Katie's parents, Jim and Loni Bell told their story. The class especially related to them because they were in the Herbology business. Loni demonstrated that she could apparate. She told them, "I didn't have as much magic as most of the other kids in my class and had to leave my school when I was twelve. With my Firestick, I'm catching up."
While Randi, the Herbology teacher was impressed with Loni's story, the students had all but lost interest. The class hour was nearly over. Mandy selected one of the boys and asked him to pass out the information packets. Mandy said, "If you would like, we'll be putting on an Introduction to Charms and an Introduction to Transfiguration class second summer session beginning July 20th. It's free and the information is also in the packet."
Harry asked, "Who else would like to try?" He had everyone take off their bracelets. He knew that there was one No Mage in the classroom. He asked the boy to be his helper as he and Mandy quickly moved the class through the line The levitation spell took ten Julens. Aaron's levitation spell didn't work with the firestick. Before the boy, who was a mirror image of an eleven year-old Colin Creevey, could become heartbroken, Harry handed him one that would activate with five Julens of effort and said, "Try again."
Aaron did and the ping pong ball immediately rose. He said, "I did it!"
Harry handed him a bottle of Orange Crush and told him, "Good job. Here's a packet for you."
After class, Mandy asked, "How did you know about the magic suppressing bracelets?"
"I was partnered with Laura when I visited the class. I could sense it."
Mandy replied, "I can do that in a quiet room. How you managed it in a class where half of the boys were flinging bugs at each other is beyond me."
"It wasn't just the boys," protested Harry with a smile. "Thanks for arranging this today."
She smiled back and joked, "I always wanted to be the pretty girl in a Magician's magic show."
They laughed and Harry quipped, "Presto. I pulled a rabbit out of my hat, except in my case, it was a sword and the audience was a big snake."
She shook her head and remarked, "Only you, Harry. I need to get back to work. Same time tomorrow with the next class."
"Thanks, Mandy."
On the way back, he thought about Aaron. The lad wasn't a No Mage, rather a Very Low Mage. He could cast somewhere between six and nine Julens. Harry wished that he'd had more time to visit several more classrooms, with the intent of rolling out his Firesticks faster, but he had a solid commitment in Saudi Arabia on Friday. He hoped that a large percentage of the students that they'd presented to would take up their offer.
…
After Harry left, Mandy examined the bracelet that Laura had worn. The runes indicated that it was a 50% magical block. It seemed beyond cruel to take away what little magic that the No/Low kids had. She asked one of the other advisors about it.
He pointed out, "You certainly have a point, but it keeps the kids from having accidents, I suppose."
"What do you mean?"
"Since they weren't learning wanded magic, they'd never learn to control their magic and might have accidents into their 20s. It's too bad that they couldn't learn a few spells, so they'd stop having accidents."
Mandy replied, "Now they can. I need to go. I'll talk with you later. Thanks."
… - …
Friday June 19
The three crews were assigned 4 lakes each at the new project in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Harry had been surprised that the recent project proposal closed as quickly as it had. There were larger cities that were closer to the sea. Remus speculated that in the case of Medina, there was no existing desalination plant nearby and there was a real need for the water in the surrounding areas.
Like the project at Riyadh, the lakes would be piped together in two sets for filling or drawing water from one lake to another. Harry thought it was a good setup. Dobby and crew went out a week earlier than Harry, who went out a week earlier than the others. They were at Harry's property being trained by Remus, who would work with them at the construction site.
The 800 elves had each brought two sets of charged cobalt bracelets to keep them in top shape, though Dobby was adamant that they didn't feel as good as a real hug from Harry.
Finally, Harry and the elves had done enough preperation work. He called Remus and said, "Send everyone out."
The next morning (Medina time) everyone arrived. They crowded into the dining tent. Harry said, "Welcome to the Medina work site. We'll be making a total of twelve lakes here. Flyers, the water will be picked up three miles off the coast in the Red Sea to the west of the work site. You'll be carrying the water 80 miles; that's farther than Kuwait City but considerably closer than Riyadh.
"As I said, there are 12 lakes. Currently they're in various states of completion, so everyone can begin their respective tasks. As you can see from the sand piles, 8 of the holes have already been dug. Dobby, you should mention to Ed that the sand is yours to keep, or dispose of. One of the holes is ready for the cement over the vinyl sheeting. At least the cornerstones of the other seven have been placed. Everyone's tents have been delivered. Please put them up after the meeting. Remus, please introduce everyone."
He began, "We have seven new team members this time. Sylvia Clearwater is Penny's mother. When she's not here having fun with us, she teaches Transfiguration at Hogwarts.
"Andrew Sprout was recommended to us by Pomona Sprout at Hogwarts. Like Sylvia, he'll be on the block team.
"Jeff Macmillan and his wife Anna came to us through the recommendation of his younger brother, Ernie. They'll also be on the block team.
"Roger Davis and Oliver Wood are known to most of us. They finally concluded that working with us will be a far better situation than playing in the pro teams. Like the other flyers, they'll also be working on the cement team.
"Finally at the recommendation of Colin, is his brother Dennis Creevey. He'll also be on the fly team."
Lupin continued, "Katie Bell will be joining team three and switching places with Dennis, who will be on team 1. She's highly experienced at all phases of the waterworks. Are there any questions so far?"
No one said anything, so he continued. "All of the cement people will be working together on lake 1. As before, you'll want to apply two one-inch coats.
"Professor Clearwater will be sealing the blocks on team three's lakes. I'll be sealing for team two. Harry and Dean will be sealing for team 1. Now would be a good time to put your tents up. Ladies, remember to wear your head wear. We'll meet back here in an hour to do a quick site tour before getting to work."
…
When the others had begun their tasks, Harry asked, "Why seven rather than ten for this crew?"
"Remus replied, "I'll add the other three before the first fill. They weren't available quite yet. We'll be fine. You and the elves did a lot of the work before we even arrived at M-Customs."
… - …
Sunday July 5
Two weeks into the project, Harry went home for the morning. He asked, "Have you heard from Mandy?"
Hermione replied, "Yes. 16 people signed up for Introduction to charms only, 11 signed up for Introduction to Transfiguration only and 15 signed up for both. Between the two classes that you and Professor Taylor presented to, most of the people signed up."
"That's great."
"Better still, there were 394 other calls asking that they run the classes again in September. Some people had already made holiday plans, had heard about them late, or had other obligations. I expect that loads of other people will sign up, either in September or January. Get this; there was an inquiry from France!"
"How?"
"This student told a few people who told a few people and so on. I had an interesting conversation in my healing class. Professor Sandy suggested that you track some of the students over time and test for core development."
Harry replied, "That would be pretty easy to do with making a set of Firesticks with different activation points. I'll have their baseline information. Did she think that they'd develop much?"
"Her idea was that with continued use that they would; probably not to a 50th percentile level but some."
"That's an interesting idea."
"How's the lake construction work?"
"Hectic. Besides the new project in Medina, there were fills to do in Riyadh and Kuwait City. Fortunately, the distance to the water is a lot shorter in Medina than Riyadh. Remus and Dean are sealing blocks. Roger and Oliver finally came to the conclusion that there would always be someone a bit faster than them, and are happy to be on the crew instead. Going home next week with a serious Gringotts vault will probably ease any lingering sting a bit as well. I worked with Dean on Sealing."
"How did that work?"
"Slow but he's getting faster. How's class?"
"Fun. I assisted on two baby deliveries. That was hectic but fun as well. Speaking of, let's go upstairs."
… - …
Friday August 7
At his request, Harry showed the second memory to Ted.
"You find me to be a hard, vile, and distasteful women. So be it. I took over this program 20 years ago. Not everyone is as creative as you, Mr. Potter, nor does everyone have your vision, courage, drive, resources, or raw ability. I could no more encourage the children who you attended class with to become healers than I could encourage a mule to become a race horse. You may not agree, but I'm telling the truth as I see it."
"Perhaps you're right about their chances of becoming healers, but a few of them could become doctors."
"Those are grand words coming from a man who is the head of a house that routinely killed off its squibs."
"I will offer you a million dollars, payable in the currency of your choice, to resign from your job effective immediately and move away within a week."
"Your offer is interesting. I believe that your request could be done within the hour for two million."
"Money is valueless, if you're not in a position to spend it. The current offer is $500,000 with the assurance that wherever you choose to go, you will be in a position to enjoy it." He handed her a completed resignation document and made eye contact a second time. A few seconds later, he handed her a blood quill.
For your personal possessions." $500,000 in real $100 bills filled the cardboard box and the document was in his hand.
"Being cynical isn't a crime, Mr. Potter. Being a groupie isn't much of a career."
Ted gathered his thoughts a moment and observed, "At least you didn't break any laws. What made you decide that you couldn't work with her?"
"She's too tired of what she was doing."
"I completely agree with you on that. There was a senior administrator like that at the ministry years back. Aside from a few poorly chosen words, and based on what she knew, I expect that she was right in everything that she said. Your potential donation of $50 or $100 thousand dollars wouldn't have changed that."
Ted added, "There are three points worth mentioning.
"You're going to run into people throughout your life who you don't like. You can't take all of them off of your game board. Sooner, or later, you'll have to find a way to work with them.
"Second, you made a promise to those kids. I'm certain that you will deliver, both now and in the future.
"Third, your co-workers, colleagues, mentors and attorneys seldom like surprises. In this case, I'm guessing that you brought up the first meeting to Hermione, who saw it as a cause and launched a verbal crusade." Harry nodded.
"In reverse order, your business is your business. This wasn't Hermione's call to make any more than it will be yours to direct what she does when she begins her healing practice. You threw a surprise into Professor Taylor's lap. She may have been polite when she asked you about it, but I doubt that she was happy about not being told up-front.
"As for the Firesticks, I'm certain that you can get them made. Hopefully momentum will continue to grow. Keep an eye open for long-term business opportunities for them. That gives them success long-term.
"Last but not least, there will be people in you life who annoy you. You can't be like the guy in the Lambs movie and get rid of the mediocre flute player in the orchestra. If you're going to anyway, you find them a different job, you don't... never mind, You did fine."
Harry replied, "I get it; ignore them or buy them out. I was never going to change her mind and she was never going to be a true advocate for those kids. You told me to go around the roadblocks. I did. In this case, buying her out was the painless, better solution. I wasn't going to pay double, but I would have gone back to my original offer. I like your idea about finding a business that would work for the kids. On to a different subject, how are the investments doing?"
"Good. Andy has lunch ready. Let's eat."
… - ...
Saturday August 16
Harry and Mandy concluded that the definition that Dr. Winslow had used for No Mage was the inability to perform a simple levitation charm, with a Julen rating of 10-12 depending on the specific object that she was having them lift.
In contrast, a true nonmagical could not light a wand, requiring a Julen rating of 1, leaving the Very Low Mage category a gray area.
Harry suggested, "Currently Aaron – the so-called No Mage who was in the first class that we presented to, actually might have a core that could generate a 6 to 9 Julens spell. He's below Dr. Winsloe's threshhold of 10 Julens, but he clearly has some magic that can be directed. He's not a No Mage. He might be able to use a regular wand to create a breeze or blow out a candle, or use a wand to throw red sparks."
She pointed out, "If you can find a spell that required 6 Julens, you can definitely identify a magical and be on safe ground giving or selling them a Firestick. There are enough people who claim that non magicals can sometimes light a wand."
"I thought about that. I made two sets of Firesticks to test Low Level Raw Magical Power (LLRMP) to gift to the two new advisors. They can use them to test from a range of 1 to 40. What's the future of the program? Will it remain a school within a school? When will they get hired?"
"Heavens no, Harry. Officially, it never was, though Dr. Winslow may have taken her mandate way too far and treated it as such. From what we could find out, she insisted on helping the students register for their classes and put them together as much as possible; effectively isolating them from the rest of the school. We intend to assign the current students to the two new advisors advisors who will be peer reviewed, like the rest of the advisor team. Their names are Jason Viola and Tami Gaetti. They'll start on Monday.
"The goal is to integrate them into the regular classes to every extent possible through the use your Firesticks. For the next year, we've scheduled extra sessions of Introduction to Charms and Transfiguration to accommodate the surge in students. Those are good problems to have. The advisors' long-term challenge is to get more parents to enroll their children into the Salem Institute to begin with."
Anticipating his question, she added, "The disposition of the true No Mage and the Very Low Mage students will depend on how many there actually are, and the wishes of their parents. You've provided opportunities that no one had ever even considered."
Harry replied, "Rather than finding a spell, I can easily make a set of Firesticks with the activation minimums set from 5 rather than 9. For the next batch that I make, I'll set the activation point to 5. That way, everyone would get the same Firestick. That way, effectively, there won't be a Very Low Mage category. What else could I do to help?"
"You've already done so much, Harry." If you need anything, let us know."
… - …
Tuesday September 1
Minerva was the first to retire from Potter Waterworks. A few weeks after the crew had completed the Medina construction, she asked to come over. The conversation started like a resignation. She explained, "The time changes are too hard on me." The unstated reason was, she had more money than she knew what to do with.
Harry nodded. He asked, "Would you like to stay here with us for a few months? The elves and unicorn are fun to visit with and we have plenty of room. Besides, I need some help with a project."
Delighted by the offer to be useful, she replied, "Yes. I'd love to. Thank you."
"Do you remember Jim and Loni Bell from Hogwarts? I expect that they're about 45."
"Loni Phillips? Yes. Albus forced her out of the castle, rather than confront Bellatrix Black."
"She earned her apparation license a few months back."
"With your device?"
"Yes."
"So, they're ready to sell?"
"Yes. Two classes of low magicals used them at Salem for Charms and Transfiguration in the second summer session. There will be just over 500 in use this semester."
"That's a remarkable achievement. Congratulations."
He nodded. "Professor, my question is, where and when have the British low mage kids been getting filtered out?"
She considered his question for a moment and replied, "I believe there are three roadblocks in their path. Intentionally or not, they've been sent to Garrick Ollivander. If he is unable, or unwilling to match them with a wand that will produce what he deems an acceptable result for the child, he doesn't sell them one."
Harry thought that would be easy enough to fix. He nodded encouragingly.
McGonagall continued, "The second gate are the child's parents. Naturally I'm referring to a child with magical parents. If they choose not to send their child and state that he or she will be home schooled, the school is powerless to change their mind."
Harry asked, "If reprints of the Salem newspaper articles were reprinted in the Prophet, would that get them to take action?"
"Doubtless it would for some; especially if the child hasn't already been sent to an orphanage somewhere."
Harry gently asked, "What about the third barrier?"
"Whoever the head of the school happens to be would have much to say regarding children using your device or not. Albus allowed a student or two a year fail, or be bullied out of the school. It was the easy, rather than the right thing to do."
Harry asked, "How difficult would it be for me to be included in the list of Hogwarts school suppliers that the first years get?"
"I would expect that Pomona would be happy to help you. I'll speak with her about it."
Harry felt as if he were making some progress. He pressed on. "What about on a look-back basis? How could I reach people who left or never went? How could I get a list?"
"Harry, you can't find everyone, If the parents have sent the child away to an orphanage, or to another country, you essentially have a lost trail."
At his incredulous look, she explained, "I'm not defending the practice, simply observing that it occurred. Changing the subject, where and will will the devices be sold?"
"At my shop in Hogsmeade, as soon as it's completed. That should be another two weeks. I'm not selling them, I'm gifting them to children who need them."
"And...?"
"I was planning on having the shop open on every other Saturday from 9 until three. I'd love to have someone there with me, if you had a bit of free time. Naturally lunch would be provided."
"I see. Well, since I was fortunate enough to earn more in the last two years than in my entire career at Hogwarts, I suppose I would be in a position to assist you."
They laughed together.
… - …
Wednesday September 2
Amelia was reading the Daily Prophet when a quarter page article caught her eye.
Salem Master's Project Accepted
Has widespread possibilities
An Enchanting Master degree was presented to British student Harry J Potter last Tuesday. Potter's thesis on Low Mage core strengthening was accepted and peer reviewed favorably. Grand Master Earling Magnuson remarked, "Harry Potter's innovative thinking allows him to go around obstacles that would stop other enchanters. His Power Assist Device is an inspired, innovative leap forward in assisting witches and wizards with modest means in mastering the use of transfiguration and charms on an everyday basis."
Potter has gifted over 500 of these devices to the students enrolled in the Salem Low Mage program who were previously having difficulty with wanded classwork. The instructors who led the second summer Transfiguration and Charms courses reported that the enrolled students were highly successful in their classes.
Bones read the article a second time. She wondered exactly what he was up to. Potter owned the Daily Prophet. That said, she'd never seen any trace of bias in Cuffe's editorials or the news pieces since the acquisition. She asked her assistant, to get a copy of his thesis. Her younger sister, Janet's grandaughter, Greta Wilkinson didn't go to Hogwarts last year because Ollivander couldn't fit a wand for her. Now she had options.
An hour later, Randi handed her the copy. She looked at the cover sheet.
Part One - Elements of a Magical Core – maximum single discharge, capacity, speed of recharge.
Part Two – The Low Magical Core - Increasing the Magical Core
She turned the page and was amazed by what she was reading.
… - ...
Thursday September 3
At breakfast the next day, Susan announced, "Auntie has invited everyone over for the weekend."
Emma replied, "That sounds lovely. Is there enough room?"
She said, "Maybe we could bring a few of the tents."
Harry asked, "How many are a few?"
"Dean's, Katie's and maybe yours. It's a four bedroom house. It's on top of a hill with a lovely view of the ocean. We could go see the beach at Hannah's parent's home. Please? It would be Friday through Sunday."
Emma replied, "We'd love to. Minerva is visiting her sister this weekend."
… - …
Friday September 4
After an excellent lunch, Harry wasn't surprised to receive Smidgen's request that he follow her to go see Minister Bones. He wasn't expecting it to be in her study with the door closed. He was glad that he'd volunteered to bring the Orange Crush, so he was certain of what he was drinking. The discussion started out easily enough. In spite of that, he kept thinking that this was the British Minister of Magic sitting across from him, not Susan's Aunt. He kept on his toes.
"How's the Waterworks project going?"
"Generally good. Employing 32 people has its challenges. Professor McGonagall recently retired from the crew. I'm hoping to sell another construction project in the Middle East soon. I've concluded that I need a different solution if I want to sell water in the States."
Bones asked, "Do you see this an an ongoing business?"
"Yes, but the method of acquiring the sea water may change. There's more control over the airspace there than in the States. That said, "I'd like this set of crew members to retire in five or six years."
"Why's that?"
"They'll have made generational money. I'd like to give a second set of people the same opportunity. That said, other projects will likely come up so there will also be other things to do."
"If I may ask..."
"I believe the crew members will each make 1.5 million this year."
"Dollars?"
"Galleons."
"There was silence for a moment, then Amelia admitted, "I had no idea..."
"We've collectively agreed to not mention it to anyone unless it was necessary. That said, it's not my plan to poach the entire Auror force, though Alastor has done amazing work."
"And Susan?"
"One of the best. My turn. Why have the remaining elves at Hogwarts not been encouraged to have children?"
"They should, if they choose."
Harry was certain that they'd been listening and replied, "Good. Your turn."
"Now that you've finished at Salem, what did you think of it?"
"I took and passed all of my NEWT exams and recently earned my Enchanting Masters. I'm far from finished at Salem. There are a lot of things worth learning. They offer masters level courses in dozens of topics. To your question, they offer courses in a wider choice of topics because they're larger, they charge more and there seems to be more interest in masters level courseware in the States than I've seen here. Back to your question, I think it's fantastic and hope that Hogwarts finds a way to move in that direction."
She asked, "Where would you send your own children?"
"It depends on where we're living. I'm told that many schools have a day school option, or the opportunity to routinely go home on weekends. If we were living in Britain, it would depend on what Hogwarts was teaching and if the Board was looking towards the future, or clinging to the past."
"That makes sense." She added, "I read that Salem has a program for what are referred to as Low Mage children. Please tell me about it."
"If you were to take 1,000 magicals and rank them based upon raw power, you'd have people in the top fourth, the upper middle fourth, lower middle fourth and the bottom fourth. First and foremost, the people in the bottom fourth are not the village idiots. Either their core is late, or paused in its development, or for some reason, they're having trouble casting more powerful spells, as measured by Julens output.
"The No/Low program was originally designed to provide an appropriate education to people in the bottom fourth of the curve. Keep in mind that the Raw Magical Power range of that fourth is vast. Most spells range from 1 to about 2,000 Julens in terms of what's required to cast them. Everyday magic tends to be in the 10 to 300 range. What exactly were you asking, Minister?"
"I read a report from the Salem newspaper about a new development."
"Are you asking in general terms, or in relation to Greta?"
"The latter." She wasn't surprised that he'd guessed.
"As I've been told, Ollivander performs some sort of check, or test to see if the perspective student can cast a 20 Julens spell, or similar. In effect, he's acting as some sort of self-appointed gatekeeper and won't sell them a wand if they're unable to cast such a spell. I have no idea how precise his test is, or which long-bearded headmaster originally encouraged him to take on that responsibility.
"My Power Assist Devices aids low powered witches and wizards in casting everyday spells, allowing them to integrate into the greater magical population; much like wearing a hearing aid would help a person who is having difficulty hearing ordinary conversations."
She nodded and replied, "If I may ask, what do they look like?"
"Harry opened his bag and carefully took a small case out. He opened it and said, "This one is designed for first and second year students, this one for third through fifth years. This one is suitable for everyday adults, and this one is designed for people who would use magic all day in their business." He handed her one.
"They look like wands. I was expecting... something else."
"Star Trek Phasers? That's what Professor McGonagall mentioned. My idea is that they'd want to integrate and blend in with the greater magical society."
"Could Greta use this?"
"Almost certainly. She'd fit in with the other kids whether she chose to go to Hogwarts or Salem, She's 12?"
"Yes." She handed the Firestick back to him.
Harry asked, "Where and what has she been learning for the last year?"
"Folkestone secondary school."
"That year of education would apply better at Salem. She could transfer there and come back to Hogwarts as a fourth year, or go for this year, stay for the summer sessions and go to Hogwarts next year as a third year if she wanted. We could get her registered for Salem tomorrow and she could start class on Tuesday. Call her and her parents over if you want and I'll get her kitted up."
She saw the sincerity on his face and replied, "Thank you. Thank you again." She made the call.
… - …
An hour later...
Amelia's niece Janet Wilkinson and her daughter Greta were sitting in the family room with Dan, Emma, Hermione and Harry. Amelia made the introductions and said, "Harry Potter would like to talk with the two of you about an opportunity to attend the Salem Institute." She nodded at Harry.
He said, "Hermione and I attended Hogwarts through the end of our fourth year. We decided that we'd be happier going to the Salem school. There we've learned both magical subjects like Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Magical Healing, and Enchanting, as well as non-magical classes such as Math, History, or Science.
"They also have a program for special young witches or wizards who had trouble with Mr. Ollivander's wands. You would have the opportunity to go there and learn magical as well as non-magical subjects."
Greta, who reminded Harry of a twelve-year-old Susan, with Hermione's inquisitiveness asked, "Where is Salem?"
"Salem is in the state of Massachusetts, in the United States. It's near Boston. You could live in a dormitory at the school with other students your age, or you could live with us. We'd take you to school and bring you back at the end of the school day. Either way, you'd be able to have your mum come and visit on weekends, as well as go back home on the big holidays."
Janet said, "Ollivander couldn't find her a wand."
Harry replied, "I believe the word is wouldn't, but I can easily help with that." He took out his large case that had 20 Firesticks set to activate at 1 through 20 Julens, so he could measure a person's starting output. He handed Greta the 1 Julen model and said, "Give this a wave."
A flood of sparks came out.
"Good. Try this one." He handed her a 5 and she produced the same results. "See, there are lots of wands that will work for you." He handed her a 10, and observed, "This one works too."
He handed her a 12, and saw the same results, then handed her a 14. After seeing results with the 16 Julens activation point model, he handed her the 18 Julens model, which produced one spark.
Emma was relieved when he put that one back into the case and closed it. The little girl didn't need to fail.
Harry put the case back into his bag and took out a thin, polished wooded case that read Firestick in engraved letters. He asked, "Greta, do you like unicorns?"
Surprising no one, the little girl gave a solemn nod. The others went outside, leaving Harry, Greta and Janet in the room to talk.
Harry said, "We have 22 of them where we live. They're quite friendly, but the little ones need lots of chin rubs. If you decide to go to Salem and stay in the dormitories, you could come and visit your cousin Susan and she could introduce you to them. This Firestick is for you. Your Aunt Amelia wants to talk with you and your mum for a few minutes. The three of you should talk it over and decide. Should you choose to go, we can go register tomorrow morning."
…
Meanwhile. Dan, Emma and Amelia were in the kitchen, having a quick conversation regarding the logistics. Emma said, "We absolutely have the room for her. I'm certain that Harry can gift her a portkey watch like Susan has, so she can easily get back and forth to the school. There are lovely dormitories on campus; I've seen them. They have four students to a room; I'm certain that they'd be girls of the same age. Susan and the others have all eaten in the dining halls. There's a wide variety of food every day. Greta would be welcome to visit any time that she chose. Janet and Greta should go look at the school tomorrow so they can decide."
Amelia said, "Are you certain that his Firestick will work for her?"
Dan replied, "Positive. Harry told me that unicorn tails have a 100% compatibility rating. Ollivander made a choice to not sell her one. By now, I expect that Harry's taught her how to levitate a ping pong ball, or something. She has options – good ones. Does she have a passport?"
Amelia replied, "I'm not certain, but that can be obtained easily enough."
… - …
After Harry went outside, Greta and her mum had the opportunity to talk it over. Greta asked, "What do you think?"
"I like the idea of a blend of magical and nonmagical subjects. Your cousin Susan seems to have done very well there. The course catalog is huge."
Greta agreed, "I want to go there."
Janet asked, "Would you rather start in the dormitory with the other girls your age, or with Susan and the Grangers?"
Surprising her, Greta replied,"I'd like to start in the dormitory. It would be nice to meet a bunch of other kids my age. Harry told me that I'd be allowed to visit on some weekends. What about the summer sessions?"
"That's a long time away. Maybe one. Are you sure about this?"
"I'm sure that mean old Ollivander is a turd. Almost all of the wands that Harry showed me worked for me just fine. Turd told me none of his would."
Bemused at the emotion in her daughter's language, Janet replied, "Clearly he was wrong. Lets go tell Amelia and the others what you decided."
"Thanks mum. Love you."
…
Two phone calls, along with a quick Dobby pop back and forth to Salem, and Greta was filing out her papers. She signed up for Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Composition and American History.
… - ...
Saturday September 5
The next morning, they were at the Blegan administration building at Salem. Harry made the introductions. "This is Greta Wilkinson, her mum Janet, and her aunt Amelia. Greta, Professor Tami Gaetti will be your advisor here. She's very nice and super helpful. Here's Greta's paperwork and a check. Are there any vacancies in Pioneer Hall?"
Tami had a big genuine smile on her face and said, "I'll look; first the tour. Welcome. I'm Tami Gaetti. I'm happy that you're here, Greta and family, welcome. Harry, are you going to tag along?"
"I need to go see Professor Whitehorn for a bit. I'll collect this lot and take them to the bookstore when you're done."
Two hours later, Tami handed the three visitors back to Harry and said, "Greta will be in room 1041 in Pioneer Hall with three other girls. One of them has the identical circumstances as Greta. The classes will even out by the end of the second semester, or with one summer session.. She'll need her books, electronics and maybe a few local outfits to fit in better. Greta can move in tomorrow, anytime after noon. She has her maps, ID badge and her room key."
Harry nodded, "Thank you, Professor. I'll take her to the book store and her cousin can help with the other. Thank you again, Professor."
She winked. They were on a first name basis.
As Harry was helping Greta get her books, Amelia looked at the booklist.
An Illustrated Guide to Safe Potion Making
An Illustrated Guide to Basic Charms
An Illustrated Guide to Introductory Transfiguration
Herbology Basics and Safe Practices
As the books were selected, Amelia examined them. They were all loaded with moving color photographs. She decided to purchase an extra set to show the Board of Governors. A moment later, she changed her mind and bought a second set. She asked, "What about School Uniforms?"
Harry replied, "There aren't any. I'll ask Susan and Hermione to take Greta to a couple of young women's clothing stores and get her kitted up. We should go back now to let Greta and Janet get her packed up."
Janet asked, "What are these things marked Electronics?"
Harry looked at the list.
IBM Thinkpad 5, Office 97, (Optional) Laser Printer.
He replied, "Some incidentals. Hermione and Susan can pick these up for her when they go clothes shopping."
Amelia commented, "No cauldrons, or Apothecary supplies?"
"The classrooms have all of the equipment and supplies. The dormitories also have proper potions labs. It's a lot safer than having someone trying to concoct something in their room or a bathroom."
In a soft voice, Amelia asked, "Will she ever go back to Hogwarts?"
Harry deflected her question and asked, "What are the goals of sending your child to school?"
"To educate them."
"For the purpose of?"
"You have something in mind. Just say it."
"To prepare them to be productive and successful for the next 50 years. I never saw one instance of looking ahead at Hogwarts – only clinging to the past. Quills and ink bottles? Even Moody uses a Biro. Salem is teaching students to use computer equipment, Hogwarts doesn't allow electricity. You've seen the text books. A set for either school costs about the same.
"There are 65 million Brits. Divide that number by 2,000, you get a bit over 32,000 magicals. One in 8 or 10 at the very least should be in school. Where are they?"
She admitted, "Sadly, you're right. There were easily 3 times the students at Hogwarts when Alastor, Connie and I were students."
Harry asked, "How many kids has Ollivander turned away over the years? Where did they go? The staff at Hogwarts agreed to change the invitation letters letters for next year. I wasn't in time for this term. Based on where Greta measured, he's intentionally excluding 25% of the potential students. I'd bet you a cookie that Dumbledore hatched that scheme. Katie Bell's dad is studying for his Charms NEWT. Her mum recently passed her apparation test. They're both low mage."
"That's using your device," observed Amelia.
"1,200 years ago, Helga Hufflepuff's great Grandfather may have had the same conversation with one of his mates about using wands, rather than runes for everything – that's cheating, it doesn't count. If I handed in my potions essay and it was typed to be easy to read, would Snape have accepted it, or burned it up and handed me a zero for the assignment?
"To your question, if I were Greta's parent, I'd never force her to go to Hogwarts. The single advantage would be to meet the other Brit students her own age.
"I gave Ted a list of recommendations for the vacant Wizengamot seats. My plan is to take up the Potter seat and leave Ted as the Black Steward for the foreseeable future."
Amelia conceded, "It appears that both of us had agenda's for the weekend. It seems that we were both successful. I thank you again for your help."
"As I thank you for yours. Hermione, Susan and I will help Greta get settled in tomorrow. Cheers."
…
While Hermione and Susan were taking Greta shopping, Katie was at the electronics store getting the inquisitive 12-year-old a laptop, Office 97, a printer and several reams of paper, along with a box of diskettes. As she was quite familiar with them from her own classes, setting it up for Greta would be no real challenge.
By dinnertime, Salem's newest student had met half of the students on her floor and looked to be off to an excellent start.
… - …
Saturday January 1, 1999 (3.5 years since the Third Task)
Harry and Ted went over the financial report that Ted had prepared for the previous year.
Revenue
Lakes – 12 Million G
Fills – 49 Million G
Sources
Kuwait 5 x 24 fills
Riyadh 12 x 24 fills
Medina 10 x 8 fills
Paid to
Elves Construction 6 Million
Harry Construction 3 Million Refills 12 Million
Crew (30) Construction 100,000 each Refills 1,225,000G (average PP)
Harry put the report down and remarked, "That's pretty good."
Ted pointed out, "Some of the crew members made more than others, depending on how many fills they participated on. Aside from Team 3, the numbers were all similar. You changed lives, Harry."
"We quietly changed lives. To my knowledge, everyone's kept pretty low key about it. My phone hasn't been ringing off the hook from people wanting to apply for jobs. How vocal has Barchoke been about filling the Wizengamot seats?"
"More so, with every meeting. Minister Bones even brought it up recently."
Harry cursed under his breath. He replied, "I'd like you to add Katie Bell to the list of recommended candidates. Actually, I'd like McGonagall, Flitwick and Bill Weasly removed. My list of top recommendations in order are; George Weasley, Katie Bell, Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan and Ernie Macmillan. They would all meet any financial test."
"Not Hermione?"
"She's still two years from making her own mark on the world."
"I understand."
… - …
That afternoon, Harry was invited to make a presentation to the Hogwarts Board of School Governors. As the prerequisite to serve a four-year term was that the board member would have, or had a child, sibling, or family member at Hogwarts for at least part of the term, some of the names and faces were familiar to Harry.
He began his presentation. "Traditionally, the bottom 25% of any incoming class at Hogwarts is discouraged, or outright blocked from attending – 25 percent."
There was significant grumbling and evidence of outright disbelief in his statement until Augusta Longbottom and Greta Macmillan both stated, "I've witnessed it with my own eyes."
Harry continued, "The Low Mage students deserve the opportunity to enroll at Hogwarts, attend classes, then test for and earn their OWLS or NEWTs like any students of any ability."
"How?"
"I've created a device, called the Power Assist Device, which can aid a witch or wizard in casting their own wanded spells, be they charms or transfigurations."
Newly appointed member, Marcus Flint gave a derisive snort and said, "Those people don't deserve to go to Hogwarts."
Harry had been prepared for that sort of comment and replied, "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I expect that Vince and Greg would have done better in their classes if they'd been using one. Everyone has a starting point with respect to magic. If someone's starting point is lower than most others, they're going to struggle, fall behind, and have a difficult time catching up. Magic is a bit like a muscle; if you exercise regularly, it will grow. This device gives them a boost. If they catch up, that's fantastic, If not, I have adult models of my device available.
"In my own case, I was shorter and skinnier than anyone else in my class. Fortunately I caught up. If your magic starts shorter and skinnier, someone weeds you out and you don't even receive a chance to succeed, or you fall behind, then a lot of kids give up, get booted, or their parents keep them home. They've had no way of catching up – until now."
In reality, it sounded as if Harry had been describing Marcus' younger sister. Flint asked, "Where can kids get these? How much are they?"
"I have a shop, two doors down from the Three Broomsticks. It's open the Saturdays of the full and new moons from 9 – 3. Kendra is welcome to stop in sometime if she wishes."
Mrs. Greengrass politely asked, "Mr. Potter, how much are these devices?"
Harry replied, "I gift them to students who need them. They will stay charged for a year, then they should come back next summer to get them recharged for the next school year." He took one out of his sleeve pocket and said, "They resemble wands, so the other kids wouldn't have any knowledge of their use, or reason to tease them. Kids can unintentionally be pretty cruel sometimes."
Augusta remarked, "They sound like an excellent device, Mr. Potter. How can we help you with them?"
"Thank you. I just wanted to let the board that they're available. There are almost 600 kids from different countries using them now – some adults too. The first couple that I made them for were adults. After a bit of practice, she took and passed her apparation test. He studied up and finally passed his charms NEWT. The witch or wizard still has to learn the incantations and wand movements; they're the one casting the spell. The device just gives them a little nudge if needed."
Greta Macmillan spoke for the group and said, "Thank you for updating us on these, Mr. Potter. I know someone who is using one. They're wonderful devices. We'll be certain to inform the staff to recommend them to any student who is struggling with one of Mr. Ollivander's wands. They should include that information in the Hogwarts invitation letter on the supplies page, so young children don't get discouraged if their visit to Mr. Ollivander isn't fruitful. Thank you."
He nodded and replied, "Helping people is my pleasure, "Mrs. Macmillan. I would be grateful if the letters included that information. Thank you all for allowing me to come here today."
His visit had been doubly beneficial. Prior to the meeting, he'd brought another box of cobalt rods to the chamber to charge up.
… - ...
A/Ns
A student would never be excluded from attending school simply because they wore eyeglasses, or used a hearing aid.
Harry's crew is quietly accumulating considerable wealth. Time will tell how they begin to use it.
Thank you for reading our stories.
… - …