Ch. 11
After picking up the girls from Gringotts, they went back to the Madhouse for lunch. When they got there, Mione headed off to Charm Ted's phone while Harry went to find his godson. He went into the kitchen and saw the most interesting thing he'd seen in a long time. Dobby was sitting on the island, holding Teddy in his arms and feeding him. As he was feeding Teddy, Dobby was singing in what must have been Elvish. It was a gentle, rhythmic song that would calm anything he could imagine. Harry looked at them and realised that Dobby was bonding with Teddy too. It was very comforting to know that Dobby would bond with the kids in the family. Somehow, with everything Dobby had done for them at Malfoy Manor, it seemed right that Dobby be the elf to do this. After all, Harry couldn't think of a more enthusiastic protector than Dobby.
When Dobby was done and Teddy needed to be burped, Harry said, "I'll do that Dobby." As he came in and lifted his godson to his shoulder, Dobby just smiled happily. "Hey little man. How are you this afternoon?"
Teddy just gave him a loud burp. "You're doing that well eh?" He laughed as Teddy laughed as well.
He sat the little boy in his bouncer as Dobby asked, "Did your day with Master Ted go well, Harry Potter Sir?"
"Yes. Nev and I are going to use some property we own to start an orphanage for all the war orphans out there." He said proudly. He really wanted this to work. If he could help it no wizarding child was going to end up like he did. He understood all too well life was tough when you didn't have a parent's love. However, with good people running the orphanage, no child would have to live like he did. "Do you know if the wizarding world has an equivalent of Department of Child Welfare?"
"I believe so. I cans check on that for you Harry Potter Sir."
"I'd appreciate that Dobby. They may have records of orphaned or abused children that we could help."
"Lunch bes in 10 minutes." Dobby replied as Harry left the room. He went up to the game room where everyone, including Dora and Sirius were.
"Mione, did you magic that phone for Ted?" He asked.
"Yes dear. I got both done." At Harry's confused look, she added "you know, the guy we met yesterday?"
"Oh yeah." He understood.
"Harry, wasn't Dobby feeding Teddy?" Dora asked, smiling at the fact Harry had him in his arms—and he hadn't been home for 15 minutes.
"Yes, but I burped him and he fell asleep on me." Harry grinned lopsidedly at her.
"Harry, I was thinking about the orphanage." Nev began. "And I was thinking, maybe we could divide them by age group and give them their own common room like at Hogwarts? What do you think?"
"That'd be great! With all the room we have we could make sure each kid only has to share a room with one other kid. I want them to have their own space." Harry responded. As they were talking, they were shooting pool.
"Does it seem to you Luna, that they can't talk without playing pool too—at least if we're up here?" Mione asked.
"Yes. But at least they're talking, unlike some boys."
"Harry, do you guys want a computer to organise everything about this project?" Mione asked. The boys looked at each other.
"We'd have to learn how to use it." Neville ventured.
"But we'll have to anyway with these two taking them to Hogwarts this year. They're going to insist on us using it for homework"
"Yeah. I suppose it's better we learn it now." Nev agreed and looked at Mione. "Sure, but I've never even been on a computer before so you'll have to show us how it works."
Dobby popped in then with "Lunch is ready" as he popped out with Teddy and the bouncer he'd been laying in.
"Guess he has Teddy." Sirius laughed as they all headed down.
HP
After lunch, the men went to Wizengamot and the girls went back to Gringotts. When they arrived at the ministry, the men didn't head down to Wizengamot chamber. Instead, they went to level 2.
"Why are we here Pads?" Harry asked.
"Well, the Alliance decided to have a get-together this afternoon with our heirs. We want to introduce you to both the Heads of House for the Alliance along with having you kids get to acquainted." He responded. "Then on Thursday, we are going to go over the Alliance's agreed upon goals with you and seek your consent."
"Okay Sirius. Stop sounding like a stuck-up git and use normal words." Neville reprimanded. "'agreed upon', 'acquainted'. These are not words you usually use. You're scaring me."
Sirius just laughed and put his arm around Nev as he whispered. "I only use big words in dealing with politics. Just get used to it." He then opened the double doors to what looked like a medium-sized ballroom and walked in. Harry and Nev looked at each other.
"We don't leave each other's side, yeah?" Harry muttered to Neville's nod as they walked in, following Sirius slowly.
"Okay boys. I'm just going to introduce you around. Don't be surprised if they want to thank you for getting rid of Voldemort. Be respectful." Sirius said under his breath as he walked up to who Harry recognised was Madam Bones. "Amelia, my dear, I'd like to introduce you to my Heir, Lord Harry Potter and Augusta's Heir Lord Neville Longbottom." Both men nodded to Amelia.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. This is my Heiress Lady Susan Bones." They each nodded to one another.
"It is nice to see you again Lady Bones." Harry said. "I'm glad to see that the only rational person in Wizengamot at my hearing survived this war. And it's good to see you survived too Susan."
Amelia smiled, masking her surprise well. "I didn't think you'd remember me."
"I remember every moment of that day." He laughed.
"Yes. I suppose you would." She smiled.
"How are you today, Susan?" Nev ventured.
"I'm well. Better than living in the Room of Requirement, yeah?" She returned, alluding to the month or so a good majority of the DA spent living there.
"Much better." He smiled. "Not having to worry about Death Eaters, has a way of improving sleep."
And on it went. They were introduced to Lord Richard Macmillan and talked with Ernie, a fellow combatant at the Battle and schoolmate of theirs. They then moved on to Lord Richard Abbott and his Heiress Hannah, a fellow combatant with the DA.
Then they came to Kingsley. They greeted in the formal way, then Kings said. "Come here Harry." As he took the young man in a bear hug. "It's really good to see you both alive and well. I haven't seen you since Remus' funeral and while Sirius here keeps telling me you're okay, you can't trust this old dog as far as you can throw him." Kingsley laughed his deep baritone laugh.
"I know what you mean King. He is a mangy mutt, isn't he?" Harry looked at his godfather.
"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Sirius laughed.
"Neville, it's good to meet you, outside the battlefield." Kingsley said to the young man.
"Thank you, sir."
"None of that sir business. We are all friends here." King turned around and gestured to a boy about nine who was sitting at a table. "Come here Devon." He said encouragingly as the boy came over. "Harry, Neville, Sirius. I'd like you to meet my nephew and heir Devon."
"Hello Devon." Harry said, getting down to his level. "I'm Harry Potter. How are you today?"
"I'm fine sir." He said shyly as he hid behind his uncle.
"How old are you?" He asked, trying to make the young boy feel at ease.
"Nine sir."
"So two more years until Hogwarts. You're going to love it there. Nev and I met there and we're best friends. We roomed together for 6 years." He smiled conspiratorially. "One thing I learned there—Neville snores." Devon laughed and came out from behind King.
"Not as badly as our other roommate, Ron." Nev protested as he squatted down. "He sounds like a bloody train—every night!"
"Do you like flying Devon?" Harry asked. Devon nodded enthusiastically. "Well I do too. Maybe we can go flying together sometime."
"That'd be so cool." Devon replied as he finally came out of his shell. They spent the next two hours just talking to people. Honestly, it was a little draining for both Harry and Nev but they survived.
What made it worth it, however, was toward the end Devon asked to talk to the young men again, adoration clear in his eyes. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom. Thanks for not talking to me like a dumb kid. Most of these people do that. That's why I was sitting by myself earlier."
"Why would we talk to you like that when you clearly aren't?" Nev asked.
"Don't know but everyone does and I get bored at these things." He sighed.
"Well, next time hang with us." Harry invited with a smile.
"Dev, I need to talk to these two for a moment, yeah?" King said as Devon walked off. "Thanks for that both of you. I hate dragging Dev to these things but he has to be exposed to it early or he'll never learn. Thanks for making him feel welcome." He finished.
"Don't worry King. We'll look out for him." Nev replied. Soon after, the trio apparated home.
HP
"You know, Nev, we might talk to King about war orphans. He might know how to reach out to them now that he's minister." Harry proposed as they went to the game room where Dora and Teddy were laying on a divan asleep. Mione was working on their business plan while Luna was working on another computer.
Harry sat down next to Mione as his phone went off. "Hello." He said into the mobile.
"Hi Harry. It's Ted. I arranged for voice activated portkeys. One to each orphanage. I told them you'd be at St. Mary's at nine and Hufflepuff House around one to half one in the afternoon. Do you want to pick the portkeys up tomorrow?"
"Sure. Thanks so much Ted. Who do we ask for at each place?"
"Jane Guthry at St. Mary's and Venus McGonagall at Hufflepuff House."
"Okay see you tomorrow around 8.45. Thanks again Ted."
"No problem Harry." He replied as they hung up.
"Well, are we going tomorrow?" Nev asked anxiously. He was as excited as Harry to start this project.
"Yeah. Gringotts at 8.45. The morning is in Wales. The afternoon in Scotland." He grinned. "I love magic." He laughed.
"So do you want to learn how to use the computer now?" Luna asked. During all this time Mione's head was bent to the computer in her lap and she was typing away.
"Just a minute. Luna." Harry said as he sat next to Mione. "Mione, are you okay?" he asked as she jumped.
"You scared me Harry. When did you get home?" She kissed him on the cheek absentmindedly.
"A little while ago. I even talked to Ted on the phone. Again. Are you okay?"
"Yes. Fine. I'm a little distracted with this business plan. It's hard work coming up with all this information but I'm almost done." She smiled as Harry took her hand.
"Can you finish in 30 minutes?" He asked gently. He knew she was focused and when she was like this, she was more likely to explode if she didn't get done the task she'd assigned herself. He saw it at school all the time so he was asking questions, not demanding.
"Yes. I think so." She responded.
"Good. I'd like to enjoy your company this evening." He smiled as she went back to work and Luna taught them not only how to use the computer but the business software she had installed today.
By the time the young men had gotten the hang of the computer, Mione was finished with her work. It was around that time that Dora and Teddy woke up. After taking care of toiletries, Dora sat down in the game room to feed Teddy.
"So, Luna, how many computers have you charmed today?" she asked, amused by the determination the girl showed. When told about Luna's reputation as dreamy at school, she was confused. The girl she had grown to know was smart, determined, level-headed and incredibly kind.
"Four, but we also have the two left at WWW too." She put the one she'd been working on down. "I think our next step is to work on the telly."
"How many electronics devices are you going to charm?" Dora asked.
"Well, we decided today that the display we would have at WWW would have a mobile, computer, telly, game boy, VCR, stereo, portable CD player, and Walkman." She reeled off. "We also decided that we'd let people bring in their own devices to get them protected. We will set everything up in the store and man it this summer, then we will just keep the display stocked during the school year and the twins will run it. If someone wants their own devices magicked, they'll send it to Hogwarts."
"Why not set up your own store with a team that can do the Rune work?" Dora asked.
"That may end up happening but we don't know how popular this will be so we don't want to start out that way."
"Do you want to go to the Patents Office tomorrow and register the Rune work?"
Luna smiled. She was so glad the whole family seemed to be behind this "Okay. Could I meet you there at say eleven? We need to go over our business plan with your dad in the morning."
Dora laughed. "Sure. I'm sure my dad is enjoying helping you out. I bet he's telling mum all about your company and how revolutionary it is. And I'm sure mum is just sitting there nodding her head. With as many years as my dad has managed other peoples' money, he really enjoys helping people start a new venture—especially if he thinks it's going to work."
The rest of the evening was spent talking about the teens' projects. Sirius was so proud of the boys working together to make sure no one was left behind from this war. The amount of effort they were putting into this project was mind- blowing to him. At 17, he was still trying to get laid as much as possible, not trying to better the world. Thinking about it, the same was true of the girls. While it might have started out as a project for school, the fact that they were willing to share their results was amazing. Their innovations could see the entire wizarding world change.
If their proposal to the Board works for Hogwarts, these four kids will be forcing change on the wizarding world—that it needs badly. Having a more responsive educational institution, taking care of wizarding and muggle orphans from the war and more advanced technology could only lead to a brighter wizarding Britain, in Sirius' opinion. Merlin, I'm sounding like a politician already, he thought.
Wednesday 17 June 1998
The next morning at breakfast Harry asked Dora, "So when are you going back to the ministry?"
"I'm not sure. As much as I love being an Auror, I am Teddy's only parent now. I'm thinking I may have to take a safer job at the ministry or somewhere else." Dora sighed.
"Could you spend the time helping Mione and Luna do the Rune etching and so forth on the electronics, while you decide?" Nev asked.
"If they want." She replied after swallowing pumpkin juice.
"Sure. That'd be wonderful. Wouldn't it Mione? Then we could concentrate on the business for a while." Luna jumped at the chance. While figuring all this out was extremely fun for Luna, the drudgery of putting Runes on everything was boring.
Hermione perked up at that. "Would you Dora?" she pleaded, giving the puppy-eyes that always worked on Harry. "Please?"
"Of course, but you'll have to teach me." She laughed at Hermione's pleading.
"When we get back from the Patent Office, I'll do that." Luna replied as everyone finished breakfast.
"Okay." Sirius sighed as he got up. "I'm off to fight over who gets put in as replacement members." Everyone laughed as he apparated away.
"And we're off to Gringotts." Harry added as all four apparated to their appointments.
Each pair came into Ted's office that morning for different reasons. The boys picked up the portkeys, kissed the girls goodbye and left for Wales. The girls sat down with Ted to go over their business plan. They had printed him a copy at home.
"I see here, you've named your company Magically Innovative Technology or M.I.T. You know that's a uni in the States, right?" He asked.
"That was our plan." Hermione smiled. "Many muggleborns will have heard of MIT and know that they're known for their innovations, so will know what to expect from us."
HP
The boys portkeyed into the entrance hall of a building that looked a lot like a nursing home Harry used to visit with the Dursleys, at first glance.
"Hello, you must be Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom?" a woman said from behind them. They turned around to see a woman about Madam Pomphrey's age.
"Yes we are." Neville held out his hand.
"Well it's good to meet you. Why don't we take a tour of the place first? By the way, I'm Jane Guthry." She said as she showed them the nursery for the infants, the toddlers wing, the school-age kids wing, the cafeteria, the schoolhouse, and the hospital wing.
In the schoolhouse, which only had 3 rooms, they saw mainly classes you'd find in a muggle primary. However, they did see several students practicing meditation. "One thing we've learned is the younger you have the students learn to meditate, the fewer bouts of accidental magic you encounter."
"That would've helped me then." Harry chuckled.
"Lots of accidental magic as a child, yeah?" Nev asked.
"Loads. I once apparated onto the roof of the school to get away from bullies." He smiled.
"As you saw in their living quarters, each child shares a room with 4 others and are grouped by age and sex." She continued. "After school, students spend the next three hours on homework, we eat at six o'clock and lights out is at ten."
"Do you have humans in charge of each of these wings? Or are they monitored by house elves?" Nev asked.
"Yes we have one or two in each wing but we rely on the house elves for a lot of the monitoring. We just can't afford the help."
They eventually went outside where there was a small Quidditch pitch, a playground each for older and younger kids. Both boys noticed how old and broken down this place was. It was decorated similarly to a muggle hospital. In other words, not very warm. They could see the adults working there seemed worn and tired. Of course, it didn't seem to Harry that there were enough adults on the premises.
They ended up in Ms. Guthry's office, where they talked about what she would like to see changed and what she liked about this orphanage. It really boiled down to more money to find more qualified help.
Both Neville and Harry were taking notes of everything they saw. "Ms. Guthry, is it possible to see your budget so we know how much we should plan for things?" Harry asked.
"Of course. Let me make you a copy. And if you have more questions, feel free to contact me anytime." She replied handing it over as they left. They portkeyed back to Gringotts and apparated home.
HP
When they got home, the boys looked at each other and said simultaneously. "I want to see Teddy." They went to the kitchen, drawing room, game room and sitting room but found Teddy and Dora out on the grass playing 'catch the nose' as Dora changed her nose and Teddy tried to grab it.
"Hey Dora, has he caught your nose yet?" Harry asked as they sat down in the grass with her.
"No but he's getting there. Usually, he ends up with my cheek or hair." She laughed as her boy waved to his godfather as Harry picked him up.
Harry just sat there staring at his little man when he whispered. "You'll never have to go to a place like that little man." Then he looked at Dora. "Who's on the list to care for Teddy if you die?"
"That bad huh?" She asked
"Worse." Nev said.
"Well, you're next, then my parents, then Sirius."
"Could you add a few more? Maybe Neville, Luna and Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Maybe pick someone outside our circle like Ginny?" Nev suggested.
"Why so many?" Dora asked.
"Because if you, Sirius, your parents and I die, I'd like to know Teddy won't go to one of those places."
"You're really worried?"
"Yes Dora. That place was so impersonal it was amazing the kids were stimulated at all."
"Okay. I'll talk to Dad's lawyer who drew up our will and add the names."
The girls and Sirius came home a few minutes later and they went in to lunch. Harry had given Teddy up to Nev, who didn't look like he was going to give him to Dora to feed until Dora promised to give him back.
"Merlin that place must have been awful." She shook her head. Nev had never been very possessive of Teddy except today.
"So what are you doing this afternoon, Mione?" Sirius asked his niece as they walked outside.
"I'm going to work on the improvements to the business plan we worked on with Ted while Luna and Dora go to the Patent Office. Then we'll teach Dora how to magic the equipment."
"What'd Ted think of your business plan?" Nev asked.
"He liked it and says we should be able to give it to the twins tomorrow or Friday."
"Apparently, he was really impressed with our thoroughness and said it just needs a few tweaks." Luna smiled.
"I can see that. You're two of the smartest people at Hogwarts now." Harry grinned at Neville and stage whispered. "How'd we get so lucky?"
Everyone laughed as Hermione huffed. "Oh you."
HP
At 1.15, after Dora and Luna left, the boys portkeyed to Hufflepuff House. Their entrance hall looked more like a large palace entrance hall. It had marble flooring and huge oak doors that must open to the outside. There was a cloak room off to the side and a bench with a place to put your shoes.
"You must be Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom." A woman said from behind them. They turned around to see a woman that very much resembled a younger Professor McGonagall but with red hair and a smile. "I'm Venus McGonagall and I've heard so much about you two from my aunt, I feel like I know you already."
"You're Minerva's niece?" Harry finally got out. "She has family?"
"Yes." Venus laughed. "I've been her niece all my life."
"Bloody hell. She's human?" Nev babbled.
"Yes. Contrary to popular belief, she is not a lion masquerading as a human." Venus couldn't help laughing at the fact that these young men couldn't think past the Professor image her Aunt liked so much. "And believe me, you are her absolute favorite students. She regales us with stories of your 'adventures' Mr. Potter every summer and Christmas." She paused, looked at the young men and became more serious. "Why don't we start the tour?" the boys nodded. "Originally, this was a manor house. We've remodeled and expanded it to have a dining room and kitchen on the east side of the basement and ground floor. The meals are served like Hogwarts only the children eat at tables by age." They walked into a large room with loads of tables, all different sizes. "We generally have 4-6 adults eating with every age group. The toddlers and preschoolers eat at 11.30, the school age eat at 12. We have a schoolhouse out back I'll show you soon." She went to the east side of the mansion where there was a game room, library and some offices for staff. "The first floor is for newborns through toddlers. We try to stay at 2 youngsters for each bedroom. Here is a toddler's room." They went in to see it decorated with a Quidditch theme. It was a decent size room for two toddlers. "This is a boy's room as you can tell by the décor." She laughed as they headed up a flight of stairs. "This is the preschool age." They looked at a nice princess room. They went up again. "This is a school age room." Harry noticed the inclusion of desks and bunkbeds now. "And up on this fourth floor we have the fewest number of rooms because most of these are for children that go to Hogwarts and are only here part of the year." They moved to the fifth floor. "Since a few of our staff decide to live here, this is their floor. Each child's room has a monitoring charm on it so it will awake the appropriate person. For instance, if a school age child is out of bed, it chimes in Ms. O'Clare's room and she gets up to deal with it." She said as they came back down. On the first floor, she pointed to a room. "That room is staffed by a different member each night to take care of the infant's needs."
They headed to the back of the house and walked out to a schoolhouse. "I notice there are a lot of adults on the grounds here. What's the ratio of child to adult?" Harry asked
"Thirty to one." She said as they walked through what looked like an actual primary school, not the schoolhouse at St. Mary's.
There was lots of room for kids to play and climb trees and yet they also had play equipment for different ages. "Let's go back to my office and talk specifics, shall we?" She asked, her green eyes twinkling.
When they got back, Harry asked "Could you give us a moment? We'll be in shortly"
"Of course. Use this office." She led them to an empty office and left.
"Do you like this model Nev?"
"Loads better than the one this morning." He nodded.
"I'm thinking we should model ours after this and hire Venus away." Harry suggested. Nev's eyes got brighter and he nodded.
"I like that idea. I wonder if she'll want to start over at a new place though?"
"Let's ask."
"Okay." They walked out and knocked on her office.
"Come in." She called.
They sat down in front of the desk. "So what do you think of Hufflepuff House?"
"This is very similar to what we were thinking of building. Only we're going to put a dairy farm and a few greenhouses on our land for the older kids to help with." Harry replied as he took a deep breath. "We were wondering if you would like to help us build it, staff it and manage it with us."
"We like what you've done here and want to emulate parts of it." Nev continued. "We were thinking of using Hogwarts as a model where we'd have separate facilities per age group with their own common room."
"So you would have a tower for each age group with their own common rooms. What would be in the newborn common room?" she inquired, testing them. She wondered how realistic they'd be or if this was a pie in the sky adventure.
"Well, it'd have a few changing stations, bouncers, playpens, a few toyboxes. There would be at least two regular bedrooms for staff at night to share the sleeping duties."
"Do either of you have experience with newborns?" she asked.
"I live with my girlfriend, Godfather, my uncle's widow and their son, my godson, who was born two weeks before the battle of Hogwarts; where my uncle died. So I do at least one feeding a night sometimes two. I know all about babies. That's why two staff should be here every night—so no one dies from lack of sleep." Harry laughed. "Oh and Neville here spends a lot of nights at my place, so he knows too."
"How active will you be in the day-to-day running of the place?" she questioned.
"After the initial set up, we'd need someone experienced to take over because we'll be at school." Neville answered. "That's why we want you. You seem to know your stuff and we want your expertise in what works and what doesn't."
"How much say would I get in the initial hiring for my deputy and other staff?"
"Initially we'll do it together and major changes in future will be made by all three. I see our role being less hands on with time." Harry responded.
"Okay. Can you give me until Friday morning? I'm inclined to agree—I've always wanted to start from scratch and build a place the way I envision it." She sighed. "Come here Friday morning and we can talk more then." She said as she walked them out. They said goodbye and portkeyed away.
HP
When they got home, Harry realised it was already six o'clock. They'd spent nearly five hours there. "I didn't realise we'd spent so much time there." He said to Nev as they made their way to the game room.
"Yeah, but it was an amazing place. That dining hall was brilliant. It was bright and fun, though you're going to want to decorate with snitches, yeah?" Nev laughed. They arrived at the seating area to see Dora, Mione, and Luna sitting there applying Runes to computers, phones and one small tv.
"It looks like an electronics store in here." Harry laughed as he picked his godson up from the bouncer, kissed him and put him back.
"Well, we went out and bought more." Mione smiled up at her love. "I think we have all the Runes figured out for most everything. The only issue we're still working on is how to get the programming for the telly and the internet for the computers." She sighed as she put down the phone she was working on. She got up and gave him a kiss as he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. "So how was Hufflepuff House?"
"Well, we met McGonagall's niece." He laughed at the gobsmacked looks on their faces. "Yep. They even look alike except for the red hair. Venus is actually very organised and knows her stuff."
"We even offered her a job as Head of the orphanage." Nev smiled. "Apparently, she's heard about all your 'adventures' as McGonagall calls them from her aunt at family get-togethers."
"Their school actually looks like a primary school, not an old-fashioned schoolhouse." Harry observed.
"Sounds like you might have some actual help with this project." Hermione noted. Teddy started waiving his arms and legs and wiggling in the bouncer. Hermione got off Harry and rolled her eyes at Luna as Harry bounced up and scooped Teddy into his arms. "He really can't leave Teddy be, can he?" She smiled indulgently at the pair.
"Nope." Luna finally peeked out of the back of the telly. "I think this one is done. I also think we nailed down the Runes to get the programming. We'll have to take them to WWW tomorrow and see."
"Good!" Hermione exclaimed. "If it works then we can adapt those charms and Runes for the Internet. That'd be great."
They spent the rest of the evening just enjoying each other's company. After having dinner with the Grangers, they sat down and watched Terminator. The purebloods were really nervous that muggles might make machines that think for themselves. Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma had to ease their fears. Needless to say, it took a while to do.
Thursday 18 June 1998
The next thing Harry knew, he was hearing Teddy cry. In his groggy state, he felt Mione laying on him. He kissed her gently as he extracted himself from underneath her, luckily without waking her.
He put on boxers and went to get his godson. "Hello kiddo. How're you today? I'm great. Your Aunt Mione is an amazing person, you know that?" He asked the boy as he changed him in Sirius' room.
When they walked into Harry's room, they sat in the rocker "Thanks Dobby." Harry said to the air as the bottle appeared on the arm of the rocker. "I don't know what we'd do without that little guy. He's absolutely amazing and he takes such good care of us all. You know, your Auntie wanted to free all the house elves at Hogwarts for a long time. She knitted hats and laid them out for the elves to find. She's just an amazing woman, always thinking about how to make the world better. You and I are so lucky we get to know her. And she loves you almost as much as I do little man." He said as he burped the baby. "Boy I'm going to miss our talks when I go back to Hogwarts, little one." He sighed. Harry looked at his watch. "We should have plenty of time to make breakfast for everyone if we hurry." He told the boy as they went downstairs.
Hermione opened her eyes as he left the room with Teddy. She had woken up as Harry had started feeding. As she got ready for the day, she marveled at the man Harry was becoming. It amazed her how much more open he was when talking to Teddy. She wondered if it was because he couldn't talk back, so he was safe.
Harry didn't talk about his feelings, Hermione knew and respected this. It was hard for him to admit that he cared about someone because he could then be hurt. She knew that with her, he felt he could be more open but he still had a tendency to close off at times—unless they were making love, then his feelings were written in his eyes and on his face. The one person he was completely honest with was Teddy.
In all the years she'd known him, he had always been this reserved, brooding, closed off person. However, since the war ended, he'd been much more open and willing to express his wants and needs. He was more open to bringing new people like Neville and Luna into his life. She really liked this version of Harry.
As she walked out of their bedroom, she walked right into Luna. "Sorry." She muttered as they and Nev went down the stairs.
As they ate, they talked about their plans for the day.
"We're going back to Gringotts to do the final draft for the business plan so we can give it to the twins tomorrow and we can discuss it Sunday." Mione offered.
"We're going to talk to King about who to talk to about war orphans this morning." Harry continued.
"This afternoon, you two need to be at the ministry. We are going to go over the Alliances goals today." Sirius said to the boys. "Wear your formal robes please. I think we are going to have an Alliance dinner every third Saturday of the month to update you on what is going on in sessions. The first one might be this Saturday but I'm unsure."
"Makes sense." Nev replied.
"We are going out shopping with a friend this morning." Dora announced to her boy. "We'll be back for lunch."
HP
After they apparated to the ministry, Nev and Harry went to Kingsley's office. "We were wondering if we could have a few minutes of the Minister's time this morning?" Nev asked his receptionist.
"What is it you need of him?" The older woman asked.
"We would like to talk to him about starting an orphanage for all the war orphans." He smiled.
She got up and disappeared into Kingsley's office, coming back a few minutes later. "You may go in." she smiled, as she pointed through the open door they walked through.
"Hello boys, sit down." King smiled jovially at them. "What can I do for you?"
As they sat, Harry started. "Well King, we've been working with Dora's dad learning about our family investments this summer. Our next project is to find a way to rehabilitate or repurpose a property we own. We found that our dads bought adjoining properties of 100 acres each." He sighed. "So we decided to start an orphanage for war orphans. We think we already have the Head of the organization—Professor McGonagall's niece Venus- but we don't know if you guys keep lists of orphans or who to talk to."
"So, you met Venus." King laughed. "I remember the first time I met her I was at Hogwarts and she was visiting—scary how much those two look alike!"
"But with red hair." Nev contributed.
"Yes. She a good lady but doesn't have to put on the strict face Minerva does." King sighed. "I know that we have many orphans now. I know our Child Welfare Service has a few homes they run but that they are so overcrowded because regular families won't take non-family members into their homes. I also know they'd like to close them down if possible, so anything you could do to help that would be good." He paused, reviewing his schedule in his head. "Let me look into a few things and I'll bring those names to you this afternoon." He got up and the young men followed.
"Thank you, Kingsley." Nev shook his hand.
"You're welcome" He smiled as they left.
"That was easy." Nev commented as they left.
"Almost too easy." Harry agreed. "Want to take a walk down the Alley?"
"Sure. We've got plenty of time." Nev approved. "Maybe stop at Fortescue's?"
"Yeah. But I really think we ought to talk to the twins about what the girls are planning. I really want this to go well for them." Harry enthused.
"Why? What is so important about this venture?"
"Well, I want Mione to see that her hard work can bring in something besides good grades. I also want her to have something that is truly hers." He explained as they got to the apparition point and apparated to the Alley. They apparated to right next to the entrance to the Leaky, so they weren't too far from WWW. "Nev, you and I've got so much bloody money, I'm a little worried that Mione will be uncomfortable marrying me if she has nothing of her own."
Nev just looked at him for a minute. "You know, I never thought of that. We're with some very independent women; they're going to want their own life even after we get married and this is a good way to give it to them." He laughed as they walked into WWW. "It seems obvious now that you say it."
They found George (Harry thought) behind the counter. "So George, I see that you guys are open now. What's up?" Harry asked.
"We opened fully this week so it's still a little slow right now."
"I see you have a fairly empty area near the front." Nev commented.
"Yeah. We want to fill that area with something. We just haven't decided what yet."
"Well, the girls have been working really hard on this business plan this week and are going to give it to you tomorrow. I really hope you guys can make it work. It's really important to them." Harry replied.
"We'll see." George returned with a mischievous grin as they said goodbye and parted.