Ch. 12
Thursday 18 June 1998
That afternoon, after a relaxing lunch with his godson, Harry, Nev and Sirius headed back to the same room they had been in on Tuesday. This time, however, there were no tables, there was just a circle of chairs in the middle of the room.
"Boys, since we are the senior members of the Alliance, we will be meeting people at the door. Your Gran should be here any minute, Nev, then we can get started." Sirius began. "After everyone is seated, we will go over our aims as an Alliance and lay out when we'll need you in Wizengamot sessions. We will also go over our monthly meetings and what they'll be about. The adults in the Alliance have been a little nervous letting you Heirs in because they see you as too young. Thankfully, we've come to some decisions regarding that."
Gran came in and instead of being formal, Harry took her in a hug. He could feel she was a little stiff for a moment and then relaxed. "Thank you, Harry." She smiled as she stood back and arranged all four of them in a line at the door.
Everyone soon arrived and sat in their seats. Each heir was sitting next to their Lord or Lady except Devon who was trying to sit between Harry and Nev. Harry laughed at that, picked up the boy and sat him on his lap.
It started with Sirius going over goals. He handed out a computer printed sheet with a list of goals on it. "Everyone." Sirius said as people quieted down. "I hear a lot of you asking what this parchment is. Well, my godson's and Neville Longbottom's girlfriends have come up with a way to shield electronics so they can be used with magic. This is a printout of what our goals are. I used a computer up in my office here in the ministry and typed this document up and printed it out. If anyone wants to see the computer, come by my office and I'll show you how it works." He laughed at the gobsmacked look on most the adult's faces. "The first goal is to get more people of different backgrounds on Wizengamot. I believe we're all on board with that." He looked around and got several nods. "The next one is a more merit-based approach to hiring in all areas of magical Britain. Third, we are going to repeal ALL of the restrictions on Creature Laws. Fourth, we are going to make a place for other magic users to have a say on Wizengamot. And lastly, we want encourage cooperation between the Department of Education and Hogwarts staff."
"Are we really sure we want to take on the Creatures Laws that have been on the books for centuries when people like Greyback are still running loose?" Ian Macmillan asked.
There was an uproar from both sides as they talked over one another to make their point. Sirius stood up and stared at every person until they shut down. When he had everyone's attention, he stated "Greyback is an outlaw by any standard, civilized or feral and should be put down in the harshest terms possible but to punish those inflicted with lycanthropy because they might become like Greyback is an insult to any were that wants a normal life—and most want a normal life."
"We're not going to solve this debate today." Augusta said loudly. "We need to make our pitch to Wizengamot tomorrow for replacement members." As she said this Sirius was handing around papers with the Alliance's agreed upon replacements. "Currently, there are fourteen votes on Wizengamot, the rest have been disqualified. We are 7 of those. We need at least one more to make this work Has anyone had any luck talking to the Greengrasses or Shaqifs?"
"Yes and I'm positive we have the Greengrasses and I'm almost sure the Fawley's are with us." Lord Abbott volunteered
"Do they know that we are trying to separate Malfoys vote into the original three families so the Malfoys, or whoever we nominate to replace them, have 2 votes, the Prewitts have 2 and the Weasleys have two?"
"Yes. That is why Lord Greengrass is voting with us. He doesn't want one family to have so many votes again." was the reply.
"The second goal I see us getting a handle on this summer is the merit-based pay." Lady Bones brought up. "We'll get lots of help there from the Department Heads, we've all wanted that for decades but this body wouldn't deal with it."
"I would suggest we leave the other goals until we've accomplished these. I'm sure we will add and subtract them with time." Sirius prodded. "I would like to invite everyone to my home, The Madhouse, for an early dinner and get together on Saturday. Bring your wives, heirs and their' girl/boyfriends are welcome as well. We can talk more about this then."
"I'll second that." Lord Abbott answered as everybody gathered up their things and left. The older crowd left to attend Wizengamot session already in progress.
Harry and Nev left, along with all of the younger generation, for home. When they got there, they could hear the stereo coming from the game room upstairs.
"Wow that's loud!" Nev looked surprised as he headed up.
"Yeah. I hope Teddy's already awake because that will certainly do the trick." Harry laughed. They arrived to see Mione bent over a computer typing away. There were CD players, VCR's and tellies stacked in a small pile as everything was shrunk, however Dora and Luna had CD players in their hands and were working diligently while Teddy slept in his bouncer.
"Wake Teddy and you die." Dora whispered angrily. "He just finally went down."
"How is he asleep through the music?" Harry asked.
"He can sleep through music." Dora whispered with a shrug. "Anything else and he wakes up."
The men decided a game of pool was a bad idea, it might wake the infant, but a game of darts was fine; so they headed to the board. "So, do you think we'll get all our replacements on Wizengamot?" Harry inquired
"I think we'll get a lot of them, perhaps not all, but enough."
"Who do you think we won't get?"
"The Creeveys. They're muggleborn. I don't think they're ready for a muggleborn."
"Do you think we'll get Hermione?"
"I think so. Our side will be the majority and I know Daphne and Hermione get along and I think that'll influence her father. One thing you have to remember Harry is that besides Black, Potter, Longbottom and Bones, this is a very tentative Alliance right now. It hasn't been tested and, if there's one thing Gran's always told me, it's that Alliances shift in the wind—friendships don't. That's why Sirius and her are harping on us getting to know the other heirs, so we can gain their friendships and thus their Alliance."
"And you should listen to your Gran and me about these things." Sirius said as he came into the room.
"Why are you home?" Harry worried as he walked up to his Godfather and hugged him.
"Oh, I need some stuff from the study. Thought I'd say hi, seeing as I'm here." He looked down at Teddy as he was just opening his eyes. "Your son's about to wake Dora." He commented as he looked at his godson. "Nev's right kiddo—about the Alliance and friendship."
"I know. It's just most of these people think of me as the-boy-who-lived or the-man-who-vanquished, where the bloody hell did that name come from by the way? I want to be known as Harry Potter period."
"That's why the other Alliance members want us to have these dinners, so you guys can get to know each other that way." Sirius confirmed. "Anyway, I better go. I'll see you tonight." And he left.
"You want to go down to the study and write out our ideas for the orphanage Nev?" Harry sighed, putting down his darts.
"Sure." Nev did the same as they walked downstairs to the study. In the past few weeks, Sirius used an enlargement charm to be able to fit another desk inside. Now, instead of the two desks side by side, they had that plus another in place to make it a sideways T; two next to each other and one facing both of them. This new desk was Neville's, the one right next to it was Harry's and the one to the left side of the room as you come in was Sirius'. Both Nev and Harry had computers on their desks.
"So, what do we want this orphanage to be?" Harry asked
"Well, I want it decorated more like here than Longbottom Estates. Yes, the offices should be somewhat formal but this should be a home foremost." Nev threw out.
"Do we want to use the castle theme? I mean, it's a good way to get them used to a place like Hogwarts before they go and, I really like the castle theme."
"Yeah but will it cost more to build it that way?"
"I think the cost will be worth it. I want the kids to feel like this is their home, not someplace to sleep." Harry said bitterly. Nev looked at the hard expression on his Godbrother's face and figured now was not the time to ask. However, Nev thought Harry clearly needed to talk about something. "I was thinking of having a large main structure that would incorporate the dining hall, offices, classrooms and staff bedrooms. Then the four turrets would be nursery and toddlers, preschool age, school age kids, and Hogwarts age."
"And we want to set aside space for staff to sleep in the towers with full time attendees. Should we offer room and board to our staff?"
"I think we should to our teaching staff. Maybe if someone teaches English they get a certain amount but if they want to live there they get some extra because they will have responsibility for one of the towers. Sort of like McGonagall. She lives on site and is Head of Gryffindor so she's responsible for Gryffindors' behaviour. Only they have a flat at the top of each tower."
"Yeah, we could make those really, really nice flats and if more than four teachers want to live on site, they can have a smaller flat attached to their classrooms." They sat there writing down ideas that they wanted to incorporate into their orphanage until Sirius came home at 6.30.
"Hey boys." Sirius said as he came into the study. "Have you been down here since I've been gone?"
Harry looked up distractedly from his computer. "Yeah. We've been going through our plans for the orphanage. We have—" he paused as he checked his computer "five pages of notes so far. Why?" He stretched.
"Okay. You've done enough for the day." Sirius was astounded that they had been working so hard. They were taking this assignment so much more seriously than he did at 15. But it might have something to do with the fact that it seems as though this generation is much more serious than his was. Maybe it has to do with the boys wanting to finish this war for good this time. He just shook his dark hair and said. "Let's go upstairs and see everyone. You boys are making me look bad by working so hard." Nev and Harry just laughed as they printed their notes. What Sirius didn't notice was both men bringing the notes up with them in case they got any more ideas.
When they got to the game room, Teddy was in the bouncer. "How's my little man doing?" Harry asked as he picked his godson up. Teddy promptly cuddled into his goddad and grabbed his shirt. He then began sucking his left hand. "Oh you are such a good little kid." Harry sighed as he sat on the divan. He then noticed that there were a lot more magicked devices in the completed pile. "So you three have been busy, I see." He looked at Hermione and Luna who still had appliances in their hands.
"Yes, but we are done now." Hermione shrunk what they'd been working on and put them away and sat with her boyfriend and the baby.
"So, was that all you did this afternoon?" Nev asked.
"No." Luna replied. "We took a bunch of stuff to WWW to make sure it still works. We just got back about an hour ago and could hear you talking from the entrance hall so we didn't bother you. What have you decided on the orphanage?"
"No. No more talking about work." Sirius interrupted commandingly. "We need to get our heads away from work and on what's really important—family."
"So Dora, will your parents be here Sunday?" Hermione asked.
"I think so. Talked to mum yesterday and she wants a phone too. Says she's getting too old to bend down for floo calls."
Hermione turned around in her seat and grabbed one. She threw it to Dora. "Here. She can have it for free this time." Hermione grinned.
"From what Augusta told me, Minnie wants one each for her teachers. She saw Augusta call Neville from Hogwarts and has been sitting on the fence about it but talked to her today about getting them." Sirius added.
They spent the rest of the evening just chatting. When the Grangers arrived for dinner, Dan reminded Sirius of the football game Saturday afternoon. Luckily, it was early enough that he'd get back for the dinner on time
Friday 19 1998
Friday morning Harry woke up with Teddy like normal. However, when he got downstairs, Nev was already sitting there with coffee in his hands.
"Nervous about what Venus will decide?" Harry laughed, after all he hadn't spent much time asleep last night either.
"Yeah."
HP
The two young men were so nervous for their appointment that they nearly forgot their computers and phones. They apparated to the front entrance where they met Venus last time. She was coming from the back offices as they looked around.
"Hello Harry, Neville." She smiled as she shook their hands and led them to her office. After locking and warding the door, they all sat down.
She sighed. "So, I've been doing some thinking and talking to my aunt." She laughed at the horrified looks on the men's faces. "Actually, she was quite complimentary of both of you, so don't worry." She smiled as they relaxed. "I've come to the decision that after working here for nearly 25 years, it is time for a change."
Both men relaxed infinitesimally at that. "What is your current salary?" Harry asked, remembering Hermione telling him to find out.
"Six thousand galleons a year."
"Well, we agreed yesterday that if you'd take the job it would be at twenty thousand. Is that good enough?" Neville asked.
She was stunned. As far as she knew, she was paid on the higher end for running an orphanage. "H-H-H-How are you going to pay that?"
"Well, we're going to fund all of this for two years through an account we're both putting a million galleons each into. We're going to need you there when we open the account so we can all access it. Hopefully by then, we'll have government support and the nursery and dairy farm will be helping as well." Because she looked like she was going to pass out, Harry stopped. "Are you okay Venus?"
"You do know that I am one of the most well-paid administrators of an orphanage in Britain, yeah?"
"Yeah, but that's not nearly what you're worth." Harry responded.
"All right then. The operating budget for this place is 35000 Galleons a year, so I think we'll be okay on budget." They laughed.
They continued the conversation by going over the notes the two had made in their brainstorming session.
"I like the idea of making it more of a boarding school with staff that truly loves kids. I also really like the ideas about teachers having nicer flats if they're willing to take on extra work. All of this is great but we need to figure out a design to take to the architect."
So they sat there deciding on a building that was a more rectangular version of the Tower of London's White Tower. The face of the keep would be the Kentish ragstone that makes up the Tower. It would also have more widows than the White Tower.
"If we're going to go with medieval-style architecture, we should do it throughout the property. Outhouses should look medieval on the outside but be completely modern on the inside." She suggested.
"Makes sense." Neville said. "I don't know if this will work but I'll run it past you both. What if we were to run electrical wiring through the whole place? Then when Mione and Luna come up with a way to protect whole buildings from electricity fritzing out around magic, we would already be wired for it and could hook it up. What do you think?"
"I think you're thinking waaaaaaay bigger that either one of our girls were initially thinking." Harry just burst out laughing.
When both he and Neville calmed down, Venus asked. "What does electricity have to do with our construction? I didn't think muggle stuff worked in our world."
"Well our brilliant girlfriends figured a way for electronics like phones and computers to work around magic. It's a series of Runes and Charms applied to each device. Do you know WWW in Diagon Alley?" She nodded. "We think you'll be able to get mobile phones, computers and tellies that will work with magic there next week if they come to an agreement with the owners."
"I heard Aunt Minnie talking about the mobiles last week."
"Do you want one?" Nev asked, reaching behind him to his charmed computer bag, which could now fit anything he wanted.
"Of course." She grinned. "Especially if I get it before Auntie." Nev handed her one and they taught her how to work it. After she had called both of them, she said, "So, you could make electric lights work with magic then?"
"Well, we'll have to see what the girls can do." Harry replied as they got up to leave. "We'll see you Tuesday at Gringotts in Ted Tonks office at nine, then." He commented as they apparated home for lunch.
Everyone was headed to the kitchen to eat when they apparated in.
"Good to see you pup." Sirius greeted. "You know you have to be in Wizengamot at half one yeah?"
"Yeah. We got caught up talking to the new Head of LAR." Harry grinned as the girls squealed and hugged them.
"That's great." Dora enthused as she handed Teddy to Harry.
HP
The three men headed to Wizengamot at 1.15 to make sure they were there on time. They walked to the chambers without speaking much. When they got there the hall was filled with people standing around talking. They found Gran and a bunch of the Alliance members in one corner. Everyone looked deadly serious.
"Well, now that I'm here, it's time to get serious" Sirius said jovially. Several members looked at him like he was crazy, others laughed at the play on his name.
"For Merlin's sake, stop acting the fool." Augusta hissed.
"He can't. He's never learned how." Amelia grinned ruefully, having experienced his brand of humour at Hogwarts.
"Ah, you know me so well." Sirius laid his arm on Amelia's shoulder.
"Which means I'm immune to you Black." She gave him a stare and he removed his arm.
"Lady Bones, you have to teach me that stare. I can't find anything that will get my godfather to act like a human. Yet that worked." Harry grinned.
"Don't worry. I'll teach you Saturday." She smiled serenely as Sirius pouted.
The gavel was struck and everyone took their seats and began with all the bureaucratic red tape. Eventually, they started proposing replacements. "Who is the first nomination to take Avery's seat?" The Chief Witch Marchbanks asked.
"I nominate Professor Minerva McGonagall. She is a half-blood who has been a staple of our community as the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. She has proven herself an advocate for children for many decades now." Sirius espoused.
"I second that motion" Lord Greengrass said.
"Are there any other nominations?" Marchbanks asked. "None, then raise your wand lit for yes, unlit for no." Harry looked around, relieved that they got McGonagall on.
"I would like to restore the Blishwick's, Doge's, and Ogden's seats." Gran stood up. "I would also like to split the Malfoy vote into its original two for Malfoy, two for Prewitt and two for Weasley. This way no one has more than two votes"
There was lots of back and forth bickering. Harry noticed that the ones against it were the purebloods that may not have been death eaters but were still on that side of the aisle. Eventually, it came to a vote. By a slight majority, these families were restored and voted in.
Nominations for Burke please." Marchbanks asked.
"Boot." Lord Greengrass offered.
"Seconded." Said King.
"Davies" said Bulstrode.
"Seconded" said Flint.
"Same procedure as before. Lit means yes. Unlit means no. We'll call Boot first" Not nearly enough went up. "Davies." She called. He passed. "Replacing Carrow."
"Wood." Lord Abbott nominated.
"Seconded" Lord Macmillan claimed.
And so it went. Everyone the Longbottom-Potter-Black Alliance wanted got on except for Creevey, Finch-Fletchy and Boot. Those seats were taken by other either neutral or non-Voldemort supporters. To Harry this was a good day. Wizengamot now had McGonagall, Blishwick, Doge, Ogden, Weasley, Prewitt, Lupin, Corner, Granger, Flitwick, Brown, Lovegood, Bell, Dumbledore-Abe, and Wood.
After the marathon of voting, Augusta and Neville came back to the Madhouse for dinner.
"Merlin, that was hard to keep up with." Nev commented at dinner.
"Yes. Sometimes sessions go like that." Gran replied. "Other times they are so boring you want to fall asleep."
"So, sort of like Binns' class, yeah?" Harry grinned. Augusta just smiled and nodded.
"Did you get everyone you wanted on Wizengamot?" Hermione asked.
"Not Colin or Terry Boot. We finally have two first-generation families though and a few half-bloods too." Augusta answered.
"Which two?" Luna asked.
"Granger and Finch-Fletchy." Harry smiled at his girlfriend.
"Does this mean I have to go to all the sessions?" she asked warily.
"No. Not if you want to appoint a Proxy." Sirius smiled.
"Can you do it Sirius?"
"Sure. I'll bring the paperwork home Monday."
"Do you know who's going to sit in the Weasley or Prewitt spots yet?" Nev asked.
"Arthur is going to sit in the Weasley seat and train Bill to take over. And because Molly is the last Prewitt, that seat will be held in proxy by Arthur until one of the other boys wants it. I think it will be Percy."
"It will probably be Percy." Harry contributed as he finished eating and picked up Ted. "Hi little man, how're you today?" He asked his godson. As a reward, he got his cheek pinched.
After dinner, Augusta left and everyone else went to the game room to relax.
"So, how'd it go with the twins?" Harry asked Hermione and Luna.
"Actually, it went quite well." Luna started. "We had an impromptu meeting this morning where we went over our plan. Then this afternoon we got the go-ahead for our little stand. We just have to do a little more magicking to make sure we have enough stock."
"That's going to be the hard part." Hermione mentioned. "Again, while we were both outside WWW talking to our parents on our mobiles, people came up and asked us about them. We then spent about two hours walking the Alley talking to people about whether they'd use electronic devices in their houses if they could. We got what seemed like a billion yeses and no no's." She shook her head. "Everything feels like it's moving too fast. We've been home for seven weeks now. We've buried our family, gone to Australia to bring family home, fixed the electronics working with magic problem, started a business and are about to start actively running a business. Oh, and we can't forget the proposal we made to Professor McGonagall. Not only all that but you two have been learning about your family fortunes and started your own business. It all feels like it's moving too fast." She sighed as she sat back on the divan.
"Do you feel like you need to slow down?" Harry asked. He was concerned that she sounded a lot like she did before OWLs. She had that worried quality to her voice that he didn't like. It meant she was really close to the edge and possibly screaming at everyone.
"Yes, but I can't" She put down the laptop she was working on and picked up a VCR. Harry looked at Sirius, Dora and Luna and Neville and saw the concern on their faces as well.
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"Because if either one of us slows down we won't have enough stockpile." Hermione retorted frustratedly.
"Where is the one place you like to visit when you get a chance?" Luna asked, completely off topic.
"Huh?" Hermione was confused.
"Where do you like to go to relax?" She rephrased.
"The Tower. Why?" she answered.
"The six of us are going to the Tower of London tomorrow morning." Luna declared. At the uproar of it being the Alliance dinner day, it being too late to plan a trip and other such tripe, Luna stared each person down. It was rather scary for the boys to see this dominant personality coming from quiet little Luna. "That's enough." She yelled in the same tone she used during the Battle. "My sister is so stressed out she is having difficulty calming down. We WILL be taking her to her favorite spot to relax. She needs a break—and quite frankly, so do we. We'll be back by five tomorrow. Dobby will take care of all the plans for dinner. People aren't arriving until six-thirty, therefore we will have plenty of time to get ready."
"Yes Luna." Said Harry, Neville, Sirius and Dora simultaneously.
Hermione burst out crying, went over to Luna and grabbed her in a hug. "Thanks, little sister." She smiled through her tears.
"I'd do anything for family." Luna just shrugged as though it was no big deal. But to Hermione, who had never had a girlfriend care for her, it was a big deal. She knew that Harry and Ron had cared about her since first year, but she'd never had a female friend she was as close to. It was a really good, warm feeling. She hung on to Luna for a few seconds while she got herself under control. When she sat down next to Harry, he put one arm around her and pulled her close.
"I love you Mione."
"I love you too Harry."
Saturday 20 June 1998
They got up Saturday morning and had a very quick breakfast. They then apparated to near the Tower and walked to get tickets to the Beefeater guided tour. They spent all morning hearing about the lives of the prisoners like Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and the Princes in the Tower. It was fascinating for the purebloods to learn so much history. As they walked into the Bloody Tower, they were astonished by the story of the Princes.
After the tour, Hermione was beaming. "This is why I love history. It's the story of our past. It's just too bad Binns won't talk about anything but Goblin Wars because history can be so interesting." Hermione enthused.
Harry nodded as he assimilated all the information he had received on the tour. "Henry VIII was a real bastard, wasn't he?" He asked Mione.
She laughed. "Yes, but he was Queen Elizabeth's dad, so he couldn't be too bad."
"He had her mum killed!" Dora exclaimed. "If that's not torture, I don't know what is."
"The War of the Roses sounds like it'd be interesting to study." Neville suggested.
"I want to know more about the Tower's history." Sirius supplied.
"I'd like to learn more about Henry's wives and why they ended up like they did." Luna added.
Hermione looked at her watch; it was 2 o'clock. "Why don't we eat then find a Waterstone's and we can get books on these things?" she smiled. She was ever so happy they'd enjoyed the trip and were interested in finding out more. Over lunch, she filled them in on some of the highlights of Henry VIII marriages.
"You mean to tell me he married his brother's wife?" Sirius squeaked.
"Yes Sirius. He married his dead brother's wife." Hermione laughed at the look on his face.
"Ewwww."
When they got to Waterstone's, they headed for the British History section and she began recommending books. Sirius noted that all her frustrations that he saw in her face the last couple days were slowly disappearing. He was also enjoying listening to her teach because she was telling stories—not the boring stuff Binns did. "Maybe you should be a History teacher, Mione." Sirius suggested.
"Why?" She looked confused.
"You're good at telling stories so people understand it."
"Come to think of it," Harry said. "Your favorite book is Hogwarts: A History, you'd be good at this."
"Huh. I never thought of that." She went into thinking mode. "I've always thought I'd do something with Creature rights, not teaching. But if I'm on Wizengamot, I can help change laws so the other magic users don't get left out of society while teaching." She paused at the counter to pay for her 20-30 books.
"Ma'am, are you sure you're going to be able to carry all these bags?" the clerk asked.
"That's why there are three men here." Hermione smiled and the clerk laughed as the men started pouting as their stuff was rung up. Outside, she shrunk her purchases and stored them in her bag.
After Waterstone's they apparated home. "That was fun." Harry said as they all walked up to the library and dropped their purchases, knowing Hermione would want to catalogue them and put them in their proper places.
As they walked downstairs, Harry caught up to Luna. "Thanks for thinking of today. She needed that." He grinned. "Actually, I think all of us needed that—even Teddy. Did you notice he stayed awake for most of the tour?"
"Yes. He was fascinated with the guards—what were they called—Beefeaters that's right!"
"He's out like a light now." Dora contributed as she met them to go downstairs. "It's four-thirty, I'm going to have some tea—want to join?"
"Sure." They agreed as they walked to the kitchen where Sirius and Neville were already drinking tea.
"So, I think Mione's back to herself." Sirius commented.
"I think so too." Harry smiled as he drank his tea.
"I think we may need to do that every few weeks just so we don't all get as frustrated as we were." Nev supplied.
"Yeah. I think we all needed the break." Dora spoke up. Once they finished their tea, it was time to get ready for the party.
At half six, Sirius, Neville, Harry, and Augusta were at the sitting room fire waiting for the first arrivals. They moved each guest out to the terrace as more arrived. Everyone was there by 6.45, so they were out on the terrace talking to Hannah Abbott when Sirius cleared his throat.
"Hello everyone. Welcome to the Madhouse. I suppose we should have the meeting before dinner, so take any seat at the tables laid out here and we'll get started." After everyone was seated, he handed out a list of names. "These are the new members to Wizengamot. While we, as an Alliance, have chosen not to engage our Heirs in the day-to-day working of the alliance, we have decided to update you once a month with a dinner like this." He waved his hand around. "We do want your opinion on who to offer Alliance to." He paused. "So, which ones will fit in with our Alliance?"
"Hermione, the Lovegoods and Professor McGonagall." Harry chimed in.
"Weasles" Neville said.
"Wood and Bell." Hannah contributed.
"Lupin." Dora said. "If Teddy's going to be involved, he better ally with his godfather." Everyone laughed, being that the Heir to the Lupin seat was currently in Harry's arms and they were making faces at each other.
"Okay. Should we vote on each name?" Sirius asked.
"Seconded." Came from someone. And the voting began. Everyone got in with a few like Bell only passing with a bare majority.
"So now that official business is over." Sirius said with a mischievous look on his face. "The games begin. Everyone goes around, state your name and what you want to see most change in the government in the next few years." At this there was a communal groan. "I'll start. I'm Sirius Black and I'd like to see less corruption."
They each went around and while the older generation was a little reticent to speak, after all it could be used against you in future, the younger crowd was more into it. Susan Bones said she'd like to see both 'factions' work together for everyone's gain. Hermione said she'd like to see equal representation of all magical species. At this the older generation looked fearful while the younger just laughed-they remembered SPEW. Hannah said she'd like to see changes at Hogwarts. They did everyone—Sirius made sure everyone had their say whether they wanted it or not.
After that exercise, they shared a meal. Devon came over and sat with Harry and Neville. He played with Teddy while he ate. Soon it was time for everyone to leave and Neville, Harry, Sirius and Augusta made a reception line as people left. After the last person was gone everyone went into the drawing room and sat down.
"You all realise it is now 10.30? We have been up since 6 o'clock this morning, been through the Tower of London, been to a bookstore with Hermione and Luna which took forever, and had an informal dinner for Alliance members. All in one day. I think this is the busiest day since the day after the Battle." Sirius claimed.
"I wouldn't be surprised. Look at Teddy. He's out for the count. He may even sleep all night." Harry looked sadly at him.
"Why so sad, pup?"
"He's getting so big, soon he won't need me at six anymore." Harry was disappointed.
"Yes, he will." Dora assured him. "All the books say that even if he doesn't need midnight or two am feedings, he'll need his six o'clock or 'wake up feed' at the same time. So, don't worry." She smiled as Harry brightened up.
"Well, I'm off to bed." Nev pushed himself out of the chair. "Anyone wakes me—they're bantha fodder." He laughed. He really liked Star Wars.
Luna got up soon after, then Hermione and Harry. Soon, it was just Dora and Sirius. "Siri, I'd like to thank you for giving Teddy a seat on Wizengamot." She said seriously.
"Why? I would've named Remus if he was here. Teddy has my best friend's blood in his veins. He is family and I will take care of him as such." He replied determinedly.
"It means a lot to me that you've done it and that you've brought Mum and me back into the family. Mum is so excited. She got the notice yesterday and called me on Dad's phone to tell me. By the way, she wants a phone." Dora laughed.
"Well, I'm sure she can get one from Mione." He laughed.
Sunday 21 June 1998
The next day saw the whole house, including Teddy sleep until eight o'clock. Eventually, Harry heard crying on his wand and went into Sirius' room. Teddy wasn't there however. Not really worrying about it, he went to the nursery to find Teddy playing with his feet.
"Okay bud. Did you not wake up last night for food?" He asked the blue-haired boy as he picked him up. Like usual when Harry picked him up, his eyes turned green and his hair cycled the rainbow until it hit jet black.
Harry changed and fed him in the nursery, then they went downstairs to start breakfast. Teddy was no longer only in his bouncer in the kitchen. He was now in the swing next to the island. Usually though, he wanted in the bouncer at some point to see what Harry was up to.
Everyone came down to eat right as breakfast was ready. The rest of the family was planning on having a relaxing morning working on electronics when the young men decided to go out with Teddy.
They took him to Hogsmeade where they found a toy store with lots of stuff for babies such as a stuffed hippogriff, a small quaffle and such. Each man brought home a bag or two with toys in them.
They came home around lunch and went swimming afterwards with Teddy because Dora finally okayed it. As Harry walked into the pool, he held Teddy in front with his toes skimming the water. As he giggled and kicked his feet, Harry put him in even further. They played like this for a half hour or so and when Teddy got tired, Harry put him to bed. It was after Teddy went to bed that Harry noticed no one was downstairs. He went up to the game room and saw that everyone was working on some electronic project.
"Hey, have you taught everyone but me how to do the Runes and Charms?" He asked Mione.
"Yes. While you were in the pool, we were doing this." Mione said irritably. "Can you please count how many of each device we have?"
"Sure." He went over to the finished and shrunk pile. He started with computers. "You have twenty computers, 35 phones, 15 tellies, 15 VCR's, and 25 CD players." He told her.
"That'll have to do." She huffed as she put her telly and VCR down.
He sat next to Mione. "I'm sure that is plenty for the first week love."
"I sure hope so." She cuddled into his side as she relaxed.
HP
A little while later, they all heard the floochime and the "Hello, Hello," from the twins so they came downstairs.
"Hey guys." Harry said as he saw the twins heading outside.
"Heya Harry. Where are " Fred started
"our business partners? Are they"
"too busy for family time?"
"We're right here." Hermione answered from behind Harry. "And no, we have enough stock for the first few days and we've got our first employee." She added as they headed to the Quidditch pitch.
"Who?"
"Dora." Luna replied. "We're paying her in babysitting."
"And it's working out brilliantly, isn't it ladies?" Asked Dora from behind them as she put an arm around each.
"Yup. We've got our own babysitter over there." Said Hermione as she pointed to Harry holding Teddy headed their way with some more red-heads and a few adults.
As everyone appeared for Quidditch, Hermione asked Andi, "Did you want a phone like Ted's?"
"That would be wonderful." She said as they sat down at a table and took her grandson from Harry.
"When we go back to the house, I'll set one up and give you a phone list." Hermione smiled as Teddy played with Andi's fingers. He'd taken to playing with anyone's hands. He'd sit there for minutes on end moving your fingers around if you let him, which Andi did. "You are such a cute little stinker." She smiled as she let him play.
"I understand that you and Luna are opening your own shop with these new devices. Is that true or is Ted just wishing?"
"No. It's true. We've got all sorts of equipment magicked so it'll work around magic. We've been building up stock so we won't run out on the first day."
"Well, good for you. I'm glad to see you taking some initiative and using that brain for something besides grades." She smiled at Mione as she blushed. "What are you planning on doing after Hogwarts?" she asked as the other adults, Nev and Luna sat down between the pavilion and pitch where the tables were located.
"Well, we have this company that'll probably need our attention, see?" Hermione said playfully.
"By then the shop should be either dead or self-sufficient." Luna countered. "I think you should be thinking beyond that."
"Well, then there's Wizengamot and trying to further peace between magical species."
"Yes, but once this summer's over Wizengamot only meets once a month." Augusta refuted.
"Well, maybe I'll go into the Creatures department at the ministry." She was getting a little frustrated.
"Sorry to shoot you down again but if everything works the way we hope, that department will be closed." Sirius stated. However, he noticed that she was going from frustrated to a little panicky.
"I think you should teach history." Luna said. "The boys keep saying how you are the only one capable of staying awake in History and yesterday proves you love it, so why not teach it. And when you're not teaching, we can experiment with magic." She and Hermione smiled at the idea. "We know Harry and Nev are going to go for their masteries in Defence and Herbology. I might get my Mastery in Charms and maybe we can teach part-time and experiment part time until people retire." As she kept talking, she and Hermione kept getting more and more excited until they were hugging and laughing as though no one else was there.
"It seems obvious now that that's what we should do. It just makes sense." Hermione laughed with her best girl friend.
"Well, I'm glad to see you have your whole life planned out at 18." Dan said amusingly. Hermione just rolled her eyes at her dad.
That evening, Hermione gave Andi and Molly lessons about how to use their new phones. Dora was not happy, claimed that she'd never get left alone if her mum had her number. And it turned out to be true, Andi called her that night to say goodnight!
Monday 22 June 1998
The next morning, Hermione and Luna were both up at the crack of dawn. They met in the kitchen as Dobby handed out hot cocoa to them both. "Couldn't sleep?" Hermione asked.
"Nope. It's like the night before the Express every year. I can never sleep then either." Luna replied. Hermione laughed at that. "I'm terrified we're going to screw this up. Neither one of us are good salespeople so I don't know how we're going to sell anything. Didn't sleep yourself?"
"No. I'm also scared we'll not make this work" Deciding not to brood, that was Harry's thing, she looked at the clock: 5.30. "Well, I s'pose we should make breakfast and make a take-away lunch so we don't have to leave if we're too busy." She sighed as she got off the island stool and got into the fridge.
"Why don't you make breakfast and I'll make lunch." Luna suggested when they heard a snap and they froze in place.
"Listen here! This is my kitchen. Just because Harry Potter Sir gets to make breakfast, doesn't mean everyone does." Dobby looked both women in the eyes very sternly. "Yous will sit at the island or table and drink cocoa or you will leave my kitchen. Do yous understands?" he snapped his fingers and they unfroze.
"That was not nice Dobby!" Hermione screeched.
"It is not nice to take over elf's jobs!" The little guy glared. Deciding not to fight just now, Hermione took another sip of cocoa.
"Fine." She grumbled.
"Dobby, could you please make us lunch so we don't have to come home today?" Luna asked in her sweetest voice.
"Dobby will bring it to you when lunch is served today." He agreed as he whirled around the kitchen. Neither girl had actually watched Dobby cook before. They found it fascinating. He combined both magical and non-magical ways of cooking.
Sooner than they imagined, both girls were on their fourth cup of cocoa and the family was sitting down to breakfast.
"So, you ready for your grand opening today?" Dora asked.
"We think so." Luna smiled tentatively. "We're going to set up this morning and officially open around ten." Looking at the clock, she noticed it was nearly eight and neither were going to eat anymore. "We're going to leave, I think." She looked at Hermione who nodded.
"Wait!" Harry yelled as he got up. "We'll come with."
The girls stopped on their way out the door, Hermione turning around said crossly "Well then hurry up. We're leaving now." Both men took one more bite and got up to leave.
"See ya!" Sirius yelled around his food as Teddy whined loudly. Harry rushed back in, kissed him on the head and rushed back out as Sirius laughed at Harry for coming back—of course he did the same thing for Harry as a little one too, so he had no leg to stand on.
HP
When everyone arrived at WWW, they started setting up. The twins had an extra display stand that they brought out for MIT to use. The boys started packing the displays with a lot of devices. On top they had a phone, computer and CD player. Next to it was a large screen telly with a VCR. They set Return of the Jedi playing on the telly with the sound muted. They put the Beatles' Please Please Me on the CD and turned it up. The girls set up a modern, and electronic, cash register. Of course, it was stocked with wizard money, not paper.
The twins had donated a flashy advert for the window of the store. Want to know how to mix magic and electronics? Ask inside! And because it was designed by the twins, it was coloured with all the colours of the rainbow.
At precisely 10 o'clock, they opened for business and there was already a line asking if the advert was true. Could mobiles work with magic? They had a group of about a dozen customers when Hermione's mobile rang. She answered.
"Hello."
"Hi love. Thought they'd want a demonstration." Harry offered from across the store.
She put the phone down. "The person just calling me is over there." She pointed at Harry as they all looked over.
He waved. "Hey everyone." He yelled. "Yes it works." He came closer. "We got a call from inside Hogwarts on one of these." He said.
"What if we find it doesn't work?" someone in the back of the crowd asked.
"Bring it back. We'll refund the price." Hermione smiled thanks at Harry. Everyone wanted one, at least a mobile. Hermione made the transactions, Luna taught the new users how to make calls, and Nev and Harry were restocking.
They found a lot of muggleborn classmates were buying phones or computers and found themselves talking about being able to use them at Hogwarts. Hermione's standard reply was "There's no logical reason we can't use them there. Unfortunately, I don't know if the staff will approve it."
At about 11, Mione and Luna started asking their customers whether they were muggleborn, half and half or pureblood. They were interested in who was actually buying these items.
At lunch, when they closed the display and went to the twins' workroom to eat Dobby's meal, Harry commented. "We need more mobiles. Do we have all of them or did we leave some at home?"
"We left some at home and Dora said she'd try to get more done." Hermione said biting her lip.
"What are you thinking love?" Harry asked.
"Just wondering if we need more than Dora doing this." She replied.
"Dobby might be willing to help." Luna offered.
"We'll have to pay him and he can't be overworked running the Madhouse and doing this." Hermione stipulated.
"That goes without saying." Harry smiled, knowing how she felt about Elves. Hermione had not been herself recently. After they figured out the secret to the Runes and Charms, she'd been a little depressed. He thought it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't exercising her mind like she had been. She needed a puzzle to truly make her happy. Running a business like this would be challenging for a time, but they really needed to get someone who could take over the managing of the business end soon.
Fred came in then. "Guys if you're going to need more storage space, we're going to have to put extendable charms in the warehouse." He grinned. "However, I don't see you being able to keep much stock on hand. There's another group out there looking at our wares because you aren't out there."
Hermione was terrified. "Oh Merlin!" she said as she jumped up to head out. "Mione, finish your lunch. Nev and I will handle this crowd. Harry, you go get the mobiles. We'll need them." Luna said in her deceptively calm voice. Hermione instantly calmed down. Damn, how does Luna do that? She asked herself as she ate.
HP
Around three o'clock, they decided to close their display. They had sold out of all their phones and most of their computers. They sold one or two CD players and one telly and VCR.
The four youngsters had had enough for the day and needed to replenish their stock. The twins decided that they would call the Madhouse to see if they needed more hands to do the Rune and Charm work after they closed.
Nev commented on the way out "This shop across from WWW is empty. It might make a good place to move to when you get to that stage."
"Yes. It might." Luna sighed as she apparated home.
HP
When they got home, Dora, Teddy and Dobby were in the kitchen magicking the phones.
"Hello Dobby, Dora." Luna said quietly. "Did you get many phones done today?"
"Hey guys." Dora smiled as Harry took his godson from his bouncer. "Yes, we got a lot of phones done. With both of us working, we got 30 phones done. They're all up in the game room ready to go. I bought another 50 phones that we can do. How many did you sell today?"
"All of our stock." Hermione smiled. "It was amazing. It started with a half dozen people at first that didn't believe it'd work until Harry here got the brilliant idea of calling me to prove it worked. Then people were coming in because they'd been told by friends on the Alley about it."
"A lot of people said they'd be back in the next few days with their parents. They suggested that we get some Ninetendo 64's to magick. I'm hoping you Dora can get some tomorrow. Also get some –" Luna was looking through the kitchen and held up an electric mixer. "of these. I want to add kitchen appliances too."
"You should get a toaster and microwave too." Harry opined. Hermione had her laptop out and was typing as fast as they were talking.
"Is there anything else we might need to buy?" She asked as she finished typing.
"No. I don't think so." Nev said as Hermione took her laptop to the study. A few minutes later, she came out with a printed list of what and how many they should have on hand.
"Is there any reason you can't go buy some of these things tomorrow Dora?" Hermione asked as she handed her the sheet.
"Sure. But I don't know where to go." She replied.
"Go to London to Harrod's. They should have everything you need." She smiled as she laid her head on her arms. "I'm tired. I want a nap." She mumbled.
Harry took her by the shoulder. "Let's go up and take a nap, love." He whispered as he kissed her temple. He took her hand and led her upstairs where they took a nap.
Harry woke up about an hour later. While looking down at Hermione, he realised how relaxed she looked while sleeping. He hadn't seen her even close to this relaxed since they'd gotten back from Australia. Maybe they needed a vacation soon.
He got up and went to the game room where the family was congregating. Nev and Luna were cuddled up on the divan working on phones, as were Dobby and Dora, with Teddy in his bouncer. As usual, when he saw Harry he started squealing and waving his arms. And, of course, Harry headed to him to pick up. He laid on the floor and let Teddy do tummy-time on his stomach.
"It's so funny. We can be here working our fingers numb and you come up and pick up the kid. You don't even pretend to work. Teddy was fine in his bouncer until you came in." Nev laughed at the guilty look on his friend's face. He started to get up, having realised that he had just started doing what was fun rather than what was needed.
"No. Don't get up." Dora said. "He's been wanting you all day. He's looking around for his playmate and Dobby and I haven't had time to play. He's either been in his bouncer or on his playmat today. He needs some physical attention."
"Okay. Guess I'm here with you bud." He said to the boy as he lifted his head to see his godfather's face. "Yes, you're such a good boy, aren't you little man? Your Aunt Mione and Aunt Luna are so tired after their day of selling products. You wouldn't believe how many people wanted their stuff today. It was amazing." He started making faces as Teddy laughed. "You are way too cute. Especially with that grin—all the girls are going to fall for you." He put Teddy back on his playmat and set the toys spinning for him.
"You know, if you do that, he'll never learn to reach for them." Dora explained.
"Fine." He mumbled as he canceled the spell. He looked at the clock and realised he should get to work on the phones. He started adding the Runes and Charms to the phone. "I wonder why Gran and Sirius didn't insist we have a lesson today." He pondered aloud
"They told me yesterday that they knew you two were going to be busy with the display today, so decided to cancel the regular lesson." Dora contributed.
"Makes sense." Neville added. "They'd know we were not very likely to concentrate when we wanted to be there for Luna and Hermione."
Later that evening they received a firecall from Headmistress McGonagall telling them that the Board would be meeting about the proposal they had made and would like to hear from them on Thursday night.
Sirius then invited the Board to the Madhouse for dinner and the presentation. He felt the kids, especially Hermione, would stress less about it in the familiar environment.