… - …
Chapter Seventeen
Dr. Winsloe
Friday May 8, 1998
Jim Bell opened the envelope that was addressed Mr. & Mrs. Bell.
Please join us in celebrating Katie's 19th birthday.
This card will serve as your passport portkey (Passports required)
Please activate this at 1 pm London time this Saturday. Instruction are on the back side.
Harry Potter & Hermione Granger
… - …
Saturday May 9
After they arrived, passed customs and were portkeyed to Harry's house, Katie and her parents walked around Harry's pond and visited. Katie mentioned, "I took my NEWT examinations - Charms, Transfiguration, Defensive Magic, Potions and Herbology." She showed them the results.
Jim looked at the paper and handed it to his wife, Loni. He proclaimed, "All Os. Congratulations. That's great!."
She looked at her mother, who nodded, if only slightly. Katie said, "I have birthday presents for both of you. Here."
Jim opened his and said, "Very nice."
"One of the Salem people made them. They're specially designed for people who didn't have much success with their first wand. They're Firesticks. Dad, you're pretty good levitating stuff around. Move that lounger chair over here, please."
He did. She observed, "You'd have better luck if you summoned it. Try Accio Lounger and use your Firestick to point where you want it to go."
"Accio Lounger."
A moment later, another lounger was by his side. Katie remarked, "Very fancy. It looks like an O for the day." A moment later, she said, "Mom, you try."
Loni pointed her Firestick at the lounger. For a moment, she had a faraway look in her eye and said, "Finite." Then another, "Finite," then another, then another, "Finite. Finite. Finite."
"Mom, stop.
"Mom, Stop!
"What are you doing? Stop."
Her mum sat down and was crying. Loni said, "I never...
"I never...
"I never could do it," she sobbed.
… - …
Five minutes later, she was telling her story.
"Bellatrix Lestrange was an older student when I was in second year. Towards the end of the year, I was out by the lake with my friend. Sarah. Bellatrix walked up to me. She cast some horrid curse and I was hanging upside down... Everyone ran off... I was hanging there, screaming for over an hour.
"Eventually Headmaster Dumbledore found me. He handed me my wand. It had fallen to the ground. He told me to cast Finite Incantatem to let myself down.
"I couldn't... I couldn't get it to work. He stood and let me hang there another ten minutes. Finally, he cast the spell and suggested that I'd be better off at a different school in September.
"I'll never forgive him. He can rot in Hell for all I care. I was doing good in Potions, Herbology, History, Astronomy and good enough in Charms. I just... I just couldn't always make my wand work.
"After that, my mum kept me home that next September and home schooled me. I earned OWLS in everything except Defense and Transfiguration. I earned good OWLs in Herbology, Potions and Astronomy. Two years later, I met your Dad at the Herbology NEWT exam. I had a little family money and we opened a business together."
Looking around at the mess that she'd created, she said, "I'm sorry."
Hermione, who'd heard most of her story, said, "Please don't worry about it. Winky will make it all right again. We're glad that you're here. Your new wand will work perfectly for you. Let's go get cleaned up."
… - …
It turned out that there were many stories similar to Loni's. She related how older students would pick on the weaker, younger students and Dumbledore would coach them into leaving Hogwarts. Katie pointed out that in Harry's year, it had been Sally Ann Perks.
Over lunch, Jim explained how scores of witches and wizards in their age group had been home schooled. Others were dumped back into the public schools. A few, like Hermione's Grandfather, Ben Olifson, went on to make a good life in the nonmagical world as a dentist. After an hour of telling their stories, Jim asked, "In general, how do these work?"
Harry explained, "A lot like a torch. (flashlight) There are rods of a rare element embedded in the shaft on the handle near the wand core which store some magical energy. When you cast a spell, you're the one doing it. The rods act like a power boost and your spell works correctly."
Jim remarked, "Brilliant! I've never seen these before."
Harry replied, "I just started making them."
Amazed at the resourceful teen, he asked, "How many spells do they hold?"
Harry explained, "They don't hold spells; they hold magical energy. What you do with it is largely up to you. They'll help you perform many spells – charms, transfiguration and the like. If you know how to apparate, they'll allow you to apparate up to 100 miles at a time. If you use it mostly to move stuff at your business, I'd guess somewhere between 500 and 2000 uses, depending on how heavy the material is."
He continued, "The charge should last a while, six months to over a year, depending on how often you use it. Call me and I'll get it recharged for you when it runs low. If you study up, you can take your NEWTs at Salem, where we all go to school."
Loni asked, "What are they called?"
Harry replied, "I refer to them as a Power Assist Device (PAD) rather than a wand, as there are so many regulations specifically regarding wands. My brand name is Firestick. If you want to quietly refer specific friends who might appreciate them, here's my telephone number." He gave them each a few of his business cards.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," said Jim. "I'll leave making lakes to you folks, but I've lifted my last 50 pound sack of manure."
Harry nodded in agreement and said, "Let's eat."
While they were eating, Emma asked, "How typical would you say your experience was?"
Loni answered, "Common, at least for those who lived. I've heard of too many boating accidents, or disappearances among 8 – 10 year-old children. I'm not saying that they were all murdered. I'm sure that some were confunded, had their magic bound, or were obliviated and sent to an orphanage, along with a 10,000 pound donation."
Emma asked, "Why 8 to 10 years old?"
"Most magical children have expressed magic before age 8; in some cases well before. Katie was summoning the cookies when she was three or four. Some parents don't want to face the social stigma that their student wouldn't get their school letter, or flunk out."
"Hermione was doing the same, except it was with books. Besides, you didn't flunk out; you were bullied by a sociopath and Headmaster Dumbledore failed yet again in doing his job."
The two mothers had found some common ground.
… - ...
Sunday May 10
Harry opened the door to the Tonks home and said, "Hi. Anyone home?"
"We're in the kitchen, said Andromeda. "How are you? You look good."
He smiled at her and replied, "Fine, thanks. There's a new crew training in my back yard today and I wanted to visit with you both. I wanted to finalize some details regarding the Power Assist Devices and I wanted both of your opinions."
Ted asked, "Did you decide how you want to sell them?"
"I want to give them away."
"Because?"
"I don't want any kid who could use one to not be able to get one."
"That's admirable. Let's back up. Am I right in saying that any witch or wizard could use it, charged or not?"
Harry thought about it for a minute. He hated when Ted was right and in teaching mode. He replied, "Yes."
"Then tell me how you're not giving away wands?"
Silence.
Finally Harry said, "Because a wand can only effectively be used by a witch or wizard with a normal level of magical power. The fact that you or Andy could use my Power Assist Device doesn't negate the fact that with it, a squib can learn to apparate."
Ted replied, "That's an acceptable answer. You should wordsmith it a bit and have it ready for when people ask. My point is, what if every witch and wizard in Britain walked into your shop and asked for one? Or more likely, the 25 percent who are using a poorly fitting legacy wand? For sake of discussion, 8,000 people?"
"I suppose that it could happen. What do you suggest?"
"You rent it for a galleon per year and state that the power source is only expected to last a year. That would give you the right to call for it back at the end of a year."
"I would like to give the student models away. I..."
"OK, Say you rented it out, or gifted them and they used it for a year. Then what?"
"They bring it back and it either gets recharged, or exchanged for another student model or the adult model. The Craftsman model could be sold for 25G. A recharge is 25G. The Auror model can only be sold to a licensed Auror. The recharge on it is 100G."
Ted nodded and replied, "OK, so the difference is in how they originally acquire the wand. It sounds like you have a plan. What issue is bothering you?"
"I'm not certain what country or state to sell them from? My sense is that selling them from Britain would be the most bothersome but where I'd have the most support."
"The numbers say that you'll sell ten times as many in the States. How were you thinking of doing it?"
"Mail order, or via Dobby's friends."
"So they mail their galleon to your shop, one appears at their doorstep an hour later and they use it. What happens when they want it recharged?"
"They call or put it back in the box. An hour later, it's picked up. Another hour later, a replacement is returned."
Andromeda replied, "Back up for a minute. What exactly are you attempting to accomplish?"
"Paperwork. I'm trying to get out of filling out sales tax forms in 50 different states and 12 different countries. I'm trying to help people without it costing me much time. As far as I can tell, my actual cost is less than $5 US each. That's for the glue and the Cobalt. It's too early to create a business out of it yet. They could only last six months before burning the wand core out, or they could last for a lifetime. I want to make a couple thousand, give them away and see how well they perform."
Ted replied, "I get that but there are six to eight thousand in Britain who could actually have their life improved and eighty thousand in the states. What about them?"
"They'll still be there next year. I'd help any kid trying to get into Salem or Hogwarts but I deserve to have a product evaluation period. Besides, I'm still going to school and I'm trying to grow the waterworks."
"I see your point. Who are you looking to give them to?"
"600 Low Mage students at Salem, and later, 400 Hogwarts students from my shop in Hogsmeade."
"What shop?"
"The one that I'd like to buy or build. Specifically Potter Waterworks. I'd like it to be 3,000 square feet total on two floors, made of brick. I want it large enough to do presentations and have a bit of a sales area."
"When do you want that?"
"Mid July."
"What else?"
Harry asked, "Could we hold off a vote on the Firesticks, if it came up?"
"Yes, but you'd be far better off showing one to Minister Bones before you open your shop. Susan has a cousin who could make use of one."
"I'll do that."
Ted asked, "Are you going to bring up your proposed Auror model?"
"No. I'll let her ask about one."
"Good idea. Do yourself a favor; keep Croaker out of the discussion. He'll want to take one apart. He saw eye-to-eye with Dumbledore too many times toget involved this early in the project."
"OK. Who is he?"
"Head of the Unspeakables. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I like your idea about gifting them to people; especially in the States. You don't want your Waterworks business to find its way to their version of Inland Revenue."
"Good point. Thanks."
… - …
Sunday May 24
A few weeks after her birthday, Harry and Katie returned from a water run in Kuwait. An hour later, he, Hermione, and Katie were out by the lake, sitting on the floatie chairs. He asked, "How do your parents like their Firesticks?"
She smiled indulgently and replied, "Harry, you realize that you're the only person on the planet who refers to them that way, don't you?"
"Yes but..."
"They love them. Dad's learning some new charms and Mum's going to take her Apparition test in a week. What exactly did you want to know about?"
"I'm still not sure whether to sell them, loan them, or give them away. I can afford..."
Katie looked at him and said, "Stop!" She added, "They have serious value to my Mum and Dad. They each have a bit more self-respect than they used to. In their case, they were gifts. I get that. Don't cheapen it for people by giving them away to strangers. That states that they have no value to you. How about 25G?"
"Katie, I understand your point and I mean no disrespect to your parents, but... our other business is hardly a kid's lemonade stand. I can gift these to people with no tax consequences. I don't want to open a business outside of Britain and I don't want to make a wand for every person in the western hemisphere either. I'm not trying to put Ollivander's out of business. For now, I'm happy to make them for people who can't make use of his wands on a hobby basis on my part."
She didn't totally agree with his answer, but could see his point of view. If he were penniless, he'd probably want to sell a million of them.
Harry asked, "Do they feel funny to you?"
"Katie asked, "Funny how?"
"The shape?"
"Not really." She handed him her wand. They were almost the same shape.
He asked, "What if I made the handle thicker; either a little thicker, or like a screwdriver?"
She looked at him questioningly and he added, "Either. Both?"
She thought for a second and replied, "If I were using it over and over in my work and it was shaped like a screwdriver, I'd think of it like any other tool. If I was mostly using it to dry my hair in the morning, I'd prefer one shaped like my wand. Why?"
Harry replied, "For sake of discussion, the batteries are sized and shaped like stick pen ink cartridges; four inches long and 1/8th inch thick. If the handle was thicker like a screwdriver, I could fit more inside."
"So if you made the school kid model, how many would there be?"
"Two."
"How many in the ones that you made for Mum and Dad?"
"Four. Their hands are bigger than a first year's."
She asked, "Lake construction aside, what spell takes the most energy?"
"Apparating."
"Makes sense. So are you saying they really shouldn't do that too much?"
"Kind of. They're easy enough to recharge. If they wanted to do that a lot, you should get them portkey watches. Since it's essentially a single-purpose device, it's far more efficient than apparating."
The lithe teen witch pointed out, "Harry, you don't just buy portkey watches at the grocery store. How did you even manage to get them all?"
"I asked my account manager for them. I'm not sure that he charged me. Same difference; they give them to friends."
"OK. Put it this way. People who haven't killed giant monster snakes and let them display it in their lobby would pay thousands of galleons for them."
"Would your parents like them?"
"Seriously? They'd love a set, but not yet. You've already changed their lives for the month. Back to topic, If you made 1,000 of these, you could sell them, or find homes for them in a blink. Have you spoken with Mandy at the school about them?"
"No, I was planning on doing it after the construction job. I wanted to see how your parents do with them. If they want to collect names and telephone numbers, that would be OK but I haven't made many yet."
She asked, "So there's no getting fitted like with creepy old Ollivander?"
"Correct."
"So essentially you're designing cars and are trying to decide how large to make the fuel tank?"
"Exactly."
"Hermione, please conjure a screwdriver. Could you cast with it?"
"Not with enough precision to do healing, but for moving crates, sure."
"Harry, how many energy rods could you fit into one this size?"
"Eight or ten."
"So there's your answer. The little one will do, say 500 household spells on a charge. The regular one would do 1,000. The industrial model would do 2,000. When it runs empty, they floo back to your shop and get a refill. My grandfather was a regular wizard. His wand was shaped like a screwdriver. Different shapes aren't uncommon. Put the decision on the user. You're all set."
Harry nodded and mentioned, "As for calling them Firesticks, some pretty serious people are starting to hear about them. I can't afford for them to get tangled up in the web of wand regulations."
"OK. I get your point."
… - …
Monday June 8
Mandy arranged the meeting in her office. Harry intended to donate 500 of his Power Assist Devices to the school and wanted to meet the Program Director. He and Mandy were seated, visiting when there was a knock on the door. A sharp-eyed woman walked in. Harry thought that she resembled Nurse Ratched from a video that he and Hermione had recently watched. He stood and briefly introduced himself. She replied, "Dr. Betty Winsloe." She gazed at him for a moment and finally asked, "How could I help you?"
Giving Mandy the slightest shake of his head, he said, "I'm from Britain. I'm interested in your program and may be in a position to make a donation. Please tell me about your program and the students."
Seeing that she wasn't going to get any additional information from Miss Taylor, Dr. Winslow began, "The people enrolled in the No/Low program are those who legally know of magic, but due to deficiencies are unable to effectively perform it. In Britain, you'd refer to them as squibs, or worse. Other cultures refer to them as inept. Instead of the 25/75 option available to more competent students enrolled in the larger Salem program, my program accepts the students who, unfortunately know what they're missing. We find them vocations for which they may be suitable. A few become passable herbologists, or potioneer's assistants. For the majority, we focus on preparing them for a position in the nonmagical world. Typically, they either manage to attain grades that will allow them into a community collage, or most often find positions in the service industry, such as food service, custodians, or in the massage industry. A lucky few manage to get into the construction trades."
Harry glanced at Mandy for a moment and asked, "Would it be possible to sit in on a few of the classes?"
Believing that she'd found a like-minded, rich patron, she simpered, "Yes. Yes, of course. How about tomorrow morning?"
Harry said, "I don't know my way around campus too well; where should I meet you?"
"The Blegan building, two streets over. Room 104 at 9:00. I must be going. Here's my card." She left, leaving the two of them speechless.
Harry wondered if she may have been related to Vernon's sister, Marge. Perhaps she was an unmarked Death Eater, hiding out in the States. He looked at Mandy and asked, "What rock did she crawl out from?"
Mandy replied, "I'm baffled. I knew of the program; I've never met her before. I'm not sure that I want to again."
… - …
Harry met Dr. Winsloe the next day and she took him to a greenhouse. It was a similar setup to what Professor Sprout had in his first and second year, with wide isles, so there was plenty of room for the students to observe and tend the various plants. After the presentation and demonstration, he thanked Dr. Winsloe and said that he'd stay for the remainder of the lesson. The students went back to the worktables, each carrying a small potted plant. The students rolled up their sleeves and began to work. Harry randomly paired up with one of the second years. He never noticed the 24 hour listening charm that she'd placed on his shoe.
It took a few minutes for Harry to feel it. He wasn't certain if Earling Magnuson would be pleased with him for noticing, or disappointed that it had taken him so long. The student who he was repotting with was wearing an enchanted object! He was so focused on unobtrusively looking for rings or pendents that it took him another minute to see the copper bracelet hidden behind a notice-me-not charm.
He carefully reached out to the pot and casually touched her wrist. He received a mild shock but felt it.
He casually looked around and noticed that the two boys at the next table had them too. He got up to walk around to other tables. All 24 students had them. He looked at the instructor; she wasn't wearing one.
As the lesson was nearly finished, he went back to the girl whose table he'd been working at and casually touched the bracelet a second time. He recognized the feeling. He said, "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Harry."
She replied, "Laura Simmons."
As casually as he could he said, "It's nice to meet you, Laura. Thank you for allowing me to work with you today. What is your wand made of?"
"I don't have one. Dr. Betty told me that I don't need one. None of us do. I can grow magical plants. That's pretty cool."
In all sincerity, he replied, "Yes it is. What other classes do you take?"
"Math, English, Science, Social Studies and American History."
"Nice. How about last term?"
"Herbology, Math, Science, English, Social Studies and World History."
"Nice. Thanks for letting me sit with you today. I hope I see you around soon."
"Bye Harry."
… - ...
That afternoon, Harry showed the two memories to the Grangers. He explained that they were copper magic suppressing bracelets. Emma observed, "Your comparison of her with Nurse Ratched is spot on; disgusting but apt."
Dan added, "First, I agree with you. Now, in the absence of Ted, allow me to play devil's advocate for two minutes." They looked at him like he'd grown an extra head, but waved him on. He said, "Just hear me out. First, aside from choosing to donate or not, Harry has no standing in the program. He's neither a student in the program, nor a parent sending their child there."
When Hermione looked ready to go into a rant, Emma put her hand on hers and said, "You'll get your turn; hear him out."
Dan continued, "Second, in absence of using Harry's device, Hermione, do you see this young girl becoming a healer? Could she do the magical version of Radiology or MRIs with third year spells?"
"But..."
Emma pointed out, "Hermione, it's a yes or no question."
There was silence for a good two minutes until she admitted, "No, but as God is my witness, I'll see that girl in the Healer program if that's what she wants to do."
Dan spoke one more word, "How?"
She said, "Winky, how much do I have in my vault in London?"
A minute later, the remarkable elf reappeared and stated, "Five million Galleons, Miss Hermione."
"If I need to, I'll make a ten million dollar donation to the program with the absolute proviso that that monster is removed from the school and a nurturing person is put in her place."
Dan thought for a moment and said, "Let's go out to the Tiki Bar and continue our discussion."
Harry and Hermione were first to leave. Dan held Emma back. Her righteous anger streak which had been dormant for a few years was back in full strength. She snapped, "What in heaven's name are you doing, agreeing with that monster?"
"I'm not; hear me out. Like it or not, our two kids are killers, serial killers, soldiers – whatever noun you'd care to use. Harry wasn't some RAF flyer shot down behind enemy lines, fighting to get home. They purposefully went back to the graveyard that night with the intent of killing those people. Do you want to wind either of them up enough so Dr. Winsloe's reported dead tomorrow morning?"
"No but..."
"Em, neither one of us knows how far they'd need to be pushed to act. We've had our minute, let's go." He'd let out information that he'd told himself that he'd never speak of, but like toothpaste, it was out of the tube and couldn't be taken back.
When they'd each been handed a beverage and were sitting in the exceedingly comfortable, high-backed wooden Adirondack chairs, Dan asked, "Hermione, can you take notes?" He was hoping that she'd focus on taking notes.
"OK." A moment later, Winky had handed Hermione her favorite seven subject notepad and a Bic pen.
Dan asked, "What would need to happen in order to get a Firestick into each of the 500 students' hands?"
Harry said, "First, I'd have to make them." When Hermione gave him the Death Glare, he rationalized, "Hey, I've been busy."
Dan said, "I'll help you. What else?"
Emma observed, "Assuming that we wouldn't get any direct co-operation from Dr. Winsloe, we'd need to obtain the names and contact information for each of the 500 students." After a moment, she asked, "Why not just show her one and see where it goes?"
Dan added, "Just for once, let's give her the benefit of a reasonable doubt and consider the possibility that she's not actually evil. Maybe she's merely a bit selfish and would ban them out of fear that her program would be shut down, causing her to lose her position. Maybe she's simply blunt and crude. They're not admirable traits, but that's not illegal."
Emma pointed out, "It might be easier to move her than getting her sacked."
Hermione wasn't having it. She demanded, "What are you talking about?"
Dan continued, "Assume for a minute that she's a competent witch herself and not a No/Low with anger issues. Have Remus give her a job on the next construction project, have her quit her job at the school, pay her a half million dollars, then sack her a month later. That's more than nine million better than the other plan."
Harry said, "That's an idea. What else?"
Emma suggested, "Visit her office with Little D under your invisibility cloak, While you're distracting her, showing her a briefcase of money, have Dobby find and copy a school roster. Make your presentation, along with proof that Loni passed her apparation test using hers. Come up with a list of positions, or occupations, or businesses that would be practical with a handful of OWLs. That would provide a reason to keep the No/Low program."
Harry thought of three people – Mrs. Figg, Stan Shunpike and Tom, the Innkeeper. He was about to say something when Hermione screeched, "No! It should be shut down tomorrow. She's vile! She's evil! She's..."
In as calm a voice as she could muster, Emma clarified, "She's cruel. That doesn't mean that the program has no current, or future value. Harry, my recommendation is that you meet with her again. During the course of the conversation, ask for a course catalog. Find out where her office is. Was the herbology teacher an evil person too?"
He thought for a moment and replied, "No. It seemed like a regular lesson."
Dan said, "I agree with Emma. Get the information that you can, meet with her again. Bring Dobby for backup, if he can remain invisible. Find out who is playing who. We all agree; your first impression was horrible. She may have been trying to wind you up; we don't yet have enough information."
… - ...
Tuesday June 9
As promised, Harry went back to see Dr. Winsloe the next morning. There were no pleasantries this time. Harry was a bit surprised that she didn't try spiking his tea.
She spoke first. "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." Clearly she'd done some research of her own.
Harry couldn't dispute her words. Instead he stated, "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."
As if she'd been expecting it, she replied, "Your offer is interesting. I believe that your request could be done within the hour for two million."
Silence.
After two minutes, Harry looked her in the eye and replied, "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.
Winsloe was aware that she had very little leverage and was absolutely certain that the man sitting across the table could back his words, either way. She signed the document. A cardboard box appeared on the desk in front of her. Harry said, "For your personal possessions." He stood up and walked out the door. As he closed the door, $500,000 in real $100 bills filled the cardboard box and the document was in his hand, a copy was sent to each of the Deans. As he walked out, she commented, "Being cynical isn't a crime, Mr. Potter. Being a groupie isn't much of a career."
In the meanwhile, Dobby had found the office camera and erased the VHS tape. By the time Harry returned home, Little D was tending bar at the Tiki, with a smile on his face.
…
Harry returned home after class. When he did, he found Hermione and her parents waiting for him. Without so much as a how was your day, she handed him a bottle of Orange Crush and asked, "Well... What happened?"
Taking a big swig to collect his thoughts for a moment, he replied, "Dobby and I walked into her office. I offered her a bit of money to resign immediately. She countered my offer. I countered back, She accepted the offer, and voluntarily signed the resignation documents that Ted wrote up. I made a few copies and sent them off. I paid her and went to charms class.
"Dobby found a program roster with contact information and a class catalog. That was it."
She asked, "How much did you pay her?"
"Part of the money I made from the Kuwait water fill last weekend."
In a mock menacing voice, she said, "Harry..."
"$500,000 in hundred dollar bills."
"Thank you."
He smiled and thought of a phrase that Andy liked to use, Be careful what you wish for. Winsloe may have been unable to shut the program down; she may have been solely responsible for keeping it alive. He didn't know. As he finished his Orange Crush, he doubted that he'd ever know the truth regarding her. He asked, "Now what?"
His optimistic girlfriend suggested, "We could toss another box of money at it and suggest that it be allowed to continue using the Firesticks. We could widen the development a bit and pitch it solely from the perspective of introducing the Firesticks."
Harry observed, "As Ted and Dan have mentioned, "We don't have standing; we're only an interested party from the perspective of the Firesticks. We can change the Low Mage's lives, but if there are 50 No Mages in the program, they might get excluded if the program folds in with the regular school. It's an unintended consequence. We're not Wizengamot members at this school; we're barely grad students."
"It will work, Harry."
A minute later, he said, "I've got an idea! We go talk with Mandy and buy enough seats so they run Introduction to Charms and Introduction to Transfiguration classes second summer session. We'd probably need to guarantee two classes of each to get them to agree.
"Then we get permission to openly go into three of the No/Low classes and demonstrate the Firesticks and offer a free summer school to the first 50 people who sign up. The classes might not be full, depending on how many parents have already made Summer Holiday arrangements starting the third week of July."
Everyone nodded in encouragement.
"I have class with Mandy tomorrow. I'll bring it up and see what she says. I'd far prefer to work with the school than go around it."
… - …
Harry had originally crafted wooden wrist bracelets with a silver clasp for the elves who crewed the lake construction sited. Each contained a 1/8th inch cobalt rod that the metal shop in Goshen had bent into a 2 ½ inch diameter ring.
Over time, he'd been asked to make them for all of the elves, as he'd etched Potter onto the polished walnut bracelet. All of the elves wore them with pride.
A/Ns
Tom and I considered making Winsloe a genuine adversary. We concluded that she was something of a late addition to the tale and dealing with her would have been a distraction. Our questions are 1) as presented, was she truly evil, or simply blunt? 2) If she'd refused Harry's counter proposal, what do you think he would have done?
Harry is finding out that if you ask a handful of people their opinion about a given subject, you're likely to get a handful of different answers. Eventually he arrives at a conclusion that he can make work.
Thanks for reading.
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