I do not own Harry Potter, the wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Extended Family
Chapter 123 – Masterfully
Takes place a few years after chapter 94.
"You know, I thought I'd have a few more days of 'cheerful indolence'."
McGonagall gave Harry a flat look that dripped of disapproval. "Did you really?"
"No, but I hoped," Harry smiled.
McGonagall snorted. "Just because you are a Certified Master now, does not mean you can sit back and let your title go to waste. You are still my apprentice and I am still responsible for you."
"I'm so sorry."
She laughed. "Quite. Though I accept the responsibility. Besides, I can take that certificate away from you."
"You can?!"
"Yes and do not try to confirm it with Gilly." She waggled a finger at him. "Besides, you do not even know what I am about to suggest."
Harry leaned back in his chair. "Fair enough. What are you going to suggest?"
"Well, I believe it is high time for you to take the natural next step after becoming a Certified Master."
"A vacation?" He grinned at her look.
"You know, I miss the days of unfettered respect and awe," she sniffed.
"I'll never fetter my respect for you but I guess I am a little more comfortable around you to be cheeky," Harry said.
"Obviously," she said dryly but smiled. "But no, no vacation. Request denied."
"Nuts," he sighed gustily. "Okay, what is the next step then?"
"Taking on an apprentice."
"You think I'm ready for that?" Harry asked, eyebrow raised.
"You have taught multiple classes at Hogwarts a term now," she reasoned. "You have the knowledge and the skills."
"True, but that's different from being a master to an apprentice," Harry said.
"Fair. However, you will not be the sole master. I suppose I should amend my statement some. Or clarify it. I have been asked to be a Mistress to a few promising prospects and I do not think I can give them the time they would need, not alone. Since you are Certified now, you can assist me in their learning and progression. You will receive credit as a second Master and I have always been a believer that one who teaches learns as well."
"I can always stop my Mastery at Certified to lighten your load some," Harry suggested, flinching at her scowl. "Just a suggestion," he added weakly.
"I will drag you to Accomplished in any way necessary," she said severely. "Do not think I will not. And I would rather forgo other apprentices before abandoning you."
"Love you too McGonaMum."
She rolled her eyes but her smile was from ear to ear. "And I you, you cheeky thing."
"You think I can really do it though? Be a Master that has an apprentice?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, without a hint of doubt.
"I'll give it a shot then," Harry said.
"Splendid! One of the potentials is ready to go and is rather eager to boot. I will have you start their early work and assess their abilities at first while I finish up some of my other duties that I usually have around this time of year. I do intend on making a more set out schedule or plan, especially if we continue to accept other apprentices. In the past, I rarely ever had more than one consistent one at any given time so I tailored their curricula personally. I will not be able to do that if I have multiple at once, hence building a proper program."
"I've been meaning to ask, why haven't you accepted many apprentices? Because of Hogwarts duties too? I ask because Mistress Castor has like a bunch of apprentices at all times of different levels."
"Mostly because of my duties here at Hogwarts, yes," McGonagall nodded. "I prefer a closer relationship as well and I am very picky about who I spend my time and energy on when I am not doing school things. Count yourself blessed."
"I do," Harry said seriously.
McGonagall smiled. "Cassandra has a very large network of responsibilities that fits well with having many apprentices while I do not really. But I will admit that helping you attain your Masteries and reaching your potential has been especially satisfying and I do want to accept more here and there. And with your assistance, I will be able to do that."
"I suppose I could share the wealth of your time," Harry smiled. He frowned when a thought came up. "Hold on a second, I just thought of something. Are Masters and Mistresses compensated for being said Master or Mistress?"
"Typically. It depends on the Master or Mistress of course but most are paid or compensated for being one. Cassandra has a neat system where she charges those that can afford it while paying the others as her employees for her work and ventures and it all evens out for her while she can generate profit."
"Have I been not paying you properly all this time?!"
McGonagall laughed and patted his hand. "I count myself well-compensated over the course of our working relationship. You cook for me often. You have given me many tickets and opportunities to watch the games, not to mention lovely paraphernalia and souvenirs. You have taught many classes here for me and will now aid me in taking other apprentices. And we have garnered much attention with our papers and published works."
She looked over fondly at a picture on her desk. "Not to mention you provide me much joy with your family and your children."
"Okay, that makes me feel a little better," Harry sighed. "Why didn't you tell me though when we started?"
"I did not want or need such material compensation from you of all people," she said, looking at him sternly.
"Don't tell me you also saved all this to guilt me into doing things for you too."
"Fine, I will not tell you." She smiled at his groan.
-0-
Leslie Huttlestone was very nervous.
She knew she really should not be, but the nervousness persisted anyways. For her, there was an odd sense of uncertainty, looming over her. She was graduating Hogwarts, something she was proud of, but the fact that she was leaving a large staple of her life for the last 7 years was daunting to say the least.
Luckily, she would not lack for employment really. She had a place working at her grandfather's store. She had grown up there essentially. Her father worked there for years now and the store was a family business more or less. She knew she wanted to work there too, learning the family business as best as she could.
Which was why she wanted to do a Mastery in Transfiguration. Transfiguration was very useful to the family business and her grandfather was one of the first people to admit that he was not the best at it, doing the most that he could with it. Her father was a little better but not that much better. Most of the transfiguration was done by someone else who worked there sometimes.
Ever since learning about the different schools of magic, transfiguration was her favorite. The idea of changing things from one thing to another, the ability to make use of the things around you and change them to suit your needs, deeply appealed to her. She swore it would be her best subject before even going to Hogwarts and she was proud to have kept true to that goal, having scored the highest in it for all seven years and having Outstandings on her O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. tests.
Her parents and grandparents encouraged her to pursue her mastery in the subject so she did. She applied to many different programs around the United Kingdom, not wanting to leave because she wanted to work with her grandfather and father at the same time. Unfortunately, transfiguration was one of the most difficult schools of magic and the opportunities were scarce.
It had been weeks since her applications went out and she had glumly accepted the reality and decided she would try again the next year when she got a message to meet with McGonagall. She knew that the professor was frightfully busy most of the time and only very rarely took an apprentice, and she hoped against hope that the meeting would be a good one.
She jumped to her feet when the door opened and fidgeted a little when McGonagall waved for her to enter her office. "Goodness me," she said, giving Leslie an amused look. "You are about to graduate, no need to look at me as if I am about to fail you."
"No Ma'am," Leslie said, smiling weakly. "Sorry."
"No need to apologize," McGonagall said. She waited for Leslie to sit in front of her desk before taking her own seat. "I see you are nervous so I will forgo the pleasantries for now. I am accepting you as an apprentice applicant." She smiled when Leslie stifled a happy squeal. "Now, what that means is that you will be worked with under a short probationary time. If at the end of the probation, you have met the standards set, you will be fully accepted as an apprentice."
"Thank you! I swear you won't regret it!"
McGonagall chuckled. "No, I do not think I will, though you might. I am a far harsher Mistress than I am a Professor."
"It'll be worth it. Transfiguration is my favorite and you're the best!"
"Flattery will get you nowhere," McGonagall teased. "I know you have worked very hard all seven years here and I have never had a complaint about your work ethic and determination. I will warn you that I am very demanding and expect the best."
"Yes Ma'am, I understand."
"Good. Now, I will let you know that you will be under the care of a Certified Master as well. He is my apprentice and is continuing to work on his Mastery with me so you will be under his eye and tutelage often. I expect you to treat him with due respect but do not worry, he is talented and knowledgeable as well. You may recall him covering for me a few times in the last years. Speaking of, he is supposed to be here." The fire in her hearth burst into life and it blazed bright green. "Ah there he is and-oh for feck's sake!" McGonagall said loudly, glaring at the figure that stumbled through.
Leslie had no idea what was more shocking: McGonagall's outburst or Harry Potter stumbling out of the Floo with his arm in a sling and walking with a bit of a limp. Her eyes widened and she stifled a gasp.
"What happened?!" McGonagall cried.
"It's not my fault!" Harry exclaimed, flinching from her glare.
"You always say that!"
"And at least the majority of the time it's true!" Harry rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Bates fouled Angelina and said something absolutely foul. So I rattled him and buzzed him and caught the Snitch from under his nose. He slammed me into the goalpost after the game ended."
"And what happened to him?!" McGonagall exclaimed angrily.
"Angelina slammed him into all six goalposts and she and Shelia and Captain Tanya beat the shite out of Ballycastle's Chaser team and Beaters who got stuck in before the rest of the team got involved."
"Good," McGonagall sniffed. "The repercussions?"
"Angelina, Shelia, and Tanya got fined. Bates and the others got sent to St Mungo's and they got fined and banned from the first few games of next season," Harry grinned. "I only broke my arm and bruised some ribs and twisted my leg. I'll heal up just fine. Just since the season's over, I decided not to go overboard on the charms and potions and let it heal up a little more naturally."
McGonagall sighed and shook her head. "Very well. Then you will have plenty of time to mentor and teach." She looked at a very shocked Leslie. "Miss Huttlestone, meet your watching Master and potentially fellow senior apprentice, Harry Potter."
"Ohmygoodnessyou'reHarryPottermyfamilylovesyou!" Leslie said in a rush before blushing furiously.
Harry smiled at her kindly. "You're Artorious' granddaughter, right? He's great and it's nice to formally meet you."
"You know him?!"
"Sure do, met him years ago for the first time when MumAndi took me to his store for one of his artifices. He told me you were starting Hogwarts soon and loved transfiguration."
"I still have your autographed picture from then!" She turned sheepish. "I'm sorry, I'm a little overwhelmed right now."
"That's fine, my mastery work is a little underwhelming so it's good to have a balance." He grinned at McGonagall's snort. "But yeah, I'll be helping you start off and we'll see how things go."
"Thank you!"
-0-
Leslie was nervous again.
Her probationary period had begun and she really wanted to keep her apprenticeship with McGonagall and Harry. She had no idea what to expect really. She knew McGonagall would work her hard and expect a lot from her but she did not know how Harry would be observing her or teaching her. It was funny, while she did have a few of his classes while at school, she saw his work as an extension of McGonagall's since he always said he worked off her syllabus and curriculum. While he would probably be doing the same here, it was still different from being in a classroom setting.
She had preened a bit when he came to pick her up from Artorious' store, seeing her siblings look on with abject envy. She had followed him when he left Luxurious Street without any idea of what to expect, since they seemed to be staying in Diagon mostly. "Uhm, Master? May I ask a question?"
Harry winced a little. "You don't have to call me that, and ask me questions anytime. I'll answer them if I can."
"What do I call you then?"
"Was that your question?"
"What? No, I mean, yes? A question? Can I ask you multiple-"
Harry chuckled. "Sorry, that was mean of me. You look as nervous as I feel and I was trying to be funny."
"You're nervous?!"
"A little. I've taught classes sure but it's not the same as being a Master to someone. Plus I want to make sure you get what you want out of it and to uphold Mistress' honor."
"Oh. Uhm, I just want to become a Mistress of Transfiguration," Leslie said quietly.
"Well you'll definitely get there if you stick with Mistress McGonagall. I thought I learned a lot from her during school but honestly, it's nothing compared to what I've learned since."
"Wow," she said softly.
"Yup," Harry nodded. "Don't be too nervous though. She's an amazing Mistress."
"Thank you." She felt a little better. "Can I call you Master Potter though because I want to? I think it sounds cool."
"If you want," Harry said, wincing once more.
"Master Potter, where are we going?"
"Well, I thought it would be fun to see some real-world applications of transfiguration."
"Oh that does sound like fun!" She followed eagerly, almost bouncing from foot to foot as they walked deeper into Diagon. Finally they reached their destination, Davis' con-and-De-struction. She looked around when they entered the building. It looked like a busy office with a few people walking about with folders and portfolios and models and things where others wearing hardier robes and gear mingled with the others. They all greeted Harry warmly and politely, giving her a curious look but not stopping them. Many wished him well and hoped he recovered swiftly.
"Hey Tracy," Harry said as they entered the back warehouse. The walls were lined with giant racks and frames holding all sorts of building materials. Leslie looked around at all the things: stones and rocks of all kinds, sacks and sacks of material, pallets of other things, piles of wood, and even things that looked like bone.
"Hey Harry," Tracy smiled, hugging him gently. "How you feeling?"
"Oh I'm okay, sore but used to it. Not too much pain."
"That's good." Tracy smiled at Leslie. "Is this your new little buddy?"
"Hello, I'm Leslie Huttlestone," Leslie said very politely. "I'm Master Potter's junior apprentice. It's nice to meet you."
Harry covered his eyes and groaned at Tracy's wide smile. "Ooooh, Master Potter's junior apprentice?" Tracy said, eyes dancing with delight. "Oh my goodness, Master Potter is it?"
"I didn't make her address me that," Harry groaned.
"Why not? I'd love for someone following me around addressing me as Mistress Davis." She grinned at his discomfort.
"Get a Mastery then."
"Nah, too much work," she snickered. "Dang, today is my lucky day to get this lovely gift."
Harry's smile was a bit sharp. He used his wand to scribble something on a bit of parchment. "Did you know that Certified Masters have a scale for how much they can charge for consulting work? As in there is a minimum acknowledged amount for their expertise." He handed the piece of parchment to her.
"Have I mentioned how much I appreciate you and that you're my best friend after Daphne and I love you and that's not just I have a daughter because of you and that you helped salvage my relationship to my now wife?" Tracy said in one breath after her eyes popped open at the number written on the parchment. She shredded it finely and burned it to ash with her wand and plastered a big smile on her face.
"Uh huh," Harry grunted, looking amused. He turned to a very quiet Leslie that looked like she was floundering a little. "So Tracy here is one of the owners of the company and I help out with testing transfiguration experiments. We test the stress loads and the physical capabilities of transfiguring materials into others and see how we can provide different options for less costs while maintaining quality and safety."
"Oh wow, really?" Leslie asked, enthralled.
"Yup!" Tracy led them down the racks and pointed at various materials. "We want to be able to provide certain aesthetic options without compromising on safety. Sure, turning wood into marble can be done and looks the same, but it isn't the same structurally or integrity-wise and we won't build something that won't be safe."
"I've never thought of it like that," Leslie said, her voice wondering.
"Harry helped us figure out a nice way to use granite and foundation stone in different ways," Tracy said proudly. "We have just the same structural safety but with a lot more decorative options that can fit a person's budget better. There will always be ones who can and want to pay for the real deal, but nothing wrong with changing a bit here and there to fit the look at a much more affordable cost."
"Wow," Leslie said.
-0-
"That was really interesting," Leslie said after they left the company office.
Harry nodded. "I got the idea when Tracy was complaining about how a supply company wanted to increase their stocking fees for a certain material. They were trying to gouge them on the price and she wasn't too happy. I wondered if we could come up with an alternative and we actually managed to find a suitable one that fit the safety requirements while looking just as good."
He snorted. "She got her revenge by sending the stocking company a Howler that was a three-minute-long raspberry with a suggestion of where to shove their inflated charges." He smiled as Leslie burst out laughing. "They tried to give her a discount that was cheaper than what they used to charge and she sent them another even more rude Howler."
"That's amazing," she said, still laughing.
"Yeah, Tracy's got a mean streak that's awesome when you're not the target. And speaking of not wanting to be the target of." He opened the door to Weasley Wizarding Wheezes and ushered her in. "Do me a favor, please don't use the honorific in here."
"Yes Sir," Leslie said.
"Oh hellooooooo Sir," came a very merry voice making Harry sigh. Fred threw an arm around Harry. "It is terribly good to see you, Sir."
"Why it is Sir!" George threw an arm around Harry from the other side. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence Sir!"
"Leslie, meet the founders and the owners of the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes," Harry said wearily. "Dingus and Dongus Weasley."
"Hey! Why does he get to be Dongus!" George cried. "I want to be Dongus!"
"Angelina said I can't call you Dongus because she doesn't want to be married to Dongus Weasley," Harry smiled.
"Suck it, Dingus! Bow before Dongus!" Fred said, his smile from ear to ear.
Leslie stood there and blinked slowly.
"Now that my credibility is utterly ruined," Harry said, making the twins snicker, "the reason I'm here isn't just to buy anything."
"Nor is it to babysit us despite what my wife says," George said.
"He's our investor and helps us experiment on some stuff, specifically transfiguration things," Fred said.
"We guessed you're his apprentice or something like that," George said to Leslie's surprise.
"Only people not his friends or closest acquaintances refer to him with respect," Fred said to Leslie's continued surprise.
"That includes honorifics like Sir and Master and Mister and Your Grace and Your Majesty and Your Lordship."
"Though he is essentially a baron but we haven't gotten away with calling him that yet."
"And the Quidditch players aren't nearly so respectful even though he beats the pants off them on the regular. Seekers are egotistical monsters you know."
"So it has to be academically related therefore we surmised you must be interested in the transfiguration aspect of his interests."
"Yes, they act like this all the time and you sometimes get used to it," Harry said wryly to the unspoken question.
"Wow," Leslie said.
The twins laughed. "We like her," they said.
"Now come on, we have an idea we need you to help us with," Fred said and he led Harry and Leslie away while George stayed to work on the floor.
"Do you charge them a consultation fee too?" Leslie asked.
"I tried once but it turns out it was less than my usual investment returns per month," Harry said. "They then threatened to add it to my fee and I decided against it. I don't do these things for money after all. I do it to help friends and family, for fun, and to learn different applications. That and I want to know what comes after me from this place before it's even available for purchase."
"Hey! Aside from a very unfortunate accident that we still believe that it was Ron's fault, we've stayed true to the initial clause of you being our investor," Fred said indignantly.
"Uh huh," Harry said dryly.
-0-
"Thank you for taking me around today," Leslie said later when Harry took her back to Artorious' shop. "That was super interesting." She looked at him. "I thought it would be a lot more…academic."
Harry grinned. "Well, it will be eventually. You'll have to learn a lot more about theory and the like. But I figured you'd like some more practical applications and see how other people can use transfiguration."
Leslie nodded. "Some of those things I never would have thought of." Her eyes widened. "Oh, is it because I'm learning about artificing from Grandpa too?"
He nodded. "I wanted to see if I could introduce you to some concepts that are related to your interests."
"That's amazing!" she gasped. "Thank you! How did you get that idea?"
Harry's smile was full of warmth and love. "I have a great Mistress."
-0-
"Trying to poach my apprentice are you?!"
"What do you mean?!" Harry gasped, looking at McGonagall warily.
She laughed. "Leslie has been a delight to work with during her probation period and I'm formally accepting her. Part of her fervor and drive is from you working with her these last few weeks and she gushes about you. Said she's even happier working with me and learning from me with how you are."
Harry blushed and waved her compliments away. "I only treated her how you treated me. Only much nicer."
"Much nicer?!"
"Oh yeah, draconian you are sometimes, McGonaMum."
"I'll show you draconian," she sniffed. "You have encountered nothing yet, Apprentice Potter."
Harry snorted. "You wouldn't dare."
"Sure of that, are you?"
"I am. I have a very adorable shield at home and have absolutely no shame in employing them."
"You would not stoop so low!" McGonagall gasped.
"I suppose you'll just have to chance it," Harry said smugly.
-0-0-0-
Ghostwriter - Hedwig with discernable dialogue is one of my favorite things. She had quite the personality.
odonnellzoo99 - Hehe, butt. She's got a way with words, that Hedwig. It's so much fun revisiting past scenes and adding a bit more flavor and fun to them.
alix33 - I described what they look like back in Family when they were first introduced. Aimee has brown hair and Colette has black hair. And yes, a baconeer is like that as well as a maker of bacon.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - I won't get tired of Hedwig dialgoue chapters. I have some really good ones to visit in a soon coming chapter probably.
TheSphynx - Glad you enjoy them. That was one of my favorite moments and it was very satisfying to return to it.
poka - I forgot why I went back to that chapter in Family, but when I read the blurb about Hedwig throwing Colette out, I knew I had to revisit it and set the tone for the chapter. It's always fun to go back to those moments. Gosh, that might have to happen one day. I have wrestled with Sorting the children. I don't think I could bear to separate the bunnies. That would be too cruel to them and everyone around them.