The gala went late into the night, and Hermione finally returned to the coven house with the others past 1am, where they all promptly collapsed and slept. When they finally awoke, it was Harry's birthday, and they were all glad they had a lazy day ahead of them.
Harry had asked for something small for his birthday, nothing too ostentatious or big. They'd decided on an outing as a group, inviting Neville, Ron, Seamus, and Dean along for the ride. Hermione had insisted on including all of Harry's dormmates, not just Neville and Ron, though she hadn't admitted why until later.
"Seamus and Dean know how to blend into muggle society," she'd told Susan quietly. "If we're going to the zoo, we're going to need controls on how some of us act."
Given muggle society tended to look down on unaccompanied minors, Hermione's parents had been happy to take their daughter and her friends to the zoo for the day. It was an excellent way to spend a Sunday, but Hermione figured her parents also found it an excellent way to gauge who their daughter was spending time around. The Grangers were a delight to the other children, who were thrilled to have relatively permissive guardians for the outing, and Hermione rather suspected her father was amused by Blaise, who was asking questions about all sorts of things while simultaneously trying to show off what he had learned in Muggle Studies.
Seamus and Dean, who had been to the zoo before, helped reign in Ron and Neville. For Ron, this took the form of shoving him onto the escalator before he could make a scene, making him shut up when he loudly started comparing elephants and rhinoceroses to erumpets, and jabbing an elbow into him when he was staring at something muggle (automated doors, a helium balloon) for too long. For Neville, Seamus and Dean reassured him that no, the lions could not get out of the pit and eat them all alive; no, the elephants wouldn't stampede and break into the zoo; and no, they didn't think the giraffe was actually one of Hagrid's breeding experiments run amok. Harry was happy to let Seamus and Dean have this job, and if Hermione wasn't mistaken, Harry had been quietly goading Ron into certain situations, pointing out the automatic doors and the rhinos' horns, presumably just to see what he'd do.
All of the Gryffindor boys, however, found the monkeys throwing poo at each other absolutely hilarious, and they had dissolved into hysterics, imitating the monkeys by loping around, making noises, and miming throwing poo. It'd been up to an exasperated Hermione to round them up and shove them on to the next exhibit, ignoring their wheezing and protests that they were just having a bit of fun.
Luna, surprisingly, had also been to the zoo before, and she appointed herself Susan's guide through the muggle animal park.
"My Daddy said it's important to know what creatures have already been found and exist before you start looking for new ones," Luna explained to Susan, nodding wisely. "Some of these creatures — you'd think they belong in Hagrid's class, with how they look. Have you ever seen an axolotl?"
The trip to the zoo had delighted Harry. It was clear he'd gone to the zoo before, but never with friends. He took pleasure in buying them all ice cream, enjoyed telling Ron and Neville what he knew about some of the more exotic animals, and when the serpent house was empty, he hissed at the snakes, making them dance and act oddly in front of the others. The Gryffindors were shocked and impressed while the rest of the coven hung back, amused at the commands Harry was issuing to the serpents.
They stopped to eat at the zoo's restaurant, where the Gryffindors gave Harry his birthday gifts (the coven preferring to give him their gifts in private). Harry looked surprised to get anything, and it seemed like he didn't really know what to do when getting gifts in public.
"Do—do I open them now?" he asked, looking around. "Err—should I save them for later to open in private? When we're not around muggles?"
"I didn't think of that." Neville looked worried. "I think it's okay?"
Neville had given Harry a magic silver and steel trowel, guaranteed to help dig up even the most stubborn magical plants. Dean had gotten Harry a soccer ball, and Seamus had given Harry a few records.
"I noticed you have a record player in that treehouse," he said, grinning. "Might as well have some music for it, right?"
After the party, everyone went back to the Grangers' house, and Ron pulled Harry aside after the others had Floo'd back home (or to Diagon Alley, where Dean was meeting his mother).
"I didn't want to give you this in front of the others," he said awkwardly, "but here."
He handed Harry an envelope, and Harry tore it open curiously. There was a piece of paper in it.
"It this—" Harry's mouth dropped open. "Is this really—?"
"A World Cup ticket," Ron said, grinning. "Top Box and everything. Dad did Ludo Bagman a favor – his brother was in trouble with an enchanted lawn mower, but Dad smoothed the whole thing over – and Bagman gave him tickets as a thank you."
Harry was speechless.
"I—I can't wait," he said honestly. "Ron, this is excellent."
"It'll be great," Ron said happily. "Come over the night before, yeah? And then we'll all go to the Portkey together."
"That sounds great," Harry said emphatically. "Thank you."
Harry gave Ron a heartfelt hug, surprising Ron, but Ron was grinning as he Floo'd back to the Burrow. Harry followed after him, Flooing back to the coven house from the Grangers'.
"You know," Hermione mused aloud, and Blaise glanced over at her. "For all Tracy's presuming that I'll go to the World Cup, it never occurred to me I'd need to buy tickets, did you know?"
Blaise laughed.
"What, haven't done Ludo Bagman any favors or managed to get in a bribe?" he teased. "Better get on that – there's only a month before the Cup."
Hermione laughed. "I suppose I'd better."
The Daily Prophet headlines on Monday told the story of the successful art auction, to Hermione's pleasure. She and Blaise (who had come over that morning, after her parents had left) were taking their time to relax and breathe and enjoy breakfast before going out on the quest of the day, and they read the piece while they ate.
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WEREWOLF ART AUCTION A SMASHING SUCCESS
Construction of werewolf house to start immediately!
By Chiara Lobosca
Saturday night, the House of Greengrass hosted a magnificent gala and auction to help sponsor the creation of a house for werewolves. The auction was an overwhelming success, raising over 50,000 galleons to help with the cause.
"We're so pleased," said Daphne Greengrass, hostess of the event. "The construction of this house will help so many people currently suffering from lycanthropy."
The evening started with speeches from two actual werewolves: Remus Lupin, who was bitten as a child by Fenrir Greyback, and Geoffrey Hooper, a bright-eyed fifteen-year-old who Hogwarts student who had only recently contracted the curse. Lupin related a tale of anguish and misery, speaking of his life and painful transformations since childhood, which tugged at the hearts of the audience. He also spoke of the danger of werewolves in society, emphasizing how even the well-meaning could slip and have terrible mistakes.
"The only way to guarantee a werewolf is safe and will not infect anyone else," Lupin said, "is to ensure the werewolf never need transform into a wolf at all."
In stark contrast, Hooper's speech was more hopeful.
"Everyone I've ever talked to has said how painful turning into a werewolf is," he said. "But because of this initiative, I might never need to feel that pain myself. If we can pull this off together – if we can raise enough money for this house – I'll be able to escape the full moon each month, and I'll never need to suffer that agony, ever."
The art up for auction that night all had a central theme of werewolves, though artists chose to interpret that theme in different ways.
"The piece Snarl was particularly terrifying," said Todd Jacobs, wizarding art critic. "Only the face of a werewolf and one claw were portrayed, with viciousness and murder in every brushstroke made in the eyes, in the teeth, in the jaw, in the claws. By contrast, Fursona chose to focus on a different aspect of werewolves – that there is still a human trapped inside, no matter how they might look on the outside. By giving the werewolf a more human physique, having it stand upright, and giving the werewolf some clothes, the artist captured how werewolves truly are still human, despite the beast they fight with every full moon."
All the pieces at the auction sold, many for high prices. The title for highest donor was hotly contested, as it was the highest donor who could name the new facility to be built. In the end, the several parties came to a group consensus on a name: The Hooper House.
"Geoffrey Hooper should never have gotten bitten, and he did a very brave thing, protecting the rest of Hogwarts [from a werewolf]," said Sirius Black, Wizengamot member. "By naming the building after an act of heroism, of self-sacrifice, we can establish this new law with a positive outlook on what is to come."
Other suggestions prior to deciding on the Hooper House included: The Werewolf Jail, Kiwis' Cave, The Malfoy House for Lycanthropes, The Selwyn House for Werewolves, [expletive] You Fenrir Greyback, and The Furry Forest.
"Of all the names suggested, the one that caused the least upset was The Hooper House," said Narcissa Malfoy, member of the Sacred 28 and winner of one of the art pieces. "Some of the names were disgraceful, but I think our country can be proud of a facility named in honor of the bravery of one of our youths."
.
Blaise put down the paper, quizzical.
"They didn't cover that Lupin attacked Geoffrey," he said. "I thought for sure they'd mention that bit."
Hermione had a strong suspicion as to why the journalist hadn't – the name on the byline wasn't entirely unfamiliar to her.
"Maybe the writer assigned to this piece is sympathetic to werewolves," Hermione said. She shrugged. "It wasn't necessary to put all of his speech into print, so why bother?"
Blaise grinned. "Fair enough."
"Come on," Hermione said, finishing her toast. "We've got to go soon. We're meeting them… actually, I don't know where we're meeting them."
"I like this plan less and less the more I learn," Blaise said with a sigh, setting down his cup.
"If I can learn this, it will be an incredible boon for us," Hermione argued.
"I know," Blaise said patiently. "That doesn't mean it's not frightening, Hermione."
Hermione bit her lip. She took a deep breath and looked down at the floor, trying not to think of the promised pain to come.
"I know," she agreed quietly. "Believe me, I know."