The residents of Potter Manor decided to sleep in late one morning. It was almost noon before they left their bedrooms to get something to eat. Penny had visited the manor to return a dress to Hermione and stayed behind to help with the cleanup. With the help of the house elves, they managed to finish the job in about an hour.
Harry used his time to think. He was impressed with Penny's intelligence, capability, and hardworking nature. He realized that she would be a valuable part of his plans, so he asked her if they could have a conversation.
"Penny, during the last two days, you have impressed me. Your intelligence, confidence, and ability to keep your head cool is something that many people will envy you for," Harry said.
"Thank you for your kind words," Penny replied.
"The reason why I wanted to talk to you is simple. I would like to offer you a job as my secretary," Harry continued.
"What would my job look like, and why do you want to hire me?" Penny asked.
"You will be responsible for my timetable, post, and generally be the person everyone needs to go through when they want to see me. As for why you: as I said before, you are a hardworking, smart witch who will be able to handle the job and not run to me with every small matter. Also, you will be the link between me and my other employees."
Penny stayed silent for a second, considering the idea. Though she had not expected a job interview that day, she knew that she would probably not get a better option. Working for Harry would be a prestigious and well-paid job with a good work environment.
"You know what Harry? Even though the responsible action would be to go back to Hogwarts to think that through, I will accept your offer. It would be pointless for me to waste more time thinking about the best job offer I will get, so I would be happy to work for you," Penny replied.
"Then welcome on board, Miss Clearwater. Your job starts tomorrow at 8 AM. Come to the manor, and I will give you more details," Harry said as he stood up and shook her hand.
"I will be here, boss," Penny mock-saluted, and they both left the office. Penny decided to go back to Hogwarts to rest, leaving Harry alone. He went to his bedroom, took his book, and went outside to relax. He stayed there till dinner, undisturbed. When they finished the meal, Daniel, Ted, and Andi asked to speak with Harry.
"Is everything alright guys?"
"Yes, everything is great Harry, we wanted to talk about your job offers."
"Of course, do you have any questions?"
"Not at this moment. We all discussed it together, and after talking to Emma, I decided to accept your offer," Daniel replied.
"Great to hear that. And you two?" Harry asked Tonks couple.
"We did, and we would also like to take your offer."
"I am very happy that you accepted," Harry replied with a smile. They spoke for a bit more, and after a moment, they all left Harry's office to enjoy the evening.
On Monday morning, Harry woke up early to assign tasks to his new employees before he went to a Wizengamot meeting. When the clock showed 8 o'clock, Penny stepped through the floo, and they all went for their first briefing on their new job.
"Once more, I would like to sincerely welcome you here. I hope our cooperation will be long and fruitful. But it is time for us to start working. Here is a list of your tasks for today.
"Andromeda, I need you to go to Black property in Wales. From my information, that place could be wonderful to host the orphanage. Go there, find out if my information is correct, assess the condition of that property, and start thinking about stuff for the orphanage. How many people we would need there, and how qualified they should be?"
"Of course," she replied, writing her task on a paper.
"Penny, you will go to Gringotts to meet my account manager, Barchoke. He will give you a list of properties for sale, as well as a list of potential investments for me. You will put the second list on my desk and work with Ted for the rest of the day," Harry said, turning his eyes towards Ted.
"Ted, when we finish the meeting, I will give you a full list of properties that I own. You will start working on a schedule to visit every place abroad. You will work on that until Penny returns. When she is here, both of you will go to Diagon Alley to find a suitable place for an office. We need to create a place where people can find me, as I don't want them to come to Manor."
"Sure thing, boss," Penny replied.
"Dan, you will go to the Muggle world to do a bit of scouting. I need you to prepare a list of properties for sale in London so we can locate Muggleborns there. Block of flats or tenement houses are your main focus. I will inform Mimsy to await your call when you finish so you can return to us."
"I will do that," Daniel replied.
"As I don't think I will be back before lunch, I want you to be here at 4 P.M. so we can discuss what you have managed to do. Any questions?"
After everyone had left his office, Harry went to his bedroom to change into his official Wizengamot robes and left for the Ministry. When he arrived, he met with Cyrus and they went to Courtroom 10 together. They were not surprised to find that the courtroom was mostly empty, as many members of the Wizengamot did not feel it necessary to attend the first session after the war. Harry and Cyrus used the extra time to discuss their plans for the day. When the last person arrived, they were finally able to begin.
The clerk announced the start of the session, and Kingsley began presiding over it, as there was currently no Chief Warlock. He suggested that they begin with a roll call of every voting family to find out who was available to vote for their families. No one protested, so he began calling the families one by one. He started with the Most Ancient and Noble Houses, and Harry was one of the first to be called.
"Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter!" the clerk called out.
Harry stood up and replied, "I, Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily, sit on the seat."
Kingsley then asked, "Lord Potter, have you chosen your heir?"
"I have, Minister. My blood-adopted son Edward Lupin is my sole heir, and if he is too young to take his seat, his grandmother Andromeda will serve as his proxy."
There was a loud murmur in the courtroom, as many people were outraged about his choice.
"A werewolf as heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House? He should lose his seat for an idea like that!" one member said out loud, hoping his voice would be lost in the crowd. Unfortunately for him, Harry recognized the voice as belonging to Lord Dawlish.
"Care to repeat yourself, Lord Dawlish?" Harry growled loudly.
"You can't possibly believe that we will allow for the half-breed..." Lord Dawlish started, but Harry cut him off.
"Listen to me, you inbred cretin. Edward Lupin was tested by healers in St Mungo's who confirmed that he was not infected with lycanthropy. So if you dare to insult him one more time or try to even suggest interfering with the business of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, then I swear I will challenge you to an honour duel. So do yourself a favour and shut the f*** up," Harry barked.
Lord Dawlish paled considerably at Harry's words. He had wanted to belittle Harry, thinking he was a stupid and naive kid, but it had backfired on him badly. When no one made any more comments, Kingsley continued with the roll call until he called the House of Black.
"Most Ancient and Noble House of Black," the clerk called out.
"I, Harry James, adopted son of the last Lord Black, Sirius Orion, sit in the seat."
"You can't inherit anything from him, he was an escaped convict!" someone shouted.
"He was not," Harry replied calmly. He had been expecting that reaction, so he did not get angry. The last administration had decided to throw Sirius into Azkaban without a trial. As he was never formally sentenced, he was not stripped of his lordship, allowing Harry to inherit the family from him.
Harry could see the dark side of the Wizengamot and was both incredibly angry and terrified. Harry was a powerful figure by himself, and adding the lordship of two Most Ancient and Noble Houses made him a half-god here. Luckily for them, no one dared to say anything. Kingsley continued the roll call until he confirmed the last seats.
"Dear Members, now that we have the roll call behind us, we can start working on crucial matters. First of all, we need to choose a new Chief Warlock."
For the next 30 minutes, potential candidates introduced themselves and asked for votes. After some time, they chose Griselda Marchbanks as the new leader of the Wizengamot.
"Members of Wizengamot, thank you for your trust. Now, let's move on to pressing matters. First, we have the matter of upcoming trials to discuss. Director Robards is asking for permission to use Veritaserum on them."
The argument that followed was epic. It was clear that many members were afraid of what could be exposed during those trials, so they tried to stop the motion. Their official excuse was a fear of family secrets being exposed, but Harry had an idea of how to destroy their argument. He asked Madam Marchbanks to allow him to speak, and when she permitted him, he turned to them.
"Members of Wizengamot, I understand that many of you are afraid of using Veritaserum. You are worried about your family secrets, and I understand that. But I also see the need for them to be interrogated under Veritaserum. So I propose a compromise. Aurors will be able to use the potion, but they will only be allowed to ask questions that were ratified by the Wizengamot. This way, secrets would be safe, and we would have every bit of information."
Harry looked at them with satisfaction, realizing that he had them. Opposing his proposition could make them suspicious, so they could not vote against it. They put his compromise to the vote, and it passed without any problem. After that, they scheduled the beginning of the trials, deciding to start on June 22nd with the trial of Lucius Malfoy. They discussed a few minor matters before Madam Marchbanks ended the meeting. Harry left the courtroom but waited for Cyrus to get his opinion.
"You did well standing up to Dawlish. You showed them that you are not a naive boy, but the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House," Cyrus commented. After a moment, they said goodbye and left the Ministry. Harry went straight to Potter Manor, which was still empty as he came back earlier than he anticipated. He used his time to hire more elves for his family as he needed them to maintain his properties. When he bonded with enough of them, he called Mimsy so she could begin to teach them how to communicate properly in English. When he was done with his task, he started looking for Emma and Hermione as he had a surprise for them.
"Good afternoon ladies, I hope I'm not interrupting you," he welcomed them.
"Of course you're not, Harry. How can we help you?" asked Hermione.
"I have a surprise for both of you, so please follow me," he exclaimed.
"What is going on, Harry?" questioned Emma.
"Don't worry, you will find out soon." Harry then took them into Diagon Alley and led them into one of his empty premises.
"What is this place? What are we doing here?"
"I will start with a question for you. Have you been aware that the Leaky Cauldron is not the only place where you can enter Diagon Alley from the Muggle world?"
"Really?" asked curious Hermione.
"Yup. Many of the premises, like here, have a passage between the worlds."
"But why are we here, Harry?" Emma asked.
"Because I would like to offer you this place for your dream bookshop."
"WHAT?"
"Emma, when I spoke with Dan, he told me two things. One was that you dream about having your store. And two is that you wanted your job to be meaningful. Having you open this place here, you could help navigate Muggle-borns and their families on how to find themselves in the Wizarding World."
Both Granger females stood there speechless. They had no idea how to comment on Harry's thoughtfulness. They stood that way for a moment until they started to simultaneously trade ideas, forgetting that Harry was there. Harry could see their excitement, and he was glad that his idea was good. After a moment, Emma turned to Harry, wanting to ask him a few questions.
"Alright, Harry, how much do you want for that place? What am I supposed to do to open a business in the Wizarding World? Do I need some kind of permission?"
"Hermione needs to be the one to register the company. Other than that, you are free to run the business however you want. As for a price - it's a gift for you."
"No, Harry, we can't," stated Hermione.
"Yes, you can. Hermione, you sacrificed so much for the last 7 years that I can't ever repay you. So please, if you think that my idea is great, then don't fight with me on that."
Hermione hugged him closely, crying and mumbling her thanks to him. Emma had joined the teens in a hug, also grateful for his generosity. Only a few weeks ago, she thought that her relationship with her daughter was forever broken, and now she was going to open her dream business with her. They stood that way for a moment until they gained composure, allowing Harry to speak.
"So I understand that you want that place."
"YES!"
"Great. In that case, I am inviting you for ice cream to celebrate a bit. My treat!"
"Then lead the way, Mr Potter," said Hermione, and they all left that place to get a well-deserved treat.