When Harry left Greengrass's office, he was happy as it meant the end of work for him. He had the whole weekend to relax and rest. He started wondering what he would do during that time, but his first stop was the Leaky Cauldron, as he was quite hungry. He ate a shepherd's pie and thought about his weekend. He knew that he would visit Tonks and the Weasleys, but nothing more.
But the idea came up to him when he thought about Arthur. He decided to buy a power generator for himself so that he could have electricity in the manor. He knew that magic and electricity were not a good combination, but he knew that if he was careful, everything would work. In a better mood, he ended his meal and left the Leaky Cauldron. He began his shopping spree at B&Q, where he bought a bigger power generator than the one he gave to Arthur. He also bought a bunch of extension cords as he planned to put the generator far from the main building. When he was done in B&Q, he went to buy a whole TV set. Then he rented about two dozen movies so that he and the Grangers had a choice of what to watch.
When he was done with that, he visited a bookstore. While he was not a bookworm like Hermione, he liked to read a book here and there. Sadly, during the last few years, he hadn't had the time to do that. So he decided to splurge a bit and buy himself whole sets of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia. As a child, he always wanted to read them, but sadly he never got the opportunity. So now when he had his own home, where he could do this uninterrupted, he decided to make his little childhood dream come true. His last stop on his journey was a Tesco. He wanted to stock up on snacks, as he craved muggle sweets a bit, and his elves had no way to buy them for him. When he was done with his shopping, he went back to the Leaky Cauldron, and from there, he flooed to his Manor.
It took him some time to prepare everything before he was ready to turn on the TV. By the time he was done, Mimsy had informed him that dinner was ready, so he went for the meal before watching the movie. He was sitting there, excited for the upcoming evening. It made him a bit sad that he had to wait almost 18 years for his first movie night, but he quickly decided not to think about that and move on. When he was done, he entered his bedroom and chose the first movie. He decided to start with Star Wars, so he changed into his sleeping outfit, started the movie, took snacks, and lay in his bed. When the film had ended, he simply lay there, content with his life for the moment. Even though his life was far different from what he had imagined before, he could honestly say that he was happy. With that thought, he took off his glasses and went to sleep.
On Saturday, he woke up after 10 A.M. He got ready for the day, and after a light breakfast, he apparated to the Burrow. He spent half the day there, leaving after dinner. After returning to the Manor, he decided to start reading Tolkien books, so The Hobbit was his first choice. He spent that evening allowing himself to get lost in a fantastical universe.
On Sunday, Harry visited Tonks's house and spent most of the day there having fun with his godson. Later in the afternoon, he spent some time reading a book. However, he didn't go to sleep as he had to pick up the Grangers from the airport at 1 A.M. He was too excited to fall asleep, so he sat in his bedroom until midnight. Then, he went to Heathrow Airport, arriving there early so that he could be the one waiting for them. After some time, he saw on the board that the plane from Melbourne had landed, and he knew that it wouldn't be long before they arrived. After 30 minutes, he heard someone shouting his name and the sound of someone running. He turned around just in time to catch his best friend, Hermione, in a hug.
"I am so happy to see you, Harry," said Hermione.
"I had missed you as well Mione," he replied.
After a minute, they were joined by Hermione's parents, who welcomed him warmly. Harry saw how tired they were, so he helped them with their bags, and they left the airport. When they were outside, they went for a walk so that they could find a quiet spot where no one would see them. When Harry had found a suitable location, he took their hands, and they portkeyed to his house.
"Welcome to Potter Manor. I know that you must be exhausted, so I will show you your rooms so that you can rest," Harry welcomed them into his house and showed them where they would sleep.
"Here are your rooms. If you need anything, please call for Mimsy, she will come and help you. If you want to find me in the morning, I will be in my office downstairs, and the doors will be open so you can find me without any problem," Harry explained to them. The Grangers thanked him and went into their rooms to rest. Harry followed their example, and after a few minutes, he was asleep.
On Monday morning, Harry ate his breakfast alone as he was sure that his guests would sleep until noon. When he was done, he went to his office to work. He began by checking his mail and found two letters there. One was from Daphne, and the other was from his broker.
Lord Potter,
I am writing to inform you that some of your debtors have replied to our letters and asked for a meeting with you to settle their obligations. I also want to inform you that the seller of the land in Hogsmeade has suggested this Wednesday for the official signing of the documents. Please let me know if you are available that day, and what reply I should send to your debtors.
With regards,
Daphne Greengrass
Harry was not surprised to see the official tone of the letter. He knew that it was one of her tasks given by Cyrus. He took his parchment and penned a reply in the same manner.
Heiress Greengrass,
Thank you for informing me of your progress in my business. Wednesday works for me as a day to sign a contract, so please set up the meeting with the seller. Please send me the names of my debtors who have decided to settle their debts. I want to find out more about that.
With regards,
Harry Potter
Satisfied with his letter, he set it aside to send it later. Then he opened the letter from his broker, Elliot Thomas.
Mr Potter
I'm glad that you have reached out to me. It has been a long time since a member of your family has discussed your finances with us. I would be more than happy to schedule an appointment for you this Tuesday at 11 AM. If this time doesn't work for you, please feel free to call my office and we can arrange a more suitable day.
With Regards
Elliot Thomas
Harry was contented to meet with him tomorrow, as he wanted to take care of that matter. Then he started working on a list of topics he wanted to discuss during his meeting with media. It was around lunchtime when Mimsy had popped into his office.
"Harry, your guests are awake and they are getting ready for the day," his loyal elf had informed him.
"Thank you, Mimsy," he replied and stood up to go into the dining room, where he planned to meet the Grangers. He took a seat at the table, and after a few minutes, Hermione and her parents joined him there.
"Hi, Harry!"
"Hi Mione, did you sleep well?" Harry asked.
"I did, your beds here are very comfortable."
"Glad to hear that. Lunch will be in a few minutes, so please sit down here." Harry then gestured at seats close to him. As soon as they sat down, Mimsy started to serve lunch.
"Harry, we had not expressed this last night, but we would like to thank you for allowing us to stay here. I promise we will not bother you for long," Daniel Granger began.
"Don't mention it. You can stay here as long as you need. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I live here alone, in such a big house. I can use some company here," Harry replied.
"Nonetheless, we are very grateful for your hospitality," replied Emma.
"You are welcome. Do you have any plans for today?" Harry asked.
"We don't. We want to rest for today, as we haven't slept much in the last three days. And the journey was tiring as well, so we haven't made any plans."
"Then after the meal, I will take you for a tour around the property, so you will be able to get used to everything available here."
"How big is this place Harry?" asked Hermione.
"Honestly? I don't have the faintest clue, as I haven't asked Mimsy about that." He replied and called the head Potter elf to him.
"Yes, Master Harry?"
"First of all, Grangers are friends of mine, so there's no need to use formal titles. The second matter, do you know how big Potter Manor is?"
"I don't know Harry. We elves have never bothered to check that up. But I am sure that you can find the answer in the family grimoire," his elf replied.
"Thank you for letting me know."
"Does anyone need anything?" Mimsy asked everyone at the table.
When no one had requested anything, she excused herself and went back to work.
They had finished their meal, and Harry took them on a tour around the manor. His guests were astonished at the size of his gardens and the forest that surrounded everything. They were impressed by his home. They all wandered outside, talked about various matters, and enjoyed the good weather to get a bit of fresh air. When they were done outside, they went back inside, where Harry had shown them more of his home. They all loved his ballroom and were happy to see the training equipment in the basement. Hermione's parents regularly worked out and they were worried a bit that they would not be able to do that here. They were almost done with the tour, but there was one more place to show them. Harry knew what he had to do before showing them inside that room.
"Alright, before we go inside, I need to do something." He took his wand and conjured up a balloon filled with helium, with a long ribbon attached to it. Then he took the other end of the ribbon and tied it to Hermione's hand.
"What are you doing, Harry?" she asked, amused.
"It's a locator. In case we need to find you."
"What? I don't get why I would…" She started but stopped abruptly, seeing the inside of his library. Harry saw how her eyes sparkled with excitement, seeing that amount of rare books.
"You know Harry, this locator of yours is probably not a bad idea," said Daniel, amused at his daughter's reaction.
"Dear Merlin, so many books…" Hermione said, walking around in awe, silently reading the titles on them.
"Are there any restrictions on those books?" asked his best friend.
"Nope. Everything that needs to stay private in my family is written in my grimoire that I keep in my office. So you are free to choose any book you want. Also, it pertains to your parents, as there is quite a section of Muggle books here. You will not find anything new here, but on the other hand, mundane books here need to be first editions."
"Oh yes, I will spend some time here," Hermione's mother replied.
They all spent some time there, and all of the Grangers had found an interesting lecture for them. They decided to go outside to read for a bit, so Harry decided to go back to work. But before he was able to come back to his task, he received a letter from Healer Davis.
Lord Potter
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing to you as we at St. Mungo's Hospital are facing a very serious problem, and I don't know who else to turn to. We have around 100 children living here due to the war, as they have no one to take care of them. We cannot discharge them as they need to be picked up by their guardians, which they don't have. I have approached Lord Longbottom and Lord Greengrass, who have declared their support but advised me to turn to you for help. You are the one person that the Ministry will listen to.
Our problem is simple. We don't have the budget or staff to give these children the care they need. I have asked the Ministry for help, but they have not been forthcoming. The children are miserable here, and we cannot change their situation. I am writing to you, begging for your help. Please try to speak with the Minister or their staff, so they will reopen the orphanage. I know it doesn't seem like much of an improvement, but believe me, these kids are in a bad spot here. We are doing everything we can, but it is not enough. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
With regards,
Sara Davis
Harry was furious upon reading the letter. He quickly made his way downstairs to the training room, where he unleashed curses upon the targets to calm himself down. After finally regaining his composure, he decided not to waste any more time. He informed his guests of his departure and then used the Floo Network to leave the manor.