Harry returned to his home feeling extremely angry. Although he knew that some people might not agree with his plans, he never expected Dumbledore to accuse him of having a personal vendetta against the Ministry. To calm down, he decided to take a walk around his house and get some fresh air.
Harry was not particularly fond of Dumbledore, and his words had infuriated him. One of the two men primarily responsible for all his past struggles had dared to accuse him of being selfish and wanting to destroy the Ministry. The audacity of this man had amazed him.
But after a moment of consideration, Harry realized that he should not care about his words. Dumbledore's views of the "Greater Good," second chances, and trying to keep the peace at all costs had led the country to its current state. So, Harry decided to ignore him and work harder, hoping to make his ideas obsolete.
He spent the rest of the afternoon doing nothing, as he had planned. He walked around the house, read a book, and took a good nap. It was supper time when he rejoined the other inhabitants of Potter Manor.
"Hello, everyone," he greeted them.
"How are you, Harry? I saw you coming back in the morning and you looked upset," replied Hermione.
"That's because I was. I've been to Hogwarts, as both McGonagall and Dumbledore wanted to speak to me."
"What did they want?" asked Andi.
"McGonagall wanted to offer her support and check if I'm bankrupting myself."
"That sounds like her," said Hermione.
"And this old fool called me there to accuse me of wanting to destroy the Ministry out of spite."
"You're joking," said Tonks.
"I'm not. He then strongly suggested that I should start working with Shacklebolt again so they could get things back to the way they were before the war."
"Aren't you doing your best to prevent that?" asked Emma.
"I am, and I told him that. We went back and forth until I told him what I think of him, his ideas, and how much damage he caused to society."
"What did you tell him exactly?" asked Daniel.
"That he is mainly responsible for making Voldemort a monster."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Emma.
"Dumbledore was the first wizard that Tom has met. He knew about his life in the orphanage and what kind of child he was. Tom was using his magic to torture other kids before he even knew that he was a wizard. He required psychological help, as well as someone to truly take care of him so they could teach him at least bits of empathy. But what Dumbledore did do? He threatened him by making an illusion of him burning his things. He showed him that using his power to get his way was acceptable. When Tom was at Hogwarts, his tendencies had not diminished, and yet Dumbledore had ignored it. So yes, he created Voldemort, through his neglect and stupidity."
"Does your Ministry have a Child Protective Service?" asked Emma.
"Technically, yes, but in reality, they are doing practically nothing. They only intervene when it's already too late," replied Andi.
"And this is one of the changes I will try to push for in the beginning," added Harry.
"When can you start working on Wizengamot?" asked Hermione.
"Probably sometime in August. We're starting trials soon, and they will take some time. And, to be honest, I'm glad that I'll have some time to prepare. The next few weeks will be busy."
"About that, Harry, I've talked with Hermione, and if you'd like, we could help you for a few days in your office," said Emma.
"I'd like that very much. Even though the twins will join us, we could still use some help, as I think we'll be flooded with people tomorrow."
"I think so too. Your interview was a masterpiece, and will surely bring a lot of people to you," Ted said.
"In that case, I am calling it a night. I want to rest a bit more before tomorrow. Goodnight everyone," Harry said and left for his bedroom.
The next morning, Harry and his team met early in the office for a last meeting before starting the day.
"Alright everyone, it is showtime. Today is a very important day for our whole plan. If everything goes smoothly, it will assure more people about our plans and intentions, giving them the courage to come for help. Here is how we are going to split. Andi, Emma, you will take care of the foundation. Your job will probably be the hardest as I expect a few unpleasant visits."
"What do you mean?" asked Andi, surprised.
"The Ministry was forcing close relatives to take care of their underage family members. Now that we announced the opening of the orphanage, I am afraid that they will try to give them to us. So I want you to work together all the time in case some of them become aggressive."
"What are we supposed to tell them?"
"If they want to give up their family members, they need to go to the Ministry and take care of all paperwork. Do not make it easier for them. Tell them what to do and send them away."
"We will do that," said an angry Emma, with Andi nodding in agreement. It was clear that their mother instincts were kicking in, making them angry at the thought of those kids' fate.
"Dan, Mione, you will work together and will help people looking for their place. All the forms are prepared, so invite them in, make a quick interview, and help them fill out the form."
"How long will they have to wait for an answer?" asked Hermione.
"If they ask, tell them to wait for an owl, but we will do our best to give them a reply in 48 hours max."
"Ted, Padma, you will be working with people who would like to become my business partners. Make small talk with them and write your first impressions about them. It will help me a lot."
"Sure thing, boss," saluted Padma.
"Lastly, Penny and Parvati, you will help people looking for a job. Same drill as Dan and Hermione, help them fill out the forms and inform them about waiting time."
"Alright, Harry," replied Penny.
"Anyone has any questions about today or any others?"
"I do have one. Are our assignments permanent?" asked curious Parvati.
"No, they are not. Long term, I am thinking about moving you to the foundation, and Padma will work under Ted."
"Can I ask why you chose to give us these specific assignments?" asked Padma curiously.
"Sure. Even though you are physically identical, you have different personalities. Parvati is more outgoing and talkative, so she will do a better job at the foundation, where she will need to chat with a lot of people. You, on the other hand, have a more analytic mind, so you will do a better job at creating business plans, talking with investors, etc." Harry explained.
The twins nodded in understanding and were secretly happy about how things had turned out. Even though they could not imagine being separated, they liked being independent, so the fact that Harry understood that they were not identical made them feel good about their future working with him.
"If you don't have any more questions, then it's time for us to get ready as we are opening in 5 minutes." They all stood up and went to their desks. When they gave him the signal that they were ready, Harry went to the front door to open the office. When he arrived, he was shocked for a second. Although they were not open yet, he could see several dozen people already waiting there. When he regained composure, he decided to address them all.
"Sonorus. Good morning, everyone. I am glad to see so many of you here," he was met with applause. "Me and my team will be happy to hear you out and help you in any way we can. But to ensure that everything goes smoothly, please stay calm and stay in line. We will hear everyone here, so you don't need to worry about that. Quietus."
With that, he left them and went to warn his team.
"Are there people already?" asked Hermione.
"I have not counted, but my guess will be around eighty at this moment."
"Already?"
"Yup. So brace yourselves as I am going to open." He said when the clock struck 9 A.M. Harry then opened the door, led the first people inside, and went to his office. He decided against helping them directly as he was expecting that some higher-up would demand to meet him.
Things were going smoothly until noon when he heard shouting from the hall. He left his office to check up on what was going on and found Eustachy Slughorn shouting at Ted.
"I demand to meet with him now!" Slughorn shouted.
"If you don't have an appointment..." started Ted.
"I don't care about your dumb appointments!" Slughorn tried to reply, but this time it was Harry who cut in.
"Raise your voice one more time, and I will call Aurors to charge you for trespassing." Harry barked.
"How dare you drag me to the courts when you are giving them money for free?"
"It's not your damn business what I'm doing with my money. If I want to give it away, then I will do it. If I want to drag you to court to get my money back, then I am going to do this. Now you have 10 seconds to leave this place, or you will find yourself in holding cells in the Ministry."
It was clear that Harry's threat had worked, as Slughorn had left the office instantly. Harry was about to go back to his office, when he was stopped by Padma.
"Lord Potter, I would like to introduce you to my father, Rajesh Patil."
"Lord Potter, it's an honor to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Patil. Did you come to talk about my offer?"
"I did."
"Then let's take it to my office. We will be able to speak there privately." Harry then took him inside.
"Mr. Patil, from what I have heard, Death Eaters ruined your company when you refused to sell the twins, am I right?"
"You are, Lord Potter. Since the war ended, I have been trying to rebuild it, but due to our current economy, it's a hard task as I don't have too much of a budget."
"In that case, I have two offers for you. The first one is a low-interest loan for you, so you could rebuild your business. Or I can invest the money into your company for a percentage of ownership."
"How much percentage do you have in mind?"
"Honestly, it depends on your plans for development and how much I will need to invest. I think the best option for you would be to decide what you want to do. If you want a loan, try to come up with a number so we could work out the interest. And if you want to partner with me, I would like you to do some business planning, and outline all possibilities for progress."
"Sounds reasonable. How much time do I have to decide?"
"Take your time, this offer is not time-limited."
"Very well then, I will contact you when I decide on what to do."
Harry then shook his hand and walked him to the doors. On his way back, he took the first batch of files to check if there was anything interesting. He was very surprised. Of course, it all required more in-depth analysis, but first glances were promising. Quite a few people had good ideas for businesses, and it made him very happy. If at least half of them ended up successful, their economy would get a massive boost. Harry then decided to leave it aside, as it was 1 p.m., and his team required lunch and a break, so he went outside to check the situation. When he went through the doors, he saw that the crowd was the same size as in the morning.
"Alright, everyone, I have a brief announcement. As my team is in need of a break, I am going to ask you not to go inside when someone leaves. When we get lunch, I will come here and open the doors again. Thank you for understanding." With that, he went inside and called Mimsy into his office. He asked her to prepare lunch for them and bring the food there.
Twenty minutes later, Harry left his office, and he and his team were alone inside.
"Are we getting a break?" asked Hermione.
"And lunch," he replied, handing her a plate.
"Thank God," she said.
"How is the situation here?" Harry asked.
"Busy but manageable. Thankfully, besides Slughorn, people are very calm and are not making problems," said Hermione.
"Same for us," said Andi. "Unfortunately, Harry, you were right that some people will come here to give up their underage family members. After they heard how you dealt with Slughorn, they were very respectful of us."
"How many kids do we need to take?"
"At this moment, four. But I am sure that more will follow."
"Unfortunately, you are probably right." They all finished their meal and used those few minutes to stretch their legs and prepare themselves for the rest of the day. When they were done, Harry had opened the doors and allowed people to come inside again. His next interruption was Cyrus, who wanted to talk to him.
"Harry, can I take a moment?"
"Of course, come inside. What brings you here?"
"I got information from a friend that Shacklebolt wants to meet with you. Someone will come here today to set up a date, and I wanted you to be prepared."
"Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate that."
"Are you going to meet with him?"
"I don't see why not. At best, he's wisened up and wants to do something good. At worst, I will tell him what I think and leave his office."
"Sounds like a plan. In that case, I will leave you now as I know that you have a lot to do."
"One question, Cyrus. Are you aware that Daphne and I began dating?"
"I am. Your girlfriend wasted no time announcing it to us. And before you ask, yes, I am fine with that. Daphne is a grown, mature young woman, capable of making her own decisions. And I personally think that she chose a good man."
"Thank you. It means a lot to me."
Cyrus smiled at him and left his office. Harry didn't have a lot of time, as soon he was visited by Percy.
"Hello, Harry."
"Hi, Percy. What brings you here?"
"I am here because the Minister would like to speak to you."
"I am aware of that, but in the next few days, I am too busy to do this within normal hours. The only time that works for me is about 7 in the morning."
"I have informed them that you are not available to leave the office during work hours. They agreed to meet with you at any time. So, does 7 o'clock tomorrow work for you?"
"Yes, it works for me."
"Great, I will let them know that you will be there. And Harry, I personally think you are doing a great job here. Keep up the good work. I have confidence that you will succeed."
"Thank you, Percy."
The rest of the day passed without any further interruptions. Everyone left the office at 6:30 PM to get some well-deserved rest.