And here's the fifty fifth chapter of "A Year Too Soon"! Enjoy!
* Review Response:
SiriusOrionBitch, Darkscythe Drake, Yaw6113, Agnes Fonta, BMS, erbkaiser, stevem1, griffin blackwood, KongoBongo, mwinter1, Brockster550, Fuck Names, Mugetsu700, mizzrazz72, Greatazuredragon, DarkRavie, Tertius711, Blue Luver5000, Guest #1, Majerus (guest), MichelleRae18, AEC7fb, thank you for your reviews, folks!
magitech, certainly, but now that he has an official 'go ahead' from Lady Carrow, some of those people might decide that actually expressing their resentment of him might cause them too much trouble to be really worth it, and will silently seethe in the corner instead of attacking Harry in some way.
Urgazhi, the contract isn't binding and it's protective power comes from the fact that it was signed by a regent to a House belonging to the Sacred Twenty Eight, rather than from any enchantment on it. And, no, Harry isn't the heir to Blacks here (yet?). Sirius is.
Clavyus, at the moment I'm leaning towards Harry being officially married only to one of them (she will become a Potter) while the other will officially remain a Carrow. Of course, he will love them equally.
Luiz4200, Harry is (only) the heir apparent to House of Potter and doesn't wield the full powers he'll eventually have as a Lord just yet. But since he's also an emancipated minor, Sirius will not be able to do anything about the choices Harry *can* make. And the courtship contracts falls squarely into that category. As for Sirius's trial... I'm still not sure how to resolve his plot thread yet.
* AN: This chapter has not been beta-read.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Harry Potter" franchise. No profit is being made. Same goes for any books, video games, anime or manga I may or may not use for ideas.
"speaking"
"parseltongue"
'thinking'
written text
spells
A Year Too Soon
Chapter LV: Contracts
Just like Lady Carrow promised, the next morning Harry received an owl with the draft of the courtship contract. And, indeed, at a glance it was just a formalization of their relationship without any obvious special conditions or obvious penalty clauses. Still, his knowledge of Magical contracts and the specific language they were written in was very limited and just because he couldn't see any issues with the document, it didn't mean that it actually was free of traps.
Thus, to make sure that this contract was as safe as Lady Carrow had promised it would be, he was going to hire someone much better versed in Magical contract law to look through it. And only once they confirmed that there were no surprises hidden in the legalese of this parchment, he'll finally sign it. He meant no offense to Lady Carrow with this, of course, but he wasn't going to sign any parchmentwork thoughtlessly.
Harry actually had contacts of a few solicitors - the topic of legal help had been touched upon during one of his past meetings with Master Silverclaw and the goblin was kind enough to provide him with the information he needed... for a small fee, of course - and he sent them an owl, politely asking whether they would be able to advise him on this courtship contract. He didn't expect to receive any responses for a few days though, as it was holiday time right now, and solicitors tended to be rather busy people in general.
And while he waited for their response, the young Potter heir focused on doing some final preparations for his meeting with the Finewoods. And there were a few things he felt like he needed to do before he could say he was ready for this meeting.
~/ *** \~
Finally, the day of the meeting arrived, and shortly before noon on December 29th, Harry found himself sitting in the out-of-the-way corner of 'Leaky Cauldron' with a whole stack of parchment - mostly various blueprints and other design documents for the new Potter manor - on the table in front of him.
A minute or two past noon, the fire in the fireplace turned emerald green and a moment later the Finewoods stepped out. Quickly removing soot and ashes from their robes - simple, but clean and rather tasteful ones - the father and the son looked around the pub for their client. It took them only a few seconds to spot him.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter." Thomas Finewood said as he and Jeremy took seats across the table from Harry. The said teen gave them a polite nod before greeting them back:
"Good morning." He said.
"In your letter, you asked as if we were interested in becoming the general contractors for your new manor." The man continued, going straight to business. "And, like my son told you in his response, while the job is of interest to us, we would like to know more details before we accept it." He then glanced down at the stacks of parchment the Potter heir had with him. "I see, you have prepared everything we might need... Good. Shall we begin?"
"Sure." Harry replied, before pulling the biggest piece of parchment from the stack - the blueprint of the manor Mr. Hall had designed for him - and unfolding it on the table.
The builder duo picked the parchment and began scrutinizing it. And, unlike their teenaged client, they actually had the perfect understanding of everything drawn and written on that parchment. After studying the blueprints for about fifteen minutes, they finally delivered their verdict:
"This is a solid design." Thomas said. "We can build it." There was a brief pause, before he continued: "Your letter mentioned that you want your new manor built on top of the foundation left from the old one, is that right, Mr. Potter?" Harry nodded.
"Yes, that was the plan." He said. "The basement of the original manor has survived the fire that destroyed the rest of the building with pretty much no damage, and I think incorporating them into the new manor is a good idea."
"Possibly." The builder said. "Depending on how the floor layouts of the old and new manors align, trying to reuse parts of the former with the latter might cause some complications."
"I see…" The Potter heir breathed out.
"Don't worry, young man." Mr. Finewood said then. "Those shouldn't be anything insurmountable. It might complicate our task a little, but it's hardly something that we can't overcome. At worst, it will take me and Jeremy a bit longer to build your new home."
"That's good to hear." Harry said. There was a short pause before he spoke again: "I also wanted to hear your thoughts on using non-Magical materials. My architect says that, aside from a few special cases, it shouldn't really matter whether the stuff is bought from Magical suppliers or non-Magical ones." He said. "I did a bit of research, and to me it looks like buying materials from Muggle stores would be cheaper and, at least in my case, easier to organize the delivery of."
"Haven't really worked with Muggle stuff much, but, yeah, if its quality is good, I don't see why it can't be used instead." Thomas replied.
"Alright." Harry said.
"May we have a look at the area of land you want your manor built on next?" Jeremy asked then.
"I have a map of the property here." The young Potter replied, pointing at one of the parchments he had brought to the meeting with him. "Or I can take you there so that you can take a look at it yourself. Which would you prefer?"
"Let's have a look at the maps first." Thomas said. Nodding, Harry handed the parchment over to him. The said parchment, in addition to the map of the estate's grounds also had the outlines of the old and the new manors marked on it in inks of different colors. That certainly helped the Finewoods get a better idea of what they will be working with.
The pair of builders then went back to studying the blueprints of the new Potter manor, this time being mindful of how it would sit atop of the foundations left from the old one. And after fifteen or so minutes they've come to a conclusion that there shouldn't be complications.
"...We'll still need to re-do bits of the old foundation here, here and here to avoid possible problems with uneven sagging." Mr. Finewood said as he used his wand to point out several spots on the scheme. "But, overall, it looks like the existing foundation - assuming it is in a good condition - will serve us pretty well… I'd say, these modifications would probably add a week or so to the construction time, but I don't foresee any big issues arising." Harry nodded.
"That's good." He said.
"Indeed." Thomas confirmed. "Tearing out the old foundation completely and putting in a new one would've been one hell of a job. Long and hard for us and costly for you." This was followed by a rather long moment of silence as neither of the three wizards really knew how to continue from there.
"You mentioned, you had a portkey to your properties ready, Mr. Potter." Jeremy Finewood said, finally breaking the silence. "Perhaps, we should go there and see if there is something about the area that isn't on the plans but will affect the construction of the manor?" When his father didn't say anything to the contrary, Harry nodded.
"Alright then." He said while collecting the parchments: they haven't signed the contract yet so there was no reason for him to let the Finewoods keep the plans of his estate or the blueprints of the new Potter manor yet. "Shall we?" He asked once he had everything neatly packed away. The builders nodded. A short walk later they left the pub through the back, ending up in the small yard that hid the entrance into the Diagon Alley.
There, Harry activated the portkey and a few moments of uncomfortable spinning later the three of them reappeared in a field short distance away from the edge of the Potter estate. A few more minutes of walking later, they arrived at the ruins of the old manor.
It hasn't snowed much since Harry's previous visit here nearly a week ago, so the area around the basement's entrance was mostly clear of snow. The rest of the ruins - not so much, but that was quickly fixed with a few simple spells. That done, the Finewoods proceeded to examine the remains of the old building, and what they could see of its foundation in particular.
And since they were scrutinizing an actual plot of land rather than studying a drawing on a piece of parchment, it took them quite some time to survey everything that was of interest to them. The young Potter heir actually had to cast a Warming Charm on his robes to keep himself warm in cold late-December weather… Finally, the were ready to deliver their verdict:
"Despite the rest of the old house being almost completely destroyed by the fire, the foundation is in a surprisingly-good condition and only needs a little patching here and there." Thomas said. "We'll still need to re-do it in a few places to integrate the new parts properly, of course, but overall not much work is needed to make it fit for use for the new manor."
"So you have no issues with taking this job?" Harry asked hopefully. The two builders exchanged a quick glance before nodding.
"Yes." Thomas said.
"Shall we return to London and write up a contract then?" The young Potter asked next. Upon receiving a positive response for the Finewoods, he readied the return portkey. A few seconds of uncomfortable spinning later, they were back in Diagon Alley.
It was still pretty early in the afternoon, so the 'Leaky Cauldron' wasn't overflowing with people just yet, so the three of them had little issue with finding themselves a table. And after ordering hot drinks and some snacks from Tom the bartender, they began the negotiations. Construction of a manor was a big job after all, and many things - not just the timeframe and the compensations for the work done - had to be agreed upon before it could be started.
Those points, however, were the first ones discussed. And the timeframe was the easiest one: the Finewoods will start working on the new Potter manor near the end of March, once they finish their current jobs. It suited Harry just fine so he agreed to it immediately. Meanwhile, the monies he'd owe them for their work - and which explicitly excluded the cost of materials they'll be using - was up to some negotiation. After some back and forth, the Potter heir agreed to pay them four thousand eight hundred Galleons for the construction of his manor. Half of that will be paid at the end, once the job is done, while the rest will be paid in small chunks bi-weekly.
That didn't include the costs of the building materials for the manor, of course. Those would be covered by Harry separately.
Speaking of which, the Finewoods promised to investigate the stock of the non-Magical hardware stores and submit him a list of materials they'd prefer to be obtained from there for the final approval.
Harry also insisted upon getting regular updates on the construction progress since, as a Hogwarts student, he wouldn't be able to personally monitor it except for during the summer break. Finally, the contract termination conditions and resulting reimbursements were also discussed as those points had to be included into the contract.
Once all points have been deliberated and agreed upon, it was time to write down the draft of the contract. The final version will be made by a solicitor which, given the amounts of money involved, everyone agreed, was quite reasonable. Unfortunately, the solicitor Harry has chosen for this hasn't responded to his letter yet, so it will probably be a few more days before the actual contract for the construction of the new Potter manor could be signed.
And that concluded the negotiations.
The Finewoods didn't leave immediately though, and instead chose to stay at the table for a little while longer to finish their drinks and snacks. During this time, they exchanged a few more words with Harry, once again promising him to take a look at the non-Magical building materials and owl him their findings. In return, the young Potter promised to contact them as soon as his solicitor had the contract ready.
He also thanked them for responding to his offer and for accepting the job. By then, the Finewoods were finished with their refreshments. Getting up from the table, the Finewoods shook Harry's hand and bid him goodbye before taking their departure.
Meanwhile, Harry gathered up the documents they've been using during their business negotiations and carried them away to 'his' room upstairs. And once those were safely locked away in his trunk, he paused to think about what to do next: it was still late afternoon and he didn't feel like having an early dinner. Thus, he decided to venture into Diagon Alley and do some window shopping there. Who knows, one of the shops there might have something interesting on display…
~/ *** \~
Harry finally got a response from his solicitors on the last day of December. The man agreed to both draw up a contract for his deal with the Finewoods and to check the courtship contract from Lady Carrow for any hidden surprises. Unfortunately, he was booked right now and the earliest Harry could see him was the afternoon of January 1st. That was quite alright with the Potter heir, so he immediately sent a response saying that he'll be there.
They indeed met the next day and, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the solicitor got down to business. He went through Harry's courtship contract first: it was a simpler and easier task that wouldn't take much of his time, so doing it first was quite reasonable.
And it was quickly proven that the said contract was nothing more and nothing less than what Lady Carrow had claimed it to be. It was just a very simple courtship contract to give Harry's relationship with Flora and Hestia a 'proper' legal standing in the eyes of the Magical world's elites. There were no legal traps or anything like that hidden in it. It was completely safe for Harry to sign it.
Once that was out of the way, the solicitor focused on drawing up the contract for the construction of the Potter manor, turning the list of the points and conditions Harry and the Finewoods had agreed upon during the meeting into a proper, legally-binding document. This wasn't a particularly difficult task either as the agreement between the two parties was pretty straightforward, but everything had to be spelt out in a proper, unambiguous legalese. And then there was a multitude of little things that people never bothered with in their day-to-day dealings but which had to be included into a business contract for legal reasons.
All in all, it meant that a bullet list with half a dozen points on it was turned into a big parchment scroll with well over two feet of text on it, all of which was written in a neat cursive that only an enchanted quill could produce.
And Harry had to read - and comprehend - it all to make sure that nothing was missing from the contract, or was misrepresented in it. He did his best and, as far as he could see, it was good.
Upon returning from his meeting with the solicitor, the young Potter heir wrote a letter to the Finewoods. In it, he was asking them to review the attached copy of the contract and, if it was satisfactory, he suggested another meeting to actually sign the papers. And while he never actually put it into writing, Harry would certainly prefer for it to happen before he has to return to Hogwarts…
He then wrote another letter, this time to Lady Carrow. It was an even shorter one with him saying that he found no issues with the proposed courtship contract and was ready to sign it.
The next morning, he received the responses to both of his letters. The Finewoods somehow managed to go over the proposed business contract in just a few short hours and too found it to be to their liking. They were willing to meet with him again at his earliest convenience to sign the papers. After a bit of thinking, Harry decided that tomorrow morning was as good a time as any - especially since with the owl post being his only way of communicating with the Finewoods, he really couldn't schedule an earlier meeting anyway.
Lady Carrow also proposed a meeting at the 'Leaky Cauldron' in her letter. Her invitation for him to visit the Carrow manor was still open, of course, but she felt that a less hectic day than the very end of the holidays would be a better time for it. Harry decided he agreed with her on this. So he wrote back, saying that he found her choice of time and place for their meeting agreeable.
Both meetings went well and by late afternoon he had both contracts signed and safely delivered to his Gringotts vault for safekeeping. This left him with quite a bit of time to pack his things and get ready for the return trip to Hogwarts tomorrow morning.
That's all, folks!
Read and review.