Chapter 4 – Sleight of Hand

They were having their first argument.

Well, maybe argument was too strong a word for it, Harry conceded. Disagreement was perhaps a better choice of word.

Strong disagreement.

If he was honest with himself, he really should have anticipated Hermione's reaction when he'd casually mentioned Percy Weasley's request to establish if Hermione would be sending a monthly invoice for her time, or whether she'd prefer to be paid a retainer from the Potter or Black account. He'd been having his monthly catch up with the man who was essentially his steward, when Percy had casually asked him how Miss Granger would prefer to have her account settled. Up until that point, Harry hadn't even considered money, such was his focus on Hermione and what they were doing together.

His musings were interrupted by Hermione's irritated tone.

'I already said that we don't accept charity! How many times do I need to repeat myself?'

Harry knew that he needed to be completely transparent as to his motives. 'I know, I know,' he replied, trying to calm her down. 'It's not about charity. It's about paying you the proper remuneration for the work you are doing on my behalf.'

He winced, scarcely believing he had quoted Percy and hoping she didn't think he used words like "remuneration" on a regular basis.

'I'm doing it for the Elves!' she cried, clearly not listening.

He tried not to let the hurt at this remark show, but he obviously failed because he noticed a guilty look appear on her face.

'I'm sorry,' she said softly closing her eyes as she did so. 'I didn't mean that. Not really. I am doing it for the Elves, but I'm doing it for you too. You're…my friend? I want to help. That's what friends do, right?' She grimaced. 'You may have noticed that I'm not really a people person.'

'Hey, it's OK,' he replied soothingly. 'I understand, I really do, and there's nothing to apologise for. I am your…friend, and I hope you're mine?'

She nodded.

'OK, I'm glad that's settled, because it's an important distinction when it comes to what we are doing here.'

'It is?'

'It really is. As you're my friend, we need to be completely professional in our approach to this work. I really don't want to abuse our friendship or your trust.' He paused for a moment. 'You said to me last week that someone you cared about betrayed you when you were at University?' She nodded carefully, clearly wondering where he was going with this. 'Well, I don't want any ambiguity here. I don't want you thinking that I am only friends with you because you are a bloody good lawyer and I have need of legal advice. I want a clear distinction between our professional and our personal relationship. By paying you what you are due for the work you do for me, I can easily separate the two. When we spend time together just as friends, I want to know that it is just as friends. That we want to be with each other because we enjoy being with each other. Can you understand that?'

She flushed at his words but did not reply. Instead, she puffed out her cheeks as she considered his argument. 'I guess so. But friends help each other. It's just that if you pay me, it makes what we have here seem a bit…mercenary?'

He shook his head. 'It's anything but. At the minute, it is beginning to feel a little exploitative to me. You are a brilliant lawyer, and in future I will be seeking to use your expertise in areas other than elf rights. Should you also do that work pro bono?' he asked archly.

'Really? You want me as your lawyer?' She seemed shocked by this, as if she hadn't even considered the possibility

'I want you as my friend, first and foremost. But, yes; I also want you as my lawyer. If you can't be both, I'd rather drop you as my lawyer than as my friend. So, better we sort out the money stuff now, so we can concentrate on being friends?' He was smiling as he asked this, knowing it was the winning shot.

She looked stunned at his words, but after a few seconds, she nodded her agreement. 'OK, I can see that. I really can. I'd rather be your friend than your lawyer, Harry, but I think I can be both.' She looked him directly in the eye. 'Don't think this will change anything though. If I don't agree with you as your lawyer, I'll make sure you're aware of it.'

He laughed. 'I wouldn't expect anything less. It's why I also want you as my lawyer. I'll introduce you to Percy – you can work out the financials with him. That way, I won't even know the details, so don't feel awkward. Just promise me one thing?'

'What?'

'Don't sell yourself short. Charge the going rate.'

She looked at him for a long moment before slowly nodding.

'I can do that, Harry.' She stretched out her hand in formal offering. 'I accept your proposal, Mr Potter. I would prefer to be paid an annual retainer if that is agreeable.' She had a smile on her face, despite the formal words.

'Thank you, Miss Granger,' he replied pompously as he shook the offered hand. 'I will have my steward draw up a formal contract. A pleasure doing business with you.'

Neither could keep it up. They both burst out laughing.

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'Where are you taking me?' Hermione asked in exasperation as Harry walked quickly across an unfamiliar street. They had finally settled down after their disagreement about payment, when she'd tentatively asked what level of expenses she could reasonably charge for things like books etc.

At hearing her query, Harry had slapped himself on the forehead, cursed himself repeatedly, and had finally asked her to get ready to leave. A few minutes later she found herself being side-along apparated to a small park in what she assumed was another part of London. She'd hardly had time to draw breath before Harry took her hand and began leading her towards a row of houses across the road.

'Somewhere I should have taken you weeks ago!' Harry finally replied. 'I'm a fool and a fool and a fool and a fool!' he exclaimed, clearly angry at himself.

'Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Harry,' she replied. She pulled on his hand and waited until he turned to face her. 'You're only at least two of those. Maybe three,' she allowed.

Despite his obvious irritation, he laughed heartily at her words. 'You've got my number,' he replied, his anger gone just as swiftly as it had appeared.

'I certainly do,' she replied. 'Now, would you care to tell me why you are a fool, why you are suddenly so angry at yourself, and where exactly are you dragging me off to?'

He suddenly looked abashed at her words. 'I'm sorry, Hermione. It's just that I really have been a fool about this. We've been working in your shop these past few weekends when we should have been working at my place.'

She blinked hard. This was not the answer she was expecting. 'Your place? Why? What's wrong with my office?' she asked, a little defensively.

'Nothing. Nothing at all. It's just that we'd have enjoyed access to better resources if I'd pulled my head out of my arse weeks ago and suggested we use my place.'

'Why? What resources?' She was more than a little confused.

'The Black family library.'

'What?'

She'd heard rumours about the Black family library. There wasn't a lawyer who hadn't. While the House of Black had a reputation for embracing the Dark Arts, they were also well known in legal circles for producing some of the most hard-nosed legal minds in history. As one of the Sacred 28, they had been very influential in shaping the legal system in Magical Britain. Many of the injustices that she fought against had been created by House of Black laws and lawyers. Many in her profession had speculated on the existence of a trove of legal resources held by the Blacks, but the truth of this speculation had never been confirmed.

'I said the Black family library.'

'I know what you said, Harry. I just don't understand.'

'You know my Godfather was Sirius Black.'

She nodded. This was common knowledge. Sirius Black's wrongful imprisonment was now a case study in international law. It was a perfect example of what not to do when conducting a criminal investigation.

'Sirius named me as his heir. I'm the Head of the House of Black.'

She knew this too. Everyone did.

He leaned in close so he could whisper in her ear.

'Well, the rumours are true. The legal section of their library is huge. And it all belongs to me.'

Her eyes widened and she felt a flush of heat, though she wasn't sure if it was due to the proximity of Harry and his hot breath in her ear, or the prospect of getting access to papers only a select few had ever seen.

Probably a bit of both if she was honest with herself.

'You were right.' she finally managed to whisper in response.

'About what?'

'You are a fool,' she replied with a smile.

He laughed again at her words, and she found herself loving the sound. He then held her gaze for a few moments, his emerald eyes blazing with something she couldn't quite place, and she found that she couldn't breathe.

He suddenly leaned towards her again and placed his mouth against her ear in a very intimate manner.

'Harry Potter lives at Number 12, Grimmauld Place.'

It took only a few moments, but a large townhouse appeared between numbers 11 and 13, and her eyes widened again as she realised the implications of what she was seeing.

His home was placed under a Fidelius charm!

She turned to look at him in astonishment.

'I don't spend much time here, to be honest. I live at Hogwarts for most of the year, and I own a number of properties all over the place, but this is where I live when I'm in London, or if I just want to drop off the map for a while. It belonged to my Godfather.' He hesitated for a few moments. 'To be honest, it holds mixed memories for me, but it is mine and I can count on one hand the number of people who know about it.'

She swallowed, her mouth thick, as she contemplated the level of trust he was placing in her.

'Thank you for sharing it with me,' she finally managed to reply.

'Don't mention it,' he replied as he took her hand and led her up the stairs towards the front door that was promptly opened by the most wizened and gnarled House Elf she had ever encountered.

'Hermione? This is Kreacher, the Head Elf of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black,' he said formally. 'Kreacher? This is Miss Hermione Granger. A very good friend of mine.'

Kreacher, who had swelled with pride when Harry had given him his official title, suddenly bowed very low.

'Kreacher is honoured to meet Mistress. Will be pleased to help her any way she sees fit. Please come in.'

She was taken aback at the very formal words and old-world courtesy, so taken aback that she failed to see the look of shock on Harry's face. Instead, she simply walked past the bowing elf and entered Harry's home.

While she wasn't exactly sure what she had expected, she found herself pleasantly surprised by the bright, well-lit, spacious, modern and – above all – muggle looking home. As the Town House of a Noble and Ancient Pureblood family, she'd expected something more traditional and something of her surprise must have shown on her face when she turned to look at her friend.

Harry simply shrugged. 'I redecorated. In the face of severe and persistent opposition, I might add,' he replied with a nod towards Kreacher. 'Some of the upper floors and the basement might be more in line with what you expected, but I live on the ground floor and sleep on the first, so I have them the way I want them.' He paused for a moment, a smile forming on his face. 'But we can do the tour later. Incidentally, the answer you are really looking for is "Second Floor."'

'Second floor?'

'The library is on the second floor.'

Her eyes widened then, despite herself, she smiled in return. 'Then lead on, Mr Potter.'

'Happy to,' replied Harry, before offering his arm and guiding her up the stairs.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry drummed his thumbs nervously on his thigh as he sat in his Wizengamot seat and waited to put their plan into action. A number of witches and wizards had already spoken during the debate, but he was waiting for one in particular to speak before making his move. The subject under discussion was actually the Property Tax reforms that Kingsley's Administration was trying to steer through, but he and Hermione had grander ideas for this particular debate.

For today was the day when they made their opening gambit towards changing the law regarding House Elves. He and Hermione had been working hard together every weekend throughout the month of January in order to be ready for this moment, and he knew Hermione had been putting in a lot of hours when he was teaching at Hogwarts. Once she'd had access to the Black library, she'd virtually moved into his house. The only shame was that he wasn't there to enjoy her company as most of his time was still spent at Hogwarts. But now, after weeks of hard work, the moment had finally arrived; the Candlemas Session of the Wizengamot.

A lot depended on today's outcome, and while this was merely an opening, it was crucial to achieving their overall aims. In order to succeed today, he had to make sure that no one worked out what they were actually doing. Like a muggle magician, Harry had to use sleight of hand to keep the audience's attention on the decoy. The problem they faced was that he was not very good at politics.

Despite being the holder of two seats in the Wizengamot, he rarely sat in the chamber. Since defeating Voldemort, he'd kept as low a profile as possible. He'd turned down the chance to become an Auror and had similarly rejected overtures to join Kingsley's Administration. Instead, he had surprised many people by accepting Minerva McGonagall's offer to take on the role of DADA teacher at Hogwarts. He'd been doing this for three and a half years.

He'd appointed a proxy for the two seats he held in this chamber. After much deliberation, he'd asked Percy Weasley to act and vote on his behalf. Many people had been extremely shocked by his choice, given his personal history with Percy, but he'd known that Arthur and Molly's third son was the best person for the job. Percy was known in the Ministry; he understood protocol and procedure and he'd made excellent contacts and so was in a position to build alliances and relationships that would ultimately help the Potter and Black political agenda, which in itself meant backing the Shacklebolt Administration. Percy was something of a stuffed shirt, but he was trustworthy, and Harry knew he could be relied on not to abuse his position. That was all that mattered, in the end.

However, as a result of employing Percy, he was very unfamiliar with the protocol of the Wizengamot and he hoped this would not prove to be a fatal flaw in their plan.

He glanced up to the public gallery and his eyes automatically sought out Hermione and he relaxed somewhat when he finally saw her enter the chamber and take her seat. She gave him a smile of encouragement, but her smile did not reach her eyes and he cursed himself once again for his lack of though and lack of foresight.

They had been getting on great as they worked together these past few weeks. They had been drawing closer to each other and had been building a true connection, one, he believed, had real potential to grow into something substantial and lasting.

Then he had foolishly mentioned the Ministry Candlemas Ball. A ball he happened to be attending later today with Katie Bell.

That he and Katie had agreed to accompany each other months ago – months before he'd even met Hermione – was of no significance. That their "date" was nothing of the kind; that it was in fact a mutually beneficial arrangement between friends didn't seem to matter either. The simple truth was that when he told Hermione he would be attending the ball with Katie, she seemed to deflate.

She also seemed to withdraw a little from him. A certain coolness developed between them, and he could not really blame her if he was honest. Their burgeoning relationship seemed to fall back into that of strictly "Lawyer and Client" and he was at a loss on how to resolve the situation.

The truth was, he really, really liked Hermione and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her in any way.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts as Draco Malfoy rose to speak.

Their stalking horse.

When he'd finally informed Hermione exactly who he had in mind to act as their stalking horse, she had been more than a little surprised. While the Malfoy name was still to be fully rehabilitated in their world, Draco had done much these past few years to improve his reputation. He was regarded by the traditionalists as a respectful, reasoned, intelligent and conservative member of the Wizengamot and the majority of the Pureblood bloc trusted him to uphold their values. Hermione had shared this view; that Draco Malfoy was a Pureblood traditionalist. Harry had been happy to disabuse her of this notion. Draco was their Ace in the Hole.

'Honourable members,' Draco began, 'I thank you for giving me the opportunity today to share my thoughts about this proposed amendment to our Property Taxation Bill. Many of you will be aware that I have been involved in the drafting of this legislation and I speak to you today as someone who has the best interests of our traditions and customs at heart…'

Harry listened keenly, waiting for his cue. The fact that Draco was a key proponent of this legislation was a boon for their cause because while he spoke of tax reform, the key factor was that he secretly supported House Elf rights, a subject seemingly unconnected to that under discussion.

His relationship with Draco Malfoy was a closely guarded secret in the Magical World. While they were not mates in the same way that he was with Ron and Neville, they had developed something of a tentative understanding – almost friendship - in the years since Voldemort's defeat, not least because of the role Draco had played in that defeat. Also, his own status as head of the House of Black had brought him into contact with the Malfoys, and as Lucius was very much taking a back seat owing to his poor reputation, he'd found himself dealing more and more with Draco.

It was something of a cliché, but the younger Malfoy was a changed man. Gone was the sneering superiority, the sense of entitlement. In its place was a traditionalist at heart, but one who quietly fought behind the scenes politically for the rights of the subjugated. Harry suspected that Draco's two years as a marked Death Eater had taught him a lot about what it actually meant to be the victim of oppression and coercion. He thought that Voldemort's sadism and torture had most likely opened Draco's eyes to the true meaning of blood bigotry and the evil to where such beliefs can lead. Whatever the reason, Draco Malfoy had made his choice during the war to covertly oppose Voldemort and Harry now counted him as an ally and as someone he trusted. It had taken time to reach this point, but Draco had earned his trust over the past few years.

This was why he was waiting for him to give him the opening he wanted.

'…and as I listen to the debate today, I find myself concerned. I am sure you all appreciate what the Ministry is trying to achieve here, and that you are aware that in order to govern we must have revenue for the public exchequer. There are elements of this property tax that I am sure we can all agree with. Taxation based on the value of assets is not a new concept. I'm sure we can all accept paying tax on some of the property we own. Our houses; our estate, our House Elves and so forth. But I fully understand why some draw the line at paying tax on family heirlooms, on investments and savings. What price freedom? What price economic growth?'

Murmurs of approval greeted these words from the more traditional elements of the Chamber, and Harry had to acknowledge that Draco was a superb public speaker. But that was his cue and so he rose to his feet now that Draco had provided him with his opening. Draco noticed him rise and raised his eyebrow sardonically.

'Chief Witch, a clarification question, if I may?' Harry asked respectfully.

The response to his intervention was interesting. As this was the first time he had spoken in the chamber since he was sworn in, the main reaction was surprise.

'What requires clarification, Mr Potter.'

'Just what the Honourable Member said about House Elves,' Harry replied. He became aware that the surprise in the chamber had just turned to suspicion. Deep suspicion. He did everything in his power to act completely normally.

Draco smiled to his audience. 'I might have known that Mr Potter would focus on such a topic in the middle of a taxation debate! His position on House Elves is well known,' he added, a touch mockingly. 'I am happy to grant him the floor if he seeks clarification, but I fail to see what concerns him so much about what was, in truth, a throwaway remark.'

'Thank you, Mr Malfoy,' Harry responded with a short nod of acknowledgement. 'My question, Chief Witch, is over the classification of House Elves as "Property" in this proposed legislation. This is the first I have heard of this. Is this not unwise?'

A few jeers could be heard from the benches opposite as the Purebloods assumed what direction he was going with this. They could not be further from the truth.

'Unwise?' replied the Chief Witch. 'In what way? It has long been widely accepted that House Elves belong to their bonded Master or Mistress.'

'I appreciate this, Ma'am. But what is "widely accepted" is not necessarily what is actually legal. Does it actually state anywhere in our laws that House Elves are, in fact, property?'

A few more jeers and shouts could now be heard in the chamber, but he studiously ignored them. It was nearly time to throw out his decoy. He watched as the Chief Witch turned to Elphias Doge, the Elder Statesman of the chamber.

'He's correct,' replied Doge in a wheezy voice. 'While we all tacitly assume House Elves are property, it does not in fact state this in any of our approved legislation. Mr Potter is correct to raise this issue.'

Something of a hubbub met this declaration before a voice cut through the commotion.

'It doesn't matter, Potter. Just because it doesn't state anywhere that they are property doesn't mean that it's not true! Your love for the creatures is well known, but you're not going to back-door their freedom on a technicality!'

Harry held up his had to quell the furore these words provoked. He did not know the anonymous speaker, but he'd be forever grateful to him for giving him the opening he'd been praying for.

'You misunderstand me, ladies and gentlemen. Truly, you misunderstand me. I give you my word here today that I do not seek blanket freedom for House Elves. Such a move would not benefit our society, nor do I believe that it would benefit the elves themselves. This is not why I raised the issue. I raised the point of clarification to avoid such an eventuality.'

Silence followed this declaration. A silence finally broken by the Chief Witch.

'Please explain, Mr Potter.'

'Of course, Ma'am. Thank you,' he replied with a grateful nod. He turned to address the chamber. 'My concern is that if this proposed legislation passes in its current form, we could be leaving ourselves open to the very scenario my Honourable Friend mentions, namely the freedom of all House Elves. If we pass into Law that House Elves are, in fact, property, then existing legislation leaves us exposed.' He kept his voice calm as he spoke, wanting to sound as reasonable and as unthreatening as possible. 'My understanding of the Law is that it is illegal for a sentient being to be held in servitude by another. Essentially that it is illegal for someone to own a slave.'

'House Elves are not slaves!' shouted another voice from the back benches.

'That is not what I am saying! I am well aware that the connection between a House Elf and a human is through a magical bond. I am bonded to several Elves myself. My point is that House Elves are sentient beings. They think, feel, fall in love, mourn their dead, laugh, cry, and experience the same sweep of emotions as we humans. My concern is that if we accept that they are sentient beings – and no reasonable person can argue otherwise - then we cannot state anywhere in any of our laws that they are property. If we do so, we leave ourselves exposed to a legal challenge that we would be certain to lose; namely that if they are property, then we are holding a sentient being in a state of servitude. Such a legal challenge could result in the freedom of all House Elves, and I don't believe any sane person wants to see that happening.'

Harry held in a smile as he sensed the collective, unsaid, "Oh Shite!" dawning of realisation fall on the faces of the Wizengamot members. Finally, this collective sense of shock was broken by Draco Malfoy, who stood to open the next Act in their little drama.

'I fear Mr Potter is correct in his observations. I believe we owe him a great deal of thanks. I certainly do; I had not considered such an unintended consequence of this proposed legislation.' He smile cynically. 'Perhaps Mr Potter can once again save the day? Save us from ourselves?'

Nervous laughter greeted these words, but Harry noted that all eyes turned to him as if he could offer a solution. He shrugged.

'I'm no expert, but it seems a simple change of wording is all that is required. Avoid the use of the word "property". In fact, to be safe I'd avoid the use of the word "bond," because that could imply a degree of coercion. One may be bonded against one's will, after all. Perhaps replace such terms with "contracted servant" or something like that? Like I said, the details can be left to my betters. I'm just a teacher,' he added with a modest smile.

'Contracted servant?' mused Draco. 'Not bad, Mr Potter. For an amateur at any rate. It's certainly a viable alternative and we shall consider this when the legislation returns to the committee stage. And it must return to the committee stage, for it cannot be allowed to stand in its current form for the reasons our Honourable Friend has highlighted.' He turned to Harry and gave him a short bow. 'The chamber is grateful for your timely intervention, Mr Potter. You have potentially saved us from what could have been a disastrous outcome for our society. I thank you, sir,' he added formally, no hint of his usual sneer.

Harry bowed in return at his words and sat down. He did not have to feign his embarrassment and that only served to seal their little performance. He knew Draco would do the rest once the Bill was in committee stage.

The British Magical World had just taken the first step on the road to a House Elf revolution and only three people in the room knew that they had taken it.

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'Well done, Harry, you were brilliant!' exclaimed Hermione as they finally met up at the offices of S.P.E.W. immediately following the Wizengamot session.

He smiled at her enthusiasm. 'I had the easy part. It was all your idea. And Draco teed it all up beautifully.' Their plan had been executed flawlessly. At least, Hermione's plan had been executed flawlessly.

Her idea was simple and based on an understanding of House Elves and their culture that few humans possessed. She understood the subtle difference between House Elves not wanting to be free, and House Elves wanting the freedom to choose their own masters.

'He did. He was brilliant too,' she replied. 'Do you think they will go for the "contracted servant" definition in the revised proposal?'

He nodded. 'They'll go for it. In a day or two, they'll all think that it was Draco's suggestion, not mine, so they'll go for it. Draco is a clever guy.'

'He is. He's brilliant,' she replied, and he felt a tug of jealousy at her words.

She and Draco had hit it off immediately when the three of them had met in secret to discuss their strategy. She'd been astonished when Harry had introduced Draco as their stalking horse, and she'd agreed that he was perfect for the role. They'd then almost ignored him entirely as the two of them had come up with their plan, only involving him when it was time to coach him on his part in the drama.

Draco had been amused at Hermione's attempts to feed him his lines and had only interrupted after allowing her to go on for longer than necessary.

'Relax, Miss Granger. Potter always performs better when he's forced to think on his feet. Trust me, he'll know what to say when the time comes.'

It was possibly the sincerest compliment Malfoy had ever given him and he once again found himself wondering how they ended up on the same side. He also wondered how Malfoy would have treated Hermione had the latter attended Hogwarts, but he decided not to follow that line of thought too deeply. Draco had been a pureblood bigot at school, and Harry believed he knew exactly how he would have treated Hermione.

But it was a different Draco who worked with them now and he and Hermione seemed to get on like a house on fire. Were it not for the fact that Harry knew that Draco was deeply and madly in love with Astoria Greengrass, he would have been insanely jealous of his one-time nemesis.

'I just wanted to come over and thank you for all of your efforts and to make plans for the next stage if that's OK?' he continued tentatively. 'I would have liked to catch up tonight, but, well…you know with the ball and everything…are you free anytime soon?' he finally managed.

Hermione's smile wavered on her face for a moment. 'I'm afraid not, Harry,' she replied, and there was a hint of hurt in her voice. 'I have a load of paperwork to catch up with, so maybe some other time? I'll let you know,' she replied, mechanically, and he knew that she was not happy with him. He cursed himself again for his poor timing. He'd love nothing better than to spend the evening with her, but he was trapped by his own sense of personal honour.

'Well, Ok then. But I'll see you soon?' he asked and tried to hide his own sense of hurt as she gave him a brief nod. For the first time he could remember since they first met, there was an awkwardness between them.

'OK, then. I'll just…I'll just head off then. Take care, Hermione,' he said softly and as he turned to leave, he could have sworn she was about to say something, but then thought better of it. He exited onto Diagon Alley and did not hear her whispered words as he departed.

'You too, Harry. Take care.'

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