When Harry arrived in the Chamber of Secrets for the impromptu school-night party, he was struck by the changes to the space he'd thought was already completed. The main entry had been expanded again and now looked even more comfortable and accommodating for a large group. A few small sofas and armchairs were tucked into alcoves along the edges. The side tunnel which he thought lead only to empty cells apparently now lead to a hot spring.
"Hey Harry," Hannah greeted. He could see the yellow bikini strings poking out of the collar of her cloak and correctly assumed she was here for the party. "Nice trunks."
He looked down at his crimson trunks with a golden lion roaring on one thigh. "Thanks."
"You seen the springs yet?"
"Not yet."
"They're amazing! Lavender got Neville to plant these glowing shrubs that randomly change color all around the edges of the water and apparently she convinced a bunch of fairies to move in. They have their own mini-spring on one of the higher levels."
"Levels?" he queried. "What do you mean, levels?"
"Apparently they found out during construction that the spring's source was about thirty foot up the wall so she worked in a cascading waterfall with two separate pools on either side," she answered informatively. "Fairies hang out on a higher level so they don't get hurt by anyone."
"Blimey…"
"I know."
When Hannah led him into the room, it became clear that Lavender had obviously gone all out from stage one on the design of the hot springs. Dozens of strung candle lanterns hung at mismatched lengths from the ceiling all over the room. They provided light for the tables, chairs, and lounge areas near the entrance. The back half of the cavernous room was where the deep pools were located.
An eight foot wide gap had been carved into the middle of the back wall for about ten feet to create the water fall; the walls on either side had been given ledges that held multicolored light orbs that further brightened the room. He could also see a couple of the aforementioned fairies flying around and playing on the surface of the water.
What struck him more than the design of the place was the relaxed atmosphere amongst the attending DA members. There were six people already in the water (whom he couldn't perfectly identify through the steamy mist) and more were scattered around enjoying the warm summer-like climate.
"Hey Harry," Lavender greeted him in her bright pink bikini-top and swim skirt combo. "So, what do you think?"
"This place is incredible, Lavender, seriously."
"Everyone helped a lot, especially Mr. Dunbar, but it came together just in time. You don't think it's too dark, do you?"
"I think it's perfect," he assured her. "It is a little hazy though."
"Yeah, Nigel is working up a solution to that."
"You got Nigel in on this too, eh?"
"I asked nicely," she shrugged. "I heard you were bringing something for the drinks table."
"Oh, right," he agreed. "Dobby?"
The little elf popped in quickly. He was, of course, wearing his miniature DA uniform.
"Master Harry Potter be calling?"
"Can I get those two barrels of Gigglewater now?" he asked. "And the butterbeer."
"Absolutely, sir, Dobby can be's doing that."
"Gigglewater?" Lavender asked excitedly. "How did you get your hands on any?"
"Isn't that the American champagne that makes you give a shout?" Justin Finch-Fletchley asked.
"I think it's a giggle, but yeah," Harry answered with a grin. "And we'll just say they fell into my hands, Lav, and leave it at that."
She pouted. "You're no fun."
"If I can't give you a laugh, a bit of the gigglewater might do."
Justin and Ernie, who had come together, laughed at that too while Lavender just pouted harder. She gave in after a moment and joined them.
"Anyways, welcome to the party, Harry."
"Thanks, Lav."
"Have fun," she told him as she spun off, presumably towards the drinks table.
"Join us for a swim, Harry?" Ernie asked. "Hannah and Susan are waiting for us."
"Sounds great," he agreed with a smile after a final look around at his friends enjoying themselves. This really was great.
…
The hot springs party had been better than expected.
He'd more than enjoyed himself as he swam around with some of his closest friends and played pool games that he thought he'd missed out on when his childhood ended (or failed to start). At one point, a couple of fairies had even joined in on the fun and had taken to clinging to Harry's hair.
The gigglewater had been a hit and no one had gotten more than slightly tipsy. Many people had abstained to play the roles of lifeguards and escorts back to common rooms.
In the end, Harry, Lavender, and Seamus had all returned to the common room together with bright smiles and steam flushed faces. He'd shared a tired grin with Ron (who had returned at a similar time, surprisingly) before falling into bed.
…
The next morning dawned bright and early. It was eight and for Harry that meant he had slept in. He'd had a late night last night though and he was still on time for the meeting scheduled to happen before the veela convent meeting. He'd just have to skip his workout.
"Ron," he grumbled, throwing one of the ginger's shoes through the gap in his bed curtains. "Get up, mate."
He heard disgruntled and irritated grumbling from inside the curtains before the shoe was launched unsuccessfully back out. It got caught in the fabric and fell down onto the floor by its match.
"Grumble all you want, just get your arse up."
"I'm up, bugger it all."
Harry nodded, satisfied with that, and got himself prepared, mostly, for the day. He wore some of his finest underclothes including a crimson button-up and his nicest dress shoes. Over it, he secured his Hogwarts clothes.
At lunch, he'd be using the time turner to go back to half an hour before the meeting time; he'd have a limited amount of time to get ready to leave with the girls.
Today was going to be interesting.
…
Lunch came and went with many looks shared between DA members.
All of them were anxious to know the outcome of the meeting that had started half an hour ago in France. The fact that most of the attendees of that meeting were still in the room didn't make them any less anxious as time travel was an odd concept to get your head around.
When the lunch bell rang, students began heading for classes. Six students, however, headed to the DA Cathedral.
There, they were met by Lucas Masson and Fleur Delacour (who had decided to time travel with them for the novelty of it even though she didn't technically have to). The two looked surprisingly comfortable as they held an animated conversation in French. The young woman had been assigned to Lucas' squad and seemed to have taken to the experienced man's advice quite well.
"Hello, Harry."
"Hey Lucas," the teen greeted. "Thanks again for letting us use your time turner."
"I could think of no better reason to bring it out of storage."
"You don't use it frequently?" Lilian Moon asked curiously.
"I find I would rather live a new day in the future than live over the days that have passed," he said philosophically.
"Time turner's don't extend your lifespan any," Lisa responded in an agreeing tone. "They actually shorten it as far as calendar years of your lifetime goes."
"Which is why this should be used very wisely," Masson agreed.
Once Hermione had retrieved all of their Gryffindor themed robes and passed them out, everyone put them on. Harry's was the only one that was different as it was grander, thicker, and accompanied by a waist length cloak. It looked similar to his Potter set that he had worn at Umbridge's dethroning.
"Everyone ready?" Hermione asked.
"One minute," Harry responded as he fiddled with his ever-present collection of lord's rings. Only Potter and Gryffindor needed to be showing for this meeting. "Alright."
"Does everyone have their portfolios?" Lisa asked as she pulled out her own dark brown leather portfolio.
Everyone pulled out an identical one. It's most important feature was the linking spell between the seven of them so that they could silently communicate during the meeting. They had to keep them separate from their usual DA journals because of the time traveling.
"We're ready," Harry told Masson who in turn handed him an odd object. "This doesn't look like the other time turners I've seen."
Everyone was looking at the object curiously but none more so than Luna whose piercing blue eyes were glued to the object.
"A gold hourglass with rotating gold circles?"
"That's the one," Harry agreed.
"That is the British Ministry's limited capacity time turners," Masson answered. "They only travel back five hours safely."
"And this?" Harry asked, holding up the mostly solid golden cylinder. There was a small hollow in it covered with a glass window in which he could see an hourglass. On the end was a decorative golden knob above which were small etched markings.
"A true turner," Luna answered in a breathy voice, eyes riveted on the little device. "Created by the Tuathe Dé before they hid themselves away."
"Correct, Ms. Lovegood," Masson agreed while giving her a deep look before turning back to Harry. "And I would ask that you place it in that box," he pointed to a box on one of the benches by Cedric's portrait. "Upon your arrival in the past. And when you use it to return, place it in the box next to it."
"Of course," Harry agreed seriously. "How many times do I turn it?"
"Extend the chain and turn it one marking to the left."
"Understood," the teen nodded seriously. "Alright, everyone huddle up."
Fleur, Hermione, Lisa, Luna, Lilian, and Susan huddled around Harry and followed Masson's instructions to have a hand on Harry and on the chain. The only teenage boy in the mix had a long moment to appreciate what a very, very, lucky boy he was before he was gripped by the powerful magic of the time turner.
When the world stopped spinning, they were standing in the exact same place. The only difference was the lack of Masson's presence.
Harry immediately shortened the chain and walked across the room to the box that was in the exact same place as it was in the future. He opened it carefully and placed the time turner into the velvet cutout that held it perfectly then closed the box.
"Alright," he said as he turned to the girls. "Ready to go to Firewall? We've got half an hour before the meeting starts."
All the girls nodded and agreed except for Luna whose eyes were still locked on the box.
"Luna," Harry called, waving a hand. Her eyes jerked to his with surprising alertness and she gave him a beaming grin.
"Yes, Harry?"
"You ready to go?"
"Oh yes."
"Alright," he said, giving her a strange look. "Portkeys then."
…
At Firewall, they spent ten minutes in their ballroom (empty as it was, the usual DA setup was always there and ready) going over general plans and points while Fleur refreshed them on the names of all of the Veela Matriarchs.
"And remember," the young veela finished. "Simone Tillion will be in the first chair as she is First Matriarch."
"And the First Matriarch leads the assemblies, rights, and ceremonies," Susan completed to show she remembered while everyone else nodded their understanding.
"We're scheduled to be there in five minutes," Hermione reminded them. "We need to floo to Gringotts; Harry's account manager agreed to allow us to use his office floo."
One by one they stepped through the floo and into an empty office in Gringotts. From there, they flooed to the receiving room of Fleur's home which they looked around at with mild interest.
"Fleur, you've got that portkey right?" Harry asked.
Fleur pulled out a finely decorated silver hand mirror that she showed the group. "I have it here."
"Let's line up. You said we'll be seated in a V formation, right Fleur?"
"Oui."
"Then let's go," Harry declared.
"Emmenez-moi au convent."
With the trigger phrase spoken, the portkey whisked them off.
…
Thanks to hours of DA practices, the group landed from their portkey with surprising grace. They found themselves in a long, narrow receiving room that had numerous tall lancet windows letting in the sunlight.
"Oh wow," Hermione said quietly.
"This is gorgeous," Lisa whispered.
"Welcome to France," Fleur winked. "It is the most beautiful country."
It was certainly clear from the architecture that they were deep in the heart of France. All of the antique furniture and pastel colors only highlighted that while the view through the window cinched it.
"Welcome to the covent," a smooth, male voice greeted them.
"Thank you," Harry said on their behalf as they turned towards the only door in the room.
"Hello, Claude," Fleur said.
All of the girls except Fleur and Luna blinked in surprise when they felt some of the veela allure radiating off of the pretty blonde man.
"Hello, Fleur," he returned with a polite smile in heavily accented English.
They hadn't expected to see any male veela and for a moment, the majority of girls lost their focus. Reflexively, they tightened their Occlumency shields like Chie had taught them and felt their heads clear.
Harry was unbothered but he was curious about Claude too. He'd never met a male veela before.
"Please, follow with me to the meeting chambers."
They followed him through the tall doors and up a long spiral staircase. Many veela and even a few wizards were present and gave them odd, surprised looks. The girls fell into step beside him with Fleur at his left and Hermione at his right, doing their best to ignore any onlookers.
"This way."
They walked down one more staircase and then down a very long hallway decorated with numerous portraits of gorgeous, similar looking women. Finally, they came to a stop in front of a set of grand double doors.
"Here we are," Claude said before pushing open the door.
"Thank you," Harry said politely before following him in.
They were in a huge round room with a golden domed ceiling. There were decorative columns supporting the dome and a guard standing by each one except the two in front of the doors.
"Your guests, Matrones," Claude announced as he bowed at the waist towards the center of the room.
There, seven extremely tall-backed chairs were arranged in a staggered V shape. They all contained beautiful, blue-clad veelas of various ages and shades of blonde. Each had the air of a queen on her throne.
"Thank you, Claude," the centermost woman spoke. She was the First Matriarch and head of their council. "Have a seat."
He bowed one more time before hurrying across the room to slide into a scribes desk that was placed between two columns.
"Welcome," she said to them in a melodious voice. "Our greetings to you, Lord Gryffindor."
"Greetings, Lady Matriarchs of the Veela Convent," he said when he was within respectable distance of them. He bowed deeply at the waist and held it for a few long moments before rising. "It is an honor to be hosted in your halls."
She appraised him for a long moment, as did the other matriarchs, before she nodded to herself.
"Please, have a seat," she invited, gesturing to the seven chairs arranged directly across from theirs.
"Thank you."
Harry took the center seat while his friends fanned out around him. They adjusted the small desks that had been left by each chair and brought out leather portfolios and other writing utensils.
"Perhaps some introductions are in order?" the First Matriarch suggested.
"Yes, of course," Harry agreed, shaking his head a little.
He never struggled with Fleur's allure but it felt like this whole room was practically clouded with it. It was only his skill in Occlumency that stopped him from blithering like an idiot. He had to visibly steel himself and flare his aura slightly to keep the magic from affecting him.
Honestly, Fleur had warned him about it but it still seemed a little rude to him. He was also correct in assuming that they noticed him rebuffing their allure.
"I am Lady Simone Tillion and these are my sisters, Lady Dumas, Lady Delacour, Lady Lesage, Lady Deneuve, Lady de Beauvoir, and Lady Delaunay," she said after a brief pause.
"I am Lord Gryffindor and these are my trusted friends and advisors," he began. "I'm sure you know Fleur. This is Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Lisa Turpin, Lilian Moon, and Susan Bones."
A couple of the last names in that line up raised a few internal eyebrows; in particular Lovegood, Moon, and Bones.
"Welcome," Lady Tillion said. "And Fleur — it is good to see you again."
"And you as well, my lady," Fleur said respectfully.
"I understand it was you who brought Lord Gryffindor's proposal before us," Lady Dumas interjected.
"It was, my lady."
"Interesting," the older woman said before adjusting her silver framed glasses.
"What is interesting, Marion, is the fact that Lord Gryffindor and Harry Potter appear to be one and the same," Lady Deneuve said as she fanned herself with a white lace hand fan.
"I guess it was naive to hope I would be something less than recognizable," Harry said a little sheepishly.
"Indeed," Lady Tillion said lightly. "Your fame makes your proposal sound no less fanciful, however."
"It's unorthodox," he agreed. "But not so fanciful as to be impossible. If you don't mind, I'd like to let Lisa give us a bit of background."
"Yes, ahem," Lisa said as she cleared her throat lightly. "As Lord Gryffindor, any lands he owns are technically a duchy and, though he may not be a duke, he can still give anyone he pleases asylum on his lands. We would offer that asylum to you, granting you the same legal rights as any British nobleman."
"That alone affords you better protections than France or any other country," Hermione added. "And no matter how much the ministry protests, these are rights protected in their founding charter — they cannot overturn it."
"You think to offer us some form of aid?" Adella spoke, crossing her lace-sleeved arms. "We do not have simple problems that money can be thrown at."
"You're correct," Harry agreed. "Money can't fix everything. Infrastructure, contacts, and money can fix a lot of things though. That's what we're offering."
"Infrastructure?" Lady Dumas queried in her heavily accented English, confused by the word.
One of the ladies who had yet to speak, Lady de Beauvoir, rattled off a translation in French that made Lady Dumas chuckle and say something back. From the look on Fleur's face, it was probably as snippy as it sounded.
"What kind of infrastructure?" Lady de Beauvoir asked politely in a melodic voice.
"To start with, shelter," Lisa answered. "Our base of operations is a Fidelius protected island — we used three grounders plus the secret keeper. At least one ward expert lives on site with more coming and going; each says the wards are strong even years later."
This drew a few looks of surprise. They had considered a Fidelius spell but to cover the amount of area needed would be extremely difficult. The convent was also too well known to the public, making it a hard secret to hide.
"That is impressive," Lady Tillion admitted.
"We already house more than a hundred and fifty people in the castle," Hermione continued. "To accommodate more, we require new structures."
"You would build an entirely new structure, large enough to house the entire convent, under your wards?" the First Matriarch asked in surprise.
"The team of goblin builders has already broken ground," Harry admitted. "Gringotts was able to survey the proposed building-site on short notice. Gringotts Paris sent us the building plans and blueprints based on the survey."
That got a few curious murmurs. Goblin assistance on a project was no small thing; they were notoriously picky about who they worked with.
"It sounds like the goblins are quite…cooperative with you."
"I find them to be very agreeable business partners," Harry said honestly with a slightly sly smile.
None of the witches would ever describe goblins as agreeable. If they were with this wizard, perhaps an alliance with him would be a bigger boon than they'd thought.
"Yet very bold of you to begin a construction project without being sure it is required."
"Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, I'm sure extra space would be appreciated at some point," he said with a shrug.
He was hardly concerned about that. It just meant he had more room for friends and family if they needed it.
"Another example of some of the infrastructure we can provide you with is health and safety," Susan spoke up, drawing their attention and assessing looks. "We have an experienced, full time healer and her apprentice on staff. We also have highly trained combat specialists and personnel on location in case of emergency."
"Education is also important. For the children, we have qualified teachers for all of the basic muggle and magical courses with instruction available at every level," Hermione said. "There are also a number of field trips for everyone to enjoy, typically arranged in the muggle world for safety purposes."
"Everyone will have plenty of space, safety, and a number of amenities."
"So we would not be kept separate from the other residents of this safe haven?" Lady Lesage clarified.
"Not at all," Harry answered immediately. "You're welcome to come and go from the main castle as you'd like. We plan to serve meals there and in the new structure but we'd encourage you to mix and mingle, so to say."
"And what would this new structure consist of?"
"I would say it is like a chateau," Fleur answered as she had been put in charge of working with Gringotts on this project.
"And what of your Dark Lord?" Lady Tillion asked bluntly. "None of your plans seemed to mention the current turmoil in Britain."
"Nor does it address why we'd want to leave France to live in the very eye of the storm."
"The eye of the storm is the calmest," Luna said to Lady Tillion, speaking up for the first time. Her quiet voice still managed to piece the air.
"You are Ms. Lovegood, yes?"
"Hm," Luna hummed in a vaguely agreeing way.
The veela gave her a consternated look but said nothing. They could sense something around the girl.
"It's funny, isn't it? You're further from the Dark Lord here but he still sees you. His followers still lurk outside your gates waiting for any one of your sisters to step outside of them. You know that already, don't you? That's why you've increased your guards."
"Perceptive seer," Lady Dumas said, wrinkled forehead lifting with her brows.
Harry looked around, looking at the battle-ready guards a little more carefully now. There were a bit too many for just a friendly meeting.
"But that is not enough to motivate us to leave our homeland," she continued.
"Is the suffering of our people enough reason, my lady?" Fleur spoke up.
"They would suffer more if we put them directly under the thumb of a madman," the matriarch retorted.
"No one here is denying that Lord Voldemort is a dangerous problem," Harry cut in before Fleur's look of irritation could turn into a snappish comment. "And we have numerous plans in place for dealing with him and his followers, let me assure you of that. However, we are not trying to make him your problem."
"With the Fidelius, it doesn't matter exactly where our safe haven is located," Hermione said as Fleur calmed herself and the veela matriarch softened her glare. "He will not be able to find us — you would be safe."
"You are not asking us to do anything to combat him?"
"Absolutely not," Harry answered immediately. "If any of your number wanted to help in some way, they would be welcome to. However, we're not asking or expecting any help from you on that front."
"Then what do you get out of this alliance?" Lady Tillion asked. "No one gives something for nothing,"
"For one, we'd be assured of your safety and effective neutrality. There would be no chance of the Dark Lord compelling you to cooperate with him in any way," Harry answered.
"This is nonsense," Lady Delaunay interrupted. "Leave France? Things would be no better for us in Britain than in France, especially not once this little fight has ended."
"Little fight?" Susan asked a bit indignantly. Her auntie fought very hard in the last war and in this one and she wouldn't have some prissy blonde denigrate that. "I'll have you know that-"
"What Bones is meaning to say," Lilian Moon interjected. "Is that not even your head can be so high in the clouds as to ignore the death count associated with this war. Similarly you can't deny the political consequences — what little hold creature activists have in the French Ministry is fading fast."
"Why, I never," Lady Deneuve fanned herself.
A few of the others looked a little ruffled as well so Lilian continued with the same direct tone.
"And please don't be offended; I find the term creature appalling as well but you've been reclassified, haven't you? Along with vampires, fae-born, and other magical beings. That entire situation will just keep getting worse and you're looking at the only group that's willing to do something about it. Would you rather watch your people suffer under some foolish semblance of national pride?"
There was a long silence after Lilian's little outburst but they couldn't say that her cooly-delivered diatribe was unfounded. She'd ruffled a few feathers with the national pride comment though.
"Lilian has a good point," Harry said, internally grateful that she'd said what he was thinking. "Part of what we're here to discuss and hopefully relieve is the pressure the Dark Lord is putting on you."
"Of course, we recognize that the current war is much more than a little conflict," Lady Tillion said with a reproachful look aimed at Lady Delaunay.
"And we also recognize that our people are not flourishing in their current locale," Lady Lesage acknowledged.
"However, this convent has stood through hundreds of years," Lady Tillion continued. "It has weathered many storms, conflicts, and attacks against us. It will likely survive this one too."
"Yes but two hundred veela are not meant to live here," Fleur spoke up. "This is not meant to be a, how do you say, arche de Noé?"
"Noah's Ark," Hermione provided.
"Yes, this," she nodded. "This is where our people are governed. In dark times, it is a last resort refuge. There is not enough space for all of these families and there must be financial strain."
"Financial strain that you would be willing to absorb?" Lady Lesage clarified.
"Yes, my lady," Harry answered honestly.
"Money is a simplistic way to describe what we have to offer you," Hermione said before anyone else could speak up. "What we really have is an investment plan provided by…Luna."
Hermione hesitated because she was still a little surprised. Luna had been investing money that Harry had given her control of, some sub-vault or another, and was growing it at exponential rates.
"Ms. Lovegood?" Lady Tillion prodded curiously.
"Yes?" the girl in question asked with surprisingly large blue eyes. "That's me."
"Ah," Lady Tillion faltered. Had she not been paying attention?
Luna paid attention a lot more than people thought. That's why he'd given her access to larger vaults and more money. Most of the money went towards the war but he couldn't lie and say his vaults weren't generally benefitting.
"Luna has been managing my portfolio for five fiscal quarters now and the profits are steadily increasing," Harry interjected. "We have a folder with some relevant information for you but to put it shortly…"
"I have an investment plan that involves working with your treasury to pay for your overhead and increase your returns," Luna interrupted in a scarily professional tone, eyes sharp.
Her eyes went back to looking a little glassy and she turned her attention back to something in front of her. After making either a serious note or a small doodle (or both), she smiled at nothing in particular.
"And you have the data to prove this?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And how exactly would this work?" Lady Lesage asked. "It is not as if we have investment capital available."
"We'll absorb your current fees into the Gryffindor family; things like rents, mortgages, costs of living, upkeep, guard payrolls — Luna assures me we can afford it," Harry continued. "Your treasury would then be separate from those financial burdens. Luna's investment plan would then go into place, rebuilding your treasury so it's in place once everyone can return to their normal lives."
"That is your goal?" Lady Tillion asked, tilting her head and focusing crystalline eyes on Harry intently. "To return to your normal life?"
Harry thought about it for a long second.
"No, definitely not," he shook his head.
She looked intrigued by this so Harry continued.
"See, I was raised by muggles," he said. "When I first joined this world, I wasn't impressed once I figured out what was under the first layer of it. Compared to muggle Britain, the magical world is backwards; the people haven't progressed and neither have government policies."
There were a few noises of audible surprise at finding out the English savior had been raised by muggles. That had to be upsetting for their blood supremacists, if they even knew.
"Once this war is over, our focus will shift towards changing the political climate enough to prevent this from happening again," he explained. "Many of my friends and allies have or will eventually have a lot of political power — we're using it in small ways now and still trying to find new ways to utilize it."
"So rather than an immediate gain from our alliance, you seek to secure future influence," Lady Tillion mused.
"To keep it simple, yes," he confirmed. "This isn't just a war effort; our plans continue into post war policy making and reforms. For this meeting, however, I am attempting to focus on the present."
"Are any of you familiar with the Diggory War Relief Fund?" Susan asked when she noticed a prompt from Hermione in her portfolio.
"I am," Lady Tillion agreed.
"Our group is responsible for that. We've helped re-home hundreds of people while paying for houses, cars, educations, hospital bills, and, unfortunately, even funerals. We're doing everything we can to help those affected by Voldemort and that's just one example," the Hufflepuff girl said with feeling.
"We know that Voldemort has already reached out to you," Harry picked back up. "And, like we expected, you turned him away. You know how terrible he is."
"We are still well-separated from his madness," Lady de Beauvoir said.
"Do you think that he would not begin spreading his hatred across the channel if he conquers Britain?" Harry asked rhetorically.
"It's possible that he'd attack here even before then especially now that you've spurned his offer," Lilian pointed out fatalistically.
"Wouldn't you rather be somewhere where there's more than seventy trained fighters ready to defend at a moment's notice? Where shortages of beds, food, and supplies will never be a factor?" Hermione asked.
"More importantly, the protection of the Gryffindor name is long lasting," Harry said. "Even after the war, there will be a safe haven for your people as we all hopefully work together towards lasting reform and equality between all magical beings."
"A powerful sentiment, Lord Gryffindor," the First Matriarch said.
They all seemed to think on this for a moment before sharing a long look. Lady Tillion nodded subtly.
"Fleur, perhaps you could show our guests to the rooftop gardens while we deliberate Lord Gryffindor's offer," she suggested.
"I would be happy to, my lady," the young veela agreed, knowing it was simply a veiled order.
"Any additional information or documents you would like us to consider can be left with Claude."
"I have it all here," Hermione said as she organized a packet of prepared information.
Claude collected them from her and then Lady Tillion gestured at the two guards closest to the doors.
"These two will accompany you," she said.
"Of course," Harry agreed as she stood from his chair and bowed.
His friends copied the gesture as Fleur curtsied reflexively. Then, they turned to follow the guards through a new set of smaller doors on the other side of the room.
…
Even in the beginnings of winter, the rooftop garden was stunning. His Aunt Petunia would probably faint with jealousy if she caught sight of their rosebushes. Harry couldn't focus on the beauty of the scene around him, however.
"That went okay, right?" he asked nervously as soon as they were away from the two stoic guards. "I mean it seemed like it went okay? It went terribly, didn't it?"
"Harry," Hermione said quickly. "Harry."
"Right, sorry," he said, taking a deep breath. Focus.
"It did not go so bad as I thought it could," Fleur offered.
"I'm sure they'll study the materials we gave them; that'll be more convincing than a quick conversation," Lisa said, taking a seat on one of the elegant benches.
"I didn't get the impression that anyone was on board," Harry fretted.
"I got the impression that a few of them were distinctly against it," Lilian pitched in unhelpfully.
"Luna?" Harry prompted, seeing a flicker of something cross the blondes face.
"Yes, Harry?" she asked lightly.
"How do you think it went?"
"I think the decision was already made."
"Are you suggesting that the meeting was a formality?" Susan asked curiously.
"Oh yes," she nodded.
"Why? What do you mean?" Harry asked, hoping she'd answer. Luna was hard to wrangle an answer out of, especially when it came to future predictions. "Were we doomed from the start?"
She laughed at him, the sound ringing through the garden like bells. "No," she said, snorting a little as she giggled. She shook her head after a moment to get her hair of her face, blonde locks mussed by the wind, before she locked eyes on Fleur. "Why did your family move here?"
"Lady Tillion received a missive from the Dark Lord's envoy," she answered. "So she recalled her family to the convent. It is a very large family too with all of her daughters and granddaughters."
"And then?"
"Well if the First Matriarch does it, all the other matriarchs follow suit," Fleur explained.
"Right, and then?" Luna asked, blinking slowly.
Fleur stared at her for a moment before shifting slightly. "Well everyone else slowly followed. Then DuBois chateau was attacked. Even though it was empty, it scared everyone else into retreating to the convent as well, yes?"
"Yes," Luna agreed. "Does anyone know who Frans de Waal is?"
"The Dutch primatologist?" Hermione asked after a beat while looking very confused.
"Correct! A cookie for you," Luna said before reaching into her pocket and procuring a fully intact jammy dodger.
"Erm, thank you?" Hermione said as she took the cookie in a bit of a confused stupor.
"What's a primatologist?" Susan asked, also looking confused.
"Someone who studies monkeys, right?" Lilian asked.
"Primates," Hermione corrected around a mouthful of cookie. Don't judge her; what was she supposed to do with it? Throw it away? That seemed wasteful. She'd earned it, anyhow.
"Semantics," Lilian rolled her eyes.
"What do monkeys have to do with this?" Fleur asked, looking ready to pull at her silvery hair in frustrated confusion.
"Nothing," Luna answered. "He had a saying about birds."
"Wait, now we're talking about birds?" Susan clarified, trying to keep track.
"If one bird foraging in a flock on the ground suddenly takes off," Luna recited. "All other birds will take off immediately after, before they even know what's going on."
"So you're suggesting Fleur is the pretty bird here," Harry said with a wink towards Fleur who rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "And since she's taken off to Firewall, so to say, the others are likely to want to follow."
Luna nodded sagely.
"The one who stays behind may be prey," she finished the quote solemnly.
"Interesting theory," Lisa said, tilting her head in a so-so manner.
"We might as well get comfortable," Susan said as she spied a collection of upholstered sofas and outdoor chaises. "We'll probably be here long enough to puzzle out a few more theories."
"I also have some interesting quotes about rabbits," Luna offered.
"I think the bird metaphor was enough," Fleur assured her.
"I do hope you weren't offended," Luna continued lightly. "It was only a convenient metaphor and was in no way related to both birds and veelas shared proclivity to sprout feathers."
"Well I wasn't offended before…" Fleur grumbled.
…
After a rather enjoyable tea service on the rooftop and another hour of meandering conversation, the guards sought them out in their chosen corner of the garden.
"The Matriarchs have finished their deliberations," one said.
"Please follow us back to the chamber."
They were all quick to find their feet and follow the two men back downstairs. When they arrived, they found that the seven women didn't seemed to have moved much.
"Welcome back," Lady TIllion said.
"Please, have a seat," Fleur's mother offered with a more friendly smile than she'd given them before.
That she seemed to have cast off some of the formality made Harry feel more at ease. He knew she had been avoiding showing any favoritism before. Clearly, a decision had been reached and she no longer felt the need to do that.
"Thank you for your patience," Lady Tillion said with a graceful incline of her head.
"It is the least we can do in exchange for hearing our proposal."
"And a quite interesting proposal it is," she said, pausing for a long moment as if to think. "You realize the logistics of this will be no small feat, should we choose to go forward with this?"
"I'm aware," he said confidently.
"We've already discussed and tentatively drafted some of the numerous contracts that would have to be signed on an individual basis," Hermione added.
"We have more than thought out the steps," Harry promised.
"Your attention to detail seemed obvious in the informational packet Ms. — Granger, was it?" Hermione nodded in response to the elder veela. "That Ms. Granger provided us with. It seems you are far more capable than we had originally thought."
"The preliminaries of the investment plan seem more than likely to succeed," Lady Lesage added. "I am personally impressed with the thought shown there."
"Thank you," Luna said with a bow of her head.
"We have reached a decision between ourselves," Lady Tillion began.
Harry and the six girls waited with bated breath which the matriarchs seemed to notice, some with amusement.
"We would first like to see both the physical location and the building plans," she continued. "And assuming those are both satisfactory, we will accept Lord Gryffindor's offer and extend our alliance in these odd, troubled times."
It was hard for the girls not to show their visible excitement. Harry settled for offering them a very genuine smile.
"We are truly glad to hear that," Harry said after collecting his thoughts quickly. "We can easily arrange to show some or all of you around the castle but we will require you to sign the same standard secrecy oath that everyone must sign before learning the secret."
"As I'm sure you understand, we take our security very seriously," Susan said, all of them nodding along.
"Assuming everything is suitable, we will have much to discuss and much more to do with precious few weeks to do it in," Lady Lesage pointed out.
"Yes," Harry agreed. "But the goblins project they will be done with their portion of the building by the first week of December. Then our team will go in and have it done by the last week of December — probably a few days after Christmas."
"Christmas in France and New Years in Britain," Lady Tillion said. "Hm. Well, shall we begin some of this paperwork planning?"
"We are interested to see these oaths you would have us sign, as well as the contracts that might be required in the future," Lady Dumas said a little stiffly.
"Of course," Harry agreed.
"I have a copy here…" Hermione began.
…
More than an hour and a half later, the group of friends left France and returned to Hogwarts.
"I think we timed that well," Hermione remarked as they entered the Cathedral.
"Right on time," Lisa said as she checked her watch. "If we go back in time now, it'll be ten minutes after lunch."
"Slippy," Lilian called.
"Yes, missus?" the little elf asked as she popped into the room.
"Can you bring us our book bags, please?"
"Yes, missus," the elf said after a brief glance around to see who all was in the room.
"We'll wait a few more minutes, just to be safe," Hermione said as she checked her watch as well.
"Wouldn't want to run into ourselves," Susan agreed.
They needed to be sure their past-selves were out of the Cathedral before they slipped back into their proper time.
"That went way better than I thought," Harry said as they milled around the empty room.
"Birds of a feather flock together," Luna said in a sing-song voice.
Fleur gave her a droll look and sighed.
"We are not birds," she reminded the other blonde.
"I know," Luna agreed. "You're far more beautiful."
"Oh, well, I do not know about this," Fleur said with a blush she could probably summon on command and a practiced coy look. "But thank you very much."
"It did go really well though," Susan agreed. "The island is amazing so I'm sure there will be no problems there."
"I'm just impressed that the goblins can get so much construction done so quickly," Lisa said.
"It'll be done even faster than the castle," Hermione agreed. "Though I would argue that was a more complex structure because they had to work with the existing ruins."
"It's still a very large project to be done within such a short window," Harry agreed. "We're lucky they were willing to assign more builders."
"Maxwell had me sneak off to the bank to let a third team of builders in on the secret," Hermione said. "They're going to help with the work on the pool behind the castle."
"Oh we're moving forward on that officially now?"
"They're going to start that in the New Year," she answered. "They're helping with the chateau for now."
"Wait so now there's three teams?" Harry asked.
"Uh huh," Hermione confirmed. "And there's talk of an elevator for the castle to make it more accessible; we have a sort of enchanted chair lift thing going on or elves to pop people around but it's not ideal."
"I really need to start reading those briefings better…"
"You really do," his best friend agreed.
"That's what I have you for," he said with a bright smile.
Before she could retort, Lisa interrupted.
"It's time," she said. "Any later and we'll all be late for class."
"I'll end up being late regardless, even with all the secret passages," Susan groaned. "I have potions."
"That's rough," Harry winced. "Charms is close enough for Hermione and me."
"Same," Lilian said. "Though I'll head out first so I don't arrive with you both."
"I have a free period," Luna said with a pleased grin.
"Lucky you," Susan said jealously.
"Alright, here we go," Hermione said as Lisa extended the chain.
"I reccomend closing your eyes," Harry said just before she turned the dial and sent them spinning back through time.
"Good call," Lilian said once the world stopped spinning.
"I'll put it away," Hermione said.
"See you all after dinner," Susan said as she turned to practically sprint from the room, backpack slung over her shoulder.
"See you in charms," Lilian said as she followed the Hufflepuff briskly.
"See you!" they called after her.
The tired group managed to blend back in with the other students seamlessly. Hermione and Harry managed to slide into the charms classroom just as the bell rang. Lilian was already seated at the back of the room and Ron had saved them two seats near the aisle in the middle of the room.
"How did it go?" he whispered from the corner of his mouth as they both sat down.
"Better than we'd hoped," Harry whispered back as he pulled out his homework assignment.
"We'll tell you more after dinner," Hermione said as Flitwick tapped the podium to draw their attention to the beginning of the lesson.
"Everybody go ahead and pass in your assignments," he began. "Once I have an idea of your average level of understanding on the theory, we'll briefly revisit the knitting charm in your next lesson. After that, we'll continue with our theory discussion on water into vinegar. Books out, everyone!"
Harry sighed.
Yet again, there was more theory. Their sixth year seemed to be dedicated almost entirely to NEWT's theory and revision.
"I know," Hermione whispered to him. "Even I'm a little burnt out on the theory."
"Wow, coming from you that says something," Ron said under his breath.
"It'd be nice if we were covering more advanced material," she said as she took the stack of assignments from the person behind her.
"We are a bit beyond this," Harry agreed quietly as he grabbed the stack from the person behind him. "Most of us are."
Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement; the DA really was far beyond the bubble-head, blasting curses, and gouging spells on the Charms syllabus for this year. They were also all competent with nonverbal spells.
"And I've been using the knitting charm since fourth year," Hermione sighed as they handed their stacks forward.
"We just have to focus on our own studies," Harry said.
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Great, more studying," Ron muttered.
Hermione bumped his shoulder with a frown that was more amused than disappointed.
"Oh, erm, I meant," he cleared his throat. "Yay, more time with you."
"Nice save," Hermione snorted.
"Smooth, Weasley," Harry chortled. "Real smooth."
"Shut up," he grumbled, the tips of his ears turning red.
"Quiet down, everyone, quiet down," Flitwick said as he set aside their collected assignments. "Today we're going to discuss the theory behind…"
…
After dinner, a full DA meeting was called in the Cathedral.
"Settle down over there," Ron hollered towards the corner containing his twin brothers and the Peakes twins.
"Oh ho," George called back.
"Listen to Ronny-boy over there."
"He's got our mother's lungs, he does."
"Oh shove it and stuff it, both of you," he hollered back.
The room was full of people, all of whom seemed fairly animated or excitement. Word had spread that the outcome of the veela meeting was generally positive so they were eager to begin the meeting.
"Could we get a few more seats over here, Slippy?"
"Oh yes, mister."
The little elf looked quite pleased to be needed; she definitely had her hands full tonight just with arranging enough furniture. Bean bag cushions weren't cutting it for everyone; Augusta Longbottom was in attendance and outright refused to sit on a bean bag cushion.
"Is this better for missus?" Slippy asked.
Augusta primly took a seat in a large, straight backed chair before nodding.
"This is much better for the posture," she stated while casting a glance towards the beanbags. "Some of you children might benefit from better posture as well."
They shared a couple of wide eyed looks but no one said anything. They weren't going to argue with a woman who would wear a coral pink robe, brown over-robe, and a frightful stuffed vulture hat.
"I agree, Lady Longbottom," Zara said as she conjured a similar chair near the woman. Gracefully, she took a seat and made sure to sit up straight as she made herself comfortable. "It's no small thing to regrow ones spine, after all."
"Indeed not," she agreed before nodding to the elf. "Thank you, Slippy."
"Slippy is happy to help missus!"
The little elf disappeared to procure the pensieve.
Harry donated his memories of different important highlights from their day for everyone to view as that seemed smarter than trying to recount it all verbally.
"…then we spent an hour and a half reviewing the contracts each veela or family member will have to sign for legal asylum, secrecy, and the like."
"I am not looking forward to individually signing all of those," Harry groaned with feeling.
"There should be a spell in your family grimoire, Potter," Zara said with an eye roll. "No more signing, just special ink and your wand tip."
"Seriously?" he asked incredulously.
"Indeed, Mr. Potter," Augusta confirmed. "I'm surprised no one told you — the ink may only be purchased at Gringotts or from a certified Ministry potions master."
"Someone remind me to order some of that from the goblins."
"I'll write the order form and put it on your desk, Harry," Hermione told him.
"Thanks," he said. "Anyways, all of the Matriarch's have signed the standard secrecy contracts we use for Firewall residents."
"Are they all coming?" Morag asked incredulously.
"Non," Fleur answered. "Only my mother."
"She will share the memory with them and since we have no idea who or what she might see in that memory, we asked that they all signed one for our security."
"Which was a tough selling point," Lisa winced.
"They agreed in the end," Fleur said.
"I think we should start the tour near the lighthouse," Harry proposed. "Then walk through the gardens towards the building site so that she can meet the builders and see the plans."
"She will like that," Fleur nodded. "Though perhaps not in the lighthouse, non?"
"She'd be more than welcome," Xeno said with sparkling eyes. "I have a few questions for my new article on-"
Luna cut him off with a gentle pat on the knee that he seemed familiar with.
"Maybe another time, Daddy."
"Right, yes, sorry poppet," he said sheepishly. "Not the time, of course."
"It's fine, Xeno," Harry said with an easy smile. "I'm just not sure we have the time to give her a tour of the lighthouse as well at the rest of the island."
He nodded in understanding.
"We should ask Maxwell to finish connecting the new chateau to the garden paths," Hermione suggested.
"He could easily do that up to a point," Fay agreed.
"It'd be nice if it already felt like it was a part of the landscape, so to say, not isolated," Harry agreed.
"After that, we'll show her around the castle and end the tour with lunch on the rooftop patio."
"It's not as impressive as theirs but it has a nice view," Harry said. "I'm hoping to have the castle fully decked out for Christmas by then. I want to give them the best possible impression possible so they can get an idea of what to expect before they all migrate North."
"Was that another bird joke?" Hermione asked incredulously. "That was incredibly rude, Harry."
"I thought this was funny," Fleur said while smiling lightly. "We are not so sensitive, Hermione."
The brunette just shook her head when Harry smirked at her.
"She plans to come sometime in the next few days," Susan said. "We'll know for sure when she sends an owl."
"I can't believe we're doing this," Morag said.
"You do realize we'll be the first British anything to ally this closely with centaurs and veela?"
"They're strong allies," Ron said to Lilian Moon. "It's a shame we've neglected them this long."
"I've had some ideas about a couple more allies," Fay Dunbar spoke up. "Something I heard Harry and Lucy talking about at breakfast the other day."
"Huh?" the two Gryffindors in question looked confused.
"Look at our maps of Hogwarts — of all the fronts against the school, which one are we neglecting?" she pointed. "The lake. The merpeople."
Lucy began shaking her head immediately. "Dammit Dunbar, no."
"I'm against it," Harry said immediately. "They're bloody terrifying."
"Is that trauma from the second task I'm hearing, Potter?"
"No, it's the galleon sized spear wound in my calf talking."
"They're intelligent creatures with a warrior class and a stake in the defense of Hogwarts. Don't you think we might be able to convince them to help?" she asked.
"I mean maybe?" Lilian said with a thoughtful expression.
"Maybe we propose something similar to what we did with the centaurs?" Neville suggested. "If you won't fight with us, at least fight against Death Eaters if you see them in the lake?"
"Why would there ever be Death Eaters in the lake?"
"I don't know," the girl defended. "They could enlist their own dark creatures to attack from there, couldn't they?"
"She has a point," Gareth agreed as he looked over the well-used tactical section of his journal.
"You know, Fay, I think this should be your project. Why don't you get some help from someone that hasn't been stabbed or nearly drowned by them and tell us what you come up with?"
Fay rolled her eyes. "Where's the Gryffindor bravery?"
"Possibly at the bottom of the Black lake," Harry said dryly. "Let me know if you find it while you're down there."
"You're ridiculous," she reiterated. "But yeah, I'll do it. Might be worth a shot."
"I am not helping," Lucy said emphatically.
"Or it might get back to Dumbledore," Lilian pointed out. "Best be careful — they seemed to be on decent speaking terms at the end of the task."
"We'll see," Fay said thoughtfully.
"If I may," Augusta interjected. Everyone quieted immediately for the intimidating woman. "I have something I'd like to bring to the table."
"Yes, ma'am?" Harry asked.
"Baron Greengrass and I have drafted a proposal after more than a few discussions with Mr. Lupin and his group," she said as she looked around. Everyone nodded, knowing she was referring to Hannah, Leanne, and Wayne. "We think we have reached a nearly completed final draft that could possibly be introduced into the Wizengamot."
"Pro-werewolf legislation?"
"Yes and no," Augusta said in answer to Hermione's question. "It's a new piece of legislation to overhaul theDepartment for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, shifting the designation for sentient 'creatures' into magical beings and equalizing a few rights."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"And in the current Wizengamot climate, what are it's chances of success?" Zara asked slowly, mindful of her tone. Her cobalt blue eyes were clouded with thought.
"Low," she admitted. "That is why our proposal comes with a precursor plan to shift the climate of the Wizengamot before the proposal would go up for vote in June."
"Is that really enough time?"
"Seeing as I am aiming at equalizing fewer rights than I would like, it has a fair chance of success if we can drum up the necessary support."
"How would we do that?" Sirius asked curiously.
"By beginning with a single measure that would make the public feel safer," she explained.
"And that would be?"
"We have drafted a measure on werewolf full moon facilities," she answered. "It's a comprehensive 42 page plan that includes a press conference and fundraising event."
"Those facilities would be a nightmare if they were government run," Remus said from near the edge of the dueling platform where he and Sirius were standing.
"That's why we think it would be a good idea if Lord Ravenborough supported the measure and the creation and management of those facilities," Andromeda told them.
"We'll announce it near the end of December," Augusta continued. "At the end of the final Wizengamot meeting of the year. It can't be voted on until the next meeting which will be after the New Year, giving us time to corral the votes."
"Isn't that a short window?" Zara asked again in the same respectfully careful tone.
"Yes and no," the distinguished witch answered again, adjusting her vulture-hat. "The Christmas spirit alone goes a long way towards making people feel generous."
"To the lighter factions, it'll present as public safety and social welfare," Andromeda explained. "To the darker factions, we sell it as increased control and regulation for dangerous werewolves."
"Given that the measure requires no Ministry investment and neither changes nor violates any laws, it'll pass with token resistance from the darker factions."
"Plus, it's almost expected that neutrals vote with something like this because it's an opportunity to rake in good press for the Wizengamot without actually doing anything," Andromeda said.
"Measures are closed votes so the way each member casts their vote is never published," Augusta expounded. "Meaning each member can benefit from any windfall of good press no matter how they vote."
"Or they can claim to have been against it if it fails," Harry realized.
"No accountability, no gold leaving their pockets," Zara snorted. "Just how the Ministry likes it."
"Correct," Augusta agreed dryly. "So you see, it won't be hard to pass off a measure like this, especially if we sell it as a way to protect everyone by treating and secluding werewolves during the full moon, at no cost to the Ministry."
"Which is what always should have been done in the first place," Remus said.
"Agreed," Harry said.
"Since I hold both the Ravenborough and Longbottom votes, I will propose it as a joint measure between our two houses," Augusta said.
"How much would Lord Ravenborough actually have to do?"
"All you'd have to do is sign off on the paperwork," Wayne Hopkins pitched in immediately. He had a thick sheaf notes he'd obviously worked very hard on.
"See that's just how I like it," Harry joked.
"We've prepared designs and we know exactly what supplies we'd need on hand at all times," he elaborated. "We still need to figure out hiring and personnel details which you'll also have to sign off on."
"The only hard part is the licensing," Leanne Kimmi told them from her spot on Wayne's left.
"Support for the proposal will make the acquisition of the proper licenses much easier," Augusta said. "That is where Lord Potter might end up being more helpful."
"What can I do?" he asked.
"Make an appearance at the Longbottom's Winter Ball," she said simply.
"That sounds easy enough."
"You being there will be an implicit show of support since I will announce the ball as a way to generate awareness for this bill."
"Is it too early to fundraise?" Harry asked.
Augusta have him a shark-like smile. "Oh it's never too early to fundraise."
"Then maybe Lord Potter can make a generous contribution as well."
"Perhaps you could offer to cover the costs of the Wolfsbane by sponsoring the production contract," August said thoughtfully. "That would help give Lord Davis an excuse to support the measure in the Wizengamot publicly."
"My dad will have to hire a lot of new brewers," Tracey said. "But any brewer would jump at the chance to take the Wolfsbane contract considering the payment schema for labor and materials. He can easily support it in the chambers without being scrutinized by any faction."
"The neutrals would certainly like that," Andromeda said. "They like anything that will help the economy or generate new jobs."
"He also said he could handle brewing 2,000 doses a month and the stuff stores for up to three months if done properly," she added. "He'll only need ten dedicated brewers. He'll hire more than that, of course, since he has other business, but the Wolfsbane production is manageable."
"That's good news," Harry said.
"Yes," Augusta agreed. "With you attending the event and perhaps a few future fundraisers, we can start building a support base for the future introduction of the larger bill."
"When would the larger bill be introduced?" Harry asked.
"Restructuring a Ministry department is a large proposal," Augusta answered. "It would need to sit in the chamber for three months, if not longer. We will introduce it in March and hope to have it passed by June."
"If this measures passes and the future fundraising events are successful, it's highly likely we could try to get such a bill passed," Andromeda answered. "If the werewolf facility measure proves successful, that'll be another mark in our favor."
"Could the facility be opened regardless of the proposal?" Harry asked, thinking of the worst case scenario.
"Not unless we can get the licenses," Remus answered. "I wouldn't even know where to begin on that, honestly."
"I know someone who might," Ron said slowly.
"Might know how to get us the licenses?" Harry asked, confused.
"No, someone who knows how the Ministry works on an administrative level."
"Who, Ron?"
"My brother, Percy. He and his fiancé, Penelope Clearwater, moved back into the Burrow according to all of my mum's letters. In between her telling me that I'm grounded for the entirety of Christmas break and summer hols, she tells me bits about Percy and Penny."
"I get similar letters," Ginny said. "And I bet they're miserable."
"Apparently Percy saw how wrong he was after he realized there really was a war on," Ron continued. "And Fudge started acting like an even bigger fool so he came back to the family."
"Since then, mum's been trying to make Penny see that she should be a stay at home wife," Ginny snorted. "It's not going over well."
"She means well."
"Dumbledore's been talking about him joining the Order; apparently it's possible that he's seen the light," Sirius said thoughtfully.
"If that's true, I'd rather talk to Percy before Dumbledore does. If not, I don't think we'll be able to convince him to work with us over the headmaster."
"Why don't you let us talk to our little brother?" Charlie said while gesturing between himself and Bill.
"Yeah," Fred chimed in with George following.
"Why don't you-"
"Let us talk to-"
"Our little brother?"
"We can handle it, Fred," Bill said as he looked at the twin on the right. "We don't need you agitating him while we're trying to get him to join us."
The twins pouted but then shrugged and went back to flicking some sort of triangle shaped object that impacted on things with a yellow splat.
"Alright," Harry continued. "Augusta, what else can you tell us about this measure?"
"I have some copies of it here," she said as she started passing them out. "We felt like it would be better to wait to make too many plans until we had more input and ideas. Lord Valli was sure his daughter would have some as well as he plans to back the actual bill when it's actually released."
Zara looked quite interested and took a copy that was spelled to her by the Longbottom woman. She rubbed her hands together as she began reading over it.
"Let's see what we've got…"