Hearts and Minds

No one inside Hogwarts complained that the rest of their Hogsmeade weekend had been cancelled. After reading Sunday's edition of the Prophet, it's doubtful anyone would have left the safety of the castle anyway. With the ministry having to deal with the aftermath of yesterday's attack on Diagon Alley, they simply couldn't spare the aurors to effectively guard the village for the students' visit.

The war had again hit the Hogwarts community though, Katie Bell had lost her mother in the attack. The distraught witch had returned home and would stay there until after the funeral. Only the stoic efforts of Fred, George and Percy Weasley stopped their house looking for retribution over the popular quidditch player's loss. Neville and Parvati easily held the younger years in check, most of them had friends in Slytherin anyway. Ron was the only dissenting voice they had to deal with, since no one listened to him anyway they simply did the same and ignored the prat.

Cormac McLaggen would like to have started something inside Gryffindor, more so because he really fancied Katie and she wouldn't give him the time of day. Going against the Weasley twins though was never an option he would deliberately choose, they also had the head boy in their corner too.

The reaction inside Slytherin house was along somewhat different lines. Even the staunchest supporters of the dark lord couldn't stand behind what had happened yesterday. They had of course heard about Katie's mother and understood it was pure chance that none of their own family had been caught up in the attack. The point the Prophet had clearly made, that if their families had been in the alley then they were just as likely to be murdered as anyone else, was certainly not lost on any of its Slytherin readers.

Draco and Pansy led the third years in opposition to any older dark lord supporters, the second years were all staunch Crow's Marauders members while the first years loved their marauders club too. Instead of having a polarising effect inside Hogwarts, yesterday's attack had actually introduced an element of solidarity against Voldemort and his followers.

This effect though wasn't restricted to Hogwarts, it was being repeated the length and breadth of the British Isles. This was not so much a lurch toward the light, more a display of utter disgust at what Voldemort and his last remaining pair of disciples were capable of - supposedly in the name of pureblood supremacy. It would be a long time before any of them would raise their heads above the parapet again. There was also the not knowing just what this madman would do next. Distancing themselves from his actions now was not only the smart option, it was really the only option they had available.

-oOoOo-

Harry knew what he had to do next. He hated using his fame like this but still went ahead with it, this really was a 'greater good' situation. Walking down Diagon Alley with Hermione on his arm would let the wizarding community see he thought it was safe to do so, restoring public confidence was vital in getting Diagon Alley back on its feet. They also had a few shops to visit and a very important task to carry out in each. Arriving in Flourish & Blott's, the manager was with them in seconds.

"Good afternoon, sir. I have something here that you might want to display at the front of your shop, it tells everyone who sees it that Flourish & Blott's have goblin wards protecting their premises and customers." Harry didn't mention that the Wizengamot would soon be voting to make the displaying of this plaque compulsory for any premises that had their wards, he couldn't understand why any business wouldn't want to shout that fact at the top of their voices.

The bronze plaque Harry removed from his bag showed a nesting female dragon poised to defend her young, the workmanship alone would have owners wanting to display this work of art. The words Flourish and Blott's were clearly displayed in the nest area, making each of the plaques Harry had in his bag unique to a particular business.

While having unlimited access to the Black library had somewhat curtailed his mate's cravings for the printed word, she was still Hermione Granger. While Harry had been talking with the manager, Hermione had been browsing the shop's merchandise. She returned with fourteen books that would be purchased before being sent to their fledgling library in Kingussie.

The manager at Quality Quidditch Supplies was a different kettle of fish. Knowing the boy-who-lived held no interest in the noble sport of quiddich was not only heartbreaking, it was very bad for business. He tried his best to sell the young couple a wide range of quidditch equipment and paraphernalia, finally getting the message they weren't interested when Hermione casually mentioned that a beaters bat could also be used for taking a swipe at over-persistent sales people.

Madam Malkin was grateful for the plaque but had an even bigger bugbear than her quidditch counterpart. Here were the two most influential Hogwarts students in the country, students who frequently featured on the front page of the Prophet and various magazines. Her problem was that, apart from their Hogwarts robes, all their tailoring was done by the goblins. Hearing that Gringotts had outfitted two entire year groups worth of students for the initial Merlin Ball had seen her in tears for hours with the mere thought of all that lost profit.

It was something of a relief for the couple to finally reach Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour, now here was something and someone they both liked. While delighted with his plaque, Florean was canny enough to know that this couple sitting eating ice cream in his shop would do more than any plaque to let people know that life, like business, must go on. The clean-up was progressing all around them as Diagon Alley made a valiant attempt at business as usual. This couple, by their very actions, emphasised that point more than any speeches ever could.

After spending a few hours in the alley, Harry and Hermione headed back to Gringotts. They would spend another night with father before heading off to Hogwarts in the morning, Auror Tonks already confirming that she would pick them up in Gringotts.

They arrived back in the great hall of Hogwarts to find a very subdued atmosphere, especially considering this was Valentine's Day. Hermione wore a red rose that Harry had given her on her robe, she noticed Padma wearing the same before her friend was hugging them in greeting.

"Next time you do a runner, remember to take us with you."

Hermione could only nod to Neville, knowing her friends were right. "I wasn't involved in any fighting, I just had to know that Harry was okay."

A quick confirmation that Crow's Marauders was most definitely still on tonight helped lift the mood somewhat. They had also been accompanied to Hogwarts by Master Pitslay so there really wasn't time to say much more, they needed to get to potions class.

-oOoOo-

Emma almost needed a calming potion when she laid eyes on the copy of the Prophet featuring the attack, Barchoke's letter telling them all their children were fine was certainly appreciated. The three sets of parents had been having breakfast together when Dobby arrived with copies of the newspaper and Barchoke's letter.

"It would seem they were right, this Voldemort isn't just going to go away."

"He won't go away, Dan, because he's nowhere else to go. When Frank and I fought against him in the last war things were so different. Then they held all the cards, and they weren't afraid to use them. We're still struggling to believe the differences this time around."

"I think I know how you feel, Alice. Those changes have all happened in the last three years. We moved to Britain just before our girls seventh birthdays, for the first few years I was sure we had made a mistake. Ramrao persuaded me to let the girls try Hogwarts before we made any decisions and I'm so glad we did."

Her husband not only confirmed Smita's story but added a bit more depth to the Patil's tale. "Even then we weren't sure, our girls being sorted into separate houses could have been the final straw. Instead, it was the making of them. Parvati has Lavender as a best friend while Padma - well, what can I say. Her choices of friends and the experiences they shared have changed our daughter beyond all recognition to the eleven year old girl we put on the Hogwarts express."

That was something Dan could certainly relate to, and did. "Putting Hermione on that train was the hardest decision we've ever had to make. Her bringing two friends home to spend Christmas in Crawley that year let us see it was the right decision. We obviously didn't know anything about the magical world beforehand but our experiences since have made those roller coasters our kids are so fond of seem tame by comparison. We never expected Hermione to have already found her mate, nor did we even consider getting attacked in our own home as a possibility."

Emma had gotten over the initial shock of seeing Harry charge out of Gringotts on the front page of the newspaper, she was once more able to participate in the conversation. "Like Smita, we were of the opinion that Hogwarts was something we would let Hermione try. I don't think I would be being overly dramatic to say our daughter meeting Harry on that train radically changed all our lives. We've made some great friends, gained a son with another on the way. Even then, we're not the most affected just of those of us sitting here today."

Frank's hand slid into his wife's. His stutter meant that Frank really didn't say much, his wide smile though told everyone what he was thinking. Alice had grown into the habit of speaking for both of them. "I would say you were right there, Emma. Just the two of us sitting here is a wondrous thing, seeing our children all grown into the fine people that they are is simply the best feeling in the world. I know James and Lily would be just as proud, I only wish circumstances had been better. I feel I failed my godson, and then I see Harry standing beside his father. How could you ever even want to take that away from them?"

This had Emma smiling, knowing those two were as close as a father and son could be. It also gave her the opening she was looking for. "Dan and I now understand how important godparents are in the magical world. Thankfully Sirius just effortlessly extended his godfather duties to include Hermione, and Henrica has been nothing short of brilliant with all the girls. For our son though, we wanted to choose his godparents beforehand. We were thinking of asking Neville and Padma to fill those roles but wanted to run it past you first. What do you think?"

Her suggestion was immediately met with four smiling yeses, making three happy couples sitting in the lovely sunshine while sharing breakfast. The bonds between the extended family were tightening, bringing them all closer and closer. The Patils and Longbottoms would be joined by the marriage of Padma and Neville, having them as godparents to the Granger baby was considered a brilliant idea by all involved.

-oOoOo-

Hermione was searching for a way to let her mate down gently when Padma did the deed in her own inimitable style. "Harry, that's a terrible idea. Valentine's Day is all about romance and love, we teach Crow's Marauders how to fight. How could we possibly hold a Valentine's themed meeting, hand out kisses instead of chocolate? I don't want Colin getting any ideas, it's taken months for him to cope with my betrothal to Neville."

"I just wanted to see if we could cheer them up a bit. You're right though, it was a stupid idea…"

Hermione though had a better one. "How about inviting them to the Summer Fayre being held in Kingussie? The Director did say to invite anyone we wanted and I don't see any of our Crows having a problem attending a goblin event."

This was news to Padma and Neville so Hermione quickly brought them up to speed with what would be happening over the summer. "It sounded wonderful when Harry described it, it's something I'm really looking forward to now."

"I was six the last time Gringotts held one, Sapphire and me had a great time. Two weeks later she was gone, seeing us having such a good time must have been too much for her father to bear…" Harry suddenly had his arms full of witch, and it wasn't his betrothed.

Padma now felt terrible for shooting his original idea down so harshly. "Oh Harry, I was six when the Patils came to Britain, I would have killed for a friend like you then. Sapphire will be back for this one, and we can use our experiences to make this the best Gringotts Fayre ever. Remember Sapphire's reaction to being on that flying carpet? We could have magical carpet rides around the glen."

This was something Hermione hadn't thought of but was giving it her full backing now. "That's a brilliant idea, Padma. Having been on those carts inside Gringotts, I'll bet the goblins could build a wonderful roller coaster too. Mum certainly has enough pictures of them to give the goblin builders some idea of what's required."

"Food!" All three now looked to Neville, trying to understand what he meant. "The first time we went to Florida, what blew me away was the food - and the sheer variety of it. If we could have that too, it would be a whole new experience for witches, wizards and goblins."

A now excited Harry bent down and kissed Padma on the cheek. "That really is a wonderful idea…"

"Oh dear, even with a ring on her finger, Longbottom can't keep his girl…"

Padma instantly switched to goblin. "'Ignore him Neville love, we all know Flint is an arsehole who's just looking for a fight.""

The large Slytherin just kept pushing though, the two other seventh years who were currently with him at least had the sense to take a step back. "Can't really say I blame Crow though, Patil is at least a pureblood…"

Padma had to tighten her hold on Harry. ""Okay, forget the ignoring bit. Just challenge the stupid bastard, preferably before our goblin friend here kills him.""

""Harry, he's obviously picked on Neville for a reason. Let Neville handle it, we all know he can."" Padma felt some of the tension leave Harry at Hermione's words, Neville though was taking a page out of Harry's book.

He walked up to a smirking Flint and punched him in the mouth. "You have insulted not only my betrothed but our two best friends, The House of Longbottom demands satisfaction."

By making this a House Longbottom matter, Flint really couldn't refuse.

Not that the Slytherin had any intention of doing that. This was exactly the outcome Marcus wanted, apart from the punch in the mouth. He figured Neville Longbottom to be the weakest of the four, and Flint silently swore he would make this bastard pay for that blow later. "I accept, Longbottom. Name your time and place, can I assume Crow will be your second?"

"My betrothed will be my second." Padma was now at Neville's side, standing ready. "You insulted a goblin's mate too, never a good idea. If I hadn't stepped in with my challenge Harry would probably have killed you. Right now on the quidditch pitch works for me, unless you have to go change into your mask and death eater robes?"

Flint brushed off the goblin comment, he'd gotten what he'd planned for. "Oh I want you to see my face when I beat you…"

"That makes you braver than your father, though still as stupid…"

The fight might have kicked off right there and then but for the arrival of Professor Flitwick. "What's going on here?"

Master Pitslay appeared to melt from the shadows before he answered the professor's question. "Oh this large Slytherin thought he would evoke a challenge from Friend Longbottom, I might just stay to watch the outcome. Neville is Friend to the Nation and holds both ours and the ministry's top award for bravery, they don't just give those awards away to anyone. That will be a hard lesson for this blowhard to learn."

"This is a House Longbottom matter, Professor, and we are both of age. Flint and I are on our way to the quidditch pitch to sort out this disagreement now."

Neville walked away with Padma on his arm, followed by Harry and Hermione, leaving Flint pleading with his two fellow seventh years for one of them to be his second.

The news spread like wildfire and emptied the great hall, even Ronald Weasley left his lunch to watch the fight. he did though grab all the food he could carry on the way out.

Augusta suddenly found herself with a witch at either side of her, both Henrica and Tonks were offering the same advice. "Neville can handle this, Augusta, he wouldn't have called Flint out otherwise. We know that particular Slytherin has been looking for revenge ever since the new term started, he obviously thinks Neville is his best option. They are both of age so you need to let this happen"

"I'm an auror and I think I could take Neville, notice I said think. With their four sessions of defence a week, they are probably all beyond the practical side of N.E.W.T.'s now. They're receiving auror cadet training and Neville's power is only second to Harry's. He'll take Flint down, I'm certain of it."

These were Augusta's own thoughts, she was delighted to hear them confirmed though. "Thank you ladies, can I suggest we get out there and watch?"

Harry and Hermione were setting up a warded area to protect the growing number of spectators, they then began colouring the grass inside the ward stones red so everyone knew where the boundaries were. Neville and Padma moved their swords onto their backs, making them accessible without restricting their movement, while slipping shields on their forearms, - they were ready to fight. Flint's second was standing right in the corner of the designated fighting area, his body language clearly stating he wanted nothing to do with this.

The Ravenclaw couple embraced their friends before heading off to opposite ends of the fighting area as both would need to activate the wards. They had made the fighting area around ten yards wide by about thirty long, they wanted Neville to have plenty of room to move. Padma would only become involved if the other Slytherin jumped in first, or if the far more likely scenario of Flint seriously breaking the rules occurred.

When the wards were activated, Padma counted them in. "Three, two, one - fight!"

Flint unleashed his most powerful curses against Longbottom, only to hit nothing. He never stood still long enough for Marcus to catch him. After missing Longbottom with about eight curses, he then had to look to his own defence. Suddenly there were powerful and accurate curses coming his way, Flint was proud of his shielding ability but they wouldn't stand up to much more of this. He needed to change tactics and knew just how to get the odds back in his favour.

First chance he got, Flint put everything he had into a cutting curse aimed at Patil. That should put her out of this fight, while forcing his own second to join in - making it two to one against Longbottom. Padma though had been alert for something underhanded going on, she dodged most of the curse and deflected the remaining edge off her shield.

This cowardly attack against his mate enraged Neville though, he was now racing straight at Flint. The panicking Slytherin managed to get a couple of spells off, one missed before the other shattered Longbottom's metal shield. Marcus was confident of victory now until he realised why there was no return spellfire. Longbottom had forsaken his wand to draw that sword of his, a sword that was flashing through the air in his direction.

Neville had intended to destroy the wand that would dare fire on his Padma, he certainly achieved that goal. He wasn't anywhere near Harry's standard with a blade though and Flint's screams were because the blade engraved with the name Longbottom running its length had sliced clean through part of Flint's wand hand too.

As Flint clutched his bleeding and ruined hand to his chest, his enraged rant at his opponent died before it reached his lips. The now bloody point of Longbottom's razor sharp sword poised at his throat was responsible for this, should that blade be pushed home then he would never speak again. His opponent though had plenty to say.

"You are a despicable coward and a stupid bastard, prime death eater material. You come anywhere near my family or friends again and I'll finish the job next time." Neville glanced over to see Padma covering Flint's trembling second.

"Hey, I got no fight with you lot, I didn't even want to be here. Flint is our quidditch captain and threatened my place on the team if I didn't do this. I'm not as stupid as he is, my wand was staying securely in my pocket."

This got an acknowledging nod from Neville before he said the words that officially ended the fight. "My family honour has been satisfied..."

With that, Harry and Hermione collapsed the wards and the four combatants were hit by a wall of sound. All had been so concentrating on the fight that none of them noticed the absence of noise from outside their bubble. The wards though had allowed the spectators to hear every word spoken and spell cast. Everyone now heard Harry's voice as he took command of the initial situation.

"Stay back, we have an injured man here who needs to get to the infirmary. Make a space so he can get through." The respect these four were held in was ably demonstrated as a path through the crowd opened like the Red Sea parting for Moses. Professor Slughorn stepped forward and, after carefully lifting the severed fingers from the grass, led his student off to the infirmary.

Minerva was about to step forward to confront the group when Augusta's hand on her arm stayed her actions. "This was a matter of House Longbottom honour, Minerva, and all the people involved are considered of age. They took their business out of the castle and had protocols in place to protect the innocent spectators, on what grounds were you going to reprimand them?"

"A Hogwarts student has been severely injured, are we just supposed to ignore it because your grandson was involved?"

"After that cowardly attack on his betrothed, my grandson could legally have done a lot more damage than that. I'm now asking as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Professor McGonagall, just what Hogwarts rules did those students break?"

She hated giving her answer but Minerva had no other option, invoking House Longbottom Honour had taken the matter out of school jurisdiction. "I can think of no school rules broken, Madam Longbottom, but..."

"...but you were going to publicly express your disappointment in my grandson for his actions today, not something I can allow. Those four know their actions after an event like this can be just as important as those during, so are ours. By all means have a talk with Neville in private over this matter, he is a member of your house and you are certainly entitled to give him your views on what just happened here. This was not a school matter though and that's as far as it will go. We all know Flint must have gone looking for trouble, well he found more than he could handle."

Sirius was standing with his arm around his wife and added his two knuts worth to the discussion. "Just be thankful that wasn't Harry in there. If Flint had pulled that move on Hermione, I can practically guarantee you that Slytherin would not have been able to walk to the infirmary."

Remembering what a first year Harry had done to girls who had attacked Hermione, Minerva found herself reluctantly agreeing with Sirius. She would have a quiet word with Neville to discover exactly what brought about today's fight, Minerva was certain those around her would be doing exactly the same.

Harry handed Neville a piece of cloth he'd just sliced off his robe before speaking quietly to his friend. ""Clean your blade and then we need to go to lunch. Remember, your actions after a fight are just as important as those during it.""

Neville calmly cleaned his blade while well-wishers gathered to offer their congratulations. Padma was on his arm before he offered his other to a trembling Parvati, they led the way back to the great hall for lunch. Harry offered his other arm to Luna, this allowed them both to reassure her everything was okay. Harry thought inviting the Crows to Gringotts Summer Fayre was an even better idea now, he also intended to write to their father with some of their suggestions for making this the best fayre ever.

-oOoOo-

It was Harry's letter that saw his father standing in front of Ragnok, The Director was deep in thought. ""Your family and their friends might have something here, something we hadn't even considered before. Thankfully we haven't made any announcements yet so this could work out even better. Your son has already expressed his eagerness for Gringotts to hold the event in Kingussie, what if we changed the event to the Baron's Fayre? It would then be seen as your son and daughter hosting a traditional Goblin Fayre at which everyone is welcome, rather than allowing the chance for there to be any grumblings about wizards and even muggles attending a Gringotts event.""

The Ambassador caught on at once. ""Since my son and daughter actively try and embrace all three cultures that span their lives, any visitors would expect to see that.""

""Exactly, rather than upsetting any of the more bigoted individuals on either side, we can defeat their arguments before they even get a chance to start. Here is an opportunity for the magicals, and even muggles, to see the best side of The Nation. A couple of years ago we talked about your children's wedding having muggles, goblins and magicals in attendance - and all being treated equally. That is still a worthy dream, and one we certainly both share, but here is a chance to have that happen on a far grander scale and years earlier than we could possibly have hoped for. This has the potential to dwarf the amazing steps forward The Nation has made since your son set off on that train for Hogwarts, this is colossal.""

As the sheer scale of what Ragnok was proposing began to become apparent, a shiver ran down Barchoke's back. This was not a shiver of dread though, quite the opposite. While they had been winning the battle against the death eaters and their dark lord, the battle of hearts and minds was always going to be their most difficult task. That they were the first in centuries to even take on the fight of ending the bigotry and hatred that existed on both sides of the divide gave some idea of the size of the task they faced. Here though was a golden opportunity to bring some of the barriers that existed between their peoples crashing to the ground.

Barchoke agreed totally with The Director's summery, this had the potential to be colossal.

""The only reason I'm not sending for grog right this minute is you and I will need clear heads to pull this off. We also have half a dozen allies for this cause currently sitting on a tropical island, I want you there for a couple of days and returning with firm dates and a plan of action. Young Weasley can handle the formation of the joint auror and warrior response teams, something that will certainly come in handy to protect this fayre too.""

They then sat for hours, throwing ideas back and forward while also trying to preempt any potential problems. Barchoke eventually left with a long letter to write to his children, before heading off to tropical climes and spending time with the Grangers, Longbottoms and Patils. He was rather counting on Emma seeing this as a project that she could work on while out of the country and pregnant. The fact that she loved Kingussie as much as their children meant it was a certainty she would want to put on the best fayre possible. Mother and daughter were very alike in that respect.

-oOoOo-

That same daughter was rewarding Eargit for being such a clever owl when she felt her mate stiffen beside her. Hermione was instantly worried, the last time he'd reacted like this to a letter from father was when The Director made him a centurion. "Everything okay, Harry, didn't they like our suggestions?"

"They didn't like our suggestions, Hermione, they absolutely loved them. The entire nature of the fayre has now changed. It's now become the Baron of Kingussie's Fayre, a fayre that's already destined to go down in history."

"Harry, you're scaring me here..."

"Hermione, I'm scaring myself. It's a wonderful, fantastic, awesome kind of scary though. Imagine those goblin children playing in the snow at Kingussie and then multiply that effect at least a thousand times, that's how big this is. Roger, can you give Cedric a shout? Neville, can you do the same for our other set of twins - we're going to need a lot of help with this."

Since Harry had mentioned this fayre to Crow's Marauders on Monday night, the few known details of this upcoming event were now spread all over the school. Flint having to go home until his hand healed was already old news, the story of his clumsy challenge against Neville and then him firing a curse at Padma meant no one was in any hurry to see him return.

Their four friends were soon at the Ravenclaw table and Harry, being a goblin, got right to the point. "Guys, Eargit and Moonlight know as much about quidditch as I do. Here's the thing though, my father has suggested a couple of exhibition quidditch matches at the fayre, pointing out that goblins and muggles will never have seen the game played before."

"Are muggles even allowed to know about quidditch, Harry, far less watch a match? I thought the statute of secrecy covered that."

"I'm talking about people like the Grangers, MacDonalds, Creeveys and other muggle parents, Cedric. Parents who put their children on a train in London and have no idea what they do all year in Hogwarts. I think some marauder displays could be built into the weekend too. Can I rely on you four to come up with two quidditch teams to play a couple of exhibition matches?"

"We understand you don't know anything about quidditch but there are things that are necessary before you can put on a match. Little things like a pitch, supporter stands, equipment..."

"Roger, we're having a roller coaster built in Kingussie. A quidditch pitch and some stands will be nothing compared to that. All equipment needed will also be provided, including a referee. Father has conservatively estimated there could be upwards of five thousand visitors attending - each day."

Hermione was glad she was sitting down when she heard that. "Harry, how are we going to cope with all of that? I don't even know where to start!"

"Father does, he's heading for a certain island to get the help of some very clever people. We also need to give people jobs and leave them to get on with it, like the guys and the quidditch problem."

"We can handle that, Harry, the entire Gryffindor team would happily turn out..."

Neville and Parvati immediately harpooned Fred's suggestion in perfect synchronisation. "Not McLaggan..."

"He's not someone we want at Kingussie, Harry. That boy could start an argument in an empty house." Harry nodded in thanks to Parvati, people like that were definitely not welcome to this event.

George understood their objection. If Gryffindor had anyone else, the arse wouldn't be on their team either. "Fair enough, we should be able to come up with another seeker..."

Everyones attention was now on what was happening here and Terry interrupted with a suggestion. "George, Draco is a pretty good seeker. Flint wouldn't even let him try out." Terry had no intention of mentioning that Flint laughed Draco all the way out of the trials for turning up with a school broom. If Harry was providing all the equipment then that wouldn't be a factor in this case.

That Draco was his partner in their marauders club meant George didn't even hesitate over his next move. "Hey Draco, you want to play seeker on a team Fred and I are putting together to play at this fayre during the summer?"

Sadly, Gryffindors shouting across the great hall at Slytherins was not such an unusual occurrence. That this shout was not only cordial but friendly stopped all remaining conversation in the great hall.

"Yeah, count me in. Pansy and I were planning on being there anyway."

"Good, oh did I forget to mention Harry's father thinks we'll be playing in front of thousands on the new Kingussie pitch?"

This actually had Draco laughing. "As long as we get a try on the new roller coaster then you can certainly count me in."

Realising that everyone had been listening in to their conversations, Harry gave out some more information. "The family get to try everything first on the Friday night before the fayre officially opens on Saturday. Father's at the island to get the dates sorted so we should know more details shortly."

Roger and Cedric quickly had a mixed Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff team put together, with more than a few disappointed players putting their names down as reserves.

Hermione's mind was still in a spin as they left for their extra defence lesson. Something was bothering her though and her mate held the answers she needed. "I get the switch to Baron's Fayre but not the sudden interest in quidditch. Goblins never do anything without a good reason though so what's going on?"

"We told father about our encounter in the quidditch store, he's trying to prevent a potential backlash before it gets any chance to develop. If we have magic carpet rides around our glen, something we all think is a great idea, we risk alienating the broom manufacturers and quidditch organisations. Those are two powerful bodies and this plan should get them on our side, exposing their wares and sport to a potential new market. Goblins and muggles may not be buying brooms but, as we saw in that shop, they make profit from selling everything from posters to quidditch jerseys."

"...and a bunch of Hogwarts students playing exhibition games against each other can do that? I don't see it, Harry"

"Ah but Padma, you're missing a vital piece of information. Did you hear me say they would be playing against each other?"

"Oh, you sneaky goblin! What have you got up your sleeve?"

"Well, once we set the dates, invitations will be going out to a few professional quidditch teams to see if they would be interested in playing an exhibition match at the Baron of Kingussie's Summer Fayre against Hogwarts opposition. They would then have the opportunity to make sure all these potential new supporters would be buying their team's jerseys and posters. Do you think they would say no if there was the slightest chance of getting the boy-who-lived photographed in one of their team jerseys?"

This had Padma laughing before she explained what was funny to her quidditch ignorant friends. "I was just imagining Harry in a Holyhead Harpies jersey..." She had to get her giggling back under control before delivering the punchline. "They're an all female team, only witches can play for them."

This set Hermione off too before Harry got in on the act. "Neville, remind me to write to father and make sure the Harpies are one of the teams he invites. An all witch team might see me actually watching a match."

This stopped the girls giggles, causing Harry and Neville to start laughing. Both soon found themselves running to their lesson, being chased by their giggling again mates. The original idea for the fayre might have been to lift spirits inside Gringotts but it was now having the same effect in a castle over five hundred miles away. It was looking as if they were going to have another busy summer.