HPWW131-140
Chapter 131
With eight sitting down to eat, the table didn't need to
be stretched or chairs be conjured. So seating was
comfortable.
Seating went clockwise: Wendell, Andromeda, Harry,
Tonks, Monica, Sirius, Hermione and with Ted on
Wendell's right.
"Alright, Harry," said Wendell, as they all sat. "Tell us
what we've got."
Indicating the dishes, Harry replied, "Slow-cooked
roast lamb in a water-based herb sauce; roasted
potato, sweet potato, carrots and brown onion
sprayed before final baking with a very light cannola
oil to give them crisp; steamed shucked corn and
peas; with lamb gravy. For dessert, it's my own
invention; pear cobbler in a pie flan with a rolled oats
crumble, with your choice of thickened unsweetened
cream or vanilla ice-cream dollops on top to cut
through the sweetness for those who prefer their
desserts with less of a sugary bite."
Tonks turned to look at him in awe and asked, "You
cooked this?"
"Yep," he smiled. "I found that I'm pretty good at it.
Before I got my Hogwarts letter I was going to see if I
could apply for an apprenticeship as a chef when I got
older."
"Please, help yourselves," smiled Wendell
remembering the wizarding custom, while also
reaching for one of the serving tureens.
After her first cut and bite of lamb Tonks quietly
moaned. When she swallowed her mouthful she said,
"Merlin! The lamb just dissolves in your mouth!"
She then very quickly sampled the rest before turning
to look back at Harry, again in awe. "Marry me!" she
begged.
Scandalised, her mother exclaimed, "Nymphadora!"
Ted snickered.
"What?" Tonks innocently asked back. "I can't cook
like this!"
Harry laughed and said, "Now you see why I had
aspirations of being a chef when I grew up."
Monica glanced to her own daughter and saw the
slight frown she was giving the Tonks girl. Her eyes
twinkled with mirth as she watched.
It was lost on Hermione, though. The girl didn't see it;
but Wendell saw both his ladies' reactions.
As the meal progressed, Ted and Wendell fell into an
animated discussion about the differences in law
between the wizarding world and muggle just as Harry
thought they would; Monica was quizzing Sirius on
the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, with
specifics of Harry's parents; Hermione was talking
across the table with Tonks about working in the
Ministry and as an auror and why aurors were now
conflicted about serving a duty or two in the Granger
home (the conflict was due to feeling like idiots on
one hand against the opportunity for a delicious meal
on the other); and Harry was talking with Andi,
jumping subjects between healing and cooking
techniques.
When the dessert was served the Grangers went for
the unsweetened cream while Harry, Sirius and the
Tonkses went for the ice-cream. Then Tonks also
added a dollop of cream, because she wanted to
sample both.
One of the subjects raised was Harry finding out from
Sirius that Lady Griselda Marchbanks of the WEA had
been appointed Headmistress.
"How'd they manage that?" asked Harry. "I thought
they couldn't fire him."
"The Wizengamot couldn't fire him, dear," said Andi.
"But, the School Board found a way around that."
"Well, they didn't actually fire him," said Ted. "Just
replaced him. Dumbledore is the only remaining
member of staff who holds tenure. However, his
tenure only applies to being a professor.
"So, they removed him from the post of Headmaster,
declared it vacant, invited Griselda Marchbanks to fill
the post, ratified that and she's now Headmistress.
"Dumbledore's back to being a normal professor; of
Transfigurations, I believe. And Griselda has no plans
on even allowing him to be Deputy Headmaster or a
Head of House."
Sirius added, "When he came here earlier today and
tried to get in, he had actually left the school without
authorisation. Apparently, Lady Marchbanks is
unhappy with him about that. And was even unhappier
when she found out he won't be able to return to the
castle until after lunch on Monday; which means he'll
have missed the morning, too."
"But, with no classes on―" said a confused
Hermione.
"Irrelevant," he grinned. "He's required to be at the
school on time and during school hours unless given
leave to be otherwise. Even if classes aren't on at the
moment, he still left the school during school hours
without authorisation from the new Headmistress.
He's in trouble with her for that."
Harry was snickering and said, "Therefore, he's now
either simply 'Professor Dumbledore' in the informal;
or 'Albus Dumbledore, Professor of Transfigurations'
in the semi-formal. He must really hate that."
"Worst than that," grinned Sirius. "He's lost control of
the wards of the castle. Marchbanks wrested control
of them from him, plus the Headmaster's...
Headmistress's... office and apartments.
"From what I've been able to find out, he was away
from the castle trying to go visit Minnie - where she's
now back living in her family village in the highlands
of Scotland - when the wards were stripped from him.
He quickly tried to apparate back to the castle and
bounced off the wards.
"When he bounced off yours it was the second time
that day he'd hit wards and bounced."
Harry outright laughed, but he wasn't the only one.
The Granger adults only appeared amused at the
laughter.
Wendell asked, "I take it it's a 'big thing' to bounce off
wards?"
"As well as being rude? Try it with some wards and
it'll kill you," replied Sirius, turning serious. "He was
lucky neither set of wards were set to kill. That's why
he was so battered and bruised after hitting the wards
here. He'd only just recovered from his attempt at the
castle a couple hours earlier."
"I just had these ones set to stun," explained Harry.
"He dislocated his shoulder when he landed on the
ground from bouncing off the wards. The wards didn't
do that."
"The poor Headmaster," said Hermione, a little sadly.
"No, Miss Granger," Andi firmly rebutted. "That's the
lingering effects of the potions speaking. You need to
accept that everything that has... and likely will...
befall that old man is entirely his own fault and cause.
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Chapter 132
"His own behaviour has caused him to lose his
multitude of positions, just as it has for quite a few
others who had fallen under his sway. His own
arrogance had him trying to apparate into the castle
when he knew he couldn't when he felt the wards shift
away from him; and when he tried to apparate into
your home, here.
"If he had any respect for you and your family he
would have apparated to the path outside your
property line and walked up to the door and knocked,
just as we did and Dora did later. It is the height of illmannered rudeness to do otherwise. The fact he felt
himself above such is arrogance in the extreme."
When Hermione sadly nodded that she understood,
Harry said, "I'm actually looking forward to what will
befall him yet.
"After all the manipulative things he's tried against me
I feel Kismet must be a god or goddess, after all."
"Harry, that's not nice," said Hermione.
"Hermione," he said back. "After finding out what he
did to you, what he did to me, what he did to a whole
lot of others, do you expect him not to be punished in
some way? He escaped what I firmly believe is a very
well-deserved prison sentence―"
"As do I," said Andi, while Sirius nodded.
"... So proper punishment has to come to him some
other way," he continued to explain. "If he is not
punished then he will go on believing himself to be in
the right."
"It is the foreknowledge of what punitive action will or
should be taken that should sway man from taking
unjust action which would be met with such. If it does
not, then that punitive action becomes the righteous
reaction and must be dealt," said Wendell. "If the
punitive action is not delivered when the unjust action
is taken then the strength of the law is weakened.
"It's one of the precepts I learned when studying to be
a JP."
"That's quite profound," said Ted.
"Which proves I did not come up with it," smirked
Wendell.
That had both men, and quite a few others, laughing.
Looking across the table, Harry could see Hermione
now understood.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Soon after dinner and with the thanks of the Tonkses
for a delicious meal - and the thanks back of the
Grangers for the alert regarding the potions issue with
Hermione - the Tonkses soon walked out the door,
down the path and apparated away.
But, before she left, Andi told Harry she'd have what
potions he needed to take delivered to him by house
elf the next morning, together with instructions on
when to take them and how often.
Harry didn't remember until the very last moment to
give Ted his letter, so raced upstairs, grabbed it, and
returned with it before handing it over.
"I was going to mail this but, when I found out you
were coming over, I delayed sending it to hand it to
you," he explained. "Please consider it and let me
know when you can."
Ted quickly read it, gave him a nod and said, "As soon
as I can, Lord Potter."
Sirius informed Andi he'd be along in a little while and
hung back to talk to Harry.
"Now, Harry," he said, turning to his godson. "When
Andi looked like she was going to tear off and hunt
down Dumbledore, why did you choose to physically
restrain her?"
"How else..." he began to ask when it dawned on him.
"Oh, damn."
"You're legally an of-age wizard, Harry," he gently
reminded him. "That means you're legally allowed to
use magic outside of school."
Harry sighed and said, "I should have either petrified
her or tied her with an Incarcerous." He also only
remembered then that the property had a ward that
blocked 'The Trace' and he'd forgotten that, too.
"Exactly," said Sirius.
"My only excuse is that I'm not used to being able to
do that," he sighed.
"Something to work on, then," said his godfather. "I'd
recommend you start performing little bits of magic
about the place while you're here."
"I'd thought of that before but, with Hermione not
being allowed, I didn't want it to seem like I was
rubbing her face in it," he explained.
"No, he's right, Harry," she piped up. "You need to get
into the habit. I understand."
Harry nodded to her and said, "Thank you." But also
swore to tell her about the ward, so she could cast
magic, too.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
The next day was a Sunday so, if it was like the
Dursleys, it would be a very laid back day. He had no
idea what times the Grangers would awaken but, if
Hermione developed her habit from her parents, then
they'd not be sleeping in, either. So he was up early to
try and beat Dobby to the kitchen.
He already knew he was wasting his time as he knew
Dobby knew when he woke. However... maybe... he'd
one day catch the elf flat-footed and beat him to the
kitchen.
Harry had just walked into the kitchen to see how
Dobby was getting on with breakfast - already started,
so he lost again - when he noticed Hermes, Percy
Weasley's owl, sitting on the window ledge looking at
him.
'Of course the damned bird would aim for the kitchen,'
he thought. "It's a Weasley owl.'
He grabbed an owl treat from out of the container left
on the fridge, moved over to the dinette and opened
the window there. And Hermes flew in before alighting
on the dinette table.
Harry removed the letter that was apparently for him
and gave the bird the treat. It immediately flew out,
again.
"Damned bird is as 'stuck-up' as its master,' he
distractedly thought.
After first checking to make sure it was for him and
not Hermione he unfolded it, sat at the table and read
it.
~ # ~
Harrikins!
Mum asked Ron to send you a letter inviting you to
come and stay with us for the break. With the Durlays
locked up she thinks you have nowhere to stay. Don't
know why.
But Ron refused. The git. He's now de-gnoming the
garden and isn't allowed back in the house until
dinner.
So, we said we'd write to 'Poor Harry' and let him
know he's invited.
You ready?
You're invited to come stay with us for the break that
has no end in sight! Yay!
There, done.
Of course, we know you're probably with Sirius,
catching up with one another and getting to know one
another all over again, but that's Mum for you.
To save us from Mum's shrill voice claiming we never
sent you the invitation because we never heard back,
please do us the righty by writing back.
We'd appreciate it.
F & G
~ # ~
With a snort of amusement he thought, 'Typical twins.'
He refolded the note and put it in his pocket. He'd
show Hermione when she came down for breakfast.
And, as if he'd called her down just by thinking about
her, he heard her bare feet trying to both run down the
stairs and be quiet at the same time so as not to
disturb her parents.
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Chapter 133
She almost gaily bounced into the room a few
seconds later. "Good morning, Harry!" she chirped.
"Morning, Hermione," he said.
"What's for breakfast?" she asked.
"I haven't had a chance to check," he replied. "I'd just
walked into the kitchen when I spotted Percy's owl,
Hermes, sitting on the windowsill, staring at me as if
I'd done something wrong.
"Hermes?" she asked, abandoning looking at what
Dobby was preparing and coming around the kitchen
bench.
Harry pulled the letter back out of his pocket and
handed it to her. "The twins somehow convinced him
to loan them his owl. I suspect their mother's shrill
voice in that."
As she read through it, she frowned. "So, Ronald's
still being a git. And they think you're with Sirius."
The venom she put in the name 'Ronald' pleased him.
"Yep, to both," he replied. "And I'm kinda happy with
everyone thinking I'm with Sirius. Less chance of
people turning up here uninvited, that way."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
A little later in the morning Harry was back in his room
when he learned Andi was back at the Grangers; even
though he'd already felt the ward that alerted him to
there being a magical on the property. When she was
let in by one of the aurors of that morning, Dobby
popped in to inform him she was there.
Setting aside his current letter, he went downstairs
and found her talking with Monica and Wendell in the
parlour.
"Good morning," he smiled. When he saw the rack of
potions she was carrying he snarked, "You're a little
tall for a house elf."
The look she gave him had Monica snickering at him.
"That's enough out of you, scamp," Andi sternly said.
Harry impudently grinned and gave a shrug back. "I
have to find my amusement, somewhere."
After she rolled her eyes at him she gestured for him
to come forward. "I've just been discussing with the
good doctors here your treatment," she explained.
When she showed him the potions and how the vials
refilled after it was taken each time, she explained,
"When it no longer refills it means that particular
course is complete. Hear me well; it is not complete
until it no longer refills. Got me?"
"Errr... yes?" he replied.
After another pointed look he sighed and said, "Yes,
Healer Tonks."
Then she used a charm to copy the instructions and
handed him one. He took one look at it and blanched.
"No way!" he quietly exclaimed.
"Yes way!" she shot back. "Or, you're coming home
with me, where I can keep an eye on you and make
sure you take them."
"He will," said Monica, who also turned 'that look' on
him.
'Jeez!' he thought. 'What is it with older women and
that look. Or, is it just mothers?'
"Fiiiiiiine!" he sighed. "I'll be the good little wizarding
Head of a Noble and Most Ancient House and take my
medicine."
"Good boy," said Andi, as if there could be no other
answer.
"When do I start?" he asked, defeated.
"Now," she replied. Handing the rack to Monica she
pulled two out and said, "Down these. You might want
to take the blue one first. It tastes worse and the green
one will help wash the taste out."
Harry gave her his own 'I'm only doing this because
you're making me' look, uncorked the blue one and
downed it. Wrinkling his nose at the taste, he then
uncorked and downed the green one. At least this one
had a slight minty taste to it.
Taking them back she said, "Now watch." And
dropped both, re-corked, into the rack in their right
places. A few moments later, they both slowly refilled.
"See?" she asked.
"Yes, Ma'am," he quietly replied.
"Good," she nodded. Turning to Monica she said, "I'll
leave these in your capable hands. I need to head off
because I have a shift starting soon at Saint Mungo's."
"Take care," said both Grangers. Harry just gave her a
nod.
She was gone a few seconds later.
With a sigh and another look at the rack, Harry said,
"I'll be back up in my room writing letters."
"And I'll put these on the bench in the kitchen," said
Monica.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
He was only partway up the stairs as Hermione was
coming down. "Who was that?" she asked.
"Andi," he replied. "She came to personally deliver my
potions."
"She's gone again?"
"Yep. Had to get to Saint Mungo's to start a shift."
"Where're the potions?" she asked.
"Your mother's putting them on the kitchen bench," he
distractedly replied.
"Thank you," she said, continuing down.
As he continued up, Harry frowned for a moment
before he leaned over the bannister to call to her.
"And don't go playing with them!"
"I won't!" he heard her call back.
When Harry re-entered his room it wasn't to write
more letters, as he'd told the Grangers and Andi. Yes,
he had been writing letters, but most of the time he
spent analysing his relationship with Hermione and
the rest of the girls at school, as Wendell suggested.
He had been going through each of the girls he
actually had anything to do with and thinking about
how he felt around them, if they actually meant
anything to him, did he actually want to spend any
more time with them, if he thought they'd want to
spend any more time with him, did they see him as
just Harry, that sort of thing.
And, no matter how many other girls he thought about
while building his list, there was only one girl who fit
the bill of 'girlfriend material'. "Hermione," he sighed.
'Face it, ya git!' he thought. 'You're in love with your
best friend. And not as a "big sister", either.'
But, how did he tell her? And, if he told her, would it
ruin what they now had? Was it worth the risk? What
if she would be appalled by the idea? But, maybe she
wasn't. According to Wendell, she loved him back.
And, he was her father and should know, right?
He didn't know the main variable, so couldn't logically
solve the problem. Did she, or would she, love him
back?
He sat at the desk and leaned back on his chair while
fiddling with his quill. His list, now written, laying on
the desk before him.
He'd once heard Vernon say to Petunia, "Always make
a list when you're trying to work something out, Pet. It
makes it much easier. The trick is working out the
important categories. That's hard."
He found it actually worked. It was not something he
expected, truth be told.
Eventually, to clear his mind before he next analysed
his list, he decided to finally finish his letter to the
twins. His letter had to be carefully written because, if
any other member of the family got hold of it, he didn't
want them learning anything important he wouldn't
want them to know - especially Ron and Molly.
~ # ~
Fred and George Weasley
The Burrow
Ottery St. Catchpole
Devon
Hi guys,
I know you've probably been wondering, 'What
happened to Harry Potter to make him so different?'
So, I thought I'd let you know more of what's going on.
As I said in the First Task of the Tri-Wizard
Tournament, the Harry Potter everyone thought they
knew wasn't real. It was a personal façade I created
well before I started at Hogwarts to hide the real me;
to protect the real me.
When people in the wizarding world think of 'Harry
Potter', they think of all different possibilities. For
example, some think he's some mythical child hero
they read about in a fictional book (or books) about
his life and his adventures. Some think he's nothing
but a fraud, a liar and a cheat. Some think he's this
small, scrawny, underfed, innocent little boy, who
turned up at Kings Cross Station wearing what
amounted to little more than rags. Some think he's a
'Dark Lord Slayer', ready to go out and kill the next
one who pops up. Some think he's a Dark Lord
himself, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Some
think he was Dumbledore's personally-trained
replacement. And a very small few had no idea what to
think of him.
Of all those, the last is probably the most accurate.
They, at least, reserved judgement.
I am, in reality, Lord Harrison 'Harry' James Potter,
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter,
Heir Tertiary of the Noble and Most Ancient House of
Black, Member-in-waiting of the Wizengamot, by right
of blood 'One of the Seven'. I am the only born child of
James Charlus Potter and Lily Marie Potter née Evans.
I'm also, Marauder-wise, son of Prongs, godson of
Padfoot, honourary nephew of Moony and oncehonourary nephew of the since Marauder-disowned
Wormtail (Pettigrew). And known, Marauder-wise, as
'Prongslet', 'Pup' and 'Cub'. A war orphan.
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Chapter 134
Now, think about that name I wrote at the top of the
previous paragraph. That's my true name with the
diminutive of my first name included in quote marks.
Now think of what name came out of the Goblet of
Fire? See the issue? My real name did not come out of
the Goblet. Therefore, I am not required to compete.
However, Albus Too-Many-Middle-Names Dumbledore,
Igor Karkaroff, Olympe Maxime, Barty Crouch Sr and
Ludo Bagman all said I had to compete. In that room
at that time were also Cedric Diggory, Victor Krum,
Fleur Delacour, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape
and the one everyone thought was Alastor Moody,
retired Master Auror - adults all. Of those, I know for
fact Albus Dumbledore, Barty Crouch Sr, Minerva
McGonagall and Severus Snape all knew my real first
name is Harrison, not Harry. I'm also pretty sure that
Ludo Bagman also knew that and Karkaroff and
Maxime probably did, too. And yet, not one of them
said that, as the name was not Harrison Potter - or,
better still, Harrison James Potter - the contract
forcing me to compete was void.
Not one of them stepped forward to say something
along the lines of, "Now, wait a minute. His name's not
actually 'Harry Potter'."
Instead, something else happened that even I did not
foresee at the time.
Albus Dumbledore had claimed 'magical
guardianship' of me. We three, as do practically
everyone else now, know that he actually wasn't - it
was Sirius Black. However, Albus Dumbledore was
registered at the Ministry as my magical guardian,
legally; even though magically it was Sirius Black.
I now remind you of what Dumbledore said when he
first announced the Tri-Wizard Tournament coming to
Hogwarts on the evening of the 1st September. He
said, in part, "Only those who are of-age are allowed
to compete."
In that ante-chamber off the Great Hall after my alter-
name came out, he said, "I'm sorry, Harry. But, I'm
afraid you must compete."
He was then backed up by the others. Not one
stepped forward to say, "No" - except Snape. When
pressed, Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch Sr, Igor
Karkaroff and Olympe Maxime all individually agreed.
Therefore, on that night, the following legal entities all
verbally and individually declared me of-age: My
legally recognised magical guardian, the Supreme
Mugwump of the ICW, the Chief Warlock of the
Wizengamot, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Highmaster of
Durmstrang Institute, the Headmistress of
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, the Director of the
Department of International Magical Cooperation of
the Ministry of Magic and the Director of the
Department of Magical Games and Sports of the
Ministry of Magic.
Of all those, I actually only needed the first one to
declare it and the third and fourth to agree. That they
all resided inside the body of one wizard, Albus
Dumbledore, is irrelevant. Because, legally, he is (was)
four different people; three of whom each had the
authority, with the backing of the other two. That all
those others were there and agreed was, as the
muggles say, 'icing on the cake'.
So, because I was declared of-age on that night, I
instantly became a full adult under Wizarding Britain
law; with all rights and responsibilities of an adult
under law. I cannot even be considered to 'only' be an
emancipated minor because of the legal definition of
'of-age'. As such, as the then Heir Apparent of the
Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, I also
instantly became a Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient
House, One of the Seven.
In a written conversation with my account manager at
Gringotts, carried out through letters carried back and
forth for security and speed of travel by my loyal
house elf, the Goblins agreed. Immediately on their
agreement, I snuck out of the school - even though, as
a supposed champion, I was lawfully allowed to come
and go as I pleased - and went to Gringotts to
complete the necessary parchmentwork, take up my
Head of House ring and make a start on the massive
backlog of House business parchmentwork that
awaited me. A lot accumulates in almost fourteen
years.
Now to bring you up-to-date with recent happenings.
I know some of this has been reported in the Daily
Prophet, but I also know how much of a 'smotherer'
your mother is when it comes to 'her kids' being kept
up-to-date with what's going on in the wider world. I
would also be very doubtful if you haven't read it
since you've been home, anyway.
Sirius Black, aka my godfather, aka 'Padfoot', aka
'Snuffles', aka Lord Sirius Orion Black III of the Noble
and Most Ancient House of Black, has taken up his
Headship and, even though I no longer have any need
of one, is now my Acting Regent. He and I are now
'catching up on lost opportunities'.
Hermione has informed me she has learned she was
under a loyalty potion that dates back somewhere at
either end of first year or the beginning of second
year. It was keyed to Albus Dumbledore and your
brother, Ronald. On learning of it she was at first
shocked, then appalled, then furious. Now, she's
joined what I'm sure is a very long list of individuals
who, if they get the chance, will kill Albus
Dumbledore. Little Miss 'You Must Respect Authority'
Granger is gone; now, she's Miss 'Screw You! You
Wrinkle-Arsed, Manipulative, Potion-Dosing Wanker!'
Granger. Fair warning, guys: Don't piss her off.
While I no longer consider Ronald a friend, I do you
two; so, you'd best let him know - or not. I've warned
you, so I'm free of guilt if he falls afoul of her. The
same sort of guilt Ronald should be feeling in not
telling me a week in advance that I'd be facing a
dragon in the First Task, as your brother Charlie
bloody well told him to.
Sirius has also kept me apprised of what's happening
at the school, as has Madam Bones.
Dumbledore has been ousted as Headmaster. As he
holds tenure as a Professor, the only member of staff
still there that does, they can't get rid of him
completely until he does something so egregious
against the school that they can terminate that tenure.
But they could, and did, boot him all the way back to
'just' a Professor.
Lady Griselda Marchbanks has been appointed
Headmistress. She's the lady that normally Heads the
Wizarding Examinations Authority. She was once
Acting Deputy Headmistress, before Minerva
McGonagall ascended to that position. And was also
Head of Ravenclaw House, before Filius Flitwick
ascended to that position. She is not only this little
thing who walks with a cane, she is a powerful little
witch. Do not expect her to be as forgiving as Albus
Dumbledore regarding your pranks. I have been
informed she will not hesitate to hand you over to the
DMLE if you harm someone with one or without. She's
also not adverse to using that cane of hers as
something the Irish call a 'shillelagh' - a long-handled
cudgel. I've been told even sitting Lords have found
themselves whacked across their shins with it when
she felt they deserved it.
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Chapter 135
McGonagall's gone, completely, never allowed to even
visit. Flitwick has lost his position as Head of
Ravenclaw House - due, in part, to the bullying that
Luna Lovegood has suffered - and is never allowed a
position above simple Professor ever again. Snape's
gone, prison for life. Sprout has managed to retain her
positions, the only one of the senior staff to do so.
Hagrid is back to being only the Groundskeeper and
Keeper of the Keys and no longer CoMC Professor;
and is forever banned from another position in charge
of children, including leading the first years from the
train to the castle over the lake. Binns has been
exorcised, finally. Pomfrey, after finding out
Dumbledore had dosed her with loyalty potions (like
Hermione) and been Obliviating her, came all-tooclose to losing her magic through breaking her oath
as a medi-witch, so has quit.
If you think I'm the slightest bit sorry to have been the
trigger that started all that happening, you are - like
I've been calling a lot of wizards and witches, of late -
daft morons.
I did not 'set' any of them up to take a fall, as some
I've heard about think and have said. Each and every
one of them, with the exception of Poppy Pomfrey,
made their own choices and they were the wrong
ones. I just brought it into the light of day. Now they're
paying the price for those wrong choices. Therefore,
for each of them, it's their own damned fault.
I have no idea when classes are going to recommence
- and, therefore, the school returns to being a school
again - but I've been assured Headmistress Lady
Marchbanks will be working hard to see that happen
as soon as possible. Just don't expect it to be until
after the Christmas break at the earliest.
As for the invitation to come and visit, I don't think
that would be wise due to Ronald's recent behaviour
and my actions leading to your mother being fined for
breaching the Statute of Secrecy back on 1st
September, 1991. However, thank you, anyway.
Now that I know Dumbledore will still be a professor at
the school, even if it's in a much diminished capacity,
I'll be in talks with Lord Black and others as to
whether or not I'll ever be returning to Hogwarts. As
an adult, I have no legal requirement to. However, I do
wish to complete my education. That may now very
well be through private tutors. It's not as if I cannot
afford them.
Because of her feelings towards Dumbledore, I'm in
negotiations with Hermione's father about her joining
me. As my best friend, bar none, I'm determined to
protect her.
Take care, you two.
Harry
~ # ~
Because he wanted to make sure the twins received
the letter and it wasn't first intercepted by Molly, Harry
called Dobby. He felt safe doing so as Hedwig was
already out delivering a letter to Angelina Johnson, in
which he apologised for what he said about quitting
the Gryffindor Quidditch team. But, stood by his
decision.
"Yes, Master Harry?" asked Dobby.
Harry handed him the letter and said, "Sorry, buddy. I
need you to act as an instant delivery mail owl again."
He handed him the letter and said, "Can you please
put a charm on this so only Fred or George Weasley
can read it and deliver it into their hands? They
should be at The Burrow. Just don't do it until one or
the other is alone, or the two are together alone. Got
that?"
"Yes, Master Harry," replied the elf. "Dobby
understands." Before he popped away.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
At The Burrow, Dobby had handed Fred the letter from
Harry and the twins had read it together.
"What do you think?" asked Fred. "Do we tell Mum
about the letter or show it to her?"
"I have a better idea, my slightly more daft brother,"
declared George. "Let's take it down, call a 'Burrow'
meeting of those here and read it to them."
"Capital idea, my uglier brother!" replied Fred. "That
way, we get to see the expressions on their faces as
they hear what Harry has to say."
"Brilliant!" cried George. "We can switch off reading a
paragraph each so we can take turns watching their
expressions!"
"Also brilliant!" cried Fred. "It will take time, though.
Harry sure wrote a lot."
"Do we have anything better to do?" asked George.
"Nope!" grinned Fred. "Lets!"
And the two dashed upstairs and down, knocking on
bedroom doors as they went. At each door they
yelled, "Meeting in the kitchen!"
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After everyone at the Burrow at that time assembled
around the kitchen table, demanding to know what the
twins thought they were doing calling a meeting,
George brandished the letter from Harry.
"We have, here, a missive most massive," he
declared.
"A note most notable," added Fred.
"Written by the personal hand of..."
"Lord Harrison James Potter of..."
"The Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter!"
"What?" asked Molly, quickly wiping her hands clean
of baking flour.
"I thought we were clear," said George.
"It's from Harry," said Fred.
Molly immediately rounded the table and plucked it
from George's fingers.
"Hey!" they chorused in indignation.
However, before she even had a chance to read it, the
whole text immediately blurred until it was illegible.
"It has a secrecy charm on it," she grumbled,
thrusting it back into George's hands. "You're going to
need to read it to me."
"That was our plan," said George.
"Until you snatched it away," said Fred.
"Don't be rude!" she snapped back. "Now, read it to
me!"
The two glanced at each other with both thinking,
'And she calls us rude?'
With the text back to rights, George cleared his throat
and began to read. "To Fred and George Weasley, The
Burrow, Ottery Saint Catchpole, Devon. Hi guys..."
Fred began, "I know you've probably been wondering,
'What happened to Harry Potter to make him so
different?' So, I thought I'd let you know more of
what's going on."
Then George took over again.
As they each read, the other watched the rest of the
family. Sitting at the table was Ron, Percy and Ginny
with Molly at the counter and Arthur having just
entered, wondering what was going on, hearing the
boys read, quietly finding out from Ginny it was a
letter from Harry and then just as quietly taking a seat
to listen. Bill and Charlie were both out of the country
again.
As they read they had to stop at one point when
ordered to do so by their father, who was getting sick
of hearing Ron muttering snarky comments, and said
to him, "You will keep your opinions to yourself, or
you can go and wait for me in the shed to come and
deal with you."
Ron immediately clamped his lips shut, folded his
arms across his chest, scowled and shut up for the
rest of it. Even listening to a letter from Harry being
read aloud was better than the alternative.
Fred finished the last line with, "Harry."
The table was silent for a moment before Molly shrilly
stated, "He can't just quit Hogwarts! What about his
education!"
"He said he's looking at hiring private tutors for him
and Hermione, Molly," said Arthur. "Therefore, he's
considering his education."
"Hogwarts is the premier school of magic in the
world," declared Percy. "He won't get that with tutors."
"Hogwarts is nothing at the moment except a... a...
boarding house!" declared Ginny. "Where's the
education?"
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Chapter 136
"And that's Potter's fault," sneered Ron. "He's the one
who had everyone arrested and taken away."
"Ronald!" snapped Arthur. "Stop speaking like a... daft
moron! It's thinking like that is why Lord Potter is of
the opinion the rest of the wizarding world are such!"
"He explained what happened in the letter in extensive
detail," said George. "You were obviously not paying
attention or refusing to listen."
"Do we need to read the relevant parts back to you?
Slowly?" asked Fred.
"Pausing after each sentence to see if you
understood?" asked George.
"Boys; that's enough!" snapped Molly.
"Is it?" asked Percy.
The fact he'd just 'back-chatted' his mother had
immediately shut everyone up. Percy never did that.
"Whether he likes it or not, whether he understands it
or not, Ron must accept the fact the boy he knew as
Harry Potter had everyone fooled as to who he really
was - including the man who used to be Headmaster
of his school, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and
Supreme Mugwump of the ICW," quietly said the boy.
"And he managed to do it before he even started at
Hogwarts. Which means he did it starting back to
when he was ten years old or earlier.
"Do any of you have any idea just how incredibly
smart you would have to be to pull something like that
off? He was in close contact with Dumbledore, more
than any other student I've known including the Head
Boys and Girls, for over three years. And the man
never once had any clue.
"It's no wonder he thinks the rest of us 'daft morons'
because, compared to him, we probably are!
"To top that off, the boy is the Lord of a Noble and
Most Ancient House and Heir Tertiary of another. He is
'One of the Seven', so is his godfather and he's
friends with the Heir Apparent of a third, Heir Apparent
Neville Longbottom, that we know of at least!
"It is also well-known that almost immediately after
the First Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Lord
Harrison James Potter - at fourteen - swooped in and
wrenched control of the Potter-Longbottom Alliance
right out of the hands of Dowager Lady and Regent
Augusta Longbottom of Longbottom, a powerful
political heavyweight that the Dark Houses fear for
good reason.
"With that control he then dragged the Heirs of the
allianced Houses who attend Hogwarts into a private
meeting and effectively laid down the law with them.
When Heir Secondary Ernest MacMillan apparently got
upset about it and verbally abused Lord Potter in that
meeting, Lord Potter did not hesitate one moment in
kicking the entire House of MacMillan out of the
alliance due to the insult - made in private. And then
proceeded to make sure that news was very publicly
known.
"And Ron, here, wants to insult him? He wants to
verbally abuse him? Publicly?"
Percy gave his mother and father a moment to absorb
all that before he quietly asked, "Knowing, as you now
do, the following facts: One, the Harry Potter you
thought you knew was a lie; two, he is now a full adult,
with all the responsibilities and rights of such; three,
he clearly knows and understands the law and he
apparently demonstrated that knowledge during the
First Task; four, he is now the Lord of a Noble and
Most Ancient House, one that makes him 'One of the
Seven', and the Heir Tertiary of a second of the same
rank; five, he has already shown he knows how to
wield that power by wrenching back control of the
Potter-Longbottom Alliance right out of the hands of
Augusta Longbottom, with no effort at all; six, he
knows Charlie told Ron to tell him the First Task
involved getting past a dragon and Ron didn't tell him,
putting his life at risk; and seven, he knows that whole
thing on the First of September in 1991 at Kings Cross
Station was a set-up and, apparently, has known that
all along - do you really not think he knows that, if
Ronnie-boy here continues to insult and or verbally
abuse him, he has the right by our laws to kill him?
Seriously?
"If you want Ron to live past the first twenty four
hours he's back in Hogwarts castle when classes
restart, if Lord Potter is also there, then you'd better
do something about his behaviour and attitude - fast!
"If you don't believe me..." He then indicated the
family clock, where Ron's clock hand was pointing to
'In Danger'. "Look there!"
Molly's eyes snapped to the clock where her eyes
verified for her that Percy spoke true. She blanched.
"Awww... That'd be right!" Ron loudly complained, not
even looking at the Clock and leaning forward a little.
"Harry-Bloody-Potter writes a letter and everyone
jumps to do his bidding! Can't you see―"
That was as far as he got before his mother's open
right hand connected with the left side of his face so
hard it knocked him completely out of his seat and
onto the floor. She'd had to lean all the way across the
table from where she was standing to reach him; but
the table wasn't that wide, just long.
Into the deafening silence following the loud 'crack' of
palm meeting cheek flesh, followed by the sound of
Ron crashing to the floor, Molly quietly said, "Arthur;
take Ron out to the shed. Keep him there until you are
informed his clock hand no longer points to 'In
Danger'. If that means you have to decide that Ron will
be taken to Muriel's, where he will remain until she
manages to get it into his head why it's a bad idea to
upset the Nobles, then so be it. At that time you can
also inform her, in Ron's case, corporal punishment is
a valid teaching tool."
"That... is a damned fine idea, Molly," Arthur just as
quietly said.
He then turned to look down on the floor where Ron
lay, rubbing his cheek with unshed tears filling his
eyes. The hand-print from his mother's hand was
already blooming red on the skin of his face, in detail.
"Ron," he said. "Go out to the shed and stay there...
Right now... I will be out to join you and start to deal
with you, in a few minutes."
"B-but―" started Ron, before his father rode right
over him.
"NOW!" bellowed Arthur.
Ron scrambled up off the floor and, nearly tripping
over his own robes in the process, bolted out the back
door; flinging it open, causing it to bounce off its stop
and swinging back nearly shut as he ran.
A few seconds later, Molly quietly - almost plaintively -
asked her husband, "You don't really think Harry
would―"
As he looked back at his wife with a worried
expression, Arthur merely pointed to the clock.
None of their other four children present said a word,
except Percy. As quietly as he spoke before, he said,
"Your five youngest children were all sitting at this
table. Of that five, only Ron's was pointing at 'In
Danger'. Of that five, only Ron seems intent on
upsetting Lord Potter.
"It could be for another reason, of course - one we are
all unaware of. However, if after Dad has spent time
with him in the shed his clock hand suddenly moves
back to 'At Home' with the rest of our hands, you will
know.
"If after that his hand again moves to 'In Danger', then
it is likely he is again thinking of upsetting Lord
Potter."
Arthur looked to his eldest still living at home and
pridefully said, "I can see why you've been moved
from International Magical Cooperation to the
Minister's Office."
"Actually, I'm currently on loan to the Wizengamot
Administration Services, at the moment. They needed
more wands to take care of the massive amount of
work brought on by the dozen trials that've just
happened," replied Percy. "But, thank you." He was
pleased to receive the recognition.
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Chapter 137
"That experience across multiple departments will
stand you in good stead," smiled Arthur. "It'll get you
moving up the ranks in no time, if that's your desire."
"Thank you, Dad," blushed the young man. "That was
my thought, too."
Arthur sat there for a few more moments finishing his
tea. With a sigh, he finally said, "Well, now that I've
calmed down a fair bit, I'd better go deal with Ron."
He rose and slowly left out the back door.
Ron's clock hand moved back, for the time being,
about five minutes later.
Molly saw it happen and sighed. She sent Arthur a
messenger Patronus telling him that.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Once he'd eaten his lunch and taken his potions, after
being reminded, Harry gave that a little while to settle
in by reading more of the Weekend Daily Prophet;
before he returned to his room to go over his 'list'.
Once he'd checked everything through yet another
time, he gave a sigh, decided the Hat allowed him in
Gryffindor for a reason, 'manned-up' and went looking
for Hermione.
Finding her about to make her own way up to her
room, he asked, "Care to take a walk with me? We've
been pretty much cooped up inside for―"
"I'd love to!" she suddenly interrupted. Then smiled at
him.
Relieved, he said, "Great! I believe you wanted to
show me the neighbourhood?"
With a smile back she said, "We'd best let the aurors
and Mum and Daddy know. Come on." And grabbed
him by the hand, leading him out of the kitchen.
Finding Monica first, she said, "Mum. With
Dumbledore 'on ice', he's not a threat at the moment.
So, Harry and I can go for our walk. I want to show
him where I went to primary school."
She smirked and said, "I'll let the aurors know."
After both teens raced upstairs for Hermione to grab a
cardigan and Harry to grab a 'hoodie' - it was a little
chilly outside - they quickly ran back downstairs
again. And met two aurors waiting for them at the
door.
Harry sighed and said, "No need for you to tail us with
Dumbledore out of the way. We need a bit of privacy
to talk."
Hermione gave him a curious look while the aurors
glanced at one another. The senior said, "I think that'd
be alright. How long do you think you'll be?"
Harry didn't know but Hermione replied, "About an
hour, I think."
The senior gave a nod and said, "If you're any longer
than an hour and fifteen, we'll come looking for you."
"Thank you," said Harry, grateful and with a relieved
little sigh.
The junior auror held the door for them and they
passed through.
Harry said, "See you soon!" And they were walking up
the path to the front gate.
Before they'd even reached it, the Senior Auror said to
his female partner, "Follow them under
disillusionment, Weston. If they don't get into trouble,
don't let them know you're there. Step in if they do,
but only if it's something they can't handle."
The female auror gave a nod, quietly said, "Will do,"
then raised her wand to tap herself on the top of her
head and faded out.
To the male auror, a moment later the door looked as
if it pulled itself shut.
He then went looking for the Grangers, finding
Wendell in his office.
"Dumbledore's currently locked up so Lord Potter and
the young Miss have gone for their walk," he
explained. "They don't know, but Auror Weston is
tailing them under a disillusionment charm."
Wendell gave a relieved smile back and said, "Thank
you."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
As they walked down the street outside of Hermione's
home, while Harry was trying to think of what to ask
her and talk to her about, Hermione beat him to it.
"I suppose you were wondering what Dobby and I
were talking about, yesterday morning," she said.
"No, actually," he replied. "I'd actually forgotten about
that. And I don't mind if Dobby talks to you, or if you
talk to him. If Dobby feels I need to know of what you
talk about, he'll tell me."
"Even if it breaks a confidence of mine?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. "Because he's bonded to me, he
must answer to me. It's the nature of the symbiotic
bond."
She thought about that for a moment and said, "I
wanted to know more about the bond. How it is that he
is able to tell you off, like he did our first night home."
"Because I ordered him to," said Harry. "For the past
little over three years I've had you telling me off when
you knew I'd done something wrong, or when you
thought I was going to do something wrong. But, you
also explained why you believed or felt that way. I
might not have always agreed with what you said, but
I appreciate both the care you demonstrated by doing
so and giving me a different viewpoint.
"However, house elves are bred and raised... and it is
enforced by their bond... to do exactly what they're
told by their masters; those to whom they're bonded.
There are a few exceptions to that rule, and one of
them is killing a human, but it's generally a pretty
absolute rule.
"Just before I bonded with Dobby I told him I had
some pretty firm rules that he had to obey. And that I
was not going to bond with him without a change to
the wording of that bond. Dobby agreed to them.
"The first thing you should know about our bond is
that I bonded him to me, not as a servant, but as a
loyal friend with servant being only secondary to that.
But, what neither of us knew would happen, was that
it made Dobby significantly magically stronger. It's
been years and he still looks like he's one step away
from bouncing off the walls with magical energy. He
told me it feels as if he's fizzing with magic; whatever
that means.
"Now for the orders I gave him right from the start:
First, he is not allowed to punish himself for any
reason. Second, if he's done something wrong or
made a mistake with something he's to come to me to
talk about it and we'll figure out how to fix whatever it
is or was between us. Third, he is to make sure he
stays healthy and doesn't overwork himself; and I
included working until he was exhausted in that. And
fourth, if he thinks I'm being an idiot about something
he was to tell me and not put up with my complaining
about it. That last one was what you saw.
"I've also been working hard with him on his diction
and how he refers to me. I ordered him to call me
'Harry' but he said he couldn't because it was against
some Code of Life house elves live by. The way it was
explained, it sounds almost religious. I then argued if
he had to call me 'Master' then he was to call me
simply 'Master Harry'. He slips up with that every now
and again and appends 'Potter Sir' to it. But, I've at
least got him to stop adding 'Great' or similar words to
the front of it."
"He told me he's not happy that you stopped him
doing that," she smiled. "He thinks everyone should
know just how great his master is."
Harry blushed and said, "Yeah, but it's embarrassing!"
"Is the Great Master Harry Potter, Sir, blushing?" she
teased.
He stopped and turned to her with an almost horrified
expression on his face, before he blushed so deeply it
looked like he had third degree sunburn.
She freely and gaily laughed with that high tinkling
laugh she had, before slipping her hand into his elbow
and saying, "Come on. I wanted to show you where I
went to school, remember?"
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Chapter 138
Back at the Granger house, with the two teens out of
the way, Wendell hunted down Monica. She was going
around the house with a small watering can and
checking to see which plants needed watering, only to
find they'd all been done.
With a sigh she thought, 'Dobby.'
"Hi love," he said.
"Dobby's watered and trimmed all the indoor plants,"
she half-heartedly complained.
"House elves are apparently quite handy," he smiled.
"And annoying when you're looking for something to
do," she smiled back.
"How'd your talk with Hermione go, yesterday and this
morning?" he asked.
"She's clueless," she sighed. "It's clear she loves him.
But, she seems to think it's the sort of love one has
for a little brother. I think she's wrong and she's lying
to herself so she doesn't get hurt."
"And he thinks he sees her as a big sister," he added.
"I even had to talk to him about considering his
feelings for her so he can get over the problem of not
recognising love those Dursley people beat into him."
"They're both clueless," she grumbled.
"Here I was, thinking I'd have to keep an eye on the
pair of them just so they wouldn't go running off to
find somewhere behind a closed door, and neither
thinks like that," he said. "On one hand, I'm relieved.
But, on the other, it's disappointing."
"She's fifteen, 'Dell," she frowned. "And he's fourteen.
They should both be wanting to hump away at each
other like rabbits!"
He blanched and said, "That's one image I really didn't
want passing through my mind."
"I didn't say they should be doing it," she smiled. "I
said they should be wanting to do it."
"Errph!" he shuddered.
She laughed a similar tinkling laugh to Hermione.
"You know how the wizarding world is about a century
behind ours, right?" she asked.
"Sometimes it looks even further than that," he
returned. "However, I understand what you're getting
at."
"Well, during my talk with Hermione I found out that
Harry's parents married right out of school. That
means they were eighteen," she explained. "So did
that Ronald boy's parents, so do a lot of magicals.
"For many in the magical world Hogwarts is a place
parents can send their children so they can interact
with other children and find their future spouses. She
even told me there are some children that are
betrothed in marriage contracts, similar to our
nobility, before they even arrive at the school."
"That sounds..." he tried.
"Like about one to two centuries out of date; at least,
socially?" she finished. "Yeah, it does. But, what did
we just determine?"
"That they're one to two centuries behind our world,"
he nodded, seeing what his wife was getting at.
"Now, think of this," she continued. "If wizarding
adults tend to marry soon after they finish school, and
that age puts them at or about seventeen to eighteen
years of age, how old did you say Hermione was
again?"
With a start he breathed, "Bloody Hell!"
"Next issue," she said, moving on while her husband
was trying to get his head around the idea his little
princess could easily make him a grandfather within
five years. "She told me their school doctor... mediwitch... was under some form of loyalty potions and
compulsion charms.
"When I pushed her on those she told me about more.
Love potions are a fact of life for witches and wizards.
Soon after she got to the school back in 1991, the
medi-witch warned all the girls about them and how to
spot signs of it in themselves and those they were
friends with. And, if they thought themselves or their
friends were under one, to immediately bring it to her
attention. And yet, she was discovered to have been
under a similar one; and no one noticed a thing. We
also now know Hermione was under a mild one back
in 1991/92. That has me worried."
Wendell was deep in thought.
"Moving on," she said. "We both also know the
wizarding world has two hierarchies. There is one
based on blood status and one based on House
status.
"The one based on blood status, starting at the top,
goes pureblood, halfblood, muggleborn, squib and
muggle. The one on House status goes Noble and
Most Ancient, Noble and Ancient, Ancient, Elder,
Minor, Magical, Unhoused and Disowned.
"There's a third but it's not as important compared to
the first two. It goes Lord, Lady, Heir Apparent, Heir
Presumptive, other Heir, Member and those who don't
fit in any of those categories.
"As a muggleborn and Unhoused, Hermione sits right
down the totem pole on both the first two; while Harry,
as Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient House, even
though he's also a halfblood, sits about as close to
the top as it gets. There's only six people in their
society that could be higher and they're all pureblood
Lords. Sirius is one of those. And Hermione tells me
another is currently a permanent resident in their
hospital and is highly unlikely to ever recover. His son
is a good friend of them both and is due to the inherit
the title when he turns seventeen in a little under three
years. That leaves four."
"So, what are you looking to achieve if you're telling
me all this?" he asked.
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Chapter 139
"Don't bite my head off for the idea," she carefully
replied. "But, I want to know how you feel about the
idea of Hermione being better protected?"
"I'm all for it, of course," he replied. "Why?"
Taking a deep breath she screwed up her courage and
explained, "I want to talk to Sirius about floating the
idea of Harry and Hermione becoming betrothed to
one another."
"What?!" he loudly exclaimed. "Y-you want to give our
daughter―"
"No!" she firmly and immediately cut in. "A Betrothal
Agreement, from what I can gather, is a promise
statement. However, it can also be written with escape
clauses. That's the first important part.
"The next is, when a witch or wizard is in a Betrothal
Agreement, both are protected under the auspices of
the senior House. In this case, that would be Harry's;
the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. To
interfere in a Betrothal Agreement, including dosing
one or the other or both with mind altering potions or
charms, is considered interfering in the private
practices of a House or Houses. At the level of Harry's
House, that could see you executed; so, people are
going to very wary of trying such a thing. It would
protect them both!"
"I don't believe this!" he declared.
The voice of the current senior auror on their 'detail',
Senior Auror Horatio Cummerbatch, was suddenly
heard to say, "Believe it, Doctor Granger." He was
quite firm.
Spinning to the door leading to the kitchen, Wendell
looked at him in shock. "Horatio? You mean, she's
right?"
"Yes, Sir," replied Cummerbatch. "It's actually quite a
clever idea, too."
"But, what if Harry..." began Wendell before he
stuttered to a stop unable to find the right words.
"A formal Betrothal Agreement is not a licence to have
sex, Sir," replied the auror, walking more fully into the
room. "A Betrothal Agreement is a statement to the
other Houses, plus individual witches and wizards,
that these two... in this case, Lord Potter and your
daughter... are, not just off limits to any form of
courting, but most especially what your wife was
describing.
"As your wife said, they can include clauses that allow
the Agreement to be dissolved. It can be as simple as
either party saying, 'I hereby dissolve our Betrothal
Agreement' for it to be ended. For your own piece of
mind you can also include a clause that states you
can say, 'I hereby dissolve the Betrothal Agreement
between Hermione and Harry' for it be ended."
"That's all?" asked Wendell, still doubtful.
"Yes," nodded Cummerbatch. "But, a Betrothal
Agreement must include stipulations, just as any
contract does in the muggle world. Normally, they
would includes things like, 'The bride must produce at
least one male heir within thirty-six months of the date
of the union and another heir, whether male or female,
within seventy two months'; or 'On the bonding of the
marriage the House of Potter agrees to pay bride price
of ten thousand galleons to the Head of the family of
the bride and fifty thousand galleons on the birth of
the first heir of the House of Potter resulting from the
union'.
"It can also include business arrangements, as these
usually do. 'As of the date of the union the House of
Potter agrees to loan House Granger, at the interest
rate of zero point one percent calculated yearly, the
sum of two hundred and fifty thousand galleons. Such
loan to be repaid in full, together with the interest,
within five years to the day'. That sort of thing."
Narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the auror, Wendell
said, "It sounds like you have experience with these."
Cummerbatch smiled and replied, "They're quite
common in our world, Sir. They're practically
mandatory at Lord Potter's level."
"His... parents?" asked Wendell.
"It is not known for sure by the wizarding world atlarge," shrugged the auror. "But, it is believed so, yes.
However, it is also believed that they didn't enter a
Betrothal Agreement until after Lord James Potter
proposed, if they did. And that was also after both
reached of-age.
"Like your daughter, Lady Lily Potter was a
muggleborn. The trial showed that her parents passed
soon after she graduated from Hogwarts. However, as
she was 'Unhoused' she did not need her parent's
permission once she was of-age, anyway. And, by
then, Lord James was also both of-age and rightful
Lord of the House of Potter. So, he could sign such an
Agreement off his own authority, too.
"If there is anyone who could truthfully tell you
whether they entered such an agreement or not, it
would be Lord Black. Before being Lord Potter's
godfather, he was Lord James Potter's supposed best
friend. They attended Hogwarts together in the same
year. So, too, did Lady Lily Potter née Evans."
The auror stood there for a moment before he said,
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intruded on your
conversation. We're taught not to do that and I'd be
hexed into next week if The Boss ever found out. I'll
leave you to it." And, with that, spun around and
strode out the door.
Wendell stood thinking about what he'd been told for
a long, long moment before he looked at his wife and
asked, "Could it be that simple?"
"What I was going to suggest was, we speak with
Sirius... Lord Black... when he next drops by," she
replied with a smile. "The only thing I ask is that we
discuss it... as adults."
He gave a firm nod and replied, "We'll do that. But,
we'll do it away from the kids, first."
"Good," she said. "I don't want to discuss it in front of
them yet, either."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After being shown Hermione's old primary school
through the security fence - especially the library, of
course - the two headed for the local small shopping
district.
Harry used the opportunity to 'pick up some things'
from the supermarket for the pantry, fridge and freezer
at the Grangers that were either lacking or he felt he
needed to contribute to. In Hermione's mind, though,
Harry had basically bought a week's worth of grocery
shopping.
Once out of the shops, Harry led Hermione into the
back lane-way behind the supermarket and, checking
by looking about first, called Dobby.
Dobby popped in, saw the bags Harry and Hermione
were carrying and popped away with them.
"That's so useful," said Hermione. "I first thought we'd
have to carry them all back ourselves and was
dreading what my arms and hands were going to feel
like well before we got back."
Once back out on the street the two slowly made their
way back to the Granger house.
And Harry finally screwed up his courage enough to
ask what he desperately needed to, but still feared to,
ask.
"Hermione," he began. "How do you know if you've
fallen in love with someone?"
That stopped the girl in her tracks. And her stopping
caused him to stop a step later and turn back to look
at her.
She gawped back at him. "W-what?"
"How do you know if you've fallen in love?" he simply
asked.
"I... what? I... don't know," she replied.
With a sigh he muttered, "Pity."
"W-why do you ask?" she asked a little fearfully.
Looking away and blushing a little he quietly replied,
"Your dad said he believes I've fallen in love with...
someone; but, because I never experienced love as a
child growing up, I don't know what to look for to
determine if I've fallen in love or not."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 140
"He said that?" she squeaked. 'Oh, no!' she thought.
"Yeah," he almost morosely replied. "I spent a long
time thinking about it, analysing it, and I can see his
point."
"And... as a result, you think you're in love with
someone?" she carefully asked.
'I've lost him!' she thought. 'Oh, Merlin! I'm in love
with him!... Where did that come from?'
"Yeah," he sighed. With a gesture he got them both
moving again as they continued to walk up the path of
the street that would take them back to her place.
"Can I ask who?" she asked. "If you want to tell me,
that is."
Inside she was thinking, 'Whoever it is, I'll help him
any way I can. But, I'm going to hate it.'
"It's the one person I know who cares for me, not who
I am to them, not who I could be for them, not who
they think I am," he replied. "Oh. And they're also
female; just in case you thought I might've batted for
the other team."
'Cho?... Possibly,' she thought. 'Katie?... Maybe...
Ginny?... Merlin, no!―'
Screwing up her courage to hear her doom, she said,
"It'll help if you stop beating about the bush and tell
me who we're talking about, Harry."
"At risk of our friendship being irreparably harmed,"
he said. "And please believe me when I say I really,
really, really hope that this doesn't hurt our
friendship―."
"Harry―" she almost growled.
"You!" he suddenly blurted. Then cringed away,
expecting 'Mount Hermione' to erupt.
That brought the girl to another sudden halt.
Again taking an extra step when she suddenly
stopped again, but also stepping away in case she
was going to hit him. He stood looking at her,
blushing and expecting her to hit him.
She was again gawking at him.
"H-Hermione?" he tentatively asked. "Y-you're not
going to hit me, a-are you?"
Suddenly, her jaw snapped shut and she dived at him.
That drove them both to the ground.
"Oof!" he exclaimed, hitting the ground. He felt lucky
his head hit the little grass strip between the path and
the curb of the road.
"Oh, Harry! Oh, Harry! Oh, Harry!" she was babbling.
The female auror following them, Auror Second Class
Weston, wanted to check the time right then but
couldn't. She'd just have to try and figure out how
long it was between now and when they got back to
the house. There was a betting pool someone in the
'bullpen' was going to win.
Harry, though, was confused. Hermione was
apparently trying to crush him to death with one of her
hugs, while also trying to wrestle with him on the
ground, all the while crying into his pullover 'hoodie'.
"Ummm... Hermione?" he asked.
Suddenly, everything stopped for a few moments.
Hermione had stopped her babbling, wrestling and
sobbing.
Again suddenly, she sat up on his upper thighs with
what he quickly realised were her bits and had both
her hands pressed flat on either side of his upper
chest.
With a serious expression on her face she firmly
asked, "Do you know how badly you scared me? I was
going through my mind wondering who it was! Cho,
Katie, Ginny, even Lavender!"
"Sorry," he quietly said. "I was trying to build up the
courage to let you know it was you. You're not really
angry with me, are you?"
She stared at him for a long moment before she said,
"No. I can never stay mad with you."
Harry relaxed in relief.
"However," she said. And he tensed up again. "Don't
you have a question you should be asking me?"
Confused, he lay there thinking about it, not wanting
to ask the wrong question.
"Ummm... y-you're... okay with that?" he carefully
asked.
"No, you git!" she snapped back and then actually did
hit him lightly on the chest.
Harry felt devastated. She didn't like him loving her.
She didn't love him.
"That's the wrong question!" she snapped again.
"You're supposed to ask me if I would be your
girlfriend!"
"Oh," he said, confused, before he understood what
she meant. From the sudden swooping drop into the
depths of despair his heart soared in joy. "Oohh!"
"Well?" she asked.
Neither teen had moved to stand up from the ground.
Harry was still laying on his back on the footpath with
Hermione sitting on his thighs with her hands on his
chest.
"Hermione Granger," he more formally said. "Will you
consent to be my girlfriend?"
"Yes!" she immediately and gaily cried, before diving
forward and mashing her lips to his.
They were like that for a few long seconds, with
Hermione crushing his lips with her own, before both
teens heard a loud and pointed throat clear, "Huhhmm!"
Hermione sat up straight again and both teens turned
to the sound. Harry noticed on the other side of the
front fence of a property they were passing, a little old
lady wearing a wide brimmed straw hat, threadbare
dress, light unbuttoned cardigan, wearing gardening
gloves and holding a pair of garden scissors in her
right hand.
"Oh! Hello, Missus Landringham!" said Hermione to
the woman.
Harry could see the woman had obviously been
kneeling in the garden along her low brick front fence
and both of them had missed her. He could also see
she was trying to put on a stern expression while
trying to hide the fact she was happy for them. Her
eyes were twinkling.
"Miss Granger," said the woman. "A young lady does
not sit on her young suitor - on the ground, mind - and
then try to bruise his lips with her own! It is
unbecoming!"
Hermione blushed and said, "Ummm... Sorry, Missus
Landringham." Then she slowly climbed to her feet.
Before Harry could move, the old woman then cast her
stern gaze on him and said, "As for you, young man;
don't you think you should be escorting Miss Granger
home so you can ask her father if you may court her,
first?"
Harry blushed scarlet before he scrambled to his feet.
"S-sorry, Ma'am!" he exclaimed.
Then he quickly grabbed Hermione by the hand and
tried to run back to her house while dragging her
behind.
"Harry!" screamed Hermione within the first half
dozen steps, as she was dragged along. "We don't
need to run! Slow down!"
That brought Harry to an almost stop before he
squeaked, "Sorry!"
Out of earshot, the old woman's expression turned
into a smile. "Tch! The children of today. No sense of
the proper proprieties!" she wistfully said. Then she
giggled, before she dropped back to her knees and
returned to her trimming.
'Wait until the bridge club hear about this!' she
thought, cutting away a particularly misbehaving
branch. 'Right on the outside path in front of my
roses!' Then she giggled again.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
As soon as they got back into the house - Hermione
almost dragging Harry inside, this time - she ran off
looking for her mother.
"MUU-UUM!" she two-tone called up the stairs.
Then was startled when her mother's voice called
from her left in the parlour. "Don't shout, Hermione!"
The girl first whirled on locating where the voice came
from before she then whirled on Harry and demanded,
"Go find Daddy!" Then dashed into the parlour.
Standing there, Harry blinked a moment before he
decided talking to her father was not something he
wanted to do, just yet. Instead, he headed for the
kitchen.
'I'd best go make sure Dobby's put all the groceries
away, first,' he thought. 'And, hopefully, he's not
started preparing dinner yet.'
He also knew the chances of Dobby not putting the
groceries away, or that the elf had actually started
dinner already considering the time, had nothing to do
with it. Was he avoiding talking to her father? Of
course not!
Then used the time to consider what he would be
cooking for dinner that evening. He was muttering
various recipes as they passed through his head while
he was head down and bum up in the ice chest.