"Hey, Harry." Neville greeted the young Lord Potter, ignoring how Harry was sprawled half-over a toppled couch after being ejected from the Floo at a remarkably high velocity.
"Nev." Harry groaned as he slowly disentangled himself, then shifted the couch back upright, ignoring the fact that its solid weight normally required two adults to shift (or the application of magic). "Good thing no-one was in the way, it could have been messy."
"He warned us to keep to one side." Frank Longbottom laughed from where he and his wife were sitting. Alice Longbottom didn't say anything, but her eyes danced with poorly-concealed amusement. "I didn't believe him, but… that was quite an entrance."
"Magical transport and me don't go well together." Harry admitted as he brushed himself off. "Floo acts like a catapult, Portkeys make me dizzy and I can never stay on my feet at the end, Apparition makes me feel ill..."
"You can use my wardrobe when it's time for you to go home if you want." Neville offered. "So, welcome to Longbottom Manor."
Harry took advantage of Neville's comment to look round at the room he had (quite literally) crashed into. Large moving pictures hung on the walls and the furniture had the weathered look that only manifests after a century or more of usage.
"Quite a place." He admitted and Neville grinned.
"Once we've got all the official greetings out of the way, I'll give you a quick tour. Miss Warbeck's eager to say hello again."
"Celestina's here?" Harry asked and Alice nodded.
"She's providing the entertainment for this evening." She smiled.
"Wow." Harry breathed, then he smiled wryly. "If Lucius Malfoy was still alive, seeing her perform here would have caused him to keel over with sheer envy."
The three Longbottoms nodded in amused agreement and Harry tilted his head slightly.
"Out of interest, who can I expect to see here?"
"We've invited the Grangers, they should be arriving soon and we've prepared a suite for them." Frank chuckled. "Professor Flitwick will be coming as well, his observations are always amusing. Albus is coming and so is Minister Fudge, although his Undersecretary won't be. We've also invited Lord Black and his Seneschal, several members of the Wizengamot, some old friends and their families… and Rita Skeeter."
"Lesser of two evils." Alice sighed. "This way, we can try to keep her distracted and give her a few quotes for the Prophet. If we didn't invite her…"
"She'd get in anyway and twist everything into a scandal." Frank finished. "How she gets through wards, I have no idea."
Harry and Neville looked at each other and neither needed Legilimancy to know what the other was thinking.
"Could she be an Animagus?" Neville asked, causing his parents to stiffen in shock.
"That… would explain a lot." Alice finally managed. "Maybe we should check the registry, see if she registered…"
"My godfather didn't…. at least until I got him released from Azkaban." Harry pointed out. "Neither did my dad."
"Nor has Neville." Frank added and Neville shrugged as Harry gave him a questioning look.
"They found me hanging around in one of our greenhouses." He explained almost bashfully, then he grinned. "But Gran's face when I showed her afterwards… I've never seen her look so startled! Fortunately, you don't legally have to register until you come of Age. I think it's because the assumption is that unless you've done your NEWTS, you don't have the ability to become an Animagus."
"I've registered." Harry admitted, then he grinned. "It was at the same time as about thirty of the former Werewolves, including Remus. The Registry Officer was so overworked, he was just throwing out forms at people and telling them to fill them out themselves. I think it was the most work he's had to do in decades."
"Who is the Registry Officer?" Alice asked curiously.
"I didn't catch his first name, but his surname was Thistlewhaite."
Both adults nodded in recognition.
"Probably Krystopher." Frank noted. "He was taking his NEWTs when I entered Hogwarts, he was held up as an example of how not to study, always trying to find shortcuts or ways to avoid working. If not for his family connections, he'd be unemployed… and unemployable. Since so few people become Animagi… I can see why he ended up there. Not much to do and not much to screw up…. normally."
"I wonder how long before he gets in trouble for not recording the animagical signatures." Alice mused, then she looked round. "What? Knowing how that department works is part of the training to be an Auror."
"She's right." Frank nodded. "According to Uncle Croaker, the Wards around the Ministry get tweaked every time a new Animagus is registered in order to ensure that the person in question can't sneak in."
"So suddenly there's thirty Animagi who the Wards won't stop… and they're registered, so they can't be prosecuted?" Harry snickered. "Nice!"
The Floo flared and several people stepped out in quick succession. As they paused to brush off the small bits of soot still clinging to them, Frank and Alice rose from their settee to approach the newcomers.
"Lord Shafiq, Lady Shafiq, welcome to Longbottom Manor." Frank offered his hand and Lord Shafiq took it with a smile. "And these must be your son and daughter."
.
"Ah, Filius." Albus smiled as the diminuative Professor entered his office. "Ready to depart?"
"Looking forwards to it." Filius nodded. "While Alice and Frank were Lions, they were both excellent students back then. Either one could have fitted almost seamlessly in my House."
"And I did almost put them there." The Sorting Hat noted from his shelf. "Alice, anyway. Frank was rather more impulsive, so Sorting him was far easier."
"You'll be Sorting an Animagus this year." Albus noted and the Hat twitched.
"Really? Sounds like an instant Raven to me."
"Not quite." Albus countered. "Young Miss Jinelle Shafiq was bitten by a werewolf three years ago. If not for Severus' skills, she would still be a Werewolf rather than a Wolf Animagi."
"Wolves are known for their loyalty to each other." Filius mused as Albus reached for the Floo Powder. "A Wolf as a Badger… quite an amusing thought."
"Quite so." Albus chuckled, throwing the powder into the fireplace. "Longbottom Manor!"
Albus vanished into the flames and Filius took a pinch of powder for himself.
"Longbottom Manor!" He declared and stepped through the flames, emerging with the perfect poise of an experienced duelist. "Ah, Heir Longbottom, thank you for inviting me. Lord Potter, I see you are well."
The two boys who had been waiting both smiled at their Head of House, but it was Neville who replied.
"Professor, as I just said to Headmaster Dumbledore, welcome to Longbottom Manor."
Filius looked around, noting the various portraits watching him curiously. "It's an honor to be here."
"It's an honor to have you here, sir." Neville replied with a wide smile. "Harry, if you would?"
"Of course, Nev." Harry nodded. "This way, please."
Albus and Filius followed Harry out of the Floo room and as they did so, Harry caught the sound of the Floo flaring up as someone else stepped through and Neville's polite greeting.
"Madam Skeeter, welcome to Longbottom Manor."
"How has your summer gone, Lord Potter?" Albus asked as they headed towards the Main Ballroom where the main part of the gathering was taking place.
"Very well, so far." Harry said with a slight shrug. "I did all my homework in the first week and checked in with Gringotts to see how my companies were getting on."
"Companies?" Albus repeated curiously.
"I have a stake in a company that's helping to enhance Muggle communications." Harry explained. "They're still installing the required technology, but once enough switchboards have been replaced, video calls will be a reality… ummm, think a type of magical mirror that you can speak through and see the person at the other end."
"Most ingeneous." Albus agreed. "But how do you find the time? Even with the occasional use of a Time Turner, holding the roles I do leaves me with precious few hours to call my own."
"Jor-El does most of the work for me." Harry admitted. "He communicates with them via phone and fax, but e-mail services are coming online, along with the computers designed for maximising their use. He's also working on interfaces so that instead of just relying on the Floo and having to kneel down to talk, us magic-users will soon have the option of using telephones too, although a special prefix will be needed to connect to the non-magical telephone network and vice-versa."
"It may be a good idea to underplay that last but." Filius suggested. "In fact, I'd only mention it to muggleborn and those who want to stay in contact with their non-magical relatives."
"True." Harry agreed.
"If not for the map-tables and comm-stones you gifted us, I'd be asking for telephones in Hogwarts for the teachers." Albus admitted. "However… perhaps we could install a few so that our Muggleborn students can contact their families more often…"
"I'll see what I can do." Harry nodded. "Any idea where the phones would go?"
"I'll discuss it with the others tomorrow." Albus nodded to Augusta as she swept past them, receiving a nod of greeting in return. "Perhaps a small room off each common room and one off the teachers room… and one in the Infirmary."
"Wise choice." Filius agreed as they approached the door to the hall in which the gathering was taking place. "I've had to explain several times to parents why they were not informed about their child being hurt, having the ability to simply call them would be very useful."
.
Rita Skeeter gave Augusta Longbottom one of her sweetest smiles as the former Regent swept past on her way to the Floo room to greet the next arrival, then she turned her attention back to Neville.
"It'll be good to see Frank and Alice again… although it's a shame that they've decided not to resume their careers as Aurors. This country needs as many good Aurors as possible…"
"Bellatrix Lestrange hurt them severely and although St Mungo's did their best, my parents are still recovering, physically speaking, that is. Mentally, they are fully recovered." Neville replied to Rita's probing. "However, use of the cruciatus curse to the degree that madwoman used it leaves permanent damage. Since all Aurors have to be physically capable of taking the field if required, my parents decided that the lingering damage to their bodies would put others at risk, should they not be able to protect themselves properly. Madam Bones agreed and said that acknowledging when one cannot do something shows far more courage than attempting it when you know you cannot succeed."
Rita looked slightly taken aback for a moment then her smile returned, its edge even more predatory than before.
"And what do you think about the recent demise of Bellatrix?"
"Relief, mainly." Neville admitted. "Now that someone has ended her existence, she won't be able to do to others what she did to my parents."
Rita hmmmm'd thoughtfully. "So, what are they planning on doing now that they're back?"
.
.
Statement At The Ball
By Rita Skeeter
Yesterday, Lord Longbottom and his beautiful wife Alice
hosted the Longbottom Ball which was attended by a
great many of the important members of the Wizarding
World.
During the celebration, Frank Longbottom confirmed the
rumor that despite the physical trauma that he and his wife
suffered at the hands of the vile (and now very deceased)
Bellatrix Lestrange, they will not be abandoning the fight
against those who practise Dark Magic.
Although no longer capable of taking the fight to the users
of forbidden magics, they will help to train those who stand
guard, the Hit-Wizards and Aurors whom we all admire.
Lord Longbottom's declaration was met with applause, the
Supreme Mugwump himself leading it…