"Sir, Miss Lovegood and Professor Flitwick have just entered the Mansion. I have informed them of your location."
"Thanks, Jor-El." Harry said as he stared at the holographic moving pictures surrounding him, most of them pictures that had been scanned from the hard copies that various professors (and other friends of his parents) had given to him over the previous couple of years, but a few of them images that Jor-El had culled from the records that had been installed into him. With the originals safely stored in a stasis box so that they would not be at risk of damage, the holographic copies were available at any time to him.
"Hello, Harry." Luna chirped as she almost bounced into the library. "I see you have some new books, have you told Hermione yet?"
Harry chuckled even as a wave of his hands caused the projected pictures to shrink and move so that they were on the table.
"Hello, Luna." He smiled, then looked over at his Head of House. "Uncle Fil."
"Harry." Filius nodded back at him. "We thought we'd come and give you a warning that the evening feast is due to start in an hour."
Harry sighed, looking at the pictures on the table. "I'll be there. I was just… I can't really say remembering my parents as I don't, but…"
"You were honoring them." Luna said, her normal levity vanishing. "The parents who gave birth to you, the parents who protected and sacrificed themselves for you."
"That's it exactly." Harry agreed, slightly surprised as to how Luna had seen to the core of the situation.
Luna floated off, examining the books on the shelves as Filius looked round.
"You do have more books than last time… Harry?"
"Yes, Uncle Fil?"
"Have you expanded the library? It seems a lot bigger than it used to be."
Harry grinned. "Yep. Runic arrays in the walls to triple the volume. The real trick was not distorting the doorways, it required some very finnicky work, according to Jor-El."
"I would have been willing to use a space-expansion charm had you asked." Filius noted.
"The problem with those is that they tend to wear off after a few years, except when in areas that have a very high level of ambient magic." Harry pointed out. "I had wondered why people didn't simply live in Wizarding Tents and wrote to the manufacturers. Even the best expanded tents rarely last more than a decade before the spell wears off and each time the spell is recharged, the effect is slightly shorter. Get a five-year tent, recharge in the fifth year and the effect will last only another three or four years. Each expansion from a recharge is shorter than the previous one, so eventually you end up having to constantly charge it."
"Hogwarts has expanded rooms." Filius noted.
"Hogwarts is above a very strong intersection of ley-lines." Harry countered. "By now, the magic is an integral part of the building, thus the effect is constantly recharging."
"That would make sense." Filius allowed after a few moments of thought. "And I assume that the runic arrays you mentioned have a similar effect?"
"They need to be kept charged, but yes." Harry nodded. "The arrays themselves include… reservoirs would be the best word. Sections that store magic and slowly release it, meaning that if anything happens to break the flow of magic, I have almost a week to figure out a solution. It's sort of a fail-safe… which is far better than a fail-dangerous."
Filius chuckled at the wordplay as Harry swiped a hand over the table, causing the images to fade away.
"I guess I'd better prepare for the feast." Harry said as he rose to his feet. "Thanks for warning me."
"Not a problem." Filius smiled at his honorary nephew.
"Oh! Look at this!" Luna's voice sounded and both males half-turned, having almost forgotten that she was there. "Dealing With Dragons! I wonder if it includes crumple-horned snorkacks?"
"That's a story about magic by a non-magical writer." Harry chuckled. "It's a fun read, but dragons aren't like that in real life. It also doesn't show Wizards in a good light."
"Can I borrow it?" Luna begged eagerly. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
Harry shrugged. "Alright, but return it wh-ooof!"
Luna's glomp caused Harry to fall back onto the sofa and Filius chuckled.
"Should I tell you two to get a room?"
"DAMMIT, UNCLE FIL!"
Filius chuckled as he ducked out of the room, dodging the thrown cushion with the easy skill of a professional dueler.
.
.
The Great Hall was decorated with floating pumpkins, each carved with a different face and lit from within by floating candles. Ghosts slowly drifted around the periphery, occasionally stopping to talk to one of the pupils and at the Teacher's Table the assembled staff sat watching the students who returned their attention.
Once the last students had filed in and taken their seats, Minerva McGonogall rose, tapping her goblet with a spoon to ensure that she had everyone's attention.
"Tonight is All Hallow's Eve." She stated, her voice carrying through the otherwise-silent hall. "Tonight is the night that those who are gone are closest to us, that the Veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest.
"Tonight is the night that we remember those who have gone before us, those who have passed beyond.
"Raise your goblets.
"To those who are gone, but never forgotten."
"To those who are gone, but never forgotten"
The majority of the students joined in with the toast, save for a few Slytherins. From his position, Harry could see Draco glaring at one of those who had remained seated.
"Be seated." Minerva commanded and with a rustling of fabric (and several sounds of wood scraping across the stone floor), everyone except the Headmistress sat down once more.
"Before we begin the feast, I have a few announcements." Minerva continued. "First is for those taking Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid has arranged for another trip to the Romanian Dragon Preserve. The trip will be over a weekend, so no lessons will be missed, will not clash with any Quidditch games and will include an overnight stay. If you wish to join in, apply to Hagrid at your next lesson with him.
"Secondly, Lord Black has said that he is quite impressed with the progress of some of the Animagi-to-be and expects that the first two or three will be able to finish the process soon. The ritual room has already been set up and either Lord Black or myself will happily escort the new Animagi to be officially registered as the newest member of our little club.
"Third, Professor Tonks has achieved her Mastery in Potions."
Minerva paused as the Great Hall erupted in a spontaneous round of applause. After a moment, she held up one hand for silence and nodded to Andromeda, who rose to her feet.
"Thank you." She smiled. "However, I would not have been able to complete the Tests of Mastery without the tuition that Professor Snape provided. Thank you, Professor."
Snape nodded in return, his face blank but the corners of his lips were very slightly raised. With a smile, Andromeda bowed to Minerva and sat down, ceding the speech back to the Headmistress.
"Fourth and finally, some of you may have noticed the screen above the door at the end of the Hall."
Almost the entire student body turned to look up at the sheet of black glass fixed to the wall just below the rafters and which descended to less than a foot above the main door, a sheet of black glass that was almost half the width of the Great Hall.
"That screen is a gift from Evans Industries in conjunction with the American company News Corporation who have a division dedicated to providing content for those like us. Smaller screens will be in the common rooms by the time the feast ends.
"The screens will have multiple uses. They can be used to relay important news, act as communication aids or show recordings of plays, documentaries and other things. They can be controlled by means of a smaller screen such as this one."
Minerva held up a rectangular mirror that was glowing by itself.
"So, to set the mood and to join the inauguration of the Kitsune Broadcasting Division… the Rhythmic Runes in concert."
The black glass started to glow, then an image formed on it, showing the famed Rhythmic Runes walking out onto a stage that had been set up in the entrance hall of the Ministry of Magic as a crowd cheered.
"Let the feast begin!" Minerva stated, but almost half the students were too busy staring at the Rhythmic Runes in amazement to notice the food appearing on their tables.
"Did you know about this?" Hermione half-hissed and Harry nodded.
"Yep. It did take some tricky negotiating by Jor-El, but fortunately two of the News Corporation Board Members had children who were Magical and they were able to persuade the others to go along with it. It didn't hurt that I currently own just under three percent of the company's shares thanks to Jor-El. On the other hand, they're a great vector for introducing K-tech. They're already investing in optical-fibers and related technologies. By the time I graduate, Earth's tech will be… almost adequate, according to Jor-El."
"Hello, Magical Britain!" The voice of the lead singer boomed out from the screen, then the band began to play.
.
From the balconey outside her office, Dolores Umbridge looked down at the hunky lead singer of the Rhythmic Runes, taking in the sight of his oiled pecs and sixpack that were prominantly displayed by his cutaway robe. The lead guitarist, clad in a high-collared robe scandalously cut to mid-thigh and with her right sleeve missing, seemed totally focused on making her fingers dance over the strings of her instrument.
"Undersecretary Umbridge?"
"What is it, Farmerson?" Umbridge asked, never taking her eyes off the cavorting musical wizard below.
"I've finished making the arrangements, Undersecretary."
Umbridge took the profferred clipboard and glanced at it, then frowned.
"Have you sent off the notices yet?"
"Not yet, Undersecretary."
Umbridge pulled out a self-inking quill and marked several names on the list.
"Delay the notices for these ones. Give them… oh, five minutes warning. And I want a sealed hearing! Once it starts, no-one except for the Minister is allowed in or out. And just before you send those final notices, have the Floo Department instigate a systems check!"
"Yes, Madam Undersecretary!"
As the wizard retreated to follow her instructions Umbridge returned her gaze to the hunk below and licked her lips.
Such a prime specimen of a Wizard.
It was too bad that he was known to be gay. He would have made a wonderful bedwarmer for her.
.
The second song came to an end and several of the students decided to use the brief interlude to quickly grab some of the food before they returned to watching the Rhythmic Runes again. As the band began their third number, the main door opened slightly and Narcissa Malfoy, clad in the formal Regent Robes, slipped through.
"What's going on?" Hermione whispered as Minerva tapped the control screen to silence the music before standing up.
"How may I help you, Regent Malfoy?"
"Headmistress, a Quorum of the Wizengamot has been summoned and since my son will take up his Lordship in a few years, I came to ask if I could take him with me, to help him gain more experience."
"Hang on!" Sirius interjected, springing to his feet. "What Wizengamot meeting?"
"You… haven't received the notification?" Narcissa asked in bemusement. "It starts in just over fifty minutes…"
"I ain't got one neither." Hagrid rumbled. "'arry?"
Harry shook his head.
"Something's fishy here." Sirius growled. "Harry, Hagrid, formal Wizard robes and we meet at the Ravenclaw Tower. Sorry, Minerva…"
"You are excused." Minerva nodded. "Go."
"I'll tell you about it later… whatever it is." Harry promised to Neville and Hermione before extracting himself and running for the door. Once out of sight of the others, he could use his full speed.
Something told him that being late would most definitely not be in his best interests.