Chapter 281
"Errr... yes?" asked Bagman.
"Did you know that, even though the three champions
and Lord Potter may be bound by the Goblet to be
involved in the Tournament, there is no similar
binding for any hostages?"
When Bagman only stared back, Ted continued, "That
means no hostage can be forced to take part."
Again Bagman didn't say a word.
"What that means, legally, Mister Bagman," explained
Ted, shifting to lean right forward, "Is... if you take
anyone against their will to be used as a hostage it
will be kidnapping.
"Are you starting to understand, yet?"
Bagman spluttered and said, "Dumbledore assured us
that we only need permission from their Heads of
House... their Hogwarts Heads of House, that is... to
use anyone we need to use."
Ted's smirk immediately dropped to a scowl.
"If he told you that, he lied," he flatly stated. "I have
already been informed by both Lord Potter and Lord
Black that if you use Lord Potter's betrothed as his
hostage in the Task both will immediately come after
you and the rest of the organisers.
"As well as it being illegal for you to take anyone as a
hostage without their prior consent... and the consent
of their guardians if they are under-age... they both
will see it as an attack on their Houses. Right there, in
front of everyone, they will both declare a blood feud
on you and the other organisers.
"Remember what I told you what would happen if Lord
Potter so much as developed a blood nose as a result
of this Tournament?"
"Errr... y-yes?"
"Even worse will happen if the hostages are harmed."
Bagman immediately whimpered, "Ohh, Merlin!"
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After eating a big lunch and giving it time to settle,
Harry had asked Hermione if she wanted to join him at
the Longbottoms.
"No, thank you, Harry," she was quick to reply. "You
go and spend time with Neville and flying. I don't want
to be there to see you performing dangerous stunts in
the air."
Exiting the floo at Longbottom Hall with his broom in
hand, and again skidding across the marble floor on
his back, Harry looked up to see a grinning Neville.
Neville chuckled and asked, "How is it you can be so
graceful in the air on a broom and so hopelessly
uncoordinated using the floo?"
"No idea," he replied, climbing to his feet before
checking himself and his broom over for damage.
As Neville stood there smiling at him, Harry asked,
"Got any brooms here, Nev?"
Frowning in puzzlement, Neville replied, "You're
carrying one, Harry. Why do you need another?"
Grinning back, he replied, "It's not for me. It's for you.
It's time I helped you get over your fear of brooms."
Frank had just walked in, heard what Harry had said
and said, "I quite agree."
Neville spun to stare at his father so fast one could be
forgiven for thinking he didn't turn, so much as
apparate about on the spot. "Dad?" he fearfully asked.
Looking to Harry, Frank said, "You'll find brooms in
the broom cupboard next to the back door. They might
be quite old compared to that lovely broom you have
in your hand, Harry, but they are definitely not the
death traps Hooch had you on for your flying lessons
in your First Year."
Harry grinned back and, as he began to head for the
back door, looked to Neville and said, "Come along,
Nev. No time like the present!"
Almost shivering in sudden fear, Neville turned
pleading eyes on his father.
"Go on, Neville," his father commanded.
Giving the impression he was heading to his doom,
the sandy-haired boy reluctantly headed after Harry.
Surprising the boy, though, he found Harry to be a
very patient and very good instructor. By the end of
the hour he was now carefully slaloming a path
around the garden beds and ornaments in the back of
the Longbottom Hall property. Though he flatly
refused to climb higher than about ten feet off the
ground, he was definitely becoming more comfortable
riding the broom.
'Who knew that allowing one foot to hang while riding
made it a hell of a lot easier to learn to ride?' he
thought. 'A counterweight, Harry had called it.'
At the end of the second hour, Harry led the pair of
them back to the back patio of the Hall and lightly
touched down, Neville was only a few moments
behind.
Turning his attention to the other boy, Harry grinned
and said, "See? Not all that much to it. What you need
to do now is practice doing that. Then, once you're
more comfortable keeping your balance, have both
feet up and on the pegs."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Neville smiled back and
said, "That was a lot easier."
Harry, still smiling, said, "That's because you weren't
forced to ride on a death-trap of a broom that should
have been burned fifty years ago for being unsafe."
Neville nodded and led the two back inside, stopping
at the broom closet to drop off 'his' broom as he did.
"Well," sighed Harry. "I must be off. Dobby should
have afternoon tea ready by now. And I don't want him
turning up here berating me for missing it."
Neville gave a small snort of amusement.
"Now," said Harry, as they headed for the floo. "Can
you write down the floo addresses of Greengrass,
Davis, Bones and Abbott and send them to me by 'elf
express'?"
Curious, Neville replied, "I can do that. Why?"
"Well, I was wondering," he replied. "Would you like to
join Hermione and me as we go and visit them? I
really need to properly introduce them to... not Miss
Hermione Granger... but Lady Presumptive Hermione
Granger. I've been a bit remiss in not letting them
know."
Surprised and cursing himself for not thinking of it
himself, Neville replied, "Yeah, I can do that. Expect
my elf within the hour or so."
As they stopped in front of the floo, Harry smiled
again and said, "Thanks, Nev."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 282
A dash of floo powder into the fireplace, a call of
'Doghouse', a pause of a few moments and a call of
'Woof Woof' and Harry was gone.
Neville had just given a snort of amusement at the
password used when he heard his father behind him.
"You looked like you were starting to get over your
fear of brooms out there."
Spinning about and looking at his Dad, Neville replied,
"Yeah; I was, wasn't I?" And smiled.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Harry had just walked in through the back door at the
Grangers' when he heard Hermione call, "We're in the
dinette!"
Making his way up the stairs and heading for the
kitchen he discovered the Grangers had obviously not
long sat down.
Hermione looked to him and said, "I was just about to
send Dobby to Neville's to let you know tea was
ready."
"Thank you," he smiled. "But, as you can see, I
figured it to be ready about now."
Monica piped up and asked, "Just where is
Longbottom Hall, anyway?"
Harry thought about it and replied, "Ummm... It's near
the seaside town of Skegness in Lincolnshire. You
know the Longbottoms are of Viking stock, right? Or,
haven't I mentioned that?"
"You haven't mentioned that, no," said Hermione. "But
I figured they must be, considering their manor is
named a Hall."
Wendell gave a snort and said, "That's about a five to
six hour drive from here. And you can step in one floo
and out the other in a few moments."
As he sat alongside Hermione, Harry gave one of his
little knowing smirks and shrugged. A moment later
there was a bowl of thick beef stew before him with a
crusty bread roll alongside. Just the sort of stew to
stick to your insides and the right type of bread to
soak the juices of the stew up.
With a glance at Hermione he said, Neville's sending
over a list of the floo addresses for the other junior
members of the Alliance in about an hour. Then I'll
floo call them all this afternoon and see about
organising a visit with each of them for the two of us.
"Why visit them?" she asked. "Why not just write
them?"
"Because, my dear sweet Lady Presumptive, I need to
introduce you to them," he replied.
With a frown of confusion she said, "I already know
them all, Harry―"
"No," he cut in. "Miss Hermione Granger knows them;
Lady Presumptive Hermione Granger does not. As I
said to Neville, I've actually been a little remiss in not
taking you to visit them before now, as I really should
have. But, I hope they'll forgive me considering a lot
of that time was organising and accomplishing the
waking of Lord and Lady Longbottom from their
cursed states."
Monica smirked and said, "That... actually... makes a
kind of sense."
Wendell, frowning, asked, "You actually have to
introduce her?"
"To other Houses of the Alliance? Yes," he replied.
"It's the way things are done."
Hermione sighed and said, "I'm going to have to get
dressed up in wizarding garb again, aren't I?"
"Yes," he replied. "But, not formal, or even semiformal. They're of allied Houses so, like the
Longbottoms, we go in upmarket casual."
"This is one of those reasons you purchased that
clothing for me, wasn't it?" she almost scowled.
He shrugged, "One of the reasons, yes."
Wendell asked, "You bought her clothes?"
Monica hadn't even batted an eye, so Harry knew she
already knew about the clothes.
"Yes," he simply replied. "As was explained to
Hermione at the time... and confirmed by the aurors
who were with us and the sales assistant at Madam
Malkins... Hermione is now a representative of the
Noble and Most Ancient Houses of Black and Potter.
She needs to dress the part.
"That's why Sirius and I will be buying her suitable
clothing for her role as Lady Presumptive. Neither of
us believe it's something you should be paying for."
With a grin he said, "Don't sweat it. We'll leave the
purchase of her muggle wardrobe to you, still."
Wendell gave a grunt of amusement and clearly
accepted the decision while Monica just grinned back
at Harry.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
At Longbottom Hall, Neville was sitting down with his
parents to their own afternoon tea.
After discussing a bit about Harry's visit, Alice asked
Neville, "Feel more comfortable on a broom now?"
"Yeah," said Neville. "I'm surprised, really. Harry was
right about those school brooms. I guess they're the
real reason why I developed a fear of them."
"Your grandmother never allowed you to ride one
before you went to school?" asked his father.
"No," he sighed. "She said it was too dangerous and I
should wait until I was taught properly at school."
His father said, "Normally, I might have even agreed
with her on that. However, it sounds as if the brooms
at school are in poor condition."
"They're ancient," Neville replied. "I really don't see
why they still use them."
Frank and Alice glanced to one another before Alice
said, "That's something we'll be discussing with
Headmistress Marchbanks, Albus Dumbledore and
Madam Hooch when we see them."
Frank thought for a bit before he said, "When you
send your letter to Harry with the floo addresses of
the other Heirs of the Alliance who are still at
Hogwarts, I want you to suggest to him you join him
when he goes."
"He's already asked and I've already said I would,"
replied Neville.
Then he thought through why his father was
suggesting it and realised why. "You want me and
Harry to show a unified front of the two named
Houses. Harry did exactly the same thing while we
were at Hogwarts, before Gran picked me up to bring
me back here after the First Task of the Tri-Wizard
Tournament."
Frank nodded and said, "Precisely. Then, once you
two... or, rather, three... pay your respects, I'll be
following up to call the Alliance together for a meeting
a couple of days after Christmas."
Neville thought a bit and asked, "Do you want me to
hint at that?"
Frank smiled and glanced at his wife before looking
back, "That would be helpful, yes."
Neville felt good knowing he'd correctly guessed his
Dad's intentions.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
About half an hour after they'd finished tea, the
Longbottom's inside house elf, Fluxy, popped in
before Harry with a note. "From Master Neville, Lord
Potter, Sir," she said.
As he was standing next to the kitchen counter at the
time, Harry gestured to it and said, "On the counter,
please, Fluxy. And, thank you."
With a snap of her fingers Fluxy magicked the note to
the counter and popped away again.
Harry immediately drew his wand and cast detection
charms over the note, finding it clear.
Opening it, he saw that Neville had come through for
him. He now had the floo addresses for the Abbotts,
Boneses, Davises, and Greengrasses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 283
Turning around and about to call out to the girl, he
saw Hermione was already leaning on the door-frame
of the dinette and smiling at him.
"Good; you're here," he said. "Neville's come through
for me." And held up the note.
About to reach out and pluck it from his fingers, she
stopped at the last moment and almost snatched her
hand back. This time she asked, "May I?"
He smiled in pleasure and offered it to her. "Yes, you
may."
Taking it she quickly read through it and asked, "To
the Doghouse to floo call them?"
"Definitely," he agreed.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After placing the calls, starting with Bones, he and
Hermione had the visits lined up in short order.
They would visit with Susan at 9.00am, Hannah at
10.30am, return back to the Grangers' for lunch, visit
with Daphne at 1.00pm and Tracey at 2.30pm. As far
as he was concerned that would mean a pretty full
day.
After pulling his head out of the fire of the last call, to
the Greengrasses, he saw Hermione was sitting in one
of the two armchairs now in the room that sat with
their back's to the door with a small side table
between them. She had a lap-table on her lap and was
writing on a sheet of parchment with a quill.
"Is an hour and a half too long or not long enough?"
she asked, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth.
"As I said, it's more than enough," he said. "Don't
forget, I've also told them each that we'll be visiting
the others throughout the day.
"Besides, I told them each almost four weeks ago
we'd meet again in a month. It had slipped all our
minds that would have put the date between
Christmas and New Year. That wouldn't have been fair
to any of us.
"By going now I fulfil that desire for us to all meet
again, introduce you as the new Lady Presumptive of
the House of Potter, free them of doubt about whether
to recognise you or not when it comes to gifts for
Christmas and allows everyone to not have the
meeting hanging over their head on Christmas Day."
Hermione nodded, recognising the truth in his words.
His last call was to Neville to let him know to be at
their place just before 9.00am, or come over at 7.30am
if he wanted breakfast with them first. Plus, who they
would be visiting and when.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After Ted had left Bagman's office, the ex-Quidditch
star trembled for a while, downed a couple of shots of
firewhiskey and finally floo-called Marchbanks.
After hearing what the man was blubbering about, she
called him through.
It took the application of a Calming draught before she
could make heads or tails of what the man was going
on about.
"You have to do something," the fat man blubbered.
Marchbanks sighed and said, "I've already done it."
Perking up, Bagman asked, "What?"
"First, I've already discussed the matter with
Highmaster Karkaroff and Headmistress Maxime," she
explained. "We have decided there will not be
hostages for the Second Task. They will, instead,
rescue an item that is of importance to each of them."
Bagman immediately sat back, relieved.
He sighed, "Now we just have to figure out what is
more important to them that a hostage."
She frowned at him and snapped, "Foolish man! No,
we don't. Have you even listened to the clue?"
"Of course!" he exclaimed.
She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Bagman, you're an
idiot. We ask them, of course."
"What?" he asked, before he understood. "Oh. But
part of the Task is for them to discover what it is."
"Oh?" she asked, a little snarkily. "And just where in
the clue or the rules does it say that?"
After thinking about it for a few moments he suddenly
deflated and quietly said, "Oh."
Exasperated with the man she said, "Go back to the
Ministry, Ludo. And let those of us who can think
things through figure this out."
He left less than a minute later, feeling like a school
boy who'd just disappointed his favourite professor.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
With all the House of Potter documents dealt with,
both teens found themselves with little to do.
Harry asked, "So, what do we do with the rest of our
day?"
With a small smile on her face, Hermione just
shrugged. "Perhaps... What do you think about the
idea of going to see a movie?"
Surprised by the suggestion, Harry thought about it
before he replied, "You know what? Why not? But, is
there a cinema within walking distance?"
"Yep," she immediately replied. "Down near Centre
Court Shopping Centre, near the train station."
"How do we find out what's on, so we don't just go
down there and find it's some sappy romance, or
something?" he asked.
She gave him a funny look and asked, "'Sappy
romance', Harry? Really?"
He blushed a little and replied, "Well, it might be
something you want to see, but I'm a bloke. Perhaps,
something like a comedy would appeal to us both?"
She gave a snort of amusement and said, "I'll go have
a look for a copy of the home-delivered free local
paper and see if it's covered in there. I'm pretty sure it
usually is."
After finding a copy, the two found the advertisements
for the local cinema and found what they wanted to
watch. With matching grins, they rose, alerted their
auror detail and Hermione's parents as to where they
were going and left.
As soon as they were out the door, Monica turned to
Wendell and said, "He's finally taking her out on what
I'd consider a date."
Wendell sighed and said, "He's been a good boy and
not set one foot wrong. I still worry he will, though."
Monica asked, "What movie have they decided they're
going to see?"
Wendell gave a snort and said, "The Santa Clause,
would you believe?"
Monica chuckled and said, "Not exactly a romantic
movie, is it?"
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
It had taken a while, but Andi was standing in front of
her potions station in Saint Mungo's smiling at the
potion they had just managed to complete.
Taking a deep breath and sigh of relief, she set about
bottling the potion and setting it aside to cool.
It had taken her, the Head Potions Master of the
hospital and two of his third year apprentices to
determine how to counteract the potion inside Remus
Lupin and brew the tricky counter-potion.
At first, the Potions Master was against the attempt.
However, both his professional ethics and the desire
to solve the challenge brought him into the project
with his two apprentices.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 284
"Damnable nasty thing," grumbled the Potions Master.
"And you're saying this was Albus Dumbledore?"
"It definitely points to it," she nodded, as she ladled
the potion.
"Well, I'll be keeping the research notes and how the
solution was developed with hospital records," he
huffed. "It's a variant of the potion he used on
Persephone Pomfrey."
"I figured as much," she replied. "It was your
development of that potion that led me to the base for
developing this counter-agent."
"And this worked on a werewolf?" he asked.
"Yep," she replied.
"Good to know," he muttered.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
When the two teens returned from their visit to the
cinema, walking hand in hand, they were both
laughing and generally having a good time.
Monica, first to see them, asked, "Good movie?"
"Funny," grinned Harry. "I really felt for the main
character. He was locked into a contract he had no
idea he was being entered into, just like me. However,
his is for life, while mine is just for eight months. It
kinda put things in perspective."
Monica smiled back and said, "At least you took
something from it, then."
Harry gave a nod and then clapped and rubbed his
hands together enthusiastically, "Anyway; time to
think about what to cook for dinner."
As he spun away, he gave Hermione a quick peck on
the cheek, said "Thanks for both the idea and the
company, 'Mione." And quickly left, heading for the
kitchen.
He didn't notice Hermione suddenly blush pink and
look away, her father roll his eyes or Monica smirk at
his back.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
The four were just sitting down to breakfast the next
morning when Harry felt the alert of the floo and saw
one of the aurors jog out the back towards the
Doghouse.
Harry, closest to the window as usual, rose in his seat
enough to look out.
As soon as he saw who stepped out ahead of the
auror from the ex-shed, he smiled and called, "Dobby.
One more for breakfast, please."
"Yes, Master Harry, Sir," Dobby called back.
"Who is it, Harry?" asked Wendell.
As he was sitting back down, Harry smiled back and
said, "Neville's just turned up."
Less than a minute later, the boy walked in through
the door closest to the stairs that led down to the
lower ground floor. "Good morning!" he greeted them
all with a smile.
It took less than a moment for both Harry and
Hermione to see the boy now moved with an almost
assured confidence. He was also dressed wizarding
casual, but of decent quality.
"Good morning, Neville," said Hermione. "Take a seat,
if you would. Still hungry?"
Sitting on the chair at the end of one side of the table,
he smiled back and replied, "According to my Mum,
I'm always hungry."
Immediately a plate appeared before him with
poached eggs and grilled bacon on toast. A cup of tea
appeared near his right hand, but further back.
Monica gave a snort and quietly said, "Typical teenage
boy, then."
Neville just grinned, gave a shrug and picked up his
cutlery.
Hermione asked, "Everything settling down at the
Hall?"
With his mouth already full, Neville just nodded back.
A little while later he suddenly perked up, swallowed
what was in his mouth at the time and said, "Oh! I
meant to tell you when you came over to go broom
riding. That sweet drink and the popcorn I ate when I
was over here last time?"
When Harry smirked and nodded, he continued, "It
caused me to fall asleep right after dinner. Is that what
you meant by 'sugar crash'?"
Harry laughed and replied, "Yup. I hope your parents
weren't too upset about that."
He grinned and replied, "Nope. They thought it was
hilarious."
Hermione then had to explain to her parents what
happened. They, too, thought it was funny.
Once breakfast was complete and the Daily Prophet
read, it was time for the three teens to head down to
the Doghouse to floo to Bones Manor. It was 8.57am.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 285
A few seconds after 9.00am, Harry shot out of the floo
into the Bones Manor welcoming hall... and crashed
into a side table.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, once he came to a stop.
Before he could do more than roll back onto his back
he heard Sue Bones lightly laughing at his misfortune.
She was standing just behind the first auror - the one
who stepped through the floo ahead of Harry.
That's when Neville, followed by Hermione, followed
by the second auror, all stepped out of the floo in
quick succession.
As Harry gingerly climbed back to his feet, Neville was
grinning at him. "I think I should step through first
next time, Harry. Just so I can clear a path for you for
when you... arrive."
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, massaging the shoulder
he'd collided the side table with.
Still snickering, Sue said, "That was hilarious!"
Harry just grumbled and said, "I just don't understand
it. How is it that doesn't happen to anyone else?"
Harry then heard, "There's a trick to it, Lord Potter.
You need to be taught."
When he spun to the voice it was to see Amelia Bones
standing behind a couch.
"Sorry, Madam Bones," he said. "I did not see you
there when I..."
She smirked and asked, "Landed?"
When he gave a sheepish nod back she said, "That
was intentional. I always use disillusionment when
expecting guests. I'd only just dispelled it before I
spoke."
Finally shaking the embarrassment of his arrival off,
Harry cleared his throat a little and turned to Susan.
"Miss Bones, thank you for allowing us the
opportunity to visit with you, today."
She just laughed again and said, "You don't need to
be so formal, Harry."
""Ummm..." he muttered. "First meeting―"
"That was at Hogwarts, Harry," she interrupted him.
"Remember? You yelled at us all for failing to keep to
the intent of the Alliance Charter."
"Ah!" he said, blushing a little. "Yeah... sorry about
that."
"Don't be," she replied. "You were right. We did all
deserve a kick in the bum and you were the one to
give it to us."
"Well," he said, "I hope the others are as forgiving as
you."
"They are," she smiled. "We've been talking, since
that day. We all recognise you were in the right. And
we all recognise you could have come down a lot
harder on us all.
"I know that Hannah, Daphne and Tracey have all
spoken to their parents about it. And, between us, we
know that their parents are quite relieved you didn't
ask for more than you did."
Neville cut in and said, "She's telling the truth, Harry. I
was involved in some of those discussions."
As Harry nodded, Amelia cut in, "Now that you three
have safely arrived, I need to head into the office."
Then she turned to Harry and, with a slight scowl,
said, "I'm still dealing with the problems relating to
having to rebuild the Floo Network Authority. I ended
up having to arrest, charge and-or fire almost
everyone who worked there."
Harry didn't bother to reply. He knew that whatever he
said, wouldn't make a difference.
She kissed Susan on the crown of her head and exited
via the floo direct to her office in the DMLE.
After she was gone, Harry perked up and said, "Now,
where are my manners? Susan..." Indicating Hermione
he said, "I know you and Hermione already know each
other. But, this is Lady Presumptive Hermione
Granger magical ward of the Lord of the Noble and
Most Ancient House of Black and betrothed of the
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter."
Susan gave a short excited squeal and jumped
forward to hug Hermione. "Congratulations!" she
exclaimed.
Hermione blushed and said, "Well, it came as a bit of
surprise to me." As Susan backed off again she
frowned at Harry and continued, "It was arranged
between Harry, Sirius and my father before I even
knew what was going on."
Susan shrugged and said, "That's normal."
The way she said it had Hermione speechless.
"It's normal?" she squeaked, partly in shock and
partly in outrage.
"Yes, Hermione; normal," the other witch calmly
replied. "At least, it's normal for the wizarding world."
"But... that's... that's―" stuttered Hermione.
"Normal," Susan firmly cut her off. "I understand it's
not normal in the muggle world. But, this is not the
muggle world, is it?"
Hermione didn't know what to say, so just stood there.
Into the sudden silence, Harry said, "I've also told
Hermione about Line Continuation clauses and
Concubine Bond Agreements and Contracts. She's
been having even more trouble with those two."
After a quick glance at Neville, Susan turned her
attention to Harry and said, "Yeah; I can understand
that."
Harry had noticed the quick glance to the other boy
and determined from it he was right. Bones had her
sights on Neville for a Line Continuation or Concubine
Bond Agreement/Contract, or both.
As she guided the other three to sit on couches and
armchairs, Susan looked to Hermione and asked, "Did
Harry explain why such exists?"
As Hermione gave a pretty accurate rendition of what
Harry had told her, Susan had called for a house elf to
serve them a light morning tea.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 286
"So," said Hermione, winding down. "I know that
besides your aunt, you're the last of the Boneses,
does this mean you'll have to enter into one of these
sorts of conditions or agreements?"
Harry winced, as did Neville, and gestured to
Hermione not to ask; but Susan both heard the
question and saw Harry trying to get his betrothed to
back off. Hermione clearly did not understand why.
"First, Hermione," Susan finally began to explain,
"You should know that the question you just asked is
considered quite rude in the magical world."
That startled Hermione and she immediately blushed.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't―"
She stopped as soon as Susan raised a hand to stop
her.
"You've asked and you now know," she calmly said.
"However, to answer your question, yes. I'm well
aware of the need to continue the line of Bones.
Auntie made sure I've known I'd need at least one of
those since I was a little girl.
"But, please don't ask which of those is the likely
choice, as that would be even more personal,
alright?"
Still blushing, Hermione could only nod while looking
down in embarrassment. "Again, sorry. I just find it all
so interesting."
After finishing their cups of tea, Susan led them on a
tour of the manor and the grounds, pointing out
things of interest. Harry was surprised to discover
Amelia had a rather large collection of antique auror
and police paraphernalia and was quite proud of it.
"It's one of Auntie's passions," explained Susan.
When the time was getting close the three were
starting to make ready to go when Harry said, "Thank
you for allowing us to visit, Susan. And for allowing
me the opportunity to introduce Lady Presumptive
Hermione. It is much appreciated. We shall show
ourselves out, yes?"
Susan smiled and said, "Actually, I'm coming with
you. Hannah and I will be spending lunch and the
afternoon together, once you've gone."
Harry gave a firm nod and said, "I've noticed the two
of you are friends."
"Yes," she replied. "Because of Auntie's work
Hannah's Mum, Pauline, was my babysitter right up
until I started Hogwarts. I've come to see their home
as a second home."
A quick Tempus later and Harry announced, "Seconds
to go until ten thirty. Who's going first?"
Susan promptly replied, "Auror, me, Neville, Harry,
Hermione, auror."
Harry didn't have a problem with it, but frowned when
Neville said, "Give us about fifteen seconds, at least,
before you step through, Harry." And grinned in
amusement.
Harry gave a huff, folded his arms and rolled his eyes.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Waiting the fifteen seconds after Neville stepped
through to the home of the Abbotts, Harry calmly
tossed in the floo powder, called, "Abbott's Ford,"
waited until the connection was made and declared,
"Hufflepuffs rule!" Then stepped in.
This time he managed not to be flipped onto his back
as he exited the floo, but skidded across the polished
wooden floors on his knees and toes. However, that
was more to do with twisting against the spin to
counter it than anything else.
As he popped to his feet he grinned and said, "Getting
better!"
Looking around he was just in time to see Hermione
quite agilely step with an almost hop out of the floo as
if she'd been doing it for her whole life. Susan and
Hannah were hugging one another while Neville was
moving furniture back into place he had obviously
moved to make way for Harry's 'entrance'.
Susan gestured for Harry to join her, who did.
"Harry," she said, "This lady is Missus Pauline Abbott
of the Ancient House of Abbott."
Though he knew the woman to be a halfblood and that
she did not expect the respect, as she offered her
hand for a handshake with a slight but wistful smile
on her face, Harry took it, turned it over to be face
down, raised it to his lips as he bent forward and
lightly placed the gentlest of kisses to the back of her
knuckles.
As he released her hand and straightened up she
brought her hand to her chest while she deeply
blushed, while looking back at him in surprised shock.
He calmly smiled and, while looking into her eyes,
said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Missus Abbott."
"I..." she softly began. "Th-thank you." Harry could
hear the deep gratitude in her voice.
As Harry stepped away a little to his right, Susan
introduced Neville; who stepped forward and
performed the same greeting.
As the woman was recovering from that, Harry turned
to his left and gestured to Hermione. He said, "I am
pleased to introduce to you, Missus Abbott, Lady
Presumptive Hermione Granger, magical ward of the
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
and betrothed of the Lord of the Noble and Most
Ancient House of Potter; myself."
Again shocked, she turned to Hermione and offered
her hand to her. Hermione stepped forward and
almost casually shook it. "Thank you for allowing us
to visit with Hannah in your home, Missus Abbott."
"Ummm..." said the woman. "You're welcome."
Harry, then Neville, had clearly thrown the woman for
a loop.
Though Susan had then headed direct to Hannah and
begun to whisper in the girl's ear as Harry and Neville
introduced themselves to her mother, Hannah finally
stepped forward. Whatever the two girls spoke about
had both of them slightly blushing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 287
Softly smiling at the girl, Harry greeted her, "Hello
Hannah."
"Hello Harry," she grinned. Then she turned to Neville
and Harry could see the blush develop a bit more. She
quietly said, "Neville."
That Neville was also blushing a little was not, when
Harry surreptitiously eyed her, lost on the older
woman who'd watched the whole thing. The slight
cocking of an eyebrow, even when trying to get her
own blush under control, was obvious when he
closely watched her for her reaction.
'Yup,' he thought with glee. 'She's figured it out.'
Now he just had to talk to Frank about it and hope
he'd speak with Alice. That was one talk he did not
want to have with his godmother.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
While Harry, Hermione and Susan were visiting
Hannah and her mother - her father, Eugene, was at
work - Andi was meeting with Remus at St Mungo's.
She called him in only half an hour earlier through the
same method Harry used, 'house elf express' mail.
At that time, Remus was in a private room off one of
the wards. He had no idea Sirius was paying for the
room and treatment, though greatly reduced in
pricing, and likely never would.
Andi was standing holding a large vial while Remus
had removed his shoes and was lying down on the
single bed in the room.
He asked, "How long will this take, Healer Tonks?"
"I've little idea," she immediately replied. "However, a
similar neutralising potion was given to two others
and it took just over two hours for them to come
around again. Your lycanthropy may shorten or
lengthen that time; we don't know."
Once he appeared comfortable, Andi stepped forward
and offered the vial. "All at once, Mister Lupin."
Remus accepted it, looked to her to see if he could
detect any hint of dishonesty on her face and
immediately felt ashamed with himself for thinking
such. The woman had, after all, put considerable effort
into helping him.
With a snort of self-amusement he 'toasted' her with
the vial and declared, "Cheers!" And downed it one
big gulp.
While Andi looked back at him in amusement, she
accepted the offered empty vial back and watched as
he laid back. A few moments later he was asleep.
As soon as he was asleep, she brought out a dictaquill and parchment, set them up and began running
diagnostic tests over him.
While monitoring she began to speak for the purpose
of the written record. "Patient Remus John Lupin,
known as Patient X11, has now taken experimental
potion xp2385. As expected he was asleep in
moments. Monitoring charms show he immediately
fell into REM state. Heartbeat steady at 65 beats per
minute. Breathing deep and regular.
"Potion now dispersing throughout the body but, as
expected, focussing mainly on the brain; specifically
the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex. Potion
is also moving into the fatty tissues of the body as
expected for attacking an alchemical-based
compound. And now also moving into the prefrontal
cortex..."
Andi stayed with Remus and kept a close eye on her
monitoring charms. Counter-acting the effects of
alchemical-based potions, mainly because of the
dearth of qualified Alchemists these days, was an area
of expertise she was quite happy to study. She knew
there would be articles for her to write in the future for
both potions and healing journals. She was not a
Slytherin for nothing.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After visiting longer than expected with Hannah and
the Abbotts, with Neville and Hannah choosing to
spend a lot of their time close to one another, as pre-
warned Susan decided to stay and have lunch with the
Abbotts while the other three visiting teens, together
with the escorting aurors, returned to the Granger
residence.
As they were walking from the Doghouse back up the
backyard to the house, Hermione said to Neville, "If
you wanted to stay with Hannah and Susan at the
Abbotts, we wouldn't have minded, Neville."
Though grateful, Neville shook his head and replied,
"No, Dad has me tasked with ensuring the adults of
the Alliance are informed he will be calling a proper
meeting of the allied Houses soon after Christmas. As
Heir, it's my duty to ensure I do that."
Just before they stepped inside, Harry allowed
Hermione to precede them as he corralled Neville for a
moment.
As the blonde-haired boy looked at him with a calm
but quizzical expression, Harry got right to the point.
"How long have you been head over heels for
Hannah?"
Neville gaped back in shock for a moment before he
blushed and stammered, "Ummm... Errr―"
"It's alright, Neville," Harry was quick to assure his
friend. "I don't think anyone else but me and Missus
Abbott know that yet."
This time the boy's blush turned into a blanche. "Shshe... knows?"
"I was watching her face, today," he replied with a soft
smile. "I could tell the moment she figured it out."
Neville seemed to shrink on himself for a moment and
nodded.
Harry grinned even more, though. "Neville, you should
also know that Missus Abbott only figured it out by
seeing the reaction in Hannah; not you. For your
information, Heir Longbottom, Miss Hannah Abbott's
feelings for you are pretty much the same as yours
are for her."
Again, Neville stared back in shock.
Harry chuckled and said, "Don't be so surprised,
Neville. Hannah's smitten with you. And I think it's
something you need to come clean about with your
parents."
This time Neville looked worried, but he still hadn't
said anything either way.
Again chuckling, Harry said, "They're not going to tell
you off for it. Hannah's a good catch! That she's also
the daughter of an allied House is going to go a long
way towards them being fully supportive of you and
her developing a relationship.
"Now; suck it up, Gryffindor! Let's go in and have
lunch. We're expected at the Greengrasses' at
1.00pm."
Though Neville at first was worried, Harry reminding
him of his Gryffindor roots had the boy 'man up' and
nod his head back.
Harry then led the two of them inside for lunch.
However, when he tried to head to the kitchen to cook,
Dobby popped in and said, "Too late, Master Harry,
Sir."
"Damn it!"
Hermione laughed.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After waking from the neutralising potion given to him
by Andi, Remus was 'spitting chips'.
It was only after he'd finally wound down from cursing
and swearing at what Dumbledore had done to him -
which took a good ten minutes - that Sirius finally
entered the room to check on his friend.
Remus immediately snarled at him, "What are we
going to do to that goat raping, white whiskered, arse
licking, excuse for a manipulative old prick?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 288
Sirius grinned and said, "Welcome back, Moony."
"Yeah, yeah," Remus grumbled. "Now, answer the
bloody question!"
Sirius smirked and asked right back, "What makes
you think it's not already being done?"
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Stepping out after Neville in the Greengrass manor
welcoming room, this time Harry only slid about ten
feet on his knees off at an angle as he exited the floo.
"Ha!" he declared, jumping to his feet. "I think I'm
starting to get used to this flooing malarkey!"
That had the others in the room all laughing as he
grinned at them.
As Hermione stepped out she immediately asked,
"What did he break?"
That set them all off again.
Neville did the introductions this time. He was first, as
was proper, introduced to Lord Samuel Greengrass.
Then to Lady Adeline, his wife.
Harry stepped forward and shook Lord Greengrass's
hand before bending over and kissing the knuckles of
Adeline's hand.
Though it was unusual, he then introduced them both
to Hermione as his Lady Presumptive. Then he moved
on to kiss the back of the knuckles of both Daphne
and Astoria, her younger sister and only sibling.
"Lady Presumptive," said Daphne. "We read about the
Betrothal Agreement."
"Yes," replied Harry. "It's so she will be protected. It
also has specific clauses which will allow either of us
to easily cancel it if either of us wish to do so."
"Clever," said Samuel.
Adeline looked to Hermione and asked, "I take it, it
was explained to you what it means for your standing
in our world?"
Hermione, though she blushed a little, firmly looked
back and nodded. "Yes; for all intents and purposes
I'm now recognised as having the standing of a Lady
of a Noble and Most Ancient House."
Harry quickly added, "But, she doesn't need the
Betrothal Agreement to accomplish that. Hermione's
also the magical ward of Lord Sirius Black of the
Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."
Samuel gave a low whistle. "That's quite a jump."
Hermione obviously thought it was a slight on her
being a muggleborn; because she frowned and
almost, but not quite, snapped back, "It's for my
protection."
Samuel, realising how his words were taken, didn't
take umbrage. Instead, he was quick to apologise. "My
apologies, Miss Granger. I did not mean for my words
to be taken as they were. It was merely a comment on
the unusual situation."
Harry was quick to say, "The same thing happened a
decade and a half ago, Sir, when my mother was
brought into the Potter family through a similar
Betrothal Agreement."
"I did not know that, Lord Potter," said a clearly
surprised Samuel Greengrass. "I knew, of course, of
the marriage of your mother to your father - after all, I
was at their handfasting - but, I did not know a
Betrothal Agreement existed between the two."
Harry gave a slight nod and said, "Discovering and
reading their Betrothal Agreement slash Contract was
what aided me in the decision to agree to a similar
arrangement with Hermione."
Hermione was frowning in confusion. "I'm sorry, I
don't understand. If the House of Greengrass is one of
the founding Houses of the alliance, how is it you
didn't know of the contract between Harry's parents?"
Before Harry even had a chance to think of an answer,
Samuel smiled and replied, "Just because our Houses
are in alliance, does not mean we are privy to internal
House matters of any other House... or Houses."
Harry added, "That's what I was telling you about
before, Hermione, when I mention that... now that
Frank Longbottom is back as Head of House for
Longbottom... it is not for us to know what he chooses
to do about Dowager Lady Augusta. It's an internal
matter."
The sudden understanding was clear to see on
Hermione's face when she nodded and softly said,
"Ah."
Then she thought and asked, "But, wouldn't our
betrothal also be an internal matter?"
"Good question," he smiled. "It is. However, that just
means it was my place to choose whether or not to
inform the other Houses of the alliance. I decided it
was in all our interests to do so. The Daily Prophet
were being quite rude when they jumped the dueller's
flag and published it."
Samuel piped in and asked, "And, just why did you
decide that?"
"Because Daphne and Astoria, especially, needed to
know that for when we return to Hogwarts - if we
return to Hogwarts," he replied. "I'm hoping they can
use their Slytherin skills and contacts to ensure their
own House, at least, is made aware of the betrothal as
soon as possible on our return.
"If you return to Hogwarts?" asked Samuel.
Both teens nodded, but it was left to Harry to answer.
"If."
Hermione added, "With Dumbledore still there, we
really have no desire for either of us, especially Harry,
to be within reach of that man."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 289
Adeline asked, "But, what about your education?"
Harry wryly smiled and replied, "Tutors. It's not as if I
cannot afford them."
Neither teens saw the quick expression of worry pass
over Daphne's face.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Ted was sitting in his office when his private floo
connection activated.
"Yes?" he immediately asked.
Recognised at the other end of the call as the head of
the contracted warders for the Potter Cottage, Ted
heard the man reply, "It's Barton. The Fidelius just
went up."
Suddenly a slip of parchment was tossed through.
"That's the address," Barton immediately said. "You'll
want to read that."
Remembering he had contracted the company for a
job, he now realised he couldn't remember where or
what the place was; only that he needed to let Amelia
Bones know of it.
"Thank you," he replied. "I'll let Bones know, right
away."
The face gave a nod and withdrew; and the flames
immediately reverted to orange again.
Summoning the slip of parchment up from the hearth,
Ted read the address and felt the information slip back
into his conscious again. 'Ah!' he thought.
Rising from his chair, he walked out into the main
office space of his offices and told his secretary, "I'm
going to the Ministry. I should be back within the
hour."
"Yes, sir," called the witch.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
"What the bloody hell do you mean he has the right to
do this?" barked Bones. She was both stunned and
appalled at what she was hearing.
Ted, who had just recently sat in the chair opposite
her desk, smirked back. "Lord Potter has decided it is
time to protect his assets and has had the Potter
Cottage placed under a Fidelius while the property is
being repaired and the ward scheme updated."
Bones spluttered, "But, the Ministry now owns the
property!"
Ted slowly shook his head and replied, "No, it
doesn't." And drew out the small folio of documents
that showed that the Ministry never purchased the
Potter Cottage from the Potter Holdings, as they
should have done.
He then lobbed it onto Bones's desk for her to peruse.
Quickly flipping through the documentation, Bones
discovered that Ted was correct. The Ministry did not
purchase the property; indeed, it appeared they'd
made a horrible mistake and effectively tried to steal
it. She now felt a new headache coming on.
Placing her elbows on the desk and massaging her
temples with the tips of her fingers, she didn't even
realise she'd closed her eyes until she opened them
again and sighed.
Looking back at wizarding Britain's new most
powerful barrister, she asked, "And you're telling me
this, why?"
Ted shrugged and replied, "Lord Potter did not want
you to learn of this when some panicky Ministry
flunky burst into your office and declared Potter
Cottage had gone missing. He wanted you to be fully
briefed on the truth of it, so you could then prepare
yourself for when... not if... that flunky burst in.
"He's giving you the chance to get ahead of this and
prepare your own Ministerial briefing, press release,
whatever. That way the public won't go thinking you
were caught 'flat-footed'."
"I can't press upon you how important it is for Lord
Potter to return the Cottage back to us?" she almost
begged.
Ted again shook his head and replied, "He cannot
return to you that which you didn't have in the first
place. While the Wizengamot ordered the Ministry to
acquire the cottage, the Ministry didn't do that.
"However, if you persist in pushing the concept that
the Ministry did take possession of the cottage, then
you are automatically admitting the Ministry stole it;
irrespective of how accidental that was. As such,
you'll need to arrest all those who were involved in the
theft.
"And, even then, as the rightful owner of the stolen
property, Lord Potter has an ironclad claim to take the
property back and deal with it as he wishes. Of
course, the Ministry might then and now want to go
ahead and purchase the property, after all. But, Lord
Potter is under no obligation to sell it, let alone to the
Ministry."
With another sigh, Bones leaned back in her chair and
begged, "Do you and Lord Potter have a way for me...
the Ministry... to come out of this not looking like an
individual or collection of daft morons again?"
Ted openly grinned and handed her another sheet of
parchment.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After spending a little more time with the
Greengrasses, the three teens - with Daphne
accompanying them, this time - flooed through to the
Davises.
In a scene similar to when they flooed from Bones
Manor to Abbott's Ford, Daphne immediately sought
out Tracey. And the two almost immediately started
whispering to one another.
The subject was easy to determine, when Tracey
developed an expression of shock and immediately
stared at Harry. She did, however, also cast a glance
at Hermione. Though, this time it wasn't such a
surprise for the girl.
After meeting with the Davis adults, Heathcliff and
Lydia, and speaking with them for a little while, Harry
joined the other four teens and was given a short tour
of the Davis Estate. Their lands were extensive.
While not a noble House, Davis was a rich Ancient
House that truly deserved the noble title. The only
reason they didn't get it was because the Davises
bonded as frequently with muggleborns as the
Potters; but, unlike the Potters, did it before attaining
the noble title. Their denial of the noble title was more
a smack-down because of that than anything else.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After their visit with the Davises, while Harry and
Hermione flooed back to the Granger residence,
Neville flooed directly home.
Once the two teens walked in through the back door,
Harry headed directly to the kitchen and, noticing
Dobby had not made a start on dinner, happily made a
start himself. Before long he was humming a tune
he'd heard on the radio the previous night and was
preparing a rack of lamb ribs. Today he was using a
sugar-reduced plum conserve with an infusion of
rosemary, firmly massaging the concoction into the
ribs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
Chapter 290
He had no idea Hermione had taken the little elf aside
just after lunch and made sure Dobby knew to 'allow'
Harry to cook dinner that evening, while Harry was
suggesting to Neville he join them for a shopping trip
to the muggle world a few days after Christmas. That
talk was along similar lines to the ones she'd been
having with the elf over the past week plus, including
the previous day.
Hermione walked in and asked if she could help by
peeling the vegetables again. A job Harry was happy
to allow her to do.
When she saw how much plum conserve he was
using she asked, "Won't that make it overly sweet?"
"Nope," he smiled back. "The sugar will caramelise
and, for the most part, allow the flavour of the plums
to come forward. The rosemary will also act to
neutralise the sugar a fair bit, too.
"I know your parents like to keep sugar intake down;
but, I think this'll still work, due to most of the sugar
being burned off in the process."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After putting the dinner on to slow roast, Harry made
sure his hands were completely clean of the sticky
concoction and called on Dobby to make dessert.
Then he went and collected parchment, ink and quills
and sat at the dinette table.
He'd decided to write a letter to Headmistress Lady
Marchbanks to organise a meeting. He thought he and
Hermione needed to visit her in person to let her know
of their plans not to return to the school once it
recommenced. He liked her and didn't want news of
their withdrawal to surprise the woman.
As he was writing, Hermione came and sat down
beside him and was about to read over his shoulder,
when she suddenly stopped.
Instead, she asked, "Mind if I read while you write?"
He immediately turned to her with a smile and said,
"Thank you for asking. And, yes, you may."
~ # ~
Lady Griselda Marchbanks
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Scotland, United Kingdom
Headmistress,
My betrothed, Miss Hermione Granger, and I seek
permission to meet with you at your convenience in
the very near future. We wish to discuss with you
what we are planning to do with regards to our further
education.
No doubt you are aware I hold no regard for at least
one of your professors, Professor Albus Dumbledore,
and do not wish to entangle myself or my betrothed in
a situation that can easily be avoided. I feel the man
represents too much of a threat to me at present.
I, accompanied by my betrothed, seek an audience
with you so you are aware of our decision well before
it becomes public. We both hold you in high regard
and wish to ensure ourselves you are not tarnished as
a result of our actions.
We have access to a floo.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Harrison J Potter
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter
c/- Granger Residence, Wimbledon
~ # ~
As he finished and sat back, he asked, "What do you
think?"
She thought for a few moments longer as she reread
the letter. Then replied, "Just the right amount of
foreboding, I think. Are you using Hedwig or Dobby?"
"Too close to Christmas not to need an immediate
delivery; so, Dobby," he replied.
After signing the letter he folded it into an envelope
and called Dobby to deliver it for him. Dobby, of
course, was happy to comply.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
While she was sending off the last of the acceptance
letters for new staff at Hogwarts, Dobby popped in
alongside Marchbanks's desk.
Marchbanks immediately turned to him and asked,
"Hello. What brings you here?"
Dobby immediately offered the letter and replied, "A
letter for you from the Great Master Harry Potter, Sir,
Lady Headmistresses, Ma'am."
With barely a change of expression, Marchbanks
plucked the letter out of Dobby's fingers and
muttered, "Thank you." Then turned away as Dobby
popped away again.
Flicking it open she used the charm to straighten and
smooth the sheet out before beginning to read.
"Hmmm," she muttered. "Expected."
She then set the letter aside and began to write a
response.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
About ten minutes later a Hogwarts house elf popped
in to the Granger home next to Harry, who was still
sitting at the dinette, and offered him a letter.
"From new Headmistress Lady," said the elf.
Harry gestured to the table before him and said, "On
the table, please."
As soon as the letter appeared there, he said, "Thank
you." And the elf popped away again.
Unusually, he didn't ask for the name of the elf. It was
pointless as there was over a hundred elves working
in Hogwarts and they all pretty much worked as one
succinct unit. So, it was very likely that, if he received
another letter from Hogwarts, a different elf would
deliver it.
A quick few detection charms on the letter showed
nothing amiss, so he quickly opened it and read.
~ # ~
Lord Harrison James Potter
Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter
c/- Miss Hermione Granger
Wimbledon, England
Lord Potter,
Thank you for you letter.
Relating to your request, I shall be available at 9.00am
tomorrow morning to meet with you in my secure
office.
The floo address is Headmistress's Office, Hogwarts.
And the password for your visit will be 'Albus is a
naughty boy'.
With much pleasure I look forward to meeting with
you and Miss Granger at that time.
Lady Griselda Marchbanks
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
~ # ~
As Hermione walked in, Harry silently offered her the
letter. And, after accepting it, she was quick to read it.
Looking over the top of it to him as she lowered it, she
said, "Her mention of how her office is secure is
telling."