Harry accepted the key and nodded back, "Thank you, Headmaster."
With that, the Headmaster said, "I shall see you at the evening meal," And swept out of the room.
Professor Flitwick said, "I look forward to seeing you at the sorting." And followed him out.
Once both adults were gone, Harry turned to the two girls and sighed. "Contrary to what I said earlier, how on Earth am I going to handle all this?"
"We, Harry," Hermione said, almost offhandedly.
"She's right," said Daphne. "We're in this together, remember?"
"This," said Harry, waving his hand at all the shelves, "I doubt very much was under consideration when you agreed to the return."
"No," Daphne replied with a shrug, moving closer to hold his left arm at the elbow. She tilted her head to rest it on his left shoulder. "But, I think it could be a fun project."
"Students," Harry suddenly said, coming up with an idea. "We hire students looking to make some pocket money. I've got plenty in my trust vault, at the moment. It won't run me short."
"Trustworthy students," said Daphne, understanding. "Hufflepuffs?"
Checking to make sure the adults had truly left, Harry turned back to her and said, "Cedric Diggory, remember? He becomes the true champion."
"I remember," said Daphne, as if he'd insulted her. "However, the Headmaster has assured you... us... he will make sure everyone understands you're in the Tournament unwillingly."
"Some of the 'Claws might be willing to do the work, too," Hermione pointed out. "We're going to need seniors to check each item for potions, enchantments and the like, anyway. Such people are usually found in Ravenclaw."
"I'd offer the chance to the twins; but, I don't want to find out they use the opportunity to pull pranks," Harry sighed. "Then, I'd have to fire them. We're having enough Weasley trouble, as it is."
After they stood there for a few moments longer, Hermione huffed and said, "Alright. If we wait to move everything until after the Headmaster removes the mail redirection wards that gives us time to organise a large classroom with a lockable door... and get it warded.
"The classroom needs to then be stripped of most of the furniture to allow room for the shelving in here... letters, packages and all... to be moved to the new room. The classroom also needs to have a large window with an existing... or, with the option to have fitted... a decent sized owl window."
"Depending on where we get sorted, the classroom should be near our new common room," said Harry. "That means we really can't go looking for a new home for all this until after we've been sorted, and learn of where we can find our common room."
"We get Dobby and Winky to move all this to there," Hermione continued as if she hadn't heard what Harry had said.
"Then we can organise the rest of the space as a work area," she mused. "One area for checking the mail, one for opening it and setting it out for others to read and judge which of the form letters best suits a response, one for drafting the responses, one for finalising everything and, where necessary, for Harry to sign the response, and one for then sending out the response and dealing with the owls."
"You're thinking of a production line," Harry muttered, amused.
Hermione turned to him with a big grin and said, "I am, aren't I?"
"You also need a section of your line that works out how to deal with the now responded-to mail. There are going to be a great many gifts of all sorts, in there. We need to figure out what we're going to do with them."
"Noted," said Hermione, again thinking about it.
"A job for another day, then," said Daphne. "Come on. Let's go back to our... current... apartment and relax for a while."
"Current?" asked Harry.
"I daresay we'll need to be re-housed in an apartment closer to the Ravenclaw tower; or, down near the Hufflepuff burrow, if we're sorted into there."
Harry snorted and said, "I didn't even think of that. You're right, of course."
"Of course I am," she smirked. "I am a Slytherin, after all. Well, for next couple of hours, at any rate."
Harry turned more fully towards her and hugged her. "You'll always be a Slytherin, Daphne. You'll just be wearing Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff colours, is all."
"Do you think we can ask for an apartment with more than three private rooms?" asked Hermione, coming over to join them.
With a shrug, Harry replied, "We can always ask. We'll need a good enough reason to have more than three, though."
As they made their way out of the room, and Harry locked the door before dropping the key into his pocket, Daphne said, "For visitors... guests. We can explain how we want our various families to come and stay for short durations so they, too, become comfortable with our three-way bond."
"I don't know if my parents can come," Hermione quietly said, as the three headed back to their apartment in their usual formation. "What with the muggle repelling wards."
"There's ways around that," explained Daphne. "All it takes is a charm in the short term; or an enchanted object in the longer term. We'll sort something out for your parents, I promise."
A much happier Hermione brightened up and said, "That would be marvellous! I've wanted my parents to see Hogwarts for the longest time."
After returning to their apartment, Hermione ducked across to the Gryffindor common room to collect homework assignments for the classes they missed that day. For Harry it was just COMC. For the other two it was COMC and Arithmancy for Hermione, and just Arithmancy for Daphne.
In the time between when they returned, and before going down for the evening meal, the three worked on their assignments. Harry even paid attention to the Arithmancy assignment the girls worked through, as he was trying to work through the Ancient Runes exercises.
While working, Harry casually mentioned to Hermione, "You know how you suggested we can get Winky to help us move my mail to a classroom?"
"Uh-hmm," Hermione almost absently replied.
"None of us have bonded her yet," he explained. "She's probably currently down in the kitchens getting drunk on butterbeers."
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