Chapter 47
Lockhart and Snape were kept in the infirmary for a few days to recover from the fight. When they were let out, students would snicker everywhere they went. The two professors avoided each other whenever they could. In the corridors and in the Great Hall, Lockhart was often referred to as Mrs Snape, and whenever he heard this Lockhart's smile would slip a little. No one dared to say anything to Professor Snape but the Professors not aligned with Dumbledore were known to ask the question. "How are your family jewels?" Resulting in all the nearby students laughing. Snape's usual response was to deepen his frown before either taking points off a nearby student or walking away in huff.
The LAV paper then caught wind of the story and did an entire expose of the Snape, Dumbledore and Lockhart relationship. They portrayed the three of them in a love triangle with Lockhart in the middle using the rumours as its source. Since defamation did not exist in the magical world, the three of them just had to take it on the chin. The photos of the fight between Lockhart and Snape taken by Colin gave the story some much needed credibility.
As a result of the article, Colin conducted a roaring trade in fight memorabilia. His most popular item was a range of posters depicting different stages of the fight. Harry and Hermione both got one of everything in the collection. A popular pastime leading up to the festive season were students trying to get Professor Snape or Lockhart to sign the memorabilia. The Holy Grail was getting both professors to sign the same item. Professor Lockhart was easy since all you had to do was temporarily transfigure the memorabilia to show a smiling Lockhart for him to sign it. Getting Snape to sign it as well was extremely difficult for most students. Harry and Hermione did not have a problem since they would just hypnotise Snape to get him to sign their entire collection.
An investigation was launched with Professor McGonagall in charge. Professor Dumbledore wanted to be in charge but the board of governors overruled him saying that he already had enough open investigations to deal with. Harry was one of the first people they interviewed. The interview was conducted by Professor McGonagall with Professor Flitwick present to protect Harry's interests. He was found partly responsible for prolonging the fight and was given a week's worth of detention for his part. Harry served them with Snape where he got the Professor to sign all the memorabilia. It would have been longer if Professor McGonagall had her way but Professor Flitwick pointed out that Harry was trying something new with Professors present. While the explanation/excuse that was given for the difficulty in removing the ward was put down to Harry accidentally creating permanent duelling wards rather than temporary ones like he should have. Most of the students were hoping the professors got suspended for the fight, especially Professor Snape, but instead they were both fined one month's pay and given a warning by the Board of Governors.
Dumbledore had requested that the end of term be pushed forward so that the Professors could assist him in the investigation of the various incidents. This request was approved by the school's board and even the Ministry of Magic supported the change. So Hermione's research timetable was knocked out of whack by the decision.
In the final week of term, Harry and Hermione were frantically researching different things in preparation for the holidays. Hermione was checking Harry's suggested adjustments to the magic detection grid used by the British Ministry of Magic. The adjustments would transfer control over the grid to the Grangers without the knowledge of the Ministry. While Harry was working on fine tuning the plans that he and Hermione had made for expanding the Chamber of Secrets. Their friends knew to avoid Hermione when she was this focus. After Hermione yelled at one of them for a solid twenty minutes for disturbing them.
On the Hogwarts Express back to Kings Cross station, Daphne and Tracy entered the cabin occupied by Harry, Hermione and their friends.
"I am Daphne Greengrass and this is Tracy Davis," Daphne said in introduction.
"We know who you are. What do you want?" Harry asked.
"Can we speak to Hermione alone?" Daphne asked. Harry and their friends looked at Hermione who indicated they should go. So they left Hermione alone with Daphne and Tracy.
"Can I help you with something?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"How are all your friends getting better grades than us?" Daphne asked.
"We work together and study hard," Hermione replied.
"That cannot be it. We are studying twice as hard as many of your friends yet they are getting better grades than us," Daphne said.
"Are you accusing us of cheating?" Hermione asked in an even tone since she despises people calling her a cheat.
"Maybe, Let us attend your study sessions if you have nothing to hide," Daphne said smugly.
"No way. You are not going to blackmail your way into my study group," Hermione said angrily.
"You do have something to hide which is why you won't let us join. I think I will talk to Professor Snape about after the break," Daphne said happily as their plan appeared to be working.
"Both of you please get out before I do something that you will regret," Hermione said in total fury.
Daphne and Tracy were so scared they ran out the cabin. Harry and their friends rushed back in to see what happened. They found a very angry Hermione.
"Are you alright?" Lisa asked.
"Yes," Hermione said as she tried to calm down.
"What did they want?" Harry asked.
"They accused us of cheating. If I allowed them to into our study group then they would let it go. But since I refused, they are going to claim we are cheating and take it to Professor Snape," Hermione replied resulting in everyone in the cabin to become outraged.
"Maybe you should allow them into our study group. Since we are so far ahead and they don't know any mind arts, they would be lost halfway through the first session," Harry suggested.
"The session could be on polyjuice since the potions we created are almost ready. You could use them as test subjects," Padma suggested.
"Have a class on Human to animal transfigurations. Then turn them into dung beetles. " Isobel suggested.
"DADA session. They probably know only stingers and simple jinxes while we can hit them with banishment spells. Daphne and Tracy would end up being target practice the entire session," Mandy suggested
"Care of Magical Creatures. Let them try to deal with a dragon by themselves,"
Hermione started laughing at the suggestions which spurred her friends on. Things were taken too far when someone suggested that they leave Daphne and Tracy alone with 20 dementors and 20 Boggarts. Their friends then moved on to other subjects while Harry and Hermione listened. Once the focus of the group was away from them, Harry said to Hermione.
"Can you believe the audacity of Daphne and Tracy?" Harry said.
"We thought that having the purebloods on our side would stop this from happening," Hermione said.
"If I remember correctly, the Greengrasses and the Davises were not pureblood supremacists. They are considered as independents who are more interested in protecting their commercial interests and their social standing rather than anything else," Harry said as he recalled the political analysis of the Wizengamot he received from Sirius.
"I think I see where you are going. Our operations are destroying their family businesses so to maintain their stature within society the girls would need to enter into favourable betrothal arrangements," Hermione said. She used the knowledge that she obtained while researching ways to protect Harry from the Weasleys and Dumbledore.
"I wonder how they arrange those betrothal contracts," Harry said. He imagined an auction where pureblood daughters are brought out one at a time before the parents of bachelors. Bids were then made by the parents like a live cattle auction.
"They attend balls where the girls, the bachelors and the parents mingle. The parents of the girls and the bachelors are on the lookout for the most suitable match. They would consider the wealth and stature of the family as the most important considerations. Then it comes down to age, intelligence and looks when deciding on candidates. Since Daphne and Tracy are in the middle of our year they would be considered as having average intelligence. They are probably aiming for the top eligible bachelors in Europe. That means they need to be seen as high achievers which at the moment they are not," Hermione explained.
"That reminds me I need to give you a betrothal ring. Otherwise your parents and Sirius will be overwhelmed by betrothal contracts," Harry said in jest. Hermione then punch Harry before continuing.
"As I was saying, their fourteenth birthday is coming up in a couple of years and in the Wizarding world that is when they will attend their first Debutante Ball. So they have limited time to improve their grades to show they are smart,"
"Maybe we can attack the most prominent Debutante Ball and take out a lot of the pureblood supporters in the process?" Harry suggested.
"That is a very bad idea. We will hurt a lot of innocent people and if we are discovered. Our cause will be pushed back by the neutrals and their remaining supporters. If we did attack the most important ball, which is the French Debutante Ball, then a lot the magical ministries in Europe will lose quite a few top level officials. Losing these officials would result in a power vacuum that the supremacist movement can take advantage of," Hermione explained.
"Okay," Harry said. Deciding a change of topics was in order. "Maybe we should let them into our study group,"
"No. I will not give in to blackmail. In fact, I would rather cancel a few group study sessions then let them in. Besides, once Sirius comes back then our political power will be so strong that they would not dare do anything to piss us off. We did not get into an agreement with the pureblood faction for nothing," Hermione said.
"If they do report us then I say we prank them to hell and back," Harry said.
"Agreed. In fact, we can prank them just for the threat." Hermione said as she does not like being called a cheat or being blackmailed.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. When they arrived at Kings Cross Station, Hermione ran into her parents' arms. She missed them even though she was able see them on a few occasions; but in comparison to last year when she was able to see them practically every weekend this was nothing. Her parents felt the same way as they hugged Hermione like their life depended on it. Then Emma pulled Harry into the hug as well so that he did not feel left out.
"We missed you two," Emma said while they were all still hugging.
"I missed you and dad too," Hermione replied.
Harry was the first to break from the hug and was quickly followed by Dan. Emma and Hermione still had their arms wrapped around each other as Dan lead their little group to a Bentley parked nearby. They were followed by 4 security guards that had both guns and wands. When they entered the Bentley, while the security guards entered the cars to the front and back of the Bentley.
"New car, Dad?" Hermione asked.
"Since we are trying to impress people so that they would do what we want them to do. It requires us to have a certain image so we would be taken seriously. Having a good car is part of the image. A Bentley sure as hell impresses small minded politicians," Dan replied.
"You just wanted a big boy's toy to show off to your mates," Emma added to the amusement of Harry and Hermione.
"What is with the security guards?" Hermione asked.
"We were scared that someone might make an attempt to assassinate Sirius at Kings Cross Station. That is why Sirius was not there. The security guards were there in case the assassination attempt turned into kidnapping in order to flush out Sirius," Emma replied. Hermione considered the answer and decided it was reasonable.
"What are we going be doing this holidays?" Harry asked.
"We were planning to give you tonight off to relax. Take two days for both of you to complete your homework and any other business you need to complete. The rest of the holiday will be family time including checking out our potential new homes and maybe visiting a theme park. I think both of you deserve a break after all the work you have been doing," Dan replied.
"What are you not telling us, Dad?" Hermione asked as she could tell her dad was hiding something.
"We are also hosting my extended family Christmas dinner this year," Dan replied.
"Was that supposed to be last year? If I remember correctly, the last get together was in 1986 at Uncle Jim's place and you said it was held every five years," Hermione recalled.
"You are correct, sweet pea. But last year we begged off because we were too busy. This year if we try to avoid it again. Grand-mum is going to tell me off pretty badly," Dan replied. Emma was observing Harry as he followed the conversation between Hermione and Dan. Harry was looking pale at the thought of meeting more family members, especially people who he did not know.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Emma asked finally.
"I am fine," Harry replied.
"You are not okay. You are looking a bit pale, maybe you should open a window," Emma suggested.
"I am just nervous about meeting more of your family," Harry replied honestly.
"There is nothing to be worried about. They will love you. Just be your normal sweet self. Besides they are your family as well," Emma said reassuringly.
"What are they like?" Harry asked a little less nervous.
"They are lovely people who love books like Hermione. Anyway, they will probably spend most of the time exploring our new house," Emma assured Harry. She then whispered to Harry, "Especially our new library. Don't tell Hermione, we really want to surprise her,"
"Will any of your relatives be there?" Harry asked.
"I am an only child and my parents have passed away already," Emma said a bit sadly.
"I am sorry," Harry said.
"It is alright, you did not know," Emma replied. "Anyway, I have you and Hermione now,"
"How about me?" Dan said in mock outrage.
"Yeah. You too, Monkeyface," Emma said playfully.
They reached the Granger home a little later. After an enjoyable dinner prepared by Dobby, Hermione dragged Harry down to the House-elf quarters. As soon as they entered, Harry and Hermione were bombarded with inquiries if they needed something. Once Hermione were able to reassure the house-elves that they did not need anything and that they were doing a good job, she was able find out how they were adjusting to the new environment. They all loved it but complained that there was not enough work. Satisfied, Hermione familiarised herself with the layout of the house by looking to see what changes they made since she had been at school.
When she came to the library, which she deliberately left for last, Hermione got a very pleasant surprise to see the library filled with books. Her parents who were hiding amongst the bookshelves then jumped in front of Hermione and yelled. "Surprise!"
"Is this my Christmas present?" Hermione asked once she recovered.
"No. We consider filling this library to be an essential part of the renovation of the house. Do you like it?" Dan explained.
"I love it," Hermione said as she hugged both of her parents. Harry stood back and enjoyed the moment.
"Go have a look around," Emma suggested. Hermione did not have to get another invitation. She started picking books off the shelves and looking at them. When Hermione picked up the books,
Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, Emma said. "We have a copy of all your favourite books,"
Harry tried to open a bookshelf which had glass doors only to discover it was locked. He turned to Emma and Dan with an inquiring look on his face.
"Alice has been putting aside any non-magical books she found. Among the collection she gathered there were a few first editions, limited editions, or otherwise rare books that we have been informed are very valuable. It is a great conversational starter at the events we hold," Dan replied. Satisfied Harry continued looking around. It took a long time to remove Hermione from the library that night.
A/N I created the other Granger family members because I am going to use them later on in my story.
Thank you for reading my story. Sorry for the delay.
This story appears in over a hundred communities, a thousand members have put this story in their Favourites and another thousand has alerts for this story. I hope you enjoyed this story so far.
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Chapter 48
Early the next morning, Harry got up to discover Hermione missing from her room. He snuck down the stairs to the library and found Hermione sleeping in her pjs with a book in her lap.
"She must have come back down after we had all gone to bed," Harry thought.
Deciding not to wake her, Harry started preparing for the day. After eating breakfast, he checked on her again and found her still asleep. Deciding against waking her, Harry proceeded to the Chamber of Secrets alone.
The Chamber of Secrets was filled with people being trained on how to mine using magic. It was way bigger than the last time he was here. He stopped a guy who was walking past.
"Do you where Doug, the trainer, is?" Harry asked. The guy pointed to a partitioned off area.
"Thank you," Harry said as he walked towards where he was directed. The area turned out to be the mouth of the Slytherin statue only transfigured into an office environment. Doug was discussing something with three people that Harry did not recognise. As soon as Doug saw Harry, the three other people were dismissed.
"How are you, Harry? Long time, no see," Doug said in greeting.
"I have been well, focusing on my studies. What is happening here?" Harry asked looking around.
"This is my new job. For the last couple of weeks, I have been supervising the training program to instruct people in the magical way of mining. Previously, we had one big class but due to the demand of people wanting to work as magical miners during the festive season, we had to start holding training sessions around the clock. In fact, those three people who just left were our night shift trainers reporting out. The morning trainers have already been briefed and are now working,"
"How do you fit into this operation?" Harry asked.
"My role is to coordinate the three shifts of trainers and to ensure all students have signed the confidentiality agreement before they are taught anything. Finally I ensure any improvements in the techniques that are discovered at the sites are passed on to the new students," Doug said.
"How do you like it?"
"I enjoy the job but wish I was a miner, making more money," Doug replied honestly.
"I see what I can do about getting you a pay raise or at least into a incentive plan," Harry said as he noticed that Doug was less cheeky and greedy than he was previously.
"Thank you. That would be brilliant. So what can I do for you today?" Doug asked. Harry then explained what he and Hermione wanted done to the chamber of secrets using an updated map that Doug had created.
"It should not be a problem. I will contact the hunters and coordinate with them," Doug said finally.
"So how long do you think it is going to take?" Harry asked.
"It should not take too long especially if we use the students to do most of the work. I will guess a couple of weeks at most,"
"You have that many students?" Harry asked incredibly.
"We have a lot of students. Most of them have regular jobs but the opportunity to make a lot of money during their holiday period was just too great. We have people from all walks of life training to be miners including a lot of scholars. They quickly realised that if they worked as much as they could during this festive period, they could fund their academic passions for the rest of the year. Especially when you consider the high interest deposit accounts you provide employees,"
"How are we finding that many people?" Harry asked.
"Do you remember the improvements to the US magical ministry's detection grid?" Doug asked.
"Yes,"
"We have done similar updates in other advanced countries like Australia, Singapore, Japan, and others. It has been identifying at least 15 new magicals every single week. This is making the after hours classes at the Granger Institute extremely popular. I heard that they are building extra classrooms to fit everyone in,"
"I did not know that. Thank you for letting me know. I will let you get back to work," Harry said as he left.
When he arrived back at the Granger Residence, everyone was up including Hermione.
"Where have you been?" Emma asked after they exchanged greetings.
"I was organising the renovations to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said casually, pissing off everyone in the room.
"Care to elaborate?" Dan asked in a threatening manner. Harry then informed them of what he did and what he found out.
"Are you going to be doing your homework now?" Emma asked.
"We did our homework already," Hermione replied.
"What are you planning to do for the rest of the day?" Emma asked.
"We have a job for Jake since Doug is not available and we want to meet Grant tomorrow to discuss a few things," Hermione replied.
"I will organise the meeting with Grant for you," Emma offered.
"Thank you mum," Hermione said as she hugged her mother.
After Emma left for work and Dan started on preparations for his family's visit, Harry and Hermione went to the Black Manor. The house had been converted into the Headquarters for their British Operation. It had been fully renovated and it looked nothing like it did originally. They found Jake quite easily as he was supervising the import/export business. As soon as he saw them, he organised someone to take over so that he could talk to the pair of them.
"You are working here, now?" Harry asked.
"After sorting the stuff from Dumbledore's house and Room of Requirement, I started supervising this operation," Jake informed them.
"How is it going?" Hermione asked.
"It is going well. The Magical Indians are constantly trying to get a cut of the action but we refused them every time. Meanwhile we are desperately trying to enter the Chinese markets but their magical community is deliberately isolated from the rest of the world,"
"Why are you refusing entry to the Magical Indians?"
"Their society is divided by class like no other. Our company is all about equality. How can we justify operating in a society like that?"
"We would do this by starting our own operations and ignoring the establishment there. That way we provide an alternative and maybe an escape route from the prejudice that they experience in their own country," Hermione suggested.
"Do you have any suggestions for China?" Jake said hopefully.
"I would suggest that we increase our operations in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has lots of connections to mainland China so it is practically a back door into China. Taiwan is also good but political tensions in the region make it not as an attractive an option," Hermione explained.
"I thought that Singapore was that," Jake said.
"Well that is the image Singapore tries to portray to the world. But Singaporeans find it hard to operate in China even though a lot of Singaporeans can speak Mandarin (which is the official language of China). The reason is that mainland Chinese considers Singaporeans up themselves. China also treats Singaporeans as outsiders which is not a problem for people from Hong Kong or Taiwan," Hermione gave her opinion.
"Do you want me to talk to Grant and pass on your suggestions?" Jake asked.
"Don't worry about it; I will bring it up tomorrow when we see him. Anyway, the reason why we were here looking for you is that we have a job for you. That is if they can manage here without you,"
"They can get someone to cover me quite easily. What is the job?"
"The job is to take over the British Ministry of Magic's detection grid," Hermione declared.
"You can do that?" Jake said incredibly.
"You will do it with our help," Harry said as he pulled out a map. "This map shows the location of all the ward stones used to generate the detection grid. What we need you to do is adjust the runes on the ward stones in a manner which we will show you," Harry said as he pulled a replicate of the ward stones and then demonstrated the changes they needed.
"What will these changes do?" Jake asked.
"It will tie the entire grid to the ward stone in the Black Manor and onto this map," Hermione said as she pulled a map of Britain she had with a lot of runes already applied on the back. "Every accidental magic use, every unforgivable, apparition, portkey and etc. will appear on this map. I have charmed a quill to record everything that appears on the map,"
"Who is going to monitor it?" Jake asked. Not looking forward to the dull work of monitoring the activity on the map.
"I thought we will give that duty to Sirius and his reporters to watch the map and the quill reports," Hermione said, much to the relief of Jake.
"By the way, we having each of the ward stones put under a Fidelius charm," Harry added.
"Who is going to be the secret keeper?" Jake asked.
"Dobby will be the secret keeper. The locations will be GPS coordinates since I doubt the purebloods will understand what GPS coordinates are. If a pureblood wizard got hold of the list of GPS coordinates that Dobby will create, they probably would not know what the numbers mean," Harry said.
"This is going to take quite a lot of time since there are so many ward stones that I will need to change," Jake said.
"We realise that, so why don't you get started now while we can help you?" Harry suggested as they left to tackle the first ward stone. The rest of the day was spent on adjusting the ward stones near their various British based operations.
The next day, Emma accompanied Harry and Hermione to the meeting with Grant. Emma was there for two reasons, Grant will not brush off their suggestions with Emma present and the parents of Hermione wanted to know what their two charges were doing.
"So how can I help you fine folks today?" Grant said in a fake Texan accent after everyone exchanged greetings.
"That was pathetic," Hermione said light-heartedly.
"I was never really good at Drama," Grant admitted.
"Anyway, one of the reasons why I want to talk to you today is on a plan as to how we can avoid another incident like the one with the Goblins. I was thinking that we should try to establish an agreement with the Outcast Organisation to support our company," Hermione suggested.
"I am already ahead of you there," Grant announced. "In anticipation of the request, I spoke to Miles and several other senior officials of the Outcast Organisation about the possibility of an agreement,"
"What did they say?" Harry asked with interest.
"They would look favourably on such an arrangement if a guaranteed source of income was part of the deal. On that basis, I believe we can offer to provide that promise in exchange for their organisation using their political power and resources to help us achieve our goals,"
"I say we limit the agreement to 10 years with an option to extend after some further negotiations," Harry suggested.
"There should be provision to terminate early if certain objectives are achieved," Hermione added.
"If the agreement is terminated early then the funding will continue but will go directly to the school instead. That is what I am thinking," Grant suggested.
"I like it. If we believe that the Organisation is becoming too corrupt or they are not fulfilling their end of the bargain, then we will pull the funding from the political arm and provide it to the scholarship fund," Harry said.
"We need to ensure that we get first pick of the best graduates since we are providing the resources to train them," Hermione said.
"If we want that then we will need to offer them something in return," Grant said as he took notes.
"Could we help stabilise South America and push it towards the Outcast Movement ideals?" Harry asked.
"I don't know about South American but Central American probably, especially in Mexico. Our informants have already identified all the Active Dark Forces operating in Mexico. They operate as syndicates that get involved in a lot of illegal non-magical activity such as drugs, people smuggling, and arms trading. We now have a good enough relationship with the American Drug Enforcement Agency, that a joint operation to eliminate these syndicates could be possible. Once we have removed these dark elements in the Mexican Magical Society, the Outcast Organisation can go in and help establish a more equitable magical government," Grant explained.
"Offer to do that as part of the agreement as that should get us a lot of brownie points. We will probably have to establish quite a few new operations in Mexico to help their society recover and to assist the Outcast Movement," Hermione suggested.
"Speaking of agreements, could you organise an envoy to the Centaurs in the Forbidden Forrest? We are going to relocate the Acromantula colony from the Forbidden Forrest to the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said.
"We can do it but why are you moving the Acromantulas into the Chamber of Secrets? The Acromantulas and the Basilisks are mortal enemies," Grant asked.
"There are a number of reasons, first is that the Basilisk can keep the Acromantulas under control and we will still have access to the various Acromantulas by-products. Another reason is that the Basilisk enjoys the taste of Acromantulas. The final reason is that we can get the Centaurs on our side when we negotiate with the Outcast Organisation," Harry explained.
"That sounds reasonable," Grant replied.
"Make sure you point of the blame for the Acromantulas threatening their homes on Dumbledore when you are negotiating with the Centaurs. That way, it separates us from not only the death eaters but Dumbledore as well," Hermione added.
"How can we blame Dumbledore for the Acromantulas?" Grant asked.
"Everyone in Britain knows that Hagrid is a close ally of Dumbledore and he was the one who released the original spider in the Forbidden Forrest. Dumbledore must have known about the spider colony when it was still manageable since Hagrid could not keep a secret if his life depended on it. The fact that Dumbledore did not take any action is what led to the rampant growth of the Acromantula colony," Hermione explained.
"He allowed an Acromantula Colony to be established near a school without taking any precautions. Is he crazy, irresponsible or plain stupid?" Grant exclaimed.
"All of the above," Harry replied. "By the way, is it possible for us to give Doug a raise?"
"So has he asked you as well?" Grant asked.
"Yes. Has he asked you already?" Harry said.
"Just about every single day. He alternates between asking for a raise and changing jobs to be a gold miner," Grant replied.
"I really thought he changed. What are we going to do about him?" Harry said.
"How about a small raise for everyone who works for him but exclude him?" Hermione joked.
"I like it," Grant said. "In fact, I would give him a note saying stop bugging me in an envelope similar to one everyone else gets informing them about their raise,"
"You know I was kidding?" Hermione said. "That would be just plain cruel. As long as he does his job well then we should not do stuff like that to him,"
"He does do a good job," Grant admitted. "To be able to handle two renovations at once was an amazing accomplishment even if the renovations that were done were magical in nature with a lot of assistance from other people,"
"I say we give him a small raise but a big bonus," Harry suggested.
"I agree," Hermione seconded.
"Okay. but I am still going to include that note saying to stop bugging me," Grant said.
"Your prerogative, moving on... What do you know about the new newspaper, LAV paper?" Hermione asked.
"That is Sirius's little baby. I don't know much but about it. All I know is that they had few equipment and supply issues which I helped deal with. If you want to know more then you will have to ask Sirius," Grant said.
"How about the funding for the newspaper?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. You have to ask your father about that since he approved their budget," Grant said. Hermione knew that her father did look at budget approvals. He admitted as much to her during one of their father and daughter discussions, especially in regards to the Charity operations.
"How is the rest of the business going?"
"Our existing businesses are doing well. Gold production is expected to sky rocket during the Christmas and New Year's period. In fact, we expect to produce enough gold to drive down the international gold price. We are looking at acquiring more gold mining companies but are holding off on any purchases until the gold price has dropped. We are already one of the top five gold mining companies in the world. Our plan is to become one of the top three gold mining companies by the end of the year,"
"Are we keeping large quantities of gold reserves?" Hermione asked.
"No. In fact we are slowly selling off the gold reserves that our recent acquisitions held,"
"What are you doing with the funds raised?" Harry asked.
"We are buying land around the world. But our biggest purchase so far is a large corridor of land in southern Australia which we are planning to convert into magical farming," Grant replied.
"Try to buy as much desert land as possible in Australia. The sands from the Simpson desert could be easily converted in the solar cells using magic," Hermione suggested.
"We should build desalination plants in those desert areas. Our solar cells can power it easily (the pumps and the refinement process) but we will need to buy coastal properties so that we can pipe sea water to from the open seas. In fact we should locate the inlets near sewage and drainage outlets. That way we can get free fertiliser for our farms," Harry suggested.
"Why do we need desalination plants when we can use magic to get water?" Grant asked.
"It will remove the suspicion of non-magicals about where we are getting the water for our farming operations. We could also sell water to other farmers for profit as well," Harry replied.
"We can conduct mining operations without anyone being any wiser since the mining waste can be hidden by the waste from the desalination plants. Once we finished the mining we can fill the mine with water so it looks like a natural underground water hole," Hermione suggests.
"Wouldn't that be stealing?' Emma added.
"Maybe we can negotiate with the original owners for mining rights. Offer to build them things like schools in return for the rights to mine on their lands. This would help ensure the corrupt politicians and officials do not profit from our activities," Hermione suggested as she knew how corrupt the mining industry was in Australia.
"Okay, that sounds reasonable," Emma said satisfied.
"How is the solar business going?" Harry asked.
"It is going well. We are selling quite a few units. But the main source of income from the business will be the maintenance fees which will grow in time," Grant replied.
"Is the solar business doing any deals with Enron?" Harry asked.
"Yes. They want to buy a lot of our solar units. Why did you ask?" Grant asked concerned.
"If we do any deals with Enron, make sure that the payment is only within 5 years and any maintenance contract is secured by the actual solar units themselves,"
"Is something wrong about Enron?" Grant asked concerned.
"Maybe..," Harry said.
"How about the logistics business?" Hermione said to try to change the topic.
"We have already reduced transportation costs by 5 percent and expect further savings as time progresses. This has already allowed us to reduce our fees in order to increase our market share. According to our analysts if we continue our current growth then we should be the biggest logistics company in the world next year," Grant replied.
"What is the general public's reaction to the growth of our business?" Hermione asked.
"Not many people know that you guys own so much. We use subsidiaries, investment vehicles and satellite companies to make the various purchases so hardly anyone knows how much wealth you guys have accumulated. As far as the public knows, you guys are extremely brilliant investors," Grant replied. Harry whispered to Hermione and said. "They think we are like Warren Buffett,"
"That is enough for now. Why don't we take a break?" Emma announced as she felt sorry for Grant. It was like an interrogation and Grant deserved a break.
"Do you mind if I leave and continue this discussion some other time?" Grant said hopefully.
"Okay. The urgent stuff has dealt with. We will owl you with any suggestions and questions we have. Please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year," Hermione replied backed up by Harry.
"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone," Grant replied before leaving quickly.
Chapter 49
The next morning Harry went down for breakfast and discovered everyone else already eating. He was greeted warmly by everyone as he got his food.
"What are we going to do today?" Harry asked after he started eating.
"Well, we were thinking about going shopping for Christmas presents this morning. Later on, we are holding a Christmas Lunch for some of the employees and close business associates like Miles," Emma replied.
"Make sure there is no alcohol served during the lunch. We don't want a repeat of last year," Harry said jokingly.
"There will be alcohol but only with the food and that is limited," Emma assured Harry.
"What are we doing after lunch?" Harry asked.
"A little break, since my relatives will start arriving tomorrow," Dan replied.
"Okay," Harry said as he continued eating his breakfast.
Later that afternoon, Harry and Dan dropped to the couch, exhausted after a full morning of shopping. Just as soon as their butts hit the couch, the doorbell rang.
"Can one of you boys please answer the door?" Emma yelled from the master bedroom.
Harry and Dan turned to each other.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors," Harry suggested. Dan nodded his head and they started playing rock, paper, and scissors to decide who would answer the door. Harry lost and was forced to get up and answer the door. It was Jake, Alice and her mum.
"Merry Christmas, please come in. Thank you for coming," Harry said as he led them to the room where Dan was resting.
"What would you like to drink?" Harry asked. After taking their orders, he left them to Dan to entertain as he got them their drinks. He deliberately got the drinks himself so that Dan would be forced to play host.
Harry carried the drinks back to the room where he struck up a conversation with Alice after giving everyone their drinks.
"So how do you like keeping Grant honest?" Harry asked since he heard that she was keeping an eye on Grant.
"I am not really keeping Grant honest... What I am doing is overseeing their internal audit department. They are the ones that keep the employees honest," Alice replied.
"Discover anything interesting?"
"Well I discovered how to create spells that would pass through magical shields like unforgivables,"
"How did you discover that?"
"I was reading a book about the origins of unforgivables, did you know the unforgivables were developed for medical purposes and are simply emotion fuelled spells? I found that any emotion based spell can bypass magical shields,"
"That is interesting. Did the book mention any counter spell or shields for the Unforgivables?" Harry asked.
"Not really but I will look into it for you. The only thing it did mention was a cleansing ritual that can help patients who have been over exposed to the Crucio curse," Alice replied. Harry immediately thought of Neville's parents. Deciding he was going to talk to Sirius, Hermione and her parents about what course of action they should take.
"What is book called and where did you get it?" Harry asked.
"The book is called Unforgivables and it was one of the books you recovered from Dumbledore's private stash," Alice replied.
"Who did you pass your discovery to?" Harry asked.
"I told Emma who passed it onto the Granger Institute to develop spells for our security teams. They have already developed quite a number of different emotion based spells. I heard they develop one that would castrate a guy and another one that would make someone experience the pain associated with giving birth." Seeing the look of fear on Harry's face. Alice quickly added. "Don't worry, the information is very well protected and will not be published anywhere."
"Can you make sure that Hermione and Emma never discover those two spells or a spell that would allow a guy to experience a woman's period?" Harry whispered to Alice. She smiled and said.
"I will try my best, but no guarantees,"
"Did you hear anything else interesting?" Harry asked trying to change topics.
"Did you know that we have been turning our security forces into Animagi?"
"I can understand why that would be a good idea. Having another form would be great for surveillance, escape and surprise attacks. I thought the costs of ingredients to make the animagus revealing potions were expensive,"
"They did not use potions. I believe they used some Native American ritual which is faster and more effective. The potion was just the Europeans attempt at duplicating the ritual using things they know," Alice explained.
"Were there any interesting forms?"
"There were a few gay men who had female animal forms. A few were disgusted with their forms while others loved their animals. They did discover that the stronger the person's magical core is at the time of the ritual, the stronger the form. One guy was a massive dragon, his core was supposed to be enormous since he has been fighting his entire life,"
"I wonder; what about young people whose cores have not yet mature yet?"
"Well, we believe that their form would be weaker than one they would get after their core matures. For example a person's form could be a Chihuahua when they were a child, during teenage years their form could be a golden retriever. At the peak of their magical powers, their form could be a hellhound. A few of the early recruits were disappointed when they found out and are now researching ways to obtain multiple forms or at least allow their form to evolve," Alice replied.
"Find out if squibs can become animagi as well. If they can become really small creatures due to the size of their magical core, then they would be perfect for surveillance or investigative reporting," Harry suggested.
"That is a brilliant idea. I will pass on your suggestion to Sirius," Alice said.
"Can you keep me in the loop as to what happens?" Harry asked.
"Sure can, Harry," Alice said as Doug arrived and went straight to the snack table accidentally bumping into Jake in the process.
"How do you like working with your parents?" Harry asked.
"I only work with my mother on copying books and that is not very often. Apart from that, our work does not really overlap," Alice replied.
"What is Emily doing now? Last I heard she was involved in teaching the miners how to mine the magical way,"
"I believed that she has moved onto developing Vanishing Cabinets that are constructed with fewer rare substances. She has made quite a bit of progress but you have to ask her. She is spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement but, why I don't know," Alice replied. The conversation then went on to more general matters.
A little later, Hermione asked Emma. "Where is Ashley, was she not invited?"
"She was invited but she could not come. Ever since she moved to the new school, she has been busy all the time brewing new potions, training her new apprentices, or writing articles to submit to potion journals," Emma replied.
"She moved?" Hermione asked.
"Did I not tell you?" Emma asked. "She moved over a month ago. When the Black Manor was ready, she was offered a potion lab there or at the Granger Institute. Ashley decided to move to the Granger Institute,"
"What else has happened?" Hermione asked.
"Well the Black Manor has been turned into the Headquarters for our British operations," Emma said.
"I have already seen the renovated place, anything else?" Hermione asked.
"Our old home has been renovated and turned into a massive library," Emma said which caused Hermione's eyes to light up.
"We will make sure to visit the library sometime during these holidays," Emma assured Hermione.
"So, nothing really new..," Hermione said.
"We started our application for residency in the US,"
"That is something new. How long will it take?"
"Since we are well off and our biggest company is sponsoring our application, they say it should take a few months. It should definitely be ready by the time we are ready to move,"
"Including Harry?"
"Of course, as if we will leave him behind. Your Dad and I are growing quite fond of Harry not as much as you, of course. We would miss him if he was gone," Emma said. The conversation then turned to the houses they were interested in America.
Early the next day, Dan's brother, his sister-in-law, and their two children arrived. They were greeted at the door by Dan.
"Great house you got here, Danny," Dan's brother said as his family entered the house. "Did you win the lottery or something?"
"No. Emma and I inherited some money from an eccentric patient and we had some success investing the money," Dan said. Keeping to the story they made up for the authorities.
"Maybe I should invest some money with you since you seem to be doing so well," Dan's brother said.
"We can talk about it later. Why don't we see Emma and the kids?" Dan said.
"Kids? I thought you only had Hermione,"
"We adopted a well-off classmate of hers that was an orphan. I told you on the phone when I gave you directions to this place,"
"Sorry, I forgot," Dan's brother replied. His wife had an outraged look on her face.
"You did not tell me about the new nephew," His wife said. "We don't have a present for him,"
"I would not really worry about that. It will be fine. Get someone during the Boxing Day sales if you want. By the way, his name is Harry Potter; in fact that is his family crest over there," Dan said as he pointed out the Potter crest. "Try to avoid to asking too much about his parents or why he was up for adoption. It is quite a sensitive topic for him,"
"Okay," Everyone said as they walked into the Dining Room.
"Harry, I would like to introduce you to my big brother, Robert Granger, his wife, Shirley Granger and his two children, Bryce and Amy," Dan said. "Robbie, I would like to introduce you to Harry Potter, our new son,"
"Welcome to the family, Harry. Call me Rob, everyone else does," Dan's brother said.
"Nice to meet you too, Sir," Harry said uncertainly.
Remembering what Dan said earlier, Rob asked.
"How is school?"
"Good. I am in second year, in the same school as Hermione,"
"Can you tell me anything about the school? Dan is very secretive about the school," Robert said.
"Sorry I cannot say much about the school since a lot of diplomats and senior government officials send their children to there. I can say it is very exclusive and they don't like outsiders knowing about the school," Harry replied using the lie as instructed by Hermione. "What do you do?"
"I am an Aeronautical Engineer, which basically means I fix planes," Rob replied.
"How about your wife and children?"
"Shirley is a certified practicing accountant at Ernest & Young. While my two children are attending Atterton High School, Amy is sitting for her GCSE this year and Bryce is sitting the Cambridge Pre-U and is hoping to get into Oxford,"
"Why don't I show you to your rooms before I show everyone around the place," Dan said as he led them to the rooms near the Master Bedroom.
"Do you want period features or modern conveniences in your rooms?" Emma asked.
"Whatever is more convenient?" Shirley replied.
"Makes no difference to us..," Emma said.
"Why don't we look at both before deciding?" Shirley suggested. They were first lead to a bedroom with period fixtures and fitting including plumbing. The group looked interested in the room but was not really thrilled by the bathroom. Next they were shown a room near the Master Bedroom which had a modern bathroom and great views of the country side.
"We will take this one," Robert said.
"This is place is better than some five star hotels we have been to. How about Amy and Bryce?" Shirley said as she began inspecting the room.
"They can stay in identical rooms over there," Emma said as she pointed to two rooms further away from the Master Bedroom. Amy and Bryce both rushed to the indicated rooms with their luggage. After Bryce drops his bags in one of the rooms, he goes to the other room.
"Do you want to swap?" Bryce asks.
"Why?" Amy said suspiciously.
"You have to study so it would be wasting such great views for you to stay in this room," Bryce said.
"You have to study as well. I am fine with this room," Amy said to the disappointment of Bryce. "What are your views anyway?"
"My room looks out to the garage," Bryce said as they go back to their parents' room.
"Does this place have a pool?" Robert asked.
"There is one outside. I will show it to you when we tour the gardens," Dan replied. The tour of the house began with the remaining bedrooms. It was followed by the ground floor skipping the library as Dan knew that he would have trouble getting them to leave the library once they saw it.
"I am going to show you to the kitchen. Due to the sensitivity of the equipment in here I request that you stay away from this room for the remainder of your stay," Dan said as he led the group into the kitchen. The kitchen looked the same as before but there was a computer on a stand near the dumbwaiter. Neither Harry and Hermione had noticed before. Dan led them to the computer and the dumbwaiter.
"This piece of equipment is very delicate and expensive. What you do is enter what you want into this computer and after a little while you use this dumbwaiter to get the food?" Dan explained. He and Emma decided this was the ruse they were going to use to explain the speed in which the food arrives.
"Can I see the machine that does this?" Robert said with interest.
"It is proprietary knowledge at this point. The company makes the machine sends out people to regularly service it and is also responsible for filling the machines with foodstuffs. We don't even know what the machine looks like. So please don't try to have a look at the machine as they are extremely secretive and we don't want to lose the service," Dan explained.
"Okay. I will promise not to try to look at it. This must cost a fortune to run,"
"Our investments are doing extremely well. Plus we hold parties to defray the cost of the service," Dan replied. Dan then changed the subject by saying. "Did you know that Sting has been to this house?"
This lead to discussions after the events that have been held at this house and the people that Dan and Emma have met. The conversation about the house continued as they toured the grounds that surrounded the house. Robert and his family were shell shocked by the beauty of the gardens. The conclusion of the tour was the indoor heated pool.
"This place must cost a fortune to run. The electrical bill alone must be enormous," Robert said.
"Do you remember the solar panels I showed you earlier?" Dan said.
"Yes," Robert replied.
"They supply enough electricity for the entire neighbourhood. In fact, we have an agreement with our neighbours where they get free electricity in return they help maintain and clean the place. Most lack the time so they pay for a service to clean the house instead," Dan lied.
"Those little panels provide that much electricity?" Robert said incredibly.
"Yes. That was one of our most successful investments the company that makes those cells. I believe that in a few years those cells are going to take over the power generation market," Dan said proudly.
"I really should talk to you about investing," Robert said.
"We can talk about it later," Dan assured him.
"Are you going to show them the library now?" Hermione asked excitedly. Shirley, Bryce, Amy and Roberts ears all perked up at hearing about a library.
"I guess we can do it now or do you want to look at the gardens some more?" Dan asked.
"Library now!" Shirley declared. Amy and Bryce both nodded their heads in agreement.
"Okay," Dan said as he led them to the library. Robert, Shirley, Amy and Bryce's eyes all widen as they saw the size of the library. They all rushed in pulling books out and looking around as though they were in heaven. Bryce was the first one to try to open one of the locked bookcases.
"The books in those shelves are too valuable to let anyone touch. Since we hold regular parties we don't want them stolen," Dan explained which everyone accepted. Bryce and Robert started looking at the titles of the books in the locked shelves with their renewed interest.
"Is that a copy of the Gutenberg Bible?" Robert asked.
"Yes. Harry inherited 5 copies from his family," Dan lied.
"Five copies. Was his family very religious?" Shirley asked.
"His family use to be quite big but they have died out and Harry is the last remaining member so he inherited them all," Dan said to stop them from inquiring more about the history of the books which they had brought from different pureblood families with help from Sirius.
"Are the the copies complete?" Amy asked.
"They are all complete,"
"Why did no one know about these copies?" Amy asked. "They have enormous historical significance if they are authentic,"
"They are genuine since the bank where we store the other copies had them checked out by Sotheby's appraisers for insurance purposes. The appraisers were in shock when they first saw them. They desperately wanted to know the history of the copies but Harry's family were very private and information about them is very hard to obtain," Dan said.
"How long did the appraisals take?"
"Several months but the experts were very reluctant to give them back. They were even more unhappy with the confidential agreements they had to sign," Dan said.
"May I take a closer look at the book?" Robert asked hopefully.
"No. They are too valuable," Dan said.
"Why do you have it in the bookshelf if people are not allowed to look at it?" Robert asked.
"It is a great conservation starter and we get a lot of favours from the clergy by allowing them to look at it," Dan replied.
Chapter 50
That afternoon, Dan's mother, Diana Granger, arrived. After greeting everyone in the sitting room, she was introduced to Harry.
"Has Robert and his family arrived yet?" Diana asked.
"They arrived this morning. I believe they are in the library at the moment." Dan replied.
"This house has its own private library?"
"Yes. We got the books ourselves." Dan said.
"You have done well, son." Diana said as she looked at Dan. Dan swelled up in pride at hearing his mother praise.
"You must be tired from your trip. Why don't we show you the choice of rooms before I take you to the library?" Dan suggested.
"That sounds grand." Diana said.
She was lead upstairs to the first option by Dan accompanied by Emma. It was a modern bedroom with a magnificent view of the country side. Sheep and cattle could be seen grazing in the distance. The bathroom had all the modern conveniences including both a shower (with adjustable shower head) and a deluxe bathtub (with water jets for relaxations).
"This is better than a hotel," Diana said. "Let us see what other options you have but they will have to be quite spectacular to beat this."
Dan then lead her through all the empty rooms. The next bedroom she entered Diana immediately said. "Too plain.". The one after that was "too dark". Room after room Diana complained for various reasons like "It was too boring", "It was too far from everyone else." and "It is too bright.".
The final room Dan showed his mother was a a period bedroom with a brilliant view of the gardens. Its ensuite had an antique clawfoot bathtub with matching vanity and mirror. After a thorough inspection by Diana. She announced.
"This is just right." Making everyone laugh as they realised she was doing a parody of the Goldilocks fairy tale as she inspected each bedroom. While Dan moved his mother's bags to her new room, Diana asked Emma.
"Do you need help preparing dinner?"
"Meals are prepared by machine. So if you want anything then tell us and we will take care of it." Emma replied.
"What if I want a midnight snack?"
"There are fruit and nuts on the side table. Snack food, tea and liquor in the cabinet next to it."
"What if I crave a type of fruit that is not here?" Diana asked to whine her daughter in law.
"Tell us and we will see what we can do." Emma replied. Enjoying the mind game she was playing with her mother in law.
"Can you get me some fresh Kiwi fruit and longans? I had them on one of trips to the tropics and I really like them." Diana said as she tried to give Emma an impossible task.
"I see what I can do." Emma said even though she had already decided to send one of the houseelves to the tropics via the Vanishing Cabinets to get it for her mother in law.
"Thank you, Emma." Diana said just as Dan came in with the bags.
"Let us go find Rob." Dan suggested.
They found Rob and his family in the library with used plates, bowls and cups littered around them.
"This is a great library. It is bigger than the one at my school." Amy said as she Dan and Emma enter.
"I found books that would be useful for my exams that I did not know even existed." Bryce said excitedly in support of his sister's statement.
"If you write down the titles we will get you a spare copy of the books before you leave." Emma offered.
"Thank you Aunt Emma." Amy and Bryce said happily together.
"I think you should limit yourselves to 5 books each. We do not want to abuse Aunt Emma's generosity." Shirley said.
"If we don't restrict them, they would probably try to take the entire library back home with them." Rob said cheekily.
"Let them get more than 5 books if they it will help them with their up coming exams. Besides if you limit them to 5 books we will probably have trouble getting them to leave the library the entire time you are staying here." Dan pleaded on Amy and Bryce's behalf.
"It does not feel right taking so many books without paying. If it will help with their exams at least let us pay for it." Shirley said.
"Maybe they can consider it their Christmas present for this year." Rob suggested.
"We already brought their proper Christmas presents. Besides we brought the library in bulk with multiple copies of all books in case some books get stolen by our party guests. So it does not deprive us of anything if they take the books and duplication these books is very cheap. It costs about a dollar for the materials and labour." Dan explained.
"Besides consider this sharing the good fortune we had lately with our family." Emma added. Rob turned to Shirley who nodded her head.
"Okay. If you are sure." Rob said. He then turned to his children and said. "You can accept more than 5 books but the number will be determined by the amount of space we have in the trunk of the car. We are not going to be putting any books on the roof of the car. So pack early so that we can work out how much books we can fit."
Amy and Bryce high fived each other before they started planning.
"Amy could you help me pack since you seem to know how to fit more into a suitcase." Bryce said to Amy.
"Okay." Amy said reluctantly. "But your will owe me."
"Fine." Bryce replied.
"What should we do with the dirty dishes?" Shirley asked. "I don't remember the way to the kitchen and I did not want to get lost."
"You should create a map of the place. It is enormous." Bryce added.
"It is not that big and you will get used to it after a while. In regards to the dirty dishes. Just put them in any empty closet you find nearby. Remember to leave the door of the closet ajar so that the cleaners know you have things you need cleaning. If you have any laundry that you need done just leave the clothes in the closest closet to your room and it will be taken care of it." Emma said.
"You are spoiling us. This service must be very expensive." Rob said.
"We don't know. The households we provide the power to are paying for it." Dan replied.
"Those solar panels must be pumping out a lot of power to cover the cost of the cleaning service. How many households do you supply power to?"
"I don't know. At least a hundred." Dan replied.
"I think we are going to have trouble getting your relatives to leave." Emma whispered to Dan.
"We can always ask a team of security personnel to force them out." Dan joked.
Everyone started moving the dirty dishes into a nearby closet. After the dishes were cleared off, Shirley asked Emma.
"Can you get a wet cloth for me so that I can wipe down the table."
"Don't worry about it. It would be taken care of by the cleaners. They come by once during the day and again at night." Emma assured Shirley. "Why don't we go to the dining room to have dinner?"
"That sounds like a great idea." Dan said in support of his wife's suggestion.
"I agree." Diana said as she wanted to spend time with her family before she loses them to the library. "It would give me time to get to know my adopted grandson. By the way, where is he and Hermione?"
"I will look for them." Emma said as she left. Dan then lead everyone to the dining room.
"What would people like?" Dan asked after everyone settled into the dining room.
"What would you recommend?" Diana asked.
"Well I feel like mexican. So for entree I was thinking tacos with 10 sauces. You should at least like one sauce. While for main recommend Grouse in a dark mole sauce. You get the gamy favour of the grouse competing with the depth of favour from the Mole sauce creating a symphony in your mouth. The recipe for the particular Mole sauce is from southern Mexico and it usually takes 3 days to prepare." Dan replied.
"If the recipe says it requires three days to make. How can it be ready so quickly?" Diana asked.
"I don't know." Dan replied.
"Since Dan can not tell you. I speculate it could be done by rotating the mixture in a heated pressurised ball. The rotation ensures the mixture is cooked evenly while having it in a ball shape increases the area that is exposed to the heat. Being pressurised would ensure that no heat escapes and gets lost making it a lot more efficient." Rob speculated using his knowledge of engineering.
"That sounds about right." Dan said.
"How about dessert?" Bryce asked.
"I was thinking Cafe Opera. It is a french chocolate cake which you are all going love." Dan assured everyone. The dessert was not going to be prepared by the house elves like the other dishes but brought from a famous French patisserie. "Is everyone happy with the menu?"
Everyone nodded.
Dan came back into the Dining Room a little later pushing a trolley lading with food.
"The food looks and smells great. Who knew that machines could produce such good food?" Diana said.
"It should taste delicious too." Shirley said as she remembered lunch.
"Tuck in everyone." Emma announced.
"These sauces taste great. I don't know which one to choose." Diana said sampling the various taco sauces.
The meal was a great success. Everyone ate more than what was good for them. After a break to recover, Bryce asked.
"Can I be excused so that I can go back to the library to study?"
"That is fine, Bryce." Rob replied.
"Can I go too?" Amy asked.
"Sure." Rob said.
"I will go to and keep an eye on them." Hermione said.
"Who is going to keep an eye on you?" Emma joked. "How about you, Harry?"
"I am thinking about playing some pool in the game room before going for a swim to burn off the dinner I just ate." Harry said as he got up.
"Okay. Have fun, dear." Emma said.
"Now that the kids are gone can I offer anyone a drink?" Dan asked. "Maybe something with a punch, we have a large selection available."
"You do you Napeleon Cognac by any chance?" Robert asked.
"I believe we do." Dan replied. "Shirley, How about you?"
"Lady Grey Tea." Shirley replied.
"Harrods, Twinnings or some other brand?"
"Harrods." Shirley replied.
"Harrods it will be." Dan said. "You mum?"
"A little bit of sherry would hit the spot." Diana said.
"Any particular brand?"
"Surprise me." Diana said.
"Your usual?" Dan asked Emma who had started loading the dirty dishes back onto the trolley.
"Yes, please." Emma replied. Dan then started to help his wife to load the trolley. Just as they finished Bryce can rushing back in followed by Hermione and Amy.
"Do the cleaners have keys to the house?" Bryce asked.
"They do. Why do you ask?" Emma said.
"I think the cleaners were here while we were having dinner since the dirty dishes from earlier are gone and the library is totally cleaned. Even the books we had out were put away." Bryce said.
"Well they are paid to be discrete from what I have been told." Emma replied.
"Can you the cleaners not to put away any books we have taken out?" Bryce asked.
"Just leave a note next to your dirty dishes with your request. In fact I recommend that you write a thank you note next to all your dirty dishes and laundry. Emma suggested.
"That is a great suggestion. We don't want to piss off such helpful people." Shirley said.
"Okay." Bryce and Amy replied.
The next morning Harry went for a swim before breakfast. He was swimming regularly in case he had to perform the second task in Triwizard tournament. It was also a great way for him to stay fit since he was not playing Quidditich this time round. When he arrived at the dining room for breakfast, he found the room already occupied by all the adults.
"Where is Hermione?" Harry asked after greeting everyone.
"Probably in the library with Amy and Bryce." Emma replied.
"Do you mind calling them for breakfast, Harry?" Diana asked.
"I will help." Dan quickly added with a grin on his face.
"Me too." Rob said with the same grin.
Once out of earshot of Diana, Emma and Shirley. The three guys stopped to discuss their plan for waking the sleeping family members.
"How should we do it?" Rob asked.
"I was going to use a gong." Dan said.
"I was thinking of placing my hands on Hermione shoulders." Harry replied. He knew that he had to stop Hermione from reaching for her wand.
"Okay. Dan you use the gong on Bryce, Harry wakes Hermione and I wake Amy with a bucket of cold water." Rob suggested.
"Agreed." Dan said as he went in search of a gong.
"Agreed." Harry said.
They moved into position over their intended targets. Rob used one hand to count down to coordinate their actions. At zero, Rob pour cold water on Amy, Dan gonged Bryce and Harry shook Hermione awake while preventing her from doing anything else. Amy, Bryce and Hermione all screamed and started yelling expletives. Rob, Dan and Harry were laughing their heads off.
"Why did you do that?" Hermione said outraged.
"It was extremely funny watching your reactions?" Rob said.
"Payback is a bitch." Amy said threateningly. Bryce and Hermione backed her up. The look on their faces told Harry, Rob and Dan that they were serious. They were now doubting the wisdom of their little prank. Rob decides to break the silence by saying.
"I am going to the city with mum this morning. Do you guys want to come too?"
"Sorry got to study." Amy said.
"Same." Bryce said.
"Dad, does you or mum have anything planned for us?" Hermione asked.
"We have a business appointment after breakfast for Emma, you, Harry and me. Don't you remember." Dan said while looking in the eyes of his daughter. Hermione immediately realise that her father is talking about house inspections in the US. Judging by the way, Dan was acting, she was pretty sure that he had not told the rest of the family about their plans to move.
"It totally slipped my mind." Hermione said.
"Who is staying home to stop these two from hosting a party?" Rob joked while Amy and Bryce rolled their eyes.
"I believe Mum is staying home." Dan said. "She also wants to check out this library."
"Everyone off to clean up and change so that we can have breakfast together." Rob announced.
As Rob, Shirley, Harry, Hermione, Dan and Emma cleared the Breakfast table, Dan asked Rob and Shirley.
"Are you going to be back here for lunch?"
"We are going to the bank so who knows how long that is going take especially so close to Christmas. We will try to make it back in time. Are you guys going to be back for lunch?"
"Yes. We should be back in time for lunch." Emma replied.
"Thank you again for your offer to invest some money for us. I still can not get over the fact that I did not connect the Times article about Daniel Granger to you. my brother." Rob replied.
"I always knew you were the dumber brother." Dan said.
"But I got a higher score than you at the end of High School." Rob countered.
"By one mark." Dan said.
"It stills counts." Rob said in a tone that was reminiscent to school kids fighting in the playground.
"Before the English final, you punched me in the nose." Dan said in a raised voice.
"Enough. Both of you behave." Shirley said forcefully. It was evident that she had experience breaking up these things.
"Okay." Rob said even though it looked like their was something else he wanted to say. "What are you guys doing this morning? You mentioned an appointment but not with whom."
"It is private." Dan replied. Rob and his family decided not to push thinking it was related to Harry's adoption.