Chapter Seventeen – First Club

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros and some other high falutin' companies. Me, I'm just a PR professional. I don't profess to own - and would never dream of making any money off - JKR's wonderful world. However, its her sandbox and she's left the gate unlatched so we can go in and play a bit. Which, I've done.

Chapter Seventeen – First Club

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-==(oIo)==-

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Two days later, Harry was out on the castle lawns near the dark tower with the First Year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Madam Hooch had laid out twenty brooms side by side on the ground roughly four feet apart.

As Harry walked out onto the grass he saw that many of his fellow students had already arrived.

"Alright, you lot," called Madam Hooch. "I want you to each stand alongside a broom with the broom on your right. Move, now."

Harry stood between Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah with Susan on the other side of Hannah.

"Place your hand out over your broom, palm down," commanded Madam Hooch. "And, with a firm and commanding tone, order, 'Up!'."

Doing as instructed, Harry held his hand out over his broom and called, "Up!"

The broom leapt up from the ground and the broom handle smacked him in his palm. The surprise of it caused him to teeter a little in place.

While Harry felt the magic of the broom thrum through his hand he looked around. He could see Justin trying to order the broom that lay twitching on the grass next to him to rise to his own hand. And he could see both Hannah and Susan had, after a couple of attempts, managed to get theirs to rise enough to be grabbed.

Harry turned to Justin and quietly said, "It knows you're afraid of it, Mister Finch-Fletchley. Relax. Let your magic flow through your hand as if you're casting a Lumos Charm. Just let it flow."

Justin gave him a grateful smile and returned his attention to his hand and broom. "Up!" he calmly commanded, and the broom leapt off the grass into his hand.

With, at first, a look of shock he turned to Harry with a wide smile.

Harry didn't know Madam Hooch was paying attention to what he'd been saying to Justin until he heard her call, "Good coaching, Mister Potter. Five points to Ravenclaw."

Turning to face back forward he smiled at Madam Hooch.

The witch took one last look around and said, "For those who have not yet mastered commanding your broom to come to your hand, you may practice it later. For now, I want you to pick it up and hold it in your right hand."

Out of twenty students, about half a dozen had to manually pick their brooms up.

"Now, I want you to straddle your broom like this," she said, demonstrating.

Once everyone had done the same she said, "Now give a gentle push off the ground and hover in place."

With a gentle nudge of his toes Harry rose into the air and hovered about five feet up. Others joined him along the line. He knew that, though doing something like just rising and hovering looked easy, it was actually quite difficult. It was far easier to keep momentum going, similar to riding a bike.

Looking to his left and down he noticed Justin would get the push off the ground right, but would immediately nose his broom forward forcing it back to the ground.

Harry dropped down and said, "Push off and hold, Mister Finch-Fletchley. Don't push down on the nose of the broom so hard, or at all until you're at height."

Justin gave him a grateful nod and, with a frown, tried again. This time he rose before he suddenly started to descend again. However, he caught the drop before he returned to the ground by pulling back up on the handle. He rose to bob in place alongside Harry.

With a grin he said, "Some brooms can be a little touchy to control. But, once you understand it's vagaries, it'll come more naturally for you.

"Now, controlling the broom is as much about steering and guiding it with your magic as with your hands and your - seat. Feel the broom and guide it."

Before long Madam Hooch had them circling in ever expanding circles with weaves thrown in. They reversed course a couple of times and even performed a couple lazy figure eights. But it wasn't long before they were back on the ground.

As soon as they were dismissed, Justin man-hugged Harry. "Thank you, Harry!" he said. "I don't think I'd've been able to do that if it wasn't for you."

"I'm sure you'd have managed, Mister Finch-Fletchley," he replied. "You're far too determined not to succeed at something you want to excel in."

"Maybe," he replied. "But you did make it a lot easier for me."

As they walked back to the castle they were passed by the Gryffindors and Slytherins coming the other way. Harry gave Daphne a big smile which she returned as they passed.

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-==(oIo)==-

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Later that afternoon, the group met in the library. Looking around, Harry noticed they were three short.

"Where's Neville, Hermione and Tracey?" he asked.

As the only one of that group not missing, Daphne replied, "Neville's broom went wonky and he ended up falling off it and breaking his wrist. Straight after the lesson Tracey and Hermione went to the infirmary to check up on him. Neither have come back yet."

"If Neville did break his wrist then he's going to be in there overnight," said Susan. "Skelegrow Potion tends to be quite uncomfortable while it works and most healers prefer the patients to stay in overnight in case there's complications."

"Malfoy and Weasley managed to earn themselves detentions during the lesson," continued Daphne. "Remember that Remembrall Neville received from his grandmother at breakfast?"

The group nodded.

"Well, he had it on him when he lost control of his broom. Some time during the time his broom was flinging him about the sky he managed to drop it. Malfoy found it after Madam Hooch left with Neville to take him to the infirmary and Malfoy tried to make a big thing out of it.

"Remember how Malfoy was on the train? His snooty attitude?" she asked.

Again nods with a couple of titters from the girls.

"He was going on about Neville supposedly being such a squib he needed one. Then he said he'd leave it in a tree for Neville to find. They he took off up into the air on his broom. Mind you, that was after Madam Hooch told everyone to remain on the ground while she was away.

"Weasley lost his temper, took to his own broom and soared up into the air after him. The two managed to crash into each other and both ended up falling about twenty feet to the ground.

"Oh, dear," said Hannah, while Susan made sympathy noises. "Were either badly hurt?"

"Apparently not," replied Daphne. "But Professor McGonagall must have been watching from a window of the castle because she was down there like a shot. Both now have detention."

Harry snorted in amusement. "Those two are as bad as each other and neither sees it," he said. "One is a bigot because he refuses to see anyone but purebloods being worth his time, unless you're a half blood from a Noble and Most Ancient House; and the other is a bigot because, if you're a Slytherin, then you have to be evil, and all the truly good witches and wizards are in Gryffindor. They're both equally bigoted but coming at it from two different reasons."

"Honestly, Harry; they're nothing..." said Hannah before she stopped suddenly and appeared to think about what she was saying. "Alright, maybe they are," she blushed.

"Enough of bigots and their stupid views," said Susan. "What's happening with your etiquette club?"

"Well, the house elves have put notices on each House notice board to let people know it's on and when and where to find it," replied Daphne. "Tracey saw the one in the Slytherin common room very soon after it appeared and hid it under other notices. We may have to take everyone without favour but that's not to mean we have to be so - public - about the public notices in every House."

"Why do that?" asked Susan.

"Because we don't want people like Malfoy coming along and belittling, browbeating, and otherwise making a nuisance of him or herself, or anything along those lines," replied Daphne.

"He might surprise you, you know?" said Hannah.

"True," replied Harry. "But, as you pointed out, it would be a surprise if he behaved any differently, wouldn't it?"

"We know it will become school-wide public knowledge, soon enough," said Daphne. "But, if we can get a couple of meetings in before someone tries to upset things, then we'll have been able to get off to a good start."

"I guess," said Hannah, but without much conviction.

Daphne reached across and placed her hand over the other girl's. "We're just being cautious, Hannah."

The other girl blushed and nodded.

_‗_

-==(oIo)==-

\""/

On Sunday afternoon at 4.00pm, Harry met with Daphne outside the door to their new clubroom.

"Harry, I can't get the stupid door open," she half-growled.

"Sorry, sorry," he replied. "I asked a couple of Seventh Year muggleborn 'Claws to place wards and magical locks on the door for me. The password is, 'Muggletum'. That drops a very strong Colloportus Charm that's anchored to the door via tiny runes. Besides, I wanted to be here when you first entered to see what we did last night."

Daphne gave him a wry look before turning to the door. In a clear voice, she said, "Muggletum." When she then turned the knob the door opened easily.

She walked in and Harry followed her. He had to walk around her as she'd stopped just inside the door in astonishment at what she saw.

Nervously, Harry asked, "Do you like it?"

"Harry, its WONderful!" she near-squealed before jumping at him for a grapple-hug.

"Oof!" he exclaimed. "I'm glad you like it."

Arranged around the walls at a height just above the top of the blackboard was the House Crests of all the Magical Houses in Wizarding Britain, including quite a few Daphne didn't recognise. Each was approximately two feet in height sitting on a white background with the name of the House on a picture of a stylised furled banner directly underneath in old English script.

On the back wall was a large chart with the formal name of the Houses, followed by the current names of the Heads of those Houses, their spouse if there was one, followed by the name of the current Heir. Where necessary the title to go with the name was also present.

Harry had also found somewhere, or had the elves find them for him, a row of dressmakers dummies arrayed along the back wall. One was adorned with the robes of the Wizengamot, one in formal Lord's robes with a House Crest, one in formal Lady's robes with a House Crest, one in an old version of the Hogwarts school uniform, and one in the formal robes of the United Kingdom's House of Lords.

Stepping back Daphne continued to look around while Harry grabbed a small, wooden sign on a wooden post with four small legs from just near the door. Showing it to her, Daphne could see the words 'Etiquette Club' emblazoned in large gold old English script on it's surface.

Harry carried it just outside the door into the middle of the hallway and placed it so those walking down the hallway could see it.

Stepping back inside he said, "They should be able to see that from the grand staircase, so they know where to come.

"As for when this was done; it was last night," he said. "The Head Boy this year is both a Ravenclaw and a muggleborn. When I asked for his help, after showing him the material we showed Professor Flitwick, he was real excited to give of his time and skills. He was even the one who convinced the other Seventh Year, another muggleborn, to give us a hand.

"So, we planned this over the past couple of days after curfew. And, last night, the three of us came down here and got it all done."

"But where did you find the formal robes and the dressmaker dummies and stuff?" she asked.

"I've no idea," replied Harry. "I told the elves what I wanted as a general concept and they said they'd see what was in storage. Apparently there's very little thrown out from Hogwarts; the house elves have somewhere to store everything. Plus, there's some things that are lost or get discarded; and the elves store that stuff, too.

"One of these days I intend to search this place to see if I can find where it all is," he said. "I have a feeling it will be a veritable treasure trove dating back to the time of the founders, and will probably be worth a fortune."

"But, how did you get to talk to a house elf?" she asked. "I was under the impression the house elves of Hogwarts are seen but not heard. The Professor only allowed you one to get the classroom sorted, and that was ages ago."

"Huh!" replied Harry. "No one told me that. I just called for one and one came. He told me that the house elves normally don't come when called by a student but he - somehow - knew why I was calling and came. They're allowed to do that."

"Hello?" called a voice from the door.

Turning to look, both Harry and Daphne saw a First Year Gryffindor standing in the doorway looking around.

"Come in!" said Daphne. "You're the first to arrive."

Harry gestured to a ledger he had on the nearest desk with a quill and bottle of ink ready and said, "Please write your name in the ledger, and the House you belong to, and take a seat where you like."

Over the next half hour over two dozen students ranging from new First Years up to even Fourth Years came in. Over forty percent were Ravenclaws; about a quarter each were Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, and there were a couple of Slytherins. Just about all of them ooh'ed and ahh'ed at the decor. They were also joined by the full contingent of 'The Seven', as they were coming to be known.

At 4.30pm on the dot, Harry and Daphne moved to the head of the meeting room and waited a few moments to allow the noise to die down.

"Welcome, all of you," said Harry. "For those who do not know, my name is Harry Potter; and this most charming lovely lady with me is Daphne Greengrass. We're the two who asked for permission to form this club."

Harry gestured to Daphne to take it from there while he picked up a small pile of parchment and started walking around the U-shape handing out a sheet to each.

"Harry and I were disappointed to learn that many of you, if not all of you, are unaware of the etiquette and traditions of the wizarding world. What they are, why they are, when and how they apply. We also know it's not your fault. The purpose of this club is to work with you to rectify that.

"Children who have grown up in the Wizarding world are quite aware of most of what we're going to help you with. As they've grown up with this, it's a fundamental part of their lives. They live it. However, as muggleborns you weren't even aware of the wizarding world until you received your Hogwarts letters. A such, those of us with a lick of sense understand you aren't aware of our etiquette and traditions."

Returning to the front, Harry said, "However, it is the considered opinion of the populace of the wizarding world that it is your responsibility to make yourselves aware of the etiquette and traditions. So, when you make a mistake relating to one, they hold you responsible for it. They do not consider it their responsibility to teach you what you need to know. Though you may not agree with that viewpoint, they're right.

"Like me, as I was muggle-raised, you're pretty much a migrant to this world. To put that into perspective; before you came here, you were living as a muggle Brit. If someone emigrated into Britain, you would have been of the mind that it was the migrant's responsibility to learn how to live in Britain. They made the choice to come here, so it's their responsibility to fit in. The same applies to the wizarding world and you. Harsh, I know; but, no less true."

Daphne asked, "As an explanation of why it's so important, who here remembers what happened at breakfast last Saturday between Harry and Professor Snape?"

Almost all sitting before them raised their hands.

"Good. Now, who here knows what it meant?"

All but three hands went down.

Nodding, Daphne asked one of those who had their hand raised on the second question, "How did you come to understand what it meant?"

"I - err - went to the school library and found a book about it," said the Second Year Ravenclaw.

"A wise move," said Daphne. "Did either of you other two know what it meant as it happened? Or, did you also have to wait until later to find out?"

"Later," both replied.

Again nodding, she said, "Then none of you knew at the time that Professor Snape had committed a deliberate major breach of etiquette. And that, as a result of that breach, he could have been lawfully killed for it, do you?"

That elicited a few gasps around the room, together with a few talking to others sitting nearby.

With a smirk, Harry asked loud enough, "It all just became a much more serious issue for all of you, hasn't it?"

Not expecting a response he said, "What I handed to each of you is a general overview of what we'd like to discuss with you, show you, and where necessary demonstrate for you.

"We've included general subject ideas we can go over. However, if there's a specific subject matter you'd like to know about, or know more about, then we can discuss it. But you also need to consider that Daphne and I would like to run this club each year. And that each year will see the influx of another batch of First Years who would benefit from this club.

"That means we're starting from scratch each September to allow the new cohort of First Years to participate. However, if we haven't imparted upon you want we want to by June next year, then we may well continue for you on the Sundays opposite those where we'll be starting from scratch."

"Any questions, so far?" asked Daphne.

A Gryffindor First Year, Fay Dunbar, asked, "Harry, is it true you head-butted a Killing Curse?"

Giving a small snort and shaking his head, he replied, "Two things. First, no one really knows what happened when Voldemort cast the Killing Curse at me, because everyone but me is dead who would know. Anything you have read that states otherwise is only a guess at best and a blatant lie at worst.

"Secondly, I'm sorry to say, you have just committed a serious breach of etiquette. I'm not having a go at you for it because you didn't know and that's why you should be here. But, do you know what it was?"

"Errr - no; sorry," she meekly replied.

"Does anyone else?" asked Harry looking around. No one knew or guessed.

"Not surprising, really," said Harry. "The breach occurred when you used my first name when you were not given leave to do so. That is, I did not say you could call me by my first name before you used it.

"Properly, you should have asked, 'Potter - or, Mister Potter - is it true you head-butted a Killing Curse?'. There are some in the wizarding world who take great offence when you use their first name when they haven't said you can do so. It's referred to as being overly familiar and is considered disrespectful.

"Because we don't want any of you to feel uncomfortable in here, and because we want each of us to consider the others friends; please, call me Harry, all of you."

"And I give you leave to call me Daphne," said Daphne. "But, only in this room. I still expect to be called Miss Greengrass outside that door; alright?"

After receiving a number of verbal nods Daphne asked, "Please, are they any more questions; specifically, about what we hope to accomplish in here?"

Another Gryffindor, Seamus Finnegan, asked, "Yeah, why do we need to ride the Hogwarts Express to come to Hogwarts? It takes me and me Dad ages to travel all the way down to London just for me to have to ride all the way back to south western Scotland on a train."

"A question, I'm guessing, almost all muggleborns who don't live near London wonder about," said Daphne. "The answer lies in; it's tradition. It's one of those traditions that has arisen for only the last couple hundred years. The Hogwarts Express ride is supposed to be a time when the differences between the Houses comes down. And students are free to interact without interference from the Professors.

"Instead, it is considered by many, including some raised in the wizarding world, as a complete waste of time; irrespective of the fact it's a tradition. But, because it has become tradition, it won't be going away any time soon. And there are those who would feel offended if you recommend it be - done away with."

"Next?" asked Harry

When none were forthcoming, Harry said, "We intend to hold these meetings each Sunday a fortnight apart. They will be held here at the same time, each time. The only time the meetings will not be held will be when we are all on break, whether it be Christmas break, Easter break or summer break, or end-of-year exams are taking place.

"There is no mandatory requirement to attend. However, if you miss a session, and it covers something you want to know about, we will not be discussing it during the next meeting for you. It'll be your responsibility to find out what you missed from your fellow club members.

"We also don't intend to assign mandatory homework. If you want extra material to research or study, it'll be off your own backs; but we can help you there.

"This abandoned classroom will also remain the meeting room for the club. You may even appreciate the decor indicates this. However, it is not a House-less common room. The door will be locked and warded from intrusion when meetings are not being held. Everyone clear on this, so far?"

Again with the verbal nods.

"Anyone want to take a punt and ask a question before we wrap it up for the day?" he asked.

"Yeah, umm - Potter," one of the Second Year Gryffindors asked, "What is it with all the Crests around the room?" He was waving his hand in a sweeping gesture to the crests on the walls.

Harry looked at Daphne and gave a slight nod. She understood the message.

"While we plan on going through the nobility of the wizarding world in one of these sessions coming up, I find no harm in giving you an overview of it now.

"You, of course, know of the four Houses of Hogwarts. These crests you see high up on the walls around us represent the Houses of wizarding Britain. The ones with a wide red band through them identify them as Houses that are lost to us. That is, no one knows if there is a current Heir for any of them.

"The others identify those which are still active." Indicating one on the wall above the blackboard, she said, "There's mine; Greengrass. A couple across, there's Harry's; Potter. The reason why the Houses are so important to wizarding Britain will be discussed in a couple of weeks. And, yes, it's important to know.

"The Houses are broken down into Noble and Most Ancient, Noble and Ancient, Ancient, Elder, Minor, and Magical. Within the Noble Houses there are the Lords and Ladies, and the Heirs. Within all Houses are the Head of House and the Heirs. The chart on the back wall identifies the Head of each House and the Heir, whether they be the Heir Apparent or the Heir Presumptive.

"Harry is currently Head of House Potter but, because he is not yet of age, is not yet formally recognised as Lord of the House, Lord Potter. I'm Heiress Presumptive of House Greengrass, which means I currently stand to become Lady Greengrass on the passing of my father and I come of age. However, as Harry and I are also betrothed I also stand to become Lady Potter when we marry soon after we both reach our majority.

"What those titles mean, and why they're so important to Wizarding Britain, will be discussed in depth in a couple of weeks. It's going to take a while."

"And, I don't mean to be rude, but what about how you're betrothed at such a young age?" asked another.

"Fair question," replied Harry. "What many of you may be unaware of is that betrothal contracts amongst the nobility of the muggle world used to be quite common until a couple centuries ago. They have since fallen out of favour.

"In the magical world, however, betrothal contracts, while not as common as they once were, can still be found. My and Daphne's fathers wrote up a betrothal contract for the two of us when we were both infants. I don't understand what was going through my father's head at the time, but I know the betrothal was agreed to, in part, to bring our two Houses into a closer formal and public relationship. An alliance."

"But, what if you're not suited to each other?" asked the same person. "What if you even hate each other?"

"Most betrothal contracts have built in escape clauses. One or the other party of the contract can back out; but, it requires the payment of a substantial penalty to do so.

"However, the betrothal contract signed for Daphne and I has no such clause. And that's where magic comes in. From our experiences of this, it appears that magic itself is working with us to ensure we are compatible and will be happy with each other. As things are, both of us are happy with this arrangement. We find ourselves growing closer together the more time we spend with each other."

"So, when Professor Snape tried to separate you last weekend, it could be seen as he was trying to keep you apart, stopping the magic from taking hold?" said one of the lone Slytherins.

"Precisely," replied Harry firmly. "As such he was interfering with the betrothal contract. And that meant he was interfering with the business of both our Houses. So, as you can see, it was a very big and serious thing that happened."

"Wow," he heard one of the young girls say.

"Alright, folks," said Harry. "I know this wasn't a very long session. However, it was to give you an understanding of what we're going to be covering here over the school year, to see if you'd be interested in becoming a member, and give you the opportunity to now report back to those of your friends who asked you to check it out for you.

"The next meeting will be two weeks from today and we're really going to be getting stuck into things from then on. We look forward to seeing you then.

_‗_

-==(oIo)==-

\""/

After closing the meeting down Harry led the Seven down to the Great Hall. It was not yet time for dinner, but Harry wanted to see if there was any gossip about the etiquette club among the students.

Sitting at the Ravenclaw table they received a few other students approaching to ask if they could join the club. Each was told to present themselves at the next meeting a fortnight later.

After the meal he led Daphne outside and sat on one of the stones of a large standing circle of them on the path to Hagrid's hut. She joined him sitting on the stone and leaned against him.

"Daddy is coming for us at lunch time tomorrow," she softly said.

Harry grunted in agreement and said, "I still think our leaving the school for half a day tomorrow was a poor excuse for Dumbledore to not grant us permission to visit with Sirius at Greengrass Estate over the weekend."

With a shrug, she said, "He had the right to do it as we didn't give him a suitable reason to allow us to leave. Plus, him coming back with how you missed pretty much all of the first week, then we were gone for a significant part of last Sunday for the trials, and how other students didn't have those level of privileges, was a fair point or two."

"No, he's just shitty at me for that meeting in his office the other day," said Harry. "I half-expected him to reverse his decision to allow us to run the etiquette club, as well. Just out of spite, you know?"

"You think he could be that vindictive?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do," he replied.

"Well, it's running now," she said. "I'd be demanding answers and his reasoning if he blocked it now. Besides, we'll also be leaving the castle for the afternoon tomorrow for the trial. And that's something he can't refuse us."

"Yeah, and it gets me out of History of Magic," chuckled Harry. "Double win!"

_‗_

-==(oIo)==-

\""/

After Charms the next morning Harry met Daphne in the Entrance Hall. She was already waiting for him with Cygnus.

"Ready to go?" asked Cygnus.

"Yep," replied Harry.

Side-by-side they walked out the front doors of the castle and up the drive towards Hogsmeade.

After a couple minutes of silence in their walk, Harry looked at Cygnus and asked, "Any hints on what we can expect?"

"Dumbledore has a canny political mind," replied Cygnus. "He has perfected the art of answering questions with only as much information as he's willing to give. Amelia is aware of this and has been working on the exact wording of the questions she wants to ask him once she has him on the stand.

"But, I'm not sure we're going to hear everything we need to hear. Dumbledore's been keeping everything close to his own chest for years. A little court case like this isn't going to pry those secrets out of him any time soon."

Harry thought for a few moments before he said, "Then the counter to his taciturnity is to carefully listen to his answers to any question asked. And to consider basing your next question on his previous response as a form of confirmation. Also, don't assume that what he states is in direct response to the question asked; or, even if it is, is the entire answer."

Cygnus cast a long look at Harry before he said, "Points well made, Harry. We'll keep them in mind."

In an almost abrupt change of subject, Harry asked, "How's Sirius getting on? He's aware we were forbidden to leave Hogwarts over the weekend?"

"He's doing quite well; and, yes," replied Cygnus. "He wasn't happy to learn you were refused leave to visit, but he knows it wasn't your fault. He wanted to come along to pick you up today, but I convinced him not to. I did not want to risk a confrontation between him and members of Hogwarts's staff over such a petty issue.

"However, he'll be waiting for us at the Ministry. I suspect I'd have had to have the elves chain him to the floor of his room if I refused him to at least meet us there."

"It would have been unfair not to allow him to attend," said Harry. "He's been unlawfully incarcerated for ten years. To deny him his freedom, even for his own good, would have been cruel. Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing him again. He may not be my immediate family, but he's the closest thing I've got to my parents, at the moment."

After thinking about how that might have sounded, he said, "Sorry; that may have come off as being insulting or, at least, insensitive. I did not mean it to be."

"I understand, Harry," said Cygnus gently. "I take it you have memories of him, too?"

"Oh, yes," replied Harry with a wide smile. "He used to get Dad in trouble with Mum all the time. In Dad's letter where it states he had to sleep on the couch for a couple of weeks because of the betrothal contract was only one of many times my dear godfather got either or both of them in trouble with Mum."

With a shrug, he said, "I remember she loved it, though. She'd yell at both of them like they were naughty school boys for a while before she'd pick me up, if I was in the room, and walked away from them. I don't think she had any idea I would remember exactly what she said to me all these years later, even if I didn't understand a word of it then. She would just talk to me because I happened to be there."

"What sort of things would she say to you, Harry?" asked Daphne. "I don't mean to be so personal, it's just..."

"I don't mind," replied Harry. "She would tell me of how she was happy that they could still have fun together with the war on. That the - shenanigans - they got up to both showed they still retained their fun-loving natures and acted as stress relievers.

"She was worried that the brutality of the war would cause them to change; to - become people other than what they were while still at school; that they would change so much they would lose their friendship; their love for one another."

Harry noticed that the initial pace Cygnus had set walking towards the gates of Hogwarts had considerably slowed. They were now barely trudging along.

Cygnus said, "A very smart woman, was your mother. And not just book smart, either. She could see how things were headed. What the likely consequences of an action would lead to. And acted accordingly."

They had just reached the gates, so Cygnus led Harry and Daphne through before leading them to the Three Broomsticks. From there it was a quick trip to the Ministry.

_‗_

-==(oIo)==-

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