Chapter 41

Well, Professor McGonagall said that they stripped it right down…" said Harry, earning him wide eyed looks from everyone else.

"They stripped it down?" repeated Sarah.

"Yeah," replied Harry "Why?"

"So two school teachers took a state of the art school broom, stripped it right down to examine it in its entirety, and put it back together again?" asked Madam Bones.

"Yeah, I suppose." said Harry.

"You do realise, don't you," said Hannah "that at that time the Firebolt was a brand new broom just out on the market?"

"Yeah, so?"

"SO?" asked Hannah incredulously "So the Firebolt was the product of seven years' worth of in depth research intended to redefine the word "aerodynamic" undertaken by forty of the world's leading experts in broomstick design! Each and every twig in the broomtail is individually selected! The ash handle is treated with a diamond-hard polish! It has unsurpassable balance, and pin-point precision! There are unbreakable breaking charms on all of them. Any faults can only be fixed by the manufacturer, as they are the only ones with the skill to do so, and yet you believe that in, what, forty days two mere school teachers were able to completely strip one down, test it for any and all possible problems and then put it back in perfect working order without there being even the slightest hiccup with it? A simple "Reparo" can't fix that kind of thing, Harry."

"So you think that's where the money went?" asked Harry "They stripped it down, couldn't put it back together, and so sent it back to the manufacturer to have them do it, and then charged the cost of repairs to my account?"

"Yes," replied Hannah "Though given the time frame involved, I'd say that they just went and brought you a new broom with your money. I doubt even a team of experts could put a fully stripped down Firebolt back to full working order in about a month."

End Flashback

Sarah had checked around the next day and discovered that the going price of a Firebolt broom about six months after its original release date was about 470-480 galleons.

Looking back of course, it all made sense. Professor Flitwick was a dueller and a charms master. He was not a broomstick designer. Nor, for that matter, was Madam Hooch, however much she might appear to be an expert in such things.

It was ridiculous to think that two school teachers could do what forty experts had taken seven years to perfect.

So with the broom he now owned not actually being the one that Sirius had given him, Harry really had to wonder just what else was a lie. A check for mid to late October 1991 also showed a withdrawal amounting to the approximate cost of a Nimbus 2000 broomstick at the time. Obviously it was foolish to think that McGonagall had gotten that state-of-the-art broom for him with her own money, but it would have been nice to have been told.

And there was also the matter of who was approving these purchases in his name, but that was a matter for a different time.

For now, it was time for Harry to put his game face on, as the waste material was about to hit the spinning turbine, as they say.

Most people had already seated themselves that their house tables and all were talking excitedly as they waited for the food to arrive so that the feast could start.

Harry made his way over to the Gryffindor table, pointedly ignoring Ron and Hermione as he went. He might be withdrawing himself from the house and becoming neutral in order to be more approachable to all students, but for now it was best if he just sat with them.

He didn't know what his plans for future seating arrangements at meal times would be, but he was thinking that he would join each house at different times, allowing himself to mingle and appear more approachable.

The sixth year Gryffindor prefects, Bianca Dunstan and Geoffrey Hooper were sitting together, but Bianca waved him over as soon as she spotted him and the pair made a space for him.

"We heard McGonagall shouting your name," said Geoffrey as Harry sat himself down "What happened?"

"Peeves was being a nuisance, so I fired one of his thrown ink pots back at him," explained Harry "McGonagall wasn't too happy."

Bianca gave a snort and said "She never is."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"She doesn't approve of anyone other than a teacher doing what should be a teacher's job," replied Bianca "Sometimes I get the impression that she feels that a prefect's sole purpose is to be the one to run and get a teacher whenever trouble pops its head up."

"Well, if there had been a teacher there to do the job then I wouldn't have had to do it for them," said Harry.

"If a teacher was there then nothing would have been done at all," said Geoffrey "None of them will admit it, but they have absolutely no control over Peeves. Not even Dumbledore."

"Professor Lupin seemed pretty good at dealing with him," said Harry "The first defence class I had with him, we saw Peeves stuffing chewing gum into a key hole. Professor Lupin used a spell that dislodged the gum from the key hole and wedged it up Peeves' nose."

"Now that's something I would have paid to have seen," said a female voice.

Harry looked up and saw that Katie Bell, one of the chasers for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team had just taken a seat opposite him. Like Bianca and Geoffrey, she was a sixth year student.

"Have a good summer, Katie?" asked Bianca.

Katie shrugged her shoulders and replied "It was okay, I suppose. Apart from that bit where I broke up with Lee."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Bianca "What happened?"

"Come on girls," protested Geoffrey "Can't you save this for your dorm room and spare us guys?"

Katie and Bianca both stuck their tongues out at him before turning to each other and beginning a conversation that began by discussing Katie's problems with Lee Jordan and would soon have dissolved into a moan fest about anything wrong with every man everywhere were it not for the doors to the Great Hall opening and Professor McGonagall leading two lines of frightened looking first years towards the head table.

"Saved by the firsties." muttered Geoffrey under his breath.

Harry grinned, but quickly forced his face to become neutral as both Katie and Bianca turned to glare at them.

They all listened dutifully as the school's Sorting Hat sang a song about the history of the school, how the founders parted and urging them all to unite together, before the sorting ceremony began.

Euan Abercrombie was the first student to be called upon, and he was sorted into Gryffindor. From then it took a good forty minutes for the hat to sort the rest.

Harry noted that there seemed to be a few more new arrivals this year than in years before. There were certainly more than in his year group, which consisted of around forty kids. This new lot seemed to consist of almost double that.

He supposed that his year being so small in numbers was due mostly to the effects of the first was against Voldemort. Those in his year, the one above and the one below were born in the last few years of the war, when Voldemort and his Death Eaters were at the height of their powers, and not far off of claiming total victory.

This new group were obviously the beginnings of a population recovery.

Harry felt his stomach tighten as he thought of the fact that Voldemort was now back to physical form, and had at least thirty followers at his side once again. He thought of how he had tried to tell the world this but…

'No' he told himself 'Now is not the time to think on that. This is what is important now.'

Finally Rose Zeller was sorted into Hufflepuff House, Harry saw Susan, Hannah and their friends cheering for her as she joined them at the Hufflepuff table, and Professor McGonagall took away the Sorting Hat and the three legged stool on which it stood.

At the staff table, Professor Dumbledore stood up from his seat, a high backed golden one situated right in the middle, and issued his usual start of term greeting.

"To our newcomers, welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

And excited murmur swept through the hall as plates and bowls filled to overflowing with all manner of food appeared up and down the lengths of every table, accompanied by innumerable jugs of pumpkin juice.

As those around him began helping themselves to a wide array of meats, potatoes, vegetables, sauces and gravies, Harry took out his wand and began casting a few spells around himself.

Katie's fork, on which was speared a piece of chicken, paused halfway to her mouth as she stopped to watch Harry. After the fifth spell she found herself asking "What are you up to Harry?"

"Diagnostic charms," replied Harry "I am checking to see if any of the food is laced with potions."

"Find anything?" asked Geoffrey, setting his knife and fork down without taking a bite.

"Not much," replied Harry "The pumpkin juice has a mild calming draught in it. But I suspect that it's to help the first years to relax a little and allow everyone else to calm down some from the excitement of being back. Nothing all that sinister and so safe to drink."

"I don't think I like the idea of there being a potion in my drink no matter how benign it is." said Bianca.

"It could be much worse." replied Harry, tucking his wand back into his pocket. He nodded his head down the table to where the first and second year students were sitting. The second years were getting a little rowdy, and a good number of the first years were looking quite nervous about being in this new sitting.

"Looking at that lot, I can't say I blame the staff for giving them a little something to calm them dow.

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