Chapter 040

Looking around the various tables and mentally going over plans on who he needed to speak to and in what order, Harry never noticed his best friend's face suddenly turn scarlet in embarrassment and look away, thinking about her future.

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After Harry assisted Neville in writing his letter to his Gran, the Regent of the House of Longbottom, Harry then discussed with the other boy who else he needed to approach about not providing assistance to him when it was obvious he needed it right from the first day of first year.

"I know you've spoken with Regent Bones, Harry," said the other boy, "But have you spoken with Susan, Heiress Bones, about her own lack of action? I mean, she's one of those who've been wearing one of those badges."

Harry gave a bit of grunt and replied, "Not yet. She's also one of the ones who bad-mouthed me during that whole Heir of Slytherin thing in second year."

"When she was twelve, Harry," argued Neville. "Do you really want to hold her to blame for that?"

"But, you're suggesting I hold her to blame for this year when she's fourteen?" he argued right back.

"Yes," Neville firmly and immediately replied. "At twelve we're still pre-teens and it's between four and five years before we take up our Headships if our father's are dead or... otherwise indisposed. At fourteen it's half that.

"In a little over two years Susan will be the Head of the House of Bones. I cannot see her aunt not educating her, as I was, in what would be required of her."

Harry thought about that for a long moment before he asked, "Do I have a right to talk to her about it?"

Confused, Neville asked back, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know the Houses of Potter and Longbottom are in alliance, but I don't know about the rest."

Neville looked in dawning shock and asked, "You really don't know, do you?"

Harry frowned back and snapped, "I wouldn't have bloody asked if I didn't."

A little sheepish Neville replied, "No... no, you wouldn't have. Sorry." And sighed. "Then I shall explain."

"Please," said Harry.

"The Potter-Longbottom Alliance is called that, but that's because our two families formed it and lead it. It's also called that because our two families are the most powerful, as both Houses are Noble and Most Ancient.

"However, there are a number of lesser powerful Houses who have joined in. Those are the Noble and Ancient Houses of Pones, Greengrass, MacMillan, Marchbanks and Ogden; and the Ancient Houses of Abbott and Davis. There's more, but they're even further down than the Ancient Houses. The only ones who do not currently have a representative on the Wizengamot is Abbott and Davis. And I haven't included some even lesser families who have asked for 'membership' because they really don't bring much to the table.

"In Hogwarts, especially in our year, are the Heirs and Heiresses of most of those Houses. They are: Daphne Greengrass, Earnie MacMillan, Hannah Abbott, Sue Bones and Tracey Davis; not including you and me. The Heirs for Marchbanks and Ogden are grown and already graduated.

"Does that help?"

Harry thought about that for a few minutes before he asked, "And have you approached those other Heirs and Heiresses and asked why, for the past month, they've been hanging shit on me?"

"They haven't, Harry," replied Neville. "Sue and Hannah both did not know those disgusting badges would change to saying 'Potter Stinks' when you came close to them, or on command from Malfoy. They both thought they were just supporting Cedric. As soon as both found out what those badges said in full, they immediately removed them.

"Neither Daphne nor Tracey wore them right from the start, because both thought them gauche. But it did take me a while to get Ernie to remove his. It wasn't until I pulled rank as a part of the Alliance before he complied. And he was pretty unhappy I did that."

"Hmmm," mused Harry. "Do I need to go and talk to them? To repri―"

Cutting him off, the other boy quite firmly replied, "Now that you've officially recognised the alliance, you definitely should; if for no other reason than to let them know you're now aware of it, at least.

"I also think you need to lay down the law with them all. That way, we're both now doing that. I still get treated like the supposed squib most thought I was. However, together, they'll have no choice but to knuckle under."

"The only reason you keep being referred to as a bloody squib is because you're using your father's wand!" Harry snapped. "If you had a wand that was properly attuned to you, you wouldn't be having so many bloody problems!"

As Neville gaped back at him, Harry gave a nod and said, "Now that we've written your Regent, we'll do just that... talk to the other heirs, I mean.

"Oh, and the issue with your wand is yet another thing that's annoying me about your grandmother. I take it she's the one who pretty much ordered you to use it?"

Neville, still a little stunned at Harry's remarks, simply nodded back wide-eyed.

"Then, that will be fixed with all due haste," Harry growled.

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Harry was just going to approach each of the other heirs in the Potter-Longbottom Alliance and demand their presence in a vacant classroom. However, Neville said it needed to be done the 'right' way; and that was to send them each an owl with a formal notice demanding their attendance at a specific time and place.

So, now that the letter to Regent Longbottom had been sent using Hedwig, the two wrote the demand letters for Daphne Greengrass, Earnest MacMillan, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Tracey Davis under their titles of 'Heir(ess) of'. Each heir was required to meet the two of them in the antechamber off the Entrance Hall, where they'd all first congregated the night of their sorting.

Because the mail was internal and he didn't want it delivered in the Great Hall by the owls anyway, nor wanted it to wait the full day, the others all received their summonses by 'house elf express'.