# # #
Though the emergency session of the Wizengamot was scheduled for 9.00am, both Harry and Sirius had arrived an hour beforehand. They met Amelia and Augusta there.
Harry trained with Dan and the few in his unit who were now somewhat aware of a few of Harry's unique gifts, that morning. But Dan could tell his mind wasn't on what he was doing. Taking him aside, Dan had asked what the matter was, so Harry told him the basics of what he suspected Dumbledore was attempting later that morning.
Dan then took him for a run to allow his mind to relax before sending him home. He knew Harry's mind was already on the meeting and that he needed to deal with that. But, he did ask Harry to mirror him when he was finished. And that he'd let Hermione know Harry wouldn't be available for her training that morning.
Dumbledore had also arrived early and was talking to everyone - including Augusta - except Sirius, Amelia and Harry. He very studiously avoided any contact with any of the last three. And, was also clearly annoyed Harry was there.
At a few minutes to 9.00am the Wizengamot, except Harry and Sirius, took their seats in the main chamber. Harry and Sirius stood on the floor before them.
At exactly 9.00am the scribe stood and announced, "Order, the time is now 9.00am and this emergency session of the Wizengamot has been called to order; Chief Warlock Dumbledore presides!"
A long 'gong' sound echoed through the chamber.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and said, "This emergency session of the Wizengamot has been called to discuss the matter of the unlawful emancipation of..."
Augusta stood and held up her wand. She called, "Point of order, Chief Warlock!"
Dumbledore was startled by the interruption, but clearly chose to ignore Augusta when he continued, "... unlawful emancipation of Harry James Potter..."
Augusta, still standing and holding up her wand, called more firmly, "I said, point of order, Chief Warlock!"
Dumbledore stopped and gave an overly dramatic sigh. He said, "Very well, Augusta; what is it?"
Augusta stared at Dumbledore and started rather firmly, "It's Madam Longbottom, Chief Warlock! We are in chambers, after all."
Frowning, Dumbledore replied, "Very well, Madam Longbottom, what is your point of order?"
Hesitating, while she glared back at Dumbledore for a few seconds, she said, "We have two new Lords who have presented themselves in chambers, this morning. It is customary to invite them to take their seats before business commences."
Frowning even more fiercely, Dumbledore said, "This is only an emergency session of the Wizengamot, Augusta, they can present themselves at the next ordinary sitting."
Glaring right back, Augusta said, "This is still a sitting of the Wizengamot, Chief Warlock. And they are presenting themselves now, as is their right! And it's still... Madam Longbottom!"
Dumbledore replied with another of his 'I'm just humouring a child' sighs and said, "Very well,... Madam Longbottom."
Finally looking down at Sirius and Harry, he said, "Sirius... Harry... you may take your seats."
Augusta resumed her seat, but neither Sirius nor Harry moved. She then snapped, "It's Lord Black and Lord Potter, Chief Warlock. You will address them as such!"
With yet another of his 'I'm just humouring a child' sighs, he said, "Very well... Lord Black. You and the boy may take your seats."
Again, neither moved. Sirius said back very firmly, "Chief Warlock, you have been reminded three times already in less than a minute of the proper forms of address in this chamber. I now remind you for the fourth time. Either you are being deliberately rude, or you are becoming mentally enfeebled. It's Lord Black and Lord Potter. We shall be addressed as such!"
Glaring back, Dumbledore said, "While we recognise you are the rightful Lord Black, whether or not Harry keeps his Lordship is one of the matters before this Wizengamot this morning!"
Not to be outdone in the glaring stakes, Sirius replied, "Be that as it may... and we suspected such... until this body rules, Harry James Potter is Lord Potter, and will be addressed as such! And that's now five times! Or, are you attempting to pervert proper procedure?"
There were mutters and calls of "Hear! Hear!" from other members of the Wizengamot.
"Very well... Lord Black," grumbled Dumbledore. "You and Lord Potter may take your seats."
Without a word, Harry followed Sirius up into their seats on the Wizengamot.
Once they were sitting, Dumbledore resumed with a bit of a snarl, "As I was saying, this emergency session of the Wizengamot has been called to discuss the matter of the unlawful emancipation of Harry James Potter..."
Harry shot to his feet and said, "Point of order, Chief Warlock!"
With another of his sighs, Dumbledore asked, "What is it, Harry?"
Harry glared right at Dumbledore and said, "I now have two points of order. The first concerns your use of the term unlawful as it applied to my emancipation. By what right do you use the term? What law has been already determined to have been broken?"
Murmurs passed through the gathering.
Dumbledore replied, "It is for this body to decide what is unlawful and what is not, Harry. It is why we are here today. Now, please resume your seat."
Still standing Harry said, "And yet this body has not yet made the decision it was unlawful, Chief Warlock. So, again, by what right do you use the term?"
Dumbledore replied with another of his 'I'm just humouring a child' sighs and said, "Very well... the emancipation of Harry James Potter... Now, please resume your seat."
"I informed you I had two points of order, Chief Warlock. Or, did you forget that, as well?" asked Harry quite firmly.
"Very well!" grumbled Dumbledore. "What is your second point of order?"
"You are still referring to me by my given name, Chief Warlock. It has been pointed out to you by both Madam Longbottom and Lord Black what is now a total of five times of the requirements of your position, placed upon you as a member of this body, to address its members... all of its members... by their proper titles. You still fail to do so. Your latest now makes it six times!
"I now find myself feeling quite insulted, both for myself and for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter. And, as you are the Chief Warlock of this body, appointed by this body to lead and represent them, I now wonder if your insults are sanctioned by them all!"
Near pandemonium broke out. Harry calmly took his seat. A few of its members were yelling at him; but everyone else was yelling at Dumbledore, either demanding the floor or demanding he step down.
He looked over at Amelia, Augusta and Sirius. Amelia and Augusta were sitting quite calmly while Sirius was laughing his head off. Amelia was smirking back while Augusta just had her eyes closed and a pained look on her face.
"Order!" roared Dumbledore. "Order! I will have order in this place!"
Members slowly began to resume their seats. All except Lady Griselda Marchbanks.
Dumbledore, grumbling away and about to start talking again, noticed Lady Marchbanks still standing with her wand raised. "Sit down, please, Griselda; so we can get on with this!"
"That's seven times... Albus!" she waspishly snapped back. "I now formally move that Albus Percival 'whatever' Dumbledore be dismissed as Chief Warlock immediately..."
"What? No!" exclaimed Dumbledore.
"... for behaviour not in keeping with the office of Chief Warlock!" she finished.
"I do not accept the motion!" he snapped.
Sirius shot to his feet with his wand raised and said, "I second the motion!"
"I have a seconder!" called Lady Marchbanks. Turning to look at Dumbledore, she said, "A formal motion, one you cannot ignore or fail to accept by procedure of this body, is before you... Chief Warlock. You will call the vote... or I will!"
"I am Albus Dumbledore!" the old fool called back. "And I am Chief Warlock of this Wizengamot. I will not be spoken to in this manner! You will sit down immediately!"
Still standing Lady Marchbanks replied, "Then you leave me no choice... Albus. Under Standing Order six seven four, all those in favour of the motion removing Albus Dumbledore from the position of Chief Warlock will signify with the raising and lighting of their wands."
Of the members present, all but nine did so. The Minister, who had been trying to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible, was one of the nine. Dumbledore was still spluttering about how he refused the motion.
"All those against?" asked Lady Marchbanks.
Of the last nine, only the Minister and two others, Doge and Yaxley voted against the motion. The other six abstained. Of two members of the Wizengamot least likely to be on the same side in a vote, it had to be Doge and Yaxley. It was clear it was noticed by other members.
After only a glance about the chamber, Lady Marchbanks stated, "The vote appears to be near-unanimous against you, Albus. You will step down, immediately."
Grumbling sulphurously, Dumbledore didn't move for about five seconds. Suddenly, he shot to his feet and stomped away to take a seat at the end of one of the lower tiers. Lady Marchbanks took her seat.
Harry stood and raised the tip of his wand.
Lady Marchbanks asked, "You wish to say something, Lord Potter?"
"Yes, Lady... ummm..." he stammered.
"It's Lady Marchbanks, Lord Potter" she said.
"Thank you, Lady Marchbanks," he said. "I apologise for not knowing who you were and meant no disrespect. I wish to ask three questions, if I may?"
"You may ask, Lord Potter," she replied.
"Thank you, Ma'am... Ummm... Lady Marchbanks," he said. "My first question is: Now that Mister Dumbledore is no longer the Chief Warlock, who is supposed to chair this meeting?"
"Hem-hem"
"I do, Lord Potter," she replied. "As the oldest member of the Wizengamot, the role falls to me until a new Chief Warlock is appointed."
"Thank you, Lady Marchbanks," he said. "My second question is: Now that Mister Dumbledore is no longer Chief Warlock, and as he is not a Lord or a senior member of the Ministry, how does he now come to occupy a seat on the Wizengamot?"
"Hem-Hem!"
"As Headmaster of Hogwarts, and as there is currently no Lord of Hogwarts, he holds the position as Castellan of Hogwarts; the Governor. As such, he is recognised as an adjunct Lord and sits in absentia of the Lord," she replied.
"Thank you, again, Lady Marchbanks," he said. "My third question falls moot. And, I apologise for not knowing this in advance. My true legal magical guardian, as per my parents' Will, my godfather, Lord Black, has, through no fault of his own, been remiss in some of his instruction to me of my responsibilities as the Head of a Noble and Most Ancient House."
"Oi! Pup!" exclaimed Sirius. Harry chose to ignore him.
Dumbledore interjected at the same time, "As such, he should be stripped of his Lordship immediately!"
"Hem! Hem!"
Again, he was ignored. Clearly, Lady Marchbanks did not even deign to recognise anyone saying anything until she formally recognised them.
Harry continued, "The person who claimed to be my magical guardian, Albus Dumbledore - whom I never met until a few short days ago in the Alley, when he assaulted me by grabbing me and dragging me out of my chair - also clearly never provided me with the training I needed to be Head of such a Noble and Most Ancient House."
"Pardon, Lord Potter?" asked Lady Marchbanks. "Castellan Dumbledore was fulfilling the role as your magical guardian? Why on Earth would you need a magical guardian? You're of a Noble and Most Ancient House!"
"HEM! HEM!"
Knowing who... and what... he'd be addressing, Harry looked around and asked, "My apologies, Lady Marchbanks; but, where on Earth is that horrid, toad-like, croaking sound coming from while I have the floor?"
Harry heard a couple of snorts of amusement and mutterings coming from the assembled members.
"How dare you!" screeched Dolores Umbridge, the source of the noise, before Lady Marchbanks could say a word.
Before the woman could say anything else, Harry cut in and said, "I dare... whoever you are... because I currently have the floor and your rude noises are both distracting and, quite frankly, annoying! If you are suffering from some malady that troubles your throat I suggest you refrain from passing it on, and infecting, the rest of us by removing yourself from this chamber."
"I am Dolores Jane Umbridge, Special Assistant to the Minister of Magic, and I will not be spoken to this way!" the ugly woman huffed.
"Ah! So, you're not a Head, Regent or Proxy of a Noble House, nor even a Head of a Department, who have the right to be here. In other words, you have no voice on this august body. Your toad noises are infringing on my time on the floor."
"I... I... You...!" Umbridge gasped out near choleric in rage.
"Madam Umbridge, be silent!" snapped out Lady Marchbanks. "Lord Potter does, indeed, have the floor. Your... throat clearing... is not the approved method by which to gain my attention!" Turning back to Harry, she said, "Lord Potter, you were saying."
"Thank you, Lady Marchbanks," replied Harry with a slight bow. "I was about to say I thought you knew that Albus Dumbledore, contrary to my parents' wishes, put me with my non-magical relatives on my mother's side, Vernon and Petunia Dursley. If I was put with the people my parents had wished for me in their Will, then I wouldn't have needed such a guardian. Castellan Dumbledore was able to do that by sealing my parents' Will."
"Your parents' Will was sealed because material within it was considered a security risk," she said.
"Really? By whom, Lady Marchbanks?" he asked. "I've read it and fail to see what sort of security risk it could be. And, Madam Bones over there, in her role as Head of the DMLE, has a copy of it and has now also read it. Mayhap, you should ask her what's in it that represents a security risk."
Dumbledore cut-in raising his wand and not waiting to be recognised, "Ooh... errr... There's no need for that! It was sealed for the boy's safety. There's no need to open the Will now."
"Madam Bones?" asked Lady Marchbanks, ignoring Dumbledore and turning to Amelia. "Is there something within the Will that may be considered, or may have been considered, a security risk?"
"Madam Bones!" Dumbledore again cut in, "I've already said there's no need to open the Will. Think of the boy's safety!"
"No, Lady Marchbanks; there is not," replied Amelia. "Other than the usual financial details of dispositions relating to select friends and associates, there is a section on whom the Potters sought to be the physical guardians for their then infant son, Harry James Potter. And, it is very clear where it states he was never to be put with the Dursleys. They preferred he be placed in an orphanage before going to his non-magical relatives."
"No!" exclaimed Dumbledore. "You are to speak no more of it! I won't have it!"
Still choosing to ignore Dumbledore, Amelia said, "The Will was also witnessed by Albus Dumbledore. So, he knew the contents of the Will well before he sealed it. He knew there was no such security risk, and he knew the infant Harry Potter was never to be put with his non-magical relatives. Yet, that is precisely what he did."
"Castellan Dumbledore? Do you have any explanation for this?" asked a clearly unhappy Lady Marchbanks.
"What I did was for the best interests and safety of the child," said a huffy Dumbledore. "It's still the best place for him, and I insist he be sent back there immediately, until he boards the train for Hogwarts on the first of September!"
"If what I've heard of the scars on Lord Potter's body is any indication," snapped Lady Marchbanks. "It most clearly is not the best place for him."
Turning back to Amelia, she asked, "And what does the rest of Lord Potter's file disclose?"
"The entire file has been sealed by Albus Dumbledore, Lady Marchbanks," Amelia said formally.
"Then we shall unseal it and see if we can get to the bottom of this," said the Acting Chief Warlock. Turning to Harry she asked, "Lord Potter, do you mind if we do this?"
"Not at all, Lady Marchbanks," said a happy Harry.
"Thank you, Lord Potter," she replied. "We'll take a ten minute recess while the files relating to Lord Potter are brought before us. We're adjourned."
Two of the Ministry support staff hurried from the chamber.
# # #
During the break a number of other members of the Wizengamot approached both Harry and Sirius and formally introduced themselves. Even the Minister approached, without his tag-along Umbridge, to offer their welcome to the Body. Harry was then able to get an initial feel for those members who were likely allies and enemies.
Many wanted to organise private meetings with them both, or individually, to 'discuss matters of like views on wizarding matters'. The Minister was almost pleading with Harry to join with him to give interviews to the wizarding press, trying to curry the image the Boy-Who-Lived supported him.
When the Ministry staff returned, Lady Marchbanks called the meeting back to order.
After everyone returned to their seats, she ordered, "Bring the files relating to Lord Potter to me."
The files were passed up to her. She looked through the files, and said, "Are all these files supposed to be sealed? His medical records, the files on occasions of accidental magic, the financial disclosure files... All of them?"
One of the Ministry support personnel replied, "Yes, Lady Marchbanks; all of them. By order of the Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore."
"Well, I'm opening them as Acting Chief Warlock," she snapped. Then she passed her wand over the documents and broke the seals on each of them.
Opening the first one, she said, "This is the medical file of Lord Potter." She then held the file up and open. "It's empty," she said looking to the staffer.
"Yes, Lady Marchbanks," said the staffer. "We've never received any parchments to put within it."
"Lord Potter," she said, looking at Harry. "Where are your medical records?"
"Other than a couple of times where I was treated by a non-magical doctor while with my aunt and uncle, I've never had occasion to visit a medical practice, Lady Marchbanks," replied Harry.
"But, what about your inoculations?" she asked.
"Inoculations, Lady Marchbanks?" asked Harry. "Do you mean for rubella, cholera, stuff like that?"
"I'm... I don't know what those are, Lord Potter," she replied. "I mean inoculations for dragon pox, wizard flu, scrofungulus, and the like."
"Ummm... I've never been inoculated for those, Lady Marchbanks. To the best of my knowledge, I've never visited a trained magical healer's medical practice in my life!"
There was quite a bit of angry mutterings from other members of the Wizengamot on hearing that.
Turning to Dumbledore she asked, "Castellan Dumbledore, as you claimed to be the boy's magical guardian, it was your responsibility to have the boy receive the necessary inoculations. When and where were those carried out?"
Dumbledore grumped and grouched before he said, "I just never found the time to take him. There were always more pressing matters with which to deal."
Furore erupted.
After Griselda Marchbanks regained control, she said to Harry, "After you depart here today, Lord Potter, I strongly recommend you present yourself to Saint Mungo's to see about those inoculations." Turning to glance at Dumbledore she said, "It is quite clear the person claiming to be your magical guardian has utterly failed you in his responsibilities regarding your health."
Next, she opened the file containing accidental bouts of magic. There were quite a lot of parchments in this file and she spent a while reading through them.
Once she finished she said, "This file contains over fifty incidents of accidental magic, of which over forty of them relate to self-healing."
More angry mutterings from the members.
Turning to Amelia, she said, "Madam Bones, I certainly hope that these Dursley people have been, or are being, dealt with by the authorities."
"They are, Lady Marchbanks," she replied. "At this present time I have been informed, through contacts in law enforcement in the non-magical world, they are being held in a secure location under arrest. For security reasons and for their own safety," she said, glancing at Dumbledore, "the location is not in the public record."
"They'll need to be freed immediately!" spluttered Dumbledore. "They need to be released to take care of Harry!"
"Good!" said Lady Marchbanks, glancing back down at the file before her. "Over forty cases of self-healing using accidental magic," she said, shaking her head. Looking up at Harry she asked, "Just what happened to you there, Lord Potter?"
"I'm... currently in the process of writing an account of all that, Lady Marchbanks," replied Harry. "I'm using the experience of writing it all down as a form of... catharsis. So, I'd rather hold off on any comment that will enter the public record, for now, Ma'am."
"That is your right, Lord Potter," she replied solemnly.
"Now, the financial disclosure documents," she said, turning to the next file.
Opening it, she again held it open and aloft. She said, "Again, it is empty!"
"Yes, Lady Marchbanks," said the staffer. "We've never received any parchments to put within that one, either."
"Lord Potter," she said, looking at Harry. "Where are your financial records?"
"Other than with the goblins, Lady Marchbanks," replied Harry, "I have no idea. I've never received an item of mail from them concerning that. They have, however, informed me they have sent plenty."
"Castellan Dumbledore, as well as intercepting Lord Potter's... fan mail," she asked, glaring at the old wizard. "Have you also been intercepting his financial records?"
"As I have already stated, Griselda," he huffed. "It is for the boy's safety he not receive mail. It could have included any manner of harmful hexes and the like."
"So, you now accuse the goblins of this foul chicanery?" she waspishly asked.
"No, no," replied Dumbledore. "Someone may have sent him something purporting to be from the goblins. I couldn't take the risk!"
Harry again stood and asked, "If I may, Lady Marchbanks?"
"Lord Potter," she replied with a nod.
"I have been informed Albus Dumbledore currently faces charges relating to my mail being intercepted," said Harry. "I would inform you, and the members, I'm still not receiving my mail. I only knew of this meeting, as Lord Black felt it was his duty to me to ensure I had the relevant information."
"Lord Potter," asked Lady Marchbanks. "Do you mean to inform us, you did not receive your summons to this meeting of the Wizengamot?"
"Yes, Lady Marchbanks, I do," replied Harry. "I'm still not receiving any correspondence, whether it be from this body, the Ministry, the goblins at Gringotts, friends, or even people who would wish me well. And, I must say, I'm getting pretty bloody annoyed about it!"
"Castellan Dumbledore," said Lady Marchbanks staring furiously at Dumbledore, "you have already been charged with committing the crime of mail interception. Are you still committing this criminal act?"
"As I said at Sirius's trial..." Dumbledore began,
Lady Marchbanks overrode him. "Castellan Dumbledore! You will answer the question with a 'yes' or a 'no'. Are you still committing this criminal act?"
"As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot..." he tried.
She overrode, "I am the Acting Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. You no longer hold the position, and you will answer the question! Are you still committing this criminal act?"
"I will not be spoken to this way!" he spluttered.
"Aurors!" she called.
"No! No!" cried Dumbledore.
"Aurors, you are to take Albus Dumbledore, and throw his disobedient butt into a holding cell."
"I will not allow you to do this!" Dumbledore continued to splutter.
"There, you will learn from him, by whatever means are necessary, how he is intercepting Lord Potter's mail, and you will then remove that interception," intoned Lady Marchbanks.
"Griselda, this has gone far enough!" spluttered Dumbledore even more.
"Further, you will ensure Albus Dumbledore is never again able to intercept Lord Potter's mail. You will not release him until that has occurred," she snapped.
"I am the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW," tried Dumbledore from a different tack. "You are not permitted to treat this way."
"That's easily rectified," replied Lady Marchbanks. "Take him away!"
"No!" Dumbledore struggled as he was dragged away. "Griselda? Griselda! Release me at once! Griselda!"
After the doors shut behind the auror escort and Dumbledore's still spluttering and demanding self, Lady Marchbanks then said, "As he has raised it, himself - and though there is still the matter that originally brought this body together this day - I seek a mover to have Albus Dumbledore removed as magical Britain's representative on the ICW."
Augusta stood, but was beaten to the floor, by about six members; light, grey and dark, alike.
"The chair recognises Lord Greengrass as the mover," said the Lady. "Do I have second?"
Other than Lord Greengrass, no one else sat down, a few others rose, though.
"The chair recognises Madam Longbottom as seconder," she said. "Unless anyone feels strongly enough to speak up against the motion?... In that case, I'm calling the vote."
This time there was about a 60/40 split in favour of the motion.
"Scribe, note that Albus Dumbledore has been removed from his position on the ICW," said Lady Marchbanks. "Please, ensure the ICW are informed of this immediately on the conclusion of this meeting. Inform them they shall also be looking for a new Supreme Mugwump, as Albus Dumbledore cannot hold that position if he is not also the representative of magical Britain."
"Yes, Lady Marchbanks," said the scribe. He'd been monitoring a brace of dicta-quills from the start of the meeting.
Referring back to her notes, she said, "We can finally return to the business for which this emergency session was called. However, as Albus Dumbledore is not here to speak on behalf of his motion, I hereby declare it invalid. Is there any new business?"
Nobody said anything.
"In that case," she said. "I hereby declare this meeting closed. Lord Potter, please ensure you attend Saint Mungo's at your earliest opportunity. Like, now."
Harry knew an order when he heard one.
# # #
Harry received his inoculations, that afternoon. And, was ordered immediately to bed. If Sirius hadn't also been there, they would have stuck him in a bed at the hospital. As it was, Sirius was able to take him back to the Pottery. There, he ordered him to bed, and dosed him with one of his own sedative potions.
The next morning, Harry still wasn't feeling all that well, but joined the Major on the range and for physical fitness. Again, Dan noticed he wasn't training up to par, so questioned him on it.
Harry replied, "I finally received my inoculations for magicals in the wizarding world, yesterday afternoon. I'm still feeling a tad seedy from it."
Surprised, Dan asked, "Did they provide you with any instructions regarding physical activity, and for how long?"
Frowning, Harry replied, "No. They just said, 'Rest for the rest of the day and have an early night'. I've done that."
"Good," said Dan, grinning. "In that case, the British military have a perfect treatment for how to treat people following required inoculations. I'll be applying that to you. We're going for a run... double the usual distance... then we're going to do some callisthenics to get the heart pumping the blood, and those inoculates, around your system; then a warm down run."
Groaning, Harry closed his eyes and said, "Oh. God!"
# # #
When he arrived home for breakfast, he flopped into a chair at the kitchen table. Sirius handed him a Pepper-Up potion. "There must be laws against killing Heads of Noble houses with exercise," he moaned.
That afternoon the other three heirs arrived, and Harry was able to help them set the locks on their trunks. They loved how he had asked for the House crests to be emblazoned on their trunks. Hermione was already speaking about how she was going to use the space within her trunk the mokeskin lining afforded her; as was Susan.
The other heirs were now actively following individual preferences of the subject matter they favoured. Harry was focussed on potions and runes, Hermione on spellcraft, Susan on law, and Neville on herbology.
'Interesting,' thought Harry.
Harry then had Dobby bring the more regal looking of the two owls he'd just purchased, together with a bag of assorted owl treats, down. She was sitting quite alertly in her large, gilded cage looking about.
"Oooh!" squealed Hermione and Susan. "She's gorgeous, Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. "What's her name?"
"That's for your parents to decide, 'Mione," replied Harry. "This is the gift I'm giving them for their assistance when we walked through the Alley to buy my things."
Hermione looked gobsmacked at Harry. "You bought them an owl?"
Harry shrugged. "The trunk is your gift for attaining your Headship of House Ravenclaw. The owl is theirs, as agreed, for accompanying me in the Alley that day. I was only allowed to buy them one gift, remember? This is the most practical thing I could think of that I know they'd appreciate. This way they can..."
Hermione, after a moment and while Harry was explaining, leapt at him and tackled him to the floor in a big hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" she squealed.
"Oof!" exclaimed Harry. "Gerroff, 'Mione!"
Neville roared with laughter while Susan just stood there, not knowing whether to be amused or horrified a 'Lady' had tackled a Lord and gave the appearance of trying to hug him to death in his own parlour.
"...thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" continued the young witch. "You're so wonderful!"
Sirius and Remus were just standing back and watching with their own levels of amusement.
"'Mione!" begged Harry. "I need to breathe!"
Sirius had to step forward and lift Hermione off Harry before she accidentally killed him through suffocation.
Later, after Hermione had calmed down but still looked at Harry like she wanted to hug him to death, Harry helped Hermione take her trunk and her parents' new owl back to the Granger residence. When he gave the owl and its... accoutrements... to the Grangers, he was smothered in another hug. This time by Emma.
At least Harry knew where Hermione got her hugging gene from.
They called the owl, Curie; named after Marie Curie, the first woman to earn a Nobel Prize. Harry nicknamed it 'Mir Curie', a play on the name 'Mercury', the messenger of the Gods. Mir, in Arabic, meant 'of Noble rank'. And the entire name would, therefore, mean 'Lady Curie'.
Dan just thought he was being a smart-aleck, which made Harry impudently grin in response. Which made Dan snort and say, "Don't forget training tomorrow, lad. Then, you're mine!"
Harry lost his impudent grin after that.
The second owl was the Pottery manor owl, and would remain there for the use of Sirius and Remus, or anyone else who was in-residence at the time in the future. Remus ended up naming it 'Crackpot'; a play on it being the Pottery owl, and how it always seem to watch them with its head tilted to the side.
# # #
After spending almost twenty-four hours in a holding cell at the Ministry, Dumbledore was finally released. However, it was not until after he gave a magical vow to remove the current mail redirection within the hour, and to not invoke another mail redirection for anyone except himself, or by any means instruct another to invoke a mail redirection.
The aurors had been very careful in the wording of the vow for Dumbledore to invoke, and allowed him to divert from it not one jot.
Upon returning to his office at Hogwarts, he removed the Potter boy's mail redirection. He knew he had no choice in the matter.
His job was made harder, however, due to much of what he considered personal property having been seized by the goblins.
Now that his attempt in the Wizengamot to have the boy stripped of his emancipation, his Lordship, and Black's guardianship of him had failed, Dumbledore knew his last chance to have the boy brought back under his control before the 1st of September had been lost.
However, he knew the Potter boy would, again, be his to control once he set foot on the train at 11.00am on the 1st of September. He would then have him until Christmas recess, and have him back again until the following June. He would use the time wisely, by working his skills upon the boy. He anticipated he would have the boy enthralled well short of Christmas.
When he went down for his lunch, the other staff that lived at the castle full-time ignored him. He was beginning to suspect they were planning to have him ousted. Well, he wasn't going to allow that to happen. Hogwarts was his domain! He started to think about which staff he was going to need to replace if they attempted to directly challenge him; and who with.
# # #
Other than the small hiccup with the Wizengamot at the beginning of the month, the rest of August passed smoothly.
Harry started receiving his mail immediately following the announcement Dumbledore had been released. Of course, it was all being routed through Amelia's office, where trainees and curse breakers were examining every item before sending it on. He was also receiving a report first thing each morning from the aurors informing him what had been held back, and why.
There were attempts at slipping him marriage contracts, parchments laced with compulsion charms, tracking charms, howlers, and all manner of chicanery. These were held back and the senders of them brought to the DMLE offices to explain what they thought they were doing. The worst ones had the senders charged. Amelia's aurors were having a veritable field day!
The fan mail that finally arrived at the Pottery, Harry had Dobby draft replies. The ones that were gifts, Harry had sent back with a thank you letter and a request the sender donate the money to a fund that was set up for an orphanage for magical children. The letters and cards were sent thank you notes. Harry signed every letter or note in reply.
Every morning, Dobby took the replies to the Diagon Alley owl post office to be sent. Harry was running an account at the post office just for that purpose. And Dobby was enjoying himself, immensely.
The three heirs, under the patient instruction of Remus, were all able to safely apparate in only a couple of weeks of their first attempts. There were no splinching incidents. Harry suspected there was no splinching because all of them were able to focus so well on what they were doing from their meditation training, just as they were able to quickly master animagus forms.
Now that Hermione could apparate she was able to bring herself to her flight and form power training, while Harry brought Dan. Hermione did not yet feel comfortable side-slong apparating another. And her magical core was not yet strong enough to compensate for any difficulties if they arose. With Hermione self-apparating, Harry no longer needed to ask Sirius or Remus to give him a hand acting as magical transport.
Hermione's flight training had reached the point she had well and truly overcome her fear of heights. He even had her dive off the roof of the manor in human form and shift to her animagus form while in the air. And used the experience to demonstrate to her she no longer need fear heights.
They had a day when a summer electrical storm passed through the area and he and Hermione were able to do some training in amongst the low clouds. Hermione was getting a pretty good handle on her lightning strike magic. She was now able to shoot herself across the sky over fifteen miles away.
Dan called her 'a bright spark' when he watched one of her efforts shooting across the sky and she landed to ask him what he saw. Her problem was, Harry heard it, laughed and called her 'Sparky'. That was her new animagus name. Hermione wasn't impressed, but the others thought it was a wonderful name and fit her form perfectly.
They were beginning to work on her being able to pinpoint a location beyond the range of sight and lightning flash to that point. Harry didn't think it was going to be too long until she'd mastered that. And she was also getting a pretty good handle on from where to draw the electrons. Harry could now be very close and he barely felt the drain on his physical body's nervous system.
Dan and Sirius worked with Susan on using shadows and moving silently across any terrain. She had reached a point in her training where she was pretty invisible in any sort of shadow unless she wanted to be seen. Dan had mentioned he found it uncanny the way he tried to track her through the woods. She'd even managed to sneak right up behind him and nudge him in the back of the knee with her snout when he thought she was hundreds of yards out ahead of him. He reported later it was the first time in many years he'd ever been so thoroughly trounced on a stalking exercise.
It was Dan who came up with her name when he said she was 'a bloody ninja' when he was startled by her on one too many occasions. When he explained what a ninja was to the magical-borns, 'Ninja' became Susan's animagus name. She liked it.
Sirius also worked with Neville on his form and movement. He had started using training dummies and had Neville knock them down, shift back to his normal form on the way down, and pretend to stab or hex the target before shifting back to his animagus form and moving on to the next target dummy.
The girls were also spending a great deal of time together at the Granger home during the days. At first, they'd used their mirrors to stay in almost constant contact when discussing the laws. However, it didn't take them long to realise they needed to actually be together to go over the more complex parts. And that led to Susan apparating to the Granger residence each day.
Amelia was pleased with the arrangement as it meant Susan wasn't home, alone, in Bones Manor. As Dan was now on hand all day.
With about a week to go before the end of the month, the girls finally decided they'd gone as far as they could with the laws, for now. Much of what they needed to change would only be known once other reconmmended changes were made. So, Harry was called in to take what they had to Sir David to forward on to Her Majesty's legal teams.
When Harry asked if they wanted something else to work on, both girls smiled at him and said, they'd be working on their own projects for the remaining time before they left for Kings Cross.
Harry had been keeping in contact with his contact at Bloomsbury Publishing and, with only a week to go before boarding the train for Hogwarts, he was informed his first batch of one thousand printed books called 'Harry Potter: In His Own Words' was ready to be collected. The publisher offered to use their own contacts with distributors to see them on shelves in bookshops around the country, but Harry informed them the first batch was for his private use only.
When he had a spare hour, Harry headed to the publisher's distribution centre and collected his boxes. There were forty-two boxes of a very similar dimension of five reams of A3 printing paper, or ten reams of A4. Each box contained twenty-four - two dozen - books. The boxes were loaded on a pallet and stood approximately four feet high.
He had them deliver the pallet out to their back loading dock. Then, as with his chemistry equipment, he informed them he'd wait outside for his truck to arrive, and that he could handle it on his own from there. As soon as no one was in sight, he called Dobby and had the little elf pop the whole lot back to the manor.
He stored it all, except eight books that were in a smaller box, in his basement workshop. Those eight he left out. He gave one each to Sirius and Remus, and sent a copy each to Amelia and Augusta. All signed copies, of course. He then delivered two to Sir David for one to be delivered on to the Queen and to keep one for himself, and one to Sir Anthony. The last one, print number 1, he kept for himself.
There were three hundred plus students and staff at Hogwarts. Each would be given their own copy. The rest would be held until the 3rd of September when Sirius and Remus would offer them for sale through wizarding bookshops such as Flourish and Blotts.
He'd also instructed the goblins to inform Mr Doge, his lawyer, who his client really was, and to instruct the man to start going after the authors, publishers and bookshops about the outright lies and untruths in books that were reportedly about him. That would then leave the field open when Sirius and Remus approached the bookshop owners about his own book. He also provided them with a signed statement from him that the books were to be accepted as true and correct, and that he, Harry Potter, would not sue anyone for selling or distributing them.
He also worked on his pranking potions and rune stones during the lead up to the first of the month. All these were carefully labelled and stored in his trunk as they were finished. Those potions that had a short shelf life he placed under a 'keep fresh' or stasis enchantment.
During one of their animagus training sessions, while Neville was in his wolverine form, Susan noticed how he always seemed to be muttering something to himself in an annoyed fashion. Harry explained that the noises Neville was making were the usual noises made by a wolverine. Susan thought, while Neville was normally one of the moat placid people she'd ever met, he was just being grumpy at the time. And Neville was awarded his animagus name of 'Grumpy' on the spot.
A week before the end of the month he arranged an invitation for the others of their little group to gather for a celebratory and farewell get-together at the Pottery on the Saturday, the 31st of August, the day before the train ride.
# # #
The month of August was a nightmare for Dumbledore. He was informed two days after the Wizengamot meeting he had also been dismissed as magical Britain's representative on the ICW. The next day the ICW informed him, direct, he was replaced as the Supreme Mugwump by a counterpart in New Zealand.
What really stuck in Dumbledore's craw was the nice and polite way the letter 'thanked him for his service to the magical world' and 'wished him the best'. As if he was now a non-entity to be swept into the pages of history. He had hoped to use his contacts within the ICW to force the Wizengamot to reinstate him as Chief Warlock and the British representative. However, that plan was clearly dead and buried before it was even fully formed.
Each time Dumbledore received his stipend as Headmaster in his accounts the money would immediately disappear again. He attempted to be paid cash, but the goblins informed him all payments were made direct to bank accounts. It was a safety issue to stop people from being mugged for their pay on payday.
Now out of liquid assets, Dumbledore was confined to the castle. He'd even run out of his favourite muggle sweets and was unable to buy any more. The castle house elves had attempted to make them for him, but they didn't taste the same. Professor Sprout eventually felt sorry enough for him she went into muggle London herself and purchased him a couple of bags' worth. Dumbledore was just thankful they didn't disappear.
During the month, Dumbledore was barely able to keep ahead of moves to finally have his case heard. He claimed he was far too busy dedicating his time to preparing for the new year of studies at Hogwarts. He claimed he'd been more than punished by having his positions on the ICW and Wizengamot stripped from him. He claimed he had found himself, through no fault of his own, currently out of funds to secure the services of a suitable barrister to represent his interests in such an important matter. He politically ducked, and legally dived. He promised support in order to obtain it. He even found himself hinting to that Malfoy man his 'support' could be bought. And he hated all of it.
It wasn't until two days before the end of the month, when he accepted a bribe large enough to finally clear his debt to the goblins, before they stopped stripping him of any assets he gained. And he could breathe a sigh of relief.
# # #
Pixie and Dobby had been working hard all morning to make sure everything was as close to perfect as possible for the farewell party. Harry even made Sirius and Remus spruce themselves up for the event and then sent them to collect Dan and Emma while Hermione apparated herself to the Pottery. The Longbottoms and Boneses floo'ed in a short while later.
All were sat down at the little-used dining table in the dining room. Harry at one end, his godfather at the other. On his left he had Hermione, Dan, Emma and Remus. On the right he had Amelia, Susan, Neville and Augusta. The table was decorated with a couple of low centrepieces.
Once everyone was seated and had their favourite cold beverage before them, Harry stood and said, "Thank you, everyone, for coming. Over the past half-dozen plus weeks, everyone here has played an integral part in what will soon happen. The groundwork has been laid, the training undergone, the preparation completed. A silly old manipulative fool has been, for at least the short term, bested."
With a bit of a toast towards his godfather, Harry went on to say, "My godfather, Sirius Black, unjustly imprisoned, has finally been released." He indicated Remus, "A friend, long lost, has been reunited with us."
Indicating the others he said, "And new friendships have been formed."
"Tomorrow, us four heirs embark on a new part of our lives. Though we no longer require any of the education we are about to receive..." he chuckled, as did a few others, "... we can use the opportunity to form friendships, alliances, and just have fun!
"We have a year in which to enjoy just being like everybody else. But, this time next year, the really hard yards start. And the wizarding world is not going to know what's hit it! We four heirs will identify ourselves. And we will be kicking butts and changing the magical world!"
"Remember, everyone, your mirrors." He'd given Remus the final spare mirror just after the start of the month. "We can use them to keep in contact. Remember, too, that Dan and Emma are mundane and don't have the ability to travel anywhere magically on their own. And could someone please remember to visit them once in a while to at least make sure their mirror's wand is fully charged."
"I'm sad about leaving members of my new family behind. But, I'm excited about what tomorrow is going to bring. I say, 'Bring it on'. Cheers!"
He received a few laughs and they enjoyed their last meal together for a quite some time.
# # #
At 10.00am the next morning, Harry arrived on platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station. He was accompanied by both Sirius and Remus. Both insisted on helping him carry his effects on board, even though it was only Hedwig in her cage, and his trunk.
Harry was the first of the four to arrive, so he grabbed the particular compartment in which they'd planned to share. One car back from the prefects, first compartment if it was free, it was. If it was not, then each successive compartment until they found one that was. He had no need to be outside so Sirius and Remus waited in the compartment with him until the others started to arrive.
Hermione was next. As her parents couldn't enter the platform - something Harry was determined to fix, once they took control of the school - she headed straight for the compartment. Remus saw her struggling to get her trunk onto the train, so dashed outside before he even said anything. She joined them a few moments later.
Susan and Neville arrived together with Amelia and Augusta. Like Hermione and him, the other two heirs were very excited about going to Hogwarts.
Susan said, "Boarding the Hogwarts Express for the first time is a rite of passage. We move from being sheltered under our guardians' care pretty much all the time, to taking our first, tentative, steps as being on our own."
Neville nodded and, turning to Harry, asked, "So, what was supposed to happen in the other timelines at this point?"
Harry replied, "Well, I was supposed to have met Ron Weasley out on the mundane side of the platform. Missus Weasley is running about saying thisgs like, 'What was the platform, again, dear? Nine and three quarters? Look at all these muggles!' We'd have... sort of... just said 'Hi' to each other. But, at that time, he didn't recognise me. We boarded and shared a compartment, just the two of us, a couple of compartments behind this one.
"A few hours from now, Hermione was going to come and visit us looking for a pet toad that you, Neville, had lost. But we wouldn't have had anything to do with her until we arrived at the castle and, all of us except Susan, would have been sorted into Gryffindor. Hermione would have shared a boat ride with Susan, and sort-of been friends with her after that. But Susan was sorted into Hufflepuff, so there wasn't that many opportunities to mingle.
"Also, during the train ride, a blond-haired boy named Draco Malfoy - also going to his first year at Hogwarts - came looking for me. His father had tasked him with finding me and trying to strike up a friendship. Ron mouths off at him and they get into an argument. That, unfairly, sours me to the boy. I think it was one of the worst mistakes I made during the year and we hadn't even arrived at the castle yet."
"And you think that's what's going to happen again?" asked Susan.
"Well, Ron and Draco are both going to try and track me down. I very much suspect Ron will find me first. He's going to ask if he can sit with me as, 'everywhere else is full'. That's nonsense, of course, as the train is magical and expands and shrinks as needed to accommodate everyone.
"Draco acts a bit of a git. He tries to come off as regal and important. Instead, he just comes off as a git. Plus, he has Tweedledumb and Tweedle-even-dumber with him; Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. I think he's also asserting his authority, though he actually has none, over them."
Harry shook his head and sighed, "What happens on this first train ride has such a significant effect on the next seven years of my life, in either of the other two timelines. For everyone, new friendships are near-instantly formed, and lifelong enemies are created. And all this is thrown onto the shoulders of eleven year olds."
"So, who do you think will arrive first? Ron or Draco?" asked Neville.
"Definitely Ron," said Harry with a smile. "He's on his own. Draco has to collect Gregory and Vincent, as 'backup' goons first. There's no point strutting if you don't have an entourage."
He sighed and continued, "It's not for very many years I eventually discover that, in the Dumbledore meddling timeline, Ron was sent by his mother to track me down, just like Draco, and to make friends with me. His mother was told by Dumbledore to do so. Ron, though he's not an idiot... just lazy, just did as his mother asked. He knew his little sister had a crush on her fanciful image of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' so he saw no harm in it.
"Ron filled my head with how Slytherin was full of dark wizards and witches, Ravenclaw were all smart-alecks, Hufflepuff were duffers, and only those who went into Gryffindor were worthy of his respect. So, when I arrived at Hogwarts, I begged the hat to put me in Gryffindor, even though it wanted to put me in Slytherin.
"I still wonder how my life would have turned out if I was sorted into Slytherin. I don't think it would have been anywhere near as hard."
"Do we let either of them in, if they turn up?" asked Hermione.
Harry shrugged and said, "I don't think it's going to make much of a difference. Ron will be on his own, and we definitely have the room to let him be in here. I'd be interested to see how he plays it when I tell him I think I'd like to go into Slytherin," he grinned. "However, Draco will be with Gregory and Vincent; and we won't have the room for all of them."
"If Ron gets snotty, though, we can throw his butt back out. I'm not going to put up with someone like that, when I definitely don't have to. The same applies to Draco."
After the train pulled out of Kings Cross Station, with much waving of hands out of train windows and from the platform with tears in eyes of mothers, and not a few of the children, the four heirs waited to see how long it would be before the others arrived. Susan, sitting next to the door, was reading a book slow-style, as was Hermione sitting next to her. Harry had the window seat and Neville sat opposite Susan not doing much of anything.
Less than five minutes later the door was wrenched open by... Ron.
"Do you mind?" snapped Susan.
Ron glanced around until he spotted Harry, who had been looking out the window until the door was opened. Harry could see the recognition in his eyes.
"Ooh... errr... Do you mind if I sit in here?" he said dragging his trunk in with him. "Everywhere else is full!"
"Full?" snapped Susan, standing in front of him as he tried to barge in. "On a train magically capable of expanding to suit the needs of the passengers? I find that hard to accept!"
Harry was quite amused and tried to hide his smile by turning back towards the window again. He also ensured his scar was covered under his fringe.
Brought up short by Susan blocking his way, Ron spluttered, "Oh, ummm... Well, there's room in here, so I can sit in here, then." And tried to push his way past the slightly chubby, auburn-haired girl who blocked his entry.
Susan would have none of it. "Get your hands off me!" she barked. "If you want to sit in here, you'll have to ask politely first! 'Please' and 'thank you' are socially acceptable terms when you're asking for something!"
Ron, taken aback by the Susan's posture, words and the fire in her eyes, was somewhat stunned. "Oh... sorry... I..." he stuttered before regaining at least a semblance of composure. "May I... please... sit in here?"
Susan glared at him for a few moments before finally stepping aside. She said, "You may... if... you can remain civil."
Grumbling, Ron dragged his trunk the rest of the way into the compartment and said, "Can someone.. please... give me a hand with this?"
Harry, snorted and rose from his seat to give Ron a hand to lift the trunk into the overhead storage compartment. As Harry was making a few final adjustments to it, to ensure it wasn't going to fall off, Ron stepped around him and took Harry's window seat. "Thanks, mate," he said with a sigh. "I think I must've dragged that from one end of the train to the other!"
Harry, still standing, looked down at Ron with a frown and said, "You're in my seat."
"There's one over there, mate," replied Ron with a gesture towards the seat between Susan and Hermione.
"Yes, there is," replied Harry. "And you're welcome, for the moment, to sit in it. Now, get out of my seat."
Ron huffed but changed seats to sit between the two girls. "My name's Ron, by the way," he said. "Ron Weasley."
No one else said anything, for a few moments until Neville, remembering his training in manners his grandmother had given him, said, "This is Susan, over there's Hermione, this is Harry, and I'm Neville." He didn't offer his hand. The others only nodded.
Ron just looked to each in turn before he stared at Harry and asked in a comical attempt to sound surprised, "Harry? Are you Harry Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived? The one who defeated You-Know-Who?"
Harry looked back and quietly asked, "What makes you think I'm Harry Potter, the one who supposedly beat Voldemort?"
Ron nearly visibly shuddered when Harry mentioned Voldemort's name. The other three barely blinked.
"Ummm... you... you must be, right?" asked Ron, soldiering on. "I saw the picture of you on the front page of the Daily Prophet, and everything?"
"Then if you knew who I was, why did you ask?" asked Harry.
"Ummm.. 'cause I wasn't sure?" replied Ron. Gathering himself, he forged on, asking, "Can I see your scar?"
Harry frowned at him and said, "Which one? The one where my Uncle Vernon hit me with a poker out of the fireplace, broke two of my ribs and left me in agony for two weeks? The one where my cousin whacked me across the back with a fence paling and dug a furrow of flesh out of my shoulder? Or, what about the one where I was given third degree burns when a hot iron was dragged across my arm? You're going to have to be more specific."
Ron was taken quite aback and stared back with a look of horror. "Ummm... n-no. I meant the scar where the killing curse bounced off your forehead."
"Ah," said Harry, as if he finally understood what Ron was getting at. "You mean the one I received the night when my parents were brutally slain by a lunatic. The one when my mother was murdered before my infant eyes, and I still have nightmares about. In that case... no." Then he looked back out the window, signifying the discussion, as far as he was concerned, was over.
"Awww... go on!" Ron pushed on. "Show me!"
Neville was out of his seat in a flash and right in Ron's face with his hand on the red-headed boy's chest. He said with an almost growl, "You will cease this rude behaviour immediately, or I will toss your butt out of this compartment!"
Neville then resumed his seat and glared back for a moment, before turning away again. Ron didn't say a word for about five minutes, and neither did anyone else. But even that long was torture to the young boy.
He eventually asked, "So, what houses does everyone think they'll be sorted into?" Without even pausing to wait for an answer he declared, "I've got five brothers ahead of me and a sister behind me. All five have all been sorted into Gryffindor. That's where the brave wizards go. If I get sorted into Slytherin, I'll quit! I'll leave school! Only dark wizards go there!"
Focussing on Harry he said, "You don't want to go there! Only evil gits get sorted into that House!"
Calmly, Harry replied, "Really? There's nothing I read that said anything of the sort! And, what about Peter Pettigrew? He was a Gryffindor. There were other Death Eaters that came from Gryffindor, as well."
"Oh," replied Ron, waving his hand dismissively. "They must've fooled the sorting test and got in. A Slytherin trick if I've ever heard of one!"
Harry just smirked at the idiocy of the boy. He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how he'd managed to be steered by the boy, in the other two timelines.
Wanting to tweak the lad a bit, he said, "I actually like the sound of the ideals of Slytherin; ambitious, resourceful and determined. Yes, those are the sort of ideals I can aspire to."
"No!" blurted Ron, almost jumping off his seat. "You can't! Slytherin are evil gits! You're Harry Potter!"
Harry just chuckled in response. Ron might have been lazy, but he wasn't stupid. It didn't take him long to figure out Harry was pulling his leg. He slumped back, crossed his arms, and grumped, "You're just trying to be funny!" Then he just moped.
About an hour later, Ron was talking quietly with Hermione; now choosing to ignore Harry, altogether. He was trying to talk to her about Quidditch. Hermione was just being polite, but clearly didn't care for the sport. The door was yanked open again.
Three boys stood in the doorway. Harry immediately recognised Draco Malfoy, flanked by Goyle and Crabbe.
"Is it true?" Malfoy asked, looking directly at Harry. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
"Really?" asked Harry. "And how would they know that?" He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean, though dense. Standing either side of the pale boy they looked like bodyguards.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, ignoring Harry's question but noticing where he was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Harry while Ron just huffed.
"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
"Mister Malfoy, scion of the Magical House of Malfoy," Harry said firmly. "I'm sure your parents have provided you with a modicum of education into the proper formalities of greeting; especially, someone who heads a Noble and Most Ancient House."
Malfoy stared back with a look of shock on his face. He slowly lowered his hand to his side.
"You do not get to call me by my surname, only," continued Harry. "You are only allowed to address me as Lord Potter. Unless... and only unless... I invite you to address me otherwise, that is how you will both speak to me, and refer to me."
Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.
Harry continued. "Now, you have insulted someone who is clearly a... companion... of mine, though he may have richly deserved it with his poor behaviour. And, you have opened the door without first knocking and asking for an audience. I suggest you consider your actions before acting upon them, in future."
Harry kept on, "If you wish to enter, you may do so. However, we do not have sufficient room for yourself and your companions, Messers Crabbe and Goyle."
Susan had her head buried firmly in her book, but was clearly trying not to laugh. Neville was looking like he was in shock as he'd never heard Harry speak like that before, and Hermione was clearly amused by Harry's lofty manner of speech. Ron, for about the first time since he'd entered, appeared speechless.
"Ummm... No, Lord Potter," replied Draco quietly, and apparently a little ashamed. "I... merely wished to introduce myself and my... friends."
"Then, I thank you for doing so, Mister Malfoy," said Harry. "I look forward to establishing an acquaintanceship with you, Mister Crabbe and Mister Goyle, once we are settled in at Hogwarts."
"Th... thank you, Lord Potter," said Draco. "I will... take my leave." He quietly shut the door and left.
Ron burst out laughing and said, "Wow! Harry! That was..."
There was a muted flash of red and Ron suddenly looked like he was hit by a curse, and collapsed unconscious where he sat. Though Hermione couldn't see what had happened from where she sat, Harry and Neville stared at Susan, who looked back with an expression of complete annoyance on her face.
Neville, quite shocked, exclaimed, "Susan!"
"What?" she said. "You may have been willing to put up with his rubbish; but, I wasn't! I'll wake him in time for him to get changed into his robes before we arrive."
Harry just chuckled.
The rocking of the train started to cause the unconscious boy to fall over, so Harry put a sticking charm on the back of his shoulders and stuck him upright in his seat. He said, "That'll hold him."
As promised, Susan enervated him with time to change into his uniform and robes; barely enough time, so he was unable to speak to them. She told him he'd fallen asleep. The four heirs had already changed before Ron was enervatedand he had to scurry fast to get dressed in time, with no time at all to ask what had happened.
A voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."