Sir Harry J Potter GCOM

### GUIDED TOUR ###

The back door led into the kitchen where lingering smells of their breakfast were apparent. The room had glowing terracotta tiles on the floor and glistening worktops, on the walls hung shining pans and kitchen utensils – a telling symptom of Gastropod’s recent industry. Opposite the backdoor was another one, which the elf was holding open. From it led a set of steps down into the cellar. At the bottom Draco stopped and gasped.

“Harry! Are those what I think they are?”

Harry giggled: “It depends on what you are thinking, Lover. Gastropod says they are special Potter heirlooms worth millions of galleons.”

“Yes Masters, I rescued those first.”

“Well Draco; don’t keep us all in suspense – tell!” Blaise nudged the blond.

“They look like a pair of vanishing cabinets.”

“I hope they’re warded.”

“Why, Justin?”

“Well … They’re dark magic aren’t they?”

“No! It’s the use that they were put to in invading Hogwarts, yes. But not intrinsically in themselves.” Draco looked crestfallen: “I must apologise for bringing the deathies in. I thought my parents would be killed if I didn’t – now I think it was a big bluff on Voldie’s part.”

“Hermione says that in the first war, families could hide from the deathies using them.” Harry came to the rescue: “So that couldn’t be dark, could it? The real thing is; are they a pair and do they work?”

“Only one way to find out.” Draco handed his scribing implements to Justin: “Gastropod do you have a unique but not expensive ornament please?”

“Will this knobbly piece of wood do, Master Draco? Most of the ornaments I saved are valuable.”

“Yes that would do. Hmm … Justin, write a word on this bit here, please.”

Justin put their initials down. Draco opened one of the cupboards and placed the piece of wood on the floor; closing the door afterwards.

“Transitatis Harmonia Armarium Alter!” he declaimed; making a couple of passes with his wand. On opening the first door the wood was no longer there. Draco opened the second door to reveal the wood. “Is this the same piece, Justin?”

“Yes!”

“We ought to test it on something living. Got any good ideas, Gastropod?”

“Yes. I caught a couple of mice looking for a winter home and put them in a cage. I was going to release them outside and tell them not to return. We could try them, if you like.”

“Okay!”

Gastropod went upstairs and brought the cage and its occupants down. Draco put the in the second cabinet and performed the same spell. The mice appeared unharmed in the first cabinet.

“I need a volunteer?” Draco looked round at the other three.

“Go on … I’ll risk it …” Justin grabbed the door and closed it. They heard a muffled “Transito Harmonia Armarium Alter!” from inside and, after the catches clicking, Justin opened the second cabinet’s door to come out. “Nothing too it!” he exclaimed jocularly, but his relieved expression on re-entering showed his real feelings.

Each of them had a go in both directions and the cabinets worked every time.

“Draco, what’s the range of these things?”

“No more that three hundred and forty three miles, Harry.”

“That’s seven times seven three times, Right? So it rules out Hogwarts but not Grimmauld place. Can we miniaturise them?”

“Yes! The Deathies must have brought the one from Borgin and Burkes north in someone’s pocket until they were in range of Hogwarts.”

“Good …! Kreacher…!”

Pop: “Yes Harry?”

“Were you at Grimmauld Place when I called?”

“Yes! I left Winky supervising the orphans.”

“Oh …! Sorry …!”

“No need … They were learning some baking, I think. Now … What is it you wanted?”

Draco had already caught on to his lover’s thinking and had miniaturised one of the cabinets, which he handed to Kreacher.

“This is a vanishing cabinet, Kreacher. I take it you know how to make things back to normal size.”

“Of course, Draco … I bet I was doing that one before you were a mere twinkle … Good idea Harry … One here and one at Grimmauld Place … Very neat.”

“Why, thank you Kreacher.” Harry had a big smile on his face and made an elaborate bow.

“I see Draco’s infecting your manners too, now.” Kreacher cast furtive glances between the two mages and found them smiling: “Where do you want it putting, Harry?”

“I thought on the top landing on the return of Regulus’s old room; to match the linen press on the floor one down.”

“Good place, right next door to your room, too. Anything more?”

“No … Oh … Apart from giving you and the other elves permission to use it. Is it possible to restrict its use, Draco?”

“I believe so, I’ll have to find my notes … Oh; Dragon’s bum …! They got burnt in the fire.”

“I believe there’s a book about them somewhere in the Potter library, Master Draco.”

“Thanks Gastropod, I’ll borrow it if I may.”

“Right, Harry, see you in a few minutes.” Kreacher popped away.

While they were waiting a quick overview of the cellar was possible.

“I keep my bed down here next to the boiler, Master,” Gastropod explained: “I can keep the cottage aired in the winter for the least amount of fuel used. I’m still burning bits of the old veranda and supplementing it with coppiced wood from our patch in the forest. I only light it after dark; in that way no-one knows that anyone’s here and there is no expense apart from my labour.”

“So we’re quite green, are we?”

“Green, Master?”

“Um … Yes … eco-friendly and all that.”

“Ah yes … I see.” Gastropod still looked bemused.

“Not to worry Harry, I’ll explain it to him.” Kreacher had opened the door of the vanishing cabinet: “All in place. May I walk round with you?”

“Of course; Gastropod says he could do with some help. Maybe a couple of orphans … Mmm?”

“Let’s see what needs doing first.”

They wandered back upstairs and into the Living Room. In the nearer half there was an oval table plus six wooden dining chairs. Towards the front of the house was a muddle of soft easy chairs. What added to the chaos were piles of books on the floor and all the other flat surfaces bar one comfortable chair and a low side-table in front of the fireplace.

“As you can see, I’ve rescued the books from the parlour, Master. I couldn’t guarantee the waterproofing of the parlour. I’m afraid they’re in some disorder, it was raining in and I rushed the job. The carpet in there is ruined and the shelves will need some attention …”

“… This room smells dry enough, thanks for looking after the books. I suppose the leather furniture was from that room.”

“That is correct.” Gastropod indicated that they should exit by a door at the front of the room.

After squeezing past the piled furniture, this door led into a small square lobby. One door was barricaded and was obviously the front door. The other door was slightly ajar and showed an empty room with a rotting carpet and warped library shelves. There was also an overpowering smell of damp. Opposite the front door was a flight of stairs; the carpet was worn but not damaged. Harry assumed that Gastropod had kept the damp from the parlour at bay somehow.

Arriving at the top of this flight there was a double width landing with a single width hallway leading from it to the front of the house parallel with the stairs. Its other end was blocked with rubble. However at the back of the house were two doors. One was into a small dust-sheeted double bedroom over the rear part of the living room. The other door led into a bathroom – partly over the kitchen. This showed signs of elfin use with small towels and a moveable step in front of the washbasin. Harry’s memory stirred slightly – He seemed to remember being bathed in that washbasin.

“I hope you don’t mind me using the facilities, Master. Only I cannot reach the elfin ones in the attic.”

“No probs, Gastropod.”

“He means that he has no problems about you using the facilities here – it’s a way of giving retrospect permission,” whispered Kreacher to the puzzled other elf.

“So … Clearing away the mess is another job to do, is it?”

“I had thought an interim measure might be possible Master Draco. Most of what blocks the passage to the foot of the attic stairs is loose rubble. If a temporary partition could be put up to contain it. The rubble could be cleared without more raining down.” Gastropod waved his arms around showing what he meant.

“Fine … A diagonal barrier across here would give us access to the front bedroom over the living room and to the stairs into the roof-space. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, Master. It still leaves the front bedroom, where it happened, to be sorted. That is if you want it to be.”

Harry wondered what he should feel. Part of him wanted a memorial of some sort and part wanted to repair the damage to spite Voldie’s intentions. He came back into the present when Blaise and Draco started niggling each other.

“It’s on the list,” said Justin wielding the scribe’s tools: “Hey … Draco? Weren’t you supposed to be the secretary?”

“You seem to be making a much better job of it.”

“There’s Slyth slyness for you, got someone else to do the job.” Blaise giggled.

“Once we can use the upper stairs then the roof can be seen to.” Gastropod headed off a possible altercation between Masters: “Impervious spells are good in the short term, but they have to be renewed regularly. Good new thatch would make the house cosy again.”

“Point taken … Kreacher …? Were Ron and Hermione at Grimmauld Place?”

“Yes Harry. Why do you ask?”

“Well … Ron would be the one to involve with rubble and partitions. And Hermione would be in her element with the books.”

“Don’t forget Grouchy and Huppert – They were in charge of the Malfoy library.”

“They can work together, Draco. Hermione can practice some of that equality she preaches about.” Harry had a mischievous smile.

“Erm … Harry? I’ve sweet talked Molly into helping with the elves. That’s why I was pleased to come over here. The town house kitchen was covered in flour and happy orphans; whether what emerges will be edible I’m not sure. I’m sure Justin can sort them out.”

“Thanks a lot, Kreacher.” Justin had his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.

“Not at all, Fellow-tutor,” Kreacher grimaced: “I had to do something; Molly was already there in the kitchen. You must admit that she produces very palatable food so I became very Slyth and tactful.”

“Okay, okay!” Justin chuckled: “Not all of them will make cordon-bleu chefs; some good home-cooks are just as needful. I’ll go and reinforce your offer, shall I? So much for spending at least half a day lazing around, like we promised.”

“There’s room enough in the tent for us all to have our coffee break first,” Harry suggested.

“I wouldn’t recommend returning just yet Justin.” Kreacher grimaced: “Your ordered way of preparing food it isn’t. I’m keeping out of it too and we’ve yet to see outside, haven’t we? I just happened to snaffle a big box of those ginger biscuits you had them making yesterday. We really ought to do some quality assessment, shouldn’t we?”

“Yes … And it requires a cool calm atmosphere to do it in, doesn’t it my fine fellow?” Justin agreed.

Chuckling the party descended to the ground floor and out into the tent. Gastropod and Kreacher soon had coffee and biscuits prepared. Draco offered to do the washing up.

“I have to practice the skills Molly taught me last week, don’t I,” he replied to Blaise’s joshing him: “You can come and learn them too.”

### CABINET TRAVEL ###

Harry finished his snack quickly. Leaving the others chatting amiably he went through the cabinets to Grimmauld Place.

“Harry! What are you doing hiding in that new cupboard Kreacher put there this morning? We thought you were having some four-way gay nooky.”

“Hi Ron, where’s Hermione? This isn’t a cupboard, I’ll tell you both about it together. How’s the bun-fight going on in the kitchen?”

“Hermione? Where else but in the library. Mum’s up to her ears in kitchen-craft and Winky’s abetting her. I escaped before I got roped in for washing up, yet again. Hermione pleaded urgent research; I just got the hell out of the way.”

“You could say you were surveying for the next lesson.”

“Now … Why didn’t I think of that? All I need is a clipboard, some plans and a tape-measure. Come and see the completed elf-loft.”

“Not now – later perhaps. What happened to your wizard trainees?”

“They’re writing up their notes based on Monday and the finishing off we did before coffee-break. I took them back to Hogwarts in batches. That’s where I was returning from when you popped out of your hiding place.”

The conversation had taken the pair down the flights of stairs and they were pushing the door of the library open.

“Hi, Hermione!”

“Hello, Harry. What you’re doing here?”

“Coming to tell you some news about Chantry Cottage and then take you there.”

“I don’t feel much like apparating again twice Harry thanks.”

“You won’t need to …” Harry went on to explain about the cabinets and answer many of the same questions too.

Hermione jumped up and moved along the bookshelves whilst they were talking.

“… This is the book about cabinets. Come on you two, I can’t wait to try it out.” The young witch was all eagerness.

Hermione almost ran upstairs. She had the right intonation and when the catch snicked – the sign that the cabinets were empty - Ron went in next. It took him two goes before the catch snicked for Harry.

He came up the stairs and peeped into the living room. Draco and Hermione were already ensconced in a cleared settee, poring over books.

“Hi, Lover! You can show us the garden later – this is so interesting – and we need to place the restrictions urgently.”

“And you two just love books and research, don’t you?”

Draco stuck his tongue out and he adopted a devilish countenance: “Did you know, Sir Harry; that you are in gross negligence of your legal duty?”

“Now what?” Harry tried to look resigned, but ruined it by smiling.

Hermione giggled: “It’s a good thing Kreacher stayed behind. At least one of the knights was here to supervise the probationer.”

“Um … Fine … All right, Clever-clogs … Try this one out for size … ‘If both establishments belong to the same owner and they are connected via a pair of cabinets are they not like one house?’ After all - If Draco goes down the corridor to the loo or into another room we are separated by only a couple of doors. Much the same don’t you think?”

“I saw a chapter on that in the ‘Magical Connections’ book. Now where did we put it?” Hermione started searching.

Harry beat a hasty retreat and went to look for the others.

### AGRICULTURE ###

They were at the end of the long strip of garden watching the hens scratching amongst the vegetables, and peering at fish and ducks on the pond. Gastropod was explaining that the title went back into mediaeval times when each burger owned a strip of land equivalent to a serf’s holding. The actual owning made the difference from the serf’s holding from the lord of the manor. Gastropod also explained about the traditional holdings in the forest nearby. The others were avid listeners; however Harry had heard this from his elf earlier on in his tenure. He busied himself pruning dead shoots and listened with half an ear.

At lunchtime they dined in the tent. There were a number of misshapen pies to try accompanied by oddly shaped vegetables: all quite palatable. There was a giggling session when Blaise said one piece of pastry resembled a piece of Justin’s anatomy. From then on everyone saw shapes in the assortment of pastries, even in the fruit rolls and cream that made up their pudding.

Hermione and Draco enacted the restricting spell after lunch and then taught Harry and Kreacher the enabling charm. Between them the two knights enabled the people present, watched by their two tutors. Hermione retired to the library at Grimmauld Place whilst Draco, Harry, and Ronald scrambled around the rubble planning the first work to be carried out. Once Ronald had all his measurements he went to the tapestry room – his favourite haunt – to draw plans and estimate quantities. All gritty, Draco and Harry retired to the Jacuzzi.

After nearly an hour of peaceful nattering, being bubble massaged and Draco having a mini-course on how to operate the controls, they were disturbed by Blaise and Justin.

“That’s where you are! We thought you’d been abducted! Can we join you?”

“We’re all crinkly from the water and were just getting out. How about I show how to work this thing and you two have a quiet hour?”

“We’ve got one at home, Harry. If you run through the basics I should be able to manage.”

“Fine …” Harry showed Justin the controls and then left the other two to their own devices. He and Draco wandered around the garden, Draco was also a gardener. He explained that it was one of his ways of getting out from under his father’s feet and away from the evil machinations of Voldemort. Harry explained about his gardening being a retreat from his overbearing relatives. A few hours of pruning, weeding and generally enhancing the work of Mother Nature had them relaxed and feeling even more together than before. Gastropod reminded them about tea and suggested the living room.

Just the four male mages were present. Earlier in the afternoon Grouchy, Huppert and Gastropod had found some freestanding bookshelves in the Grimmauld Place cellars, cleaned them and deposited the books in some sort of order. The shelves were placed back to back to form a division. Some of the parlour chairs had been shrunk and placed in those same cellars, leaving one large armchair and a double settee free. Justin and Blaise inhabited the chair. Giving Harry and his mate just that bit more room.

Blaise looked bashful: “Erm … Harry and Draco … Erm … Thanks for the offer of the big bed, but we don’t think the experiment worked as we imagined it. Erm … would it be possible to use the bed at Grimmauld place; just for the two of us?”

Harry sighed in relief. “We were wondering how to say much the same. Of course you can. We’ll be in the bedroom next door, so we won’t be overtired from portkeying from Hogwarts when we attend the Wizengamot meeting tomorrow. You will be there as well, won’t you?”

“What will they be discussing?”

“The papers are on my desk in the Solar. I’ll just go and get them.”

Harry had just started to rise when there was a pop and an unknown teenage elf stood there.

“Master, Sir Harry Potter, Sir Master; I’m Robbie, one of your new elves. Sir Kreacher, Reeve says I have to give you these to read.”

“Thank you Robbie, I think you read my mind. However, let’s get rid of that mouthful of titles. Gastropod, my head elf here, calls me Sir Harry, that should be enough. Kreacher, being a fellow knight, uses my given name, so don’t be surprised when you hear it, okay.”

“Yes, Sir Harry Master.”

The new elf popped away and the four mages set about the order papers for the following day. They found the new, if temporary, library very useful when looking up abstruse bits of information.