The rest of the visit went well enough. Augusta didn't bother the children with more questions. She was content to tell Harry about his parents, although she knew much less than he would have liked. She also told him about his godmother – Neville's mother and her daughter-in-law – and about how she and her husband, Augusta's son, were forced into the long-term wing at the hospital. It was something Neville hadn't told him yet, although he and Hermione suspected. Why else would he get a used wand when he first came to Hogwarts?
Despite his discomfort, Neville eventually agreed, "I feel uncomfortable talking about that, as if it's something to mark me as different, like your scar used to be. Now, though, I'm glad it came out. It felt wrong to keep that a secret from you, especially after I learned that my Mum is your godmother."
"Do you know who my godfather is, or was?" Harry asked.
Augusta had to think and try to find some old memories. "I'm not sure. I remember there was someone who took the godparent oath along with Alice. Leave it alone for a bit. I'm sure I'll recall that information soon enough."
She then turned to Neville. "Why don't you show them your greenhouse? It looks very nice even in this season."
Neville didn't need to be urged. He had already told them a bit about it, even soon after first meeting them. He felt it was right to show them he wasn't just bragging.
Indeed, the greenhouse was very impressive. "I used to be the only one working at it since I was five, I think. The house elf was only allowed to work here when I was sick or away. Now it has to keep it while I'm at school, but I still give the detailed instructions," Neville told them.
"It's much nicer than the greenhouse at Hogwarts, and you also have some flowers," Hermione said.
"My Mum planted them, initially. I only added a few and made sure they stay well."
"Your parents seem to be very nice people, according to the stories," Harry commented.
Neville shook his head in dismay. "How can I know? They're not dead, at least, but they are unaware of almost everything. In some ways, they're no more than life-size dolls."
Hermione noticed he was barely holding back some tears.
"I'm sure they would have been very proud of you, had they been able to know you," she said.
He smiled thankfully. "In a way, I'm not sure what's worse. Harry lost his parents. They are now dead and buried and he has to cope with it. My parents aren't dead, but they're not really alive either. I visit them once in a while and then feel bad for a few days, feeling like a failure that I can't help them."
"Maybe you can find a way, once you learn some more," Hermione tried to calm him down.
"By then, it may be too late for them," he replied gloomily.
–..–
A house elf called them back. "Lady Aggie said it's time for lunch. You's should come in."
Lunch was served in the family dining hall which wasn't too formal. Augusta urged the children to eat. "You're still growing and you need to eat regularly. And Harry, since you need to catch up with your growth, I expect you to eat even more."
Harry smiled thankfully. Indeed, since that treatment, he felt he needed more food than before. Much more, at times.
Once they ate their fill, Augusta turned to Harry. "I finally recalled who your godfather was, but it only confused me. You see, your godfather was, or is, Sirius Black. He was then accused of betraying your parents to Voldemort and was sent to prison. Something doesn't fit, though. Since he took the oath, he would have died, had he tried to betray you or your parents. Since he's alive, that means he didn't do it. So, how could they find him guilty? I'll talk to Amelia later and see what I can find. Something doesn't seem right, though. I'm sure it will all go back to Dumbledore, again."
Harry sighed. The more he learned about the man, the darker the man seemed to be. How could such a man become 'the leader of the light'? That was a mystery to him.
"If you're going to do anything, can it be kept secret from Dumbledore? I don't think we can trust him with anything, judging by what we recently learned," Harry asked.
Aggie smiled tiredly. "He has his spies almost everywhere, and most don't even realise they're spying. I hope Amelia can find a way to keep everything secret long enough. I'll not be able to tell you anything, once you return to school, since he may intercept your owls if he wants to. It's illegal, of course, but he has the powers to do that as a headmaster. He may then find some half-legal excuse and prevent any deeper investigation."
"Well, thank you anyway. I'm not sure if you can really help, and he may have gone to prison for another crime, but I appreciate your willingness to try," Harry said sincerely.
"Longbottom and Potter are allies. Have been for many generations. Helping your ally is just what's expected. No need for thanks." She still seemed to appreciate it.
"That reminds me," she then said. "Where do you currently live?"
He smiled. "I stay at Hogwarts for most of the time, you know. We are staying with Hermione's parents now. I know I have some other places where we could stay, but she likes spending time with them, and so do I."
"Is their home warded?"
The children looked surprised. "I don't think so. They wouldn't even know of wards, as muggles, and nobody offered us to ward that house. Is it even legal?" Hermione asked.
Augusta sighed. "There's no specific law about that. The law forbids warding muggle houses without the permission of the owners. Then, no warding expert would even consider warding muggle houses, but you don't need them. You can ask the goblins to ward that house. Since you live there, they wouldn't mind who owns it, and the goblin wards are much better, although most wizarding families won't trust them, mainly due to Professor Binns."
Harry gave it some consideration. Glancing at Hermione it was clear that she wanted the house warded. "Then, I think we shall visit Gringotts again before going home. I only hope it works well."
"It will."
Harry remembered to also ask about the press conference. They didn't feel like they had much time to discuss it, but the old lady gave him some guidelines, mainly, "You don't have to answer any question you don't like or go into details that you consider private. You can just answer, 'This is a private matter,' or even, 'That's something I'm not yet ready to talk about.' They may still ask in a slightly different way, but if you keep to your answers, they will soon leave it alone, as you want them to."
With that set, they left a few minutes later.
–..–
Sharpclaw seemed amused to see them again. "Any new business in your minds?" he asked.
"We got advised to ward our current lodging since it has no wards at all," Harry said.
Sharpclaw nodded. "It can be done. How big is it?"
Harry let Hermione answer. "It's a two-story, four-bedroom house with a modest yard and an attached garage for two cars."
"That sounds like a nice place for muggles, although most wizards would consider it too small. How far do you want to extend the wards?"
She frowned. "I don't understand the question."
Sharpclaw explained. "To effectively protect a place, the wards must monitor not only the place itself but also its vicinity. They would make no difference to your neighbours, of course, unless they have malicious intent for you. Even then, the wards would only make them unable to see or even notice the place. Any direct attack, though, will be responded to in full force, disarming the attackers and stunning them. We can also kill any attacker, but that's unadvisable when in muggle vicinity. The wards will also protect the house against fire, flooding and storms, of course, and make it invisible to all thieves and burglars, protecting you from these as well."
"Isn't that very expensive?" she asked.
Sharpclaw chuckled. "It may seem expensive to most wizards, but it's less than a day's income for you, mainly because the house is quite small. But even protecting a palace would not have been too expensive for you. Now, back to the question. How far do you want to extend the wards?"
This time, Hermione gave it some consideration. "I believe about a hundred meters, roughly three or four houses in every direction should be more than enough."
Sharpclaw nodded at that.
"When can it be done?" Harry asked. "I want it as soon as possible."
Sharpclaw had to check that, but he came back with an answer. "It can be done today. If you spend some time window shopping, it may be finished before you return."
"Then do it! Will they be able to stop Dumbledore?" Harry asked.
"That depends. If he only comes to greet you for the new year or something similar, he won't even notice the wards. If he has any unclean intentions, he won't find the place by any means. Neither house elves nor his phoenix can bring you anything that can harm you or kidnap you. Anything suspicious will be immediately sent here, to be analysed and then you can decide on the correct retaliation."
Harry nodded. "That sounds good enough. Thank you for your prompt service."
He then changed the subject. "Have you got any mail from journalists already?"
Sharpclaw pointed at a side table, where a small pile of envelopes rested. "I'll handle them in another day or two. It would be more efficient that way."
"Alright. We shall now go window shopping. The weather seems nice enough for that."
–..–
Harry could see no difference when they returned home, but he could sense a certain change when they were about three houses away. He had no idea if others could also sense that.
"Did you feel the wards when we came here?" he asked Hermione after they were inside.
"I felt nothing. Did you?"
"Yes, but it was very indistinct. I think I only noticed it because I was looking for something, although I didn't know what. I doubt anybody would notice," Harry answered hesitantly.
"But what did you feel?" Hermione's inquisitiveness kicked in.
"I'm not sure I can even describe what I felt. It was somewhat like… a waft of wind, similar to how you feel when going into an air-conditioned shop. I'm not sure it was even a physical feeling. Maybe it was my magic sensing the wards when they checked me…"
"Well, we weren't supposed to notice anything, according to Sharpclaw. A gust of wind can happen and nobody pays it any attention. That should work for us." Hermione sounded content.
Harry then frowned. "Shouldn't we protect their clinic too? Maybe also their cars? One could try to reach us through them, you know."
Hermione patted his arm. "Calm down, dear. We can tackle that tomorrow, or even after the new year. I doubt we may need it before the summer vacation, or even for the next few years."
"We can only hope you're right," Harry said.
–..–
When the Grangers came home, they noticed no difference. They even had a door-to-door peddler knock on their door later, proving that the wards didn't interfere with normal life.
Harry still felt uneasy about not protecting Hermione's parents well enough. He didn't want to wait. Hermione sensed it. "Alright, we'll go again to London tomorrow. I think there are also a few new books for young teens which I can find interesting."
Harry smiled. Books seemed to be Hermione's greatest passion.
–..–
As soon as they walked into the Leakey Cauldron, they could notice a different atmosphere. A quick glance at the headlines of the Daily Prophet gave them a clear hint of the cause.
"Several citizens collapsed and diedyesterday."
"All incarcerated Death-Eaters died yesterday."
Harry looked grim. "It looks like executing Quirrell brought some unexpected consequences."
Hermione nodded. "Very positive ones. It cleansed our society of many of the worst criminals, even if some were excused, probably due to bribes."
Harry was still very pensive when they met Sharpclaw.
"Welcome, Lord Potter, Lady Ravenclaw. To what do I owe your visit today?" he greeted them.
Harry replied, much less jovially. "I thought that protecting the Granger house may not be enough. My friend's parents spend a large part of their time at their clinic and drive between home and work twice a day, or more. I'd like to protect their clinic and their cars just the same."
Sharpclaw nodded understandingly. "We can ward the clinic immediately, but we need one of you to be there when we work there. You may then show the team to the cars, although they need a different kind of wards."
"We can go there as soon as we finish our meeting," Harry offered.
"There are some other things that may need to be brought to your attention first," Sharpclaw told them.