Turning around and about to call out to the girl, he saw Hermione was already leaning on the door-frame of the dinette and smiling at him.
"Good; you're here," he said. "Neville's come through for me." And held up the note.
About to reach out and pluck it from his fingers, she stopped at the last moment and almost snatched her hand back. This time she asked, "May I?"
He smiled in pleasure and offered it to her. "Yes, you may."
Taking it she quickly read through it and asked, "To the Doghouse to floo call them?"
"Definitely," he agreed.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After placing the calls, starting with Bones, he and Hermione had the visits lined up in short order.
They would visit with Susan at 9.00am, Hannah at 10.30am, return back to the Grangers' for lunch, visit with Daphne at 1.00pm and Tracey at 2.30pm. As far as he was concerned that would mean a pretty full day.
After pulling his head out of the fire of the last call, to the Greengrasses, he saw Hermione was sitting in one of the two armchairs now in the room that sat with their back's to the door with a small side table between them. She had a lap-table on her lap and was writing on a sheet of parchment with a quill.
"Is an hour and a half too long or not long enough?" she asked, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth.
"As I said, it's more than enough," he said. "Don't forget, I've also told them each that we'll be visiting the others throughout the day.
"Besides, I told them each almost four weeks ago we'd meet again in a month. It had slipped all our minds that would have put the date between Christmas and New Year. That wouldn't have been fair to any of us.
"By going now I fulfil that desire for us to all meet again, introduce you as the new Lady Presumptive of the House of Potter, free them of doubt about whether to recognise you or not when it comes to gifts for Christmas and allows everyone to not have the meeting hanging over their head on Christmas Day."
Hermione nodded, recognising the truth in his words.
His last call was to Neville to let him know to be at their place just before 9.00am, or come over at 7.30am if he wanted breakfast with them first. Plus, who they would be visiting and when.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After Ted had left Bagman's office, the ex-Quidditch star trembled for a while, downed a couple of shots of firewhiskey and finally floo-called Marchbanks.
After hearing what the man was blubbering about, she called him through.
It took the application of a Calming draught before she could make heads or tails of what the man was going on about.
"You have to do something," the fat man blubbered.
Marchbanks sighed and said, "I've already done it."
Perking up, Bagman asked, "What?"
"First, I've already discussed the matter with Highmaster Karkaroff and Headmistress Maxime," she explained. "We have decided there will not be hostages for the Second Task. They will, instead, rescue an item that is of importance to each of them."
Bagman immediately sat back, relieved.
He sighed, "Now we just have to figure out what is more important to them that a hostage."
She frowned at him and snapped, "Foolish man! No, we don't. Have you even listened to the clue?"
"Of course!" he exclaimed.
She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Bagman, you're an idiot. We ask them, of course."
"What?" he asked, before he understood. "Oh. But part of the Task is for them to discover what it is."
"Oh?" she asked, a little snarkily. "And just where in the clue or the rules does it say that?"
After thinking about it for a few moments he suddenly deflated and quietly said, "Oh."
Exasperated with the man she said, "Go back to the Ministry, Ludo. And let those of us who can think things through figure this out."
He left less than a minute later, feeling like a school boy who'd just disappointed his favourite professor.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
With all the House of Potter documents dealt with, both teens found themselves with little to do.
Harry asked, "So, what do we do with the rest of our day?"
With a small smile on her face, Hermione just shrugged. "Perhaps... What do you think about the idea of going to see a movie?"
Surprised by the suggestion, Harry thought about it before he replied, "You know what? Why not? But, is there a cinema within walking distance?"
"Yep," she immediately replied. "Down near Centre Court Shopping Centre, near the train station."
"How do we find out what's on, so we don't just go down there and find it's some sappy romance, or something?" he asked.
She gave him a funny look and asked, "'Sappy romance', Harry? Really?"
He blushed a little and replied, "Well, it might be something you want to see, but I'm a bloke. Perhaps, something like a comedy would appeal to us both?"
She gave a snort of amusement and said, "I'll go have a look for a copy of the home-delivered free local paper and see if it's covered in there. I'm pretty sure it usually is."
After finding a copy, the two found the advertisements for the local cinema and found what they wanted to watch. With matching grins, they rose, alerted their auror detail and Hermione's parents as to where they were going and left.
As soon as they were out the door, Monica turned to Wendell and said, "He's finally taking her out on what I'd consider a date."
Wendell sighed and said, "He's been a good boy and not set one foot wrong. I still worry he will, though."
Monica asked, "What movie have they decided they're going to see?"
Wendell gave a snort and said, "The Santa Clause, would you believe?"
Monica chuckled and said, "Not exactly a romantic movie, is it?"
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
It had taken a while, but Andi was standing in front of her potions station in Saint Mungo's smiling at the potion they had just managed to complete.
Taking a deep breath and sigh of relief, she set about bottling the potion and setting it aside to cool.
It had taken her, the Head Potions Master of the hospital and two of his third year apprentices to determine how to counteract the potion inside Remus Lupin and brew the tricky counter-potion.
At first, the Potions Master was against the attempt. However, both his professional ethics and the desire to solve the challenge brought him into the project with his two apprentices.
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