Hogwarts Journeys; Ch. 9-25, To be written! Options

[evlpez]

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[evlpez]

Chapter XII - Christmas at the Potters'

About a mile West of the Stadium was a make-shift campground in a warded field. Wizard tents were huddled in groups around small fires, and several families sat out together enjoying the warmth of the fire and friendly company. More tents sported second floors and chimneys, out of which puffed smoke smelling of hot food and warm kitchens.

As they searched for a flat spot of ground to make camp, the boys craned their necks at the sound of a small group of Italian teenagers passing by. They seemed to be looking for more kids to play an impromptu game of night-quidditch until a plump, stern-faced old witch accosted them, shouting in Italian. Grabbing the tallest boy by the ear, she led them all back into a large tent while the other boys laughed. James and Philip chuckled to each other.

"Bit cold out tonight to be up flying around anyway, isn't it?" Philip muttered.

"Yeah, but there's a charm for that," James replied. "I wouldn't play in this dark anyway, though it'd be good for you." Philip gave him a questioning look. "Well you wouldn't be able to see the ground, would you?" James smiled as Philip gave him a light kick in the leg, and the other boys laughed out loud.

Harry stopped and looked around, peering into the dark of the open field beyond. "Here's as good a place as any. You'll have to forgive an old wizard for his preference for comfort, boys," he smiled.

"You're not old, Dad," James said, rolling his eyes.

"Still, when's the last time I took you muggle camping? We'll do that in the summer. Tonight, though…" Harry pulled a small canvas bag out of a duffel bag and threw it into the dark. He pointed his wand at it and it inflated to a tent the size of a flat.

They went inside and all but Harry and James marveled at the three room flat inside, complete with furniture much like that in the Gryffindor common room. There was a huge stove between the kitchen and main room. Harry went to it and lit it, sending billows of smoke into the rooms. Cursing, he opened the flue as James went to hold the flap of the entrance open. Philip and the others went beyond the main room to a flap 'doorway' to find a great bedroom with its own small stove, two beds big enough for two or three people, a cot and a crib. Harry squeezed by them and opened the flue before lighting the bedroom stove. The place warmed up rather quickly, and Harry lit lanterns in each room.

The boys sat on the squashy couch and chairs in front of the main room stove while Harry searched cupboards in the kitchen for something to eat.

"That was a brilliant match," James reflected, watching the flames in the stove window.

"Yeah, it was!" the boys chorused in reply.

"Costa's Wronski Feint? Ahh!" Sean threw his head back dramatically.

"A lot different than seeing you guys on the school brooms, that's for sure," Philip said.

"Some interesting conversation, too," Carson added quietly, glancing at Harry in the other room.

James looked at him seriously. "Yeah. All that stuff about Jacobson? What's he doing teaching transfiguration if he's an old Ministry guy?"

"And what did he do to get sacked?" Philip asked.

"And then he worked at St. Mungo's. Bit of a Jack of all trades, isn't he?" Sean said.
James' mind tried to connect these things as if they could tell him what Jacobson was up to at the school.

"Okay boys," Harry called from the kitchen. "We've got beef stew or franks and beans."

"Beef stew," they all called back.

They continued to whisper while a hug pot crashed onto the stove and bowls and spoons clattered onto the table.

"Mr. Hindle told me he was sacked at the Ministry because he wanted softer punishment for illegal magic," James said knowingly.

"So we were right. He's Dark then, right?" Allen asked.

"Not necessarily," Carson said. "Mr. Hindle said certain types of illegal magic, didn't he? That could be anything really. Maybe he wanted to change the laws for under-aged wizardry or something."

"Jacobson? Are you kidding?" James asked. "He hates kids. He wouldn't get sacked for that."

"Well I'm just saying, we don't know what it was exactly. As much as I don't like him, I'm not going to say he's really evil. A lot of strict grown-ups have questionable views on illegal magic. Doesn't mean they're evil, just that they disagree with some of the laws the Ministry makes. Right?" Carson said, getting a little defensive.

He has a point, James thought. Look at Remus Lupin. The laws for werewolves are outrageous, Dad always says. Lupin can't do a lot of things most wizards are allowed to do just because he's a werewolf once a month, no matter that he always takes Wolfsbane potion. Still, James had a tough time imagining Jacobson fighting against something for the right reasons. He didn't trust him.

"You're right, Carson. It's possible that he's not Dark, but I wouldn't bet my life on it," James said. Philip and Allen nodded in agreement and Sean went over to the corner to inspect a coat stand and the racing brooms leaning against it.

"Besides. His wife's all right. I mean, she's nice and everything. Doesn’t seem the type to marry a Dark wizard," Allen said.

"Well she seems that way, yeah," Philip agreed.

"Yeah, and he's not all that nice to her, from what I can tell," James said suspiciously. "

"So he worked at the Ministry and the hospital," Philip thought aloud. "So what is he doing at Hogwarts, and what's it got to do with that Magic Council?"

"Illegal magic… well he wants some law changed, right?" James asked. "That's part of what the Council does. But what law? What magic?"

"Whoa! You've got a Krum special, Mr. Potter?!" Sean exclaimed.

Harry walked in carrying a cutting board and a big loaf of bread. "Oh, that? No, that's just something like it. Viktor sent it to me several years ago when the broom company he endorsed in the late 90s went under. They had made a small run of cheaper versions of the Krum Special, and he'd heard I hadn't gotten a Special for myself, so he sent me this. It's a nice broom, but it's not like his. And it's not even close to some of the models out this year by Nimbus and Firebolt. Soups on, boys. Come and eat."

They all sat around the large dining table slurping up stew and bread with butter, their conversation of quidditch punctuated by lively recreations by Harry with the spoons and empty bowls. Philip embellished the dramatic displays of flying spoons and hovering bowls with rude noises, sending everyone into fits of laughter, including Harry, who'd lost his wand and sent the whole set of tableware falling on their heads. It was almost dawn before Harry sent the boys to the bedroom and summoned a big feather blanket from it to the couch for himself.