Saturday, May 8, 1995 - Afternoon
A most unusual message had been posted to the Merlin House journals by Lord Greengrass.
He asked for a Merlin House meeting to discuss the future of Merlin House. No one had mentioned what Merlin House was to do once the Tri-Wizard Tournament was finished. Harry and the others talked together in the common room.
“I haven’t thought about anything but finishing the next task. I don’t have any plans for the future. I don’t know if Merlin House will exist after this school year.” Harry was puzzled about why they were being asked to talk about the future.
The future was always set out for students at Hogwarts. You aimed to finish your OWLS in fifth year and then if you did well enough and your family could pay the school fees you could do two more years to get your NEWTs. If you didn’t do well in your OWLS, you had to leave school and make your own way the magical world.
The Merlin House team went back to their essays and reading. Harry went to his room and noticed that his journal had signalled another message. It was from Lord Greengrass again.
Harry
This is a private message for you.
I have received a private message from Alain Delacour.
Please do not reveal this yet. Alain is the Deputy Minister of Magic in France. Any hint of this message getting out will make things difficult for him.
Alain has some warnings for us.
There has been more information revealed about the Second Task. The French Ministry of Magic detected that the British Ministry was trying to lure kelpies into the Black Lake before the Second Task. The French Ministry reacted and sent their own divers in to kill the kelpies before they got to you and the other champions. The Merfolk also saw the kelpies trying to move in and killed some of them as well. The French Ministry can’t reveal this as it would prove that they are spying on the British Ministry.
We are eternally grateful to the French and the Merfolk. If they didn’t act, then you and the other champions could be dead. The British Ministry are idiots. They don’t know how dangerous kelpies are and once again are ignoring the extreme risks that they are taking with your lives.
Alain is also sure that the British Ministry wants to abolish the Potter School of Magic and arrest you on some trumped-up charges. They have ignored the support that you have from the Gods of Olympus.
Alain wants you to move the Potter School of Magic to France where you will be honoured instead of arrested. Alain wants you to do this on the day that the Tri-Wizard Tournament finishes.
Please float the idea of moving to Paris with Merlin House without revealing why. It will be a problem for some of the students and some may wish to transfer back to Hogwarts to stay closer to their families. Let them get used to the idea. Whatever happens, you have to get out of Britain.
The population of Magical Britain will suffer when the Gods of Olympus react to the Ministry defying them. If you and the school Get-Out-Of-Dodge before the carnage starts, then that suffering might be reduced or avoided altogether.
Tom Riddle is gaining strength. The information we got from Draco and Pansy proves it. He is being absolutely quiet. I can’t get any hints about what he is doing, which is worrying. Keep training; you can catch up with your classes later; continue to avoid Snape and Dumbledore.
Cyrus
Harry closed his journal and sat on his bed. He stared at the wall for while and then went to his bookcase and found his old school atlas.
Paris, the capital city of France, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Napoleon’s Tomb, and lots of art museums; it looked a bit touristy. Harry wandered down to the common room and found Professor Dawes talking to the Greengrass girls.
“I’m sorry to interrupt professor, but can I talk to you in private sometime today?”
“Certainly Harry; give me a few minutes and we can go to my office.”
A few minutes later; “Professor, has anyone mentioned plans for Merlin House for next year, or after the Tournament?”
“Yes Harry, I have. It is a part of my job. I have to think about how many students we will have next year, and where we will be located. There is no reason to stay here in Hogwarts and plenty of reasons why we should move.”
“I was thinking more about if there will be a Merlin House or a Potter School of Magic. Has anyone said that we will be shut down?” Harry seemed to be a bit depressed.
“No one has said anything about shutting the Potter School of Magic down, Harry.” Professor Dawes was more concerned.
“I suppose that I always thought that it was something which was created by the Goblet of Fire and would not last any longer than the Tournament.” Harry said.
“Right, I suppose that makes a certain kind of sense, but the school is registered permanently. It exists independently from the Goblet of Fire and will continue until the responsible people shut it down. At the moment, the only person responsible for the school is you. You can keep it open, or you can shut it down.” Harry needed to think about his.
Merlin House was his. He owned the house. Hogwarts was allowing him to stay but if he wanted to, Merlin House could move somewhere else. What about classes, who would teach them?
“If we did move away, how would we get classes. Who would be our professors?” Harry had never thought about how all these details worked.
“You can hire professors. They are out there, all you have to do is let them know that there is a job for them, they will write in and apply.” Professor Dawes smiled at Harry.
“Don’t look so surprised Harry! Not everyone believes the Daily Prophet. I personally know three qualified teachers who would love to be on the Merlin House staff.”
“Would they better than Snape and Binns?” Hope sparked in Harry’s heart.
“That’s a very low bar for anyone to get over Harry. They will be vastly better than some of you old teachers.”
“So we can move away from Hogwarts, set ourselves up somewhere else, hire new professors and start taking new students.” Harry contemplated a new life away from the whispers, the taunts, the nasty looks and the sneering dungeon bat.
“How soon can we get started?”
--ooOOoo—
The Merlin House eight had their own meeting in the office meeting room.
Harry started the discussion.
“How are we all feeling today?”
“OK”
“Not bad.”
“Why? What do you want?”
That was Astoria. She was too clever to be fooled by meaningless platitudes.
“We have to talk about what we are going to do after the Tournament and the school year finishes.” Harry cut straight to the problem.
“What?”
“What’s going on?”
Su Li spoke up. “Luna, this house was set up by the Gods of Olympus. Do they have a plan for us after this year?”
“The want us to continue supporting Harry. The Tournament is the first thing Harry has to deal with, but there is something more than that. Harry has a dangerous enemy outside of the school and the Tournament.” Luna looked around the room.
“Tom Riddle. He really is coming back isn’t he.” Susan said.
All the Merlin House students had been told of Harry’s encounters with the Dark Lord and his visions of Voldemort. The news from their Slytherin spies was not happy news.
“You all know how to keep secrets. You have done that for this year. This is secret. Lord Greengrass is very concerned. Riddle is very dangerous. We still have some hard things to do the defeat him, but we have a chance.”
Harry waited to collect his thoughts.
“We are getting help from other people. We have friends who want to know what our plans are. I think we should plan for the future. I want to know what you want Merlin House to be next year and the year after. I want to know if you want to stay with Merlin House when the Tournament and this mission is finished.” Harry waited.
“Wait a minute! Merlin House is going to continue. After the Riddle thing is finished. Is that right?” Hannah asked.
“I want to stay with Merlin House.”
“I do too.”
“Me too.”
“Does anyone want to go back to Hogwarts?” Tracey asked.
Everyone shook their heads. “No!”
Harry looked around and smiled.
“OK. Next question: what if Merlin House moves to somewhere else?”
“Where else?”
“How far away?”
“This is what you are getting at, isn’t it? Where are we moving to?” That was Astoria again.
“Paris. You know, Paris, France, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame.”
“WOW!” “WHOOPIE!” “HOT DOG!” “YAY!” “When do we start!”
“What about your parents?”
“They aren’t coming! It will be just us and our dull, dull schoolwork and instead of Hogsmeade weekends it will be coffee and croissants on the Champs Elysée!”
Harry was a bit stunned by all the shouting.
“Next question: I want a new school name, instead of Potter School of Magic, how about École De Haute Magie?”
“What does that mean?”
Harry smiled, “School of High Magic”.
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