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Harco Empire	By : Toddy Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 34430 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or films. I do not make any money from the writing of this story, just enjoyment.

Chapter List
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- 163
[Note: “x-x” = speech & ‘x-x’ = thoughts & *x-x* = telepathy & #x-x# Parseltongue]
~~~ PARISHIONAL~~~
On Friday 7^th, Harry and Draco attended one of Narcissa’s dinners at Number Twelve. It was mainly aimed at those who had farming interests and among the guests were Hortulanus and Glandulous as well as some of the Irish mages. One of the topics of conversation that occurred was the price of wool which was depressed. They were also discussing how to achieve economies in production to lower the cost. Several of them had ideas, but there was a consensus that the muggle middlemen who bought the wool were making far too much profit.
The next piece of bad news was that the muggle quarry owners near the village would not be renewing their lease at the end of October, owing to cheaper minerals being shipped in from overseas. This threw into doubt the viability of keeping the railway open just for passengers. The Great Grumblewell Council was up in arms about this and wanted to see whether some sort of community railway group could be formed. They were also deeply chagrined because they had just built a new car-park for the station, much bigger that the old goods yard and easily accessible from the bypass. They said that permission had been granted for quite a number of new homes to be built because of the ease of commuting by train, especially in the winter when the roads were affected by ice and snow. Unfortunately, the existence of the new bypass partly undermined that last part of the argument; so, they stressed the anti-polluting part of their submission.
Douglas and Marilyn were understandably worried about their jobs at the station. They had recently taken on a carriage cleaning project. This happened when the last train into the station was left overnight in the siding and they prepared it for the following day. Two or three of the drivers lived in Grumblewell so it suited them too. The driver on ‘earlies’ drove the train in, taking the early commuters with him and the one on ‘lates’ drove the last train back with the evening revellers aboard. Those railway workers had involved their union, so there was pressure from three sides to keep the line open.
There was an ancillary problem that when the bypass was built the engineers wanted to stop the swift flowing River Gryff from undermining the supports for the bridge through scouring on the bend where it passed under the bridge. Although there would be no immediate problem it was felt that the weir should be rebuilt to create less turbulence beneath the bridge. The present weir had been reduced in height some time ago when the quarry lessors stopped using water-powered machinery. Now, if the height was raised to that recommended by the highway authority, there could be a risk of flooding some of the quarry when the river was in spate after heavy rainfall.
###
The following weekend [15^th] the Stamps were telling the Sages that they would soon be looking for jobs, because their further educational courses had ended. Their parents had let them have a good holiday but now some pressure was being applied for them to find work. They also explained that there were now six of them.
“You see,” Sam clarified: “We sort of paired off when we became friendly with Sylvia. So, she’s our resident mage, so to speak.”
All six of them chuckled.
“I seem to have a special talent,” Sylvia said: “We found it out when I was watching Seamus and Dean charge up my friends’ medallions. I got a bit too near when they were doing Ant’s.”
The other five burst out laughing.
“She was hugging Ant at the time,” explained Matilda: “I doubt they could get much closer.”
“Okay … We had skin contact … Ant got a double charge because my thaumic core decided it wanted to help.”
“His hair stood on end and his eyes widened in surprise,” supplied Philippa: “And he sort-of glowed and shivered too…”
“… Anyway, we found out that I have this charging talent. So now Dean and Seamus leave it up to me. I charge one of my mates every other day. It keeps them well protected and my core has time to recover. In fact, I reckon that that talent is still growing because I’ve managed to have one of them riding tandem as well. Now my Dad is saying I should not associate with muggles because it’s against his pure-blood principles.” Sylvia struck a defiant pose: “I’m an adult now, so he can go and stuff his heredity argument up his arse. Not that there’s much money left since he gave most of it to Voldie. We were so much in debt that he had to sell the family home and we have a much smaller house here not far from Ant’s.”
Hermione looked puzzled: “I thought he told the Wizengamot that he was blackmailed into giving it?”
“He was luckier that some of the others, the seneschals actually believed him,” Sylvia replied sarcastically: “Not that he’s said anything, mind you, but I think he passed on certain information to the questioners after he was arrested; so, they applied some Nelson’s eye to some of his misdemeanours. Net result: we kept some of our remaining heirlooms and a small income.”
“They were very skilled at asking questions and quite hard to resist,” said Draco: “As I jolly well found out before my trial.”
“Fine!” Harry interrupted before people became side-tracked about aurors: “What does that mean about the Stamps and their jobs?”
“We’d like to go into business together if at all possible; forming some kind of co-operative,” replied Sylvia: “My Dad’s two elves have had twins twice, they’re much the same age as us and have been to Hogwarts. Pater says that now they’re due to return he cannot afford four extra mouths: so, he won’t accept their offers of servitude as he ought to.” Sylvia shrugged contemptuously: “So much for his pure-blood principles! I think it’s a ploy to make me give up Ant. So-o-o … The elves are prepared to come in with us, as I’m seen as part of the family.”
“What sort of co-op were you thinking of?”
“Well … We’ve been studying clothes design, knitting and weaving. Those kinds of things. Some sort of cottage industry, maybe. There’re are a number of specialist shops in the Lake District that go in for locally produced clothing. It’s a big tourist area so we might be able to cash in there. It’s not that far away.”
Anthony chipped in: “There’s a small market for lapidary work in polished stone jewellery too. My Granddad showed me how, but his fingers are too calcified to use his polisher safely now. I rather fancy having a go at that.”
“He’s quite good at it, show them your pendant, Ant.”
From under his pullover Anthony fished out a round polished disc. It had no identifiable pattern, but consisted of wavy concentric circles of different hued rock. The effect was stunning.
*It sparkles, Guys,* sent Ginevra.
Harry closed his eyes: *I can sense some form of magic. It resembles that that comes off one of the medallions our muggles wear.*
*Hmm … Double strength charm,* Draco mused mentally: *I bet that both his pendant and medallion are charged.*
Harry asked Anthony to show them his medallion and, as Draco had suspected, both displayed the same kind of protective magic.
###
Three or four days later Draco and Harry were chatting to Gabriellus who had come to talk to Hermione about goblin further educational possibilities.
“I’ve got a couple of miners who come from financial families. They’re the equivalent of the human pure-bloods and have much the same elitist attitudes. My two will never make good financiers and they’re rebelling against their parents. Their fathers have given them six weeks to find a mining job otherwise join the family business. That’s nowhere near enough time to apply and be interviewed and the two of them would rather not have to go abroad. It looks as though they’ll have to. I’ve heard that there may be a vacancy for one of them in the Ukraine. Big problem is that they’re like you two … You know … Enamoured of each other. They’re a bit high-strung and I really fear that they’ll make a suicide pact if they get separated.”
“Did you know that our muggle quarry lessors are closing down? Perhaps your two would like to try it out here. Dean and Seamus rely on the quarry for building stone. We were hoping to build some houses where Mr Cartwright used to have his yard. If the quarry closes down, that knocks the scheme on the head. Maybe you could keep a gentle eye on them if they started working it instead.”
“That’s a thought, I’ll have a wander over and look at it. See if I think it’s viable. We’d need to find them some capital though.”
“Let’s see if you think it’s viable first.”
Draco could feel Harry working out sums in his head.
“We’ll need to sort out what happens when they rebuild that weir.”
“What weir’s that then?”
They explained about the risk of flooding and the bypass bridge.
“You say it used to work a waterwheel for the mine machinery. Maybe that has possibilities. Dean and Seamus and that muggle who owns the mill are generating the village’s electricity, they probably have enough know-how to advise me. Thanks, I’ll look into it.”
###
Next weekend [22^nd] Justin had been visiting his folks and returned looking a bit off.
“What’s wrong Juicy?”
“Dad has retired earlier than he thought. I know he’s got a lot of money and could do whatever he wants, but he spent most of his time at the mill. Being the managing director gave him a sense of purpose. Now the place has closed down. It’s been in the family for quite a few generations, but overseas competition is underselling the firm’s products. He’s got a supermarket chain wanting to buy the site, and he thinks that he could psych them into taking on quite a few of his employees. Some of the machinery’s quite old. He’d looked into updating it, but the capital outlay would not bring in the economies needed to lower his prices to his competitors’ levels. He’s a bit like Minister Arthur, he likes tinkering with the machines to keep them going. He’s already closed one line down partly for economic reasons and partly because he can use the bits off it to keep the other lines going.”
“What exactly does Henry make?”
“Various runs of woollen cloth. Mostly worsteds for clothes manufacturers. He branched out into knitting machines also.”
Draco had an idea and shared it with the other seers.
“How old is some of the machinery, Juicy?”
“No idea, but some of it was great-grandfather William’s, Tor. Why do you ask?”
“Was it water-powered at any time?”
“Again, no idea. I do know that it was steam powered until after the Second World War some time. You four are being mysterious again. Come on tell me?”
“It’s a sort of idea. Run a small cloth and knitting mill by water power. The Stamps want to set up a cottage industry making clothes for the tourist market. The bypass weir might be made to fill the leat to the quarry, once more. Use some of the old quarry buildings.”
“Right!” Justin chuckled: “Messing with the old machinery would keep my dad from under Mother’s feet. Erm … I suppose we can miniaturise muggle machinery to transport it, can we?”
“Hermione did that to her parent’s car a couple of times, and that still works.”
###
They were sitting outside when Gabriellus reported about his inspection. He had a few rock samples in his bag, which he rolled out onto a table.
“Where did those come from?” asked Anthony.
“Harry’s quarry. Why do you ask?”
“I’ve got lots of those. The cylindrical ones I slice with a diamond disc. Some of them are quite pretty, like this one.” He showed Gabriellus his pendant: “Those round ones we used to use as marbles when we were younger. Problem was you could only play the rolling games with them. Tossing and hitting games could shatter them. Although the crystals that came from inside were pretty colours. Granddad calls them ‘witches’ eyes’; quite a few of the houses had them carefully sliced in half and set into their lintels as good luck charms.”
“You used to throw them around and shatter them?” Gabriellus’s voice rose in remorseful astonishment.”
“Yes! Why?”
“They’re elphinite!” The goblin replied, with an unbelieving look on his face.
“So?”
“Oh! You’re a muggle so you wouldn’t understand … Let me see … Kreacher?”
Pop: “Yes Gabby?”
“Please would you show Ant your ring, please?”
Anthony looked at the stone in Kreacher’s ring: “Is that the same crystal, then? I take it you regard it as special.”
Kreacher chuckled: “You know how Juicy uses a wand to cast charms, well, our elfin rings act in the same way.”
“Oh! Right! Like Gabby uses his staff, yes?”
“Yes!”
“I’ve got a little pile of them somewhere at home, if you’d like them.”
“Yes please, elphinite is very rare. We miners are always looking for more samples. Until now the nearest mine was in the Ukraine. There are a couple in America and another in China … Oh … and I think Australia and Africa have one apiece. Who’d have thought that muggles would think they were cheap marbles.”
Anthony chuckled: “Maybe I can sell them to you. It’d give us the capital to set up our co-operative.”
“We’ll need to open them carefully, to make sure they are the real thing. If they are you have a deal.”
“Our elves trust will also buy some, if they’re the bees-knees,” added Kreacher.
“Granddad has the equipment to do that. C’mon, let’s go see what’s inside my marbles.”
Gabriellus and Anthony wandered off. A few hours later they returned with an astounded look on Anthony’s face and a contented one on Gabriellus’s. Kreacher’s eyes were shining too.
###
On Sunday [23^rd] the Seers offered a pub lunch to various interested wool-producing parties; including Niall, Glandulous, the local farmers and Laird MacMillan, Ernie’s father. Sarah Fawcett’s father represented the south west and so all parts of the magical British wool-producing fraternity were represented. Most of them had held some of their wool crop back, hoping to get a better price, but that had not happened. They agreed to create a new consortium to experiment with the Harco Trust’s director’s ideas.
~~~ MYDDLEGARTH HALL [AFTERNOON] ~~~
“Father?”
“Yes Justin,”
“What’s going to happen to the mill machinery now you’ve closed the mill?”
“I’ve got a scrap man coming to give me a quote. If I get a reasonable price, then I’ll buy you a new boat.”
“Really. That’s jolly kind of you.”
“I was looking at your present one recently with the idea of doing it up, but I think we’d be better off buying a new one. The motor’s on its last legs and the hull is growing thin. I’m not sure I want to mourn my only son and heir because his vessel sank.” Henry chuckled.
Justin smiled back: “Err … You do know that I have the use of one of the Harco boats in the Scillies, don’t you?”
“Yes, I’ve been out on it with you when your mother and I were staying at Tregarthen Hotel a couple of years ago. What has this to do with the mill machinery?”
“You kept it in good working order, didn’t you?”
“It still is capable of doing a good job, but with the level of British workers’ wages it became impossible to reach the quality I need at a competitive price. Why are you being coy … You’ve got a scheme up your sleeve, haven’t you?”
“Yes. It’s to do with the Trust … Erm … You see … half a dozen young village people we know of, want to set up a quality clothes producing co-operative. It’d be aimed at the tourists who visit the Lake District. One of them’s doing lapidary work and has found some valuable elphinite so he has a bit of capital set on one side.”
“Ah … So, they want to buy the mill machinery. Good, I’ll get a decent price for it.”
“No … The Trust wants you to donate the machinery.”
“I’ll sell it to them at scrap price, if they can move it. I’d rather see it being used than melted down.”
“You weren’t listening, Father. I said ‘give’ not ‘sell’. The whole thing depends on low cost. They’ve managed to get promise of raw wool and could process it into finished garments. The Trust will provide the buildings free of charge. Once and if they make a go of it then there will be a proper profit-sharing scheme between them and the trust. I had a feeling that you might like to come in on the deal on the same basis. Trust provide premises and buildings, you provide machinery and know-how, the sheep-farmers provide wool, and the workers provide the effort. They all live in Godric’s Hollow so they will, at the moment stay with their parents. Because some of our elves will also be part of the work-force the Trust will be providing the usual rations based on the present co-operative scheme.”
Henry guffawed. When he had recovered, he said: “That’s some sales pitch. Tugging at my heart strings too. You knew how keen I am in stopping rural depopulation, didn’t you?”
“Yes. We’d sort of wondered if you would like to continue tinkering with the machines and keeping them in good order.”
“So how do you intend to provide the power; that was another of our overheads that got out of hand?”
“Water?”
“What?”
You know that Michael Miller, Dean and Seamus are generating electricity for the whole village using water wheels. Well, they think that it would be a possibility. The River Gryff has a reasonable fall and the mill is lower down, so we’d be reusing their water, so-to-speak.”
“Your grandfather ran our mill on water power. There were problems in dry weather though. That’s when he bought the steam engine. With a condenser it used much less water.”
“You still have it, don’t you?”
“Yes, it was his pride and joy. I think that’s what got me enthused about the mill machinery. When we no longer needed it, I hadn’t the heart to chuck it out.”
“We’ve got a magi-mechanic who got an old steam launch working on Lac Léman. Maybe he could fettle it for when the river’s low.”
“I’d love to get Granddad’s old engine working, even just for fun.”
“So, you’ll do it then?”
“I can’t resist that kind of challenge, and you know it. Now, how about I challenge you.”
“Go on?”
“It’s Stewart and Rowena Ramsbottom. They’re nearing retirement age and they’ve got the golden handshake, but I doubt they’ll take to shop-work. I’d like to see them settled and still feeling useful. I know what a hole I felt when I could no longer go to the mill. In this co-operative of yours, d’you think we might find them a place?”
“Yes, they’re a nice old couple. Stewart used to show me how things worked when I came with you after school and on Saturdays. There are a few houses belonging to the trust renovated in the village, so I’m almost sure we might find them a house too. I think they suspect I’m a wizard and it doesn’t faze them, so they’d fit in to village life reasonably easily.
Henry rubbed his hands together: “So … When do we start?”
~~~ MINING 29^TH OCTOBER ~~~
Festus Fulda and Dardanellus Duisburg were introduced as possible miners to the Dumbledorian Cabinet and the Stamps, the following weekend.
“Goodman Gabriellus has shown us your quarry, Seneschal Potter,” Dardanellus said: “We’d very much like to try and make a go of it. He thinks that the Elphinite nodes will allow us to make a good living and Elder Kreacher has offered us a fair price for the finished rings. All we need to do now is install the necessary equipment.”
“My granddad is giving me his machines and will help where he can,” said Anthony: “So that will help Dodo and Festy. They’ve been telling me about the healing properties of some stones too. We have an idea to tumble-polish certain of them ready for sale.”
“We’ve had a look at the old millwheel, Harry,” said Dean: “It’s far too gone for further use, but Michael Miller says he has a source of parts for us to build a new one. He’s quite taken with the idea of cottage industries. He’s at a bit of a loose end now his generating plant is working and was looking around for another project.”
“Father’s taken up with the idea too,” reported Justin: “It took a bit of wheedling, but he’ll give us the equipment from the factory that he’s closed down. He’s offered us the steam engine too, for when the river’s low or frozen over. Mother’s ever so grateful he’s not moping around the house any more. You should see all the diagrams he’s drawing. By the way, I’ve given him a medallion so’s he can get from our hall to here via our cabinet easily. ‘S that okay with you?”
“Of course, Juicy.”
“He’s got two old retainers from the mill. They’ve been with the mill since they were apprenticed. What they don’t know about woollen processing can be found on the head of a small pin. They’ll have enough to live on from their golden handshake. They’ve got no family that I know of …”
“… So, you want us to offer them a house here and see if they’d like to help out, yes?”
“Yes Tor.”
“Number One Darkwell Lane is just finished,” provided Seamus: “There’s no urgent applicants on the list at the moment, so we could offer them that.”
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