Toppers Wallow

This week started with the usual mass Apparation. The pair went along early because they wanted to prepare papers for Augusta’s first teach-in sessions that week. Things went well, with Phealey and Pullet joining in the sessions and both private teaching lessons for DADA and Potions.



At Dinner on Wednesday before the Duelling Club, Draco realised that he had left some parchments at home that he needed for his next teach-in session with Augusta.



“Harry; will you be all right with the combatants if I go home?”



“Don’t worry Lover, Hermione and Ron will be there as well. You go and sort out what you want. Before you come back let’s try another communication session and see if it works long distance.”



“Okay, a quarter-to-ten whilst sipping chocolate. What will we think about though?”



“I’ll ask a few questions about the cabinets. Firstly some I think I know the answers to, and then some more difficult ones.”



“Right! You’re on! Listen to the Draco programme at nine-forty-five, tonight, don’t get distracted by the smiling ones like you did last week.”



Harry playfully punched Draco as he rose to Apparate. The others noticed and laughed out loud.



After the contest Lavender had to repair a couple of burns, and Ernie did an Enervate or two, all under Poppy’s matronly eye, otherwise the Duelling Club went quite well. Harry quickly confirmed with the Smiling Ones that their lesson was on for Thursday; then scooted to the safety of his own living area. He was a little early and sat sipping his drink looking at the south wall, trying to visualise Draco sitting in Magnet Cottage’s living area looking northwards. His gaze rested on the portrait of Travis Duindhu, who was out visiting another portrait somewhere.



Harry suddenly realised he was looking at an equivalent portrait on the north wall of the dining area at his home.



*Stop daydreaming about my uncle, Harry.* Came through and made the recipient jump.



*Just waiting for a tardy partner to break through,* he replied.



*So why one of the ancestors’ then?*



*I just realised how alike the two portraits were. Have you noticed that he uses the door behind him when he goes visiting another portrait?*



*Many of the portraits have doors or curtains which their occupants use. Hadn’t you noticed?*



*Not really! Better than sliding behind the frame, I suppose. What were the words for making the portal?*



*Facemus Portam.* Draco thought patiently.



*Again please?*



*FACEMUS PORTAM.* This time Harry mouthed the words as Draco conveyed them.



Draco must have been doing the same, because there was enormous bang and the whole of Hogwarts shook.



*I … Think … We’ve … Just … Made … One,* came through as Harry passed out on the sofa.



Harry came too with a posse of professors looking at him, led by a very concerned looking Minerva.



“Harry, are you all right. What happened?”



“I … Think … We … Made … A … Portal.”



“A portal? What kind of portal?”



“Behind … Duindhu … Portrait … Get … Draco … Please.” Harry passed out again.



Harry came too in a very familiar place; a side ward in Poppy’s domain. His lover was groaning next door. Lavender was sitting between them reading a book.



“Um … Lavender … Is Draco all right?”



“As well as could be expected. They rescued him quickly enough using the new portals you two made.”



“What new portals?” Harry passed out again before he heard the answer.



Next time Harry woke up it was to Draco’s thoughts: *If you’re awake, don’t open your eyes, Minerva’s hovering. I’m pretending to be out for the count.*



*Okay! What did we do?*



*As near as I can make out; we made portals of the two portraits. Open one and the other opens; one step and you’re in Magnet Cottage from Hogwarts,* Draco informed.



*So we made the portals without cabinets to hold them.*



*Seems so! Maybe our two living areas are the cabinets. Jolly useful though, no more dizzying apparition.*



Harry thought about it for a minute; then opened his eyes.



“Ah! Harry!” Minerva pounced. “Are you well enough to answer some questions? Oh! I see Draco’s woken too.”



*Better get it over with, Lover,* though Harry, answering verbally: “Possibly if they’re not too taxing, Minerva.”



Slowly the tale emerged of the pair looking at Draco’s parchments, and what happened subsequently.



“You know it is very unwise for two of my youngest professors to be experimenting in such a dangerous way, don’t you?”



*She sounds as though she’s about to deduct house points,* Draco sent.



Harry tried very hard not to smirk.



“However,” Minerva continued, “It seems that you have made a new discovery that will make wizarding history. Very well done indeed! Please let us know when you are going to experiment again, Argus is still repairing the suits of armour that disintegrated in your mini earthquake.” A quirky smile adorned Minerva’s face. “You frightened Peeves very much. He’s hiding in the house cup and won’t come out, which is definitely an improvement.”



Poppy shooed the visitors out and gave the two of them some old socks tasting pick-me-up before they dropped off to sleep again.



Next time Harry woke, Hermione was sitting on the seat between him and Draco, she was smiling knowingly.



“Hello you two; Augusta, Ron and I have covered your classes for you, although the Smiling Ones were a bit miffed until Ron had them playing hex tennis. The whole school’s agog with your latest discovery, although, of course, it’s meant to be a secret.”



“What day is it Hermione?” Draco pleaded.



“Friday just before lunchtime. Minerva says that as soon as you are strong enough you’re to go home. Hamish, Ron and I will look after the second batch of second-years over the weekend. Hamish says he will use his main room as a debrief for the weekend so you can have some peace, at least.”



“What exactly did we do, Hermione?” asked Harry.



“You made two portals out of the portrait frames without harming the pictures. As far as I can make out, this has never been done before. It takes very strong magicians to make the cabinets and they have to work absolutely in unison and in the same magical environment. That’s why the portals are in cabinets, so the two magicians could see each other whilst fabricating the portals and their connection. After they are made the cabinets can be transported to their intended placing. It probably wouldn’t have worked had the wards of Hogwarts and Magnet Cottage not been synchronised recently by all of us. You seem to have set up a warded magical tunnel in which time does not exist, or maybe it’s space that gets shrunken – various of us are working on the exact definition. Just say that one step takes you over six-hundred miles in a second. Quicker that Apparating and without those dizzy moments either. We think that there is an affinity with the floo system, as the portals are both backing on to chimneys, not that anything is proven. You’ll have to make some more before any reasonable theory can be promulgated.”



“Um … I’m not sure I want to, if it means all this weariness.”



“This is where the cabinets come in; they contain the pool of magic. You both had to fill the rooms you were in to build up the pressure. There is still a lot of theory and the team are looking in all kinds of places to find out more.”



“Who’re the team, Hermione?”



“Well there’s Filius and I from Hogwarts, Tarmindale and Grammarian.”



“Tarmindale I remember, from protecting the centaurs, but who’s Grammarian?” said Draco.



“He’s a knowledgeable elf and very old, he has specialised in studying how the elves transport themselves from one location to another. Some of the things he comes up with are quite brilliant, but a little weird.”



“So you’ll be asking us a lot of questions then?” queried Harry.



“Yes, but not immediately. We are searching our various sources and reading books and scrolls that might be pertinent. Once our NEWT’s are over, we may have to go to Egypt because Tarmindale has found a reference to priestly portals in tombs there, although it is a bit arcane. Minerva’s warned us off questioning you I’m only supposed to ask you one question and then go.”



“What’s the question, Hermione?” asked Harry.



“It’s for Draco. Please may we borrow and make copies of your extensive notes?”



“Sorry, I’ve already lent them to Harry.” Draco had a devious smile on his face.



“Oh!” Hermione looked puzzled. “Erm … Harry? Have you finished with those notes, if so please might we borrow them?”



Harry caught on to the tease, adopting a similar smile to Draco’s. “That’s a double question and will make three. I’m afraid you’ve exceeded the Headmistress’s quota by two.”



“Well! Really!” Hermione looked exasperated and sounded cross. “I should have known you two’d be obtuse. We’re already applying for a release order from the Wizengamot; I’ll just have to add those parchments to it.”



“How can you, since you don’t know the names of them?” asked Draco, now fully into the joke, but playing serious.



“We’ll subpoena all your papers if necessary.” Hermione looked at Draco through slitted eyes.



Harry was having a hard time containing his mirth. Hermione heard a stifled giggle and turned on him.



“I don’t see this as a laughing matter Professor Potter.” Each word she uttered seemed to have sharpened daggers within.



“Accio parchments,” intoned Draco. They came to his hand. “Tutor Granger, here are the notes you requested. As well as copying them do you wish to study them?”



Hermione snatched them from him, realising she had been the butt of the joke and stalked out of the room to the accompaniment of loud male guffaws.



Poppy appeared. “It seems to me that you have recovered professors. These potions are to be taken before your meals for the next two days. The bottles are marked for the correct dosage. You are discharged.”



Draco looked at the bottle. *Old socks, by the look of it,* he sent.



*Probably! I’m hungry, let’s eat at home,* was Harry’s answer.



The corridors were quiet because the lunch bell had not yet been rung. They managed to make it to their apartment without seeing any one. As they passed the trophy display, they saw the house cup shivering in fright, and giggled. Now inside their living quarters they looked at the picture.



“How do we open it?”



“No idea, Lover.”



Luckily for them Travis heard them, opened the portal in the portrait and came over. “You use the marigold on the right hand side, like a knob.”



“Thank you Uncle.”



“No; I must thank you. I’ll now see many more people as they use the portal. I must say that the double Duindhu inventors’ heritage has blossomed well with both my nephews.” Travis winked at Harry. “You are still a nephew even if you are many times removed.”



“Thank you Uncle.” Harry gave a slight bow. “I seem to be collecting family at the moment. Our little assay into portal making has left us a little weak, so we hope to have lunch at home today.”



Travis seemed to lean out of his picture and turn the marigold knob. As the portals swung open the most delicious smell wafted out. There was Kreacher, beaming.



“Welcome Masters, your lunch awaits.”



They stepped through, from grey Scottish skies into brilliant English sunshine. The single table had a centrepiece of roses and two cushioned armchairs set at it. Two bowls of steaming soup beckoned two hungry stomachs and they growled in recognition.



Their meal was leisurely; afterwards they sat on a sofa in front of the fire, holding hands. There they drifted off to sleep. After an hour or so’s snooze, Kreature appeared with Earl Grey and cherry cake, most of which disappeared inside.



“That little exercise certainly sharpened our appetites,” Draco observed.



“Mmm!” Harry squeezed his lover’s hand and reached for another slice.



Another two hours of gentle chat and occasional snoozes took place, neither of them wanted to be the first to break the cosy atmosphere of close companionship, but slowly the fruit juice from lunch and the recent tea began to press urgently. Smilingly they stood, hand in hand, went round the corner, turned the marigold and went into their apartment’s bathroom.



“At last we have a use for the Double loo,” smirked Harry.



Sighs of relief, back to Magnet Cottage, resumption of the sofa and continuance of the delicious reverie, were all that was needed. Before dinner, Kreacher brought round the show stopper.



“Come along Masters, time for your old socks,” he said with a snigger.



“UGH!”



“I’ve got this tomato juice cocktail to take away the taste.”



“What did you put in it, Kreacher? I’ve got steam coming out of my ears.”



“A little Tabasco and some Worcester sauce.”



“That certainly got rid of the old socks. Now, how do I quench the fire inside me?”



“We have thick pea soup to begin with and then …” Kreacher set out the dinner menu in great detail.



Draco and Harry felt much better after the meal. Well enough to deal with the impending horde of second-years. When the door opened the silence was eerie, each student, as they passed the seated pair, smiled and bowed slightly; then went out on to the patio and through the door into the sleeping area. Once the door was closed the usual sounds of student high spirits got underway, muffled by the closed door. Quarter of an hour later the noise stopped, the door opened and students filed out into the comfortable chairs equipped with books to read. About a third of the tiptoed into the swimming area and swam almost silently.



*This is worse than them making a noise,* Harry sent.



Draco stood up. “Listen guys, we were a bit shaken, but we’re improving rapidly. I doubt if wizard chess, exploding snap, or any other normal games will send us into relapse. It’s actually worse now; it’s like attending a wake.”



Harry felt the tension drain from the students, some still read, as they would have done anyway in a common room. Various games broke out including Hamish showing a group Goblin Mah-jongg. Harry and Draco went upstairs, put on bathing trunks and came down, bomb-shelling into the water, managing to splash every swimming student. The hubbub rose to normal heights and our pair relaxed in the water.



As had become usual, Harry’s story was told including Draco’s illusions. There was a difference though. Chocolate over, each student presented themselves to H&D, bowed and wished them a very good night. By the time it was over, the pair were having a hard time not to giggle.



“Did you lot put them up to this,” asked Harry of the three Professor-tutors.



“Minerva told them to treat you carefully, Mates,” replied Ron. “I think all the students are awed by your portal making and it was brought home to this group when they actually used those portals to get here. The bowing thing is of their own doing, I think. Anyway how are you feeling?”



“Much better than when Hermione came to see us at lunch time. Erm … Hermione … I’m sorry if we offended you.”



“Thanks for the apology Draco. I set myself up for it really, didn’t I? I must say your notes are very interesting. The magic you used to repair the other cabinet was fairly taxing, pity it got destroyed in the fire.”



“Maybe not! My father has the other one somewhere hidden away. At least he’s unable to use it to wreak havoc again. I wonder if the fire leaked through and burnt what was in the same room?”



“Maybe we’ll find out one day, Mate. If ever you find the hidden entrance to the Manor and we all feel brave enough to attack. He had a go in the Potteries, yesterday. We think he was aiming for Hermione’s parents, but they have the mirror wards. The Aurors picked up two more singed death eaters. His attacks are slowly whittling down his supporters, without us having to do much. It only took Hermione and me five minutes to repair the damage, not that there was that much, anyway.”



“Are they all right, Hermione?”



“Yes thanks, Harry. It’s happened before, you know. Mum was surprised there had been an attack, because she slept right through it. Dad thought it was a thunder storm and took no notice. Only when they saw the two comatose death eaters in the morning did they realise what had happened. Dad flooed the Aurors and they came and took the human debris away and tidied up the few remaining scorch marks.”



“I didn’t know Muggles could use the floo system.”



“They can’t normally, but Mum and Dad have galleons. It seemed reasonable as your four have them. Billy said you showed him how to use the floo in an emergency, so I felt it was carte blanche to do the same. I hope you don’t mind.”



“Of course not, it was a brilliant idea. Have any more DA … sorry … Society Members done the same?”



“I think Blaise has given his Muggle girlfriend, Gilda, one. She’s a couple of years older than him and will soon have her chemist’s licence. You’ll have to have a chat with her, Draco. I bet there are some healing potions that are almost identical to Muggle medicines.”



“Sounds interesting! I’ll take it up with Blaise when I see him next. I think my partner’s beginning to droop, I know I am. So we’ll bid you all a good night.”



As they left Ron got permission to borrow Harry’s invisibility cloak in the morning.



Harry sagged as he went up the stairs, so Draco laid him on the bed and undressed him; just managing to stay upright long enough to undress himself. Loud snores very soon filled their chamber.