Pack!

               Chapter Twenty-Seven

               Harry stood on a stool, and with a quick “Sonorus”, he let everyone in the room know things were being set in motion. “Hi everyone. First off, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate everyone pitching in the way they have. I know it’s been a very long day already, but we think it’s best to start our leave taking, even with the Calais warning not having been set off yet. Please make your way out to the larch tree on the eastern side of the castle, by whatever means you choose. There is no rush and if you’ll verbally state that you’re granting Remus Lupin temporary ownership of your luggage, he can Pack! it up with Hogwarts for travel so there’s no need to take anything other than what you might prefer to keep with you for the next few hours. If you choose not to, please ensure you gather your belongings and take them with you as you exit. Remus Lupin will be packing Hogwarts up within the next couple of hours, and we’ll unpack it near immediately on the other side so we have readily available shelter for everyone. The elves have marked out four areas near the portal, each area is marked with a sign, A to F, G to L, M to R, S to Z. Please go to the area corresponding to your last name. There is an elf responsible for ensuring everone in that area is accounted for, with Linmy maintaining the master list. We still have a few people out on errands, but everyone should be back within the hour. We’re going to be moving step by step, and each step will be announced before enacted, so right now the only thing we’re asking is for you to make your way outside. Thank you all, we’ll announce the next step soon.” He stepped down, then picked up Hat and waved at Sirius to join him.

               Remus had been tasked with putting together the “foot in the door” group, those who would go through first to ensure the security of the immediate area. Harry and his group left just as Bill Weasley was being nominated for the leadership of that team. Bill was among a dozen others who had been tasked for the first group, all having various warding abilities or other defensively helpful skills.

               Hoping this would be their very last go fetch quest, Harry still had no idea what he was after when he, Hat, and Sirius went searching the lower levels for “a number of beings”, which was all the description that Hogwarts was able to provide. With Hogwarts relaying directions to Hat, they rapidly made their way to the specified room, which looked like what he imagined a painter’s garret from the 1800’s would look like. Drop cloths, palettes with dried paint, jars of brushes, all neatly stored, with canvases stacked several deep in many stacks against the walls. The room had no windows and Harry wondered why anyone would have chosen this for a studio.

               Idly flipping through the first few canvases, he was startled to recognize what had to be a Weasley, or rather, a pair of Weasley’s. That hair couldn’t belong to any other family. He didn’t recognize them, and the dueling robes they were wearing could have been from any time period in the last hundred years. They were standing back to back, wands out and their expression was both defiant and deadly. Seriously creepy background, just looking at it was somehow repellent, but he supposed the artist had their reasons. He’d have to remember to go through the rest of these and if any others were identifiable as relatives to their party, he‘d ask Remus to make sure they were returned to them.

               He and Sirius, who’d been poking into the various piles of equipment, looked at each other in puzzlement, then over at Hat. “Hat, there’s nobody here. Is Hogwarts sure there is something or someone living in this room? Is it some sort of invisible creature?”

               Hat was silent for a moment or two while he tried to clarify what Hogwarts was trying to tell him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Potter, I can only get an insistence on something existing here, and the closest word I can put to what she’s trying to convey is a “being”. She is clear it’s more than one, but there is no specificity in their description.” Hat sounded frustrated, which matched Harry’s feelings as well as Sirius’ expression.

               Sirius stepped forward and cast a spell that was an auror staple in investigations, “Prope Vitam Revelare”. Nothing. He looked at Harry and shrugged helplessly. “There’s nothing that’s alive nearby. Not so much as a flea. If Hogwarts is insisting something is here and we can’t see, hear, feel, or touch it, and the hell if I’m going to lick anything in here to see if taste works, not to mention the spell isn’t showing anything, I don’t know how we can remove it. What if we just packed away all these things, then see if Hogwarts still says something is here? Because that’s my only idea. What about you two?”

               Harry spoke, “I’ve got nothing, so let’s give that a try.” With Hat also agreeing to the attempt, He pulled out one of the last few empty trunks, opening it and preparing to start levitating the various supplies into it.

               “Stop!” Hat spoke up suddenly. “Hogwarts doesn’t like that trunk. And no, I don’t know why, but she’s adamant. Not that trunk.” Harry sighed and gave an exasperated eye roll to the ceiling. He put the trunk away, pulling out a different one, only for Hat to negate that choice as well. He went through two more empty trunks, each receiving a firm no, before pulling out one of the Dorea Black trunks that was only about a quarter of the way full. That trunk received no objection from Hogwarts, so he asked Sirius to create an air shield for the items already in the trunk, nobody wanted chocolate with a whiff of turpentine, and moved each stack of canvases into place while Sirius shrunk and stowed the other paraphernalia.

               They closed the trunk, and queried, “Hat, what does Hogwarts say now?” When Hat gave the all clear, Sirius made a mental note to do some investigating of exactly what was in that trunk and how it translated to “a being” but also “not alive”. For now, though, they had other priorities.

               They headed back up to the seventh floor, where Vabry was monitoring the room for those returning and with Charlie still holding his post as patronus relay. Cisley had taken over watching the downstairs floo. Both had obtained a list from Linmy of those who were still outside the castle, and would check them off as they arrived back, sending them out to the portal area, or if they diverted straight to the portal area, the elves out there would check them off. There were only seven names remaining, one of which was Mr. Weasley, who was giving the Prime Minister every minute he could, although they had no information that indicated any further magicals in distress. Everything seemed under control there, so they headed out the broom door, Harry wearing Hat and giving Sirius a lift, drifting down to the lawn near Remus, who had his planning group still intact in a small circle of conjured chairs. Bill Weasley hovered nearby with his designated team of first footers.

               Harry and Sirius bowed to the Queen, who smiled at them before waving them onto their task. Turning to Remus, Harry handed Hat to him and asked if everyone had been able to get dinner, and if they had enough readily available for the next few meals? Remus had been on the same train of thought, and said “Yes, we’ve got enough for ten days worth of communal meals already prepared and in stasis The meals aren’t particularly varied, it’s a lot of porridge, fruit, sandwiches, and stews, but we have everyone covered. We think it’s likely to be a boring and difficult first few days for most, as we need to run surveys and plan our town layout. We’d no time to do it beforehand, and we’re firm on the point that taking up to a week to properly plan will be a treasure we have no intention of squandering. We’ll put up Hogwarts in a temporary space, with layout being the first thing we tackle, then putting in place the infrastructure to support it. Hogwarts will be relying on vanishing charms for waste while in it’s short term home.”

               “A designated farm is free to wait for infrastructure such as sewage charms and water summoning points to be handled for them, or they may do that work themselves, but it will need to pass inspection before structures can be placed. We can’t have everyone pulling from the same point of a water source, we need to ensure that kind of thing is equally spread and records are kept so future work won’t damage the current layout. We also don’t want improperly set sewage charms, that’s part of what kept Knockturn Alley from gaining the same level of prominence as Diagon. They finally fixed it, but it took years and some shop owners didn’t have the money to do a great job, so it kept having to be repaired instead of good work done from the beginning. But that’s just a small part of what will need to be planned for. It’s probably going to be a continuation of the last few days, sending various volunteers and teams out on assorted tasks, but with hopefully far less stress involved.”

               “Sounds good. Okay, now for the question that is scaring the heck out of us all, do you think we’re ready? Should we send the advance group through with the understanding to expect the rest of us in the next hour or two? We need to work with the assumption there’s no coming back so once we send them through that’s it, we’re committed.”

               Remus blew out a breath and cracked his neck. “I want to say yes, we’re ready, but I don’t think any of us believe that deep down. At this point, I think we just say it is what it is and … go. We need to give the advance team as much time as possible to deal with any issues, so yes. Send them through and pass the word that we’ll be leaving in,” he cast a tempus and drew in a deep breath, letting it back out slowly, “one hour.” His face showed his trepidation, and was echoed in the reflection of those around him until Her Majesty spoke.

               “Mr. Potter, might I speak to our people? A royal in our current day and age possesses little in the way of actual power, but one thing we are very, very experienced with is providing a rallying point for those in distress. I feel I may be of assistance in this situation. I cannot see such uncertainty in our people and not be compelled to act.”

               Harry looked surprised, and then pathetically grateful. “Yes, please, Your Majesty, I think that would be incredibly kind of you. I don’t think any of us want to begin this journey feeling nothing but fear and apprehension, so any encouragement you can provide will be greatly appreciated.” He turned to Remus and told him to get Bill’s team ready to go, he’d announce their send off at the end of the Queen’s remarks.

               He conjured a small podium on a platform, then stepped on to it, Sirius levitating it up several feet. “Sonorus. Can you all hear me? We have someone who would like to speak to us all. Many of you know of the current Queen of England, even though our worlds have been separated for centuries. I’m also assuming the Hogwarts rumor mill has been as efficient as ever and you are aware that, much to our surprise, she’s also a magical, although not raised in our world. Going forward, there will be no more separation, no more our or their world, it will belong to all of us. We aren’t sure what the future government will look like at this point, it’s very much a work in progress, but for right this minute, she is our Queen, and she’d like to say something to us. Please give your attention to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom.” He stepped back a pace and Sirius lowered the platform to the ground, where Harry stepped off, then offered his hand to the Queen, assisting her in stepping up, holding on until she was in place at the podium, cancelling his own Sonorus then casting a new one on the Queen, motioning to Sirius to lift it back up.

               “I’d like to thank you all for giving me a moment in this time of uncertainty. As Mr. Potter has indicated, the government of tomorrow may look nothing like the government of today, so I would like to take this opportunity to address you for what might be my last time as Queen. I understand that as magicals, your governance has had a different design for leadership, but the one thing all governments have in common is that they provide someone to look to in times of need. I am perhaps not the one you would have looked to in the past, but for this moment, if you allow, I may stand in.”

               “I have always admired peoples resilience and courage in the face of adversity. Today, I ask you to summon that same spirit once again. We are facing a challenge that is unlike any other we have seen before, but I am confident that we can overcome it together. We must be strong, determined, and united in our efforts. I know that many of you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and uncertain about the future. But let me assure you that we will get through this. We will emerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient than ever before. So I urge you to face this challenge with courage and determination. Let us not be defeated by fear or despair. Let us rise to the occasion and show our new world what we are made of. Together, we can and will overcome this challenge. I have faith in you, my fellow adventurers. Let us march forward with hope and courage in our hearts.”

                She spoke, and her words echoed into their very being, the resolution she inspired leaving them with shining eyes and reminding them of the grand adventure they were all about to take part in. It renewed their excitement and eagerness, threads of enthusiasm racing through the crowd in the wake of her declaration, erupting with a spontaneous shouts and cheers.

               Harry created a second platform, and asked Remus to lift him. With a nod from the Queen, he cancelled her Sonorus and resinstated his own. Harry gave a deep bow to the Queen. “Your Majesty, I can’t speak for us all, but for me, thank you. Thank you for reminding me to think about why we chose to go our own way. We are a group who are choosing BE a group. We are choosing to rely on each other and to support each other. So in our first act of camaraderie, at this time I’d like to invite our advance team to make their way through the portal. We will give you the space of approximately one hour to carry out what tasks you find necessary, and hope to be joining you shortly thereafter. You carry with you our hopes for the best and our excitement to follow in your footsteps.” Cancelling his Sonorus, he started clapping in appreciation, finding it swiftly taken up by the crowd once again, who began shouting approval and encouragement as the team passed through, each waving a goodby before stepping through, leaving the portal surface opaque and rippling.

               Harry flew up to the Room, checking in with Linmy and Charlie. “Final recall notice, Charlie, call your dad back in. Linmy, anyone else still out?”

               “One more, Harry Potter. They has sent in a five minute notice and … they is back.” The name had crossed itself out, the list having been updated by another elf.

               “All right then. I’m going to send anyone who needs it back inside for a loo break, using the wc’s off the great hall. Ask Vabry to make sure nobody wanders: great hall, loo, back outside. I’ll give them thirty minutes. After that, Linmy, you’re in charge of making sure everyone’s out of the castle. Let Remus know when everyone is out, so he can Pack! her up. I’ll make sure nobody wanders off from the lawn. Thanks, all.” Harry gave a small salute, then flew back out.

               Sitting above the assembly on his broom, he cast another Sonorus on himself. “Okay! Glad we’re all back to looking forward to this, but I have to ask, who needs the loo before we go? If you need to go, use the loos off the great hall only. We have someone making sure everyone who goes inside comes back out, we definitely don’t want to lose anyone at the last minute, so please, no wandering. Hogwarts isn’t going anywhere, relatively speaking, no need to say goodby to a favorite portrait, it’ll still be there tomorrow, I promise. You’ve got thirty minutes, then we want everyone back here so we can get another headcount. We’re going to start sending people through in exactly,” he cast a tempus for all to see, “sixty minutes. No dawdling, and lets all get ready to go!” Harry’s excitement was contagious, keeping the fires lit by the Queen going and fanning the flames a bit higher. Harry threw up a sixty minute timer anchored to the larch tree, the white countdown shining bright.

               Harry spent the intervening time chatting with various groups, keeping his seat on his broom, and a weather eye out for stragglers. Only once did he have to circle around to gather up a pair of teens sneaking off to get into heavens knew what mischief. One scolding look against two roguish grins, and he had them back under parental supervision.

               With the tension ramping up to the point everyone was near frothing like a highly caffeinated double shot latte, Linmy popped in next to Remus. “We is all being out of the castle, Headmaster. You is okay to be Pack!ing the castle now.”

               Harry announced they’d be Pack!ing Hogwarts momentarily, if they wanted to watch. For many, it would be remembered as the moment they said Goodbye to their old home, the reinstallation of Hogwarts on the other side being it’s counterpart in saying Hello to the new.

               Giving himself a shake to loosen tight muscles, Remus twisted his wrist until his holster released his wand into his hand. Moving with a determined stride that allowed for no hesitation, he entered the castle.