Chapter 7

"Harry, I still can't believe you!" Hermoine uttered as the trio sat at one of the tables along side the dance floor. Seated to Harry's left was Kingsley who was sipping a goblet of Elven-made wine while listening as well.

"Hermione I'm sorry I didn't tell you before we put the plan together," Harry said in response.

"It's not that Harry, I just can't believe you would hatch a plan like this and not include me!" Hermione said. "Ugh, what Ginny did is unforgivable!"

"So you are mad at me for not including you initially but not for me getting even with Ginny like this?" Harry asked for clarification.

"Ginny is my friend, but you are my best friend. She'll get what she has coming to her," Hermione huffed and Harry for a second saw the shrewd version of Hermione that had gotten the position of Undersecretary to the Minister with ease.

"But where did she even get a Love potion from?" Ron thought. "She's rubbish at Potions."

"Think Ron, think!" Hermione said as she looked at her boyfriend. "She's been helping George in the shop for a while now. You know he's been a mess ever since Fred died. I wouldn't be surprised if she snuck some of the merchandise out." She then turned back to Harry and said: "Honestly, I think you should just have given professor Snape his wand and let him go to town."

"I wanted to get even not have a bloody massacre on my hands!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah, think of the paperwork we'd have to do," Ron groaned.

"Ron, she's your sister!" Harry uttered. "But yeah, the paperwork would be hell especially with Robards on my ass."

"Speaking of Robards, Harry," Kingsley interrupted. "I shouldn't be telling you this but I might as well. The quarterly Auror reviews came in a few weeks ago. Your sheet had quite a number of complaints and he's asking for immediate dismissal."

"WHAT?!" It was Ron who shouted. Harry just stared blankly as if he wasn't quite comprehending what was being said. "Kingsley, you got it all wrong. Robards had it out from Harry since day one."

"I'm not doubting Harry's competence but this is serious," Kingsley explained. "With the remarks that were made on the review it is likely Harry will be called up by the review board."

Harry didn't say anything but instead took a very big gulp of wine while Hermione and Ron watched in concern. "I can't believe this. It's bloody unfair. Robards is a right bastard to Harry."

"RON!" Hermione admonished.

"Hermione you can't change my mind. Heck, even I would want to face Snape on one of his bad days than interact with Robards as he has been with Harry." Ron exclaimed and then patted Harry on the shoulder "Mate, I don't know how you haven't cursed his pants off yet for some of those remarks."

"Why Mr. Weasely, I had no idea you liked me so much," The sarcasm flowed out and Ron stiffened, recognizing Snape's voice. The four at the table looked to where the sound of the voice came from and saw Snape approaching with a lady on his arm.

Snape greeted Ron, Hermione, and Kingsley before he introduced Morgan. Ron was still flushed red as Snape and Morgan joined them at their table. Snape sat to Harry's right while Morgan sat next to him and to the left of Ron. Hermione's eyes glittered as she suddenly recognized Morgan.

"Miss Morgan, however, did you meet Master Camlane?" Hermione had to ask as Snape waved down a waiter for some more wine and h'orderves.

"Why, I've known Master Camlane all my life," Morgan said. "We are very close. Very very close." She joked and thought that Severus had been right, this was fun.

"Miss Morgan," Kingsley now got her attention. Morgan turned to the Minister and inclined her head, indicating that he had her full attention. "I was wondering if you knew how the Avalon store selected their clientele. The store itself is quite selective of the people it caters too but they come from all walks of life. Some are turned away and some are accepted. I was just wondering why?"

"I know why," Morgan said. "It's not a secret, just a very rare ability."

"A rare ability?" Harry now asked. "Like Parseltongue?"

"Rarer than that even," Morgan said as she had everyone's attention. "Very few witches and wizards are born with Empathic abilities. Even fewer are born with Empathic abilities that lets them sense the feelings of inanimate objects. I have such an ability as well and it lets me sense the feelings of your wands."

"Is that...... Is that even possible?" Hermione asked as she stared wide-eyed at Morgan.

"Magic is mysterious. It can make even the impossible possible to a certain degree." She added cryptically. "Avalon store employes the people possessing such Empathic skills. You can learn a lot from how a wizard of witch treats their wand."

"The wand chooses the wizard," Harry muttered the phrase he had heard from Ollivander years ago.

"Correct Mr. Potter," Morgan said before explaining further. "Because wands are embued with magical properties they become somewhat sentient. Avalon store employees can pick up on the loyalty a wand feels for its wielder. For instance, take Master Snape's wand. I can sense that it is loyal to a fault which is very endearing. If he were disarmed in a duel his wand would not change allegiance."

Severus blushed somewhat at the comment and tried to cover it up with a cough but Morgan continued. "Mr. Weasley your wand is loyal to you, yet not to the extreme as Master Snape's wand. It is a secondary wand perhaps?"

"Yeah," Ron now mumbled, being put in the spotlight. "My first wand broke during second year."

"A secondary wand is often not as loyal as your first reducing your magical output somewhat." Morgan stated "but given time, that loyalty will grow or diminish depending on how you treat it and others around you."

"But it performs better than my first wand," Ron remarked. "I mean, I did inherit my first wand from my brother Charlie but that wouldn't make much of a difference, right?"

"Inherited wands," Morgan scrunched up her nose a bit and asked, "Are the Pureblood families still doing that?"

"My mum didn't have a lot of money to buy a new wand at that time so I had my brother's hand-me-down wand. He got a new one when he started working." Ron explained while blushing. He was always a bit sensitive to his family's financial situation.

"Mr. Weaseley you are lucky to be doing magic at all," Morgan said in astonishment. "I get that the financial situation might not be the best but each wizard needs their own personal wand."

"W-What do you mean I'm lucky to be doing magic at all?" Ron nearly stammered.

"A wizard or witch gets their wand at age eleven. At that time their magical core is only just developing and is not stable yet. For a child of that age to be using the wand of another......" Morgan explained "Even if the wand was gifted to you from your brother it had not changed allegiances. Therefore it would have been much more difficult for you to cast spells. A wand belonging to another drains more of the magical core of a person not its owner. At that age if you had used it more extensively it would have drained your entire core, leaving you no better than a Squib."

Ron gulped audibly as the seriousness of the situation hit him. Hermione was also listening attentively and Harry wondered if she wanted to conjure a notepad to jot all this down. The music soon stopped and the grouped looked to the stage to see Hermione's assistant, Marietta Edgecombe, tapping the microphone. "May I invite the Minister to the stage to begin our ceremony," She spoke causing Kingsley to sigh.

"Well as informative as this talk was it seems that duty calls," Kingsley said as he stood up.

"Kingsley, for Merlin's sake, don't tell me......" Harry groaned.

"Sorry Harry, this was decided by the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamoth themselves," Kingsley chuckled as he knew how much Harry hated the awards. "I'm just the bearer of bad news." With that Kingsley stood up and made his way towards the stage. He started with an introductory speech and at the end added: "Now I would like to welcome Master Camlane who will be giving Mister Potter the award."

"Guess I'm up then," Morgan said as she stood up. Hermione choked on the wine she was sipping as she figured it out.

"You... y-you...." Hermione sputtered while her boyfriend patted her on the back. "Ron she's she's.........." Hermione tried to articulate.

"Miss Granger is speechless. Now I've seen it all." Snape smirked as he watched other dignitaries and politicians realize that they were buttering up the wrong person as Morgan took the stage. Even Kingsley nearly dropped the microphone.