Harry knew that his position could not stay hidden for long. He was actually surprised that the article in the newspaper didn't mention all his titles, but he didn't mind staying away from the public attention for a bit longer.
Well, the press didn't mention it, but some people knew. One of those who were promptly informed was Dumbledore. Although his sources only gave him the bare facts, namely that Harry Potter was now Lord Potter, Peverell, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin while Lady Potter was also holding the Hufflepuff Lordship, Dumbledore knew what that meant – the Potter couple was now the legitimate owner of Hogwarts. As such, the two no longer needed the board of directors; they could hire and fire any of the school's staff and they didn't really need a headmaster to handle the school if they wanted to handle it themselves.
He wasn't sure how to view it, much less how to handle it. On one hand, getting rid of the board of governors with all its politicking, personal agendas and quarrels was very good. On the other hand, a mere boy would now be the ultimate authority, more important than even the headmaster, and that was unacceptable to him. What should he do? He had already tried to get the Potter boy under his influence, to no avail. The boy seemed completely uncontrollable, and so were his close friends. He was still wondering how that could happen. Neither Potter nor anyone close to him could be subdued discreetly so he could gain some influence on the boy.
Well, he could point some less savoury elements in the boy's direction in order to get rid of him, only that wouldn't help much. He also didn't like the idea at all. He had never used such methods and wouldn't like to start at this old age. Besides, people would turn suspicious. The new Lady Potter was way too smart for Albus, and the Greengrass girl was almost as smart. They would not be fooled and would point their fingers at him, if anything suspicious happened to the brat. Besides, Miss Bones was also a close friend and her aunt headed the DMLE. He wouldn't like to publicly confront any of them.
He could try to talk to Sirius. The man was reasonable enough, especially considering his years at Azkaban. The problem was that Sirius was also not trusting him. Considering the fact that he'd done nothing to help Sirius get justice, he couldn't really blame that man.
The more he thought of the problem, the less he found a solution. Dumbledore sighed. 'I'll have to let the boy take control and see where it goes,' he decided. As much as he disliked having no plan, with no cards to play, he really had no way to plan. He hoped it would still work for the best.
\/\/\/
The first day of September was sunny and cool. The Potters, who had spent the night at the Granger's, had everything ready on time. Despite being able to use fading for reaching the train station, they preferred to go by car, allowing them some more time for cuddling on the back seat and for Hermione to enjoy the company of her parents. Well, Harry enjoyed it too.
They had sent a letter, requesting a married couple lodging, a few days after their bonding and got the approval a week later, but they still didn't advertise their position as masters of Hogwarts. It wouldn't stay a secret for long, that was sure, but they wanted to delay the revelation at least until they reached school, so they could have as normal a train ride as possible.
They had already met with their closest friends and told them the news even before the end of the summer vacation. None of their friends seemed surprised. Only Susan asked, "Couldn't you wait a bit longer? You're much too young to carry the burden of marriage and multiple Lordships."
Hermione shrugged. "It just seemed right to give him this present for his birthday."
Neville blushed deeply at her words. The girls just shrugged it off.
Now, on the train, they were getting quite a bit more attention than they liked. It seemed like every Gryffindor wanted to congratulate the new couple, as did many from Hufflepuff and from Ravenclaw. Even a few Slytherins found their way into the compartment occupied by the Potters and their friends, congratulated stiffly and left quickly, before their housemates would notice. Despite the demise of the Death Eaters, the situation in the Slytherin common room seemed to be unsettled, making most of them reluctant to identify with any political faction.
Evident by his absence was Draco Malfoy. Since the death of his father, Draco turned very quiet and refrained from voicing his opinions. "It's probably his mother's influence," Daphne told the Potters. "She's originally a Black and she reverted to that name, with the blessing of Lord Black, as soon as the mourning period was over. Now Draco is Lord Malfoy, but since most of his father's connections died along with his father, he can't use them. Besides, his knowledge and understanding in politics is quite lacking. Nobody expected him to need such knowledge when so young."
Harry didn't mind. He was just glad not to be bothered by the blond boy.
His relative peace was shattered as soon as they reached the Great Hall. When he walked in he noticed an additional table set behind and above the staff table. It was more elegant than the other tables and two of the chairs were gilded and upholstered with gold threaded fabrics. He sighed, "Here goes our relative anonymity."
While his friends went to sit at their respective house tables, Harry looked uncertain about what to do. Hermione encouraged him. "You knew it was going to come to this, and quite soon at that. Now, as Lord Hogwarts, you need to take your rightful position and start leading the school in the right direction."
He sighed again. "I know. It doesn't mean I have to like it, does it?"
Hermione smiled reassuringly. "You don't have to like it, but it would turn much easier if you tried."
Harry mock glared at her for a moment and then smiled hesitantly. "I can't promise more than saying that I'll try."
Before they even moved another step, a house-elf popped in front of them. "Welcome, Lord and Lady Hogwarts. Please follow me to your designated table. Master and Mistress should take their assigned places to let the proceedings begin," it said, bowing slightly.
"Do you know what we're expected to do?" Harry asked.
The house elf straightened. "Topsy will stay hidden near master and help as needed. Now, please follow Topsy to your places."
Harry looked at Hermione questioningly. She only smiled bemusedly, grabbed his hand and they both followed the elf to the new table. As they approached, Harry noticed that there were some additional seats there with room enough for about eight more diners. "Who are these seats for?" he asked.
"For your advisers and friends, Lord Hogwarts. You may invite whoever you want to join you," the elf answered.
The two had a quick silent consultation. "Please invite Neville, Daphne and Susan to join us," he told the elf.
Both Potters felt a bit uncomfortable to take their seats. These chairs were way too extravagant for their tastes, but since the headmaster's chair was almost as extravagant, it seemed right for the owners' chairs to be more so. Harry sighed, but still held the chair for Hermione to sit down before taking his place at her side.
With their closest friends joining them at the table, they could just be themselves for a short while, until everybody was seated. The headmaster then stood up and turned around. "Lord Hogwarts, we're ready to start the welcome feast, with your permission."
Harry wasn't sure what was expected of him, but Hermione seemed to better understand. She whispered in his mind and then he stood up and spoke. "Welcome, students and staff of Hogwarts. Let the new school year begin!"
His voice sounded loud and clear although no spell was used. Harry silently wondered if Hermione cast "Sonorus" or maybe it was something about the school itself.
Dumbledore smiled, as if this was what he had expected and then turned back to the students. Harry didn't pay much attention to the sorting, quietly talking with his friends. He was almost surprised when the table suddenly filled with food.
Once the meal was over, Dumbledore stood again. He first turned a questioning glance at Harry, who just shrugged and waved his hand in a "continue" gesture. The headmaster then turned to the students.
"As you can all see, we've gained another table, one of higher status then the staff table. There wasn't such a table at Hogwarts for many hundreds of years and it was a big surprise when we found we needed it again. As some of you may have deduced, this table is reserved for the owners of the school. For many generations, the owners were not known or not available. You should know that the owners can control the school only when the heirs of all four founders can agree to work together. Since Ravenclaw's only known daughter died childless, it was assumed that such a situation would never occur."
He stopped for a moment to let the students vent their surprise before going on. "It turns out that our knowledge was lacking. Rowena had another child, a squib, whose mere existence was wiped from our collective memory, although, after searching some ancient documents, that child was known to all at the time. Still, not having enough magic, once he grew up, he had to learn to live as a Muggle and eventually left the magical world and adopted a new name – Evans. None of his descendants was magical until a generation ago, when Lily Evans proved to be a powerful and smart witch. Her son inherited the position, along with the Gryffindor position, inherited through his father and the Slytherin position, by conquest. You all know him as Harry Potter. Interestingly, his wife was discovered to have inherited another line that was considered lost – the Hufflepuff one. Now the two together have the ownership of Hogwarts and are the highest authority at school. Please welcome them properly."
Dumbledore started clapping. Most of the teachers joined him immediately and then the Gryffindor students, followed by the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs. Most of the Slytherin students seemed undecided, but a few were among the first to join the clapping, dragging others along, until more than half that house was also clapping. Harry was sure this was due to the Slytherins trying to become close to whoever had the power.
"You must speak now," Hermione urged him.
Harry frowned momentarily. He then sighed and stood up. With a mischievous smile he took Hermione's hand, making her stand at his side. Both bowed slightly at the cheers. Harry then lifted his hand for silence.
He was surprised that silence came almost immediately. He was still unsure about what he could say.
'Thank them first and then set the rules against bullying and bigotry,' he sensed Hermione.
Harry bowed his head momentarily. "Thank you all for this warm welcome. I must admit that I wasn't ready for this position and it was as much a surprise for me as for you, although I've already had a few weeks to get accustomed to it."
He noticed some smirks. These were probably the ones who understood what getting magically wed at his age meant. He didn't let it disturb him. "I'm sure you're all wondering what this change may mean for you and for Hogwarts. I assure you that whatever changes we'll introduce will all be done with the benefit of the students in mind. With this thought, though, we must introduce an immediate change. Bullying has always been forbidden, but no real penalty associated with it. That is changing now! Starting immediately, bullying will no longer be tolerated in any form by either students or staff. Student bullies will be severely punished. First offense would cost them a week's detention, cleaning bathrooms or animal pens with no magic. Second offense would cost them a month of suspension and possibly the loss of the whole school year. Third time offenders will be expelled."
He waited a moment for the whispering to die down. "We're going to be very tough on anybody causing harm to other students, even if only verbally. This is a school, not a war zone and you should all behave appropriately. That also means that no prank should humiliate the victim and certainly not harm the victim, or it would be considered bullying. Of course, any staff member who exercises bullying will be fired immediately. Teachers are paid to teach, not to belittle or to bully their students."
He then smiled at his audience. "I don't think that most of you will have any problems with these changes, and those who are affected – tough luck. I wish you all a very peaceful and productive school year."
He noticed Hermione's beaming smile even before he fully sat back. The students were silent for a moment, and then Colin Creevey started clapping, and was soon joined by most of the students. The Weasley twins looked very pensive while clapping, as did a few Slytherins and a few Ravenclaws. Only a handful of Slytherins refrained from clapping. Harry didn't mind. They were all from dark families, as far as he knew. He didn't need nor want their support.
The whole Quidditch team swarmed him as soon as the students started leaving the hall, as did a few students from other houses, all congratulating him for his new position and for the new rules.
"You've now given us a new challenge, but it can only help us create funnier pranks," the Weasley twins told him.
Harry smiled reassuringly at them. "I'm sure it would also be more rewarding to know that more people laughed and nobody was harmed in any way."
By the time they were shown to their new lodging, both Potters were too exhausted to do anything but fall promptly asleep.