Chapter 185: CH 185
"We've just finished the last rune needed in the array for the first one," explained Luna, stepping back. "We'll let it charge while we're at dinner, and test it when we come back."
"In that case," cut in Daphne. "If you two are done for now, please step out of the way so we can enter and get cleaned up. Luna, you're welcome to join us to clean up."
"Thank you," she said, stepping out of the way.
Once Hermione was also clear, she looked at the statue and said, "The Headmaster is a manipulative old fool, Professor."
The statue smiled back and stepped out of the way. And the four entered the apartment, dropping off their tools onto the coffee table before heading into the bathrooms to get cleaned up.
After dinner, the four were excited to return to their rune work. Hermione immediately went to the wall where Dumbledore had left his listening charm and checked for it, again. With a smile, she stepped back and said, "It's gone."
"So, either that part of the ward works, or Dumbledore's removed it," sighed Harry a little in relief.
"No, I checked it before we left for dinner and it was still there," corrected Hermione. "He would not have had the time to come and remove it and still be seen by us in the Great Hall right through dinner."
She then performed a quick scan of the area and said, "It's not been replaced, either."
"Then, let's finish this," said Daphne giving the password to the Professor and stepping inside.
Hermione and Luna gathered their tools and stepped back outside while Harry and Daphne sat down with the various notes and sketches of what they'd planned to do.
"Alright, let's clean these up," suggested Daphne. "Your handwriting is still not the best, so you work on the sketches and I'll rewrite the notes." "Agreed," nodded Harry.
Harry had carefully redrawn the sketches and handed each to Daphne to check. When she determined each was accurate she set it aside and marked it as an attachment to her, main, notes.
As he was working, she explained, "I've put down Luna as both Team Leader and creator of the original idea. Hermione, you and I are listed as Team Members. I've also included who came up with what idea, and who solved it."
Harry looked up and smiled. "You're looking to make this a project for extra credit," he said. "If nothing else, it should see Luna receive an Outstanding Plus for Runes."
"Of course," she replied. "It's worth it, too. If it's accepted by Professor Babbling we should be able to convince Professor Flitwick to apply the same to the Ravenclaw Eagle."
Daphne went out to see if she could help Luna and Hermione, only to find they were doing the last few clean up carves, cleaning the edges of the ones they'd already finished.
Looking up at the statue, Luna asked, "Are you still with us, Professor? We haven't done something to negatively impact you, have we?"
"No, Miss Lovegood. I'm fine," replied the statue.
"Good, I was a little worried for you," she said. "There was always a chance..."
"Never fear, my dear," replied the statue calming her down. "I would have let you know if there was a problem."
Once they were finished and every one had cleaned up again, as she collapsed onto a couch Hermione said, "Phew! I'm glad that's done."
"How long before we can check they're working?" asked Harry.
"Tomorrow morning," she replied. "Just to be sure."
"How come so long?" he asked.
"You need to give the array time to fully charge," replied Luna. "If it was only powering one part it would have charged in only an hour or two at most. However, because it needs to charge for a lot more than that, it'll take a lot longer. That's why we should wait until tomorrow morning to properly test it."
Daphne picked up the notes and sketches she and Harry had done and passed them off to Luna. "As you're Team Lead for this project, I think you should be the first to take a look at these.
A little puzzled at first, Luna accepted the report and started reading through it. As she read and flicked through the drawings, her eyes got wider and wider.
"You... these..." she tried, almost in tears.
"Those," said Daphne, indicating the notes, "Should see you receiving an Outstanding, at least, for your Ancient Runes class."
"Thank you," the girl quietly replied.
"After we check the array first thing in the morning to confirm everything's working to specifications, I think you should hand those notes over to Professor Babbling," said Daphne. "It's brilliant work. And it's all because of your initial idea and concepts."
"You'll need a copy," Luna quickly replied.
"I already have one," replied Daphne, indicating the small pile of parchment still on the coffee table. She then picked it up and handed it off to Hermione, who avidly read through it, just as she read through everything.
"There's no changes I can see should, or could, be made," murmured Hermione, once she'd finished and was looking closely at the sketches. Pulling her head away and giving it a little shake, she said, "No. It's perfect as it is." Looking to Daphne and Harry she said, "Good job, you two."
After Luna had left to return to the Ravenclaw tower, with a good night bid to the statue on her way past, Harry turned to his wives and brightly asked, "Bed?" before adopting a morose expression and asking, "Or do you want to work on homework, first?"
Daphne laughed but Hermione smirked and said, "Homework. And don't pull that face, husband."
Knowing it was already a lost argument, Harry collected his assignments and sat down to get them knocked over. He hoped they would only dedicate about an hour to it. After all, all three made sure they'd had just about all of their homework completed and ready to be handed in before they sat for dinner the previous night.
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