October began with a trip to Hogsmeade on a warm, sunny day. The mood around the castle had been seemingly just as pleasant as the weather, although Harry was still concerned that he had felt distant from Hermione ever since things with Umbridge came to a head. From what he could tell, she hadn't noticed anything off- but remembering that he'd had to obliviate her of what had actually happened was like a thorn that just wouldn't come out. And every time she talked to him, it was picking at that wound.
Pansy and Luna were doing their best to keep him distracted from his angst though.
They'd dropped Hermione off at the bookstore and were currently browsing through the aisles of Honeydukes.
"Luna, sweetie, I am not lending you any money just to watch you try to make yourself sick while eating a dozen different types of chocolate," Pansy insisted. "That would be a waste of good chocolate."
"What about Bertie Botts' Beans then? I could get a whole bunch of them and melt them down in a cauldron, then let it all cool into one giant ball of mush and see if all the flavors would still be discernible."
"What would be the point of that?"
"For science!"
"Harry, help me out here," Pansy requested. "Harry?"
"Huh?"
"What were you looking at?" She came around to where he was watching out the window.
"I think I saw Warrington and a couple of others following Flora and Hestia. I've got a bad feeling about it."
"Fuck," she muttered. "Luna, let's go."
Harry was already heading for the door.
"What are two pretty girls like you doing heading for the Shrieking Shack? Maybe you'd like someone to help you do a little shrieking of your own?" Cassius Warrington thought he was being clever, and his gang laughed while they leered at the Carrow twins.
"Just trying to make sure there wouldn't be any innocent bystanders," Flora remarked before she and her sister both raised their wands. "We wouldn't want anyone to get accidentally cursed while we have to deal with scum like you."
"We've got you outnumbered five to two. You think you're precious Potter can save you by teaching simple things like how to disarm or stun? Your parents would be ashamed by how weak that boy is- and disgusted by the way the two of you cozy up to him."
"Our parents were stupid, evil bastards, just like you," Flora sneered. "And better Harry than that inhuman freak you can't wait to grovel before."
"Big words, little girl. But Potter isn't here to save you now."
Warrington clearly was paying more attention to the hostile twin, as he didn't notice the look of relief that came over Hestia's face.
Three cries of Stupefy led to three thuds as the Carrows were no longer outnumbered.
"It looks like you're the one who's outnumbered now, scumbag." Pansy's wand was pointed right at his face when he turned around. "Open your mouth again and give me a reason to take your head off."
"Cassius, let's go," Montague said, keeping his hands up as at least one of them was not spoiling for a fight.
"Good idea." Harry had his wand trained on the more belligerent one as he flanked towards the right, Luna and Pansy sliding in the other direction.
"Come on," Montague pulled on his friend, trying to drag him away.
"This isn't over ladies."
They were finally moving off, and Harry snorted at the fact that they left their three supposed friends behind, stunned and helpless.
"Some people just have to get the last word in." Luna shook her head. "They must be so insecure."
"Are you alright?" Pansy asked.
"Yes. Much better now," Hestia replied. Her skin was flushed, and when Harry turned to her, he recognized the adrenaline leaving her as the wand in her hand shook.
"I hate that fucking bastard," Flora growled.
"He was right though," Harry sighed. "This isn't over."
"Not by a long shot," Flora agreed.
"We've been avoiding the common room lately," Hestia added. "Their group is always there, glaring at everyone, trying to intimidate the younger years."
"And leering at all the girls."
"I'm not surprised," Pansy said. "What are we going to do?"
"Meeting tonight," Harry answered. "After dinner. Tell the other Slytherin girls that are interested."
"What about everyone else?" Luna asked.
"We'll have to make them realize exactly what learning to fight really means."
"How?"
"I'll figure something out."
"Alright." Flora aimed her wand at the three still stunned and on the ground. She cast a spell at each of them. "Let's go."
"Do I want to know?" Harry asked.
"Incontinence hex," Flora smirked. "We don't want to stick around for the smell."
They were finishing up lunch at the Three Broomsticks when a shadow loomed over Harry's shoulder.
"Pansy."
"Millie, darling. How are you?"
"We need to talk. Outside. Bring your boy toy if you want."
Millicent Bulstrode headed for the door without saying anything more, and Pansy started to get up.
"Come on, boy toy."
"I never thought I would be called that."
"Are you saying it isn't true?" Pansy winked at Luna, who laughed at the two of them.
"Don't take too long. I'll get us a round of butterbeers."
Pansy grabbed his hand and they hurried outside. Bulstrode was waiting at the entrance to an alleyway nearby, which she motioned to with a nod of her head. They followed her into the shade.
"Privacy?" she asked Pansy, who pulled out her wand and began casting. "You always were better at those than me."
"Subtlety is important."
"Yeah, but sometimes a more blunt way to go gets better results. I take it you're doing well with him?"
"Of course. He's wrapped around my little finger."
"If you say so." She turned to look at Harry, clearly sizing him up. "I talked to the Carrows. You really think you can prepare them?"
"I think I can try, which is more than most people will do."
"Fair enough."
"Are you coming?" Pansy asked.
"If there's one girl in Slytherin who doesn't need help learning to fight, it's me. You should know that."
"Yeah, I just-"
"Not even Crabbe is hard up enough to go after me anyway."
"Millie-"
"Save it, Pansy. We aren't here to catch up. Besides, someone needs to stick around to keep an eye on the younger girls, right?"
"That would be a good idea," Harry interjected. He noticed the tension between the two girls, and though he didn't particularly understand it, he didn't want anything else to go wrong today. "If you're not interested in joining us, then what did you want to talk about?"
"Some advice for you, Potter."
"Okay."
"Not everyone has the same skills. Don't try to teach everyone the same way. Flora's fast with her wand and skilled at hexes. Hestia, much less so. They'll need to play to their strengths. Take me for example. I know a bunch of spells designed to put people down in a fight, and if I lose my wand, I'm still bigger and stronger than all the girls- and a fair amount of the boys too. If you weren't so fast, I would have had you in that little display a few weeks ago."
"I know," Harry admitted. "You've got the instincts for a fighter too."
"A lot of people won't, even if they think they want to learn."
"Yeah, I've been thinking about that too."
"Good. Then I guess you'll do alright." She nodded at him and turned to leave.
"Hey, um..."
"What?" Bulstrode asked.
"Thanks."
"Yeah."
Once they were alone, Pansy sighed.
"You okay?" Harry asked.
"I guess so. I didn't realize how much Millie might have missed me."
"She missed you?"
"I think so," Pansy shrugged. "We weren't exactly friends, but we used to spend a fair amount of time together."
"The two of you don't really seem like-"
"Like I said, we weren't really friends. But when you're a bitch and one of the smallest girls around, it's good to have someone like Millie on your side. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah, I get it." Harry chuckled. "I never really thought I would be talking to her of all people about teaching others how to protect themselves. A few years ago, I would have figured that she would be the type that I would be worried about attacking me."
The two walked back towards the tavern where they ran into Hermione by the door.
"Did I see the two of you talking to Millicent Bulstrode?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Please don't tell me she's going to be part of this group."
"What do you have against Millie, Granger?" Pansy sneered.
"The last time the two of us were in something like that, the dueling club meeting in second year, she put me in a head lock."
"Oh, I forgot about that," Pansy laughed.
"It's not funny," Hermione argued.
"You were a horrible know it all and suck up, Granger." Pansy chuckled again. "It was hilarious to a lot of the rest of us."
"Anyway, Hermione, we're going to have a meeting tonight after dinner. You can spread the word to those who think they want to learn how to fight. But tell them that it won't be all fun and games. That's not why I'm doing this."
"What's the matter?" Hermione wondered. "Did I miss something today?"
"It's a long story, and I don't have the time to get into it right now." Harry looked at her feeling a bit miffed at him, and despite wanting to still be around her, he felt wrong in doing so. However, giving her the cold shoulder wouldn't be right either, and it would only raise more questions for his eternally nosy friend. He was stuck. "Look, could you do me a favor and tell Susan? I know she's been one of the more keen for that sort of thing. I've got some planning I need to do."
"Alright. Do you need any help?"
"If you can pass the word, that should be enough. Thanks, Hermione."
"You're welcome."
Pansy waited for Granger to enter the tavern and pulled Harry to the side for a moment.
"So, now what?"
"Now, we have our butterbeers with Luna then slip out and get somewhere private."
"With Luna?"
"Yes. I'll need her help."
"Why?"
"Yours too, but not here," Harry muttered. Pansy looked at him questioningly but nodded and took his hand, leading the way back inside.
"I have our drinks," Luna said as they returned to the table they'd been sharing with her. "Is something wrong?"
"We've got something to do tonight," Pansy responded. "Harry's going to need your help, and we both should probably help him plan so that he doesn't overlook anything. He has been known for being rather impulsive at times."
"Don't worry, Harry." Luna patted his hand as she slid the mug of butterbeer over to him. "You've got three smart, beautiful girls looking after you. Everything will be alright."
"Three?" Pansy asked.
"You aren't forgetting Hedwig, are you?" Luna smiled. "I won't say a word, but you might want to give her some extra something at breakfast. Just in case. You know what they say- the wind has ears, and the owls are not what they seem."
That night after dinner, Harry led a group up to a classroom that he had last been in during his third year. Lupin had used one of the larger rooms for his practical lessons about some magical creatures, and that extra space would likely be necessary. It seemed that almost everyone from the last meeting was still interested.
He knew that they would have a variety of reasons for being here, but he was mostly concerned about the group of girls in green who were off to one side standing together. There were about a dozen of them, and while he only knew half their names, he trusted Hestia and Flora to have brought those who needed his help.
By the time everyone had filed in and the door was closed, it looked like there were still roughly fifty people interested. He had hoped for a smaller group. Maybe tonight would help thin them out a bit. He was worried about the large amount of Gryffindors. Despite it being his own house, he was still worried that too many would be excited by the thought of rushing blindly into danger.
It was one of his greatest flaws, as Pansy had drilled into his head over the years.
He didn't want to see any of his friends and classmates going looking for trouble. That's why he had things planned for tonight. One part he had thought of more than a week ago, but his demonstration idea had just come to him that afternoon- and it was why he specifically needed Luna's help.
Hopefully, the healing spells Pansy had been going over would be enough.
Dobby, of course, was also an enormous help. As always.
The elf was invisible at the back of the room, watching over the hemmed in pen full of pigs. Despite his occasional issues with McGonagall, she definitely knew her magic, and she had taught him the spell he had required.
He chuckled at thinking about how much the elves would enjoy having to clean up by the time they were done tonight.
"Alright, everyone," Harry said, waiting a moment for the din to die down. "Welcome. I know many of you are interested in learning how to fight. Not just how to escape, but how to properly defend yourselves and others if it should be necessary for you to do so.
"And I want to stress that while this is something useful to know if you need it, but I don't want to hear any of the things that I might teach being used by foolish people running off to fight Death Eaters and getting themselves killed. As a Gryffindor, that's the type of thing that some of us might be inclined to do." Harry paused for the laughs. "I don't know these things because I want to but because I've needed to with all the dangerous crap that keeps happening in my life. Death Eaters are not something that any of us should actively seek out. We are teenagers- and teenagers should not be trying to fight people like that.
"Remember professor Moody last year? Do any of you want to know what it feels like to lose an eye or a limb? Because I could always ask if he could come give a lecture about the type of pain required for a curse to actually do enough damage that magic couldn't heal an injury." He noticed the looks that told him some of them were becoming slightly less keen, which made him somewhat relieved. It was time to press that a bit more. "I think we'll start with a little demonstration.
"Luna, step forward please."
She came out several feet in front of the rest of the students. Harry stood in front of a couple of desks on one side of the room. He realized, not for the first time, that he probably was a little crazy.
This was going to hurt.
"Ready when you are."
"Expelliarmus! "
Harry had barely raised his wand; it went flying behind him.
"Diffindo!"
The impact from the first spell helped to spin him a bit, and he used that moment to throw his left arm up. The gash that opened up along his forearm stung like hell.
"Depulso!"
Being thrown back into those desks was jarring enough that the cut on his arm was instantly forgotten. He could already feel the bruises starting to form on his back and one of his thighs. That actually wasn't so bad, but he'd also hit his funny bone on his wand arm and that would have been enough to make him drop his wand if he hadn't previously been disarmed.
He heard a few gasps, and he knew one of them was Pansy's, despite the fact that she had been warned of this very thing. Harry gritted his teeth and climbed back to his feet. His right ankle was also very tender- he'd felt it roll under him when he'd crashed into the desks.
Once he was standing back up, he saw the group looking at him worried.
"I want to make this crystal clear. This shouldn't look like fun. What Luna just did is minor compared to some of the things that can happen if you ever actually have to face a Death Eater. All of you were here a couple of years ago when Lucius Malfoy challenged me to a duel. Remember that? What was the very first spell he cast at me?"
"The killing curse," Luna answered calmly.
"Exactly. If he hadn't been so weakened and deranged from his time in Azkaban, that fight could have ended very differently. I was lucky to have faced him at his worst. If any of you ever have to deal with something like that, it would be wrong to expect to have such an advantage.
"As for learning to fight, you can expect to have things like this happen to you." There were many people muttering now, and Harry would have smiled if it wouldn't have been counter to his point. Also the pain he was in- that helped in keeping a smirk from forming when just standing up hurt like hell.
"Don't say I didn't warn you if you have to spend a night or two under Madam Pomfrey's care after a lesson like this."
Finally, standing there bleeding in front of them and leaning against a desk, it was enough of a breaking point that several people headed for the door.
He nodded over to his girlfriend, and only then, did Pansy rush over to start sealing the cut. It was a good thing that the weather had been warm- being in short sleeves had saved having to mend the shirt.
Knowing Dobby, he would probably be pleased at the thought of having to get the bloodstains out of his clothes. Poor little guy was kinda crazy too- that was why he and Harry made such a good team.
A moment or two later, as the crowd was down at least a dozen people, Harry limped over towards the pigs, leaning on Pansy the entire way.
"Alright, first I wanted to go over a warning." The other teens had followed him closer to the far side of the room. "Just as a reminder for anyone who might have forgotten. All of you were here two years ago at the quidditch match when the dementors attacked the school. I saved your lives that day.
"Those of you who paid attention to the news would have later heard about how my parents had been betrayed- not by Sirius Black as was commonly thought, but by another of their school age friends, Peter Pettigrew. He divulged the secret of where we were living which led to Tom Riddle murdering my parents.
"The Potter family cannot tolerate any possible further betrayals, so let me make this perfectly clear. If any of you betray me... if any of you use the things I will teach you to hurt the people that I love, then I will hunt you down and kill you."
It was not lost on anyone that Harry had pulled Pansy even closer, and it almost made him chuckle to himself about how right Dumbledore was the year before- they would all be in danger if anyone ever hurt her.
The night with Umbridge had taught him as much. He was walking a thin line already.
"Now, with that unpleasant bit of business out of the way, let's get to the first lesson." Harry snapped his fingers and grinned as he knew Dobby was standing next to him. His invisibility cloak was pulled off by the disillusioned elf and a table was revealed with a tray full of obviously sharp daggers.
"Lesson number one: if you get in a real fight, you will likely get blood on your hands. Whether or not that means someone dies is not crucial, but being prepared for the reality of violence is of the utmost importance." He leaned on the table as he lifted one of the daggers and handed it over to Pansy. "Kill one of the pigs."
She opened the gate of the pen and crouched down in front of the nearest victim. There was no delay as she sliced into its throat. Pansy's flinch as the blood splashed onto her face was miniscule.
While she walked back through the gate and set the dagger down, Harry snapped his fingers and the still invisible Dobby placed a wet bit of cloth in his hands. He cleaned the blood from Pansy's face and turned back to the stunned crowd.
"Who's next?"
There were plenty of whispers and muttering that broke out. Harry knew that Luna would wait for this section- he wanted to make sure it wasn't one of his closest friends who took the next step.
He was surprised when Parvati moved first. She walked up to him and held out her hand, a fierce look in her eyes.
"I am."
Harry nodded, more than a little impressed, and passed her an unused dagger.
She took a deep breath and walked into the pig pen. Harry noticed her pause before she stepped aside from the pool of blood, but Parvati didn't stop. She took another breath to steady herself and then slashed out with the dagger.
Parvati's shoulders tensed as the spray of blood got on her neck and blouse, but when she turned to look at Harry he could tell she was a little relieved that at least it didn't get her right in the face. She walked back to him and he handed her the wet cloth.
"I hope this will come out of our clothes," Parvati said as she looked down.
"Don't worry, the house-elves have been warned, and they're very good at their jobs," Harry replied.
"I guess I'm next," Hermione said as she strode forward, reaching down for a blade.
Harry missed the interplay behind him as Pansy and Parvati whispered to each other.
It took Hermione a moment to psych herself up, but she followed through and killed one of the pigs. Harry had to take one of her arms as she came back out of the pen. She looked nauseous and, in fact, she leaned over and took several deep breaths as she tried to keep from throwing up.
"Why did we have to do this after dinner, Harry?" she finally asked when she stood back up.
"It isn't meant to be easy," he answered.
"Gryffindors charge ahead, right?" Seamus said as he stepped up and took a dagger. "Here goes."
He slashed down with the knife, and it was only a moment after the blood splash that he bent over and vomited. The group stepped back, and Harry paid minimal attention to the muttering behind him about the awful smell.
"Oh, Merlin," Seamus moaned.
Harry vanished the mess, and his year mate struggled out of the pen.
"I think ya might be crazy, Harry," Seamus said as he dropped the knife. "I'm out."
"You may be right, Seamus. I don't blame you one bit."
"I... I don't think I can do it, Harry," Neville said, drawing Harry's attention back to the front row of people looking at him. "I want to learn to protect myself, but I- I, er, I just don't think I can do that."
"That's alright, Neville. I don't want any of you to feel like this is something you should want to learn."
It was once again a moment for him to wait and see how the crowd responded. Several people shook their heads and left. Harry really didn't blame them. He noticed that not a single girl from Slytherin had departed, and he wasn't surprised by that either.
He did notice that Daphne had brought her younger sister Astoria along, even though he'd asked that it only be fourth years and up. He'd have to speak with Daphne about that- unless she was a true prodigy, he doubted that Astoria would be able to keep up with much of the magic.
He looked around the rest of the room and saw that even among some of the closest little cliques there were divisions among those who weren't ready to go this far. Despite her friend's boldness, Lavender Brown apologized to Parvati and was one of the first to leave. From the Hufflepuffs in his year, he saw Hannah and Justin decide to pass even though Susan and Ernie got in line right in front of Harry, just behind Fred and George.
He definitely wasn't surprised that the Weasley twins were staying- he remembered the fact that they'd been nearly attacked twice at the Quidditch World Cup the year before, and despite their reputations as goof offs, they did have two younger siblings they'd protected there. They had never said it outright to him, but he was pretty sure that they also still felt guilty about not doing more to look after Ginny in her first year, when she'd been under the spell of Riddle's diary.
"Alright, if everyone else is ready to try this, then let's get on with it."
One of the Weasley twins picked up a blade and took only a second before following through with the task.
"I know this isn't the most pleasant lesson, but if you ever get into a really bad situation, something like this could happen. Maybe it would be you, maybe someone in your family, or, if you're lucky instead, it could be whoever might have attacked you. The point is that if the sight of blood makes you freeze up, you could be in even more danger then. You could be an easier target for someone that means you harm if you get a nasty shock in the middle of an emergency. Much better to get over those feelings here, while you're safe, rather than when it could cost you your life."
Harry watched and gave encouragement as the rest of the line came forward, took a weapon and dealt with the nasty business that he'd put in front of them. He tried to make a note of every person that had stayed, but there were several whose names he didn't know, and a couple of the Slytherin girls that he didn't ever remember even seeing before. He'd need to try to remember and have Pansy help him draw up a roster, but that was a rather minor concern at the moment.
He noted that Luna didn't wince at all when her turn came, and he put that at the top of his list of things to deal with. Harry was worried about her being as hardened as she'd behaved that evening. The dreamy little wallflower was missing, and if he wanted to protect anyone the most, other than Pansy, it was his kind-hearted best friend. The sweet girl had always managed to cheer him up, and the idea of her of all people getting used to violence sickened him.
Harry noticed that Daphne let her sister step out of the line and just watch when her turn came. Afterwards Daphne whispered to him that she just wanted Astoria to know what the reality might look like, and that she would not be bringing her back next time.
He had a strong feeling that the younger Slytherin girls would be getting more tenacious lessons than any of the others. Chloe Abbot was there as well, and her face held plenty of determination when her turn came to face the bloodshed.
Harry hadn't done a specific count, but it looked like there were maybe twenty five to thirty people that had remained, and once they'd all finished, he stepped over to the mess and pulled his wand and began reversing the Transfiguration he'd used to turn dozens of desks into pigs.
"So, we didn't actually kill anything?" Susan asked.
"It depends on how you look at it, I guess," Harry shrugged. "The killing wasn't the point- not panicking about blood was. Much better and safer than if I had you all start sending cutting curses at each other, right? I think Madam Pomfrey and the teachers would frown on that sort of thing, anyway.
"Besides, now we can start on the next lesson. That is, assuming none of you have something more important to do."
"There isn't anything more important than this," Flora answered resolutely. "You know why I'm here. What's next?"
"Okay then. Time for lesson number two. You all saw how Luna smashed me into the desks earlier. Let me tell you, that hurt like hell. It was a simple spell too- the banishing charm, which most of you should already know. But, we're going to focus on both it and it's opposite, the summoning charm. Both of these are learned in fourth year, so I expect all of you to manage them without any problems, but I will teach anyone that doesn't know the spells already.
"In both cases, these spells have a wide variety of uses. To those of you with muggle roots, we're basically talking about a form of telekinesis- and moving things about can always be handy in a fight. One note as we begin: summoning something generally requires more finesse than banishing something away from you. That's why Luna was able to throw so much force at me earlier. Depulso can be amazing if you can think of how to use it, and that is another thing of note. Keeping your head in a fight is very important. For instance, if I hadn't been standing in front of those desks, I wouldn't have been as badly hurt earlier. Seeing and understanding the terrain around you can always be helpful."
The lesson was on, and for the next couple of hours, Harry made sure that everyone in the group learned how incredibly useful two such utilitarian spells could be when push came to shove.
"Is Luna alright?" Harry asked that night when they were back in bed.
"I think so. Why do you ask?"
"That little exercise with the pigs. I watched everyone as they did it; I wanted to pay attention to how they reacted and anyone who might have had a real problem with it. Almost everyone flinched to some extent."
"Even me," Pansy admitted. "I don't think I've ever actually killed something before. I did have some experience of being under pressure, what with dueling Rita Skeeter last year, but that wasn't too dangerous really. Still, I'm glad you made me do it too. It was good to really learn what that sort of thing could feel like. Not that I hope I ever have to get in a fight, mind you. I'm still rooting for Moody to find a Death Eater meeting and burn their hideout down with Fiendfyre."
"That would be for the best," Harry agreed with a chuckle. "Your reaction was really small compared to almost everyone. Only three people did... well, better, I guess? Flora was one of them, but she's seemed ready for a fight for awhile."
"I think I know why."
"Her parents?" Harry guessed and Pansy nodded. "Yeah, I think so too. We all respond differently to that sort of thing, and I think she's the type to want to lash out in anger. I can understand that. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her too because it isn't only us foolish Gryffindors that might rush off into danger.
"That being said, I think she might be one of the people I end up having help me run this little club or whatever it is. She was excellent with the banishing charm, especially using it to send those daggers at her target."
"That's what you did in the graveyard," Pansy remembered. "Maybe that's why she thought of it."
"Maybe so, but she's still got good instincts." Harry shrugged. "Good instincts have helped me more often than not whenever danger has come calling. But anyway, there were two others who also didn't flinch. One was an older Slytherin girl- at least, I'm pretty sure she's older, but I honestly didn't know her name."
"A fairly tall girl with short brown hair?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"Her name is Diane Carter. She's a year ahead of us."
"Right, well, Luna was the final one, and that has me worried. I really don't like the idea of getting our girl involved with violence and bloodshed. Luna is the source of so much sweetness in our lives and I don't want that marred by anything horrible."
"She isn't as innocent as you seem to keep thinking she is, Harry."
"I know, but..." He sighed. Sometimes it was hard to explain himself, even to Pansy who knew him so well. "It's like you've said. She makes us feel better when we're down or we're stressed, you know? Any time you and she start talking about sex, I'm sort of forced to face how uh... mature she's getting, but that's not it. It's the way she... I guess that she makes me feel more innocent, if that makes sense. That when Luna's around, I'm not worrying about Riddle or having enemies that need to be killed or anything else; I'm just feeling like everything is somehow going to be okay."
"I get that, Harry. But when you were in that graveyard, Luna is the one who kept me together. She gave a very rousing speech about how it was time to learn to fight and that she was going to do everything in her power to make sure that you and I get the happy ending we deserve." Pansy giggled for a moment and Harry looked down at her smiling face. "I think that was the night when she first claimed dibs on being godmother to our future children."
"That sounds like Luna." Harry breathed deeply and started to relax, burrowing his face down into Pansy's hair. Whatever that shampoo she used was, something vaguely floral, he loved that scent and the way it always seemed to calm him.
"Do you ever think about how different we are from other people our age?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I just don't think a lot of fifteen year olds talk about having kids someday without it being a joke. We're pretty damn serious about a lot of things like that, you know?"
"We've gone through a lot of things that most people haven't," Pansy replied. "We had to grow up fast- too fast I guess- because we didn't have anything else we could do. And most people our age aren't living together already either. But I think you're sort of wrong too, in a way. For most of history, people our age were already getting married, working, going off to war, and all sorts of things like that. Having kids too. Not that I'm in a hurry or anything.
"Besides, we're serious about things like that because we're serious about each other. At least, I think we are. You aren't thinking of getting rid of me, are you Harry?"
"Never. Like you said, I'd probably make a mess of my life without you."
"And?"
"And I love you more than everything else in the world combined?"
"That's more like it." Pansy sat up and looked down at him with a smirk when his eyes inevitably dropped down to her breasts. "We don't have to get up early for any reason tomorrow. So I think we should celebrate."
"What are we celebrating?"
"How about the fact that you are a surprisingly good teacher?"
"You think so?"
"I do," Pansy insisted, grinning as he leaned up and kissed the side of her neck. "Oh, wait a second."
"What?"
"I just remembered something." She climbed over to the side of the bed and opened up the drawer on the night table. "Last year, you said that we were going to skip Halloween, no matter what. That we would just hide all day in the muggle world to keep from any disasters happening to us. Like that stupid tournament. Do you still want to do that?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Two reasons." Pansy smiled as she hid something behind her back. "First of all, I talked to Vanessa before we came back to school and she mentioned throwing a Halloween party the weekend before. Saturday will be on the twenty ninth and we could go to it. I think it would be a nice break that we could enjoy. We could go visit your parents' graves again, if you like, and then just not come back until Halloween is over. It would mean we'd miss a day of classes, but I think that's a price you're willing to pay. Right?"
"Sounds great. Only four weeks to go. I definitely like this plan so far."
"Well, you're about to like it even more. Would you like an early Christmas present?"
"Yeah. What is it?"
"It turns out that a certain band is playing a concert on the night of Halloween. Right here in Scotland, in fact. I may have had Dobby's help in getting us two tickets." She revealed her hand and passed them over to Harry.
"Radiohead..." Harry gasped and then smiled up at her. "Do you know what this means?"
"That I am the greatest girlfriend in the world?"
"Yes. Yes, you absolutely are. I'll have to spend the rest of the month properly worshipping you now."
"Well, we don't have anything specific to do tomorrow, so..."
"So?"
"So, if I'm unable to walk, it won't matter."
"And I still haven't succeeded in making you pass out from having too many orgasms yet."
"But we've got all night long for you to try again."
"Yessss," he hissed. "Yes we do."
Pansy giggled as he rolled her over and slid down beneath the sheets.
The next weekend Harry led another meeting as he had everyone practice the summoning and banishing charms, specifically focusing on aim at first. That was followed by having people duel him while focusing on those two spells and their own creativity about what they could find in the unused classroom. After a few rounds, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to last through the entire group without collapsing.
That left him with the question of who he would ask to help take a few turns playing the defender.
Pansy was out. Not only was he too overly-protective of her to be able to handle seeing people injure her, but it was the time of the month that left her feeling cranky and sore. Since she was sitting out the physical stuff that day, he had asked her to take notes about how everyone did as well as writing up a roster of those who were now in this little club. He needed to be able to put names with faces of a few upper years from other houses that he wasn't too familiar with.
He briefly considered Hermione. She was good with the shield charm, but he didn't feel too good about watching her get hit by anything either.
In the end, he turned to Flora Carrow. She had the instincts for a fighter, she had learned the shield charm two years earlier than most, and she was singularly driven about the purpose of this group.
His decision worked out well. Harry had been right to assume that she would be a good assistant for this type of thing. He would just have to remember to have her stay behind for a few minutes afterwards so that Dobby could bring out the bruise paste and make sure she wasn't going to be too sore. If necessary, he could always help her to the infirmary, but in the end she ended up with only minor bumps and bruises.
The third weekend of October Harry had to take off from running the group. It would have been a nice chance to rest and catch up on schoolwork, but he had two other appointments he had to keep. Sunday afternoon, Angelina had scheduled yet another quidditch practice- it was only three weeks until their first match, as she kept reminding him- and the Saturday afternoon was taken up by a meeting of the Slug Club.
It wasn't too surprising that half of the club was from Slytherin, but it was sort of interesting to note that there was only a single Ravenclaw. He would have thought that the house known for intellect would have drawn more of Slughorn's favor.
For the most part, it was the same group of people from the year before. No one had graduated, and the only new addition was a second year boy from Slytherin named Pritchard. His mother was apparently an up and coming solicitor. Harry wondered if Slughorn had evaluated the boy during his first year, as perhaps he didn't want to have any embarrassing situations like what had happened with Neville. Despite coming from a prestigious old family, Neville clearly wasn't the sort for Old Sluggy.
At times Harry wished that he wasn't either, as schmoozing was still not something he was all that comfortable with.
However, this year it was more satisfying than he would have thought when he first joined. For one thing, half of them were people he was teaching to fight- and that reminded him that he probably should come up with a name for that group at some point. The 'fighting club' wasn't very catchy.
More importantly though, Pansy liked to take the time to dress up for Slughorn's get togethers and that was always something that he enjoyed seeing. That day, she was only wearing a simple 'little black dress' as she called it, but she had paired it with some rather scandalous high heels and Harry was having to keep himself from staring. He'd always loved her legs, and it was hard for him to think about anything other than wanting to leave the party early.
Judging by the smirk he saw on her face, Pansy knew exactly what he was thinking about too.
"So, nothing till next week then?"
"Huh?"
Hestia giggled and patted his shoulder.
"I was trying to ask you about when we would meet up again. You seem to have something else on your mind though."
"Oh, right." Harry absent-mindedly ran his hands through his hair and tried to focus on looking at anything other than his girlfriend. She was such a minx.
If he was paying more attention, he would have noticed Hestia's sigh.
"Yes, um, I've got quidditch practice tomorrow, and knowing Angelina, I'm going to be too worn out to do anything else. Sadly, that's probably going to be the case a lot for the next few weeks. Once we get past our match, she'll hopefully calm down about booking so much time on the pitch."
"You know Harry, for a quidditch star, you're rather disinterested in it."
"Well, chasing down the snitch in a match is a lot of fun, but practice is often just... not."
"I'm going to be such a traitor in a few weeks. At least I'll be in good company though," Hestia said with a grin. "I think at least a third of Slytherin will be cheering for Gryffindor instead this year."
"Really?"
"The group of people that Flora and I are always wary of is almost entirely made up of the quidditch team."
"Oh. I guess with Warrington being captain, he would recruit people just like him."
"Exactly," she leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "Evil bastards, as my sister would say. I try to be more refined, usually, but the term is fitting."
"There haven't been any other problems, have there?"
"Nothing since that day in Hogsmeade. A lot of glaring and leering, but that's normal enough, sadly. Are you still going to join Daphne and Chloe when they run the younger group on Thursday night?"
"Probably," Harry nodded.
"Do you mind if Flora and I come along too?"
"No. Why?"
"I think she just wants to get in as much practice as possible. I'm a little worried about her. She seems like she's just waiting for the chance to start cursing people. It's already a really stressful year."
"Sorry about that," Harry sighed. "I'd help if I knew how."
"I'm trying to stay as calm as I can, but I have this bad feeling that one of these days there's going to be some real trouble. I guess this must be how you felt last year, huh?"
"Sort of," Harry admitted. "At least I knew the dates when the events for the tournament would be happening, so it probably wasn't as bad. Plus, I was kind of used to it by then."
"That's not a good thing either, Harry. Why can't we just have a nice quiet year at school? Is that too much to ask?"
"Maybe so. I'm happy when I get a month without any major trouble. There have only been so many of those that I've been keeping count the last few years."
"Really?"
"Yep. I only had one clean month in my third year. May, 1994," he grinned and shook his head. "Last year, I had September, March, and April clear of anything too nerve-wracking. We're not off to a good start for my fifth year. Umbridge was a nightmare, thankfully a short-lived one, but I've pretty much given up on October."
"What do you mean?"
"Something terrible happens every year on Halloween. The day is cursed for me."
"Really? I understand about your parents, and last year it was when you were entered into the Triwizard Tournament, but what else happened on Halloween?"
"Well, you weren't here for my first year, but the Defense professor, who just so happened to be possessed by the Dark Lord, let a troll in during the feast, and it nearly killed Hermione and I. Your first year, right after the Halloween feast was when we discovered that the Chamber of Secrets was opened."
"Oh, that's right," Hestia nodded. "I'd forgotten that it was Halloween that night."
"Right. The next year was when Pansy and I had left the school to visit the graves of my parents for the first time. We missed out on Sirius' first break in."
"I'd forgotten that too. But that wasn't so bad really."
"I would have had to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag in the middle of the Great Hall instead of cozying up with my girlfriend in bed. I'd call that a nightmare."
"Pansy's right about you being incorrigible. I'm not sure if I should call you romantic or perverted."
"I can be both," he grinned.
"I'm sure you can," Hestia responded. "Alright, so that covers all your school years. Was it so bad when you were a kid in the muggle world?"
"Let's just say that I never had a good one there either." Harry didn't even bother to reminisce as he had pretty clearly divided his life in half at this point, and all of the years before Pansy were kept locked away, hopefully never to be thought of again. "I'm looking forward to this year though."
"How come?"
"I, uh, probably shouldn't say."
"Now you're making me more curious. Come on, Harry. I can keep a secret."
"Alright. I doubt you would turn me in," Harry muttered and pulled Hestia a little deeper into the corner of the room they'd been chatting in, further away from prying ears. "That weekend we've got a Hogsmeade visit again, right? So Pansy and I are going to take the opportunity to leave in order to visit my parents' graves. We've got a couple of fun things planned in the muggle world."
"What's so bad about that?" Hestia whispered.
"Halloween isn't until Monday."
"So?"
"So, we're not going to come back to school until Tuesday."
"Oh! You naughty boy, Harry," Hestia laughed out, and he instantly noticed several sets of eyes turning to them.
"They probably think we're talking about something else," he muttered.
"Oops," she giggled. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed."
"Thanks."
"Harry, my boy. Could you stay behind for a moment?"
"Sure professor."
"Oh, and Pansy, you can stay as well, of course. I doubt there's too many secrets kept between you two."
Horace Slughorn took his time to cast a few spells as he set things around the room back into order as the other students filed out. Pansy noticed that among them, he also weaved in a couple of privacy spells, and that made her much more alert.
Once the door closed behind Granger, he turned to look at Harry, and Pansy noticed just how anxious the old Potions Master seemed.
"Now then, Harry. I was hoping you could ease my mind about a couple of things."
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"Has the headmaster spoken to you about anything this term?"
"No. I haven't talked to him since we've come back to school this fall. Why?"
"Nothing, nothing to worry about," he muttered, and Pansy watched as he turned away, clearly bothered about something despite his words to the contrary. "We had a discussion about you at the end of last year. What with all that had gone on, that's not too surprising, eh? I just hoped that he had discussed a couple of things with you already."
"I see. Um, should I ask to speak with him then?"
"Not yet, Harry. Let me try to remind him, and hopefully that will take care of everything." Slughorn wiped his brow. "I've heard good things about you helping to set up some extra-curricular defense study groups. Nothing against Gordon mind you, he was a fine auror, but I've heard that the class has been very uneven over the last several years. I'm sure those, like you, in their OWL year could use the extra practice to get ready for the exams. Giving the younger years a leg up as well, that's rather forward thinking. It seems you might have some talent as a teacher."
"That's what Pansy's been telling me too. I guess I've done alright so far."
"You're too modest, Harry," Pansy interjected. "He's been brilliant."
"As I said, I've heard only good things. That maybe something you should keep in mind for the future. We can never have enough skilled teachers. Passing along knowledge to the coming generations is such a pleasure. I think you might be the right sort for it, my dear boy."
He patted Harry on the shoulder. "I shouldn't keep the two of you any longer. Don't forget to review the process for the Strengthening Solution, which we'll be starting on Monday."
"Yes sir."
"Off you go then."
As soon as they were out the door, Harry wrapped an arm around Pansy's waist.
"What was that about?"
"I don't know, but something has him worried."
"Well, no sense in us worrying about it now, I guess," Harry shrugged. "I've got something else to do this evening anyway."
"What's that?"
"You know you drive me crazy when you dress like that."
"That is one of the reasons I do it," Pansy teased.
"Damn you Albus," Slughorn winced as he sat down behind his desk. "You swore you would tell him. That poor boy."
He held his face in his hands for a moment, trying to calm his emotions.
"I'm trying to do my part, Lily."
He opened the drawer and looked at the bottle of the draught of living death he'd spent much of the summer getting absolutely perfect. He wanted to make sure it was as potent as it could possibly be, just in case Tom's inhuman form required more than a normal wizard.
Horace Slughorn might not be the bravest man around, but by Merlin, he was going to help Harry Potter as long as he lived.
"Let's just hope it's enough."