Chapter Three
Settling In
Harry rose at his customary five a.m. and dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He tied on his trainers and, grimacing at the noise from Weasley's bed, fled the room. Something was going to have to be DONE about the walking adenoid and his favorite ass to kiss.
In the common room Harry was surprised to find Hermione sitting primly in what looked like her primary school PT outfit. "Hermione?"
Hermione looked up at him, face set in a determined mien. "I got the impression you exercised, Harry. I want you to show me how."
Harry smiled. "Sure, Hermione. Come on."
Harry led her out into the early fall morning mist and they had a great stretching session and a short workout first, then a Tai Chi session, followed by cool-down stretches. They padded back into the school laughing, with arms linked, and shocked the early risers.
Harry collected a semi-chaste kiss at the bottom of the girls' stairs and he and Hermione went up, showered, changed, and met up again in the common room. In Harry's room Dean Thomas was stirring, but other than that the room was still.
Hermione came down followed by her roommates Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Harry linked arms with Hermione and led the way to the Great Hall. Padma, Daphne, and Susan met them there and got a kiss each. They all sat at the empty Ravenclaw table. Breakfast had not appeared yet.
Susan looked at Harry and Hermione's rosy cheeks. "What were you two doing?"
Lavender who, along with Parvati, had sat with them in the empty hall, chimed in. "Yes, what were you doing leaving the room at five and not getting back until half seven?"
Hermione shrugged. "I asked Harry to take me with him when he exercised. It was fun."
Harry nodded. "It will make you more alert during the day and sleep better at night, too. I mean, you have a nice figure but with the type of fare they offered last night we'll need to do something."
Daphne immediately asked, "What time do we meet you tomorrow morning, Harry?"
Harry smiled. "A little after five, by the front doors. You all have clothes suitable for PT? If not I can owl-order you some things. There's a store in Hogsmeade--Glad? Rags, I think. Or my girls can knock you up some outfits if I get your sizes."
Lavender reached in her pocket and came out with a tape measure, parchment, and pencil, and the
witches had a measuring party right then and there. Lavender handed Harry the parchment. "I'll send this after breakfast and the girls should have it back to us by dinner. I'll get them to send some notebooks and biros too, maybe some mechanical pencils."
Hermione nodded. "I brought some, but not enough for everyone."
Daphne looked thoughtful; the things she had seen Harry doing with these Muggle quills were great, especially the portability. "We should sell them, not give them away."
Harry smiled. "Not too much profit, though. You're in charge of that, Daphne." "Yes, Harry."
Hermione thought a moment. "Harry, I want to add Arithmancy and Runes but they're only allowed in third year."
Harry gave her a smile. "Study group. We can cover all our core subjects, Arithmancy, Runes, and whatever else my little genius desires. You can work yourself into a complete wreck. I can probably get some older girls to help us."
The others laughed as Hermione pouted. Harry chuckled. "Come on, Ne, there are other things besides studying. Let's save a couple hours a day for those."
Susan grinned mischievously. "Like kissing Harry!"
Lavender piped up boldly. "I'll take some of that action!" trying to tease Harry. Instead, she got kissed right on the lips and Harry got a halfhearted smack in the chest from Hermione.
"Hey! You're supposed to ask us first!"
Harry looked around and grinned. "Oops? Hey, can I kiss Parvati?" He leaned into her and did so. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"And wait for permission, Romeo."
"That's no fun." Harry wrapped Hermione in a hug and kissed her thoroughly. She struggled for about three seconds before she melted into it.
Susan shook her head. "We have to find a place that's more private." She was looking around at the witches in the Great Hall and didn't notice that there was only one wizard present so far.
As Harry and the witches kept up a lively discussion, the Great Hall filled and breakfast was served. Penelope Clearwater looked at the additions to the Ravenclaw table. "You all need to go to your own tables. The Heads of House will be passing out schedules soon."
Harry and his witches nodded. Harry thanked Penelope and kissed Daphne, Padma, and Susan goodbye and led Hermione, Parvati ,and Lavender back to the Gryffindor table.
Daphne approached the Slytherin table and folded elegantly into a seat. Draco Malfoy sneered. "Glad you could join us, blood traitor."
"Shut up, Malformed. If I want to hear from your retarded father I know how to write a letter."
Tracey Davis smirked and gave Daphne a golf clap. Daphne bowed her head slightly. The older Slytherins chuckled. Draco sat stunned; no one dared speak to him that way! Just as he opened his mouth to retort, Tracey hit him with a silencing charm under the table and Professor Snape arrived with the schedules.
"Mr. Malfoy, I suggest you see the Matron before class; you have an unhealthy color," was the only thing Snape said as he handed out their schedules. Draco ground his teeth in frustration. He had been warned about causing a scene.
Tracey smirked and canceled the silencing charm, but Malfoy controlled himself and failed to shout. Tracey frowned in disappointment.
Harry rose and led the witches out of the hall with the rest of the first years. As they exited, Malfoy, still furious and frustrated, drew his wand behind Hermione's back. "Out of the way, Mudblood! Let your betters pass."
Harry heard him and automatically installed a reflecting shield. The Vanisher fired from short range, changed slightly and reflected back to Malfoy's wand hand. His right pinky vanished. The other first years drew back from the screaming boy and Poppy Pomfrey appeared as if by magic. Albus Dumbledore was right behind her.
Poppy clucked her tongue. "You shouldn't attempt magic you don't understand, Mr. Malfoy. This won't grow back. Where did you vanish your pinky to? Perhaps if we had it...."
Dumbledore ran his wand over the wizard's hand and wand. "Who or what were you attempting to Vanish, Mr. Malfoy?"
Malfoy blanched and covered it with a pained gasp, then grunted. "Nothing, sir. I just grabbed my wand. I must have taken it by the wrong end."
The gathered students all chuckled and received a look from the Headmaster that moved them on smartly. Dumbledore shook his head. "Wand safety is serious business, Mr. Malfoy. Please do be more careful."
Harry, meanwhile, had led Hermione on up the stairs, but slowly and while listening. Hermione turned to Harry and hissed, "What did you do, Harry?"
Harry looked around and pulled her into a door on the sixth floor landing. It was a broom cupboard. Lavender and Parvati followed. "I put up a reflecting shield, Ne. Malfoy was going to curse you. I don't know why it blew off his finger."
Parvati shook her head. "It didn't blow his finger off. It Vanished it." Harry was hugging the shaking Hermione. She looked at him. "Why would he do that?"
Lavender answered, "He's a bigot and wizards are chauvinists in general. They see witches as things. When we get older they'll want to use us. You have to learn how to stand up to them, Hermione. It will be harder for you because you're a Muggle-born."
Harry shook his head. "If someone tries to hurt any of you, they'll pay."
The group did make it to class on time, but Harry had a kind of glazed look in his eyes and his lips were puffy. Minerva McGonagall?, in her cat form, watched them file in and take seats in front. Well, Harry and Hermione sat in front, along with Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis beside Hermione and Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil beside Harry.
Harry did look just like his father. Those knowing bright green eyes that had never stopped watching her were all Lily Evans's, though.
McGonagall? waited for Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley. Just before she decided to make the change back to human form they skidded into the room. Neville said, "Good the Professor isn't here so we aren't late."
McGonagall? leapt from the desk, making the change on the way. "I am very much here, Mr. Longbottom. If you will grace us by finding a seat, perhaps we can begin."
"AAACK!" "Aiiieee!"
Harry snickered; one of them had screamed like a girl. The class chuckled, giggled, or snickered, which McGonagall? ignored; and Longbottom, along with his sycophant Weasley, found seats.
Harry thoroughly enjoyed the class. McGonagall? was an excellent teacher. He did, however, notice that she seemed to make some assumptions. The first was that her students were all interested in her subject at the same fanatical level she seemed to be, and the other was that they all had similar backgrounds. This, he had noticed, was a common failing of teachers in both the Mundane and apparently wizarding worlds.
After the lecture Professor McGonagall? handed out matchsticks and demonstrated how to turn them into needles, and directed the class to begin. Harry changed his in the first pass of his wand and Hermione was right behind him. They looked at each other and smiled. McGonagall? watched and gave them five points apiece before moving on. Harry heard Lavender huff in exasperation and turned to help her, while Hermione blanched at the cursing Tracey was doing and leaned over to help her and Daphne.
This set the pattern for all their classes. By Wednesday the fourth, wherever Harry was, the witches sat as close as possible, and the wizards Harry tolerated formed an outer ring. For a wizard to be tolerated he needed to be quiet, studious, and respectful of the witches.
The evening of Monday the second, however, after class Harry and the witches moved directly to the Library. There they met Padma and Susan, who now had groups of girls with each of them, and took over a corner of the Library where they proceeded to work on their homework.
After dinner, when they were DONE with homework, the group explored the castle until curfew; afterward Harry passed out the PT suits and school supplies that the Squib Squad had acquired for the witches. Now everyone had a small spiral-bound pad, a five-subject notebook, plenty of pens and pencils, and even some fountain pens that wrote like quills for those teachers who protested the biros. Near curfew, the putative leader of each House group led them to their dorms, Daphne first, and Harry kissed the witches goodnight. His first witches from each House got panty-melting snogs, while the others got not-quite-chaste kisses.
Arriving in the Gryffindor common room just prior to curfew, Harry kissed his Gryffindor witches
goodnight to raised eyebrows from the older witches and catcalls from the wizards. Harry went upstairs and got ready for bed, making sure to pull the curtains securely and place a silencing charm on them. He took his trunk from his pocket, expanded it, and climbed inside, where he spent the next hour being debriefed by the Squib Squad and passing on orders for more PT suits and school supplies. Ella and the older witches arrived, and the Squib Squad and Harry debriefed them on how things were in the Houses and what rumor control was saying.
Emma Cadwallader then took her turn snogging Harry, while the Squib Squad and others either prepared supplies or just watched. Emma's grunting her way through an orgasm as her and Harry's petting got very heavy was the signal for the group to break up and go back to their rooms. Emma, as were all the witches, was miserable that she couldn't reciprocate for Harry and again tried to beg him into letting her give him oral sex. Harry just wasn't ready. He was happy to make her come but he just hadn't been able to wrap his mind around the "no casual sex with witches except under contract" thing yet. Just as he got of an age where it mattered to him, this wrinkle appeared! Typical. But they would sort it out, he was certain.
On Tuesday the third Harry woke at four forty-five, showered, dressed in his PT clothes, and left the room. He made it to the entry hall by five. Hermione, Susan, Padma, and Daphne met him there. The uniform the Squib Squad had come up with was a spandex bodysuit covered by running shorts and a tank top. Harry became embarrassingly hard instantly, causing grins and giggles all around. He led the girls outside and into a set of stretches that they used to torture him nearly beyond reason. The long run followed by a swim in the lake after a partnered resistance exercise set for the girls, while Harry did push-ups and crunches, helped him some until Hermione swam up to him, wrapped her legs around his waist, and ground down on him.
Susan barked, "Hermione, don't get his come on you!"
Hermione blushed and blinked. "Uh, beg pardon?" She wasn't even sure where this was coming from--she was acting like a complete slag!
Padma rolled her eyes. "Hermione, we can all see you want to be first and that's fine, but I have a book you need to read first. If you come in contact with Harry's sperm of your own free will and without a contract of service, you can end up bound."
"WHAT?"
"There's a book?"
Harry and Hermione looked at each other after speaking simultaneously and did it again.
"You knew, Harry."
"That's what the bodysuits are for. The Squib Squad was afraid of this."
The other three witches looked at each other and then at Harry. Harry shrugged. "There are some veiled hints, but we haven't found any straight-out references."
Daphne looked at the blushing Susan and the tongue tied Padma and sighed. "Come on, this water is cold. I'll tell you what I know at breakfast."
Hermione frowned. "Why don't we read Padma's book and then pool what you all know? We can make it a Harry Potter publishing guide for witches."
Harry laughed. "Okay, fine, if you want to. I can have the Squib Squad collect the research and contribute too."
Daphne nodded. "Just don't get in contact with Harry's sperm unless you both are sur,e Hermione. Certainly don't get it inside you."
Hermione was so embarrassed she hardly spoke all through breakfast.
The rest of Tuesday passed as had Monday, with the exception of all the girls in their classes but Pansy Parkinson sitting near Harry and using notebooks and biros instead of quills and parchments.
That night after returning to the dorms near curfew, Neville Longbottom called Hermione a slag. He spent the night stuck to the wall above the mantle like some grotesque trophy. Harry had spent all day talking Hermione out of the trees, and Neville's comment sent her fleeing in tears.
Wednesday morning Harry met fourteen witches for PT. He was nearly incapacitated for the first few minutes, until Hermione crowded him badly and arched an eyebrow at him. She had recovered overnight when Parvati and Lavender pointed out that she thought the rest of the wizards at the school were cretins. Ella, Emma, Kristen Thomas of Ravenclaw, and Eliza Mcnair of Slytherin watched from a battlement with smiles. Ella shook her head. "The Granger witch is going to bind herself."
Kristen sighed. "Surely not at twelve? She can't be ready, can she?"
Eliza shrugged. "Physically? Sure, she's Muggle-born. She's been having her periods for a while now, I'd imagine. I bet she's as regular as clockwork."
Emma asked, "Any objections?" Ella summed it up. "Not as long as she shares after. I have way too much invested and I owe a lot." Kristen sighed. "But what about when we hit our majority?"
Eliza looked at her. "Do you always advertise who you're seeing? We have the trunks. With the right contract Harry can shag us bowlegged daily and nobody needs to know. His sigil doesn't need to indicate who we're in service to. That's an ego boost for the wizard. I don't think Harry will need it."
Emma snorted. "Imagine how all the ickle firsties are going to act when they meet us and the rest of the squad. Oh my, our covens here at school, too."
Eliza cocked a brow. "If they can't handle it they can be Obliviated, or Harry can do that loyalty thing to them."
Ella nodded. "And we stay under cover. Everyone still has their cover wizard?" Kristen snorted. "Yes. Miles is more of a girl than I am, though. I don't know if it will hold up."
"At least you don't have to deal with the closeted idiot I have. I swear, if Greg frenches me again in public because he's nervous I'm going to 'break up' with him and date his boyfriend Karl," Ella snarled.
"Karl Roberts? The Slytherin manly-man Keeper? Oh my, that's rich. And he's going with a Gryffindor? He'd better hope his father never finds out," Eliza chuckled
Ella's tinkling laughter filled the battlement where the witches stood. "It's a long term plan. I can stay in service to Harry forever and be Greg's 'wife'."
Eliza snorted. "Damn right that's long term. It'll take you ten years to convince little Mr. Honorable down there. However, I can hook up with Karl and we'll all be covered. I wonder if Harry's green eyes will breed through?"
Ella sighed.
Harry and the Gryffindor witches got back to the common room just in time to find Minerva McGonagall? unsticking Neville from the wall and all the Gryffindors standing white-faced and silent. "And where were you four?"
Harry spoke up immediately. "We were doing physical training, Professor. Magic functions better when your body is in good condition."
"Correct, Mr. Potter, five points. Do any of you know what happened to Mr. Longbottom?" Harry nodded. "Intra-House discipline for disrespect to a classmate, ma'am."
McGonagall? blinked. If that was true, it was no wonder the Lions wouldn't talk. They could have told her, though. "Thank you for answering, Mr. Potter. take another five points. The rest of you can learn from Mr. Potter. I am not your enemy, I am your Head of House." She turned back and lowered Neville to the floor. "As for you, Mr. Longbottom, learn the lesson." McGonagall? turned and strode from the common room.
As the portrait hole shut behind her, Neville surged off the floor and drew his wand. Harry laughed. "Try it, Longbottom, and I'll stick you to the outside of the tower." He pushed through the crowd and headed up the stairs. Behind him Ron drew his wand and found himself transformed into a chicken.
Fred walked over to him. "No brother of ours would be so cowardly as to attack a wizard with his back turned."
George continued, "So you must be a chicken. Be a nice chicken and we might--" Fred finished "--Transfigure you back in time for class." The twins then stood up wands in hand "Move along--" "--show's over."
Percy was dying to know how they had learned human to animal Transfiguration.
By Wednesday classes were in an established pattern. Harry sat at the front surrounded by witches. He accomplished the assigned task first and then helped the witches. All the witches had the Squib Squad guides now, and they were all at the top of the class. Longbottom and Weasley continued at the bottom with the other boys ranged in between, those willing to listen to Harry nearer the top.
In the Library their study group had grown by leaps and bounds and they had been asked to move to a disused classroom near the Library. When they first occupied it, that classroom "grew" a connection to the Library and took on the same type of décor, becoming a reading room. Hermione was thrilled, making Harry feel slightly guilty about not giving her or the other girls trunks and access yet. He wanted to be sure, though.
Wednesday night they had astronomy and so Harry was unable to spend time with the squad. The squad knew this and accepted it.
Potions on Friday morning was interesting. Professor Snape took off on Longbottom and when he couldn't answer a question Snape took points and asked Harry instead. Harry answered all the questions, gaining back some of the points Longbottom lost but not quite all, as Snape took away points in blocks of five but gave them out by threes. Harry really didn't like Snape, but as he was torturing Longbottom he felt it was a wash. Snape's teaching technique was pants, though, and after Potions Hermione went on a rant that Harry had to kiss her out of.
Harry told them they would review the school rules and file protests against Snape where they could, and that the others should too. He would have to learn to teach or the school would have to get in a real teacher. Something about Snape set Harry's teeth on edge. He would have to go talk to Mum and Dad's portraits about him. They would have been in school with Snape.
Tea with Hagrid that afternoon was very interesting. Walking back to the castle, Hermione wondered who Nicholas Flamel was. Harry shrugged and said, "An alchemist. He and Dumbledore worked on the twelve uses of Dragon blood together. At least that's what Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card says."
Hermione looked thoughtful but Harry moved on perforce, as Susan was dragging the hand of the arm he had around her shoulder down to her right breast and smirking mischievously. Hermione turned around to ask another question but was distracted. "Susan, stop that! Morgana, wait until we get to the reading room at least."
The others broke up at her pinched face.
Fear of Flying
The next week flew by set in its pattern until Thursday the twelfth. Flying lessons were scheduled for three thirty. Hermione was a nervous wreck, and Harry spent the day before with her in all the high places they could get to in the castle in an effort to get her over her fear of heights. Snogging her on the edge of the Astronomy tower's roof seemed to work best, or at least give her a decent memory of a high place.
Come class time, while not eager, she was at least workmanlike. Longbottom was a disaster of overconfidence and broke at least his wrist. Malfoy found Longbottom's Remembrall and took off with it. Harry wasn't about to let Malfoy get one over on his House and pursued. Malfoy, being a mean-spirited little wanker, chucked the Remembrall at one of the towers and Harry snagged it just millimeters from destruction--his and the Remembrall's.
Harry found himself dragged inside for he assumed was to be punishment for disobeying a teacher; but instead he was installed on the House Quidditch team as the youngest Seeker in a hundred years. Hermione was proudly petrified. She had been reading up on all the flying sports.
Malfoy stopped by the Gryffindor table for some words with Harry at dinner. "You think you're special, don't you, Potter?"
Harry groaned; things had been going so well. "Uh, no. Actually, Malformed, that's you." "Malfoy! My name is Malfoy!" Malfoy shrieked.
Harry rubbed a pinky finger in his ear. "Merlin! Now I know why your Housemates call you Malformed--not only are you an albino but you obviously have no nuts. You shriek like a six-year- old girl."
"I challenge you to a duel, Potter!"
Harry smirked and stood up. "Where and when, Malformed?"
"Midnight in the trophy room!"
"Bugger that for a game of skittles, I like my sleep. How about right here, right now?"
Malfoy's simpleminded plan to turn Harry in to Filch was derailed and he backpedaled. "Here? Now?"
Harry sneered. "Brain-damaged, too. Yes, H-E-R-E? and N-O-W?, you simpleton."
Malfoy ripped his wand from his robe but before he could level it, Harry's was pointed between his eyes about a quarter-inch from his skin. Harry smirked and said, "Why don't you come with me, Malformed, away from all these prying professorial eyes?"
Malfoy was BUSY trying not to wet his pants, so he hardly noticed being led out onto the lawn of the courtyard.
Harry smiled at him. "Try again." "What?" "Try again--draw your wand."
Malfoy eyed Harry and went to draw. Harry slapped Malfoy's left cheek with his right hand and then drew his wand and had it between Malfoys eyes before the slap registered or Malfoy's wand cleared his pocket. The crowd gasped. Malfoy staggered, blushing, and as Harry sheathed his wand he tried again. This time he got slapped on his right cheek. For the next five minutes the crack of Malfoy getting slapped rang through the courtyard until finally he fled in tears.
Harry turned and looked at Hermione, standing there tapping her foot. He sighed. "At least he kept all nine fingers this time, Ne."
Hermione caved; Harry was right. Daphne commented, though, "We'd better be careful. Malfoy is the type to curse you in the back."
Harry nodded and led the laughing students back into the Great Hall. Not all of them were laughing. The older Slytherin were furious; Malfoy would pay for this embarrassment. Ella and the sixth year girls were eying and assessing the crowd; Harry was playing a dangerous game here.
That Friday evening at the weekly staff meeting Albus expected to hear about the progress of Neville Longbottom. Instead he heard glowing, nay orgasmic reports about Harry Potter and his little girlfriends from everyone except Severus, who said Potter was average and the witches hung on him just as they had his miserable father. McGonagall's? lips thinned. "So, Severus, for you to call a Gryffindor average he must already be near his mastery."
"Minerva!"
"Phhht! Leash your dog, Albus. He is blatantly prejudiced--a fact I discovered proof of while researching a complaint that made its way to the Governors. I expect they will be contacting you soon."
Albus started; he had heard nothing of this. "What was the nature of this complaint, Minerva, and how did it get to the Governors? I never forwarded any of them." It was McGonagall's? turn to look surprised. "There have been others besides mine and you've never relayed them to the Board? Fine; I kept copies of mine. I will forward them to the Board."
The staff meeting dissolved into chaos shortly after that. Birthday Girl
The next week passed slowly but smoothly, with Malfoy making the odd attempt on Harry and Harry's shields firing curses back at him. He finally settled on verbal abuse. Harry started to use a targeted one-way silencing charm of his own devising on him. Malfoy thought for a few days that he was going mad, as people ignored him. He could hear his own voice perfectly well, but everyone else ignored him as if he wasn't speaking.
Harry had made arrangements with all the Hogwarts witches and the Squib Squad, and on the nineteenth in Harry's reading room, as it was now known, everyone waited in the dark after class. Harry brought Hermione in and they all sprang up and yelled, "Lumos!" and "Surprise!"
Hermione screamed, slapped Harry hard, and kissed him fervently. Harry, laughing, asked, "So the surprise worked and you liked it?"
"I nearly wet myself, you brute, and yes." She kissed him again with bright, shiny eyes full of tears. The witches in the room looked at each other and sighed. "Awwww." Daphne clapped her hands. "Mush later, prezzies now!"
Harry led Hermione over and sat her down; she unwrapped clothes, pens, books, and a set of diamond studs from Harry that drew ooohs and ahhhs. It was a great night and one of the birthdays she would remember forever--not least because as she sat studying after the dinner provided by the elves, she realized that she was staring at Harry's face with the fire reflecting off of it, and it was an image she wanted to refresh every night for the rest of her life. She had wanted a friend and found many. She had not even contemplated love and she was truly, madly, deeply in love with Harry Potter, a slightly vicious, polyamorous, completely committed to his "womens", as he called them, powerhouse of a wizard that most likely was going to destroy the wizarding world as they knew it, or at least cause a revolution.
The most surprising thing was that she was completely fine with it all; more than fine, she was
getting desperate. It was all she could do right now to stay in her seat when she wanted nothing more than to go over there and bury his cock in her throat and tie herself to him irrevocably, as Padma's book and their research had shown her she could. Sweet Baby Maeve, what was she thinking! Mother would go mad and Father would attempt murder!
Bubble Bubble
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office staring into the fire. Another Friday night staff meeting--more like the battle of Sterling Bridge--just finished. McGonagall? was in high dudgeon over Severus's continuing excesses with taking points, and refused to let it go. The other Professors lined up behind her like woad-faced Celts, and he and Sevrus had gaily traipsed across the bridge to their slaughter. Severus, sneering at them all, was not helping, either.
Merlin, couldn't the woman see that the Noble Houses needed to be appeased? If he let Slytherin go on their true merits they would always lose the Cup. Then when Riddle appeared they would flock to him again.
The Professors had no tolerance for the Slytherins' attitudes. Severus was merely balancing the scales and allowing for the young nobles to be themselves. They would grow into their worth if they could be shown it.
And what was wrong with the bloody ghosts? The portraits, too. No reports on Potter; it was like the boy was a ghost. And these reports of Longbottom being nearly useless in class and starting fights with the other houses had to be untrue! Why, he had told the boy himself to win over his classmates. The boy had had the finest tutors money and influence could buy. Damn! He would have to call the boy in for a talk.
Severus Snape paced his quarters. The old fool was letting McGonagall? run roughshod over him. Again! The woman had neatly put paid to the advantage the Slytherins had, and now with the Potter boy Gryffindor might be a threat again in Quidditch, too. Damn! The pure-blood parents would be after his hide.
Potter! The little pervert. Dumbledore would have to probe that boy from now on. Every time he looked in the boy's head he saw images of the Mudblood slut. Severus shuddered; little Miss Wooly-the-Rabbit? was not his idea of a pleasing image. Especially naked!
Better than Longbottom, though. What a ponce. Complete idiot. If this was the old man's "chosen one", immediately joining the Dark Lord if he returned was the only thing to do.
"Minerva McGonagall?, don't you dare! They're so cute together, Harry and his little harem. Besides, he's the spark of that group and all their grades would drop if you separated them," Aurora Sinistra exclaimed.
Pomona Sprout nodded. "They're youngsters, Minerva. Nothing to worry about for a few years--it's puppy love. You'll give yours the talk tomorrow anyway; that will scare them right off him. Did you know he's produced a series of study guides? Some of the girls in my House have them and they go to this study group of his and Hermione's. They're all top of the pile, as far as grades go."
Poppey Pomfrey nodded. "I for one am glad he's doing this exercise program. All of these students could use more of that."
Septima Vector nodded along. "Did you know they have some fifth year girls tutoring them in
Arithmancy in that study group?" "Runes, too," Bathsheba Babbling added. The female staff members present in McGonagall's? lounge looked thoughtful for a moment
McGonagall? sighed. "Fine, I won't separate them. If something untoward happens, though, you all are going with me to explain it to their parents. Now who has more fuel we can pour on the board about Severus? I want him gone! I have had completely enough of that misogynist!"
Pomona giggled. "One more broom to your young Mr. Potter and you won't have to worry about it. His head will explode."
McGonagall? affected an innocent air. The cost of that Nimbus had been well worth it.
Meanwhile, in Harry's trunk mansion: "You need to tell them, Harry, and they all need trunks."
"Elizaaaa."
"Oh Merlin, Harry, don't whine. It doesn't suit you at all."
"Fine, Eliza." Harry was pouting now.
Kristen looked at him. "You've fallen for Granger and you're afraid if you tell her she'll bolt. Oh, that's so romantic--our little Harry is finally in love!"
"Hey! I love all of you!" Harry defended.
Marie Caldwell snorted. "More than sisters, less than fireworks, Harry. We've had this discussion. We're fine with it, and you never complain when one of us finds a decent guy. We're happy to be with you but we all come to realize you aren't 'it' for us sooner or later. Maybe Hermione is. Maybe later it will be one of us. Just go with it. Meanwhile, once Granger breaks you in we can all get a shag when we need one."
Harry laid his head down on the couch in the sitting room of the trunk mansion. "Fine. How did I get to be an object?"
The girls rolled their eyes and Jasmine, one of the Squib Squad, lay half on him and put her head on his chest. Ella grunted. "Harry while we're here you should ease up a little. The older wizards are getting a bit nervous about you."
"Fuck 'em. They'd better leave the witches alone if the witches don't want to mess with them." "Harry! You can't fight the whole school!" Eliza snapped.
"Won't have to. Only a few are stupid. I'll just beat a few of them sensless or crush their nuts, and Bob's your uncle." Harry was in a full pout now. Emma put a hand on Eliza's arm as she was about to snap at Harry and shook her head. Obviously Harry was in no mood.
The girls discussed things for a while and then drifted off to their own trunks, leaving Jasmine with Harry.
At Bones Manor Amelia read the letter from Susan again. The girl seemed very happy and Amelia could only be glad she had found a male friend. Harry Potter, too--that boded well. The Potters were generally powerful and reputedly fabulously wealthy, generally light-sided, a good family and a possibly advantageous match for Susan.
This group of witches was troubling but apparently the norm for young witches now, as the magical world seemed to be turning back to the old ways. Fudge and his cronies were behind most of this, damn them. They were setting the magical world back a thousand years with their nepotism and hatred for half-bloods and Muggleborns. In Fudge's case it wasn't even conscious hatred; it was fear of anything that might threaten him, and him being a weak wizard, well...that only left him with his political skills to rely on.
Anyway, the boy was younger than Susan and so would probably be at or near her level of maturity and so controllable by her. From what Susan said, he was very respectful of witches and so would probably only go as far as Susan let him in later years. Ye,s all in all a good thing, given the current climate. A coven under a warlock had some legal advantages that could be exploited later, too.
Emma Granger read her daughter's letter again. The girl was obviously head over heels for this Harry boy. Emma giggled. Every other sentence of the two-page back-and-front letter mentioned the boy. Hmmm, they would really need to meet the boy. Hermione had always been precocious, and if this boy wasn't pushing her away she would be exploring the physical side of a relationship with him much sooner than Dan or, for that matter, she herself would like.
Girls now grew up way too fast. Emma cringed when her inner voice guffawed loudly and retorted to that thought with a snide Pot, meet kettle. Weren't we shagging at fifteen? You were so lucky. Emma responded, "I knew what I was doing, and anyway I found Dan fairly soon and he loved me!" She got an outraged That's complete bullshit. You were horny as a goat and fucking like a bunny. You took so much advantage of the free love years. Thank God Dan was completely infatuated with you, looked past your baggage and came to love you. Emma huffed. "What would you know? You were the one telling me we shouldn't waste time." Her inner voice grumbled a bit before saying, How was I to know you would jump right in the sack? You were driving me insane lusting after boys.
Emma stilled a moment. Dan--oh my! Dan was going to go completely ballistic. He worshipped the ground Hermione walked on. Poor Harry! Hmmm, have to break this to Dan the right way and get the boy over here. Christmas would be best, probably.
In magical households across Britain mothers were, as Emma was, reading letters from daughters and catching the meaning hidden between lines on parchments and notebook pages. Harry Potter suddenly became a topic of great interest.
Monday morning, the thirtieth of September, Harry was moving down the stairs to catch up with the girls who had gone on to breakfast. He had forgotten his notebook and had to run back for it. He slipped down the stairs and heard a muffled shriek. Harry charged in the direction of the noise and wandlessly slammed into each other the two wizards he found with a witch pinned to the wall. The witch nodded her thanks and fled, tears streaming down her face. Harry, left with just the wizards, took out some aggressions on them but soon tired of it as they were unconscious. He left them in a heap of tangled arms and legs.
Later in the day a sixth year Ravenclaw Prefect found the two in the disused fifth floor corridor after hearing groans, and by dinner the rumors were flying. Harry smirked and went to Quidditch practice. Hermione led the witches, following him, and looked at his smirk. "That was you, wasn't
it? I can't leave you alone for a second!" Harry grinned. "Ask me no questions, Ne...." "Oh, Harry! You could have been hurt!"
Harry turned to face Hermione and backed her against the wall of the stands. "They had a witch trapped, Hermione. Who knows how far they would have gone? Now they won't." He leant in and kissed her fiercely, then turned and entered the locker room. Daphne and Susan laughed and steered Hermione to their customary seats.
Padma commented, "Apparently one of the older girls in my House was having trouble with those two. We'll have to be on the lookout. She'll eventually approach Harry to thank him."
Daphne laughed outright as Hermione sat up alertly and growled, "Down, girl! He's not exclusively yours. Although I have seen him tracking that ass of yours a lot."
Hermione, ridiculously, tried to look down her back at her own ass. "I know! It's so flat. I don't see what he likes about it."
Her friends rolled around on the bleachers laughing.
Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Captain, Keeper, and resident Quidditch fanatic, raised a brow at Harry, who blushed lightly and shrugged. "Witches. How am I to know?"
The Weasley twins and Oliver nodded, drawing raised brows from Katie, Angelina, and Alicia, before Alicia smiled. "You're not Harry. Now Oliver, let's get this done. I don't want to be out here all night."
Oliver looked angry now. "We have to wait. McGonagall? will be here in a moment."
Fred looked confused. "McGonagall?"
George continued, "What do we need her for?"
Oliver looked at Harry. "Apparently a protest has been filed, and if Harry is to be allowed to play the teams must allow other first years to try out."
Harry sat his broom in silence for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Longbottom? Are you kidding? He can hardly fly a broom."
"That's a lie! I'm a great flyer!"
"Ah, got over that broken arm, then?" Harry asked and his teammates chuckled. Everyone knew the story.
Professor McGonagall? cleared her throat. "Be that as it may, the challenge has been made." She pulled her hand from her pocket and released a Snitch "Your test begins now."
Harry grinned and leapt off the ground, his broom literally screaming. Neville never had a chance. Harry stayed on the Snitch like a bloodhound on a coon. Neville was just chasing Harry, badly, and everyone present knew it. Oliver shook his hea.d "I've seen enough, Professor. Potter's my Seeker.
Now if you don't mind, we'll start practice."
Hermione cleared her throat and Oliver turned. "What about us? If Neville gets to try out I want to try for Chaser."
Angelina looked at Hermione, scandalized. "Hermione!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "We'll have to have a team once you graduate, Angelina. you should be able to teach us by then."
"Us?"
Lavender and Parvati raced up with three brooms from the shed. Oliver's eyes glowed. "Reserves, and for practice you can play against us!" He turned to the air over the pitch. "HARRY, STOP CLOWNING AROUND AND CATCH THE SNITCH ALREADY AND GET DOWN HERE."
Harry reached right in front of him and snatched the Snitch out of the air. He flew down and landed in a kind of front-flip dismount from his broom. Neville piled into the ground behind him.
Oliver looked around. "We'll need some reserve Beaters." Dean and Seamus shrugged and stepped up. Oliver grinned at them and continued, "And a Keeper." Ron stepped forward.
McGonagall? smirked and stepped back. Granger would have to have an extraordinary number of points awarded for short-circuiting another intra-House skirmish. She went and sat in the stands behind what the Professors had dubbed Harry's Harem and watched as Oliver arranged the teams. He had the older players teaching the younger except for the Seekers, for whom he simply turned loose the Xnitch and let them chase it. Granger, Patil, and Brown were rubbish, but game. Finnigin and Thomas were absolute hazards, more likely to hit themselves or the rickety school brooms than the Bludgers, and Weasley couldn't stop a beachball, much less a Quaffle. And of course, Longbottom was patently hopeless. But they were all out there and the crisis was solved for now. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Albus!
Later, back in the first year Gryffindor girls' dorms, Parvati groaned, "Morgana, Hermione, what were you thinking? Wood is a madman and those Quidditch players are all dyke freaks. I have bruises that have bruises."
Lavender nodded silently and then added, "You owe us big time, Hermione. I don't mind helping you catch him, but once you do you're going to have to share."
"If you're good bitches I'll have him use you." Hermione covered her mouth, not believing she'd said that.
Parvati and Lavender raised their heads and looked at Hermione, who was now blushing furiously. Parvati smiled. "Yes, Mistress."
Lavender huffed. "I don't think so." Parvati jumped on her. "Come on, it will be fun!" "Off, perv!" The pillow fight was short, but exhausting.
Later in the week on Thursday the third of October, Harry was dragged to the pitch to watch as the Slytherins held open tryouts like the Gryffindors had. Daphne was chortling the whole time and later told the others about it. "Malformed whinged to his father after you got your position. Flint laughed at him and told him to come on if he was man enough, but after you Gryffs made up your little reserve team to placate Longbottom, Malformed went to his father again. Flint, the Slytherin Captain, is not amused; Malformed is going to get crushed."
Harry frowned. "You know, Hermione's idea actually worked. Gryffindor now has a practice squad that tries to play like whoever we're going to play. Turns out Weasley is good at watching and picking up plays from the other teams. It's working out well."
Tracey snorted. "So he's a good little spy. Weasley, weasel, hmmm, not much of a stretch. It would never work in Slytherin, Harry. All those giant egos; they wouldn't help each other, they'd attack each other. It could work on any of the other teams and they might start it. I've heard some noises like that."
Susan nodded. "I know the Hufflepuff team is talking about it."
Daphne turned around. "Shhh, they're starting."
Harry and the others watched as Draco was sent after the Snitch against the Slytherin Seeker, who started by bumping and soon just kicked Draco off his broom. Harry had to give Malfoy credit. He got back on his broom and tried again. This time he got run down at speed. Harry watched as the Slytherin Seeker played what had to be his desperation game and took all the intelligence he could.
Hermione watched Harry watching and smiled when he put an arm around her and leaned over and kissed her. Her posse mock-glared at her and then sighed. They all knew Harry was leaning her way. Leaning, hell--he'd fallen out the window and was singing on the way down. They would have to let this play out.
Sunday the sixth of October Harry sat in front of his parents' portraits in the sitting room of Potter castle. "He's a complete ass, Harry, always was!"
"James! Severus went wrong when I didn't love him back, Harry. I just couldn't. His prejudices came to the surface way too easily. At least your father held his prejudices right on the surface. He never tried to fool anyone."
"That and he was an ass." "James, I'm warning you!"
James clapped his mouth shut but obviously had more to say along the same lines. Harry sighed. "Is it possible he can read minds? He always seems to know when Longbottom is most vulnerable and how to make him lose it. It can't just be luck."
Lily nodded. "Dumbledore was an accomplished Legilimens. He could have taught Severus."
James snorted. "As Dumbledore's spy he would have had to have master's level Occlumency. He would have had to learn it quickly, too. We graduated and, well...died...three years later."
Harry nodded. "I'll start on Occlumency and get the girls started."
Lily smiled predatorily. "When are you bringing Hermione here, Harry?"
Harry grimaced and James tried to help him. "What? He has lots of girls, Lils. You've met most of them."
"Shut up, James. Harry, Hermione?"
Harry groaned. "Christmas, Mother, okay?"
"No later, Harry."
"Yes, Mother."
Harry took his leave and wandered back into the trunk mansion's sitting room. Ella was waiting for him there. "So, Harry--Hermione?"
Harry grimaced and folded onto the sofa with her. "What is it with you all? I don't know. I know I'm very, very attracted to her. But I'm eleven! How do I know if this is it? Wouldn't it be better to keep her as a friend and not try to move anything along too far?"
Ella laughed. "Give her your best, Harry. Lay it all out for her, and then if it doesn't work take your lumps like the man we know you are."
Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. I think I'll let her take the lead here." Ella laid her head in his lap. "Be careful, Harry, brainy birds can be wild." Harry rolled his eyes leant down and kissed her. "Yeah, I know." Ella giggled.
Boil
Harry was overjoyed that school had settled into a rhythm--not just any rhythm, but one he could handle quite easily. Classes were fun, studying with the girls was more fun, Quidditch practice was a blast, flying was the living end.
The two groups, older and younger witches, had settled into intelligence gathering and sharing and they were developing a picture of the wizards. Harry took no action unless one of the wizards touched someone. He was satisfied to wait, for now.
The group had added Occlumency to their studies. Surprisingly, they breezed through it--well, the ones who had been with Harry a while. Meditation was something they had been practicing for three years and the texts' suggested methods profited from this.
The core group helped the others, and they all felt like they were progressing well. Of course there was no way to tell without a Legilimens to test them, and Harry trusted no one; so they were studying that art at the same time. They all had diversionary thoughts that they ran.
Eliza laughed and laughed over Harry's vividly imagined images of a naked Hermione. Harry blushed furiously and shrugged. "I don't have to try too hard to maintain that one."
The other girls looked at the pair, but Eliza wouldn't give Harry up. He was very grateful.
Other places in the school, things weren't going so well. Longbottom and Weasley couldn't seem to make it to classes on time and were somehow driven to fight with the Slytherins.
Potions classes were still a nightmare, but the complaint campaign was still gathering momentum. So Harry was in wait-and-see mode.
Around the country, Harry Potter was still the topic of much conversation in many wizarding households and the home of one Muggleborn witch.
In the staff room the internecine warfare continued to heat up as October 1991 passed not-so- gently into the good night of history.