Last Time
'No, stupid, just 'cuz your at school doesn't mean I'm going to stop teaching you, the sword practice in the real world has to stop, for now, but I'm going to start teaching you Kidou incantations, your control is good enough.'
Harry fell asleep that night with proud grin on his face.
Now
"Here ya go, third year course schedules." George said, handing out said papers to Harry Hermione and Ron as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.
Hermione took her schedule and began examining it with gusto. "Ooh, we get to start some new subjects today!" You could almost see the glow on her face.
Harry smirked. "Just a wee bit overly happy, aren't we, 'Mione?"
Hermione huffed, blowing some hair out of her eyes, an action Harry couldn't help but find quite cute. "Oh, shush, Harry."
"Hey, 'Mione, they messed up your schedule." Ron said, looking at Hermione's time table over her shoulder.
Hermione scowled. "Don't call me that, and no they didn't."
Ron scowled right back. "Yes they did, 'Mione." He ignored her order to not call her by Harry's pet name for her. "Look , they've got you down for three classes this period." Indeed, the schedule read Arithmancy Divination and Muggle Studies all at nine o'clock.
"Ron, she told you quite clearly not to call her 'Mione."
'Hehe, a bit offended he's using your pet name for her?' Refero spoke, though only Harry heard him of course.
Ron's scowl only deepened. "What makes you so special, then?"
"No idea." Harry shrugged. "But for what ever reasons, she doesn't want you calling her that."
"Fine." Ron growled. Standing he grabbed his book bag and stormed off.
"What's his problem?" Harry asked, Hermione shook her head in equal cluelessness.
'You seriously can't figure it out on your own...?' The Hollow's voice was incredulous.
Shaking his head at the Hollow spirit, Harry stood and picked up his and Hermione's book bags, holding out a hand to help said girl up. "I won't pretend to have a clue on how you're going to work that schedule, but I trust you to manage." Harry smiled. "So, shall we head to Arithmancy?"
"When did you become such a gentleman...?" Hermione teased with a giggle, returning the smile and taking the offered hand. "What made you decide to take Arithmancy? I was sure you were going to take Divination with Ron because it would be 'easier'?"
Harry chuckled as they walked out the Hall, neither noticing they were still holding hands though the rest of the Great Hall did, the gossip mill already spinning the already common idea of them being a couple.
Flashback
"Hmm... what to take..." Harry pondered, looking down at the course selection sheet on his lap, a quill hovering over it, as he sat against a tree with Hermione Ginny and Ron sitting around him.
Ginny shrugged. "Don't ask me, I don't want to think about having more classes yet."
Hermione was to engrossed in her book to notice the world around her at the moment, but Ron answered. "Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, of course!"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
"Their easy!"
Harry sighed, he wanted a future after Hogwarts. 'Hey, Refero, got any advice?'
'Hn? Ya mean on what courses to take?' Harry felt the mental shrug. 'Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. I don't like worrying about the future, it comes fast enough on it's own, so I wouldn't take Divination. Arithmancy would help your Kidou and Wizard spell work and perhaps create your own tricks.'
Harry nodded, scribbling down his choices, taking notice of the slightly sad look on Hermione's face. 'She must think I'm picking Ron's choices 'cause their supposedly 'easy', well, she's in for a surprise next year then!'
End Flashback
"Advice from another friend other then Ron." Harry answered.
Hermione tilted her head to one side. "Who?"
"I call him Refero, I'll introduce you two later." Hermione tilted her head curiously but didn't push it.
'You seriously plan on revealing me to her? You really do like this chick.'
Harry merely gave a small nod.
"Hello." The young, mid twenties, woman sitting behind the professor's desk. "You must be Harry and Hermione, please take a seat, there plenty." Indeed, there were only were only nine people in the twenty provided desks, mostly Ravenclaws but there were a couple Hufflepuffs and a lone Slytherin.
"Are you two together?" The lone Slytherin asked, eying the still connected hands. "'Cause if you are, I just one the betting pool on when you two got together." She smirked, pulling out a piece of paper. "759 galleons, very nice."
The two blushed, braking their hands apart. "A betting pool...?" Inside Harry's mind Refero was laughing his ass off rolling around on the ground holding his sides. "Let me guess... the Twins?"
The whole class nodded, even professor Vecter, there was no questioning which 'twins' someone was talking about when they used that tone and capitalized the 't'. "Who else?" The black haired Slytherin asked, tilting her head to the side.
"..." The two sat down, clenching and un-clenching their hands as they did so.
"Well!" Vector cried, clapping her hands together to get the classes attention. "This Arithmancy and this is a slightly illegal action, but we can't have you two knowing we're betting on your relation ship after all... Obliviate!" She shouted, standing with her wand pointed at the two Gryffindors.
The two Gryffindors blinked dazedly and sat down like nothing happened.
Refer had finally gotten of the ground, still snickering, an sat down in his chair, the head master's chair. "Heh, I don't think I'll be sharing this info with Harry, it was way too funny to let him spoil it!" Refero snickered evilly, keeping his thoughts from Harry of course. "I guess I'm good luck, aren't I? Both my hosts have had betting pools on their relationships!" He ignored the fact Harry's had most likely been going on since before he arrived. "Tch, maybe I brought the 'curse' from my dimension?"
The normally sarcastic and arrogant grin on his face became a happy smile, an odd sight indeed to any one use to his normal expressions. Flashes of the several amusing relationships that had developed in Ichigo's group of friends running through his mind. "Who knew Hitsugaya would turn into such a stud when he got older... not to mention Ichigo when he grew a back bone? Or that of all the people Ichigo knew, Kenpachi would wind up as a one woman man? And don't get me started on Hat 'n' Clogs and those two intense bitches of his..."
Refero sighed. "All those lucky bastards getting several girls, but..." He scratched his left shoulder under his Shihakusho, a flash of black stood out against the white skin but was covered by Refero's hand. The look on his face, a regretful look, would have shocked those who knew him even more then his smile had. "But I was not, in the end, allowed my own happiness..." In a flash, Refero disappeared from Harry's mindscape.
Harry and Hermione walked in to their first Transfiguration class of the new year, totally unaware that there was a betting pool on their relationship and the lengths people would go to have it remain unknown to them.
"Nice, Harry, but next time you ditch, tell me." Ron whispered as Harry sat next to him, Hermione on Harry's other side.
Harry blinked, looking at Ron curiously. "Uh?"
"Divination, you ditched and didn't even tell me."
Harry shook his head. "Ron, the reason I 'ditched' Divination is because I'm not taking it."
Ron blinked. "Oh..."
McGonagall silenced the class and started the lesson.
"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast... The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle..." Harry muttered to himself, looking down happily as sparks danced around his extended right index, his other fingers curled into a fist.
"What was that, Harry?" Hermione asked curiously looking at the finger Harry was gazing at with such an intense look.
"Heh?!" Harry's concentration broke and the gathering reitsu dispersed. "Damn it, I almost had it too..." Harry mumbled angerly, before looking up and calming at the sight of Hermione's chocolate brown eyes. "Just a trick I found out about, I'll show you when I can do it right, 'K?"
Hermione giggled. "Harry Potter, doing extra studying? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"
Harry kept a straight face as he spoke. "Why, I'm the Dark Lord Hypocrite, and I have replaced your best friend in yet another attempt to kill him which will most likely fail anyway!" He even gave a little evil laugh, Refero was damn good at it, better then Voldemort could ever be, had learned from listening to him while he 'trained'. 'More like got tortured...'
'I heard that!'
Harry winched, he was in for a beating during practice tonight.
Hermione stifled a giggle. "Well, Mr Dark Lord Hypocrite, how do you know you fail?"
Harry smirked, in a manner that confided absolute certainty. "Experience, of course!" The two couldn't hold any longer and burst out laughing, Ginny who had been on Hermione's other side also giggling. Ron was on the other side of the table, saying nothing; he was upset with Harry for not telling him about Arithmancy and with Hermione about something that had happened in Divination.
"Shut it, Malfoy." Harry glared at Draco, he wanted Hagrid's first lesson to workout for him. "Besides, they're good to practice dodging." It was true, Refero had had him unleash the Monster Book of Monsters a few times at the Leaky Cauldron to practice evading small and fast land attacks. The little bit of killer intent, just enough to make Draco look around for the source of the chill only he felt, was enough to keep him quiet until Hagrid came back, leading a pack of Hippogriffs.
Harry was the only one not to take a step back as the dozen of dangerous looking creatures approached, in fact the breath caught in his throat as he looked at the animals, seeing straight past his first surprise at their looks and seeing their beauty. "Gorgeous." Harry whispered.
"If ya'd like ta come a bit closer." He gestured towards the fence around the paddock. Harry almost ran to take a seat on the fence, not caring to see who followed.
He began to fire rapid questions to Hagrid about the animals, mostly pertaining to their flying abilities. Hagrid chuckled and answered as accurately as he could. Eventually the rest of the class, lead by Hermione by a good two minuets, followed suit and sat on the fence. "Right." Hagrid said, straightening up from talking to Harry. "The firs' thing yeh' gotta know 'bout Hippogriffs is they're proud." He spoke to the class. "Easily offended, they are, don't insult one; it may be the last thing yeh do." Of course, the Slytherin trio wasn't paying attention.
"Always let the Hippogriff make the first move. It's polite, see? Walk up to him, and bow, if he bows back you can touch him. If not, well, those talons hurt so best to back of quick like."
Harry jumped up before Hagrid could even ask for volunteers. He controlled his excitement and walked over to the chest nut colored Hippogriff.
'You just love flyers, don't ya? I won't be surprised if you zanpakutÅ avatar has wings or supplies the ability to fly.' Refero chuckled, Harry only nodding as he stopped a few feet away and made eye contact with the Hippogriff. "Yo." Harry greeted, tilting his head.
Hagrid and Hermione, along with those who remembered Hagrid's warning, took a sharp in take with how Harry was treating the situation.
"Yo." Harry said again, in the backwards arrogant voice of the Hollow inside his mind, the class going bug eyed at hearing the insane voice come from Harry.
'That's the same voice he...' Hermione blushed, remembering exactly when Harry had used that voice. 'Well... it's the same voice he used on the train.' Even in her own head she couldn't repeat what Harry had called her that time. 'But it sounds different... like it's someone else's voice that's echoing, that time on the train was definitely Harry's voice echoing... wait, echoing, echo... Refero means echo...' While she was putting this together in her mind, these subtle differences the others had missed in their shock at the voice, she nearly missed the Hippogriffs own bow.
"May I ride you, Buckbeack?" Harry asked, with another small tilting of his head. 'Why did you speak up?'
'That Hippogriff sensed me; he new someone else was in here. Hagrid said to show respect, so I dead, you're not quite ready to fight something this fast own your own, especially with the sword up in your trunk, and I can't go revealing myself to all these people.' Refero explained.
'Right. Though I'm going to get bugged about that, I'm sure.' Refero simply laughed at Harry's plight.
The majestic animal tilted his head, turning to allow Harry on his back. Grinning like a mad, though not quite Refero mad, man, Harry leaped on to the feathered back, leaning forward and gripping the animals neck hair to keep a hold on.
Harry sat down with a growl, his reitsu store, Refero had given him a 'small'(A/N Small for him, he's at Ichigo's level when Rukia first met him)amount to keep, was pouring from from him and giving the surrounding people, the entire Great Hall, a slight chill as the deathly energy flowed around the hall.
"That bumbling idiot." Harry muttered as he waited for the food to arrive. "I'd say he did it on purpose but there's no way he'd actually let himself get hurt to only get Hagrid fired..."
"There, Harry." Hermione comforted. "We can go visit him after dinner." Harry nodded, smiling at his female friend.
Half an hour later, Dumbledore stood and clapped his hands together loudly to bring attention to himself. "Excuse me for interrupting your dinner, but it seems my old age caught up to me last night as I forgot an announcement." There was quite laughter at the joke on his age. "Now, the announcement I had forgotten was this; this year we will be having a Halloween Costume Dance! There is one rule, however, to keep surprises just that, you will not be allowed to tell anyone what you will be going as. The exits..." He gestured to the side exits and main door of the Hall. "Have been charmed so anyone going through them will not be able to tell what they will go as. It is open to all years." With that he sat down to let the students whisper excitedly. "Oh, and there will be no dressing up as fellow students." Dumbledore added absently.
Harry sighed in gratitude to the old man as he saw the number of people scowl as they looked away from him, stopping trying to figure out how to look like him. 'I do NOT want to run in to people dressed like me...'
'Who are you going to take?'
Harry sighed, he had already figured out plenty of ways to not tell someone what they were dressed as and still go with them. 'You know damn well who I want to take.'
'Does that mean you'll actually get up the guts to ask her out?' Refero didn't need the answer Harry didn't give him, he just started laughing.
'Now.' He looked at Hermione from the corner of his eye. 'How do I ask Hermione out, not get rejected, and what will I go as?'
(A/N)Yo. Well, like I said, this story just seems to flow for me. I need ideas for Hermione out fit(maybe she could accidently dress up like some one from bleach?) And someone asked me if there was a limit to the girls in Harry's Harem, the answer is the absolute maximum is 6, and there no limit to how many time you vote, vote for a girl each chapter, it just shows you really support the choice. Suggestions for Ginny and Ron would also be appreiciated. The incatation Harry was muttering is the incatation for Byakurai, Light Lightning, I couldn't find the actual incant, so I'm using a shorter version of Raikoho, Thunder Roar Cannon, as they are both Lightning spells.
Yes, I gave Refero a little heart ache, sue me, and no you don't get to know who yet. And yes, I made some of the Bleach guys pimps(Hat 'n' Clogs already was, he didn't need my help(and if you can't guess who those 'two intense bitches of his' are, well, read more Bleach!))
Laters