~Chapter Nine: Arrangements~
Luna's words eased his conscience. Knowing that he could at least protect her from the Dark Lord for some time made it easier to accept the inevitable. He couldn't hide from the Dark Lord forever. None of them could, Slytherin had made certain of that when he first bound the Elements to him.
As he walked down the corridors of Hogwarts, Harry lost himself in thought. Of everything he knew about the Elementals nothing could truly prepare him for this situation. He knew what was bound to happen during the claiming. There was some sort of precise wording that the master had to speak which included his name and precisely which Elemental he was. Without that, the master couldn't claim anyone. It also helped if the person was willing. An unwilling Elemental had more pain to deal with the Claiming than a willing.
After that there wasn't really any ceremony that had to be attended to. He was bonded with the master and there would be no way out except the death of the master. Yet for that to occur, the person targeting the master would also have to kill all four Elementals at the same time. Not an easy task and not something likely to happen ever. The best part, even though he knew this information, he couldn't hand it to someone that could actually kill them.
Bonding with other Elementals wasn't difficult either. Harry was already bonded to Luna because they knew of each other and accepted each other. Draco had accepted him but Harry hadn't accepted Draco, so that bond was only one way. It was rather confusing to be honest.
After this bonding was recognized by everyone acknowledged, there were many things Harry wouldn't be permitted to do. Anything his master forbade would be top of that list and with a master like the Dark Lord, Harry didn't know what that would be. To top it off, he would have two supervisors to keep his master's orders in check. Both Lucius and Severus would be ordered to keep an eye on them. They wouldn't be allowed to get away with anything the master would be displeased about.
The only problem he now faced with this was Severus. Sure he had made the decision to give himself in after a few minor plans were underway however, if he agreed to the Claiming Severus would also be dragged further into servitude of the Dark Lord. That was his only concern. If Severus wasn't ready for this then he would need to wait. It wasn't too much to worry about. He would have more time to set everything up that way however his deadline would need to be moved further back and that was something he didn't want. No, his deadline was going to be met he just needed Severus' agreement first and foremost. Then everything would work out fine.
That was his current destination.
Corridors began to darker the further he headed underground and into Slytherin territory. As it was early in the weekend no one would question where he was. Well they might but they couldn't send a search party out for him when he was with a professor nor could they punish him for it. That also meant that he was safe from people walking around. Everyone was sleeping in on the Saturday morning.
Even so he didn't have a lot of time to sell his proposition to Severus and for this to work he needed Severus' help. Severus was the one that would either start or end it all though he probably would never realize it. He merely hoped that Severus trusted him enough for this to work because it was nearing the day in which marked the end of the Dark Lord's rule. If his plan went smoothly soon it would mark something else entirely. Harry could only hope his plan worked out accordingly.
Harry took a confident breath in as he knocked on Severus' door. Not many knew where his quarters were located. Many simply assumed it was connected to his office off from the Potions labs. They couldn't be more incorrect.
Severus' quarters were located far away from everything though he did have a door that connected his office to his quarters. No the door to his quarters was several passageways away and beneath the grumpiest old mooches in the castle. Supposedly, the man had been a potions master of the late 17th century and made a great discovery. What that was, he wouldn't tell Harry nor would he give Harry his name. Eventually Harry had just begun to call him old man and left it at that.
"What do you want boy?"
Harry ignored the urge to flinch and merely glared at the old man whilst waiting for Severus to answer his door. He couldn't believe that word still caused reaction within him. It was weak and he hoped no one ever discovered it in the fear of having it exploited.
The door swung open revealing a very angry potions master. Harry just smiled. At least he hadn't woken the man up. Severus was always the first to wake in the morning and the last to sleep at night. How he managed it seven nights a week during the school year, Harry couldn't possibly fathom.
Regardless, Harry pushed his way passed Severus and into the living room where he could tell Severus was attempting to relax. The man himself resumed his usual position on reading. A house-elf popped in and presented a few breakfast dishes before leaving once again. Harry helped himself to a slice of buttered toast before leaning back and watching Severus. This honestly annoyed Severus unlike anything else. He was a spy so someone watching him caused him unease. However it was necessary. Harry needed to figure out it Severus was in this all the way.
"What have you managed this time?" Severus finally enquired.
Usually the only time Harry turned up to his quarters was when he was either in trouble or for a lesson. So it was only natural to assume one of these had happened once again. Too bad for Severus that it wasn't. Harry knew that the dream he had of the Dark Lord meant they were close to figuring everything out. Except Harry wanted this Claiming to happen on his terms and with his rules in play gaining him the upper hand. However there was one thing that Harry needed to do before he could present himself for Claiming and he rather doubted Severus was going to be pleased with this sudden topic.
"Severus, make an Unbreakable Vow with me."
The book Severus was holding slipped and fell to the floor.
"What?" it was snarled out.
Unbreakable Vows were obviously a sore point for Severus. Harry had known that though in what specific light was uncertain. However this needed to be done for him to have an upper hand in facing the Dark Lord.
"Please, here me out." Harry begged.
The furious look had yet to disappear from Severus' face though it did look accepting. Taking this as a sign, he ploughed forward.
"The Claiming is going to be inevitable, on that we both agree. However in undergoing this Claiming I will lose the ability to think for myself. I will only be able to obey my master and his rules. The only way around that is another bond that supersedes this. I would need something strong enough to withstand the Elemental bond."
"This is the only idea you could create? Nothing else crossed your mind."
Harry shook his head.
"Of course other scenarios crossed my mind Severus. This is an Unbreakable Vow we are talking about. Anything would be preferential to that. However everything else has faults and ways around the wording. An Unbreakable Vow is the only solid bond that can't be broken by the Claiming."
Severus snarled. He didn't like this idea at all. However an Elemental couldn't die by normal means. Could that also include the breaking of an Unbreakable Vow? Severus wouldn't even know where to begin with that logic. However if Harry survived then he would be in a tremendous amount of pain. No one broke an Unbreakable Vow and simply walked away to tell the tale without any consequences.
Then he had to add in the fact he was mixing his experiences with Harry's. Severus had already gone down this road with another. It hadn't been pleasant but he would have done anything at the time. Even now it was still in effect causing him to place Harry's life above his own. But Harry wasn't him and wouldn't fall prey to the same mistakes with him around as a reminder and to keep him in check.
He knew the most likely wording that Harry would choose for his three bonding questions. It would be foolish of him not to realize it sooner. However he didn't know if it would even work and if it did would it hold through the Claiming? Yet he had to have hope that Harry knew what he was doing. It was after all Harry that would suffer the most because of the Claiming, Severus had spent many years in service to the Dark Lord, Harry had always played on the other side.
"Who would be the bonder?" he asked reluctantly.
Harry didn't smile again knowing what asking this was doing to Severus.
"I have a friend that would be willing to do that who won't give us away to anyone."
Severus nodded. He couldn't see aid arriving in any other way.
"Very well, I agree."
It didn't take long for Luna to arrive. As usual she simply knew she was needed and walked in without actually knocking on the door to Severus' quarters. It was definitely a surprised Severus that first greeted Luna though she didn't notice. No the gleam in her eyes as she watched Harry made everything worthwhile. She knew what he was attempting and she approved. That was good enough for him.
"Are we going to get started then?" Luna asked, her dreamy voice snapping Severus out of his shock.
Casting a look at Harry, he realized that the two students actually knew each other well. He'd never seen them together. No one had ever even witnessed them speaking or walking past one another. Yet here they were before him waiting on him to get over his shock. It was rather bizarre and he wanted to ask how they knew one another but had a feeling he would be denied such knowledge.
Severus calmed as he took hold of Harry's hand. Luna held her wand loosely as her focus switched lightly between the two before her. He knew what to say. Harry had given him the three promises he was to make so Severus started.
"Do you promise to never harm an innocent?" Severus started.
"I promise."
A ribbon of magic leapt out of Luna's wand and wrapped around their hands. Harry felt it sizzle into his skin, binding hid magic, body and mind to its will.
"Do you promise to never betray those that ask for neutrality?"
"I promise."
"Do you promise to never betray your beliefs?"
"I promise."
It worked like clockwork. Each new ribbon created a magical bind within him. Each bound him to his beliefs and nothing could be done about it. Luna disappeared shortly after it was complete the knowing smile still on her face.
"You realize that this is going to anger the Dark Lord when he finds out." Severus pointed out logically.
Oh, Harry knew that was what would happen but it would be too late by then. He would either have to lock Harry away to reframe him from doing any harm to his cause however he rather doubted that when he was more useful out in the field. It was a gamble but one he was going to take. He didn't have anything else to lose.
"It'll be alright Severus. I know what I'm doing. I know the likelihood of this working and I'm willing to accept the chances. It's all I have left going for me right now."
Severus nodded. Though he didn't like it, he could do little about it. Harry wasn't going to needlessly risk his life with this; he couldn't when he was to be owned by the Dark Lord.
"May I ask a question about your promises?"
Harry nodded easily accepting a cup of tea from the house-elves. He kept the smile off his face knowing which one Severus was going to ask about.
"What was that part about not betraying neutrals? What are you planning, Harry?"
"You'll have to wait and see. Trust me Severus this is only the beginning."
x-x-x-x-x
Now that the first part of his plan had been successful Harry felt relived. Every step was giving him more confidence and less to worry over. Already a huge burden was beginning to lift from his shoulders and everything he had done or planned had been by himself. This was his success. He couldn't share it with Ron or Hermione or give them the credit. No, everything he did was his. It was such a relief to know that he didn't need to rely on them for everything. He could accomplish this without them hanging around.
Harry poured over the sheets before him. He had everything planned to the last detail. Of course certain things needed touching up but all other details looked solid. There was nothing that could currently go wrong. He had differing plans if someone chose to deviate from his plan a little. Everything had been accounted for when he had decided this was the way he would stay true to his beliefs yet support the Dark Lord in whatever he chose.
He worried however that everything to do with his next part would go pear-shaped. Within the next few years, Harry had predicted that the war between Light and Dark would completely spill onto the streets. Anyone who claimed neutrality would be a target for many reasons. They wouldn't be able to remain within the country and not be pestered by either side. So he had found somewhere he could at least protect them all should they choose to sign the parchment dictating the rules. He would need to refine the rules before the end of the year but it would be well worth it to protect his friends.
Certain adjustments had already been made regarding this but it would need major fine tuning before it was perfect. Then it would also need to have spells placed on the parchment to ensure the rules or the signup sheet couldn't be damaged. It had to be fool proof otherwise someone might slip in undetected and he couldn't have that when promising complete safety for these people.
It wasn't until lunch that he left the safety of the library. He'd chosen to spend the entire morning finalizing his plans for this Neutral Zone. Now all he needed was someone he trusted that could aid him with people interested in something like this. They wouldn't need to sign the sheet immediately. All he wanted was to inform the students and through them their families that there would be another way out in this war. Harry didn't want them choosing a side because they had to. He wanted them to choose a side because they wanted to. That was his aim.
Entering the Great Hall, Harry browsed over everyone there. For this to work he would need at least one trustworthy person in each house. Since he was starting the project and leading everything it couldn't be him. No he would need someone else from Gryffindor to guide and otherwise gain interested people. He was far too deep within everything to allow something like that cloud his judgement.
Gryffindor wasn't that difficult to digest. He had lived within its walls for quite some time and in all that time the only person people turned other than him was Neville Longbottom. Everyone in Gryffindor knew that Neville wouldn't lead them wrong. He was there and a friend to Harry Potter. Truly, for them, he could do no wrong. He was the perfect candidate for the job.
Slytherin was pretty easy as well. Blaise Zabini was always there. He remained in the background but it was obvious to everyone that he helped those neutral Slytherins in time of strife. That one was a no-brainer. The only problem would be moving to speak with him without drawing attention from the Dark Lord's Slytherins, especially Draco.
Ravenclaw was another matter entirely. He couldn't use Luna. No she would soon join his fate and no one would be willing to listen to her. Someone else must be chosen. Who, he didn't know since he didn't know any of them that well. He would need to speak with Luna about her suggestions for that position.
Hufflepuff was clueless. For all their loyalty and bravery he hadn't ever met another Hufflepuff that was quite right. Cedric had certainly been the standout for their group but other than that they all appeared to live in the background… not very useful for his plans but he needed to have one.
So with only half of his people chosen, Harry sat down and began to eat. So it would take a little longer for him to bring everything together but that was alright. It would just mean he had more time to fine-tune everything which wasn't a really big deal. If he remained calm and focused everything would be alright.
Harry easily decided that the Gryffindors would be the easiest to begin with. They would trust both Neville and him to do what was right for them. Of that Harry had no concern. He could easily sell this to them himself but he needed Neville to be there when he couldn't. With his charming smile and approachable nature, Neville, as he first assumed was going to be perfect for the job.
"Neville, will you help me with something?"
Neville turned towards Harry, shock written across his face.
"Sure Harry, anything you need."
Casting a privacy charm around them, Harry turned to him. This would be the make or break if his plan. No one could know just yet what he was planning but it needed to be started with the basics first. For that he would need a list.
"I want you to gather a list of everyone that wants to become neutral in the upcoming war."
Neville opened his mouth to question his friend further but thought better of it. Harry always had a reason for asking something. Certainly nothing he had enquired about before had been so major to everyone involved but there was always a reason. The fact that he had mentioned the 'upcoming war' meant he had information that made it certain there would be a war. What Harry knew, Neville couldn't comprehend, but he trusted his friend with his life.
"Do you want me to just make a list for people in Gryffindor?"
It was all he really needed to know for now. Harry would keep him informed.
"Yes, I'll have people from the other houses to keep everything balances and fair. All you have to do is take care of the Gryffindors."
Harry was rather thankful Neville didn't ask too many questions. It saved him time when he really needed it. The time he saved here was time he could be using to convince the other house heads he was going to choose. He certainly would need it.
"I'll do it, shouldn't be too difficult. When do you need this list?"
"Before Yule would probably be best. But anywhere during the holidays would be acceptable as well."
Neville consented to this. If Harry was thinking ahead then he had a plan and therefore a deadline to meet. If he kept in time with everything then Harry wouldn't be placed behind. He would help Harry through this as best as he knew how.
"Alright then, now all I need is to speak with the other three." Harry sighed, removing the privacy charm.
It had caused a lot of attention but he didn't care. No one would ever guess what they had spoken about. There was no reason to even assume close to what they had spoken about. All gossipers could do was spread rumours that everyone was going to know weren't correct.
Neville laughed at Harry's luck. The poor guy could never really get a break even when he was attempting to be inconspicuous. That was just the life of the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry smiled before moving off. He had other people to now target and rope into this plan.
x-x-x-x-x
Blaise was rather difficult to locate. As a Slytherin, Harry hadn't really expected him to be simple to locate. In fact he'd rather expected to be searching for the remainder of the day. It was fortunate then that the system within the Snake's den allowed Blaise to know that he was being searched for. Within the hour, Harry was standing in a small isolated room with Blaise opposite.
"What is that the Wonder-Boy wants with a snake?" he asked.
Well that reception was better than he expected. Harry nearly sighed in relief. His first thought had been a battle between the pair of them before any words were spoken. Thankfully that wasn't necessary.
"I have a proposition for you."
"And that would be hero?" Blaise asked, relaxing against a wall.
Harry didn't expect it to be very comfortable but he wasn't about to point that out to the Slytherin. He was perfectly fine with how this was heading.
"I want you to gather a list of everyone that wants to become neutral in the upcoming war."
He figured being straight out about this would be the best way to start. Any questions Blaise would have could be answered now. It was the general sentences he was planning to give everyone.
Blaise'e eyes narrowed on him.
"Why would I do that Golden Boy? As far as I know you'll sell them all out to Dumbledore."
Harry scoffed.
"If you hadn't noticed, the Headmaster and I aren't on speaking terms and neither am I or my ex-friends. This isn't about Light and Dark here. It's about finding a way out for those that don't want to be either. War is coming and it's coming fast trust me on that. I can't play for the neutrals like I want to. I'm prevented from that by issues that are beyond my control. All I can do is set everything up that I plan and protect them. Most of my friends are currently neutral and I won't let them be torn apart because of this. I want them to have a way out." Harry explained barely taking a breath.
What could he say, he was nervous. Of course he was going to rush through the explanation.
Blaise hummed thoughtfully. "What prevents you from being neutral?"
It was a simple question but with a complicated answer. Harry couldn't relay information to anyone outside of the group before it was permitted, if it was ever permitted. So he had to rely on the fact that Blaise was a Slytherin.
"Let's just say that I'm in the same boat as Draco Malfoy and two others."
Understanding dawned upon Blaise and Harry nearly celebrated. Blaise was smart enough to understand what he was speaking of since all Slytherin's were told tales as children. This 'tale' was especially fond by purebloods.
"What is stopping you from selling neutrals out to the Dark Lord then?"
"I took an oath, an Unbreakable Vow that I would never harm a neutral."
That left Blaise without a voice. He couldn't believe that this teen, the same age as him, had taken an Unbreakable Vow just to protect a group of people he was likely never to meet. It was rather startling to realize that Potter was preparing for something that was likely years in the making as well. No one had this kind of incentive.
"You should have been a Slytherin." Blaise commented.
"I very nearly was one but you have Malfoy to thank for that. Now are you in?" Harry asked all the while mentally crossing his fingers in hope.
"I'll have the list as soon as you need it."
Harry smirked.
x-x-x-x-x
The next two were rather difficult. After consulting with Luna he had decided that Mandy Brocklehurst from Ravenclaw and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff. Both were in his year level and at least knew something about him that didn't stem from the lies in the Daily Prophet.
Mandy was harder to pin down into his plan than he had believed. She had needed facts on everything that he could give her. What was it that they were signing up for? Why was he interested in these people? Did they have to be from a single year level? It was rather annoying to be honest since it wasn't Luna. Susan was at least happy to help her fellow Hufflepuffs as long as she knew what to tell them when asked.
However in the end they were add to his list of people in command and that was all that mattered. Everything about his protection plan for the neutrals was falling nicely into place. He had people everyone asking for protection could turn to. An area was beginning to be set up for them to live and he would even have a list of family names interested by Yule. Everything was shaping up nicely.
Now he could move onto the next part of his plan and it would all go off without a hitch.
x-x-x-x-x
Monday morning Defence Against the Dark Arts, it was the one time both Malfoy's could possibly corner him into something. It was the one possible location that would provide them with the opportunity to rile him. That wouldn't be happening here. That wouldn't be happening to him. Not today, not ever. No, he had a plan and he was going to stick to it.
Neville cast him an anxious look as they waited outside. He could tell that Neville knew he was planning something yet again. He was rather equipped to sense these things though it didn't usually hep him in a great way. Harry still managed to make his plan work every single time and to such a degree that people often spoke of it for days. His latest plan, though not many knew about, would instil great reverence in the people. After all hardly anyone rallied for the Neutrals it wasn't the just thing to do.
Harry was confident that his plan would work. It wasn't very difficult to comprehend what he was planning. In fact many would actually be surprised with what he was about to do.
Professor Malfoy opened the door and allowed them to walk through the doors quietly. Many had learnt to respect (fear) their professor when punishment was concerned. Of course he only handed out punishments to those that deserved them and nothing more but they were horrendous. Last week he'd made a group of pranksters from oddly enough Hufflepuff complete the task of cleaning the entire Great Hall without magic. Everyone learnt from that. Well everyone except for Harry that was…
Every class he had with Lucius, he played their game. He spent the entire lesson attempting to rile them. However Lucius had never punished him because he was simply asking questions of the man about the subject. It was quite humorous to watch especially when Harry managed to drag Lucius into a class-wide debate.
Today however was going to be different and they both knew it.
"Today's topic we shall be covering is Werewolves."
As the topic was uttered many within the class shifted uncomfortably. Many that knew the 'relationship' between Harry and Remus cast him concerned looks. They believed that today would become yet another epic debate. Harry however was relaxed. He was going to be the perfect student. Neville realized this and turned a chuckle into a coughing fit. Boy would everyone be surprised within the next few minutes.
"Now," Lucius drawled, "Can anyone tell me about the facts of a Werewolf?"
Everyone cast glances towards Harry immediately assuming that he would raise his hand and rush into defending the Werewolves. When they realized Harry wasn't going to move, Hermione raised her hand eager to have everyone staring at her once again for answering correctly and winning them points.
"Yes Miss Granger…"
"Werewolves are known for their transformation into wolf-like creatures on the full moon. During this time they don't have control over their minds and wouldn't even know if they attacked and killed one of their own family members. The transformation is excruciating and often over time sends the human crazy."
Her answer however much to her frustration didn't garner any praise from either the professor or her peers so she remained sullenly in the background for the remainder of the class alongside Ron.
All eyes remained on Harry. However he wouldn't budge on this. He was going to keep calm even if this was the perfect topic to get him riled. It was merely a cheap attempt to raise his anger so he would slip and reveal himself. Pity that wouldn't work any longer, he had better control now that his Occlumency was progressing well. Severus often commented that he was learning at a much swifter rate than normal. He merely pointed out that he wasn't a very normal teenager.
It helped that Remus hadn't really been in his life that much. Sure he cared for the guy but he wouldn't go to any lengths to save him from something like this. It would be foolish to do such a thing and he was that person no longer. He was even hard pressed to find reasons to think of Sirius. Sure they mailed each other but that was it. Sirius and Remus weren't a major part of his life not like Severus was. They just couldn't compare. They couldn't compete with what Severus was to him.
"Mr Potter, do you not have anything to say on this matter?"
One could practically hear every person inhale sharply.
"No, Granger did a fair job of explaining."
"Except…"
"Nope that's it."
Lucius stared at him suspiciously before turning back towards the lesson. No one could really concentrate after that. They were all waiting for Harry to flip out and begin another debate yet it never came. The entire lesson Harry sat silently, attentively, never giving away his anger. So by the end of the lesson everyone within the class was tense until the bell finally wrang.
"You're all dismissed." Lucius finally said.
Harry smirked. This was it. He motioned for the other Gryffindors to go ahead. Quite a few people cast him odd looks as he stepped towards the front of the classroom with Draco following a frown on his face. This move was throwing everyone off. Even Granger and Weasley couldn't predict what he was doing, though he knew it would be known to Dumbledore that he had spoken to the Malfoy's by this afternoon.
Lucius waited until everyone had left before he turned his full attention towards Harry, a flick of his wand locking and silencing the door for privacy.
"Mr Potter, what can I do for you?"
The smirk never left Harry's face. He dropped his bag on the floor without a care. Draco came up beside him staring at him with wide eyes. No one was going to be able to predict this move.
"I believe that Dark Lord desires to speak with me."
Without another word, he rolled up his sleeve revealing the mark of the Earth Elemental on his wrist. Let the games begin…
x-x-x-x-x
Lucius knelt before his Lord, Draco by his side. This was excitable news indeed and he was thrilled to finally be speaking it. They had been waiting for the end of the day to sneak away specifically for this reason alone.
"My Lord, it's about Potter…"
Voldemort snarled, unhappy at their progress especially knowing that it could be Potter. They should have been able to bring him te boy by now. He was getting impatient with them.
"What, speak up Lucius, Draco."
"He has agreed to the claiming."
So this is a major change from the original version. I believe it will work out much better than I had previously anticipated. Hope everyone enjoys it and thank you all for the reviews!
~MidnightEmber
