Disclaimer: I don't own any of the properties herein nor have any knowledge of proper grammar.
Title: "Padfoot, Docteur D'amour" Ch.10 "Halcyon"
Synopsis: Sirius just wanted Harry to be happy but was no longer in a position to ensure it. Hannah and the others want him happy too, but so many others are working against it.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Harry Potter, still being just a boy, but already in possession of part of his fortune, and having his wedding already arranged, was in need of a girlfriend. Hannah Abbot had volunteered for the post and had filled it most admirably.
The two days after Harry had killed Draco were the best they could be for the boy-who lived. This was not an accident, or some gift of fate, but the determined actions of a group of people. Hannah being chief among them.
Andromeda had been called to deliver the news of her son's death to Narcissa and head off any attempts at revenge by her sister. Not that she tried though, this was simply too much for the youngest black daughter to deal with.
People had been very surprised by the amount of grief she showed at Lucius' death. She seemed to miss her husband more than the money or their lifestyle and had been planning along with Sirius to send Draco away in order to keep the boy away from his father and godfather's foolishness.
That he had died while executing some crazed plan of his godfather's would cement the hatred Narcissa felt towards Severus for the rest of her life.
Sirius had, for his part, had his fight with Remus over why Harry had even been in that situation at all outside, where the kids couldn't hear it. Like their last meeting, it began with a punch from Sirius.
"Where were you Remus? They were paying you to watch him!"
"They switched me a week before to watch the Ravenclaw girl instead."
"What?"
"They thought that any attack against Harry would start with an attempt against her, so I was told to keep her safe and ergo Harry would be safe too."
"Damn, I can't argue with that, who knew that git'd get his paws on polyjuice?"
"Apparently Severus had a secret annex where he sold dark potions and ingredients and kept his more questionable stuff."
"They find it?"
"Yes, the girl told Dumbledore what she knew and he had the elves looking based on that."
"I can't believe Dumbles just let Snivellus do whatever in some secret lab. Didn't he have his pet Deatheater on a leash?"
"Draco still needed to get other ingredients so they're still trying to find out where the rest came from."
"Not that that matters. I hate the idea of Harry having to wait until the next kid in that castle gets unstrung and has a go at him."
"You can't protect him all the time, Harry's not a hot house flower, he needs to be outside."
"That's not what Dumbledore was trying to do, kept him locked up at the relatives of his like a mushroom…anyway what about now?"
"We're focusing on the quidditch match on the twelfth, and the Valentines stuff in Hogsmeade the next day."
"I don't want Albus to have any reason to try and keep him in the castle, if Harry and his girl aren't having a romantic time that Sunday, I'll be quite cross."
"'Quite cross'?"
"What?"
"Since when does the infamous Sirius Black talk like that?"
"Since what I say could cock things up for Amy and Harry."
"'Amy'?"
"Going deaf Remus?"
"I think I might be, or nutters at least, you almost sound respectable."
"I haven't sold out like you, I'm still a scoundrel."
"Could've fooled me."
"Get to work, Moony."
"Yes, sir." Remus walked away happy he had been called Moony by Sirius for the first time since they were reunited.
Amelia had managed to head off an attempt in the Wizengamot to bring Harry to trial for Draco's death. Between her, Sirius' and Dumbledore's voting blocks, her report stating Harry had survived only to see Draco fall into his own trap that he had set for the Gryffindor Golden boy was accepted as fact.
Everyone had agreed not only did Harry not deserve the notoriety for killing Draco, but the concept and strength of blood wards was something that didn't need to be public knowledge.
Hannah and Harry had each woke the other up several times during the first night with nightmares. His centered on Draco's captive being the real Luna and hers on if Draco had managed the true plot and forced Harry to kill an innocent girl to save his life.
As a side note, Hannah had discovered why Susan had always worn a quidditch jersey when in bed with Harry. No matter how cold it was outside, once under all the bedclothes and in full pajamas, two people just generated too much heat for her taste.
Downstairs her mother, Mary and Mrs. Weasley were sitting and wondering just how long to give the two children. Unlike the Bones', the Abbots were both muggle born and so were less likely to play the pureblood games or even give them much credence. Mary hadn't said anything about the other girls sharing a bed with Harry over Christmas because Hannah wasn't involved then.
Now though, Hannah was apparently Harry's girlfriend and Mary was awakened at eleven at night to a somber floo call from Amelia about Harry's latest tragedy and how her daughter was now at Amelia's house to help comfort the boy-who-lived. It was only her lifetime of respect for Amelia that kept her from dragging her daughter away.
Mary loved her best friend Ellie and her family very much, but never understood why they engaged in all the pureblood lunacy like Tony's plan to marry Susan off to a boy who would take their family name.
So now she found her family tied to one of the people who best represented the worst in pureblood society. Harry was either beatified or vilified depending of which side you talked to, all without any consideration for who the boy really was. And he was in bed with her thirteen year old daughter.
Before she could build up enough of a head of steam to go up there and pull them apart, the two kids descended the stairs, Harry being pulled into Molly's grasp and Mary taking Hannah. Molly began tutting over Harry's scrawniness and dragged to kids into the kitchen to stuff Harry silly.
Meanwhile back at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall surveyed the lunch crowd unhappily. Miss Parkinson had been required to take classes despite her trauma in order to maintain the cover story the Headmaster had devised. Minerva couldn't decide if this was fair as she was a party to the tragedy or unfair as she had been victimized herself.
Harry's usual companions all sat at the Gryffindor table under the watch of Miss Spinnett. Misses Granger, Lovegood, Spinnett and Bones had been told the truth as they would've heard it eventually from Mr. Potter anyway. The other girls had all been told the cover story which the first girls were sworn to uphold.
Minerva cast a baleful glance at the Slytherins. One of their own was gone and though it now seemed he hadn't been at all popular among his housemates, it was still to be seen how his death would affect the rest, who were already dealing with so much. Minerva wished Horace would take a firmer hand with them, but she knew that was not his way.
She knew it would fall to her and the other head of houses to deal with primarily. Albus had been called to the carpet in the Wizengamot to explain Severus' activities and how he could have amassed his little trove of dark plans and potions while under Dumbledore's supervision.
After their lunch, Harry and Hannah sat in the conservatory on a couch reading school books. Harry had his head in Hannah's lap and his book floating in the air above him. She was leaning against the arm of the sofa and had her book floating just above his. She would just fiddle with is hair every so often and jerk it if she heard him snore.
After an hour, Harry grabbed his book out of the air and removed his glasses pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You Okay?" She asked.
"Tired."
"We slept in and you just had what amounted to an hour long nap."
"Not physically tired, I think it'd hurt to try and go to bed now. But I'm tired mentally."
"Sick of all this stuff happening to you?"
"Yeah, I mean it hasn't been all bad, I guess you could put you , Hermione, Luna, and Susan in "this stuff" but still , yeah, it'd be nice not to be targeted for once."
"Well thank you, I'm glad I'm not all bad."
"You have your moments."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, you remember last Thursday you had that snack for me after I got beat up by Alicia's dad? Brilliant."
"So I make a good waitress and what, a pillow?"
"Head masseuse or whatever too."
"It's nice to be appreciated." At that Harry rolled over and looked into her eyes.
"You know I wouldn't know what do without you right?"
"Doesn't hurt to hear it. How you're lost and adrift in life without me." Harry leaned in and kissed her.
"Basically. You're my safe place." She kissed him back then gave him a look. He admitted he got the phrase from a book Hermione gave him on surviving traumatic situations
The adults kept working at it and by the time Tuesday evening rolled around they both felt ready to go back to Hogwarts. They rejoined their classmates for dinner which was noticeable only for the extra long hug Harry gave Luna the first time he saw her.
"I knew it wasn't you, she wasn't you, that she was polyjuiced, but I was still so scared, I still am. So if I act funky or overprotective or whatever, well, just go along for right now please?"
"Barring a nargle infestation or wrackspurts, I will let you protect me Harry Potter."
"I'll trust you to keep me clean then."
"Agreed."
All the girls had banded together and came up with a plan to keep Harry busy. Though it depended greatly on Oliver Wood who would work the Gryffindor quidditch team to it's greatest heights in preparation for their match against Ravenclaw. Harry, who still held a grudge against the Eagles for their treatment of Luna, needed no encouragement.
Prof. Spinnet also helped out and several nights Harry showed up at his bunk completely knackered. Hannah kept up her nightly visits despite her mother's voiced concerns, which kept her and Harry apart the night before they returned, though not too far apart, she just had a bed moved into Harry room.
Harry wasn't unaware that the Valentines day celebrations would be the day after the match as the day itself that year fell on a Monday. He also knew from having seen the upper year boys the last two years that flowers and chocolate and cards were the regular type of gift. Jewelry indicated a more pronounced commitment.
He wanted Hannah's first valentines with a boyfriend to be nice but he also didn't want to make Susan cry. Harry normally would've gone straight to Hermione or Luna but after they had bolted when he heard of his contract, and Hannah had given him a clue as to why, he felt maybe asking them was weird, so he turned to the only girl left he could trust.
"So nice, but not so nice it makes Susan cry?" Alicia asked.
"Yeah, but I still don't want Hannah to go without either. It's hard, I don't wanna hurt Susan, or Luna and Hermione for that matter, but Hannah deserves her day and to be my priority."
"Very grown up, Harry."
"I dunno 'bout that, but when I'm thinking about her the other stuff doesn't seem so bad."
"Nothing wrong with that, so I'm thinking private and low key. Keep the gifts small, but maybe a bit fancier than usual and personalized."
"How?"
"Anything big between you two yet? Like a song or a movie or something? Pet names?"
"Not really, everything I've done with her, Susan and the others were there for, except our nightly visits, and those two days after Draco's stupidity, and New Years, but you were there for that…"
"Oh I got it!" And with that Harry had a plan for his first Valentines as part of a couple.
The day of the quidditch match arrived with all the usual pomp and fanfare. Harry was eager to get in the air and so ate a filling but light breakfast. Luna had crossed house lines and would be rooting for the Lions and was wearing a lion shaped hat, she was sad she didn't know how to animate it yet but Hermione promised they'd figure it out by next year.
Oliver gathered his team together for this important match that would decide if they were going to compete for the Quidditch Cup that year, his last. He announced they had set Cho Chang a fourth year as seeker. Harry didn't know her, but once it was mentioned she was friends with Marietta Edgecombe, that was all he needed to hear.
As they walked down to the pitch Harry was stopped by Hannah who was wearing the quidditch jersey he had given Susan. She looked pretty good in it, Hermione added a Gryffindor scarf to complete the ensemble.
"What? How did you…"
"She insisted, said it was the property of your girlfriend, which was me now. Susie's keeping the Catapults one though."
"You okay wearing it?"
"I'm proud of you, that's all this says. I never would've met you if not for her. And I never would've demanded this or even asked for it."
"Kiss your girl and let's go Harry!" Oliver bellowed. Harry complied.
They took to the air and all the joviality ended, this was business. Madam Hooch let the bludgers and snitch go and tossed the quaffle in to the air to start the game. The difference between the two teams was apparent immediately.
Ravenclaw had won the Quidditch Cup Harry's first year and fielded a good school side. The Gryffindors were, to a player pro league quality and flying on far superior brooms. Roger Davies and his bunch never saw what hit them.
Lee was in his finest, most biased, form. He could only complain that none of the Gryffindor chasers would date him. Fred and George, who had taken a shine to Luna as well, saw this game almost like a quest, to defeat the evil ones and restore the princess to her throne. They were keeping the Ravenclaws beaters from doing anything that could considered helpful to their offense.
Harry for his part, took great delight in flying in and among the Eagles like a peregrine falcon. A series of feints and fly-bys kept the Eagles nervous. An hour in to the game, their only shots came on penalty chances when Madam Hooch would call Harry for blatching.
Cho Chang had taken to marking Harry but not following him into the middle of the pitch. Not that Harry minded, if she didn't want to look for herself it just gave him more freedom. Once they were up by eighty though, Oliver gave the signal and Harry went to looking for the snitch full time.
It was a bright clear day and Harry soon saw it hanging around the Gryffindor goal posts on the other side of the pitch. Harry took off, flying directly through the rest of the players, avoiding bludgers and the beaters of both sides. Chang sped off as well but was taking a circular path to avoid the main dangers in the middle of the pitch. Going slower and the long way didn't give her a chance and Harry had the snitch in his hand before she passed the teacher's stands.
The Gryffindors all descended and began to celebrate their win, which put them back in the competition for the Cup. The chasers all gave him a kiss as did several other girls, some he hadn't met yet. He saw Hannah and wiped his mouth with the back of his gloves, before approaching her.
"Not bad Potter."
"Thanks."
"Don't know if that'd beat a good team like the Badgers, but a win's a win."
"We do what we can."
"Guess it'll just have to do." He got a congratulations kiss and hug but was then sent post haste to the showers.
Rather than risk more unknown kisses, Harry led the gang to Hagrid's hut for tea. The giant was in a grand mood. With both Malfoys gone, the case against Buckbeak had as well. Hagrid insisted Harry take the hippogriff on a celebratory flight, which Hannah and Hermione both turned down but Luna accepted happily.
The gang made it back to the great hall for dinner and enjoyed themselves. Susan even stopped the Gryffindor table and offered Harry her congratulations. He discovered he had a lot he wanted to say to the girl, but only managed to stand up and say, "Thank You."
Meanwhile back at the Boneyard, Amelia had managed to get Sirius to stay home after the news of the Gryffindor victory cam from Remus, who Harry still didn't know was guarding him. They were sitting down for tea after dinner as the their discussion erupted again.
"I don't know what the problem is, he needs to know, I doubt that whale Dursley ever told him anything worth knowing."
"Sirius, honestly, he knows all he needs to at thirteen, to be polite and considerate."
"It's Valentines, something might happen, how do you know Piggy doesn't have something planned? He needs to know how to handle things so he doesn't feel like an oaf."
"Given how Ellie told me Mary took Hannah's becoming Harry's girlfriend, I'd be shocked if she has much more than a few chaste kisses planned. Plus as the boy, it really is Harry's job to do the planning anyway."
"You're right of course, maybe he won't let me down. Besides the boy could use some lovin'"
"I don't understand this obsession you have with Harry getting intimate with these girls, Sirius. What happened to letting him be himself? And the idea of them at their age…" Amelia didn't finish that statement as she suddenly put her hand in front of her mouth. Sirius looked on as she began searching for something, which when she found it, seemed a wastepaper basket. A second later her dinner was in the basket. With her hair still in the bun he didn't need to hold it, so he would cast Dentiscourgis and breath freshening charms between heaves.
"I know he scrawny but he's not disgusting, really Amelia." He got a foul look for that one.
"It's not about him, it's about…" She didn't finish that sentence either. She sat back in her chair a few minutes later once her stomach emptied and Sirius had cast the last of the freshening charms. He was busy ordering Pixie and Harry's elf, Dobby, to help get things ready for her upstairs.
"You wanna try some broth maybe? Do you have a fever? Or is it just stress? you've had all this Wizengamot stuff and your regular work to do lately." Amelia sipped her tea to get rid of the dryness those charms left in her mouth and let him go on. He was at his best when he was thinking about others.
She agreed to try the broth in her room and let him arrange things. This little bug, which is what she was sure it was, had at least got him off topic, which could be counted as a blessing. Which is why she tolerated actually being carried up stairs by him. Though she did undo the lightening charm he had put on her once they were up the stairs and let him carry her full weight to her room.
Sunday started off auspiciously for Harry. Hannah received her invitation to join him in Hogsmeade as many girls were getting their only remembrances of Valentines day, a card.
Luna, Hermione, Alicia and Susan would find their cards and candy on their beds when they went back to their dorms. Hannah accepted and Harry felt, by looking at her smile he had done all right.
They walked hand in hand since it was such a fine day and avoided the carriages. Stores were visited and windows were shopped. They filled up on their faves at Honeydukes, which got Hannah's pig tails a twitter as she was sure he would have told her she didn't need to get more.
At lunch he led her to a private booth in the back of the Three Broomsticks where a small box wrapped in gold paper was waiting for her. She tried to poke it and shake it but it was magicked to the table.
They enjoyed a nice lunch, it in fact seemed a bit fancier than Rosmerta was known for making. They talked for a while and purposefully kept the conversation light. Eventually Hannah couldn't stand it any more and began to fidget.
"Harry! I want my present Harry!" He smiled at her. That was what he thought of when Hannah came to mind. Susan was warmth from all the hugs, Hermione, the smell of all the books she read, and Luna evoked the sound of a brook, with her soft voice.
But Hannah was smiles, his, hers, everyone else's. She just knew, it seemed to him, how to get a smile out of anyone, and how to get anyone to see what they had to smile about. He thought that was especially precious given his life.
Harry tapped the box and it was in her hands. The wrapping paper offered no defense and soon it was down to the dark blue velvet covered box. Hannah stared at it for a while, wondering what was inside but not opening it, as though the magic would end and it would be some gag gift he got from the Weasley twins.
She opened it and gasped. Inside was a muggle style women's wristwatch. Made of gold, it's face was in mother of pearl with a single diamond where the twelve might've been. When she turned it to read the back plate, instead there was an engraved message from Harry.
"From Me to You, So you know when I'm thinking about you."
She was smiling and crying which kind of spooked Harry a little, but it needn't have. This was the perfect gift, fancy but not showy, grown up but not too much. Hannah held out her wrist and he locked the clasp shut.
She came around to his side of the booth and expressed her pleasure physically in the manner of their first snog. After a minute of that, Harry would've been hard pressed to remember his own name.
They exited the pub an hour later. Gregory Goyle watched as they exited hand in hand. He had hoped to catch Potter in good mood or at least in good behavior in front of his girl. Still, Greg figured there was always tomorrow, at least for him if not for Draco, and Potter might appreciate hearing Greg had left them alone, and what he had to say wasn't important to Potter, just to him, and he had to recognize that.
Back at the Boneyard, Sunday had gone no better for Amelia, and Sirius was beginning to get concerned. She agreed, though more with her stomach than him, to sit out Monday and see her Healer. While Harry and Hannah rejoined their friends for dinner, to the curious glances of the girls who didn't see any obvious gift to show why Hannah had that big a smile, Sirius sat in a chair next to Amelia's bed and read her various reports. She couldn't look at their tiny squidgy writing without getting sick.
In Ravenclaw Tower, one single present had just been delivered. It's recipient had not been expecting anything and was pleasantly surprised to see the card waiting for her on her bed. The card was simple, and held several gold foil wrapped Galleon shaped coins made from her favorite dark chocolate, though the calligraphy used was not. It's message read.
"Thank You for helping Luna, from, Your future Valentine."
A/N Well, here we are half way! Yes, ten more chapters and all will be answered, H/H, H/P, Hvs.T et all.
Next time, Hannah's birthday, Easter, that damn trinket on Dumbles desk explodes and the Quidditch final!
Props to Aeshan for noticing and naming the books from whence they came of all of the famous first lines which start each chapter!