Title: Finding a Family
Author: Crimson Rosary
Summary: All is good after Voldemort's demise, but then comes Harry's magical and creature inheritance. Now he has to do what in order to accomplish what?! Manipulative!Dumbledore, Molly, Ron, Ginny Bashing!
Pairing: HPxHarem
Rating: M
Author's Note: This is my first HPxHarem story! Please leave comments whenever possible – please be specific about where in the chapter you felt a certain place or didn't understand something! It would be really helpful! Also, if you don't like HPxHarem, click the little back button in your browser or click the red X at the corner! Thanks! (:
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Harry Potter; all those belong to J.K. Rowling.
'Thoughts'
{Parseltongue}
[Telepathy]
A/N: I've changed my mind! Straight female harem. No males. The phase has come and gone. Honestly, it felt like a craving – but rather than food, it was just a need to have a male with Harry. But yeah, like I previously stated – no males, all female harem.
Chapter 11
~ The Third Mate ~
February 15th
Harry awoke from his slumber with Hermione draped over his body. Relishing in the warm contact that his mate provided him, the elf slowly adjusted his arm and moved to comb through Hermione's hair, feeling her brown tresses slip through his fingers.
He watched her, heard her mumbling underneath her breath, enjoyed the scent that was mixed between each other, and enjoyed the feel of smooth skin on his fingers. They had slept in their undergarments, their clothes thrown haphazardly on the floor. Grateful for the fireplace that the Room of Requirement provided, the duo was able to sleep with the thick covers pulled to their waist, even with a blazing fire on when the weather outside and within the castle was as cold as day.
After a half an hour later, Hermione's breathing grew lighter and her body started to twitch. Harry smiled, waiting for her to wake up, but enjoying the small moment he was allowed when she was asleep.
Hermione made the cutest snuffling noise a few seconds before she would actually awake, which would occur a few seconds after her eyes would dart around behind her eyelids before coming to a halt.
"Mmm. . . Harry?"
"G'morning love." Harry smiled brightly, planting a kiss on her forehead.
The elf waited for Hermione to catch on and watched with amusement as she sat up blushing. Looking down, she grabbed at the covers and covered her body. Harry only raised his arms and placed them behind his head, cushioning and raising his head to look at his mate properly.
"I thought we got over the embarrassment stage. We've seen each other naked after all."
Hermione flushed. "This just feels different."
"More intimate?"
"Exactly."
Harry smirked, "Well I hope you get over it soon. After all, I'll be seeing you naked on our wedding night."
The elf sniggered, leaping off of the bed as Hermione screamed profanities at him as she threw the pillows after him. After realizing that she was cursing, Hermione threatened Harry, though her threats were taken not so seriously.
Hermione sighed and rubbed a hand through her hair, shrieking when she realized that it had returned to its fuzzy, bushy state.
"I need the bathroom now! Get out Harry!"
And with that order, the elf allowed his mate to take the bathroom first, waiting patiently for his turn to come.
…..
Harry walked on with pride as he smelt his scent all over Hermione. He could see the few hickeys he left on her and was glad she left some out to show that she was taken. Harry himself had gone with a sweater, allowing whoever had seen him full view of the dark and bruised hickeys on his neck. When in his dormitory changing, Harry had caught the sight of his back and saw that it was littered with scratch marks made when Hermione had been in such a euphoric state. The hickeys were placed all over his neck, shoulders, his broad chest, his abs and even some near his inner thighs.
Harry grinned wickedly when he remembered that that Hermione's body would also be littered with hickeys and bite marks, all over her front and all over the back. But no one would ever get a chance to see it. Nobody but him, and that was what he wanted.
Helping Hermione into her seat first, Harry walked over to Susan, kissed her "Good morning," and offered her an invitation to sit with the Gryffindors for breakfast. Taking the offer, Susan joined him at the lion's table. He waved hello to his Quidditch team bar Ginny, rolling his eyes when they teased him about his marks. Harry sat down next to Hermione and began to pile food onto her plate before his own. Neville joined them soon afterwards, followed by Luna as the two of them had a knowing smile on their faces.
"Not a word." Hermione warned, her face already flushed red with embarrassment.
"About what?" Demelza asked, looking between the four of them.
"We didn't say anything, did we Luna?" Neville asked, turning to his bench companion.
"Not at all. I mean, if we did, we'd mention all those dark hickeys that show Harry's possessiveness at its finest and your glowing look that many couples get from having sex and your lips that are more plump red and are no doubt bitten many times –"
"All right already. No need to tease us." Hermione interrupted, urging Harry to keep their friends at bay. She had already covered Demelza's ears, and the younger Gryffindor had looked around, eyes wide with curiosity as her hearing had been cut off. Though her brown eyes were narrowed in concentration, trying to read their lips, she still hadn't really gotten the full idea.
"That's right guys. Whatever Hermione and I do is none of your business." He smiled, grinning at them. "And besides, we haven't done the do yet."
Susan's face was shocked, though there seemed to be some relief hidden in her expression. "So you guys haven't. . . you know –"
"No, we didn't," Hermione smiled, and she looked quite proud of it too.
Hermione rolled her eyes at her friends' accepting glances before eating her breakfast, noting how Harry would do small things like fill her plate with more food or fill her goblet with more juice and even helping to wipe her mouth for her. His eyes would also flit across her body with a heat of fiery passion in them that would send shivers down her spine. It seems as if Harry would be more sexually active now, more touchy feely, now that they were together as lovers. But Hermione didn't mind; she enjoyed the sexual touches and hoped there would be more, especially since Harry had another year of puberty left to enlarge his already thick cock.
Hermione licked her lips at Harry, staring down at his crotch before she heard Neville teasing statement of, "In the bedroom please Hermione. Not out in public." She grinned at him before eating her breakfast, enjoying how Harry had linked their hands together on top of the table.
"You know what I heard?" said Luna, drawing the quintet's attention to her.
"What?"
"The darker the hickey, the more possessive the person is about his or her lover."
Hermione's face flushed darkly, but Harry just sat there smiling at her goofily. Demelza blushed, easily focusing on her breakfast when the bushy-haired brunette urged her to do so.
"No no." Neville refuted. "I heard that the darker the hickey, the longer the man can last in bed." He laughed, "Or at least, that's what Fred and George has frequently told me."
Hermione covered her face in embarrassment. She didn't know whether to scream at her friends in anger or laugh at what they were spouting.
Harry grinned wickedly and motioned all four of them to lean in. Demelza ignored the beckoning, knowing that it was not yet her time to learn of such things. "I heard that the longer the hickey stays, the longer both people will be having sex without ever taking a break."
He smirked when Hermione slapped his arm, but he was going to make what he said true. With lots of practice, he was going to go for hours, even days on end just making love to Hermione. She would never know which way was up by the time he was done with her. His cock throbbed at his thoughts and jumped when he felt Hermione's hand plant firmly on it, rubbing it through his slacks.
He leaned over and whispered seductively in her ear. "You're just asking for it."
"We have to study for our classes," said Hermione, but she never stopped massaging his growing erection.
"If you continue this, I'm going to take you in front of the Great Hall." Harry growled when Hermione added more pressure to her fondling.
"I doubt you'd do so," Hermione smirked, removing her hand from his erection. "Even if your elven instincts scream at you to do so, you still want to graduate from Hogwarts."
With a sigh, knowing that Hermione was correct, Harry willed his erection away, a scary scene of Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore having sex, and finished up his meal.
"Shall we?" He asked, and with twin smiles, Susan and Hermione took his hands in their own and the trio walked to their first classes. Neville and Luna waved good-bye to Demelza before they followed suit behind Harry and his girls. Unbeknownst to the trio, a pair of icy blue eyes stared longingly at their retreating forms.
…...
The second Hogsmeade weekend after Valentine's Day was spent happily in the small town just a small walking distance away from the castle. As the snow had yet to melt, the scenery was still white and pure.
Their group of four moved onto the Three Broomsticks, quickly ordering four Butterbeers as they warmed themselves from the cold, frigid temperature. Thanking Rosemerta for the drinks, they settled into amicable and light chatter before leaving to wander around the shops.
They passed by Katie who was with Leanne, from Hufflepuff, and the two dipped into the Three Broomsticks.
When they walked up to the castle, they heard loud voices a few feet away.
"No, Katie! You can't! We should find a teacher –"
"No, Leanne. It's a surprise. I have to get it to her."
"You can't honestly tell me you found that in the loo, just to give it to her."
"She's the receiver. It's her present. She'll like it."
Turning, they realized it was Leanne and Katie. "Hey guys! Leaving so soon?" Harry asked, but he frowned when their voices grew louder and louder.
"Give it here!"
"No!"
"Katie!"
When the quartet ran up to the duo to prevent them from fighting over the small package, they heard a loud ripping noise and suddenly, Katie shot up into the air, screaming as if death had come upon her.
"Katie!" screamed Leanne, jumping up to tug on her friend's boot to bring her down. But nothing could pull the floating girl.
The package was left on the ground, wrapping paper ripped up, presenting a black necklace set in dark pearls and black opals.
"What happened?!"
"I don't know!" Leanne sobbed, pulling hard on Katie's shoes. "She went to the loo – and the package – now she's –"
Katie rose too high, slipping from Leanne's grasp. And as if a puppeteer were stringing her up, Katie's body jerked in an unnatural and possessed way, her back bowed until her hands practically draped over the heels of her feet, all the while screaming as if someone had shoved a hand through her chest and torn out her heart.
Only after did Katie's body stretch in a way that indicated a painful tug-of-war, did she finally collapse; the puppet's strings severed from its maker.
With no teacher in sight, Harry picked the girl up in his arms, nodding to Hermione as he sped towards the castle. The brunette had already quickly levitated the piece of jewelry, Luna and Neville sharply flicked their wands, watching as snow piled on until the adornment was a one-foot radius snowball. And even then, Hermione enlarged the packaging paper, wrapping it tightly around the cursed object.
Together, the four ran towards the castle – towards the infirmary to give the witness statement to a deathly pale Madam Pomfrey.
…..
"What do you think it is, Severus?" Professor McGonagall murmured. Her eyes were distraught, but the woman held strong. Behind them were the three Gryffindors and Luna. Leanne had had to stay in the infirmary after tirelessly repeating the story to the authorities, having been given a Dreamless Sleep for her ordeal. Katie had been put on stasis and flooed to St. Mungo's by then. With Harry's quick legs and seeming endless stamina, he'd quickly gotten her the medical attention she needed.
"Indeed, it's cursed," The potions master murmured silkily, wand twitching just a fraction to rotate the object. "It brings death upon any who wear it. Ms. Bell should be lucky she touched it through her gloves."
"That means –"
"Her injuries are on the pleasant side of the spectrum." Severus summed up. "Be thankful it only burned a hole through her glove and not her hand." Staring at the woman whom had suddenly aged by decades, Severus placed the necklace into the box before leaving. His eyes ran over the students' forms – too quick for anyone other than Harry, to catch, but nonetheless, the Gryffindor saw and returned a curt nod – and Severus left the classroom.
"I hoped that this year would be a quiet one," Professor McGonagall smiled sadly. "Has this become a yearly thing for you two? Lord Potter? Ms. Granger?"
"Honestly Professor," Harry grimaced, "I thought I would have a carefree life after Voldemort's fall."
…
A week passed by before the Gryffindors were notified that, due to her injury, Katie would remain in St. Mungo's until further notice. It tore their morale down, but it didn't stop the lions from sending get-well-soon cards and gifts fir the seventh year.
The first of March saw Harry drifting from Hermione and Susan's side as the scent of grass and trees floated near him. Then he smelt the sharp, tangy metallic smell of blood.
"Where are you going, Harry?" Hermione asked. Susan stood up from their table and walked over to the Gryffindor. He had stood up and was practically sniffing the air. He'd been quite distracted since Katie's spell, but not like this.
It was a good thing they were in a semi-private location. Even though his elven features had drawn attention from the students when he had returned to Hogwarts, his friends had kept curious students away from him. Plus, with the addition of Skeeter's article about his magical and creature inheritance that week after his return, the Potter and Black solicitors had worked together to fire the blond reporter.
When threatened, she didn't seem to be scared to pay the fee. However, when they had mentioned her secret of keeping her animagus form to herself rather than registering herself with the Ministry and the punishment of living in Azkaban for a good year or two, she quickly sent out an apology on the Daily Prophet's evening edition. Yet, the deed was done, but people were more focused on his wealth that his creature inheritance.
Seems as if they didn't know what elves had in store considering they were a very private race.
"My mate." Harry growled, his voice gone deep. Husky; clipped. "Hurt. Blood."
He quickly darted from the library, earning a scowl from Madam Pince. Hermione and Susan quickly gathered their things, as well as Harry's, and rushed through their apologies for the librarian before tracking down their fiancé slash boyfriend.
They only knew where to find Harry when there was a paved path of students staring at the Gryffindor's retreating form. Excusing themselves, they rushed towards the stairs and found that, rather than running up the stairs, Harry had decided to jump from staircase to staircase, and surprisingly, the stairs held themselves in place so he could stick his landing. Harry finally landed on the fourth floor staircase before darting out into the corridor.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted. The weight was holding them down and Hermione quickly looked around. "Neville!" She shouted, running over to the Gryffindor. Neville and Luna turned to see the brunette fly towards them before shoving her bags at them. "Please take them to the Common Room for us. Harry needs our help."
Susan excused herself as well, thanking Luna when the Ravenclaw offered up her services, before running after Hermione. With no weight on them, they maneuvered their way up the stairs, huffing and puffing. They finally arrived on the fourth floor and with Hermione's quick thinking, used "Point me Harry Potter," and followed her wand as it directed her to where her fiancé was.
"Come on! We're getting close," Hermione stated, turning another corner with Susan right beside her.
As they drew closer and closer to Harry's position, they heard loud roaring and screams. Turning the last corner, they ducked when a body flew over their heads and landed a few feet away from them.
"Is that…?"
Pinned against the wall with Harry's hand was Ron Weasley. Leaning against the wall a few feet away from the duo was Daphne Greengrass. She was sitting there looking up at Harry with wide eyes, hands holding her robes closed. Hermione and Susan ran up to her and called her name, believing that if they were to touch her, she would start screaming.
"Daphne, are you all right?" Hermione asked.
"I-I'm fine." She replied, getting up with the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff's help. She leaned up against the wall, feeling relieved that someone had come to rescue her.
"D-Did they…" Susan began.
Daphne scoffed and shook her head. "They didn't. They tried, but I would've beaten them if they hadn't used physical strength over magic." Her icy blue eyes strayed back to Harry, who was growling quite near Weasley's face.
"What happened?"
"Crabbe, Goyle and Weasley tried to accost me on my way to lunch." Daphne said. "Seeing as how Weasley was put on a restraining order and Crabbe and Goyle weren't fans of Ha- Potter's because he sent their parents to Azkaban after defeating the Dark Lord," she quickly corrected. "Their anger grew, but only increased when Draco, Blaise and Theo started to befriend the two of you. Thinking that they were traitors, they started to separate from the trio. But… the two of them were planning on taking revenge and knew that they were not as magically powerful as the three of them."
"And then?"
"I guess Weasley overheard their plans and knew about Ha-Potter trying to find a wife… why they came after me I'm not so sure…." Daphne trailed off, her icy blue eyes finding Harry's form once more.
Hermione looked at Susan, "Harry's been talking to us about finding another mate… he's had… several options, but we've noticed his eyes kept looking at you and a few others."
"I'm guessing Weasley saw this," Susan supplied. "He's gotten quite… quiet these last couple of months. I'm assuming he's using this time to observe Harry. He knows he can't get to Hermione and I, but if there was a potential candidate to become Harry's love interest and future wife, he was going to take it and ruin it for him."
Hermione turned to look around at their surroundings. "I'm guessing the one that flew down the corridor…"
"That was Crabbe," Daphne said, brushing her robes off from the dirt and dust. "The three of them stopped when they heard a loud roar and then the three of them tried to fight Harry. Ron was quickly knocked down first; then it was Goyle and Crabbe. Goyle flew against the columns over there," Daphne pointed out a few feet away from the three girls. "Then Crabbe went flying down the corridor and when Weasley was trying to get to his feet, Harry got him pinned to the wall."
"Strong, isn't he?" Susan giggled, as all three pairs of eyes eyed Harry's form. Though Harry had gotten as tall as the Weasley, his strength was immeasurable. He still had Weasley pinned to the wall at least a good feet or two above the floor. The redhead was scrabbling for purchase on Harry's hand to keep from suffocating, but nothing seemed to deter Harry's anger towards the boy.
Then, a rush of running feet echoed throughout the corridor before they saw Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall at the forefront of a crowd of students.
"Mr. Potter! What are you doing?!" Professor McGonagall cried, aghast at the two unconscious Slytherins and the slowly suffocating Gryffindor. Only when the Prefects and Head Boy and Head Girl moved up to the front to stop the students from closing the distance did the Potions Master and Transfiguration Mistress attempt to walk forward. A sharp roar from Harry had them pausing in their steps as Harry turned his attention back to Ron.
"What happened here Ms. Granger? Ms. Bones? Ms. Greengrass?"
Together, the three girls explained the situation until the professors had a good idea of the problem.
Taking a minute step forward, Harry's growl echoed through the corridor when he turned his head towards them. Another step had Harry's eyes gleaming in the dimly lit halls before his glamour fell and his elvish features came into existence.
"Oh my," Professor McGonagall said, placing her right hand above her heart. "Mr. Potter really is –"
"Yes, Minerva," Professor Snape said. "Harry is an elf. The article that Skeeter wrote at the beginning of the year was true."
The Transfiguration Mistress turned her head at Severus's admission, more surprised that Severus had used Harry's given name rather than at the revelation.
The students murmured with awe at Harry's elven appearance. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen Harry's bodily structure, but the Gryffindor had glamoured the length of his hair, the brightness of his eyes, the tips of his ears and any ethereal features that his inheritance had provided for him.
"Harry," Severus snapped once the Gryffindor had growled again as the professors tried to move closer to them. "If you don't cease that infuriating growling, how are we to see to your mate?"
At once, Harry dropped Ron on his arse before green eyes darted to Daphne's form. He rushed over to his mate's side, crooning as he inspected her. Daphne smiled softly, seeing Harry sniff at her sleeve. Pulling up her ripped sleeve, Daphne allowed Harry to lap up the blood on her arm, received after she had taken a tumble from being pushed to the ground by the two burly Slytherins.
Cooing once more when the blood was gone and the wound healed, Harry gathered Daphne in his arms and sat down on the ground, pulling the Slytherin girl into his lap. His cautious eyes watched the two adult witch and wizard's forms as they took slow and careful steps towards him.
When they moved too quickly for his taste, he growled in warning, magic flaring dangerously about – vibrant enough to allow the audience to see the green, gold and silver strands whipping about in the air. Yet, once all three of his mates' soothing calmed him down until his growl turned to a rumbling, the colorful strands turned peaceful and danced about with curiosity, circling around the two adults as if gauging their intentions. It seemed as if hours had passed until finally, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape got to the four of them, checking over Daphne before checking over the three students.
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle, after we have the three of you checked up at the infirmary, you will come with me to my office and I will dole our your punishments when Professor Snape has arrived. Do you understand me?"
Silent glares were her only answer before she repeated her question with a harsher tone.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Severus – "
"I'll take them to the infirmary."
Turning on her heel, the Deputy Headmistress walked the three boys up to the infirmary before ordering the rest of the students to return to their meal. Severus had to wait until Harry calmed down before he could move Daphne to the infirmary. Only after Harry had sniffed the air a few more times did he approve of his mates' attackers' distance between their two groups.
"A-Are you all right, Daphne?" He croaked, throat a little hoarse from the roaring and growling.
"I'm fine. You've healed me, see?"
The sixth year Slytherin pulled up her sleeve to show that her wound was healed by Harry's saliva. "Do elves have a healing affinity through the use of bodily liquids?" She asked.
Harry flushed and nodded his head jerkily before the quartet followed after Severus's lead. At the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey gave Daphne a once over before declaring her right as rain. She had a few bruises here and there, but nothing dangerous.
"Boys these days," She muttered. "Always have to go looking for trouble. Just a good night's rest will do the trick, Ms. Greengrass. You should be better by tomorrow."
"Should be?" Harry asked, his eyes glinting dangerously. He could feel his chest rumbling at the admission.
"Harry!" Hermione scolded, hitting her fiancé upside the head. The growling stopped, but the suspicious gaze did not.
"She fell rather hard onto the ground, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey explained. "There is a slight swelling at the back of her head and there are bruises on her back and forearms when she landed. Other than that, there are no grievous injuries to her person. That is why I say she should be fine by tomorrow."
"Right… sorry about that Madam Pomfrey."
"Not a problem, Mr. Potter. I should take care to speak about an elf's mate. Then again, I see that her cut has been healed. Saliva, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good to know. Now off you four go. I'm sure there's still some time left for lunch."
"I recommend my office for the rest of the lunch hour," Severus said. "If you please?"
"Of course, Professor Snape." Daphne said and the four of them followed their potions professor to his office and settled down for a short lunch.
…..
"Why have you invited us, Severus?"
The girls balked at Harry's use of their potions professor's given name before realizing that they were close enough to each other to do so. He ignored their surprise, choosing to accept the warm blanket that was handed to him by the potions professor, thank him, and drape it over Daphne's shoulder, making sure to secure it around the girl.
"I thought you might like to eat in private rather than with the student population staring at you." The corner of Severus's mouth lifted in a small ghost of a smile before it disappeared.
Harry smiled at him. "Thank you."
"Not at all." Severus had their lunches brought in with the help of the school's house elves before dismissing them.
Harry continued to fuss over the blond Slytherin. "How do you feel?" He murmured softly.
Daphne gripped the blanket with white fists, finally feeling the tremors and shaking that came from experiencing a near r-r-ra... She couldn't even say it. "I-I'm –"
"Don't say you feel fine. This is nothing to brush off." Harry warned, his green eyes glowing brightly. The lit dimmed and he resumed pampering her before placing the plate of food before her.
"Then don't ask me how I feel!" She hissed dangerously, tears gathering in her eyes. Daphne turned away, stabbing at her lunch with manners unlike a lady of her upbringing, before she began to dine. She blinked her eyes rapidly, feeling the tears dry up quickly.
"Ms. Greengrass, about this situation…"
Daphne paused in her bite before swallowing and dabbing her mouth clean. "I find that I am rather all right with this situation. No, let me finish Potter." She said, holding her hand up for silence and adjusting the blanket before Harry did when it fell off her shoulder. "Yes, it was an attempt at r-r…" Daphne frowned, closed her eyes and breathed out. "-rape. Yes, my clothes are ripped and I have been physically violated in some way, yet I have not been tainted. I was saved in the nick of time. However, I did not think that my first real encounter with Mr. Potter would result in such a disaster."
Harry squirmed in his seat, "The cat's out of the bag now. My elven instincts do not allow for me to cast my glamour… still on high alert."
"Suffice to say, it might take time for your elven side to calm down. After such a predicament, I don't think Harry's elven side would allow for the glamour to be used anymore. He would probably subconsciously defend his mates from any attackers like today." Hermione said. She made a sound of appreciation when her vegetables had been steamed until it had a perfect texture. "Baring his form would make him more comfortable, knowing that everyone would see his form as threatening."
"How exactly was it that you found me?" Daphne inquired, her icy blue eyes staring straight at Harry.
"I smelt your scent coupled with the smell of blood. Then, I just went kind of haywire and out of control. My mate was attacked, hurt and injured so I just kind of went on a rampage to find you and put down your attackers."
"Kind of went on a rampage?" Daphne giggled. "Still, I thank you for saving me. Though, I'm unsure of why I am your mate?"
"There are particulars to finding my mate. For Hermione, it was for her intelligence and beauty. For Susan, it was for her loyalty and honorability. For you, it was for your…" here Harry looked down at his hands awkwardly, "… for your confidence and authenticity."
Daphne frowned, putting her fork down, "confidence and authenticity?"
Harry scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment. He absentmindedly adjusted Daphne's blanket once more before answering. "Well… confidence because you are confident in everything that you do. You don't need anyone telling you what you should and should not do. Your accomplishments rival Hermione's, but you aren't smug about them. Not that I'm saying that you brag about your intelligence, Hermione!" Harry said, quickly backtracking when Hermione's eyes rose.
"I just mean that she shows her ability and skills through her work and that's what I like about it. She knows what she's capable of doing, and doesn't let any obstacles prevent her from any progress. Daphne knows how smart she is, and she doesn't need to show it. About that authenticity trait, you put up an Ice Queen front, only because your family isn't Dark, but neutral with an affinity to Dark magic. You keep your true friends close and care about them. You state what you want and give only to those who are deserving of you. Something like that I really approve of in a mate. So…" Harry trailed off with flushed cheeks and a crooked smile.
Daphne was surprised, but her stoic expression showed none of it. "How do you feel about the tension and rivalry between the Slytherin and Gryffindor house? You used to be all for hating Slytherin."
"Most of that is because Ron hated Slytherins!" Hermione interjected, but Harry held up a hand for her silence.
"What you say is half true and what Hermione says is the truth. I don't dislike Slytherin, I just don't like particular students. When I first realized that I was a wizard, Hagrid was the one who came to retrieve me. He was my first friend and he was an advocate of all things Gryffindor. He didn't trust Slytherins and once he told me about Voldemort, it didn't give me a reason to like Slytherin. Then came Draco, and when he bullied my first friend, I didn't like him either. My attribution to disliking Slytherin came from disliking Draco and his bullying attitude. However, to appease everyone who kept telling me that my parents were both sorted into Gryffindor, I told the Sorting Hat that I wouldn't go into Slytherin no matter how many times it believed that I would thrive there. So Gryffindor was my next best choice."
Daphne took a bite of her chicken before speaking, politely covering her mouth with one hand. "If you were in Slytherin, I think the school would have been less hostile to us."
Harry shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. We can never know for sure, and we definitely cannot sit on things that have already passed. Now that Voldemort is gone and his followers are being rounded up, I'm sure that we can make Hogwarts more willing to associate with Slytherins. In fact, the only reason why there are Death Eaters was because all the other houses have labeled Slytherins as evil and dark. Without giving Slytherins a chance, and judging them by past experiences, there was no way that the Slytherin house could change their image."
Severus, Hermione and Susan sat back, listening to the conversation. They would let this play out before them. After all, Daphne was Harry's acknowledged mate. It wouldn't do to speak about this arrangement.
"What is going to happen then?" Daphne inquired.
Harry looked at her with sharp green eyes. "As you know, I am an elf, but I am classified as a High Elf. However, according to the Ministry's laws, I must take wives according to the number of titles I have inherited. For now, Hermione and Susan are two of my seven wives. It's a weird thing for me to have, considering I don't have enough information regarding elf mateships and the like, but it seems like my elven side wishes to have the same number of wives as well. So, for now, if you accept, would you allow for me to begin courting you and further down the road, accept to being my betrothed?"
Daphne sat in silence, thinking over Harry's words.
While everyone seemed to polish off their meal, Harry was the only one who wasn't finished eating. Not that he wasn't hungry, but because he was anxious about Daphne's answer.
He had read in the tome about Elves that they always had mates, magical ones. Though, there was a tidbit about forming connections with them, there wasn't really much written about what would happen should one's mate reject the elf. Usually it wasn't done, just because when elves found their mate, it was within the Elven Society. However, Harry was searching for mates outside of the Elven society. Moreover, the idea that some purebloods thought that magical creatures were beneath their station really made Harry nervous that Daphne could have grown up amongst a family with a belief like that. The notes had said that there would be pain, but because it wasn't exactly a soul mate sort of relationship – you could only have one after all – there wouldn't be any life threatening pains occurring. Yet, you wouldn't feel as whole as you would've feel if you did have your mate with you.
"Very well. I accept your courting." Daphne finally replied.
The blooming smile took her by surprise, but it filled her with warmth and contentment.
"Thank you for accepting, Heiress Greengrass. I'll be sure to send your father a letter regarding this relationship." Harry promised. With that, Harry finished off his meal with a cheery smile and the four of them split up for their classes.
…..
A flash of green light illuminated the office as Severus's head appeared in flames of the fireplace.
"Jeremiah, might I come through?"
"Of course, Severus." The tone that came from their Slytherin resident potions master alerted Jeremiah of an unwanted situation within Hogwarts' hallowed halls.
Opening the wards of his manor, said wizard waited just a few seconds for the Head of Slytherin to walk through the flames. "Whatever is the matter? Did something happen to Daphne? Astoria?"
"It is my duty to inform you that, as per parentis locus, your daughter Daphne Greengrass, has been assaulted by three students, sixth year Ronald Weasley from House Gryffindor and sixth years Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe from House Slytherin."
Jeremiah slowly stood from his seat, his large and muscly form practically dwarfing that of Severus's willowy build. Now, he was no longer the amiable and lighthearted Lord Greengrass that those close to him had had the fortune of knowing, but the stringent and unrelenting Lord Greengrass of whom Severus had had the opportunity to see during several political and familial occasions.
"Daphne has been assaulted?" He asked, in a slow and crisp tone. "My daughter?"
Holding his ground, Severus confirmed, "Yes, Jeremiah. However, Harry had come across the scene and swiftly dispatched her assailants. The three have been seen to by Poppy and have retreated to the Headmaster's Office under Minerva's jurisdiction. I thought that as the victim's father, you should be have the honor of how the boys should be punished."
"Harry? Harry Potter? The Lord Potter-Black?"
"Yes, the one and the same." Severus confirmed.
A knock came at the door and the two men turned to see a woman walk in.
"Oh! I wasn't expecting you here, Severus. If I knew, then I would have made an extra cup of tea."
Lady Freya Greengrass was the mother of both daughters, Daphne and Astoria. Though she was not the one that Daphne had imitated her Ice Queen persona by, their youngest daughter had taken their mother's personality as a base.
"Is everything all right?" Freya asked. She placed the tray onto the table. "Did something happen to Daphne? Astoria?"
"Daphne has been assaulted," Jeremiah told his wife, barely withholding his anger. "Severus here has just told me about this situation."
"Is she all right?" Freya gasped.
"She has been seen to by Poppy. There are no lasting injuries except for a few bruises, but Harry Potter healed her cut. I'm certain that news of his creature inheritance has reached your ears?"
"I thought that news was a bit of hogwash," Freya stated. "You know how Skeeter is. All her articles are fabrications with rumors as a foundation. Nothing but lies and subterfuge."
Severus sighed, "It is not my secret to say, but there will be news soon about this."
"About what?"
"Harry has gone through both a magical and creature inheritance. Black, Lupin and I are witnesses to this event."
"So… you're saying…"
"If it weren't for Harry's elven side having already chosen Ms. Greengrass as his mate, he probably would not have defended her as such."
Freya's eyes narrowed, "Are you saying that if it were not for Daphne being Lord Potter-Black's mate, he would not have saved her?"
Realizing how his words were taken as such, Severus denied it. "I meant that how Harry had defended your daughter was taken to such an extreme. He saw that his mate was in danger and injured, so for retribution, he had knocked Crabbe and Goyle unconscious before attempting to strangle the life out of Weasley."
Slightly appeased by his explanation, Freya made to move to the fireplace.
"Where are you going, darling?"
With ice blue eyes, Freya looked at her husband and their companion with a biting and steely gaze. "You did not think that I wouldn't attend my daughter's attacker's punishment did you?"
Quickly, the two men followed after Lady Greengrass as she disappeared into green flames.
…..
"Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle, Mr. Weasley, as your actions have –"
The door to the Headmaster's office slammed open revealing the arrival of Lord and Lady Greengrass, as well as Severus Snape. All four occupants turned to see who had barged in on their little meeting. Ron quickly turned around once he saw Severus there. At least he was smart enough to realize that the couple entering the room was their victim's parents.
"Severus! What is the meaning of this interruption?!"
"I beg to differ, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall." Freya interjected. "It is not an interruption, but an amendment to your duties. As Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress in your case, it is within your obligation to notify the victim's parents of anything that has happened to the student within school grounds. Why is it, that my daughter's Head of House had to be the first to notify me?"
"I was going to notify you after exacting the appropriate punishment on these three boys." McGonagall said. The frown was evident on her face.
"There is no lesser punishment than having these three boys sent to trial after attempting to sexually harass my daughter." Freya spoke up in a chilly tone. "I have heard of the situation from my husband and Professor Snape. To attack an heir or heiress of a Noble and Most Ancient House is one thing, but to attempt rape is an entirely different sort of vulgarity. Detentions and loss of points are not permissible."
"Surely trials are going to an extreme!" Minerva protested.
Severus frowned, "Acting like Dumbledore?"
The sharp dig took the breath out of the Deputy Headmistress, and they all watched her lean back against the backrest, jaw slightly agape with shock.
Freya pushed on with an icy tone. "I assure you, if they were any younger, it would have been. Yet, one of the three you have standing before you have already been tried for line theft on Lord Potter-Black's person and a malicious attempt for the Longbottom scion's life. Yet he still has the audacity to try something as stupid and foolish as enlisting the help of two other students in a bid to attack my daughter?"
Ron scowled, tightening his fists until they were stark white.
"They are still minors!" Minerva said. "Only until they reach seventeen are they considered adults."
"For a situation like this," Freya said, ice glinting dangerously, "I will have them tried as adults. Not even the compensation from the trial will be sufficient enough to make up for my daughter's psychological shock."
"Minerva, they are old enough to think for themselves. Should they choose to take action, they must face their consequences." Severus said, his onyx black eyes drilling into the Deputy Headmistress.
Minerva sighed. It seems as if her hands were tied. She looked at the three boys, yet they did not seem repentant of their actions. "Very well. I shall send for Amelia at once."
"See to it that they stay in the Ministry's holding cells until the trial begins. My solicitors will deal with everything else." Freya swept out of the room with Jeremiah on her heels, leaving Severus to see to Minerva and the boys.
Freya strode quickly through the corridors with Jeremiah by her side. The duo presented such a startling and frightening display that students moved out of their way.
…..
"Daphne, your parents are outside." Draco said.
"Thank you Draco." The blond witch pushed open the portrait and saw her parents there. "Father, mother. How nice to see you."
"Daphne," They greeted with firmly held expressions. Their heads turned when their youngest daughter walked up to them and greeted them similarly.
Looking at the both of them, Daphne inclined her head, "Shall we move this to my dormitories? None of the girls are present at this time."
The trio moved through the Common Rooms up towards the Girls' Dormitories, leaving Astoria to return to her friends. None of the Slytherins spoke about the scene in public, yet once the trio disappeared, they easily slipped into conversation that subtly hinted at the situation.
"What do you think happened?" Blaise asked Draco.
Draco sniffed, "It is not up to us to gossip about what has or hasn't happened. No one should speak of this anymore."
Pansy, however, was not as smart and started running her mouth about what had occurred. Of course, it wasn't difficult when the students started to trail after two prominent women in Harry's little harem. With the addition of the revealing of Harry's status as a High Elf, and the fact that a group of students had seen to Deputy Headmistress's detaining of three students – two of which were Slytherins and the last, Harry's ex-best friend, the rumors had spread and practically everyone knew. Though they didn't know the details, the stories had quickly spiraled out of control – at least the thing they got right was the fact that something had happened to Daphne and Harry had gone rampant to defend her.
"Shut up, Parkinson." Astoria hissed. Her golden blond hair trailed down to her waist as she flicked it over her shoulder with a hand. "If you know what's good for you, you will shut your mouth. Merlin knows you'd be lucky to be betrothed before you even graduate from Hogwarts."
Pansy harrumphed and stuck her nose in the air with a pompous confidence that she usually swam in. "My future is already set. I'll have you know that Lady Malfoy has hinted at a future alliance between the Malfoy and Parkinson family. And where will you be headed in a few years?"
Draco internally gagged at this revelation but kept his stoic façade. Standing up, he walked towards the stairs that would lead to the Boy's Dormitories with Blaise striding along beside him. Stopping at the foot of the staircase, Draco kept his face forward as he spoke up.
"No matter what my mother may suggest, my father is the one that holds the power in the Malfoy family. Therefore, I hope you get it into your head that – considering my father is actually intelligent – there will only be a tentative alliance between our two families. No betrothal was spoken of and no wedding will be planned for."
The conversations were immediately ended with a smug Astoria, inwardly hysterically laughing Slytherins that were in the Common Room at that moment and a widely gapping mouthed Pansy Parkinson who couldn't believe her ears.
…..
"Father, mother. Please take a seat." Daphne said, acting like a gracious host, even in the midst of donning school robes and hosting a small meeting with her parents in her dorm room.
Once the tea was served, the house elf popped away to leave them to their discussion. Immediately, they dropped all pretenses and the two parents had their eldest daughter within their arms, worriedly patting her all over to make sure there were no sustaining injuries.
"I'm all right mum!" Daphne repeated.
"Nonsense! Severus was practically hysterical when he flooed us!" Jeremiah stated, prompting a perfectly raised eyebrow in his direction.
"Professor Snape? Hysterical? Dad! You're overreacting."
"I cannot lose a daughter!" Jeremiah nearly shouted. "And I certainly will not allow for this to happen again! It was a close call that you had, Daph. What would have happened if Lord Potter-Black was not there to save you?"
Jeremiah and Freya had matching expressions when they saw their eldest daughter flushing lightly at his reprimand.
"But that's just it!" Daphne said. "Ha- I mean, Lord Potter-Black did save me! So I'm okay." She inwardly cursed herself for that near slip, knowing her parents would have caught it.
And they surely did. "Harry?" Freya asked, her smile now filled with warmth.
"Yes." Daphne admitted, though she dared not fidget in front of her parents. "I figured with him saving me, being on a first name basis was quite within these circumstances. Additionally, I have been in many classes with his best muggleborn friend, now fiancée – Hermione Granger – and his new girlfriend, Susan Bones. Hermione talks about his a lot whenever she doesn't have her head in her books. I've also noticed that Susan has taken many appreciative glances towards Harry when we were younger. And really – he was quite scrawny back then. I wouldn't even look his way, considering he was Dumbledore's Golden Boy. But after his trials during the Triwizard Tournament, I can see that that's really changed him. In addition – "
Daphne paused with wide eyes, then inwardly cursed herself once more when she realized she had been going on and on about Harry. . . Especially when she had pointedly tried to change the topic!
"Well, for one. We are thankful for Lord Potter-Black's help."
Daphne rolled her pretty blue eyes, "I'm sure you are father. Like the rest of us were."
"Can you tell us what happened?" Freya asked, running her hand through Daphne's raven locks.
Daphne quickly dove right in and within half an hour, her parents had gotten the full gist of the situation. Jeremiah also demanded a pensieve with her memory – just so they could launch a full case on the three boys.
"I should think – that we now owe Lord Potter-Black a life debt." Jeremiah surmised, rubbing at his chin in a thoughtful manner.
Daphne flushed and nibbled on her bottom lip, ceasing the action when her mother lightly chided her for attempting to ruin its texture. "I. . . I don't think that that would be a problem anymore. . ."
The Greengrass's exchanged looks with each other before turning to their daughter. "Whatever do you mean, dear?"
…..
After an hour and a half later, the Greengrass's left the Girls' Dormitories and made to exit the Slytherin House. Emotionlessly, Jeremiah and Freya gave their fair wells to both daughters and left, with a vial of Daphne's memory on hand, to the Greengrass solicitors to start on their case.
Those boys wouldn't know what hit them!
…..
A/N: Okay. No lie. I am not fond of this chapter. The two parts really clashed with each other and I feel like it would collapse because it's so weak! But I really wanted to draw out the third mate before the end of the year! Please stay tuned for the next chapter! (: