A/N: I do not own Harry Potter. But you knew that.
Harry Potter and Merlin's Reaper
Chapter Twenty-one – Oddities
Dinner was a quiet affair, with discussion following making the evening's entertainment. When the evening finally wound down, Susan and Harry went upstairs to the room they were now sharing.
Mandy was at the door, waiting.
"Mas… I'm sorry. Harry, I have come to thank you for what you have done for me, I can only offer what I have." She pulled the belt on the robe she wore and it fell open displaying her naked body underneath.
"Mandy, thank you, no. Susan and I are together."
"I can please you both, I was taught."
"Mandy, no. You don't need to do this anymore."
"But I want to, I need"
"Mandy, I said no. Please let it go."
Susan had stood silent watching the exchange. She noticed what Harry missed, the flash of anger from the younger girl.
"I'm sorry Harry. I won't bother you again."
"Good night Mandy."
When Harry and Susan closed the door behind them Harry said, "That was awkward."
"There's something off about that girl."
"She's probably just still traumatized."
"She worries me."
"She shouldn't. You and I are together. I'm not one to wander. Besides," He drew her into a hug and kissed her, "Why would I want cold cereal when I've got a gourmet dinner?"
"So I'm food?"
"You feed my soul… and taste pretty good too…"
"Merlin, you're a goof."
…---ooo000ooo---…
Susan lay cuddled to Harry listening to his heartbeat in his sleep. Her joys of having Harry declare their relationship publicly was tempered by a general feeling of unease at the reactions of this new girl Mandy.
There was just something about that girl that put her teeth on edge. She was honest enough to wonder if her reaction to the girl was Mandy's pursuit of Harry. But the girl's reaction to Harry's rejection, well that was just creepy.
She cuddled closer to the man lying next to her. For now, he was hers. Her life so far had taught her not to believe that anything lasts, but for now, he was hers.
…---ooo000ooo---…
Hermione Granger lay on her bed wearing a black silk nightgown. She had a candle burning on her side table, filling the air with a hint of cinnamon. A knock at the door.
"Come in."
Harry Potter entered and closed the door behind him. Dressed in dark slacks and a black shirt open to the third button, he looked at her with those blazing green eyes.
"I can't do this anymore Hermione. This isn't fair to Susan."
"What does fairness have to do with anything Harry? If she isn't meeting your needs, then you need someone who can."
She stood and gestured for him to approach. He came to her, taking her left hand in his raising it to his lips. A soft kiss on the palm of her hand, he then breathed deep of the scent on her wrist.
"Oh, what you do to me." The look he gave her was one of worship, of love.
"Shh my love. Let me take care of you, let me give you what you need." She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his chest, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, and it fell to the floor. She raised her hands to his face and guided him to her mouth; the kiss was sweet, all consuming, and intense. She felt his body shudder, her nightgown was gone, as were his trousers. She reclined onto the bed, pulling him along, never breaking the kiss. When he entered her, slowly, gently, her back arched in orgasm.
---------------------------
She sat up with a gasp, her body covered in a cold sweat. She was panting as if she had run a mile. That god damned dream again. Why is this happening to me? Why him? Why not any other man in the world?
The dreams had started a week before. Was it possible that on some level she was attracted to Harry Potter, or was it that he was the only man around who was not a Weasley?
…---ooo000ooo---…
Luna Lovegood cast hexes with a wand in each hand. This op had gone to hell. What was supposed to be a raid on a small potions facility in the highlands of Scotland found a dozen Aurors, waiting for them. She lost three of her eight teammates in the first volley, two more in the second when they had not had the presence of mind to run. The survivors of her team scattered per protocol. They would apparate to one of five rally points to regroup before making the jump to the consolidation rally point.
Of course, in order to apparate, one first had to lose her pursuers. The four chasing her were both tenacious and skilled. So far, they had not given her time to think much less concentrate on apparating.
Her luck ran out when a cutting hex clipped her left shoulder, the pain caused her to stumble, the next step pitched her to the ground, her right leg snapping, her wand lost in the foliage.
"You made for a good hunt Rebel. Maybe we'll have a little fun before we kill you."
"All four of you? That would almost add up to one man. Go ahead, I could use the laughs."
"Laugh at this Bitch. Crucio!"
Luna screamed as the curse hit her, the pain faded seconds later when the caster's head exploded in a bloody mist. The other three were instantly on guard, before they also fell coinciding with loud noises from the surrounding woods. Ten men in green outfits seemingly appeared from nowhere. Luna was reasonably sure they had not been disillusioned, nor was there any indication of invisibility cloaks or any other magic. One of these men pointed one of the staffs they all carried at her.
"You just be stayin' still missy." He knelt and picked up her wand. "He called you a rebel. That might make you a wand user we let live."
"I've broken my leg. Either you will have to carry me, or let me have my wand back to heal myself."
"Nice try missy. You aren't our first wand waver. Chauncey, pick her up. The major will want to talk to this one." He signaled the rest of his team. Clean this up, not a sign they or we were here."
…---ooo000ooo---…
Susan had found the records of a Potter Property on the firth of Clyde near the small uninhabited village of Toward. The descriptions were vague, but it sounded like it had the room they needed, with plenty of room to expand as needed. Harry and Fleur (being the pair who could apparate the entire distance in a single jump) were going to check it out with Dobby along to see if he could maintain it by himself or if he needed to acquire help.
The property was supposedly unplotable, and under Muggle concealment charms. Hopefully they still held. According to the records Susan had found the property hadn't been lived in since his grand parent's honeymoon in the 1930s. That was a long time to go unattended, even for a magical structure.
…---ooo000ooo---…
They appeared at the gate of the property. According to the deed, the house its self would be a quarter mile down the lane from the gate.
"Shall we?"
"I believe we shall." She took his arm, giving the appearance of a couple out for a walk with an elf.
As they crossed the property line Harry shuddered. "Did you feel that?"
"I felt nothing."
"We just passed through some serious wards."
"They is family wards. Master Harry. They is for letting elves know family home and turn off fight wards"
There was a pop and a house elf appeared in front of them. "Master Potter?"
"I am Harry Potter."
"We was told you died Master Potter. We was told all Potters died."
"What is your name little friend?" asked Fleur
"My name is Bleen. I is head elf here until Master Potter send me away for failing him."
"You didn't fail me Bleen. This lady is Fleur. And this, "he indicated Dobby. "Is my friend Dobby. My name is Harry. Could you call me that please?"
"Of course Master Harry." The little elf bowed. "Your house is ready for you Master Harry, and for your guests." He pointed toward the house that was only now becoming visible.
Following the humans to the house, Bleen turned to Dobby "You is Master Harry's friend? Not servant?"
"Dobby proud to be friend of powerful wizard like Master Harry."
"Potters always powerful, and good. Never hear of Potter with Elf friend before. You no work?"
"Dobby work HARD! Dobby good elf. Master Harry care about Dobby, ask if need sleep."
"You tell?"
"Of course. Dobby very ashamed. Dobby sleep hour every night."
"Every night? You IS old. Is true what said about old elf?"
Dobby smiled and nodded. "Work more fun than ever!"
…---ooo000ooo---…
The deeds described this as a 'house' it was a mansion. Just touring the damned place took over an hour. More room than they would need for a long time, even at the rate their group had been growing so far. The final stop on the tour was the kitchen where Harry was introduced to the staff. 3 elves in addition to Bleen. Looking out the window he spotted some smoke rising from among some outbuildings.
"What's that?"
"Oh, that group of Muggles. They come 2 month ago. They play hide in woods."
That might complicate things. "I'll go take a look. Fleur, if you would keep an eye on things here?"
"Of course Harry, be safe."
He disillusioned himself and exited the door.
…---ooo000ooo---…
He entered the camp, disillusioned and silenced. Fortunately there had yet to be snow this year, he left no tracks. Dozens of tents were scattered about, with tired looking men, women, and children about them. The larges of the outbuildings was avoided by the general population of the camp, so that became his target. The door opened so that someone could leave, he quickly entered before the door could close.
He paused for a second so that his disillusion field could settle down following his rapid movement, then he pressed on. In the largest space of the building, he found a makeshift office. And there, sitting bound in front of the desk was Luna Lovegood.
…---ooo000ooo---…
"Why were you in the part of the forest where my men found you?"
"As I've already said, I was running from the Aurors. We were attempting to rob a potions facility, it was a trap. We were hit hard, we ran, I fell down, your men caught me. We have been through this twice already. Don't you have a stake to burn me at?"
The guard on her right kicked her in her broken leg, she doubled over screaming.
The girl's leg glowed in a golden light, and it straightened, her bruising vanished and the look of pain on her face faded.
"What did you just do?"
"Actually Major, that was me." Harry removed the disillusioning, conjured a chair for himself, and sat down. He looked up to see every rifle in the room pointed at him. "Oh please gentlemen, if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. I'm here to talk." He gestured at Luna and her bindings fell to the ground. "You, the brave man who kicks wounded prisoners while they're safely tied up. Do anything like that again and I will flay the skin from your body, and then rub you in salt. If there's one thing I hate it's a bully." He turned to the Major. "Is it now common for Her Majesty's Army to mistreat wounded prisoners?"
"His Majesty's Army."
Harry turned his attention to the new speaker, his eyes widened and he stood. "Prince William?"
"King William the IV actually, though at this time my dominion is somewhat limited. Sit down Wizard. It is unusual for me to meet anyone more or less my own age, and her I have two such individuals. I find myself wondering why she has no idea who I am, yet you identify me in a single glance."
Harry sat. Honest to God Royalty. "Your majesty, my name is Harry Potter. The young lady is Luna Lovegood. She is the current leader of a Wizarding Resistance to the pretender on your thrown, Voldemort."
"To replace him with?"
"To tell the truth, I have no idea. I never thought to ask."
"I can answer that." Interjected Luna. "It is the intention of the Resistance to return to the separation that existed prior to the Rise of Voldemort."
"So Wizard Potter, she is your leader?"
'Just Harry, Your Majesty. No, the Resistance and I have had a falling out over their problems with Muggle born magic users."
"Muggle born?"
"Sorry, Muggle is a slang term for nonmagical people. Don't know where it came from, it just sort of crept into my vocabulary without my thinking about it. There are three classes of Human Magic Users, Pure Bloods, basically someone with all four grand parents were magic users, the Muggle born, spontaneous magic users, and half bloods, whose ancestry is some mix of the above groups. I am a half blood, my father pure for a thousand years, my mother Muggle born."
"And what was the falling out?"
"The resistance wouldn't accept a Muggle born friend. They blame the Muggle born for Voldemort's actions."
"Might they be correct?"
"The only in the way that he Jews were responsible for Hitler's actions during World War 2. They were just the readily available scapegoats for a lunatic with followers."
"If you aren't part of the resistance, why are you here?"
Harry smiled. "This is just one of the annoyingly frequent coincidences that make my life such an interesting one. I had no idea she was here, I was just interested to see who it was camping on my family's land." He smiled when the idea occurred to him. "If you don't have other plans, could I invite you and your people to stay at the Manor house? The elves could have a wing available in a few hours."
"What Manor house? That pile of rubble?"
"The rubble is an illusion Major. The Manor is huge, should be more than enough room to get your people out of the weather. Hot food, Hot water. Showers for anyone who wants them…"
"You've room for 53 people? How long could we stay Mr. Potter?"
"As long as you like Your Majesty."
"That sounds like an offer we cannot refuse."
"As a plus we can discuss an alliance to destroy our common enemies."
…---ooo000ooo---…