Chapter 29 - A Very Merry Christmas
On the ride home Harry talked with his parents about the train ride, about how the mood at Hogwarts had improved with the absence of the Dementors, and about the Great Library Copying Project. In turn, they gave him more updates on the Lily Potter Foundation. They told him happily that the Lily's Lifeguards, as the workers in their charity division would be called, had started making rounds with food parcels and the like, taking a leaf from various existing British charities.
The other division that had Lifeguards was officially just the R&D division. Their personnel were "Darwin's Lifeguards", after the naturalist and researcher whose work was so important to the modern world. Unofficially, most of the people in there would be getting combat training as the Clan prepared for the worst. They didn't really notice just how different they were from their neighbours any longer, but to Harry it was blindingly obvious. Who else just assumed they would need to incorporate a combat arm into what was supposed to be a business?
"Speaking of combat training, will I have any missions during this break?"
"As a matter of fact, we had one in mind for you. We'll give you the briefing when we get home, but I do believe we have found one sufficiently challenging for you at your current stage of development."
Harry cheered up. As fun as it was to learn real honest to goodness magic, Hogwarts hadn't provided any real challenge in its regular curriculum. That Harry had still found himself in combat situations was a result of the failure of the system, not a design feature.
That very evening, he got a quick briefing on the mission which was to retrieve a delicate item intact from a base with quite a few guards. To increase the difficulty, there were an unknown number of ninja among the guard forces and if they felt they were losing, they were supposed to destroy the item rather than have it fall into enemy hands.
The mission was made more interesting as Harry had official permission from a Hogwarts Professor, Remus, to 'conduct supervised demonstrations of spellcasting'. The forms had been sent in as per the registered exemptions to the restrictions on underage magic. Since Remus didn't care a whit about the Ministry's laws on underage magic, and he knew Harry was safe to leave supervised by the Clan, the DADA teacher was sitting inside with Sirius and the Clan as they watched the simulated mission. For the rest of the holidays, as long as Remus was on-site when a possible inspection was made, Harry was legally allowed to cast magic.
That permission was one extra enticement for their allies to spend time with them, of course, but for now, that was the last thing on Harry's mind. No, what he was thinking about was testing out their various theories of combat in as close to a live-fire environment as they could get.
So that night, Harry and his clones faded out of view, stealing their way towards the mock base the Clan had erected some fifteen miles away on some disused land. The mock-up was only made that day for the event, and anything left of it would be torn down before anyone came to investigate. Or at least, that was the plan. They also had clones on site to safeguard their secrets just in case the plan went to hell.
Rather than charging in with Body Flicker or other high speed techniques whose chakra use could be sensed by certain ninjas, including all his parents, Harry was taking a slower route trying not to alert the defenders. He was still able to cut down the time taken by choosing his route carefully. The hills between him and his destination kept him concealed and the lack of chakra usage meant he got far closer than the Clan expected. A Silencing Charm on his feet and the invisibility cloak belonging to his father made stealth a lot easier than normal, assuming it works. To cover his clones, Harry merely set a couple on overwatch while dispelling the rest. The idea was to create the fresh clones when he was at the base and it was already too late for the defenders to adapt. It was a risk but so was everything in combat.
An hour after he set out, he slowed down before cresting what should be the final hill according to the map he had memorised. Inching his way up, he was careful not to provide a silhouette of any sort as he scanned the base below with his senses.
He spotted the chakra signatures of some of the defenders, just as advertised. He had to make a recount, however, as the scale of the defences was a lot greater than indicated in the briefing. It wasn't the first time he had that problem, and he accepted that sometimes, you didn't get the right information when you needed it. When that happened, you had to adapt and survive to complete the mission. This wasn't quite what ninjas were taught where the Clan were born, but here this was their son, and he was in no sense disposable.
Counting silently, Harry resisted the urge to whistle. This was supposed to be an A rank mission, normally easy enough for him but he hadn't been allowed any time to prepare or check out the target, something that upped the danger to a low S rank. What he was seeing here kicked the mission all the way to a mid-level S rank at least. There were hundreds of ninja-grade chakra sources, it wasn't just some of the guards who were ninja. All of them were, ranging from genin up to high jounin from what he could sense.
Harry pulled back into cover, options going through his mind quickly before he seized on one particular thread. He retreated back further, opting to try something new. Staying under the invisibility cloak, he created the first clone next to him. That one left as quietly as, well, a ninja, leaving room for the next in the series. A thumbs up from the first clone told him that the normal pulse of chakra from performing the technique had been muted correctly by the cloak's presence. A quick but careful examination of the cloak showed no damage at all, just as he expected. Quickly, Harry went through making the rest of the shadow clones up to his limit, and the first ones were already moving into position. That was the great thing about them, there was no actual need to tell them what they needed to do unless you changed your mind, so that meant no communication that could give away your presence.
The clones would be holding back until the signal was given. That signal would be the last clone sending a fireball at the fence most of the way around the perimeter from Harry's position. At that time, all of his forces would have had ample time to get to their assigned places, and the clones would be providing a loud, noisy distraction for the guards, an obvious attempt to break in by force to get the item. It might even succeed, though he sincerely doubted it. Even in a smash and grab, the balance of forces was against him.
No, while they were doing that, he and a few others would be looking to slip in very quietly while the defenders' attention was elsewhere.
There's the signal!
Harry waited until his instincts told him it was time to move forward, all of the guards he could see quickly drawn into the conflict. He made it past the first fence, past a few lines of traps, and across the killing zone established around the base proper, to the inner fence. There was an extra trap there, however, a silent alarm tethered to the commander of the guard, and the real Harry was slightly ahead of the stealthy clones, so first to trip it.
The first Harry knew of it, there was an angry jounin-level enemy behind him, already striking! A well-timed Replacement technique put him further into the base and gave him enough room to draw his wand, already whispering the incantation for a Cheering Charm. The spell struck true and to his shock, the enemy disappeared. Well, he knew the enemy were likely to be clones, his parents wouldn't want to risk a lethal response if he did manage to hurt them, something that was hard for them to control in their own bodies but less difficult for the clones who knew they were disposable.
The real surprise came after that as, against the Clan's plans for the mission, other guards revealed they were clones, too. Two dozen turned as one towards where the first had fallen, coming in slowly and with a wondering expression on their face. Curious, since there was no way this was in the mission parameters, Harry cast more Cheering Charms, as quickly as he could, at each of the guards in sight. Within seconds, Harry had started to retreat, firing off more spells as he went, dispelling clone after clone, and making the remaining ones even more intent on finding him.
While the real Harry was providing an even more effective diversion, the stealthy clones he had sent in earlier managed to grab the item and escape unopposed. By this time, all the guards were converging on his position and acting very strangely, almost like they were on one of the euphoric drugs he had learned about.
His clone, guarded by the remaining ones, sped back home, where he was met by Naruto at the door. Naruto smiled at his son's clone, accepting back the ice sculpture depicting Harry's own face, and called an end to the mission. At that point, Harry had already realised that he needed to disengage from the enemy, taking to the trees and trying to outrun them. When that failed, he dropped back into stealth which was a little better, and Harry got home, pleased with his success but confused. With the real boy home, the remaining clones posing as the opposition force dispelled themselves. Naruto's clones on cleanup duty took over, and Yuugao and Anko, who had provided the most clones for the mission, were hit the most by the backlash as all those magically cheered clones sent back their own mental states to the women.
Struck by a hundredfold increase in their desires, they each grabbed Narutos and took him straight to their rooms. Harry now knew just what had gone wrong when he used the spells. That it had dispelled the clones was obvious, and had important implications for the Clan going forward in any conflict against magicals. That the specific spell had an unforeseen additional effect was also important, but he knew he wouldn't be able to discuss it tonight. That crazed lust in their eyes meant they wouldn't be in condition to talk for hours.
Harry went to sleep, feeling the absence of his girls in his bed. It was uncomfortable sleeping alone again after he had finally got used to sleeping with someone else, but it wouldn't be forever.
In the morning, Harry got started on his physical training while his parents held a serious discussion. Like Harry, they knew that the Cheering Charm had mutated when it hit the clones, both making the target happier but also horny, and having to admit that to Harry promised to be an interesting talk for all concerned. What held more of their attention was a proposal from Anko that they make sure Harry's seduction training had worked with a "hands-on" series of tests and remedial instruction as needed.
"You mean you want to screw him six ways from Sunday." Ayame grinned at getting laughter from the other Angels.
Anko just laughed with them, "Yes, I'll admit our son is kind of hot, but I was talking about making use of illusions for his training. We would conduct the training inside his mind, not with his body.
"He has girls that he wants to keep happy and they are now sexually active. That's a lot of potential for things to go wrong, and who better to make sure he knows what to do than us?"
Hinata shook her head, "I won't betray Naruto."
"And no one is asking you to betray him." Yuugao smiled at the blue haired woman.
"The proposal is for training and expanding his horizons. It isn't just an excuse for sex, which wouldn't even be physical. Besides, his happiness is wrapped up in those girls, so keeping them happy keeps our son happy."
"I still won't do it," Hinata exclaimed.
"I wasn't thinking of asking anyone to do it who didn't want to, so that means you can sit this one out."
This mollified Hinata slightly, but she was still opposed to the concept. At that time, Naruto entered the room, taking a seat.
"I think you are both right, Harry does need the help to prevent problems arising, but it could be seen as a betrayal of your vows. There is a solution. If you get my permission, then it's no betrayal at all. If I am not hurt, then that would make the decision simple, wouldn't it, Hinata-chan?"
She nodded and hugged Naruto to her, feeling her tension leave her as he hugged back. This was the one area where, S-rank ninja or not, she was always vulnerable. Over the next half-hour, each of them gave their opinions. At the end Naruto gave his blessing to the training, secure in their love for him and knowing that at the end of the training things would be close enough to normal that a little time would fix everything. Not all were willing to undergo the training with Harry but only a few were needed. Their training illusions had been proven perfectly safe to use on Harry's clones, which would give them ample time and scope for the project including time for Harry to adjust to the idea.
Hinata understood the arguments and in her head she could even agree with some of them but her emotions still viewed it as something of a betrayal. However, reminders from the others about what she had done to the Hyuuga clan in order for them to get the Kitsune bloodline improved with the Hyuuga eyes helped her see the parallels. It came down to a question of whether it was worth it, and those girls held Harry's heart. She loved her son, but did she love him enough to do this? When she asked herself in that way, there was only one answer. She would do this, she decided. Someone had to take care of his heart, and ensure the others didn't go too far, and that would be her job.
She would protect Harry and her sister-wives and most of all Naruto.
Amelia Bones was enjoying a rare day off at home with Susan. The events of the last six months had stretched her department far beyond capacity. The manhunt for Sirius Black, whom she knew to be innocent, had consumed a lot of resources. Paying for overtime, extra potions to keep her forces alert, all the extra parchmentwork, meant she had been forced to cutback on regular spending on replacing aging dragonhide vests among other vital maintenance. The reserve supplies had run out of some potions, too, meaning the DMLE needed to put in a new order ahead of time, paying penalties into the bargain.
In short, her budget was shot because of that fool Fudge. He refused to authorise any compensation for the ruinous expenses, to cut back on the intensity of the effort or to hold a trial for the innocent man. Fudge claimed it was not worth the cost of losing him some political support in the short term and she suspected it would cost him financially if Malfoy stopped payments.
In her distraction, she had been venting out loud all of her troubles in front of her niece. Susan asked a question which brought her rant to a halt.
"Auntie, why can't you just ask elsewhere for money?"
"Susan, if I do that, then that would place the DMLE in debt to whoever donated the money. This isn't pocket change, this is serious finance, and I can't expect anyone to hand over that much without expecting anything in return. Worse than that, though, even if we did find someone who wouldn't want something, everyone else at the Ministry will expect that we do owe that person. That expectation of repaying favours will taint anything we do for years that involved them. They'll expect that bribing the Department is now fine and react accordingly."
"What about if they donated some goods rather than money? I mean, if it's a matter of perceptions."
"You're right, that does help, but we still have the problem of finding someone who would be willing to make the effort, someone who won't need something from us that I refuse to pay."
"We could talk to Harry, couldn't we? Merlin knows he's happy to help out if he can, and this is something he would want to do." Susan offered her suggestion innocently.
"I'm sorry, Susan, but I don't know if even Harry could help. The Potters were a wealthy family, but Harry cannot access their wealth until he reaches his majority." Left unspoken was the fact that Harry's non-magical parents could control that wealth. It was something that the more prejudiced wizards and witches could not be allowed to discover so long as they could cause trouble with it.
"There is the Foundation, isn't there?" She looked so hopeful, Amelia didn't have the heart to reject her plea.
"Alright Susan, we can enquire, but please don't be too disappointed if his parents say no." Amelia pleaded.
Susan just shrugged it off, still young enough that she didn't truly grasp what she had in mind, and Amelia was afraid that her first lesson would be painful. Amelia picked up the phone and called ahead. While she was sure she and her niece would be welcome guests, it was polite to make sure. After Naruto assured her it was fine, and that Harry was looking forward to seeing them again, Amelia smiled and said they would be over in ten minutes.
She checked her appearance while Susan scrambled to do the same, trusting her bodyguards wouldn't be too upset by the outing. The Clan always set a good table with room for a few more, after all.
After Apparating Susan and herself there, Susan dashed inside to find Harry.
"You'd think they haven't seen each other in months," Amelia remarked to the waiting Naruto. "To be young again," she mused. While Naruto and the rest had young bodies, they usually chose to appear to age appropriately since they arrived in Britain. That meant they took care to look old enough to be Harry's parents, which was helpful in their dealings.
Naruto escorted her inside and through to the sitting room, sensing she wanted to talk about something serious. There, she accepted a hot chocolate before discussing business.
"Thank you for having me, Naruto. My niece Susan is a lovely girl, and I am trying to do right by her since my brother died, but she is still young, in some ways more than others. Anyway, she suggested that I come here to ask Harry if he would help my department's deficit."
"Ah, I had wondered if this would come up. My family is familiar with the way that emergencies can drain resources, and that Minister Fudge does not seem to me to possess the fine mind required for high finance." Naruto added with a totally innocent look. "Of course, I am not intending to cast aspersions on his fine qualities, you understand."
"I assure you, if I find his fine qualities, I will let you know so you can clear up any misunderstandings." Amelia shot back with a smile.
"So, what exactly is the problem? I already have some ideas, but they may prove unworkable depending on the details." Naruto added.
As she opened her mouth to reply, Harry, Temari and Ayame walked in. "Since the problem is primarily financial in nature, we are the best suited in our family to help, and of course, Harry should be involved since it is his money at stake."
Amelia refrained from questioning his inclusion, unwilling to risk offending him. Besides, the young man had already surprised her with his creative solutions to problems. Nodding her head, Amelia brought out some parchment showing income and expenditure, detailing as she did so what she had already tried. To her pleasure, all four agreed with her figures. Accounting wasn't a discipline taught at Hogwarts, so it was on-the-job training mostly and few enough wizards and witches liked dealing with numbers that they couldn't change with the wave of a wand. It was one of the reasons Amelia had been selected for the job, because unlike too many of her colleagues, she was as comfortable dealing with the books as dealing with the criminals.
From there, Naruto covered the obvious steps of raising the amounts levied through fines (which wouldn't help at all since the money would go to the Ministry, not her budget) and so on before sighing. "I am afraid there is only one palatable solution left to suggest."
"What would an unpalatable solution be?" Amelia was curious.
"Assassinate the Minister and his cronies, installing your own competent people in key positions and taking the power yourself to restore the budget. It would almost certainly involve the killing of certain other individuals, not all of whom would be like Malfoy but some good people outraged at the coup. Total casualties in the low thousands, well over ten percent of the total population, before things settle down again." Naruto supplied immediately with absolutely no inflection.
"I see what you mean by unpalatable, then." Amelia's mouth was dry at how easily and calmly Naruto detailed a plan to take over Wizarding Britain.
"Another one, not as extreme," he quickly added as Amelia paled, "would be for us to help train some of your people. We can already provide a secure location for it and challenges that I guarantee they will not have seen before, letting you see who is best at thinking on their feet if nothing else.
"The problem with that is that it may create resentment when 'Muggles' make them look bad by beating them, and we would. That would cause problems within your department as some would agree with your decision to use our facilities and others would not."
She nodded. "Okay, and the palatable option?"
"Why, that I provide to the DMLE certain items that you need. It's what I wanted to do from the start," Harry interjected wanting to hurry things along. "That would let you concentrate on paying for the goods and services that I can't provide, like pay for the Aurors. Well, I could, but that would just invite trouble. Much better if I buy the items needed and supply those, it makes it harder for graft to steal away the help. Oh, and doesn't look like a bribe as much."
Amelia was surprised. In one breath, Harry had laid out exactly what she wanted, with much the same reasoning, too. It was hard enough finding a seasoned Auror who would understand all that, and Harry was only thirteen years old.
Ayame saw her reaction and smiled gently before she adjusted Amelia's perceptions further. "We have been giving Harry the best education we could, Amelia. Naturally, that includes making sure he has a grasp of business and politics. As his teacher, I am proud that he has learned his lessons well."
"Amelia, what items do you need urgently, and what can wait a little while?" Harry asked, hoping to turn the conversation before the praise made him blush. His parents let him off the hook as well as letting Harry take the lead in the discussions. Amelia didn't notice any gap in his understanding and enjoyed the opportunity to talk it over with someone who was in a position to provide real help.
Naruto idly mentioned the public response to this, and the need to make sure people drew the correct conclusions rather than believing Harry was buying her off. Harry took up that thread, talking about giving quotes to the Daily Prophet and possibly suggesting articles that would appeal to the rather unscrupulous owner and editor of the paper.
In the end, Amelia agreed to going along with supplying two articles to the paper. The first would talk about the 'dangerous lack of funding for Our Nation's Finest' and portraying Amelia as a stalwart defender working tirelessly to lead her department in trying times. The second would offer a photo of Harry Potter making the donation a day or two later to solve the problem.
Susan was watching television with the real Harry while her aunt talked with Naruto, waiting for their decision. She grew nervous as time passed, she didn't see what could take so long. The door opened and her aunt smiled at her. "Harry volunteered to help me out Susan."
"Of course he did, Auntie!" Susan had never expected anything less.
Amelia just smiled. Truthfully, she was glad to postpone dispelling her little girl's illusions about how the world worked.
The offices of the Daily Prophet were open every day of the year. It was necessary if they were going to be on top of any scandal, and to report the news if they ran short on articles to fill the paper. As such, when the Boy-Who-Lived, oh and those Muggle parents of his, entered late that Sunday evening, there were still reporters available to quote his every word, and several dozen more words he never said, if they could get away with it. Sadly for them, Harry Potter already had a reporter in mind, the same one who had handled the last article, and Harry asked at reception for him by name.
Shown into his office by a starstruck witch, Harry noted that the office was much the same as before while they exchanged the usual pleasantries.
"Now, Mr Potter, what can we at the Daily Prophet do for you?" Andy Smudgley asked politely.
Harry took a deep breath. Much depended on getting just the right tone of upset schoolboy mixed with genuine outrage over a real injustice. Finding the latter within himself was not a problem.
"I was hoping to ask you about a couple of ideas for articles that you might like to run. I just heard that there have been problems with overspending in the DMLE as a result of this manhunt across the country. All the overtime, and extra potions and so on, has meant the department has had to cut back on other vital areas like replacing a set of dragonhide vests on schedule. That is putting their lives at greater risk, and all because they have had to spend so much on this circus."
"Circus? You feel the hunt for that mass murderer, Sirius Black, is a circus?" Smudgley was unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
"Well, yes, actually. I mean, there hasn't been any confirmed sighting of him in Scotland and yet we had a hundred of those loathsome Dementors around the school right until the bloody things invaded the grounds during a Quidditch match! It was just lucky they were run off without a lot of people getting killed. Also, though not a single crime has been linked to the man since his escape, over half the Aurors have been sent out to catch him, when obviously he wasn't harming anyone."
"You do know he betrayed your parents and killed a dozen Muggles, right?" Smudgley checked.
"No, I don't, and neither does anyone else!" Harry allowed himself to appear upset.
"He never got a trial – I found that even that mad witch Bellatrix Lestrange got one – just chucked away in hell on Earth. Even Muggles in this country get trials, but not a wizard who according to those who knew him had fought against the Dark. If I were one of those purebloods concerned about blood status and lines, it would really worry me that even a firstborn, Pureblood son of the Black family could be taken off the streets and thrown into prison without anyone bothering to have the courtesy of finding out if he really did it!
"I want to look into the eyes of the one who set up my parents to die, to see him realise that he will pay for what he did despite getting away with it for over a dozen years. If it turns out to be Sirius Black, then I want to be there to see justice done to him for what he has done." Harry hoped that this didn't get back to his godfather without Harry there to explain what he was doing.
"How do you know he never got a trial, though? Surely he would have." Smudgley protested.
"I was asked at school a lot this year about Sirius Black, what he had done to my parents that night, and what could I tell them? That I knew nothing? I couldn't live with that, so I tried to find out what had happened. I found some articles in the paper from the time, but my requests to see transcripts of his trial didn't get anywhere. Though I got apologies, no one could seem to find any trial had ever taken place. Apparently, Sirius Black and others were all just swept up and dumped into Azkaban under the legislation that gave Mr Crouch the power to imprison anyone without notice. I mean, he could legally torture anyone he chose under that insane piece of legal chicanery, even members of the press. The Act did require him to make sure they had trials when the emergency was over, but while his own Death Eater son got a trial, Sirius Black never did, or if he did, no one can prove it."
"So you don't believe he is guilty?"
"I'm saying I couldn't sleep at night if he turns out to be innocent and I didn't try to help. Everything will come out at his trial, if he is guilty, and if he's not, he should have an excellent case for false imprisonment, as well as the Ministry hounding him since he got out of Hell." Harry added the last bit hoping that would appeal to the sensationalist streak all reporters seemed to have.
"I'm not sure I can run an article on just this, Mr Potter, though the deficit in the DMLE budget would be good. I can point out how the Aurors are paying for the Minister's zeal." Smudgley was annoyed, it would be a great article but his editor would never go for an attack on the Minister without some carrot in the offing.
"You can also follow it up with another article, sir. I will be buying the replacement vests that the DMLE cannot afford, helping to keep safe those who keep us safe, sir. Do you think that would be newsworthy?"
Smudgley nodded, eyes gleaming at the thought of getting another article with the Boy-Who-Lived with his name on it. With that added to the earlier article, maybe he could put in a shock twist on the Black case. Yes, that could work. He could provide both the problem and the solution, and both articles would really sell papers.
Harry ended up staying for another hour, going over the quotes and types of articles he wanted. Due both to his fame and the tantalising nature of what he was offering, he managed to get almost everything his parents and Amelia had wanted. Amelia was portrayed as a stalwart defender of the people doing her best despite the shortages her people faced. Fudge was depicted as needing to make a decision about whether to increase DMLE funding or stop the manhunt as a waste of taxpayers' money. It wasn't the scathing attack it could so easily have been in the Muggle papers but did at least add some pressure on the slippery politician to do one or the other, hopefully both.
Lastly, serious doubt was raised about the true guilt of Sirius Black, the first step in calling for a trial for his godfather.
True to their agreement, the following day's paper decried the shortage in the DMLE funding as a result of Fudge trying to have his cake and eat it too. Amelia was listed as 'unavailable for comment', with Smudgley implying she would have nothing to do with the article. That was a measure intended to keep any heat off the woman for the political angle at the expense of making her look unaware. There were always trade offs in politics.
Harry had other things on his mind, as Hinata had sat him down to talk with him about the newest idea for training him. "You want me to what?!"
"Please, Harry, this is hard for me, too. I was against any of this, but it does make some bit of insane sense. Your ladies are going to want to try new things, especially Hermione if I've read her personality right, and you will kick yourself if you hurt them." She gave him a loving look. "You're a good young man, a wonderful son, and you'd never hurt your loved ones if you had the choice. That's what this is, Anko and the others, they want to give you the training so you don't end up causing the girls pain or discomfort." Hinata blushed, remembering some of the things she had tried with her Naruto over the many wonderful years of their marriage.
Harry asked nervously, "And where do you fit into all this, Hinata-mum?" 'Please don't say you will be doing things to me, too!'
"I, Harry, will be helping you to cope with the lessons, and making sure they don't take it too far," Hinata primly replied.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, still blushing as pink as Sakura-mum's hair despite his efforts. He looked back up at Hinata-mum, giving her a tight hug in thanks then dropping it quickly as he recalled just what the training would be. 'I mean, I know it will only be in illusions, which will speed everything up like my initial training in molding chakra, but still, sex training with Anko-mum and the others? I don't know if I can handle that.'
Hinata read from his body language that Harry was still deeply uncomfortable with the whole idea, and called for his attention, getting his assent before performing the Time Dilation Illusion. This wasn't the pre-recorded variant used for initial training in subjects the Clan did regularly, but the full version which placed both in control of the dream world they used.
Inside of the illusory world, Hinata spent days of internal time talking more with Harry, teasing out of him his fears and concerns, addressing each one in turn, starting with his concerns about betraying his girls and his dad. Hinata explained that at no point in the training would Harry or the Angels be giving each other pleasure. Talking it out with him also helped get Hinata more comfortable with the whole idea, and she actually gave Anko a smile after they finished, who for her part just accepted it graciously. Naruto's Angels had learned how far they could push each other in the normal course of living together without causing strain, and after so long together, none of them wanted to hurt the others either.
That night, Harry had some very lewd dreams about his ladies where he was a better lover to them, and in the morning, he was actually looking forward to getting competent by even the Clan's high standards at all the new activities.
The morning brought with it the second set of articles, with both the Minister's response to the problem and a surprising follow-up from the paper.
"According to a statement from his office, the Minister has claimed that there are other issues which prevent him diverting the extra funding to offset the spending incurred by the manhunt. Analysis at the Daily Prophet suggests that with the extra taxes raised thanks to the economic boom attributed to the Lily Potter Foundation, the Minstry's budget should already be in surplus. We await the Minister's explanation for this discrepancy."
Space was given to the miscarriage of justice regarding Sirius Black, painting it as 'new evidence has come to light questioning the whole affair.' Fudge, then a low-ranked official, had been present at the arrest but was in no sense involved in the matter beyond a certain tendency to talk up his own importance. The article excused the boasting as the natural actions of a man excited by being present at such a major event. As much as Harry despised the Minister, he was still happy that the article didn't push the man into a harder stance on the affair. Getting his godfather his freedom restored was more important than attacking Fudge.
For Harry, though, after breakfast, he was directed to make clones that would head off with Anko-mum, Ino-mum, Kurenai-mum, Tsunade-mum, and Yuugao-mum. He gulped as he could guess just what they would be doing, and it still made him nervous now that the time was upon him. Hinata sent clones off with each of the pairs as promised, keeping a close eye on proceedings and being there to help him deal with the emotions.
He felt better when Naruto reminded him that Hermione was visiting him in only an hour, and quickly got into his physical training to keep himself occupied until his lovely lady arrived.
Ino gave her son a hug, then sat him down in the room she had chosen for the training. It had been cleared of other furniture and decorations, leaving it rather stark which would help with what she needed to cover.
"Harry, you and I will be covering one of the most important things about sex, and certain matters related to it. I will be starting with a lesson on consent in its various forms, teaching you what is and is not generally okay, and what to look for in borderline cases so that you and your ladies do not cross the line."
Performing the Illusion technique, she and Harry, with one of Hinata's clones looking on, appeared in a replica of the same bar Harry had gone to for that fake seduction mission. There, she took Harry through multiple scenarios dealing with girls who were willing and sober, through to unwilling and drunk, explaining just what was different about each and how that affected a person's consent or ability to provide it. Harry already knew most of it and for the rest he learned quickly as Ino had hoped he would.
From there, she started talking about the Yamanaka techniques that would allow him to invade someone's mind and memories, alter their perceptions or just let him know what they were thinking. Harry initially rebelled strongly against any use of these techniques on his ladies. Ino explained how, so long as he had their informed consent, he could get a better read on just what they wanted, something that could be useful if they were unable to talk. Harry almost blushed as he thought of one reason why his girls might have their mouths full.
Still, it did get him thinking, and he saw the advantages easily enough. Harry had been too worried by the potential for abuse to really consider it before, but Ino had forced him past that to use his brain instead. He knew about Oaths, of course, but he hadn't thought of them in connection with keeping himself from abusing his abilities.
Lastly, and most embarrassing, Ino demonstrated that Harry didn't know all the reasons why his girls might be unable to talk, creating scenes he had never imagined, people tied up, others willingly obeying or humiliating themselves, clearly enjoying it all, while others enjoyed the opposite.
Hinata and Ino had to spend a long time talking with him after that one before he could get a handle on it, followed by 'interesting' tests of how well he had absorbed the lessons on the etiquette involved with each. Ino also promised a second lesson, jointly held with Kurenai, about the use of clothing, what to wear, what to say, and so on.
In another room, Anko was having fun teaching Harry about other positions, as well as getting him to replay his memories of his times with his girls, all in the aid of a better targeted lesson, of course. She had to admit, the young man had talent and was a good learner, too, if the way his girls enjoyed themselves was any guide.
After the replay had ended, she created models of each position in turn, ones that moved as needed to show what to do, making them transparent where she talked about fine details. Thankfully, Anko kept that part professional, letting Harry treat it as the training it really was rather than devolving into the pornographic scenes Harry (and Hinata) had half-expected. Still, Harry was shocked at what could be done with a girl's ass, and wondered why Anko had chosen to copy Hermione for the girl so often. Hinata did know, and resolved that someone would get a spanking later.
Tsunade took Harry and Hinata to an Illusion set in a large bedroom, though the paddles made Hinata blush and Harry curious. The well-endowed blonde started off with describing a titty fuck, surprised when Harry admitted that he already knew what one was through experience. Using that as a springboard, Tsunade taught more about the various aspects of breast play, including the use of pain mixed with pleasure, then moving on to the 'wonderful world of spanking' as she cheekily called it. Harry was glad he was sitting through all of this, as Tsunade was very excitable about her lessons and seeing her breasts bounce like that took on new meaning thanks to the first part of the class. It was even more difficult to retain his composure when she started teaching about the use of clones and, related, about threesomes and group sex.
Hinata had to splash him with water at more than one point to help him concentrate, and the three spent quite a while in the illusion after the lesson had ended, getting their minds out of the gutter and back where they were supposed to be. When Tsunade made the males all based on Harry's measurements, Hinata knew she had stared more than was right, and made a mental note to spend extra time with her Naruto to make up for her lapse.
Kurenai created a formless space for her lesson, creating things as needed before banishing them back to the mist as soon as they were done. She started off talking about mood and its importance, its varieties, and how to read or create it. That brought in discussion of cooking, what foods were good choices, what ones were bad due to strong scents or flavours or simply being heavy, and how to choose combinations to enhance the desired atmosphere. Once the dream meal had been consumed by the models she created, the date moved to the next stage with foreplay, massage, and the application of oils and scents. After that, Kurenai gave him a teasing smile and started with roleplay, describing and showing various types from Teacher and Student, Naughty Librarian, and Bad Cop, to the old favourite, Boss and Secretary with others to follow in the coming days.
Yuugao's lesson was a contender for the most surprising to Harry. The space she used for her Illusion was a sunny meadow. There, she conjured up a pair of lovers who immediately started kissing and fondling each other, before the man lay down next to her, watching his lover strip for him, both of them enjoying the show, then legs spread and showing off as she brought herself to a hard climax.
"That was a basic example of several sexual activities. Firstly, there was exhibitionism, displaying yourself to a partner or audience. The man showed voyeurism, enjoying watching but not touching the woman in front of him. And there was the act itself, the woman fingering herself. These are the first things I intend to cover in your lessons, Harry."
From there, the former ANBU gave a talk on the topics, with other practical demonstrations interspersed, before she moved onto one of the most intriguing and yet embarrassing talks Harry would ever experience as she delved into how toys, dildos, feathers and even whips could enhance an encounter.
Harry had a lot of food for thought at the end of it all, and Yuugao left the Illusion, letting Hinata take Harry by the hand and help him work through his thoughts and emotions. Her patience and loving nature meant she was far better suited to aiding Harry's recovery from the flood of new experiences.
When all five had finished that evening, the clones tracked down the real Harry, warning him that he would want to dispel them one at a time lest he be overwhelmed by all the different lessons. They also told him that there were more lessons ahead for each of them, Ino-mum and Kurenai-mum wanting an extra clone to talk about fashion. The young man took the news well enough, borne on the happiness that seeing Hermione had given him with her visit and the fun they had together, talking, practising spells on each other in a mock duel and generally playing around.
An hour and a quarter later, Harry had dispelled the last of the clones and knew exactly why they had each warned him to take it slowly. There were days, even weeks, of memories from each one and the training was just as shocking as he had initially feared. He got the benefit of talking with Hinata too, which definitely helped once he sorted out the memories.
Walking into the lounge room, he glared at each of the women who had given him such interesting times, before grinning once he had made his point. After that, he settled in and watched tv while keeping an ear out for his parents' conversation.
Over the next week, as promised, the Angels continued Harry's education, but none of it was as emotionally disturbing for him as the first day. Besides, Christmas was coming up!
Christmas with the Clan as parents was a different affair than for most families, for the simple reason that the Clan had literally out of this world traditions, while they had also adopted some of the British ones. Still, very few ever complained about the gorgeous feast they put on for their friends, apart from a couple about eating too much.
For Harry, this Christmas was better than most because of the extra people who were attending. Since the Clan had been gracious enough to invite them, even booking long in advance so their guests could arrange things around it as needed, just about all of Harry's friends were there, as well as every one of his girls. Better yet, since all present were trusted with the knowledge of his clones, he could be in as many places at once as he wanted. He took full advantage of this, spending time with everyone and talking about their week off school, the snow, the presents each got and gave, and generally relaxing as they liked.
Mark Wilkinson had arrived with his new girlfriend, one of the elder Hufflepuffs and a Halfblood whose family had joined early on with the LPF. According to Harry's information, while she had already given her Oath of secrecy, she was just looking for a casual fling before she finished Hogwarts and Mark had fit the bill. Mark had no objections to the pretty witch's plans. His mother had to Apparate the girl who had never visited before while Mark was celebrating being seventeen and legally allowed to Apparate on his own. After a quick talk with the girl, Diana let the pair have their privacy, intent on getting around some of the fine brandy the Clan kept to warm herself up.
Hot on their heels, the Greengrasses arrived, little Astoria racing inside to the warmth and to her friend Harry while Daphne practised the air of refinement her father wanted her to learn. She didn't really like doing it since it made her come across as an Ice Queen, she had told Harry, but it made her father happy.
Once inside Harry's home, and with her parents happily occupied talking business or fashion, she dropped the act and snuggled in her Harry's lap, humming contentedly.
The Bones' had been there for an hour already. Amelia sneakily used the articles in the Daily Prophet as an excuse to get in and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere early with the full agreement of Susan and her bodyguards, since the Kitsune Compound was secure and toasty warm, too!
The other guests arrived, and were reminded that magic use was discouraged that day. If they had any needs, they were to ask one of the Clan or call for Dobby. The little house elf had been on cloud nine when he heard what was planned for the day, and insisted on taking care of as many of the preparations as they would let him. It was his first Christmas free of the Malfoys, and he wanted everyone to be as happy as he was. When put like that, it was hard to refuse the hyperactive bundle of joy, though the Clan did put their foot down about making the food themselves. Dobby made a show of resisting but he did it mostly because he could sense the Clan wanted that display. Cooking was one of the jobs he had trouble enjoying, and even house elves would prefer Clan cooking to their own.
With games and movies, food and drink, intelligent and varied company and conversation, it was a pleased group of guests who thanked their hosts at the end of the night before mostly heading home. Some like the Grangers and Patils were staying on for a day or two, but the rest still had other holiday commitments. Harry's clones accompanied his girls back to their homes as it was their families' turns to host the Boy-Who-Cooked.
Thank you for reading. I hope everyone has a great time over this holiday season. And a note that I will be out of town so the next chapter will be late. Feedback is appreciated, as always. And last but by no means least, many thanks to my betas for all their help!
