(A/N: This is the originally conceived epilogue for the story. As you'll find out very quickly, it features a 'ship with a girl so minor, she's not even mentioned in the books. The only reason she shows up in fan-fiction stories is because of a picture of JKR's notes that show the characters in Harry's year, some of which didn't appear in the books [such as this girl] or whose name was changed along the way [such as the girl's friend.] I hope you enjoy this 'mini-story' to wrap up the main one.)
=== Epilogue 1 – Part 1 ===
[Sun, Feb 2]
Harry wrapped his Unspeakable cloak about him and walked out the front door of Hogwarts. It had snowed all day yesterday and last night, adding another foot or so to an already present layer so the total was up to his knees.
He'd spent the morning working with Professors Flitwick and McGonagall then had lunch with his friends. His friends had all needed some time to get some homework done and he didn't want to distract them too much, so he'd decided to go for a walk.
He didn't like bitter cold, but as long as the wind wasn't blowing too hard - it wasn't today - he would enjoy it for awhile. Therefore, he headed outside and made for the lake, intending to sit near it for the next hour.
He also had a brilliant idea (or so he thought) and called Dobby to go fetch him something. Offering Dobby a job was another topic he was going to have to think about, and perhaps now was a good time.
— — —
"Look, there he is!" a girl whispered to her friend as they looked out a window. "Now would be a good time before someone else approaches him."
Her friend returned a thoughtful look. "Are you really sure about this?"
"Yes, you know as well as I do what needs to be done."
"Knowing what is easy, it's the how that could be a problem."
"You're procrastinating now. You promised me you'd do this." She gave her friend a pointed look.
A sigh. "I did and I'll do it, but it needs to be done carefully if you want it be successful. Very well. Are you going to stay and watch?"
"I'd like to, but I'm not sure I could contain myself. The anticipation of finding out his answer is almost killing me now."
She raised her eyebrow. "You look like your normal self, so I'll take your word for it. How about you wait in the common room then and I'll find you there when I'm done."
"All right." The girl hugged her friend. "Good luck!" she said before she left.
The remaining girl shook her head and ordered her thoughts. This was going to take all of her cunning because she just didn't know nearly as much as she'd have liked about this situation.
Buttoning up her cloak, she headed out the front door and followed the trail off the cleared main path. As she got closer to his position, she noticed that he was sitting in a strange looking chair near a fire and staring out over the lake. The fire made sense given that it was cold out here, but she didn't understand what he was doing with a stick over the fire.
Not really wanting to surprise him, she considered making some noise or else calling out to him, but he surprised her. "Ah, a visitor." He slowly turned to look at her. "And a surprise visitor. You were near the bottom of the list of people I'd expect to approach me, as long as I consider all of the lower classmen in your house as a single person."
She was over twenty meters from him, so he must have heard her; unless he had a ward of some kind. It probably didn't matter she decided. "I've come to talk, no spells I promise."
He regarded her for a moment before he jerked his head towards the stick he had over the fire which had something on it that had just burst in flame. "Damn it!" he roared softly and made a motion like a whip with the stick and the ball of fire went flying, landing it the snow just short of the lake where it extinguished with a hiss. "You distracted me," he said ruefully and without anger. "Good thing I have more."
Potter gave her another look. "Well, if you're not going to do any spells then I suppose I should make this easier on you as it doesn't seem polite to make you stand. Come on over. I won't bite as long as you don't pull your wand." He pulled his wand out though.
She walked over cautiously, watching him clear an area of snow not too far from where he sat. He concentrated for a moment and then silently conjured a chair like he had. She touched the material. It felt normal, but the padding underneath was very soft and unusual feeling. Squeezing then releaseing it she found that it mostly held her handprint and returned to flat slowly. "What is it?"
"Something I've been working on with my conjuring," he replied. "The Muggles call it Memory Foam. It was hard to get right at first, but I've been practicing." He grinned at her. "It's expensive to buy, so my being able to conjure it strikes me as funny."
With care, she sat down and was surprised. "This is probably the most comfortable chair I've ever sat on." She also found the area to be quite warm from the fire, her previous cold feeling leaving quickly. She also had not missed the fact that he had just done a complex conjuration completely silently.
"Thanks!" he said still grinning, as he reached into a bag and pulled out what looked like a very large marshmallow and put it on the end of his stick. At least it was very large compared to what was sometimes put into cups of hot chocolate.
"What are you doing?" she had to ask as he held the stick out over the fire.
"Roasting a marshmallow. Hermione taught me when I last saw her." He stopped and looked at her. "Want one?" He didn't wait for an answer but picked up the wand in his lap and conjured a stick silently before he pulled another marshmallow out of the bag he had and put it on the end of the stick and then extended the stick to her.
She grabbed the end of stick and then slowly moved it over the fire like he was doing.
"I'd suggest turning it so it doesn't catch on fire, unless you like charred ones," he told her.
Turning hers, she could see that it was turning a little golden. It didn't take too long before it was golden all over. "Now what?"
"You eat it, of course," he said as he pulled his back, plucked the toasted item off the stick and popped it in his mouth, though he also held his mouth open a little uncouthly and sucked air in and out. "Haht!" he choked out before he started chewing and then got a smile on his face.
She nibbled on hers. It was quite warm but hers had cooled off enough it didn't burn her. It was sugary, and gooey, and ... "This is surprisingly good." She continued to eat hers in small bites.
"I know, I was surprised too the first time. Another?" He held up another marshmallow and poked it onto the end of her stick as she held it towards him. "So, what did you want?" he asked casually.
His question surprised her. She'd been so caught up in his task with the marshmallows and trying to figure out what he was doing that she'd momentarily forgotten about her task. She slowly turned her marshmallow over the fire. "I was requested to come make an offer," she told him, deciding that the blunt approach for a Gryffindor might be best.
He moved his stick away from the fire and looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What kind of an offer?"
She was a little taken aback by his sudden change, but decided to press on. "The House of Greengrass would like to discuss a possible arrangement with you."
Potter stared at her so intently it was hard to maintain eye contact, but she managed - barely. "You're not from the House of Greengrass, Davis, so first why you and second what kind of arrangement?" Apparently, over his surprise, he moved his stick back over the fire but now he was glancing between it and her.
"Because it's the way it's done, you know that being from the House of Potter," Tracey Davis replied a little annoyed at the question. "The Davis family has supported the Greengrass family for a long time. My older brother is the fifth generation as I am. As for the arrangement, it's the standing one between two Ancient houses."
He pulled his marshmallow back and blew on it gently for a moment. "What do you know of me?" he asked, "From before Hogwarts," he clarified.
"Born to the House of Potter, one of the Ancient and Noble Houses, born of James and Lily Potter. You defeated a Dark Wizard when you were a little over one. Everyone knows that," she told him.
"Yes, everyone knows that, but you've said little of importance and so didn't really answer my question. By the way, you're wrong about the last part," he corrected her.
"Excuse me?" she said a little indignantly.
"Err, you didn't really answer my question and you're wrong about the last part of what you said," he repeated. "Beside the facts of my family ancestry, what do you know of me and how I was raised?"
She noticed suddenly that her marshmallow was turning black on one side and so pulled it to her and blew on it to give her time to think. This was not going as she'd expected. "What was I wrong on?" she asked to give herself a little more time.
"What exactly, as a fifteen month baby, did I do to defeat a Dark Wizard? Did I throw a nappy at him that was so nasty it temporarily killed him?"
"Well, no, but you must have done something?" She protested. "There's something about your magic that conflicts with his maybe."
Potter grinned at her. "That one is one of the most inventive explanations that has a possibility of working, but no, I didn't do a single thing that night. Pick another person." He popped his treat into his mouth and savored it.
She continued to nibble on hers, not liking the charred part, so she ate around it before she threw the remaining burned piece into the fire. "Your parents did something."
"Ooh, got it in one. Don't really know, but my best guess based on what I know is my Muggle-born mother did something. How would that sit with the Greengrass family?"
"I don't believe they'd care."
"Good for them, but now we're back to you and apparently they not knowing anything about how I was raised, and really not much of anything else about me. So why me?" He picked another treat out of the bag and tossed it at her, which she barely caught before it dropped on the ground. He put another on his stick.
Feeling to be back on safer ground, she answered, "Because it would be a good match."
"Humor me, why … when you don't know me?"
A small part of her wanted to beat him over the head with her stick for being so obstinate, but she would carry on valiantly because it was her duty. "It would be a good match because you're both in Ancient and Noble houses and you have no common ancestors for long enough they're unknown."
"So this would be a social or political match?"
"Yes." The way he grinned at her again put her on her guard.
"What kind of arrangement? You never explained that."
Now she felt exasperated and glared at him.
"You know what they say about assuming, right?" he asked cheerfully. "Consider that with the other question about me you haven't answered."
That stopped her and she looked at him carefully for a long moment before things from today and from over the years clicked into place suddenly. "You don't know," she whispered. "We all assume that because you're from the House of Potter that you know, but you don't." She raised her voice to a normal level. "You weren't raised in a Wizarding house, were you?"
"Nope," he said as he ate another toasted confection. "I've got to stopped eating these or I'll be sick." He tossed his stick in the fire and then tossed the half empty bag of marshmallows towards her so it was just out of his reach.
Shaking herself a little to get a grip on her thoughts, she finally answered, "It's an arrangement for betrothal. There is the expected courting with negotiations, followed by an engagement, and eventually the marriage."
"You seem smarter than average, but I'm surprised you didn't pick up on that years ago," he told her.
Tracey blinked, having to switch mental gears as she realize he had returned to the previous subject. "I think it was because everyone expected you to have been raised as a Wizard we never noticed the inconsistencies. I hadn't until you said they were wrong and forced me to consider other possibilities."
"Yes," he grinned, "you fell into the trap of assuming."
She closed her eyes and counted to five - slowly. "You've said it twice. What is the problem with assuming?"
"When you assume," he continued to grin at her, "you make an ass out of you and me. Think about how it's spelled."
Tracey groaned and closed her eyes, this time counting to ten. "Potter, that's awful."
"Hey, I didn't make it up," he protested, his mirth not diminishing.
"Fine. Your joke aside, do you have questions?"
He shrugged. "No and no."
"No questions, but what's the other no for?" she asked.
"No to the offer." He looked at her. "While I know who she is and she's pretty easy on the eyes, she's a coward and I don't want to date, or court, or anything else with a coward."
Tracey went wide-eyed at that description of her best friend and future employer.
"You - on the other hand - are also attractive, intelligent, courageous enough to come talk to me, and you've done it civilly. I like that. How about a date to Hogsmeade next Saturday?" he asked and looked mostly serious.
"You're asking me on a date to Hogsmeade? Next Saturday? While I'm starting the process for a betrothal contract for another girl?" She was flabbergasted and wasn't sure what to think.
"Yes, exactly. I was thinking we could meet at the front door at noon, go to the village for lunch, then spend the afternoon together talking and getting to know each other better."
Tracey continued to look at him and try to process what he was saying. This was so far from the realm of possible outcomes for this meeting that she hadn't even imagined it much less planned for it. That he might say "no" about the offer of an arrangement was something she had thought about and even slightly expected, but this?
The first thing she could get out was, "How do you know we're having an outing next weekend?"
"I have no idea," Harry answered, "but I have an arrangement with McGonagall that I can leave whenever I want and I can take one guest with me for a short time, though she encouraged me to make it someone who was seventeen or at least my age. It's not my first choice, but if you feel you need a chaperone you may bring Greengrass - if she's willing. She can watch from nearby, though on my Gryffindor honor I assure you that your virtue will never be at risk."
She blushed slightly at the last part. Just before she was about to ask another question, his wording triggered another thought and she gave him a piercing look. "Wait! If you know about chaperones, then you know about courting and therefore betrothals."
"Of course I do," he replied. "It'd be to my detriment if I didn't know about basic customs so I don't get trapped into something if nothing else. I will let you in on the secret that I didn't know about this until about six months ago though."
"But you were acting like…" she glared at him again and was upset enough she had trouble finishing her accusation.
"Like I didn't know?" he gave her another grin that infuriated her now. "True, but it allowed me to gain information on your motives, learn about you, and have a little fun. Did you know that the Sorting Hat wanted to put me into Slytherin? I didn't let it because I'd already met Draco Malfoy who'd shown himself to be a pompous ponce and bigoted berk."
Tracey had to smile at that description of her old housemate. "I see, a Slytherin in Gryffindor. I think I wish you had come to Slytherin then maybe you could have kept Malfoy in line more than you did."
Harry snorted. "If that had given Snape a heart attack it probably would have been worth it."
They both laughed at that for a moment.
"To answer your question, I don't know."
He nodded. "I'm sure it was a bit of a surprise for you." He looked at his watch. "I need to go tell my friends a few things as well as good-bye until next weekend. Think about it and let me know next Friday. I usually arrive at lunch time but telling me anytime Friday works."
Standing, he waved his wand at the fire negligently and it disappeared, followed by his chair a moment later. "I'll let you take care of your chair. Cheers," he told her as he pulled out a shrunken broom, enlarged it, then flew off towards the castle.
It took her two castings of the Vanishing spell to get rid of her chair, which gave her something to think about as it was indication of his power. Wishing she could procrastinate but knowing she couldn't, she headed inside.
Far too soon, she was in the Slytherin common room and her friend was waving her over to two chairs in a corner by themselves. As soon as she sat, she was reminded of just how comfortable Harry's chair was. The thought that she now thought of him as "Harry" and not "Potter" also hit her.
"Well?" Daphne asked without hiding her excitement for once after she put up privacy spells.
"I'm sorry, but he said no." Tracey felt it was best to just get it over with.
Daphne took a deep breath and looked down. "That's not totally unexpected. Did he say no never or no not now?"
Tracey blinked at that. "Err, I don't know, he just said no."
"Did he say why?" At Tracey's wince, Daphne looked down. "He thinks we're like Malfoy, doesn't he? Did you tell him we're neutral?"
"I don't think he does think of us like Malfoy, for which we should be glad," Tracey told her. "He told me the Sorting Hat wanted to put him into Slytherin but he'd already met Malfoy and so he talked the hat out of that."
Daphne just blinked. "Seriously? I wished he had come. Maybe he could have taught the ponce some manners."
Tracey laughed. "I said something very similar to him."
"Did he say why?" Daphne repeated. "Come on, you can tell me."
"Well…" Tracey tried to figure out how to spin it in the least offensive manner. "He didn't like that you wouldn't come ask him yourself."
Daphne sat there blinking in surprise. "Why would I? That's not how it's done; an intermediary always starts the process."
Tracey sighed. "Yes, that's the problem. I know that; you know that; but he doesn't think that way because he wasn't raised in our world. He probably thinks more like Granger does than we do."
"But he's a Potter!" Daphne protested.
"Raised by whom?" Tracey asked blandly. It was obvious once he'd pointed out the question to her.
"By his closest relatives," Daphne replied as if it was obvious. At a raised eyebrow by Tracey, Daphne eventually added, "He doesn't have any magical relatives, does he?"
Tracey shook her head.
"But most of us have aunts and uncles in other families, and then there's cousins."
"Name one," Tracey said in an almost bored tone. "I can't."
"But…" Daphne started and stopped as she couldn't name anyone either.
Tracey didn't say anything about Harry's offer of a date. She wasn't sure about it and Daphne wouldn't take it well right now anyway. No, she'd consider it later and only mention it to Daphne if she decided to accept the offer.
[Fri, Feb 7]
Tracey hadn't told her friend about the Harry's offer to her until this morning. Daphne had taken it surprisingly well. Perhaps it was because she'd framed it as "going out with him once so she could say she had".
She'd seen him from afar at lunch, but he'd disappeared very quickly. She gathered he had a class in the afternoon. Therefore she'd waited by herself near the Great Hall before dinner.
It hadn't taken long before he came walking by, unfortunately with Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom beside him. He saw her and gave her a questioning look as he slowed his walking, his friends slowing too and looking at him for why.
She thought she understood; he was testing her courage. She wasn't sure about courage, but she did have ambition and that could do the same thing at times. "Yes," was all she said as she continued to lean against the wall.
Harry smiled at her and said, "Here at noon," before continuing his walk and forcing his friends to practically run for a couple of steps to catch up.
"What was that for?" she heard Weasley ask while Longbottom turned a little and gave her an interesting look, obviously trying to figure things out and looking like he had an idea.
"I'm taking some advice from Hermione," she heard Harry say before they disappeared into the Great Hall. That made her wonder what Granger had said and when the two had talked. Granger hadn't been here since last year but he made it should like the conversation had been recent. By the time she reached her place at the Slytherin table, she concluded that he knew where Granger was and they were in communication in some form. He'd surprised her yet again.
[Sat, Feb 8]
As Harry came around the corner, he looked at his companion and said, "It appears only one person will be joining me for the afternoon."
Professor McGonagall looked ahead and then looked at him. "I'm surprised, but I suspect it will be interesting for you."
"Interesting is good," he replied as he arrived. "Ms Davis, shall we go?" He watched her look at his head of house before she nodded. "We'll be back before dinner, Professor." He led his date out the front door, closing it behind them before leading her down the main path to the front gates.
"No chaperone?" he inquired lightly.
"A date is something done for fun; it's not serious enough for a chaperone," she replied and looked at him expectantly.
He looked back for a moment, not sure what she was searching for. "I agree, this should be fun and a time to get to know one another a little. Do you have any expectations I need to meet as far as what we do?"
"Other than lunch, not really," she answered. After another moment, she said, "I like your new look without glasses; it makes it easier to see your eyes."
Harry was surprised to hear that. He was so used to not wearing glasses now he'd forgotten about them. "Thank you. Can I say that I like your new look as well? I don't remember you wearing much of any makeup last year, but your dark lipstick and eye, err, stuff looks good on you. I like your new hair style too; it's more grown up."
Tracey smiled slightly. "I'm surprised you noticed but thank you."
— — —
As they sat in the Three Broomsticks eating lunch, Tracey felt off. She wasn't sure if she was nervous or what. Harry was being a perfect gentleman and was even telling her a few stories from playing on the Quidditch team with Oliver Wood which were actually funny.
It took her a while, but she finally figured out what she was feeling. As he ended a story, she looked at him sitting there looking relaxed, almost the opposite of how she felt. "Do you feel it?" she asked.
"Feel what?" he asked as he pushed his empty plate to the side and picked up his bottle of Butterbeer to finish it off.
"It feels like everyone is looking at us." She watched his eyes dart around the room.
"I'd guess only about half of the people are glancing at us from time to time," he replied. "Does it bother you?"
"It makes me a little uncomfortable," she answered. "Do you know why they are?" She looked over in time to see an older couple looking at them and them immediately look away.
"There at least two or three reasons they could be looking," he told her, still relaxed. "First, we're obviously Hogwarts Students as we're both in our school robes and it's not a Hogsmeade weekend. So that's a bit unusual.
"Second, they could be looking at you. You're pretty and from a known family." He smiled at her and watched her blush slightly.
"Thank you, but I doubt that," she retorted. "My guess is number three, they're looking at you."
He shrugged. "Could be. It could also be for all three reasons too," he grinned. "Are you bothered by it?"
"A little. I've never had it happen before even when I was with Daphne, so that removes your second reason," she said with some superiority.
He chuckled. "While I don't particularly care for the attention either, I'm afraid that if you're with me, you'll have to get used to it."
She looked at him for a moment. "Or don't be with you, logically."
Harry drained his bottle and put the required coins on the table. "Logically. Ready to go?"
Outside, they still received a few stares. They walked along the High Street and looked in windows. He explained a few small details about himself and asked her a few questions.
"Why did you come back to Hogwarts?" she asked finally.
He'd wondered how long it would take her to ask. "I'm not sure I'm ready to answer that. Only a few people really know, though perhaps a few others can guess correctly. Perhaps one day I'll tell you - if we date long enough."
"That secretive?" she queried as they walked, her hand on his arm.
"My guess is it would be something like asking you what color of knickers you're wearing," he returned with a smirk. "Ultimately, not that big a deal but not something shared casually. Did you want to go into Honeydukes?"
"Sure," she answered before she smirked at him. "Black."
"Excuse me?" he asked perplexed at her statement.
Still smirking she said, "I'm wearing black knickers. Would you open the door, Harry?"
He was so shocked at her answer he did open the door but stood and stared at her as she let go of his arm and walked in like she'd won a major victory. As he walked through the door to stand beside her, he realized in some ways she had. Leaning so he could whisper in her ear, "You win, more secretive than that."
She continued to smirk at him and raised her nose a little imperiously before she giggled and left him to go look at the chocolates.
Playing games with a Slytherin was going to be a challenge and fun, he decided and hurried forward to join her again.
— — —
"So your family runs the company the Greengrass family owns?" he asked as they approached the school.
"Not precisely," she corrected him. "We run many of the day-to-day operations of their company. The Greengrass family still runs the company, especially the top positions. They come up with most of the visions and we execute, though we advise them as well. The Davis family owns about twenty percent of the business now and we'll probably gain a little more when my father steps down and my brother takes over our family's part. Our reward for continuing the partnership."
"That's interesting…"
"Really? I'd have thought you'd be bored to death," she replied. "I'm used to it by now, having been in training since I was quite young."
"I'm sure there's parts of it that would bore me if you went into details, but the overall setup is interesting to me because it shows me a little more about how our world works - or at least your part of the world," he explained before he opened the door. "Here you go, all safe and sound, Ms Davis."
When she didn't say anything but stared ahead, he looked away from her to see Ron and Neville standing together, as well as Daphne sitting on a bench nearby. He wasn't sure what to say other than, "Thank you for the wonderful afternoon." That made her look back at him. "Would you like to have lunch again next Saturday?"
"Uh, yes, why not," she answered, sounding nervous all of a sudden.
"Brilliant," he grinned. "I'll leave you with your friend and head to dinner." He pulled her hand off of his arm and pulled it up to kiss it as he bowed before he let it go and walked away. He hoped her stunned look was a good thing. He really had enjoyed his time with her.
His two friends caught up with him as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"What the hell, mate? Why were you with her?" Ron asked, sounding more surprised than angry, for which Harry was glad. Neville only looked curious.
"If you haven't noticed," Harry said as he grabbed for a bowl of potatoes, "she's kind of cute and I found she's intelligent with a streak of bravery or something that works as well. We got to talking last weekend and I thought, why not, so I asked her out. It was kind of fun."
Harry watched his friend take a big bite of food. "Ron, she's prettier than you are, smells better than you do, and she's from a family-oriented family like you are. I could make the case it's better to be around her than you, but we're still friends and hang out anyway."
Neville choked and grabbed at his goblet for water while Ron sputtered indignantly. "Relax Ron," Neville said when he could. "The Davis family is pretty decent and Harry's right that she's a lot cuter than you are," earning him a glare from the redhead. "Besides, at our age, they'll probably date for only a few months."
"But she's a Slytherin," Ron said half-heartedly.
"Feel better now that you've said it?" Harry looked at him expectantly.
"Well, yes," Ron admitted easily and without any animosity.
"Splendid, now you won't be bothered when we go out next weekend," Harry told him, only to be amused by Ron's fish-out-of-water look, thinking Ron's Slytherin comment earlier was something said because it was expected.
— — —
"Well?" Daphne asked as she'd pulled her friend down to sit on the bench beside her as the boys walked away.
Tracey smiled at her. "Despite what some have told us, he's really a nice guy so far. He was a perfect gentleman, entertaining, and a good conversationalist. While I haven't been on many dates, I'd have to say it's the best first date I've ever had. He surprised me in a good way."
Daphne leaned back against the wall. "Wished I'd talked to him but how was I to know he'd react badly to using the traditional approach?"
"I think the better question is why is it that only about three others really know him? How did that happen when he's from an Ancient and Noble family?" Tracey looked at her friend.
Daphne banged her head lightly on the wall a few times. "We screwed up, all of us from the older families. Malfoy screwed up the worst, but I could have done a lot better by befriending him early on." She signed softly and shook her head.
"Perhaps, but maybe it was always out of your hands," Tracey offered. At her friend's look, she added, "From a few of the stories he told me today and from the little he's told me about himself, he was never very outgoing until about the last year when he started really growing up. I also got the feeling that he and Dumbledore don't see eye-to-eye as much as we all think they do. Also consider how many strange stories there have been about him here at school over the years and Dumbledore didn't do anything about them. What if he had?"
"Are you saying… Wait, what are you saying?" Daphne looked puzzled.
"I'm not totally sure yet," Tracey stated and sighed. "I'm still trying to work it out, but I now believe there's much more than meets the eyes when it comes to Harry Potter."
"All right, but now answer the really important question. What was it like kissing him?" Daphne asked suggestively.
Tracey rolled her eyes and stood. "I said he was a gentleman and I was a lady." She turned and walked towards the Great Hall with her friend calling her name and chasing her. They hadn't kissed yet, but she decided she wouldn't be opposed to it.
[Sat, Feb 15]
As Harry was heading to an early breakfast, he was surprised to see a sleepy looking Ginny walk up to him and follow him out the portrait hole, apparently having been waiting in the common room for him. "Harry, can we talk as we walk?"
He was surprised by her seeking him out, but he said, "Sure, how are you doing? I don't think we've talked recently."
"We haven't, but we've both been busy." She grinned at him for a moment. "Plus you have a girlfriend now, or so the rumor goes."
Harry chuckled. "I do. That was a bit of a surprise, but a good one so far. How are you and Dean?"
Her expression fell. "Well, that's why I want to talk to you. You see, it's not going well and I know it's going to end disastrously if I don't do something soon." She looked down and watched her steps much more closely than she needed to. "I'd like to stay friends with him because he is a good guy, just not one for me. Do you have advice on how I might do that?"
"You're asking me?" he snorted in amusement. "Why not ask Ron?"
"Because he's my brother," she retorted. "I love him as I do all of my brothers, but this is not a question to take to him as he might try to do something he shouldn't. Harry, if a girl was to break up with you, how would you want her to do it so you stay friends?"
He scratched the side of his face for a moment as they reached the ground floor. He also slowed his walk and she matched him. "First, be honest but don't go into details, especially don't point out his faults."
"What if he asks?" she queried.
"He might but I bet he won't," Harry replied. "Be gentle, put as much of it on yourself as you truthfully can. You know, it's not working for you, you've lost the loving feeling, or something. I don't know, I've never had a girl break up with me."
"What if Tracey did? How would you want her to do it?" Ginny persisted as they walked into a fairly empty Great Hall and sat together, only a few others were present and waiting on the food.
"Kind of like I said," Harry told her. "I'd also say you want to remain friends, just not boyfriend and girlfriend."
"All right," Ginny said. "I think I can work with that." She looked up and then smirked. "I'd kiss you on the cheek for being so helpful, but I don't think you'd appreciate that right now."
Harry looked up from the bowl of eggs that had just appeared to see Tracey and Daphne walk in, with Tracey looking quizzical and Daphne frowning heavily. He sighed. "Yeah, it'd be innocent for us but it wouldn't be perceived that way by everyone else."
Ginny started putting food on her plate and she didn't change seats; she did look at him mischievously. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"The truth will work just fine," he told her. "Enjoying Chaser over being the Seeker?"
— — —
When Harry noticed that Tracey had finished breakfast, he told Ginny good-bye, who smirked at him again.
As he escorted his girlfriend out of the school, she looked at him seriously. "What was that between you and the youngest Weasley?"
Harry gave her a look that he hoped she interpreted as it wasn't really her business before he answered. "She wanted advice on how to break-up with her boyfriend since she didn't want to ask her brother that."
"I see," Tracey said slowly and looked ahead.
"Tracey, Ginny is a friend as is her entire family. In fact," he looked at her steadily and saw her look at him, "I see the Weasleys as something like an extended family. If you're going to get along with me, you're going to have to get along with them. You don't have to be best friends with them, but they will be around me … both Ron and Ginny as well as Fred and George. While I'm mentioning family, Hermione is like a sister to me and she'll be back in England one day and around me too. Is this going to be a problem?"
She sighed and shook her head. "No, and I'm sorry for doubting you. I'll admit there's a lot that I don't know about you, and you about me."
"It's all right as long as we work it out," he told her, receiving a nod and small smile.
"What are we doing today, more Hogsmeade?" Tracey asked as they neared the front gates.
"Err, no," he answered. "I believe you mentioned last time that you were taking Muggle Studies because your family sometimes has to deal with them."
"True, well, my father does though I think they're mostly Squibs," she clarified. "Why?"
He grinned at her. "I thought we'd go to Muggle London and walk around a bit. You know, see how the other side lives."
Tracey stopped walking and looked at him. "Seriously? Just like that?"
"Why not?" Harry pulled out his wand. "A couple of Notice-Me-Not charms to cover our arrival and it'll be easy." He applied the charms and put his wand up. "No screaming when we Apparate, please." Since he was already holding her hand, he Side-Along Apparated them away.
Hearing a muffled sound, Harry looked over to see a wide-eyed Tracey with her hand over her mouth. "It's huge," she breathed as she dropped her hand and looked around from the mouth of the alley they'd Apparated to.
Harry removed the charm from them and led her out and down the sidewalk. As her head was twisting and turning every which way, he whispered in amusement, "Don't look so like a tourist; look around more slowly." She glared at him but slowed her movements.
Taking care when crossing the street, he led her over to an empty bench and sat them down. He also put his arm around her shoulders. "We can look around and watch people from here," he told her as she continued to take in the city.
"This is not what I expected," she said softly. "How can you sit here so calmly?"
"Have you forgotten I was raised in the Muggle world?" he answered softly and received a sheepish look and nod. "Also, I come here at lunch time sometimes when the weather is good. It's nice to be outside and get a breath of fresh air. This is also a somewhat famous park behind us, so lots of people come here. It's easy to be ignored in the crowd."
As part of the conversation with Ginny kept returning to him, Harry screwed up his courage a few minutes later to do something about it. "Tracey, I've enjoyed our time together last weekend and this one so far. Would you be my girlfriend?" He watched her blink in surprise and then look at him, pursing her dark red lips a little for a moment.
"Why?" she asked.
"Other than for the reasons I've listed before, I'd like to go out with you more in the future," he told her. "I think that would be easier if we were boyfriend and girlfriend."
Tracey licked her lips every so slightly before she reached up with a hand to the side of his face as she leaned forward and they kissed. It wasn't long. "Yes," she answered with a slight smile before she snuggled into his side a little closer.
Eventually, Tracey became used to the crowds, traffic, and tall buildings, so Harry led her around the world famous town. They had lunch, he bought her some sweets, he even bought her a T-shirt that said "London" on the front. To cap off the afternoon, he took her on the Tube, which she compared to the Hogwarts Express to his amusement.
Stepping off the train and finding a secluded spot, he started to Side-Along Apparated her back to the school gates when she put her arms around his neck and kissed him thoroughly. When she pulled back, he pressed forward and kissed her. "Very nice," he murmured, "but I bet I have lipstick on me now."
She gave a short giggle. "You do not. I never wear lipstick that can smear."
"Magic is wonderful," he told her before he Apparated them back to the gates of the school.
"Did you like our trip today?" he asked as they walked toward the school.
"After I got used to it," she admitted after a long moment of thinking. "I want to compare stories with Dad now."
"A successful outing," he mused. "Let's continue our time at the Gryffindor table. Do you want Daphne to join you so you don't feel so outnumbered?"
She looked at him in surprise. "You try to think of everything, don't you?"
"I try," he grinned.
"Is that even allowed?"
"I've never heard a rule that says it isn't," he returned as they walked into the Great Hall as dinner was starting.
Tracey told him, "Stay here for a moment." She walked over and after a brief conversation with her friend, Daphne walked back with her, though she didn't look completely as ease, just as Tracey didn't. Still, Tracey was putting up a better front and nodded to him.
With a smile, he led them over to the Gryffindor table where his friends were watching him. He didn't think he needed to introduce them, but he did anyway.
No one said anything for a moment so he asked, "What did everyone do today?"
Ron shrugged. "Nothing unusual. We had Quidditch practice today since it wasn't too cold. I still wished you'd play." The last part was half complaint but with no anger.
"We had a good time in London." Harry looked at his girlfriend and smiled. "Tracey was a little surprised at how big it was." Tracey looked a little embarrassed while Daphne looked very surprised at her friend.
"I can understand," Ron said as he took a drink then set his goblet back down. "I was surprised too the first time. I don't find Muggles nearly as fascinating as my father, but they do have some interesting ways of doing things."
Tracey smiled at Ron. "Thanks, that's a good way to put it."
Neville started talking about his NEWT Herbology class and Harry realized the ice was broken. He gave a smile and nod to his best friend who took it in stride before returning to his dinner, not making a big deal out of it.
[Fri, Feb 21]
Harry looked at the hole in the ground and then at the plans in his hand. Making his way down on his homemade ladder, he measured and checked against the plans. He smiled when everything matched.
Digging the basement had taken longer than expected, but it was now done. Climbing out of the hole, he looked at the piles of gravel and sand that had been delivered by a Muggle company. The stacks of stone from Tate's company were over near his covered work area.
Dobby, now officially his employee, popped in. "Is master finished digging?"
"Yes, Dobby, we're done." Harry thought back to Dobby helping him dig. The elf had animated some shovels to dig and buckets to take the dirt out by walking up a ramp and then dumping the dirt in a low area. It had worked well until Dobby had tried to hurry it up by creating and animating more shovels and buckets. It had all gone crazy with the buckets bumping into each other and the shovels fighting over which got to dig a spot of dirt.
Harry had to end all the magic, much to Dobby's embarrassment. They started it back up but on a much smaller and more controllable scale until it was done and Harry removed the dirt ramp with a couple of hours of spell work.
"According to the plans, we need a foot of gravel all over," he told the elf. "While you do that, I'll start carving runes on the stones for the floor and walls." He had all morning before he had to leave for Hogwarts.
He had worked out a warding project with Grace and it had worked on a model. If the runes for the wards worked on this smaller house, he'd do the same for his big manor house. It was going to be a lot of work, but he'd be proud of the result.
— — —
Narcissa Malfoy put the Daily Prophet down and wondered if it was time. Deciding that no Death Eater activity for two months was a good sign, she decided to go with her plan.
"Tippy?"
The house-elf came out of the kitchen. "Yes, mistress?"
"I think it's time. I want you to go back to the manor house and see if anyone is there." Narcissa looked very stern to impress her point. "It is vital you not be seen if someone is there."
"Yes, mistress," Tippy said bowing low before leaving with a pop.
She didn't have long to wait as the elf popped back in less than a minute later.
"Mistress, the house is empty. I do not believe anyone has been there in weeks. There is bad food in the kitchen."
"What about the big snake?" Narcissa asked, hating the thing despite the fact she had been a Slytherin.
"Snake nest is empty too and I don't feel its magic."
Narcissa hated to base her entire decision on what the house-elf told her for this was very important, yet she had no other information and no way to get it other than going herself.
"All right, we'll return. If I lock down the house, will you still be able to come and go?" Narcissa was cautious.
"Tippy think so, though Tippy may have to go slower."
"Then let's go." Narcissa Apparated to the foyer of Malfoy manor, with the house-elf popping in right beside her. It was eerily quiet causing her to expect the Dark Lord to step out at any moment and punish her. With her heart racing, she strode briskly towards the study with the elf having to jog to keep up with her.
"Are we still alone?" she asked quietly.
"Tippy can not sense anyone other than mistress."
In the study, Narcissa opened a secret compartment and touched her wand to a rune cluster that lit. She breathed a sigh of relief until she saw her house-elf. "Tippy, try to go back to the other house and bring food and all of our things."
Tippy faded slowly instead of popping, but she was gone. A few minutes later and her trunk of clothes appeared. With a smile she fell into the chair behind the desk. She was in control of the house and wards, much better wards than on her dowry house. She had little doubt the Dark Lord would be stopped by them if he tried hard enough, but she'd have time to escape if he showed up.
Life wasn't all roses though. No, there was at least one or two things she had to do. With more than a little resignation, she turned around and grabbed a quill and some parchment from the desk and started writing a letter.
[Sun, Mar 9]
Harry had already said good-bye to his Gryffindor friends. Now he was in an out of the way alcove on the second floor saying good-bye to Tracey. This wasn't their first time to kiss, but Harry thought it was one of the best times so far. "I'll miss you … and that," he told her with a grin.
Tracey smiled prettily at him, her dark brownish-red lips pursing slightly. "I will too. Will you come visit me during our usual extended weekend break at the end of this month?"
"You want me to meet your parents?" he asked a little surprised. "Are we that serious?"
"If you don't, you won't get any kisses for two weeks," she pointed out with a sly look.
He combed his finger through her dark hair for a moment. "Very cunning," he told her with a grin before he leaned down to kiss her again. Before he could do so, a cat Patronus bounded up to him.
"You have a visitor at the main entrance," it announced.
"Wait, was that McGonagall's voice?" Tracey asked confused.
Harry sighed. "Yes." He kissed her quickly then pulled her with him as he walked towards the entrance to the school. "Let's go see what's going on."
A couple of minutes later he walked up to McGonagall who was standing next to Tonks, who was not in her Auror uniform.
"Mr Potter," McGonagall addressed him, "thank you for coming so promptly. Ms Tonks needs a word with you and then I believe you were about to leave anyway. I'll see you next weekend." The woman turned and walked away.
Tracey started to leave as well, but Harry held onto her hand and caused her to stay, surprising her.
"Err, wotcher Harry," the pink-haired woman said, looking between them.
"Oh, sorry. Tonks, this is Tracey Davis, my girlfriend. Tracey, this is," Harry grinned and saw the Auror close her eyes, "Nymphadora Tonks." He stage-whispered, "She doesn't like her first name but it's fun to use it when you can get away with it." Tracey gave a quiet giggle while Tonks rolled her eyes.
"Yes, well, if you're finished making fun of me, I do need to talk to you, alone please," Tonks told him. "Sorry," she directed at his girlfriend.
"I was about to leave anyway." He turned to Tracey and gave her a quick kiss. "See you next Friday."
"Bye," the dark brunette returned before she left him.
Harry gestured towards the door and started walking. "So, what's up? Or are you here on secret Auror business?"
Tonks closed the door behind them and continued to walk with him towards the gates. "It's family business actually. Mum wants to talk to you since you're considered Lord Black."
"Oh?" He was surprised. "You know, Sirius did say I was his heir and I know that to be true, but I never really gave what that means much thought. Do you know what she wants?"
Tonks shrugged. "I can guess at part of it, otherwise, not really. I'll have to Apparate you there."
"All right. When we're outside the gates," he replied, wondering what this was really about.
A few minutes later, Tonks Apparated him to a white picket gate in front of a house in the country. He felt a tingle from the wards as they walked through the gate. "Nice wards," he commented.
"You felt them?" Tonks asked amazed. He didn't answer as the door opened in front of them.
A middle aged man greeted them and held out his hand as they walked up. "Welcome Mr Potter, Ted Tonks."
"Thank you, Mr Tonks, it's good to meet you," Harry said as he shook the man's hand and was led in.
"My wife, Andi, though considering this is a more formal occasion, Andromeda," Ted said with a hint of amusement, garnering a quick glare from his wife before she smiled and nodded her head in respect to Harry.
"Lord Black, welcome to our home. Can we get you refreshment?" the woman offered. She had a regal look and was very attractive for her age.
Feeling he might be here a while, he said, "Tea if it's not too much trouble." A look from her mother caused Nymphadora to head to another room while her parents took a seat on the couch and Harry was directed to a nice looking chair.
"Thank you for inviting me over, though I will say I'm a little surprised." He almost asked why, but decided that might be considered rude to lead with that. He thanked Nymphadora for the tea as she served it from a tray with a slightly forced smile. That made him wonder even more why he was here.
"Yes," Andi said a little hesitantly. "A family matter has come up and technically you're the only one who can resolve it. Since my daughter knew you, I thought that sending her might be the easiest way to contact you since this was urgent. I tried an owl but received no answer."
Harry lowered his teacup. "I'm sorry, but I've received no owl post from you or anyone over the last few days. When did you send it?"
"Two days ago."
"Oh," Harry said with a nod. "My mail is redirected so it can take an extra day or three to reach me. I'll probably receive it tomorrow. However, since I'm here, what I can do for you?"
Andi looked relieved. "I suppose the easy one first. Are you aware of my situation in regards to the family?"
"I'm aware Walburga Black burned your name off of the family tapestry," Harry answered. "I believe Sirius said his mother wanted to disinherit you, although I'm not sure what happened officially. I say that because Sirius's name was removed from the tapestry too, but he was never officially removed from the family."
Andi looked down for a moment. "She successfully convinced Uncle Orion to do so."
After a long pause, Harry caught on. "I see. Would it be safe to assume that you'd like me to reverse that?"
The woman looked up with a smile. "It would please me to be back in the family now that it's led by someone who's more considerate and understanding." She looked at her husband, who continued to watch the proceedings with wonder and a hint of amusement. Her daughter looked like she'd rather be elsewhere but was being the dutiful daughter. Considering the girl's casual attitude towards life, he wasn't surprised by that.
"If you'll walk me through how to do that, I'll be happy to, although I don't see the point since you're married," Harry said.
"Hmm, I think I've heard that before somewhere," Ted said quietly with a grin, which earned him another brief glare from his wife.
Nevertheless, Andromeda helped him swear the oath rescinding the dissolution from the family.
After that was done, Harry asked, "You said there was a second bit of family business, something which was urgent?" Because that certainly wasn't, despite the fact that Andromeda had wanted it badly.
"Yes, Lord Black," Andi answered. "Another member of the family has contacted me about being returned to the family."
"Oh? I thought you were the only living family member who had been removed." Sirius and one of his uncles who was now dead were the only other recent ones he could think of.
"She wasn't officially removed, but she married. However, she'd like to use the name Black again and that does requite your permission." Andi looked very hesitant to go on.
As Harry ran through the living members in his head, only one came to mind. He froze but noticed Andi nod and lean back in her chair. He also now realized why Andromeda had made her request first … bragging rights and she was the older of the remaining sisters.
"Why should I care about her, considering who she married?" Harry asked, while noticing Nymphadora taking a little more interest in the conversation now. He also noticed that Andi was choosing her words carefully.
"She believes it's possible and advantageous; beyond that, you'd have to ask her."
Harry snorted. "Ha, I'm more likely to give her the pointed end of my wand. If there was someone I would disown, it'd be her … or at least now that Bellatrix is gone." Bella's demise was no secret, but he realized what that sounded like after the words were out. "My apologies, I don't mean to belittle you through your sister, but she was the cause of the death of Sirius."
"No offense is taken, my lord. While she was my sister, she left me and probably sanity long ago," Andi said graciously.
Harry nodded his thanks. "I'd talk to Narcissa now if she was available just to get it over with. Is she in your back garden perhaps?"
"No," Andi replied with a hint of amusement, "and there's no easy way to get in touch with her. I'll have to owl her and arrange a time that is convenient for you."
"Allow me, Dobby come!" Harry thought hard about the elf and he popped in, surprising the other three. He could tell Andi didn't know who Dobby was, but knew the recipient would be surprised.
"Master called?"
"Yes, Dobby, I need you to take a message to Narcissa Malfoy, or actually to her house-elf to give to her. Please say that I'll be at Andromeda's house for the next ten minutes if she wants to talk to me. If that's not possible for her, then we'll make arrangements for this summer." Harry smirked and the three Tonks chuckled quietly. "Be safe, Dobby."
"I have no idea where Malfoy Manor is, do you?" he asked after Dobby left.
"It's in Wiltshire. If she's available I would expect her to Apparate as she detests the Floo Network, or at least she used to," Andromeda said.
"I see. Do you expect her to come now?" Harry asked.
Andi shrugged while Ted answered, "Yes."
"Why?" Harry asked the man who was smiling with amusement again.
"She just Apparated to the road in front of our gate," Ted replied merrily. "I can see her out the window walking hurriedly towards the house."
"That was fast, she must really want to talk," Harry chuckled.
"I suppose I should answer the door," Andromeda said rising.
"I'll be in the other room, probably better I'm out of sight," Ted said not looking bothered at all.
Andromeda opened the door when they heard a knock. "Narcissa," she said stiffly before stepping back to clear the way.
Harry rose, wary of this woman. He also noticed she was still attractive too. Either Bellatrix had been the exception or her time in Azkaban had done her no favors.
Narcissa nodded to her sister, barely spared a glance for Nymphadora, but curtsied to him. "Lord Black, thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
"Why don't you have a seat and tell me what's so important?" Harry said evenly, or he tried because she was family. Fortunately, Draco had looked more like his father, so it was easier dealing with the woman. That brought him up short as it caused him to think of Snape's attitude towards him.
"Thank you." Narcissa took Ted's place on the couch, though she sat as far away from her sister as she could. "I'd like permission to use the name Black again."
"A day for family business indeed," Harry said. "I just restored Andromeda and therefore Nymphadora by proxy." The pink-haired girl glowered at him for a moment for using her first name.
Narcissa looked shocked and Andromeda looked smug.
"Why?" Harry asked simply, though he could guess now that he thought about it.
"Because I no longer want to be a Malfoy and have no reason to be." She looked down. "My husband and son…" She was unable to finish.
"Not to be crass, but they're gone," Harry finished for her, causing her to jerk her head up.
"How did you know?"
"Besides they haven't been seen and each like to be in the spotlight and therefore are conspicuous by their absence? I do have access to the family tapestry which records special dates automatically," he informed her, leaving out his special knowledge of the attack on the Grangers.
"Oh," she said quietly, obviously having forgotten or else not expecting him to have looked at the tapestry recently.
"At this moment, I'm more inclined to remove you from the family now that I know how," Harry told her. "I have yet to meet a Malfoy I like, although I suppose you have a chance since you weren't one originally."
Narcissa steeled herself. "I'll admit that I believe Purebloods are better, but all of the other nonsense my husband and son spouted in that regard are beliefs I do not hold. Killing the non-Purebloods because of their unfortunate ancestry is short-sighted and wrong. We need the others. They should be guided, not culled.
"Lord Black, I wish to leave the Malfoy name and ideals behind. I loved my husband, especially when there was not a Dark Lord around, but my former husband's name is tainted with that I wish to leave behind. The Black family has had its issues as well, but it still stands proud and I'd to help you with that if you'll let me."
Harry considered that. "Your statement on Purebloods and non-Purebloods strikes me as arrogant, but from what I know of the older traditions, not all that unusual." He sighed. "You know, if your son had said it that way on the train to Hogwarts our first year instead of his arrogant and holier-than-thou insults, there's a chance we could have become acquaintances at some level. I strongly disagree with your view, but I can respect your tradition."
"I want to say no, but that would make me a hypocrite considering what I've said about Severus Snape and his grudge against my father and me." Harry looked at Andi. "Andromeda, you're part of the family. I'd like your feelings on the matter before I decide."
Andi looked surprised but left his asking her alone. "It's been over twenty years since the two of us have had a conversation, but from the time we were growing up, she's presented her view accurately from what I can remember."
That didn't really answer the question, but Harry realized he wasn't going to get a better answer. There was a possible way around his problem if he could trust her.
"Narcissa," it felt a little weird calling her that, but it was proper in this context, "I'll allow you to become Narcissa Black again on the condition that you promote the family name well and fairly. If I find out you've started to act like your husband or son by promoting harm to those just because of their birth, not only will I remove you from the family, I'll take out a full page ad in the Daily Prophet so all will know. Trust is earned not given." By her stricken look, he could tell he'd found a way to control her behavior.
"Yes, my lord, it shall be as you say. Thank you for the trust you are showing and I shall live up to it," she promised solemnly.
"You may write me if you need me, though it will take a few days before a letter reaches me." He looked at all the women. "Perhaps we can have a family get-together this summer to get to know one another better. I'll arrange something." Reaching out with his magic, he could feel that he could leave from here. "If you'll excuse me, it's been a long day."
He Apparated to the Longbottom house, looking forward to a quiet evening.
(A/N: I'll try to put up part 2 in a few days.)