Harry calmly navigated through the witches and wizards occupying the packed Platform 9 3/4, attempting to reach Susan and Hannah standing further up. Just minutes earlier he had said his goodbyes to Amelia after profusely thanking her for letting him stay with them over the summer.
Amelia had merely given him a saucy wink and told him he could thank her during the winter break. Noticing the crowd starting to pay attention to him, he used his now much improved Occlumency to will his slight blush away, knowing Mistress Andromeda would kill him if he looked like a fool in public.
His Occlumency had improved in leaps and bounds during his time at Malfoy Manor, the intense study in the Dark Arts had become a huge boon for his mind arts, as retaining your sanity turned out to be a very strong motivator. He had little doubt Mistress Narcissa had planned that, she seemed to help him in ways that often took him months to figure out. Hell, her tutoring alone was the reason he had been able to save Hermione from the troll and for that she would always have his gratitude.
Harry stared with contempt as the occasional camera went off, documenting his arrival for the second year at Hogwarts. Didn't the press have anything better to do than to take pictures of him getting on the train? He kept his distaste well hidden behind a sea of Occlumency and merely presented a polite smile.
"Mr. Potter, I have heard from a good source that you purchased the Nimbus 2001 for the coming year, will you be following in your father's footsteps and attempting to join the Hogwarts Quidditch team?"
The first thought that flashed through Harry's mind when he looked at the reporter was 'pathetic' and he almost choked on his spit when the thought hit him. Only a year ago he would have covered and hid in shame from these people, attempting to run off in a small panic.
Yet the constant pressure from his Mistresses to appear confident in public and to never hide his robes had made him, well, used to the attention. He realized he was utterly at ease with the whole situation, his Occlumency prohibiting even the smallest twitch of uncertainty from showing on his face.
"We shall see, I make no promises, James Potter left very big shoes for me to fill, in more ways than one."
Polite and humble, while in reality giving away nothing; just like he had been taught. He gave a small grin to the reporter who was rapidly writing down his words, quotes from him seemed to drive them mad for some reason. Reaching the girls, he quickly grabbed their shoulders before nodding towards the Hogwarts Express.
"Let's get out of here."
Seeing the crowds still staring at them they nodded, they might have had the usual public training expected of noble heirs, but that didn't mean they enjoyed being stared at. Hannah picked a compartment and shamelessly handed both her own and Susan's trunk to him before entering with a superior grin. He chuckled after her before easily lifting their trunks into the overhead storage; she liked trying to mess with him.
"My ladies, your traveling materials are safely stored." His overly exaggerated bow only spurred Hannah on.
"Oh my, thank you so much. You see Lady Susan; the commoners are of some use after all."
Harry snorted at that; he couldn't wait until Hannah had to start attending official ballroom dances; she was more likely to strangle some stuffy dignitary than dance with them. He didn't have time for a snotty comeback before the door opened behind him, admitting the fourth member of their quartet. Hermione's hair was all over the place and she seemed to be practically humming with excitement as she greeted them.
He wasn't really surprised, the girl absolutely loved school and a magical school seemed to be a notch better. Harry also knew she was determined to surpass him; she had tried to hide it but they could all spot the occasional bout of frustration as she had trouble with a spell that he made work on the first try. He was fairly confident it was the first time she had been beaten in any schoolwork, the girl really was shockingly intelligent, and she probably didn't really know how to deal with not being number one for once.
Their trip was peaceful and without interruption besides the lady selling snacks, yet Harry had trouble relaxing. He kept glancing at the chatting girls and the warning from Dobby was loud in his mind, seeming to taunt him the closer they got. The more he thought about it the more determined he got, his despair giving way to his anger and frustration, he would crush any enemy attempting to hurt him or his. He almost snarled as he felt someone poke him in the ribs. He turned an angry face towards Hannah who only lifted an eyebrow and said,
"I don't think it's going to hurt you."
He looked wide-eyed at her before paying attention to where she was pointing, his advanced charms book almost crushed in his twisting hands. Harry flushed slightly as he relaxed his grip but it was far too late, he was met with three equally inquisitive looks.
"So…want to tell us what has got you upset enough to take it out on a poor book?"
Hermione was poked in the ribs by an eye-rolling Susan,
"Ignore the book Harry, what's going on, you have barely said a word since we left King's Cross?"
He tried to think of an excuse but was only met with three raised eyebrows, the expressions so similar that he almost found it eerie. It was Hannah who vocalized it.
"Harry you can't lie for shit to us, now spill."
"It's about the warning, isn't it?"
The other two girls looked at Susan who just shrugged before explaining Dobby's warning.
"My auntie already knows; Harry knows she wouldn't have been happy if he kept it a secret from her. Legally her hands are tied as there is no evidence and a house-elf's word means nothing in the Wizengamot, but I'm certain she's secretly looking into the whole thing."
Harry grunted in agreement; Amelia had not been a pretty sight when she found out there might be a threat to Susan at the school.
"So that's what has your panties in a twist?"
Hannah just leaned into him and grabbed his arm, sighing theatrically.
"Oh well, I guess you'll just have to escort us poor maidens absolutely everywhere to keep us safe. Oh, the agony."
Harry couldn't stop the grin from forming and placed his arm around her shoulders, making her flush a little.
"Indeed, my Lady, it seems I have no choice in the matter."
XXX
It was a groggy Harry that finally stepped off the train at Hogwarts, having a soft and warm witch leaning up against you was surprisingly comfortable and he had quickly dozed off. Hannah had seemed to share his thoughts and had fallen asleep just as quickly and was now gently rubbing her eyes.
Walking up to the castle Harry spotted Professor Snape standing at the door and sourly remembered the words Mistress Narcissa had spoken just a week earlier.
"I heard you had quite the personal victory over Severus Snape?"
Harry grinned in return, remembering the man's sour look when McGonagall said she would inspect all points removed in the future.
"Yeah, you should have seen his face Mistress!"
She however held a completely neutral face and calmly continued.
"Tell me Harry, have you ever considered how a half-blood can be the head of the house of Slytherin? I know you knew about his blood status; I did have you read up on all the professors after all."
Harry frowned; he had never really thought about it. Now that she did mention it, it was rather strange for a house with the worst possible purebloods to respect a half-blood. He heard a soft sigh from her, the disappointment cutting deeper than any insult.
"I see you didn't even think it through, that is almost as dumb as chasing after that Quirrell fellow alone. I see we need to work on your critical thinking some more."
Harry cringed at the barrage; she never did tolerate foolishness.
"Severus Tobias Snape was an exceptional wizard even in his Hogwarts years, excelling in the art of potion-making unlike any other student had done in centuries. While he might not have made many friends during his years at the school, in the latter years he most certainly earned the respect of his housemates in Slytherin. There were even murmurs of him creating his own Dark Arts spells in the sixth year, something that would be impressive even for a fully trained wizard, let alone a student."
She sipped her cup of tea before continuing.
"It was hardly a surprise for any of us that attended Hogwarts with him when we found out he had been elevated to the rank of Potions Master, the youngest to achieve such a thing in centuries. It was in fact expected. I later found out from Lucius that he was a member of Inner Circle of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters, which is not a rank that is easily earned. Even simply becoming a Death Eater requires a certain cruelty and ruthlessness as a show of loyalty."
Placing her tea on the table she levelled a steady stare at Harry.
"Severus has the respect of the Slytherin's because their parents have told them to obey his orders, as they know quite well that regardless of what image he might present to the school, he no doubt hides far more. His Occlumency is rumored to have been complimented by the Dark Lord himself, making any word he says or any image he presents questionable. He could lie to all our faces and none of us would know. He is a man cold enough to become an Inner Circle Death Eater, cunning enough to avoid any punishment for his past actions, skilled enough to become a Potions Master and you, Harry Potter, insist on making an enemy out of a man like him, especially considering he has daily access to where you eat and sleep?"
Harry grimaced at the thought of someone who knew more about poisons than the combined population of Hogsmeade having access to his food.
"I see you understand my point. Now I don't expect you to become friends with him, I doubt that would even be possible. I do however expect you to treat him as a Professor at the school; there need to be no warmth as long as there is simple courtesy. Always avoid making enemies needlessly Harry, cunning will serve you far better than outright hostility."
Snapping back to the present Harry realized he was staring right at the sour man. Swallowing his distaste, he gave a polite nod as they entered, savoring the look of surprise that briefly flitted across his face. He didn't like it but Mistress Narcissa was no doubt right, he had never actually known her to be wrong after all.
Susan sent him a questioning look as they sat down at the Hufflepuff table but he waved it away, just wanting to get some food. He still found it rather disconcerting how well the girls could read his face, it was something of a personal challenge for him to attempt to trick them with his Occlumency, but it never seemed to work.
The sorting was rather boring but he still paid attention, not wanting to miss any potentially big names being sorted without his knowing. He recognized a few names, the most noteworthy being Luna Lovegood, the Lovegood's were after all an old pureblood family even if they were rather impoverished these days.
The girl was, however, nothing like the aloof pureblood he expected, she seemed to practically skip down the hall, her long dirty blonde locks trailing behind her. He couldn't help cracking a slight grin as he saw the disgusted looks being sent her way from the Slytherin table.
He also noticed the Weasley girl being sorted, mostly because she sent him a feverish stare as she disappeared under the hat and seemed utterly crushed to end up in Gryffindor. He raised an eyebrow at that; shouldn't ending up with her brothers have made her happy? He dismissed the thought as Lockhart stood up to deliver a speech, making him groan at his food being further delayed.
Hannah seemed to find his dismayed look exceptionally funny as she kept grinning at him as Lockhart prattled on, making his annoyance even more pronounced. Susan leaned towards them both.
"Aww stop it Hannah, you know how grumpy the poor boy becomes when he doesn't get his food."
Harry just grunted, not deigning their giggling worthy of a response. When Lockhart finally sat down, he sighed in relief until Dumbledore in turn stood up, making Hannah snort at his incredulous look. Merlin but these wizards loved hearing themselves talk. The food finally arrived, making him completely ignore everything as he dug in.
The girls weren't entirely wrong when they said he got grumpy without food, after his young years where starving was quite common, he was determined to never miss a meal again if he could help it. People who had never gone hungry for an extended period of time wouldn't understand it, but Harry did.
"Oi Harry, pay attention, Preece said they were holding the Quidditch trials tomorrow morning."
He looked up at that, Hannah's words having surprised him.
"This soon?"
She just shrugged.
"Don't ask me, but I reckon Preece wants a new team together as soon possible, with us being the first to play each year."
Harry slowly nodded, Malcolm Preece was a seventh year and one of the few lefts of the Hufflepuff team of last year. Rumour had it he was grooming Cedric Diggory, the fourth-year seeker, to take over after him as captain of the team.
He didn't care much about that, he was aiming for chaser, the position his father had played. He found it to be the most interesting and demanding position to play, constant action, physically extremely strenuous and very fast paced. He grinned at the thought, he absolutely loved flying and he had no doubt he would love playing Quidditch as well.
XXX
It was a sleepy Harry Potter that trudged down to the Quidditch pitch the next morning, his Nimbus 2001 slung over his shoulder. He yawned loudly as he stared at Hannah in disbelief, watching her practically skip along next to him.
"That's just unnatural."
She just chuckled at his grumbling, looping her arm in his and humming all the way to the pitch.
"Where's Susan?"
"She's coming; even I'm not dumb enough to pull her outside after having woken her up."
Seeing him about to argue she continued,
"She knows to not move alone in the castle, she'll join the other girls walking down to the pitch."
He nodded at that before walking over to stand next to the other hopefuls. After not having had any real friends growing up, the simple feeling of someone showing up just to cheer for him felt surprisingly good.
Preece showed up exactly on time, clad in his Quidditch robes and Captain's Badge and quickly got their attention.
"Alright, listen up. Get in the air and give me five laps around the pitch."
They quickly obeyed and Harry could easily see the point behind the seemingly pointless task, some of the people here were terrible flyers. He understood self-confidence but Merlin, some of the people here had to be oblivious to think they qualified for Quidditch. When they landed Preece quickly dismissed half of them, wishing them better luck next year and turning to those still in the race.
"Right then, split up, beaters to the left, seekers to the right and chasers stay."
It was little surprise to find no seeker hopefuls, Diggory was without a doubt the best seeker in the school right now and no one felt confident enough to take his post. Harry had seen him fly and thought he might be slightly faster but simply didn't care, being a seeker seemed so boring to him, the players spending the majority of the game simply looking around. Chaser was what he was here for.
"Anyone applying for Keeper?"
Herbert Fleet, the current keeper, chuckled at the silence and walked over to Preece. Preece just sighed, it wasn't that Fleet was bad but the lack of applicants for that post was becoming a bit tiresome.
Shrugging it off he started the trials with the beaters, pairing them randomly and having them fight against other pairs with Bludgers.
Having cut down the numbers a bit he added a few flyers on both sides and had the beaters practice defending and attacking. In the end the two current beaters, fifth years Michael McManus and Anthony Rickett, were obviously better than the rest and even the challengers seemed to recognize this.
"Alright, thank you all for applying but we will keep the beaters from last year. Better luck next year."
People groaned but walked away without argument.
"Right, chasers then, I'll have you fly some formations against me and Fleet."
Harry paid careful attention as he randomly selected students to face against them, Fleet covering the rings while he played defence. He noticed a pattern as anyone that flew well stayed in for far longer while their partners were switched out, letting the captain gauge their skill with different fliers.
Harry watched as Preece dismissed a third-year girl that flew well but didn't really have the arm strength to handle the Quaffle. People tended to underestimate how much physical strength was required when playing as a chaser, whenever you had the Quaffle you were expected to control your broom with one hand, which might sound easy but when you're swerving between bludgers and harassing defenders it's incredibly taxing.
"Potter, you're up."
He got a sceptical look from most of the others, the youngest member on the team was Diggory and even he was a fourth year, yet here was a second year applying for the most physical role. He completely ignored them the moment he took to the air though, the complete sense of freedom making his magic thrum in pleasure.
In the air he was the king, he had absolute control of where he went. He drew a deep relaxed breath at the sensation before he saw the Quaffle flying towards him and instantly sharpened his gaze. His arm flew out and grabbed the ridged ball with ease before he pumped all of his magic into his broom, letting it take off like a rocket. The Nimbus 2001 was terrifyingly fast and the sudden acceleration caught everyone by surprise as he whipped past Preece with ease and angled towards the far-left ring.
Fleet quickly recovered and attempted to intercept him but Harry almost laughed at him, he felt weightless as a bird as he suddenly weaved to the right, his magic strengthening his grip on the broom before he threw the Quaffle. It sailed through the right ring with uncatchable speed, far out of the reach of the Keeper.
Preece looked angry at first before a hint of a grin grew on his face as he dismissed Harry's flying partner.
"O'Flaherty, get up here, you're on my side."
That raised some eyebrows as Maxine O'Flaherty was already a chaser for the team, the fifth-year girl having played for Hufflepuff for two years. Preece threw the Quaffle to Harry.
"Alright kiddo, let's see what you can do."
Harry disliked the dismissive attitude and decided to pull out all stops. He had been flying at the both the Bones and the Malfoy manor all summer, using it as both physical exercise and relaxation. Amelia said she had never seen someone more natural on a broom and he intended to show that talent to the rest of the school today.
He shot off with the Quaffle curled under his arm, aiming straight towards Preece before barely passing him on the right. Preece instantly gave chase while O'Flaherty attempted to cut him off from the other side. What followed was a terrifying display of agility and power as he flipped the broom around and flew upside down under O'Flaherty with the Quaffle outside of her reach.
He continued the spiralling motion and flipped back up when he passed her, speeding up further to lose Preece who was still close on his heels. Harry felt a grin grow on his face as both his adrenaline and magic spiked, the incredible sense of speed making him giddy. He was a Potter by blood, by heritage, by skill and he laughed as he suddenly did a ninety degree turn at a speed that should have thrown him off the broom, shaking off Preece and catching Fleet flatfooted as he suddenly zipped in another direction. By the time Fleet recovered the Quaffle was already flying through the air, gracefully scoring another point for Harry.
"What the fuck?"
Harry grinned at Maxine O'Flaherty, her Irish accent coming off strong as she stared at him, her brown eyes wide in disbelief.
"Not fuck, Potter."
Preece seemed almost giddy as he passed the Quaffle to him again.
"I've heard about your old man, good enough to go pro in his sixth year they said. Looks like it's in the blood. Do it again."
Harry just grinned in return and sped off again, letting the sweet adrenaline flood him again as he weaved through the air.
XXX
It was an exhausted but happy Harry Potter that sat down for lunch in the great hall, calmly thanking the housemates congratulating him.
"Congratulations on your place in the suicide squadron, just what you needed, more ways to endanger your life."
Hermione smiled to show it was said in jest as she sat down at their table. Harry just chuckled in return.
"Thanks, I've been looking forward to this since first year."
She just rolled her eyes as Hannah snorted.
"We have heard."
He grunted, so he might have mentioned it a few times, no need to be so snarky about it.
"Wood has been foaming at the mouth ever since he heard you were the new Hufflepuff chaser. Angelina said he's been mumbling about 'another Potter'."
They all laughed at that, the Gryffindor captain was rather infamous for being borderline insane when it came to Quidditch. They ate a relaxed lunch before Harry excused himself to go visit Mistress Andromeda, he hadn't really spoken to her since the Horcrux was removed.
He whispered the usual password at her door, a quiet "Mistress" which temporarily disabled the wards and allowed him to slip in.
She looked up from the book she was reading as he entered.
"Hello Harry. I hear congratulations are in order."
"Hello and thank you Mistress."
She smiled and gestured to the lounge chair opposite hers, laying the book down on the small table next to her. Harry looked at it with interest; it seemed to practically radiate dark magic. She noted his interest and explained.
"I have been studying what you had in your scar."
That certainly got his attention; they had agreed to never use the word 'Horcrux' in public in case someone managed to overhear it. A simple precaution that could potentially save them from a huge headache.
"Anything of interest?"
"No. Sadly your situation is very unique and its long-term effects are almost impossible to predict. I do however strongly suspect it will have some effect on you; the shard was in you for such a long time. It had ten years of time where it was connected to both your magic and soul and it would honestly be more surprising if there were no consequences at all."
"What kind of consequences?"
"Hard to tell, if you develop a problem with your magic is it because of the influence from the shard or would you have had it regardless? If you master an obscure magical talent or develop a magical gift, is it because of the shard or was it simply in your blood?"
Seeing him frown she smiled encouragingly at him.
"Your soul and mind are strong and your magic is powerful, I find it very unlikely that there will be any problems. Have confidence in yourself and don't let this bother you."
He grinned sheepishly, remembering Mistress Narcissa's words, 'whining never achieved anything'.
"You're right Mistress, sorry."
"Of course, I am. I saw your words to the Daily Prophet by the way, it was a good quote. Now that you actually managed to make the team it will look even better, with you coming across as a humble young man following in his father's footsteps."
She brushed away some imaginary lint from her thin summer robes before continuing.
"All in all, the response to you has been positive, your success and behavior in school has made you very few enemies. Being successful will of course always lead to having some opponents but that's simply life and cannot be avoided. I am also pleased to see you're reaching outside of Hufflepuff for friends, even if I would prefer if it was with someone who wasn't a muggleborn for political reasons.
But on the other hand, having a muggleborn friend could lend you more support among the half-blood and light families. You should however work on reaching out more to the other houses, especially Ravenclaw and Slytherin."
Seeing him about to argue she overrode him before he could open his mouth.
"Friends made at your age often last a lifetime, especially friends made at Hogwarts. Reaching out to Ravenclaw would show you have no issues with the neutrals, whereas reaching out towards Slytherin would demonstrate your sympathy towards the dark families. Do not forget that dark does not equal evil. Whether you like it or not, your pool of friends needs to be expanded, as your friends are currently two very light families and a muggleborn, which quite frankly makes it seem like you're Dumbledore's pawn. Your contact with me and Amelia has lessened that image but the simple fact remains that your friends show the world who you are and right now they are showing you as a purely light Hufflepuff."
Harry opened his mouth to refute that argument but realized there was nothing he could say. His tutoring with Mistress Narcissa was being kept a secret by her and it would be political suicide to expose his training in the Dark Arts. He groaned softly as he realized she was entirely correct.
"Fuck. You're going to make me make Slytherin friends, aren't you?"
Her teasing smile told him all he needed to know.
"Fine, I'll try to do it."
"Of course, I have complete faith in you. Now seeing as you apparently see fit to swear in my company, I think there are far better ways to put that mouth to use."
He sighed mentally as he watched her lift her robes, she really did not tolerate coarse language from him. Then again, he knew the reasons she was making him branch out to the other houses was as much for him as it was for her, he had little reason to swear. She had made no secret of intending to make him a strong Lord of his house and using his influence for the good of them both.
Kneeling in front of her he slipped in under her robes, surprised to find she had apparently gone commando on her day off. Her long legs were clad in the usual silky black thigh-high stockings she seemed to enjoy and he softly kissed the inside of her thighs as he parted her knees.
She gladly assisted him and moved her hips closer to the edge of the chair, fully presenting her smooth hairless pussy to him. He gently kissed the junction of her legs before trailing his lips over her folds, softly kissing and licking at the slight wetness she leaked.
He heard her soft moans as the blood flow to her puffy lips increased, giving them a slight red tint as her heart rate increased. Harry slowly eased two fingers into her wet opening, feeling the walls clench around them as they slid in.
He licked around them, savoring her taste as his lips trailed around her folds. He felt incredible heat as he started to move his fingers in a come-hither motion, rubbing the inside front wall of her vagina as he lapped up her juices with a flat tongue. The spongy tissue he was rubbing was the para urethral gland, or better known as the female G-spot.
Her panting increased and her soft gasps made him painfully hard, but he ignored that as he watched her engorged clit peak from its hood. Her hips were grinding against his hand and mouth and he could almost feel her need as her pussy clamped around his fingers.
Leaning in, he engulfed the clit with his mouth, sucking and licking on the sensitive bundle while pumping his fingers, letting magic trickle through his digits to further stimulate the nerves.
She exploded with a drawn-out moan, shivering and gasping as her smooth thighs twitched around his head. He dutifully lapped up her taste with a gentle tongue, slowly removing his fingers as his tongue brought her down from her incredible high.
Andromeda gasped as she felt his long tongue enter her and clean her out, sucking up her wetness as she slowly felt her body relax. Feeling he was done she reached down and pulled him up for a kiss, tasting herself on his lips. She licked her lips before sending him on his way.
"Good job Harry, with that silver tongue of yours you'll have plenty of new friends in no time."
Harry knew that she meant the charm he could turn on when needed, but he still gave her an exasperated look as he slipped out of her room, Merlin's balls, but who on earth was he going to befriend from Slytherin of all places?