Two days had passed since he had met Amelinda Greengrass at the train station and Harry was still a nervous wreck. Sleeping poorly, barely eating and snapping at Susan when she tried to help. Thoughts and possibilities kept whirling through his mind, what if she knew, what if she told, what if she demanded something of her own? He felt like he was wearing a hole in in the floor of his guestroom but he couldn't stop pacing, too jittery to sit down and relax
A quick couple of knocks on his door startled him, but before he could even respond Madam Bones walked in, closing the door behind her.
"What is it?" He snapped.
She sent a chilling stare right back at him, making him snap his mouth shut.
"Sorry, uh, I'm not feeling that well."
"Bullshit Harry."
She leaned against his desk, crossing her arms under her significant bust as she studied him.
"You have been behaving like a bear shot in the arse ever since the train station, the rings around your eyes tell me you haven't been sleeping well and when you're eating it looks like you're forcing down something vile. Susan is also depressed because you have been ignoring her and snapping at her for no reason."
He cringed slightly at that, feeling guilt well up in him at the way he had been treating her.
"Now, I'm not going to let you ruin my girl's Christmas, so we will talk. No, don't bother arguing, either you talk willingly or I will make you talk."
Harry sent a glare at her at the ultimatum, unconsciously gathering his magic at the threat. She merely raised one elegant eyebrow in response.
"Merlin you are high strung."
He flushed at that, releasing the magic as the fight went out of him and he slumped on the bed. Amelia walked over and crouched in front of him, leaning into his face.
"Come on Harry, how am I supposed to help you if you won't tell me what's bothering you?"
Her willingness to help broke down his last wall and he sighed deeply before hesitantly telling his story. He explained how he suspected she was a Legilimencer and how he had run into her at Mrs. Malfoy's party, leaving out any unnecessary details about what he had been doing there. He told her about how good she was and how worried he was that she had rooted through his head.
When he was done Amelia leaned back on her hands in thought, giving Harry a rather spectacular view of her freckled cleavage. Harry shook his head, not the best time to be having those thoughts.
"This party was at Malfoy Manor, yes?"
"Uhh, yeah."
"Then I find it unlikely that she would have penetrated your mind."
Harry looked up in total surprise, with a small tinge of disbelief visible on his face.
"Ah, I forgot you have only read the very basics of wards. All old families have extensive wards around their homes, defensive wards, intent wards, proximity wards, offensive wards, obscuring wards, you name it; you can probably find it. There's a reason why guests never cast magic in someone else's house and it's not just because it is considered rude. Depending on the type of warding, the magic can react very negatively to any magic cast by people not belonging to the main family. At the very least almost all homes have basic detection wards, letting the blood know when someone is channeling magic under their roof."
She smiled at his gob smacked face, sitting down in front of him to continue her explanation.
"Considering who Lucius Malfoy is; I would expect every single ward available to be plastered on top of the Malfoy Manor. Now there's a possibility that Mrs. Malfoy may have specifically keyed in Mrs. Greengrass to their wards and given her leave to cast, but does that sound like something she would do?"
Harry didn't have to think long about that, the odds of Mistress Narcissa giving up any power, no matter how insignificant, to anyone else was incredibly slim. He shook his head in response making Amelia smile slightly.
"Indeed. Now even if she did have permission, you have to consider that you have grasped Occlumency very well and have had capable defences up for some time. The possibility of her scanning your surface thoughts exist, but for anyone to delve deeper into the mind of an Occlumens is extremely difficult, especially without the victim noticing the intrusion."
Harry let out a huge breath in relief as her explanation pierced through his stunned mind, lying back on the bed in elation. Her tone became much sharper for her next sentence.
"Now, is there a reason why you spent the last two days sulking in your room instead of consulting me immediately?"
Harry flushed slightly, he didn't sulk…he brooded, in a manly way. At least that's what he told himself. Thinking the whole thing over he realized he had overreacted, instead of gathering information he had been acting like an idiot. This wasn't something he planned on telling Mistress Narcissa, she'd have him reading those incredibly boring logic books all day again if he did. Amelia scoffed at his lack of response.
"Hmph, thought as much. Now that this ridiculous issue is solved, you will march up to my niece's room, knock on her door and very kindly and pitifully ask for forgiveness for being an ass."
Harry opened his mouth to argue but snapped it shut before his tongue could take leave of his wits again. He really did owe her an apology. He felt like an idiot for that matter, Mistress Narcissa always told him to use all resources available to him, yet he had completely ignored the fact that he had access to the head of the DMLE.
"Yeah, will do. And uh… sorry about everything Madam Bones."
"Oh, we'll get to the apology you owe me later tonight."
The smirk that accompanied that sentence made him flush slightly and he quickly slipped out of the room to make amends with Susan.
Susan turned out to be quick to forgive him; she only needed a bit of groveling and a sincere apology before she hugged him in acceptance.
"I know you have some secrets but please don't lock me out again. I'm just happy you're okay again Harry."
The words surprisingly made him flush; something he thought had gotten far better at controlling. She really was far too kind for him; he needed to make this up for her. His mind made up he quickly dispatched Hedwig for an emergency order to the Diagon Alley jeweller.
The promise of a bonus made the owner happy to oblige with his request and within hours Harry had a far more impressive gift than the usual ready for Christmas. Dangling from a very fine chain of enchanted gold hung a small Potter crest, the Potter lion magnificently sculpted into a small shield, two small emeralds highlighting the eyes. It was hunched over, guarding a capital P made out of platinum. Harry was no expert but he considered it a very nice-looking necklace, as it should be considering the price he had to pay.
He also knew that giving his own crest to Susan to wear signified that she was under his protection, which also meant she was under the protection of House Potter. There were other more private meanings behind the gift, one of them being that he expressed interest in her through the gift.
He had little doubt that if he wanted to start dating any girls around his age then it would be among his friends. Showing Susan that he was interested in her the way he knew she was interested in him wasn't something he minded.
Sitting down for dinner that evening it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he suddenly found himself ravenous, gorging himself on all the food while trying to keep his table manners in check. Susan seemed amused and he had to admit it was nice to see a smile on her face again; he really had acted like a prick.
Conversation flowed freely now that he wasn't hindering it anymore and he found himself enjoying being at the Manor again. Madam Bones however didn't seem too impressed yet, she was clearly pleased he had made up with Susan but he knew he still owed her an apology. To be honest he agreed with her and was genuinely thankful she had forced him to open up.
Harry knew he had issues asking people for help and even though he usually disliked people butting in, Madam Bones had greatly eased his state of mind by making him explain his problem and then logically dissecting it until he was unsure why he had been so worried in the first place. The dinner eaten Harry thanked the elves before excusing himself, but when he passed Madam Bones she covertly leaned in to his neck, her whispered breath washing over his ear.
"My room, midnight."
Harry nodded quickly before accompanying Susan upstairs, it looked like he was going to be given his chance to apologize to the Matriarch of the Bones family. He knew what she implied and he didn't really mind at all, as far he was concerned, he owed her one and wouldn't mind repaying it.
Harry lounged on his bed passing the time until midnight, trying to read into the introductory Ancient Runes books. He knew all wards were based on three things, runes, Arithmancy and sufficient power to cast it. He had a head start on Arithmancy thanks to Mistress Andromeda's tutoring from before he even started Hogwarts; it was after all only another form of math. Runes were however a mystery to him, but with everything that had happened he realized he couldn't leave such a huge hole in his knowledge until the third year when they would finally get to pick their electives.
He was somewhat surprised with the ease he was memorizing the runes; the book indicated this should be much harder. Harry mentally shrugged before continuing reading, wouldn't be the first time he deviated from what was considered normal. Two years ago, he might have moaned and cried over not being 'normal', but after his Mistresses influence he had understood to embrace it as a strength rather than treat it as a weakness.
Glancing at his watch he saw the thick hand creeping up on twelve o'clock and promptly stowed his book before creeping out into the hallway. Reaching Madam Bones door, he hesitated for a second considering if he should knock, but decided that if she expected him then that was unnecessary noise.
Grasping the handle, he felt a ward quickly size him up, recognize him and grant him entrance. Slipping into the room he closed the door behind him, feeling wards snap back into place, covering the rich bedroom.
Harry spotted Madam Bones instantly, lying in the bed rifling through a report. He swallowed softly as his eyes roamed over her, the sheet came over her breasts, but the lack of clothing above it indicated she was nude underneath as well. Her eyes darted to him as he slipped in before they glanced at the clock on the wall, seeming to frown slightly in surprise. Harry guessed she hadn't even realized how late it was, wondering how often her work kept her up.
Amelia looked at the dutiful boy as he waited for a response, feeling a flicker of heat and excitement building inside her. She vividly remembered the pleasure he had given her during the summer, after all it was the only time, she had gotten release from someone else in the last decade.
Being honest with herself she had to admit she was looking forward to this, her work had been piling on like mad lately and the whole debacle over in Hogwarts was giving her grey hairs.
She wanted to move aurors into the school and have patrols covering every floor but Dumbledore was counteracting her every move. What was worse was that he had several Hogwarts laws and regulations to support him, not to mention that he spent a good time influencing the Minister to see things his way.
This annoyed Amelia greatly, why didn't he spend all this time hunting for the culprit instead. That's not even mentioning Lucius Malfoy of all people supporting her, which had thrown her for a loop, why would he want her to place aurors in the school if the culprit didn't target purebloods? To undermine Dumbledore? To establish a Ministry presence in the school?
Noticing the boy fidgeting she realized she hadn't said anything yet and decided to let her mind travel elsewhere tonight. The Potter Heir was after all an excellent travel guide when it came to directing her mind to other things.
"Good, you're here. I believe you owe me an apology Mr Potter."
Harry shivered slightly at the huskiness of her voice and when she lifted up the edge of the sheet with her bare foot, he had little doubts about what she wanted.
"Yes, I do Madam Bones."
He climbed up on the huge bed and slipped under her soft sheets, the brief amount of light allowing him to glimpse her complete nudity underneath, her pale skin glowing in the faint light.
Remembering how she had reacted during the summer he decided to give her a similar full work over he sometimes gave Mistress Narcissa.
Allowing the sheet to fall back down and cover him he reached out for her foot, gently starting to massage her manicured soles. He pushed some magic through his fingers, letting some leak into her flesh as his fingers danced over her elegant foot.
A small shiver of pleasure went through her leg and he took that as his cue to gently suck her big toe into his mouth, again letting magic flood all over her before giving all her toes the same treatment, not forgetting to tease between her toes either.
By the time he was done with both her feet he could already hear her labored breath and the way she was instinctively parting her legs, clearly hoping for more stimulation. Harry however took his time, letting his calloused hands work up her toned calves to her thighs, his mouth placing small magic infused kisses and licks all over her flesh.
Her legs were splayed wide by the time he reached her pussy, her arousal obvious by the heavy musk that had engulfed the air underneath the sheet. Harry let a small grin spread on his face as he carefully licked up and down the junction of her thighs, coming so close to her lips but never fully touching them.
He could hear her groan as he skipped over her soaked pussy and started laying kisses on her stomach instead. She had the kind of stomach he loved, soft but with a hint of muscle underneath, rippling with every breath she took, evidence of her active lifestyle and constant practice in duelling.
Reaching her breasts, he felt his breath leave him for a second, they were everything he had imagined. Two magnificent globes of flesh, larger than any he had seen before.
A hint of freckles dusted the pale flesh and the firmness was something any woman would wish for. Her reddish-brown nipples were large and clearly erect, yet compared to the rest of her breasts they even seemed small.
He swallowed softly before gently reaching out and grasping them, marveling at the texture that filled his hands as his fingers moved over the silky skin.
Unable to resist his mouth soon followed, sucking one of hard nipples into his mouth, barely registering the hitch in her breath as he started teasing the nipple with his tongue.
The added magic made her groan and writhe underneath him but he wasn't paying attention as he switched to the other nipple, rolling the wet one he had left behind between his fingers, feeling her body shiver underneath him.
"Harry…please..."
His grin returned full force when he heard her needy voice, he loved this part of teasing a strong woman. The exact moment when the powerful face fell away and the desperate need overtook their dignity, making them plead for release.
He wasn't finished yet though and instead of heading south he moved his mouth over her soft flesh up to her armpit, pushing her hand up so he had free access to the erogenous zone.
He licked and sucked the normally untouched flesh, tasting a hint of strawberry, no doubt from her bath earlier, before flooding her with magic again.
She was panting and moaning now, her hips trying to grind against his thigh and he had to grab her wrist when he noticed it moving towards her crotch.
"Please...I can't take it anymore."
"I have to be thorough with my apology Madam Bones."
"Please...you are forgiven…just touch me!"
"As the Madam wishes."
Harry smiled as he moved down to her inflamed pussy, Amelia was spreading her legs as widely as possible, clearly begging for release. He moved close and softly blew on her sensitive flesh, making her gasp softly before moaning again, her hips jerking towards his face.
Deciding to finally take mercy on her he grabbed her with both arms and slowly licked the flat of his tongue up, all the way from her twitching rosebud to the top of her slit, teasing the clit on the way.
Her breathy groan sounded like music and he quickly slipped his tongue into her soaking channel, mentally forcing her parseltongue to react while swallowing her taste as it flooded his mouth.
She squealed softly before grabbing his hair with both hands, alternatively pushing him deeper or pushing him away, the sudden influx of sensations driving her crazy.
He felt her legs seize up around his head, saw the way her muscles tightened across her flat stomach and knew she was peaking, the strength of it taking her voice away.
Two of his fingers quickly slipped into her slit as he engulfed her clit, the come-hither motion of his digits combined with the suction on her clit serving to prolong her pleasure.
He kept the magic steady, constantly flooding her while showing no signs of letting up as her muscles started seizing, letting him feel the way her pussy undulated around his fingers, both sucking them in and trying to crush them at the same time.
"Oh Merlin! Oh Merlin! Oh Merlin!"
With a last silent scream her grip suddenly slacked and he gently eased his fingers out before replacing them with his mouth. She was still twitching and shivering as he gently sucked her lips into his mouth, cleaning up the juices from her oversensitive flesh.
Her hands looked to be almost cramping as she released the vice-like grip she had on his black locks. Her panting breath finally evened out and with a final long lick he removed himself from underneath the sheet, savoring her unique taste.
He was surprised to find her passed out on the bed, her report carelessly thrown over the pillow next to her and a relaxed smile on her face.
Harry chuckled softly but made sure to keep it quiet, carefully tucking her in with the sheet before turning off the magical lamps, drowning the room in darkness. The wards easily let him out and he calmly slipped back into his own bedroom.
XXX
Harry waved goodbye to an amused Madam Bones as he boarded the Hogwarts Express on the third of January. The rest of the holidays had gone swimmingly and the look on Susan's face when he gave her the necklace had definitively been worth it.
The jewellery in question received its fair share of significant looks as they sat down in their usual compartment with the other girls. Susan pretended like it wasn't such a big deal but he caught her playing with it constantly, or simply admiring the way it looked in the mirror.
Hannah would have been jealous about it, but he had at the last moment realized that if he didn't get something similar to her then the chemistry of their group would crash and burn. Thus, Hannah was now wearing a bracelet with an identical crest on it, running her fingers over it without even noticing.
Harry had honestly been surprised at how pleased they had both been when they realized they were both wearing the crest. He simply chalked it up to things he would never understand about women.
The train ride back was calm yet there was a certain tension among the students, none of them had forgotten what was happening in the school they were returning to. Harry had heard about quite a few students who were receiving tutorship for the rest of the year instead of braving the castle for another term.
He couldn't fault them, but such an action simply wasn't an option for him. Not only would it look weak if he ran away from the danger but he knew Dumbledore would never allow it. If an icon like The-Boy-Who-Lived decided Hogwarts wasn't safe enough than half the kids in Britain would be removed by concerned parents.
He felt his magic rise in anger at his lack of control over his own life but slowly soothed it, in only six months he would be thirteen. He could then claim the Potter Lordship, most likely the Black one as well and assign Mistress Tonks as his guardian. Whereas he was legally an adult at that age, he knew such a thing would never hold any water in the Wizarding world, no one took a thirteen-year-old seriously; thus, Mistress Tonks was a godsend.
Glancing at Daphne and Tracey he noticed they were in quite the good mood, apparently his performance in front of their parents had sparked their interest as well, thus leading to the girls having their parents blessing for any contact made with him.
He made some polite small talk with them and was soon pleased to hear the train whistle signal that they were reaching Hogwarts, he had honestly missed Hermione quite a bit. He didn't even realize at what point the girl had grown on him, but once they had chipped away her eagerness to please the teachers and added some calm thinking to her repertoire she had become a good friend.
The girls providing her with some magical shampoo and his fixing of her teeth had also served to make her quite cute, which combined with the tight muggle clothes she liked to wear sometimes made it hard for him to keep his eyes away from her tight…
He felt a tightness start to form in his pants and quickly directed his thoughts elsewhere, so perhaps he had a bit more interest in her than in just a friend. Stepping off the train he was expecting to be greeted by her usual bear hug only to raise his eyebrows in surprise when she was nowhere to be found on the platform. Spotting McGonagall directing the students he walked over to her.
"Excuse me Professor McGonagall, would you know where Hermione is?"
He felt his hackles rise as she was clearly caught flatfooted by the question.
"Ms. Granger is currently unavailable Mr. Potter."
His magic instantly flooded his body, surging down his limbs and he stepped in to her personal space, a slight glow already emanating from his eyes. Even the thickest of Gryffindors would have recognized her evasion for what it was.
"What do you mean, unavailable, Professor McGonagall. There's no chance she wouldn't show up to greet us, she has no friends in Gryffindor."
She seemed to flinch slightly at that statement before her eyes softened and she leaned in, keeping her voice low to not alert anyone else.
"There has been an incident; Ms. Granger is in the Hospital Wing."
"What the FUCK?"