Do What You Gotta Do
Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to my fans: my recommended reads are Apex, Damaged Raven, Silver King and Dark Lord Potter by JustBored21, Prince of Death, Remembrance of the Grim Wolf and Return of the Speaker's Heir by The Potters of the Future, Aspirations by megamatt09, Kill me if you can by PercyPendragon3, Worthy of Magic by Sage Ra, This Is My Father's World by GenkaiFan, Broken binds by Thorimus, Harry Potter The Protector of Magic by TigerSwarm9122, Saviour of Magic by Colt01 and Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin by The Sinister Man
Key Pairing: Harry/Tracey; Hades/Hecate
Other Pairings: To be determined
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Mind Speech'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
KidChaos69: I can't believe I even missed that reference: hilarious!
WhiteElfElder: Tortoise and hare, my friend: slow and steady wins the race;
Numbervania: Well-spotted and, I admit, the name came to me because of that particular story; also…damn, I missed a trick by not putting that in, but I might do it for someone else down the line;
"Go on, Greengrass, you know you want to ask it."
While Daphne looked a little troubled by Harry's apparently-cavalier attitude at something that should be impossible, she also dreaded the answer, even as she asked him, "All right…how did you do that?"
"I know," said Tracey in a singsong voice, even as Harry responded to Daphne's question.
"What is it the kids are calling it these days? Oh yes, Magic…"
BOOK ONE: Deal With The Devil
Chapter 5: Make Them Remember You
At long last, the Hogwarts Express reached Hogsmeade Station, and not a moment too soon in Harry's opinion.
When he stepped off the train, however, accompanied by Daphne, Tracey and Neville – whom the two ladies couldn't help but notice now carried himself with an air of greater strength, which also made them wonder what Harry had said to him outside their compartment – Harry's good mood was instantly soured when a way-too-loud voice called out to them.
"All righ' then, firs' years; this way, please! Come on now, firs' years, don't be shy!"
"Oh, I don't think so," said Harry, looking once to his three friends before he smiled as he added, "And here is where we part for a while: nothing personal, you three, but I'd rather get a better first impression of Hogwarts than following some half-giant with the subtlety of a rabid dragon in a china shop."
"Bull," corrected Daphne.
"Yes, it is, rather, isn't it?" asked Harry, earning a soft laugh from Tracey, while Daphne's eyes narrowed.
"You realise you'll get in trouble if we don't follow this giant, don't you?"
"Um, hello, Daphne Greengrass, I don't think we've met: James Potter's son, at your humble service," drawled Harry, earning a knowing smile from Neville while Harry turned on his heel and, leaving the rest of the first years, as well as his friends, to follow the giant man, Harry instead walked over to a small cluster of carriages, many of which were already being boarded by elder students.
When one of these students caught sight of Harry, he puffed himself up like a peacock as he exclaimed, "I say, you there! First year!"
"Yes?" asked Harry, moving to the front of the nearest carriage while he only half-listened to the stuck-up boy's voice address him.
"You need to follow Mr Hagrid with the rest of your peers."
"I need to, but I choose not to, thanks all the same," argued Harry, stopping at the front of the carriage before, to the bewilderment of many of the students, he then lifted a hand to the empty air in front of the carriage as he asked, "Now, what's a beautiful mare like you doing playing cart horse for these idiots, eh?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why? Did you fart?"
While a couple of other elder students – whom Harry then noticed seemed to resemble twins – snorted with laughter at his remark, the young prince sighed softly before, drawing his wand, he added, "Hang on now, ladies; I'll set you free and then you can get back to your foals and your herd…now, how did that spell go? Oh yes: Relashio."
To his amusement, Harry's spell caused the restraints holding his target in place to disintegrate in blue flashes of magic, freeing the majestic beasts from their bonds. At the same time, the one nearest to Harry spread her wings before she bowed to Harry, indicating that he was allowed to do exactly what he was thinking of doing.
"What are you doing?" demanded the stuck-up one, earning a curious look from Harry.
After only a moment, however, Harry let out an ah of realisation as he added, "Oh, that's right, I forgot that these beauties can only be seen by those who've witnessed Death. Ah well, if you thought my spell looked bad, you're really going to scratch your heads when you see me do this!"
"What are you doing? Stop that right now; you have to listen to me, I'm a school Prefect."
"That's nice," said Harry, swinging his leg over the side of what he saw to be a beautiful, if somewhat-intimidating-looking black horse with large leather wings; when Harry mounted the beast, the horse – a Thestral, as he knew – let out a whinny of pride before Harry petted her side as he pointed off to the distance.
"Hogwarts Main Entrance, please, driver: and feel free to take the scenic route."
"Stop whatever you're…no…how are you…come back here!"
"Oh, Percy," sighed one of the twins who'd laughed at Harry's earlier remark, "I think he can hear you…"
"…And yet, he doesn't seem to care," added the other, turning to his twin as he asked, "Who do you suppose that was, Gred?"
"No clue, Forge," admitted the first twin, folding his arms as he looked up to where – to everyone who couldn't see the Thestrals – Harry was flying off into the night sky, much to the awe of those who couldn't see what he was riding, while the few who could looked up in amazement, even as the twin identified as Gred went on.
"But I want to shake him by the hand and congratulate him on a move worthy of our dear masters, the Marauders."
"Which we can't do unless someone finds a way to get these things moving," argued his twin, earning exclamations of agreement from the rest of their peers, many of whom suddenly found it appropriate to turn their ire on the loud-mouthed Prefect.
Personally-speaking, Gred and Forge – aka Fred and George Weasley – couldn't have asked for a better first-day prank and humour if they'd come up with it themselves.
DWYGD
"Okay, I admit it, she is beautiful."
As the Thestral he was riding let out a whinny of agreement, Harry found his eyes drawn down to the view of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the air, the sight of the many lit hallways and rooms, as well as the awe-inspiring sight of the castle from the sky itself making Harry's heart soar, even as he banked down without needing to tell the Thestral where to go.
As he flew downwards, however, Harry suddenly found himself feeling confused, if not curious, as he looked off towards the full moon while he asked himself, 'Hmm…I wonder…is me having the right to be able to command and ride these beautiful beasties thanks to Mum or Dad interfering? Nah…I mean, for one, it's by my own power that they submit to me and, more to the point, I've always had a thing for deathly-affiliated creatures. I mean, it's quite literally in my blood and, besides, if it was, I'd know and so would old Whiskers, so…what do you say, beautiful? Let's go and have some fun.'
Levelling out as he slowed his descent, Harry flew along the surface of the Black Lake where, to his amusement, he heard a chorus of loud exclamations from nearby, undoubtedly from the first-years following the giant. Sure enough, when Harry looked over towards the first-years, he smiled and waved mockingly when he saw a small group of stunned faces, as well as a laughing raven-haired girl he now called friend, as they saw him flying along the lake's surface.
"How do," laughed Harry, edging the Thestral closer, before he asked, "So, show of hands: who here can actually see what I'm flying on?"
Out of the whole group, only one person raised their hand; a redhaired girl with awe in her eyes, whom was sitting in a boat with a mousy-haired boy and a dirty-blonde-haired girl with pigtails.
"Really? One person out of all of you?" asked Harry, sighing with disappointment as he asked, "Are all of you going to be this dull for the next seven years? Wow, talk about magic's price being paid if that price is being around such narrow-minded nitwits."
"Geroff tha' Thestral now, boy!" growled the giant, earning an oh from Harry.
"Oh, so you can see him too, can you, Hagrid? Well, maybe it's not a total loss; I guess you'd also have to see them to be able to wrangle them and use them as cart horses like you did!"
"I…I'll tell…"
"Who? Dumbles?" asked Harry, though not before he shrugged ruefully as he added, "Go ahead, but I think you'll find that the worst thing he'll do is give me a detention I can't really be bothered attending. And when I don't, he'll give me another one, which I won't attend, and another…kind of comes with the territory of being bound to being here for the next seven years…ah well, you know what they say: Magic always comes with a price."
"You should listen to a teacher!" insisted a bossy-voiced brunette, earning a snort from Harry as he banked backwards, causing the Thestral to flare her wings – not that anyone, but the redhead and Hagrid saw it – even as he reached the spot where the brunette was riding in a boat with a dark-skinned boy, a redhead who looked a little similar to the twins and Mr Stuck-Up and a curly-haired young girl.
"And you should probably mind your own beeswax," said Harry, giving the Thestral a little nudge; when he did so, he then laughed, as did some of the other boats' occupants, when the water on the lake suddenly flew into the brunette's boat, soaking her and the redhead.
Harry, meanwhile, let the Thestral fly him across the lake, leaving Hagrid fuming, as were the brunette and the redhead, the latter of whom snapped at Harry's retreating form, "Who the bloody hell was that Dark Wizard?"
"Oh, won't you be surprised when you find out, Weasley," said Daphne, though she was also surprised by how Harry seemed to be able to not only see Thestrals – yes, she knew what they were and why many couldn't see them – but also, somehow, he seemed to be able to ride them.
Talk about not doing things normally.
DWYGD
"Hey, there you all are…what kept you?"
"You…you will be in big trouble when you're sorted, Mister," growled Hagrid, earning a soft nod from Harry.
"Yeah, I don't think so…and if you're trying to intimidate me, here's a free word of advice…"
As soon as he said that, Harry let his power bleed out, turning the already-chilled autumn air even colder; so cold, in fact that, to the shock of several first-years, the lake actually began icing over, while the ground beneath Harry's feet became tinged with frost, the coldness of which reflected itself in Harry's green eyes as he addressed Hagrid.
"Try harder!"
"Who…who…who are you?"
"Your worst nightmare," said Harry, though not before he gave an amused wink to Neville, Daphne and Tracey, the latter of whom was just as surprised as her friends to notice how, despite the coldness around them, the three students in question felt quite warm, even as Harry turned on his heel and made for the entrance.
Curiously, once he was gone, the ice melted and the frost vanished, leaving the first-years with a lasting impression of their new classmate.
Many of whom were already vowing not to find themselves on that guy's bad side.
DWYGD
"Welcome to Hogwarts!"
"Professor McGonagall, wait!" cried Hagrid, earning an audible groan from Harry as he heard the giant address the stern-faced witch who he'd more or less handed the first-years to like an unwanted parcel, "I 'ave a crime ter report: that…that boy there. 'e…'e threatened me and disobeyed my instructions; 'e also made the Thestrals leave their carriages stranded!"
"Yes, thank you, Rubeus, I am more than aware of the…incident," said Professor McGonagall, her eyes now fixed on Harry, who smiled in response before he shrugged.
"Well? What else would you expect from James Potter's son, Auntie Minnie?"
While the majority of the first-years were beyond shocked at the revelation of Harry's identity, it was Minerva who was somewhere between alarmed and a little horrified at how cavalier Harry was, especially since Albus had already taken the liberty of informing her that the boy would be a good boy and be a Gryffindor to boot.
Given how brave – or perhaps foolish – he was in being so informal with the Professor, even she had no trouble believing he was coming to Gryffindor, but she wasn't about to take any of his charm offensive.
"Well, since you were so kind as to confess your misconduct, Mr Potter, that's a week's detention with Mr Hagrid, during which you will help him return the Thestrals to their carriages and ensure the bonds are tight."
"Yeah, hang on, let me check my calendar," drawled Harry, earning more alarmed gasps from the students, especially a certain rule-worshipping brunette, as he did indeed pull out a diary before, flicking through its pages, he hummed thoughtfully before returning his attention to Minerva as he asked her, "Yeah, here it is. Uh, the 7th of Never through to the 15th of Ain't-Gonna-Happen. How does that work for you guys?"
"Two weeks, then, with Professor Snape!"
"Oh, old Snivellus, you mean?" asked Harry, licking his lips in an excitable manner as he asked, "Well why didn't you say so, Auntie Em? I'm looking forwards to getting acquainted with that walking greasy-spoon: sure…let me see…"
Once again, he consulted his calendar as he added, "Yup, I'd say Halloween Night, you know? The tenth anniversary of my parents' deaths? Yup, that is a fine time for me to have some one-on-one time with the Death Eater…let me just make a note in my book."
"The whole term!"
"Well, if you're sure," said Harry, not even noticing how red-faced Minerva was turning, even as he added, "Christmas with the traitor who owes me a life-debt: talk about someone sneaking a peek at my wish list to Santa."
"The whole year!"
"You're only making me more-excited, Minnie," laughed Harry, slamming his calendar shut, even as he looked up at her before he added, "I mean, what's next? You're going to expel me? Well, you go right ahead and say the magic words, Deputy Headmistress; and when you do, you can tell old Dumbles that this is why loopholes were invented. Trust me, he'll get the hint pretty damn quickly, I guarantee it."
While Minerva didn't know whether to be alarmed or beyond-furious at Harry's cavalier attitude, the emerald-eyed scion smiled as he asked, "No? Okie-dokie…let's get on with the show then, shall we? Sorting Ceremony this way, is it?"
Even as Harry swaggered off, Minerva was left speechless, as well as curious.
What did he mean loopholes?
What did Albus know that nobody else did?
And why was it that the so-called good boy might as well be proving Severus right about the arrogance and princely mindset of the Potter Heir?
DWYGD
'What is going on here?'
That was the only thought that continued to run through Albus Dumbledore's mind as he tried to gulp down the Calming Draught he'd been given by Poppy while he waited for the Sorting Ceremony to begin, though there was only one name Albus wanted to hear and an inevitable outcome he wanted to see.
Still, Dumbledore was in a quandary because of how, ever since he had started making plans regarding ensuring that Harry kept to the letter of their contract and, eventually, died before his parents could get a chance to interfere, everything had gone tits up for Dumbledore.
DWYGD
It all started when the Chocolate Frog company stopped printing Dumbledore's image and displaying his greatness.
Even a hefty suggestion to the owner had only resulted in them threatening Dumbledore with a lawsuit and court case on crimes of bribery.
After that, things had steadily gotten worse, starting with Dumbledore's lemon drop supply running dry, with no sign of the usual package of complimentary sweets from the grateful company. Instead, they had received an anonymous complaint that said the lemon drops had been poisoned en route and, for some unknown reason, they blacklisted Dumbledore as they suspected him of feeding the poison to others.
All right, so he added a light Loyalty Draught to ensure people felt relaxed enough around him and spiked his own with Elixir of Euphoria to keep his spirits up, but so what?
They were only Muggle sweets.
After that, Albus was shocked to discover that his office seemed to have become infested by Nifflers, who saw his sparkly objects and shiny baubles as their idea of nirvana. The resulting chaos had all but destroyed the devices keeping watch over Privet Drive, which meant that he couldn't ensure Harry's power levels dropped to barely-Squib levels, or that the boy would soon develop a strong bond of trust with Dumbledore that would compel him to accept his death at Tom's hands.
Then, strangest event of them all, Albus found a message being delivered by Gringotts that said that Aberforth was claiming his rights to the estate, which meant Albus was not only out of pocket, but, when the stupid treasure hoarders had raided Albus' office, searching for the items to equal the other Dumbledore's share, they also found James' cloak, which they took and had securely-transported to where it belonged.
Namely Harry's vault, which was impossible.
Albus had the boy's key; he couldn't have accessed his fortune so soon, especially without the old man's knowing.
And then, as though seeking to put the poisoned cherry on top of the misfortune-laden ice-cream-sundae, Albus discovered that Arabella had been killed in a nasty car crash, which should have been suspicious to him, since she didn't drive, but he was more concerned with the fact that the boy now had nobody to spy on him and keep Dumbledore in the loop.
Merlin's bloody balls, how was any of this possible?
It wasn't those interfering deities, since Albus was still bound to the contract that favoured him and trapped Harry, but then, what was it?
DWYGD
"Wow, Albus; are you all right, my boy? You're not looking well…maybe it's time to retire!"
To Albus' rage and disbelief, his train of chaotic thought was interrupted by none other than Harry James Potter, who was standing there, at the front of the hall, bold as brass and smug as smug could get. His stupidly-coloured hair seemed to glow in the light of the Great Hall and, when he met Albus' gaze, the old man was alarmed to see Harry wince before he shook his head.
"Wow, talk about a series of unfortunate events: if I didn't know any better, and, thanks to our little contract, I do, but, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear blind that you've recently come into some money that you probably shouldn't have touched…wow, talk about opening Pandora's Box."
"You…" Albus began, but before he could finish, he saw Harry smile like the Cheshire Cat as he shook his head.
"What? I never knew anything about it and, thanks to you, they couldn't tell me anything about it either, so my hands are clean…wonder what that must feel like, don't you, Albus?"
"Damn you!"
As though agreeing with the old man's cuss, Harry chuckled before Albus gasped as he heard Harry's voice echo in his own mind;
'That's what you get for making a contract with the son of a guy who knows a thing or two about laws, dear Dumbles…after all, my Uncle is the God of Law and Justice, not that he's around much lately, but from him, Dad learned quite a bit about loopholes…and reading the small print.'
While Dumbledore fumed, realising too late how he'd fallen into a trap that he had hoped to spring on this little bastard, he saw the doors open, admitting the first-years and a haggard-looking Minerva, who could only stare at Harry in disbelief, even as the boy looked back to Dumbledore.
"So, are you sure you're still choosing delusions over reality? I mean, sticking to them can be very bad for your health, old man."
"Just take your Sorting!"
"As you wish," said Harry, lifting the Sorting Hat from the stool before he set it atop his head at an angle.
When Minerva opened her mouth to argue, Dumbledore smiled as he told her, "It…it's quite all right, Minerva: we might as well start with the Sorting we have all been waiting for: the sorting of Mr Harry Potter as he goes to…"
"SLYTHERIN!"
The next thing Dumbledore saw was his own head hitting the plate in front of him, though not before he heard Harry's voice again in his mind;
'You said I had to come here, Albie-darling…you NEVER said which House you wanted me to go to…like I said…loophole…'
Chapter 5 and, once again, a point is scored in favour of the Prince of Magic, but now he's been sent to the last place anyone would have expected – or, in Dumbledore's case, wanted – him to go, what's next for Harry Potter?
Also, I wonder what he meant by his 'Uncle' not being around much lately? Come to think of it, we haven't seen any Gods apart from Hades and Hecate? Hmm…I wonder why?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: The Sorting Ceremony from Harry's point of view, including some very funny surprises and twists along the way that will make things even funnier…well, for Harry, anyway;
Please Read and Review