AN: So, I know it's been a really long time since I updated. All I can say is that I had a bout of writer's block and then life got busy. But I finally managed to crank this one out. Hopefully you all enjoy it.
Harry's Minerva
Chapter 18
When Minerva woke up the next day, she felt more refreshed than she had since the night she and Harry argued at the top of the Astronomy Tower. Harry's arms were still wrapped around her waist, almost possessively so, and his face was buried in her hair. She could feel him breathing on the strands, and it brought her a sense of peace because it meant he was alive and safe. She was still in the same position on her back as well, one hand buried in his messy locks and the other on his bicep. The latter hand started caressing his arm lightly as she enjoyed being able to touch him without feeling so guilty about it.
She luxuriated in the feeling of contentment for a few more minutes until nature called for her to get up. As she tried to get up, Harry's arms clenched tighter around her. She attempted to ease her way out, but he wouldn't budge. Giving up, she tapped his arm to try and wake him. "Wake up Harry. I need to go to the bathroom."
Harry stirred after a few seconds, blinking his eyes to clear his vision. "What's the matter?" he muttered sleepily.
"I just have to go to the bathroom," Minerva repeated.
It took Harry a second to realize that his arm was wrapped tightly around her, preventing her from getting up. "Oh sorry," he said as he released her.
"It's okay. I was quite comfortable," she said, waving off his apology as she got up.
Harry stretched out his body, trying work out the stiffness and soreness he felt all over as he waited for her to return. When she was finished in the bathroom, Harry went inside, needing to use it as well.
Minerva was sitting up in the bed when he was done. Much more awake than he had been last night, he realized that she was wearing only a short, silk sleeping gown that did nothing to hide her long, toned legs. He couldn't help but stare for a moment.
"Is something wrong?" Minerva questioned knowingly, breaking him out of his trance.
"Nope, just admiring my girlfriend," Harry quipped as he moved to sit down beside her.
Minerva smiled at the reminder of the change in their relationship. Her smile turned into a look of concern when she saw how stiffly he was moving though. "How are you feeling today?"
"Better than yesterday thanks to you and Samena, but I'm definitely still sore, tired, and stiff," Harry admitted. "I tried stretching a little, but it didn't seem to help much."
"I'll have to get Samena to give you another potion for that," Minerva noted. Then an idea popped into her head and she hesitated only briefly before bringing it up. "There is something I can do for you right now that might help." She was a bit nervous about her idea because of how new their relationship was but figured Harry would tell her if he felt uncomfortable.
Harry looked at her curiously. "What's that?"
Instead of responding, she grabbed her wand off of the bedside table and wordlessly summoned something from her room. A bottle of the same oils she used in Harry's bath last night came soaring into the room after she opened the door. She made sure the door was closed once more before gesturing for Harry to remove his shirt, helping him when he struggled with it. Then she had him lay down on his stomach.
It was a testament to how unconditionally Harry trusted Minerva that he didn't protest her requests once, even though she hadn't actually answered his question. When he felt her pour the warm oil onto his back, he got excited as he realized she was going to give him a massage. The moment her hands started rubbing the oil strategically into his back, a moan of pleasure escaped from his lips. Minerva couldn't help but be satisfied at the effect she had on him.
She was very thorough with the massage, making sure to work out all of the kinks and knots she found along his body, reapplying oil when necessary. Starting on his back, she worked her way up to his neck and out to his arms, feeling the defined muscles there. Then she progressed down to his legs, moving his shorts up so she could get to his thighs. She kept going down, working his calf muscles and even his feet. By the time she had him turn around, Harry was in a state of bliss. She laughed lightly at the look of pleasure on his face and gave him a short kiss before starting on his front, moving from the bottom up. She was careful not to get too close to certain areas, wanting him to stay relaxed.
Once she was done, she sat back to admire her work. "How are you feeling now?"
"Much better," Harry replied as he sat up. There was still some soreness, but he definitely wasn't as stiff as before.
"That wasn't too much too fast, right? We haven't exactly discussed the physical side of our relationship."
Hearing the unsureness in her voice, Harry was quick to reassure her. "Minerva, I might act much older than my physical age most of the time, but I still have the hormones of a 16-year-old male. It was perfect and you're amazing, trust me." Minerva shook her head at him fondly as he continued. "As for the physical side of our relationship, I'm pretty much going to follow your lead seeing as I don't really have that much experience in that area. You're gonna have to teach me."
Minerva smiled mischievously. "It's a good thing you're a fast learner. Though I have to admit, your instincts are pretty good so far."
"Really?" Harry said as he moved closer to her. "Imagine how good I'll be after more practice."
Minerva leaned toward him "Well, practice does make perfect."
"And I am definitely an overachiever, at least when it comes to the practical part," Harry said before he closed the distance between them so their lips could connect once more. Things were just starting to heat up when they heard a knock on the door.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting something or waking you up, but I just thought I should check on you two since it's after twelve," Samena called through the door.
Harry laughed lightly, his head on Minerva's shoulder while she replied. "It's okay we're already awake."
"Well there's food for you in the kitchen whenever you're ready for it," Samena said. Harry's stomach growled in response to that, loud enough for Samena to hear.
"We'll be there in a moment," Minerva said. They heard Samena chuckle as she walked away from the door. Minerva kissed him one more time before saying, "Come on. You need to eat." She removed the oil from his body with her wand and handed him his shirt. Harry put it on, having less trouble with it this time, before they headed out of the room.
The table was set with a full English breakfast, a pitcher of water, and a pot of tea when they got to the kitchen. Samena sat at one end with a cup of tea in front of her. "I'd ask if you two got enough sleep, but I can see from your stress-free appearances that you did. Seems like finally admitting your feelings to each other was a good idea after all," she said pointedly.
"Yes, I should have taken your advice earlier as I feel much better now that it's all out in the open," Minerva admitted.
"Like a huge weight's been lifted off my shoulders," Harry added.
"I'm glad and I hope that in each other you can find the happiness you both deserve," Samena replied. "Now eat up. Once you're done, we have prisoners, altered crumps, and unicorns to deal with." Both did as she suggested, digging into the food in front of them.
As they at, Samena noticed something else about Harry that she just had to comment on. "Harry, I must say that you're moving around easier than I thought you would be after your ordeal." At the small blush that appeared on Harry's face, she smirked mischievously. "Oh, and what remedy did Minerva use that's making you blush."
"That's a private matter," Minerva said in her and Harry's defense. Her cheeks were also tinged pink.
"Spoilsport," Samena replied. She left it alone though, knowing that the couple were private people. That wouldn't stop her from teasing them later after they had time to become accustomed to their new relationship.
- H.M. –
Once Harry and Minerva finished eating and all three of them got dressed for the day, Samena had them sit down in the living room so they could discuss their next moves. "So now that you two are okay, we need to decide what we're going to do with our prisoners and the modified crups. Harry, you also need to ask the herd's leader for what we came here for."
"Do you think he will say yes?" Harry asked unsurely.
"You just helped save them and rescued their youngest member after she was kidnapped. I think you have earned enough of their trust to ask that of them," Samena assured him.
"Okay, I'll go try and talk to him once we're done here," Harry said. "As for the prisoners, this may sound harsh, but can't we just leave them out here in the forest and let the creatures have them?"
"Allow nature to make them pay for their crimes against nature?" Samena clarified.
"Exactly," Harry replied. He was still angry about Minerva being attacked and Aurelia being kidnapped, and his inner wolf was demanding justice.
The three of them turned that idea around in their minds for a few minutes, until Minerva reluctantly decided to be the voice of reason. "I know they don't deserve it, but we'll have to turn them in to the proper authorities."
Harry sighed in reluctance. "Sometimes it really sucks to be the good guys."
"Yes, it does," Samena agreed. "I will take care of it though. I know someone who will make sure they pay dearly for their crimes. I also have a friend who will take care of the crups. Hopefully they will be able to reverse whatever was done to them."
"We'll defer to your judgement," Minerva said.
"Alright, that's settled then. You two can take today to rest while I take care of that and we'll leave by portkey tomorrow," Samena decided.
After that, the three of them exited the tent and headed over to where the herd was camped out. Aurelia ran to Harry the moment she saw him, stopping just short of barreling into him. He sat down beside her, feeling too sore to support himself in a crouch.
"Hey Aurelia. How are you feeling today?" Harry asked her as he stroked her coat.
She butted her nose against his cheek and gave him a look of concern.
"I'm doing alright, just sore," he replied to her obvious question.
Aurelia looked up at Minerva as if she knew of Harry's tendency to downplay things sometimes. "He really is doing much better," the witch explained, ignoring Harry's noise of protest.
"His mate took very good care of him," Samena added. She laughed at the look Minerva gave her and Harry's small blush.
Aurelia turned back to Harry and gave him a nod to show she was satisfied by their answers and licked his cheek happily. Minerva helped him stand back up once he was done. Then they all continued walking over to the rest of the herd.
The rest of the foals greeted them energetically once they'd reached the herd, prancing around them excitedly. All three humans got down on their level so they could pet them. The leader stood back for a few minutes, allowing the young unicorns to have their time. When a few minutes had passed, he moved forward, nickering at the unicorns surrounding the humans to get their attention. Almost immediately, they stopped what they were doing and moved back to make room for him. Except for Aurelia who remained by Harry's side.
Harry and the others stood to their feet to properly greet the great stallion. Surprising them, the leader allowed Minerva and Samena to pet him before focusing his attention on Harry. After letting the wizard pet him, he stared intently into his eyes. Harry was confused for a moment until he felt a foreign presence in his mind, passive and non-threatening. He hesitated to let it in fully, but his instincts screamed at him to trust it.
"Hello Harry Potter," a deep voice spoke in Harry's mind once he'd lowered his shields.
"Who is this?" Harry asked, completely startled.
"I am the leader of this herd, but you may call me Zion," the voice responded.
"You can talk?" Harry asked in amazement.
"Only a select few of us can talk to humans, though we are able to communicate with each other," Zion replied.
"Wow, this is incredible."
Zion chuckled. "I'm sure it is. I did this because I wanted to be able to thank you properly for what you, your mate, and your friend did for my herd. If you three had not been here, I fear what would have happened."
"You're welcome. I'm just glad we were able to help you."
"As am I. Now, I believe there is something you'd like to ask of me."
"There is. I have a piece of a dark wizard's soul inside of me that I need to get removed. In order to do so, I am going to undertake a ritual that will purify me. It requires the blood of a unicorn that is freely given."
Zion hummed thoughtfully. "I can feel the dark presence that you are referring to inside of you, yet it seems not to have corrupted your heart. This is a gift we do not normally bestow on anyone. However, I believe that your actions yesterday and your pure heart show that you are worthy of it."
"Thank you, Zion. I will never be able to fully express how grateful I am for this gift."
"Your actions are thanks enough. The blood will not come from me though. Our youngest foal, the one you've named Aurelia, has become very fond of you. Last night, she expressed her desire to go with you and become your familiar." Harry gasped in shock. "After discussing this with her mother, I have decided to grant her request. She will be able to give you the blood you need for your ritual."
Harry was a bit overwhelmed and took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I don't know what to say. I've never even heard of a unicorn becoming a familiar."
"I can tell that you've had a hard life. Yet you have not let it change the admirable person you are. While having a unicorn as a familiar is something that is unheard of and has only happened a few times in history, you are one who truly deserves it. Deserves her. I know that you will take excellent care of her."
"I promise," Harry replied, completely sincere.
"Very well. My herd will stay here in this area until you three leave."
Harry felt Zion's presence leave his mind. He focused back on the real world, noticing that Minerva and Samena were looking at him in concern.
"Are you okay Harry?" Minerva asked.
Harry nodded once to Zion before answering her. "Yeah, Zion and I were just having a discussion inside my head."
"He actually talked to you? I didn't know that was possible," Minerva said in surprise.
"It is very rare. Most either don't know about it or believe that it is a myth. You, Harry, are a very extraordinary wizard to have experienced that," Samena explained.
Harry smiled brightly. "That's not all. Zion said Aurelia here wants to be my familiar and he said she could give me the blood I need." He sat down to talk to the unicorn at his side while they digested that information. "If you really want to be my familiar little one, I'd love that."
Aurelia nodded a few times before ducking underneath his hand. She urged him to place his hand on top of her head. When he did so, he felt a surge of magic. It didn't alarm him as it was similar to what he'd felt when he bonded with Hedwig. He and Aurelia glowed to signify that it was complete a few seconds later. His new familiar licked his palm and whinnied happily, making him smile at her.
"I really shouldn't be surprised with you doing the impossible by now," Minerva remarked. "How rare is this Samena?"
Samena let out a dry laugh. "This is the first time I've ever heard of it happening."
"Wow, I really managed the impossible this time if even Samena's never heard of it," Harry laughed. He was still in shock as well, but it was funny seeing the normally knowledgeable witch baffled by something.
"Well, it's a good thing we're taking a portkey because I doubt, we'd be able to hide a unicorn on a plane," Samena said after a moment. "And now that my mind has been completely blown, I'm going to go take care of our prisoners. Try not to do anything else impossible while I'm gone. I don't know if my old heart could take it right now." She walked over to where they had left the members of the Experimentalists group tied up. She pulled out a small jar with tiny holes in the top to allow air through. With a wave of her wand, the entire group was shrunk, dropped into the jar, shaken up for good measure. Their leader, Jace, was still encased in the concrete Minerva had put him in.
Samena walked over to the crups next and shrunk them as well, putting them in a small cage she pulled out. She handled them with much more care then the men. Then with a wave goodbye to Harry and Minerva, she apparated away.
Harry looked at Minerva and burst out laughing. She followed him a few seconds later.
"I've never seen her so frazzled before," Minerva said once the two of them had calmed down.
Harry shook his head in amusement before giving her a mischievous look. "So, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?"
"You are going to rest. That means no overexerting yourself whatsoever," Minerva replied sternly.
"Define 'no overexertion' for me. I just want to make sure we have the same definition in mind," Harry said cheekily.
She rolled her eyes at him, though an amused smile was on her lips. To answer him, she grabbed his hand and gently pulled him over toward the tent. When they were by the fire pit, she conjured up a soft loveseat by it and made him sit down on it. Then she sat down beside him. "This is what I mean."
- H.M. –
Minerva was true to her word about Harry resting for the day. He was only allowed to get up to either use the bathroom or stretch his muscles. She stayed by his side, only leaving for bathroom breaks and to bring out food for them to eat. Aurelia was there with him as well, the other foals in the herd joining them periodically throughout the day. Since he was unable to get up and run around with them, Minerva conjured up a few soft, baseball-sized balls so he could play fetch with them.
Harry didn't mind the restrictions too much though. Especially since he got to spend quality time with Minerva, talking and laughing. The fact that she was wearing the hoodie he'd bought for her at the airport only made him feel better. It also didn't hurt that she used this time to help him improve his kissing technique.
In the evening, something came to Harry's mind that had him sitting back, lost in thought.
"What's the matter?" Minerva asked him, seeing the contemplative look on his face.
He smiled to allay her worries. "Just wondering how everyone will react when we get back. It's not like we'll be able to hide it from them, not that I want to."
"Neither do I and we would be doing them a disservice if we did. As for how they'll react, I'm sure we will be teased a bit by those who either knew of our feelings or at least suspected them."
He laughed at that. "I'll never hear the end of it, that's for sure."
"You and me both. But in the end, I believe they'll all support us. Some just might need time to wrap their minds around it first."
He nodded in agreement before he thought of another problem. "We'll have to hide it when school starts back up, won't we?"
"Yes. That will be best for right now. Though we should prepare in case it does come out before we're ready for it to." She gave him a sad smile. "I wish we didn't have to though."
Harry pulled her to him, wrapping his arm around her waist and tucking her into his side. "Me too. I wish I could shout to the world that I have the most amazing woman in the world." He chuckled as he spoke next. "I'll definitely have to use my Occlumency to stop myself from hurting any man that looks at you a certain way. It'll be hard not being able to claim you as mine properly."
She put her hand on his chest as she laughed. "Yours? You have a bit of a possessive streak there."
Harry shrugged, unable to deny it. "Blame it on the wolf in me. I'll try and tone it down if it bothers you, though."
"No, I actually like it," she said as she ran her hand slowly across his chest. Then she poked him lightly. "Just don't treat me like I can't do anything for myself and we'll be fine."
"Trust me, I am well aware of how capable you are. It's a big part of what I find attractive about you. I want someone who's my equal. Someone I can lean on. Someone who will challenge me and let me know when I've messed up. Someone who I can rely on to have my back no matter the danger. A partner."
Minerva leaned up until their lips were just barely brushing against one another. "Good answer." Then she kissed him, slowly. Her hand trailed a gradual path from his chest to up and around his neck until it was buried in the soft, messy locks of his hair. Harry moved the hand that was holding her down to her hip, gripping her tightly. His other arm wrapped around her to stroke her back lightly as they continued.
She kept the pace slow, showing him a few new tricks as they went on. Like with everything else, he was a fast learner, and both were soon releasing small moans of pleasure. When the need for air finally came, she moved back from him gently. She disentangled her fingers from his hair and moved it to his chin, caressing the soft hairs of his beard that he'd grown there.
"I take it that you like my beard," Harry remarked amusedly, his arms remaining around her, just in a more relaxed position.
Minerva smiled. "I like some of it."
"What would you like me to change?"
"Maybe if you only had the circle beard and removed the hair off of your cheeks?"
"That's what I'll do then. It'll probably also help the students see me as older than my age," Harry noted. "Speaking of school, are you going to keep your glamour off when we go back?"
"I think so. I'm tired of hiding myself. Anyone who has a problem will just have to deal with it."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. Aurelia, who had left them to spend time with her mother, came back and sat on Harry's other side. Noticing her, he put his hand on her back and stroked her gently.
Several minutes later, he broke the silence with a question that popped into his head. "Hey Minerva, would it be okay if I called you by a nickname, something only I could call you?"
Minerva looked up at him from her position on his shoulder. "It depends on what it is."
"What about Mina?"
She turned the name around in her mind. "That is an acceptable name and something no one's ever called me before."
Harry shook his head at her formality. "Mina it is then."
"Already giving each other pet names, I see," Samena called out, appearing from behind them. She laughed as both of them jumped in shock, having not heard her apparate into camp.
"Samena don't do that," Minerva complained.
"Sorry I couldn't resist," Samena replied as she tried to get control of her laughter. "Anyway, the prisoners are facing long and harsh sentences in Greece's magical prison, which is just as bad as Azkaban even though it lacks dementors. Most won't likely live long enough to finish them. As for the crups, the friend I mentioned agreed to take them. He thinks he should be able to reverse the damage done to them."
"Well that's some good news," Harry noted.
"Do you have the portkey ready for tomorrow?" Minerva asked.
Samena nodded. "Yes, it is all set to drop us off on your lands. I also got supplies for Aurelia here, including stuff to make a stable for when she gets bigger and a small bed to keep in your room for her."
"You thought of everything didn't you?" Harry said, impressed.
"I had to make up for you, Aurelia, and Zion blowing my mind," Samena remarked pointedly. "We come here to ask unicorns for blood and we're leaving after defeating a group of animal torturers and you gaining a unicorn as a familiar."
"I told you to expect the unexpected when it comes to Harry," Minerva pointed out in amusement.
Samena gave her a look. "You didn't exactly tell me he would defy the known parameters of reality." She shook her head in exasperation as Harry and Minerva chuckled at her. "But mind being blown to the side, everything is ready for tomorrow. We need to leave early so I can start preparing the ground for the ritual since tomorrow will mark the seven days before it." She had brought the necessary potions with her, carrying them in her portable potion lab compartment of her trunk, to keep working on them during their trip.
After Harry and Minerva agreed, they all ate dinner, eating the last of the beef stew Molly had packed for them. Then Samena and Minerva packed up everything they could, setting out clothes for all three of them to wear in the morning. Harry wasn't allowed to help as Minerva said he was still on resting restrictions, but he didn't complain too much. Aurelia left to spend her last night with the herd, sleeping with her mother since it would be the last time, she would see her for a while. Harry promised that they would come back whenever they could. Once that was done, they all got cleaned up and retired for the night, Minerva sleeping with Harry. They both agreed that there was no point in sleeping separately since they were officially in a relationship now, something Samena teased them about until they closed the door on her.
Before the two of them went to sleep, Minerva had Harry trim his facial hair until it was completely off of his cheeks and to her satisfaction.
- H.M. –
The next day, the trio were up and ready before 6 am Scotland's time. Once they had all of their stuff together, Samena folded up the tent and cleared the campfire area while Minerva shrunk everything up and put it in the pocket of her robes. Then they went to say goodbye to the herd and pick up Aurelia. They made sure to greet and pet each unicorn, not wanting to leave anyone out. Harry was piled on by the foals, all of them getting their turn to lick his cheek before Zion shooed them off of him. Then Harry stood up and bowed respectfully to the unicorn leader, getting one in return. Samena and Minerva rubbed Zion's head as well before stepping back. Aurelia nuzzled her mother one more time before trotting over to Harry's side to be picked up by him. After Harry waved his hand in a final farewell, Samena made sure everyone was holding onto the portkey before activating the it.
When they arrived at Black Manor, all of the Hoods were gathered in the kitchen eating breakfast. Harry set Aurelia down on the floor beside him as they walked toward it. Molly, who was facing the doorway, was the first one to see them.
"You're back," she cried as she leapt out of her seat and hurried to greet them. As she pulled Harry into a hug first, she didn't notice Aurelia move behind his legs out of fear at the loud sounds. The rest of the Hoods greeted them as well, getting up to pass around hugs and pats on the back. Then they were ushered into the kitchen to sit down and eat by Molly while she hurried to get them plates of food.
Hestia was the first to pick up on the extra the trio brought back with them, spotting the little, golden one as Harry walked by her to get into the kitchen "Harry is that what I think it is?" she asked, her voice full of surprise.
Harry smirked mischievously as he replied. "If you mean, is she a baby unicorn, then yes, she is. Her name's Aurelia and she's my new familiar." He then pointed out who everyone was for Aurelia while the others tried to wrap their minds around his announcement. Luna was the only one who didn't look surprised. He had just finished introducing everyone and sat down beside Minerva when Ron exclaimed, "How the bloody hell did you bond with a unicorn?"
"Language Ronald!" Molly and Hermione yelled at the same time.
"Well it's a long story but," Harry began to answer after laughing at Ron. He was cut off by the entrance of Hedwig who swooped into the kitchen and landed on the table in front of him. She gave him a piercing look, letting him know he better explain himself properly or there would be trouble. "Hey Hedwig, it's good to see you too girl," Harry tried but her expression didn't change. "Alright, alright before you get mad at me, she saved my life. I got hit with a paralysis spell and she was able to find Minerva and Samena and guide them to me. If she hadn't, the effects of the spell would have become permanent. When she wanted to come along, I couldn't leave her behind."
Hedwig continued staring at him for a few seconds longer before turning her gaze to Aurelia. The little unicorn returned the gaze determinedly, not backing down. Harry sat back nervously, hoping the two creatures would get along. Hedwig had been with him since he entered the magical world and there was no one who could replace what she meant to him. But he also had become very fond of Aurelia over the last few days.
After what felt like an eternity to him, the owl and unicorn nodded respectfully to each other. Then Hedwig hopped onto Harry's shoulder and nuzzled her head against his cheek. Harry let out a sigh of relief and began to stroke her feathers the way she liked him to. He reached his other hand down so he could rub Aurelia's head at the same time.
"Well, now that that scarily tense moment is over, I think you need to explain this story of yours from the beginning," Tonks spoke up, breaking the silence that had come over the kitchen.
With the disaster averted, the three of them began to tell the others all about their trip to Greece as they ate. When they got to the part about the arrival of the modified creatures, Charlie's knuckles tightened at the mention of the Experimentalist, having heard of them during his time in Romania.
"Who are the Experimentalists?" Neville asked curiously.
Charlie answered, his tone bitter. "A despicable group of men and women that travel around the world capturing magical creatures so they can experiment on them with no care to their wellbeing, hence the name. Three of them infiltrated the sanctuary in Romania and tried to make off with some of the dragon eggs but we managed to stop them in time."
"Having run into them as well, I can agree with that description," Matthew noted. "No better than poachers, they are."
When Harry told them about destroying the lethifolds, they were interrupted by Ron's exclamation.
"I don't think I heard you right. Did you just say you destroyed the lethifold?" Ron asked in disbelief.
"Don't you know by now that nothing is impossible for our great and powerful Alpha," George joked.
"Yeah, experiencing the impossible for him is just a regular day," Fred added.
"He destroyed all of them in fact," Minerva clarified.
"Yeah, I… well I was angry and it just kind of happened," Harry tried to explain.
"But you were able to replicate it," Hermione pressed. Her mind was already trying to figure out how he did it and what type of emotion he used to power it.
Harry shrugged. "I was still angry. I haven't had time to practice it though." He held up his hand to stall any more questions from Hermione, seeing the eager-for-new-knowledge look on her face. "I promise I will practice it once I'm cleared to practice magic again, though I'll need to actually face a dementor to determine if it will have the same effect on them."
"I'm sure we can arrange for that," Hestia said. "With that ability, we might be able to eliminate one of Riddle's threats for good."
"I'd ask you to teach it to the aurors as well, but it's best we keep this ability hidden for now. I still haven't been able to clear the office of all possible threats yet since most of them are likely unmarked," Amelia remarked.
"You're okay with us destroying the dementors?" Harry asked Amelia.
"I want you to destroy every last one of them if you can," Amelia replied forcefully. "They may serve as convenient prison guards, but they have a nasty habit of following any dark lord who is strong enough to offer them what they want most. As far as I'm concerned, we are much better off without them. I can hire human prison guards and make them sign magical contracts if need be."
"Good riddance!" Nym exclaimed, getting looks from everyone. "What? I hate those things."
"I'm sure we all can agree on that sentiment," Andromeda said.
"That's for sure. Third year was horrible with those things around," Susan noted. Neville nodded in agreement, having struggled with the dementor's presence that year as well.
Once they were sure no one had any more questions for the moment, the trio continued the story. There were gasps of shock when they described Harry and Aurelia's trip down the waterfall and the curse that was put on him by Jace, everyone making sure he was okay before he continued the story. There was laughter when Minerva described how she punished Jace for hurting Harry. The twins, to her annoyance and amusement, got on their knees in front of her, swearing their allegiance to her "brilliance" until their mother made them get up. No one interrupted again until Harry started describing his talk with Zion.
"Wait, you talked to a unicorn in your mind? Is there anything that's impossible for you?" Charlie asked astounded.
"How can you still get surprised by that after learning that Harry has a baby unicorn as a familiar?" Tonks asked incredulously.
Charlie gave her a look of mild irritation as he defended his reaction. "There are very few creatures who are known to be able talk to humans Dora. Unicorns aren't one of them."
"It is an extremely rare occurrence, but I've come across a couple others who claimed to have experienced it," Samena explained before Tonks could reply. "I admit that I wondered if it might happen to Harry. I was proven correct." She turned to Luna. "Did you see this happening?"
"Yes, though if I had given any of you three prior warning, it wouldn't have happened," Luna replied. "Zion had to know that you had nothing but pure intentions without any expectations of a reward besides the blood for the ritual." She looked down a little guiltily. "That's also why I couldn't tell you about the danger. You might have taken a different path and avoided it entirely, meaning it would have taken you longer to convince the unicorns to give you the blood." She kept her head down, unsure if they would forgive her for not warning them about the danger.
"It's alright Luna, we don't blame you for what happened," Harry assured her.
Minerva nodded in agreement. "I may not understand much about your ability, but I know enough to realize that sometimes knowing the future can bring worse consequences than not knowing it. Besides, what we faced was nothing that we couldn't handle."
"Exactly," Samena added.
Luna looked up at their words, seeing no anger towards her in their eyes. "Thank you."
With that moment over, Harry finished describing his conversation with Zion and his bonding experience with Aurelia. Then Samena explained what happened to the criminals and the modified creatures to wrap up the story. While everyone else took a moment to come to terms with what they heard, Samena gave Harry and Minerva a pointed look. The couple looked at each other, silently communicating. Then Harry spoke up, getting everyone's attention.
"Umm, there's something else we need to tell you and we ask that this information is kept secret from anyone who's not in this room," Harry began.
"Don't worry Harry, it'll be a Hoods' secret," Andromeda said after everyone nodded their assent. She already had a suspicion of what it was, having noticed that he and Minerva seemed a bit closer than they had before the trip. Hestia, Fleur, and Susan noticed something as well.
"Well, we know that many of you have already noticed how close me and Minerva are. During our trip, we talked things over and decided to stop ignoring our feelings and deepen our relationship," Harry managed to get out. Minerva slipped her hand into his on the table, interlacing their fingers proudly. She got a small but meaningful smile from him in return.
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked in confusion.
"He means that he and Professor McGonagall are a couple," Susan pointed out helpfully.
"Oh." Ron replied simply, unable to think of anything else to say.
"And it's about time too," Tonks exclaimed happily. "If you two hadn't done something on the trip I was thinking about locking you in a room for a few hours until you figured it out."
Andromeda gave her daughter a reproving look before turning back to Harry and Minerva. "Ignoring my daughter's suggestion, I am happy for you both and wish you all the luck in the future."
"As am I," Fleur said. "I can tell zat you two genuinely care for each ozer zanks to my Veela senses."
"As can I, being an empath and all," Susan added.
"I think I can speak for everyone else when I say congratulations you two," Amelia said as she raised her cup to them, an action repeated by the others.
As Minerva and Harry looked around the table, they were glad to see not one disapproving look among their friends, young and older. Some were shocked by the declaration, but none were upset or disgusted by it. "Thank you all," Minerva replied as she and Harry raised their cups in response. "It means a lot to know that we have your support."
"Since we're making announcements here, I guess I should tell you that David finally asked me out. We're going out for dinner on Friday," Hestia informed them.
"Congratulations. I hope everything goes well," Amelia said. She was followed by similar remarks from everyone else.
Of course, Tonks just had to be different. "Oh good, that's another couple I won't have to lock up somewhere."
Harry spoke up before Andromeda could rebuke her daughter. "I wonder if there's someone I need to lock you up with Dora. That way you and he could, as you put it, 'figure it out'" The knowing look in his eye made her realize that he might actually know who she liked. She decided it was in her best interest to remain silent.
"Wonders never cease around you, do they Harry. You actually managed to leave her speechless for once," Andromeda remarked in amusement. Everyone laughed at that before Fred and George changed the subject.
"We have an announcement to make as well," George began.
"It's something we finished up for you Harry while you were galivanting in the Greek forest," Fred continued.
"Though technically it's for everyone," George clarified.
"But we thought you should get the first one," Fred concluded.
"Just show him already," Ginny cut in before they could keep going.
Properly chastised, the twins passed him a small box. Harry opened it up to find a digital watch. He pulled it out to examine it, noticing it had a few buttons with runes engraved on them. "What does it do?" he asked in confusion.
"Remember those communicators we were working on?" Ginny asked rhetorically. "Well that is it." Then she showed him her own wrist which had a thinner watch wrapped around it. Fred and George also flashed theirs. "We went with watches instead of phones since they're easier to keep up with and less likely to arouse suspicion."
"It's voice-operated, but you have to press and hold that button for it to work," Fred explained, pointing to the button in question.
"Then all you have to do is say, 'Call,' and the name of the person," George continued. "We've programmed them to respond to all of our codenames."
"To set that watch to you, you have to press that same button and say, 'I, Alpha, claim this communicator,' while channeling a small amount of your magic into it. It should glow when you finish," Ginny concluded.
Harry did as he was instructed, the watch glowing to show his success. To prove that they worked, Ginny went outside the kitchen and called Harry on her communicator. It vibrated on his wrist and the screen displayed Ginny's codename, Firecracker, on it. George told him how to answer it, which was one of the other buttons. When he pressed it, Harry heard Ginny's voice clearly as if she was standing right beside him. Surprisingly, everyone except for the twins couldn't hear her at all.
Ginny walked back into the room as Fred explained that phenomenon. "The watches are all connected on a sort of network. When you set the watch, it integrates your magical signature into that network."
"Only those on the network can hear the call, making it hard for others to eavesdrop on our conversations," George noted.
"There is also a button that controls whether your background noise is heard by whoever you're on a call with," Ginny added.
"I'm so proud of you three," Molly gushed happily. "To think you've been able to put this together so quickly."
"Yes, well done you three," Arthur expressed proudly.
"I may have to ask you to make something similar for the auror department," Amelia observed, seeing the value in the product.
Happy that everyone liked the invention, they passed out the rest of them, helping them get the watches set to themselves. Then everyone went in different rooms in the manor and tried calling each other to test them out. After that, those who had to go to work left, with Samena leaving as well to work on prepping the ritual space she'd picked out on Minerva's grounds.
AN: The next chapter will have more on everyone's reactions to the new couple and a difficult conversation between them.
League of Hoods Members:
Harry – Alpha
Minerva – Lioness
Hermione – Scholar
Tonks – Shifter
Andromeda – Barrister
Amelia – Monarch
Hestia – Sleuth
Fleur – Aphrodite
Luna – Oracle
Ron – Tactician
Neville – Terran (means earth)
Fred – Thing 1
George – Thing 2
Ginny – Firecracker
Charlie – Bear
Samena – Mystique
Matthew – Eagle
Arthur – Humphrey (means calm)
Molly – Matron
