Title: Strings of Fate
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Being raised only by his Aunt, Harry comes to Hogwarts not only knowing about the Wizarding World, but with a kind of training no one at the school is expecting.
Professor Sprout walked into the Hufflepuff Common Room where the students were unwinding a bit after the last class of their first day back. With dinner approaching soon, most Hufflepuffs spent this time in the Common Room rather than in their Apartments as it gave them a chance to socialise with the rest of the House and gossip. She did notice that there were two 'nuclei' in the House, students that the rest of the House gravitated around.
One was of course Mister Potter and his two friends, Miss Bones and Miss Abbott. Their, for lack of a better term, power base was concentrated around the lower year students, with a few of the older female students. The other was concentrated around Cedric Diggory, the charismatic and popular Fifth Year, with his power base being concentrated more in the upper year students.
"Alright, listen up." Professor Sprout said. "I have a few announcements. Firstly, the Quidditch team tryouts will be held on the weekend. Anyone who wishes to sign up please do so on the notice board. Secondly, any student run clubs that are looking for new members, please inform me and I will arrange for notices to be put up in all of the common rooms. This also applied to students who wish to form new clubs, though new clubs will need to be vetted by the staff. Finally, after the success of the Indy Concert at the end of last year, it had been decided that there will be a series of small concerts throughout the year, culminating with the Indy Concert at the end of the year. Any students, who wish to participate, please let me know so arrangements can be made. The smaller concerts will take place on weekends and attendance is voluntary. That is all."
She glanced around the room to see how the students were taking the announcements. She saw Miss Bones glaring at Mister Potter who got up grumbling and went over to the Quidditch signup sheet.
"Miss Bones, Miss Abbott. What's the matter with Mister Potter?" Professor Sprout asked.
"Oh that?" Susan replied, gesturing to Harry. "Just getting him to follow through on something from last year."
"If Mister Potter was so interested in Quidditch, then why does he seem so reluctant?" the Professor queried.
"Because Diva told Ambassador that he had to sign up this year after our first Flying Class." Hannah replied.
"I vaguely recall mention of an incident in that class. Is that not what precipitated the donation of the new brooms?" Sprout mused.
"Yeah. Well Diva here at first threatened Ambassador with Indy, but when he pointed out that she would not be here this year, she…" Hannah began before trailing off.
Susan rolled her eyes at her friend then turned to the professor.
"I threatened to have you hug him until he submitted and signed up." Susan said.
Professor Sprout just raised an eyebrow at the pair but internally she was chucking. Submission by hugging. If Severus pissed her off one more time she might just try it on him. Mister Potter was returning to the group and, on a slightly perverse impulse, Pomona wrapped him in a brief hug.
"What's the deal, Diva. I signed up like you wanted so why did you sic the Professor on me?" Harry asked indignantly.
"I was merely expressing my appreciation for your enthusiasm about joining the Quidditch Team, Mister Potter." Sprout said before turning and walking away.
As she left she heard Mister Potter mutter about crazy women and heart attacks.
Luna sat in the Ravenclaw Common Room, with her feet tucked up under her in order to keep her feet warm since her casual shoes had gone missing, having a read through her Transfiguration Textbook. A pair of Fourth Years came walking by and giggled at her, one a tall blonde and the other of Chinese decent.
"Lonely little Looney." The Chinese girl said.
"Chang!" a voice came from across the Common Room.
Cho turned away from Luna to see Hermione Granger, Padma Patil and Su Li heading towards her. It had been Hermione who had spoken.
"What do you want, Granger?" Cho asked the younger girl.
"You will leave Luna Lovegood alone and will return her missing clothing." Hermione replied.
"And why should I do that?" Cho retorted. "You're just nobody Second Years."
"Yes." Hermione said sarcastically. "I am a nobody Second Year… who has been published in the Potion Master's Journal alongside Professor Snape for revolutionising Potions Making. But that's beside the point, as this order does not come from me."
"Then who?" The blonde girl asked, as Cho started to go slightly grey.
"The Order came from Ambassador." Padma said. "And he was quite clear that he would be displeased with anyone who messed with Luna."
The blonde took a second to realise who 'Ambassador' was, but Cho knew who it was immediately.
"Lady Helena, can you please come here for a moment?" Hermione asked politely.
After a few seconds the Ravenclaw Ghost gracefully swept through the wall of the tower.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" she said in a calm and controlled voice.
"Can you please inform Harry Potter that Cho Chang and Kelly Tiller have violated his injunction regarding Luna Lovegood." Hermione asked.
"As you wish." Helena replied before sweeping out of the room.
Helena glided into her private quarters and dropped the demure and graceful image she portrayed when she was out and about in the school. She giggled as she moved to the signed photo of Harry Potter that was resting on her dresser. These had been her private quarters from when she had been alive and it still had a number of mementos from both her life and things she had acquired since she had died. The room was comfortable and decorated in a mishmash of styles that she had taken a liking to over the centuries.
A Wizarding Wireless stood next to an ancient music box that she had received as a child. The bed was a large canopied four-poster, with the posts carved in an elaborate design of vines and flowers. A glass case on one wall held her old wand and a pair of long daggers. The dresser that held the signed photo of Harry Potter held four other items. One was a portrait of her mother and herself standing quite formally. The second was a portrait of The Baron and herself looking lovingly at each other.
The third item was a brilliant carving of a dragon about to launch into flight that had been given to her by a student ninety years ago, a student called Aries Lovegood. The final item was a Wizarding Photo of herself and five female students; Lily Evans, Serena Williams, Andromeda Black, Alice Weaver and Melanie Kepler. Of the five girls, only Andromeda and Alice were still alive, although Alice, who had married into the Longbottoms, was in long term care at St Mungos.
Helena sighed and, like a schoolgirl, flopped back onto the bed, her legs kicking into the air for a moment before coming back down onto the bed. When she had been asked by young Miss Granger to inform Harry Potter about the bullying on Luna Lovegood she did so for two reasons. One was because it gave her another chance to see Harry Potter. The other was because of two of the girls in the photo, Lilly and Serena. Harry and Luna's mothers.
Helena, of course, knew about the secret that was the layout of the Hufflepuff Dorms, but the one thing that she had not expected, but had thrilled her, was the fact that Harry had been in the shower when she had delivered her message. Harry had been dumbstruck while she was delivering her message, and she made sure he understood before she left, but as she went he let out a shout of frustration, which had caused Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott to emerge from their bedrooms just in time to see Helena glide through the living room of their apartment followed by a blushing Harry emerging from the bathroom, tying his bathrobe as he stalked back into his own bedroom.
Helena sighed. Like every other Witch she admired Harry Potter for what he had done and how he had handled his fame, but Merlin. If she could hold a wand she would have been able to cast a strong Petronus from that memory.
TBC…
Omake submitted by LWJ2 (set around the time of the Autograph Signing in Chapter 7)
Harry wondered just how a ghost - even one of the stature of the Grey Lady - had managed to acquire six sickles for an autographed photo of him.
Slytherin Common Room, the evening before.
Severus Snape stormed angrily into the common room. "Who called a house meeting?" he asked the gathered seventh years.
The already chilly temperature in the room dropped precipitously.
"I did," responded the silvery ghost of the Bloody Baron.
Snape paled in the dim light. "I see. Will you require my presence, m'lord?"
"No."
Snape left, giving the students the impression of controlled haste as he departed.
"Now, we're here to help you survive your seventh year," the Baron stated flatly.
"And what do you think a ghost can do to assure that?" Marcus Flint asked nastily.
"Peeves."
"Yes, your Bloodiness?" Peeves asked as he slowly materialized.
"That one, the largish one. Nothing Pomfrey can't repair."
"Yes, m'lord."
And with that, Peeves proceeded to beat the mouthy seventh year into an unconscious, bloody pulp in less than three minutes.
"The key to surviving your seventh year, ladies and gentlemen," the Baron began, "is to give Peeves there a sickle apiece for the Grey Lady."
Coins clinked quietly into the open purse held by Peeves.
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Your survival this year is now assured. At least, in that Peeves won't be calling on you any time soon," the Baron told the seventh years. "Peeves."
"M'lord?"
"Bring Alfred to my quarters. He and I are going to have a discussion about the criteria for sorting Slytherin students. He seems to believe that stupidity is a house requirement."
"M'lord."
End Omake