H P Boy who livesYear 7- Summer
Chapter 32
New enemy
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Making their own kind of Marauders Maps...discovering a new enemy...having their first major fight...
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Sunday morning
Most of the family was enjoying their quality time together, but Harry seemed to want to stay cooped up in his tent, and Hermione wasn't in the mood to fish or hike either. Most of them chalked it up to they were just on emotional overload from that following night's ceremony and wanted to be left alone. Therefore, trusting them, off they went and left the two of them alone at camp, because no one in their right mind would ever think of betraying Queen Mab's or King Merlin's trust.
"I liked our early morning ride on Nessie when everyone else was sleeping. We were two keyed up to sleep after everything that happened and finished the prototype maps." Hermione was snuggling with him on the bed in his tent. "Since everyone in camp went off fishing it gives us more time to start on the next ones."
"There is that or we could just smooch for a while." Harry pulled her to him for a long kiss.
"Lion we only have two days to finish this before term starts and on top of that we have rules to read up on, plus Prefect names, and passwords to memorize." She tried to fight against the mind numbing effect of his kisses.
"I'm well aware of that my beautiful lioness, but this is just so much more enjoyable than memorizing rules, names, passwords, and things." He ran his mouth along her neck.
Just then, a tiny blonde bundle of energy zoomed into the tent and jumped on the two of them. She hadn't meant any harm, but her tiny feet nailed Harry in his lower anatomy. "You all being kissy face!" She jumped up and down on the bed causing Harry to grit his teeth in pain.
Hermione plucked her off Harry and cuddled her in her arms. "Daisy why aren't you with your mum and dad?"
Harry rolled off the bed onto the floor in agony.
"I be with Da!" She pointed at the entrance of the tent. "See there be my Da!"
Xander stood there trying not to grin at the situation. The two of them were caught seriously spooning by his three-year-old daughter. Not only that, but his baby girl had just wounded Harry in a place where a chap does not wish to be hit several times. "I see that everyone is off adventuring while the two of you are at it again." He growled.
Hermione blushed crimson. "We were about to finish our current project."
"They were being all Kissy." Daisy chimed in.
"Is that so munchkin," Xander walked over to the bed and smiled down at his daughter. "Were they all kissy like mummy and I?"
"They want baby like Daisy." She nodded.
Harry shot up on the other side of the bed in complete and total recovery at the words 'they and want baby'. "Oh not quite yet munchkin, we have to finish school first, but maybe in a few years." He grinned sheepishly at Xander as Daisy launched herself into his arms. "So what brings you to our campsite?"
"Let's just say that I know the two of you better than any of your family knows you and I am not as trusting to leave the two of you alone." Xander conjured a chair for himself and then straddled the back of it.
"Da and Mama are guards." Daisy smiled up at Harry.
"She means that her mother and I are your Guardians." Xander chuckled.
"You mean like a fairy godfather and fairy godmother?" Hermione frowned.
"Something akin to that," Xander nodded.
"What exactly does a Guardian do?" Harry arched a brow at him.
"When you were both babes we watched over you for your first year of life, but then evil forces interfered and Chloe and I were forced to help you in other ways." He saw the two of them were intently watching him so he continued. "We were helpless to interfere, but we did help Stephen acquire everything that he needed to make those creatures that you had to be around pay." He smirked as he continued. "I was the reason they were so scared of anything magic. Every time that he or Dudley hit or hurt you I made them pay in someway or another. Did you really think that it was physically possible for your cousin to grow that huge and not pop like a balloon without a little help? I was the reason they got you that pair of spectacles. I made them both start to think that they would go blind if they didn't take you to get specs. I know that it wasn't much, but my hands were tied at the time."
"I never knew why they gave in and got me specs, but then I didn't care as long as I was able to see clearly again." Harry took in every word that Xander was saying. "I always thought that Dudley had some kind of genetic flaw or something."
"It was hard to keep track after you started Hogwarts, because things were getting really tense between our worlds. No one in our world trusted Fudge. Especially, after the way he treated any situation that involved Voldemort. We trusted Dumbledore completely and he had your best intentions in mind. I recall when you and Ron were facing Aragog in your second year. You as usual had no plan in mind. You just wanted to clear Hagrid. It took a bit of doing, but I managed to influence the flying car to come to your aid. In the name of Fin, if an automobile were meant to fly, it would have been built with wings. Mostly all we could do was watch over you from a distance. Hermione was much easier on Chloe. She rarely got into trouble when she was at home. I guess she wanted to save all of that energy for school." Xander spotted what was spread out on the table inside the tent. "Now this looks familiar." He held up a piece of parchment.
"That's our current project. It's the key to keeping things in order as Head Boy and Head Girl." Harry was giving Daisy a ride on his shoulders. "Thanks for keeping track of us by the way. It's nice to know that we had invisible back up on our side."
"So what makes it so different from the original?" Xander arched a brow at the two of them.
"You see he found his father's journals last year and because of that we have the formula to make the original map. But, we decided that just one location wasn't enough, so this map can show any Wizarding World location. Then we thought about the ink being just black and decided that more detail would make using it easier. For example when viewing a location like Loc Ness, you would see trees and such on the map in colored detail. Then we thought that it would help immensely if we were able to gauge the moods of key people on the map, so the name changes color according to their mood and more. Lastly the best part is the security built into the map. Should it fall into unwanted hands, if you don't know the correct method of using the map you will be hopelessly jinxed." Hermione was proud of their creation.
"I see so once again you've decided to outshine your Da." Xander shook his head at the two of them in disappointment. "I thought that you had finished that rivalry between the two of you. I shudder to think that my little munchkin would ever challenge me every step of the way that you've challenged your own Da."
"You no like your Da?" Daisy tugged on Harry's hair. "That's not nice."
"No I love my Da. It's just that I didn't get to be raised by him and now that I have him back it's hard for me to take orders from him." Harry plucked her off his shoulders, so he could look in her eyes. "You little one are very lucky to still have your Da."
"You were sad." Daisy leaned forward and kissed his nose. "I sorry."
"That's okay munchkin. I'm loads better now." He kissed her nose in return. "I have my family back, thanks to our grandparents, so I'm happier now than I have ever been."
"Well then let's see this new improved map of yours." Xander arched a brow at Hermione.
"I can't show you myself, because I can't use my wand until September first, but Harry can show you how it works." Hermione smiled at Xander then over at Daisy. "Can I hold you for a bit while Harry shows your Daddy how our map works?"
"I wanna see too." She jumped eagerly into Hermione's arms.
Xander handed Harry the blank sheet of parchment. "Let's see it then."
Harry took his wand, tapped the map with it, and declared. "I stand for freedom, justice, and all that is good." The parchment came alive with the following colorful calligraphy.
The Master and Mistress bid you salutations.
Please state your intentions clearly or thee
Will find ye jinxed.
Ye have ten seconds.
"I wish to see Loc Ness, please." Harry stated his intentions to the map.
The map wrote more on the parchment.
Excellent choice!
Now please state the password and I shall do your bidding.
You have ten seconds or jinxed you will be.
"Firebolt," He stated the password.
Congratulations!
Here is what ye wished to see!
It began to draw a detailed almost three-dimensional layout of the surrounding area. The loc showed two boats filled to the brim with their family members. The men were in one boat and the women were in another. It even showed the location of Nessie, who was currently swimming under the boat containing the men. It was like seeing little pegs on the map, each represented a person. The boys pegs were gray with little z's coming from them, which indicated that they were bored out of their minds. Where as the men were mostly flashing red-orange in color indicating that they were aggressively fixated on something. The girls in the women's boat were mostly light blue indicating that they were relaxed and just enjoying themselves. Now the women were bright sunny yellow, which showed that they were having fun.
"Now when the person is happy it's a bright sunny yellow. This means that Aunt Lily and the others there are in a good mood." Hermione pointed to the sunny yellow pegs. "Luna and Ginny are a light blue color, which means that they are mellow and relaxed."
"What does flashy orange-red with flames mean?" Xander pointed to the other boat. Nessie had caused several of the men to fall overboard.
"That one is simple. It means they're frustrated or enraged about something. In this case it looks like Nessie doesn't like them fishing in her waters." Nessie was also flashing orange-red. "I used certain symbols like flames, hearts, a rain cloud if the person is sad, or a little sun to show happiness. They're more viewable when there are fewer figures on the map." Hermione explained.
"You really did go all-out on this one." Xander was impressed.
"Hermione doesn't do anything halfway." Harry chuckled. "Now just like the other map to erase it you tap it and say.
"Adventure accomplished." The map erased itself. "And then it's just a blank piece of parchment again."
"Outstanding work you two." Xander applauded their achievement. "Now why do you need six of them?"
"We want one for each of us." Hermione explained.
"I can see a slight miscalculation on your part." Xander knowing full well what even the slightest hint of saying that her plan was off would do to Hermione took a chance.
"Uh-oh...Da made a boo-boo." Daisy could sense Hermione's happy mood change to that of irritation.
"You said it kiddo." Harry eyed Hermione warily. "Now angel, I don't think he meant any harm by saying that."
"Down please." Hermione set her down.
She narrowed her eyes at Xander. "Just what do you mean by a slight miscalculation? That map is a masterpiece! There is nothing wrong with any part of it!"
Xander didn't show the least bit of concern about her rising temper. "Aye, but Lass if you make more than two, and then you run the risk of one of those masterpieces falling into the hands of say a professor. How would that look if one of you were caught with something questionable?"
"It isn't fair to Draco, Ginny, Luna, and Ron, if Harry and I are the only ones with maps. Ron would really have a problem with that." Hermione folded her arms across her chest and frowned at him. "We do not want a repeat of fourth year when he and Harry were at odds, because everything always favored Harry. Ron tends to have a really jealous streak, but is getting better about it now that he has Luna."
"I am not suggesting that you not give the others a map. I am only suggesting that you make two masterpieces and then four basic ones." Xander offered her a solution.
"You mean no dimensions, no color, no password, and no jinxes?" Hermione's mouth formed into a pout. "It takes all the fun out of the entire map."
"I suppose that it would mean no color, and no dimensions." Xander thought about it for a moment. "Still where's the fun in no password and no jinxes?" He winked at her.
"I suppose that it wouldn't hurt anything if we did that." Hermione contemplated that thought for a while.
"She's scary." Daisy tugged on Harry's jean pant leg.
Harry scooped her up in his arms. "No. She's just really serious about her creations."
"Oh, like nana." Daisy's eyes grew all wide and she nodded in understanding.
"You think that Hermione is like Nana Mab?" Harry arched a brow at her.
"Uh-huh they same," Her blonde curls bounced, as she nodded her head.
"I'm doomed." Harry muttered under his breath.
"Gampa Merlin say same thing about Nana." Daisy giggled.
"Oh yeah, now I know that I'm doomed." Harry was slobber kissed on the cheek.
"Don't look now Hermione, but my little girl has a crush on your soul mate." Xander watched as Harry interacted with his daughter, "Although the lad is a natural when it comes to being around little ones."
Hermione, who was watching the two of them, worried her lower lip with her front teeth, "I think that I can handle that kind of competition and you are so very right. He is really good with little ones."
"The both of you are going to make excellent parents a few years from now." Xander grinned. "Just not quite yet."
"No we aren't ready for that step yet, but if we ever had to face that situation I know the two of us can handle anything together." Hermione refocused on the table and went to work on the other maps.
"I know that Lass and that's the main thing that scares all of us. We know that you can handle it, but we also know that there's no need for the two of you to handle that now. Thus your promise to everyone and the reason Grams is moving us all back to the oak on the Hogwarts grounds for the term of your seventh year." Xander gave her a hug.
"First-Grams is moving your home?" Harry stopped tickling Daisy to focus on the two of them.
"Aye, lad. The whole fairy kingdom is moving back to the ancient oak that we used to reside in when you're Da and Mum used to attend Hogwarts." Xander laughed when Harry hit himself in the forehead with his hand and collapsed back on the bed muttering how doomed he was.
Daisy pounced on him so; she could tickle him, only to nail him in the groin yet again.
"This is gonna be one interesting year..." Harry gritted his teeth in pain, but did not let on that he was hurting to Daisy. He groaned when Daisy nailed him with her foot again. "I just hope that I survive it in one piece."
"Ok Princess, its time we get you back to your mum." Xander walked over and scooped her up in his arms. "Here you go Lad. I think you might need this." He conjured an ice pack in his hand and tossed it to Harry.
Harry caught the pack and set it where the pain was. "Thanks cousin, you have more than made your point." He rolled his eyes at him. "See you later munchkin." He managed a weak smile for Daisy.
Hermione smiled at the two of them. "Bye you two see you soon."
"Oh, you will." Xander winked at them and with a flash they vanished from the tent.
--
"MEDIC!!" Harry writhed around on the bed in agony.
"Oh, my poor, poor Lion," Hermione tried not to giggle at his current condition. "Did that little baby hurt you?"
"Oh, great bedside manner for a future Healer..." Harry opened one eye to glare at her. "I'm in agony here and you wanna laugh!"
"I recommend ice on the wounded area." She smirked. "Or I could go see if your mum has a potion for pain if you need one."
"If this keeps up it'll be a miracle that we ever see the twins." Harry set the ice pack where it hurt and closed his eyes, instantly he found himself pulled away by some unknown force.
In the back of his mind, purred a seductive voice. :I am so much more of a catch than the ice princess as you will soon see.: A sky-clad goddess with raven black hair and exotic violet eyes laughed at him. :I always get what I want and this time I want something that only you can give Me.:
:I'm soul bonded to my princess, so whatever evil plot you're hatching won't work on me. I am loyal, heart, mind, body, and soul to Hermione. So, do yourself a favor and quit while you're ahead.: Harry wasn't the least bit affected by seeing all of her charms.
:All men weaken in time and I have only begun my campaign against you. It is like time is destined to repeat itself over and over again. There is nothing not even the Four Hearts can do to break it. It started with Merlin betraying Mab and it continued from there. You can destroy my son. Wipe his very soul from existence, but I can always create another, one more powerful than the last. Oh, yes young prince even you, like Merlin, will fall and so will your precious peace.: The woman's laughter made Harry's blood run cold and his scar burn on his forehead.
:I am a Dark wizard and witch hunter you old hag and all this makes me want to do is vanquish you!! Not bed you! Now if you're referring to the two of us creating anything together then you are wasting your time! There is nothing on this earth! Nothing in this universe! That could get me to betray my soul mate! Who happens to be my wife! Go back to the cave that you slithered out of Morgana, because you're going to end up facing the same fate as your son!: Harry used his power to eject her from his mind.
:So you do know who I am. No matter. We shall see who wins in this little war.: Morgana's laugh was the only thing that echoed in his mind.
:Oh, you are so on bitch!: Harry shot back as he awoke to his scar causing him searing pain. "Son of a bitch ….Gods it hurts like it did before!" He grabbed at his forehead in agony.
Hermione was leaning over him concern shined in her eyes. "Where did you go and who was it that activated your scar again?" She was dabbing at his forehead with a cool cloth.
"It's not over." Harry squeezed his eyes shut to try to remember what had just occurred. "I have a new enemy and she is far more formidable than her son." Harry sat up and got out of bed.
"Harry you aren't making any sense Tom Riddle's mother died." Hermione followed him.
Harry stalked out of the tent and glared up at the sky.
"IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF SOME KIND OF SICK TWISTED JOKE!? WHAT MORE DO THE POWERS WANT OF ME!? I DESERVE THIS BREAK!" Lightning flashed across the sky and dark black storm clouds began to brew overhead.
"I PROMISE YOU THIS!! IF I HAVE TO GO THROUGH HELL AGAIN THEN ALL PROMISES ARE OFF!! THE HELL WITH ALL OF YOU!!" The wind whipped around him.
"I AM NOT YOUR PAWN ON SOME FUCKING CHEST BOARD! THERE WILL BE PEACE GODDAMN IT!! I AM NOT GOING TO DO A MERLIN!! DO YOU HEAR ME!!" Trees bent from the force of the winds that he had called up.
"BRING IT ON!! YOU BASTARDS! DO YOU HEAR ME! BRING IT!!" He roared up at the sky.
"I think the whole countryside heard and felt that!" Hermione shouted over the roaring winds. "Wait just a goddamned minute! There is no way in hell that anyone is going to take advantage of what is mine!" Her temper just added to the storm.
"DAMN STRAIGHT YOU BRING IT! I CHALLENGE ANYONE WHO WISHES TO BORROW WHAT IS MINE!! ETERNAL OLD HAG OR NOT!" Rain poured down in buckets, but she was oblivious of it. "IF ANYONE SO MUCH AS TRIES IT ALL PROMISES ARE OFF AND I WILL TAKE WHAT'S MINE!"
"That won't be necessary." Severus was standing nearby. "I know what my as you say first-Grandmother is up to and I have something that will counter her scheme. Now end this tantrum before you drown your family out on the loc."
"If she's your First-Grandmother that would make you..." Harry and Hermione ended the storm that Harry had called.
"It would make Tom Riddle my biological father." Severus waited for them to overreact.
"No wonder he was so toasted when you didn't return to the circle...His own son betrayed him." Harry now understood why his Uncle Albus had trusted him. "What made you decided to join the others?"
"I said that he was my biological father, which meant that he never set eyes on me until I was nineteen and even then I was never truly dark. Even though, I did study the dark arts, because of your father and Sirius. It was tempting when I discovered the truth. Still, I have always been loyal to one man, who made sure that I was kept away him, until I was ready to face him. I am loyal to Dumbledore, who has never once betrayed my secret. I went to him after the Dark Lord approached me and it was then that I set aside my plans to be a Healer and changed my field to Potions Master to become the Order's double agent. The rest is history." Severus had never told this to anyone, but he had no choice.
"I know why you hated my dad. He was a complete and total ass to you in school." Harry cleared the temper out of his mind, so he could think clearly. "Now I know why you begrudged me. I was a reminder of what you were forced to give up."
"There was that and you were a constant reminder that it wasn't finished on that night when you got your scar. That once again I would be faced with my past. You see after eleven years of forgetting it, I really didn't wish to deal with that. I expected you to be a duplicate of James and you were nothing like him. It irked me that you came from so much and showed such little promise. This to me felt like you weren't doing well just to get a rise out of me. I kept that in my mind for years, until finally after fifth year, you broke out of the protective shell, and showed everyone what was hidden in that endless mind of yours. You were in such control that even I was wary of what you were up to. It was too much like James and nothing like the boy who had attended class for the past five years. It was then and only then that I saw that you were coming into your power. You were preparing for something, so much so you were alert enough to sense and stop an attempt on my life. It was then that Albus told me of the upcoming battle and my feud didn't matter anymore." Severus sat in one of the chairs by the fire. "All that mattered was that you defeat and survive against my father no matter what the cost. Also, that Draco needed to be protected as well. You see he chose not to go along with his father's order to kill you. The result was Lucius disowning his only son and placing his neck up for slaughter."
"Well your war is over now, so you can go on to be a Healer if you wish to." Hermione nervously blurted out. "I mean your new look is so much easier on the eyes.
"Hermione did you take your medicine again?" Severus actually laughed. "I'll have you know that this is my natural hair color. My reasons for my other look were purely because of the fact that I wasn't about to have anyone subjected to my father's influence. Now that it's over we shall see what fate has in-store."
Harry had another glimpse of what was to come, this time it was of Sibyll chasing after a very reluctant Professor Snape.
"I would steer clear of the North Tower if I were you." Harry grinned. "But I doubt she'll take no for an answer."
"You don't mean who I think you mean?" Hermione looked at him as if he were out of his mind.
"Sibyll? You saw her chasing after me?! Oh, no not in this lifetime! Absolutely not! Merlin-in-training or not you're off on that one!" Severus fell backwards in his chair.
"That's the reason I have that hag after my body! Stop calling me that name!"
"He's mine stop staying that or we will be parents sooner than the twins!"
"Be quiet boy! I have a solution to that situation!" Severus got up and stalked over to them. "That does not involve you incurring the wrath of Queen Mab!"
"This had better be good or so help me if someone even tries to touch him all bets are off!" Hermione glared at him.
"He has to drink this once." Severus produced a vial containing a glowing neon green potion. "I call it the Fidelitas potion."
"That looks like something out of a mad scientist movie." Harry eyed the vial and then Severus with wary eyes. "What does it do exactly?"
"This potion will keep you loyal to your lioness. If Morgana possesses someone, who tries to take advantage of your innocence, this will make you see them as nothing, even if they were the goddess Aphrodite herself, and will not affect your natural feelings for your soul mate..." Severus handed him the vial. "Oh, hell, your wife! I know damn well that you two got married, not promised last night, even if everyone else is in denial!"
"Why did you even try a potion like this?" Hermione took the vial out of Harry's hands and looked at it herself.
"I saw Queen Mab in a dream, woke up, and started making the potion. This even though very complex only takes two hours to make. I then got a visit from Princess Chloe to take a vial here to you. It wasn't until hearing your tantrum that I understood why I made the potion in the first place." Severus growled. "Now give that back to Harry so he can take it."
"Has this stuff been tested yet?" Harry hated potions let alone one that was some sort of anti-physical attraction serum.
"So this counteracts love potion number nine like in the classic movie?" Hermione found that hard to believe.
"There is a love potion so powerful that it makes any male weak to the wielders charms. The Muggles make fun of it in their movies, but it is very real. Morgana used that to seduce Merlin into her bed. Cleopatra used it to get Caesar, and the list goes on throughout history. That is what Harry is up against; nothing has ever been able to challenge it until now." Severus looked over-the-hill down on the beach where Jenna was currently wringing out her soaked clothes in nothing but her underwear. This would heat any mans veins, but it had no effect on Severus, who had taken the potion as a trial run. "For example Jenna is down there on the beach, hardly clothed, and it is having no effect whatsoever on my anatomy. Now being male that view would make any male's blood boil."
"That's enough to convince me that this potion works..." Hermione looked down the hill then over at Severus. "Down the hatch Harry James Merlin and I do mean every last drop." She thrust the vial in Harry's face.
Harry plugged his nose with one hand and downed the contents of the vial.
"That..." His eyes crossed. "...Is the most horrific..." He gagged. "...Tasting shit that I have ever tasted in my life and that includes the Skele-Gro potion!!" He held his throat as if the potion were choking him.
"Shut up and put it to the test!" Hermione shoved him towards the hill. "Well!?"
Harry looked down at the beach. "What's the big deal about my aunt wringing out her clothes in see-thru underwear?" He rolled his eyes at Hermione then they widened as it hit him this crap worked.
"Relax angel..." It had just dawned on him that she was also sopping wet and had the instant urge to chuck his promise out the window and attack.
"For Merlin's sake girl go change!" Severus grabbed Harry before he could act on his instincts.
"Impressive it really does work." Hermione raced into another tent to go change out of her wet clothes.
"It's not fair!! She's mine and I can't..." Harry grumbled. "Oh, this just sucks!""
"Life sucks it's as simple as that." Severus smirked.
"Oh, you just wait until Sibyll sets her sights on you! Hey, wait a second. She was the only female left in the castle besides Poppy..." Harry narrowed his eyes at Severus. "Did you see Sibyll after you took the potion?"
"I saw her on my way off the grounds. She was out harvesting tea leaves for her upcoming classes, but what does that have to do with my potion. I am not attracted to Sibyll we're just friends. Those specs alone are enough to scare anyone away from courting her." Severus looked at Harry's serious expression and laughed. "Me and Sibyll!! That is ludicrous."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, because fate has a funny way of playing tricks on a person." Harry headed back into his tent.
"Absolutely not!! She annoys me to all ends!" Severus muttered aloud before Disapparating from camp.
--
A few hours or so later
Aristotle landed on Hermione's shoulder; there was a letter for her from the Department of Magical transportation. She walked out of her tent. "I'm so doomed." She walked passed everyone and straight up to Harry.
"Sweats, angel, think bulky clothing from now on." Harry wasn't even noticing the owl on her shoulder. "I'm not gonna survive seeing you in turtlenecks and tight body hugging jeans."
"Uh, son, focus on Hermione and not on what you can't have." James couldn't figure out what was up with Harry. "That freak storm must have rattled your brains or something."
Harry took the letter off the owl's leg. "It's from the Department of Magical transportation. Yeah, that doesn't sound good now does it?" He opened the letter.
Dear Mrs. Hermione Anne Potter-Pendragon
Harry was grinning after reading the name. "That has a nice ring to it don't you think..."
"Shut up and read the damn letter, Junior!" James growled.
Do to the fact that you have once again broken the law to rescue our Half-Blood Prince and his friends from harm. We are going to overlook the fact that you have Apparated without a license. This is something that is highly frowned on unless warranted by an extreme life-or-death situation. In this case, saving the lives of your pending groom, and his friends from being eaten by Fluffy. You have successfully shown us that you can more than pass the Apparation license test requirements, enclosed is your license. You made a lovely bride as did the prince make a smashingly handsome groom. Lavender was thrilled that you included her in your happiness. Please do try to stay out of trouble.
All of us at the MOM wish you and your prince an eternity of happiness and heartfelt congratulations on your surprise wedding.
Marigold Brown
Head of the Department of Transportation
"There you go wife. God I love the sound of that, your new license." Harry winked at Hermione. "Shall we run off and take a proper honeymoon?"
"Oh, no you don't junior!" James grabbed hold of his ear.
"Let go of my ear dad or you will get another freak storm up your ass!" Harry's good mood vanished.
"You caused that monsoon!?" Ron, Draco, Luna, and Ginny glared at him.
Harry shoved back his bangs to reveal his angry red scar. "Any other stupid questions!?"
"But you killed him." Ron growled.
"I killed Voldemort and no he isn't the cause of this new flare up of my scar! His bitch of a mother however is!" Harry was livid about this turn of events.
"Son what does his dead mother have to do with your scar acting up again?" Lily took a closer look at the angry looking scar on his forehead.
"Voldemort was a reincarnated version of Mordrid! That would mean that his mother would have been Morgana Le Fay! Do I need to draw you guys a fucking picture!? My war isn't fucking over yet! Now I have to deal with her wanting to make history repeat itself!! I'm not nor never will be like Merlin and if that's what she thinks, then she can just bring it, and I will finish her off like I did her son!" Harry knew that his temper was on edge because of his scar and he hated it. "I was the one who called up the monsoon and told the powers that be to go to hell! That if I go through that hell again, all promises are screwed, and the hell with them or any of you! I told them to bring it and called them a few choice words! I'm not a pawn on their chessboard and no one is going to upset this peace and I mean no one!"
Everyone stared slack-jawed at him floored by what he was saying.
"I added something. If this ancient hag tries to put the moves on what's mine in any way...then I will take what belongs to me and the hell with any promise that we made! No one is going to take what's mine!" Hermione added even more fuel to the fire.
"Oh shit, this is so not good." Draco was the first to speak. "Morgana wants to borrow Harry's body to create...I can't say it."
"To repeat history, you moron! She wants another Mordrid you idiot! She needs someone with Merlin's bloodline to do that! You clueless dolts keep calling him Merlin-in-training and now she's taking that seriously! I don't care if it means that I get to be a mother two years early! If she takes over someone and tries something on MY husband then I will act accordingly!" Hermione changed into a wolf before their very eyes.
"Oh, no you don't," Lily had a firm grip on Harry's arm.
Merlin and Mab appeared in front of them.
"There is no reason for all of this turmoil. Morgana had her last offspring when she engineered the birth of Tom Riddle." Merlin knelt down beside the wolf. "History will not repeat itself in any way. If she does possess a willing vessel and they do attempt to follow through with her plan nothing would come of it and they would be cursed to be barren."
"Every time she tries to carry out her plan Morgana herself will slowly find herself stripped of her immortality. She will become her worst nightmare mortal, powerless, and ancient to the eye." Mab stroked the head of the cinnamon colored wolf. "Although, if it does get that far then this one can do what she will with the boy. It isn't right to keep them entwined in a promise if that were to occur."
"Now wait just a goddamn minute! Are you telling me that Morgana is going to try to do a Merlin with my son!?" James was on information melt down, but he was managing to put the whole situation together in his head.
"Do a Merlin?" Mab smirked. "That is an odd way of saying it, but yes that is exactly what she intends to try. Morgana assumes that she is still as powerful as she was over a thousand years ago. Nevertheless, she is not and will soon find that her destiny is sealed." She looked over at Harry, who was staring longingly at his mate. "That mark on your forehead is both a hindrance and a blessing. It detects a dark one anywhere around you, but in doing so causes you pain. The potion that I showed Severus how to create is so powerful that one dose will keep you true to your mate for eternity. It will give you piece of mind during the trial ahead. Another one of my more foolish mishaps was the creation of a love potion that has caused the downfall of entire empires throughout history. It is one of the weapons that she will try to use against you and so the creation of the antidote. There is but one tiny little flaw to this new antidote it intensifies the feelings towards ones soul mate tenfold."
"If that potion intensifies his feelings for her tenfold then how do you expect him to keep his promise? I mean it's hard enough for him as it is." Draco and Ginny growled.
"I will not break my promise unless the situation changes. If I start getting stalked by Morgana's minions then all deals are off. Besides, Hermione and I have seen our future and we don't have the twins until two years from now. If anything were different I would have seen it." Harry stated what he thought was the oblivious.
"You were shown an afternoon five years into the future of what could be, young pup. If in fact you were to have had any other children they would have been of age enough to be in primary school. Nothing is always what it seems, in a vision there are always other things lurking where your eyes can't see." Merlin arched a brow at him.
"Now wait just a bloody minute! You can't tell them something like that!" James snarled at Merlin. "We're not ready to give him up yet let alone become grandparents!"
"Aye, but you did give him up last night during the ceremony when you gave them your blessing. Whether the other happens is strictly up to them." Merlin gave James his all-knowing-all-seeing look.
"Will Morgana try to use us to force his hand if he doesn't go with her wishes?" Luna frowned at Merlin something she rarely did.
"Yeah, I don't wish him to be put through that again." Ron grumbled.
"That won't happen, because the Avada Kedavra, Imperio, and Crucio curses will only work against Dark wizards or witches. They can no longer be used to harm innocents." Mab reassured them. "This is indeed the time of peace and harmony where magic will thrive once more."
"Boy that's a relief, it wasn't fun the first time, and I wasn't looking forward to going through that again." Ron sighed in relief.
"You have no idea how much of a load that takes off my shoulders." Harry relaxed a little. "Now I can focus on the task at hand keeping my promise by vanquishing Morgana, or making an effort to keep my promise, and facing fatherhood a little early. Either way Hermione and I can handle anything together." Harry's mind was set so he walked over to kneel in front of the wolf. "After all wolves mate for life isn't that right Princess." He found himself licked all over the face by Princess.
"And we will back you every step of the way." Draco and Ginny who were on the same thought cycle stated in unison.
"That we will Mate whatever happens we've got your back." Ron agreed.
"That's what friends and family are for." Luna smiled.
"I'm gonna go get sloshed!" James stalked off.
"James getting drunk never solves anything!" Lily stalked after him.
"Oh really, well, it numbs my mind which is good, because I bloody well don't wanna think about anything right now!" James turned on his heel to glare down at her.
"Their fate was set long before we were allowed to return and you can't change it no matter how many rules or roadblocks you throw in their way! If it happens, it happens, we will deal with it, and support them anyway we can!" Lily glared back.
"Hang the bloody fates for making their lives so difficult when it didn't have to be that way!! They deserve peace, yet once again, another evil villain rears its ugly head to challenge them! I agree the two of them can more than handle anything or anyone who comes along, but that does not mean that I have to like it! Seventeen going on thirty or not they are still in school and don't need a little one right now!" James spoke his mind then disapparated in front of her.
"I'll take care of it, Lil's" Sirius went after James.
--
"Those two are so much like Arthur and Lancelot it's rather unnerving." Merlin rolled his eyes. "When the going got the least bit tough or he was under too much frustration and there wasn't a war or battle to be waged he always went to go get sloshed with Lancelot."
"What did you expect from him? He has only been alive for less than two weeks and as of yet hasn't been able to have that fatherly son connection with his son." Mab gave Harry a look.
"Oh no, I am not going drinking with them." Harry frowned.
"Guinness won't harm you." Mab nodded.
Princess nipped him in the hand.
"Watch the teeth angel I know how you feel about me and drinking." He scratched her behind the ears. "I have no intention of going down that path again."
"James wants to brood right now. He'll be fine when he gets home." Lily assured him. "He'll have one hell of a Hangover, but he'll live."
"I don't know about all of you, but I just feel like going home." Harry arched a brow at all of them.
"Oh yeah, the castle sounds good and if you lose your temper at least we'll be inside." Ron agreed between sneezes.
"So is Hermione stuck or what in that form?" Draco grinned.
"She'll be fine when she calms down. It wasn't something that she intended to do. The young pup will eventually be able to become virtually any animal he wishes. It just takes practice and the proper training." Merlin smiled. "Aye, young pup you are mine for your seventh year. I was going to wait a year or two to start your training, but situations change. Now that I am no longer always hiding in the ring I can focus on you and your training."
"That's nice of you to offer First-Grandpa, but I have a full class-load this year." Harry thought that would end that. He was very wrong.
"Schedules change young pup." With a flick of his wrist, he produced Harry's seventh year schedule in his hand. "Monday you start out the morning with double Auror training with Stephen, then it's our time for the rest of the morning, and then in the afternoon DADA with your father. Tuesday again is the same as Monday's morning schedule, and then the afternoon double Potions, and more assistant professor DADA with your father. Wednesday same as the others and in the afternoon double Charms and more assistant professor DADA with your father. Thursday it's same as the other mornings and in the afternoon double Transfiguration and more assistant professor DADA with your father. Finally to end the week right, it's all morning with me and then for the afternoon double Herbology and more assistant professor DADA with your father." Merlin watched Harry's face grow paler and paler as the class list went on. "No worries young pup, but you will have to take a trip to Diagon Alley on Monday to get the rest of the books required for your studies." He handed Harry the schedule and book list.
Harry stared at the enormous list of books and then at his grandfather. "Are you sure that I'll be able to find all of these in Flourish and Blotts?"
"Just hand the list to the store owner and he will see that you get what you need." Merlin reassured him.
"So I basically get to see Hermione in the afternoon and that's it?" Harry looked over the schedule again.
"We will see you back at Hogwarts." Merlin and Mab vanished.
Hermione transformed back into her human form and took the schedule away from him. "They're going to break him with a schedule like that. I mean he isn't me you know."
Harry blinked in surprise at her response to his schedule. "Are you suggesting that I'm not intelligent enough to handle this schedule?"
Hermione reached up and patted him on the cheek. "Of course not lion, all I'm saying is that usually you get a break either in the morning or in the afternoon. This shows no sign of a break, except that you have an hour-long lunch. I just don't believe that you have the academic stamina to withstand a schedule as grueling as this one. This training in the morning will be physical in nature and it's only going to make you drag through the afternoon." She was back in I-am-far-more-superior-at-school-than-you form. "Need I add that these books are way over your head?"
"Way over my head?! Lacking the academic stamina?! Dragging through the afternoons!? Listen LITTLE-MISS-PREFECT now that I don't have the threat of my death looming over my head I will be able to more than handle that grueling schedule! It's too physical!! I'm not academically able!? The very idea that you think that I'm mentally challenge to do so makes me think the two of us have far more to learn about each other than we thought! Obviously, you seem to think that I am intellectually able to handle being a father, but when it comes to something as important as school obviously I suck at that! Thanks for your most astute vote of confidence!" Harry felt as if she had slapped him in the face. "Just think everyone!! This came from my wife!! The woman that I pledged my entire existence to last night! The girl that means the universe to me said that about me! My god Hermione if this is what you call constructive criticism I would hate to see what you think of as a pep talk!" Harry took back the list and schedule then stalked off to get ready to head back to the castle.
"My god Hermione you really stuck your foot in it that time!" Ron glared at her.
"I didn't..." Hermione stammered.
"Didn't basically tell him that compared with you he was a moron?!" Draco snarled. "My god Hermione it takes brains to be able to do what he can do! Not just dumb luck!"
"I was only..."
"Being yourself, an academic snob!!" Ginny growled. "You have always thought of Harry as some sort of B average student, who only lives for the adventure and the hell with education!!"
"That's not true..." Hermione whimpered.
"It's sad to say, but it's true. You are an academic snob." Luna solemnly agreed. "You turn your nose down at anyone who doesn't take school seriously."
"I was an academic snob in school. It drove James insane, because I paid no attention to him trying to date me, and all my attention was on my studies. Then we started dating and I found there was so much more to him than just the anserine jerk that he portrayed himself to be. It was this big front that he put up, because he had a really big problem with his dad." Lily walked over and gave her a hug. "School is not everything, it's just a part of you, but there is so much more to life than just studying, and all you have to do is open your eyes and see it."
"Just so you know!! It takes a person of extreme intellect, mental discipline, and highly honed skills to be even considered into Auror training! By the looks of that schedule I have all three!" Harry was packed and ready to go back to the castle. "YOU STUCK UP! SUPERFICIAL! PERFECTIONIST! ACADEMIC SNOB!! I never realized just what kind of person you really are! I love you Hermione, but that whole snob attitude has got to change or we are going to need marriage counseling! I will not have the future mother of my children think that I need to have a dunce cap on my head! I am just as smart as you are!! I just don't flaunt it! In case you hadn't noticed I was trying to stay alive for six years! You know what just forget it!! I will see you back at the castle!" He vanished without using his wand.
Hermione burst into tears. "Counseling?! I don't think of him like that! I was just...and now he hates me..." She sobbed against Lily's shoulder.
"No sweetie. He loves you and that's why he reacted that way to your opinion about his schedule. He values your opinion of him above everyone and you cut him to the quick by telling him that compared to you his intelligence is nothing. Just let him cool off for awhile and he'll be fine." Lily stroked her head and just let her cry.
The scene now over the others went about packing up camp.
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Chapter 33
Kiss and Make up
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I do not claim any of JKR's characters only that I love being able to create my own kind of mischief with her beloved characters. I do not claim any other things that are owned by other companies that I may mention once and a while in the stories...Although the original characters and ideas are mine and I loved creating them. So please review if you wish but try not to flame me too badly.
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Cindra 2004-2008