Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -
Harry Potter & the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers (though this plot here is mine :)). I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be) & I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.
There's plenty more...blah blah blah....forget it & let the story begin :).
Note: US English has been used here.
HARRY POTTER & THE POWER OF HOGWARTS
Chapter 13 – Splits & Plans
"Say to Gabrielle that I love her present" Harry said as he left the office, leaving behind a smiling Fleur.
&&&&
It had been only a few hours since Harry had talked to Fleur but he was already in deep thought in his trunk. The main reason for his concern was the fact that Fleur had mentioned Soha just like the other students. In the past week, he had been so occupied in trying to avoid his friends that he had grown closer to Soha which, in the hindsight, was not a great thing.
It was true that Harry cared about Soha nowadays. At first, he had maintained a relation with her more out of politeness than anything else but now he thought of her as one of his friends. She wasn't in the league of Ron or Hermione or even Seamus for that matter but still she was his friend now and he couldn't risk anyone targeting her. If Malfoy or his goons were to attack or harass Soha, Harry knew that it would be very tough for him not to go to protect her which, in turn, will only add fuel to the rumors that he and Soha had a thing going between them.
But how was he going to tear away himself from Soha at a day's notice? It had been much easier in the case of Ron and Hermione since he knew exactly how they would react to certain things but he didn't have the vaguest idea of how Soha would react if he behaved coldly with her. Maybe she would be mad at him or maybe she would be quite and take it in her stride. Thousands of possible actions and their subsequent reaction combinations were going through his mind when he heard a soft knock on the door of his room.
"Come in" Harry said to find Tonks standing in the doorway.
"How are you?" Tonks asked in between her yawning. Evidently she had just got up from her sleep and wanted to check on the others.
"Fine" replied Harry trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. Tonks frowned at this. She had come to know Harry's different moods over these past months and she could tell when he was in a bad mood or was contemplating something serious.
"Seriously, how are you?" Tonks asked for the second time, not looking as sleepy as she had been a minute ago. Harry looked at Tonks with an odd expression in his eyes. He had expected exactly this from Tonks and knew that Tonks would not give up until she knew what was bothering him.
"Just worried over some things at school" Harry knew his reply was not the exact truth but it was not too far away from it either.
"And what exactly are those some things?" Tonks asked as she sat down at the end of Harry's bed. "I don't think it is anything to do with your classes". Not getting any reply from Harry, Tonks gathered her courage and asked "Ron or Hermione?"
"No Tonks. That's not the problem" Harry replied, somewhat irritated, but did a great job in keeping his emotions in check.
"Then?" Tonks asked more confidently. She knew that if it had had something to do with Harry's best friends then she would have had no say at all but now that she knew that it was some other thing, she could press on it. "You know what; I might be able to help you if you let me."
Harry looked at Tonks for a long moment and finally told her about his problem. Tonks was slightly taken aback at how easily Harry told her that he didn't want to remain close to Soha and was trying to figure out of how to do it. After hearing what Harry had to say, Tonks finally spoke again.
"Look Harry, how long are you going to do this? This will keep getting messier by the minute."
"As long as he and his supporters are out there" Harry replied immediately, not bothering to explain who he was referring to though Tonks understood him well enough.
"Well…" Tonks seemed lost in thought. After a few moments of silence, she said "You are sure that you want to do this, right?" Harry nodded in reply. "Then the best way is to directly talk to her"
"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows in a questioning gesture. Was Tonks advising him to go and talk to Soha and tell her that he didn't want to stay friends because of Voldemort?
"What I meant was that just tell her that you want some space. Tell her that you don't want to be disturbed for the time being and that she shouldn't read too much into your behavior. Then, after she understands it, you start staying away from her as long as you can and slowly but surely, give her the impression that you don't want anything to do with her." Tonks finished her explanation even though she hated herself for it. She knew that her idea was quite a good one as Soha wouldn't be too hurt by this added to the fact that she didn't trust Harry too much in his behavior with girls.
Harry was lost in his thoughts for some time but finally smiled. Yes, it was a nice way of convincing Soha. "Thanks Tonks. I like it".
"But I don't" Tonks replied with a hurt look on her face. "You shouldn't go around destroying your life".
"I am trying to keep others safe" Harry replied defensively.
"Look Harry…" Tonks explained "…even You-Know-Who has supporters. Even he has to rely on others since he knows he can't take on others single handedly".
"I know" Harry replied. "But I too have my supporters".
"Who are they?" Tonks asked while cursing her curiosity. She was the type who just had to know what was going on around her.
"You and Remus of course" Harry replied in a cheery voice. Tonks was however not too enthusiastic about this and got up to leave.
"You know Harry, one day you will require more people by your side; so don't push everyone away so much that you lose sight of them".
"Hey..." Harry asked "…where did you learn to talk like that?"
"You must be rubbing off on me". Now that Harry mentioned it, Tonks had to admit that she had surprised even herself with her words and advice.
"Now now Tonks, you shouldn't talk like that to a guy who is much younger than you" Harry said with a mischievous smile on his face. Tonks had made another wrong move and he wasn't going to let her go scot-free. "I never even come too close to you".
Tonks seemed lost for words at this statement from Harry. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. As she rushed out of the room blushing heavily, she stumbled on the carpet at the doorway and Harry could hear her firing curses at the carpet.
&&&&
"Hi Harry" Soha called out to Harry as soon as she caught sight of him heading towards the charms classroom. At the sound of her voice Harry stopped and waited for her to catch up. When she was alongside him, he started to walk again at his normal pace without acknowledging her greetings with a smile as had become the custom over the past week.
"Any problem?" Soha seemed a bit worried regarding her friend. She had seldom seen Harry so quite and somber looking.
"Yes…I think we need to talk sometime today" Harry replied. "I want to discuss some things with you".
"Ok" Soha replied even as her voice betrayed her curiosity. Both of them proceeded towards the classroom and sat down at their respective adjacent seats without too much further interaction. Soha seemed to sense that Harry wanted some time alone and thought it best not to interfere with his thoughts.
"Talk to him" Harry was lost deep in thought when he heard someone whisper. Without turning his head but getting a vague impression from the corner of his eyes, he could make out the red hair of a boy who had just taken his seat on the desk to his right hand side.
"I won't" he heard Ron whisper back to Hermione.
"Why not?" Hermione asked.
"Why don't you talk to him?" Ron retorted aggressively.
"You are a guy. Maybe it's a guy's thing" Hermione reasoned. "You would be better in a guy's talk than me".
"I am not good in guy's talk" Ron seemed as stubborn as ever. It seemed like he didn't even want to try to break the ice between them and Harry.
"Then what are you good at? Girl's talk?" Hermione's voice was much angrier than before.
"Quidditch" Ron replied. Harry almost snorted at this; even in the middle of a serious discussion, all Ron could think of was quidditch.
"What?" Hermione said in an exasperated tone. "Quidditch comes before Harry?"
"Quidditch comes before everything" Ron said adamantly. Harry smiled inwardly at this. He knew that Ron didn't mean it; rather it was Ron's ego which was stopping him from talking to Harry. All for the better, thought Harry.
"Today…" Harry suddenly realized that their tiny professor had entered the classroom "…we are going to learn an advanced spell which cannot be performed by most" this perked up the interest level of the whole class. "This spell is called the Hate Charm. Can anyone tell me what this charm does? Yes Ms. Granger?"
Hermione lowered here right hand and replied "The Hate Charm is a charm which causes temporary side effects but nothing too harmful. It can be cast only when the castor has extreme hate for his opponent. Even though the name for the charm seems to indicate otherwise, the hate charm only results in temporary blindness or stunning of an opponent for a few seconds. Since it doesn't have grave effects, it is not classified as an unforgivable curse"
"10 points for Gryffindor for such an excellent explanation" Flitwick squeaked in delight. "Everyone, please write down the incantation for the charm. It is "Perosus Infinitus". Soon the class was busy taking down notes on the Hate Charm and its effects which seemed very mild.
"I don't know how a charm which needs such high emotions can have such a mild effect" Soha said once she and Harry were out in the corridors. Harry didn't bother to reply and only nodded his head once. Soha took this as a sign that Harry didn't want to talk now and proceeded quietly. Soon both of them separated as Soha had CoMC with Slytherin while Harry had transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Transfiguration went better than expected as Harry was able to transfigure a match box into a wooden chair but still finished second to Hermione. But this time around, McGonagall praised Harry's skills more than Hermione's and asked the rest of the class to follow the example set by Harry and concentrate more on their studies.
It was during lunch that Harry heard an argument break out in the Gryffindor table and suddenly found him in the middle of quite a few people.
"What?" Harry asked as he looked up to see himself surrounded by almost all the Gryffindors.
"Let's go to the common room for a while" Katie Bell caught Harry by the arm and tugged him up. Reluctantly, Harry went along with her wishes and walked out of the great hall with all the Gryffindors following him. Many of the teacher's and the students looked on in amazement but none of them said anything to the large group of students.
"You resigned?" Katie asked slowly to Harry as soon as they were in the common room.
"Yes" Harry replied. He now understood that McGonagall must have called up the quidditch team and had informed them of his decision.
"YOU REALLY DID?" Katie shouted at Harry. "AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN INFORM US!"
Harry didn't reply as he saw the angry faces of Ron, Katie, Ginny and the other Gryffindors. Only Hermione seemed to be neutral and though Harry couldn't be sure, he thought that there was even a sympathetic look on her face which vanished as soon as their eyes met.
"Say something" this time around it was Ron who spoke up. "If you have any problems with me then its fine but why do you want us to lose the quidditch cup?"
"Ron, this is not about you" Harry began slowly. "I resigned because I didn't want to play anymore and I think Ginny did an excellent job the last time around as a seeker".
"C'mon…" Ron threw up his hands in the air in desperation "…you want us to believe that you don't want to play quidditch? That's a good joke really".
"That's the truth" Harry replied curtly knowing fully well that it was a lie.
"Harry…Harry…" Katie began to pacify the situation "…we need you. Look, the seventh years have left and I will also leave after this year. We need you in this team. You have been the one who has been winning us the games".
Harry saw that many of the angry looks on the faces of the other Gryffindors were vanishing only to be replaced by pleading expressions. "Katie, I am really sorry but I can't continue".
"Why?" Katie almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. Slowly it was beginning to sink in that Harry had really quit but still she didn't want to believe it.
"It is too complicated to be answered like that" Harry said, his eyes focused on his palms. He didn't want anyone to see that he was even sadder than the others and that quidditch was something he truly treasured. "I need a break and that's why I quit".
"Ok…ok…" Ron said, seeing a ray of light in the darkness around. "You can have your break but you are coming back for the second match, right?"
Harry used his metamorphmagus abilities to harden his face and replied curtly "Sorry Ron, I don't think I will be playing again. By a break I meant a long term one and even I don't know how long it can drag"
"This can't be happening…" Ron seemed to be talking to himself as he started pacing around but he could be clearly heard by everyone in the room which had fallen into pin drop silence.
"Harry…" Ginny spoke up for the first time. "Please don't do it" her voice was almost begging him to reconsider his decision.
"Sorry Ginny, I have already taken my decision" Harry said before turning towards the others. "Look people, Gryffindor have a good quidditch team and it is not dependent on one person. You guys can play well enough without me. I am thankful that you guys asked me to reconsider my decision. It means a lot to me but I would really appreciate it if you respect my decision".
"Ok Harry…" Katie said again after a long moment. "…we can't take your decisions for you. We respect your decision but please, if you ever want to come back, know that you will be most welcome".
Harry nodded in reply and felt grateful towards Katie for resolving the situation. Still, he could see the frustration on the faces of many others and he felt sorry for them. He also wanted to play quidditch as much as Ron but he already had too much on his platter and didn't want to add more things to it. Quidditch would always be there but another encounter with Voldemort might well be his last and which way the result would go would depend a lot on how he prepared himself.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully and soon it was an hour to go for dinner. Harry had talked precious little with Soha during the day and wanted to explain his position to her. Harry got up from his chair in the common room and went to his dormitory room. Taking out the marauder's map from his trunk, he looked around to find Soha in the library. Quickly pocketing the map, he proceeded towards the library.
"Hi" Harry said as soon as he reached the library. Soha was just leaving the library when Harry had managed to catch up with her.
"Hello" Soha replied in a none-too-bright voice. Apparently, she was not too happy with the events of the day and wasn't in her usual high spirits.
"Can we talk for a while?" Harry asked tentatively. Normally he was very sure of himself whenever he spoke to Soha but this time around he didn't feel too confident. But an affirmative nod from Soha brought a smile to his lips and he motioned her to follow him.
"Well, this is a safe place to talk" Harry said when they were settled in the Hogwarts Room of Requirements. Soha was looking quite surprised as she had followed Harry through a zig-zag route to a portion of a corridor where a door had appeared out of nowhere. Finally she told herself that this must be one of the many secrets of Hogwarts and she should get used to such things.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Soha asked after she had completed her survey of the room which had nothing more than a big couch in it.
"Well…" Harry began tentatively "…you must have seen me behave a bit differently today…" He paused to await Soha's response which came as an affirmative nod. "Actually I have some things on my mind".
"Can I help in any way?" Soha asked in a concerned voice.
"No" Harry replied immediately. "I have to sort out something's myself and for that I need some time".
"Yeah…" Soha said in an understanding manner "…there are some things in which no one can ever help the other". Harry thought that there was a bit of grief in her voice but decided that he should continue with his explanation.
"Soha, I need some time…some time alone" Harry continued. "I mean, my behavior will remain similar to what it has been today because I am too pre-occupied with my existing problems".
"Does this problem have something to do with that red-headed friend of yours?" Soha gave him a quizzical look.
"No" Harry was surprised at Soha's question though inwardly he was also quite satisfied. Obviously the news that Harry and his friends were not on the best of terms had spread through Hogwarts very fast. "Why do you say that?" this time it was Harry who questioned.
Soha looked slightly uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. "Well, I have heard some things…you know…about you having a fight…" Soha's voice trailed off at this point but it was enough for Harry to understand what kind of rumors were doing the rounds of Hogwarts.
"Well, something like that did happen but that is really not my problem here" Harry said. There was no way that he would go around denying the rumors but he couldn't lie about anything and everything to a person. "I have some other things to do also and I want work out those things first".
"I see" Soha said. "I have no problems with that".
"But it is going to be slightly related to you" Harry said. At Soha's questioning look Harry said "I need some time alone. I mean I want to continue with being alone for some time so that I can think clearly".
"I see. So you want to stay away from me for some time? You mean to kick away your friend?" Soha had a hurt expression on her face.
"No…no…" Harry tried to calm down Soha. "It's not like that. I mean, we are still friends and friends do understand when the other person wants some time alone to solve their problems, don't they? Soha, you are a good friend and what I just said has nothing to do with you personally".
Soha recovered slightly at this. She understood that Harry needed some time alone but she didn't like the fact that she would have to spend her time without someone to talk to.
"Look Soha, you have your other friends to talk to in the meantime" Harry said as he almost sensed Soha's fears. "Try to get to know others better in this time period and you will find many good people around here".
"But no one ever talks to me" Soha said disappointedly. "Not even the Ravenclaws".
"Maybe we have been hanging around too much with each other" Harry tried to provide some consolation to the pretty girl in front of me. "I would bet that a lot of people want to know you"
"You think so?" Soha's voice betrayed her insecurity.
"Absolutely. I had my problems initially but when I tried hard enough I found pretty good friends".
"Then why are you not with them now?"
Harry again surveyed his hands and drew a line on his right palm using his left hand's index finger. "We have some problems with each other. Let's say that they too need some time away from me".
"I see. Don't worry, it will be ok after all" Soha reassured Harry with a warm smile. Harry felt grateful to two people at that time - Soha, for being such an understanding friend and Tonks, who had given him such a simple but wonderful idea to sort out things.
"Hopefully" Harry replied. "Anyway, I might stay away from you from now on but don't read too much into that, ok?"
"Ok Mr. Potter" came the reply in the bright voice which Harry had come to know in the past few days. "And I think I should get going now…I have a lot of friends to make" Soha said with a friendly wink. Both Harry and Soha had a good laugh at this and said good night to each other as they left the room.
School went on normally for the next few days. Harry started to change his seating arrangement randomly in different classes and everyone seemed to be a bit taken aback at this development. No one knew when they would find Harry sitting beside them in a class and moreover Harry himself didn't know who he would be sitting with. He used to walk into classes and sit down at any random desk with a single empty seat and sometimes, when his luck was really bad, he would find himself seated with some Slytherin student. Only potions classes would feature him and Soha sitting together since Fleur had partnered them from the first class itself. Thankfully for Harry, Soha seemed to be taking all these developments sportingly and didn't mind the fact that Harry kept avoiding her.
Harry was also pleased by the fact that Soha had found some new friends. It seemed to him that whoever was not hanging around with him daily was welcomed into other groups; and he didn't mind the fact at all. Also, he had dropped a word with Neville that Malfoy could be planning something against Soha and Neville had passed the word onto Cho without mentioning the source of the information. Cho seemed much friendlier towards Soha now that she didn't stay around Harry in his free time and both of them seemed to spend quite a lot of time together.
With all this going on, the rumor mills were now going on about a big fight between Harry and Soha and how they had split. Harry felt amused at the stories doing the rounds and couldn't help but laugh at the one which was about Harry offering Soha a ride on a hippogriff and Soha rejecting it. It was said that Soha had given Harry a choice between the hippogriff and herself and Harry had chosen the hippogriff. All in all, Harry couldn't have felt better about their 'split'.
Harry had also taken up a strange hobby nowadays. Whenever he had a lot of free time, he would end up in the library. Many times he would find Hermione there but they didn't talk much now. But sometimes after lunch or when he didn't feel like going to the library, Harry would just wander about the castle and try to memorize each and every path present. In doing this, he had even identified a certain sequence in which the staircases moved and sometimes he would just wait for a staircase to move before climbing onto it.
It was during one of his 'wandering' trips that he encountered a curious situation. It was around 8 in the night and all the students were in the great hall finishing their dinner. Harry had decided that he would have dinner with Tonks and Remus and knowing that he had a lot of time on hand, he took a detour through the second floor. He had just turned around on a corridor and was proceeding towards a secret passage which led towards the Gryffindor tower when he heard hushed voices coming towards him. As silently as possible, he hid inside one of the empty classrooms and watched in amazement as two of his professors came into view - McGonagall and Snape. Both of them were walking very slowly as they seemed to be debating upon something.
"But this is draining Dumbledore too much" Snape's voice was concerned which Harry couldn't believe was possible.
"But there is no other way to stop him, you know that as well as I do" McGonagall's voice seemed strained as she said this.
"But we can't risk Dumbledore for him. He is our last hope".
"You know Albus…" Professor McGonagall retorted. "He will go to any length to…"
Harry almost yelled in frustration as McGonagall's voice faded out and assumed they had turned around the corner. He knew he had heard something which was supposed to be not known to everyone, something which Dumbledore would go to any length to do – but what was it? He quickly got out of the room and tried to follow his professors but found that they were nowhere to be seen. Must have taken a short-cut to the staff room, Harry thought.
Harry proceeded towards the Gryffindor tower lost in deep thought. Once inside the common room he started to get his questions in order. Dumbledore was doing something but what was it? Snape said that this 'something' was draining Dumbledore too much. Did that mean that Dumbledore was trying to use some advanced magic against Voldemort which was draining him magically? Draining Dumbledore magically - this thought seemed impossible to Harry but if Snape had said it then it had to be true. Harry decided to think over it carefully as his stomach gave a growl. He left the common room and proceeded towards his room without noticing that Ron, Hermione and Ginny had just come in.
"Why did he go off like that?" Ron asked indignantly as he took his customary seat near the fireplace.
"I don't think he left because of us" Hermione said. "I don't think he even saw us".
"But he doesn't even talk to us anymore" Ginny said in an annoyed voice.
"I know Ginny…" Hermione said "…and I myself would like to know why he is avoiding us".
"Why he is avoiding us? Maybe we are not worth his time" Ron retorted. "Maybe that new girl has bewitched him".
"Ron" Hermione glared at him. "Don't bring Soha into this. Harry has been avoiding her too recently".
"Soha? You have even talked to that girl?" There was a kind of disgust in Ron's voice which effected Hermione very much.
"Yeah…" said Hermione sarcastically "…and if you had any brains then you would have asked me what I had found out".
"Sorry but I left my brains at home" Ron spat out. Ginny was watching the whole scene in shock as Ron's anger shifted from Harry to Hermione. She knew that whenever her brother was angry with something, he would take out his anger on the first thing in his sight. "You are the little Miss-Know-It-All, why don't you enlighten us?"
"I would have told you if you had not behaved like a complete jerk" Hermione shouted. Many people in the common room had stopped whatever they had been doing and watched the trio near the fireplace.
"Now I am a jerk?" Ron shouted, getting up from his chair. "The real jerk is upstairs and you call me a jerk!"
"You are so stupid" Hermione shrieked before hurrying off towards the girls' dormitories followed by Ginny. Ron slumped down his chair and stared at the blazing fire.
&&&&
"Hi" Harry said as soon as he reached his trunk. "What's the latest?"
Remus updated Harry on the latest news around even as Tonks returned from her duty. Remus told Harry that some people had gone missing for weeks now and the ministry was, for once, taking an active role in searching for them. According to him, Fudge seemed to have lost his mind and was now working for the good of the common people rather than go about holding useless press conferences. Harry smiled inwardly at this and assumed that none of the Order members knew about the Council. Tonks, on the other hand, said that the number of attacks had reached a record low ever since the attack on the ministry building. This could be attributed to the fact that older aurors had been called out of retirement and had been assigned duties for protecting the innocent one's while it was up to the new aurors to hunt out death eaters. Many of the older aurors had returned because of a personal request from Dumbledore though Tonks was also unable to explain how Dumbledore and Fudge had come to an agreement on this.
"So the common people are feeling more protected now?" Harry asked in between taking bites of the meat loaf on his plate.
"Some are. Others are using high security installations at their homes. Some guys are really making money out of this" Tonks replied.
"Would you guys like to start something like that?" Harry asked.
"Like what?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Some 'Security Providing' company" Harry said. "I could ask the twins to make whatever you want to be made".
"That's a really good one" Tonks laughed out loudly but stopped once she noticed that Harry seemed serious about this. "Are you mad?" She exclaimed as she understood that Harry had seriously made his offer.
"No" Harry replied calmly as he gulped down some mango juice. "If others are making money then why can't you do so?"
"Kiddo, do you have any idea about how much investment it would take?" Tonks voice had a hint of annoyance in it as she thought that Harry was pulling their leg.
"Old lady, do you have any idea about how much I have at Gringotts?" Harry's reply came as a question.
"Anyway…" Remus said breaking up the brewing argument. "Seriously, apart from what I have informed you, it seems…"
"Remus" Harry interrupted. "I am seriously thinking about a new company. How about 'RT Securities'?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Harry, don't start on like your dad" Remus had a note of warning in his voice.
"Why don't you guys take me seriously?" Harry responded angrily. "This is a serious business I am talking about".
Tonks had finally managed to understand that Harry was dead serious in this stuff and wasn't joking around like she had thought. "Harry, we don't have the money".
"I do" Harry said. "How much will you require? 1000 galleons for a shop on Diagon Alley, another 100…no…200 galleons monthly for 4 round-the-clock employees, about 200 galleons for the twins for their unique brand of magic and an additional 1000 galleons for miscellaneous expenses. That comes to 2400 galleons…no…make it 3000 galleons to start off with. After that a monthly expense of about 500 galleons will take place but I think you guys will make over 2000 a month"
Tonks had her mouth hanging open while Remus had stopped eating altogether. He just couldn't believe that Harry had made such a calculation and was talking about the money as if it was nothing for him. Obviously Remus knew that 3000 galleons was nothing for Harry but he still couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"Hello!" Harry snapped his fingers in front of Remus and Tonks. Both of them came out of their stupor but still had a glazed look in their eyes. "Should I ask the twins to arrange the things? They would get everything ready within 2 to 3 weeks".
"Harry, we can't do it" Remus said, his voice almost a whisper. Tonks faintly nodded her head in agreement.
"Remus, think of it in this way…" Harry began "…the rich can take all kinds of protective measures but not the poor. Why don't we do something to fix that? We can make the latest protective stuff as you and Tonks have quite a thorough knowledge plus the twins can add something unique of their own. We sell to the poor guys at no-profit-no-loss while the rich ones pay good money for it. What do you say to this? We have a good business running as well as we can help a lot of people".
Remus and Tonks looked on in wonder at this explanation. Finally Remus spoke again. "You are really serious about this?"
"Of course" Harry exclaimed desperately.
"Ok. I think that we need some time to think about it, right Tonks?" Tonks made a strange gurgling noise which both the men took as an affirmative one.
"I will ask you soon as to when you plan to start" Harry said this as if everything had been decided and only needed the right date to launch their new business. "I can see the newspaper headlines clearly - RT Securities Launch Latest Product".
"What's this RT for?" Tonks asked.
"Remus and Tonks" Harry replied.
"No way" Tonks said.
"Ok…ok…we can think of a name later. Just take a positive decision by soon." Harry said as all of them finished their dinner.
&&&&
"Potter" came a drawling voice from behind Harry as he was making his way to the Potions class. Harry had spent the past few days in relative peace but knew that it had to end someday soon.
"Malfoy" Harry stopped and greeted his fellow year-mate.
"I heard that your girlfriend threw you out. Knew it would happen sooner or later" Malfoy was accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle as usual.
"You knew it in advance?" Harry asked, feigning astonishment. "Now I understand why I always came second in divination"
"Shut up Potter"
"You shut up Malfoy" Harry said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "Seems like your dad doesn't have too much hold on the ministry anymore"
"Don't worry Potter…" Malfoy sneered "…Pretty soon there will be no ministry to have hold of"
"Empty threats again Malfoy" Harry retorted. "You should learn something from your dad. At least, he answers the calls of his master like a pet dog". Malfoy seemed shocked at these kinds of statements by Harry who kept a safe distance from both of Malfoy's bodyguards. Recovering from the shock quickly, Malfoy drew his wand and said "You will regret this Potter"
"Maybe not" Harry said with a smile. "Looks like the H.P.K.F. is here" Sure enough, Neville, Ron and Hermione were coming towards them as they were also headed for the Potions class. Malfoy quickly pocketed his wand and said "We will meet again Potter"
"I will be most happy to meet you again" Harry said with his smile still plastered in its place. "Maybe you would come alone to show that you are man enough to face me"
"Any trouble Harry?" Neville had hurried forward to see what was happening.
"No Neville" Harry replied as Malfoy turned on his heels and walked in the opposite direction. "No trouble at all".
&&&&
"So, how were your classes today?" Tonks asked as soon as Harry entered the trunk on the evening of the 15'th of September.
"Ok I guess unless you count the loads of homework given to us"
"Good. They should give you more homework" Tonks had a look of glee on her face. "When I was studying here they always used to give us so much work to do whereas you guys get off easily"
"Easily?" Harry asked in an angry tone. "You call writing 38 inches of parchment in one evening easy?"
"Of course" Tonks looked mildly surprised though Harry could feel that she was just helping herself to a good laugh. "We used to write down 60 to 70 inches of parchment daily"
"Wow" Harry said in mock appreciation. "Why don't you help me out with my homework today?" This seemed to drain off some color from Tonks's cheeks.
"It's your homework" Tonks replied. "I don't want you to cheat"
"C'mon Tonks, you have to help me out" Harry said in a pleading voice. Tonks looked stuck in a spot of bother but Remus walked in at that moment.
"What's up with you guys?" Remus asked.
"I was asking…" Harry began but was cut off by Tonks.
"He was just asking us when we wanted to start our new business and I said that we would like to begin as soon as possible" Tonks said all this very fast.
"Really?" Harry exclaimed, forgetting his homework.
"Well…" Remus said in a thoughtful voice "…we did consider what you told us and we really want to help as many people as we can. We don't want to make money out of it…"
"…but we can't help it if we do make a lot…" Tonks said with a sad look on her face which was one of her worst made-up expressions. Anyone who saw it would have been able to point out that she was trying to hide a smile.
"Anyway" Remus continued after giving Tonks a glare. "We will do it"
"GREAT" Harry shouted. "Dobby"
"Yes Harry Potter?" Dobby asked.
"We are going to have a feast today and you get to cook everything as I have a lot of homework to finish. Also I have to ask the twins to get everything ready as soon as possible"
"Dobby is most happy to do everything" Dobby said with a toothy grin and popped away to get everything ready. After all, it was not everyday that Harry let him do all the cooking for a feast alone.
Harry finished up his homework as fast as he could and sat down to write a letter to the twins. Making it as brief as possible without leaving any of the details out, he gave the letter to Hedwig who seemed quite happy with the task. After all, it had been a long time since Harry had entrusted her with the job of delivering a letter, let alone an important one as this.
"So" Harry said as soon as he sat down to a magnificent dinner "Have you thought of a name?"
"Potter Security Services" Tonks replied immediately before adding a slogan "Potter for Every Occasion"
"Very funny" Harry replied while he made a face at Tonks.
"Seriously…" Remus said "…we were thinking of 'Sknoher Security Services'"
Harry thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders "Fine with me. Now that everything is fixed all I can say is ENJOY". With that, Harry tore into the food as if there was no tomorrow.
&&&&
"Hi girl" Harry said as he got up from his bed, awakened by the hoots of Hedwig. Hedwig immediately flew down and held out her leg for Harry to untie a letter. Harry took the letter and gave her some owl treats which she took very happily. Hedwig gave an affectionate peck on Harry's fingers before flying to her perch and settled down comfortably for a well earned rest.
As soon as Hedwig had flown away, Harry opened the letter and started reading its contents.
Dear Harry,
Really, we are surprised as to how you provide us with options to make money. Wasn't it enough with the joke shop (No it wasn't mate). We are looking for a good shop (but not better than ours) and we will inform you as soon as possible (Yes as possible as sooner).
We also liked your idea for the security options you mentioned (we have better one's installed here) and we will start working on it soon (oops…no comments). We are planning to drop by soon (just keep a soft landing spot) and will ask you about your feedback regarding our new products (which must be old by now).
Best Regards,
Fred (and George)
With Special Thanks To
George (and Fred)
Smiling, Harry put away the letter in the drawer beside his bed and got dressed for his classes.
&&&&
Harry was in an excellent mood today. After the confirmation from Fred and George, his initial classes had also gone very well. When he entered the DADA class, anything to do with Snape didn't seem a bad idea either.
"Accio Essays" Snape said even as he was striding into the classroom. All the essays were neatly stacked onto his desk as he said "Books and quills in bags. This will be a dueling lesson only". No sooner had he said this that a rustling of bags and books could be heard. Within a minute however everyone had their wands in hand and awaited further instructions patiently.
"Weasley, Granger. Get down here"
Hermione silently got up from her seat and Harry saw that she was clutching her wand more tightly than usual. Looking up towards Ron, Harry found him to be unusually tense too. Knowing both of his friends so well, Harry was ready to bet 1000 galleons that they had a fight and had still not made up. What worried him slightly was the fact that whether he had been a cause for their fight or not and he also felt guilty for not being there to resolve their differences.
"You two are going to duel each other" Snape said. "Everything goes except for the unforgivables or until I call a halt to the proceedings". The whole class had become silent as they knew that they could witness a good duel but Harry's eyes seemed to be trained more on Snape.
Snape looked most unlike himself today. In fact, when he had called out the names of Hermione and Ron, the usual loathing in his voice was missing. Now that he looked closely enough, Harry found that Snape looked kind of tired. The dagger like eyes didn't have their usual shine while he looked paler than usual. Harry had never seen Snape like this and wondered whether this had something to do with the conversation he had overheard some evenings before. Now that he thought of it again, Harry found himself contemplating on what Dumbledore could be doing against Voldemort.
Dumbledore had not been seen around at breakfast or lunch times but he made it a point to be there at dinner every day. Harry attributed this to the fact that maybe the Council was meeting frequently to decide on important issues and organize man hunts for the wizards who had gone missing. Or maybe Dumbledore was taking his breakfast and lunch in his office and was preparing for something. Harry just couldn't figure out what Dumbledore was up to but he knew that it had to be really serious if Snape was worried about it.
"Potter" Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the familiar but less hatred-filled voice of Snape. He looked around to see that Hermione seemed to have a badly injured arm whereas Ron was limping back to his desk. Both of them looked very unhappy and Harry guessed that it was because they had hurt each other even though they didn't want to show it now.
"Goyle" came the voice of Snape again. "Both of you get down here now"
To say Harry was surprised would be a gross understatement because Snape had always tried to pit him against Malfoy. Even as Harry got up from his seat, a murmur went around as all the other students, including Malfoy, seemed astonished. Maybe Snape has finally lost his mind, Harry thought as he reached the area in front of the classroom along with Goyle.
"Take your positions and start when I ask you to. I hope you two remember the rules" Snape said and took his position in the corner of the room. Both Harry and Goyle took up their respective positions and waited for the signal from Snape.
"Start" came the voice and Harry immediately put up a shield with the Protego spell. For all he knew, Goyle would cast a stunner and would be hit by the rebound.
"Stupefy" came the much anticipated shout from Harry's opponent. In a fraction of a second, Harry decided he would have some fun with Malfoy. Even as the jet of light came nearer, he made a movement as if he was desperately trying to avoid getting hit by the spell. He rolled on the ground but it was so slow that everyone could swear that he was acting though no one could prove it. Even as he rolled away, he tilted his shield just as the spell hit it and the spell, instead of rebounding back towards Goyle, went flying in the direction where Harry knew Malfoy was. A small blasting sound confirmed that the spell had hit something other than Malfoy.
"What the hell was that?" Harry could here Malfoy shouting. The bench on the right side of Malfoy had been hit by the spell and it had crashed into the wall behind it.
"STOP" Snape shouted. "Potter, what do you think you are doing?" The look of loathing was back on Snape's face and Harry felt a bit relieved that this was really the original Snape and not an imposter.
"I was trying to avoid Goyle's spell Professor" Harry replied, suppressing a smile.
"Potter..." Snape had moved in quite close to him and he had lowered his voice to a level so that only Harry could hear him. "Don't try your tricks in front of me. I haven't forgotten what had happened before". Harry said nothing but kept his poker face in place as he understood that Snape was speaking about their encounter at Grimmauld Place. "Make one wrong move and..." Snape trailed off giving Harry a glare which made his spine shiver. Moving away from Harry after finishing his 'private' chat, Snape said out loud "10 points from Gryffindor for being careless. Potter, Goyle, return to your seats"
Harry's heart saddened as he returned to his seat because he had missed out on his fun duel. What still remained a mystery was that Snape had pitted him against a thick headed fellow like Goyle rather than any of the other's present. As he headed back, many people gave him a wink when they were sure Snape was not looking at them. This made him feel better since he understood that the others had enjoyed the small duel very much.
"Malfoy" Harry's head snapped up when he heard Snape calling the name of his archrival. Malfoy swaggered towards the dueling area in the front of his class as if it was his own property. "Mentieva" Harry's heart sank as he heard this name being called and he hated Snape with every part of his existence. Saving his friends from Voldemort was one thing which Harry thought was possible but saving them from Snape was out of question. Harry now understood why Malfoy had been held back by Snape. He watched Soha walking to the front of the class and saw a determined look on her face. Though he did not want her to get hurt, he still didn't know about her fighting abilities and trusted the fact that she must be a Ravenclaw for something at least. Trying to keep his face as straight as possible, he watched as the two fighters took their stance with Malfoy at the far end of the class and Soha with her back towards Snape.
"Start" came the shout from Snape and the dueling area burst into action.
"Serpensortia" Malfoy shouted and a huge snake came into view. Many present in the class shrieked but Soha looked quite calm.
"Silex Clypeus" Soha shouted and Harry saw that she had conjured up a block of stone just like Tonks had done. Soha drew a thin arc in the air with her wand and the stone block crashed onto the snake causing a mess on the floor. Harry felt relieved at this and sat back in a more comfortable state of mind. Soha was quite capable of handling herself and he wanted to enjoy it.
"Chalybs Ballista" Malfoy shouted and a big iron sphere made its way towards Soha. Soha made no attempt to stop it but moved aside at the last minute and the ball flew past her towards Snape. Only a last-minute spell by Snape vanquished the ball.
"Neo Funis" Soha shouted. A large whiplash, moving in a circular fashion around its center, was hurled towards Malfoy. Malfoy's eye's widened at this and he rolled out of its path but not before the whiplash had made a deep gash in his left arm.
"Aegrotus Caput" Malfoy said from a kneeling position and a jet of light sped towards Soha. This was a spell which caused the victim to have a severe fever for around 3 weeks. He got up and tried to back away a bit but found that he had reached the extreme end of the room.
"Protego" Soha said followed by "Perverto Adhaero". Malfoy dodged out of the way of his own spell which rebounded back but was hit by the second spell. Immediately his body spun around and he hit the wall which he was now facing. But instead of slumping down to the ground, he just kept sticking to it while shouting "Get me off this"
"Expe..." Soha began to disarm Malfoy but was stopped by a shout from Snape.
"Finite Incantatem" Snape shouted and Malfoy came down. Soha looked around in surprise as Snape dismissed both the duelers while Harry looked outright furious. Snape had just denied Soha from a victory she deserved though Soha didn't show her frustration in front of the others.
"I want 10 inches of parchment on dueling tactics and spells. Granger, Weasley Malfoy, off to the hospital wing" Snape said as he walked out of the class. Immediately Soha was ambushed by the students of other houses. Everyone congratulated her on such a tremendous victory and even Ron was smiling as he left the classroom. As their eyes met, Harry smiled and gave a thumbs-up signal to Soha.
The potions class was not going as expected. The potion which Fleur had asked them to make was supposed to turn greenish after 20 minutes of brewing but Harry and Soha looked on in dismay as their potion was turning grayish by the second.
"'aving problems 'arry?" Fleur asked one of the two front benchers.
"Yes professor" Harry replied with a frustrated look on his face.
Fleur just smiled at this and asked "Did you miss ze boar 'air?"
Harry slapped himself on his forehead at this. Of course, he had a gut feeling that he missed something and now that Fleur pointed it out he was angry with himself for not cross-checking the ingredients more than once. Also, he assumed that Fleur had seen them making the mistake but wanted them to learn it the hard way around.
"Thanks professor" Soha said and gave Harry a nudge. They went on to empty their cauldron and started to make the potion again. Soon the class was over but Harry and Soha remained behind to finish their potion.
"I 'eard zhat you 'ad a duel today?" Fleur asked.
"Yes professor" Harry replied. "She did great" he said pointing towards Soha.
"Yes, I 'eard Severus. 'e waz angry" Fleur replied.
"Really? How nice to hear that" Harry replied in a smug voice. Of course he knew that Snape would be angry but he normally didn't speak about his lessons to anyone around. He must have been really frustrated today to have slipped on that little detail.
"Now now arry, you zhouldn't talk about Severus like zat" Fleur said in a McGonagall like voice.
"I apologize ma'am" Harry said with a smile.
"You shouldn't smile like that too" Soha whispered furiously. Harry didn't pay any attention to it and went back to stirring the potion.
"Oh…" Fleur said as she saw the time on her watch. "…It'z nearing dinner time. You two zhould be on your way to ze great hall"
"2 minutes more please" Soha said. Their potion was almost done and needed only 30 seconds of stirring now. Soon, they were done and Harry asked Soha to hurry on while he cleaned away their desk and put away the potion in a vial. Harry was storing away the potion when Fleur spoke again.
"'ave you dezided yet?" Fleur asked.
"Decided what?" Harry said in bewilderment. Fleur's face betrayed her disappointment as Harry pondered over what he had to decide. Finally, someone switched on a light in his head.
"I am so sorry Fleur" Harry said going over to her desk and placing the potion-filled vial beside the rest of the others. "Please forgive me. I will let you know as soon as possible" This brightened up the veela and she gave an elegant nod at Harry. Harry immediately grabbed his bag and ran out of the room and towards his dormitory. He reached his trunk in 4 minutes flat and hurried to the fifth compartment. Upon reaching the place he found it to be empty. On enquiring with Dobby, he was informed that neither Tonks nor Remus had returned yet. Since he wanted to get their consent as soon as they got in, he decided to wait for them in the trunk and skip dinner at the school hall. Finally, after a wait of 30 minutes, Remus came back, with Tonks being late by another 5 minutes.
"Hi Harry. How was your day?" Remus asked when he had cleaned up and joined Harry at the dinner table. Tonks also had taken a quick shower and had joined them.
"It is not over yet" Harry informed them. "I will have to take a quick dinner and go and talk to Fleur"
"You mean that veela teacher of yours?" Tonks asked which Harry confirmed. "So, how did our mighty Potter get a late night appointment with a veela?"
"Because that woman wants to know whether we could join her in France for Christmas"
"FRANCE!" Tonks jumped up from her seat causing her chair to fall back. She turned around to pick it up and bumped her back into the table. "Ouch"
"Tonks, you shouldn't get so excited all the time" Remus knew it was foolish to give Tonks such advice but couldn't resist.
"Yeah, you could end up with high blood pressure" Harry chipped in.
"What?" Remus seemed lost. Tonks, in the meanwhile, had taken to her seat once again.
"Forget it Remus" Tonks said, her enthusiasm back in place. "So Harry, are you really serious? You mean we get to go to France? Can we go to Paris? I have heard it is a lovely and romantic place. I always…"
Harry rolled his eyes as Tonks went on and on with her narrative of what she though about France and Paris in particular. Both Harry and Remus continued with their dinner in silence and finally, after talking non-stop for over 8 minutes, Tonks managed to stop.
"So Harry, are we really going there?" Her enthusiasm seemed to be growing by the minute.
"Only if we accept her invitation and you stop calling her a veela" Harry replied with a slight glare. Tonks held up her hands defensively and said "Sorry dear. Just go and tell that beautiful girl that we accept her invitation. If she wants us to go over there tomorrow itself then also we are ready for it"
"Tonks…" Remus gave her another glare.
"Hey…you always take my words in a wrong manner" Tonks said with a hurt face. "I never thought that you two of all people…" and her voice trailed off as she stared down at her dinner plate.
"Ok Tonks…" Harry said "…I think I will open a movie company and give you a role in my first movie". Though Tonks was still looking downwards, Harry could swear she was smiling. "So, do I confirm it?" Harry asked finally. Both Tonks and Remus gave an affirmative nod to Harry.
Harry, who had just finished his dinner, looked at his watch which read 9:10 pm. He still had 50 minutes in hand before the curfew and he decided that he would inform Fleur tonight itself. With a quick 'see you soon' to the other's, Harry proceeded towards out of the trunk and towards Fleur's office.
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Fleur was looking around for Harry during dinner time. She didn't know what made her look for him but she knew it was him that she was missing. She had a feeling that Harry would return with an answer tonight itself but still she couldn't be sure about it. She wondered what it was that was keeping Harry from either accepting or rejecting the offer and she was having a horrible time giving different excuses to Gabrielle as to why she couldn't ask Harry. Truth be told, she didn't want to pressurize Harry and also the fact that she seldom found him alone didn't help matters either. She had seen a god gifted chance today and had decided on 'now' rather than 'never' and had found, much to her disappointment, that Harry had forgotten about her offer.
Nonetheless, Fleur hoped Harry would accept the offer. She was also concerned with the recent developments in Harry's life. During the Triwizard Tournament, she had seen the golden trio together all the time but nowadays seeing them together seemed equivalent to seeing all the planets of the solar system in a single linear path. Harry had changed from when she had last seen him at the end of her seventh year. He seemed happy with his friends at that time and they seemed to be with him through thick and thin but the Harry of current time was an altogether different proposition to handle. This Harry was much more hardened and worldly wise. Also, this Harry seemed to be the happiest when he was alone though Fleur had a feeling that his emotions were much different than what it seemed from the top. Sometimes she wondered whether the events of Harry's fifth year had done something irreparable to him, which had caused a change which none of his friends would ever have wanted.
As Fleur made her way towards her office, which had her living quarters attached to them, she wondered what it was that made Harry different from the other people. From what she had heard from her colleagues and had seen during the tournament, Harry was always the kind who would do anything to help others and this list of 'others' was not a biased one. Even during the fight during the welcoming feast, he had taken great pains to not only save a Slytherin, but also made sure that she was not even scratched. This spoke volumes for a person's character and Fleur felt that she would never have done such a thing at her own risk and neither would many of her colleagues or students. With these thoughts in her mind, she entered her office and removed the anti-veela charm.
Ever since Fleur had become an adult, her veela powers had grown significantly. Her mother, a half-veela herself, had taught her over a period of a month as to how to control her charm. Initially it had been tough but nowadays it had become almost her second nature to control the level of her charm which, even at its highest level, was not close to the power of a full veela. During the evenings or rather after her dinner, she never took care to control her charm as no one came to her office. But today, even as she was thinking of retiring to bed, there was a sharp knock on the door. Almost absent mindedly, she asked the person to come in.
"Hello Fleur" Harry said breathlessly since he had been running all the way to her office. Suddenly he felt a strange feeling come over him. It seemed very much like the imperious curse which the fake Moody had put over him but much milder in effect. He focused slightly harder and the effect seemed to vanish.
Fleur, in the meanwhile, seemed to realize that her anti-veela charm had been removed and looked anxious for a moment. Her anxiousness was overcome as soon as she saw Harry give a shake of his head and give her a clear and open smile, which was his usual.
"About the Christmas offer you gave me, can I ask two of my friends to come with me?" Harry asked in a perfectly normal manner which astonished Fleur to some extent.
"Yez, of courze" Fleur said, recovering from her initial shock. Even though she was a quarter veela, her charm was not too weak to be resisted so easily. "Ron 'nd Hermione?" Fleur asked. She watched as a strange expression passed over Harry's face before Harry shook his head.
"No. Tonks and Remus" Harry said.
"I see. Izn't Tonks ze person who saved Hermione?" Fleur asked curiously. Harry nodded his head affirmatively. "And Remus?"
"He is a friend of my dad" Harry replied brightly. Fleur smiled at him and said "A friend of yourz iz most welcome at ze Delacour Manor"
"Then it is confirmed. We accept your invitation" Harry replied with a grin.
"Thanks 'arry. Gabrielle will be very 'appy" Fleur replied. Harry said a quick 'good night' to her and made his way back to his dormitory while Fleur took out a parchment and sat down at her writing desk in her room.
Dear Gabrielle,
How are you doing? I hope you are getting ready for your school next year. Always listen carefully to what mother and father have to say and follow their instructions carefully.
I know you are angry with me because I couldn't provide an answer to whether Harry would be coming or not but today he gave me his answer. He is coming elle, he is coming! He told me just a few minutes ago and he even asked if he could bring two of his friends over. I said yes and he said he would be very happy to see you again. Won't that be great? I really think that we will have a great Christmas this year.
Now elle, are you angry with me anymore? Sorry dear but I really couldn't help it. I hope you forgive me.
You know what, I am teaching all sorts of things to the students here. The Slytherins are still giving me a lot of trouble because I am not pure-blooded but the others are very nice to me. Some of them even come over in their spare time and have a nice chat with me. We can't have the best of everything every time, can we? I am really happy to teach here.
You want to know another thing; your 'hero' is not the best in potions and makes silly mistakes sometimes. Really, is he still your hero? Think about it again dear.
Sorry, I was just teasing you. Now don't get angry with me or I will ask Harry not to come. Hehe…isn't that nice. All these years you used to blackmail me with one thing or another and now I have something to blackmail you with. Hmmm…I will take this issue very 'seriously'.
Anyway elle, I have to stop here. I will write to you soon again. Give my love to mother and father and plenty of kisses, hugs and love for you.
Yours forever,
Flu.
Folding the letter and putting it in an envelope, Fleur beckoned towards her owl which took the letter and proceeded to deliver it. After watching her owl fly out of a magical window which was specially placed there by Dumbledore, Fleur went over to her desk and too out her diary from one of its drawers.
September 20'th
Dear diary,
I had another terrible day today which, thankfully, ended on a happy note. The Slytherins are awful, especially that Malfoy boy. He always says awful things about me and I get very angry. It takes me all my will power to not transform and flame him but I think I will give him a taste of how it feels to be at the receiving end of a half-breed's anger. I really hate him. The other Slytherins are not so bad but they have a look in their eyes which says a lot. But at the end of the day something wonderful happened. Harry agreed to come over to our house for Christmas.
I must say that today's encounter with Harry was a shocking one for me. He seemed to have forgotten everything about my invitation but when I reminded him, he said he would let me know as soon as possible. What I didn't expect was that he would let me know about it tonight itself.
I had just returned from dinner and had removed the charm when Harry came in. I was stunned to say the least when he talked to me normally instead of drooling all over. During the tournament too, he had behaved with me normally but my veela powers were not that strong at that time. Anyone else today would have started jumping all over the place and showing off but not Harry. He seemed effected for only a split second after which he returned back to normal. How – I don't know!
There is something about him which puzzles me. I don't know what but he seems very different. I have seen many men in my life but no one behaved with me the way Harry does. Even Bill had fallen a victim to my veela charm and it was only later that I realized, with great regret, that it was the veela which had attracted Bill and not the person. And Harry is not a man yet. For all I know, he is just a 16 year old boy.
Harry asked me whether he could bring his two friends with him and I agreed to it. The woman called Tonks and the man called Remus seem to be very close to him. I don't know what to say but I feel that if he ever called me a friend, it would mean a great deal to me.
Harry Potter – it always comes down to him at Hogwarts. He helps people, doesn't care what happens to him, has fought You-Know-Who several times and is still alive, is famous but never uses it for anything and is unaffected by my veela charm. I don't know but the more I see of him, the more I feel that he is a puzzle which I can't solve.
Who is this person named Harry Potter?
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A/N:
Ok guys, here's the 13'th chapter. Again late by 4 days. I am really getting good at being late. Anyways, better late than never.
About Fleur – I have almost no idea about French accent but I am trying to get something going. If anyone wants to help then you are most welcome. Also, I guessed that Fleur's written English should be better than her spoken one and hence the letter and the diary contain clean English.
If you guys are disappointed, then just say it in your reviews. And thanks to everyone who read this.
IntoTheMist– This won't be a Harry/Ginny for sure. And I think I have tried to bring Neville to the forefront a bit.
grookill – Thanks for your suggestions. I will keep them in mind.
dnd4ever – Thanks for pointing out Ginny's real name.
johnapple – Harry and Ginny may get close but it won't be a H/G.
Dumbledore – According to me, Harry isn't strong enough to take on a giant by himself. Maybe he will be able to take on giants with advanced spells later on but not now. Add to this the fact that Harry wanted the D.A. to take care of the situation. School politics :)
Zaptor – Nothing personal but I never try to give my story an original twist because it is original. I have borrowed very few concepts of others knowingly – the Fidelius, the trunk and the Gringotts wallet. A few weeks ago, I learnt from a member of my group that the presence of a room of requirement in a trunk was already in some book and I was quite disappointed. Now I think that there must be many aspects which are common to other stories. Many people think that most of the things here are taken from other fics but I assure you (and the others) that it is not. If there are some similar things then I really can't help it as I have stopped reading all fics which have Harry as the central character. As you can see from the frequency with which my chapters are posted that this is all planned out and not dependent on other stories. Also, this was the reason I posted a note at the end of chapter 11 saying that I have figured out (my personal reasoning) the final battle and why Dumbledore won't kill Voldemort. Believe me; it would not be because of the prophecy.
From what I have guessed from the reviews, my battle narrations and character handling is not like what is present in the other fics and hopefully someday, you guys will tell some other writer that they have been inspired by my writing style ;)
Once again, don't take this comment personally because I feel that there are many others who might think along the same lines. Thanks for your review :)
Szihuoko – Apology accepted. I appreciate constructive criticism but please try to phrase them in a manner so that I don't get the wrong idea. Also, I consider all reviews and ideas with great respect :). Finally, if I was too rude then please accept my apology.
TimGold – I was just wondering whether you are planning to sue me or not ;)
TuxedoMac – Thanks for your regular comments.
To all those people whose names I didn't mention here – Thanks. Each and every word you write in your reviews is of great importance to me and I always take your suggestions/comments very seriously.
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