"I'll see you at breakfast. Love you."
Cho bolted from the room, no doubt hoping to be able to take a hot shower before breakfast. Harry's thoughts dissected her last two words for a brief moment. She had likely simply uttered them without thinking. He couldn't help but wonder if he could have said the same for her. Dismissing the matter from his mind for the time being he left the Room of Requirement to begin the long trek to his dormitory. The slightest hint of kiwi lingered on his lips.
Chapter Fourteen: The Term Begins – Fudge for Breakfast
Disclaimer: If you've seen it before, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. Otherwise, it's mine. Naturally, I'm making no money off this.
Harry made the familiar passage from the Room of Requirement to the entrance of Gryffindor Tower without being detected. It was late enough in the morning that he wouldn't have been punished for being out of his dormitory, but he had nonetheless taken care to keep himself inconspicuous, not really having the time or inclination to be dragged into a conversation with some random passerby. He cursed to himself as he reached the Fat Lady's portrait, coming to realize that he didn't know the password. The sentient painting seemed torn between being amused and scandalized by the action.
"Language, Mister Potter. That is not the correct password."
Harry rolled his eyes slightly and sighed.
"I don't imagine that you'll just let me through? I've had a long night..."
"I'm afraid not. You know the rul..."
The portrait swung open, effectively cutting its occupant short. A grinning Neville Longbottom stood in the entranceway.
"Good morning, Harry. We've been wondering when you'd show up."
Harry nodded to the pudgy Gryffindor, who seemed to have gained a bit of confidence since the Department of Mysteries episode.
"Morning, Neville. How was your summer? We haven't had the chance to talk much..."
Neville beamed back at Harry.
"Pretty good. Gran was really proud of me for fighting with you guys at the Ministry. She told me my parents would have been, too. I got a new wand from Ollivander's, teak and unicorn hair. Here, take a look."
Neville handed Harry his new wand, as the latter made a realistic farce of being impressed with it. The crude Ollivander creation didn't so much as hold a candle to Harry's own masterpiece wand, but Neville was proud of it. Harry handed it back to him after a few moments.
"Nice wand, mate. Take good care of it. Let's head upstairs. I need to get dressed for breakfast."
"Sure thing, Harry. Let me warn you, though, it's pretty crowded in our dorm this year."
Harry wondered what Neville meant by that, but didn't bother asking. He would just see for himself when he got there. He slid stealthily up the stairs to the designated sixth year boys' dormitory. Upon arriving at the entrance, he heard angry mutterings, mostly about Dumbledore and the Hogwarts staff. Smirking to himself, he strode in. No less than six locations were occupied, excluding Harry's own bed and bureau. Ron, Seamus, Dean, Neville, and both of the twins. For whatever reason, Fred and George had apparently decided to bunk down with the sixth years instead of staying upstairs with the seventh years. Ron seemed to be egging on the discontent, not that he need have bothered in Harry's estimation. The dakaathi hybrid cleared his throat, drawing attention to his presence and regarding the group with a sly smile.
"Now, I know that you fine gentlemen couldn't possibly be speaking ill of our dear esteemed Headmaster. I'm afraid that I'll just have to report you."
Ron answered his sarcastic demeanor with an amused grin.
"Nah, mate. Wouldn't think of it. So, where were you all night?"
"Taking the grand tour of the Head Girl's dormitory, no doubt."
Harry inclined his head to regard Seamus Finnigan, who had made the latest quip. He briefly recalled the nasty row that he had gone through with his Irish classmate at the beginning of the previous year, pleased that there wasn't any repeat this time around.
"No such luck, but I did get the abridged version of the Head Girl herself. Tell me, what are Gred and Forge doing down here, anyway?"
The initial retort drew a chorus of laughter and congratulations, as Harry deposited his armaments on his assigned bed and rummaged through his trunk, withdrawing an acromantula silk school robe and a fresh set of Muggle clothes. Ron gave Harry a knowing look, being the only member of the gathering that was aware of the latter's recent sexual conquests. Well, some of them, at least. The twins feigned hurt expressions.
"Why Harry..."
"...It almost seems as if..."
"...You don't want us here."
"We're very offended."
They spoke the final line in unison. Harry shrugged his shoulders in response.
"You two know better than that. I just didn't expect it. Anyway, I'm in the bathroom for a few minutes. I'll meet you guys downstairs."
Harry left them and headed into the restroom to freshen up for the day. He ruined another shirt by pushing his wings through the fabric, and then slipped on his trousers and shoes, followed by his robes. He examined himself in the mirror, concluding that his dakaathi appendages were well enough concealed by his loose robes that nobody would likely notice them. He didn't want to spend his entire day retelling the contrived veela story, after all. As he was about to leave, he turned back and grabbed his kodachi from his bed, girding it to his waist opposite his masterpiece wand. Harry took a moment to polish his emerald snitch necklace, and then sauntered downstairs to go to breakfast.
As per the usual at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, breakfast was a lively affair, featuring a cacophony of loud conversations. Harry took his seat and quickly found himself flanked by Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, much to his annoyance. Not bothering to acknowledge the infatuated glances being sent his way by the majority of the females in the great hall, Harry surveyed the students and staff while absentmindedly eating his morning meal, starting at the Head Table.
He couldn't help but notice that some of the faculty members were sending him disdainful looks every now and then. With a mental sneer, Harry mused that he had not made any allies among the teachers with his antics of the previous day, not that he particularly cared. Snape, of course, spent the entirety of breakfast glaring at Harry. The latter didn't even consider the greasy old bat to be worthy of notice. Another professor, a large, muscled man with Slavic features, seemed less than enamored with the dakaathi hybrid as well. Harry vaguely recalled having seen the man a few times in passing before, indicating that he wasn't a new teacher.
He briefly made eye contact with Hitomi, who was picking at the rich and fattening British morning cuisine on her plate with a plainly disgusted expression. Naturally, she was unused to Western fare, and seemed more than reluctant to get acquainted. Upon noticing Harry, she sent him a smile and a wink, drawing a curious glance from the old man. Harry shook his head slightly, grinning back and nodding to Hagrid, who outright waved to him. He then turned his gaze toward the students, deciding to take the opportunity to make a preliminary sweep for workable candidates for his most recent experiment.
He first looked over his own Gryffindor housemates. Like he had told Cho the previous evening, he knew that he could count fully on the Weasleys to take his side. Aside from being among his closest friends, they all possessed certain traits that would make them extremely valuable. Ron had his tactical abilities and borderline fanatical conviction, along with a burgeoning ruthless streak. Fred and George were probably the most creative and resourceful wizards Harry had ever known, and completely shared his views regarding the Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic. Ginny possessed a certain mixture of the qualities of her three present brothers, and was probably the most magically powerful of all of the Weasley children, save perhaps Bill. These four would be among the most elite of his group, and would certainly all throw in their full support if asked.
And then there was Hermione. Harry could expound for a good while about all of the positive qualities that his Muggleborn friend potentially brought to the table. Hermione vied somewhat closely with Cho for the position of being the person Harry most wanted in his small unit. Much like the Chinese beauty, Hermione was powerful and intelligent. She also possessed a focused diligence that was hard to find, and that Harry would admit that he himself generally lacked. Still, her inherent aversion to bloodshed and possible lingering respect for the old man and his position of authority were both strikes against her. Her reverence for Dumbledore had no doubt taken a beating after his titanic blunder the previous day, but it remained to be seen if that would be enough to turn her completely against him.
The rest of the Gryffindors were a mixed lot. Of them, Katie Bell was probably the best candidate. She was a moderately strong and talented witch, and had some leadership experience as a school Prefect. Besides, her ties to Harry were stronger than most, having been his Quidditch teammate since his first year at Hogwarts. Neville's loyalty and determination were beyond any reproach. The problem was that he was almost pathetically weak magically and had poor technique to match. Even so, he could be made passable with enough training. Seamus was of slightly below average strength, roughly on par with Ron, but he also lacked the redhead's dedication. Parvati and Lavender were simply too immature, though the former had enough skill that Harry would give her some more thought later. Dean didn't seem to be too interested in the affairs of the wizarding world beyond what was right in front of him, and Harry imagined that Ginny's current boyfriend would probably prefer to return to the Muggle world after Hogwarts while keeping in touch with his school friends. Harry didn't feel that Dean was the type to approach about a revolution. He didn't know any of the Gryffindors in the year above or below his very well, aside from Ginny and Katie, and would have to ask them about potential candidates there.
There wasn't much potential among the Hufflepuffs, Harry thought as he gave them a glance. Ernie MacMillan, while reasonably intelligent, didn't amount to much in a duel and was a staunch Dumbledore supporter besides. While the pompous Prefect had been the first to openly support Harry during Fudge's pronounced smear campaign of the previous year, it was likely more due to the fact that the old man was also defending him than anything else. Justin Finch-Fletchley had never completely trusted Harry after the whole dueling club episode in their second year, and would certainly not be willing to be a part of what was in stark reality Harry's answer to the Death Eaters. Susan Bones was a possibility, with above average magical power, decent technique and a quick mind. Harry couldn't be sure, though, where she would fall on the whole issue of overthrowing the Ministry of Magic, given her aunt's position at the head of what amounted to the magical government's military police force. Hannah Abbott could also work, being on generally friendly terms with Harry, and at least average in all of the categories he was taking into consideration.
Leaving the Ravenclaws entirely up to Cho's discretion, Harry slid his eyes over towards the Slytherin Table, responding to the dirty looks sent his way with a sneer. The vast majority of the serpent's den supported Voldemort and despised Harry. That dislike had no doubt turned to absolute hatred after the previous day's events. He actually found himself hoping that they'd be stupid enough to try to ambush him in the halls. Naturally, aside from his three recent acquaintances there, he expected to find no candidates whatsoever in Slytherin. He had decided early on to include Blaise and her friends, and he already had a special request in mind for them. Maybe a few requests, he thought with a mental smirk. He found them chatting at a far corner of the table, making no effort to socialize with their housemates. Daphne sent Harry a small smile upon noticing his gaze, but the other two had their backs to him.
The arrival of the morning post rather loudly interrupted his scan. He hardly needed to be told what would be in the headlines of the day's issue of the Daily Prophet. Harry glanced over at Lavender's copy to see what Fudge's mouthpiece had to say about the battle and its aftermath.
You-Know-Who Attacks the Hogwarts Express!
Death Eaters Annihilated by Student Defenders!
Raquel Dunsford, Special Correspondent
Yesterday, at roughly three o'clock in the afternoon, You-Know-Who's followers attacked the Hogwarts Express, the train ferrying our young sons and daughters to school. According to the Prophet's information, the assault was spearheaded by two aerial squadrons, supported by a main force of four squadrons led by one of You-Know-Who's most feared lieutenants, Azkaban escapee Bellatrix Lestrange.
Fortunately, the senior members of the student body were quick to respond to the threat. In the noteworthy absence of the Hogwarts faculty, the wizards and witches charged with teaching and protecting our children, a group of approximately one hundred young men and women, led by Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, assembled to defend the train the lives of their younger schoolmates.
The result was a crushing defeat for the forces of darkness. The students held off the aerial squadrons at both ends of the train and felled a third of their number, while Potter braved the final charge of the supporting unit alone and dueled with Lestrange, slaying nearly fifty dark wizards and witches in protection of his friends and classmates.
An official Ministry of Magic investigative report indicates that several of the enemy combatants were slain through the use of spells ranked in the Forbidden Class, dark curses normally punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban when used upon another human being. Apparently, Potter saw fit to serve You-Know-Who's hordes with a dose of their own foul medicine. In the opinion of this reporter, it's about damned time.
Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic, agrees. In the immediate aftermath of this base and cowardly attempt upon the lives of our children, Minister Fudge immediately convened the Wizengamot for a special emergency session. The very first item on the legislature's agenda was the official announcement of an executive decree fully pardoning Harry Potter and his fellow students for any and all illegalities committed in the duration of the defensive effort. He then proceeded to sponsor a series of sweeping acts designed to help ensure the future safety of our society and prosecute the war effort against the forces of darkness, all of which met with nearly unanimous support within the Wizengamot. For full details of these new laws and programs, see the enclosed article.
Minister Fudge has also issued a statement publicly with the support of the Wizengamot condemning Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for his "dismal and alarming failure to recognize and respond to this threat, placing the lives of our children in mortal peril." The Minister further lambastes Dumbledore for "forcing several young men and women to witness and experience a scene that would chill the hearts of even the most hardened of the Ministry's Aurors." Minister Fudge questions whether or not the wizard responsible for the defeat of Lord Grindelwald half a century ago remains competent to oversee the safety and education of the wizarding world's children. The Minister has announced that he will personally head an appointed task force charged with inspecting the defensive measures in place at the school and making changes as needed to guarantee the safety of the students, so that there will not be any repeat whatsoever of this horrific incident that claimed the lives of three Hogwarts students.
As for Potter and his student soldiers, Minister Fudge has been loud in his praise of their efforts, citing them as "heroes, one and all, without whom the lives of our beloved children would have been lost forever." He has also pledged to pursue the Order of Merlin for every student that participated in the defense, and to push for First Class honors for Harry Potter himself, for this effort as well as for his countless other sacrifices and accomplishments in thwarting You-Know-Who's plans over the course of the last five years.
Harry finished reading over the front-page article with a slight chuckle. As expected, Fudge had wasted no time in jumping all over Dumbledore's case. He imagined that the blustering Minister was about as happy as a clam at high tide right now, finally having something tangible to lord over the old man. While the Order of Merlin and particularly the executive pardon were nice gestures, Harry knew that Fudge was only loading onto his bandwagon now in an attempt to salvage his career. Still, if this was meant as the beginning of an offer for an alliance of some sort, it was actually worth considering. Having the Minister for Magic on his side would make it much easier for Harry to circumvent the old man in the future if needed, and Fudge likely wouldn't attempt to restrict Harry in any way, only wanting his support to get back in the public's good graces. He would gladly enough provide that in exchange for the Ministry of Magic's protection, at least for the time being. Once Voldemort and the old man were out of that way, there would be nobody left to stop Harry, leaving him free to betray the Ministry at will and take over. Besides, Harry being on good terms with Fudge would chafe the Hell out of Dumbledore.
Harry surveyed the Great Hall, taking in the reactions of the faculty and students to the article. Naturally, Dumbledore and his chief loyalists at the Head Table looked annoyed and disgruntled, probably about the public condemnation, though Harry figured that Snape was more pissed about him getting pardoned than anything else. Hitomi seemed to be trying her hardest not to laugh at them, and was only succeeding through the merits of her extensive training in repressing her emotional reactions. The Slytherins mostly looked torn between indignation and terror, though Harry couldn't quite figure out the reason for the latter. Ron addressed him presently.
"Hey, what do you make of this, mate?"
Harry stretched his neck and popped a lingering crick before answering.
"I figure Fudge is kissing our arses to try and bail some water out of his sinking ship. He's got the old man right pissed, at any rate."
Ron glanced over at the Head Table and sneered.
"Serves him right. Take a look at those new laws?"
"No, toss me a copy of the paper."
Ron nabbed Seamus's copy of the Daily Prophet and tossed it to Harry, the Irish boy absorbed in a conversation with Dean, Hermione, and Ginny. Harry thumbed through to the indicated article, surprised by what he saw. The first of the new acts, dubbed the "Potter Act" in apparent honor to the circumstances of his stand at the train, granted the Aurors full authorization to use the Dark Arts, including the Unforgivables, to subdue enemy combatants, particularly the Death Eaters. A second made provisions to allow students that scored high enough on their OWL's to elect to circumvent their final two years at Hogwarts and enter straight into the Auror training program, beginning with the next academic year. Harry couldn't help but look at Malfoy with a broad smirk as he read the third of Fudge's new legislative decrees, which authorized the Ministry to petition Gringotts Wizard Bank to be allowed to seize all holdings and assets of known Death Eaters to add to the government's coffers. There were a few other stipulations of lesser importance that Harry only skimmed over.
He was a bit impressed. Apparently, Fudge was actually capable of doing something right without the corruptive influences of Dolores Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy directing all of his policy initiatives. Most of the students were conversing in hushed tones by this point, having finished reading the newspaper and eating. The staff rose from their position to hand out course schedules. McGonagall sent Harry a thin smile upon handing him his timetable.
"Potter, the Headmaster has requested me to remind you that he is expecting you in his office this afternoon. You are to report there immediately following your Magical Stealth and Tracking Class."
Harry was obviously less than excited about the prospect of meeting with the old man again. He didn't know for sure what Dumbledore wanted, but he imagined that he'd be getting a private lecture on the evils of the methods he had applied during the battle. At least Fudge's pardon gave Harry some additional ammunition to fire back at the old man. He looked up at his Head of House.
"I understand, Professor. I'll be there."
The stern woman nodded and moved to continue with her task, but turned back after a few steps.
"Oh, and Potter? Please allow me to thank you. Regardless of the Headmaster's personal scruples, there can be no denying that both your actions and those of your friends yesterday have saved this school."
Harry nodded, suddenly remembering a question that he needed to ask.
"Thank you, ma'am. Oh, by the way, would you happen to know where my Firebolt's being held? I really should pick it up before tryouts start."
"I have it in my office. You may come and retrieve it at any time."
"I'll come by sometime in the next few days, then."
McGonagall returned to handing out timetables without a word. Harry looked at his own, noting that he had a relatively lax schedule that day. He had his class with Hitomi, which was certain to be an adventure, at one-thirty in the afternoon. He was free until then, and decided that he would first take a trip over to the Owlery and send that letter to Cho's uncle, and then find some way to fritter away the few hours before class. He inclined his head towards Ron, hoping that he'd be free during the time.
"You got anything today, mate?"
"Yeah, I've got my Wizarding Chess and Gaming class in a few minutes. I'm free for the rest of the day after that. And you?"
Harry found it amusing that Hogwarts actually taught a class on chess. After five long years at the school, it seemed as if Ron would finally top a subject.
"Magical Stealth and Tracking this afternoon, then I get to go and listen to the old man pontificate about something or the other. They actually have a class on chess here?"
Ron nodded conspiratorially, glancing over at Hermione before leaning in closer to Harry and speaking in a hushed tone of voice.
"Sure do. That and some other games like Indoor Quidditch and stuff. Easiest pass I'll ever get, mate. You should've signed up."
Hermione scowled at Ron from across the table, interjecting into the conversation. He apparently hadn't been quiet enough.
"Are you ever going to start putting some effort into your studies, Ron? Your NEWT's determine your career placement. You shouldn't be taking classes because they're easy, honestly..."
Ron grinned sheepishly and loaded another plate of food, causing Hermione to turn away with a sniff. Harry decided to bail his friend out by altering the subject somewhat, pleased to see that Hermione was acting like her old self. Perhaps getting back into the familiar Hogwarts environment was doing her some good.
"How about you, Hermione? Are you free this morning?"
A head of bushy hair shook in the negative.
"No, sorry. I have Potions and then Ancient Runes today. My schedule is pretty much booked solid during the entire school week."
"Study too hard and you'll get premature wrinkles, you know. Well, I suppose I might as well be headed over to the Owlery now, seeing as you both have class. Later."
Harry stood up and left the Great Hall, hearing more than a few hisses as he walked past the Slytherin Table. He was on the point of stopping and saying something to really rouse their ire, but reconsidered. Dumbledore, who Harry would have to deal with later that day, had already been cross with him once over his taunting Malfoy, and he would have better opportunities later to bait the serpents besides. He just flipped his hair and laughed scornfully while leaving.
He hadn't walked more than a few dozen steps in the outside corridor when a familiar weight attached itself to his arm. He glanced over to see Cho walking in stride with him and spoke in an amused tone.
"Just can't get enough of me, can you?"
She looked up into his eyes.
"And just where are you going, all alone on this chilly September morning?"
"Oh, nowhere special. I have a scheduled rendezvous with my secret girlfriend in Hogsmeade."
"Is that so? Well, in that case, you're headed entirely in the wrong direction."
"Plenty of hidden passages leading out of the castle, you know. Can't let the old man catch me leaving the grounds."
Cho raised her eyebrows mockingly.
"Maybe I'll just have to go with you, then, and let her know that her beau is now taken."
"Might as well make a day of it, then. I hear they've got some cozy rooms upstairs in The Three Broomsticks."
"You know I'd love to, but I've got Arithmancy in twenty minutes. You just happened to be heading in the general direction of the classroom."
Harry nodded.
"I'd walk you the entire way, but I have no idea how to get there."
"We've got a few minutes still. So, where are you really going?"
"Just up to the Owlery. I owe your uncle a nice, long letter of appreciation. That armor of his saved my arse yesterday on several occasions."
"He'll appreciate it more if you describe what happened. He loves hearing stories about his work in action. They mean so much more to him than compliments on the aesthetics. Speaking of which, I never got to take a good look at yours. Can I see it later?"
"I'll have to wear it down tomorrow, then. What's the general sentiment in your house a morning after?"
"Disillusioned and angry, pretty much like the rest of the school. I think there are quite a few people that'll help us out, though. Like I said last night, you're pretty popular in Ravenclaw. I observed the lot of them at breakfast, and I've got a few in mind to approach strai...oh bugger, this is where I turn off. We'll talk more later, okay?"
"Right, I'll be around. Have fun with your numbers, Cho."
Cho gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and slipped off his arm before heading down an adjacent corridor. He kept on his current path for a ways further, finally heading up a few flights of stairs into the school Owlery. He took a seat at a small desk near the door, away from the main owl lofts, and grabbed a quill and parchment from his bag. Harry followed Cho's advice and wrote a long letter to her uncle, first complimenting him on the workmanship of the armaments, and then detailing how they had saved his life in the battle. To be completely honest, Harry doubted that he would have been killed in any case, as that contemptible Prophecy stated that his end could only come at the hands of Voldemort himself. He also had nothing solid to indicate that his breastplate protected him from Bellatrix's lethal curse at all. It very well could have been entirely his own body that had absorbed the curse. At any rate, the armaments had proven exceedingly useful in deflecting the minor Death Eater curses, allowing Harry to focus almost entirely on offense and take them out quickly. He probably wouldn't have had the energy left to overcome their psychotic commander if not for that fact. Once satisfied with his composition, he strolled into the center of the room, holding out his arm for Hedwig. The temperamental snowy owl came without needing to be called, daintily extending a talon to accept his letter, which he duly attached.
"Take that to Ts'ao Chang, okay?"
The bird flew off with a hoot. Harry watched her disappear into the morning sky, turning to leave the Owlery when she was out of sight. Left with nothing at all to do, Harry started back for Gryffindor Tower, hoping to find some means of amusing himself until his afternoon class.
A few hours' passage found him lazily sprawled out onto a leather armchair in the Common Room, but only after somebody had to come out and give him the password. He had neglected to ask Neville earlier, and the terminally forgetful boy naturally didn't think to volunteer the information of his own volition, if he had even remembered it then. Harry had spent most of the meantime making small talk with whoever happened to be passing through. None of those conversations had lasted more than a few minutes, and he was currently starting at the ceiling while fingering the handle of his kodachi. Harry languidly glanced over to the portrait hole as it slid open, admitting a new arrival into the room. It was Katie Bell, who strode immediately over to Harry's position as if looking for him. He kept his eyes on her as she approached.
"There you are, Harry. I've been looking all over for you."
Harry shifted positions in his armchair, now sitting upright rather than being sprawled out.
"And you didn't think to look in our Common Room first?"
Katie flushed slightly, but grinned nonetheless.
"Quiet, you. I thought you'd be out on the grounds somewhere with Granger or Ron. Anyway, do you have a few minutes?"
Harry smirked up at his longtime teammate. The thought occurred to him that although he and Katie had known one another for over five years, they had never had a single lasting conversation.
"I have all the time in the world for you, sweetheart."
Katie shook her head in response, despite blushing a little deeper.
"Spare me the act, Casanova. I need to talk to you about Quidditch."
Harry had pretty much known from the beginning what she wanted, and wasn't very interested in discussing the subject. He had much more important things to worry about, but he really had nothing better to do at this particular moment. He might as well get it out of the way.
"I'm just the Seeker. I go out and catch the Snitch. I don't know the first thing about tactics or any of that rot. If you need help managing the team, you should probably ask the twins, or barring them, Ron."
Katie nodded.
"That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, though. Ginny Weasley is a decent enough Seeker, not anywhere near as good as you, mind, but our Chaser line is completely shot now that Angie and 'Licia are both graduated. So, I want to know if you'd have any objection to switching positions this year. You've been with the team long enough that you'd have a much easier time adapting than a new recruit."
Harry shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm willing, but why not consider switching Ginny over if I'm the better Seeker?"
"She had a good eye, but isn't all that great of a flyer. She'd make a mediocre Chaser at the very best. Besides, I don't think she has the mindset for it. Ginny's at her best when left to her own devices, not as part of any cohesive unit. Your talent is more or less wasted with the level of competition around here anyway. Hufflepuff's replacement for Diggory graduated last year and Malfoy couldn't catch a Snitch if you literally handed it to him. Chang is the only one that even comes within earshot to being a match for you, and she can only do so much on that crappy old broom of hers. With the twins keeping the pressure on her, I'm sure Ginny can beat her out again this year."
"Well, you've obviously thought this out. I'll switch over. I take it we're going to have to hold a tryout for the last Chaser spot?"
"I'll schedule something for next week. I want to have a full team meeting Wednesday night. Seven o'clock sharp down here."
"I'll be there, oh Captain of mine."
"Right, I also want to put you through some Chaser drills before tryouts. Just to get you acclimated. Meet me at the pitch at six o'clock tomorrow morning. We'll see how much work you need from there."
"A little one-on-one, Katie? I guess I need to go get my Firebolt, then."
"Where is it?"
"Up in McGonagall's office. I was going to pick it up sometime tomorrow."
"I have Transfiguration this afternoon. I'll get it from her while I'm there."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
"No problem. See you on the pitch."
Katie turned and headed upstairs into the Gryffindor girls' dormitories. Harry watched her walk up the steps, mostly training his eyes on the lower half of her body. Even during the deepest points of his standing infatuation with Cho during the last few years, he had experienced more than a couple of nighttime fantasies involving his female teammates and the showers in the locker room. The whole idea of a Quidditch orgy held far less appeal now that Angelina and Alicia were gone, but Katie was still nice to look at. Harry had no serious intentions of trying to pursue anything with her, of course. His female situation was complicated enough as it was.
All perversion aside, Harry was grateful that this arrangement had presented itself. He did want to get Katie signed on to his growing band of supporters, and this ready made avenue through which to be able to get to know her better would be very helpful in bringing it about. At the very least, he would have an opportunity to sound her out. But that was tomorrow, and he had a class in a few minutes. He could only hope that this latest round of lessons with the kunoichi would be as fulfilling as the first.
Further analysis of his course timetable revealed that Hitomi's classroom was outside, on the grounds near the Whomping Willow. It was a rather convenient location for Harry, who imagined that he'd be headed straight over to Hogsmeade after the class on more than a few occasions. She'd be more than willing to give him a refresher of their previous lessons, no doubt, and he intended to take full advantage of the fact.
The early morning chill lingered on the grounds as Harry trudged along in the direction of the indicated location. The Acromantula silk of which his school robes were composed was a naturally thin material, leaving him rather unprotected from the cold. Still, he wasn't all that uncomfortable. Reaching the Whomping Willow, Harry saw that the school had constructed a small facility quite similar to the training grounds at the outskirts of the village. The Japanese architecture was a striking contrast to the European medieval look of the rest of the school.
Glancing back over toward the Whomping Willow, Harry wondered if Hitomi knew about the passageway leading from there into the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. A quick sweep of the training grounds revealed that she was nowhere around, unless she was purposely hiding from him. He saw his two tiger guardians bounding towards him from a clearing in the distance. Thankful for the momentary distraction, he scratched the two large felines behind the ears for a few minutes.
"Are you two liking the grounds here?"
He received a pair of nearly imperceptible nods in response. Soon enough, other students started filing into the training grounds for the class, and Harry sent his pets back out onto the grounds. Few enough students registered for the course that all four houses were being taught together, rather than the usual two-house format. Harry figured that this was probably the case in most of the elective upper year courses, though.
Neville and Seamus had both elected to take the course, constituting the Gryffindor contingent, and took a seat on the soft grass to either side of Harry. Susan Bones was the only Hufflepuff in the class, joined by Terry Boot, Lisa Turpin, and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw. Tracey Davis was also enrolled, along with Theodore Nott, who stayed as far away from the others as possible, not daring to do anything more than silently glare at Harry. He couldn't resist the urge to bait the lone Death Eater hopeful.
"What's the matter, Nott? Do I frighten you? You and your little buddies were more than content to snarl and hiss at me at breakfast. Whatever would your father say?"
"Yes, go ahead run your mouth, Potter. We'll be the ones having the last laugh, when you're groveling for mercy at the Dark Lord's feet. I hope he kills you slowly."
"My, you sound ever so much like Malfoy. Do you lot have some sort of conditioning program? At any rate, I'm hardly afraid of Voldemort. Look around you, Theodore. The tide's turning against you. Public morale is at a peak, a third or more of the entire Death Eater ranks are dead, and Fudge has seemingly gotten his head out of his arse at long last. The war will be over within a year."
Harry had guessed on that first point, but figured that it was reasonably accurate. The wizarding public tended to rally around whatever the Daily Prophet printed, and the unofficial Ministry mouthpiece was certainly keeping a positive beat at the present. From the corner of his eye, Harry could see a figure approaching though the passageway behind the Whomping Willow. He ruffled the smaller Nott's hair mockingly and before walking back to where Neville and Seamus were sitting, both Gryffindors shaking with silent laughter at seeing one of Draco's little toadies getting pushed around. Tracey was glaring disdainfully at Nott, showing her own dislike for the boy.
Harry kept quiet during the class for the most part, only making a few whispered comments to some of the other students from time to time. Hitomi had indeed known about the secret passageway, and had entered through it. She looked a bit different in the sunlight, not quite as pale. Aside from casting him a few surreptitious glances during the lesson, she did nothing to let onto the fact that they knew one another. She had mostly set them to learning to relax their minds into a meditative state, stressing that it was necessary to be able to recognize one's own magical aura before it was possible to learn to repress it. With a properly heightened sense of awareness, one could then focus their senses to be able to visualize the latent magical potential within a certain range. It was actually much like Moody's magical eye, which was able to "see" magic, regardless of the presence of physical obstacles.
Hitomi had again glanced over at Harry while explaining that part, as he was as much a novice on the subject of tracking as everybody else in the class, almost as if willing him to grasp the underlying message. He did so without much difficulty. If he learned to completely repress his magical aura, then he could render Moody's magical eye functionally useless. He was already adept enough in the stealth aspect to fool most means of detection, human or otherwise, but the grizzled ex-Auror was nearly in a league of his own.
Most of the male students in the class had significant difficulty relaxing in the presence of the attractive professor. Seamus was openly ogling at some points, and none could resist the urge to look altogether. Of course, Harry had seen her completely naked already, and had indeed been physically intimate with her as well on multiple occasions, and so had no reason to stare now. The lesson finally ended as the sun started to set, as most students had at least managed to procure a slight level of magical awareness. Harry had likely topped the class, but couldn't be sure. Hitomi seemed to be watching him as the other students left, silently asking him to remain. He did so, following her into the passageway, far enough to be out of the range of normal sight. There was still enough light that she was barely visible, as she turned to regard him with her mercurial smile.
"You were supposed to be late, Harry. How am I supposed to give you detention when you don't break any rules?"
Harry sighed.
"The old man wants me up in his office. I don't know what he wants or how long he's going to keep me. I'll make a trip down to Hogsmeade sometime this week."
"Grandpa wanted me to tell you that he's dying to hear the story of that battle."
"I'll be sure to..."
Harry was interrupted by a loud squawking sound. He and Hitomi turned simultaneously in the direction of Hogwarts, from where the noise had come. A large bird glided through the passageway, nearly impossible to see due to the receding sunlight. It was a raven. The bird glared at Harry, a fact that combined with its somewhat skeletal appearance to give the impression of a bona fide messenger of death. Without invitation, it perched itself imperiously on Hitomi's shoulder, digging its talons into her flesh and drawing blood. That proved to be a fatal mistake, as the kunoichi drew a curved dagger from her waist in irritation and skewered the hapless avian clean through the throat. An envelope fell from the raven's right leg as it slumped over lifelessly and tumbled unceremoniously to the earth below. Harry took the letter, arching an eyebrow as he examined it.
The letter was sealed with the Dark Mark.
(End Chapter Fourteen)
Author's Note: I did give fair warning that the next update would be a while in coming. This chapter didn't do much in terms of overall plot development, but I needed to get the school term started up. The next few chapters will probably be similarly slow in pacing, as I get all of the stuff currently standing out there resolved to an extent. Expect the next update to take as long as this one did, as I'm still wading through all of these research papers.
I'm somewhat undecided as to exactly how to handle this letter from Voldemort as far as Harry telling the old man is concerned. I know how the issue as a whole will be resolved in the end, but I'm not sure whether or not to have Harry share the information with Dumbledore and work out a cooperative plan of action, or to just attempt to handle it on his own. Let me know what you all think.
Thanks for all of the reviews. I was admittedly a bit surprised to break the fifty mark with that last short interlude, but I'm appreciative for it. Let me assuage one general fear. I will not be abandoning my multiple sex partner strategy and turning this into a monogamous Harry/Cho story. I stopped wavering on what I wanted to do with pairings a long time ago.
I just noticed this morning that the site has finally added a category for Blaise in the pairing filter. About damned time, I say. Still, who would have ever thought that a largely throwaway character would become such an entity within the fandom?
Hope you all enjoy the chapter, and please keep reviewing. Later.