Authors Notes: Still loving the attention, gang. Really, I'm thrilled people seem to be enjoying this story so much. Gots a few things to say before we get to the main event.
Numero uno: I'd like to thank the reviewer Deathcrow who made a couple comments that got me thinking. That thinking led to a slight adjustment of this chapter and an even greater adjustment in the next that, i feel, makes them better. So gracias! Keep those reviews coming, you make me want to be a better writer.
Number the second: Another reviewer accused me of stealing this general concept from another story and passing it off as my own without giving credit where it was due. Well, that was impossible as I had never seen the story in question before even though our two stories share identical titles.
Soul Scars, written by ShayaLonnie is an interesting story all the same. While the stories share the same title and there is a similarity of shared scars between soul mates there are some VAST differences and I contacted the author directly who assured me she did not consider my story theft of her idea at all. I think it's worth a look though so here's a link
s/11923792/1/Soul-Scars
Check it out, guys, it's a cute read. Less a total story and more a collection of interesting one shots, each focusing on a different pair of soul mates.
Item number the three!: Disclaimer. I own nothing, please don't sue me, thank you.
Oh, updates will slow down slightly. Next one will be up a week from today as i really want to finish up and move onto the next book. I'm really excited about my plans for this story and by year five i hope I've blown some minds.
I think we're just about ready to get on with the show!
Soul Scars
By,
Rtnwriter
Harry smiled at Hagrid as the huge man raised his fist and pounded it on the massive doors in front of them. The ride in the boats had been interesting, Harry thought. The view of the castle from across the lake was utterly spectacular, but he had been extremely distracted by Hermione pressed up against his side. The sensation had been… unusual. But not unpleasant.
A light blush had dusted her cheeks the entire time and he was reasonably certain his own face had been aflame as well but the feeling of her pressed against him had stirred an emotion he had spent nearly the entire ride attempting to name.
Comfort.
It had felt comfortable, feeling her so close to him. He didn't like people close to him. Harry Potter liked his personal space thank you very much. But Hermione had well and truly invaded that bubble of space that he preferred to keep around him and he hadn't at all minded.
Of course, by the time he figured that out the ride was over, and they were climbing out of the boats.
The doors opened and he raised his hand, brushing his finger along the scar behind his jaw while he thought over the day thus far. He'd made some new friends on the train ride. Friends that he found he really liked, and who really seemed to like him. For a moment he had the irrational fear that his whale of a cousin Dudley would pop up out of nowhere and chase them off, as he'd done any time someone at school had tried to be friends with Harry. But he reminded himself that Dudley was hundreds of miles away. For the first time he was free of his relatives influence and could actually be himself for a change.
Now he just needed to figure out who that was.
He and the rest of the first years were lead into the Great Hall and he heard Hermione saying something about the ceiling above them being enchanted. He wasn't really paying close attention to the world around him at that point, so focused on his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed they'd stopped until the entire hall went strangely silent.
He looked up from his quiet contemplation of the stone work beneath his beat up trainers and started when the old, raggedy hat on a small three legged stool suddenly started to sing.
What the… he listened to the song, a small smile curving his lips as it reached the end and the hall burst into applause. Well, isn't that interesting. So we try the hat on and it tells us what house we should be in.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward next to the stool holding a long roll of parchment in her hands.
"When I call your name, you will come sit and put on the hat to be sorted," she said. "Abbot, Hannah!"
Susan, Hermione, Neville, and Harry all cheered for Hannah, who blushed brightly as she stumbled up to the stool and sat. The hat came down onto her head, which fell right down over her eyes, and after a moments pause -
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down, flashing her friends a bright smile on the way.
"Bones, Susan!"
Susan waved to her friends and gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze as she brushed past him and made her way up to the stool. She sat down, hoping that she would get sorted into the same house as Harry and the hat came down and covered her eyes.
A moment later she felt a tickling sensation inside her mind and a voice echoed quietly.
"Hmmm… it said. Interesting. Very, very interesting."
"Who are you?"
"Who do you think, Miss Bones?"
She thought for a second. "Are you the Sorting Hat?"
"Right in one, Miss Bones. It's my job to search through your mind and find what makes you tick so we know where you'll be most suited…but… there appears to be a bit of a problem here." The hats 'voice' sounded startled and Susan began to feel a cold knot of fear developing in the pit of her stomach.
"Is something wrong?"
"Not wrong, per se… more like you're not all here…"
"What do you mean I'm not all here? I'm sitting right here."
"Ah, but are you all here?" the hat shot back at her. "Aren't you missing a piece or two possibly? A little part of you to make up for the little part of him that you've been holding all these years?"
Susan didn't know whether to squeal or cry. Confirmation that she was right. It was Harry. It had always been Harry.
"So, what does that mean?" she asked.
"It means, that I need to have a discussion with someone. Hold on, young lady."
"Hey, Albus," the hat called out, switching to an audible voice. "You and I need to pow-wow!"
#####
Harry watched as the hat sank down over Susan's eyes and waited for it to shout out what house she would be in.
And waited.
And waited.
And they all continued to wait as the seconds and minutes ticked by. The other students started to get restless, even the older ones that had sat through previous sorting started to stir and mutter amongst themselves.
After five minutes the rip near the brim opened up and the hat suddenly shouted, "Hey, Albus. You and I need to Pow-wow!"
The muttering amongst the students and now the staff got louder as Professor McGonagall stared in shock at the hat where it still sat on top of Susan's head.
"Professor, if you will?" the Headmaster said and stood from behind the staff table, reaching out for her to hand him the hat. The Professor took the hat off of Susans head and handed it to Professor Dumbledore who quickly took off his own pointed wizards hat and slipped the sorting hat onto his own head, letting it fall down to cover his eyes.
He stood silently for several minutes all the while Harry kept his eyes on Susan who looked quiet fearful. He did his best to look reassuring but wasn't sure how good a job he was doing.
At the Hufflepuff table Hannah leaned toward a fourth year student that had greeted her, Cedric Diggory. "What's going on?" she asked.
"No idea," the older boy shrugged. "As far as I know nothing like this has ever happened before."
Finally, Professor Dumbledore reach and pulled the hat off of his head, a contemplative look on his face before handing it back to McGonagall. "Miss Bones," he said in a kindly tone of voice. "If you could step aside please? We will continue with the sorting. For now the hat has said that you must wait for someone else to join you."
Susan looked confused but shrugged and hopped off of the stool, moving over to stand beside Professor McGonagall who quickly recovered herself and continued reading.
Boot, Terry got sorted into Ravenclaw. Brocklehurst, Mandy, and Bulstrode, Millicent went to Ravenclaw and Slytherin, respectively. Down the list it went until she reached-
"Granger, Hermione!"
Harry reached out and quickly squeezed Hermione's hand, surprising himself at his own actions and she flashed him a quick smile before she rushed up to the stool and sat down.
When the hat came over her eyes its voice filled her mind. "Oh, really?" it said, sounding surprised. "Another one. Well, you're going to have to join Miss Bones, I think. I'll continue with you once the rest are here."
With a frown on her face she reached up and took off the hat to even more mutters from the assembled body of staff and students and handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall, who was looking at her with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"Ummm… it said I needed to go stand with Susan," Hermione said and when the stern looking professor gave her a nod she hopped off and went over to stand by her newest friend. Susan gave her a weak smile but neither girl said anything, choosing instead to simply watch and see what happened.
"Greengrass, Daphne!"
Harry watched as a stunningly beautiful girl flowed up to the stool. There was no other way to describe it. She didn't walk, she seemed to glide like water across a smooth pane of glass, her waist length blond hair perfectly straight and shining in the light of the thousands of candles that lit the Great Hall. When she turned, the palest, ice blue eyes locked instantly onto his and he almost staggered at the heavy thud that echoed in his chest.
What the hell is wrong with me? He thought, just before the hat covered her eyes and the tugging sensation in his chest settled to a steady pull toward the front of the room.
"You're going to have the hardest time, I think," the hat muttered inside Daphne's mind and she arched one slim eyebrow under its cloth.
"Why is that?" she wondered.
"Well, the others have had more time with him. They've built the start of a friendship, and they're not as broken as you are. You don't trust. You'll survive, even thrive, if you let them in. But I can see it will be difficult for you. Give me back to McGonagall and go join Miss Bones and Miss Granger. We'll talk again, soon."
Daphne reached up and took off the hat, handing it silently to the absolutely gobsmacked Professor McGonagall before she slid off the stool and strode over to join Susan and Hermione. The other two girls gave her a confused look but none of them said anything as the entire hall simply stared at the three of them for several minutes.
"Well?" the hat suddenly yelled, startling half those assembled. "Are we going to get on with this or do we want to sit around all night and stare at each other? I've got better things to do right now."
Professor McGonagall jumped and set the hat back down on the stool before she continued reading names.
Neville went to Gryffindor and Malfoy to Slytherin, as if there had been any doubt.
Moon.
Nott.
Parkinson.
Twins Patil and Patil.
Perks.
Then, finally, "Potter, Harry!"
Harry stepped forward, doing his best to ignore the whispers that had sprung up throughout the room.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"He's so small"
The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped down over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Nest second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.
"Ahh… difficult. Very Difficult. I've been waiting for you, Mister Potter."
"Waiting? For me? Why me?"
"Because you're missing a few pieces, and the three girls behind you have a bit extra. Ask the old cat to expand the stool and have all four of you sit down. Miss Greengrass should sit with her back to you, Miss Granger on your right and Miss Bones on your left then put me back on so I cover all four of your heads at once. Do you understand?"
He didn't say anything but he nodded and took the hat off.
The muttering this time was the loudest yet and he looked up at the professor.
"Umm… the hat… the hat asks if you'll expand the stool and it wants all four of us to sit together so it can sort us at once," he muttered, waving one hand to indicate the three girls.
Professor McGonagall arched a brow at him, her lips pressed together into a line so thin they had nearly disappeared but she nodded and motioned for him get up. Once he had vacated the little three legged stool she waved her wand over it and it grew until it was big enough for all four of them to sit on it.
He turned and waved the girls forward and when they approached he told them where to sit as the hat had instructed him to do. Eventually they were set up, like the cardinal points on a compass, each of them facing a different direction and Professor McGonagall held the hat over their heads, which stretched to accommodate all four of them, before it slipped down and over their eyes.
"Hmmm… yes, most difficult, as I suspected. Not everyone here is sharing the same information."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. "What's going on?"
"The girls here have been hiding something from you," the hat said and Harry felt a stab of pain in his chest. He didn't know Daphne, but he'd thought that he had been making friends with Susan and Hermione. The thought that they were hiding something from him specifically hurt more than he would have thought considering their short time together thus far.
"Not entirely, Harry," Hermione hastened to reassure him. "It's not that Susan and I were lying to you. I… there's something I learned, years ago. Today at the train station I found out that you were part of it but I didn't want to scare you so I just wanted to be friends. I wanted us to get to know each other better before springing what I knew on you."
"Same here, Harry," Susan cut in. "I didn't know Hermione was a part of this too, and I guess we'll have to talk about that eventually but I just want to be your friend."
…..
"Daphne?" Harry asked.
"I am as confused as the rest of you," she said, after a moment of silence. "I have known for years that someone was out there. You, Harry. It's a long and complicated story that we don't have time for right now. I… I understand that trust must be a difficult thing for you. I can imagine what your life has been like to this point-"
"You can't possibly know what my life has been like!" he snapped, fear and anger running through him in equal measure and all three girls gasped in unison as the sensations flooded their own bodies. The feelings were familiar, they having felt such things before, but they were not their feelings, and so felt totally alien to them.
"Mister Potter, please control yourself. This situation is not their fault and not of their creating. The four of you are in a position to do something amazing so if you'll listen to me, Harry Potter, I'll give you the cliff notes version and your girls can fill you in later."
"My girls!?"
"Mister Potter," the hat trailed off with a warning note in its 'voice' and he shrank in on himself a bit.
"Sorry," he said, sheepishly.
"Understandable, but we do still have other students to sort, Mister Potter. So, let us continue. In the Wizarding world, a soul mate is a very real thing. Two people who's magic and souls are so perfectly attuned to each other that they're practically destined to be either each others greatest love or the best of possible friends, at the very least. Friends rarely happens, usually it's love, but this situation is unique, suffice it to say. Almost ten years ago, when Voldemort attempted to kill you his curse split your soul. Tore it to pieces, Mister Potter. Three pieces, parts of your very essence could not rejoin your body, tainted as it was at the time by dark magic. So those pieces sought out ones that could protect them and they found these three girls.
"For years now, they have held a piece of your soul inside them, protecting it, for you. And now you have too little, and they have too much, in a manner of speaking. So, girls, I need you to listen to me. Miss Granger, take Mister Potters right hand in your left." Harry felt a small, soft hand clutch his and he squeezed it instinctively, a rush of warmth flooding his arm and moving up his body. "Miss Bones, take his left hand in your right." Again, a hand found his and he gave it a squeeze. "Now, Miss Greengrass, if you could reach behind you and place your left hand on the back of Mister Potters neck, we can get this show on the road."
#####
In his one hundred and thirty seven years of life Albus Dumbledore had seen many amazing things. He'd seen the birth of a Phoenix. The love of a man who fought against impossible odds, and won, just to protect his family. He'd seen life. Love. Joy. Rapture and everything in between.
Nothing compared to what he witnessed that night when four first year students touched beneath the sorting hat.
With Harry Potter clutching the hand of the girls on either side of him, he watched the fourth of their number reach back and place her hand on the bare skin of his neck and as soon as their skin made contact all four gasped loudly and sat up perfectly straight on the stool.
The gasp from their audience drowned everything else out as the four students began to glow. A gentle golden aura surrounded Harry Potter, while wisps of silver rolled off of Hermione Grangers body and Albus Dumbledore went pale as he finally remembered the name of the little girl he'd met about her soul scars all those years ago.
He leapt from his seat behind the staff table and walked around to stand in front of Harry Potter as behind the boy, Daphne Greengrass began to glow with a gentle green aura and on his other side Susan Bones emitted a deep auburn light.
From the girls hands, where they touched him, silver, green, and auburn light flowed into his body. The silver from Hermione and the auburn from Susan flowed up his arms and over into his torso as the green from Daphne moved down his chest. After nearly a minute three brightly glowing spots had formed, just over his heart, slowly swirling and turning.
He moved around and saw a similar effect on Miss Granger. The gold spot that he had seen years before, the spot he now knew to belong to Harry Potter, had been joined by a spot of green and a spot of auburn. He knew if he looked at the other two girls that he would see the same. All four souls had mingled between their bodies, linking them all indelibly.
"Albus," Minerva hissed in his ear. "What is happening?"
"Something absolutely incredible, Minerva. Something beyond any magic we know."
"Are they safe?"
He chuckled quietly. "Oh, yes. I imagine these four will be ones to watch in the years to come. They are going to change things around here."
"Holy shi-"
"Harry Potter, language," Hermione cut him off before he could finish.
"What was that?"
"You, Mister Potter, are a nexus, if you will. A point around which great things will be happening. You have a destiny ahead of you. Something wonderful, and terrible, all at once. If you wish to survive it, and not just survive, but thrive, you will need these girls by your side. All four of you have just completed the initial stage of a full blown soul bond. For years now, as I said, the girls have had a part of your soul. Now you have a part of theirs, and they each have a part of the others as well. This has never happened before, not in all of human history, so I believe I will be expecting great things from the four of you."
"That's what Olivander said. He expected great things from me."
"Well, the old man wasn't lying. Let's hurry up and get you sorted so that we can move on. Miss Bones, you would do well in Hufflepuff, but you have plenty of courage in you as well, Gryffindor wouldn't be a bad fit at all. Miss Granger, you've got the mind for Ravenclaw but the courage to stand up for your beliefs so Gryffindor would fit you as well. Mister Potter and Miss Greengrass, I can see that both of you would do quite well in Slytherin but there is a fire in you, Mister Potter. I don't think I've felt something like that in quite some time.
"So I will leave it to the four of you to decide. You must be in the same house, so pick one all four of you can live with."
"Not Slytherin," Daphne said, quickly. "I don't want to be anywhere near that ponce Malfoy."
"Agreed," the other three said as one.
"I'll go wherever you guys decide," Susan said. "I think we have a lot to figure out and the hats right, we need to be in the same house to give us all time together."
"I'm not sure I've really got the mind for Ravenclaw."
"Don't sell yourself short Harry, I can already tell you're no dummy."
"Sounds like you've decided?" the hat asked and after a moment they agreed.
"Alright, I'll call it out. When I do, Mister Potter, if you could step down, I would like to talk with the ladies for a moment longer."
"Umm… okay."
"All right… better be- GRYFFINDOR!"
The last word was said in a shout heard throughout the Great Hall and the Gryffindor table erupted into thunderous applause. Most of them didn't have the foggiest notion what the hell had just happened but all they knew was that Harry Potter was in their house.
Harry slipped out from under the hat and straightened up only to reach out to stop Professor McGonagall before she could take the hat.
"Sorry Professor," he said. "The hat wanted to talk to them for a moment longer."
She didn't look happy about it but she nodded and stepped back. Less than a minute passed before the girls lifted the hat off their heads and Hermione handed it to the Professor. All three hopped off the stool and together, the four of them made their way over to their new house table where a gap had opened up large enough for them to sit.
Harry sat with Hermione and Susan on either side of him with Daphne taking the spot on Susan's other side as they ignored the looks their house mates were giving them and turned to watch the rest of the sorting.
"Well talk tonight, okay Harry?" Hermione whispered in his ear and he nodded. Under the table she took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze before turning her attention back to the front of the room. Harry noticed that she didn't let go, and he didn't try to take his hand from hers either.
The rest of the sorting continued without any further trouble or surprises and, in no time at all the feast appeared on the plates before them. Conversation was slow to start after the surprising sorting they'd just witnessed but eventually it did as the students filled their belly's and talked to those nearest them.
Harry had never seen so much food in one place, and the thought that he could finally eat his fill and that no one would take his food from him nearly made him giddy.
"Harry," Hermione whispered in his ear, "slow down. If you eat too much you'll get sick. Don't worry, there's going to be plenty for every meal."
He frowned, the niggling feeling at the back of his mind that she seemed to know more than she could possibly know, but he realized her advice was good. He'd never once had a decent meal in his life and if he tried to stuff himself, as he immediately wanted to, it probably wouldn't end well.
He loaded his plate with potatoes, chicken and some greens and ate slowly and carefully. He savored the flavors that erupted across his tongue and had to fight the urge to wolf down his food. The comforting presence of Susan's hand rubbing his back calmed him and he managed to eat until he was full but not fit to bursting.
He ignored the deserts when they appeared, not having much of a sweet tooth and feeling entirely too full to chance testing the limits of his stomach. Instead he simply observed, listening to his new housemates as they talked.
Eventually, even the deserts disappeared, and the plates were once again sparklingly clean.
The Headmaster rose and made his announcements and Harry stared at the old man when he mentioned the third floor corridor. He turned, looking to the tall redhead sitting on Hermione's other side.
"Is he a bit loony?" he asked.
"Everyone says Dumbledores a little crazy. But it's strange, he usually gives us a reason when something's out of bounds." The redhead shrugged and after they all sang the Hogwarts song, each at their own pace and to a different tune, he stood and started calling for the first years to follow him to their dorm.
Harry and the three girls with him were almost immediately waylaid by Professor McGonagall.
"Mister Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Greengrass, and Miss Bones. The headmaster would like to see you please, in his office. If you'll just follow me?"
The four of them exchanged a look and Harry shrugged before finally motioning for the professor to lead the way. They were silent as they made their way through the dimly lit halls of the great old castle. Harry found his head spinning left and right the entire way trying to take in everything he saw.
Before he knew it they had reached a large statue of a gargoyle.
"Chocolate Frogs," Professor McGonagall said and the statue slid to the side, revealing a spinning spiral staircase leading up. They stepped on and in moments found themselves in a short hall way ending at a heavy, dark wooden door. The Professor raised her hand to knock but before she could a voice echoed from the other side.
"Please, come in Minerva."
The door was opened and they stepped into a large, round office, filled to the brim with all manner of unusual artifacts. Hermione found her eyes drawn to the shelves of books, fingers itching to discover what lay hidden between their covers while Harry found the many spinning, twirling, and whistling silver artifacts that dotted tables and shelves of particular interest. Susan and Daphne simply looked around, taking in everything they could and filing it away.
"Ah, Mister Potter and company, so to speak."
"Sir, I would prefer if you didn't refer to us that way."
Albus froze, his expression dumbfounded as he eyed the young boy before him.
"I apologize, Mister Potter. Could you explain why, so that I may avoid any insult in the future?"
"'Mister Potter and Company,'" Harry quoted. "You address me by name but the three girls standing with me are relegated to 'and company'? Do they suddenly cease to have names simply because they're standing with me? Am I somehow more important than them?"
"No, of course not," Dumbledore nodded, one hand stroking his beard thoughtfully. "And you are very much correct young man. So, Miss Granger, Miss Bones, and Miss Greengrass, you have my sincerest apologies for any possible slight I may have made against you." He bowed toward them each from his spot sitting behind his truly massive wooden desk and the girls muttered some acknowledgement.
He picked up his wand and gave it a wave, causing four simple wooden chairs with light cushions to appear in a line in front of his desk. "Please, be seated and we may talk for a moment. I understand it is very late and you must all be tired but I think you can agree that something most unusual happened tonight. Would you be willing, or able, to shed any light on the subject?"
The four of them sat. Harry, feeling like he was still the least informed out of the lot of them glanced at Hermione. She seemed to realize the rest were waiting for her to speak so she shifted slightly in her seat while she thought about what to say.
"Well, Sir," she said. "When we," she gestured to herself and the girls, "sat to be sorted the hat told us that we were missing a piece, or something to that effect. So we needed to wait."
"And were you surprised to hear that?"
"Well, yes and no," she said while the other girls nodded their heads in agreement.
"Can you clarify?"
"I was surprised that the hat seemed unwilling to sort me, but once it mentioned why it seemed to make sense."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and popped a candy into his mouth as he observed the four of them for several long moments.
"Do you remember me, Miss Granger?" he asked, finally, and Hermione nodded.
"Yes, you came to my home about six years ago and explained the bond to my parents. You even showed them the piece of Harry's soul where I held it."
The boy in question turned wide eyes toward her. Her left hand was held against her chest, right over her heart. Just where he felt the thud the first time he'd looked into each of the three girls eyes and when he'd touched their skin for the first time.
"That is correct. And when I explained the-"
"Professor," Susan spoke up, cutting the aged wizard off. Behind them Minerva started, flinching as a first year student cut off Albus Dumbledore, something she didn't think had ever happened in her memory. "The hat spoke to us without Harry because…" she trailed off, glancing briefly at him before turning her eyes back to the Headmaster. "Well, we're in a delicate place, here. We've all only just met. And I don't know about Daphne and Hermione but for years I've known about the bond and I thought it was just me and whichever boy I was connected to. I didn't have the slightest clue that there would be two other girls involved here.
"And Harry, well, he didn't know anything about the bond at all, or what it meant. I can only imagine how confused he must be. Right now, I think that what's happening with us is something that the four of us need to work out for ourselves. The hat said that we aren't in any danger, we have time to let our relationships build. Friends, or whatever we may end up as, but that's up to us and I think we would be most comfortable leaving it at that."
Dumbledore considered that, his eyes moving from one student to the next slowly as he mulled the situation over.
"Well spoken, Miss Bones," he said, finally. "Yes, I can agree that this is a unique, and very personal situation so I and the staff will of course respect your privacy in this. We will make an announcement at breakfast tomorrow morning to let the students know that some very old magic occurred last night that we do not fully understand and that it would be best if they, perhaps, didn't pester the four of you with questions you may not be willing or able to answer. Is that agreeable to you all?"
They nodded and he smiled, his eyes twinkling brightly.
"Now, there is one other matter of some importance that I feel I must discuss with you." Dumbledores voice had become more serious and the four of them sat up straighter. "I was informed earlier about an incident that may have happened on the train between Mister Potter and the young Mister Malfoy?"
"Yes, Sir," Harry said, his tone even. "He was insulting my friends and I took affront to that. I don't like bullies and refuse to suffer their abuse without defending myself or the target of their bullying. When he went for his wand I took action to defend myself and my friends."
"An admirable sentiment, young man. But I do feel that putting your wand to his throat may have been taking things a step or three too far, wouldn't you agree?" They ignored the startled gasp from Professor McGonagall, keeping their attention on the Headmaster.
"I do agree, Sir. I even said as much to Hermione after the fact. Perhaps I should have chosen a different course of action but I do not regret, nor do I apologize for stepping in when I did."
Professor Dumbledore studied Harry intently, his gaze sharp and was impressed when the young man met his eyes without flinching. Based on what he could guess of the abuse the boy had obviously suffered, now that he knew of his connection to Hermione, he might have expected Harry to be more timid in the face of authority.
"Since no one was injured," he said, finally, "perhaps we can see this as a lesson and if I have your assurances that you will try significantly harder to seek out a teacher or defuse any possible conflicts without the drawing of wands I think we can let this incident be and call it settled. Would you agree."
"You have my word, Sir. I will do my best to not draw my wand on another student again if I can help it. But I cannot promise not to step in if I see any bullying going on. I simply won't be able to ignore that."
"Understandable, though please exercise some critical thinking, if you would Mister Potter. And I would hope that you would feel confident in informing a teacher if you come across such things in the future."
Harry simply nodded and once again, a cheerful smile split the Headmasters face as his eyes twinkled merrily at them.
"Jolly good. Very well then. It is quite late now so off to bed with you. Minerva, if you could please escort your newest lions to their dorm? Thank you."
As soon as the door closed behind them Albus stood and strode over to the fireplace. Grabbing a pinch of powder from a jar on the mantle he threw it into the flames and called out, "Arabella Figg's residence." Judging from what he remembered, Miss Granger had been covered in scars and since Harry Potter was obviously her bonded soul mate… Albus was determined to find out just how such treatment of the savior of the wizarding world had managed to slip past the watcher he'd put in place to keep the boy safe
