*UPDATE* Okay, so some comments and some discussions and I realized the whole Family magic bit that I had wasn't really needed. It was part of an interesting (to me) idea that I had in my head but really wasn't necessary and honestly just overly complicated things. Especially since I didn't think things through all the way and there were a lot of issues with that. Poor explanation and more so I've cut that section and re-written, adding in a bit of other discussion.

Apologies for dropping the ball there. I thought I had covered my basais but it was pointed out to me that there were a lot of flaws in there. Hopefully I excised everything correctly so this updated chapter should read okay without seeming off but please let me know if I missed anything. Hey, in 43 chapters only one needed a big chunk redone after posting, I guess that's not horrible, really. Sorry again guys and thank sfor your patience, the new chapter is in the works.*UPDATE*

Author's Notes: The Rotten Writer returns with the newest installment of Soul Scars. The Beginning of Part Four: Allegria is upon us ladies and gentlemen. I know, it's barely been a few days since my last post but I've just been inspired. Hoping to keep the momentum. So, I'm looking at three maybe four chapters to get through the summer and into the actual school year. This year is still going to keep to the major canon points such as there being a tri-wizard tournament, yule ball, other such things. But there will be more AU going on and pulling us further away from the canon material.

I might even be tweaking the tasks in the Tournament itself while all this is going on. We shall see what we shall see.

So the votes were rather overwhelmingly in favor of continuing to just post the story here chapter by chapter so that's what I'll do. I did really consider breaking it and starting a new story as a part two, kind of deal, but it really would have been weird. We'll see how big this thing gets, I guess.

Disclaimer: I own not Harry Potter. Thank you.

Here it is, Chapter 43 of Soul Scars and the beginning of Part Four of the series.

Soul Scars Part Four

Allegria

By,

Rtnwriter

Soft footsteps whispered across the grass, deep, even breaths the only other sound in the early morning silence. Glowing green eyes swept the path in front of him as he ran, wisps of ebony hair occasionally falling into his eyes that he would absently brush away with one hand.

He took a deep breath of the morning air through his nose, smiling as it filled his lungs and the sweet scents of grass and honeysuckle assaulted his senses. For Harry Potter, life was good. His life had always been hard, painful, and lonely, as far back as he could remember. Then, on his eleventh birthday, it changed forever.

Oh, life was still frequently painful, and it was still hard, but a month after that birthday, it was no longer lonely. At eleven, he discovered that he was special, not a freak like his relatives so often told him. He discovered magic, for Harry was a wizard. Starting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry saw him making some extremely special friends, and he found himself bonded, magic and soul, to three, extraordinary girls.

At first he hadn't been thrilled to be a part of a bond that he hadn't asked for and had no choice in. But he soon found that the girls bonded to him quickly becoming the most important people in his life, meaning more to him than anyone he'd ever known.

His first and second years at school had seen more ups and downs then he'd ever imagined might be possible. Known as the Boy-Who-Lived when he entered the wizarding world for the first time in more than ten years he'd been mobbed by fans, well wishers, and potential hanger-on's. He'd been quickly overwhelmed. School wasn't much better. Aside from his few friends, he was stared at and people talked and whispered behind their hands about him as he passed in the halls.

He swerved suddenly, moving off the path and into the woods behind the large manor house that belonged to the Bones family as he shoved aside the rest of his first year memories. Second year was worse in some ways, filled with fear, death, blood, and pain.

Third year's adventure, while still filled with more than a small amount of danger, had ended earlier than the previous years had, and left them nearly half the year to enjoy as just students, attending classes, doing their homework, spending time with their friends… possibly dating?

He frowned at that, ducking under tree limbs and leaping over roots as he ran. His body twisted and bent, moving expertly through the brush as he let his mind wander a bit. Not too much, of course, the last time he'd wandered without paying attention to his surroundings he'd nearly gotten killed by the man that had betrayed his parents to their deaths.

In February of the previous year, the three girls Harry had long thought of, privately, as 'his girls' had admitted that they all loved him. Of course, life couldn't be simple for him, apparently they loved each other as well. With the life he'd had, however, he had little experience and even less understanding of love, affection, care, or any of the more pleasant emotions that normal people experienced on a daily basis.

He wasn't sure what to do about it. So he'd decided to promise them that he would try. He would try to understand, try to learn, because he wanted to be a part of what they obviously had. He wanted that sense of belonging that he'd never dreamed could actually be his.

So for the remainder of the year… well… he couldn't honestly say that they'd been dating. They never actually went on a date. Besides, they already ate nearly every meal together, sat together in almost every class, and spent most of their waking hours in each other's presence. But, instead of simply receiving the hugs and kisses on the cheek that the girls had been offering to him for years, he started to reciprocate, and if a few of those kisses landed on lips instead of cheeks, well, that wasn't exactly a hardship.

He still wasn't sure exactly what they were doing, or what it was he was supposed to be learning. But he was trying, and they hadn't seemed to have any complaints.

Coming back to himself as his meandering path through the woods brought him back in sight of the Boneyard, Harry realized that the calm, even breaths he'd had at the start had given way to short gasping gulps of air. His legs and lungs burned and a stitch was developing in his side so he slowed to a walk as he made his way to a practice area a few dozen feet from the pool where he could make out two figures facing each other within a twenty foot circle marked off on the grass.

One of them, his first friend after the girls, Neville Longbottom, was almost unrecognizable from the short, pudgy boy he'd been in first year. Now, Neville was half a head taller than Harry was at five foot six inches and the baby fat he'd carried in first year had long melted away as an effect of their, almost, daily workouts.

He was broad shouldered with lean muscle mass packed onto his frame. His shaggy, light brown hair was plastered to his forehead and neck by sweat and his brown eyes peered intently at the boy facing him, a wooden practice sword held in both hands before him.

Blaise Zabini wasn't supposed to be their friend, not according to 90% of Hogwarts students and Alumni. Neville and Harry were in Gryffindor, and Blaise was a Slytherin. The long standing enmity between the two school Houses was practically legendary, but they didn't care.

Blaise was a dark skinned, Italian born wizard with dark hair and eyes. In first year he'd been short and stocky, his chest and shoulders seemingly abnormally broad for his frame and last year they found out why.

He had been training to use the sword since he was five. As a result the muscles in his chest, shoulders, and back were abnormally developed in comparison to other muscle groups that he did not exercise with the same diligence. Since he'd joined them the year before they'd corrected much of his fitness. He would always be broad shouldered but he now had the height to make him simply intimidating, instead of odd looking.

Both boys were wearing dragonhide boots and black track pants but there upper bodies were naked to the waist and several dark bruises already stood out on arms and torsos from strikes by the wooden swords they each held. As Harry approached, he dropped to the grass and started to stretch, watching as the two boys suddenly launched themselves at each other.

The clacking sound of wood against wood filled the yard as they fought back and forth. Neville's face was a study of intensity as he attempted to strike his opponent while Blaise carefully studied his opponent, occasionally barking out instructions, commands, or corrections.

"Weight on your back leg, Nev," Blaise called as the wooden sword twirled in his hands and he lashed out, scoring a blow across Neville's rib cage on his left side. "Protect your off hand side."

"Son of a motherless…" Neville snarled and trailed off, backpedaling quickly to get out of Blaise's reach for a moment. Blaise pressed his advantage, not letting Neville get his equilibrium back and in moments Neville landed on his back on the grass with a 'whuff' of air escaping his lungs as Blaise held the tip of his practice sword to his throat.

"Better," Blaise said, offering Neville a hand up.

"I just got spanked, how is that better?"

"Your form and balance are visibly improving, Nev. I've been doing this for eight years, you and Harry have only been practicing for about five months. You're not going to catch up to me anytime soon. Which isn't to say you won't be able to, one day, just not in the next few years, most likely. You're both doing much better than I expected so soon into practicing. You might not see it but take it from me, you are."

"Yeah, if you say so," Neville grumbled, but he was smiling as he took Blaise's offered hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. "Is it Harry's turn for you to beat on him?" he asked and Harry stuck his tongue out at the man he considered as much of a brother as it was possible to be without sharing blood.

"You're all heart, Nev."

"Heart has nothing to do with it. I just don't want to get anymore bruises and I'd rather you saved my arse like you save everyone else's."

"The girl's arses are cuter than yours," Harry shot back, which had Blaise laughing at the shocked expression on Neville's face.

"Should I inform the girls on your opinion regarding their arses?" Neville finally asked, slowly moving toward the house and Harry's expression had Blaise literally rolling on the grass.

"Don't your dare, Neville," Harry called, pointing a threatening finger at his friend, who started moving faster. Holding out his right hand, Harry silently summoned one of the practice swords into his hand and started chasing after Neville. "Get back here, Longbottom!"

"Catch me if you can, Potter!"

#####

Susan winced and rubbed the outside of her right thigh for a moment before she sighed and directed a glare toward the back door from her spot sitting across the corner from her aunt at the kitchen table.

Amelia smiled slightly. "Sword practice?" she asked, and Susan growled low in the back of her throat.

"Bloody prat is lucky he's cute," she grumbled.

"If the last two generations of them are anything to go by, 'You're lucky you're cute, Potter', should be the House Motto."

Susan snorted out a laugh and then took a sip of her tea. "I'll offer that as a recommendation," she muttered into her cup, causing her aunt to chuckle quietly for several minutes. She covered a yawn with one hand and mentally cursed her inability to sleep over the last week since their return from school. Her bed just felt too big and empty without the other girls with her.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Susan finally asked and rolled her eyes when Amelia arched a questioning brow in her direction. "I know you too well, Auntie," she said. "You like to hold conversations over tea. Since we're not really conversing, that means we're waiting for something or someone else."

Amelia smiled fondly at her niece. "You really are too clever for my own good, sometimes," she muttered just as the chime for the Floo echoed through the house and Susan suddenly broke into a broad grin.

"Hermione," she murmured softly and she was out of her chair, almost before Amelia knew what was happening.

"And that's why we're having this discussion," she muttered to herself as she stood and followed Susan from the room at a far more reasonable speed.

By the time she reached the Floo Access Room, Susan was already wrapped around her bond mate, hugging the other girl tightly before drawing her into an emotional kiss. Before they could get too caught up, Amelia quietly cleared her throat and couldn't help a grin when Hermione let out a startled squeak and hastily pulled back from the kiss, but not out of Susan's arms.

"Umm… sorry, Amy," she muttered, her face flushing a bright red as she attempted to hide against Susan's shoulder.

"That's okay, but actually leads me to part of what I wanted to talk to you and Daphne about. As soon as she gets here we'll sit down for some tea and chat a bit."

Susan and Hermione both winced, getting the distinct impression that a less than comfortable discussion was in their future, but, nearly in unison, they sighed in resignation, knowing there was no avoiding it.

A moment later the chime went off again as another large green flame bloomed into existence in the fireplace and Daphne stepped lightly out and into the room, already brushing soot from the shoulders of her casual day robes in a light sky blue that almost matched her eyes.

"I have missed you two," she muttered as Hermione and Susan each lifted one arm, beckoning her to join their hug. She wrapped an arm around each girls waist as they wrapped theirs around her shoulders, the three of them just standing together for a few moments before they separated and followed Amelia to the kitchen.

"It's been annoying trying to sleep the last week. I'd really forgotten how strange it is, sleeping alone after being with the both of you almost every night for most of the year."

Hermione nodded, sliding into a seat at the table as she considered Daphne's statement.

"Yeah, I haven't liked being alone at home since the end of first year. I think I've just gotten so used to extra bodies in bed with me."

"We'll get to that discussion in a minute, ladies," Amelia cut in, already pouring from the new tea set that had appeared with a quiet pop once they were all seated. She handed out cups of tea and the four of them prepared their own to their liking in silence until Amelia leaned back in her seat and looked to the three girls.

The upcoming discussion was likely to be unpleasant, but she decided to get it out of the way first so they could be done with it and move on.

"First, before we call Harry in here, I wanted to discuss sleeping arrangements around here, considering the recent… changes in your relationship," she said, diving right into the conversation she didn't want to have, but felt was needed.

All three girls flushed brightly and she could almost see them fighting not to edge away from each other.

"I know I have no control over you what you girls get up to when you're not here, I'm not stupid and I won't even pretend that I really have any control over your decisions. I would just like to make sure you understand that while you're underage, I would much rather you three control yourselves in this house. If you can promise me that, I'll allow you to continue as you have up till now, otherwise I'll have to insist that you keep to your own rooms to sleep in."

They muttered their agreement, refusing to even look in each others directions. Not that the idea hadn't occurred to any of them, they were just still a bit young for that sort of thing and Hermione in particular was happy to take things slowly as their relationship grew.

Amelia's smile was comforting as she hid her amusement at their reaction. That did more to reassure her than any promises they might have made and she waved one hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Nothing more needs to be said on that, then. Other than, if any of you ever have any questions or concerns, I do hope you feel comfortable enough to talk to me about it. No, it won't be an embarrassment free discussion, but I'd rather you talk to me, Danyella, or Emma, than get bad information or advice from somewhere else." She leaned back in her seat again and gestured to their cooling cups of tea that had sat untouched in front of them. "Finish your tea, take a few minutes to compose yourselves and I'll get Harry in here for the next things I wanted to talk to you about."

By the time they finished, their faces had returned to a more normal color and Amelia made her way to the door, calling out into the back yard for Harry. With the door open, they could hear the occasional clack of the wooden swords, which stopped abruptly for a moment before restarting.

Amelia was just sinking into her seat when Harry stepped into the kitchen, pulling his shirt on over his head as he did.

"What's going on, Amy?" he asked, leaning against the counter by the sink with his arms crossed over his chest. A sheen of sweat stood out on his face and his breath was coming faster than usual, testament to the effort he was putting into the sword practice.

"I wanted to talk to the four of you about the Unspeakables. Next week is the meeting you four agreed to with Director Croaker from the Department of Mysteries. I still have no idea why he wants to talk to you but I promise that I'll be with you the entire time. I want the four of you to put your heads together and see what questions you can come up with for the Director. The Unspeakables tend to be looked on with suspicion and worry, but they really are on the side of wizarding society. They would never support the dark, and they do have only the best interests of the people in mind.

"That being said, best interests of the people doesn't mean your best interests. If they felt that there was something to be gained from hurting or capturing any of you, they wouldn't hesitate to do it. They would sacrifice anyone if they felt it was necessary. I don't want to worry you, but I don't want you going in blind, either. Understand?"

Four wide eyed teens nodded silently.

"They can be a great asset to have on your side, but don't take anything for granted. Go into that meeting with your eyes open and your guard up and play Lord Potter to the hilt, Harry. You need to establish from the beginning that you are a power in your own right and not someone they want to mess with, but you can't be too heavy handed, either. It's a balancing act. Talk with Susan and Daphne over the next few days. Blaise and Neville too. They've all seen enough of how wizarding society works they can offer some advice on how to act for this one. And the four of you should be a unit, a united front. Make sure you're all on the same page before we get there, okay?"

They nodded again, Susan and Daphne already going through ideas in their heads on how to help prepare Harry and Hermione for the meeting.

"Well, now that I've scarred you for, probably, the rest of your natural lives, what were your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I'd love to spend some time here, but I need to get back to the Manor," Daphne said, sadly. "I had a sweep done of the place the day after we returned from school and a team of curse breakers found that nearly every room in the house had monitoring charms, each attached to a recording of some sort. I'm having the charms removed, the wards updated and the house swept again for anything that shouldn't be there before they bring the new wards up again. It's going to be a long process and I need to be there as the Lady of the House." She glanced at her watch and stood. "Actually, I should be going, now, the curse breakers are supposed to be arriving at ten o'clock." She quickly hugged and kissed her three bond mates before hugging Amelia as well and made her way out of the kitchen. A moment later the Floo chimed indicating that she'd left the Boneyard.

Susan and Hermione decided they wanted to try and get in a nap so more hugs and kisses were had before they wandered their way upstairs and Amelia turned her attention to Harry where he stood by the sink, his arms crossed over his chest and a pensive frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, knowingly. She'd seen that expression on his face often enough since she'd first met him and it was a clear indicator that not all was right in the mind of Harry Potter.

He sighed and picked up his half empty mug of coffee before coming over to take Susan's vacated seat at the table.

"I'm not liking the idea of this meeting with Croaker. It seems like it's just a bad idea to get involved with them at all from what everyone keeps saying. And the first time I met them, I didn't get a good vibe from the Director."

"How do you mean?" she asked, studying him carefully as he frowned and thought over the meeting their first day of third year when Hermione was offered the Time Turner.

"Did you know that they tried to offer a Time Turner for Hermione to attend all her classes last year?" he asked and she shook her head, her own brow furrowing in concern. "Well, they did. Croaker pointed out that they had no idea what would happen if she used it because of our bond. Like, if she went back an hour would it hurt her? Would it cut her from the bond because she was out of time, or would our past selves feel a link to her? They had no idea, and the Director commented that they were curious to find out what would happen, but then, like an afterthought, said they would never risk our health or safety just for an experiment.

"I don't know. I kind of got the feeling that if they could have gotten away with it, that's exactly what they would have done. Just let her use it and see what would happen to the rest of us. You said they're offering to help us. With what exactly? What kind of help is being offered? What would we need to do or pay for it?"

Amelia sighed, concerned by what she was hearing. "I don't know what to tell you, Kid," she muttered. "Honestly, like I said they're the good guys, to a degree. But good people can do terrible things if they feel it's warranted or needed. The difference is the Unspeakables wouldn't feel guilty about doing terrible things if they felt it was necessary for the good of our world. Croaker has been trying to get me to join the Department for years and I always turn them down because of that. I don't trust them either. I trust that they don't want Voldemort coming back into power. I trust they would help to end him if and when he does. In the end, just do like I said, eyes open and guard up. If you don't like what the Director has to say, just walk away and be done with it."

She stood and placed one hand on his shoulder, leaning over to kiss the top of his head and when she stood up she wrinkled her nose.

"Ew, you're all sweaty, kid. If you boys are done out there you should jump in the shower."

Harry laughed at the expression on her face and stood as well. "Neville should be leaving soon, but Blaise said he wanted to talk to me about something. I'll check in with them, then go clean up. Think I'll finish up my Transfiguration homework after that."

"All right. I'll be in my office if any of you need anything."

"Thank's, Amy. I don't think I've said it much, but I really appreciate everything you've done. All the advice and help you've given me… it really means a lot."

Her smile was warm and genuine and she pulled him into a firm hug, sweaty or not. "Any time, kid. You're part of the family and family is the most important thing in the world."

#####

Blaise Zabini was many things, Harry had noted in the time since he'd met the other boy. He was clever, polite, respectful. He had a wry, wicked sense of humor and a quick, ready wit. He was calm, some might say aloof. One thing he'd never seen Blaise be, was pensive.

Until now.

After returning from his conversation with Amelia and the girls, Neville had bid his goodbyes, picked up his belongings and headed back to Longbottom Manor. The next few minutes were spent on clean up. Harry and Blaise collected the practice swords, inspected them for cracks or other damage, cleaned them, then put them away in the expanded case that Blaise used to carry his practice equipment.

The last twenty minutes had been spent with the two of them simply walking the grounds while Harry waited for Blaise to spit out whatever was on his mind.

While they walked, Harry let his own thoughts wander a bit. The upcoming meeting with Director Croaker concerned him a great deal, and had since Amelia had first mentioned it to them over the last Christmas break, just before their return to school. That the head of any Ministry Department, other than Amelia, wanted to meet with them was concerning enough, but the Head Unspeakable?

And then there was the fact that Croaker had indicated that he seemed to want to help them, somehow. Help them with what, exactly? What did he know, that they didn't? There was also the Hall of Prophecies that he'd read about, rumored to exist within the Department of Mysteries. Could they use this meeting to go around Dumbledore and get a listen to the prophecy that supposedly involved him and Volde-

"Harry, I wanted to ask you something."

Harry blinked, startled out of his thoughts and turned slightly to face his friend. In the last few months Blaise really had become a much closer friend and Harry was glad for all the work he'd been putting in, teaching him and Neville the sword and practicing with them on their spell practice. Blaise had contributed a great deal to their group, not to mention him being the only known person to ever kill a Dementor, and doing so with the Sword of Gryffindor. It had almost been amusing, for Harry, to see the quiet Slytherin subjected to the same amount of scrutiny and mutterings as he himself was for the remainder of the year whenever he walked the halls.

For a Slytherin to wield the Sword was unheard of, and Harry had revelled in not being the absolute center of attention for a change.

Noting the questioning look on Blaise's face he started and blinked again several times.

"Oh! Sorry, I kinda wandered there for a second. What was it you wanted?"

"Gotta watch that wool gathering, Potter," Blaise smirked. "You're too young to start acting like Dumbledore."

"Oi!"

The two of them laughed lightly for a moment before Blaise took a deep breath and straightened up in a familiar gesture that had Harry mentally groaning.

"'Lord Potter," he started before Harry cut him off.

"No," he said, waving both hands in front of him. "No, no, no. We're not doing any of this Lord crap, Blaise. We're friends. You have something to ask me, ask me. You don't need to pull out any formalities with me, you know that."

"I know, Harry, and I appreciate it, but in this case I really do need to address the Head of House Potter, not my friend, Harry."

That time Harry really did groan and slapped a hand over his face for a moment, ignoring the snickering sounds he could hear coming from Blaise's direction.

"Dammit, you're lucky we're friends, Zabini. Fine, go ahead."

Blaise smirked as Harry sighed and straightened up, looking expectantly at the dark skinned wizard.

"Lord Potter," he said again. "I would very much like to formally request your permission to escort Miss Luna Lovegood during the first Hogsmeade weekend of our upcoming school year."

Harry blinked, his jaw dropping open to stare at Blaise. He was standing straight with his shoulders back, hands at his sides, almost like a military attention, though perhaps a bit less stiff in his carriage. His dark eyes never looked away from Harry's and his face was an emotionless mask as he waited for a response.

When it came, Harry was proud of himself for the eloquence and articulation that he was able to convey despite his great shock.

"Huh?"

"I would very much like to-"

"I heard you, Blaise, I'm wondering what the hell you're doing asking me? Why are you talking to me at all? Shouldn't you be talking to Luna? Or her dad?"

"Miss Lovegood is under the Protection of House Potter. In the absence of her father, who is out of the country, last I heard, and… honestly even when he's physically present, I have heard that he isn't entirely 'present', no offense to Mister Lovegood meant in the slightest. I understand he took the death of his wife a few years ago very hard and hasn't been quite the same since. Considering these things, you, as her Protector, would be next for me to speak to regarding formal arrangements of courting."

Harry just shook his head and looked around quickly, noting part of the boundry wall that fenced in the manicured lawn, beyond which, the wild growth of the forest behind the property began and he gestured to the three foot high stone barrier as he walked over and took a seat.

When Blaise sat beside him, Harry turned so that he was straddling the wall and facing his friend.

"I'm dispensing with the formality crap, Blaise, since I need you to explain this to me. Remember, I'm still not up on all the little nuances involved in wizarding society and I'm trying to wrap my head around this right now. Just explain this to me in simple terms."

Blaise looked decidedly uncomfortable with that but he nodded and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I… I like Luna. She's a nice girl. A little strange, but she's fun, and she's funny from what I've seen of her. I'd like to get to know her better. I don't know if it'll go anywhere, really, but I wouldn't mind finding out."

Harry nodded, pleased to hear the sincerity in Blaise's voice. "Right, that's good. But what's with this asking me for permission? Shouldn't you be asking her?"

"Because that's how it's done among traditional purebloods, Harry. I'm not a snob, or a bigot, but I am pureblood, and I am proud of my heritage and our traditions. No, I don't like the laws that makes me ask you instead of Luna. I've heard you and Neville rant about them enough and I agree they need to be changed. Right now, though, the laws are still the laws, and tradition dictates I speak to Luna's Head of House. He's not available, and you're the next best thing as you have her under the protective banner of your House."

"So, how would this get brought up to Luna?" Harry asked.

"When I next see her, probably at your birthday party, if you give your permission, I will inform her that I will be escorting her to Hogsmeade and that I hope to ensure she has a pleasant time and that I hope we can get to know each other better. I have no other designs or goals."

"You'll inform her. You won't ask her if she wants to go?"

"If her Head of House-"

"And as you've already pointed out, Blaise, I am not her Head of House," Harry cut in firmly. "And even if I was, it's not my place to make decisions for her. The law might allow a Head of House to do such things, more specifically a male Head, since I'm sure those laws are skewed against women…"

Harry trailed off, his annoyed expression falling away into something thoughtful and after a minute he abruptly shot to his feet and moved a few feet away from the wall.

"Make your request, again," he demanded and Blaise quickly stood and faced him again.

"Lord Potter, I would very much like to formally request your permission to escort Miss Luna Lovegood during the first Hogsmeade weekend of our upcoming school year."

"Sorry, Heir Zabini. You do not have my permission to escort Miss Lovegood to Hogsmeade."

Blaise gaped at him for a moment before he opened his mouth, but whether he was going to protest or acquiesce was a moot point as Harry kept talking.

"You do not have my permission to escort her as I feel that I do not have the authority, or the right to grant you permission, as I've already stated. However, if your tradition requires permission for anything, you have my permission to ask her yourself, and the decision to accept or reject your invitation will be left to Miss Lovegood to decide on her own. I understand your traditions and your heritage are important to you, Heir Zabini, and I do not wish to insult them. However, if I have anything to say about it, the people in my House will be able to make their own decisions. I will not force my choices on them, especially not in matters like this.

"If Luna wants to go to Hogsmeade with you, she's welcome to, but the decision will be hers and no one else's."

Blaise closed his mouth with an audible snap and studied his friend closely for several long moments before nodding, a small smile curving the corners of his mouth.

"Thank you, Lord Potter. That is a more than acceptable compromise. With your permission, then, I will ask Miss Lovegood if she wishes to accompany me when I next see her at your birthday party?"

Harry grinned and nodded. "For that, you have not only my permission but my best wishes and good luck."

Blaise's smile grew and his posture suddenly relaxed, telling Harry the formal portion of the day was over.

"Thank you, Harry. Really, that was very clever of you to find a way to stick to the spirit of the tradition while circumventing it entirely at the same time."

Harry shrugged. "I try." He turned and started back toward the house in the distance as Blaise fell into step beside him. "Really, I understand how the wizarding world sticks to their traditions, but I still really don't understand a lot of them. Change isn't a bad thing. It can be scary, but fighting change just leads to stagnation and death. You see it in the animal kingdom all the time. Creatures that do not change, or adapt, die."

Blaise shrugged, unsure of what to say, so he remained silent.

It was a few minutes later before Harry decided to voice a question. "Blaise, do you mind if I ask why?"

Blaise gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Why Luna? I mean… I don't want to pry, and it really is none of my business, but like you said, I'm her protector and I don't think you've ever showed the slightest interest in her before." Harry shrugged, stuffing his hands into his track pants pockets. "I don't know what it's like to be a big brother, no siblings. But I kind of see Luna as a little sister, as much as I think I can. I don't want to see her hurt. I don't think you'd ever do it on purpose but… am I making any sense at all here? I feel like I'm just rambling stupidly."

Blaise sighed, running a hand over his short cut hair in a resigned sort of way.

"No, you're making perfect sense. I understand. Honestly… well, I did something stupid."

And Harry was confused again.

"Wait, what does that have to do with Luna?"

"Allegria." Blaise murmured and Harry's confusion only grew.

"Alley-what?"

"Allegria," Blaise corrected, laughing. "It's an italian word that means 'Happiness' or 'Joy'."

"And…?"

"Well, it's something I've kinda taken to heart as a personal motto." Blaise had a look on his face that seemed equal parts deep thought and lost in his own memories. Like he was considering something from long ago, or maybe something in the future he hoped would happen. "People don't find happiness in life by accident, you know? You don't just stumble into it. It doesn't drop into your lap. You have to go out and find it. You have to work for it. Sometimes you have to fight for it or even bleed for it.

"Sometimes you'll get hurt worse trying to find it than if you'd done nothing. That is a lesson my mother has reinforced often over the years."

"Then why try if you're just going to get hurt?"

"Because not trying means you're not living your life, you're simply surviving it."

Harry considered that for a moment before deciding it made a certain sense and nodded his head. "Okay, what does that have to do with you doing something stupid?"

Blaise winced. "Umm… I… I kind of kissed Cedrella the first week we were back at school after the Christmas break."

Harry came to an abrupt stop, gaping open mouthed at the boy. "Wait… you kissed Tonks!" he blurted out and Blaise hissed, waving both hands at him frantically.

"Keep it down, will you?" he snapped. "You don't have to tell the whole world about it."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, but… Tonks? Really?"

"I didn't know she was an Auror six years older than me at the time. I thought she was a thirteen-year-old student, like us. She was pretty, and she was kind, and she was confident and knew how to handle herself."

"Is that why she said sorry to you the night the Dementors attacked? Neville mentioned, but she'd left the castle by then and I didn't want to pry. He thought it was a strange thing for her to say."

Blaise scowled and kicked at a rock. "Yeah. She shot me down. Nicely, but still. Told me it would never work but obviously she couldn't tell me why since she was undercover. To me, that was an Allegria moment. I took a chance and it hurt, but if I hadn't tried, I would never know, and I'd always wonder what if, maybe, I'd done something different. You know?"

Harry nodded, still a little wide eyed. "Yeah, I can imagine… Wait… you're not just trying to use Luna-"

"No! No, I would never do something like that, Harry! Why do you think I've waited five months to talk to you?" Blaise almost glared at him, but held back since he realized Harry was only trying to look out for Luna. "No, I've always liked Luna, well enough. She's a sweet girl, she really is. I'm not saying I'm in love with her, or anything. All I'm saying is, I think she's nice, and pleasant, and I wouldn't mind getting to know more about her. I don't know what might happen, but again, I'll never know if I don't give it a shot, right?"

Harry stared at Blaise for several moments. "I guess you're right," he finally conceded. "I don't fancy having to give you the shovel speech, though, so if things get at all serious, you'd better talk to her Dad."

"I'm not even going to ask what a shovel speech is," Blaise drawled, and as they returned to their walk, silence descended over them.

"You should consider it."

"Consider what, Blaise?"

"Allegria."

"What about it? I think I'm pretty happy."

Blaise gave him a sidelong look.

"What?"

"If you say so, Lord Potter."

"What's that mean? I am! I was just thinking earlier when I was on my run that life was going pretty good for me, lately. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am right now."

"But you're not as happy as you could be."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" Harry snapped, starting to get annoyed.

"If you don't know, I'm not sure you'll believe my explanation. But just think on this. Allegria means happiness. If you find something that makes you happy, you need to grab onto it. You need to throw yourself into it. You can't half-arse it. You can't just stick your feet in the water, you've got to jump in and risk drowning. You've got to risk getting burned."

They'd reached the patio behind the house and Blaise leaned down to pick up the case filled with practice swords, slinging the strap over one shoulder before he turned back to his friend with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"Find what makes you happy. Then, ignore your fear. Ignore your doubts. Ignore that little voice in the back of your head that tells you it's a bad idea. Grab hold of whatever that is, and throw yourself fully into it. That is Allegria."

With a wave over his shoulder he walked into the house, leaving Harry staring after him, both annoyed, and more than a little confused at the same time. An hour and a half later, Amelia found him sitting at one of the patio tables, still trying to puzzle out Blaise's meaning.

#####

Six days later, in the late evening, found the four bonded sitting at the kitchen table, deep in discussion. Harry looked to each of his girls, one after another. "So, we're in agreement? We're tired of Dumbledore saying our Occlumency isn't strong enough for us to know the prophecy, yet, so we'll ask Croaker if we can hear it?"

Over the course of the previous school year, the Headmaster had tested them every few weeks and always said they were improving, but they weren't quite good enough, yet, to trust with the wording of the prophecy.

"Absolutely," Daphne said. "The Headmaster has been dealing with us far more equally, but I'm not certain I completely trust him to be entirely truthful on this. He's been hiding this information for so long, and habits are hard to break."

Her eyes were narrowed in anger, but Harry wasn't entirely certain what she was angry about. The Headmaster's stubborn insistence on not sharing the wording of the prophecy with them, or the years of pain the old man had condemned Harry to when he placed him with the Dursleys.

After finding out in Second Year that Dumbledore had been Harry's magical guardian, Harry was fairly certain that Daphne had some plan in mind to exact some form of revenge on the aged wizard and only his continued help and efforts to make amends had stayed her hand, thus far. He was reasonably certain that, one more serious problem from Dumbledore, and nothing would stop her.

"The headmaster firmly believes that it is about you," Hermione said. "More to the point, so does Riddle. He believes you to be a threat and he won't stop until he eliminates that threat. We need to hear that Prophecy. The Professor has earned back a lot of trust, recently, but I think we would be better served to live by the adage, 'Trust, but verify'."

Harry nodded and stood from his seat at the table to refill his coffee mug. Outside, the stars were visible, spread across the velvet blackness of the sky and, for a moment, he wished he was preparing to go on his morning run, not planning for a meeting the next day that he really wasn't sure they wanted to have.

"The annoying thing is, I'm really not certain that I even want to know, anymore," he said, finally voicing a thought he'd never once actually spoken aloud. Inwardly he cringed but went about fixing his coffee with the same caution against spilling that he'd used his very first morning there. Even after two and a half years, he was still instinctively afraid to make any kind of mess whenever it was possible to avoid it.

The silence stretched out behind him while he finished and, when he turned, the girls were giving him nearly identical expectant looks, waiting for him to explain himself.

"We already know that Riddle believes it, and that Dumbledore does too," he said, nodding to Hermione in recognition of the point she'd made. "What does it really matter what the damn thing actually says? Riddle won't stop coming after me and Dumbledore won't stop pushing me into fulfilling his interpretation of it. Part of me wonder's, what's the point? I should just keep practicing, keep training, so that the next time Riddle and I meet, I'll know enough to kill him, or to at least survive, like I have been."

"But what if there's something in the wording that would help you know what to do?" Hermione asked.

"Or maybe it's not about you at all," was Susan's contribution.

"I know," he sighed, exasperated. "I didn't say we shouldn't find out, just… I wonder if it'll really matter, one way or the other, in the end."

Daphne stood and moved over to stand right in front of him. Reaching up, she grabbed him by the ears, and almost yanked his head down to her level, ignoring his startled yelp, so she could look him directly in the eyes.

"Knowledge is power, Potter," she almost growled. "The more we know, the more you know, the better your chances of surviving to live your life. I love you, and I'm not about to let you waste any possible advantage that we might be able to get. I want you with us for a very long time, and if I have to, I will kick your bloody arse every day between now and the end of all this if that's what it takes to keep you looking at surviving to live that life, with us."

When she kissed him it was hard, harsh, almost punishing as she smashed her mouth against his and his protests turned into a few muffled muttering sounds against her lips.

When she let him go he practically reeled back until he was leaning against the counter again and reached up to gingerly rub at his ears.

"They're ears, not handles, you know?" he muttered and she stuck her tongue out at him as she sank back into her seat while Hermione and Susan both laughed at the two of them.

"Look, it's late," Hermione pointed out a minute later after looking to the clock hanging on the wall. "We should get to bed since tomorrow is going to be a pretty rough day, I would imagine."

Not feeling up to arguing, they made their way upstairs and Harry gave each girl a gentle kiss goodnight before heading into his room, closing the door behind him. He changed into a pair of pajama pants and, deciding to forgo a shirt, he dropped into his bed and quickly fell into a fitful, restless sleep.