Disclaimer: I own none of the things you already know of.
Disclaimer: Trigger warning. Toward the end of this chapter contains sexual assault. If this makes you uncomfortable, please skip where you see *x*, once the scene is over there will be another *x*.
Harry Potter and the Smallest Change.
Chapter 50. Fifth Year, Part 7. 1996.
The next morning, Harry was released from the Hospital Wing. Together with Fleur, they met up with their friends in the eighth-floor classroom they used for the Defence Association.
Fleur stood beside him, but her features were twisted with focus for a few seconds as she contained her Allure.
Ronald stared at her in slack jawed wonder, and Neville wasn't much better.
Harry rolled his eyes and met Hermione's gaze, who rolled hers as well. She slapped the back of both the boys' heads, drawing them out of their daze. In Ronald's case, only for a few seconds.
After a few moments, Fleur nodded to Harry.
'My Allure is under my complete control. This isn't caused by me.' She muttered, her shoulders were tense.
Harry smiled.
'Sorry.' He whispered, and she sent him a tight smile.
Harry turned to the others. He smiled at Holly and Susan, who stood beside each other. Hannah stood beside Susan while Daphne and Luna stood on their other side.
'You all did a brilliant job yesterday.' Harry said, his eyes lingered on Holly and Susan for a moment.
'That said, I'm sorry that you had to actually fight Death Eaters. You did amazing work when you didn't have to. I'm proud of you.' He said, and Fleur took his hand.
Harry looked down at their joined hands and smiled.
'Now, what say we all head down for lunch?' he suggested and received nods and smiles in return.
As the group made their way down to the Great Hall, Harry marvelled at how they acted. They appeared to be happy and relaxed, even though he knew they still experienced the horror of the previous day when they stopped to think.
He figured that was why they were spending the day together in each other's company.
Harry held Fleur's hand as they walked and shared a small smile with her. This was the first time she was in the castle, and not hiding it, since this term started.
A few minutes later, the group arrived in the Great Hall, and all, apart from Neville and Ronald, took a seat at the Hufflepuff table.
Harry smiled as he realised that he'd missed just relaxing with everyone on a weekend. They hadn't done anything like this since the year before, during the Tournament.
He squeezed Fleur's hand under the table, and she smiled at him.
'It's nice to spend some time with everyone, isn't it?' she asked, and he grinned.
'Yeah, it is. I'd forgotten how nice it was to have everyone together.' He whispered, and she kissed his cheek.
Harry turned to his food and noticed that from the Slytherin table, Draco glared at him.
Harry frowned; Draco wasn't one to glare at him. Draco and Neville would glare at each other all the time, but Draco tended to steer clear of Harry.
As lunch wound down, Professor Dumbledore left the Hall and Professor Sprout moved to stand behind Harry and leant down.
'Mister Potter, Miss Delacour, the Headmaster would like a word. Would you follow me?' she asked, and Harry nodded.
'Of course, ma'am.' He said and turned to Holly.
'We'll see you guys later, okay?' he asked, and Holly smiled.
Harry and Fleur followed Professor Sprout out of the Great Hall and up to the Headmasters Office. The three were silent as they walked, and Harry wondered what the cause was. Sprout was often very chatty with Harry and his friends.
Once they arrived at the Headmaster's office, Professor Sprout turned to Harry and looked like she would say something, but shook her head and turned to the Gargoyle.
'Snickers.' She said and as the Gargoyle leapt aside, the Professor left without a word.
Harry blinked and turned to Fleur.
'What was that about?' he whispered, and she cocked her head.
'I don't recall her being so standoffish last year. Perhaps it has something to do with the attack on Hogsmeade yesterday?' she proposed, and Harry shrugged.
'It's the only thing that makes sense. Earlier this week we had a long chat about various magical plants.' He frowned for a moment before he shook his head.
'Shall we see the Headmaster?' Harry asked, offering his arm.
'We shall.' Fleur grinned and took his arm.
Together, the two made their way up into the Headmasters Office.
Once inside, Harry saw Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, looking tired. The man held his fingers steepled in front of his face as he watched Harry and Fleur enter his office.
'Lemon drop?' Dumbledore asked with a wave of his hand.
Two overstuffed chairs appeared in front of his desk, which Harry and Fleur took.
Fleur grinned and took a lemon drop while Harry rolled his eyes.
'No thank you Headmaster.' Harry said as Fleur popped the sweet in her mouth, only to freeze a moment later and cough.
Dumbledore smiled.
'They are particularly sour I must admit.' The old man said and sighed.
'But I did not call you to my office to discuss sweets, as much as I would like to.' Dumbledore said and took a deep breath.
Dumbledore's aged features sagged, and his blue eyes hardened.
'During the attack on Hogsmeade yesterday, your actions were extreme.' He said, his voice as hard as his eyes. Disappointment seemed to cling to every syllable of the Headmaster's voice.
Harry cocked his head to the side.
'The first spell fired at us was the Killing Curse. How else were we supposed to react?' Harry asked.
Dumbledore turned his hard gaze on him.
Harry felt his Occlumency barriers contract under pressure. He narrowed his eyes at the Headmaster before the old man's mental probe faded.
'Killing for whatever reason is wrong. Everyone deserves a second chance. Like young Mister Mervyn Wynch whom you killed yesterday. He could have been drawn over to the light. Instead, you killed him as your first recourse.' Dumbledore said.
The disappointment in his voice hung heavy in the room.
Beside Harry, Fleur bristled.
'Headmaster, the man fired a Killing Curse at us, which would have hit me if Harry hadn't pushed me out of the way. Responding with equal force is the cornerstone of every law enforcement agency in the muggle world, and much of the Wizarding World.' Fleur snapped, her eyes flashing.
'The only agency in the world who doesn't actively pursue this is the British Aurors who are legally not allowed to use lethal force under any circumstances.' Fleur said, and Harry squeezed her hand.
He could feel her usually smooth skin in the initial stages of her Veela transformation.
Fleur took a calming breath.
Dumbledore's eyebrows rose, and he looked over his half-moon glasses at Fleur.
'And that, my dear girl, is why Magical Britain is one of the more enlightened nations in the Wizarding World.' The Headmaster said with supreme confidence.
Fleur blinked.
'Is that what you truly believe, Headmaster?' she asked.
Dumbledore frowned.
'Yes, it is, my dear girl. It is well known.' The old man said, confused.
Fleur blinked again.
Harry sighed and ran a hand down his face.
'Professor Dumbledore, I think as Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, you should be aware of the other nation's opinions of magical Britain.' Harry said, choosing his words carefully.
Dumbledore frowned.
'What do you mean, my boy? That is the consensus of the wizarding community.' The Headmaster said, still clearly confused.
Harry groaned.
Fleur sat forward, both hands on the heavy desk between her and the Headmaster.
'Perhaps, sir, you should speak to some members of these other wizarding communities. From what I am aware, many nations around the world think of the British wizarding community as backward and bumbling fools.' Fleur said and Dumbledore's eyes widened.
'The only reason why you are still the foremost nation in the Wizarding World is that it contains a select few powerful wizards such as yourself.' Fleur continued.
Dumbledore shook his head.
'Surely not. The British Magical community has long been at the forefront of civilisation.' The old man denied.
Harry groaned.
'Perhaps sir, before we continue this conversation you should travel to a few other communities around the world and talk to them, perhaps in disguise so they don't know they are talking to Albus Dumbledore, but just a simple, regular wizard.' Harry said.
'Surely…' Dumbledore shook his head.
Fleur huffed.
'Please sir, I believe it is important for a man of your station to understand what others think of your people, so they don't follow you simply out of fear of your power and reputation.' Fleur said.
Dumbledore coughed and sat back in his throne like chair.
'Perhaps you are right, long have I been absent from the common people.' He mused, and Harry tightened his jaw at the term.
Dumbledore shook his head.
'But in any case, that is not what I was meaning to talk to you about.' The Headmaster said.
Harry nodded.
'No, it is not. But it is connected, sir. We believe that you are coming to this conversation with a serious misinterpretation of international law.' Harry started.
'And while you are the Headmaster of this school and ultimately in charge of discipline, I propose we postpone this discussion until you have brushed up on the international stance toward acts of terror and where your priorities lie.' Harry said.
Dumbledore blinked and Harry continued.
'The fact of the matter is, sir, that we fought in self defence against a terrorist organisation. Whether this country's government acknowledges that is irrelevant. According to the French Ministry, the Death Eaters, and Voldemort himself are terrorists and therefore are to be killed or captured on sight.' Harry said.
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.
'But you are not French.' The Headmaster said as he looked into Harry's emerald eyes.
Harry smiled.
'Actually, sir, I am a dual citizen. Dominique pulled some strings so I would have my apparition licence in France, so I could visit them easily during the holidays. A part of that included granting me a French citizenship, so in this case I am following French Wizarding law.' Harry explained.
Fleur gripped his hand and Harry smiled at her before turning back to the Headmaster.
'In any case sir, this was clearly self defence and if we hadn't had put down these rabid animals, more innocent people will have died.' Harry paused, then cocked his head.
'Or would you have preferred more than thirteen innocent people died so that we could have arrested a handful of extra Death Eaters who would likely be broken out of Azkaban at a later stage, just like what happened only a month ago?' Harry asked and Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.
Dumbledore sighed.
'Thank you for your time and advice. Though I do recommend you try to remember that not all the Death Eaters are the rabid animals you think of them as.' Dumbledore said.
Harry stood, still holding Fleur's hand.
With only an incline of their heads, the two left the Headmasters office.
Once outside in the corridor, Harry let out a deep sigh.
'I can't believe that.' He breathed.
'The old man is foolish in the extreme. Madame Maxime was correct in her rants last year about how your Headmaster would listen to none but his own counsel.' Fleur hissed.
Harry cupped her face with his hand and smiled at her.
She huffed and lay a hand on top of his.
'Thank you for calming me. It wouldn't do to be heard by any of you English saying anything against the Headmaster.' She said, and Harry nodded.
'I respect the man, but he's wrong in this case and woefully out of touch.' Harry said and pulled her away from the Headmaster's office.
'Let's go down to the lake, it'll be good to get some fresh air.' Harry suggested, and she smiled.
'Oui.'
Twenty minutes later, Harry and Fleur sat on the grassy bank of the lake, looking out at the sun slowly falling toward the mountains on the horizon.
'Wotcher Harry.' Came a voice from behind them and Harry spun in place to see the pink haired form of Nymphadora Tonks.
Fleur mirrored Harry's action, though she had her wand drawn.
Harry smiled.
'Nym, its good to see you. We haven't caught up properly in years.' He patted the grass next to him and Fleur returned her wand to its holster.
'I remember seeing you last year, but that doesn't really count. But proper introductions are in order.' Harry continued as Nym took the indicated spot on the grass beside Harry.
Harry turned to Fleur, then back to Nym.
'Fleur, this is Nymphadora Tonks. Just call her Nym.' Harry said, he ignored the twitch of irritation on Nym's face before he continued.
'Nym, this is Fleur Delacour, my girlfriend.' Harry said and turned to Fleur.
'Nym has been my cousin since I can remember. Technically we're not. She's Sirius' cousin, but that's close enough for us.' Harry said, and Fleur met Nym's gaze.
Fleur cleared her throat.
'I apologise for my behaviour yesterday. I was, under some amount of stress.' Fleur said, and Nym beamed at her.
Nym reached out a hand across Harry that Fleur shook after a moment's hesitation.
'I can understand what you were going through. I haven't seen Harry much in the last few years, I've been going through Auror training and haven't been able to really catch up with family. It's been annoying, but I'm finished with that now and no longer getting the boring jobs.' Nym said.
Her hair changed colours as she talked.
Fleur raised an eyebrow. Nym grinned.
'Uncle James took me under his wing, so to speak, much like Aunt Amy has.' Nym said and Fleur frowned.
'Uncle James?' she asked, and Nym shrugged.
'Don't know why he gets called Uncle, while Sirius is my cousin and Remus is just Remus. I've never questioned it, that's how it's always been.' Nym said, and Fleur sighed.
'It's an interesting family to be sure, and I've known them for what, eight years 'Arry?' she asked, and Harry grinned.
'Yeah, about that.' He agreed.
Nym sighed and lay back on the grass.
'I know I shouldn't be relaxing like this, as technically, I'm on duty. But its such a nice day and its great to actually catch up, little cousin.' She said, and Harry scoffed.
'I'm taller than you in case you haven't noticed.' Harry said, and Nym rolled her eyes.
'That's cos you're a wierdo who hit their growth spurt early.' Nym said.
Fleur quirked an eyebrow at Harry, and he gave her a solemn nod.
'Nym, about that. There's something I think we need to tell you.' Harry said.
Nym sat up and looked between Harry and Fleur.
'What about?' Nym asked.
Harry ran a hand through his hair.
Nym looked at Harry, then at Fleur.
'You're not pregnant, are you, Fleur?' Nym asked with mischief in her eyes.
Fleur narrowed her eyes.
'Of course not. But this is important and as an Auror I think you might need to know.' Fleur said.
Nym's face turned serious.
'What's this about?' she asked.
Harry sighed.
'Ever since my first year, I've been using a room in Hogwarts called the Room of Requirement. It has allowed me to compress time. Long story short, I'm somewhere between eighteen and nineteen. Fleur is not much older.' Harry said.
Nym blinked and her hair changed from pink to white.
'You're not joking with me? This is the truth?' she asked.
Harry nodded, and Nym grinned.
'Harry, this is so awesome. Why did you do it? Can other people do it too? Who else knows?' Nym asked, rapid-fire.
Harry laughed and held up a hand to stop her.
'I did it so I can have more time to train, to get stronger and to work on other projects. Fleur has been using it with me since last year and the only people who know apart from us are our parents, Sirius, Aunt Amy, and Remus. Oh, and Holly and Susan.' Harry said.
Nym bounced in place beside Harry on the grass.
'This is so awesome. So, how do you think you'd fare against a fully trained Auror?' she asked.
Harry sighed.
'Nym. Fleur and I killed just under twenty Death Eaters yesterday. I think I could take you.' He murmured.
Nym blinked. Her hair turned black, then orange, then back to pink.
She patted his back.
'I'm sorry, little cousin. I forgot about that. But I think that we'll have to test you out soon. I might be able to help you out. How did your mum take the news that you're messing with time?' she asked.
Harry laughed and Fleur rolled her eyes.
'She wanted to know all about it.' Harry said.
Nym grinned.
'I knew it. Your mum has always said how brilliant you were, even if your dad said you broke his heart by not being a prankster.' Nym said.
Fleur smirked.
'Oh, I think James will be happy once Charlus gets to Hogwarts. The kid is a nightmare.' Fleur huffed, and Nym laughed.
'You know what, blondie? I like you. Sirius said I would, but no one mentioned how annoyingly perfect you two are together. It makes me sick.' Nym grinned.
Harry laughed.
'I'm sorry about that Nym, maybe we'll work on that, but probably not.' Harry said.
His watch vibrated, and he stared at it, confused for a moment.
Then he realised what it vibrating meant.
After the Tournament last year, he'd enchanted his watch to act as a tracker for the panic charms he'd given to Fleur and Holly.
He froze and stared at Fleur.
She frowned.
'Arry? What's wrong?' Fleur asked.
Nym looked between them in confusion.
Harry looked down at his watch again. It pointed toward the castle.
'Holly.' He breathed.
Both Fleur and Nym wore concerned expressions.
Harry leapt to his feet and looked at his watch.
'Holly, hold on.' Harry whispered and took off at a run toward the castle.
He ignored the shouts from behind him.
Harry entered the castle a minute later and followed the arrow on his watch, careful to keep an eye on his surroundings as he ran.
The watch faces no longer showed the time, instead it gave him a distance between him and the tracker that had activated. It read that Holly was a hundred metres above him and fifty metres away, horizontally.
His gaze darted around the Entrance Hall, and he rushed to the central staircase and followed it up to the fifth floor.
He paused as the staircase moved, barring his progress.
Harry growled as the staircase drifted away and he narrowed his eyes. He searched for another way up, without success.
''Arry.' called Fleur as she and Nym caught up with him.
'What's wrong 'Arry?' Fleur breathed, and Nym was a little out of breath.
Harry glared at the staircase. He considered whether he had enough confidence in his Levitation Charm to float himself up past the staircase.
'Fleur, do you remember the panic charm I built into your pendant?' he asked, and she nodded.
Fleur gasped.
'You gave one to 'Olly too, didn't you?' Fleur asked, and Harry nodded.
'I gave one to everyone. She's activated it and she's being held somewhere on the floor above us. In that direction.' He pointed off to their three o'clock.
Nym frowned.
'Wait, you've got tracking charms on Fleur and Holly? Isn't that a little weird, Harry?' Nym asked.
Harry turned his glare on Nym.
'Pettigrew abducted Holly in my third year, and it's happened again now. How is it weird if its an effective precaution?' Harry snapped, and Nym fell silent.
Fleur put a hand to his shoulder.
'Relax 'Arry. You can't help her if you wear yourself out worrying. She'll be okay.' Fleur whispered.
Harry growled, deep in his throat.
'Holly has activated her panic charm, there's only one reason why she'd do that. I need to get to her NOW.' He snarled.
Nym and Fleur both blinked as the staircase suddenly whipped back toward them, against its usual pattern.
Harry's agitation rose every second and his hair waved as if in a breeze.
As soon as the staircase came close, Harry leapt up to it, he ignored the long drop below if he'd missed the jump.
He raced up to the next floor, leaving Fleur and Nym to stare in disbelief at his acrobatics.
Harry took the first right side corridor and followed the directions of his watch and as he came closer to Holly's location, he saw Pansy Parkinson standing in front of a door.
The Slytherin girl's eyes went wide, and she paled as Harry, almost glowing with rage, sped toward her. Fleur and Nym raced around the corner, unable to catch up.
Nym gasped and fired off a Patronus message in a flash of bright white light.
Harry didn't notice as he closed in on Pansy. With a wave of his hand, he tossed Pansy down the corridor. His wandless magic coalesced around him, fuelled by his rage.
He tore his gaze from the fallen Slytherin, to the door she'd stood in front of, and it exploded inward. The explosion sprayed splinters of wood into the room that dug deep into the flesh of two large boys who wore Slytherin robes and stood by the door.
The two boys dropped to the stone floor with screams of pain, shards of the wooden door imbedded deep in their skin. Harry glanced at the two boys for a moment and saw they were Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry stalked into the room, Fleur, and Nym now flanked him on either side.
'Harry, calm down.' Nym called through the maelstrom of shattered wood and dust that Harry's uncontrolled wandless magic sent around the room like a storm.
*x*
Nym's calls for calm lasted only a moment until she looked around the room.
Harry's emerald eyes held unfettered rage and fear as he saw Holly tied spread eagled to a table in the centre of the abandoned classroom. Her face was bloody and bruised, her hair in disarray. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she saw Harry enter the room.
Theodore Nott stood by Holly's head while Draco Malfoy's normally pale face was white with terror as he stood naked at the opposite end of the table to Nott.
Holly's robes lay discarded on the floor, leaving her torso covered only by her skirt that had been pushed up around her waist.
'Harry.' cried Holly as fresh tears ran down her face.
Harry threw out his left hand toward Nott. The boy crashed into the stone wall on the far side of the room. Harry pinned the Slytherin up against the wall with his wandless magic, fuelled by his rage.
With his wand, Harry did the same to Draco.
Fleur and Nym rushed to Holly and released her from her binds. Fleur conjured a blanket and wrapped it around Holly's shivering form. Both Fleur and Nym wrapped their arms around Holly and held her tight, whispering in her ears.
Harry's magic flowed through him, carrying debris and loose clothing in a nimbus around him as he struggled to contain his rage.
Fleur shared a nod with Nym, who held Holly tighter to her.
Fleur stood and stepped in front of Harry; her ice-blue eyes bored into his.
''Arry, stun and bind them. Killing them won't protect 'Olly.' Fleur said, command in her voice.
Harry's hands shook.
Both Nott and Draco screamed as Harry's magic tore into them, no longer restraining them, but slowly pulling them apart.
The skin on Nott's cheek peeled away to reveal the tissue beneath, and the boy screamed even louder.
''Arry!' Fleur screamed.
Harry blinked and released his hold on the boys.
Both fell to the ground with heavy thumps.
With a wave of his wand, he bound and stunned both boys a moment later. Within seconds, they were followed by the still writhing forms of Crabbe and Goyle near the door.
Harry knelt down in front of Holly.
'I'm so sorry.' He whispered.
Holly pulled free from Nym and threw herself at Harry, sobbing into his chest.
'Harry, they got me as I went back to my dorm room after lunch. Luna was with Daphne, and I figured I was safe inside the castle. I'm sorry I let them capture me.' She whispered in between sobs.
Harry shushed her.
'It's okay. Everything is okay. I won't let anything happen to you. If you hadn't activated your tracker, I would never have found you in time.' He murmured, and he rocked her in his arms.
Holly sniffed and burrowed into him further. A fresh wave of tears soaked into Harry's shirt.
Fleur stood beside the siblings with her wand on the bound boys. Nym left the room and a few seconds later, levitated in a stunned and bound Pansy Parkinson and dumped her beside Crabbe and Goyle.
*x*
A few minutes later, Dumbledore and Snape rushed into the room, followed a few moments later by a puffing Professor Sprout.
Fleur held Harry's family mirror in her hand.
'What happened here?' Dumbledore demanded as his eyes took in the destruction throughout the room and the bound Slytherins.
Nym lay a hand on Harry's shoulder and looked Dumbledore straight in the eye.
'Your students were seconds away from raping a daughter of the Potter family. This will be taken before the Wizengamot, Headmaster.' Nym declared and Dumbledore gasped, as did Sprout.
Dumbledore shook his head.
'Surely, we can deal with this incident in the school without interrupting the Wizengamot with this?' the Headmaster said, his grandfatherly tone strong.
Harry stood and clutched Holly to his chest.
'This will not be swept under the proverbial rug Headmaster. This is nothing less than attempted line-theft. I believe it was premeditated and goes beyond the purview of the Hogwarts discipline system. Losing points will not be enough to resolve this travesty Headmaster. This calls for no less than a Blood Feud.' Harry snarled.
Dumbledore's eyes widened and Snape scoffed.
'Surely Potter, this-'
Harry turned his emerald glare toward the Potion's Master.
'My parents will hear of this, in fact, they already have.' Harry growled and pointed to Fleur.
Fleur held up the Potter family mirror, with Lily's face within it.
Lily glared at Snape.
Harry turned back to the Headmaster.
'My parents will join us soon and as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, you should probably go to your office to call an emergency meeting of the body. It will be held tomorrow, and my father will be here soon to confirm all that I have said as the Heir Potter.' Harry narrowed his eyes at the Headmaster.
'This emergency session will also have international attention in the form of the French Ambassador and any others he would like to bring with him.' Harry continued; his eyes hard.
Dumbledore gaped for a moment before his eyes hardened.
'Mister Potter, please see reason.' He began, and Harry's lip curled.
'I am seeing reason, Headmaster. This is the wellbeing of my House we are discussing, and I will not relent. The Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter will be here soon to ensure that all necessary actions will be overseen by the appropriate people.' Harry declared.
Professor Snape stepped forward, toward Harry.
'Potter, see here.' The Potions Master snarled.
Lily Potter's voice burst from the mirror.
'Severus Snape, you will cease this disgusting behaviour. I am on my way to see to the wellbeing of my daughter. If I see you in the same room as her ever again, you will regret the day you ever met me. We may have been friends, but with your behaviour just now, you have forever ended any friendship we maintained.' Lily hissed.
Snape clenched his jaw and Dumbledore stepped toward Harry.
Harry drew his wand on the Headmaster, followed by Fleur and Nym.
'Headmaster, go. You will not change my mind on this. This is now beyond Hogwarts and your jurisdiction, not even as Chief Warlock.' Harry said, his voice low.
Dumbledore let out a breath and stepped back, followed by Snape, and the two turned and left the room.
Professor Sprout moved toward Harry.
'Are you all okay?' she asked, her voice filed with concern.
'I'm fine, but Holly, she…' Harry trailed off and Sprout nodded.
'How about we all go to the Hospital Wing and try to calm ourselves?' The Hufflepuff Head of House suggested, and Harry nodded while Holly burrowed deeper into his embrace.
'It's not me this time!' Harry said as the group entered the Hospital Wing ten minutes later and Madame Pomphrey descended on him.
(A/N: Apologies. I hadn't considered that this chapter could cause distress in some readers. I apologise wholeheartedly. I have included a trigger warning at the top of the chapter in an attempt to mitigate this issue.)