After getting a suit adjusted to fit him, Harry was surprised just how much better he actually looked when not forced into wearing Dudley's castoffs. "Now if only we could do something about the hair," Sirius lamented. "James' hair was the same, not even a Sleekeazy Potion would fix that rat's nest." Shaking his head as he made sure Harry was ready to sit in a proper meeting with a lady.
Downstairs Tonks was corralling the residents into other rooms so that the parlor would be empty for Harry to use. "Come on, Harry's got a meeting with someone and he doesn't need eavesdroppers." She scolded the twins who had pulled out extendable ears.
"Nonsense, how could he have a meeting here, the building is under Fidelius," Molly scoffed. Which would normally be correct.
"Except this is Lady Malfoy, who used to be a Black and this was her home, you can't hide the knowledge of someone's home from them," Tonks said as the kids scampered off into the upper floors.
Albus set down his cup of tea. "Alas she is correct." His voice raspy just the way he liked it. It exudes an air about him that was mysterious and knowledgeable. "While a Fidelius is a powerful charm, it only prevents people from learning about the secret, however should this person have known it before it does not have the power to make them forget and thus is a weakness of the spell." As the idea that a spell would essentially have a global reach and affect every person who was not even a part of the spell is a ludicrous misunderstanding of the magic itself.
"So Pup," Sirius said as he sat uncomfortably on a chair, having not worn a suit in almost a decade meant that the tie was very constricting. "What do you know about Cissy?"
"She's Draco's mum." Harry shrugged. "And that's about it."
"Oh Harry," Sirius rolled his eyes. "You are going to be eaten alive in the pure-blood world." He lamented his godson's lack of knowledge.
"I don't see what the big deal is," Harry shrugged.
Sirius sagged in his seat. "I can see why, you probably never really encountered these situations organically at Hogwarts. Well let me explain a bit, the pure-bloods, are rich, pompous arseholes who think very highly of themselves. Normally people don't really care, but money is power and many pure-blood families are old and have wealth that reaches back hundreds of years, in various creations, businesses and property."
"Why should I care about that?" Harry folded his arms in annoyance.
"Because Harry, you basically are one. And you are going to be expected to behave a certain way, not necessarily the same as someone like Lucius, but being a slob, crude or easy to anger, will not look well on you or the ideas you hold." Sirius explained. "Right and wrong ultimately don't matter, what with moral relativism and such. It's how you present yourself that will convince others to follow and believe in you."
"That sounds like what Tom did." Harry grunted.
"No shit," Sirius spat out, startling Harry with his use of harsh language. "You really think that if someone like Tom just appeared at Lucius' doorstep preaching what he did, looking like a drunken, disgusting hobo, swearing and frustrated that Lucius would have even given him the time of day?"
"I don't get it, what does that have to do with any of this." Harry inquired, curious to see what point his godfather was attempting to make.
"Harry, if you want to do good, it's not enough that you think you are right, others have to as well. If you want people to take you seriously, you have to play on their level." Sirius straightened Harry's tie for him after the teen kept tugging on it. "And even you have to admit someone who dresses and speaks like Lucius Malfoy would do a better job of convincing people of something than your buddy Ron."
Thinking back to how he had seen Ron behave over the years and how Lucius from the few minutes of interaction over the years, he could agree that people would take the latter much more seriously, even in nonsensical situations, than they would Ron in serious ones. "I never really thought about how one's image impacted their message." Harry admitted.
"That's alright, your... relatives... likely never bothered to properly explain proper customs to you." The fireplace flaring too life in green fire as soon as the clock struck noon, alerted the room's occupants to forgo their conversation for another time. Stepping through, Sirius was shocked to see the state that his normally prim and proper cousin was in.
"Muh-muh, Mister P-potter," Narcissa said as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please, help me," she sobbed as she slumped to the floor.
Narcissa had been having an awful day, once that issue of the Daily Prophet had gone out, it wasn't just angry letters, or even howlers that she received. A number of them held cursed objects and even muggle made bombs to try and kill her for her husband's actions. If it wasn't bad enough they were even being sent to her son Draco, with many of them coming from other Hogwarts students who were making sure to let him know what they really thought of him after all these years.
"I can't sleep." Droplets falling into the carpet from her eyes. "They formed a mob." Looking up Harry was shocked to see the heavy bags forming on her cheeks, and her bloodshot eyes. She had tried to go out for something simple and when she was discovered the crown began to pelt her with objects, it started out as food and rubish, until someone banished a rock at her head.
Harry was able to see the faint line of a cut on the side of Narcissa's face. "I don't understand," Harry stammered as he cautiously approached the distraught woman. "How can I possibly help you?" Unsure of what the lady wanted of him.
"They're going to kill Lucius," Narcissa wailed. "Please, don't let them kill him. My son needs his father."
"Who is, who is going to kill him?" Harry inquired.
"The Ministry, he's the only one who was alive after you slaughtered the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. They want to make an example of him." Her voice cracking as she heard the mob at night shout at her that her husband would suffer a more and more gruesome death as the taunts and threats continued. That they then directed those same actions towards her and her son worried her even more. Especially after Lucius died, she'd have moments to try and get control of the wards before people breached them and destroyed her home and attacked the occupants.
The normally peaceful wizarding community, in a frenzy after it was made known just how much danger they had almost been in. That they had been saved by the same child once more only further galvanized their feelings on the situation and it fed into their fears and anger.
Stunned Harry hadn't really thought that the Ministry would execute someone, in a way he knew governments did that, but it just wasn't something that ever came to the forefront of his mind. "Is there even anything I can do?" Harry asked as he was unsure of the legal procedures of the wizarding world, he barely knew how the muggle world ran.
"Just, speak on his behalf," Narcisssa pleaded as she held her forehead to the floor. "If you can convince them to not kill him, I will," she slowly said as she tried to think of anything the Boy-Who-Lived could want. "I'll swear myself to you, nothing more than your property, but you have to help Lucius, my son can live without me in his life. But he needs his father. I'm begging you. Please." her voice cracking as her emotions roiled.
Before Harry could even reject the idea of essentially owning another person as a slave. He was forcefully grabbed by the collar of his shirt. "I know what you are going to say, you can't." Sirius said, his voice and eyes broaching no nonsense.
"But I don't want, property." Harry said exasperatedly as he looked to his Godfather, hoping for a solution to this problem.
"I know pup, and she doesn't want to be property, but this is a life for a life," Sirius nodded to ensure Harry was paying attention. "If you saved him without accepting her offer. The entire Malfoy family would essentially become your vassal, are you prepared to rule over their family."
"What, no?! But I'm not ready to have her either," He waved his hand at Narcissa who was expectantly waiting for an answer.
Sirius shook his head. "I know, it's awkward, but this is the best she can give you. She has no control over the Malfoy line or fortune, that all still belongs to Lucius, unless he dies, then it goes to Draco, however if you stepped in, then none of it is theirs anymore, you would essentially own all of their possessions, forever, they would no longer be free to to run their own house." Sirius continued to explain the customs. "But if she gives herself to you, then you can't claim ownership of her house."
"That's still slavery Sirius," Harry exclaimed.
"Only sort of," Sirius said delicately. "You couldn't do whatever you wanted to her. But Harry, Narcissa was raised on pure-blood customs and traditions, she would never do this if she knew of any other way." Sirius' tone was sad as he understood the sacrifice that his cousin was attempting to make.
"I don't know what to do." Harry sighed as he looked at the terrified and crying woman, he knew he couldn't tell her no. Every fiber of his being was calling out for him to help.
Pulling Harry into a hug and patting him on the back. "I know Harry, I wouldn't want to be in this situation either. And not just because that's my cousin." He chuckled forcing Harry to scrunch his face in disgust. "But she's a proud woman who is throwing everything she has away for her son."
Drawing up his one memory of his mother as she was willing to sacrifice everything for Harry made him resolute. "Mrs. Malfoy, I will help you, now what do I have to do?" Harry said as he knelt in front of her and tilted her chin up. A weak smile crossing her face as she realized there might be a ray of hope left.
"Order, Order, ORDER!," Dumbledore roared as he slammed his gavel in front of him silencing the hall. The raucous voices of witches and wizards all shouting over each other to be heard in the chamber was nearly deafening. "Ahem," slowly pushing up his glasses. "Aurors," nodding to the wizards robed in red. "Bring in the accused."
After a moment, the door opened up and what would barely classify as a man was dragged into the room. "P-please," Lucius pleaded, his face covered in dirt, bruises and some slowly healing cuts. "Water, just," he looked around the chamber bleary-eyed. "A little water."
Harry cringed as he heard the chamber begin to shout threats and spit on the once proud man. He could tell that in the few days that Lucius was held in a cell he had not been treated well. It would seem they decided to store him in Azkaban where they were one hundred percent certain he couldn't escape, if the tattered clothes he had on were an indicator. The teen tried to imagine what he went through and had come to the conclusion that the guards had elected not to feed him while he awaited his trial.
"Amelia," Albus looked to the honorable woman who wore an expression of shock to see Lucius Malfoy in his current state. "What exactly did your aurors do to him?"
"I don't know," she honestly answered. "I will have to investigate."
"Stop stalling, kill the Death Eater," a man shouted as he whipped up the crowd into a frenzy, all clamoring for blood.
After taking a minute to quell the chanting Albus realized this was not the appropriate time to discuss a prisoner's treatment and reluctantly began the trial. Which he assumed would be short, the pure-blood had been given a truth potion every day, answering any and every question a person had. So the prosecutor simply presented the evidence they had gotten.
To the audience this seemed like it would be enough and that Lucius would be dead in a few minutes after all formalities were attended to.
"Now, does anyone wish to speak in defense of Lord Lucius Malfoy." Albus sadly asked the chamber, not expecting a single person to move or even breath too loud. Slowly he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he was so very proud as to who it was that bravely stood up.
"I do Headmaster," Harry said loudly, shocking the crowd, not just because a person came to the defense of the man, but who it was.
"Please Harry, my bo-, my young man, come forward." Albus gestured for Harry to move to the center of the chamber.
Whispers ran around the chamber as everyone was shocked that the Boy-Who-Lived, now the Man-Who-Conquered, would speak up for someone who supposedly tried to kill him.
"Sir," Harry said as he got a better look at Lucius Malfoy. Harry was disgusted with how the man had been treated, it reminded him far too much of the injustice Sirius was subjected to. And while Harry didn't like the man that was on the floor before him, he understood that justice was made to be applied to everyone and this was not it. "I speak up not for him, but for my parents, and for every parent." His opening speech confused the audience. "The earliest memory I have, the one that means the absolute most to me, is of my parents. The only words I have heard my father say was to take me and run as he died to hold off Voldemort."
The crowd was absolutely silent as they listened to Harry retell his memory of the night that made him famous. "My mother stood in front of Voldemort and pleaded with him to kill her instead." Tears stung Harry's eyes as he could hear her screams. "She was willing to die just for me to live."
"And many times, I wish she hadn't. That they would have stepped aside and lived instead of dying for me." The declaration of his feelings was something none of the listeners had expected. "I know what kind of a cruel monster Voldemort was. And I respect Lucius Malfoy for one reason. When Voldemort showed up to his house, he didn't defy him, he knew that would mean he would die, his wife would die and his son would die. And that is if Voldemort was feeling merciful, rather than letting his Death Eaters play with them first. He chose to do what it took to keep them safe, even if it meant abiding by the decisions of a madman."
Twisting the events quite a bit as while Lucius willingly followed Voldemort, once you started, the only way out was death for you and everyone else you cared about. Harry understood that even if Lucius had a complete change of heart, with Voldemort inside his home and it filled with other Death Eaters, there was nothing he could do that wouldn't result in their suffering.
"I have been told his past crimes are in the past, but as of right now, the only crime one could charge him with was letting a violent dark wizard and his followers into his home. But I ask you this, if Voldemort had arrived at any of your homes, while your loved ones were there, would you have been able to turn him away? Would you have been able to condemn them all to death to spite him?"
"Lucius Malfoy did not attack a single person that day, he was tossed aside by Voldemort the moment he was no longer useful, discarded and forgotten. This trial is nothing more than a show of power, and another example of the Ministry punishing the wrong person." Harry said as he glared at the Wizengamot, knowing that Sirius' trial was to be held after Lucius' execution.
"I think you have said quite enough Harry," Albus nodded with a smile. "Now, does anyone here still believe that Lucius Malfoy should be punished for the events that transpired on July 18th?"
Previously most of the chamber had been expected to light their wands, the light-sided families to rid themselves of another Death Eater, the dark-sided families as punishment for his failures and the in-betweens for wanting to side with public opinion. Instead very few wands were lit, whether it was because they were following Harry's direction or were genuinely convinced by his words, Lucius Malfoy would live to see another day.
"Then, it is with much relief, that Lord Lucius Malfoy is declared innocent of his crimes and to be released," Albus said as he slammed the gavel down. Aurors reluctantly unchained the prisoner who had been silent as Harry had defended him.
"Why?" his voice ragged as Lucius stared up at the young man who saved him from execution.
"Because, your wife needed me to do it," Harry sighed as he watched Draco and Narcissa approach Lucius slowly.
"I'm sorry, I did the only thing I could think of with the little time that I had," Narcissa said as she handed Lucius her family ring and hugged him one last time before moving to stand beside Harry.
"You, you, you," Draco seethed as he jammed his hand into his pocket to grab his wand. He stopped the moment Lucius put his hand on his shoulder firmly.
"No Draco, now is not the time nor place and even if it were," Lucius sighed as he knew what type of deal Narcissa had struck. "There is nothing we can do, it was a fair and honest deal, of only the noblest of pure-blood traditions. I thank you," Lucius bowed before he hurried himself and his son out of the chamber.
Harry barely paid attention to Sirius' trial, Amelia Bones presented the lack of evidence in the original arrest and then Peter Pettigrew's body along with proof that this was the supposedly dead hero, now the known dead traitor. He was promptly declared innocent and was finally able to be free after nearly fourteen years.
Harry was exhausted when Nymphadora, the newly freed Sirius, Narcissa and himself arrived back at Grimmauld Place. After the trial Harry, Sirius and Narcissa had been accosted by every reporter, even the dozen aurors couldn't keep them all back. So it took almost a half an hour for the four people to cross the hall to use the floo in the Chief Warlocks office. "I will head up to my quarters master," Narcissa bowed as she quickly left the room, Nymphadora following along as she had some inkling as to what was going on. With the occupants having previously been doing a poor job of looking busy while they waited for news of the outcome.
"What does that woman mean by master?" Molly Weasley harshly demanded to know.
"Something I already regret," Harry answered as he slumped into a chair. "Kreacher, something for this headache please," he called out hoping the crotchety elf would respond. The elf popped next to him with a bottle of rat poison. "Cheeky little bugger," Harry smirked at Kreacher, whose face betrayed no emotions. The elf left before returning with a potion that Harry downed without questioning.
"That could have been poison!" Sirius gasped.
"No it couldn't have, Kreacher's a house elf, they can't harm other people," Harry tiredly said as his pain lessened and he began to feel much better. "Oh, except for Dobby, he could, he could do that a lot." He slowly realized. "You missed your chance to take me out Kreacher."
"Will be trying's better next time," the old house elf snarked before disappearing.
"The Great Wizard Harry Potter's be calling Dobby?" Dobby asked as he popped into the room and stood on the coffee table. His sudden appearance startling the occupants of the room.
"Jeez Dobby," Harry said as he held his hand over his heart. "Maybe give us some warning next time, how did you even get here?"
"I be coming when you's call, a house elf always hear when master calls." Dobby proudly said.
"Harry James Potter, you enslaved Dobby?!" Hermione screeched at him, shocked and appalled that her friend now owned a house elf.
"No, maybe, if I did, I don't know when, so can I really be at fault?" Harry wondered. "Dobby when did I become your master?"
"After you free Dobby from bad old master, Dobby want to be Great Wizard Harry Potter's elf, so Dobby come when called."
"Okay then," Nodding as he got out of the chair. "Well Dobby, since you want to be here, do whatever you like, I'm going to take a nap." Harry declared as he strode towards the stairs ignoring everyone else for the time being, he had no interest in answering a slew of questions at the moment. The elf gleefully disappeared as the room seemingly started to clean itself.
"Alright Dursleys, I'm a free man, now get out," Sirius told the muggles who quickly left the home, having left the custody papers on the table for Sirius to deal with. With not even a polite or impolite word the three muggles strode out the door, happy to be leaving this mess behind them. This left Sirius as the only one to get information out of as to the outcome of both trials.
"My dear niece I do not see what the problem is," the voice of Narcissa was heard through the open door to Harry and Tonks' room.
"He's too young," Tonks shouted as she stomped her foot.
"That young man is my master and I understand what my role is to be," Narcissa folded her arms.
"He's not like that," Nymphadora exclaimed in frustration.
"Who's not like what?" Harry yawned as he entered the room.
"Master," Narcissa bowed to Harry. "Are you requiring my services?"
"Wha-," Harry started to open his mouth before Tonks slapped her hand over it.
"No, he's not," his girlfriend answering for him. "What are you doing up here?"
"I wanted a nap, what's going on?" Harry asked as he looked between the two women.
"Master, I am your servant, it is expected of me that I aid you, and one of those ways in relieving stress," she said as her gaze shifted down to Harry's pants.
"Wait, you mean... oh, OH, oooohh." The realization of what that meant slamming into him like a bludger. Harry's cheeks flushed as he took a nervous step back. "Now, Nar-Nar-cissa, I uh, just because the uh, deal, you don't, Nym help!" Harry exclaimed as he backed up to the wall.
"See what you did?!" Tonks pointed accusingly. "You are old enough to be his mother. Have you no shame."
"My age is irrelevant in this situation, Master could be a babe and I, a spinster, a deal is a deal." Narcissa glared.
Taking a deep breath and letting his courage come forth once again, or was that stupidity, Harry spoke up. "Narcissa, first of all, I am not Master, please, call me Harry."
"Yes, Ma- Harry," Narcissa nodded as she waited for more instructions.
"Second of all, I don't want to be ordering you to do anything you don't want to do, so you don't have to, you know," Nudging his head towards the bed. "If that's something you don't want to do, I'm not going to make you."
"And if I do want it," Narcissa asked, curious where the instructions were heading.
"Then, I uh," tugging at his collar. "Will discuss that with you later, I guess." Harry said, not committing to an answer. "Narcissa, I just tore apart your family, doesn't that, I don't know, bother you?"
"Harry," Narcissa sighed as she walked forward, the entire time Tonks glared at her. "My former husband is alive, and able to be there for my son, that is more than I hoped for not even a day ago. But remember this, I chose to do this, because it protected them. So I knew what I was getting myself into, the only question that remains is what you will do with me, I am yours for the rest of your life." the slightly taller woman, stared down at the young man, with an intensity that Harry was not used to seeing.
"I think," gulping to take a moment. "I really need that nap right now." Harry said. "I, Nym, Narcissa, I just," Sighing. "I have no clue what I'm doing." Sitting down on the bed the two women moved to seat themselves beside him.
"That's fine Harry, it's okay to not know," Nym said as she rubbed his back. "How about you get some rest," she offered, patting the center of the bed.
"Yeah, okay," with a yawn Harry laid back on the sheets, not even caring that both women positioned themselves next to him. He soon drifted off to sleep unaware that many conversations were continuing throughout the house.
"He's such a strange young man," Narcissa mused as she watched her master sleep.
"I said the same thing," Tonks chuckled, the loud argument she was having with her aunt could wait, there was no point in waking Harry right now. "One moment, he's this powerful, confident, badass. The next, he's just a broken teen who needs help."
"Is that why you are with him?" Narcissa wondered as to the nature of her niece's relationship.
"I'm just a placeholder until he finds a better girl." Tonks shook her head.
"I have seen his nobility first hand when he agreed to help me, I do not believe he is one to have placeholders, he seems too upfront for that." Narcissa disagreed.
"That is what worries me," Nym sighed as she continued to watch Harry sleep.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HARRY IS HER MASTER!" Molly roared as Sirius rubbed his temple. He had given a brief overview of the trial, shocking the listeners that Harry had defended Lucius Malfoy in court. After telling them why Harry would do something like that, each person had an opinion on the subject.
"That slimy snake tricked him," Ron declared angrily, having come to the conclusion that the mother of his most hated classmate had manipulated his friend.
"That slimy snake, just gave up her freedom." Hermione shouted back. "God, he enslaved a house elf, then a witch, what's next, is he going to put Fleur on a leash."
"Ms. Granger," Minerva gasped. "Harry is your friend, how could you think that?"
"Because it's what he's done, I'm not blaming him, but these events are happening around him." Hermione countered. "Is there something we can do to preempt some of this?"
The floo roared to life and a tired Dumbledore walked into the main sitting room. "I can see the discussions have begun without me then?" Looking around and understanding that factions have seemed to have formed. "And the current location of Mister Potter is?"
"Upstairs, alone, with two witches," Fred snickered before he yelped as Remus struck him with a stinging hex, however because the werewolf had placed himself next to McGonagall and Mad-eye, the red head was unsure exactly who took a shot at him.
"Very well then," Albus said as he waved his wand and made the chair he was going to sit in far more plush and comfortable to help his aching old bones. "Oh," he hummed as he saw a plate with tea and some biscuits appear next to him. "Kreacher seems to be in a delightful mood."
"It was Dobby actually," Ginny chirped as she had been sitting on the stairs waiting for the arguing to stop.
"Quite nice," Albus smiled, happy for the small treat after the headache of a day he had. Even after the trials there was so much to do, so many families claiming inheritances, so many motions being brought up, hoping to capitalize on the confusion for gain, many of them tabled until later dates, effectively filling up his schedule for the next few months.
"Albus, there must be something you can do, first that, that, grr," Molly screamed through her teeth. "Now it's that vile Malfoy bitch."
"Molly," Arthur gasped at the foul language his wife was using.
"Don't you Molly me Arthur, that young boy is being strung along by these horrid women and is going to wind up poor, brokenhearted and a wreck once they take everything he has from him." Molly ranted as she was firmly against Harry's current situation.
"How dare you," Sirius started before a voice stopped him.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Harry roared as he stood at the top of the stairs. He had woken up from his little nap by the nature of being hungry and was hoping to see what was being made for dinner when he could hear the arguing. Harry was willing to sit back and let the people get it out of their system before he made another appearance but his blood boiled when he heard how many of them were disapproving of Nymphadora and Narcissa, all without even speaking to them or him.
"God, what is wrong with you people, what gives you the bloody right to dictate to me how I live my life," Harry demanded to know. "Yesterday I felt bad for blowing up on you all because I knew what you did was because you were concerned about me. But this, this is just you not happy. Well tough shit, I am, so I made a deal with Narcissa, I chose that, she chose that, so keep your faces out of our business." Harry came down the steps with the two witches closely following him, they had been prepared to defend themselves but Harry's temper was quicker to set off.
"Voldemort was more tolerable than this because at least he didn't bicker all the bloody time," Harry tossed his hands up and stormed into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him before a furious yell of anger rang out from the room.
"Well that was rude," Sirius joked as everyone turned on him. "Hey, I actually get a say in this, I'm his guardian." Snidely turning up his nose. "And I think this is fine, Cissy, Nymmie," Sirius nodded to the kitchen door. "Be with Harry and make him happy." Dishing out his commands to the others. "People who have jobs," looking to those who were actually employed. "Go do them." Pointing to the floo as a polite indicator for them to get out. "Layabouts and miscreants," Turning to Remus and the twins.
"Oi," George called out
Fred pouted at the moniker.
Remus rolled his eyes.
"We have much mischief to manage. Everyone else, just don't bother Harry, come on, he's been through enough these last few days. And yes, that means flinging barbs at those two women in the kitchen with him." His face darkened as he looked to the people most likely to get on his Godson's case. "I mean it, he's had to fight for his life, deal with the politics of the Wizengamot and the last thing he needs is the people who should be supporting him, questioning him at every turn."
Harry's head was resting on the dining table of the kitchen. "Why can't I control myself," Harry lamented. "It's like I'm fine one moment, the next I'm ready to tear somebody's head off. Why can't they just leave you two alone?"
"I can see why you defended my niece's virtue, but why me Harry?" Narcissa wondered. "We've hardly spent any time together."
"Narcissa, if you are serious about this servitude, then I have to be serious about being your... yeah. Which means I have to take care of you as much as you think you need to take care of me, and that includes defending you, even from my friends." Harry began to answer. "What you did to ensure Draco has his father in his life I respect that. And I wasn't entirely bullshitting what I said in the chamber."
"My father gave his life to protect my mother and me, and she in turn gave hers for me. You may not have died as my mother did, but you sacrificed for them, and it would be spitting on the memory of my parents to not honor that sacrifice."
"I," Narcissa stammered, stunned at the deep answer, she had tried to not allow her previous beliefs about Harry cloud her decision making with him, but Harry's answer to her question made her realize that Harry was nothing like what she was expecting him to be. Deciding that a neutral response was better than none, she shallowly bowed her head. "Thank you Harry."
The door slowly pushed open and Harry picked his head up off the table to see who was entering. "Oh, hey Ginny," Harry said tiredly.
"Harry, can we talk?"