Author's note: This chapter got away from me a bit. It was getting to be twice the length I normally shoot for, so I cut it down into two different chapters. The next one shouldn't take too long to finish up and post, so hopefully you'll get another update soon.
As always, feedback is awesome. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to leave a review. Without you guys, well I'd still be writing this story, but I don't think I'd be enjoying it half as much. :)
Let me know what you think. Good, bad, ugly, I welcome feedback of any kind.
-o-o-
Chapter 15
The Addams influence.
-o-o-
Wednesday was the first day in quite some time that Harry and Wednesday spent the majority of their time apart. Since they didn't share any classes that day anyway, Harry decided he would spend his free time working on ironing out the details of the new Defense Club. He reluctantly also used the time to figure out his new duties as captain of Gryffindor's quidditch team.
The Defense Club would be fun, and he already had plenty of ideas, it was just the logistics he needed to work on and discuss with Professor Longbottom. Being quidditch captain on the other hand, was something he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about. He loved playing the game, that much was true, but it was the flying itself that really interested him. Since he was the seeker, he had never paid too much attention to how everyone else played. He would concentrate on the snitch, and treated the other players mainly like living bludgers that weren't actively trying to hit him.
Wanting to take advantage of the only other real veteran on the team, Harry decided he would eat breakfast with Katie and pick her brain. She may not want the captaincy, but she was going to help him do the work anyway.
"I probably won't see you until lunch" Harry said after kissing Wednesday a little too deeply to be publicly appropriate. He stood to head over to the Gryffindor table. "If for some reason I don't see you, say hi to Grandmama for me when you go to Divination."
Wednesday nodded, and remained with Luna at the Slytherin table. Much like the last time they'd sat there, they were given a wide berth; however, once Harry left, a fair skinned blonde girl sat down across from the two friends.
"Now then, Malfoy has been babbling on about the three of you, but I've never considered him a reliable source of information." The Slytherin girl said as she laced her fingers and rested her chin on them, staring at Wednesday in a calculating fashion. "Supposedly something big happened this summer. You're the new variable, so I assume you're at least partially responsible for whatever it was."
"And I suppose you want me to undo whatever I've supposedly done?" Wednesday said with a raised brow.
"I can't say I particularly care." The girl said, sitting upright and waving negligently. "Malfoy seems to have been knocked down a few pegs as a result though, so I guess you could say I approve of the new state of things. As for the changes with Potter, he seems to be much less annoying as Black. Why, if all Gryffindors acted like he does now, the rivalry between our houses would probably fade away."
"Daphne wants to thank you, but she's not very good at it." Luna said casually, smiling as she stared off into the distance with unfocused eyes. "Draco's no longer trying to get into her robes, so she wants to show her appreciation."
Narrowing her eyes, Daphne looked at the other blonde. "You do know that one of the main reasons people say you're looney is because you blurt out rubbish like that. Learn some decorum."
"Don't be silly. I'm Luna, not Looney." Her smile did not falter as she faced Daphne, and seemed to look straight through the older girl.
"I imagine Draco doesn't bother you anymore, because he doesn't want to marry you. As I understand it, he's been told that he needs to get more serious about finding a wife so that he can help repopulate the Black family." Wednesday explained.
"I think I should be insulted, but honestly I'm rather happy he doesn't view me as marriage material." Daphne said after thinking about it for a moment. "Is he afraid he'll be forced to marry the first witch he tricks into a broom closet?"
"No, he just doesn't know what to do anymore. His whole world has been turned upside down, and now he's completely lost." Luna said in a clear voice as her eyes came into focus.
-o-o-
Taking the time to explore the castle further, Wednesday wandered through the lowest levels near where she assumed the Slytherin dorms were hidden. Turning a corner, she saw three first year Hufflepuffs, two boys and a girl, huddled together while two third or fourth year Slytherins, a boy and a girl, bullied them.
"Little firsties shouldn't be wandering so far from where you belong, you could get hurt." The older boy taunted between casting stinging hexes.
The older girl crossed her arms with a sneer. "I'll bet at least one of them is a mud-blood. I can smell the stench of muggle on them."
"That's urine." Wednesday said flatly as she stepped up behind the two bullies. "A common odor when you deal with the frightened. Magic or lack thereof has nothing to do with it."
Startled, both Slytherins turned quickly, bringing their wands up by reflex.
With one swift motion, Wednesday closed a hand around each of their wrists, and spun them around to face the younger children as she bent their arms behind their backs. Their wands were rendered useless as they were now pinned between their shoulder blades.
"This isn't acceptable." Wednesday said calmly, holding the Slytherins still with an iron grip.
"Bitch, the dungeons belong to us." The girl spat. "You stupid 'Puffs don't belong here."
"I wasn't talking to you." Wednesday replied, completely ignoring the Slytherins. "Why are the three of you just standing there like victims?"
The younger Hufflepuffs all looked at Wednesday with a host of emotions, but confusion was most apparent.
"If you act like a victim, you will be a victim." Wednesday explained patiently. "Don't just huddle together cowering. Defend yourselves."
"W-we don't know any magic yet." One of the boys said with a quavering voice.
"That's no excuse." Wednesday admonished while staring into the eyes of the preteens. "You can hit, you can kick, you can bite." She went on to elaborate clinically. "Our house totem is the badger. When agitated or threatened, a badger attacks viciously. Even if you can't win, you can make it a very costly victory for your enemy."
Silence filled the hall. The Slytherins craned their necks to look at her incredulously, and the firsties still looked confused.
"Go on, they've provoked you. Make them regret it now. I'm not going to do it for you." Wednesday prompted, urging the children to attack their tormentors.
A few seconds passed, and Wednesday began to wonder if she would have to take an even more hands on approach.
The smallest boy seemed to come to a decision as he scrunched up his face into a frown. He stepped forward, wound up, and kicked the older boy in the shin as hard as he could.
"Are you insane!" The Slytherin girl all but shouted as her companion fell to the ground. "You're seriously going to do this?"
Ignoring the girl, Wednesday let go of the boy, and plucked his wand out of his hand just to be safe. "Good, the three of you need to show him why you do not mess with a badger.
Emboldened, the other two children joined the first, and the three firsties rained a flurry of angry kicks and punches on the downed Slytherin. The older boy tried to defend himself, but soon resorted to curling into the fetal position.
"Good, now her." Wednesday said as she disarmed and released the Slytherin girl.
The girl immediately tried to escape, but was stopped short when the little Hufflepuff girl snagged her long hair. Lashing out in fear after seeing her friend beaten by the younger students, the Slytherin girl managed to clip the younger girl in the face with her elbow.
High on adrenaline, and caught up in the moment, the two boys reacted violently to seeing their friend crumple to the ground, crying and clutching her jaw in pain. Tackling the older girl to the ground, the two boys ferociously beat on her in retribution.
Smiling, Wendesday pulled her younger housemates off of the whimpering girl. "Very good. Now, check on your friend while I talk with these two."
Wednesday dragged the two bullies over to the wall, and set their wands down in front of them. "Next time, I doubt they'll need my help." She lifted their heads to ensure they were looking at her, and she allowed the corner of her lips to raise. "And to be honest, I'm looking forward to the revenge you're no doubt planning against me."
She gently slammed their heads back into the wall, rendering them unconscious. Satisfied, she turned her attention to her young housemates.
"Remember what I said about badgers, but for now follow me, and I'll lead you back to our common room." Wednesday advised as she started to walk away.
"Shouldn't we go to the infirmary?" One of the boys asked.
"I suppose." Wednesday agreed. "I don't know where it is though."
-o-o-
Ernie Macmillan was leaving the common room, as Wednesday approached leading the first years. He immediately abandoned his plans when he noticed the little girl holding her jaw, which looked broken.
"Merlin, what happened? Never mind. come on, let's get you to the infirmary." Ernie knelt to get a closer look at the injured first year. "I'm going to immobilize your face okay? I can't take away the pain, but if you can't move it, it won't get worse."
The little girl nodded with tears in her eyes, and her two friends hovered protectively near her as the prefect froze her jaw.
Satisfied, Ernie started to bring her to Madam Pomfrey. "You should come too, so you know where the infirmary is next time." He said when he noticed Wednesday wasn't following.
"Don't worry, I'll ask someone." Wednesday responded as she knocked to open the barrel leading to the common room.
She disappeared though the portal before he could insist, and headed toward her room. As she walked, Wednesday wondered if she should go back out and continue to explore, or stay in and work on her Runes project.
Upon entering the dorm room, she saw Leanne sitting on her bed staring as a length of rope. Wednesday walked up to Leanne and picked up one end of the rope.
"Gah!" Leanne cried out in surprise. "Merlin Wednesday! I didn't even hear you come in."
"Your rope is fairly soft, I'm not sure how useful it will be." The pale girl pointed out as she rubbed the rope with her thumb.
"Well, I liked the idea of the rope, but not so much the idea of rope burn." Leanne explained with a blush. "I can't figure out how to use it though. I can summon ropes with my wand, but saying incarcerus doesn't seem as... um... well, sexy as tying someone up by hand."
Leanne's blush deepened as Leanne held out the whole rope to Wednesday. "Can you show me what to do?"
-o-o-
Hannah walked into the dorm room. Having heard Wednesday's voice, she started asking a question as she walked through the door. "I passed Ernie a few minute's ago. What ha... in the name of Merlin are you doing?"
"Oh come on!" Leanne complained in exasperation. "I thought I was going to have the room to myself for longer than this."
Leanne was bright red, and secured to her four poster. Her hands were each tied high up to a different post at the foot of the bed, and one of her legs was tied to one of the bed's legs. Wednesday was looping a length of rope around Leanne's one free leg, forcing it to be lifted high. The total effect was that Leanne was posed to be taken advantage of.
"She was interested in learning how to use ropes." Wednesday explained without pausing, as she finished tying off the rope. "We've only just started, so if you're interested as well, I'll explain what I've done here."
"No!" Hannah squeaked and shook her head vigorously. "This is more of that stuff you talked about yesterday, isn't it? … Oh Merlin, you're going to whip her aren't you? Leanne, why on earth do you want her to beat you?"
Hannah started talking faster as her mind conjured forth what she considered the worst case scenario. Wednesday just watched Hannah passively, idly wondering if she would pass out, or remember to breathe.
"Hannah. Hannah! Hannah!" Leanne barked, trying to get the frantic girl's attention without also attracting anymore spectators. "Calm down! She's just showing me how to tie knots and stuff. She is not going to beat me. What is wrong with you?"
With the wand in her hand that Hannah hadn't noticed, Leanne loosened the ropes, and unbound herself before anyone else came and got the wrong idea. "I'm not interested in that pain stuff, and even if I was, do you really think Wednesday would cheat on Harry? We're Hufflepuffs, loyal remember?"
"I already told you, sex is about what feels good. Do I look like I'm enjoying myself?" Wednesday asked with a raised eyebrow.
A little wild eyed, Hannah calmed down and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, it's just after what you told Susan and me yesterday... I still don't get it, but I'll try not to freak out about it."
"Did I miss a fun conversation?" Leanne asked as she coiled her rope back up, and tossed it into her trunk. "It sounds like I missed a fun conversation."
"Hannah and Susan though the bruises Harry gave me meant that he was abusing me." Wednesday shrugged. "I gave them the same talk my mother gave me, about love and sex, and then told them exactly what I planned to do to Harry if I can manage to catch him off guard next time."
Hannah blanched and Wednesday smirked, as both thought about the details of that part of their talk.
Leanne just laughed, and started getting ready to head to Charms. "I think when we have more time, I want to hear the details."
-o-o-
In the north tower, a small group of students stood at the base of the ladder to the Divination classroom. Wednesday looked up to see that the trapdoor was open, but no one seemed interested in climbing up.
"Is there a reason why everyone is just waiting around instead of going into the classroom?" Wednesday asked, not seeing one herself.
Parvati Patil waved her hand toward the circular opening. "We're waiting for the professor. You can see from here that the room is dark. She hasn't arrived yet."
Wednesday stared blankly at the Gryffindor girl. "It hadn't occurred to you that an open door means come in?"
Acting on her words, Wednesday climbed the ladder, and disappeared into the darkness. The students all milled around for a little longer, before following her lead one by one.
Once inside the Divination classroom, it was clear that they were meant to come in. Professor Frump was at the far end of the room, and she was Illuminated by a series of candles in a semicircle behind and around her. She sat in a simple wooden chair, at a simple wooden table, with her eyes closed, and her arms resting on the table in front of her.
As everyone's eyes grew used to the dark, they noticed the layout of the room. In stark contrast to the way that Professor Trelawney had set up the room, it was relatively bare. The windows were all covered with dark blackout curtains, and the only light came from the candles around the professor.
There was no oppressive incense, and instead of chintz, the chairs were simply bare wood. The small round tables had two basic wooden chairs each, and a single unlit candle. Beyond that, the only furnishing was the rows of wooden shelves that still held various tools of the trade.
From where she sat, Wednesday noticed that unlike Ancient Runes, Divination was populated mostly by Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. She did notice a lone Slytherin girl looking around for a partner to sit with, and considering the house prejudices, she looked none too pleased at her options. As a silent offer, Wednesday pushed the second chair at her table out toward the rather muscular looking girl.
Though she would never admit it, Millicent Bulstrode came very close to shrieking in surprise as a chair slid toward her from the gloom. She had not noticed the Addams girl even though she was mere feet away, so her heart was beating a mile a minute as she accepted the offer and sat down.
Being the last to find a partner, as Millicent sat down, Professor Frump spoke in a detached voice. "Divination as you all should know by now, is guided more by feeling than set rules. Despite what others seem to think, anyone is capable of divining accurately. The real art of divination is knowing when you have done so."
The old crone's eyes flashed open to reveal that they were clouded and unfocused, but as she continued they slowly cleared revealing her dark brown eyes. "No two witches divine in quite the same way, and this year you will hone your skills in the manner most suited to you. To get this far, each of you must have some talent. If not, then you cheated, or you are very lucky. Those are useful talents as well, but I'll be able to tell soon enough if there are any here who do not belong. For now, using whatever method you think will work, try and foresee something, preferably in the near future so that we can confirm your results."
The remainder of the class involved the students attempting to find the tools and techniques that best suited them. Professor Frump hobbled around, occasionally offering advice or pointing out that someone was wasting their time.
Lavender Brown was carefully laying out tarot cards on the table, when the professor gathered them up in one smooth motion.
"Pointless. In your hands these are just pieces of cardboard with pretty pictures. Try something else." The elderly witch advised, merely nodding at Parvati who was also using the tarot.
Lavender looked stricken. "But Professor Trelawney said I had talent!"
The wizened crone cackled, revealing her crooked yellow teeth. "Then she was either humoring you for her own amusement, or she wasn't very talented herself."
"Professor Trelawney is a great teacher, and a great seer!" Lavender insisted, and Parvati nodded in agreement.
Continuing to chuckle as she looked Lavender over. "If that were true, she would be here instead of me." Coming to a decision, she pointed at the shelves. "Try tea leaves, they should work better for you."
Professor Frump raised her voice to address the whole room. "There are hundreds of different ways to divine. The methods you have already gone over are the most common, and it is likely one will be fairly suited to your needs. Once you find the common method that works best for you, we will begin exploring the other methods. By the end of the year, you each should have a grasp on where your strengths lie. I have a particular affinity for using a crystal ball, but I can also see using a fire with nearly the same reliability."
Since she tended to have fairly vivid and memorable dreams, Millicent was trying to interpret them. She couldn't help but notice that Wednesday was doing nothing.
"Aren't you going to try anything? I doubt the professor is going to just tell you what you'll be good at." Millicent pointed out.
"None of the common methods work well for me. I can use tarot cards, but not with any kind of precision." Wednesday explained. "Grandmama knows this, but if you'd like, I can probably give you a good idea what less common method you should try first."
"Professor Frump is your grandmother?" Milicent asked rhetorically, then followed up with a real question. "How are you going to tell what method I should use?"
Wednesday leaned forward. "Look into my eyes, and think about what you want to know."
Millicent shrugged, and stared into Wednesday's eyes. The pale Hufflepuff's intense gaze made her uncomfortable, and she turned away shortly after they started.
"You should focus better." Wednesday admonished. "Unless you intend to use ritual human sacrifice, I doubt the nude boy I saw will help you much."
Eyes growing wide, Millicent blushed as she realized she'd been wondering whether she'd ever find a boyfriend or not. "Um right, not sacrifice... Who was it?"
"The boy?" Wednesday raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. You looked away too soon. Besides, I'm not as good as Grandmama. Even my best requires some interpretation. What were you thinking about anyway?"
"Nothing." Millicent said forcefully. She quickly went back to interpreting her dreams, too embarrassed to continue talking with Wednesday.
-o-o-
"Miss Addams." Professor Sprout called out before Wednesday had even managed to step off of the ladder to the Divination classroom. "I just had a conversation with Professor Slughorn regarding two of his Slytherins. Before that, I was called to the infirmary because one of my first years had her jaw broken. Now I believe I have a clear picture of what happened, but I would like your side of the story before I pass judgment"
"My housemates were being victimized, so I taught them how to not be victims." Wednesday stated succinctly.
Professor sprout shook her head. "I understand that you thought you were helping, but beating up students two years younger than you isn't the way to do it. It doesn't matter that they were picking on first years. You should have been able to stop them without hurting them"
Wednesday tilted her head to the side. "I don't see why; Besides, I didn't hurt them, I had the children do it."
"You expect me to believe that my first years were able to hurt a pair fourteen-year-olds bad enough that they needed Madam Pomfrey's care?" Professor Sprout looked disappointed. "From what Professor Slughorn and I pieced together, you took it upon yourself to punish a pair of bullies, and convinced three eleven-year-olds to accept responsibility for your actions."
"What reason would I have to hurt them myself?" Wednesday asked rhetorically. "The entire point of my intervention, was to teach those three. I couldn't care less about two random strangers from another house."
Professor Sprout sighed. "Alright, let's assume that you didn't directly hurt those Slytherins. From your story, you still facilitated their injuries."
"I was under the impression that my house is my family while I am here. What would you have had me do when I came across three of my own family being victims?" Wednesday asked curiously. She had thought the restraint she had shown fell in line with the surroundings. Had they been Addams children in some back alley... Well, no intervention would have been needed, but there certainly wouldn't have been survivors at any rate.
"You should have disarmed or otherwise subdued the bullies, without harming them." Professor Sprout said firmly. "I expect better judgment from my badgers."
Wednesday raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Gryffindors are encouraged to be as brave and strong as a lion. Slytherins are encouraged to be snake-like as they cautiously pursue their ambition, striking lightning quick, but only when victory is assured. Ravenclaws are encouraged to hold themselves high above everyone else, metaphorically soaring like an eagle in their pursuit of knowledge. Why then, do you not encourage your Hufflepuffs to espouse the traits of a badger?"
"Badgers are friendly, hardworking creatures." The professor pointed out.
"Badgers are also vicious, dangerous creatures." Wednesday countered. "Would you expect a badger to merely disarm its tormenter?"
Professor Sprout looked unamused. "I think your taking the Hufflepuff animal too literally. As punishment for this little incident, you'll be serving detention with me after dinner. We'll be repotting some of the more dangerous plants, and continuing this discussion of how a Hufflepuff should act."
-o-o-
As she stared at the freshly repotted plants, particularly the African strangler, Professor Sprout tried to understand what had just happened. Miss Addams had wrangled some of the most troublesome plants in her greenhouse, and she had done it without bothering with any protective gear.
She had been so shocked, that she could only watch as Miss Addams casually swatted away fanged vines and deftly avoided sharp thorns. That strangler plant had climbed onto the girl as if it were a pet! Most surprising of all was that the African strangler actually seemed to be helping the child replant it. It was the least controllable of her plants, and Miss Addams had it behaving well, for no discernible reason.
Instead of lecturing the girl on how a Hufflepuff should act, she found herself just watching in amazement as Miss Addams made quick work of her punishment. In fact, the girl had talked while she worked, logically defending her point of view.
Somehow, Professor Sprout wound up agreeing with portions of her 'Puff's argument. It was well known that Hufflepuff students were often victimized by bullies, as they were the house least likely to fight back. Perhaps she should encourage her badgers to defend themselves more, just not to the extent that Miss Addams seemed to consider appropriate.
-o-o-
Thursday morning after breakfast, Harry and Wednesday made their way across the grounds to Hagrid's hut. There was a fairly small group bothering with the subject, likely because Hagrid's teaching methods scared off more than a few. Those left were either truly interested in magical creatures, or felt they'd need the NEWT for their future career.
Both Professors Grubbly-Plank and Hagrid were waiting outside the hut. Hagrid sat on the steps of his home, which served to bring him down to about the same height of Professor Grubbly-Plank, who stood just in front of him and to the side. There was a mix of emotion on the half-giant's face. Nervousness, eagerness, joy, and sorrow all vied for superiority on his mountainous features. Once all of the attending sixth years gathered, Professor Grubbly-Plank addressed the students.
"I'm sure many of you wonder why both Professor Hagrid and myself are teaching this class." She stated with some discomfort. She didn't like what her presence was doing to the sweet man behind her, and not for the first time, wished that she wasn't needed to curb the man's enthusiasm. "While it is true that we both will be teaching, we will be teaching different years. Professor Hagrid's knowledge and talent exceed my own, so he will be teaching sixth and seventh years. As long as you pay attention, there should be no reason for you to get anything less than an E on your NEWTs next year."
There were a few barely audible groans, but Harry had a wide smile on his face. Since Hagrid was watching Harry in particular, he felt better about the situation despite the reluctance of some of the other students.
"None of that." Professor Grubbly-Plank said sharply. "You're all NEWT students, and are more than capable of handling Professor Hagrid's unique teaching style. Much like I expect you all to do well, so long as you pay attention, I also expect there will not be any serious injuries."
She drew back the sleeve of her robes to reveal a nasty looking scar that ran from her wrist to her elbow. "Even in the best circumstances, Care of Magical Creatures at the NEWT level is dangerous. You should be in less danger with Professor Hagrid than with me, but the moment you act foolish or complacent, you will wind up in the infirmary."
Hagrid stood, bringing him up to his full eleven foot height, where he towered over his fellow professor. "Professor Grubbly-Plank is still in charge overall, so if'n you have a problem wit' the way I teach, go see her." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I realize I've been forgettin' that I'm not as fragile as all of you, so she's also gone over and okayed of each of the lessons I'll be givin' you. She's too nice ta say it, but I'm allowed ta teach you older kids 'cause if I slip up and forget, you should be old enough to protect yerselves."
Hagrid clapped his hands together. "Well, best get on with it then. I have a real treat fer you all. Come along, and keep on the trail."
Leaving behind Professor Grubbly-Plank, Hagrid led the class into the forbidden forest. After a few minutes, they came to a small clearing where a griffin lay toward the far end.
"Now, this 'eres a young griffin." Hagrid said as he stopped everyone before they entered the clearing. "He's a bit enthusiastic, so its best if everyone stay out of the clearing. The older ones 'll listen ta reason a bit more than the young ones do, but all of 'em are dangerous, an' smart too. Wizards 'ave used adult griffins as guards fer as long as as anyone can remember. See, if you can befriend one, they'll be loyal ta you 'till the end. the trick is that they're as deadly as they're beautiful, and it's not easy ta get one ta trust you."
The lesson went surprisingly smoothly. The young griffin stalked around the clearing, coming to the edge, but staying within the boundaries. Considering griffins were close to the most dangerous creature the students had ever encountered, even Draco followed Hagrid's instructions to the letter.
Contrary to what most people thought, Draco had known exactly what he had been doing when he provoked the hippogriff into attacking him back in his third year. Back then, he had been certain that the hippogriff would show some restraint, but he knew the young griffin would take his head clean off without a second thought. As much as he would like to get the half-giant fired, he wasn't stupid enough to risk his life. Besides, Black seemed to like the big oaf, and Draco was not prepared to cross him. Not yet at any rate.
At the end of the lesson, while Hagrid led the class back through the forest, Wednesday took the time to relay a message she'd nearly forgotten. "Grandmama wanted you to know that she received your gift, and was very happy. She also wanted you to show her where you bought them. Ingredients like those aren't easy to come by."
"I just asked around Knockturn Alley." Harry said with a humble shrug. "Eventually I found a place that didn't ask questions so long as I had plenty of gold."
Curious about how uneventful the lesson had been, Draco fell back to walk along side Wednesday, but made sure to still keep his distance. "I heard what you did for your entrance exam. I'm surprised you didn't show off, and pet the stupid beast."
"It wouldn't have been worth it." Harry said as he shook his head. "That griffin is way too young. It's not just coincidence that Gryffindor was Godric's last name."
"An older griffin would know not to attack me." Wednesday clarified. "That one would have bravely tried anyway. We're supposed to study it for the next few classes, and I don't think the professor would appreciate it if I killed his specimen."
Draco eyed Wednesday trying to figure out if she was serious or not. It took at least three fully trained wizards to subdue a griffin with any amount of safety. For just a moment, Draco felt a cold shiver. Looking at Black and his girlfriend, he realized the girlfriend was the more dangerous one. Maybe he'd rethink his plans to take control of the Black family. It was starting to look downright suicidal.
After everyone had left the forest, Hagrid called out. "Harry, would you mind stayin' fer a minute or two?"
Shrugging, Harry waved Wednesday on as he headed over to the hulking man. Harry stopped several yards away out of caution. Hagrid had always been an unyielding believer in Dumbledore, and Harry wasn't about to get too close to him just in case. His half-giant nature meant that Harry would have difficulty escaping the man's grasp if he wasn't careful. He wasn't nearly good enough with his knife yet, and while he felt he could best Hagrid using his wand, it wouldn't exactly be easy.
Once there was enough distance between them and the rest of the students, Hagrid spoke. "Ah, there's been a lot of talk among the Order Harry, an' I'm not sure what I believe."
"You're not just taking Dumbledore's word as truth?" Harry asked, more then a little surprised.
"Dumbledore's a great man Harry. If he says somethin's the truth, then of course I believe him." Hagrid said firmly. "Haven't talked with him in months though. I been takin' care of things 'ere at Hogwarts. Every once an' awhile an Order member stops by and catches me up on what's goin' on."
Fingering his wand in his pocket just in case, Harry smirked. "I doubt they've had much of anything nice to say about me. Either that, or they're still going on about that rubbish about how I need rescuing."
"Different people have tol' me different things." Hagrid said slowly, uncertainty apparent in his tone. "Most think yer in some sort of trouble, an' I should take you ta Dumbledore fer your own good. They also seem ta think you'll fight me about it."
"They're right about that at least." Harry said, his face turning serious. "There's no way I'm going to let anyone bring me to Dumbledore."
Hagrid looked conflicted. He cared deeply for Harry, but he trusted Dumbledore without reservation. "I don't know what's happened Harry, but I'm not gonna do anthin' fer now."
Even though he doubted Hagrid could pull of deceit of any kind, Harry didn't relax his guard. "What about the others? The ones who don't think you should take me to Dumbledore."
"Well, It's strange." The huge man said as he scratched his head and looked off at nothing. " Little Nym... er, Tonks that is, was one of the one's wanting me ta help capture you once you came back ta Hogwarts. Only thing is, she stopped by the other day, an' changed her mind. She tol' me she didn't know what's what anymore, an' I should talk ta you before I made any sorta choice."
Harry smiled. It looked like he wouldn't have to kill Tonks after all. He still wanted to hear from her himself, but this was at least encouraging.
"Remus came ta visit, and also tol' me to listen ta you 'fore I did anything. He tried ta tell me Dumbledore's done somethin' wrong, but I can't believe that." Hagrid continued as he thought hard on the situation. "Dumbledore's a great man."
"He's just a wizard Hagrid. He's not perfect, and from my perspective, he's anything but great." Harry asserted. "Think about this: If he's so great, then why isn't he headmaster anymore? He did unforgivable things to me Hagrid. Someday I'll make him pay, but I can wait."
Harry carefully drew his wand to emphasize his next point. "I've always liked you, and I think you're brilliant with creatures, but I will kill you if you try to take me to him. If I can't manage that, then I'll kill myself. Either way, I'll never give Dumbledore another chance to screw with me."
"Harry..." Hagrid was at a loss for words. He really didn't know what to do.
"We're at school." Harry pointed out. "Just be a professor, and leave that Order rubbish behind for now. Deal?"
"Jus' one question Harry. Are you still..." Hagrid began.
"No." Harry interrupted. "Whatever you're thinking, the answer is no. I'm not still anything, that's the point. Harry Potter was a fictional character that Dumbledore created. I'm Harry Black, completely different.
-o-o-
"Okay, the simpler we make this, the better chance we have to make it work." Ron pointed out. "If you're sure that your potions will work, we only have two problems that need to be figured out."
"They'll work." Hermione asserted. "I've looked up every form of mind control there is, and all of them can be broken with a strong enough will. The imperius is the worst of them all, and we already know Harry can beat that one."
Nodding, Ron continued. "Then we just need to get him alone, and get him to drink the potions somehow. With the map, getting him alone shouldn't be too bad. I can keep an eye on him, and make sure she isn't anywhere nearby. Then, if we both ambush him together and nail him with the full body bind or something similar, we can force him to drink the potions easy enough. It's important that we don't use stunners. Fred 'n' George told me that they don't work on him at all for some weird reason. Summoned ropes should do the trick, 'specially if we both cast multiple times."
"I think I have something that could make things easier." Hermione said, reaching into her robes. She pulled out a flask containing a muddy brown potion. "Polyjuice. I... borrowed some from Professor Slughorn when I brewed the other potions."
Ron shook his head, and chuckled to himself. "You always talk about following the rules and being a good example, but you're just and bad as me 'n' Harry."
"It's an emergency!" She defended herself a little too quickly. "Besides, I've already started brewing some more to replace what I've taken."
"Where'd you get the ingredients?" Ron asked with a knowing smirk. "I remember second year, you can't just owl order some of them."
"Shut up Ron!" Hermione flushed in both embarrassment and anger. "I'm doing the best I can. Now can we please talk about the plan instead of my rule breaking?"
"Right, right, sorry 'Mione. It's just not often I get to point out what rules you're breaking." Ron said with a completely unrepentant smile. "The polyjuice might make things easier, but it also means there's one more thing that can go wrong. What did you have in mind for it?"
Hermione pulled out a small phial that had a very long strand of black hair curled up within it. "During Herbology class, when that stupid tentacula tried to grab me, I fell back and landed on my bum remember? Well when I was on the ground, I notice this. That awful girl is the only one with straight black hair this long, except for maybe Cho Chang. One thing for certain, it didn't come from a stupid cat."
"So, no catgirl Hermione this time around?" Ron started to joke, only to back down when she scowled at him. "Sorry, but what if it is Cho's hair, or someone else you haven't thought of?"
"Then we either go with your plan, or put off the whole thing until later. As long as the hair is human, worst case scenario is, I'm stuck as someone else for an hour."
"Alright... Let me think about this some more then." Ron scratched his head as he thought. "Friday is probably the soonest we'll be able to try anything. I'll keep thinking over what could go wrong, and we'll see if we can catch Harry alone Friday. If we can't, we'll just keep waiting for our chance. Don't take your luck potion thing until we at least think we have a chance, okay? I'm not sure I trust that stuff too much."
-o-o-
Author's note: I promise, next chapter has Ron and Hermione putting their plan into motion. I've got chapter 16 about 75% written, so if real life doesn't conspire to keep me from writing, the next update should come quicker than usual.
To Paul Veith reviewing chapter 14: Wow! Thanks for the great review. I love getting giant reviews/messages.
Light and Dark are relatively easy to define, and thus are objective titles. Good and Evil necessitate a point of view to define, and therefore are subjective. We tend to associate Good with Light, and Evil with Dark, but as you've pointed out, they don't always line up neatly like that, because what good and evil are changes depending on who you are.
Dumbledore's treatment of Harry doesn't just approach evil, it flat out is evil, and he knows it. It's one of those situations where the 'good guy' knowingly does something evil to prevent a greater evil. Dumbledore's fabled 'greater good' required that Harry not be allowed to grow up as the budding psychopath he was as a young child. Given the right circumstances, Harry could have easily grown up to be a dark lord so twisted he would make Voldemort seem like a schoolyard bully. Dumbledore doesn't have the right to make that decision, and that is one of the reasons why what he did was evil.
You describe the Addams family very well, and succinctly too.
Whether or not Wednesday is evil, again comes down to point of view. I believe you may reconsider your opinion when I point out that she murdered her first boyfriend in cold blood. The poor boy worshiped her, and she had his death planned out pretty much from the beginning. This is canon Wednesday too, straight from the movies.
Indeed, Hermione allows herself to be defined by other people, which ultimately means that she doesn't make moral decisions for herself. If her plan goes as intended, then she will essentially murder Harry. She can't, not won't, can't see it that way though, because her mind just doesn't work that way.
Not a bad idea for Harry's patronus. I'll keep it in mind as a candidate for when I sit down to make a decision.
To Guest reviewing chapter 14: Another great review, thanks!
I'm glad you like my sex scenes, but I'm not sure where you got the idea that I find them distasteful. Heck, it could be argued that this entire story is an excuse for me to write twisted Harry/Wednesday sex scenes.
There are two main reasons that I keep my sex scenes highly suggestive instead of being explicit. 1: Not going into fine detail allows a level of ambiguity so that the reader fills in the gaps with their own knowledge/experience. This means that I can cater to the tastes of a much wider range of readers. 2: The most important reason is that scenes depicting explicit sex are against the site's rules. I know my luck, and if I were to step one toe over the line, not only would they delete my story, but likely my whole account to make an example of me. Seriously, my luck is that bad. Murphy likes making me his bitch.
I do try to add character development into each sex scene, I'm glad that this hasn't gone unnoticed.
Okay, as I am not a professional, do NOT take the following as advice or universal fact. Pain actually can have a place in a healthy sexual relationship. This isn't true for everybody, but for many a little bit of pain can increase pleasure tremendously. There are people who like it rough in a myriad of different ways like hair pulling or spanking, heck some people even like a dangerous level of roughness. Sometimes bruises that come from sex really aren't a sign of abuse.
Having said all of that, Harry and Wednesday take things to an entirely different level that I certainly cannot say is healthy, save that they have primal magic flowing through their veins, and genuinely enjoy any level of pain.
Hmm, while mutual understanding and trust is very important in a real sexual relationship, Harry and Wednesday do not have the understanding you seem to think they do. When I say Wednesday feels fear, I mean it. She does not know that Harry won't kill her, and he doesn't know that she won't kill him. In fact, they both expect the other to try at some point, though not necessarily when they are helpless. The Addams point of view, and by extension Harry's, comes into play here; you have to realize that death to them, while not ideal any time soon, is something to look forward to.
I'm glad you like my work, and I hope my explanations haven't changed that.
To Guest reviewing chapter 14: I'm glad you liked the sex scene. Of them all, I think that one was the closest to being realistic.
To Spuffylover19 reviewing chapter 14: I hope this chapter met with your expectations.
Hermione and Ron will act on their plan to 'save' Harry next chapter. I originally meant for it to happen this chapter, but the chapter would have wound up somewhere north of 11,000 words.
To Guest reviewing chapter 14: A patronus is supposed to reflect the personality of the caster, so when I do sit down to figure out what Harry's is, I won't be considering anything but predators and/or dark creatures. Although now that I say that, I kind of want to give him a nice fluffy bunny for a patronus. Monty Python fans will understand. :)