Author's Note: Right-oh! So here's chapter 7. But I wanted to give a quick shout out to a pair of older tics which I recently enjoyed. Behind Blue Eyes, a fabulous, if dark, Harry/OC story. Can be a bit grim in places and it's MOSTLY canon compliant except for Harry's Pairing. Also Breakfast in New York, I believe it's called? No action to speak of but not a bad post-hogwarts Harry/Hermione relationship fic.
Chapter 7: Allegiances
Harry and the girls padded downstairs, Harry still holding onto Hermione who was still fairly listless. They could hear laughter coming from the kitchen and approached, catching part of the conversation. Tonks had apparently taken to doing impressions while recounting the trial the previous night. She was in the middle of doing an impression of fudge gasping like a landed fish. "I—I am Minister for Magic!" She blustered between gasps.
Harry couldn't help but chuckle in remembrance at that portion of the trial. "Yeah, that was one of my favourite parts too," He agreed releasing Hermione as they paced into the room. He noticed Sirius was reading a copy of the prophet and chortling to himself happily as he went along.
He smiled brightly at Harry, "I like the part where you tell Fudge he hasn't got permission to speak familiarly with you," He barked a dark laugh. "God, that man's an arse. He may have only been an undersecretary back in the day, but he still managed to screw up my shot at justice, good to see the bastard get put on the chopping block," He growled in satisfaction.
Remus who was leaning back tiredly in his seat, deeper than average shadows under his eyes, laughed under his breath. "Seems you have inherited your fathers ability to raise six kinds of hell Harry," He noted his eyes going unfocused in remembrance.
"You know I could use to hear some of those stories some day," Harry noted dryly. "And as for raising hell? It's mostly unintentional." He defended himself. Hermione snorted her derision at that, and he shared a wry smile with her. "What it's true, like take this latest incident?" He suggested. "All I said to Rita was that of the bigwigs present only Amelia Bones impressed me. I didn't nominate her for minister, though the entire world is apparently taking it that way. Not that I don't think she'd be a good choice…" He noted trailing off. "And now the woman herself wants a meeting to hash things out with me."
Sirius looked up and whistled in sympathy. "Damn Pup, I got on Amelia's bad side once…" He said trailing off as he thought better of relaying that particular story. "She wants to meet with you? When?" He asked as he looked sheepish after he caught a look from Remus for nearly scaring the lad with horror stories from his early years.
"As soon as I'm available, unfortunately its not just her," Harry noted. "A couple news agencies, and a noble house want to talk with me too. Today if possible."
Sirius looked thoughtfully at Lupin who shrugged, Tonks got up to grab herself some water, still chuckling to herself periodically. "Which house?" Sirius asked eventually. He may have been an outcast within his own family but he knew pure bloods as well as most of them.
"Greengrass," was the reply.
He actually smiled slightly and snorted a bit, looking over to Lupin, "Laurel's husband and brood," He said smiling at the suddenly blushing werewolf.
Hermione noted it a got a smile on her face, though it was still a touch strained. "Professor Lupin? You and Lady Greengrass?" She asked teasingly.
Remus coughed as Tonks smirked at him from across the room. "Uh, yes…or rather sort of. We dated once, years ago. She's a very nice woman and didn't mind even when she found out I was a werewolf, but we just weren't a good fit. While she may not have minded, her family did and they put excessive amounts of pressure on her. I ended it so she didn't have to bear that kind of burden." He admitted.
"She still insisted on one last hop in the sack before you two parted ways though as I remember," Sirius said smiling like the devil himself at his friend who blushed.
"Uh—That is to say…Laurel was a very spirited woman, who saw things differently from most. If you end up meeting with them tell her I said—er Hello?" He said uncertainly.
Harry and the girls laughed and shared looks at that little tidbit. Lupin may not have been a very verbose man, but he was usually more self-assured than this.
"Sure Moony," Harry agreed. "So what is their family like?"
Sirius grew more focused. "Not a bad lot, a little too tied up in politics though. Forced them to remain neutral through the last war. New Blood though, which would have made my parents turn up there noses." He said scathingly. "Only been a noble house for a hundred years or so."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Good in my opinion, they are less stodgy and stuck up than a lot of them, at least they were last time I interacted with them." Sirius responded shrugging elaborately.
Harry nodded. "Okay—Point is I'd like to meet them as soon as possible to get in front of all this you know? So I was wondering if you could help me with that, I'd like to meet them at Gringotts this afternoon if possible." Harry explained.
Sirius grinned stretching languidly. "Sure Pup, I've been dying to get outside and stretch my legs a touch."
Remus looked less certain, "Are you sure that's wise Pad? Dumbledore will not be pleased if you take the boy off reservation." He noted, then sighed in exasperation at the looks he was getting from the rest of the room. He put up his hands in surrender. "Fine, just know I've got to stay here and wait on the rest of them to get back, I won't be able to back you up should things go sideways." He cautioned. "I've got to wait on Severus so I can get my latest batch of Wolf's Bane."
Sirius nodded, quite appropriately, seriously. He looked about spotting his cousin by the sink, chugging down a glass of water. "Hey Tonks? You feel like coming along?" He asked the young woman.
She grinned happily, "Sure thing, It's the first weekend I've had off in ages, I'd like to get out and do something," She agreed, nodding to the teenagers.
Harry nodded in satisfaction pushing back to his feet, "Alright, just let me send off some letters to get everything set, and I'll be ready to go." He agreed.
Tonks waited until the teens were out of earshot before growing serious and looking to her cousin and friend. She jerked her head after the youngsters. "Am I the only one who was expecting to meet a fifteen year old when Harry showed this summer?" She asked vaguely worried.
Sirius nodded sourly. "No, you weren't, but I suppose we shouldn't be shocked he's not precisely himself anymore, he's been through more than most men. Troll, a spectre of the Dark Lord, a Basilisk? And then having to go through that tournament and then watch your fellow die? Basically in your arms?" He noted sadly.
Tonks paced a slowly, "It's not been mentioned in that paper, and we haven't all had a chance to talk about what we saw in that alley, Sirius, but it's more than that, I feel it in my guts. He's more now, he's killed and yet doesn't seem totally wrecked by that fact. Nor is he completely unhinged from what I can tell…No there's got to be something more we're missing." She growled uncharacteristically frustrated.
Remus and Sirius nodded. "Could always be that soul fragment they mentioned?" The boys godfather suggested worried.
Remus shook his head. "No, Dumbledore, examined him himself, the boys not possessed, nor is he being influenced that he can tell, he mentioned that himself after you two left the meeting," He pointed out.
They heard the tromp of feet returning. "We'll just have to chalk it up as half a mystery in the meantime then." Sirius said chuckling, slightly reassured.
"You do realize when the rest of them show, I'll need to let them know what happened?" Remus warned. Sirius just waved that off as he got to his feet.
"I'm less concerned about Albus' opinion on strategy lately," He scoffed walking off. "I'll take what he can dish,"
Tonks was less sanguine about it but moved to follow.
Harry's letters said he'd be available to Madam Bones around noon at Gringotts should she be able to get free. His letter to the Greengrasses suggested any time between one and two at the bank.
They once again found themselves taking the tube from Halloway Road station, a novelty Tonks at least seemed to appreciate, she kept mumbling about how impressive it was, some of the things muggles managed to do without magic. "Like moving several tons of steel and such with a full load of passengers across the city as fast as if by broom?" She said bouncing happily on her heels while they waited for the train to pull up.
When they arrived at the pub which concealed the entrance to the wizarding shopping district, it became obvious almost immediately that the news had reached the majority of the magical world already. Everywhere one looked about the pub they spotted people reading papers and pressing their heads together in conversation. Many people hurrying about wide eyed and worried. Harry noticed a reasonable portion of them appeared to be carrying small stashes of emergency stores, or whatever were considered emergency supplies by the Wizarding world.
Pretty much the only persons not reading the paper were Tom the bartender and the odd duck in the corner reading a book to do with the nature of time in the corner.
The alley was as the Cauldron had been, except if possible more so, people constantly rushed back and forth across the alley. It was so chaotic, Harry nearly bumped into an unfortunately familiar person.
Draco Malfoy, cursed as he spotted his enemy, "Potter!" He called angrily stalking towards the boy and his…entourage? He saw the Gryffindor's mudblood, but also two women and a man he didn't immediately recognize.
Harry spotted and muttered something in an aside to the dark haired girl to his left, who pulled a wand causing the crowd to scatter somewhat. "Ah, Draco, I wondered if I'd be seeing you some time soon." He noted sourly.
Draco sneered as he pulled a Dagger causing the lot of them to reach for their wands. He rolled his eyes. "Please," He said derisively. "As though I'd be stupid enough to draw on you in the middle of a crowd, when your guards can use magic?" He slashed his hand wincing at the flare of pain and then cast the knife at the other boys feet. "As much as I'd love to kill you right here right now Potter," He spat through gritted teeth. "It is not to be. So I do what my families honour demands for your insult. I declare a state of Blood feud between our houses. What ever you stand for, we shall stand in opposition to. This is not something which can be satisfied by money or an apology, It can only be ended by death or submission." He ground out and spat on the ground between them, before whirling and stalking away.
The group stood in silence for a few moments while they watched his retreating back. "I can't take you anywhere can I?" Tonks sighed and leaned down with a conjured bag to collect the blooded knife.
"Yeah, thats about par for my luck honestly," Harry noted dryly.
"Harry, this is serious," Hermione snapped irritably. "He's going to be actively trying to kill you now," She said worriedly.
Harry barked a laugh. "It's not all that much of a leap considering his attitude so far towards me Hermione," He argued. "It's not like he doesn't take every opportunity to make my life miserable as it is." He sighed then paced to the side of the alley, "Come on we're a bit early, we can get some shopping done before the meetings."
They wandered the shop fronts for a couple minutes before Harry noticed something which has always escaped his notice before when he traveled this section of the Alley. There between a shop selling exotic furnitures and another selling candy was a small stairwell, a single doorway, with a sign above it. "The Quibbler!" it said on the small pale blue and white sign. This was one of the magazines offices. Harry wondered what the chances of the small magazine having more than one office were. He started towards it.
It took a moment for the others to figure out where he was going. "Uh—Harry, were you being serious earlier about the interview?" Hermione asked sounding a touch scandalized he was even considering entering their building.
Harry turned back from the door laughing a touch wearily. "Hermione? When was the last time you looked at the news in the wizarding world and went "Hey! I trust these guys!" He noted slightly sarcastically. "They routinely publish rampant speculation and outright lies, while claiming to be respectable news agencies." He argued.
"Its true," Said Sirius smiling crookedly. "The last time any of them got anything about me right was back before I got arrested. Witch weekly referred to me as roguishly handsome. Which is something of an understatement, but still…" He teased.
Hermione smiled thinly at the dogfather, a title she'd only reluctantly agreed to use occasionally. "That's true—so far as it goes, but Harry, nobody respects the Quibbler." She noted.
"Then maybe its time somebody did, at least a little," Harry argued. "And besides, think of it this way. This way we might get to meet one of our schoolmates." He said trying to sell the idea.
She remembered the conversation he and she had about Luna and sighed theatrically, "Alright, fine, I suppose there isn't too much harm in at least going up," She noted hedging slightly.
"One of your school mates works for the Quibbler?" Sirius asked curious.
"Luna Lovegood," Kara supplied for the other two.
"Lovegood? As is Xeno and Pandora?" Sirius asked grinning.
"Just Xeno now, sadly," Harry noted, thinking of the small picture he'd seen in Luna's room back in the day. "Pandora passed a few years ago."
Sirius grew sombre "Ah, I hadn't heard about that, it's a shame, nice woman, was in Ravenclaw back when me and the others were in school, a couple years behind us. Xeno was too but a couple years ahead."
"Luna's in the year behind us," Harry explained. "She's only a couple younger than me I think." He noted as they marched up to the door again. "So lets be respectful, they might believe some strange things, but that doesn't mean they aren't important to them…"
Luna was enjoying watching a particularly strange aura moving about a few meters beyond the walls of the office. Swirling, vortices of white blue light, fragmented, but working in concert in a maelstrom of luminous particles about a figure just beyond the wall. The others around it were interesting too. But this one seemed to have something…
She gave a start when the door opened and the aura's source stepped through, in the form of someone she did not expect, Harry Potter.
The Harry Potter, she knew, or at least seen from afar, hadn't had the kind of aura she was now seeing. He also wasn't so…Luna wasn't exactly boy crazy but, suddenly she found herself appraising him more appreciatively. Where'd he'd been skinny and sort of gawky before, he was now more filled out and mature, in a way even she recognized.
She looked over his shoulder and took in his companions. A metamorph standing guard at his shoulder, wearing gear that suggested she was an Auror, a rather scruffy looking man who could only be Sirius Black, It appeared Harry had more access to the man than he let on to the press. Hermione of course, who's aura pulsed in time to Harry's own. A final figure stepped through the door and looked around curiously, Luna had to fight to keep her eyes from widening. The girl just about ran out of the room to make sure her father was okay. But she could here him bustling about in the offices back room. The girl could only be an angel, it was hard to mistake her for anything else with those wings sprouting from her back.
Judging by the way the others were behaving they couldn't see the wings which meant she hadn't allowed their physical aspect to manifest, something Luna was grateful for. Those wings looked to have a twelve foot span at least and there were many things to break in the small office. They were beautiful to look at though.
She turned her attention back to Harry when he cleared his throat nervously. She could almost believe it wasn't really him, but in spite of his strange aura his core resonated as it always had, producing a pure tone it was difficult to mistake for belonging to anyone else.
"Uh—Hello, you're Luna right?" He asked hesitantly. She gave a start of surprise, she hadn't known he had even heard her name before.
She nodded then, then realized she should probably answer. "Yes, and you are Harry Potter." She noted.
"Right..That I am," He said chuckling surprisingly unfazed by her unusual approach to speech. "It nice to meet you." He offered extending a hand across the desk to her. His aura pulsed in familiar recognition to her own, excited. She stared at that for a few moments then extended her arm over the top of her magazine to grasp his hand. He smiled easily enough as they shook. It was strange she couldn't remember speaking with him before, but she could almost swear… "I was wondering, is the editor in?" He asked pleasantly.
She nodded as for the first time she saw the shadows under his eyes. He was exhausted, and as she looked closer she noticed other little telltales which signified recent grief. "He is, did you have business with father? Are you here about the article on the Wrackspurts?" She asked uncertainly.
Harry chuckled a wry smile touching his lips, "Afraid not, those are the things which fuzz your mind if they infest you right?" He asked smiling.
She gave a start, that was unexpected, she didn't know anyone else at Hogwarts knew about the Wrackspurts…unless he was mocking her? No, he appeared sincere, and his aura didn't have a discordant note. "Yes…they are,"
"I'm not here about them I'm afraid, I got a letter from your father this morning, he was requesting an interview?" He asked. "Are you still interested in that,"
She felt her eyes widened as she remembered having had her father send off just such a message, it was largely a standard precaution rather than a cunning career move. She hadn't actually expected him to reply, especially in the flesh. "I'm sure we are," She agreed bobbing her head eagerly as she hopped to her feet and led the way back into the offices.
Harry was only mildly surprised to note the lack of freemason or illuminati memorabilia on the walls, he was totally unsurprised to see a Rotfang Conspiracy symbol and a chart relating to the Deathly Hallows. He noted Kara smirked a little upon seeing that, though she stifled it fast. Harry would need to remember to ask what had caused that reaction later.
Xenophilius Oddment Lovegood, was for his part, just as strange as ever from what Harry could tell as he watched the strange man putter about adjusting pins on his wall and reading scraps of parchment.
"Hello father," Luna trilled. "Our interview is here," She said smiling slightly to herself in her typical vaguely dreamy fashion.
He paused, then his eyes widened and he whirled. "But…you can't mean—Ah! Lord Potter!" He yelped. "I uh—didn't expect you to…" He started looking uncertain, then whirled to his daughter. "Ah! Luna, excellent! Do you want to help me give the interview?" He asked clearly flustered at getting caught unprepared.
She blinked owlishly at her father before breaking into a broad grin. "Of course daddy!" She chirruped. "But perhaps we should get some seats for our guests?" She suggested.
He gave a start, and gave a sheepish smile. "Of course," He pulled his wand and twirled it conjuring a set of chairs for everyone. Thankfully not the chintz monstrosities Dumbledore favoured. Only Tonks declined a chair, preferring to stand by the door. "May I ask for some introductions my Lord?" He asked weakly.
Harry chuckled. "First of all, you may call me Harry, I don't really care too much for ceremony," He offered, getting surprised, if fleeting smiles from his interviewers. "As for the others? May I introduce, Misses Hermione Granger and Kara Smith, the man who I'm sure you recognize is Sirius Black, sadly not Stubby Boardman," He teased just a touch. "And the woman standing guard is Tonks," He introduced pointing to each.
"Ah, then I should think you already know our names, We are Xenophilius and Luna Lovegood," Xeno offered a small bow.
"I recognize you Xeno, you were in Ravenclaw at the same time as me and James were in Gryffindor, I would have expected you could have told the difference between me and Stubby, I'm far more attractive than that guy," Sirius joked feigning offence.
Xeno chuckled ruefully, then sat on a stool he pulled up. "Luna would you like to lead us in with an Icebreaker?" He suggested.
She nodded eagerly "Rumours have reached our ears suggesting that Delores Umbridge is in fact descended from a demonic toad hybrid, did she come after you because you discovered this to be true?" She asked bouncing.
Harry just rolled with that one, "I'm afraid not, though I wouldn't put it past her to have such an ancestry, and have you seen that pink Cardigan? It's practically demonic all by itself." he noted. Luna giggled in response, before handing off a sheet of paper to her father, who was looking slightly vexed.
He tried to get back on track. "Uh—Why do you think the minister and Umbridge, sent their forces against you?" He asked, "If not to stamp out rumours of her irregular back ground?"
Harry chuckled. "I knew the truth, that Lord Voldemort was not as dead as we had all hoped…I'm sorry are you okay?" He asked noting Xeno's spastically twitching eye at the mention of the Dark Tossers name.
Xeno regained control of himself. "You, uh—You have no problem saying his name?" He asked weakly.
"One of the few truly successful lessons I've learned from Albus Dumbledore is that fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself. How do you think I would fair against the Dark Tosser, if I froze up like you just did whenever I heard his name? He likes to gloat, say things like "I am Lord Voldemort!" and stuff like that, I suspect he quite enjoys the way it affects people." He noted darkly. "Besides, Voldemort is not his real name," He said casually.
Several sets of startled eyes swivelled to him, he was surprised to see Tonks apparently hadn't known that. He explained. "His name is an anagram for his real name, one which is still hanging around Hogwarts in a few places. Tom Marvolo Riddle." He revealed, he was tempted to drop the knowledge that Tom wasn't in fact a pure blood.
Luna blinked at him, then looked to her father who was scribbling notes feverishly. "A follow up question then," She suggested, taking over while her father wrote, "How did you learn this?" She asked curiously.
Harry leaned forward slightly. "He told me, or rather a shade of him did," He explained. "You recall the incidents in your first year Luna? The chamber of secrets was opened?" he asked and she nodded flinching slightly in remembrance. "It was caused by an artifact containing a portion of his soul reaching out an possessing a student and using them to open the chamber, releasing the Basilisk." He explained.
"There were rumours you actually entered the chamber proper." She noted wide eyed.
"Yes, I did, I fought the Basilisk with the aid of a Phoenix belonging to Dumbledore, he struck the beasts eyes allowing me to fight without fearing it's sight." he elaborated. "The…student and the artifact were down in the chamber as the shade attempted to gain enough strength to solidify itself into a full incarnation of the Dark Lord. I used one of the dead Basilisk's fangs to destroy the book, the artifact," He relayed.
"Indeed, and it was during this conversation he revealed his true identity to you?" She asked tilting her head curiously.
"Yes, like I said, he really enjoys gloating." Harry noted darkly.
Here Xeno took back control of his interview, "Um—During the trial it was indicated that you had encountered a truly reborn version of the Dark Lord, the penseive memory seemed to indicate you suffered extensively at his hands, is this what you are referring to as his love of gloating?" He asked delicately.
"Yes, he enjoyed using cruciatus curses on me whenever he wasn't actively spouting off." He growled remembering the pain.
"So you have been tortured? I'm sorry that's a silly question isn't it?" Xeno quickly apologized. He looked through his list and then back up at Harry, "And you believe it was this proof of You-Know-Who's return which caused them to send the Dementors and prison guards to bring you in?" He asked. "Do you believe this indicates a possible allegiance between the Minister and the Dark Lord?" He asked worriedly.
Harry shook his head, "No, I believe Fudge and Umbridge were simply in denial, after all who wants to be in power when a lunatic of Voldemort's caliber is running about?" He asked rhetorically. "As they denied his return, every mention of his possible return destabilized their power base." He explained shrugging dismissively.
"Accounts of your battle with their forces are mixed, but they all seem to indicate you possess some skill in personal combat," Luna cut in. "To the point that there are rumours you actually killed a Dementor, a creature widely held to be unkillable," She continued.
"I launched a Patronus charm right down the things throat when it tried to kiss me," Harry replied easily. "Apparently that…doesn't affect them well." He offered lamely.
Xeno looked at his notes. "Time for some more general questions and reader interest, I think," He said nodding his head thoughtfully. He looked up to check this was okay with Harry, who nodded agreeably. "First of all it was revealed that you were originally slated for Slytherin but chose to become a Gryffindor, does this affect the way you see yourself? Do you see yourself as a Gryffindor?" He asked his quill poised over the page.
Harry shrugged. "As time goes forward I see myself as neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin," He admitted getting quizzical looks from around the room, he explained. "Why should I limit myself, and divide myself from others at school? I want to be loyal like a Hufflepuff, Brave and Honourable like a Gryffindor, Resourceful like a Slytherin and Erudite like a Ravenclaw," He explained. "I think I can be all these things should I choose to apply myself," He offered, noting the approving looks he was getting from Hermione and Kara.
"Considering that, what do think of Hogwarts' policy of sorting into houses." Xeno asked curious, Harry was impressed and tilted his head in recognition.
"I don't like the house system," he admitted "It needlessly divides people in factions, when we should be united, we should be judged on our actions and personal convictions, and how we live up to them, not on what colour robe we wear." He explained thinking it out as he spoke.
Luna was nodding sagely gazing at him with a distant look her eyes. "How do you intend to spend you years once you are out of school," She asked curiously.
Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't say no to becoming an Auror, people need protection, and I'm willing to stand up and provide it, with my life, if need be." He said unconcerned.
"An Auror?" Xeno said smiling, "Good career, if you can handle being under the ministry's control. What are your thoughts on the current leadership?" He asked.
Harry sighed. "It should be patently obvious I don't think Fudge is up for the job, and Umbridge definitely isn't, however I am impressed by the way Amelia Bones runs the DMLE, as you may have heard Rita Skeeter wrote that I had nominated her for the next minister? That's not accurate, I simply said, as I am saying to you, that she impressed me, do I think she'd be good at the job? Probably, but we need a willing leader, not someone who got it foisted upon her." He noted.
"Ah, perhaps one follow up question then, you were raised outside the confines of magical society were you not? What do you think of the way magical society is run?" Xeno asked.
Harry sighed. "Loaded question," he said smiling thinly. "I can tell you how muggles would judge your society were they aware if you'd like?" He offered.
Luna and Xeno looked to each other for a time, before Luna gave a one armed shrug, indicating she saw no harm in it. "Sure, we rarely hear from those raised among the non-magical community." He agreed.
"In terms of what we'll refer to as the basic rights?" Harry said looking to Hermione who was grimacing as she thought of the topic in question. "You would be considered about two hundred years behind the times by the muggles. In the last two centuries they've experienced a sort of rapid advancement of moral and ethical study." He explained. " I don't claim to know whether or not in the grand scheme of things their system is better. I do know that most of the developed nations which manage to sustain some variety of peace, long term among their own populace, champion the belief that all men, that is to say humans, were created equal. That they deserve equal rights and treatment under the law, regardless of skin tone, age, race, or gender. This attitude would obviously be complicated were it to be applied to magical society by the fact that not all of magical society is in fact human," He noted, getting a nod from Hermione. "Many who come from the muggle world into the magical world are surprised to find that while your attitudes towards homosexuality outside of the pureblood families is remarkably liberal, your treatment of women and the keeping of an entire species of slaves…surprising. Now I know the issue of the House Elves is complicated, but it is frankly shocking nobodies looked into it with a critical eye."
"So…You believe muggle society to be—better?" Xeno asked sounding doubtful.
"Yes and no," Harry admitted tiredly. "Magical society has many things to recommend it, you tend to be more open minded by in large about new non-scientific fields, and you still champion concepts of chivalry and formal honour, where the muggle world largely doesn't any more. But yes, in someways we could learn from them." Harry said. "Just as hopefully they could someday learn from us,"
Xeno pondered that for a moment as he jotted it down. "Very well, we'll drop out with a few viewer interest questions. What do you know of the Crumple Horned Snorckack?" He asked, still looking vaguely concerned over that last section.
Harry laughed. "Not much, I don't know what they look like really so I couldn't tell you even if I had seen one," He admitted, Luna smiled at him.
"Very well, what do you know of the Rotfang Conspiracy?" Xeno asked.
"Involves Vampires right?" Harry speculated, he got a shrug. "Sorry, that's all I've got really," He apologized.
"Have you heard anything about the Ministries army of Heliopaths?" He asked.
Harry actually remembered his discussion with Luna about it in his past. "I don't know, especially about the sun fire creature part," He admitted. "I do wonder this though, what if the name is a reference to a group that destroys or conceals secrets? A code name for a division?" He asked speculatively. He heard a cough come from Tonks in the back.
Xeno looked intrigued. "I hadn't considered that…Not a literal army of Heliopaths, but an…Operation?" He said musingly.
"I don't know for certain," Harry hurried to interject, then checked his watch and smiled sheepishly. "Right, now as fun as this has been, I do have another appointment I really should be early for…" He said apologetically.
Xeno nodded pleasantly. "Of course Harry, you've given us quite a bit to run on with as it is." He said, looking satisfied.
"It was nice meeting you Harry," Luna offered shyly.
Harry smiled at her, and she could tell he was sincere. "It was my pleasure to meet you Luna, I look forward to seeing you at school," He said offering a casual salute as he got to his feet, offering a hand to Hermione helping her to her feet.
They exchanged pleasantries, before the visitors left. Luna sat looking after the boy strange aura for a good ten minutes before she returned to reading her magazine, and even then she couldn't help but wonder what this all meant. Possibly nothing, but the change in his aura was startling as was his demeanour…She would watch and see what might come, at the very least Harry's arrival at her door had heralded a boon to the magazine and through it her families welfare. She would remember that.
—
Dumbledore was less than pleased when he showed up with the other members of the Order and the Weasley clan to find that Harry was no longer safely ensconced a Grimmauld place. The boy had once again gone off against his express wishes. This time in the company of two members of the Order who should have known better. And what was worse, following Amelia's visit this morning he no longer had a way to track the boy. She had confiscated all his tracking devices.
When questioned, Remus Lupin had gotten defensive and had then refused to specify exactly where the others had gone. The thought of ordering Severus to withhold the Wolf's Bane potion briefly flashed through Albus' mind but he stifled the thought, he was frustrated, not cruel.
Regardless, it was time he put the boy back in his place, and showed him that he needed to adhere to the path being laid out for him. He would show him the error of his ways and the boy being who he was would once again fall under control. All for the greater good.
Author's Note: Rate, Review, Comment, Make predictions and ask questions.