Harry Potter and the Warlock's Coven

by ArgentRoseSableWolf

PostOOTP. Dumbledore promised to stop hiding things from Harry, has he? And what secrets may be hidden from them both? Join Harry as he discovers that defeating Voldemort may be only the beginning. Rated M for future chapters.

3. Chapter 2:The Time Has Come, the Walrus

Disclaimer- It's not mine, it's all JKR's. Really, if it was mine, do you think Hermione would be sucking face with that red-headed git?

Chapter Two- The Time Has Come, the Walrus Said, to Talk of Many Things

4 Privet Drive
Wednesday, July 10, 1996
11:00 AM

Anyone who had last seen Harry Potter shortly before the end of term at Hogwarts would have been amazed at the changes they would have seen in him now. The unfocused, indifferent student was gone. The normal clutter that could be found laying around his bedroom at Number 4 Privet Drive was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there were rows of books lining every flat surface, many were on Wizarding subjects, but some dealt with Muggle materials. There were also stacks of parchment neatly arranged on the surface of his desk, and on the lid of his trunk. And lying on the bed was Harry Potter, with his nose buried in a book entitled The Art of War, by Sun Tzu.

Were he to be asked at that moment, Harry himself would have admitted that these changes had not occurred overnight, although they were certainly recent. Indeed, the process could not really have been said to have begun until the return to Privet Drive, or perhaps during the ride back from London.

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The happy mood that Harry had been in leaving the station, seeing all of his friends lined up to support him, did not survive even halfway through the trip back to Little Whinging. Slowly, he found himself slipping into a black depression. Thoughts of what had happened at the Department of Mysteries—his friends being hurt, Sirius being killed—combined with the thought of who knew how many weeks to be served in his sentence at Durzkaban, were leading him into darker and darker corners of his own mind. So caught up in these thoughts was he, that he failed to notice that his uncle's mood was rapidly darkening as well.

Vernon Dursley, like his son Dudley, would never be accused of being the brightest bulb in the chandelier. Unlike Dudley however, Vernon did have a certain level of animal cunning which had enabled him to succeed middling well at his chosen profession. His failing, unfortunately, was that when his emotions, particularly anger, became engaged, that cunning had a tendency to pack up and go on holiday without leaving a forwarding address.

As he drove though the crowded city streets, Vernon's teakettle was slowly but surely boiling over. One thought kept winging its way around his apology for a mind. Those freaks had dared to threaten him, threaten HIM! And all in the name of that miserable little freak in the back seat! The fact that those freaks had the power to back up those threats kept jumping up and down, trying to get his attention, but it was a doomed prospect. His colour, which had begun the ride at its normal medium pink, was rapidly working its way to puce, a sure sign that sooner or later, Mount Vernon was going to erupt.

Harry, however, was lost in his own depressing thoughts and remained oblivious to these signs as they pulled into the driveway at Number 4 and he got out and retrieved his trunk and Hedwig's cage from the boot. He didn't even notice Vernon opening the door and holding it for him to enter, which should have set alarm warnings off in his head, as Vernon's usual habit was to slam it in his face. It wasn't until he stumbled in the doorway, causing the ham-sized fist that was aimed at his head to glance off his shoulder and knock him to the side that he realized what was going on.

Vernon, in the mean time, was becoming even angrier, if this was possible without spontaneous human combustion occurring. He had spent the entire drive home stewing over the great injustice of being threatened by freaks. Then, to cap things off, the pleasure he'd expected to get from seeing the little freak laid out on the floor firmly back in his place, was missing. And all because the little bastard moved out of the way! So intent was he on this thought, that he missed some warning signs of his own.

Despite the Order's best efforts, Harry had not expected miracles from his uncle's encounter at the station. He did not consider himself a particularly complicated or demanding soul, and was not looking to be suddenly accepted and treated as a member of the family. Hell, he wasn't even expecting to be recognized as a human being. A simple gentleman's agreement with his relatives to ignore each other's existences for the summer would have been more that satisfactory to him. It had been clearly demonstrated, however, that even that little seemed to be beyond Vernon. Consequently, Harry was pissed.

As Albus Dumbledore could have attested had he been present, Harry being pissed at this time in his life was not a good thing. The state of the Headmaster's office after their last encounter was prime evidence of this fact. The Dursleys couldn't have known this, of course, though any half-way intelligent being could have guessed at it from the lecture they had gotten at Kings Cross and Harry's growing black mood on the ride back to Little Whinging. But even for the unintelligent Dursley family the oddly rising wind inside their living room should have been a significant clue. However, such a subtle hint was apparently beyond Vernon who bellowed and charged towards Harry, fist held high. It remained beyond him as the wind suddenly peaked to hurricane proportions, and picked Vernon up and slammed him back into the living room wall. Harry stalked over to Vernon and glared at him

"You ugly, fat, bigoted excuse for a human being. In the last five years I've had my life threatened by a basilisk, giant spiders, soul-sucking demons, psychotic killers, and the most evil man on the planet. You think a pathetic worm like you can intimidate me? I have been threatened by EXPERTS; I don't rate you very highly at all! Insult me, threaten me, ever try to strike me again, and there won't be enough left of you to identify at an inquest. And that goes for your horse-faced wife and your walrus of a son as well."

Petunia and Dudley meanwhile, were standing and watching with mirrored looks of shock. Their minds appeared to have shut down from a massive influx of unprocessable data. Vernon had struck out at the freak, and Vernon was down. This fact, completely outside their worldview, had left them paralyzed. It took several minutes for Petunia to shake off her surprise and respond.

"B-b-but you can't do that outside of school! You'll be expelled!" She recoiled as Harry turned to face her. The anger that had flared when Vernon struck him had vanished, leaving… nothing. His face was blank and his voice perfectly level as he answered her.

"Voldemort has returned, and the Wizarding world is at war. The last thing the Ministry is going to worry about now is a bit of accidental magic. Besides, they need me; I'm their only hope for victory. Next to that, what do you think the welfare of a few abusive, worthless Muggles matters to them?" With those words, Harry turned, collected Hedwig and his trunk, and quietly went up to his room.

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Harry had spent the rest of that night, and well into the next morning, thinking. When no owl appeared from the Department for Underage Magic, he began to think that his statement to his aunt, which had been little more than a bluff, was actually accurate. He had also come to several conclusions during the night.

First of all, he had come up with a short list of the people he felt he could trust and his reasons for doing so:

Hermione Granger—for five years, she had always stuck by him, caring not for the Boy-Who-Lived but her friend Harry.

Ginny Weasley—even more hot-tempered than her brother, but a loyal and fierce friend.

Neville Longbottom—loyal to a fault, and a surprisingly good fighter when the chips were down.

Luna Lovegood—strange girl, odd opinions, but with a way of looking at you that said she saw everything. She'd always accepted Harry at his word, and had followed where he led without question. Given that she was the only one of them uninjured in the DoM battle, she was either an amazing fighter or unbelievably lucky. Maybe both.

(Don't call me) Nymphadora Tonks—Harry couldn't explain her presence on this list, but something in his deepest instincts screamed at him to trust her without reserve There was something almost… familiar… about her.

Remus Lupin—last of the Marauders; last of his parents' friends.

He wished that he could put Ron's name on that list as well, but he just wasn't sure he could. Ron was certainly his friend, his very good friend, but the lessons of their second and fourth years had to be remembered. In addition to his good traits, Ron was thick-headed, prone to fits of jealousy, quick-tempered, and didn't seem to be able to keep his mouth shut. All in all, he'd have to be very careful regarding sharing anything with Ron.

There was also a short list of those he definitely did not trust:

Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort—yearly attempts on Harry's life; nothing more needed to be said there!

Assorted Death Eaters, their hangers-on and spawn—see above.

Albus Dumbledore—too many secrets; too many efforts to control Harry. A man he once regarded as a grandfather he now viewed with extreme suspicion.

Severus Snape—Any chance that he would take Dumbledore at his word and trust Snape had been washed away by the so-called "Occlumency lessons" from the past year, which seemed to be little more than exercises in sheer sadism.

Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge—Politicians, reason enough not to trust them right there. The organized campaign of slander against Harry, combined with Umbridge's reign of terror and torture at Hogwarts, only added icing to the cake.

He had also come up with a list of goals for himself for the summer:

Learn Occlumency—find out if he could owl-order books from Flourish and Blotts, and see what they had on the subject.

Get fit—he needed to learn to dodge better, move faster, if he was going to stand a chance in a fight. Quidditch and the vast number of stairs in Hogwarts kept him in decent condition, but he needed much more.

Study Defence and the Dark Arts—Dumbledore apparently wasn't going to bother to teach him or even provide adequate teachers for the school, so he'd best get some books and study by himself. He'd done well in Defence with the D.A. last year but as for the Dark Arts, how could he fight something he didn't understand?

Learn more about his family and finances—What else had Dumbledore been hiding from him? Strange that while the trust vault at Gringotts was supposed to be his, Dumbledore had never returned the key after Molly Weasley picked up his supplies for the past year.

Learn about Muggle ways of fighting and war—Tom despised the Muggle world; perhaps there were answers there that could help Harry fulfill his destiny.

That would do for a start, though he was sure he'd find other things to add to the list as he went along. He'd had a number of days to think about what happened at the DoM, and the about prophecy. The battle at the DoM had showed him that he had friends he could lean on; people who would follow where he lead and that both encouraged and frightened him. The Wizarding world was at war, now, or at least he was, and he was likely to be at the forefront of the conflict, just as he had been at the forefront of the conflicts with Voldemort since his first year at Hogwarts. Under those circumstances he needed friends. No one could stand alone in his situation without crumbling, and he was greatly encouraged by knowing that he wouldn't have to. But those same friends would not only be there to lend a shoulder to lean on or advice in a sticky situation, they would also be there when he went into battle. They would stand beside him and behind him, making his fight their own. And they would get hurt as they had in the DoM, again and again. That terrified him; he could lose one of them so easily, just as he had lost Sirius.

As for the prophecy, he'd come to the conclusion that, on this one thing at least, Dumbledore was right. It didn't matter whether the prophecy was true or not, Voldemort believed in it so Harry had to act as if it were gospel. Besides, Voldemort had killed too many people he cared for; he had to be stopped. Harry didn't fancy the idea of killing, but if one of them had to be dead at the end, he'd prefer it was Voldemort, thank you very much.

Over the next couple of weeks, a number of things had happened. First, he'd had it out with his dear relatives. He'd explained that he would not be doing chores; he would be studying to defeat a Dark Lord who wanted them all dead. He would cook for himself, clean up after himself, but that was it. Anything else was their problem. As they were still cowed from the events of his arrival, he'd had little problem getting them to agree.

Next, he had owled Flourish & Blotts about ordering items, and asked for a mail order listing. He'd received a response with a listing, saying that it could be charged to his vault number. He'd ordered a number of texts on Defence, Charms, and Occlumency. Then he'd begun studying, starting with Occlumency, and practicing every night before he went to sleep.

Finally, he had gone to the Little Whinging library, and checked out books on Muggle warfare and calisthenics. He wasn't prepared to start running or working out outside, too much of a chance of making himself a target, but he wanted to start on getting in shape.

While browsing at the library, he'd come across a translation of a book called The Art of War, written by a Chinese warlord named Sun Tzu in 500 BC. He'd become so fascinated by it that he'd gone out and bought his own copy. Here were many of the principles of combat, laid out in a simple and logical basis. It emphasized methods of avoiding strife where possible, winning with the least loss, but also being ruthless where battle was necessary. He found himself reading sections of it every day, and often lamenting that Magical texts couldn't make this much sense.

A side effect Harry had discovered from his Occlumency practice was that he was handling the results of the DoM fiasco, especially Sirius' death, much better than he had been. The depression was fading, and it was on his mind less and less. It didn't occur to him that this wasn't normal; after all, what did he know of the normal grieving process. He was simply relieved that he was able to focus on the things he was trying to accomplish, without the emotional distraction.

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Meanwhile, at Black Manor, Hermione was sitting at the table in her bedroom, her books laying in front of her, temporarily forgotten. Instead of studying, she was musing over the changes that had occurred in her life over the past couple of weeks. Her parents were living here at the Manor, along with Luna's father, and they were commuting to work via Portkey to their dental office and the Quibbler, respectively. She smiled in silent amusement, remembering the discussions leading to this arrangement.

Flashback

The seven of them met for breakfast the morning after their arrival. Everyone was introduced to Ted Tonks, Dora's father. He hadn't been at the meeting the previous evening, not wanting to add to the confusion. They sat down and the house elves began serving. After everyone had their food, Emma looked over to Andromeda.

"Andy, we've thought about your offer to move into the Manor, and we'd like to take you up on it for a number of reasons. First, it seems to us that Hermione would be far better protected here during her convalescence than she would be at our home. More importantly in many ways, it will give us a chance to learn more about her world and yours. We realized last night that both Hermione and the school officials have been less than forthcoming about things in the past. That, among other things, has allowed a great distance to grow between us and our daughter—a far greater distance than we are happy with now that we realize it."

Dan cut in, "We'd like to try and bridge that gap. Obviously we can never be as much a part of your world as Hermione is, but we'd like to have at least a foothold in the Wizarding community. Since it's obvious that space isn't an issue in this house, our biggest concern is how we manage to get to our office each day. Well, that and collecting the car from King's Cross before it's completely vandalized."

"No need to worry about either of those things," Andy responded with a smile. "I can set you up with a multi-use Portkey that will let you transport between your rooms here at the Manor and a private part of your office where no one will see you. As for the car, we can Portkey to King's Cross this morning, and pick up your car. If you'll allow me to accompany you to your office today, you can show me where you'd like the transport keyed to and I can Apparate back here."

Hermione interrupted at this point. "I thought all Portkey travel was supervised and restricted by the Ministry. Won't this get all of us into trouble?"

Andy grinned. "If we were anyone else, yes, it would. However, Portkey travel was developed by a member of the Black family back in 1873, and licensed to the Ministry by Phineas Nigellus, then Head of the Black Family. A portion of the fees collected by the Ministry are assigned to the Black Family Trust, and the Black Family Head and his or her designees are exempt from all Ministry regulations and restrictions on Portkey travel. Phineas really knew how to write a contract. So, I can provide your parents with a Portkey to their offices, and Edmund with one to the Quibbler and the Ministry need be none the wiser."

End Flashback

That morning had been the start of Hermione's latest introduction to the inner workings of the Wizarding world, including how the rules differed depending on where you ranked in Wizarding society. Andromeda had been bred to this, being educated to ultimately take her place as a Family counselor, and discovered that she had an eager student in Hermione. As a result, she was glad to begin the young woman's education, instructing her not only in the interactions of prominent Wizarding families but also in the intricate web of rules and regulations designed to govern the balance of power in the Wizarding world. The planned lessons delighted both Hermione, who loved learning anything, and Andromeda, who was well aware of the future benefits that could arise from them.

Hermione also found herself reflecting on the developing relationships among Dora, Luna and herself. They had been using the pensieve Andy had provided each evening, taking turns showing parts of their pasts to the others, one person each evening. One of the side effects of this had been that no bed other than Hermione's had been used since that first evening. The events that the three of them were reviewing were often highly emotional, and they preferred to have one another's company after the viewings. There had been no physical interactions beyond a little kissing and cuddling, but the emotional sides of the relationships were growing rapidly from the support they were providing to one another and, for now, they were content with that.

She jumped, startled when two arms were wrapped around her, then relaxed back into them and purred as she recognized the grip. "Good morning, Dora-love," she said, turning slightly in the chair to face the white-haired metamorphmagus. They exchanged a brief but intimate kiss, before Dora sat down in the chair next to her.

"Where's Moonbeam?" asked Hermione.

Dora snorted. "Still slug-a-bed, wrapped in a ball in the center." She pointed back to the bed where a small lump could be seen in the middle of Hermione's bed, Crookshanks happily curled up at the base. Dora's expression sobered. "I think she's still a bit worn out from last night's pensieve session."

Hermione's face matched Dora's, almost frightening in its expressionlessness. Luna had shown them a number of her experiences at Hogwarts. The bullying, teasing, and thefts had left both of the older girls weeping tears of fury. Hermione didn't know how Dora felt, but there were a few people she was looking forward to getting her hands on when school started up again. She was sure that with a little research here in the library, she could come up with some charms that were far more… interesting, than what she had used on the DA contract.

"So, what are your plans for the morning?" Hermione glanced over at the mantle clock. Seeing that it was 12:30, she amended, "Make that the afternoon. My, we were tired, weren't we?"

Dora nodded. "Well, I know that Mum wanted to talk with us after lunch. I think she's finally ready to talk to us about her plans. And not before time either, since my medical leave from the DMLE is up today, so I'll be going back to work, and back on guard shift at Harry's relatives tomorrow. Tell you what, I'll go downstairs and tell her we're having a late lunch, and we'll meet her in the library at 3 o'clock. You get our little Moonbeam out of bed, washed up, and dressed, and I'll come back up with the house elves and lunch."

Hermione nodded her agreement, not even reacting to the comment about house elves. One of the things that convalescing here at Black Manor had offered was an opportunity to learn more about the Wizarding world, particularly parts she'd never learned about at Hogwarts. House elves had been one of those parts. After reading several books, and speaking politely with a couple of the elves, she understood better how bonding increased the elves powers, and protected them. She now realized how misguided S.P.E.W. had been. She still wanted to help the house elves, but understood that insisting on freedom for them was the wrong approach. Finding ways to protect them from abuse and provide them with more rights would be much more productive.

Hermione rose from the table as Dora left the room, tied her satin dressing gown more securely, and walked into the bathroom. She filled the tub with warm water and lavender-scented bubbles, one of Luna's favourites. Then she stepped back into the bedroom, and, walking over to the bed, looked down at Luna with an evil grin on her face. She still owed Luna for having embarrassing her with her behavior in the Hospital Wing, and thought that this was a perfect time to collect. She picked her wand up from the bedside table and waved it, making the bedclothes peel away from Luna's naked form. Crookshanks, who was now buried in blankets, crawled out from under the covers and gave Hermione a dirty look to which she replied with an apologetic shrug. Then with an evil gleam in her eye, she levitated the sleeping Luna, and floated her into the bathroom and over the tub. She cancelled the levitation spell just as the girl was poised above the water.

Luna found herself jolted from her dreams as her body hit the bathwater. Sputtering, she surfaced and pushed her wet hair back out of her face. Hearing a strange noise, she looked up to see Hermione kneeling next to the tub, with both of her hands covering her mouth trying to suppress her giggling. Luna smiled her dreamy smile and sat up in the tub, wrapping her arms around Hermione's neck and pulling her close for a kiss. Leaning back slightly, she cocked an eyebrow at her bushy-haired friend. "So, did the Snifflewumps try and drown me?"

Hermione just smirked. "Consider it payback for some of your attempts to embarrass me, love. Dora asked me to get you cleaned up, she never said how."

Luna smiled once more. "Well, we wouldn't want to disappoint Dora, would we? I suppose you'll just have to help me get clean." Moving her hands around to the front, she untied the belt of Hermione's dressing gown and opened it, pushing it off of her shoulders. It fell to the floor, leaving Hermione kneeling naked beside the tub. Luna gently ran one finger down Hermione's healing scar. It was much improved, and only a week or so remained until Hermione could stop taking the medication.

Hermione squirmed a little, somewhat uncomfortable with what was happening. "Moonbeam, I'm not sure… I mean…"

Luna silenced her by laying a finger on her lips. "I know, love, I'm not pushing you. None of us are ready for that next step together yet. We'll know when the time is right. For now, just join me in the bath."

Hermione eased herself into the tub. Luna picked up a soft sponge, put some liquid soap on it, and began soaping Hermione's chest. Hermione lay back against the end of the tub, wrapping her legs gently around Luna's torso. She began to purr as Luna spread the gently scented liquid over her breasts and across her stomach. Hermione was the least in touch with her body of the three girls, but she was beginning to accept the simple pleasures of sight and smell and touch. The soft feel of the sponge sent little shivers through her as she basked in the attentions of her newest love. Gentle fingers followed in the wake of the sponge carefully washing every inch of her breasts and tracing strange designs across her stomach.

Then Luna leaned forward, trailing a line of kisses along Hermione's neck, and pressed her breasts against her chest. "Mmm, this is a nice way to wash, isn't it, dearest?"

"Oh, yes," Hermione wriggled, spreading the suds on her body onto Luna's. "I think I like it rather a lot. You make a very nice bath sponge, so soft and smooth." She snagged the sponge out of Luna's hands and began to wash her back, keeping the lithe Ravenclaw pressed firmly against her.

For the next half hour the two played in the tub, soft touches interspersed with gentle kisses as they explored each other's bodies. Hermione learned every inch of Luna's body, a corner of her agile mind cataloguing places that she would one day exploit in sexual play, while the rest of her being floated in the gentle sensuality of this special time. She found that she loved having her hair washed by someone else, a feeling she barely remembered from her childhood. And to her surprise, she discovered the great joy of washing Luna's hair. Apparently this was one of the more sensitive places on Luna's body, as she wriggled with delight when Hermione buried her hands in the blond tresses and massaged shampoo into them.

They had barely finished rinsing the foam from their bodies and were once more kissing when Dora popped her head into the bathroom. "What are you two still doing in the tub? Hermione, you were supposed to be getting Moonbeam out of bed, not getting both of you ready to get back into bed!"

Hermione pouted and splashed water at her lover, who was now sporting purple curls. "Spoil-sport. You just wish you were in here with us. Honestly we were just about to get out."

"That's not what it looked like to me," Dora smirked at the two.

"Don't be silly Dora," Luna answered "Hermione was simply making sure that she had cleaned all the Pliff-whits out of my hair."

"Right… Pliff-whits…" Dora shook her head, extended a hand to help Luna out of the tub, and kissed her. Picking up a towel, Dora said, "If I didn't know you…" Once Luna was wrapped up she helped Hermione out of the tub and wrapped her in another white fluffy towel, giving a kiss to her as well. "Breakfast—or I guess I should call it lunch—is on the table in the bedroom. And I'm hungry, so hurry your sweet little bums out of here and into some clothes. I'll never be able to concentrate on my breakfast otherwise." She spurred them along in front of her with light swats to the bums under discussion, with squeal and giggles aplenty.

Moments later, after sliding into comfortable lounging robes and casting drying charms on their hair, they were all seated around the table enjoying hearty servings of Eggs Benedict and fresh juice. They ate in companionable silence, each one lost in their own thoughts. Hermione and Luna were both thinking about their time together in the bath, and lost in a desire to spend some more time doing the same. Dora was watching them both with a small secretive smile. She'd been delighted to find them both that way, as she knew from personal experience how difficult it was for Hermione to open up physically to someone, and was glad to see that she and Luna were making progress in that arena. She was also looking forward to the idea of spending some time… exploring… with both girls.

They finished their breakfasts, and Dora clapped her hands smartly. Picking up her wand, she sent a Patronus message out the door of the bedroom. "Right, I've messaged Mum, telling her we'd be down in a moment and meet her in the library. First we have a talk with her, and then…"

"And then?" asked Hermione, one eyebrow cocked?

"And then I want some equal time in the tub with company!" Dora replied emphatically, her lower lip puffed out in an exaggerated pout. Hermione and Luna both giggled, and Luna leaned over and whispered in Hermione's ear. Hermione nodded, and then turned to Dora.

"I think we can arrange that. For now, let's go see what your Mum wants with us." The three girls stood, and Dora and Hermione moved towards the door. Dora looked back over her shoulder at Luna.

"Coming, Moonbeam?"

"I'll be along in a moment," Luna replied. Dora nodded and she and Hermione exited the room, heading for the library. Luna walked towards the closet, murmuring to herself.

"Now, what to transfigure, what to transfigure…" She hummed a little tune as she rummaged through the closet.

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Andromeda sat behind the desk in the library, looking at the three young women seated across from her. Dora she had known her whole life, of course, the other two she had gotten to know over the past couple of weeks. In Hermione she had found a person whose love of learning and scholarship rivaled her own. Luna was more of an enigma. She seemed so otherworldly, but then could turn and hit you with an observation so sharp it took your breath away. In any case, she had found herself becoming increasingly fond of both of them, which was going to make some of their future discussions that much more awkward.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of woolgathering, she spoke up. "Now that Hermione is largely recovered, and you as well, Dora, it's time we discussed some plans for the future. With Dora going back on shift at Harry's relatives' house, we need to make some decisions. First, there is some information I need to share with you. As we did before, I think using a pensieve," nodding towards the bowl sitting on the desk, "to show you the events involved is the best option. Since all of us here are capable, I suggest we use the immersion mode this time."

Motioning to them, she watched as the girls pulled their chairs up to the front of the desk. Then the four of them each dipped a finger into the pensieve, and the image playback began. Andy had preloaded the pensieve with a copy of her meeting with Sirius the previous January, and for some minutes they silently reviewed the memory.

When it ended, they sat back and Dora spoke. "Poor Siri, having to deal with that on his mind along with everything else last year."

Hermione shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand, what did he mean by having 'seen the Grim'?"

Andy sighed. "There is a talent, I don't know whether to call it a gift or a curse, that runs in the Black family. It's only ever manifested in the more powerful members, which Sirius certainly was. When their death approaches, they begin to see visions of a Grim, our Family's ensign. The images are never precise or particularly clear, according to Family stories, but it is possible to get an impression of when that death will occur."

"So you're saying…"

"That Sirius foresaw his death this summer, even if he didn't know exactly when or how it would occur. His actions in the memory you just saw were part of his provisions against that event, to make certain that Harry would be looked after. He didn't want to simply leave matters in the hands of Albus Dumbledore."

Hermione looked surprised. "He didn't trust the Headmaster? Why on earth not?"

"There were a number of reasons. First of all, he had become very resentful of what he saw as Albus' imprisonment of him in Number 12. Yes, I realize that he was a fugitive," she added, holding up a hand to cut off Hermione's interruption, "but given his ability as an Animagus, he felt Albus was being unreasonably strict. Rightly or wrongly, he perceived it as an attempt to separate Harry and himself."

"Next, he was extremely displeased with Albus' unwillingness to put a stop to Snape's verbal abuse of both himself and Harry. He had seen Snape's behavior towards Harry at Number 12, and had heard about it at Hogwarts from you, Harry, and Ron. He confronted Albus about it, but never got an answer he considered satisfactory. This also inclined him to be less trusting of Albus. Finally, there was another meeting he and I had a couple of months after our first." She touched her wand to her temple, withdrawing a silvery strand. She copied it into the pensieve, then replaced it in her mind. "If you will join me now, I'll show you what happened." Again, the four of them entered the pensieve vision.

Pensieve Flashback

Monday, March 11, 1996
Gringotts-Diagon Alley
7:22PM

Sirius and Andromeda appeared in a private apparation room in Gringotts, reserved for the highest ranking families in Wizarding society. He took her by the hand and led her out and through the halls to the Wills and Trusts department. Stopping at a door labeled "Bonecrusher," he knocked. The door opened, and he led Andromeda into the office.

Bonecrusher, an enormous Goblin with a toothy smile that could put a T-Rex to shame, rose from his desk and came around to Sirius, grasping him in a fond embrace. Sirius smiled, but the smile became a bit strained as his face turned progressively redder.

"Uh, 'Crusher, need… to… breathe…"

Bonecrusher released Sirius and stepped back, still grinning maniacally. Sirius gestured towards Andromeda. "Bonecrusher, this is my cousin Andromeda Black-Tonks. She and her daughter are the only members of my family I'll admit to."

Bonecrusher bowed slightly in Andromeda's direction. "Madame Black-Tonks, a pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine, Bonecrusher and please call me Andromeda."

Bonecrusher returned to his seat behind the desk and motioned them to chairs in front of it. "So, what can I do for you both today?"

"I need to bring you up to date on some things. First of all, I've named Andy as Regent to the Black Family. In the event that something happens to me, she will take over as acting head of the Family and guardian to my godson and Heir Harry Potter until he comes of age."

Bonecrusher nodded. "I assume that your Family magick has accepted her?" Andromeda showed him the Regent's ring. "Very good. And do you have all the necessary paperwork?" Sirius handed over a file folder. Bonecrusher leafed through the papers, nodding and muttering. "All right, everything seems to be in order. What else?"

Sirius reached into his pocket and withdrew a small glass globe, which he handed to Bonecrusher. "This is my updated will, witnessed by Andy. In the event of my death, it will activate, as per the ancient magicks. Since my status as a fugitive precludes going through standard Wizarding inheritance practices, I've chosen to take this approach. When it activates, contact Andy about setting up a reading. She'll provide you with the necessary listing of attendees. Also, at that time, be prepared to read the Potter wills as well."

Andromeda turned to Sirius. "Weren't the Potter wills read at the time of their death?"

Sirius looked at Bonecrusher. "'Crusher, I think you'd better explain it to her."

Bonecrusher looked at Andromeda seriously. "No, the Potters' wills were never read. They chose to seal their wills with a blood bonding, an unusual step, but perfectly valid. There are only three people who could open those wills after their deaths: Harry Potter, but only on his seventeenth birthday, when he comes of age; Sirius, as his Godfather, but he'll have to explain to you why he's chosen not to; and finally, Lorelei Lovegood, now deceased, Harry's Godmother. There has been only one attempt to open it, on November 1, 1981, by Albus Dumbledore. When told of the blood bonding, he left."

Sirius turned to Andromeda, "Andy, I won't open the will, despite many efforts by Albus Dumbledore to convince me to do so. If I were free that would be one thing, but given my status in the Wizarding world, I'd have no control over the outcome. I suspect Albus tried to access the wills after James and Lily died, to determine what was in them. I also suspect that he never told Lorelei about her access to them, for fear that she would remove Harry from the custody of the Dursleys and his control. Albus wanted me to activate the will, but only with him here "to protect me and Harry's interests." Given what I've told you about Harry's past and Albus' decisions, I think you can understand why I don't trust his interpretations of Harry's 'best interests'."

Andy nodded. "Yes, I do. I can't claim that I'm happy about it, but his placing Harry with Lily's sister was negligent at best, criminal at worst. However, this is a conversation that we can continue later, rather than taking up any more of Bonecrusher's valuable time." She rose along with Sirius, and made Bonecrusher a slight bow. "Farewell, Bonecrusher, may your hands ever flow with gold."

Bonecrusher smiled and bowed back. "I thank you for the courtesy, Lady. Most wizards would not treat a mere Goblin with such respect."

Andromeda snorted. "Most wizards wouldn't treat me with such respect, after the horrendous sin of marrying a muggle-born. Believe me; I've learned over the years that respect should be accorded to deeds, not station. Your deeds have shown you to be a good friend to our House. The House of Black does not forget its friends."

The three of them shook hands, and Sirius and Andromeda exited the office.

End Flashback

Andromeda lifted her head as the four of them left the pensieve vision. "So, now you can see some of the planning Sirius did, and his reasons for not trusting Albus. Let me also add that, from my own knowledge of Wizengamot procedure, Albus could have gotten him a trial with Veritaserum, either when he was first imprisoned or after he escaped. His position as Chief Warlock gives him the power. Also, contrary to what he implied to you at the end of your third year, Hermione, your Pensieve memories of Peter Pettigrew and his confession would have been admissible as evidence. The fact that he chose not to take these actions tends to indicate that he has another agenda."

Hermione, Dora, and Luna looked at one another, and Hermione sighed. "There may be more reasons than that. The night of the DoM incident, Harry had a meeting with the Headmaster. I only saw him briefly after that meeting, when he came to check on me in the Hospital Wing, but he was in a towering rage. I couldn't get anything out of him at that point, and was too drugged on pain potions to try very hard, but I suspect that there was more to the situation than merely Sirius' death. I've always trusted the Headmaster, but I'm clearly going to have to rethink this."

Andromeda nodded "I'm glad you understand. Do any of you have any other questions?"

"I had no idea that Mummy was Harry's Godmother" Luna said, a speculative look in her eyes. "I wonder what it would have been like to grow up together…"

Dora hugged Luna who cuddled close to her. Then Hermione dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It would definitely have been different for all of us, Moonbeam," she said, then turned back to Andromeda. "I do have one more question. If Harry's parents' wills are blood-bonded and both his godparents are now dead, how can they be read this summer? Harry won't be seventeen for a year yet."

Andromeda smiled despite the gravity of the subject; this was just the sort of question she had come to expect from Hermione. "When Sirius named me Regent of House Black, it gave me the power to speak with his name, both magically and legally, at least until the next Lord assumes his station. As far as the Potter will globe and its magic are concerned I am Sirius, therefore I can activate the wills." Once she saw that Hermione understood she turned to Dora. "When does your shift at Harry's begin tomorrow?"

"I relieve Mad-Eye at 5PM, when I get off-shift at the DMLE."

Andromeda tapped her chin pensively with her wand. "All right, here's what I propose. Talk to Harry when you arrive, and see if he'll be willing to come back here with you. You can let him know that Hermione and Luna are here as well, if he wants to see them. If he agrees, message me and bring him back here. The five of us can meet here, and we can discuss options."

Luna spoke up then. "Two things. First, make sure that you make it clear to Harry that you are including him in the decision-making process. He's had too many other people controlling his life; he won't trust you if he thinks you're trying to do the same." Andromeda nodded, and Luna turned to Dora. "Secondly, at some time in the near future, I'll give you a sign. When that happens, you must trust me, and revert to your base form. Please Dora, I can't explain, but I feel that this is crucial."

Dora smiled. "All right, Moonbeam, I'll trust you. Now, if there's nothing further," Andromeda shook her head, "I'm for a bath!"

Hermione and Luna shared a grin, and Luna spoke. "Why don't you fetch some spiced cider? It's excellent for warding off Griplunkers, which are known to lurk in bathwater. Then join us up in Hermione's bathroom."

Dora looked at them suspiciously. "I know you're both up to something, but I know there's no way I'll get it out of you. So, I'll just see you upstairs." She rose and left the library.

Andy looked at the two remaining girls. "I also know you're up to something, and I'll just ask you to be careful. Dora is a lot more fragile emotionally than she likes to show. Please don't hurt her."

Luna smiled gently at her. "That's the last thing either of us would do." Hermione nodded vigorously as Luna's smile turned to a smirk. "Now, someone else getting, um, hurt at some point without being harmed is a distinct possibility." Hermione stared at Luna, and blushed brightly.

Andy just shook her head. "I don't want to know, we're venturing into the territory of too much information. Now, off with you, you little scamps, before my daughter beats you upstairs."

The two girls rose, and exited the room, giggling all the way.

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Dora entered the bedroom, and looked around. There was no sign of either Hermione or Luna. Through the open doorway to the bathroom, she could hear the sound of water running.

"Luna, 'Mione, anyone here?"

Hermione responded. "In the bathroom, Dora-love. Come on in, and bring the cider."

Dora walked into the bathroom and stopped dead, her jaw dropping towards the floor. There was a bath full of bubbles being drawn and directly beside the tub were Hermione and Luna, but she'd never seen them like this. They were dressed, if you could call it that, in costumes that looked like a teenage male's fantasy of harem girls. Each had their heads down, but were staring up at Dora through their eyelashes. Clearly, they were satisfied by her reaction.

"What are you up to, you minxes?"

Hermione almost purred as she stepped towards Dora and dropped to her knees, "Merely preparing your bath, Dora. May we help you disrobe?"

At this point Dora decided to give in to the game. Her two young loves were delectable in the sheer silks and it would be a shame and more than a shame not to take advantage of the visions of sensuality they presented. Frankly, she had enjoyed the sight of the two school girls romping in the bath that morning, and the opportunity to have then both lavishing their attentions on her was, well… "Of course you may. Quickly now."

Luna crossed the room, her hips swaying sensuously and stepped behind Dora. As Hermione's nimble fingers unfastened the front of Dora's robes, Luna eased them off of her shoulders, leaving Dora standing gloriously nude in front of them. The two "slave girls" then handed Dora into the tub. Dora looked up at them, pouting slightly.

"It's lonely in here all by myself."

The two younger girls giggled, and then began slowly to undress one another. They took their time, tantalizing Dora with peeks and slow movements, until they were both naked as well. Then, Hermione slid into the tub behind Dora while Luna popped in in front of her.

Picking up a soft sponge and some liquid soap, Luna began to gently wash Dora chest and stomach. At the same time, Hermione wet Dora's hair, and began to shampoo her, gently massaging her head. Dora leaned back against Hermione and smiled, surrendering herself to the girls' ministrations.

After a while, Hermione pushed Dora forward, so that Luna could rinse and condition her hair. Then she picked up the sponge and applied the same attention to Dora's back that Luna had to her front. When they were finished, they had Dora stand up, and finished washing her from the waist down. If they occasionally allowed their hands to caress her arsecheeks, or wander gently between her thighs, Dora was not about to complain.

They then climbed out of the tub, and spent quite a bit of enjoyable time lying on the bed, drying one another off. Again, this time was used as an excuse to gently explore one another's bodies, learning each others reactions to sensual touch and massage, never quite crossing the border into overtly sexual behavior. When the drying and playing was done, they dressed again in comfortable robes and headed downstairs to dinner, having spent the rest of the afternoon in their games.

That night, as she was curled up in bed between Hermione and Luna, an arm wrapped around each with their heads on her chest. Dora looked down at Luna and said, "Moonbeam? Save the costumes from earlier. I think we can have more fun with them another time. I know two naughty little harem girls who will need more attention in future." She chuckled to herself as she felt the younger girls' nipples hardening against her skin, and drifted off to sleep.

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The next afternoon, Dora arrived at Privet Drive a few minutes before 5PM. After exchanging a brief word with Moody, she took up position as he Apparated away. She waited about ten minutes to make sure he would not return, then she cast a Silencio spell over herself and slipped into the house through the back door. Moving silently up the stairs, she eased open the door to Harry's room and slipped inside where she suddenly found a wand pointing directly at her from a shadowed corner of the room.

"Who the hell are you?" she heard a voice she assumed was Harry ask harshly.

Dropping the hood of her invisibility cloak and canceling her spell, she responded, "Wotcher, Harry. How've you been?"

The wand point never wavered as he challenged her, "How do I know you're the real Tonks, and not someone impersonating her?"

Tonks grinned. "I see Mad-Eye's lessons in Constant Vigilance are paying off." She thought for a moment. "How about this?" She transformed her nose into the pig snout that had been so popular with the younger folks at Grimmauld Place last summer.

Harry lowered his wand without even changing his expression. "All right, it's you. What can I do for you? Dumbledore send you to check up on his little weapon? I'm as fine as I'm likely to be, under the circumstances." He moved over to the bed and sat down.

Disturbed, Dora frowned at his response. She'd expected to get at least a grin with the pig snout, but there had been nothing. Considering his words, she would have expected to hear anger in his tone, but again, his affect had remained perfectly flat. As she tried to get her bearings, she glanced around her; she was amazed at how tidy the room was. It seemed almost sterile, as if no one really lived there.

Taken together with his words, the lack of emotion and the pristine surroundings were worrisome. Sitting down next to him on the bed, she took his hand and tried to explain why she was there, "Dumbledore didn't ask me to come; he doesn't even know I'm up here. I'm supposed to be on guard duty outside. I wanted to see how you were, to see how you're holding up, after S-Sirius' death and all." There was a slight catch in her voice as she spoke his name.

Harry sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to sound hostile, Tonks. Mostly, I'm tired. Tired of everything that happens to me, tired of being burdened with the expectations of the world, of being their saviour or their whipping boy depending on the phase of the moon. Tired of just feeling… feeling…"

"Alone?" Dora finished for him. At his nod, she slid off the bed and onto her knees in front of him. "You're not alone, Harry. There are other people than just me who care about you. That's the other reason I'm here. I'm extending an offer for you to come with me. I can't tell you where, the walls have ears. I can tell you that both Hermione and Luna are there, and they'd love to see you. I can also tell you that you may be able to get some answers there that you've been denied until now, along with the opportunity to make your own choices."

Harry looked down at her for a while in silence. The serious look he saw seemed out of place on the face of the happy-go-lucky young Auror. He tried to summon the cynicism that had become a part of him recently, but couldn't bring it to the surface. For whatever reason, his instincts were telling him to trust her, and they were more often right than wrong.

"OK, I'll come with you." He gave her a lopsided grin. "After all, anything's better than staring at these four walls any longer. How much should I bring? How long will I be gone?"

Dora didn't miss the fact that his grin never reached his eyes, which only made her concern increase. "I don't know how long we'll be, better bring everything." He turned and began to pack his books and parchments. He missed the sudden flash of anger in her eyes, and her mutter of, "If I have my way, you'll never be coming back to this place again." She began using her wand to help him with his packing.

When the packing was done, she shrunk his trunk and handed it to him. As he slipped it into his pocket, she took him by the arm, and they Apparated away. Seconds later, they arrived in the entry hall at Black Manor.

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To say that Harry was astounded would be a severe understatement. He had expected to find himself at the Grangers' or Tonks' home, or perhaps even the Lovegoods' house. Instead he stood in the entry of what was clearly the grandest manor house he had every seen. "Who on earth lives here?" he wondered, "And why did Tonks bring me here?" He turned his head to ask just those questions, but before he got even one syllable out he was hit by a cloud of fluffy brown hair attached to a one of his best friends.

"Harry! You're here!" Hermione exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Astute powers of observation, Hermione," he commented wryly, "but just where is here?"

"She didn't tell you? Dora! Why didn't you tell Harry where you were taking him? Though I suppose you couldn't really tell him at the Dursleys' could you. But then why haven't you told him now?"

"Probably because you haven't let her get a word in edgewise, 'Mione," a dreamy female voice added from behind the cloud of hair that still obscured Harry's vision.

"Oops, I'm sorry Harry," she said and stepped back a little bit. As she moved back, he could see Luna standing behind her, her usual otherworldly expression on her face. He turned to her smiling and opened his arms, and she came forward and gave him a hug. He couldn't see her expression change to a frown from his position, but Dora did.

Dora spoke up next. "To answer your question, Harry, you are in Black Manor. Yes, I know this isn't Number 12," she continued before he could interrupt, "but you can get all the details from my Mum. She's waiting for us in the library." She pointed to a corridor off to the left. "If you'll head down that hall to the last open door on the left, I'll join you in a moment."

Harry nodded and began wandering down the hall, looking all around him at the manor furnishings. As he left, Dora turned quickly to the two other girls.

"All right, did anyone else notice anything different about Harry?" she asked, pitching her voice so the subject of the conversation wouldn't hear them

Hermione nodded. "He's more… closed off than normal. Harry is a fairly reserved person in general, but this is extreme even for him. It's even worse if you compare it to the way his moods were this past year. He was going up and down like a manic barometer."

Luna sighed. "This is what I was concerned about. He's walled off his emotions; he's not allowing himself to feel anything. It's probably a defence to try and hide from the pain of Sirius' death, but the danger is that if it goes on for too long, the results could be explosive—literally. Emotion fuels magick, so if he bottles up his emotions for too long, when they finally break free…"

Dora nodded and then looked at Luna sharply. "You're an Empath, aren't you? I've suspected it for a while, but now I'm almost certain. You know what Harry's feeling because you can sense it."

Luna nodded. "Yes, I am an Empath—among other things. We need to discuss this in more detail later, but I'd rather wait 'til all four of us are together. Right now there's something more important to deal with. We're approaching a crucial nexus in events. Whatever happens in the next little while, it's imperative that we all remain supportive of Harry. No matter what you hear or see, do not pull back. I'll explain later, but please just trust me for now."

Dora and Hermione looked at one another, and then back at Luna. Hermione spoke. "We trust you, Moonbeam, but we'll want that explanation later."

Luna nodded, her normal dreamy expression replaced by a startlingly determined look. "Agreed, now let's catch up with Harry before he reaches the library without us."

They hurried down the hall, drawing level with Harry just in time for the four of them to enter the library together.

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Dora introduced Harry to her mother, and the four of them arranged themselves comfortably in front of the desk. After welcoming Harry to the house and apologizing for the abrupt manner in which Dora had brought him there, Andromeda explained how Sirius had appointed her as Regent to House Black, showed him a piece of parchment revealing the Secret of the location of Black Manor, and shared with him the same pensieve memories that she had shown the girls. After he had viewed her memories, Andy and the girls sat quietly giving Harry a chance to absorb what he had seen and heard.

After a short silence, Harry spoke up. "Let me see if I've got this right. Sirius," his voice caught just slightly as he said this, "named me as his heir, since he didn't have any children of his own, and he didn't want to see the Black assets going to Bellatrix or Narcissa. Then, because he didn't think he'd live past this summer, he made you Regent to House Black so you'd have the authority to look out for my interests, rather than leaving matters in Dumbledore's hands. I had a Godmother no one ever told me about, but she's dead, too. Oh, yes, and my parents' wills were never executed. Is that about the size of it?"

Andromeda nodded. "That covers what you've seen in these memories. Leaving aside the more personal matters, you should also be aware that you'll inherit more assets once your parents' wills are read."

Harry looked puzzled. "What assets? The house at Godric's Hollow was destroyed, I think, and I've already inherited the vault at Gringotts."

Andromeda's eyes widened. "That's just your trust vault, set up for your education and expenses until you turn seventeen. The Potter Family has extensive assets beyond that; they're even older than the Blacks. Like the Blacks, they hold a seat on the Ruling Council of the Wizengamot, and a seat on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Didn't anyone ever inform you of this?"

Harry had a bleak look on his face. "Chalk it up to yet another secret that Dumbledore should have told me and never bothered to. I suppose this answers the question of whether I can trust his promise from the end of last year not to keep things from me. If he'd really meant it I think he would have mentioned at least some of this, by now."

Hermione looked over at Harry. "Are you taking about the meeting you had with the Headmaster the night we came back from the Department of Mysteries? I'd never seen you as angry as you were that night."

Harry nodded. "That was the night he told me the prophecy, and I found out just how little say I had in my own life."

Dora's eyebrows rose, "I thought the prophecy was destroyed that night in the battle."

"The globe was, but the Headmaster had heard the original prophecy and showed it to me in his pensieve."

"Can you tell us what it said?"

"Yeah, I can. Dumbledore probably wouldn't like it; he told me to be very careful who I told—in fact I'm pretty sure he'd much rather I didn't tell anyone. But frankly, at this moment, I don't really give a damn what he thinks. It would be easier to show you, though. May I use your pensieve, Mrs. Tonks? you'll need to show me how to extract the memory, though. I've only used a pensieve for viewing other people's memories before."

"Of course, you can use the pensieve, Harry; in fact, it's probably yours, or will be once Sirius' will is read. But please, do call me Andy or Andromeda." She then explained how the pensieve worked, and Harry withdrew the memory from his mind, copied it into the pensieve, and then replaced it. The five of them entered the pensieve, and watched the events unfold. They saw Dumbledore's confessions to Harry, the viewing of the prophecy memory, and Harry's subsequent destruction of the Headmaster's office. When they finished and withdrew, Harry sat staring down at his hands. He looked up when he felt someone touching his shoulder to see Hermione standing beside him. In her eyes, he saw no sign of pity or horror at his fate, merely caring and determination. Looking at the others, he saw similar feelings reflected in their eyes as well.

Andromeda cleared her throat. "I think before we can do any further planning, or even have any truly meaningful discussions, we need to gather as much information as possible. In that vein, Harry, I've written a letter to Bonecrusher, asking him to schedule a meeting for the reading of Sirius' and your parents' wills tomorrow morning. If that's agreeable with you, please read over the letter and sign it at the bottom."

She handed Harry a piece of parchment:

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Gringotts Department of Wills and Trusts

Bonecrusher, Black Family Trust Representative

Pursuant to the will of the late Sirius Orion Black, Head and Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, we would like to schedule the will reading for the morning of Friday, July 12, 1996, at 10:00AM. The attendees will be as follows:

Harry James Potter

Andromeda Black Tonks

Nymphadora Cassiopeia Black Tonks

Hermione Jane Granger

Luna Lorelei Lovegood

Remus John Lupin

The first five attendees are already aware of this request, so it will only be necessary for you to contact Mr. Lupin to ensure his presence.

At the same time, please be prepared to read the wills of James Harold Potter and Lily Marie Evans Potter, pursuant to the clauses therein.

Should the proposed time present any difficulties, please notify us immediately.

Sincerely

Andromeda Black Tonks, Regent of House Black

Harry James Potter, Heir to House Black

———————————————————————————————

Harry shrugged and said, "It looks fine to me, Mrs.-er, Andromeda. I can't say I'm very familiar with legal-speak but…" He took the quill Andromeda handed him and signed his name on the bottom line. He winced at the first stroke of the pen, but continued. Once he set the quill down, however, his hand began to shake.

Hermione leaned forward and said, "Harry, are you all right?" Looking into his eyes, she gasped suddenly. The other two girls moved forward and looked at Harry's face. It had gone completely blank. His eyes were dull and unresponsive.

"Harry… Harry!" Hermione cried out. "What's the matter with him?" Just then she glanced at the quill and saw a drop of red on the point. Looking at the document, she saw his signature was in a different coloured ink. Turning sharply to Andromeda, she asked brusquely, "Was that a Blood Quill he used?"

Andromeda looked surprised. "Of course, it's standard for this type of request. What's the problem?"

"Oh, damn," cursed Hermione. "I didn't get a chance to tell any of you. Umbridge used a Blood Quill with several students last year for detention; she made Harry write 'I will not tell lies' over and over through at least 10 or 15 hours. It scarred his hand; you can still see it if you look. I think he must be having a flashback episode."

Luna shook her head. "It's worse than that, though the flashback is probably what triggered it. He's withdrawing completely into his mind, cutting off all emotional response, not merely suppressing it. If we don't reach him soon, it'll be too late." She turned to Dora, "Help me here." She began to pull Harry's chair back from the desk, and Dora quickly started to help. Luna then pushed Hermione down onto her knees in front of Harry. "Take hold of his hands and call him, 'Mione."

Hermione grabbed Harry's hands in hers, and called out his name. "Harry, Harry! Come back to me!"

Harry looked up, his eyes still distant and unfocused. "Hermione? I'm sorry you got hurt. I should have listened to you. It's all my fault. Cedric dead… Sirius dead… you hurt… Ginny hurt… Tonks hurt. All my fault… Too much pain… too much grief…" His head dropped again and his voice trailed off.

"Damn, Damn, DAMN!" Dora and Hermione both stared at the suddenly cursing Luna. "It's not working; he feels too much pain and guilt from recent events. He's pulling further away. We need to make him feel safe. Dora, switch places with Hermione."

The two girls immediately reversed places at Luna's command. As Dora took Harry's hands, Luna knelt beside her and Hermione rested her hands on Harry's shoulders. "Dora, dearheart, if ever you've trusted me, now is the time to show it. Revert to your base form, and call to him as forcefully as you can. It's our only hope."

Dora gulped, then nodded. Shimmering, she reverted to her base albino form. Staring into Harry's eyes, she called out to him. "Harry, Harry, please talk to me. Harry?"

It took a minute, but Dora kept calling until slowly, Harry's head came up and his eyes focused on her. A puzzled expression came over his face, as if he were mentally reaching for something. Suddenly his face cleared, and his head cocked in disbelief. He opened his mouth, and a small piping voice like that of a little child emerged. "N-Nymphy?"

Dora nodded furiously, tears in her eyes. "Harry-bear, do you recognize me?"

"Nymphy!" he shouted louder, and then flung his arms around her. "It hurts, Nymphy, it all hurts so bad. Make it stop!" He clung to her, sobbing as if his heart was breaking. Around them, objects in the room began to tremble and shake.

"Yes!" Luna cried, beginning to smile. "It's working. He's coming back, but we've got to make him feel safe. Dora, Apparate him up to the bed in Hermione's room, we'll be along as quickly as possible."

Dora nodded, and the two of them disappeared. Luna turned to Andromeda who was sitting stunned both by the turn of events and by the new forceful side of Luna's personality.

"Tell the Grangers and my father that we won't be down to dinner and need to be left alone. And you might as well go ahead and send off the letter to Gringotts; either we'll have him stabilized by morning or it won't matter any more."

Andromeda nodded, getting up and leaving the room to head to the Owlery.

Hermione looked up, tears in her eyes. "You mean, we could lose him?"

Luna nodded, tears forming in her own eyes. "I'm afraid so, 'Mione. He's on the ragged edge. He's had so much pain, fear, and loss in his life, he wants nothing more than to just withdraw from it all. I can't really blame him, but if he does, he'll die; his body will shut down. He will literally will his magick to kill him. I hoped we'd have more time before we reached this crisis point, to get him used to us, to people caring for him. Unfortunately, events have overtaken us, and we'll have to do it the hard way."

Luna lifted Hermione's chin in her hand, staring intently into her eyes. "You're going to have live up to your House, Hermione. You need to be brave now, braver than you've ever been. We'll all have to be. If we're going to save him, we'll have to open ourselves to him completely, knowing that we're risking rejection."

Hermione looked at Luna, first terrified, then resolute. "If that's what it takes to save Harry, then I'll do it."

Luna hugged her fiercely. "Brave heart. Come on." Taking Hermione by the hand, she led her out of the library and off to her bedroom.

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Luna and Hermione entered the bedroom, to find Dora already on the bed with Harry, his head between her breasts, rocking him and crooning to him. He was still sobbing quietly, shaking from reaction to his emotional collapse.

At once, Luna moved to the side of the bed and began pulling off her robes. She looked over at Hermione and said, "Strip. We need to do this skin to skin; there must be no barriers between the magicks in our bodies. This is why many of the old covens performed their rituals skyclad." She finished removing her robes, then helped Hermione out of her robes and knickers. Despite the situation Hermione blushed from head to toe. She'd never been naked in front of a boy before, even if he wasn't paying attention to her.

Luna turned to the bed and pulled her wand from behind her ear, pointed it at Harry, muttered an Evanesco charm, and his clothes vanished. She motioned Hermione into the bed on the other side of Harry from Dora. Hermione climbed in and wrapped her arms around Harry; he whimpered, and then relaxed into her embrace. Meanwhile, Luna pointed her wand at Dora and repeated the charm, vanishing her clothes as well. Finally, she climbed onto the bed herself and knelt, down by Harry and Hermione's feet, resting her hand on Hermione's calf, slowly tracing circles.

They could all hear words now through Harry's sobs, muffled as they were by Dora's chest. "Nymphy, I remember now; I remember. You went away; you all went away, and I was left alone. Worse than alone, with them!" There was no need to ask who "them" meant, they all remembered their impressions of the Dursleys at the station. "Why? Why did everyone leave me?"

Dora pulled Harry's head up so he could see her face. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. "Oh, Harry-bear, I didn't want to leave you, none of us did. Your parents were killed, and you'd disappeared. No one could tell me where you were. It broke my heart; I thought I'd lost you forever. I love you; I've always loved you, from the day you were born." She buried her face in his neck and wept, his arms wrapped around her.

"She isn't the only one who loves you, Harry," said Hermione from his other side, her voice ringing with the conviction of her heart. "I've loved you from the end of my first year, when I hugged the bravest boy I've ever known, my first friend, and told him what a great wizard he'd be. I've wanted to tell you so many times, but I was afraid. Afraid you'd never see me as anything but your bookworm friend, afraid I'd ruin our friendship. Well, I refuse to live in fear anymore. I love you, Harry James Potter, and I'll be yours, any way you'll have me. Friend, lover, wife, concubine" she blushed as she said this last, "it doesn't matter how but I will always be there.

Harry rolled onto his back, his right arm still wrapped around Dora, and turned his head to stare at Hermione in wonder. "I-I-I… I never knew you felt that way. I always thought you fancied Ron. I love you too, Hermione. I realized it the moment you came walking down the stairs for the Yule ball our fourth year, and I was suddenly insanely jealous of whoever you were going to the ball with. I could barely take my eyes off of you, which didn't endear me to Parvati," he said with a rueful chuckle. Then his face grew serious again.

"When you were hit with that curse in the DoM, I wanted to die. I thought you were dead, and I just wanted to lie down and die with you. Then Neville said he felt a pulse, and everything changed. I was so angry, at myself for bringing you with me, at Sirius, at Snape, but mostly at the Death Eaters. I wanted to kill them all, just to keep you safe."

He stopped talking in surprise as Luna crawled up his legs and sat down on his thighs. His eyes bulged as he realized she was naked. They bulged even further as he noticed that he was, too, and Dora and Hermione as well. He lay there, making fish-faces and blushing furiously. He tried to say something, but Luna just laid her hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Let me speak first, Harry. Like Dora and Hermione, I, too, love you. I understand being alone; I've lived that way half of my life. When I saw my mother die when I was nine, it hurt so much. I never wanted to hurt like that again, so I created a new person, "Loony" Lovegood. She was my shield from the world. As long as people thought I was that strange, they'd never get close to me, and I'd be safe from that pain. It worked very well, right up until the train ride to Hogwarts last year when I met you. Then, and throughout the whole year, you refused to believe in "Loony," you kept looking for Luna. You walked through every wall I put up as if it weren't there, until you'd crept into my heart almost without me noticing. I felt your pain after Sirius' death, and had to come to you. That's when we talked at the end of school, and that's when I accepted that I love you, and always will even if you never return the feeling." She removed her hand from his mouth.

Harry just shook his head in disbelief. "I just don't believe it. The only three women I could even consider a relationship with, and each of you are trying to tell me you love me."

Hermione raised her head up on one elbow. "Why do you say that, Harry? Why only us? I know Ginny's been in love with you forever."

Harry snorted and shook his head. "Ginny's been in love with The-Boy-Who-Lived forever. She's in love with a fantasy of a knight in shining armor, not a real person. The three of you are the only ones who've ever cared about Harry. Not the Boy-Who-Lived, not the famous Harry Potter—just Harry. Dora—my Nymphy was my true first friend, from the fragments I remember of being a toddler; and last year, you treated me like an equal, like you would another adult. You, Hermione, you've nagged me, bullied me to do my homework, and to follow the rules. You've cried over me when I was hurt. It's always been Harry you saw. Even Ron can't say that."

He looked up at Luna. "And then there's you, my strange, lovely friend. Every time you spoke to me, and I looked in your eyes, all I saw reflected back was me. No expectations, no preconceptions, just one person looking at another. You ignored the gossip, the stories, as if they'd never existed. You just treated me like me."

Then he sighed and shook his head, dropping it to his chest. "If things were different, maybe I could let myself love any of you—if I had the slightest idea what real love is. Growing up with the Dursleys, I didn't exactly learn the softer emotions. It's probably better this way, though. Better to never understand love, rather than leaving anyone behind grieving when the inevitable end arrives."

Luna grabbed his chin and pulled his head up to look him in the eyes. The dreamy, vacant expression she normally wore had vanished completely, replaced by a silvery gaze as hard as steel. Harry, Dora, and Hermione were all mesmerized by her.

"Listen to me, Harry James Potter. There is no inevitable fate. No," she said, cutting off his attempt to interrupt, "In this I know far more than you. I've heard the prophecy too, and I still tell you, there is no inevitable fate. I'm an Empath, as Dora and Hermione know, but I'm also a Seer." She grinned at their shocked expressions. "No, not like Trelawney is; like Trelawney wants to be. Sybill Trelawney is a Prophet, she can foretell future probabilities unconsciously, but she can't consciously see them. I on the other hand, am a Seer, we don't see the future, merely the future possibilities. Fate isn't set; it's our actions and choices that shape it. All I can do is sometimes see what those actions may lead to further down the road. I See a little more, and a little further, that's all."

"The prophecy says that "either must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live while the other survives." It doesn't say you have to die, just that one of you must. Well, there are three witches here who are bound and determined that if someone has to die, it will be Voldemort, not you! One of them is the smartest witch of her generation, one is possibly the most powerful witch since Morgana Le Fay; and, with no false modesty whatsoever, one is the most powerful Seer since Rowena Ravenclaw. With all that one your side, what chance does Voldemort have?"

Harry clearly didn't know how to respond. After a moment he looked up, and his voice as he spoke was very small. "I just wish I thought I had a chance of discovering what love truly is."

Luna smiled gently at him. "You may not be aware of it, but you're closer to that understanding than you believe. Anyone who's listened to you talking to us here would know that. You've always shown a kindness, a tenderness of feeling that should be inconceivable for someone raised as you were. I'd say that your capacity for love is astounding."

"Realize something, Harry. There is no one in this room that does not love you. There is no one in this room that does not love one another. If you will let us, we will help you discover the love inside you, individually and collectively. Speaking as an Empath, I can assure you that the fire burns bright within you, strong enough to warm us all."

Harry just lay there, speechless. Hermione stroked his cheek with one hand as she spoke.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm feeling completely drained." She looked at the other three, and saw their agreement. "Emotional shocks seem to have a much greater impact than any other. It may only be 7:30 or so, but I suggest that we go to sleep now, and pick this discussion up in the morning."

Everyone agreed, and Harry began trying to rise. Luna pushed him back down, and Hermione and Dora grabbed him on either side again.

"And just where do you think you're going, Mr. Potter?" asked Luna archly.

Harry sputtered. "I was going to find a bed to sleep in."

"And what's wrong with the bed you're in?" was her response.

"Agh… Er… you all… no clothes… can't…," coherent speech appeared to be beyond him at that moment.

Hermione took pity on him. "Harry, you've had the greatest shocks of all of us tonight. The last thing you need is to be alone. You need to be with us, where you know that you are safe and loved."

He tried to speak again. "But you're all… and so am I. What if I… touch something I shouldn't?"

Dora smiled down at him, chuckling a little. "Harry, you're being invited into the bed of three witches who've told you they love you. What makes you think that there's anything you could touch that we'd object to?" Her smile turned to a smirk at his almost constipated expression, and then to an evil grin. "Besides, the three of us have been sleeping together like this for weeks. What do you think of that?" A sudden squawk from Luna as part of Harry "stiffened" into her lower quarters told them all exactly what he thought of that, as well as his furious blush.

"Why thank you, Nymph, I think you've just guaranteed that I won't get any sleep tonight," said Harry with a roll of his eyes.

Hermione shook her head. "No, we all need to sleep; tomorrow is likely to be very busy, and very exhausting. Dora, if you'll check on the bedside table, you'll find a flask of Dreamless Sleep potion that Madame Pomfrey gave me. I haven't been using it much, so there are more then enough doses for us all."

Dora picked up the flask, and they each took a dose of the potion. Then Luna moved to behind Hermione, and they all crawled under the covers. Hermione and Dora each rested their heads on Harry's chest as they drifted off to sleep, Harry succumbing immediately after them. Luna wrapped her left arm over Hermione, and rested her hand on Harry's stomach.

"Sleep, my love, tomorrow will take care of tomorrow. Rest in our bed, our arms, and our love. We'll catch you if you start to fall."

With that, Luna let herself drop into the arms of Morpheus as well.

Author's Notes:

Wolf- Well, here's another chapter posted. Sorry about the slight delay, I ended up getting a nasty head injury last week, and it's thrown off my writing schedule a bit. However, the good news is that the first chapters of a couple of other stories are well in progress, and should be posting soon.

A couple of notes on things in the developing story. First of all, regarding Dora. I know that "Tonks in her base form is unattractive to everyone but Harry, prompting them to fall madly in love" has become a cliche, but that's not what I'm doing here. The point isn't that Dora is unattractive in her base form, she's actually quite beautiful. The point is her self-image. She grew up knowing that she looked different than everyone else, and to an adolescent, particularly a girl, different tends to equal bad, as most kids just want to fit in. Her parents, Harry's parents, and Harry are the only ones that never paid attention to how she looks, and that is why she see's him differently. Their love for one another is founded in a connection made in their childhood, not a recent development.

Secondly, it may seem strange that Dora has gotten involved with two underage witches. I intend to go into more detail on the background later, but for now let me just say that I'm not going to be rigorously sticking to JKR's population numbers, and that in my view of her world, Witch births outnumbered Wizard births about 5 to 2. Because of this, there will be societal differences regarding marriages and other relationships, and intimate relationships between witches are not only not taboo, but accepted, as long as all participants are beyond puberty.

Rose- Well, we've gotten Harry and the girls together, now we'll just have to see where things go from here. Hopefully Wolf will not be attacked by any more ceiling fans trying to scramble his brains, and we can get the next installment to you in a reasonably timely fashion. As you can tell from Wolf's last comment, some of the plot bunnies have made it through the fence and into the garden, but I'm still trying to fight the other's off, or at least herd them into hutches for later development. Now where did I put the carrots I dosed with a sleeping potion?