A/N: Here is the next chapter. I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews I have been getting, you guys are great!
Classes resumed but no one in the castle could escape the somber mood. The attack on the Burrow hadn't been the only one over the Christmas Break, and the castle was full of mourning students. Ron and Harry had temporarily called a truce in their fighting to allow Ginny to properly grieve with her brother. Whenever Ron would start arguing with Harry, Hermione could be heard quietly reminding him that this was a time to put aside differences and unite. Harry would send her a grateful smile each time she did.
Even the thick comforting blanket of snow on the ground couldn't revive the mood. While normally comforting and beautiful, the covering of white only seemed to enhance the mood of cold and fear that seemed to quietly lurk beneath the surface, threatening to overtake the citizens of the castle.
Care of Magical Creatures was particularly bad, as the whole school was forced to wait in the cold outside. Harry stood, with multiple warming charms on himself, Ginny and Tonks huddled within his coat flaps. They had only been outside for a few minutes, and the first years were almost finished with their lesson with the dragon. Absentmindedly, Harry noticed the dragon was quite awake today, restless and moving about. Ginny's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Wish the bloody firsties would hurry up. Freezing out here." Ginny shivered and Harry gathered her closer to his chest. He frowned as his warming charm seemed to be swallowed up by the cold. Perhaps the magic in the Hogwarts grounds made the cold impervious to warming charms.
"You know, I didn't notice it was cold out. Thanks for enlightening me." Tonks voice came out muffled from Harry's chest, but Harry could still clearly hear the sarcasm dripping out. Ginny responded with a tight pinch on Tonks' upper arm, which the elder girl quickly reciprocated. Harry was grinning at the little catfight within his clothing but stopped once he felt the side effects of having two cold angry witches fighting while they are pressed against you.
Harry was suddenly forced to bend, the force of an elbow being shoved in to his midsection causing him to reflexively hunch. Perhaps more unfortunately for Harry, both girls were knocked heavily in to the snow. Both rose menacingly, shaking snow from their coats and hair angrily. Finished cleaning off, they turned towards a cowering Harry, who was mumbling apologies.
Both girls grabbed handfuls of snow when a blaring alarm was heard throughout the grounds. The impromptu snow fight was forgotten as all three looked around cautiously, Harry stepping closer to the girls protectively. The dragon guards were flying around, yelling orders to each other. A sudden roar broke though the snow and everyone turned to the dragon trying to squeeze through a strange crack in the air. A red wall could be seen extending from where the dragon was moving, though it disappeared in to the air gradually on both side, and with a start, Harry realized what happened.
"The wall must have fallen. We wouldn't be able to hear the dragon if it was up." His remaining words were drowned out as the dragon roared and with a final lunge, slipped through the crack in the wall. Harry stepped between the girls and the dragon. He turned worriedly towards the class that was currently watching the dragon. The first-years were running towards the second protective wall, which the dragon keepers, led by Charlie, were reinforcing. Hagrid was shepherding them through, and Harry relaxed slightly as he saw the group in danger dwindling.
Suddenly, Harry's heart fell as he saw a first year in green robes fall in to the snow, clutching his ankle. Harry looked up and saw Hagrid not notice. The professor stepped over the invisible line marking the second wall. Harry's eyes set, and whipping his coat of the girls, left them at a flat run.
The girls both yelped as they felt and saw Harry leave them at a dead sprint, towards the dragon and downed boy, cloak flapping dramatically behind him. They could see Hagrid breathe a sigh of relief but he frowned as he saw Harry blaze past him. "'Arry, No!" The half-giant called out but it was no use. Harry was moving quickly, though the dragon was approaching the boy relentlessly, eyes locked on the Slytherin.
Harry finally reached the downed boy, who was shuddering in fear and pain as he held his ankle. Harry threw off his cloak and settled it around the boy as he felt a shadow cover both of them. As the boy's eyes widened in fear, Harry whispered a few words of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Harry steeled himself, before turning around slowly.
The dragon was enormous and dangerously close. The green eyes, darker than Harry's own, were narrowed in rage and, Harry noted, fear. Harry held his hands up non-threateningly and crouched low, desperately trying to communicate his subordination to the dragon in universal body language. Harry was dimly aware that the air was still and no one moved, the closest help more than 40 feet away in the persons of Headmaster Dumbledore, and Professors McGonagall, Hagrid and Snape. He frowned slightly at the thought that they couldn't get closer but quickly wiped it off his face. He glanced up at the giant dragon's face, hoping that it had gone by unnoticed.
Judging the actions of the dragon, it hadn't. The dragon breathed a low growl out, drenching Harry and the boy in smoke, before drawing in a long breath. Harry cursed under his breath, ignoring Hagrid's yell. As he extended his wings, he dove over the boy, curling both of them up in a ball and encasing them in his wings. A moment later, he felt the heat of the flame cover them, delivered from the dragon's mouth no more than ten feet away.
By this time Ginny and Tonks had caught up to the Professors. Both girls screamed as they saw the plume of flame cover Harry's huddled form. Tears sprung to their eyes as they locked on to Hagrid's arms for comfort. The gasp from the normally completely in control Transfiguration Professor alarmed them almost as much as the actual act. Almost.
The flames seemed to go on forever. The snow in a fifteen foot radius around the fire was melted away in moments, revealing the brown and quickly roasted ground. Ginny unconsciously remembered Charlie telling them that dragon fire can burn to up to 2000 degrees, and that was without the magical strength. As the flames died, the dragon rose up and roared again. It dropped its head and looked maliciously at the Professors group. Dumbledore raised his wand, about to curse the dragon in to oblivion in his anger. The Headmaster's aura was extended and obvious, and his eyes were flashing.
"No, don't." The voice halted Dumbledore in his tracks, as the blackened mass that had been Harry moved slowly. The voice was weak and strained. The dragon was almost as surprised as the humans and whipped its head around and looked at the rising form of Harry. Ginny and Tonks held each other watching their boy stand waveringly. His robe had been totally destroyed, as had the t-shirt that he wore under it. His jeans had been protected due to the angle of the blast. His back covered in severe burns, especially the narrow gap that was less protected in-between the joints of his wings. His wings were blackened and charred as they had taken the brunt of the blast. He looked like a corpse raised from the dead.
Harry locked eyes with the dragon, who prepared another blast of fire.
Please Mother of the Fire, do not hurt us. We mean you no harm. The dragon halted abruptly, and leveled her head at Harry. The watching wizards held their breath as Harry locked eyes with the enormous being.
Men with sticks normally cannot speak my language, One Who Has Survived the Fire. Harry smirked before bowing low, ignoring the searing pain in his back as he did.
I am not a normal man. I am part of two different Magical Beings. What you would the Bloodsuckers and the Moonchildren. I do not wish to harm you. I want to return this hatchling to safety. As he finished, Harry indicated the crying Slytherin boy on the ground. The dragon studied him for a moment, before bobbing her head slowly. Harry smiled and with a quiet snap, the boy was levitated towards the teachers. Originally startled in to stillness, a soft moan from the boy awakened them. Snape bustled him off to the Hospital Wing. Harry turned back towards the dragon.
Mother of the Fire, please return to your space. Your wing is badly damaged and my friends want you to heal. When you attempt to fly it is re-injured. Please wait there until it does. Harry said this while pointing to the obvious tear in the dragon's right wing.
Who are these friends you speak of?
The large half-giant behind me, who is known as Hagrid by our kind is one. He is very gentle. And the older redhead who works with you, who is known as Charlie. Both only want you to heal. The rest of us are only Hatchlings and what you could call Instructors. We only wish to study your amazing form. The dragon showed her teeth in a smile. She could understand the thinly veiled compliment. She nodded regally before responding.
Very well One Who Survived the Fire, I will do as you ask. I will wait patiently. You stopped Long White Beard from attacking. That is a debt I will repay someday as I have injured you needlessly. Go in peace to your nest. The dragon smiled again at Harry, drawing gasps from the crowd watching with baited breath. The dragon smile was quite a sight, as it included mainly a baring of the teeth.
Harry knew better than to deny the dragon of her sense of duty. Thank you Mother of the Fire, I will call upon you when needed, though I hope I will never have to. Go in peace to your nest. The dragon nodded a final time before turning around awkwardly. To everyone's amazement, she slowly but surely shuffled her way to her enclosed area, and settled in to watch. The dragon keepers quickly repaired the wall behind her.
Harry picked up his discarded cloak. The Professors, along with Ginny and Tonks began to make their way to Harry when he whistled loudly. Everyone stopped as a commotion was heard by the castle entrance. Suddenly, two blurs, one black and one white came hurtling out. Apollo and Artemis flew through the snow to Harry's side. Ares was curled on Apollo's back. Prometheus flamed in to existence above Harry and Athena zipped down from the sky. All the animals gathered around Harry carefully. The teachers stopped, wary of the animals. Ginny and Tonks kept going despite the warnings from the teachers.
To everyone's surprise, Apollo and Artemis, who had been growing loudly at everyone around them affectionately rubbed against the girls' legs as they allowed them to pass. Harry smiled at the girls who were afraid to touch him. He handed Ginny his cloak, and withdrew both swords from the scabbard on his back. The swords were untouched, much to many people's shock. Dragon's fire was one of the most magically and physically powerful things in the universe. Harry handed the swords to Tonks who held them carefully. They didn't shock her as she thought they would but sat in her hands as if they were perfectly normal swords. The girls watched as the boy they both held in their hearts wavered a bit. Up close, the burns and cuts were magnified and even more gruesome.
Harry's voice was small and only Ginny and Tonks could hear it. "Son of a bitch; that hurt." With that, his eyes rolled back in to his head and he collapsed face down in to the snow. The girls yelped and the teachers again tried to help him. But they were rebuffed by the animals again. Prometheus, after depositing a few tears in selected places, grabbed on to Harry's hair lightly but securely. Athena did the same with the hem on his jeans above his sneakers. They slowly lifted him off the ground, his body hanging limply between him, face down. Ares slid off of Apollo and went to Harry's exposed stomach and helped support it. Apollo and Artemis carefully went midway down the wings and each supported one wing, lifting them clear of the ground by slipping under the wing and placing it on their back.
After a shared glance, Ginny and Tonks went to the head of the strange group and started walking slowly to the castle. The teachers and students parted silently, watching the strange parade across the grounds. As they passed the other 6th year Gryffindors, Neville slipped out and joined the group from behind. His hand held on his wand tightly as he followed a few feet behind Harry's dragging feet, eyes darting back and forth, almost daring anyone to take advantage of Harry in this state. The Professors followed a few yards behind Neville, slowly followed by the rest of the still silent study body.
The student body had watched the completely silent and perfectly executed rescuing mission. With no words, the mood of the castle changed. From a helpless fear, it had changed in to a determination. The sight of Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, part vampire and werewolf step in to the path of a flame blast intended for a nameless Slytherin first year had shook them. It was a completely selfless act and his friends could have told you; it wasn't his first. If Harry could do all that, the silent resolution was made to make every effort to do their part.
As Dumbledore made his way to the castle, steps behind Neville, he noticed the atmosphere change noticeably in the student body and he smiled grimly. Harry Potter always did affect things around him in a most peculiar way. Intended or not, Harry Potter had just united the school more than any speech or scheme developed by the Headmaster could dream of.
Harry was moved to his own room once he arrived in the hospital wing. Until the wings healed a sufficient amount, he would need to keep them outstretched. So he was laid face down on a bed in the middle of the room. Each wing was fully extended and laid securely on beds on each side of Harry. Harry was constantly accompanied by Ginny or Tonks and if schedules allowed it, both at them. Harry woke up after five days. He had severe burns down his back and even worse on his wings. The minor scratches had healed over his first night in the Infirmary. His back healed fairly quickly as his werewolf and vampire genes combined to make him quite a quick healer. But the wings took a bit longer as Madam Pomfrey didn't have any experience with healing wings on a human body. She, along with Professor Snape, did not want to mix potions when the effect is unknown. So all they could do was keep pain potions running through his body and let them heal naturally. This took another two weeks. Finally, Madam Pomfrey allowed Harry to retract the wings in to his back. The action of this was so painful for Harry that he dug his nails in to the wooden headboard of his bed, leaving marks there for all to see.
Two days later, Harry was sitting in his hospital bed reading quietly. Ginny was just about finished with Transfiguration and was expected any second. Tonks was sitting on the bed with him, curled to his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her. She was alternating between dozing and distracting Harry from his book. Harry had taken to smacking her lightly on the top of the head whenever she did it. Right as Harry reached to smack her for the seventeenth time, a loud commotion was heard outside Harry's room.
Madam Pomfrey's voice could be heard echoing through the general area of the Wing. "I will not allow these animals to invade my clean room!" Suddenly a slight scuffle could be heard and the door banged open. Apollo and Artemis came in quickly followed by Ginny and an irate Madam Pomfrey. The nurse was quite flustered and red in the face. Ginny had clearly ran down from Gryffindor Tower, as she was breathing heavily. Apollo hopped on the bed quickly settling on Tonks' legs and barking roughly at Harry. The nurse was shushed by Ginny while Harry attentively listened to Apollo. Suddenly his face whitened and he looked worriedly at Artemis. The female wolf was tiredly growling, lying on the floor next to the bed. Harry turned to Ginny and whispered something in her ear and she rushed off. Tonks and Madam Pomfrey looked at Harry who struggled out of bed and settled down next to Artemis, cradling her head in his lap, stroking the fur behind her ears lovingly. Tonks finally got Harry's attention though he continued to rub Artemis' head.
He finally realized that Tonks and Madam Pomfrey were totally in the dark. With a smile that went from ear to ear, he answered. "Artemis is having her pups." Tonks whooped excitedly as Madam Pomfrey tried to maintain a stern face but couldn't hide the slight smile that appeared on her face. Artemis had gotten pregnant in the beginning of the year and Harry had been quite excited. She had become sick and Harry had been worried before Hagrid had announced her condition. As Artemis was sick at the time, Harry had picked up a full grown Apollo and jumped around the hospital wing.
After waiting for a couple minutes, Ginny burst in to the room followed by a whooping Hagrid and a few younger Ravenclaws who had seen the exuberant half-giant going down the halls. "'Arry, great ta see Artemis finally birthin' those pups." Hagrid settled down next to Artemis and Harry, Apollo leaping down with them. Hagrid barked out some orders and surprisingly, Madam Pomfrey jumped to it. Ginny and Tonks hovered nearby and were eventually told by Harry to help Apollo settle down. Like a nervous husband, Apollo was pacing nervously up and down the room panting, nails clicking loudly on the tiled floors. After much coaxing by the girls, he finally settled down, lying down next to Harry, letting Ginny and Tonks whisper words in to his pointed ears.
After three long and exhausting hours, the two pups were birthed safely. Artemis was exhausted but safely feeding her pups. Both pups had bright green eyes following their parents and Harry. Both were male. One was a smoky gray, with a yellow patch over his back, with tendrils of yellow snaking up to his head and down to his tail. Apollo related from Artemis that he was named Helios. The younger of the two was also a smoky gray, but with bright golden paws, and Apollo announced to Harry who passed it on to the rest of the gathered witches and wizards that his name was to be Midas. By this time, Professor McGonagall had arrived, accompanied by the Headmaster and over two dozen students who had heard the news.
Both pups sleepily wandered away from their mother and over to Ginny and Tonks. Hesitantly, both girls looked to Harry for permission who, after a moment of conference with Artemis and Apollo, nodded.
"Go ahead; they trust you with their pups." Ginny reached down and picked up Helios while Tonks scooped up Midas. Suddenly Artemis yelped and Harry swung around to look at her. His jaw fell and he turned slowly to Ginny and Tonks, who were frozen, worried they had hurt the pups.
"Artemis says…that you are to bond with the pups. They will be your familiars…" Both girls' jaws dropped and they looked down to the pup in their arms. The Headmaster's eyes twinkled at the development and Professor McGonagall raised a hand to her mouth in surprise. The whispers of the students got louder as the news was passed back through the crowd. Suddenly, both girls locked eyes with their respective pup. There was a brief interlude during which Hagrid finished cleaning Artemis up. Apollo lay by her side nuzzling her gently while she watched her pups bond with her familiar's mates with a wolfy smile on her face. Harry sat with his two wolves, scratching them gently with a smile on his face.
Both girls jumped slightly and cradled the pup in their arms gently. Harry knew that the bonding process was over and smiled. Artemis and Apollo were only too happy for their pups to bond with Ginny and Tonks. The girls brought the pups back to their mother and allowed them to nurse. Both girls whipped around with tears in their eyes and Harry frowned.
"What's wrong?" Before he could ask again, both girls leapt in to his arms holding him tightly. Ignoring the multitudes of people watching the nursing pups, Tonks kissed Harry deeply. Right after she let him go, Ginny replaced her.
After they separated, Ginny threw him a worried glance. "Harry, are you sure? I mean, doesn't Artemis and Apollo want to spend time with them first?" Ginny asked worriedly, as they watched the mother and father of the pups nuzzling them affectionately.
"Guys, trust me. They couldn't have asked for a better familiar for either of their pups. Magical wolves can survive on their own but live longer and happier lives with familiars. They were worried that they were going to bond with some stranger. So here's how I think it can work. Artemis will spend the night in your room with the pups as they need to be with you to establish the connection. During the day, Apollo will stay with them so Artemis can spend some time with me. " The girls nodded, still slightly shocked over the turn of events. "The more time they spend with you, the closer you will become. Soon you will be able to understand their little yelps and barks and after that, the telepathic connection will be established. It will be about 5 months for everything to finish."
The girls hesitantly held the pups as Harry led Artemis and Apollo back upstairs. Artemis was introduced to the girls' room where she settled in. Apollo sadly left the girls and went back to Harry's room. Harry stayed up in the girls' room making sure that Artemis was comfortable before reluctantly leaving and staying up late with Apollo, who was slightly depressed over the temporary loss of his mate.
Classes settled in to the normal routine and the girls of Gryffindor Tower routinely cooed over Midas and Helios, though Artemis and Apollo weren't comfortable with the large crowds. The two pups were getting along grandly with their respective familiars and were growing quickly. Ginny asked Harry about it and he informed her that as magical wolves, they grow very quickly. Artemis and Apollo were barely over two years old but already considered fully grown by normal wolf standards.
During a potions class one day, Ginny finished her potion and handed her sample in to Snape. After insuring that he didn't intentionally break it, she Vanished the remnants of her potion and started packing her bag up. Suddenly, she heard a sound from her now-empty cauldron and glanced inside. A rock was crudely tied to a paper in her cauldron. She glanced around and saw no one around her who could have thrown the rock in. Since her relationship with Harry had gotten around, many of the 5th years were avoiding her. Glancing around, she grabbed the paper and read the note quickly. 2nd floor corridor, midnight, receive your heart's desire. Ginny initially threw it in to her bag without a second glance. Throughout the day, she kept glancing at the note. Finally she decided to go check it out. Worse come to worse, it was just some Slytherin trying to get her caught out of her bed after hours.
January was in full swing and the cold snap had fallen off a bit. Harry had taken to long walks at night before his training, winding his way through the castle corridors. He could effortlessly avoid Filch and Mrs. Norris was afraid of him, as she could smell his wolf side. The only problems were Dumbledore who usually let him walk away and Snape who he managed to avoid.
The corridors were dark and damp; the snow that had stopped falling was thoroughly soaked in to the castle walls. As Harry turned the corner of a somewhat unfamiliar hallway, he stopped and effortlessly slid to the wall, disappearing in to the shadows.
A slight whistling was heard, and the tall regal figure of Blaise Zabini slid in to view. Harry was quite unfamiliar with Blaise, as the boy was a Slytherin of his own year. Any attempt to communicate with him would have meant dealing with Draco Malfoy and that was most unwanted. As Harry watched the Slytherin glide down the hallway, he thought back to his interactions with the boy. He was intelligent, with good grades in most classes. He had a normal Slytherin attitude but not nearly as arrogant as Malfoy. But he had the typical Slytherin cunning and deep thinking. Surprisingly, Harry recalled that Blaise had been one of the few Slytherins who didn't accuse Harry of being Slytherin's Heir in his second year.
Harry was roused from his thoughts when he saw Blaise smirking, standing in front of him. "Potter. Nighttime stroll?" Harry's face must have betrayed his shock at being seen. Blaise's smirk grew. "Your eyes, Potter. Awfully bright lamps in this darkness." Harry shook his head ruefully and stepped out of the shadows.
"What are you doing up Potter? Awful late to be wandering the halls." Blaise watched Harry with a calculating look.
"I could say the same to you Zabini. Vampires love to walk at night. I have an excuse." A sly wink from Harry accompanied the end of the sentence, causing Blaise to arch an eyebrow imperiously, followed an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
"Just a stroll, Potter. Nothing more." Harry was about to retort wittily but stopped. He glanced away from Blaise, and sniffed the air.
"Snape's coming Zabini. That oily scent is all over his dungeon. He won't care if he catches you, but I best disappear. 'Till tomorrow." A slight smirk escapes Harry as he disappeared in a whirl of soft black smoke.
Harry reappeared on the other side of the castle in an older corridor on the second floor. Harry made his way casually around, his footsteps making no noise as he moved silently through the castle he thought of as home. After another fifteen minutes of this, he decided to head back to the dorm and made his way up towards Gryffindor Tower.
As he contemplated what he would teach in tomorrows, or as it was early morning, today's DA meeting, he heard sounds of a struggle from ahead of him. He turned the corner, leaning in to the wall and peaked out. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched in to tight fists.
Ginny was pressed against the wall, Malfoy much too close to her for Harry's liking. Crabbe and Goyle stood behind Malfoy, attempting to look threatening but succeeding in only looking stupid. Ginny was only clad in a nightdress and probably scantily clad underneath. Harry silently noted that Ginny's wand lay on the floor ignored. Ginny was struggling to get away from Malfoy, who was easily blocking her way. Harry silently summoned Ginny's wand to him, and slid it in to his cloak.
Malfoy's low voice echoed weakly throughout the corridor. "What's wrong Weasley? Scared because little Potter isn't here to save you this time? How about you leave that little fool, and come with a real man?" Malfoy's gaze moved lecherously up and down Ginny's body and she instinctively covered her body as much as possible with her arms.
Harry caught Ginny's eye and she shook her head slightly, telling him not to interfere. He frowned and shot a questioning look back at her. She couldn't respond as Malfoy was looking back at her face. She snarled and tried to slip by him once again. "Move Malfoy, before I am forced to hurt you." Malfoy chuckled slightly; the sneer growing even larger on his face if that is possible.
"With what, Weasel girl? Your wand is over there and you are helpless." Malfoy stepped closer, and grabbed Ginny's hips forcefully. Harry decided that was enough and stepped forward. Malfoy continued with his rant. "That's all you are. A helpless, little, poor sl-" Malfoy was interrupted by a sharp crack. He spun around to see Crabbe and Goyle staring at him with stupid expressions on their faces. He prepared to turn back around, as they usually had stupid expressions on their faces. But as he did, they slid to the floor, unconscious.
"Draco Malfoy. I told you once. I told you again. Leave her alone." The voice echoed towards Draco menacingly. A dark figure stepped out of the shadows and Malfoy whitened and unsteadily raised his wand. In his ignorance, Ginny slipped away and moved to the other side of the room. Malfoy didn't notice as the figure stepped forward and the hood fell back.
It revealed a very angry Harry Potter, whose green eyes were dulled by a dark yellow.
Before Malfoy could throw out a traditional insult, both swords were unsheathed and pointing at his neck. Harry backed Malfoy against the wall until both blades were millimeters from his neck. Malfoy gulped nervously.
Harry smirked and raised the blade and Malfoy shut his eyes in fear. He trembled as he felt the blade dance along his cheeks.
Harry grinned as he cut a very memorable design in to Malfoy's cheeks. He lowered the blades for a moment. "Malfoy you have run out of chances. Prepare to die." Harry raised the blade steadily, prepared to slice the young Slytherin's head off. Suddenly, he felt a pressure on his back.
Ginny was watching him with sad eyes. Her voice was a whisper. "No Harry. Leave him be. He isn't worth it." Harry didn't move, just staring in to her eyes. She was shivering slightly in the chill, and her hair hung around her face, ensuring that she would need to brush it thoroughly the next day. Her eyes were pleading, begging him to lay off and come back to Gryffindor. Suddenly, he seemed to shudder and the yellow left his eyes. He dropped the swords back in to their sheaths and stepped away from Malfoy. He gathered a trembling Ginny in his arms for a moment before wrapping his cloak around her.
Malfoy had watched the whole exchange. As soon as Harry turned away, he scampered off, not noticing the distinctive pattern decorating his cheeks. Harry watched him go with a sad frown. Placing his arm around Ginny's shoulders, he led them back to the Gryffindor Tower.
The next morning was quiet among the Gryffindor trio. Ginny had told Tonks about what happened in the morning and both girls were silent as they walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry walked in between them, arms around their shoulders, theirs around his waist. They entered the brightly lit Great Hall and went towards the more empty part of the Gryffindor table, at the end by the staff table. As the three of them sat down, a sharp voice stopped them.
"Potter, come here. Now." Snape's oily voice spoke of no good for Harry as he sighed, rose and met Snape in the center of the room, in front of the staff table in between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables.
"Potter, Mr. Malfoy related to me that you attempted to kill him late last night." The hall fell silent at these words, everyone frozen in place. Snape sneered at the Gryffindor in front of him. "As much as I would love to expel you, the Headmaster has deigned to forgive you… again." Harry rolled his eyes and faked a yawn.
"Anything else Professor? I have a breakfast waiting for me." Snape's expression didn't waver, but his eyes exploded with anger and rage at the insolent boy in front of him.
"Yes Mr. Potter, 200 points from Gryffindor." Harry gaped at him but quickly recovered before turning to head back to his table. His face was controlled but he was fuming. Snape's voice stopped him cold. "And 100 points to Slytherin for Malfoy's calm decisions in the situation." Harry turned slowly, resisting the urge to leap at the smirking Potions Professor.
Harry looked Snape in the eye before snapping his hands slowly. When he spoke, his voice was amplified and everyone could hear quite clearly. "I would suggest everyone between myself and the House Point hourglasses to move. Now. Thank you." Another snap and the sonorus charm was cancelled. Harry's voice was low and cold and only Snape could hear it.
"Professor, punish me for my actions. But don't you dare reward Malfoy for attempting to molest and assault my girlfriend." Harry stepped back from the teacher whose eyebrows flew up to his forehead. Harry reached in to his cloak and withdrew four shining knives. With a whirl, he turned and threw them.
The giant hourglasses that contained the markers for House Points for Hogwarts were legendary. They had lasted through war, revolution and the Weasley twins. No amount of magic, ingenuity or simple determination could mess with them. In the history of Hogwarts, no one had managed to break through the charms protecting them and disturb the house point collections.
The knives flew through the air, whistling slightly as they went. A slight shriek went through the crowd of students, though no one was in the way of the deadly blades. With a loud crack that echoed throughout the castle, the blades implanted themselves in the hourglasses, one knife for each house.
No one moved, as the teachers openly gaped as the hourglasses were penetrated, and even Dumbledore had a slightly surprised expression on his wrinkled face. With a snap that reverberated throughout the hall, Harry summoned his knives back and they slid silently in to his cloak. Harry's face was stone, no expression belaying his emotions. Snape turned on Harry. "And what purpose did that achieve Mr. Potter?" Harry arched an eyebrow but remained silent.
The silence of the hall was interrupted as a small explosion could be heard and the four hourglasses shattered in to millions of invisible pieces. The accumulated stones that recorded the house points spilled out and slid out across the entrance hall. A few students picked up the stones and began to examine them curiously. Harry turned on his heel and sat harshly on his bench before turning and glaring at the openly gaping students after a moment.
"What? Sit down." The sound of chairs shuffling filled the air as students hastened to comply with Harry's demand. A buzzing broke out as students talked, most still peering at the mess in the hall.
Snape turned and left the hall in a huff, promising a week of endless torture in potions class for the entire school.
Harry was quietly eating and Ginny and Tonks soon joined him, once they realized that they weren't going to get an explanation. The breakfast was quiet until Harry snapped his head up. A strange noise was emanating from Tonks. Harry realized suddenly, she's giggling. Ginny soon joined, and the giggling turned in to chuckling which became laughing which became full-blown, tears-streaming-down-their-face, guffawing.
Harry glared at both of them, before a slight chuckle escaped his lips. He frowned and tried to pass it off as a cough. Then another, followed by a snort then he joined them in laughing uproariously at the morning's events.
The events of that morning were the talk of the school for a week and Harry was alternately congratulated and yelled at for his performance. Fred and George sent him a heartfelt letter, saying that he was the brother that they never had and they were proud that he was carrying on their tradition. Harry could only shake his head and laugh.
Adding to the actions with Snape, Malfoy had appeared that morning very reluctantly. Carved on his right cheek was a very familiar ferret and on the left was an elegant HP. Malfoy had sent a glare at Harry that would have melted ice but Harry was nonplussed. Students would be mocking him for the rest of the week. Despite Madam Pomfrey's best attempts, no healing charm could fix the cuts.
At the end of that week, Harry sat on the couch contemplating the fire silently, while the girls curled up against him on each side, his arms draped around their backs. They had changed out their school robes and were just in their muggle clothes. As Ginny and Tonks conversed, Harry would throw in a word in and there, usually in a manner that interrupted whichever girl was talking. Every time, it would earn him a solid poke in the ribs.
Suddenly, Harry abruptly changed the topic. "Whatever happened to that Slytherin kid who was attacked by the dragon?" Ginny and Tonks looked at him, wondering where he got this idea from. At their questioning look, he shrugged and waited for an answer.
Ron's voice interrupted them. He and Hermione were playing a quiet game of chess on the floor in front of them. "Doesn't matter, just a Slytherin." Hermione frowned at him but remained quiet. Harry didn't agree with Hermione on the restraint aspect.
"Yes it does. Just because he's a Slytherin doesn't mean I should forget him. He is only eleven Ron, not a Death Eater." Ron's eyes blazed and he stood, ignoring the chess game in front of him.
"Not yet you mean. I still don't understand why you did that. A Gryffindor I agree, maybe even a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. But a Slytherin? Come on Harry, you just gave us one person to fight in a couple years." Harry's jaw dropped, amazed at Ron's audacity.
"Oh get off it Ron. Just because they are Slytherin doesn't make them evil." Tonks said, glaring at the redheaded boy in front of them. Ginny picked it up from there. The Metamorphmagus' hair was flashing through a range of colors.
"Yeah Ron, he's just a kid." Ginny's brown eyes were darkened in annoyance, turning them almost black. Ron stared at Ginny, eyes burning with betrayal. The two Weasley's glared at each other for a moment before Ron exploded.
"Ginny! Harry I can understand not getting it, because he grew with his muggles. But you know how bad Slytherin is. All of them are dark lords in training!" Ginny rolled her eyes and grabbed Tonks, who looked like she was going to devour Ron alive.
Harry, who had fallen silent at the outburst from the girls' outbursts, finally spoke up. "Ron, you are just as bad as Malfoy. Both of you are stubborn and take this House Rivalry thing way too far. It's just a house but you seem to hate everyone from Slytherin for no good reason." The room fell silent at Harry's comparison of Ron with Malfoy, the biggest insult you could give a Gryffindor.
"Harry, I am going to assume that what you just said was out of anger and you aren't thinking straight. All the dark wizards are Slytherins." Ron said this casually, trying to dismiss the conversation and return to his chess game. Harry stood up and Ron was forced to stay standing. The two Gryffindors were nose to nose.
"I got one for you Ron. Peter Pettigrew. The person who caused all of this. Betrayed my parents, resurrected Voldemort. He was a Gryffindor you complete idiot." With that, Harry turned and walked away haughtily up the stairs to his room. The common room was silent until Ron barreled out of the portrait and disappeared in to the hallway. The Gryffindors burst in to talk then, except for Hermione, Ginny and Tonks. Hermione stayed quiet staring at the abandoned chess board and made her move.
"Checkmate." She was quiet and didn't even comprehend that she had just beaten Ron in chess, an action unheard of in Gryffindor Tower. Ginny and Tonks gathered their work and headed up to their room.
A/N: Sorry, this is a bit late. I hit some writers block and just couldn't get it up to snuff.