Harry Potter and the Delightful Dilemma
By: Sheltie
I don't own Harry Potter
A/N: I know I haven't dealt with Umbridge yet, but I am cooking something special for her. As for Snape, well I'm not done with him either. He's going to go through a lot before I'm through with him.
Chapter 4
It was a few days later and finally Harry decided to take some time out to see what Dumbledore wanted. The old wizard had been harassing him for a meeting and Harry finally caved. So he and a select group of his witches made their way to the gargoyle. The girls thought it would too overwhelming for all them to be there so they drew straws to decided who would accompany Harry. In the end Daphne, Padma, Susan, and Fleur were chosen. Harry just nodded and the entrance was revealed. He then led his girls up and into the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore was surprised that Harry got up here without the password though he was disappointed that Harry didn't come alone.
"Harry, what we have to discuss is personal. Please ask your witches to leave" he said in calm yet stern tone.
"No sir, these girls are my advisers and I don't go anywhere without my advisers" Harry said.
Fleur waved her wand and conjured a nice long sofa. Harry sat in the middle with Daphne taking one side of Harry. Susan beat Padma to the other side so she had to settle with the end as did Fleur on the other end.
Dumbledore frowned. He had to rework his plan.
"What is it you wanted to talk to me about sir?" Harry asked.
"Yes Harry, it has to do with Severus" Dumbledore said.
"What about the bastard?" Daphne hissed.
Dumbledore was shocked by the tone Daphne took and to her own head of house.
"I must ask you to drop the charges" he said.
This had Daphne, Susan and Padma to stand up. They were enraged at what the old goat was asking.
"WHAT!" the three witches shouted.
Dumbledore was shocked by the volume and it even awoke the portraits in the office.
"Might I ask sir, why?" Fleur asked calmly.
"Severus is important. He is our only way to know what Voldemort is doing" Dumbledore said.
"So he's your spy" Fleur said.
Dumbledore nodded.
"I see, well I understand the reason to protect him. I don't understand why place him here as a teacher. Wouldn't be better off somewhere else?" Fleur asked.
"Severus has my utmost trust. He's a first rate potion master and with that I saw a great teacher" Dumbledore said.
"I will agree that he is an excellent potion master given how young he is, but not all potion masters are able to teach" Fleur said.
"Severus has my full trust. He's an excellent teacher. He's also a very reliable spy" Dumbledore said.
"Now that is bull. What has he done as a spy to make him worth protecting. What plans has he told us in the last war that saved lives?" Susan asked. Most of her family was killed in the last war so this was personal for her.
"I do not needed to tell any of you what Severus has divulged" Dumbledore said.
"Who then? Who should be the one to hear it?" Fleur asked.
Dumbledore didn't answer.
"Of course, it's you. Only you would think that you're the only one who should receive such knowledge. But have you done anything with it. No, we lost many good witches and wizards for your failure to act. How many lives could have been saved if you just acted" Daphne said.
"It was for the greater good" Dumbledore said.
"For who's greater good? I don't see how it was for those who lost all their loved ones or the families that have been wiped out. So who's greater good is it?" Daphne asked angrily.
Dumbledore again didn't answer.
"You have no right playing god with people's lives sir. You have no right to decided who should be saved and who should be sacrificed. That is not your place" Daphne said now furious.
"I will not be talked to in that manner Miss Greengrass" Dumbledore said sternly.
"Sir, I apologize for Daphne's outburst, but she does have a point" Fleur said.
"And what point may that be?" Dumbledore asked.
"The point is that one should not have control over everything. There should be delegation of tasks and sharing of information" Padma said.
"Miss Patil, only certain people should know important information like that" Dumbledore said.
"I agree sir, but you only think you are the only one who should know this information" Padma countered.
Dumbledore frowned.
"Sir, we don't think you're evil in anyway. We just think that you're too set in your ways to change. You've been fight the darkness far too long and I think it is time you stepped back and allowed a new generation to take up the sword" Susan said.
"Miss Bones, I can assure you everything I do is for the greater good and I will keep fighting for the greater good" Dumbledore said firmly.
The girls sighed and shook their heads. They knew that Dumbledore would not like being pushed to the shadows. The man loved the glory he got. People still were in awe of him and all he's done. But he was becoming more of a nuisance. Just look what he had done to their Harry. Tossing him into a home and not checking up on him at all. That was just wrong. Then letting a teacher abuse students and turn a blind eye to it.
Then there was his role as a figure in the wizarding world. He had the power to promote changes in the wizarding world to make it better for muggle-borns, werewolves and other magical creatures. But does he use his power to make changes? No, he just says things to make the common witch or wizard feel better, but takes no action to back up his words. This wasn't the leader they needed. They needed a leader who would take action. And Harry will be that leader with them by his side.
The rest of the meeting went no where and ended with nothing of importance being done.
/Scene Break/
Later that night Harry got dressed and exited his room. He knocked on the door of one Susan Bones. Susan opened up looking ready to go.
"Ready?" Harry asked.
Susan nodded.
"Good, shall we?" Harry asked as he held out his arm.
Susan took his arm and they two walked downstairs. They said a quick hi and goodbye to all who was in the common room then headed out.
/Scene Break/
Hermione had come up with an elaborate schedule so that each girl had their date night. It was hard to do since there were more girls than days of the week. It took some work for Hermione to get the schedule right since the other girls had their own input to give. That made it a bit more complicated. That and with being in school also caused some other problems. In the end it was decided that each girl would share a date with another. They'd rotate so there would be no arguments. The girl who'd be sharing their date would also change. The ordered went Hermione/Monday, Daphne/Tuesday, Susan/Wednesday, Fleur/Thursday, Padma/Friday, Penny/Saturday, and Luna/Sunday. Parvati would pick the day she'd join in. Then after that the order would change with Hermione being the wild card while the other's dates would be moved a day back. After that Daphne was the wild card. That was the order. Of course special occasions and holidays were exempted. Now the date didn't have to be dinner, but could be a study date or something else. Quidditch matches don't count.
/Scene Break/
Back on Harry's date with Susan. He took her out to a nice muggle restaurant. Of course he had to apparated out, but that was a part of the lessons he had over the summer. It helped since he had two instructors who were very determined that their pupil got it right. Harry was able to apparate since he a lord and thanks to some nice loopholes that also helped too.
"Where'd you find this spot Harry?" Susan asked as Harry held out her chair for her.
"Would you believe Dobby pick it out" Harry said now seating himself.
"Really?" Susan asked surprised.
"Yeah, I was shocked too, but since we've been busy and I can't really leave the castle all too much without one of you girls noticing. So he had to be my scout" Harry said.
"We'd never do that" Susan said blushing slightly.
Harry chuckled.
Soon the two ordered and they chatted about things. Harry liked talking to Susan. She had this warm feeling of comfort and understanding that even Hermione had a hard time projecting at times. Susan was the quintessential Hufflepuff.
Susan liked Harry a lot. She was in awe of him in first year like all of them were. But she soon saw that Harry wasn't like what the book made him out to be. She saw a scared and curious person. She never saw Harry act like any pureblood boy she'd met before. He was unassuming at best. But she could see a strength in him that she was sure others saw. He had a strength and confidence that showed why he was placed in Gryffindor. That and the stories about him after the first year, how'd he taken on Voldemort on his own and won.
Second year was different. Fear gripped the castle that year. When the heir of Slytherin was supposedly Harry she didn't believe it. She knew deep inside that Harry couldn't be the one behind the attacks. He didn't even have an evil bone in his body it seemed. So she was one of the few to believe Harry.
Fourth year and the tournament came. She again believe Harry didn't place his name in the goblet. She saw how shocked he was when it happened. She was one of the few in her house to not curse Harry's name. She watched Harry in all three of the tasks and knew that Harry was the only one who could go through these task and live. He was the only one who had life threatening experience. At the end she believe Voldemort was back. So when she got that letter from Hermione asking to meet with her she was all for it. She knew that Hermione was very bright and whatever it is that Hermione was planning it would involve Harry. And she wanted to be a part of it.
The rest of the date went well and Harry even danced with Susan before they had to go. Though he did reluctantly because Susan wanted to.
/Scene Break/
Hermione was walking down the corridor when she was stopped by the last person she wanted to see.
"Hey Herms, wait!"
Hermione groaned.
"Wow Herms, you walk fast" Ron said catching up.
"What do you want Ronald?" Hermione asked sternly.
"I actually wanted to know if you're free this Hogsmeade weekend?" Ron asked.
"I am busy Ronald" Hermione said.
"Yeah, probably with a book" Ron snorted.
Hermione glared at the redhead then turned back.
"If that is all you wanted Ronald then you can leave" she said.
Ron frowned. He wasn't going to be deterred. He stopped and grabbed Hermione by the arm to stop her too.
"What is it Ronald?" Hermione asked sternly.
"You belong to me Granger, I claimed you way back before Potter ever could" Ron said.
Hermione arched an eyebrow at this.
"Really Ronald, well I hate to tell you this, but I'm not someone you can claim. I'm a person not a trophy" she said.
Ron's grip on her arm tighten, which made Hermione wince.
"You're mine Granger" the redhead growled.
"Let go of me Ronald" Hermione said as she tried to break his grip.
"No, I claimed you and now I want what is mine" Ron said.
Before Ron ever got close even kissing Hermione she kneed him in the groin causing the redhead to crumple to the ground in pain.
"If you ever lay another hand on me Ronald I'll tell Harry and He'll make that pain look minuscule" Hermione said then walked leaving Ron holding his junk and groaning in pain.
Hermione didn't tell Harry since she didn't want Harry to get angry and exact vengeance on the redhead. He just wasn't worth it right now.
/Scene Break/
That night Harry went on a date with Penny. Harry decided to take Penny a nice restaurant by a harbor. He wanted to make each date with each of his girls different and special.
"This is a lovely place Harry" Penny commented.
"Thanks, Dobby has come through for me again" Harry said.
Penny nodded.
Penelope Clearwater was a muggle-born and a few years older than Harry, but in the wizarding world age doesn't really matter at all since witches and wizards tend to live into their hundreds.
Penny was an only child of two muggle parents. She was a bright girl and loved to learn. Though she also knew how to have fun and had many friends growing up. Her outburst of magic only came when she was feeling an extreme emotion. When she got her Hogwarts letter she was shocked like her parents, but when McGonagall came over to explain Penny understood right a way. She always knew she was different even with her friends and at school and stating that she was a witch all fit.
She, like every muggle-born coming in had heard of one Harry Potter and had read all the books about him. Penny saw this as merchandise, just a way to sell things with Harry Potter's name and or face on it. She didn't believe one bit of it since she had also read somewhere that Harry was hidden away after that fateful night. So how did these writers know if Harry ever did any of these things? She was quite shocked that there wasn't a fiction section in Flourish and Blotts and that most of the Harry Potter books were in non-fiction areas.
When Harry Potter did enter Hogwarts she watched like everyone other student in the hall him being sorted. She saw that Harry was smaller than any of the other first years and found it odd. But she really didn't have much time in her years at Hogwarts to really take a good look at Harry since she was a fifth year and a prefect also she was studying for her O.W.L's. At the end of her fifth and hearing about the sorcerer's stone and what Harry and his two friends did. She first written it off as gossip, but she couldn't help in believing in some of the things she heard.
Harry Potter was more than meets the eye.
In Harry's second year, Penny's sixth. It was all about the Chamber being reopened. Now she didn't believe Harry was the heir since one of Harry's best friends was a muggle-born and he didn't seem to be the one who attack people without a good reason. She was with Hermione and they were both petrified. Before that attack Penny was having a nice little chat with Hermione about how she believed Harry and was on his side. She liked Hermione a lot and reminded her a bit of herself at that age. Once she was un-petrified she heard the full story and was amazed that Harry had once again saved them all.
That summer though a few things changed. Penny wanted to talk with Hermione some more and she started to send owls to her asking questions about herself and about Harry Potter. I mean, if you wanted to know about Harry Potter, you talk his close friends and not listen to the rumors. She tried getting to know Harry from her boyfriend Percy, but he had little to no contact with any of his siblings that it was shocking. How could an older brother responsible for their younger siblings detach themselves so much from them from school and home.
The letters she got from Hermione were real eye openers as she learned about the real Harry Potter and what happened really happened the first two years of their schooling. She was amazed of how reckless, yet courageous Harry was trying to save Hermione from a mountain troll on Halloween when they barely knew one another. She also got the sense that Hermione was the only one that Harry would actually talk to about this stuff. She just couldn't see Harry chatting to his other friend Ron about this.
Harry's third was her last year and nothing much happened that year. Though she was scared when Harry fell off his broom due to Dementors. She had read about them and now being around them. It scared her more than anything in her life. Penny also got to talk to Hermione more this year mostly after Christmas and she learned about a certain Firebolt. She was shocked that Harry would act like that, but Hermione told her that Ron was the instigator of it all. So Penny understood though she wasn't happy that Harry would side with Ron and not Hermione over something like his safety at stake.
Penny got to know Hermione very well and they both agreed that the wizarding world was quite backwards in certain areas. They both wanted to better the world that the live in. At the end of that year was a bit hectic and Penny didn't have a chance to talk with Hermione again until the summer. That summer Penny learned about what happened at the end of that year. She met Hermione at a little café and they talked.
In Harry's fourth year. Penny was shocked when she heard that Harry was in a tournament made for grown witches and wizards. She sent off a letter to Hermione for information and telling her that if she needed assistance of any kind she'd be willing to help. Penny got letters from Hermione that year in a steady flow telling her what has been going on in the castle. From Ron's betrayal to the school turning on Harry and she being the only one openly standing with Harry. Penny was shocked, but wasn't surprised. This was just like Harry's second year all over again.
Penny went to the first and second tasks since she wanted to make sure Harry would be alright. She was amazed at Harry's flying. She had seen Harry fly during Quidditch games, but this topped it all. As for the second task, she wondered what brain dead idiot made this one. I mean, it's the middle of the winter and all you are doing is sitting in the cold not knowing what was going on until the Champions came out of the water. This was the most boring task ever. With these tasks Hermione told her about what has been going on in-between them. Penny was miffed that Harry would accept Ron back so quickly after seeing how easy he turned. She did think like probably some in the castle that Harry would be taking Hermione to the Yule Ball. So she was shocked to read that Krum was taking her.
The letters stopped right after the third task and Penny had no word from Hermione. She was worried something really bad had happened. But as soon as the summer started she was able to talk to her friend and got an invitation. Penny told Hermione she'd come since her relationship with Percy Weasley had fizzled out.
Back to the date Penny enjoyed her time with Harry. She saw what Hermione saw. A young lad who with the right people beside him could lead the wizarding world forward. Vanquish Voldemort and bring peace to the wizarding world. But she also saw the personal side of Harry that he only allowed Hermione to see at a time. She saw the vulnerability and the uncertainty he had about being the savior of the world. She saw the hunched shoulders from him carrying the burden of the world on his back. She saw the scars of his past that have yet to heal. She wanted to heal them like the rest of Harry's girls.
At the end of the date both enjoyed their time and with a goodnight kiss at Penny's door they parted ways.
/Scene Break/
Severus awoke in a hospital bed. He knew it wasn't the hospital wing at Hogwarts since it didn't look like it.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"You in a secure wing of St. Mungo's Mr. Snape" a guard said.
Snape's eyes snapped to the guard.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm your auror guard. You are arrested in trying to attack Lord Potter. I'm here to make sure you don't try to escape" the guard said.
Snape knew he didn't have to worry. He knew Dumbledore would swoop down and rescue him.
End of Chapter
A/N: that's the end of this one. Hope you liked it. Sorry if I didn't get to Umbridge yet. I just didn't feel like I had it down right and needed a bit more time to refine my plan on ending her for this story. I also want to focus on each girl with them being on a date with Harry since that'd be a good way to understand each girl better. Thanks for reading and please review.