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Sweet Morgana! I just kissed Harry Potter! She swooned as she recalled how his deep mesmerizing emerald green eyes made her heart flutter and her knees melt. He was so handsome and chivalrous, too. Her pureblood mind had already begun to form tentative plan before she even ducked into the next store. She was terribly disappointed he could not treat her to ice cream, but she was not about to give up so easily. Daphne Aurora Potter definitely had a nice ring to it. I will marry that boy one day.
She would befriend him quickly, and then after proving herself indispensable, she would maneuver the relationship into something more than a friendship. She would have to be careful as she knew she would not be the only one looking to become the future Mrs. Potter. She would have to insinuate herself delicately into his life and then patiently wait for her efforts to bear fruit, as boys tended to take a few more years to begin to see girls the same as girls tended to see boys. She had laid the groundwork today, so she would just have to build upon that foundation.
Daphne also realized that she would have to somehow passively deflect any other potential candidates' suits without alerting Harry of her designs. As she continued to ponder her next few moves, she was startled from her thoughts by her younger sister Astoria prancing into the room and stating, "Hey Daphne, a Gringot's owl just arrived and Father wants to see you in his study. You must have spent too much shopping today, huh? You know he said to only buy what was on the list. Now you are going to get it!" Astoria said the last bit and ended with a truly unladylike raspberry, which led to Daphne responding by tossing a pillow at her. Astoria dodged the projectile, but the chase had begun! Daphne gave up trying to visit her annoying little sister with violence and reported to her father's study. Daphne entered the room shortly before being joined by her mother, Vivian Greengrass. Vivian was the very essence of what a Pureblood Lady should be, beautiful beyond measure with a natural talent for transcending the political and expertly navigating the social waters of the Pureblood elite society. She was the fire and drive behind Adrian Greengrass, but she was hailed as the most demure and proper Lady in Wizarding Britain.
Adrian was a tall man of towering stature, whose good looks harkened back to his Saxon Viking heritage. He certainly looked as if he would be at ease on a dragon longboat, dressed in fur and mail hefting a mighty broad axe and sporting a beard. He was not however so boisterous as his appearance would suggest. He was a well-mannered reserved man with a sunny disposition, unless he was in public, when he was more of the stoic brooding type who quietly drank in his surroundings and projected a terrifying physical presence that intimidated most who approached him. This persona had helped him get the better end of many a trade deal for both his House and his official position as Director of Ministry Trade. He smiled and greeted his wife and eldest daughter, "My Ladies! I trust your trip to Diagon Alley went well? You both look absolutely stunning today, I must confess."
Daphne blushed as her father kissed her mother, while Daphne hugged his other side. Daphne responded, "Come on you two! I'm right here and the last thing I need is too watch you two snog each other to death!"
Adrian laughed as he released his wife, "Oh Princess, how do you think you and your sister got here?"
Vivian chimed in straightening her dress and hair before playfully pinching Daphne's cheek, "Exactly, and it won't be too much longer before you will be the one getting interrupted," then Vivian whispered, "but for the sake of your health and that of the young man you might be with, pray it is not your father who does the interrupting!"
Adrian balked, "HA! Any young wizard with enough stones to try to snog you while I'm in the House better be your future husband, young lady, and he had better be from a good family, or I'll boot him out of here so fast he'll think he just got hit by a portkey!"
Daphne blushed furiously as she recalled her rendezvous with Harry Potter earlier that day. She recovered quickly, but her mother looked at her with a raised brow and curious expression on her face, to which Daphne mouthed, "Later," and her mother just gave a slight nod. Daphne was curious about the Gringot's owl, and so she prompted in an attempt to get to the heart of the matter, "Father, Astoria had mentioned something about a mysterious letter arriving while we were out?"
Adrian's face went from full of mirth to business-like as he began, "It seems that young Harry Potter has re-entered our world, and claimed his birthright. Did you happen to see him today, Daphne?"
Daphne again blushed and her mother became very suspicious. Daphne quickly replied "Yes, father. I actually spoke with him in passing. We exchanged pleasantries outside of Flourish & Blotts. I invited him to come along with us, but he declined politely in favor of pressing business with Gringot's. Now we know the results of said meeting, which brings us here to this conversation. He seemed to be a well-spoken, honorable young man and I think he will make a great potential ally for our House in the future, so I plan on cultivating our initial acquaintance into a friendship. Hopefully in doing so, he will be favorable to future alliances and such."
Arian was impressed with his daughter's savvy and beamed. He spoke, "You really are your mother's daughter! I fully endorse your efforts, Princess. Invite him to visit sometime, because I would like to get to know him a bit better." Daphne looked at her father in shock, and he continued, "After all, our families have been in alliance since we first arrived in Britain. I would like to help him in the economic efforts so we can both benefit more from these alliances."
Daphne was excited at the prospect of her intended- well, her crush coming over, and she answered in kind, "Thank you Father! I'll do just that! May I please be excused, as I really am exhausted from the shopping trip? I'd like to have Mimsy just bring me a light snack to my room and forgo supper."
Adrian waved his hand in acquiescence to his daughter's request before returning to his work. Daphne made her way back to her room and shut the door. She Flew onto her bed and commenced squealing into her pillow. Father is condoning my plans! SQUEEE! That boy WILL be my future husband yet!
-oOoOOoOo-
Molly Weasley was a bitter woman inside. She came from a wealthy family, she was brilliant at charms and potions, and had been on the fast track to becoming the first Prewitt to become Head Girl, until that dreadful Astronomy tower incident. She was extremely old fashioned in her views of family and a witches place, as her family had a reputation of being archconservative, so her views were no surprise to her fellow classmates, especially since she was so vocal about her opinions. She was so opinionated that most of the other witches avoided her, or ridiculed her.
Thus, she had been shameless teased, earning her the nickname Molly "Prude-it." However her deepest secret was that she was far from prude as her reputation would suggest. She was not discreet with her passions and sought to share them with the boys of Hogwarts quite frequently. She shagged well and often during those years, but for some reason her lovers never mentioned her activities to the witches for fear of her brothers, the infamous Twins of Terror.
Gideon and Fabian Prewitt were popular and handsome boys, and witches fell at their collective feet like wheat from a scythe. They were also hot-tempered and prone to extreme bouts of violence over their baby sister. They were pranksters of legendary proportions, but they were being quickly overshadowed however by the "Marauders" led by James Potter and Sirius Black. The Terror Twins had tried to school the young upstarts in the hierarchy of Hogwarts, but every time the Twins tried to prank the foursome, the Marauders simply turned the tables and left the Twins looking like fools.
Molly had used this power struggle to hide her clandestine love life, and was really good at staying out of the lime-light, until she met Arthur Weasely. He was a handsome young man, who was gentle and good humored by nature. Yet, out of all of the boys she had met, he was the only one aside from the Marauders who refused her advances. She remedied this by brewing amortentia and dosing his butterbeer with it during a Hogsmeade weekend. That night, they were rutting around the Astronomy Tower, and while on her knees in front of Arthur after their third session that evening, her brothers walked in on Molly's activities. Refusing to believe their baby sister would be so wanton as to do such things, Gideon and Fabian challenged Arthur to a duel of honor. The stakes were a public apology versus support in Arthur asking for Molly's hand. After hearing the young man's profession of love for their sister and witnessing his willingness to duel two highly skilled opponents to prove it, the Twins backed down and welcomed Arthur to the family.
Molly wanted to marry Arthur on her own terms, but she had forgotten to take her potion and soon found herself pregnant with her firstborn Bill. Molly and Arthur married over the Christmas break and Molly stayed home at Arthur's family estate, a veritable pigs' wallow called "The Burrow" located outside of Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon. She pretended to be the good wife, but she truly loathed the place. She had to admit the sex was good back then, so after graduation, while Arthur trained to be an Unspeakable and joined Dumbledore's "Order of the Phoenix," in which he and the Twins and a few other classmates battled the Dark Lord's "Death-Eaters." Molly was afraid for her family, but Unspeakables made a good living, so Molly was confident that Arthur would with her direction be able to give them a life that would be much more comfortable. Charlie was born soon after, and Molly even joined the Order too.
Then Arthur had to piss off Lucius Malfoy. Arthur and he had fought during a nasty battle and Arthur almost killed Lucius. The next day, Artur received notice that he was being discharged and transferred to the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, where his talents would be better suited as a "blood traitor." Molly arranged a secret meeting with Lucius to "persuade," him to change his mind, but after using Molly in some of the most disgusting and degrading sexual acts she had ever heard of, Lucius still refused to do anything, and nine months later, Percy was born. She never told Arthur about Lucius, but during another battle, Bellatrix LeStrange taunted Arthur by insinuating that Molly was a tart letting her brother-in-law have his way with her. Arthur of course, lost it and almost killed the crazy bint in a fit of rage!
Her brothers died and she damn near went around the twist, but Arthur comforted her. The twins came along shortly after, then Ron. Meanwhile, the Marauders had graduated and joined the fracas. James and Sirius became Aurors and Remus a hit wizard. Lily became the resident potions mistress and teamed with Remus as the research team. Shortly after Molly was pregnant with Ron, James and Lily Potter, along with Frank and Alice Longbottom announced they were expecting. The whole Order was excited for them. They threw a party and during a lull in the action, they each had sons. Frank and Alice had Neville, and James and Lily had Harry. Then Dumbledore summoned everyone to a hushed meeting, and announced that a plot was in the works to coerce the Potters and Longbottoms into quitting the war.
Shortly after the announcement, Molly was pregnant with Ginevra, and the two families went into hiding. Then tradgedy struck as the Potters were killed, betrayed by Sirius Black, who murdered Peter Pettigrew and was sent to Azakaban for life. Meanwhile, Frank and Alice were tortured into insanity by Barty Crouch Jr. and the LeStranges, but before they could harm Neville, the Order showed and apprehended the Death Eaters.
The only plus to all of it, was that somehow in trying to kill Harry, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was vanquished and young Harry survived the killing curse. He was escorted to live somewhere with relatives, and the Wizarding World had not heard from him since. However, Dumbledore had come calling shortly after Ginevra or "Ginny" as Molly and the family called her was born. He met with Arthur and Molly as Harry Potter's magical guardian. He proposed that Harry and Ginny be entered into a marriage contract. Molly was thrilled that her little Ginny would become the next Mrs. Potter, and be able to help her mother reclaim her rightful place amongst the Pureblood elite, so Molly helped Dumbledore convince Arthur to sign the contract.
Molly bought her all of the Harry Potter children's books and was delighted when her daughter came to her claiming that she wanted to marry Harry Potter. She then encouraged Ginny's beliefs until the young girl would be almost prepared to do anything to realize her dream by now. That's why she was ecstatic when Arthur announced that he had received an owl informing him of Harry Potter's return to the Wizarding World. She just had to find a way to push the two children together…yes, Molly Weasely nee Prewitt was on her way back.
-oOoOOoOo-
Susan Bones was excited to finally be going to Hogwarts. Her aunt Amelia Bones was the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she wanted to be an Auror one day, too. She was a serious young witch with a wry sense of humor and a strong sense of fair play. However, she was a lonely young witch as her parents had passed away when she was a baby, killed by Death Eaters during the war. She lived with her aunt Amelia who had lost her husband in the same war and since Amelia was unable to have children, Susan was the sole heiress to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Bones.
Her only friends were a young witch named Hannah Abbott, who was a silly girl with a sunny personality, and Neville Longbottom, who was a shy young wizard. Nevilee was short and squat, almost pudgy. He was also a bit of klutz, but he was gentle by nature and very keen on nature. Neville was a young prodigy when it came to plants, and he was almost always working in his Gran's gardens and greenhouses. Susan and Hannah visited the Longbottoms frequently and the three children were inseparable. Hannah had a small crush on Neville, who was as a young boy oblivious to it all.
Susan often amused herself by watching her friend trying to entice the shy boy into noticing her. Hannah's antics quite often caused Susan to laugh spontaneously, which frustrated her friend, and the two would peck at each other until Neville broke it up. Susan was the heart of the group, as she constantly made the other two aware of the emotions behind things. Neville was the peacekeeper and defender of the group, constantly defending the witches from the adults who caught them when they got into mischief, and Hannah was the adventurer. She constantly came up with new ideas and games to play.
Susan was quietly watching Neville and Hannah, while Neville was trying to water the greenhouse, and Hannah would lean close to his side and steal a kiss to his cheek. Just as Hannah tried to capitalize on the moment, Neville would move to the next plant and Hannah would grimace in frustration and then the process would repeat itself. She laughed to herself, and stared at her reflection in the fountain. She was a large girl, though not fat, with curious blue eyes and deep red hair worn in a long braid down her back. She was always told that she would be a great beauty one day, but she just could not see it. Hannah was petite, blonde and cute. She could definitely see how Hannah would never have trouble finding a boyfriend as they got older.
She was brought out of her musings by a call from Neville's Gran, "SUSAN! Your auntie just floo called over. She needs you to come home."
Susan made her way back to the manor calling, "Yes, Lady Longbottom! I'm coming right away!"
Strange…I wonder why she would call me home so soon?
Susan stepped out of the floo and made her way to her auntie's sitting room to find her auntie looking shocked and somewhat upset at a letter. Susan announced herself, "I'm home, Auntie. What is going on?"
Amelia smiled softly at her charge and took her hand, "Well, I received this owl from Gringot's and apparently Harry Potter is on his way to Hogwarts this year."
Okay. What does this have to do with me?
Her aunt looked nervous and continued, "He somehow claimed his birthright and he happens to be the heir to more than just the Potter fortune. Amongst some of the ancient documents, they found a marriage contract between our Houses. Sweetie, you are betrothed to Harry Potter."
WHAT! Harry Potter? THE Harry Potter? I have not even met the boy and we are betrothed?
Her auntie continued, "I know this is a shock, and I will find a way to dissolve it if I can, but I felt you had a right to know."
Susan, who had never even thought much of boys yet, was shocked but the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Hmm. Susan Bones Potter…
She smiled and gave her aunt a big hug, as she spoke, "Well, I guess I'll find out what kind of guy he is come September. We can decide where to go with this from there. Who knows? Maybe he will be a great guy that will take care of me. I want to try to be his friend first. If I can do that, then maybe this won't be so bad!"
Yes, this year was definitely going to prove interesting for Susan Bones.
-oOoOOoOo-
Harry came back to the land of the living with a start. He found it humorous that he could have sworn Ragnok had told him he was contracted to marry a Daphne Greengrass, the beautiful young witch, whom he had met earlier that day. Sure she was nice, but Harry thought Hermione was nice and he was not about to propose marriage to her until they were much older and he had at least found out if she wanted to date him first. What is wrong with these people? Do they have to do things so backwards?
Ragnok was by Harry's side, along with a goblin healer. Ragnok's face showed concern as he spoke, "Harry? Are you alright there, child? We have yet to conclude our business here, when I believe you lost consciousness on us. I took the liberty of sending owls to all of your contracted partners, informing them that you were the new Lord Potter and were interested in renewing all outstanding contracts. If you would like, I can have Griphook, your account manager present to guide you, thereby minimizing the chances of anyone trying to back out because of your age."
Harry blinked and responded as he sat back up straight, "That would be acceptable, and while we are discussing contracts, this marriage contract business is not serious is it? I mean, I may be a new Lord and all, but I am only eleven! I barely know anything at all about being a wizard, much less being a Lord, and then they want to throw in a few wives? What sort of morons are these wizards?"
Ragnok laughed as did the healer and Griphook, their non-human faces looking downright savage as they bared their pointy teeth. Ragnok almost fell over while extolling, "Are you certain you are not a goblin, Harry? We have been saying that for years now!"
Harry grinned and joined in the laughter for a moment before continuing his previous statement, "If that is someone's idea of a joke, I must say it is not funny. Seriously, I cringe at the thought of these same brilliant think-tanks in charge of my political decisions, so I am going to appoint Griphook as my proxy. At least goblins can follow logic. That way your people gain access to the legislative body. It is hard to ignore someone when they happen to be right in front of your face now is it not?"
Ragnok looked at Harry first in shock and then with respect, "That would be a mutually profitable proposition. We are honored that you would do such a thing, and we deem to call you brother. Your blood is now my blood, your kin are now mine, and your enemies are now my enemies. You are known as goblin kindred, and I and my brethren will gladly die in glorious battle by your side, so mote it be!"
At the conclusion of his speech, Ragnok sliced his palm with his belt knife and then passed to Harry, who after receiving a nod from Griphook did the same. They smacked palms together and there was a flash of ethereal light. The cuts sealed themselves and healed instantaneously. Ragnok promised Harry he would look into the strange variance in the rite of ascension from earlier and would send him a message, as soon as he was informed of anything. Harry signed all of the documents, including the one that transferred his proxy votes to Griphook and then bade Ragnok farewell, "May your vaults overflow with gold."
Ragnok finished, "And may you feast on the bones of your enemies while their blood pools on the field of battle, brother." Griphook and Harry left the Chief Director's office and they made their way to Harry's vault. The cart raced through the tunnels and halted at the vault. Griphook explained to Harry as he produced new key, "This is the key to the trust vault, take it from me and put into the indention in this wall, brother."
Harry did as Griphook asked and the wall opened revealing a small chamber stacked to the ceiling with gold coins. Griphook chuckled at Harry's look of wonder as he explained further, "These are galleons, the main currency of Magical Britain, and each one is worth 50 pounds sterling. Please take one of these pouches, called an everlasting money pouch, and fill it with galleons. Harry took an everlasting money pouch and filled it with some coins. He expected it to be heavy, but the pouch remained light.
Griphook then explained, "This pouch will remain empty until you reach inside and remove a coin. It is keyed to your magical signature and will not work for anyone else unless you are married or that person is your direct descendent, or designated heir."
Griphook then handed Harry what appeared to be a black credit card and continued, "This works like a muggle credit card and is linked to your vault. Only you can use it, and should it be misplaced or stolen, it will return to you, or in the event of your death, it will return to your spouse or magical heir. If there are no further questions, brother, then I will escort you back to the lobby and then you are free to leave."
Harry placed the card in his wallet and left with Griphook. He exited the bank and made his way through the Alley. He purchased all of the items on his list and then selected many other volumes on subjects such as arithmancy, ancient runes, potions and advanced applied spellcrafting. He also studied Pureblood society and customs, so as not to make a fool of himself. He was determined to absorb as much as he could about magic, so he vowed to read everything before getting on the Hogwarts Express.
Harry's last stop was Ollivander's Fine Wands where Harry was supposed to purchase his wand. A strange little old man greeted him warmly, "Ah, Mr. Potter, or more precisely Lord Potter, I was wondering when I'd see you. Your parents came to me for their wands too. I never forget a wand. Your mother's was 10¼ inches willow with a unicorn tail core, rather swishy, excellent for charms, and your father's was 11 inches mahogany with a dragon heartstring core, rather pliable and great for transfiguration. Let us see which of my beauties will choose you, this fine day."
After he had tried almost every wand in the store, Harry had yet to find a match, so Ollivander paused for a moment before mumbling, "A difficult one you are…I wonder…let us see. Yes, this wand is very special, as it is one of only two of its kind. The core is the tail feather of a special phoenix who only gave me two. 11 inches holly, nice and supple. Go on! Give it swish!" Harry complied and sparks danced from its tip as he felt a warm uplifting sensation rush over him.
Ollivander applauded and extolled, "Ah! That would be the one! I've only ever sold one other like it, and I'm afraid it's brother is the one that gave you your scar. I expect many great things from you. Of course, the brother to your wand also was great and capable of great things. He went on to do many great things, terrible but great thing never the less."
Harry asked the eccentric wandmaker, "Thank you, sir. How much do I owe you today?"
Ollivander responded, "7 galleons please."
Harry produced the coins and hurried back to his room, eager to read his new books. He was about to begin a new chapter in his life, one as a wizard. He spent all night meditating and reading the new books, and after a light breakfast, he went for a run and practiced his katas. He studied his books after a shower and lunch, and then he practiced his magic. He found that he was proficient in every charm, jinx, hex and shield listed in the seven year curriculum, so he began to practice each of them silently.
His days consisted of this same routine, and harry began reading new books on combat magic. He found he could cast wandlessly as well, so he began working his spell work into his katas and began practicing his aim. He was deadly accurate and highly powerful, and his magic would only grow as time passed and he matured. Harry was ready to go to Hogwarts and find out more about his history, but more importantly he was ready to learn new skills that he would be unable to master due to his age or lack of supervision and partners.
He then began to wonder when he would get the opportunity to find Hermione again. He missed her and was anxious to find her again. He decided he would ask Griphook to look into it, and then visit her when he could. Harry was excited as he knew tomorrow was going to be an adventure. His first train ride to his new school….
-oOoOOoOo-
Hermione was rearing to go. She had all of her school equipment parked next to the garage door the previous night, and she had so much trouble sleeping that her mother had given her a mild sedative. To say there was one excited little witch in the Granger household would be a serious understatement!
She practically inhaled her breakfast and raced to the car so her parents could take her to King's Cross Station. "Come on! Let's go!" she urged her parents. Do they not understand that Harry will be there?
Hermione made her way to the platforms and saw a platform 9 and 10, but 9¾? She then saw a few people with carts just walk at the wall and disappear, so she hugged her parents goodbye and promised to write them often, before following suit. She made her way to the train, and boarded. She was busy searching through each passage when she felt a familiar presence, and raced toward the compartment she could feel the sensation originating.
She arrived at the compartment and threw herself inside as she cried, "HARRY! You're here!" When she felt his arms embrace her in return she lost all semblance of control and began sobbing, "Oh Harry! Where have you been? What have you been doing? Why didn't you come back? I knew you weren't just my imagination!"
Harry just rubbed her back gently while rocking her, "Calm down 'Mione, everything is alright now. We are together again, and that is what is important. So you are a witch too? Well, I am a wizard, but you know what I mean. I apologize for not returning and disappearing like I did, but I was hidden away for my own safety, and I cannot remember where I was or who I was with. I awoke in a room at the Leaky Cauldron, and before that I remember seeing those wizards show up at our school."
Hermione clung to him like she was afraid to let go, "Well, fine. I can accept that, for now, but you are right, we are together once more, right?"
Harry smiled warmly and placed a light kiss on her cheek, "Of course. Now let me help you with your belongings and then let's have a seat. Then you can tell me all about the last four years from your perspective, since mine is all hazy." At the feel of Harry's lips upon her skin, Hermione flushed a tomato red and stammered, "S-s-sure. Please if you would be so kind." As Harry stowed Hermione's trunk, Harry introduced her to Hedwig, his pet owl. Hermione curtsied in place and responded, "How do you do, pretty lady? I am Hermione Granger, an old friend of Harry's." Then she turned to ask him a question and it died upon her lips. Harry's shirt had risen up and she could see his muscles flexing. Harry used to be a thin waif-like young boy, but he was no longer such obviously. If he is built like this now, can you imagine what he'll be like in a few years?"
Hermione had definitely progressed well passed simple platonic feelings and well into the beginnings of a crush. Harry was a nice boy, well-mannered, handsome and everything about him exuded a quiet strength that made her feel safe, like home. She had found her Harry and no one was ever going to take him away again!
Just then, the door to the compartment slid open, and Hermione saw another girl standing there, her ice blue eyes drinking in the scene in front of her, Harry holding Hermione's hand and sitting close to her, while Hermione had relaxed her head on Harry's shoulder. This girl was regal in her bearing and flawless in her appearance. She had long honey blonde hair and was accompanied by a short creature that to Hermione looked like Yoda's cousin. The creature was wearing a tea cozy and had steel gray skin, with huge innocent looking eyes. The look on the young girls face as she made eye contact with Hermione spoke volumes, yet Hermione could not help but feel as if the newcomer was looking at her as some type of competitor.
She mentally prepared herself for a battle of wits, just in case. Noticing the disturbance and the stiffness in Hermione's posture, Harry shifted and upon seeing the young witch, he stood and greeted her with a formal bow as he took her hand in his and placed a soft kiss upon her knuckles, "Ah, Miss Greengrass, we meet again. I have to say I am quite in your debt for not having the time to treat you to that ice cream. Perhaps I could absolve myself by offering you a seat in this compartment?" Hermione felt her heart plummet as she silently cursed the young witch for intruding upon her reunion.
The witch in question had blushed at Harry's chivalrous greeting, as she gestured to the creature apparently giving permission to stow her belongings in the overhead, while responding, "That would be very acceptable, Lord Potter. If one recalls correctly, I proposed the possible ice cream, as a way to get to know you better, so I would of course be delighted to share your compartment for the duration of our little journey." Harry expertly guided the young witch to a seat, and made the proper introductions, "Miss Greengrass, this is my best friend Hermione Granger. We went to primary school together and have just recently reunited. We were in the process of getting reacquainted when you arrived. 'Mione, this is Daphne Greengrass. We literally bumped into one another when I was heading to Gringot's a few weeks ago. She and I were going to share a table at the ice cream parlor, but I had yet to gain any galleons, so I had to visit Gringot's first."
Daphne responded with her voice full of thinly veiled venom, "Miss Granger, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance. It must be nice to have such a strong history with Britain's greatest hero. Most muggleborn students would find it extremely overwhelming to be cast in the center of attention while still learning to accustom oneself to this world of ours. I am so looking forward to getting to know each other better." Oh really? What a little- well for lack of a better word-witch!
Hermione sat down next to the window, and Harry sat in between the two witches. Hermione responded in kind, "Yes, Miss Greengrass I was well aware of how famous Harry was the moment I read about his accomplishment in a few books. I knew he was special from the moment we met, but his celebrity was almost as shocking to uncover as the fact that I was a witch. He really always seemed to me to be Harry, my best friend and not some celebrity, although considering how we met and the events of that day, it should never have been a surprise that he was more than just Harry the quiet boy that saved me from those horrible bullies."
Daphne's eyes hardened momentarily as her mask slipped for a fraction of a second. Ah, and the jealousy rears its ugly head…
Daphne replied in response as she placed her hand delicately upon Harry's shoulder, "Always the gentleman, Lord Potter. I think that that must have been a fascinating story. Do tell."Witch!
Hermione looked at Harry, who silently bid her to not divulge everything. She quickly prepared to tell a near approximation of their story when the door to the compartment opened again. They heard the whistle sound in the background as two young witches and a pudgy boy stood outside. One witch was a slender petite blonde with long blonde braided pigtails, while the other was a tall broader young witch with deep red hair and soft blue eyes. The blonde asked politely, "Do you mind if we ride with you, because all the other compartments are full?"
Harry stood and responded much the same as he had when Daphne had first arrived. He bowed to each of the young witches and kissed their hands respectively, responding, "Why of course, milady. I am Lord Harry Potter, and these are my friends Hermione Granger and Daphne Greengrass. It is an honor to meet you." Each of the witches blanched at his introduction obviously recognizing Harry's name, while the wizard shrunk as if trying to fade into the background. "Well, Lord Potter. It is our honor to make your acquaintance as well. I am Hannah Abbott, and these are my friends Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom."
Harry extended a hand to the young wizard who looked at him awestruck, but gladly accepted the hand and they shook hands, Neville added nervously, "Lord Potter, as you may be aware, there is a long tradition of our Houses being allies, so I trust you will accept my pledge to honor that tradition, even if I may be slightly better than a squib."
Harry helped Neville stow away the gear and then bid everyone to sit before continuing, "Sure, Mister Longbottom. I would be delighted to count you as an ally and dare I say friend. How about you Miss Bones, would you care to be our friend?" Susan was nervous and seemed unable to look at Harry, but answered, "I would like that Lord Potter."
Harry grinned and addressed his friends, "good with that being said, I believe we are all friends now, so let us do away with all of the Lord Potter business. Just call me Harry. I may be Lord Potter now, but I hope as my friends you lot can see me as the 'real' me."
Everyone agreed and the group amused themselves by telling stories about their families. Harry found he identified with Neville and Susan as they all were lacking their parents, and were only children. Hannah and Daphne each had younger siblings, and Harry already knew that Hermione was an only child, but had both her parents. They speculated on things such as which house affiliation was best, and how each believed the sorting was accomplished. Everyone in the group was quickly becoming friends, but Hermione could not help but notice the hard looks being shot at her by Daphne when no one else was looking, or the shy glances Susan was making in Harry's direction. She just sat next to Harry and snuggled against him, reveling in how his mere presence was making her feel safe again. She had missed him terribly, and he apparently missed her too. Even with that fact, she still felt as though Daphne was going to be a thorn in her side when it came to Harry.
The regal young heiress kept finding reasons to touch him, but she was never blatantly aggressive. No, her strength was in her subtlety, her innate ability to draw his attention without having to overtly seek it. Harry was too polite to tell her if her actions were making him uncomfortable, but Hermione could tell something was not quite right. She would have to analyze the situation and do a bit of research on little miss perfect if she was going to be able to understand whether the little bint had ulterior designs on Harry or if she was genuine.
The trolley came by, and Harry purchased a bit of everything for the whole group, stating that he had yet to try any of it, and was curious, but unable to consume it all. While having a great time, the compartment opened and a pale blonde boy looked inside. He was flanked on either side by two huge boys who looked to have the collective intelligence of a tree stump. The poncy git spoke, "I heard Lord Potter was in this compartment. My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. These are Crabbe and Goyle. You may be unaware, but some Wizarding Houses are better than others, and I can greatly help you there." The young boy said the last with a smug smirk on his rodent-like face. He was an arrogant git, and Hermione instantly disliked him and his superiority complex.
Daphne responded, "Ah yes, young Mr. Malfoy…how is your mother doing lately? My mother wishes to send her warmest regards. As to navigating the social waters at Hogwarts and elsewhere in our world, I believe he already has that covered, but your offer is rather generous, considering your House's history with Lord Potter's. I mean it is awfully big of you to extend a helping hand to the boy who defeated your Father's Master and nearly bankrupted your House in the process, before he was two years of age."
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees and the air began to catch an acrid scent like there had been a storm building. Harry stood slowly and with a look that sent shivers up and down everyone's spines, he addressed Draco, speaking in a quiet tone, "Miss Greengrass is correct in her statement, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco's face turned red and he answered, spit flying from his mouth as he spoke, "Oh Lord Potter, you will regret not taking my offer of friendship this day. My father is a very powerful man, who is quite friendly with the Minister of Magic himself!"
Harry took a step closer, his eyes locked on Draco's and he spoke again, wearing a look that promised pain. "You would dare to threaten me, young Malfoy? Well, why don't you tell your sniveling brown-nosed excuse for a sniveling coward father that should he choose to cross my House, that it will be the road to a quick and easy funeral. After all one must be ready for the shadows, as one never knows what to expect from those that travel within them."
Draco pulled out his wand, and Harry seemed to flinch. Hermione was paying attention to Harry, but she missed what happened in the span of an eye blink. Harry slapped the wand away, kicked the boy in the gut and incapacitated his two goons without even breaking a sweat. He then smiled and waved to Draco who was gasping for air on the ground outside in the corridor, while Harry calmly walked up to the compartment door and held up Draco's wand and whispered softly, "Tell your Death-Eater father and his cronies that the Shadow has arrived and it will pass over them all." Then he shut the door and returned to his seat. Susan, Neville and Hermione sat there staring at Harry in shock, while Daphne and Hannah were openly appraising his actions. Neville exclaimed, "Bloody hell, mate! Remind me not to get on your bad side! C—c-could you t-t-teach me something like that?"
Harry laughed and answered the boy, "Sure thing Neville, and don't be so nervous around me, I'm still Harry. It's not as if I'm going to snap and hurt someone arbitrarily. That little poncy git really tried my patience by insulting you lot, insinuating that I had not found the company of some of the best Houses in Wizarding Britain already, and then had the nerve to threaten me. Then he pulled his wand, an act of aggression. I couldn't take the risk that he might have known a spell, and without proper training, there was no telling if it might have missed me and struck one of you, so I dispatched him, and sensing his goons would also step in, I sent them packing as well. Well, look at the time…we had better change into our robes. Come on Neville, let us give the ladies time to change first." Um…WOW! I may hold a brown belt in ju-jitsu, but my old sensei could not have moved that fast!
The girls changed and left while the boys changed, and then the train came to a halt. They looked at one another as Hermione said, "Alright Hogwarts, here we come!"
AN: Wow! Another 7000 words! Hopefully this will help introduce most of the young players in this story. I still have to work in Ron (BOOOOO!) So next chapter: The sorting ceremony, classes and potions with Snivellus Snape.
To any reviewers out there who I have yet to respond, I apologize as I have been writing this and studying for midterms at the same time so please forgive me. I do read and appreciate each and every review, even though I have received two flames so far. None of us who write for this site get paid for what we do, and we really do spend a great deal of time producing our works, so reviews help us know our stories are reaching our audience, but flames do take criticism to a personal level.
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