DISCLAIMER: All canon characters and the Harry Potter-verse belong to J K Rowling, and all "Malfoy Ambition" related things belong to Goddess Blue. Everything else belongs to me.
WARNINGS: Female Harry, Draco/Harry pairing, spoilers from possibly all the Harry Potter books, slight OOCness, cliches, and a bit of coarse language that will appear here and there.
A/N: To clear up any confusion that you might have, the time is now close to October, OK? There was some serious time-skipping in the past couple of chapters. :)
And yeah, I know, I know; late update. Don't blame me, though. School killed me.
And ... ah, let's not dwell on the subject of how I got resurrected and get on with the fic, shall we? ;)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: GONE WILD
For one blissful second, everything appeared to have come to a halt. Harry could feel nothing, heard nothing; she just saw the blank, creamy ceiling above her and felt that she could have lain there forever, staring at that comforting blankness, but of course life was quick to catch up with her in all its unfair cruelty. First, the pain at the back of her skull became too pronounced to ignore, and then came the loud exclamation of 'Oh my! Is she all right?' That, if nothing else, forced her mind back to the present situation at hand.
A stream of colourful curses threatened to spill out of her mouth as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. Her head was throbbing painfully and Harry was currently experiencing a bizarre sensation of not knowing where her limbs were. A moment later, she realised why: she had fallen backwards with her chair and her right leg was spread at an odd angle on the floor, while the other was still on the overturned chair and sticking right up.
She looked preposterous.
Biting back those useful swear words she had learned from Ron, Harry struggled to right herself. She was flushing deeply and her humiliation increased tenfold when the voice that had spoken earlier said concernedly, 'Careful, Dragon. She might be hurt.'
Not a second passed after the voice had spoken before an arm was wrapped around her shoulders and another around her waist. Automatically clinging to her supporter, Harry freed her leg from the chair and then she was gently pulled to her feet. Once she had gained her balance, she looked up at the person with a ready 'Thank you' on her lips only to have the words stick in her throat when she was met with a pair of calculating grey eyes.
Oh damn was the only thought her brain could conjure as the reminders of exactly why she had been lying on the floor beat down on her brain with all the force of a sledgehammer. Those reflections were quickly followed by the sarcastic thought, What a riveting first impression, when Harry finally recalled the other person who was in the room with them.
With the utmost reluctance, she slowly turned her head towards the door, praying desperately that it had all been her imagination. But reality was apparently far more vindictive than her imagination could ever be, for Narcissa Malfoy was still there. And when she reached out and brushed the errant strands of hair out of Harry's eyes with unexpected tenderness, all her optimistic hopes that it was merely an illusion/hallucination/anything-that-is-not-really-real-tion went up in smoke.
Oh, Merlin, this can't be real. But she's here, Harry thought, beginning to panic as her disbelief and logic began to brew a messy war in her mind. But then, What the hell is she doing here?! Why is she here?!
Before Harry could act on her first instinct – which was to leap at Draco Malfoy's throat and wring an answer out of him – the blonde-haired woman said gently, 'How are you feeling, Miss Potter? That was quite a nasty fall you had there.'
Harry just gaped at her, open-mouthed. This was Narcissa Malfoy – and she actually sounded concerned for her, Harry Potter! The shock was almost equal to that of Malfoy being civil to Ron! Is the sun going to rise from the West as well? She wondered dazedly.
'Oh ... perhaps, she's suffering from a concussion,' Narcissa said to her son in a worried voice when Harry did not recover from her retarded state. 'I think it would be best if we took her to see the nurse.'
At her words, Malfoy's arms around her tightened and he made as if to lead her to the door. That was when Harry finally remembered that she was still holding onto the Slytherin with a death grip. His touch suddenly felt like shocks of electricity and she leapt away from him with a soft gasp.
'No, I – I'm fine,' Harry blurted, breathing hard. She tugged at the sleeves of her robes nervously when goosebumps broke out on her arms as her traitorous body recalled his warmth and revelled in the sensation of having him hold her. Embarrassed and hating herself for harbouring such unwanted feelings, Harry shot a cautious glance at Malfoy. He had dropped his arms back to his sides and was determinedly looking at his mother, who had begun to speak again,
'... quite sure you're feeling –?'
'Yes, yes,' Harry said quickly, turning to face the other woman only to blush under the concerned look Narcissa Malfoy was giving her. 'Er, I'm fine, thank you ... Mrs Malfoy,' she added, hoping that she sounded calm and polite as opposed to hysterical.
The blonde woman gave a delicate laugh then, which only served to put Harry even more on edge, if that was possible. 'Mrs Malfoy,' she repeated, looking amusedly at the raven-haired girl. 'That sounds far too formal. I imagine that it would be more appropriate for you to call me Narcissa for the time-being, seeing as you are my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.'
At her last words, Harry nearly choked on thin air. This was not the scenario she had had in mind when she had first stepped into the room! Confused beyond comprehension and beginning to panic again, she looked back and forth between the two Malfoys, desperate for an explanation. Her "fiancé" was carefully avoiding her eyes which badly made her want to give him such a kick as to render him sterile, but his mother, on the other hand, was openly gazing at her which did nothing to soothe her frenzied nerves. In fact, Harry could have sworn Narcissa Malfoy looked almost pleased as she gave the Gryffindor a critical once-over.
'Hmm.' She took a step closer to Harry who nearly tripped as she backed away intuitively. Not looking at all offended by this unwitting show of rudeness, Narcissa studied her face carefully and her lips curled up a bit more. 'Not exactly who I expected,' she murmured. 'I confess to being a little surprised at the ring's choice, Miss Potter. I never dreamed that Draco's desire was for you...'
Excuse me?! Harry practically screamed in her mind. She would have gladly voiced the words out loud as well, but she was too busy trying not to choke again – this time on her own spit.
'Yes,' Narcissa continued, either ignoring or ignorant of Harry's discomfort, 'it was quite a bolt from the blue ... but not necessarily an unpleasant one.' There was no mistaking it. She was definitely smiling now. 'Well, Dragon, what can I say? I have no complaints. Everyone knows Hariah Potter to be an honourable woman, and you have chosen well like I have always believed that you would.'
'I ... Thank you, Mother,' Malfoy spoke for the first time since his mother had entered the room. He sound and looked extremely ill at ease.
As for Harry, she was speechless. She just stared as Narcissa stepped away from her at last. Her thoughts were all jumbled up and she could just barely make head or tail of them. Here she was, a betrothed girl who had been hoping to have the engagement called off, only to get treated to a little chat with the mother of her fiancé! It made no sense. Why had Narcissa come to fuss over her right when she had thought she was free of this so-called marriage? The whole experience almost felt like a fiancée-meeting-future-mother-in-law thing...
The realisation hit her like a powerful sectumsempra to the chest. She nearly fell over again when the enormity of the situation truly sunk in. Draco Malfoy had not brought her here to free her. His plan had been to only introduce her to his mother! Her "future mother-in-law"! He had never intended to take the ring back...
Oh. My. God.
Had she been in her full senses, Harry might have tried to think everything through logically and reasonably. However, her sudden epiphany had put only one train of thought into her head:
Draco Malfoy had formally introduced her to his mother as his fiancée.
Narcissa Malfoy had practically accepted her as a daughter-in-law.
The Malfoy engagement ring was still on her finger. And thus, the engagement was even now intact – and from the recent turn of events, it would remain that way ... permanently.
For Harry, all this added up to only one thing: Draco Malfoy was coercing her into matrimony. He was forcing her to marry him!
Harry saw bloody red.
She barely noticed when Narcissa took her arm and gently pulled her towards Malfoy. Only when their elbows bumped together did Harry come out of her furious stupor and her anger nearly boiled over when Narcissa, watching them stand together with a brilliant smile, commented lightly, 'Such polar opposites! Like night and day ... Both of you make a lovely couple, if you'll forgive me for saying so.'
The Gryffindor bit the insides of her cheeks to keep herself from saying anything she would regret later. For now, Narcissa was not the one she wanted to rip apart with her bare hands...
Her control nearly evaporated when the blonde woman added, smiling at her, 'And, to be completely honest, I am rather glad that it would be you who takes my place as Mistress of the Malfoy family. I daresay that I couldn't have asked for a better wife for Draco, and I look forward to getting to know you better, Hariah ... you do not mind my calling you Hariah, do you?'
Harry shook her head curtly. 'No, it's fine,' she answered levelly. Her voice was colder than before and she could tell that Malfoy had immediately noticed the change; he fidgeted slightly, but did not speak.
Seemingly oblivious to the change in Harry's demeanour, Narcissa nodded graciously at her. 'Thank you, Hariah. And now I must leave. It has been a few hours since my arrival and I have little time to spare at the moment. However, I trust that we shall meet again soon.' With another disconcerting smile, she held out a hand which Harry accepted briefly, keeping her face neutral.
Taking her leave, Narcissa turned to exit the room, turning down her son's offer to see her off as she did so. 'No need, Dragon,' she waved him off. 'I shall simply use the Floo network from the Headmistress' office to return to the manor.'
Despite her words, Malfoy hurried after her towards the door. He looked, Harry thought with some satisfaction, a little too eager to leave the room. 'But, Mother ...' he began.
'Draco, there is no call for you to accompany me to Professor McGonagall's office,' Narcissa cut across him. 'I shall manage fine on my own. Farewell for now, Dragon, Hariah. Until our next meeting,' she added, looking directly at Harry before disappearing through the door.
There was pin drop silence in the room after she had left. Malfoy stood where he was, frozen to the spot as he rigidly faced the open doorway. Harry silently stood a little behind him, nearly drilling a hole into the back of his head as she glared at him with hate-filled eyes. She could practically feel her blood boiling over as her anger began to consume her. Her fingers itched to draw her wand and deliver a well-deserved hex to Malfoy's backside, but even that felt too inadequate in comparison to what he had just done.
How dare he! To even think that he can force this on me! ... Bastard...
As if he could feel her attempting to kill him basilisk-style, Malfoy squirmed slightly again. Harry watched this show of nervousness without sympathy. At the moment, that was the last thing he would get from her. Balling her right hand into a fist, she drew her arm back and waited impatiently, still glowering at the man in front of her.
Turn around, scumbag, turn around...
At long last, Draco Malfoy took a deep, audible breath and slowly faced her. He only caught a glimpse of her blazing eyes before Harry let fly and her knuckles collided with his face with an appalling crunch.
It had been a long time since Draco had accepted that looks could be very deceiving. He had learnt that lesson the hard way during his fifth year when he had made the mistake of insulting Potter's parents after losing the first Gryffindor-Slytherin match of the year. Never had he imagined that a skinny, scrawny girl could inflict any serious physical pain on him, but Potter had proved him wrong that day when she had attempted to punch him to oblivion. Apparently, anger could drive a person to the very extreme.
So, he was not really all that surprised at her brute strength when he found himself lying on his back on the classroom floor with half of his face throbbing with agony and stars sparkling in front of his eyes. In fact, he had been somewhat anticipating her to unleash her fury on him after what had just transpired; it was understandable. What he had not been expecting, however, was for Hariah Potter to launch herself at him straight afterwards.
The air was knocked out of his lungs as she landed on his midriff, and for a moment, he wondered if she was seriously considering murder. With a wild maniacal look in her eyes that instantly awoke fear in his heart, she straddled him to keep him down and grabbed his shirt front.
'Look here, you good-for-nothing, two-faced, filthy bastard,' she hissed menacingly. It would have sounded less scary if she had simply shouted at him. 'What did you think, eh? That you can just make me marry you for whatever reason?! That, because you introduced me to your mother, I'll just take it lying down and play along with you?'
'No,' Draco spoke up before she could continue. Gathering what courage he had, he met her ferocious gaze dead on and continued evenly, 'No, I didn't think that. But let me explain; you've got the wrong end of the stick, Potter –'
She interrupted him with a harsh laugh. 'Oh, I think not, Dragon. Everything is quite obvious. You bloody tricked me into coming here!' The cold mirth left her face and she yanked him up by his lapel so that he was nose to nose with her.
That was when the whole situation went right over the boundaries of dead-wrong-and-should-never-happen. As she pulled him half-way off the floor, Potter leaned back slightly and ended up sitting right on top of his...
Oh, hell, Draco thought, his eyes widening at the sudden jolts of electricity that began to race through his nerves. His heart began to pound and his mouth went dry as an intense desire to buck his hips against hers overcame him. Draco gritted his teeth, trying to keep the unholy thoughts at bay; now was not the time for his hormones to act up! But, next second, his thoughts went haywire as Potter inadvertently moved her lower body slightly, which instantaneously sent every drop of his blood travelling down south. Please, no... She was almost grinding against him...!
Potter did not appear to have noticed the effect her unwitting actions were having on him, nor was she done with her outraged speech. Her eyes were still shooting daggers as she growled at him in a low tone, 'I don't know what kind of perverse game you're trying to play here, Malfoy, and I don't want to find out, either. But get this through your head: I'm not going to marry you, and don't think, even for a second, that you can force me! I'm not your little toy, Malfoy!'
Draco barely heard what she had said and simply gazed up at her, dazed. She was no longer moving against him, but his body apparently could not care less. His current "condition" was getting even worse if that was possible, and he could practically feel his self-control seeping away as the sound of his logic screaming, Get away from her, moron! Push her off, grew fainter. Without even realising what he was doing, Draco let his hands rest on either side of her hips, holding her down against him...
This is not going to end well, his logic whispered before dying away.
Draco had just about given himself over to his animal instincts – which would have probably involved him devouring her sinfully delectable lips and making her scream by means that should never be practised in a classroom – when Hariah Potter, who had opened her mouth to presumably let loose another string of profanity, abruptly stiffened. A look of confusion, followed by comprehension and then sudden horror crossed her features in the space of five seconds.
Somehow, the expression on her face managed to drill through the lustful haze in his mind. Alarm bells began to go off when, at length, he understood what must have happened. His overwhelming desire slowly diminished as dread took its place.
Oh, damn.
Potter gaped at him, wide-eyed, before she let her gaze drop down to where she was sitting on him. Her face flushed tomato-red and her mouth opened and closed soundlessly while embarrassment filled her green eyes. Paling, Draco prayed for a miracle that would allow him to escape the impending mortification, but even then, he knew it was hopeless. His "condition" was such that there was no way that it could escape her attention. And she probably had enough brains to know that what was poking her down there was not merely his wand … literally, that is.
SMACK!
Ouch. That was the second dealing of abuse his poor face had been exposed to in less than ten minutes, and Draco rather felt that Hariah Potter could slap as hard as she could punch, if not harder. His head rang with the impact of her blow and it took a few seconds for his eyesight to return to normal. By then, she was on her feet and had put a safe distance of five yards between them.
'You sick pervert!'
Draco winced slightly. Potter had never struck him as the screeching type of girl, but right then, her voice was so shrill with hysteria that she could have put Pansy Parkinson to shame.
'How dare you! You – you…' Her blush deepened furiously as she stared at him. No, not at his face, but at a point much lower…
Blushing as deeply as she was, Draco quickly pulled his knees up to hide the bulge in his pants. Why, oh, why had he left his robes unbuttoned?
Potter seemed unable to come up with anything to say. Mumbling something that sounded more or less like a gurgle, she turned and ran for the door. She only paused to say threateningly (or, at least, as threateningly as possible under the current circumstances), 'You will take this bloody ring off me, Malfoy! And you will tell your mother that I'm not the girl who's going to be the next "Mistress" of your family!'
And then she was gone, but the sound of her cursing floated back into the room. With a groan, Draco buried his face in his hand. That had not gone well at all.
What the hell? What the HELL? WHAT THE HELL?!
Harry shuddered as she quickly walked away from the Defence classroom. She resisted the compulsion to wrap her arms around herself; she was not that weak! But still...
'I can't believe it,' she mumbled to herself, breathing hard. Draco Malfoy had actually been aroused back there! She was not mistaken, she was sure of it. Damn it, Harry had actually felt his... 'Oh, shit.'
She had not thought that anything could be worse than her feeling attracted to him when he had gone all sexual on her all those weeks ago, but to think that she could stir him up without even intending to do it ... well, that was just disturbing.
Harry bit her lip, suddenly feeling nervous. All these years, she had been under the impression that Draco Malfoy hated her – and with good reason, too! But now ... What the hell is going on? He had changed, that much was obvious, but Harry had thought that it was only the War that had transformed him into the cold ice cube he was today. Through her visions, Harry had witnessed how wickedly Voldemort had used the Malfoy heir; it had sickened her and she had pitied his situation. It was understandable why, when everything was over, he had withdrawn from the world.
That change in Malfoy, Harry could understand. But this new, altered version of him went even beyond that! Like his recent actions around her...
Harry began to blush again, but she forced her mind to contemplate the memories of Malfoy's new civility towards non-Slytherins, his calm reaction to their accidental kiss, his deliberate-or-maybe-not-deliberate sexual harassment, the constant staring, the silent response he had given when she had revealed the truth, bringing her to his mother, and now the incident in the classroom. None of them tallied with someone who "hated" her, but he could not really be serious about marrying her out of love or anything, right? Not once during their years at Hogwarts had Malfoy displayed any hints that he might even like her, let alone was attracted to her. The very thought went against nature!
Harry sighed, now more confused than ever. Draco Malfoy had become an enigma. Nothing was certain about him anymore. She could not accept that there might be a possibility of him feeling anything for her other than deep dislike at the least, but if he was trying to make her marry him, then surely there must be some reason for it.
Or is he still unchanged at heart and sees me as his plaything because of the ring?
She could find no answer for now, but one thing Harry knew for certain: whatever was going on in Malfoy's head, he would not succeed in forcing her into marriage. She would not let her free will be taken away ever again!
A proud, determined smile had barely formed on her lips when someone came barrelling around the corner and crashed right into her. She could have sworn that she heard her spine break as they fell over.
Goddamn it. I'm cursed. And with my luck, it's probably Malfoy – again.
Scowling inwardly, Harry cracked open an eye to see who it was. To her surprise, it was not just one, but two people that had nearly run her over. And for another thing –
'Ron? Hermione?'
'Oh, Harry, we're so sorry –!'
'You all right there, mate?'
She rolled her eyes. 'Can you repeat that after you both get off me?'
'Oh, right,' Ron said sheepishly. He helped Hermione to her feet before offering a helpful hand to Harry.
'You hurt?'
'A bit,' she admitted with a pained wince as Ron pulled her up. 'Why were you running, anyway? Where's the fire?'
Her friends exchanged a half-exasperated half-amused glance before answering in unison, 'Seamus.'
Temporarily forgetting her worries, Harry began to grin widely. 'What'd the bloke do?'
Her question was partially answered right then as a hideous noise, which sounded like a cross between a high-pitched yowl and roar, sounded from afar. Harry blinked, startled. That almost sounded like some sort of creature.
'Er, hey,' she began uncertainly as Ron and Hermione glanced over their shoulders at the empty corridor behind them. They both looked apprehensive, though in Ron's case, there was also a touch of excitement. 'What exactly has Seamus done?'
Shaking her head, Hermione answered, 'He released a bunch of Elemental Raptors into the Great Hall during lunch.'
'A bunch of what?'
'Elemental Raptors,' Ron said, his wary eyes still locked on the corridor. 'They're Velociraptors made of air, water, fire and earth.'
'It's a sort of dinosaur,' Hermione added, seeing Harry's puzzlement. She nodded vaguely; the only dinosaur she was familiar with was the famous T-Rex and that, too, only because she had stolen some of Dudley's picture books when she had been very young.
Another yowling screech sounded out and, this time, it sounded a lot closer. A few seconds later, little tremors began to shake the ground and what seemed like quick and heavy footfalls reached their ears. Growing fearful, Harry began to back away and her friends quickly followed. Soon, all three of them had broken into a run with Ron leading them away from the direction of the roar.
'Dinosaurs, huh. But where did Seamus get them?' Harry demanded.
'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes,' Hermione panted.
'What?!'
'The twins,' Ron explained, huffing, 'had been trying to invent them for a long time. They stopped during the War, but after Fred ...' he voice cracked slightly, but he pressed on nevertheless, 'well, George spent all summer developing them. He dedicated the whole lot to Fred. And Seamus, I think, is the first to buy them. Oh, damn it!' he snapped as they arrived at a staircase leading downstairs. 'We can't go down. Most of them are still in the Great Hall, but they're spreading all over the castle!'
'We have no choice,' Hermione cried as the footfalls and yowls grew louder. 'They're coming! Two of them, I think!'
Cursing, Ron took off down the stairs and the two girls followed suit.
'Why'd Seamus let loose a bunch of elemental dinosaurs in the castle?' Harry shouted, leaping over a trick stair. 'Has he gone completely mental?!'
'Actually, they're not all that dangerous,' Hermione answered.
'Then why the hell are we running?'
'How would you like it if a water-Raptor caught you and tried to tickle you to death with its tongue?!'
Harry shut up at once.
They reached the bottom of the staircase which led to another corridor that was thankfully empty. However, it did not look peaceful. Harry stared around in disbelief as she ran after Ron towards the other end; the whole place looked as if hell had unleashed its wrath there. Something that looked suspiciously like mud was splattered on the walls, half of the beautiful tapestries were burned and singed, there were puddles and trails of water all over the floor and the suits of armour lay in disarray all over the place as if a tornado had ripped through the hallway.
'What the –'
'Quick! In here!' Ron interrupted, pushing his hand against a particular area on the wall. It dissolved to reveal a hidden passageway and the three of them clambered inside. Once inside, the wall became intact again but not before Harry caught a glimpse of a fiery creature running past.
'Well ...' Hermione panted once they were engulfed in darkness. 'At least they weren't Elemental Pterodactyls or something. The flying dinosaurs,' she added helpfully as if she had seen Harry opening her mouth to ask.
'Don't get your hopes high, though,' Ron warned darkly. 'George just might invent those next.'
They sat there for a minute to catch their breath. Then Hermione lit her wand and got to her feet, pointing ahead of them. 'Come on,' she said, leading the way. 'Let's get to the other side.'
Falling into a narrow line, the three of them slowly made their way forward. Harry took out her wand and lit it as well.
'Can you explain,' she asked in a low voice, 'why Seamus did it? What was the point?'
'Inter-house Unity,' Hermione answered. Harry could practically hear her rolling her eyes. 'Right before unleashing those monstrosities, he got on top of the Gryffindor table during lunch, let everyone know precisely what he was up to, and then told all of us to rescue each other! He greatly emphasised that we should save someone from a different House if we can. Apparently, rescuing people from ticklish velociraptors is a great way of forming friendships.'
'And ... does it work?'
'I don't know,' Hermione said with a small shrug. 'Ron and I were too busy running from two fire-Raptors that would have burned us during the tickling process! Even their tongues are made of fire.'
'Yeah, but right before Seamus went insane on us, I overheard Dean telling Neville that Seamus had previously gone around telling the younger Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and some Ravenclaws about today's plan,' Ron added helpfully. 'Many of the midgets got excited and agreed with him and they were running around, trying to save the older students. Hell, I even saw a third year Hufflepuff save a fifth year Slytherin. They both ran off to rescue a bunch of Gryffindor girls; and they were bloody holding hands! So, maybe it really does work.'
Harry choked out a small incredulous laugh. 'Oh, Seamus. Bloke's insane, but he's a genius –'
'Like Dumbledore,' Ron grinned.
'But how do you "save" someone from a Raptor?' Harry asked curiously, peering around Hermione to see if the exit was coming up.
'The only thing that works on them is Impedimenta.'
'And, according to Seamus, they have a short life-span and will disappear in one hour. Right before lunch ends,' Hermione added, holding out a hand as the end of the passageway came into sight.
'But what about the mess they're creating?'
'Seamus said,' Ron answered, struggling to keep a straight face, 'that all the students should help clean up after classes today. Working together equals even more House Unity. And of course he did not wait for the weekend to do this. Primitive laws do not apply to "Leprechaun Boy".'
Harry snorted. 'And the teachers –?'
'–are running amok.'
'Here we are,' Hermione said, placing a hand on the wall in front of them. The end of the tunnel melted away and the three Gryffindors jumped through into the corridor on the other side – only to realise what a mistake that was. Harry's mouth dropped open at the sight her eyes beheld.
A spectacular battle between Hogwartians and Elemental Raptors was taking place in that particular hallway with the students shouting, 'Impedimenta!' at the screeching monsters, which, in turn, were busy trying to lick at whatever human got in their way. Harry stared in wonder at the magical velociraptors; their bodies were reptilian with sharp heads, lean frames and long, whip-like tails. At least over two metres high, they stood on their hind legs which were longer and tougher than the frontal ones, though the curved razor-sharp claws on their feet looked equally deadly. And each one of them was made of fire, water, earth or air. The ones made of "air" merely looked like shimmering figures, but the earth-Raptors appeared to be made of mud.
'Watch out!' Ron shouted suddenly, grabbing Harry's arm and yanking her sideways just before a water-Raptor nearly crashed into her. Back-tracking, Harry apprehensively looked up at the velociraptor as it turned to face her and slid a watery tongue out of its liquid jaws. Before she could react, however, a spell hit the creature right in the face and it froze, giving her time to escape.
Looking around, Harry's eyes fell on a young Slytherin boy whose name she did not know. He was still pointing his wand at the immobilised Raptor.
'You OK, Potter?' He asked, crocking an eyebrow.
Harry gazed at him, surprised. 'Yeah ... thanks.'
'No problem.'
A scream of hysterical laughter cut through the atmosphere right then and Harry caught sight of Ginny Weasley and two of her friends being thoroughly tickled by a pack of four Elemental Raptors. The Slytherin smirked at Harry. 'Later, Chosen One. Got some lions to rescue.' With that, he ran towards Ginny, shooting Impediment Jinxes at her assaulters.
Raising her eyebrows, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione who were gaping after the boy.
'When has a Slytherin ever tried to save a Gryffindor, even if it is from some stupid dinosaurs?' Ron muttered; his eyes were like ostrich-eggs.
'I'm beginning to think that Seamus really does know what he's doing,' Hermione murmured.
'Well, in that case,' Harry said in a mock-serious voice, holding up her wand, 'let's go save some snakes!'
Without waiting to see her friends' reactions, she took off down the corridor, dodging the raptors and jinxing as many as possible. Soon, she heard footsteps behind her and Ron and Hermione shouting, 'Impedimenta!' Harry laughed, enjoying herself. Running through the corridors like this, it was deeply reminiscent of the Last Battle that had taken place in Hogwarts, but this – this was actually fun. Harry could not remember the last time she had felt so light and carefree. And judging from the bouts of laughter coming from her best friends, they were feeling the same; even Hermione.
With a well-aimed jinx, Hermione immobilised an air-Raptor and Ron hauled its victim to his feet. It was Neville.
'How're you holding up?' Harry grinned at him.
'This is crazy!' Neville exclaimed. 'But – Impedimenta!' A fire-Raptor that was chasing a group of screaming second years froze. 'It's excellent,' Neville finished, smiling sheepishly.
'Well, of course it is!' A voice yelled excitedly.
'Hey there, Seamus,' Harry chuckled, turning to face the Irishman. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of him. He had shed his outer robes and was wearing a white cape over his school shirt. No, not a cape, she realised, but a sheet; probably the one belonging to his bed.
'Are you enjoying yourselves, my gallant comrades?' Seamus cracked.
'Sure,' Ron snickered. 'But, Seamus, is that supposed to be a cape, mate?'
'What's it for?' Neville added curiously.
'I'm the chief Knight in Shining Armour! Of course, I'd need a nice cape!' Seamus said obnoxiously as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Harry had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Hermione and Neville tactfully turning their faces away while Ron not-so-tactfully slapped a hand to his forehead. Seamus, however, did not notice. His gaze had fallen on something behind them.
'What's wrong –?' Harry began, but before she could finish, he had run past her, cheerfully shouting, 'Don't worry, Millie! I'll save you!'
Harry did burst out laughing this time, as did her friends.
'Who wants to bet that Bulstrode will kick not only the Raptor's arse, but Seamus' as well?' Ron asked, sniggering.
'FINNEGAN!'
Everyone in the corridor jumped at the sound of Professor McGonagall's voice and even the Elemental Raptors stiffened for a second before pursuing the students again. The screaming and laughter started up again at that. Ignoring the creatures, the Headmistress stormed into midst of the chaos, brushing past Harry and the Gryffindors towards Seamus.
'Yes, Headmistress?' He chirped from where he had been kneeling beside Millicent Bulstrode, who he had just "saved".
'Finnegan, get rid of these right now!' McGonagall barked, hexing a Raptor that had come running at her.
'No can do, Professor. They're here to stay until the lunch hour is up. But they will disappear, honest!' He added quickly upon seeing the puce colour spreading across the Headmistress' face. 'Just a few more minutes and they'll be gone.'
'Is that right?' she retorted. 'And I assume that it will be you who will put this castle to rights again?'
'No worries, there, Professor!' Seamus beamed happily. 'All of us will clean up tonight after classes and that's a promise. It'll help the House friendship thingy.'
McGonagall was about to snap some more when her eyes landed on the other students. Harry smiled slightly as surprise flitted across the Headmistress' face at the sight of students helping each other. There was no order of Houses amongst them now. It was just a community of youths, battling a bunch of elemental monsters and having a good time thanks to the twisted plans of an equally twisted Irishman.
The irritation dissipated somewhat from Professor McGonagall, but she did not leave the corridor without a final threat to Seamus, 'If I see a single one of these monsters in the castle after lunch hour ends, you'll get detention for a fortnight, Finnegan!'
With that, she haughtily walked away. Before leaving, however, she caught sight of Harry and made a beeline for her. 'I'm glad I caught you here, Miss Potter. I'd like a word in my office, if you don't mind.'
Harry hesitated. She was having far too much fun to leave at the moment, but she nodded in acquiescence nevertheless. With a small shrug at her puzzled friends, Harry followed Professor McGonagall. However, she almost chomped her tongue off in a desperate attempt to repress her laughter when Harry overheard Seamus saying to Millicent,
'Hey, Millie, I just saved your life! Do I get a kiss?'
SMACK!
That's gotta hurt, Harry thought, smirking.
It took more than ten minutes for them to reach the Headmistress' office because the Students vs Raptors battle had spread all over the castle. Wherever they went, spells were flying overhead and Velociraptors were chasing Hogwartians. However, having seen how effective Seamus' plan was, McGonagall appeared not to mind too much now and simply led Harry through all the pandemonium, jinxing the occasional creature that blocked her way.
She heaved a sigh of relief once they were inside the office and gestured at Harry to take a seat.
'Miss Potter, this is a choice that I shall leave entirely up to you,' she said seriously, settling into her high-backed chair. 'But it is something that all the teachers here would like you to agree to.'
Interested at once, Harry leaned forward in her chair. 'What is it, Professor?'
McGonagall contemplated her sternly through her square-framed spectacles. 'You are aware that we are experiencing some ... difficulties in finding a Defense professor at the moment?'
Harry nodded silently, deciding not to voice her suspicions that it was something more than mere difficulties.
'Well, we suspect that we cannot get a teacher for a couple more weeks. However, it is vital that the students keep practising the defensive spells that they do know. They should keep practising and improve their skills with the guidance of someone who can tutor them well. Someone with experience.' She looked meaningfully at the raven-haired girl.
The implication of her words gave Harry a start. 'Me?' she breathed. 'You want me to tutor the students? As a teacher?' It was like starting the DA all over again, but on a much scarier level.
'No, not as a professional teacher,' McGonagall shook her head. 'But as an unofficial mentor. You are not expected to teach them new spells that even you do not know, Potter. Leave that to the Defense teacher when they arrive. But teach them what you do know. Help them improve ... Were you not involved in a similar activity a few years ago?' she added somewhat nonchalantly.
Harry flushed, embarrassed. 'Oh, yes. The DA meetings ... but that was for less than thirty students, Professor! To teach the whole school –!'
'No, Potter, not the whole school,' McGonagall sounded a little exasperated. 'I did not say you will be taking classes for the students. Think of it as an extracurricular activity with you as the instructor. Only those interested will take part. It's not mandatory ... If you're uncomfortable with it,' she added, 'start this as that "DA" again; the only difference is that more students from the Houses would probably join it. You may conduct it where you held your "DA" meetings, too, if you wish.'
Harry worried her bottom lip with her teeth, thinking it over. The DA had been fun and she did miss it, but that had been under completely different circumstances! The DA had been a rebellion; this new "DA" would make her seem like a substitute teacher. Could she do it, though? Teach hundreds of students if they did join it? Harry began to feel a little hot around the collar at the thought of standing in front of nearly the whole school and teaching them all the spells that she knew.
She exhaled slowly through her mouth. 'Can I have some time to think it through, Professor?'
The Headmistress nodded. 'Very well, but I expect an answer tomorrow night at the latest.'
'Yes, Professor.' Harry cleared her throat self-consciously. 'So – so this is only until the real teacher comes?'
'Yes.'
'When would that be, Professor, if you don't mind my asking?'
Professor McGonagall looked shrewdly at her; it was almost as if she knew that Harry was trying to pry some information out of her.
'I'll tell you this much, Potter,' she answered at length. 'We contacted the to-be Defense teacher a few weeks before term started. However, due to certain ... troubles, she could not make it in time. And until she can, you are to hold these extra DA sessions if you accept that responsibility.'
Harry nodded casually. 'I see ... what sort of troubles –?'
'That is not your concern.'
Recognising the end of the discussion, Harry merely nodded and got to her feet. At least I've found out one thing: the Defense professor is a woman. She would try to get more information later.
'Remember, Potter,' Professor McGonagall said as Harry turned to leave, 'I want your answer by tomorrow night. Oh, and, before I forget...' She handed over a large, rolled up parchment. 'Candidates for the Quidditch team'.
Harry's eyes widened in shock. The parchment was huge; it would probably be over three feet long when she opened it! Had the whole House signed up for the team?
Professor McGonagall's lips twitched slightly. 'Quite a lot of Gryffindors seemed interested in trying out this year,' she said lightly. 'So much so that I could not give you the names last week as I intended to. Do not forget to book the Quidditch pitch, Miss Potter. I have already informed Madam Hooch that you will approach her within the week.'
Harry could only nod dumbly.
'You may leave.'
Blaise was waiting for Draco at his station during Herbology right after lunch. He grinned at the approaching blond who barely returned the gesture.
'Well? What happened?' Blaise asked eagerly as the students waited for Professor Sprout to arrive. 'Why were you summoned to the Headmistress' office?'
The tiny smile on Draco's face immediately vanished. 'My mother was there,' he answered shortly.
His friend looked surprise. 'Your mother? She came to meet you personally?'
'Yes,' Draco sighed. He could feel himself blushing as recollections of his time with Hariah Potter crowded his mind. 'Blaise, please can we not talk about it now? Perhaps later.'
The brunet immediately looked concerned, but he nodded peaceably. 'If that is what you want. However, I do wish that you had arrived in time for lunch. Seamus Finnegan was up to his ears in mischief today! I'm beginning to rather admire him. He could have given those Weasley twins a run for their money had they been in school this year!'
Draco nodded vaguely. 'Hn, some sort of elemental dinosaurs. Yes, I heard. The gossip here spreads faster than wild forest fires.'
Blaise laughed. 'Yes. I look forward to seeing what he's going to unleash next.'
'Perhaps, you should participate in his mischief like you said you would during the Welcoming Feast,' Draco pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
'And perhaps I would have done so long before this had I not been too preoccupied with worrying over my socially-challenged fool of a best friend.'
Point taken. But Draco hated losing, even verbal spars, so he retorted hotly, 'Don't attempt to guilt me into apologising, Blaise. I already have done that.'
'Ah, speaking of guilt, try not to forget to answer your mother's latest letter, Drake,' Blaise said, pulling out an envelope from his bag. 'This arrived during lunch hour. Poor Roenan nearly got licked up by a Velociraptor. I would tell your mother to take that owl to the Magical Menagerie and get him checked over, if I were you.'
Not listening to Blaise' drivel, Draco took the envelope from him and shook out the piece of parchment inside. His eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline upon reaching the end of his mother's letter.
'I can hardly believe this...' he said in a whisper.
Crocking an eyebrow, Blaise simply stood silently, waiting for Draco to continue.
'My father's sentence is over. The Ministry has released him. And now he wants to meet me to discuss matters of the family business and my engagement ... but he doesn't know about Hariah Potter yet. Mother hasn't told him.'
Draco lowered the letter just as the door of the greenhouse banged open and Professor Sprout hurried inside, calling a cheerful greeting to her students. He barely noticed her presence as he quickly read through the letter again.
'Blaise. My parents are coming to meet me during the first Hogsmeade visit next weekend ... and Father wants to meet my fiancée.'
A/N: See? No cliffhanger. I can be nice, so there! Oh, don't look at me like that; I know a cliffie when I see one and that is not really a cliffhanger. Just a little something for you to wonder about. ;)
IMPORTANT QUESTION: OK, I've got two kinds of complaints so far. 1) My chapters are too long, and 2) My chapters are not long enough (WTF?! Somehow, I can't really believe that. Surely, they're long enough??). And then I've got some comments about how some readers actually enjoy the long chapters. In the beginning, I averaged around 5000-7000 words, but the last three chapters were 11000+ words. Now, I can't please everyone, so I'm just going to go with the "majority wins" rule. So, should I shorten the length of my chapters or keep them as they are? Please let me know through a review or a PM.
THANK YOU: Firstly, to Isabelle Eir for suggesting the Seamus "creating pseudo-monsters, donning a cape and saving Slytherins from certain fright" scene (which I exaggerated a bit), and secondly to Plush for giving the idea of Harry teaching them Defense (which, again, I twisted around a bit). Thanks so much!
Alrighty, there we have it, folks! Please leave a review and/or concrit! XD
NEXT: CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Better and Better? Or Worse and Worse?