The train arrived at Hogsmede station a few hours after the incident with Ron, and Harry and his girlfriend's got in one carriage, Katie in his lap this time while Angelina and Alicia sat beside him, while Hermione, Neville and Luna took another carriage.
"Are you sure you're ok Harry?" Angelina asked placing a hand on his face.
"I'll be ok, it's just Ron's been my oldest friend and I can't believe he'd say the things he did. I don't care that he hit me but…" Harry's voice trailed off, fury and sadness making it impossible to continue. Angelina and Alicia put a hand on his shoulder while Katie just wrapped him in a hug.
Harry felt his anger and sadness evaporate from the comfort the three girls were giving him, and he smiled at each of them before giving each a quick peck on the lips.
They headed into the Great Hall and sat next to Hermione and Neville with Fred and George and the twin's friend Lee Jordan across from them. Ron sat at the far end of the table next to Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, all of whom were sending Harry an occasional glare, which he ignored.
"Have a good summer Harry?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't come see you all I was otherwise engaged" Harry said and smirked at the three girls sitting next to him, all of whom smirked as the twins caught on to what Harry was saying. However, before they could respond Harry's head of house Professor McGonagall came up to him.
"Potter, come with me" she said curtly and Harry followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall and up to her office on the seventh floor. She ushered him inside and he sat down, while she sat across from him.
"Potter, please explain to me what happened on the train between you and Mr. Weasley" she said and Harry almost groaned out loud. Leave it to Ron to complain to Professor McGonagall.
Harry told McGonagall everything, leaving out the fact that he was dating the three Gryffindor Chasers, and by the time he was done McGonagall's lips were in such a thin line that he thought she may have used a vanishing spell on them.
"Potter, you did the right thing in not allowing your friend's to hex Mr. Weasley, although I am curious as to why he called Miss Bell, Miss Johnson and Miss Spinnet that wretched name" she said and Harry almost chuckled; it seemed McGonagall had as much of a problem with the word slut as Dumbledore did with hearing the word Mudblood.
"Professor can you promise what I am going to tell you will not go beyond us?" he asked and she nodded.
"I'm dating them" he said and McGonagall looked as if she were going to faint from shock.
"All of them?" she asked and Harry nodded.
"Well Potter, you may go" she said and Harry thanked her and walked to the door.
"Potter, don't distract them from Quidditch, I'd like to keep the Cup" she said with a smile and Harry laughed before heading back to the Great Hall.
He went back into the Great Hall just as Dumbledore was introducing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge, a short, dumpy woman who reminded Harry of a toad.
"Harry, what did McGonagall want?" Alicia asked.
"She wanted me to explain what happened on the train. She also told me not to distract you three from Quidditch" he said, causing all of them to chuckle softly for fear of being overheard. However before they could say anymore, Professor Umbridge stood up and walked over to Dumbledore. After a quick discussion he sat down, looking as if he desired nothing more than to listen to her speak.
"I must say it is fun to be back at Hogwarts!" she said in a sickly sweet voice that made Harry want to gag.
"The Ministry feels that your education is the most important thing as you are the ones that shall carry the legacy of the Wizarding World. As such you…" By this point Harry was tuning Umbridge out, her voice fading into the background, instead focusing on the food in front of him. Harry didn't need to listen to her speech to know the only thing he needed to know: the Ministry was interfering at Hogwarts.
"That was very illuminating Professor Umbridge" Dumbledore said as he finished giving out the start-of-term notices.
"What do you make of that?" Fred asked.
"The Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts" Harry replied before getting up since he and Hermione had to lead the first years to Gryffindor tower. Harry laughed as he saw the first-years looking around, wide-eyed expressions on their faces, remembering how he had looked the same way when he had first entered the castle.
After getting the first years inside the common room Harry went straight to bed. He was exhausted from his fight to Ron and just hoped that everything would go back to normal the next day. Little did he know how wrong he really was.
Waking up the next morning, Harry dressed, a bit surprised when Ron was already in the Great Hall. He exited the portrait hole and had barely started to walk down the hallway before he was pulled into an abandoned classroom.
"What the hell?" Harry said, whirling around, and surprised to find himself face-to-face with three very angry looking Chasers. He gulped and immediately knew he was in for it.
"Do you not like us anymore Harry?" Alicia asked, hands on her hips.
"What are you talking about, of course I still like you girls" he said his voice a bit indignant even as he wondered what he did to get his girlfriend's so angry.
"Then perhaps you can explain last night" Katie said, picking up where Alicia had left off, her tone every bit as icy.
Harry wracked his brain, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what he was supposed to have done. He looked at Angelina silently begging for help but she only glared at him, brown eyes betraying nothing.
Harry went back through what had happened the previous evening, from the fight with Ron up until he left the Great Hall and still wasn't sure what he was supposed to have done that would've landed him in his current predicament. He remembered walking the first years to the Great Hall and then going to bed… suddenly it all fit.
"I didn't say goodnight to you girls did I?" he said, and smiles finally broke through the previously angry faces.
"Took you long enough Potter" Angelina said with a smirk while the other two walked over to Harry and kissed him on the cheek.
"I might've figured it out sooner if you'd given me a hint Johnson" Harry shot back.
"Then how would you have learned anything?" Alicia whispered, her breath tickling his ear.
"Now you sound like Hermione"
"But we're much prettier right Harry?" Katie asked from his other side.
"Absolutely" Harry said, and the girls chuckled, not realizing Harry was being serious. Sure Hermione was pretty but Quidditch had worked wonders for the three girls, and Harry had to admit he found it rather enjoyable not to be around Hermione all the time. He loved her, but she was occasionally too bossy while Angelina, Alicia and Katie were intelligent but they also knew how to relax and not boss people around.
"Good now shut up and kiss us Potter" Katie said, and that is exactly what Harry did.
They left the classroom ten minutes later, Harry's lips extremely swollen from all the snogging he'd participated in. However he found he rather enjoyed it. Each girl was different: Katie's kisses were soft and tender while Angelina's were rough and hard, and Alicia's were either to one extreme or the other Harry never knew which until his lips met hers.
"So are we ok now?" Harry asked.
"I would hope that nice snogging session you just got would tell you we're fine" Katie said.
"Well, it never hurts to be sure" Harry said and when they finally got into the Great Hall Harry barely had time to say hello to Hermione before they had to head to their first class. Harry was happy to discover that fifth and sixth years had Defense Against the Dark Arts together and walked to class with his girlfriends, Hermione walking next to them, smiling as she saw the smile on Harry's face. He was the best person she knew and the brother she'd never had and knew that if anyone deserved happiness it was Harry. They entered Umbridge's classroom and what he saw nearly made Harry gag; the walls were the same hideous pink as Umbridge's cardigan and there were dozens of pictures of cats on the walls.
"You may put away your wands, they will not be necessary" she said and the class let out a groan, already able to tell they would hate her class; no class they ever enjoyed began with them being told to put away their wands.
"Copy down the course aims" she said waving her wand at a blackboard, "and kindly begin reading chapter 1 of Defensive Magical Theory. You will not need to talk" she said and sat down while the students begrudgingly pulled out the textbook. Harry sighed and began to read, but he had barely read one paragraph before he slammed the book shut.
"This is a load of rubbish" Harry said, causing Umbridge to look up from what she was doing.
"Excuse me Mister Potter, but I do not think it is for you to say whether or not a book is useful as you are neither a qualified teacher, nor a Ministry official" Umbridge replied.
"How is this going to help us get through our O.W.L.'s never mind facing what's out there?" Harry shot back.
"If you study hard enough you will do fine on your exams and what, pray tell, do you think is out there?" Umbridge asked.
"Uh… I don't know, maybe Lord Voldemort?!" Harry said and everyone except Hermione Angelina, Katie and Alicia winced at the mention of the dark wizard.
"I promise you Mr. Potter, you are mistaken"
Harry opened his mouth to retort but was stopped by the feeling of his girlfriend's hands on his back stopped him. Instead he just nodded and returned to the book.
"Thanks for stopping me, the toad would've given me detention for sure" Harry said when they left Umbridge's class.
"Anytime Harry. After all, we can't have our favorite Seeker risk getting detention now can we?" Angelina said which reminded him she had scheduled Keeper tryouts for that Friday.
"No I guess not" Harry said and kissed the three girls before heading off to History of Magic. Ron sat with Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas and Harry was shocked to find that he was actually able to pay attention to Professor Bins as he droned on about Goblin Wars. When Hermione realized he was actually paying attention she beamed at him before returning to her notes.
Harry was in an excellent mood when he went to lunch but that mood evaporated as soon as he saw Alicia and Katie waiting for him. Judging from their red eyes and worried expressions Harry guessed that they'd been crying and Harry slumped his shoulders, wondering what he'd done now.
"Katie, Alicia what's wrong?" he asked, and the two girls ran into his arms, crying into his shoulder. He patted them on the back, unsure of what else to do until they finally regained enough control to talk.
"Harry… I… its Angelina" Katie said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"She… she's been attacked"
A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'm sorry for the long delay in updating! Thanks to everyone who favorites, follows and reviews this story, you rock! Expect the next update later this week!