AN:
6/15/16 Fixing the repeat about the Knight Bus
Beautifully betaed by our dearest dianemalfoy
"/speaking in Goblin/"
I love you guys so much. All the positive feedback I get from each chapter both from dianemalfoy when she edits each one but from my readers is amazing. Hearing my phone ping with another review, follow or fav is one of the best feelings. Thank you all for every kind word and all your constructive criticisms.
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Flooing into the Leaky Cauldron felt more like falling into a Mexican standoff. Terry, Blaise and Theo were all staying off to one side as Hermione and Daphne were having a glaring contest. You could smell the tension in the air. Neville and Lisa were trying to calm the situation but weren't having much effect.
"What's going on here?" Harry asked coming over to his friends.
"Little Miss Know-it-All claims there is no Plásmata Katafýgio. I was saying that calling your friend a liar is not the way a proper lady acts." Daphne replied obviously angry, her cool mask long gone.
"I was just saying there is no such place on any map I saw and if such a place exists why didn't Professor McGonagall tell me about it first year?" Hermione countered looking smug thinking Harry was going to defend her.
"Hermione." Harry said eyes narrowed. "We talked about your attitude last time we all went somewhere. You can't keep doing this. You are my friend and one of the first ones I ever had. But if you can't grow up you're... You're going to end up just like Snape." He said shocking everyone.
Hermione turned to him mouth agape. "What do you mean?" She asked looking stricken.
"Snape was once my mother's best friend but his attitude saw her refusing to talk to him, and his stubbornness saw her dying before he could apologize. I am a Lord with a family and a mate to look after now I can and will sever ties with you if I have to. I barely have time to breath at this moment, so I can't go around putting out the fires on all the bridges your attitude is burning. And another thing, Daphne is right. Don't call me a liar. Don't assume just because you don't know something that it doesn't exist." Harry told her in a hard voice.
Hermione had tears in her eyes. "Harry. What are you saying? These people are poisoning you against me. We've been friends for 2 years Harry." She said tears slipping out of her eyes.
Harry sighed. "No Hermione, they're not. We became friends in a high stress situation and our friendship has been further strengthened by fire. I told you before I love you like a sister, but siblings grow apart. I don't want that to happen but you're not leaving me many options. If you start one more argument with your arrogance today I will not invite you on another outing like this until you can show marked improvement in your maturity. Instead of creating enemies, I don't understand why you aren't trying to befriend the other girls here and learn about the upper elation of the magical world." Harry said rubbing his face.
Hermione still looked shocked but she nodded at the ultimatum. She was so used to giving the orders and Harry and Ron following them that she didn't know how to change. They were her first friends too, and from the look of the group, they may be her last if she didn't do something. Hermione would do her best to keep her mouth shut and then when the day was over talk to her mum about this.
"Now that that's settled let's get moving. I have some more paperwork to drop off at Gringotts then we are free for the rest of the afternoon." Harry said nodding to Susan and Hannah who had flooed in while he was tearing into Hermione. Everyone else nodded and they headed out the back of the pub. Thankfully the two girls having a cat fight had all but cleared the pub so there hadn't been many people to over hear their conversation.
Walking down Diagon saw a few curious stares coming their way over the size of their group and the young man leading it. No one dared approach them though. In addition to both Blaise and Daphne's icy masks back in place, Harry also looked dangerous. His usually open expression tight after having to lay into one of his best friends again. He hated the thought of losing Hermione, but he was also resigned to it. From the look of her today it worried him that she would grow up far too late to save their relationship.
Thoughts of the morning he had spent with Alex, Serpens and Remus strengthened his resolve. Remus was right, most people would treat him different do to his illness and Harry planned to be ready to back the man with all the power and money he now possessed if necessary. No one was coming near his family again without a fight. Harry paused for a beat just a few shops from the bank. A thought occurred to him. 'If I need to I will leave Hogwarts. Surely that would keep me and my friends safe.' The thought tripped him up at first causing the pause but the more he thought on it the better it seemed. Leaving Hogwarts, and taking all his friends with him would solve several of his problems. Yes the school was like a home to him but he had a new home and a new family too. There would be no monster dogs, possessed teachers or students, no Draco or Dumbledore and no basilisk. Harry decided to wait. If anything else life threatening came up he'd ask Augusta and Serpens about switching schools.
With Harry in his own world they passed right into the bank. Griphook's greeting finally snapped him out of his planning.
"/Good afternoon Lord Potter-Perciville./" the goblin said. Several of the other patrons stopped to look at a goblin speaking their own language so openly on the bank floor.
They and his friends were in for an even greater shock. "/Good afternoon Griphook. I have some more proposals. Could you get them to Trilok, and let us out into the Alley?/" Harry asked him in accented and slow goblin. It was not the best but being able to speak their language at all impressed the other goblins and shocked the humans as well.
"/Of course. Right this way./" He replied leading them. Griphook stood a little straighter. Being publicly acknowledged as Harry's friend and asked to do a simple favor would elevate his standing among the other tellers. Many hadn't believed that he personally knew the friend of their nation.
"You speak gobbledygook?" Hermione asked in shock.
"Yes and the goblins call their language Goblin. As gobbledygook is very insulting." Harry told her. Griphook lead them down a hall and into the other bank entrance. This one like the other times Harry had seen it was bustling with creatures of every shape and size. "Griphook, where exactly is Plásmata Katafýgio compared to Diagon?"
"If not for Gringotts, Knockturn and Plásmata would make a Y. The bank though acts as a barrier separating the magical and wizarding shopping districts." Griphook explained.
"When did you learn gobbl... goblin?" Hermione asked feeling her question had been ignored.
"I started being tutored by Griphook here after I became a friend of the goblins." Harry told her.
"Why didn't you ask me to study with you?"
"How would you get to Neville's for lessons twice a week?" Harry countered.
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Her cheeks tinted pink. Weather in jealousy that Neville was getting extra tutoring or in embarrassment it was hard to tell. Either way, Hermione was silent as they passed out of the bank into the alley.
The whole group froze as they left the building. None of them, save Harry, had seen anything like this before. While the number of people seemed to rival Diagon at Christmas, the variety of species was a shock, and the brightness of the shops.
"So where do you want to go first?" Harry asked.
"Why don't we just pick a side and work our way around?" Susan suggested.
"Great idea." Harry replied. "We can start with Second Looks and then end with the library."
"Library?" Hermione said perking up. "Why not start there?"
"Because you'll never want to leave. I almost missed a bank appointment because I didn't want to leave there." Harry told them with a chuckle. "We might not get to see everything today but we can come back another time."
That being said, he led them to Second Looks. The girls, minus Hermione, enjoyed looking at the things available at Aphrodite's, the beauty parlor. Harry joked with the guys about getting a talon sharpening for Professor McGonagall.
"Maybe a fang whitening for Professor Snape too?" Theo replied with a smile. They all had a good laugh at that.
"You shouldn't be making fun of our professors." Hermione said with her arms crossed. "Why are we even waiting here?"
"And we don't need another mother." Blaise retorted. "This is our holiday and if we wish to joke with friends that is perfectly acceptable."
"We're waiting on the girls. They all wanted to book appointments to see how this spa competes with the one in Diagon." Neville said to break up the argument before it could begin.
Harry gave him a look of gratitude. Thankfully, the girls come out shortly after and they moved on to Wandering Souls. Harry talked Neville into getting an ingredient harvesting kit.
"That way you can stock your potions kit from your greenhouses and be sure you're doing it right." He told him.
Neville looked thoughtful. While he knew some of his plants could be used in potions, he'd never thought of growing ingredients on purpose. Doing so could one day be turned into a business. Gran had told him he could only spend 45 percent of the Longbottom fortune once he took lordship. Their ancestors had set up the vault that way to force the lord to work and add to the families' fortune and prestige. Not that he thought he could spend that much money in a lifetime, it was the principle of it though. He wanted to do his parents proud. And if he could get a start on that now while still in school, all the money left in his trust account when he took the title could be turned into a startup fund for the business. Maybe a down payment on land to hold the greenhouses he would need to build...
As Neville was in his own world thinking of his future the others had explored the luggage store and were headed into Foci, the jewelers. The gasps as they looked around at all the different magical focuses is what snapped Neville back to the present.
Harry was glad to have some time to look at this shop again. Hermione and Daphne were actually getting along, while grilling the sales lady about each type of focus and what cultures they were used in. Harry wanted to look on the other side of the shop that he had glanced last time. It was a regular jeweler. The others were all wandering around and didn't pay too much attention to Harry as he approached the other salesman.
"Excuse me sir." Harry said stepping over.
"Yes young man?" He replied politely. The man was smart enough to guess he wasn't going to make a sale today but if he made a good impression these teens might come back in a few years.
"I was wandering. Is there a way to change an absolute contract collar?"
The man blinked in shock. Then shook his head. "I'm sorry young man but no, unfortunately there isn't. That one with the scarp I'm guessing." He asked nodding to Theo who ever since they meet had been hiding the collar under a scarf.
"Yes sir." Harry replied with a nod. "He's shy and the collar draws attention. It makes him very uncomfortable." While Theo hadn't said so, it wasn't hard to deduce either.
The man smiled at him. "You're a good bond mate to even think of such a thing. I'm sure it has more to do with his age and the fact that a date for him losing his innocence is looming in the not too distant future than any attention the collar may get him."
Harry turned bright red he hadn't even thought of that. "Oh."
"While I can't change the collar itself, being an extremely magical item tied to the wearer's very life force, I could sell you a piece to go over it." Harry looked at him interested. "Now usually these kind of items are made for a woman but I'm sure we can find something for your little mate. And it not our son is an excellent smith and could whip up anything you fancy."
"Alright show me what you have." Harry told him with a large smile as the man pulled over several manikin busts with various chokers on them and a case with more lying flat.
Harry looked over all the ones he had and he was thinking he'd have to custom order one when his eyes slide over to a nearby display of pins. "Could you mount a pin on a wide piece of fabric or leather and use that?" Harry asked eyes glued on the piece that would be just perfect if it would work.
"Yes. That would work perfectly." The man replied with a smile. "And if embarrassment is a part of the issue then an understated piece like that would do the trick."
Harry smiled. "I want that one the silver caduceus with the sapphire eyes." The man brought it over. "Can you alter it so that it looks just like the one on the Perciville crest only leave one snake with sapphire eyes and do the other emerald?"
"I can do that sir. But you do know it is illegal to wear another houses crest without the lords knowledge or permission?" he cautioned.
"No I didn't know that. Thank you for telling me. But I am Lord Perciville and Lord Potter. So do you have a pin that resembles the Potter crest as well? Then Theo can choose which he would rather have."
The man gapped for a moment before nodding. He grabbed a gold rearing lion pin, and while he was at it plucked up two small wands and swords also in gold. "If he'd like to be Consort Potter then I suggest the lion in the center with and have a crossed wand and sword on either side. That would match the crest which has the two crossed behind the lion."
Harry nodded and turned around. "Theo, could you come here a moment?"
Said boy walked over from where he and Blaise were having a discussion by the bond rings. "Yes Harry?" He said, face red from his talk with Blaise.
"Wearing a scarf in the middle of summer is kind of ridiculous, so I thought you might want a better way to hide the collar."
Theo looked at him a bit stunned. "You don't mind me hiding it?"
"No I don't like being stared at for my scar so I can understand. But what we were thinking would require you to choose which house you want to be named the consort of." Harry told him showing the two options.
Theo looked at them. He knew due to the nature of the contract meant Harry wasn't required to give him either title. Theo could be his 'mistress' and none of their children would have claim to any of his fortune or titles. That was one of the loop holes that saw the absolute contract loose favor. Lords would take one and instead of the bride's family getting an economic boost they were left raising their bastard grandchildren, never seeing their son or daughter again.
Harry going out of his way to offer, to make sure he had a claim on one of his titles told Theo all he needed to know about the other boy. He leaned up the inch that separated them and kissed him on the lips wrapping his arms around Harry's neck. Harry was shocked at first but leaned into the kiss putting an arm around Theo's waist. When Theo didn't pull back after a few moments, Harry sought entrance into Theo's mouth. He could feel the other boy's face heat as he opened.
They didn't pull apart until oxygen became an issue. Harry hugged Theo close face on fire from the snog. That was by far the most intimate they had been and blew their other light kisses out of the water. "If buying you jewelry gets that reaction I may just take the whole place." Harry joked pulling back and pecking Theo on his kiss swollen lips.
Theo looked down with embarrassed by his forwardness. "Th... that's ok." He said turning even redder.
"So um... which one do you like?" Harry asked taking a moment to remember what they were discussing.
"Either one. I...I'll take which ever one you want me to have." Theo answered head buried in the junction of Harry's neck.
"I think you should be Consort Perciville. The symbol is a caduceus, which is a non-magical symbol for healers." Harry told him. "And it's the house that connected to Slytherin, and you are a Slytherin." He added with a grin.
"Alright." Theo said.
"You want to be a healer?" The man asked.
"Yes sir. It's my dream job." Theo responded. With this symbol of how Harry saw him, Theo felt a huge boost in confidence. With not only his father but the contract over his head, Theo had always thought he could never have his dream, that there was no way Harry would want him other than as a bed warmer. That's all his father said he was good for. Now he had proof otherwise. Proof Harry would let him have a job and be his equal not his master.
The man smiled turning away to get something. He discreetly wiped his eye. The man knew what an absolute contract meant and the power this Harry had over the other boy. He would spread the word of what happened in his shop and the pair would see their customer service skyrocket.
"Here we are. Since he's going to be a healer why don't we put these on either side like I was going to do for the lion?" The man said placing two small circles, with a crossed bone and wand, down for them to see.
Harry looked at Theo whose eyes welled up with tears. "What do they mean sir?" He asked having no clue.
"That's the symbol of healers almost all magicals, including wizards." He replied.
"Perfect." Harry said squeezing Theo, having not let the boy out of his arms since the kiss.
"Now let's see what material we should use." It took another several minutes before Theo was wearing a two inch wide band of the softest black dragon leather with the caduceus on a small loop in the center of his face and the center of the band's width so it dangled a bit. The two snake heads just at the bottom of the leather. Equidistant on either side of the charm were the two smaller ones each only an inch across and centered on the band.
"It looks beautiful." Daphne said pulling Theo over for a hug. "You will be the best healer in the whole world." She whispered in his ear.
He hugged her back before being snatched away by Tracey for the same treatment.
Blaise hugged Harry. "Thank you for that. It was very kind of you." He said voice choked with emotion. "I know you don't fully understand what you did. The bond you now share and the power it gives you has been grossly abused in the past. That's why it is so unheard of now. You could have treated him worse than dirt and no one could say or do anything." he explained quietly while Theo was being gushed over by the others.
Harry's face paled at that information. "I swear I would never." He said appalled that anyone would do that. But then thanking on how the Dursleys had treated him, he knew there were people out there that would do it, that would enjoy hurting him. The thought made a cold rage run through Harry. Anyone threatening Theo would have to get through him first. Nott was going to be all but drawn and quartered if he had any say about it. Theo's father wasn't just going down, he was going to be made an example of so that no one else would dare try to harm his cute little mate.
Once the excitement had died down they left the shop before heading to Crete's for a bite. Since the shop was so small they took their orders outside and sat at two of the tables there. The boys taking one table and the girls the other. Once they had eaten and rested their feet a few minutes, they moved on.
TOGA interested all of them. With the fashions from all over the world they split down the gender line again only this time Hermione went with the other girls and they also kidnapped Theo. Theo put up no protest, he'd been used as a doll by Daphne and her sisters since they met at age 7. Meanwhile Harry, Blaise, Neville and Terry were over trying on various silly hats from around the world and laughing at one another. Blaise even dropped his cold, pureblood prince face and had a good time.
They all decided to skip Pandora's and Desma's, the tea house and furniture store. Harry popped into Dragon's Den to see if his friend Marina was working. Since she was not, they moved on and began down the other side of the alley.
Stops at the apothecary, healers and the consignment shop were all short. They didn't even stop at Alice's because it was packed. All the purebloods were fascinated by Non-Magical Wares. Terry made the comment that it was like Wal-Mart. Harry chuckled having thought the exact same thing. The group spent over and hour in there wondering around and checking out what they had for sale.
The shoe store garnered some interest but none of them needed new shoes just yet. Oracle's the fortune teller was another hit and they all had their palms read. Harry just chuckled when the lady told him he was in for a big change in the near future. The others looked at him but weren't rude enough to ask. Their looks made Harry realize he hadn't told anyone but Neville about his inheritance. He would have to decide who he wanted to know and take them aside before his birthday.
Having already looked around at TOGA, they decided not to stop in Silvia's Creations, the woman's clothing store. Though most of the ladies made note of it so they could come back on their own time.
Hermione seemed to have a personality flip when they entered Curious Creatures. She instantly when over to the cat section and began petting them and talking in baby talk. The others chuckled at her antics. Harry, with Theo who hadn't left his side since the clothing store, went to the reptile display. "I was thinking of getting a snake for my... our room at the Palace. I think they are calming, at least all the ones I've been able to deal with outside of a Basilisk."
"You want... Basilisk?" He asked breaking off his first question when that word sunk in.
"Yes. You where there when we harvested it." Harry replied looking at Theo odd.
Theo looked down and blush. "I... so much happened that day, and today, I guess it slipped my mind. I'm not afraid of snakes, so wouldn't care if you had one, or two."
Harry smiled and kissed his cheek before turning back to the tanks looking for one that interested him.
Theo was quite by his side for a long while. The sound of Parsletongue sent shivers up his back and not the bad kind. After a bit though he decided to ask. "You want me to stay in your room when I move in?"
He looked back at him. "Yeah. I thought it would be easier that way. We can get use to sleeping in the same bed for when we are officially married."
"We're officially mated right now, since the moment this appeared on my neck." Theo replied with a touch of anger.
"I know that." Harry said turning pink. "I meant when we have a wedding and actually... you know... um..." He made gestures and turned even darker red.
"You want to have a wedding?" He asked hope coloring his voice.
"Well yeah how else are we supposed to be bonded?" Harry replied clueless.
Theo blushed bright red and leaned close to Harry. "The bonding mentioned in the contract isn't a wedding. It's the first time we... when I... um... when we... do... stuff." He finally got out.
Harry turned red to his ear tips. "Oh. Well you can still have a wedding. We just have to plan it before you... uh... get p..pregnant." He stumbled out.
Theo smiled then and kissed his on the lips. It wasn't near the snog from earlier but was nice. When they separated both were blushing again. "Snakes" Harry said turning away to hide some of his embarrassment. Theo just giggled and leaned into him while Harry went back to talking with the reptiles. Harry didn't find any snakes that he really liked but he did have some interesting conversations with a few.
The sky was turning pink by the time they exited the pet store. "Maybe we should head home and come back to visit the library and check out the stalls another time." Susan suggested.
"I agree, I don't want my parents to worry." Tracey added.
"Alright. Hermione are your parents coming to get you?" Harry asked
"No I'm riding the Knight Bus." She replied.
"I've heard it's not a fun ride, why don't I have Dobby pop you home? Then the rest of us can use the floo in Dragon's Den so we don't have to walk all the way down Diagon this late." Harry suggested.
"That would be better than the bus or waiting on the muggle train to take me home." Hermione agreed.
Harry nodded trying to hide his relief that she didn't start an argument. He called for Dobby and the two were soon gone. Harry felt bad after Hermione popped out when everyone else seemed to relax.
As they were headed back to Dragon's Den he just had to ask. "Was she really that bad?"
"Yes." Daphne replied shortly.
"I didn't want to say anything but she was starting to drive me up the wall." Hannah said shyly.
"She's so bossy and... and spoiled." Susan added.
"When she doesn't get her way she tried to browbeat us with logic or just pout. It's obvious she's an only child and doted on by her parents." Lisa said. "If I had her attitude, mother would have me across her knee, or get me with a stinging hex."
Harry nodded. "She is an only child. I know her parents were very proud of her perfect grades in school before starting Hogwarts. I'm sorry for all the trouble she's caused. From what you have said I won't ask her to join us again. Maybe by my birthday she'll have had time to grow up a bit." he told them with a sigh. He didn't want to give up on Hermione, but right now he had too much on his plate and on his mind to do anything more for her. Maybe once school started, he'd have the time to help reform her. If she'd let him.
Once back in Dragon's Den, they said their goodbyes and hugs were exchanged. After almost everyone else was gone, Harry kissed Theo again. After a short snog he and Blaise took the floo leaving just Harry and Neville.
Neville chuckled at him. "You've gone all gooey."
"Don't care." Harry replied. "He's going to be my husband. I should be all gooey." He said even though he still blushed darkly.
Still chuckling at his friend Neville took the floo back to Longbottom Manor. Harry following right behind him.
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AN: So they have progressed their relationship some. Snogging at 13 is ok but anything more intimate will have to wait till they are older so I don't feel like a perv.
Before anyone says anything. Theo has spent years knowing about the contract. He's also read about all the horror stories where it has been abused. He has over that time come to fear those things were going to happen to him. The way people have been abused in the contract and the way his father treated him has made Theo think he's worthless. That he is nothing but Harry's play thing. IT will take time and affection to break him of that mind set.