Chapter 8 - Revelations
Harry's friends were grateful for the warmer Spring weather and the coming break from classes, though the muddy ground wasn't as well liked, especially by the girls when it got on everyone's clothes. They trudged through the mud down to Hogsmeade station for the trip home, boarding the train and securing their compartments quickly before the older students got on board, most of whom left it a little later rather than going down right after breakfast. The idea was that with them all there and settled in a group, it would be too much of a hassle to the older years to tell them to move. Harry had checked that the Stone was now safe in one of his weapon pouches, expanded on the inside, and settled in between Susan and Daphne, Hermione opposite them and flanked by Hannah and Megan. Leanne Moon had pouted a bit and asked Harry if she could sit on his lap, trying and succeeding at embarrassing the boy, before she grinned and went to the next compartment. Harry's compartment was their unofficial peaceful one, mostly so Hermione could read undisturbed, with some quiet conversations and games filling in the time before they arrived to meet their families.
Hermione almost screamed when she saw her parents waiting on the platform for her. Harry was pleased, his idea for a surprise for Hermione had worked well, and he saw the Grangers talking with Amelia Bones and Harry's own parents. He had sent a request at the end of one of Susan's letters for her to bring some of the Muggle parents through for him and his friends at least, as he wanted to see Hermione's face in a harmless prank.
The girl in question looked around the compartment, spotting the grins on the faces of Susan and Harry, pulled them both into a big hug and dashed out to do the same to her parents. Susan answered the question on the faces of the others. "Harry had the idea that the muggleborns and their parents would appreciate having the same chance to meet on our side as the rest do, so he asked me to ask my aunt if it could happen." She grinned as Leanne's voice was heard over the general noise of the platform. "And she wrote back, saying that she would be happy to help organise it. From what she said, the crowd will be even worse than usual, but I think it's well worth it." The other three girls nodded and smiled proudly at Harry for this.
"Hey don't forget, my parents are out there, too. I just thought it'd be great if all our families had the chance. We're still on to meet up as planned, right?"
They wandered out, still chatting, as they all kept their eyes out for their parents. Harry's parents became the centre of a small mob of Harry's friends and their parents, introductions and greetings delaying them for half an hour before they made their way out the portal into the regular portion of the station, dodging the crowds even at this hour, and making their goodbyes and promises to talk over the break.
Once private, Harry's parents grinned at their boy. "My, my, you are a popular young man, aren't you. And I saw that most of your friends are of the female persuasion, too." Anko-mum had dropped her disguise and enjoyed teasing him, he was so cute.
Once at home, he brought out the blood-red stone that he had obtained. In one way it was the same as all the other magical items they had examined, it didn't operate according to any of the rules they understood. In short, the Clan never could get it to function correctly. However, they did manage to contact the Flamels via an intermediary in Amelia Bones, getting them to agree to exchange letters.
After sounding them out, they eventually decided that the Flamels were simply trying to die. They had put their Stone beyond their own reach so that they wouldn't succumb to the lure of postponing death a little longer. They were out of their depth in the modern world, and even the modern Wizarding world which seemed backwards to the Clan was changed too much for the Flamels to really understand. They had given the Stone away to someone who assured them he would not use it to delay death or create gold. They couldn't bear to destroy it themselves, wanting to be gone before the Stone was. Their trust in their old friend Albus Dumbledore was understandable, and it seemed he had been truthful in his assurances, at least. The problem lay in not checking for themselves what he would do with it, instead.
The Clan were careful not to say or imply that they had the item since that would only paint a target on their backs, which meant they couldn't afford to tell the Flamels just how they felt, or what their 'good friend' had done, placing bait in a school behind lethal traps with only a single door and a warning between hundreds of children and a monster out of legend. The Clan felt the Flamels should be shot for their negligence and their lack of concern for the world they were leaving behind, but they understood that depression could make even the best ninja a hazard to those around them.
Meanwhile, Harry had a fun, though busy, time off. He met up with all the girls this time, had a nice time on a picnic with the five Muggle girls as well as being dragged clothes shopping, a day shopping in Diagon Alley with the Hufflegirls, and some fun at the Greengrass home mostly walking outdoors. Mark begged off early in his visit, he had a Ravenclaw friend drop by unexpectedly and had to play host. Harry didn't mind, especially when Daphne's adorably cute little sister Astoria took that time to come out of the shadows more, grinning at him when she seized his hand and walked with him. Daphne grinned too as she copied her sister, glad for such a good excuse. He also got another Shadow Clone viable, which would certainly help with copying the Library.
Next, the Patils invited him around for an afternoon, where Lavender also dropped by, and they talked about various interests from Arithmancy to fashion, or at least the girls talked about fashion, Harry mostly listened. While he had a good understanding of fashion in the real world, as he still thought of it, thanks to his many mothers and the tailoring lessons, he was still aware of his ignorance of Wizarding world fashions. Beyond the fact that showing a knee as a witch was considered to be near nude, all he could tell you was that they covered up far too much and didn't do a good job of temperature regulation if all the complaints he'd heard had even a glimmer of truth.
Unbidden, his mind started to wander, picturing the girls dressed in various outfits, both Wizarding and regular, as he thought of how to enhance their looks with matching clothes. His mind froze when Parvati and Lavender bent over to pick up some magazines and gave him a good look at their rears.
The images of the girls he knew started to take on a decidedly different and not entirely unwelcome theme, Hermione dressed in jeans and shirt on a step-ladder that he was holding for her as she grabbed more books, Parvati and Padma giggling and smiling at him, dressed in more open robes that revealed more than a mere hint of calf, Lavender bouncing as she rode in a car beside him, blonde hair flowing over her.. ahem. Harry took control of his thoughts before they went any further, silently cursing his early hormones for acting up then. Luckily for his dignity, the three girls had been looking away and he got his growing body's reaction under control before they looked back. He shuddered to think at how his mothers would tease him if they ever found out.
He even spent a night with the Grangers when their planned outing ran overtime. He arrived mid-morning on the Saturday of the middle weekend of the holidays, his parents dropping him off before heading out to handle some business and letting him spend time with his friends. While he was sure they would have left clones for his safety, they were discreet enough that he couldn't spot them. He knocked on the door and as it opened he was tackled by a brown-haired blur, laughing as she hugged him. "Pallas Athena Granger!" they heard from inside, Hermione wasn't far behind her younger sister, adding her own hug for her best friend and crush. The girls' mother, whose exasperated cry they had heard, appeared to see both her girls wrapped around a boy. To his credit, he was far too young to try anything, and besides which he was a good sort. He had helped their eldest to break out of her shell and learn how to spend time with people her own age, helped her make good, close friendships in her new world. She and her husband Matt were also grateful that their daughter had been granted permission to borrow Miyuki, the boy's owl, to deliver mail to them. Through him, and his parents' own efforts, the Grangers had much more insight into the Wizarding world which they appreciated, however much it scared or disgusted them at times. They also joined a growing Parents Association formed around the Muggle-born students and their parents, with most of the parents of Harry's friends also joining. They used it to talk, get advice about their children and also making a few new friends themselves, even some that could be useful contacts for their regular lives.
After inviting him in, the three children chatted away, Elizabeth heading to the family's games cupboard and getting out a few board games. Pallas "call me Athena please" was set on playing Monopoly, Hermione would have preferred Trivial Pursuit but gave in readily enough to her sister, and the three played and laughed until lunchtime, Elizabeth taking them out where Harry instinctively went to hold her chair and her daughters'. She grinned to herself at the blush on Hermione's face and the pleased smile on Athena's.
After lunch, they went out to a museum to see some of the Egyptian artifacts, before doing "a spot of shopping" in Elizabeth's words, "a hell of a lot of shopping" in her husband Matt's, who was gloating that he'd escaped it, though they could all see that he was kidding. Well, partly. Harry, though, agreed with his wife. He was used to being dragged around shopping by his mothers, after all, and Elizabeth didn't have a patch on Ino-mum's love of shopping.
Dinner was a lot of fun, even with low-sugar drinks, something that did nothing to reduce Athena's energy level; she was bouncing in her seat any time she talked to Harry. After dinner, they went out to see a movie but the only session available was fairly late. Since it was the weekend, they would go to it as long as Harry got permission, which he did since his parents were still watching anyway. The movie was a blast, and thankfully Athena was finally slowing down at last. When they got back home, it was already late so they quickly went to bed. Harry was surprised when Hermione came into his room to say goodnight, giving him a hug, but more so when Athena followed suit. She seemed to think if Harry was good enough for her sister, he was definitely good enough for her.
Unknown to the students at the time though Harry did discover it later from chance comments overheard, Hagrid's hut burnt down while the big man himself was in Hogsmeade getting drunk. The illegal baby dragon he'd acquired from an unknown person at the pub was a silly choice for the nice but simple man to keep in his wooden hut. The Headmaster was quick to step in, helping the groundskeeper rebuild, having saved many of the man's knickknacks, and managed to keep the affair quiet. The dragon was shipped off quietly to a reserve in Romania, where it terrorised a redheaded gamekeeper.
When the time came to return to Hogwarts, there were a lot of Muggle parents on Platform 9¾ chatting and seeing off their children. Harry overheard that arrogant blond from Slytherin whining to his father about the crowds. At least he suspected the older man was his father, given their close resemblance; same pale pointed face, same pale blond hair, same sneer, same sense coming from them that everyone else was beneath them. The elder Malfoy's lazy drawl fit perfectly the stereotype of a decadent aristocrat, and his words were perfectly balanced between soothing his petulant child and dismissing the people around him as unimportant.
The woman at his side was tall, slim and had an aristocratic beauty and air about her, something that her husband obviously tried and failed to match. She was also a witch that other witches tried to emulate in her sense of style, he saw, both from 'subtle' glances and the way that their own robes were often inferior copies of hers. Her expression and cold voice however marked her as just as arrogant as her husband and child, she looked like she was smelling something disgusting whenever she looked at most of the crowd, especially the Muggles and Muggle-borns. From his own observations, this was ironic since he found that many of those she despised had better hygiene than the woman. While her visible skin was clear and beautiful, his enhanced sense of smell picked up signs that she hadn't washed recently, instead preferring perfumes, a typical habit among magicals.
While he left a clone to observe the family, Harry met up with his friends and they started to catch up on missed news (or gossip as Harry thought of it). Daphne mentioned that her cousin Mark was off with the same Ravenclaw who had dropped by the day of Harry's visit. From the way she said it, he suspected that the visitor was female since Daphne was amused by him following her instead of saying hello to Harry. Hannah volunteered to get their usual compartment while the others finished saying goodbye, her parents shaking their heads and smiling at her eagerness to get back.
With everyone settled, Leanne had obviously remembered their teasing from before the holidays. She waited until the others were settled, then walked over and sat in Harry's lap, giggling. Unfortunately for Harry, her giggling was making her shift on his lap, rubbing. Fortunately for Harry, between Leanne's attention focussed elsewhere and Harry's control, she didn't get to feel more than she should. Besides, Leanne was quickly replaced by a succession of girls, each giving him a little break before taking their own turns. Daphne tried to make her approach seductive but it didn't work with her body still growing, throwing off her balance too. Still, he gave her points for effort.
During the term, the Hufflegirls spent more time flying than before. Hannah was getting a lot of practice as a Keeper, though she was fighting uphill against the improving team of Chasers in Harry, Hermione and Susan. She got some help when Leanne and Megan started directing all their efforts trying to stop or slow down the Chasers. The challenge was more even three on three, and they all saw a better rate of improvement.
"Oh did you see that shot I made at Hermione? If Harry hadn't warned her, it would have been just perfect!" Leanne nodded at Megan, both of them pleased as punch with practice one day in mid-April.
Harry smiled at them, then frowned for a moment. "Megan, Leanne, you're both doing great compared to how you started, I think we all are, but I've seen the other teams too. I think you need to grow more before you're really ready to be exposed to rough play like the dirty Beaters on the Slytherin team. They don't seem to care about fouls if they can take out the opposition."
"Are you saying we're not good enough?" Megan asked, trying to keep her hurt at bay.
"No, just that we all need to grow into our roles, and that Beaters have to be even tougher than most. Unless you grow fast, I think you two might be better off as reserves most of next year. I don't want to see either of you hurt by going too far too fast." The girls blushed, not just Megan and Leanne, as his words called other things to mind. In their minds, they already liked him, but were still working things out, especially where the others were concerned.
"So you're just looking out for us, right, Harry?" Susan confirmed.
"Of course, I care about each of you, and I know you'd try to do the same for me." He gave them all a wide smile, relieved they had accepted his explanation rather than getting offended as could all too easily have been the case.
He gave each of them a hug in turn. "I think we'll blow them away next year as long as we keep working hard. We'll be great! Come on, let's go clean up so I can work the knots out of each of you." That prompted five squeals and girls dashing towards showers.
A hour later found four girls lounging around in dressing gowns with a fifth on a padded table. Two girls looked as if they were boneless, they were flopped over with a pleasured and content look on their faces. Hermione was receiving the tender ministrations of Harry when she spoke up.
"Harry, can we make a deal for you to keep giving us massages even if we stop playing Quidditch?" The other four girls perked up at the question.
Harry extracted a moan from Hermione as he worked a particularly stubborn knot next to her shoulder blade. His frown would have caused her to stiffen if such a thing was physically possible in her position, but she didn't need to worry as the negative expression was directed at the knot of muscle, and dissolved into a smile as he finally felt it relax. "Of course. All you'll ever have to do is ask. You're my Hufflegirls."
Realizing the implications of his words, Harry blushed furiously and refrained from talking anymore. In a rare moment of inattention caused by his emotions, he didn't notice that all five girls blushed as well. He did notice that, for the next hour, the Hufflegirls were oddly quiet.
The next day, his other female friends were looking at him strangely, but despite his questions, refused to answer. Still, they were happy enough around him and weren't causing any problems. When the looks faded a few days later he put it from his mind, just enjoying life. So it came as a surprise when Daphne, Lavender, Padma and Parvati cornered him just before dinner one night. Daphne spoke up, "Harry, I know we aren't your Hufflegirls, but are we your girls, too?"
Harry panicked for moment. 'How on Earth is this anything but a trap?' He looked into their eyes, seeing their fears, and summoned his courage. "I would be happy for you to be my girls-" He didn't get to say any more as all four of them pulled him into a hug, not letting go. When they let up, they blushed and left him in peace, confused but happy. He wasn't quite sure why they were all doing this, but he was hopeful it was a good sign for things to come.
As the older students returned to their dorms following a leisurely Saturday in Hogsmeade, Harry sent one of his clones into the Gryffindor Tower hidden among the crowd. His job was to make sure that the Weasley twins got drunk then find that very interesting parchment, the Marauder's Map, which the pair had been using to keep track of people in Hogwarts. He waited until the pair went to sleep. The way their snores rivalled chainsaws ensured their dorm mates kept up silencing charms on their own curtains as a matter of survival.
He parted the curtains around Fred's, or maybe George's, bed, searching for the damned security breach they called their Precious. He finally found it stuffed in with their dirty underwear and Quidditch robes, glad he could suppress his sense of smell for this. As he transferred the item to his person, a wicked idea formed about what he could do to the pair. They surely were on Harry's list of acceptable prank targets, and he had yet to do anything major to anyone.
He checked his supplies, finding the items he needed where he expected. The ropes were obvious, as were the wires, the superglue and various paints however were less so. The egg white was surprisingly useful, especially in pranks.
When the twins woke up in the morning, they found themselves wrapped up together, naked with a massive headache. When they tried to separate, they found they couldn't and screamed for help in their panic. They were completely helpless! They were also sticky, and a white substance around their mouths kicked their horror up a notch. They couldn't remember how their night ended, but surely they wouldn't have done that, right? Right?
Poor Lee Jordan was the first to wake up and discover them, as he broke the Silencing Charm on his curtains the screams of the twins finally pierced through. He was up and over at Fred's bed seconds later, soon wishing he hadn't. There were both Weasley's, nude and in each others' arms with a white substance... "NO!" Lee screamed as George's tongue slipped out to taste it, then Lee turned and hurled.
It took nearly ten minutes for them to get free and cleaned up, time enough for other poor souls to see them after they had been untied but before the sticky white mess was removed. Many people looked ill at breakfast that morning, and no one wanted to sit next to them all day.
Harry, meanwhile, was studying the fascinating map. He had no idea how it did what it did, of course, but it tracked in real time the position of everyone in the castle, including the caretaker's cat. He had been looking for a good opportunity to acquire this for a while now. The first time the pair drank at a party was after the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match, where they won. He was ready for the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match but they lost, and went to bed sober. Further attempts had missed the rare times the twins let down their guards completely, so he was happy he'd managed it before the end of the school year.
Indeed, it took the twins a few days before they noticed. He heard them preparing to prank someone, check for the Map and come out cursing. He didn't cackle or chortle or even grin, being far too good a ninja for such basic mistakes. Now, he would leave the Map activated most of the time and in the safe hands of one of his hidden clones. This backfired slightly after he noticed that his clone had spent some time watching the dots of his girls in the showers, especially when they overlapped at times.
The most interesting thing, however, was when he checked up on the Gryffindors. No, not watching Lavender's and Parvati's dots in the dorm or out of it, but the First Year boys' dorm. There was an extra name there at night! First thing that morning, Harry got the memories of that clone and started checking various books and papers, looking for Peter Pettigrew in all of them, starting with current day and working backwards through the years. Unfortunately it was already May, and he wouldn't have very long before the end of the year. He decided he wouldn't intervene yet, not until he had a better idea of what was going on. For all he knew, it could be some traditional part of Hogwarts like Peeves with no rational explanation. When he had tried to check, he hadn't found any man or woman, boy or girl, not even a ghost that made the same movements. On the other hand, that poltergeist Peeves could turn invisible so that didn't help him. He wondered if perhaps the Map was faulty.
Watching the dots for the Professors was useful, confirming their locations as well as where their offices and bedrooms were located. Harry noted down particularly Dumbledore's as he had lots of ideas of what he could do to the manipulative old man. A corner of his mind was already churning over what to do with the new information. He also saw that apparently Snape had insomnia or naturally needed very little sleep, as he was often patrolling the corridors long after curfew, far more than any other staff member.
The rest of the final term at Hogwarts was more of the same until not long before the train ride home, when everything went pear-shaped. They had finished their final exam, History of Magic, and Harry's clones reported Dumbledore leaving the castle to head to the Ministry for an afternoon and evening consulting with the Minister. 'And my friends wonder why I call him a politician...' He snorted to himself. As far as Harry was concerned, a Headmaster wouldn't have two other jobs taking him away from the students he was supposed to watch. An hour later, his clone watching Quirrell popped as the suspect teacher was heading into the third-floor corridor. A quick Replacement technique with one of his guarding clones and he was free to follow the teacher and possible thief, while over a dozen friends provided him with an alibi. He moved rapidly through the corridors to the door, left ajar by Quirrell, detailing one clone to keep the Cerberus asleep he opened up the trap door and jumped through, a minor fireball in his hand ready to throw but the Devil's Snare just retreated, allowing him to head on.
The room with the keys was the same as before, but Harry just threw a net in the right direction, selected the key he needed and through he went. The chess room. He grinned as the pieces glared at him, all looking his way, when they should have been watching his clones taking the crown instead. The room with the troll, well the beast was down with a bleeding lump on its head, so Harry bypassed the creature and the pool of blood, heading on to the Potions Challenge. He noted that the bottle with the correct potion was filled, meaning either it refilled itself - not out of the question given this was Hogwarts - or Quirrell hadn't needed it. He stepped through the black flames and dodged to the side, casting an illusion to hide himself while he evaluated the situation.
There was Quirrell standing before the magic mirror, ignoring Harry's entrance entirely. Harry debated as he watched how to approach this, when the teacher started talking to himself.
"The Mirror of Erised is the key to finding the Stone," he murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this … but he's in London … I'll be far away by the time he gets back. …" When he came back in front of it, he stared hungrily into it. "I see the Stone … I'm presenting it to my master … but where is it?"
"Hurry, you fool!" Harry blinked; that was not Quirrell's voice, and it had come from under the turban. "I will not put up with your failures for much longer. Even my patience has limits." The voice was high and cruel.
"Master, please! I am trying my best. I am doing all I can in your service to repay your lessons!" Quirrell was becoming frantic as time passed. Whoever or whatever the voice was, it plainly terrified the wizard.
"Let me see it. Now." The wizard's hands were shaking as he unwrapped the turban. Slowly and carefully, but all too soon the deed was done, and the horrible stench from before was multiplied and explained as the face of Voldemort was revealed. Chalk white, glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils like a snake's, just as the descriptions had said, though the photographs obviously hadn't shown him growing out the back of someone's head! Quirrell turned around to allow his Master to see the mirror. Voldemort examined it closely, but Quirrell noticed something odd about the wall where Harry was standing. Just what he noticed, no one would ever know.
As soon as he raised his arm to point at the oddity, Harry acted. A poison-tipped needle to the heart and the man was as good as dead already. Harry shifted to the ceiling, another illusion covering him as he watched to be sure of the kill. Quirrell clutched at his chest, the poison already destroying his heart and lungs. The wizard collapsed unable to utter a word, all movement ceasing a minute later. Harry waited another minute and was about to drop his cover when Voldemort just dissolved off the back of Quirrell's head into a black mist, screaming in hatred and rage as it fled straight upward. Harry was stock still, just taking it all in and making sure there were no further surprises, for another ten minutes before he gave up, removing the needle and using a special technique to extract the poison from the body. He left a clone to take his place watching as he went back to his friends.
Harry had a bout of shakes when he was only halfway back. He had killed a man tonight. All his training, all the talks, they weren't enough, they would never be enough, to take away his sense of horror at the loss of his innocence. A quick diversion to the nearest bathroom where he promptly lost his lunch and washed his mouth, and he headed back to his friends, needing their comfort, their presence as he felt more alone than he had in six years. He made and dispelled a clone so the ones at home would know what would happen, would be able to talk to the Clan that much sooner. He needed his family and friends around him. He was a little subdued at dinner which he passed off as being tired, and he held the hugs with his girls extra long, something none of them seemed to mind but certainly took note of.
Hermione just gave him as tight a hug as she could, looked into his eyes, searching, and nodded to herself, whispering in his ear "You'll tell me if there's something wrong, won't you?" Susan just held him, reminded of her aunt Amelia when she came home some nights. Daphne was a little suspicious but happy he let her close, let her give him comfort when he needed it. The look she gave him promised that he would tell her about it, whatever it was, and he would do it soon. His only choice would be if he told her before she dragged it out of him. His brief nod acknowledged her message, and she understood it wouldn't be just yet. She'd tried before to get information out of him and unless he agreed, it was one of the hardest things she'd done.
Harry was lucky in a way that this was the day the exams finished, since the rest of his girls were too exhausted to notice much of anything just then. Still, he could be sure the girls who did notice would let the rest know, for his own good of course. They seemed entirely too prone to worrying if he displayed even the slightest sign of injury or illness. Although it could annoy him, he knew it showed they truly did care. He now had a day, at the very most, before all of them would be watching and waiting for their answers.
He reflected that evening and found he was sad for another reason. He had come to love spending time with his friends here every day, and he would soon have to give that up for three months, when they would come back to start their time as Second Years in September. And he'd have to give up magic for most of that time, too. He was still as fascinated as ever by magic even if the wizards and witches who wielded it weren't as appealing as they had seemed before he found out about the darker side of their society.
He went to sleep where his dreams were filled with images of his family and friends, old and new, all watching him, cheering him as he came up from the trap door only to turn to looks of horror as they saw the blood on his hands and arms, drenched in it. He woke up with a scream but luckily he hadn't woken up the others. After he calmed his heart and his mind, he fell asleep again, determined that he would have better dreams. In the morning he figured that whatever they were, they were better than that nightmare as he felt almost as rested as usual. He didn't remember the other dreams, and he was just as glad for it. The Yamanaka techniques that Ino-mum taught him had done their part to help protect his mind even from itself.
At breakfast, he thanked them for yesterday. "It just hit me with the end of the exams how soon we're all going home. I have loved getting to see my friends every day, and we won't be able to do that again until we start back in September, even if we do write and see each other a few times. It's just not as fun."
He had put his best acting into this, wanting to help soothe his friends' concerns. And so he had gone with a truth, even though it wasn't the truth. He made sure to look them in the eyes, and accepted the group hug from even the guys in good spirits.
They reminded him that they would get to see him over the summer and would be there for his party on August 1st. Hermione and Padma mentioned that they were looking forward to the lessons and general catching up over the summer when Professor McGonagall would visit, allowing all of them to demonstrate magic for their parents, showing what they'd learned and reassuring all of them that their money was well spent. All the others who were able to attend agreed, though for them it was more about meeting their friends again and making their parents proud.
Classes continued and the final Quidditch match was played, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff with the Lions winning, prompting a little good natured teasing from Parvati. When the results came in for their year, there was a little good-natured grumbling from the Claws that the Hufflepuffs had stolen the top three spots. Harry, Hermione and Justin had dominated the exams, with Padma the nearest to them but the Ravenclaw students had put in respectable performances of their own. Neville Longbottom, the shy boy from Gryffindor, was fourth in Herbology but the rest of his spellwork lagged behind. Harry made a note of that, as he knew the boy had been working hard.
Harry finished up the year, still wondering about that mystery name on the Map, reaffirming his decision not to jump in until he had at least some idea what he was doing.
Two days before the Leaving Feast, Harry received a note at breakfast, informing him that the Headmaster wanted to see him that evening after dinner. He wondered if this was it, if this was when they would ask him about what happened to Quirrell, and what really happened with the Troll. But he couldn't understand why, if that were the case, they were giving him such warning about his coming interrogation and so on. He went up to the staff table, asking Professor Sprout if she would be attending his meeting. Surprised, she looked at Dumbledore then back at Harry and nodded. "Yes, Mr Potter, I shall of course be there. Albus, we'll meet you at 7:30 tonight."
Harry was sure he spotted irritation and even a flash of anger on that old face before the man got his expression back under control, though he doubted if anyone else had noticed the brief lapse. He gave his Head of House a quick bow and his thanks before heading back to his table. When his friends asked what was going on, he showed them the note and said he had asked Professor Sprout if she would be there. He added that it looked like she hadn't known of the meeting before this, which he found curious. After all, why would the Headmaster call up any student without even informing their Head of House. He added, "Besides, in Muggle schools these days, you're told never to go anywhere with strange old men. And we've all seen his robes!" He grinned. The day passed slowly, not even Snape was as harsh as normal, seeming to look forward to the end of school as much as the kids who endured his classes.
Finally, Harry found himself where he would never want to spend a Friday night; heading up to the Headmaster's office on the third floor for no known reason with only fears about the possibilities, and escorted by his equally confused Head of House. She said "Sherbet Lemon" to a stone gargoyle which leapt aside, revealing a circular stone staircase slowly ascending. The pair rode it up to an oaken double door which opened just as Professor Sprout was about to knock.
"Ah, come in, come in, my boy. Professor Sprout, thank you for showing Harry the way, that will be all." Dumbledore was smiling and immediately moved to dismiss her to get Harry alone.
Harry was having none of that. He wanted a witness and a protector just in case Dumbledore tried something, his mistrust of the man that had dumped him with the Dursleys and even tried to kidnap him away from his rightful guardians to put him back ran that deep.
"Please stay, Professor Sprout. We were always taught at school never to be alone with strange old men, and I wouldn't feel safe here in his very office alone with him. He's never met with me before." Harry pleaded.
As he hoped, while this saw Dumbledore trying to reassure Harry, it also brought out his Professor's mothering side and she nodded. "Okay, Mr Potter, if that's what you want. Indeed, I find myself very curious that you have never met him. He assured all of us that you were safe and well after he hid you away."
Harry had to fight his rage at the old bastard's cheek. "No, Professor. Well, he did try to see me when I was five, but he never gave my parents any reason to let such a suspicious old man see their son."
"'Suspicious'? Are you sure they meant Professor Dumbledore?"
"Tall man, older than anyone else they'd ever seen, beard down to his waist, ridiculous clothes, twinkling eyes and grandfather-like manner. Oh, and he refused to say how he knew me, or where I lived, or what his interest in a five year old boy was." Harry shot back.
Professor Sprout had to fight an inappropriate laugh when Harry mentioned the clothes. Dumbledore's unusual taste in attire was notorious throughout their world, which also helped confirm his identity.
"Now, Harry, I could hardly tell strangers about magic. That would break the Statute of Secrecy, as I'm sure Minerva informed you." Dumbledore interjected.
"Perhaps not, but you did say that I was your 'paramount concern' after admitting to them that you hadn't checked on me in months. Surely you can see how that looks suspicious to any reasonable person?"
"They told you?"
"Of course. They wanted to know if I had any idea who you were, and naturally I didn't. You hadn't visited me, after all, or not that I could remember. All I knew was that the Dursleys always complained they never wanted me and that if they hadn't found me on their doorstep they never would have taken me in even for a night."
Pomona Sprout was rapidly losing control of her temper. "Harry, you refer to your parents and the Dursleys. Who are they?"
"The Dursleys are Petunia and Vernon Dursley and their son Dudley. I haven't seen any of them in five years, and we're all glad of that. Petunia Dursley nee Evans is Lily's sister, though she never treated me like family. She and Vernon lied to me when I asked about my parents, saying they were drunks who died in a car crash. It's only since I got my Hogwarts Letter, and talked with Professor McGonagall, that I learned they were murdered by some terrorist who died attacking them. They treated me like a slave and only told me my own name so I would be able to answer to it at school!"
Sprout was fighting down her temper, not wanting to scare her student. "And your parents? You talk about them as if they're alive."
"Oh, yes, my parents adopted me. They took me in after I got beaten up by Vernon for bringing home a good report card. They gave me my first good meal, my first hugs, my first kind words that I could remember. They love me as their son, and are the only family who have ever loved me. Well, I suppose James and Lily did too, but I don't remember them at all. My parents taught me how to love, and possibly even more importantly, that I was worth loving. Things the Dursleys tried to stamp out of me, always saying I was no good. My parents encouraged me at school, though we had to move since Dudley was still threatening any child that approached me. I made lots of new friends at my new school, though, and my parents made sure I got regular health checks, wanting me to grow up happy and healthy. And then some old man showed up and demanded I go back to the Dursleys with fake gentleness."
Harry stopped, annoyed with himself for revealing so much. Still as he watched Professor Sprout it seemed it wouldn't be for nothing. She was holding herself very controlled, restraining her anger. Good, he was glad he was right about her being a fundamentally decent human being. He hadn't mentioned the cupboard under the stairs, or Harry Hunting, or everything else, nor would he mention those things unless it became necessary. Not only was it still a sore subject with him, but he wasn't going to give away his trump cards.
"Well, now, that's all in the past, my boy. What I called you in for was to check how you were settling in."
"Do you ask any other Muggle-raised students this, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"Well, no, but -"
"Then I have to wonder why you're only concerned now, rather than when I needed it. Where were you when I was being beaten up by a grown man, sir?"
"Harry, that's unfair!" Sprout said, "I can understand why you don't like Professor Dumbledore, but how can you blame him for that?"
"That's easy, Professor Sprout, it was him who left me there on the Dursleys' doorstep on a freezing morning in November with a note. The Dursleys handed over that along with all my 'freaky' stuff to my parents, and they showed me when I was old enough, when the damage the Dursleys did had healed. Sometimes I've wondered if he wanted me abused like that." Harry kept a very close eye on Dumbledore as he spoke. The man was clearly agitated that Harry knew about his own past, and worse that he was revealing it. At the very last, he saw a look of shock and guilt pass across the man's face, screaming 'Caught!', before it was hastily wiped away, replaced by the concerned grandfather mask Harry was coming to loathe.
"Now, Harry, my boy, that's a terrible thing to say." Albus put in all the reproach he could.
"Mr Dumbledore, you do not have my permission to use my first name, and I am certainly not your boy! I very nearly turned down going to Hogwarts because you would be here. After the disgusting bigotry from some students and their parents, the lionizing of a baby for something no baby could do, after abandoning a baby they considered a hero, can you really blame me if I didn't want anything to do with your society?"
He turned towards his Head of House, "Professor Sprout, all my friends know I have no desire for this fame, especially when it came at the cost of the people who gave me life. At home, I don't have fame or fortune, just my family and my friends and a good school where I never got attacked by a twelve-foot tall mountain troll on the anniversary of my parents' murder." He took a breath and looked sheepish. "Sorry, Professor, I don't mean to take out my frustrations on you. You're one of the good teachers here, and one of the relatively few adults in this world I trust."
"Apology accepted, Mr Potter. I understand this has opened up some old wounds." She looked at Albus with almost palpable displeasure. "If there's nothing else, Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore was taken aback at the hostility from someone who was normally his most friendly teacher, at a loss for words. She decided to take this as assent, guiding her student back to the Great Hall in search of his friends, intending to take him to the Hufflepuff Common Room if they weren't there, wanting to get him in safe company before she returned to beard the wizard in his office.
The next morning, Harry noticed that Professor Sprout wouldn't look Dumbledore in the eyes, or at all if she could help it. He also noticed that Professor McGonagall looked uncomfortable with the dispute, sending surreptitious glances his way from time to time with an unexplained sorrow. Harry was still emotionally raw from the night before so he decided not to press his luck by approaching her. He didn't know what she had heard, and it would be foolish to charge into the unknown when he could research the situation first.
When he got on the train the following day, his friends around him, Harry looked forward to having more time to get his ninja training to progress further. He was getting stronger and taller, and that should mean more chakra to use on clones. The months off would mean time for longer mission simulations too, which would mean more interesting times ahead. It also meant more outings with 'his girls' both witches and regular girls, and lots of things to do that he couldn't while trapped in an old castle.
During the train ride, first Daphne, claiming she needed equal time, then Padma with the same excuse, sat on his lap, smiling and settling in as they leaned back against him. He took it with a smile; they were pretty girls, a fact that was becoming more clear to him every day, and they liked him. When Hermione sat on his lap, the conversation came around to holiday plans. He was just describing his plans to invite them all over for various picnics and the like in the field near his home with lots of fun activities for them all and she started bouncing in her excitement. Harry was relaxed and distracted, and his body reacted for him. His heart pounded as he dreaded her screaming at him or running away or just about anything, in fact, from what she did. She smiled a bit, blushing a touch and sat back down, settling in and pressing against him, eventually shifting to settle it in the crack and leaning right back.
The other girls looked at her a little funny but couldn't see what had caused it, figuring she had just realised she was bouncing on poor Harry's lap. Since Harry relaxed after she stopped bouncing, and so did Hermione a little later, they figured that must have been it and ignored it, something Hermione had no intention of doing with what she felt. It made her heart race and she had trouble listening as Harry carried on talking.
"And for my birthday, we're looking to go to a cinema and see a comedy with everyone, then going back to my place to have cake." He looked in Susan's eyes, "Lots of delicious cake, which should please those among us with a sweet tooth."
While Susan and Hannah blushed, Hermione decided to help them out. "Will there be pumpkin pie? It's one of the few Wizarding desserts I love."
"Yes, Hermione, for you there will be pumpkin pie," Harry grinned, "and a variety of other sweets, if I know my parents. They do enjoy throwing parties and this will be a big one."
Soon after, Hermione got off his lap, giving him a wiggle for his view alone, and swapping with Leanne who didn't give him a chance for his reaction to fade before she sat down, settling carefully, and taking her own ride in his lap. She gave a small smile to Hermione and sat on him for a while as the conversation shifted back and forth. Harry was ready this time when the girls swapped, thankful he didn't have to push his luck any further.
Eventually the ride came to an end, both on the train and on Harry, everyone got their trunks and made their way off to meet their parents, say goodbyes and head home. Harry was eager to be about it.
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