Chapter 9 - Summer's Heating Up
Harry arrived home with Naruto and Ino-mum, who had been disguised as Hinata-mum. They walked inside, where the Clan were all gathered and demanded their hugs, despite having his clones home full-time, they knew the real him was off and in danger, as his recent fatal encounter with Professor Quirrell showed. They took comfort from having him in their arms and getting that primal sense of their child home and safe. Normally Harry might have protested, but thanks to his ordeal he drew just as much comfort from their love and happiness at seeing him as they did.
After a meal was served large enough for most to call it a feast, they took him into the living room, letting the wine (for them) and tongues flow as they unwound. "So Harry, how much of the Hogwarts Library do you think you have been able to read for the transfers?"
Harry sipped his coke, estimating, "At a guess around one fifth of the books, including all the Restricted Section."
Naruto grinned at him. "Let me guess, once you passed the test to get in, you wanted to be able to say you'd finished it as soon as possible."
Harry blushed at being caught out. "Yes, Dad, that's exactly it. It was like those books had been taunting me for months, so once I knew I could do it, I wanted to stomp all over it."
"Don't worry, son, we expect you to have a strong competitive streak and pride in your abilities. Now, come with us, we've arranged a little demonstration for you."
Harry followed, intrigued even as his Mums were all smiling at the little drama. Naruto opened a door that hadn't been installed last holidays, revealing a vast room, one that from his mental maps didn't show from the outside so it must have been created or modified by their Sealing techniques. Inside, he saw over a thousand shelves all with books on them, and he realised with a slight jolt that he recognised every single one from the Hogwarts Library. These were the very same books his clones had spent countless nights memorising.
Harry himself remembered very little of these books or their contents, mostly just the titles and covers, as he had made liberal use of a Yamanaka technique that Ino-mum called her family's Ultimate Interrogation Technique™. Harry groaned when he got the joke, for not only was it a very useful technique for any interrogator, especially a telepathic interrogator who would experience the target's own memories, it was also often the last technique performed, allowing the caster to sever and dump selected memories from the mind completely. Combined with the Shadow Clone Technique and the rapid memorisation tricks, it had allowed Harry or his clones to memorise the Standard Book of Spells volume 7 for NEWT students, transfer that knowledge to a Shadow Clone at home with the Clan, who would then find the memory and copy it for their own clones to write up and bind. Meanwhile, Harry was free to keep or discard the memory of reading each of the books. Since he was already busy mastering spells, he couldn't add that many new and relatively advanced ones to his repertoire, but he did keep all the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year spell names, movements and theories memorised, which was not the same thing at all as having mastered them.
That night before bed, he wrote out letters for all his magical friends, asking Miyuki if she would like to deliver them all, receiving what he would swear was a reproachful look for questioning her. A quick bribe of bacon and raw beef, and she was off taking flight. Harry went to bed eager to hear back from his girls, especially the ones who wouldn't be able to meet up that often over the summer.
The next morning after a rigorous physical training session, he went out to visit his Cranleigh friends in the park they liked best, leaving a clone at home to take care of keeping in contact with his magical friends while others kept looking through books and old papers for his research. They played and ate lunch, before they strolled around town after lunch to walk it off so the girls could keep their figures, or so he teased them.
"Harry, are you calling us fat?" Stephanie growled at him.
Harry knew she was teasing him back but gave her an answer anyway, smiling. "Not at all, I just expect that looking so good takes a lot of work." He got the blushes he was looking for. His girls were smart enough to know what he was doing, but his obvious sincerity meant it worked anyway.
"Thank you, Harry," Meaghan smiled at him, "You're very sweet, and just a bit of a charmer."
He made a clone then to stay with them while he had to head back home early in the afternoon for more exercise. Hogwarts was interesting but it was costing his development. When he got home, he saw that several of his clones weren't doing what he had assigned to them. They had been taken instead to start learning new trades. He was shocked when he saw himself learning wiring diagrams and practicing the technique for feeling the location of live wires in the room around him. He hadn't expected to be taught to be an electrician, though it would certainly be a very useful skill to have. The others were similarly mundane, useful trades, carpentry and cabinetry so he could make his own furniture, even build his own house by the end of it, especially combined with the glass blowing and the pottery. He grinned to himself. He was certain that before too long his parents would be making him heartily sick of the jokes involving his last name.
A less welcome surprise was that he hadn't received any letters at all via owls, and he was expecting at least one since his friends had all promised to write early so they can organise days to meet up, if nothing else. Well, he'd give it more time, since it was only the first day of the holidays. He called Hermione's number but Athena answered and asked him a whole string of questions all in one breath, echoing Hermione's early behaviour and making Harry wonder if it was a Granger trait or just these girls raised in the same environment. Hermione soon came on the line, and while her questions were at least asked slowly enough to let him answer, she did share her sister's curiosity and joy at hearing from him. It was quickly apparent, however, that something definitely was up.
"No, Harry, I haven't received a letter from you, and I know I'd remember seeing Miyuki again, she's such a beautiful owl, too. It's strange that she shouldn't have delivered it when we live so close, well, closer than Hogwarts and here and that trip doesn't take her a full day."
Harry smiled as she finally took a breath. "I agree it is strange. She's always been such an efficient courier. I'll look her over tonight, I hope she's not sick."
Lacking information, their discussion went nowhere, and they turned to other topics, like little sisters being persistent, movies and books they liked, and so on, before hanging up with a "Cheerio!" from Hermione, making Harry grin.
He kept an eye out for Miyuki that night, seeing her come in disgruntled and missing a couple of tail feathers. More than ever he wished he could have a real conversation with the bird, he was sure she was smart enough that she could give him an idea of what was going on. He tried a few questions but lacking ideas for questions, and Miyuki pretty limited in her range of responses, he had to give up for now, giving her attention and a few treats.
He let her rest overnight then told her in the morning that he wanted to give her more letters, so that he could get more information on the problem. He felt silly as he apologised to her for not understanding her. Still, she rubbed her head against him, mollified, so it wasn't a waste. As she left, Cesarina walked in, carrying the body of an animal she had obviously killed in the Clan's forest. He smiled closed-mouthed, praised her for her kill and gave her attention before heading out for the day, leaving her to her breakfast. He called up Justin just before lunch, finding out he had gotten letters from their friends except for Harry's, not even the ones Harry had sent today as part of the test. Harry asked him to send notes to their friends that there was a problem with his mail but that phone calls worked. Two hours later, he got a breathless Susan on the phone.
"Harry! I just got the note from Justin, and I wanted to ask if you had gotten my letters. I've sent you two since you didn't answer the first like I thought you would. I was getting worried you were hurt or didn't want me around any more or..."
"Relax, Susan, I'm fine, you're fine, I just have a problem with my mail. Actually, now that you mention it, why didn't I ever get mail before my Hogwarts letter?"
"I have no idea, but I could ask my aunt tonight."
"Thanks, Susan, I hope we can find out what's going on." After that, they talked for a little while before Susan had to get off the phone, and Harry returned to his training, putting his body through its paces and building up strength and endurance.
Meanwhile, his clone was over at Meaghan's house when she asked him a question that got all of the girls' attention. "Harry, I've been wondering for a while where you get your clothes from. I checked and they're not sold anywhere I can find. Plus they always fit you so well. I'm jealous," she grinned.
"Oh, thank you, Meaghan, actually I make them myself. I think I've still got a lot to learn, but I can make clothes for just about anyone, I think." Harry was a little embarrassed at praising his own skills like this.
"Wow, really? Do you think you could make a good shirt for me?" Michelle asked, eager to discover more about her crush and if he was any good, bonus!
"Sure, Michelle, but I'd need to do a fitting to make sure I get it right."
"Can we do it right now?"
"Not right this moment," Harry grinned, "I didn't think I'd be asked to measure and put my hands on you today." He got the response he wanted, and followed up, "Does anyone else want new clothes?"
He got requests for a further three shirts and a pair of shorts for Ella who joked that she didn't mind his hands as long as they didn't wander too far. What she didn't say was that she was already thinking at night of his hands wandering anywhere he wanted. There was no way she was ready to let him do that, nor tell him!
The following day, the girls came over to his house and were shown through to a private room set up for fittings, each of them admiring the fabrics on display and sending measuring glances at Harry. They were already thinking to ask him for more clothes if this was what they could look forward to. Their looks did not go unnoticed, though Harry decided to keep quiet, he didn't want to jeopardise his chances. They blushed early on as they were each measured, before relaxing, Harry's hands automatically massaging away some of their tension as he guided the girls as needed.
He set a clone later that day to work on the new clothes, designing, testing, creating. His big decision was how long should he take to deliver them. He had finished them all that evening thanks to the aid of certain special techniques, but he knew it would be strange to have such a short turnaround. He fiddled around with details, putting minor finishing touches, then set it aside to leave it for a week. He figured that was about the soonest he could believably have done all those clothes, though he would fudge that time for any future orders, they would be more concerned with getting them than with any discrepancy with how long it took him.
He was pleased when he talked to Justin that evening, thanking his friend for his help and generally catching up. Justin told him about his parents' decision to take him to some parties over the summer, groaning about being introduced to some girl who was really silly but her parents were in business with his so he had to play host. Harry was sympathetic.
Susan's aunt gave him a call after dinner, apologised for the late hour but she had only just gotten home after a long day. "Mr Potter, Susan told me of your mail problem, and I did some investigations. It was immediately obvious that some form of magic was involved before you started Hogwarts. For instance, did you ever get a letter from Susan before your Hogwarts letter?"
"No, Madam Bones, that acceptance letter was the first letter I got from the Wizarding World."
"Well, at least I'll be able to explain that to her, thank you. She was so crushed when you didn't reply to her questions about dragons. Then again, she was only seven at the time." Harry hoped Susan hadn't overheard that or he was doomed. "So, we've established you had some sort of magic placed on you preventing any letters, rather than it being on the property, otherwise owls would have found you while you were out.
"Now, the questions arise: who did it, what exactly did they do to you, and why? Unfortunately, I don't have any answers for you at this time. You will need to be examined for any sign of the spells, though I suspect the original mail ward placed on you may have been removed or modified."
"That would make sense, Madam Bones. I was able to send and receive owl mail only after I entered Hogwarts." Harry offered, knowing she would suspect the Headmaster of involvement especially as he had assured people that Harry Potter, their Boy-Who-Lived, was happy and safe.
"As for your current problem, we'll need to conduct an investigation and the examination of you that I said before, and for that I would like the permission of your guardians. We will need to visit in order to check the property for signs of magic."
"Thank you, Madam Bones. With your permission, I'll just get my father so you can work out the details."
As it turned out, Madam Bones couldn't visit before the weekend, however she sent a small team of discreet investigators on the following morning who were well-mannered and well versed in Muggle fashion, blending in well. They quickly set to work checking the property while a specialist took Harry aside with his parents looking on, giving a short oath complete with a flash of magic visible to Harry though not his parents, stating she wouldn't share anything learned during the course of the investigation of the property or Harry with anyone not present except her team and Madam Bones unless she got their specific permission. She also called in her team to make similar oaths. Harry made a note to ask later but gave his parents a nod, and the witch began pointing, swishing, flicking and waving her wand in ways that obviously meant something to her but nothing to the rest of them.
"Mr Potter, I have seen that a few spells were cast on you. Firstly, there was indeed a mail ward placed on you. From the residue, I would estimate it was placed around Halloween '81, and it blocked all mail from all sources. There were also a couple of other spells but those have faded too much for me to identify. Secondly, that mail ward was removed last September, replaced with another added to block only mail from more specific senders. I can't see which ones are blocked, I can only leave it there or remove it."
"Remove it, please."
She glanced at Harry's parents, waiting for their nods before proceeding with a lot of wand-waving, muttering and other nonsense. At the end, Harry felt a pulse of magic run through him from his toes all the way up to his scalp and the specialist smiled, exhausted. "There, it's gone, and a very powerful ward it was, too." A disguised Tsunade was at her side handing her a tall, cool drink a moment later, and the witch accepted it gratefully, draining a third of it on her first taste. "Thank you, ma'am."
The team finished up an hour later, having investigated not just the property itself but also out to a distance around it, without finding any interference. A few days later when Amelia Bones turned up, bringing an eager Susan, she let Harry's parents know what she had found, firstly that someone had placed powerful spells on the baby Harry, secondly that a powerful wizard had removed the original mail ward and replaced it with a more limited ward. Thirdly that the timing indicated that the wizard who cast the replacement mail ward likely had access to Hogwarts or had managed to cast a long, complex spell on him before he went to Hogwarts, something that Harry dismissed as unlikely since he would have noticed such a thing, and even if he hadn't, others would have in public places like Diagon Alley.
She moved inside to talk more to Harry's parents while Harry showed Susan around his place, including looking at the Forest of Death from the outside. He wasn't going to risk her in there, too many secrets, too many dangers, in that area he used for training. He could and did show her the field by the forest where the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and they walked along, enjoying the peace and the freedom. They were called in an hour later where Susan, lightly pink from the rays of the sun, grabbed drinks before Amelia Bones, now just an aunt and guardian, took her niece home. While there was still a problem with Harry's mail, a solution would have to wait until they got a lead.
That night, Harry wished the ground would open up and swallow him. He had been given a mission by his parents to give him a practical, real world test of some of his skills. Normally he would have been happy, eager to get started, but this wasn't what he considered a normal test, not by any means. No, this one had him heading into London with Dad and Kurenai-mum on his way to use his Disguise technique. That wasn't so bad, not even that he would have to pass as an adult in order to get into a nightclub, blending in. That part was fine, fun even, he knew he could dance well enough, too. No, it was the other activity nightclubs were famous for. Seduction. Picking up. Finding an appropriate girl, getting her attention, her interest, her desire. And then- He gulped, heart racing. While he trusted his parents in most things, they did have a twisted sense of humour about some things. He wasn't sure whether to believe them about having to go all the way or not.
Naruto glanced in the rear-view mirror, his smile at his son conveying both his pride in his son for his courage as well as his amusement. Before he knew it, what Harry was scared of doing tonight would become exactly what Harry liked best. Still, he understood his son's nerves. He was going to have to break several laws tonight, first by getting into the club underage, then buying the drinks that his biocontrol would have to neutralise before the alcohol affected him, and of course the last one, taking a girl back to her place. He remembered his own nerves before his first time, but of course that was different. It always was.
It was time. Harry got out, Disguise technique already in place and walked up to the club his parents had selected for his first attempt. He stood outside waiting in line and eventually he was at the door, the bouncers looking him over before letting him inside, paying the cover charge and walking upstairs into the dark, smoke-filled bar area. His eyes scanned the bar, the staff, the customers as his legs carried him up to the bar where he ordered a coke to start with.
He dismissed from consideration all the girls who were obviously there with guys, a fairly large proportion, as he sipped his drink and watched the crowd. The next girls he dismissed were those who were fairly obviously there just to have a fun night out without meeting a guy, generally there girls came in groups, just there to drink, dance and chat with each other. While he might be able to convince one of them in future, for tonight he didn't want the extra challenge. This was nerve wracking enough as it was. That left the girls who were open to advances, and naturally enough they were also the ones who got the most male attention, his competitors tonight. He watched the guys, noting their methods and failures, and the girls, noting their responses, before he finished off his drink, ordering another and approached his first target tonight, a girl just short of twenty he guessed with bushy brown hair tied back in a simple ponytail that trailed halfway down her back. When he saw her from the front, he was just as pleased with his choice, she was very pretty and her chocolate eyes were alight with mirth as she watched another guy strike out on the other side of the bar.
Harry made his approach with an easy confident smile and bearing, letting her see his looks, his clothes good but not overly so, and most important of all according to his instructor, his self-confidence. She gave a small smile back, allowing him closer and he allowed his own smile to grow slightly, making a place for himself beside her. "Hi there," he allowed his voice to deepen, pitching it over the noise of the club for her ears alone.
From there, Harry relied on his training, watching for cues like how and when she smiled, if she showed her wrists to him, a signal of interest according to his lessons, and how open her stance was. If she crossed her arms, that was usually a sign of declining interest, unless she was cold, of course. If her arms were open, her body relaxed, that meant he was on the right path. And if her glances at him drifted further down his body, well, anyone should understand that, he thought.
Soon enough, she allowed him to buy her a drink when hers ran out, and her smiles came more often. Soon after the second drink, she started showing more signs of her interest as he had engaged her in conversation, quickly adapting to her interests and encouraging her to talk more about herself. She was a sociology student home for summer and enjoying the break, while he was supposedly also a student but taking a business course. They compared courses, complained about lecturers and got closer. Harry slipped an arm around her waist, prepared to duck a slap but she only smiled and settled, nodding when he asked if she wanted to get out of there. They took a taxi, exchanging a few intimate caresses, and headed up to a typical student apartment.
Inside, she showed him to the couch and offered him another drink, coming in with two glasses of wine, sipping and just as he leaned in to give her a kiss, his heart beating fast, she stopped him, placing two fingers on his lips and smiling.
"Hold it, big boy," she grinned, her manner changing, "I have one thing to say before we go any further."
Harry nodded and focussed intently on her.
"Mission successful, Harry." She giggled at the shock on his face, gave him a peck on the cheek and stood up, her form flowing back into Ino-mum's usual blonde locks and grey eyes, even popping out the 'decorations', as his parents called their foxy tails, ears and whiskers, to prove her identity.
At that moment, Naruto and Kurenai-mum walked into the room, grinning. "Well done, Harry, for getting this far without running away. We know this wasn't easy for you, and we are proud of you for going through with it" Naruto began.
Kurenai took over, "-but as you know, now we debrief you on the completed mission which we rated as B-rank given your conditions. First, let's go through your actions in order, then look at what you did wrong, what you did right, and other things you could do next time."
By this time, Harry had overcome the surprise and had slipped into 'mission mode' where he could recall and analyze clearer than normally. They spent most of an hour going through each and everything he did, looked at alternatives and at the effects of his choices.
Then, Ino-mum and Kurenai-mum started asking embarrassing questions like "How did you plan to move on to intercourse? Did you have condoms with you? What foreplay were you going to use? What would you do if she pushed your face into her body?" On and on, rapid fired questions to make sure he gave honest responses. In the process, Harry learned far more about himself and his ignorance on matters sexual, something that he needed to remedy before he ended up with a girl he cared about, and hurting her by mistake.
They took him home, letting him drift into thought on the drive, before bundling him off to bed where he fell straight asleep, having interesting dreams.
In the morning, Harry's parents arranged a deal with the Finch-Fletchleys and the Grangers for Harry's owl mail to be delivered to them, then passed along to Harry or his family, in order to bypass this mysterious block on Harry's mail. He had let all his friends know of the problem, and the current solution in place. They could call him on the phone, for those who had them, send mail via owls to Justin or Hermione, or use the Royal Mail.
As for Harry, he was having his own interesting day out with his local girls. He was at Ella's house since it was her turn to have everyone over, and he brought along an extra bag filled with the finely stitched shirts and shorts the girls had requested. He saw Ella bite her bottom lip to hold in a squeal, for which he was intensely grateful, and the others held their breaths as he unveiled item after item, handing them to the new owners, smiling as they took them and held them up, looking in awe at the clothes. A few seconds later, their looks turned a little hungry and in his direction before they blushed and asked him to turn around. As he did, his sensitive hearing picked up every sound as they changed right there into their new clothes, even Ella got into her new shorts with him in the room. He blushed and waited as patiently as he could, trying to distract himself so they didn't get an eyeful when he turned back around.
He almost succeeded, and the glances from the girls made it impossible for him to relax it further at first, then they looked away after what felt like minutes but likely was only a few seconds. Their blushes told him all he needed to know, but soon enough they smiled at him. "Thank you, Harry!" they chorused in unison, making him laugh. He knew they had been practising for that, and they all settled in to enjoy their afternoon, each girl getting complimented by the others on their new clothes, and asking Harry, pretty please, if they could get more, batting their eyelashes and generally over the top.
Ashley shocked them all by arching her back to show off her developing chest. "Oh Harry, do you think you could make me a new bra to match my new shirt? Maybe you would like to give me a good, thorough measuring for a new one, give the girls just as perfect a caress with your magic touch as you've done with the rest of my body? I'm sure you agree they deserve your support."
Harry stammered and blushed in turn, before she took pity on him. Her mask cracked as she and the other girls laughed, Harry laughing with them.
Unfortunately for Harry, Sandra had just made it to Ella's house only a few minutes before. After a quick search, she found everyone in the girl's bedroom with the door closed, overhearing Ashley's offer and standing stunned until they all started laughing. She opened the door and the girls mobbed her, showing off their new Harry-made clothes and how well they fitted, how fine they looked, and so on. Sandra gave Harry a look but didn't say anything about she had overheard, though she did admit that he was a great tailor, especially if this only took him a week. Running through her mind were thoughts that maybe he could help expand her own wardrobe, but she left that for another time, getting everyone out into the living room in exchange for not telling their parents about being in a bedroom with Harry and no supervision. "And just what would your parents say about having a boy on your bed behind closed doors, Ella?"
The girl gulped, knowing her fairly conservative parents would be far from pleased, and lent her aid to the effort. "Ok, come on, let's go before she changes her mind."
"Good, obviously you girls are having far too much fun with this handsome boy." She winked at Harry who blushed, his mind going back to the weekend and the nightclub. She laughed that her mild poke got a reaction, but Harry wondered what she would have done if she had known. A thought crossed his mind that she might have seen him in a new light, just like he saw her later when she stretched her arms over her head, accentuating her breasts. He tried not to ogle, but by the naughty smile she gave him, he didn't look away soon enough. She whispered in his ear later when she gave him a quick hug, "You can look, Harry, a girl likes to feel appreciated, but don't touch or make us feel dirty with leering."
Harry went tomato-red at that. He was sure his parents would weasel this out of him one way or another, too. He was also sure Sandra enjoyed his effect on her, if the twin points he had spotted meant anything.
She bent down to look him in his green eyes with her baby blues, smiling reassuringly as she place a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you didn't do it wrong."
In the end, they didn't go through with asking him for new underclothes, but Harry was grimly certain they would do it eventually, and not just to tease him.
While this was going on with his clone, the real Harry was in the city with his parents on Charing Cross Road, walking through the dirty pub that was used as a portal to Diagon Alley where he met up with his friends at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, they grabbed drinks only as they planned to return at lunch, and went on a shopping expedition, checking all the shops.
By prior arrangement, the bookshops were left until last so that they didn't 'waste' the day by only going there. Hermione grumbled to herself, "Time spent in bookshops is never wasted." "Too right," Harry agreed, especially with all the fascinating things to study when it came to magic. For all that he disagreed with the idea of looking only for a magical solution to every problem that came up, they sure had created some fascinating if otherwise useless spells. Changing a button to a beetle, for example, Harry couldn't think of a time when that would be really useful, or at least the most useful answer to a problem. The only explanation their textbooks gave was that it was useful for learning better spells later to have already mastered smaller and easier ones of a similar nature.
The trip to Slug & Jiggers Apothecary was both useful for stocking up on supplies and a few finished potions, and an odd mixture of fascination and repulsion at the various items on display. As they were passing one of the stalls, Harry saw a witch who resembled one of the team members who had been involved in the mail investigation. That jogged a memory, and he turned to Mark and Daphne who were walking beside him.
"Mark, you remember when we first met I was wanting some lessons on the culture?"
"Sure, Harry. I know you hate your fame, but it's not everyday a celebrity wants to be your friend," Mark grinned, "so I'm not likely to forget that day in a hurry."
Harry smiled and nodded, before turning serious again. "I can see that. I was wondering if maybe you could help me out with something after all. I remember seeing someone make a declaration then a flash of what seemed like magic, at the time, they were saying it like when people swear an oath in regular court to tell the truth. Do you know of anything like that?"
Daphne let out a small gasp and blushed at her display, while Mark nodded at him. "Yes, Harry, it's a binding Oath and there are several types though they all share some things in common. When a witch or wizard swears something, usually on their magic though occasionally on their lives, their magic binds them to the conditions. For instance, if a wizard swears on his life to tell the truth about something, then if he manages to tell a lie, that is something he knows to be a lie, then he will drop dead right on the spot at the end of it. Due to memory magics, Oaths aren't considered irrefutable in courts, but they can help someone argue their case, I guess.
"Oaths are powerful, and can be abused just like any other tool, but there are safeguards. The first one is that you feel pain warning you about the oath before you break it, the second is that if you swore to do something for someone else, like protect someone's secrets, that person could release you from the Oath."
"That does sound very useful, but you're right, I can see how they could be abused, too. Thanks!"
"You're welcome, Harry."
Daphne later told him privately that you rarely catch people making oaths. "They're not talked about in public by most witches and wizards. I hope you weren't caught listening in." After reassuring her that was not the situation, she relaxed, but kept glancing at him the rest of their time together, obviously wondering why he would have witnessed someone taking an Oath.
Harry wondered how his friends would react to a proposal of a mutual exchange of Oaths, but that was not the time nor the place for such a discussion, and besides he wanted to hear his parents' thoughts. One of the things Harry most wanted to do was to let his friends know more about him and be honest with them as they had with him, but so much of it wasn't his alone to reveal.
His revelation that night about what Madam Bones' people had done, and how powerful the Oaths were, was an eye-opener for all the Clan, and prompted a lot of excited discussion and debate. When Harry requested again that they find a way so he can tell his friends and not hide so much away from them, they gave him sympathetic looks.
That paranoia, and the secrecy it spawned, was always one of the hardest parts of being a ninja, and while they had taught Harry much from their way of life, he hadn't been raised in their society where it was the norm. Harry was more a ninja-trained civilian than a true ninja in mindset. He agreed to continue to wait until they had given their permission before he said anything to them, even as they warned him that permission might never come.
On the other hand, they offered to help with one of their secrets. While Britain was still firmly monogamous by law and culture, some exceptions were tolerated, especially those that didn't try to claim special protections. They would sound out the people of Cranleigh, looking to discover ahead of time how they would look upon the Kitsunes' special family. From the looks they exchanged, Harry felt they were confident they would soon be one of those tolerated exceptions, probably even get it seen fondly as 'eccentric'. 'Great,' he thought, 'another thing to worry me.'
In the interim, Harry was involved in the study of Wizarding law, an over-complicated, wordy, disjointed mess, he felt. He was looking through the laws and decisions, aided by as many clones as he could spare, for any part describing or affecting marriages. While he found reams of text on inheritance laws requiring children come from a registered marriage, including notes that the purpose of marriage must include children, he found no law or precedent that stated a marriage must be monogamous or may not be polygamous in nature. So while the Muggle world would never accept his parents' marriage as legal, in the Wizarding World, at least in Britain, they would, at least in theory and for what little it mattered seeing how badly Wizarding law treated Muggles.
He also was busy apart from his training with frequent visits to Diagon Alley to take the Floo to see friends like Daphne (and the adorable little Astoria was rapidly attaching herself to him too, sometimes literally) or Susan and Hannah, usually at Susan's house since Madam Bones was rather security conscious, a good thing in her position. Madam Bones even Apparated him home when their visits ran late. She was putty in Susan's hands when the girl used her puppy eyes on her aunt, but it was even worse when Hannah amplified the effect, her pigtails and cute face giving her an unfair advantage. Padma and Parvati nearly screamed in excitement when he visited their family, and he caught their mother rolling her eyes at the display though both parents were pleased to have him there. Mr Patil thanked him for helping to get Parvati to think about things beyond fashion, though his expression showed he was also teasing the girl as fathers often do. The Browns' home was somewhat small from the outside but it showed a lot of benefit from expansion charms, with the inside easily five times larger than it appeared. Mrs Brown smiled at her husband as he boasted of his decision to get a smaller property, saving them a lot of money overall since the enchantments cost far less than the land did.
He spent more afternoons and evenings with the Greengrasses, usually with his parents along as they discussed everything from differences between the societies to business and investments to gardening and fashion. When he saw Mark those days, it was rare for him to be alone, he was always talking to that same girl, and Harry was happy to see it, even as he denied responsibility for Mark catching her notice. While it was true that Mark's star was rising, Harry knew the older boy was working hard for his new success.
Harry had his greatest fun at the Grangers' though. Hermione had taken to flirt with him, though never where her parents could see, but she forgot about her little sister who seemed it was a great idea to copy Hermione, she obviously thought the older girl was the perfect role model for her, especially now that Hermione had come out of her shell and relaxed more. Still, Harry also enjoyed his time with the elder Grangers, they had lively minds and a good manner with children that helped them talk on their level without talking down to them. Dinners there were always entertaining and interesting.
One incident took place that helped bring home to Harry some of his differences from other people.
He had had a good day with his friends, and was sitting down after dinner when one of Yuugao-mum's clones darted in, instantly getting his attention.
"Harry, there's a situation developing. Your friend Sandra has gone to a party. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but there's a lot of drinking and they're going to get rowdy. It's the kind of party where gatecrashers are expected, so you should be able to get in as just another partying teen, if you want to handle it yourself. Nothing's happened to Sandra yet," she added quickly, seeing his concern, "and we won't let her get hurt whatever you choose."
"Well, son, do you want to take care of her yourself, or let us do it for you?" Naruto asked neutrally, leaving it as just a question without indicating what he thought was best. As Harry's parent, he would be happy either way as long as Harry's choice was made for a good reason.
"I'll go. I trust any of you would do it well, but she is my good friend and I want to be the one to help her if I can. If I somehow need help, I'll let you know. You will be watching, of course."
This wasn't even in question, in Harry's mind. Very little happened in their home town without the Clan's knowledge. Cranleigh had become a much safer and nicer place to live since they settled here, and a large part of it was the Clan subtly watching over them. The rest was the people themselves taking that as a cue to improve themselves, leading to less intervention by the Clan.
"Okay, Harry, here's the address and the dress code. As you can see, it's over in Guildford, the guests are expected to be on the rough side, and plenty of alcohol which is why we anticipate trouble."
Harry nodded, quickly heading to his room and changing into something more fitting to his chosen look. Thick-soled boots and other minor changes added inches to his height, throwing off his balance slightly but not enough to matter. He got a couple of bottles of beer from the fridge to help with his disguise. While his parents considered him old enough to drink, Harry did not. This was just one of the many differences in culture between the Clan and him, so the beer would stay untouched by Harry.
Popping the beers in a Seal-expanded container along with the rest of his supplies, he headed out, glad of the deepening twilight to help hide him from casual view as he went straight to top speed for the nearly ten mile journey.
Harry slowed down as he arrived at the outskirts, roof-hopping his way to the club before walking up, every action exuding confidence and heading right in before anyone thought to stop him or even ask his name. Inside, lots of teens were dancing and drinking and trying to get lucky. Harry didn't care about that as he scanned the crowd, grousing to himself that he was still too short to do this sort of thing easily.
He slipped between teens easily despite the overcrowding, attracting a few glances from the girls, his short but muscular body, his grace and good looks catching their eye. One of the girls who gave him a good look-over was Sandra when he finally found her. She'd already started drinking and smiled at him, not quite recognising him with his new look. He smiled back and approached her. "Hey gorgeous."
Tall, broad-shouldered and well-endowed, she always got appreciative looks when she dressed up, but some felt the dragon tattoo ruined her looks. Harry wasn't one of those people, and this crowd wouldn't have many of her detractors either. The tattoo and pink hair helped her fit in here.
She pulled him out dancing, which he did, keeping cover while he tried to work on a way to get her out of there, or at least keep her safe when trouble broke out. He knew to trust the Clan's reading of crowds.
Between the loud music and the teens around them, a quiet conversation was impossible, so Harry settled in to be her bodyguard. The way she was looking at him, she wasn't objecting to getting a lot closer. Unfortunately, she had kept drinking and still didn't realise who she was enticing. At least the dancing was fun, and interesting training given the self-imposed difficulty with his balance.
Half an hour after he arrived, the fight broke out, the one he'd been expecting all along. He'd tried to get Sandra out of there, but she just took it as an invitation to something else and turned him down for now. The crowd reacted to the fight, some trying to get closer, others trying to get away, and Harry caught in the middle needing to keep Sandra safe.
He pulled her close, enjoying the feel of her body despite himself, and guided them both toward one of the exits. A few times she stumbled or was nudged by other people, Harry catching her before she could fall and get trampled.
The crowd was getting more worked up and quickly, forcing Harry to work harder to keep the space around them clear.
They made it out just as she was pushed by a couple of smaller girls, clearly too scared to pay attention, falling into Harry's arms where he caught her easily. The sound of sirens told of approaching bobbies and since Sandra was too drunk to do it, Harry kept in charge, guiding them out of the area and using a couple of quick jutsu to clean her up, looking like just a boyfriend and girlfriend out for a night on the town rather than people who'd been at an illegal party.
Harry took them to the bus station, waiting for the 53 to take them most of the way there. Thankfully, they'd arrived at the right time and he sat by her on the way back, making sure she was ok. During the ride, she leaned against him, falling asleep as the adrenaline wore off. He woke her up as they got to Rowly, having a two mile walk before they got to her place in Cranleigh. Harry waited until they were alone, then picked up the sleepy girl after he cast a mild Illusion on her so she wouldn't notice anything odd. That done, he took her back to Cranleigh at his best pace, letting her down to walk the final few steps. With the late hour, no one was around to see his dash, and it was time for Sandra to head inside. A quick poison-removal technique when she wasn't looking ensured that she wouldn't even get a hangover.
Harry watched her head inside then he Body Flickered away, heading home himself to relax.
A week after he found out about the Oaths, his parents threw a get-together for 'his girls' and their parents. Harry was of course suspicious when they hid their plans from him, given who his parents were, but he had to trust they knew what they were doing. Hell, Naruto at age twelve, well, sort of thanks to the Time Loops, had managed to talk several girls including a foreign kunoichi into marrying him on the spur of the moment. Temari-mum had only known him a week and that was while they were in the middle of the Forest of Death, not even dating. Tenten-mum had known of him longer but hadn't really spoken to him much, only knowing of Naruto as a hyperactive blond idiot. With that level of persuasion under his belt, Harry felt much more confident that he wouldn't be totally banned from seeing the girls again.
The dinner went fine, the wine and brandy flowed for all the adults, and over an exquisite dessert, Naruto casually confirmed the early rumours, he was in love with each of the girls who lived with him in the Compound, and they with him, something they confirmed, even if they did restrain Anko from getting too exuberant before their guests.
Harry was horrified by how easily they were revealing this. He knew how conservative Ella's parents were, and so did Naruto! He didn't know how they managed to get past the knee-jerk rejection and for once, the curious boy didn't want to know. The Clan had too many nasty ways and he was afraid they might have used one of them. His parents noted this and decided to explain later that there was nothing to be afraid of, only the use of good acting and psychology.
They also, after getting assurances from their guests about keeping the secret, called in some of Naruto's clones, explaining as each clone paired with one of his wives that this was part of the secret to how he could have a happy life with his beautiful ladies, as each could spend as much or as little time with Naruto as they wanted, and the ladies added that they also liked how it let them spend time with other ladies who knew their likes and dislikes, and could gossip to their hearts' content without having to worry about nasty rumours. They showed in all they did and said just how happy they all were with this arrangement, their love almost palpable in the room.
Once the assembled guests got over their shock, the questions started, the floodgates on their curiosity opened, and they were thankful there were more of the Clan than their guests present to answer them all. Well, most of the questions, at least. Any that were too private or prurient were deflected away tactfully. Most of an hour later, the flood died down to a trickle, and somehow, Harry was never quite sure how they managed it, the parents were satisfied, even smiling, even after he was roped into demonstrating a few clones of his own. The girls' smiles were even bigger, and he noticed a few glances shared between them which he would dearly have liked to have understood. His own questions were clumsily deflected, though they did assure him that he would find out soon, which was something.
After everyone had gone home, Harry rounded on his parents. "Was that really as reckless as it appeared?!"
Hinata-mum shook her head and gave him a gentle smile. "No, Harry. We've known them all for years. We knew that Ella's parents like to appear conservative, but they aren't the bigots like you see in the Wizarding World. If they were, we wouldn't have stayed friends. They value a loving family environment more than a strict adherence to custom."
Harry nodded and Tsunade-mum picked up where Hinata-mum had left off. "What you didn't see was the preparation for tonight. We've always wanted to be accepted as a family, however unusual, so in a sense, we've been laying down the groundwork for this for years. Once they accepted that, telling them about the clones was a natural progression from there. When you found out about the Oaths last week, it made us realise that we were close enough to done with that preparation to take the chance."
"And it really was only a small one," Kurenai-mum added from where she was cuddling with Naruto. "We have been giving them hints for a while. Each of the parents already suspected the secret. Telling them tonight all at once made sure that they didn't feel slighted about being left out until last, and used the presence of their friends to help keep them from behaving badly in front of people they respected."
"The good food and drink helped set the relaxed friendly atmosphere that made it more difficult to disrupt," Yugito finished.
"And if they'd reacted badly despite all of that?" Harry asked, reassured that it hadn't been as insane as it had looked.
"If that had happened, we would have used some of our leverage to keep them quiet. Everyone has secrets and unmet goals, and we know many of them about our friends. If they broke that friendship and their actions threatened you, we would have used that knowledge to protect you from our enemies." Yuugao-mum's voice was grim as she explained that. "But we really didn't expect to need any of that. With all the work we did before tonight, it was safer than flying in a jumbo!"
Hinata-mum hugged Harry into her lap. "Whatever happened, Harry, you wouldn't have lost your friends."
The last Sunday of the month was a great hit, his parents put on a large picnic and introduced several games to their guests. The Greengrasses and the Wilkinsons had turned up, Mark introduced his mother to Harry "Don't call him the Boy-Who-Lived" Potter. "Harry, this is my mother, Madam Diana Wilkinson."
Harry bowed as he was taught to the woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Wilkinson." She was absolutely stunning and had a strong resemblance to her nieces Daphne and Astoria with blonde hair, unlike their red hair, and grey eyes set in the same nearly heart-shaped face. Her expression was perfectly cultured, expression just the right amount of polite joy to meet him, and her posture was also well trained, graceful even at rest, but her eyes indicated to him something that made him feel more at ease with her, she played her part very well, but to her it was only a part.
The hit of the day was when in a surprise even to Harry, Professor McGonagall arrived, bearing the good news that she would be able to visit several times that summer for the purpose of allowing her students to demonstrate their magic. Harry knew that there were no unfriendly eyes around, and after that piece of news he understood there wouldn't be either. All the kids there were excited at the displays, much praised was lavished, even if some of it in all fairness wasn't quite earned, and old and young had a good time.
July dawned bright and hot, a beautiful summer's day, and Harry got up with a smile. Last night, he had brought his total number of clones up to sixteen, adding two just in the last month. He was looking forward to further visits from Professor McGonagall, it was refreshing to see her out of school where she was at least slightly relaxed from her professional persona, and the fact that she couldn't dock points was also welcome. Here she was just a teacher helping her students demonstrate what they learned, an ally rather than adversary. The next was coming up the very next weekend, and he'd already had an excited Hermione on the phone, little Athena could be heard in the background too, eager to go see Harry, oh, and magic, too.
Both Granger girls were looking forward to staying with Harry, with Hermione getting to stay a fortnight rather than just the week that the rest of her family would be doing. Harry was strongly considering how he would let them know about his family, after all, it felt right for all his friends to know, not just one set, and he felt annoyed all over again about their damned Statute of Secrecy. He wasn't going to break it, or at least not in any way that would get him or his friends hurt, but he preferred to trust his friends, and so far at least, his judgment had been good.
Speaking of his friends, his local girls, as his family called them to tease him, were settling in fairly well to the news of both his unusual family structure and his and Naruto's abilities. Meaghan had even asked if that meant he could make them clothes even faster. Harry's nod and grin saw all of them happy, and they put more of his tailoring to the test. They also decided to have individual time with him, mostly that meant splitting up so no one saw multiple Harry's, after all they did agree to help keep it quiet and they were getting what they wanted out of it, too.
When Saturday came around, Harry was disappointed, the forecast was for a good, clear day but as he looked out the window he saw stormy clouds and rain. Sure, they could still go ahead with the outing but he didn't think it would be as much fun. With a sigh he got dressed and went outside for his morning run before he started the heavy exercise session planned for today. His friends knew they would have his clones with them, also knowing the clones could be dispelled with light damage, and that he would remember everything they did as if he'd been there all along. They'd also found out about his fitness training, and had planned to drop by and watch later. Harry admitted he was thankful that the magic exhibition was well away from their house, for one it made these subterfuges less risky, and for another they had chosen a lovely secluded spot.
When he made it out the door, he immediately turned around and headed back inside, grinning. "Alright, whose idea was it to cast the illusion over the windows?" He went for his run feeling good. Today, he had another day with all his friends from Hogwarts with Professor McGonagall's visit, and elsewhere with his local friends. Over breakfast, Naruto asked him, "What would you think about asking your friends to take an Oath to preserve each others' secrets?"
Harry looked up. "I'd say it's risky, and that we'll want to look over wordings for possible problems. I'd like us to have found a good wording before we present the idea to them, and also to give them time to think about the idea before we go ahead with it. Even still, I can think that some of them won't like it, and we can all understand why they could take offence. If they don't talk about these Oaths in public, this could really backfire on us."
Naruto smiled at Harry. "Well done, Harry, I'm proud to see you've learned your lessons and more proud that you're thinking of your friends' concerns. As I'm sure you'll have guessed, your mothers and I have been working on the wording of it for a while, ever since you brought up the idea, really, at first for the challenge of it."
Sakura-mum and the others nodded, with Ino-mum adding, "It's a rather fascinating challenge in many ways. If you are literally bound by your words, you want to be very careful about what you say. It proved to be great diversion for quite a few of our clones, putting together possible solutions and then tearing them down. Anyway, with your agreement, we want to at least sound people out during the day, looking at swearing them next weekend for the next magic exhibition when that girl Hermione will be starting her stay." Harry's expression made a reply unnecessary, and they started examining various choices. He did wonder, though, if they were taking the risks seriously enough or were letting their previous success make them overconfident. He put the thought out of his mind.
They were the Kitsune Clan, and they had just proved how sneaky they could be. Surely he should trust their judgment.
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