Chapter 14 - Something Old, Something New

Sunday saw Harry get some ribbing from that pink-haired Puff Tonks. After a few failures, she asked "Cor, Harry, is it that hard to get a rise from you?"

Ignoring Hermione's smile, Harry returned "Oh Tonks, a gentleman never kisses and tells."

"And how does he kiss, girls?"

The grins from not one or two but all nine made Tonks' jaw drop. "You what? Nine!" She kept her voice low as she could. "How can he keep all of you happy?"

A few giggled and Hannah winked. "Our Harry's got some special talents." Harry had surreptitiously erected a sound-dampening technique for this conversation so that only their friends could hear them. Hermione wriggled in his lap as the barrier wasn't the only thing erect thanks to the talk and the wiggling.

"He's not the only one," Tonks replied, her eyes closed as her hair colour, hips and bust changed a few times. Harry counted himself lucky that he had already reacted to Hermione, or she might have had words with him later, he was sure of it.

"You know, I was originally afraid my holidays would be a little boring." Harry's tone was light.

"Not now, though?" Tonks questioned.

"With so many girls in my life, I know I'll live in interesting times."

Cho giggled, overhearing that. "Harry, that's said to be an old Chinese curse."

He grinned back. "Oh I know that, but you're a Ravenclaw, you know how bad boredom can get. Thanks to my friends, all of you, you keep my life interesting and fun. And my girls make it even better." He gave Hermione a brief squeeze and shared looks with his girls, trying to convey just how much he meant that last, and how much they meant to him.

"It'll be good to relax, though. With the attacks at school, I don't know why the place hasn't been closed. And nothing in the Daily Prophet, well, that feels very suspicious. It may be to the culprit's advantage that everything is being kept quiet, but the real question is 'why?' Someone is going to great efforts to keep it all hushed up so either they are in on it, or benefit from the silence." Harry's eyes darted over to the Staff Table and the empty throne of Dumbledore. "Either way, there are too many unknowns."

"Oh, Harry. You're so cynical! What am I to do with you?" Hermione mock-complained.

"Kiss me?" He grinned, before Hermione did just that. The group just chuckled at the display, before Justin decided to change the subject.

"Is everything still on for the New Years Eve party?"

"Of course, my parents love throwing parties, and this will be all the excuse they need to throw a really big one. Not that they ever need much excuse. They once threw a party because I brought home an A on a test." At the confused glances from the wizard-raised, he added. "That was the equivalent of getting an O at Hogwarts. I was only six at the time, too."

"Any chance I could come, Harry?" Tonks asked, batting her eyelashes though the grin spoiled the effect.

"Of course, Tonks, all my friends are welcome." He looked over into Luna's eyes. "That includes you too, Luna, in case you were wondering. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I wouldn't exclude you, either."

Cho and Padma smiled. While they liked seeing Harry using his brain, they also liked it when he showed his big heart, and while the First Year was a little odd at times, she was very smart and tried to be friendly.

They thought of how much was left to do these holidays. For Cho, it was catching up on some pleasure reading that she had been putting off while she enjoyed teaching Harry's group about their coursework and about another culture. Well, she had also enjoyed the flying in practice, and definitely the after-practice massages! It had been worth it, overall, to let her reading slip.

For Padma, it was more daunting. She didn't have much homework to worry about, or at least, didn't worry about the homework she did have. Instead, she had a meeting with five girls coming up that she needed to impress enough they would let her share Harry, but not so much that they felt she was a threat, judged on standards she couldn't even guess! And after that decision was made, even if it went against her, she still had the party to attend and put on a brave face despite a broken heart. Possibly worse, what if it went for her? She still wasn't sure how they'd all live with each other, even as she really wanted it to work. She was afraid that even if they agreed, there was still the problem of it all falling apart later and she didn't want to cause that kind of pain for her Harry. It hadn't occurred to her just yet, but all the others were in the same boat, worrying about what ifs.

That evening after dinner, all his girls needed more snuggling which Harry was only too happy to provide, since he needed it himself. They headed off to pack and to bed, though their sleep wasn't as restful as normal because of the stress. Soon enough, the morning arrived, and the girls trickled into the Great Hall, still a little bleary-eyed to meet a Harry who still looked, well, yummy. The girls were torn between wanting to resent him for that and wanting just to watch him more. They settled for getting hugs and kisses that seemed extra special, and when they sat to breakfast found they felt much better. Harry smiled, glad he was able to hide his use of chakra for beautification techniques like that. He knew the girls would appreciate the extra energy he gave them. He'd spotted the signs that they didn't sleep well, and that they were unhappy about not looking their best. He hoped that if they noticed it was him, they didn't mind his unasked help.

As they trooped off to the carriages, Harry guided each girl to pat one of the thestrals, as they were called, though he noticed little Luna didn't need his guidance. As she explained it, anyone who had seen death could see them, and he was glad none of his other friends had the ability. The creatures weren't dangerous so much as scary with their looks and association with death. The others kept quiet, not asking who Luna had lost and everyone knew who Harry had lost.

They took some compartments on the train, enjoying a quiet ride. Malfoy, for whatever reason, stayed in his own compartment, which meant no one had to worry about his boring visits interrupting their fun. Arriving at King's Cross Station there was the usual crowding, the goodbyes to friends, the greeting to parents not seen in months, and at last, Harry was on his way home officially.

Once home, there was a party to celebrate his safe return. The Clan were all too aware that his clones had stayed at home with them, but that didn't mean a thing without the real Harry being with them in terms of his safety. Add in the threat this year of Slytherin's monster to the regular craziness of being in a school where all the staff and students were armed with deadly, reality-bending weapons and you can understand their joy.

In addition to the Clan, they had some guests. Harry was happy to have his Cranleigh girls Stephanie, Ashley, Meaghan, Michelle and Ella present, giving him reason to celebrate, and he also got to meet with Remus Lupin at last. His clones had observed the man for months, working hard for the Clan and sharing stories about Harry's parents.

After Harry's girls had all hugged and kissed the boy - and Remus could swear one of them nearly groped him! - Remus walked over to introduce himself, his heart beating like mad in his chest. He could not afford to screw up this chance now that he was finally meeting Harry after missing him growing up. He would never be able to live with himself if he lost Harry too. "Good evening, I'm Remus Lupin, and I've wanted to meet you for a long time now. I was a friend of your parents, Harry, of James and Lily I mean, though I hope to become a friend of your new parents, too."

Harry examined the man, while he'd made a slip about the long time he'd waited, perhaps that was simply being more honest than he should have been. Harry took his hand, noting the firm grip calculated not to crush Harry's hand, much the same as Harry had thanks to the family training, and returned it in much the same way. Remus' eyebrows rose slightly as he noted the similarity, handily restraining any urge to test the boy by increasing his grip.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Lupin, I've heard much about you from my adoptive parents, and I would love to hear some stories of my birth parents from you, rather than just via letters. They've told me you're a good hard worker, and something of a joker."

"Guilty as charged," Remus grinned, "your fath–, James, was as well, along with a couple of friends of ours. I have stories enough to fill a month of Sundays. It seemed we were always doing something unexpected. I'm staying at the cottage just out the back, so I hope we'll have a lot of time to get to know each other better."

"I'd like that, Mr Lupin. Oh, where are my manners? Mr Lupin, these are my very good friends, Stephanie, Ashley, Michelle, Meaghan and Ella." After Remus had acknowledged each of them, Harry dropped his bombshell. "I also have the honour of being their boyfriend." His grin was not at all faked, he loved the surprise on Remus' face, and his girls were happy enough to go along with the joke, comfortable with their status especially at home with the Clan, and surrounded him facing Remus together.

Remus lived up to his reputation, laughing. "Oh well done, Harry. You played that very well. Hang on, they really are? Oh, even better! Girls, my apologies, I hope I didn't offend you. You're all very pretty, and I'm sure you deserve the best. I just love how Harry was able to pull a prank on me within a minute of being introduced. To me, it shows he's a true son of his birth father."

"None taken, Mr Lupin," Ella replied, "we knew what he was doing, and he's got a good sense of timing. One of the things we love about him."

"That and his kisses..." Michelle added before realising she'd spoken aloud.

Remus grinned, "I think we're getting too personal there. Now, Harry, I'd like to have a word later tonight if that's possible. Ah, dinner's ready, we'd better not miss this."

His parents had prepared his favourites, along with a selection of favourites for their guests learned over the months or years they'd known them. Harry was directed to one end of the table along with his friends, with Naruto at the other. A toast was raised to Harry who sipped at his coke instead of anything alcoholic then everyone tucked into the delicious meal, conversation flowing easily enough. After dessert, they got up and music was put on, Naruto and his wives dancing and letting Harry guide his girls to one of the private rooms nearby while the real Harry stayed to talk to Remus.

"First, thank you Harry, for giving me this chance. I don't know if your parents told you or not, but I never stopped looking for you after That Night. You were the only remnant of my best friends, and I kept on trying to find you. I'm sorry I couldn't rescue you from the Dursleys. Oh yes, I met them as I was trying to track you, and a thoroughly unpleasant family they are too. Anyway, I kept trying, and trying, but you were hidden by Dumbledore himself. That interfering old man cost me over a decade with the only family I had left, you. I've been told that it was him, sorry 'a very powerful wizard' who placed the spells on you that prevented me from finding you. They prevented any wizard from finding you, including the ones paid to monitor and protect children." He looked better for having got this off his chest, and Harry understood the power of confession.

"Anyway, I've heard you're already on the Quidditch team, a Chaser like your father, James. How are you going with that?" Remus smiled. "James would be so proud that you're on the team, even if you didn't join his old House."

"Oh, we're doing great. There's only been two matches so far, this year, the first was Gryffindor and Slytherin, well, both the Seekers were terrible and knocked each other out when they played chicken. It was Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley, so I figure the feud between their families probably contributed to that decision." He grinned, seeing Malfoy knocked out like that was still one of his fun memories, especially since he had nothing to do with it. "The other match was when they played us. Our Seeker is Cedric Diggory, and I tried out for each of the positions. I was a bit quicker at finding the Snitch than Cedric, but it made more sense to put me as a Chaser, he said. He's right, too. I scored over 500 points against Gryffindor our first match and my friends Hermione and Susan scored over 300 each. They're also Second Years, and we work great together. So well that they are my girlfriends too."

Remus was stunned, his best friend's son had seven girlfriends! "I'm stunned, Harry, not only are you a great Quidditch player, but seven girlfriends?! Do they all know each other?" He grinned.

"Well, not yet, they know of each other though, and we're planning so they can meet each other over the holidays. I'm terrified, to tell you the truth, that something will go wrong when they meet."

Remus smiled, "I'm sure you'll do fine, Harry, but either way, I'd be happy to help any way I can."

"Any way?" Harry grinned, "That's a dangerous offer, you know. Tell you what, I've got one way you can help me right away."

"What is it? I meant that I'd do anything, Harry."

Harry got serious for what he wanted to say next. "Well, there is something that can help. However, I've learned that it's considered private and personal."

Remus nodded, "Ok, what is it?"

Harry took a breath. "There are magically binding Oaths. I want to be able to trust you, and a well-worded Oath would let me trust you a lot sooner. What I have in mind is one to protect each others' secrets. You wouldn't be completely bound, it's something you'd be able to leave after warning me first..." He trailed off looking down, nervous as hell, and looked back up into the man's eyes, seeing only warmth there.

"It's ok, Harry, and yes, I'd be willing to swear an Oath to you to protect your secrets. Even if I can't picture a twelve year old boy having many worth going this far, obviously you do, and they're yours. I said I would do it, well, as long as we can come up with one that is well-worded. Few things are more dangerous to a wizard than a badly written Oath or contract."

Harry let out the breath he'd been holding, smiling. "Thank you, Mr Lupin, that means a lot to me. And for the wording, well, I erm, I have gotten Oaths before on my secrets. Those two girls at Hogwarts I mentioned swore them, and one of the girls is Susan Bones, Amelia Bones' niece. Amelia swore one, too, after getting to work on the wording."

"You got Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE, to swear an oath? Ok, now I'm really impressed. Show me the wording you had in mind, then."

Harry produced a piece of paper with the proposed wording from a pocket.

"You had that with you?" Remus laughed. "You are prepared."

Harry grinned and thought 'Of course, I'm prepared. I'm a ninja.'

"Ok, let's get this over with."

A minute and a flash of magic later, Remus had sworn a different Oath to Harry, one where he could only be released if Harry allowed it, could not spill secrets to anyone who didn't already know them no matter what, and would not betray Harry to his enemies. He smiled at Harry who was stunned. "I know, Harry, I chose to swear a more extensive Oath. You didn't force me into anything. I wanted to show that you can trust me with anything."

Harry started to explain more about his life and his family, even demonstrating the shadow clones for the man. Remus treated it as the greatest prank he'd seen, but agreed it was very sensible to keep it secret, especially if, as Harry had said, it worked without any of what they considered magic. Harry added that the girls tonight didn't know of magic because of the Statute of Secrecy. "I've heard that anyone who finds out who shouldn't gets their mind violated and memories wiped. I will not allow that to happen to my girls. So, I've not said a word about magic to them. Of course, they'll accept magic when they see it easier than others, now they know of my clones, but I'm obeying the law they made, until I can change it. Well, if that ever happens."

Remus was a little worried by that last, he didn't know what would happen if the veil was dropped, but he knew there would be those on both sides who didn't like it. At least Harry was willing to obey the law for now.

"I fully intend to tell my girls and their families, though, if I can get away with it without risking their minds. I mean, I heard from one of my year-mates that his mother only told his father about being a witch after they were married. How could their marriage survive all those lies about her schooling, her friends, her experiences and job and everything? No, I want to know whoever I marry knows me, but that doesn't mean I'll only look in the Wizarding World, because they don't know the real world either." Harry sighed, he didn't usually feel this down about the challenges, he put it down to opening up to this friend of his parents.

"Enough of that," Harry smiled, "tell me about my parents, and we'll head back out to the party."

The rest of the party was fun, especially seeing Remus trying to play jokes on people without revealing too much, and also getting to give his girls hugs and kisses in person again. If it wasn't for his general toughness, the girls would have popped his clones a lot over the last few months with their close hugs. The girls asked for more kisses with the excuse that more girls were being added, and well that was something he was always happy to give. They knew his clones shared all his memories and personality, but they weren't quite the same as the original.

The party ended around ten when their parents turned up to take their daughters home. Remus and Harry talked a little longer before Harry had to go to bed, enjoying his own bed again.

The next day he spent with his Cranleigh girls, catching up and playing in the snow, while he left a clone with Remus to get to know the man more in person as it were. The following day, the 23rd, was the Big Day.

All his girls had managed to set aside time to visit for the all-important meeting, and Harry was a bundle of nerves that morning, something the Clan found cute and amusing. Stephanie arrived first, then Meaghan, Michelle, Ashley and Ella, all of whom gave him a hug before he escorted them to the room set aside for the meeting. His nerves rocketed further when Ashley told him in no uncertain terms that they wanted to have time alone with the new girls. "We need this, Harry, and you did agree that we could get to know them before we made our decisions."

He nodded, "I did, and it's more than reasonable. I just, I'm nervous, Ashley."

She smiled, "I know, Harry, and I know why, but please."

"Yes, ok. I already agreed to this, and I'm not going back on my word." He hugged each girl close, settling in to wait and cuddle.

When the Hogwarts girls arrived, he showed them in, giving each a hug, then introducing them all. "Ok, Ashley and the others want to talk to you alone." He looked to see how they felt, and was surprised to see they all seemed happy with that. He wasn't happy, he was petrified, but he forced a smile and left them to talk. He had intended to watch over the meeting from outside, but his Dad just shook his head and escorted Harry away, along with all his other clones.

"Dad?"

"This is something you have to do, Harry. You need to show them the trust they have showed you. They will find out if you don't trust them, and that will kill the relationship faster than almost anything else."

Naruto gave his son a lopsided smile. "Besides, you know that eventually, no matter what you did, they would be able to meet each other without you there. If they've been insulated from that, they won't know how to act when it finally happens. That means fights are more likely when that happens, and everything you had is put at risk."

"Even worse, you thought everything was fine, so if things do go badly, the surprise makes it hurt even worse, it's an ambush on your heart." Yuugao-mum added sadly, remembering when she had to surprise her ex-boyfriend that way. And everything had been fine before she was brought into the Time Loops. While she was happy with Naruto, wouldn't trade him for worlds, she was still sad that it hurt him even if she didn't love him any longer.

Sakura-mum had turned up while she was talking. "It hurts when your world crashes down around you, son. But it hurts worse if the crash is delayed and delayed. 'Twere best done quickly,' as the Bard said."

Harry sighed and relaxed, allowing them to guide him to the living room, waiting with him. He wondered if they were listening to the girls, but Naruto just looked at him. "No, Harry, we're not. We'll keep an ear out in case a fight breaks out, but this is something private. As hard as it may be to accept right now, we're trying to help you."

Sometimes, Harry wondered what it would be like living with parents who couldn't read your mind, or simply know you so well they didn't need to try. It was trying for a boy when he couldn't get away with anything! Still, they had helped with that, too, after raising their own kids they had a good idea how.

"Ok, Dad, I won't try to listen in. You're right, as usual, but I hate not knowing what's going on." He grinned, "and I'm sure you know that, too, since all of you taught me the value of up to date information."

Naruto then diverted the conversation, the Clan kept it light and engaging to help distract himself from his fears. True to their word, for once the Clan had avoided using any of their tricks to listen in on Harry's girls, deliberately ignoring whatever they said as long as they didn't get too loud or get violent.

Inside the room, well stocked with snacks and refreshments, the fourteen girls looked around at each other. No one said anything for a few minutes after Harry left, and they all felt the tension steadily mounting higher. Eventually, Hermione cracked. "Er, hi."

The groans of the others told her what she already knew, and she felt like putting her face in her hands to hide, just about to do it too when Ashley took a breath, loud in the silent room. "Hi, Hermione wasn't it? Well, I guess we should get to talking right? Why don't you each tell us a bit about yourselves?"

Hermione and the other witches were even more nervous now, each suddenly thinking of magic and how they can't mention anything about it. "Er, well, I go to school with Harry like the others, it's a private boarding school, and while it's kinda strange and scary, not getting to see your family for months at a time, Harry made it better for me, for us. He was my very first friend, and he's always there for me when I need him. My parents are both dentists, well, Dad's a dental surgeon but.. oh, and I love reading, and playing sport with Harry."

Leanne was next, describing her family, growing up in London as the eldest child like Hermione, who blushed adding she had a little sister, and that her family were happy she had a scholarship to the school as it was rather expensive.

The others copied the formula from Hermione and Leanne, careful not to lie about their family even while they couldn't tell the whole truth, describing how they enjoyed fashion and reading and so forth. This seemed to be good enough, as Ashley led her group, talking about growing up with Harry and how handsome he was, which got nods from all the girls, and how he inspired them, and how well they knew him. In Daphne's mind, she heard an undercurrent there: "we're much better for Harry than you'll ever be", and her hackles rose. She refused to accept such an insult from anyone, and rose to the bait.

"Yes, Harry's a very surprising boy, though, there's so much about himself you wouldn't expect." She placed what she thought was a subtle emphasis on 'you', but seeing the other witches wince, she knew she'd overdone it.

Susan tried to save the day, asking the girls what they each liked about Harry, hopeful that this would provide some desperately needed common ground. Ashley liked his confidence, a born leader. Ella liked his sense of humour best, both at the jokes he tells and plays, describing one time Harry set up a bully to confess what he had done with a teacher right behind him, getting a few laughs from the others. Stephanie liked those, but also that he could take a joke well. Meaghan mentioned on her turn how he was always willing to help her learn new things, and there for her. Michelle just grinned and said "Oh, I like all of that, but who could pass up his massages, and those kisses?"

The girls all smiled, relaxing, and the ice was now truly broken between them. Soon enough, they were swapping stories and reminiscing about Harry, and with the witches vouching for each other, as well as their high opinion of Harry which matched their own, the Cranleigh girls found themselves more willing to agree to the girls' inclusion. Daphne grinning and congratulating them about the dual layer deception regarding their relationship was the icing on the cake, Ashley preened under her praise, securing her vote, and the others saw that, as strange as it was, they truly were good people, and hoped to become good friends.

Rather than coming out of the room and letting Harry know about their decision, though, they chose to keep chatting and swapping stories for another hour, setting a foundation for their later friendship and relationship as co-girlfriends of Harry Potter. When Hannah got up to use the facilities, Harry naturally heard it due to his enhanced senses, making his way over despite himself. When she headed back via the living room she found a tense Harry waiting for her, sitting on his hands to stop himself from getting up.

"Hi Harry, we're ready for you. Come on now!" She dragged him, not that he was trying to stop her, into the lounge room where the girls were. All conversation ceased and all eyes turned to him, hard eyes, expectant, demanding, even.

"Hello?"

"Well, Harry, we're waiting." Susan demanded.

"Yes, Harry, hurry up." Ashley echoed her call. "Where are the clones? We're all here, and there's only one of you. This simply will not do!" She grinned as did the others. Harry grinned in relief, making a quick hand-sign and creating thirteen clones, making enough Harry to go around.

Each girl took one of him by the hand, this time it was Meaghan who got the original boy, and she settled into his lap much as Hermione habitually did now, making him moan in her ear before he could help himself.

Ashley regained his attention swiftly when she began speaking, however. "Harry, first of all, yes, the girls do have our approval, you do have good taste after all." The girls all grinned and nodded. "Also, thank you for giving us time alone to work it all out together. I hope you didn't mind our little joke when you came back. You have to understand, this is a big deal for us and something we all have to live with. That's why we've been treating this so seriously.

"We'd been talking before we came over, and we agreed that the biggest problem we had with saying yes or no was also a simple one, with a simple solution. We didn't really know the new girls, so how could we judge them? The answer was to get to know them, and if you stayed around we wouldn't have been able to do that, not really. Especially with how distracting you can be with those hugs and kisses of yours!" She smiled more. "I hope it wasn't too bad a wait, I know we were a little slow to invite you back in since we got to chatting with our new friends and co-girlfriends. Can you forgive us?"

Harry nodded, "Of course, I can. And I won't lie to you, that wait was one of the hardest things I've done. It was a surrender of control, and risking you girls getting hurt while I was only a couple of rooms away, and waiting for hours for any word."

"Were we really talking that long? Oh my! I'm sorry, Harry!" This came from multiple girls, checking their watches and seeing that it was nearly two hours after they'd kicked him out, leaving him to wait and kept in the dark.

"And Harry," Meaghan added, "if you want to add other girls, and it won't cost us time with you, you have our approval. We're trusting you with our hearts, here. Just, if you can, we want to get to know them, too and hope they'll feel the same way. Thank you for trusting us with yours." She gave him a sweet kiss and settled in snuggling.

Now cuddling with each girl, he was told to lean back so the girls could get comfortable, meaning, hold and caress and support them as they chatted and relaxed. He was happy to do that, especially since getting them relaxed meant they would have all have a better time getting along, not to mention that he always enjoyed caressing and holding these girls who wormed their way into his heart. Harry reflected to himself that his parents were right again, damn them. A memory forced itself on his consciousness of Tsunade-mum saying "When you've been around people as long as we have, you'll be this good at predicting them, too." It was a favourite reminder of theirs, that despite looking in their twenties, his parents each had centuries of experience if you included clones, and at least fifty years worth even if you didn't.

"Oh and Harry, we're going to meet up again on Boxing Day. You'll be there from the start, this time."

"Good!" Harry smiled. "It was killing me waiting and not knowing, not being able to help. I trust each of you, but I can't help wanting to protect you from pain." He and his clones guided the girls they were holding to look at the Harry they were hugging, speaking in unison to the girls who had a hold on him. "I love you."

Any ill feeling the girls might have been feeling was washed away by the sincerity of his emotions, laying his heart bare. They hugged him tighter and kissed him, forgetting the world for a time.

The rest of that day and the next, Harry was more relaxed than he had been in a while. He exchanged gifts with his friends, especially his girls who added hugs and kisses to their thanks, and spent what time he could with each of them. He also spent a lot of time with Remus, Moony as he preferred to be called by friends, hearing about their friends, their rivalry with the man who was now his Potions Professor, and after getting to know Harry, Remus also shared how his friends had gone a long way for him, even becoming animagi to spend time with him during the full moon. "They called my being a werewolf my 'furry little problem' so often, there were Ravenclaws convinced that I owned a disobedient rabbit."

The man was obviously wanting to become part of Harry's life, but he seemed to know better than to try to replace his parents. That, Harry was very thankful for, he had no desire to replace his mothers and father with anyone, even if he would have loved to know his birth parents. Remus was doing his best to give that to Harry, sharing stories of Prefect patrols with Lily and pranks with the Marauder's. Harry had a fond memory of showing Remus the Marauder's Map, and took the chance to ask questions about its construction and its abilities and limitations.

Remus was just as proud of Harry for getting it as his parents had been, though he did wish Harry would use it more for sneaking around. The shock on his face when Harry proved he didn't need it, by sneaking into the Gryffindor dorm at night to snatch it from the previous custodians and then pranking them, and then when Remus questioned the story managing to sneak up on him time after time, well, Remus was so proud he could have burst. He also gave up trying to get Harry to use it for sneaking around.

Harry mentioned that he'd taken to using it all the time with a clone watching the Map full time, especially this year with the attacks from the Chamber of Secrets. Remus approved wholeheartedly of his caution, adding that he was often the voice of caution in the Marauders, helping to make sure they didn't get caught as much, as well as trying to convince them not to pull certain pranks. "Mainly, I was trying to keep the feud with Severus to a minimum. Though it was more a case of trying to keep us all from being expelled or seriously hurt."

Harry was relieved, "I was afraid you were going to say you liked him. I know he's paid as a Potions Master, and I've heard about his talent, but he's an utter failure as a teacher. What I've seen of him as a human being doesn't look good either. He doesn't bother to stop any incidents dangerous to his students, but you can bet he sees every one of them since he is constantly watching, always ready to chew out a student for making mistakes. No, I can respect his abilities, perhaps, but never the man."

"Has he ever singled you out for bad treatment?"

"No, he hasn't. Oh, he did cheat to help Malfoy win a duel last week, but I caught him pleased when I won anyway. I'm guessing that he wanted me to win a real challenge, since everyone knows Malfoy is a terrible wizard. Everyone except Malfoy, that is. Snape taught him Serpensortia, and the blond git cast it, getting a long brown snake. I just caught the snake, so Malfoy did it again, thinking I wouldn't be able to defend myself. A quickly cast Wingardium Leviosa and the snake was right in Malfoy's face. He pissed himself." Harry grinned, he loved turning the tables on bullies.

"Wouldn't you?" Remus asked.

"I didn't when he did it to me, twice, and he still had his wand on him. Anyway, that's when Snape Vanished the two snakes and declared me the winner in front of most of the school."

"That is interesting, Harry. With how your father James and Severus carried on, and Severus' ability to hold a grudge, I'd be surprised if he had gotten over it. After all, it's only been 20 years." Remus added, turning into a joke a serious evaluation of the Slytherin and how vindictive he could be.

Christmas was an interesting affair with the addition of Remus to the table, low level pranks and magic adding spice to the festivities, and the Clan welcomed him more into the family. He had given Harry his trust, he worked hard and knew how to enjoy himself, so they felt he could be allowed the extra leeway. Truthfully, they didn't need his hard work and could afford to pay him much better than even the high wages they were giving him if you valued the quality of meals correctly, but this seemed to be just what the man needed. Remus was filling out and looking younger. According to Tsunade, still their leading medic, it was a tough call which was helping him more, the good food and conditions, the increased self-respect from working for a living, or being able to help Harry by giving him the knowledge of his family, the connection to them, that he was denied. Having company during the full moons also helped, something the man only accepted as long as he had his Wolfsbane Potion so he didn't hurt or kill anyone else.

The next day, Boxing Day, was the day of the Kitsune Christmas Party. A lot of Harry's friends made it, just about all of the guys and girls from Cranleigh and all Harry's girlfriends made it there. They played in the snow, ate too much, and had a great time. His girls arrived earlier and stayed later than the guys, meaning they could get in some snuggle time and kisses. It wasn't all like that, however, the girls taking the opportunities to get to know each other better, too. It was looking hopeful to him, they were seeing the good sides of each other, and seeing how they were each devoted to him was helping to defuse any desire to hurt each other.

Harry detected the light hand of his parents helping that along, just working in occasional comments or meetings that made it easier for the girls to stick to their original goal of settling into their new arrangement with him. He would have been angry if they'd done much more than that. While he did want things to work out with his girls, he had firm limits on what he would allow done to his girls, and there were a whole suite of tricks his parents knew, and had taught to him, that were beyond those limits.

The girls thanked Harry appropriately in front of their parents for his gifts, and again later in private going a little further.

Harry was surprised a couple of days later, Professor McGonagall dropped by to see him. She was surprised in turn finding Remus there, her former student. Apparently, Remus had dropped out of the Wizarding World almost completely. "There was nothing for me there, no family, my friends dead or in prison and no work available despite my good record," was how he put it.

Minerva nodded, she understood that he had been facing a lot of prejudice in their world for something he couldn't have helped, just like the anti-Muggle prejudice that affected students like Justin and Hermione. "Aye, Remus, though you could have written once in a while, surely?"

"I had no owl of my own and my time and money was invested in trying to find little Harry, Professor. None of the other club members bothered trying to contact me, I didn't get a letter from any of them. Only you and Professor Dumbledore contacted me, and he lied to me, stopped me from seeing Harry."

Minerva's face dropped a little, accepting the criticism. "Aye, he stopped me, too, always saying Harry was happy and safe, then diverting me with something else or conveniently adding more to my workload. Again, Harry, I'm sorry. Every time I would think to drop in and see you, something came up. With what you told us, I can't think that was by accident any longer. Still, he's been a good man for a long while. I hate feeling my trust in him was misplaced over you."

Harry understood, or thought he did, that his Professor was simply wanting to believe that her good friend for decades wasn't as bad as Harry thought. He could even see her point intellectually, she had a lot of experience of the man pointing one way, and Harry was saying something very different. As long as she didn't risk the safety of her students with her trust in the old man, Harry had no reason to complain. Besides, she was a good teacher and she even managed to care about the worst of her House, bullies like the Twins who played practical jokes on the weak and innocent, and cared about arrogant fools like Cormac McLaggen, who thought that his connections meant he didn't have to think too hard himself.

She even managed to care about helping that little stalker in training, Colin Creevey. Colin was energetic, eager and a complete fan of the Boy-Who-Lived who had taken to trying to follow Harry around and taking pictures of his idol. Since Harry had no intention of letting anyone take pictures of him other than friends and family, and since Colin saw nothing wrong with trying to ambush Harry with his camera then thinking that his ambush made them friends, Colin was getting a lot of empty shots of the castle or, lately, of Professor Snape angry and blinded.

Harry tore himself from his thoughts when he noticed that both adults were looking at him.

"Are you ok, Harry?" Minerva asked, concerned when the young man seemed to have drifted off into his thoughts, not even replying to normal conversation.

"I'm fine, Professor." Harry blushed at being caught out like that, he knew the Clan would tease him for his lapse. While Harry felt certain that he would have reacted if threatened, they would say that wasn't good enough, that he should have been paying attention to his guests, not just because of any possible danger. They were right, too, it was very rude of him. "I'm sorry I got distracted."

"That's fine, Harry, as long as we're not boring you." Was it Harry, or was McGonagall's mouth twitching as she suppressed a smile?

"No, not at all! Please, come this way. I've always enjoyed lessons with you, you have a way of making the material come alive. Even when you aren't making the desk come alive." He smiled at the older woman, hoping she would accept this as an apology.

Remus, however, saw something a little different, Harry's praise of his teacher reminded him of his own student days and some of the students having crushes on their teachers. Minerva also saw the sign, though she dismissed the idea. The boy already had girlfriends, girls he cared about deeply. She decided that it was simply a boy trying to get out of trouble, not without a touch of disappointment. If he were older, and she were younger... She buried that thought as completely as she was able. She nodded and followed Harry to the lounge room with Remus, where Harry brought them refreshments and they settled in, chatting about Hogwarts, about James and Lily, and about the various classes. Minerva tactfully said little about Severus, though the fondness she exhibited when talking about the Marauders and Lily spoke volumes.

The rest of his holidays were fun, including the New Year's Eve party where all his friends attended who could make it, including Tonks and her parents Ted and Andromeda who informed him that since his father James was a pureblood, that meant Harry was related one way or another to all the other purebloods including the Black family. She forced a happy expression about them even after explaining that she had been disowned by her family for marrying a Muggle-born wizard. From what Harry could tell, it was a polite expression she had practiced. While she was obviously happy and in love with her husband even after all these years, the rejection still hurt, something Harry could understand only too well after the Dursleys and their mistreatment of him.

Nym, as she consented to be known in front of her parents (barely), changed the subject away from her mother's painful memories. "So, Harry, how are the nine girlfriends working out?"

Harry grinned. "I don't have nine girlfriends, Nym."

"Why not?" Nym asked, puzzled, unsure why he would be smiling at no longer having nine. Surely any bloke would be, right? Besides, he had seemed happy enough.

"What do you mean, why not, young lady?" Her mother's interruption left her floundering.

"Er, that is.."

"No, Mrs Tonks, she's right, I did have nine girls who liked me and had agreed to share me." Harry put in to save his friend and get the conversation back on track.

"So why are you happy that is no longer the case, Harry? Were you displeased with any of them? Run ragged?" She gave a hint of a smile here.

"Oh, not at all, Mrs Tonks, it's no longer the case because the nine girls managed to convince the first five they could all get along. Since I care for each of them and don't want to see any of them hurt, I hope you can understand why seeing them happy makes me happy." Harry's smile was somewhat mischievous at getting to surprise both of them, but his happiness was unmistakable.

"Fourteen! I do hope, Harry, that you're not just using your fame to get willing girls." Andromeda was shocked. It was the only explanation she could come up with later why she said such a thing to her host.

Harry's voice was cold as he replied, "Mrs Tonks, since the first five girls have been my friends for years, long before anyone in the Wizarding World even saw me let alone spoke to me, you can dismiss right now any notion that they have even heard of my fame from That Night. That damned Statute is the only reason they aren't aware of our school's peculiar talents, that aside, those lovely girls know me far better than anyone other than my own parents who saved me from where I was dumped by the Wizarding World after the murder of my parents.

"They know me, the real me, not some Boy-Who-Lived tales, and they accepted me for me. As for the girls at the Scottish school, indeed for all my friends there, every single one knows I hate my fame and think that it's stupid to praise any baby for what was obviously the work of my skilled, adult parents who had every reason in the world to defend themselves from that murderer. I am not the 'Boy-Who-Lived', Mrs Tonks. I am Harry Potter."

While he took a breath, struggling to get his temper back under control after the insult to both his girls and himself, Andromeda finally got a chance to reply. "I am sorry, Mr Potter, for accusing you of such a thing. One of the first things Nymphadora told us about you was that you reject your fame and that you don't want people who see the famous hero, but friends who see the real Harry. It was inexcusable to accuse you while you are my host. My only explanation is that my shock caused me to misspeak." While she was formal and somewhat stiff, her body language spoke of her sincerity and contrition.

"Apology accepted, Mrs Tonks, and please, call me Harry again? I understand your surprise, since I was hoping to use it to surprise Nym. She and I have been having a game of trying to get a rise out of each other, however this time it caught an innocent bystander."

"Thank you, Harry, you are most gracious." Andromeda was saved from having to say more as one of Harry's mothers turned up at just the right moment with some drinks and finger food. After that, she excused herself when the dancing started, eager for the chance to get her husband out onto the floor.

A minute after that, Harry's girls arrived to take him out, too, where they were delighted to learn that he was a great dancer, not stepping on their feet even if they stumbled or missed steps. Harry smiled and thanked them for the dances and the compliments, not mentioning that a few of the dances had been entirely new to him, Wizarding World developments of older dances that he had to pick up on the fly. Since adaptation to change was one of the stronger lessons from his parents along with great reflexes and coordination, he had managed to cover his ignorance long enough until it didn't matter. The girls ducked out one by one after their dances, the Clan helping to keep it unnoticed by the crowd, to meet up with Harry's clones in another room where Harry and his girls and the Clan could all dance together, clones in evidence to give each girl a partner for the slow dances they all preferred. All except Michelle, who enjoyed any and every dance with Harry, fast or slow, modern or classic though she loved ones with his hands on her the most, his touch telling her she's safe. Out in the main area, Harry was chatting with his other friends, helping to keep attention away from the missing girls.

As midnight approached, the girls eyed him and grinned. Harry was about to ask when Meaghan and Megan spoke first, in eerie unison. "Ok, Harry, which one is the real you? It's coming up time for our kisses to bring in the new year, you know."

The Harry's all smiled at the trick, with one of the clones stepping forward to ask instead, "can any of you tell which one of me is the real one?" When none of them did, Harry was glad, and the real boy raised his hand while the clones grinned, the girls piling onto him and tickling him before letting him up at last, lining up just as the final minute of '92 ebbed away. Hermione somehow was first in line, not that Harry would complain at any of the girls being first, and wrapped her arms around his waist, tilting her face up and closing her eyes, waiting with a smile. Their lips met as the clock chimed midnight and fireworks went off outside, not that Harry or Hermione cared to notice. A time later, they came up for air and Hermione was replaced by Meaghan, then Daphne and the rest, each time kissing him, putting in their burgeoning love for the green-eyed young man as he returned it with all the affection and love he had for them. In those minutes, Harry was able to forget his worries and cares entirely and give himself fully to the moment, to his girls. The dazed expression on the girls' faces was matched completely by Harry's, taking the girls into his arms and cuddling with them until Naruto quietly signalled to him that it was time to go.

While the girls, and indeed most of his other friends and their families, were staying overnight and thus the only reason they were allowed to stay up so late in the first place, there were still limits, and reluctantly the girls accepted that along with goodnight kisses from their beau before heading back out to the party in time to be seen by their families for the end of the night.

Harry chatted with Nym and Luna with his other friends as they all said goodnight, both girls asking for, and receiving, hugs from Harry, thanking him again for the invitation and the wonderful time they had. He'd gotten to know both of them better, and he found Luna just as refreshing and just as honest as ever, while Nym showed that Professor Sprout was right to pass her over as a Prefect, having no respect for school rules and far too fun-loving for any teacher's peace of mind.

Speaking of teachers, Professors Minerva McGonagall, Aurora Sinistra and Filius Flitwick had all been delighted to accept their invitations from Harry's parents. Professor Sprout sent her regrets, she had a prior engagement with another party, and she would really regret it later when her fellow teachers regaled her with tales of the evening spent in intelligent and novel conversations, divine food and delightful dancing, goggling at hearing even the very proper McGonagall had figuratively and later literally let her hair down.

There was time for homework before they all returned to Hogwarts, mostly done in groups to make it more fun, and time for playing games. Daphne loved Monopoly, once she learned the rules, something that made Susan roll her eyes at how cliché that was even as she and her aunt enjoyed the game too, as well as the refreshments Harry made for them. They had made some progress cooking for themselves, or rather with their staff learning new recipes, but they still seized any excuse to have a meal with Harry's family, something that he found both amusing and useful, since it meant he got more time with sweet Susan and without any parental objections. From what Susan had let slip, her aunt was the one spending more time coming up with creative reasons to drop by.

All too soon, Harry was heading back off to Hogwarts, this time with his Cranleigh girls coming along to see him off. Harry had to fake heading onto a different train, thanks to the damned wizards, but he didn't have to fake any of the emotions. The truth was that he was heading off to school, and would be separated in that way from these girls that meant so much to him, even though his clones would be staying home to go to school with them, and that meant he still felt the pain.

Stepping through the barrier while his clone was finishing up saying goodbye to his girls, he looked around, seeing all the friends he'd made at Hogwarts, and some of his enemies, even if he hadn't bothered to let them know they were. There was Draco Malfoy, who had set himself up as Harry's enemy right from the start and their encounter on the train, along with the other hardline bigots from his House, while their parents, many of whom were 'innocent victims of the Imperius curse' rather than nasty Death Eaters, looked on, talking amongst themselves and sneering at their 'inferiors' in blood and prestige. Harry's parents restrained themselves to ignoring them entirely in favour of talking with the other parents of students, whether magical or not, making stronger connections like good Slytherins should. It amused Daphne and her friends, Tracey and Sophie, that the Muggle parents were better Slytherins than the Purebloods who looked down on them. By now, there were dozens of Muggleborns and their families in the informal association. Thanks to the presence of Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, they were making connections to wizarding families, too. The Clan was happy at having more customers and contacts across Britain, but having more friendly locations was even better.

The ride itself was a lot of fun, talking about what people did for Christmas and presents and so on, along with the normal games and books and girls cuddling with him. On their return, they were excited still from their holidays and took time to settle in. Harry found himself giving his Hufflegirls goodnight kisses in their own dorm room, kisses still closed-lipped but just as loving as any.

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