Chapter 15 - Flyers and Flowers
Harry slipped back into his rather complicated routine well enough, at least physically. His clones were assigned to watching the Marauder's Map or patrolling the school, going about their self-assigned duties professionally, but the return to Hogwarts also brought back the stress and fear he had managed to leave behind. It wasn't so much fear for himself as for his friends, that he might not be quick enough this time to save them, that this time there might be the death of someone he loved. In his studies, he had found a lot of rumours about what creature Slytherin might have used, mostly insane suggestions or creatures that would have died off long ago.
Unfortunately, this did nothing to narrow the field for Harry's search. Besides, just because the attacker was claiming it was Slytherin's Chamber, and thus his monster, didn't mean it was true. That Founder's reputation gave the attacker a ready-made cover story, implying great power, a certain type of political motivation, even a hiding place within the school itself was more believable just by invoking his name.
So Harry and his friends were looking both at magical creatures and other forms of magic that could petrify someone. Somewhat reluctantly, Harry concluded that the Headmaster was right, either the same creature was being used both fifty years ago and now, or at least the same type of magic. And if it was the latter, then it was something both Dark and requiring a lot of power, according to the sources they could access. Given that whatever did this wasn't appearing on the Map, nor leaving any obvious evidence, Harry was concentrating more on a magical creature rather than any sort of potion or spell. It seemed impossible that whoever was behind this was countering a tracking device they didn't even know existed, after all.
Since Slytherin was the only starting point they had, they started with snakes, compiling a list of dangerous ones that could petrify or kill their victims. Top of that list was a basilisk, a creature rated the full XXXXX in the Ministry's classification of dangerous creatures, it could live for centuries, kill with its gaze, its strength or its deadly venom. However, there were other deadly creatures, a lot of them, and they were going through trying to eliminate candidates based on what little they knew. Some, for instance, simply wouldn't fit. Many killed or harmed their victims in different ways. All he had left on his list were various snakes or snake-like creatures that a Parselmouth could speak with and control.
All the creatures left were killers, they had to be to make it onto the list, but the basilisk, the King of Serpents, was the worst of the lot. Unfortunately, that also made it one of the more likely given that people liked to prove themselves the greatest like that. 'Hana-mum taught me how to handle lots of animals, but she never mentioned ones that could kill you with a glance!'
The big question Harry had was why no one had died yet if it really was a basilisk, and how people were petrified instead. Sadly, they couldn't ask the victims until this Mandrake Restorative Draught was prepared which would take months, and who knew how many people would be killed by then. While they were lucky that whoever was controlling the monster was trying to choose their targets, that didn't mean they wouldn't change their mind and just go for a mass slaughter of students. Worse, if it was someone with blood bigot leanings, then a lot of his friends were at risk. He had to protect them.
Harry worried to himself. 'Let's see, there was a large puddle of water around the cat, Mrs Norris. There was another large puddle near the Twins. There wasn't any near the third attack on Cormac McLaggen and Sir Nick the ghost, then again, could a ghost be killed by a death gaze? So that doesn't rule out the basilisk after all, as long as seeing the creature indirectly saved you.
'Not being able to look at the creature's eyes makes hunting it a real pain, though. And it is obvious that it is returning to the Chamber after each attack or someone would have noticed it. This makes trying to find the Chamber a priority, too, beyond just the challenge of it.'
No, with this perspective, Harry had to believe that letting his friends go about unprotected was a terrible idea. The trick would be convincing them to allow him to do it, and in some cases that he would be able to help. He was only a Second Year, after all. 'Sometimes, people won't let you help them, and there's nothing you can do.' It was one of the bitterest lessons, his parents had told him. Harry just hoped that he wouldn't have to experience it himself. 'Not just yet, please!' His heart hammered in his chest as he sat there in the Library brought home to him a couple of things. First, that he still had a lot of work to do on maintaining his body control. Second, that he was truly more afraid for his friends' safety than for his own, something that was noble but also a tendency he had to watch out for, not least because it could get him killed and leave them helpless. And that whoever the attacker was, they were going to pay the price for threatening captive children.
As he got himself under control, he waited until Hermione and Padma stopped talking about Lethifolds, another thoroughly nasty creature that thankfully didn't inhabit Britain. "Padma, I think Hermione's right that it's not a Lethifold. In fact, I think I have a good idea what it could be."
He explained his reasoning, including the psychological analysis which was always going to be only supporting rather than conclusive. "If it's any of these creatures, we need to stay safe, but most especially if 'Serpent Tongue' Slytherin did use the King of Serpents to guard his Chamber. If I'm right, then an indirect gaze is enough to Petrify you, costing you months out of your life, while the direct gaze will kill anyone alive."
A few of them nodded, "That would fit the data available, but there's no way to test it, or no good way." Hermione added.
"Believe me, I know. Still, it at least suggests ways to stay alive in case you're attacked and can't run away."
"The Boy-Who-Lived wants us to run away?" Parvati teased.
Harry laughed, "I don't know about him, but I sure do! This thing has the maximum classification from the Ministry of Magic, it can kill you in a number of ways, and only a Parselmouth has a chance to convince it to turn back. Yes, I want all of us to run from it if we can, rather than for any of us to die."
"So, what do you suggest would help? The Water-Making Spell is only taught to Sixth Years, so we can't make puddles even if we had time." Daphne pointed out as reasonably as she could.
"I know, but there's a couple of things I'd suggest. The first is staying in groups, so far the only attacks have been on people when alone or with one other person. I think that's because whoever is behind this doesn't want a witness to escape, but whatever the cause, we can try to use it in our favour. The second is to use mirrors to look around corners before you, in case the monster is ahead of you. The last one would be to try to keep your eyes down, though I'm not sure that one is that good an idea."
They debated various measures they could take, and how practical they would be, until it was time for dinner, heading along as a big group with Harry in the lead holding a mirror. There in the Great Hall, they started to pass along their idea of staying in groups and using mirrors to check for possible ambushes. They didn't know if their warning would do any good, but they had to try.
Later, Harry got his girls alone and offered to have one of his clones watching over each of them at all times. He should have known that suggestion would get him into trouble. Padma grinned at him. "You going to watch me in the shower, Harry?"
He looked at her for a second and grinned back. "There's no good answer to that, is there? If I say yes, it makes me a pervert or a stalker, and if I say no, I might be accused of saying you're not worth watching. Ok, well done."
He waited until the teasing died down, adding "I meant that I would leave a clone to guard you, not invade your privacy. Just let me know if you'd accept that, and any conditions you have. Now, who's up for a cuddle as you think it over?"
He smiled, all of them were more than happy for an extra cuddle and it was good for his nerves, too. And he was nervous, he knew. Within five minutes, all the girls had agreed to having Harry watch out for them, though some of them seemed to go along with it more because it was more time with Harry rather than because they agreed with his concerns. Their various conditions weren't a problem for him, essentially just 'no peeking!' with different details as to when they meant.
"Ok, next question for you girls. I was hoping to also watch out for my other friends as much as I can, but there are two problems with it. The first of course is getting them to agree, and I think having you all agree first will help there. The second is they'll want to know how I can possibly do it, and I don't see any option other than to show the clones. My family doesn't want me to show off my talents to everyone, though, so they'll insist I get some guarantee of privacy, and to them, that means more Oaths. That caused problems last time it was brought up, so I'm hoping to learn the correct way to go about it, if there is one."
Harry blushed, cutely in Daphne's opinion, as she started to answer, explaining more about the 'how to's of talking about and asking for Oaths, the etiquette her family taught her. Harry looked to confirm with the other wizard-raised, just to be sure that this was standard enough and not something peculiar to just Daphne's family. When Daphne noticed his glance, he readily explained why he was checking. That and some extra cuddling helped soothe any ruffled feathers. "I've been burned before, my Daphne, and while I know you wouldn't deliberately tell me the wrong thing, well, I wanted to be sure of this, that's all. Our parents can be wrong too. Just look at mine," he joked, reminding them all just why he was being cautious.
"Thanks, Daphne, and the rest of you as well for your help, and for letting me help you, too. I am honoured by your trust, and I hope you know how special, how important you are to me." However cheesy he was being, for the girls listening to him, it worked. They could feel his sincerity, and that's all that mattered to them.
Over the next few days, Harry approached his other friends who were in the know, offering to watch out for them. Some of the guys, especially the pureblood ones, turned him down, saying that if no one was watching out for Harry, they couldn't accept someone watching out for them, it just wasn't manly. The girls didn't have that concern, though a couple of them were worried he might use the chance to spy on them as they were changing. After he offered in the accepted manner to swear an Oath about it, even the few who had refused him until that point accepted his offer. Strangely enough, none of them would accept an Oath from him that he wouldn't spy, saying that it wasn't needed, the offer was sufficient, though he did catch Nym smiling and she joked that on second thoughts, he could watch her any time.
Harry had done more than just trying to guard his friends. As soon as their study group had decided that a basilisk was a possible means for these attacks, he had remembered to send a letter to Amelia Bones asking for a meeting.
The next time she visited the Kitsune Compound, he spoke with her about their suspicions.
"I hear you, Harry, but do you have any proof? Besides, these things kill. They don't petrify."
The clone shook his head. "There isn't a better candidate that we can find, and our theory explains the petrifactions."
"It does, but you don't have any evidence," Bones returned then sighed. "And until you have a lot of evidence, something I can show to people, or until there are more attacks, I can't move. The renowned Headmaster has, in his infinite wisdom, ruled these attacks to be nothing more than magical accidents caused by foolish students evading the outstanding staff's supervision and then using some unknown spell. Or at least, that is what his paperwork submitted to the Ministry's Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes has claimed. In doing so, he miraculously sidesteps all responsibility and censure for these attacks, so the Ministry doesn't yet have the justification to move against his control of the school.
"And since the Minister's office controls the priorities assigned to DMLE investigations, I can't go and get that evidence or send my people to do so. The DMLE lost the power to decide its own investigations under my predecessor Crouch," she growled, "as part of the deal that saw him only transferred to head the Department of International Magical Cooperation instead of sacked and arrested himself for his part in the scandal involving his dead son. It was an utter disaster for my Department when we lost such an integral responsibility. That's why Dumbledore's move is so likely to succeed. Fudge won't change his mind without evidence, and I can't get the evidence without changing his mind first."
Harry nodded at the explanation. "It's a smooth move, alright. And as long as he is careful in how he worded it, not even the parents can really complain to anyone."
"Exactly. Everyone knows that there are accidents at Hogwarts so it's just business as usual for there to be a couple of serious ones. And since he's kept it out of the papers, no one believes there's a pattern of attacks to worry about, not unless they have to. And the Chief Warlock has seen to it that the Ministry efforts to investigate are perceived to be a power grab rather than an honest attempt to stop the attacks. Not that he needed to work hard at that when Fudge is, well, Fudge."
Harry grumbled but nodded. To show there were no hard feelings, he whipped up a dinner for her with a lemon sorbet for dessert, something he knew she loved.
Whether it was Harry's patrolling, the students taking to travelling in groups of three or more, or simply the attacker choosing to wait, he didn't know, but January was free of any attacks, and likewise free of any sign that the attacker was doing anything. Well, there had been some chickens and roosters killed, according to Hagrid's whisper to Dumbledore, a whisper that half the Hall heard that breakfast morning given it was coming from the big man. That seemed to match the idea that it was a basilisk, though Harry was reminding himself it could be disinformation.
His friends got used to Harry being there more, and Harry was always mindful to keep his presence from being a burden or intrusive. He didn't want to lose friends over this, and he couldn't really argue if they called his behaviour paranoid, so he was looking to avoid those accusations in the first place.
Harry took to showing more movies on the Great Hall ceiling, showing mostly comedies and light-hearted movies and shows. As January was ending, Professor Sprout noted that there hadn't been so few detentions in a single month for decades. Harry grinned, thinking that his movie nights were the reason for it, and wondering if he'd ever let the teachers know. Thinking on it more, he'd love to get the opinions of most of the staff. Only Professors Snape, Lockhart and Trelawney could he picture really objecting to it. Snape because he was head of the house notorious for their prejudice, Lockhart because it took attention away from him and Trelawney because it would take attention away from her predictions and her field of magic. After all, who would pay attention to her hocus pocus and predictions of a student death, predictions that had been uniformly wrong for over a decade, when there was real entertainment to be had. Even then, he might be doing her a disservice.
The start of February brought no news regarding the attacks, but it did bring Harry something else to worry about. Valentine's Day was fast approaching, and Harry had not one but fourteen girls to consider. He was also still dodging that little stalker Creevey's camera. Sadly, the boy couldn't take a hint, or even a point-blank request to stop, but it did give Harry some extra training so he didn't want to take any harsher measures.
He noticed that Weasley's sister, Ginny, had been acting strange around him even more, not that he tried to hang around her, really. Still, when he looked at or near her, she'd act very clumsy. Another crush, and a pathetic one, too. Since as far as he knew, she hadn't seen him topless like the other girls who harbored crushes, and she certainly hadn't spoken enough to him to get to know Harry, that just left a Boy-Who-Lived groupie as the most likely explanation for her behavior.
It seemed his actions against those fantasy writers hadn't come soon enough in her case, nor had she yet understood the difference between the character they made up and the Hufflepuff student she saw around the castle. Hopefully she like the rest would learn in time.
No, the interesting thing about her was that she had become quiet and pale. A quiet Weasley was not a normal Weasley. The girl in question had started out outgoing, cheerful and loud, willing to tell off her brothers or threaten them with writing home to tell their mother. In short, the usual stuff siblings do to each other. Lately, she was quiet.
When he asked his Gryffindor friends, they assured him no one had been bullying her, she was just quieter now, possibly after realising she couldn't manipulate the staff like she manipulated her parents according to Lavender. Luna volunteered that the girl used to be her friend since they were neighbours, though that had ended after her mother died, news that saw the blonde girl given a lot of hugs and support. Privately, Luna added that her father had taken the loss very hard, and didn't let Luna out of his sight for months after the funeral, meaning she couldn't see her friend. Harry figured that it had hit Luna, too, being shut in with a grieving father, trying to cheer him up, and part of her 'weirdness' came from trying to fit in with her father. He was happy she was shedding her defences more, he loved seeing her honest smile, something they were treated to more regularly as she got to know Harry's group better.
As for Ginny, she was from a long line of 'Light' witches and wizards and had six brothers, which meant it was very unlikely she was a Parselmouth when supposedly none of them were. Still, her unusual behaviour did mean that he ought to watch her. Thinking of unusual behaviour, there was Malfoy's quiet streak. While he was keeping up his usual vitriol against over 99 percent of humanity for not being Purebloods like him, he hadn't started a single fight since that Duelling Club incident, the first and last meeting it had.
With a plan for Ginny and Draco in place, clones to watch the Map and his Snake friends to warn him about the ponce, Harry considered the coming match on the 6th. He hadn't forgotten about it, but training for Quidditch was just routine for him now, carrying out a plan the team had made after their earlier thrashing of Gryffindor. With Harry's help with massages and practice going smoother, the team was training longer and harder than previous years, finally able to live up to the Hufflepuff ideals of teamwork and a strong work ethic.
The ribbing within his group of friends about the coming match was deliberately light. They encouraged loyalty to each other over loyalty to a House since they represented all the Houses, even if they didn't have as many Slytherins as the rest. When with each other, they allowed themselves to show any of the House virtues, no matter what colours they wore. Harry happily wished Cho a good game, who did the same for the Hufflepuffs. Whatever happened on the pitch, they would stay friends off of it.
The day of the match was gloomy and raining hard, making the broomsticks slippery, something all the players were used to thanks to winter training. The weather also made the search for the Snitch harder than usual, visibility dropping amid the rain, and the Quaffle and Bludgers were slippery too, making everyone's jobs harder. The game was started by a remarkably dry Madam Hooch, obviously putting Drying and Warming Charms to good use, earning her glares from the players and drawing amusement in return.
The players shot into the air slower than normal, aware that the game would tend to be a low-flying and probably low-scoring affair today and adapting tactics accordingly. Cedric kept a fairly sedate pace, flying circles of the pitch at around half-speed, while Cho flew figure-eights a little faster, hair streaming behind her despite the wind and the rain that should have plastered it to her.
For the rest of the teams, there was a more desperate edge to the defence since each team knew it was more important. They seemed to have forgotten to tell Harry, though, who was still setting up shots for his girls, and taking shots himself when he could. He managed to help out on defence, but he was always more comfortable on the attack. The Ravenclaw players knew they needed a high score, win or lose, so they had instructed Cho that while they really wanted her to get the Snitch, it was best overall if she merely denied Diggory the catch until they had scored enough goals. Cho resented being told to play less than her best, but she could read the standings as well as anyone else. She promised herself that the Pretty Puff would not beat her, no matter what, and took to taking free flight over the pitch in a holding pattern. That allowed her to concentrate on watching the game while still keeping an eye out for the elusive golden ball.
Below her, things weren't going according to the Ravenclaw game plan. Slowly but surely, the Hufflepuffs were building up a lead, and she saw the moment her team captain decided to switch from the defensive strategy that seemed natural in the bad weather to offensive, putting to better use their Chasers at getting the high scoring affair the 'Claws needed. A few minutes later, Diggory having spotted the switch and the quick three goals from the opposing Chasers, told his team to do the same. The race was on!
From there, both teams got into a rhythm, the Beaters mostly keeping each other occupied while the Chasers scored goal after goal, along with a fair number of misses due to the weather and the faster pace. Harry and his friends were fit for their age, but the Ravenclaw Chasers were older with the generally greater stamina that accompanied it. Soon enough, Hermione and Susan were starting to flag from their initial high energy level and the Ravenclaws were able to even up the scoring rate mostly. Harry though decided he could afford to go harder and longer since everyone knew of his morning runs and what that implied about his fitness. Hermione and Susan agreed and took to setting him up for goals more than the other way around. The Ravenclaws tried to double or triple team Harry, but that just left openings for the girls, and when they didn't, Harry was able to outfly whoever they put against him.
Hermione was just about to score, putting Hufflepuff at 800, when Cho had to abandon the "Deny Cedric" strategy and match him in a chase for the Snitch. He had the faster broom and was above the Snitch, allowing him to pull into a powerful dive, but Cho only had half the distance to travel, and even starting later, that made the difference, crossing in front of the 'Puff and grabbing the Snitch right before pulling up in front of the Hufflepuff stands. Cedric gave her a bow from his broom, somehow not looking as silly as the gesture should, and both teams landed, exchanging compliments and handshakes over a well-fought game. The final score of 790-760 after a gruelling match was a testament to the Hufflepuff Chasers and Ravenclaw's Seeker.
All the players waited impatiently for Madam Hooch to let them go, flying off to their changing rooms a little faster than was safe and hitting the hot showers. As was now usual practice, the Puff guys showered first then left via the other exit, letting Hermione and Susan get the massage they craved, before a good hot shower to scrub themselves clean.
Cho dropped in to get her own massage just before Hermione's was finished, and Harry was positive the girl blushed hearing Hermione's moans as Harry's 'magic fingers' worked at all the kinks in her muscles. Cho stripped off her robes, leaving her in just athletic shorts and a sports bra, laying down on the table Susan had vacated and closed her eyes, waiting for his hands to make her feel good too. If she felt a little extra thrill when his hands descended on her body, well, that wasn't harming anyone. Harry's senses picked up the signs but he kept quiet. He knew a good massage could have that effect. He relaxed as he gave her an extra good massage to reward his friend's performance on the pitch, the activity relaxing him as few things did.
The following week was a good one, overall. Cho was praised by a lot of students for an impressive catch as well as denying the older, more experienced 'Puff his own chances and all within the rules. The Puffs, meanwhile, praised Susan, Hermione and especially Harry whose performance was clearly the best on the pitch in their mind. Oh, Chang did a good job, but they preferred the teamwork and scoring of the Chasers, they said. Harry smiled and accepted their praise, though he made sure that Cho knew he admired her form.
Unfortunately, the weekend was marred by Lockhart, who was desperate for some good publicity since his humiliation at the Duelling Club and had set on making Valentine's Day his own. He had inflicted his own atrocious colour sense on the Great Hall. The walls were covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Heart-shaped confetti fell from the pale blue ceiling, covering their breakfast. 'Another wizard lacking all sense!' Harry griped to himself. A quick Wind technique picked up the rubbish from the table near him, then thinking more he extended that to the rest of the students who he felt deserving, in practice most of the school except for the more outspoken of the Slytherins who got everyone else's confetti covering their plates. A quick Illusion technique ensured that no one saw this as it happened and thus, no one could honestly be singled out for blame. A relatively harmless prank and only on the deserving.
Sadly, the decor and the confetti weren't the end of Lockhart's offensive. He stood up, showing his smarmy smile, shouting "Happy Valentine's Day! And may I thank the thirty-one people who have so far sent me cards!"
Harry told his friends, "I doubt he got more than a dozen."
Daphne smiled, "Are you keeping score, Harry?"
He laughed, "No, I just watch what's going on, my sweet Valentine."
Daphne perked up at those words, and even more when she found a long, thin present in front of her, with a card and her name. Inside were the words:
To my darling Daphne,
you are as beautiful as a spring day,
and you have my heart.
Love, your Harry.
P.S There is a surprise for you after lunch, for now, I hope you'll accept this token of my affection.
As she and the other girls opened their presents, they each found a single, red rose. None of them were quite sure how he had placed their gifts there without them noticing, but they appreciated his gesture, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
When they'd finished, they caught the tail end of Lockhart's little speech. "— and it doesn't end here!"
Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.
"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"
Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison. Thankfully, Professor McGonagall finally cut him off by the expedient of a leg-locking spell, modified to force the smarmy man to sit down before he embarrassed the staff any further.
All day long, the dwarves kept barging into rooms looking for students to deliver valentines. Madam Pince took to ejecting them entirely from her Library, while teachers like Professors Sinistra and Vector just hid in their officers or staff quarters to escape the surly things and their delivery of Valentine's card or songs from students.
Harry himself was torn between running and hiding, throwing them out bodily or just accepting them. It was Hannah who surprised them all, asking him to accept the deliveries. As she put it, people had put themselves at risk of humiliation when they sent them, and if he rejected the delivery, he was rejecting the person as well without even knowing who or what was sent. "What if one of us had sent one?"
That stopped him in his tracks. "You're right, Hannah, I won't reject any of you. If I reject any Valentine, I might end up doing that, so I can't. Ok, in that case, why don't we head to our classroom today? If there's a message, I can take it privately."
The girls smiled at him now that he was no longer thinking of fleeing like a boy. "Of course," he added mischievously, "it might be a message for one of you from some admirer. Maybe Draco Malfoy has developed a crush on a girl."
"Maybe he's got a crush on a boy." Daphne's riposte had a few of them green, the thought of Draco with their Harry was not a happy one. Even Daphne regretted her comeback.
They enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning, swapping cuddles but no more since the door was open and anyone could barge in. As it happens, a few dwarves did just that, a quartet of them marching in all for Harry Potter. Three of them just handed over a stack of letters each, but the last had a musical message. Harry quickly glanced at the others, confirming none of them sent it.
"Not here," Harry hissed, almost slipping into Parseltongue.
The dwarf looked to ignore him, so Harry gave a quick "Sorry, I'll be right back," to his girls and darted out the door, the dwarf hot on his heels. He led him on a merry chase, surprised by how well he kept up, all the way to the Divination Tower where, free at last of anyone in hearing range, he turned on his heel and stopped. "Ok, we're clear, now first, will you tell me who sent the 'musical message' of yours?"
The dwarf was catching his breath having just missed running into the boy, shaking his head. "I don't have a name for the sender, just the message itself. Right, here is your singing valentine:
His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
"Well, any other valentines for me before I head back to my girlfriends?" Harry asked neutrally after the horrible verse ended. The shake of the head was all Harry needed, and he bolted back down the quick way to his girls.
When he got back, they asked who it was, of course. "I didn't get a name when I asked, just the singing valentine."
"Was it good enough to turn you away from us?" Parvati and Lavender teased him.
"No, not a chance." Harry grinned, relaxing now that it was over. "If whoever sent it wants to get my attention, they'll need to let me know in person, but they won't stop me loving you."
They left him alone about the valentines after that, just enjoying a quiet morning together as good friends and girlfriends do, talking and relaxing until lunch time. They headed back to the Great Hall, thankful to whoever had stopped the rain of rubbish, that is confetti, onto the food. It was bad enough as it was.
The Muggle-raised had learned to tolerate the food well enough that they didn't even notice it any more as they ate a less than peaceful meal amidst more dwarven ambushes and valentine deliveries. Harry had used the opportunity to prank Draco, sending several fake musical valentines supposedly from older male students, each of whom were known to Harry for their intolerance. The one praising Draco for such a long snake got the most laughs.
His girls looked at him curiously after lunch, following him for their 'surprise', still unsure what it could be despite their best nagging, or rather, encouragement for him to come clean. He led them to a different room from normal, one distant from just about every major area of the castle, that he and his clones had improved on for a week.
The outside was the generic Hogwarts look, walls still smooth from his earlier prank, but on opening the door and stepping inside, it was like magic. No magic had been used, of course, since Harry found his chakra techniques more suitable for changing the interior to produce a miniature ballroom decorated in high style. Each of the girls were taken in hand by a Harry dressed up like a gentleman, instead of a wizard. The Harry that escorted them smiled and started up the stereo (running on a lot of batteries), the music perfect for a waltz. That afternoon, they managed to put aside everything, all concerns and fears, just enjoying time with each other. Harry didn't mention that he was doing the same for his Cranleigh girls, it never felt like the right time to remind them of the other girls anyway. Each of the girls though was very happy with their rose and their dances with their man.
Harry was happy to see the end of February without any further incidents caused by either Lockhart's vanity or the Heir of Slytherin madness. He did like how his girls responded to his surprise, it made the whole day worthwhile. After that it was back to their routines, Quidditch practice for some, homework, their group studying and chatting, and the nightly shows.
March opened with the first sunny day in months, lifting all their spirits. There was another Quidditch match coming up, but this time Hufflepuff were sitting it out, able just to watch the game without the Cup on the line. House relations being what they were, most of the school was hoping for a good thumping of the Snakes by the Ravens, something that the Slytherins took as justification of their persecution complex and responded nastily just as they normally did.
In an abandoned room, something Hogwarts possessed in abundance, someone had taken to brewing up Draught of the Living Death. Harry had tried to find out whom it was, but the mystery person had taken to concealing their identity and besides, there were a few people using that room. The times he had tried to spy, his clones were disrupted by some sort of active magic as they tried to enter. This confirmed the problem with sending clones, and when Harry himself tried entering, the charms on the room had him thinking there was somewhere else he needed to be urgently. He only knew what they were brewing thanks to the ingredients he'd spotted.
He was hoping that focus on that room's location on the Map would help him find out what was going on, but it hadn't yet. Unfortunately, the potion required a fair amount of brewing time, not supervision or intervention.
In the end, the Quidditch game was just the distraction Harry needed. The Ravenclaws played a good game, Cho easily outflying Draco as Harry and his friends all expected. He was also pleased to see the Ravenclaw Chasers in better form now that the rain was gone. Unfortunately for them, Slytherin were living up to their reputation for dirty tricks. They were using just about every type of foul in the list, keeping Madam Hooch distracted with one violation or approach while others happened behind her back. Harry studied Snape's face during the match. Each time his team fouled their opponent and got away with it, he looked disgusted, though whether that was for the bad play or the referee not noticing was unclear.
While the Ravenclaws were technically the better players, the dirty tactics from the Slytherins were easily making up for the lack and the scoreboard reflected that fact. The Slytherins took the lead, hitting 340, and the Ravenclaw captain gave Cho the signal, find the Snitch as soon as possible. Cho snorted, thinking it was about time! She and the other girls on the team had been beaten and bruised by the Slytherin players, and their brooms damaged and even cursed during the match while flying near the students wearing green and silver. There was no proof, of course, and certainly Snape protested any punishment of his students without it, the Headmaster going along with his acerbic Potions Master.
The next fifteen minutes were painful for the Ravenclaws and their fans. Since they had no real confidence in their Seeker, they were concentrating their 'cunning' attacks on Cho Chang, even setting her up to look like she was the one fouling them when they thought they could. Happily, she did manage to find the Snitch, and after a perfectly executed feint left Draco hurtling face-first into his captain Marcus Flint, she darted away and grabbed the snitch, final scores 490-380.
The end of the second match for Ravenclaw was just as welcome as the first but also far happier for those supporting the blue and bronze. Since that was most of the school, the resulting applause was massive. The Slytherin players slunk away under the stares of their housemates and especially Snape's sneer. The Ravenclaws darted into their changing rooms after Cho made a quick request for Harry's services. A nod and a quick pull onto the broom, and she was off, taking Harry for a ride. In the Ravenclaw changing rooms, all eyes turned to Harry. "Please?"
It was hard to say who was the most desperate for the help, but Harry smiled. "That's why I'm here. I saw, we all saw, how dirty they were playing today, and I'd want to help anyone who had to put up with that crap. Just let me know who's first."
There was a quick huddle as they sorted out who would be first, going by most injured to least. Harry was happy that this left Cho for last, as she was the closest friend he had on the team. Not so good was that both other girls on the team were first. "Bunch of ruddy bullies," he muttered. The 'Claws heard him and agreed, except for the girl laying on the massage table, eyes closed in bliss as Harry's hands, hidden from the rest, glowed slightly with medical chakra as he prepared to apply what healing he could. Her first groan had the rest of the team turning around to give her some privacy, which allowed Harry to conduct a brief examination. Thankfully, there was only muscle damage and bruising, though there was a lot of the latter, which Harry could heal up entirely, taking advantage of the brief window to do just that as he also worked out the kinks and pains she was feeling.
Harry grinned down at the girl as he finished up. "All done, right?"
"But, that was only five minutes," she pouted, she was feeling so good. "Hang on, you're right, that is better!" She got up, giving Harry a big hug in her exuberance, and darted off to the showers, not even noticing in her excited state that her injuries were gone until she finished dressing. The next girl took her place even before the first was out the door, smiling when Harry gave her a similar treatment, a first shot of pain relief to just above her kidneys where a Bludger left a nasty bruise early in the game, and getting up in shorter time, bouncing out the door to her shower.
"Wow, I've never seen her so energetic!" Cho chuckled watching the girl leave. The four guys agreed, getting a similarly quick but effective massage and covert healing of their injuries. Naturally the guys had underreported their problems out of pride, one had a greenstick fracture to his left arm that Harry was barely qualified to repair and his massage took the longest so far, something Harry excused on the basis that the guy had more muscles to work through. The guy preened and the girls rolled their eyes, but the excuse worked. The next three went quickly, and half an hour after he started, it was time for Cho's. The grin on her face told him she knew it, too. A quick hug and a thank you, and she had dropped her robes and outerwear, leaving only her undergarments as she lay down. Harry was torn between embarrassment at how much skin she revealed and anger at how much of it was marred. He brought both emotions under control, going into his professional mode and working the girl over from head to toes, front and back. It was a good thing, too, that he had put his emotions under control, or another one would have made its presence felt with her body on display for him like that.
He finished up, having taken his time to give her a full massage, knowing she would welcome the extra attention the same as last time. A light slap to her calf and she got up, smiling. "Thank you, Harry, you were wonderful as always." She gave him a wink and laughed at his reaction, heading off to the showers, leaving Harry free to meet up with his friends.
Padma grinned when he arrived. "And when's our turn for a massage, Harry?" Harry chuckled, though he did give each of the girls one before dinner.
The week after the game, Susan told him about her idea to help get her aunt to agree to keeping more of Harry's secrets, since she wanted the two to get along well. Aunt Amelia had been supportive of her ward's choices, seeing in Harry the caring and determination to protect Susan that she saw in her own mirror, seeing in Susan the joy and happiness he brought her. Harry's clones created another way for Susan and her aunt to stay close despite the distance, anything told to Harry or his clones would be passed along securely, despite the distance. While the security was useful, or could be, the really sneaky part of her plan was she could sell it to her aunt as giving her more reasons to sample the delightful cooking she'd grown to adore. Any time she had a message for her niece or wanted to check for one from her, they all had to go via Harry, further enhancing Harry's reputation in her eyes.
If all went to plan, her aunt would get more fine dining, more contact with Susan, and get to know better the boy who was so important to her niece. Susan would get more contact with her aunt who she likewise missed, more excuses to spend time with Harry, and get to help her aunt and her Harry get along. Harry would not be left out, however. In addition to keeping the good opinion of the family of one of his girls, he'd be able to find out a lot more of what went on in this society from someone in a position of authority whose very job was to know what was going on. There were few people better placed to have the information Harry wanted, no matter what it was. And, of course, the woman was good company in her own right.
The execution of it all would have to wait until the Easter break, but Susan was getting her groundwork done already. When she explained her idea to the other girls, Padma and Parvati smiled while Daphne just asked her one question. "Why is it someone as cunning as you ended up in Hufflepuff, while I was put in Slytherin? I wanted Hufflepuff, too."
That wasn't news to any of them, Daphne had already let the others know that she was only a Slytherin because the Hat called her desire for a lot of friends an ambition worthy of that House. Having seen her new Housemates, she agreed that few of them really were cunning or ambitious, but that just created more questions.
Susan's grin was predatory, "I just talked to the Hat about how I was a good, hard-working sort, and that I was hoping to be placed among people I could trust. As you know, I didn't lie, and I'm a good fit in Hufflepuff, am I not?" Harry chuckled, it seemed tricking the Hat was something others had tried, and succeeded at, too.
After that, the other girls decided to try similar strategies with their own families, modified to fit the different circumstances as best they were able, with a smiling Harry's permission, first. Whether the first letter was enough, or they needed more, they had started with enough time in hand that all their families had agreed by the time they headed out to the carriages that would take them to the Hogwarts Express and then on to London.
Several hours with friends passed, Draco and his goons again staying at the castle, and they were again back with their families. The rounds of greetings and goodbyes were taking longer every time, but Harry didn't mind, it was more proof that he was fitting in with this strange, closed off society and making it at least a little better. He watched the Grangers and the Greengrasses chatting away while waiting for their daughters, two families who would never have spoken to each other without him, and from their expressions and body language, both sides were happy to be there. He could have listened in, of course, but instead walked up to greet them.
"Good evening, Mr and Mrs Granger, Mr and Mrs Greengrass." They exchanged some polite conversation, Mrs Greengrass hinting that she was curious as to what more he could have to tell them and just how that would translate into something beneficial to her family. He merely smiled back and continued to chat until the return of Daphne and Hermione, both girls hugging him tightly and whispering how much they would miss him. Well, he would miss them too, and he told them so, prompting them to hug even tighter.
Finally, all the goodbyes were said, and Harry was on his way back to Cranleigh, back to the embrace of his unusual, loving family.
Thank you all for reading and for your support. Your feedback is appreciated and my thanks go to my betas for their help. A reminder, guest reviews with questions cannot be answered.