Chapter 24 - Life Lessons

Classes were about as expected in their first week of the new school term. For the core classes, there was revision of what they were taught before the summer break. For the electives there was a description and explanation of what they should expect from the class. And for DADA there was a new professor who gave them a quiz.

This professor, though, wasn't asking them what his favourite colour was, or what he wanted for his birthday. No, Professor Lupin was looking to discover just what they each knew about the subject so he could best tailor the lessons to their needs.

Remus confronted Minerva after getting back the results. "This is appalling! School wide the average mark is a 'Poor', compared to where each year should be. If I take out Harry's study group, that 'Poor' drops close to a 'Dreadful' average. What on Earth is Albus doing that he hasn't fixed this?"

Minerva felt a strange compulsion to defend the Headmaster despite her loyalty to her Cubs, something she was working to expunge, replying only "I do not know what he is doing. I wonder if I ever did. I cannot even say with certainty any more that he knows what he's doing. If he does, he has not seen fit to enlighten me. More importantly, though, do you think you can fix the problem?"

Remus nodded slowly, "I have some ideas, which I intend to develop more before I share them with anyone. I don't want to waste your time with half-formed plans that are full of holes. And I may just go over them with Harry's parents. Merlin knows they have enough combat experience to provide a useful perspective."

Minerva agreed, "And they have experience in teaching, too, from what I understand."

"Plus a vested interest in helping me teach Harry, of course."

Calmer now that they had vented some of their frustrations, the pair talked about their students, who to keep an eye on lest they cause trouble, who was doing well or poorly, and generally helping Remus settle in to his new job.

If Remus and Minerva had known what was going on with two of their favourites right that minute, they would not have been so calm. Hermione had taken Harry's hand, pulling him into a different deserted classroom, locking the door, and transfiguring a loveseat for the pair. Meanwhile, Harry had set a clone on lookout and came up behind his girl, cuddling close.

"Mmm Harry," Hermione moaned, taking his hands and sliding them up her body to cup her developing breasts, leaning back into his embrace. Harry was surprised by her reaction, though in no sense was he objecting to her initiative, kissing her cheek and around to her lips. His bushy-haired girl groaned into the kiss, guiding his hands to massage her more.

They came up for air, smiling and cuddling now face to face, Hermione plastering herself to him as he held her up, carrying her to the loveseat where they made out. Hermione's right hand slid down his body while Harry caressed and rubbed her back and butt. Unfortunately, they had to cut their time short and hurry to the Library to meet up with their friends, but Hermione was happy to hold onto Harry's arm as they walked and glad that they were moving forward with their relationship.

"Thank you, Harry," she whispered.

"No, Hermione, thank you!" Harry made sure no one was watching then briefly caressed down her back, stopping just short since they were in public.

The study session was a little different from previous years, Hermione sitting in Harry's lap and making sure her seat stayed just the way she liked it. That is to say, just as excited as she was.

Tuesday saw the first Potions class of the new year, and Harry was disappointed to see that Snape was just as petty as he feared. The class started with Snape calling the roll, adding a sea of spite when he called out Harry's name. Harry replied politely in the hope that this would blow over, trying to settle into the new year without a useless antagonism between the teacher and himself that would only cost Harry in the long run. However, any respect Harry had for the teacher as a man was rapidly dwindling as he proved to be every bit as petty as the Marauders' stories painted him.

Harry's tactic seemed to work, partially, but gone were the days when Snape seemed, not happy, but less angry than usual when he saw Harry. Dumbledore's decision to hire his schoolyard enemy to take the job Snape still wanted had put the Potions Master into a foul mood and he wanted nothing more than to take it out on someone. Since Harry was the son of that "damned Potter," regardless of being Lily's boy, he was the natural, "safe" target for Snape's childish anger rather than risk provoking the werewolf. While none of the Hufflepuffs were happy that one of their own was being targeted for unfair treatment, they did reluctantly agree to let Harry handle it for now.

Wednesday morning started with red skies and Harry and some friends taking an 'easy' run around the castle. The Hufflepuffs were all taking Care of Magical Creatures, which was on today as well as Transfiguration and Astronomy after dinner. They spent the morning completing homework, chatting, practising flying or, in the girls' case, cuddling with Harry when they could. Justin and the other boys took it well enough, as long as they didn't have to watch they were fine. If Harry had discreetly provided 'instructional materials' to the guys, well, what the girls (and their parents!) didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

With Hagrid taking the class, which included students from all Houses, Harry and his friends were unsure what to expect. While the big man was gentle himself, he didn't seem to understand the threat his pet Aragog had been to thousands of students over the years. They wondered if he would make a good Professor, given his lack of schooling or training and his history of dangerous 'pets'.

He seemed to recognise his inexperience, though, coming into the Great Hall, muttering 'quietly' to himself, "Bin up since five gettin' everythin' ready. … Hope it's okay. … Me, a teacher … hones'ly. …" It was clear that his heart was in the right place, anyway.

Harry was happy to get out of the castle after lunch. He was intrigued by the new Care of Magical Creatures course and it was a perfect day for it. Yesterday's rain had cleared, the sky was a clear pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first class.

Harry chatted with his friends as the group ambled down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when he spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that the others recalled they were having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. From what he could hear, Malfoy was telling his minions about what he thought Sirius Black, mass murderer, would do to Harry.

Malfoy tripped up falling on Crabbe, the self-styled Prince of Slytherin's face in the mud and his minion on top of him in an embarrassing position. He recovered himself barely in time, some mud still staining the back of his robes and making Daphne smile where he couldn't see her. Others weren't so restrained, laughing at his well-timed humiliation.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

For one nasty moment, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest. Harry had had enough unpleasant expe riences in there to last him a lifetime. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it — make sure yeh can see — now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books —"

"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too. Some, like Harry, had belted their book shut. Others had crammed them in side tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips. Harry hadn't bothered trying to force the book past a certain point, since wrecking it in the effort would defeat the purpose.

"Hasn' — hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

The class all shook their heads.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Look —" He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"

"I — I thought they were funny." Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry firmly. He hated agreeing with anything the yellow ponce said, but right now it was more important to try to get an actual lesson rather than lay blame. He added a minor dose of Killing Intent to get the point across and Malfoy backed down hastily.

Hagrid was looking downcast. "Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "so — so yeh've got yer books an' — an' — now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on …"

He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight. Harry had to wonder why he thought it a good idea to leave them unsupervised.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly having forgotten his lesson. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him —"

A quick spike of Killing Intent reminded the Malfoy boy of his place and Draco seemed more likely to take it to heart this time.

"Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock.

Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly or ange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.

"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

Harry could sort of see what Hagrid meant. Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.

"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer —"

No one seemed to want to. Harry and Hermione were not the only ones to keep a close eye on the beasts, however.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud." said Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening; they were talking in an undertone and Harry was resigned to them plotting how best to disrupt the lesson.

"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt.

"Right — who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Harry and Hermione had misgivings. The hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.

"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.

"I'll do it." Harry said as he took two steps forward. Better him than a student who didn't know how to fall or dodge, he thought.

There was an intake of breath from behind him, and he gave his girls a reassuring smile before he climbed over the paddock fence.

"Good man, Harry!" roared Hagrid. "Right then — let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."

He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously.

"Easy, now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink. … Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much. …"

Harry's eyes narrowed. Hagrid could have told him all this before sending him in. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye.

"Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Harry … now, bow …"

Harry didn't feel much like exposing himself to danger, but he did as he was told. He gave a short bow and then looked up.

The hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. It didn't move.

"Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right — back away, now, Harry, easy does it —"

But then, to Harry's enormous surprise, the hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow.

"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right — yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Feeling that a better reward would have been to back away, Harry moved slowly toward the hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.

The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed.

"Righ' then, Harry," said Hagrid. "I reckon he might' let yeh ride him!"

This was more than Harry had signed on for. He was used to a broomstick; but he wasn't sure a hippogriff would be quite the same.

"Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that. …"

Harry put his foot down at this, turning to their teacher and shaking his head. "No, thank you, Professor, we've only just met. I am not stupid enough to push an animal into accepting a rider when neither of us are ready."

Hagrid nodded, "Good work, Harry! Yeh see, class? Yeh jus' have ter know yer limits. Now, who else wants ter try?"

Emboldened by Harry's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees. Susan and Hermione practiced on the chest nut, while Harry watched closely.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking dis dainful.

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it. … I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened in a flash of steely talons. Malfoy let out a high-pitched scream and the next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Some one help me — gotta get him outta here —"

Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy eas ily. As they passed, Harry saw that there was a long, deep gash on Malfoy's arm. Blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope toward the castle.

Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. Malfoy's group were all shouting about Hagrid.

"They should fire him straight away!" screeched Pansy Parkinson, tears running down her face.

Daphne Greengrass nodded, "Of course, but the proper term is 'expelled', Parkinson. They should expel Malfoy right away. He baited a dangerous creature that was already in perfect position to strike after being warned, endangering not just himself but all of us. He's clearly not Slytherin material, nor fit for Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Maybe he would do better in Gryffindor where he belongs."

"Hey, we don't want him!" snapped Dean Thomas. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly, but they were mostly ignored, and Daphne smiled to herself having scored points.

They all climbed the stone steps into the deserted entrance hall.

"I'm going to see if he's okay!" said Pansy, and they all watched her run up the marble staircase. Crabbe and Goyle, quieter without their boss, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room; Harry and his friends went to the room they had commandeered for their times outside the Great Hall or Library. Once there, including the new Slytherin additions of Tracey Davis and Sophie Roper, they got comfortable, chatting and browsing through the textbooks they could now read in safety.

"D'you think he'll be all right?" said Hermione nervously.

"Sadly, yes he will. Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a sec ond," said Harry, who had seen far worse injuries mended magically by the nurse.

"Trust Malfoy to mess things up for the rest of us." Justin added, "He lives to make a scene, like the very worst Gryffindor stereotypes."

They talked about various things. Hermione was disgusted that Hagrid hadn't wised up since the original incident that got him expelled with the Acromantula. This was confirmed when they found Hippogriffs listed as Class XXX creatures, something competent (adult) wizards should cope with alright, but not something that a responsible adult would introduce to a bunch of teenagers.

They were among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinner time, looking to see Hagrid, but he wasn't there.

"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" said Hannah anxiously, not touching her steak-and-kidney pudding.

"They would have to find a replacement, in that case. I don't think Dumbledore would like that, so I expect he will just ignore any calls to fire Hagrid," Daphne added, Tracey and Sophie nodding.

"True, after all, he's kept Snape around despite him abusing children in his care like Longbottom. If he lets Hagrid go, there will be more pressure on him to fire other bad teachers." Tracey had seen the way her Head of House would stand over Neville and yell at him for mistakes he caused with all the added pressure, rather than preventing any of them with his superior knowledge of the subject.

Harry was watching the Slytherin table. A large group including Crabbe and Goyle was huddled together, deep in conversation. Harry was sure they were cooking up their own version of how Malfoy had been injured.

Daphne noticed, checking it out then nodding at Harry. "Yes, they will already be putting out one version. Too bad for him that I 'just happened' to have mentioned to the Prefects that Malfoy got himself injured trying to make a play. They can try what they like, but my version will have already made the rounds by now and theirs will be seen as a self-serving lie to excuse their incompetence."

That saw an outbreak of smiles and Daphne smiled back, proud of herself. Good Slytherin tactics and cunning, putting Malfoy in his place and cutting down any respect he may have had, and all in the service of the truth! And as a bonus, by making sure the House knew about a prominent, wealthy Pureblood losing to a muggle-raised Halfblood, the Pureblood supremacy movement took another hit.

Harry watched a little longer, seeing the Fifth Year male Prefect walk over to the huddle, confidently declaring to the younger students that it was a good thing Malfoy was absent from the Hall while he was the cause of ridicule of their House. That saw Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson quickly leave under the glares sent their way.

Daphne didn't gloat, that wasn't her style, and besides there was no need for anything so crass. Her Harry and her friends knew what she had accomplished, and they were happy with her for preventing Draco spreading his lies.

Upon Malfoy's return that evening, he tried to drum up sympathy with his arm in a cast but the knowing smirks from the older members of his own House drove him to lash out, yelling at Pansy when she tried clumsily to pat his other arm and add her own support. She cringed, shrinking away as he continued until one of the older students lazily cast a silencing spell on the childish boy.

The senior Slytherin Prefect came over, and she sat Draco down, set up some privacy spells around them and proceeded to explain the facts of life to the ponce. "You will stay seated and quiet until the end of this lesson. At that point, you will be released once you have demonstrated you have learned the material. Nod if you understand me."

Sullen, Draco refused to move or even meet the older girl's eyes. A stinging hex got his attention. "I said, nod if you understand me." He nodded fractionally, and she continued. "Now, you tried to get attention in class by deliberately ignoring instructions and then proceeding to insult a hippogriff, something you had been told was dangerous. How do you think our Head of House would have reacted to a Gryffindor doing that?"

Draco paled. He didn't have to imagine anything. He remembered those idiots Thomas and Finnigan trying it on in one class. Snape's reaction had scared the hell out of even his own House as he tore strips off the boys for their mistake that had melted a cauldron and spilled goo close to the Slytherins. From the way the goo ate right through a desk, none of them wanted it anywhere near them. Only after he was finished five minutes later did he allow the two trembling students to hurry to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey tried to heal up their wounds for an hour, muttering under her breath that they should have come see her straight away.

"I see you understand. Now, not content with your Gryffindorish behaviour, you got a minor injury, yes, a minor injury, claiming that you were dying and getting carried like a baby up to the School Matron. You have injured the House's standing within the school, shown yourself as an utter fool, and yelled at a Slytherin in public."

Draco opened his mouth to protest, forgetting that he had been silenced, and the Prefect snorted. "And you do it again. You knew you cannot speak and tried anyway. Your play, whatever it really was, has backfired on you. You know better than to lash out at a Snake, you were warned about that your very first night. I was there. Now, you may have assumed you were above such concerns. You were and are wrong."

She waved her wand for a little while, casting a particular curse that would make Malfoy shine brightly whenever he knowingly broke the school rules, a spell that could easily be argued should be made mandatory given the Wizarding World's attitudes but had been restricted to be cast only on known offenders. Even then, only Slytherin preserved the knowledge of how to cast the spell, choosing to make the spell itself a punishment for anyone so lacking in cunning as to be caught out.

Professor Snape had watched the affair, not intervening since young Malfoy had more than earned the response, only noting it for the next dinner with Lucius and Narcissa. Idly, Snape wondered if any of the contacts Lucius was making had paid off. The man was wielding these dinners like a weapon, showing off his influence and wealth, as well as his adherence to 'the old ways', as some would put it.

It was obviously an attempt to bolster his own power, something any good Slytherin could appreciate, but it was hardly that cunning or subtle. Snape had observed a few occasions when the man's wife had smoothly covered up for the man's blatant posturing, sharing a look of sympathy over the incompetence of the arrogant Malfoy males. Still, Snape had to admit that when you have other things going for you, subtlety and cunning were not as useful as they were to an underdog, and the Malfoys had wealth in abundance, wealth they had never been shy about sharing for a price.

He watched the Prefect walk away unconcerned, a little disappointed in her until he spotted the telltale signs that she was making a statement but not leaving herself vulnerable. The shield she had erected would never stand up to a concerted attack, but was plenty to warn her of any lesser.

Snape wasn't the only one to have noticed the encounter. Remus Lupin had watched carefully, he knew that little waste of space would bear watching given his bigoted views and especially the glee Malfoy had felt at the thought of students dying. The Wolf inside wanted to rip and tear, its instincts still strong after the recent full moon, and it took more of his will to resist the urges than usual. Still, he was glad he was here. Harry's clones were great and all, but there was something special to be able to talk with the real Harry, even if he couldn't tell them apart.

Remus was likewise glad that he had consulted with Harry's parents before taking the job. Not only were they the ones who had advised him it would be the better way to help Harry, and assured him that he could return to them any time, but they had given surprisingly helpful tips for teaching kids. The explanation that they had taught kids to defend themselves made sense of it, though Remus knew that wasn't the full story. Harry had confirmed that this was the case, along with them doing it to help Remus.

'Maybe I should talk to Hagrid about his classes. Unfortunately, I'm running short of time already,' Remus mused, looking around. His eyes caught on Professors Aurora Sinistra and Septima Vector, both young and accomplished witches whose students praised their teaching. 'Yes, they would have more time, assuming I can get them interested. Perhaps I could mention that it would be a favour to Harry if they would improve the quality of teaching. If appealing to other things fails, self-interest will be likely to succeed.'

He made a note to himself, glad that this line of thought had helped distract the Wolf within. Besides, by helping Hagrid he would have to spend time with two attractive younger ladies. "The things I do for that boy," Remus muttered to himself, smiling.

After dinner, Remus caught up to both ladies and walked with them to Sinistra's office, taking a seat on a comfortable, self-adjusting chair at her invitation. "Now, Remus, what's all this about?" Aurora asked her guest.

"It's about the incident in Care of Magical Creatures," Remus replied, "I am sure we are all aware of what transpired? Mr Malfoy acting as stupid as any Gryffindor stereotype and so forth."

"Yes, yes," Septima put in, "I think everyone in the castle knows by now, dead or alive."

"Well, while I know Hagrid has a good heart, I wish I could say the same for his head. He shouldn't have left a bunch of teenagers alone in such close proximity to dangerous creatures, not on their first day and not without ensuring their safety." Remus had been shocked by how much more care was shown in the Muggle world to keep students safe. "He is lucky that there was only the one incident, really, and that no one was seriously hurt or worse. Next time, he may not be so lucky and we could lose a good student."

"Why are you telling us about this?" Aurora took over.

"I am hoping that Hagrid will be willing to take advice to improve his classes. I have great respect for his knowledge of the subject, and he is certainly passionate about it, but it takes more than that to teach a student. It takes skills that I am still learning. That's why I came to both of you. I hope that between all of us, we can help him become a good teacher, a credit to Hogwarts, unlike that fraud Lockhart."

Mention of Lockhart saw both witches' expressions harden as neither of them had liked the fop even before the revelations of his trial.

"Granted, but what makes you think we are the right choice?" Septima asked, raising a sculpted eyebrow.

"You each have become Professors fairly recently compared to Minerva, for example, and yet your students praise your classes, which shows me that you have the ability to teach that is needed. I wouldn't mind picking your brains for tips myself. Also, you have more recent experience as students which means you aren't out of touch with their needs and their habits. And lastly, you have less class time than I, so you may have the free time to put into this project."

The pair were pleased by his points, being recognised for their achievements felt very good compared to being recognised for their bodies, something that any red-blooded wizard did, and a few witches too.

"And why should we give up our own limited free time for such a task? I grant you that it would make Hagrid a better teacher, and a reduction in complaints would be nice, but that alone wouldn't compensate for all the hours spent." Aurora asked with some asperity. Merlin knew that time in Hagrid's company could be wearing on her with how much energy he had.

"A fair point, and I think there are a few good reasons for you to do it. Firstly, as you said, it would reduce the complaints and make Hogwarts a happier, as well as a better school. Secondly, it is a good challenge for your talents, one that would earn you the thanks of Hagrid himself. I heard him muttering about having spent hours preparing for that class so it's clear he wants to be a good teacher as well as he recognises he doesn't know what he's doing, yet."

Both had nodded, but clearly weren't convinced.

"Thirdly, success would earn recognition from various parties such as parents of students in his class." He saw that was helping with Sinistra, though not so much from Vector. "And lastly, I believe that the Potter vaults may be able to help compensate for time spent in aid of the young man's education."

The knowledge that they wouldn't be asked to do work without pay sealed the deal and earned him glares in the process.

"Fine. You could have just mentioned that at the start, Remus." Septima nodded at Aurora's acceptance.

In response, the Marauder just chuckled, his two companions joining in a little later, and they settled in to discuss various details. They agreed to meet again on the weekend, by which time Remus said he would be able to confirm any financial aid. At the second meeting, Remus entered armed with invitations for both witches to the Kitsune Compound, for dinner and discussions. Remus grinned to himself at that. There was no way they would turn down the project as long as the Clan did the catering. They might not even need to pay the witches. Certainly Remus found the meals supplied to be one of the better parts of his salary from the Clan.

Apart from finding out from his parents that two of his professors would be turning up from time to time for working dinners, life settled into routine fairly quickly for Harry and the rest at Hogwarts. Their new classes meant they had more work to do, and less time to get bored. That was good, but for Harry's girls it meant less time with him, so they were tempted to rush when they were with him. Hermione in particular had let Harry know that she wanted a lot more time with her man.

Tonks had started to get stressed with her NEWT years already producing a higher workload though the new school year had just started. Harry had taken to giving her and the rest of his girls nightly massages after dinner, as well as writing up notes that Tonks dictated. Since this led to Tonks giving all his friends informal tutoring, it was time well spent. Cho Chang was also involved, either in copying the notes and getting help in her own classes or by helping in turn. The pretty Ravenclaw shined when she was able to teach, and Harry idly thought about her becoming a teacher later in life.

Soon enough, September the 19th dawned. While it was just an ordinary Sunday in autumn for most of the castle, for Hermione it was her fourteenth birthday. She woke a little more eagerly than normal, her nose bringing to her the scent of freshly cut flowers as she opened her eyes to see a small bouquet on her bedside table. Under the flowers was a letter with her name on it, containing a card with a short message for her.

"Dearest Hermione,

I love and adore you, my wonderful lady. I look forward to making this day just as special as you are.

Love,

Harry Potter."

She blushed and smiled, wondering which way Harry had used to place the flowers and card there for her. She pictured Harry coming into the dorm, smiling at her sleeping form as he lay the items there before heading back out as quietly as he came in, ever protecting her. Yes, she would definitely have to reward him for his good deeds.

She got up and ready for her day, coming into the Common Room where Harry and the other Hufflepuff boys in their year were waiting, Harry taking her arm and escorting her to breakfast, the rest of the Hufflegirls pairing off with the boys. Their procession took them through corridors that Harry had freshly cleaned and repaired for her birthday and it wasn't just here, it was the whole school again, something he would do for the others' birthdays too. She walked closer to her beau, smiling, and once in the Great Hall, he held her seat for her before taking one to her left as they sat the Hufflepuff table. The rest of their group taking places and all wishing her a happy birthday.

Padma came over soon after, striking up a conversation about Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and how they compared to their expectations of the classes.

All in all, it was a lovely start to the day, when her eyes happened to drift over to a scowling Malfoy. She knew it was unfair, but she still felt only gratitude that Harry had taken to posting clones as hidden guards in each of his friends' classes. That is, it was unfair to Malfoy that he was trying to compete in skullduggery with someone far smarter and sneakier than he would ever be. It was like sending a feral house cat up against Harry's pet tiger Cesarina.

As soon as he had found out the punishment spell had worn off, Draco had immediately taken to sabotaging Gryffindors in class while Snape ignored it all. Draco had ignored the glares from his House at all the points he had cost them while he glowed for most of a week. He couldn't ignore the detentions assigned for each time he got caught. By the end of the week, Draco had managed to restrain his unwanted glowing to under an hour a day, finally learning some Slytherin cunning, but the breaking of the curse undid all the good work.

Snape appeared to believe that if they didn't stop it, it was their own problem, not his. Needless to say, this was also killing any respect for Snape as a man rather than as an expert on Potions just as much as the way Snape held a grudge against a man dead over a decade. Fortunately, this also meant that when Draco's jokes of throwing ingredients into other people's cauldrons (with explosive or caustic results) no longer worked as planned, Snape had likewise ignored Draco's unhappiness.

What Snape had been unable to ignore was the drop in quality from Draco's brewing attempts. For every time that Draco tried to disrupt someone else, Harry's clone had disrupted Draco's. If Draco threw something into another's cauldron, the item was snatched away by a Wind jutsu and dropped into Draco's at precisely the worst time. The first time, Draco had just stood there when his potion exploded all over him and his partner, Goyle. The second time, the young Malfoy had at least had the sense to duck away. Crabbe had not been so lucky. Snape ordered one of the Gryffindors to take the burnt Snake to the tender mercies of Madam Pomfrey.

Luckily for Parvati, Lavender had been able to complete the potion as required, even getting an EE on it for the pair. Since Harry had taken to covering for his girls, Snape had yet to hear a single bit of gossip out of them, putting him in a slightly less foul mood with anyone in the red and gold.

Unluckily for certain Slytherins, their gossip was amplified in Snape's ears, which meant he was treated to more of Draco's whining when he kept missing the cauldrons of the Lions. He had even started penalising them or rather, not inflating their marks any longer, and Draco nearly screamed the first time he got a Troll on a potion. Harry was particularly proud of that, as Draco had been extra clumsy that day with how openly he sabotaged students but refused to learn his lesson. Every time he attacked, he lost. His whining to Pansy was grating on everyone's ears, and yet the poor girl seemed stuck in his orbit.

Hermione shook herself out of those thoughts. If Pansy wanted to leave Draco, she only had to do it. Until she made that choice, it wasn't her business. She opened her eyes to see all her breakfast favourites, her real ones from her stay with Harry and the Clan, arrayed before her. "How?" Hermione asked, stunned.

"It's a secret," Harry grinned, then went on quickly when she started to react, "but not from you. I asked Dobby if he would be willing to talk to the elves here about letting me cook for you. They were unhappy about it, but agreed eventually. Part of it was that they felt insulted, that they were 'bad elves', but partly it was that weird need to work they all have. Anyway, I told them that I thought they were great but that I wanted to do something special for you with my own hands. This was something they understood, and I may have bribed them by offering to share some recipes so they could work better." Harry shook his head, bemused, then stopped as Hermione wrapped around him, kissing deeply.

"Thank you!" she chanted when she came up for air, something the others around them echoed when they worked out that this meant the food quality could improve at last. Susan and Daphne were particularly enthusiastic about showing their appreciation, though the rest of his girls weren't far behind.

After a lovely breakfast, with Hermione sharing some of her dishes with their friends since Harry had deliberately made too much, they took a walk out onto the grounds, playing a few games and even some flying before lunch. At lunch, Hermione beamed at Harry, he had already guessed what she wanted by cooking not just for her but for all their friends too, kicking off the party that eventually drifted to their classroom, now changed with the help of Tonks and Diggory to something far more suitable for the gathering.

In preparation for the day, they had all cleared away their homework as part of their gift to Hermione, leaving her free of worries for her friends. They snacked and played and had a great time. Hermione was surprised by all the gifts, and even more that some of them weren't books but lovely nonetheless. For example, she received a silver clasp for her robes from Harry, enchanted to cast a Cheering Charm on the wearer up to five times a day at the touch of her wand and the name of her man.

The looks from the other girls showed how much they envied her, prompting Hermione to ask Harry, "Will you make them happy, too, my Harry?"

"Always."

The clones scattered through the enlarged room reassured the girls that they were special to Harry, too, and they were content to be held by him as they watched the birthday girl. They understood that if they wanted, they would get similar gifts when their own birthdays rolled around.

Harry had planned out the day for her, including a private dinner, candlelit of necessity since this was Hogwarts, and even had his clones play music for her as they danced.

Now, the dance was over, her man was right there in her arms, and she kissed him passionately. "Oh Harry, take me to bed. Please?"

"I hear and obey, my beloved." He picked her up and carried her off to the Hufflepuff dorms. A clone was sent ahead as lookout, ready to dispel if he needed the warning. There were only a couple of his girls there, and they all knew that Hermione had requested some solo time with Harry. They had been spending time with some of his clones, and smiled at the sweet gesture as he carried the blushing birthday girl to bed.

In one step, Harry cleared the warded area to the girls' dorms, taking his bushy-haired love to her bed where she Silenced and enchanted her curtains to keep their privacy tonight. "I love you so much, Harry, and I want you. Tonight, I want my real present. Make me feel so good. Please?"

"You're sure, Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry."

"Ok, my sexy girl." She lay back, pulling him on top as they made out, her hands roaming, undressing him, and moving to help him do the same to her. Soon enough, she was down to her white panties, a little nervous of his reaction. She need not have worried.

Hours later and after much experimenting, she fell asleep spooning with her Harry's arms around her, giving her a feeling of love and safety. Harry woke up early the next morning, gently waking her up before he left, slipping out unseen and going on his morning run with an extra spring in his step. Hermione awoke a little later, better rested but sore down there from overdoing things.

When the other girls questioned her about her massive smile combined with walking gingerly, her only response, a little loud, was "9 inches and 5/16ths!" Since she had trouble sitting, they escorted her off to the Hospital Wing, hoping that Madam Pomfrey would have some muscle relaxant and pain relief potions. The other girls agreed that since it was her birthday, letting Hermione have a night just with Harry was her right. Now that that day was over, they were thinking to find out for themselves if he really was that good.

Thank you all for reading. Your feedback is appreciated, and if you have questions, please sign in and enable PM's. My heartfelt thanks go out to my beta's for their good work. And anyone who would like to read the adult version can find it on HPFFA.