Chapter 25 - Broadening Horizons

On questioning, aided by tickling and assorted cruelties, Hermione had confessed just what she had done with their Harry. Once the dam broke, Hermione just gathered the available girls together and spilled every little detail, every thought, every touch, every moan. By the end of it, they were all breathing heavier, and the Slytherins and Gryffindors were complaining about the lack of time before DADA class with Professor Lupin. Somehow, Tonks had managed to get caught up in the gathering, her hair changing colour with her emotions as she went through curiosity, disbelief and outright lust, stages copied by just about every other girl there.

"9 inches and 5/16ths..." It was like a mantra to the metamorphmagus, and it took her the better part of an hour to get the images out of her mind. Sure, she had joked before about Harry and his girls, but she had only made them in fun, even going so far as to check that she didn't go overboard. From that September morning onwards, she suddenly saw Harry in a new light, as a man, not a boy, and a possible date.

It never really went anywhere, though. Not only did Harry not treat Tonks any different but too much of her time was devoted to learning the harder material. Professors Flitwick, McGonagall and Lupin were all insisting they start casting silently after learning for five years that they must, every single time, verbalise their spells if they wanted them to work.

As she had told the rest of their group, "For years, they've been on at us to say the ruddy spells right. Now, they want us to be completely silent. It's bloody madness! They coulda mentioned somewhere in the earlier years, given us warning, couldn't they?"

Tonks wasn't the only Sixth Year student to be complaining. The difference this time is that they were doing it to younger students who might be able to profit from the lesson.

The weekend after her birthday, Hermione suggested that they could start trying it with their current spells, now that they knew it would be needed, on the theory that part of the problem for the older students was having to unlearn habits. Harry agreed with her, so one week worth of study group meetings were devoted to trying it. Their first night turned up a problem, too many casters in too small a room.

Since none of the students knew of a better place to study, they seemed to have a tough choice ahead of them. Either they stuck with their current overcrowded room, customised by them over the last two years, or occupied new rooms, taking up more of the castle with their activities. Not only would that make for a less friendly atmosphere if people couldn't mingle, it also increased the risk that some interfering busybody would object.

Running out of ideas, Harry called on Dobby to ask if he knew of a good place for their needs.

Dobby appeared with a pop, nodding his head and flapping his ears. "Yes, Harry Potter, sir, yes! Dobby does know a place!"

Harry bit back a sigh and smiled at the diminutive creature. "Thank you, Dobby, will you please show us the way?"

Dobby looked around, seeing all the faces and cringing before he managed to relax, the friendly faces helping to overcome his learned fear response to having the attention of wizards and witches. He nodded again, taking Harry's hand and leading his (reluctant) master to the seventh floor, stopping by the tapestry containing Barnabas the Barmy and his attempt at teaching ballet to trolls. Here, Dobby walked back and forth three times before a door appeared in the blank wall opposite the tapestry.

Dobby beamed up at his master, waving a hand at the door to open it. "Here, M- Harry Potter, sir! The Come-and-Go room! Wizards have called it the Room of Requirements."

The name certainly appeared appropriate enough, the room's entrance coming when called by the odd ritual. Entering the place, they were astounded to find what looked like the Quidditch Pitch, though the goals were missing and this place had a uniformly bright roof above the stands. It was grand enough even for Dobby's Master Harry Potter, Sir!

After examining the new room, the rather large group broke down into small groups based on what they wanted to do. Naturally, Cho wanted to fly, and she was startled to find a broom at her feet. Picking it up, she discovered it was an old but serviceable model and gave it a spin, while Hermione and others started off for one side of the Pitch, setting up markers and targets with ease. Their first forays into silent casting were, well, a complete failure. Harry was particularly annoyed by this, seeing as his attempts had all caused him pain, every single one of them.

Still, Tonks was showing that they could reduce the volume of their incantations, which would be useful enough no longer shouting their spells and advertising their choices. The younger students copied her, finding that while their spells seemed to have less power, they were still working. While Megan Jones said this was because they were quieter, Padma disagreed, suggesting it was because they weren't as confident, and that they would become stronger as they got used to it.

Tonks nodded at this, saying that it fit with what the Professors were telling them about magic being intent and concentration. Megan sniffled, sad that she had been shown to be wrong so quickly, until she found herself surrounded by the Hufflegirls and Harry. Seeing Megan getting hugs and caresses, the other girls smiled at each other before copying her enough to get their own attention. Megan quickly saw the humour in the situation and she settled in cuddling until she felt fit to continue.

"See, this way, you can overcome that limitation, too. And we'll be there with you, every step of the way and cheering you on." Susan's firm declaration was supported by every Hufflepuff there, with the other Houses following close behind.

Dobby proved his worth by bringing in a crate of butterbeers for everyone, and after the refreshments, they returned to their casting with a will, seeing a lot of progress. That was enough for everyone to agree that silent casting was possible, and that it was all a matter of practice. Privately, Harry was certain that just like his normal casting, once he mastered casting a spell silently, it too would cause him no more pain.

After they finished their allotted practice time, the group broke up, going their separate ways, with Harry and his girls, plus the other Ravenclaws, staying to explore the Room's magical properties.

With the aid of Dobby, they discovered that the room was summoned by walking three times in front of the hidden door, concentrating on what was required, which would guide what the Room of Requirement became. The person who did the walking became the owner, able to reconfigure the room while inside it at will, and the room could be made hidden even while in use, as long as that was what the owner needed.

The Room had limits, it was still bound by certain rules of magic, unable to create food, but it was perfect for Harry's friends and allies. For Harry himself, well, he could finally catch up on his physical training while at school, something that had been sorely lacking ever since he started this wizard business!

While they certainly weren't going to switch to silent casting completely, or at least not anytime soon, Tonks aside, the exercise did show them that there was more to magic than they knew.

September had a couple more surprises in store. The first was for Aurora and Septima, seeing Amelia Bones and her bodyguards all stopping by for dinner like they did this regularly. Amelia's casual confirmation of that as she dug into her meal, prepared as normal by one of Harry's clones, shocked the Professors, but not as much as the quality of the food they ate. Comments from the Clan implied that they considered the marvelous food to be 'alright for a casual dinner'. And that was another surprise, finding out that Harry was being raised by an 'extended marriage, not a harem'.

Madame Amelia Bones gave a half-hearted protest at the Clan's implied criticism of the dinner, since the food was still wonderful, but fondly reminisced on greater meals she'd eaten with their hosts. She then fixed both Hogwarts ladies with a look. "Professor Sinistra, Professor Vector, Harry Potter's adopted family have my respect. I ask each of you, if you would be willing to protect their secrets, and thereby protect Harry Potter, should they entrust them to you?"

"Are you talking about an Oath, Madame Bones? Is it really that serious?" Septima asked carefully.

"In my opinion, we could easily lose Mr Potter from our world if certain individuals found out." Amelia was thinking both of obvious threats like the Malfoy family and less overt ones like Albus Dumbledore. "Should that happen, we would all be the poorer for it."

Septima was still a little skeptical but Aurora was nodding. She had followed the news of the creation of the Lily Potter Foundation, as well as had many classes over the years with the Last Potter. "She's right, you know." Professor Vector accepted the parchment from Madam Bones with the standard wording and scanned it quickly. "I, Aurora Mercia Sinistra, swear..." Finishing the Oath, a flash of magic sealed it and a shocked Septima followed her lead before she thought any further.

The wicked grin on Amelia's face was all the warning the pair received before Harry Potter walked in to serve the main course. "Professors, how are you enjoying my cooking?" He looked like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, except for his eyes which showed his mirth.

Over a delightful roast pork with all the trimmings, the Professors were brought more fully into Harry's world. Feeling daring, Harry also showed them the illusions he had created to play movies and television shows at Hogwarts, explaining that he had been putting them on the ceiling of the Great Hall for a while now. "It seems to be working to reduce the friction between the students now that they aren't so bored."

The two professors quickly fell in love with some of the instruments at the Compound. For Aurora, it was the compact telescopes that caught her eye, as well as the larger one out the back which could be set to track a star or planet automatically. For Septima, it was the computer that got her attention, especially when it was described as a calculating machine that could be told to perform many complex calculations. The demonstration that the computer lived up to the description had her mind whirling with ideas.

For reasons the Clan refused to explain, they made sure that most of the impressive demonstrations were made by Harry, who was more than up to the task but mildly curious about their motivations. He trusted them not to set him up for anything bad, but he knew better than anyone else that they were capable of subtle and deep planning.

The other surprise was the way that Harry's girls had responded to Hermione's birthday present. Harry was pleased that there hadn't been any recriminations against her for going that far. Instead, the girls had become more forward with him and the Hufflegirls had requested that he send clones to their dorm at night so they could have more time together.

Of course, that led to the other girls asking if Harry could do the same for them. It was a good thing for Harry's stress levels that he was able to accommodate all their requests. It required him being more sneaky, which was good practice, and more diplomatic with all their friends. That was both good sense and good training. Justin and some of the guys had asked Harry to teach them some of his skills, what he could at least. That also meant more work, though the girls didn't complain about the boys' massage training since they were the beneficiaries.

Harry had to admit that he loved getting to sleep, just cuddling, with his girls. Only a few like Hermione, Susan and Daphne were taking the opportunity for more explorations, enjoying his fingers and tongue on their bodies, though so far Susan and Daphne had only once allowed him to go down on them. As much as they enjoyed the experience, they didn't feel it was the right time for them to repeat it, though all three girls loved holding his special wand.

Hermione went further, whispering to Harry "I have never had such a good night's sleep before than when you were spooning with me."

After snuggling a bit closer she asked, "Um, would you mind doing that again tonight, and every night, naked under the covers with me?"

Naturally that had an effect on Harry, and Hermione smiled, wriggling back against him to trap it between her lovely cheeks. She grinned at making him groan, then thanked him for paying her the compliment of showing she was sexy.

She got a long, loving kiss for that, and they both went to sleep smiling. Hannah gasped the next morning when she went to check on Hermione who had been in bed longer than normal, finding the pair naked and cuddling. Hannah had to accept that nothing extreme had happened, as Hermione was happy and relaxed and there wasn't any evidence of anything untoward, plus the bushy haired girl had offered an Oath if needed.

Instead, Hannah turned her down and gave a saucy grin, "Maybe I ought to do that tonight." She lost her nerve at the last minute, later that night, but Harry didn't let her berate herself for that, cuddling and making out until they fell asleep in their nightclothes.

With October beginning, the three Professors spent more of their time with the Clan, incidentally giving Harry more insight into the classes each taught which he happily did his best to share with any of his interested friends. It also gave Remus more ammunition for teasing Harry, since the son of his best friends had also noticed the good looks of the ladies as well as their more relaxed natures outside of Hogwarts.

Harry didn't mind, he teased right back, though the pair had agreed not to prank each other, instead turning their energies on the Clan. Naturally, the Clan loved the competition.

Another significant event happened the first weekend of the month, with Amelia Bones and her bodyguards escorting Harry's Cranleigh girls through Diagon Alley. The outing had originally been booked for late August, but it kept slipping since she was required to organise and coordinate the manhunt for Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. While Amelia knew the man was innocent, Lucius Malfoy had bribed and scared enough people in the Wizengamot and the Ministry that it was impossible for her not to conduct the search, for if she went, her replacement would just order it anyway.

Since she was in charge, she was able to retain control of it as long as it happened. Knowing Minister Fudge, she assigned several Aurors to walk a beat in Diagon and Nocturne Alleys, with more at Hogsmeade, ostensibly keeping the notorious murderer Black at bay. Her actual orders to her personnel concentrated far more on their normal duties, and since they were Oathbound to obey, they couldn't spill to the idiot in charge of the Ministry that they were actually doing their jobs instead of being used for a witchhunt.

That term had long held extra meaning in their world, harkening back to the persecutions of the Church, and told her Aurors that Madame Bones wasn't convinced that Black was a Death Eater. If she had been, she would never have allowed one to go free after they had murdered so much of her family.

Anyway, after repeated rescheduling of their outing, Amelia was pleased to be able to be the guide to the girls who had been Harry's very first friends. She had been warned by Lupin that they would not be impressed by the dirty pub, and Ashley's hastily suppressed "Yuck!" at seeing the state of the Leaky Cauldron bore that out in spades.

Amelia blessed the foresight that had her cast a silencing ward around the group so none of the patrons heard a Muggle expressing disgust about anything magical. As much as she had agreed with the sentiment, indeed she always had found it ridiculous that in a society where cleaning spells were taught to children that they couldn't keep their famous locations clean, they did not need the negative attention it would bring.

She left up the other privacy spells until they had gone through to the back of the pub, through the trash, to Diagon Alley proper. Here, at last, the girls 'oohed' and 'ahed' seeing the bricks shifting, forming the arch, and walking in, each of them surreptitiously touching one of the magicals in the group. While Amelia doubted that this step was necessary, she had too much pride on the line to allow any preventable problems in their outing. The five girls and the young lady she was escorting were looking all around them at the shops, the people and the wares for sale.

The girls had been outfitted for their trip by the Clan, on the advice of Remus, wearing what passed for witches' robes so that they wouldn't stand out. As much as the Wizarding World prided itself on accepting the unconventional, they were far behind the Muggles they often derided. Yes, there were variations in the colour and quality of the robes, and the various designs on them, but wearing anything too Muggle was a recipe for hostility.

Though the Clan had given each girl a bag of money for the day, they still wanted to see the bank since it was one of the more important sights to see. In the bank, they saw the goblins working and dealing with the wizards there. After they got over the shock of seeing pinstripe suits on the clearly non-human bankers, they noticed the unfriendly service and unfriendly customers. They left as discreetly as they could before they said anything about it the matter.

From Gringotts, they headed straight to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. The place was a hit with all the girls as they saw not only a few familiar flavours but dozens of new ones. Each of Harry's girls, and Sandra, picked a few flavours and tried them as they sat, watching the Alley and chatting with abandon.

Ella had to hold in laughter at the sight of the brooms. "I always thought that brooms were just a silly stereotype for witches in the real world!"

Sandra winced a little at her wording and their escort bristled slightly before a wave from Amelia saw them stand down again.

Ella finally noticed and blushed. "I'm sorry, this is all very new to me, like it doesn't yet seem real. It's like going through Wonderland. I mean I know each of you are real, and magic is real, but the society you hid away is somehow different for now. In some ways, it seems almost a parody. Magic wands, robes, pointy hats, cauldrons and all the rest of it."

She shut up, blushing worse than ever, but the Aurors at least understood what she meant. Also, it was the girl's first time. That brought to mind their own first times walking in Muggle London, how shocking it was, and how easy it was to break the same Statute of Secrecy they were required to uphold.

Amelia gave a reassuring smile to the girl, and then asked her how she liked her ice-cream. The passionate and positive answer broke the tension. From there, Amelia led their party to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, holding back a grin at the renewed tinge of pink to Ella's cheeks.

Once inside, the proprietor herself came over, greeting Amelia. "Good morning, Madame Bones, is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, no, just here to browse and escort these ladies, thank you." Amelia watched Madam Malkin relax slightly after confirming it wasn't an official visit from the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It started out being amusing when she first joined the force, but within a week it became annoying, and after that merely expected whenever she visited shops.

Madam Malkin turned to the younger ladies and gave her standard talk about what was available and what could be made to order. Halfway through her speech, she noticed that none of them were wearing clothes by her or her competitors. She kept talking through the surprise she felt, gratified when they looked very interested in her wares despite the fine quality of their clothes exceeding the majority of her stock. Slightly concerned, the long-time businesswoman wondered if this was from some new competitor that she would need to watch closely or some bored lady's hobby.

While Sandra and the rest dispersed to look around at everything, Michelle hung back and engaged the woman in discussing fashion tips. The bodyguards sent a pleading look at their boss, who smiled and shook her head, rejecting their request that she, and they, leave the pair to it. It was part of the game they played, really, for her to tease them like that since she had to put up with the loss of privacy their constant presence entailed.

She upped the ante a minute later by entering the talk on fashion tips, inserting a comment designed to drag out the talk for as long as they stayed in the shop. She knew she had scored a point in their ongoing game when Shacklebolt groaned.

While Michelle was talking fashion, Meaghan, Ella, Ashley, Stephanie and Sandra were examining it. "Oh, I like the look of this one!" Ashley said to the others. "I could never wear it outside, though."

Meaghan shook her head, "Pity, it would look great on you. Then again," she smiled playfully, "what doesn't?"

They discussed the lines and fabrics and prices, doing translations in their heads to the pounds they were used to, and agreeing that they were impressed with the additional options on many of the clothes, like self-ironing and self-repairing. Madam Malkin, though still busy with her fashion chat, noticed their reaction and looked at Madam Bones confused. Amelia shook her head, she could tell the woman later if it was needed. Malkin settled down and ignored it, assuming they were impressed with the price of the enchantments rather than their availability.

It was a group of smiling girls who left the store later, their purchases shrunk and put in a bag held by a glowing Michelle, and they headed off to Flourish and Blotts to check out the bookstore. They knew this was one place Harry had loved about the Alley, and so had Hermione, of course. While none of these girls were as into books as the bushy haired witch, they were all smart girls who enjoyed a good read.

The sight of stacks of books reaching to the ceiling, books up to the size of paving stones bound in leather or down to postage stamps, books of any imaginable type and some they couldn't imagine at all, like the Monster Book of Monsters, chained down and snapping at passersby. Again, out came the purses of galleons as each girl found various things they wanted to buy.

'At least we remembered not to double up on books.' Sandra smiled to herself. While she was sure the Clan would never object to them using up all the money they were given, none of the girls were fond of being wasteful for its own sake, and they were well used to sharing things among themselves. Sandra was also happy they could get another bag for their small mountain of books. Those things were a lot heavier than their clothes, but magic made shopping almost too easy.

Passing on her observation got enthusiastic agreement from all of them, and Ella's delight erased any ill feeling that had survived her earlier apology. There's nothing like being praised to make you like someone better after all.

From the bookshop, they went back out into the Alley and straight through the Leaky Cauldron which again drew negative reactions for its dirty appearance. Leaving for London proper, they grabbed lunch at one of the cafes and then enjoyed some afternoon browsing in the stores. Amelia and her guards stayed with them for lunch, then left to get on with work.

There was always more work to be done in the fight against crime and against Ministry corruption.

Amelia Bones was disappointed as she walked into the Ministry via the Muggle entrance, having been waved through by the wizard at the desk. Instead, she stopped the queue and dragged him off for a 'quiet word' which could only be described as quiet due to the silencing charms she placed around them before tearing a strip off him for his laziness on the job. She had left one of her guards at the desk to screen new arrivals, who was resigned to this. Technically, he shouldn't have let her assign him away from her, but she was close at hand and this was the Ministry itself. No one would dare attack it, after all.

Having finished remonstrating with the lax guard, she ordered him back to his post where under her steely gaze, he did his job, scanning entrants for magical items and the like as well as registering their wands and asking them about their purpose of visit.

It paid off immediately for the man, as the next in line had a poisoned dagger on her person and an appointment with one of the people in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Amelia nodded, gratified as the witch was taken in for questioning. Said witch was keeping the dagger for self-defence, supposedly, a story she was willing to confirm under Veritaserum, rather than for any criminal intent. Nevertheless, she knew when she arrived that the weapon was forbidden, it was confiscated until her trial a month later, while she made bail.

Walking away, Amelia almost growled when she saw that pompous twit Fudge just about preening in the Atrium before a small crowd. Unfortunately, Cornelius saw her too, buttonholing her. "And here, good witches and wizards, is the tireless Madam Bones leading the hunt for the notorious criminal Sirius Black. I am confident that with her in charge, we may all sleep easy in our beds."

He even had the temerity to display her like a prize exhibit! She kept control of her expression, saying only "Sirius Black is no threat to our people-"

"-Not with our fine Aurors on the job!" Fudge added, determined to spin this his way. "And in the last months, unemployment has fallen to a record low of one percent, proof again that my economic policies are steering Magical Britain in the right direction."

"Wouldn't the credit lie with the Lily Potter Foundation?" one of the crowd asked.

"Ah, that wonderful organisation, of course they have my full support in their philanthropic endeavours."

Amelia tuned him out, knowing that by 'full support', Fudge meant that he was trying to steal the credit for their work, and that he would praise them until someone bought him off or the LPF cost him public approval. She was still surprised that the Clan had managed to secure a permit for 'limited self defence training'. The permit itself didn't give any specific limit on the training in terms of numbers, intensity or even direction. For all that she liked the Clan, she was smart enough to recognise that they now had legal carte blanche to train people to fight her own people or anyone else. The permit couldn't legalise use of Unforgivables, but there were very few things now forbidden to their use.

Fudge was right, however, about the rise in employment to record levels, and that combined with his public 'Tough on Crime' stance was restoring his public approval rating. With his new popularity, the idiot was feeling remarkably insulated from reality and point blank refused to recall the Dementors from the school. As much as Amelia wished otherwise right now, the horrible creatures were beyond her control, firmly in the Minister's own department. Looking to distract herself from the topic, Amelia buried herself in clearing up the stacks of parchment that built up on her desk each day until she could head to the Kitsune Compound for dinner. A nice roast cooked by Harry at the end of her day brought a genuine smile to her face as she stepped in the door at the Clan's home, and her guards smiled as well. Unless they were unlucky, they would be allowed to eat here too.

That same day, the Hufflepuffs were flying, at least those on the team or the reserves were, as Cedric put them through their paces. He smiled to himself, this year he was the senior player since last year's beaters had pulled out. "We're happy to be reserves, Cedric, but we both know that we aren't better than those Third Years, not any more, and this is better for the House. Now, do us all proud, and show everyone just how good a captain you can be!"

Yes, Quidditch Captain in Fifth Year was certainly something to be proud of, and his record as a Seeker was already respectable. If the younger players lived up to their current performance, he would be able to add a Quidditch Cup victory to his list of achievements, and in his first year, no less!

With Leanne and Megan having enjoyed growth spurts over the summer, both had put on the muscle, height and reach that they had lacked for playing as Beaters on the team. Hannah as Keeper had added experience too, so now all of Harry's Hufflegirls had made the team, with Harry and Cedric the only wizards on it.

Cedric and Harry had grinned when they heard the disparaging comments from Malfoy about having so many girls on a Quidditch team. They knew he would be eating those words soon enough. Before that, well, there were quite a few witches in Slytherin, armed witches from the House of the Cunning, who knew how to get away with whatever they wanted. All it had taken Daphne was to pass on his comments verbatim, then they could watch the entertainment as Draco's wardrobe and hair took a dive until he got the point. Current betting favoured Draco learning his lesson after Christmas. Kipling's poem was proving its truth a little more with each passing day.

The next day, a Sunday, saw little of interest happening at Hogwarts beyond the usual activities. In Cranleigh though, it was the occasion of Meaghan's fifteenth birthday party. While of course Harry's five girls and Sandra were all there, she had also invited along many of their friends from both their own year as well as teens in other years and the other schools in town.

When Harry turned up at Meaghan's place around eleven, he brought over a plate of food as previously arranged, waiting at the door with the present in his other hand and two small bouquets of flowers, one for Mrs Best who put hers in a vase with water and the other for the birthday girl.

They showed him in and through to their enclosed backyard, the higher fences paid for and installed by the Clan to help protect the Best family's privacy as well as Harry's secrets. There, Harry saw Meaghan laying back, enjoying the rare morning sun before she realised he was there and got up, hurrying over to greet him with a smile and a quick hug.

The other girls arrived soon after, as did their parents of course, and Naruto and Anko turned up last, bearing the meat for the meal, Naruto heading over with Mr Best to the barbecue, arguing good-naturedly over how to cook it all. Since the results were great either way, everyone else left them to it and relaxed, chatted, and played until they were called in for lunch and the cake. There, Meaghan sent Harry a look as she cut the cake, she knew just who she wanted for her birthday, even though she knew they didn't have an opportunity.

Harry was startled when he saw some of the other girls around. Meaghan's parents had extended invitations not only to Meaghan's friends, but also to quite a few families friendly with the Clan. Among them were several good-looking girls whose families were well off. He recognised them from some of the Clan's parties, but this was the first time they had dressed to impress.

From their looks his way, it was obviously him they hoped to impress, and his girls knew it. Harry could feel their tension as the new girls approached their man.

When the black-haired beauty Jennifer Scott approached him, asking if he was doing anything Friday night, Harry replied that he was taking his girls out to the movies. When she asked about Saturday night, he smiled and led the new girls over to his girlfriends. His message was clear. No matter how they looked, Harry wouldn't do anything that would hurt his girls. If they wanted to get involved in his life, they would have to get used to what that meant, starting with getting along with the others and getting their approval.

Right then, Harry didn't care if they ever got that approval since they were only acquaintances at most, albeit beautiful ones. He did admit they were friendly people, and at least looked to be treating his loves right. Time would tell, and Harry was in no rush. He was more than happy with the girls already in his life.

The new girls waited while Harry introduced them to his ladies. "My ladies, these are Nicole Allen, Jessica Bailey, Amanda Lewis, Lauren Robinson and Jennifer Scott. And these are my ladies, Meaghan Best, the birthday girl, Ashley Banks, Ella Fletcher, Stephanie Melville and Michelle Roberts." The new girls were pleased that he remembered their names without prompting.

Each girl smiled in turn at they were named, and the somewhat large group started talking about themselves, with Harry's ladies surprised to learn that the other girls were all in families who dealt with the Clan in their business. They knew that the Clan were expanding their business interests, of course, but here was the proof.

Brunettes Nicole's and Amanda's parents were partners in a computer firm which had been contracted to supply the Clan with a number of computers as well as providing training, the blonde Jessica's father was a tax accountant whom the Clan had hired, redhead Lauren's father held the marketing contract for the Clan's timber products and Jennifer's mother was a doctor whose services had been required for an injury at the Clan's out of town office (in front of witnesses who didn't know of the Clan's own expertise). Each of their families had developed a better business partnership over the last couple of years, and it had been Naruto's suggestion that saw invitations delivered to them.

Indeed, these families already knew the Clan's ability with clones, something that very much surprised Harry when Naruto signalled him after making the introductions, since he hadn't known the families well at all, their dealings generally away from Cranleigh.

Mr and Mrs Best were happy to extend the invitations to these other families believing, correctly, that this would also mean more food made by the Clan for everyone to enjoy, and they were pleased when on arrival they discovered these extra people fit in well with their other guests. It wasn't that they truly doubted the Clan, but it was always hard to be sure of these things.

After a long lunch, Harry and his girls along with the new quintet headed inside to the lounge room, putting on a video and cuddling as they watched the movie. Harry had to resort to a blunt question before any of them admitted they knew of Harry's clones, and he approved of their caution. It did mean that he could produce enough to give his ladies the cuddling they each wanted. Michelle twice tried to move Harry's hands too far, but caught herself before Harry or the others had to, blushing and whispering to him that she kept thinking of his massages. Her hand hidden from view caressed up his leg, letting him know what she really meant.

She wasn't the only one watching the romance and thinking of Harry, just the least controlled about showing it. Her hormones, her desire, her love and her trust of Harry all were pushing her forward and she found it hard to stay calm around him when she knew he would never hurt her. Cuddling with him was wonderful, but kissing him too was better, and her body was telling her 'More!'. She wanted to wait for 'more', she felt she was still too young, but that didn't mean her urges were easy to control.

Taking advantage of the reduced lighting, Ashley and Meaghan were being teases, spooning with Harry and occasionally grinding their butts back into him to keep him hard. The first times he reacted to them made them blush, but by now, they treasured the evidence that they were sexy. Meaghan was getting older and better developed, and as she held his arms to her chest, her quiet moans made Harry's evidence poke her more.

Ella and Stephanie gave him an easier time, joking about the movie quietly or just cuddling. Harry treasured that just as much as any other time with his girls. When they were happy, he was happy, however they got there.

Jennifer, Jessica, Amanda, Nicole and Lauren were parked in front of the big television, their backs to all of this, as they watched with another Harry clone. From their looks at him, the movie was affecting these girls too, making them think of their own futures and a green eyed boy at their side.

As the afternoon waned and the party ended, they returned to spend time with the adults again over dinner before saying their goodbyes, made easier by the knowledge that the Clan always made them welcome, and never said a thing about any private activities. There had been more than a few study sessions at their place that turned into anatomy lessons more than anything else, but you'd never know it from how the Clan reacted in public.

Speaking of the Clan, Anko casually mentioned when they got home that the families that had been invited to the party were each considering an offer to move to Cranleigh. Harry looked up sharply at that, eyes narrowed. "Matchmaking, Anko-mum? Don't you think I already have enough women in my life?"

Anko just grinned unrepentantly, "Nope! You can never have too much love, my son."

That took much of the heat out of his glare, of course, and even knowing that it was chosen that way didn't really counter the effect of their obvious concern for him. Naruto and the others smiled as Harry relaxed. "We are all very proud of you, Harry, you're growing into a fine young man, one any girl would be lucky to know. And we don't see any reason why you should have to hold back your own heart."

Hinata's sincerity was bone deep, she and the others loved the man Harry was fast becoming, and were proud of how he was responding to the challenges in his life. Of course, that didn't mean they would stop throwing challenges at him, that would spoil their fun, including Harry's.

Monday at Hogwarts, Harry was up at his usual time and decided that he had better let his girls know about the little surprise his parents had sprung on him, rather than letting it wait and risk problems later.

Before breakfast, he gathered them all together and told them about the birthday party, then about the delight his parents had felt as they introduced another challenge into his life. "At least I don't get bored around them." Harry sighed as he finished.

"And what about these new girls?" Daphne asked, a thread of jealousy in her voice.

"As far as I am concerned, they are just that. I am not going to cheat on you, dear. You know that I swore that Oath," Harry added gently.

"We know," Hannah replied for her, "but we have the right to be concerned, too."

"Of course you do, that's why I'm telling you now. Whatever my parents may want, it doesn't mean I'll just let them do it. This is our life. I just wanted to warn you in case they try something later. That way, we'll be prepared."

"And you don't have any feelings for the girls?" Padma asked, wanting to be clear on the matter.

"They're just girls I know. They seem like nice people, but I don't love them like I do all of you."

"Ok Harry, and I love you too," she smiled as she got to say that again. Somehow, that was enough for the girls to relax at last, getting in some cuddling before they had to head in for breakfast.

Harry had a similar conversation with the girls in Cranleigh, since they were just as much a part of his life, but this one went easier since they had been right there with him and knew he hadn't encouraged the attention.

At lunch that day, Ginny came up to speak to Harry in private. "Harry, I've been thinking a lot about what happened."

"Go on." Harry encouraged her when she paused.

"Well, I have been thinking about Mum's story, and how she doesn't see any problem in what she did. She seems to believe that she did the right thing because it got her the family she wanted." Ginny frowned. "I don't know how to feel about that, to be honest. If she hadn't done what she did, would I even be here?"

Harry nodded soberly, "It's ok, Ginny. I'm sure I'd be worried too. What matters is that you are innocent of whatever she did, and that you live your own life."

"Thank you, Harry." Ginny took a breath. "I can't help hating myself for how I feel about her. She's taken care of me, taught me to read, taught me how to be a good person, and yet, she did all that. I don't want to be horrified by my own mother, but I am! I... I can't trust her any longer." She finished quietly.

The poor girl was on the verge of tears as Harry reached out to take her hand gently. She gave him a watery smile and nodded. "I think I will have to ask Dad if he'll let me stay over at Christmas. I hope that I'll have somewhere to stay but I can't go home. I just really hope I don't lose my friends, too." The raw need in her voice tugged at Harry. While his training meant he could have denied her plea if he needed, he had no reason to and he never wanted to start turning down someone in need.

With a look, Ginny was in his arms, crying it out. For the rest of the day, she was subdued, but at the end of dinner, she came over to start talking. Harry's friends welcomed her after he invited her to sit with them. A quiet word to his girls let them know what was going on and he was proud when Susan said they had to help her.

October looked like it would finish quietly, but this was Hogwarts. Harry knew that Halloween was coming up, and that both his previous years this had meant something big would happen. While he wasn't so foolish as to think nothing bad would happen, he was quietly optimistic. The Lily Potter Foundation had been moving more Muggle-born wizards and witches, and their families where possible, out of the generally poorer housing they had to a new housing estate that the Clan was establishing, using the confidentiality Oaths in the contracts to prevent the location becoming common knowledge.

While it was a little inconvenient, they quickly got in the habit of taking the Floo to the reception area, located near the Bones' home of the Ossuary, then another Floo trip through to their own homes. It didn't take that much longer and Floo powder was cheap. With the modern amenities in their new homes and easy access to cheaper food at the local supermarket, they had less reason to bother shopping in Diagon Alley, leading to less crowding there. It also meant the wizards and witches were getting more involved in the society they were born in, and less reliant on magic.

He had also heard from Amelia that there were worried reports of criminal activity, including drunks yelling at the former homes of various people moved by the LPF for being disgusting Mudbloods. This worried them, since the drunks in question couldn't be identified due to glamours, they had proceeded directly to the district where the Muggle-borns lived from a pub with no deviations in their route, and had disappeared fairly quickly after they got there before the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol arrived, rather than having to be driven off as one would expect. It was sounding far more like planned provocation than a spontaneous outbreak.

All this was going through Harry's mind in the lead up to the thirty-first. It wasn't all about the big things in that society, however. Harry had his girls, too, and they were more affectionate, more open with him, and that satisfied him at a level that had been untouched since the Clan rescued him from the damnable Dursleys. Their passion also excited him, leading to more use of the body control he had learned, and dreams of his girls.

It all shattered, though, when the flock of owls delivered the morning mail on Halloween including copies of the Daily Prophet with the headline "NEW DARK LORD RISING?"

Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated and I will have the next chapter out soon.