Just a reminder that this is an adult fic.

(*-*)

"This is someone speaking out loud."

" This is someone speaking a magical language."

This is someone's inner monologue.

(*-*)

Dragon Concubine

Chapter Three

(*-*)

After a short trip to his vault, Harry was striding towards the wand shop he would always remember from the day he was introduced to the magical world. He let out a breath when the shop was open, he'd been half-afraid his luck would act up and the only wand store he knew of would be closed today. Stepping inside, Harry realized the interior was less intimidating than when he'd first visited on his eleventh birthday. He couldn't see the proprietor anywhere, but seeing a bell on the counter top he tapped it once, producing a melodious sound like crystal bells. It took a few moments for Garrick Ollivander to return, which Harry didn't mind. He assumed the man was busy in his workshop.

The man seemed shocked to see him, and while Harry could have let the rather odd man ask questions he spoke up first. "I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Ollivander. I'm afraid a fellow student snapped my wand this morning and I desperately need a new one for the Tournament on Saturday."

Ollivander looked at Harry with wide eyes. "Oh my, that is a great loss and a terrible insult. How did it happen?"

"Severus Snape insulted me, then I insulted him back instead of letting him berate my dead father, and he tried to curse me. The second I brought him down with a very lucky spell, Dumbledore disarmed me and my wand ended up on the floor. Malfoy will claim it was an accident, but he literally stood up, walked over to my wand, and snapped it with his boot. Can you fit me with a new wand?"

The strange man gazed at Harry for a moment, studying him carefully. "I believe so, but you were a difficult match the last time. If you don't mind, I will send a Patronus message to Headmaster Dumbledore to see if we can borrow his Phoenix for a few moments. Each Phoenix is different and Fawkes was the only one that worked for you last time. Hopefully he will consent to donating a third feather." The man drew his own wand, a delicate thing that seemed to have curling silver designs woven through some dark wood, and cast his Patronus which took the form of a Kneazle. "In the meantime, please place both hands on the counter and I will see if your magic has changed enough to need any changes to your new wand. My wands adapt to their wielders as they and their magic grow and change. After four years you may no longer find Holly and Phoenix feather your best fit."

"What if phoenix feather isn't the best core for me any more?"

Garrick chuckled. "If it no longer suits you, then I have a free phoenix feather to use in another wand, Mr. Potter. Now, to the counter with you."

Lacking the knowledge of wandlore to argue with an expert, Harry shrugged his shoulders and placed both hands on the shop's counter. Garrick taped the surface with his wand and the entire surface rippled for a moment, then rainbows of hypnotic color began swirling on the counter. "Keep your hands in place until I say otherwise please. While we wait for your result, would you like me to contact the DMLE? A Professor cursing a student is a crime, and given your celebrity, desired or not, you may wish to report it yourself so you can get your side of the story out."

Harry nodded in response, but he was mostly distracted by the magic swirling on the counter. It seemed to be drawing out his own magic and creating swirling, abstract shapes and colors across the surface. Harry only noticed Fawkes' arrival when the bird settled onto his shoulder, seemingly much lighter than his size would indicate. Fawkes began to trill softly in his ear as they both watched the counter swirl and change hypnotically. He was surprised when a rather intimidating woman wearing a monocle appeared on the other side of the counter, Garrick joined her quickly. "Mr. Potter, this Madam Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE. She and her assistants are here to hear your report. Before you say anything, be aware that the magic on the counter renders you incapable of lying. It's part of the enchantments that ensure I get an accurate result. You can wait to report or you can continue."

Feeling oddly comfortable with the strange sensation from where his hands met the counter, Harry replied. "That's fine. Are you related to Susan? She's a nice girl. Shy but very smart."

With an amused tone, Amelia replied. "Yes, she mentioned in her last letter home that you had joined her weekend study group. Now, you wanted to report a crime? Ollivander is right that you can't lie right now and I don't have the right to force you to answer questions under Veritaserum or any similar effect, so if you want we can wait."

Trying and mostly failing to focus himself, Harry replied. "No, that's okay. This morning Severus Snape was waiting outside the place I was sleeping so I took my broom out the window. During breakfast he began to berate me and accuse me of stealing potion ingredients. He gave me three months of detention that would have interfered with my ability to survive the Triwizard Tournament, then insulted me and yet again berated my dead father."

Madam Bones interrupted. "You can choose to answer this question or not, but have you been stealing potion ingredients?"

"I have never intentionally stolen ingredients from Hogwarts. I might have wasted ingredients and gotten more to replace them against instructions to complete my class assignment at times, but I do not recall doing so." That was close, Harry thought as he just barely dodged a bullet. It helped that he considered asking Dobby to remove ingredients from Snape's personal stores restitution for years of abuse and substandard teaching instead of outright theft.

"Thank you. I will inform Headmaster Dumbledore that you refuted Snape's accusation under a truth ward."

Thinking of something, Harry spoke again. "Can you do that in the Great Hall during mealtime? I doubt he'd tell anyone else otherwise."

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "You would expect him to let the school think you're a thief?"

Harry shrugged. "He hasn't told anyone that I'm competing in the Tournament against my will. And he never spoke up for me when I was being bullied when everyone thought I was using Slytherin's monster to attack students in my second year."

Amelia leaned forward in interest. "So you are competing against your will then? How were you entered, then?"

"I did not enter my name or ask anyone else to do so for me. Professor Moody said he thought someone confounded the Goblet of Fire so I'd die the night I was chosen. I was told I could either compete or lose my magic, which would be a slow and painful death." When Amelia asked him to return to his criminal complaint, Harry continued. "After Snape insulted my dead father yet again I got mad. Instead of sitting down and letting him insult the father I never knew, I stood up and insulted him back, but as far as I know everything I said is true. My godfather might have lied to me, but I don't think he did, even if he hates Snape as much as I do."

Breaking procedure, Amelia asked a question without thinking. As far as anyone knew, Harry had been sent to live with distant relatives since he had no one else. Her curiosity simply got the best of her. "My godfather is Sirius Black." In response to the gasps, Harry continued with more passion than he'd spoken with so far. "He's innocent! Peter Pettigrew is a Death Eater and betrayed my family, framed Sirius, and had been hiding in his brown rat animagus form ever since. He was hiding as Scabbers, the Weasley's pet rat. He admitted everything as he begged for his life. We were going to turn him in, but he escaped on the way back to the castle and then Snape, who had been stunned the whole time, lied to the Minister." Harry found himself both wanting to stop talking and shout the truth, and was conflicted as the enchantment guided him to keep talking. "Dumbledore sent Hermione and I to rescue Sirius when we told him he was innocent, he told us that if we were lucky we could save two innocent lives that night."

Amelia had to think about that for a moment. "The hippogryph Lucius Malfoy wanted killed, right?"

"Yes. Draco barely got scratched but lied to everyone to get sympathy."

Amelia took a breath. This was giving her a lot of new information; fortunately in addition to the Dictation Quill she had a pensieve at home. "Getting back on track, please tell us what happened after you insulted Professor Snape."

"He drew his wand and silently cast an unknown curse at me. I dodged and it hit a Beauxbatons student, and she collapsed screaming." Harry ignored the gasps from the pair of Aurors behind him and Madam Bones. "I responded with a spell that should have made it impossible for him to fight with a direct hit but he cast another curse and it nearly hit me so I cast another spell while his shield was down. Thank Merlin that put him down because Dumbledore disarmed me as soon as I got my spell off."

Madam Bones face went stern. "Please repeat that. You were dueling a Professor who had cast the first curse and the Headmaster disarmed you? Did he disarm Professor Snape first?"

"No. He only disarmed me. My wand landed next to the Slytherin table, and while I was arguing with the Headmaster Draco Malfoy stood up, walked over to my wand, and used his heel to snap it in two." More gasps from the shop. Snapping a wizard's wand was a great insult, not only did it damage a very useful tool, the act destroyed the years wand and wizard had spent attuning to each other. Wands adapted, changed, over time and grew to become an even better focus for that specific wizard as the years passed.

Not seeing any reason to stop, Harry continued. "I announced that I would be heading to Diagon to purchase a new wand, but the Headmaster stopped me and insisted I use my broken wand after he cast a Repairing Charm on it."

Hearing that, Garrick gasped and fell out of his chair. He spoke immediately, beginning a tirade. "That barmy old fool! Is he trying to get Mr. Potter killed?! You cannot repair a broken wand, the enchantments are far too delicate! It would work poorly and backfire randomly. It would certainly backfire the first time he used it while stressed!"

Harry spoke up. "Like during the first task of the Tournament? Someone is trying to kill me after all."

Amelia was ready to end this interview before she learned anything else she'd have to look into. "Mr. Potter, do not ever use a wand that has been broken. No matter how good they look or feel in your hand, they are flawed and will break, usually at the worst possible time."

"I won't. I saw what happened to Lockheart after all."

Amelia swallowed her instinct to ask more about that comment. Damned animagus form, curiosity killed the cat! Out loud, she spoke again. "Which spells did you cast on Severus Snape?"

"The first spell I believe was a charm, one that gives a target vertigo. It's useful because if it strikes a shield it will still cause a lesser effect to skew the senses. The second spell was an intent-based transfiguration spell that conjures venom in the target's bloodstream but cannot penetrate a shield. After all the abuse I've endured from Snape I was tempted to conjure something lethal but chose to cause pain instead."

"Where did you learn those spells and why do you not know their exact classification?"

"Padma Patil offered me three books on Indian magic in exchange for visiting their family store and some tutoring in practical spellcasting. Some parts do not translate well to English."

Amelia sighed. "Is there anything else you want to speak about?"

"No. In fact I'm hoping you don't ask anything about my plans for the first task."

Amelia groaned. "Are you planning anything illegal or immoral?"

"To the best of my knowledge my plan does not violate the letter of the law, and I am desperately hoping that if I'm wrong and it does, that no one will tell me until after I survive my battle with a dragon. My plan is not immoral according to my own values, but given the inconsistent morals of others I…"

Amelia held up her hand again and spoke up. "Enough. Please stop, you've given me enough things to look into already. Garrick, can he remove his hands from your counter yet?"

Garrick walked over and glanced at the counter for a moment. "Oh my. One more moment Mr. Potter." Withdrawing his own wand again, Garrick tapped the counter twice, locking the results in place. "Thank you for your patience, you may remove your hands. Interesting, very interesting… But where… Oh that's right! I have a sample of… But which wood? Hm… Tricky, very tricky!"

Harry stepped back with the Aurors and Amelia joined them as Ollivander poured over the results mumbling to himself, completely forgetting their presence. Amelia spoke up as they realized they had lost Mr. Ollivander to his craft. "What are your plans for today, Mr. Potter? Even the best wandsmith will take several hours to craft a custom wand."

Harry shrugged. "I don't want to be away from Hogwarts for too long, I'm worried my best friend will get cursed in the back while I'm gone, but I really need the new wand. I was planning to visit the Patil's shop to fulfill a promise and maybe get something to eat if I have the time."

Amelia was thoughtful for a moment. Grateful for whoever had invented the messenger Patronus during the last war, Amelia sent a wispy hawk flying away. "Unfortunately you are a celebrity and may indeed have someone seeking to harm you. I've sent for Nymphadora Tonks, a junior Auror uniquely skilled at undercover work to keep you safe while you're out of Hogwarts today. I will arrive at Hogwarts during dinner and announce Snape's accusation was unfounded so the students don't think you're a thief."

Harry nodded his head. "Thank you. I do feel naked without my wand, but otherwise I'd say it isn't much more dangerous here than at Hogwarts."

As the Aurors prepared to return to the Ministry, Amelia asked one last question. "Harry, I intend to look into everything you said here today. But politics being what they are, it might make things easier if I leak your entire interview, except the part about your plans for the task, to the press. Do you have any objections?"

Harry had to think for a moment. "Can I be prosecuted for rescuing Sirius? Dumbledore did not tell me to rescue Sirius Black exactly, he just said 'two innocent lives' after I told him my godfather was innocent."

Amelia replied. "Almost certainly no. Slippery language or not, as an underage student you are expected to obey the Headmaster. The fact that he sent you but did nothing himself will nail him to the wall."

Knowing that almost no matter what, what happened on Saturday would easily overshadow tomorrow's headlines, Harry gave his permission. Amelia wished him a pleasant day and one of the Aurors, a rather unpleasant but professional man, waited with Harry until Tonks arrived. When Auror Tonks joined them, Fawkes took to the air from the chair he'd been using and left Ollivander's in a flash of fire. From there, Tonks escorted Harry to the Patil's fascinating store and Harry found himself buying two books that claimed to be English translations of traditional Indian magic, one that was an informative text dedicated to the different tribes of Lamia that lived on various islands in the Indian Ocean, and a possibly overpriced wand holster made of chimera leather. Expensive or not, the wrist holster was well made, and between the leather's natural properties and the enchantments it was essentially a very sturdy piece of armor for his forearm.

Walking back towards Ollivander's, a sign had been placed in the window that the shop was closed for the next three hours. With nothing better to do, Nymphadora placed several spells on Harry in an alleyway to change his appearance and demonstrated her own natural abilities. From there they became just two people wandering the area as Harry received a guided tour of Diagon and the surrounding Alleys interrupted by lunch before Ollivander finally opened his shop again. Entering, Ollivander quickly joined them with a single box in his hands. "I hope this wand will last longer than your previous one."

He drew in a breath and Harry supposed he was going to learn a little more about wands this afternoon. "This wand is similar but different from your previous one. Every wand I craft uses one of three Supreme Wand Cores, those being Dragon Heartstring, Phoenix Feather, and Unicorn Tail Hair. Both your old and current wand have a tail feather from Fawkes, but your magical growth and the broadening of your horizons dictated I add something more to this one. Twined with the Phoenix Feather are small shards of a horn from a Horned Serpent, a benevolent and peaceful creature who lends its image to one of the four houses of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry across the Atlantic. A wand with this core is often useful for spells involving Parseltongue and the wand may emit a warning sound when danger is near. A second core material does not make the wand more powerful, simply better suited to you."

Garrick sighed and sank into a chair with the box containing the wand in his lap. "Mr. Potter, I'm sure you remember what I told you the day you bought your first wand. Holly does not suit you as it once did, after carefully studying my counter, I crafted your new wand with Ebony. As I'm sure you've been told, Divination is a wooly subject at the best of times. The magic I use in this shop is similar but different and usually correct; probably because it has such a narrow focus. I want you to understand the significance of your need for an Ebony wand, Mr. Potter. Ebony calls to wizards who face conflict, who use magic for combat and those who use Transfiguration. Your father was one who used Transfiguration for combat, and quite effectively, but I suspect you will surpass him if you apply yourself. I am only a crafter and seller of wands. But I fear the future that may come from this wand choosing you, Mr. Potter."

Harry was silent for a moment. "I… Voldemort isn't dead. He isn't alive either. He's done something to remain behind as a wraith, but he can possess people. He wants to get a new body so badly… If he does I have no idea what to do. He'll never stop hunting me until I'm dead, and he's so much more powerful than I am…"

Harry had looked away and hadn't realized Ollivander had come close for a moment, but the man was now standing there with the box open revealing a wand two inches longer than his old one, glossy black with striations of Fawkes's brilliant orange and red bleeding through the wood everywhere save the handle where the striations were white and azure. Ollivander spoke up again, starting with a word he struggled to say without hesitation. "Voldemort did great and terrible things, Mr. Potter. As I said before, I believe you have the same potential but I suspect you will put it to a better use. No enemy is unbeatable, no obstacle is impossible to overcome. Your life has not been easy and I doubt it will be in the future, but you are not defeated yet. Every Dark Lord in history has fallen and I believe Voldemort will be destroyed in time as well. Never give up, never abandon Hope, Mr. Potter."

With his part said, Ollivander lifted the box for him to take the wand. Reaching in, Harry grasped the wand nervously. As he gripped it in his hand he felt a rush of what must be the same magic from when he was eleven. Again he heard the anthem of Phoenix song, but now low, musical trills that must have come from a Horned Serpent joined in a chorus that was more than either alone. As he held the wand the gentle comfort he remembered from his first wand was replaced with the surety of a blooded warrior, one who knew victory was difficult but could be achieved with sweat, blood, and toil.

With more confidence in his magic than ever before, Harry waved his new wand while hissing the transfiguration spell he'd been working on the previous night. Where once stood the assorted chairs and tables of Ollivander's shop, now stood six Lamia. They were obviously female and well muscled, and each held a gleaming, viciously bladed short-spear in one hand. Harry nearly collapsed from the effort, but thankfully Tonks held him up as he recovered. He turned to Ollivander and spoke. "Mr. Ollivander, would you be willing to hide these around Diagon Alley? If I give them the command they will stay dormant and they can be hidden behind a false wall or under loose soil until the day they're needed. If Death Eaters attack Diagon again, they will awaken and defend the people. Or I might be able to return them to furniture."

Ollivander laughed. "I'll hide them, and I might give them some shirts as well. If they're as fast as living Lamia are reputed to be they might just prove very useful if the worst happens. One last thing Mr. Potter: Wands bond to their users over time as they are used. I recommend you cast as many spells before the first task as possible."

(*-*)

Unknown to Harry, Amelia Bones became terribly busy the moment she returned to her office. Her best investigators were sent to dig out all the pertinent files on the Black case, and the fact that they did not return immediately was telling. By the time Harry had picked up his new wand and returned to the castle, Amelia knew there was something wrong with the Black case. There didn't seem to have been a trial, and when she went over the evidence… Good god. If Pettigrew did indeed frame Black he could have done it with three or four spells that are actually taught at Hogwarts and his Animagus form. Hopefully Remus Lupin can give additional evidence to either corroborate or deny Potter's story. Her thoughts were interrupted by her secretary knocking on her door. "Madam Bones, Minister Fudge is here to see you."

"Let him in. I will be sealing my office for a time, no interruptions unless something truly important comes up." Amelia quickly pulled out a bottle of Firewhisky and two glasses. As soon as Fudge entered her office she sealed it with a few waves of her wand and gestured for the Minister to sit down while pushing a glass in front of him. "Minister, thank you for joining me on short notice. We have a problem at Hogwarts that I can confirm caused an international incident this morning. A Professor who Dumbledore has protected from censure for over a decade attacked a student with a curse dangerous enough that the school nurse sent her to St. Mungo's instead of treating her on site. Before you say anything, please understand I have Veritaserum-level testimony that the Professor has personally deceived you before, but I'm still verifying the claims made concerning that event. If not handled properly this incident and the other problems I've discovered could destroy the public's trust in the Ministry. I asked you here so we could plan our response, I also informed the press that we would give a short joint interview in an hour. Tonight I intend to arrest the Professor in question and dose him to the gills with Veritaserum, but I'm afraid Dumbledore may try to defend him."

While Fudge had many unfortunate qualities for a leader, he was politically astute enough to have risen to the top. "If a Professor attacked a student… That is worrying. I assume there is going to be significant fallout over what you have uncovered?"

Madam Bones threw back her head and laughed for a moment. "Oh yes Minister. Neither of us is going to end up clean I'm afraid but instead of letting the press tear us apart we can direct their attention to others much more guilty than us. You were obviously deceived and I only failed to review the actions of my predecessor. Others have subverted our justice system, played games with student's lives, and done even worse things. We both know I do not like you, but we both also know there are worse potential ministers waiting for your administration to show weakness. If you agree to work with me to see justice done I will minimize the blame and bad press you receive, do you agree?"

Fudge thought for a moment. Madam Bones had never become Minister simply because she was far too honest. Dealing with her was often aggravating, but she was one of the most trustworthy people in the building. "Agreed Madam Bones. I will accompany you to Hogwarts tonight as well, if a foreign student was harmed it seems important to reassure our visitors."

(*-*)

With his new wand in hand and his gold pouch lighter, Harry and Auror Tonks walked to the Leakey Cauldron, took the Floo to Hogsmeade, and when the sealed Hogwarts gates barred their way, entered the school via Firebolt. To Harry's surprise Tonks insisted on remaining close to Harry and explained as they entered the school and Harry led her towards the Defense classroom. She even transfigured her robes as they walked through the halls. "Madam Bones' instructions were to guard you until she personally told me otherwise. I'll try to stay out of your way until then."

Harry reached Moody's class a little less than halfway through the class period. Moody accepted his dire need of a new wand without issue, and the moment Tonks handed Professor Moody a small folded slip of paper that stated she'd been assigned bodyguard duty for the time being he nodded and vanished the paper. "We have a transfer student joining us, don't let her distract you. So you got a new wand, Mister Potter?"

Harry had just sat down next to Hermione, so in response he drew his wand out of the forearm sheath he'd bought at Patil Imports. Several of the nearby students oohed as the thirteen inches of glossy ebony wood and its colorful striations caught the light and seemed to gleam. "Yes sir. It has the same core as my last wand but Mr. Ollivander recommended I use it as much as possible before Saturday since the wand is new."

'Moody' gave a disturbing smile. "Well you're in luck then Mister Potter. Today we're learning the basic Shield Charm. I heard about your little study session with the stinging spells and I've decided to give it a try." A quick swish of Moody's wand and the desks moved to the edges of the room. "Listen up! Each of you is going to find a partner and stand fifteen feet away from them. You will each cast the basic Stinging Hex while attempting to maintain a Shield Charm. Because Malfoy is in the Hospital Wing until his bones heal, we have an odd number of students so Mister Potter will be paired with Misters Crabbe and Goyle today. Any student casting anything other than a Stinging Hex or Shield Charm will receive three weeks of the most unpleasant detention I can devise! Begin!"

Harry had cast a few easy spells as soon as he was back on the Hogwarts grounds and they had all worked well enough, even though his new wand felt stiff and sluggish. Moving across from Malfoy's bookends, Harry quickly raised the strongest shield he could and began casting as fast as possible. Neither of his opponents managed to get a strong shield up and simply began casting spells at Harry. As those spells splashed off his shield, Harry began replying in kind, pouring his frustration and intent to humiliate into his spells. Under the barrage of spells his own shield failed after a few moments and he resorted to dodging while he cast a new one. He lost himself in the exercise and didn't stop until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Harry almost spun and cast a spell at the Professor before catching himself. Taking a good look at his opponents, it was obvious Crabbe and Goyle would be heading to the infirmary after class, given they were covered in welts and obviously in pain.

With class dismissed Harry and Hermione with the addition of Tonks stole away to the nearest empty room. Tonks gladly helped the teens layer the room with privacy charms, and once they were secure Harry introduced Hermione to his temporary bodyguard. "Hermione, this is Auror Tonks. Tonks, this is Hermione Granger, my closest friend. She's been helping me prepare for the Tournament in a classroom we warded but I'm afraid we need to find another place; Snape was waiting outside our door this morning."

The three had some time before dinner so Harry drew his wand and began transfiguring one of the desks into various shapes to get comfortable with his new wand. Between the three of them layering privacy spells, including one particularly tricky Parseltongue incantation, no one was able to find them before dinner. By the time they left to eat, Harry's wand was beginning to feel familiar. Transfiguration was certainly easier to cast with it, as were Parseltongue spells. He hadn't tried out any truly destructive magic yet, but after listening to Hermione ask Dobby a few questions he supposed they might have a new space tonight. Hermione was surprised when Tonks didn't argue their desire to sleep outside Gryffindor Tower. "Hermione, I'm not your babysitter or moral guide. Obviously you two are just relieving the pressure of him being in a notoriously deadly tournament. I won't judge or tattle on your activities as long as you don't try to ditch me. Just do me a favor and use silencing charms if I'm still his bodyguard tonight, all right?"

When they reached the Great Hall for dinner the rumors about the day's events were flying like mad. A quick glance at the head table showed the three Headmasters arguing fiercely. Harry made a quick detour to the Ravenclaw table where he saw Fleur Delacour. He politely got her attention and asked quietly, but not so quietly that the nearest students couldn't hear. "The girl who was cursed, is she all right?"

Fleur was not exactly a fan of Harry Potter and was somewhat dismissive of him, but the events of this morning were clearly only the fault of the deranged professor. "Marcie was taken to St. Mungo's for treatment but our Headmistress announced she's expected to make a full recovery sometime next week."

After thanking the Beauxbatons champion, Harry had just sat down to eat when the Headmaster walked up behind him. "My boy, I'm afraid that you have compounded your punishment for your actions this morning by leaving the school grounds on your own."

Seething inwardly, Harry waited to take a bite of roasted potato and swallow before responding. "And what consequences have you decided for Snape?"

" Professor Snape, Harry. You owe him your respect and you are not entitled to knowledge of matters regarding the school's staff."

Taking a sip of water, Harry paused for a moment before continuing. "The fact that Snape is still a member of your staff is a problem, Dumbledore. The man is spiteful and revels in bullying students, and it isn't as if he's a useful professor either. His potions classes are dangerous and he does nothing besides place the instructions on the board and then stalk around, goading students into making mistakes. How can you ignore his actions today?"

Dumbledore fixed his face in a disappointed look and prepared to berate Harry once more, but Harry saw this and spoke up first. "And drop the whole fake 'disappointed grandfather' shite. Do you even realize that you're sheltering an unreformed Death Eater in a school?"

"Professor Snape was a spy in the enemy's ranks at great risk to himself. He has my full trust."

Harry paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully. Making sure to look the Headmaster in the eye, he enunciated each word carefully. "Then you have lost mine, Headmaster. I would prefer to have no further contact with someone who enables a man like Severus Snape."

Dumbledore replied with none of his usual cheer. "We will discuss your appalling lack of respect after dinner, Mister Potter. After the meal you will follow me to my office."

Harry shrugged. Dumbledore's behavior disgusted him, and as he turned back to his meal he was seriously thinking about other schooling options besides Hogwarts. Defending Snape was the last straw, despite its reputation Hogwarts had not been safe for him and a number of the Professors had actually attempted to murder him or erase his mind. Harry was surprised that no one had noticed Tonks, who was sitting to his left side wearing a transfigured robe with Gryffindor colors: Apparently she actually was that good at blending in. Hermione was sitting on his other side, and Harry knew she was torn between her loyalty to him and her blind devotion to authority figures. The ritual she had asked to take part in would gradually transfer that loyalty to him, and Harry swore he'd be more worthy of it than the Headmaster.

As the meal was reaching its end, Harry saw Hagrid leave the staff table in a rush. Harry had to fight to keep his expression neutral as a quick glance showed the Headmaster was perturbed. Twenty minutes after Hagrid left, he returned with ten Aurors, Madame Bones, Minister Fudge, and a dozen reporters and camermen. The Headmaster apparently assumed that they had heard about the incident from a healer at St. Mungo's. "Minister, Madam Bones, I assure you there is no need for Aurors or your intervention here. The accident this morning has been entirely resolved but for Mister Potter's punishment."

Those words stopped the group short. Madam Bones was the first to recover and she replied in a surprised tone of voice. "May I ask why you feel he needs to be censured? My information would refute that, so I would like to hear your reasoning."

"As you wish Amelia. Mister Potter disrespected a Professor, cast two dark curses at that Professor, refused to divulge the names of the curses so Professor Snape could be healed, and ignored an order to remain on the school grounds."

Surprisingly it was the Minister that spoke up. "Given the testimony collected by the DMLE, those actions are entirely reasonable. Is it true you attempted to make Mister Potter use a broken wand instead of insisting he acquire a replacement immediately?"

"There was no risk involved…"

One of the Aurors, whose name Harry had forgotten to ask for at Ollivander's, spoke up. "That is not the opinion of Garrick Ollivander. It is a widely known fact that once broken no known repairing spell can restore a wand. Do you claim a deeper knowledge of wandlore than the man who researched and proved the Three Supreme Wand Cores and is known worldwide as either the best wandcrafter alive or one of the best?"

Harry tried not to let his amusement show as the show went on. Dumbledore was forced to admit he did not know more about wands than Ollivander, though it seemed physically painful. With that point resolved, Amelia spoke up. "Where is Severus Snape? The Minister and I have both signed the order to bring him in for questioning for his actions this morning."

While Amelia might have been focused on the Headmaster, the Minister saw the open jubilation at three of the house tables and even on a few faces at the Slytherin table. Dumbledore spoke up again. "This morning's confrontation was simply a misunderstanding, there's no need to involve the DMLE. I'm sure we can clear this up in my office between us."

Many students who had been forced into Snape's potion's classes, who had complained and found nothing changed, began to argue the Headmaster's words. (To say nothing of Headmistress Maxime's quiet rage.) Snape was not a popular Professor. Eventually Dumbledore restored order with a cannon-blast charm. Into the resulting quiet, Minister Fudge spoke up. Thanks to his agreement with Amelia, he had some idea of the furor that would be coming in the next week and his political instincts demanded that he establish the correct tone for the coming storm. "I'm afraid your words are not enough. Severus Snape cast a spell damaging enough to leave a student bedridden for nearly a week. With the First Task on Saturday, that amounts to the attempted murder of Mister Potter. If he had not dodged that torture curse he would have been forced to compete while crippled or lose his magic in a most painful death."

Once again the room exploded with sound, and the reporters who had been standing quietly in the back were immensely glad the Prophet owned a pensieve. Still, they had dictation quills trained on the most important people and were jotting down notes as quickly as they could. One of them had already slunk off to the Hufflepuff table and was speaking to the seventh years to buy a memory of the altercation this morning. When Dumbledore tried to convince the Aurors that Snape was in no condition to be moved, three Aurors and their field medic moved to the Infirmary at Amelia's command. Dumbledore went with them to ensure there was no misconduct. Thanks to Snape's policies reducing the number of qualified Auror candidates on top of the way Albus Dumbledore had protected him from investigation for years, Severus Snape was not a popular man with the DMLE. There was a very real chance of Severus being injured 'resisting arrest' despite the fact that he was unconscious and bedridden.

While Minister Fudge moved to assure the visiting Heads that he would do everything he could to insure Snape left the castle, no matter how hard Dumbledore protected him, Harry stood and moved to a respectable distance away from Madam Bones. Harry was exceedingly nervous about this, his palms were sweaty and he had to take a deep breath before speaking. He tried to consider the possible consequences of his latest plan; it was brash and might end poorly, but in the end he owed Dumbledore nothing.The Headmaster had made it crystal clear, despite his mastery of the lovable grandfather persona, that he was not on Harry's side so Harry spoke up. "Madam Bones, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a question that might be important."

Deciding to humor the celebrity for appearances' sake if nothing else, Amelia bade him to speak. "Snape's introduction speech mentioned potions that ensnare the senses. Are there potions that can force loyalty where it hasn't been earned?"

Having a good idea where the boy was going with this, Amelia responded while pointedly not looking at the reporters. "Yes, but they're illegal to use in nearly all cases. Why do you ask?"

"From what I've been told, Headmaster Dumbledore led the fight against the wizard who murdered my parents. I imagine that he was being run ragged if he was doing that while running a school and whatever other commitments he had. If he had a private meeting with Snape, his supposed spy, when he was worn and tired, if his attention had slipped for just a moment, and Snape had used sleight of hand or a switching spell, or even some kind of gas, and gotten a trust potion into Dumbledore, then followed it up with stronger and stronger doses over time, would that explain the Headmaster's behavior? I don't know much about the magical world, but if a muggle teacher acted as Snape does they would be fired within a week."

Harry had again used a bit of magic to ensure the entire room could hear him. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, one of the reporters was running out of the hall in a rush to start working on the next day's Prophet. Every eye was on him, because there were precious few people who couldn't see Severus Snape doing just that. Amelia turned and locked eyes with Minister Fudge, and saw that the man knew they had just hit political pay dirt. "Mister Potter, your theory is…" She paused, drawing out her response to play to the audience; Harry's words would make it much more difficult for Dumbledore to protect Snape, no matter how many fingers he had in the Ministry. " entirely possible. Minister, to ensure justice is not derailed, do you think it would be wise to encourage Dumbledore to recuse himself from matters relating to Severus Snape? The years before and after the end of the war were certainly chaotic and confused enough for an unscrupulous man to pull something like this off. In fact, perhaps we should consider verifying old cases, even those considered closed, from that time?"

Seeing the line the Head of the DMLE was throwing him, Fudge latched onto it. "That would be prudent. Never let it be said that I would deny Britain Justice!"

Harry saw Hagrid had a particularly unpleasant expression on his face at the Minister's words, but thankfully the half-giant said nothing. If this was how they wanted to get Sirius off, so be it. With a polite bow and words of thanks, Harry returned to his seat and dug into his desert, if for no other reason than to calm his nerves. As the excitement bled away, Madam Bones cleared her throat, attracting attention yet again. When she spoke up, the students hung on her every word. "I have an announcement to make. When Mr. Potter made a criminal complaint against Severus Snape while being fitted for a new wand, he was under the effects of an enchanted object that does not permit any person to lie; an effect even stronger than Veritaserum.

"Based on testimony that he freely gave, Harry Potter has not been stealing potions ingredients. The two spells he used to defend himself against Severus Snape this morning were not Dark Magic, but a vertigo-inducing charm and a conjuration spell that he consciously ensured was not lethal; the Headmaster's claims of 'dark magic' were wrong. The headmaster was unfamiliar with the spells because Mr. Potter found them in a book of traditional Indian magic he received from Patil Imports in Diagon Alley. Harry also did not enter himself into the Tournament, but was given the choice to compete or die an agonizing death as the Goblet of Fire stole his magic. Given that Mr. Potter's involvement in the Tournament is probably an assassination attempt, the DMLE is considering assigning a bodyguard to protect his life outside the Tournament's three tasks for the duration of the school-year."

(*-*)

Predictably, Amelia's comments had flipped the school's opinion of him like a fat kid jumping on a see-saw. Dazed by the sudden reversal of his reputation, Harry excused himself as quickly as he could and escaped with Tonks and Hermione by his side. When Harry asked Professor McGonagall if he should still report to the Headmaster's office to receive his punishment for defending himself that morning, she had told him no. Given the terribly unhappy look on her face, he suspected she would be having an unpleasant conversation with the Headmaster in the near future.

Thanks to a tip from Dobby, the two students and Auror escort made their way to the seventh floor and a rather unusual portrait. Hermione took several tries, pacing back and forth, to get what she wanted but when they opened the door they found an antechamber with a comfortable twin bed, kitchenette, and full bathroom. Past that there was a hall that led to a practice arena on one side and an opulent bedroom with a king-sized bed connected to a rather opulent bathroom on the other. Once inside, Auror Tonks placed protective spells over the entrance and then made a quick sweep of the rest of the area. It only took her a few minutes to return. "Well, you two have a good night, I'll be here if you need me. In theory my spells should wake me if someone tries to enter, but could you add those protection spells from earlier Harry? And I assume you'll be practicing tonight?"

Harry nodded and drew his wand. After hissing out a few protective charms to help hide the entrance to the Room of Requirement, Harry replied. "Yes, no dangerous spells tonight, just working with my new wand. How long do you think you'll be stuck guarding me, Auror Tonks?"

Tonks shrugged her shoulders as her hair flickered between blue, green, orange and pink. "Probably until whoever is trying to kill you is caught, Madam Bones was very clear that I was to be your bodyguard until she ordered me otherwise in person. But don't worry about it, as long as you don't die on me this won't be the worst assignment I've had."

With that, Harry bade Tonks a good night and followed Hermione to their bedroom. The moment the bedroom's door closed behind them, Hermione stepped close to Harry and kissed him deeply. Harry was glad his best friend was initiating things tonight and was happy to reciprocate. While he truly could have spent all night with her, instead he limited himself to only one round of energetic lovemaking. After the Treasured Concubine Ritual Harry had gotten better at expelling magic through his hands, and as he hit his peak with Hermione nearing her second, he reached down and gently pushed a little of his magic into her, just above where his 'wand' was nestled. He didn't expect the resulting orgasm to be nearly as powerful as it was: Hermione arched her back, screamed, and then passed out. Pulling out and grabbing his actual wand, he cast a basic diagnostic spell and let out a sigh of relief when he found Hermione was simply sleeping. Not to self: use less power next time. I wonder if I should use that trick on Saturday? Hmm…

He gave Hermione a quick kiss on the forehead, cast a gentle cleaning spell on her to remove the accumulated sweat and other fluids, and pulled the blanket over her before leaving. Dressed in only a pair of loose pants he'd picked up earlier, Harry walked to the spellcasting range down the hall. This time he remembered to cast silencing charms, but he wasn't worried, assuming the two doors and the stone walls between his bed and the room where Tonks was keeping watch over the only entrance to this 'apartment' was enough to keep the sound out.

(*-*)

Nymphadora Tonks had, in fact, heard everything from Harry and Hermione's bout of lovemaking. It had sounded like fairly typical, if enthusiastic, teenage sex until Hermione's scream. A few moments later she heard footsteps, obviously Harry's, move down the hall to the training room. Oddly, there was no sound from spells being cast. Did they just forget to cast silencing spells in their bedroom or is one of them an exhibitionist? After a moment of thought, Nymphadora followed Harry into the training room, watching his spellwork and offering a few tips before she turned in an hour before he did.

(*-*)

Harry was tempted to spend the entire night casting spells to build the bond with his new wand, but turned in around midnight; with only two days left before the First Task, he wanted to ensure he was well rested. He wrote a note and slipped it under Tonks' door, informing her that Professor McGonagall had excused Hermione and himself from their first class that day so they would be staying in until their second class period tomorrow. When he slipped into bed, he smiled broadly, cuddling up to his beautiful nude concubine.

(*-*)

A/N: Harry Potter: "Don't you think she looks tired?"

Well, here's chapter three. Next chapter is the one you've all been waiting for and it's about 11k words. I'm also working on a number of other 'plot with porn' fics, not sure why my muse is leading me there instead of finishing up the last few chapters of Elune's Pebble, but it is what it is.

I have a ko-fi account at /tendragos if anyone wants to support me. I don't put my work behind paywalls, it's just a tip jar.