AN: Hello everyone, it's been a while since the last update. I hope you all are doing well and that your new year has been good thus far. I am still working on several things for the old chapters and looking to find a beta reader for this and the alternate version, if you know anyone interested do not hesitate to DM me. Back to the show shall we.
Harry sat quietly at dinner surrounded by their small group. Ginny and the Patils were discussing the homework she had been working on all day while the others were talking with Hermione, going over several plans for homework revision when they got upstairs. He, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had stayed out at the lake for several hours before returning to the castle where they were joined by the others for dinner.
"What did you have to tell us all?" Ginny said as she turned to him, excitement in her eyes.
He laughed as he remembered promising telling her that he would reveal their surprises once everyone was together again. She pouted as he shook his head at her antics.
"I will tell everyone when we are back in the quarters Ginny." He said with a sigh as he took a bite of his roast.
Harry watched as all of the others except Hermione turned their attention to him but again he shook his head, promising to tell them later. He could tell that their interest was piqued but he didn't want to discuss the Firebolts in the Great Hall. He saw Ginny turn with disappointment back to her dinner but knew that she would be glad she had waited later.
He saw Daphne watching him with a wary expression and smiled softly at her. "Is there something wrong Daphne?"
She shook her head. "I am not a big fan of surprises." She said quietly so that the others would not hear their conversation.
"I see, well it's nothing bad." He said, falling into conversation with her as they continued to eat.
"I would never think that of you." She said with a gentle smile as she returned to her dinner. "Though I would like a private word with you later."
He raised an eyebrow as she took a bite of her steak. "Should I be worried?"
She laughed and shook her head. "No, it's just something I wanted to discuss with you."
He nodded and let the matter drop as the others continued back into their previous discussion of homework. He felt a small twinge of regret as he realized he still had to work on an essay for Ancient Runes. He could feel Hermione in their bond as she turned her gaze toward him in their mental space, her intrigue piqued that he had not finished the essay yet.
I'll be working on it tonight. He promised her as he returned his attention to his plate. The others finished their dinner a few minutes later as he found that he was the only one left with a plate in front of him. Fighting with himself he realized that he wasn't as hungry as he thought and finally set his utensils down.
"Shall we head up?" He asked the group at large after a few moment.
The others all agreed and they began the walk back up to the quarters. Again they all fell into their own conversations as he listed to them with ease, talking with Daphne as they made their way up the grand staircase.
"How is your essay on Gertred's Law coming?" She asked him as she walked along with a smile.
"Still working on it." He said with a frown. "I am having a hard time translating some of the runes."
"If you need help, I would not mind aiding you at all." She said with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were getting the hand of Ancient Runes really well?"
He nodded and sighed. "I am, it's just there are a few things I am uncertain if I am translating correctly."
She nodded. "It can be hard to ensure that the full translation is every truly correct." She said and he could sense something in her tone.
"Are you having trouble with any of it?" He asked her, somewhat surprised at the idea that she would have issues, she was nearly as good as Hermione.
"Presently no, but the first few days were a bit difficult." She said with a grin. "I accidentally translated aelgor as elgor."
He chuckled, realizing this was his issue now. "Rottengarf's First Mistranslation." He said as Hermione caught up to them.
"Are you serious?" She asked with a stern expression that he could feel emanating through their bond. "How many times have I told you not to get the two mixed up Harry?"
He shrank slightly in her exasperation. "I forget." He said defensively. "It's not like I mean to."
She sighed as she stared at him and then smiled softly. "I know." She said and he could feel her relax in their shared space as well. "But please try to remember otherwise one of these days you are going to completely fail."
He laughed. "Not with you on my side." He said and she laughed.
"Correction Harry, not with us on your side." Daphne said as she too giggled at the banter. "Besides, I'm more worried about Potions than Runes."
Hermione and Daphne quickly fell into conversation over what she was having issues with. He let himself fall into his thoughts again as he wondered how he was going to grant Ginny's wish and reveal to the others their gifts, which reminded him that he still had not managed to get something for Alexandrine in lieu of a Firebolt. He could feel Hermione pressing her suggestion of a pet again and realized once more that this would be perfect.
They arrived at the Quarters just as the others fell silent, following him through the entrance as they all settled into the chairs and couches. As usual Hermione was closest to him, though Daphne had taken the seat to his left tonight. It was not uncommon for the girls to all rotate on who sat where with him, which he found both fascinating and daunting.
"Are you going to reveal the surprise now?" Ginny pouted causing him to laugh as he held up his hands in defeat.
"Alright, you win." He said with a deep breath. "When I learned that I would be marrying most of you I bought you each a present along with Ron and several other friends."
The others all looked at him with interest. "Normally I would not presume to know what each of you would like, but I know most of us have the same interests." He continued as he looked to each of them with a smile. "The only person I have not managed to get a present for is you Alexandrine, though I was not aware that you would be part of the family until the night you arrived."
She nodded with a gentle smile. "Eet eez quite alright 'Arry." She said as she looked to him.
"No, I do want to get you something but I just have not had the time." He said in return to her statement. "The rest of you I have ordered a broom for." He said as he decided to reveal the exact model in time.
"A broom?" Susan and the twins asked in unison, Daphne and Ginny staring at him in mute silence.
"Yes." He said with a grin. "I know most of you don't fly a lot, but I know that you Susan and Padma both love to fly when you can, as do you Daphne." He said, he had flown with them a few times on their own or school broom since they had moved into the quarters.
"What kind of broom?" Daphne asked with some suspicion. "I hope you didn't empty any of your vaults for us."
Harry shook his head and laughed. "No, the costs have long since been made up based on the last statements I received yesterday." He said, watching as her unease dissipated somewhat. "I got each of you a Firebolt, they should be arriving in the next few weeks along with my own."
He watched as their stunned expressions stared back at him and he laughed. "I also made a donation of seven to the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, they arrived this morning." He continued as he decided to reveal the full scope of his generosity the day he learned he was a Lord. "I also gifted a Firebolt to each of the Weasleys, Professor McGonagall, Katie Bell, Oliver Wood, Alicia Spinnet, Sirius, Professor Lupin and Hermione's Parents."
All of them stared at him as he watched them comprehend what he had just said. He could feel Hermione laughing in their shared space as she took in their reactions, her happiness and contentment ebbing into his own.
"Tha-that's a lot of Firebolts Harry." Daphne finally managed to splutter after several moments of shocked silence. "I-wow."
"Are you crazy?" Parvati asked, her big brown eyes watching him with awe.
Harry laughed and shook his head. "I didn't know if you all would like to fly when I first thought of the idea." He said with a sigh. "But having gotten to know you all I know that this was a good idea."
The others nodded as their shock began to wear off. "Harry, you already knew that I liked to fly." Ginny said as she unfolded herself from where she had settled with her legs pulled up into herself. "Why on earth did you get so many though?"
He smiled and shrugged. "Well I wanted to show that the 'fastest' broom doesn't mean anything without skill and I knew that the Gryffindor Team never gets anything such as a good donation." He said with a frown. "As for the individual bequests, I wanted to thank the team for everything that they have done for me as well as your family for all that they have done."
Ginny gave a low whistle. "The Twins are going to be over the moon, Mum and Dad won't know what to think."
"You're forgetting Charlie and Bill." Ron said as he reminded her of their older brothers. "They'll be through the roof with excitement, especially considering they have never actually met Harry."
Harry laughed. "I have not met them no." He said with a nod. "But they are like family to me and have been for a long time now just like the rest of your family was before I proposed to Ginny."
Ginny beamed and he saw her blush scarlet at his words. He smiled back at her and the group fell into easy banter again, though most of it regarded the Firebolts and the excitement was palpable.
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Harry sat quietly at the desk in his room working on the essay he had been trying to translate for Ancient Runes. The others had dispersed to their rooms about an hour after they had returned to the quarters and Ron had left to go play wizards chess with Neville in the Gryffindor Common Room. He stared blankly down at the parchment before until he heard the sound of his door opening and turned to see Daphne slipping in quietly as she closed the door behind her.
"Hey." He said, turning the chair around to face her.
"Hi." She said as she crossed the room to stand before him. "Do you have time to talk with me?"
He smiled softly, remembering that she had said something about wanting to talk in private. "Yes, what's up?"
She sighed and he could sense that there was something troubling her. "I...it's my sister, Astoria." She said with a frown as she looked down into his eyes.
"What about her?" He asked, wondering where this was coming from. They had spoken a few times about her in the past few weeks since they had all started living together.
She seemed to think for a moment, chewing her bottom lip with a worrying expression. "I know it's not my place to bring this to you." She said, letting out a heavy breath as she settled onto the foot of his bed to sit. "Ever since the night of the dinner things have been growing heavier on my mind."
He raised an eyebrow. "The dinner?" He asked, not quite sure which dinner she was referring to.
"Yes, the one where you met with all of your betrotheds parents." She said with determination in her eyes. "The night that Lord Malfoy forced you into the marriage with Alexandrine. Astoria is set to marry Draco once he has graduated in four years."
Harry nodded, remembering the blond git rubbing that in their face. "I remember him saying something to that effect."
She nodded and he could see the gears in her head working behind her eyes as she seemed to plan her next words. "Draco is not a nice boy, he is his Father in miniature and only going to get worse as he gets older." She said and he could see her inner battle as she fought with herself.
"I don't know much about Lucius." He said with a frown, moving over to the bed to sit beside her as he gently wrapped an arm comfortingly around her. "But I do know that it was him that set Slytherin's Basilisk on the school last year."
She huffed and leaned into his comforting embrace. "I-" She said as she turned to him and he could see the shock in her eyes. "I..."
He nodded and sighed as he let her compose herself. "Are you wanting me to say something to your Father?"
She looked at him and he could see the plea in her eyes. "I didn't know it was a Basilisk, let alone that he was in on it at all." She said as tears formed in her eyes. "I can't let Astoria be mixed into that family."
He nodded gently, reaching out to wipe away her tears. "I will see what I can do. How many generations does your family have before the Contract will become deadly?"
She let out a heavy, long sigh. "Five." She said, blinking away her tears as more formed. "But Daddy will want an expedient end to it if he can."
Harry nodded, remembering all to well what her Father had said when he explained why he would not allow the two of them to be free of their own Contract. It was both the blessing and the curse of not only being magical but also being, as she put it, part of High Society.
"Is there any other Contracts that she could fulfill?" He asked, then a sudden thought came to him. "Your Father is the last Male Greengrass is he not?"
She nodded. "Yes, Astoria is to name one of her sons or daughters as the next heir." She said with a frown. "This doesn't help her situation though, Daddy will expect her to fulfill the Contract regardless unless we can give him something to discourage it and let it pass to the next generations."
Harry nodded, thinking quickly before he grinned. "Dobby." He said as the thought came to him in a rush. "I know someone who can help us."
She blinked, "The Malfoy's House Elf?" She asked, surprising him that she knew of the small creature. "How is he going to help us?"
Harry chuckled. "I sort of set him free last year, well tricked Lucius into doing so anyway." He said as he remembered the night he and Ron had saved Ginny. "He came to try to warn me about the Chamber before the school year started during the summer holidays."
She blinked in confusion. "I thought that House Elves couldn't betray their Masters secrets?" She asked pointedly.
He laughed as he remembered Dobby's attempts to punish himself which had lead to his own imprisonment at the Dursley's. "Oh he had a very hard time telling me anything and it wasn't until the night that Ron and I saved Ginny from the Chamber that I learned who is Master was."
She stared at him blankly until he explained everything that had happened from Dobby's visit and his imprisonment by his Aunt and Uncle, to the many varied things that had happened the previous year. She listened intently as he spoke, her eyes growing larger as he spoke until he came to the events in Dumbledore's office and the hallway after.
"So, he was entrusted by the Dark Lord to watch over this Diary and place it in the hands of an innocent?" She asked as he watched her puzzle everything together. "Why was no one ever informed?"
Harry shrugged as he did not know the answer to that himself. "From what I know the Diary no longer worked after it was stabbed by the fangs, and it did seem that whatever had been in there had died." He said with a sigh. "I doubt that with the Diary destroyed anyone would have ever actually believed the story apart from those who knew what to look for."
She nodded at his explanation. "I guess, still..."
He smiled and gently kissed her cheek. "I will see if I can find a way to contact Dobby and we can present this to your Father to see if we can waylay his plans to marry Astoria to Draco."
She gave him a hopeful look as she threw her arms around him, pulling him into her in a tight hug. "Thank you." She said softly and he could feel her tears running down her cheek and past his down his neck.
"You're welcome." He said as he pulled back, looking directly into her eyes. "I will do anything for my family." He said softly.
She smiled as she stared back into his eyes and then leaned in to kiss him on the lips, her soft lips moving with his. After a few moments she broke away though did not break their connection as she continued to stare into his eyes as he did her.
"Well, I should go to bed." She said as she let out a low breath, something far more than her worries mixed in the exhale. "Good night Harry, good luck with your essay."
He smiled as he stood with her. "You can stay if you want." He said, indicating that she was welcome to spend the night with him if she wished. "I am pretty much done, I can finish it tomorrow."
She sighed as she fell into his arms again, letting herself wrap into his arms as he wrapped his own around her. "I would like that." She said into his chest.
He smiled softly down at her and bent his head to lightly kiss the top of hers. Together they crawled into the covers and she snuggled up to him, the first time he had ever had her come to him in this manner. Holding each other and nothing more the two of them settled and soon fell asleep.
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AN: Well, I hope that you all have enjoyed the chapter. I know quite a bit has been discussed and revealed in this chapter with new plans ahead. Don't forget to leave a comment and review if you are enjoying the chapter or if there is something that you notice needs to be addressed, your feedback helps to make the story better and let me know how you are enjoying the story overall. As I said in the beginning I am still looking for someone to help with editing the story and getting everything better, if you know anyone or are interested yourself do not hesitate to message me and we can discuss further in detail. See you next chapter.