Regarding Art
Harry stepped out of the floo.
"Lord Potter," said Luna's Dad with an unusual gravity.
"Mr. Lovegood?"
"She's painting in the upper dining room."
"Thank you."
He didn't say anything else, but kept staring.
"Is there something else?"
Mr. Lovegood swallowed but did not speak.
Was this hostility? Why would … "Where is Luna in the progression of Heirs for your family?"
"Of her generation, she's third heir, I wouldn't count on her ever inheriting anything."
"Except the genetics, personality, and education you've already given her," said Harry.
Mr. Lovegood thawed somewhat, "What do you want?"
"I wanted a hint whether, when the time comes, she'd be less offended to be offered a breed contract rather than something more traditional."
Mr. Lovegood looked thoughtful, maybe wistful, "She's not old enough, she might not ever be old enough."
Harry nodded, "That possibility concerns me also."
"Oh," said Mr. Lovegood.
"Last time I was here, she realised that I'd had an experience with a veela, and felt free to talk to me about her own experience."
Mr. Lovegood nodded.
"It was a lot for me to think about," said Harry, "and the fact that she's been so resilient so far, I've wondered if I'd judged her too harshly, I've wondered if …"
Mr. Lovegood raised an eyebrow.
"I've become willing to allow her … I've begun considering that like her play house, it might be ideal therapy, to let her seduce me, on her own terms, and to let her work through what sex can and should be, with a partner that can communicate with her in English."
Mr. Lovegood nodded, "That had occurred to me."
"Would you be willing to support such an undertaking, and/or is there additional instruction or advice you'd like to give me before I were to undertake anything of this nature?"
Mr. Lovegood sighed, "Don't work her too hard."
"What?" Harry flinched back half a step. Exactly what he'd said last time I visited. Perhaps I already had his blessing.
"I have trouble feeding her enough," said Mr. Lovegood, "she's not as big as I think she should be. Let her exercise enough to work up an appetite, don't wear her out completely." He shrugged, "If you can help it, she makes up her own mind."
"She does," agreed Harry, "It's part of what gives me hope that she's already old enough, she just hides it sometimes to be polite."
"I hope I don't need to remind you not to get her pregnant before she's of age."
Harry nodded, "And not until there is a contract in place regarding who is responsible for the children. And as you mention, not until … a healer says she's big and healthy enough to support a pregnancy."
Mr. Lovegood nodded, "Then you have my blessing."
"Thank you Mr. Lovegood."
.
The 'upper dining room' turned out to be a huge room, much bigger than the apparent width of the tower, about half the room was full of printing equipment, another quarter seemed to be a chemistry set designed for dishes bigger around than dinner plates. Followed by an art studio where Luna was working, then a library, and finally a row of filing cabinets and four desks with typewriters, obviously Mr. Lovegood's editorial office.
Luna was at an easel, surrounded by four books open to pictures of animals, and with several other sketches pinned up around her work area. She was working on a larger sketch. It was the painting he'd requested of Sher and his familiars nesting in a cosy-tiny library.
"Is this what you wanted?" she said.
"I won't have any idea until it has colours," he said, "I wanted it to be like your play house pictures, and that is, so I think, yes. I trust you to make it how it ought to be, or I would not have asked you for it."
She dimpled. But she'd frowned before that, so he hadn't said quite the right thing somewhere.
"What are the eyes half way up the wall?"
"Not on the wall, above the ladder. It's a demiguise returning a book he borrowed, sneaking so as not to wake them up."
"You?"
"Yes," she said, "I must have visited sometime, in order to have gotten a look, and been inspired to paint them."
Harry smiled, "That does make sense."
She spun to face him.
"What?"
"May I kiss you really hard, and then tell you to go away and let me work? Or would you be offended?"
"I would be very confused," said Harry, "I might be confused enough to be offended, unless you told me not to."
"I like to work alone," she said, "a lot of artists do, your models shouldn't talk to you while you're working, especially if you don't even need them to be models right now. I …" she sighed, "I don't want to tell you to go away because you aren't around enough. But I also don't want you to watch me painting you. You'll get to keep it when I'm done, just … don't watch. It would be different if it was a landscape or you were busy working on your own painting. Also my hands are covered in ink, maybe it should be you kissing me really hard, and then go away."
Harry took a step forward, and saw how much of her was covered in ink, and paused.
"I'm not sure if I should ask for a smock of my own before I kiss you," he said, "or if the safer route would be to take off my clothes."
She shook her head, "Sketching nude is for my playhouse, we're professionals here."
She smirked and he figured out that she was quoting her father, perhaps only on days that he was expecting assistants to come over and use some of those other typewriters.
"Fair enough," said Harry.
He leaned forward and touched their lips together. He pulled away.
She smirked and rolled her eyes, "Didn't I say, 'hard enough that you'd need to use your hands'?"
"You strongly implied it," agreed Harry, "But not quite clearly enough for a silly gryffindor to understand, I'm not always the best at riddles."
"Never mind that," she said, "Try again? Or stop watching me."
He tried again, there was even some tongue in it, when she didn't pull away at all, he let her have more. Her teeth closed on his tongue, not the grating bite that Susan might have given and wanted, but a hint that teeth could snuggle just as much as tongues could.
And she held her tongue near and against his in ways that reminded him of Gabrielle's hands.
And then she pulled back. And gave him a lazy smile, "That's as much as I wanted," she said, "is it as much as you wanted?"
"No, but it is enough to satisfy me," said Harry, "Are you sure you want me to leave, or would you prefer me to turn my back and work on my own sketches."
"You draw?"
"I err … weave tapestries," said Harry, "I was thinking about a bulldog for a shortcut to hufflepuff and a gibbon and demiguise for a shortcut to ravenclaw."
"Outside of Lion's-Keep," said Luna, "To outside of Ravenclaw, not shortcuts past the other wards."
"Agreed," said Harry.
She nodded, "You should add a Schnauzer in a green cape facing our bulldog in a yellow cape, add a Yorkie in red and another cat in green if you want."
Harry sighed, "Every colour of yarn makes the weaving arithmancy much more difficult."
She shrugged, "does it hurt it to embroider it in afterwards?"
Embroidery took a lot of stitches.
"Or quilt it on after?" he mused.
"Applique an actual cape onto the picture?" she grinned.
Harry blinked, the longer he imagined that, the more he liked it, "who's the schnauzer?"
Luna shrugged, "one of Hermione's allies. Ask Parvati about colouring, unless it's too much trouble, in which case just try to get Susan's colours right and let the schnauzer be whatever the simplest arithmancy dictates."
She turned away and picked up her whatever it was, it wasn't a quill. She turned back and glared at him.
"You haven't said whether you want me to go, or if you'd prefer I stayed and worked."
She frowned, then crossed to the library and pulled down a book, "pictures of dog breeds," she said and handed it to him, "go away."
"When do you want this back?"
"When the tapestry is done," she said.
"Which might not be until Christmas."
"That's fine," she said, "Go away." She stared at him, no longer breezy or impatient, now she was concerned, "you know I want you gone because I cannot paint as well with you watching, and giving you less than the best painting I can would not be proper love of you or of painting?"
Harry sighed, "I had no idea I was asking for anything so difficult."
She smiled, "I did, and I said 'yes' and it means, 'I love you' and it means, 'go away and be patient for your gift'."
"Yes, dear," he said, "Thank you for explaining."
She smiled and licked her lips.
He kissed her again, almost as hard as before, she leaned in without him using his hands, and then she pulled away, "What was that one for?"
"A clear lesson," he said.
"Lessons get kisses?" she said, "I shall remember."
"It was also goodbye for today," he said.
She nodded, "Good, thank you. Goodbye."
.
He went back downstairs, Mr. Lovegood was in a recliner, but hunched forward taking notes.
"Leaving already?" he said.
"She doesn't want me around at the moment, not watching, not modelling my animagus form, not working on my own art," he shrugged, "so she lent me a picture book and two kisses, and told me to go."
Mr. Lovegood nodded sagely.
"And so, I obey."
Mr. Lovegood gave a profound start.
"And you obey?" he said.
"She can hardly be said to have a relationship on her own terms if I don't," said Harry.
"Does she know what you want?"
"What I want doesn't come into the question of what she's ready for."
"And yet, you were just telling me that perhaps she's ready for much more than her peers, and she's masking that fact for everyone else's comfort."
Harry nodded, "True."
"And if you also mask your desires for her comfort, when is anyone going to get anywhere?"
"I told her I wanted a picture, and she's working on it so hard that she told me to go away," said Harry, "I'm afraid if I told her I wanted sex, she'd strip instantly."
Mr. Lovegood snorted, "She'll strip instantly for lesser invitations than that."
Harry shrugged, "I want an equal, with a healthy respect for themselves, and a willingness to protect their own boundaries, even from me. I don't want a slave."
"Then why the mark?"
"Because it was all the protection I could give her at the time."
Mr. Lovegood frowned, "and the mark on my cousin?"
"Which cousin?"
"I think you knew them by the nom de guerre of 'Rookwood'."
Harry blinked, "Damn, there was a family connection after all."
Mr. Lovegood raised an eyebrow, "Well? Are you satisfied, or are you going to claim the entire family?"
Harry frowned, "My purpose was to steal from and protect death eaters from you-know-who, not to enslave anyone. If he brings himself to my attention and promises not to help the dark lord, I'll remove my mark."
"You don't intend to claim the entire family then?"
Harry rubbed his forehead, "I cannot tell if you are disappointed or glad."
"Maybe both," said Mr. Lovegood, "disappointed and relieved, what do you want Luna for then?"
"She asked for my protection, and I am giving it to her. As soon after her seventeenth birthday as she requests I withdraw it, I shall."
"And what would you prefer, if it were up to you?"
"A world in which she didn't need protection seems too much to ask. So …" Harry opened his mouth, and then closed it again, "I'm afraid to mention anything for fear I shall find that you've instructed her exactly what to request."
"I am her father and a Ravenclaw, Lord Potter. I am not her head of house and a cousin so distant as to use her for a pawn to my ambitions."
"I want a mind healer for her," said Harry, "But not one that will turn her into just another average fourth year student, There is a spark and a creativity in her that I would not sacrifice, not even for my own comfort that she's growing up the way I might recognise as 'the way she should'. I have a very doubtful view of my own ability to recognise these things, after the way my muggle relatives tried to raise me."
"Do you really think such a mind healer exists?"
"I don't know," said Harry.
"You and Susan Bones are perhaps the closest thing that exists, wherever did you find her?"
"She brought herself to my attention," said Harry, "Did I mention that Regent Bones offered me a breed contract with her, and had to educate me a bit more about why a breed contract was as much as I ought to hope to receive from a dutiful Heir of a House, etc."
Mr. Lovegood nodded, "Then what do you want Luna for?"
"I told you, she requested protection, I gave it to her, until she rejects it, I have a duty to …" Harry shrugged.
"Raise her as a vassal of your house?"
Harry nodded, "at least so far as tuition and health care is concerned, and in her case, I think that does include sex tutoring, or rather, an outlet for her to determine for herself how much of her previous experience to learn from and how much to discard as not applicable to humans."
Mr. Lovegood nodded.
"You're her father and I expect you to veto anything that you don't think is appropriate."
"Do not get her a professional mind healer, the rest is fine."
Harry nodded, "Yes, sir."
"And I want you to think about whether anyone else in that school could be as accepting of her as you are, before you think too hard to dismiss her as soon as she is of age."
"Wha?"
Mr. Lovegood held up his hand, "I know you aren't a fast thinker, but you are insightful, eventually. So I want you to take a week to think about it."
"Yes, sir," said Harry.
"Also," said Mr. Lovegood, "As her personal head of house, you've got what amounts to veto rights on any marriage contract I could in theory negotiate for her, I'd like to hear any requirements you might have for such a document before I even begin to write one."
Harry nodded, "Is this something you'd want to design right away, or just wish you could have it already handy before OWL results come in?"
"Next summer seems early enough," agreed Mr. Lovegood, "so that it would already be handy the summer after."
Harry nodded, "alright, I'll meditate on that also, but I can tell you my first response is that I want it to be in her best interests, not a stepping stone towards your own personal power. Not that I have any doubts about that, or you and I would already have a much different relationship."
Mr. Lovegood nodded, "of course."
...-...
Tableaux revisited
As Sirius Black, Lord of Black climbed the stairs in his new 'Sister's' home he heard the clear ringing lilt of his favourite 'niece.' She seemed to be reading Arachne's translation of Homer's epic, specifically the daring and violent escapades of the young Ajax.
He'd come to inform everyone of his own news, but he could wait for the story to be finished.
Given that the last two times he'd seen Harry, Harry had been pranking the world with his impossible female form, Sirius was prepared for the sight of two witches. Given the time of day, and that the subject matter was Arachne's gentler retelling of bloody violence, a Black Family staple, he wasn't especially surprised to find the witches were already dressed for bed.
He was however surprised by several of the details.
1) Bellatrix, arm in sling, reclining across the floor with her head in Harry's lap, while he bent over her, doing something intricate with her hair.
2) She was wearing some ironic depiction of a sacrificial shift made from muggle clothes. Also her wand holsters were around her shins instead of her forearms.
3) Harry seemed in fact to be male at the moment, but still wore the leather chemise he'd been wearing when he let himself as 'Leona' be confined to bed for magical exhaustion.
4) He had herbs woven into his braids.
5) He was kneeling close enough to his cousin Nymphadora, that she could and did rub his shoulder or run her fingers along the portions of his scalp exposed by his braids.
The fact barely registered that all three of them sported two wand holsters and the imprint of a knife sheath which had been removed for the night. That was just par for the course, and was to be expected for bedtime stories.
Rather than interrupt, he merely moved to the obvious arm chair and put his feet up to wait for the end of the story.
They each acknowledged him with an eye flick and resumed their previous ministrations and/or listening postures until the inevitable demise of the hero, and then were silent for a few moments.
"Well," said Nymphadora finally.
"So, what have we learned?" said Bellatrix, an echo of her father, Uncle Cygnus (Cygnus Black, Third of that name, etc.).
"It's convenient to have the strength that comes from having a titan for a grandparent," suggested Nymphadora, flexing an arm and having it puff up with extra muscles for a few seconds.
"I was thinking about having a shield, or wards in general constructed seven layers deep," yawned Harry, "But … I don't know, he made much more sense than most of the others."
Bellatrix smirked, "because he fought defensively, which is your style."
"Oh," said Harry and frowned, "I suppose that's true, you think it carries over to similarities in other modes of thought."
"Probably," said Bellatrix, "not that that is properly captured and transmitted by the poets and translators between then and now."
"Huh," said Harry.
She looked at Sirius, as if daring him to offer better insight. He could probably summon up lots of insights into Homer's tales. Not that half of them were particularly useful if one didn't dabble in the affairs of spited goddesses … or witches … but, he couldn't match her insight into Harry Potter, and he knew it, and that was in fact awful, but not something he could remedy quickly.
Which made it annoyingly obvious that he could have been capitalising on her time of absence to catch up to her in terms of his affections or whatever.
Except he hadn't been prioritising that at all.
Idiotically he'd been concentrating on the Head of House responsibilities that he had been trained how to accomplish, and hadn't taken a good look at the fact that there were plenty of parent responsibilities that he did know how to fulfil, mostly because he'd been so blinded by the glaring deficiencies in his picture of parenthood, because of what his parents had done wrong. He hadn't taken a good look at what his parents had done right, or at least so similarly to what his adoptive parents had done, as to be indistinguishable.
He hadn't taken a good look at what Harry might need.
Harry seemed to be fifteen going on twenty at least, damn it, he didn't need any of it. Except … how much of that was the mask of professionalism he showed the world, and Sirius had never sufficiently gained his trust to be allowed to see … what he was seeing now.
An orphan starving for affection, and ready to be invited to share his insight into the world, so that, if need be it, could be analysed and tempered with counter examples, or just re-enforced or dismissed merely by having been stated aloud.
"What do you think, Uncle Sirius?" said Nymphadora.
"Well," said Sirius, "It's been a while since I've heard the very beginning, but my memory is … I always thought, (up until his last temper tantrum that is), that he represented a strategic ideal between the Black hotheadedness, and the Longbottom sense of cold vengeance. He wasn't portrayed as being interested in offensive actions or revenge. But he would defend both his friends and followers, and even their ships. I think there is a time and a place for revenge, or perhaps merely punishment meted out by an individual or faction, such that a society without law, or a society where a fraction of its members are above the law, such as a peerage or monarch. Conversely, war is not a place for revenge. Every action should be gauged based on opportunity and efficacy, not on whether it feels good to your sense of outrage."
Bellatrix was smirking at him, she might even be chortling. Which he deserved. She seemed to be doing so silently though, which had to count for something.
Harry was also giving him an ironic eyebrow, so … just how much does Harry know about my past?
"Not that I'm a paragon of war strategy, or well considered tactics myself, you understand," amended Sirius.
Harry nodded, "Lord Malfoy said your fighting style was … rather restrained for a Black, and I took the implication that auror training had been helpful."
That was rather insightful actually. Sirius did remember the other trainees handing him his arse several times until he'd learned not to overextend himself, basically until he'd gotten the point that unlike in school, he could no longer count on being the most dangerous person on the piste, with the occasional exception of Bellatrix, James, Andromeda, and (when her temper was up enough for her to raise her wand rather than her voice), Molly.
How much of that insight was Harry and how much of that had been 'Lord Malfoy'?
Sirius conceded that with a shrug, "Yes, it was helpful, but Aurors are trained to be law enforcement. War, again is different. But either way: calm, fast, consideration can help you keep your priorities straight, your alertness wide, and your focus present and tight."
Harry narrowed his eyes, then nodded.
Sirius smiled, and held out his hand, "One more?"
Nymphadora smirked and levitated him the book.
Achilles was next, of course Achilles was next.
.
In the end he did not explain his news, that the Black townhouse on Grimmauld Place was again habitable and receiving guests. And 'would Harry care to join him there?' Instead he returned downstairs and finagled enough intelligence from Andromeda to end up with a standing invitation to visit any evening before or after Tea and stay (when he so chose) long enough to 'tuck Harry in.' Though no one of Black heritage would deign to call it that in polite conversation, nor imply that any of their own had ever needed such a thing.
It was an invitation he fully intended to capitalise on, at least until September 1st.
...-...
Shopping
After his letter came, Tonks condescended to take Harry shopping. She was, to put it mildly, nonplussed to see how much yarn and leather he was buying. But when he explained that he intended to make two secret passageway tapestries, she agreed that it might be the appropriate amount.
As planned they ran into Hermione at the bookstore. Unexpectedly they also ran into Susan and the Patills as they approached Fortescue's.
Mr. Patil took one look at Harry, and asked how many were in his party. Harry looked around and said, "technically two, but Hermione, and Her Mom, and Susan and her friends and auror escorts are all welcome to sit with us."
He nodded and went inside, a moment later Mr. Fortescue appeared and said, "Patil, party of twelve."
So they went inside to the party room.
And somehow Mr. Patil and Harry ended up at a small table by themselves.
"Alright, Mr. Patil," said Harry, "you have my attention."
"I think, that was my line," said Mr. Patil.
"I don't understand."
"What are your intentions towards my daughters?"
"Padma requested my aid attaining the prefect's badge. Parvati requested my aid pre-reading for the animagus seminar."
He nodded, "And you work fast, as both of those things are already accomplished."
Harry blinked and realised that he did not have a prefect's badge. Interesting.
Harry sighed, "Padma … has hinted that she'd be interested in a breeding contract of some sort, but beyond the breeding rights she's been very vague about what else she wants, only hints about it being tied to other family alliances and things. Which I thought was meant to be off-putting or teasing, until I actually saw a breeding contract, and now I see why it might fit her personality and her family situation, as well as mine. And more recently I've heard about what family alliances even are, when they are not related to arranged marriages."
"Oh?"
"Just a minute," "Susan!" He waved her over.
"What Harry?"
"Would you mind if I showed Mr. Patil our breeding contract?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"As an example of it's class, not as necessarily a template to be copied."
"He's Parvati and Padma's head of house?"
"The head of their family at least," said Harry.
"Ah," she said, "Sure, why not."
Harry pulled a messenger tube from his satchel and opened it.
"That was all I needed, Susan, you don't have to hang around if you don't want to."
She gave him a funny look and wandered away.
Mr. Patil took several minutes to read it.
"This is already signed," he said "You're fifteen?"
"Yes, Susan and I are fifteen."
"And you … and there is not anything you'd prefer to be different about this?"
"I wish the second sentence in paragraph three said, 'unmarried witch,' instead of just 'witch,' that would give Susan or I or both an out by her getting married, one assumes after she's presented her family with an heir or two."
"Yes, I see."
"But there are other methods to end each of the various sections, should we wish."
"And the rest of it?"
"The child custody portion is unusual, because it lets her family keep all the children we produce, Each of us getting alternating children is more common. And likewise, I demanded a lot more input in raising the children than is commonly allowed to a father who is nominally renouncing or being forced to renounce all contact and responsibility for them."
He re-read that portion, "Yes, I see." He said, and re-rolled the parchment and slid it back into its tube.
"And why would they demand all the children?"
"The Bones are a small family in a large house, but most if not all the living members remember when it was a much larger family, in a large house, they are under pressure to once again become a large family."
"And why do you not demand more of the children?"
"Because although my house and family date back many generations, at the moment I am the only member … only free member of my house. I'm not in a good position to bargain for more, an alliance with a strong house is worth almost as much to me as knowing that any children they get from me will be well protected."
"You have slaves?"
Harry shook his head, "I have vassals which it is my responsibility to protect, which I wouldn't mind if they all become ally families by the next generation, but that is not entirely up to me."
"Ah," said Mr. Patil, "and that brings us to my next question: What do you mean by a family alliance?"
"Depending on where in Europe you are, families sometimes come together to create alliances one of the … nominally more enduring forms is the 'house' or clan, some have explicit or implied breed contracts, some don't. Often the point is to share the tasks involved with raising and protecting the children, and sometimes providing for the clan. There are house alliances that from the outside look like a corporation, or look like a collective farm, there are others that look more like banks or shell corporations that exist for financing the ventures of the member families. Or real estate management corporations that provide services and venues for such ventures. Others look like small villages, perhaps all of the help and features of the others, and none of the contracts set in stone so to speak."
"And are you offering such an alliance?"
Harry sighed, "I'd be glad to, but … you should consider your options, and your daughter's desires, my house might not be the best fit."
"Do you have others you'd recommend?"
"Hermione is researching about starting one from scratch. And I happen to like what I saw the at Bones farms and those of their allies."
He nodded, "You've given me a lot to think about."
Harry shrugged and nodded, "It's a big topic."
He nodded, "And what do you want?"
"Hmm?"
"You've showed me what you suspect Padma wants." He said, "What do you want?"
"A big strong house," said Harry, "a safe place to raise children, and lots of children to raise."
"Hmm," said Mr. Patil.
"Lots of friends and allies to help me with raising them and protecting them."
Mr. Patil frowned, "Am I correct in interpreting that even more than raising children, you wish to raise families?"
Harry stared, and realised that was what he meant, that was what he wanted, it had been what he'd seen in The Mirror of Erised, he just hadn't understood enough at the time to see more than individuals. But it was what he wanted. It was what he desired.
"Yes." he croaked around a sudden lump in his throat, "Exactly."
"How old are you?" said Mr. Patil.
"Fifteen," said Harry.
"No," said Mr. Patil, "I meant, how many lifetimes can you remember?"
Harry sat up straight, what did Mr. Patil know about the Leonas already?
Or was there something to Luna's dreams of other lifetimes idea. Was there some underlying truth to it that he'd know about if he wasn't muggle raised?
"Only one, while I am awake," said Harry.
"Yes, well," said Mr. Patil, and looked only mildly disappointed. He looked away for a few seconds, when he looked back he asked, "So I should also speak with Hermione about her views on house alliances?"
"Family alliances, constitutions of houses, whatever, yes."
"Alright."
"And I'd feel happiest if I knew you were also speaking with your daughters about what they wanted in life."
Mr. Patil raised an eyebrow, "Yes, well."
"I'm serious," said Harry, "Hermione or I might offer you a most advantageous alliance, that might not fit."
"Like offering a king's ransom in 'battle robes' to a lawyer?"
Harry smiled sheepishly. "For example," said Harry, "yes."
Mr. Patil narrowed his eyes, "and would your vision of a large 'house' include both my daughters?"
"I would like it if it did," said Harry.
"Perhaps one as Head of a Patil family, and one as your wife."
"For example," said Harry, "I would like that very much."
"And if I told you that Padma doesn't actually wish to put any time into bearing heirs, she'd merely do her duty, and go back to her studies."
"I'd believe it," said Harry, "pregnancy seems very time consuming, especially if the related safety concerns block one from one's favourite avenues of research. And I suspect 'research' is a more likely word regarding Padma than 'studies'."
He narrowed his eyes, "and Parvati?"
"Even more so," said Harry.
Mr. Patil tapped the messenger tube between them, "and if either one of them objected to this being in existence?"
"I doubt they would," said Harry, "They would understand why it keeps me safer, and gives me more leverage regarding keeping them safe."
"Safe from what?"
"Other houses," said Harry, "Active and violent enemies of the house system."
Mr. Patil nodded, "and if I am an enemy of the house system?"
"I was also until a couple months ago," said Harry, "Though I was never planning to be violent about it."
Mr. Patil nodded, "Yes, well."
"I will talk to Hermione, and my daughters," he said, he tapped the tube, "This is what Padma thinks she wants?"
Harry nodded.
"A marriage contract is what Parvati thinks she wants?"
Harry nodded.
"And would you accept either or both?"
"I would," said Harry.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"What combination would please you least?"
"A marriage to Parvati, and nothing at all to protect Padma, and the fear that someday I might wake up to find myself facing her across a battlefield or a courtroom."
Mr. Patil stared, "You fear her enough to … want her securely on your side?"
"Securely on my side or on the side of my close allies."
Mr. Patil smirked, "again I register my doubts as to your age. You are too cunning and to paranoid to be living your first lifetime."
Harry smiled, "I have fought more battles and solved more intrigue than is normal for anyone my age, but thank you for the compliment."
Now Mr. Patil's smile was genuine, "Go, find your dessert, you've earned it."
"Earned it?" said Harry.
"To wear the mask of childhood for a few minutes at least."
"Oh," smiled Harry, "yes, I suppose I should."
.
When Harry had his food he went and sat beside Hermione. When the conversation lulled, he leaned in and called, "Padma, Parvati, pop quiz, you too Hermione:" said Harry, "Favourite herb, aromatic spice, or potions ingredient, that is not a skin irritant and has stable transfiguration runes."
"There's not that many potions you can use transfigured ingredients for," said Padma.
"That isn't the point," said Harry.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "What's this for?"
"Christmas present," he said.
"Something more sensible than the last one?"
"Yes."
She shrugged, "How long do I have, to decide?"
"Months," he said, "to decide and find futhark runes, or help me translate my futhark for transfiguration, into whatever language you do have transfiguration runes."
Parvati's face cleared, "is it alright to be something not quite bland like khae pa or tui."
Padma's eyes lit up, "Oh, yes, tui for me also."
"Yes, actually slightly blander smells are better than extremely potent ones like vanilla."
"Definitely, tui then."
"What is it?" said Hermione
"Tree flowers for sauteing," said Parvati, "kind of sweet and fruity, but not overpowering, you might think of it like cooked salad only more red."
Harry nodded, "now all I need is runes."
"Alright," said Padma, "I'll try to find out."
"Thanks."
"Is he always so mysterious, and I'd just forgotten," said Parvati.
"No," said Susan, "Just when he's trying to keep your Christmas present a surprise. Also, I already figured out what it's going to be."
Parvati squealed very slightly, "What is it?"
"Something boring and very hufflepuff," said Susan, "yet kind of sweet."
"You're being redundant," said Hermione, "hufflepuff's are by definition sweet."
"No, we're not," said Susan, "loyal and hard working are not at all in the same dimension as sweet."
"Hmm," said Hermione.
"Also, I can be redundant if I want."
"Doubtless," said Padma, "Hermione have you picked something?"
She shrugged, "I'll probably just find a transfiguring potions ingredients table in the runes classroom and flip a sickles until it gives me one I don't mind."
"That hair oil I lent you for the ball, that had tui in it, among other things."
"Hmm," said Hermione, "oregano?"
Harry nodded, "Certainly, but feel free to take a look through the runes book anyway to see if there's something you like better, also I'm serious about not an irritant, a lot of spices are."
He turned his eyes to Tonks.
"Wild orange blossom," she said, "and I don't need another scented keepsake box."
"This will not be a keepsake box," said Harry, "scented or otherwise."
Susan smirked and wandered away.
...-...
Memories of Delores Umbridge
"Lord Richard, Lady Nimrodina," Sirius singsonged, grinning impishly, "I've got a memory to show you."
"Oh, dear," said Harry, "what now?"
"Come along," said Sirius, "Pensive is in the library."
.
Using the pensive was an experience all by itself.
The memory they viewed on the other hand, took place in a hallway in the ministry, and showed Lucius Malfoy congratulating a short toad faced woman about her 'lucrative new position'. And carefully veiled hints about 'helping allies' and 'disposing of government surplus' (and the possibility of great profit, personal and public, of course, etc.)
The woman in ghastly pink was taken aback and tried to be offended, without being impolite to Lord Malfoy.
But somehow Lord Malfoy made it seem like, it was after all her job as the economic liaison for the Ministry and Great Britain. He just hoped, she'd 'keep in touch' and of course, that her new 'position' could provide great 'mutual benefit' to her 'allies' and he hoped she saw him as one of those.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
.
"What?" Harry exclaimed when he came out of the pensive.
"Very nice," said Bellatrix, "I'm surprised you got all that arranged without my help."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "I had 'help' from Mad-Eye and Snivelus. But the rumour campaign was all Molly and I."
"Would one of you please explain how all of that connects?"
Sirius grinned, "Extensive rumours suggest that she was implicated in the misappropriation of an unknown number of dementors, and that she's being assigned to liaise with our strictest trading partner bordering one of the largest and most infamous black market areas of the world."
"Alright…" said Harry.
"So everyone knows either that: she's going to keep smuggling, and get caught, and punished by the Kazakhs so that we don't have to. Or she's specifically been tapped for this position because we have strategic need to have a smuggler in place. Of course, this breaks down if everyone knows she's a smuggler, which they do, thanks to our rumours. Or she's been tapped for this, because she was caught smuggling and recruited specifically to help our very strict allies to crack down on black market activity even more strongly. It takes a smuggler to catch a smuggler, don't you know."
"Oh, Merlin!" said Harry.
Sirius smirked proudly.
"So, how permanent is this transfer?"
Sirius shrugged, "Mad-Eye and I have informants," Sirius shrugged, "if he catches wind, he'll try to make sure she stays gone, If I catch wind of her trying to come back, I'm going to make sure she gets caught smuggling something."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Sounds … risky."
Sirius smiled, "Don't worry about me, there's no laws there about … donations to law enforcement officials, especially not donations from other ally law enforcement officials."
Harry blinked.
Bellatrix shivered, He's right, don't worry about him, he's a professional.
Professional what?
Professional plotter.
Well, yes, he's been doing that all his life…
"Um," said Harry, "May I watch that again?"
Sirius grinned, "Yes, you may even have a copy, to savour in all its nuance."
.
When he came out of the memory again he was smirking.
"You know," said Bellatrix, "What might be safer than having her caught smuggling, is having her blamed for all the smuggling that manages to happen under her nose."
"Hmm," said Sirius.
"Because obviously, as an accomplished smuggler herself," said Bellatrix, "she ought to have seen through their operations, and since she did not 'catch' them, surely she's in on it somehow."
"Nice!" said Sirius, "I'll keep that in mind."
Bellatrix shrugged, "Not saying my plan is foolproof, only that under the right circumstances, it could be implemented with rumours only, no risk of you getting caught with goods half moved. I'd say keep your original plans for backup."
Sirius nodded.
...-...
Train
Harry had barely found a compartment and sat down, when Ginny and Luna found him and bracketed him.
"What're you working on?" said Ginny.
"What does it look like?" said Harry.
"Arithmancy," said Ginny, "That's familiar … is it … weaving maths?"
"Yes."
"Good," said Ginny, and peered closer.
"Can you read it?"
"Should be able to," she said, "you're using more colours than I've tried, but it shouldn't be too hard." She traced her finger around the page until she reached the final grid, "something golden brown, in a blue background, not a fish."
"How do you figure?"
"It's got feet not fins," she said.
"Just feet?" he said.
She ran her fingers to the numbers and stared at them for a minute, "hands then, is it monkeys? Oh, the brown is here and the black is here."
Harry put down his work and looked at her, "Where have you been the last month?"
"A safe house in the Abbot's estate, waiting for Dad and Bill to rebuild our wards."
"Merlin!" said Harry.
"Why?" said Ginny.
"Go ahead and kiss her," sighed Luna, "you both want to."
"Luna!" said Ginny.
Harry sighed, "Can you really help me with this?"
"What is 'this'?"
Harry flipped several pages back in his copy book, to a sketch of a monkey and a set of eyes in a tree casting two monkey shadows onto the tree trunk.
She frowned at it, "Why monkeys?"
"Padma and Luna's animagus forms."
"Oh," she said, "and," she flipped two pages over, squinted then nodded, "shortcut tapestry to ravenclaw?"
"Yes."
"And they teach us how to do two colour math for runes, and mention that more colours are possible, not how to solve the maths?"
"Yes."
She nodded, "I did three colour math to prove I could, and then ignored both, Bill was pretty adamant that engraving on leather or stone or inlay in wood or stone are the only way to do real projects."
Harry shrugged, "I almost did this as a quilt project with a rune leather back."
"Why didn't you?" she said, "you could be done already."
"Because," said Harry, "If I did, I wouldn't want to leave it unattended where anyone could adjust the runes."
She frowned, "you could put the runes on the inside of the quilt."
Harry blinked, "That's an interesting solution."
She shrugged, "Seems obvious to me, once you're willing to go so far as make your 'tapestry' look like a quilt."
"I'm not yet willing to go that far," said Harry, "though perhaps I would have been if I'd thought of it earlier."
"Why?"
"Because it seems like I'm almost done."
She looked again, "you are almost done," she agreed.
"Do you want to help me solve the rest?"
"Not until I see how you manage so many colours."
Harry shrugged.
"I'll help you run the loom," she said, "the hours of weaving requirements are heavy this year, before we can nominally start working on wood."
"True," said Harry, "and yes, I do test all my runes on parchment before I even try to solve a weaving diagram to create them."
"Well obviously," she said.
.
...-...
Sounding things out
"Johnson, may I speak with you?"
She looked up from her lunch, "What's up Potter, I'll be seeing you Saturday, right?"
"Probably not."
Angelina glared.
"That's what I wanted to go over with you."
"How so?"
"It might be nothing, it might be better if we discuss it in private, either way you deserve to know that it is in the works."
"In private?" singsonged Katie, "Sounds creepy,"
"Shut up," said Angelina.
said Katie, "You should totally investigate this."
"Oh, stop," said Angelina.
"Uncover what it's all about," said Katie.
"You're as bad as the twins."
"I'm better at this than them," said Katie and stuck her nose in the air.
Angelina huffed and stood, "Come on then Potter," and led the way out and down the corridor until they got to an armour alcove big enough to anchor privacy charms.
"What's up? Why won't you be at tryouts?"
"I'll come if you want, but …
She waited for most of a minute, so did he, finally he said, "Let me start over, the way I see it you have two options: either I don't show up and you pick whoever is second best. And train them to be best, as best you can. Or you promise me, that if I do show up, you don't just pick me. You also bring on whoever is second best, and I train them to be my replacement, by second game at the latest."
"Oh, ugh," she said, "Why?"
"OWL year," said Harry, "Which is significantly more important to me than quidditch, since I don't plan to play professionally, and a little mooncalf tells me that there are a number of gryffindors who would like to play professionally, and I might should give them a chance to be discovered."
Angelina nodded, "That's big of you, but… all of us will get a better chance to be spotted if we win."
"All of you will have a better chance to be spotted when games last longer than 15 minutes."
"Potter," said Angelina, "They say pride goes before a fall."
"All the more reason for you to find someone who isn't complacent."
She winced.
"So, I guess you do have one more choice," said Harry, "I show up to tryouts, with the expectation that you'll help me pick my understudy, and then you don't. And then I don't show up to practices, only games."
She winced differently, "You're lucky you're a seeker and that's an option."
"No," said Harry, "You are lucky I'm a seeker and it's an option."
"You're really serious about this?"
Harry nodded.
"And this isn't about not getting picked for team captain?"
Harry's eyebrows went up.
"I … had vague ideas I might be prefect, no expectation that I might be team captain. You have seniority."
Angelina nodded, "I'm fairly sure you were not prefect because I was supposed to groom you or Katie or both for captain next year and/or the year after."
Harry nodded, "McGonagall suddenly makes a lot more sense."
"So you'll stay?" said Angelina, "I could probably drop the right hints at the right times and make you captain next year."
Harry shook his head, "Now I'm doubly sure I should quit now before anyone gets attached to that idea."
Angelina winced, "You still want to quit?"
"Definitely," said Harry.
"I don't get you," said Angelina, "You really are serious."
"Deadly serious," said Harry.
"What? Why?"
Harry tilted his head to look at her, "OWL year, plus second year of Survey of Magical Law, plus you-know-who is back so I'd rather spend every spare moment studying defence and wards, and I still have about two months of books I'd like to have read before the animagus seminar starts next month."
Angelina raised an eyebrow, "I remember that there were rumours to the effect that you could pass your defence OWL last year."
Harry shrugged, "If the rumours say that I could pass my defence NEWTs by the end of this year, it will barely satisfy me."
"Hell," said Angelina, "You really do believe that you-know-who is back."
"No doubt in my mind," said Harry.
She blinked, then nodded, "so that leaves … I never pegged you for the animagus type."
"You didn't?" said Harry, "How exactly are you differentiating 'the animagus type'?"
She opened and closed her mouth several times, looking annoyed and … sour. Finally she said, "Your friends Ron and Susan."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "So dog animagi specifically?"
Her eyes and mouth popped wide open, after two seconds, she said, "Oh."
"I'm not sure whether to reassure you that I am not a dog, so your categorisation is not entirely broken, or whether to point out that there are more animals in the world than dogs, and in theory there is an animal for each of us. There is not one 'animagus type' there's thousands, depending on how you count, maybe millions."
"Fine," she said, "Whatever." She crossed her arms and glared at a spot on the far wall, "Yes, Please show up Saturday, and help me pick out your protegee, And yes, I'll give you the thing you didn't ask for, free reign, within reason, training your replacement."
"Ah," said Harry, "Thanks."
She sighed.
"How prepared are you if I'm … not at the top of my game, as a teacher, until after the animagus seminar?"
"As a new teacher?" she said and shrugged, "I'll understand completely if it takes you a few weeks to get your wits about you," she frowned and turned her glare directly on him, "as a quidditch player, I expect you to have your mind entirely focused on what you're doing before you leave the ground. Brooms are dangerous."
"Flying is dangerous," he agreed, "I won't daydream on a full pitch."
"Or a practice pitch either,"
"Right," Harry nodded.
She nodded, "Fine. Are we done here?"
"Yes."
"I'll see you Saturday."
Harry nodded, "I'll be there."
.
"What the hell did she want?" said Ginny. As she and Luna bracketed him, apparently intent on walking him to the tower, except he was headed to Defence next, as it wasn't the end of his school day yet. But the first two hallways would be the same regardless.
"How would you like to be seeker this year?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because last year's seeker just threatened to quit coming to practices if she didn't find him an understudy to train."
"Um," said Ginny, "Thanks, but why?"
"Because I have better things to be doing with my time, than chasing a snitch all by my lonesome, if there's an opponent to compete against, or a friend to train," Harry shrugged, "then I could either improve, or at least know I was helping someone else improve. Otherwise there's no point."
Ginny stared at him.
Luna purred and stroked his arm, "my favourite lion is sooo slytherin."
"Thank you Luna, I had to take lessons, it's nice that they're finally good for something."
Ginny blinked at him, then at Luna.
"Now what?" said Ginny.
"Now you teach him your favourite defence spells before he gets a chance to learn them in defence tomorrow, indebting him to you so he'll have to give you kisses, and letting him show off to Tonks, so that she'll give him kisses."
"Merlin Luna," said Harry, "I'm right here."
"I know," said Luna, "I'm still holding on to you."
"Also," said Harry, "I'm on my way to defence right now, if you're going to keep me abreast how the fourth year spell list has changed since last year, you're going to need to be a bit more proactive about it."
Ginny grunted, "looks like operation 'spend helpful time with Harry' will still be restricted to weaving runes."
"Looks like," said Harry, "For this week at least."
.
It turned out that Tonks was an excellent if slightly scatterbrained defence teacher. She gloried in giving them section review study sheets but titling them 'quiz' and handing them out before lessons.
It was almost but not quite like having an outline within which to take notes. It wasn't as good as taking real notes, because she collected them at the end, but after three weeks Hermione figured out that she didn't grade them at all, she only graded the tests. So after that Hermione would fill hers out at the beginning of class, and use the count of questions she didn't know to gauge whether she should listen to the lecture, or crack a book instead.
...-...
{End Chapter 11}