Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Jujutsu Kaisen. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.

Note: I was immensely happy to see how well the first part of this tale was received. Hopefully part two meets with the same level of appreciation.

Chapter One - A Summer To Remember

Harry had been partially right. The summer had started off as one of the best of his life. Yuki had taken him along on a hunt to Brazil and while there he'd gotten to go on a guided camping trip through the Amazon. He'd actually managed to see a panther while he was there! His big sister had held it over his head for days how excited he'd gotten, citing it as the first time she'd ever seen him act like a little kid. The forest being full of cursed spirits to feed his appetite and join his menagerie was just a bonus.

Things got a lot less awesome when they returned to the apartment in Germany and discovered the boy who lived didn't have any mail. "That's strange." Yuki noted, sifting through their mailbox in case the letters had come through the muggle mail, all to no avail. "I could have sworn your little friends promised to write to you. At least, their parents told me to expect a lot of owl visits and to stock up on deli meats to feed the creatures because of it. And Minerva made it clear she was going to be 'stopping by' at some point to spend some time with you so I figured there'd be an appointment letter or something from her."

"Your're not wrong, Yuki." Harry glared at the empty mail slot. Something was not right here. "We have long distance calling, right?"

"Of course, kid. With how often we travel it's a must." Although she tended to let the calls from the jujutsu academies go to voicemail out of spite. Sweet, delicious, spite.

"Perfect. Let me try to figure this out." So saying Harry went to their landline and typed in Hermione's home phone number from memory. She'd been quite insistent that he learn it after all. The line rang three times before a voice he recognized as Emma Granger's came on. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Granger?"

"Oh, Harry dear, how are you?"

"I'm good, maam, but I just got back from Brazil and there's no mail here at all. I got a little worried that something might be wrong with our service, especially since Hermione told me to expect very frequent letters from her. Do you know if she's sent me anything?"

"Oh yes, she's been writing letters daily though she knew you were going on a trip so she hasn't expected a reply yet."

"Heh, fancy that. Could I talk to her please?"

"Of course. Give me just a second to pull her away from her latest book." The fond exasperation in her voice was a delight to hear. It was nice to know one of his best friends hadn't changed.

There came the muted sound of the woman calling for her daughter and then Hermione's excited voice came on the line. "Harry? Oh it's so good to hear from you. How was your trip? Did you see or do anything fun? Have you got my letters? Did you-"

"Hermione, calm down." Harry laughed. His friend was always so entertaining. "Look, I'll tell you everything in a minute, but first I need to ask you a question. Do you know of anything that could disrupt wizarding mail?" He quickly explained his situation and earned a startled gasp for his efforts.

"That explains the owls I've gotten from Draco, Daphne, and Padma. They've all been trying to figure out why they can't reach you. I mean, owls can find their recipient anywhere in the world in most cases, but I had just assumed, being on vacation and all, you weren't answering any mail at all. To answer your question, I can think of five or so methods off the top of my head. Though the most likely would be mail redirection wards or the direct interference of a magical being intercepting your mail."

"Intercepting it, eh?" A hungry grin came to Harry's face as an idea began to formulate in his mind. "Hermione, would you do me a favor after we're done talking and send your owl with some letters for the others explaining the situation, then ask them all to write to me again?" The Granger parents had bought an owl to stay in constant contact with their little girl. And they were just as ecstatic to see her making use of it to write to actual friends. Friends plural!

"Sure, Harry, but won't they just disappear again?"

"I have a plan for that. Now you wanted to know if I saw anything cool on my trip, right? Get this, I saw a panther! And it was-"

At the other end of the hall Yuki listened in with a fond smile on her face. It was nice to see the kid with some friends. Especially that Hermione girl. She had a good head on her shoulders.

Later That Night

Dobby frantically popped after the three owls flying toward a tall building in the distance. He'd been lucky so far, the past letters all having been sent at differing times, but tonight for some reason all of the great Harry Potter's friends had decided to write to him at the same time, and as skilled an elf as Dobby was he still couldn't be everywhere at once! As things stood he'd only intercepted the first owl in India, but the others were so fast and far ahead. It was so bad that he couldn't focus on stealth any longer, all of his magic and power being put into speed to pop through the air after the avian messengers.

Finally they came to a stop on the roof of the building and Dobby breathed a sigh of relief as he popped down in front of them, his bony fingers moving to snap the letters from their claws before they could be delivered, only to yelp in pain and shock as his body was suddenly borne to the ground by an unseen weight just as two more moved in and latched onto his hands, making it impossible for him to magically snap himself away. What was this? What was happening?!

From the shadows a young voice said, "Excellent work Br. Big, Ms. Wig, and Johnny. Easy now, we don't want him dead just yet." The voice was followed by the form of the boy Dobby most didn't want to be seen by, but no matter how much he pulled or wiggled there was no escape. He couldn't run or hide.

Seeing the dilemma clearly, Harry stopped right in front of the little guy. "Fighting is useless here. You're better off accepting this as reality. What are you anyway? I've never seen a creature like you, and I've seen a lot."

"D-Dobby is being a house elf, Mr. Harry Potter, sir." Dobby meekly admitted. What else was there to do in this situation?

"Ah, a house elf. So you serve a wizarding family. Did they order you to steal my mail?"

"N-No." At times like these Dobby hated that his species could not tell a lie unless directly ordered to by their masters. "Dobby be doing this on his own."

"Why?"

"Something terrible is being coming to Hogwarts this year. Something dangerous. Harry Potter is known to have saved us all, wizard and creature both, from he who must not be named. Dobby could not let one so great as you experience what is coming."

Piecing it together rather easily from there Harry offered, "So you stole the letters from my friends hoping I'd feel abandoned and not want to attend school this year?" At the little guy's rapid head bobbing he had to sigh. "Dobby, we have phones here and one of my friends is muggleborn. She figured out what had happened within a couple seconds. Plus, now I'm aware of what you're doing so stealing my mail won't work anymore. I could just take a flu and visit my friends in person from now on. Can I trust you to stop tampering with my stuff now that you know that?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir."

"Can you tell me what the threat is?"

"No sir, Dobby was ordered to never speak of it."

"Will you stop trying to keep me from going to school?"

"Dobby cannot. Dobby must protect Harry Potter."

"But I fight and eat hellish beings for fun. What you call a life threatening situation I call dinner."

"Dobby is committed! Great Harry Potter must be kept safe!"

"Hm…. I might have a solution then. Little guy, do you like serving your family?"

Dobby actually had to think about it for a minute. He'd never put his emotions regarding the Malfoys into such benign words as like or dislike, but if he had to then he supposed… "It does not be ideal."

"Would you want to serve me instead?"

The elf's eyes grew wide as dinner plates, "Dobby would want nothing more in the whole wide world, but it is not being possible. He is bound to his family."

A wicked smirk came to Harry's lips then. "And if you could sever that link would you?"

"Yes."

"Good, because you seem very useful and I don't like wasting useful things. It's fortunate I already tested this on that troll or this would be quite dangerous."

"Troll?"

There was no time for Dobby to ask for clarification before Harry raised his hand palm up in front of his captive and focused his cursed energy in a wave from his body to the elf. There was the same slight resistance as he'd felt before with the troll, as magical creatures took longer to assimilate than cursed spirits, but soon enough Dobby's body began to warp and twist in on itself before condensing and solidifying in his palm in the shape of a small crimson orb. "When you're a part of me all bonds are moot except my own." Harry grinned before tilting his head back and swallowing the orb whole.

At once any hunger he had developed since dinner disappeared and it took a moment for the wizard to feel Dobby's presence within his internal zoo and then he was summoning the little guy out his sleeve to stand before him. "Welcome to the menagerie, Dobby."

For his part, the little guy was staring wildly at the monstrosities on the roof that had just been holding him down. Now that he belonged to Harry he could actually see them. "I-I-I am glad to serve, Master Harry." The elf stuttered out, choosing to give his new master his whole attention instead. "Dobby cannot feel his old masters anymore." Indeed, the only link he felt tethered to was the young Potter.

"You wouldn't. You're a magical creature, and a physically weak one at that, so claiming you as my own was child's play. Now what is happening at Hogwarts?"

"Dobby still cannot say. Serving a new master doesn't change the rules. Secrets are secret."

"Of course it wouldn't be that simple. Alright, you're a Potter Elf now, Dobby, so I'll expect you to meet my standards."

The little guy nodded so fast his ears flopped forward and smacked him in the face. "Dobby will be the bestest elf ever for Master Potter."

"Excellent. Then your first order is to give me back all the mail you took, and your second is to begin preparing an early breakfast for me and Yuki. One high in protein. We have morning exercises before we run so we'll need it."

Malfoy Manor

Lucius Malfoy was having a troublesome year. It had started well enough with several lucrative business deals meeting success and his son finally owning up to his true potential and taking an interest in the running of the family business. But then that fool Arthur Weasley had managed to get his muggle protection bill passed in the wizengamot, and the DMLE had used it as a segway to initiate raids on the homes of former death eaters suspected of muggle baiting to search for dark items, all in the name of 'protecting' the public.

Something needed to happen soon to take the public eye away from himself and his people. Something big that would send a definitive statement and put that miserable Weasley prat in his place. Simply bribing the minister again wouldn't be enough this time. And thus had come his brilliant idea. The dark lord had entrusted him with a very important dark object, and told him to keep it safe until it was time to be used. The Malfoy lord could think of no better time to do so than now. He was currently planning how best to utilize said object when the sudden urge for a brandy came to his consciousness.

"Dobby!" He called, "Bring me two fingers of brandy in a crystal goblet." Nothing happened. "Dobby!" Again nothing.

This went on for quite some time, the escalating volume of a grown man shrieking echoing through the mansion and making both his wife and son wonder if their patriarch was losing his mind.

Elsewhere

Hermione found herself in a bit of a conundrum as she and her mother walked through town to tour some of the local gyms they could get memberships for. When the elder Granger woman had seen how dedicated her daughter had become to fitness it had inspired her to get in better shape as well.

The conundrum the girl found herself in was that she knew what Harry's type was and she was working toward that goal, but the other girls didn't. She'd have had to be blind to miss the ways Daphne and Padma looked at him. The bookworm admittedly liked having the advantage, but she had to admit to herself it wasn't fair to keep it solely to her own person. The others were her friends and they deserved to have all of the facts laid out before them just the same as she did. Who knew, maybe they wouldn't even take it.

This was the third gym she and her mother had checked out and it was ironically the closest to their house. It was as Emma was talking to the front desk clerk about the amenities and machines available that Hermione took note of something that would change her life. A wall length mirror and a woman posing in front of it in a sports bra and short shorts, displaying a perfect mixture of muscle and femininity. Never in her life had the bookworm seen something like that and it blew her mind. No wonder that was Harry's type. It was gorgeous. Perfect symmetry, like a statue of marble.

Not even fully realizing what she was doing, Hermione found her feet carrying her across the floor to meet the woman who was currently moving away from the reflective surface to take a sip from her water bottle. "E-Excuse me." Hermione squeaked, earning both a surprised look, and amused smile, from the stranger. Clearly she was no stranger to being looked at.

"Yes, little girl?"

"H-How do I look like you?"

That got a note of surprise out of the weight lifter. Normally people wanted to ask her why she bothered putting on muscle instead of just trying to lose weight. "You want to look like me? Why?"

"I-I-I…" Hermione shook herself. "A friend recently told me he believes in me and that he thinks I'm strong, and I really want to be. It's just… I've been worried about what that would look like on me, but your body is perfect. You're not a muscle monster like some, but you look like you could kick some serious ass while still being feminine."

The woman grinned and reached out her hand, "I'm Stephanie."

"Hermione."

When Hermione shook the offered digit she explained, "Be careful with that muscle monster comment. This is a serious gym and there are some girls here that could squat a truck if you asked them to demonstrate. They're powerlifters."

The bushy haired girl's eyes went wide, "There's different types?"

Stephanie chuckled, "Someone didn't do their research first." As Hermione blushed up a storm she explained, "A lot of the lifters here are professionals, ergo they compete in exhibitions, events, and shows. Powerlifters lift incredibly heavy objects and put them down. Bodybuilders sculpt their bodies into the ideal shape for several different categories of competition. Crossfitters train for functional fitness and crossfit events, though that last is still just gaining steam. Perhaps you've heard of Arnold Schwarzeniger?"

"The actor?"

"He made bodybuilding more mainstream and accessible to the public and if you want to get a more informed idea about weightlifting and building muscle in general then I'd recommend reading his Encyclopedia of Fitness. It's a bestseller. If you're serious about putting on muscle then you can't go wrong there, even if you are a bit young yet to start."

"Gee thanks!"

"Don't mention it." Stephanie waved her off, "Too many girls are afraid to be serious in the gym cause they don't want to get too bulky. Worse yet, a lot of them only seem to train legs. We serious types need to stick together."

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of lifter are you?"

"Well, I started as a competitor in the Olympia Bikini category, but lately I've been implementing more crossfit and boxing training for a more well rounded muscle tone. You wanna see some of what I do?"

"Do I!"

That Night

Hermione was on cloud nine as she began writing out her letters to Daphne and Padma. She had decided to simply send them the information she had and let them make their own decisions. It was the right thing to do; especially because she didn't want to do wrong by her friends. She couldn't bear the thought of losing them to her own greed after finally getting some.

After her talk with Stephanie she'd begged her mother to choose that gym and her mom, being equally impressed with the place, had agreed. Then they'd stopped by the bookstore to pick up the recommended reading and it had blown the girl's mind. She'd never imagined there was so much technical information about putting on mass or sculpting particular muscle groups and it delighted her to no end. It was all science and math, and she was great at science and math! Now all that remained was figuring out how much she could safely do at her age. Most of the big stuff would have to wait until she was older and her body developed more, but that didn't mean she couldn't create a trim and strong framework to build on.

Patil Home

Padma read through the note from Hremione and found herself quite touched. The other girl had had a piece of information that gave her a definite advantage in the courting struggle that was sure to soon be coming and she had decided to share it and be fair rather than hoard it to herself. Clutching the note tight to her chest, the Indian girl decided it was really nice to have real friends. Before Hogwarts the only other children she had known had been those of her father's business partners and they had just been the worst sorts of people. Stuck up, spoiled, and more than a bit racist. Now though, thanks to Harry, she had kids her own age she could rely on.

At the moment however these thoughts required putting aside as she needed to take care of something. Moving swiftly through the halls of her large family home she descended three flights of stairs into the basement where a loud bass guitar was thrumming. Pushing through a heavy door she found herself in her family's home gym where her father was busy reracking the bench press after his latest set, all along to the music of the speakers. Now, many would find it strange to see one such as him working out so casually, but Vizra Patil had always maintained that a healthy body bred a healthy mind, and in the wizarding world both were a rarity to be embraced and used to the fullest.

It only took the man a moment to notice one of his beloved daughters waiting by the door. "Padma, my dear, what brings you down here? Does your mother need me for something?"

"No, papa. I wanted to ask you something. How exactly can I get fit?"

Greengrass Manor

Daphne reread the letter, smiled, and then decided to later have a chat with her bookish friend about how best to leverage important information in the future. She loved that Hermione was so open to fairplay between them all, but if not tempered that impulse would no doubt lead others to take advantage of her.

Marching swiftly from her room she entered her father's office. He was busy handling documents relating to the running of their estate but, as always, he took time away when the needs of one of his daughters presented themselves. Looking up at the sound of his door opening he asked, "What can I help you with, Daphne?"

Not wasting any time she answered, "I have my eye on a favorable marriage that would benefit our family to an extreme degree. It seems this boy prefers women of strength so I require exercise equipment to begin that process."

"Isn't it a little early to be looking for a husband?"

"You told me that third year is when most girls of means tend to start looking. I'm heading into my second which just puts me ahead of the curve."

Never one to deny his children anything, and certainly amenable to a favorable match, the Greengrass lord acquiesced. "The items will be here within the week."

"Excellent."

One Week Later

Padma was ecstatic to finally receive a letter from Harry and his response about how his mail had been temporarily redirected made a lot of sense when confirmed with the other friends of their little group. What surprised her even more was his invitation to Fortescu's ice cream parlor. She'd gone at once of course and was far from surprised to find her male friend already seated and waiting for her with two bowls of vanilla/chocolate twist ice cream waiting. He knew her favorites well it seemed.

As she approached the table he quickly rose and pulled her chair out for her before sliding it back in behind her. "Such a gentleman."

"Yuki taught me a few things about manners." He said sheepishly before taking his own seat. "I hope you are having a good summer."

"I am now that I can actually talk to you again." The Indian girl blushed a bit. "You're the first real friend I made in this country and I have missed you."

"And I you." Harry smiled back, the easy lines of his face putting her further at ease. In Hindi he offered, {I thought we might practice your language a bit.}

Padma absolutely lit up at the thought. {Of course, that sounds great!}

A Short While Later

Narcissa Malfoy smiled easily as she made her way down the streets and alleyways of Diagon Alley. Malfoy Manor was just so stuffy during the summer and it was nice to get out and about, so when Draco had asked if they could go do some shopping she'd been happy to oblige. Plus, now that their excitable elf had disappeared she had a genuine excuse to do the shopping herself! She honestly hated how much Lucius controlled her, but there wasn't much to be done about it. Her family had effectively signed her away with a contract as strong as iron; and with no current head of the Black family there was no possibility of an annulment. All she could do was make the most of her situation.

She was broken from her musings by her little boy stumbling to a stop beside her, effectively halting her own motion as well. He was staring at the nearby ice cream shop where a dark haired boy and a girl of Indian descent that had to be a Patil were currently talking animatedly with wide smiles on their faces. "Mom, those are my friends. Can we go over and say hello?"

"Draco, if those are indeed your friends then it would be rude not to. Come along and introduce me to them." She led him across the uneven cobblestones to the pair and took notice of how soon they realized they were being approached. Even absorbed as they were, the two were still aware of their surroundings.

"Hello Harry, hello Padma." Draco said eagerly as he slid over a chair from a nearby table, seating his mom before grabbing another for himself. "This is my mother, Narcissa Malfoy."

The children greeted their friend with warm smiles before addressing his mother just as eagerly. "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy, I am Padma Patil." The girl spoke softly, but reservedly, clearly her father had warned her about the Malfoy parents. Though the real shock came from the boy.

"And I am Harry Potter."

Narcissa blinked and looked closer at the young man, taking in his features more in depth. So this was Lily's child? He did indeed seem to have her eyes, his hair was just as unruly as his father's even if it was grown out longer than James had ever allowed, and that scar was indeed just visible through his bangs. She had not expected to run into the boy before their coming Christmas Ball. "Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to meet you. Believe it or not I knew your mother quite well."

"Really?" The eager gleam in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Really. We were classmates together and friends before my marriage put a strain on our relationship. She was a great woman."

"I wish I could have known her." Harry spoke sadly, before brightening up and offering, "But I suppose now you can tell me about her."

The blonde woman chuckled easily and replied, "I suppose I could. But first, what brings you both out here today? It's a bit early for school shopping isn't it?"

Padma nodded, "It is. We were actually going to send an owl to all our friends later this week so we can set up a time for all of us to shop together closer to the start of term. We are here because Harry wanted to practice his Hindi and I wanted to enjoy some good ice cream."

"Hindi?" Narcissa queried.

Draco bumped into her shoulder and explained, "Harry is multilingual, mom. Hindi is just the latest language he's attempting to learn."

"Really? Harry, parlez-vous français?"

"Oui." The boy responded easily.

"Fantastic. You'll do well at our Christmas Ball. Many guests are French business associates and their families. Are you doing well at school? Draco says you're quite the fighter."

"I try."

And thus conversation continued for the better part of thirty minutes before the Malfoys really had to take their leave to continue shopping. After that, Harry turned back to Padma and inquired, "Would you be my date to the Malfoy Christmas Ball?"

The girl gasped, "You truly wish to go with me?"

"Of course. You're my friend, and going alone would be dull. I would be honored to attend with you." He reached across the table and took her hand. "Please say yes."

"Oh Harry, of course my answer is yes."

"Lovely."