AN: Alright, I'm back. Basically gonna be a huge exposition filled chapter, as well as minor setup for later events. Enjoy.
It was the first day off after Halloween, with not many students down in the Great Hall, opting to sleep in or do other activities. To their relief, Dumbledore wasn't down yet either, along with a majority of the staff. Nervously heading down, Harry and Hermione saw their targets at their respective tables. Splitting up, Harry made his way to the Slytherin table.
"So what do you two want now?" Daphne asked coldly, not turning away from her breakfast. Harry steeled his nerves and leaned down.
"We're ready to tell you about Halloween. Come with us please." He said quietly, peaking her interest. With reluctance, she got up from her seat. Glancing at the Hufflepuff table, she saw Hermione and Susan mirroring their actions. Joining up together, Harry and Hermione led the two purebloods up to the seventh floor. Turning down a particular hall, Hermione held the two of them back while Harry went ahead.
"What are you doing?" Daphne asked a little heatedly as she watched Harry pace in front of the same door a few times. On the third pass, he opened the door wide.
"Come in please." He beckoned. The two of them carefully went inside, marveling at a room that would put many pureblood homes to shame. It was bright and colorful, with a decent sized stone table and some leather chairs available.
"What is this place?" Susan breathed, craving her head around to take in the room. Daphne was doing the same, albeit more subtly.
"This is the Room of Requirement. A special room Rowena Ravenclaw made to become whatever a student needed. For now, it'll serve as a meeting room." Harry explained before he and Hermione sat down in two of the chairs. Glancing at each other, Susan and Daphne did the same across from them. Harry opened up the weird look book and pulled out some muggle papers.
"Right here are magical contracts that- he began before Hermione cut him off.
"That acts similar to a Fidelius Charm in that you'll be able to know what we're about to tell you, but others can't take the information without plenty of force. In the case they do, they can't claim it's an accident as they'd have to be very forceful about it." She explained in a lecturing tone.
"This is because the necklaces can be removed and the protection with it. At least with these, the sensitive information will be locked away more securely " Harry said, informing them as to why they needed such an intense magic.
"Is what you're about to tell us really that important?" Susan asked nervously. Hermione gave her a small stare.
"If anyone caught wind of what you and by extent us knew, you'd be Obliviated in a heartbeat, used for some horrible scheme and likely meet an untimely end." Hermione explained harshly, making the two purebloods wince and gasp at such a horrible fate. Harry continued.
"We're talking about the fate of this country, if not continent level stuff." He explained, making the two realize why it would happen. With some hesitation, Susan and Daphne signed through contracts, which briefly flashed with light.
"Okay, the contracts are active." Hermione said as she gathered the papers. Harry cleared his throat.
"As crazy as it sounds, Hermione and I have knowledge of what could happen within the next seven years at Hogwarts and by extension a few decades into the future." He explained carefully, making Daphne cross her arms.
"Impossible." She stated, with Susan nodding in agreement. All the experts agreed that there was no way that could happen. Hermione huffed.
"Daphne, you saw the two of us use magic that was 'impossible' according to the people of this country. Harry did the 'impossible' and survived the killing curse. Besides, you're dealing with magic. Humor us." She said in a mocking manner, and the two purebloods couldn't exactly refute that. Harry continued.
"To sum things up. The next seven years, horrible things happen to the students of this school and country. Next year, a giant Basilisk would have gone around and petrified students while the staff does nothing despite Dumbledore being aware of things." he said, making Susan gasp in shock.
"Third year, hundreds of Dementors would swarm this school in the effort to catch a wrongly accused, innocent man." Hermione said, making Daphne's jaw drop. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Seriously, numerous ways to get the truth from someone. Nobody should be thrown away falsely and nobody should be getting away with things." He muttered and the purebloods couldn't argue.
"Fourth year is all downhill. Voldemort comes back and within a few years of that, he and his death eaters killed hundreds of people while nobody did a thing. Including your Aunt Amelia." Harry said darkly, making Susan gasp loudly as tears started to form in her eyes. Harry wasn't done.
"We somehow managed to win after a long, horrifying war but nothing was changed, and even got worse and eventually it looked like another blood war would happen. It doesn't because numerous other countries decide that we're too much of a problem and they come in and fix things by force. Whether it's by killing those who oppose them or by other means." He said, and thus finished his tale. The quartet sat in silence, letting the two girls digest the information.
"So what happened to us?" Daphne asked.
"We have no idea honestly. As for us, Hermione was love potioned to Ronald Weasley while I was potioned to his younger sister. Our lives were hell for the most part, especially Hermione, and we were one of the first ones killed." Harry said, making the duo blink in shock.
"Although your younger sister married Draco Malfoy. Who by the way, willingly joined the Death Eaters but got away with it. Before the other countries showed up, Draco went around causing chaos, murdering people and the like." Harry said, making the blonde seethe. As she raged internally, Susan spoke up.
"So why are you telling us this?" she asked, making Harry and Hermione slump in their seats.
"We screwed up by lying to you for all these months and we're trying to make it up to you. Considering we're doing our damned best to try and prevent that very likely future from happening, be it getting people out or whatever, you knowing would make things easier for whatever you want to do. Whether it's staying here and hoping for the best or leaving for elsewhere." Harry explained and they could see the reasoning.
"Who else knows?" Daphne asked, having calmed down enough.
"Our parents, a few people in America and a few other countries' governments, and as of now, you two. Come Christmas break we're planning on telling Luna, and there is a girl in France named Fleur who we're also betrothed to who we plan on telling. Luna was, well, is a friend who helped us and we were very close too, at least before we were potioned. Fleur wasn't as close but she got potioned too." Hermione explained, answering some of the questions they had. Luna was nice, albeit eccentric. Fleur was an enigma to all of them apparently. Susan asked the next question.
"How did you do that strange magic?" she asked, something Daphne was curious about as well. Harry opened up his hand and a ball of fire hovered above it. It twisted and turned into numerous shapes and forms before he cut it off.
"It's how some other countries choose to use their magic. Some choose to do things similar to what I just did, while the wall sticking thing is something Japanese magicals like to use. Was even used in one of their most famous manga. Anything else?" Harry explained. Daphne gave him a flat look.
"I call dragon dung on the future knowledge aspect." She said, with Susan nodding in agreement. The different magic they could obviously believe but the future knowledge was where she drew a line. Harry facepalmed in annoyance, fully expecting this.
"I swear on my life and magic that it's true." He muttered and with a flash of light, it turned out to be true, making the purebloods eyes widen
"Bloody hell." Daphne muttered before slumping in her chair. Susan was a bit more steadfast.
"I'd imagine you two feeling bad about lying to us isn't the only reason why you're telling us this." She asked, crossing her arms and making Harry sigh.
"If things play out right, well, wrongly, and nothing gets changed, me and Hermione are taking my inheritance and leaving this place. Whether or not you two, Luna and Fleur or whoever else comes with us or not." He said in a tone of finality that showed that he and Hermione wouldn't have their minds changed.
"Things get so bad that you'd abandon your future wives and whatever friends you make in a heartbeat?" Susan asked in disbelief.
"That and worse." Hermione said ominously.
"We were love potioned in loveless, soul breaking marriages. We fought, bled and Harry even died for these people and for nothing. We were used and even tortured by the ungrateful morons of this country just to be thrown away and let the problem happen again a few years later. With what we've experienced so far in life we can get by without this hell hole!" she ranted loudly. Feeling herself getting agitated, Hermione stormed off to the side, a quick barrier hiding her from the trio. Harry sighed.
"As you can gather, you are our friends and at this rate, future wives. As of now, you have three options. You can join and learn with us and make a more informed decision of what to do about the future. We can remove this conversation from your minds and you're left in the dark. Or you pick the middle ground of knowing about all this but you can't do anything." He offered generously, with the duo at least grateful that he was giving them options. Although something about it was bugging Daphne.
"Have you thought about trying to fix things?" she asked, and Susan thought it was a good question. Harry's brows furrowed.
"Voldemort was defeated and there was not one change in the decade since he's been gone. Death Eaters got off scot free despite there being numerous ways to get the truth out of someone. My counterpart told the whole country that he came back, people were being killed and nobody believed me, him, whatever still." Harry explained, making Susan sneer. Considering who her aunt was, this was something that always infuriated the both of them, and she couldn't but feel a little anger towards the citizens at their reaction to Harry's claim.
"Even if we tried to fix things, there's nothing to say it'll work. The masses may like me, although in the future they turned on me in an instant, but they don't make the laws. The Wizengamot does, and all of them are set in their ways. Death Eaters who got away with their crimes are on it. They even allowed a woman to get away with killing first generation magicals. Speaking of masses, they just sit there and take it. All of you outnumber Death Eaters how many times over and you just sit there and take it. Hell, Voldemort is one man at the end of the day. As far as I'm concerned, and it's extremely screwed up, it's deserved in that case." Harry finished. Daphne perked up at this and she was ashamed to admit he was correct about all of that. The Minister was a glorified figurehead. Yes they had some power, but it was always temporary and never to the extent of changing the laws that much. Hell, who's to say that even if laws were changed, what was preventing them from being changed back? Despite how dark it was, she agreed with his take on the Death Eaters and Voldemort. It never should've gotten that bad with their numbers. A heavy silence weighed on them before a thought came to Daphne.
"The country itself isn't the only reason you don't want to stay here, is it?" she asked. Admittedly she wasn't expecting another reason but as a Slytherin and Harry was so forthcoming with this information, she would be remiss if she didn't press for more. Harry ran a hand over his face.
"It's Dumbledore." He confessed, drawing a gasp from Susan and Daphne. What could have the Leader of the Light done to Harry Potter?
"That man set me up to suffer. He sent me to live with horrible people who abused me for years. He's letting an innocent man rot in Azkaban because he can raise me." Harry ranted, a few tears pooling in his eyes at such a horrible memory. Sensing his discomfort, Hermione came back and began comforting him.
"He let so many horrible things happen to the students of this school. He let so many people suffer because he didn't do something. Fuck, he told me himself that his end goal for me was to essentially let myself be killed. This is a monster who is like Voldemort in his own twisted way. This is the monster who let me and Hermione be love potioned in loveless marriages. I want him to reap what he sowed. I want to watch his whole world and image crumbling down." Harry continued, revealing the horrible secret that hurt the two purebloods as well as Harry's dark desire. They couldn't blame him.
"Is there something bad happening this year?" Susan asked. Hermione grimaced.
"Voldemort is possessing Quirrells body and Dumbledore is completely aware of it. In the Third Floor corridor, there's a fake Philosopher Stone meant to draw Voldemort out and test me. Thank God Nick isn't dumb enough or ready to die to give him the real stone?" she revealed, draining the color from the two girls' faces. The Dark Lord was right next to them and hundreds of other students. All for bait that shouldn't be in the damned school! The last bit registered with Daphne after a second.
"Wait, you know Nicholas Flamel?" she asked in shock. The alchemist was elusive and downright impossible to contact for obvious reasons. Harry shrugged.
"For the most part, we see him at Comic-Con every year. That's an event in the non magical world. Big nerd that a lot of people love." He explained, taking everyone's minds off the unsettling revelations. Susan and Daphne sat in silence, contemplating what to do.
"Would there be any repercussions if we choose to learn and decide to back out?" Daphne asked.
"Your memories of what you learned would be wiped, falling in line with options two and three." Hermione said flatly, sending the duo back into thought. Seeing them glance at each other, Harry and Hermione erected a barrier that let them converse freely. They did so for a few minutes, before they apparently came to a decision. Susan took a breath.
"You hurt our feelings by keeping such a big secret from us and for a time we were angry, but the fact you revealed all this to us and are even offering to teach us tells us how important we are to you, even if you're willing to leave us behind in a few years." She began with Daphne continuing.
"While we highly doubt things get that bad, the fact Voldemort is still around is enough for us to take your word on this for the most part. We would like to at least try option one and give you a chance." Daphne finished with Susan nodding in agreement. Harry and Hermione let out a breath they didn't even realize they were holding.
"Thank you." Harry muttered, feeling a weight off his shoulders.
"So when do we start training?" Susan asked, in which Hermione took charge.
"We can only give you the basics for the time being. More in depth lessons would be over holiday from more qualified teachers." She began, giving them an idea of what to expect.
"First thing is you need new wands. The way wands work here is that they make you much weaker overall, even though casting is easier. Our wands are made so they act as a more true extension of ourselves. Casting is more difficult at first, but you'll eventually be incredibly powerful. While we don't need them personally, they help us blend in and it's some form of training." Hermione lectured, dropping a bombshell on the two purebloods.
"Of course, you have the option of learning some wandless magic as well." Harry chimed in, sweetening the deal.
Thinking about it, it did make sense to some degree. Harry and Hermione were first years and they were in a league of their own amongst the country, easily surpassing most of the adults in terms of combat magic. The idea that a wand, or at least their wands, making you weaker did have merit based on the evidence.
"So what do we need to get these wands?" Susan asked.
"First, we need to see your wands so we can take pictures of them. Wouldn't do for you to be seen with completely new wands." Harry said, taking out his phone. Susan and Daphne reluctantly took out their wands and placed them on the table, with Harry taking photos of every side and angle of the wands. Once that was done, they took them back as Harry brought up the next step.
"Next, we need some of your blood. This is what ties the wand to you and acts as the true extension." He explained. After contemplating such an important and big decision, the two purebloods held out their hands.
Taking out two glass vials, Harry and Hermione's faces scrunched up in concentration as they each held and over Susan and Daphne's. To their amazement, drops of blood began coming out of their hands, slowly joining together before it was half the size of their fist. The most amazing part was they didn't feel a thing and it left no mark.
"Wonderful. We'll send these over to mom and she'll go through the proper channels." Harry said, slightly out of breath as they guided the blood into the vials and labeled them.
"Now what?" Daphne asked as the vials were pocketed. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other.
"Now comes the beginning of your training." they said in unison.
"Oh no." Susan and Daphne thought when they saw the grins on their faces.
One Training Montage Later
"You two are evil." Susan panted heavily, sweat covering her face, unmoving as she lay on her back, her vast bosom heaving. Hermione snorted as she jogged past the redhead.
"Oh relax you two. You only jogged for two minutes. This is nothing for most people." She taunted as she came up on Daphne, who did slightly better than her fellow pureblood.
"I hate you." She got out, slightly muffled as she was face down on the nice cool floor. Harry chuckled at her response as he passed her.
"Besides, if you want to use magic better, your body has to be capable of it." he said, giving the two out of shape girls an incentive to keep on exercising. As the two girls mused things over on the floor, Harry and Hermione continued jogging for a few more minutes. By the time they were done, Susan and Daphne recovered enough to get off the ground and into some chairs. Gratefully taking some water, the two of them downed them in record speed before Daphne spoke up.
"So you said there is a girl in France who is getting involved with us?" she asked, bringing up that tidbit of information from before their torture. Harry's eyes lit up at that.
"Yeah. We were planning on meeting her on Christmas break and bringing her into the fold, considering it involves her." He said, remembering the older girl. Susan chimed in.
"What's she like?" she asked curiously.
"Pretty nice from what we remember. Very pretty too as she's part Veela. She was selected as a contender for the Triwizard Tournament that was reinstated in Fourth year." Harry explained, and the two girls couldn't help but be impressed, if by the Triwizard Tournament aspect alone. They were also mortified by the fact it was brought back despite the death toll that shut it down in the first place.
"So is there anything else we need to be aware of?" Susan asked as she slowly got up, with Harry coming over and gently helping her up.
"Just act normally and when we say to do something, just trust us." Hermione said as she helped Daphne with the same problem. On their feet, the two girls slowly made their way out of the room, Harry and Hermione supporting them.
"If you say so." Daphne got out, wincing at her body's pain.
Thank Merlin they had time to recover from this before anyone noticed.
December
At Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Harry, Hermione, Susan, Daphne and Luna were currently making small talk as they waited for their sixth guest. Considering that winter break was coming up, everyone decided that now would be a good opportunity to meet with the French girl they were contracted to marry. Bundled up in some fairly heavy winter wear, on top of some warming charms, the quintet of teens were drinking hot chocolate as they waited for the oldest girl in their little group, a healthy amount of snow littering the shopping center.
"You sent Fleur the letter with the address?" Susan asked as she flipped a page of a thin book of Harry's she was reading. It was strange to say the least. More pictures than words yet the vibrant colors and outlandish, even by magical standards, story had her hooked.
"Yup, she should be coming here any second now." Harry confirmed, double checking the time on his phone.
"I'm honestly glad we've been talking a lot over the letters frequently instead of dumping it on her last second. She seems eager to meet us in person at least." He continued, figuring that communicating with her over a few weeks and setting a meeting up as opposed to dropping the bombshell at the last second would be better, and was indeed correct.
"So today is mainly a Fleur and to a lesser extent Luna focused day?" Daphne asked as she leaned on her hand lazily. Hermione nodded. It made sense. All of them save Luna, had gotten fairly close over the past four months, save that hiccup on Halloween, so it made sense that today would be getting the other two blondes caught up.
"So what's the plan tomorrow?" Susan asked as she flipped a page.
"Tomorrow, the plan is to inform her and bring her up to speed on what we're planning." Harry said, not even turning to her.
"I'm honestly glad Luna was so receptive about the whole thing." Daphne muttered in deadpan, with the younger blonde merely shrugging. For the last hour, secrecy barriers erected of course, the four Hogwarts students filled Luna in on what was going on. The easy going, the enigmatic girl taking it all in stride, never questioning any of it, and signed the contracts without question.
"The next day or two onward afterwards, we want you four to experience the non magical world. At least here in Europe." Harry continued, informing them of what they were planning to do with the four magical raised girls.
"Finally, the week before we go back to school, we're planning on going back to America for that week and of course, that offer extends to you four." Hermione chimed in, giving the three of them something to think about. A comfortable silence settled over the group with the unofficial leaders scouring the streets.
"Any second and I see her." Hermione said as she laid eyes on the older teen. The other four teens followed her gaze and the three pureblood girls' jaws dropped.
Despite the fact she was wearing a somewhat thick blue dress, mostly in part due to the weather, they could tell she was a gorgeous girl. Standing at around 5'9, her long blonde hair stood out, giving Harry and Hermione an indicator of sorts. As she looked around, their green and brown eyes met her blue ones and they waved her over. Channeling some magic into their eyes, they were concerned when they saw some of the blue memory tampering and yellow intellect tampering magic working its way into the foreign girl. They'd have to fix that soon.
"Yeah, she is very beautiful." Daphne got out, the pureblood trio blushing once they gazed at the quarter Veela. The taller girl made her way to the group, giving them all a better look at her. Despite her thick dress, they could instantly tell she was a very curvy girl, as her impressive chest, just as if not slightly bigger than Susan's, pressed against the fabric. Wide hips just brushed against the sides of her outfit and they had no reason to doubt her behind was in a similar situation.
"Harry? Hermione?" Fleur asked cautiously as she stood before the group, her French heritage making itself known with her accent. Harry and Hermione stood up.
"Fleur?" they asked in confirmation. Of course they knew she was Fleur, but for the sake of appearances, they feigned ignorance. The older teen smiled brightly, pure elation on her gorgeous face.
"It's nice to finally meet you face to face." She cheered, bringing the duo into a tight hug that inadvertently shoved their faces near her large chest. Hermione was unbothered for the most part at this, although she did blush, but in a surprise move, Harry barely flinched at the hug. Half a second at most. He was getting better.
"Way nicer this time around." the two of them thought as Fleur broke away and turned to the other girls.
"You are Daphne, Susan and Luna? I'm Fleur, your future co wife and nice to meet you." She greeted kindly, extending her hand to the trio.
"Co wife is debatable." Daphne said somewhat coldly as she shook her fellow blonde's hand. She was still upset somewhat about Harry and Hermione keeping secrets as well as their plan for the future. Alas, as angry as she was, she was going to keep quiet and keep the peace.
"Nice to meet you too." Susan said sweetly, although she was slightly jealous of Fleur's bust.
"You're hot." Luna said unashamedly, making the older girl blush. Before things could get out of hand, Harry butted in.
"Let's not worry about that. Today, we're here to learn about each other." He pleaded, offering Fleur a seat with them that she eagerly took. For a few hours, everyone got caught up, and in Fleur's case, they learned about the foreign girl. She was amongst the top of her studies in her year, with her revealing she had a knack for curse breaking. Whether or not she joined Gringotts willingly or Bill forced her in the other timeline was now up for debate. Surprisingly, this took less time than their first meeting up all those months ago, even with the inclusion of Fleur.
"Well, this was nice. Better than at Beauxtons." Fleur stated warmly before taking on a slightly depressive tone. Susan leaned in.
"Any particular reason why?" she asked curiously as Fleur took a sip of her hot chocolate.
"Girls aren't exactly the friendliest while boys lack tact." She muttered, narrowing her eyes slightly at less than pleasant memories.
"Is it because you're part Veela?" Luna said without any tact, making everyone widen their eyes at her declaration.
"Luna!" Hermione hissed, chastising the youngest girl. Fleur simply stared at her while Susan and Daphne kept glancing between Fleur and Luna.
"How did you know?" she got out, blushing slightly. Luna shrugged.
"Kind of obvious." she declared, and as much as they didn't want to admit it, she had a point considering the evidence. Her beauty, the way her classmates treated her, all that. As Fleur had her mini crisis over the reveal, Harry got her attention.
"Hey, you're fine Fleur. This changes nothing." Harry said softly, giving her a few small rubs on her back. Fleur took a breath to settle her nerves.
"You're right. So what now?" everyone was treating her normally beforehand and from what she could tell, they'd continue to do so.
"Well, considering we have so much more time in the day, how's a small trip to the non magical side of things sound? Right around the corner." Harry offered, garnering the interest of the magical raised. After a quick discussion, they took Harry up on his offer.
Locking arms together, the four magical raised let Harry and Hermione give them a tour of the non magical side of things and Merlin was a completely different beast. While the wizarding world was relatively drab and gray, the non magical world was lively and colorful. Cars much better looking than the ones at the Ministry zoomed down the roads. Signs flashed neon, advertising numerous products the four of them never heard of. Boxes similar to the newspaper blared sound and color, a league above the newspaper. Music completely alien to them blared from numerous directions, some of them upbeat, some angry, and everything in between. For a few hours, the four were slowly but surely shown everything around the block, childlike wonder plastered on their faces as they took everything in. When the sun started to go down, the duo brought the awestruck magicals back to their starting position.
"So, what did you think?" Hermione asked, now that they were in a calmer, more familiar environment. Looking at the magical raised, Harry and Hermione saw that their faces were relatively blank.
"It was, nice." Fleur got out, mirroring the thoughts of everyone else but being the only one able to speak her mind. Hermione leaned over to her soulmate.
"I think they're still processing it." She whispered, with Harry nodding agreement. It made sense. Just the trip around the block clearly overwhelmed them mentally, culture shock hitting them full force. Daphne was the next one to gather her wits.
"Just, how did muggles do all this without magic?" she asked slowly. All the bright lights, the myriad of noises, countless things she couldn't even begin to understand were practically shoved into her face nonstop. The muggle side of things was just so different from the magical side. Harry frowned.
"First of all, once again, don't use that term. It's offensive. Second, it's because they don't have magic, which is how they did all this." He said harshly, still upset at the term. He fully understood that thirteen years of racism couldn't be undone in a few months but it still infuriated him. Seeing the look on the confused girls' faces, Hermione took over.
"Let me explain. The way you guys over here in Europe see and use magic, you have a 'good enough' mentality. Once you have a spell or potion, you guys stop for the most part because in your eyes, the problem is solved. Following so far?" Hermione lectured, only pausing to make sure the other girls were keeping up. Seeing the slow nods, she continued.
"Non-magicals are the opposite. They keep trying to improve that method. If something takes a month to do, they'll try to make it take three weeks. They don't have magic so they're forced to solve the problems in a different way." She continued, bringing up the major difference between the two cultures. Luna's eyes lit up in understanding.
"I think I'm getting it so far. Because they can't wave a wand to solve their problems in an instant, they're forced to solve those problems in a different manner in order to make up for it or even prevent them." She said slowly, unsure of how to share her thoughts. To her delight, Hermione smiled brightly at her deduction.
"Exactly. We have our own methods of transport, communication, entertainment, everything. Everything. For example, we don't need a floo to talk to people. We have phones so we can talk almost anywhere on the planet instead of being confined to a fireplace and on our knees all day. Same thing applies for practically everything else. Some of it is straight up leagues better than the magical alternative here. Some of your magic is flat out better than the non magical version. Some of them are roughly equal." Hermione finished off brilliantly, leaning full swing into her passion for knowledge. Harry couldn't help but clap softly at the energetic presentation. Meanwhile the girls simply tried to pick apart and understand all that.
"I see." Daphne got out. While it was clear Luna was having a better understanding of the difference between the two societies, she was struggling to comprehend them. Her whole life she was taught muggles were practically savages who could barely survive, yet not even an hour of her experiencing a mere city block immediately disproved that notion. Loathe to admit, Hermione had a point when she said that muggles clearly outclassed them in some areas. Little did she know that Susan and Fleur were in the same boat.
"If you're willing, we'd be more than happy to educate you on things that catch your interests on this side of things." Harry offered generously, breaking them from their stupor.
"Maybe tomorrow. We need to 'digest' all this." Susan got out, everyone else mirroring her thoughts. They really did need time to properly absorb everything that was dropped on them. Harry and Hermione waved them off, not at all offended.
"That's fine. We get it, massive culture shock. I can imagine that this is how first generation magicals feel over here." Harry said in understanding, soothing their concerns.
"Yeah, you're right. Well, we'll see you tomorrow." Fleur eventually got out, giving them all a small wave as she slowly made her way to a local inn, where she'd be staying for the next few days. Following the oldest girl's example, Susan, Daphne and Luna did the same before shuffling off. As they watched the girls depart, Harry leaned over to Hermione.
"I think we're starting to convert them." He whispered, seeing their reactions to the non-magical and how certain aspects caught their eyes.
"Ever so slightly, which is a start." Hermione said sagely, fully agreeing with her soulmate. Harry wasn't done.
"I mean you saw how Daphne and Luna looked when we passed all those electronics." He said excitedly, happy that those two girls had some kind of avenue into the wonders of the non-magical side of things.
"Susan and Fleur were really interested in all the clothing options. A lot less stuffy and restrictive than what they're used to." Hermione added on, pointing out how those two girls lingered whenever they passed the clothing store.
Both of them grinned at the success of their brief outing, making small talk as they began the trek home.. Small seeds were planted in the four magical raised, opening their eyes. All they needed to do was keep exposing them and hopefully they'd see their side of things. Granted, Europe's Statute of Secrecy would be a temporary problem when it came to educating them, but within a week, it shouldn't be.
Harry and Narcissa's Home
"Mom, I'm home!" Harry called out, alerting his mother to his arrival. The sun outside was beginning to dip over the horizon and after parting ways with Hermione, made his way inside for warmth. She called back to him, her voice slightly muffled.
"In the living room. We have guests!" she informed him, as well as the unspoken request to go there and meet them. Sighing resignation, Harry took off his coat and made his way to the living room, where three 'strangers' were conversing with his mother. Considering the oldest woman looked very similar to Bellatrix LeStrange and his mother, it was easy to deduce that this was the Tonks family. If that wasn't a big enough indicator, the pink-haired young woman was obviously their daughter She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
"Your son is Harry Potter?" said the older woman, who was clearly Andromeda. Harry couldn't hold back a groan at her reaction.
"Oh my God, I swear if you start worshiping the ground I walk on I'm out." He muttered audibly as he hung his head and slumped his shoulders. The pink haired daughter couldn't help but let out an unladylike snort in amusement
"You weren't kidding when you said he hates his fame." She joked, looking over the younger boy. Her aunt was dodgy when it came to her adopted son for the few hours they were there. Telling them he was famous and that she decided to live in the muggle world primarily for his protection and because she actually was enjoying it more than the magical world. Was quite a shock to her mother. The perfect pureblood daughter just dropping everything she was raised on in favor of the muggle side of things. Now it made so much more sense. Tonks hauled herself up from the couch and made her way over to Harry.
"So this is my apparent cousin." She asked rhetorically, ruffled the younger boy's hair affectionately. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.
"Technically very, very distant cousins." Harry said, gently knocking her hand away from his hair. It was already a rat's nest, he didn't need it any worse. Tonks either didn't notice his annoyance or was ignoring it.
"Bah, whatever! I'm Tonks." She said cheerfully, sticking her hand out which Harry took.
"Nice to meet you Nymphadora!" he greeted her, shocking and angering her as her hair turned a flaming red.
"Don't call me that and how did you know my name?" she said heatedly. Harry tilted his head innocently, his face blank, slightly unnerving her.
"I know many things metamorphagus." He said in monotone, making her get worked up at his behavior. Glancing to the side, he saw his mother give him a subtle signal. Gently waving his hand, he erected a silencing barrier around the trio. Tonks was an auror as well as susceptible to Dumbledore. She was a good person but she couldn't quite be trusted yet.
"Gah! Stop that!" she cried, making Harry cackle like a madman before running off, the older woman hot on his heels to enact on obnoxious punishment. As the two younglings began bonding, the adults were having more serious conversations. Narcissa began to inform her sister and brother in law about what she knew. What happened to Harry, Dumbledore's plans, what was currently happening in the country and its future, and especially what happened to their daughter. To say they were livid about what happened to their daughter, especially regarding Remus Lupin, would be an understatement. Ted Tonks sighed as he placed his tea down.
"I really can't believe you have knowledge of the future. It should be impossible." He rambled, massaging his temples to stave off the incoming headache, courtesy of the major information dump he just received. Andromeda was in a similar boat. Narcissa could only shrug.
"Well, a lot of what is considered 'impossible' by you is normal elsewhere so I don't know what to tell you. I mean I swore on my life and magic." She explained, bringing up a valid point. Andromeda sighed.
"So is there any reason in particular why you're sharing this information with us?" she asked. Her sister may have had a major personality shift, but she was still a Slytherin at times. Narcissa smiled warmly.
"First of all, you're my sister and now that I'm free of that bastard, we can actually interact with each other." She said warmly, and Andromeda couldn't fault her there. The instant the marriage contract with Lucius was established, they immediately stopped talking. When Narcissa showed up on her doorstep, she was livid for some time, but she couldn't stay mad at her sister, especially when she explained herself.
"True. What's the other reason?" Andromeda admitted, with Narcissa wincing slightly. Right to the point.
"If it's not an issue, I need someone I can trust on the inside. I can't get Sirius out yet for obvious reasons." Narcissa requested, making the other two adults wince. It was truly devastating to find out their cousin was thrown into Azkaban without trial while the real criminal was out walking free. Granted he was living as a literal rat but still.
"All the ways to get the truth from someone yet no trial is highly suspect when you point it out." Ted muttered darkly, his occupation as a law-wizard making him seethe with enough fury that he was all but ready to storm the Ministry. The only thing stopping stopping him was his wife and sister in law reminding him it was suicide. Narcissa snarled.
"Dumbledore could have gotten him out at any time but he didn't. Snape got away on his word and other Death Eaters got away too. For the time being, he's safer in Azkaban. I can't just go in there and say 'this man never received a trial'. Fudge sicked a Dementor on a key witness in front of hundreds of people after Voldemort was resurrected. He'd definitely have Sirius killed in prison." She ranted angrily, upset at the disgusting truth. Years ago she wouldn't have batted an eye at this but when she imagined Harry, let alone herself in that position, immediately changed in her tune.
"So what exactly would you have us doing?" Andromeda asked. While she wouldn't immediately accept, the least she could do was at least hear her sister out and then decide. Especially since she said she and her son had a few plans in the works. Plans to stop Voldemort and Dumbledore, free Sirius, protect themselves and their families.
AN: Alright, chapter 13 is here. Did my best with the personal conflict between Daphne, Susan, Harry and Hermione. I felt I tackled it in a fairly realistic way given the circumstances. Susan is a bit more forgiving than Daphne regarding the whole thing. Susan and Daphne being out of shape is fairly reasonable. Harry and Hermione and other muggleborn/raised are more active in general while in Canon, the Weasleys are doing manual labor over the summer for some god forsaken reason. Susan and Daphne just not being ready for this is fairly reasonable in my opinion.
Harry ranting on why trying to change things is a fools errand is something I feel gets overlooked. Death Eaters bought themselves to freedom (heck, the Malfoys got away with it twice IIRC). From what I know of the law system, any beneficial changes are a massive uphill battle, as those who can change the laws don't have to. In the event things are changed, who's to say they won't change them back some time later. The Minister is a glorified figurehead with not too much power in the long run. Hermione being the Minister in canon is honestly depressing. Wasting her life right there.
The part with people being with or against Harry at the drop of a time is something I don't see acknowledged as much in fics. In canon, Book 5 we see how it just took a few weeks for the entire country to be against him with a few words and then after the Department of Mysteries they're on his side almost immediately. Country of sheep.
The Dumbledore Rant speaks for itself. So much of what he says and does, or lack of, really paints him as a horrible person.
For Fleur, I'm going to try and keep her involved during the school year the best I can, as opposed to her showing up in the holidays only. I contemplated having her transfer to Hogwarts, but I felt that would be redundant all things considered as well as disrupt the plans I have for Goblet of Fire.
The four (soon six) magical raised taking interest in the non magical side of things and the beauty of it is something that'll be prevalent throughout the story. I know we read Harry Potter for the magic and whatnot, but the muggle side of things I feel is untapped in terms of what can happen. Like imagine Luna finding out about the internet and all the chaos that will bring?
The Tonks Family meeting up with Harry and Narcissa isn't that fleshed out because what else can I really cover? I mean, let's be real, we both know they'll work together. I am planning on a bunch of flashbacks in Chapter 15 so I'll write out some scenes that I couldn't really fit in organically like Narcissa and Andromeda reuniting, what Harry and Hermione had to deal with at Hogwarts, all that.
Next chapter, everyone is going over to America for the holidays and we'll delve into some HEAVY world building.