Hermione was lounging on a Victorian lounge, her ears and tail out as Harry had expressed his appreciation of them. The Witches with her didn't seem to mind, and Tonks had even mimicked her ears, but couldn't do the tail.

She had just answered a question about Harry without a shirt when someone she didn't sense getting close grabbed her. Her muggle teachings kicked in and she reacted… in true Gryffindor style.

She punched him.

He went down.

"Damn! I forgot about her 'Fists of Death'!" Harry climbed to his feet behind her couch, a hand to his jaw where her fist landed.

"Harry!" She was on her feet, her fists on her hips, and her ears flat against her skull. "Warn me before you grab me."

"No grabbing Pussy without warning… check." He grinned while holding his left jaw.

"Mister Potter!" Professor Lupin barked. "Be Serious." He froze as he heard the words from his mouth. "You know what I mean." He growled.

"Yes Professor. Sorry Professor." Harry and Hermione chorused.

"Okay, I'll take this one." Daphne sighed. "From Professor Lupin's reaction, something just happened."

"A homophonic joke that the Headmaster here likes to play." Harry smiled at the Witches. "If you missed it, may I introduce Sirius Black. He likes to say off the wall things that cause people to ask if he is serious."

Tonks nodded. "I remember him catching my dad in those when I was younger."

Harry sat on the lounge and pulled Hermione ipinto a cuddle, scratching behind her ear. Dobby, the ever helpful elf, supplied seats for everyone.

"Hermione. I need you to do me a minor favour. I need everything you can find on the Champion of Hogwarts. From the way Hat spoke the Title and the Badge of Office… I think you should start with Godric and his time here."

Hermione snuggled closer into his chest

and started purring.

Tonks took the can of muggle cola from the Elf and frowned at the cat-girl. "What's that about?"

"Dorkus here, just told her that he needed something from her and linked it to research. He expressed his appreciation for her and mind." Daphne accepted the cuppa and saucer from the Elf. "The witch would live in the Library if she could."

Harry, still scratching behind her ear, "Nah. But next door to it. Like a suite, and then an ensuite."

The witches snickered.

"Greengrass," Harry smiled at the girl sipping her tea. "I need …" a pulling in his chest caused him to stand and run out of the Room,

Hermione frowned. "Shit! He is going to do something stupid and Gryffindor-ish!" She was quick to run after him.

The rest looked at each other and they scrambled to run after them.

APLB

In the snake pit, aka the Slytherin Common Room, a certain platinum blond was feeling his oats. He had been to the medical wing, and now he needed to show the plebs that he was back and still the Ruler of this House.

His target this night was a set of twins that had the audacity to flaunt their disrespect for Him by cozying up to his Rival.

"Carrow." His nasal drawl cut through the chatter of the Assembled. "Tell us why you are betraying the House of Slytherin."

The two Dark eyed witches blinked in unison. "That depends on who is asking." One twin spoke up. "You are coming very close to tampering with the affairs of Another House."

Her sister leaned forward. "House Malfoy has no standing in these matters. Besides, We are contracted to Potter from six generations back."

"And Black has a contract for you also." Draco smirked. "And I am the last entitled Black."

"Before we get into an argument." Flora smiled. "The easiest way to resolve this issue…"

"Show us the Court Files where Black was convicted." Hesta smirked. "Because we could not find anything. That means that Black was Never tried, never stripped of his title, and House Malfoy is in danger of committing Line Theft."

Draco backhanded her. "Know your Place, Bitch. You and your sister will be mine."

"Thank you." Flora smiled. "We needed a reasonable complaint to transfer schools. You have just given it to us." she crossed her arms.

"You just don't get it." Draco leered. "I am beginning to think that you need to learn your place… the hard way."

"And what gives you the right to decide?" Blaise asked, as he stepped out of the crowd.

"I am Draco Malfoy, Heir to the House of Malfoy, heir to the House of Black. You will know your Place or I will remind you all!"

"And what, pray tell, is my Place?" A voice called out from the Door to the Common Room. "An even better question, how are you going to put me in it?"

The crowd parted to show a panting Harry Potter in the Doorway. Behind him others were collecting.

"This doesn't concern you, Potter. It is a House Slytherin matter." Draco sneered.

"A House Potter and Carrow matter." Flora helped her sister to her feet. "Malfoy was trying to claim us under the Banner of Black."

Shakily on her feet, Hesta touched her split lip. "You claimed us in the Great Hall. It seems that we are no longer safe in this school. We are transferring to your school in the morning."

"What are you doing here, Potter?" The dark Head of House stepped out of the shadows.

"Deciding on whether I just beat the shit out of your Godson, or do I run him through with my blade. Then there is the question… how could you just stand there and let the piss-stain hit my Girl?"

"I don't know what you mean?" The hooked nosed wizard smirked. "Nothing happened here. No one assaulted anyone else. As Draco said… this is an internal matter."

"I see." Harry smiled back at him. "Potion Master Snape. I find you lacking in your duties to and for the House of Slytherin. You can take it up with the Headmistress in the morning. In the meantime, you and Mister Malfoy are banished from Hogwarts. Elves. Put them outside and lock the gate.

Snape went to roar… and vanished.

Draco was a second behind.

Turning to a Witch with the Prefect Pin. "Can you handle the House for the Night?"

"We have it in hand." She sneered. It was not a blood issue. It was that she was Slytherin and he was Gryffindor.

"Carrow." Harry turned back to the twins. "How do you want to play this?"

"If we can… we would like to join you."

Harry shook his head. "Dobby." As the former Malfoy Elf attacked his knee. "I need you to collect their things, and move them to my dorm. Then collect Winky. With all these witches moving in on me, I think I need a female Elf to see to their needs."

Nott sneered at him, "Rub it in Potter."

"I wish." Harry glared at him. "I have four teenage witches, their emotional fluctuations, and they are armed. I am not going to be able to enjoy the fruits of my orchard for at least another year. That means that I am going to be dodging stinging hexes and the like for two years while they break me to harness."

"See." Daphne stepped up, and patted his cheek. "He can be trained." She gathered her sister and Tracy and drifted off to her Dorm.

"I swear…" Hermione huffed.

"Actually, you don't." Harry smiled at the witch. "Bones. Do you need an escort back to your House?"

"No, Potter. I am good. Aunty, until next time this idiot has need of you." She kissed her aunt's cheek and trotted off.

"One thing Potter." Blaise blocked his leaving. "How did you get in here?"

"No Door is Closed to me." Harry patted the blade on his hip. "I just need a good reason to open it. To see a witch out of her robes is not a good reason to open a door."

At the doorway, he turned back to the common room. "If for any reason, you don't feel safe under my watch, talk to the Headmistress. We will hear you out."

And he was gone.

Nott looked around. "Does Anyone feel safe with Him? I don't."

"Actually I do." Blaise smiled. "The only danger from Him is if We threaten someone else or on the Pitch." He sighed. "I'm going to bed. It has been a busy night. We have lost two professors and the Headmaster. Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow." He grinned while heading to his bed. Stopping just before he left the Dorm, "This weekend, I will have drafted a complaint about the Castles Champion being on the Quidditch Team. If I can… I will accuse him of playing favourites. I will need proof. And not from Malfoy and his court. Fruit of the poison tree."

Nott sighed. "Crabbe. Goyle. Time for bed." With Draco gone, their keep fell to him. He followed.

Pansy frowned before standing and signaled Milly to follow her. She went to Daphne's Door. A knock. The door opened and the pipsqueak looked up at her.

"Daffy, it's Dung's Flower."

Pansy had to take it. "Greengrass. We need to come in. You don't want to have this talk in the hallway."

"Enter and be bound by Guest Rights." Daphne was brushing her hair in the mirror. "What do you want, Parkinson?" She asked once the door was closed behind the two witches.

"Last I heard, you had gone to hash out the Potter-Black issue… then Draco returns from the Infirmary, having been gone longer than I would think being bounced off the wall should take. First thing he does is look around for a target. Not seeing you and your coven not being a big enough target without you present, he went for the twins who he only saw sitting with Potter. He didn't see Potter kiss them."

"You did… and you just sat there?" Tracy glared.

"Malfoy doesn't know about my defection yet. My Father doesn't know yet. I am writing to Mother and will be mailing it in the morning." Pansy explained.

"We didn't know that he was going to hit Hesta," Milly dropped her dumb thug act. "I was caught out of reach and couldn't get to them without plowing through half the House. Thank Morgana for Blaise."

"He does have his uses." Tracy smirked.

"You missed his parting shot at Potter." Pansy frowned. "He is moving publicly against Potter. This weekend he is drafting a petition to bar Potter from playing Quidditch as the Champion of Hogwarts."

Daphne frowned at her sister. "Include to your mother that a private school for a few elite students is accepting applications. We will need to be ready to leave the Pit at a minute's notice. I will handle Potter and Black."

The girls bid each other a good night and headed to their beds.

APLB

Snape went to Roar at Potter… and ended up in the air over the Black Loch…

The shocking cold of the water in mid November of Northern Scotland was mind shattering.

He almost succumbed to the cold… when a second splash alerted him to the arrival of Draco. He grabbed the boy, and Apperated to Malfoy Manor.

Narcissia frowned upon opening the door and seeing the two soaked wizards. "While I am thankful to see the two of you, what are you doing here at this time of the night?"

"We were ejected from the Castle after your Son slapped a witch in the common room." Snape sneered. "We are returning in the morning to see the Headmistress. A lot has happened tonight." He stepped past her to the Parlour and poured himself a drink of her husband's good whisky.

"Draco. Go get changed. Get to bed. Your Father is making his rounds tonight. We will speak of this over Breakfast." Narcissa watched her son stomp and sulk up the stairs to the nursery. "How did this happen?"

"Potter!" Snape hissed. "It always comes back to Potter!"

"Come to the Tea room. You can tell me everything." She laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Let's leave the rivalry at the door. Like I taught you in School. We will look at this from a cold point of view. Then we decide on how this benefits us and how to bend the outcome into our favour."

TBC