Chapter 17

Entering the Slytherin common room it was clear that most of the students were done with their lessons for the day as many lounged around the room. When Harry entered, four seventh-years that he recognized all came from where their dormitories were, and looked at him with twisted grins. Yaxley was leading Mulciber, Avery, and Rabastan Lestrange.

The lead blond opened his arms as if welcoming Harry, "Ah, Potter, good. I am glad you are here. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I clearly underestimated you in Defense earlier, and I do not wish you to think I hold you any ill will. I merely wished to provide you with a better challenge, and my arrogance quickly proved to be my undoing, which I apologize for."

Harry was surprised by this approach, but decided there was no reason to antagonize the man, "I understand, and accept your apology. I hope you understand that I was merely completing the challenges that Professor Black assigned me, and the way I achieved that was nothing personal."

It was about as neutral of a response as Harry could manage, but Yaxley seemed to accept it gladly. Just when Harry thought they might shake hands and go separate ways Rabastan opened his mouth, "Say, Potter, what was with you talking with the mudblood from earlier?"

The room went quiet at the man's words, and Harry frowned as he realized that the entirety of the common room was watching him. Even Andromeda and Pandora who were in the corner observing him seemed curious as to what his reaction would be. A glance at Snape in the opposite corner, however, showed he had an even expression on his face that looked almost bored. It was the look on Elaina's face that stopped him. Unlike the rest of the room, she wasn't looking at Harry to see his reaction, instead, she was glaring at Yaxley.

Frowning, Harry stepped toward the group, "I assume you are referring to Miss Evans?"

Rabastan frowned, but nodded, "How many other mudbloods do you talk to, Potter?"

"I'll respectfully ask you not to use that word in my presence." Harry returned formally.

This led to laughter from the group of teens, and even a few others around the common room. Harry's eyes raised as he marked each of those individuals with his eyes. Avery spoke next, "Oh look here boys, a mudblood lover. Should have known being a Potter he would be a filthy blood traitor."

Gasps echoed through the room, and Harry stared at the boy with indifference in his eyes, but internally he was raging, "You insulted a dear friend of mine unknowingly, so I will allow that insult to go by once, and chalk it up to a poor upbringing."

With a flick of his wrist, Avery was hit in the chest with a wandless banishing charm, and in a flash, Harry had his wand in his hand pointing it directly at Rabastan Lestrange who had his hands fumbling in his robes while Harry held him at wand point, "The slight on my family, however, is not one I will allow."

Harry had no choice, but to disarm Rabastan Lestrange, as the man had finally managed to pull his wand out with clear intent on cursing him. Mulciber, who saw Rabastan was attacking, decided to chance a curse at Harry, which was easily blocked and the seventh year was stunned before he could get off another curse.

Avery had found his way back to his feet by now, with his wand in hand looking furious. Yaxley got in the man's way before he could start hurling curses clearly trying to calm the man down, but Avery yelled over the Slytherin Prefect, "You're a dead man, Potter!"

A grin now extended across Harry's face, "Is that a threat, Avery? Are you threatening me?"

The cold tone in his voice stopped Yaxley cold as he turned to face Harry, surprised to see the wicked look on his face, "Because if you were that would be beyond stupid."

Harry slowly stepped towards the boy, and Yaxley moved from his way leaving nothing in between the stalking teen and Avery, "Go ahead, Avery. Curse me. I dare you."

Avery was now looking uncertain. He looked between the disarmed Lestrange, and the stunned Mulciber, then back to Yaxley who looked very grim over the situation, before turning around and storming away.

"You should pick friends with better manners, Yaxley." Harry scolded as his eyes drifted across the common room, "We were so close to shaking hands like men and ending this, but then your friends had to go and upset me."

Turning to address the house Harry spoke, "My name is Harry Potter. If you haven't heard by now. I am a simple man, and grew up mostly in isolation. In that isolation, however, I have created a special set of skills. I intend to use those skills to defend myself, and my family, something I think you can all respect, but let me make myself very clear on one thing."

He paused for a long moment, and seemed to realize the entirety of the house was watching him, "I hate bigots. My family has spent generations defending magical blood, and keeping the people of the wizarding community in this country safe. I will be damned if I let some entitled little shits disrespect the sacrifices of my ancestors just because they feel superior."

Feeling the uncomfortable atmosphere, Harry put the nails in the coffin, "A very close friend of mine, who is no longer with us, was a Muggleborn, and no one will speak ill of that community in front of me. If you do…" Harry looked into Yaxley's eyes, and then glanced at the fuming Rabastan, "Be prepared to fight."

With that, Harry turned on his heel, and walked towards his dormitory. Murmurs followed his departure, but then the scream of his name made him turn to see a purple hex coming his way. There was no time to shield or dodge, but he pictured a shield forming in front of him, and to his surprise, his magic failed him. That did not, however, change the fact that someone had come to his defense with a shield of their own.

Harry gently swooped in front of his savior, and his wand was a flurry of movements as he shielded the spells coming from Rabastan, Yaxley, and Avery. Screams echoed throughout the common room as the battle ignited.

Not wanting to take the chance of his spells being deflected into the common rooms crowd, Harry charged Avery and punched him in the face, before grabbing his wrist, and turning the bewildered boy's wand on Rabastan stunning him with ease. Harry then ripped Avery's wand away and used his body as a shield as Yaxley's body bind connected with his friend. Yaxley yelped in surprise, and Harry capitalized quickly by putting the Prefect in a body bind as well.

Surveying the scene Harry could see Mulciber and Lestrange sprawled out, with no one daring to revive them. The crowd in the common room was in awe, and most of them had their wands drawn. Harry chanced a glance at Andi, Pandora, and Nate, all huddled together, and they seemed as shocked as the rest. He merely offered them a nod to indicate he was okay before turning to face his attackers.

Harry twirled Avery's wand in his fingers as he approached them. Avery and Yaxley were both staring at Harry with wide frozen eyes, and he merely shook his head, "That was very foolish. My family would wipe yours from the face of the Earth if word of this reached them. If you ever dare attempt to curse me in the back again, it will be the very last thing you do."

With a snap that was heard around the room, Harry tossed the pieces of Avery's now broken wand on the floor in front of him. The magical buildup in the room was near-suffocating as he stormed back towards his dorm, people fleeing from him in his wake. Finally, though he stopped as he reached the point where the person who shielded his back was, and turned to face his dark-haired guardian, "I won't forget what you just did for me."

The girl's eyes were wide with surprise, but she offered him the slightest of nods. Satisfied that no one would dare to curse him in the back again as he returned to his dorm for the evening.

Elaina still had her wand in hand, absolutely stunned by what happened. She had no idea what had possessed her to protect Potter, but she knew what it was like to be cursed in the back by her housemates. She knew what it was like to wake up in the Hospital Wing in agony with no idea who had cursed her.

Cautiously she watched as each of the seventh-year boys were revived by their friends, and each of them stormed off towards their dormitories indicating she was in the clear for the evening. She couldn't imagine the humiliation her classmates were feeling at that moment. Those four Slytherins in particular had always been nasty towards her and the other Muggleborns in the school, yet no one had ever stood up to them.

Potter did more than stand up to them though, she thought with grim amusement. He beat down all four of them in a matter of seconds, and he protected the rest of the students in the common room. Deciding to join her friends, she made eye contact with Andi, Nate, and Pandora, before crossing the room towards them.

As she approached her friends, Pandora placed a hand on her elbow comfortingly, "That was very brave, Elaina. Though I think you may find yourself on the business end of those wands sooner than we would like."

Before Elaina could respond, Andi shook her head, "If they do, Harry will rip them to pieces a second time. The way he protected you after you blocked that curse to his back was amazing. I knew he was talented, but that was something else."

"I heard from the Carrows that Potter is out to put some of the traditionalists in their place. That Dumbledore helped the Potters keep him in hiding all those years only to bring him out as a white knight for the light faction." Nate said with concern on his countenance.

Andi rolled her eyes at that, "From what Harry told me, last night Dumbledore almost cursed him last night over a difference in opinions. I hardly believed it when he told me."

Pandora frowned at her friend's words, "I suppose the Potters have never been supporters of the Dumbledores in recent times. There may be some bad blood there from the Great War."

Elaina raised her eyebrows at this, "What do you mean?"

"Harry's parents were war heroes in the fight against Grindelwald." Andi explained, "It's likely why he is so powerful, and so good in combat. Did you notice he doesn't duel in any orthodox style. If he does it's not one I recognize."

"That doesn't explain why there could be bad blood between the Headmaster and Potter's parents." Elaina said pointedly.

"I listen to my grandfather occasionally." Andi admitted, "He loves to drone on about the war, and his greatest friend Charlus Potter. Supposedly grandfather was the only one who knew about Harry's existence in our family. Anyway, according to my grandfather, they were about a day behind Dumbledore in taking the fight directly to Grindelwald. If you listen to the ramblings of my Lord Black he claims their unit would've taken down Grindelwald together. He is quite displeased that they were a day late."

Pandora and Nate looked impressed, while Elaina continued to frown, "I guess I don't understand. I am not big on history, but what's the big deal with taking down Grindelwald?"

"Elaina," Pandora explained patiently, "Grindelwald was considered the most powerful wizard of the last two centuries. My family believes the Headmaster beat Grindelwald with tricks and deceit, not skill with a wand. Grindelwald was never bested in battle in his nearly twenty years of conquest. He nearly burnt down Paris in the '20s, and the world thought he was invincible. He pushed the boundaries of magic further than anyone in recent history."

"Until Dumbledore confronted him." Nate added, "No one alive witnessed the duel however, so no one knows exactly how Dumbledore did it. Supposedly the fight lasted for hours though."

Elaina wondered why this was not extensively studied in History of Magic, but quickly realized that Binns was already dead by the time Grindelwald had his rise to power.

"Anyway," Pandora said changing the topic, "My favorite rumor about our current favorite topic is that Harry was sent by his family to replace James as the Potter Heir. According to Rowle, the Potters are so disgusted by how much goofing off James does that they have to send a better member of the family to represent them in the Wizengamot."

Andi and Nate both chuckled at this, and the Black daughter chimed in with her thoughts, "Harry doesn't strike me as a politician. Plus, Fleamont is not about to replace his son, who was just named Head Boy. James is talented when he isn't being a miscreant. By the time his father passes, he will make a decent Lord Potter."

Nate chuckled, "Never would've thought you would defend him, Andi. Black and Potter were the stuff of nightmares our first few years here."

"We all had to grow up at some point." Elaina said with a shake of her head, "I suppose even in Slytherin, the gossip never ends."

This led to chuckles from the group, and they all wished each other a goodnight as they made their way toward their dormitories. Elaina laid in her bed that night with a million things on her mind. Everything from Grindelwald to the new target she put on her back by protecting the new Potter. She knew she had done the right thing, but she could only hope that she was not going to pay the price for it. Andi had said Harry would not allow her to be attacked, but she had been getting sabotaged, hexed, and cursed for her entire duration at Hogwarts. Saving him from getting cursed in the back wouldn't make that much of a difference. Would it?

(A/N) This is the only short chapter you are going to get I promise! I know it's not much so if you guys want to go to my discord and check out the advanced content for FREE you can follow the link posted below. Pat(reon) has update #33 online today, which means you could double how far you are in this story for just 1$ a month OrionB15. Lots of exciting stuff is coming as I enter my 12th year on Fanfiction and the best place to be for all that is Discord! Cheers friends.

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