Chapter 30
Halloween had not ended up as badly as Harry had expected. He had a quiet evening with his parents where they shared a few drinks, toast, and turned to bed early. They had all woken up early the next day, had breakfast, and acted like the night before didn't happen. Of course, they all knew it did, but something Harry appreciated about his family was that they never felt the need to push him. Last night had been a big step for him, and for the first time in memory, he had slept through the night without the hint of a nightmare. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the crying that did the trick, but he felt lighter than ever before.
Lunchtime had come around after training, and Harry was helping himself to a sandwich that Mipsy had made as Charlus came into the kitchen looking quite chipper, "Ready for the first match tomorrow, Harry?"
"It will be the toughest game of the year," Harry admitted, "but I am confident that I will reach the snitch before James and his team put up 15 goals. I admit the rest of the Slytherin team isn't very good, but I think they can hold long enough for us to pull it off."
"Fleamont says that the Gryffindor team is unstoppable," Charlus said casually, "apparently they have broken all kinds of school records."
"Well, then it will be quite the upset," Harry said with a grin.
Dorea who came into the kitchen with a cup of tea shook her head, "You boys and your sports. Can't we discuss something more productive, like our Christmas plans?"
Charlus gave his son a warning look that clearly said don't argue with your mother, and Dorea did not even hesitate to continue on her path to change the conversation, "I think some time with my brothers would be welcomed."
Charlus had just mentioned that they had not spent a Christmas with Arcturus or Fleamont in several years, but now that the family was coming back together it was about time they shared a holiday. Harry offered his mum a smile as he nodded, "A family Christmas sounds nice. Would we do it here at Potter Manor?"
"It would be the most neutral site," Charlus said easily, "Grimmauld Place and Godric's Hollow are both smaller homes that are very personal to each family. At least here we would be able to go onto the grounds, play Quidditch, start a bonfire, and have some room to enjoy ourselves. I don't think it would be a hard sell to Arcturus or Fleamont's family to come here."
"That would be brilliant," Harry said with a smile.
"Will you be inviting Elaina, Harry?" Dorea asked with a wink towards her husband that Harry caught.
"On Christmas Day?" Harry questioned, "I am sure Elaina will want to spend Christmas with her father, or any other family she has on the holiday itself. If you are both still interested in having her over though I think she wouldn't mind staying for a day or two. She has expressed interest in training with our family. I think she looks forward to it more than our company, honestly."
This made Charlus chuckle, "The girl has a thirst for knowledge that is for certain. I am almost surprised she didn't end up in Ravenclaw."
"She has the mind, but she is quite cunning," Harry admitted. "Her place in Slytherin is well deserved I think. The fact that she has survived in a house of mostly purebloods speaks to her abilities to maneuver in any situation."
"It sounds like you have come to admire the girl a lot," Dorea said with a knowing smile as she avoided her son's glance.
"She's a great witch," Harry defended, "not to mention she has come to my aid, and the aid of my family."
"You don't have to defend yourself to me," Dorea said, holding her hands up, "I think it's cute."
Charlus groaned at the woman's choice of words, "Darling, please don't refer to our son's situation with the girl as cute. You are going to ruin the girl's chances by antagonizing the boy."
Harry's jaw dropped as he looked between the two who both chuckled, "There is nothing romantic going on between Elaina, and I."
"Of course, there isn't," Charlus said a little too quickly to be believable.
Harry's eyes narrowed, "She is just very dedicated to protecting herself, and being the best she can be. Something I respect a lot. She has become a great training partner for me as well."
"Of course, what else would it be?" Dorea asked too innocently.
Harry looked between the two with narrowed eyes before shaking his head, "Anyways. I am going to head back to Hogwarts, before I am missed."
"Give James our love," Dorea requested.
"Smack Sirius for me, will you?" Charlus asked with a grin.
Dorea asked sharply, "What did the boy do this time?"
"Nothing," Charlus said with a straight face as he sipped his coffee, "He is still a Black though. Have to keep that lot on their toes."
This made Harry laugh as Dorea scowled, but her expression quickly turned to a grin as she sipped at her own tea. Harry hugged both of his parents as he promised to write and made his way to the front of the house before apparating back to the castle.
The Scottish Highlands were much brisker than western England as Harry shook the cold feeling he got as he arrived. Walking back towards the castle Harry thought about the Quidditch match that would follow tomorrow. The dream to play with his father on the same pitch would finally be coming true. It wouldn't be on the same team as he had originally dreamed of, but that didn't mean the day wouldn't come.
Harry no longer had the ambition to become an Auror. He figured by the time he had killed Voldemort his life of hunting dark wizards would be over. If he could end this in ten years, there would still be time to turn his attention to becoming a pro. Then maybe James and Harry would get their chance to play together.
The thought put butterflies in Harry's stomach. Charlus and Dorea had become his parents in this world and he loved them immensely, that did not change the fact, however, that James was his family. As was Lily. He would do anything for either of them, and he still held the dreams of them being together one day.
As Harry entered the ward line he felt at ease as he trudged up toward the castle. Lunch would be ending and the school would undoubtedly be discussing the match that would follow the next day. He was looking forward to that atmosphere as he crossed into the courtyard and followed into the Great Hall.
Instead of the positive atmosphere however, he could feel the tension from the moment he stepped into the room. At the sight of him whispers around the room increased. Harry's eyes furrowed at the sounds of his name. Immediately his eyes flicked to the Gryffindor table, but none of the familiar faces greeted him. When they turned to Slytherin he saw Nate Greengrass sitting alone at their table. Harry moved towards the boy, and he heard a Ravenclaw whisper as he walked by, "Potter is going to be livid. I would be surprised if they survived the day."
The words made Harry's heart lurch. He had to fight the need to whirl on the boy and demand what he was talking about, but Nate seemed to catch his change of expression. The heir to the Greengrass family shot to his feet, and came moving towards Harry as quickly as a casual pace would allow meeting him halfway.
Before Nate was speaking Harry noticed Dumbledore, Slughorn, and McGonagall were gone, while Professor Black stood at the front looking quite grave. The man was on his feet and making his way towards the two, but Harry's attention went back to Nate who looked very nervous, "Harry, I need you to take a deep breath and-"
"Nate, what is going on?" Harry demanded with a cold fury building in the back of his chest.
"Potter," Professor Black said before Nate could speak.
The Greengrass heir stepped aside for the Professor and the man offered Harry a nod of respect, "You should come with me."
Harry looked between Nate and Professor Black before merely nodding and stepping aside allowing his professor to lead the way. The whispers continued as Nate gave Harry a solemn look. For his part, the time-traveler merely turned on his heel to follow his professor without a word.
The quiet ceased the moment they made it out of the hall, "Professor, what happened?"
Alphard took long strides towards the staircase, and didn't even glance back at Harry as he said, "There was a fight that broke out in the dungeons last night."
Harry couldn't stop, because Alphard showed no signs of slowing down, instead, he walked faster to keep up, "A fight? Between who?"
"Elaina Essex, Lily Evans, and several Slytherins." Alphard Black answered honestly.
Nearly stumbling at the revelation, Harry's mind desperately sought to assemble a scenario of how such a situation could have been possible. Nothing he came up with seemed reasonable, but by the time he realized that they were coming down the corridor that would lead to the Hospital Wing, "Are they okay?"
"They will be," Professor Black said quietly.
The two didn't exchange further words as they had arrived at the entrance to the hospital wing. As soon as they entered half a dozen Gryffindors shot to their feet wands drawn. Professor Black's wand seemed to materialize in his hand as he barked out, "Wands down, now!"
Harry however barely registered if the group complied. He quickly took in the scene to see that the Marauders, Frank, and Alice, were standing by a bed closest to the door. As Harry continued to observe the scene he saw two familiar Slytherins sitting towards the back of the room. The first person Harry went to, however, was James, "What happened?"
Seeing that there was no current threat James lowered his wand, "Those bigot bastards tried to have a go with Essex last night in the dungeons. Lily was working in Slughorn's office, overheard a fight getting ready to erupt, and tried to get in the middle of it…they both got-"
James didn't finish as Harry pushed past him to step behind the curtain that he was guarding. To James' credit, he didn't even try to stop his cousin. Neither did any of the other members of the group try to speak to him. They were all on edge, but at the sight of their friend, they all seemed to relax slightly as if they had been waiting for his arrival.
As Harry stepped behind the curtains the redhead that lay in bed took his breath away, but not in a good way. She was beaten up. Bruises on her arms were prominent as was a gash on her left cheek. The girl was sleeping unnaturally hard, making Harry think she was in a potions-induced sleep.
Not allowing emotion to take over Harry saw that she was breathing fine, and turned to cross the room to where Pandora and Andi were sitting. Andi was on her feet before Harry could go behind the curtain, "Harry, wait."
Harry stopped at the hand on his chest, but he looked at her hand like it was an offensive gesture, and Andi immediately lowered it, "Elaina is okay. She sustained some injuries, but Madame Pomfrey said she is going to make a full recovery."
"Get out of the way, Andromeda," Harry said coolly.
The girl didn't even hesitate to remove herself from his path as Harry stepped behind the curtain to see a sight that made a dark wrath erupt in his chest. Elaina looked like she had been a professional fighter's punching bag. Instead of bruises, the girl was deeply cut in multiple places that Harry could see. She was pale as well. So pale that it couldn't have been natural.
Stepping forward slowly Harry gently took a hand tenderly as he rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. The girl was in a deeper sleep than Lily it seemed, but still, she seemed to react to his presence by clenching her hand slightly. Her breathing increased for a split second, but it went back to normal as quickly as it had changed.
Harry knelt beside the girl and spoke softly, "Whoever did this to you is going to pay, Elaina. I swear."
The soft clench from before strengthened and the girl moaned in pain. The moan was nearly inaudible but the sound of his name made his heart skip a beat. Putting the girl's hand on his face he said softly, "I am here, Elaina. No one else is going to hurt you."
The girl seemed to relax at once in her sleep, and returned to normal in an instant. The outrage in Harry seemed to only increase the longer he sat there and observed the girl. He couldn't say how long he stood there alone holding the girl's hand, but thoughts raced through his mind.
Who had done this? Who dared attack his friends? It had been declared in the Wizengamot that she was under the protection of House Potter. How dare someone do this. Perhaps Dorea was right, an example needed to be made.
Kissing the back of the girl's hand Harry whispered, "I'm not leaving, Elaina. I am just stepping out. I am not going to let this go unanswered."
The girl clenched his hand unconsciously, but Harry released it after a moment as he raised to his feet. When he stepped from behind the curtains eight sets of eyes were on him. His eyes went from one pair to the next before he took a deep breath as he drew his wand and turned towards the window where no one was, "Expecto Patronum."
A stag slowly took form before the group as Harry spoke quietly, "Hogwarts. Elaina and Lily have been attacked."
Prongs didn't even bow as he took off in an instant. Harry turned to face his friends, while Sirius asked, "Harry, who did you send that to?"
"My mum and dad," he answered sharply. "They will inform James' parents. Now I need someone to tell me precisely what happened."
The group exchanged looks. Each appeared more nervous than the next leaving Pandora to step forward, "Harry, maybe you should sit down."
"Maybe you should just tell me what happened to my friends, Pandora," Harry said icily making the rest of the group flinch, but Pandora just offered him an understanding smile, much like Luna would have.
The brief thought didn't distract Harry however as he listened to the story Pandora told. She explained what they had discovered from Professor Slughorn that members of Slytherin's house were being suspended for a grizzly attack against another student. The details weren't quite apparent yet as Lily and Elaina had both been given sedatives to allow a smoother recovery, but the gist of the two being attacked by the purebloods was enough to set what was left of Harry's patience aflame.
The young teenager did everything he could to contain his magic, but he could tell his agitation was flaring. Madame Pomfrey had entered the room quietly during the telling of the story and had been watching him with increasing scrutiny in the corner as he took in the information, but she said nothing to him for the time being. He left the castle for barely twenty-four hours and this is what happened? What cowards would do this?
Avery, Yaxley, Lestrange, and Mulciber, Harry knew in an instant. It was just like the Death Eaters to attack people with superior numbers, with no care of honor or fair play. If this is how they wanted to play it, Harry would treat them all as equally guilty.
"James," Harry said sharply.
To the young man's credit, he didn't even flinch, but stepped forward closer to his cousin as if he were awaiting orders. Trying to think what he would say to Neville or Ron in this situation Harry spoke in an attempt to calm his own rage, "James, tell me anything else you may know."
The Gryffindor didn't even hesitate to fill his cousin in on every bit of additional information he had gathered. Apparently Lily had been conscious enough to tell the Gryffindor friend group what had happened. Lily had stopped half a dozen, maybe more Slytherin's from attacking Elaina in the dungeons. As the story carried on Harry's savagery increased. This is the kind of cowardice the Dark Lord would approve of for sure, but the time-traveler could only feel his bloodlust increasing.
In an attempt to take a deep breath, Harry said, "James. You know this is not your fault right? If anyone is to blame it is me."
James looked confused by his words, and Harry explained, "Had this happened while I was in the castle I would feel immensely guilty. I don't say this to throw you off, but I just want you to understand that I do not in any way hold you responsible. Nor will Lily. This was the fault of those pureblooded bigot bastards, and they are going to pay for it."
"They've already been suspended from school," Andi said.
"Dumbledore took pretty much every point Slytherin has as well," Pandora added.
"I honestly couldn't care less about points right now," James said fiercely.
Harry nodded approvingly, "I agree. Lily looks like she went 9 rounds with a boxer, while Elaina looks like she is lucky to be alive. A suspension and a loss of house points are not enough."
"What else can you expect?" Remus asked, trying to be the voice of reason.
"What I expect is hardly relevant at this point," Harry said sharply, "Our parents will decide what to do next. Elaina was under our house's protection. Only blood will satisfy my family now. If I have it my way, Lily will be under the same protection by the end of the day."
"You can't protect every Muggleborn in the castle, Harry," Sirius said softly.
Harry stepped towards Sirius so fast the boy stumbled backward, "Can't I?"
The time-traveler could hardly believe what he just heard. The Sirius from his time would've been screaming his approval. This Sirius had yet to be hardened by the war though. Taking a deep breath Harry held a hand up to indicate peace, "I'm sorry, Sirius. Lily is both James' and I's friend. Elaina has also fought for my family. They have both earned the protection of House Potter."
"What will you do, Harry?" Peter asked softly.
"Seek blood," Harry answered, "it is impossible that every pureblood in that group did not know that Elaina was under the protection of my house. The fact that they attacked her anyways is disturbing. My parents disappear to grieve the loss of my brother and they mistake this for a weakness. Then in the shadows of my family's mourning, they attack my friends while I am not in the castle. This cannot be allowed to go unpunished."
Before anyone in the group could question this the voice of Dumbledore entered the Hospital Wing, "They are being punished, Mr Potter."
Harry's eyes shot to the Headmaster as he slowly moved toward the group, "Each of the attackers has been suspended for two weeks, and are on probation. I have also deducted two hundred points from Slytherin House."
"Two of my friends were almost killed and you expect me to give a damn about points and probations," Harry said with a cold tone.
The group gasped, while Dumbledore closed the distance between himself and the group where he stood just outside of arm's length of Harry, "I expect you to trust my judgment, Mr Potter."
"I assure you that I don't," Harry spat. "This wasn't a case of bullying, Headmaster. Had you not arrived when you did it is possible we would be burying Miss Evans and Miss Essex."
Harry took the formality to try and drive his point home, but the headmaster merely frowned, "I doubt it would have gone that far."
"Do you?" Harry asked coldly, "In that case, I put your opinion on this matter at the very bottom of my value of the situation."
Dumbledore frowned at this, "I will remind you who you are speaking to, Mr Potter."
Before Harry could retort, a firm voice entered the Hospital Wing, "You should take that reminder and apply it to yourself, Dumbledore."
At the entrance to the Hospital Wing were Charlus, Fleamont, and Dorea Potter. Charlus immediately commanded, "Monty, Dory, check on Miss Evans. I will see Miss Essex myself."
Charlus may not have been the head of house Potter, but the two followed his command as if he were. In return, Charlus strode forward walking right past his son, and peered into the curtain that contained Harry's friend.
It spoke miles of the Potter's influence that Dumbledore did not even dare to question their arrival. Charlus tension increased as he continued to stare at the broken form of Elaina Essex. When he closed the curtain he didn't turn to face the group right away. Instead, his fist balled up and he turned to his son. At his arrival, Madame Pomfrey had also stepped back into the room to watch the exchange. Charlus spoke softly, "What is the prognosis, Poppy?"
The woman eyed him cautiously as she approached, "She is looking much better than when she came in last night. A couple of bone beakers, a piercing curse to the shoulder, and…"
The hospital matron glanced at the headmaster nervously, but the man was too busy looking at Harry when she sighed saying, "And it appears she was held under the cruciatus curse for a moment. The shakes are the only evidence I have of that though."
Harry felt a white-hot irritation course through him and before he could say anything Charlus merely nodded before saying, "Blood feud. Our honor demands it."
The gathered group gasped, while Dumbledore's eyes widened. Harry for his part merely nodded in agreement, wanting nothing more than to seek retribution, while the headmaster said, "Charlus, surely this is an overreaction to schoolyard violence."
Charlus seemed to seethe at the man's words as he stepped inside the headmaster's personal bubble, "You call what happened to that girl schoolyard violence? She was tortured for Merlin's sake Dumbledore, how dare you!"
Dorea and Monty stepped from behind the curtain looking grave. Charlus didn't say anything to the pair as he jerked his head in the direction behind him. Neither hesitated to approach the curtain as they checked in on Elaina. When the two came back to the group they both looked furious.
Monty, the normally relaxed man, was shaking with rage, "I warned the Wizengamot that Miss Essex was under our protection. How dare members of those houses attack that girl? The fact that an attack like this happened on any student makes my blood boil, but the fact that it happened to a young woman under the protection of my house is unacceptable. My brother is right, blood feud!"
Dumbledore raised both hands, "Gentlemen please."
"How many will die on our own soil before you realize what is happening here, Dumbledore?" Dorea asked coldly.
The tone of the woman's voice brought everyone up short, "Over five years we fought Grindelwald's forces before you graced us with your presence. Will our own children start dying before you take action in what is to come?"
The tone of the woman made all the teenagers take a step back except Harry. To Harry, it made perfect sense. This was not the time for peace. This was the time to make an example of some pureblood gits that thought they could rule the world without consequence.
The headmaster had no words for the woman as he merely glanced toward the ground. Charlus then stepped back into the conversation, "You will give us the names of all those involved. One way or another we will get them. Give it to us through the official channels or we will find alternative ways of finding out. I promise those will be much less pleasant."
While Dumbledore seemed to search for answers Monty was staring at his own son. James seemed to take the hint as he swallowed, stepping forward, "It was the two Carrows, Lestrange, Mulciber, Yaxley, and Avery."
"Avery, Yaxley, Lestrange, and Mulciber again?" Dorea seethed quietly, stepping closer to Dumbledore, "For the love of Merlin, Dumbledore, how many times are you going to let those imbeciles step out of line?"
"I assure you the situation was handled appropriately, and it will now be monitored by the Board of Governors," Dumbledore tried to assure her.
Charlus coldly said, "It is much too late for that. That should've been done after that Avery boy tried to curse my son in the back."
Turning to face his brother he formally said, "Lord Potter. My side of the family has been wronged. A young woman that fought for our ancestors' home, and protected one of our sons from harm's way, has been attacked after the world knew she was under our protection. What will be done?"
Monty had a furious expression on his face as he nodded in acceptance to the formal words his brother posed to him, "The House Potter has no choice. The hand of peace and forgiveness was offered to these cowards once. We cannot do so again. Our honor will not allow it. I Fleamont Potter, the current Lord Potter, do hereby declare blood feud against the houses Avery, Lestrange, Mulciber, and Yaxley."
Wide eyes watched the exchange, and Dorea turned to Dumbledore, "Chief Warlock, do you acknowledge this vow of retribution?""
Dumbledore may have been twenty years younger than the one Harry had grown up with, but the man was looking every bit the eighty years old he was in the moment when he nodded his head, "I do."
Charlus and Fleamont exchanged nods, while the war vet said, "The Wizengamot will need to be notified."
"I will do it myself," Dumbledore said wistfully as he made his way towards the hospital wing exit.
Charlus shook his head as the man refused to look back at the gathered group. Monty however took a deep breath, "I never thought I would have to hear or say those words."
"We can't allow them to think our family is weak, brother," Charlus said confidently.
Monty for his part sighed, "You're right. It's not what dad would have wanted."
James swallowed heavily as he stepped toward his dad, "What does this mean?"
"It means," Monty explained, but seemed to search for the words, "that we have declared war against four families. This could be a horrible turn of events for the Wizarding World."
"We will play for keeps, as we always have," Charlus said confidently.
Monty, Dorea, and Harry nodded at his words, while James looked increasingly worried. Harry put a hand on his cousin's shoulder, "How would you feel if the situation had gone just a bit further? What if instead of telling me this in the Hospital Wing you were telling me in a cemetery? That is a possibility we face if we do nothing."
The adults seemed to agree with the words, while James seemed to accept the words with a grain of salt, "We won't let Lily be attacked like this again."
Harry accepted his words by placing a hand on his shoulder, "You're right. We won't."
Charlus stepped over to the two, placing a protective arm around each of them, "Harry, you will stay with Elaina until she wakes. Monty will be getting in touch with Arcturus to get the Quidditch game delayed till next weekend, and we will make sure Hogwarts staff does not trouble you."
Harry accepted the words already having planned to sit in the Hospital Wing under his cloak if he had to. James on the other hand had different thoughts, and he was wearing his contemplation on his sleeve as Charlus asked, "What is it, James?"
The teenager seemed nervous to say what was on his mind, but finally, he said, "Harry mentioned putting Lily under the protection of our family. Is that possible?"
Charlus' eyes darted towards his son and the two held the others' gaze for a moment when the man nodded, "It is possible. Let us speak with the girl when she wakes up, and decide the best course of action."
The war vet knew that Harry would be protective over the woman that brought him into the world. Despite this being a different woman, Lily Potter, had once sacrificed her life so Harry could live his. Charlus could not imagine his son wanting to leave the Muggleborn defenseless.
Nothing further was said however as Dorea and Fleamont returned to speak with the man, while James sighed moving back towards his group of friends while offering Harry a nod.
For Harry's part, he moved back to Andi and Pandora, but said nothing to either girl. Instead, he stepped inside the curtain, conjured a chair, and watched over the girl quietly. Promises were made, and Harry considered what would come next. With a blood feud being issued a duel would likely follow. A duel between champions, or a duel between the entire families, Harry wasn't sure. Either way, though Harry planned to ensure his family won, whatever the cost may be.
(A/N) Retribution is coming! If you want to read about it today, for free, you can join my discord page The Hunters Lounge, and read through chapter 41! For 1$ you can read through chapter 59 on pat(reon) by following me OrionB15. That's all for this update, Cheers!
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