Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 are already on Pa tr eon

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Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)

"What the hell is going on here?" Harry asked the moment the door closed. He tried to keep his voice down but had held back for so long that the words came tumbling out.

"Relax, young Harry," said Mrs. Black, standing and moving to the door. She opened it quickly, looked up and down the hallway, making sure the coast was clear before closing and locking it. "I have a moment now, so we have some time to talk, but not too long. That dean of yours wants to meet for coffee, and I can't afford to refuse."

She turned and looked at him, her face breaking into a radiant smile, and she did the last thing he expected. She ran to him, her massive breasts bouncing, and pulled him into a giant hug. Her soft body pressed against him, clouding his mind, but this time there was nothing unnatural about it. Harry had never been this close to a woman before, let alone one who looked and smelled so wonderful. His body began to react against his will, and he quickly pushed the professor away, hoping she hadn't noticed.

"I'm sorry," she said, stepping back. "I just wanted to thank you! Her voice was breathless, and her smile wide. "You saved our lives last night, Harry, and I want you to know how grateful we are."

"First of all, what was that creature last night and how did it turn into a man when it died? Then you can tell me who this 'we' is."

"That man was Walden Macnair, an ancient bear. It was my fault for being out so late during the full moon, but nothing like this has happened in millennia, so I was unprepared. I turned in the vineyards and, well... you saw the result. As for 'we,' it's my sisters and me. I believe you saw both of them last night before succumbing to the bear's toxins. Tell me, what happened when I was unconscious? Did you meet anyone in the fog?"

"There are bears? And what, I suppose there are wolves too?" Harry asked with a slightly hysterical laugh.

"There are," his professor replied, nodding. "But we haven't seen any pack traces nearby. Not for many years. Though I think we should expect them any day now.

There are many things you need to know, Harry Potter, too many for me to convey here. Make sure you have your sword. From now on, you should always have it with you."

"This is not my sword," said Harry, raising his hands. "I just found it in the pond."

"Excalibur hasn't appeared in this world for seventeen centuries, Harry Potter. Its transition from Fae to the mortal world was felt by many, and most of them will want nothing more than to kill you and take it from your hands. Who did you meet last night in the mist?"

Harry stood with his arms crossed over his chest. By nature, he wasn't a suspicious person, but enough had happened in the last day to make him feel that a certain degree of caution was necessary. The woman before him possessed an otherworldly beauty and apparently had some influence over the emotions and thoughts of others, so he struggled with the feelings she stirred within him, not yet trusting his own emotions around her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Black. I only met you yesterday. In the meantime, my professor died under mysterious circumstances, and I was nearly killed by a nightmare creature. I'd like to trust you, but I'm not sure I can, so for now, I'll keep my own counsel."

"That's wise," she said with a warm smile. "Just make sure you keep the blade close. And please, call me Narcissa. You, of all people, don't need to be formal with me."

She moved closer again, and Harry was on high alert, both to her presence and to the desire that surged within him like a storm as she approached once more. She licked her lower lip, breathing heavily, her eyes tracing the contours of his face.

"Tonight you become a man," she said, her voice caressing the words. "After midnight, you will bear the burdens and... pleasures of adulthood. I owe you so much already, but I have a boon for you, Harry Potter. Would you spend the first hours of your adult life in the company of my sisters and me? I promise we will give you a full explanation of everything that is happening before... we celebrate your manhood with you."

The woman moved slowly forward as she spoke, now standing just inches away from him. She was careful not to touch him but shivered as she felt the heat radiating from his body in waves. With one last deep, shuddering breath, she stepped back, crossing her arms firmly under her enormous bust, her eyes blazing, and her smile wicked.

"If you can explain anything," Harry said, his mouth dry and his heart racing, "then yes, I would appreciate coming."

"Where?"

"Just head to the end of Privet Drive," she said, returning to her desk, the tension between them easing. "Ours is the stone house in the orchard."

"Isn't that place abandoned and haunted?" Harry asked, recalling the childhood myths about the place.

"It is haunted," she said with a chuckle, pulling out papers and extracting a red pen from her briefcase. "But not abandoned. See you promptly at 11 PM, Harry Potter."

She looked up, and he saw a storm of emotions in her eyes. She was holding them back with a willpower he found admirable, and her face was a serene mask. He nodded and left the classroom. Colin waited for him outside, practically bouncing on his feet, questions bubbling on the boy's tongue. Down the hall, Daphne stood with her group of amused friends, forgetting them when the classroom door opened, her eyes following the strange young man like tractor beams, hungry for his attention, desperate to know what the new professor had talked about with him. Harry, however, didn't notice the beautiful girl's gaze, even as he walked past her, his small friend chattering beside him. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. The main concern was the sword he had left in his locker. His new professor had only reinforced the feeling he had earlier when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

The school day couldn't end quickly enough for Harry, and his anxiety grew with each passing minute. Finally, the last bell rang, and he jumped from his seat in the chemistry lab and headed for the door. In the hallway, he saw Colin but only waved to him. Heading to the back exit, he left the campus behind the bleachers.

He wasn't sure why he took such precautions, but he knew it felt right. He reached the end of the alley and looked up the street toward the school. A dark sedan with tinted windows and a sinister appearance was parked at the curb. Turning, he walked home along the street, careful not to rush, pulling his hood over his head.

He walked most of the three miles without incident, but there were only so many roads leading to his neighborhood. He was crossing the main street when the screech of tires alerted him to another dark sedan with tinted windows approaching. He turned and ran down an alley, his long legs propelling him forward as the car screeched to a halt at the narrow entrance.

Glancing over his shoulder, Harry saw three burly men in tracksuits exit the car, their faces twisted in strange fury. With a burst of speed, he darted ahead, ducking through a familiar gap in a fence and running across the field behind the church, leaping over a small creek, and diving into a narrow gap between houses. Hopping a fence, he crouched low behind a woodshed in someone's backyard.

Harry fought to keep his breathing under control, hiding in the dark space. Seconds later, footsteps pounded up the creek, and he heard them splitting up after a quick whisper, heading in two directions. He remained still for long minutes, the tension never leaving his shoulders. Minutes turned to ten, then to an hour. He didn't move, still feeling the danger close, alert and near.

He was just beginning to think he was a fool for staying there so long when he heard the shift of a body and the scrape of a boot against rocks on the other side of the fence. The steps retreated in the direction they had come from, picking up speed as they disappeared from his hearing.

With a sigh, he felt the tension drain from him, and the hairs on his neck relaxed. He waited another twenty minutes, darkness falling, then jumped the fence and cut through the backyards to his house. Slipping in through the back, he paused in the dark kitchen, listening. Alert for anything unusual, he heard only the TV playing in the living room.

As quietly as he could, he slipped back down the hall to his room. Carefully closing the door behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Taking care not to turn on the light, he went to his closet and reached into the dark space, a spike of fear rising in him for a second when he felt nothing, then a wave of relief as his fingers closed around the cold hilt of the ancient sword.

He walked to the window and looked out, seeing nothing unusual on the street. He slung the chain strap over his shoulder and found that it could also be fastened to his waist, allowing him to carry it on his back, with the hilt just above his shoulder. At least it won't bang against my legs while I run, he thought.

Looking around his room, there were few things he could call his own. This place had never been a home, just another bed to live in under the rules of other adults. It was his last night as a ward of the state, and he thought he should spend it away from this place.

Slipping back into the hall, he peeked into the living room and saw Vernon passed out on the couch. The man cradled a half-full bottle, holding it like a child. Casting one last look around the dirty house, Harry left through the back door and slipped into the alley.

Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 are already on Pa tr eon

If you would like to read the next chapters faster, see exclusive content, or support my work, please visit

Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)