STORY TITLE: The Rewards for Patience
PART: 02 of ?
AUTHOR: Red Jacobson (red.)
DISTRIBUTION: Private
DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters You Recognize belong to me. All the Potterverse characters belong to JK Rowling and her publishers.
SUMMARY: The War was over, but nothing changed. A hardened Harry Potter intended to go back and change things to avoid losing everything important, including the love of his life, Hermione Granger, among other girls.
FEEDBACK: Of course! It Makes Me Write Faster
RELATIONSHIPS: Harry/Multi
RATING: NC-17
WORD COUNT: 5,380
SPOILERS: None; if you don't know how the Harry Potter story goes by now, why are you reading this story? The Prologue starts in a slight AU from Canon, from when Ron left during the camping trip from hell. That really won't matter all that much once the story properly starts.
WARNINGS: If You've ever read any of my stories, you know what to expect, Oral, anal, Femme-slash, Dom/sub, multiple partners, and Femme-cest.
AUTHOR NOTES: Credit for Barchoke, the Potter Account Manager, goes to RobSt, the author of many extremely enjoyable stories. I've asked him for permission to use the character but haven't heard back. I hope he doesn't mind.
ADDITIONAL AUTHORS NOTES: Re: Lemons, don't expect any lemons for this or the next couple of chapters because they will only be 10, 11, or 12 at this point in time, and while I'm well aware that it happens in reality, I'm not comfortable with writing children getting nasty before they are at least 16 years old. Also, Quirrell's Turban, in the book it wasn't mentioned in the Leaky Cauldron scene, but in the movie, the turban was covering Voldemort's face, so I'm saying he was wearing the turban at the Leaky, and Harry didn't think to mention it.
ABOUT THE DATES IN THIS CHAPTER: I made a goof when I did the day and date of Harry's arrival back in 1991, having it happen on a Friday, but double checking the calendar, July 31st, 1991 is a Wednesday, so August 1st, 1991 is a Thursday.
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Thursday, August 1st, 1991
The Leaky Cauldron
Diagon Alley
The Next Morning
Harry woke up early after a night of incredibly restful sleep. For the first time that he could remember, there were no nightmares about the war. Instead, he enjoyed several dreams of his time with Hermione and Luna and the other girls who joined them for a night or two of fun. Some of the girls they were considering inviting them to join the family, but others were just occasional playmates. Fortunately, he was woken by an urgent need to reach the toilet, so the dreams stopped before things went bad.
Once he took care of the immediate need, Harry realized that he didn't hurt; the aches of the poorly healed broken bones had disappeared, and nutrient potions that the Goblins had sold him had started correcting the years of malnutrition from growing up with the Dursleys. It was just after eight am, so the dining room should be open. Looking toward Hedwig, his owl was awake, and looking around, Harry called out a cheerful greeting, getting a bark in return. Grabbing a towel and shower supplies, he spent several minutes enjoying the hot water as he cleaned himself. Harry loved knowing that he could take as long as he liked to shower instead of having to get as clean as he could in the two minutes Petunia let him use the water.
Drying off, he got a look at his naked body in the bathroom mirror and shook his head in disgust at how much work he had to do to get back in good condition. The nutrient potions will help, but he needs to exercise to improve his fitness, and a fitness program would be a good way to bring Neville closer to him early. Ron? It's hard to tell, but Dean would go for it if he started including weekend footie games. Seamus would likely go along to avoid being left out. They could invite the girls, but they may not be enthusiastic, and he could get them easily enough. All he would need to do was point out the benefits of being friends with the guys before the boob fairy showed up, so they could size up potential boyfriends. That should get Lavender, and she would drag Parvati in, will she nil she. He was planning on being Hermione's best friend from the minute he saw her on the Express or earlier; if he found her in the Alley, she would go along to be with her friend. It would take a few years before she realized that her 'friend' was really looking forward to bending her over and removing her knickers!
Although, considering the way his magic seemed to get stronger after the visit to the goblins, he might need to think about additional girls other than Hermione and Luna, and bringing in Parvati would give him access to Padma. And who wouldn't want identical twin sisters, especially gorgeous ones like the Patil twins, in his bed? It was also early enough to catch Cho's eye, and she already had submissive tendencies, at the very least. He was still thinking as he finished showering and got dressed. He left the window open for Hedwig to fly about as she chose, so he headed down to grab some breakfast. He was starving!
As he was walking down the stairs, he paused suddenly. He had been thinking about Luna, and it hit him: was her mother still alive, or had she died already? If Selene was still alive, maybe he could save her. That would be worth doing, not only for Luna and her father's sake, but it would give Luna a reason to be drawn to him when she started Hogwarts next year. Harry remembered where the Rookery was, but why would he go there? He couldn't tell them the truth... or could he? He smiled. Selene and his mum were more than friends. If he remembered and understood his mum's diary entry correctly, it would make sense for him to look up his mum's friends.
The smile dropped. If Selene were still alive, he would need to tell the woman the truth because Luna said that her mum had died when she was 10 years old, and her Birthday was February 13th. She would need to be extremely careful for the next several months if the accident hadn't already happened!
Ordering breakfast, he ate as quickly as he politely could, composing the letter to Luna's mum in his head. Finishing, he paid and left a good tip before heading back up the stairs to his room. Seeing that Hedwig was still on her perch, he said, "Hey girl, I'm going to have a letter for you in a few minutes, and you can wait if they want to send a reply." Hedwig bounced excitedly and gave another quick bark before settling down to wait.
It didn't take very long to write the letter, but he was taking his time to ensure his handwriting was legible. Folding the letter and sealing it closed; he tied it to Hedwig's leg and watched as she flew toward the Rookery. Harry wasn't expecting her back for a few hours. There were other things he wanted to take care of, including making sure the publishers and staff of the Daily Prophet understood just how much of the Prophet he owned as the head of the Potter family, not to mention that he was Heir to the Black family as well. Once they understand the situation, Harry will give them an interview, not with Rita Skeeter. In fact, he should send Moody or Kingsley an anonymous tip about Rita's Animagus form.
After getting the location of the Daily Prophet from Tom, Harry went out into the back Alley and into Diagon Alley proper. He quickly found the paper's office, just down a side alley, but the sign on the building next to the Prophet grabbed his attention. The sign on the front read 'Theodore Tonks, Solicitor, and he decided the newspaper could wait for an hour or so, so he pulled open the front door to the office.
#
Immediately after the Prior Scene
A young woman looked up from the front desk when the bell over the door rang, and Harry had to force himself not to react seeing Nymphadora Tonks alive and well, unlike seeing her dead body lying on the floor of Hogwarts Great Hall. He could tell that Tonks recognized him by how her eyes automatically went to his forehead. But she didn't react to how faded the scar was; she just greeted him like he was any other client.
"Welcome to the office of Theodore Tonks, Law Wizard. How can we help you?"
Pushing away the memory of her corpse, Harry smiled and said, "I need to speak to Mister Tonks if he is available because I just found out I was a wizard yesterday, which was enough of a shock. You would think I would have been taught what I needed to know, wouldn't you, given that I'm well known and wealthy, according to Gringotts. When we got to Diagon Alley, I saw all kinds of books and toys with my name and appearance on them, but I never permitted anyone to use my name or my likeness. They didn't make any payments into my vault, and I want somebody to force them to stop. I would find out who granted permission to use my likeness and legally pursue them. And, if possible, find out who would have been responsible for making me aware of my responsibilities. Is this something your firm can handle?"
"Let me get one of the solicitors to answer your questions. I'm just helping out until my class at the Auror Academy is ready to start. The Solicitors Firm is my dad's business." Standing, she walked to a door in the wall and knocked before she opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. As he watched her walking away, Harry cursed his 11-year-old body because, for the first time, he noticed that Tonks had a cracking arse! Hopefully, he will change the past enough that she doesn't end up with the Weeping Werewolf because he could already tell she would appear in his dreams that night.
A moment or so later, the office door opened, and Nymphadora escorted Harry into the office, where Ted Tonks was standing at his desk, his hand held out to shake. Once the greetings were completed, Ted sat him in a comfortable chair while he sat next to Harry.
"Nymphadora told me a little about what you are looking for, and I can certainly do my best to help you, but if you aren't 17 years old, you aren't legally able to enter into a contract," His eyes widened when Harry held up his right hand and displayed the Potter ring. Ted said, "Or you can take on the role of Head of your Family, which will automatically emancipate you so that you can sign a contract, so let me write down exactly what you are hoping to accomplish, and I'll go over our fees."
He went over what he wanted, which he had already told Tonks, but Ted asked several questions to clarify. As he wrote, he started grinning, and once Ted was finished, he set down the quill and looked at him, "I have to say, Lord Potter, this case should be fascinating, especially since everything about you, including your parent's wills was sealed by Albus Dumbledore who was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, he claimed it was to keep you safe from any remaining followers of the Dark Idiot that managed to avoid arrest. Which made sense at the time, but by the time you were five or six, you were old enough to understand the situation. But, since you are now the head of the Potter family, you can override the Chief Warlock's Seal."
The two spent over an hour reviewing what Ted would be doing, including filing notice in multiple places that Harry had taken up his position and a statement that he had retained Theodore Tonks as his solicitor to act on his behalf, signed by Harry. He pressed his ring into the wax on the statement to confirm it was authentic. Those two documents permitted them to act in Harry's name for legal matters. After reviewing their pricing, he presented his Gringotts key to pay the retainer. After signing his name enough times to give him a writer's cramp, he took a copy of the notice he was now the Head of House Potter, and with a final handshake, he was heading out the door. Once back in the Alley, he double-checked that he had the documents from Gringotts showing just how much of the Daily Prophet he owned and walked up to the newspaper's front door.
#
The Rookery
Ottery Saint Catchpole
Devon
Saturday, August 1st, 1991
11:00 AM
It had already been a very long day for Luna, but she was happier than she'd been in a long time because her mother was still alive! Selene heard her crying out Harry's name, and she knocked on her bedroom door, softly calling Luna's name. As soon as Luna realized it wasn't a dream, she was out of bed and pulling open the door, hugging Selene with everything she had, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. When her mum tried to find out why she was crying, Luna shocked her by using the phrase "There are no answers, only more questions," a code phrase that all Unspeakables learned to identify one another when they were outside the Department.
Selene was willing to listen to Luna's story since her daughter would only know that phrase if she was an Unspeakable as well. She was also concerned about the anguish in Luna's voice when she called out Harry's name because whatever had happened must have been extremely bad. It took some time, but Selene was convinced by the time they were at the dining room table, finishing their second cup of coffee, especially Luna's warning about an experiment she was planning. Selene put that experiment aside until she could determine what went wrong to cause the explosion.
Once Luna adapted to being back in her nine-year-old body and doing everything she could to convince Selene of the danger her current experiment put her in. Fortunately, her mum was willing to believe and stopped working on the rune cluster she was trying to assemble until she found the problem. Selene had softly asked what Luna could tell her about what had happened over the next few years. Luna answered what she could, but her concentration was mainly on planning how she would get to Crawley to convince Hermione, and then the two of them could get Harry away from those animals he was living with.
At least, that was her plan until she heard an owl swooping into the kitchen through an open window.
Looking toward the Owl, Luna blinked, rubbing her eyes, and looked again, "Hedwig?" Luna breathed and almost collapsed in relief when Hedwig bobbed her head and gave a cheerful bark.
Selene had turned toward the window, and missed her daughter's reaction, but turned back in time to see Luna nearly collapse. If it weren't for the broad smile on Luna's face, Selene would have been concerned. Instead, she just said, "You know this Owl, Luna?"
"I do, Mum. Her name is Hedwig, and her human is Harry Potter. At least she seems to think that Harry is her familiar." Hedwig gave Luna a look that almost seemed amused.
Selene noticed the byplay and, with a smile, reached for the letter still tied to Hedwig's leg. "Can you wait for a reply?" Hedwig bobbed her head, almost a nod, and Selene said, with a gesture, "There is some fresh water and kibble for you, so help yourself."
With Hedwig occupied, Selene opened the letter while Luna was practically bouncing in her seat, trying to make her hurry up. Scanning the letter, she said, "It's mainly about how he found his mother's journals, and from the way Lily had written about me, it was clear that the two of them were very close."
She wasn't going to tell Luna just how close she and Lily were. Still, considering what Luna had told her about this Hermione girl, Selene was positive her daughter wouldn't bat an eyelash that her mum enjoyed the taste of another woman.
"Harry asks if he could visit so I could tell him about Lily, and, if you hadn't told me what had happened, I would have been suspicious about the letter because it doesn't read like an 11-year-old wrote it, the phrasing and the confidence are something that an adult would use in the letter. So, shall we invite him to visit?"
The look Luna gave her was an answer, but she said, "You never got a letter from Harry before, so I'm hoping that his writing means he has his memories too. In the letter, tell Harry that Luna was delighted to see Hedwig again and wondered if she would be able to visit Crawley for us. That will tell Harry that he isn't the only one who remembers things."
Sending the letter back with Hedwig, Selene grinned wickedly, her wand in hand and casting a spell up the stairs. Seeing Luna's curious look, she said, "An alarm to let us know when your father wakes up because he won't want to hear this conversation."
Leaning closer, Selene said, "So, how did you get together with Harry and Hermione? I need some details. I love your father, but he is more interested in his magazine these days."
Luna looked steadily, "Are you really ready to hear this? To know how hard I cum from getting spanked and sodomized? Or how Hermione and I would go with Harry, and we would enter nude dance contests, and if the tips were good enough, Harry would let the two of us put on a private sex show, the two of us would make easily 1,000 pounds sterling for each of us. Or how often would one of us pick up a girl for the three of us to share for the night? Are you sure you want all the details?"
Selene was leaning back in her chair, her night robe falling open, showing the flush that started at the top of her breasts. Her breath was coming in, panting, and Luna saw her mother's glazed eyes, filled with lust. She grinned, "I guess that answers that question."
Tapping her mum on the arm to get her attention, Luna started talking. She wasn't embarrassed by anything she did with Harry and Hermione or any of the other girls, and there were plenty of nights that began with all three of them watching each other as they masturbated. Those were always fun!
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The Leaky Cauldron
Harry's Room
Thursday, August 1st, 1991
11:30 AM
Harry was whistling cheerfully when he got back to his room from the Daily Prophet offices. Once they realized just how much control he had, even without being the Heir to the Black family, Cuffe, the Editor in Chief, was very accommodating, and he made certain that all of the staff and reporters, especially Rita, knew that Harry was not a subject for gossip, speculation, or character assassination.
Harry told them that if he does something that is genuinely newsworthy, either good or bad, go ahead and write an article, but make sure that you have verified every fact, and if there is speculation, make sure that it's labeled as speculation in the article, before providing the speculation. From the expression on Rita's face, she was already trying to find a way around the directive, so he made a quick stop at the Owl Post Office and sent anonymous letters to Amelia Bones and also Moody and Kingsley that Rita Skeeter is an unregistered beetle Animagus. He honestly didn't care if Rita was arrested and imprisoned as long as the word got out about her insect form. That should put an end to her ability to spy on anyone she wanted to.
Stopping at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Harry treated himself to an ice cream cone, eating it on the way to Leaky. Finishing his treat, he wiped the ice cream off his hands and face. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't enjoy an ice cream cone without getting it all around his mouth; Luna and Hermione both used to tease him about it. Of course, the teasing ended up with both girls over his lap for a spanking, and they completely forgot about teasing him until the next time.
Unlocking the door, Hedwig greeted him with a cheerful bark, holding out the leg with a letter on it. Harry could see at a glance that it was a different letter than the one Hedwig left with and reached for the letter with hands trembling from excitement. Feeding his snowy owl a treat, Harry took the letter from the ribbon holding it in place. Opening the envelope, Harry started reading until he came to the part where Selene passed along Luna's message. He had to reread that sentence three more times before his brain was able to confirm what he was reading. His Luna was back with him, and they could write to Hermione when they were together. He just hoped that Hermione had her memories, too. Harry had already started making changes, but with his brainy loves, they could start planning.
Finishing the letter, Harry quickly cleaned up and changed clothes before leaving the room. After a quick word with Tom, Harry put a couple of silver sickles into the dish and grabbed a handful of the Floo Powder. Tossing the powder into the fireplace, he waited until the flame turned green before sticking his head in and calling out the Rookery's Floo address and the password.
Harry barely notices the trip through the Floo; all he can focus on is seeing Luna for the first time in too many years. Unfortunately, just like every other time he tried to use a Floo, instead of exiting gracefully, he shot out of the fireplace like a cannonball, sliding across the floor until the legs of a table stopped him. Harry would have cursed his inability to use any form of magical transportation but a broom, but the sweetest sound in the world stopped him. Opening his eyes, he was looking into the pale, silvery eyes of his Luna, and nothing else mattered.
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The Rookery
Ottery Saint Catchpole
Devon
Thursday, August 1st, 1991
Early Afternoon
Selene sat back and watched Luna and Harry as they talked, and even if Luna hadn't told her about the relationship with Harry and the other girl, she still would have been able to tell that the two of them had known each other intimately for a long time. The way the two of them would finish each other's sentences or be comfortable together, none of the awkwardness you would expect to see when two children meet for the first time, especially when it's a boy and a girl.
Selene was glad that Xeno had already left to put the new issue of The Quibbler together. He would not have been happy seeing Luna and Harry together. Her husband wasn't always the most observant man she'd ever met. However, seeing his nine-year-old daughter with an eleven-year-old boy and acting like a long-time married couple would cause an explosion that would make one of Molly Weasley's Howlers sound like a whisper from a lover. So, it was for the best that Xeno did not learn the true story of how they met.
Eventually, Luna and Harry finished their conversation, and Harry turned his attention to Selene, saying, "Thank you for giving us this time, but we didn't mean to exclude you. Now that my Moon-child and I are caught up on what I've been doing, I would like to talk to you about my mum. From reading her journals, it was clear you were extremely close, and it's obvious if you read between the lines that it didn't stop at friendship, did it?"
Selene briefly considered not answering, but after the conversation she had with Luna, she knew that her daughter wouldn't have any problem with the idea. "No, our friendship went clothing forbidden by the time we were in the Fifth Year, and your mum was tearing her hair out over the behavior of your father and his friends, and I had just broken up with a boy I was seeing, and no, it wasn't your father, Luna.
"He and I didn't meet until after we both graduated from Hogwarts. Getting back to your question, Lily knew a room on the 7th floor of the castle that could be anything we imagined, so Lily grabbed a bottle of wine that she'd got past Fitch somehow, and we spent the afternoon soaking in a tub that was a duplicate of the Prefects Bath. I'm not sure if I kissed Lily or if Lily kissed me, but after a few minutes, it didn't matter. Things progressed normally from then on, and you can use your imagination if you want to see it."
Harry actually chuckled, "No thanks, I don't want to be thinking about my mum engaging in, to steal a term I read once, 'sweaty snugglebunnies,' and, while you are more than a bit of alright, Luna would be unhappy, and that's to be avoided at all cost!"
Luna shocked her and Harry both when she said, looking at Selene speculatively, "Oh, I don't know; if it didn't hurt Daddy, I would be willing to show my mum just how much I've missed her, and we would need to talk to Hermione first, but we could invite her mum, Monica, to an evening of playtime, while Harry and Richard watch us." She paused, "Actually, we probably should wait until our bodies grow into our imaginations. I'd really like to have my boobs back before getting naked with anyone but Harry and Hermione."
There really wasn't anything Selene could say to that, especially since Luna had brought up the idea, and it did sound delightfully nasty. But not for several years yet; they all need to be of age before even thinking about such things.
Fortunately, for Selene's peace of mind, Luna dropped the subject, and she and Harry started discussing what to say in a letter to Hermione so she would be willing to meet with them and see if she had extra memories as well.
They were finally satisfied with the letter and had to wait for Hedwig to get back from her hunting flight. When the beautiful owl returned, she happily took the letter to Hermione and took it to the air on her way to Crawley.
#
Later that Afternoon
Summerset Crescent, Crawley
Thursday, August 1st, 1991
Hermione Granger, a twelve-year-old witch, at least that was how old she was when she went to bed the night before. Being woken up by the memories of the death of her twenty-year-old self and knowing that Harry, her husband, and Luna, their wife, died the same time she did was enough to knock anyone off their pins!
She was fortunate that her parents had gone to an event that supposedly was sponsored by the BDA, and her 12-year-old self had accepted their story. Hermione had been 15 when she discovered that these dinners and conferences were actually meetings of a swingers group. It was the knowledge that her mum enjoyed having sex with other men and their wives that started her wondering what it would be like to have sex with another girl. Well, that was one thing she could mark off her bucket list since she had enjoyed a lot more girls than just Luna, and she was actually looking forward to playing with a few of the girls that they didn't get a chance to seduce, having to deal with Voldemort at the time.
The sound of the Daily Prophet's delivery pulled her from her thoughts, wondering why the Prophet was putting out an evening edition. Paying the owl, she gestured to the water bowl, and the owl took a quick drink before flying back out the window. Taking the newspaper over to her desk, she opened it and felt a surge of excitement. The headline of the newspaper was "Welcome Back to the Wizarding World, Harry Potter!" and the top half of the front page was a picture of Harry standing next to some of the staff of the paper, but no sign of Rita Skeeter. Hermione was amazed at the changes in Harry from what she remembered of his appearance the first time she met him.
Seeing the changes and knowing that Harry had never spoken to the Daily Prophet the last time they were getting ready to start Hogwarts had her hoping that, somehow, Harry has the memories of the next several years.
Reading the actual interview, she was honestly impressed at the way Harry was handling himself, letting people know that he was raised outside of the magical world and didn't know he was a Wizard until his Birthday. He apologized to anyone who had written to him, but he never received any of the mail, and if he could find out what happened to it, he would do his best to make sure that everyone who wrote him would get a reply.
The bulk of the interview consisted of questions about his life, and Hermione had to admit that, while not flat out stating that he wasn't treated well, reading between the lines was reasonably clear. He was raised outside the Wizarding world, so any lapses in etiquette were explained away. He had not been given any training, and he had no idea who his magical guardian was, so they could not teach him what he needed to know.
"Well, that ought to put a porcupine down Dumbledore's robes since he always claimed that he was making decisions for Harry as his guardian. Malfoy and some of the traditionalists would have a field day tearing strips off the Headmaster, Chief Warlock, or however many titles he had, and honestly, she couldn't feel sorry for the man. He had caused too many problems with his penchant for secrecy, including the death of the last link to his parents, because he didn't make any attempt to force a trial for Sirius or even take the memories of the confrontation with the rat. Still, he just claimed there was nothing he could do, so he didn't even try.
Taking a deep breath and holding it before letting it out, Hermione tried to clear her thoughts, to forget Dumbledore for now, and concentrate on how to contact Harry. She would have to get her parents to take her to Diagon Alley so she could pay to have a letter delivered. Hopefully, Harry will receive the letter quickly enough that they can meet and see if he is the Harry she has known for so long; if so, then they can concentrate on contacting Luna.
She spent the next hour writing and rewriting the letter she wanted to send Harry, being careful to avoid sounding like a nutter but still finding a way to ask if he had strange memories.
Hermione had finally gotten the letter to say just what she wanted it to say, just in time for her parents to get home from their Dental Clinic.
As luck would have it, Hedwig arrived just as Hermione was sitting down to dinner with her parents and shocking the two dentists by starting to cry while stroking the owl, a huge smile on her face. Just the sight of Hedwig told her that at least Harry remembered her. Hopefully, Luna did as well.
Once they finished eating, her parents sat down on the loveseat and asked Hermione several questions.