Something Different

Time passed by, and Harry saw Susan several more times over the course of the following weeks as he and Neville prepared for the Ministry function.

"Will you come with me?" Harry asked as he sat down with Susan one morning about two weeks before the event. "To the Ministry Ball. Will you attend with me?" He would understand if she didn't, considering his reputation, but he could hope.

Susan smiled at him. "I would love to," she said. "What should the date of Lord Black wear to such a function?" She knew about all the planning done, and she certainly didn't want to mess it up.

"She should match Hannah but go in greens or dark blues. It so happens that Hannah has a fitting that I extended to include you if you were amicable," Harry said.

Susan chuckled. "Okay," she said. "I'll go speak with Hannah." She kissed him. She paused in the door. "When do I get to meet Teddy?" she asked.

"When you aren't working on the days he is here," Harry said. "I'm not keeping the two of you apart on purpose. Your timing is just awful." He got up from the table and walked over to her so he could kiss her. "He wants to meet you too," he said.

Susan laughed. "Can I come by later?" she asked.

"As far as I'm concerned, you could move in if you want to," Harry said.

"I'll consider it," Susan said. It would make things easier for her in a way, since she wouldn't have to pay rent any more. Her landlord was slowly getting on her nerves. Maybe she should just move over. Most of her things were at Harry's place already anyway. "See you later."

Harry smiled. He kissed her. "See you," he said. They headed out together and Harry landed in Hogsmeade. He looked up at Hogwarts Castle. He hadn't been back since the summer of repairs, so long ago, before his time with the Nation. He walked up towards the castle slowly. The wards washed over him and he sighed softly. They felt so weak. He looked up at the attempts at repairing what had been broken during the war. Some parts of the old wards had been laid by the founders a long time ago. He could salvage it. He could save these wards. He just had to hope Minerva would let him.

Students walked past him as he entered the castle. He could feel their eyes following him. It didn't matter. What he was there for was too important for him to be bothered by the stares from some students. He reached the gargoyle and reached out to touch it. "It has been a while, hasn't it," he said. "Please inform the Headmistress that Lord Black has arrived," he said.

The Statue moved aside, and the stairs moved up. Harry reached for the doors and pushed them open. The office had changed a lot since he last stepped foot in there. It made sense, of course. McGonagall wouldn't have the same style Dumbledore had when he was headmaster. "Headmistress," he said with a shallow bow.

Minerva rose from her desk and walked around it slowly. When she had been contacted by Lord Black, she hadn't been sure what to expect. The bright green eyes that now met her were not it, though. "Lord Black," she said before she said something else. Something she obviously shouldn't say. "You contacted me regarding the state of our wards." She was wondering what this was about.

"I did," Harry said. "Though, you may not be aware, I was acknowledged by the Enclave as a Master Warder earlier this spring. I remember the wards collapsing during the battle and wondered if anyone had spent some real time overlooking them since." He wasn't going to point out just yet that he could probably sneeze on them to take them down as they stood right now.

Minerva blinked in surprise. A Master Warder. So Harry hadn't abandoned his studies. He had simply taken a different route. "I don't feel like I'm the right person to ask that question," she said. "May I call Professor Flitwick up. He is the one who mended the wards after they fell."

Harry bowed his head. "Of course," he said. It didn't take long for Flitwick to appear, and Harry taped his closed fist against his chest. "Greetings, brother of my Clan," he said.

"Well met, my brother," Filius responded. He looked at Minerva as she filled him in. He looked between her and Harry several times. "You do realise that this is the young warder who laid the new wards at Gringotts," he told her. "His wards are spoken of by the Nation. If Master Black is willing to refurbish our wards, we should accept. My only worry would be cost. Someone like Master Black is expensive."

"I'm willing to negate half the cost simply as a donation to the continued safely of our youths," Harry said.

"Your rate being?" Filius said. He could check this with his cousins so he would know if Harry was lying.

"Twenty-five galleons an hour," Harry said.

Minerva sighed. "We would need a roof," she said. "Or and idea of how many hours this will take."

"I could walk the wards and let you know what it would cost to gain a base weave and security wards," Harry said.

"Would you please," Minerva said. She looked at Filius as Harry left. "Will it be worth it?" she asked.

"Proper wards are worth a lot, Minerva," Filius said. "I'm surprised the Department of Magical Education hasn't demanded better wards around our students."

"Maybe I should contact them for a budget," Minerva said as she looked over at her desk.

"Send Master Black's assessment along. That will give them something to work with," Filius said. "His rates might be a bit high, but he works alone, and his time frame might not be as bad as other people. On top of that, I believe his wards he can add to later without as much hazel. They didn't close Gringotts when he worked on the bank wards, you know."

Minerva nodded slowly. "I'm just glad to see that he is alright," she said.

Students were heading into the Great Hall for lunch as Harry returned to the castle.

"Join me, Master Warder," Filius said as he saw him.

Harry followed the Charms Professor into the hall. The students were loud and Harry found that he wished there was a mute ward between them.

"How did your assessment go?" Filius asked.

"I believe a base weave would take me about eight to ten days, however if I was to do the simple version I would calculate closer to six days," Harry said. "Adding security to that will be an additional fourteen to eighteen days. Let's say for the sake of the calculation that it takes fourteen, the cost would be about two thousand galleons.

"Write all of that down. If we can manage to meet that, would you then be willing to add more advanced wards for the halved of the payment you are willing to essentially donate?" Filius asked.

"Certainly," Harry said.

Filius looked at his list of wards. "Special wards seem more pinpointed," he said.

"They are. Usually they are applied only to part of a ward rather than the whole. They can be next to anything I can manage to make into a ward. Neville Longbottom asked for wards that protect his pants, but also keep people from being hurt by the more dangerous specimens. The high security on vaults falls under that. I can do a lot, so marking down each type of ward is going to make a list no one will want to deal with. I do have a separate list of wards I have made though so I keep to about the same prize."

"What does the absorption ward do?" Filius asked.

"It absorbs magic cast at it and link that magic into the wards it works really well with the maintenance ward to keep your wards working at peak performance even if they get attacked," Harry said.

Filius nodded slowly. He would keep the list of wards just to keep track of what could be done, since he would most likely be put in charge from the school's point of view. "I'm glad to see things have worked out so well for you," he told Harry.

"At least you knew it couldn't be too bad, sir," Harry said.

"You have no idea how frustrating it was to know that and not be able to tell anyone you would be fine," Filius said. He shook his head. "I was ready to tear my hair out, young man."

Harry shrugged. "I quite enjoy the results," he said.

"You would," Filius said. "I'm surprised they allowed you to set the wards at Gringotts."

"I don't think the Council quite realised what that would mean. Friend Dumac might very well have talked them into it," Harry said.

"Cousin is good at that," Filius said, and Harry laughed. He handed an assessment over to Filius and sighed. "Well, I should probably get going. I have a few things I need to do before picking Teddy up from school." He paused for a moment. "You know, it is only four years before my son starts Hogwarts," he said. "Look forward to mayhem." He got up and headed out of the hall. He wanted to pick up some more art supplies before going to meet Teddy.

They were sitting in the kitchen later that day. Harry was prepping vegetables for dinner and Teddy was building a Lego set when the front door opened as Susan walked in. She kicked off her shoes and placed them on the shelf before walking into the kitchen. She head over to Harry, and he leaned back so he could kiss her. "Hey, love," she said.

"Hey Sue, you are home in time for Paella," Harry said. "Teddy's class has been on a Spanish adventure today, so I figured we could make something local."

Susan looked at what he had and nodded approvingly. "You know, I worked in Spain for six months not long before Harry and I got together, Teddy," she said.

"Yeah, you did?" Teddy said. He was glad to finally meet Susan. She had sounded like a nice person, and he liked the feel of her. She walked over and sat down next to him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm building a dino trapper. It is a big truck that can catch dinosaurs," Teddy said.

"Can I help in any way?" Susan asked. She was glad that Teddy didn't seem to mind her, and hoped he would be okay with them living together. She had decided to wait a bit with moving in, just so she could get to know him better first.

Teddy looked up from his build. "Well," he said. "If you want to, you could sort the pieces in like colours."

Susan smiled at him as she started going through all the little pieces. The smell of food filled the kitchen as Harry threw onion and garlic in a hot pan. He moved it quickly as he fried it off and added saffron and rice while moving the pan to a cooler hob.

"How did it go at Hogwarts?" Susan asked.

"They are worried they can't afford wards," Harry said. "That isn't great and makes me wonder what the board is up to. I'll have to ask Neville."

"Are you on that?" Susan asked.

"No, but I could be, and I think Neville might suggest it," Harry said. "Thankfully I'm dealing with Filius and apart from being a very intelligent man he is also of the Nation and belongs to the same clan I do, so I have that to lean on."

"I'm just glad you aren't planing on taking full rate," Susan said.

"I gave them that as the base though since they will try to apply for funding. If they can get what I'm asking for, then we can add several more wards that would be beneficial."

"Are you working anything else until then?" Susan asked.

"A couple of town houses in France," Harry said. "I'm just going to assume I will get a lot of jobs out of the country. The people over there asked for someone the goblins could recommend, but they live in non-magical neighbourhoods and want the neighbours to know they exist, but they don't want them to know they have magic, so I'm adding a ward to deal with that. It is a bit of an optical illusion type ward. I'm heading over on Monday to start the job."

"Do you need any help picking Teddy up?" Susan asked.

"Not on Monday, and I will know more after I have met with them," Harry said.

"Do we have any plans for the weekend?" Susan asked.

"We are going to the Imperial War Museum Sunday. You can come to if you want to," Teddy said as he looked up from his Legos.

"Teddy will be looking at everything, so we'll be on our feet for a while," Harry said.

Susan shrugged. "I can just dress accordingly," she said. "I would love coming along."

Teddy smiled at her. He liked Susan. She already seemed better than Jake, even if he had been nice. He had never cared to help out when Teddy was playing, and Susan's neat piles of Lego made things a lot easier for him.

"Food will be ready soon," Harry said.

Teddy looked at all of his Lego and bit his lip. He needed to clean it away but…

"Do you have a tray, Harry?" Susan asked as she got up from the table. He pointed her to a cupboard, and she knelt down to check. "Ha," she exclaimed as she found what she was looking for, then she walked back to Teddy and placed the tray on the table. "If we put everything on here, you don't need to worry about messing the sorting up," she said. The smile he sent her way was heart-warming.

Susan carried the tray into the living room before returning to help Harry make the table. He added food to their plates and put a plate aside under a warming charm. "Andromeda should be showing up unless something unexpected happens," he said. He filled a jug with water and sat down by the table. "What do you think, Teddy?" he asked.

"It smells good," Teddy said. He stuck his fork in and blew on the rice to cool it down. "Loads of flavour. Is it the saffron that smells so good," he asked.

"It is," Harry said. He smiled as Teddy started eating happily. He was glad he had a child who just seemed to enjoy food.

"This is good," Susan said. "I think Señora Marisol would have been okay with this one, and she is very peculiar about how to make paella." She could see the little proud smile on Harry's lips as he ate.

"How was your day?" Harry asked.

Susan sighed. "Boring," she said. "There really isn't anything interesting to work with right now. I have been looking for projects, but it's dry."

"That's a shame," Harry said.

"I'll be taking on a tutoring job just to keep myself afloat," Susan said. "It's two boys who are supposed to start Hogwarts after summer and their parents want them to have an extra boost. At least that will keep me busy."

Harry nodded. He understood what she meant. He wouldn't be too happy with not being able to find work in his field, either.

Teddy headed into the living room after he had finished eating, while Harry and Susan cleaned the kitchen before joining him. Susan ran her fingers along Harry's bracelets slowly. She could tell that Teddy had a few too, and she wondered about that. "What are the bracelets for?" she asked.

Harry raised his arm and touched the different bracelets he wore. "The green and blue ones are a tracking charm on Teddy, so Andromeda and I can keep track of where he is in case something happens. It also lets us find each other easily if we are supposed to join up somewhere. The black and white one is my timer. The blue and gray is a weak shield and insect repellent, so Teddy has that one as well. The beads are just a gift from Luna…"

"And the yellow one?" Susan asked.

"Ask me later," Harry said. He glanced over at Teddy. He wasn't willing to talk about that one in front of his son. Thankfully, Susan got the hint and let the subject drop. She didn't do that indefinitely, though. As soon as they had put Teddy to bed, she pushed him down on the couch and sat down on his lap. "Yellow. Tell me," she said.

Harry chuckled. "You know, I've dated guys in the past," he said.

"Yeah," Susan said.

"That bracelet when activated takes care of prep work before sex, and it keeps things mess free after," Harry said.

"Does it affect you?" Susan asked. "If you activated that now, would it affect you?"

Harry tilted his head back and forth a few times. "I guess that depends on what you mean by affect," he said. "My body knows what activating those spells mean and I enjoy it, so would I get hard? Probably, but you could achieve that anyway." He ran his hand down her back and pushed her forward so he could kiss her.

"How likely is Teddy to wake up?" Susan asked.

"Not very," Harry said.

"Can I try something?" Susan asked.

Harry shrugged. "What do you have in mind?" he asked. She pulled him up and walked them over to the bedroom before pushing him down on the bed. She closed the door and activated the wards that would keep Teddy from hearing them.

"Undress," Susan said.

Harry just chuckled. He wasn't sure what she was after, but he wouldn't stop her. He knew Susan well enough to know that she would respect his boundaries. He dropped his clothes in the hamper. "Now what?" he asked.

"Activate your bracelet," Susan said.

Harry did as she said. "Susan what…" She placed her wand against his chin and he fell silent. "Lie down," she said.

Harry moved back and lay down on the bed. He reached out to her and watched her undress. She joined him on the bed. "I want to test some spells on you," she said. "Most of them I've used myself, but… well, I've never been with a guy before who enjoys ass play, so I'd like to see the way you react when you are the one getting fucked. If you want me to stop, just tell me. If something hurts, let me know. I don't want to hurt you." She sat down next to him, and he raised his arm to run his fingers along her side. She took his wayward hand. "Can I… can I tie your hands?" she asked as she grabbed his other hand and raised them above his head.

Harry looked up. He had never let anyone tie him up, and he wasn't sure that was something he wanted to do, but he also wasn't against trying most things at least once. He grabbed the headboard and moved his body so he would be more comfortable. "Go ahead," he said.

Susan raised her wand and tied his hands to the headboard. She checked the ropes. "They aren't too tight, are they?" she asked.

"No," Harry said.

"I've been meaning to ask Harry. Why do you shave your body? Is that something some boyfriend wanted or…?" Susan said as she ran her hand down his chest and along one of his thighs. He shuddered under her touch.

"No, I just like it better without the hair. I don't demand it from my partners. I just prefer being shaved and trimmed, so I do it just like I get rid of my beard because I don't want it," Harry said. He felt her pull his leg aside. "What are you thinking, Susan?" he asked.

"I was thinking I should tie your legs down too," Susan said. "If you don't enjoy this, just remove the ropes." She tied his foot to the foot of the bed before moving over to his other leg, spreading him out before tying him down. "There now you can't get any ideas," she said. She ran her hand back up his body as she settled next to him again.

Harry moaned and strained against the ropes holding him as she cast the next spell. His eyes teared as she played with him. "Please Susan. Please…" She kissed him to silence him. She moved and heat engulfed him. "You are so beautiful like this," Susan said as she moved away from the kiss. "I should gag you and keep you like this." She smiled at his reaction. "You would like that, wouldn't you," she whispered in his ear.

"Susan, please give me… let me…" Harry couldn't focus enough to make a proper sentence."

"More? Of course, you want more," Susan said. She kissed him again and swallowed his whimper before moving back so she could bring him to completion.

Susan reached up slowly and undid the ropes holding Harry's hands in place and brought them down to rest on his chest. She could see red marks on his wrists. She would have to see if he had a healing salve for that. She released his legs too and dispelled the rest of her magic on him. He reached for her as she moved off him.

"I'll go clean up and bring something to clean you," Susan said. She disappeared for a moment. When she returned, her hair was damp, and she cleaned him off using a wash cloth that she threw in the hamper. She could tell that he had freshened up the room for them while she was gone. She laid down next to him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Harry chuckled. "I don't think people would expect me to be hoarse after sex with you," he said.

"But you enjoyed it?" Susan asked. She had moved so she was laying partially on top of him while running her fingers through his hair.

"Yes," Harry said. "I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you, Susan."

"No, thank you, Harry," Susan said. "I guess you would know what it feels like to see your partner lost beyond thought. You have certainly done it to me in the past."

"It requires a lot of trust to let someone pleasure you so absolutely that your mind kind of shuts down," Harry said. "It also takes a bit of skill to make it happen with no aid."

"Your magic gives you an advantage," Susan said. "I love you."

Harry smiled sleepily at her. "I love you too," he said.

…

Andromeda looked at the two of them the next morning as they walked into the kitchen. "Harry, please button your shirt," she said. "Unless you want to explain that to Teddy."

Harry hid the healing marks on his arms. Susan had forgotten the healing salve the night before, so they had applied it that morning. He would heal, but it would take an hour or so.

Susan wrapped her arms around him and hugged him from behind. "I need to get going," she said.

"I know, have fun. See you tomorrow," Harry said.

Susan chuckled. "Oh, I'll be back tonight," she whispered in his ear.

Harry blushed as she left.

"She is good for you," Andromeda said. "You have been a lot happier lately."

"Teddy thinks she has potential too," Harry said as he sat down by the kitchen table.

"As long as the two of you play away from him, I guess that is fine," Andromeda said.

"My wards will hold, but they let his distress through, Andy. I will always put him first," Harry said.

"Harry… He is seven. He'll start Hogwarts in a few years. If you want to find someone and maybe eventually give him some younger siblings, I see no issues with that. Susan seems like she can both make you happy and stand her ground. Was that your idea or hers?" Andromeda asked.

"Hers," Harry said.

Andromeda shook her head and smiled. "Oh, Harry," she said. She looked towards the door. "Good morning, Teddy," she said.

"Grandma, you came," Teddy said.

"I came here last night. The food was delicious, by the way," Andromeda said.

"There will always be food for you at this table if you ask for it," Harry said. "That isn't going to change."

"Grandma, did you meet Susan. She helped me with my Legos yesterday, and she will go with us to the museum tomorrow. She is really cool, and she makes dad smile a lot," Teddy said.

"I think she makes him do a lot more than just smile," Andromeda said as she gave Harry a pointed glance.

Teddy gave her a strange look. He did not understand what she meant by that. "So, can we head to the park today?" he asked.

"Most definitely," Andromeda said. "Firstly, though, we all need breakfast."

…

Harry looked at himself in the mirror. He adjusted the vest and made sure his cravat sat the way it should, It was the same shade of green as the dress Susan was cursing about as she put it on next to him. "Would you like help, love?" he asked.

"Yes, please do the back," Susan said.

Harry touched the ribbons. "Give me a second, so I don't just mess this up," he said. He pulled at the dress and adjusted it on her body before pulling the top part of the ribbon. He tightened it while making sure he wasn't giving her issues before tying it at the bottom so he could hide the strings. "There was an over skirt for this, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Susan said. "It's on the bed." She moved her arms out as he wrapped it around her before tying it in place, hiding the knots. She looked at herself in the mirror. "Well, that is better than I thought it would be, especially next to you," she said as he turned around and placed his hands on her hips. "I want to give an air of, 'don't fuck with me,'" he said. "We are dressed traditionally and in Black house colours to signify that we stand firm. Some will think that means I believe in the pureblood nonsense, and others will know it means I am the rightful Lord, so leave me alone."

"We are firmly pro equal rights, correct?" Susan asked.

"Yes," Harry said. They had worked hard to present the right way for this. He took a deep breath and offered her his arm. "Let's go," he said. They walked out of their room and Teddy appeared from the living room with his camera. "I want a picture," he said. "Outside."

Susan laughed. "Oh, of course, Teddy," she said. "It isn't everyday we dress up this much, is it?" She smiled at Harry, and he smiled back at her. They headed out and Teddy ordered them around for a bit before he was happy with them. "Do stuff," he said. Before rasing his camera.

Harry laughed and grabbed Susan, he pulled her close and spun them around slowly. They posed for Teddy for a bit before they had to get going. "See you tomorrow, Teddy," Harry said. "And have a fun time with Andy." He hugged Teddy close before letting Susan fix his robes. He offered her his arm and teleported them to the atrium at the Ministry.

"Name."

"Hydrus Black and Susan Bones," Harry said calmly.

The older man keeping the books looked up at him and saw the Lord ring upon his finger. "I see," he said. "Welcome to today's festivities, Lord Black."

Harry bowed his head and escorted Susan over to the grand hall set aside for events of this kind. He smiled pleasantly at people and stopped to speak with some. Andromeda had spent ages hammering the different shields and colours of the great houses into him, and he was glad it stuck. He moved around proudly. He wasn't hiding.

"Lord Black."

Harry turned towards the man speaking. It was none other than Lucius Malfoy. It surprised him how well the Malfoy family had survived after the war. Then again, Lucius was a master manipulator, and he had spoken up for his wife and son himself before leaving for Gringotts.

"Lord Malfoy," Harry said as he bowed, mostly to show deference to Lucius age and experience.

"It is a surprise to finally see the Seat of Black filled once more," Lucius said. He was studying Harry. Seeking weakness and finding that whoever had taught the young Lord had done a good job.

Harry tilted his head slightly. "My godfather made sure to name me his heir, as he did not wish for the house to fall into his mad cousin's hands. No offence to the remaining Ladies of the Black family, of course," he said as he inclined his head to Narcissa.

Lucius's shoulders sett stiffly. Andromeda Tonks née Black. If she had taught him, there was a rather significant possibility that it would be very hard to convince him of anything outside whatever beliefs he held. "You were absent for a long time," he said.

"I found that Hogwarts no longer had anything to offer me and sought further training elsewhere. Master Ragnok took me on and I have since gained my Mastery. While I may attend an event every now, and then, I believe in the ways of old when the high families did not bother themselves with the worries of the common folk. I will further my field and nurture my son and heir," Harry said calmly. If Lucius wasn't daft, he would understand that Harry had little interest in the games by now.

Lucius took the information in. Potter was… no Black, was a Master in the field of Warding. That made him nearly untouchable. He was trained by the Nation, meaning he wasn't inclined to get involved in human matters, and he would rather work and care for his family than have anything to do with politics. That could both be a good sign and a bad sign, depending on how he placed his power.

Susan moved and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. The dance floor had opened up ten minutes before Lucius approached them.

"My company calls for my attention, Lord Malfoy. I wish you and your lovely wife a continued good evening and a peaceful year," Harry said. He bowed again before heading towards the dance floor so he could dance with Susan.

"And the same to you," Lucius said softly. He would not discuss anything with Narcissa now that there were people around them, but they needed to speak about Lord Black. He watched Harry through the evening as he spoke to people of all political standings with the same cool detachment as he had spoken to Lucius with. He revealed no more information than he had not until Lord Longnbottom approached him and the two of them clasped not just hands but arms. Lord Black was aligning with Lord Longbottom. That was not going to be helpful for any of them.

Neville smiled at Harry. "It is an unusually muted event, I must say. I do wonder why everyone seem so worried," he said calmly. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder as he looked around. Hannah and Susan spoke about Susan's first outing with Teddy and just how adorable and smart the young man was.

Kingsley moved around, speaking with people. He approached Neville and Harry as well, but spoke only a few niceties with them before moving on. Harry had a feeling he might get a more private invitation soon enough.

All in all the evening was a success and Harry hoped people had understood what they had tried so hard to make clear. Don't mess with him or face two Lords, and they were powerful enough that they didn't need to care about opinions of others.