Disclaimer: Really, you still read this bit, don't own Harry Potter
AN: Ok folks, we're now starting third year. With it, comes more laughs, more action, and another of Harry's future lovers, maybe more than one, hope you enjoy the chapter. Should also mention that this year will only consist of 4-5 chapters due to my attempts at increasing the length of each chapter, which is another reason updates take so long. I do apologize for the wait, but the wait for each update will be worth it, I promise that.
Chapter 22
Hogwarts Great Hall
Opening Feast
It was an energetic group that entered the great hall. A stark contrast to how solemn and depressed the other students were. However, when Harry's group came into the hall laughing, it confused the hell out of everyone. Mind you, everyone who came into the great hall after the group was also laughing.
"Am I missing something? Or is everyone who just came through the door fucking insane?" asked a random Hufflepuff student.
"Dude, I have no idea what happened, but the dementors at the front gate just took off. It was like they were terrified of something." said a 5th year Gryffindor.
"Yeah, I have no idea how that happened." smirked Harry. This caused the rest of the group to burst out laughing again. While the students who came in before Harry's group, and the staff and Aurors were confused as hell, the group went to their house tables. While each of the group sat at their house tables, they were bombarded by questions on if they saw what scared the dementors, since their group were the first ones that entered the great hall laughing.
After the first years were sorted and the welcoming feast began, Harry looked at Luna, who was sitting beside him. She had been oddly silent since the sorting started earlier. Sure, she was laughing with the rest of the group when they entered the great hall, but now, she seemed down about something.
"Hey Luna, you okay?" asked Harry.
"What? Oh, yes Harry, I'm fine. I've just always had a worse reaction when dementors are near. It's only happened twice before, but it still affects me." said Luna.
Harry noticed that Luna's eyes were slightly watering. It was barely noticeable, but to Harry, it was there. Harry placed his arm around Luna's shoulder and brought her closer to him in a comforting embrace. Before Luna could stop herself, she sighed in content at Harry's comforting embrace.
"Thank you, Harry. You have no idea how much it means to me to have friends to comfort me." whispered Luna.
"Didn't you have Ginny as a friend before you came to Hogwarts?" asked Harry.
"Well, yes, but only when she came over to my house. When I went over to hers, her brother Ron would make fun of me and call me Looney. I think he was pissed that I could beat him at chess." said Luna.
Harry scowled at hearing this, as he now had even more reasons to hate the red-headed waste bin. It was bad enough that Harry noticed said idiot trying to get closer to Emily all the time, but to insult Luna for beating him at chess and being eccentric, that meant that Ron Weasley was now on Harry's shit list. He would have to inform Ginny and his business partners beforehand. Ron was a bastard, but he was still their brother, so he'd have to tell the three before he did anything....to bad that is.
"Hey Luna, if you ever have any problems, including being harassed by bullies again, let me know. I'll be glad to 'persuade' them to stop." said Harry.
Luna once again smiled at Harry. That was one of the things she liked about him, his overwhelming loyalty to his friends. How Harry ended up in Ravenclaw instead of Hufflepuff, she'd never know. What Harry never told anyone however, was that he saw himself as a combination of all four houses. However, the pain in the ass with that was sometimes the trait he showed didn't really help the situation, like when his Gryffindor courage and lack of planning showed in his fight with Riddle last year.
It wasn't much longer before both the feast and desserts were finished. Harry was lucky enough to encounter Dobby before entering the great hall, so there was a surplus of chocolate for the students affected by the dementors. Harry also had Dobby personally send Luna a lot of chocolate pudding, having discovered last year that pudding was her favourite dessert.
Dumbledore stood to make his yearly start of year announcements, as well as warning students about the dementors now stationed at Hogwarts. Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes at the bastard's half-assed warning. Dementors were more than unforgiving, they were literal soul-sucking monsters. Unless you actually knew how to kill and scare the shit out of them.
Once the old fossils announcements were finished, the great hall began to empty, bar the first years who had to follow the 5th year prefects as usual. During the trek to the common room, Luna told Harry about some of the things she and her father did during the summer, and Harry regaled Luna with stories of his own summer.
Luna couldn't help but laugh when Harry told her about Selene and her rather enthusiastic greeting each time he visited the reserve. Likewise, Harry couldn't help but chuckle when Luna mentioned a Crumple-horned Snorkack, it wasn't that he was laughing at her, more-so he was chuckling at the name of the creature. He had seen the creature she described, but had never heard it called a Crumple-horned Snorkack before.
The creature in question was actually a distant, and I do mean distant, relative of the American Jackalope, and didn't have a designated name, as no wizard had actually captured one long enough to name it. They were incredible escape artists, in fact, it was even rumored that Houdini (who was a first-gen) had the creature as an animagus form and faked his death, living the rest of his days as said creature, resulting in a population boom, though the rumor that he had mated with a rabbit as his animagus form was kinda weird. However, with Harry's current girls, he wasn't gonna judge if the rumor was true. It also didn't help that no one could agree on a name in the I.C.W., as creature naming had to be unanimous. However, Harry decided that the first chance he got, he would send a letter with Luna's name for the creature and hopefully it would go through.
He had a feeling it would though. The reason being, if no-maj cryptozoologists can discover the gorilla and duck-billed platypus, why can't an eccentric 12-year-old name a currently nameless creature.
Upon entering the common room after answering the riddle, Harry and Luna spent a short amount of time sitting on one of the couches talking a bit more. It wasn't long before the 5th year prefects entered with the first years. Harry noticed that some of the first years were looking at him in awe, apparently the prefects told them about him on the way up.
"I'll head this off before it begins. Yes, the rumors of me being able to talk to other creatures is true. Snakes, pixies, phoenix, dragon, etc. I know it's impressive, but when you grow up with the ability, ya kinda get used to it." said Harry with a smile.
This put the first years at ease, due to Harry not bragging about his abilities. In truth, Harry wasn't one to want fame or glory. He just wanted to do what's right, though messing with idiots and assholes was always a bonus.
"Anyway, I'd best get to bed, early start tomorrow. Oh, if any of you get grief from the potions teacher, just blurt the name of a dance, that'll shut him up." smirked Harry as he headed to bed.
Luna went to bed soon after while the first years were briefed on the whole Hogwarts schtick by Flitwick. As Harry's head hit the pillow, he thought back to the conversation he and the other's had on the train about Pettigrew. Harry internally vowed that if he ever ran into that rat bastard, he would put the fear of every underworld into him.
However, that also brought the thought of the dementor's around the school. What was that overhyped idiot who runs the ministry thinking when he decided to place them around a school full of children. The answer was obvious, nothing. How that guy got into office in the first place was a mystery.
Still, Harry couldn't dwell on that thought long as sleep finally claimed him. It was gonna be a long day of classes in the morning, starting with the idiot with spontaneous 'dancing fever' and double defence immediately after lunch. Though Harry will admit, he is curious as to how Remus would perform as the defence teacher.
Next Morning
Hogwarts Potions Class
Harry was bored out of his mind at the moment. He'd been listening to Snape's lecture for a half-hour already, with a few rants about how his loss of professor privileges was completely unfair and unfounded. If Harry could get away with hexing the bastard, he would.
So far, the only thing they'd done is review what they did the previous year, so there would be no brewing of potions that day. Harry was thankful for that, because the mood Snape was putting him in, the grease-bat would be splattered on the wall before you could say, 'Fuck'.
The worst of it was Snape's constant glares in Harry's direction. Though Harry returned it with his own glare. This pissed Snape off to no end, as his constant antagonizing of the brat had cost him a lot in the first 2 years of his time at Hogwarts. Even Malfoy kept sending murderous glares at Harry. Apparently every Slytherin in Malfoy's crew hated the fact that they lost their free house cup win and 'get out of detention free' card.
After another half-hour, the class had finally ended, which Harry was glad for. Professor Binns was less boring than Snape, and that was saying something, since Binns was dead. Then again, even an inferi would probably have more personality than Snape. The fact that it was only review, and Snape hadn't done anything to truly piss him off yet, that Snape came out of the class without a spontaneous dance number.
It was basically the same coursework for other classes that day as well, though Harry was looking forward to defense that afternoon.
Hogwarts Great Hall
Lunch
Harry was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with the rest of his group, just enjoying the reprieve from all the review of the day. While he knew that the theory portion of the classes was important, it didn't mean it wasn't incredibly dull as well.
Harry glanced around the great hall, noticing quite a few students from different houses sitting at the tables not of their own house, baring Slytherin, as most students were still wary of them. Harry knew he had to fix that before he finally graduated, which left him 4 years to fix the stereotypes of the houses. If there was one thing Harry knew, it was that it would not be easy.
"Excuse me, would it be alright if me and my friend sat here with you, Mr. Potter?" asked a femanine voice.
This caused Harry to look at the source of the voice, where he noticed two girls in Slytherin uniforms. The first girl was blond, with blue eyes. With how straight she was standing, Harry knew she was a pureblood, as there wasn't even a slight arch in her spine. The second girl had black hair with brown eyes. He had seen both girls in class occasionally, and the glares and scowls that Malfoy and his croney's sent the second girl, Harry knew she wasn't 'pureblood', so she was either a half or first-gen.
While Harry was glad that some Slytherin's seemed to be willing to branch out, Harry couldn't help but curse the universe for its 'Let's screw with Harry's expectations' attitude.
"Of course, anything to help branch out and promote inter-house unity." smiled Harry. The two girls took a seat, which caused a few students' eyes to widen.
This was the first time since anyone could remember that anyone who WASN'T Slytherin, had sat with Slytherin's. Even Emily, who was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Susan and Hannah for lunch, was shocked at this. In fact, the entire group was slightly shocked, and it was only a slight shock due to the fact that from the little they figured out about Harry, he seemed the type to make friends from the house that almost everyone, even Dumbledore, deemed dark.
"So, what brings two Slytherin's over to the Ravenclaw table? Are you perhaps on the hunt, or are you here to see if there's a difference between intelligence and cunning?" asked Harry with a joking smirk.
This brought smirks onto the girls' own faces, finding the joking questions humorous. In fact, many Slytherin's, baring, once again, Malfoy's group, would find such house humour funny. It was a little known fact that inter-house jokes were used back in the times of the founders. However, if you travel the world with Steve for a while, you tend to find missing or long forgotten tomes and books that even wizards and witches would deem non-existent.
Like a certain forgotten journal of one Salazar Slytherin, detailing his admittedly devious pranks on one Godric Gryffindor. Harry kept that one under lock-and-key at all times, even Steve doesn't know that he found that one. Harry wasn't quite ready to share that one....yet.
"Nothing quite so fanciful, Mr. Potter. However, I believe introductions are in order first. My name is Daphne Greengrass. My companion here is my friend, Tracey Davis." said Daphne as she gestured to both herself and Tracey.
"Hey there." said Tracey.
"Hello to you as well, Ms. Greengrass and Ms. Davis. However, I insist that you call me Harry. Mr. Potter makes me feel old. So, what is the reason two crafty ladies such as yourselves sought me out?" asked Harry.
"Well, besides the fact that we were curious about Hogwarts' resident multilinguist, the fact that the only available seats at the Slytherin table were next to the pompous ferret, this seemed the better choice." smirked Tracey.
Daphne, despite trying to appear as a proper pureblood heiress, couldn't help but laugh at Tracey's description of Malfoy. Harry followed in laughter as well. Not just due to the 'ferret' quip, but also due to the fact that Harry probably knew more about the Malfoy line than the asshole himself.
"Well, I can see how sitting next to Malfoy would be a deal breaker. Though, I'm also wondering how most Slytherin's deal with Snape. I mean, shit, that guy either needs a personality transplant, have some fun, or get laid....actually, scratch that last one." laughed Harry.
The two Slytherin girls both laughed at this as well.
"That's true. My parents said that even in school, Snape didn't really know how to smile." laughed Tracey.
"True, though my mother told me that the git was once friends with Lily Potter, before he flat out called her a mud....well, you know." said Daphne.
"Well, now I feel even less guilty for causing his spontaneous dancing fever. I never thought that Snape could be even more of a prick than he already is." said Harry as he subtly glared at Snape.
"Yeah, none of the other houses realize this, but Snape not only sabotages the other houses, but he also sabotages his own. His constant praising of Slytherin's in potions, even when they completely fuck up, will just make it worse when the botch it in their jobs as healers or auror's. Whereas his constant belittling and falsifying grades for other houses lowers the chances to get competent hires for both professions." said Tracey.
"Yeah, if I was a gambling man, and with what that asshole Malfoy did last year, I wouldn't be surprised if good ol' Lucy has been aiding in that fiasco. The fact that he got off in the last war with only two words 'Imperius Curse', it'd make sense that he doesn't want more competent auror's. Fucking bastard." snarled Harry.
"That's something we agree on. My father has to constantly reject a marriage contract proposal from that idiot. He wants either me or my sister to be the wife of that blonde putz. Hell, the way that idiot always leers at me or my sister, I wouldn't be surprised if he was demanding both of us." snarled Daphne.
"Well, at least your dad is actually taking the protection of you and your sister seriously. I can't imagine Malfoy would treat any woman right, he'd probably treat them more like a trophy to be paraded around." snarked Harry.
Daphne couldn't help but agree with both points that Harry had made. She was thankful that her parents were some of the more progressive pureblood families out there, as more traditional pureblood families had the belief that everything was theirs and all should bow to their superiority.
This was one of the reasons that so many pureblood families had joined mixed-blood families in forming the 'neutral' or 'grey' group on the Wizengamot. The light side wanted to make all curses they personally deemed 'dark magic' to be outlawed and the dark side wanted all first-gen's to be registered like some kind of 'half-breed' as the pureblood supremacists call them. So the grey houses did their level best to prevent both, as they, like Harry, believed magic was magic.
"Well, I do hope we can become friends, Ms. Greengrass. You as well Ms. Davis. We already have 4 Gryffindor's, 2 Hufflepuff's and 2 Ravenclaw's in our group. We could use 2 cunning Slytherin's in the group, especially since most of my 'defying death' plans end up as shit and I end up having to improvise." said Harry.
"Well, considering how long it took to sort you in first year, I'm not surprised. However, I guess we can be friends, Merlin knows that the rest of you need level heads through this whole thing." smirked Daphne.
"True, where would they be without a pair of Slytherin's to reign in their more....impulsive tendencies." smirked Tracey.
"Oh, ha ha. Anywho, I'd better get geared up for class. I may have gotten Hermione to lighten up and have fun more, but she still has this thing about being early for class. I guess she's still nervous about people treating her fairly since she was outed as a nekomata. It's slow going bringing her out of this new shell, but I'm getting there." said Harry, sending a loving glance at Hermione.
'Her mother definitely helped with her confidence as well.' thought Harry, remembering his first night at Hermione's home.
Outside the Defense Classroom
Harry had just arrived outside the classroom, and wasn't surprised to see Hermione already there. He walked over to her and embraced her, giving her a light kiss.
"Ya know, regardless of us sharing classes throughout the day, it still feels like forever since we've seen each other." smiled Harry. Hearing this caused Hermione to chuckle lightly.
"Where'd ya get that line, some cheesy romance novel?" said Hermione, still giggling.
"Well, if you ever get to meet her, you can blame Vriska. She really seems to like those kinds of romance novels." laughed Harry.
The two just stood outside the classroom as more students showed up and waited to be let in. It wasn't long before Emily and Neville showed up and saw Harry and Hermione holding hands, with Hermione laying her head on Harry's shoulder. Emily smiled seeing her best friend and brother so content with each other. Neville just smirked at the two, as there were occasions where he found the two of them sitting near the black lake, with Harry running his hand through Hermione's hair and said girl purring contently. Neville would never make a house cat joke though, he'd learned his lesson about that already when Hermione ended up chasing him through half of Hogwarts for making that joke.
"You two act so lovey dovey around each other that I'm surprised nobody has any cavities yet just from looking at you two." smirked Neville.
"Oh shut it, Neville. Like you're any different around a certain someone. Someone with long red hair, freckles and, as you put it, a really cute b..." started Emily before Neville covered her mouth.
"Okay, I get it. Just keep it down, said redhead's brother is right over there." whispered Neville.
This caused the group to glance towards the back of the crowd, and sure enough, Ron Weasley was there, giving them all the stink-eye. Harry just rolled his eyes at the idiot. He knew the prick was a loyal follower of the long bearded jackass. Between the weasel and his mother, from what he heard from Charlie anyway, being avid followers of the 'light', and the weasel trying to get close to Emily, Harry didn't know if he'd be able to stop himself from killing the idiot.
Speaking of said idiot, he was still glaring at the backs of the group. He hated the male Potter with every fiber of his being. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way to be rid of him. From attempting to get him killed by the traps in first year, to trying to help Dumbledore discredit the male Potter last year with the chamber of secrets fiasco. What's worse is that the mudblood that Dumbledore promised him wasn't even a mudblood, but a half-breed.
'It's disgusting that the bastard is actually ok with dating that beast. This just proves that he is a dark wizard. Only dark wizards would be ok with cavorting about with something like her.' thought Weasley. Weasley knew he needed a plan to get rid of the bastard that was in his way of getting Emily and her family's money, but since he was dumber than a sack of bricks, it would be a long time before that happened.
It was only a few more minutes before the door to the classroom opened, revealing Remus Lupin.
"Ok, everybody inside, and please, no horsing around. You would not believe how rowdy some of the first years were. Oi, it was almost like dealing with James and Sirius again." muttered Remus.
The class entered the room and took their seats. As they were starting to reach for their books, however, Remus stopped them.
"You won't be needing your books today, as we will be doing a practical lesson. Today, we will be practising certain spells for when you are faced with a dark creature, or, more specifically, a dark creature that is beyond all reason and rational thought." said Remus.
Harry was internally happy that Remus added that last bit. Though, Harry shouldn't be surprised, as Remus had dealt with the stigma of being classed as a dark creature, before Harry and Steve tested the improved wolfsbane potion that they called 'The Hunter's Will' potion. As Harry remembered, the potion allowed a werewolf to gain complete control of the transformation, and no longer be affected by the full moon. To think, the potion was a 'incredibly stupid blunder' when Harry first made it.
However, the rest of the class, bar Hermione, Emily and Neville were confused by what Remus had said.
"Uh, Professor, what do you mean by that? We've been told that all dark creatures are a danger to wizards and witches. The way you explain it, it seems like that isn't the case." said Seamus.
"That's because it isn't, Mr. Finnigan. Many dark creatures, or those that the ministry classifies as those with 'near human intelligence', are often classed as such due to either appearance, or lack of control in the case of were-beasts. However, thanks to the revolutionary potion known as the 'Hunter's Will' potion, werewolves around the world have gained the ability to change at will and no longer have to worry about the full moon or losing themselves to the change." smiled Remus.
The last thing Remus wanted to do was reveal that he was the first werewolf to have the potion, he had a hard enough time finding employment before the potion. The ministry would have him arrested and hauled to Azkaban without trial or due process if it was revealed that he was once a werewolf, regardless of the permanent control he now had of the wolf.
"Now, the first spell we will be practising today is the spider killing curse, Arania Exume. Now, this is not registered as an illegal spell, as many wizards and witches needed the use of this spell when dealing with rabid or feral acromantula." said Remus.
While the students were now intrigued by the spell they were about to learn, bar Harry, who had seen Steve use it before, Ron Weasley looked down right giddy at the thought of learning such a spell. Being arachnophobic, he planned to use the spell to kill every spider who crossed his path. Unfortunately for Ron, the I.C.W. had heavily regulated such spells to only be used in self defence. In essence, they could only use such spells if the creatures attacked them first.
"Now, everyone draw your wands. We will be practising this spell on me, don't worry though, this spell will only work on arachnids. So if you are human or any other creature, it will not affect you at all. Now, Mr. Finnigen, please come to the front of the class." said Remus.
Seamus got up from his seat and made his way to the front of the class. However, Harry smirked and glanced at Hermione, who was sitting beside him, then to Emily and Neville who were behind him.
"Do we hit the deck now, or wait until just before the explosion?" asked Harry with a chuckle.
The other three chuckled as well, knowing Seamus' reputation of messing up spells to the point that they blow up. It was quite humorous when that happened, it was almost like one of those cartoons where the mad scientist keeps blowing up his inventions.
"Ok Mr. Finnigen, the wand motion for this spell is a simple point and cast. Now, simply point you wand at me and cast." said Remus as he stood across from Seamus.
"Arania Exumer." yelled Seamus. The spell shot from his wand, but instead of a typical white light, it had a slight red tint to it since Seamus added the 'R' at the last word of the spell. The spell went past Remus and struck an item on the table behind him, which started smoking.
"Alright everyone, it's a code Seamus. HIT THE DECK!" yelled Harry as he dove under his desk. Not a second later, everyone in the class was under their desk, and Remus, seeing everyone's reaction to the now smoking item on the table behind him, jumped over his own desk to take cover. It was lucky he had, as not even a second later, the item on the table exploded.
Once the commotion died down, everyone slowly began coming out of their cover. Remus had only peaked over his desk before looking to the rest of the class, with an embarrassed Seamus frozen in place where he stood.
"Does that happen often?" asked Remus.
"Well, I think when everyone in the class knows the term 'code Seamus', that's a yes. But, on the upside, classes are never boring with him around. AIN'T THAT RIGHT SEAMUS?" yelled Harry.
"Hey, woah, wait a minute. I get what you're saying, and I do NOT always blow things up." said Seamus.
"Your feather in first year, the time you made tea with magic, the water in your goblet when you tried to turn it into rum...." started Emily, before she was cut off by Seamus.
"Ok, ok, I get it. Maybe I do tend to blow things up." muttered Seamus.
"Well, anyway, now that the excitement is over, let's continue with the lesson, shall we?" asked Remus. The class agreed as Seamus went back to his seat. The lesson continued with everyone getting a chance to try the spell, many performing it correctly, and others needing one or two tries. Regardless, it was a really good lesson in Harry's opinion.
Harry was planning to talk to Remus after classes that day, and knew that Emily, Hermione and Neville would want to tag along. Harry also figured that he would ask Luna if she wanted to tag along as well, maybe even Hannah and Susan. So basically everyone in their group of friends, though he was still debating inviting Daphne and Tacey as they were new, and he wasn't sure how they'd react to Remus' secret.
Oh well, he'd figure that out by the end of the day.
Hagrid's Hut
Care of Magical Creatures Class
Harry and the others were now on their way down for their first elective of their third year, care of magical creatures. The electives at Hogwarts were the only classes that contained all four houses in the class together. On the way down, they ran into Daphne and Tracey, who Harry had invited to walk with them. Emily and Neville were sceptical at first, due to the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. However, they remembered the civil/friendly conversation that Harry had with them at lunch, so their worries didn't last long.
The only downside to some Slytherin's in the class, was the fact that Malfoy was among them. Harry knew he'd have to keep an eye on the idiot, Merlin knows what he'd do to try and sabotage the class, as Hagrid had replaced the previous teacher. The fact that Harry had seen Kettleburn on occasion, he couldn't blame the guy for retiring.
Upon arriving at the hut, the students saw Hagrid exit with a large smile on his face.
"Alright everyone, got a real treat for you today. Just open up your books and follow me to the paddock." smiled Hagrid as he began walking towards the back of his hut.
"How exactly are we supposed to open our book, huh?" demanded Malfoy.
"Wait, ya don't know how to open your books?" asked Hagrid.
The rest of the students nodded, except for Harry. He had used the same book as a prank on a corrupt individual who used to run a sanctuary for werewolves in the North American wilds. The bastard was using the werewolves for free labour, but the prank had the guy calling in Aurors to investigate the 'attack'. Unfortunately for the idiot, the investigation also exposed his dirty laundry, resulting in the bastard losing all his money, property and his wand. The last that Harry had heard from Steve, who was an aid in the investigation, was the guy was spending the rest of his natural life in the Himalayan prison, right next to Skeeter if he remembered correctly.
"Sorry Hagrid, Flourish and Blotts didn't really give instructions when we bought the books." said Neville.
"Well, ya just stroke the spine of course." said Hagrid.
"Oh, is that all? Well, that should have been obvious, why wouldn't we think to stroke the spine of a fucking BOOK!" screamed Draco with extreme sarcasm.
"Well, for one, you need to have the ability to think, Malfoy. Plus, an analysing charm would've told you how to open the book." said Harry, who already had his book open, which caused the class's eyes to widen.
"Quite right, Harry. Also, Mr. Malfoy, that'll be 10 points from Slytherin for disrupting the lesson. Now, just wait here while I go get the creature for today's lesson." said Hagrid as he entered the paddock, leaving a bunch of rowdy 13 year olds alone for a few seconds.
"Merlin, this place is going to the dogs. Seriously, what were they thinking allowing that oaf to teach a class? What's worse is that they allowed that disgusting cat freak to stay in the school. My father would be disgusted with how far the school has fallen." snarked Malfoy.
Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder in support as he knew she heard what the ferret said. Emily, Neville, Daphne and Tracey also were glaring at Malfoy. Harry knew that Malfoy cared about familial image, and he was gonna hit him where it hurt, as Harry could put up with a lot, but he could not ignore jabs at those he loves and cares about.
"Please Malfoy, your family has fallen farther than you think the school has. The entirety of your french branch is dead, due to trafficking Veela, who are a protected group and classed as witches under I.C.W. law. Half your family's wealth is gone and divided between me and the Potter's due to you chickening out of a duel that you called in first year. And let's not forget that your father got his ass handed to him by his former house elf last year. Sounds to me like the Malfoy name is now near worthless." smirked Harry.
Malfoy had turned an interesting shade of red, but before he could say anything, he saw all the gathered Slytherin's glaring at HIM in disgust. The reason being that turning your back on a duel that YOU called was the ultimate disgrace among purebloods. It didn't help that many of their families hated the Malfoy's with a passion for different reasons.
Any retort that Malfoy had was cut off by a squeal from a girl named Lavender Brown. The squeal caught the attention of the entire class, who looked towards the paddock to see Hagrid leading two creatures who were half-bird and half-horse. One having grey feathers and a grey horse half, the other being a light brown.
"Class, say hello to Buckbeak. The shy little one hiding behind him is his sister, Windshear." said Hagrid, gesturing to the two creatures.
"Professor Hagrid, what are those?" asked a boy named Dean Thomas.
"Those, Mr. Thomas, are Hippogriffs. Very proud creatures they are, but loyal to a fault if you can gain their trust. Today, we're gonna learn how to handle them. Now, do we have a volunteer?" asked Hagrid.
Many of the students immediately stepped back, leaving Harry at the front of the crowd. Looking around himself, Harry eventually looked behind him and saw that even Neville, Emily, Hermione, Daphne and Tracey were behind him.
"Et tu, my friends. I'm starting to believe that every time I'm on the front lines during the year, you guys just use me as a human shield." joked Harry.
"It took you 3 years to finally figure that out? And here I thought you were the smart twin." laughed Neville.
This caused the whole class to start laughing as well. However, Harry wasn't embarrassed, far from it. He was glad when his friends made quips like that, since most of them, including Neville, were in a sort of shell when he met them. Though, just because Harry was glad they could make quips like that, didn't mean he wasn't gonna dish them back.
"Smart enough that I can scare the shit out of ya when I speak acromantula, or do you need a refresher course of that particular language, Mr. Longbottom? Or would you prefer to go against a swarm of pixies again?" snarked Harry with a mischievous smirk.
This caused a cold chill to go up Neville's spine. The last thing he wanted was Harry to use a language that scared even Harry. The rest of the group were confused, since they weren't there for the whole acromantula thing. Plus, the pixy fiasco last year was annoying as hell for all involved.
"Ok, ok, I get it. Don't piss off the guy who can call on a swarm of annoying pixies." said Neville raising his hands.
Harry shook his head good-naturedly before turning back to Hagrid.
"Well, I guess I'm your volunteer, Professor." said Harry as he walked up and stood beside Hagrid.
"Well done, Harry. Now, just approach them slowly, start with a bow, if he bows back, you can get closer. If he doesn't....well, we'll get to that later." said Hagrid.
Harry just smirked at Hagrid, before slowly approaching Buckbeak and Windshear. Windshear was still hiding behind Buckbeak as Harry approached, with Buckbeak taking a more protective stance. Once Harry was close enough for acknowledgement, but far enough to not be deemed threatening, he heard the conversation that Buckbeak and Windshear were having.
"Brother, why did you agree to this? The stares of these creatures scare me. What if they try to hurt us?" asked Windshear. Harry could tell by the tone of voice that she was about his age, and genuinely scared.
"We've always had to do this as we live in the forest, Windshear. We've done this for generations. I know this is your first time outside the forest, but I promised our parents that nothing would happen to you, and I plan to keep that promise." said Buckbeak. This caused Harry to smirk, seeing the devotion to family among the two hippogriff's. It made Harry wonder where the 'mindless beast' mentality came from.
"Devotion to one's family and those you care about is an admirable trait. Especially from a creature as noble as the hippogriff. It's an honor to meet you both, my name is Harry Potter." said Harry as he bowed to Buckbeak.
Both Buckbeak and Windshear looked at Harry in shock for two reasons. One: he spoke their language, and 2: they just realized who this boy was. The entire population of the forest spoke of this boy. From defending a unicorn foal to brokering peace between a basilisk and acromantula. Many in the forest, especially Bane, were still wondering how the hell he pulled that off.
Hagrid was getting worried that Buckbeak wasn't gonna bow back, before he saw both two hippogriff's slowly walk towards Harry.
"You are the one everyone speaks of. The one who speaks the languages of all creatures. The honor of this meeting is ours. I doubted that we'd ever get to meet you, Mr. Potter." said Buckbeak as he bowed to Harry, followed by Windshear.
"Well done Harry, you might be able to pet them now." said Hagrid.
Harry walked towards Buckbeak and Windshear, stopping just in front of them. Harry then placed his hand on top of Buckbeak's head, running it along the feathers.
"I can tell you both take pride in your appearance. Between the plumage and soft texture of your feathers, Buckbeak, I can tell you must have a high rank in your herd." said Harry.
"Son of the alpha and matriarch of the herd." said Buckbeak, taking a more prideful stance.
"Oh, for the love of magic. Please don't stroke his ego. It's hard enough keeping him level headed and down to earth on a good day. And considering we spend about half our time in the air, that's saying something." said Windshear, causing Buckbeak to deflate and Harry to laugh.
Harry pet Buckbeak for a few more seconds before he looked towards Windshear.
"Would you mind if I pet you as well, Windshear? I'd completely understand if you do." said Harry.
Instead of answering, Windshear slowly made her way from behind Buckbeak. After she reached Harry, she lowered her head to his chest, allowing him to pet her. Harry began gently petting her head. As Harry continued petting Windshear, she sighed in content and seemed to relax into his touch. This shocked not only Hagrid and the class, but also Buckbeak, as he'd never seen his sister relax around strangers so quickly.
"You're a real beauty, aren't you? I bet your brother has to chase off every male that tries to get close to you, huh?" asked Harry with a chuckle.
"Oh please, the only way that would happen is if there was anything left when I got through with them. I'm a lot tougher than I look, and more than a few idiots have tried something." smiled Windshear. She remembered every male that tried to either seduce or force themselves on her. Many of them spent months healing from what she did.
Buckbeak, however, had a frown on his face. Not because of what almost happened to his sister on multiple occasions, but because he never got to get any shots in.
"I'll take your word for it. A big tough female like you shouldn't have any trouble dealing with a few rowdy idiots." said Harry.
Before the conversation could continue, Harry felt something odd on his back. At first he thought nothing of it, until he heard gasps from behind him. This included a gasp from Hagrid, and considering not a lot shocks that guy, that was a cause for concern. However, the most telling sign was when Buckbeak asked him a very blunt question.
"Uh, Harry, why do you have hippogriff wings growing out of your back?" asked Buckbeak. This caught Windshear's attention as well, causing her to look up from Harry's petting and notice the wings as well.
"Huh, what wings?" asked Harry as he glanced behind him, and saw the two gold feathered hippogriff wings he now sported.
"SON OF A BITCH!" yelled Harry as he jumped back. However, as he did, the wings suddenly burst into a shower of feathers, which was the only clue they were there in the first place.
"Harry, are you okay?" asked Hermione as she slowly made her way to him, seeing as he was still close to the hippogriff's.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just something that's been acting up since the start of summer. Some days I've had a random dragon part suddenly replace something, like an arm or my legs. Other times I've gained a main, tail or horn of a unicorn. And now, the wings of a hippogriff." said Harry.
"Have ya found out why it's happening, Harry?" asked Hagrid.
"No idea, even Steve couldn't figure it out. We sent some of my blood to both the goblins and a no-maj clinic with a connection to the magical world before I came to school this year. He hasn't got the results back yet, but he'll tell me when he does." said Harry with a small sigh of relief.
"Well, at least it appears to be nothing too serious. Though if it persists throughout the year, I'd recommend seeing Pomfrey. However, we should get back to the lesson. Now, who's next?" asked Hagrid.
Before anyone else could volunteer, Malfoy, being the pompous git that he was, started barging his way over. Harry kept his eyes firmly on the idiot. He knew that Malfoy thought he was above everyone, and that attitude mixed with a noble creature like a hippogriff, would not end well.
"You two aren't dangerous at all are you. The big ugly brute and the timid weakling that would be good as my family's pet." snarked Malfoy.
Hearing the insult to both himself and his sister enraged Buckbeak to the point he reared back, ready to either kill, or severely maim the blonde ferret. Harry noticed this and was prepared ahead of time. Now, don't get him wrong, he would love to see Malfoy put in his place by a magical creature, but would prefer the hippogriff's alive.
"Portego Ultimas!" yelled Harry as he pointed his wand at Malfoy just as Buckbeak's claws came down towards the prat.
The shock sent Malfoy to the ground, who was now whimpering in non-existant pain.
"Oh Merlin, it's killed me, I'm in excruciating agony!" yelled Malfoy, trying to both get Hagrid in trouble and gain sympathy. However, everyone saw what really happened and all had deadpanned looks on their faces.
"I knew he was good at faking injuries, but I had no idea he knew a word as long or advanced as 'excruciating'." laughed Emily. This brought laughter from the rest of the class and embarrassment from the ferret on the ground.
"Harry, why did you stop my brother from attacking that idiot? He had insulted both him and me. Honestly, calling ME a pet." snarled Windshear.
Buckbeak looked towards Harry as well. He was under the impression that everyone hated the drama queen currently rolling on the ground, so why would Harry protect him.
"Simple, Windshear. If Malfoy had actually gotten injured, he would write to his father, who still apparently has the minister in his pocket. As a result, there would be an inquiry into Hagrid, and a farce of a trial where your brother would be sentenced to execution without a chance for a good defence. So I did this to save your brother, not the putz." said Harry.
Buckbeak's eyes widened, as he had never considered what would happen to him if he had actually got Malfoy with his claws. All-in-all, he knew at this point, he owed Harry his life. However, before Buckbeak could say anything about it, Windshear walked in front of him and bowed her head to Harry.
"On behalf of our family, I thank you for sparing our family the pain of losing a loved one. I also personally thank you for preventing anything from happening to my brother. As such, I, Windshear, hereby vow to remain loyal to you, and respond to your call for aid wherever you may be. I will remain by your side for as long as you will have me." said Windshear.
A brief, almost unnoticeable glow appeared around Windshear and Harry, before vanishing. Hagrid, however, did see and and knew that a life debt vow was just made, regardless of not being able to understand it. Harry, however, felt an all too familiar heat on his left arm. Raising his sleeve to look at said arm, he saw a tattoo-like mark of a hippogriff head on his left forearm.
'I'm not gonna hear the end of this one from Steve when he finds out.' thought Harry.
Windshear still had her head lowered, worried how Harry would react to her oath, before she felt Harry petting her head once again. She slowly looked up to see said wizard smiling at her.
"You didn't need to make such an oath, Windshear. Your thanks would've been enough. Still, I appreciate and accept your oath, but I will not be like those other bastards who accept such oaths. You're free to stay with your family and I will not abuse the trust you have put in me. That is my promise to you." said Harry.
While hippogriff's couldn't really express facial emotions, Harry could tell she was appreciative of his promise. It was further proven when she began nuzzling his chest. It wasn't much longer before Hagrid dismissed the class, along with giving Malfoy a detention and deducting 20 points for failure to listen to a teacher.
As Hagrid was leading Buckbeak and Windshear back to the forest, Buckbeak looked to his sister in curiosity.
"Windshear, why did you make that oath? It was my life that was spared by Harry's actions, so, why?" asked Buckbeak.
"Well, for one, you have a mate with a child on the way that needs you, I didn't want to risk you making the oath and not being able to go home to them." said Windshear.
"And the second reason?" asked Buckbeak.
"Well, he is kind of cute." said Windshear in a slightly shy tone.
This shocked Buckbeak, to the point that he lost focus on where he was going as he stared at his sister in shock. This caused Buckbeak to walk right into a tree, causing his sister to giggle.
Clocktower Courtyard
2 hours before dinner
Harry was sitting next to Hermione, just enjoying the sun. however, Hermione's mind was elsewhere. She knew she shouldn't let what Malfoy said get to her, but there were times when her insecurities about being a nekomata resurfaced. Deciding to relieve her worries, she cast a notice-me-not around herself and Harry, causing Harry to look at her.
"What's wrong, Mione?" asked Harry.
"Nothing's wrong, Harry. Just thinking about the things Malfoy said during care of magical creatures." whispered Hermione.
"Mione, you shouldn't listen to what that bastard says. You are beautiful, smart, radiant....and damn physically appealing to. I don't know what you would feel insecure about." said Harry.
Hermione turned to Harry, before surprising him by straddling his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I know, Harry. It's just....sometimes my insecurities act up. It was hard enough for me and my mother to adjust to the bias in the British wizarding world. It was even harder for me to keep my true self hidden. That's why I always went to Pomfrey. I needed a skin salve for an itch I get from being away from what's familiar for so long, plus I needed to get the glamor reapplied every now and then. I'm glad I have you though, for physical comfort and reassurance." said Hermione as she laid her head on Harry's shoulder.
Harry placed his hand under Hermione's chin and raised her head to look into her eyes.
"And I'll always be here for you. You never have to worry about that. I will always treat you as equal as the other girls in my life." said Harry with a loving smile.
Hermione smiled back and couldn't help the single tear that fell from her eye at his loving words to her. It wasn't long before their lips met as they began to make out. However, Harry's hands never moved from her back, as he promised he wouldn't place his hands anywhere she wasn't comfortable with. This made Hermione inwardly smile, as it showed Harry's respect and love for the nekomata. Hermione was glad she put a notice-me-not charm around her and Harry, as she was sure they wouldn't be seen until dinner. She liked the moments she could get with Harry where it was just the two of them, and she would use as much time as she could during the school year.
For the next 2 hours, there would be no sign of Harry or Hermione, as they would either be making out or relaxing under the notice-me-not charm in the clocktower courtyard. Though gossip was a risk because they weren't found when it came to the school. They didn't care in the slightest, these moments alone were rare during a school day when they had a break before and after dinner for a few hours.
Harry brought up the fact that he was planning to talk to Remus after dinner and asked if Hermione could gather their Gryffindor and Hufflepuff friends, while he gathered Luna and possibly Daphne and Tracey, he was still on the fence about that, regardless of the tentative friendship he started with them.
Hermione agreed, right before they heard the bell signifying dinner was about to start and they both made their way towards the great hall. Tonight would be one hell of a night for revelations, but it would also be a night that Harry would run into another person from his past with the Potter's. A person with a certain bark-like laugh and hatred of fleas. Yeah, it was gonna be one hell of a long night.
AN: Here it is folks, finally. I thought I'd never get this one written down, I really hate writer's block. Again, I would like to apologize for the length of time it takes to get chapters for this one out. Between trying to make the chapters longer and figuring out what to put in what chapter, it can be time consuming. Anyway, as always, please review, and I will see you next chapter.
P.S. to those who are wondering, there will be lemons/limes, but they are being saved for the summer before 4th year and the 4th year arc.