Chapter 5
The days counting down to the final task was making Harry nervous though his friends helped keep his mind off what might to come until one night when he was asked to the Quidditch pitch. When he got there he found that hedges were being grown.
"Can you believe this?" Cedric asked shocked.
"I know, why ruin a good pitch" Harry said shaking his head in disgust.
"Ah there you two are, now we just have to wait for the other two" Bagman said cheerfully.
Fleur and Krum arrived soon after and Bagman told them that the third task was a maze and the obstacles were creatures that will be placed there. After that Harry went back to the castle to tell Hermione what he learned. When he told Hermione, she went into research mode trying find every spell she thought could help Harry get through the maze. Luna and Neville joined in after they got filled in. Soon you could find the four of them in the library looking through piles of books whenever they had a free moment.
Harry felt confident with his friends helping him that he'd do well in the maze. He hadn't any thoughts of winning, just making through a live was on his mind.
Hermione was on the same train of thought as Harry in making sure he got through in one piece and that's why she put so much time and effort in to looking up spells that Harry could use.
The time of the third task slowly crept by and you could feel the excitement building. The students of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang were waiting anxiously for the day to come.
The day of the final task came and everyone was very excited that the teachers knew they couldn't teach, because they too had caught the bug.
Harry and Hermione headed down to the Great Hall only for Harry to be smothered into a hug.
"Oh Harry dear, we are so worried about and also so happy for you too" Molly Weasley said.
"Mrs. Weasley, what are you doing here?" Harry asked as soon as he could get out of the Weasley matron's grasp.
"Harry, you're family and family supports one another" Molly said.
"Well as much as I appreciate you being here, your son Ron has been nothing, but mean to me and it was only because of Ginny, Fred, and George I still have respect for the Weasleys" Harry said
This shocked Molly.
"What are you saying Harry, Ron wrote to me telling me that it was only a little spat you two had and it was over with" she said.
"Mrs. Weasley, your youngest son is a horror and if it wasn't for Harry, I'd have hexed him" Hermione said.
"Now listen here, Ron has told me that all you've been doing was toying with Harry's feelings, trying to make him jealous. I will not have you hurt my boys" Molly said loudly.
The entire hall was listening. Ginny, Fred and George were quite embarrassed by this and hid their faces. Ron had a triumphed smirk on his face. Arthur was moving toward his wife. Bill was shaking his head, he had only known Hermione for a short time, but knew the girl was nothing like what his mother was painting her.
"Mrs. Weasley, you will apologize to my girlfriend then you can leave as I don't want you here" Harry said through clenched teeth.
"Don't take that tone with me young man, I'm your mother and I-"
"You are not my mother, my mother was Lily Potter and she was a far better woman than you could ever be" Harry shouted.
The entire hall could feel the magic radiating off Harry.
"Mrs. Weasley I'd advise you do what Harry recommends" Luna said, she came to the couple's aid knowing that Hermione might need help reining in Harry's temper.
"I'll not be told to leave by a child, he should listen to the adults who knows what's best for him" Molly said.
"Mrs. Weasley, please leave before Mr. Potter makes you to" McGonagall said stepping in because she had a feeling that Harry was very close to erupting.
"Fine, come on we're leaving" Molly ordered.
But Bill stood his ground, though Arthur with slumped shoulders followed his wife out, but stopped by Harry.
"Congratulations Harry" Arthur said then left.
After that the hall became active again all talking about what just happened. Harry sat down with Hermione by his side with Luna taking the other side. Neville took his place by Luna and the Weasleys that were loyal to Harry sat around him.
"Hermione, I just want you to know that I don't agree with my mom, and I very happy for you and Harry" Bill said.
"Thanks Bill" Hermione said smiling at the eldest Weasley brother.
"We also want to apologize, Hermione, what mom said was uncalled for and if it weren't for you holding onto Harry's hand I'm sure he'd have hexed her" Fred said.
George nodded in agreement with his twin.
"I think I'm going to have a talk with my dear brother" Ginny said sweetly and got up and dragged Ron out by the collar.
The rest of them meal went well with Harry meeting Cedric's parents as well as Fleur's too. Harry did notice the Veela looking at the oldest Weasley brother quite a lot, but didn't give it much thought at the moment.
/Scene Break/
It was the night of the third task and Harry was going over some spells that he needed especially one that Hermione created for Harry to use. He grinned at the intelligence of his girlfriend.
"What are you smiling about?" Hermione asked.
"Just thinking about my smart beautiful girlfriend" Harry said.
Hermione smiled and sat down in Harry's lap snuggling into him.
"You are very smooth Mr. Potter" she said.
"I think I'm channeling my dad" Harry said.
"Uh guys, I think we should get going, Harry needs to get there and Hermione and I should try and get some good seats" Neville said.
"Good idea Nev, we'll continue this after the task" Harry said.
"I'm holding you to that Potter" Hermione said smiling.
They headed down to the pitch and met Luna on the way. She hugged Harry and kissed him on the cheek for luck, though she asked Hermione for permission first before the kiss. When they got there Neville and Luna left Harry and Hermione alone so the have some private time.
"Good luck Harry, I know you'll do well, just come back in one piece" Hermione said though she was very nervous about the whole thing.
"I will Hermione, besides with all the spells you helped me learn, I don't think I can lose" Harry said smiling.
Hermione pulled Harry into one of her patented hugs before kissing him hard.
"That's just a taste of what you're going to get, when you this is over you'll get the rest" Hermione whispered huskily.
Harry shivered slightly and nodded.
/Scene Break/
Harry raced through the maze taking out each obstacle, he stopped Krum after the Bulgarian hit Fleur with a Cruciatus curse. He hit him with a stunner then helped Fleur up. She thanked him and they headed further into the maze. They met up with Cedric, who was sporting a few cuts and decided to go on together. When they reached the cup Fleur told Harry to take the cup and Cedric agreed. Thus began an argument between the three until Harry told them that should all three take the cup and to hell with the competition. Cedric and Fleur agreed and they all touched the cup only to disappear.
Harry and the other two Champions hit the ground, but weren't stunned. From the looks of their surrounds they knew they were in a graveyard. They spread out to find out where they were until Harry felt a pain in his scar and he fell over in pain. Fleur rushed to Harry to help him while Cedric went for the cup. Cedric came back with the cup when a green light streaked by. Harry luckily had enough sense left and knocked Cedric over do he wouldn't be hit by the killing curse.
"Get out of here" Harry shouted and shoved Fleur towards Cedric and the two Champions disappeared from the graveyard.
Harry fell unconscious from the pain afterwards.
/Scene Break/
There was absolute panic in the stands when they heard of two of the Champions appeared after they had disappeared. Hermione rushed down to find Harry only to see Fleur and Cedric there. The Hufflepuff spotted Hermione in the crowd and pulled her out to tell her what happened. She fell to the ground sobbing. Fleur rushed out of the grasp of her headmistress to comfort the poor girl. Hermione knew that Harry was in trouble, she just knew it, but had no idea what she could since he was there and she was here.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked through her tears.
"Well it's obvious that this a plot by Sirius Black" Cornelius Fudge said loudly.
Hermione wanted to strike this idiot down, but she had a more important thing to think about. That's when she saw that the cup was left unguarded. She slowly inched towards it hoping no one would notice. Fleur noticed since she was comforting her, but didn't say a thing, she just followed her lead. Cedric saw the same thing and followed suit. The three got there at the same time and touched the cup.
/Scene Break/
Back in the graveyard Harry was in pain as his scar erupted with more than he'd ever felt. He saw as Voldemort rose from the cauldron and then called his minions to him. He began his little talk and Harry felt his scar burn, which hadn't ebbed at all. When Voldemort released him and put him under the Cruciatus curse Harry felt like every nerve was on fire. When he was able think straight he looked and found Hermione. He had no idea how she got there, but very happy to see her. Harry snuck away as Voldemort boasted some more, but Harry stopped before they could leave.
"I want to get Pettigrew" Harry said firmly through his pain and weariness.
Hermione wanted to argue, but saw that her boyfriend wasn't going to listen so she nodded. A quick plan was made and with a stunner and a summoning charm they got the rat. Hermione bound him before the first curse was fired in their direction. They ran with their prize and got there to find Fleur and Cedric standing guard. They all touched the cup and they were gone.
/Scene Break/
Back at Hogwarts more mayhem was about as the news of a student and the two Champions have disappeared. When they reappeared there were gasps heard. With them was Harry looking in horrible shape and a man who was supposed to be dead.
Harry stood though he was weak and Hermione immediately went to his side to stabilize him. The two Champions flanked them.
"This Minister, is the man that betrayed my parents, if you check his arm you'll find the Dark Mark on his arm" Harry said wearily.
Fudge sputtered, but thankfully someone had the brains to call for director of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones. She checked Harry's claim and found the mark on Pettigrew.
"Mr. Potter, how do you know that he betrayed your parents and not Sirius Black?" Madam Bones asked.
"I'll answer all of your questions, but could we do it in a more private place" Harry said swaying slightly.
Madam Bones nodded.
Harry told her not have the Dementor suck his soul out before everything was told. Madam Bones nodded and had an auror stationed to guard Pettigrew from Dementors. Fudge sputtered about this all being a ploy and demanded some answers. Dumbledore offered his office and once there Harry told his story with Fleur and Cedric providing their own point of view, which matched Harry's. Harry also told them what happened in the graveyard and what Hermione and the two Champions did as a quick rescue mission. When it got to Pettigrew the two Champions left and Harry and Hermione told them what happened in their third year. Madam Bones was shocked that two third years were able to do so much. Fudge of course blustered and told her that they were confounded.
Harry and Hermione looked at one another and held up their wands, both giving their oath that everything they say was the truth and were not confounded. After the flash of light and the sight of the still alive teens there was no doubt to their claims. Bones had Pettigrew questioned under the truth serum. They found out about the resurrection that took place tonight and about Peter's part in the betrayal of the Potters. After that madam Bones ordered to find Sirius Black and bring him in for questioning. Little did she know that a big black dog followed them into the headmaster's office. When Sirius made his appearance Fudge was about to shout, but was stopped by a look for madam Bones. After Sirius was questioned under truth serum he was cleared.
After all that Dumbledore suggested that Harry go to the hospital wing to get checked out. Hermione with the help of Sirius helped Harry to the hospital wing.
/Scene Break/
Harry spent the night in the hospital wing with Hermione by his side as she refused to leave. Madam Pomfrey just sighed and let it be since she knew there was no way to get the girl out. The next day Harry was out and Hermione was by his side making sure he didn't collapse. Neville and Luna joined them and sat next to him to help block questions from their fellow students. The rest of the year went by and Harry, Cedric, and Fleur split the winning between themselves. They enjoyed their new friendship that had developed and Hermione joined also.
At the end of the year Dumbledore called Harry into his office.
"You wanted to see me professor?" Harry asked.
"Yes I did, ah you brought Miss Granger as well" Dumbledore said smiling.
"I didn't want to leave him sir" Hermione said in a tone that said that she wasn't going to leave.
"That's quite alright, since I know he'll tell you anyway" Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling.
"So what is it you wanted to see me about?" Harry asked sitting down.
"First Harry, is your summer arrangements. Sirius is your guardian and is fixing up his house so it will be livable hopefully soon, but before that I've talked to Miss Granger's parents and they've agreed to take you in for the time being" Dumbledore said.
Hermione was shocked that Dumbledore did that, but was pleased that her parents agreed to take Harry in.
"You mean I don't have to go back to the Dursleys?" Harry asked.
"No, I made a mistake for making you go there, and I apologize. I was blinded by my own plans and never thought who they were affecting" Dumbledore said sadly.
"So I don't go back to the Dursleys, I'm quite happy with that" Harry said.
Hermione squeezed his hand.
"There is more, I advise you to not tell anyone, only those you absolutely trust" Dumbledore said.
Harry and Hermione nodded.
Dumbledore took out his Pensieve and pulled out a memory and dropped into the bowl. He then used his wand and stirred the silver liquid.
"Harry, a prophecy was made before you were born, now at the time you and another boy could be the one of prophecy. But after Voldemort attacked you and your parents you became the one" Dumbledore said.
"So that's why he's always after me" Harry said.
Dumbledore nodded sadly, "I hoped that I didn't have to tell you this until you were old enough, but with Voldemort back I felt that there is no choice in the matter. I beg forgiveness for an old man's mistake."
Harry glanced at Hermione and he saw that she looked furious with their headmaster.
"What is the prophecy professor?" he asked.
With another stir the image of Trelawney appeared.
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies... (JKR Order of the Phoenix)
"Now sadly a spy of Voldemort heard the first part and that is what led to your parents death" Dumbledore said.
"Sir, how could you not give Harry any training, you left him to be abused by his relatives. You've got a lot to pay for and I don't think Harry or I will be able to trust you again for a while" Hermione said, her view on authority figures had changed and now knew she couldn't rely on them like she always thought.
"I know I've done many things that would make you not trust me, and I'll do my best to earn back that trust" Dumbledore said somberly.
Harry and Hermione left the headmaster's office and went in search for Neville and Luna. Once they found the couple they took them into an empty classroom and sealed the room. They told them the prophecy and what it implies. Neville was shocked that it could've been him, and kind of happy that it wasn't. Luna vowed to Harry and Hermione that she'd stick by them, Neville of course vowed the same.
When it was time for the two schools to leave Harry and Cedric said goodbye Fleur and she said that she had interest in working for Gringotts, but Harry had a thought that it might be because of someone instead. Krum didn't say a thing and left.
/Scene Break/
The train ride home was quiet, but Neville did what he could to lighten the mood and Luna played her part to help. This was just what Harry needed and felt better that he had friends that helped him forget about his problems for only a little while. Malfoy made an appearance and started spouting off his usual shit, but Harry wasn't going to take it and neither were his friends. With a flash of light Malfoy and his goons were of the floor sprouting tentacles and who knows what else. They had a talk with the twins and they told them that Ron got badly hexed by Ginny and that's why no one saw him. It also appeared that the Weasleys are going to have a family meeting when they get home to discuss some important issues. Harry gave the twins his share of his winnings and the rest of the gold he had on him, which was a lot since he got Sirius to make a withdrawal earlier.
When they got to the station Harry followed Hermione to her parents.
"Mom, dad this is my boyfriend and my best friend Harry Potter" Hermione said.
"I-it's n-nice to meet you" Harry stuttered.
"Harry dear, we've so much about you that you so don't have to be so nervous" Mrs. Granger said pulling him into a hug.
Mr. Granger eyed Harry like he was figuring out how big a body bag he'd need, but shook his hand after his wife elbowed him in the gut.
Harry knew this summer was going to be very different from any before and with his girlfriend in hand they left to start what Harry knew was going to be a pleasant summer.
End of chapter
A/N: Fourth year is over, Harry's summer begins. I hope you like what I did with the third task I got my inspiration from Adventures in the Prefects' Bath by chem prof. Thanks for reading and please review.
Chapter 6
Harry's summer was the best summer he's ever had. For one, he wasn't at the Dursleys, which is a cause for celebration alone. The second, was he was staying with his best friend who is also his girlfriend.
"Harry love, want to go for a swim?" Hermione asked.
Harry's eyes brighten up.
"Sure."
Hermione smiled, she knew how much her boyfriend loved looking at her in her bathing suit. Her mother persuaded her to get a new one on one of their shopping trips.
They were sitting on the edge of the pool and Harry was admiring Hermione in her two piece swimsuit and Hermione was looking at Harry's developing muscles. Both definitely liked what they saw in one another.
"Well I'm going to swim, how about you?" Hermione asked.
"I think I'll just watch for now" Harry said winking at her.
Hermione blushed a bit, but liked the attention she was getting. She hopped into the pool and began to swim laps knowing Harry was watching her every move.
"Harry love, you need to remember to breath" Hermione said giggling slightly.
"How can I, when I'm looking at perfection" Harry said breathlessly.
Hermione blushed a deep red.
"You don't have to say things like that Harry" Hermione said looking down.
Harry slid into the pool and waded his way to his girlfriend.
"Hermione, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true" Harry said gently.
Hermione looked into Harry's eyes and saw the honesty in them. She knew that Harry was an open book to her, he could never hide anything from her.
"You've got to be the best boyfriend a girl can have" Hermione said pulling Harry into a hug.
"I'm only as good because I have you by my side" Harry said softly.
Hermione looked up and they were about to kiss when they were interrupted.
"God, could that be any more mushy."
Harry and Hermione turned around to find Sirius there making a gagging motion.
"You're lucky I can't do magic Sirius or you'd be neutered" Hermione growled as she glared at the marauder.
Sirius stopped his actions as he saw the young witch give him the very same look Lily used to give him when she got angry, which freaked him out.
"I think I'll be inside now" Sirius said.
"That'd be a good idea" Hermione said sweetly.
When Sirius left Hermione turned back to Harry, who was now back to his awkward self.
"Now, I think we were about to do something before we were interrupted" Hermione whispered huskily.
Harry's eyes widen some at the tone of Hermione's voice, but didn't need to be told twice. He kissed her with as much passion as she gave to him.
/Scene Break/
Dumbledore leaned back in thought as he pondered what he needed to do this summer. He knew that the Ministry would stop him at every turn in trying to tell everyone that Voldemort was back. It amazed him how ignorant and stubborn the Minister is and knew that he had to be replaced, but who was the question. He thought of Amelia Bones and knew she'd do a good job, though she was a person that wouldn't be easily manipulated and that was what he needed at the moment. So Amos Diggory was his choice and it would help since the man's son was one of the winners of the Tri-Wizard tournament. He also had to start training Harry and his friends too. He didn't think Harry was ready to defeat Voldemort, but the boy needed all the training he could get to survive until he was ready.
/Scene Break/
The next day Harry and Hermione were having breakfast when an owl came in.
"Who's it from dear?" Harry asked.
"It's from Neville, he wants us to visit" Hermione said.
"Well I'm up for it, but you'd better ask your parents" Harry said.
Hermione nodded and went off to catch her parents before they left for work. When she returned she had a big smile on her face.
"They said they were okay with it as long as Sirius is takes us" she said.
Harry nodded and went to grab his mirror Sirius gave him.
"What's going on pup?" Sirius asked.
"Hermione and I got a letter asking us to visit him and Hermione's parents say we can, but you have to take us" Harry said.
Sirius nodded, "Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes."
When Sirius arrived he apparated the two to Longbottom manor. They found Neville waiting for them.
"Harry, Hermione, I was wondering when you'd get here" Neville said.
"Well we didn't want to waste any time" Hermione said.
Neville introduced them to his grandmother and Sirius bowed.
"Lady Longbottom."
"Lord Black."
Harry and Hermione looked at one another with confusion.
"I see that Mr. Potter doesn't know of his position?" Augusta Longbottom said noticing the couple's confusion.
"No, but I will make sure that he knows before the summer is out" Sirius said.
After that it became a little less formal, but it wasn't til the kids were out of the adults' sights when they relaxed.
"Man, that was stifling" Harry said.
"Get used to it Harry, you're scion to the Potters" Neville said.
"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.
Neville then explained to Hermione about the old pureblood families, like the Potters and Longbottoms were actually titled Ancient and Noble since they can trace their roots to the time when Merlin lived. The Malfoy family was still a new family, though they were consider an old family, they didn't have the prestige as the Ancient and Noble families did. Though they didn't stop the Malfoys to act like they were.
"So who are the Ancient and Noble families?" Hermione asked.
"Well the Potters are one, then there's the Longbottoms, then the Bones', The Greengrasses, and the Blacks, and that's about it" Neville said.
"Do they get along?" Harry asked.
"Well I know that the Potters and Longbottoms have an alliance between the two and the Longbottoms have one with the Bones family, as for the Greengrass family, I have no idea" Neville said.
Harry thought for a minute then a twinkle in his eye appeared.
"Harry, what are you thinking?" Hermione asked noticing the twinkle.
"I need to write a letter" Harry said simply.
Neville provided Harry with the parchment and quill and Harry wrote a letter and without letting Hermione read it he send it off with Hedwig, who appeared just as he finished.
"How does that owl know?" Neville asked out loud.
"She has always known when I needed her" Harry said.
"But that's not common for post owls" Neville said.
"Unless a post owl and their owl has developed a familiar bond" Augusta Longbottom said.
Neville jumped at the sound of his grandmother's voice.
"Gran, I didn't hear you come in" he said.
"My apologize Neville, I just to let you know that we'd be having lunch on the terrace" Augusta said.
"Alright Gran, we'll be there" Neville said.
During lunch Hermione tried to get Harry to tell her who he wrote to, but Harry refused and would only smirk at her, which annoyed her.
"Harry James Potter, you better tell me now or I'll hex you" Hermione said angrily.
"Better do as she says pup, when Lily used your father's full name he knew he was in big trouble" Sirius said smirking.
"I'll tell her in due time Sirius" Harry said.
The rest of lunch Harry got a crash course in Ancient and Noble families.
"So I just go to Gringotts and ask to see the will" Harry said.
"Oh Merlin, why didn't I think of that" Sirius said smacking his forehead with his hand.
"It's alright, we'll go tomorrow" Hermione said.
Sirius nodded.
"We are quite happy to continue our alliance with the Potter family" Augusta said.
"Well I have no problem with that my only request is to think about an alliance with the Black family" Harry said.
"Your godfather and I have been discussing this and we've yet to work out the details" Augusta said.
"Excellent" Harry said.
The rest of the day the three friends hung-out and talked about what they were doing during the summer aside from homework.
"So Neville, have you invited Luna over yet?" Harry asked nudging his friend in the shoulder.
"Um, well, no, but I plan on it. I mean she met Gran at the train station and they seemed to have gotten along" Neville said blushing slightly.
"I'm sure your Gran likes Luna" Hermione said.
"I hope so, I really like Luna" Neville said.
"Do I hear wedding bell in your future Nev" Harry teased.
Neville blushed bright red.
"Harry quit teasing him" Hermione chided.
/Scene Break/
The next day Harry, Hermione, and Sirius went to Gringotts.
"I would like to see the goblin in charge of the Potter vaults?" Harry asked.
"Yes, follow me" the goblin said.
The group followed the goblin into a posh office.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black welcome" the goblin said sitting at the desk.
"Hello, I was wondering if I could see the my parents will?" Harry asked.
"Of course Mr. Potter" the goblin said.
The goblin left the office for a few minutes and then came back carrying a roughly cut bowl.
"Your father made a will by use of a special Pensieve, your mother decided to write hers out" the goblin said.
An image of James Potter appeared and he smiled.
"Hello Harry, if you're seeing this then I'm dead. Hopefully your mother is there with you and if not then either Sirius Black or Alice Longbottom is there with you. Well on to business then. I leave my son, Harry James Potter everything and ask his guardian help Harry deal with everything that is in the estate."
After that James disappeared.
"Well that was quite simply" Sirius commented.
"Mr. Potter made this Pensieve for his son, he had another will made up for the other beneficiaries" the goblin said, "now if the young Mr. Potter would take the Potter ring he'll be the new Lord Potter."
Harry did as he was told and the ring resized itself to fit his finger.
"Harry, I'm going to have to tell you all about what being a lord of an Ancient and Noble house" Sirius said.
After that the three found out that Harry was extremely rich. Hermione couldn't believe her boyfriend was probably richer than the entire royal family. Sirius knew that the Potters were wealthy, but this shocked him. Harry of course, was totally blown away since he never really had anything to begin with, knowing now that he had more than enough money to live on was quite a shock. They left the office with Harry carrying a thick ledger. When they got back to the Grangers Hermione then lay into Harry.
"Why in the world did you give me unlimited access to your vaults?" Hermione shouted.
"Because I trust you" Harry said simply.
Hermione was still dumbfounded at this.
"Hermione dear, what's with the shouting?" Diana Granger asked.
"Harry gave me full access to his vaults" Hermione said.
"Now I'm not sure what the big deal is?" Diana asked.
"Harry is probably one of the richest wizards, he richer than the Malfoys" Hermione said.
Diana didn't understand this at all, and her face showed it as did her husband.
"He's actually the richest wizard in Britain" Sirius said helping out the bewildered Diana and her husband.
This shocked Diana and Cole Granger.
"What do you mean he's the richest wizard in Britain?" Cole asked.
"Dad, he's richer than the entire royal family, he could buy a country and still have money to spare" Hermione said.
Cole's jaw dropped at this
Harry shrugged, "I don't really understand what the big deal is. I mean, I'd given Hermione full access to my vault no matter how much I had."
Hermione wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, "I know Harry, but this so much money that it is a bit overwhelming."
"Hermione, I didn't even know I had any money to begin with. When I got my school supplies for my first year was the first time I ever had money. My relatives never spend a pound on me" Harry said.
"I know Harry, it's just overwhelming to know your boyfriend can actually offer you the world" Hermione said.
/Scene Break/
Meanwhile at the Weasley house or what is called the Burrow the Weasley family were having a meeting. All members were present even Charlie who flooed in from Romania and Percy who had moved out some time ago and looked unhappy to be back home.
"Good, now that we are all here I think we should discuss what has happened this past year, Ginny would you tell us what happened" Arthur said.
Ginny explained that it all started after the first task of the tournament and how Ron acted like a prat when he found out that Harry and Hermione were together. She told them how Harry knocked Ron out with one punch. She went on how Ron didn't take the hint and kept baiting Harry and Hermione along with Luna and Neville. She also told them about what happened at the Yule Ball, which had everyone frowning at Ron. She finished with the incident that happened in the Great Hall the morning of the third task though Ron wasn't a part of it.
"Well now that we have a better picture of what has been going on I see only a few options" Arthur said.
"Who cares what we should do about Potter, he's just a glory seeking brat" Percy said.
"Shut your mouth Percy, you have no idea what Harry has been through" Ginny said.
Percy glared at his sister and Ginny didn't back down it took the twins to hold the two back before they hexed one another.
"Okay that's enough, Percy, you may not live here anymore, but that doesn't mean you should be disrespectful. And Ginny, though it is admirably to defend your friend I don't want to ground you" Arthur said.
"But Potter is just stirring up trouble dad" Percy said.
"You really have a big stick up your arse don't you Percy. Harry would never lie about Voldemort's return," this caused some gasps though Ginny ignored them, "there was proof, first your old pet rat who was an Animagus and was the one who betrayed Harry's parents, then our defense professor who was actually an imposter that was thought to be dead. I don't know about you, but that all points to Voldemort being back."
No one know what to say to this as Ginny vented this all out, but it did make them all think. Bill was the first to speak.
"Gin, you make some good points and I can see where you could be right" Bill said.
Charlie nodded in agreement as did the twins.
"I can't believe you, you've all fallen under that glory hog's spell" Percy said incredulously.
"Percy, just because Harry doesn't follow the rules doesn't mean he's bad, I mean he only broke the rules to save someone" George said.
"Yeah, if he hadn't Ginny wouldn't be here" Fred said.
This brought a chilling revelation to attention.
"Okay boys, thanks for you thoughts, but I think we've gotten off track. This meeting was to discuss the behavior of your brother Ron this past year" Arthur said.
"Why should I be punished, it's all Potter's fault. He couldn't let me have one thing, no, he had to take away what was supposed to be mine" Ron said speaking up for the first time.
"How bloody thick are you Ron, you and Hermione have nothing in common. All you two ever do is fight" Fred said.
"But that's what all married couples do, right?" Ron said.
Arthur sighed, "no Ron, not all married couples fight. Well they do, but from what I'm getting from Fred is that you and Hermione have many, many rows with one another."
Ginny and the twins nodded.
"Ron and Hermione's rows are legend in the Gryffindor tower" George said.
"Do they ever get along?" Charlie asked curiously.
Yeah, but Harry is the guy who holds them together," Fred said.
"if it wasn't for Harry they'd probably never talk" George ended.
Ginny only nodded in agreement of the twins' assessment.
Arthur sighed, this was going to be a long meeting than he thought.
/Scene Break/
Sirius Black was quite happy as he had a few of the Hogwarts house elves help clean his home out. He had them replace everything Slytherin-ish and have Gryffindor things put in its place. The first thing to go was his mother's portrait, which was a bit difficult though he ordered the elves to do anything they could to remove the portrait. As for the house elf in residence the thing was too deranged and messed up to be of any good so Sirius gave the elf clothes, which literally killed the thing. But other that that the restorations were going well he had a room for Harry set and a room for himself. He also made rooms for Hermione and her parents just in case they had to flee from their house. He also added room for Neville and Luna by advice from Dumbledore.
"Mr Black sir, we is done with the upper levels" a house elf said.
"Thanks Wrinkle" Sirius said.
The elf bowed and 'pop' away. Sirius sighed and laid back on the couch he bought. He and Remus were setting up a training program for Harry and Hermione and with the inclusion of Neville and Luna Sirius had to think what else they had to do.
"Sirius, you mangy dog where are?" Remus called.
"I'm right here you overgrown fur ball" Sirius shouted.
Remus was another resident of Sirius' house though it took some persuading to get the tame werewolf to accept.
"I just got back from the Lovegoods and Luna can be here in two days" Remus said.
"Excellent, Harry should be arriving tomorrow and Hermione will be with him though she'll go back to her parents that night" Sirius said.
Remus nodded.
Harry better enjoy his summer because when he comes here, the fun and games end Remus thought.
Chapter 7
Harry sighed as he put away his clothes in his new room. He moved in with Sirius and Remus and they were waiting for him to get his things put away before telling him the training schedule they had planned. Hermione was lying on Harry's bed breaking it in.
"Alright, I'm set let's go see Sirius and Remus" Harry said.
Hermione got up and Harry took her hand as they headed downstairs. When they got there they found Remus reading and Sirius pacing.
"Sirius, what's up?" Harry asked.
Sirius stopped pacing and smiled.
"Well pup, Remus and I are going to start training you and your friends" Sirius said.
"Really?"
Remus and Sirius nodded.
Harry let go of Hermione's hand and hugged his godfather then went and hugged Remus.
"I see you're happy about this now, but wait til the training begins, this won't be easy" Remus said.
"I'm ready" Harry said firmly.
Hermione moved forward and stood by Harry with a look of determination on her face.
"And he won't be alone, I'm not going anywhere" Hermione said.
Sirius and Remus looked at one another and knew that this going to be interesting.
/Scene Break/
A few weeks into the training Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Neville were sweaty and bruised, but happy with their progress. The two marauders talked to Luna's father and Neville's Gran and the two adults agreed to let their children go over and train with Harry and Hermione. Each brought a different skill to the table and the two marauders worked on them to get their skills to their full potential and to help the ones they lacked.
For Hermione it was that she wasn't physically strong, she knew a whole lot of spells and can use them, but she had not upper body strength let alone lower body. So the marauders had Hermione on a exercise program, though they all were on one, she was one that need it the most aside from, Luna and Neville. Hermione brought her grand intelligence on practically anything, she needed to be reined in when she got bossy, but they knew she was just being helpful.
Harry need help with his spell knowledge and Hermione was more than willing to share what she knew with her boyfriend and her close friends. He also got more of the rigorous training, as he would be facing Voldemort. Harry told the two marauders the prophecy and this stepped up the training. Harry brought his natural leadership. He didn't know he had this ability, but he had a way to raise the spirit of his friends when they were tired and didn't think they could go on in the training.
Luna like Hermione lacked physical strength, but she also need to work on her focus, she had a tendency to zone out, which wasn't good during battle. So she learned how to concentrate for long periods of time. She brought another way of thinking out a problem, unlike Hermione who was logical Luna gave them other option that could be very useful in tight situations.
Neville just needed self-confidence, though he got a lot last year he needed a big boast to be the wizard that they all knew he was. So they encouraged him whenever he failed at what he was attempting to do. They also got him a new wand since they knew that it was the cause of some of the problems. What he gave them was is his knowledge of Herbology, he was even better at it than Hermione was. He had an affinity for plants and knew how to handle them.
The marauders taught the four Occlumency too, since they said it was a useful skill to have to block someone from reading their mind and to calm themselves, which Harry needed. They got the teens to exercise since they knew most purebloods don't and it would the teens an advantage. They trained for long periods and the four grew close to one another and slowly became a unit.
Sirius was proud of what they were doing as was Remus. The two watched as madam Pomfrey was showing the four spells and potions that were critical to have on the battlefield. McGonagall would come by and train the four on transfiguration that would be used in fighting and Flitwick came by to do the same in charms. As for potions between Remus and Sirius they brought the four up to speed on potions. They weren't happy that Snape didn't teach the basics and knew they had to talk with Dumbledore on that.
Also during their training Harry got taught in pureblood customs, he hated these classes as he felt that it was a load of crap. But Sirius told him he had to learn this stuff as he was heir to an Ancient and Noble house. Hermione was with him in these lessons because it was a given that she'd be Lady Potter when the time came. Neville was there to help and Luna sat in too, because it was again thought of that she'd probably be the next Lady Longbottom. Augusta was there to help teach along with Sirius.
/Scene Break/
Harry sighed as he laid on his bed, today was a rest day for him and the others since they worked so hard. He felt some weight on his bed and he knew who it was right a way.
"Hello love" Harry said.
"How did you know it was me?" Hermione asked.
"Don't know, I just did" Harry said with a shrug.
"I thought since we had a day off it would be a nice day for a picnic" Hermione said.
"Sounds good" Harry said.
The couple left and headed to the nearby park to have their little date. Little did they know they were being watched over. Tonks was recruited as a part of Harry's bodyguard. Remus and Sirius knew that Harry would be targeted by Voldemort and knowing that Harry would be in trouble if he used magic during the summer they got Tonks to watch over him. Amelia Bones signed off on it seeing as a way to help.
"Someone is watching us" Harry said.
"I know, I've sensed it since we got here" Hermione said.
"What should we do?" Harry asked.
"It's probably a guard, so nothing for now" Hermione said.
Harry nodded, he knew that Hermione didn't want to deal with anything that took away from relaxing. The couple sat under a tree and just enjoyed the company of the other. It has been a while since they've been alone together and they wanted to savor this time.
/Scene Break/
Summer went on and soon it was time for Harry's birthday, but since Harry wasn't used to celebrating it he just saw it as another day on the calendar.
"Happy birthday Harry" Hermione beamed.
"Thanks Hermione" Harry said putting a smile.
"What's the matter Harry, aren't you happy?" Hermione asked sensing something was wrong with her boyfriend.
"It's nothing Hermione" Harry said.
"Come on Harry, we're friends here, you can tell us anything" Neville said wanting know what is wrong with his friend.
"Well, you guys know how I grew up with the Dursleys" Harry said.
Hermione, Neville, and Luna nodded. Harry told them about his life with the Dursleys during the past year.
"Well since they never did anything for my birthday it just became another day for me" Harry said.
"But Harry, it's your birthday this is a time to celebrate" Luna said.
"I know, but I don't know how" Harry said frowning.
Hermione mentally made this another reason to hex the Dursleys, and the list was quite long as it is.
"Well come on, breakfast is ready downstairs" Neville said.
The four friends walked downstairs to find the two marauders sitting at the table waiting for the group.
"Happy birthday Harry" Sirius said grinning.
"Thanks Sirius, morning Remus" Harry said as he sat down.
"What's wrong pup? Usually someone is happy on their birthday" Sirius asked.
"Nothing, it's just that the Dursleys never celebrated my birthday, and my first birthday present was from Hagrid" Harry said.
"What was it?" Remus asked curiously.
Hedwig took this as her cue to fly in and land on Harry's shoulder. Harry began to feed Hedwig bacon.
"Hedwig was your first present?" Remus asked.
Harry nodded.
"But Harry, you had to have a party of some kind?" Sirius said.
Harry shook his head; "I was trapped in Privet Drive for those Sirius."
"Well we're going to have to throw you the greatest party ever to make up for years of not having one" Sirius said.
Remus nodded.
"That's nice guys, but you don't have to" Harry said.
"Harry, this is your birthday and we're going to do it right," Sirius said firmly.
Harry was about to open his mouth when he caught Remus' eye. The werewolf just shook his head. And Harry understood, let Sirius do this or he'll never stop bugging you.
"Alright first is a birthday breakfast, Dobby" Sirius said.
The house elf popped in.
"You called Sirius sir?" Dobby asked.
"Yes Dobby, we need to decorate the lounge for Harry's party" Sirius said.
Dobby nodded and popped off.
"But isn't it a bit late to set up a party, I mean, who are we going to invite?" Hermione asked.
"That's easy, we have everyone we'd want anyway. Well, I'll grab the twins and Ginny. Remus can McGonagall and Flitwick and I'm sure Pomfrey and Dumbledore would like to come also," Sirius said.
With that Remus headed to the floo to go to Hogwarts while Sirius apparated to the Burrow. This left the four teens alone.
"So what should we do to kill some time?" Neville asked.
"How about some target practice" Hermione suggested.
"Alright, I've got a letter to send of real quick and I'll meet you all down there" Harry said.
The others nodded and they headed down to the basement where they got their training. Hermione set up the targets and then the four teens began to blast the flying targets. Harry came in a little later smiling.
/Scene Break/
Remus appeared out of the floo in Dumbledore's office.
"Remus, what brings you here?" Dumbledore asked.
"Well Sirius wants to see if you're available to be at Harry's party today" Remus said.
"I would be delighted too," Dumbledore said smiling.
"Excellent, now I got to see if Minerva and Filius are available also along with Poppy" Remus said.
"No need to search for them, I'll contact them" Dumbledore said.
/Scene Break/
Sirius arrived at the Burrow and walked in.
"Hello, is anyone home?" Sirius called.
"Who's there?" Molly shouted.
"It's Sirius Black, Molly" Sirius called back.
Molly Weasley came in wiping her hands.
"Sirius, what brings you here?" Molly asked.
"To see if the twins and Ginny are here," Sirius said.
"Of course" Molly said.
The Weasley matriarch went to the foot of the stairs and shouted for Fred, George, and Ginny to come down. Three redheads came down the stairs. Though Ron followed the three down to see what was going on.
"What is it mom?" Ginny asked.
"Sirius is here for you" Molly said.
"What is it Sirius?" Fred asked.
"You guys are invited to Harry's birthday party today" Sirius said.
"Isn't a bit late to invite us?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, well we just decided it this morning, so are you coming?" Sirius asked.
"You bet, we'll be there," George said.
Fred nodded in agreement.
"Excellent, if you're ready to go, I'll take you" Sirius said.
"What about Ron?" Molly asked.
Sirius frowned.
"He showed what kind of friend he is last year, and I don't want him to ruin my godson's birthday" Sirius said.
"Surely it was just a misunderstanding" Molly said.
How thick is this woman Sirius thought.
"Actually, Molly this isn't just a misunderstanding. Your youngest son has been quite rude to my godson and his girlfriend, not to mention his friends as well" Sirius said.
"But they are just kids, they will have little spats once and a while" Molly said.
"Molly, your youngest son has not done anything to make up to his friends. He has never even sent a letter apologizing what he did to his supposed friends" Sirius said.
"Really now Sirius, Ron is contrite and should be able to go" Molly said trying to force Sirius into taking Ron and get her way.
"Molly, I'm lord of the Ancient and Noble house of Black. I will not be bullied into do anything" Sirius said firmly.
Molly got the point and decided not to push anymore, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to stop trying.
Sirius grabbed Ginny and the twins and he made a portkey. He wanted to get out of there quickly before Molly tried anymore or before she erupted.
/Scene Break/
Back in Grimmauld Place Remus was there with the professors waiting for Sirius to arrive.
"What took you so long Padfoot?" Remus asked.
"Molly, she's not all there. I mean she is trying to get Ron invited to Harry's party when she knows they had a falling out" Sirius said.
"How'd you get out of there with your hearing intact?" Remus asked.
"I was very careful" Sirius said.
"That's great and everything, but where's the birthday boy?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, we need to wish him a happy birthday" George said.
"I'm right here, and I'm not trying anything you give me" Harry said.
"You wound us Harry" Fred said holding his heart dramatically.
"Yeah, I thought you'd trust us by now" George said putting on his puppy dog eyes.
"Knock it off you two" Harry said rolling his eyes.
Dobby decided to pop in at this time.
"The room is set master Black" Dobby said.
"Right, let's party" Sirius said as he let the group.
But before they got there a knock was heard.
"Who could that be?" Remus asked.
"I'll get it" Harry shouted as raced to the door.
The others followed with the adults having their wands out just in case. When they got to the entry hall they found Harry talking to a tall blond girl. They seemed friendly with another, which Hermione didn't like, but she suppressed her jealousy. She walked forward to meet her boyfriend and the mystery girl.
"Hermione, this is Daphne Greengrass. Daphne, this is Hermione Granger, my girlfriend" Harry said.
Daphne Greengrass smiled at Hermione and held out her hand.
"Nice to meet you Hermione" Daphne said.
"Nice to meet you too" Hermione said politely.
"Well come on, there's a party all set up and I don't want to be late" Harry said as he guide the two girls.
Once in the party room everyone noticed the new addition. Luna and Neville were curious with this, but decided to wait and talk to Harry. The professors were shocked to see a Slytherin walking in with two Gryffindor and the fact that they looked friendly with one another was quite shocking also. Sirius and Remus were shocked as well and wondered what their godson/nephew was up to. The three redheads were shocked, but decided to wait and see, unlike another redhead who'd lose his temper and start ranting.
"Everyone I'd like you to meet Daphne Greengrass" Harry said.
They all greeted Daphne warmly if not nicely. After that the party began and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Hermione sought Daphne out to ask her how she knew Harry.
"Hey Daphne" Hermione greeted.
"Hello Hermione, I guess you're wondering how Harry knows me and everything?" Daphne asked.
Hermione nodded.
"Well to be honest I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen. One day I was working on my summer homework then this beautiful white owl came in with a letter for me. After I found it was from Harry, we started to exchange letters regularly. It was odd in the beginning since it is well known that Harry doesn't like Slytherins, but he surprised me with how open he was and how he wanted to get to know me" Daphne said.
"I see" Hermione said.
"I'm not going to try and take him from you if that is what you're worried about. I know wouldn't stand a chance since you and Harry have been joined at the hip since first year" Daphne said trying to placate some worry the brunette might have.
Hermione felt better with this and became more friendly with Daphne, which was looking to be a great friendship. Luna joined in also and the three girls looked like they were having great fun.
Meanwhile Sirius dragged Harry over to ask him about Daphne.
"Alright pup, what's going on with Ms Greengrass?" Sirius asked.
"Well Neville was talking to Hermione and I about the Ancient and Noble families and when he mentioned Greengrass I thought that I should get to know her since it would be good to have more allies since Voldemort is back" Harry said.
"Not only that, but she's hot" Sirius said with a wink.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"No one is hotter than my Hermione" Harry said.
"You're whipped already, where did I go wrong" Sirius said shaking his head in mock sadness.
"Oh shut it you mangy dog, he has the only girl he wants and needs" Remus said amused by his best friend's behavior.
"But Moony, he should be dating and having the time of his life" Sirius said.
"I am Sirius, I'm having the time of my life. I have a family and friends, that's all I ever wanted" Harry said.
Sirius pulled Harry into a hug.
"When did you get all wise pup?" Sirius asked.
Harry shrugged.
The rest of the party was a success as the four integrated Daphne into the team. She thought it was brilliant at the training that they were doing and asked to join. Sirius agreed, but only if she had her parent's permission. As for the professors they were amazed how mature yet child like their students were. They then understood that they acted like children when it was time to act like children, but when it was time to get serious they would be ready to.
Dumbledore was astounded at the progress Harry was making, not to mention his friends. Now adding in Miss Greengrass was quite shocking. The fact that the Ancient and Noble families were uniting was amazing, all that was missing was the Bones family. But he had a feeling that would change soon. He also had a feeling that these children will be the force to bring the wizarding world forward into the future with Harry leading the way.
Yes this coming year will be very interesting indeed Dumbledore thought.
Chapter 8
Daphne Greengrass was a tall blonde bombshell, that is if you described her in the muggle sense. She was fashion model tall, but had a figure that was anything other than a fashion model. She had all the curves that any girl or woman would die to have. To put it simply, she was perfect. Daphne was not like many Slytherins, she didn't care for the pureblood way, she understood it and went with it, but she hated it. Her family, the Greengrasses were fence sitters. They never got involved with any confrontation. Well Daphne was about to blow that out of the water as she led her friend Harry and his godfather to her father's study.
"Father, you have visitors" Daphne called.
"Send them in Daphne" her father said.
Daphne opened the door for them then promptly left since it wasn't proper for her to be there.
"Now what can I do for- Sirius, you old dog how have you been?" Adrian Greengrass said as he looked up.
"I've been fine Adrian, and how are you?" Sirius asked smiling.
"Fine, just fine. I see you brought your godson with you. What's going on, if I had to guess you have a prank in mind" Adrian said smiling.
"No, but I would like to discuss an alliance with one another" Sirius said.
Adrian sensed that this talk would be all business and sat down.
"Very well, lets get to it" Adrian said in a formal tone.
The negotiations were pleasant, but Harry just thought it was because both men knew one another and neither wanted to take advantage of the other, which was a nice change since he was used of people trying to get more than what should be offered. Harry joined in when Sirius mention that the Potter house wishing to seek an alliance as well with the Greengrass house. This surprised Adrian, but he accepted it and more negotiations were needed.
"I think you will get an owl from Augusta soon about an alliance with the Longbottom house" Sirius said after they finished their talks.
"Why is that?" Adrian asked.
"Because the Black house has one with Longbottom and you know that Potter and Longbottom has always been allied with one another for centuries" Sirius said, "not mention the Bones and Longbottoms alliance."
"You old dog, you're planning on uniting all of the Ancient and Noble houses, you know that has never been done for in a very long time" Adrian said.
"It has to be done, Voldemort is back and we will not be ready for him as we are now" Harry said.
This shocked Adrian as he heard this coming from a fifteen-year-old's mouth.
"I see Harry, maybe I should've added my daughter in our negotiations" Adrian said.
Harry blushed slightly.
"Thanks for the offer Lord Greengrass, but I already have a girlfriend and she will be the next Lady Potter" Harry said firmly.
Adrian could see that this was no bluff and nodded.
"That's fine Harry, it was only a jest. Daphne has told me about your relationship with Miss Granger" Adrian said, "and please call me Adrian."
Harry nodded.
"Well since we've done what we came here to do, let's open a bottle and celebrate" Sirius said.
"Excellent suggestion Sirius, you always had great ideas" Adrian said chuckling.
Harry smiled as he left the men to drink. He went to find Daphne and Hermione talking with one another.
"So how'd it go?" Hermione asked spotting Harry first.
"Great, we have an alliance with the Greengrass family" Harry said.
Hermione squealed and hugged Harry tightly. Daphne smiled and hugged Harry after Hermione.
"So my dad wasn't too hard?" Daphne asked.
"Well I think it helped that I got those lessons on pureblood things because if I hadn't I'd be out of my depth that and Sirius was with me" Harry said.
The three than discussed what they could train Daphne in and the Slytherin got excited with what she would learn.
Later when Harry, Hermione and Sirius were gone Adrian came up to Daphne.
"I heard from Sirius that he and his friend are teaching Harry and his friends to defend themselves" Adrian said.
"Yes father" Daphne answered.
"Would you care to join them?" Adrian asked.
Daphne held in her exuberant response and answered in a polite and proper way.
"Yes I would father."
"I see then, go pack you'll be staying with them for the rest of the summer" Adrian said.
Daphne squealed and kissed her father on the cheek then went to pack. Leaving a smiling Adrian behind.
/Scene Break/
When Daphne arrived this brought a new element that was missing to the group as they had courage, loyalty, and knowledge in spades, but what they were missing was cunning and Daphne brought that. She quickly caught up with the others as she was never to be behind in anything. She also helped provide more insight on the Pureblood culture since she had been surrounded by it since birth.
"This is all rubbish" Harry groaned.
"I know Harry, but you have to learn this" Hermione said.
"Why do I have to when I'm trying to get rid of it?" Harry asked.
"So you can infiltrate the ranks with ease" Daphne said.
"You're pure Slytherin you know" Harry said.
"I'll take that as a compliment" Daphne said.
/Scene Break/
As the group trained Daphne got to know the four better and she was happy how easy it was to be accepted by them, but she knew that to have their trust was not to be taken lightly. She also found something else interesting. She liked how she could be herself and not have to put on her ice princess persona that she had to put on when in school. They genuinely liked her for who she was and not who her family and connected to. It was a real changed, though a very good one.
/Scene Break/
As the summer wound down Harry and friends found that the newspaper has been blasting him, claiming he was an attention seeking brat who was probably mentally unstable. They knew that the Ministry was behind this so that annoyed them very much. They got a letter from Amelia Bones telling them that she believed Harry and she was doing her best to squash the rumors. But sadly most of the wizarding world believed what they read and now thought of Harry as a deranged person of some kind.
Harry didn't care since the people who knew him and believed him were the only ones that counted.
/Scene Break/
Harry was reading in the library when he heard a loud squeal which caused him to look up, luck for him as a brown missile attacked him.
"I did it! I made it!" Hermione exclaimed.
Harry was confused.
"I made prefect Harry" Hermione squealed.
Harry smiled.
"Congratulation love" Harry said hugging his girlfriend.
"Oh Harry, here's your letter" Hermione said handing over an envelope.
Harry took it and opened to hear something drop. Hermione picked it up only to snog Harry senseless. By the time she was through Harry was dazed, but had a goofy smile on his face.
"You're a prefect with me Harry" Hermione squealed.
Harry was still dazed by the snog, but his goofy grin got wider.
The rest of the afternoon Harry and Hermione enjoyed their time together, but had to go and get some dinner since their stomachs demanded it. When they got to the kitchen a banner was up and it read: 'Congratulations Harry and Hermione!'
"I knew you'd be selected Harry" Neville said clapping Harry on the back.
"Uh, thanks Neville, but how did you know?" Harry asked.
"We heard Hermione" Sirius said smirking.
Hermione blushed deep red at this.
"Come on, this is a time to celebrate" Remus said smiling.
"But Moony, Harry wouldn't be able to pull any pranks now that he's a prefect" Sirius whined.
"Padfoot I think you are forgetting that I was a prefect too, and yet I still pulled pranks" Remus said.
"Oh, right" Sirius said now realizing this.
"Harry will do no such thing" Hermione stated firmly.
Luna giggled and smiled.
The little party was quite fun as the five friends and two marauders celebrated Harry and Hermione's new positions. They began to also ponder who else made prefect in their year.
"Malfoy is probably prefect for Slytherin" Daphne said.
"Oh joy, like I didn't have to put up with the git enough already" Harry said.
"What is Dumbledore thinking of making him a prefect?" Neville asked.
"He thinks that he can redeem Malfoy, but the ferret is a lost cause" Harry said.
"Harry" Hermione chided.
"Oh give it a rest Mione, you know it's true. After everything that has happened since we first got to Hogwarts the ferret hasn't changed at all" Harry said.
"Harry is right Hermione, Malfoy struts around the Slytherin common room like he owns it" Daphne said.
Hermione frowned, but nodded.
"Enough of that this is party let's celebrate" Sirius said.
They forgot all about Malfoy and drank, laughed and partied the whole night. The next morning was unpleasant. Harry awoke with his arms around Hermione. They were in the sitting room and it was trashed. Harry adjusted his glasses, which he never took off and scanned the room. He found Neville and Luna in an interesting position that would be good teasing material later. Daphne was asleep in a chair with her usually perfect hair a mess holding a bottle of butterbeer and smiling. Remus was asleep and tangled up with one, Nymphadora Tonks. This made Harry quirk a brow as he vaguely remembered Tonks stopping by sometime last night. Sirius was lying on the floor sprawled out and snoring softly.
"Morning Harry."
Harry turned his head and found a smiling Hermione.
"Morning love" Harry said.
Hermione beamed and kissed Harry.
"We should get up" Harry suggested.
"No, too comfortable" Hermione whined and snuggled into Harry's side.
"I guess we can stay like this for a little while longer" Harry said.
"I knew there was a reason to date you" Hermione said before she fell back to sleep.
It was noon when everyone awoke and started to move about. Tonks was grateful that today was her day off or she'd be in big trouble. After everyone was showered and dressed they decided to forego training today since it was late in the day to start.
"So what should we do?" Neville asked as he kept one arm around Luna as he ate.
Neville and Luna barely were apart since they awoke and liked their newfound closeness and didn't care who saw it.
/Scene Break/
Meanwhile the rest of the wizarding world read in the newspaper about a delusional Harry Potter and his claims that Voldemort has come back was a fabrication.
"This is utter bullshit" Ginny said slamming down the newspaper down on the table.
"Ginerva, Language" Molly said.
"Well it is mom, how could they write those things about Harry?" Ginny asked as she crossed her arms.
"Ginny honey, the Ministry controls the paper" Arthur said.
"That's not fair, it means that the Ministry can print anything and people will believe it" Ginny said.
Molly was shocked at this side of Ginny.
"I spent a lot of time with Hermione this year and she helped me open my eyes to the wizarding world and its backwards ways" Ginny explained.
"I see" Molly said frowning.
"Oh mom, you're so old fashion. The wizarding world isn't going to survive the way it is now" Ginny said.
Arthur was intrigued with this new Ginny and decided to see how much thought his youngest had put into this. This then led to a discussion of how the muggle world was better than the wizarding one and what could be done to improve the wizarding world to match the muggle one.
Molly sat watching this a growing frown on her face. She didn't want to change, everything was going fine with the way things were, with the exception of Voldemort being back. She didn't want her children to go through this and she planned to keep them out of it as much as possible.
/Scene Break/
Dumbledore sat back and smiled, he was quite happy with how things were going and thanks to the progress reports from the two marauders he was pleased to see that Harry was growing into a very powerful and talented wizard. He knew he made the right choice with not overriding Minerva's choice of Gryffindor prefects. He was originally going have the young Weasley lad become prefect, but after what happened this previous year and the progress Harry has made he decided to not interfere. Though he wasn't happy with the Ministry and Fudge now trying to take over the school. Fudge has placed one of his own in Hogwarts since he couldn't find a teacher for DADA. He knew Harry was going to have a hard time this year, but knew that the boy would make it through. After all the boy had what he needed to win. Love.
/Scene Break/
Amelia Bones was a hard working witch and got to her position by hard work and determination. She was a Hufflepuff after all. But she knew when to ask for help and she knew the time was now. Fudge was being a baby and being fed bribes daily by one Lucius Malfoy, though she knew she didn't have any evidence. But that was besides the point right now. She needed allies and she knew who she needed in her corner. Harry Potter. She heard from her niece, Susan, what Harry has done in school, though she took it with a grain of salt since some of the things her niece told her was too fantastic to believe in the wizarding world. So she sent a letter to Harry asking to meet with him at his earliest convenience. She got a reply asking her to meet him in a muggle location, which made her rethink a few things about the lad.
/Scene Break/
Harry, Hermione and Sirius sat in a private booth waiting for Amelia Bones.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Lord Black, it's a pleasure to meet you" Amelia said.
"Madam Bones, nice to see you too" Sirius said bowing.
After the formalities were finished they ordered then got down to business.
"Mr. Potter, I asked to meet with you so I could get a better understanding of you as a person" Amelia said.
"Please call me Harry" Harry said.
Amelia smiled, she liked this boy already.
"Fine, you can call me Amelia in private settings" Amelia said, "and that goes for you as well Miss Granger and you too Lord Black."
"Hermione, Amelia" Hermione said.
Amelia nodded.
"Well Amelia, what is it you want to know?" Harry asked.
"Well I heard a lot of things about you from my niece Susan, but if what she says is true then we have much to discuss" Amelia said.
What did she have to say?" Harry asked.
Amelia then told Harry what Susan has told her, the old witch felt like a gossip, but that didn't detour her. What her niece has gathered was pretty factual, but that was a given since she taught her to go with the facts and never buy into speculation unless it had a solid weight.
"Amelia what Susan has told you is pretty much true, though I can fill the blanks to help you get a better picture" Harry said.
"I'd be delighted" Amelia said.
"Good, but let's have our meal then I'll show you some memories" Harry said.
Amelia agreed to the plan.
/Scene Break/
After the meal Harry, Hermione, and Sirius brought Amelia back to Grimmauld Place, they told her the secret and then led her into the sitting room where a Pensieve was waiting along with Neville, Luna, Daphne, and Remus. After they all greeted one another Hermione began to open a vial that contained Harry's first year.
Amelia was quite shocked at what she saw, Harry's first year involved facing the one who killed his parents and the fact that a rare magical artifact was hidden in a school full of children didn't escape her either. Not to mention how easy the traps were and that three first years with little magical training was able to get by them with ease. Harry's second year made her see the biggest damn snake she had ever seen. The fact that he slew the beast with barely a scratch was quite astounding. Harry's third year was interesting to watch and she marveled that Harry can produce a full corporeal patronus, which is hard to do even if you are a full-grown wizard. She wasn't happy that Fudge didn't even try to hear them out and was going to have Sirius kissed without even hearing what the man had to say. Harry's fourth year she was amazed how the young man was able to match his competitor even though they had three years of magical training more than him. Watching Voldemort raise was scary and she was pleased at the way the other Champions helped Harry out. The final memory shown was Fudge denying Voldemort's return.
"Harry, I can see that a war is coming and that Fudge is going to do nothing to help prevent or prepare for it. The Bones house asks for an alliance with the Potter house" Amelia said.
Harry blinked and looked at Sirius, who was grinning like a loon.
"Amelia, I agree that Fudge is only damaging us and the Potter house accepts your alliance" Harry said.
Amelia nodded and after some negotiations and with a final handshake an alliance was created between the two houses. The conversation then turned to what they could do to help their side. Amelia found that Harry already had an alliance with Longbottom and Greengrass and of course with Black. This had the gears working overtime in her head with the Bones now in the alliance that meant the fives Ancient and Noble houses are united for the first time in ages. Yes, each Ancient and Noble house had a good amount of power, but together they are an unstoppable force with enough votes to make a difference. They ended their talks with Amelia making plans to talk to Adrian Greengrass about an alliance to strengthen their cause.
/Scene Break/
Come pup, we have to get to Diagon Alley to get your supplies" Sirius called.
"Coming Sirius" Harry called back.
Harry and Hermione came downstairs along with Luna and Neville with Daphne trailing. They looked tired, but happy.
"Alright let's get going" Sirius said.
They headed to the floo, which Harry griped at since he hated to travel this way. Landing in the Leaky Cauldron Harry landed on his butt with Hermione giggling at him.
"Very funny Mione, now help me up" Harry grumbled.
Hermione shook her head and helped her boyfriend up. After that they set off to Diagon Alley. After a short stop at Gringotts to get some money they went to get their supplies. The teens decided to stick together while Sirius, Remus and Tonks who tagged along did their own shopping.