"We might have a new family soon, Hedwig. Not just our friends from the Sphinx Club, but maybe something like a mom and a dad. I'll have to make sure they're good to you too, it wouldn't stand for our new family to not like my best girl." Harry says, and Hedwig gives him a look that says 'Of course they'll love me. I'm the best.'
"You're right girl, you're great. Of course they'll love you to pieces. Want me to play you a song?" Harry asks and Hedwig gives a soft hoot in agreement. Hedwig has enjoyed Harry's occasional concerts for her, and seemed to find great joy in his improvement. Harry picked up his flute and played a few Christmas songs from a songbook that Professor Flitwick had given him at the beginning of December.
Eventually however, night falls and Hedwig returns to her place in the owlery, and Harry is once more alone. He's not lonely however, as he knows that soon all of his friends will be back together, and he will be able to thank them for their wonderful gifts, and get to enjoy their company again.
Harry Potter is happy, and he cherishes that feeling.
"What are you doing Harry?" Lavender asked, looking at the boy. She hadn't noticed it because of his robes, but Harry's body had undergone some minor changes over break. Where before the best word to describe Harry was skinny, now he was much closer to simply being 'lean' with muscles clearly visible on his arms and legs, even if they weren't very large.
"Oh, sorry. Got into the routine of doing my exercises just after finishing studying while you guys were gone. I'd do a half-hour session now, and I do a fifteen minute session in the morning before breakfast." Harry said, doing some stretches.
"What for?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Professor Flitwick needs me to be in top physical shape for my dueling practice, so I need to work my body as well as my spell work." Harry said, dipping low in a side to side leg stretch. "For Christmas he gave me some scarves with warming charms on them for me to wear so I can run around the lake in the winter. They're great, I barely feel cold at all when I'm wearing them."
"Ooh! Those sound so cool. I wonder if I could get him to get me some. I hate the cold." Padma said, looking at Harry. "Maybe if I offer to be your running partner he'll get me one."
"Oh! Like I'm going to let you be all alone with the Trollslayer over here. Besides, we'll need to do some exercise if we want to keep our figures. I need the boys eating out of my plans by third year for my plans to work!" Parvati said, looking to Lavender. "You too! It's critical!"
"What are these plans?" Daphne asked, looking at the Gryffindor twin. Padma was the planner of the two sisters, with Parvati being more impulsive so a plan that was to take shape over the course of a few years was out of left field.
"Oh, it's simple. The girls of the Sphinx Club are going to be the smartest, prettiest, most desirable girls in all of Hogwarts. We'll use that status to leverage into the upper echelon of graduates, and get super high paying jobs when we leave Hogwarts. Then we'll get married to the best guys around and have the best kids, who will do the same thing when they go to Hogwarts. Rinse and repeat until eventually our descendants take over the world." Parvati said, her tone so matter of fact as though it was a foregone conclusion.
"What if I want to take over the world?" Daphne asked, her eyebrow raised.
"Moves the timescale up a bit, but doesn't change anything in the grand scheme of things." Parvati said nonchalantly.
"Where do Neville and I fit into this?" Harry asked, looking at the mastermind behind the scheme.
"Well, you two probably marry one of us, because we are and will be the best choices for girls in our age group, and if you don't then whatever girl you do marry has to live up to our standards." Parvati said. "You aren't getting away from us that easy though! You'll be mine Trollslayer!" Parvati's faux-maniacal laughter was the loudest thing in the room, the second was the solid thud that sounded out when Harry passed out on the floor.
"Harry!" Hermione, Padma, and Susan all gasped out as they looked to his fallen form.
"Too much?" Parvati asked, looking sheepish.
The following day, Professor Flitwick had informed Harry of a specific appointment that the pair had coming up. On Saturday, January 18th, Harry would meet with Amelia Bones, Edward and Andromeda Tonks, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, and he would be required to decide who he would accept as his new foster family. To say Harry was nervous was an understatement. When he wasn't directly focused on a specific task he was nearly unreachable, giving only half-hearted responses to questions, and barely eating during meals. When Hermione and Padma approached Madam Pomfrey about what they could do to help him, she simply said to be there for him, and she would give him a calming potion on the day of. When asked why she couldn't give him a calming potion now, she explained that extended use of the calming potion could cause severe damage to his ability to feel any emotion.
The day of the meetings had arrived, and Harry took the potion that Madam Pomfrey had provided for him. His nerves were calmed, although he was still somewhat on edge. He knew he should be more nervous than he was, but accepted that this was likely for the best. With a sigh he made his way to Professor Flitwick's office to start this day.
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