955Harry Potter now believed in miracles. It was no exaggeration to say that he had mastered the impossible. One severely seared sorcerer and one savagely skewered serpent would attest to that, were they still on the mortal plane. Harry's latest success made those feats look like child's play. He had finally stood up for himself where he'd never imagined it would be possible. He had finally put his foot down and banished the color pink from his bathroom. At long last, he had a refuge from estrogen overload.
To be honest, and ego-crushing, this victory was due to the girls conceding. Harry grumbled at the memory of them trying to confuse the matter by insisting that the colors were really fuchsia, salmon, and peach. Harry had insisted that the flower, the fish, and the fruit were all shades of pink. After conferring amongst themselves, the girls settled on a shade of green that was feeling the blues. They had called it teal, which was just ducky. It had only taken a snap of fingers from the house elf to eradicate the abomination. Still, Harry had been a little put out when she had asked whether he was absolutely, positively, unequivocally sure that he wanted to change such a pretty color scheme. Harry sighed. What was with girls and pink?
With the visual nightmare corrected, he was free to tackle the other surprises that kept popping up like bad pennies. The most remarkable of these was something he actually welcomed; his long-absent godfather had made an appearance. When Dora had relayed that news, it had taken all her magic to keep Harry from immediately rushing off school grounds to meet the man. He had to get to know the man whom his future self held in such high regard that the loss had been absolutely heart-wrenching. To his dismay and frustration, his first encounter would have to wait for the proper time, lest his current circumstance become even more unmanageable.
The situation with Padma, which, in hindsight, wasn't nearly the most surprising thing to happen that day was another matter entirely. What did it say about his life when adding another girl to his to do list wasn't enough to raise an eyebrow? In a way, it was almost refreshing how Padma had thrown a fit over her inclusion. It gave him a point of reference to assess the twins - the first set of twins, Hestia and Flora. He was beginning to suspect that the Slytherin girls were genuinely delighted with their situation despite having no choice in the matter. What did that say about their lives?
Of course, his first full day back at Hogwarts couldn't possibly end without something worrisome being added to the mix. It seemed that Paddy had gone on another of his walkabouts. This one was longer than the ones he had taken before. Really, what was the point of having a fenced in garden if your too-large-to-be-easily-overlooked dog had found a way to get out on a regular basis? Harry wasn't unduly concerned; after all, the dog had taken care of himself for the last decade. It was obvious he had some magical species in his ancestry, though everyone had agreed that the word 'Grim' was not to be considered.
Regardless, that news had reminded Harry of a task he needed to complete sooner rather than later.
Hesitantly, Harry knocked on the door to the professor's office, hoping to catch him before he went off and did whatever professors did whenever they weren't looking after the students. He was in luck because not a minute later the door opened, and a familiar pair of eyes looked down at his visitor.
"Harry?" Professor Lupin said in surprise. "That is to say, Mr. Potter. How may I help you?"
"Hello professor," Harry said. "There is one more important subject I need to talk to you about."
"Oh?" Professor Lupin took a tentative step backward and gestured for Harry to enter. "Considering the bombshells you've already dropped, I can't say I'm encouraged by those words coming out of your mouth."
"Hopefully, this isn't going to count as a bombshell." Harry walked in.
"Is this going to be a quick notification or should I break out the tea?" Professor Lupin inquired as he made his way to a pair of couches facing each other over a coffee table.
Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure how long this is going to take, but tea shouldn't be necessary."
"I suppose you want to hurry up and get back to your girls," Professor Lupin said with a chuckle.
"I've spent a good portion of the summer hols with them," Harry said. "I need a break before I develop blisters."
"I would think your newest conquests would enjoy some time getting to know you." Professor Lupin took a seat. "I must say, you sure do work fast."
Harry winced. "In under two days I've gone from five to eight." He said, "Trust me when I say that is too fast."
"Eight?" Professor Lupin gave him a searching look. "What of the three first-years I've been hearing rumors about?"
"We've been saddled with babysitting duty," Harry said. "That's all. They aren't a part of the coven."
Professor Lupin coughed and Harry could have sworn he heard, "Yet."
"The way I hear it, your families are going to be paying for their schooling," Professor Lupin stated as Harry took a seat on the couch opposite him.
"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Though that doesn't make much sense. From what I understand, it's normally the babysitters who get paid, not the other way around."
"I am sure there is a perfectly good reason for that," Professor Lupin said with a grin. "Speaking of reasons, what is the reason you caused another scene at a meal for a second day in a row?"
Harry grimaced. "Padma was caught off guard by her inclusion to the coven." He said seriously, "She's none too happy with the way things worked out."
"It came as a surprise for her?" Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow.
"It came as a surprise for everyone," Harry said. "Dora's gone home to sort it out. She's none too happy, either."
"She does give the impression of being at the end of her rope," Professor Lupin said.
"She's had an eventful summer," Harry said. "This is just another drop in the bucket. I wish there were something I could do to ease her burden."
"Hopefully things calm down in the immediate future."
"My luck rarely holds out for that long," Harry griped.
"Funny you should mention luck," Professor Lupin said.
"If you say something along the lines of most blokes wishing they had the problems I have, I will kick you in your other shin," Harry threatened.
"Oh, found a sore spot, have I?"
"Bloody raw it is." Harry nodded.
"I can imagine," Professor Lupin said before correcting himself. "No, actually, I can't imagine. You are in a rather unique position."
"Story of my life," Harry sulked.
"So, did you just come here to lament over your girl problems?" Professor Lupin prodded.
"I came to make sure you are onboard," Harry said. "That is to say, are you willing to help us with the plans sent from the future?"
"I would hope that it went without saying that I am fully onboard," Professor Lupin said, all traces of levity fleeing his voice. "I will support you in any manner that I can. Even against the Ministry. Even against Dumbledore - specifically, and deliberately, against Dumbledore."
"Good, then I can tell you that I plan on bringing an inherited familiar to Hogwarts."
"An inherited familiar?" Professor Lupin questioned.
"Yes; Dudley found my dad's dog for me."
"Your dad's…" A look of bewilderment rushed across Professor Lupin's face. "Dudley found Padfoot."
"Padfoot?" it was Harry's turn to look astonished. "Mrs. Tonks said she remembered Dad calling him Paddy. So, he really was my father's dog?"
Professor Lupin stopped to think for a second before saying, "That is a fair assessment."
Harry eyed the man critically. "Dudley said you might react funny when I told you. It's not going to be a problem, is it?"
Professor Lupin sat quietly in deep contemplation for two whole minutes, making the air quiver with tension. "Harry," he finally asked, "how do you think the school is going to react when you bringing a grim onto the grounds?"
"Mrs. Tonks told us there is no way that Paddy is a grim," Harry said warily.
Professor Lupin went quiet again before saying, "When dogs get older, their muzzles turn gray. Knowing that and knowing that Padfoot is at least fifteen years old, how much gray is on his muzzle?"
"Oh." Harry thought about the dog for a second. "Well, we did suspect some kind of magical heritage. Still Mrs. Tonks swears that a grim is out of the question."
"Big black dog really only lends itself to one conclusion," Professor Lupin said seriously. "It would probably be best not to let the general population know that you inherited your new familiar from your father."
"You're not going to make a fuss?" Harry asked tensely.
Professor Lupin looked him in the eyes as if gauging his reaction. "It is clear that Dudley wanted you to have some serious protection, and it is also clear that he failed to inform you everything that such protection entails. I am going to conclude that hindsight is wiser than I am."
It was nearing curfew when Harry finally made it back to the suite's common room. Immediately it became apparent that the girls hadn't been idle in his absence. For some reason the furniture had all been rearranged and there were three or four vases of flowers present that hadn't been there before. Also, Dora had beaten him back and was sitting on a couch with a distinctly put upon look.
Noticing an extra girl in the room, Harry made a beeline for his eldest wife. "I thought you didn't want to add any more girls."
"Ah, yes," Dora said, looking down in embarrassment. "I have good news and bad news along those lines." Not offering a choice she continued. "The good news is it seems the contract was a test - a test that I unfortunately failed."
"How is that good news?" Harry asked as the rest of the girls gathered around to be part of the conversation.
"Well," Dora shuffled nervously where she sat. "The addition of Padma to the Patil contract was to see if I noticed. I'll have you know I was being distracted by my mother at the time, so it is her fault."
"So, she's not a consort and can go back to her dorm?" Harry prompted.
"Yes and no," Dora said. "It has been agreed that she will no longer be your consort."
"Good," Padma piped in. "No offense Potter, but you aren't exactly my type."
"And no," Dora repeated. "In exchange for reworking the original contract, Padma is going to be on the same 'here to watch' arrangement as Polly, Raelyn, and Hazel."
Hermione sighed resignedly. "They still want her to be part of the coven but are willing to let us have the illusion that we are making the final decision." She concluded.
"She has a 'you break it you bought it' clause in the new contract." Dora nodded.
"That isn't going to happen," Padma said forcefully.
Harry took a deep breath before venturing forward. "Why is Ginny here?"
Dora took an equally deep breath. "She's here to watch."
"And join in eventually." Ginny blushed brightly despite the steel in her voice.
"You do not have a 'you break it you bought it' clause," Dora warned.
"It's a start," Ginny said with conviction. "I just need to prove I belong."
"Easing Harry into it would be for the best," Luna said with a smile.
"I suppose this is better than nothing," Harry said, taking a seat on the couch next to Dora. "I still don't understand why they added Padma to the first contract, especially without telling her."
Dora sighed. "Like I said, it was a test. I failed it; so, now I've had to agree to let Padma, Parvati or Hermione read anything before I sign it. Their father is tricky and wants his daughters to be protected."
"That was sneaky," Lavender opined.
"Yes." Dora sighed. "Their father says that they have been trained to read contracts properly; so, it is in our best interest to employ that skill."
"How'd Hermione make the list?" Hestia asked.
"Mum is of the opinion that she wouldn't have fallen for it were she the one doing the signing." Dora sulked. "She made the suggestion, and Parvati's father agreed to the terms."
"Seems like a lot of trouble for a life lesson," Hermione stated.
"It is not one she's soon to forget," Lavender pointed out.
Dora snorted. "Wasn't a life lesson. They really wanted to slip Padma in. I had to convince them that she wanted no part of it."
"So, it wasn't a test after all?" Harry asked.
"That was their excuse and I'm sticking to it," Dora said. "It's bad enough that I had to concede the signing contract privileges but having to accept the 'here to watch' contracts to get our way was more than a little demeaning."
"I'm not complaining," Ginny said. "I was afraid I was going to be completely shut out."
"Yeah." Parvati surveyed everyone in the room. "It needs to be said; things have gotten out of hand in that department."
"Technically, we are still at the same seven we were at in the carriage," Hermione said. "I'm not stupid enough to think that there won't be any additions from the watchers." She eyed Ginny when she said this. "But it will be up to Harry to decide how far he goes along those lines."
"He is frustratingly resistant to seduction." Hestia pouted. "Seven may be our max."
"He's just been overwhelmed," Dora said with another sigh. "Once he feels comfortable with his situation, things are liable to change."
"I'm pretty sure that seven will be enough," Harry said.
"Give the girls time to build relationships," Dora said. "You are much too kind and open to honest feelings for seven to be your limit."
"I thought you didn't want any additions," Harry said to Dora.
"I don't," Dora admitted. "That doesn't mean I can't be an adult about it. I don't have to be completely comfortable with it to accept it."
"Speaking of being uncomfortable," Hermione said, "I'm a bit uneasy with Ginny being here."
"What?" Ginny stared at Hermione with a look of betrayal.
"Nothing against you personally," Hermione told the girl. "I'm just worried that we are playing right into Dumbledore's hand. He did set you up to be with Harry in the first place."
"Why don't you like Dumbledore?" Holly asked. "Isn't he supposed to be the Lord of the Light? Isn't he supposed to be on our side?"
"There are reasons we aren't too fond of him," Dora said, trying to close the subject.
"He intended for Harry to suffer so that his plans had a chance of succeeding." Luna was less than helpful at letting it drop. "He let a Death Eater undermine our education, thus limiting future healers and Aurors."
"Luna." Dora broke in. "Not in front of the first years."
"They need to know," Luna countered.
"He's like Lockhart," Harry said. "Even with some of his hype being earned, his reputation far outstrips his reality. He doesn't care who gets hurt as long as his ends are met."
"He may pretend to care. He may even believe he cares, but that doesn't stop him from sacrificing innocents," Hermione said. "It would literally be preferable for him to be on the other side so that they would be the ones making the sacrifices."
"Enough," Dora said. "He's a bastard, on that we can agree, but right now we have our own lives to focus on, namely three first years whose parents might take offense over our views."
"Don't trust him," Luna stage-whispered.
"Enough," Dora repeated.
"So, what are we going to do?" There had been an impromptu meeting in the Slytherin common room with the majority of the house in attendance. After a quick rundown of their current circumstance, the sixth-year male prefect had asked that question of the attendees.
"Well, whatever we do, picking a fight is not an option," said a fifth-year male.
"Oh, it is an option," countered another sixth-year boy. "It is just an option that leads to the grave."
"He has trained assassins," a fourth-year girl reminded everyone.
"Forget the assassins for a moment," said a seventh-year boy. "He's got a coven. Can you say 'blood curse'?"
"He wouldn't use his coven that way," retorted a fifth-year boy.
"I repeat," said the fourth-year from earlier. "He has assassins. A blood curse would only be a step away from that."
"You all are being repetitively redundant," said a seventh-year boy. "It is indisputable that he has the means to harm us much more than he already has. The question is how do we remove the motivation."
"That's easy," a fifth-year boy said. "He's collecting witches. All we have to do is give him a few for his collection."
"So, he can be more powerful and be able to do more damage." A sixth-year girl sneered.
The fifth-year boy shrugged. "At this point, does it matter if he has a short sword or a great sword? He still has a sword and we don't."
"Still, I'd rather figure out a way to conjure a shield rather than adding metal to his metaphorical sword," said the sixth-year girl.
"Besides, he doesn't need help adding to his coven," stated a seventh-year girl. "Seeing how Lord Black gave him the Carrow twins, I, myself was conceivably only one acceptance letter away from lying on my back and letting him have his way with me."
Several other girls in various years all nodded and made comments about being in similar peril.
"To be frank," continued the seventh-year girl, "I am under orders to give free samples if the opportunity arises. That's not happening; there is no way I'm pitting myself against a coven."
"It is rather hard to bargain with a piece your opponent already owns," the fifth-year boy said in resignation. "I know; let's give him Greengrass. Her family is wealthy enough not to have taken out a loan, and she is going to be one of the most desirable witches of this generation."
"Excuse me," Daphne Greengrass said frostily. "Did I just hear you beg for a painful death? Why would you think I'd go along with your brain-dead scheme? My family has no quarrel with the Potters or the Blacks."
"Pish," said the fifth-year boy. "Don't think you weren't seen contemplating asking Potter for a position. We all know that he now has the potential to help your family with a nasty problem. I don't see why the rest of the house can't benefit when you finally cave in."
"I am not joining his coven," Daphne stated coldly while her friend Tracey Davis placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It will be years before they are ready to accomplish what we need - plenty of time to build good relations and perhaps an alliance."
"Actually," said a sixth-year boy, "the idea has some merit. Don't look at me like that; I'm trying to be practical here. What I mean is, he has a first-year from every house but ours. If we offer your younger sister as an intern, you get an in for your alliance, and maybe we can get a pledge where the bodies of our housemates won't mysteriously start popping up."
"Hey!" Astoria Greengrass complained.
"No," Daphne stated. "Find another way. You have no right to use us as bargaining chips."
Okay, he had to admit, the castle was fantastic. He hadn't honestly known what to expect when he arrived, but it ended up being impressive. If only it hadn't been terrifying in equal measure. It was hard to say exactly where to begin with that thought. Okay, no, it wasn't. It was hard to begin anywhere but with the fact that ghosts were real. In its own way, that trumped magic was real, because, you know, ghosts. And they were real. Honest to goodness ghosts were living in the castle. Only without the living.
To be fair, so far, they were the only thing in the "terrifying" column, but they commanded a lot of weight, for him at least; everyone else seemed to be complacent, as if the phantasms merited no more mention than the old lady who lived down the street. If only they were the only life altering shock he had to deal with in the last twenty-four hours.
It wasn't even the magic. They used magic like he would have used electricity, as a convenience, making their lives easier and more enjoyable. No, the newest and greatest upset to his worldview was something that he would never have imagined being in the cards.
Apparently, Harry was famous.
Now that was a tidbit of information, he wished he had known before being thrown to the sharks.
Harry was also, apparently, strikingly rich.
Both of these, supposedly 'everyone knows', facts caught Dudley fully off-guard. He found them hard to associate with the scrawny freak with whom he was familiar. And he really needed to stop thinking of his cousin as "the freak". That was going to be a hard habit to break.
That, however, made him wonder about things he hadn't bothered with before.
Why had his parents treated his cousin in the manner they had?
Now that he stopped to think about it, it was odd. They knew Harry would one day be able to command magic, something against which they had no defense. Why were they still treating him like trash? It took a special kind of stupid to continue to kick someone, who, when they finally inevitably blew up, was likely and capable of literally blowing them up. And he didn't mean in the same manner as Aunt Marge; he meant in a fine red mist all over the place.
That was a distinct possibility, yet for some reason self-preservation wasn't putting in an appearance. The implications were more than a little worrisome.
But that was a problem for another time. With Harry removing himself from the house, it would hopefully be one that didn't desperately need to be addressed - not forgotten, mind you, just not directly confronted.
No, the matter that needed to be addressed was of a more pressing nature.
"What is with these bull droppings?" Lara, a housemate of his was addressing one of the prefects. "What do they think they are doing having us sit classes with children?"
The prefect sighed before speaking. "I already told you. It is only for a limited time. They are going over the same things you need right now, what with your late start and all. They've already mapped out an expedited learning path for you once you get the basics down."
"I still say it is bull droppings," Lara said venomously. "How'd you like it if you were put on the same level as toddlers?"
"They are only two years younger," the prefect said with exasperation.
"Exactly." Lara said, "That's a lifetime of difference."
"I don't know what to tell you," The prefect said. "The professors are already running around like chickens with their heads splinched off. I'm afraid there will be some unsavory compromises needed to be made in the near future as they figure out how to manage all of the newly discovered witches and wizards. Your complaining like a spoiled brat certainly isn't helping anyone."
"But they have us sitting with little brats," Lara said bitterly.
"You are learning the same things they are," the prefect said, losing her interest in the conversation. "Deal with it." With that, she walked away.
"The nerve," Lara seethed, watching the prefect's retreating back.
"She was a whole lot nicer than I would have been." Dudley heard himself comment before his brain caught up with his mouth.
Lara's head snapped in his direction. "What did you say?"
"I said stop acting like a baby with a dirty nappy," Dudley said while he was remonstrating himself for speaking in the first place.
"Do you know who I am?" Lara asked with an edge to her voice.
"Don't know. Don't care," Dudley said. "From where I'm standing, you are a foolish girl who is antagonizing people who happen to have the ability to erase your memories, bind your magic, and make you disappear so that you cease to be a problem."
"They wouldn't do that," Lara said reproachfully.
"That's what they want you to think," Dudley said.
"You are just trying to scare me." There was a hint of worry in Lara's voice at this point.
"I'm just not convinced that everyone in charge has good intentions," Dudley said. "Those of us raised in the normal world need to stick together. When we cause problems, we need to do it as one. That way, we won't be the nail that gets hammered."
Lara studied his hard look for a second. "Is there something you want to tell us?" she asked sardonically. "You seem to have something planned out."
Dudley shrugged. "A lot of people are worried about saving the wizarding world from itself. I'm of the opinion that if it needs to be saved that badly, it isn't worth saving in the state it currently exists."
"Why do I get the feeling I'm talking to a future villain?" Lara asked.
"Burn it," Dudley said with an evil grin. "Burn it to the ground so we can build anew."
"Okay," Lara turned and put her nose in the air. "Now you are just messing with me."
"Yeah," Dudley said to her back. "That doesn't mean that I'm wrong."
A/N::: And here we have chapter 22. Considering, that I originally stated that I was aiming for seven… (I now realize I only put that author's note on )
As you may have guessed I have pretty much used up the majority of bullet points in my original outline. That being said, the adding way too many girls arc is now complete. The time it took to put it to electronic paper has made it rather drawn out; causing it to overshadow the story way too much. It has become a love it or hate it thing aspect of the tale. So, for an internet cookie, does anyone want to take a guess where my preplanning went dry and I started going freeform? Sigh… yes, I'm drawing up a new roadmap for future chapters. Right now, I have ideas, but I find I get better responses when I write with things already sketched out on paper.
Most importantly I want to thank you all for sticking with me for as long as you have. Also, thank you for your comments and discourse. And with that, it is late and I'm rambling.