946Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the 4th part of the "Heir to the Hunt" series,
Bad Moon Rising.
In which we will free some more gods, see Scáthach back at her castle and teaching once more, a toad will be bullied, meet a demon, The Morrígan plays her games, and we finally learn what the connection between the Teacher and her Student is as Harry begins to understand what being a Magician really means.
But before all that, let us read a few articles and catch up with our best boi, shall we?
On with the show!
Sweeping changes at Hogwarts!
It was announced this morning at the annual summer meeting of the Wizengamot by none other than the senile old Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore about the changes going on behind the castle walls. Thanks to a report of a record-breaking influx of new students this year Albus Dumbledore has decided that a change of curriculum was called for, no longer will the Muggle Studies class be an elective but will now be mandatory for all students between first and third-year with the choice of continuing the class as an elective afterward, he also announced a new class being taught at the school called "Wixen Culture & History" which will also be mandatory for every student between first and third-year and afterward if they so choose. The old crackpot had this to say:
"It is my belief that the best way to move forward from the hatred and stagnation of the past is to help those of the new generation of children coming to our hallowed halls to learn of each of the cultures they come from to do away with the ignorance that so often feeds hatred, that is why starting this coming year all children who have been born and raised predominantly in the Wixen world will be taking the muggle studies course for the first three years, and vice versa for the muggleborns stepping into our world for the first time," -Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.
When we at the Daily Prophet asked what had prompted these changes, Albus Dumbledore had this to say:
"It had been in the background for quite a few years, but we didn't have the funding to implement them, but thanks to the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and their generous donation to the school we can fund these classes as well as hire on a few extra teachers for the more dangerous classes at the school like Potions and Care of Magical Creatures," -Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.
This is solid proof of something that the once-great man had always campaigned against, nepotism. The new DADA teacher(whomever they may be) has only gotten the job via a substantial amount of gold paid to the school, which if the readers have been following us for the last few weeks shouldn't be surprised with seeing that Albus Dumbledore has been steadily showing his true colors as a power-hungry crackpot old fool who announced the return of the long-dead dark lord at the end of last term in some vain attempt to stay both relevant and in power.
The members of Wizengamot had mixed reactions to this announcement from the Headmaster, with many of them having children going to the school we had asked a few for a statement about the changes and they had this to say:
"This is a gross misuse of gold and power by the Headmaster, making a class to study muggle culture mandatory is a sad grasp at good press by him in the vain hope of keeping his hands of the last Vestige of his waning prestige; Mark my words, Albus Dumbledore will be ousted from Hogwarts by the end of the school year," -Lord Lucius Malfoy.
"Why the hell are you talking to me?" -Lady Augusta Longbottom.
"I think this idea has merit and a good attempt to erase the imaginary lines in the sand that somehow separate Muggleborns from Wixen-raised children by fixing the ignorance that is the root of the problem and Albus Dumbledore will have my full support in this matter, for if we can not come together as a community we will never move forward as a Society,"- Lady Taila Peverell.
"Get the hell out of my face before I punch you," -Lord Sirius Black.
At this moment there has been no mention of who will be teaching the new Wixen Culture and History class at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter.
Harry Potter was currently in the remodeled basement of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, where once was a dank basement filled with cursed cauldrons and empty prison cells, there was now a shooting range and training area built for anyone who wished to use it, but mostly for Harry. Large straw bullseyes sat at the end of the long room with a small sand pit in the middle, big enough for two people like Harry and Zoë to fight in but small enough not to take up the majority of the room. Along the opposite wall sat a large potion lab with six burners and just as many cauldrons with a walk-in area under the stairs to hold a variety of ingredients both dried and fresh, but without a sparring partner that could fight on Harry's level (and the only one in the house not allowed in the same room alone with him.) he was working on something else with a neat little invention of Sirius and Remus, Flying bullseyes.
Like the keys that Flitwick had created for the gauntlet during his first year, the little wooden red and white circles flow around at high speed and are impossible to catch if one wasn't on a broom, or if one wasn't Harry Potter with a bow in hand. Harry takes a few calming breaths before drawing back and arming his bow, aiming forward he waited patiently trying to clear his mind from his troubles to where it was just him and the six targets. He lets out his breath before letting go of his notched arrow, pinning one of the targets to the soft oak walls. He spins in place before loading another arrow and firing it, pinning the second one to the ceiling before drawing a third arrow and hitting the next one, pinning it to the back wall, and again and again and again, with the last one getting pinned to the now opening down.
"Holy!" The surprised voice of Sirius cries before the door quickly shuts and Harry grimaces.
"Sorry!" Harry calls out, "That was the last one, it's safe to come in!" He says, watching the door crack open and Sirius looks into the room wearily before entering.
"Okay, new rule, if you're down here shooting, have a sign on the door," Sirius says with a small smirk, "For safety reasons, yeah?"
Harry blushes a bit, but nods, "Yeah, sorry about that," Harry says scratching the back of his head, "I was just, ah, blowing off some steam, ya know?" he says and Sirius waves it off.
"No harm, no foul, Harry," Sirius says before walking over to one of the benches on the side of the room and sitting down, "I just came down to see if you were okay after, …everything," He says, hesitating for a moment looking as if he wasn't sure how to phrase it; Because everything was a lot, to be honest.
After the Morrígan had kicked his mum and his sisters from the isles(Atalanta had to be knocked to go back with them because she was fighting to stay with Harry to help protect him,) his summer had only gotten worse. Harry was told he wasn't allowed outside the house without someone with him for "His safety" along with the weekly meetings that Sirius was having with a bunch of people, during those meetings he normally hid in his room due to all the people that he had no interest to be in the middle of. Then what happened a week ago, Sirius had gone to the Ministry to register a portkey for Harry to travel to the States with, to spend a good portion of his summer with his mum and sisters, to go on a hunt, but infuriatingly Sirius was told one couldn't be registered under Harry's name when he had inquired why they gave him the runaround almost all-day that sent him all over the other departments until he got to the Auror headquarters and learned that Harry was being investigated for a crime of some kind and was labeled a flight risk.
They had refused to go into any detail about exactly what crime they thought Harry had committed because it was still an ongoing investigation, but Sirius had already contacted Ted Tonks and the Headmaster to see if they could find out why, but so far it had turned up nothing.
It felt like he was trapped in his cupboard again, this time it was just bigger and a lot nicer and Harry fucking hated it and he couldn't forget the awkwardness, someone else had moved into the townhouse during the school year, Dora, Which led to some odd situations to say the least.
She had moved in with Sirius because he had offered her a room rent-free, stating the house was too big for just him, Remus, and Harry, she had accepted and got a room on the same floor as Harry, this was before finding out about Dora being a legacy of Aphrodite(Her grandma on her dad's side had a night with a son of Aphrodite from America during world war two a week before dating her grandpa Dora had found out). So, now Remus was sleeping on the same floor as them, and someone else was always in the room with them so they would never be alone together, and Harry wasn't the only one who noticed it. He had heard Dora and Sirius fighting about it one night after he had gone to bed.
A week and a half ago.
"You both are acting like I'm going to jump his bones the moment you turn around!" Dora had shouted, Harry was reasonably sure no one had told them about the enhanced senses he gets with the hunt, or else they would have put up a privacy ward.
"Of course, we don't-" Remus tried to say before Sirius cuts him off.
"Well, do you?" Padfoot had asked before he started to yelp and the sound of running echoed through the old house, "It was a joke! I swear! It's a joke, Dora, calm do-OW! Fuck!" Sirius yells.
"Does it look like I'm laughing Dogbrain!?" Dora snaps at Sirius, the raw anger in her voice speaking for itself, "Do you have any idea how this shit affects me? Do you think I wanted to be subject to a divine fucking curse that makes me want to shag a minor!? Do you know how fucked that is!?" the auror yelled at Sirius before Harry could hear something crash against the wall, shattering into a million pieces.
"What is it like then?" Remus asks, sounding inquisitive but not judgemental before there was a long pause, Harry wasn't sure if Dora was talking low enough to where he couldn't hear her or not talking at all, but soon enough he could hear her speak.
"-It's more Insidious than that," Dora says, sounding uncomfortable with talking about it, "It's the little things, how I catch myself thinking about him at the oddest time, wondering what he's doing or what he would think about something, hell, the only reason I didn't get him a Christmas gift is that I was freaking out over what to get him more so than what should have been normal," Dora says, sounding embarrassed and uncomfortable.
"Well, it is a curse from a goddess of love, one of the most fickle and flighty ones in the world if the myths are to be believed, so it shouldn't come as a shock as it sounds like your-" Remus begins to say before Tonks cut him off.
"Remus, if you value your bits, you won't finish that sentence," Dora threatens with, what Harry was sure of, her wand and a glare.
Harry sighs and shuffles in place for a moment before shrugging, "I'm fine," he says like an age-old mantra from his years living with the Dursleys, Sirius, however, looks at him with concern, not believing for a moment.
"Harry," Sirius begins with a sigh, "It's okay not to be fine, to be angry and upset, Hestia knows you have more than enough reason to feel that way," he tells Harry softly and Harry looks away, stubborn light in his eyes, "And after what happened with Daphne-" Sirius starts to say before Harry's head snaps back to him with an angry look on his face.
"I'm fine," Harry says with a growl, letting his temper slip at the man who was trying to help, but Sirius takes it in stride and puts up his hands in mock surrender.
"Okay, okay, calm down killer," He tells Harry just before the boy realized what he did before looking away and mumbling an apology to Sirius, "It's fine Harry, I'd be pissed if I was in your shoes too," He tells Harry before rubbing his brow, "But I've come bearing some good news as well, I've been talking to Molly and Arthur, as well as Hermione's parents and was able to convince them to let their kids come over and stay with us for the rest of the summer starting on your birthday," he says with a small smile causing Harry to look over at him in surprise.
Harry had seen Mister and Misses Weasley come and go with Bill and Charlie from the weekly meetings that were being held at the house. He knew the meetings were about fighting Voldemort and they were trying to protect something from falling into his hands by talking shifts late into the night at the Ministry, but he hadn't tried sneaking closer to hear about it, Harry was far more interested in his training. His encounter with the monster at the graveyard had shown him he wasn't nearly ready to take him on as he thought he was, that he had to get better. He had written to Dumbledore asking the man if he could come to the school to go see his teacher, but he hadn't heard back from him yet, and every time they had a meeting he wouldn't stay long to chat with anyone before leaving.
"That's, …good," Harry says, hesitating for a moment, he missed his friends whom he hadn't seen since leaving the platform at the beginning of summer, but he missed his sisters more whom he hadn't seen in almost a year, he missed the hunt.
"Well don't be too enthusiastic about it, Harry," Sirius says with a small grin, causing Harry to grin a bit, he could always count on Sirius to make him feel better with a joke or a wise-ass comment, "I know it's not the hunt, Harry, but at least you'll have you friends around," he tells his godson, and Harry nods.
"Thanks, Sirius," Harry says with a small smile, because he was trying, and that was more than most adults he had lived with had done for Harry in a long time.
"Not a problem kid," Sirius says with an easy smile, "Dinner will be done in about an hour, if you want to come up and wash up," he tells Harry.
"I think I'll stay down here for a bit longer," Harry tells him as he pulls the string on his bow a bit, "Still want to work on my shooting so I don't get rusty," he says with a shrug as Sirius looks around the room at the targets pinned to the walls and ceiling.
"Doesn't look like you're all that rusty, kid," Sirius says with a snort of amusement.
"They're not all bullseyes," Harry mumbles out, causing Sirius to look at him with an exasperated look.
"Well forgive me, Robin of the Hood, I'll let you get back to it, and if you let me tell you a bit of advice," He says, causing Harry to look at him with a raised brow, "I don't think you'd look very good in tights," Sirius says with a grin as Harry looks at him confused before he stands up with a barking laugh and walks over to the door, "I'll put a sign on the door for you, try to split that arrow, huh?" he tells his godson before leaving the basement.
Harry Plotter: The boy who lied!
As the end of the semester of the Hogwarts school year came to an end, the prestigious Tri-Wizard Tournament had also ended with the third task on the last day of exams for the young Witch and Wizards of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The last task was designed by the hard-working men and women of the Department of international cooperation to be based on the old folklore of our great country, a hedge maze, with the champions of each of the competing schools(and Harry Potter who was entered in by Albus Dumbledore in an attempt to give Harry Plotter even more fame that he has no right having) ready to take on the challenge.
The Champions plus Mister Plotter were in the maze for just under an hour before, unfortunately, Mister Plotter exited the maze with the Tri-Wizard Cup and a few self-inflicted injuries, capturing the win for a foreign pseudo-paramilitary organization known as The Hunters of Artemis(who are nothing more than a pack of thieves for stealing an artifact of legend from the good people of the British Islands). After making sure he had everyone's attention on himself he loudly started to rant about the return of a long-dead dark lord just to gain more notoriety than he has any right to have for himself. Our fair and ever-forward-thinking Minister, Cornelius Fudge has already condemned the words of the attention-seeking young wizard while calming the public after Albus Dumbledore further exacerbated the problem by announcing and reaffirming the lies spoken by Mister Plotter.
(Don't call me Nympha)Dora Tonks, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.
Dora was quickly realizing just how complicated her life was becoming and it felt like it all started and ended with one Harry James Potter, The boy who lived down the hall.
Dora was currently being watched in her own home to make sure she wasn't ever alone in the same room with Harry Potter, why wasn't she allowed to be alone in the same room alone with said boy?
Oh, it just so happens that a goddess of love and sexual pleasure had taken an interest in Harry Potter and cursed him, now why would that matter to Dora?
Because it turns out that Dora was related to the said goddess through her dad's side of the family so she was affected by the curse on Harry Potter even more so than anyone else, because apparently, her Great-Great-Grandma liked to play favorites, Lucky her!
On top of that, she was currently on paid leave due to an inquiry against her at work, how did that happen one may ask? Because she lived with Harry bloody Potter!
Why would that cause an inquiry? Because Harry Potter had to have a Dark Lord after his stupid (sexy) arse and tried to warn everyone that said Dark Lord had returned and the Ministry had decided to turn his life and everyone around him lives inside out because of it, and sadly Dora was caught in the blast zone.
Was she blaming him for everything bad that was happening in her life? Absolutely!
Was it even remotely fair to Blame him For any of it? No, no it was not.
Was that going to stop her? Absolutely not.
Dora sighs as she walks down the second-floor hallway heading to the shower room on the floor, but it doesn't do anything for the building resentment and frustration she feels in her chest. She was starting to feel stir-crazy being stuck in the house for the last two weeks, she was hoping the inquiry at work would be over soon so she could get back to work and out of the house and away from Harry Bloody Potter because Fudge and his pencil punching cronies could comb through her whole life as much as they wanted, Dora hasn't once been given a fine, let alone been charged for any crime, and nothing from before coming of age could be held against her. They would be left with no choice but to reinstate her by the end of next week, and from what Kingsly had told her in the last order meeting Madam Bones was fed up with the stall tactics and was pushing the office of internal Department affairs to hurry along; With so few Aurors nowadays, everyone counted more than ever.
Dora adjusted the towel over her shoulder, she was hoping for a long bath and a strong glass of fire whiskey to end the day, luckily she now had a backstock of the drink thanks to Sirius discovering his own curse, all fire whiskey now tasted like saltwater to him thanks to Artemis, which had gotten a laugh out of Her and Remus when her cousin was nearly weeping when he had found out the hard way.
She was lost in her thoughts and resentments she almost didn't notice when the door to the shower room swung up and almost hit her in the face, reflexes alone saved her from a bloody nose as she dodge backward with a cry, "Oi, bloody watch it will ya!?" she yells at the person opening the door, and of course, it was Harry Fucking Potter, wearing nothing but gold and red pajama bottoms and a towel over his head and drying his hair.
"Oh, Dora, ah, Sorry didn't hear you coming for some reason," Harry says as he pulls the towel away from his head with a confused look plastered across his face.
The blush comes on too fast for her to hide properly as Harry stood in the doorway, his wet hair plastered to his face, even with the weight of the water it still looked messy and untameable(how she wanted to run her hand through it as she-), water trailed down his body, over his chest and stomach, she could no longer see his ribs and finally looked as if he had gained a healthy weight to him that fit him rather nicely(How she wanted to lick up the-), his glasses were nowhere to be seen as his emerald eyes sparkled in the dim light of the hallway(Oh how she wanted those eyes filled with pleasure as he was in-). Dora quickly looks away, she could already feel her eyes shifty from the blue she had to a vivid pink that came whenever she was around Harry.
"Whatever, you're in the way," Dora says hotly and flinches at the tone she used as Harry takes a quick step back from her, her lips pushed together into a thin line as she tries to look anywhere that wasn't Harry, and had to stop her eyes from drifting back to him.
"Sorry," She hears Harry mumble before she squeezes her eyes shut, hating herself for hurting him like that but hating him just as much for doing this to her.
She lets out a deep sigh before speaking, "It's, it's fine Harry, I'm sorry I snapped at you," she says before running her hand down her face, keeping her eyes closed.
Harry doesn't speak for a moment, she can hear the tight controlled breathing coming from him, caused by her(and gods did that hurt, she should be causing him panic attacks, she should be causing him orgas-), "Are you done with the shower, Harry?" Dora asks softly, not trusting herself to Not to ask him to join her for another.
"Y-Yeah," He says before Dora opens her eyes for Harry could see the vivid pink of them before he starts to move out of the way, Dora, wanting to get this awkwardness over with quickly tries to move past him forgetting that she has the demigod ability to trip over fucking air, and they crash into each other before Harry slips on a smooth tile and a puddle of water and falls backwards with Dora on top of him.
"Fuck," Dora says, pushing herself up before freezing in shock, Harry was under her and she was straddling his waist, a wet and very sexy-looking Harry was under her looking back up at her with a surprised look on his stupid adorable face and she swallows thickly as her arms begin to shake, almost giving out as her eyes trace over his face and stopping on his lips.
"Dora?" Harry says a bit weakly, looking back at her with an uncomfortable expression on his face.
Dora tries to say something, her jaw opening and closing as his face seems to grow closer, she sighs out cursing the boy who she had trapped under her.
The Rebirth of an Ancient House!
Not even a week into July and already two historic events had happened, first, the vote of no confidence of Albus Dumbledore that saw him removed as both Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and the representative of the united kingdom in the International Confederation of Wizards and now the re-emergence of one of the Most Ancient and Most Noble houses Once thought lost, the House of Peverell!
While the House of Peverell has a long and storied history dating back to the time before the landing of the Roman Empire on British soil, it was thought lost due to the death of the last living descendent In 1504 in Modred Mac an Morrí(the rumored creator of the killing curse) but when a Goblins of Gringotts representative announced that someone had claimed and proven blood ties to the House of Peverell, it through the Wizengamot into a tizzy trying to find out who it was right until she walked into the beginning of the monthly meeting, one Taila Peverell.
She simply walked into the meeting, much to the confusion of everyone, walked up the stairs, and took her seat next to Lord Sirius Black(much to the lord's shock), when asked to introduce herself Lady Peverell happily did so.
"Greetings, Lords, and Ladies of the Wizengamot, my name is Taili Corónach Peverell, the last full-blood descendent of the House Peverell and it is a pleasure to stand in the place that my family helped created so long ago, I am sure many of you have questions about where my family has been for so long, and while sadly I can not speak for my forefathers of yesteryear, I can, however, speak for the recent generations of my family, we saw what was happening in the world with the rise of the two powerful dark wizards and we feared we would be targeted for our own dark past to either join them or be destroyed by them as they plundered the family achieves, and sadly stayed hidden while the rest of the world and our home country suffered. But as I ascended as the head of my family, I made an oath to myself and to the very isles we call home, that I would refuse to let my family's dark past hang over our name any longer, so I have come back to the seat of power of the Isles in the hope to create a better future for us all," -Lady Taili Peverell
Lady Peverell was welcomed to the Hall of Wizengamot with thunderous applause and bated breath to see what the young woman will do to restore the former glory of House Peverell, currently, the family seat has been paid for the next one hundred years in the bulk sum of 1.2 million Galleons by Lady Peverell and she has been seen being approached by the likes of Lord Lucius Malfoy, Lord Mangraus Carrow, and Heir Theodore Nott who had met her outside of the hall after her introductions, only time will tell what the young Mistress of the House Peverell will accomplish.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter was currently laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling in the Middle of the sand pit in the basement, he could hear the shifting of footsteps and voices mumbling just beyond it. His thoughts bounced around in his head, jumping from one thing to another as the frown never left his face. It was three days till his birthday and three days to kill before Ron and Hermione show up for the rest of the summer. He had finished his summer homework a week ago to distract himself from what happened with Daphne, but that only lasted so long. Harry rolls over to his side and looks at Gaé Bolg planted in one of the bullseyes and sighs, he missed his teacher, he wasn't even able to say goodbye to her before leaving Hogwarts, too much shite happening too fast for him to stop to go see her, and Dumbledore had still yet to write him back about going to Hogwarts for an hour or so.
Harry rolls back over to look at the ceiling again, listening to the shuffling steps stop before one walks from the Kitchen just above him. Remus, Sirius, and Dora were setting up the dining room and kitchen for another meeting tonight, the last one before the Weasleys and Ron arrive. Harry sighs just as he hears Dora call out, "Who is it?!" toward the front of the house, causing Harry to blush at the sound of Tonks' voice, remembering what had happened on the second-floor shower room floor as Remus had called out to Sirius from above.
Harry felt cheated, this summer wasn't supposed to be like this, he wasn't supposed to feel couped up and trapped, he should finally be free, hunting with his mum and sisters. He wasn't supposed to feel heartbroken, he should be feeling happy with Daphne, he shouldn't feel like he was trapped at the Dursleys, he should be wild and free, but all he felt like was trapped in the cupboard once more.
The sound of footsteps echoes down the stairs and into the training room, drawing Harry out of his funk as the door opens and Remus pokes his head in, a grim look upon his scared face, "Harry," the man says, causing Harry to put his head up.
"Is the meeting starting already?" Harry asks, his tone was the sound of defeat to Remus' ears, causing him to sigh as his lips press into a thin line before speaking.
"No, that's not for another hour or so," Lupin says, the grim look never leaving his face, "Lady Peverell is here to see you," he tells Harry and watches as the boy's face twists into an angry scowl.
"I'm just a kid, and my life is a nightmare,
I'm just a kid, and I know that it's not fair,
But nobody cares 'cause I'm alone in the world is having more fun than me,
Tonight!"
Chapter Done!
*Turns around to see some one thousand people brandishing pitchforks and torches*
Okay, okay, let's put those down, okay? No need to burn me at the stake over this, I can explain!
Is the 5th year starting shitty? Yes. But I swear this is all gonna get better after the seventh chapter when we get into the school year. I swear, we are starting at rock bottom so there's nowhere left to go but up.
A lot of stuff happens in this chapter, first and foremost Harry isn't going to America because the Ministry is being, surprise surprise, dicks to Harry. And the crime they are investigating isn't something trumped up, and if you remember the events at the end of the last book, you'll be able to figure out what it is.
Sweeping changes at Hogwarts, now I wonder who is behind all that?
It's Scáthach, not hard to guess who it is really, she's basically using Dumbledore as a figurehead and a glorified secretary to the school, because I assure you once she had learned the state of the school and classes being taught she was outraged that her school had fallen so far and decided to fix it, Dumbledore not being a fool is going along with what Scáthach wants to do with the school.
Tonks being angry at Harry, this isn't too far of a leap. She knows she's not being fair to Harry because it's not his fault, but she really can't do anything to anyone else about it, what happened on the shower room floor, I hear you all asking, well that's simple, they [Spoiler].
Oh no, I censored myself!
What happened with Daphne? Well, we will be finding out as the first seven chapters unfold before us and when we see her again, well, I hope y'all will go easy on her.
Who is Taila Peverell?
This isn't too hard to guess, you guys can put together the collective brain cells of y'all and figure it out before the second chapter drops.
And yes, the Fidelius Charm is still being used to hide Grimmauld Place.
Kingsaxcul, Out!