September 1st, 1995
Nine o'clock the next morning found Harry leaning against a brick wall hemming in King's Cross Station's platform nine and three quarters, because he was quite a bit earlier than he'd intended to be and he didn't have anything better to do. Of course, with all of his belongings already moved to the Fourth year dormitories of Gryffindor's North tower, he wasn't forced to pack or carry anything beyond the casual clothing on his back and his school robes for later, so there hadn't been anything slowing him down.
Being as early as he was, Harry had the time to be grateful he'd pestered Hermione with nearly constant letters for the entire duration of the summer. For well over a month now, he'd described his rapid growth over and over again ad-nauseam, and as a result, she'd become adamant that she'd keep her cool. Truthfully, Harry was still a little bit nervous despite all of the letters, but mostly he knew that he was just being silly.
Another letter that Harry had sent about a week earlier was addressed to Neville Longbottom, asking the boy to meet him in a coach because he wanted to become closer friends this upcoming year. The letter explained that he'd grown and changed rapidly over the summer, and he had an interest in having friends who would be supportive to him. The letter finally said that Harry trusts Neville because of his excellent character
Unsurprisingly, Neville reacted positively to Harry's letter, because he was an excellent person with far fewer friends than he deserves. Harry took a moment to feel bad about how he'd ignored Neville in the past… Then, following that moment of self-reflection, he dedicated himself to making it up to the boy from this moment forward.
The one correspondence that hadn't gone so well despite his repeated efforts was the one between Harry and Ron. Over and over again Harry had attempted to explain that he was undergoing an extremely dramatic growth spurt, because he'd hoped to decrease the intensity of Ron's reaction. Too bad for Harry, Ron didn't seem to get the point. He just continued to repeat how Harry let him down by not coming to the burrow this year, and how he was missing out.
Harry was confused by Ron's belief that he was trying to neglect him, because he'd very clearly explained that he was convalescing from a serious problem with his magic and he wouldn't be comfortable to be around until he figured it out.
Above and beyond the fact that Ron's letters were vaguely sullen and sulky, the letters were also brief and for the most part they lacked any meaningful content, as if he couldn't be bothered to write them. He did, however, go on at great length and detail about the mess that happened after the Quidditch World Cup. Apparently his wand had been stolen at some point during the match and then he'd almost been blamed for the dark mark that ended up appearing in the sky.
The Delacour family had been way too shaken up over the thwarted kidnapping attempt earlier in the day to have any desire to stay overnight. Thankfully, what this meant was that Harry entirely missed the Death Eater part of the program, and for once he was completely uninvolved. He could honestly say good riddance to that little bit of drama, especially after the day that they'd already had up until that point. Instead, Harry had spent the night cuddled up with Fleur for the very first time, while watching Patrick Swayze seduce a woman out of her pants.
Woah...
Suffice it to say, Dirty Dancing is one hell of a movie to watch with a woman like Fleur Delacour lounging on top of you. Harry'd almost broken himself Occluding his body's extremely intense reactions, and in the end he hadn't even been entirely successful.
Oh sure, Harry may not have become hard in his pants, but when Fleur suddenly decided out loud that she was going to teach him how to dance like Patrick Swayze was in the movie, he'd blushed a brilliantly bright red color even with the barriers in place. Of course, Fleur immediately noticed his sudden loss of control and from then on she'd thoroughly enjoyed herself at his expense.
Thinking back to that whole entire night, and the close, soft, warm, affectionate barrage of completely relentless teasing that Fleur inflicted upon his body, Harry seriously didn't think she even realized just how much damage she was doing to his self-control. The woman prided herself on being the all knowing and teasing, older girl, and yet she seemed to take his restraint completely for granted.
Either way, the contents of that night were one of Harry's newest Patronus memories...
As Harry just stood there against the wall, vacantly enjoying his summer memories, people finally started to arrive on the platform, and bustle about the train. What this meant was that several people had already noted his presence by the time he returned to the here and now, and the real work was about to begin…
Harry had every intention of taking Fleur's advice literally, by acting as if nothing had changed at all over the summer. It was a plan that he could already see would be a little bit difficult to pull off, because he was already having to ignore several people's rather dramatic reactions to his brand new body type. Even with the platform still relatively empty, Harry was already becoming the subject of a lot of staring, and because he was all alone, it wasn't all that easy to act nonchalant.
Finally, Harry saw a head of bushy brown hair through the crowd, and he immediately called out, "hey Hermione... Mione... Over here!"
At Harry's call, Hermione scanned the crowd and then followed everyone's eyes in her friend's direction. After catching sight of him, she immediately sprinted over to engulf Harry in a vicious Hermione hug the likes of which he'd never received before. "Harry! I missed you, you look fantastic, well we knew that was going to be the case, but really, so tall, so strong looking, no more glasses, no more scar, your hair's so long, your clothing's new, your clothing fits, this is so exciting and your magic is under control now and..."
Hermione finally gasped and bent over, having run out of air a long, long damned time ago.
Harry broke out into happy laughter as he swooped in for another long, warm hug, with his long absent sister. She squeaked out in surprise when he hugged her, but since he knew exactly why she was surprised, he decided not to comment on it. After several seconds of really squeezing the girl, Harry pulled back and beamed a smile at his very best friend. "Breath Mione... I missed you too and yes, I'm quite different. I am however, going to act as nonchalant as possible. If I act as if nothing is different, everyone else will just follow my lead. So, if you can behave as if nothing's changed at all, that would be for the best."
Hermione had been extremely surprised by the very first hug Harry had ever initiated with her by himself, but then she'd quickly realized that this was a fantastic development! She stepped back, studied Harry and decisively declared, "I think you've grown more in maturity than you have in height Harry. You look so confident and self-assured now." She felt like she could wilt in relief. Her best friend looked so healthy now and it did wonders for her peace of mind. "I really am very happy for you Harry. Also, and I'm just being honest here by saying this... You've become completely gorgeous!"
Harry smiled as he watched Hermione do a little tap dance in her excitement. "Summer was kind to you as well, Mione. If I hadn't spent the summer with French Veela, your feminine wiles would be making me blush by now." Harry gave his best friend a full power perverted leer complete with waggling eyebrows.
"I take back my maturity comment," Hermione declared, equally quickly and decisively. She was beaming at him the entire time she said that however, and Harry smiled back. "Let's go get a carriage, Harry. I imagine Ron will be very late again so we might as well look to ourselves."
Nodding his understanding, Harry tried to be optimistic. Yeah. Maybe Ron would keep his cool... maybe. Harry secretly thought there were only two chances of that happening... fat and slim. On the other hand it really wasn't fair for Harry to just write his friend off and there was always the possibility...
Ugh...
Harry had already told Hermione about his concerns, but she remained cautiously optimistic. In the meantime, he knew exactly what to say to keep them both occupied. "Hey Mione... Will you help me get settled into Runes and Arithmancy this year?"
Hermione looked completely ecstatic at that question. "It's funny you should ask that, Harry. I've already set up a revision schedule for you so that you can be caught up with the rest of us within the first week! I don't know how much smarter this new Harry brain is, but I imagine that you'll be fine. I can't even believe what you were able to achieve before with your Swiss cheese brain," she huffed out. "Harry Potter 2.0," Hermione continued in a quiet voice. "It's remarkable and wonderful and I'm so proud and..." Hermione's smile faltered for a second and she leaned in close. "I'm excited and yet scared that I'll be supplanted as top student."
Placing an arm on his friend's shoulder as they walked, Harry whispered into Hermione's hair. "So far as I know, I'm very smart but not eidetic to the written word like you are. You're also infinitely more studious than I am so I think you'll be fine against me scholastically. Fair warning though... On the practical side of things you don't stand a snowball's chance in Hell. My magic is a force of nature now, so I don't want you to see me as a rival."
Gently, Harry turned Hermione around, held both of her shoulders, lowered his voice even further and stared into her eyes. "I'm being completely serious right now, Mione... I can accomplish extreme feats of absurdly powerful magic that even I can hardly believe and I'm the one doing them. I want you to be mentally prepared for that to happen because it would break my heart if I hurt you..."
After looking up at his face thoughtfully for several moments, Hermione slowly nodded her head. "I'm glad you told me that, Harry, and I promise that I'll control my jealousy. I know your concerns about Ron, and I don't want to add to your problems. I do want to excel but I will not resent you for being powerful."
"That's why you're my big sister Mione. You always have my best interests at heart." Harry beamed at the brown haired girl, as they walked down the train's central corridor.
When they found an empty carriage, Harry lifted Hermione's bag with ease, which of course elicited embellished ooooohs and aahhhhs from a smiling Hermione. She was doing a great job taking everything in stride, and Harry loved her to pieces for it. When they finally sat down, Hermione started describing her summer. She'd vacationed in the muggle portion of France for a lot of the summer, so Harry started talking to her in French. At first Hermione was shocked, but then she became excited that she could practice her French all of the time. Soon enough, they were conversing in steadily speeding up Parisian French and having a fantastic time. Neville soon joined them and they immediately switched back to English for his comfort. At first Neville was bashful and quiet, but Harry was having none of it, and kept drawing the boy into further conversation.
"Harry, I'm grateful that you gave me some advanced warning about your rather dramatic puberty," Neville began at great length. "It's going to be yet another thing that goes into the legend of Harry Potter for sure. I think I'd have passed out if this was just sprung on me." Neville laughed quietly and shook his head.
Clapping a hand on Neville's shoulder, Harry gave the boy a somewhat serious look. "I warned you because I trust you. It's as simple as that. I fear that I'll have a lot of people reacting negatively to my growth spurt, but I knew for a fact that you wouldn't. I'm also trying to be more confident nowadays. Last year, I'd have been far too nervous to approach you so candidly with a desire for a closer friendship."
Neville blushed but nodded. "I can certainly appreciate all of that Harry."
"So... Pick up any interesting plants over the summer?" Harry's question was a completely shameless and transparent bid to make Neville more comfortable, but he figured it was the thought that counts. The boy had a passion for Herbology that bordered on obsession, so the topic was perfect to draw him out.
It worked.
Neville immediately brightened as he started describing his greenhouses at home in great length and detail. Harry had only heard of even a fraction of what Neville was talking about, but was quite willing to listen and learn what he could.
Suddenly, the coach door crashed open to admit a freckle faced redhead with a wild assortment of half open luggage.
Then, immediately after the boy walked through the door, he froze still like a statue.
"Harry?" Ron asked the question with a look of supreme confusion upon his face.
"Yes Ron, It's me, Harry." he responded, while smiling and hoping to set a positive tone.
"Yooouuu git!" Ron roared at the ceiling in a spontaneous fit of profound rage. "You never told me you were going to look like a bloody Daily Prophet model!" As Ron crashed down into a bench, he looked extremely sullen and he muttered "every damned time, he gets everything..."
Harry gave his red headed... friend... a sidelong look, with a smile completely frozen upon his face. "How was your summer with your family, Ron?" Harry was unable to keep himself from slightly embellishing the word family.
Ron was too busy staring out the window to answer him.
By gesturing towards Ron, Harry non-verbally informed both Hermione and Neville that they owed him some galleons. They'd both tried to tell him that it would be fine, because Ron was his friend and surely the boy wouldn't resent him to such an absurd degree over the good things that happen to him. It was becoming rapidly apparent however that yes, yes he most certainly could.
Ugh...
Harry calmly turned back towards Neville while trying to just ignore the redhead sulking in the corner. "So you were telling me about magical pest control right?"
Conversation continued around the train compartment without Ron's involvement.
Later, Harry belatedly remembered yet another train ride to Hogwarts tradition, and he turned his attention to the carriage door. "Does anyone care if I magically bar the door? I don't relish the idea of yet another visit from a certain poncy, blond Slytherin this year. As nostalgic as it would be to be called filthy words by the textbook definition of a narcissist, I might skip that this year if I have the opportunity."
Neville nodded enthusiastically and Hermione looked thoughtful. "Only if you'll teach me the spell you use," she finally declared with enthusiasm. Ron didn't answer or look away from the window at all...
Harry turned to Hermione and grinned. "I'm not going to use a locking charm because that's against the rules and the spell's easily dispelled anyway. Instead, I'm going to fuse the door to the wall surrounding it which is not against the rules. Harry gave both Mione and Neville a rather rakish smile."
Neville did an extremely muggle fist pump, because Malfoy was a persistent nuisance that he was quite happy to be without.
Harry spent the next few minutes showing Hermione the wand movements and the words and then the two of them sealed the door.
It was also a great moment in timing, for only a minute or two after they finished their spells, there was rather insistent knocking on the door, followed by a persistent pounding. A head of poncy looking blond hair could be seen through the door's small vaguely translucent window.
Harry merely smiled at his friends and then silenced the door with a quick spell.
Hermione and Neville looked at each other, then looked at Harry, then they beamed wide and happy smiles.
"Best train ride ever," Neville declared succinctly.
Crossing the compartment, Hermione sat down next to Harry, and looked at him hesitantly until he performed an expansive lay it on me motion with his arms. Then, she looked away from Harry when she finally whispered her question. "Harry, could you do me a favor?"
Harry was intrigued by all of the whispering, which caused him to arch an eyebrow at his auburn haired friend.
"I was going to read and I was wondering if you could target me with some magic. I'd be interested in experiencing that wonderful aura shroud of yours for a couple of hours." Hermione looked like she thought she might be asking too much of him.
"One magical hug coming right up." Harry smiled because Hermione had a guilt complex a mile wide and low self-esteem to boot. He was already planning to mercilessly and relentlessly aura shrouding it out of her this year.
Bouncing across the carriage again, Hermione pulled her feet up and a book out. Harry released tendrils of his magic and cocooned her in his memories of a Hermione hug. She immediately started to relax, reading with great speed and skill.
With the exception of Ron, it really was the most relaxing train ride that any of them had experienced so far.
Four hours later, the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade station, and Harry unsealed the compartment door so that he and his friends could disembark.
As they walked down the train's crowded central hallway, Ron glared at Harry as if his very existence was a personal affront to him, and then he turned his surly expression towards Hermione instead. "I'm going to go check on Dean and Seamus."
Soon enough, the redheaded boy was stalking off, without ever even looking back.
Hermione gave Harry a look of long suffering as they exited the train and dropped onto the platform.
For obvious reasons, Harry was quite happy to see Ron go. He'd found it somewhat tiring enduring the boy's spiteful looks and sullen silence. "Let's go catch a carriage yah..." Harry was also eager to move on now because a crowd of students were beginning to gather all around them, where they were openly gawking at him with their mouths hanging open. Harry could deny it all he wanted, but having crowds of people stare at you never really gets any easier.
The way everyone was currently gawking at him, almost made them look like they were under the effect of a Veela allure, which only served to make Harry sharply miss Fleur for a couple of seconds, at which point it settled down to a dull ache again.
Shaking it off, Harry pulled his shoulders back and ushered Neville and Hermione to walk directly in front of him. Harry didn't want his new image to make Hermione and Neville look like his entourage. They were his friends and he wanted them respected. Within the next half a minute, Harry, Neville and Hermione exited the train station, and moved up the cobblestone path towards the carriages in the distance.
As they approached the carriages, Harry briefly rubbed one of the two Thestrals that were standing calmly in front of the carriage. In an immediate response, Neville gave Harry a very significant look, to which Harry nodded and shrugged. Seeing Thestrals is seeing death, and Neville was a pure blood, so he'd understand the significance. As they climbed into the carriage, Neville very carefully didn't ask what happened, so Harry decided to take mercy on him.
"The family I stayed with this summer was attacked by mercenary slavers, Nev." Harry suddenly supplied with as calm an expression as he could. "I stunned and Incarceroused most of the attacking men, but there was a particularly determined mercenary who I was ultimately forced to kill. I didn't want to do it nor did I enjoy it, but the man was trying to kill my hosts and enslave their daughters, including a seven year old girl."
Harry shrugged his shoulders and then lowered his voice as he continued. "I hope you won't judge me too harshly Neville. I was trying to protect my friends."
Right away, Neville rapidly shook his head and waved his splayed out hands in front of his chest. "Harry I trust you," he replied, in a single rush of words. "If you killed that man, it was because he needed killing. I've known you for three years, and I've never once seen you commit any violence that didn't absolutely need to be done."
Hermione looked at Neville with clear affection, before placing her hand on Harry's forearm. "I agree with Neville, Harry. I'm also grateful that you have such a well developed Mindscape now. You can put those memories where they need to be. I want you to make them useful to you, rather than a hindrance. Thank you for giving me those books by the way. You were right. All of my memories were categorized and alphabetized for anyone's viewing pleasure. I have erected some sturdy walls and am safer from influence now."
Neville looked back and forth between Hermione and Harry for several seconds with no clear idea of what they were talking about. Then, a light seemed to enter his eyes and he snapped his fingers. "You two are talking about advanced Occlumency."
"Yes I am Neville, and I'm going to be loaning you some books as well. I have fixed my broken brain with Occlumency and I want you to enjoy the same benefits that I am." Harry stared at Neville for several moments, trying to impress on him how important he thought this was. Neville's short term memory was atrocious, so Harry knew this would help him immensely. It would also perhaps give the boy more confidence and daring. Belatedly, Harry reminded himself that he wasn't trying to turn Neville into a warrior.
Neville must have seen the gravity in Harry's expression because he nodded at Harry seriously. "I do already have the passive protections from Leglimency that come with basic Occlusions, but I can see you think it's important I do more... I'll begin reading the books tonight just as soon as we're unpacked."
When their carriage pulled up to the school's Entry Hall, Harry walked in without pausing to chat with anyone. To be honest, at this point Harry just wanted the whole spectacle over with, because he could feel his stomach begging for some food already. With that much in mind, they sat down at their house table and began waiting for the sorting to finally start.
While Harry was carefully reigning in his magic so as not to be felt by the students around him, at the moment it actually felt like it was the opposite that was happening. Harry began to feel many different eyes burning holes into his body from every conceivable direction, and with so much intensity he didn't even need his shroud to sense it all.
Turning towards a particularly strong feeling of scrutiny, Harry saw a lot of long red hair as he caught Ginny Weasley staring fixedly at him. As he looked back at the girl, she rapidly turned pink, then red, then white and then she dropped as if she was having cardiac arrest. Lavender Brown, who was sitting right next to her, grabbed her and quickly confirmed that she'd just fainted.
Harry had literally no idea how to react to what he just saw… Ginny Weasley's crush appeared to be getting worse by the second.
With a loud dramatic creaking noise followed by an equally loud bang, Professor McGonagall pushed open the Great Hall's doors and entered the room with a fresh batch of very small looking people.
Harry had grown so tall now that he was beginning to approach his full adult height (he hoped). As a result, these children just looked like less cute versions of Gabrielle to him. Nevertheless, Harry smiled at all of the first year kids the filed into the room, while trying his level best to look non-threatening. He could vividly remember his first day at Hogwarts and how he'd wished the welcome had been a little bit more... welcoming.
After the Sorting hat's song finally ended, the children were summoned one by one to put on the hat so that they could be welcomed into their houses. Harry clapped for everyone, rather than just his house and some of the people sitting nearby started following his lead.
The sorting ended, food instantly appeared in front of everyone and they all tucked in. Harry started picking out food before he realized that his table was still extremely still and quiet. Looking up again, he saw upwards of fifteen people staring at him with arched eyebrows and questioning eyes.
"I had a growth spurt," Harry explained casually.
"No duh," replied Seamus. "You only doubled in size over the summer and have the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow. We caught that part. What we wanted to know is the five Ws."
"Well then, in order of who, what, when, where, and why, I, Harry Potter... grew... over the summer... while living in France with distant relations of mine... because that's what teenagers do as time passes."
Hermione and Neville choked out laughter through their foods of choice and then smiled at Harry.
"I grew an inch over the summer," Neville pointed out helpfully.
"Half an inch," Hermione chimed in, with a huge smile.
Everyone else at the table just continued to look at the three of them as if they were crazy. It was the twins who ultimately saved Harry from the awkward silence.
"Well, thus ends the seeker career of Harry James Potter," began George.
"We will miss him," added Fred, with a grin.
"He
Was
A
Good man," Fred finished.
As Harry laughed at the twins antics, he was reminded once again that they really are fantastic guys. "I'm not dead guys, I'm just a late bloomer! I'll be jumping on a broom soon to see if I can still move like I want to, or if I have any skill in another area."
After that, the conversation slowly moved on to other things.
Dumbledore stood up and everyone quieted down, waiting for the man to speak. "Welcome and welcome back to all of you students out there. I have just a few announcements to make before you can be escorted back to your dormitories. Mr Filch, our caretaker, has once again increased the size of the banned articles book by several pages. This list has now become two separate books available upon inquiry. I've actually read them both myself and let me tell you that... they... are... riveting. I also have the obligation of telling you all that the Quidditch House Cup will not be taking place this year."
There was an immediate explosion of outrage from the entire school and an extremely loud "whaaaaat" from Fred and George.
"I have further items to mention," Dumbledore interrupted. "The Quidditch House Cup is cancelled because of an event taking place at the school this year. Hogwarts, for the first time in several centuries, will be Hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament."
"Whaaaaat," Fred and George managed to inject loudly, once again, over the general yelling of the other students.
"That's correct," Dumbledore announced, as if he were talking about the weather. "The three schools, Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatton, will be coming together this year, to take part in the Tri-Wizard tournament. The three schools will each submit their students to be chosen by an impartial judge. Then, the chosen champions of each school, will take part in three large trials and several smaller trials, as the year progresses. A thousand Galleons and eternal glory will go to the winner. However... This is not a competition to be taken lightly, as wizards can and indeed have lost their lives in the past to this challenge. That is why the International Games and Sports, Mr Crouch, Mr Ludo Bagman and I, have instated a minimum age restriction of seventeen.
Fred and George once again loudly and vocally complained because as it turns out they're only two months shy of seventeen and they wouldn't make the cut.
Dumbledore was staring right at the twins with a wry grin as he continued his speech. "There will also be several competitions between the three school's regular population. This will include a Dueling tournament, a Scholastic Decathlon and... an inter school Quidditch Cup!"
The entire school exploded in excitement at this new news and Fred and George looked mollified for the very first time since Dumbledore had begun speaking.
Dumbledore was giving the twins a knowing look at this point, as if he'd been stringing them along since the very beginning. "Tryouts for the different teams will take place a week from now. Madam Hooch will be running the tryouts for the Quidditch teams, so that students will be impartially chosen for their skill rather than their houses. Furthermore, there are going to be two new faces amongst our staff this year at Hogwarts. We will be graced with a new potions professor Mr. Slughorn who was a teacher many years ago, is known as having been one of the best and..."
BOOM!
As the wide double doors to the Great Hall slammed open, one of the ugliest men Harry had ever seen, haltingly limped into the room. He was a war veteran and that was the only way to describe him. He was extremely disfigured, with curse wounds and poorly healed injuries everywhere, had a fake leg and was missing an eye. The eye that he'd put into the socket to replace it was massive, electric blue and swiveling around in his head as if it had a mind of its own. It was an extremely unsettling thing to see.
"Mr. Moody here is going to be joining us as our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," Dumbledore continued, completely undaunted. "He's a celebrated ex-Auror of the highest caliber, so he'll have a lot to offer in his classes."
The Great Hall was very quiet as Moody sat down at the head table. Conversations didn't restart again for a good long while, as the man's electric blue eye swiveled around in his head.
When the twins finally turned back towards Harry, it was Fred who began speaking first. "Best get back on that broom of yours and see if you can move like you used to."
George injected his own question immediately after. "You're like twice the weight now, aren't you Harry?"
"I weigh only one third more thank you very much." Harry smiled and crossed his arms in mock affront. "I might just surprise you guys, but we'll all find out together, won't we. I'll meet you at the pitch within the next few days?"
The twins nodded and smiles of excitement were shared around.
Katie, Alicia and Angelina, were staring at Harry with looks of extreme curiosity on their faces. They'd always mothered Harry as the much smaller and weaker boy and now it looked like his transformation was of intense interest to them all.
Harry saw the girls' looks, and yet he could also feel that they weren't just perversely enjoying his new looks. He knew that they'd invested a lot of time and effort in him over the years loand they truly wanted what was best for him.
Angelina was the first one to speak. "Harry... If seeker doesn't work out, you can always try for keeper and make use of those excellent seeker reflexes. We're no longer in possession of an Oliver Wood in the posts after all."
"You could just grab some pom poms and cheer for us if you want," Katie added, while giving Harry a comically embellished leer.
"I appreciate the options, but first I'll get on a broom to see if I can still move like I want to," Harry replied, while smiling at Katie and Angelina.
Ron was currently giving Harry the stink eye from down the table and he wasn't going to any effort to hide it. What this meant was that the twins, Alicia, Angelina and Katie were all looking back and forth between the two of them with curious expressions on their faces. Harry figured it was safe to assume that Ron was angry at the attention he was currently receiving. When Hermione put her hand on his waist and smiled at him, he sent her back a strong hug with his aura, conveying both his appreciation and love for her.
Another welcoming feast tradition was Draco Malfoy walking over, to spout off whatever hateful nonsense he had in mind at the time. As it turns out, today would be no exception.
When Draco waltzed up to the Gryffindor table, he was shaking his head with a look of absolute disgust on his face. "Potter, Potter, Potter... I heard that you spent the summer in France, with a small flock of Veela!... Sub human creatures Potter?! Abominations?!... Have... you... no... shame?!"
At this point, Harry was begrudgingly impressed with Malfoy. Over the summer, he'd made good use of his Mindscape to become as confident and self-assured as he could possibly become. For that reason, he'd actually been wondering what Malfoy could possibly say to piss him off...
Well this had sure as Hell done it, thus, in a completely absurd kind of way, it was ingenious.
Harry was neck deep in a cold and vengeful rage. He thought about Fleur, Appoline and little Gabby, being reduced to "sub human creatures" by the likes of Draco. Then, as he took in Malfoy's gleefully smug expression, coupled with all of the Professors carefully playing dumb up at their table, Harry suddenly decided that enough was enough. Malfoy's behaviour had been out of control for far too long, and if the Professors weren't going to do something about it, then the students would have to do it themselves...
There was a rather dramatic change at Hogwarts this year after all, and judging by his behavior so far, Malfoy had completely overlooked its significance.
Without saying a word, Harry suddenly rose to his feet, gave the Professors' table an exceptionally meaningful look, circled the table, and began approaching Malfoy with purposeful strides.
Draco looked surprised at Harry's rapid approach and then surprised again at his increased size. As Harry walked closer, the boy blanched and stepped back several steps in his alarm. Then, when giggles broke out throughout the Great Hall, Draco's face flushed in embarrassment and he finally stood his ground. Of course, Malfoy would've been told about Harry's growth spurt, but unfortunately for him, his supreme arrogance made him brave.
Well, not anymore...
By the time Harry walked up to within two feet of Draco, hundreds of people were watching, including those same Professors who'd been so happy to act oblivious just twenty seconds earlier. That's when Harry did something that surprised the living Hell out of absolutely everyone.
Harry smiled a wide and happy smile at Malfoy and then greeted the boy as if they were the oldest of friends.
"Draco!... I'm so excited to see you!" Harry's voice was both sarcasm free and filled with easy charm. "I'm really looking forward to this year Draco. You see, you and I are finally going to become very close friends! In the past, your close relationship with Professor Snape has always kept away all of your admirers in the other houses! Well not anymore Draco! With Professor Snape no longer on staff, I can already see dozens of students from the other three house, that'll be looking to get to know you better. Oh, you are going to be VERY POPULAR this year Draco..."
Even as he spoke, Harry saw the moment that Malfoy figured out his real intentions. Very suddenly, Draco realized the true significance of Harry's "friendly" words, and his face became parchment white as a result.
Then, just a moment later, Harry saw that same understanding grow onto every other face within the Great Hall. Every student that Draco had ever taunted, insulted, pranked or attacked, while being protected by Snape, began beaming evil and twisted smiles in the boy's direction. Over the next ten to fifteen seconds, well over two hundred teenagers throughout the entire Great Hall, suddenly started planning overly complicated revenge plots and brainstorming ideas with their seat mates.
With an expansive arm movement, Harry gestured at all of the newly ecstatic looking young wizards and witches. "Look Draco! Look at how popular you are! We, all of us, are going to be calling upon you very, VERY soon Draco. Feel free to look forward to it..."
Harry smiled cheerfully one last time before returning to his table and dropping into his chair. After pulling in his seat, Harry turned back toward his food, with a completely serene expression upon his face.
Even after Harry sat back down at his table, the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables, all stared their openly gleeful hostility at Draco from every single direction, piercing him with their eyes...
And the last of the blood present in Draco's face slowly drained away, as he staggered back towards the safety of his table.
As Draco Malfoy ducked for cover amongst the Slytherin table's ranks, every single Professor sitting up at the Great Hall's head table suddenly felt like they were going to be ill. Harry Potter had just fomented a state of complete anarchy at their school, and the worst part about his actions was that they didn't have any right to complain...
They didn't have a single leg to stand on...
Only a few moments earlier, every single Professor present in the Great Hall allowed Malfoy to run his filthy mouth with impunity, because over the last three years, Snape's over the top protection and Dumbledore's infinite forgiveness policy had made punishing the boy far more trouble than it was worth. It hadn't happened all at once, but more and more often over time, the teaching staff had found themselves turning a blind eye to Draco's persistent bullying.
And now they were going to pay for it…
Every single second of their unprofessionalism, negligence and apathy, was finally turning around to bite them in the ass...
Harry Potter was cutting the Professors out of the disciplining process entirely, because they couldn't be relied on to do their jobs… He was seeking Justice by any means necessary… He was declaring no less than TOTAL WAR on Draco Lucius Malfoy…
And no less than three quarters of the student population had rallied to his cause with the fanaticism of religious extremists.
For the foreseeable future, the teaching staff would have to babysit the Malfoy heir twenty four hours a day, if they wanted to keep him out of the school's Hospital Wing...
What's more, they weren't going to succeed.
With no less than two hundred people determined to get revenge on the boy, Draco Malfoy was going to find his life at Hogwarts extremely difficult from this day forward.
At the tail end of those thoughts, the Professors all started feeling a pair of piercing green eyes digging holes into their heads, causing them to turn towards the Gryffindor table and the boy sitting among their ranks.
And they knew...
Harry Potter wasn't just punishing Draco. He was also punishing them... The intensity of his unblinking stare and the meaningful look on his face made that much as clear as day.
For a very long series of moments, no one sitting down at the Gryffindor table said a single word. What Harry had just done was so wildly out of character, no one even knew how to react. One thing was for certain though.
Draco Malfoy was doomed...
"That," began Fred slowly and in a very serious voice, "was the most charming death threat I have ever seen. I can't even believe how quickly you rallied together the entire school."
"Every house but Slytherin will be pranking and hexing Malfoy by the end of the day," George added, while beaming a madman's smile. "Ohhhh Harry. You became sooo scary over the summer."
Everyone sitting nearby nodded in perfect unison, before breaking out into somewhat manic laughter.
Harry merely smiled and continued to eat his food as if he had no idea what his friends were even talking about.
After dinner, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors were led back to their dormitory, where he began to write out a letter to Fleur. The two of them intended to shamelessly burden Dobby in this regard, which would allow them to talk to each other extremely quickly.
.
Dear Fleur
The plan has worked, at least so far. I kept close to Hermione and Neville the whole day, and they were both just about perfect. We were extremely nonchalant as we went about our business, which caused most people to just shake their heads and roll their eyes.
There is an exception though… A few of the girls at my school look like they're being blasted with Veela allure when they look at me, which of course means I found myself missing you at random moments, throughout the entire day.
On the whole, the day was a success, but that isn't to say there wasn't any drama. The very first thing that boy Ron did is call me a git and scream about the injustice of it all. He hasn't said two words to me ever since. I find myself not all that torn up about it. I plan on focusing on my grades far more this year and he's never been scholastically inclined. That thought makes me feel disloyal but that makes no sense. I truly don't have time to play endless games of chess with him this year. I want to use my talents and excel for the first time, instead of hiding behind the moniker just Harry.
The second thing that happened, took place during dinner. A boy named Draco Malfoy who has always antagonized me, approached my table and began saying some very rude things. I moved close to him and for the very first time in my life I used pure physical intimidation. It was subtle enough, no showboating I promise, but it worked and he was freaked out. I also pointed out that the Professor he's always hid behind to get away with his bullying is no longer on staff. I said that part loudly. By the end of dinner, there was a minimum of two hundred students from three of the four houses who were looking for some payback. Draco will not have an easy time of it this year.
I was officially informed about the Tri-Wizard Tournament just an hour ago. While I did in fact know about the tournament, I was unaware of the other events taking place between the schools. I deemed flying a waste of valuable time this summer and it was. I was in a race just to be able to walk properly with all the growth I was experiencing. Now I wish I'd been just a little more immature and tried to keep up with my flying anyway. Over the next few days, I'll be trying out my flying. I have no idea whether or not I can still move like I could before, but I sincerely hope that I can. If I become part of my school Quidditch team, I will foist a Hogwarts jersey at you when we play your school and I will expect you to wear it!
I hope your first day back was fun, and you didn't miss me too terribly (a little is okay though).
Yours Truly
Harry James Potter
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"Dobby can you assist me getting this letter to Fleur please?" Harry held up the letter because Dobby was both extremely fast and infinitely reliable.
POP
"Yes sir. If she doesn't wish to reply at this time, then I'll be back momentarily." Dobby had clearly been anticipating his need and had been waiting.
POP
Harry spent the next forty minutes reading his Arithmancy textbook while trying to deny that he was waiting for a return letter. He figured that Fleur was in fact returning one, when Dobby didn't return within five minutes.
POP
"The lady had some return writing to do, as she'd only just arrived back to her rooms when I got there." Dobby handed over a much more refined looking letter than the one Harry had written.
.
Dear Harry
People are sheep no? I knew my plan would work, I had no doubts. Your friends Hermione and Neville didn't let you down, so I find I already love them. This Ron boy is no loss to you Harry. You feel disloyal and sad about a boy who disregards your feelings so often? That is a sign of both your great nobility and stupidity. Oh dear. Even I don't think you'll ever hear a straightforward compliment from me. I finally noticed my compliment/insult this time, but I refuse to change it! I desire for my Harry to be as successful as he can possibly be. You humbled me this summer and I will not accept a JUST anything from you. If I don't find your school screaming your praises when I arrive two weeks before Halloween, I will be very upset with you. You are a Delacour in all but name now, and we demand the best out of you!
I do not believe today was the first time you ever physically intimidated someone. When I first broke into the study when we met, you were already rolling out of the way while simultaneously pulling a wand. The look in your eyes was intense, focused, deadly. In my arrogance, I did not think much of it at the time, but for the people who know you that kind of intensity must have been intimidating. Even before the magical explosion and the physical growth that followed you were a warrior. We know this for if it were not true you would be long dead. This Malfoy is too dumb to live. He repeatedly baits the bear and will someday have his head removed. I don't think it should be you who actually does so. If you are patient, he will eventually get himself removed by his own actions. It sounds like you have aided others in removing him, which is a tactic I approve of.
I had a somewhat eventful day returning to school. We do not have so much pomp and circumstance as your Hogwarts does in arriving to school, although we do have a feast. The idea that you had to travel to London to board a train only to go back to school is comical. What about boys/girls who live in Hogsmeade? Do they also have to commute to London? My school has a main entrance and a very large Floo bank. I arrived at school not even ten minutes after eating breakfast with Gabrielle. Gabrielle already misses you terribly and was sulking the last I saw of her. I imagine you would think it's all terribly cute. I perhaps miss you a little already, which is all you desired of me anyway. I did often think of you today as I wished the men at my school had even a fraction of your block headed willpower. I realized how much I was taking your restraint for granted when I had to stun a boy at lunch. I saw that he was about to propose marriage or something equally absurd in front of the entire school, so I acted quickly and subtly. I spent the entire day trying out for the right to take part in the delegation going to Hogwarts. The tryouts will continue for the next few weeks. Only a little under two thirds of my school will be coming, so they all must be the most skilled of their years. I easily destroyed my competition and am expected by my Headmistress to be our champion.