Harry Potter and the Destiny of Prophecies - 4. Chapter 4

By the time Harry had given Richard a brief overview of the first sixteen years of his personal life - mostly focused on the history of Voldemort’s rise to power, the Potter family opposition to him, and the bare details of his encounters with the wizard, the muggle’s eyes had glazed over and it was dinner time. Draco returned, and Harry excused them to get changed, advising Richard that his things should be in his room by now. Without thinking, Harry followed Draco into their room to prepare for dinner, sharing a quick and quiet update with his blond lover about the rest of the afternoon. In turn, Draco told him about the irate comments of a Professor Snape who had thought he’d have to teach a first year class and who only got more upset when Draco showed up in time to take the class. They changed into their regular school uniform and robes before returning to the common room, having used the door on their room for the first time ever.

“You share the same room?” Richard asked from where he stood in the common room. He’d changed into a rather nice gray suit that looked much fresher than the darker suit that he had been wearing. He had a look of shock on his face.

“We’re engaged to be married, so of course we share a room.” Draco said, surprised by the question.

“But…” Richard stuttered.

“It’s more common in the wizarding world for two men or two women to get married, and it is legal.” Harry informed the muggle, as he was much more familiar with their prejudices. Suddenly McGonagall putting the man in their rooms made a little more sense. She was most definitely not happy having a ‘Muggle High Inquisitor’ on her grounds.

“Sorry, it’s just that I’m surprised.” Richard said, his face blushing a wonderful shade of scarlet. “My boyfriend is going to be so jealous when I tell him.”

“Naturally.” Draco said, covering up for Harry who was stunned. A gay muggle in the government? My how Uncle Vernon would have a fit. Oh well, it’s not like he’d be talking to his Uncle anytime soon.

“Let’s go for some dinner.” Harry said. “The great hall should be almost full by now.” The three made their way to the hall, getting many looks from passing students. When they arrived, a look from McGonagall stopped them in the entryway. She stood, and the room descended into silence, with stares split between the Headmistress and the muggle being escorte d by Harry and Draco.

“Everyone.” McGonagall said into the silent hall. “We will be having a guest with us for the next month. The Muggle Government has sent a representative to study how we educate our young as compared to their own institutions. Mr. Richard Miles will be visiting many of your classes and speaking with many of you. I expect and require each and every one of you to treat him with the utmost respect and courtesy. Mr. Potter will be escorting him while he is here. Please show him the courtesy and hospitality of Hogwarts. Thank you, and let the feast begin!”

Harry figured she was showing off for the muggle, because he jumped when the empty tables were suddenly filled with food. Draco clapped Harry on the shoulder before heading to his own table. Harry escorted a bemused Richard, who had noticed the ceiling and was staring in awe at it, to the Gryffindor table where a place was made for them between Ron and Hermione.

“Richard, the young lady on your left is my best friend Hermione Granger.” Harry said, forcing the muggle to look down from the ceiling and shake hands with Hermione who was looking at him with her usual inquisitiveness. Richard’s eyes widened as he recognized that she was pregnant under her robes. “To my right here is my other best friend, Ronald Weasley.”

“Pleased to meet you both.” Richard said a little faintly. Ron was busy tearing into a chicken leg and barely grunted his greeting. Following Harry’s example, the muggle soon had his plate full of food. Harry introduced Padma, Lavendar, Seamus, Colin, Darren, and the other Gryffindors who were sitting close to them. Richard was surprised at those who readily announced they were muggle-born and started pelting questions to him about what he did for the Education Ministry. He seemed very surprised to find wizards and witches who understood anything about the non-magical world.

“I must say I never expected to find so many people who understood the non-magical world.” Richard admitted aloud (he’d already been warned by Harry to never, ever, say ‘real world’).

“Just don’t be asking me any questions about it Ron admitted after swallowing a mouthful of taters. “I can barely use the fellytone.”

“Telephone.” Harry laughed, remembering the one phone call to his muggle relatives’ house in Surrey.

“Whatever.” Ron said, his attention once more returning to the table as dessert appeared. Richard selected a banana custard.

“My parents are dentists.” Hermione said with a grin. “They were quite shocked when I got my letter from Hogwarts.”

“I can imagine.” Richard said, slightly patronizing, looking at her stomach again.

“After dinner, we’ll visit one of the DA training sessions.” Harry said quickly, seeing a dangerous gleam in Hermione’s eyes.

“DA?” Richard asked.

“Defense Arts.” Harry expounded. “We started it two years ago as ‘Dumbledore’s Army when we had a particularly atrocious DADA teacher. Now it’s an extra-curricular activity to help students practice their defense against dark wizards.”

“Oh.” Richard said.

“Yes, it should give you an idea of what wizard combative spells are like” Harry said with a smirk. “I imagine that it would be a bit easier to understand than watching a Transfiguration class where students turn feathers into mice.”

“You can do that?” Richard asked, astonished.

“Easy.” Hermione said, her eyes twinkling dangerously. “It’s a little harder to turn a man into a frog, but any decent seventh year student can do that. Have I mentioned that I’m tops in most of my classes and that I love Transfigurations?”

“Uh, no.” Richard said, grasping the meaning of her statement quite clearly. Harry decided at that moment that dinner was over and it was time to introduce Richard to the grand staircases.

Apparently Hogwarts didn’t like having a muggle there either, because every single staircase moved, causing Harry to take a very circuitous route to the room of requirement. The usually short journey actually took them closer to an hour and Richard was looking positively green when they finally arrived. He really didn’t seem to like staircases that shifted on him.

Harry just smiled and enjoyed the ride.

Professor Lupin was leading this session as they walked in, and the forty students attending that night stopped to stare. Lupin’s shout to continue got them going again. Harry introduced the two men and then let his eyes wander around the room, taking in how the various students were doing. That was why he noticed the two students stop dueling each other and turn towards the visitor. Harry’s wand was out right as they cast their curses.

“Protego” Harry cried out, blocking both curses and sending them back against their casters. Both of them cried out as boils covered them. Richard jumped, but Lupin turned and immediately took twenty points from Slytherin for each of the two students, then gave them a week of detention with Filch, and finished by kicking them out of DA for two weeks. Richard just raised an eyebrow at Harry.

“You’re pretty fast with that wand.” Richard said softly.

“When you have a mad, evil, and powerful wizard who’s tried to kill you several times, starting when you were one year old, you learn some things pretty well.” Harry said with a smile as he put his wand back into his robes.

“I would guess so.” Richard agreed. Lupin stomped back over.

“Sorry about that, Harry, Mr. Miles.” Lupin said, still steaming mad.

“No harm done.” Richard said with a smile. “I begin to see why I was put in his care.”

“You won’t find a wizard or witch who can beat Harry in this school right now.” Remus boasted with a proud smile at Harry. “There’s a few Aurors who can still best him, but in a year or two even they will have a tough time of it.”

“Enough, Remus.” Harry said in a whisper, fighting the blush he felt creeping up on him.

“Now, Harry, is that any way to talk to family?” Remus said with a wide grin.

“Family?” Richard asked.

“Closest thing to it, really.” Harry said.

“I was best friends with his parents and his godfather.” Remus said sadly.

“Oh.” Richard replied, remembering that Harry said all of them were dead now. He looked at Harry again, and Harry could sense the man was reappraising him yet again.

“If you don’t mind, I need to head back to the room.” Harry said to the muggle. “I have some essays to finish grading before class tomorrow, and another to finish writing for my Care for Magical Creatures class.”

“No problem.” Richard said with a nod of his head. “I really should get unpacked as well.”

With a farewell to Remus Lupin, they left to head back to the ground floor apartment. Naturally it took them almost forty-five minutes to get there since Hogwarts still wasn’t cooperating. Harry just hoped they’d be nicer in the morning when he had to get to his classrooms.

Draco was in the room already, muttering over essays from his first year potions classes. It was quickly becoming Harry’s favorite past time to listen to Draco’s muttered comments. They made great caustic statements on some of the poorer essays in his own classes. The muggle disappeared into his room and started unpacking. Draco handed Harry a lengthy parchment that was filled with a schedule for the muggle. It looked like Harry would be missing about half of his afternoon classes, but none of the classes he actually taught. When Richard came out and asked where the bathroom was, Harry showed him, sighing as he realized they’d have to share. Then he laughed when Richard asked where the plug was for his electric razor.

The poor man went pale when Harry promised to get him a magic self-shaver since there was no electricity in Hogwarts.

Draco just laughed.

Later that night, after Harry and Draco had shut their door and put a very powerful silencing charm on their room, they had a very long, and very extensive conversation about what this would all mean for their plans. It looked like something they didn’t think they’d have to head off for years yet had landed on their doorstep, and if they didn’t act quickly Voldemort wouldn’t have to return to recruit half the wizarding world to his cause.

Oh, the temptation to just kill the damn muggle!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Room of Requirement

Once it had given Dumbledore a glittering row of chamber pots. In Harry’s fifth year it had given him a place to train students in a secret group, casting their defiance against Dolores Umbridge, and now, it gave him and the sixteen Slytherins waiting for him, an undetectable portkey to the library of Black Manor.

As soon as the hook behind his navel had disappeared, Harry’s wand was out. A flick flung the furniture against the far walls. Another flick gently raised the bust of Sirius Black and the tall wooden box it stood on, and rested them against the far wall as well. Where it had stood was a tall, narrow, stone plinth, milky white with rivulets of blood red floating as if on a sea of milk. Moving together, Harry and Draco placed their bare hands on the top of the plinth and they called while the students that had traveled with them formed themselves in a loose circle around them. Soon, ten more people joined them, having used their own special, unregistered portkeys to arrive. Once everyone was there, Harry raised his wand and called up the wards and protections that he and Draco had put in place over the summer, with the help of Severus Snape.

“Everyone is aware of the move by the muggle government on the Ministry of Magic?” Harry asked sternly, everyone nodded at his question.

“What has the reaction been?” Draco asked.

“Bad.” Michael Corners, who now worked in the Ministry reported. “Even those who never considered supporting Voldemort are whispering that he might have been right.”

“We have to counter that.” Harry said after seeing several of the others who worked at the Ministry nod in agreement.

“How?” Millicent Bulstrode asked.

That was when the weight of what he had done fully impacted on Harry Potter’s consciousness. He was their leader now, and it was to him and Draco that they looked to for answers. Fortunately, they had talked long and hard about this.

“First of all, we make sure that these “fact-finders” or whatever they are calling themselves understand one thing.” Harry said flatly. “They must understand that if they try to take over our world, we will make them rue the day they were born. Nott, Bulstrode, you both did excellent with those curses in the DA meeting. Richard’s been keeping so close to me that he almost didn’t let Snape drag him to the staffroom to meet with the professors. I had to tell him that I trusted Snape implicitly to get him to go.”

That got a brief chuckle from everyone there.

“Those of you at the ministry, use the contacts you’ve garnered to get word to the various muggle people. Don’t do it directly. They must understand though, that to make changes without the input of the wizarding world will lead to revolt.”

“Is that it?” Theodore Nott asked carefully.

“No.” Draco said firmly. “Those of us whose parents were, or are, in the ranks of Death Eaters know of their reactions to this. Get the word out through them that if worse comes to be, there will be someone else to follow in making the muggles have a hard enough time taking over that they will give up.”

“But they are thinking that the Dark Lord…” Pansy said in a scared tone.

“Voldemort is all but dead.” Harry snapped, turning to face her directly. “The Sword of Gryffindor leeched much of his power and he needs what he has left to keep him alive. He can’t even cast the cruciatus for more than a minute without going so weak that he keels over. He’s hiding in Russia and is not likely to come out of there anytime within the next year. I’m the one who did that to him, and I’m the one who will finish him off next time we meet. He has nothing to offer anyone!”

“What about the muggle weapons?” Blaise asked in a quiet voice.

“You were all at the platform that day.” Harry reminded them. “You remember the shield that Voldemort had? It deflected the bullets.”

Everyone nodded, most had seen it directly, and the rest had heard of it from their fellows.

“I figured out how to duplicate it.” Harry said simply. “Quite simple, really. The trick was to make it so that it only deflected physical objects moving at high speed. Draco and I will begin to teach it to everyone as time avails itself. Muggle bullets will not endanger us in the days to come.”

“Shouldn’t we…eliminate…some of these muggle government people? You know, intimidate them?” Michael asked, and Harry sighed, placing his hand once more on the Oath Stone. As he whispered a word over it, it began to glow softly.

“Hear me and obey.” Harry said, invoking the Power of Command for the first time among his bound followers. “No one shall, through action or inaction, harm or allow to come to harm, any of the muggle representatives during their stay at the Ministry or Hogwarts, or anywhere in the magical or non-magical worlds during the month that they are among us.”

“We obey.” Came the response, in unison.

“You’ve never used that before…” Pansy whispered in shock as the spell ended.

“This is too important to leave to chance or to risk passions overriding good sense.” Harry told them sternly, in no way, shape, or form apologizing. They had known that they were giving this power to him when they swore the Oath. “If any of the muggles die, it will make our job much harder. I do not want bloodshed, and if we can do this without shedding blood, we will.”

“If we can’t?” Crabbe asked softly, his eyes glistening in the pale light given off by the stone plinth.

“Then blood will be shed.” Harry replied simply, his voice soft as silk.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Room of Requirement was empty, except for Draco and Harry. They stood close together, looking at nothing for a long time after the last Slytherin had left. Harry ended the moment with a soft sigh.

“I had best go see if Richard is done with the staff yet.”

“Yes, and I had better finish revising my Arithmancy homework.” Draco sighed. They left together, moving in silence, each lost in his own thoughts, until Harry separated to head towards the staffroom.

He’d been in the long and well-appointed room a handful of times over the last year. As he entered, he was surprised to see no one there but Severus and Richard. Richard was writing some notes on paper with a ballpoint pen while Severus glared at him. When the greasy-haired Professor noticed Harry arrive he exploded out of his chair.

“It’s about time you returned!” Severus nearly yelled. “I sent that bloody third year looking for you forty minutes ago!”

“Draco and I had business.” Harry explained, and Severus nodded. “Richard, you ready to head back?”

“Sure, just let me finish this sentence.” The muggle replied. “I’m not used to writing this much. I just wish the computer worked here.”

“Can you bloody well believe he suggested we have these compooters installed?” Snape growled. “Like we’d want infernal muggle machines in a school of magic! What use would they be?”

“The Internet has a wide variety of information available and is fast becoming a wonderful educational tool!” Richard said, in a way that told Harry he’d repeated it several times that night.

“But what will it have on magic that we can’t already find in our books?” Severus said, also as if repeating an argument already aired once.

“Retrieving information from books is slow.” Richard explained. “Imagine sitting in front of a computer and instantly pulling up the information you need!”

The mental image that statement brought to Harry’s mind made him snort, then try to keep from laughing. Severus Snape in his black robes, bent over a pristine white keyboard, pecking at a keyboard as he looked up the recipe for a potion was hilarious. It was also totally unrealistic.

“Magic and electricity don’t mix too well.” Harry said as Richard stood up. “As you found out when you turned on your laptop while Draco was casting a basic firestarting spell on the fireplace.”

“I still don’t know how I’m going to explain that.” Richard admitted with a small laugh as Harry led him out of the staff room. “I can see the look on my superior’s face right now. He doesn’t even know about magic, just knows that I’m working on some special project for the Cabinet. He’ll read ‘the magnetic field generated by the operation of a muggle device in direct proximity to a fire-starting spell had the effect of attracting the spell off course and incinerating said device.’ He reads that and I’m off to the looney bin!”

“Just tell him the dragon had gas.” Harry told him, causing the man to laugh again.

“Like he’d treat me any different for that statement!” Harry alternated in his feelings for this guy. He was friendly at times, and Harry almost liked him, but the purpose he was here for was something Harry could not let happen. Fortunately, the man looked to Harry as a confidante within Hogwarts, although he didn’t like Draco at all.

“So, Richard, how’d it go with the Professors?” Harry asked.

“Well, you heard a bit of it from the at Snape character.” Richard replied glumly.

“Come now, I’m sure at least Professor was interested.” Harry said with a small chuckle.

“Not really.” Richard said glumly. “I swear I’ve never met a more hidebound set of teachers in my life! They didn’t even like the idea of testing to make sure students have adequate reading, writing, mathematical, and historical knowledge!”

“Well, let’s see.” Harry said as they approached the apartment. He continued as they entered, thankful that Draco must have taken his homework to the Slytherin common room. “We prove our reading and writing abilities when we take the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams in the fifth and seventh years respectively. History of Magic is a required course and we are all required to take the tests in that field, and a really poor grade can hurt students who apply for certain jobs. Everyone has to understand basic math, it’s part of potions, charms, and even transfiguration to a point. There’s really no need to test it separately except for Arithmancy and that’s really a divination tool.”

“You don’t get it either!” Richard nearly wailed. “History of Magic is all well and good, but what about real history? Math isn’t just something that you can scoff at and claim it’s covered in other courses, you have to learn it well to understand the principles and you don’t have anything like calculus or statistics here! Why none of the students would ever be accepted into a University if they chose to apply!”

“Why would they choose to apply to a Muggle university?” Harry asked calmly. “Why should we care about Muggle History except abstractly? I mean, we do have Muggle Studies if students want it, and I suppose having another elective like Muggle History wouldn’t hurt, but what does that have to do with living in the world of magic?”

“Don’t you see it yet?” Richard asked softly. “The magical world can’t stay forever hidden and unconnected from the real world!”

“Why not?” Harry asked calmly.

“Because the government can’t allow you to traipse around, constantly fiddling with our citizens and not answering to the real governme nt!” Richard fumed, then looked a little shocked that he’d spoken so bluntly.

“Richard, you’re part of a new government, fresh to power and just finding out about our magical world.” Harry said calmly. “Don’t you think you might be overreacting a bit?”

“What do you mean?” Richard asked, obviously surprised at Harry’s calmness.

“We are a persecuted population throughout history.” Harry continued calmly. “Most of the time when muggles find out we exist, they react with fear, and fear leads to violence. That’s why we stay hidden, and why memories are obliviated when muggles do find out. The wizards and witches of today’s world are far different than those of the past. No one is going to lie down while they are persecuted and manhandled by muggles. They’ll fight back. When that happens, there will be a lot of death and horror. As you’ve seen, muggle devices don’t really work that well around magic and what devices we might find useful, we are often able to duplicate with magic. When we go into the muggle world, we try to adapt and stay hidden for the most part. As long as the two worlds stay separate, we can live next to each other in peace.”

“But, it doesn’t have to be that way!” Richard responded.

“Yes, it does.” Harry insisted, still calm. “How will many muggles react if they find out there’s people that can really do magic? Be honest and use your own reactions to answer. Remember what you felt when we were watching the Transfiguration and Flying classes?”

“Jealous.” Richard answered after thinking for a few minutes, his voice tinged with regret.

“Exactly, and what will that jealousy lead to?” Harry continued.

“Anger, fear, violence.” Richard admitted.

“Correct.” Harry said, letting out a deep sigh.

“Tell me, Harry, how does a teenager like you understand stuff like that here?” Richard asked politely. “It’s not like they teach a course in logic and reasoning.”

“They do.” Harry said with a grin. “It’s taught by a very, very boring ghost and is known as History of Magic. Most of us doze off in that class at least once a week. There’s only so many stories of goblin rebellions, giant raids, and weekly witch burnings that one can take.”

“Funny.” Richard said with a chuckle. “Well, I have some more reports to write up, if you’ll excuse me?”

Harry nodded, and Richard returned to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Harry stared at the fire for a while before moving to his own desk and working on an essay assigned by Professor Grubby-Plank since he’d missed her last two classes. Fortunately it was an easy one for him to complete thanks to notes provided by Hermione.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was Richard’s last day at Hogwarts, and Harry was going to give him a very big treat. They’d walked out of the castle and were now standing a few feet from one of the walls, Harry’s Firebolt lying on the ground next to Richard. The muggle was standing there, his hand held out over the broom and yelling “UP!” at it. The broom didn’t even quiver.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Harry said with a gentle smile. “As you can see, it won’t even respond to someone who does not possess magic.”

Harry held his hand out and the broom leaped into his grasp.

“Whereas after many years of flying a wizard or witch doesn’t even need to use the voice command.” Harry continued.

“I’m getting jealous again.” Richard grumbled.

“A natural reaction.” Harry said with a smile as he mounted the broom. He motioned for Richard to climb on behind him. “Now remember, the broom is going to feel you as dead weight, not respond like it would to a magical rider. Hold on tight to me and match any movements I make or we’ll fall off. I’ll start with a lap of the school at low altitude, then if you’re doing well, we’ll go higher.

The first lap of the school was done at about a meter in height. For the first few turns, Richard tensed and wobbled the broom, but by the last quarter of the lap, he’d settled down and was moving with Harry. That’s why Harry took them higher and higher, until they finally soared at the height of Gryffindor tower. By this point, Richard was laughing and shouting out in excitement. That was when Harry noticed Madame Hooch’s class.

They were working on acceleration and deceleration through turns, a slightly more advanced lesson than the last time he’d seen them. It seemed as if one of the students was having some trouble, and Madame Hooch was bending over her own broom to help the student when her broom shuddered in a sudden burst of wind. The student went toppling over, and Madame Hooch followed her.

Harry reacted without thinking about his passenger and took off at maximum acceleration. The class had been pretty high up, and as they started to fall, the young student separated from Madame Hooch. Behind him Richard was screaming something, clasping tightly to Harry, but was keeping perfect balance. As Harry dove and approached the falling pair, he realized with a twist of his gut that he’d only be able to grab one of them. Without even thinking about it, he changed course in his dive and grabbed the young student just before she hit the ground.

The sudden impact of the student unbalanced Richard, which also unbalanced Harry, but he somehow kept them all on the broom as he slowed down and lowered their altitude until Richard could jump off. Harry handed the girl to him and turned the broom around to where Madame Hooch was lying on the ground.

“ON THE GROUND NOW!” Harry ordered the class who were still in the air, most of them crying. They heard his order and descended as he reached the fallen flying Professor and realized that she’d landed on her back. He dismounted and immediately went to her side, lifting her slightly. Of all the luck, she’d landed on a rock.

Her back might be broken. Swearing gently, he placed her in a full body-bind so she couldn’t move and increase her injuries. Another spell levitated her behind him as he took off for the infirmary.

“Class, go to the great hall and wait there for a professor or your prefects.” Harry told the bunch of blubbering eleven year olds in front of him. They nodded and started heading off as Richard and the young girl who had fallen jogged up. Harry recognized her from the classes he taught. “Richard, Ms. Abernathy, follow me.”

The trip to the infirmary was made quickly, and Madame Hooch began to revive just as they reached Madame Pomfrey’s domain. Madame Hooch seemed senseless, and as soon as Harry told Madame Pomfrey what had happened, she went white in the face and told Harry to place her on a bed. He did, also releasing his body bind only to see Pomfrey place one of her own in its place. Meanwhile, Harry turned to the first year Hufflepuff and began to question her about what exactly had happened.

He found it hard to believe that a sudden gust of wind would have so injured the experienced Flying Professor, but stranger things had happened. Headmistress McGonagall appeared at that moment, demanding to know what was going on, so Harry informed her. She strode off immediately, returning a moment later to tell Harry she had sent Professor Sprout to take charge of the students in the great hall. Then she gave Gryffindor 20 points for Harry’s quick thinking.

It was the first time that year he’d earned his House points.

Madame Pomfrey came over a few minutes later and her face told Harry that the news wouldn’t be too good. She looked from Richard to the Headmistress and sighed when the Headmistress shrugged before nodding. Richard’s face made it plain that he wasn’t going to leave.

“Her spine has been broken.” Pomfrey said at last. “It looks like two vertebrae have been smashed and will require careful healing if they are going to work properly. For a witch of her age, this can take three to four months.”

“You can heal a broken spinal cord?” Richard asked in awe.

“Of course.” Pomfrey actually sniffed. “We can cure most ailments with the right potion or the right spell. It’s just that the damage is so severe that it will require really detailed work, work that a specialist at St. Mungo’s is more qualified for than I am.”

“Arrange transferring her there, Poppy.” McGonagall said comfortingly. “We’ll figure something out about her classes.”

Harry took that opportunity to lead Richard out of the infirmary. The muggle immediately set about demanding to know everything about wizarding medicine. Considering how many times he’d been in the infirmary, Harry had quite a store of knowledge. He laughed at Richard’s shocked expression on bone regrowth, and Harry’s detailed explanation of teeth regrowth (he’d had a few knocked out during Quidditch).

It was almost lunch time, and Richard went into his room to finish packing. Then Harry led him to the great hall for his final meal. Harry was constantly looking at Draco who had worn a surly expression on his face for the last month, but was now smiling a little more. That morning an owl had arrived from the Ministry instructing Harry to apparate the muggle to the Ministry building where he’d be taken back to the surface and a car that would be waiting for him.

Richard’s farewells were pretty short, since the entire school (except Filch) was happy to see his back. During the entire carriage ride to Hogsmeade the man kept thanking Harry for all his help and Harry responded politely. It was on the carriage ride back, after having dropped the muggle off at the Ministry, that Harry wondered just what was to come and if maybe killing the man would have been better after all.

During the next two days, Draco seemed positively intent to erase all traces of the muggle who had shared their rooms. His chosen method? Sex, anywhere and everywhere the muggle had been. The sink in the bathroom, the bathtub, both couches, both desks, both armchairs, the table in front of the fireplace, the fireplace ledge, the second bedroom, practically everywhere. Harry spent the entire time walking around with a wistful smile on his face, thoroughly mussed hair, and was constantly rubbing his butt. He didn’t even notice the sniggers of his fellow students as they passed him in the hall. All he knew was that he was wondering when Draco would pounce on him again and was trying to figure out how to duplicate getting this much of a sex drive out of his blond-haired god. It really was exciting.

He’d tried moving to the Gryffindor table that night for dinner, but Crabbe and Goyle had stood at the entrance and dragged him to sit next to Draco (Draco had tried to move him onto his lap, but a stern glance and a cough from the Headmistress made him change his mind.). That night Harry didn’t get to touch his plate, or his food. Draco insisted on cutting his food for him and feeding him each bite, slapping Harry’s hand the one time Harry tried to return the favor.

Harry gave in and enjoyed being pampered.

He was enjoying the pampering so much that he didn’t notice the sniggering of the Slytherins around them, or their whispered comments about how Draco had him wrapped around his little finger. Nor did he really pay attention to anything going on in the hall until he realized that Professor McGonagall was standing, giving some speech and had just said “Oliver Wood.” The hall was cheering loudly, except for the Slytherins around Harry and Draco.

“What was that about Oliver Wood?” Harry mumbled.

“He’s coming to teach while Madame Hooch is laid up.” Draco said in a half-snarl. Harry knew that jealous look.

“Love, I’m hungry.” Harry whined in a little voice. Draco snapped his head around to look at him, saw Harry smiling at him gently and lost the jealous look.

“You’re eating here as long as Wood is at this school.” Draco snarled, causing the entire table to laugh since he was actually loud enough for the entire hall to hear.

“Oh my.” Blaise Zabini said with a startled expression. “Potter, did you date Wood while he was here?”

“No.” Harry said shortly.

“And he’s never going to.” Draco snarled back with such a vicious look that Blaise actually paled a little.

“That’s right.” Harry said, nodding and finally getting a smile from Draco. “I belong to Malfoy.”

“It’s good to know that you have finally learned your place in life, Potter.” Draco said with a genuine smile.

“Yes, leading the way with you at my side.” Harry said with a smirk, jumping as Draco jammed a spoonful of quiche into his mouth.

“Chew, Potter.” Draco snarled. “With your mouth closed for Merlin’s sake! What do you think you are? A Weasley?”

The Slytherin table erupted in laughter as Harry obnoxiously chewed the food with his mouth open and facing Draco, who just sighed.

Yep, another wonderful day at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.