Chapter 7: A Birthday to Remember
AN: This chapter should be the final one before Harry finds out his Animagus form. The poll will be closed when I get around to writing the scene.
Harry awoke as he felt warmness around him. He looked down, expecting to see the blond hair of Fleur Delacour bobbing up and down on him. Instead, he found the brunette head of his traveling companion, Daphne. He groaned in delight, having had dreams where Daphne had done this for him.
Her brown eyes found his green eyes when she paused in her ministrations to check on him. He smiled at her and she smiled back before resuming her self-assigned task. Harry lay back and enjoyed the feelings that he had come to love.
He looked up when he felt several hands on him. This time, the hair associated with the hands was blonde, but it was from three separate women, all of whom Harry had shagged in the past thirty six hours. He was in heaven as the four women continued to give him things that he wanted, and, in their minds, deserved for his fifteenth birthday.
After his release, he pulled the brunette up to him and gave her a kiss. She kissed him back forcefully, and his hands started to roam over her body. His right hand reached down, and she stopped him.
"No, Harry," She said, softly. "I'm not ready for that."
"Ok," Harry said.
When Fleur straddled him, Harry closed his eyes and knew this morning would be one helluva patronus memory.
At lunch time, Harry finally managed to get out of the bed. He looked down to see three napping Veela and one gorgeous brunette on his bed. He almost didn't believe that they had done that. He'd shagged all three of them except for Daphne, but he'd pleasured her and she'd pleasured him. He smiled at their sleeping forms and almost joined them again, but he decided it was better if he went to the tub to relax a bit.
He got into the tub, planning on soaking for a while on his day off. After all, Daphne had forcefully told him that he was to do no training, studying, or work on his birthday. He should leave that up to the women. Harry opened his eyes as Daphne slid into the warm water with him.
"Daphne, why did you do that?"
She smiled.
"You've been so good to me, and I felt left out every time I heard or saw you shagging."
Harry smiled and placed his hand on her soft face.
"You don't need to feel left out, Daphne," Harry said. "And you shouldn't have felt you needed to do what you did for me. I can handle it."
"I know," Daphne said. "I did it for me, not you. I wanted to do something that the prudish purebloods would frown upon."
"So you are a revolutionist?"
"No," Daphne said, smiling at him. "I consider myself a modern woman."
Harry leaned over and kissed her lips. She returned the kiss and let his hands roam her bare body. As they swapped spit, she knew that their relationship had changed for good or bad. But at least they could enjoy it right now.
They broke apart in a hurry when a voice startled them.
"You know," Adrianna said. "You can shag her arse and still be ready for that ritual."
"What ritual," Harry said.
"I'm going to help them perform the purification ritual on you, Harry," Daphne said.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Daphne said. "The time we've spent together made me realize that you are a great man, and I would like to spend more time with you."
"I can say likewise, Daphne," Harry said. "But I don't want you doing something you'll regret."
"From the looks on the faces of Adrianna, Annabelle, and Fleur, I won't regret it one bit once I don't get so sore. Anyway, we'll have plenty of time to make love after this."
"When?"
"I'm going back to train as a curse-breaker and warder with you," Daphne said. "I wrote to Ragnok and he said that I could go with you. The plan is to go back in time ten years."
"You'll have ten years less to live from your date of birth," Annabelle said. "Any time travel reduces the number of months you live linearly from your date of birth."
"So you mean without counting any time travel," Daphne asked.
"Precisely," Annabelle said. "All time turners reduce your lifespan when considering the time from your date of birth."
"So they weren't taking anything that wasn't expected from me?"
"No," Annabelle said. "There are a few time turners that the goblins have given wizards before that did take more than a one-to-one ratio of life expectancy. And that is one reason wizards hate goblins and are skeptical of their time turners."
"I see," Daphne said. "Is there any way to tell?"
Annabelle shook her head as she slid into the tub with the couple.
"Daphne, I think this big boy needs some help," Annabelle purred. "Do you want to give up your anal virginity to him?"
Daphne nodded.
"Then let me teach both of you a helpful spell. Don't worry. It feels great, Daphne. You'll love it."
Harry's eyes went wide, and he pinched himself. He had to be dreaming.
That afternoon, Daphne walked funny as they headed toward the beach to lay out. Harry had taken advantage of what she had given him, and he couldn't wait to see if she felt that way in the traditional way of sex.
Daphne, for her part, remembered the morning with a certain fondness she would carry with her for the rest of her life. It had been a new sensation for her, and one that she knew her best friend Tracey Davis would want to hear the details of. But Daphne wondered if she could tell Tracey these details. She put it out of her mind as she felt Harry's hands tugging on her bikini top, trying to remove it.
Daphne let him remove her top, and she also removed her bottom. Harry removed his clothes as well, and they were going to get a full body tan.
As they lay out in the nude beside several Veela, there was a general increase in the number of Veela passing by. Many of them were staring at Harry, not caring that Daphne and anyone else who cared to look would catch them staring.
For some of these Veela, it was the first time they had seen a live man naked. For others, they started to fantasize about having someone with Harry's size have fun with them.
Fleur opened her eyes to see the dozens of naked Veela sunbathing around them. She smirked as she saw Harry's flagging problem. She decided to help him with that problem and proceeded to make love to him on the beach, not caring that everyone on the island would hear about it in the next few days.
Of course, nothing negative would be mentioned about it because the Veela Matriarch had come to take a look at Harry herself, as had members of the Veela council. They had given Harry an appreciative look, as it had been quite a while for many of the Veela elders to have a man like Harry to look at.
Dinner that evening was a joyous affair. Harry's Veela friends and instructors had arranged a birthday party for him, and it was the event to be at. The Veela came in droves, and almost all of them gave him a kiss on the lips or cheek. The older Veela tended to give him a kiss on the cheek like an older Aunt would do. The younger ones liked to kiss him on the lips while pressing up against his bare chest.
After all, this party was on the beach, and all of the Veela were either naked, topless, or wearing bikinis with the exceptions of the elders, who wore loose sun dresses. Daphne wore a skimpy bikini that left little to the imagination, and she giggled all night with Fleur and the other teen Veela, most of whom were drinking American concoctions called Margaritas or wine coolers that some of their number had brought from America.
Harry enjoyed the night, especially when several groups of Veela were playing a volleyball tournament with him acting as referee. He spent more time watching bouncing bodies than a bouncing volleyball. But no one really cared as long as Harry enjoyed himself.
What surprised Harry about the evening was Daphne going down on him as he was watching the game. It was good to be him, Harry thought, as he continued to watch the interesting game of volleyball.
When Harry finally got to bed, he closed his eyes, hoping that he would remember this day forever.
While Harry enjoyed the birthday party the Veela threw for him, the Order of the Phoenix held another meeting. These meetings seemed to be more frequent, as Dumbledore seemed desperate to find Harry and desperate for information about the activities of the Death Eaters and the Ministry.
Snape was not at this meeting, as he was scouring Europe for potions ingredients that his Master desired. The others were generally present at the meeting, including Poppy Pomfrey.
"Where's Fleur," Bill asked Madam Pomfrey.
"Mr. Weasley," the Hospital-Wing Matron said. "Miss Delacour has gone to take a Field Healing course in France. She will return in time for school to resume."
"Why didn't she take the training at St. Mungos," Bill asked. "They're offering the course."
"Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said. "Miss Delacour wishes to seek certification in both the United Kingdom and France. The French course is acceptable to both certification bodies. The British course is not acceptable in France without attending an addendum course. It is in her best interests to attend courses in France over the summers."
Bill frowned, as he didn't like this. He hadn't wanted Fleur to leave England for quite a while, as he hoped to get more than his eye on her. For all he knew, she could find a man she loved and started a relationship with him.
Madam Pomfrey noted Bill's frown and frowned herself. She didn't like how the eldest Weasley child thought about her new assistant and Apprentice.
"Miss Delacour did inform me about this," Dumbledore said, with his grandfatherly look in place. "She will be better prepared for her duties with this course, and it will help us with international cooperation. Mr. Weasley, while you are in a speaking mood, have you heard anything about Mr. Potter's accounts or about what Gringotts is doing for the war?"
"No Headmaster," Bill said. "Whenever I approach someone speaking in English, they either stop talking or switch to a language I don't know. I have become something of an outcast at Gringotts due to my association with the Order of the Phoenix."
"Why is that," Kingsley asked, interested in the answer.
"I made myself slightly unwelcome at Gringotts and lost any goodwill the goblins had for me by questioning Gringotts employees extensively about joining the fight against You-Know-Who or about the Potter Account."
"What are your duties now?"
Bill frowned.
"I've been relegated to the night shift examining the wards over the vaults," he said. ''I have to report in for my shift at midnight."
"We shall be through with our meeting by then, William," Dumbledore said. "Arthur, what is Amelia doing?"
"Headmaster," the Weasley patriarch said. "I cannot reveal any details. Amelia has made the Department Heads and all Ministry employees take an oath of silence. If we violate it, we can be charged with treason during a State of Emergency. You won't get me to speak of anything because I don't want to risk my life or my job for your desires for information," the newly appointed deputy head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement said.
"Auror Tonks?"
"I cannot speak of it sir. The answer is always that I cannot speak of it. I may speak more if the State of Emergency runs its course, but until then, I can't speak of it."
"Kingsley?"
"The same," the black Auror said, tired of Dumbledore's games with their lives. It was obvious to the black Auror that Dumbledore didn't care about them. He just wanted someone to give him information for the Greater Good, or, rather, for Dumbledore's own reasons. "And Headmaster, I do have to warn you about something. Minister Bones has been giving strong hints that Ministry Employees who are a part of any outside organization that does not have the approval of the Ministry of Magic will be at a serious disadvantage for promotions and pay raises. The Order of the Phoenix is about to go on the banned list, so you will be short several members who work for the Ministry."
"This is an outside job," Dumbledore said.
"Albus," Moody said. "You are risking the magic and lives of some of the best we have at the Ministry. Kingsley, Arthur, Nymphadora, and the others who work for the Ministry should resign from the Order of the Phoenix to preserve their jobs and their lives. This organization is not worth it to their careers or lives. And several of you have families you need to support."
"I can't afford to lose any of you," Dumbledore said.
"But you are going to lose some," Moody said. "I have spoken to Amelia. She is going to reactivate me and I have to swear an oath. When I swear that oath, I cannot work with the Order anymore, just like I wouldn't be able to work with the Death Eaters. It is coming, Albus. The Order of the Phoenix is going to fall apart."
"I'd say that is a good thing, in a way," Sirius said. "After all, we don't do much other than listen to Snivellus bitch about being cursed and listen to the old folks bitch about how the young people don't do anything."
"Sirius Black, that language is not called for," McGonagall said.
"Minnie," Sirius said, with a grin on his face. "I think it is. The Order of the Phoenix is nothing more than a dinner club lately. That's all we seem to do since Amelia has taken over the Ministry. She has forbidden our participation in actively pursuing Death Eaters unless you work for the Ministry. And she will soon forbid Ministry employee participation in this organization."
"What are you going to do, Sirius," Tonks asked her cousin.
"I'm going to work for Amelia as a Special Hit Wizard," Sirius said. "I'm going to swear the oath soon, and I will have to resign from the Order of the Phoenix to do so. So Albus, this is my official resignation from your bird-watching club. I cannot allow you to use my house as your meeting place anymore, so remove your people from my house and turn over control of the Fidelius Charm to me."
"I can't do that, Sirius."
Sirius grinned. Remus knew that the animagus had something up his sleeve.
"I, Sirius Orion Black, Head of the House of Black, hereby claim control of the wards over the House of Black."
Dumbledore grimaced in pain and then fainted as he lost control of the wards forcefully. Everyone who had known the secret before lost it, and Sirius grinned at the looks on their faces.
Madam Pomfrey looked over at Sirius as she looked over the Headmaster. A few scans showed his health was deteriorating.
"Minerva, has Albus been taking any potions?"
"Not that I know of. Why?"
What Madam Pomfrey told him shocked the audience.
"Albus Dumbledore is in the advanced stages of Dementia. Someone has been supplying him potions, and this explains how his behavior has been getting more and more erratic with regards to certain people."
"Madam Pomfrey, what do you say?"
"Deputy Headmistress, I declare that Albus Dumbledore is physically and mentally unfit to assume the role of Hogwarts Headmaster."
It was little known that the school healer could remove anyone who was not fit to be at Hogwarts. With that official statement, Poppy Pomfrey forced Albus Dumbledore into an early retirement for his health.
Professor McGonagall looked sadly at the old man lying on the floor, unconscious.
"I, Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, accept the declaration that Albus Dumbledore is unfit for his duties as Headmaster."
A bright flash of magic occurred on both Dumbledore and McGonagall. The wards had changed from Dumbledore to McGonagall, the new temporary Headmistress of Hogwarts.
Madam Pomfrey looked sad at her old friend and classmate.
"Minerva, let's get him to St. Mungos. There's nothing I can really do for him."
The two women touched a portkey while holding onto Dumbledore's arm. Albus Dumbledore would die in a matter of weeks from the health problems he'd been hiding with the help of Snape.
McGonagall would be confirmed as the Headmistress, and Professor Flitwick would be elevated to Deputy Headmaster. A new Transfiguration Mistress would be hired, as would a new Potions Professor to take the place of the fired Severus Snape. The new Head of Slytherin would be Professor Vector while Professor Burbage would take over as the Head of Gryffindor.
The Order of the Phoenix would cease to exist, as the primary members capable of fighting and planning were Ministry employees and forbidden from participating in a vigilante group.
HEADMASTER DUMBLEDORE REMOVED FOR HEALTH REASONS.
MCGONAGALL NAMED HEADMISTRESS, FLITWICK DEPUTY.
SEVERUS SNAPE: DEATH EATER SPY.
MLE SQUAD TO PATROL HOGWARTS AT HEADMISTRESS'S REQUEST.
Harry choked on his drink when he read the Daily Prophetheadlines from the last week. They only got the issues a week at a time due to the issues of transporting them to the island.
"What's wrong, Harry," Daphne asked, as she looked at him.
"Dumbledore was in the advanced stages of dementia and Madam Pomfrey removed him for health reasons. McGonagall is the new Headmistress, and Snape was arrested for being a Death Eater when he returned to England."
"This is a big shock," Daphne said. "Obviously, they knew Snape was a Death Eater."
"Dumbledore protected him," Harry said. "And this explains why the Headmaster was so obsessed with me and a few other things. He was losing control of his actions and truly did think his actions were for the best."
Fleur smiled sadly.
"Yes," she said. "Dementia is a bad one. He will be losing most of his memories and such and then will die in a few months after that happens."
Harry bowed his head.
"And to think I hated the old man. It wasn't really his fault. Snape is the one who continued to supply him with potions to hide his condition."
"Who are they hiring to take the place of McGonagall and Snape?"
"The paper doesn't say," Harry said. "I suppose we'll find out at the Welcome Feast."
"How many students will leave because Dumbledore is not there?"
"Several," Harry said. "And with Snape gone, some of the Death Eater children will probably not return as well."
"We hope," Daphne said. "I know McGonagall will not play favorites and will punish anyone who does wrong. Dumbledore didn't do that. He allowed Snape and the Death Eater children to get away with hurting others emotionally or physically and punishing students who were only defending themselves."
"I know all too well," Harry said. "Gryffindors and Potters are the favorite targets of Death Eaters in Training and Snape."
Daphne nodded. She wholly believed that the house issues would begin to solve themselves now that there was a new administration at Hogwarts. And this administration wouldn't allow bullies to prosper.
Voldemort read over the headlines that his minion brought him. He was pleased the Muggle-loving fool was out of the way. But he was angry that Snape was arrested as a Death Eater. It lost him his only potions master, and Snape had some idea of where to find basilisk venom.
That was changed now, as Snape would have been interrogated by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement under veritaserum, and it would put a big dent in Voldemort's operations regarding potions. And Snape knew the names of several Ministry employees who had escaped the purge that Minister Bones had placed the Ministry through.
When Wormtail entered the room, he was the first that day to feel the Dark Lord's wrath at losing his potions master as well as access to the store of basilisk parts that Snape had. The Ministry would get their hands on the potions ingredients Snape had hidden in a secure place for the Dark Lord. And that made the curse extra vengeful today.
Hermione was still shocked over Dumbledore's removal as Headmaster, and the revelations of his health problems. It also explained to her why the Headmaster had started to make irrational decisions regarding Harry and several other issues, such as Snape's employment at Hogwarts. It was logical that Snape would provide potions to Dumbledore that would hide his medical conditions from everyone, but only when the Headmaster gave Snape what he wanted.
This was what Hermione expected to be the reason Snape was never reprimanded over his childish actions or for protecting the Slytherin Death Eaters in Training who picked fights only to go running to Snape. Hermione was quite angry at the revelations as well. She wondered how this escaped the attention of everyone at Hogwarts or even people who knew Dumbledore well.
Even those old timers such as Elphias Doge and Griselda Marchbanks, who had known Dumbledore for the vast majority of his life, didn't catch what was happening to the aging Headmaster.
The reports Hermione heard saddened her, as she felt sorry for the old man, but was angry that such a thing was allowed to happen.
Ron, on the other hand, was celebrating Snape's departure from Hogwarts. Hermione knew that would help the potions grades improve at Hogwarts, but Snape's replacement would have a hard time helping students prepare for OWLs and NEWTs at this late stage.
Hermione was also worried about Harry. She knew that he was safe, as he'd just sent them a letter just after he received the package of gifts they sent him. He sent each an individual thank you card, but a letter for all of those who sent him gifts. In the letter, he thanked them for their gifts, and stated that he would return to Hogwarts on September 1st as planned.
Minerva McGonagall sighed as she placed the last of Albus' things in the box. She'd had the job of going through his office and quarters to remove everything and send it to his brother. However, Aberforth had come up to help her go through the things.
Knowing Albus was dying, Aberforth told Minerva to let Harry read Albus' notebooks of plans and study from his personal library. The Younger Dumbledore brother also said that Albus wanted Harry to receive his pensieve and a number of memories, so that would be given to Harry upon his return from wherever he was.
"Minerva?"
"Yes Aberforth?"
"Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome," she replied. "I'm just sad that we didn't get him help. He could have been a much better person if he would have retired and been under less stress."
"My brother was always hardheaded," the man said, sadly. "I should have known something was wrong with him, but I just assumed he was being eccentric with his actions. I wonder what the world would be like today if he had asked for help from someone other than that Death Eater."
"I know," Minerva said. "But there is nothing we can do about it now. It's in the past, and we have to move on from here."
"Indeed we do. When Mr. Potter gets back, I would like to have some time each week to train him," the man said.
"Why would you want to train him?"
"Albus isn't the only Dumbledore who knows a lot of magic. After all, it was Cornelius Fudge who made up those ridiculous rumors about my inappropriate charms on goats."
"I hardly think a talking goat is appropriate," McGonagall replied. "But it is nothing to get in trouble about."
"Most people assume I did some other charm to a goat," the man said, with a look of mirth on his face. "Anyway, would you please let me know when Mr. Potter will be available? I think I should teach him soon."
"Why is that?"
The man gave her a sad smile.
"The Dumbledore line is at an end. And from the way Albus talked of him, I think he is the only one worthy of inheriting our things. I don't think he'd want my pub, but I'll leave him everything."
"You don't even know the boy."
"If he's anything like his parents, then he is a person I want on my side, Minerva. I imagine the kid has a good head and a large heart. I just fear that he was stifled for far too long by my mentally ill brother. I hope he can recover and we can help him do so."
"Do you think I should help him train?"
"Yes I do. I think you should offer to train him to become an animagus, with the stipulation that he registers his form at the end of the war."
"I will consider it. I don't know if he is ready for that type of study yet. Even my best NEWT students would have a hard time with that training program."
"Minerva, we don't really know what the kid can do," Aberforth said. "Before I go, I want to say one more thing."
"Yes?"
"I will report anything I hear that threatens Hogwarts to you," he said. "I am going to be in contact with Alastor discretely as well. He's gathering intelligence and studying it for Amelia."
McGonagall nodded to the man, who shrank several boxes and placed them in his pocket to take with him.
"Remember to let Mr. Potter study these books and encourage him to do so. If he shows an aptitude for a subject, maybe you should arrange for private tutelage. The rest of the school can be told that he's been given an apprenticeship or something."
"That could work," the Headmistress mused. "I will have to think on it. I will be in touch."
"So will I, my old friend. So will I."
After Aberforth left, the Floo came to life.
"Minerva?"
"How can I help you, Molly?"
"I want to talk to you about the letter that you just sent my sons."
"Come on through. We do have a lot to discuss."
Chapter 8: The Summer Vacation Ends
AN: Thank you for those of you who voted in the poll. The winning form will be shown in this chapter. And thank you for continuing to read and review my story.
Harry awoke when he felt movement on the bed. He opened his eyes to see Fleur and Daphne in the middle of one of their favorite things since Fleur had arrived. He smiled at the couple and moved the covers off of him.
"Harry," Fleur asked, looking at him. "Do you need help with that?"
Harry nodded, and Daphne smiled.
"So, Harry, now that you've had the purification ritual, do you think we can continue to shag," Daphne asked. "I'd really like to."
Daphne and Fleur smiled when Harry twitched.
"I think he likes the idea, Daphne," Fleur said, with a flirty smile. "Shall we?"
"Yes," Daphne said. "I hope you're ready for a lot of fun, Harry," the brunette said, her sparkling eyes showing her excitement.
The two women moved to either side of Harry, and the teen closed his eyes to enjoy this bit of heaven. He reached over to grab them, and found his hands on bare skin, not that he expected anything else after his birthday. They'd been staying in the bed with him every night, and both Annabelle and Adrianna were slightly put out by it. It meant they couldn't join him in the bed at night.
But then again, Daphne and Fleur were so understanding and allowed Harry to enjoy the expert tutelage and extra training his tutors offered him. They often joined in on that extra training, and Harry had never known such a fabulous summer.
At lunch, the threesome made their way to the kitchen, where Annabelle sat reading the latest issue of the Daily Prophet.
"You three are leaving tomorrow," she said, giving Harry a sad look.
"Annabelle, we're going to miss you too!" Daphne said. "You can always come and visit us."
Annabelle nodded.
"I know," she replied. "But it's not going to be the same. Not without our boy toy."
Harry blushed slightly, as he did whenever one of the women referred to him as their boy toy. The nickname had stuck after his birthday, and he had to endure it every day. Of course, he didn't think anyone would have trouble enduring it if they got to play like he did.
"How do you feel, Harry," Adrianna said, sipping on a cup of hot tea. She only sipped tea when she was tired, and after the exhausting ritual, she was surprised to see the teens awake.
"I feel great," he said. "Thanks to you."
"You can thank Daphne for the potent ritual," Adrianna said. "We didn't have to have her there and using a virgin gets the best results."
"It was worth it," Daphne said, giving Harry a fond smile. "Making me wait was worth the hype and the ritual healed me so I could jump right in on the fun this morning."
"And that was a good thing," Harry said, smiling fondly at his lover. The Veela shared a look and then all three nodded at once.
"Harry?"
"Yes Fleur?"
"There is one thing I wish to ask you and Daphne."
"Ok," Harry said, turning his attention to the gorgeous woman.
"The laws in England are quite barbaric," she said. "Especially in regards to those of other heritage, such as a Veela. I have enough Veela blood in me to be affected by these laws."
"How come you weren't affected last year," Harry asked.
"The Ministry of Magic gave me and my sister an exception for the tournament in the hopes of getting cooperation out of the French Government," Fleur said. "What I mean is that when I return, certain parties may claim me as their sex slave."
"That's horrible," Daphne said. "How can we prevent that?"
"I would need a sponsor to claim me," Fleur said. "I hate to do this, but I would need it to happen. Any my sister Gabrielle would like to have a sponsor as well so she can visit me in peace."
"What does this sponsor have to do," Harry asked.
Daphne smirked.
"Well, Harry, what she means is that she wants you to claim her as your concubine, which is easier to release than a sex slave under the laws. We can do it in such a way that she is free to seek other relationships at her discretion and you can release her when someone else is willing to claim her and she agrees," Daphne said.
"Is that possible?"
"It is," Fleur said. "I've been doing research ever since I found out about that law. I've heard rumors from a friend that William Weasley is going to attempt to claim me as his concubine so he can have me, and then can have a pureblood witch like his mother wants him to have."
Harry scowled.
"Fleur, I will gladly be your sponsor. I will need directions on how to do this properly and ensure that it is good for you."
"Good thing I have the contract ready, then," Adrianna said. "I knew this was going to be a problem, and the Veela Nation have contracts like this one available for circumstances like this. Read through this carefully and then consider signing it," she said. "Once it is signed, as Fleur has agreed to the terms, then it is only revocable when the two of you decide to stop it."
Harry looked up at Daphne.
"Go ahead, Harry," Daphne said, with a fond smile. "This will get you private quarters at Hogwarts that we can use to enjoy our nights."
Harry read over the contract and signed it after clarifying a few questions he had. When the contract flashed, Fleur smiled as she felt something land on her neck.
"What's that," Harry asked.
"This is the traditional sign of a concubine," Daphne said, fingering the choker complete with Potter Family Crest on Fleur's neck. "It symbolizes your claim over her, and Fleur's dedication to taking care of you and your needs ahead of even her own. Many people will be jealous of you for having a Veela concubine, especially one willingly signing the contract."
"What of Gabrielle," Harry asked Fleur.
"My parents wish to meet with you to discuss this, Harry," Fleur said. "I was told I was old enough to make my own decisions, but Gabrielle will need a sponsor if she is to visit me during the holidays. Mama doesn't need a sponsor since she is married."
"But Gabrielle is a minor."
"Veela are considered adults once they reach twelve years of age," Adrianna said. "Young Gabrielle is twelve."
"Twelve? I thought she was about eight or nine."
Fleur laughed.
"You don't know much about Veela, then," she said. "You see, Harry, a Veela generally ages slower than witches or young human girls. When they reach the age of twelve or thirteen, the Veela often looks like a ten year old child. The younger she looks, the more her Veela heritage will come out. Gabrielle is more of a Veela than I am."
"And when she reaches the age of puberty and maturity, she will mature in a hurry," Adrianna added. "This means that she will look like a sixteen or seventeen year old witch at the age of thirteen or fourteen. And she will have all of the desires of a mature adult. This also means that she will seek to find a mate and become sexually active, and men will actively try to use her."
Harry scowled at that.
"If I give her this status, with your parents' permission, would it protect her from unwanted advances?"
"Most of them," Fleur said. "Some Veela have been raped even though they were in marriages, betrothals, or concubines," she said. "But that is considered an attack on the house of whoever she is protected by, or attached to. It has been the cause of Blood Feuds in the past, so many wizards take care not to attack a Veela they know is claimed. With laws such as those in England, Veela rapes are not considered rapes. The law states that a Veela's charm is what causes the unwanted sexual activity, so it is the Veela's fault due to the charm."
"That's a bunch of bullshit," Harry muttered. "It shouldn't matter if it is a Veela or not, Charm or not. Rape is rape."
"The law doesn't see it that way, Harry," Daphne said. "Like I told you earlier this summer, England has some of the worst magical laws in existence on the planet today. It's like our society has stagnated and continued to live in the past while everyone else heads into the future. For instance, if my parents were alive, they would have disowned me for my activities with you this summer. Losing my virginity, while protecting me from being used in certain evil rituals, also ensures that my father would not have gotten a good bride price for me."
"Such barbaric traditions," Harry muttered.
Daphne smiled at him.
"And that's why we're going to work the change the system from within the system."
"I'm a half-blood, Daphne."
"You're also one of the most famous men in Europe," she countered. "You can use your fame for good, and, when you defeat You-Know-Who, you can use that fame to catapult yourself into a Wizengamot Seat and start to make changes to the system from within the system. If you have the right allies, then it will be made much easier."
"And I guess that's what you want from me?"
Daphne nodded.
"Yes. I am into political intrigue, and I would like to run for Minister of Magic one day."
Harry smiled.
"Then you'd have one supporter already."
Daphne's grin lit up the room, and Harry didn't know why she'd grinned like that. At least until she told him in no uncertain terms that his support could almost guarantee her the position later in life if things went their way.
"Now, before you leave, I want to have one of our Transfiguration Experts come over to supervise the animagus testing," Annabelle said. "If you'll wait right here, I will go and get Madam Anderson."
The two teens looked at each other with grins on their face. This was the moment of truth.
When Madam Anderson arrived with Annabelle, the teens were sitting in comfortable chairs that could recline. These were the best for this, as they would be sent into a trance while waiting on their animagus forms to be shown to them. And then after they knew their forms, there would be a spell cast to see if they had the magic to change into their form. If they didn't have the magic, then they couldn't train until the spell showed they were able to change into their form.
"I understand the two of you wish to test for your animagus form."
"Yes ma'am," Harry said, looking at the women.
"I agree with Harry," Daphne said, smiling.
"Who goes first?"
"I will," Daphne said. "Harry should go last."
Harry nodded. "Ladies first," he said, giving a wave of his hand.
"The first thing I'm going to do is to give you this potion," she said, handing Daphne a vial full of a bright blue potion. "This potion will open your mind and body so that you will be receptive to the vision the spell will induce. The vision will eventually show you your animagus form, and can take up to an hour to do so, depending on your form and your power. The quicker it takes, the easier it will be for you to change into the form eventually.
"So, Daphne, drink the potion and lean back in the chair. The potion will take effect almost immediately, and I will cast the spell. We will wait for you to return from your trance before we test Harry for his form."
Daphne drained the blue potion in a gulp, and her eyes glazed over as the intoxicating potion took effect. Daphne leaned back and Madam Anderson cast a spell in Norse. Daphne glowed blue for a second as the golden spell hit her. Then her eyes closed, and she was in the trance.
Harry looked over at Daphne and saw Madam Anderson with another potion.
"This potion will clear out the effects of the hallucinogenic potion," she explained. "And the two of you will want to do nothing else for the remainder of the day. Of course, it has been known to lower the inhibitions of a person for a few hours," Madam Anderson said, with a wink toward Harry.
Ten minutes after undergoing the potion, Daphne awakened. Fleur helped her drink the cleansing draught, and Daphne blinked a few times as the potion left her system.
"What form did you take?"
"A Boar," Daphne said.
"The Celtic symbol for fertility, wealth, courage, and a strong warrior," Madam Anderson said. "It is a great form. Boars are very dangerous when angered or cornered," the woman said.
Daphne looked at Harry and smiled at him. He smiled back at her. She had proven herself courageous and a warrior so far this summer, and Harry liked it. He didn't want a pansy fan-girl as a lover.
"Now, it's your turn, Harry," Daphne said.
Madam Anderson handed him the blue potion, and he drank it down. Harry felt the potion take effect, and he felt giddy about something or another.
His mind was hazy, but he soon found himself in a plain of some sort. The plain felt familiar to him, yet it was a foreign presence in his mind. He felt a powerful magical presence and turned to face where the direction it was coming from.
It wasn't there, but he could sense it, so he decided to find it.
When Harry's eyes opened an hour later, everyone was worried about him. Madam Anderson gave him the cleansing potion, and Harry shook his head to clear it.
"What was your form?"
Harry whispered something unintelligible and had a look of shock on his face.
"It is possible to be a magical animal," he asked, in a louder whisper.
"It is, but it is very difficult," Madam Anderson said. "The vast majority of those with magical animagus forms do not reach it, even after years of training."
Harry pouted slightly.
"What is your form?" Fleur asked for all of them.
"I'm a black and gold phoenix," he said.
The Veela gasped in shock. Daphne's jaw dropped in her surprise as she saw the awestruck Veela looking at Harry.
"The black and gold royal phoenix," Madam Anderson said, reverently. "Symbolizes rebirth, and the cycle of life and death. Life cannot occur without death, and death cannot occur without life. Rebirth cannot occur without death and destruction. The Royal Phoenix is the most fertile of phoenixes, and, legends state that this phoenix has a harem of its own, including several Veela in their bird forms," she added, looking at the choker on Fleur's neck.
"Can he reach it," Daphne asked, in a soft voice.
Madam Anderson cleared her head and then took up her wand. A moment later, Harry glowed a light blue color.
"He may be able to make it if he has the drive to do so," she said. "Light blue is the weakest of those who can use their form. They often are the ones who fail to reach their form and can take many months or even years to finally reach their form."
"And Daphne," Harry asked, trying not to show that his dreams of becoming an animagus had been all but shattered.
The same spell showed up a bright green.
"She will reach her form easily within two years," Madam Anderson said, with certainty. "With effort, she may be able to reach it before the end of the next calendar year."
Daphne hugged Harry, and then saw the look on his face.
"Harry, its ok, darling," Daphne said. "Not everyone can reach their form."
"I know," Harry said. "It's just a shock that I have a form that I have a small chance of ever changing into. It could take me years."
"It can," Daphne said. "But you won't give up, will you? Having that form can be very useful."
"No, I won't give up," Harry said. "I just won't expect quick results."
"And neither should you, Daphne," Madam Anderson said. "I don't want either of you trying to change yet. You will need to study your form's anatomy, physiology, and magic before you can even begin to change. Harry, I will have someone copy several of our books to help you study the phoenix. We have about a dozen rare manuscripts on various phoenixes, and this will help you."
Harry nodded and accepted the offer of help.
At 12 Grimmauld Place, Molly Weasley was not happy. She had gotten a letter from Headmistress McGonagall just after Headmaster Dumbledore had been removed from Hogwarts. The letter pertained to three of her four children still attending Hogwarts. The letter had resulted in her grounding the three boys for the letter.
McGonagall had informed her that her youngest son, Ronald, was on the verge of failing out of Hogwarts due to his lack of effort in classes. If he did not obtain at least four E's on his OWLs, then he would be kicked out of Hogwarts for failing to maintain the academic standards.
Ron had bitched and moaned about being grounded by his mother, but she had not listened to his words about it being unfair to him. In her mind, it was unfair of him to fail out of Hogwarts after she and her husband had worked hard all of their life to make sure their kids had what they needed. Ronald, it seemed, wanted everything handed to him, and Molly was going to make him earn it.
She had agreed with McGonagall and signed the contract stating that Ron would not be allowed to attend Hogsmeade weekends or Quidditch games if he was failing any class this year. And, unless he maintained an overall E average, he would not be allowed to play Quidditch at all.
Her other two sons were on the verge of being expelled for what they called pranks. Molly had grounded them as well, and forced them to start studying for their NEWTs at the end of the year. She'd removed all of their pranks, and told them they would not be going to Hogsmeade or playing Quidditch at all if their behavior did not improve. The Twins had taken it like they would a bludger, and decided to hit back by trying to show they were pleasing their mother.
Molly sighed as she looked at Hermione and Ginny sitting at the kitchen table going over their homework.
"Hermione?"
"Yes Mrs. Weasley?"
"Do you think that Harry's grades are as bad as Ronald's?"
"No," she replied, immediately. "Harry's problem is that Ronald distracts him too much and Harry doesn't really know how to tell him no. I've seen Harry work hard and he can learn what he wants to when he works hard."
"What about the Twins? What do you think they do?"
"They focus a lot of their time on playing pranks for some reason," Hermione said. "They are good at it, but it causes many disruptions. Their pranks sometimes border on cruel for those who don't like them."
"What do you mean, cruel?"
"They continually prank people who see no humor in it. And they think it is hilarious to prank people so bad they end up in the hospital wing. I don't agree with it."
Molly sighed.
"Ginny, why didn't you let me know this was going on?"
Ginny shrugged. It wasn't really any of her business, and Molly understood that her youngest Daughter was worried about her own studies and such.
"Hermione, will you report to me what my sons are doing? I do not wish for them to be removed from Hogwarts for their own laziness or failure to follow the rules."
"I can do what I can," Hermione said. "Didn't Professor McGonagall say that all students failing a class would be required to attend mandatory study hall each evening and Saturday afternoons until the professor let them out of it?"
"Yes. She explained that was something she wanted to do for years, but Albus and Severus always blocked her. She's making many changes, and I think that Albus was starting to do more harm than good as Headmaster."
"I agree with you, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said. "I thought he was a great man, but now I see that he was just a man who let his fame go to his head and he thought he could do anything he wanted and people would love him for it."
"I agree," Ginny said, piping up to add in her two cents. "He made so many bad decisions regarding Harry that it is easy to see why the Twins and Ron think they can get away with things."
Molly sighed. She had believed in Dumbledore for so long that it hurt her to realize that he had just been a mentally ill old man when making many decisions that she now regretted. She hadn't questioned him on his decisions about Harry, and, now, she had to live with the fact that Harry had not trusted the old man and had left to get training on his own.
When Sirius Black entered the house, he found the three ladies sitting at the table with a cup of tea.
"So, ladies," Sirius said, as he sat down at the table. "Any word from Harry?"
"None," Hermione said.
"How are your boys handling their punishment," Sirius asked.
"Fred and George are handling it reasonably well," Molly said. "They're actually studying."
Sirius gave a barking laugh.
"Well, I told them that if they got four NEWTS each, I would give them two thousand galleons for their prank shop," Sirius said.
Molly and Hermione looked at the Marauder disapprovingly, but Ginny smirked.
"Mum, don't you see it? He's enticing them to study and get good grades. They want to start a joke shop, and they're smart enough to do that."
Molly sighed and nodded to Sirius. It was a method of enticement that she and her husband could not afford to do.
"Thank you, Sirius," Molly said.
"You're welcome. Now what about the other son of yours?"
"He is not taking it well," Molly said. "I told him that if he's removed from Hogwarts, I will force him to go to work somewhere to make money, and he doesn't want to earn anything. He feels that the world owes him something for being alive."
Sirius shook his head.
"Even a spoiled pureblood like Draco Malfoy would know that you had to earn some things. I don't know what to do about him, Molly. I won't just offer him money, as he is greedy. The Twins are willing to work for what they want and risk the money they're given. Your other son would just spend it on frivolous things that do not mean a thing in the big picture."
"Sirius, what would you do if he were your son? If Harry acted like him?"
"I think a good solid beating would help," Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders. "Or making him earn his food and clothes if he wanted them."
"I told him that he wouldn't get to go to Hogsmeade or play Quidditch if he wasn't averaging an E in his classes."
"I don't know if that will change him enough, Molly. He'll do it reluctantly, but I can understand why Minerva will need that. I'm sorry to say that even Percy, who seems to be a prat sometimes, understands that you have to work to get what you want."
"What do you think Harry will do this year?"
"I think he will surprise us all," Sirius said, softly. "He's free of those bastard Dursleys and Dumbledore's iron fisted control over him. Without Severus, his potions grades should increase as well. He is his parents' son for sure."
Sirius let the silence run rampant after that statement. After all, he'd had a hard day himself tracking Death Eaters. It was a hard job, and the Death Eaters weren't as careless as they had been before that Mr. Smith had taken out several of them.
At the Veela Island, Harry and Daphne were packing their things. It had been a long summer for them, and they were about to go to Gringotts and meet with Ragnok to discuss the time-travel and training. Fleur was going to visit with her parents and discuss what they wanted to do about Gabrielle before she was allowed to go back to England under those barbaric laws. And, of course, Fleur would proudly show off her choker that marked her as one of Harry's concubines.
Harry had left the offer open to Annabelle and Adrianna in case they wanted to visit England, and both said they would stay away from that country until the laws got better. Harry understood, as both women were independent and had been for so long. Joining into a concubine would limit their actions to whatever Harry approved, even if he approved everything they wanted to do. It was just easier for them to remain here on the island so they could continue with their job.
"I'm going to miss you two," Annabelle said, looking at the two humans with watery eyes.
Harry hugged her, and Daphne joined the hug. Annabelle had taught them a lot, and they appreciated everything she had given up during their stay at the island. Adrianna had also given up several good paying assignments to train Harry and Daphne for free. She believed in the two and their ability to make the changes that England so richly deserved and needed.
"I guess we will be seeing you in the future," Adrianna said, wiping her eyes. "You're always welcome back here to visit any time. Fleur can always get you here if you want to come."
"We'll visit when we can, Adrianna," Harry said. "Maybe even come here next summer for a vacation."
The two Veela smiled at Harry.
"I agree," Daphne said.
"If you two decide to get married, invite me to the wedding if you don't come before then," Adrianna said. "I'll make the night before one you'll never forget."
Harry's eyes opened wide.
"I thought I had plenty of those nights here," he asked.
The women smiled at him and then Daphne grabbed Harry by the arm. Adrianna held out the portkey to them after they were about to place on their runic bracelets. A moment later, Harry and Daphne were once again Orion and Sarah Brown. A moment after they turned back, the portkey activated, and the two were whisked off to Gringotts-London via the portkey, leaving two silently crying Veela to reflect on what their new friends meant to them.
Chapter 9: A Time Traveler's Tale, Part I
AN: Thank you for all of those who read and review my story. As a reminder, I plan on trying to put up somewhere between two and four chapters each week until the story is completed.
Harry landed on his feet after the portkey trip. He held his hand out to steady Daphne, and she smiled at him gratefully for not falling flat on her face in front of Ragnok, who was waiting on them.
"I see you have made a big change already this summer," the goblin said, with a slight smile. "How did you fare without the time turner?"
"We actually did very well," Harry said. "I think that using the time turner would actually be overkill since you do plan on sending us back in time."
"Indeed," Ragnok said. "I was surprised to find the time turner back. But according to goblin law, you must pay the set fee to use it again after it has returned to us. The fee increases with each return. I can do nothing about this."
"Then I will not be using the time turner, no matter how good it sounds," Harry said, noticing Daphne's calculating look.
"I understand," Ragnok said. "Even with the size of your estate, it would easily deplete your resources over your lifetime. If you want to know, the Ministry did give you a reward for detaining or killing several Death Eaters. The thousand galleon per head bounty was placed in your hidden vault."
"How much was it," Harry asked, curious.
"Fifteen thousand galleons," Ragnok said. "You are making quite a profit. I would suggest, however, that when you get back in time, you take some gold and deposit it into a vault. It would make things easier for you in that way and you won't have to worry about taking money out of the vaults when you don't need to."
Harry pondered the situation.
"Then could I get a trunk with thirty thousand galleons in it?"
"Certainly," Ragnok said. "It will be ready in a few hours, right before we get ready to send you back in time. There are many things you need to know about this method of time travel."
"What is the cost of this," Daphne asked, looking at the goblin and also keeping an eye on Harry.
"First, the cost is you will lose ten months of life expectancy just for the transfer back in time, and then will return to your own time linearly, which means no more time travel while you are in the past. You will also be required to give oaths on your magic not to change things that you know have happened, not that will occur."
"What do you mean," Harry asked.
"We have used this method for many years," Ragnok said. "We have discovered that if you take an alternative identity and swear an oath not to change the history as you know it, then things will go very well. We did send someone back without an oath, and they were not able to change history even as much as they tried. In fact, if they tried, they just ensured the events happened as they remembered.
"So we have no worries about you changing the time stream. It is nigh impossible unless you find a way to destroy the world."
"When do we leave," Daphne asked.
"You'll leave at midnight," Ragnok said. "It's the best time to do this, and the magic of the time traveling will be detected by the Ministry. They will come to investigate what we are doing, and we will most likely be forced to shut down our time travel chamber for the next few years. But that would be done anyway, as we cannot use the time travel chamber for an equivalent time for the time we sent people back. So, for you, we won't be able to use the chamber for twenty years since we are sending two of you back in time for ten years each."
"We never did take the OWLs or NEWTs," Harry said.
"No matter," Ragnok said. "I have done some research, and these are a copy of your exam scores and the dates they were given. It seems you will spend two years at a private magical academy in Antarctica. That's all I know at this time and it is all I can tell you. I can tell you that you do successfully become employed by Gringotts-Cairo after your graduation. You'll spend eight years in training and return to London on August 31st if my notes are correct."
Harry scratched his head. Time travel was confusing to a degree.
"It's a bit confusing," Daphne said. "But at least we know it works. Now how much do we owe Gringotts?"
"Because this ritual requires that several goblins give up two years of life expectancy for each year you are sent back, the cost will be five thousand galleons per lost year, or ten thousand galleons per year you are sent in the past. The total cost for the two of you together is two hundred thousand galleons."
Daphne gulped.
"I don't know if I want to pay that much."
"How much basilisk do I have left," Harry asked.
"You have more than enough, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said. "You will have about a half-million galleons worth of basilisk you have yet to sell. At least of the parts that you have given us. I know you are smart enough to save a large portion of the basilisk for your own uses."
"Indeed I have," Harry said. "Then I would like to offer two hundred thousand galleons worth of basilisk parts for Gringotts after the normal fees."
Ragnok grinned, as Gringotts would get about three hundred thousand galleons off of Harry because of that. And it was a great profit for them, with Harry earning them near a half million galleons in the past year alone. In fact, he had gained the respect of many other goblin leaders throughout the world and was looking at a promotion to a higher executive position for Gringotts-Worldwide because of earning so much money in the past few years. And if his hunch was correct, he would gain that promotion earlier than he would have if he had not worked with the teen.
"Potter, I don't want to owe you anything," Daphne said.
"You don't owe me anything, Daphne," Harry said. "In fact, I owe you."
"Why is that?"
He gave her a look. She smiled and blushed slightly when she got the meaning behind his look. She nodded and looked back up at Ragnok.
"If you'll follow me, I would like to have both of you examined by one of our healers before the trip. We will also outfit you with wands since you cannot carry your own back in time for obvious reasons. And I would suggest that you carefully consider what to carry with you in your trunk, Mr. Potter. I don't think you should carry any books that have been published since 1984 with you."
Harry nodded. It was a smart idea.
"What about books you gave me copies of?"
"Those are no problem, Mr. Potter," Ragnok said. "I will explain your possession of those copies with a letter I have completed and sealed to send to myself in the past. You should remember that I wasn't promoted to the Director of Gringotts-London until 1988. But I do have a lot of influence at that time and Director Greenfist will understand why this happened."
It took them nearly two hours to completely prepare for the trip. Harry now held in his pocket two shrunken Gringotts money chests, each of which contained ten thousand galleons. Daphne had two of her own, and she had decided they would both carry back an equal amount of money to ensure they had the money to pay for tuition at their school and for anything else they needed until they were gainfully employed.
Surprisingly, Harry had thought to do some research on the stock markets and businesses so he could make investments with some of the money they were taking in the past with them. This might not quite be legal, but it wasn't against any law either.
"So tell me again why you want to do this, Harry," Daphne asked.
"I think we should make money," Harry said. "I want to invest about half of what we carried back with us. I'm sure the rest will be fine for our purposes if we make money like I expect we will."
"And I would suggest you do that, Mr. Potter, Miss Greengrass," Ragnok said. "As far as we know, this isn't against any law, and we have not been able to change the past. Sometimes, Gringotts goblins have gone back in the past as a way of prodding our people to make lucrative investments and to pull out of investments that will collapse in a short time. In fact, we will send you back with a package explaining a few things such as investments that we will invest in the past."
Daphne smirked.
"Then I can agree to do this," she said. "If the numbers Harry calculates are correct, then we will increase the value of the invested gold about a thousand percent."
"I can assure you there are investment strategies that will do just that, Miss Greengrass, or shall I say Mrs. Smith?"
Daphne smiled. She and Harry were going back as Mr. and Mrs. Smith this time, as they decided this would be a good idea for them. Using the other identities wasn't a good idea, especially if they might travel around Europe for the remainder of the summer before going back to Hogwarts, especially after working hard for Gringotts in the Middle East if their guesses were correct.
Once the details were worked out, Harry and Daphne were led to the ritual room that would send them back in time. They wore their normal clothes and had prepared their trunks for the trip. They had nothing that was not supposed to go back with them, namely books that were printed after the date of their arrival back in time, and many heirlooms that Harry didn't want to carry back with him. The fewer items he had to worry about, the better it was for him.
At exactly midnight, the chants started from the goblins. The time travelers were in the middle of the ritual chamber while ten goblins stood around chanting. Almost all of the goblins there were elderly, and that surprised Harry to some extent. But they also had heard that these goblins were widowers and had retired from working, in most cases.
As the chant continued to pick up the pace, Harry and Daphne felt the stirring Ancient Magic. Both shivered unconsciously at the feeling of the powerful form of magic. It was more powerful than they had ever felt before, and it was ancient magic for sure.
Right as Harry opened his eyes to look, he felt the magic increase dramatically and then he knew no more.
When Harry opened his eyes, he noted they were in Gringotts. That's all he knew about it right now. He felt that his clothes had been removed, and, upon opening his eyes, he saw the outline of another bed beside him. There was a human-sized lump in the bed.
He reached over and picked up his glasses, putting them on his face. Blinking his eyes to clear his vision, he saw that his clothes were on a dresser. Worrying about his money and belongings, he opened the drawer beside the bed and was relieved to find his trunks and wand were in the drawer beside the bed.
"How are you doing, Mr. Potter," a goblin asked.
"How do you…"
"Mr. Potter, you are a Gringotts Customer, and we found the letter that was sent to our Director from the Future Director. The Director and the Deputy Director already have the letter and we know who you are."
"I see," Harry said. "Can you tell me the date and time?"
"It is August 1st, 1986."
"Good," Harry said. "It means we went back a bit farther than we planned."
The goblin spoke again.
"Mr. Potter, just to let you know, I am Manager Goldhook, and I will be assigned to take care of you and Miss Greengrass. First, I will need for you to fill out the paperwork on your new vault and the investments that the future director indicated you would like to make."
Harry nodded and sat up.
"What name will I need to put it under?"
"You should place it under your real name and your legal alternate identity," the goblin said. "I have taken the liberty of having your particulars filled in on the forms, and all I need is for you to review the forms carefully and then approve them with your signature. I will also need a magical signature and a drop of your blood for our records."
"Shouldn't you have it already?"
"We need a drop of blood for each vault opened," the goblin said. "This is how we are able to ensure only the true heirs of an account may claim them if there are no named heirs. At least before the Ministry and Gringotts are legally allowed to claim them."
"I see," Harry said.
The teen spent the next hour going over the forms and signing them. Daphne had awakened during this and she added her signatures and blood sample to the pages. Once that was done, Goldhook took the four trunks full of gold and went to place them in the vault and make investments out of two of the trunks.
"Harry?"
"Yeah Daphne?"
"When are we going to get trained?"
"I will explain that right now," Ragnok said, as he appeared. "It seems that you know me from the future and I assisted you in traveling. Am I correct?"
"You are, sir," Harry said.
"Good. I know the letter you had with you is correct, as only the current Director of Gringotts has access to the seal. Your training will commence shortly, as we have made arrangements during your week regaining your magical strength.
"You will take a portkey to the Merlin School of Magic, located near the South Pole in Antarctica. From there, someone will meet you and take you to your dorm rooms. You have been registered as James and Rose Smith, a married couple, as your plans indicate."
"Thank you," Harry said. "You have made this much easier on us."
"Director," Daphne said. "Does the Ministry of Magic know we traveled in time?"
"No," Ragnok said. "They are not aware of it and we have kept it from them. We saw no need for them to know since your records have been entered into their files."
"I won't ask how you did that," Harry said.
Ragnok gave him a grin.
"And we goblins will not reveal one of our trade secrets."
"What of our investments?"
"They will be made before the week is out," the goblin said. "And you will leave for the Academy in a week. This will give us time to indoctrinate you into the current times, though I am aware that you may have studied the events so you are familiar with them."
"That is correct," Harry said. "We did what we could to study before traveling back."
"Good," Ragnok said.
A week later, the couple was in Antarctica. Upon landing on his feet after the long portkey ride, Harry looked around to find there was a woman about forty years old waiting on them. She had a disarming smile, but something about her made Harry wary of her. She was a powerful witch and she seemed like someone one would not want to mess with.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Smith," the woman said. "I am Deputy Headmistress Jennifer Whiting. I teach Combat Magic."
Harry nodded and it made sense to him now.
"It's nice to meet you, Professor," Harry said, offering his hand. "Please call me James."
"And please call me Rose," Daphne said, giving the woman a winning smile. "We really appreciate you coming to escort us to the school."
"It is nothing," the woman replied, with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "Please follow me, and we will get your paperwork completed and arrange for your aptitude and knowledge testing to place you at the proper level in classes. We can talk while we walk."
The woman led them toward her office, where they would complete the paperwork.
"I understand the two of you have been educated at Hogwarts."
"We have," Daphne said.
"What electives did you take there?"
"I took Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy," Daphne said.
"And I took Divination and Care of Magical Creatures."
"I see," the woman said, giving Harry a strange look. "Unfortunately, our Divination Program requires that you be a certified seer. I don't see any chance of you entering the class without being a seer."
"I understand," Harry said. "I made a mistake in the taking the class, but I didn't think there was a way that I could change classes in the middle of a year."
"That would have been hard to do," the Headmistress said, agreeing with Harry's reasons. "However, we must test you in all core areas of magic. Here, we consider that to be Charms, Transfiguration, potions, Herbology, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Defensive Magic, Basic Offensive Magic, Magical Creatures, and Non-magical cultures. No one takes electives until are entering their sixth year, much like the two of you will be doing."
"What electives do you offer?"
"The electives an individual may be offered depends on his or her examination scores and/or aptitude in an area. If your exam scores are acceptable and you show an aptitude in a particular area for an elective, then you will be allowed into the elective. Coming from Hogwarts, we will, more likely than not, have to test you extensively and then you will be required to enroll in remedial classes until you can prove that you know the material we require."
"Does that always happen?" Daphne questioned the woman.
"Not always. Sometimes we get great students from Hogwarts who have taken it upon themselves to study certain subjects to meet the criteria. If you pass enough subjects, then you are allowed into the Advanced Courses in those subjects, and the electives that require those subjects as prerequisites. For your assistance, we offer course suggestions for various occupations and we will discuss those after we get your exam scores back."
"How long will that take," Harry asked.
"It will take no more than a day after you take your last exam. Most of the exams are easy to grade magically, and the rest of the scores are from the examiner's notes on your performance in the practical portions of the exams.
"We do also require that you submit to a magic ability test so that we can find those who need extra training to protect themselves and others. The test results are confidential, and only your advisor, and, if necessary, appropriate instructors, myself, and the Headmaster will be allowed to see your test results. This is to protect any family gifts that you do not wish for anyone else to find out you have."
A week of exams later and both Harry and Daphne were exhausted. The exams were comprehensive, and none of them had thought that they would have to show so much knowledge of magic in such a short period of time. The Deputy Headmistress smiled at them knowingly as she took them to speak of their results.
Since they were a married couple to the school, they could be counseled together and have their scores and family magic revealed at the same time as well.
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I'm sure that you realize that our exams are much more comprehensive than anything you can see at Hogwarts. Our students, to enter into the Advanced Curriculum, must be able to take and pass what most schools will call the graduation exams, or NEWTs."
"So we essentially took our NEWTs in our core subjects," Harry asked.
"Yes, Mr. Smith," the woman said. "That is correct. And now, I would like for you to show your abilities. All it takes is for you to place three drops of blood on this parchment."
"This looks like goblin magic," Harry said, examining the parchment with his naked eye. "It feels that way as well."
Professor Whiting looked at Harry critically. If she was right, he was exhibiting signs of being a mage diviner, or someone who can use mage sense to test for magic.
The two quickly placed their blood on the parchment after the professor confirmed it was goblin magic.
"Now, while this test is working, I want to go over your scores. You are graded on a percentage scale with a grade of 100 being the highest. The passing grades are considered to be at 60 percent, or a D, like the grading scales most primary schools use. I'm sure you are familiar with them?"
"Yes," Harry said.
"Me too," Daphne replied.
"What you may not know is that we use a variation on this exam for graduation. If you cannot get seventy five percent or higher on this exam, then you will not be allowed to receive graduation credit in the relevant courses."
"So you're saying that these are the same exams used for the graduation tests?"
"Yes," The woman said. "The exam scores are broken up into individual sub-areas of the appropriate disciplines and those scores decide what courses you are allowed to enter. To enter into the Advanced Studies of a general subject area such as charms, you must score at least 60 percent in all areas, with at least two areas with grades of 75 percent or greater. Those who enter general studies of a subject are those who tend to go on to receive Mastery Certification in those subjects and are often those who can teach. To enter into the regular level of a subject, you must score 60 percent or higher on each individual part of the exam and at least one supporting exam.
"Overall, you must score 60 percent or higher to pass into eligibility for entrance into any elective requiring this subject as a prerequisite, with 70 percent or higher suggested."
"What are my scores," Harry asked.
"This is quite interesting, Mr. Smith. You scored 90 percent in both Defensive Magic and Offensive Magic. You scored 80 percent in warding. Your other overall scores are above 70 percent with the exception of potions, Herbology, and Magical Creatures. You did manage to pass each exam at the 60 percent level."
Harry looked at his grade sheet, which contained the breakdown of each exam. He had aced the Combat Magic section, and there was a list of suggested courses.
"Are these the courses I am eligible for?"
"These are the courses you qualify for and are suggested by your examiners. Please wait a few moments before we discuss this, as I would like to discuss your wife's scores."
Daphne had scored well. She had passed everything, but her best subjects were Herbology and Potions, which wasn't surprising since the Greengrass Family tended to produce potions masters and owned a series of apothecaries around Europe. It would make sense that she did well in the subjects that are closely related to potions. Just like it would make sense Harry did well in Combat Magic and Warding, both areas where the Potters did better than most.
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I think we should examine your ability tests to see what other courses I would recommend for you. If you have ability in an area, then your grade requirements are usually a bit lower to be allowed into a class. But everyone who enters a class will be required to maintain grades at least 70% or higher on examinations and assignments to remain in the course. If you fail out of a co-requisite, then you will be removed from the other class unless you are averaging 90 percent or higher. But that will be difficult to do for the most part, and rarely, if ever, do we allow someone to remain in a co-requisite course of study."
The woman stopped to read the sheets of parchment.
"I'm surprised, Mr. Smith. You have a couple of rare abilities."
"What kind of abilities," Daphne asked, curious.
"Usually, I can't read this out loud with another person. But since you are married, it is assumed that you share secrets."
"That's correct," Daphne said.
Harry nodded his agreement.
"Good. I thought so. Mr. Smith, your special abilities are Mage Sense and a limited Metamorphmagus ability. Both are very rare abilities. Are you aware of those?"
Harry nodded.
"I have been using the Metamorphmagus abilities for my entire life," Harry said. "Someone locked me in an alternate form, and I was able to get the spell released when I was twelve to allow me to train and use the ability."
"I see," the woman said. "You have affinities for Combat Magic and Warding."
Harry nodded. He had known this because it was easier for him to learn magic in those areas.
"Mrs. Smith, you only have one ability: natural healing. Were you aware of that?"
"No I wasn't," Daphne said. "My parents did start to train me in healing before their unfortunate passing."
"I'm sorry to hear that your parents passed on," the woman said, sincerely.
"Thank you," Daphne said.
"As for your affinities, you have an affinity for healing magic and for potions."
"What does an affinity do," Harry asked. "Does it mean that you can't learn other things?"
"No, Mr. Smith, it does not. An affinity shows that you can learn and use magic in this area much easier than the average witch or wizard. Some can learn a lot of magic naturally, but they may have a hard time thinking outside of the box, or suggested uses. For instance, with your affinity for combat magic, you would most likely be able to quickly decide on how to use, say, a healing spell as a way to incapacitate an opponent on the field of battle. I can do that myself, and I have an affinity for Combat Magic, just as you do."
"What classes should we take?"
The rest of the meeting took quite a while. They discussed the benefits for taking each class. The deal was sealed when the Professor mentioned that they could teach each other later on after they graduated to ensure that the other was able to learn. And that would help them select diverse classes.
Harry would take Advanced Defensive Magic, Advanced Combat Magic, Advanced Warding, Advanced Runes, Advanced Enchantment, Advanced Charms, Regular Curse-breaking, Regular Arithmancy, and Regular Transfiguration. Daphne would take Advanced Potions, Advanced Herbology, Advanced Healing, Regular Combat Magic, Regular Charms, Regular Warding, Regular Curse-breaking, Regular Arithmancy, and Regular Transfiguration.
Each could choose up to six Advanced and three regular courses, or up to nine regular courses. Those classes were selected to complement their abilities and help them prepare for life. Harry had chosen to take Advanced Enchantment when he had scored high on Charms and Runes and the relevant permanent enchanting sections. It wasn't because he had an affinity for the area, but because he understood it well.
They also found out that the Healing, Combat Magic, Defensive Magic, Warding, and Curse-breaking courses included relevant material on what was generally called Dark Magic.
In general, the Advanced Courses covered all of the material of the regular course in the first year, and the second year was dedicated to Advanced Training toward Mastery Certification in the subject areas.
After they had their courses selected, the couple went to get their required textbooks from the school's general store. Each course had a set of required references they had to purchase, and many of the references were the same.
To get the books, all they had to do was to show the clerk in the general store their list, and the clerk would retrieve all of the required books and supplies. Both shelled out nearly a thousand galleons for all of the books and supplies they would need for the next two years. Thankfully, the books would last them for the entire two years of the Study Programs.
At least they knew the money would be worth it. It would provide them with a world-class education, and they would be above the other Hogwarts students in the subjects that Hogwarts taught. It would give them more time for advanced study outside of the Hogwarts curriculum when they got that far.