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HERE WE GO AGAIN
🕑 Added 2023-01-23 17:53:06 +0000 UTCChapter 11- Don’t kiss and tell
“I don’t feel like I can watch anymore,” Daphne muttered as they gathered around the Pensieve. He was asleep and they didn’t have the heart to wake him up. After last night, they had no intention to wake the boy up. He slept like a baby under the watchful eyes of the others until midnight when they decided to retire for the night.
“Neither can we, my dear. But we are to be a part of his life going forward. We need to know everything that happened back in your time.” Dorea replied gently, though her heart was against her watching any further as well.
They were taken into the Pensieve and the memory began with Dumbledore returning to Privet Drive and taking him to meet Slughorn.
“Is that Horace Slughorn?” Dorea questioned surprised. “Never thought I would see the man live that long. He taught us potions and he is teaching you as well?”
“Yes. He had not changed a bit from the time he was teaching my parents. He tended to pick up star students to his ‘Slug Club.’ Always looking to make connections.” Daphne muttered, her memories of the man coming to the forefront.
“Slughorn was the quintessential Slytherin, my dear. A man of ambitions and a man of connections. There was no field into which Slughorn didn’t have his hand. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. Connections of the right sort go a long way and be a lot of help.” Daphne nodded. She had been drilled the same by her father. It was an essential part of being Slytherin.
That was precisely the point that Harry and Dumbledore capitalized on to get the man to come back and teach. Harry returned and this time, he went straight to the Weasleys.
The Potters noticed the change in dynamics between Harry and Ginny. He had begun to have feelings for the youngest Weasley girl. The Potters glanced towards Daphne every time they watched the interaction in the memory.
The way her eyes hardened slightly told the Potters all they needed to know. The girl was jealous. They had to hide their smiles, but she was too concentrated on the memory playing.
The holidays were pleasant, dimmed only by the fact that Voldemort was out in the open. The trip to Diagon Alley told them that. The streets were empty. Dorea, Charlus and Euphemia could never imagine a time when the busiest place in all of magical England would be this empty.
Returning to Hogwarts for the sixth year and Harry was already in trouble before he could even make it to the Great Hall and at Draco Malfoy’s hand. The boy was truly a trouble magnet.
Although the threat of Voldemort remained, Harry was free for the first time in a long time. He had come to terms with Sirius’s death. He had understood that Sirius would not want him to mourn him for long and though he could never forget the pain, he managed to soothe it to an extent. This year was different. He was doing well in his classes. He was playing Quidditch and had been made the captain of the Gryffindor team. For the first time in his schooling life, Harry Potter felt like a teenager, behaved like a teenager, thinking about Quidditch and girls and enjoying himself.
Dumbledore had taken it upon himself to train Harry. That came as a surprise to the group. Dumbledore had never taken it upon himself to teach him anything. He had known about a prophecy regarding a student and a Dark Lord and had never bothered to teach the young boy anything knowing all the while that he had to be the only one to face him down.
How can you expect a boy, barely 16 years old to face down a Dark Lord with a treasure of knowledge in destructive magic? Charlus hoped he would have been alive. He hoped Arcturus would have been alive or even Dorea for that matter. They would have made sure that Harry would have grown up to be the best wizard the Wizarding World would have seen. Such was his potential. Being able to hold yourself against a Dark lord in a battle of wills and escaping with barely any knowledge about how to fight, producing a corporeal patronus powerful enough to drive away hundred-odd dementors. It was not luck.
When they learnt of what the old coot was preparing to teach, their temper rose again. Knowing your enemy is important. It is a very important ability that will give you the edge in a fight, but for that, he needs to know how to fight in the first place. But Dumbledore decided that learning about the bastard was more than enough and Harry being the naive boy he is didn’t bother questioning the man.
They had the opportunity to see young Riddle. An orphan who grew up to be despised and troubled in his orphanage turned into a monster. The boy’s eyes at eleven years were filled with evil. They could see the cruelty oozing out of him. This boy was not an ordinary boy.
Charlus, Euphemia and Dorea were quick to compare the boy with Harry. They felt the need to compare the two of them even though they were loath to do so. It was strange how different the two of them turned out to be under the same conditions. The two boys were orphaned and abused at a very young age and yet, Harry turned out the way he did and Riddle turned out the way he did.
They could not ignore the fact that how close Harry was to having turned out a monster. It was a good thing to know that he stayed good. That was the difference between the two. A driven young man to prove himself lost in the lust for power and a young man who just wanted to be left alone and remain normal. A young man who turned out to be a monster and a young man who turned out to be a sweet and caring young man.
Learning about the creation of Horcruxes was shocking to the Potters. Daphne and Euphemia had no idea what it meant, but the same was not true for Dorea and Charlus. Dorea prided herself in possessing the vast knowledge of the Black family library and Horcruxes were mundane compared to some of the things she had read. The reason that the Horcrux was a bad idea, was because you can hide it in the most common places and if you have no idea what you are looking for, you will never find it. Adding to the fact that Horcruxes were extremely painful to endure creating one and had side effects that were not recorded. What she did know, was that the person would never be the same after he created a Horcrux.
Charlus had an enviable collection of knowledge in the Potter Manor and Horcrux was something he had learnt when he was around Harry’s age. He was disgusted by the mere thought of reading it let alone using magic like it. The Potters were a warrior family, but they were not people who killed for greed. They killed to protect their lands. They killed to protect their country. The very idea of creating a Horcrux was everything that the Potters stood against.
Learning he made a Horcrux, even to a man who was a war hero and has killed numerous enemies. Charlus would never hesitate to kill. He was renowned for his abilities with a wand. But murdering people in cold blood and tearing your soul was cruel beyond anything.
Dumbledore made this a training session. He would call in Harry. Show a memory and at the end of it, ask if he had made any progress in getting the information out of Slughorn regarding this particular issue that the man was hiding from them. It was a vital one according to Dumbledore.
Apart from that, Harry had what he always asked for. A normal year. It was surprisingly normal and nothing like the chaos they had seen the years before. But it was Harry Potter they were talking about. He would be in the mix for something in no time.
He was convinced that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater for some reason, and although his friends didn’t believe it he insisted upon that. He was sure of that and his reasons had merit, but none were ready to accept the fact that a boy of sixteen would be a death eater. Even Lupin, Arthur Weasley and many of the elders didn’t believe the boy to be so.
The school continued as it should, with Harry trying to find out anything possible from Slughorn who seemed to be avoiding the boy as much as possible. He would change the subject as soon as the topic was broached. He was very much interested to get the boy into his group of connections. The attempts to have the boy in his favour were blatant. But all that would change after Harry began enquiring about Tom Riddle.
He was successful though. A stroke of liquid luck aided his purpose, but Harry was able to manipulate the fact that Tom Riddle had managed to create seven Horcruxes. Harry had destroyed one, the diary that had possessed Ginny Weasley. Dumbledore had then placed a burnt-down ring on the table and then had explained that he had got rid of the second Horcrux.
Time went on and Harry’s doubt in Draco Malfoy grew to an extent that he could not help but worry about what he was doing. The blonde ponce was not a danger of any sort, but at the same time, ignorance is dangerous. He always kept an eye on the boy.
Just when he came to the end of the year, Dumbledore called him to his office one night and told him that he had found a Horcrux and needed his help to go and retrieve it. Harry being the boy he was agreed without a second thought and the two of them apparated to a cave according to Dumbledore, Riddle had visited the cave and had tortured two of his friends. Dumbledore pointed out that Tom Riddle had a weird obsession with treasuring his memories and the Diray was a reminder of the things he did. The ring, because of his illustrious family. The fact that he had descended from Slytherin could be proven by the ring that Morfin Gaunt had gauded about.
How Dumbledore knew about this cave, he never knew, but they did make it to the cave after a lot of obstacles, which was understandable as they were dealing with a man who would not let his prized possession in this case, his soul. He had a blood barrier, a boat on top of a lake full of inferi and a basin full of what seemed like poison. At the bottom of the basin, is a locket.
Dumbledore offered to drink the poison and did so, screaming in agony and he had to be force-fed the potion. They picked up the locket and Dumbledore was in serious pain. He somehow led Harry away from the cave and escaped back to Hogwarts only to know that the castle was being attacked with the help of Draco Malfoy and a vanishing cabinet through which Death Eaters were brought in.
The fight was underway, but Draco Malfoy was in the Headmaster’s office where he confessed to being a Death Eater and that he was tasked with killing the Headmaster and that he was already initiated. Dumbledore had hidden Harry away and had frozen him behind the door rendering the boy powerless to do anything. But Dumbledore seemed to be playing the young Slytherin. He had the boy confess that he was not a killer and he had no choice but to kill him if his parents were to be alive.
The next thing Harry knew, Snape and a few more Death Eaters made their way into the room and despite Dumbledore’s plea for help, Snape fired the killing curse at the aged man and killed Albus Dumbledore.
The Potters were deposited back into the room as the memory finished. Once again, Harry’s face had been unbearable to see as he knelt on the ground and corrected the man’s glasses and beard, he completely broke down having lost his mentor. A man who had guided him through his years at Hogwarts and helped him overcome all the obstacles that he faced in his years as a student.
“Dumbledore is gone. The school is now an open field ready to be taken. Whatever might be the opinion of Dumbledore, that school was impenetrable because of him. None would dare to think of bringing trouble to Hogwarts with the aged man there, but now, the school was an open playground.” Charlus muttered looking at Daphne.
Daphne’s eyes became haunted as she seemed to be lost in thought. The Potters saw the young woman shiver slightly as she kept reminiscing the events that took place back in her time.
“Those days. I will never forget those days in my life. As much as silly he seemed, Dumbledore kept that place intact. He kept the place safe. The moment he fell, everything went south. The castle lost its strength and Death eaters didn’t take long to take control. McGonagall who was supposed to be the Headmistress was overthrown and Snape was made the Headmaster. The Carrow twins were made the Defense and Muggle Studies teacher and all the students were made to attend the school. They could not give out any excuses.
The muggle-borns escaped. They didn’t return. But the half-bloods had to and those that were coined as blood traitors had to. It was hell. Although we Slytherins were left alone, the castle was so tense that I found it difficult to breathe. It was very uncomfortable, especially for those who wanted to stay out of this mess. Me and my sister for instance.” Her voice was haunted.
“Let us take a break.” Dorea immediately said as she placed an arm around the girl’s shoulders in comfort. “Don’t talk about it. Come, we will get some fresh air.” She reassured the young woman and gently began leading her from the room.
BREAK-
“You did good, Ms Black.” Poppy Pomfrey praised as she finished wrapping bandages to a first-year’s arm after the young boy had to fall on the staircase missing the trick step entirely. She waved her wand and finished the process cleanly turning back to face her teacher.
“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey.” Narcissa smiled. It was going very well. She loved every minute of training with the woman and she was glad that she chose it. Healing was a noble profession. One that is highly respected and very difficult. She had always wanted to be a healer. Her name provided the liberty that not even a lot of pureblood families could afford, but despite that, she had followed in the footsteps of her Great Aunt Dorea, who had been a healer.
Putting the pain of those who were injured to rest gave Narcissa a sense of satisfaction. A feeling of joy. In the medical wing, she felt that she was the most powerful woman in the world.
“I think that is all for today, Ms Black. You can get back to your common room.” Pomfrey instructed and Narcissa straightened her robes before walking out of the infirmary. She had to get to her transfiguration assignment. McGonagall would kill her if she didn’t hand it over tomorrow.
“Narcissa?” She had to stifle a groan at the interference. “Lucius.” She kept her voice curt and disinterested. “What can I do for you?”
The boy smirked confidently as he stepped closer to the girl. “I needed to apologize, Narcissa. What I did, was not manly. I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I need you to forgive me and I need to hear you say it.” Lucius Malfoy apologised with a bow.
Narcissa was tried on her feet. She had been very busy having done a lot of work in the hospital wing and she had a ton of assignments to complete. She didn’t need the added headache of this idiot after her.
“It is fine, Lucius. But please treat a woman with respect. We are human beings aren’t we?” Narcissa questioned, and her question was heartfelt. She wanted to know what the man’s answer would be.
She was sure that the man’s face took on a grimace for a moment, but it left as soon as it had come. “Of course, Narcissa.” He muttered.
Narcissa turned around to leave, but she heard him call her again.
“I had to ask something, Narcissa,” Lucius said as she turned around again.
“You have known for a while that I am mad about you. I have been taken with your beauty for a while and I had tried to make my intentions known to you, though I fear that I did not go about it in the right way.” His tone was genuine and so was his regret.
“Please go out with me,” Lucius asked with a smile. “I promise you that you won’t regret it.” He said, waiting for a reply from the girl. “If it goes well, we can broker a marriage contract with our two families.” He rambled on. “With my standing in the Wizarding World added to the influence your name brings to the mix, we will be the most respected couple in Wizarding history. The Black family standing would only increase in wealth and influence with our union.”
Narcissa couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped her. How could she not laugh at the gall of the git who dared to compare his family standings with his? She was a Black. A damn Black. She had to hear this from the likes of a Malfoy? She didn’t think so.
“Standing?” She barely held back a snort. “Your family name would rise the standards of mine?” She questioned mockingly. “Your family might throw around money and get yourselves into positions that they are not allowed at, but don’t ever say that you have any kind of standing in Wizarding England. And you have the gall to compare your family to the Blacks?”
“Just because you throw around pocket change around the Wizengamot and the Ministry, doesn’t mean that you have any standing at all. My family would crush you by the time you wake up in the morning.” She sneered glaring at the young man whose face had gone red in anger.
“My father…” He began only to be cut off. “Will do nothing and can do nothing. Remember your place, Lucius Malfoy. I am rejecting you because you are a pig. A man who thinks he can have his way around just because your father has managed to trap a few families in his bag. You will never have me, Malfoy. Make sure to ingrain that in that thick head of yours.” She turned to leave.
“Is it because of him?” She paused in her stride at the retort. “It is because of that Potter, isn’t it?” He snarked. “You think that he would marry you when he already would be having several offers, not to mention the girl that is already staying with him? Father mentioned that Blackwood girl. I heard that they are very close too. Do you think he would marry somebody younger than him? A girl he has no knowledge about and has not spent time with?” He questioned.
“I have known you for seven years, Narcissa. We have seen each other at various balls and events and our fathers are good friends. Who is he to you? You didn’t know him until a month or two ago and all of a sudden, you dream of marrying him?”
Narcissa froze in her spot at the words that Lucius spoke. She turned back and gave an icy stare that had the boy take a few steps back. Without another word, she turned on her heel and quickly walked back to her common room before slamming her door shut. The Slytherins were provided separate rooms to each of them and she wanted to be alone right now.
Her thoughts reverted to Malfoy’s words. She would not have given them an iota of thought if not for the fact that his words did make her insecure. Is this just attraction or was it something more? What did she expect from Harry? Was it love? Yes. She was clear from the moment she had begun to know him better, but marriage?
Yes. She was clear. Whatever Lucius Malfoy said didn’t matter. She would get all the answers herself Lucius can go and rant it to his father or any idiot who would listen to him. She had better things to do than to distract herself from his useless questions.
BREAK-
Harry had observed the mood the rest of the house was in and slipped away from the manor after a small breakfast. He would let them watch the memories. He would not want to watch them again and he certainly had no intention to sit idly back home. He wondered what he would do until he received a letter from Narcissa.
Harry,
I have a few things to talk to you about. Can you come to Grimmauld Place?
Cissa
“Wonder what that was about?” Harry muttered to nobody before glancing once towards the manor and disappearing with a pop. He appeared in front of Grimmauld and this was the first time that he noticed the London of the old. The London of his time was very much different. The capital had developed considerably.
He approached the front doors and knocked on the door. He was let in by Kreacher.
“Harry?” The first to greet him was Melania who had arrived as soon as he came inside.
“Mrs Black.” Harry smiled warmly as he placed a chaste kiss on the woman’s cheek.
“None of that.” She chided lightly. “Melania.” He backtracked, his hands raised in the air.
“Hmm.” She nodded, a smug look decorating her face. “That’s better. You seem like a glutton for punishment. Why do you do that when you know there is no winning us?” She teased as the two chuckled.
“Well, I never learn.” He shrugged laughing along with the woman. “Narcissa wrote to me. What is she doing here by the way? Shouldn’t she be in Hogwarts?” He received a nod.
“I have no idea what she is doing here, but she did say that she wanted to speak to you. I assume you know where she will be?” Harry nodded. He had been shown her room on his first visit here. He excused himself from the woman and climbed the stairs. He knocked on the door when he reached his destination and he was greeted by the young woman who had asked for his presence.
“Hey.” He whispered smiling at the young woman who reciprocated his actions. He was invited inside and he followed Narcissa before sitting down on the chair near her study.
“What are you doing here?” He asked his eyes softening slightly as the girl smiled brightly.
“I had something to talk about.” She shrugged. “Anything serious?” She shook her head.
“Lucius Malfoy talked to me again, today.” She had to hide a smirk of satisfaction when his eyes hardened. She had expected this reaction and she was happy to receive that reaction.
“If he has misbehaved with you, I will bury him alive.” He growled and Narcissa placed a hand on his arm, shaking her head.
“He didn’t misbehave, but he apologised for what he did the last time and then asked me out on a date.” His posture had gone stiff and there was no discernable change in his expression.
“And then he had the gall to suggest a marriage contract between us stating that his family name would help improve the Black family.” She snorted.
He sighed softly as he leaned back in his seat. “You need not worry about that, Narcissa. You know that I will never allow any prospect of marriage without your approval. That is entirely your decision.” Harry assured. He had promised her that. He would never take away her choice of a partner. He would not like to see Narcissa waste away her life like how it was where he came from.
“Thank you.” She whispered squeezing his arm gently. “You don’t have to thank me, Narcissa,” Harry muttered with a shake of his head. “That is your right and it is my job to make sure that you are happy. Nobody in this house would say otherwise if they know what is good for them.”
His tone was plain, but she understood the threat between his words.
“How is your training with Madame Pomfrey coming along?” Harry questioned, now that the issue had been put to rest. Narcissa began talking about her training regimen with the experienced matron.
The two spent around an hour talking about her classes, with Harry enjoying the time the two spent together. The two of them walked out of the room when Narcissa pointed out that she had to return to Hogwarts and get her Transfiguration work done.
“Well, guess I will see you soon then,” Harry said when they were at the bottom of the staircase as she prepared to leave. “If there is anything you wanted to talk about, write to me and tell the others to do so. And make sure that James and Sirius behave.” He pointed it out so she would convey his message to the two troublemakers.
“Shall we?” He asked and turned around to leave when she pulled him back all of a sudden and pinned him to the wall and before he could think, he felt the feel of her soft lips on his. Harry’s protest died as quickly as he lost himself in the sensation of bliss, his hands grabbing her by her hips and his lips moving in sync with hers. He never knew how long it was. Maybe a second, a dozen seconds, or maybe more, but when they let go so that they could breathe, he was taken back to all the wonderful memories of the woman in his arms from his time. She is younger than she was. Considerably. But this kiss reminded him of Narcissa. The very sensation screamed Narcissa. She was very much the same person as she is different.
He stared into her eyes, the familiar blue orbs gazing at him with nervousness, her cheeks flushed and her breathing quick. He had forgotten just how beautiful she was. Up close, in his arms, she looked more beautiful than ever. This was not lust. This was not mere attraction, what he felt. He knew those feelings. The lust and love they had developed for each other never felt this way. This was…wow.
He pushed her chin up slightly and then kissed her once again and this time, her response was as enthusiastic as before, but he could sense the relief in her body.
The next thing that he heard, was a loud cough and he immediately broke the kiss turning to the sound. His face burned brightly as he regarded the faces of Melania, Arcturus, Druella, Walburga and Orion. He pushed the girl away gently and stood up straight, straightening his robes, with Narcissa doing the same.
He could see the shock on their faces. He was about to speak something when Narcissa decided to walk away, kissing her mother and grandmother on their cheek and left, not before turning back and winking at him.
‘That minx.’ He groaned as he understood what she did right now. She had left him to face the awkwardness and had walked away although she was the instigator.
‘Women are trouble.’ He sighed as he was met with five expectant faces waiting for an answer.
TBC—---------
