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  This chapter was edited by Gdiusx. Check his works on HP and ASOIAF, I highly recommend them.

  “This was fun, boys. Thank you for your generous donations, and I shall see you next term.”

  Harry sauntered away from the Gobstones pit, all the while ignoring the dozen or so boys vowing to never py with him again and cursing Seamus for inviting him over. Bets were eagerly pced once he had revealed he had never pyed the game before. It was true, but if they thought they could beat him in a game of skills, then they were sorely mistaken. He chuckled as he bounced the cool sack of coins worth about twenty Galleons in his hand.

  Neville hurried to join him as they made their way back to Lounge Four. “Bloody hell, Harry. That was brilliant!”

  “Thanks, Nev. It was too bad no one dared to bet against me after I bankrupted Goldstein. Heh, guess he wasn’t a happy camper this time.”

  They chuckled as they opened the door to their lounge, only to freeze in shock at the sight in front of them and the noise that came out of what Harry realised were sound-dampening wards. Daphne was dancing on the table dressed only in green lingerie?! A bottle of Dragon Scale was loosely gripped in one hand while she waved her shirt with the other.

  There was a radio pying a band of some kind, while Susan and Hannah were singing along to Daphne’s erratic moves, both of them holding on to each other with tipsy faces, and their shirts half unbuttoned. Harry gazed bnkly at Susan’s assets before shaking his head and finding Tracey and Hermione colpsed next to each other, their cheeks red and their breaths stinking of booze. Astoria and Luna were nowhere to be found.

  Quickly closing the door and retreating a few steps with Neville, Harry turned to the hyperventiting boy, who was blushing like mad. Before either of them could formute a word, a voice came from behind them.

  “Oh, hello, Harry and Neville. I see you have returned.” They turned at Luna’s serene voice to find her supporting a tipsy-looking Astoria.

  “What the hell happened here? How could they have a drinking party without me?” Harry was beyond incensed; Do they have any idea how difficult it was for him to sneak back into Hagrid’s before breakfast and convince the hungover giant to trade away some of his mead? He had to recall Dobby to smuggle it out, damn it.

  “Well, the lounges do provide alcoholic drinks, but only for third years and above. Since the room was originally reserved by Daphne’s older cousin, drinks were served to whoever could afford it.” Luna’s calm and serene voice betrayed how her eyes were slightly dited, yet she was sober and fit enough to stand on her feet. Apparently, even the fairy-like girl imbibed some booze, and considering how her smile looked a bit more real, she definitely enjoyed it.

  Harry groaned at the weirdness of the situation, before noticing the girl was struggling a little with her friend’s weight. “Here, let me take her from you.” A sense of déjà vu struck him once Astoria was in his arms, “Let’s go sit in the common room. I like getting drunk, but I don’t like dealing with drunk people.”

  Neville chuckled awkwardly, while Luna just smiled and pulled out her Quibbler. Together, they found an empty couch by the window, and Harry set the girl on one side to sleep off whatever she had drunk while Luna spoke to him about her Dad’s magazine. Apparently, her father was pnning to have her help with the editing and tentatively asked him if he wouldn’t mind giving an interview in the future.

  Naturally, Harry readily agreed, much to the girl’s happiness. It would be useful to have an outlet if he ever needed to spread a narrative or just counter anything negative the Daily Prophet may say about him. The newspaper was clearly on his side for now, but having more connections and avenues never hurt.

  Sooner than he desired, the view from the window changed from farmnds to towns until they found themselves inside London. Astoria had chosen this time to wake up.

  “Are we home yet?

  .

  .

  .

  “Thank you for helping my daughter, Mr Potter.” The cool and melodic voice of the beautiful and mature woman before him woke him from his stupor. Bloody hell, the woman looked nothing like her daughters! With her pale blonde hair, bright purple eyes, and overall ethereal beauty, Estelle Greengrass was a cssical Valyrian beauty who certainly did not at all look her age of sixty-seven.

  They were on ptform nine-and-three-quarters, and Harry had just got off the train with Astoria, Neville, and Luna. Neville was quickly collected by an old, and formidable-looking woman who introduced herself as Augusta Longbottom but didn’t stay long for courtesies before taking her grandson away. The boy did warn them about this, as they had a portkey to catch for Malta to attend some sort of outing with his great uncle Algie, but promised to be back by the end of the week.

  As for the rest of their friends, after checking on them and finding them all asleep in various states of undress, they decided not to even bother and sought an adult’s help on the matter. Astoria had quickly waved down her parents, a tall handsome bck-haired man with ughing green eyes that looked just like the younger girl, who immediately swept her in his arms the moment they saw him. Beside him was a beautiful blonde but short woman with calcuting brown eyes who introduced herself as Tracey’s mother, Mary Davis.

  Finally, was the woman he was speaking to. Harry had found himself alone with her while Mr Greengrass and his second wife hurried onboard once they expined the situation. To say that they were unamused, would be an understatement. The Greengrass patriarch, Apollo Greengrass, had greeted him briefly before heading inside the train once they mentioned the incapacitated state of his daughters.

  “You are very welcome, Mrs Greengrass. Astoria has become a good friend of mine, and naturally, I will help her, if I can.” The girl in question was on the side saying final farewells to Luna, who was clinging to an eccentric-looking wizard with shoulder-length white hair that could only be her father. Harry also waved at Luna when he caught her eyes before she and her father left the ptform.

  “I would love to invite you over for dinner, so we may discuss further what you could do to help my dear Astoria.” He turned to Mrs Greengrass and nodded genially.

  “An excellent idea, I will send Hedwig over with a letter once I’m settled.” At the mention of her name, the snowy owl nded on his shoulder and nibbled his ear. She had arrived safely in the city hours ago and had been patiently waiting for him, perched on one of the nearby rooftops.

  “My, such a beautiful owl.” He had to hold a chuckle at Hedwig’s preening. “I will certainly look forward to you visiting then. I hope Apollo would hurry with my two daughters, though.” Harry was not sure if she purposely called Tracey her daughter for his sake, or if she truly did love her so much she considered her one of her own. He was leaning towards the tter, as Tracey herself had nothing but praise when speaking of her second mother.

  Edmund Bones suddenly hopped out of the train and called for a blonde man in his te teens, whom Harry learned was Susan’s oldest brother Edwin. Harry had sought the headboy out once the train stopped and expined the situation, the boy having an exasperated look before thanking him. Both brothers, who were of middling height, entered the train with a woman with light-brown hair who was probably Hannah’s mom. She had greeted him shortly and asked him to wait a few minutes while she collected her daughter, and Harry obliged, as he needed her to get to the Leaky Cauldron.

  They continued to engage in small talk, while they waited. Cassius Warrington had briefly come by to greet his aunt before he was swept away by his parents. Harry had learned that the Greengrass matriarch was an accomplished enchantress, which brought up something he had wondered about.

  “Enchanting Goblin-Wrought Silver?” The older woman blinked. “I will admit, I have not expected such a request, but certainly. I have experience working the metal, even reforging it, though I do not know how it was made.”

  Harry smiled at the older woman, “The goblins keep the secrets to it very closely, I hear.”

  “You have heard correctly, although I do detect a hint of hostility for the creatures from your tone.” Mrs Greengrass smiled warmly at him, causing him to slightly blush.

  “Let’s just say… we’ve had our disagreements.” Harry scratched his head awkwardly, “I have a sword in my possession that needs to be worked on. I wondered if you could help me with that when I visit to help Astoria?” It was hardly subtle, but he was pretty sure the woman had no reason, nor could she afford, to deny him.

  “For certain, but perhaps that would be something to discuss after our promised dinner.” The woman gave him an indulgent smile before turning to the train, where Mrs Davis had her wand out and levitated Hermione while holding a groggy Tracey by the elbow.

  Harry looked around, noticing that the ptform was thinning and there were only a few more people waiting for their children. One of them was a familiar blonde woman who had just collected her son and turned to him, trying to catch his eye. Narcissa Malfoy beckoned for him to speak, much to Draco’s horrified confusion.

  Noticing that Estelle had her eyes on Tracey’s mother, Harry excused himself and walked to the Malfoy duo. Astoria followed him out of curiosity, but he ignored her for now, although Hedwig had got bored and flew off to perch on the post clock. “Mrs Malfoy, a pleasure to see you again, and I hope you have been well since we st met.”

  “I’ve had better days, but through no fault of your own, Mr Potter.” The woman looked as elegant as he remembered, yet there was a heavy air of sombreness on her. As if she had a massive weight on her shoulders, but clearly she was not one to show weakness, as her head was held high, and a hint of defiance was evident on her brow.

  She presented her hand and Harry gently grabbed it before pcing a kiss on her knuckles.

  It was a heroic effort to stifle his ugh at Draco’s fbbergasted look, but he did manage to remain properly courteous. Astoria had no such qualms as she giggled from the sidelines and stuck out her tongue when the boy gred at her.

  “I do not wish to take more of your valuable time.” He began as he let go of her soft hands while forcing his eyes not to greedily roam over her womanly figure. His mind was soon filled by a slew of curses at his raging hormones as he tried his very best not to appear like a fool before the elegant woman. “Obviously, you must have pns with Draco tonight, but I hope we are still meeting in the morning?”

  “What the bloo–”

  “Silence, Draco. Go say your farewells to your friend, she clearly has something to say to you.”

  “Yeah, come here, Draco.” Astoria's lips widened into her usual mischievous grin with arms open invitingly. “Come give your friend a hug. I promise not to bite, and you won’t even have to duel me.”

  “Why you-”

  “Draco.” It was funny seeing the blonde ponce getting verbally spanked for once, and Narcissa Malfoy clearly knew how to handle her son. Just one word, while not even breaking eye contact with him, and he was quiet as a ghost. On the other hand, Astoria had lost interest when the boy didn’t budge, and wandered to the train, trying to grab Hedwig’s attention. “Naturally, I am a woman of my word. I will meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at eight in the morning. We will have a long day ahead of us, and I hope you dress in your best, Mr Potter.”

  The woman did not look impressed as she checked his attire, and Harry had to bite his tongue to stop himself from blurting out that this was his best. He would need to figure something out before tomorrow or just make do with his school robes. Seven bloody buggering hells, he still had to wear something under the robes, though. “Understood, I wish you a good evening, then, Mrs Malfoy.”

  The woman nodded imperiously before grabbing her son and popping away with nary a sound.

  “Harry Potter?” He turned to the voice, finding Hannah’s mother supporting her daughter and holding an old wrench. “A pleasure to meet you, dear. I’m Charlotte Abbott.” The woman looked like a bigger, more mature version of her daughter, aside from the brown hair. Still, she was quite short – no taller than Susan’s brothers.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” he returned with a polite nod.

  “This portkey will take you to your room in the Leaky Cauldron. Just call out Leaky Eleven, and it will take you there. You know how it works?” Harry nodded, having read about methods of transportation as he researched apparation. He took the wrench, though he wondered why it didn’t activate when she said the activation word, only for her to tap it with her wand, causing it to glow blue. “It’s ready now, but just in case, remember to keep walking, and you won’t trip once you nd. I would have loved to talk more with you, my boy, but…” She emphasised her daughter’s limp form.

  “Oh, that’s okay, Mrs Abbott. Thank you so much for the help.” He waved farewell as the kindly woman dragged her daughter through the ptform’s exit. Harry headed back to his friends just in time to catch Hermione’s parents fussing over why she was so drowsy. A quick whiff of the air told him that any smell of liquor was gone from her, and a discreet gnce at Mrs Davis, harshly chastising her daughter while waving her wand, told him enough.

  “Mr Granger, Mrs Granger. A pleasure to meet you again.” He walked over to the muggle couple and expanded his senses to attempt to notice any difference in magic. While he could not sense magic, like the vaunted ability of Mage Sight he had read about while researching his transformation powers, he could still smell magic if he focused hard enough. Magic had a distinct smell to it from every magical he had met; Hermione, funnily enough, smelled like book parchment, and close by, he could smell Astoria’s magic that smelled like freshly mown grass, yet with a hint of something foul, possibly her curse.

  The couple were as muggle as they could get, however, smelling of nothing other than human. “Harry Potter, good to see you d. Any idea what’s wrong with Hermione?”

  “Oh, nothing to worry about at all, Mr Granger. I had convinced her to befriend some of the other girls in our year, and she was simply exhausted from the riveting conversations they had about the norms and nuances of magical society.” He waved the man’s worries away while smiling confidently at them. “Hermione was under the impression that books were the one all, be all for any knowledge of magic. Her new friends disassociated her from that misconception.” Or so he had gathered from Luna’s disjointed description and Astoria’s giggling.

  The couple looked rexed at his words, and they exchanged a few more pleasantries.

  Harry noticed something strange, however – they seemed too rexed and listened intently to whatever he said. The st time they met, they had treated him as a child. Now, however, they seemed to be almost submissive to anything he said. What the hell? Gncing at Hermione, she looked too out of it to notice anything, barely standing on her feet and leaning heavily on her father. Before long, he had managed to excuse himself to check on the rest of his friends. Harry watched the family of three leave the train station, shaking his head at the weird encounter. He turned in surprise at Hedwig’s chirping, finding her in Astoria’s outstretched arms, who giggled giddily as the owl nibbled her ear. Now, that was a first.

  Sounds of grunting had him turn back to the train carriage, where he found Edwin and his brother Edmund dragging Susan in tow. It was a bit of a strange sight as the two adult males had one of her arms over their shoulders due to how tall the girl was while levitating her trunk behind them. She dragged her feet and was still mumbling to some beat only she could hear, and Harry chuckled slightly.

  That chuckle was choked in his throat when the girl unexpectedly opened her completely lucid eyes and discreetly turned to him. She held his gaze for what felt like an eternity, but was probably a moment before she grinned. Susan licked her lips and gave him a smouldering leer that had his spine shiver before winking and pying drunk for her brothers to carry her.

  The two men were seemingly none the wiser, nodding to him as they passed him and disappeared through the barrier.

  Bloody hell, that girl was something else, Harry found himself gulping but couldn’t tell whether it was from wariness or… interest. He could feel Ghost pacing uneasily in his mind, agreeing with him that there was something queer with that girl, yet even the Direwolf’s vaunted senses were unsure if it was benign or malicious.

  He shook his head and rejoined Tracey once her mother was done rebuking her. “Did you get in too much trouble?”

  “Not really, mom was more upset that I drank to a stupor rather than staying lucid to glean anything of note.” The blonde-haired girl shrugged, “Not like there’s anything to learn other than Daphne has a surprisingly beautiful singing voice. She usually avoids singing, as she finds it embarrassing when we honestly enjoy it.”

  “What? Daphne? Embarrassed? I don’t believe it.”

  They chuckled while waiting for the eldest Greengrass daughter and her father to exit the carriage. Soon enough, they saw a trunk levitating out, which Mrs Davis caught with her wand, followed by Mr Greengrass holding an unconscious Daphne dressed haphazardly in her clothes. Harry focused on the girl and nodded; there was no doubt that she was completely out of it, unlike the red-haired Hufflepuff.

  “Mr Potter, sorry you had to witness such an unbecoming scene.” Mr Greengrass had handed his daughter over to her mother before approaching him with an extended hand that Harry shook firmly. “Apollo Greengrass and I believe I have a lot to thank you for what you have done for my daughters.”

  The Greengrass Lord was a tall man with the same bck hair he had passed down to his two daughters styled into a ponytail, yet he shared the exact shade of green eyes that all three of his daughters inherited. Like his namesake, Harry would admit that he was an incredibly handsome man who, despite pushing seventy, looked in his te twenties or early thirties. Even younger than regur wizards, and when he considered his wife Estelle was the same, he wondered if it was due to a healthy lifestyle.

  Or maybe they were just rich enough to buy the best potions and rituals gold could offer.

  Harry was about to wave away any thanks when he paused. “Daughters? I am certain that I have only helped Astoria, though?” He gnced at the younger girl who had joined him with Hedwig on her shoulders, yet for once, Astoria looked perfectly polite and docile in the presence of her father.

  “Indeed, my daughters. My Daphne had written to me immediately following Astoria’s episode and had nothing but praise for you. Do not mistake her devil-may-care attitude for foolishness; she is still a Slytherin and wrote most intriguing things about you, Mr Potter.” While his words were impassive, his eyes almost glowed with undisguised interest.

  “I’m sure she had embellished a few things here and there. All I did was what was necessary to protect my friends, and even then, I had failed and paid a steep price.”

  “That may be so, yet the fact remains – you are an incredibly talented individual. Or perhaps you are fortunate?” Mr Greengrass shook his head. “It matters not, and good fortune is a talent in and of itself. Regardless, you have my condolences on the loss of your friend.”

  A sombre mood took over as Harry nodded his thanks, though he was shaken out of it when he felt a gentle hand on his elbow. Turning to his right, he found Tracey smiling gently at him, instantly raising his mood. Astoria, the pocket rocket that she was, quickly grabbed his other elbow in a sign of support as well, causing them all to chuckle at her antics and brought a healthy blush to her face. Considering that was a sign of her health improving, Harry figured that was a good thing to see.

  “I have not seen my Tracey look so comfortable standing next to a boy, either.” The older man smiled at his daughter, who shuffled awkwardly under the scrutiny of her parents. “I am sure you will be good friends from here on, and I hope to see you soon whenever you are ready to visit.” Apollo gnced behind him, finding that his wives had the unconscious Daphne and the trunks set close to each other with a rope set on them. Portkey? “But as, I am afraid we have to go now. Girls, say farewell to your friend, it's time to go home.” The Greengrass patriarch walked over to his family, leaving him with his two daughters.

  “Bye, Harry.” Astoria hugged him surprisingly tightly for her small and thin frame, “Thanks for saving my life and being Luna’s and mine friend. Any chance I can keep Hedwig?” The girl gave him a toothy grin, causing him to chuckle as he hugged her back. She was possibly one of the few girls shorter than him, so he enjoyed the moment while it sted. “Not on your life, shorty. Come on, Hed.”

  The owl nibbled the girl’s ear one st time before she jumped on his shoulder once he separated from the pint-sized girl, causing her to pout petuntly.

  “It’s been fun, Harry.” Tracey gave him a hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Don’t be a stranger and come visit us, okay?”

  “For sure.” Harry could feel his cheeks warming, especially where the pouty lips had touched his skin. The blonde girl grabbed her sister and walked to her family. They waved at each other one st time before the rope glowed blue, and they were twisted into a rapid spiral even his eyes could barely trace before disappearing with a pop.

  Harry dropped his hand once they were gone and felt the smile melt from his face as he noticed he was the only one left on the ptform that was swarming with children and their parents less than fifteen minutes ago. It was… dispiriting with how lonely it felt. He had gotten so used to the company of others around him: the bubbly and vivacious Daphne, the impcable yet helpful Hermione, the eager Neville, the energetic Astoria, the serene Luna and finally, the calm yet supportive Tracey.

  The reality that he would be on his own from now on hit him like a bludger, and he took a deep shuddering breath before he felt a sense of warmth filling him from his soul.

  No, never alone.

  Harry chuckled as he felt Ghost’s presence in his mind before decisively activating the portkey.

  As the wrench glowed blue, and Harry felt a pull behind his navel, he decided that come hell or high water; he would find a way for his most loyal companion to be free and be with him in the waking world. For both of them to challenge what the world threw at them. Come what may, he will do it, that was his vow.

  No matter what it takes.

  .

  .

  .

  The swirling motion of the portkey seemed to st for a few seconds and forever at the same time. It was a most disorienting feeling, and when the swirling started slowing down, Harry braced himself for nding. He couldn’t have timed it better as he remembered Mrs Abbott’s advice, and once he felt solid beneath him, he stepped forward as if walking.

  It took a second for him to orient himself and check his surroundings, finding himself in a rustic yet charming room. It had a single bed in the middle with his trunk and broom pced by its foot, a firepce with a stack of jars that he knew contained mead, a mirror, and a window. While Harry had managed to nd well enough, Hedwig did not, as evidenced by her bark of indignation and the sp on the head he got from her wings. The owl flew to the open window and perched on the sill.

  A popping sound reverberated in the room, and Dobby’s enthusiastic face greeted him by the firepce. “Master Harry Potter Sir has made it! Dobby has done as sir has said, but Dobby could not cook you dinner. Nasty owner kicked Dobby from the kitchen when Dobby demanded to cook Master Harry’s meal.”

  Harry chuckled genially as he moved to his trunk. “Don’t worry about it, Dobby. I am a guest of old Tom’s establishment, of course, he would want to cook me dinner himself.” Rummaging in his trunk, he found his coin sack and pocketed it for his coming outing before grabbing a hoodie. “Would you accept anyone visiting your house and insisting on kicking you out of your kitchens to cook for me instead?”

  The very idea appalled the elf, and a vicious scowl twisted on his face. “Dobby would never! Dobby would sooner burn the kitchens than allow anyone to cook for the Great Harry Potter. But…” The elf’s face turned downcast and looked hesitant to speak. Harry was on his way to the door when he stopped and raised an eyebrow.

  “What’s wrong, Dobby?”

  The normally bold elf fiddled his thumbs before raising his sad eyes to him. “We don’t have a home, sir. Dobby needs to have a home and work.”

  The forlorn look on the elf’s face made him sigh and remember Leeney’s advice. The elder elf had warned that house elves could not be homeless for long. While they gain power from a bond, if their master did not have a home for them to share, they would soon start to wither regardless of how powerful the wizard was.

  Dobby could make do with the Chamber of Secrets because Harry had used it as his haunting pce, and Hogwarts helped sustain the bond. It helped that the loyal elf had been too busy dismantling the basilisk to feel the effects, but Harry couldn’t simply send him back. He wasn’t certain about the mechanics, but Harry himself didn’t consider the Chamber to be home, and thus, Dobby did not either.

  They were called House Elves for a reason. They needed a house to call home, or things would go bad. This also expined why Dobby behaved erratically over the past few days.

  “Don’t worry, Dobby. Tomorrow, I will figure something out.” He lowered his back to be at the elf’s height, Harry’s own short stature not necessitating him to kneel for the elf. “I need you to be strong for me, my friend. Be strong, and I promise you that within the week, we will have a home for ourselves. Can you do that for me?”

  The elf’s rge green orbs got wet, and massive ugly tears flowed down his cheeks. “Yes! Dobby can do that, Harry Potter, Sir.”

  “Good.” Harry smiled before thinking for a moment, “I need you to protect my room while I’m out. I know it's much smaller than the Chamber, but it is still important for me to have someone protecting it. Can I count on you, Dobby?”

  The elf nodded his head so rapidly that one of his hats fell off, causing Harry to chuckle. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours then.”

  “Dobby will wait for you, sir.”

  Harry smiled as he left the room and made his way down the common room of the pub. A meal would not go amiss, but he could not afford to waste time. Checking a clock on the wall, it was nearly eight in the evening, and the pub was jam-packed with customers. He put his hood on to hide his face as much as possible, though, thankfully, many of the pub’s patrons were either deep in their cups or dressed in cloaks that hid their features. Harry needed to get a change of clothes, and he would rather not venture into muggle London. He hoped there were a few clothes stores open in the alley, and perhaps this would be a perfect opportunity for Jon to make an appearance.

  But first and foremost, food.

  I don’t think we will see any of the girls for a good few chapters. I have plenty of pns for the next couple of weeks of Harry’s life, and then there are other plot threads to close.

  Poor Dobby. We need to find him a home ASAP. But first, Harry is hungry, and he has no wish to disappoint the overly prideful witch who would guide him on the morrow. Don’t worry – this won’t be an endless Diagon Alley visit. The next chapter will be entirely from Narcissa’s POV.