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beware-of-pity · 1 month ago

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Cinnamon Girl - Prologue

Masterlist I ao3 link I- Next

Harry James Potter x Reader

Summary :

Only dreams can awaken consciousness. As the final battle between him and the Dark Lord draws nearer every day, Harry attends his sixth year at Hogwarts, warped by strange dreams, which he's sure someone is having a hand at. Hidden away by the shadows of the darkness in which those hands are summoned, he finds a girl not in synch with the world she dwells in. A seer, a siren, or perhaps just a girl he finds himself madly intrigued by.

Prologue: Oh, my life is changing everyday (In every possible way)

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They say dark times require dark measures. It seems that after ‘He who must not be named’ had revealed his presence in the halls of the Ministry of Magic during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, no one was willing to deny the obvious return of the Dark Lord, which had been the causing of much speculation after the Tri-Wizard tournament, and the much distressing death of the young Cedric Diggory.

Open war on the wizarding community had been declared, and no one could consider themselves safe anymore.

Harry had spent a long time laying his eyes upon the purple leaflet that an owl, who had made his way on the perch of his window, had delivered to him. The instructions were simple, or at least, those were the measures the Ministry of Magic believed to be sufficient enough to protect oneself against the dark forces of the Death Eaters on the loose to spread chaos upon the world Harry had known ever since he was but a boy.

To not leave the house unattended had been a challenge enough, seeing as he could not rely upon the presence of another wizard to accompany him wherever he went, especially at night when he would sit at the old, run-down food stand on the platform of the train station he had found a fondness for wandering around and riding the trains off. He had been precarious, looking behind his back all the time. To say he had become paranoid would be a little too over the top, but he surely could not find the ease he felt when at Hogwarts or any of the familiar surroundings, where he could be safe or could find a helping hand at the simple turn of a corner.

He could not advise his aunt and uncle of the precautionary ways to protect themselves were it to come down to it either, for no charm or spell they could master, seen by their lack of magic, and even if there was a way for him to know how to defend them, he wasn’t sure they would be too open to hearing him out. Their pride, especially his uncle’s, beget him to ignore Harry. He could not blame them, he supposed, the less they knew, the better, left them less exposed and more into safer hands were something to happen to them.

He shared letters with both Ron and Hermione in the weeks following the battle of the Department of Mysteries. Both of his friends tried to be there for him as much as they could, sending comforting words that would put him off any sort of ideas that may come to his mind in light of Sirius’ passing. A tragedy, it had been deemed, by people who could not come near comprehending just how much the death of one of the few people he considered close to him and which he held dear to his heart had truly impacted and affected him. He grieved him still, and he was sure he would for a very long time, even surer he was that he would never stop, for the love he held for the man called his ‘godfather’ could never go away from the cave in his chest that had been carved and reserved for Sirius.

Things had been chaotic, to say the least, as the dust ruffled by the events ending his fifth school year slowly settled back upon the shots that had caused it to move in the first place. As recommended by the leaflet, he, Ron and Hermione had agreed upon several security questions to detect if the friend they thought was presenting in front of them was truly them or a Death Eater masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice Potion.

But unlike all the ruffled feathers filling the air, his had been a couple of quiet weeks. He had not heard from Dumbledore ever since the time he had tried to shield him from the photographers rounding him, flashing their cameras too close to his eyes, practically blinding him, and shouting questions which made his eyes ring in a way that pulled at his eardrums, quickly sending waves of pains through his temples, reaching his forehead, where the nerves under his skin probed him in pain and left him disoriented. He made for a horrid sight, with speckles of blood on his face, pale, with a twisted pain he had come to know very well burning at the skin of his chest, where his heart resided.

His breath had begun to quicken; his lips had tightened from the lack of moisture he tried to recover by wetting his lips, but to no avail, it did nothing but dry his mouth in turn, while the hard knot on his troath continued to tighten in the chord of the flesh there.

Had it not been for the comforting presence of his headmaster’s hand which had been placed on his shoulder as he had been led away from the sworn of journalists, he wasn’t sure he could have endured the ordeal for much longer before he could begin to lose his mind.

He needed a remedy to clear his mind, so he wandered the streets of the little Surrey town of Little Whinging, where he had lived his entire life since being placed in the care of his aunt and uncle. Trains were fast, and the rush of adrenaline they gave him felt nice. It would blind him of all the thoughts his mind had been filling itself with lately, if only for a moment.

He then began to find himself unconsciously spending time sitting at one of the tables of the food stand, watching over the train from across the window, and the pretty waiter, who would cheekily smile his way whenever she found him looking at her, peering upon the latest copy of the ‘Daily Prophet’ he’d bring with him, reading it as slowly as he could as an excuse to spend more time in the establishment.

He wasn’t sure he liked her, liked her, in that way. His feelings had been all over the place, especially in the romantic department, which he found himself more than not fumbling his way into.

First, it was Cho, a kind girl which he knew would never find the love she had felt for Cedric in him, but he hoped she would see a new, mature one, born upon the shared feeling of the hardship and the loss of a person which they found a friend into. He had been mistaken, in that he realized, as had Cho, who liked him, she truly did, but the pain of the loss of her first love shadowed everything that could have blossomed between them.

Then it had been Ginny, the younger sister of his best friend; he found in her a wild, young nature that he grew attracted to. Ginny embodied everything in her that meant being a Gryffindor. She was brave and good at everything she settled her mind upon, and he knew she would accomplish great things if given the opportunity, such as the path he could see her embarking on in the sport they both loved and played, Quidditch.

He had wondered, at times, how Ron would feel about him possibly crushing upon his sister, who he knew Ron was protective of.

It had all begun, he would think, after meeting at King's Cross. Ginny developed feelings for him and talked about him all summer, or so he had heard about it from an amused and teasing Ron, and when he was rescued from his family and brought to the Burrow, she became extremely shy in his presence. Since then, they have both gone on different romantic paths, but he knew it was hard to omit what was always there and would probably leave unless they faced it.

Overall, everything was just too complicated for him to get ahold of, especially his very complicated feelings, and with everything that had gone down in recent years, he could not think of affording the time to get to know anyone. Or so he thought, he had more important things to worry about, such as the flickering light that had begun to go wild on the opposite platform on which the food stand stood. He had stood to peer over the fogged window, trying to get a closer look at the sight before him that he knew could be of no normal nature as glitter dust began to dance over the opposite platform. As a train roars past, Harry squints through the flickering window and watches the dust transform into the headmaster of the place he had come to know as his one true home, Albus Dumbledore.

Levelling his glasses, he peers across the platform. Dumbledore smiles and gives Harry a wave. Although amused, Harry tightens his lips at the sight, knowing no good could come out of Dumbledore’s presence before him.

He was right, as he told himself he always was when his second instinct kicked in. One moment, he was standing beside his mentor, looking up at the rather provocative billboard he had seen being glued there not a few days past from his usual spot at the table at the stand; the next, he was being led through a steep, narrow street lined with darkened houses. It had lasted but a moment, but once he had placed his hand on that of his headmaster, the pitched headlong tornado he had been pulled into, and that trashed him into a sound of rush and fury had his guts twisting in ways he did not know could be twisted.

Even as he walked, he reeled from the apparition he had experienced. His eyes sting with tears, his steps heavy and unsteady, he followed Dumbledore in what he apparently required his assistance with.

“Most people vomit their first time. Don’t be too hard on yourself” he heard Dumbledore call out as he walked on the front.

“Can’t imagine why that is…” he murmured to himself, trying to regain his footing.

He glances about as Dumbledore explains to him that they are in the village of Budleigh Babberton. For what, Harry could only wonder, and as such, he says when asked of his opinion of the matter.

“After all these years, I just sort of roll with it, sir.” Dumbledore smiles mildly as if pleased by Harry’s willing compliance before the old lines on his face harden once they reach the objective of this ‘mission’ they had set out. A small stone house, in which Harry could not find any appeal whatsoever. Run down, the door blasted and misplaced, the windows on its sides broken and completely not whole. Something’s wrong, and Dumbledore takes the moment to voice it.

“Wands out, Harry”

Utter devastation is what they meet as they pass through the cracked door, moving smoothly and swiftly through the entrance hall, the light coming from the tips of their wands as their guiding light, with careful steps, avoiding the many possibilities of making noises that presented themselves to them in the form a grandfather clock laying on the floor, its face cracked, a piano sagging in in the corner, keys strewn like teeth upon the rug. A copy of the Daily Prophet, the same one he had been reading at the food stand, trembles in the breeze from a half-open window, broken shards of glass, more likely being the busted chandelier no longer on the ceiling, where in its place a hollowed hole in which a wet, dark and glutinous substance dripped down from upon, strikes the word ‘chosen’, written upon the gazette.

Harry gasped softly as it hit his face, flicking down on his forehead, right on his scar, and startling him. He went to dabb at it before Dumbledore stopped him, grabbed his hand, tapped the blood with his finger, and went for a taste.

The reaction is immediate, surely recognizing that which he had just gotten a taste of. Dumbledore turns, his eyes narrowing on an overstuffed armchair. A couple of perfectly placed slippers are in front of it, giving away the hiding spot of the person they were here for.

Moving to it, Dumbledore jabs his wand into the plump seat cushion, awakening that which had not wanted to be disturbed in the first place.

Horace Slugghorn was many things. Some would say he was a fool.

A naive, foolish fool who priced himself too much. A fool, indeed, but a prepared one he was.

The armchair he had mutated into reveals his plump, aged form, even as he briefly gets caught between the two forms. After a bit of grumbling and wrestling his way to the parts of him unwilling to change, seams splitting and the popping of a cushion button or two, the fat old man known as Horace Sluggorn reveals himself in all his glory, looking overly mighty in a pair of well-worn lilac pyjamas.

Quite the scene, Harry thought, as he watched the two converse before he was introduced to the man and he, in turn. Sluggorn looks at him as if he were a dragon, ready to pounce upon his new shining toy to add to his prized collection as he makes the observation many made at his sight. His father’s through and through, yet when people would meet his eyes, it was his mother staring back at them.

Harry didn’t know for how much longer in his life he could hear this comparison any longer; it brought him mixed feelings, to say the least. On the one hand, perhaps it was the fact that he could not remember either the face or the eyes most talked about if only by the memories brought by the many times he had passed flipping through the album of photos of them he held as a dear possession. But also, he felt a sort of pride in carrying the face of the people who were his parents, a mix of the love they had bore one another in the living form that he was. A true testament to who Lily and James Potter were, living and breathing, walking and very much alive in the form of their son.

Throughout it all, Sluggorn stared at Harry as if hypnotised, even as he gestured for him to walk closer to the dresser crowded with photographs, which his mom is part of many, it seems. Sluggorn rambled on and on about the other students he had the pleasure of teaching, whom he had stayed close to during the years, and his best students, his best picks, and members of his prized collection.

Harry remains disinterested in the description of many of these people until his eyes land on a framed photo, where a boy, no older than he was now, stands beside the professor, clad in his Slytherin quidditch uniform, who, for Harry’s liking, resembles Sirius too much.

He had come to know the boy as Regulus Black, Sirius’ brother, and Harry, hypnotised, just as Sluggorn had been of his presence, stares at the photo intently as Sluggorn describes him, the pleasure it had been being his teacher while professing the disappointment of not being his brother’s, how he had never been able to complete his collection of teaching members of the Black family through the lack of Sirius.

Before they can continue, they’re interrupted by Dumbledore coming back from the loo, a muggle magazine in hand about knitting patterns, a jolly expression on his face as he holds it up for Sluggorn to see as he asks if he could keep it. Sure enough, he’s given the go, and before Sluggorn can protest they make a go for the door once more, now in its place again.

Not even a few steps out of the door, Sluggorn comes rushing through, yelling about relenting to the hidden proposal that Dumbledore had come to present to him, as he had, it seemed, many times before. Returning to Hogwarts to teach potions. To Harry, it seemed a rather redundant proposal, especially coming all this way to pursue and persuade a man who did not ask to be impressed or be offered more than he bargained for and one who had seemed to be more than willing to take the offer once considered through. With just one interaction, Harry had come to understand who Horace Sluggorn was. He likes his comfort, the company of the famous, the successful, and the powerful. He enjoys the feeling that he influences these people as he boasts about them to others. He has never wanted to occupy the throne himself; he prefers the backseat — more room to spread out. It had been, just as they returned to the spot they had apparated to, that Harry truly realised just why Sluggorn had so easily accepted that which he had so vehemently denied before.

Him. It had all made sense. Harry wondered if he was so appealing to a man like Sluggorn, who did not seem to want anything and asked for nothing more than what he needed, that he would risk it all just to acquire him in the list of students Sluggorn had the pleasure to boast about.

The was something more, which he was shielded from, yet, but one that he knew would be revealed to him soon. Not now, it seemed, perhaps not the time yet. He didn’t ask or inquire, he knew it would be futile. He trusted Dumbledore, and he knew that he did things a certain way because those same things required them.

He took a deep breath as he placed his hand on the one Dumbledore extended to him, dreading what was to come next.

What he did not expect was for his next apparition to be worse than his first. His shoes, as well as a good chunk of his trousers, were wet from the running pond in the field the Burrow was built around, he had just landed into.

He groaned as he stumbled through the muddy ground under the water, trying to regain his footing as he winced.

Once he gets close enough to the house, he glances about, until his eyes land on the fiery-haired girl he shared complicated feelings for, Ginny, as she flits briefly past an upstairs window.

His reunion with his most dear friends had been bittersweet but a happy one nonetheless, even as he greeted Ginny, with whom he shared an air of awkwardness after she gave him a great grinning hug, the moment oddly charged, a surprise to both of them, which he thinks of even as he greets her mother, Molly Weasley, who he viewed as his own.

A copy of the Daily Prophet tumbles within a makeshift campfire of blue flames, protruding by Harry’s wand, but magically doesn’t disintegrate. Harry teases the fire with the tip of his wand, where ‘The Chosen One?’ mingles with Draco’s haunted face in flames, the photo taken outside the hearing for his father’s trial.

He, Ron and Hermione catch up on what’s been happening as of late, the fact that both Hermione’s parents, muggle-born that had no idea of the intricacies of the wizarding world, and Ron’s mother deemed the idea of returning to Hogswart to be too unfit to happen.

Harry shook his head as he argued against the notion of Hogwarts ever being dangerous.

“But we’re talking about Hogwarts. Dumbledore. What could be safer?” His question was met with both of his friends sharing a knowing look. Perhaps it was his naivety or the simple trust he blindly placed in a man who had proven to be more than reliable, but Harry truly believed in the idea that as long as Dumbledore was around nothing would happen. He knew that to be true, he would stick to his gun unless proven otherwise.

He believed he knew the old man, who he viewed as his mentor, better than everyone at school; what a fool Harry was, he didn’t know the man at all, only what he was given to believe he was. But such a young spirit could not be dispirited by the harsh reality of the world he was not shown, that which was purposely hidden from him. He needed to believe, otherwise what else would there be for him to believe in?

The comforting silence in the room breaks as the three break off in laughter, and the night comes alive with the flesh of youth. That night, as Harry lies on a straw-together makeshift bed, he looks out upon the blue field, where shining stars glisten brightly, contrasting their dark surroundings.

With his nose filled with the smell of sweet vanilla candles, he falls into the depths of his dreams, where warm fingertips trace and trail upon his face. The echoes of a muffled voice lull him into the darkness he had become so afraid of before he falls into their warm embrace.

He would soon find out whose hands those fingers belonged to and why they were reaching for his dreams.

AN: I wanted to preface that i'm writing this fanfic as a birthday gift to one of my friends and that with her permission I heavily edited this to make it a x reader story for you all to enjoy. I am not the biggest fan of this franchise even though I appreciate it for what it is, its impact on fandom works, and the childhood it took me through. It's been a long time since I've interacted with this fandom (which i'm not sure it's still alive for this x reader story to enjoy) or since I watched one of the movies, so please, if you think I'm not educated enough in the source material it's mostly likely because I am actually not. I will try my best to be faithful to the events of the movies since this is canon-compliant to them (especially because I have not read the books), and I hope that with that little warning in mind, you will be able to enjoy this as much as I actually found myself while writing it.

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braveclementine · 10 months ago

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Chapter 4

Warnings: 18+ readers only, smut

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖉𝖎𝖉𝖓'𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖐𝖊 up on the day we were supposed to go to Kings Crossing until nine-thirty and was immensely glad that I had already packed my trunk the night before. I'd stayed up late because Dad had said he'd try and drop by before the last day of school. Unfortunately, we got an owl around eleven o'clock saying he wouldn't be able to make it but he wished me and Trang a good time at school.

I'd also been woken by a nightmare around one o'clock which I'd immediately recognized to be a vision, and wrote a letter to Hannah Abbott telling her that'd I'd just had a vision telling her that I'd seen her being pulled out of Herbology class only a few weeks into term because her mother had been found dead. I told her that she would be safe at Hogwarts, but if her mother and anyone else in the house could find a safe place to stay or take up extra precautions, it would be advisable.

I didn't know if Sadie would be able to deliver it before Hannah left for school and I also didn't know if the Death Eaters were going to attack Sadie by delivering it. I waited for Sadie with a horrible sickening feeling in my stomach and wished I'd used a different owl.

I ate a quick breakfast and helped Mr. Weasley put my trunk in a second Ministry car which would be taking us to Kings Crossing today. Trang and I sat in the car with Ginny and I stared out the window, wishing I could see Sadie fly back to me. Meanwhile, my pygmy puff who I'd christened Amelia, was sleeping in her cage. Trang had christened hers Oliver. But I couldn't even bring myself to make fun of her.

Trang could barely sit still the entire car ride- which wasn't long. It would be her first time on the Hogwarts Express, riding to school. Of course, she'd been at Hogwarts last year, but only in the hospital wing and Dumbledore's office, and I suspected she'd seen a bit of the grounds too. But this year was different. She'd be attending classes and I knew her deepest wish was to become a witch and she was finally going to be able to achieve it. It was a weird turn of events and it made my strangely uncomfortable.

The Ministry cars stopped in front of the train station where two, grim-faced Aurors were waiting for us. I wished that Tonks was here but I knew I'd see her on the other train station when we arrived at Hogwarts. Of course, I'd have to help Harry first.

The Aurors didn't speak as they walked into Kings Crossing with us, our things on trolleys. We approached the barrier, but Trang was looking around, looking apprehensive and I realized that I'd forgotten to tell her how we got onto the platform.

"Quick, quick, through the barrier." Mrs. Weasley said nervously and glanced at the Aurors, "Harry had better go first, with-"

One of the Aurors nodded and gripped Harry's arm, steering him towards the barrier. Harry wrenched his arm from his grip and pushed ahead, the Auror quick on his heels. Trang watched them disappeared through the wall and her mouth dropped again. I put a finger out, pushing it closed.

"Elizabeth, Hermione, you two next." Mrs. Weasley said and we went through with the next Auror walking between the two of us. At least he didn't attempt to grab my arm.

"Let's go" Hermione said and we quickly loaded our things off the trolleys and carried them up to the prefect carriage. Then we came back out to see Mr. Weasley come through the platform with Trang. I was glad- she looked much more relaxed until she saw the train and all the students on the platform. She didn't drop her mouth again but she seemed very nervous and looked pale.

Harry came up on the train, Trang following him quickly.

"We gotta go down to the prefect compartment, Harry and then patrol." I said.

"Right" Harry said and I waved to him and Trang and then followed Hermione and Ron to the prefect compartment. To my surprise, only Pansy Parkinson was in the compartment representing the Slytherins. Anthony and Padma were representing the Ravenclaws and we all nodded to each other.

Ernie was waiting as the male Hufflepuff. He shook hands with Ron and Hermione and gave me a quick side hug.

"How was your summer?" He asked.

I sighed, running my long hair back. "Cold."

He chuckled and then turned his attention to the head students so that we could learn about all the different security measures that would be taken at Hogwarts this year and also how we'd be asked to patrol the corridors more often along with teachers. So in other words, I wasn't going to be getting a lot of sleep this year.

Finally, around mid afternoon we were let go and we patrolled the corridors. Ernie and I stopped by a compartment that a lot of Hufflepuffs were sitting in including Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Zacharias Smith.

Hannah looked up when we came and stood up abruptly and hurried past me and down the hallway. My face flushed and I looked at Susan, "What did I do?"

"She said she got a very disturbing letter from you this morning." Zacharias answered. "What was it about?"

"Er- if she didn't tell you the contents of the letter, then it's none of your business." I said softly. Did she not believe me? Did her parents not believe me? Did she think it was a trap? I ran an aggravated hand through my hair again.

I saw that Dean Thomas and Ginny were walking past and suddenly Zacharias was on his feet and he was calling after Ginny who turned.

"What happened at the Ministry?" Zacharias asked.

"None of your business." Ginny said coolly. "Eliza's behind her, why don't you ask her?"

I shook my head quickly behind Zacharias back, giving her an exasperated look.

I sat down next to Susan and waited as Zacharias continued to barrage Ginny with questions and then I stood up as Ginny pulled out her wand and then hexed Zacharias. He flew backwards, skidding to a stop at my feet. I looked down at him with zero pity. "You deserved that you know."

Suddenly, the compartment door opened and Professor Slughorn came in. Ginny flushed pink and then Slughorn chuckled and said, "That was a good bit of magic now! Ah, Elizabeth, I was looking for you! If you two would like to come with me."

Ginny gave me a nervous look and I rolled my eyes. With a wave of my wand, I performed the counter-curse on Zacharias and left the train compartment without a look backwards. I smirked as I closed the door behind me.

We entered the compartment where a tall black Slytherin was waiting. Blaise Zabini, yuck (yuck only because he was a Slytherin, not because he wasn't hot or nothing). Then there was Cormac McLaggen, a seventh year Gryffindor. Also yuck (because he was a jackass). And then there was a seventh year Ravenclaw by the name of Marcus Belby. I only liked him because his Uncle made the Wolfsbane potion.

Ginny and I sat down across from each other. She was sitting next to Professor Slughorn and I was sitting next to Zabini.

A few moments later, Harry came through the compartment door with Neville.

"Harry, m'boy! Good to see you, good to see you! And you must be Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Slughorn said, jumping to his feet as they came in. Neville nodded and they also sat opposite each other close to the door.

"Now, do you know everyone? Blaise Zabini is in your year, of course." Slughorn started but none of them made any acknowledgement. "This is Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you've come across each other-? No? And this is Marcus Bely, I don't know whether-? -and this charming young lady tells me she knows you!" Slughorn finished. I supposed that was what Ginny and Slughorn had been talking about in the hallway when I was envisioning Tonks finding Harry in the compartment. "And of course Harry, your sister!"

"Er actual-" I spoke awkwardly as the other students shot me a look, but Slughorn was already speaking again.

"A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on licorice wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things. . . Pheasant, Belby?"

Belby gave a start and took half a pheasant.

"I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles. Outstanding wizard, outstanding and his Order of Merlin most well-deserved. Do you see much of your uncle, Marcus?"

Belby started to choke on his pheasant, not realizing that he'd have to speak. Professor Slughorn pointed his wand at him and said, "Anapneo." Interesting spell, I'd certainly never heard of it before.

"Not. . . not much of him, no." Belby gasped, eyes streaming with watery tears and the purple hue slowly started disappearing from his face.

"Well, of course, I daresay he's busy. I doubt he invented the Wolfsbane potion without considerable hard work!"

"I suppose. . . Er. . . he and my dad don't get on very well, you see, so I don't really know much about. . ." Belby drifted off as Slughorn gave him a strained smile and turned to Cormac.

"Now you, Cormac. I happen to know you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?" Professor Slughorn asked.

"Oh, yeah, that was fun, that was. We went with Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour- this was before he became Minister, obviously-"

"Ah you know Bertie and Rufus too?" Slughorn said, offering around a plate of pies that I politely declined. I hated pie. "Now tell me. . ."

I tuned out the rest of the conversation as Slughorn turned Zabini who had a famous mother. I'd heard the stories before. Married seven times to rich men who died under mysterious circumstances. Sometimes, she married rich Muggles and it turned out they were suicidal, jumping off cliffs. Considering he was a Slytherin, I would assume that his mother put a number of spells on the men.

I made sure to tune out Neville's conversation particularly hard as he was getting flustered, his parents being famous Aurors and being tortured so horribly their minds broke. Ginny and Harry were also determinedly blocking out the conversation.

"And now!" Slughorn said, jerking me out of my thoughts. I wished I'd thought to bring a patented daydream charm. "Harry Potter! Where to begin? I feel I barely scratched the surface when we met over the summer! 'The Chosen one', they're calling you now! Of course, there have been rumors for years. . . I remember when- well- after that terrible night- Lily- James- and you survive- and the word was that you must have powers beyond the ordinary-"

Zabini gave a little cough and Ginny burst out angrily, "Yeah, Zabini, because you're so talented. . . at posing. . ."

"Oh dear! You want to be careful, Blaise! I saw this young lady perform the most marvelous Bat-Bogey Hex as I was passing her carriage! I wouldn't cross her!" Professor Slughorn chuckled comfortably. "Anyway, such rumors this summer. Of course, one doesn't know what to believe, the Prophet has been known to print inaccuracies, make mistakes- but there seems little doubt, given the number of witnesses, that there was quite a disturbance at the Ministry and that you were there in the thick of it all!"

Harry nodded but said nothing.

"So modest, so modest, no wonder Dumbledore is so fond- you were there, then? But the rest of the stories- so sensational, of course, one doesn't know quite what to believe- this fabled prophecy, for instance-"

"We never heard a prophecy." Neville said, turning pink.

"That's right. Neville, Eliza, and I were there too, and all this 'Chosen One' rubbish is just the Prophet making things up as usual." Ginny said.

"You were there too, were you?" Slughorn asked with interest, looking between the three of us.

"There were actually quite a few students there." I said dreamily, sounding a bit like Luna. "Ten of us in total."

Slughorn was very interested but I said nothing more and he looked quite disappointed. Then he rambled off about many different things and I watched the sun fall lower in the sky and finally I said, "Professor, I don't mean to be rude, but it's getting very late, I just wanted to warn you!" My cheeks flushed.

Professor Slughorn looked out the window and said, "You are quite right! You'd better go and change into your robes, all of you. McLaggen, you must drop by and borrow that book on nogtails. Harry, Eliza, Blaise- any time you're passing by. Same goes for you, miss!" He said to Ginny and me. "Well, off you go, off you go."

We filed out of the compartment and I stretched, thankful to be out of there. Now, to go find Trang.

"I'm glad that's over." Neville muttered. "Strange man, isn't he?"

"Yeah he is a bit. How come you ended up in there, Ginny?" Harry asked.

"He saw me hex Zacharias Smith. You remember that idiot from Hufflepuff who was in the D.A.? He kept on and on asking about what happened at the Ministry and in the end he annoyed me so much I hexed him- when Slughorn came in I thought I was going to get detention, but he just thought it was a really good hex and invited me to lunch! Mad eh?"

"Better reason for inviting someone than because their mother's famous." Harry said, scowling after Zabini. "Or because their uncle-" He broke off and then he said. "I'll see you three later."

"But what're you-?" Neville asked as Harry flung the cloak over his body.

"Later!" He whispered and he was gone.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm going to go and get my stuff and go find Ron and Hermione and Trang."

"Oh, I know where they're staying!" Neville said, "I'll come with you."

We said good-bye to Ginny and then headed back to the compartment that I'd been in. Susan was no longer there either and Hannah had never come back. I got my stuff and then followed Neville to the compartment with Hermione, Ron, Trang, and Luna.

"What'd he want?" Ron asked.

"Dunno, he never talked to me and I blocked out most of what he said." I answered, sitting down next to Trang and opening the Daily Prophet.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno." Neville answered. "He said he'd be back eventually."

"I'll go find him if the time gets close. Also Trang, Luna here is a fellow Ravenclaw so she'll show you where the Ravenclaw table is."

"Great." Trang said, sounding relieved and Luna smiled at her before disappearing again behind her magazine.

As the train came to a stop and we started to get our stuff out, Harry still had not returned.

"Eliza we have to do our prefect duties." Hermione said nervously, "Where is Harry?"

I hesitated and then turned to others, "Can you guys get my stuff out on the deck?"

Neville, Hermione, and Ron nodded and I dashed out of the door towards where I knew the Slytherins were going to be staying. I watched Zabini, Goyle, and Crabbe coming down the compartment and though they gave me nasty looks, they passed by without a word. Pansy was waiting in the compartment and then she left too, throwing me a nasty look as she passed by.

I heard a crash and knew that Harry had been immobilized.

I rushed to the door, throwing it open, my wand raised. Harry was lying on the floor and Draco was standing over him. Draco spun around and though I had the shield charm halfway out of my mouth, he was faster and my body froze. Draco laid me down next to Harry, smashing my nose in with his foot, and throwing the Invisibility Cloak over the two of us.

Blood rain down my face and onto my clothes. Lovely. My wand was still in my hand and I tried very hard to think of the countercurse. I managed to do it and sat up just as Tonks came into the compartment. There was a flash of red and Harry unfroze as well.

"Wotcher Harry, Wotcher Elizabeth." Tonks said. Harry picked up the invisibility cloak. "We'd better get out of here, quickly. Come on, we'll jump."

We hurried after her into the corridor and she pulled open the train door and jumped onto the platform. I jumped after her, feeling a rush of adrenaline and then Harry landed next to me. The landing, jolted my nose and my hand leapt up to it but didn't touch it.

"Who did it?" Tonks asked.

"Draco Malfoy. Thanks for. . . well. . ." Harry said.

"No problem." Tonks said, not meeting my eyes. "I can fix your nose if you stand still."

Harry and I stayed still as she said "Episkey" twice.

"Thanks a lot!" Harry exclaimed as our noses were mended.

"Thanks." I murmured.

"You'd better put that cloak back on and we can walk up to the school." Tonks said. I turned into a cat, and Harry swung the invisibility cloak over himself. Tonks waved her wand and a wolf appeared and shot off towards the castle.

"Was that a Patronus?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you two or they'll worry. Come on, we'd better not dawdle."

"How did you find us?" Harry asked.

"I noticed neither you or Elizabeth had left the train and I knew you had that cloak. I thought you might be hiding for some reason. When I saw the blinds were drawn down on that compartment, I thought I'd check."

"But what are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I'm stationed in Hogsmeade now, to give the school extra protection." Tonks said.

"Is it just you who's stationed up here, or-?"

"No, Proudfoot, Savage, and Dawlish are here too."

I wanted to ask how Kingsley was but I had the two-way mirror still and besides, I was a cat- I couldn't talk.

"Dawlish, that Auror Dumbledore attacked last year?"

"That's right."

I started to fall behind, my cat legs much shorter than their human ones and Tonks stopped, bending down and picking me up and carrying me. I purred in her arms and the slightest smile came over her face before flitting away.

We finally made it to the castle and Harry, still hidden under the cloak, rattled the bars and then I heard him say, "Alohomora!"

"That won't work on these, Dumbledore bewitched them himself." Tonks said.

"I could climb a wall." Harry suggested.

"No, you couldn't. Anti-intruder jinxes on all of them. Security's been tightened a hundredfold this summer." Tonks said flatly.

"Well then." Harry said, sounding annoyed, "I suppose I'll just have to sleep out here and wait for morning."

"Someone's coming down for you. Look." Tonks said. I jumped out of her arms and turned into a human. Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak.

"Well, well, well." Professor Snape said. "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance." He tapped the padlock once so that the chains snaked backward and the gates creaked open.

"I couldn't change, I didn't have my-" Harry started.

I was glad I was in my Hogwarts robes, though blood was all down the front of them, and I knew there was dried blood on my face.

"There is no need to wait, Nymphadora, Potter and Kane are quite- ah- safe in my hands." Severus said.

"I meant for Hagrid to get the message." Tonks said, frowning.

"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter and Kane here, so I took it instead. And incidentally," Professor Snape said, standing back so that we could pass through. "I was interested to see your new Patronus."

He shut the gates in her face and I frowned at him. "I think you were better off with the old one. The new one looks weak." His voice was full of malice and before I knew what I was doing, anger flew through me and I strode forward and slapped him across the face so hard that it echoed through the courtyard.

"Elizabeth!" Tonks exclaimed but I was already striding off, my anger pulling me towards the castle.

"Elizabeth- wait-!" Harry exclaimed, sounding nervous. I was already on the castle steps and heading up past the front doors and then found my way to the Great Hall. I pulled open the double door with a hard jerk and then hurried off to the Hufflepuff table, my eyes flashing with anger and I sat down next to Ernie.

"What happened to your face?" Susan asked in horror.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" I asked, reaching for a chicken wing.

"You're covered in blood." Ernie said, "what happened?"

"Malfoy." I said darkly, pulling out my wand and closing one eye and pointing it at my own face and said, "Tergeo! Better, Susan?"

"Yeah." Susan said, though her eyes were lingering on my clothes. I pointed my wand at my clothe and said, "Scourgify!"

Harry came into the Great Hall now and hurried down to the Gryffindor table, people whispering and pointing and standing up to look at him.

"So why did you get on Draco's bad side?" Susan asked. Rose had come to sit down next to me. Justin and Zacharias were now sitting closer but Hannah was sitting far away, determinedly avoiding my gaze.

I rolled my eyes, "I've been on his bad side for about five years Susan." Then I sighed and said, "In this particular incident, I was actually just going to save Harry and got caught up between their fight."

"Oh." Ernie said, glancing up at the Professors table.

Dessert appeared and I helped myself to some ice-cream, trying to look over at the Ravenclaw table. Trang was sitting next to Luna, looking down at her dessert and looked up. I smiled at her and winked and she grinned back.

Then Dumbledore stood up and the laughter and talk died away. "The very best of evenings to you!" He said, spreading his arms wide and showing the very tips of his black hand.

There were gasps and outbursts from the tables as they caught sight of his hand. Dumbledore smiled and shook his purple-and-gold sleeve of his robe over his injury and said, "Nothing to worry about. Now. . . to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you. . .as many of our old students and new students should take to heart is that the Forbidden is off limits- especially now. . . and Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes. Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise. We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

The word seemed to spread around the Great Hall as people tried to figure out what that meant. Ernie and Susan were showing identical faces of shock. Rose was looking around, frowning, trying to figure out what the significance of this word was.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Professor Dumbledore said.

"NO!" Harry shouted loudly at the Gryffindor table while the Slytherins exploded into cheering and clapping. Other students looked at each other, muttering.

"Dumbledore is going to let him teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ernie asked, shocked. "How could he?"

Susan, Rose, Ernie, and I were all in a small little huddle. I could feel Professor Snape's eyes on me, but I was to angry at him to acknowledge him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the buzzing died down. "Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe."

I looked over at the Slytherin table to see that Draco was levitating his fork with his wand, not paying attention to Dumbledore. Deciding that I too was bored, I lowered my wand under the table and muttered, "Acuelo!"

Immediately, his concentration on his fork dropped and the gold fork dropped against the golden plate, making the loudest clatter that sounded throughout the hall. I grinned, watching him bend down with a pink face to grab his stinging knee. Dumbledore didn't break stride in his speech, but I heard Severus' voice, plain as day in my head, 'Enough.'

I scowled, dropping my face back to my plate, not acknowledging him.

"The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them- in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."

There was a bit of silence and then Dumbledore smiled and said, "But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

Ernie and I got up to approach the new first-years and we led them through the castle and taught them the password at the door and then Ernie led the boys up through one door and I led the girls up to their dorm in another one.

Then, reluctantly, I headed into my own dorm where Susan, Megan, Leanne, and Hannah were. Megan and Leanne were deep in conversation and I'd never really spoken to them. Hannah had her back to me and I motioned to Susan to come out of the dorm.

"What's up?" she asked.

I hesitated and then said, "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Madam Bones. . . well she was a really great witch Susan."

Susan blinked sudden tears out of her eyes and said, "Thanks Elizabeth. I'm really sorry about your Godfather too."

I nodded, looking down. "It's alright, it's how he wanted to go. He always wanted to go down fighting." I smiled a bit, now looking up at the ceiling. "That's how I want to go too if I don't make it."

"Me too." Susan said softly.

We went back into the dorm and I stood there awkwardly, looking at Hannah's back. And then she turned to face me and said, "I just wanted to say thank you for warning me ahead of time."

"Er-, you don't seem happy about it." I said hesitantly.

She hesitated too and said, "Mum doesn't believe. . . she doesn't. . . she thinks it was a joke."

I closed my eyes with horror. "I'm sorry Hannah."

Her eyes were filled with tears. Susan had our backs to us but Leanne and Megan were looking on with interest. "I just. . . I'm glad you warned me anyways. I've told my other family members not to pull me out. I'm already prepared and I don't want to leave Hogwarts anyways."

"It's going to be okay." Susan said softly now, putting a hand on Hannah's shoulder.

Hannah nodded and climbed into bed.

Soon, Hannah, Susan, Leanne, and Megan were all fast asleep. I kept pacing the room, unable to sleep. I kept picturing Severus's horribly mean face and the malice in his voice as he said, 'The new one looks weak'.

Finally out of frustration, I walked out of the girls dorm and turned into a cat outside the Hufflepuff dorm and started to head towards the potions room before remembering that Snape was no longer teaching potions and had to take a much longer route to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

I turned human once inside the classroom and headed up to where the office was, knocking on the door.

"Come in." a sleek voice said.

I pushed the door open and walked inside, closing the door behind me.

"Oh." Severus said, dropping his quill on his desk. "Er I didn't think you'd come tonight."

I didn't say anything.

Severus stood up and approached me and said, "Look-"

"Don't." I said coldly.

"No?" Severus said, raising an eyebrow, his tone close to matching mine. "I think I should get a say in the matter."

I glared at him. "You said her patronus was weak, Severus. And you know perfectly well what her patronus looked like and why that offended me!"

Severus strode over to me, pushing me up against the door and putting a finger to my lips. "I didn't say it looked weak because of the animal it took. I said it looked weak because it was weak. It wasn't as bright as it used to be and it was certainly less solid than her old one was."

I opened my mouth to speak and he pinched it closed between his thumb and pointer finger. "Though I must admit. . ." He leaned forward so that our cheeks were touching and his lips were close to my ear, "you get your point across through. . . actions. . ."

I blushed bright red, feeling flustered. His hand was snaking around towards my backside and his other hand moved from my lips, down to the side of my neck. He pressed his lips to mine and I closed my eyes. I found my hands were on the front of his shirt, pulling him to me.

I couldn't stay mad at him forever. I loved him to much, it was a flaw. I couldn't stay mad at Fred or Cedric or Harry or Dad either. I loved all of them too much. And then, I pushed away from the door, pushing Severus towards the bed with so much force, he fell backwards perfectly. I jumped up high, almost like a cat and landed ontop of him gently.

Severus grabbed my hips, rolling over ontop of me now, our clothes coming off in layers. He immediately hooked my legs over his shoulders, burying his face into my cunt. I whimpered, closing my eyes in pleasure as he ran his tongue through my folds, adding two lovely fingers to work me up.

"Severus please." I begged through a whisper, wishing I could grab his hair, bring him closer to me.

"Let go love." Severus murmured and I released on his lips and tongue.

He smirked as he pulled back, taking his cock into his hand, before lining himself up with my entrance. He pushed himself inside until he was balls deep.

Now my hands did come up, one lacing through the soft strands of his silky black hair, the other gripping his shoulder tightly.

He moved slowly and sensually as he usually did, his lips kissing my collarbone and breasts. I hummed in content, kissing his cheek and shoulders, whatever skin I could reach.

He grabbed both of my hands in one of his, pinning them above my head as he took one of my nipples into his mouth. He thrusted a little harder, his free hand reaching between our bodies to roll my clit between his fingers.

"I love you Elizabeth. I don't ever want you to forget that." Severus whispered softly across my skin.

"I'm sorry I slapped you." I apologized, cunt fluttering around his cock as he continued to fuck me. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I'm sorry I only had a one track mind about the situation instead of hearing what you really meant. I'm sorry."

"I accept all of your apologies." Severus said, suddenly pulling my body upright so that I was straddling him in his lap. I wrapped my arms around his waist, crying out at the new angle as he thrusted up into me. "And now I want you to cum all over my cock like a good girl."

"Fuck." I whimpered, doing just that, feeling my release wash over me hot and then cold. He spilled into me, kissing my neck and then my lips.

"I love you too Severus. I love you a lot." I whispered softly.

Severus gently pulled out of me, using a simple spell to clean the both of us up, before he wrapped the sheets around my naked body. He tucked himself behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

He kissed my cheek, his fingers in my hair. I closed my eyes with a small smile on my face. And I could still feel him running his fingers through my hair as I fell asleep.

⬅️➡️

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