Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Fragmented Soul	By : StrawberryGirl87 & Bickymonster Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Fenrir Views: 79703 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 10
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything in the fandom. no money/profit is made.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
Please note that I have just updated the previous chapter as well, so please do check that you have read chapter 28 before reading this chapter.

Chapter 29 - The Sorting
From the train station in Hogsmeade, the three young werewolves were led down a small path, to the shore of a large lake. After giving each other looks of utter confusion and annoyance, the three of them climbed into one of the two boats which were waiting for them there; Clayton at the front, Harry at the back, with Romy safely between them. Honestly, none of them had really quite figured out why they couldn’t have gone up to the school with everyone else.
The enormous Rubeus Hagrid guy was getting into another boat alongside them and once he was settled, they start to head out across the vast lake, the boats moving of their own accord. None of the pups had ever been in a boat before and it wasn’t a mode of transformation that any of them thought that they’d use again after this; the swaying motion was making them feel a little queasy.
“Harry, look,” Romy gasped suddenly, tightening the grip she had on his arm.
He turned his gaze from the Gamekeeper and looked out across the darkened sky, following her line of sight. Looming out of the darkness was the huge Castle that they knew to be Hogwarts. It sat high up, on the rocks on the far side of the lake they were heading across. It towered over them, light flickering in the numerous windows that lined the towering stone walls. It looked gloriously majestic and terrifyingly foreboding all at the same time.
“Bloody hell, that’s big,” Clayton said bluntly. “That’s really going to take some work to bring down,” he added, turning to grin at the others in the boat behind him. Despite feeling a little nauseous with motion sickness they couldn’t help but be amused. Clay could always be counted on to lighten the mood of any situation.
“Shame we didn’t bring any explosives really,” Harry said, feigning disappointment, catching on to his best friend’s aim to make them all feel a little more at ease given the situation.
“I think we could get hold of some,” Clay mused. “Or make some,” he added, more to himself than the others but it made Harry laugh because in all likelihood his best friend probably could manage just that, it was just what Clayton did.
“Boys, shut up,” Romy hissed as she motioned to the giant of a man, Hagrid, who had his black beetle like eyes fixed on Harry in a way that they all found a little creepy. They just couldn’t understand what it was that he was staring at; though they were certain that he wouldn’t get their private joke about blowing up the castle.
It didn’t take long to get across the water and soon their boats were approaching the large rocky cliff face, on top of which the school stood. There were trails of ivy hanging down over a large opening in the rock; the three of the had to dodge slightly to stop the dangling plants getting tangled around them as they found themselves in a dark tunnel that must have run underneath the castle itself.
Harry could feel Romy’s persistent grip on his arm; her breathing heavy and a little fearful. He heard her gasp in amazement as they came out into a kind of underground harbour. The boats grounded themselves there and the three werewolf pups, along with the Gamekeeper, were able to clamber out onto the rocky shore. Harry, Clay and Romy had never been so grateful to be on dry land.
“This way, this way,” Hagrid instructed them enthusiastically, ushering the three students along. He was seemingly either oblivious to, or not caring about, how uncomfortable travelling across the lake had made them; though Hagrid seemed to be unable to take his eyes off Harry for long, frequently glancing back and watching him closely.
The half-giant felt as if he had failed the boy; he had been there the night James and Lily had died but he hadn’t gotten there soon enough to prevent the boy from being kidnaped. He would never forgive himself for that. However, to see the teenager before him now, he was proud of him. He was clearly a strong young lad, survived a lot more than most should and time would tell if Harry was as powerful a wizard as Dumbledore seemed to think that he would be.
The giant of a man led them along a stone passageway until they felt frost-ridden grass crunch underfoot; the huge castle was right above them now, casting shadows down upon them as they started to head up a stone staircase. The air was breezy and cold, and Harry, who was just behind Romy, rubbed her arms to help keep her warm when he saw a shiver run through her.
“Not sure about all this climbing,” Clay grumbled unhappily, when they were approaching the top.
“It’s good for you,” Romy told him. “After all that sugar you ate you should have plenty of energy for it.” Her voice was soft as she spoke; there wasn’t a hint of bite to it at all. She had a feeling she was going to end up missing the little annoyances of her cousin as they settled into the school and life outside of their pack.
Words were lost as they continued to follow the beast of a man, who rarely said a word to them other than encourage them to hurry along and keep up with him. The pups rarely spoke to each other either, only sharing the occasional worried glances between them as they walked.
The four of them finally approached a huge set of double doors made of oak that seemingly led into the castle. “Normally I would knock and Professor McGonagall would let us in, but seeing as it’s just you three…” Hagrid said, pushing against one of the doors, which swung open with an ominous creak.
The three young werewolves shared a look of trepidation before they stepped inside, just ahead of Hagrid, who followed them in and closed the door behind them with an impressive thud. The space was huge and thankfully warm, or at least a lot warmer than outside; that was their first impression of it. As they looked around they saw that the Entrance Hall they were standing in was lined with hundreds of flaming torches that flickered and shone onto the stone walls and reflected in the marble staircase ahead of them.
“Come along,” Hagrid said, as he led them forward.
They could hear hundreds of voices merging together in the room beyond a large door on their right and it seemed likely that that was where the rest of the students had been taken. Hagrid, however, led them into a small room adjacent to whatever room it was that the rest of the student body was gathered in. They were told to wait there by Hagrid as he left them.
“Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Professor McGonagall,” a stern voice said from the corner of the room, and the three students turned in surprise to face a tall witch, dressed in midnight blue robes; she was eyeing them carefully. “As I am sure you are aware, it is not usual to permit the addition of new student’s part way through the academic year, however… given the Headmaster’s decision to grant you a place in this establishment it is required that you all be sorted into the house that is most suited to each of you.”
“Couldn’t that have been done without the freezing cold boat trip?” Clay asked, as he rubbed Romy’s hands between his to try and warm her fingers. The professor eyed the three new students before her; she prided herself on being able to predict which students would cause more trouble than others and the two boys here were such students.
“Clayton Danes, I trust,” the professor said, giving him a look of disapproval.
“Yep, that’s me,” he said proudly.
“This school is over a thousand years old, Mr Danes, there are certain traditions that we wish to uphold; the boat trip, as you put it, is one of those traditions,” she told him curtly, her lips pinched into a thin line of annoyance. “Now,” she went on, ignoring the frown on Clay’s face, “in a moment I will lead you into the Great Hall, where in turn you will each place the sorting hat on your head and be sorted accordingly. At which point you will take a seat at the appropriate table and join your housemates for the start of term banquet.”
“We’ll be sitting together,” Clay said defiantly, receiving another disapproving look from the professor. He slipped his hand into Romy’s as if to prove his point, Harry taking her other hand so that the three of them were joined. It was a sign that no matter what happened once they were sorted into their house they would always be united.
“You shall sit at the appropriate table, Mr Danes, wherever the hat sorts you. You may see your friends once the feast is finished and in classes tomorrow.” Minerva said a little harshly. She was just hoping that the petulant boy didn’t end up in her house; he was going to cause trouble, she just knew.
Clay, again, went to interrupt but Romy tugged sharply on his arm and, when he turned to her questioningly, she shook her head. Now was not the time to kick up a fuss. They were all nervous, scared and damn near physically shaking, though that might have been partly because they were still recovering from the icily cold weather outside. It seemed that the schools so called ‘traditions’ were not well suited to the climate of Scotland in early January.
Romy, in truth, wanted nothing more than to be with her mother, despite how excited she had been about the opportunity to attend the school and learn. Harry wanted to be curled up on Fenrir’s lap having a cuddle and Clayton wanted to be playing cards with Micha or chatting to his Dad. None of them really wanted to be here, but they would get through it, for Harry and for the answers he needed.
But werewolves weren’t creatures that liked to be indoors, surrounded by four stone walls, for long. It unnerved them; it could be done of course, many lone wolves lived in houses and lived normal human lives but it would never sit right with them. After months of living in the woodland with their pack, none of the three pups felt very comfortable knowing that they were surrounded by walls and were essentially trapped.
“We are ready for you to be sorted now,” Minerva said a few awkwardly silent moments later, and she led the way; the three young werewolves exchanged apprehensive looks before following the professor out of the small room and towards the large door which the rest of the school was behind.
She pushed on the wood before them and the door opened, revealing the impressive sight of the Great Hall beyond. Professor McGonagall led them inside as the three of them tried to take it all in. It was a strange yet splendid space lit by thousands upon thousands of candles that floated in midair above four long tables that were filled with the other students, all of them watching the three new additions to the school, pointing at them and whispering.
The tables themselves were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets, all empty; apparently everyone was waiting for them. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting, instantly Harry pinpointed the man he knew was Albus Dumbledore. It didn’t take much to work out who he was, sat in the centre of the teachers table, twinkling blue eyes fixed unwelcomingly on him.
All the professors were lined up there and he could see that a few of them were wearing scowls of disapproval and disgust; one of them was a woman done up in an entirely pink outfit, with a bow on her head that emphasised her unattractiveness. There was an angry witch and similar looking wizard, both dressed entirely in black sitting to either side of her, and Harry suspected this might be the Umbridge woman and her Deatheaters that Draco had mentioned on the train.
Harry had no trouble spotting Hagrid, who had apparently come and joined the other professors after leaving them. There was also a rather old portly man, who was watching Harry with hungry eyes, as though inspecting and evaluating a prized possession. He also spotted a tiny little wizard who was peering up over the table, trying to get a better look, and a scruffily dressed man who looked strangely familiar.
Romy looked upward and gasped; it was just as she had imagined after reading about it in Hogwarts: A History. She tugged on the hands of the boys, which she was still holding onto, and they too glanced upwards and saw the velvety black ceiling that was dotted with stars. Just ahead of them, a four-legged stool had been placed for all to see; a battered old hat, that was patched and frayed, sat upon this stool looking harmless enough but all three pups surveyed it as if it were the most dangerous thing in the world.
They didn’t let go of each other, not even when they reached the top of the Great Hall, all eyes remaining on them. Professor McGonagall turned to face them and the three of them came to a stop, waiting for the inevitable. “When I call your name,” Professor McGonagall told them, “you will come forward. I will place the hat on your head and you will be sorted.” The three pups nodded to show that they understood. “Clayton Danes.”
It was logical to start in alphabetical order, of course it was, but that didn’t make it any easier for Clay, who didn’t want to let go of Romy’s hand. After a few moments of hesitation, during which the Professor began to look highly annoyed, he finally released his grip on his cousin and took a step forward. McGonagall lifted the ragged old hat off the seat and Clay sat down.
The sorting hat was placed upon his head and instantly he heard a voice muttering in his ear. It spoke of his loyalty and of his bravery, of how he was a protector of others; Clayton just listened as the voice from the hat seemed to ponder its decision for a moment longer before it bellowed out, “GRYFFINDOR!” for the hall to hear. A few people from the Gryffindor table clapped at the sorting hats decision but it was very few; their loyalty was to Neville and didn’t welcome this new pretender and his friends.
Romy’s grip on Harry’s hand had tightened slightly as they had waited but it had taken less than a minute for the hat to see that the brave and reckless Clayton belonged to the house of Godric Gryffindor. Romy was smiling softly; her first prediction had come true. Casting a final glance back at his pack brother and sister, Clay slunk off and took a seat as far away from Ron, his cronies and Hermione as physically possible, not even wanting to look at them let alone be near them.
Only once Clayton had taken his seat, did Professor McGonagall call out the next name. “Romy Howard,” Minerva said clearly.
Romy took a deep breath to steady her nerves, Harry gave her hand a squeeze and leaned forward, whispering, “it’s going to be alright,” into her ear. She nodded, released the death grip she had had on his hand, before stepping forward and taking a seat on the rickety old stool where the sorting hat was quickly placed upon her head.
‘Bravery, a fierce need to protect those you love, just like your cousin, Miss Chester. Though I see now that you prefer Howard, most interesting’ the hat said, though Romy was fairly sure it was only speaking on to her. ‘You have had a hard life but are finding your way. There is such strength here that has gotten you through and… Ah, hmmm, but such a mind in here, curious and eager for knowledge. Fair bit of loyalty too… tricky, tricky,’ it said, but Romy assumed its comments required no response from her so she just sat and waited.
Harry noticed that hat seemed to have a little more trouble with deciding where to put Romy and it took several minutes of deliberation before it finally bellowed, “RAVENCLAW!” for the hall to hear. There was clapping and cheering, more than there had been from the Gryffindors at least, and Romy cast an anxious glance over to Clay; he looked to be fuming mad but had so far managed to stop himself from making a move to join her at the Ravenclaw table where she went to sit beside a blonde girl with what looked to be radish earrings.
Now it was just Harry left. It was the moment that most of those gathered had been waiting for, student and teacher alike. The entire Great Hall stilled, everyone seemingly sitting up and taking notice. Even the teachers seemed to be a little on edge as Minerva read out, “Harry Potter.”
Harry didn’t move; he hadn’t anticipated that they would attempt to use the Potter name and certainly not in front of so many people; he felt now that he should have guessed that they would, but he hadn’t. He wasn’t, however, going to let them force the name upon him, and so he didn’t move; that just, very simply, wasn’t his name.
Professor McGonagall looked to him expectantly but he glared back at her. “Harry Potter,” she said again, sounding more insistent and this time Harry shook his head, glaring at her, blatantly refusing to move.
“That isn’t my name,” he said through gritted teeth, crossing his arms over his chest and making it quite clear that he wasn’t going to be moving until they got his name right. He needed to let them all know, Dumbledore especially, that he wasn’t a pushover; he wouldn’t let them just walk all over him or dictate to him how things would be.
Minerva frowned with concern, looking towards the headmaster, not knowing what else to call him. Confused muttering was breaking out amongst the formerly calm, chattering students. The headmaster and Professor McGonagall were frowning in his direction but Harry, with his arms crossed over his chest, stood stubbornly before them all, prepared to wait them out.
“It’s not my name,” he reiterated a bit louder, wanting the whole school to hear and be well aware that he wasn’t who they all assumed him to be. He wasn’t a Potter and he was never going to be. “My name is Harry Prince,” he almost shouted, the whole of the Great Hall now in no doubt about what his name was and his feelings on being called Potter.
The Hall was suddenly abuzz with talk; the article in the Daily Prophet had rumoured such a change of name but to hear it from the boy-who-lived himself was something else. Even several of the teachers at the head table seemed unable to resist a quick mutter to their neighbour. Harry glanced over at Romy and then Clay, seeing that both of them were wearing deliberately blank faces; they didn’t like the attempts at manipulating Harry any more than he did.
“SILENCE!” the headmaster bellowed across the room and quiet fell, but the atmosphere was tense and expectant; everyone was waiting for the next move to be taken, wondering who would be the first to break. “Harry Prince,” Dumbledore suddenly said, though he sounded rather irritated and on edge. No one in the Great Hall, student or teacher, had expected for the elderly headmaster to actually bend to the will of a fifteen year old boy.
Harry gave him a smug smile before stepping forward to sit on the four-legged stool. The room was full of talk again, though quieter this time, as Minerva came forward and placed the old hat upon his head.
Harry, however, no longer cared where he was sorted; he didn’t care where he ended up, he just wanted it to be over. His best friend was in Gryffindor, where the horrible boys that had accosted them on the train were; Draco was a Slytherin and seemed to be watching in fascination as they were all sorted; and Romy had gone to Ravenclaw, though that had been an easy one to predict with her intelligence and love of knowledge.
After reading all about the four school houses he had known that that would be where she ended up; Clayton hadn’t exactly been a surprise to him either. He also had a feeling about where the hat was going to put him but he was going to leave that up to fate, or at least the hat currently on his head, to decide. He kept his mind clear, thinking about how much he just wanted to be at home, with his pack and Fenrir rather than sitting here being gawped at.
‘Ah, Mr Potter… but no… it’s Mr Prince now I see. You have long been awaited here,’ the hat said, speaking to him directly, ‘and what a curious thing it is to see what it going on up here. Hmm... Interesting, definitely interesting. A clever mind, there is no doubting that, and you have been taught well I see, the man who raised you was a tricky one to sort too. I see that there is bravery here too, just like your pack brother and sister, you will fight for what you believe in, but…. oh, that is most curious indeed. You may yet get that chance to prove yourself which you yearn for, Mr Prince, and your machinations will help you on that path to greatness, I suppose it better be…’
“SLYTHERIN!”
The entire Great Hall fell silent. Even the great Albus Dumbledore looked somewhat alarmed. It took all of thirty seconds before the entire of Slytherin house was on their feet, cheering with a stupendous, echoing roar that reverberated around the Great Hall with ferocity. “WE GOT HARRY!” they yelled with some disbelief, which was clearly mirrored by the other houses. “WE GOT THE BOY-WHO-LIVED!”
Harry stood up and looked first to Clay, wincing slightly when he realised that he had never seen his best friend look so upset; then he looked to Romy, who gave him a weak and sympathetic smile, which he returned. Wishing that he could sit with one, or even both of them, he went and took his seat beside Draco. The blond teenager risked a glance to Albus as he outstretched his hand to Harry, who, looking momentarily confused, took it and shook regardless; he would ask what it had been about later, now was not the time.
As silence fell, the headmaster got to his feet, his blue eyes having lost their twinkle. “Let the feast begin,” he announced with a tone of blatantly false cheeriness, but at his words food erupted on the large golden platters before them all.
Normally Albus would have had more to say, but once again Harry Potter… no Prince… NO! He would not bend to the will of a disrespectful and slightly infuriating teenage boy. Once again Harry Potter was making a mess of his plans; the boy couldn’t even get himself sorted into the house he expected. Severus had done more damage than he had anticipated.
None of the three pups felt much like eating after their sorting; not even Clay, who was determined that he would not remain sitting at the Gryffindor table being glared at by the red-head and his cronies. Also, the way the bushy haired girl was looking at him was making him feel a little ill. He wanted to get away from them and he didn’t care what was said on the matter, he wouldn’t be sitting with the Gryffindors.
With everyone else distracted by the massive amount of food that was now in front of them, he got to his feet, weaving in and out of the tables until he got to Romy who was chatting to the girl she was sat next to. The unknown girl had blonde hair and was clearly around the same age as Romy but wearing peculiar looking earrings. Clay gave her the most charming smile that he could manage as he crouched down, trying not to draw attention to himself.
“Mind if I borrow my cousin?” Clay asked and the blonde girl smiled at him kindly.
“Of course not, I suppose you all need to stay together,” she said, her voice dreamy and distant as she studied him. “It was very nice to meet you, Romy, I’ll see you later.”
Romy smiled and nodded at the girl as Clay laced his fingered with hers and pulled her out of her seat and in the direction of the Slytherin table; both of them keeping their heads low as they moved. She didn’t need to ask what her cousin was up to; she had felt as uneasy at being separated as he had; she was more than glad to be reunited with the troublesome boys. Harry was grinning wildly as he saw Clayton and Romy heading in their direction and instantly glowered at a couple of first years to move so as to make room for them.
As discreet as Clay believed he was, his move over to the Slytherin table with Romy hadn’t gone unnoticed. The headmaster had watched them with disapproval but he was reluctant to make a scene, when it would do no good and just paint him in a bad light with the other students; given his reputation was already suffering he could not afford such a thing. However, he was not the only one who was watching curiously.
Remus Lupin was sat at one end of the teacher’s table and he was wondering if the three teenage werewolves would notice him; he thought that Harry had glanced his way when they had entered, but he wasn’t sure. His scent would potentially draw attention to him eventually, even if it hadn’t just yet. And if they did notice him, he was curious to see if the two boys would recognise him from the one time they met, that night that Sirius had mistook Harry for James. It seemed so long ago that it had happened now; a whole six months ago.
He watched as the other werewolf boy, Clayton, sniffed and then inhaled deeply, obviously having caught some kind of scent as he had moved across the Great Hall, before he then leaned across the table to whisper something to Harry, repeating the process with the young girl, Romy. And a moment later Harry’s eyes scanned the head table and spotted him.
There; Harry thought, his eyes finding a face that was vaguely familiar. The man looked tired and a bit of a mess to be honest; Harry couldn’t remember where he had seen him before but he knew he had; and now that he was focused on the man, who he supposed must be a teacher, Harry was sure that the man was a werewolf too. Though he didn’t look to be much of one but it wasn’t just his face that was familiar, his scent seemed to be too, it was almost a comfort to him. He might have only just been getting the use of his werewolf scenting ability back but that man triggered something, he just couldn’t figure out what.
Despite the other younger Slytherins making room for the two new additions they seemed a little startled to have a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw join them. It wasn’t expected and it wasn’t exactly normal either. None of the other houses ever wanted to sit with them. No one quite knew what to say as Clayton and Romy took their seats.
“Clayton, do you recognise him?” Harry asked in a very hushed voice, jerking his head towards where the slightly scruffy professor was sitting. The scents were confusing him a little, he didn’t have the focus to figure out what they meant, he would think about it another time when he had the time but it was something that he couldn’t pinpoint now, not at this distance and not with so many other people and food around.
“Sure do,” he said with a frown, after working out who Harry was talking about. “Do you remember a certain birthday celebration?”
The other Slytherins around them were looking at the two new and rather unexpected additions to their table curiously, those closest trying to listen in and work out what they were talking about. None of them were sure of what to make of the three new students who were huddled together talking amongst themselves.
“Yeah, of course,” Harry said, and then he remembered. “Damn, he was one of those two guys that tried to talk to us when we were on our way to get food; he called me James.”
“And now he is a teacher here?” Romy asked, looking nervous. “That is way too much of a coincidence.”
“Agreed,” Harry and Clayton said together.
“Do me a favour, Harry, and make sure not to be left alone with him, okay?” Clayton requested; frowning at the obviously nosey students around them.
Harry scowled, not really liking that his best friend was going all protective on him, as touching as it was, but he agreed with the idea none-the-less. He wanted to know more about who the man was but that was something he would investigate, with backup if possible.
“Draco?” Harry said, remembering the way some of the other professors had been looking at them when he entered. “Is that that Umbridge woman?” he asked curiously, “the one in all that pink.”
“That’s her, with the Carrows either side of her,” Draco told them. “Clayton, Romy, let me introduce a few people. You already know Daphne, of course, but this is Astoria, Daphne’s sister, she’s in third year,” he told them indicating the young woman a few seats down from him. She was blond just like her older sister and just as strikingly beautiful too.
“Oh, same year as me,” Romy said happily, reaching out and shaking her hand with a smile that was returned.
“This is Pansy, Blaise and Theo,” Draco went on, indicating each of as he named them, though none of them seemed to want to be particularly welcoming to the newcomers, but they managed a few curt nods of acknowledgement at least.
They were distrustful and suspicious of Harry, and he belonged with them, he was one of them; so when it came to his two friends, who were in other houses, they had no idea what to make of them. And then there was that Draco was being so easily welcoming, it was odd and made them even more dubious about the new students.
“Oh, and that’s Crabbe and Goyle,” Draco added as an afterthought, pointing at the two boys who were so busy gorging themselves on the feast in front of them that Harry suspected they hadn’t even noticed when Clay and Romy had joined the table.
“Where did you go to school before, I mean, you had to go somewhere?” Pansy asked, looking between the three new students suspiciously.
“We were home schooled,” Harry said with a shrug, they didn’t need to elaborate more than that. All of their magical skill level was more than adequate for what was required of them. Romy could have easily joined the seventh year classes, as could Harry. Clayton was knowledgeable enough for his age and wouldn’t struggle too badly with the coming O.W.L exams, at least he wouldn’t with Harry’s help.
“So why come here now?” Blaise asked.
“Did you not read the paper?” Harry asked a little snappishly. “Believe that; everyone else does.” He didn’t want to go into it with these people, it wasn’t their business. The Daily Prophet had reported him to have been kidnapped and, even though Harry knew that that wasn’t true, he wasn’t about to start talking about it to these complete strangers. Instead he was going to take a leaf out of Fenrir’s book and stick with non-committal grunts whenever he could.
“Lay off, Blaise,” Draco said. “What does it matter anyway?”
“He’s doing the Fenrir thing again,” Clayton whispered in his cousin’s ear, making her snort at amusement as she took in the serious and stern expression on Harry’s face. She thought it was kind of endearing the way the teenager would mimic his mate whenever he felt threatened or uncomfortable.
“So are you two like seeing each other?” Astoria asked, pointing between Harry and Romy, questioningly, causing Clayton to let out a low warning growl in response. Romy had to give him a sharp elbow to the ribs to shut him up.
“Astoria!” Daphne chastised.
“What makes you ask that?” Romy asked curiously.
“Yeah, I’m curious too,” Harry asked; he was finding it a lot more amusing than Clayton who clearly couldn’t handle the idea of anyone else with Romy.
“You’re all super close and his neck’s covered in hickeys, someone had to give them to him, he can’t exactly give them to himself,” Astoria reasoned.
“They do stand out,” Draco commented, eyeing the purpling marks upon Harry’s neck that were deep in colour and peaked out from the collar of his white shirt, trailing up as far as his ear lobe; though Harry didn’t seem in the least bit ashamed by them, in fact the opposite.
“Well it wasn’t Romy,” Harry said with an amused grin, something Romy shared. All Clayton wanted to do was wrap his arms around his cousin and make it very well known that she belonged to him, though he didn’t think that such a move would be welcomed by her.
“Then who?” Blaise asked; he was just as curious as the others, who were all listening in; except for Crabbe and Goyle, who were still stuffing their faces.
“Someone who wanted it well known that Harry’s off limits,” Clayton said as he finally began to help himself to some food, feeling a lot better now that he was close to Harry and Romy, and therefore able to protect them.
“Wait... did YOU give him those hickeys?” Theo asked with a gesture towards Clay, his eyebrows practically disappearing into his hairline in surprise. The question almost made Clayton choke on the mouthful of pumpkin pasty he had put in his mouth as he struggled not to laugh.
“Hell no!” both Harry and Clay said at the same time, before turning to look at each other, shaking their heads and bursting out laughing.
“That is so wrong, and no offence, Harry, but really disturbing,” Clayton added, still shaking his head. “Harry’s like my brother, we grew up together,” he explained. “There is only one person in the world I’d want to give hickeys too.” At this he looked to Romy, winking at her and she rolled her eyes.
“Wait, so you two are together?” Pansy asked, feeling seriously confused.
“Yes,” Clayton answered quickly, smirking at Romy.
“No,” Romy said almost at the same time, to which Harry laughed, and everyone else just looked even more baffled.
“We will be,” Clayton tried to explain.
“He wishes,” Romy said, with an exasperated sigh.
“It’s only a matter of time,” Clayton said with another wink in her direction.
“The sooner the better in my opinion,” Harry said, with a roll of his eyes, helping himself to some food, figuring that he should probably eat something, even if he didn’t really feel like it.
“Don’t encourage him, Harry,” Romy chastised.
“He doesn’t need any,” Harry said with a snort of amusement. “He’s all loved up all on his own with no help or encouragement from me.”
The other Slytherins within hearing distance were looking at the three new students with utter confusion as they shared this banter, not entirely sure what to make of it.
“Speaking of encouragement,” Clay said, turning to Harry. “You think it’s time?”
Harry grinned, nodding his head, “I think it might be,” he agreed.
“No,” Romy said, “don’t do it, please,” she begged.
“What?” Draco asked, looking between Harry and Clay with confusion. “What’s going on?” Romy, however, didn’t answer; instead she buried her face in her hands so she didn’t have to watch.
“Oh come on, Romy,” Harry said, “this is a cause for celebration after all.”
“We wanted to arrive with a bang,” Clayton said, highly amusing himself with his own little joke.
“And Damon said to make a good first impression,” Harry said with a shrug.
“How is this making a good first impression?” Romy asked, looking up from her hands and sounding horrified.
“Who doesn't like fireworks?” Harry asked with a shrug.
“Fireworks?” Draco asked, trying desperately to catch up, realising that there was something that he was missing here and not entirely sure what.
“I told you,” Romy said to Draco and the other bemused Slytherins who were watching the two new teenage boys start rummaging in their pockets for what they wanted. “They aren’t happy unless they’re causing trouble.”
“The best thing is,” Harry said as he removed the fireworks and got them ready, casting notice-me-not spells over himself and Clayton ready to launch the fireworks into the air.
“They aren’t just regular fireworks,” Clayton finished for him, a mischievous grin sent to Harry who was doing his best to hold back his own manic laughter.
“What have you done?” Romy asked warily.
“Oh, nothing… much,” Harry said, highly amused with himself as he lit the end and threw them into the air at the same time as Clayton did the same. “We just tampered with them a little,” he explained before the fireworks exploded in mid air, startling the entire of the great hall. It took all of half a minute until it became apparent just how the two of them had tampered with the fireworks.
“Oh, Harry, that is vile!” Romy said as she clamped a hand over her mouth and nose as an odour worse than rotting flesh filled the hall. No one was immune to the stench as the fireworks exploded above them, filling the room with brightly coloured bursts of light.
And then all chaos broke loose. Students were almost climbing over each other to get away from the terrible smell that surrounded them, bright and beautiful explosions overhead easily drowned out Dumbledore’s shouting for order. The Great Hall began to empty as students pushed through the large doors and out into the fresh air of the Entrance Hall.
Harry cast bubblehead charms on himself, Romy and Clay; Draco, getting the idea, quickly followed suit for Daphne, Astoria and himself. Clayton was laughing as they strolled out of the room and ahead of them they could see the other Slytherins trying to push their way through the mass of students.
“Great first impression, Clayton,” Romy grumbled as they met with the bottlenecked crowd.
“Well I did tell my Dad that a first good impression might be asking too much,” Clayton pointed out with a dismissive shrug.
“Mr Danes,” a stern voice said from behind them, and all three pups turned to look up the scowling face of Professor McGonagall. Their notice-me-not spells were still in place but apparently the professor wasn’t fooled. “An impressive disguise admittedly, Mr Potter, Mr Danes, but I am quite certain that Miss Howard would have not been left here unaccompanied by the pair of your.”
“Prince,” Harry said with a scowl as he removed the notice-me-not charm from himself and Clayton. “My name is Harry Prince.”
FGHP
“Has he said anything?” Jenson asked Damon, the two of them sitting by the fire. Micha was curled up on Damon’s lap, fast asleep, and Callie had cried herself to sleep in her mate’s arms. The first night without the pups was always going to be the hardest for them all. Lukas and Tessie had picked up a lot of the slack when the others had began to really break down as it became apparent that they really wouldn’t be back tonight.
“Not a word,” Damon said, eyeing the Alpha who was sat a little way away from the group, seemingly brooding; but what none of them could see was that in his hand, covering half of his body, was a blanket he and Harry had shared.
“What do we do?” Jenson asked; genuine concern for his Alpha showing in his tone as he and Damon both held their loved ones close.
“I don’t think there is anything we can do,” Damon said sadly, running his hands softly through Micha’s short blond hair. “They’ll be home in a couple of weeks for the full moon, it might only be for the one night but we’ll get to see them.”
“Yeah but until then he’s going to be in a foul mood and we can’t afford to be distracted right now,” Jenson argued, though he was careful to keep his voice low. Even without the pups in the clearing, it was still dangerous; the strays were still out there and they couldn’t afford to be distracted.
“Think about how you’d feel if it was Callie,” Damon said softly, trying to sound sympathetic and wanting to make Jenson understand how it might not be possible to just make the Alpha alright again, at least not while Harry was still out of his reach.
“I’d hate it,” Jenson growled, tightening his grip around his mate as if she might just disappear all of a sudden. He never wanted to think of her being away from him, not ever.
“Exactly,” Damon said softly, looking down at Micha and smiling. “You’ve been with Callie years and never had to leave her, Fenrir and Harry have been together a matter of months and he’s already had to send him off somewhere that he knows isn’t safe. If he’s in a bad mood, I really can’t blame him.”
“Well, when you put it like that…” Jenson said, realising that maybe the Alpha wasn’t as emotionally stunted as he had first believed he might be, he just didn’t show them well, or at all really. Looking at Callie, he couldn’t imagine not having her with him, it was an unbearable thought and yet that was what the Alpha was living. “We can’t just let him stay like this for the next two weeks though, and are we supposed to just let him be like this every time Harry goes back to that school?”
“I agree with you there,” Damon said with a sigh, “But I think it’s something he has to work through on his own. He’ll realise in his own time that Harry’s coming back.”
“Maybe we can find a way for them to see each other,” Jenson mused. “Isn’t Hogsmeade close to the school?” It was risky, he knew that, but perhaps less risky that having their Alpha all but comatose for the majority of the next six months. And they would have to work on finding Fenrir something to focus on, something other than Harry’s absence.
“It is, and that’s a great idea, but isn’t he going to be just as bad when he gets back here after that?” Damon pointed out.
“He needs some kind of project,” Jenson said, trying to think of what.
“Get him to build something for Harry,” Micha said sleepily, not moving from his position. It really was difficult to stay asleep when your pillow insisted on talking constantly.
“Any smart ideas as to what?” Damon asked, smiling in spite of himself at how cute Micha sounded when his voice was all sleepy. He kept that thought to himself though, quite sure that the submissive wouldn’t appreciate the sentiment at that moment, not in front of the Beta at least.
“Nope, that’s your bit to figure out,” Micha said opening one eye to peer up at the warm comfortable man he was cuddled up with. “You’ve known him practically his whole life; surely you can figure something out. Now, unless you have any great insights to share, shush, so I can sleep.”
“He likes to go off and think,” Damon mused; lowering his voice a little more as Micha closed his eyes again, nuzzling into the older man, settling back down to sleep.
“As long as he stays out of trees to do it that’s fine but I’m not sure how that helps with what Fenrir can build for Harry,” Jenson said.
“Unless somehow he makes it safe for Harry to go and think in the trees,” Damon said, an idea springing to mind. And it certainly would keep the Alpha busy and occupied for some time as well, which was, after all, the whole point. “What if we suggest that he builds Harry like some lookout platforms up in the trees around the clearing?”
“You have met the pups, right?” Jenson said with a sceptical frown. “You remember your son, and Harry, and now you want to give them high platforms to hide on?”
“Well we would have to put spells on them for safety and it would be a lot safer than them climbing, or flying, up trees,” Damon pointed out with a shrug.
“Those two are capable of falling out of trees even with protective spells,” Jenson said, half amused. “But I can see the advantages of them not flying or climbing up. I think the big question is though, can we sell it to the Alpha?”
“No,” Damon said firmly when he saw that Jenson was looking at Micha with a small smile. “No,” he said again, when that smile just got bigger, “you’re Beta, you go talk to him; you can leave Micha out of it.”
“Does Micha get a say in that?” the submissive asked sleepily.
“Of course but you’re not doing it,” Damon insisted.
“So I get to choose as long as I agree with you?” Micha asked looking up at the older werewolf.
“It’s not your responsibility,” Damon tried to reason.
“But I don’t mind and the Alpha would never hurt me,” Micha said with absolute certainty. “We all know how much that man loves me.”
“I think you confuse him more than anything,” Jenson suggested.
“Sometimes I think he just needs a hug,” Micha said with a shrug.
“Trouble,” Damon said with a resigned sigh, “you always think everyone could use a hug.”
“Hugs always make people happy,” Micha explained in a tone that clearly expressed that he thought his mate was missing the obvious. “He’s still just a person even if he is our Alpha.”
“Trouble?” Jenson questioned. “I mean, I completely understand why, but really?”
“Wait until you hear what I call him,” Micha said; his eyes wide with glee at the prospect of Jenson’s reaction to the name. He really was very proud of having come up with it.
“Micha….” Damon said warningly.
“Now I’m too curious not to know,” Jenson said with amusement. “As long as it’s clean,” he added hastily, “I don’t want to hear it if it’s anything crude.”
“Micha…” Damon said with a stern look at the submissive, giving his head a little shake. He didn’t really want the whole pack to know what Micha had taken to calling him no matter how cute he thought it was.
“Oh well I guess I better not say then,” Micha said in a singsong voice; he was trying and completely failing to look innocent.
“Because Damon asked you not to or because it is too crude?” Jenson asked with narrowed eyes.
“Ah, now that would be telling,” Micha said with a sweet smile, before looking to Damon. “And I’m going to take a leaf from Harry’s book and start calling you Mr grumpy pants soon; though admittedly at the moment the Alpha is definitely holding firmly onto that title.”
“I am not sure I could ever be grumpy enough to take that from him,” Damon said, looking over at the morose Alpha as Micha cuddled back up against him, eyes drifting closed.
“Do you really think that they will be okay at that school?” Micha asked, obviously almost half back to sleep again already.
“Honestly, trouble, I am more worried about Hogwarts than I am for the pups,” Damon said with a wry smile at Jenson.
FGHP
“You don’t belong here,” Dean hissed at Clayton. They were in Gryffindor boys’ dormitory, away from prying eyes and ears. It was just Clay versus Ron, Dean and Seamus, though admittedly the latter of the group seemed rather disinterested in fighting at all; he had simply gotten ready for bed and was now stood looking disapprovingly at his two friends.
“Ron, just leave him,” the Irish wizard said. “We have to live together; we don’t have a choice so just leave him!”
“You don’t want to fight me,” Clayton said; he knew that with or without magic if it came down to a fight that he would win but he would also be expelled. If that happened he wouldn’t be able to help or protect Harry and he couldn’t have that. Also the thought of Romy being in the castle without him did not sit right with him at all.
“I think I’ll decide who I want to fight or not,” Ron sneered, glaring at Clay. “I don’t like Deatheaters.”
“Good thing I’m not one then,” Clayton snapped, he was shortly going to be losing his patience and punching the small-minded red-head right in the mouth.
“Seemed pretty pally with them at dinner,” Dean said. “Hanging around with Malfoy and his cronies. You should pick your friends more wisely.”
“Oh, like be friends with you?” Clayton asked angrily, looking at the three Gryffindor teens in disgust. “You’re no better than them; you think you’re so damn righteous because you lost people you cared about but really you don’t have a clue!”
“I’ll show you who’s got a clue,” Ron bellowed, withdrawing his wand. Clayton sighed, unless Ron knew the spells designed to take down werewolves, something he doubted, then most curses or jinxes used were not going to have much of an effect on him. If anything it was just going to show them that he wasn’t entirely human.
“Go on then,” Clayton goaded, “give it your best shot.”
Dean, when Ron had gone for his wand, had instantly raised his too. Seamus had a grip on his but was reluctant to raise it, not wanting this to escalate. Clayton wasn’t about to go for his, determined that if it came down to it he might not get expelled if he had never raised his wand against them.
“You’re a proper psycho!” Dean hissed as Clay opened his arms wide, daring Ron to fire a spell at him. He wasn’t scared of these idiots, he had come up against much worse, hell he was a damn werewolf; these scared little boys meant nothing to him.
“Ron, leave him, he hasn’t even got his wand,” Seamus said. He would have much preferred to have just gone to bed without all of this nonsense. But it seemed that Ron was determined to cause trouble.
“Fuck this,” Clay said, lowering his arms. “You don’t have the balls, just do me a favour and stay out of my way,” he said before turning and leaving. He didn’t want to have to spend any more time with the twats than was absolutely necessary.
Deciding that he wouldn’t be sleeping there that night, he made the choice to go in search of Harry and Romy. He had no clue where the Ravenclaw common room was but he had bid farewell to Harry and Draco as they had headed down into the dungeons so he decided that would be the best place to go. If either of them felt as unsettled and uneasy as he did then it wouldn’t be long until they all found each other.
Being inside and sleeping alone just felt odd; it wasn’t right, they were werewolves, they needed to be with their pack or at the very least outside. Walls and rooms just weren’t their natural habitat; though it was survivable and being inside wouldn’t have any adverse effects on them or their state of mind it still didn’t feel right.
FGHP
“I can’t believe you got detention on the first night!” Draco said as they settled down in their beds.
Harry was finding it rather difficult to find a comfortable position and he wasn't really focusing on what Draco was saying. He used to love his bed in Ingleton but it had been months of sleeping in puppy piles and, with his mate too; this whole, being back in a bed thing, it was just plain weird.
“Yeah, well, it was fun,” Harry said with a shrug as he finally gave up his battle with pillows and blankets, simply throwing everything but his and Fenrir’s hide off the bed. He wrapped it around himself and inhaled the familiar scent of his mate.
“What are you doing?” Draco asked, slightly bemused as he had watched Harry dump all of his bedding onto the floor.
“I can’t get comfortable,” Harry complained.
“Why on earth not? It’s a bed.”
“We don’t…” Harry said, starting to say that they didn’t have bed in the pack, trying to figure out what the problem really was with his bed. “At home, we sleep together in a kind of pile.”
“A pile?”
“Yeah, all together, for warmth,” Harry explained.
“Warmth…?” Draco questioned. “But you are indoors, right…? I mean… when you say a pile…”
Harry shook his head. “Being surrounded by walls, it doesn’t feel right; it never has, not really. I never really knew why until I slept outside with the rest of the pack. Being this far underground, it doesn’t feel right to me.”
“I honestly don’t know what to suggest, you are not sharing with me,” Draco told him firmly, not wanting his new friend to get any funny ideas. “I have no desire to help you recreate the puppy pile.”
Harry laughed. “Yeah I can so see you, Blaise, Theo, Crabbe and Goyle all snuggling with me on the floor,” he said with amusement. “I think I’m going to go and find Romy and Clay, I doubt they’re feeling much better than I am.”
Draco sighed. “Fine, just don’t get caught. We don’t want to lose anymore house points.”
“I’ll give it my best shot,” Harry said as he pulled his special, Fenrir scented hide around him, tucking Baloo bear under his arm and trailing out of the dormitory.
FGHP
Romy was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling as though it had offended her; she missed her parents already, she didn’t feel safe without their scents around her and the bed… it was just all squidgy and fluffy. That wasn’t even starting on the rather claustrophobic feeling that being inside was giving her.
Finally giving up she threw her legs out of bed deciding that if she couldn’t sleep then she might as well do something useful. Grabbing her book she trailed down to the common room where the fire still blazed. She was actually rather pleased to see the strange blonde girl that she had met at dinner was still sitting up, reading a magazine called the Quibbler and it appeared to be upside down.
“What are you still doing up?” Romy asked kindly as she took a seat on the dark blue sofa beside the girl who she knew to be called Luna.
“The other girls have a terrible case of the clinking flubblies and it makes them snore terribly,” she explained. “What about you, moon frogs aren’t affecting your sleep, are they?”
“No, nothing like that,” Romy said. “I’m home sick, sleeping in these dormitories is weird,” she admitted. It was odd but without telling the odd girl anything about what she was, Luna seemed to have figured out that they weren’t just witches and wizards. Romy wasn't about to tell her outright of course but Luna just seemed to know.
“You should just go and find your pack brothers,” Luna said quietly. “I imagine they feel the same way as you do. Just be careful of the wrackspurts, there are an awful lot of them that lurk in the entrance hall at night.”
“I have no idea how you knew but thank you, Luna,” Romy said with a smile.
Luna leaned in close, whispering softly. “Werewolves attract blessorn kennits. I can see them all trailing along behind you, Clayton and Harry; they only ever settle around werewolves you know.”
“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Romy asked, she might not have known what the strange girl was going on about with half of what she was saying but she found that she actually rather liked her and her strange ways.
“Oh no,” she said dreamily, “your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks,” Romy said as she stood up to leave, “I’m really glad I have a friend already.”
Luna’s face lit up at this. “Yes,” she said with a vacant smile, “a friend.” With this Romy headed out of the portrait hole to go in search of Clayton and Harry.
FGHP
Tom sat at the head of the Malfoy table, waiting impatiently for the arrival of the Carrows; he had ordered them to him to report on the goings on at Hogwarts. He was curious and eager to hear news of the Potter boy; it was public knowledge that Harry would be supposedly attending Hogwarts and today was the start of the new term.
“My Lord,” Alecto Carrow said respectfully as she stepped into the room with her brother, Amycus, on her heels.
“The boy?” Voldemort questioned bluntly.
“He was there, as expected, my Lord,” Amycus confirmed. “Though he insisted on the use of the name Prince rather than Potter.”
“This is not news,” Voldemort said dismissively, he already knew of this from Lucius’ encounter with the boy.
“My Lord,” Amycus said with a low bow by way of an apology.
So it was true; Harry Potter had gone to Hogwarts. The Dark Lord was frustrated that Albus Dumbledore had gotten to Harry before him, and yet, he was not ready to surrender control of the influential young wizard just yet. He was sure that there was still the potential to mould the teenage boy into an heir worthy of Lord Voldemort.
“And,” Tom barked out, his voice harsh and impatient.
“Slytherin, my Lord,” Alecto said, her brother’s breath bated as they waited for a response from their master.
What they saw next was not what they suspected. Tom Riddle, smiling. It was a smile of evil satisfaction but a smile nonetheless. He was happy but even their master’s good mood did not bode well for them. No mood ever boded well for the followers of the Dark Lord.
“Harry Prince,” Voldemort said, as if experimenting how the name sounded on his tongue. He seemed to muse over this for a moment, debating, if it was possible, how much of a threat the boy might be to him.
From his demeanour he seemed satisfied that the boy was not going to be much of a threat at all, if anything the Great Lord Voldemort seemed somewhat amused by the idea of having someone challenge him. His hope of bring the boy to their side felt buoyed by the news of his sorting. The boy must have much to prove and it would be so easy to offer the teenager a chance to do great things at his side.
And even if Harry should foolishly refuse to work with him then it was hardly as though the boy was any true threat. After all Harry Prince was a fifteen year old boy turned werewolf with no formal magical training, it was a joke to believe that he would stand a chance against the greatest wizard known to wizard kind.
“Keep an eye on the boy,” Voldemort said to the two Deatheaters in front of him. “I intend to see to it that he will be of use to us.”
“Of use, my Lord?” Alecto questioned.
Voldemort, however, was not about to discuss his plans with the likes of the Carrow siblings. “Ensure that Draco befriends the boy, keep them together,” he commanded.
“Yes, my Lord,” the Carrows chorused, bowing before taking their hasty leave.
FGHP
“What are you doing out here?” Harry asked as he came up out of the dungeons and spotted Clayton sitting, looking miserable at the bottom of the marble staircase.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he returned with a shrug. He noted the hide from the territory that was around Harry’s shoulders and that even from the meter between them he could smell the Alpha’s scent. It made him smile. Harry also had Baloo bear tucked under one arm and he knew that he had made the right decision to come here.
“You two as well then,” Romy said from behind them, as she came down the stairs and took a seat beside Clay.
“Just doesn’t feel right,” Harry said with a shrug, nestling himself between Clay and Romy, encompassing them within the hide. It was used to cover him and the Alpha male comfortably and therefore it easily covered all three of the pups.
“I miss home,” Romy admitted, snuggling into Harry under the blanket. To her and to Clayton, Harry was the Alpha’s mate and therefore when they were separated from the Alpha himself they turned to Harry, who was all too happy to accept them and look after them. While at Hogwarts the three of them were like their own miniature pack, with Harry as Alpha, Clayton as Beta.
“Do you think we could go outside,” Clayton asked, “I miss being outside to sleep,” he admitted. Though he missed the puppy piles of his pack brothers and sisters the most.
Harry shrugged. “We already have detention, what the hell can it hurt?”
“It’ll be cold,” Romy said with a frown, she too wanted to be back in their territory, sleeping outside with the others but it wouldn’t be anything like that here. “We have wards in the clearing, keeps the worst of the cold and ground frost away, plus we have the fire and all the others. Here it is just the three of us.”
“Just for a little while, “Clay pleaded, not wanting to go back to Gryffindor tower just yet, not knowing what was waiting for him there. “Please.”
“Alright,” Romy said with a sigh. “But we can’t stay out here all night,” she warned them. “We’ll catch our death of cold.”
“We won’t stay all night,” Harry assured her as the three of them stood up, keeping the thick hide wrapped tightly around the three of them. “But it might help us sleep better tonight,” Harry reasoned and she nodded, knowing that she would feel better being outside and able to catch her breath after their first day away from their home and their family.
Moving outside into the cold night air they drew the hide tighter around their bodies to conserve their warmth; it was a little tricky walking whilst it was around them, but completely worth it for all the comfort it brought. Romy had been right, it was damn cold outside; though it still felt better being out in the freezing January temperatures, than being warm and snug inside of the castle, which made them feel nothing short of claustrophobic.
Sneaking out through a thankfully unlocked door, the three of them took large gulps of fresh air and began walking towards the lake; it felt wonderful to be outside, even in the cold. Being at Hogwarts was going to be harder than any of them had first predicted. Not just being away from their home and their family but being cooped up inside too.
However, with the welcoming, comforting scent of home and their Alpha surrounding them thanks to the blanket, their troubled minds began to relax. Being together helped too; knowing that they had each other helped ease their worries away. It was unfortunate that it couldn’t last forever.
“I believe that two of you already have detentions,” a voice said from behind them, “which is why I find it hard to believe that you are wandering around the school after hours. Out in the grounds, no less.”
The three pups turned slowly as one unit, not willing to relinquish the comfort of the hide around them. All three of them groaned quietly as they realised that their luck really wasn’t with them this evening. They were stood face to face with the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore; his long white beard reaching down to his waist and his twinkling blue eyes surveying the three of them with interest.
“You know what we are,” Harry said confidently, meeting the headmaster’s gaze without trepidation. He had a funny feeling about why it had been so easy to find an unlocked door out onto the grounds, so late at night. “Therefore you know that we don’t like being cooped up inside if we can help it.”
“This is a school, Mr Potter,” Dumbledore reminded him firmly. “You must adhere to the rules no matter what or who you are.”
“Who I am isn’t Potter, it’s Prince,” Harry snapped irritably. He was getting sick of people calling him Potter; it wasn’t who he was and he found it highly disrespectful not only towards him but his Dad too. He didn’t care what people thought of him or his Dad but he wouldn’t give up his father’s name.
The headmaster sighed; holding back the smile he felt inside. He would not punish them today, despite how much he wanted to. Hopefully it would be the first steps towards earning Harry’s trust, which was already looking to be a more complicated process than he had anticipated. It would all be for naught if the boy couldn’t be persuaded to work with him.
“I will let this slide tonight,” the headmaster said sternly, “but you are not to come out here again this late at night.” He peered over the top of his spectacles as he scolded them. “Now off to bed, all of you.”

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Fragmented Soul