Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

A Different Kind of Hero	By : JunjouSlashGirl Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 53263 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 10
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters. All rights belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not earn any money with this story.

Chapter List
- 43
- 44
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
In Germany we celebrate the 24th as Christmas and exchange gifts, so I thought I would post this on the 24th as well.
Hope you all have a great Christmas (or whatever you celebrate this festive season).
I have a little surprise for the New Year, so keep your eyes open…
Best wishes:
JSG
Chapter 44: [The High Inquisitor] The Pink Toad
HP
Harry awoke with a groan. Sleep still clung heavily to his body and mind. He felt more relaxed than he could remember ever having felt, and for a second, he wondered what had put him into this blissful state.
His mind decided on that moment to provide him with some images from the night before and heat rose to his cheeks, before he grew aware of a pleasant soreness in his legs and butt.
Not opening his eyes, he rolled onto his back with a blissful sigh and stretched his arms out to search for his mates and pull them closer. However, he only encountered cold sheets and a lot of unoccupied space.
His good mood got a slight damper, and with a frown, he cracked one eye open blurrily, sitting up. It took him a moment to realize that it had to be late morning already. His eyes wandered over to the window, where the Spring Sun was still rather low. How long had he slept? He wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted when Draco's voice came from his right.
"You are finally awake," his second dominant said, a smirk in his voice. Turning his head to where the sound had come from, Harry saw Draco sitting at a table they had never used before. Or at least not as anything other than a shelf-extension for Draco and Lucius' unreasonable amount of creams, bathing oils, hair products and perfumes.
But now it was clean and its surface occupied by a long scroll and a text book of some sort.
"Where is Lucius?" he asked, looking around once more and still not finding his first mate.
"Oh yes, you didn't wake up last night," Draco replied, his smirk widening.
"What?" Harry asked confusedly.
"Once we all… or rather Lucius and I… had recovered a little, father remembered that he needed to see Dumbledore and has been gone ever since."
"What?" he repeated, but this time a lot sharper.
Draco's smooth forehead wrinkled in an unhappy frown. "He didn't tell much, but from what I could gather, he heard some news at the Ministry that concern the school. A staff meeting has been called…" he broke off as they heard their bedroom door open.
Harry immediately turned around to see his first mate finally standing in the doorway. His first dominant looked exhausted and displeased, although, he assumed with them being vampires, it had to be mental exhaustion more than anything else.
"Finally!" Draco said, standing up and coming over to Harry to sit down next to him. Lucius joined them with a sigh and after a short moment, where neither said anything but Draco looked at him expectantly, he began to speak:
"The Minister is sending his Undersecretary to Hogwarts to evaluate the school."
"What!" Harry exclaimed for the third time that morning, not believing what he was hearing. "But why? Hogwarts is a good school, everybody knows that!"
"That is not the reason why Fudge is sending someone. You, as closely as you are working together with Dumbledore, should at least know that," Draco scoffed, but Harry didn't quite catch the hint. His brain still felt a bit slow and the gnawing hunger from the day before had come back. How had he actually gotten so exhausted that he passed out? Shouldn't that be impossible for a vampire?
He pushed the question to the side; it wasn't important right now and instead concentrated back on Draco.
"Draco is right. Hogwarts has always been a thorn in the Ministry's side due to its independence. Of course, originally the independence was done purposefully, as when the school was founded, many factions ruled magical Britain, even though they all were watched over by the Court. Therefore, Hogwarts was meant to be a neutral place where all parents could send their children without fearing any political assassinations. Of course, the concept was never approved of by the Ministry, but Dumbledore with his protective policy, added additional fuel to the ongoing dispute."
"So you mean…" Harry began slowly, his brow furrowing as he tried to understand those complicated political maneuvers his mates liked to participate in, "...that Fudge is trying to gain influence in Hogwarts?" he finished, pulling a face.
"Exactly," Draco confirmed.
"So when is this Evaluator supposed to arrive?" he asked darkly. He didn't like the idea of some Ministry Employee sneaking through the school at all. But he still had his private training lessons with Albus and was training the Young Order regularly once a week, which meant he would have to be careful about their meetings.
"Great," he groaned, suddenly realizing something. "I wanted to go to Albus and ask him if he had found any other Horcruxes."
"That will have to wait. Hopefully the High Inquisitor will not stay at Hogwarts for too long," Lucius told him.
"High Inquisitor? Really father?" Draco sneered with a raised eyebrow.
"It is also possible that Fudge wants to find a way to get closer to you," Lucius told him, bringing his mood down further. "So you should be careful."
"For what?" he asked, this morning was getting worse and worse by the minute.
"Well, it is clear that the Dark Lord is back and you still are the only person able to defeat him. At least that is what people believe."
"That's a load of rubbish. It may have been the case back when I still had the Horcrux inside of me, but it is gone. So anybody could do!" he objected vehemently, but glared at his mates when he saw them shaking their heads.
"Harry, I know you don't want to be a hero," Draco began carefully, while Lucius drew him closer. "But fact of the matter is that you are stronger than any other wizard. Otherwise you would not have needed two dominant mates to provide for you," he pointed out, earning him another glare.
"It doesn't matter anyway!" he snapped, irritated. "I am doing the job already anyway! Or at least I try to. But I definitely won't become Fudge's bloody poster boy. He does nothing to help me or The Order. Instead he is bickering with Albus, when we should all be working together. But if I have to defeat Voldemort…" he continued, ignoring the cringes to his left and right "then he won't get the laurels. Dad will, and you two will, and Albus and the whole Order, but not him!"
"Harry, please calm down, little one. Draco and I will help you avoid Fudge and his Undersecretary as best as we can. So there is no need to worry just yet," Lucius said with a soothing rumble in his chest, but Harry only huffed, which in return, made his mates' eyes sharpen suspiciously.
"Harry, is something else wrong? I know your temper is legendary, but I have not seen any evidence of it since we bonded," Draco commented, tilting his head a little.
Already about to shake his head in denial, Harry grew aware of that gnawing hunger still residing in his stomach, and by now burning through all his veins as if he was close to dehydration, he closed it again, only to start anew.
"In fact, there is," he said, his words coming out slightly snappish, but he didn't apologize and just flung his arms around Lucius neck, who happened to have leaned in with concern and announced: "I have been totally starving since yesterday afternoon and whenever I wanted to drink, something came up."
"You make it sound as if I and our date were at fault," Draco huffed back, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, in a way," Harry quipped back, but then proceeded to nuzzle Lucius' neck in search for the right vein. Somehow, not all of them smelled equally alluring this morning. In fact, a few he encountered smelled a bit like a tasteless dish.
"Well, you can drink now. No one will interrupt you this time," Lucius hushed him; just then he finally found the right spot and sunk his teeth in deep. Deeper than usual in fact. His first mate hissed at the sensation, but he ignored it. He needed the blood from that vein and his mate had better provide it. After all, he was… he was… well he didn't know what exactly he was to be making such demands, but being their submissive would hopefully suffice.
Relaxing as his stomach finally filled and the burning sensation vanished, he didn't notice Lucius' stiff posture and just drank his fill.
°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°
HP
Harry's eyes flew open on the 14th of February, but his good mood at the notion of Draco, Lucius and his first Valentine's Day, quickly evaporated as he remembered that today was also the day that the High Inquisitor would finally arrive.
With an irritated sigh, he sat up and his eyes landed on the huge bouquet of blood red roses.
"You know, I was voting for giving you a nude calendar for Valentines, but father found the idea tasteless, unromantic and unbecoming of a Malfoy," Draco's voice was heard saying from behind him, and after he had blinked a second time in confusion at the floral arrangement, he asked: "What?" cringing at how stupid it sounded to his own ears.
"A nude calendar. Of Lucius and I, of course. Not that you would ever want to stare at any other naked men with the perfection you already have within hand's reach," Draco drawled, sounding like his old, pretentious self whom Harry only saw in jest these days. Which of course didn't mean that his second mate wasn't arrogant anymore. He only had become less of a prick in his proximity.
Smiling softly, he allowed the warmth that always rose at the thought of how far they had all gotten since their rocky beginning, spread through him, leaned over to press a soft kiss to Draco's lips in thanks and then called out loudly:
"Thank you Lucius, they are beautiful."
Lucius, who had already been in their bathroom to get ready for the day, stepped out and gave him one of his rare, unguarded smiles. "These flowers are the least we can give you on this day. Originally Draco and I had planned to take you out. But with Umbridge arriving today, it would be too high of a risk." And with that, his second mate disappeared again.
It had taken Harry a while to get used to waking only next to one mate during the week, but only two days after school had restarted in January, they had realized that they would never be on time for their classes if one of his mates did not go ahead.
How a creature blessed with as much speed as he and his mates, could still need so long for their morning ablutions, Harry couldn't fathom, but he had the sneaky suspicion that Lucius and Draco enjoyed grooming so much that they didn't truly try and hurry. At least, his dominants switched each morning with who would get up and ready first, so that he did not miss waking up next to at least one of them completely.
Pushing the thoughts away, he let his eyes wander back to the roses and leaned closer to sniff at their rich fragrance. It was a pity that they would not be able to go out today, but Lucius was right. If Fudge found out that he was mated to the two remaining Malfoy's, he might as well just send a nice letter to Voldemort himself, so well protected was the Minister's mind and government institution. Or at least, that was the only reason he could come up with why the Ministry of Magic leaked secrets, like a leaky cauldron (no pun intended) would lose its potion.
Of course, there was still the traditional Valentine's Post singing gnomes and house elves delivered at Hogwarts, but his dominant's could hardly send him one of those cards with their current situation. In contrast to Ron, who could very easily send Hermione a card today, but who probably wouldn't do so, and in fact, hadn't done anything since New Year's Eve.
Harry had believed that his two friends would finally get together after Fred and George had told him about a heated kiss exchanged by the two lovebirds, but apparently Ron had chickened out the next day, which had confused Hermione and which in the end, had led to the two acting as if nothing had ever happened in the first place.
But this would end today, he thought with an evil grin, but his mind wandered off as Draco finally climbed out of bed in all his naked glory and stretched, making his perfectly defined muscles ripple tantalizing.
Licking his lips, he fantasized about following his gorgeous mate and molesting him a little while Draco tried to get ready… just groping a little here and there, nothing too time consuming, of course just… he quickly shook his head and forced his head out of the gutter. There really was no time for anything like that right now. Not after Draco had stayed with him in bed longer than he usually did already.
However, other parts of his body didn't wish to obey as obediently as his mind, but he tried to ignore his hard problem and the leering look of his second mate as hard as possible, as he got up as well and began to get dressed.
"What a pity that Valentine's Day did not fall on a weekend this year," he heard Lucius hum from somewhere behind him. Apparently his mate had finally finished in their bathroom. He could practically feel as to which part of his body the vampire's eyes were fastened to, but he once again reminded himself of the unpleasant visitor that would arrive today, and managed to just continue with dressing.
He concentrated so hard on the task at hand, that he only noticed Lucius was about to leave when his first dominant suddenly bent over his shoulder and pressed an upside-down kiss to his lips.
"I will see you this afternoon," the blonde whispered, before he swept out of their bedroom to return to his own quarters from which he would make his way down to the Great Hall.
Having finally managed to dress himself as well, he quickly stuck his head into the bathroom and waved at Draco, before he grabbed his schoolbag and left their quarters as well. As he passed their luxurious bathroom with the pool, Nagini and Justitius joined him. For some reason he still did not fathom, the two had taken on the roles of his personal bodyguards ever since his strange emotional breakdown two and a half months ago. In the beginning, the staff and his classmates had watched his familiars with worry, but just as it had been after Nagini had first joined him at Hogwarts, they soon accepted the strange company, and by now it had become normal. Of course, the fact that no one actually wished to make the great serpent understand that she wasn't supposed to follow him around everywhere could have something to do with it.
"Good morning girl," he hissed in greeting and patted Justitius' small head as the little bat attached itself to his school robe.
"Good morning, Master. You smell of mating again. Why do you still mate? It is unnecessary," Nagini hissed in return, making him flush as she reminded him of his and his dominants' activity from the evening prior.
"I know that it makes no sense for me to mate, but it's enjoyable, so we will continue mating. Did I not explain that to you before?" he quipped, a bit irritated.
"But hosting a mate is such a bother," the female reptile muttered.
Deciding not to react, he quickly stepped into the Gryffindor Tower floor corridor and just looked around for his friends.
He was quite late so it didn't really surprise him that Ron and Hermione were not in front of his door anymore. Usually they waited up for him, at least up to a point. After all, they still needed food and a reasonable amount of time to eat it.
The journey down to the ground floor was mainly uneventful. He ignored the swarms of girls who started giggling as soon as he walked past them. Hopefully none of them really believed that they would get a Valentines Card from him. He had had enough of obsessive fan-girls to last him a lifetime.
Speaking of which, the school, especially the Gryffindors had been shocked when Albus had announced that Ginny Weasley had fallen ill and would not be able to return to Hogwarts in the foreseeable future. However, for him daily life had become much easier. Now at least, he only had to cope with the never ending flirting of Pansy and Daphne. Apparently, not even Draco's public show of his Lordship ring and the tale of his betrothed could make the girls stop trying to throw themselves at his mate.
Draco of course never reacted in any way and made it clear that they stood no chance anymore on every occasion, but the girls just wouldn't give up. And while Harry tried to tell himself that there truly was no reason to rip the girls ugly heads from their shoulders, his instincts thought otherwise and their demands grew louder and louder with every attempt at flirting he witnessed. At least he didn't have to deal with any competition for Lucius.
Having reached the Great Hall, he pushed the useless thoughts to the side, pushed the heavy double doors open and scanned the Gryffindor table for his friends. As usual, they had saved a seat for him in between them, but once at their side, he pushed Ron closer to Hermione (something he only managed because of his vampire strength) and whispered into his friend's ear: "Whatever happens, just go with the flow."
The redhead gave him a confused look but fortunately was too busy chewing on a mouthful of bacon and eggs to respond.
Sitting down, he let his eyes wander over the red and pink decorations, the bouquets of roses on the house and staff tables, the heart-shaped confetti that rained down onto their heads, only to vanish before it could actually touch them, but Nagini still hissed at it threateningly, as if the tiny pieces of pink paper could do him some serious harm.
His eyes wandered back to the Head Table, searching for a strange face among the teachers, but he actually couldn't find anyone who looked like an Undersecretary.
"So, Harry," Hermione suddenly interrupted his search, "have you received any Valentine's Cards yet?" she asked pointedly, a twinkle in her eyes Harry had noticed, girls only got whenever they talked or thought about something romantic.
"I had some red roses on my bedside table when I awoke," he whispered, glancing around to make sure that no one was listening in. He didn't want to invent a fake girlfriend to explain his present situation.
"That's so romantic!" his bushy haired friend gushed, making Ron nearly choke on his bread roll. "Yeah, never would have guessed that 'they' had it in them…" the redhead muttered.
"Well, at least the older one should still be of the old school and I am sure he would have taught his son those same ways as well. I mean, they do always go on and on about the proper Pureblood way," Hermione pointed out.
"Could we please discuss my mates later in a less private setting?" he hissed, looking around nervously. He wasn't quite sure why he felt so on edge; maybe it was just the knowledge that a Ministry lackey was lurking around somewhere, because they occasionally did discuss his relationship in the Great Hall. After all, it was generally too noisy for anybody but the person sitting directly next or across from them to be able to overhear anything, and when those were busy with their own friends, one was normally safe.
However, he needn't have worried, because in the moment Dumbledore rose to his feet and the entire Hall, including his two friends, fell silent.
"Good morning and a beautiful Valentine's Day to all of you!" He greeted with his arms wide open in one of his trademark gestures. Across from him, he saw Draco sneer at the sight, while at the Head Table, his other mate looked truly disturbed.
"I know you are all eagerly waiting for your Valentine's Cards and gifts. And I do hope that all of you will receive a message from that one special person. However, before we can proceed with this joyous tradition, I have an important announcement to make."
The applause that had risen at the beginning of Dumbledore's speech broke up and transformed into unhappy muttering, but the old Headmaster lifted up a hand and the Great Hall fell silent once more. "Now, let's make this quick. Today a visitor from the Ministry of Magic has arrived. Undersecretary Umbridge has been given the important task of evaluating whether our school and her Professors are all up to par and that you all receive only the best of education. For this reason, she will visit you classes on a random basis. Please give a warm welcome to Dolores Jane Umbridge."
And then Harry saw her. Truth to be told, it was no wonder with all the pink valentine's decorations that he had not noticed Umbridge until she had risen to her feet, small and clad in pink from head to toe as she was. Even that ridiculous bow in her short perm was made with pink velvet.
She made a motion as if to start a speech, but Dumbledore (seemingly unknowingly) interrupted her by clapping his hands and announcing: "And now a warm greeting for our gnomes and house elves!"
The Great Hall echoed with the loud pops of the creatures appearances, and an army of pink-dressed elves and gnomes dove into their work.
"Oh I love this part!" Ron announced with a wide grin. "Nowhere else is Valentine's Day as crazy as it is at Hogwarts!"
"Yeah…" Harry replied absentmindedly as he saw an elf approach Draco with a heart-shaped card and a silent growl left his throat.
"Oh Harry…" Hermione's soft hand quickly pulled him out of his anger and jealousy fueled rage. She truly sounded apologetic.
"Just remember that he isn't interested in anyone else and you are already mated to him, which in fact is equal to a marriage in the muggle world. And you know… if everything goes according to plan, next year you three can celebrate openly and make all those girls and lonely witches jealous."
Sighing, Harry nodded and turned away. Hermione was right. His jealousy was ridiculous and unreasonable. Unfortunately sometimes his instincts just got the upper hand.
His thoughts were redirected as Oscar suddenly appeared in front of him and greeted him with a deep bow. "Oscar is taking all of Master Harry's Valentines cards and putting them into a sack. Oscar knows Master Harry is happily mated and does not want any other attention."
Blinking a bit in confusion, Harry nodded in reply.
"I was already wondering where your cards had gone," Ron mused. "I mean, normally you get a ton of those," he pointed out, reaching for a tray with pink iced muffins.
Suddenly having an idea, Harry turned to Oscar and asked: "Have my mates gotten any Valentine's post? I know Pansy gave Draco a card…"
"Yes, Master Harry Potter. Pansy has been ordering a house elf to only give Master Draco her card, but all other cards for Master Draco and Master Lucius Oscar is taking as well. But Master Lucius is not getting as much cards. People respect he is courting."
"Please don't throw them away, I want to have a look at them," he told the little elf, his jealousy acting up once more.
"Harry no… don't do that to yourself! It isn't…" Hermione interjected from behind him, but was cut off when one of the singing gnomes stepped up to her:
"Oh brainy love mine,
Your hair does so beautiful shine,
And please forgive this poor swine,
…"
Grinning Harry turned to face his two best friends who had gone beet red by now and where trying to hide behind their goblets.
Ron was sending him glares and mouthing threats, apparently having figured out what he had done and Hermione was pulled to her feet by a giggling Lavender and Parvati, but he just couldn't stop grinning.
Now they knew what they got by dancing around each other for far too long. Really, not even he had taken that long to establish his relationship and he had to deal with two mates, who were father and son and had been his enemies before their mateship occurred.
"... and next year, to marry me!"
The gnome finally ended and to Harry's disbelief this last, small sentence seemed to change his brainy friend's mind completely. She suddenly began to blink violently and then threw herself around Ron's neck, hugging him fiercely.
"Oh Ron, thank you, that was so sweet!" she gushed and kissed his cheek. Harry, for a moment was baffled that the clever witch had not seen through his ploy while Ron had done so immediately; he just shrugged. Well, he mused, in the end Hermione was a girl after all.
The breakfast finally drew to an end and they all got up to their feet and made their way down to the Greenhouses.
Draco was already there, having surrounded himself with a group of Slytherin boys, clearly to fend off his annoying fan-girl, who stood pouting to the side.
"Shall I eat her?" Nagini hissed, her tongue flickering out.
"No, that would only cause trouble," he replied darkly, even though his vampire side liked the idea very much.
"But once you do not have to hide your mates anymore, you will teach her to not step into your territory," the huge reptile hissed commandingly, and Harry, barely listening as Professor Sprout was approaching, and just nodded in agreement.
"Harry, I hope you have not just given Nagini permission to bite Parkinson," Hermione hissed, still holding Ron's hand.
However, before he could answer, their Professor motioned for them to follow her and they walked up to Greenhouse Nine, where delicate Potions Plants were harvested.
"Dad will be delighted to hear that all his precious plants have survived because I was supposed to care for them in my Herbology lessons," he sighed, only half joking.
"Come on, don't be so negative. I will help you to pair up with Neville, then everything will go fine," Hermione tried to cheer him up, and to his surprise she indeed managed to talk their classmate into being his work-partner for as long as they stayed in Greenhouse Nine.
As they had Muggle Studies next, they separated from Ron and walked up to the second floor where the classroom was located. Draco wasn't in this class either, and after an initial feeling of frustration, he managed to relax as he concentrated on their Professor, going on and on about muggle fashion and how to properly blend in.
"Considering how old she is and the crap she is teaching us, it is no wonder that wizards have no idea how to truly dress up as muggles," Hermione huffed after half an hour.
Remembering the pictures his friend had shown him on their train ride after summer, he grinned and nodded.
One hour later they were on their way back to the Great Hall for lunch. His eyes immediately searched for his mates who sat in their usual spots. Draco still kept close to the group of boys Harry had seen him with earlier, while Lucius was now seated next to Umbridge, who seemed eager to talk to him.
As their eyes met, Lucius gave him a look he could not quite decipher, so shaking his head slightly, he turned to follow his friend up to their House Table.
"You know, you seem a bit on edge today," Hermione pointed out as they sat down next to Ron, who was already piling food on to his plate.
"You never had problems with jealousy before," she added, but his attention had wandered to the dishes in front of him. He was hungry again, but that couldn't be right. Normally he needed less blood than his dominant mates, or even his father. Only that lately, he was feeling hungry nearly constantly. Trying to remember when it had started, he came up blank. Anyway, the food in front of him didn't seem appealing. There was clearly blood missing. And sugar, he really wanted something sweet, he thought, as the main course vanished and dessert appeared instead.
Especially that chocolate pudding; that looked nice. He would just have to add a bit of the blood he and his mates kept in bottles like wine. Maybe some dragon blood… he liked the strong magical spark it held… but he couldn't just go and start eating pudding all of the sudden. Neither could he do so in his quarters later on, or his mates would just think that he was close to another strange breakdown and tell his father, who would start worrying as well, and then they would take him to Madame Pomfrey and that would just be annoying... and he wouldn't be any closer to his pudding...
Glaring at the offending bowl, Harry forced his eyes away and instead watched his two best friends. Hermione would make a fuss as well if she found out that he was craving human food all of the sudden again. Ron probably wouldn't. If anybody could understand the joys of eating a nice dessert… His eyes widened in realization as the solution to his problem just popped up in his head.
Ron would surely help him and not ask too many questions. He was sure of it. Now he only needed to find an opportunity to speak with his redheaded friend alone... and ask him to smuggle some sweets into his quarters...
"Harry, are you coming? You don't want to be late for Dumbledore's class" Hermione called and seeing that his friends were already leaving for Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy, he quickly grabbed his bag and followed them out of the Great Hall.
He was just passing one of the many armor, when suddenly a strong hand grabbed him and pulled him into the dark alcove behind the relic.
"Lucius!" He gasped, having recognized his mate's scent immediately.
"What is…" he began, but his dominant cut him off.
"I believe I found another Horcrux," his mate hissed almost silently, so that no passing student would hear them talking. Harry's eyes widened in disbelief, but before he could ask any questions, the aristocrat began to explain.
"Umbridge is wearing a locket, one I am sure belonged to Salazar Slytherin once, and the aura it is emitting… let's just say it is a surprise that she has not yet committed suicide."
That definitely sounded like the description of a Horcrux, and the artifact would be one Voldemort would deem worthy enough to hold a piece of his soul as well.
Nodding, he looked up at his mate and asked: "Do you already have a plan on how to get the locket from her?"
"Not yet, but first we have to find out if it truly is a Horcrux, or just a very dark artifact. Do you think you would be able to recognize it?"
Thinking about it, Harry shrugged. The Horcruxes he had gathered so far had a unique feeling to them, so most likely.
"If I get close enough to sense its magic, I should be able to.
"Good," Lucius nodded. "Then I will think further on a plan and tell Draco about the possible finding. And as loathed as I am to admit it, we should meet after classes have ended for the day in Professor Dumbledore's office and inform him as well. Maybe he will even have some knowledge that will help us further."
"I have a lesson with him now, so I will tell him that we will visit him later," he promised, before raising himself onto his tiptoes and pressing a quick peck on his first dominant's lips.
Ron and Hermione where nowhere in sight as he stepped out of the alcove. Hoping that Albus wouldn't be too mad with him for being late, he raced up to his quarters at vampire speed. Once inside, he changed into his training outfit, which hadn't grown any nicer in the last couple of months, and then took the hidden staircase up to Dumbledore's office, all the while pondering if he shouldn't purchase a more appealing outfit, just in case Lucius and Draco would once again decide to watch or join in his training.
He was so deeply engrossed in his thoughts, that he was too late in noticing the strange voice coming from the Headmaster's office.
"Ah… I am sorry Professor, I didn't want to interrupt," he stammered, looking from Albus to that Umbridge woman and back again. Quickly, he took a step backwards, not knowing if the Ministry was aware of his private lessons.
"Don't worry, Harry," Dumbledore smiled and motioned for him to join them, before he returned his attention back to the Undersecretary: "I am afraid we have to continue this fine discussion on a later date, as my student is waiting for his private lesson."
Umbridge gave Dumbledore a suspicious look, who in returned only smiled even more grandfatherly and added: "I hope Cornelius has informed you about Mr. Potter's status as my private student. We handed all the necessary documents in months ago…" he didn't finish his sentence, but it clearly had the desired effect. Umbridge straightened and gave a sharp nod. "Of course, Headmaster. As Minister Fudge's Undersecretary I am well aware of even the smallest thing taking place in our fine country."
Harry barely suppressed a snort, but fortunately Umbridge didn't seem to have noticed anything. Dumbledore however, gave him a quick warning look.
"Very well," Umbridge said suddenly and pulled a small clipboard from one of her pink cardigan pockets, which instantly returned to its original size.
"This will be my first assessment"
Harry's gaze darkened, as he imagined the toad sitting somewhere in the background of an abandoned classroom, watching every step they took. Fortunately, before his fantasy could go too far, Albus spoke again:
"Ah. But my dear colleague, I fear today is the day of our theory lesson. Harry merely came to pick up some materials." And with that, the Headmaster swished his wand and a few pages of the stack of white parchment glowed in front of him, before filling with words. Harry needed to concentrate a little, to decipher the upside down letters, but could make out: "Ministry Manual for Auror Training, part two, Chapter 9."
"Now, go to the Library. Next lesson we will discuss what you have read and start the training after. Try to practice the mentioned spells in advance, if possible. You know the procedure, my boy," Dumbledore told him, clearly wanting him out of the room and away from the situation.
Nodding, he picked the pile up (roughly about 40 pages he would guess), but with his vampire powers it would fortunately take him only minutes to read it all.
"I will do that. Good day, Headmaster, High Inquisitor," he said in way of goodbye, seeing Umbridge's chest puff out at his acknowledgement of her status.
Quickly, he made his way down to the Library, thinking that he very well could just do as Albus had suggested and get the workload over with. The corridors were empty, as most other students were in classes right now and the few upper years with free periods most likely lounged in the common room or studied for their upcoming NEWTs at the end of the year.
The Library was nearly as empty as well, with only a few older teens sitting hunched over heavy tombs.
Looking around, he walked down the aisle to the usual spot he and his friends liked to sit in whenever they had to do research work for a professor. To his surprise, someone was already sitting there. Ron was lounging on one of the chairs, a scroll of parchment across his Divination Textbook and he was lazily scribbling away, making faces once in a while.
"Ron, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Care of Magical Creatures?"
His friend yelped in surprise, lost his precarious balance on his tipped-back chair and crashed down.
Wincing, Harry rushed over to help him up.
"By Merlin's smelly socks, don't frighten a boy like that, Harry!" he grumbled as he was pulled up.
"Sorry, thought you had heard me coming," Harry replied with a shrug, making Ron scoff.
"These days, no one bloody hears you coming," the redhead smirked back, picking up his book, before sitting back down.
Joining him, Harry asked: "Were you doing Divination Homework?" He was a bit surprised to see his friend do homework on his own accord, without Hermione basically bullying him into it.
Ron made a face. "Yeah. Lately, since you are not in the class anymore, Mione has taken it on herself to make sure that I am doing my homework… and she wants to make sure that I put an effort into the rubbish and make sure I do it properly, with research and all."
Harry made a face as well. As ready as he was to admit that Ron needed to do a bit more for his classes, Divination was not the class to start with. Not as long as Trelawney was their Professor, anyway.
"But hey, isn't that cool," Ron continued, now with a wide grin, "we barely had time hanging out, just the two of us since the beginning of this year, but now we nearly have two hours left!"
Harry winced inwardly; he truly had abandoned his male best friend. Making a mental note to spend some more time with the redhead, he apologized: "I am sorry, it's just…"
"Yeah, a lot has happened, don't worry, I'm not mad," Ron brushed him off, but he shook his head.
"No, it's not that. I should have had time. With my powers, I need much less time for everything, but somehow, for a time there I felt closer to Mione…"
Ron made a face again, but then surprised him: "I guess I can understand in a way. You needed to figure out how all this submissive-mate stuff worked, and I suppose she was a better help than I… with her being a girl, I mean. I wouldn't understand all that shopping and dressing up nonsense you two were doing. Honestly, I wouldn't have wanted to tag along, so it was fine. But if I can ever help, just tell me."
Eyes widening, Harry was reminded of his plan from earlier this morning, as well as reminded of his craving by a suddenly loudly rumbling stomach. So grinning, he asked his always hungry friend: "Want to go up to my quarters? I have wanted to grab something sweet for the whole day now."
"Sure," Ron grinned back, putting his textbook back into his schoolbag quickly.
They left the library and made their way up to the Founders Quarters, where they dropped their bags carelessly and made themselves comfortable in the living room.
"Oscar!" he called and the little elf appeared immediately.
"What can Oscar be doing for Master Harry Potter and his guest?"
"Could you bring me a portion of Vanilla Ice Cream with Whipped Cream, Chocolate and Caramel Sauce and a bottle of some blood?" he asked, waiting for the elf to nod.
"And what is Mr. Ron be wanting?"
"Um…" his friend said intelligently. "The same, I guess, but without the blood."
"Oscar is bringing it right up!" Oscar promised happily and popped away again.
"So, why are you not in CoMC?" Harry remembered his question from earlier. He hoped nothing like the incident during their Third Year had happened, but he had a bad feeling.
"Parvati got hurt by one of Hagrid's gigantic Scroots," Ron winced.
"Scroots?" Harry echoed; he had never heard about these creatures.
"Yeah, I think Hagrid bred them himself," the redhead shuddered.
Harry didn't want to imagine what kind of creatures these Scroots were, not with the love for anything dangerous and violent Hagrid had.
Fortunately in that moment Oscar reappeared, placing a huge Ice-Cream Sundae in front of each of them, and a small bottle next to Harry's as well.
"Thank you, Oscar," Harry thanked the creature and dismissed him, before taking a huge whiff of the delicious, sweet smell of his Ice Cream. Finally, he sighed. Only one thing was missing.
"Wow, this looks…" Ron began to praise, but then stopped abruptly as he grabbed for the bottle and started to pour the blood within over the desert, enhancing the scent even further.
"Harry, what the bloody hell are you doing?"
He snapped out of his short trance and blinked questioningly up at Ron, who elaborated: "Why are you pouring blood over it?"
He merely shrugged, not quite sure himself."Vampire thing, I guess," he told his friend, who, fortunately, accepted that as answer.
"By the way," he suddenly remembered "could you maybe not tell Mione about this? You know how she is; she would want me to go see Madame Pomfrey, because Vampires normally don't eat normal food."
"Sure mate," Ron promised around a mouth full of Ice Cream. "I mean, some sweets can't hurt, right?"
Harry shook his head, thinking the same and finally took his first bite as well. Sweetness erupted on his tongue and he groaned in delight.
"So good!"
"Yeah," Ron grinned, and then asked: "So, is that a new thing? Feeling hungry for some normal food?"
Not really knowing how to answer, Harry shrugged. "I guess so; at least I have been craving something sweet for days now. By the way, if I give you money, do you think you could get me a small stock of all my Honey Duke favorites?"
"Sure thing. Fred and George wanted to go there anyway. I will just tell them to buy a bit more."
"Thanks."
They fell into comfortable silence, each of them enjoying their sweet dessert, until Ron asked:
"So, what happened that canceled your lesson with Dumbledore?"
Groaning in annoyance, Harry put another spoon full of melting deliciousness into his mouth and said:"Umbridge happened."
Ron winced.
"She was there when I arrived and when she heard about my lessons, she wanted to assess them. Dumbledore told her that I had a Theory Lesson today and handed me some parchment with information on a book to read. I have never heard about the book they are from, but I think it's something from the Ministry that Auror Trainees have to read."
"That would make sense," Ron nodded, unusually thoughtful. "Dad mentioned her once; she is a true suck up with regards to Fudge, I don't think she would approve of anything not Ministry related," he scoffed.
The rest of the time, until they had to leave for their next class, they spent discussing Quidditch and the upcoming season. An hour later they left his quarters and made their way down to the next class. Hermione joined them there shortly after, surprised by their earliness. So did Draco, but the latter he had to ignore unfortunately. However, the blonde sent him a meaningful look and a quick nod, telling him that he had received Lucius' message.
Class went by quickly and before he knew it, he and his mates stood in the Hallway of their shared quarters, in front of the door that led up to Dumbledore's Office.
"I think we should rather send one of the Founders ahead, after what happened this afternoon," Harry told his dominants.
Curiosity peaked, Lucius and Draco turned to face him: "What happened this afternoon?" Lucius asked.
"Umbridge happened," he grumbled, but before his mates could ask him anything else, a voice piped up next to their ears.
"If you wish, I will check up on the situation in the Headmaster's office?"
Turning around, they saw Salazar leaning against one of the frames that hung in the Hallway.
"That would be appreciated," Draco said and they fell silent as the late Founder vanished and they waited for his return.
"Now, what happened with Umbridge?" Draco asked after a few seconds of silence.
Sighing, Harry leaned against the wall and told his dominants: "Not much. She was there when I arrived and Dumbledore told her that today it was my Theory Lesson. So he gave me something to read and I disappeared again."
"You better practice whatever he has given you. I suspect Umbridge will not give up until she has seen at least one Practical Lesson," Lucius told him.
Harry wanted to say something back about not being stupid, but at that moment, Salazar reappeared.
"You can go up to the Headmaster now," he announced and after a nod, they finally left.
"Enter," Albus bid them in. The old Headmaster was seated behind his desk as usual, but looked more stressed than Harry had ever seen him. "What can I do for you, my boys?" he asked, motioning tiredly to three already conjured chairs.
"Lucius thinks he has found another Horcrux," he told the Headmaster, who instantly straightened in his chair.
"Indeed," Lucius inclined his head. "You remember Headmaster, that during today's meals I was seated next to High Inquisitor Umbridge?" Dumbledore nodded, but apparently the question of his dominant had been rhetorical, because he just continued: "I felt the same dark aura as back when we pulled the Horcrux out of Harry. I believe it is coming from her Locket. I recognized it as Slytherin's legendary heirloom."
Dumbledore was still nodding and his eyes had gained some of their glint back. "This actually fits perfectly with my theory about Tom's Horcruxes. There are…" He continued, but then abruptly stopped.
"I fear we have to postpone this conversation as a certain person is right now making her way up to my office. Please try to determine if your dominant is correct, Harry. We will speak as soon as possible," Dumbledore said hastily, making shooing gestures.
With a long sigh Harry rose to his feet, cursing the nosy woman inwardly. His mates both sported a dark expression as they left through the hidden side door once again.
"Well, at least we now have some more time to spend quality-time together before going to bed," he joked halfheartedly, pushing open the door to their quarters.
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A Different Kind of Hero