Ancestry 30 - Sometimes It's Not Good To Be The King. by Voracity2

Ancestry 30 - Sometimes It's Not Good To Be The King.

[Reviews - 0] Author Profile: Voracity2

Ancestry 30 - Sometimes It's Not Good To Be The King.

The new, present king of the horde that ran Gringotts bowed deeply as his honored guests showed up. The king over all dverger hordes was visiting to see how well he was doing. "Sire."

"You're fine," Ragnok said, shaking his hand. "Well, maybe not," he said, looking at him. "Are you well?"

"I almost got poisoned, Sire, but I'll survive. As I did my combat to win the horde's honor."

Ragnok stared at him then nodded. "Politics is horrible." He walked off with him. "Have you had many problems?"

"Many but I've been slowly cleaning them up." He glanced at him. "I know you're here to make sure I can handle my duties."

"Indeed," Ragnok agreed, nodding at the warriors they walked past who all bowed. "How is it going?"

"I keep finding small plots and ending them. I'm not sure if we'll have many of the bank's workers left if I find them all," he said dryly. "But we do keep finding little plots."

Ragnok nodded. "Do you need someone to audit?"

"I could use one on my anniversary. The former king has been staring over my shoulder and has found a few as well. He's used it to teach the youngest how to handle politics."

Ragnok smiled at that, shaking his head. "That old man is good at that. He taught me much when I was younger, even though I didn't want him to."

"Myself as well. He's done good taking over the temple and the instruction duties. Plus it lets him play with the children." He grinned as he opened a door, then closed it because there were beings there with weapons. "Sorry."

Ragnok smirked, then opened the door to stare at them. "Problems, boys?" They backed down. "If he dies, I'm going to take over the bank myself. It'll give me some fun time to do things." One tried to attack him but lost, quickly. The new king beat most of the others, getting injured but he did win. The last few ran for their lives before Ragnok got to them. Ragnok looked at the junior king, who was sighing in displeasure. "Audit?"

"Please, Sire, and if I do pass on due to all these little plots, please do nominate to take over my job. The old king just hits them on the head and kicks them to another country."

"I'll talk to him about where he's sending them. I've always liked a deserted island plan. Two or three who've earned the goblin name....a fully deserted island. It lets them craft and get back to the basics of how we evolved yet won't let them annoy others. So far I've only used eighteen islands because some chose death instead." He shrugged but grinned a bit. "It was fantastic of them but did rob me of some entertainment by watching them learn how to be better beings."

"I've honestly thought about a potion to change them to humans and sending them into the muggle world." Ragnok laughed, clapping him on the arm. "We're holding up dinner. The old King will want to beat me on the head as well." He waved a hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall." He followed him, nodding at the former king. Who was his uncle. "Irontip."

"Ragnok." He stared at him then at the other young one. "They tried to attack you?"

"Three actually fled before I stabbed them," Ragnok said happily.

"If I die, let him pick my successor," the newer king said. "Let me clean up and change my shirt. Blood doesn't belong at a good dinner as I'm sure my wife has laid." He went to do that and came back with better clothes on. Ragnok and the former king were sharing family news from the more distant part of the family. He bowed as he came back. "Would your son come intern under Blackrock? We have him handling many accounts of the higher born members."

"I think he'd pout if I suggested it but perhaps. He needs something to do. How is Blackrock handling it?"

"He's quite amused. Especially at Mr. Potter sometimes and Miss Granger. She's proved that the Ministry is biased and fought them quite strongly. Including punching a few people."

Ragnok laughed but nodded. "I saw that in the papers! We should teach her to use a sword."

"That could help her and Mr. Potter both in the upcoming wars." His wife came in with the food, letting the guards taste it first then set the table for their meal. They sat down and talked of lighter topics while savoring her flavors.

Ragnok nodded at the two kings at the end. "You're getting an audit and I'll talk to the grandson about interning under Blackrock, as he probably wants to retire again soon."

"Thank you," the king's wife said with a smile. "I'd hate to take over myself. I will, but I'd hate to unman so many of us by beating them."

Ragnok smiled at her. "As my own wife could, and has proved a few times when she got tired of stupid things going on." The wife smirked and nodded. "If so, let me know as you should."

"Thank you, Sire." She smiled at her husband. "Your assistant is an idiot."

"That's why I sent him away yesterday?"

"Oh, good. That saves my manicure." Her husband smiled at her.

***

Xander appeared in the Hyperion with the folder, holding it up. "You rang?" he asked with a grin.

Cordelia took it. "How's Harry doing?"

"Frustrated. He keeps getting hit on. He has no idea about girls. They're driving him nuts." She nodded at that, looking at them. He pointed. "One from another seer attached to the coven. They weren't amused but they weren't touched by the First. They thought it was because they're not officially Council related. But nope. They're off the path." He shrugged and handed over a book. "For your stuffy one."

"He went there too."

"I know. He flirted with my son." He winked at Wesley then disappeared.

"His son?" he demanded.

"Yeah, he's not twenty," Cordelia said dryly. She handed over the folder and book. "Yours."

"Damn it," he muttered as he read. "Oh, I see. Oh." He slumped. "Well, at least we can stop her raising Buffy."

"We went around that part. She did raise a cat. It's in the later notes," Cordelia said. He looked and groaned. "Who is with Tara."

"Can we remove the doorway opening for her?"

"Too late."

"Shyte." He walked off reading, letting Angel and Gunn have them after he was done. He looked at the book, looking up the heard 'off the path' comment. Oh, yes, the Devon Coven was off the pure pathway they had chosen to walk. He was shocked they still had magic. He did copy some of it to send to one of them so they could look it up themselves. He didn't want to be anywhere near those old women when they found out they had went wrong. They tended to hit harder than they should be able to.

Angel walked past his office. "We've went around everything but the invasion probably, Wesley."

"I'll let the coven know." He came to take them to scan into the computer to share around. Just in case they did have either event happen.

***

Ron looked at Harry. "Where do you want to call it for and when?"

"Spring equinox," he said. "Where? Not sure."

"Okay." He looked at places. "Somewhere near here?"

"No. Somewhere symbolic so he'll be amused enough to show up?"

"Yeah, we can do that." He looked up battlefields in England, finding a few. "Where?" he muttered.

"Pick something Arthurian," Neville suggested. "There's a few not near here but relatively close by if we need to switch people around."

"Not a bad idea," Ron agreed, finding that list. He looked up where they were, letting Harry pick. "Hmm. The one he supposedly died on."

"Well, he's like Mordred. I'm like Arthur," Harry said dryly. "Hermione's clearly Merlin." Ron burst out giggling. "The knowledge source? The advisor?" She smirked over at them, nodding. "Seriously?"

"Someone in the sixth year wrote us that way. McGonagall choked a lot but agreed it was a good analogy then took twenty points for writing student fanfiction." She went back to her fun reading book.

Harry shook his head with a sigh. "Great. Just what I need." The others laughed at that but let him complain to Ron about that. And girls.

"You could give an interview," Seamus offered. "To answer all those questions the girls want to ask you and can't." Harry gave him the oddest look. "Really. It'd let them know that you're not dating, all those requests for your panties upset you horribly, and you're tired of it so you're going to hide after graduation to date someone outside the UK."

"Maybe," he said, ducking his head. Ron grinned at him for that. They figured it out and made up an announcement for the papers. That way everyone knew to avoid it or to jump in to help if they wanted to.

***

Harry brought the announcement to a paper that weekend, with permission from the headmaster. Who thought it was a good idea. They all realized he was a political sort and wasn't too against the pureblood movement, but at least he tried to be subtle about it. He looked at the receptionist. "Can I talk to someone please?" He grinned. "I'm Harry Potter. I have an announcement."

"Marriage?" she asked hopefully.

"Merlin, no," he said, shaking his head with a smirk. "And if the women don't quit sending me 'I want to sleep with you' letters I'll never date even after the war's done. Women who do that have almost made me scared of women for good." She blinked then burst out laughing. "Not kidding. But I have an announcement."

"I'll get someone, Mr. Potter. Maybe we can solve that too since that sounds like a story."

"Sure." He grinned and nodded. "Do you know Anyanka?" She paused. "She's in Paris dating someone boring to get her powers back. She and Xander broke up."

"I didn't realize she was dating. Huh?"

He grinned. "She lost her power center in Sunnydale."

"I heard that part and that she got fired."

"She talked Xander into taking her to the prom. They were dating for a while but she decided being with him is a lot of work."

"Xander...."

He tapped his heir's pendant with a grin. "Xander."

"Oh," she said flatly. "The Dumass heir?" she demanded. He nodded. "Did she know that?"

"No but he said his mother talked to her to show her what being his wife would be like and she decided it was a lot of work."

"Yes, I suppose it would be. I'll catch up with her later tonight, Mr. Potter."

"Sure. She's at the Pyramid hotel or something he just said. He also said to tell her that she left stuff in his closet and if she didn't come move her sex toys he was going to give them to the library."

"I'll let her know." She went to get a reporter. "Mr. Potter is here with an announcement," she told her favorite reporter. Who jumped up. "We've apparently been so greedy as women that he's now scared of us too."

"Oh, dear." She went to talk to him. "Mr. Potter." She smiled and shook his hand. "That surgeon did a fantastic job on your scar." He grinned and nodded. "Come talk with me?"

"Gladly but we'd like that to go out very soon so people get warned. And that idiot can fuss and fume."

She looked at it, nodding. "I can see why. That's good to know. What if he doesn't show up?"

"Then we'll go where he is and attack him there." He shrugged. "We're probably going to have a split offensive anyway. He's predictable that way."

"Point I suppose." She took him to her desk to set up for the interview. "Why come to me?"

"My housemate Seamus suggested it. I had to bring in the announcement anyway."

"Good!" She pulled out her quoting quill. "You're scared of women?"

"I've gotten one-hundred-sixteen letters from women with things from mash notes to brutal suggestions of position and styles, to marriage contracts from people I've never met." She blinked a few times. "It's rather...upsetting me. To the point where I've ranted and a few of the girls in the house are keeping people away from me. It's made me paranoid. I can't go many places now without at least one other person with me.

"One who can stun me if someone jumps out at me again." He stared at her. "That redheaded girl up the row we walked past? She did it and I stunned her acting on instinct before I could stop myself." He handed over a list. "From Hermione's hand about the ones who've written me. She's helped me write back notes to turn them down politely. Mostly politely."

"Are you two dating?"

"No. She's a friend. A good friend. I'm not even considering dating until the end of the war. After I calm down and all that. So I make sure I'm not as paranoid then." He stared at her. "But I do agree with her about knowing most of the people in the school too well to date." He shifted in his seat. "I tried to date a few times but it wasn't....it didn't feel good to me."

"Could you like men instead?" she offered.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure girls will make me get...happy to use a polite term that won't get me swatted," he finished in a rush. "Just not right now and not yet and not one that's pushy and pouncing and the like." His eyes were wide.

"I can understand that. Dating's a tough thing to really get into sometimes." She patted him on the hand to calm him down. "How are your grades?"

"About the same as usual. I've been studying a lot and the teachers know what I'm looking into so they're working it into my other studies."

"Are you going to go with that fad to take the NEWTs early to get a few out of the way?"

"I am. I have actually. I took two and got both." He grinned. "I'll take another two during the midspring break. I hope. If I'm not in the infirmary. Then the rest in the summer."

She nodded. "That's sensible."

"It's sensible to ease that stress and also, it made sense for Hermione and the girls to do that with that horrible headmaster we had last year." He cleared his throat. "With what he tried, as well as the Ministry's attempts, it protected her because you're a legal adult by the legal charter if you're over seventeen and have at least three NEWTs."

"Which means no one could force her into a compromising position or make her subject to a marriage contract," she agreed with a nod.

"Exactly. They tried awfully hard. Hermione had an awful temper about them trying her so many times."

"That's reasonable. Any woman should."

Harry nodded. "We had to distract her before she decided against medical school and went for politics instead to fix the problem from the head spot."

She giggled. "There's been a few female Minsters for Magic but you usually work your way up to that."

"I'm sure she could."

"She probably could. She is, like your mother, the brightest witch of her age."

"She said that's Rosemelda Isadore."

"Oh!" She blinked. "Well, yes, she is a genius and graduated her magical secondary school at fifteen, then her college at nineteen."

He grinned. "Hermione sent her a letter of congratulations."

"Awww. That's sweet and it does give her someone to look up to educationally."

"Hermione didn't want to move ahead grades. She probably could have."

"Point." She nodded. "Which would've made sure she couldn't help you."

"If she wanted to she could have. I don't have her under obligation or anything. She jumps in because she wants to." He shrugged a bit but grinned. "She's a great friend to have. Especially since she helps me write letters to people who write to me when I'm stuck on what to say. She has social skills I never learned."

"I can see that viewpoint." She smiled at him. "What sort of girl do you think you'd like, Harry?"

"Not sure but an honest one. One that won't pretend to be something she's not. When I start to date I want a girl who's honest about who she is and what she's about and her plans for the future. I don't have much planned yet but I expect to do the same thing. Not flirt and lie about things. Some of the girls in the school pretend to be less smart than they are and that's really disturbing."

"It can be but many men like simpler women."

"Then that won't be a happy long term relationship."

"Many men expect women to change once they're married."

"As Hermione says, a woman's a whole being both before and after she's in a relationship. She's not a husband's accessory."

"True." She nodded with a grin. "That's very wise of her."

"She is pretty wise. Gets it from her parents."

"That's good." She patted him on the hand again so he quit shifting. She looked back at the staring people. "It's an interview." She held up the announcement. "To run tomorrow and once a week. It's when they're calling the final battle."

One reporter snatched that to look over. "Who picked that battlefield?"

"Ron."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"He called it symbolic. I found out one kid compared us to Mordred and Arthur in his story." He sighed. The reporter giggled as he walked off shaking his head. "Sometimes I don't understand any other people," he admitted, looking at the one he was talking to. "Not girls, not guys, not anyone. But Xander has the same problem sometimes."

"Does he help you with that?"

"And told a few women off for trying to send me a marriage or courting contract. Said it was rude of them. Both the Potters and Dumass clans are free choice about their marriages."

"That's very open minded."

"It makes for healthier, stronger, happier marriages."

"It would. I chose my second husband and he was good while he lived. My first one was childish infatuation and I learned he wasn't like I thought."

He nodded. "Which is why I want a girl who'll be honest about who she is, what she thinks, and what she wants to do. I've got to help rebuild the Dumass family's stuff with Xander after the war. Plus find my own career and rebuild the Potter's things."

"I hadn't thought about that. I heard what came out in the trials."

"We've gotten most things back. There's still some missing but nothing that was entailed. Though my mother's wedding ring is still missing somewhere." He grimaced. "I'd like to someday put them both in their shared grave."

"They share a grave?"

"Buried next to each other. They had been buried incorrectly but I had it fixed late last year when I figured that out." He grimaced. "Someone messed up greatly by putting my mother outside the family cemetery."

"She wasn't a pureblood."

"Why would that matter? She was James' wife. All the other Potter wives, including the others that weren't purebloods, were buried next to their spouses. Except for Donalley, who was married to an uncle I think, back in the mid eighteen hundreds. By the family's records they hated each other and wouldn't want to be next to each other.

"He said to have her buried in the family cemetery and he's buried under a stand of trees he liked to sit under." He shrugged a bit. "That was his choice. If I have a wife someday I'll expect to probably be buried next to her."

"That's romantic, Harry."

He grinned. "A real, happy marriage should carry over to whatever afterlife is really there."

"Point." She smiled and made sure the quill got that down. "Who arranged the burials?"

"I have no idea. I'm hoping it was an oversight instead of intentional. Her name was on the headstone. One will automatically fill itself in when a new heir is born and their spouse's name will join it when they're married."

"That's nice of them."

"It saves some stress and makes sure everyone in the family has a spot."

"I can see that. Your family was known to be openly welcoming of half-bloods and no-bloods."

"As some people pointed out, we all bleed the same color. No matter where we came from. Well, except those exposed to demon taint I think. Xander said something about that." He grimaced. "But the rest of us bleed the same red color. The same sort of blood, have the same sort of organs. And no one picks who they're born to."

"No, they don't."

"So it's stupid to hate them for how they're born really. It's not their choice how they're born."

"Good point. Switching topics. I've heard about a new pureblood movement?"

"It's been noted there's not a whole lot of purebloods left in the UK." She winced at that. "Most don't have a lot of kids either for a few different reasons." She nodded. "A number of them are looking outside the UK for spouses. Which I hope they find someone they can appreciate and live with at least semi-tolerably if they can't have a happy marriage.

"Even the half-bloods have a lot of inbreeding. Looking at the family charts." He waved his hand with the rings on it. "There's a lot of cousins who're having kids. Is that good for the magical community?"

"I...." She considered that. "My parents were married shortly after schooling but he's from out-country too." She considered it harder. "How many cousins are there that're married?"

"That's something to ask the records people at the Ministry. I know that I've gotten requests from sixteen distant cousins to court or marry. Which I'm not into. If our bloods have ever crossed, I'm not into it." He stared at her then grinned. "Hermione compared it to like how you breed lines of animals. If you mixed them too often bad things start to come in."

"They do. I've seen that with dogs and cats actually." She grimaced but nodded. "Yes, I'd agree that marrying out-country is a good idea."

"Also, someday the no-bloods now, if they breed true for long enough, will be purebloods in a few generations."

"Oh." She nodded more slowly. "That's true. It takes at least four generations with magic. Which is more likely in half-blood or no-blooded families isn't it."

"Yes, because they're not marrying their cousins." He grimaced. "It's rather scary to think about how often that seems to happen. I know we're an island country but we're not unable to get to the continent."

"True. My husband's family moved here from Norway for a job."

He grinned and nodded. "Which means he's probably not related to you."

"No, I don't believe he is. If it is, it's way back, farther than any family reunion could do. What of the Black family though?"

"There's very few left. If Draco Malfoy's future children become an heir, I'll allow that. He is a Black through his mother. So he could have a child that I'd consider a good candidate."

"The ones from that...incident?"

"If they want to keep the children and have them noted, I'm not against that. I've let them know that. I feel very sorry for them, that she did that to them. Frankly, if I see her, I'm going to hex her a great deal before she begs for death." He calmed himself down. "Sorry but that really did upset me."

She patted him on the hand again. "It upsets all normal people and most abnormal people."

"I try to be a good person, the one my mother would appreciate and like. One she could be proud of. One she'd like to maybe hug the grandkids of." He sighed. "I figure I'm doing okay and I'm always thinking about what she'd think of my choices. Though I think she'd tell me to take a few days of fun to clear my mind because the studies are running together in odd ways."

She nodded. "That can happen to all of us. How does Hermione handle that?"

"We have fun reading or we have a few game nights in the house." He grinned. "We do card tournaments and the like."

"I wish my house had. We just handled it on our own. Went for walks and the like."

"We do that too. Mostly a few of us together for safety reasons."

"How did the school evacuate?"

"I'm not going to share that, just in case it's needed again."

"Good answer. I like that one." She kissed him on the cheek, making him blush. "I think your mother would be proud even if you were rude to the ones who send you mash notes, Harry." He grinned shyly and left. She sighed, putting together the story. She went to show it to the editor, who was amused. "He's still very confused by girls."

"I can tell. Though it's nice that he hates girls who pretend to be shallow and dumb." He added that story without doing more than checking her spelling. "We should catch up with Granger after the war, see if her plans have changed."

"I plan on asking to interview all three of the Trio, and maybe a few other notable ones." She walked off. The announcement was put into the same run and it'd run daily as an ad until that battle.

***

Harry saw the girls reading the paper the next day. The magazine had the full interview but the paper had the announcement and an excerpt of the interview. Which made him nervous. He looked at Hermione, who was reading it as well. Which made him very nervous. He looked at Neville, who nodded for him to excuse himself since he was jittery.

Harry got up and went to the bathroom, and used the specialized portkey Xander had made him that took him to the Chamber of Secrets. In time to barely see a few girls bust into the bathroom to grab him. Thankfully he escaped.

Hermione came up after them and hexed them all then floated most of them back to the Great Hall, then came back for the rest. "Thirty points each for trying to kidnap another student!" she said loudly. "Idiots! Absolutely moronic behavior! You knew Harry was nervous about girls after all those notes!" The other girls shrank down.

"I doubt we can get him from wherever he's hiding," Ron added with a grin and a wave. "Even by house elf." The girls pouted on their way back to their seats. "How did he disappear on 'em?" he asked then ate a bite of toast.

"Looked like a portkey," Hermione said, sitting down. Ron gave her an odd look. "I'm betting Xander found out how."

"Probably," he agreed with a nod and a sigh. "I want to know what he knows."

"Then go study for a long time," she quipped with a smirk for him. He grimaced and stuffed his mouth again. "Professors, I'm sure Mr. Potter will be back sometime soon to attend classes," she called. "Though I have a very vague idea of where he could be hiding from them."

"Oh, I'm sure it's a nice enough place," Professor Armwrench said as he strolled in. "Sort of. If he cleaned it up." Ron choked. "Probably," he told him. He glared at the girls, who shrank away from him. "If you hunt the boy, he'll never marry anyone. His line will be lost and you're all going to have to do it on your own next time." They pouted and got back to eating breakfast. He looked at the headmaster, who looked amused. "Some people didn't think their ideas through," he told him.

"I'm sure they were going to keep him like a pampered hostage but then Mr. Potter would have to fight them." He looked at the girls. "You all have to speak to me later about proper punishments beyond the points off." A few nodded. "Thank you for finding reason. I know you're teenagers but *really*, children." That got more pouts. Oh well! "How long should we expect before he comes up?"

"I'll talk to him later," Armwrench sighed, sitting down in his spot. "After Xander calms him down."

"Can we get Xander here?" one second year asked, sounding hopeful. "At least then we'll be safe while Potter's hiding from evil women."

"He's busy this week with a problem on the hellmouth," Armwrench said with a grimace. "Unfortunately." That got a nod from that one, and her looking upset. "It'll be fine. Potter called the final battle in the paper, chit."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you."

"We'll make sure everyone remembers their safety ideas this week," Flitwick told them. They all cheered up at that. "It can't be blocked. Even if they went to other forms of magic."

"Good," the headmaster said quietly. "I appreciate that." He dug in again, watching his students plot. He was going to have to stop that as well. He looked at McGonagall, the top female in the school. She looked peeved but at her own house. Only one of them had been chasing after Potter. A few Slytherins. The other two houses had mostly followed the boy.

***

Snape was there when Harry came up. He looked around then at him. "Is it safe again?"

"They've all been punished, Potter," he said dryly. "Why did you wait so long?"

"I scried the girls!" He stared at him. "Some of yours have some very freaky things on their altar to me in the first and second years' dorms."

"They do what?" he demanded. "We'll make sure of that. You could have seen somewhere else." He walked him down there. Harry showed him where it was and Snape had to stare at the things. Pictures modified to show Potter tied up, mutilated to be less of a man, mouthless. He blinked a few times.

"I would have avoided this as well," he admitted. He summoned the headmaster down. Harry showed him where the other shrines were that he had spotted. That was more disturbing. It had dolls instead of pictures. The headmaster came in so Snape handed him one. "Potter scried before coming up."

"I damn well did so I didn't get captured again!" he agreed dryly. He stared at the headmaster. "At least Hufflepuff wanted to wrap me in furry blankets and treat me like an infant. Not cut off my penis. The one in Gryff isn't this scary but it has me in various wedding scenes.

"The one in Ravenclaw, which is in the common room, is full of pictures snuck from the changing areas and taken through my clothes during quidditch games. Including a few where I was a second year because Lockhart's in one taking the bones out of my arm." He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

The headmaster looked at Snape. "How are you going to punish them?"

"If I tortured them, their parents would complain," he said dryly.

Harry looked at him then summoned a house elf. "Get me Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy please? And Blaise Zabini? They're tops in their house." The house elf went to get them. They were let into the room and he pointed. "I escaped for a good reason."

Parkinson looked at the altar then at him. "I was never this bad as a first or second year," she told Snape. "I wanted to rip a few of the house into pieces but even I'm not this bad."

Draco cleared his throat. "We'll have a talk with the darlings, Potter."

"Good! Can you get the charmed items from Ravenclaw that see under your clothes too?"

Blaise stared at him oddly. "They can?" The house elf went to get the scrying portal they used to spy on the other houses. Harry pointed out where it was so the house elf went to open it for them at Snape's point. "Hell, they can." He blinked a few times. "You were a scrawny second year, Potter."

"Thanks." He looked at the headmaster. "Can I stay down there until the battle?"

"You'll miss too much, Potter. Or I'd let you to protect you." He frowned at the altar, going to look at the other one. Pansy came back green from it. Draco looked and sighed, muttering about his father having had those same ideas a few times while rubbing his forehead. Blaise came back green when he went to look.

The heads of the houses came together to grab all such altars and take them down to destroy. Harry told them where they were. They found a few extra from the house's house elves for cleaning. A few girls tried to complain but Malfoy was protectively in front of Harry until Weasley got there and Neville stormed out to yell at them too.

Harry looked at Neville. "At least our house's only had me being married to various girls. None of them were into mutilation. Or a mothering kick."

"More like a kink," Ron said, spotting a few of theirs. "Wow." He blushed, looking at Harry. "You good?"

"No!"

"Okay. Well, calm down, Potter." He patted him on the arm.

Snape looked at his house's people. "I believe we'll be talking about such matters later as you have all violated the ethics clauses of this institution."

Madam Sprout looked at her kids. "Yes, we will be." They shrank down away from her. "I can't believe you did that!" She pointed at the bonfire. "Really, children!"

The second-in-command in the Ravenclaw house looked at hers. "I should tell that reporter about this, with pictures. So they'll know that all the kids in this generation are desperately warped and need to find someone else to take their attention. Clearly, some of you have bad grades for a *reason*." The kids tried to go save their stuff again but Hermione blew it up with a blasting spell.

"I don't believe that will work, ladies." She stared at them. "Will it?" They slunk off back to their houses. "Gryffindor, I'll expect you up there within minutes."

"You're not McGonagall," Pansy quipped with a grin.

"Yes, but she's so angry she's spluttering. It's better that I yell before she finds her voice." She glared at a few, who ran back to the house to hide. She huffed, going to find them and stick them to seats so they could...chat. McGonagall followed, stomping really, to go help her.

Ron nodded. "Damn glad it's not my doing this time!" He grinned at Neville. "Though I noticed a few had your picture too, Nev."

"I saw," he said dryly. "I'm marrying Hannah Abbot," he announced. "You can dream but if I see things like this again I'm siccing her on you!" They shrank away from him too, and Hannah. Who came over to kiss him on the cheek. "C'mon, Harry, you can go nap." He walked him up to their room so he could rest. The poor guy.

Most of the other guys in the school stepped away from the women. They didn't want involved in the yelling. They wanted to be far, far away. One looked at the others in his house. "Cribbage tournament?" he offered, walking off. "Great Hall?"

"Splendid idea," Draco Malfoy agreed, following. "Before some of them try me instead." He looked at Blaise. "I really should tell Emilia so she knows to guard the guy."

"Any help would probably be appreciated. I wonder if he's talked to that other heir of his."

"Xander Dumass? Not sure." He considered it. "I'd hope so. We can ask Armwrench."

"He's busy, still," floated up the halls. "Idiot Council people attacked the slayers."

"So probably not. He'll probably hear later." Blaise just nodded at that.

***

The next day's headlines were all about the week of panic Potter had caused by having to run from the girls in the school and the things that had been found thanks to the search for him. They wondered who had taken the pictures of the Slytherin altars but they were sure it was probably some disgruntled girl who didn't want to marry Potter. The owls started that night with letters from parents to their kids.

The headmaster sipped his tea then put the cup down. "I should let in howlers for just one day," he said dryly.

McGonagall looked at him. "Please don't. I need my hearing. We'll be buried in them." She dug into her dinner again. A few girls were crying. A few had gotten presents from their parents for that attempt.

An auror showed up as well with a grin. He walked up to the main table. "Professors, Headmaster, we'd like to talk to the one with the charmed cameras that see under clothes to see if they can see under polyjuice."

"I think they only show naked parts," McGonagall said. "But that was done by Ravenclaw's house. You can ask them. We probably haven't found them all." She smiled at that house then at him. "Please do and let us know if you find more contraband materials."

"I can do that." He went to lead a search team to look over their house. They found a few other devices charmed to work in the school so checked them. Only one had a camera function and it was a phone. They didn't have any pictures of Potter on it. So they left that alone after looking at the charms on it. They'd ask Flitwick what they were.

***

Blair told the others about the called battle's plans and Nick added their battle plans to it. Plus who'd be protecting the school just in case. Philip shared about the picture incident as he called it. Tipsy was shaking her head as she told the twins. They were horrified. They told their mother, who went up to fuss at Harry about all that. At least she brought up cookies for Harry and Ron. And a few for Hermione. Who she still didn't appreciate the modern ideas of.

***

Ron looked at Bill over the floo that weekend. "I keep forgetting to call you for some reason."

"What's that important, Ron? I'm supposed to be working."

"There's been a few visions of your wedding being attacked, the house being burnt, and Fred dying."

"Excuse me?" he demanded. "Who was I marrying?"

He grinned. "Fleur."

"Oh. Well, yes, I did propose." He looked confused. "Why would it be attacked?"

"I have no idea. They all came before the called battle got announced. They attacked the wedding at the Burrow. You and Fleur lived. Fred was killed. Remus and Tonks were killed. The house was set on fire." He smirked. "But I couldn't call and tell you for some reason."

"So it's probably changed and we'll make sure we hold it somewhere other than the Burrow to change as many things as we can." He sighed. "Thanks for telling me."

"Welcome. I have no idea if someone told Mum or not. I know Madam Ramvette told the twins. They're working closely together."

Bill blinked a few times. "The owner of that other joke shop, Tip Top Ramvette?" Ron nodded with a grin. "Well, she'd probably understand them," he muttered with a nod. "Yeah, I'm going to elope. We'll hold a party somewhere other than the house. I'll let her know, Ron. Thanks for the warning." A few newspapers got tossed through. He read them. "Huh. I need a few days off," he muttered.

"Yeah. Thanks, Ron." He grinned and hung up. Ron got up and went back to studying. On that side, Bill burst out swearing in a few languages. The dvergers with him looked at him oddly because his pronunciation in goblinese was poor. He told them why and showed them the papers. They processed his leave paperwork that night for him. Just in case it happened early. No one wanted this war to drag on.

***

You must login (register) to review.

Site Info

Most Recent

Random Story

Other Sites

Skins