Next Morning (King's Cross)-
A raven-haired man was diligently walking towards the barrier that would lead him to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, for he had a lot time on his hands. He had taken the 'knight bus' to arrive at King's Cross, which was very fast, subtle and economic. Once he reached, he stepped through the barrier and walked on the platform looking for an empty compartment.
Harry only had a small trunk in his hand; it was a magically charmed trunk, inside there was more than enough space to stuff a house. His trunk had everything he would want in it, his wardrobe, all of his research materials, his books, recently tailored uniforms and everything he would need for his daily life. Currently, he was wearing a black jean, with a white T-shirt and a casually cut black blazer on top of it.
He climbed aboard the train and found an empty compartment; he slid open the stall's door and he walked in. He placed his trunk on the overhead ledge and he took his seat near the window.
Not ten minutes later, there was a knock, but not on the door, but instead on the glass window beside him, he peered outside only to see Hermione standing there with her parents while mouthing unsurely, "Harry…?" He smiled at her acknowledging her presence, he guessed why she was unsure that it was him and he knew that he can't blame her for it since he had physically changed a lot over the summer.
He quickly opened the door and stepped outside the train just in time to see Hermione hugging her mother goodbye. She almost skipped towards him and he greeted her happily, "Hey Hermione…"
But she didn't greet him back; instead she almost jumped and caught his left ear and pulled him down and asked furiously, "Why didn't you write back during the summer?"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, please…, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" He quickly kept repeating his apology as she pinched even tightly which made him squirm even more in pain.
The Granger parents brought the trolley behind her, they were a little amused and grimaced at the same time as they noticed that their daughter was tightly gripping and pulling on Harry's ear as they realised that he was under her mercy.
Finally, Hermione let go and he groaned loudly, "AHHH…, WAS THAT NECESSARY?"
Hermione further narrowed her eyes and took another step forward and he reflexively covered both his ears with his hands while agreeing with her and apologising to her almost instantly in a calmer tone than before, "I'm sorry…, I get it, it was completely called-for, nothing to worry about, I'm fine."
Her expressions softened a little as she asked him softly, almost as if he was not off the hook, "How are you feeling?"
"About…?"
"Sirius…!" Hermione exclaimed carefully.
He smirked a little at her concern, but mostly to hide his own sadness, "Sad! It's hard to imagine him gone, but I'm coping, nonetheless."
The Grangers knew of the death of Harry's godfather and so they sympathised for him. Ignoring the stinging pain on his left ear, he raised his hand and held it towards Mister Granger, who had just walked beside Hermione, the man took it and they shook their hands, he said, "Nice to meet you again, Mister Granger."
"So am I, Mister Potter." The older man nodded positively and he returned the nod.
"Call me Harry, please..." He then gave a nod to Missus Granger, who smiled brightly at him.
Hermione took her trunk from the trolley and he moved to help her, "Let me help you." He lifted her trunk and climbed aboard and Hermione said her goodbye to her parents as she followed right behind him.
As they were heading towards their compartment, Hermione asked again, he sensed her anger but it was almost suppressed by an expecting reason, "Why didn't you write during the summer?"
He knew that he had to give her a reason and so he spoke, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I had a lot of things going on in my mind. I just didn't feel like writing." He replied feigning a tired tone and she viewed him for a long minute and then finally she nodded her head accepting his reply.
"So where's Ron and Ginny?" He asked her wanting to know where they are and hoping for a change in topic.
"You know them, Harry. They always like to cut it close. Why do you ask?" She commented on the Weasley family tradition as she queried sensing that there was another reason for his question.
"It's nothing; I just want to know why Ron lost his Prefect position." He asked honestly.
Hermione looked at him incredulously, "How did you know that, Harry?"
He, in turn, reached into his left jacket pocket and took the prefect badge and he showed it to her. "They made you a prefect? That's great, Harry. I hoped they would make you a Prefect last year, but professor McGonagall told me that the headmaster didn't want to pressure you considering the circumstances. And most other Prefects filed a lot of complaints against Ron, he was always skiving off and having fun, he even lent the password of Prefects' bath to Dean and Seamus. There was an incident due to that. Last year, professor McGonagall told me that she was considering taking away Ron's position as a Prefect, but since nothing happened, I thought she had changed her mind." Due to her rambling, he could tell that her anger for him had dissipated and that she was genuinely happy for him, but he sensed an undercurrent of worry in her tone.
He asked her wanting to know what worried her, "What's wrong?"
She glanced at him carefully and answered, "When Ron finds out that you got his position, he'll throw a fit."
"Oh, I know. I've been worrying about it myself. He'll definitely throw a fit when he learns that I got his position. To be frank, I didn't want it, but professor McGonagall had anticipated my decision, so she had mentioned in her letter that it was non-negotiable and that I can't return it."
Hermione nodded in agreement and she added, "Ron was furious when he got the letter from McGonagall about losing his prefect status. I suspect that Molly may have even sent a howler to Professor McGonagall regarding the whole matter."
There was a brief pause between them as he nodded his head agreeing with her about the short temper of the Weasley matriarch. To break the silence, he tried changing the topic, "So, how was your stay at the Burrow?"
"It was fine. The Order meetings happened there and we couldn't eavesdrop much. We all went to George's and Fred's joke shop, it was brilliant. Those two inquired about you. Oh, Fleur was there as well, trying to woo Mrs Weasley's acceptance."
"Fleur…? What was Fleur doing in the Burrow?" He asked incredulously.
The brown-haired witch spoke as if she was revealing a secret, "According to Ginny, Fleur and Bill are planning to get married."
"That's great news…" He was really happy for them.
"I remember mentioning it one of my letters, which you didn't reply to..." Hermione yet again spoke angrily as she understood that he hadn't even bothered to read her letter. She folded both of her arms and beheld him with blatant disapproval.
"Again, I'm sorry…, I just had a lot to think about." He bluffed the best he could.
Her expressions softened just a little as she decided to accept his apology, "It's alright."
Hermione again continued to ramble on, "Anyway, then Dumbledore came and told us that you refused your invitation to the Burrow. Molly threw a fit, obviously, but Headmaster somehow managed to reason with her. Soon after that, I left and went back home."
He asked curiously, "You left? I thought you spent your whole summer with the Weasleys?"
"No, I spent close to three weeks with them. You chose not to come, Harry. I had to manage Ginny and Ron, while Fleur and Molly clearly had some issues between them. And I was stuck doing chores and watching Ron and Ginny practice Quidditch every day. The only upside was the Order meetings, we got to know a few things from Mister Weasley and Remus."
The brilliant witch paused for a moment and asked, "By the way, did you hear what happened to the Brockdale Bridge?"
He replied with a knowing nod, "Yes… Death Eaters attacked it, killing fifty-six muggles. I also know about Fortescue's and Ollivander's kidnappings."
"I'm surprised. You've kept yourself up to date, Harry."
"I did my best to read the Prophet, for anything useful besides the lies."
"Prophet…?" Hermione asked being incredulous that he read the Prophet, even more, interested in how he got the paper to read in the first place.
He grinned brightly as he realised her confusion even if she didn't voice it and so he replied, "I subscribed just for the summer." Hermione chuckled at him and he too laughed along with her. Finally, they both reached a point of levity as they once again reconnected with each other.
They were interrupted all of a sudden, as the train moved and he viewed his watch, it was twelve. He was leaving to Hogwarts. He breathed out in relief because he realised that his independence was almost within his grasp.
Start-of-Term Banquet (Great Hall)-
His train ride to Hogwarts was in one word, eventful. Hermione inquired about his sudden growth spurt and then he and Hermione attended the Prefect meeting on the train, where they learned from their fellow Ravenclaw prefects that they were the ones who first filed a complaint against Ron to McGonagall at the end of last year. When they pressed for a reason, their fellow prefects informed them that Ron had often turned a blind eye when it came to his dormmates breaking curfew and when they asked to why, Ron had threatened them by using Harry's name.
It was a harsh revelation for Hermione, but to him, it wasn't surprising in the least. His opinion about Ron had changed after the mind-melding. His current opinion about Ron was accurate, Ron was a type of friend who would expect all the perks of their friendship, but when things do get bad, the ginger-haired idiot wouldn't even think of helping him and only tagged along if someone else suggested a plan and not going would mean a bad reputation. Ron had a habit of being overly lax and not study and at the same time, he wouldn't let anyone around him study either.
After the Prefect meeting, they both thought of catching up with Ron, Ginny and the others, but on their way to prefect Carriage, he was invited for lunch to Slughorn's compartment. Hence, he went to meet Slughorn, where he met Neville and learned the possibility of the Slug Club. Whereas, Hermione went off to their compartment and retrieved their trunks, after which she went to the prefect Carriage. After lunch with potential Slug Club members, he excused himself and joined with Hermione for the rest of the ride.
Dumbledore had just finished his Start-of-Term announcements with a warning about Voldemort. The feast appeared before him, but he wasn't in any mood to eat because he was reading through Ron's jealous thoughts about his prefect status, improved physique, among other things, all the while the ginger-haired fool kept a cheery exterior.
He was broken out of his musing, when Hermione leaned to his left ear and spoke whisperingly, "Harry, you're drawing quite some attention!"
"What…?" He asked as he turned to look at her, she simply pointed her eyes forward past Ron. He shifted his head a little to the side and looked past Ronald only to see a dozen girls from various houses simultaneously turning to look away.
He wanted to grin at them, but he chose to keep his expressions impassive because he needed to seem mysterious. Suddenly, Katie walked beside Ron, while maintaining a posture of indifference and then she spoke quietly, "Professor McGonagall wants to meet you after the feast."
"What…, now?" He was tired and he had some things to do tonight.
"After the feast, on your way to the dorm, go meet with her." Katie suggested casually, while he agreed, "Okay, I will."
Ron being unable to keep his curiosity any longer asked, "Why do you think McGonagall wants to meet you, mate?"
"She probably wants to know why I declined the Quidditch Captain post."
"YOU WERE OFFERED QUIDDITCH CAPTAINCY?" Ron yelled out in shock earning the attention of everyone nearby them. He nervously looked around, he didn't any unwanted attention and Ron was making it very difficult for him.
After a short pause, "Why would you decline, mate?" Ron asked him sounding outraged which earned him a look from Hermione.
"I didn't feel like playing Quidditch."
"YOU DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT?"
"Calm down, Ron." Hermione reprimanded her friend, which the redhead promptly ignored.
"Ron, listen well. This is the year we're beginning our NEWT courses, we have to study. Outside school, the climate is charged, the Ministry is literally struggling to handle Voldemort, and we don't know when all hell will break loose. We have to be prepared. Quidditch is the last thing on my mind." Hermione was glad that Harry was choosing to study rather than wasting time having fun as usual.
Hermione nudged his left shoulder with her right and when he annoyedly turned to her, she patiently pointed to his right with her eyes along with a subtle nod. He then turned to his right, only to see everyone sitting beside him were staring at him or listening in to his speech, and so he asked the staring crowd, "What?" They all immediately shuffled away and continued on with the feast in a hurry.
"You're starting to sound like, Hermione…" Ron commented unwittingly earning a narrowed gaze from the said witch.
"You say that as if it's a bad thing."
"Thank you." Hermione thanked him for his counter and he nodded back at her evenly.
He again turned to look at Ron, who shrugged his shoulder at him and took another large bit from his plate and spoke with food in his mouth, "Whatever you say, mate... It's your loss."
He continued reading through Ron's thoughts. Ron was slightly disappointed that he refused the post because Ron had a plan to use their friendship to effectively earn the Gryffindor's Keeper position and at the same time, the fool was actually glad that he refused the Quidditch Captain position. The Weasley boy seemed to think that Quidditch Captaincy on top of prefect status was too rewarding for the boy-who-lived, he almost clenched his spoon in anger when he read that thought, but he restrained himself from lashing out.
Soon, the feast ended and the fifth-year prefects proceeded outside leading the new first-years to their respective common rooms and dorms. Whereas, the other prefects along with the Headboy and Headgirl started their rounds since the curfew would be in effect soon. He, on the other hand, proceeded to the first-floor corridor, to the right of the staircase between the first-floor and Serpentine corridors, heading towards McGonagall's office.
McGonagall's Office-
Harry knocked on the door and he heard a voice shortly after, "Come in…"
He opened the door and swiftly walked inside. It was a small room with a large, welcoming fire. To his surprise, Katie was sitting on a chair facing McGonagall. The transfiguration professor motioned for him to sit beside Katie and he obliged as he took a seat on the chair next to Katie.
McGonagall opened the drawer of her desk and fished out a rectangular piece of parchment. She unfolded what looked like a letter and she placed it in front of him; he took it and read it. He realised that it was his letter, his letter explaining the reasons for dropping Quidditch.
"Mister Potter, care to explain?"
"With all due respect professor, I've already detailed everything you need to know, in the letter."
"Yes, you did, but I want to hear of it from you, directly." McGonagall insisted sternly.
Katie added her own point, "Harry, you are the best Seeker we've ever had, period. Why would you want to quit?"
He sighed tiredly and began, "Professor, you of all people know about my situation better than anyone. You and I, we both know that this war is becoming worse with each passing day. Quidditch is just not one of my priorities anymore. It's hard to explain, but to be short, I feel like I'm wasting my time. I have to prepare myself and concentrate on my studies, besides it's my sixth year, NEWTs are just one year away."
Minerva understood the boy's concern and she replied, "Mister Potter, a month and a half ago, I was contacted by the new Head of the Wizarding Examination Authority. He asked my opinion about giving you another chance at writing O.W.Ls, needless to say, considering your circumstances at the time you took your O.W.Ls, I gave a glowing recommendation. And you didn't disappoint, nine Outstandings, was it?"
"Yes, professor…"
"Now, I know that you're more than capable of scoring well in your subjects if you put your complete effort. I also believe, Quidditch will help you relieve your stress, NEWT subjects are beginning and believe me, you'll need a breather every now and then." McGonagall explained to him seriously.
He had no intention of spending his time playing some game, "Professor, those are all valid points, but…I don't see a future in Quidditch…" Before he could continue, he was interrupted by the older woman.
"I wasn't finished yet. Many in this school, including your friend Mister Weasley and Miss Bell over here, are thinking of pursuing a Quidditch career after Hogwarts. If Gryffindor loses, the odds of the team's members being selected by professional teams are very less. As a prefect, you have responsibility for the well-being of the school's occupants and an obligation to your friends."
He wasn't going change his mind, especially if this woman was trying to manipulate him, "I'm not playing Quidditch, that's final."
Katie immediately retorted, "Harry, please you must reconsider."
"Katie, I know…" He began but was interrupted once again.
McGonagall spoke evenly, "Since you're hesitant, I have a compromise. You don't have to play with the team, which means you don't have to participate in the matches or the practise sessions. What I'm suggesting is that you coach the next Seeker and the team members to resemble the efficiency you have in the game. Miss Bell will be the Captain and you will be 'named' as the Vice-Captain, but you'll oversee their training and everything with it, the team's mistakes, the players' flaws and their strengths, help them. Also, this will help you, Mister Potter. In case, you have a change of heart from pursuing your career as an Auror in the Ministry, you can apply in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, being a coach for a team in your resume will better your chances. And above all, professional Quidditch teams will find your endeavour at coaching as quality Captain Material, it is logical to cultivate multiple options for the future."
"Professor, even if I coach the team, I'll still be spending the same amount of time as playing it. And the entire point is that I do not want to waste several hours of my time every week in the Quidditch field."
"Not necessarily...! You'll just have to spend two sessions with the team before each match, you can choose not to attend the other triweekly practice sessions. Being a coach also comes with special privileges like the Captain's position."
The transfiguration professor's argument seemed sound, and the concept of cultivating multiple options felt appealing and so he asked, "So you're saying that I don't have to play or spend three practice days every week?"
"Yes…"
He asked sounding doubtful, "Just coach the team before the matches…?" McGonagall gave a nod of agreement.
"Okay, I accept." He replied casually with a smirk. His response made both Katie and McGonagall smile back and with that, the meeting was over.
Gryffindor Dorm-
After his meeting with McGonagall, he had joined Hermione for prefect rounds, spent searching every nook and corner of the castle with the help of the Marauder's map. Found a few students sneaking around, reported them to their respective Heads of Houses and retired to their dorms.
He entered his room, only to witness all of his dormmates already in bed, sleeping. He probed all of their minds simultaneously, Dean and Seamus were half-asleep, Ron was pretending to sleep, whereas the redhead was musing on a number of things, and Neville's snoring made it clear that he was out for the night.
He quickly freshened himself, got to his bed, quickly changed his clothes and crawled under the covers. He then subtly drew his wand and pointed it out of the covers and he cast a spell called, 'sleeping vapour'. A dark blue vapour-like, odourless mist, which would put everyone but the user into a deep sleep, in an instant, for a seven hours' time-period. His spell would be invisible in the dark since there was no moon in the sky to light the room. Within a minute, he heard Ron's snoring along with Neville, Dean's and Seamus's steady breathing.
He pointed his wand at Ron's bed and mouthed, "Legilimens…" He tore through Ron's unprotected mind like a hot knife through butter and learned everything he needed to see.
A few minutes later, he was sitting on his bed in stunned shock. He couldn't believe what he had found in Ron's mind. Ron was planning on using a forbidden potion to tie Hermione to himself, simultaneously; Ginny had a similar plan to do the same thing with him. Both these Weasleys were doing it in accordance with their mother's plan, who was the mastermind behind the entire plot.
According to what he saw in the ginger-haired fool's mind, Molly had a plan to potion him and Hermione during the summer, but he had chosen not to go the Burrow, while Hermione only stayed there for three weeks, so the course of potion to be ingested was incomplete. To overcome that setback, Molly had given Ron and Ginny a much stronger version of the potion, so that they could use it on us during the year. Molly waited this long because her other children had strong moral values resembling her husband, so the chances were that her other children wouldn't have agreed to such manipulation, ever. Hence, she needed her younger children Ginny and Ron away from her remaining children, so that they wouldn't interfere with her plans and so she would be able to play her matchmaking game without interruptions. Ginny and Ron were the youngest and the most pampered children of them all, and the ones who took after her rather than her husband, Arthur.
Molly knew that Ron wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and so she felt that her boy would need a smart wife to look after him when she's no longer there to support him, and Hermione was the obvious candidate, given her friendship with Ron. He, on the other hand, was a different story; Molly wanted him to end up with Ginny because she hoped that it would bring the entire Weasley family out of poverty, considering he had the combined wealth of Potter and Black family under his control.
The potion they were seeking to use was called, 'the Bond of Intertwined Souls'. An ancient forbidden potion used by pureblood men on their wives circa 'eighth century', developed by an ancestor of the Prewett family. The potion itself was classified as forbidden and removed from all the texts by the Ministry, but the original recipe was passed down through generations until it reached the hands of the Prewett family's, Molly Weasley née Prewett. The potion would magically form a bond between the husband and wife, taking all thoughts of infidelity or adultery from their minds forever, making them completely loyal to each other. The ministry classified it as forbidden because of one reason, if the potion is used out of the context of a magical marriage ritual, then the user will get complete faithfulness of the target, an essential one-way bond, without the other possible way, the user would be free from the effects of the potion. Relatively speaking, the user would essentially get a faithful slave to command over, without having to reciprocate the same bond back to the target.
Ron hadn't actively listened to the explanation that Molly had given him and his sister before handing them the potions, but the memory of the explanation was ever present in the idiot's memory cortex, he had simply tapped into it and viewed it as if he was there during the explanation.
He got out of his bed and then he opened Ron's 'secured' trunk by using the proper magical sequence which he had derived from Ron's mind. He found the 'Unbreakable' vial containing the potion; it was a transparent orange coloured potion. He had a plan, he was going to use this same potion at a later time and condemn Ron's life with it. So he secured the potion vial inside his 'blood-protected' trunk and took a similar vial from his potion-making supplies and 'charmed' it to look like Ron's vial and then he filled the vial with water after having coloured it so that it would resemble the potion. Once it was done, he left the duplicate vial inside Ron's trunk knowing that Ron would never suspect anything out of the ordinary. He briefly mused on about altering and modifying Ron's priorities to his liking, but ultimately he decided against it because he wanted to manipulate the redhead and he knew the best way to do it is to use Ron's drive against himself, but to his advantage.
Now, he just needed to take care of Ginny, and he knew that he can wait in Ginny's case. Satisfied with the progress he was making, he went to sleep with an ever present grin of satisfaction on his face.
Potion's Class-
Hermione and Ron walked into the potions classroom only to see Harry already there, talking and laughing with the new potions professor. As soon as they entered, Harry separated himself from Professor Slughorn and walked to them and stood beside her.
"Do you know him, Harry?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Dumbledore, he took me to village where Horace was hiding out from the Death Eaters and we convinced professor Slughorn to take the post as the next Potioneer."
As soon as he replied, Hermione asked, "So, you had time to go on excursions with Dumbledore but you couldn't read or reply to my letters?"
"Will you ever let that go…?" He asked exasperatedly.
She just turned towards the professor after giving him a long pointed stare. "Ah, you're all here." Slughorn began and everyone took separate places in the room.
"Now you all take your respective books…" Slughorn instructed carefully.
Ron stepped forward, and spoke, "Professor, I haven't gotten my text." He said to Horace and the man beheld the boy curiously.
"Why not, Mister…?"
"Ron Weasley, sir."
"Mister Weasley?"
"I didn't think I would make it into this class, sir." The ginger-head replied and half the class laughed at the redhead's reply.
"Fret not, take one from the cupboard." Ron went and opened the cupboard first and took the new book among the two ignoring the older one, little did he know that if he had taken the older book, he would have at least gotten a good grade in Potions for the rest of the year.
He ignored Ron and tuned into the class, "Now, anyone mind telling me what these potions are…?" Slughorn asked pointing to the cauldrons placed on the table in front of him and Hermione immediately raised her hand, which didn't surprise him in the least.
"Well done, Miss…?" Slughorn drawled not knowing her name.
"Granger, sir…" Hermione added and the professor nodded positively motioning her to continue.
Hermione walked forward towards the steaming cauldrons and began from the left, "This one is Veritaserum, a truth-telling potion. The next is Polyjuice potion it gives the user the ability to transform into another person for a certain time-period. The third one is Amortentia, it is one of the most powerful love potions in the world, it is rumoured to smell differently to each person, for example…"
He tuned out Hermione's explanation and started musing on how to get involved in the war without anyone knowing. He was broken out of his musing by Horace's announcement; "Oh, that's Felix Felicis, also known as…" The Professor was once again interrupted by Hermione, "…Liquid Luck."
"Well done, Miss Granger. Liquid Luck…and that's what you get as a reward for today's class. Every one of you must brew the 'Draught of the Living Death', found on page number ten of your books; it must be of sufficient quality for one to claim this prize. You can all begin."
Everyone rushed to the cupboards to get the best potion ingredients. Having made potions during the summer testing out Voldemort's instinct in the art of potion-making, he was fairly confident in his abilities. Voldemort had developed his instinct via experimenting on potion-making tirelessly for years long at a time. He and Hermione were the last ones to get the ingredients, usually he and Ron would wrestle their way through the crowd and secure the best ingredients, while Hermione would follow behind them, but he didn't try to do that this time, because he knew there would more than enough ingredient left since the number of students taking the class, were less than half. So while the rest of the class went for the ingredients, he went to secure the cleanest cauldron, burner and other materials.
They then made their way back to their desks. They were all taught of how to dice and slice the potion ingredients on spot, during each step of the brewing potion. According to Voldemort's instinct, the man had diligently experimented and perfected unique cutting and cleaning techniques for each and every single one of the ingredients and similarly unique methods to sterilise the potion-making materials. Hence, he used the refined techniques to dice and slice the required potion ingredients.
He started brewing the potion with the memorised version of it in his head, he had the entire book memorised. He started by adding the Infusion of Wormwood and waited for the potion to boil for a few minutes. He then added the powdered root of asphodel once the potion took the shade of a light purple colour. He continued by stirring the potion twice in a clockwise rotation. After that, he gently placed the sloth's brain inside it, waiting until it dissolved completely into the potion. Making use of the knowledge from Voldemort's mind, he added thirteen Sopophorous beans' juice instead of the twelve that was mentioned in the book but only after having crushed it with the base of his blade instead of cutting it like it was stated in the book. Finally, he carefully stirred the potion with a stirrer, seven times anti-clockwise and then once in the clockwise direction. Once it was all done, he cast the 'potion-making' spell on the cauldron to finish his work. Harry was finished within forty minutes while everyone else was still struggling desperately.
Slughorn immediately checked his potion having completed first. Slughorn reached Harry and he stirred the potion in the cauldron a little to check the colour and consistency of the liquid. The colour was of a pale lilac colour indicating that it was potent. The consistency was smooth just like water, the man was impressed.
And with the professor concluding that the initial test was perfect, which was something he didn't expect as from what he observed, everyone else's potions weren't even potent enough to reach the half-way point, so he decided to check the strength of the potion by dropping a small piece of a leaf. And when the leaf crumbled inwards to itself and disappeared on the touch of the potion's surface within three seconds, he gasped, "Merlin's beard… This is perfect. I'd dare say that one drop would kill us all. Well done, Harry."
Every single one in class, including Ron and Hermione, looked at him like he had grown a third eye when Slughorn stated that Harry Potter's potion was perfect. The Slytherins couldn't fathom the thought of him; a former remedial class attending student under Snape had surpassed them in terms of skill. Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron were surprised because he had never shown such aptitude for potion-making before.
Slughorn then waited until the hours was up and then he checked everyone's results separately and remarked them accordingly. He stated that Hermione's potion was reasonably better than others' and that it just lacked the required potency. He also remarked that Ron's and Crabbe's potions were the worst among them all.
And finally, the time came for him to claim his prize. "One tiny vial of Felix Felicis as promised. Use it well…" Slughorn said and gave him the vial almost immediately after he had finished checking the potions of his students.
And when Horace clapped and the Gryffindors all clapped while the Slytherins kept quiet, however, Harry noticed a small frown on Hermione's face, which amused him a little.
Prefect Rounds (Three Weeks Later)-
Dumbledore's idea of private lessons meant learning about the past and personal life of one, Tom Marvolo Riddle. To him, it was a complete waste of time. The point of Dumbledore's lessons was to understand the enemy's mentality, Voldemort's mentality. But he knew Voldemort better than anyone since he had a part of his personality melded in him.
His plan was simple, just wait until Dumbledore kicks the bucket and then deal with Voldemort himself. He knew for a fact that he didn't have to wait for long because the injury on Dumbledore's hand seemed awfully serious and he got the sense that the Headmaster was racing against time. If his calculations are right, then the man had close to thirteen months left to live, and only seven months if it's without medical assistance.
But nonetheless, he would do what Dumbledore asks him to do and right now, and the Headmaster had asked him to get a piece of memory from Slughorn. The original and unmodified version of the memory from Slughorn's mind, so to learn what Slughorn had said to Voldemort all those years ago.
Today, it was his turn to scout through the school corridors along with the Ravenclaw prefects. He was using the Marauder's Map to navigate through the dark halls and corridors. However, he wasn't just navigating; he was making his way to Pansy Parkinson's hiding place.
He had noticed a while ago, that Malfoy had started using 'the Room of Requirements' for some purpose. He knew for a fact that it was definitely something twisted. He was sure because he had taken Dobby, Missy and Winky as his personal elves and inducted them as Potter family elves and made them keep track of Malfoy. No one knew of this, of course, but he had made sure to keep it that way. He wanted elves mainly because during the summer, he had kicked Kreacher out of the Black family and now he needed other elves to take Kreacher's place as the family servants. He knew about Dobby and Winky, but Missy was new, she was another disowned elf working in the kitchen and so he had chosen to take her into service as well.
He also knew that when Malfoy isn't up to something, he had been ignoring Pansy in favour of Sally Smith, another Slytherin girl from a year behind them, a girl whom he knew to be nothing more than a glorified whore who's been shagging most boys in the senior year. On many occasions, he had seen Pansy following after Draco on the Map, but he chose not to do anything, until now.
He was choosing to act on it now because claiming Pansy for himself seemed like a good way to learn about Draco, considering that the girl was obsessed with the Malfoy heir. And it excited him, the possibility of shagging a prejudiced girl like Pansy, subduing her and claiming command over her, he was ready to test his skills on a witch.
Seventh Floor-
He opened a broom closet in the dark corridor and stepped inside acting as if he didn't know about Pansy being inside it. He deliberately stepped back and stepped on her toe, fully aware that she was standing close to the back wall of the closet without making a noise.
He feigned a shocked look and stepped forward, turned around as he lit his wand with, "Lumos…"
Just as the wand lit up he faked a gasp and whispered, "Parkinson? What are you doing in here?"
"I could ask the same thing to you, Potter? You're a Prefect now, what are you up to?"
He retorted back casually, "I asked first."
Pansy countered, "I'm not answering."
"Since, you're no longer a Prefect; I can report you for breaking curfew." He threatened her knowing that her Prefect position was taken away.
They both heard footsteps outside the door and he immediately whispered, "Shut up…"
"I'm going to scream!" Pansy smirked at him cruelly, hoping that it would get him caught as punishment for threatening her.
"If you scream, you'll get caught too." He countered logically.
"I don't care as long as it gets you in trouble." Pansy spoke with satisfaction and was about to scream, but he moved forward and placed his hand, covering her mouth. He knew that he had nothing to worry about; he warded the broom closet before he even entered. No one would notice the closet even if she screamed with her head sticking out.
She bit into his palm causing him to gasp in pain as he reflexively pulled his hand away from her mouth. Pansy bit because she was outraged that he had the gall to manhandle her. This was exactly how he had expected her to act, and so, just as he had pulled his hand away, she opened her mouth to scream, and so in the context of preventing her from screaming, he pressed his lips onto her open lips. She was so shocked by his action that she froze in shock for a whole minute. He pulled away and stared at her as if he too hadn't meant to do that.
"POTTER…" She glared at him and was about to begin hexing him with her wand, but he slammed his lips on hers again, but this time in the context of preventing her from attacking. This time, he trapped her in place by circling his right arm around her while slamming her right hand to the wall in order to relieve her of her wand. Once her wand fell down, he circled his left arm and connected both his hands behind her at the base of her spine, just above her butt.
He pulled away, but this time she simply stared back at her without a word. She hadn't had sex in a while, she thought she would get to spend some quality time with Draco in school, but nowadays he ignored her to do some mysterious work or else he would fawn over that cum slut, Sally Smith. She was furious at Draco and that was one of the reasons why she was subtly following him around. She didn't know how it got here, or how she's with Potter of all people, but she hasn't had sex in three months and she wasn't going to let this go waste, she saw this is as the perfect opportunity to find out if the rumours about Potter was true.
She stared into his eyes as she slowly stood on her toes and kissed him, she felt him kissing her back furiously. He slid his tongue and rubbed it sideways on her lips, requesting entrance and when she parted her lips just a little, he slid it into her mouth. Both of their tongues fought for dominance, he pushed her and she pushed him back, until finally he pushed her tongue down and kept persisting until she gave out, and then he tilted his head a little and passionately continued snogging her.
In her daze, she didn't notice his hands subtly unbuttoning her skirt. It was only after she felt her skirt falling down and the cool breeze hitting her exposed legs, did she realise that he was undressing her. She was about to detach her mouth and protest, but she lost her ability to speak, she gasped out loud when he detached from her lips and softly bit the left side of her neck, her eyelids involuntarily closed in ecstasy as she arched her neck and moaned.
He stopped biting her skin and started kissing her neck, she also noticed that he was groping her arse and she unwillingly moaned at his gesture, "Ohhh…" She was hoping some foreplay, but things were moving too fast, but she couldn't resist him. Not a minute later, she felt him hooking his fingers on her knickers and tugging them down, but she didn't care anymore.
He pulled her knickers down and it fell to her ankles. Harry wrapped his hands around her butt, and all of a sudden he lifted her up in the air. Pansy felt her skirt and knickers slipping off her shoes and falling to the floor. And just as she was about to straddle him, all of a sudden he bent forward and lowered her, he laid her on a table. A table…? That's when she opened her eyes and noticed that the broom closet had somehow become bigger and there were lit candles around them along with a table in the middle of the closet, the very table she was currently lying on. He grabbed her thighs and spread them to the sides exposing her snatch out in the open and so he bent down and breathed on her slit making her entire body shiver a little.
Pansy looked away in embarrassment as he lowered his head over her nether lips and she had a difficult time breathing properly as Pottter showered kisses on her thighs and occasionally used his tongue to draw tickling circles on her skin. Just when she wished that Potter would use his tongue more, Harry started licking her thigh skin just beside her nether lips and she couldn't help but grin lightly at the tender attention. He detached his tongue from her thigh skin and he blew on her neat pubic hair above her pink slit, meanwhile Pansy bit her lower lips and moaned, glowing and basking at his tender touch. Harry pressed his nose just above her snatch and drew in a deep breath and Pansy began blushing like a cherry. As he was memorising her musk, his hands slowly pulled off her shoes from her feet and dropped it on the ground.
Harry's actions lowered her inhibitions to the point that she no longer thinking consciously, he used that gap in her thoughts to his advantage as he infiltrated her mind switching from passive to active Legilimency. Since, he now had full access to Pansy's mind; suddenly everything became overly clear including her reaction to his actions. Pansy wasn't a very attractive girl by any means. From her memories, it was fairly obvious to him that Malfoy had only seen Pansy as a toy; it was the brutal truth, eventually even if she had suspected that to be the case, she had chosen not to accept it for the fear of her own self-respect. Furthermore, Malfoy had been using her to satisfy his sexual needs and that too since their fourth year, she falsely believed that they were in love, but to Malfoy, she was always nothing but a disposable thing. She may not be easy on the eyes but she had a juicy, gorgeous pair of tits and a curvy plump arse, which were perfect for spanking.
Her father Quintus Parkinson was one of the Death Eaters inside the inner circle, being his daughter she had access to places only Death Eaters are allowed, even Voldemort himself encourages his followers' children to take an active role in their cause, believing that it would give rise to the next generation of Death Eaters. If programmed correctly, she could really be an asset, he just needed to make sure that she accepted the fact that Malfoy had been using her, and modify that following sense of betrayal and anger, making her believe that he cares for her and win over her loyalty.
He lowered a bit more and he kissed her right on top of her clit making her gasp his name, "Potter…" She couldn't believe it. Potter had kissed her; it simply shot her arousal up through the roof. She had always wanted Draco to worship her nether lips exactly like how Potter had done up till now, it was a fantasy; she always wanted someone who can see her, not as a toy, but as a girl, and pleasure her to her desire. All this time she had hoped that Draco would change and begin seeing her like that, but he was always more interested in making her satisfy him rather than paying intimate attention to her sexual needs.
Harry was mentally thanking the knowledge about mind magic he had gained from Voldemort. He was actively reading her mind and behaving exactly how she wants it to because he was keen on satisfying her to her heart's content. He needed to make a lasting impression on her subconscious mind if he was to manipulate her later on.
Harry closed her legs together and he pulled them up exposing her plump butts, he then slowly leaned near her butt and he softly bit into her luscious skin. Pansy took in a deep breath and she released sharply when he bit her skin. He detached his jaw and slowly traced his tongue around her pink fold of flesh and he finished with another soft kiss on top.
Harry stopped his ministrations, letting her legs fall and he looked at her inquisitively, Pansy who couldn't feel any more activity from her tormentor; she opened her eyes and looked at him. Their eyes connected and he asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
It brought a question to Pansy's mind, did she want this? She had no immediate answer to that question. Pansy noticed the concern in his eyes, it made her feel warm, Draco had never asked her this, he would simply demand that she rode him and when he's done, he would call it a day and leave, not caring for her release or her feelings.
Pansy slowly sat up and leaned forward and captured his lips with hers, not caring that he had been pleasuring her pussy and butt with his mouth until now. She broke the kiss and replied, "I'm yours…"
Harry grinned as he kissed her with a renewed vigour and pushed her back on the table until she was on her back and he arched on top of her. He then detached the kiss for a moment and asked again, "Your mine?"
"I'm yours…" Pansy's reply was unhesitant.
"You have no idea what a bad man, I am." Harry iterated to her carefully, feigning as if he was trying to restrain himself. Pansy saw the burning intensity in his eyes and it was exhilarating, she couldn't breathe and she couldn't think of anything.
Harry saw the go-sign and he straightened his body and then he dove back into her pussy lips. He gave a long lick along the line of her slit, causing her to moan, he expertly used his Parsletongue abilities to pleasure her pink fold and she kept moaning louder and louder as she was losing her mind. Potter was pushing all the right buttons, doing things to her body she never even thought to be possible. Putting his middle two fingers together, he ran them down the soft wet flesh of her pussy until he came to her opening, then with only a moment for his fingers to play across her entrance, he pushed them inside her.
Pansy groaned as she arched her body upwards a little while lying on the table, her toes curled inwards and her arse rose off the table's surface as she felt the intruding fingers. He further pushed his fingers into her wet pussy, it took him a few minutes but he made it past his knuckles; he then pulled out and played with her folded pink flesh. Again, he pushed inside and then pulled out of her. He then banded his pointer, middle and ring fingers together; he pushed inside her while detaching his tongue from her clit.
He rose up as he pulled his fingers out and alternated between two and three fingers as he pumped into her again. One by one, he kept adding his finger until his entire fist was inside her. He worked it in, causing her to reach her hands out and latch onto his neck, "Potter, please…" She begged him, even if she didn't really know what to beg for, never having experienced such a level of pleasure before, she was lost.
He proudly smirked at her pleading look and he started channelling magic into his right fist. He uniquely modified his magic and made his fist to vibrate when inside of her. She tightened her grip around his neck as she pulled her body up using the grip on his neck to pull; she hugged him tightly and bit into his neck in pleasure. And finally the knot in her abdomen came undone and she opened her eyes and mouth wide in a screaming manner, but mutely. He took it as a sign of her limit and he started twisting and turning his fist that was buried inside her pussy in clockwise and anticlockwise rotations, and instantly, her stomach, legs and pussy began shuddering violently. He moved his body to her side while staying clear of the trajectory of her impending climax.
"OHHH…, POTTER…" She screamed at the top of her lungs and began violently squirting juices out of her pussy, as he kept twisting and turning his fist inside her.
Minutes later, the squirting stopped and she lied there on the table with her eyes closed all the while breathing heavily. Harry slowly dragged his fist out of her dripping pussy and he wandlessly used the 'Tergeo' spell cleaning his wet hand. He caught her shirt and robes with both his hands and he tore it up in one swoop, Pansy was shocked not expecting him to do something like that, but she wasn't going to deny him. She laid there completely naked on the table with her legs wide open and her exposed pussy dripping juices down on the floor.
He stepped away from her and he started taking off his clothes. He undid the buttons on his shirt and pants, he took them off shortly and then he removed his underwear. Pansy, who was so satisfied by how the night had turned, she silently watched as Potter undressed. Her eyes bugged when she saw the huge throbbing cock that jumped out as he pulled his trousers down. If she wasn't watching it, she wouldn't have believed it to be possible. Until a moment ago, she had thought that Draco's seven-inch package was how big a man's penis would grow to become. But now, she was having doubts if what Draco had told her was even remotely true because Potter's package was definitely several inches bigger.
He stared at her and when their eyes connected, she blushed furiously and looked away in embarrassment. Pansy didn't like giving blowjobs, she even detested it, but she often did it to impress and please Draco. This was Harry's one chance to be different, so he simply placed his crotch near her pussy; he held his cock and nudged it at the tip at her entrance.
He didn't move, no, he simply stared at her. She reached her hands and caught his shoulders and then she hesitantly connected her eyes while anxiously expecting the intrusion of his huge cock. He stared at her deeply making her feel like he was looking deeply into her very soul. Just as her anticipation decreased a little, he moved his hips and penetrated her deeply.
"OHHH…" She moaned loudly and she unconsciously mumbled out loud, "So big…"
Having fisted her, it didn't take long for him reach the end of her tunnel; he bent forward, supporting his weight with his arms on her sides and he once again captured her neck between his teeth. Pansy was writhing beneath him and her mind was shut down, he had touched her deep-spot. He slowly started thrusting into her and he took his time to pick up the pace, ten minutes later he was brutally pounding into her.
He moved his head down to her breasts and started gently biting, nibbling and sucking on her sensitive nipples while alternating between breasts. Pansy couldn't feel the magic that he was channelling from his body and into her; it once again pushed her body to the edge. Just under three minutes into his brutal pounding, coupled with the ministrations on her breasts, her pussy tightened clenching his cock and she yelled, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…" and she climaxed yet again, her juices gushed out.
He snaked his hands around her and lifted her up with him as he stood up with her pussy still clenching onto his cock. Pansy instinctively hugged him around his neck and straddled him around his hips. He instantly started moving his hips and thrusting upwards as soon as he got in position. He quickened his pace and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she arched her head back in pure pleasure.
He suddenly paused bringing her back to reality, and just as she gave him a curious look, he clumsily walked towards the wall and he pressed her against it. Pansy felt him pulling her hands apart from his neck and pinning it above her head and onto the wall. Harry drew his pelvis back and he in one swift thrust he sheathed it inside her, and she screamed, "FUCK…"
Pansy felt him picking the pace as he ploughed her pussy with his massive cock. Fifteen minutes into his pounding, she climaxed for the third time on the same night. Pansy was beyond tired and she was feeling sore. The thing that scared her was the fact that Potter hadn't had an orgasm yet.
Unknown to Pansy, her mind was at the perfect stage for Harry to reinforce the idea of submission into her subconscious. And so he probed her mind and started placing a few thoughts, he grabbed her butt; he lifted her off of his penis. Pansy breathlessly whined at the loss, "Potter...put it back."
He slowly turned her around in his arms and he lowered her to the floor. Harry pulled Pansy with him and he bent her face down over the table, with her arse up. Harry got his left leg up on the table, positioned right behind her wet entrance; he pulled her right hand and he pinned it behind her back and then he held it tight with his right hand. He forcefully grabbed her left butt-cheek with his left hand and he spread her pussy apart to the side and then he aligned his cock directly on line with her open pussy lips and he prodded his cock on her opening.
"Potter, what are yo…?" She asked breathily. He pushed his hand and forced her head down onto the table's surface with his left hand and he began fucking her wet hole as brutally as he could. She squirmed for a few minutes in the beginning, but soon she began moaning. Pansy liked the rough treatment he was heaving on her, every time with Draco, she had to put all the effort while he would simply enjoy but with Potter, she loved it. Her tiredness overtook her as her tongue hung out as she began drooling while moaning incessantly, "Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh…" The ensuing pleasure successfully reinforced the idea of sexual submission as a pleasant thing deep in her subconscious.
Pansy was in pure bliss and completely out of her depth, "Hey..., wake up...." He groaned out loud as he kept pounding into her but his words didn't reach her ear.
To break her out, he left the grip he had on Pansy's right hand and he raised his hand up and he brought it down on her arse, 'slap', 'slap', 'slap'. His spanking didn't break her out of her trance, instead her mouth widened even more and she began drooling down the table, seeing his success, he kept spanking her arse again. Through the pounding, he bent down and whispered in her ear in a slightly strained yet dominative tone, "(slap) Say my name (slap)."
He quickened even more; he was close and just as her pussy clenched his cock again, she yelled, "HARRY…"
With that, he drove his cock deep and held it in place with a rough grunt; he shuddered as he split his seed into her. For Pansy, his orgasm seemed endless as rope after rope of cum completely filled her womb. For a few minutes, he stayed arched over her limp form until he finally he kissed the back right-side of her neck and pulled out of her. Meanwhile, Pansy slowly slumped on the table in exhaustion, as his cum spilled out of her snatch in a steady pool.
Pansy was lying on her back on the table, she was too tired but fully satisfied, her glow was proof of that, and she was glowing. Potter had explained to her how he had cast a 'contraceptive spell' when he had 'extended' the room and 'conjured' a table. She believed him because she hadn't noticed when he used the 'extension charm' or the 'conjuration spell'. She wasn't trying to move her body or get dressed; instead, she was simply watching as Potter got dressed. She still had trouble believing that she had shagged Harry Potter and above that she couldn't fathom Potter's skill in bed. With Draco, sex lasted for maybe ten minutes, but with Potter it had lasted for fifty minutes in one stretch.
Pansy kept watching as Harry did his pants up; he had a nice v-taper back with defined, but lean and noticeable muscles on his shoulders, between the sides of his neck and the shoulder blades, well-defined but not too tight. The muscles on his spine were visible, from the base of his neck to the bottom. She couldn't help but admire the structure of the boy's, no, man's body.
As he was about to button up his shirt, he heard the girl that he had just shagged speak to him softly, "Potter…?"
He turned to face her, showing off his four packs that she eyed with appreciation, "What is it, Parkinson?"
Pansy blushed furiously, "What would you say if I suggested about continuing this…?" She left the question incomplete encouraging him to fill in the blanks himself.
He laughed at her and replied through his loud laughter, "Not a chance."
She instantly sat up on the table while covering her tits with her hands and crossing her legs together to deny him the view of her very sensitive pussy, "Why not…?" She asked as she felt completely offended by his reply.
"Do I have to spell it out? You're a pureblood from Slytherin who's following Voldemort and I'm a half-blood from Gryffindor who's fighting against him. Do you actually think a relationship will work?" He replied after having deliberately mistaken the sense of her question.
Pansy sighed as she replied, "I'm not suggesting a romantic relationship, Potter. Like I would want to be seen with you? Honestly, how dense can you be? What I'm suggesting is a more…intimate activity on a regular basis." Her speech began nervous by the end.
He viewed her by feigning a look of surprise, "So what are you saying? Enemies with benefits…?" He chuckled at her mockingly.
"Why not…?" She asked bluntly and he simply smirked at her. Pansy thought that he was smirking at her suggestion, but he was really smirking because the thoughts and ideas he had placed inside her mind during the last hour, had worked beautifully.
He didn't answer back immediately; instead, he feigned a look of thoughtfulness, successfully making her nervous. Pansy, who was becoming more and more fidgety, added immediately, "Potter, I'll be blunt. It's hard to come across a man who knows exactly what a woman wants in bed. You're one of the rarest of rare when it comes to the sensual quality of men."
"What do I get in return?" He asked her carefully.
She couldn't believe that he had just asked it, "Sex… What more do you want?"
"I can have this same arrangement with any girl in the school and more importantly, I can choose the girl to my tastes. What happened between us tonight was accidental, nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that doesn't mean that I would want the same thing every day." He bluffed convincingly.
He leaned into her and he whispered with a smile, "What makes you special among those other girls out there, Parkinson?" Pansy wanted to scream at him, but deep down she knew that the chances of finding a similar lover were astronomical, even if she was relatively new to the concept of real sex.
"Maybe we could experiment in bed." She offered, and when his smile disappeared she added hastily, "Anything you want. However, you may wish."
"Nah, I'll have to decline your offer." He replied bluntly and he stood straight as he resumed buttoning his shirt.
He turned around facing away from her and towards the door, "Potter, please…" He smirked proudly, one session of intimate roaming on her body and he literally had her pleading for more, especially a girl like Pansy, who happens to have an ego as high as the sky.
His smirk disappeared as he schooled his features before turning to face her again. He pulled his robes over his back and he spoke, "Let's say we do this, I have one condition."
"Name it…" Pansy asked eagerly.
"You'll listen to me, obediently." He iterated it very carefully.
Pansy narrowed her eyes at him and asked sounding suspicious, "What…?"
"That's my only condition."
Pansy thought for a long moment and she knew that Potter would take advantage of her, she honestly didn't care. She stated with an arrogant smile that reached her eyes, "Fine."
"We have an accord." He replied with a smile.
She closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss and a moment later she felt his lips on her. The kiss electrified her body, the hair on her skin stood up and the grip on her heart disappeared completely.
He pulled apart and she had trouble opening her eyes, she was hoping that it didn't end. And when she did open her eyes, she gasped in a brief moment of stinging pain as he flicked her left nipple with his pointer finger. She saw him walking out of the closet with a half-smile. She turned to see that beside her on the table, her torn clothes were repaired and neatly pressed along with her wand.