Chapter Text
The excited crowds retired back to their respective houses awaiting the feast that was going to happen later on that evening.
The scores had not favoured Harry who had been deducted points for abusive language and taking the longest time to complete the task, but the three girls who were walking toward the Great Hall didn’t really care.
Daphne had re applied her Ice Queen persona and cut a swathe through those classmates and house mates who had had a go at her and Tracy for having the temerity to cheer for a Gryffindor.
It was still sometime before the feast to begin and only a few students were about.
They paused when they heard raised voices “Ronald Bilius Weasley what have you done ?” they heard Hermione screech
“Give it a rest Mione, for once I agree with Draco that the sodding fame seeker needed to be put in his place, he’s finally getting what he deserves “ the snarling voice of what once Harry’s best friend replied
“He’s getting taught a lesson by the snakes down at the quidditch pitch , and no you are not going to interfere” they heard a slap as Hermione rushed out almost knocking them over, but Daphne grabbed her, her face a mask of fury ..
“ You fucking selfish bitch” she snarled in Hermione’s face .. “ go and find a professor now “” she added pushing Granger away
“ but Harry “.. Hermione squealed
“But nothing , we’ve got this you piece of filth” Tracy added as the three girls set off at a sprint thanking Merlin that they were still in muggle jeans and trainers as they almost flew towards the quidditch stadium..
As they got closer to the now empty stadium which had been returned to its former state they could see in the distance spells being fired, they pushed themselves as hard as they could and when they ran under the supports to the grassy field they simultaneously ground to a halt as they took in the scene in front of them.
No less than half a dozen student were in a semi circle. They were side on to the girls so they could see them all , Draco and his core group of cronies were firing spell after spell towards a kneeling Harry Potter who was trying desperately to keep a shield up to protect himself , one arm was hanging limp , blood was pouring from numerous wounds on his body and chest and one of his legs looked like it had been broken .. Harry was down but he was not out despite trying to maintain his shield he was attempting to throw curses back but his strength was fading..
In that brief moment Daphne took it all in with a clarity of vision .. “Sue , Trace take them on, throw whatever you can, I am going to give Harry cover” she whispered
The two girls nodded and moved quickly to get a better position ..
“On three “Tracy called “1, 2, 3”
As she finished, she and Susan fired off stunning spells and Daphne ran towards Harry positioning herself in front of him raising her own shield “Protego” she shouted, pouring as much energy into the charm as she could and braced herself, as spells hit it.
Tracy and Susan had caught the Slytherins by surprise felling two of the six with their first casts, a third went down as he turned towards the new comers. It was then the cavalry arrived . Madame Bones and Professor McGonagall apparated onto the pitch wands already drawn they were quickly able to stun the remaining Slytherins , as other professors including the headmaster arrived on scene . The small contingent of aurors were not far behind .
The adults took in the scene before , six students were all lying stunned in a semi circle, another student was standing in front of Harry Potter who was a crumpled mess behind her, with two further students who were being held by wand by two aurors on scene.
Professor Snape had a face like thunder as he stormed closer “what has the glorified hero done now, assaulting my students no less “ he spat out venomously
“Come nor Severus let’s not jump to conclusions” Dumbledore implored
Professor McGonagall was less circumspect “it’s pretty damn clear who was doing the assaulting here and it’s beyond acceptable”, she snarked back as she knelt beside the near unconscious student her heart breaking seeing the vast array of injuries he suffered. She immediately conjured a stretcher and ever so gently levitated Harry onto it.
Amelia Bones for her part was equally shocked by the scene but she steeled herself “ this is now a matter for the DMLE, and we will find the truth of this matter” she walked to Daphne who was standing shaking her shield still in place “Ms Greengrass it’s okay you can stand down now” she gently said putting her hand on the young girls shoulder, seeing no response “Daphne darling please it’s over we are here “
Daphne blinked her eyes, tears streaming down her face and she nodded dropping her shield and turned round to see Harry on a stretcher surrounded by McGonagall and the two aurors and Tracy and Susan who had joined them.
“Madame Bones , is this really necessary I am sure that this nothing more than a prank gone…” Dumbledore replied his eyes twinkling in the moonlight
“NO headmaster this is a grievous assault on a student and will be investigated fully “ Madame Bones snapped. “Minerva please take Harry to the infirmary with all haste , girls go with her and then report to the Head’s office, Dawlish” she looked to one of the aurors enervate those six and make sure they are taken for questioning in a secure room .
She looked over at the other auror a young woman who looked no more older than the girls “ Tonks, with me for a minute”
Dumbledore and Snape looked to protest but one glaring look from the head of the DMLE stopped them in their tracks.
“Tonks I need you to be Harry for the feast so as to not arouse suspicion, just walk in , let yourself be seen, feign illness and leave okay” Bones whispered to the young auror
“Of course boss “ Tonks replied
“I also want gauge reactions so keep your eyes peeled” Amelia added, Tonks nodded
“I need to get a look at Harry first” Tonks said softly
“Go go” Amelia turned to Dumbledore and the others, “let’s go get the truth shall we and she apparated away shortly followed by the others.
Minerva was walking as quickly as she could with Harry now unconscious on the stretcher that she was guiding in front of the her . The three girls were walking beside Harry giving glances to the young man..
They could hear the professor muttering to herself, using language that was not becoming of a beloved teacher. They were almost half way to the infirmary when she stopped.
McGonagall huffed and looked at three girls sharply .. “ thank you for what did for Harry it means a lot..” she said in a broken voice
“However I do not believe that he is safe at Hogwarts anymore and I should have done this ages ago” she picked up a stone..
“Listen to me carefully, Ms Bones I need you to go find your aunt straight away, I believe you will find her in the empty class room on the third floor, tell her these exacts words ‘Protocol PMA is being enacted’ she will know what to do.
Ms Greengrass and Davis you need to go the infirmary and say the same to Madame Pomfrey , and add, bring it all. Can you all do that ?” She looked sternly at the three teenagers
“But what about Harry?” Daphne asked
“That is not your concern tonight young lady but tomorrow I want the three of you in my office at 9am sharp”
The girls looked at each other and down at Harry “we will” they all chimed
Daphne ran her hand softly into Harry’s hair “I’m sorry” she whispered, Tracy followed doing the same “be safe Harry please “ she chocked out, tears falling, they both took off at speed on their assignment.
“Susan, I will make sure he is fine I promise , Poppy will join me, now please go” she implored the buxom redhead.
“Please do Great Auntie, we’ve only just got him and I can’t bear the thought of losing him” Susan sobbed as she gripped Harry’s hand and placed a soft kiss on his fevered forehead..
“Go girl tell your aunt and you will see him soon enough” the Professor replied softly.
Susan nodded and she too ran off towards the school
The professor turned the stone into a portkey and grabbing hold of the stretcher she saw Tonks running towards her shouting for her to wait , they briefly spoke and then she softly said “activate” leaving the auror standing there.
The three girls found themselves back in the Great Hall later and were discussing in hushed whispers the events that had just occurred.
“Madame Pomfrey actually cursed and I have never heard her do that, she pretty much threw us both out of the infirmary, we hung about for a bit but didn’t hear anything “ Tracey explained to a rapt Susan.
“Well Auntie just looked at me strangely and nodded, but I saw her glance at Dumbledore and she said we would talk “ Susan offered up in return to her two best friends.
“Did you see Harry though, he looked like death” Daphne moaned sorrowfully “I am really worried for him” she added as she grabbed both girls hands in her own “ what if…”
“Don’t Daph don’t .. I am sure whatever McGonagall is doing will be the right thing “ Susan said with certainty knowing what Harry meant to the usually firm professor but she was bound by a wizards oath to not divulge what she knew.
The girls chatted quietly, then saw Dumbledore and Snape enter the hall from a side door and take their positions on stage . Snape had a face like thunder and Dumbledore looked thoughtful , he took to the podium and an in loud voice he spoke “ quiet now everyone, it is time to celebrate the champions who did such a successful job in the first task today” he paused as silence filled the hall , the large doors opened.
“Let’s welcome our tri wizard champions, Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacourt, Victor Krum and Harry Potter” all heads turned to the main doors and cheers erupted as first Cedric then Fleur , then Victor and to the absolute shock of the three girls so did Harry Potter.
They all grabbed each others arms as they watched the champions wave as they walked down the centre of the hall “what the fuck “ Daphne mouthed to her friends who both looked as surprised as she did .
They were not the only ones who looked surprised, ‘Harry’ noticed a number of Slytherins and a few Gryffindor were pointing at him and talking quickly .
The four champions took their place at a small table and the feast began..
The three girls picked at the food that was on offer keeping their eyes on Harry constantly.
“How did he recover so quickly, he was a mess twenty minutes ago” Susan asked in between mouthfuls.
“It can’t be him surely, must be someone under Polyjuice?” Daphne surmised.
It was only a few minutes later when ‘Harry’ stood up and spoke briefly to Dumbledore before making his way back out of the Great Hall, most paid little attention but the girls did, as he passed them the three as one stood up to follow him..
As they exited the hall they saw him half way up the stairs, he must have known they were there for he turned “I thought you three would be following me, come on we don’t have long ..” he said in soft tones as he resumed walking quickly, the girls could not help notice the tight fitting trousers that he was wearing which were accentuating his firm backside.
The three followed behind catching him up as they arrived at the Transfiguration Professor’s private quarters “what’s going on Harry?” Daphne hissed as he opened the door.
“Be patient Ms Greengrass , “ intoned the head of the DMLE who was sitting in a comfy chair, a tall dark skinned auror standing to her side, as the party entered Amelia nodded to the auror who locked the door and set up a Privacy ward..
“Auntie what is going on” Susan pointing at a smirking Harry “he was out for the count and had a mangled leg half an hour ago” she went on.
“Ladies please sit” Amelia gestured to some chairs. Harry moved to stand the other side of Madame Bones” before we begin I will need a wizards oath from all of you to never divulge what is said in this room to anyone not authorised by me”
The girls all nodded and gave the Oath, a swirling mist enveloped them as they finished their incantation.
“Great now we have that in place, if you wouldn’t mind please Tonks” Amelia said with a wry smile
“Aww do I have too I was enjoying them ogling my rear” joked ‘Harry’
“Enough of that now” replied the older woman but she was smirking, seeing all three students blushing to varying degrees
‘Harry’ shrugged and the three girls were astounded to see him change completely into a young looking female auror, she had short bubble gum pink hair a heart shaped face with piercing velvet eyes, she was no taller than Susan and cut a well formed figure under her deep red auror robes ..
She smirked at the girls “wotcha” she chirped
“Thank you Nymphadora” Amelia said noticing the young auror flinch at her full name “ as you might guess ladies she is a metamorphomagus and is a new recruit to the DMLE having graduated from Hogwarts two years ago. We decided that a necessary deception was required for this evening so as to not cause an uproar at the feast” Madame Bones looked at the three girls intently as she spoke “I am sure you can understand my reasons given the events of earlier”..
The girls nodded mutely and were about to speak but Amelia raised her hand signalling silence. “Before I explain more I require formal witness statements from each of you surrounding what your saw and did tonight”.
It was a good half hour later when the girls had finished their witness testimony both verbal and supported by use of a penseive to validate memories.
Amelia had ordered food and drink to be brought for all and she sat quietly reviewing the evidence garnered, she along with Tonks and Shacklebolt had conferred quietly as the girls ate and all three were frankly shocked and disgusted with how not only how Harry had been treated but also the events of the evening..
She looked over to where the girls were huddled whispering to each other and a glimmer of hope rose in her heart. She was aware of her niece’s affection for Harry having heard her talking in her sleep on many occasions. Her view on the two Slytherins had changed from initial scepticism to one of admiration for all they had done for someone they hardly knew. She had theory’s but for now she would wait to see how things panned out.
She was made aware that McGonagall had returned when a cat patronus entered the room and bowed to her..
“ Ladies” she looked over to the three girls who looked around at her “ I would like to commend you all for your actions tonight especially you Ms Greengrass for putting yourself in direct line of fire in defence of Harry, trust me when I say it will not be forgotten” the three girls smiled and sat a little straighter at the praise.
The previous flickering fire in the corner of the room sparked into life as Minerva McGonagall exited, her face a mask of inscrutability as she moved to her chair which was vacated by the head of the DMLE , she looked around the room taking in who was there.
” Do you have their account ? She asked of Amelia. “Yes, and it corroborates what we all knew” Amelia handed her the written depositions which the professor read quickly nodding on occasion and smiling a couple of times.
She steepled her fingers and looked around the room “ what I tell you next requires more than a wizards oath, so before I continue I will require an Unbreakable vow from all you, including you Kingsley and Nymphadora, if you feel that you cannot then you may leave now.. no one moved or said anything until Kingsley spoke his voice deep and clear “ I think I speak for us all professor when I say that you have our deepest trust in this matter, what has happened to Potter is frankly shameful”
“ Thank you, but you don’t know the half of it, but I will share once vows are taken”
One by one they all made an Unbreakable vow to never repeat what is spoken upon pain of death.
Minerva conjured three more chairs for Amelia and the two aurors” this will take a while I am afraid, better to be comfortable.”
Once everyone was seated The professor took a deep breath “ okay firstly I think you all want to know how Harry is? “ frantic nods were observed “ he, I am afraid to say is in a critical condition, with multiple serious wounds, at one point and I will not sugarcoat this he was near to death” Minerva heard the gasps of shock and despair from all especially the three young women she had come to admire and respect. She continued “ his road to recovery is going to be long and he will not be returning to Hogwarts any time soon as it is not safe for him here”
“Excuse me professor, I thought he was in the infirmary?” Quizzed Susan..
“No he is not, but Madam Pomfrey is leading his treatments” McGonagall replied
“As for where Harry is, that is something I will not divulge tonight but be assured if Harry wishes and only if he does you may visit” she continued raising her palm to forestall the protests she knew would be coming.
“ The reason for that is complicated, how much do any of you apart from Amelia know of Harry’s upbringing and his time here ? “
“Let’s start at Hogwarts and work back” As the professor explained things the shock and horror on everyone’s faces grew and grew, even the stalwart Kingsley was struggling to comprehend what he was hearing.
“ I will not detail the more serious abuse suffered at the hands of those repugnant muggles, that is for Harry to say , should he ever want too”,
All the girls including Tonks were sobbing by now and even Amelia who knew of the things was shedding a tear.
“ I am sorry for what you’ve heard but I and Amelia felt you deserved to know and you have my thanks for what you have tried to do to protect Harry these last months, believe me he knows, even he is too dumb to thank you himself”
“But professor, he did during the task when he slammed into the wards right in front of us” Tracy exclaimed through tear stained eyes “ he even winked, before he crashed”
“Maybe not so dumb, the silly boy” Minerva gave a wry smile
“It was almost as if he guided his broom to us” Daphne whispered as she wiped her face with a tissue , her make up running because of the tears..
“Now excuse me for a moment this old lady needs to powder her nose” she rose and gestured to Amelia to follow her she went into a side room.
She put her hands onto the sink as Amelia shut the door behind her “ that poor poor boy” she muttered as she finally succumbed to tears “he’s never going to catch a break, I fear for him Amy I really do”
“How bad is he Auntie really ? “ Amelia asked softly
“Poppy almost lost him three times, those little fuckers had hit him with god knows how many bone cutting curses, his leg is mangled and will need a lot of time to recover, I won’t go on , Poppy will give you a full accounting for your investigation.” Minerva wiped her face clean “ we don’t have a lot of time to get him ready for the next task and Merlin knows I don’t want him to have to do it “ she threw the towel into a basket
“Do we tell them now Minnie ? They have had a lot to take onboard already ! “
“ what of the girls Amy ? “ Minerva asked looking at her niece
Amelia sighed “ well you know how Sue feels about him, and I think Greengrass and Davis have more than platonic feelings for him as well but whether they know that they do I cannot say for certain”
“Well Merlin knows Harry could do with something good in his life” Minerva quipped “but Amy tell me your thoughts “
Amelia paused and gave what she said due consideration, finally she nodded to herself “Minnie, do I have misgivings, I would be stupid to not have some as to what might transpire and if Harry doesn’t want any or all of them in his life then I won’t force him too, god knows he’s been manipulated enough over the last four years, I can’t and won’t pressure, but he would be lucky to have any one of them in his life , let alone all of them, however uncommon that might be .. we both know polygamy isn’t totally unheard of in the magical world but it comes with many challenges and I fear that if that is a path taken it will be one that may not work and that will break Harry .”
“I agree, but we both know the prophecy, I will talk to the girls one on one , but to your earlier question I believe it is better as muggles say to rip the bandage off”
The two women left the bathroom and rejoined the others, Tonks and Kingsley were in deep discussion as were the three girls.
Minerva sat back down and coughed to gain everyone’s attention .. once everyone was focussed on her .. she again took a deep breath.. “ you may all be wondering why this old lady is taking such an interest in one student, even if he is exceptional” that garnered laughs and giggles .. “yes, well, be as that maybe I recently found out some things from sources that will remain anonymous that a lot of what Harry experienced as a child could have been avoided and that certain individuals have not always acted in his best interests , and as much as this pains me to say and remember you’re bound by the Vow you have taken, a lot of this blame lies with your headmaster” Amelia knew this already but the looks of shock from the three girls and two aurors were of disbelief..
“Harry should have never been placed with those vile and abusive muggles, his parents had stated in their wills a number of people that they felt should be his guardian, one of whom was me, now there was another in line before me that I will explain at another time why they have not taken on guardianship, but not too long ago I took up that mantle..” the professor was crying softly as she spoke “ as his wizarding guardian I realised that Harry needed a mother figure who was closer to his age than I am, so I have entrusted that honour and it is an honour to my niece” she was interrupted by Susan jumping up squealing “finally, I can now speak about it!” she was bouncing around like a mad thing, her bountiful breasts almost bursting through her top. Daphne and Tracy just looked at each other and shrugged, whereas Tonks was transfixed by Susan, and had to school her features.
“Susan, please calm down” the slightly amused transfiguration professor demanded” as I was saying my niece Amelia Bones.. she paused and patted her niece’s hand who smiled softly, Susan was still smiling like a Cheshire Cat and the other two teens nodded and smiled. Even Tonks and Kingsley looked surprised at that news..
“That being said, neither my niece nor I will stand for anymore of manipulation and abuse that Harry has had and we intend to make sure that firstly he has every chance of surviving this frankly ridiculous tournament that our Harry has had thrust on him.. and we need him to be somewhere safe and looked after whilst he is nursed back to health” Minerva said forcefully “because one of the frankly more stupid rules is that unless the champion is dead then the must take part in any challenges remaining or forfeit their magic! “ that news shut everyone up who looked aghast at this revelation…
There was silence for a few minutes as everyone digested that news until Daphne raised her hand “I have a question” she asked
“Go ahead” Amelia replied
“Whilst this is a huge amount to take in, why tell us , I get Susan being informed but us, we barely know Potter”
“A very good question and possibly the most important one” Minerva looked closely at the girls “ for students who as you say barely know Harry you two have spent a lot of time protecting him from any number of hex’s, curses or jinxes since he was announced as a champion, coupled with the fact you three went to his aid tonight at no small risk to yourselves especially the very brave act of yourself Daphne, so firstly I felt you deserved to know and secondly I wonder why you took it upon yourselves to act as his guardian angels?”