Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.
A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.
Thanks to my beta Gingercat!
Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year
Chapter Seven: Start of the Year
The morning of September 1st was as usually hectic at Grimmauld Place. Molly was trying to organize the trip to the station so that everyone was on time. Remus and Tonks had been sent to escort them too, with Mad-Eye Moody and Arthur. The group of six students would be relatively safe with those four adults, plus they had already proven themselves able in combat a few months before.
Harry and Hermione were already down with their trunks, and were currently having breakfast with Luna. Neville joined them a bit later, his trunk placed near theirs in the entrance hall.
The last to arrive were Ron and Ginny, who gulped some breakfast down before being shooed out of the house by their mother. It was already five past ten, they had less than an hour to reach King's Cross, pass the barrier and board the train.
All the way to the station, Harry was tense. He feared Voldemort would try and strike, but it didn't happen. This, however, didn't keep Mad-Eye from barking at them to keep "Constant Vigilance", as his usual.
Once they were past the barrier and on Platform 9 and ¾ , Harry and Hermione immediately boarded the train, trying to find a compartment that hadn't been occupied yet. Neville and Luna joined them in the one they found, but Ron and Ginny didn't.
Sighing, Harry pulled Hermione close, and the four friends chatted for a while, till the Express started moving from the station.
From the windows they could see parents waving their hands at their children, and Harry let himself hope one day he might be in their place, seeing his own kids off to the castle. He sincerely hoped Hermione would be on his side, if such a day was ever to come.
--
As pleasant as chatting with Neville and Luna had been, Hermione reminded Harry that they needed to go to the Prefect Meeting.
"We'll see you in an hour or so, I guess" Harry said, taking Hermione's hand and closing the door. They strolled through the train, their badges shining on their clothes. When they finally reached the other end of the Express and entered the Prefect compartment, it was almost full already.
The Head Boy and Girl greeted the new prefects, Harry being one of them, and chastised them about not abusing their position of power, reminding them of what rules they had to ensure, and wishing them a good school year.
They also told the Prefects that weekly meetings were to be held at the castle, and a pattern for those would soon be developed, according to everyone's schedules with lessons and Quidditch practice.
"Attendance to those meetings is crucial to let us know how things are going in the school and if some more drastic intervention is needed, so please try to not miss them" the Head Girl, a pretty Hufflepuff, told them. "Now, you're free to go back to your friends, but remember that some of you need to be patrolling the train once every hour or so, following this schedule" she said, handing them the sheets.
The meeting was then dismissed, so everyone left. Harry lead Hermione by her hand, he was eager to go back to their compartment for some snogging. She must have guessed his desires, because she giggled, and spoke softly.
"We have a few hours left, Harry. No need to rush"
He grinned sheepishly at her, and slowed down. As he did so, he spotted Ron and Ginny in one compartment, with a couple Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
His ex best mate's sister must have sensed him because she looked toward the window and glared at Harry, who sighed and kept walking.
Their stubbornness was starting to get on Harry's nerves. With everything he had been through in the past and what he would need to deal with before the war was finished, wasn't he allowed some happiness too?
When they finally made it back to their compartment, Neville and Luna were involved in an heavy snogging session, with her straddling his lap, her shirt half open, and her skirt hiked up her legs as Neville's hands were making themselves comfortable with the blonde's body.
Harry instinctively shut his eyes, and Hermione chuckled.
"Sorry guys, but you really need to slow things down or we will need to take house points from you" she said, finally catching the attention of the other pair.
Neville blushed profusely, while Luna merely nodded, straightened her clothes, and sat back on Neville's right side, leaning her head on his shoulder. Despite the embarrassment, he pulled her close, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
Harry couldn't help smiling at the sight.
--
The train ride continued smoothly, and soon they were at the castle, enjoying Hogwarts' usual feast. Dumbledore had introduced them to the new DADA teacher, a tall, dark haired man that Harry thought inspired respect and seemed to know what he was doing. His name was David Trevors.
Ron and Ginny were still giving them the silent treatment, although Harry had caught the tall redhead looking their way a couple of times.
Maybe there was still hope of reconciling, at least with him.
Right now, he had another problem. For the second time since they had gotten together, he and Hermione would have to sleep away from each other, but this time it would have to happen for the entire school year.
When the common room emptied itself, Hermione showed his same reluctance in going to bed.
"Well, we could always transfigure the couch in a bed and sleep here" Harry suggested, shrugging. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.
"And risk being caught by the entire Gryffindor tower next morning if we don't wake up soon enough?" she countered, shaking her head.
"Crazy, uh?" he joked, with a sad smile. Finally, he pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. Her eyes suddenly widened, but it didn't take her long to succumb to the passion and kiss him back in the same fashion.
After at least twenty minutes snogging each other silly, during which Harry had pinned Hermione against the nearest wall and had his hands exploring under her clothes, just like her hands had unbuttoned his shirt and caressed his chest, grazing it with her nails, they finally pulled apart, lips swollen and breaths ragged.
"At least we can enjoy each other like this before heading to sleep. Poor Neville had to stay apart from Luna since after dinner" Harry joked, his forehead resting on hers.
Hermione smiled. "That is true" she said softly, tracing his cheek with her left hand.
Finally, Harry pulled back. "We better get some sleep now" he said, and she agreed, albeit sadly.
"Sleep well, and dream of me" he cheekily called to her as she was going up the stairs to the girls dormitory.
She laughed, and nodded. "You can bet on it" she called back, and he grinned, before blowing her a kiss and disappearing up the stairs.
She sighed contentedly, and went to get some sleep herself.
Needless to say, the next morning they were visibly less rested than when they slept in the same bed, but they had to get used to it. Hand in hand, the two of them went down to the Great Hall to grab a bite and receive their schedules from Professor McGonagall.
As Harry was reading his own, he groaned. "Great start. Double Potions with the Slytherins"
Hermione nodded. "I know. But after that we have DADA, I really wonder how this new teacher is" she said. Harry agreed, sipping his pumpkin juice.
--
The day proved to be pretty uneventful. Snape was as stern as ever toward Harry, but the young man was used to it by now. He used all his willpower not to respond to Malfoy's taunts, otherwise he would only get in trouble, and thankfully he was successful. The fact Hermione was holding his hand under the table helped too.
The new Dada teacher was a person who didn't accept funny business. Malfoy got kicked out of the room five minutes after the lesson started, for having called Hermione a Mudblood.
"I guess we won't see you here anymore, Mr. Malfoy. Your choice of words clearly shows you have no intention of fighting the Dark Arts, instead you're quite set on embracing them" Professor Trevors had shouted, pushing the blonde boy out of the room and slamming the door behind him.
Harry already liked him.
That night, after dinner, he and Hermione went to the library to resume their research about possible parallel worlds between life and death. If something on it could be found, the Hogwarts library would provide them the information, the brunette was sure of that.
For three hours they scanned big tomes, which they charmed to look like their school texts, and took notes on possible interesting facts. But in the end, when they headed to the Common Room, they knew little more on the subject than what they had been able to find at Grimmauld Place.
Sighing, the tired couple kissed good night, and then trudged up the stairs to their respective dorms.
--
While Harry and Hermione were involved in their research in the library, Ginny Weasley was wandering in the corridors. The Common Room with its happy atmosphere was suffocating her. She was still brooding over Hermione stealing Harry from her, and she didn't notice where she was going.
Suddenly, a hand pinned her against the wall, holding her by her neck.
"You should be more careful where you wander at night, Weaslette" a cold voice drawled. Ginny was scared. Being pinned to the wall by Draco Malfoy, his hand around her throat, wasn't exactly how she had envisioned the evening to go.
"Leave me alone, Malfoy" she growled, trying to appear sure of herself. But she wasn't, and he knew that. He smirked, releasing her throat, which she immediately massaged.
"I know you're angry at Scarhead and the Mudblood. I've heard they are together now, shagging each other's brains out" he said. "Pathetic" he muttered then, almost too lowly for Ginny to hear it, but she did. "I can help you get revenge on her, on them"
"I don't want your help" Ginny growled, before walking away from him. Draco just smirked, watching her go.
"She sure has filled out nicely" he thought to himself while walking back to the Slytherin common room.
On her way back to Gryffindor Tower, Ginny was replaying their encounter in her head. Sure, she was angry at Hermione and Harry for getting together. She also suspected they had been shagging, after all Hermione snuck out of their room every night at Grimmauld Place. She wondered if her parents knew about her nights spent with Harry. Maybe she could write them about it and use them to break the pair.
That was definitely something worth some thought, she smirked evilly as she changed for the night. And then there was Draco. He was a Slytherin, of course. But he wans't bad looking. Maybe she could seduce him and charm him to do her bidding. This way, she wouldn't be suspected of being the one breaking Harry and Hermione up.
As sleep took her, she thought her plan was brilliant.
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