Harry and Hermione Start their Sixth Year

Chapter VII

August 11, 1996

Harry and Hermione walked quickly to Colin and Dean's room. Colin was crying on one of the beds, while Dean had been trying to restrain his anger and comfort Colin at the same time. At the moment, he seemed to be collecting handkerchiefs from the dressers.

Seeing the pair at the door, Dean stood up and walked over. "Here to lead, or to reprimand?" Dean asked softly.

"Maybe we should be following you," Harry answered.

"No, it has to be you," Dean told Harry frankly.

"I think it's time that we sat down and worked out some ideas," Hermione told Dean. "Harry and I have been doing some work, but we need your input. Come on."

Dean handed Harry the stack of handkerchiefs. "Be gentle, Harry," Dean reminded him. "All Colin has left is me, and his unresolved feelings and respect for you."

Harry understood.

Harry walked over and sat on the bed, uncertain for the moment about what to do. He decided to treat Colin like he would Ginny, and started massaging the crying boy's shoulders.

"I asked you to go away, Dean," Colin mumbled between tears.

"It's me," Harry said.

Colin sat up, shocked. "Harry! Sorry! I mean, I shouldn't. . . ."

Harry handed Colin one of the handkerchiefs. "It's alright, Colin. You have a right to be upset."

"No," Colin said with a sniffle, "I should be more like you. You've been through about as much as I have. You never carry on like this."

"There seems to be a general consensus that I really should 'carry on like this', at least sometimes," Harry said ruefully. "They're probably right."

They sat in silence for a while. Then Colin asked, "Harry . . . why don't you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?"

Colin snorted. "I'm a gay werewolf, who's stalked you for four years."

"But what are your bad points?" Harry asked innocently.

Colin finally stopped crying and giggled, then asked, "Seriously, you were never even tempted, were you?"

"I was never attracted to any boy, and even you weren't that obvious about exactly what your interests were."

"I was, YOU were just oblivious," Colin teased. "I did everything but throw myself at you or crawl into bed with you! Ron threatened to hex me if I didn't stop hanging out with you in the showers -- even then you were the most well-endowed Gryffindor! I bet you didn't know that at least one student had already tried to seduce you, and wound up seducing Dean, and then me, instead, did you?"

Harry stopped blushing and demanded, "What! Who?" He had long stopped considering Colin a pest, and had become very close to the younger boy since their arrival.

"Oliver. He was doing Dean half your First year and most of your Second. He was about to seduce me when I was petrified. We took up my Second year."

"But . . . but he was five years older than you! that's . . . wrong!" Harry was appalled.

Colin managed a leer. "But it felt so right, Harry! Don't be angry with him, just think of your life if I hadn't been flirting with Oliver and getting it from him for a year?"

"You haven't . . . had many partners, other than Oliver and Dean, have you?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Harry, there's a special place . . . and no, I won't tell you who or where, where there are no Pure-Bloods or Mudbloods. The only rule is. . . . Do you know what is meant by 'top' and 'bottom'?"

"Actually, I do," Harry said. He had listened to a fair amount of day time telly that and the previous summer, trying to listen for news updates. Aunt Petunia had listened to the most lurid (to Harry's tastes anyway) talk programming.

"The rule is, the worst ratios allowed are three times top to two times bottom and the reverse. I was there a lot my Third year, until Dean and I started meeting in secret right after exams. I have to admit, I didn't like it much."

Harry frowned, but then grinned. "Please tell me Malfoy is one."

"Why?"

"Because I just like the image of him having to bend over for Crabbe or Goyle."

"He doesn't bend over for anyone, but he does have to wank them at least," Colin answered, finally smiling. "So, you're pretty oblivious, and I can't ever tempt you, can I?"

"I guess I am, and no, I'll never have sex with you," Harry said gently. "I care about you a great deal, but not that way."

"Even if I ate a fairy fairie cake?"

"No, not even then. And even if I was tempted by that offer, I wouldn't, because I'm with Hermione and because I'm not interested in casual sex." Harry decided to go through with an idea he had had, and had discussed with Hermione. "But if you can't be my lover, would you like to be my brother? I've never had one, and could use one."

"I love you, Harry. I'd be honored to be your brother." Colin's chin trembled a little. "I need one. I miss him so much."

Harry drew Colin into a hug and kissed his forehead. "I meant it, Colin. I am asking you to be my foster-brother. You understand?"

Colin recalled a History lecture from his Second year. "Yes; yes I do." He was amazed at the implications, and that Harry, his idol Harry, would think of such of a thing and WANT to do it with Colin, a werewolf. "Thank you, Harry. Let's do it."

Harry and Colin went down to the main floor, where Albus Dumbledore still sat. Alone.

"I have not been so reprimanded in my life," Dumbledore said to them as they entered. "I have never been so rightly reprimanded in my life. I thought I had reformed my thinking, but I had not done so to a large enough degree. I probably still have not, although I intend to keep working on it. I have been too concerned with politics; too concerned in preserving the older families that no longer truly honor the Old Ways."

"We don't hate you, sir," Harry said. "But we aren't game pieces. We have our own needs, and if you don't trust us with information, we have to do what we feel best."

"I shall have to again consider how better to share information with you," Dumbledore acknowledged. "Is there something I may do for you two right now?"

"Do you know the ritual for a pair to become foster brothers?" Harry asked.

"I take it you mean bringing Mister Creevy into the House of Potter formally as your brother?"

"Yes, sir." Harry put his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders and drew him close.

Dumbledore considered the idea for several minutes, then finally said, "There are several possible ceremonies, most of which should not be used with Mister Creevy, as it involves a minor exchange of blood." He thought some more. "There is one form, acceptable as you are the last Potter. However, that is a more formal adoption. Colin must still take some of your blood, and he will be Colin Potter. I can do some additional research, and see what other forms there are, if you prefer to wait a short time."

"Harry . . . may I?" Colin asked.

"That ceremony will be very satisfactory, Headmaster. We should do this now. Are you going to be coming here at least once more, by the way?"

"I will; why?"

"I was going to give you a copy of my will, for signatures. Perhaps it would be best to do it on the First of September, if four neutral members of the Order might be available to sign?"

"That would be best. Could you call your friends to witness the ceremony, if you are determined to go through with this now?"

When everyone showed up, Dumbledore addressed them. "First, I must apologize for my actions earlier. I have kept my counsel for so long it is difficult to open up as I should. I shall try to do better. There will still be times when I must leave some or all of you in the dark. There will be times when you shall have to do that amongst yourselves. If you do not understand that, you will cause many preventible problems."

"We understand," Harry said. The others nodded.

"On the whole, I still believe it will be impolitic to levy wholesale punishment upon Slytherin. They did choose to follow Professor Umbridge, however; there must be some punishment for what they did while acting under her authority. Therefore, the three prefects who joined the Inquisitorial Squad will be removed. The two new prefects were already selected on that basis. We, meaning myself and members of the staff, shall also be lecturing all the students on proper conduct, espcially the Slytherins. Several members of the staff have . . . already had some discussions with the Head of Slytherin on this matter. I do wish to point out that he advised the students strongly NOT to get involved with the Inquisitorial Squad, and will have few qualms about letting them know that one more major infraction will result in expulsion."

Dumbledore turned to Dean. "You know as well as I that students will always push the boundaries, Mister Thomas. Keep ANY retaliation equal. Name calling must NOT result in violence."

"In other words," Ron said, "when Malfoy insults us, we may only insult him back. Right. Fine. When he has Crabbe and Goyle push Firsties down the stairs, do we get to push HIM down a few flights, or just Crabbe and Goyle?"

"When Pansy and Millicent throw . . . used feminine napkins and such at a Second year, what is the appropriate response?" Hermione demanded.

"When a Slytherin destroys a potion, and the Potions teacher docks US, what is the appropriate response?" Ginny asked.

"We know it's not ALL of Slytherin," Luna said, "but you might as well know now, tempers were very frayed at the end of the term. That was true inside of Ravenclaw itself as well as Ravenclaw against Slytherin."

"There are some inside of Hufflepuff pushing for the Dark Lord. Some of the older students have stopped preaching tolerance for the intolerant in retaliation," Henrietta chimed in.

"Time is running out, Headmaster," Hermione told him. "People like Draco don't have the sense to know they'd do their Master better service by shutting up and spying. But when they provoke us this year, well, I for one am not inclined to encourage turning the other cheek yet again."

"I understand your concerns," Dumbledore responded, a bit pale and shaken. "I can not give you more assurances until I speak with more of the staff."

"I hope you will let us know what you decide," Harry told the Headmaster.

"I shall." Dumbledore stood. "At the moment, however, there is some other business to conduct. Harry has requested accepting Colin into his Clan and his Family, as a foster brother. . . ."

Remus turned on Harry. "Do you know what you're doing?" Remus asked fiercely.

"I am standing up to help a friend," Harry answered. "Hermione and I have been talking a lot this summer, and we've decided to stand up for what's right. We're Colin's friends. We all know that, even if it hasn't been released, the news that Colin is infected will be just about the first thing out of Malfoy's mouth. The best way I can think of to help Colin is to share my name with him."

"It's not like Colin could be any more of a target," Hermione added. "Voldemort will be after him, to try and force him to attack Harry or at least the rest of us. This is just one more incentive."

"Maybe you could even use it to. . . ." Colin swallowed nervously, "maybe you can use it to draw him into a trap or something."

"After we somehow manage to win, can you imagine Harry or the rest of us allowing Colin to suffer alone like you have had to suffer?" Luna asked Remus.

"Very well," Remus said, "I won't argue with you."

Dumbledore took up where he had left off. "As I was saying, Harry is the sole remaining Potter, and Colin is an orphan. Therefore, they may do this ceremony as they are over thirteen. Colin Creevy, do you wish to be part of the House of Potter?"

"I do, sir."

"You accept Harry Potter as your older brother and protector?"

"I do, sir."

"Harry Potter, do you accept Colin as your brother, under your protection and a full member of your Clan, Family, and House?"

"I accept Colin as my brother, under my protection and a full member of my Clan, Family, and House."

Dumbledore took out a small pocket knife. He cut a small nick in Harry's palm, and then in Colin's. "Careful not to get any blood directly into yours," Dumbledore warned.

Harry nodded, and let his blood drip onto Colin's cut. "Colin, if you please?" Dumbledore directed. Colin took Harry's hand, and sucked a little of Harry's blood into his mouth.

Dumbledore healed the two cuts. "I shall prepare the documents before dinner. When you two, Miss Tonks, and I sign, Colin will be Colin Potter. After that, it may not be reversed under any circumstances. I will ask the rest of you to sign as witnesses as well." He paused. "Perhaps I should work downstairs."

"Use our study," Remus suggested. Tonks guided the Headmaster out.

Dean gave a sigh of relief. He loved Colin dearly, and Colin was all he had now except for his friends. He thought this would help Colin become closer to Harry without threatening their relationship.

"Well," Ron said to Colin, "Harry is an honorary Weasley, so I suppose you are, too!" He shocked the smaller boy by giving him a brotherly hug.

"Just what I need! Another brother!" Ginny teased. She walked over and kissed Colin's cheek.

"Now then," Harry said to Dean, in a perfect imitation of Ron, "what's all this about you dating my little brother?"

Dean knew Harry well enough that he laughed heartily. That set Luna off, and instantly every teen but Ron was attacking and tickling her until she stopped laughing and started to hiccough. Ron alone had not understood the reference.

The teens spent much of the rest of their free time both before and after Dumbledore's first visit devoted to Hermione's project of proposed reforms. While Hermione was of course the driving force behind the documents, she tended to get overly-involved with detail. Left to her own devices, Hermione would have produced a long pamphlet, heavily footnoted and cross-referenced.

Dean had kept pressing her to simplify. In the end, the group persuaded Hermione to go with a short declaration, and then use the (clarified) pamphlet to help explain the document.

When Dumbledore returned on August 19, Dean presented their ideas.

"Even though most wizards disapprove of Voldemort's tactics, if there's anything we Muggle-borns have learned, it's that most Pure-Bloods share some, maybe many, of their ideas. And, in part because the History of Magic is allowed to be taught so poorly. . . ."

Dumbledore winced.

". . . it's certainly true that we are at a cultural disadvantage. Most Pure-Bloods see this as both our cultural arrogance and natural inferiority. At the same time, the magical-born really have no idea how dependent they are to the Muggle world."

"Such as?" Dumbledore asked. He and McGonagall had already started planning these very courses, but he was not about to rain on the teens' ideas.

Hermione jumped in. "Over 99 percent of all the basic food comes from Muggle sources, including the processed food. Even the ingredients for butterbeer, as well as the bottles, kegs, caps, et cetera, are Muggle-produced. Over 98 percent of the cloth we use is Muggle-made. Most of the 'new' magical inventions of the last two hundred years are merely magical adaptations of Muggle ideas, right down to the Wizarding Wireless." She smiled. "An interesting term, since we were never 'wired' to begin with!"

"Granted," Dumbledore admitted.

"Now, we feel we need to undercut the passive support for Voldemort, and undercut the underlying hatreds," Dean resumed. "What we are proposing is a set of new courses for Second years: one for the Muggle-raised and one for the magical-raised, to start when this year's new students become Second years. They would need to pass the courses with a 75 at some point before being allowed to take the O.W.L.s."

"Our long-term goals will be an organization, or sets of organizations," Hermione now went on. "The umbrella group is 'Rights of Magical Persons.' ROMP will include the 'Elf Liberty Foundation,' for freeing the house elves and setting up fair employment practices; and 'Rights for Afflicted Wizards and Witches,' for werewolves and vampires. ROMP will also press for full rights for humans mixed with other magical beings and better relations between us and giants, merpeople, centaurs, goblins, and house elves."

"Very ambitious," was Dumbledore's only comment.

"Obviously, we cannot hope to push ROMP and its goals too far until Voldemort is defeated," Hermione went on. "Most of our concentration will be on that. But this will be my life's work, once Voldemort is defeated." This was said with quiet determination, and none in the room doubted Hermione's sincerity.

"We will incorporate all that as soon as we can," Harry said quietly. "If Voldemort wins, then little of what we do will matter in the long-run. If we win, then we will be prepared to move on." He handed Dumbledore a stack of parchment. "This includes copies of my will, the proposals for the courses and the rational, and the legal papers for ROMP, ELF, and RAWW. Could you ask someone with legal training to look them over?"

"Of course, Harry." Dumbledore left shortly there after, determined to see their projects through.

As the full moon approached, Colin's temper started to shorten, and he appeared slightly more feverish each day after August 23. Remus pointed out that nothing would alleviate the symptoms. Tonks, teasingly, said that a little TLC didn't hurt.

All the students, except for Ron, therefore threw themselves into coddling Colin (Ron instead took the time to help everyone else have more free time for Colin). The night of the 27th, with the moon nearly full, Colin was positively in agony, and all the next day he laid in a fever. As Remus had pointed out early on in the process, the first transformation was by far the worst. Colin could not even take the Wolfsbane potion the first time -- the two times it had been tried in the past, the werewolf had died.

Colin tried to nap that final afternoon, but found it at first a very restless failure. Finally, Dean, Ginny, Luna, and Harry had cuddled around him, and he slept for over an hour.

Neither Colin nor Remus ate any dinner that evening, although Remus made sure Colin drank enough water. Shortly before moonrise, the pair would go out to the woodshed. Just before Colin came down to the non-magical entrance, Remus turned to Harry and Hermione. "Colin is frightened, of course, but he's not angry. It's anger that sets a wolf to attack itself or anything non-human near by, so with luck, neither of us will be terribly damaged. If a person were nearby, however, he would go into a frenzy."

They both nodded. They would make certain Dean stayed in. Tonks gave Remus a hug, and everyone gave Colin one between the time he came out of his room and his leaving the cabin with Remus. Ron even walked Colin down the stairs, his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders.

No one got much sleep that night.

Despite protests and pleadings from everyone, Tonks only allowed Harry to accompany her after the moon had set, since Dean was far too agitated. The others came down to the non-enchanted cabin, and Winky and Dobby were ready with ointment and bandages in case they were needed.

They checked the woodshed first, hoping Remus had managed to lead Colin back. Remus was there, one long gash down his left thigh.

"Colin?" Tonks asked.

Remus nodded. "It took about fifteen minutes to establish dominance." He grimaced. "If I hadn't been on the Wolfsbane, it would have taken about two minutes, but I didn't want to hurt him. He's a determined little bugger."

"Where is he?" Harry asked.

"Down by the crabapple grove, near the stream," Remus answered.

Harry nodded, and took his Firebolt down from the woodshed wall, where the brooms were stored. It took him less than three minutes to find Colin, laying nude by the small stream on the eastern side of the valley.

Harry approached quietly, and saw Colin was crying. "Colin?" Harry asked softly.

Colin rolled over on his back, and managed to choke out, "Oh, Jesus, Harry! It was . . . so awful."

Harry bent down and hugged Colin closely. "I'm so sorry we can't help you more, Colin."

"How . . . how can you bear to touch me? How can Dean . . . ever touch me again?"

Harry pulled out one of the handkerchiefs Luna had stuck in his robe and dried Colin's face. "Colin, never think it matters to any of us. Here, drink this. Remus says it helps your joints feel better."

Colin drank the potion, and Harry checked him for injuries. He could see where Remus had bitten Colin, but they were clean punctures that were already mostly healed over.

"Like what you see?" Colin asked, although his voice was a mere shadow of its flirtatious norm.

"If I were gay, and NOT your brother, I'm sure I'd find you scrumptious," Harry teased back. He hesitated but then he leaned forward and first kissed Colin lightly on his feverish forehead, and then lightly on the lips. "But you are my brother now, Colin. So, no more thoughts of incest, alright? Here put your robe on and let's get you back home."

Colin slipped the robe on, and then laid back, exhausted. His life was in so many ways a horror now, but he had the love of Dean, the fraternal affection of Harry, and more good friends now than he had had before the horrors had struck. He had a pack-brother in Remus, and sisters in Hermione and Ginny and Luna.

Life sucked, but at least he knew he could survive.