Scenes from October

Chapter I

Tuesday, October 8, 1996

The late afternoon sun was bright, but it really didn't provide much warmth to the chilled air. Hermione Granger had estimated the temperature at 12 C when the Quidditch practice had started, and had known it would drop at least two degrees by the end. She had therefore dressed appropriately for sitting in the stands (Ginny, Harry, and especially Ron liked having her there, so she came and read during practices whenever the weather wasn't too bad). Not everyone was dressed warmly enough.

Hermione's eyes strayed to Susan Bones, the only non-Gryffindor present. The thought crossed Hermione's mind that she looked like a cross between a Nazi Lebensborn poster and one for a Swedish sex farce. Perfect strawberry blonde hair with just the right amount of natural wave and bounce in her perfect pigtails ('Pigtails!' Hermione thought with an audible snort. 'How many girls wear pigtails every day at sixteen!'). Barely average height. Legs that might not be as disproportionately long as with most Muggle fashion models, but they were close, and much more shapely and muscular. Add in a the wide perfect smile, cute nose, large sparkly blue eyes, the small taut butt and, of course, a pair of large, perky boobs second only to Millicent Bulstrode's (Seamus' recent-but-already-infamous comment crossed Hermione's mind -- "Millie's bristols are each bigger than Crabbe and Goyle's heads, and probably have more brains, too" -- before she waved it away), and what did you have? Susan Bones, prettier than any Page Three Girl, almost a Japanese Anime heroine.

No wonder Harry had fallen for her. At least two thirds of the male population of Hogwarts, and probably at least ten percent of the female population for that matter, looked at Susan with undisguised lust, and a large number of the remaining students were just better at hiding it.

Hermione was still uncertain of the details of how the pair had come together, although of she knew 'the big picture'. She knew that Fudge had been displaced as Minister in early July by Madam Bones, Susan's aunt and guardian. There had been several attacks in both Britain and western Europe by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and Madam Bones had, for some reason, paid a visit to Harry's Muggle relatives to check on the security in person. The result had been Harry's removal from the Dursleys and Vernon Dursley being charged with abuse. He was lucky that magical law still allowed for the paying of a blood price, or else Dursley would have seen jail time.

Hermione hadn't seen Harry until September 1, and his letters had been short, so his showing up hand-in-hand with Miss Perfect had been quite a shock.

Hermione glared at Susan, bouncing and clapping at one of Harry's terrifying dives, and she nearly growled.

That made Hermione pull back. Why should she dislike Susan? She had always rather liked her before. The only answer was, she was a bit jealous, and she didn't like that.

Why should she be jealous? She liked, even loved, Harry in ways she didn't begin to understand herself (to her displeasure), but she knew she had little desire to date Harry. She had wanted to date Ron since the beginning of their Fourth year, and they had come together as a couple while recovering in the Infirmary the previous June.

Harry was in a much better temper than he had been the year before, and Hermione was sure that was because of Susan's open affection for Harry. Harry needed to be loved unconditionally, and Susan seemed to be able to do that. That puzzled Hermione a little, but it shouldn't make her jealous, should it?

Harry spent as much time with Hermione as he had the year before, and it was higher quality time. They were running the DA together, and had Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Defense together. Because teachers in the Sixth and Seventh years often required their students to work with partners, and actively discouraged dating couples to work together, Harry was actually her partner in each of those classes.

Hermione allowed that if Harry was dating someone silly (like Cho) or just plain stupid, she might have a good reason dislike it. Susan was not brilliant, but she was far from stupid. She hadn't earned one O O.W.L., but she had earned two E's (Defense and Muggle Studies) and A's on every other one she had sat for.

Then, it occurred to her -- Harry and Susan had the close, companionable, and yes, sensual relationship that she wished she and Ron had.

Susan was up and jumping again. The girl just bounced too much for Hermione's taste, in every sense. And this afternoon she was dressed to show that bounce, with the low-cut, heavy, expensive cashmere jumper with nothing underneath it.

Harry stopped training the reserve seeker and moved to help the beaters, and Susan came over to join Hermione. "Are you going back to reading, or may I sit here?" she asked.

Hermione forced a smile. "No, go ahead."

"You don't like me much anymore, do you, Hermione?"

Hermione's mouth hung open for a moment, and she turned her head away. "I was just thinking about that. I think I'm still surprised you and Harry got together, and I admit you two seem to have a better relationship than Ron and I do. I think that's it. It's silly of me, and it's certainly unfair to you and Harry."

"I wish we could be friends," Susan said in a wistful voice. "You mean so much to Harry, and I do like and respect you, you know."

"Thank you," Hermione responded. "I imagine most girls don't like you too much."

"No, except for Hannah, of course. Why is that?"

Hermione gave the blonde a twisted smile. "Because even though few of us would want a body like yours, most boys seem to prefer it over ours."

Susan looked down at her chest, her form obvious under the heavy tight jumper. "Yes, these are rather hard to miss, aren't they?" She looked at Hermione. "Do you know why I exercise so hard?"

"Because it's good for you?"

Susan smiled. "In a way. If I didn't, I'd have back problems and rounded shoulders. These are just too big."

"You don't mind showing them off," Hermione said in a teasing voice.

Susan's face grew serious, and Hermione started to apologize. Susan stopped her. After a moment's thought, Susan said, "May I confide in you?"

"About?"

"About Harry."

Hermione nodded. "I love Harry like a twin."

"Alright, I'll trust you." She paused a moment, and then said, "I think I fell in love with Harry during the DA last spring. I know I was far from the only one who did."

Hermione had to admit, "That makes sense."

"When Auntie brought him home in mid-July, I was thrilled. We studied together, talked together, played chess and cards, and generally had fun. You could tell he needed to have fun. You have a better idea than most people what kind of guilt and burdens Harry is buried under, and you don't know the half of it. I thought, well, you can imagine."

Hermione restrained herself from asking what Susan knew that she didn't, said instead, "And it happened; Harry fell in love with you."

Susan shook her head. "No. No, not at first. I brought up the idea of our going out a few days before his birthday, and he looked very guilty. He told me that he really liked me, but that he thought he might be in love with someone else. That it wasn't fair to lead me on until he could talk her."

"Did he say who?" Hermione suddenly had an awful thought. "No!"

"Yes," Susan said. "Think scrawny, limp hair, and wildly eccentric."

"Luna. . . ."

"Luna. We were at breakfast that day, totally alone for once. And that was the very day. . . ."

"That the attacks, and the victims' names, in Sweden were in The Daily Prophet." Luna had been one of the random victims in one of the six Death Eater attacks outside of Britain that July and August.

"The only good thing was that it was obvious that Luna was a random victim," Susan went on. "If she had been specifically targeted, I think Harry would have lost it."

"What happened?"

"He broke down, thank goodness. I was half afraid he'd try to contain it."

"I'm surprised he didn't," Hermione agreed. "And then?"

"Well, I guess I'm built to comfort," Susan said. "Then he was begging me to hold him tighter, and I kissed him as he cried. I don't think I so much seduced him as, well, I don't know what to call it."

"Seduced him? You mean. . . ?"

"We wound up having sex on the breakfast table," Susan admitted. "It wasn't very pleasant for me, but I was glad I did it, and I still am. Harry was crying the whole time. It stung like hell, and my ass was on a plate of fried eggs and the butter dish, so that first time was memorable, but not very pleasant. I didn't even have time for a contraception charm."

"But the ban on underage magic. . . ."

Susan looked puzzled for a moment and then laughed. "That's right, you were petrified when we got that lesson. No, the one type of magic we can cast are contraceptive charms, although we spent three hours being lectured on why we should wait until marriage. Fortunately, one of the ones that works on us can be used up to six hours after sex. I put Harry to bed, because he was emotionally exhausted, cleaned the eggs and butter off my butt, cast the charm, cleaned up the table, took a shower, and slipped into bed with Harry."

Susan looked at Hermione. "If I hadn't, he would have been too embarrassed to ever speak to me again."

"That's probably true," Hermione agreed.

"We spent the next two weeks much like we had before. No sex, no touching, no kissing, no real physical contact except . . . except. . . ."

"Except when he had nightmares?"

"Exactly. And even then, no sex or anything. I would just hold him. Then, one morning he asked me if I still loved him, and I said yes. He asked if we could date, and I said yes. That night, when he had a nightmare, I held him inside me as well as in my arms, and I slept with him every night for the rest of the month. He didn't have one more nightmare."

She looked at Hermione. "I'm not a slut."

"No, you're not," Hermione agreed. She was sure Susan would never cheat on Harry. She might have looser sexual standards than Hermione, Ron would certainly call her a 'scarlet woman', but she wasn't a slut. "Why confide in me?"

"Because you already know most of Harry's secrets," Susan answered. "Because I need some one to talk to. I'd rather tell you my secrets than tell Hannah his."

"Then I'm your friend and confessor," Hermione said. "Is there something specific that's worrying you?"

Susan nodded. "Halloween. Besides being the anniversary of his parents' death, something always seems to happen to him around Halloween. Will you help me keep an eye on him?"

"Of course I will."

Saturday, October 12, 1996

Ginny Weasley stretched in the uncomfortable chair. She and most of the other Fifth year Gryffindors had just finished an O.W.L. study session, conducted for them by Hermione. The others had left, leaving just her and Hermione.

"So, where are you off to next?" Ginny asked her best friend. "Snogging with my dear brother, delousing Bubble-boobs, or waiting to berate Harry when Dumbledore is through with him?"

"Don't call her that," Hermione scolded.

"She wasn't on the top of your 'Be Nice To' list before this week," Ginny pointed out, "what happened?"

"I talked with her Tuesday," Hermione said simply. "Yes, she giggles too much and she's showing her bust more than ever, but she does that only to please Harry, not for anyone else."

"Well, she's giving half the boys eye strain and whiplash!"

Hermione gave Ginny a penetrating look. "I thought you and Neville were quite happy."

"I am!" Ginny said defensively. "Still, I'd like to think I'm Harry's friend, too, and I just haven't decided if Bubbles is good for him or not."

"She is," Hermione said firmly. "She loves him, Ginny. Just watch her watch him in the great hall. Just compare his behavior this year as opposed to last year. Just. . . ."

"Alright, alright." She giggled. "Do you think Harry will like her so much with no hair?" Draco Malfoy and his friends had ambushed Susan and four other Hufflepuffs that morning and, amidst a great deal of taunting, the five Slytherins had infected the Hufflepuffs with a rare, magically enhanced form of head lice. The only treatment involved the removal of all hair and then the application of a potion.

Unfortunately for the Slytherins, they had been seen doing so by Professor Vector coming up on the group from the Hufflepuff side. Even more unfortunately for them, they had tried to retreat towards another set of observers -- Harry and the other Sixth year Gryffindors.

Even now, Hermione had a difficult time believing what she had seen. Harry had coldly waved his wand six times in about four seconds. The first had stripped the five Slytherins (Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, and Bulstrode). The second and third had plastered them all to the wall of the corridor, upside down. The fourth had been a silencing charm, the fifth had removed all their hair. The sixth had rendered them all a very sickly shade of green. It had been an awesome display of power and control. It would have been difficult for most fully qualified wizards to have pulled that off against one magical opponent, let alone five, and not even McGonagall had been able to unstick the Slytherins.

Professor Vector had led the Hufflepuffs off to the Infirmary, the lice actually forming a nimbus around their heads. By then, Professors Snape and McGonagall had shown up, with Snape yelling at, and threatening, Harry. Hermione hadn't heard what Harry had said back to Snape, but the Potions Professor had whipped out his wand and shouted "Legilimens" before anyone could make a move.

Snape and Harry had been locked in mental combat for over three minutes, when Snape had collapsed on the floor. Professor Dumbledore had made his way through the crowd of students just in time to catch the collapse. He made Harry release the Slytherins, clothed them, and sent them off. He had then revived Snape, and had taken the sputtering Snape and Harry to his office, apparently to scold both of them.

Because they had suffered Harry's wrath, the Slytherins were left being bald, green, and losing five points apiece. It would take about two weeks for the shaded skin to be replaced. Because Harry had depilated them magically, their hair would have to grow back normally, not magically (unlike the Hufflepuffs, whose hair could be magically grown back 48 hours after the delousing treatment). Snape had been reprimanded for attacking a student. Harry had officially lost a hundred points (although Dumbledore had then restored fifty of them for excellent spell work) and was in detention with Dumbledore the rest of Friday, and for ten hours each Saturday and Sunday.

"I don't think Harry will care," Hermione answered. "So, to answer your question, I am checking your brother. He was the closest Gryffindor to the infected Hufflepuffs."

"Well, I guess some one needs to groom him," Ginny teased.

"Very good, Harry," Dumbledore said, down in one of the deepest dungeons. "Excellent control. I think we shall end early this evening. No need to return after dinner."

A sweating Harry Potter glanced up at Dumbledore. "Well, this was about the . . . well, I guess I would have to say this was about the least worst detention I've ever served. At least it was practical."

"It has been, hasn't it," Dumbledore agreed. "I had planned to just teach you twenty hexes and five shields the entire detention, and you've already exceeded both."

"How many for tomorrow?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled. "None. Tomorrow morning, Professor Flitwick has agreed to see what you've got, as they saying goes. After lunch, you will be reporting to Madam Pomfrey."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Not bedpans, I hope."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Of course not, unless you prefer it. No, tomorrow afternoon, she will be doing a practical charm -- hair growth. I thought you might wish to assist, and of course learn."

"Yes, sir!" Harry said. "Thank you, sir!"

Dumbledore looked on as Harry almost skipped out of the dungeon. He wondered if Severus would complain about Harry getting out of detention early. Probably. Severus didn't know how lucky he was. Not even Dumbledore had realized how powerful Harry was until he had driven Voldemort from his mind at the Ministry the previous June.

That Harry should have been able to do so had not surprised Dumbledore very much at all. It was the ease with which Harry had done so when he finally had tried which had been surprising.

That had led Dumbledore to a series of secret tests, which even Harry had been mostly unaware of. These had confirmed Dumbledore's suspicion. Harry was a moderately powerful wizard, but more, he was the most powerful sorcerer Dumbledore had heard of outside of myth.

All wizards learned how to bend magical power to their will. This was done by their natural affinity with magic, their wands, and the conditioned magic itself. Spells were needed to condition the magic, which was why new spells usually didn't work very well. The spell allowed the magic to respond in conditioned ways.

A sorcerer made the magic conform to his will, period. Harry had really only used one actual charm in his attack on the five Slytherins the day before, a muting charm. They had been trapped against the wall, upside down, hairless, naked, and green because that had been Harry's will, which explained why dear Minerva had been unable to free the students.

The summer after Harry's Seventh year, Dumbledore would sit Harry down and teach him to be a true sorcerer, no matter what the situation with Voldemort was. Harry would become the greatest sorcerer since Merlin, and if Voldemort was still a threat, he would be extinguished quickly.

Dumbledore wished he could teach Harry sooner than that, but the power Harry would control, once totally freed by the training, might be too great for any sixteen year old. His love for Susan Bones would help him control his temper and power, but more time would be better.

Heaven help Voldemort if he harmed one hair on Susan's currently bald head. Harry's full wrath could now level a small mountain. Well, perhaps a largish hill, anyway.

Dumbledore sighed. He wished yet again he could have found a better solution to the then-newly orphaned Harry than the Dursleys. The fate of the Longbottoms showed that the Death Eaters had been defeated but were far from gone, but the thought still nagged at Dumbledore that he should have exercised more oversight, and perhaps even moved Harry to someplace more loving after he was five, even if it had been to North America or Australia. Properly raised, Harry might have destroyed Voldemort by now, and be a much happier young man.

Dumbledore sighed a second time. Severus had no doubt already seen that Harry had been freed early, and would be waiting for him outside his office.