JB21Q
patreon
Bonded - chapter 18
🕑 Added 2022-05-12 01:25:42 +0000 UTCChapter 18 - Stag
"So, Potter," Harry heard Malfoy drawl when he ended up being unfortunate enough to walk into a hallway where he found Malfoy along with his two bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, leaning against a wall, Harry honestly wouldn't be surprised if the three idiots had been waiting for him here, nor would he have been surprised if they honestly had just leaned against the wall because they thought it looked cool. "Have you been expelled yet?" Malfoy chortled. "Or did the great Albus Dumbledore sweep in to save his pet mental project?"
"Shut up, Malfoy, you overly-expensive bi-curious disaster," Harry said in a bored and tired voice as he walked past the trio, barely acknowledging their existence since he really was not in the mood for any of their usual antics.
"What?" Malfoy blinked before registering what Harry had just said. "Oi, Potter! Get back here!" He demanded just before Harry turned the corner, Malfoy growled and drew his wand along with Crabbe and Goyle. "You stupid half-blood brat!" Malfoy yelled as the trio ran after him, they turned the corner and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Tonks standing there with one hand on her hip and the other holding her wand while Harry stood behind her and was giving the trio the finger while moving it left to right with exaggerated slowness to properly make sure he got all of them.
"So, is there a problem here?" Tonks asked in a casual voice as she stared down the trio, looking quite unimpressed.
"No." Malfoy managed to get out through gritted teeth as Harry continued to wave at the three with his middle finger while Tonks appeared to be blissfully unaware of what was happening behind her.
"Really?" Tonks drawled out. "That's why you're running through the hallway, shouting out insults?" She raised one perfect pink eyebrow to express her incredulity. Malfoy glared at the two of them before performing a passable imitation of Snape by turning on his feet and storming away while Crabbe and Goyle rushed off after him. "Put your hand down now." Tonks rolled her eyes before turning to Harry to find him standing there innocently with his hands behind his back.
"So, thanks for that, Tonks," Harry said appreciatively. "I really wasn't in the mood to deal with him today."
"No sweat, Boy Wonder," Tonks waved him off. "And from what I've heard, you've already had a pretty hectic morning. The rumour mill around here is so strong that even us patroling aurors are hearing about it, I heard about what apparently happened from another auror who apparently overheard it from a couple of Gryffindor girls in your year. Did you really insult Snape, knock him down, point a wand at him, refuse his detention and leave?" Tonks asked, staring at him with disbelief.
"Well, when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous," Harry sighed. "But yeah, pretty much."
"Wow, and you thought I was cool." Tonks grinned. "What happened after that anyway?" She asked.
"I had been called to Professor Dumbledore's office, he tried to make me accept Snape's punishment but I refused." Harry let out a deep sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I told him I'm not going to any detention with Snape and I'm not taking any more classes with him."
"Wow," Tonks blinked repeatedly before looking at Harry, starting from his toes and going up and finishing at his face. "Gryffindor indeed."
"Thanks," Harry snorted. "Dumbledore then threatened to suspend me if I didn't fall back in line."
"He what?!" Tonks blurted out.
"Yep." Harry nodded.
"He actually said that?"
"Yep." Harry nodded.
"Is he insane?!"
"Yep." Harry nodded.
"Do you have any words left in your vocabulary besides 'yep'?" Tonks asked in an exasperated voice.
"Yep." Harry nodded, grinning slightly.
"Harry, there is an actual, infamous mass murderer on the loose," Tonks spoke in a serious voice. "and according to the information available, you're the one he is after. Sending you out of the school is basically a massive gamble on your life."
"He was trying to scare me," Harry explained with a sigh. "I wasn't about to fall in line so I said that I'd start packing my things, funnily enough, that's when he remembered that Sirius Black is on the loose and I was told that I wouldn't be suspended. He was hoping I'd be scared enough to do what he wants."
"So what happened after that?" Tonks asked, looking less than pleased about the fact that Dumbledore thought to even threaten Harry with suspension while Sirius Black was out and about.
"I was told to leave, I think McGonagall and him are currently arguing about me and Snape, I guess I'll find out what their decision about me will be tomorrow," Harry explained before an angry expression appeared on his face. "I bet it won't be worse than whatever Snape's punishment will be."
'You should tell Tonks.' Venom suggested. 'Tell her everything Snape did.'
'Why?'
'She's law enforcement,' Venom pointed out. 'just try and see what she says.'
'Fine.'
"Um...Tonks," Harry began. "I'd like to ask you something, mind reading is illegal, right?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Tonks stared at Harry with narrowed eyes.
"I heard it from Professor McGonagall when I told her and Dumbledore that Snape tried to read my mind."
"He what?!" Tonks blurted out, her eyes and hair turning a very villainously vivid and angry shade of red. "That's definitely illegal!"
"I told Dumbledore and he thinks I'm lying," Harry growled, the old headmaster always seemed to believe him unless it came to Snape or the Dursleys. "after everything I accused Snape of, he basically said that he would give Snape nothing more than a talking to. I want more than that, I want to press charges against him." Tonks's hair slowly changed from red to a soft brown, her eyes changed to a similar colour.
"Harry, you do realise that Snape has Dumbledore's backing and that means that Snape will be defended by him in a court of law?" Tonks asked in a soft voice. "Dumbledore has a lot of power, he's Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump, not to mention the amount of goodwill he still has from defeating Grindelwald and running Hogwarts, not to mention his pretty squeaky clean public reputation."
"So what? You're saying you won't do anything?!" Harry blurted out with disbelief.
"Of course, I'm not saying that!" Tonks looked offended for a moment before her hair and eyes turned back to the usual pink and violet colour she liked. "But I am warning you that it won't be easy and I can't offer you any guarantees about what happens. Also, if you want my opinion, I think at this point you won't be able to do more than harm some reputations, but if that's what you're sure you want to do then just let me know and I'll send in a report right away."
"It is." Harry nodded after a very brief mental conference with Venom.
"If you're sure," Tonks nodded before pulling out a notepad and quill. "we'll start with your statement and then we can go from there, is that alright with you?" She asked.
"It's perfect, honestly, I...thank you, Tonks," Harry said, his voice softening slightly. "I don't know if I've said it before but I am really appreciative of the way you've been treating me. Everyone around here always acts like I'm some dense kid who doesn't know how the world works or some spoilt celebrity, I'm glad you're not like that."
"Judge with your own eyes," Tonks recited with a small shrug of her shoulders. "it's a lesson that my parents and my auror mentor taught me, you haven't acted dense or spoilt around me so I won't treat you that way. Besides, as the female metamorph, trust me when I say that I don't like expectations and pre-formed beliefs any more than you do."
"Thanks," Harry smiled at her. "and for what it's worth, just let me know if someone gives you grief over the shape-shifting thing, and I'll deck them for you." He added, earning a small laugh from Tonks.
'That's it, Harry,' Venom purred. 'keep going, make her like you until we're finally able to obliterate that friendship wall that is stopping our relationship from progressing to its natural conclusion.'
'Venom, be quiet, please,' Harry told Venom without breaking his concentration on the conversation he was having with Tonks, something that was pretty easy given that he had plenty of experience in dealing with the symbiote.
(.)
"The hero of Gryffindor!" Harry heard the Weasley twins yell out those particular words the very second he entered the common room. He was barely aware of the common room entrance closing behind him as he was a bit distracted by all the balloons, party poppers, the banner with his name on it and the Gryffindors that were all cheering for him. "Defeater of dark lords, saviour of damsels and destroyer of greasy dungeon bats, Harry Potter!" The twins said as they walked over and patted him proudly on the back before hoisting him up on their shoulders and walking around a lap of the common room before dropping him back down just as the Gryffindor chasers took turns kissing him on the cheek.
What happened after that would be an hour-long event of cheering, celebrations, questions and hero-worshipping from the majority of the Gryffindors. By the end of it, Harry had a bit of a headache from all of the social interaction but was overall pretty happy, unlike a certain bushy-haired Gryffindor.
(.)
'Why doesn't she shut up?' Venom complained.
The trio were currently sitting outside on a bench in the Hogwart courtyard, Ron was speed rushing through some homework that would be due in their class which was in twenty minutes. Harry, on the other hand, had a book open in one hand and his wand in the other. Meanwhile, Hermione was sitting in between the two, naturally with a book in her hands, except this time she was ignoring the book in favour of participating in what Harry believed to be her other life-long love, lecturing him.
"...It doesn't matter if Professor Snape was insulting you, that's not a good reason to be so rude to a teacher," Hermione continued, showing no signs that she was ready to end her rant which was now nearing the five-minute mark. "I know you said he tried to read your mind, Harry, but Dumbledore clearly doesn't think that he would do that so I..."
'Harry,' Venom spoke into his head. 'please, for the love of Merlin, heck, even just to show appreciation to me for all I've done, shut her up. Or else I will eat her head, right now.'
"Hermione," Harry interrupted her in a tired voice. "if you don't stop lecturing me then I promise I will straighten your hair." He warned.
"What?" Hermione blinked.
"What happened with Snape has happened, stop lecturing me about it and let me concentrate on this spell." Harry rolled his eyes before he tried to cast his spell again. "Expecto patronum." Harry softly intoned the incantation for the spell he was working on, a second later a white and small misty shield poured out of the tip, it was about the size of a knight's shield and only lasted a couple of seconds, earning the attention of many passing students.
'Not good enough.' Venom told Harry who mentally grunted in agreement.
"What was that?" Ron asked, having looked up from his homework in time to see the spell.
"Patronus charm," Harry sighed, the patronus charm being an extremely difficult charm designed to primarily fight against dementors along with a few other dark creatures. It used the caster's emotion to create a shield that would protect them against the dementors, though if one had truly mastered the spell then their shield would take the form of an animal guardian.
"Harry, that's a Newt level charm." Hermione pointed out.
"Why on Earth are you learning a spell that's for seventh-year students?" Ron stared at Harry as if the boy had just gone mad and demanded to only be fed hazelnuts for the rest of the year.
"I have to agree with Ronald, you shouldn't be focusing on that spell yet," Hermione spoke up. "you're just a third year."
"Yeah," Ron agreed.
"I don't like dementors but I do like magic, so that natural conclusion is to learn magic to defend myself against dementors, thank you." Harry rolled his eyes before he decided to put his attention back to the spell while ignoring whatever Hermione and Ron were saying.
'The spell wants a powerful emotion,' Harry said to Venom. 'I've tried the first time by thinking about the time I rode a broom, then the time I came to Hogwarts.'
'How about we just skip to your best memory?' Venom suggested.
'Are you going to show me a new memory?' Harry asked excitedly.
'No, we have class soon, you don't have time for new memories, I'll show you a new one later, use the last one I gave you.'
'Hmm.' Harry was a little disappointed in not being given a new memory right now but was modified by the fact that he'd get some more later. Harry took in a deep breath before thinking about his memory of waking up in his mother's lap, his mother loving spending time with him along with his father. James Potter, according to Snape was an arrogant, strutting toe-rag, but to Harry, he would always be the man who stared at him as if he was the most precious thing in the world.
"Expecto patronum," Harry whispered the incantation, a second later Hermione, Ron and everyone else in the courtyard stopped talking. Everyone apart from Harry had to cover their eyes when a bright white light eclipsed all, the light slowly died down until visibility was once again an option and standing in front of Harry was a glowing, misty, white stag that towered over him. Harry gulped before standing up, he still wasn't taller than the stag. "Amazing." Harry breathed out before reaching a hand up to touch it, the stag lowered its head for Harry. A part of Harry knew that he shouldn't be able to touch the stag and that his hand would go right through it, and that was right since Harry's fingers had barely not gone into the stag's skull, but Harry felt like he could still feel it, he felt like this was not a piece of magic, but a real and very beautiful animal.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed but eventually, the stag started fading away, much to Harry's disappointment, after it was gone, Harry let out a deep sigh before realising that the whole courtyard was staring at him. He also couldn't help but notice that Professor Flitwick was part of the crowd and was staring at him with a dropped jaw.
'My, aren't we the popular ones?' Venom asked.
Comments
Icy Hot
Honestly it’s the creative insults that keep me on this patreon, like 70%,10% is plot, and 20% is the sarcasm
Hannibal St.Michael
I wonder what the gossip will be this time. Thanks for the update, I like the backbone Harry is starting to show, in the future he won't even need Venom to coach him on what to say.
Prashast Vats
i cried laughed when i heard that!!!!!!!!
Q
Thanks for pointing that out
Tyr
There is an error: "you're just a fourth year.". No, Harry is not a fourth year. This is his third year (Sirius, Dementor, time turner)
Christian Jeffress
Thanks for another really great and enjoyable chapter!
Christian Jeffress
Hilarious indeed lol
Erinnyes
"Overly expensive, bi-curious disaster" really is a great description of Draco. 😁
