FicWad

Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter 74: Discussions/Repercussions

"HA HA HA! And he just stood there?"

Harry laughed right along with the girls, "He tried to object but Dumbledore was all Lord Malfoy this is not a criminal trial, unless you would prefer one."

"Honestly Harry I can't believe you would do that to him!"

"Come off it Hermione," Pansy interrupted, "You have to understand what really happened today. Harry showed the wizarding world that he follows through with his threats and took one of our enemies out at the knees. All in all a good days work."

"So would you like to be lady Malfoy?" Harry asked her with a smile, to which she responded with a huff.

"Do you honestly think I want that name anywhere near me?"

Pansy turned to Harry and smiled, "Told you."

He nodded as he handed over a Galleon, "I was kidding Hermione, unless one of you wants to be a Malfoy I was going to formally announce the death of the Malfoy family in the papers."

Nobody wanted the name and the formerly laughing group was suddenly a bit more somber. They had finished out the day at school and were now lounging in Harry's common room as they recounted the meeting. Ron, Lavender, Neville and Hannah had joined them and Harry was able to get Dobby to bring them a case of butterbeer to celebrate.

"You should have seen him though! He was amazing out there!" Neville commented through a slight slur.

Pansy nodded, "He was, but then I didn't expect anything less of the Gryffindor Golden Boy. Of course the phoenix was a very Slytherin thing to do. I was so proud!"

"Phoenix?" Hermione asked as the room went suddenly quiet.

Harry looked around nervously. "Uh yes?"

"And just where did you get a Phoenix? I hope you haven't enslaved one!"

Rather than answering Harry called out and there was a flash of fire before Fawkes settled on his shoulder. "I don't know that you have been formally introduced." He went around the circle finishing with Ginny who noted that they had already met with only slightly haunted eyes.

"The Headmasters Phoenix? Well I suppose as long as..." She was interrupted by a beautiful trill of song.

"Though I am bound to him, I do not belong to him."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"He says he doesn't belong to the Headmaster just because he is bound to him."

"What's the difference?" Susan asked.

Another trill and Harry smiled, "Gabrielle wanted to be my possession, she was bound to me yes, but only because she wished to be property did she end up so. Even then I never treated her like I owned her. Fawkes bound himself to serve Dumbledore because he recognized the good he was capable of. Unfortunately he is bound to serve him until death even if he slips toward the darkness. That is why it's so rare to see a bound Phoenix."

"Then how did you get him to bring you a letter?" Hermione asked, still confused about this new subject.

"I asked?" Harry said looking questioningly up at the bird. Another trill and he smiled, "Yep, I asked and he agreed. He says friends are allowed to do favors regardless of whom he serves as long as I am not an enemy."

"You really can talk to birds?" Pansy asked in amazement. "I thought you were having me on!"

He shrugged, "I decided it is just a part of being a Natural Legilimens."

"Decided?" Pansy looked at him thoughtfully.

"Yup, it works a lot better than having some crazy bird whisperer powers, I'm sure that isn't what the Prophecy was talking about..."

"Speaking of He-Who-Has-No-Hair..." Neville spoke up drunkenly.

Hannah beamed at him, "Why Neville, was that a joke about Voldemort?"

He puffed out his chest and nodded, "I s'pose 't was! Anyways 'Arry, what about your other bus'niss at Grang..Grink..the bank?"

Harry nearly smacked himself on the forehead for forgetting the most important thing he had done that day as he reached into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out the bag. He carefully unwrapped it and touched the cup as lightly as possible through the material. "Merlin..." Ginny gasped. "I can feel it..."

Fawkes trilled and everyone felt a little better as they gazed upon the Horocrux. Hermione was the first to break to silence, "So that's one of them?"

Harry nodded and wondered what to do about it when Fawkes trilled again, "I shall take it to Albus, he will know what to do."

Another nod and Harry placed the cup back into the bag and held it up into the air for Fawkes to take. Just as he was about to speak a blur of white flew into the room and dive bombed him, only pulling up at the last second with a shriek."I WAS HALFWAY THERE WHEN HE SHOWED UP AND TOOK MY JOB!" She then flew to the corner of the room and perched facing away from them on the desk chair.

"Uh oh..."

Fawkes trilled once more as he took the cup and disappeared in a flash of fire.

"If I didn't know better I would say your owl is jealous Harry." Padma said quietly.

Harry sighed and stood up to cross the room. "How's the most beautiful girl I know?" He said quietly to the bird who ruffled her feathers and steadfastly refused to turn around.

The other women in the room likewise ruffled for a moment before realizing just how silly it was to be jealous of a bird. Lavender appeared to have enough however and stood up, "Won won...can you show me something?"

"Not right now luv, we didn't hear the rest of the story."

She huffed at him but he remained in his seat watching Harry try to coax his owl out. "Hedwig you know I love you right? Fawkes is just a friend! And just right then I needed instant delivery; no matter how good of an owl you are you just can't make it that fast. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Won won, I need you to help me on the seventh floor."

That got his attention and he turned adoring eyes up to his girlfriend. "What? Oh! Later guys, bye Hedwig!" The owl barked something short but refused to look at or speak to her owner.

"Bye mate...Hedwig, what can I do to make it up to you?"

Parvati leaned in toward Susan while rubbing her thighs together and biting her lip. "Am I crazy or is anyone else turned on watching him beg like that?"

Susan turned a strange look on the girl before turning back to him, "I guess he is kinda sexy when he's in trouble..."

He pulled an owl treat out of his pocket and presented to her, smiling slightly as he caught the look over her shoulder at his palm. "I have more where this came from. I promise you're still my favorite."

Padma leaned in to Hermione looking rather antsy herself. "Who's next on the list?"

Hermione pulled herself away from the drama in the corner. "Oh, well Luna was next, I figured you two would like your time to overlap...I can change the schedule and swap you around if you like."

The girl seemed to almost moan even as her demeanor began to look more and more like she needed to use the loo. "No no, you're right...and after Luna?"

"Susan, then you two then me, are you sure you wouldn't like me to talk to Luna?"

"No, no that's fine..." She looked up suddenly at Parvati and they both nodded. "Good luck Harry, you might try getting down on your knees." Parvati called as she and Padma headed for the door.

"What? I am not begging!"

"Goodnight Harry." They said in unison as they headed out the door. He turned back toward the owl and after a moment's hesitation bent down onto his knees.

"C'mon girl, please forgive me?"

The owl turned around and took the treat from his hand before bouncing onto his shoulder. "As long as you learned your lesson master."

The rest of the females in the room began giggling as Harry stood and turned back to them. "It isn't funny!"

That made even Neville burst out laughing as Harry sat down on the couch again with her still on his shoulder. He looked rather grumpy as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Not my fault she's too smart for her own good."

He got a playful nip on the ear for that along with a message, "Thank you for the compliment."

"If I couldn't see it in person I'd swear you were a nutter, but I guess you always kind 'f understood her hey Harry?" Neville asked.

He shrugged, "She was the only person I had to talk to during the summers for five years... besides letters of course." He added as he began to see faces fall around the room.

"Of course." Hermione said quietly, Pansy looked as if she were seriously considering a bit of Muggle baiting and Susan was not far behind.

"Um, So after Fawkes showed up?" Hermione added to change the subject.

"I read the letter and proposed a new Goblin Treaty that would get the Ministry access to the bank vaults of known Death Eaters."

"How on earth did you swing that! Gringotts is known for never betraying its customers!" Susan asked suddenly.

He shrugged again, "You have to think like a goblin, I imagine the percentage will end up somewhere around 50% before they sign anything. If there is one thing you can count on it is Goblin greed."

"Harry! I thought you got along with the Goblins!" Hermione protested.

"I do, you just have to know how to appeal to them. They enjoy respect enough to return it but they would still slit your throat for a few galleons if they thought they could get away with it. They understand power which is why I was able to get all of us gratis bank cards before, and they understand a real threat when they see one. Which is why I was able to gain access to the Lestrange Vault on the same day I stopped in."

"Now you're threatening them?" Hermione said standing up and preparing for a rant.

"Down girl!" Pansy snapped as she too stood, "Harry is right, you have to deal with other races on their terms or they will mock you behind your back. The Centaurs think it is beneath them to be treated as equal to wizards and beyond that to be treated as lesser creatures. Therefore you have to appeal to their vanity if you want to successfully negotiate anything with them. Giants understand strength, to deal with them you have to offer the chief gifts to prove that you recognize his strength. Goblins are a nasty and greedy lot, if you expect them to actually respect you AND listen to you then you have be able to back up your words with action."

Hermione looked a bit hurt but simply nodded as she sat back down. "It really was the only way Hermione, and if anything I think Griphook likes me more now than he did before. Being nice just doesn't work for everything with them."

"Fine...so then what happened?" She said in defeat.

"Then someone offered to send it to committee and I seconded. I was about to collapse from faking it for so long."

Pansy just shook her head. "You weren't faking it any more than the rest of them milord. You simply don't have practice, luckily you have me."

He smiled as he turned toward her, "Oh really?"

She nodded as she looked into his eyes, "Mm-hmm."

"Right then! That's our cue to leave!" Neville said standing up a bit unsteady on his feet from the Butterbeer. Hannah stood and steadied him with a smile.

"Goodnight Harry." She said quietly as she led Neville from the room.

"I suppose we should get out of here as well don't you think?" Susan said turning to Luna who nodded.

"Absolutely, we can take a walk on the grounds before curfew and see the Whizfigs playing."

"That sounds perfect. Goodnight Harry." Susan said leaning in to kiss him on the cheek before escorting the other girl from the room.

"So I suppose I will just get going then..." Hermione said as she made to stand, Pansy however had other ideas.

"Just where do you think you're going missy?"

The girls eyes snapped up in shock. "To bed, it's still your night and I..."

"Are going to stay right here." Ginny said with a mischievous smile.

"Huh?" Harry asked. Despite his brain being confused his body was apparently VERY aware of what was about to happen.

"Well milord, it seems that Miss Granger is a bit afraid..."

"I am not!"

"Afraid that there will be jealousy issues if we bring Miss Weasley to our bed without her, so I spoke to Miss Weasley..."

"And I agreed..."

"That we would just have to have a menage of four rather than three."

As his brain caught up to his body his blood pressure began to skyrocket along with his pulse. "Uh...what?" He asked as he resisted the urge to climb up the couch in fear. "I t-told you before that more than two was too much!"

Ginny tilted her head sideways and smiled at him, causing her eyes to sparkle. "Oh it will only be one at a time..." She walked casually around behind Hermione.

Pansy walked in front of her and the bookworm seemed about ready to shake out of her patent leather shoes. "For you, for Hermione however..." She placed her hands on the girls cheeks and leaned in, capturing her lips in a kiss before she could continue protesting.


A/N: Short I know, and probably should have been tacked onto the last chapter, sorry... I'm getting there though, and I hope you at least enjoy it while I work on the rest.