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Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related concepts are owned by someone who isn't me. I will never seek or accept money for the circulation of this work. Especially this work.



Author's note:'Gossip' is gone, and from its ashes and bones we have the chapter called 'Guidance', as much named for the theme as for the help I received from readers. It works better for me, and I thank everyone who commented- those who appreciated the earlier version and those who protested when I had slipped off the rails for the characters I had written. I've added a new rule to Holly's behavior for my own purposes, but it means this is no longer just a smut fic. Emphasis on 'just'.



Holly Polter



Chapter: Guidance



Holly opened the window to clear the air from Sirius' room. The warm night chattered with crickets and the distant sounds of a few autos passing nearby while on their own night-time purposes. She sat down on the floor next to the bed.

She spent an hour just watching Harry sleep. Perhaps it was an indulgence, but since being tormented in her own living nightmare for a week, her perspective had shifted. Now she was stuck between two imperatives-preparing him for the future as fast as possible or giving him the best life possible for however long she could, until his destiny caught up to him. It was a challenge either way.

And only in the second case would Harry falling in love with me be part of the bargain. If asked, would he be willing to die young just to stay in my arms in the meantime? Of course he would- that's love. Stupid, noble, unconcerned for the future- love is eternal because it exists in the moment. Wow, have I fucked up.

Then again, he won't be torturing Riddle as much if it isn't meaningful to him.

Harry was asleep, drifting safe in his contentment, and Holly yearned to float with him within that timeless appreciation of 'now'. Yet she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep- Holly expected no respite for her soul, and her body didn't want to let go of consciousness, even when she'd tried to relax and sink into her thoughts.

In one sense it was a relief, for surely if she were to fall asleep her mind would once more consign her to the same six hours of hell that the Dementor had forcefed her, again and again, until the worst moments became very easy to call up for any number of reasons. If someone said 'hold this', Holly would halfway expect the next feeling would involve her arm twisting out of socket, followed by... a series of cruelties, so familiar now that they resembled a ritual.

These quiet hours at least provided her some time to reshelve those horrors in her mind, sealed beneath some new ones of being with Harry.

No rest for the wicked, wicked witch. Of the West. Of Pecos...

It was the chime from a grandfather clock three floors below that triggered the end of her meditation. She got up, found Harry's trunk in the moonlight and unlike earlier when she'd grabbed his old robe (and that was mostly for the humour value) this time she chose the huntress togs, adding a cotton undervest as a concession to others' expectations of modesty. Harry had cleaned and folded the clothes with much care. Her riding boots were also in the trunk, dried and polished, but he'd done such a thorough job on them that she decided to leave them there so she could gush about it later.

At the thought of 'gushing' she gave a sidelong glance over at Harry, bit her lip, and then grabbed some cotton knickers as well.

Leaving Sirius' room, she was surprised not to find the large black dog sleeping outside the door.

Sirius must have found a different place to curl up- very considerate of him. And awfully trusting. I suspect a prank is in play.

Holly stopped in a loo for a quiet wash-up, dressed and then headed down to the Black family library. Outside the sliding wood door, she passed by the clock that had chimed earlier and made a mental note to have someone with a wand disable the crossbow trap housed within.

Some of the books she wanted were found exactly where she'd seen them in the past, others were on completely different shelves- a testament to the nature of time, she noted. Both chaos and conformity fought to influence the world, sometimes with wildly different or impossibly similar outcomes.

Holly had taken to climbing the shelves to reach the uppermost selections. Without the summoning charm to assist her, she was in for some exercise. She congratulated herself on having the foresight to leave the boots back in the room- her bare feet provided extra grip for her more acrobatic retrievals. She periodically heard Phineas Nigellus' portrait grumble in protest, and snickered back at him every time.

Thinking of the old headmaster prompted her to seek out a different treasure- she knew of a dagger that should be stuck behind some chronicles of pureblood ancestry on the shelves above the casement door. She couldn't ascend directly, and knew that the sliding library ladder was enchanted to fling most anyone off of it. Instead, Holly charted her path as having to climb one bookcase, stretch across a painting to grab at the frame of another, then hold fast to the wood shelves and hope that they were anchored to the frame by more than the weight of the books on them.

The ascent was easy enough, and passing across the painting only was interesting in the reaction of the occupant, Cygnus Black, who made slurping noises as she stretched her body across his face. Holly shifted to gripping the underside of the destination shelf, swinging her body up to find a hold on a side panel that then decided to become very splintery. Holly grimaced and bore through the pain, pulling her body up until her eyes cleared the edge of the first shelf. She sacrificed her lower grip to shove some books out of her way and caught hold again. A glint of silver taunted her from the shadows at the back. Again she shifted her weight, this time to rest her whole forearm on the shelf. She swept her arm, pivoting at the elbow, stretching her fingers out to claw this or that book out of the way.

"The next time--"

Sirius' voice so startled her that she lost her grip completely, shrieking as she fell to the floor. Instead of hard wood, she found herself landing in his thankfully softer and yet resilient arms.

"B-beg your pardon?" she gasped out.

Sirius had groaned when he caught her but refused to fall down, instead crouching to cushion his catch and then rising to hold her up bridal style. He grinned and said, "I was saying, 'The next time I cast a Patronus, I'll be thinking of this moment'."

Holly blinked several times, then gave him a petulant look. "Not for holding me in your arms so much as watching my bare legs and arse beneath my skirt flailing about in mid-air, right?"

"I'll have to try both, and see which means more to me."

He stared into her eyes, then leaned his face towards hers as if tentatively hoping to steal a kiss. She stared back, an attempt to discern from within his stormy grey irises what he truly intended. As much as she was trying to sift his surface thoughts, she could feel him probing hers and was surprised to realise that he had no trouble moving past her initial defense- it tore away like tissue.

Explains why the dementors worked me so hard-- I'm sorry, Mr. Black, did you want to see something specific?

His forward motion halted.

She cleared her throat and then said aloud,"Assuming that you don't want to break Harry's heart, may I suggest that you put me down?" The flash of guilt across his face changed to a glimmer of relief. He bent down and set Holly back on her feet.

"Thanks for the catch," she said,"even if the fall was your fault. Shouldn't you be busy keeping Lupin distracted? It is a full moon."

"Ah, he has... other company. What were you doing up there?"

"Attempting to retrieve a goblin-made dagger that's stuck up there."

Sirius swung his wand up at the bookcase, then looked annoyed.

Holly said, "Yah- goblin-made, therefore un-Summonable. Just tilt the shelf with a... what is it? Proclino? Inanio?"

"/Invergo/," Sirius incanted. Books and dust dumped out onto the floor, followed by a silvery dagger with a leather-wrapped handle that Holly snatched from the air as it fell.

"Most appreciated." She then held it out for them both to inspect. It had a wickedly-grooved cross-section meant to open wounds that wouldn't close. The blade was etched deep with runes as well, promising extra pain for any victim of its bite.

"That used to belong to my cousin, Bellatrix."

Holly shuddered, then nodded.

"I see that you're familiar with her, and not as a friend."

Holly nodded again, then put the dagger in Sirius' hand. "This is for Harry. If I get a chance, I'll teach him how to use it."

He held the weapon up and shook his head, "Just one more reason I like you."

"Do you? Enough to try and steal me from your godson?"

"I... misread you. I apologise."

"What were you expecting?"

"An opportunist. Someone who figured she could seduce the famous Harry Potter and profit by it somehow. You seem quite comfortable with your body, so I expected you to use it to get some leverage with me." Sirius set the dagger into a nearby display case, whispering a command that made the locks latch shut once the door was closed.

"And yet you left me with Harry to have my wicked way with him?" Holly gave him a sidelong look, then noticed a flat bulge in the pocket of his smoking jacket. She said, "Oh, I see. You were watching us the whole time using those hand mirrors you and James made in school. Must have been quite a show for you."

Sirius turned and gaped at her, feeling at his pocket to confirm the mirror was still there. He then gave her a sheepish shrug.

Holly kept a sober expression- she understood that he did it to keep an eye on Harry, but she wasn't going to smile in approval for the invasion of privacy.

"Even if I was right about you being untrustworthy, I wouldn't want to spoil Harry's fun," Sirius said in his defense. "You aren't here to murder him or you would have done, the day you first met. If instead you're a con artist... well, you've just found your way back in, haven't you? It's too soon for you to grab and dash."

Holly nodded. "That's a fair theory, given that the truth is a difficult pill even for me to swallow. Now, what has he told you about me?"

At Sirius' gesture they sat down in chairs near the library's empty fireplace. "That you're his Aunt from another... timeline." He shook his head, not quite in disbelief. "One where you acted in his place, and thus know many things about his life and those near and dear to him. Admittedly, you do seem awfully familiar with my library- moreso than Harry or Lily could be. And you're very familiar in appearance as well- like Lily's short sister but with James' nose and jawline. It's almost spooky."

"You want to talk about spooky- most of the people I know here are dead, you included. It's wonderful to see you, Sirius, though you don't seem quite the same as the man who adopted me."

Sirius raised an eyebrow- she could tell he was taking her sentimental reference as an attempt to manipulate him, and chastised herself for bringing it up.

What was I thinking? No one will care what I feel in all this- it's not their problem. What's more, it doesn't exactly engender trust to point out that I know more about them than they expect me to. This is a Hermione-style mistake. Where are my filters- where is my cunning?!

"What I can't quite understand," Sirius continued, "is why you would seduce him. As Lily or as Lily's sister, as a gender-switched Harry, or even as a stranger interested in making a play for him; it doesn't make sense. It was too soon, too certain."

"I have my reasons," Holly said, "both for why I did it and why it doesn't squick me."

"I'm sorry- 'squick'?"

"A squeamish ick-response. Something I should be incapable of feeling after all that I've been through. As for why I did it, let me ask you this- I assume that you 'Order of the Phoenix' lot have a spy in Riddle's camp, probably Snape if patterns follow; has he reported that his Dark Lord has been ill of late? Suffering from migraines and having sudden bouts of rage, followed by a desire to be alone?"

"Yes he did, but you knowing this doesn't help your case. It makes it seem as if you're coordinating with him."

"I'm not. What I know is that Harry is connected to Riddle through his scar. I'm sure he's mentioned it- visions of Riddle's actions and pain when they get close, like in the graveyard? Well, that connection works in both directions. When Harry feels love, Riddle feels it too, in the worst way. If things are similar, and it sounds like they are, every moment of ecstatic joy for Harry stabs that evil bastard in the balls with a hot poker. First instance was 2nd August, right?"

"Yes, the same day--"

"The day I arrived, by the end of which I had taught Harry the joys of the body. Second time was mid-morning the next day. The times should match up, and I'll bet Snape comes back with report of a rager from a few hours ago."

Sirius let a smile escape as he said, "Our spy already has, in fact, reported that his subject is... ailing once more."

"Making Harry happy is, in fact, a weapon against Mr. 'Voldemort'. I promise you, Sirius, that I am on Harry's side. I doubt I could've shown up in the Dursley's garden if I wasn't."

He appeared thoughtful, then whispered, "And now Harry says that he loves you. Do you love him?"

Holly reeled back and stared at the man, trying to find a glib reply, but instead she blurted, "Y-yes, but... I can't."

"We both know every reason why you shouldn't have bedded him, and yet you did. Why is it that you can't love him?"

"I'm not supposed to be here! I'm an accidental intruder. Harry is meant for some other girl, or worse, I may have screwed up his destiny by robbing him of virginal sanctity."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"About the sanctity of virginity? Well, no, not on a biological level, but destiny is another paradigm of meaning, by definition."

"You even talk like Lily. I am so very tempted to trust you."

"Well, I have to trust you. I'd want to anyway but from what Harry says, you're the only adult around here who understands him aside from me. Shouldn't we at least be partners in protecting Harry's interests?"

"You'll pardon me if I insist upon a 'limited liability partnership'. I need to keep some of our secrets from you. Remus will be ringing my ears later for even giving you this chance."

"Keep whatever secrets you'd like. Just let me know if it looks like I'm making a decision based on a mismatched memory."

"Alright; allies, for now."

Sirius offered his hand, and she shook it. Holly then slumped back in her chair, her shoulders released their tension, and her head canted backward against the cushions in relief. "I was beginning to think no one but Harry was going to believe me. It's a lonely place, as I think you know."

"I do." She heard the pain in Sirius' reply, but he covered for it quickly by musing, "Yet unlike my situation, I don't think the truth will ever help you win peoples' trust."

"Oh, I know," Holly groaned. She then lifted her head and said, "If it hadn't been Harry asking when I first got here yesterday, I would've drummed up a story of memory loss or coincidental names- we had a neighbor in Little Whinging named Evans, with two small boys-that would've worked. But... I promised to tell Harry the truth, and now thanks to Florean it's become a geas. Sneaky bastard made me swear three times- I should've remembered that one but it seemed like such a playground type of oath."

"The ice cream man? I've never thought twice about him- that is sneaky. Well, let's come up with a more plausible story for people to swallow that won't catch you out if you can't lie."

Holly perked up and asked, "Really?"

"I'm going to keep my eye on you," he warned, "but everything you've said to Harry so far has been sound advice-why not get the others off your back, so you can really teach him something?"

"Excellent! Okay." Holly thought for a moment, then said, "There's the basics we can't deny: I am related to Harry as an Evans. I've lost my wand and can't use any others, so far. I'm here as a tutor..."

"At my invitation! I hired you to teach Harry, since I couldn't leave here to teach him myself... by the way, you're hired-five Galleons per day spent tutoring plus expenses; room and board provided when possible. How would I know to trust you, though?"

"Lily might have mentioned me, maybe in a letter you didn't see until you returned here. 'I have this cousin whose daughter recently had a bout of accidental magic...' etcetera."

"Can you write in her hand?"

Holly looked doubtful. "Eh, you'd think so, but I lost the knack. Give me a sample and I could do a reasonable forging job, I'm sure."

"I'll find an old letter. She loved writing letters."

"If you have enough of them, I know some nifty ink magic that'll rewrite what we need just fine."

"Hah! Ink magic? You're talking to an expert."

"Oh, right- Marauder's Map. You know, there's a small fortune to be made in adapting that for sports events and securing safehouses."

"I already have a small fortune."

"Yes, but you don't have a job, aside from housesitting and watching my arse, both of which you seem to have covered."

Sirius gave her a curious look, though she decided that it may not have actually been for her; Holly could tell his gears were spinning, and a weight seemed to lift from his shoulders. He was about to rise out of his chair when he shook his head and said, "Let's concentrate on you for now. So, you were Lily's younger cousin, but not in the U.K. or you'd have gone to Hogwarts."

"Ireland, then. I'd offer Belgium but my Dutch sucks and according to one Miss Fleur Delacour, I pronounce French almost as well as an American."

"Harsh." Sirius gave her a sympathetic wince. "So Ireland, sure- another muggleborn in the family but ten or so years younger, and Lily was wondering how to reach out to you during a time of war... then we lose contact."

"And I can fill in the blanks. The Irish academy I went to was burnt down so I've no certs or records but I've a good grounding in the concepts and have extensive real-world experience fighting fell beasties in Eire, both magical and whisky-derived..."

oOo

"... and if my old girlfriend hadn't stolen my wand right before she ran off to Canada or wherever, I'd be a bit more of a help. I just haven't found a match since then, so I limit myself to wandless tricks- no range but plenty of function, and I can still Apparate. Whatever else, I'm loyal to Harry. He's my last remaining magical family, and a right decent sorta lad as well as it turns out," Holly finished with a smile.

Remus, Hermione, the Weasleys and a few interested Order members (who had originally come to the basement kitchen for breakfast)looked at her in silence. Finally, Hermione asked, "Why didn't you or Sirius just explain this in the beginning?"

Holly and Sirius shared a look and then replied,"Because it's funny."

Harry was standing beside them- he smiled and nodded, adding, "It really is."

"You don't look almost thirty," Ron said, getting whapped by three relatives and Hermione in succession for saying it.

"That's nice of you to say, Ronald," Holly replied with a measure of grace, "I do try to keep fit. Thank you for noticing."

Ginny asked, "What was with the story about being eaten by a Dementor?"

"Oh, that." Holly ducked her head in embarrassment. "I disapparated in a panic, and left behind some essentials- it's happened before but I thought I'd grown out of it. Just the same, I was... mortified that I'd abandoned Harry like that. They really do a number on me, Dementors. Anyway, I found some resources that I'd stowed and used them to put together a way to track one of the things Harry has- a journal I'd bought and signed with a rune. That got me close, and then I just... figured out that I could focus on Harry and transport in. That's the odd part. I still can't say where this is, but if Harry's here, I'll follow. Might have to do with an oath I swore to help him."

"And, just to clarify something," added Remus, "you're... bisexual?"

Holly squinted at him. "Yes, but you can keep your nose to yourself in future please, Mr. Lupin."

"You mentioned an old girlfriend," he snapped, "I was merely paying attention."

Harry, who had stiffened at Remus' question now turned to give Holly a bewildered look.

She winced. "Did I not mention that? I suppose it hadn't come up yet. Nothing much to say, really- I'm fond of the ladies as well." Holly watched Harry's expressions flow through a pantheon of emotions. When his lips eventually turned up in a bemused half-smile, Holly smiled back and whispered to him, "We'll discuss that later."

Whatever ease this put in Harry's mind, Holly saw the opposite reaction from two young witches across the table. Hermione's disdain seemed to be growing into anger, while Ginny just looked perplexed.

Mrs. Weasley huffed and then proclaimed, "Until we've cleared another bedroom, I think it would be best if you stay in Sirius' old room, and Harry can return to bunking with Ronald. I assume you can be trusted to respect her privacy, Sirius? You did hire her."

Before Harry or Sirius could protest, Holly replied, "That'll be fine."

The informal interview-interrogation broke up into smaller discussions, so Holly grabbed Harry by the hand and led him over to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. The two were whispering very earnestly but quieted upon their approach.

Harry coughed, then said, "I just wanted to say, Mrs. Weasley, that I'm really very sorry for the things I said to you before. Holly reminded me just how much you've done for me- opening your house and your family to me when I'd had no family worth the name for a long time. So... yeah. I'm sorr--"

Mrs. Weasley enveloped him in a hug, cutting off the rest of his practiced apology along with his air supply. Holly beamed at them, then turned and shook Arthur's hand saying, "I couldn't have asked for abetter family for Harry. Better than I could possibly have done. Thank you for that."

It wasn't a deception, and she could hear that difference in her voice even if they couldn't. Holly truly felt that Arthur and Molly had done wonders for Harry and for her, in her own troubles in the past. This seemed just the smallest thing she could do to let them know that.

... but it didn't hurt her case when she later asked to accompany Harry and Arthur for the trip to his hearing on Monday.

~oOo~

"How'd you do it?"

Holly had just stepped onto the first landing of this staircase, one of several she had to climb up to reach the top floor and Harry's trunk, where she'd need to separate her things from his now that they wouldn't be housed together... officially. She turned to find Ginny staring at her, jaw set and eyes squinting. Even her freckles seemed threatening.

"How'd I do what, Gingersnap?"

She advanced a half step closer. "What'd you call me?"

"Ehh, Ginny, sorry. I knew another girl named Ginny, similar attitude and also, not surprisingly, a redhead."

Hermione stepped up from the staircase below to block Holly from retreating. She demanded, "How did you get Harry to fall for you? From what I gather, it took less than a day. That's awfully fast, especially for someone like Harry who keeps people he doesn't trust at arm's length. Did you dose him with something? Trap him with a ritual, maybe?"

Holly turned and smiled at the frizz-haired witch, then asked, "Are you harbouring feelings for Harry?"

"What? No!"

Mrowr! Protesting awfully loud- is that for Ginny's sake or your own? Of course, given how close we used to be, it makes a certain sense that you'd be drastically different. You seem so much younger to me here, Hermione.

She'd stared at Hermione in silence long enough that Ginny countered, "But I am."

Holly turned to face the younger witch. "You're probably suffering from saviour-itis."

"I am not! Harry is one of the best people I know. He's decent and funny and he tries so hard to stay afloat even though his life is this... mad storm. It's no wonder he doesn't trust people--"

Hermione continued, "--but that just makes it doubly suspicious how you wormed your way in. How'd you do it? What's your scheme?"

Holly looked between them and bowed her head. She muttered, "Not here."

The two exchanged a look, then gestured for Holly to enter their room. Once the door was shut, Holly turned to them and said,"I'm here to help Harry. I will take any vow, including the Unbreakable, to assure you that I mean to help Harry win and survive. I'm glad that he's got such loyal friends and I don't want to get in the way of that. If anything... I'd like you to get closer to Harry."

Hermione seethed, "What do you mean, 'closer'?"

"As close as you can. The man needs love- I am not just waxing poetic when I say that love is his armour and his sword in this fight and to date he's been battling equipped with swimtrunks and a letter opener."

Hermione scoffed, so Holly turned to her and said, "He cherishes those hugs and the little peck on the cheek you gave him before the holiday, even if he acts all guy-squirmy."

Seeing Hermione's blush, she turned to Ginny. "You've been flying below his radar, and it's a crime, because you actually understand his burden, having fought against Riddle in your head--"

"You're redirecting things," Hermione interrupted, "talking about us rather than about you!"

Ginny had stepped back in panic when Holly mentioned Tom Riddle, but now she bellowed, "How do you know about that?"

Before Holly could explain, the door smacked open. Harry stood there, glaring at the now-silent witches.

After a pause, he said, "Holly is here. She's important to me. I'd like it if you could get along. Don't trust her if you want, but unless you see her doing something to hurt or betray me, shut up."

Holly gave him a watery smile, but then said, "It's right for them to jump on me like this, Harry. Shows that they care. I can take it."

"You want to fight with them? Is this another of the great mysteries of witches you were describing, like why you go to the loo in groups?"

"Geez, Harry!" replied Holly, "Don't mention that- they'll have me in front of the international sisterhood, getting my mouth sewn shut."

Hermione mumbled, "I don't do that."

Ginny gave Hermione a nod in agreement. "Me either."

Holly sighed. She both faced and pointed at Hermione and said, "Troll," then changed aim to Ginny and said, "Diary."

Harry smirked. "Looks like I'm not the only one who could learn something from Holly."

~oOo~

Following lunch, Holly pulled Harry away from rejoining the jihad against grime and vermin, settling him in the library for an official tutoring session. Sirius was lurking in the background, but he appeared to be involved in a project of some sort if the scribbling and book flipping were any evidence.

Holly held her hand over a stack of books on a side table. "These books are to supplement your Defense training." She pointed to a collection, maybe a dozen that were packed into a box. "Those books are to help you wrap your mind around the principles of magic, so that you understand why the Professors like Flitwick and McGonagall are teaching you things in a specific order. The last pile has nothing to do with your classes and everything to do with magic, even though they're all written by muggles... I think. Finding them in this library makes that less certain." The pile she'd indicated was a stack next to Harry's seat on the sofa, tall enough to reach her waist where she stood next to them. Harry leaned over to check the names on the bindings.

"Ethica Ordine of something? Meditations; The Prince; The Social Contract... what's this got to do with magic?"

"Everything. It's about choice and power, Harry. You have power to change the rules- any wizard does. What these are meant to teach you are the sense of responsibility that having that power should require. Whether to use a spell, and how to do it, is quite literally a powerful choice."

"Why am I being taught this, instead of everybody?"

"Short version- because you're my only student. Longer version- you have an unusual position in the wizarding world, Harry. You're quite popular."

Harry frowned. "Yeah, but I'm not- haven't you read the Prophet? I'm a nutter."

"Oh, you're popular. You just don't know how to use it. As a dear friend once said, being popular isn't about everyone liking you- it's about everyone listening to you. If you say nothing, they'll find something else to focus on and you won't be stuck in the spotlight anymore, but then you'll have missed the chance to change minds."

"I don't want to change minds!" Harry protested.

"I bloody well hope you do!" Holly retorted. She gestured toward a window and said, "They all think Fudge has things under control, and Dumbledore is a senile fool, and Lucius Malfoy is a well-meaning philanthropist and that you're a nutter. But you're a popular nutter. They're waiting to hear what you have to say about it."

"I've had absolutely no access to anyone to say what I'd want to say. Professor Dumbledore has kept me away from all that."

"Can you blame him? It's not like you've proven to be comfortable with attention or clear about your message. It's in all our interests to make sure you make sense when you start to talk publicly. Normally I'd be grateful that you're still in school- you could find your voice in front of a limited audience with short memories. Unfortunately this hearing has elevated you into the professional arena, so that's why we're concentrating on this now rather than later. The books are for later."

"Holly, what if they convict me and snap my wand? Couldn't we just... go away somewhere? Leave this all behind?"

"Sure. You could give up all the power and all the responsibility that goes with it. People will hate you for it, but that's their problem. But running away won't keep you from having to face Riddle. He's obsessed with you. The man can't experience sex anymore, so his way of seeking moments of pleasure is in destroying his enemies, and he has a case of blue-balls where you're concerned. Never underestimate the influence of sexual frustration in decision-making."

Harry laughed at the analogy, but then his face fell as he considered how much life would suck without sex. "He's gonna kill me."

"Odds are he'll keep trying until he does," Holly said, "unless you put him down first."

"How am I going to do that?"

"Well, not by facing him alone. This is why your popularity is relevant. At some point you'll have to face him. Better to do it with an army at your back than just a few loyal friends or worst of all, alone and backed into a corner."

"An army? Does the wizarding world even have armies?"

"Usually they only need a dozen or so trained hit-wizards to match the effectiveness of a muggle military division, but internecine combat is a different matter, and even for that Riddle is a special case. He speaks very loudly with a wand, all on his own, and then he has his ... backup singers. It'll take a lot of voices to out-shout them."

"You've lost me."

"I thought you were taking Divination. Did your instructor not cover Adrian & Carlisle's 'Grand Symphony'?"

"Honestly, if Professor Trelawney had stopped predicting my death long enough to mention it, my head was probably so congested by incense that I wouldn't have heard a thing."

Holly nodded in understanding. She paced a bit, then said, "Okay, here's the short-ish version: God is the audience, humanity are the singers and instrumentalists that He's hearing. Keep in mind this is allegorical- the capacity to make pleasant sounds is meant to represent your ability to change reality, and the music is the way we make reality interesting."

Harry looked doubtful.

"So. Your average human can barely whisper; only en masse do they contribute anything more than background noise; magical people actually have instruments to amplify our sound- we can change the tune in our section of the symphony if we play it loud enough- that's magic; overriding the usual to make things within hearing distance change to suit your song. It's easy for us to drown out a bunch of whispering muggles, but a bit harder when facing another musician. Significant figures have louder sounds and can influence the music by organizing other players to play by their tune. This is why it's important to be able to either sing or play a stirring tune- so that others can follow your lead. Singing is about personal influence, whereas your wand and the spells you cast are your instrument- not as detailed in meaning but louder."

"How is this related to Divination?" he asked.

"Because people with 'the sight' are hearing the themes being played more directly, and they get previews of the melodies coming up- lacking context, though, they often misinterpret what they hear, particularly since they have to translate it from symphonic into human language, usually poetry in an attempt to capture the mood of the circumstance for which they're getting a preview.

"This is particularly relevant to you," Holly continued, "as you are blessed with a naturally strong and mellifluous voice, so a lot of people are listening for what you decide to sing. That's not a reference to magical talent, by the way. You having a voice is what it means to have a destiny. The seers, or audiophiles, if you prefer, knew that you were coming and that you'd be singing counterpoint to Riddle, but what you sing and how loud it's heard aren't written into the music ahead of time."

"So really, knowing magic isn't as important for me as being able to... lead a section."

Holly jumped up and punched the air in a cheer.

"Such a brilliant lad! I love that you're paying attention. Yes, but the magic matters, too, as you have to reinforce the message from your singing with some awesome solos and harmonies, to drown out Riddle's gothic dirge. Else we'll be hearing soulless heavy metal tribute bands so much and for so long that God may become bored and destroy the Earth."

If Harry held hope that learning from Holly would be much easier to follow than his regular studies, that belief was dying quickly.

Holly saw his expression and smiled. "Now that I've melted your brain, we'll move on to the practical, and your first lesson in leadership- how not to lose your shit in front of an audience... which we seem to have attracted."

She'd looked up past him, prompting Harry to turn around- Remus, Molly, and the cleaning crew had apparently found reason to pass by several times, and now were making no effort to excuse their pause in the entryway as some sort of 'check-up-on-Harry' task.

"Since you're here, could you help us out for a practical lesson?"

With Holly's encouragement, the various Weasleys and other friends collected on the library furniture. Holly then dragged Harry to stand facing them from in front of the fireplace.

"Thanks for coming, I know you're busy, but Harry here is going to describe his last quidditch match- start to finish."

Harry turned to her and goggled. "That went four hours!"

"You don't have to put in the whole play-by-play, just what you remember as the highlights. You know the material, so just think about how you want to start, form the sentence in your head and start talking."

Harry tried, but every time he looked up at all the faces focused on him, he couldn't find his voice.

"Not so easy, I know. You feel like prey, don't you? Now that you've suffered, I'll tell you how to work around the problem."

Harry sighed with relief.

"The problem is that it's you up there."

"Yeah, I know. It's not like I can get Ron or Sirius to stand in for me."

"Well, you could but that wouldn't solve the problem of empowering you to speak in public. No, what you need to do is be someone else."

Harry frowned. "But I'm always just me. I don't have a split personality or anything."

Ron chortled and said, "After this past week, I wouldn't be too sure, Harry."

Holly squinted at the snickering audience and then stepped up to face Harry. "Remember when we were in the alley, and a stranger interrupted our... discussion?"

Harry blushed but gave her a quick nod.

"Instead of quailing or running away, you redoubled your efforts- really started making your point, eh?" Her smile made his blush grow, but oddly he wasn't feeling as embarrassed by it. Then she asked, "How'd that come about? What happened in your head?"

Harry's thoughts accelerated at the mention of that potent memory- sex against the wall; the guy dropped his sack of waste; Holly shuddering in my arms (and a spare thought for the Patronus it inspired); my hand was hurt, but I could ignore it; the oblivious pedestrians might've noticed us any second; hang on- the guy appeared and Holly said 'don't stop' and I had to be something more in that moment--

"I took on a different attitude, like an actor playing a role."

"Exactly!" Holly enthused, "You put on a mask and let that other persona take the risk. There's even some magic behind it- if you really concentrate, you can feel your mask forming a shell in front of your mind. It becomes like armour of anonymity. They aren't watching you, they're watching your shell, your puppet! You practice that other role enough and no one will be able to tell that you're wearing a mask. That's how you face a crowd... or a dragon. Or a Dark Lord."

"Holly, you're always like that- as if you're immune to criticism. Are you always wearing a mask?"

Holly dipped her head and leaned it in next to Harry's. She whispered, "Not always, Harry. You've seen me unmasked a few times. In that alley was once. When the Dementors first showed up... well, they tore the mask right off just by showing up." Her voice quavered slightly in the recollection.

"Right- you couldn't move--"

"Until you grabbed my hand." She smiled, kissed his cheek and leaned back. Harry swore he could see Holly's mask settle into place by the way her eyes turned from teal to sea green. He vowed to himself at that moment that he would find those teal eyes again.

Holly stepped to the side and then announced,"So, for the sake of our lesson, howabout you think of being Lee Jordan for a bit and he'll tell us how the match went?"

~oOo~

Mrs. Weasley might have warmed to Holly just a little after seeing the value of her lessons, but she wasn't going to allow Harry and Holly to have any private moments. If the Weasley parents weren't doing the watching, it was Hermione and Remus who kept an eye on them. No one ever said anything, but any motion Harry made to nudge Holly into an empty room or to rendezvous with her outside (or even inside) the loo, he would always be seen and glared at by one of Harry's unwanted chaperones. Meeting in public areas for legitimate studies was fine, so they occasionally traded messages in writing while conducting a different conversation for their eavesdroppers.

It took two full days- until the night prior to the hearing, in fact- before Harry had orchestrated the solution for what Holly referred to as his Rapunzel challenge. For whatever reason, Holly insisted that if he wanted her, he had to come to her. His prior attempts had been disrupted by tripping and caterwauling jinxes, wary nighttime parental policing, and even an unfortunate coincidence involving Fred testing a spoiled fainting fancy that made him sing 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly' just as Harry was ascending past their room. Harry's plan involved accomplices, specialised equipment, misdirection and an unwary victim.

After dinner, Harry 'accidentally' dosed Ron and himself with some slumber powder from the twins' collection of experiments. He and Ron dropped to the floor the moment the cloud erupted around them, and they were no doubt levitated by one adult or another back to their beds for the night. In Harry's case, he'd stowed a Wide-Eye lozenge in his cheek, and within an hour of being 'put to bed', the dissolving solution had counteracted the powder, and Harry awoke. After cobbling a suitable faux-Harry to fit beneath his covers, he disabled the spell triggers on their door with Macnair's wand and slipped out to make his Cloak-covered way back up to Sirius' room undetected.

Harry had opened the door and closed it behind him fast as he could, so he didn't notice until he'd turned around that Holly wasn't sitting on the bed -- she was hanging from the ceiling. In fact, Harry was staring directly at her black-clad arse, currently four inches in front of his face.

Harry was briefly reminded of the reversed-gravity effect he had encountered in the Tournament maze, and that feeling of disorientation. Holly didn't seem to be suffering as he had. Though her skin was flushed, she bent up to touch her bare toes on the ceiling with a certain practiced ease. Harry gulped. Not only was the movement delightfully provocative, but he also was admiring the way her sleeveless undershirt and skintight bike shorts clung to her sweat-soaked body; as if they constituted nothing more than a layer of thick black paint on her skin. Succumbing to temptation, he reached up and pinched her arse.

Holly yelped and in some way must have lost her grip, as she then tumbled down onto Harry- her legs slipping across his chest and feet knocking him in the face. They ended up in a tangle on Sirius' rug.

Holly sat up, then shoved him, saying, "Ow!"

"Ow, yourself!" Harry returned, "What were you doing up there?"

"Exercising. I managed to get a spider-touch spell to work, so I was doing bat-crunches."

"Is that why you're wearing black?"

"Oh, of course- it's tradition," she snarked. "You silly yob- skirts and button-ups are a bit impractical for this, and I always buy my underthings in black. It hides a multitude of sins... except holes and dandruff." They clambered up to standing, inspecting for possible bruises along the way.

Harry muled, "Do you ever stop explaining things?"

"Not when you've got so much to learn. I work with whatever comes up because I can't always make these pearls of wisdom make sense without a context."

Harry's mood turned dark. "Oh, like how you're also a lesbian? We've talked about sex a lot, yet somehow that never came up? I saw the way you looked at Ginny- I don't think she's your type! Oh, wait. Do you have a type or is everyone fair game?"

Holly tilted her head and squinted at him.

Harry heard himself drawl, "Sometimes I wonder why I even bothered with you. Who knows how many have seen your 'assets'. It makes me ill to think of it."

She raised an eyebrow and said, "What's your hurry, Harry?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're pushing rather hard to make me angry- most people wait until after I screw them over to call me a slut."

"At least you know what you are."

Holly made an evil grin and stepped right into Harry's face. She knocked away the hand he was going to use to push her off and with her other hand she reached up and caressed along Harry's forehead, placing her thumb across his scar.

Harry winced in pain. Holly leaned up and whispered, "Harry, I'm not just saying this because you're suffering from a peeping Tom."

"S-saying what?"

"I love you." She then kissed him on the lips.

Harry was about to push Holly off of him, but the words had him frozen in shock. Holly had created some sort of strange circuit between them, from her lips through his head, out the pulse in his forehead, down her arm, to her center and back to their kiss. It felt like raw passion-not anger or lust or hatred but simply emotional energy. He found his hands once more had grasped Holly's shoulders and in reflex he pushed her away, breaking the circuit.

He felt like he needed to run a marathon or two, possibly after a stop off to wrestle an angry Hippogriff to the ground. "What the fuck did you do to me?"

"Not me, Harry. I think poor Tom doesn't want another migraine. He was trying to stir your head like a hornet's nest so we'd keep away from each other."

"I think you're lying, and--"

Holly had already stepped forward to press against his body and now had interrupted Harry's thought by taking a hold of his substantial erection through his pyjama bottoms. She massaged it through the cloth whilst snuggling up against him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

She whispered, "I cannot lie to you, Harry. I simply can't. Now, all that sweating has gotten me quite randy, and I know you didn't come up here to hurt me. Therefore, I suggest you take any leftover anger and irritation you have, channel it into your cock and stab me with it until you feel better."

The way Holly looked up at him said she was looking forward to being stabbed. Harry was irritated enough that he took that as permission to ride the surge of hot emotion rushing through him.

He grabbed her head with both hands, tilted her jaw up and kissed her deeply. Once she was reciprocating the kiss, he let his fingers dance a trail down her neck to her collar, grabbed hold of her undershirt and ripped it open wide to expose her pale breasts. Holly stepped back and gasped, her expression a mix of surprise and wariness, tinged with anticipation. She'd let go of his cock and held her hands up in front of her, ready to defend.

Harry stopped himself, then said, "If you're willing to surrender to me, raise your hands above your head."

Holly blinked, then let her arms drift upwards, her smile growing as they lifted higher. She stopped once they were fully extended toward the ceiling, which made for a very vulnerable and provocative pose.

Harry stepped forward, letting his fingers trail up her bare front to tickle her belly, breasts, and neck and then back down again, making glancing touches to her ribs, side, and settling at her hips. He threaded his fingers beneath the elastic of Holly's waistbands, then peeled the fabric of knickers and exercise shorts down to expose her white flesh- the prominence of her hips, the round curve of her buttocks, the strong muscles of her thighs. As he let the loosened fabric drop past her knees, he breathed in a primal scent- the residue of her physicality mixed with something heady- a subtle and sweet perfume.

"What are you wearing?"

Holly stuttered, "N-nothing, anymore. You've torn my clothes away. All that's left is me."

"I mean the... the flavour."

"Amber resin with honey." Her voice had deepened to a tone that induced a tickle at the base of his skull. She added,"Care to taste?"

Harry followed the scent- strongest at first amidst the moist crumple of clothes around her feet. He traced it up past her knee, nudging her inner thighs until the flavour became dense, centered amidst the deep burgundy wisps of hair that capped Holly's mons.

He nudged his nose to prod her damp privates, making her twitch and shudder.

"Open up your thighs."

Holly shifted her weight to one leg and brought the other outward, balancing the bend with a foot against her opposite calf. This spread her nether lips just slightly, and Harry inhaled a much stronger dose of this fascinating musk. His tongue slipped out to glance across those lips, and he tasted. What sizzled across his brain caused a moment of vertigo, then his tongue slipped across, curving up to part those saturated labia and jab into her opening.

Holly let out a cry of "God, Fuck!" and canted her pelvis forward against his face, spreading hot fluid across his cheeks. She moaned as Harry continued to lap and stroke into her.

Her breathing became shallow and Holly whined,"I bet you can taste how close I am to climax. Make me come, Harry... oh, please... pleeeease!"

Three, maybe four strokes in and a little wriggle across the-- hang on; how did my tongue reach up to her uterus when I'm nudging her clit with my nose?

Holly cried out and Harry became distracted by her core muscles squeezing, quivering against and otherwise embracing the length of his unexpectedly long tongue.

He leaned back and looked up at her. She was still holding her arms above her head but her body was twisting and shifting in place, no doubt struggling to stay standing while her thighs trembled through her abating orgasm.

He stood up and leaned his body against hers, thus pushing them both against the wall. He grasped at her breasts, flicking and pinching her nipples. He nudged her face aside with his own, hissing into her ear while she let out short gasps into his. "~You set my mind afire. Every time we're together, my world changes. You're like a spirit of madness and chaos...~"

"I'm here, I'm hot and I'm so ready for your cock--"

Harry couldn't remember releasing her breasts to doff his bottoms, but in the space of a blink he had her pressed against the wall, holding one leg up beneath the knee and was slamming the aforementioned cock into her wet cunt by the time he realised that her breasts were bouncing freely against his chest.

It was an odd position. He had Holly pressed up so tightly that the leg that he wasn't holding was barely touching the floor- his pounding into her was the only other thing holding her up. At first she held her arms above her head, gasping and whining at the ceiling in supplication, but Harry's insistent piston was stealing her strength, and she had to wrap her arms around his neck instead.

She mewled, "Oh-God-oh-fuck-I'm cumming again already? Hnnnnnyaaaahhh!" and then bit her lip as Harry felt her walls spasming around his cock. He slowed down his entry and watched as Holly rolled her eyes and shuddered, her climax stretching onward now that her core had something to reliably clamp onto. Still he slid his cock in and out, never ceasing the stimulation.

Holly rolled her head around and then hopped up to wrap her dangling leg around Harry's waist. Her whole body clenched forward and she keened in rapture.

Harry let her enjoy this until her body relaxed, then he swung them away from the wall and dropped forward onto the bed, dislodging their joining. Holly shuffled around on the mattress to get more of her body towards the center, but Harry trumped this motion- he grabbed her at the ribs and shoved her the extra foot, then moved his hands from there to crawl across her breasts. He knelt forward and sank down to feast on her breast flesh, inducing Holly to take long deep breaths, interrupted periodically by a moan.

Almost as an afterthought, he nudged each of her thighs open with a knee. Holly took the hint and slipped a hand down to grab his throbbing cock and line it up with her entrance once more.

Harry continued to kiss and gnaw on the tender skin around her nipples, moving his pelvis forward just enough for his cocktip to tease at her entrance.

Holly giggled.

"What?"

"Never would have expected to want a man's manhood stuffed deep into me so much that I'd be willing to beg."

"You're going to beg?"

She leaned back, thrashing and whinging like a child,"Plee-eee-eee-ease Ha-a-a-ar-ry, stick that in and FU-U-U-UCK ME-EE-EE!"

Harry smiled and obliged her. He slapped into her hard enough that she hiccoughed.

Soon their aggressive rhythm was pumping at full rage and it didn't take much longer until he felt a twinge deep within him and slammed his cock into her, up to the hilt. Climax rushed through his body and out into hers. It was a different kind of circuit than what he'd felt earlier-softer, sweeter and strangely cleansing.

Holly threw her arms out to the sides and arched her back, thrusting her teats up, too close to his face to ignore. Harry could still feel most of his body concentrating on his cock pulsing into her, but summoned enough self-control to act. He nuzzled one breast and then bit on the tip. Holly screamed.

Her orgasm continued for a bit longer than his, but he wasn't jealous of it.

oOo

They made love. Slower, faster, based only on touching... Harry even got her to orgasm just by tending to and taunting her breasts. In the cool-downs, they would talk about nothing important- favorite foods, jokes, pranks they'd seen or done.

Eventually Holly called a ceasefire and ordered Harry back to his own bed; 'Appearing in court looking shagged-out might win you some fans', she'd said, 'but it's not going to impress wrinkled old officials or your enemies.'

Holly had to drag him out of the bed and only got his cooperation when she agreed to sneak back downstairs with him. They made their way back to Ron's room undetected (despite a few magic traps that Holly noticed and Harry disabled).

Standing next to his bed together, Holly hugged him, then said, "I think we've prepped you as well as we can for this, given the time limits. Except for one last thing."

"What's that?"

"I owe you a reward."

Harry looked at her curiously, then watched as she knelt down in front of him, until her forehead was touching the floor. She rose up to her knees and then shifted forward, almost seeming to lose her balance because she reached up to catch herself by grabbing Harry at the hips.

Holly stopped. She turned her face upwards from where she knelt in front of him, looked at him almost as if suffering some pang of need, and then used her grip on his waist to slide his pyjama bottoms and underpants down his hips. She wrenched the waistband around his arse and forward enough for his cock to slip out. Harry hadn't been expecting anything like this, but in the last ten seconds his cock had gotten the idea before the rest of him had caught on. It was swelling to hardness and when it flopped out, Holly caught it by the head with her tongue. She balanced it there for just one long second, and then she twisted her neck around to draw his cockhead into her mouth.

What an extraordinary sensation! Her hot mouth, the feeling of her breath sneaking past her not-quite-closed lips, the sweep of her tongue around his cockhead- Harry nearly lost the strength in his legs from how stimulated he'd become.

Holly's agile tongue continued to swirl about his cock in her mouth and even slipped between the folds of foreskin to tickle some very sensitive areas right near the tip. She shifted around by the neck and shoulders, changing the angle that her mouth had on his cock, and he groaned at how it affected him.

Her slim hands slipped up- one to envelop his cockshaft and guide its position, the other reaching up to caress his hip, his stomach and drag her nails across his skin, following the thin trail of hairs that led from his navel down to where...

Where Holly was sucking his cock.

Realisation crept over Harry's brain. This wasn't anything he'd ever expected from her, as if it were contrary to her nature somehow. To see her worshipping his erection, caressing it like a lover and making sounds he'd only ever heard when Hermione ate chocolate (which triggered a realisation of why he always gave her something from Honeyduke's for a gift), it made him feel coveted.

Holly, who loved him, was sucking his cock for no other reason than for his pleasure. He was her world.

Holly glanced up at him as this sentence burned into his brain. Her tongue slowed its motion, her guiding hand fed the cock deeper into her mouth and she moaned, the vibration twittering at the back of her throat just as she was rocking her mouth forward, pressing his cocktip against the buzz of her moan.

If he could've said something, he would have.

He felt his balls clench like fists, and his cock nearly exploded with white furious rapture, shooting his cum into her throat. His hips jerked and Holly jabbed her head forward with the motion, her hand now pumping his shaft in counter punch to the fierce, consuming, swallowing, ravaging action of her throat, tongue, and mouth around his spurting cock.

Harry couldn't keep standing, but Holly held his nightshirt taut in one hand, aiding his slow collapse to the rug whilst still consuming the living lava she was voraciously sucking from his manhood.

Once he was set down to the floor, Holly's cockbobbing slowed into a tender cleansing of his still throbbing todger. Over the next minute, she ensured with kisses and licks that Harry's cock knew it had done well and was appreciated for its performance.

Holly finally let go of his privates, leaning back up to lock eyes with Harry.

"That is the best blow job I know how to give. Thank you for not grabbing my head."

"I... cn... whut... "

"Sometime tomorrow, they will try to make you feel small- so small that you can't possibly threaten them. An insignificant and disgusting gnat that they'd squish beneath their boot if you wouldn't look so pathetic afterwards.

"If and when that happens, you just remember this moment when I was sucking your cock and you felt like a God of Stone and Fire. Because I wouldn't do it for anyone else in the world, Harry. No one."

Harry gave up on trying to speak and just basked in the feelings. Holly smiled at him and stood up, tightening her silk kimono around her body. She moved to walk out of the room, shrugged, and then disappeared, leaving Harry to his bliss.

~oOo~

Another note: for anyone concerned with Holly's occasional references to God, I promise to keep any talk of religion limited to her 'God is the Great Couch Potato' theory.