Harry Potter and the Womb of Requirement NOW CODED

22

Eventually they all climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express. Three of them subdued. This was the last journey to school for them. Next time they took this train would be their last. Speeding them away, never to return.

They found a compartment for the four of them, settling in, hearing a knock on the door, looking up, Seamus and Lavender. They were holding hands. Hermione beamed and beckoned them in. As she’d been thinking about their current situation, the number ten had been creeping in, and she had a feeling she had just found nine and ten. They all talked animatedly, swapping stories of their holidays. Lavender’s and Seamus’ family had happened to holiday in the same place. Seamus had his 18th birthday while they were there, bumped into Lavender. They’d ended up, trawling Brighton’s windswept beaches together, then had become an item, as he kissed her in a beach shelter. And here they were.

Hermione had a big grin on her face, that the others couldn’t decipher. She felt a surge of something approaching triumph in her chest as they all barrelled north, but she couldn’t tell yet, the thoughts so unformed in her mind. Her fellow Gryffindors understood and left her to it.

They arrived back in school, Hermione just reaching the top of the Entrance Hall steps, before being enveloped in a double Harry and Draco hug. {You’re a genius, you know that, don’t you?}. Draco. (Missed you, ‘Mione. You’re bloody brilliant}, Harry.

Hermione flicked her eyes between the two of them, chewing her lower lip, her chin raised, she licked her lips, and found a private channel between her and Harry {I’m your Elemental}. He reeled with the shock, but somewhere deep inside him, he knew that another major truth had just been revealed to him. Harry flung his head back, laughing. Draco’s brow furrowed. Harry was looking deep into Hermione’s eyes, their respective lovers confused. Draco glanced at Ginny. She shrugged, bemused. They watched Hermione circle around Harry, their eyes narrowing sending like crazy, but even Draco couldn’t read it. They both drew apart, grinning. Their lovers’ sent, {What happened there?}. Hermione and Harry’s eyes bored into each other, they both pressed a finger to their lips, {Ssshhh}. Complicit, a little flirtatious. Hermione arched a brow. Harry laughed, tension leaving him, sending, {I always knew you were a force of nature, girl}, he licked his lips lowering his eyes before Hermione’s penetrating gaze. She nodded, grinning lasciviously and broke the contact.

xxxxxxx


They ate supper together in the Great Hall, many animated sends passing between them. Without thinking, when Ron needed the pepper, he calmly Summoned it wandlessly. Ginny Summoned the dish of mashed potato without pausing her sent conversation, helping herself, before sending it back.

Albus, Minerva and Severus watched, all somewhat amazed. Blaise quietly Summoning his mail. Other wandless spells, Hermione wordlessly Summoning her own mail with a flick of her hand, a letter on Hogwarts stationary giving her pause for thought. She put it to one side for now, unopened.

The teachers stared. The powers of their pupils had clearly improved over the holidays, another element being added. Minerva felt herself grin, “We’ve never seen anything like this, have we Albus, Severus?”. The two men had to admit, that, no, they had never seen anything quite like this before. Dumbledore with a smile, Snape with a scowl, that turned into a slight smile, as he watched Draco. Grinning, with real friends around him, all ‘talking’ animatedly. His head flung back, laughing. Severus Snape did something, then, that his fellow members of staff had never seen him do before, he smiled, feeling the joy emanating from his protégé. He caught himself, assuming his usual dour expression, but Minerva smiled, “You should do that more often, Severus, it suits you”, she smiled into his eyes, but Snape’s barriers were firmly in place again.

Harry found his eyes travelling to Hermione’s several times during the meal, he bit his lip as thoughts rushed through his head, {Listen, guys, we all need to meet up, figure out what’s going on here, how about tomorrow lunchtime?}. The staff observed all of them turn their attention to Harry and nod. Hermione shook her head, {No, Harry, I need to do some research first. Can we wait until Saturday?}. The whole group heard her and turned in her direction. Dumbledore noticed this and gasped softly, his hands clasped together in front of his mouth. “Albus, what is it?”, Minerva’s tone full of concern. Then Albus started to laugh, “Minerva, think back, what’s the strongest Magic you have ever heard of?”. Minerva thought a moment, her brow knotting, then clearing, “Merlin, you don’t mean....?”

“Yes. Minerva, Severus. Before us we have two almost bonded Magi, and a bonded Elemental”.

“It would appear that our Magi have created themselves an Elemental. They are made rather than born. She will be a conduit for their powers between themselves and any others they choose to draw into their circle. Only Magi can confer increased powers on others and it would seem as if they have done this unconsciously. It may even be that our Magi’s cohorts have formed couples because of this, although they are still mere teenagers and youth, hormones and attraction have no doubt played an equal part. This is Harry using his innate power of love to draw the people around him that he needs. What purpose he has for this group remains to be seen although I suspect they will form some sort of shield, a private army, if you will, composed of those dearest to him and their chosen mates. He seems happy to have his friends around him as in love as are he and Draco”

He heard Minerva sigh beside him. Even Snape was genuinely shocked and looked thoroughly rattled. She said, “We need to protect them all, Albus. What happens now?”. Suddenly Albus received a send into his mind. Hermione, pushing her way gently in. He glanced back at the table. Saw Hermione’s eyes bore into his. {Professor, we are all meeting up on Saturday at two in the afternoon. We need a couple of hours, then we would like you to join us, if you would, please?. Down by the large oak, if it’s fine. Elsewhere if not. I will inform you of any change}. Albus smiled. {I will be there, Miss Granger. Nothing could stop me}. Hermione winked at him and turned her attention back to her table.

He turned to his colleagues and smiled, “Give me a moment”. He surreptitiously withdrew his wand, rubbing it between his palms, the replacing it in the sleeve of his robe, then held his palms out towards the Gryffindor table, reading, dowsing. His hands shot up, “Merlin”, his eyes widened. He felt a power surge rush through him, and heard Hermione’s voice in his head, {I felt that. Now try sending to McGonagall and Snape. Go on. I dare you, sir. Think of the radio}, he could feel her giggle in his mind.

He cautiously opened his channel to his trusted colleagues, a wicked little grin lost amongst his whiskers. Minerva caught him first, reeling back in shock. But Snape’s reaction was the best. He nearly fell out of his chair. The scowl completely gone. Replaced by utter amazement.

By now the co-conspirators were all watching the Staff table. Hermione giggled again. Harry sent, {What did you just do, you minx?}. Draco sent, {Why does my House-Master look like a bulldog that swallowed a wasp?}, to general hilarity around the table. {Watch them}, she instructed. They did. Minerva sought Hermione’s eyes, found them, held the gaze, lifting her goblet of wine, a sent toast, {Thank you, Professor}, Hermione lifted her own glass, took a sip. Slowly, and in a totally stunned state, Severus Snape did the same. Hermione arched her brow, and sipped again, inclining her glass in his direction.

Then she did suddenly did something that drew gasps from the whole assembled company. She lowered her goblet, raised her fingers to her lips, and blew Snape a kiss. {Good evening, Professor}, she purred into his mind

His face was a picture. His eyes widened and his normally sallow cheeks bloomed with a rosy undertone. No-one had ever seen Snape look like that before. His defences snapped into place once more and he glared at Hermione. She simply shrugged and turned back to her friends.

The sends came thick and fast. {What are you playing at?; it’s Snape for Merlin’s sake}, Harry. Plus various others in the same vein. She looked round at them all, held a finger over her lips, hushing them all. {Something good will come out of this, trust me. I just taught Dumbledore to send to McGonagall and Snape. I had to convince them that we are the real thing here, that’s all}.

Albus watched the party leave the Hall, his mind whirling. {What do we do with them, Minerva?}. She was sunk deep in thought. She raised her head, stared, astonished into the Headmaster’s eyes, and sent, {Well, my first instinct is to follow rules, but my second, is to give them all their own rooms in the Protected section. Keep it all as quiet as possible, and see what happens. I think we are about to witness something stupendous, can you not feel it?}. Albus smiled at Minerva’s reasoning. He cast an eye towards Snape, {Severus. What do you think?. After all, several of your House are involved}. They both looked. To see Severus the most undone they had ever seen, his secretive control gone to pieces. He could do nought but stare at a fixed spot in front of him.

Albus made a decision, {All ten must be sequestered, although I am only reading bonds between eight}. Minerva nodded, {I think the last two are recent}. Albus was serious, {We need these folk, don’t we?}. Minerva regarded the recently vacated benches at the head of her House table and sent, {Albus, if we don’t know what we have amongst us, then He certainly won’t}. Albus laughed and rose, wishing his colleagues a cordial good night.

Before they separated for the night, Harry pressed his Invisibility Cloak into Hermione’s hand on a semi-permanent loan basis. Ron and Blaise had their room, and he and Draco had their flat, but his Elemental needed her space too. She thanked him with a kiss. She wrapped her lover into the cloak and smuggled her upstairs, into bed, laying strong silencing charms. Stripping her beloved, {I can’t be without you beside me, love}, Ginny purred her agreement, sinking into her Missy’s waiting arms, not daring to refute her Magical abilities this time.

Ron and Blaise re-entered their small boxroom , {Feels like coming home, doesn’t it?}. Blaise sank into Ron’s kiss, letting it take him, {Mi amante}, he breathed. And Ron possessed him. He adored Blaise reverting to his native tongue.

In their flat, Harry held his Dragon as they listened to music, {It’s good to have everyone back, isn’t it Dragon?}, Harry queried. Draco turned into his eyes, drilling Harry for an answer. {What’s the thing with Hermione?. You were flirting with her}. Harry turned to his beloved, claiming his mouth, {She’s our Elemental, baby}. Draco submitted to Harry’s kisses, {Of course. Why didn’t I think of this first?}. Harry snaked his arms about his lover, drawing them to bed, {Because she’s Hermione, and she thought of it first}. Draco thought a moment, realising that he would never be smarter than Hermione, and gave in, laughing, letting Harry and the music take him.

That night, an old and powerful Wizard ceded his place to the power of Youth. Somewhere near dawn, he made a decision, casting his mind into the Protected Section of the School to find them all a place.

End of Part Two