Brave New World

A/N: Thank you for the great reviews!! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Well, here is my next chapter. It's longer than I intended but I think that's okay. I just hope it's interesting.









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Chapter Four



It was just after eight when the last of their study group entered the library. Rather than their usual table, Daphne chose one in the back near the stacks by the rear wall for more privacy but could still be seen by anyone crossing the threshold.



There wasn’t much to review, as classes had only started on Monday but there was more to this meeting than homework. It was a welcome for their Coven, to greet each other as they began the year at Hogwarts anew.



Blaise knew Tracey was anxious to discover if Harry would come tonight but he just didn’t believe the Gryffindor was ready yet. In fact, Blaise wasn’t sure if Harry would accept at all. Not that Harry held any harsh feelings toward them, he had proven open-minded on the train. There were just so many obstacles in Harry’s life, not the least his friends and house associations, which would hinder his association even with the so called outcast Slytherins. It might be best to write him off as an impossibility.



“I’m sure he’ll come soon.” Daphne tried to comfort her friend with a gentle hug. She pressed a light kiss to her cheek, when Tracey sighed despondently. “Besides, its only the beginning of the year. I’m sure Granger and Weasley haven’t let him out of their sight.”



This proved that Daphne was thinking along the same lines. Given Tracey’s disappointment, she probably was as well, she just didn’t like it.



“They act as if Harry isn’t allowed to have associations other than their little circle.” Tracey mumbled, as she began setting her books so she could start on her assignments.



“They’re protective,” Daphne corrected. “And with good cause, don’t you think?”



“If you say so,” the brunette reluctantly agreed, though they both could tell she wanted to argue.



Daphne’s words were proven by Granger’s actions in Potions that morning. Given Harry’s past relations with Professor Snape and the other sixth year Slytherins Blaise could understand her suspicion. Yet there were times during the double period, her behavior was almost ridiculous. If Harry had any hope of not merely passing the class but learning, he needed to partner with someone other than his best friend. Rather than allow him to work, Granger practically took over the brewing. This left Harry to either play errand boy, prepare ingredients, to her perfect specifications of course, or be regulated to observer.



Harry probably thought Granger was doing him a favor but it was only setting Harry up for Professor Snape’s future wrath, when he couldn’t perform without his fellow Gryffindors assistance.



Given the small group of students who actually achieved an Outstanding on their Potion’s Owl, the class was generally mixes of the houses, leaning heavily toward Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Snape wasted no time informing everyone how Harry was allowed special entrance to class. As there were only four Slytherins class, including him and Daphne, the Professor was wasting his time trying to draw the students’ ire toward Harry.



Most Hufflepuffs couldn’t wait to get out of Potions as they couldn’t tolerate Professor Snape’s callousness. The few who remained, were friends with Harry and merely ignored the remarks. The Ravenclaws wouldn’t care, as they would only see Harry’s admittance as a diligent pursuit of knowledge, a trait Ravenclaws wholeheartedly supported. It also helped they were friends with Harry as well. As Granger was the only other Gryffindor, the Professor’s performance while outstanding in its veracity was pointless.



“Granger was in rare form today. I’m stunned she has time for a relationship with Weasley given how much devotion she shows her studies. And mothering Harry.”



It wasn’t that Daphne didn’t like Harry’s friend. It was more of a dislike of how she tried to thrust her knowledge down everyone else’s throat. It was very off putting. They all knew how smart Granger was, it just seemed subtlety was a lost art to her.



“She wasn’t so bad Daph,” Tracey admonished lightly. The three of them also shared Arithmancy and Ancient Runes with the girl.



“sometimes she speaks to Harry as though he’s an ignorant child and because Professor Snape has ridiculed him in class so much and allows Malfoy to sabotage Harry’s work, he simply lets her talk to him that way as if she’s done him some grand favor.



“They’re friends. I’m sure we simply don’t understand the dynamics of their friendship. Look at the way we relate to one another, perhaps they’re saying the same about us. I don’t think Harry allows her to speak that way, but merely understands it is just apart of her character and accepts her for it.”



“And if she were to attempt speaking to you that way?” Daphne asked, lips pursed as if daring her friend to speak anything less than the truth.



“Well I’d have you to put her back into her place, now wouldn’t I,” Tracey teased, pressing her own kiss to Daphne’s cheek.



“You’re talking about Harry aren’t you?” They glanced up at the question, noting the final member of their circle had arrived. Susan Bones had been was the last person they expected to agree to joining their coven but she was surprisingly adept at the old ways.



Then, there were a great many things the Hufflepuff concealed from the rest of Hogwarts. Though she had graduated from pigtails, she still wore her long wavy auburn tresses in a neat ponytail often found laying across her shoulder. As they had all changed out of their school uniforms for the evening, she was subtly displaying her curvy figure in a simple dark blue jersey dress.



“I can always tell when people are talking about Harry and his friends by the sound of frustration in their voice.” Susan grinned, before taking a seat.



“What do you mean by that?” This question was posed by fellow Hufflepuff, Ernie MacMillan, who was also a member and one of the first Tracey had recruited. MacMillan was slightly arrogant but he had genuine ability and his family upheld the old traditions faithfully.



“What she means is that Hermione and Ron have declared ownership of Harry and anyone who wants to get close to him, must have their permission,” Ravenclaw Padma Patil answered. Her twin Pavarti, was a Gryffindor and was even escorted to the Yule Ball by Harry, while she had attended with Ron. Everyone knew what a disaster that evening was. “Yes, I guess they’re protecting him, because Hogwarts students are fickle and have been cruel to Harry. It’s just a shame we probably won’t get the opportunity to really get to know him, he seems so nice.”



“He is,” Susan agreed, “And shy, though he’s very powerful.”



Daphne glanced at Blaise who gestured for her to begin. “It will be a shame to lose the Potter family.”



“What do you mean by that?” Tracey demanded.



“What she means,” Terry Boot, the final member of their Coven and Ravenclaw as well, “Is that Harry is a Weasley all but in name. I’m not saying anything against the Weasley family, I’m sure they’re good people and it’s fine Harry feels like he can be apart of their family but it’s a shame the Wizarding world will lose the Potter heritage.”



“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not setting up a marriage contract between him and Ginny,” Susan snickered softly. “She certainly adores Harry and wouldn’t argue against it.”



“Harry has no idea the Wizarding world even honors marriage contracts,” Padma rolled her eyes. “He’s incredibly naïve still when it comes to the heritage he was born to. What upsets me, is that he doesn’t even attempt to learn.”



“A bit difficult, when you have a Dark Lord in the shadows waiting to kill you,” Blaise spoke up finally, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. While he might agree with some of the things being said, it wasn’t their place to judge Harry, his friends, or his choices.



“I agree,” Tracey nodded, they all knew how she felt about gossiping and their discussion was deteriorating in that direction. “So we wait to see if he accepts our invitation and that’s all we can do.”





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FSFSFS





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Thursday afternoon as he made his way to the second floor classroom where it had been decided both of his private lessons would be held, Harry was feeling apprehensive of what the next three hours would hold. For this first week, Professor Vector, or Septima as she had invited him to call her while they were working, had allowed Leo to claim most of the blocked time as she was still preparing her lesson plan for him and dealing with her classes. They would meet on Friday for the first time, where she promised she had a very stimulating start in plan for him.



Meanwhile, Leo had suggested a three day evaluation so he would be able to gauge where Harry’s talents lay and what deficiencies to correct . Today they would sit down and discuss a training plan. It wasn’t that Harry was afraid of hard work but he knew he was a more tactile learner. He was never one for books like Hermione, being much better at hands on instruction. Leo seemed like a really smart guy and the last thing he wanted was to waste his instructor’s time struggling through books and concepts that would probably evade him.



As he entered the classroom, he noted the house elves progress in cleaning. Where before was years of dust and grime, hardwood floors gleamed. There was a new door at the rear of the room, signaling either a closet or office had been added. The ceilings strangely enough were higher and as the door closed behind him, the room became utterly quiet indicating the liberal use of silencing charms. Wouldn’t want curiosity seekers peeking inside to see what was going on, Harry reasoned.



“Hey Harry.” The same masculine voice he had listened to call out various hexes and jinxes at him in a threatening growl, greeted him with a smile. Though still in muggle clothing, Leo was extremely casual today in dark denims, white trainers and a black long sleeved t-shirt. He sat behind the table that was covered with several different packages, books and parchment. “How were classes today?”



“Pretty good. Can’t decide if I like the way the double Charms and Transfigurations have been divided but I guess I’ll get used to it.” The single hour lessons were for theory and test days when applicable. Double hour classes were for practical and working on projects later on during the year. “At least Defense is together, though I don’t think I would have minded Potions that way.”



“And your defense teacher? Heard he was a retired Auror, is he any good?”



“Better than Umbridge at least,” Harry admitted still not ready to give Professor Sloan an approval just yet. “Then again, anyone would be better than her, so that’s not really saying much.”



“I asked Kingsley how he rated as an Auror the other night. He didn’t have anything bad to say.” Leo shrugged, “I guess this would be a case of no news being good news. “ After a moment, he gestured to the chair opposite him. “Why don’t you have a seat and we can get started.”



The knot of tension he carried around in his stomach most of the day tightened as he slid carefully into the chair and folded his hands in his lap. He took several quick breaths before looking up at the Unspeakable waiting for the verdict. Only to start as Leo started chuckling.



“It’s not the end of the world Harry,” he smiled through the amusement in his voice. “You haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, I’d say the results of the past three days are very promising.”



“Really?” He was almost afraid to hope but hearing those words did take the edge off of his fears.



“Yes, really. I was a little surprised actually. Considering what I had heard of the DADA instructors here the last few years, I wasn’t expecting your spell work or your dueling prowess to be as advanced as it is. I read the report on your excursion through the Department of Mysteries and you’ll be pleased to know it left a great deal of information out. I’m certain that was Dumbledore’s handiwork.”



Considering how many Death Eater informants were in the Ministry, Dumbledore keeping information a secret was no surprise. “That sounds like him.”



“However well you performed there, I don’t want you to forget the surrounding circumstances of that night. Those Death Eaters were there in secret, hoping to avoid exposure to the Ministry. Meaning, they held back Harry.”



The words hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. He had been feeling proud of the way he and his friends had held their own against those Death Eaters that he hadn’t even considered that piece of information.



“It doesn’t mean that you didn’t perform well, it just means that Death Eaters are vicious and not to be underestimated. It would be remiss of me to allow you to believe that is the extent of their magic. They were feared for a reason. Death Eaters have an arsenal of Dark Arts spell work that is cruel and malicious and the thing of nightmares.”



“You’re right. That is what I needed to hear. I know they like killing, most of the time without provocation. I saw them at the Quidditch World Cup and I saw the way Wormtail just slaughtered Cedric on Voldemort’s orders.” He swallowed heavily, as the memories pressed in on him. Cedric’s blank gaze, forever sightless and he didn’t stand a chance. “The way Bellatrix murdered Sirius,” he finished in a shaky whisper. The tears he had sworn he was finished shedding, blurred his vision for a second before he dragged in a deep breath and shoved his grief back down. “When I’m faced with them again, they won’t be trying to get a prophecy from me. It will be capture for Voldemort or to kill me.”



“It doesn’t seem quite fair does it?”



Harry looked up from his fingers that were pale and twisting nervously. “No it doesn’t.”



“Would you like to know the reason why I agreed to work with you Harry?” The only reaction he could give to the question was a shrug. He thought Leo was here on Dumbledore’s orders. “Yes, I was asked to help you but I could have said no, I had that option.”



“Then why?”



“Kingsley’s told me a lot about you over the past few years. How you faced down Voldemort at eleven, Basilisks, trolls, and dementors and competed in and won the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Sneaking a group of teenagers into the Department of Mysteries only to face off against Death Eaters. He told me how he had never met a kid with more sheer balls than Harry Potter.”



The profanity startled a snort of laughter from Harry before he covered his face and dissolved in hilarity. He had been expecting, well frankly Harry didn’t know what he had been expecting but definitely not that. Leo waited until he caught his breath, watching with a mild grin before speaking again.



“My mother is very fond of saying that we’re never given more than we’re capable of handling. That the Powers that Be know if the burdens we are faced with will crush us or if we are able to stand and be strong against them. I’m proud my job is to help you stand strong.”



Leo hadn’t said how Harry was supposed to be the chosen one, or how he was the savior. Merely, stated his belief that he could stand against Voldemort. Harry nodded once in acknowledgement and thanks. “So how do we start?”



“We start with training you both physically and mentally. As I was saying, you’re a very good dualist. However, time is not on your side when you’re fighting.” Leo stopped, frowning down at the parchment he had picked up from the table. “We need to work on your endurance. To do that, you need to put on some weight.”



Now he understood Leo’s hesitation. He knew he had lost at least ten pounds over the summer break and they were ten pounds his already slim frame could ill afford. Typically any weight he lost while back at the Dursley’s would be back on by winter break. He just hated that someone was faced with the abuse he lived with at his relatives.



“I can do that,” he answered in a voice that pleaded silently for those questions on Leo’s mind to remain unasked.



“Alright,” Leo agreed slowly, and for that Harry was extremely grateful. “We’ll start slowly. As we’ll only have two hours each afternoon to work together, some things will be up to you. We’ll occasionally work on weekends but mostly those days are your responsibility. I’m not going to hold your hand through workouts, this is your training and you will be held accountable for your actions.”



“Such as?” Because he was starting to get a little worried.



“You’ll start the day with a morning run. Fifteen minutes to begin with until you’re in better shape. Then you’ll finish up with two sets of sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups, 50/20/5 which will increase weekly and some stretching to loosen up your muscles so you won’t cramp up. Those I’ll show you a bit later.”



“you want me to do that before classes?” The look of horror on his face amused Leo as he started laughing again.



“I always get in a morning run at about 6am before work Harry. You’ll get used to it.”



“Six?”



“I hate it too and I’ve been doing it for twelve years.”



Harry looked at Leo’s physique which was nothing to laugh at if the muscles filling out that black t-shirt was any indication and decided maybe a morning run wouldn’t outright kill him. Maybe.



“Fine,” he dragged the word out, kissing his mornings of sleeping in good bye.



“Next is your meal plan.”



“Meal Plan!”



“Before breakfast, you’ll take these nutritional supplemental potions, provided by your Madam Pomfrey.” Leo pushed a small metal box over to him. Harry slipped open the lid, noting the slim tubes with a grimace. He could almost feel the green thick slop going down and knew it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. “You’ll pick up a new supply for the week after your healing class on Fridays. I should warn you, Madam Poppy has wanted to give you these for years now and was happy to be of assistance and will probably be checking to make sure you’re not skipping any.”



“I’m not that bad,” he pouted, ignoring Leo’s gruff denial that had words that sounded like ‘strong wind’ mixed in.



“For breakfast, you’ll have at least a small bowl of porridge and a piece of fruit. Whatever else you’d like is up to you. I don’t know what wizards have against milk but I’m certain the house elves won’t have a problem getting you a glass. Lunch must include a piece of fruit of some type, and two vegetables. Milk there too. Dinner you can have a glass of that vile pumpkin juice but you’ll have two vegetables there as well and only a small portion of desert.”



“That’s an awful lot of food,” he really wasn’t used to paying much attention to his diet, typically filling his plate with whatever he felt like consuming at the time.



“You’ll be burning a lot of calories each day. And using a lot of magic. You’ll need the vitamins and minerals you’ll get to help you put on not only weight but a bit more muscle as well.”



“I didn’t know wizards knew about vitamins.”



“I spend a great deal of time in the Muggle world due to my position with Interpol, Harry. I like to believe I have the best of both worlds.” He pushed two other boxes in Harry’s direction. “This brings us to our next portion of the program. Training.”



Frowning, Harry opened the smallest box first, a grin lighting up his face as he pulled out the wand holster. “I always wanted one of these after seeing Moody’s.”



“Can’t practice constant vigilance if your wand is in your pocket. I could have hexed you six different ways by the time you got it out. Wear it. At all times, no excuses. You are to never be without your wand Harry, no matter the circumstances. We are at a stage in the war where anything can happen and you can’t protect yourself if you aren’t armed.”



The holster was light and warm against his arm from the charms he could feel placed on the dark red dragon hide. A quick flick of his wrist and his wand was settled safely in the palm of his hand. “Thank you.”



“No problem,” Leo nudged him toward the other box. Harry frowned down into the open container, not understanding, then looked up in denial. “No arguing. You can’t learn effectively, if you can’t move comfortably.”



Nestled inside the white tissue paper were two pairs of trainers, one a pristine white, the other dark blue with white and red trimming. Beneath those were seven pairs of fleece pants each with either a matching hooded pullover or trucker sweat tops, in shades of navy, dark grey or green and black, a dozen each of short and long sleeved t-shirts in multiple colors and thick white socks.



“I can’t accept this.”



“You can and you will.” The calm words brooked no argument. “It’s no different than buying books or supplies for your other classes. You simply didn’t have the means to purchase these and I did.” Leo shook his head, “And don’t even think of insulting me by saying you’ll pay me back. I did this because I wanted to. Believe me, you’ll need this and more by the time I’m finished. Just say thank you and let it be done.”



He could never understand why Ron wouldn’t accept gifts from him and here he was doing the same thing with Leo. ‘Bit of a hypocrite, now Harry?’ a mocking voice in his head queried and that decided things for him.



“Thank you.”