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Author: Tarkas Story: Hunter and Maiden Rating: Teens Status: WIP Reviews: 10 Words: 204,697
[The disclaimer may be found at the start of the story, before the Prologue. It still applies.] Hunger -- for food, anyway -- more than assuaged, Harry was "doing the rounds," wandering from one group of guests to another and chatting to everyone. He was thoroughly enjoying himself; it was great to see and to talk with all his friends from school and the Order, not to mention a few people who, like Hermione's parents, he only saw rarely and talked to even less often. This was yet one more part of one of the best days of his life... However, for all the old and new friends and acquaintances he was enjoying talking to, there was one noticeable absence that concerned him: where was Dumbledore? He hadn't expected the Professor to be here for the entire party, but he had hoped that he would make an appearance for at least a few minutes. No such luck, it appeared. Then, as if the thought had called them forth, two of the familiar Hogwarts owls swooped low over the gathering, and one wheeled gracefully to land on a table next to Harry, holding out its leg for a thick-looking letter to be removed. That was the work of only a few seconds, and Harry opened the seal to find a silver badge and an astonishing accompanying message. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hogsmeade, Scotland 31st July, 1997 Dear Harry, It is with great pleasure that I write to advise you that you have been chosen as Head Boy of Hogwarts for the forthcoming year. I have no doubt that this news will surprise you, particularly since, for reasons I have discussed with you in the past, you were not chosen as a Prefect in your fifth year; however, as Miss Granger will no doubt inform you if you ask, your elevation to the position of Head Boy is not without precedent in the long history of the school, and both I and the academic staff feel that you are more than worthy of the title and the responsibilities that it carries. In what may be less of a shock to you, you have also been appointed School Captain of Quidditch. As Charlie Weasley can tell you, this is a largely honorary appointment since it is extremely unusual for Hogwarts to field a school team, primarily because there are no other schools in this country which play the sport, and international competition is rare -- more so than ever in the current state of our world. Nonetheless, this honour is bestowed upon you in recognition of your skill and prowess at Quidditch, and for the good sportsmanship that you have shown over the last six years. Congratulations on both of these achievements; they have been well and fairly earned by your hard work and good character. I'm sure that your parents and godfather would be beside themselves with joy at this news, so I would suggest that you not be too down-heartened by their absence. Tonight, celebrate your birthday, your majority and these accomplishments with your friends and adopted family as you deserve -- and please forgive my unavoidable absence; certain important matters require my attention this evening. Yours sincerely, Albus Dumbledore PS. When you arrive back at Hogwarts, please come and see me after the Welcoming Feast. The password to my office will be "Peppermint Crisp." PPS. I strongly suggest that you turn to your right; here comes the Head Girl! Surprised, Harry looked to his right and, sure enough, there was a jubilant Hermione racing towards him, calling his name loudly, a similar parchment in one hand. He barely had enough time to open his arms before she flung herself on him and grabbed him in what was an extraordinarily fierce hug, even for her. "Harry! Head Boy! Oh, I'm so pleased for you!" she cried -- almost literally, for she was near tears. "That's so wonderful. Isn't Professor Dumbledore marvellous?" Harry held Hermione away from him slightly, just long enough to say, "And what about you, Miss Head Girl Granger! We all knew they'd pick you, but I really wasn't expecting this. Won't the McGonagall be pleased, with both of us in her House?" They laughed and hugged each other again, and Harry whispered, "Now go and give Ron a kiss before he starts to get jealous." "Oh, and who are you going to celebrate with? Whose jealous eyes should I watch out for? As if I didn't know..." "Hermione!" But before their banter, if that was what it was, could go any further, the two of them were surrounded by friends and family, all having got the gist of what was in the letters and noisily congratulating them. The Weasleys were the loudest of the lot, naturally, and when they heard of Harry's appointment as Captain of Quidditch, they grabbed hold of every former and present House-mate that they could find for a cheer. The roar of "GO, GRYFFINDOR!" could have been heard at the Tower itself, were it not for the Charms that hid magical happenings at the Burrow from its Muggle neighbours. The cheering group broke up after that, laughing and talking loudly, and Harry wandered over to a table to get a drink -- and, coincidentally (or was it?) to where one of the non-Gryffindors was standing, looking a little left out. "Sorry, Padma," he said quietly, "Typical Gryffindor and Weasley enthusiasm. Shouldn't happen again tonight." She smiled at him, rather surprised that he'd even noticed her, much less apologised for something like that. "That's all right," she said softly. "Congratulations. You'll make a terrific Head Boy." "Thanks. I hope so -- though what with Quidditch, NEWTs and... everything else, I may have trouble finding enough time to do it all..." He stopped, and then stared at Padma for a moment before suddenly looking over at some of the others. "That's it..." he half-whispered. He gazed into space for a moment before suddenly returning his attention to her. "Padma, you are brilliant!" he said with unexpected enthusiasm, "You've just given me a great idea. Thanks so much..." Before she could answer, he'd shot off into the crowd, obviously hunting for someone. Behind him, a startled Padma Patil wondered what on Earth that was about, and what she'd done that was so brilliant. "Well, I am a Ravenclaw..." she murmured, deciding that she might as well enjoy the accolade from the new Head Boy even if she had no idea why she'd received the praise. She wandered off to find Parvati, possibly to enquire about the sanity of her sister's House-mates. Meantime, Harry had found Hermione and whispered a quick request. She agreed and he moved away to grab Ginny and the rest of the current Gryffindor Quidditch team -- with one notable exception. The team-mates ducked around the side of the Burrow and huddled together for a hushed conference, Harry doing most of the talking. An alert listener might have heard one or two excited cries, or even squeals, but they were quickly silenced, as was something that sounded like the beginnings of a count, interrupted by a firm, "Save it for after we've told everyone!" The conspirators erupted noisily back into the yard and made a bee-line for Hermione and their missing team-mate. Harry quickly told his bushy-haired best friend what was about to happen and dragged her into the middle of the yard, the team following right behind -- in one case, literally, because Hermione hadn't let go. She did now, though, and stood next to Harry as he produced a Filibuster Firework that he'd got from who-knew-where and set it off to get everyone's attention. After the sparks (red and gold -- coincidental, but wonderfully appropriate) faded, Harry raised his arms and called for silence, which fell eventually. "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Gryffindors past and present, welcome friends from other Houses," he began in a voice that carried easily to everyone who should hear it, with no need for a Sonorus Charm, "As you all know by now, I've been appointed Hogwarts Captain of Quidditch for the coming year, following in the footsteps of everyone's favourite dragon-tamer, Charlie Weasley." The Weasley family cheered, and everyone laughed as Charlie bowed to the "audience", grinning hugely. "Professor Dumbledore tells me, and Charlie agrees, so I know that it's not a joke--" Harry paused, enjoying the slightly shocked looks of some of the adults at the thought of doubting the Headmaster's word. "--that this is mostly an honorary position, but I gather that there are some duties attached to it, so I can look forward to an even busier year than I was already expecting! I'm starting to wonder if there'll be enough hours in the day for everything... "But the important point is that, as School Captain of Quidditch, I want this year's Quidditch Cup to be the best ever, and I hope my friends from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff won't mind me saying that I'd also like Gryffindor to successfully defend our victory of last year. For both these reasons, I want the House team to be the best it can be, and that means we need a Captain who won't be overwhelmed with other jobs on top of that minor distraction more usually referred to as NEWTs!" He paused for the expected groans, which were duly forthcoming from the Gryffindors (except Hermione), the Hufflepuffs and even a few Ravenclaws. "Therefore, after consulting with my fellow team members, and with their unanimous approval, I'd like to ask the Head Girl-elect--" He indicated Hermione, who nodded her head in acknowledgement, smiling all the while. "--who's not all that fond of the game, but still makes one heck of a supporter, to join me in presenting to you all the new Captain of the Gryffindor House Quidditch team: our very own King of Keepers... Ronald Weasley!" A cacophony of sound met this announcement: Ron's shocked gasp was lost in the cheers of his team-mates and girlfriend, and startled cries of joy and/or disbelief from his mother and brothers. These died away as the team-members surrounded their new captain and began the count that had been postponed from their impromptu meeting; on "three", another, even louder Gryffindor cheer rent the quiet of the evening before dissolving into laughter and good-natured banter -- and, in Ron's case, stunned silence after Hermione kissed him in congratulation. ***** The party-goers drifted away to resume conversations or begin new ones. Ron, once he and Hermione joined one of the groups, had little to say and seemed lost in thought... and determined to stay close to his girlfriend. Later, though, he released her from the silent half-embrace which they had been sharing for some time, said quietly that he'd be back in a minute, and disappeared into the crowd around the drinks table. He wasn't after anything on the table, however; he'd seen Harry over there by himself, and he needed to ask him something -- something that had been weighing on his mind ever since that extraordinary announcement earlier. He reached out to touch Harry's shoulder, indicating with a jerk of his head that he wanted both of them to go away from the party area. Harry nodded, took the glasses of Butterbeer that he'd been pouring back to the people waiting for them, and then joined his friend over by a large tree. Ironically, or perhaps typically, now that Ron had the chance to ask his question, he couldn't think of how to do it. Finally, he burst out with, "Why, Harry? Why make me Captain?" Harry just looked at him for a moment, but then seemed to realise what his mate truly wanted to know. He reached out to place a firm hand on Ron's shoulder. "I told you, Ron! I'm going to be Head Boy and Captain of Quidditch, and we've got our NEWTs -- plus any Order stuff that comes up. When am I going to have the time for the House team -- to do the job properly? I was serious: I want this year's House Cup to be the best ever, and I naturally want us to win, which means we need a captain who won't be running around trying to squeeze Quidditch in between half-a-dozen other things! "I've been Captain; I know what it involves, and there aren't enough hours in the day for me to do the job justice on top of everything else! So we-- Gryffindor needs a new captain; who better than you? You've been on the team for longer than anyone else -- even if it's only for a couple of months longer than your sister..." Harry paused and grinned. Ron looked startled, and then as though he wanted to thump his friend, but he subsided when he realised that he was being teased. "You're a bloody good Keeper and an excellent strategist," Harry went on, "You were the obvious choice. And I'll remind you that it was a unanimous vote: you are the bloke for the job, and you're the team's choice." There was not a lot Ron could say to that; he could hardly argue against everyone else on the team -- his team, now -- not when he had the job that he'd always coveted but never thought that he'd ever get. And Harry hadn't given him the job out of pity or charity; his friend wanted him to have the job so that it would be done right, so that Gryffindor would be represented as well as it could be in their final year -- so that they could win! "Okay, mate," he replied softly, visibly drawing himself up with new self-confidence, "but I'll remind you lot of that when you complain about practise going on too long!" Harry burst out laughing before riposting, "You do, and I'll complain to Hermione that we're neglecting our NEWTs because our Captain is channelling Oliver Wood!" Ron looked shocked -- and indignant. Or at least he did until he, too, began to laugh. "You would, you bugger!" he cried. "Bloody Big-Head Boy... and Girl! Hey..." An idea suddenly occurred to him and he whispered something in Harry's ear. Both boys acquired identical expressions of anticipation and glee and they headed over to where a group of girls were standing, chatting. Hermione was part of that group until her best friends -- or so she'd have called them, prior to this -- appeared on either side of her, linked their arms with hers, excused themselves to the "ladies" and dragged her off, back into the centre of the yard. Harry produced another Filibuster Firework and set it off to capture everyone's attention; Hermione looked startled and a little confused, and Ron just grinned. "Gather 'round!" Harry called out, "We have a challenge for the new Head Girl!" Almost everyone did, with considerable laughter and loud speculation as to what "the Trio" were up to now. Harry was quick to tell them. "Professor Dumbledore appointed me Head Boy," he reminded everybody, holding his letter in the air, "which is unusual, because I wasn't a Prefect. But he says here that it's ‘not without precedent in the long history of the school' and that I should ask Hermione for details." There were a few snickers from the crowd, some of whom had begun to guess where he was going. "Now, whenever anyone wants to know anything about Hogwarts, Hermione always tells them to look in her favourite book, Hogwarts: A History." Groans, real and exaggerated, came from the listeners -- especially those named Weasley. "Ron here is always accusing her of having it memorised, so we thought we'd see whether that was justified." Hermione had quickly lost her surprise at being dragged off and now looked indignant -- or, rather, she was trying to. Harry, but no-one else, could tell that she was having to struggle to keep a straight face, and he winked at her. She very nearly lost control then, but managed to maintain a supposedly annoyed countenance as her other best friend -- her boyfriend -- took up the oratory. "Hermione," Ron cried, "we challenge you. We challenge you, as the smartest witch of our generation and the number one fan of the huge great tome that Harry mentioned, to tell us this: on which page of Hogwarts: A History is the first mention of a Head Boy who wasn't a Prefect?" The avid crowd oohed, ahhed and whistled as Ron metaphorically threw down the gauntlet. Hermione barely paused to take a breath before picking it up. "Page 634," she said unhesitatingly. "His name was Allen of Keele, and he was Head Boy in the year 1084. He was the first-ever Head Boy, and he wasn't a Prefect because there weren't any Prefects in those days; they weren't appointed until the late 18th century. "The first non-Prefect who, like Harry, was chosen to be Head Boy after the Prefect system was established was Kendall Arthurson in 1806; he wasn't a Prefect because he'd been allowed to go to France to study at Beauxbatons after the Treaty of Amiens was signed -- that's the treaty of 1802, not the 1527 one -- and he was confined to that school as a hostage when war broke out again fourteen months later. He managed to escape two-and-a-half years after that when the news of the Battle of Trafalgar reached the school; in the confusion and the arguments over whether Napoleon would survive the disaster, and what the school should do about it, he managed to slip away and get outside the anti-Apparation wards. In those days, there was no age limit on Apparation, so getting back across the Channel was easy. "When he returned to Hogwarts, he was hailed as a hero and named as Head Boy the following year in recognition of his ‘daring escape.' He was a Gryffindor, by the way..." Everyone stared at Hermione in stunned silence -- except for Harry, who was doubled over with laughter. He managed to regain some semblance of self-control for just long enough to ask, between guffaws, "And what page is his story on?" He lost it again when Hermione calmly answered, "Page 1214 -- in the section on how the school has dealt with crises in the Muggle world over the centuries." Harry's mirth was infectious, and soon almost everyone was joining in the laughter. The two most notable exceptions were Hermione, who was smiling and looking around herself with a slightly smug air; and Ron, who was gazing at her with a peculiar mixture of amazement and adoration. He broke out of the astonished paralysis that her display of knowledge had seemingly put him in and leaned in to whisper to her. "You are bloody brilliant!" he told her, "How the hell did you know all that? You don't really have the book memorised, do you?" Hemione giggled. "No," she whispered back, "but I cheated." "You what?" Ron hissed in shocked disbelief, staring at her. "I cheated -- or, rather, I was tipped off that it might be a good idea to look that stuff up, so I did earlier, while Harry was being congratulated on his appointments. When you two came over and ‘challenged' me, it was all I could do to keep a straight face." Ron looked as if he didn't know whether to laugh or become angry. "How could anyone tip you off? I didn't even think of asking you about it until I was talking to Harry about the House team!" "You'll have to ask Dumbledore," Hermione answered sweetly. "My Head Girl letter has a postscript from him suggesting that I ‘be prepared to answer questions about past Head Boys and Girls who weren't Prefects.' So I found my book and looked them up. The rest you know." Ron no longer needed to make a decision; he laughed -- long and loud, falling on Hermione for support and, eventually, to continue to whisper to her. "You and Dumbledore make a good pair -- you both know everything!" He paused and grinned at her before adding, "The difference between you is that he's an old man and slightly mad, and you're a gorgeous witch... who's looking particularly beautiful tonight, let me say... and who I'm mad about." Hermione cast an amused sidelong glance at him. "I'm glad you can tell us apart," she said dryly. Then she faced him directly and met his admiring gaze with soft, shining eyes. "Do you really think I'm gorgeous?" "Oh, yeah," Ron assured her. "How about we go somewhere private so I can tell you more -- in detail?" "Sounds good to me," she murmured, and the two of them sidled their way through the guests and disappeared around the side of the Burrow. ***** Eventually, the party broke up, but only with considerable reluctance on everybody's part. Harry was perhaps slightly less reluctant than many of his friends because all the attention was becoming overwhelming. He was grateful and glad almost beyond comprehension that so many wonderful people cared enough for him to be there -- to want to be there, for that matter -- but after weeks with the Dursleys, any positive emotion was strange, and so much at once... it just became a bit much. And then there was what, some time after her "challenge", a dishevelled but happy Hermione had dragged herself away from Ron to whisper in his ear -- that the last Hogwarts Head Boy who hadn't been a Prefect was one James Potter... He nearly broke down at that wonderful, bittersweet reminder, and he was still on an emotional knife-edge at the thought. He needed to escape for a while to recover his equilibrium. He waited until all those who were leaving had said their goodbyes and left, and then he slipped away and wandered back up to the paddock. He slowly strolled into the middle of the field and raised his eyes to the stars that shone brightly down from a clear, still sky. Memories of nights in the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts led him to look for familiar shapes in the heavens, and he found several signs of the Zodiac quickly enough, but two other constellations seemed to call to him. They were easy to find, and he spent several minutes looking up at them -- or, possibly, staring into the space between himself and the stars, for he didn't move and he had a thoughtful expression, as if lost in contemplation of things that only he knew of. And perhaps that was so, for, when he finally came out of the near-trance that he had been in, he gazed intently at one of the constellations and a particular star in it for some time before raising one arm in salute and murmuring, in a voice that both was and was not his: "REST EASY,MY HOUND. YOUR WORK IS DONE; MINE BEGINS. YOU WILL BE AVENGED." After a few seconds of silence, he turned and ambled back towards the Burrow. He hadn't been gone that long, so nobody had really missed him -- with one exception. Ginny had been helping to clear up, and looked both startled and relieved to see him; it was obvious that she wanted to know where he'd been and if he was all right, but hesitated to ask lest she seem to be prying. "Hi, Gin," he said softly, "I just needed a breath of air. Don't worry, I'm fine. You done? Shall we go in?" Ginny was lost for words. Had this been anyone else, she would probably have replied by saying that she hadn't been worrying, but this was Harry, and she couldn't bring herself to lie to him; and she didn't think it would work, anyway, not the way he'd been looking at her all day -- and now. She answered with a wordless nod; he stepped back to allow her to go before him, and they went inside. It was late, and no-one found it remarkable, or even tease-worthy, when Harry and Ginny said their good-nights and headed up to bed. They stopped outside Ginny's door, and Harry reached up to gently touch her cheek. "Good night, Ginny," he murmured, "This has been one of the best days of my life, and most of what has made it so special seems to have involved you. Thank you for that -- and for everything, really. I'm awfully lucky to have friends like you and your family..." He gave her one last warm smile and headed upstairs. A stunned, disbelieving Ginny watched him go, then turned and went into her room, closing the door behind her. She flopped onto her bed, her mind and emotions in a whirl. He'd done it to her again! She'd outgrown her childish crush, got over Michael, sorted out Dean and generally arranged that part of her life to her satisfaction, making a determined resolution to concentrate on her studies until she left school... and then Harry comes along, pays her a little attention, thanks her for... she wasn't quite sure what he had thanked her for, only that it was important to him... and she was lost. All the old longing, all those embarrassing, blush-making, stick-my-elbow-in-the-butter-dish feelings had come surging back, all the stronger for the hope freshly kindled by his new attitude towards her. Darn you, Harry Potter! she thought angrily, but she also couldn't stop herself from smiling. Maybe there was hope, after all; maybe dreams could come true... maybe she was going to make a bloody fool of herself yet again! She shook her head, trying to clear her mind so that she could relax enough to sleep; somehow, she had the feeling that this was going to be a long night... ***** [A/N: For those who may be wondering about Harry's appointment as "Captain of Quidditch", it struck me that Charlie Weasley has always been described that way rather than as the Captain of Gryffindor House team, which got me wondering. British public schools, which appear to be the model for Hogwarts, refer to the school team captains as "Captain of Cricket/Rugby/Whatever", so I came up with the idea of a mostly honorary position because we've never seen an inter-school Quidditch match in canon -- or, for that matter, any mention of other British wizarding schools, as far as I know. Oh, and BTW, in Britain (and countries like Australia whose education systems were originally based on the British model), "public schools", alternatively referred to as "private schools", "independent schools" or "fee-paying schools" (I know it's confusing; chalk it up to the vagaries of history), are the privately owned ones, not those owned and run by the government; the latter are state schools.]
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